Interesting Quote: Glenn Beck

We need to listen to one another, as human beings, and try to understand one another’s pain. Empathy is not acknowledging or conceding that the pain and anger others feel is justified. Empathy is acknowledging someone else’s pain and anger while feeling for them as human beings — even, and maybe especially, when we don’t necessarily agree or understand them.

Again, that’s different from empathizing with self-interested insiders and instigators. Just as I suggest a concerted effort at empathy, we must also stand together to confront the nefarious elements within our movements with equal fervor.

Glenn having empathy for the Black Lives Matter movement

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WATCH the Mothers of the Movement - Black Lives Matter at the Democratic National Convention

Black Lives Matter release a Statement

From Black Lives Matter:

The Black Lives Matter Network advocates for dignity, justice, and respect.

In the last few days, this country witnessed the recorded murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police, the latest victims in this country’s failed policing system. As we have done for decades, we marched and protested to highlight the urgent need to transform policing in America, to call for justice, transparency and accountability, and to demand that Black Lives Matter.

In Dallas, many gathered to do the same, joining in a day of action with friends, family and co-workers. Their efforts were cut short when a lone gunman targeted and attacked 11 police officers, killing five. This is a tragedy--both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy. There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black people. We should reject all of this.

Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible.

We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.

Alton Sterling

The news is out Alton Sterling.

He was a black man who was shot several times while being held on the ground by two policemen outside a convenience store. They (the cops) came there because someone called 911 and said he had a gun.

Now, he wasn't waving it around and threatening folks. He was just selling DVDs.

Here's more

The video, obtained by CNN, shows another angle and was recorded closer to the shooting by one of two white Baton Rouge police officers who were answering a 911 report of a man with a gun. It is the second of two bystander videos that show the encounter. One posted online Tuesday night quickly sparked local protests and drew national attention. 

In the new 38-second recording, Sterling is already on the ground, on his back. One officer is kneeling to Sterling's left. The other officer appears to be straddling Sterling's legs. Sterling can be seen from the chest up and his lower legs are also visible. His left arms and hands are not visible; his right arm is by his side.

After gunshots are heard, the camera pans to the right then back to Sterling, who has a large blood stain on his chest. The officer who was on his legs now lies on the pavement above Sterling's head, his gun pointed.

The officer radios for an ambulance. As Sterling moves his left arm toward his face and then his chest, the other officer appears to remove something from one of Sterling's right pockets. Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said Sterling was armed at the time he was killed and one witness said the officer removed a gun from Sterling's pocket.
Sterling, a 37-year-old man who sold CDs and DVDs outside the store, died of his wounds. The officers involved in Tuesday's shooting -- Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II -- have been placed on administrative leave.

He was killed by these cops and their body cams mysteriously fell off. I find this very interesting because of a few things... Alton's gun was legal and he had the right to carry it around. The person who called 911 should be questioned and brought in. In the video, you see the cops removed his gun from his pocket, so they were NOT in danger. They just killed him...

I'm not sharing the link or the video because it's horrific and I can't treat Alton's death as some sense of voyeurism.

I will only post Anton's family, because he was a family man.

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Interesting Quote: President Obama

“Once you’ve highlighted an issue and brought it to people’s attention and shined a spotlight, and elected officials or people who are in a position to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you, then you can’t just keep on yelling at them. And you can’t refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position. The value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table, get you in the room, and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved. You then have a responsibility to prepare an agenda that is achievable, that can institutionalize the changes you seek, and to engage the other side, and occasionally to take half a loaf that will advance the gains that you seek, understanding that there’s going to be more work to do, but this is what is achievable at this moment.”

Obama is talking about some within the Black Lives Matter movement 

No Accountability for the Cops involved in the Death of Tamir Rice

Sadly, a grand jury decided not to charge the officers involved in the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

If you aware of the story, Tamir was shot by the police because he had a toy gun. In a video it shows with in seconds how the police respond to Tamir. Their stories did not add up along with the dispatch call as well.

As evidence was gathered, the grand jury start meeting around October to see if they would charge Officers Loehmann and Garmback. Yesterday, they decided not to charge him with anything. The fact that there is no accountability of the murder of this young boy is atrocious. Prosecutor Tim McGinty, claimed he was doing his best. However, it feels like he was really defending the police department of Cuyahoga County. As the news went out, many people knew something was wrong with this case. Later, it was reported that there were issues with this case. The lawyer for the Rice family released this statement.

"Today, more than a year after Cleveland police shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, a grand jury voted not to indict the shooter. Tamir's family is saddened and disappointed by this outcome – but not surprised.

"It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty was abusing and manipulating the grand-jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment. Even though video shows the police shooting Tamir in less than one second, Prosecutor McGinty hired so-called expert witnesses to try to exonerate the officers and tell the grand jury their conduct was reasonable and justified. It is unheard of, and highly improper, for a prosecutor to hire "experts" to try to exonerate the targets of a grand-jury investigation. These are the sort of "experts" we would expect the officer's criminal-defense attorney to hire — not the prosecutor.

"Then, Prosecutor McGinty allowed the police officers to take the oath and read prepared statements to the grand jury without answering any questions on cross-examination. Even though it is black-letter law that taking the stand waives the Fifth Amendment right to be silent, the prosecutor did not seek a court order compelling the officers to answer questions or holding the officers in contempt if they continued to refuse. This special treatment would never be given to non-police suspects.

"The way Prosecutor McGinty has mishandled the grand-jury process has compounded the grief of this family.

"The Rice family is grateful for all the community support they have received and urges people who want to express their disappointment with how Prosecutor McGinty has handled this process to do so peacefully and democratically. We renew our request that the Department of Justice step in to conduct a real investigation into this tragic shooting of a 12-year-old child."

Now they are hoping to take this to the Department of Justice. It's sad that this is how these cases are being dealt with today. It's also sad that we can't trust local justice systems to handle these cases. When it comes to black lives deals are made to protect everyone but the community. This is not the country I thought I lived in... Not at all.

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GetEQUAL and Black Lives Matter Activists disrupted Hillary Clinton's Campaign Event

Activists with GetEQUAL and Black Lives Matter disrupted Hillary Clinton’s grassroots campaign event in Cleveland today. They demanded that she divest from private prisons and focus on the safety of Black transgender women.

GetEQUAL posted this statement on their website:

“Bankrolled by private prison companies and lobbyists like Corrections Corporation of America and the GEO Group, Hillary Clinton is part of the system of violence that criminalizes and kills Black trans people -- how can we take her policy suggestions to curb mass incarceration and detention seriously while she’s accepting this money?” asked Angela Peoples, co-director of grassroots LGBTQ network GetEQUAL and a disruptor of the event.

Peoples continued, “These companies and their lobbyists profit from the incarceration and abuse of Black people, especially Black trans women -- an overwhelming 41% of Black trans women report having been arrested at some point in their lives, often after having been profiled by the police.”

“Hillary Clinton must stand with Black people, especially Black trans women, by refusing to accept funds from or bundled by executives of or lobbyists for private prison companies -- and investing the money she’s already accepted from those companies in the work toward Black trans liberation,” said Rian Brown, GetEQUAL state lead and local Cleveland organizer taking part in the disruption. “Until that happens, we cannot for a moment think that Hillary believes Black Lives Matter.”

Brown added: “The actions that took place across the country on Tuesday were a call for cisgender Black folks to show up for Black trans people; we’re here to demand that Clinton divest from private prisons in solidarity with our Black trans family.”

John Kasich: BLACK LIVES MATTER ESPECIALLY NOW

What? Did he say that?

Black Lives Matter Activists come for Jeb Bush

For those who complained that the BLM folks were only going after Bernie Sander, get some salt for that foot.

In Florida, the Black Lives Matter protesters stormed Jeb's town hall meeting. The activists were also joined by the Planned Parenthood activists who are not happy with Jeb's stance on abortion rights.

LA Times reports:

Bush, responding to a woman's query about the disproportionate number of minorities killed by police and their treatment in the criminal justice system, said there was no question that racism still existed in the United States and that leaders needed to engage in communities that felt disenfranchised. He then turned to his education record as Florida's governor, raising achievement scores among minority youth.

“I have a record of empowering people in communities that” were told “they had no chance,” Bush said, ending the town hall. He did not deliver a closing statement, as he typically does, and quickly made his way to an exit, greeting supporters along the way.

Behind him, a few dozen protesters raised their fists and began chanting “Black Lives Matter!” A handful of Bush supporters turned toward them and chanted “All Lives Matter!” and “White Lives Matter!” Two women -- a protester and a Bush supporter stood a few feet from the candidate with their middle fingers extended in each other's faces.

Below are clips from the protest

And

Taking a Moment

Mike Brown

Tamir Rice

Sandra Bland

Sam DuBose

Eric Garner

Walter Scott

Freddie Gray

This has to end

Bernie Sanders, Black Lives Matter and the Liberal Audacity

As most of you know, I attended Netroots Nation in Phoenix, Arizona. On Saturday, there was a town hall meeting that involved presidential candidates, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders.

During the event, the Black Lives Matter movement stage a protest. O'Malley try to address the issue, but in the middle of his answer he said White Lives Matter which upset the crowd. After he left, Bernie Sanders came out to the stage, now when he appeared I assumed he would be ready to address the issue. I mean, this was his chance to put to rest the notion that he's unaware of the issues of the communities of color.

However, when he appeared on stage, he seemed agitated and not prepared to address the issue. Yes, there was a lot going on at that moment, but Bernie had plenty of time to change his speech to fit the subject. Instead of doing that, he stuck to his talking points which did not win over the BLM crowd. Bernie failed to address the matter appropriately, thus making the group pissed and unsatisfied. As the day went on we noticed something very interesting, the Bernie Sanders supporters seem to be highly upset with us. They were calling us divisive, hateful and vile. In fact, the Bernie supporters, tried to tell the Black attendees how to be 'polite' and how we should act. Sorry folks, we don't need your instructions.

What we did was exactly what Netroots is all about. We were shouting because we are tired of being silent. We are tired of dying. We have lost too many lives due the police. We have seen how they lie and murder us without a second thought. We had to speak out because if we didn't, would anyone care?

Since the event, the story has spread like wildfire. If you're my FB friend, you can watch the videos. I'm proud to have participated in that moment. I'm proud to speak out for my fellow brother and sisters, and I'm proud that we made these so-called liberals uncomfortable.

If Bernie or Martin can't handle us, what do you think the GOP will do?