America fucking sucks, did I ever mention that? Not even sure where to start, so I'll just jump right into it.
I've already commented on how absolutely lousy this country is to Native Aboriginal/Indigenous people.
Indeed, if there is any people who may know the wretchedness of America even more than Blacks and Arabs, it would be them! For months, Native Indigenous activists - many who've refereed to themselves as 'Water Protectors' - have been under vicious assault by virtually all manners of law enforcement. The past month has been especially brutal - very much akin to how Palestinians are routinely treated by their Zionist occupiers. Since April 2016, Native water protectors have been engaged in entrenched protests in North Dakota, in opposition to a massive oil pipeline project. The Dakota Access Pipe Line or Bakken pipeline aims to deliver crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in N. Dakota through the Midwestern U.S. to be sold on the international market. The DAPL project is extremely controversial, its very necessity in question, its potential negative impact on climate change and the environment: off the charts.
The construction of DAPL also threatens to destroy ancient Native lands and burial sites. All this is why Indigenous people from various tribes across the States have taken up cause of opposing this project. Anti-DAPL actions have been completely peaceful. Many women, children, and elders have taken part. Much of the protests have consisted of prayers, ceremonies, and civil disobedience in general. Activists have been met with levels of authoritarian violence that have been shocking, to say the least. Hundreds of cops from various departments/out-of-state and federal agents have swarmed upon the region. Even the N.D. National Guard has been deployed to aid in "security". The police response has been highly militarized. The results have been inhumane. Tear gas, helicopters, attack dogs, etc. have been used against peaceful protesters. Drones used by the activists in order to record the Gestapo's criminal actions have been shot down. There have been mass arrests of hundreds of non-violent activists, with police thugs assaulting and shooting at innocent people in an unchecked orgy of police-state violence.
On Thursday October 27th, a group of right-wing "patriots" who had taken over a wildlife reserves in rural Oregon back in January 2016, were all acquitted of the charges against them in federal court here in Portland. This group of mostly men - all White - had traveled to the Malheur National wildlife Refuge in rural OR (Harney County) on January 2nd 2016. Led by Ammon Bundy, They seized the refuge headquarters by force and held an armed occupation there until Feb. 11th when the last holdouts had been arrested by federal authorities. Admittedly (and surprisingly), this armed occupation of federal land was almost completely free of bloodshed, other than one of the militants having been shot and killed by police in late Jan. following a traffic stop gone bad.
there are many details involving this case and I cannot get down to them all here. Chances are you're already familiar with the Bundy occupation in general - especially if you live here in OR. Many details can be sorted out in the links I provide.
The Bundy group and much of what they stand for is laudable. Their main beef seems to be with the American govt. - a very legitimate cause to bare. Nobody truly is fond of the govt-state and how it does things, other than shills, whores, and agents. But we are also talking about a group of folks who're mostly social conservatives, very popular amongst the Alternative Right, and take up many right-wing causes. They also benefit greatly from their White Male Privilege (The Bundy occupation here in Oregon, as well as the 2014 stand-off with fed. agents in Nevada both saw all law enforcement involved on their best behavior. By contrast, the 2011 Occupy movement, BLM movement, and Native DAPL activists have typically been met with brutal force by police/govt. agents.)
The steep imbalance in how law enforcement treats White militia/far-right nationalist types, and how it treats progressive social justice movements comprised largely of People of Color, has not been at all lost of many. While the Bundy gang relishes in its legal victory, Indigenous water protectors on N.D. are being gassed, beaten, and arrested. Of course, this is nothing new. During the 1950's/60's era, the FBI file on terrorist group the KKK was barely a footnote. While the FBI (led by virulent on-the-record racist J. Edgar Hoover) put all of its weight and resources into destroying the Black Panthers and undermining the greater Civil Rights revolution. Members of Don't Shoot Portland most certainly took notice of such imbalances, and justly so. Of Friday October 28th, DSP, in solidarity with BLM, burned an American flag outside the federal courthouse in down town Portland. This was the same courthouse in which the Bundy-led occupiers were acquitted of their federal criminal charges the day prior.
Honestly, there isn't a lot to say as not much of significance has happened since July. But it is important to try and keep up to speed on these cases, to revisit them, and be in the know in general.
Back in early July, after several months of hiatus, I covered the police murders of Alton Sterling of Baton Rogue and Philando Castile of Falcon Heights/St.Anthony, MINN. Here is what latest news I could find:
Following Alton Sterling's death on July 5th 2016, came all the expected outrage. The two pigs responsible for Sterling's murder - officers Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni - were both given paid vacation. Lake and Salamoni had both been investigated at least five times between them over seven collective years as cops. Each of these cases involved violence of some sort. Each case ended up in the exoneration of these criminal pigs. Sterling's murder remains under federal investigation as of this entry's post. But federal officials are dragging their feet, and soo far there appears to be very little to show for it. Meanwhile, Sterling's killers remain on paid vacation pending the investigation's conclusion.
In the wake of Sterling's murder, Baton Rogue saw a great deal for righteous protests and other street actions, as should have happened. On July 17th, a little bit of payback was had when Gavin Eugene Long, a Black army veteran, had ambushed gang members of the Baton Rogue Police Gestapo (BRPG), wasting three worthless cops in the process. Long had utilized his military training in gaining an advantage of [typically dumb and slow] BR cops. Long eventually found his martyrdom when his was out-numbered and surrounded by dozens of cops. Long left behind a digital trail of videos and writings displaying his justified beef with brutal corrupt cops. Even though the July 17th attack was very tactical and deliberate, Long never claimed and affiliation with the BLM movement, nor any other organizations. On July 25th, Long's body was released to his family. The brave martyr's funeral was planned, and he was buried in Arkansas.
One day after the Sterling police terrorist murder in BR, Philando Castile would be gunned down in an equally ruthless way. Castile was murdered during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, MINN on July 6th. Falcon Heights is a suburb of St. Paul. The pigs responsible for this murder are: officers Jeronimo Yanez and Joseph Kauser, gang members of nearby St. Anthony Police Gestapo (SAPG).
Yanez is the one who fired the fatal shot. Castile had his partner Diamond Reynolds and their young daughter in the vehicle at the time. Using her mobile device, Reynolds recorded and live-streamed her own partner's murder on Facebook, which went insanely viral over night. The graphic video of Castile's murder - in addition to video of Sterling's murder - lead to massive nation-wide protests against police terrorism and racist police killings.
As usual, Both Yanez and Kauser were given paid vacation for their troubles. In late September, a state-led investigation into Castile's death had been completed, and sent to local prosecutors. The case currently lies in the hands of the county D.A. No further info. seems to be available for now...
If there is anyone who is more familiar with the excesses of police terrorism and statist genocide, more so than Black people, it is Native Aboriginals. You know, the folks who were here in the first place? Their population down approximately %90 from the 1600's, Native (Aboriginal) Americans can certainly attest to this country's history of violent racial suppression and White supremacy.
Latest evidence of this can be seen not only in the mass arrests of more than 125 Native anti-DAPL activists this past weekend --- but also in the murder of a Native woman in Washington state, also over the weekend. Renee Davis was gunned down by gang members of the King County Sheriff's department on Friday October 21st 2016. The deputies were conducting a so-called "wellness" check when they killed Davis, who had been five months pregnant at the time. That makes this a double-homicide by these goddamned cops. She was 23 years old. She had three other children, two of whom were at home at the time. They most likely watched their mother die. The crime had occurred on the Muckleshoot tribal reservation.
According to official police reports, Davis was allegedly "armed" with a handgun. This has not yet been confirmed. And we all know how cops LIE. Family members have confirmed that Davis enjoyed hunting and did own a hunting rifle. The young mother had suffered from depression, texting a friend and saying she was "in a bad way". The friend in turn called 911... a well-intentioned but naive and often deadly mistake. The two pigs responsible for Davis' murder have not been identified, as of the writing of this entry. They both have been placed on paid vacation. Even though the Muckleshoot reservation has its own tribal police, Friday night's incident apparently did not involve any Native cops.
http://killedbypolice.net/ Renee Davis is police murder victim no. 933
On Friday October 14th 2016, members of Don't Shoot Portland marched down Highway 99E towards mayor Charlie Hales' home in the Eastmoreland neighborhood. The activists, who're closely associated with the National Black Lives Matter movement, took their march just outside Portland, to the mayor's house, to demand his resignation. This was in response to the violent police removal of protesters at City Hall, following a Council vote on a police contract, to which Hales was involved with.
Once activists arrived at the mayor's home, they set up tents, vowing to camp through the weekend - longer if necessary. Even though Hales declined to run for a second term and is stepping down in January 2017 (mayor-elect Ted Wheeler will take his place). Despite this, many people feel that Hales' actions over the past week have been unconscionable, and therefore his resignation is warranted. Reports of actions being taken outside Charlie's house can be also be read HERE.
DSP activists gather outside mayor Hales' house Friday afternoon. Many of whom would camp out over the weekend.
It's worth noting that while still running for Portland mayor, Charlie Hales slandered police murder victim Keaton Otis Dupree as a "gang member". He was not, but this was an attempt on Hales' part to pander to the Portland Police Gestapo, whose endorsement he was desperately seeking.
The PPG never formally endorsed Hales anyways, but the mayor continues to capitulate to the police regime at every turn... even on his way out of office. This is the context for Hales' actions and why soo many citizens who are active on issues of police accountability are fed up with him.
First off, HAPPY OCTOBER! As belated as that is. First posting of the month and I know how late in it is. This and the next several entries will be short and bitter, as your humble, revolutionary, Left-of-Che, anti-American, cop-hating, terrorist sympathizer finds her/himself short on time these dark days. So here it is, and as always... more to come.
Portland Police Gestapo (PPG) brutalize and pepper spray BLM activists outside City Hall on October 12th 2016, after City Council pushed through problematic police contract. This act of police terrorism was picked up by the international press. That means the eyes of the world are on this, GOOD! Dramatic raw footage of wild cops suppressing citizens can be seen HERE. More info. can be found on Portland Indy Media HERE.
