Over the last week, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) staff across the country have worked as legal observers; educated protesters about their rights; been arrested, tear-gassed and hit with rubber bullets; challenged curfews; organized town halls; talked to victims of police abuse; donated money to Black Lives Matter, local bail funds and other groups; and strategized about transformational change.
Anyone truly listening to the sheer pain, frustration and urgency coming out of the Black Lives Matter protests that have rocked this nation over the past three weeks, should know by now that the “same old, same old” just doesn’t cut it anymore.
As many Camas families prepared to attend peaceful rallies in support of the Black Lives Matter movement last week — rallies that were, by the way, spearheaded by…
It is time to examine racist biases, hold local police accountable
A police officer with his hand casually in his pocket knelt on George Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while several colleagues watched or knelt on other parts of Mr. Floyd’s body. The officers knew people were filming, but they were confident no one would stop them. They were right, and they killed Mr. Floyd without interference from anyone, apart from the cries of horrified bystanders. After all, they had badges and guns. On that day, Minneapolis police conducted a racial terror lynching of George Floyd in broad daylight that was filmed by onlookers and then sent across America. President Trump’s reaction tells you all you need to know about his commitment to seriously address racism in America.
If one thing has become clear during this week of overwhelmingly peaceful protests decrying not only the shocking death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black father killed May 25 after Minneapolis police officers kneeled on his handcuffed body, but also decades of police brutality against black Americans, it is that the young people of this country — particularly the young people of color organizing the protests and putting their own lives on the line to speak out against horrific social injustices that have plagued this nation since its beginning — are a powerful force for good.
Government’s slow reopening is tyranny, denying basic freedoms
George Floyd was just a guy. He was a guy at the margins, allegedly writing a forged check to pay for some groceries. He was a guy who should still be alive.
We can’t pretend it’s been easy to find cause for “cheers” in this month’s “Cheers & Jeers” column, especially knowing that our country hit yet another grim milestone — 100,000 Americans now dead from COVID-19 — this week.
Typically, in large cities and small communities across America, humane societies provide a “safety net” for animals … providing food, shelter and veterinary care to lost animals, and…
