Granddaughter's handcuffing haunts Indigenous man, even as police settle rights case


VANCOUVER — Maxwell Johnson is still haunted by the helplessness he felt watching his then 12-year-old granddaughter get handcuffed outside a bank almost three years ago, even after accepting a settlement in their human rights complaint against the Vancouver Police Board.



Johnson signed a deal to settle the case at a news conference on Wednesday.

The Heiltsuk Nation artist and his granddaughter, now 15, were wrongly detained and handcuffed by police after visiting a Bank of Montreal branch in Vancouver in December 2019 to open an account for the girl.

A bank employee phoned 911 after mistakenly suspecting that their Indian status cards were fake.

A statement from the Heiltsuk Nation called it a "unique and impactful" settlement that involves an apology for discrimination, undisclosed damages to Johnson's family and a $100,000 payment to fund the nation’s restorative justice department.

The police board will hold an apology ceremony at the Heiltsuk’s big house in Bella Bella on B.C.'s central coast next month, and develop a plan over two years to improve police training on anti-Indigenous racism, "cultural humility" and competency.

The statement says the police board will also hire an anti-Indigenous-racism officer to review complaints.

Johnson said he was pleased with the resolution of the Human Rights Tribunal case, but his family is still in a healing process.

“One of the things I kept seeing is my granddaughter standing on the street, crying while she's been handcuffed," he said.

“I don't think any parent or grandparent should ever see that in their lifetime … all I could do was just stand there and not do anything. I will never get that image out of my head,” said Johnson, who wept after speaking.

Related video: Heiltsuk man, granddaughter handcuffed outside Vancouver bank settle with police
Duration 3:25 View on Watch

Johnson’s granddaughter, Tori-Anne, said she hoped her story could encourage more people to stand up against injustice and discrimination. Johnson's lawyer, Sabrina Zhu, asked the media not to use the girl's surname.

Tori-Anne said the handcuffing occurred during a family trip to Vancouver "when we were supposed to be making good memories together."

"Instead, what happened to me and my grandfather traumatized me. I'm still healing from that day," she said.

“I also want to tell everyone, especially Indigenous kids, to be strong and speak out when they face discrimination. I hope that my grandfather and I helped you feel like you can speak up and be heard when you experience injustice.”

As part of the settlement, the police board admitted officers had discriminated against Johnson and his granddaughter based on their Indigenous identities.

The police board's payment to the Heiltsuk First Nation's restorative justice department will fund community programming for at-risk young women.

An additional $20,000 payment will be made to reimburse the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs for expenses related to the case.

The Vancouver Police Board said in a statement that it was committed to taking positive and collaborative steps to "create a more meaningful relationship with Indigenous communities."

“The Board recognizes the significance of the settlement we have reached with Mr. Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter," it said.

"We are looking forward to this opportunity to work in partnerships with the groups involved by reviewing and improving a range of culturally sensitive and relevant practices and policies, in particular those focused on Indigenous people."

Johnson will give an artwork to the police board at the Bella Bella ceremony on Oct. 24.

The Union of B.C. Indian Chief's legal counsel, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, called the settlement "historic and path-breaking".

Johnson announced in May that he had reached an agreement with the bank that included an undisclosed payment from BMO, a private apology and a pledge to update the bank's policies on how status cards are handled.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2022.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

Less than half of the over $200M requested for burial searches at residential schools funded

Ka’nhehsí:io Deer - 4h ago -CBC


As the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, stakeholders say more needs to be done to address barriers communities face in identifying unmarked burials tied to former residential school sites.

The federal government has funded a total of $89.9 million in support to communities and organizations for research, commemoration, and field investigation work.

However, it marks less than half of what's been requested.

"This is priceless work," said Kisha Supernant, director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archeology at the University of Alberta.

"A child's life, a child's burial place. Trying to find that is priceless. You can't put a dollar amount on that."


Kisha Supernant is the director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology and an associate professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Alberta.© Omayra Issa/CBC

Supernant works directly with Indigenous communities to support and advise on how to approach investigations, and has conducted surveys at eight different school sites using technology to investigate the grounds for potential unmarked graves.

"It's a really big burden on many nations to have to try to carry out the full investigation," said Supernant.

"There's all these sorts of barriers that communities are facing, and I'm just not sure if there's been enough to address those barriers."

The federal government announced the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support funding in June 2021 to support Indigenous communities to locate missing children at residential schools as identified in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement.

106 applications received

According to a response to an order paper question last week, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Jaime Battiste said the program has received 106 applications totalling $214,180,918 in requested funding from Indigenous communities and organizations.

To date, 84 applications have been approved for a total of $89,994,897 in funding, while the department is assessing 15 applications.

A total of four requests were denied funding, two were withdrawn, and one was redirected to another federal program for funding.

The numbers don't add up for New Democratic MP Niki Ashton, who penned a letter to Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller this week outlining her concerns.

"We're now on the eve of the second annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and the answer from the government with respect to this specific initiative is just not good enough," said Ashton, who represents the Churchill-Keewatinook Aski riding in Manitoba.

"We need to see much greater resources and to support communities in terms of what they need, for both searching the ground and the records, and healing and mental health supports."

Crown-Indigenous Relations has yet to respond to questions from CBC News.

'It's going to take decades'

The Survivors Secretariat, a non-profit organization searching for unmarked burials of Indigenous children on over 240 hectares of land associated with the former Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ont., received $10,259,975 over three years through the program.

Laura Arndt, the secretariat lead, said the organization had requested $10.9 million for initial work in addition to funds from Ontario.

"We know we're going to end up needing in the ballpark of $25 million," said Arndt.

"It's going to take decades to analyze and truly understand the data we're looking for."

The Mohawk Institute operated for 136 years with several sites associated with the school. Arndt said she's concerned about how the program works as grants-based funding for two to three years. She described it as having to "beg" for funding resources.

"Each community has to do it and based on their capacity to do it well, or do it to get a little bit of funding for something that we're trying to address that was caused by the very state we're having to ask for money," she said.

"It's an atrocity that we're having to beg for time-limited funding to undo a history of record destruction."

Supernant has similar concerns. She said she'd prefer to see a government program that provides the necessary funds in an easy and effective manner without time limits or funding caps.

"The only way that we'll know this work is done is when the nations and the communities say it's done," she said.

"I just would really like to see an approach that was more about finding those answers."

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

ATA organizing Oct. 22 rally to support public education

The Alberta Teachers Association and Alberta School’s Councils’ Association are working together to organize a rally that will take place on Oct. 22 between 1-2 p.m. in Edmonton on the grounds of the legislative buildings.

The rally is being held for anyone who supports and cares about education, giving an opportunity to let the legislature know public education is important and needs to be supported, says organizer Heather McCaig.

“We’ve seen an erosion over the years in the support for schools and what’s going on in schools,” stated McCaig of the ATA. “Class sizes this year are extremely large in lots of centres and we are having more supports needed and there is less funding that is available for the kids. We need to put more dollars back into education, we need to fund for growth and we need to make sure every child has the right and accessibility to programs that benefit them.”

Buses are being organized and those interested in attending can register at standforeducation.ca, which will let the ATA know how many people from each area in the province want to go to the rally. The busses will travel to and from Edmonton on the same day.

“We (the ATA) really believe (after hearing from teachers, parents, and businesses) how important public education is and we know people support it and people want to have their kids enrolled in public education. This is an all-out focus to try and ensure the education our children get in the future is the best possible,” said McCaig.

If you have questions or need more information, email Heather McCaig at heather.mccaig@ata.ab.ca.

SAMANTHA JOHNSON, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News

Notley criticizes UCP for ‘chasing doctors’ away in visit to Medicine Hat

NDP leader Rachel Notley spoke outside Medicine Hat Regional Hospital Tuesday about the state of health care in Alberta, touching on the dozens of rural hospitals that have partially closed, Albertans who don’t have access to a family doctor, and the lack of continuity of care.

“We know that here there are currently no physicians accepting new patients in Medicine Hat,” stated Notley. “The total number of physicians in this city has dropped by 20 per cent over the past two years. We understand there is a shortage of doctors right across the country, but only in Alberta has the provincial government been so openly hostile and so intent on chasing doctors and other health-care professionals out of their clinics.”

Notley says the NDP wants to work with communities and city councils to foster an environment that encourages physician retention, adding they feel it is vital to re-establish a relationship between the government and all health-care workers, and to restore stability to the healthcare system. Notley stressed the push for privatization needs to end and the system must be appropriately funded.

If elected as premier in the election next year, Notley says she will attempt to reverse as many of the privatization contracts as possible.

“The plans they (UCP) have made with respect to privatization is going to have a negative impact on our overall health-care system. I suspect we would have some capacity to reverse those contracts depending on how far along they are. We would do everything we can to stop those contracts and we would not move forward with privatization.”

Not having enough front-line health-care workers is currently a primary issue, and Notley said it is a recipe for disaster to set up a private model in the middle of a public one.

Notley added the privatization of lab services is one of the more complicated matters. The NDP planned to build a public lab and the ground was being broken when the UCP was elected and work stopped, putting thousands out of work- which Notley said was a tremendous loss to the province.

The problem with privatizing labs, Notley says, is when the contracts come up for renegotiation, the price will go up and the testing capacity down.

“We don’t know the current contract or how far along it is, or the path to undoing the damage,” said Notley. “We would certainly make that a focus to try to do as much as we can in a cost-effective way because testing and diagnostics is a critical part of our health-care system,” said Notley.

SAMANTHA JOHNSON, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News

Bell: Danielle Smith, can she beat Rachel Notley? More numbers
Rick Bell - Yesterday


UCP leadership candidate Danielle Smith speaks at a campaign rally in Chestermere on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.© Provided by Calgary Sun

One minute you’re thinking about whether these UCP leadership hopefuls can defeat the NDP and their leader Rachel Notley.

The next minute some numbers appear as if from the political gods.

They’re actually numbers from the well-respected ThinkHQ Public Affairs.

It is a poll of adult Albertans.

Let’s roll. What are individuals asked?

Does the prospect of Brian Jean as UCP leader make you more or less likely to vote for the UCP in the next provincial election?

More likely 21%. Less likely 28%. That’s a minus 7.

What about voting for a Travis Toews-led UCP?

More likely 17%. Less likely 22%. That’s a minus 5.

Now, Danielle Smith.

More likely to vote for the UCP with Smith at the helm 20%. Less likely 39%.

That’s a minus 19.

Now let’s look at different parts of the province, starting with battleground Calgary.

The city of Calgary.

More likely to vote for a Jean-led UCP. 17%. Less likely 33%. Not so good.

In the city of Calgary, more likely to vote for Team Toews, 16%. Less likely 22%.

Smith? You want to know about Smith?

Within the Calgary city limits, 18% are more likely to vote UCP with Smith running the show. Less likely 44%.

Ouch.

Of the three candidates, where does Smith have the highest number of people less likely to vote UCP, compared to more likely to vote UCP with her in charge?

As well as Calgary, there’s the area around Calgary, and in the city of Edmonton, and surrounding the capital, and in small urban areas, and in northern Alberta.

Yes, Smith fares better in rural Alberta, but Jean and Toews are strong there as well.

You want some more, I know you do.

Related video: UCP leadership candidate Danielle Smith outlines her proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act
Duration 5:51  View on Watch

Just one more helping of the political calculus.

For those identifying themselves as supporting the UCP, 35% are more likely to vote for the party in the next election with Smith in the top job and 22% less likely, numbers in the same neighbourhood as Toews and Jean.

As for those supporting the NDP, the intensity against Smith is greatest.

59% are less likely to back the UCP with Smith.

40% are less likely to back the party with a Jean-led UCP and 30% less likely with Toews holding the reins.

Of course, there is a margin of error and this is a snapshot in time, so handle the arithmetic as you see fit.

There is no conspiracy here. The numbers are the numbers.

Remember, this scribbler was the one rolling out the nose counts showing Smith as the frontrunner in the UCP leadership race by a healthy margin.

A little dessert? Who doesn’t like dessert?

Premier Jason Kenney has the approval of 30% of Albertans sampled, with 67% disapproving and few unsure how they feel.



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Jean has the approval of 33% and the disapproval of 49%. The rest are unsure.

Toews is at 29% approval and 38% disapproval with a full third of those polled unsure about him.

He’s a quiet guy.

Smith?

She has 27% approval and 58% disapproval.
Brian Jean seen as UCP candidate most likely to win next election: poll
Bell: UCP race, more poll numbers, is it all over but the shouting?
Bell: Kenney unpopular to the end, a lesson for Pierre Poilievre

Now let’s bring in Marc Henry from ThinkHQ.

If the polling of UCP members is on the money and Smith wins the party leadership Oct. 6 to become premier, Henry says the following.

“There may be some real unintended consequences.

“She’s extremely divisive. She definitely has her supporters, her strong supporters. But she’s got more detractors and they’re strong detractors.”

And …

“She will absolutely invigorate NDP turnout. They’re more motivated against Smith than the others. Danielle Smith is a lightning rod for that vote. She becomes a rallying cry.”

The pollster finally points to those unsure of who they will vote for in the next provincial election.

With these folks, 16% are more likely to vote for a Toews UCP, 19% less likely.

If Jean is UCP leader it’s 18% more likely to vote UCP, 29% less likely.

With Smith as UCP leader, 10% are more likely to vote for the party and 39% are less likely.

We are told these are individuals who probably voted UCP in the last election and are sitting out there waiting to see what unfolds.

And to end this day …

The UCP without a leader and it’s a coin toss with the NDP, says the poll. The governing party is very much in the running.

With a leader?

“With Jean or Toews, you know, they have some work to do but certainly that base is there,” says Henry, the noted nose counter.

“With Smith, they are going to be facing a headwind.”

Knowing some of the Smith team now on board, if their candidate becomes premier, they will be pulling out all the stops to win the next election.

It promises to be a fight for the ages.

Meanwhile in Medicine Hat, with this race to be premier headed for the last lap on the track, Notley the NDP leader talks to families who do not have a family doctor.

rbell@postmedia.com

Upper Management's Plan to Make Employees Feel Stupid Backfires Big Time

Everyone knows that the so-called managerial class is the best at failing upwards. In many cases, it is a manager's mediocrity that allows them to climb the latter, not their intelligence. That's why it's extra funny when upper management actually believes they're smarter than everyone else and therefore deserve their inflated salaries. One particular HR department thought it would be a good idea to give IQ tests to all the software engineers, managers, directors, and VPs at the company. Can you guess who performed the worst?

“HR spent a ton of money to give us all IQ tests. We never got the results. Months later we learned they were thrown away because management performed the worst (Managers/Directors/VPs)” Posted by u/Admirable-Pepper-641






“Streaming is the best example of this. Netflix and Hulu murdered piracy. But now that everyone sees how profitable it is and are rebuilding cable packages one streaming service at a time, piracy is becoming more prevalent again.” said u/EasternShade.




“Sounds about right. And senior management somehow took a promotion to a new company after destroying the old one I bet.” said u/yingyangyoung.



“Because they have low IQ” said u/cleverbiscuit1738.

“Dunning-Kruger would like a word.” said u/Chrysis_Manspider.




“I've always maintained that senior management seem to excel at failing upwards. I'm not surprised at all either.” said u/housepuma.

“Management attracts the most cutthroat people. If they were smart, they wouldn't feel the need to be cutthroat because they would be confident in their ability to earn an honest living.” said u/Big_Goose.




“I agree.” said OP, “To answer your question, I believe they had serious doubts in management after years of a tanking stock price. A year later there was a complete overhaul, the IQ test was also given out right after we were acquired by a much larger company who frankly must’ve been sold a false bill of goods. Also, there are massive companies solely dedicated to providing IQ tests to Fortune 500 companies at a large scale. I won’t name any, but it’s a whole industry. At least when it comes to software sales, most companies require an IQ test now at the interview phase.”

ICYMI

Climate change at 'point of no return': primatologist Goodall

AFP - Tuesday

Earth's climate is changing so quickly that humanity is running out of chances to fix it, primatologist Jane Goodall has warned in an interview.


Earth's climate is changing so quickly that humanity is running out of chances to fix it, primatologist Jane Goodall -- pictured on January 22, 2020 -- has warned in an interview© Fabrice COFFRINI

Goodall, a grandee of environmentalism whose activism has spanned decades, said time was rapidly shortening to halt the worst effects of human-caused global warming.

"We are literally approaching a point of no return," Goodall told AFP in Los Angeles.

"Look around the world at what's happening with climate change. It's terrifying.

"We are part of the natural world and we depend on healthy ecosystems."

Goodall is best known for her pioneering six-decade study of chimpanzees in Tanzania, which found "human-like" behavior among the animals, including a propensity to wage war, as well as an ability to display emotions.

Now 88 years old, the Briton is a prolific writer and the subject of a number of films. She has also been immortalized as both a Lego figure and a Barbie doll.

Goodall said her own environmental awakening came in the 1980s while working in Mongolia, where she realized that hillsides had been denuded of tree cover.

"The reason the people were cutting down the trees was to make more land, to grow food as their families grew, and also to make money from charcoal or timber," she said.

"So if we don't help these people find ways of making a living without destroying their environment, we can't save chimpanzees, forests, or anything else."

Goodall says she has seen some changes for the better over recent decades, but urged quicker action.

"We know what we should be doing. I mean, we have the tools. But we come up against the short-term thinking of economic gain versus long-term protection of the environment for the future," she said.

"I don't pretend to be able to solve the problems that this creates because there are major problems. And yet, if we look at the alternative, which is continuing to destroy the environment, we're doomed."

Goodall was speaking Sunday on the sidelines of a celebration of her $1.3 million Templeton Prize.

The prize is an annual award for an individual whose work harnesses science to explore the questions facing humanity.

The cash went to the Jane Goodall Institute, a global wildlife and environment conservation organization, which runs youth programs in 66 countries.

"The program's main message is that every single one of us makes an impact on the planet every day, and we get to choose what sort of impact we make," Goodall said.

"It’s actually my greatest reason for hope."

ekl/hg/jh

Canadian black civil servants file discrimination complaint against federal government with United Nations

David Thurton -

Black civil servants are ramping up their pressure on the federal government by filing a complaint with the United Nations alleging Ottawa violated their civil rights.

The complaint by the Black Class Action Secretariat is being sent to the UN Commission for Human Rights Special Rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

It follows a class action lawsuit the same group filed against the federal government accusing it of systemic racism, discrimination and employee exclusion.

"This complaint details systemic and anti-Black racism in hiring and promotions within Canada's federal public service," said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, executive director of the Black Class Action Secretariat.

"With this complaint, we are elevating Canada's past failures and failure to act in the present to an international body."

Thompson told a news conference in Ottawa Wednesday that the secretariat hopes the UN special rapporteur investigates its claims and calls on Canada to meet its international obligations to Black employees by establishing a plan to increase opportunities for Black women in the government and develop specific targets for hiring and promoting Black workers.

Amnesty International threw its weight behind the complaint, noting that 70 per cent of the 1,500 employees who have joined the class action are Black women.

"This is contrary to the feminist commitments made by the Canadian government," said Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.

In addition to supporting the complaint, Nivyabandi also called on the government to establish a designated category under the Employment Equity Act for Black employees. Canada has launched a task force to review this legislation.

The stated purpose of the Employment Equity Act is to "correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.""

Nivyabandi said grouping all visible minorities together makes the unique forms of discrimination Black employees face "invisible."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and New Democrat MP Matthew Green were at Wednesday's news conference on Parliament Hill to offer their support.

"On behalf of all New Democrats, as leader of the party, I want to express my full solidarity," Singh said. "Their call for justice, in this case, their call for equity ... is something that we fully support."

Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board, is set to meet with Thompson this week. She said that far too many Black Canadians still face discrimination and hate.

"The government is actively working to address harms and to create a diverse and inclusive public service free from harassment and discrimination. We passed legislation, created support and development programs, and published disaggregated data — but know there is still more to do," Fortier said in a media statement.

The lawsuit filed in Federal Court alleges that, going back to the 1970s, roughly 30,000 Black civil servants have lost out on "opportunities and benefits afforded to others based on their race."

The statement of claim says the lawsuit is seeking damages to compensate Black public servants for their mental and economic hardships. Plaintiffs are also asking for a plan to finally diversify the federal labour force and eliminate barriers that even employment equity laws have been unable to remove.



Black parliamentarians say protest convoy is a venue for 'white supremacists'© CBC

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.

Huge ancient stone murals discovered in central China

Peng Peigen,Shi Linjing,unreguser - 


Photo taken on Sept. 21, 2022 shows part of a stone mural discovered in the Zhouqiao relics site in Kaifeng City, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Li An)


Huge ancient stone murals discovered in central China© Provided by Xinhua-Culture&Travel

ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two stone murals from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) have been unearthed in central China's Henan Province, which are the largest of their kind ever found in the country, archaeologists said Wednesday.

The murals, discovered in the Zhouqiao relics site in Kaifeng City, are symmetrically distributed along the northern and southern banks at the east side of the Zhouqiao Bridge.

The murals are 3.3 meters in height, and it has been revealed that the excavated length of the south bank mural is 23.2 meters, while that of the northern one is 21.2 meters.

The stone murals are engraved with auspicious patterns of traditional Chinese culture such as seahorses, flying cranes and clouds.

Further excavation and cleanup work is still in progress, said Zhou Runshan, head of the excavation project, adding that the total length of a single mural is presumed to be about 30 meters.

It is estimated that the total length of the stone murals is expected to reach about 100 meters and the total carved area will reach around 400 square meters upon complete excavation of the murals on both east and west sides of the bridge, Zhou added.

"In terms of scale, subject and style, the stone murals can represent the highest standards of the stonework system and the highest level of carving techniques during the Northern Song Dynasty," said Zheng Yan, a professor at Peking University's School of Arts.

"It is an important discovery that enriches and rewrites the art history of the Song Dynasty," he added.

Zhouqiao Bridge was built between 780 and 783 in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) across the Grand Canal, a vast waterway connecting the northern and southern parts of China. It was a landmark structure in the central axis of Kaifeng City and was buried in 1642 by mud and sand due to the flooding of the Yellow River. Archaeological excavation of the Zhouqiao site was launched in 2018.

So far, a total of 4,400 square meters of the site have been excavated, and 117 sites of remains and ruins have been found. ■

Battle Erupts Over Alleged Grisly Photos of Brain-Hacked Neuralink Monkeys

Noor Al-Sibai -  Futurism

A California university is refusing to release a cache of grisly photos of monkeys reportedly injured during experiments testing Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implant technology, in spite of a lawsuit aiming to force the school's hand.


UC Davis is refusing to release a cache of grisly photos of the monkeys injured during experiments testing Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implant technology.

In a press release, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) advocacy group said that it had learned that the University of California, Davis is in possession of 371 photos of the experimented-upon monkeys that were subjected to Neuralink tests, which took place at the school's veterinary lab facilities.

Earlier this year, Neuralink admitted that a fifth of the 23 rhesus macaques monkeys it used to test its brain-hacking implants had been euthanized after developing infections and malfunctions. Bolstering PCRM's credibility, that admission came in the wake of its a complaint it filed against Neuralink.

Now, PCRM says it learned that UC Davis is in possession of the hundreds of photos depicting, among other things, "necropsies of animals killed" in the experiments after filing a lawsuit against the school in February over its shielding of the photos, which the university argues are "proprietary."

"UC Davis thinks the public is too stupid to know what they’re looking at," Physicians Committee research director Ryan Merkley said in the press release. "But it’s clear the university is simply trying to hide from taxpayers the fact that it partnered with Elon Musk to conduct experiments in which animals suffered and died."

The nonprofit said in the release that it had learned through its lawsuit that Neuralink paid UC Davis $1.4 million to use its facilities between 2017 and 2020.

As the release notes, the school has already released hundreds of pages of documents which "showed monkeys suffering from chronic infections, seizures, paralysis, and painful side effects following [the] experiments."

In February, UC Davis and Neuralink both responded to the lawsuit by issuing statements saying that they had complied with established research protocols and regulations. UC Davis directed Futurism to that February statement, and added that the school has "fully complied with the state law in responding to PCRM’s public records request." Futurism has also reached out to Neuralink for comment regarding the lawsuit and its plans to prevent such harm from coming to animal research subjects in the future.

For now, we don't know how gruesome the photos of the experimented-upon macaques may be — and until the school or Neuralink is forced to give them up, we'll have to contend with our imaginations.

More Neuralink nastiness: Experts Say Elon Musk Messed Up by Having Secret Children With His Employee

Rights Group Claims UC Davis Won't Release Photos Depicting Tortured Neuralink Monkeys

Mack DeGeurin - 

An animal rights group wants the University of California Davis to release nearly 400 photos of test monkeys they claim were tortured and abused during testing for Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain computer interface company.


This picture taken on May 23, 2020 shows a laboratory monkey sitting in its cage in the breeding centre for cynomolgus macaques (longtail macaques) at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Saraburi.© Photo: Mladen Antonov (Getty Images)

In a press release, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said its ongoing lawsuit surfaced 371 photos related to the monkey experiments, with 185 of them allegedly related to autopsies of monkeys that died during the procedures. The other 186 photos are reportedly related to experiments conducted on the monkeys. Previous reports claim 15 monkeys died at one UC Davis test facility between 2017 and 2020.

For those catching up, The Physicians Committee filed a legal complaint with The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year which provided horrifying accounts of Neuralink monkeys allegedly having their skulls pried open to insert electrodes for Neuralink brain devices. Some of the monkeys equipped with the devices allegedly experienced extreme vomiting and exhaustion while others, overcome by stress, allegedly mutilated themselves, according to a New York Post report. Others reportedly developed skin infections after having their skulls drilled open.

Though the rights groups claims UC Davis revealed the images’ existence in a recent legal filing, they said the university’s attorney wants to keep them under wraps, arguing their content could be misunderstood by the public. An attorney for the Physicians Committee argued the photos are actually public records since the university receives public funding and relies on public employees to conduct experiments.

“These photos are public records created with public funds, and the public deserves access to the research they paid for,” Physicians Committee Associate General Counsel Deborah Dubow said.

UC David did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment about these claims, though it previously released a statement defending its reported $1.4 million partnership with Neuralink. The two ceased working together in 2020.



Monkey MindPong

“Regarding the lawsuit by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, we fully complied with the California Public Records Act in responding to their request,” UC Davis said in February. “Indeed, additional materials have been supplied to PCRM since the conclusion of the research agreement with Neuralink.”

Neuralink also vigorously defended itself earlier this year, releasing a lengthy statement saying it’s committed to working with animals, “in the most humane and ethical way possible.” In that same statement, Neuralink tried to throw water on the Physicians Committee complaint, claiming they are an absolutist organization opposed to any types of animal testing. To that end, the Physicians Committee has reportedly advocated for veganism and alternatives to animal testing and has received some funding from PETA, according to The Guardian.

And while Neuralink did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment, its previous statement did note it left UC Davis in 2020 partly to improve overall facility standards.

“While the facilities and care at UC Davis did and continue to meet federally mandated standards, we absolutely wanted to improve upon these standards as we transitioned animals to our in-house facilities,” the company said.

In addition to the alleged photos, the Physicians Committee says UC Davis legal documents revealed over 600 pages depicting test monkeys suffering seizures, chronic infections, and side effects from the Neuralink device. They cite documents claiming experimenters reportedly used an unapproved adhesive called BioGlue to fill the holes in the monkey’s brain following surgery. Some of that glue, according to the Physicians’ Committee, allegedly seeped into the monkey’s brains.

“UC Davis thinks the public is too stupid to know what they’re looking at,” Physicians Committee Director of Research Advocacy Ryan Merkley, said. “But it’s clear the university is simply trying to hide from taxpayers the fact that it partnered with Elon Musk to conduct experiments in which animals suffered and died.”