Category Archives: Black Lives Matter

To the editor:

Its astonishing to me as I read the rants in Sound Off that some writers cannot understand the difference between the taking of the U.S. Capitol and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Both were public group displays based on the frustration of those groups about the state of American politics and society. But that is the only similarity.

The far rights invasion of our seat of government was driven by the unfounded lies of a sore loser. One persons inability to recognize that he lost an election was amplified by supporters who thought they would benefit by sustaining his claims.

Those claims were unsubstantiated by any proof and rejected wherever they were challenged, even as it became clear that his views and style of governing were unacceptable to the majority of Americans.

On the contrary, Black Lives Matter demonstrators were out en masse to bring attention to generations of people affected by unequal opportunity and treatment by the society in which they live, and by unequal treatment by law enforcement.

A plethora of data substantiate their grievances.

This is an extraordinary time in America when such narrow minded individuals, who do not have the courage to sign their names to their proclamations, can equate the demonstrations of those seeking to overturn a free and fair election to demonstrations of those seeking to repair centuries of racism.

Marc Klein

North Andover

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Letter: Little similarity between Capitol riots and Black Lives Matter protests - Eagle-Tribune

Often, in our quest to be white allies to Black and Brown communities, we take action whenever it makes sense for us, jumping on the bandwagon of fighting injustice when it is convenient for us, not the people were speaking up for. Anti-racism advocacy by white allies fighting for systemic change is a positive thing there are plenty of amazing people here in C-U doing the anti-racist work around the clock without any need for recognition but the work of most tends to be short-lived.

A divided Champaign City Council voted down a Black Lives Matter mural proposal last week. Its one example of how, as a city, we are not ready for the celebratory hurrahs and congratulatory social media posts announcing an end to racial inequality in Champaign. The city elected officials and its residents havent done the work necessary to prove that Black Lives Matter in Champaign. Though the street mural would undoubtedly be a meaningful proclamation, right now, a mural is an empty performative gesture.

As a whole, the city council must acknowledge that they havent done enough to combat racism in our community, a sentiment expressed by a few members of the council at last weeks session. Anti-racism work is ongoing; one does not simply complete a workshop and become fully anti-racist. Individuals and systems must be subject to regular checks and adjustments. If were not able to accept that, then it is a fools errand to think that a street mural is going to magically create equality.

We know those who worked hard to present this concept to city council last year have the best of intentions, and we applaud them for their efforts. We are glad to see the council fielding this type of discussion. We realize the individuals spearheading the concept arent trying to make a mural to literally save lives, but a mural is merely a Band-Aid, not a cure.

We dont need to start with a mural, but instead, with actions and policies that prioritize the lives and well being of Black people. We need to take actions that ensure that simply surviving this white supremacist patriarchy is no longer an achievement and that thriving in a community that values and supports all its members is our measure for success.

Though the street mural would undoubtedly be a meaningful proclamation, we believe this is putting the cart before the horse. However, this isnt to say we dont disagree with the actions of the city council, needlessly penny-pinching a minuscule budget for the project and then trying to pretend it isnt about money or efforts. The money is there, as are plenty of opportunities to utilize it. There are ways to take action with the citys economic power that wont break the bank.

Admitting that we need to put literal dollars and cents in places that arent on a street next to the city building is a start. Can the Garden Hills neighborhood finally get its streetlamps and other capital improvements? Can we incentivize grocers to open up in Downtown and Midtown Champaign instead of bars and restaurants? These are just a couple among many potential items the city council could take action on in conjunction with a street mural.

It is acceptable to be disappointed that the vote didnt pass while simultaneously being able to admit that were not quite prepared to make this street mural a reality. The fact that this mural vote failed showcases how far we have to go before a city-funded street mural isnt just a virtue signal by elected officials. The mural needs to be a planting of the flag of anti-racism in Champaign, a celebration of real, actionable items and changes that improve the lives of Black residents. It takes time, patience, money, energy, and selflessness to dismantle racist systems.

We have to do better than slapping a mural on the street and proclaiming that Black lives do, in fact, matter. We must prove it with our actions. We cant solve all of our citys problems with racial inequality in one fell swoop, but we can take steps to ensure we are on the path towards equality. Then, and only then, can we discuss a mural celebrating what weve accomplished together.

The Editorial Board is Jessica Hammie, Julie McClure, and Patrick Singer.

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Action is the key to supporting Black Lives Matter : Opinion - Smile Politely - Champaign-Urbana's Online Magazine

Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis attorneys who famously pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters during this summers racial unrest in an effort to protect their property, sat for a revealing interview with OZYs co-founder and CEO on The Carlos Watson Show. You can find some of the best cuts here from the full interview, which you can find on the shows podcast feed.

Carlos Watson: How do you guys think back about that night as you stand here today in January?

Mark McCloskey: The interesting thing to us is that only that first night, only June 28 ever gets reported by the media. And that was the easier of the two events. The mob came back on July 3 with the express intent of killing us and burning down the house. And now this mob was estimated between 500 and 1,000. And that was the scary night. That was the time when we really thought the end had come. We had a long time trying to get some security and the people we normally hire in our business from time to time we hire secondary employment cops nobody wanted to get involved because of the bad press we attract. We were referred to a high-end global security firm thats based about 50 miles from here.

Theyve gotten bad press over the Ferguson incident and they didnt want to get involved. The guy finally tells me: What Id do is just take whatever you cant live without, put it in your cars, drive away and just abandon your house. And I said, Well, no effing way in heck Im going to do that. Were going to go down with this ship if we have to.

Ive gotten a call from the White House earlier in the week. And one of the guys at the White House said the president wanted to express his support. If theres ever anything we can do for you, give us a call, let us know. So now its Thursday night before that Friday, July the third, we had every belief that we were going to die. And our daughter who was staying with us came and gave us a hug and a kiss and took her favorite stuffed animal from when she was 3 years old and left thinking shed never see us again.

And I got back from the White House on the phone and I said, well, you said that theres ever anything you can do give us a call. So its a heck of a good time. And so he gave me Mark Meadows cellphone number. I called up Mark Meadows and tell him the story. And then the next call I made was to Tucker Carlson. And I was sitting on the bench in the kitchen and Patty was sitting beside me, sobbing because we thought we were going to die. We had not been to sleep since that previous Sunday night. Wed spent the whole week hiding valuables and stuffing things in walls and under beds and stuff. And Tucker put us on the air and said, Im talking to Mark McCloskey, and I hear Patty sobbing in the background and told the story. When that Friday came, we were pretty certain we were going to die. But it all came together. We had tremendous support at the end. We had some SEALs came up from Texas and from one guy, fourth-generation cattle farmer. A Navy SEAL drove in from Kansas, just put his gear in his truck and drove here. We have support from from the government. As result of Tucker Carlsons call, there were maybe 10 or so secondary employment cops from rural jurisdictions that werent afraid to have their name on the press if they had to.

CW: So, if someone were to say to you, I hear that, and I hear some of what youre saying. They may say, I dont agree with all of it. I dont agree with your characterization of it, but I understand that if youre outside and there are lots of people out there and theres noise and theres concern, and theres lots of stress all around, I understand how someone could come to that place. But that if youd stayed in the house, if youd not pulled guns out, that they would not have come in and that they likely would have just moved on and kept walking through the neighborhood. You say what to that?

MM: Am I supposed to interview each person as they breached that gate and say, Are you the good protester or are you the violent mobster? Are you a person who just wants to make some noise so you get on TV, or are you one of those people that shot police officers and burn 7-Elevens and kill [police officer] David Dorn? Am I supposed to individually assess each of these people as they walk through the gate? Its ridiculous.

I mean, we were terrified, legitimately so, and look what did happen. No shot got fired. Nobody got hurt. Not even a sidewalk got painted. The only casualty that day, other than our psyches, was an iron gate that had been there since 1888. What happened when they leave here? They go to the Mayor Krewsons house. They shoot fireworks through a window trying to set it on fire. They accost news reporters with semi-automatic weapons. This was not a crowd which you could trust to be harmless, and every indication was that they had no intention of being harmless.

Patty McCloskey: Well, the interesting thing is uninformed people, I see it in the paper, Ive seen it in a lot of things, saying that this street was chosen because its a bastion of white supremacy or white imperialism or something. They dont know. The neighbor right across the street from me is Black and his father was Black. Theyve been living there since 1972. Next-door to me, a mixed couple, Black and white, with mixed children. I have

MM: Gay guys across the street next-door.

PM: gay guys, white guys, Chinese people. I mean, everybody. I mean

MM: There are 42 houses in this street. As of right now, I think that there are probably what, five? That are African American. Mostly theyre, well, not mostly, I hate to characterize, lots of mixed couples, gay couples, and its been that way for the whole 33 years weve been there. This has always been about as diverse a neighborhood as youre going to find in St. Louis.

PM: And liberal.

MM: And liberal. St. Louis, as you may know, is one of the most racially divided cities in the country. I knew that south St. Louis was almost all white, north St. Louis is almost all Black, and theres very little interchange between the races here with the exception of this specific neighborhood, where its always been a mixed neighborhood and no ones ever had any problem with it.

PM: But I see newspaper articles written saying no Black person would ever be allowed to live there. In fact, They werent allowed to live there, they say, under the restrictions. That was never under our restrictions. That never happened. There have been people here and happily. Were all happy. Its kind of shocking that they can say these things. I think that the people that maybe that decided, Hey, lets stop in on this particular street because they are all those things you mightve heard about in the paper, theyre just uninformed and the papers at fault for that.

CW: Do you think on race relations hes been a good president?

PM: Yeah, I believe so. Because when I see the mainstream news, theyre putting those things together, saying that race relations and prison reform are the same thing. Because were putting people in prison, African Americans in prison, for things that you wouldnt for white-collar crime. So I put those things together, but I think there were opportunity zones, I think hes set up like in St. Louis. Theres a zone here where hes bringing in extra help for police to help an African American community. I dont know any African American that wants fewer cops. He says, Ill give you more cops because they need help. Theyre afraid. I would say 85 percent of our clients are African American and have been for 15 years. And we become very close. Were not these kinds of people that just say, you know, Sign you up and well see you. We dont even know who you are. We come in and talk to them daily. And I know what theyre like, and I

CW: Sorry, you said 85 percent. So 85 percent of your clients are African American?

PM: Yes.

CW: And what has happened since this? Have they stayed? Have African Americans continued to be your clients or have they said, I dont like what I saw. I dont like what I heard. I like you as a person, but I dont respect the choices youve made. And have they chosen other lawyers?

PM: Everyone has said, I would have done the same thing as you. I talked to my friends that would have done the same thing as you. One was the girl that I told you about that called and said, I still love you. And I know thats not you. And I know that they want you to pay for it. But not one has left and not one has said. And weve gotten calls from clients from way back saying, I know you people, and I would have done the same thing and I understand it. And so not a one.

CW: Now, I was surprised in some of the interviews that I thought I heard you say that you supported Black Lives Matter. Is that true? I dont want to put words in your mouth. Is that true?

MM: My lawyer said it in those words one time and I corrected him, and Ive corrected it on every media event thats asked me that question. I support equal justice under the law. I support equal rights for all people. Im a big believer in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I recognize the Black Lives Matter organization as a Marxist organization. Thats antithetical to everything I believe in. I believe that amongst other things, the biggest impediment to success in the African American community is degradation of family values and the lack of cohesive family organization and Black Lives Matter disavows traditional families, Black Lives Matter disavows

CW: Mark, Mark, Mark, sorry. You think thats a bigger impediment to Black success than systemic racism?

MM: I dont I cant answer that question. I can tell you from personal experience of living in the murder capital of the world for most of my life, St. Louis is a remarkably dangerous place if youre an African American, and thats because of Black-on-Black violence. So we had 262 murders in the city of St. Louis last year, highest murder rate in 50 years, almost exclusively Black-on-Black violence, and no one wishes to address that issue. And certainly Black Lives Matter does not wish to address that issue.

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What the McCloskeys Have to Say About Black Lives Matter and Their Mixed-Race Neighborhood - OZY

As cries of "no justice, no peace" and "Black lives matter" once again rang out in streets across the country this summer, policymakers were faced with the most intense calls yet to increase racial equity in policing.

Kansas was not immune to those discussions in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis, Minn., police. Protests followed in Topeka, Wichita and scores of other communities, as residents again sought changesin their backyards and across the state.

Whether state legislators will consider advancing aggressive reforms favored by those activists, however, remains unclear. And some changes, like alterations to how police departments are funded, can only be pursued at the local level.

But there are things that could be done statewide if lawmakers so choose.

A panel formed by Gov. Laura Kelly in the wake of Floyd's death published recommendations late last year for changes that could be taken, both by state agencies and by legislators.

Some of those reforms, such as a ban on no-knock warrants, might be a bridge too far for the Republican-controlled Legislature. Others may be workable but could get lost in a hectic session that is at perpetual risk of being affected by COVID-19.

But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear open to a discussion on the issues.

"I just want to ensure that we hold every aspect of society to a standard of equity and civility," said Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, Kan. "There should be an opportunity to employ better policing and those tactics that are less likely to result in harm."

Perhaps the most significant of the recommendations from Kelly'sCommission on Racial Equity and Justice was curbing the use of no-knock warrants, which are warrants issued that do not need to be served with any sort of warning for residents inside.

Many local governments barthe use of no-knock raids already. Topeka Police Department, for instance, has not used no-knock warrants for "many years," according to Chief Bill Cochran and Topeka City Council passed a measure putting that ban into city law over the summer.

But the practice has gained renewed scrutiny after Louisville resident Breonna Taylor was killed by police executing a no-knock warrant in March. Scores of municipalities began considering an end to the practice, although many law enforcement agencies defend it as necessary in cases involving potentially dangerous individuals.

Activists counter that they can be used with deadly force against people of color, such as in Taylor's death. Haley said he planned to formally introduce legislation to ban the practice in the coming weeks.

"We need to re-evaluate what is legal and underscore what is illegal before any police officer puts on a uniform and wears a badge," Haley said.

Rep. Stephen Owens, R-Hesston, a member of the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission, said he was surprised to learnthe discretion available to law enforcement in determining if a no-knock warrant was necessary.

He said he was hesitant to remove a tool from the toolbox of law enforcement but was open to revisiting the practice more broadly.

"Adding some oversight? I think there is room for that conversation," he said.

Other states have begun looking at ways to better share personnel records forofficers, reducing the odds that someone with a record of using force or other infractions can slip through the cracks and gain employment in another agency.

This is less of an issue in Kansas than in other states. A 2019 law requires that prospective officers applying for a job must sign a waiver allowing records from their prior employment to be shared between agencies.

But the Commission on RacialEquity and Justice's recommendations encourage barring fired officers from being re-hired elsewhere. The proposals also suggest requiring review of those personnel files, as well as making the process easier and more transparent.

Currently, theKansas Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training investigates officer misconduct, which generally involves cases of officers themselves breaking the law for everything from drug dealing to arson.

The number of cases investigated by CPOST has increased in recent years thanks to funding increases but still is a small minority of all law enforcement personnel in the state. Their reports are available to hiring agencies who seek them out.

But Rep. J. Russell Jennings, R-Lakin, said there could be some merit to the idea of expanding that database to include reports from individual agencies, whether they are state or local, to give hiring personnel a fuller idea of a prospective employee's background.

"I think that is a fair conversation to have," said Jennings, who chairs the House Corrections Committee.

Owens agreed, noting that it could be a tool for giving police chiefs and sheriffs the ability to make the right hiring decisions.

"There is room to look at making sure that our chiefs and our sheriffs have the information they need and access to it to make sure they are making good hiring decisions," he said.

Another practice that gained scrutiny over the summer was the use of chokeholds and neck restraints by law enforcement, even by law enforcement agencies that had supposedly banned them as being too dangerous.

Some activists pushed more departments to ban neck restraints, citing them as low-hanging fruit that could prompt immediate change.

Others pushed for larger-scale reforms, pointing out thatFloyd's death occurred after an officer kneeled on his neck, despite the fact that the Minneapolis Police Department had banned the practice for many years.

Haley said he is still looking at introducing legislation banning chokeholds statewide. That would mean more departments would join law enforcement agencies in Topeka, Wichita and Hutchinson in either banning or sharply limiting the practice.

One area that could create a bipartisan consensus is expanding training for law enforcement agencies on racial bias and when to use deadly force. That could be supplemented by creating better standards for ongoing training curriculum.

Jennings noted that some of this does not even require legislation. The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, he said, could unilaterally elect to change or heighten training standards on its own.

The Commission on Racial Equity and Justice also noted that CPOST, the entity which certifies officers, could also work with the Attorney General's Office to incorporate racial bias into the certification process.

But there are areas that would require legislative action. Officers could be required to completeKLETC training before being allowed to carry a firearm in the line of duty, and other professional development requirements could be expanded, as well.

Law enforcement agencies themselves have not weighed in on this change, although Owens said he believes they would be open to more training in an effort to ensure they can carry out their duties in as effective a manner as possible.

"No matter what profession you are in, but especially law enforcement, you want to be better at your jobs, we want to be better at what we are doing," he said. "More training, more opportunity to learn ... will certainly be very beneficial and I don't think there is opposition to doing that from within law enforcement."

That could focus on interacting with an individual in a mental health crisis.

"How do you engage in de-escalation in situations with any number of folks?" Jennings said. "Whether that is race issues, is it potentially a mental health issue. How do you deal with someone experiencing some sort of a psychotic breakdown ... the response to people in crisis is not a cookie-cutter kind of thing. And I think our officers need to be well-trained in a variety of methodologies for effective interventions and de-escalations short of having to get to a point of use-of-force."

Some have criticized more training as a Band-Aid thatdoes not substantively change the broader law enforcement system. Haley said he understands that point but still feels it is a discussion worth having.

"I certainly want to see training as a part of it and the expectation that the training is heavy on response or procedure, how to respond to unfolding events in the pursuit, questioning and apprehension of any individual," he said.

The Commission onRacial Equity and Justice report included a host of other recommendations, ranging from limiting qualified immunity, allowing officers to be subject to civil lawsuitsfor their actions,to developing better ways of responding to calls involving an individual experiencing a mental health crisis.

But whether any of these will actually gain traction in the Legislature remains unclear.

In a session where members are keenly aware that a rash of COVID-19 cases could send them home at any moment, legislators acknowledge worthy issues might not get the attention they deserve.

"If there is some sense of urgency, we absolutely will try to get to them," Jennings said. "But it is like an alternate universe in here right now."

He noted that there are a host of recommendations from the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight thatare broadly agreed to but did not advance in 2020 due to the pandemic. Moving those first will be a priority, he said.

But Owens said there was still room for the issue to come to the forefront.

"The conversations are there," he said. "It certainly isn't going to be at the bottom of the barrel."

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After a year defined by calls for change in policing, will the Legislature take action? - The Topeka Capital-Journal

Members of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) protest against the death of George Floyd outside U.S. Consulate in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement on June 8, 2020 in Sandton, South Africa. Gallo Images via Getty Images hide caption

Members of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) protest against the death of George Floyd outside U.S. Consulate in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement on June 8, 2020 in Sandton, South Africa.

The Black Lives Matter movement became an international phenomenon in 2020. As protesters took to the streets in cities across the U.S. in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minn., so did demonstrators in other countries all with a similar message: Black lives matter.

"There is a George Floyd in every country," South Africa-based journalist Lynsey Chutel tells NPR's David Greene during a recent roundtable interview.

Joining Chutel for Morning Edition's roundtable are Ana Luisa Gonzlez, a freelance journalist based in Colombia and Febriana Firdaus, a freelance investigative journalist based in Indonesia. [To hear the conversation, press the audio button above.]

Demonstrations spread across Colombia in June. They were sparked by the May killing of a young Black man named Anderson Arboleda in Puerto Tejada, who was allegedly beaten to death by police for breaking pandemic rules. Activists called for justice for Arboleda and other young Afro-Latino men killed by police.

"This message of this movement Las Vidas Negras Importan of Black Lives Matter, were young Afro-Colombians who wanted to speak out against police brutality and structural racism," Gonzales says. Like much of Latin America, Spanish colonialism informs many societal divisions in Colombia today, she says.

Yet, most Colombians don't seem to want to talk about racism and colorism, she says. In the most recent census, a majority of Colombians identified as "no race" and "until we acknowledge this debate, we can't change things," Gonzales says.

In South Africa, demonstrators came together following the police killing of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies, a boy of mixed heritage with Down syndrome. Julies was shot and killed in August by police near his home in a neighborhood of Soweto allegedly for being outside his home during a pandemic lockdown. Chutel says that in the days after young people marched to the police station out of a sense of "deep frustration with this police station and the police force in general who are able to behave with impunity."

Alliance of Papuan Students are seen protesting in Surabaya, Indonesia, on June 16, 2020. Candra Wijaya/Barcroft Media via Getty Images hide caption

Alliance of Papuan Students are seen protesting in Surabaya, Indonesia, on June 16, 2020.

"If you have a police system that was used as the foot soldiers of the apartheid regime, where even though now the police are Black and the communities are Black the culture of policing it still very much that authoritarian, militarized policing system," says Chutel. She says that while protesters directly borrowed some language from the U.S.-based Black Lives Matter Movement, they also made their message uniquely South African by incorporating the phrase "Colored Lives Matter." The word colored, she explains, is an old apartheid segregationist term used to describe someone of mixed heritage in South Africa.

Activists in Indonesia inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement also made the message their own. The phrase #AllPapuanLivesMatter went viral, calling attention to the decades-long secessionist movement in West Papua, which has created tensions between the minority Papuans and ethnic Javanese-majority in the country.

"It's hard for West Papuans to find a rent house [sic] because they always get rejected," Firdaus says. "The landlord literally says it's because they are Black and they are Christian. We are majority Muslim."

Firdaus says ever since Jakarta took control of West Papua from the Dutch in the 1960s as part of the New York Agreement, Indonesia has never allowed Papuans to integrate fully into society. But the #PapuaLivesMatter message might be a turning point "because many young Indonesians right now feel they are emotionally involved with this issue," Firdaus says.

To hear the conversation, press the audio button above.

Ashley Westerman edited and Ryan Benk produced the broadcast version of this story.

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In 2020, Protests Spread Across The Globe With A Similar Message: Black Lives Matter - NPR

Dec 30, 2020 In addition to the coronavirus, 2020 will be remembered for nationwide protests for civil rights and racial justice not seen in this country in more than half a century.

They were sparked in late May when a video went viral of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of a Black man named George Floyd. For nearly nine minutes the police officer is seen placing pressure on Floyds neck as he calls out in distress before he is killed.

Millions of people flooded the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Portland, and many other cities, calling for a reckoning over systemic racism in policing and across American society.

Protests also took place in the North Country, where people from Ogdensburg to Westport in Essex County held demonstrations in support of Black lives. Julia Ritchey covered some of these marches this summer and is here to talk with us about their significance.

Anthoni Pope, right, attends a Black Lives Matter march in Ogdensburg on June 1, 2020. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Julia RitcheyHow Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country

MONICA SANDREZKI: Julia, there were several Black Lives Matter marches over the summer, what were they like?

JULIA RITCHEY: The first Black Lives Matter march I attended was in Ogdensburg in June. There were only a few people when I showed up, but ater a while, dozens and dozens showed up as they marched through downtown. I think it surprised people to see places like Ogdensburg, which are demographically majority white, like 80-90 percent in many places, having marches. But what you learn by going is that many people have stories in their own communities of experiencing racism and discrimination. I met one young guy, Anthoni Pope, a 21-year-old, who attended the Ogdensburg Free Academy and he talked about this while wearing a mask that said I cant breathe, which is what George Floyd called out as he was being suffocated.

POPE TAPE: I used to play basketball and football and many other sports for O.F.A. And I have heard discriminating chants at my own games at myself. It does suck. Its something that we as a people should address."

Demonstrators march through downtown Ogdensburg on June 1. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

A police officer in Ogdensburg prepares to escort a Black Lives matter march on June 1. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

SANDREZKI: Were most of these gatherings spontaneous?

Three women at a Black Lives Matter vigil in Canton on June 6, 2020. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

BAXTRON TAPE: It led to change as far as the awareness, making people aware. Making people stand up, stand against and to defend and protect Black lives. Thats whats changed. Nothing in the legal system and in the police departments and all that has changed so far. People are still dying and being targeted, all the stuff that was happening prior. The biggest change is in the communities with the members who actually stood up and supported BLM.

SANDREZKI: How has local law enforcement reacted to these demonstrations?

A truck drives down Market Street as part of the "Back the Blue" parade in Potsdam on Saturday, Aug. 15, held a few blocks from a counterdemonstration for Black Lives Matter. Photo: Julia Ritchey, NCPR

The feeling at some of these counter-demonstrations was that police are being blamed for the actions of a few bad apples and there also seemed to be some sense of denial about the North Country lacking the same problems as in bigger places like Rochester or New York, where high profile police killings had taken place. But all you have to do is talk to people of color in these communities to know that they experience discrimination up here, too.

SANDREZKI: What do you mean by that?

RITCHEY: Well, for instance, in July, a Black family in Massena reported finding a noose outside their house in their driveway. The family says the first officer to respond to their call tried to downplay it as a teenage prank and it was only after it received more media attention that the police chief issued a statement condemning the act and calling for tips from the public for who was responsible. Similarly, we also saw racist graffiti pop up around the North Country after these demonstrations started happening, including on a bridge near Saranac Lake. That incident caused the new director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, a Black woman named Nicole Hylton-Patterson, to move out of town. Here she is discussing the incident.

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HYLTON-PATTERSON TAPE: What I think is that the community has never had someone like me before here. know what that feels like, and Im not afraid to take it on. Im not afraid to encourage even those especially those who dont want to hear that you can come on board and your interest will be represented as well as we fight together.

SANDREZKI: The New York State Legislature responded to this summers protests with a sweeping set of reforms in mid-June under the Say Their Name agenda. Tell us about that.

RITCHEY: Yeah, that included things like banning chokeholds, making it a crime to call 911 based on a persons race. But probably the biggest change was finally unsealing police disciplinary records, which had been shielded under a statute known as 50-a. Many reform advocates said this allowed police officers with a history of disciplinary records to hop from department to department and escape accountability or being fired.

SANDREZKI: That was on the state level, but on the local level were still seeing some movement, right?

RITCHEY: Yes, so along with the police reforms under the Say Their Name legislation, Gov. Cuomo also issued an executive order calling for modernizing and reinventing police departments across the state. Its a little broad, but essentially hes requiring every police department, sheriffs office, agency across the state to do a thorough review of their policies and procedures, things like use of force, racial bias training, hiring practices, etcetera and come up with a plan. The big thing is it has to include community feedback, so a lot of towns in the North Country have formed advisory committees with members of the public to help them.

They have nine months to do this and submit their progress to the state by April 1 of next year or risk losing their funding.

SANDREZKI: How is it going so far?

RITCHEY: In the North Country, Id say mixed. Some agencies like the St. Lawrence County Sheriffs Department say theyre almost done with their review, while others like the Potsdam Police Advisory Committee have been marked by disagreements and the departure of its only two Black committee members. I dont think anyone was under the illusion this executive order was going to solve systemic racism in policing and racial bias in under a year, but its not clear what the actual result will be if some departments take it seriously and others just check boxes to get their state funding.

SANDREZKI: And youll be following up on the difficult conversations with Potsdams police reforms next week. Julia, thanks so much.

RITCHEY: Thank you.

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How Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country - North Country Public Radio

Glenn Rigoff of Boston flies a Black Lives Matter as he stands at Red Rock Park in Lynn with Lise Pass of Swampscott, right, and woman who didn't wish to give her name, during a demonstration to protest the lack of charges brought against officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor on Saturday. (Spenser Hasak)

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The police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked a massive social movement calling for police reform and racial justice that reverberated throughout the North Shore.

The protests and demonstrations, largely involving the group Black Lives Matter, peaked between May 24 and Aug. 22 when more than 10,600 demonstrations were held across the country involving 15 million to 26 million Americans, according to data gathered by the Armed Conflict Location Event Data Project.

The vast majority of these events more than 93 percent involved non-violent demonstrators, though certain protests did feature looting and rioting.

Nearly one in 10 events were met with intervention by police or other authorities. Government personnel used force against protestors in more than half at least 54 percentof these interventions.

Some of these demonstrations featured calls to Defund the Police, a slogan that most activists would describe as shifting resources from the police departments towards other social services addressing mental health, homelessness and addiction.

Through all this, the BLM movement has enjoyed a unique level of support from the general public.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, in June, a large majority of U.S. adults (67 percent) expressed at least some support for the movement, though this number had decreased to 55 percent by September.

Compare this to 1964, when a Gallup poll showed that 74 percent of Americans believed that mass demonstrations during the civil rights movement would hurt the cause of racial equality.

On the North Shore, every city and town was touched by these demonstrations and by the increased focus on racial equity that they brought to the forefront of the political conversation.

In Lynn, several peaceful rallies and events occurred in the wake of the police killings. These rallies sparked conversations that led to the December decision to require Lynn Police Officers to wear body cameras on the job.

In Revere, hundreds marched from the beach to city hall in a peaceful demonstration following Floyds death, and in Nahant a small group of residents gathered in front of the public library to show support for the movement.

In Swampscott, a weekly rally of supporters of President Trump that began in April was countered by protesters, many of whom were associated with the BLM movement. Many Trump supporters disparaged the movement at these rallies, with some referring to the group as Burn, Loot and Murder. The rallies grew to become contentious, and, toward the end of the year, physical, with three arrests of Trump supporters and two arrests of counter-protestors.

In Salem, hundreds of protestors turned out for a June demonstration in front of the police station calling for the removal of Capt. Kate Stephens from the Department for unauthorized tweets she made from the Salem Police Twitter criticizing Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for issuing a permit for a BLM demonstration in the midst of a pandemic. Stephens was eventually demoted.

In Lynnfield and Marblehead, men faced allegations of vandalism of BLM signs and banners. Both towns held peaceful demonstrations following the vandalism.

In Peabody, a memorial commemorating police killed in the line of duty, which was displayed in received community backlash, with a petition to remove the memorial gathering more than 300 signatures. Ultimately, the memorial was not removed.

In Saugus, an October pro-police standout descended into a shouting match between police supporters and those arguing for defunding the police. Several Saugus Selectmen were in the middle of the fray, arguing with demonstrators.

The calls for racial justice and police reform found their way into statewide legislation in the police reform bill.

An original draft of the bill which passed the state legislature would have created an independent, civilian-led commission to standardize the certification, training and decertification of police officers, banned chokeholds, banned use of facial recognition, limited the use of deadly force and required police officers to intervene when witnessing another officer using force beyond what is necessary or reasonable under the circumstances.

Gov. Charlie Baker would not sign the bill into law however, citing concerns over the facial recognition ban and the regulatory power of the civilian commission.

A revised bill, which scales back the power of the civilian commission and the scope of the facial recognition ban has passed the Senate and currently waits for approval from the House.

Regardless of the success of the legislation, there is no doubt scope and influence of the movement.

In action ongoing in the streets, in the sorts of conversations that are occurring in all sorts of settings, in the reforms that have been enactedanyone can see that BLM will shape the North Shore and the nation for years to come.

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Black Lives Matter shaped the nation and the north shore in 2020 - Itemlive - Daily Item

As part of the The 12 Interviews of Xmas, we're looking back at some of our classic interviews of 2020. Sinad OConnor was in no mood for pulling punches back in September, as she explained why the success of the Black Lives Matters movement hinged on Trump being removed from the White House. In a searingly honest and impassioned interview, she also spoke to Stuart Clark about her own experiences of racism in the States; the musical heroes that provide light in the darkness; and her spine-tingling version of Mahalia Jacksons Trouble Of The World.

"I actually do believe Donald Trump is the biblical Devil, the fucker.

Sinad OConnor can be accused of many things, but pulling her punches is not one of them. What is very possibly the most important US General Election ever is less than two months away and the Artist Also Known As Shuhada Sadaqat is convinced that The Donald is covering up a pair of horns with that Walnut Whip hairdo of his.

I know this may sound extreme I dont really give a flying fuck what everyone else thinks but I am convinced the man is actually a Satanist, she resumes. Im convinced of it. Klansmen were Satanists, its a satanic organisation. Whatever form it may exist in now, I dont know and I dont want to know, but its origins were satanic. All its rituals, everything about it. These people do exist. Theyre butchers, bakers, candlestick makers. So why not the President of the United States of America? Did you ever read The Master And Margarita?

I cant say I have.

Its a fucking fantastic book by a guy called Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian author. The Devil basically appears in Moscow because people start declaring theres no God. He shows up and causes havoc all over Russia. But Trump is the Devil character in The Master And Margarita.

Sinad is quick to correct me when I say that Trump is furiously playing the race card at the moment.

Hes not playing, she insists. Nobody should think hes doing this just so he can get elected. He is devilish enough that he believes in this stuff. They should have dragged him out of the White House at the point he separated the first child from their parents at the Mexican border. American people; its a double-edged sword. Their greatest blessing is their greatest curse. Their national trait is kindness and now perhaps theyre being too kind. They should be non-violently dragging him out of the office. They should be going to him like they did with Nixon and saying, Youre not fit for the fucking office, get out. Pretend youve had a heart-attack, a series of mini-strokes, whatever you want, but get the fuck out!

If Trump loses on November 4, you can envisage a scenario where he refuses to leave the White House and tries with the active participation of his white supremacist followers to engineer a coup.Can you imagine if the fucker was in Ireland and didnt vacate the office? Sinad posits. What do you think would happen? The people would drag him out.

Shes worried that despite the healthy lead he currently has in most opinion polls, Joe Biden is going to fall at the final hurdle.

Biden, you know look, hes very sweet and nice and all this shit, but in America its all about testosterone. The candidate has to have more testosterone than Trump, and unfortunately Biden doesnt. Weve got to find out if Kamala does. The person who should have run is Andrew Cuomo. Hes got more testosterone than Trump has ever imagined. But yeah, the problem is that its all bombast and testosterone, really, so in that regard its not looking good. If I were a Rastafarian, Id be looking at the Book Of Revelation and saying this guy is the actual biblical Devil. In which case, this fuckers got another four years in office.

Id love to see Melania go rogue and make a My husband is a fucking monster speech.

I think she went rogue with that (I Dont Care, Do U?) coat she wore, Sinad resumes. Melania has that glint in her eye that looks a bit Satanic to me as well. Ben Carson has that same glint in his eye.

I want to start something called the Melania Trump Taking It For The Team Award, she adds mischievously. She gets the first one, but every year someone else will get it.

The way Sinad sees it, the blame for Trump residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue doesnt just lie with the people who voted for him.

We all somehow created Trump, she maintains. He couldnt exist without the zeitgeist. Its a posh word, so maybe Im using it wrong but a prophet appears in its time. Were all, in a way, complicit. Musicians are also complicit if they dont do something. To me, the Black Lives Matter thing has transcended itself. Its not only about Black Lives Mattering, its about needing to get this man out of the fucking White House.

A self-confessed 24/7 rolling news addict whose drug of choice is CNN, Sinad was horrified but not surprised as she watched the George Floyd murder and subsequent rioting unfold.

George Floyd timed with Lockdown and everybody being frustrated and broke, was the perfect storm. The fact of the matter is that he did something very powerful and, again, transcendent in calling for his Mother, you know? Thats what moved me to get involved with this. Before I was annoyed at the telly and everything, but I wasnt thinking, What can I do? even though I cant do bloody much.

Originally earmarked for her next album more of which anon Sinad is giving an October 2 release to her version of Trouble Of The World, an African-American spiritual popularised in 1959 by the wondrous Mahalia Jackson. The song may be decades old but with such lyrics as No more weepin and wailin/ I want to see my mother/ Going home to live with my Lord, it could easily have been written in response to the barbarity meted out to George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department.

I fell in love with the song for the same reason that anyone would fall in love with it, she reflects. The lines about I want to see my Mother who doesnt fall in love with that? So I was as tearful as the next man, frankly, listening to that. Once we did it, I realised it really suits the time now. I was also observing Public Enemy on CNN talking about their track State Of The Union. Chuck D was saying how important it is that artists get out there and make statements.

Asked whether she thinks that there are any younger artists addressing the issues as powerfully as Mahalia Jackson did, Sinad admits that, Im too old to know anything about hip-hop anymore. The last time I listened to a hip-hop record was probably KRS-One. I like the kind of Kendrick Lamar stuff my son listens to. But to be honest, its very hard to beat Straight Outta Compton. Im a gangsta I love gangsta rap. I love Rick Ross. Youre not supposed to like gangsta rap, but, as NWA would say, If it aint tough, it aint me. Its important that artists of all different races get involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, even if you only base it on the grounds that the white rock n roll industry wouldnt exist without the black and African-American contribution to the genre. We wouldnt be here. Were all waving around awards, thanking God for them whereas we should be thanking people like Chuck Berry and Mahalia Jackson. Its important that we get involved and support them. Madonna, for example, going out in a Black Lives Matter t-shirt; these things have power. To some extent, its a bit like getting the atheist to pray for you. It makes more sense because Gods sick of hearing from everyone else all the time!

My son and I had an interesting chat last night, she continues. He was asking me about racism and racists and I was saying that, Thing is, thats the culture they were born into as babies. Theyve had this shit bred into them. They dont know anything else. Probably half of them are salvageable. I even feel sorry for George Bush Jr. I cant believe Im saying that but look at the family he was born into. How can you reject those ideals? So imagine if youre born the son of the Klansman Chief of the Town? What the fuck are you going to do? Youre going to grow up believing what daddy beats into you.

Stopping for the first time in around ten minutes to take a breath nothing, repeat, nothing stops Sinad OConnor when shes in full flight she laughs and says, But to answer your original question, every movement needs a soundtrack, right, and the soundtrack for this particular movement has already been recorded by people like Mahalia Jackson.Sinad is a subscriber to the John Lydon philosophy of anger, if properly channeled, being an energy that can bring about profound long-term change.

A lot of young people have been on Lockdown and you have your agitators and its very easy to focus on the sideshow, which is violence and rioting. The media and Trump love nothing more than for the media to focus on that, but its a tiny minority of people.

Theres a difference between anger and aggression, which is why as part of the little I can do I want to introduce Mahalia back into the picture. You can be angry anger is the first step towards courage but you really dont need to lose your shit. When you have certainty, you dont need aggression. I know that in my own life. The only time Im ever losing my shit is when Im not sure of my ground. Mahalia and the whole movement of that time were non-violent civil disobedience. It was a time when people were prepared to take bullets for each other. Its a time when the churches taught, which they havent since, people to love and sit in the street with each other. People dont have that kind of love anymore.

Sadly, Sinad has been here before with Black Boys On Mopeds from 1991s I Do Not Want What I Havent Got thats the album with Nothing Compares 2 U on it telling the grim story of two London teenagers who died when the bike they were riding crashed during a police chase. I Do Not Want... itself was dedicated to the family of Colin Roach, a 21-year-old British black man who died inside the entrance of a London police station from a gunshot wound.

I remember those boys, I remember Colin Roach, I remember Rodney King. There was that awful case of the man, James Byrd Jr., who was tied to a car and dragged behind a pick-up for three miles by white supremacists. I could barely sing my gig that night. This shit has been going on in America for centuries, and since I set foot in London in the middle of 1985. There were riots going on then in Brixton. None of this is new.

The trouble is that in English and Irish culture, the anger is trained out of us, Sinad rues. Its not polite to be angry. Anger is looked on as being a terrible thing. Its very repressed and we need to get over that.

While Sinad hasnt officially released any new music since 2014s Im Not Bossy, Im The Boss topped the Irish chart and reinvigorated her career everywhere else, last year saw her leak one of the demos, Milestones, that shed been working on in Belfast with David Holmes.

After a middle section that reflects on her own personal battles to be heard and treated with respect, its denouement finds Sinad driving through the graveyards of Dickson/ Of which there are still black and white ones/ What a thing to happen in the nation/ Even in death, segregation.

Dickson is a little town in Tennessee, she explains. I often lie when Ive made albums and said they arent autobiographical, and that perhaps theyre faction, half-fact, half-fiction, but these are very autobiographical. I didnt mean to write an autobiographical record, Im just letting the record make itself via-my subconscious.

So when did this particular trip through Tennessee take place?

It was when Dr. Phil flew in with his little fairy suit and wand, and whipped me down to this little town, Sinad says of the TV psychologists very public intervention in the mental health problems she was having in 2017 whilst living in New Jersey. Its the diary of my time there. Im talking to two characters in the song one of them being Phil and other the guy who ran the place Phil sent me to. Did you ever see the scene in The Simpsons where Ralph, the kid whos in love with Lisa, has his heart torn apart? Well, that happened to me Driving through the graveyards of Dickson. What happened was that I was finally getting out of the fucking place I was put in, not that they were they did their best, or whatever, Im sure I was out of order. Im in a taxi, and theres only one taxi driver in the whole of Dickson, whos got a bullet in his fucking head from Vietnam, and he thinks hes a fine thing because hes on to all the women. We were passing this beautiful graveyard, a mini-version of Pere Lachaise in Paris, beautiful white stone and on the other side is the animals graveyard with tiny stones and little black, very unkempt graves. So I said to this guy, Oh, is that the animal graveyard? and he said, Thats the black folks graveyard but I dont hang out with them. And like what happened to that boy in The Simpsons, my heart just fucking cracked.

It wasnt Sinads first time encountering institutionalised racism whilst traversing the States.

Id be going around stores with Robbie Shakespeare (of Sly & Robbie fame), and people would be following him thinking he was going to steal something, not knowing hes Robbie fucking Shakespeare and he could buy the whole store. Ive seen how every time you fill in a form in America for anything you have to say what colour you are. Youre always identified by your ethnicity. I couldnt believe a human being could think or say what that taxi man said to me. There was only one black girl in the place Dr. Phil sent me to, and I went crying to her a couple of times. Id literally put my face into her hand and fucking howl crying to her, and she was nearly crying saying she was really moved that Id chosen to go to her. And Im thinking, Why is she that moved? Shes a lovely fucking woman.

Snead is also acutely aware of Ireland needing to put its own house in order, starting with the dismantling of the obscenity, which is Direct Provision.

Just Google the history of Ballinamore and its Syrian refugees, she sighs. Ive never been inside any of these places, but it sounds to me that its exactly like whats going on in Mexico at the border. You cant invite people into your country to offer them asylum and then not give them genuine sanctuary. Thats not sanctuary. We can do better.

Amen to that. Whilst this is necessarily serious shit were talking about today, let us not forget that Sinad OConnor also happens to be as funny as fuck.

When we last met in 2014 she had me howling with her story about Brian Eno unwittingly calling the Archbishop of Canterbury a cunt look up the Sinad Human Touch interview on hotpress.com for the full Archbishop of Cunterbury saga and a couple of days back she ruled Twitter with her #KnittingCompares2U hashtag.

I have to have something to keep me occupied while Im in safe social distancing mode after being in London last week shooting a video with Don Letts, she laughs before extolling the virtues of the British capital.

I love London. I ache when Im there because I miss it so bad. I went over I was 18 and lived in it for 17 years, so it was equal lifetimes there.

Where we were making the video there was totally a buzz, she says. What I adore, which I havent seen in Dublin, is guys and girls going round with boom-boxes on the back of their bikes blaring hip-hop or roots reggae. Fucking fantastic! What really impressed me was that every fucker over there was wearing a mask. Around Peckham where I was, maybe 2% of the people I passed werent.

How was Don Letts who, incidentally, gets 11 out of 10 in the hero stakes for introducing me to righteous stuff like Dr. Alimantado, Culture, Big Youth and I-Roy during the mid-70s when he acted as the middleman between reggae and punk.

Ah, Don is a lovely man, she coos. The kindest man. Like David Holmes. I always say that Davids the sort of guy whod give you the shirt off his back.

As soon as Lockdown was lifted in June, Sinad hotfooted it up to Belfast where Holmes has his own studio and the biggest record collection youve ever seen.

He sends me records to listen to a lot, and I dont always get round to listening to them because I dont want to be influenced to write in a particular way, she says. I met David when I sang at Shane MacGowans 60th birthday gig in the Concert Hall. He came up to me afterwards backstage and pretty much begged me to make a record with him. We work really well together because I go up once every three months when Ive actually got a song, and we just bang it down for the whole time Im there.

Sinad has been quite guarded in the past about her writing process, but on a serious roll today reveals that, Im very limited in my musical ability, by which I mean I cant play an instrument well enough to sit it takes me a long time to come up with songs because, basically, Ive got two feet for hands and I only know about six chords and Ive used a capo on those six chords to get a bunch of albums out. Its quite slow but most of the time I get there.

In addition to coming up with excruciatingly bad puns, Sinad has also used her Twitter to flog an old motorbike of hers to Dundalk trad rowdies The Mary Wallopers, and direct her followers to such gems as Marvin Gayes His Eye Is On The Sparrow, Sister Rosetta Tharpes This Little Light Of Mine and Big Mama Thorntons Ball And Chain, which she reckons to be the best live female performance in history.

About seven years ago, I began to educate myself a bit more, musically. I went on a discovery journey through blues. There are little clips of Willie Dixon and Chuck Berry talking about songwriting. Chicago blues is my favourite because you can dance to it. I dont really listen to sad stuff if Im sad, do you know what I mean?"

I do. Another song Sinad cant get enough of is Keep On Pushing, the Curtis Mayfield belter, which fired up the 1960s civil rights movement.

I love Curtis! Part of the initiation into manhood when each of my sons turned 14 was me giving them a Curtis Mayfield album.

My first time saying hello to Sinad was in October 1999 when she presented Nina Simone with a Hot Press Lifetime Achievement Award in Dublin. Did she get to pick Ninas amazing brain at all?

For all the sins I ever committed, the one thing Im going to regret is that I had some shit on my mind about a man, she sighs. Somebody came down to me and said, Miss Simone is upstairs if youd like to go and talk to her. And I didnt go up because I was so head-fucked. I wish to God that I had. You know the way they say that when you die, the people you love will come to get you? I have a bunch of musicians who I hope are coming to get me, so Ive included her in my bunch.

Of all the idols shes met in this realm who were the most impressive?

When I first went to the Grammys, I met Anita Baker who I was so into. She was wandering around with this rose, and she gave it to me and I kept it for ages. I met Al Green who is obviously Jesus Christ. Thats a whole other playlist I love Simply Beautiful. The Grammys was also my first experience of meeting Sarah Vaughan. She was a chainsmoker so she was coughing, like me, throughout the soundcheck, and then her performance that night was stellar. So that reassured me about smoking. I met Dizzy Gillespie, and his face went out like a balloon when he was playing. That was killer. Al Green had a shirt on made out of real gold.

As fab as Anita, Al, Sarah, Dizzy et al were, the person who, Sinad says, moved me most was Lou Reed.

I knew that I loved Lou Reed, but I didnt know how much I loved him until I met him at The Whos 50th birthday, she reminisces fondly. Id been a bit naughty and asked someone to ask Lou if I could sing backing vocals with him. He came in and acting all fatherly said, I hear you want to sing with me. Yeah, of course you can. I could see his lips moving but I couldnt comprehend what he was saying. I had to get my friend to hold my hand!

That was the second time he was extraordinarily kind to me. The first was after the Pope business. I was a bit of a pariah among musicians and artists. I remember going to do the Channel 4 TV show The White Room and everyone was kind of treating me like, Oh yeah, theres that crazy bitch. Lou was on the show too and made a point in rehearsal of coming straight over and hugging me as if we knew each other really well, and saying fuck you! to everyone. That was really fucking nice. Hes the person who moved me the most, definitely.

Coming in a close second are Israel Vibration, a Kingston, Jamaica trio whose Prophet Has Arisen was one of the classic reggae tunes Sinad covered on 2005s Throw Down Your Arms.

Their music kept me alive at times when I seriously thought I might have died. Benjamin Zephaniah took me to one of their gigs. I thought we were going for a laugh, which we were, but the next thing I knew I was onstage with the band, holding the lead singers hand, singing all these songs that kept me alive.

Sinad being Sinad, shes also used her Twitter to ramp up her criticism of Trump whilst studiously ignoring the rent a bigot replies were back to that thing about controlled anger and generally having her say about causes, controversies and people close to her heart. Todays going into bat is for Adele whos been lambasted on social media for wearing braids.

I dont think its fair to call it cultural appropriation, she ventures. Adele grew up in areas of London where there are lots of West Indians, and West Indians are very inspiring people. Its a sideshow; its a shiny object. Its exactly what the Devil wants us talking about because its a distraction from the actual issue.

Everyone on earth shares whats called the Eve gene, Sinad says switching into mitochondrial science mode. Were all traceable back to one African woman. So the whole idea of racism is a fucking joke. And Africa is the First World. Inside Trump, in fact, is an African woman. Every time I think about that, I laugh.

I just wish shed hurry up and burst out of him Alien-style!

Don Letts said Im sticking my neck out doing this because I could be accused (of cultural misappropriation), and it kind of made me snort my tea out my nostrils, Sinad resumes. All of my idols happen to be black rock n roll musicians. Thered be no such thing as white rock music if the prophet Chuck Berry didnt exist and thered be no such thing as reggae if the prophet Lee Perry hadnt come along. If youre going to make the cultural appropriation argument, well then, fuck me, I might as well never get out of bed and sing a song. And I certainly may as well never have sung a Prince song!

While the recording has been gathering apace I was up with David in Belfast the other day, it really is one of my favourite places in the world, she enthuses Sinad still doesnt know when her new album will be hitting the racks.

I really want the shit out now, she sighs. I slipped out the Milestones demo without asking anyone, and thats not kosher. Everyones nervous Ill do it again because I get very impatient, but I wont. It all depends on when Ill be able to go out and tour it.

Also awaiting a release date is a new memoir, which will probably have one or two people quaking in their boots.

I used to keep a tour diary/blog, so the publisher has asked me to write it in the present tense, which allows for humour, she says. Its certain vignettes rather than every detail.

The silver lining to the Covid cloud being that Sinad will have more time to devote to the Fetac Level 5 Healthcare Support course shes signed up for at the Bray College of Further Education. Is she excited about becoming what she describes as more or less a death midwife?

Yeah, she says smoking a fucking cigarette! comes the grinned reply to my final question. Im excited but also scared because I havent been to school since I was about fourteen. I hope I dont have a learning disability or something. I think Ill be fine because I love the subject. This is step one, really. Itll be three years training before I work in the area I really want to work in, which is palliative care. I dont know how to use a Word document. Ive only ever used Apple, so I dont know if Ill be able to write an assignment to get the fucking diploma.

Were exchanging jovial post-interview good byes when Sinad gets serious again.

I just want to say whats the best way to put this? Im not preaching to the choir here. I dont want to come across like Im being patronising. You cant grow up in an African-American household and not be exposed to people like Mahalia Jackson. My hope is to get everyone else out of their fucking chairs and dancing, which is what happened when NWA released Fuck Tha Police. We used to jump around the clubs in Stephens Green to that. Youre dancing whilst at the same time the message is sinking in. Thats what Im trying to achieve with this.

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THE 12 INTERVIEWS OF XMAS: Sinad O'Connor on Trump, Black Lives Matter and 'Trouble Of The World' - hotpress.com

A high-stakes presidential election that played out amid a pandemic and a racial justice movement. A marquee U.S. Senate matchup that put a storied Massachusetts political dynasty on the line. And an abrupt changing of the guard on Beacon Hill that capped it all off.

Its been a pivotal year in American and Massachusetts politics an unprecedented time that Boston University presidential historian Thomas Whalen said carries similar historical significance to the nation-changing assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the world wars and the 1918 flu pandemic.

We are going to be talking about this year for a very long time to come, Whalen said. And the aftereffects of this year are still to be written.

Take a look back through the Heralds biggest political stories of 2020:

Dont call it a comeback, but when the Democratic primaries got underway in February it seemed like former Vice President Joe Bidens third presidential bid was about to bite the dust. Biden suffered a gut punch of a fourth-place finish in Iowa and fled New Hampshire before finishing fifth there. But his fortunes soon changed and by November, Biden, 78, became the oldest person ever elected president, and his running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, became the first Black woman and first South Asian woman elected vice president. But President Trump who was briefly sidelined from campaigning by COVID-19 is continuing to challenge the election results.

Speaking of comebacks, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey staged one for the history books when he fended off a Democratic primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III. Markey was down by double digits when Kennedy launched his bid. But the 74-year-old Green New Deal coauthor harnessed the power of the youth and progressive movements to notch a 10-point victory over Kennedy, 40, and beat Republican challenger Kevin OConnor in November.

It was good to be an incumbent in Massachusetts this year. The entire Bay State congressional delegation was re-elected, save Kennedy, who will be succeeded by Democrat Jake Auchincloss in the 4th Congressional District.

But Bay State pols didnt get very far in the presidential race.U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warrens Oval Office bid flamed out after she failed to win a single state. Warrens since been passed over for the vice presidency and most Cabinet positions under Biden. Former Govs. Deval Patrick and Bill Weld didnt fare well, either.

State Rep. Robert DeLeo ended his historic run as the Massachusetts House Speaker on Tuesday and Quincy Democrat Ronald Mariano was elected his successor.

City Councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbellfired the starting pistol for the 2021 Boston mayoral race as the two announced their runs in September. Either one would be the first person whos not a white man to hold the powerful position. Mayor Martin Walsh hasnt yet said whether hell run for a third term hes been discussed as Bidens potential Labor secretary but signs point to yes.

A thread that ran through every level of politics in 2020 was the call for change in policing. Several high-profile police killings of Black people in the spring ignited waves of Black Lives Matter demonstrations at home and across the nation this summer. Bostons city council passed various changes to policing, including creating a civilian review board, and the state Legislature approved its own police reform bill that would create a licensing process for officers.

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2020 politics in review: Trump vs. Biden, Markey vs. Kennedy and Black Lives Matter - Boston Herald

An image of Covid hero Captain Sir Tom Moore and a Black Lives Matter fist lit up the London sky as Britain ushered in 2021.

The dazzling fireworks and light show also included tributes to the NHS and other notable figures who represented the bravery and turmoil of a torrid last 12 months.

As fireworks blasted in impressive fashion from Tower Bridge in a stripped back but still impressive extravaganza, several projections filled the sky over the O2 Arena as the TV cameras watched on.

One of which showed the NHS logo in a heart while a child's voice said "Thank you NHS heroes".

The 100-year-old former British Army officer Sir Tom, from Yorkshire, made himself a national treasure after he raised 33 million for the NHS by walking around his back garden.

A huge projected outline of the familiar sight of the pensioner standing at his walking frame and giving a thumbs-up shone over the arena, backed by a chorus of voices calling "Thanks Captain Tom".

As coloured lights shone at various points up the Thames, leading to more fireworks above Wembley Stadium, the Black Lives Matter movement was also recognised.

Viewers saw its clenched-fist symbol, which became recognised worldwide amid the protests which followed the death of Minnesota man George Floyd in police custody in May.

As the televised display began, a male voice recited a poem which set the theme: "In the year of 2020 a new virus came our way; We knew what must be done and so to help we hid away."

A later tribute came for BAME NHS workers - "so many of the nurses and doctors and consultants and cleaners, the helping hands guiding us through this storm".

The 10-minute display also featured a humorous nod to one of the "new normals" of 2020 - working from home.

The sounds of a video conference call starting up were heard, before the now-familiar and somewhat desperate words rang out - "No, you're on mute!" - as a mute logo filled the night sky.

Finally, the show ended with a ecological rallying call in the much-loved voice of Sir David Attenborough, reminding all of a reality shown so starkly in the past 12 months - the fragility of life on earth.

"Our planet is unique - a living world of diversity and wonder," Sir David said. "It's also fragile.

"With a new year comes the opportunity for change, and if we act in 2021 we can make a world of difference.

"Together we can turn things around. Together we can restore our fragile home, and make it a happy new year for all the inhabitants of planet Earth."

Speaking at Christmas, Captain Sir Tom said while our lives may seem bleak right now, "things will get better and next year, we'll be alright".

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Captain Tom and Black Lives Matter fist light up London skies for New Year display - Mirror Online