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9/23 One Louisville Ex- Police Officer Indicted for Wanton Shooting at Breonna Taylor’s Apt; News Roundup & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on September 23, 2020 by BennySeptember 23, 2020

A grand jury indicted Brett Hankison on charges of wanton endangerment for his actions on the night of the shooting that killed Breonna Taylor. No other charges were announced.

A grand jury indicted a former Louisville police officer on Wednesday for wanton endangerment during a botched drug raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in March. No charges were announced against the other two officers who fired shots, and no one was charged for causing her death.

The three-count indictment concerns Brett Hankison, a detective at the time, who fired into the sliding glass patio door and window of Ms. Taylor’s apartment building, both of which were covered with blinds, in violation of a department policy that requires officers to have a line of sight.

He is the only one of the three officers who was dismissed from the force, with a termination letter stating that he showed “an extreme indifference to the value of human life.”

In a news conference following the announcement of the grand jury’s decision, Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, said, “The decision before my office is not to decide if the loss of Breonna Taylor’s life was a tragedy — the answer to that question is unequivocally yes,” he said.

USA Today points out some other key developments related to the case:

Attorney General Daniel Cameron said his investigation determined that Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove were justified in their actions and that they did announce themselves as police officers before the shooting.

The mayor of Louisville imposed a 72-hour curfew on Wednesday a day after declaring a state of emergency. Police have cut off access to downtown Louisville and set up barricades and fences around buildings.

Six Louisville police officers – including the three who fired their weapons into Breonna Taylor’s apartment – are under internal investigation into whether officers broke department policies. The review is separate from the one the department sent to the Kentucky attorney general to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

Last week, the city of Louisville announced a $12 million settlement with Breonna Taylor’s family, which included a host of police reforms. The police union said it felt betrayed by the mayor, while activists said arresting the officers involved is the only way to get justice.
Also last week, the Louisville metro council declared a no confidence vote in the mayor over his handling of the Taylor case.

In other news, Planet Is Burning, But First Presidential Debate Set to Ignore Humanity’s Most Pressing Issue: Climate

Even as devastating wildfires across the U.S. West Coast and rapidly shrinking Arctic sea ice offer alarming evidence of the reality and immediacy of the climate crisis, the planetary emergency was apparently deemed not worthy of inclusion on the list of official topics for next Tuesday’s presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Unveiled Tuesday by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the featured topics of the 90-minute event—moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News—are expected to be the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, the Supreme Court, the two candidates’ records, election integrity, and “race and violence in our cities.”

While the topics are subject to change, the initial exclusion of the greatest crisis facing humanity sparked backlash from environmentalists, who characterized the ongoing neglect of the climate emergency as yet another dereliction of duty by the corporate media.

“At a time when wildfires are burning down an entire coast, it’s absolutely unconscionable for the media to dismiss climate change as a topic in the first presidential debate,” Varshini Prakash, executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, said in a statement late Tuesday. “Poll after poll shows the climate crisis looms large on the minds of voters across the country; an NPR survey released yesterday showed it was the single most important issue among Democrats. Young Republican voters also list climate as their top concern.”

Prakash said her organization is “committed to mobilizing our movement to protest at the presidential debates until Chris Wallace and other mainstream reporters address climate head on.”

“The American people are crying out for a real solution to the crises we find ourselves,” said Prakash continued. “We need to open up conversations around how we can mobilize our government to fight the climate crisis while also creating millions of good jobs in the process of recovering from an economic collapse and global pandemic. It’s an abdication of the media’s role to keep people informed for climate to be completely erased from the docket.”

Throughout his first term, Trump repeatedly dismissed or downplayed the climate emergency and contributed to it by gutting basic environmental protections and rushing to expand domestic fossil fuel production at a time when rapid planetary warming demands an urgent transition away from polluting energy sources.

Biden, for his part, put forth a $2 trillion green energy plan in July that climate groups said is a good first step but ultimately insufficient to deliver the needed transformational change.

Earlier this month, as Common Dreams reported, Biden slammed the president’s ongoing climate denial in the face of the catastrophic wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington state and said that “in the years ahead, there will be no challenge more consequential to our future than meeting and defeating the onrushing climate crisis.”

“The science is clear, and deadly signs like these are unmistakable—climate change poses an imminent, existential threat to our way of life,” Biden said in a statement. “President Trump can try to deny that reality, but the facts are undeniable. We absolutely must act now to avoid a future defined by an unending barrage of tragedies like the one American families are enduring across the West today.”

Despite the marked contrasts between the two candidates on climate policy, it is unclear whether their differences will receive any attention or discussion at next Tuesday’s debate, which will come less than 40 days ahead of the November 3 election.

Evan Weber, co-founder and political director of the Sunrise Movement, tweeted Tuesday that if Wallace fails to mention the climate emergency in his questions, Biden must bring up the topic on his own.

“Polling shows it’s the biggest wedge he’s got” said Weber. “It’s just smart politics.”

More news, tweets, videos, and jibber-jabber in the comments. See you there!

Posted in 2020 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Meta, News, Open Thread | Tagged Breonna Taylor, Climate Activists, justice, Police Brutality | 73 Replies

3/19 News Roundup – Sanders Is Telling The Story Corporate Media Fails To; Indigenous Leaders Begin A Week Of Civil Disobedience & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on March 19, 2018 by LieparDestinMarch 19, 2018

Bernie Sanders Wants to Tell the Story That Corporate Media Fails To Tell

For decades, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has objected to the failure of major media outlets to cover the growth of economic inequality in America. As a presidential contender in 2016, he used every opportunity that was afforded him in the media to address poverty, plutocracy and the consolidation of wealth and power in the hands of “the billionaire class.”

Now, he’s doing something to tip the balance of the popular discourse away from the agendas of the super rich and toward the real life concerns of working-class Americans. Something big. On Monday, from 7 to 8:30 pm ET, he will host a livestreamed town hall meeting on “Inequality in America: The Rise of Oligarchy and Collapse of the Middle Class.” With Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, filmmaker Michael Moore, economist Darrick Hamilton and others, Sanders will lead a discussion about the “growing power of corporate interests and how we can build economy that works for all Americans.” Livestreamed on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by Sanders, Warren, Moore, The Guardian, NowThis, The Young Turks and Act.tv, the initiative will reach social media sites with a combined following of close to 50 million Americans.

..

The Nation: You say there are two fundamental issues with inequality. What’s the first?

Sanders: The first one is that this country is moving into oligarchy. The three wealthiest people in this country own more wealth than the bottom half of American society. The top one-tenth of one percent now owns as much wealth as the bottom ninety percent. And then, politically, what we have seen since the Citizens United decision (by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010) is billionaires like the Koch brothers and a few of their friends pouring hundreds and millions of dollars into the political process to elect candidates who represent the wealthy and the powerful. That is an issue of huge consequence to the future of America – in terms of the economic life of this country and the collapse of the middle class, and a political system which is being corrupted by big money and Citizens United.

And the second issue has to do with how the first is covered?

The second issue deals with the fact that we have a corporate media, which is not as Donald Trump defines it “fake news.” That’s not the issue. It’s not that you have people on CNN, or writing for The New York Times, who are deliberately lying or trying to destroy politicians – that’s not the case. Everyday there are very good and important articles that appear in The Washington Post and The New York Times, on CBS News and everywhere else.

The problem is that, to a very significant degree, corporate media ignores, or pays very little attention, to the most important issues facing working people. That is the problem with corporate media today.

If you look at just the issue I described to you – the movement in this country toward oligarchy – you will find very, very little discussion about that. Stormy Daniels will get ten times more print and video coverage than will the movement toward oligarchy in this country. You will see very little discussion about poverty in this country. “Poverty” is just not a word that is used on television very often.

Bernie also spoke to Ana Kasparian of TYT about inequality and his upcoming national town hall:

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

Posted in Activism, Bernie Sanders, Indigenous/Native American, Media, Meta, News, News Analysis, Oil/Gas Pipelines, Open Thread, Progressive Media, The Economy, The Young Turks, Video | Tagged indigenous, media, News, Open Thread, pipelines, Poverty, Water Protectors

Writing The Songs To Right The Wrongs: Kareem Dennis aka ‘Lowkey’

The Progressive Wing Posted on January 7, 2018 by LieparDestinJanuary 7, 2018

By now most people who have followed my posts probably know that I’m a fairly big fan of activism through music, and these days particularly via rap and hip hop. I’ve written about it in regards to the Bernie Sanders campaign and comment on it here fairly often here in regards to Indigenous artist highlighting their modern struggles through the art-form.

So in a continued effort to highlight the new era of musical activism (and to take a break from all the Trump talk), I thought I’d give 5 examples of why Kareen Dennis (aka ‘Lowkey’) is my 2017 activist artist of the year.

Lowkey (born May, 1986) is a British-Iraqi hip hop artist from London who rose to underground fame (and government notoriety) with his politically charged track Obama Nation and the’Soundtrack to the Struggle‘ and later an extremely highly viewed & reviewed ‘Fire in the Booth‘ appearance. Due to his activism and opposition of Zionism plus support of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Lowkey has been arrested or detained multiple times on various travels. This is probably also related to him being a sharp critic of United States and British foreign policy, claiming that the two powers are only interested in supporting leaders who are under their influence or are willing to assist them. He also claims American media overlooks those within the country who do not believe in American military supremacy. Israeli hawks describe the increasing influence of performers such as Lowkey as a “potential nightmare”.

In May 2017, Lowkey endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election. He said: “We have a choice between policies which foster empathy and policies which foster greed, resentment, estrangement and alienation.”

Between 2012-2016 Lowkey took a hiatus from music to travel and further his education then mid 2017 he jumped right back into things with a stronger message than ever. Below are 5 of the best examples:

Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Meta, Open Thread, Video | Tagged 2017, avtivism, Kareem Dennis, Lowkey, music

Job Hunting

The Progressive Wing Posted on October 30, 2017 by LieparDestinOctober 30, 2017

Good morning world. I arrived at work to find out that… well work will not be much longer so I will not have a post today as I emergency job hunt. If anyone knows of anything in the DFW area (or pretty much anywhere), please point me to it as I sure could use the help.

Anyhow, if someone wants to put up an open thread that would be spectacular, and many thanks to whoever does!

-LD

Posted in Meta

Some Simple Ways You Can Help Promote TPW

Hello friends! And you know I mean that with the deepest sincerity, you are all in many ways closer to me than most people in ‘real life’. I know we have a variety of users of different ages using different devices, some who social medialize, some who do not (you smart bastards you), and well… though we are all fairly like minded, we are all quite different. This leads me to the point of ways to promote TPW, which has become one of my main goals (outside all the other ones) recently. Here’s a quick list of easy things you can do if you are able/willing that can increase our traffic:

More beyond the link.

Continue reading →
Posted on September 27, 2017 by LieparDestinSeptember 27, 2017

9/5 News Roundup – Bernie’s Labor Day Weekend Events, The Costs Of Not Acting On Climate Are Adding Up & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on September 5, 2017 by LieparDestinSeptember 5, 2017

Good morning & happy post-Labor Day weekend friends! I hope you managed to get in a little leisure time. Bernie sure did not and held a multitude of events over the past few days and I’ll have the various videos in the comments. We’ll also be discussing the continued Harvey fallout & Irma’s incoming impact and the costs of climate change, Progressive candidate news, the latest water protector & pipeline news and updates, the looming split over single payer & a whole lot more.

Kicking things off with local coverage of Bernie’s NH stops:

Have a great day and if you have any site issues, the tpwheldesk@gmail.com should be able to to help you out.

Posted in Activism, Bernie Sanders, Kathie Allen, Meta, News, Oil/Gas Pipelines, Randy Bryce, Video | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Labor Day, New Hampshire, News, Open Thread

7/5 News Roundup & Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on July 5, 2017 by LieparDestinJuly 5, 2017

Hello friends! Hope you all had a great 4th and are recovering well enough. As I catch up on the news this morning I’ll post the better findings in the comments and encourage you to do the same (as well as to write your own posts)! Until I figure out whats slowing us down I’ll skip the video of the day in the main-post to see if that helps a bit. Any issues can be reported in the comments, TPW-Mail, or tpwhelpdesk@[google].

Starting off with:

Local boy petitions Senator Ron Johnson for lifesaving health care

While the Republican bill in the United States Senate continues to suffer from recent setbacks, residents of Wisconsin have remained committed to stop the Ryan-Trump Health Care Plan. At stake is the loss of health coverage for 22 million Americans, with a direct impact to Milwaukee’s underserved population.

One of the challengers for Paul Ryan’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic congressional candidate Cathy Myers, launched a petition drive to stop the roll back of vital ACA protections. The 1,600 signatures were collected to urge a No vote by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.

“The Ryan-Trump Health Care Bill stacks the deck against working people, middle-class families, and anyone who has a pre-existing condition. Whether your health care covers patients with genetic disorders as rare as Jack’s or people who have undergone routine C-sections like myself. The bottom line is that this bill touches all of our lives, and so many stand to lose.”

Among those supporters delivering the petition was a 9-year-old boy named Jack, who Myers met on a motorcycle trip through Wisconsin in early June. Jack suffers from a rare genetic disease, and his situation highlights the dangers proposed by the pending bill, which would end his medical treatments.

“I was born with this pre-existing condition that makes me have no antibodies. It’s called Bruton’s X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia, or XLA,” said Jack. When asked what would happen if he lost his health care, he added, “Basically, I dіе.”

Cathy for Congress

Posted in Bernie Sanders, Cathy Myers, Meta, News, Oil/Gas Pipelines, Open Thread, Uncategorized | Tagged Bernie Sanders, Cathy Myers, News, Open Thread, pipelines, Standing Rock

5/19 News Roundup & Open Thread – Quist Raises 5 Million From 200,000 Individual Donors, DNC Lawsuit Discussion & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on May 19, 2017 by LieparDestinMay 19, 2017

Good morning friends! A mini Quist roundup to start things off and then more will be in the comments. (Including DNC lawsuit discussion, the latest Sanders news, environmental updates, etc). See you there!

Even With No Love from DNC, Sanders-Backed Montana Longshot Surges

Rob Quist, the once-longshot, banjo-strumming populist running for Montana’s empty U.S. House seat, is giving Republicans a scare.

On Thursday, Quist’s campaign announced a startling $5 million fundraising haul that came from more than 200,000 individual donations over the course of 85 days. What’s more, the political novice has refused contributions from lobbyists and corporate political action committees, earning him the respect of progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will hold a campaign rally in Missoula on Saturday, as well as events in Butte, Billings, and Bozeman ahead of the May 25th special election.

..

Many believe the healthcare issue could prove to be the GOP’s downfall in many state-level races, including Montana.

“Rob’s story is resonating with voters who want someone who will stand up for them,” Quist campaign spokeswoman Tina Olechowski told The Hill. “After medical complications following surgery, Rob got into debt. He paid off his debt, but Rob believes no one should ever face bankruptcy just because they get sick. Greg Gianforte supports the health care bill that would raise costs for consumers, eliminate health coverage for seventy thousand Montanans, and end protections for pre-existing conditions—all to pay for huge tax breaks for millionaires like Gianforte himself.”

Similarly, Sanders said last month, “Rob Quist is the only person in this race who understands that we need a government in Washington that works for all Montanans and all Americans and not just the special interests and the billionaire class.”

Democrat Running for US House Seeks College Students’ Votes

In the weeks leading up to Montana’s special congressional election, Rob Quist and his surrogates fanned out across college campuses throughout the state, hoping to tap into a trove of progressive votes in a place that’s known to elect Democrats while maintaining conservative values as sturdy as the nearby Rocky Mountains.

With just a week left to campaign before the May 25 election, Quist is counting on college-age voters to provide the sliver of ballots he needs to prevail in a nationally watched election for Montana’s open congressional seat, vacant since Ryan Zinke resigned to become U.S. interior secretary.

..

Quist is running as a populist and political outsider who supports strengthening President Barack Obama’s health care law, not repealing it. He backs abortion rights, same-sex marriage, pay equity for women and lower interest rates for college loans — themes that resonate with younger voters.

“Democrats know they have to swing a lot of those middle or independent voters, so young voters are incredibly important. It should be a pretty coveted group of people because they aren’t always decided,” said Rachel Huff-Doria, executive director of Forward Montana, which helps get out the vote on college campuses across the state.

As he did in his bid for governor, Gianforte has largely ignored college campuses. His campaign has focused on rallying older, established voters to cast ballots.

Posted in Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Meta, News, Open Thread | Tagged Bernie Sanders, DNC lawsuit, Montana, News, Open Thread, Rob Quist, special election

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