Earliest bow-and-arrow technology outside Africa discovered in Sri Lanka

Over time, humans increased the length of their tools in order to target larger and larger animals, eventually taking down deer and pigs. Photo by Langley et al., 2020

June 12 (UPI) -- Paleontologists have recovered 48,000-year-old evidence of bow-and-arrow technology -- the earliest such evidence found outside Africa -- from a Sri Lankan cave.

Researchers also found tools that were likely used to make clothing, technology thought to be limited to cold-weather populations, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science Advances.

As dozens of studies have demonstrated, Asia -- especially south and southeast Asia -- was host to a complex history of human migration and settlement. Understanding this history is key to figuring out how early humans moved across Earth's continents during the Late Pleistocene, between 129,000 and 11,700 years ago.

Long-occupied caves like the one at Fa-Hien Lena, found deep inside Sri Lanka's Wet Zone forests, can offer insights into the region's human history.

"Fa-Hien Lena Cave was first excavated in the 1980s when it yielded some of the earliest human fossils, bone tools and miniaturized stone tools -- or 'microliths' -- anywhere in South Asia, and the earliest on the island of Sri Lanka," Patrick Roberts, an archaeologist and postdoctoral researcher with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, told UPI in an email.

"What was particularly interesting was that this site was found in the modern day tropical rainforest of Sri Lanka," Roberts said. "These environments were long thought to be barriers to human occupation, with limited prey opportunities, toxic plants and disease challenges."

Excavations at the cave revealed tools and artifacts representing four distinct periods of occupation, dating from 48,000 to 4,000 years ago. Among the artifacts, researchers identified 130 projectile points carved from animal bone. Many of the points featured impact fractures suggestive of hunting use.

"We can now place its [Fa-Hien Lena's] occupation as starting at 48,000 to 45,000 years ago and have shown that humans in the rainforests of Sri Lanka were relying on tropical resources, including difficult-to-catch prey like monkeys and squirrels," Roberts said. "This makes it some of the earliest evidence for human rainforest occupation and use outside of Africa."

Animal remains suggest humans first used bow-and-arrows to hunt adult monkeys, rodents and other small mammals. Over time, humans increased the length of their tools in order to target larger animals, including pigs and deer.

The findings offer evidence of the tools and techniques early humans used to survive challenging habitats, such as dense tropical forests. Clothing may have helped populations avoid being eaten my mosquitoes, while bow-and-arrows allowed early humans to hunt fast-moving animals.

Most surveys of Pleistocene innovation have focused on Europe and the savannas of Africa as the wellsprings of material culture among early human populations, ignoring other parts of Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Americas.

"While the earliest clear evidence for bow-and-arrow technologies does indeed come from South Africa 64,000 years ago, the Sri Lanka evidence shows that it was not a one-off innovation linked to a singular adaptation," Roberts said. "Instead, they were part of a human 'toolkit' that was multiple, diverse, and adaptable to different settings -- in this case tropical rainforests and small, quick mammals."

Researchers are currently working on excavating ancient human sites along the coast of Sri Lanka. Some evidence suggests different human groups along the coast and in the island's interior forests may have interacted.

"We also found shell and ochre beads which suggest human symbolism was also being used in a rainforest context," Roberts said. "Particularly fascinating is the fact that some of these beads come from shells from the sea."

"We know, from isotopic evidence on human tooth enamel from the nearby site of Batadomba-lena, and later humans at Fa-Hien Lena, that humans were relying one rainforest resources for their diets all year round," he said.

If the people of Fa-Hien Lena remained in the forests but used beads from the coast, it's likely they traded with people from other parts of the island.

Ancient footprints in South Korea made by crocodiles that walked on two legs

A photo shows one of several Cretaceous era trackways left by bipedal crocodiles in what's now South Korea. Photo by Seul Mi Bae

June 11 (UPI) -- Crocodiles once walked on two legs, just like dinosaurs, according to new analysis of a unique collection of footprints discovered in South Korea.

Scientists dated the footprints to between 110 and 120 million years ago, according to the study, published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

At first, researchers thought they happened upon the tracks of giant bipedal pterosaurs, but after closer examination, they determined the tracks were left by crocodiles measuring some 10 feet in length.

"One of the methods we use to identify potential track-makers is similar to Cinderella -- basically we look for a foot that fits," University of Queensland paleontologist Anthony Romilio told UPI in an email. "In the case with extinct animals, this involves comparing any with fossilized bones, but since we find more fossil tracks than fossil skeletons we have to use other approaches."

Inside dinosaur prints, the deepest portions are found in the toes. Dinosaurs walked on their toes. The tracks left among the ancient mudflats featured distinct heel prints. Primitive bipedal crocodiles walked flat-footed, making them a match for the unusual tracks.

The narrow path of the tracks made it appear as if the ancient crocodiles were walking on tightropes. This pattern, combined with the lack of tail marks, confirmed the tracks were left by crocodiles walking on their hind two legs.

"Bipedalism happened early in the crocodile evolution, even before dinosaurs, and there were many different species," Romilio said. "We had thought crocs of this type were all extinct by the end of the Triassic, and so to have evidence of this type of croc behavior [approximately] 80 million years after they were supposed to be extinct was a big surprise."

It's possible the bipedal crocodiles of the Triassic did go extinct, and the crocodiles of the Cretaceous evolved bipedalism independently.

"We don't know," said Romilio. "What we do know is that these unusual tracks are all of the same types, and so are likely from the same type of animal. But keep in mind that all of these tracks come from a very localized area."

The fossilized tracks and trackways were remarkably well-preserved, revealing details of the toe-pads and scales on their soles, researchers said

Scientists suggest the bipedal crocodiles of the Cretaceous were part of a diverse lakeside ecosystem.

"From this one track site alone, we also have pterosaurs, turtles, birds, meat-eating dinosaurs (theropods) and long-necked dinosaurs (sauropods)," Romilio said.

"And there are many track sites within that particular area that increases the faunal diversity -- frogs, baby dinosaurs, velociraptors and other types of theropods, two-legged planter dinosaurs, birds that were like spoonbills, other like ducks, and so much more, all based on the footprints they left behind in the fine muddy sediment of ancient shallow lakes," he said.

upi.com/7013879

Protest over Mexico police killing of Mexican-American teen

13/6/2020

© AFP/AP/Getty Images (Old) Mexico police killing

MEXICO CITY — Relatives, friends and neighbors of a 16-year-old Mexican-American boy shot dead by local police in southern Mexico demonstrated Friday to demand justice in the case.

Alexander Martínez Gómez, who had spent years of his short life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, was shot in the head by a police officer Tuesday night in an incident still under investigation. Born in North Carolina, he had been living with his mother in Acatlan de Perez Figueroa, a town in southern Oaxaca state.

“We came in a caravan from town, with the support of all the people, who told us to keep going,” said Teodoro Martínez, the boy's father. “We are not going to give them much time to get to the bottom of this.”

The father left North Carolina to attend his son's funeral, but he has no visa and may not be able to return, he fears.

Relatives met with Oaxaca state Public Safety Secretary Raúl Ernesto Salcedo. The state government has promised the killing will not go unpunished.

The town government of Acatlan de Perez Figueroa said in a statement that a police officer was involved in the shooting, but that it hadn’t been “in bad faith.” The officer was in custody.

The dead teen and another youth who was wounded were in a group of about nine young people when the shooting happened.

Reached by phone Thursday, a local police officer who would identify himself only as the “commander” said that the teens on motorcycles failed to stop at a checkpoint.

Oaxaca state prosecutor Ruben Vasconcelos said Thursday that “the police talk about it being an accident ... but we don’t believe that.” He said he expected the officer in custody to be taken before a judge on murder charges.

Vasconcelos said investigators were also looking into whether police tampered with the shooting scene.

Some other officers in the department were already under investigation over allegations of excessive use of force and even extrajudicial killings related to a shootout in mid-May in which six alleged criminals died. After that incident, more state and federal forces were sent to secure the area.

The town is in an area with high levels of street crime and organized crime activity. On Thursday, the Oaxaca state security agency said in a statement that it had sent state police officers to the town and that the army was sending soldiers to run checkpoints and ensure public safety.

Various criminal groups are present in the area near Oaxaca’s border with Veracruz state, including the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The National Guard, army and state security forces have had operations in the area.

QUEBEC
Housing crisis amid a pandemic: Parc-Ex residents call for pause on evictions


CBC/Radio-Canada TODAY

© Valeria Cori-Manocchio/CBC Parc Extension resident Mohammad Suleman (right) has been issued an eviction notice for the apartment he has been living in for 15 years. In two weeks, the province's rental board will begin to enforce decisions made earlier this…

With Quebec's moratorium on evictions set to be lifted next month, residents of Montreal's Parc-Extension neighbourhood are worried the city's tight housing market could leave them with nowhere to go

A caravan of cars and bicycles organized by the Comité d'Action de Parc-Extension drove through the neighbourhood Saturday to call for all evictions to continue to be paused.

"There's very little in the way of decent affordable housing available," said Amy Darwish, a community organizer with the group.

"There was already a housing crisis before the pandemic.… We're genuinely worried that many tenants may find themselves on the streets."

Starting July 6, decisions rendered by the province's rental board before March 1 can be enforced. More recent decisions can be enforced as of July 20.

Mohammad Suleman received an eviction notice earlier this year from his landlord. After living in his apartment for 15 years, he says the building's owner wants to renovate and rent out the apartment to students at the new Université de Montréal campus in neighbouring Outremont.

"I don't know what to do now," he said at the demonstration. He lives in the three-bedroom apartment with his wife and four children.

With Montreal's vacancy rate at a 15-year low, three-bedroom apartments are scarce. When Suleman does find an available apartment, it costs triple what he pays now — $680 per month.

© Valeria Cori-Manocchio/CBC A caravan of cars and bicycles drove through Parc-Extension Saturday to demand that the moratorium on evictions be extended.

A decision hasn't been made in his case yet, but with his landlord expecting him out by July 1, he's worried about what might happen now that the rental board is resuming activities.

"I'm so worried that I couldn't sleep at night," he said.

Before the pandemic, housing advocacy groups were already prepared for a crisis on moving day.

But with Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension being one of the boroughs hardest hit by COVID-19, Darwish said the pandemic is making a difficult situation even worse.

In addition to pausing all evictions, the group wants more investment in social housing and for the Quebec government to convert its rental loans program — announced as part of emergency measures during the pandemic — to grants.

"We find it unacceptable that lower income tenants are being forced into debt," Darwish said.

Is the defence department's crackdown on leaks about security — or avoiding embarrassment?

 Murray Brewster 6 hrs ago

© Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Vice Admiral Mark Norman arrives at the Ottawa courthouse with lawyer Marie Henein on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. The collapse of the case against Norman proved to be a public embarrassment for the Trudeau government.
A former Conservative defence minister — now premier of Alberta — once said that if leaking government information was a criminal offence, half of the people at National Defence Headquarters would be up on charges.

Jason Kenney's wry appraisal of the Department of National Defence leaking "like a sieve" distills a widely-held belief in Ottawa.

His observation was delivered last year at the conclusion of the criminal case against retired vice-admiral Mark Norman, the former second-in-command of the military, who was accused of leaking cabinet secrets to a Quebec shipyard executive and a now-former CBC reporter.

What the case exposed through the exhaustive, months-long pretrial process was the complicated, contradictory and sometimes incoherent approach of the defence department and the federal government writ large to the question of what actually constitutes a "secret".

Whose secrets?

Some secrets are obvious — others not so much.

Which explains why the defence establishment has embarked upon the creation of new directives that will crack down on the handling of unclassified information.

Postmedia first published word of the revamp earlier this week, linking it with recent leaks to CBC News (over the crash of an air force Cyclone helicopter) and Global News (over the horrifying conditions facing troops supporting long-term care homes).

The military's current deputy commander, Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, said that the process of revising the Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD) actually began last summer.

That would have been only weeks after the conclusion of the case against Norman — timing that some experts see as both significant and suspicious.
'An uncomfortable coincidence'

"It's a coincidence ... an uncomfortable coincidence that the DAOD was starting to be drafted at the same time there was a climax to the Norman affair," said retired lieutenant-colonel Rory Fowler, a former military lawyer now in private practice.

Much, he said, will depend upon what ends up in the regulations, which are still in draft form and still under consideration.

Depending on which side of the fence they were on during the former naval commader's legal saga, there's still a belief abroad in some political circles that Norman got away with leaking — and that the Crown couldn't make the case because the information, while sensitive, likely did not fit the strict definition of a secret.
'If they want to leak, they'll leak'

Lanthier denied there was a link between the high-profile case and the new regulations, which will include penalties.

"From my perspective, that is not what it was about," the vice chief of the defence staff told CBC News. "The DAOD is not about clamping down on people, punishing people or going after people.

"Folks are savvy. If they want to leak, they'll leak."

He claimed that the new regulations are not a "prohibitive policy, but an enabling policy" that will give both military and civilian members guidance on the proper handling of information for security and business reasons.

Unclassified information will be put through an "injury test" to decide whether it should be released into the public domain, Lanthier said.

Chris Waddell, a journalism professor at Carleton University, said he's baffled by that statement.
A clash of narratives

"The problem with that is, what do you mean by 'injury' and to whom?" said Waddell. "Does injury mean embarrassment? Does it mean it's just stuff we don't want people to know? I don't think that's a good enough reason."

One of the focal points of Norman's prosecution was the notion that the alleged leak of a cabinet decision to pause a $668 million shipbuilding program was an embarrassment to the Liberal government.

Waddell said it's possible the Trudeau government and the department were humiliated to see their narratives contradicted by leaks (on the helicopter crash in particular) — and suggested that could be the motive behind the regulation revision.

"Their initial handling of the helicopter crash was disingenuous," he said, referring to early reports that the CH-148 Cyclone had simply disappeared from contact — when in fact it had crashed within sight of HMCS Fredericton. "The families have every right to know before anyone else, but the Canadian public also has a right to full disclosure."
Operational security

Waddell said it could be argued that the defence department is now trying to give itself the same power at home the military has overseas — when it invokes operational security (OPSEC) to safeguard information during missions.

Lanthier denied that politics would play a role in the new regulations; the military, he said, is "apolitical."

But he acknowledged that one of the considerations informing the review will be whether leaks of "information, even though unclassified" might "impede the department's ability to formulate adequate advice to the government."

That was one of the arguments underpinning the Crown's case against Norman — that the leak of shipbuilding information interfered with cabinet's decision-making process.

The impending regulations are not the only new front in the information war. The defence department makes frequent use of non-disclosure agreements to keep information under wraps and silence critics. Those efforts sometimes reach the level of the absurd.
'A degree of incompetence'

Last year, when Norman's case was settled, the department said it could not disclose whether the former top commander had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Similarly, when asked last week whether Norman and former Canadian Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne, who was forced into early retirement, had signed gag orders, the department said it could not comment on privacy matters.

Another avenue of disclosure for government information — the Access To Information and Privacy (ATIP) system — is a shambles and plagued by long delays, according to its many critics. Fowler said he has waited for very long periods of time to get answers to his own ATIP requests — three years, in one case.

"In my view, it's not just an intention to withhold the information. There's a degree of incompetence," he said, adding that some ATIP coordinators don't know where to look for the records requested.

The Department of National Defence has insisted its new directives on handling unclassified information will not limit "a DND employee's or CAF member's ability to report wrongdoing."

That may be so, but it's cold comfort for previous whistleblowers — some of whom have faced retribution for speaking up, both internally and publicly.

Former sub-lieutenant Laura Nash — who was once told to choose between her career and her child — said many who try to report wrongdoing in the military are ostracized and belittled.

"There was no incentive for members of the military to do what was right, and every incentive for people in the military to side with the person who is doing wrong," she said, adding it's tough to report someone who outranks you and holds your career in their hands.

Nash's lawyer, Natalie MacDonald, said she believes there should be specific whistleblower protection for military members written into legislation, above and beyond what already exists in the federal public service

Why the Winnipeg Police Board does not provide substantive oversight of the police
Bartley Kives

© Bartley Kives/CBC The Winnipeg Police Service purchased this armoured rescue vehicle in 2015 without notifying the Winnipeg Police Board. The body provides limited oversight of police.

After three weeks of intense focus on the excessive use of force by police across North America, two main strategies have emerged to reassert civilian control over policing.

One is financial. Some activists propose abolishing existing police services and replacing them with community-based public safety organizations. The more mainstream version of this idea is defunding, which involves redirecting some of the cash allocated for police to social services, community development or other professional emergency responders, such as mental health crisis teams.

A second, related strategy is increased oversight of police. Municipal, county, state, provincial and federal police services all have different means of directing police.


Some employ police commissions or boards. Some have police answer directly to politicians or senior public servants. Most political jurisdictions control police budgets. Some have the ability to set the broad direction for policing. A few have direct say in day-to-day police operations, at least to some extent.

This week, the City of Winnipeg took baby steps toward more oversight of its police service, which in theory is already subject to this oversight. Perhaps amoeba steps would be more accurate.

A brainchild of Greg Selinger's NDP government, the Winnipeg Police Board was created in the aftermath of two high-profile incidents in 2005: the killing of Crystal Taman by an off-duty Winnipeg police officer and the shooting death of Mathew Dumas.

The Winnipeg Police Board was supposed to make police more accountable to the public. But after seven years — the board held its first meeting on June 21, 2013 — it's unclear what the board has accomplished.
What's the mandate?

A big part of the problem was the mandate handed to the board, which was not granted the power to co-ordinate or even question police operations. As well, it was not given the power to investigate allegations of police wrongdoing, a task left to the Independent Investigations Unit.

All the Winnipeg Police Board was supposed to do was hire and fire police chiefs, scrutinize the police budget and, in theory, set police policies.

That was just on paper. In reality, city council makes the final decision on police budgets, leaving the police board with a rubber stamp.

And on the policy front, the police board doesn't influence actual policing.

© Trevor Brine/CBC Former Winnipeg Police board chair David Asper was succeeded by Charleswood-Tuxedo Coun. Kevin Klein, who resigned last week.

One of the board's initial chairs, St. James Coun. Scott Gillingham, oversaw the creation of police policies governing the use of force, evidence control and vehicle pursuits.

Those board policies were scrapped in favour of existing police policies after lawyer David Asper became the board's chair. The Manitoba Police Commission — which governs municipal police boards — had informed Asper the provincial Police Services Act did not grant Winnipeg's board the power to enact those policies.

Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative government is now reviewing this act. For now, the purpose of the Winnipeg Police Board remains unclear.

It does not, as the public may believe, oversee the police service.
Disconnect from public perception

That's no different than it was nearly two years ago, when Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood Coun. Kevin Klein took over from Asper as board chair.

"I believe there is a real disconnect between what the public thinks the board is responsible for and what the board is actually responsible for, what the board is allowed to do and what the public thinks it should do," Klein said in 2018.

Klein resigned from the police board on Thursday, citing political interference from Mayor Brian Bowman and other city officials.

"The mayor appoints five of the seven members," Klein Tweeted on Friday. "Ask yourself, does he defer to the board, or dictate to the board?"

True enough, Winnipeg mayors have treated police board appointments as an extension of their political influence to some extent. Sam Katz populated the first board with friendly appointees that included former city councillor Thomas Steen, who rarely uttered any statements about policy issues — police or otherwise — while he was in office.

Bowman shot back this week by stating Klein found his role as police board chair challenging. The mayor also claimed Klein failed to direct the board to make any formal submissions to the province about changes to the Police Services Act.
Change in chair, expectations

On Friday, when Bowman announced his intention to replace Klein with St. Norbert-Seine River Coun. Markus Chambers, the mayor said he will ask incoming chair to make the board's desires known to the province.

Bowman said he wants the board "to prepare a written submission to Justice Minister Cliff Cullen that considers changes to the police services act that will provide for increased board effectiveness, including improved civilian governance and police accountability," Bowman said.

In other words, Bowman wants the board to have more teeth. The mayor declined to say as much on Friday, when he claimed he will defer to the board when it comes to specific changes.

Chambers, however, was not as shy as the mayor.

© Gary Solilak/CBC St. Norbert-Seine River Coun. Markus Chambers has been tapped to be the new police-board chair.

"We have to make sure the voice of the community is heard as we go forward, in light of what we've been seeing in the United States over the last three weeks or so," he said, making direct reference to police violence.

The blame for the Winnipeg Police Board's mushy mandate does not lie with Cullen, Pallister, Bowman, Klein, Asper, Gillingham, Katz or Selinger. The original intention behind the board was clear.

What it became — or rather, what it never became — is something else entirely.

This week, Bowman appeared to struggle when he was asked to name one concrete thing the board has accomplished.

"One of the things that I have appreciated is some of the dialogue that they've been having in the respective communities," the mayor said. "There was an effort over the last year to increase some of that public discussion and that public input. I think there's a lot more that can be done."

Public engagement, of course, creates the expectation of action. Right now, the police board does not have that power.

John Cleese criticizes BBC removal of ‘Fawlty Towers’ episode due to racial slurs

LUCKILY I HAVE IT ON CD 

Adam Wallis

© Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images John Cleese speaking at 'Pendulum Summit,' the 'world's leading business and self-empowerment summit,' at the Dublin Convention Centre on Jan. 10, 2019, in Dublin, Ireland.

Following the BBC's recent decision to remove a single episode of the mid-1970s British sitcom Fawlty Towers from its UKTV streaming service, John Cleese — star and creator of the popular TV series — has criticized the British broadcasting network.

The episode in question, The Germans, originally aired in 1975 and heard a number of racist remarks from the recurring and elderly character Major Gowen, who used multiple slurs to describe both the West Indies and India cricket teams.

The decision was made in light of the ongoing anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd last month, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Floyd, a Black man, died in police custody on May 25 after a white former police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds during an arrest in Minneapolis. He was 46.

A representative for UKTV, however, said The Germans was being removed temporarily while the BBC "reviews it." The episode, however, remains on BritBox — which is part-owned by the BBC — and Netflix UK.

“We regularly review older content to ensure it meets audience expectations and are particularly aware of the impact of outdated language," added the spokesperson.

In response to the BBC's "stupid" decision, Cleese, 80, defended the Fawlty Towers episode by saying that the show was not "supporting" racists by using the offensive remarks, but was critiquing racists instead.

The Monty Python star described Gowen, played by Ballard Blascheck, as "an old fossil left over from decades before" in an interview with Australian news outlet the Age on Friday, before expressing disappointment with the BBC and UKTV.

"We were not supporting (Gowen's) views, we were making fun of them,” said Cleese. "If they can’t see that, if people are too stupid to see that, what can one say?"

"One of the things I've learned in the last 180 years is that people have very different senses of humour. Some of them understand that if you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of, you're not broadcasting their views, you're making fun of them."

Cleese was also critical of the BBC for attempting to cover its history by removing “problematic” content from its back-catalogue in wake of the protests.

"The Greeks in 500 BC felt that culture, or any kind of real civilization, was only possible because of slavery," the actor said. "Does that mean we should take down all the statues of Socrates?

"Do you say we shouldn’t be looking at Caravaggio’s paintings because he once murdered someone?”

Despite being against the broadcasting giant's decision, Cleese expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“At the moment there is a huge swell of anger and a really admirable feeling that we must make our society less discriminatory, and I think that part of it is very good,” he said.

The BBC's removal of The Germans from UKTV follows HBO's decision to temporarily remove the 1939 Civil War epic Gone With The Wind from its own streaming service, HBO Max, as a result of its “racial depictions.”

Additionally, the BBC has withdrawn its popular sketch show Little Britain because “times have changed” since the comedy first aired in the early 2000s. The series received major backlash as a result of the use of blackface in some of its sketches.

— With files from the Associated Press

Some police unions acknowledging call for reform, while others resistTODAY

© Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York President Pat Lynch and representatives from other NYPD and law enforcement unions holds a news conference on June 9, 2020, in New York.

Police unions are the one of the most important guardians of law enforcement in the United States -- negotiating salary, benefits and most importantly protections for their members.

But that urge to protect also has another side in some cases -- a resistance to reforms that they see as a potential threat to the safety of their officers or policing, especially in this time of great unrest.

From mandatory body cameras and reports anytime an officer has used their weapon to the expansion of civilian complaint boards, some union leaders have pushed back on proposed changes -- for decades in some instances, according to Jack McDevitt, the director of Northeastern University's Institute on Race and Justice.

"Some of the older unions, like ones in places like Boston and New York, have a lot invested in embracing the system that is in place," he told ABC News.

© Damian Dovarganes/AP Jamie McBride, leader of Los Angeles Police Protective League, LAPPL, the union that represents Los Angeles Police Department officers, speaks at a news conference, June 5, 2020, at the LAPPL offices in Los Angeles.

Now, following the large-scale protests and calls for action following George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police, some unions are expressing openness to change. The National Fraternal Order of Police, which has over 346,000 members, issued a statement this week in favor of Congress's police reform legislation.MORE: Cities across US announce police reform following mass protests against brutality

"When our citizens do not feel safe in the presence of police, that’s a problem—and the FOP intends to be part of the solution," the union said in its statement.

While McDevitt and other experts say those groups cannot ultimately ignore the calls from the citizens they protect or the need to bring in new voices into their ranks, some are continuing to resist changes that they see as potentially injurious to their members.

They also remain deeply concerned about the crimes committed in cities around the country in conjunction with peaceful protests, including attacks on police officers.

This week, the unions representing several New York City police departments, such as the Police Benevolent Association, and other unions representing law enforcement in the state issued a letter condemning the state's legislature for its newly passed police reform bills.

While the group acknowledged that "we share the universal desire for healing and positive change," it decried the "push for passage of legislation and the adoption of policies that reflect only one perspective" without bringing unions to the table.

One of the measures being considered for repeal is Civil Rights Law 50-A, which blocked departments from disclosing records related to officer evaluations. Unions contended the release of the complaints would jeopardize officer’s reputation and safety.

"These types of claims are not reliable or fair indicators of an officer’s conduct, and would not be used to impugn any other person," the unions said in the letter.

© Sue Ogrocki/AP John George, President, Fraternal Order of Police, Oklahoma City, gestures as he speaks in support of Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley, June 2, 2020, in Oklahoma City.

The Denver Police Protective Association, on the other hand, had a more subdued response to the protests and talked about the efforts it has taken over the years to reform their department, such as more training on cultural diversity and a ban on chokeholds.

"There is always room for conversation; there is always room for more improvement benefiting both the officer and the community," the union said in a statement.
MORE: 'Stop the pain': George Floyd's brother testifies on policing reform

"I think some unions are seeing this an opportunity to step up and say how we can make policing better," McDevitt said.

For the unions that are not endorsing reforms, the professor said those groups see these changes as hampering their power to protect their members’ working rights, particularly when it comes to collective bargaining agreements for their members.

“They think is there are collective bargaining changes, that they will lose their rights in negotiating salaries or other benefits for their officers if the reforms go through," McDevitt said. "They come from a place where if management doesn’t want it, then they have to fight it."

At the same time, some unions have used their power to put elected officials in the defensive. The group representing members of the Columbus Police Department, for instance, negotiated language in their 2017-2020 contract that limited the use of civilian complaints to a timetable as low as 60 days.

McDevitt added that the unions that are more open to the reforms acknowledge that they do come with data proven results that, ultimately, do protect officers.

"With body cameras, for example, a lot of time police officers have been reluctant to approve them," he explained. "In more cases, the cameras tend to show in allegations of police misconduct that were proven false."MORE: Congressional Black Caucus to propose policing reforms after George Floyd's death

One problem that does need to be addressed in unions is diversity, according to McDevitt. The professor said this stems from a larger problem over the lack of diversity in police forces nationally, but it is critical that unions put more women and people of color in their leadership roles.

While the racial makeup of police largely mirrors the overall population, people of color are underrepresented in leadership roles, especially in smaller police departments, according to data from the Department of Justice.

New York police unions received criticism this week after a press conference denouncing proposed legislative action and decrying the treatment of their members during the protests in which many in attendance were white males.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the group "does not look representative of the NYPD at all," tweeting a video of New York State Association of PBAs president Mike O'Meara speaking.

O'Meara, whose group represents unions in the New York City metropolitan area and elsewhere in New York State, spoke out against Floyd's killing, but railed against the treatment of officers as a result.

PBA president Pat Lynch was also present at the press conference and denounced the "murder of an innocent person," referring to Floyd. "That's what happened. Let us be unequivocal."

But he also took issue with legislators who "demonize" police officers "as if we're the problem."

The PBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

"The union has to see if they don’t represent the community they won’t have legitimacy in negotiating table," McDevitt said.

Scott Wolfe, an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, said the response to police misconduct over the last few weeks have shown that police officers are showing more openness to accountability. Although unions may differ on their stance for reform, a majority have admitted that what happened to Floyd was wrong, which has been a departure from previous controversial police killings, according to Wolfe.

© Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images, FILE In this May 30, 2020, file photo, police officers stand in a line next to the Colorado State Capitol as protests against the death of George Floyd continue in Denver.  
THE DEBRIS ON THE GROUND ARE TEAR GAS CANISTERS, RUBBER BULLET CANISTERS, PEPPER BALL ROUNDS WHICH OUTNUMBER THE WATER BOTTLES THAT THEY WERE SO AFRAID OF 


"There is virtually no disagreement that George Floyd was murdered and it can’t happen again," he told ABC News.

Wolfe said that this common ground could be the place where police reform activists and unions can come together to achieve the same goal.

McDevitt, agreed, and said that the best way to increase their bargaining power is to listen to the public's concerns and

"Unions do not have a straight line of responsibility to the public. They answer to their members," he said. "But when a strong aspect of the public says they’re not doing their job fairly, they have to listen."

ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.

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Black Lives Matter protesters march through Tokyo
By Kim Kyung Hoon
1 hour ago

© Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON Black Lives Matter protest in Tokyo

By Kim Kyung Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters in Tokyo took part in a Black Lives Matter march on Sunday, calling for an end to racial discrimination and police abuse after the killing of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

© Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON Black Lives Matter protest in Tokyo

Demonstrators marched through the streets of the capital's Shibuya and Harajuku districts chanting and holding up signs spelling out slogans such as "Racism Is A Pandemic" and "No Justice No Peace"

.

© Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON People wearing face masks march during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Tokyo

"It is not enough to just send our prayers," Shu Fukui, a 22-year-old university graduate, told Reuters. "We need to change society, not only for George Floyd, but also for those who died in the past."

Organisers said about 3,500 people took part in the protest. Police did not disclose an estimate.

Protests have gripped major U.S. cities and spread around the world since footage from May 25 showing a white police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck to pin him to the ground for a whole nine minutes went viral.

In Atlanta on Saturday more protests erupted after a black man was shot dead by police as he tried to escape arrest. Demonstrators shut down a major highway and burned down the Wendy's restaurant where he was killed.© Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON People wearing face masks march during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Tokyo

Some protesters at the Tokyo march said Japan needed to own up to its own problems with race.

"In Japan, there are far-right people who discriminate against other races. And Koreans and Chinese in Japan are exposed to a lot of hate speech," said Naho Ida, 44. "These things must not be allowed and we need to oppose this."

Public broadcaster NHK last week apologised and deleted from its Twitter feed an animated video about the U.S. protests that sparked online outrage for its depiction of African Americans.

© Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON People wearing face masks march during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Tokyo

(Additional reporting by Hideto Sakai; Writing by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)






a person holding a sign: People wearing face masks march during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in TokyoNext 

5 SLIDES © Reuters/KIM KYUNG-HOON

People wearing face masks march during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Tokyo

Art world's 'mini-Madoff' arrested on remote Pacific island for $20M fraud: FBI

© Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Inigo Philbrick attends the opening of a Jean Royere Exhibition at Galerie Patrick Seguin London, Feb. 25, 2016, in London.
A disgraced gallery owner known as the art world's "mini-Madoff" -- a reference to jailed financier Bernie Madoff -- has been taken into custody on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, according to federal prosecutors in New York, who have charged Inigo Philbrick in a $20 million fraud scheme.

Vanuatu authorities expelled Philbrick at the request of the U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea. He was transported to Guam, where he is expected to be presented in federal court Monday.
Philbrick was an art dealer specializing in post-war and contemporary fine art with galleries in London and Miami. He fled the country last year after he was accused of, among other things, selling the same piece of art to multiple buyers.

"Inigo Philbrick was a serial swindler who misled art collectors, investors, and lenders out of more than $20 million," said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. "You can't sell more than 100 percent ownership in a single piece of art, which Philbrick allegedly did, among other scams."

MORE: Dealer finds storage locker holds valuable paintings

Philbrick, who is charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, bought at auction a 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled "Humidity" for $12.5 million, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly told an investor he paid $18.4 million.

The investor, the FBI said, wired Philbrick $12.2 million for a joint ownership stake. Philbrick allegedly then sold a second ownership stake to a different investor without disclosing it to either.

"Mr. Philbrick allegedly sought out high-dollar art investors, sold pieces he didn't own, and played games with millions of dollars in other people's money," said FBI Assistant Director Bill Sweeney.

Philbrick also misrepresented the ownership in a 2010 untitled painting by Christopher Wool and a 2012 untitled work by Rudolf Stingel that depicted Pablo Picasso.

MORE: Former DEA spokesperson who posed as covert CIA operative pleads guilty in elaborate fraud scheme

The FBI said the three-year scheme began to fall apart in 2019 when investors and lenders started asking questions and demanded money.

"Philbrick's unpaid debts mounted and various investors began demanding the return of their investments or artworks," the complaint said.

His galleries closed and he fled the country. He had been living in Vanuatu since October 2019, federal prosecutors said.