politicartoons | Entries tagged with race

telemann.livejournal.com

For the second year in a row, the Academy Awards is a pretty white affair.

International Business Times studied claims about a lack of women and minority representation in both academy nominees and winners. “The Oscar winners are voted on by members of the academy, and there are 6,028 voting members; 94 percent of them are white, 77 percent are men and 86 percent are over the age of 50.” There have only been 31 African Americans who have won an Academy Award in the history of the Academy Awards [the awards were started in 1927].

telemann.livejournal.com

hindustar.livejournal.com

Petition to remove the Confederate Flag.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/remove-the-confederate-3?source=mo&id=120818-25921331-%3DcJJL6x

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hindustar.livejournal.com

telemann.livejournal.com

Baltimore State's Attorney: “We Have Probable Cause To File Criminal Charges” Over Freddie Gray's Death; police union cries foul.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby gave an update on the investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old who died after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody in April, calling his death a homicide. "We have probable cause to file criminal charges," Mosby said in a press conference Friday.

Charges including second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault, among others, will be filed against the officers involved in Gray's arrest, Mosby said. The New York Times' Alan Blinder tweeted out a photo of the documents listing the charges for each of the six officers:

The Baltimore chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, the officers’ union, defended the officers’ conduct, and called on Ms. Mosby to remove herself from the case and hand it over to a special prosecutor — an idea she dismissed out of hand. “As tragic as this situation is, none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of Mr. Gray,” Gene Ryan, president of the union chapter, wrote in an open letter to the state’s attorney.

Mr. Ryan argued that Ms. Mosby had conflicts of interest, including the fact that she has been supported politically by William H. Murphy Jr., the lawyer for Mr. Gray’s family. He also noted that her husband is a city councilman, and said his “political future will be directly impacted, for better or worse, by the outcome of your investigation.”

More at the New York Time's coverage.

telemann.livejournal.com

CNN - In both cases, a white police officer kills an unarmed black man. But the outcomes so far have been wildly different. So what's changed between the shooting deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina? Here are some of the stark differences in the cases, the lessons learned by both police and the public and concrete changes that could help mend tensions in the future.

Video footage:
It's unlikely North Charleston police Officer Michael Slager would have been fired and charged with murder so quickly if not for video shot by witness Feidin Santana. Even North Charleston's police chief said he was disgusted by the footage of Scott's shooting."I watched the video, and I was sickened by what I saw," Chief Eddie Driggers said. "I have not watched it since."

Not only does the video show Slager firing eight shots at Scott as he is running away, it also shows Slager picking up a dark-colored object that had fallen to the ground and later placing a dark object next to Slager's lifeless body. That could be significant because Slager initially said Scott had taken his Taser stun gun and feared for his life. But if investigators determine the object dropped next to Scott's body was actually the Taser, Slager could be accused of planting evidence.

The takeaway: Ferguson resident Alexis Templeton said what happened in her city helped people across the country to feel empowered to stand up for themselves. And that includes having the courage to film police in tense situations. "Now people have phones," she said. "People aren't scared to hold police accountable."The video of the North Charleston shooting, she said, is vital. If there is no video, folks don't believe it because it sounds so asinine that something like this would ever happen in this country, she said. "But with a video, you can't say it's not happening."

Source

telemann.livejournal.com

From CNN:

An announcement is expected later today from the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, that was weighing evidence in the Michael Brown shooting, officials said. w enforcement in Ferguson is prepared for anything and everything once a grand jury decision is announced in the Michael Brown shooting, Missouri Public Safety Director Daniel Isom said Monday. State and federal sources told CNN the grand jury decision will be announced on Monday. Isom said ongoing dialogue with community members has led to "an understanding of the ground rules we'll move forward on. We're prepared for any decision that comes down," he said. When asked about outside agitators, Isom said, "The people who come from outside will be clearly identifiable and we'll deal with those people as well." The streets of Ferguson were quiet as the city waited to hear the grand jury's decision.

telemann.livejournal.com

Dear White People is a 2014 American satirical drama film written and directed by Justin Simien. The story of four African American students at an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over a popular 'African American' themed party thrown by white students.

More information about the movie here.

telemann.livejournal.com

Here's a twist on Fox News and other right wing news: A very special "All In" investigation looks at the dangerous elements in White Culture, as seen on display during the Huntington Beach surfing riots this week. Chris Hayes talks to Cord Jefferson of Gawker to find out what can be done about this menace to society.