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More protests, vigils planned
By adamg on Sat, 05/30/2020 - 11:36pm
Here are the ones we know about. Others?
Monday
Black Lives Matter Vigil, 5 p.m. at the Holy Name Rotary in front of the E-5 police station, West Roxbury.
Virtual vigil in Cambridge, 5 p.m. on Facebook Live.
Tuesday
Rally and vigil for George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and local fallen people, organized by Black Lives Matter Boston and Violence in Boston., 6:30 p.m., Franklin Park, near the Shattuck Hospital entrance.
Thursday
Silent Vigil for Black Lives, Adams Park perimeter, Roslindale Square, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m., organized by Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale and Roslindale Is for Everyone.
Monthly Vigil in Support of Black Lives Matter, the Monument, South Street, Jamaica Plain, 5:30 p.m. Silent standout for 30 minutes. Masks required.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
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Comments
I would attend the ones
I would attend the ones organized by clergy and ecumenical associations. No interest in attending the Antifa infused protests organized by radical, anti-American left wing groups.
Cool, man. Thanks for sharing
Cool, man. Thanks for sharing.
Yes
Now is not a time for violence. If this country has a problem that needs addressing, let's address it like civilized people.
People that are causing rioting now are doing us no good.
Sorry, zack you snarky little prick, if you'll pardonnez moi French.
This shit is serious. If you think it's funny to watch buildings burn, then fine. Put on your little black pants and little black snotrag, readjust your silver plated nosering and go break shit. Hell, go burn down an Autozone somewhere.
Meanwhile, it's not your kids getting killed on a daily basis in Boston. We have a problem here, maybe elsewhere it's a bad cop but here it's something else. Commissioner Gross is a decent man. He needs support from the clergy, community, politicians and ordinary people.
The violence
In every single city is being started by police and white supremacists.
The guy who broke the windows of the AutoZone you mentioned is a cop from St. Paul.
Two nights ago, a cop who owns a truck with a Confederate flag sticker pushed a young woman to the ground and caused her to have seizures and a concussion. She wasn't in his way, and he didn't even stop walking after assaulting her.
Last night NYPD rammed an SUV into protestors, exactly like the man who murdered Heather Heyer in Charlottesville. The Mayor of NYC said both of those actions are appropriate.
In Chicago, police attacked reports, permanently blinding one woman who got hit with a rubber bullet.
In Boston, Captain John Danilecki, who pepper sprayed and beat peaceful protesters on September, is still on the force. A local organization filed a FOIA in September, and repeated it every single month until *last week* when the police finally sent them to a broken link.
Two days ago, a cop in Boston punched a woman for peacefully protesting and then dragged her by her hair to arrest her.
Commissioner Gross is a bad cop. He runs bad cops. There are *no* good cops. They all either participate in state sanctioned violence, or they refuse to stop the violence from happening.
'The violence' Crap is king, anon.
Problem posting.
DAMMIT!
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'In every single city is being started by police and white supremacists.'
Bullshit. White, yes. Oh, ya. Here's the original Autozone hit.
https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1266132570980454400 'youtube was quick to remove the video.'
This is supposedly a cop. Sorry, too much mask to identify. Don't matter. Catch him if possible.
Another cracker infused attack: https://twitter.com/Freeyourmindkid/status/1266673244964356098
" May 30
A group of white people showed up in Oakland armed with hammers and started destroying shit as people of color looked on confused and asked why they're tearing shit up."
'Commissioner Gross is a bad cop. He runs bad cops. There are *no* good cops. They all either participate in state sanctioned violence, or they refuse to stop the violence from happening.'
Or they're hamstrung by idiot politicians and don't know shit from Shinola. Kevin White, and I'm no damn fan, knew how to defuse a riot. Too bad the new politicians don't give a damn about their cities.
Orange Man Bad, right?
Move to Hong Kong.
SMH
"There are *no* good cops"
"The violence in every single city is being started by police and white supremacists"
You're a moron. As I write this reply, 52 other morons agree with you.
Adam, you do a great job of reporting on things that otherwise may not become known to many folks. And your allowance of many varying opinions is wonderful. However, this person is spouting crap the like of which, if the labels were changed from "cop" and "police" to almost any other descriptives, would be decried as despicable.
I know extremely good people who are cops, people who want peace and who do their job well. I am proud to know these people. And I am proud to defend them against idiocies such as those spouted by this nameless dope.
Suldog
How's that boot taste, buddy?
How's that boot taste, buddy?
Clever!
you deflected the conversation from George Floyd and issues of policing, to problems within the black community itself.
"If this country has a problem that needs addressing, let's address it like civilized people." Is hilarious on multiple levels. By use of "If" you not so subtly challenge the premise that an issue does exist regarding police and minority communities. "Let's address it like civilized people". Aside from being a platitude, the vast majority of protesters are trying to do that, and have been trying to do that for DECADES.
The violence by some people at some of these rallies is wrong, absolutely. The issues the rallies are trying to bring attention to are long overdue to be attended to, and are up against an intransigent system.
Not trying to be clever.
You assholes want to come into my city and light it on fire.
Fuck you.
Cracker bastards are busting up shit all over the country. Legit protesters, that need to be listened to are getting lost in the smoke and debris.
Here: "Brandon Bowser @brandonBowser10
So I decided to go to the Capitol today in Denver. Black protester telling antifa member that he needs to stop defacing statues."
https://twitter.com/brandonBowser10/status/1266521909602246658
One of your little antifa tykes spraypainting. Words from Dr. King, no doubt.
Black protesters that see a white person stealing or committing destruction of property should just break their goddamn legs and leave them for EMS. They're maga, right?
I agree-- this is not a time
I agree-- this is not a time for more violence. But in every location that has experienced significant vandalism so far, right wing racist infiltration was as likely, or more likely, a cause, as antifa or any other leftists. And that's not pulled out of thin air-- it's being said by mayors, governors, and, most importantly, on-the-ground organizers and first-hand witnesses.
This is an important protest against police killing Black people and getting away with it.
It shouldn't be hijacked by white people who just want to f#ck stuff up. I DNGAF if it's white leftists or Proud Boys. Anyone who attends a protest or vigil should do what the organizers say and support BLM and the adjacent leaders: THEY have thought out how to convey their message. Chaos undermines the message.
Sorry, librarian, it's too late
"It shouldn't be hijacked by white people who just want to f#ck stuff up"
https://twitter.com/theangiestanton/status/1266481829592399872
"The Black community in MN is calling out white Antifa members for starting the riots and destroying their communities. I keep telling y’all these white liberals are not our friends."
lol
1) her pinned tweet is an homage to donald trump. hence the reference to “antifa”, whatever that is.
2) why did you think posting a tweet from a black woman would lend your bullshit any legitimacy lol
Thin air...
I think your comment about the agitators was pulled out of thin air:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/30/george-floyd-prote...
https://twitter.com/davereaboi/status/1267178745103814677
If you're worried about
If you're worried about violence, maybe you should voice that concern with the police. They seem to be the instigators of violence in most of these protests as well as the reason these protests are happening at all in the first place. Almost all of the protests that have been happening across the country over the past few days have started out as peaceful protests and almost all of the ones that have escalated to violence were escalated by the police.
I don't know what I would do....
If I were surrounded by a crowd? What would you do in this situation Zach.
Serious quesiton? Get out of the car? Wait for it to burn?
I'm not saying I would drive through the crowd either, but by blocking the car you put a human being inside that car into fight or flight mode.
I assume you're talking about
I assume you're talking about the two cops who drove their SUVs into a crowd in Brooklyn last night. The fact that you're a police officer and don't know what you would do in a situation like that is a major problem.
The initial car was not surrounded, just blocked in the front. Backing up was an option. They chose to go the James Fields route and plow into the crowd in front of them. That is deeply troubling.
I don't think backing up was an option....
There were a lot of people behind. If they backed up and hit someone the anonymous Zack's of the world would say they could have gone around. And when the cop car backs up....guess who is going to run around and try to block the car from escaping? (how do you think a lot of the cop cars got burned last night? By surrounding them and forcing the cops to get out and leave them). And what if they were actually trying to go to an actual emergency where people were calling for help?
It is troubling what happened but again, your doing nothing about it.
Pete, are we watching the
Pete, are we watching the same video?
There's a couple of different angles of it out there. I don't see anyone standing behind the cruiser, yes there's a few people that move through the frame but they move quickly. The only place there are demonstrators close to the cruiser when he advances into them was directly in front of them. Yes, there's some off to the sides, at least a full travel lane away from the cruiser.
We both know that if the roles were reversed, and you were on duty, in front of that vehicle, you would have been justified to use deadly force against the driver, because the vehicle was being used as a deadly weapon.
And to your point, what if they were responding to an emergency? I agree with you that it is critical that emergency services are able to perform their duties. But if on day 5 of national unrest, we are sending cops into hostile crowds without enough support to maintain their own safety, then what is the NYPD leadership actually doing right now?
Same video
And it looks like they came up quick from behind (meaning there were people on the street). I don't know why the cop went right up to the barrier though? Unless the barrier was moved there by the protesters (doesn't matter either way I guess). I also have no idea what that first cruiser was doing in the first place and that may be important.
If the roles were reversed? Would be interesting. Police aren't supposed to fire at moving vehicles and that is VERY clear in all of the policies and it's written about 100 times. But in reality it would all depend on the reason the officer is in front of the vehicle in the first place. I would most likely NOT be justified to use deadly force unless the driver of the vehicle met a set of standards (in the policy so I'm paraphrasing: 1. driver just used deadly force and by letting him go would endanger others. 2. Driver threatened to use deadly force. 3/ driver is involved with a violent felony and the escape of the driver could lead to further deadly force, etc.) It IS a crime to hinder the path of a police officer (or any vehicle) . There no law which says "oh ok, protesting is allowed by the 1st Amendment and that trumps NYC motor vehicle statues".
In terms of the emergency calls, this is a big city with still a lot of calls regardless of whats going on. And they might be responding to officer in trouble calls, fights in progress, looting calls, arson calls, who knows what. I guess it isn't really fair to speculate?
interesting
that we give police officers the latitude to react irrationally when they’re in a corner
Not "we"
There is a reasonable person standard and that would be applied here or any other situation were a human is faced with a threat (duty to retreat, castle law, self defense, etc)
i wasn’t criticizing you
that’s why i used “we”
but i am interested to know whether that standard extends to people who watched a police officer kill someone indiscriminately
I wasn't attacking you...
But I think inherently the job of the police officer is to use force, and they shouldn't be held to irrational standards regardless of the situation they are in, except for maybe training standards.
My point was that there is no training when you are backed into a corner, so the police officer should be treated as everyone else should be treated.
I think inherently the job of the police officer is to use force
Really? I think inherently it is to protect and serve the public who pay your salary. Force should only be used in appropriate circumstances as you attempt to protect and serve. I think the Boston police generally do a good job.
I'll acknowledge your points.
I'll acknowledge your points. I always do appreciate your candor on here.
Shall we say that this incident is worthy of further review?
Hell yea.
There are a few dozen cops who should be charged from what I saw last night.
But there is not training for something like this. So you are basically putting a human being in flight or fright mode.
Is this true? Why would there
Is this true? Why would there be no training for what an officer should do if their vehicle is surrounded by a crowd during potential civil unrest? This isn't a brand new scenario, it's come up for as long as police have used vehicles, including horses way back when. If there's no training, that's an obvious problem.
There should also be training on how to avoid getting into such a situation. Seeing that second NYPD SUV arrive on scene and immediately drive directly into and through the crowd suggests that not getting surrounded by people wasn't really a concern for the officers involved. Some might say that if you buy the ticket, you take the ride.
What do you think that training would entail...
Serious question...
Atlanta just canned 2 cops
Atlanta just canned 2 cops for excessive force at protest. Not sure which specific incident it was.
NYPD is going to be getting a review of all actions by the state AG with a report due within 30 days. Cuomo promised consequences for any improper acts this morning.
The video in this link
This incident, where without clear reasoning, they tazed and dragged this Black couple from their vehicles. I think all the police around them deserve charges for not stepping in sooner.
https://twitter.com/chimdesires/status/1267198829775990787
They could try de-escalating
They could try de-escalating the situation with the protestors. They should communicate that they need to get to a vital emergency, if they happen to be actually going to an emergency. Blocking traffic may be a crime, but that is not a crime punishable by deadly force. Civil disobedience is a patriotic tradition our country was founded on. There are plenty of videos of police across the country opening dialog with their community, marching with them, hearing them, and de-escalating the situation. The cities in which this isn't happening are the ones which are breaking out into violence.
Nothing about what is happening to protestors is right. The escalation by the police in multiple cities, and the use of tear gas -- which is illegal to use in warfare, for crying out loud, is frankly a shameful mark on our country.
Pete, I am sure you want to be a good cop. But in this case, the good cops are siding with the citizens against the use of force and the unjust killings across the country. Defending their actions is part of the problem -- it's why officers like the ones who killed Gregory Floyd are allowed to continue to serve even though they had hurt civilians over and over. It's why Breonna Taylor, a first responder EMT herself, was shot dead in her own home in Louisville. Fight or flight mode isn't an excuse -- there are many jobs which are extremely dangerous, and if having a car surrounded puts a cop into fight or flight mode so much that he risks murdering people, something is wrong with him or the training he is going through. Being afraid is not an excuse.
It is not an excuse for a civilian, it should not be an excuse for an officer of a law. If anything, police should be held to higher standards than the average person. They should be examples to look up to, protectors of the people. Instead, large parts of our country are terrified of police because they fear an encounter may lead to their deaths. Officers killed at least a thousand people last year, and each of the four years prior. 106 officers died last year, and almost half of those were car accidents. Very few were through actual violence.
Excusing these actions is tacit approval for there to be no consequences to police who take them. There were swifter consequences for a woman in central park who abused her dog and threatened a black man than there were for officers who murdered people. It should never, ever be like this.
Please, for the sake of our country, and the sake of our people, we need our police forces to do better -- to BE better. We can change, it can start with our officers here in Massachusetts joining the people to march against injustice.
It’s also troubling that you
It’s also troubling that you know EXACTLY what you would do and how it should have been done and you chose not to become a cop.
Selfish, really.
were escalated by the police
In most (not all, but most) rage incidents, it takes two to escalate. The police escalated and the crowd escalated too. It's hard to not be polarized and blame only one side or the other.
Personally
I'm inclined to blame the side wearing protective gear who should have had professional training in de-escalation and public safety techniques and still thought that firing tear gas and rubber bullets into nonviolent protests was a good idea. But that's just me.
This is cowardice.
Antifacists are neither radical nor anti-American. The most American action one can take is to revolt against tyranny, like a president who would rather quash free speech and try his hardest to ignore a pandemic, only to turn around and lie about how much he is doing when he's going off to play golf instead.
The violence is not coming from antifascists, but coming from white supremacists who are seeking to give antifascism a bad name. There is video after video online of white men dressed in black, not part of the crowd, going around causing property damage - only for the crowd to tell them to stop and chase them off.
If you believe antifascists are the problem, it is because you have stuck your head in the sand.
So tell us specifically
Bloke
Which specific demonstrations are you claiming are organized by alleged left wing groups? Tell us or stfu
Macy's boarding up windows.
This is a post on Boston reddit showing workers boarding up Macy's. One of the comments mentions that there is a major data center located inside the building.
https://old.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/gtqrvr/macys_in_downtown_crossi...
I won't say where the door is
I won't say where the door is but yes there is a data center and I've been in it. It's low key but very Bondish. You go in through a discrete door and the whole place is eerily empty. Just room after room of large storage drives all seperated by firewalls.
To be honest though , to really break into the data center I don't know if some extra boards would help. It has no windows and , at least twenty years ago, the whole thing seemed to be secure and metal. I'm not sure if a piece of plywood from Home Depot would make a difference.
I guess if protestors found their way into Macy's and burned it to the ground there could be trouble but that's what they would literally need to do. To directly damage the data center would be incredibly difficult. I'm not even sure if a normal fire would damage it... It would need to rage enough to penetrate the fire walls. Which once again I'm not sure if plywood is stopping. Plywood on windows is the equivlant of an extra lock on the door. It keeps you feeling safe, it will stop a casual intruder but if someone has a battering ram it may not help.
They pick these monolythic buildings without access and windows for a reason.
Not quite as invulnerable to fire as you think
It caught fire in 2018.
This data center is not some
This data center is not some sort of James Bond facility with a secret door. It's the Markley Datacenter at 1 Summer St., labeled publicly on Google Maps. There's a sign outside the front door, which is huge, glass, and right on the wide corner sidewalk area thousands of people walk through every day. Verizon, L3, and many smaller companies rent space inside, including a company whose racks I used to maintain. It is one of many such subleased server facilities throughout the city.
The 2.5-mile one-way march this evening
is going to put a lot of people onto public transportation, by necessity, even if they drove cars or rode bicycles to the start point. I hope it does not result in further spreading of the Covid-19 virus.
That ship has sailed, Ron.
Forget contact tracing, the way things are headed our second wave is gonna make the first look like a light allergy season.
And we may not even notice COVID what with AG Barr laying groundwork for military force against civilians as he tries to lay blame on nefarious "left wing" boogeymen for what local & state officials have clearly declared were white nationalists and provocateurs from overseas that have been the cause of much of the unrest.
"Oh, Superman. Where are you now?"
Monday, 4-6 pm, Hoyt Field in Cambridge
This poster is all I've been able to find about it so far.
Map showing location of Hoyt Field, a short walk from Central Square, a somewhat longer walk from Harvard Square
Pray for Peace
Thank God the black clergy is taking the lead on restoring peace. I hope and pray these men and women of God succeed in their mission. If not downtown Boston is going to be covered in sheets of plywood starting with Macy's as the city descends into the vortex of violence.
Using this informative I hope
Using this information I hope the governor and mayor put the city on lock down and issue a shelter in place order. A state of emergency is already in place, this order would be in the best interest of the protesters and general public to keep the virus from spreading.
And if people disregard the stay at home order?
Now you have two problems.
When a city anticipates
When a city anticipates rioting, is exactly the right time to order a curfew.
The whole thing is made worse by mask wearing, which the city tried banning just last fall when counter-protesters vs. protesters were a headache. Everyone wearing masks today makes rioting more likely to happen at protests.
This happens frequently in big cities in India. Whenever there's a significant incident in the news involving Hindus vs Muslims, cities are locked down for a day or two to minimize riots. It's a foreign concept to the USA in the 21st century, but something local leaders need to get up to speed on really quick.
The Indian Police have one of the worst human rights records
in the world right now. I don't think you want what the police do in India to happen here.
Riots in India are not Cops
Riots in India are not Cops vs. People. They start out as Hindu vs. Muslim and turn into general mayhem with rocks thrown at any people or property in the street.
That's why citywide shutdowns and curfews are now done preventatively when religious tensions rise.
No I get that....
But those police aren't Muslim sympathizers either.
I have heard nothing about
I have heard nothing about the anticipation of rioting in Boston. Do share.
Rioting in Boston yesterday
Rioting in Boston yesterday:
https://www.universalhub.com/2020/seven-arrested-d-4-station-during-prot...
violence is happening in cities across the country. There's no reason to believe Boston is immune to the same problems that happen in Brooklyn.
A few people getting arrested
A few people getting arrested at a protest is not unusual. Riots happening elsewhere is certainly cause for heightened awareness, but it is not a specific and actionable piece of intelligence that would justify a mandatory curfew.
There's a huge difference between being on alert for potential civil unrest, and reasonably anticipating civil unrest. The former happens every time a sporting event, concert, or other mass gathering happens in the city, because almost any crowd can turn quickly; the latter probably hasn't happened in Boston since 2011.
The Commish
Would be wise to listen to a few of his fellow Officers across the nation before loading up the busses and polishing the batons.
From Flint, last night;
https://mobile.twitter.com/AutumnLynnn11/status/1267074682471268353
THIS is how you do it folks.
THIS is serving and protecting.
This is great. I’d love to
This is great. I’d love to have a conversation tonight with some of the people marching and protesting (preferably people of color). Actually, I’d like to do a lot of listening.
Please also be careful of those that incite violence. There are so many troubling reports coming out that white supremacists and right wing organizations are disguising themselves and encouraging violence to promote some insane race war. (I wouldn’t be shocked if the nuttier people on here like ZachandTired and others are doing that on this website too).
Just be careful everyone. We have A LOT of problems in this city, but we usually shine above the others.
- a Boston Cop
West Roxbury event
Have the organizers of this created a web page or decided what time the event will happen?
5 p.m.
Sorry, I left that out by mistake, added in now. Haven't seen a Web site yet, but will add if I do.
Anarchy
So we are trying to slowly get back to normal life from Covid, but all that is thrown out the window now. It seems that many of those who were team #staythefuckhome are now out in large gatherings. It’s ok though, because most have masks right? The hypocrisy is nothing but hilarious. Glad the black clergy is preaching peace but unfortunately many, many people are not respecting that. Selfish behavior.
yeah man
they’re just out they’re chilling out having fun bbqing and shit. great point, awesome way to use that big brain
Thanks. I realize that
Thanks. I realize that looting and burning cars is a sign of high having intellectual capacity. I’m sure all those looters are looting for the right reasons and everything. Not for their own fun or anything. Looting and burning cars certainly helps bring us together as a nation.
If you want the nation to be
If you want the nation to be brought together, it can start with you. I understand your position and the emotions you're experiencing, but you could try just relaxing, not getting distracted by looters and vandals, and actually feeling that sense of togetherness. The world won't spin off its axis if you let other people worry about the vandalism for a minute. Posting about it here won't stop it, and won't help the people whose job it is to address it, but it does contribute to the cultural divide you imply you don't like, so maybe just don't.
that’s what you don’t get
protestors/rioters aren’t trying to bring the nation together. that’s not their job, that’s supposed to be on law enforcement/government. don’t blame people for reacting when they see injustice, blame the injustice.
i await your comment about covid and the injustice of being forced to wear a mask or something
URGENT: Not BLMBoston
For Sunday's event you have listed: "Black Lives Matter protest and march from Nubian Square to the State House, 6:30 p.m. Meet in front of United Bank."
This event is not BLMBoston - and was created by a group named "Black Boston" created in only the past few days. https://www.facebook.com/BLKBoston/
I am a firm supporter of BLMBoston and support the current peaceful protests, but PLEASE REMOVE THIS EVENT. A clarification post may be required to ENCOURAGE SUSPICION of the intentions of this event. (should add a start time of 6:30pm in Nubian Sq would put them at the state house around nightfall - very odd timing)
They claim endorsement of Bikes not Bombs who have disavowed knowledge of the event (https://twitter.com/bikesnotbombs/status/1267030741772353536)
BLMBoston (facebook page) says: "That said and because folx are asking, it’s important to know who is who and our individual and collective efforts. THIS EVENT IS NOT organized, lead, or sponsored by the official BLM Boston chapter."
Julia Meija (Boston City Councilor At-Large) states no planning or sponsorship and warns of infiltrators: https://twitter.com/juliaforboston/status/1267080475757117440
Yep
I just removed the link, for just the reasons you cited.
Black Boston made a clarifying statement about tonight's event
Here.
I still have misgivings about the event plan, but I think the organizers are sincere, just young and inexperienced.
folx?
folx?
Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity vigil Thursday
Black Lives Taken by Police Vigil - Condemning Police Brutality
During this one-hour vigil, we will remember the Black lives taken by police by reading their names and lighting a candle for each person, and we will denounce police brutality. Speakers include representatives from the Mystic Valley Branch of the NAACP, the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity, Mayor (of Malden) Gary Christenson, and several faith leaders. More details about this event and future actions that you can take will be announced later this week.
https://bit.ly/EndPoliceBrutality