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Category Archives: Government Oppression
Rule of law must first be strengthened by people power – Mail and Guardian
Posted: June 24, 2020 at 6:39 am
On a cold winters night in July 2016, thousands of people gathered inside and outside Rotten Row magistrates court in Harare to await the verdict in the Zimbabwean governments case against Pastor Evan Mawarire, the leader of the #ThisFlag movement and a staunch opponent of then-president Robert Mugabe.
When the magistrate eventually threw out the treason charges brought against Mawarire for peacefully rallying people against corruption, a street party broke out. It was an unexpected victory for the rule of law won, at least in part, through collective nonviolent action by people.
In its most basic form, the rule of law simply means that no one is above the law. Everyone is treated fairly and justly, and the government does not exercise its power arbitrarily. These principles lie at the heart of the ongoing protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the United States following the death of George Floyd. The rule of law is very different from rule by law, which characterises many authoritarian states and, increasingly, some democracies as well.
Many argue, not unreasonably, that building robust institutions is essential to strengthening the rule of law. But what do you do when the institutions which are meant to uphold the rule of law are so hollowed out that they have become the primary tools for its subversion?
The conventional focus on building institutions can leave people feeling disempowered, waiting patiently for the all-important institutions to reform, while they remain on the receiving end of oppression meted out by those very institutions.
It can also lead to unhelpful interventions by well-meaning external actors, which inadvertently strengthen the authoritarian capabilities of captured institutions rather than the rule of law.
To strengthen the rule of law, we first need to focus on strengthening people, not institutions. This involves the difficult, dangerous and often unglamorous work of grassroots organising that empowers citizens to act through informal channels outside of established institutions.
Such action includes nonviolent protests marches, boycotts, strikes and pickets as well as citizens initiatives that directly improve peoples lives, such as worker advice centres and community gardens.
Such efforts are especially necessary in authoritarian states where institutions are fundamentally broken. But even in established democracies, the recent failure of supposedly strong institutions to prevent the rule of law from being undermined has shown that there is no substitute for an active and organised citizenry.
Such engagement cannot be legislated or decreed, or copied and pasted from another jurisdiction. People must build it collectively from the ground up.
Building people power starts with opening citizens minds to a different type of society and a new way of doing things. In apartheid South Africa, for example, the study groups and adult literacy classes in townships during the 1970s helped to lay the groundwork for the mass movement that emerged in the 1980s under the banner of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The UDF would go on to play a leading role in the struggle against apartheid, culminating in 1990 with Nelson Mandelas release from prison and the unbanning of the ANC.
Next, like-minded people need to organise themselves, connect with one another in the real world (not just on social media) and become actively involved in issues directly affecting their lives. These issues might at first be local rather than national, and involve less risky actions.
Over time,people build mutual trust and gain confidence in themselves and their collective power as a group. Coalitions form and actions become larger in scope and perhaps more confrontational. Before you know it, a social movement emerges that is bigger than any of the individuals or organisations involved and can unlock peoples power to bring about change.
People power can strengthen the rule of law in at least three ways. For starters, it can counteract and even neutralise the top-down pressure placed on courts and police by the authorities typically, the executive. This can help to ensure that even hollowed-out or compromised institutions discharge their duties in accordance with the rule of law, as in the case involving Mawarire.
Second, a people-power movement can create alternative spaces that prefigure a society in which the rule of law is respected. The movement must operate internally in a just and fair way, and apply the same standards to all its members regardless of rank. And any civil disobedience must have a strategic purpose and be highly disciplined, so that participants understand that such action does not constitute a rejection of the rule of law, but rather a means of establishing it.
Third, people power has repeatedly proved to be an effective tool in defeating even the most brutal dictatorships and achieving a transition to a more democratic system of governance. Far-reaching reforms that strengthen the rule of law can then be implemented in ways that would not have been possible under a corrupted system.
In November last year, for example, Sudans new transitional authority established after months of nonviolent protests against president Omar al-Bashirs dictatorship and then against the military regime that ousted him repealed an oppressive public-order law that had governed how women could behave and dress in public. Although Sudans transition is by no means complete, this represented a huge triumph for the rule of law. It would not have been achieved without people power.
Authoritarian leaders understand and fear people power. Soon after Mawarires hearing, the Zimbabwean regime erected a fence around Rotten Row magistrates court to prevent similar public gatherings there.
But just as authoritarian regimes adapt and learn from their past mistakes, those of us fighting for a society based on the rule of law also must adjust, innovate and improvise, and accumulate enough power to dismantle the oppressive systems that shackle us.
Only through the struggle of people can we eventually shift our focus to building strong institutions that protect everyone equally. Project Syndicate
Doug Coltart is a lawyer at Mtetwa & Nyambirai Legal Practitioners in Zimbabwe. He writes in his personal capacity
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Benton County JP compares masks to burqas and talks about a coup – KARK
Posted: at 6:39 am
Michelle Chiocco: "We are in the middle of a coup and we have a limited time to fight it"
by: Ninette Sosa
Michelle Chiocco
ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) A Benton County Justice of the Peace (JP) said wearing a mask is similar to wearing a burqa. She said, in her opinion, its more of a political statement to silence people.
JP for Bella Vista, Michelle Chiocco spoke at the Republican Womens meeting on Wednesday, June 17, where she also said, we are in the middle of a coup and we have a limited time to fight it.
Governor Asa Hutchinson said he had not seen the video when asked about burqa versus face mask. But, he said, this reflects that people have different views on masks and that we need to preach the message that its a public health issue and not a political issue.
In the video, Chiocco said she rarely gets emails, but now shes getting hundreds just in the last few days about current event topics defunding the police, Washington Countys 287(g) program COVID 2.0 and alternative ways to vote.
Young Democrats of Arkansas shared the video via Twitter showing Chiocco holding a mask and what appears to be a burqa.
This was said by a Justice Of the Peace at the Benton a County Republican Women meeting. This is absolutely intolerant, inaccurate, and prejudiced. Wearing a mask saves lives, but ignorance kills.
Call Michelle at 479-295-1722 #arpx pic.twitter.com/7whB9uQKNj
Statement from Young Democrats of Arkansas Vice President Micah Wallace:
As Arkansans are dealing with record unemployment and a global health crisis, Justice of the Peace Michelle Chioccos comments are both scientifically inaccurate and blatantly Islamophobic. Benton County doesnt need elected officials at any level throwing around blatantly false and xenophobic attacks against already marginalized groups. Local politicians directly impact our day to day lives, and this type of rhetoric reflects poorly on our community and state. Young Democrats feel incredibly appreciative that Democratic Party of Benton County Chair Kelley Boyd is running to fill this seat on the Quorum Court.
BENTON COUNTY JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
The quorum court is a legislative body of the county government. There are 15 members (Justices of the Peace) who are elected to two-year terms. Each JP represents a district of about an equal population. The County Clerk serves as the secretary of the Quorum Court, according to the Benton County website. Chioccos term finishes at the end of the year.
The Arkansas Association of Counties (AAC) does not regulate county of district officials behavior. Each elected body whether the county judge or the quorum court is an independent arm of local government, according to AAC Communications Director Christy Smith. Each elected official is responsible for his or her own behavior.
The AACs mission supports and promotes the idea that all elected officials must have the opportunity to act together in order to solve mutual problems as a unified group, according to its website.
NIQAB
A niqab covers the face except for the eyes and is worn by some Muslim women, again, according to a Merriam-Webster dictionary definition.
Chioccos response via email to KNWA Friday night, June 19
I held up a niqab and a mask, and said, These two are not as far apart as you think. It was not my intention to compare religions, only the cloths that could be construed as a symbol of silenceof freedom of speech lost.In our current environment, I have not been the first to draw an analogy to cloth face coverings that symbolize oppression and can be seen to stifle and chill speech. No rightful government has the authority to suspend our natural rights, but as our brothers and sisters of color have helped make us aware in the past few weeks, symbols of oppression have powerful chilling effects on the rights of the oppressed, and it takes loud voices and hard work to insist that our human rights be respected.My comment referred to the totalitarian regimes where women are forcibly silenced and are required, with violent consequences for disobedience, to wear an object that covers their faces. The object that they must wear is a potent symbol of their forced silence. In the context of a womens political meeting, I was also making reference to our shared experience of struggling to have our voices heard, and watching in horror as women in other parts of the world have their voices actively and violently silenced.As free citizens, in a nation whose founding documents protect the right of free speech, we are facing government mandates to wear objects to cover our faces. Individual concerns, questions, beliefs, and values are being overruled. Those who exercise their free speech to raise questions and concerns about the scientific or legal validity of mask requirements are being ostracized or ridiculed.In fact, other basic Constitutional rights such as the freedom to assemble, the freedom to gather for worship, and the right to file a grievance and petition our local government were all suspended in the name of the covid response.I believe that we are facing an urgent ethical question whose symbolism goes far deeper than the face of the issue: are we a nation that respects the choice to wear or not to wear a mask (as we should respect anyone who chooses to wear or not to wear religious garments); or are we a nation that shuns and invokes legal punishments against those whose individual needs or convictions lead them not to cover their faces?As a woman, I recognize the amazing amount of challenges we have had to overcome throughout our history. We have fought for the right to be heard, the right to vote, the right for equal pay, and to speak our minds without fear of threat. The MeToo movement has continued recently to work tirelessly for that equality.Again, I did not mean to offend, it was a passionate comparison of a cloth versus a cloth and the potential loss of our freedom of speech.Respectfully,Michelle Chiocco, Justice of the Peace District 10
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Remove Manu statue from premises of Rajasthan HC: Dalit activist to Sonia – The Indian Express
Posted: at 6:39 am
Written by Chahat Rana | Chandigarh | Published: June 23, 2020 12:30:23 am The Manu statue was installed on the Rajasthan HC premises in 1989 as part of a beautification project. (Express Photo/Rohit Jain Paras/File)
A Dalit human right activist Martin Macwan has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanding the removal of a statue of Manu installed in the premises of the Rajasthan High Court. The letter states that the statue of Manu is an insult to the Indian Constitution and Dalits and it weakens the call of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar to annihilate caste for India to grow as a nation.
The statue does not just symbolise Dalit oppression, but it symbolises the oppression of women and of shudras. In all, that makes up about 85 per cent of the population of India, says Macwan, who is the founder of Navsarjan Trust, a grassroots Dalit organisation based in Gujarat.
Macwan adds that the statue is a symbol of an oppressive past and harks to the lived reality of Dalits and women in India, whose lives are still affected by the discriminatory laws put down by Manu in his text Manusmriti. The text is known to have formalized regulations around the caste system and the patriarchal values often propagated in Hindu tradition.
What is even worse is that unlike the statues of slave owners and confederate leaders that have been brought down in the US, this statue was not put up hundreds of years ago. It was put up 31 years ago by a few advocates who viewed Manu as one of the earliest people to write law in India and hence wanted to establish that legacy, says Macwan.
The statue was put up by a lawyers body that got the approval from the Rajasthan government to put it up outside the High Court in 1989. It is not like the statue was set up in a public place, it was set up in a place that represents an institution of our government. How can we continue to condone that, adds Macwan.
There have been many attempts to bring down the Manu statue over the last 30 years. In July 1989, just six months after the statue was placed, a panel of judges from the Rajasthan High Court ordered its removal. Following this, a PIL was filed against the order, and since then the court order for the removal of the statues has been stayed. More recently, in 2018, two Dalit women from Aurangabad, who are members of the Republican Party of India, travelled all the way to Jaipur to climb up the Manu statue and smear it with paint. The two women have an ongoing case against them.
In 2020, we are not only celebrating 73 years of Independence, but also 93 years since Dr Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti. It is high time we get rid of that statue, says Macwan.
Macwan and members of Navsarjan Trust have given an ultimatum to the Congress government in Rajasthan, stating that if the statue is not removed by August 15, they will call for an agitation.
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‘We have no justice:’ Are Native Americans the forgotten victims of police brutality? – Great Falls Tribune
Posted: at 6:39 am
Preston Bell was killed by police in 2017. He was one of three Native Americans killed by police in Montana that year.(Photo: Courtesy of Cheryl Horn)
Cheryl Horn knows exactly when her license plates expire.
She never drives with a broken tail light. If the small light above the license plate flickers, Cheryl fixes it. If she's in trouble, she does not call the police.
Cheryl does everything she can to avoid encounters with law enforcement because her nephew, Preston Bell, was killed by police three years ago.
After leading officers on pursuits through Billings, Preston ultimately parked outside of his mother's house, where officers found him. When Preston didn't respond to commands, the officers deployed pepper spray through his window and placed a spike strip behind his truck, according to the Billings Gazette. Prestonawoke, reversed the truck into a patrol car anddrove forward in the direction of two patrol cars, prompting officers to fire, according to multiple officers.
The officers then shot at him 74 times. He was 24 years old.
The Billings Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story but reported at a judicial inquiry that from their vantage point, when Preston was driving, they feared officers had been killed by his truck. The Billings Gazette reported thatMike McCarthy, an instructor at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, said the truck was being used as a weapon, and the officers were legally permitted to respond by shooting.
Cheryl said that after Preston's death, people were harsh, especially in online forums. Theyblamed and judged Prestonfor his choices, further devastating his grieving family.
Us Natives, we'veadapted to a lot. But how do you adapt to being killed?
'People want justice': Great Falls residents rally against police brutality, racism
"People think, 'Oh, well. That's what he gets. He shouldn't have driven toward police,'" said Cheryl, who lives in Fort Belknap and is a member of the Assiniboine Tribe. "But you never hear about it from his perspective. Yes, he made choices.But, how do I explain to my sons that in a matter of six seconds, they shot at him 74 times? I want my kids to be resilient, but how can they be?"
Though Montana law requires an inquest, or judicial inquiry, whensomeone dies in police custody or after an officer-involved shooting, Cheryl fears her family will never see justice.
"Everyone in that jury was white and in their 60s. When I saw how they looked at us with disgust on their faces I knew how it was going to pan out," she recalled, adding that the jury foundthe shootingjustified.
While she was outraged and discouraged by theinquest, Cherylsaid she was not surprised.
"This is systemic. It's so darn deep. If you're Black or brown in this country, you're not safe," she said."Us Natives, we'veadapted to a lot. But how do you adapt to being killed?"
Preston Bell was killed by police in 2017 when he was 24 years old.(Photo: Courtesy of Cheryl Horn)
In 2017, Prestonwas one of 22 American Indians or Alaska Natives killed by police nationwide,according to the Washington Post's database.
A 2014 Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice report found that Native Americans were the most likely racial group to be killed by law enforcement, followed by African Americans between 1999-2011. Nationally, about 0.8% of the population identified as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, and between 1999-2011, they comprised 1.9% of police killings, according to the same study.
But not many people know that.
Data can also be skewed because theseencounters are underreported. Furthermore, many national databases tracking fatal encounters with law enforcementexclude Native Americans in racial and ethnic categories; consequently, Indigenous people can be misidentified, undercounted or labeled "unknown" or "other."
City manager: Police procedures being looked at in Great Falls but defunding not an option
As protestersdemandjustice for George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, many Native Americans in Montana are standing in solidarity with Black Americans. Floyd, 46, died after pleading for his life as a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck.The incidentsparked outrage, andprotestersflooded cities worldwide, including Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula and Billings, calling for justiceandan end tosystemic racism.
With the spotlight on racism,many Native Americans, who also experienceoppression, discriminationand police brutality, want to be included ingrowing national conversations ofreform. But in many cases, violence against Native Americans is overlooked, andwhen an Indigenous person is killed by police, their families say they are met with criticism, judgment and racial stereotypes.
Native Americans aren't just overrepresented in incidents of police brutality.
Having survived government-imposed assimilation policies,massacres and other brutalities under colonization, many Indigenous communities endure multi-generational trauma,which manifests today ineconomic and social disparities.
When he was killed, everyone said, 'Oh, he's just another methhead.' But he's more than his addiction. He was a human.
The coronavirus pandemic has illuminated thisinequity, as it disproportionately ravages minority communities.
A May report from theAPM Research Labfoundthat the Indigenous COVID-19 mortality rateinNew Mexico, which contains portions of the Navajo Nation,is eight times higher than the white mortality rate.
American Indians are more likely than their white counterpartsto suffer from diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure butless likelyto have a personal doctor or health care provider. Additionally, Indigenous peoplehave a life expectancy of five-and-a-half years less than the U.S. population on average, according to the Indian Health Service.
Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and CEO of IllumiNative, an organization that works to increase the visibility of Native peoples, said these health disparities have been overlooked for years.
For decades, we have been fighting for the visibility of Native peoples. Now, this fight has become absolutely vital to ensuring that Native communities are not left behind or erased from the COVID-19 response," she said.
This information is out there and readily available. It's time non-Native people start paying attention.
Though Indigenous people account for 6.6% of Montana's population of about one million,they make up 17% of the adult incarcerated population in the state, and, on average, they account for 25% of the state's missing persons population.
American Indians are also more likely to be disciplined in schools and less likely to graduate.
New study: Native American youth most likely racial, ethnic group in US to be 'disconnected'
Ashley Haley, tobacco prevention specialist for the Little Shell Tribe and a Chippewa Cree tribal member, said forms of systemic racism impact Native Americans every day in Montana.
"We have experienced racism since the time of contact, and now it's reinforced through the justice and education systems," she said."So, from the time a child goes into the school system, they are taught a certain narrative, and that affects how they see themselves. This racism is everywhere, you hear it in the discourse, you see it online, and it'sespecially prevalent in towns that border reservations."
Joey Half (center) poses with his family in 2017.(Photo: Courtesy of Makalia Gutierrez)
Every so often, Makalia Gutierrez walks to her garage to holdher son'sold clothes.
She runs her hands over the shoes, pants, pullover and hathe wore on Nov. 4, 2017.Sometimes, she smells them.
Frank Joey Half Jr., who went by Joey, was killed by Billings police officers on that day in Novemberafter a standoff in a sporting goods store. He was 30 years old.
Police officers in Montana killed 40 people between 2013-2019, including Preston and Joey,according to http://www.mappingpoliceviolence.org.Of the 40 victims, 28were white, five were Native American and one was Latinx (a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina). Six victims were categorized as "unknown." In this six-year span, Native Americans accounted for at least 12.5% of victims killed by police in Montana.
Makalia, 55, a member of the Crow Tribe,said Joeystruggled with addiction and had recently been released from a rehab center. He was high on methamphetamine during the standoff, and she wished his treatment program would have lasted longer.
Just as for the Horn family, Makaliasaid that when her son died, her family facedcriticism from the community.
MORE: Family settles 2007 lawsuit over Crow Reservation death
"He wasn't strong enough to be on his own yet," she said. "When he was killed, everyone said, 'Oh, he's just another meth-head.' But he's more than his addiction. He was a human, he was a brother, an uncle, and he was loved by everyone. We have a big family, and I want people to know that he wasn't alone."
When she's upset, Makalialikes to think back to the timewhen her son came over to fix her pipes.She remembers it was cold and rainy, and she doubted him. But Joeywas confident in his abilities.
Historically, Americans know little to nothing about Native communities. ... For many, we are out of sight, out of mind, so,we don't exist. But the issue is that this invisibility could be a matter of life anddeath.
"Mom, have faith in me," she remembers him teasing.
Joey fixed the pipes and took great pleasure in proving Makaliawrong.But he fell ill the next morning. Now, it was Makalia's turn to help him. She made her couch extra cozy, cooked soup and brewed tea. She loved taking care ofhim.
During the 10-hour standoff, Makaliasaid officers did not call her to say her son was in the store. Now, she is tormented by the memory, wondering if she could have made a difference.
"Maybe he would've come out alive," she thinks. "Or maybe I could've said goodbye."
Makalia said that her son waved a white shirt and held his hands in the air to signal surrender during the standoff.
At the inquest, officers reported that Joey kept a barrier between himself and officers at moments when his hands were in the air and had staged loaded guns in the store.The negotiator said that he never fully complied in droppinghis weapons, according to the Billings Gazette.
Ultimately, eight officers fired 116 shots at Joey.
Joey Half was killed by police in 2017. His mother, Makalia Gutierrez, fears their family will never see justice.(Photo: Courtesty of Makalia Gutierrez)
"Thecoroner told us that he didn't die right away. It makes me wonder, what was he thinking when he was lying there dying? Was he calling for me? Was he praying? Was he scared? Did he need me? Did he wish I was there?I wouldn't wish this on any parent," Makalia said.
Montana Attorney General: Calls to 'defund police' are 'reckless overreaction'
Just as in Preston's case, the inquest jury found the police justified in killing Joey.
"I didn't say a word at the inquest. I was so angry, and I knew if I said something, they would twist it around and make me look like just another 'angry Native,' so I kept my cool. But we have no justice," Makalia said.
Makalia said people have tried to help her cope withgrief, but she breaks down, sometimes crying in publicat the memory of her son.
"For me, there is no getting through this," she said."This will never go away, and I will never let him go."
Black Lives Matter protesters march from the Civic Center to the Missouri River Federal Courthouse on Friday, June 12, 2020.(Photo: RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE)
Though Native Americans are killed by police at disproportionately high rates, their deaths are not widely known.
Cheryl Horn said she thinksnon-Natives don't know about brutality against Native peoplebecause they "don't experience the sametrauma."
"They don't see our world," she said. "They don't know where we come from. I would love to know what it's like to be a common person who has never dealt with this trauma; I would love to know their advice for how we should handle this, but that's not my reality."
Natasha Stanfield LaForge, a member of the Crow Tribe and a mother to eight children, said that police treatNative Americans as if they are expendable.
"To them, we are unimportant andinsignificant," she said, adding that she worries for her three sons, one of whom has especially dark skin and is tall. "I've had conversations with himabout staying safe, especially after Preston was killed, but I'm still afraid all the time."
Stanfield LaForge said she's had a number of negative experiences with law enforcement,including being racially profiled and accused of crimes she didn't commit.
"It happens everywhere, all the time. But people don't know about this because we are ignored," Stanfield LaForge said.
Black Lives Matter protesters make their way across River Drive to the Central Avenue West Bridge on Friday, June 12, 2020.(Photo: RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE)
Crystal Echo Hawk said that when it comes to visibility, representation matters.
"Historically, Americans know little to nothing about Native communities," she said. "Schools don't teach about Natives, we aren't in media, television, film or entertainment. For many, we are out of sight, out of mind, so,we don't exist. But the issue is that this invisibility could be a matter of life anddeath."
JudithHeilman, executive director of the Montana Racial Equity Project,offered another reason as to why Native deaths are not widely discussed.
"It's because people aren't paying attention," she said. "This information is out there and readily available. It's time non-Native people start paying attention."
Outstanding Indigenous Women: Candice English provides opportunities for Native girls
The Montana Racial Equity Project has helped organize a number of Black Lives Matter protests in the state, and Heilman said the group is conscious about including Indigenous voices in the growing movement.
"So much of this nation's wealth has been built on the theft of Native lands and the enslavement of Black people," said Heilman,who is Black. "We have so much in common when it comes to oppression, racism and cultural and physical genocide, so it's great for us to be supportive of one another's efforts."
But some Native Americans are hesitant to speak up inthe Black Lives Matter movement, fearing their voices coulddistract from the message.
"I don't think this is a time for the Indigenous community to say, 'What about us?' It's no question that we are part of this conversation, but this is about the Black community. Supporting the Black community doesn't take away from our issues because they are parallel,"said Keila Bird, a member of the Blackfeet Nation.
Megan Whitford, Mckenzie Tommerup, and Jordan Jarman at the Black Lives Matter protest in Havre. Melody Bernard, a Chippewa Cree tribal member, organized the protest.(Photo: Courtesy of Melody Bernard)
Melody Bernard, a Chippewa Cree tribal member, organized a Black Lives Matter protest in Havre. A former law enforcement officer herself, Bernard said it's imperative that Native voices be amplified at a moment whenthe nation is listening.
"Now is everybody's time," she said."Every minority should get involved and be heard. Racism is everywhere, and we all suffer."
Alvin Windy Boy, 69, former Chippewa Cree Tribal chairman, said that it's rare for tribal leaders to have "a seat at the table" when it comes to discussions aboutrace and reform.
"Unfortunately, in Indian Country, we've neverhad the opportunity or ability to vent our concerns. I'm sure there will be a movement nationwide for racism in a broad sense, and I'd hope that tribal elders would be included in that," he said.
Systemic racism isn't the only form of discrimination Native Americans face.
Ashley Haley, who works for the Little Shell Tribe, said many Indigenous people encounter harmful stereotypes every day.
Black Lives Matter protesters march from the Civic Center to the Missouri River Federal Courthouse on Friday, June 12, 2020.(Photo: RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE)
"There is this type of thinking that Native Americans are poor, that we don't take care of our surroundings, that we have rampant drug and alcohol abuse, we live off the government and don't pay taxes," she said. "People think we are all like that. It's historic racism that's reinforced by multiple generations today."
Haley said that this racism is exposed whenpeople justify Native deaths.
"People will say, 'If he didn't do that, he wouldn't be shot.' I understand that. But it feels like the justice system as a whole wears kid gloves when it comes to dealing with white people, and they exert extra force on minorities. This is OK by the system, supervisors and judges because the public has deemed it acceptable," she said.
Haley said that when she buys coffee or groceries, she makes sure to go to the same stores, around the same time of day. She always addressesthe cashier by namewhen she pays, and she intentionally makes conversation.
'Not just a black and white issue': Montana tribal members react to death of George Floyd
"I do this because if they know me and I know them, and if I use their name, then I'm validating that they are human, and they are forced to acknowledge that I'm human, too," she said.
Butlast week, when Haley went to the post office, a new employee was working. She didn't know his name. Aftera small mix-up involving her packages, she said the man publicly embarrassed her in front of a line of customers, accusing her of trying to steal from the government.
Black Lives Matter protesters rally along Central Avenue West in front of the Missouri River Federal Courthouse on Friday, June 12, 2020.(Photo: RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE)
"I felt so helpless," she said."It was so embarrassing. No matter how many degrees I have or how successful I am, someone can make me feel so less. It's those little things, those little acts of racism, that really make me jaded. We just want to be treated like we are human;we want to feel worthy, deserving of decency and respect."
Haley said sheplans to talk to a supervisorabout her experience, but she can't help but wonder if the encounter would have been different had she "just known the man's name."
"Maybe it would have helped," she said.
While Makalia Gutierrez and Cheryl Horn will never recover from Joey and Preston's deaths, both say the growing anti-racism movement gives them hope.
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Letter: Wearing masks isn’t oppression – The Republic
Posted: June 13, 2020 at 1:04 am
From: Tom Lane
Columbus
I do not understand why it is so difficult for people to grasp the need to wear masks. Yes, the government is trying to control you. Just like driving your car every day. Do you seriously think it is "government oppression" to stop for red lights and stop signs? Do you think your freedom is impinged upon by going the speed limit (or close to it)? Is it somehow your "right" to put others at risk?
We live in a connected society and laws get made to protect the common good. The more we have people who seem clueless the "common good" the more we have to make laws to enforce safety and protection and allow the greatest good for the most people. At times, we have made laws that have protected some people more than others, and they have been changed or need to be changed. We are learning to live together and the idea that "freedom" means I can do anything I want, is childish.
I go to the store and about 50% have masks on and I do wonder if those without just dont understand, or more sadly, just dont care.
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Readers Comments: If you oppress a people for too long, they will rise with greater force – Scroll.in
Posted: at 1:04 am
Against police brutality
The police in India are not under civic management, but under the home department of the government (George Floyd: Minneapolis police department to be dismantled, Trump withdraws National Guard troops). Instead of that arrangement making for a more sensitive and accountable internal security force, it has been time and again accused to cater to the narrow political interests of whichever party is in power. This is regarded as a colonial inheritance and thought to prop up by force any ruling power that gives short shrift to ideas of justice and rule of law.
Is it now time that there is a country-wide clamour for police reform when the police appear to follow blindly dictates of autocrats in government? There is scandalous lack of application of mind in cases where victims of violence are charged with being perpetrators of violence. And any protest against the government is twisted into a case of sedition and criminal violence against the state. Police officers of integrity and conscience often feel frustrated at the state of things.
The courts have often castigated the police though that seems to rub off on the force without any effect. Widespread and sustained public condemnation could be the only course of action to bring the force into a sense of its own true role and responsibility. Hiren Gohain
***
Such height of anarchy! What a kind of an outpour of anger and revolt against authoritarianism! (George Floyd death: Donald Trump took shelter in White House bunker as protests raged, say reports). The issue is a grim reminder that oppression leads to revolt. One cannot hold a spring compressed for too long. The moment it is released, it rises back with renewed energy.
To quote Martin Luther King Jr, A riot is a language of the unheard. Let us not forget that discrimination of all kinds is detrimental to democratic dictums. Undoubtedly what Floyd did is wrong but the treatment meted out to him is inhuman. The incident has had deep-seated roots in the overall failures in the management of the pandemic and the repercussions thereof. The big boss hiding himself in a bunker reveals the extent of fury and might of the protest.
As if to adds fuel to fire, threatening to unleash vicious dogs and ominous weapons on the agitators and calling them thugs would unduly disturb a conciliatory path for peace, especially at a time when the country is fighting with an unprecedented health crisis. Ramana Gove
***
The opinion of a group of experts that the lockdown was of no use is incorrect in my opinion (Full Text: Draconian lockdown, incoherent strategies led to India paying a heavy price, say experts). It ensured that the numbers of cases remained low and occurred over a longer period of time. This allowed the government to mobilise medical resources and people to habituate themselves with the importance of avoiding various social activities.
A resource-poor country like ours could not have dealt with the kind of overwhelming experience of USA and European countries. Who is to say that the case numbers predicted by the modellers would not have happened without the lockdown? The way forward remains cautious, with restricted opening up of important economic activities.
The government should liberalise testing and provide more kits for common citizens to get tested with ease. No doubt, the lives of many have been disrupted and lost, but could it have been better without the lockdown? I personally dont think so. The hospitals would have been filled up with Covid-19 cases, keeping healthcare workers engaged, and patients with other diseases would not have gotten any treatment even in that situation.
At least today our Covid-19 death rate is not anywhere close to countries with similar number of positive cases. SK Gupta
***
A scientific study says that every weeks delay in lockdown adds to the number of lives lost (No, Mr Home Minister, migrant workers did not start walking home because they lost patience). If the lockdown was announced earlier, more lives would have been saved. Even in war, an operation is called off if the casualties are to be heavy. This is the crunch point. Its a difficult decision.
Our bureaucracy is not all that efficient to make arrangements quickly if lockdown had been delayed. This is evident by the manner in which migrants are being handled. Just to list out the names of those who want to go home by trains will take ages. Earlier, it would have compelled the government to divert their already-meagre resources at that time for this purpose. Meanwhile, Covid-19 would not have waited for administrative arrangements.
Rail and bus services would have been used even by non-migrants resulting in more confusion and spread of Covid-19. But was there need to rush to the bus and rail stations without confirmation? Why did the government, politicians, bureaucracy and union leaders not make efforts to sort out the confusion once the migrants decided to rush like this? Why were the migrants not told that staying back would not cost them their lives because the mortality rate is less than 5%? The migrants will come back once the work commences. No one will give them jobs where they are. Sudhir Jatar
***
Honestly speaking, do you folks have nothing better to do? Can you not see entertainment for the sake of entertainment? Must you seek to politicise everything and make everything into a conspiracy? (Pakistan is obsessed with a Turkish drama that glorifies the sword and distorts Islamic history). Have you considered that people may enjoyed this series because of its production quality or because they are tired of misogynist Pakistani dramas that are mostly about absolute nonsense?
Instead of belittling someones efforts to portray their vision on screen, maybe the scribe could teach Pakistani producers and writers how to bring some quality entertainment. People may watch the show for entertainment and so they learn something useful. Have you thought that maybe you are biased and unflattering? Or do you consider all Pakistanis mindless drones who only deserve to watch the senseless content we are used to watching? Syed Talha Salman
***
I am an atheist in the USA and I love this programme (Pakistan is obsessed with a Turkish drama that glorifies the sword and distorts Islamic history). I understand that the series is only loosely based on historical figures and events. I dont mind that a lot of the combat scenes are preposterous. They are exciting to watch.
The religious views of the characters are not important to me. I enjoyed similar series and films about the Roman empire, the Vikings, King Arthur and his knights, and the Tudor dynasty. That the characters worshipped Jupiter, Odin, Jesus, or whoever did not matter. Its the stories and performances that drive my interest. The exploits of Ertugrul and his tribe are very exciting. After three years of living under a president who is a bigoted, hateful, corrupt, incompetent, and a morally bankrupt liar, watching a brave, honest and caring leader fight tyranny and corruption is a pleasant fantasy. Mark Murphy
***
It was so healing to read Vinod Mehtas piece on Vajpayee (Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018): A poet among bigots). In the midst of this euphoria over him, he was deeply blemished man, but climbed to the top as so many corrupt and megalomaniac men have. It is sad for India, which is a remarkable nation full of worthy, bright and idealistic people.
Vajpayees oratory got him accolades and indeed to watch him deliver a speech was truly seductive. But while he is no worse than many of our leaders and prime ministers, he certainly does not deserve the overarching praise and respect that we see pouring out. I prefer leaders like Karunanidhi or Jayalalitha. In fact, an aspect that I notice and abhor is the North Indianness of this sycophancy. I wish the idea of the South as a separate nation could have taken off. We would have been less myopic. Devaki Jain
***
I would like to make a very quick point about the article on Sadhguru (Opinion: The disturbing irrationalism of Jaggi Vasudev). It is poorly put together and biased. And for some reason there is no mention of the person who wrote the article maybe out of fear of receiving flak. I think you can do a much better job writing an article that communicates your guru-phobia from an objective standpoint.
Youre just another religion that of blind rationality trying to profess your beliefs. Others communicate through sermon, you do it with the pen. You are not invoking an objective outlook or even simple critical thinking. Instead of presenting the facts in absolute objectivity, youre only making sure they lean on your side by twisting the facts and presenting them as you want. I hope to see less hypocrisy from you and more objectivity with a thirst to deliver truth. Dilip Kandangath
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When tools for a health emergency become tools of oppression – Pursuit
Posted: at 1:04 am
In the last few months, contact tracing, has exploded into our collective psyche.
COVID-19 has provided a need and an avenue for our governments to track us, citing our own best interests in the middle of a health crisis. But like anything, situations can change rapidly and solutions that were once deemed necessary can be used against us.
What was previously called surveillance now passes as contact tracing for public health purposes. Yet the risks regarding the use of peoples data gathered in this way remain.
At the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE) we wrote in April warning that freedoms could be put at risk by the need to combat COVID-19. Our concern then was that once surveillance is implemented it can be very hard to get rid of.
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Surveillance measures that were once necessary and promised as only temporary actions can quickly be redefined and redeployed for very different purposes, in the absence of strong government mechanisms that regulate and restrict surveillance.
Just over two months later, the concerns raised around the world about the dangers of surveillance have come to a head in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner, John Harrington, made a statement that the state government would be using background checking analogous to contact tracing on people arrested during the protests that have been sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd.
His comments have stoked concerns about contact tracing and other public health measures being repurposed or their scope extended.
Other reports have indicated that the Minneapolis police have been trialing facial recognition technology, including Clearview AI, giving them the capacity to deploy facial recognition software on protestors.
The use of an unarmed predator drone circling above the protesters in Minneapolis only exacerbated these concerns.
While legislation should protect citizens, the unprecedented volume of data, coupled with the increased capabilities of computing to process images, voice, social media data and other data paves the way for potential misuse should security situations rapidly escalate, the way it has in the United States.
It is easy to see how COVID-19 has given rise to the next economic crisis but experts have also been predicting that COVID-19 could sow the seeds of political revolutions.
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State of emergency laws give governments extraordinary powers.
With the development of contact tracing measures, many governments now have access to data and location information in ways they didnt have before COVID-19. Things can change exceptionally quickly and while legislation may be in place, state of emergency laws mean that governments can bring in new legislation very quickly, allowing them to adapt from tackling a pandemic to tackling civil unrest.
While many states of America have declared states of emergency and enacted new laws in response to protests, deploying surveillance technologies similar to those used for a public health crisis, raises even more concerns.
The USs much touted first amendment gives people the right to protest but doesnt include a clause exempting them from facial recognition technology.
Privacy activists across the world fear that increased surveillance capabilities will inevitably infringe on participation in political demonstrations.
Regardless of the situation that technology is being used to respond to, the surveillance techniques will be similar whether it is being used to control pandemics or control civil unrest.
The Australian government has made a huge effort to be transparent with its COVIDSafe app. But the same safeguards dont exist for policing purposes.
In February, Vox published an article about the New York Police Department refusing to disclose details of their surveillance technology despite it being known that they are using historical data to predict future crime with AI.
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While many liberties have been curtailed during COVID-19, all modifications to existing rights are required, under law, to be legal, necessary and proportionate. They need to come to an end.
Several researchers, including University of Melbournes Associate Professor Ben Rubinstein and now-independent privacy researcher, Chris Culnane, have analysed the Privacy Impact Assessment of COVIDSafe and found that authorities have the ability to decrypt the provided data and contact those who have tested positive as well as monitor their usage.
Research has also shown that further risks arise with the tracking of Bluetooth data that provides far more information than necessarily required for tracking COVID19 in late May the Guardian reported that the app had so far identified only one case.
If governments can deploy this technology while being transparent, what is to stop governments that have no interest in transparency deploying even more invasive technology and utilising it against citizens?
While Australia has sunset clauses in place on COVIDSafe, the rate of downloads has been very low. Downloads are sitting at around 6 million, with the rate flattening after the initial hype when the app was first launched.
Research done by the Guardian has credited this to the lack of trust in government stating that it was hardly surprising. After all, this is the same government that has deployed technology to raid reporters homes, harangue welfare recipients and crash the census.
The Black Lives Matter protests in the US cut to the heart of the very issue that contact tracing creates.
When we give our data to governments, even with legislative protections, we do so in good faith. But for many citizens around the world, this requires trust in government. For many, institutionalised racism, massive income inequality, lack of legal support or protections, and violence at the hands of police, makes contact tracing measures frightening and dangerous.
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Increased surveillance will disproportionately affect the safety and privacy of minority communities the world over.
Pandemics and other disasters call for measures that are permitted by law, and which require sunset clauses that expire when emergencies pass.
Governments have released these apps in response to extraordinary circumstances. However, consideration of privacy and the rights of all, especially minority and persecuted groups are paramount, not just in the initial disaster but because one disaster can easily perpetuate another.
The changes we make during crises need to ensure that rights are protected or they risk embedding values that may not be those that represent the society we wish to be particularly for those most at risk of exploitation and abuse.
Banner: John Moore/Getty Images
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Kidnapping Of Thai Exile Ignites Protests For Justice – The Organization for World Peace
Posted: at 1:04 am
Demonstrations have broken out in Bangkok in response to the suspected kidnapping of a Thai activist who is recognized for sparking protests of the countrys constitutional monarchy. Activists have denounced laws that suppress opposition to the countrys ruling family, including restricting peoples abilities to organize and the freedom to criticize their government.
Protests began early in the year, largely originating from student-led groups, but were halted after the government implemented strict limitations to combat the spread of COVID-19. Now, fears of oppression and government censorship are building again after Wanchalearm Satsaksit, 37, was reportedly abducted in CambodiaSatsaksit had been living in Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh, to escape criminal charges against him for criticizing the military coup.
Protestors are accusing the Thai government of orchestrating the kidnapping, demanding an investigation into Satsaksits disappearance. Thailands police and government, as well as Cambodian officials, have denied any involvement in the situation.
Violent censorship by the Thai government is not unknown to its citizens. At least 8 activists, all critics of the 2014 military junta, have disappeared from the neighboring countries of Laos, Vietnam, or Cambodia while avoiding prosecution from the Thai government, and many others have fled the country while facing charges for treason. The bodies of 2 exiled activists have been found in the Mekong River in an apparent attempt to unlawfully dispose of any evidence of the missing persons. These actions show the level of danger that critics of the government are in, and likely the extreme lengths that the Thai government will go to silence its opponents.
Posters labelled Missing have appeared all around the city of Bangkok this past weekend in response to Satsaksits kidnapping. Small student groups at Bangkoks elite Chulalongkorn University have unofficially claimed credit for the work.
After Wanchalearm disappeared, we wanted to do something, said Pun Thongsai, a graduate student at the university, and member of protests taking place outside of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. We do not know who directly ordered the abduction, but we can see the ruling elite of this country does not care about this issue.
Outrage over the most recent act of censorship has also been heating up online. On Twitter, the hashtag #abolish112 began trending in Thailand, as over 450,000 people put on a rare display of opposition to the countrys government. The posts appear to be in reference to Article 112 of Thailands criminal code, which tie any insults to the royal family to a maximum 15-year prison sentence.
Although many missing dissidents have been accused of violating Article 112, Thai officials denied that Satsaksit was facing charges of treason. His sister also affirmed that he was not an anti-monarchist.
Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwam said he had no information on the situation when asked by reporters, but assured the public that the Thai government would discuss the situation with Cambodian authorities. This case is their matter, he added after the fact.
I want the Thai government to protect people who are living abroad whether they are political exiles or not, said a protester at a rally outside of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. Protests over Satsaksits disappearance are the latest disturbance in Thailand, however the state of affairs in the country was not always this animated. Until recent times, Buddhist society in Thailand rarely questioned the monarchy. Now, the outside threat of democracy and unorthodox thought has shown the governments insecurity, and the lives of those willing to speak out against the regime are very much at risk.
The threats to Thai citizens freedoms of speech are concerning. As our world becomes increasingly connected, the need to protect basic human rights, like that of expression, should be paramount. We should condemn systemic and authoritarian oppression of these rights, and seek justice for those who have the courage to speak out against it.
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Myth: Second Amendment protects individual liberties | TheHill – The Hill
Posted: at 1:04 am
Heavily armed citizens showed up recently at protests in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Montana, Coloradoand Idaho to allegedly protected peaceful protesters from antifa.
In Coeur dAlene, Idaho, groups of 25 to 50 armed men in combat gear spent successive nights patrolling the downtown area, following internet rumors that antifa agitators would be arriving from Seattle.
The FBI stated there is no evidence that any protests have been linked to antifa. Still, President Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders 'After Action Review' of National Guard's role in protests MORE tweeted: Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER!
In his June 1 Rose Garden address amid vowing to shield American citizens from professional anarchists, violent mobs, or arsonists, looters, criminals, rider rioters, Antifa the president promised to protect Second Amendment rights.
InJanuary,he tweeted, Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia,days before a gun rights rally in Richmond. The gun-rights rally itself drew 22,000 peoplemany of them heavily armed and in combat gearto protest Democratic state legislators pledge to enact new gun control legislation.
In mid-April, after blue-state governors enacted quarantine measure, he alsoclaimed multiple timesthat these governors were trying to take peoples guns away. In an odd non-sequitur, the president seemed to conclude that lockdown restrictions were also tied to Second Amendment rights.
Less than two weeks later, armed anti-lockdown protesters descended on Michigans statehouse. In response, some state legislators worebulletproof vests, and the states legislative session ended early.
In each instance, armed protesters used the Second Amendment to undermine democracy and individual rights. Democratically elected bodies in Virginia and Michigan were effectively threatened if they choose to act on measures gun control and an extension of lockdown orders that had wide public support. When citizens descend on a state capital brandishing guns, they effectively end any commitment to democratic debate.
While gun control advocates point out that36,000Americans are killed by guns each year, it is also essential to consider how guns threaten First Amendment rights and the will of democratic majorities.
The idea that a right to bear arms is necessary to protect oneself from a tyrannical government implies that violence would, at some point, be justified.
The contrast between the anti-lockdown protests and the Black Lives Matter protests demonstrates the limits of the Second Amendment to check government tyranny.Mostly white, heavily armed, protesters were able to challengelargely popularpublic health measures by intimidating state officials.
However, it is difficult to imagine Black Lives Matter and other anti-police brutality protesters using the Second Amendment effectively. It stretches the bounds of credulity to think that heavily armed Black Lives Matter protests would be met with anything other than large-scale state-sanctioned violence.
The historical context of the Second Amendment also cannot be overlooked.
During debates regarding the ratification of the Constitution, some anti-federalists took particular notice ofArticle 1 Section 8of the Constitution. The offending passages give Congress the authority to call forth and train militias.
At the time, Southern slaveholdersworried that since the federal government was given power over the militias, Congress could eventually block southern states from using their militias to put down slave rebellions.
The full text of the Second Amendment states: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. It is not an accident that James Madison, a slaveholder himself, mentions the need for states to have militias in the Second Amendment.
The great irony here is that the Second Amendment can be read a different way as protecting Americans from an overly militarized police force.
The use of the term militias in both Article 1 Section 8 and the Second Amendment is a reflection of the fact that the founders feared permanent professional standing armies would be a threat to liberty. The Second Amendment mentions militias because the framers intended military units made up of part-time citizen-soldiers to be the first line of defense.
The photos and video footage from around the country of a heavily militarized police force firing rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of peaceful protesters certainly seems to justify the founders warnings to the dangers of standing armies.
The First Amendment protections of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, have proven to be the most effective tool for civil rights leaders past and present to demand justice and challenge instances of government oppression.
In contrast, the Second Amendment has historically been atool of the oppressors rather than the oppressed. It is time to let go of the myth that the Second Amendment is an effective tool for protecting individual liberties.
Katie Scofield has a Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University, with a focus on comparative constitutional law. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study the Ecuadorian Constitution and its treatment of human rights and teaches government at Blinn College in Texas.
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Lambeth Council orders audit of all borough landmarks for links with slavery, colonialism and oppression of black communities – BrixtonBuzz
Posted: at 1:04 am
With the statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston quite rightly dumped into the harbour last weekend, Lambeth has ordered an audit of all landmarks in the borough for any links with slavery.
[Should the bronze bust of Sir Henry Tate in Windrush Square remain in situ?]
Already earmarked for removal is the statue of Sir Robert Clayton outside St Thomas Hospital. Clayton was responsible for shipping more African slaves to the Americas than any other institution in the history of the Atlantic slave trade.
Cllr Sonia Winifred, the boroughs Cabinet Member for Equalities and Culture, has issued a statement explaining how Lambeth Council is supporting the Black Lives Matter campaign, the need for public institutions to take sustained action to tackle inequality and the renewed importance of tackling the legacy of the slave trade in this country.
Cllr Winifred has also highlighted community lobbying efforts of the government to make Windrush Square the home of the national Windrush Memorial ahead of the boroughs Windrush Day 2020 celebrations on June 22.
She said:
In the last couple of weeks, we have responded to the enormous public outpouring of anger and concern about the killing of George Floyd and argued that this must lead public institutions to not just express solidarity with black people, but to take sustained action to address the inequalities we face. Black lives matter.
The removal of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston has rightly focused the debate on the appropriateness of local monuments and statues on public land and council property, and the failure of our society to properly address the appalling legacy of the slave trade in this country.
That is why Lambeth council is launching an audit of all landmarks, statues and works of art in public spaces in the borough for their links to slavery, colonialism and the oppression of black and minority ethnic communities.
That audit will then be brought to community consultation, so that we can work with local communities on the appropriateness of our shared public spaces and what we choose to commemorate as a community.
That is the approach that Lambeth has taken in recent years, including in renaming Windrush Square to commemorate the contributions of the Windrush generation to our borough.
The square is proudly home to the African and Caribbean War memorial, the United Kingdoms national memorial to African and Caribbean service personnel who fought in the First and Second World Wars, and we are lobbying the government to make Windrush Square the home of the national Windrush Memorial.
That the memorial was only announced after the appalling Windrush scandal, the product of the Hostile Environment policy when many people faced discrimination and deportation by the UK government after decades of living in this country is an example of how far we have to go as a country to truly ensure racial justice and equality.
It is welcomed that the Government have finally agreed to commemorate the Windrush Generation through a permanent memorial which will tell the story for future generations. However, the fact that it had to do so only after years of injustice and pain was exposed, is itself a scandal.
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