Sunday, May 31, 2020

On This Day: MAY 31, 1921

OKLAHOMA MASSACRE OF AFRO AMERICANS BY THE KKK AND LOCAL WHITES 

US: Provide Reparations for 1921 ‘Tulsa Race Massacre’

State, City Should Compensate Survivors, Descendants; Adopt Broad Plan

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Reverend Robert Turner of the historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, damaged in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, leads a reconciliatory pilgrimage of sorts from Mount Vernon AME to Tulsa City Hall every Wednesday, demanding “reparations now.” © 2019 Ian Maule/Tulsa World

(Washington, DC) – State and local authorities in Tulsa, Oklahoma should provide reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when a white mob killed several hundred black people and destroyed a prosperous black neighborhood, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. They should promptly develop and carry out a comprehensive reparations plan, in close consultation with the local community, to address the harm caused by the massacre and its lasting impact.

The 66-page report, “The Case for Reparations in Tulsa, Oklahoma: A Human Rights Argument,” details the destruction that left hundreds of people, most of them black, dead and more than 1,200 black-owned houses burned in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, then known as “Black Wall Street.” Human Rights Watch also described some of the subsequent policies and structural racism that prevented Greenwood and the broader North Tulsa community from thriving. In this context, the US Congress should also pass H.R. 40, a bill that would begin to address the ongoing harm from slavery.
Report: The Case for Reparations in Tulsa, OklahomaReport: The Case for Reparations in Tulsa, Oklahoma

“It was almost 100 years ago that the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa was destroyed, but survivors of the massacre and their descendants are still suffering the consequences,” said Dreisen Heath, US program advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “Decades of black prosperity and millions of dollars in hard-earned wealth were wiped out in hours but nobody was ever held accountable and no compensation was ever paid.”

The massacre occurred between May 31 and June 1, 1921, after a black man was accused of assaulting a white woman. A white mob, including people deputized and armed by city officials, descended on Greenwood, terrorized black families, and burned their community to the ground. About 35 square blocks – more than 1,200 black-owned houses, scores of businesses, a school, a hospital, a public library, and a dozen black churches – were destroyed and thousands were left homeless. The American Red Cross estimated the death toll at 300, but the exact number remains unknown. Only recently did officials begin limited excavations of unmarked mass graves.

Human Rights Watch, the National African American Reparations Commission, and the American Civil Liberties Union will join leaders from Tulsa and across the US on May 31, 2020 to open a series of virtual forums that will explore the enduring impact of the massacre and the path to reparations in Tulsa and for other African Americans.

In the immediate aftermath, the state declared martial law and the state and local authorities disarmed and arrested black people in Tulsa, moving them to internment camps where thousands of black Tulsans, then homeless, were forced to live in tents. Government officials committed no public money to help Greenwood rebuild. Rather, they impeded rebuilding, even rejecting offers of medical and reconstruction assistance from within and outside Tulsa.

No one was held responsible for the violent crimes, and city and state officials attempted to cover up the massacre for decades. This fall, for the first time, the Oklahoma Education Department will include the race massacre in its curriculum.

In 2003, civil rights lawyers sued Tulsa, its Police Department, and the state of Oklahoma, seeking restitution for the more than 200 survivors and their descendants. A court dismissed the suit, citing the state’s statute of limitations.

Ongoing de facto segregation, discriminatory policies, and structural racism have left black Tulsans, particularly those in North Tulsa, with a lower standard of living and fewer opportunities than other Tulsans. There are significant racial disparities in the city across multiple indicators, from access to health and nutritious food to education. Greenwood community members have expressed concern that the current economic investment plans are not sufficiently focused on supporting the community or preserving its black heritage, but rather on gentrifying the area.

“Tulsa stands out for the malicious destruction during the massacre, but the racist systems, policies, and practices that have harmed black Tulsans over decades are not unique,” Heath said. “In many ways, Tulsa is a microcosm of the United States.”

The massacre occurred in a broader context of systemic racism rooted in the US history of slavery, white supremacy, racist violence, and oppression, which continues across the United States today, Human Rights Watch said.

Under international human rights law, governments have an obligation to provide effective remedies for human rights violations like the Tulsa massacre, including through a range of reparations mechanisms.

Human Rights Watch has long supported the development of broader reparations plans to account for the cruelty of slavery and subsequent harm, and supports US House Resolution 40, to establish a commission to examine the impact of the slave trade and to recommend ways to address the harm, including apology and compensation. This bill has gained traction, with nearly 100 new co-sponsors, an indication of growing recognition of the importance of accounting for the impact of slavery and decades of racist, discriminatory laws and practices that followed and persist today.

The Tulsa and Oklahoma governments should act swiftly to provide reparations, including direct payments to the few massacre victims still living and their descendants, and to recover and identify remains that may be in mass graves. The state and local governments should promptly establish a comprehensive reparations plan such as by strengthening existing scholarship programs, funding memorials, and providing targeted investments in health, education, and economic opportunities, in close consultation with affected community members. Federal, state, and local authorities should also pass legislation to clear legal barriers to civil legal claims related to the massacre.

“Tulsa officials failed to deliver on promises to provide full reparation, harming black life in Tulsa from the massacre to the present day,” Heath said. “Government authorities have an opportunity to fully reckon with these historical and contemporary wrongs by finally doing what they should have done a long time ago – providing reparations to massacre descendants and the black people in Tulsa today.”

For more on the Virtual Forums on the Tulsa Race Massacre and Reparations, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgusoVPh5K0&feature=youtu.be

To support a petition calling on the Tulsa and Oklahoma governments to make full reparations to survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, please visit: https://www.change.org/tulsareparationsnow


Protests grip dozens of cities in response to George Floyd's death
By Danielle Haynes

Demonstrators take to the streets to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Washington, D.C., on May 29. Photo by Alex Wroblewski/UPI | License Photo


May 30 (UPI) -- Protests erupted in dozens of cities across the United States overnight as activists called for justice for the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Speaking during a news conference Saturday, Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz blamed the violence on groups unrelated to the Floyd cause, including anarchists, white supremacists and drug cartel participants. He said he plans to mobilize the National Guard to keep the peace for any further weekend protests.

"Our cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are under assault," he said, blaming riots on "an organized attempt to destabilize society."

Walz said he spoke with Floyd's family, who said the violence that had overtaken the city was counterproductive to the message activists were trying to send about the 46-year-old's death.

Floyd died Monday after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck during an arrest for nearly 9 minutes. There have been daily protests since the incident -- which was recorded on video -- calling for the officer and three others present during the arrest to face charges.

Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and bail was set at $500,000. All four officers, including Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were fired from the MPD.

Minneapolis
Protesters took to the streets across the country Friday night, many beginning as peaceful demonstrations that later took a more violent turn. Several buildings were torched while businesses were vandalized and looted

In the early hours of Saturday, Walz implored protesters to disperse.

"The absolute chaos -- this is not grieving, and this is not making a statement [about an injustice] that we fully acknowledge needs to be fixed -- this is dangerous," he said. "You need to go home."

"The sheer number of rioters has made it impossible to make coherent arrests," he added Saturday morning. "The capacity to be able to do offensive action was greatly diminished."

"There terrifying thing is that this resembles more a military operation now as you observe ringleaders moving from place to place."

Walz activated the National Guard earlier in the week, and 500 responded to Friday night's protests. The Minnesota National Guard tweeted Saturday that it's activating an additional 1,000 service members Saturday.

"This represents the largest domestic deployment in the Minnesota National Guard's 164-year history," the agency said.

Washington, D.C.

Protests gripped the nation's capital, as well, with some 2,000 activists gathering outside the White House. The Secret Service temporarily put the White House on lockdown Friday evening, not allowing anyone to leave or enter the building.

Some people said President Donald Trump's tweet calling protesters "thugs" only served to enflame tensions, WRC-TV reported.

"We are human beings that want justice for our people," participant Anzhane Laine told the news station.

Washington, D.C., police officers arrested five people, including one woman who allegedly climbed over a barrier. Local officials said multiple Secret Service officers sustained injuries.

Officers deployed pepper spray int he crowd as they pushed against metal barriers and tried to remove them.

President Donald Trump condemned the protests outside the White House as having nothing to do with Floyd. He also praised the actions of the Secret Service.

"Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen," Trump said in a series of tweets.

New York City


Police and thousands of demonstrators clashed outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with protesters throwing water bottles and other objects at officers. The police shot tear gas to try to disperse the crowd, which chanted "black lives matter" and "we want justice."

Police made between 50 to 100 arrests, a senior police official told The New York Times.

Crowds also gathered in the nearby Fort Greene neighborhood, setting a patrol van on fire and tossing fireworks.

Atlanta

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called for calm Friday night after protesters there torched a visitors center at Centennial Olympic Park and vandalized the CNN Center.

"This is not a protest," she said. "This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos. A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn't do this to our city. You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country."

Police said they clashed with protesters, who threw knives, eggs, firecrackers and other debris. Officers fired tear gas into the crowds.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday he plans to deploy the National Guard to quell the disorder.

Kentucky

Demonstrators in Louisville protested not only the death of Floyd, but also that of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician killed while in bed in her own apartment when police conducted a raid.

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was also shot in the March 13 raid, said police didn't identify themselves when they forced their way into the apartment. Thinking the plainclothes officers were robbers, Walker said he discharged his gun, injuring one of the officers.

Police opened fire, killing Taylor.

Protesters in Louisville and Lexington called for an end of police violence against unarmed black people. The march in Lexington was largely peaceful, shutting down roads as they progressed through the city.

Police shot tear gas and pepper bullets in Louisville, though, to disperse crowds. Footage from the protest appeared to show a Louisville Metro Police Department officer directly targeting at a WAVE-TV reporter and cameraman with pepper bullets.

Portland, Ore.


Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency in response to protests and imposed a curfew for the weekend.

Protesters set fire to the Multnomah County Justice Center, which includes the county jail and a police precinct. People were working inside the building, but they were able to evacuate and the facility's sprinkler system doused the flames.

"Burning buildings with people inside, stealing from small and large businesses, threatening and harassing reporters," Wheeler said. "All in the middle of a pandemic where people have already lost everything. This isn't calling for meaningful change in our communities, this is disgusting."

California

Protests took place in several cities across California, with more than 400 people arrested in Los Angeles amid clashes with police. The Los Angeles Police Department said five officers were injured during the confrontations, one with a head injury and another with a broken hand.

"It's unsafe. It's an unlawful assembly," LAPD Chief Michel Moore. "It's dangerous for all the residents and others. So it's unfortunate. It's a dark day in our history, that we have to do this, but this is what's going to save lives and this is going to save property."

In San Jose, protesters briefly shut down Highway 101 during a tense standoff with police. One protester charged at and punched one officer before he was arrested.

San Jose police later opened live fire on an SUV that hit two protesters after the occupants of the vehicle got into a verbal confrontation with protesters. Demonstrators threw objects at the SUV before it went into reverse, running over one pedestrian and knocking over another.

Protests were also seen in several cities in Denver, Chicago, Des Moines, Iowa, New Orleans, Lincoln, Neb., Boston, Detroit, Kansas City, Mo., Las Vegas, Charlotte, N.C., Richmond, Va., and Seattle, and several cities in Indiana, Ohio and Texas.
PALESTINIANS ARE THE BLACKS OF ISRAEL
Israeli police fatally shoot unarmed Palestinian man
SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT By Sommer Brokaw

An Israeli border police leaves the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem last month. On Saturday, Jerusalem police closed the gates to the Old City amid fear of protests after a special needs student was fatally shot. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo


May 30 (UPI) -- Israeli police fatally shot an unarmed Palestinian man headed to school for people with disabilities in East Jerusalem on Saturday.

Israeli police identified the man as Iyad Khairi Hallak, 32, a resident of the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in East Jerusalem

Officers shot Hallak after spotting him holding what they described as a "suspicious object," near Jerusalem's Lion's Gate. They said they instructed Hallak to stop but he fled the scene, at which border police were called. The border police helped chase Hallak on foot before shooting him. Afterward, the officers were unable to locate a "suspicious object."

Jerusalem police closed the gates to the Old City amid fear of protests following the fatal shooting. Temple Mount has been scheduled to reopen Sunday.
RELATED Israeli court: Former school principal fit for extradition on child abuse charges

Investigators said two border police officers, who have not been identified, opened fire on Hallak, one of whom missed

Authorities are investigating both border officers under suspicion of causing death by negligence.

"This is a murder, and this is not the first time this has happened," prosecutor Gad Kadmani said. "The case needs to be thoroughly investigated. Eight bullets were fired at him -- there are cameras that recorded everything."

The border police have blamed the Jerusalem police officers, who they said told them Hallak was a terrorist.

The more senior officer shot in the air while the victim tried to hide behind a dumpster, Haaretz reported. The officer who shot Hallak said he suspected him of being a terrorist because he wore gloves.

"This morning's case was transferred to the Department of Police Investigations to be examined and investigated," Israeli police wrote in a statement. "It is appropriate to wait for the results of the investigation's findings before drawing any conclusions, and to avoid the ugliness and wrongful outbursts of commentary on those who put protecting the citizens of Israel in front of their own lives."

One of the officers has been released under restrictive conditions and the other has been placed on house arrest.

Hallak's family said he had autism and "wasn't capable of harming anyone."

Lawyers for one of the officers said "a tragedy occurred."
Poll: Most Americans say economy is in a recession or depression
By Sommer Brokaw

A new poll shows 71 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is in a recession or depression after businesses started reopening in recent months after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were lifted. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

May 30 (UPI) -- Since mid-April, most Americans have said they believe the country is in a recession or depression, a new poll shows.

Seven out of 10 U.S. adults surveyed for the Gallup Poll released Friday said they believe the U.S. economy is in a depression or recession. At or above 70 percent of U.S. adults have said the same since mid-April.

In the latest poll, 41 percent said the economy is in a recession and 30 percent said it is in a depression.

The figure has risen from March, when 37 percent said the U.S. economy was in a recession and 20 percent said it was in a depression.

Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to say the U.S. economy was in a depression or a recession. Only 48 percent of Republicans say the country is in a depression or recession compared to 87 percent of Democrats.

Still, both parties are 12 to 18 percentage points more likely now to say the country is in a depression or recession than they were in late March, polls show.

The poll comes amid businesses across the country reopening in recent months after stay-at-home to reduce the spread of COVID-19 were lifted.

Results were based on web surveys, May 18-24, of a random sample of 3,892 adults with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.



Thousands protest mass Renault job cuts


AFP / FRANCOIS LO PRESTIUnions said 8,000 people took part in the protest over the cuts designed to help Renault steer out of a cash crunch exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic
Thousands of workers rallied Saturday outside the Renault factory in northern France to protest the automaker's decision to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide, including 4,600 in France.
Unions said 8,000 people took part in the protest at the Maubeuge subsidiary over the cuts designed to help Renault steer out of a cash crunch exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The plant, which employs around 2,100 people, has been stopped since Friday.
Under the new plan, Maubeuge-based production of electric Kangoo utility vehicles is set to move to Douai, 70 kilometres (45 miles) away, much to the consternation of workers.
"It's an earthquake that is taking place. We want to keep our company here," Jerome Delvaux, a union member, told AFP.
"This demonstration today is very important, even if it is a first step, to show the government and Renault that workers and residents of this area are committed to this company and that we have support," Delvaux added.
"We need these jobs, otherwise it's a whole territory that will die," he said.
The company will target savings of more than two billion euros ($2.2 billion) over three years and turn its focus to electric vehicles as it seeks to restore competitiveness in a market reeling from slumping sales since the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people into home confinement for weeks on end.
Renault had been navigating turbulent waters even before the health crisis, starting with the shock arrest of its former boss Carlos Ghosn on financial misconduct charges in 2018 which led to deep rifts in its alliance with Japanese partners Nissan and Mitsubishi.
In February, the company unveiled its first annual loss in a decade, followed quickly by the 2020 health crisis that saw new car registrations in the European Union plunge 76.3 percent year-on-year in April.
In an "adjustment" plan announced to unions Thursday, Renault said nearly 4,600 jobs would be cut out of 48,000 in France, and more than 10,000 in the rest of the world -- some eight percent of the company's global workforce.
It would entail retraining, internal mobility and voluntary departures, spread out over three years, with no outright dismissals envisioned for now.
Four production sites in France could be closed or restructured, the automaker said, and its hulking factory at Flins northwest of Paris will stop making the Zoe electric hatchback from 2024.