jared_7 wrote:canta_brian wrote:rowan wrote:So much for Obama changing anything. State of emergency declared in Charlotte:
Residents of Charlotte, North Carolina, woke up to a state of emergency and the National Guard and State Highway Patrol deployed to their city on Sept. 22 after a second night of unrest sparked by the fatal police shooting of an African-American man.
According to police, Keith Scott, 43, was shot and killed by officers on Sept. 20 after he refused to drop a handgun. His family and a witness to the shooting said Scott was holding a book, not a firearm.
A peaceful rally in response to the shooting turned violent on Sept. 21 as protesters threw rocks and bottles at police in riot gear, smashed windows and doors and looted stores in downtown Charlotte, Reuters reported. Officers fired rubber bullets, tear gas, flash-bang grenades and used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
One protester was shot and gravely wounded by a civilian, and four police officers suffered non-life threatening injuries, city officials said on Twitter.
It was the second night of unrest in North Carolina’s largest city, where several protesters and 16 officers were injured on the night of Sept. 20. The turmoil prompted Governor Pat McCrory to declare a state of emergency and deploy the National Guard and highway patrol officers to the city to help restore peace.
“Any violence directed toward our citizens or police officers or destruction of property should not be tolerated,” McCrory said in a statement.
Charlotte’s mayor Jennifer Roberts was considering a curfew as Bank of America told employees not to report to work at its uptown offices, local media reported.
There have also been protests in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in recent days demanding the arrest of a police officer seen in a video last week fatally shooting an unarmed African-American man who had his hands in clear view at the time.
The deaths add to a torrent of accusations over racial bias in U.S. law enforcement and calls for greater police accountability for the killings of African-Americans. A study by the Center for Policing Equity released in July shows police used force on African-Americans at rates more than three times higher than for whites.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Sept. 21 with the mayors of Charlotte and Tulsa, a White House official said.
The American Civil Liberties Union urged police to release their camera footage of the incident. Police vehicles typically have a dashboard camera and officers are required to carry cameras on their persons.
Roberts said she planned to view the footage on Sept. 22, but did not indicate if or when it would be made public.
“We call for the full release of all facts available,” said William Barber, president of the state’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in a statement.
Barber said NAACP officials planned to meet with city officials and members of Scott’s family on Sept. 22.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/state- ... sCatID=358
why is this down to Obama? It has been happening forever one would imagine, its just that now we get footage of the events.
Obama tried to bring in some gun control - blocked by the republican senate. Healthcare was similarly derailed. It's not all his fault surely?
No, its not all his fault. The running of the country never falls just to one man. However, the militarisation of the US police force would have to be considered one of THE biggest issues here, and under Obama, a Democrat, surplus military equipment given to local police departments has increased from $30m in 2008 to $460m today. Or if you want to talk in items, it has increased from 11,000 to 540,000.
https://www.openthebooks.com/assets/1/7 ... eDepts.pdf
I don't think Rowan genuinely believes its all Obama's fault either (although I won't speak for him), its just more in comparison to the rhetoric and public opinion. Obama has been an absolute triumph of PR, I don't think there has ever been more of a disconnect between what the public believes a president stands for and what he has actually done.
Absolutely, Jared. I personally don't regard the president of America as being anything more than a spokesperson for the government and multi-trillion dollar Military Industrial Complex. Papa Bush might have been involved in the decision-making process to some extent, given his background at the CIA, but it's highly doubtful the likes of Carter, Regan, Clinton, Baby Bush or Obomber have done anything but serve as the front man, kind of like Winston Wolfe in Pulp Fiction (who cleans up the mess after a murder and makes it all appear spick and span). That movie was all about US foreign policy and how America's violent, religiously & sexually confused culture is being spread around the globe by force, in fact.
& you are completely right about the disconnect with Obomber. I have American friends who condemn US foreign policy and racism in America but still gush about their president. All I'm saying is that in complete contrast to his campaign books and promises, Obomber hasn't changed a thing. & Hillary will only bring more of the same as well, but they'll just play the 'feminist' card to silence all her critics and accuse you of sexism if you don't go along with it. That's already been a tactic of her current election campaign. But she, too, will only be a puppet of the big corporations and the Military Industrial Complex, and obviously a willing one.