FCC to Probe ‘Unacceptable’ Hours-Long T-Mobile Service Outage
The Struggle to Abolish the Police Is Not New ; ‘Getting Sick Has Gotten Political’ ; and More Picks
The Struggle to Abolish the Police Is Not New ; ‘Getting Sick Has Gotten Political’ ; and More Picks 6/18
Revealed: Officer Who Killed Rayshard Brooks Accused of Covering Up 2015 Shooting (Dana)
The authors write, “Garrett Rolfe was fired by the Atlanta police department following what officials called the ‘unjustified’ killing of Brooks … Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back as Brooks ran away after a scuffle with officers when they attempted to arrest him. It was among a recent spate of killings of black men by white police officers, which have ignited a national uprising against police brutality and racism. In August 2015, Rolfe and two other officers opened fire on Jackie Jermaine Harris, who they chased after he was caught driving a stolen truck … However, the shooting was not reported by the police involved.”
The Urban Conflicts That Created Policing in America (Judy)
From Governing: “In New York City the anti-abolition riots of 1834 (yes, the rioters were opposed to getting rid of slavery) and a riot over the price of flour in 1837 had a cumulative power, and the state in 1844 and then in 1857 passed legislation creating the present police force.”
The Struggle to Abolish the Police Is Not New (Chris C.)
The author writes, “Both critics of abolition and recent converts often frame it as a radical new concept. This can have the effect, intended or not, of making it seem idealistic, naïve, or undertheorized. But while the mainstream prominence of abolition may be new, the premise is not. Indeed, the struggle against mass criminalization … was a crucial feature of the movement to end … Jim Crow. Struggles for black freedom have always had to contend with prisons and police as the enforcement arm of the racial capitalist state.”
Yemen War: UN Takes Saudi-Led Coalition Off Child Rights ‘List of Shame’ (Reader Jessica)
The author writes, “Human rights groups have criticised the UN for removing the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a blacklist of those whose actions harm children. The UN found 222 children were killed or injured last year by the coalition, which is backing Yemen’s government in its war with the rebel Houthi movement.”
A Hospital’s Secret Coronavirus Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns (Mili)
The author writes, “Pregnant Native American women were singled out for COVID-19 testing based on their race and ZIP code, clinicians say. While awaiting results, some mothers were separated from their newborns, depriving them of the immediate contact doctors recommend.”
‘Getting Sick Has Gotten Political’ (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “[Leola] Reeves, 37, lives in Yakima, which right now is one of the hottest zones for America’s patchwork coronavirus pandemic. How hot? At the current rate of disease spread, within about a week Yakima County is due to pass New York City for the percentage of its people known to have contracted COVID-19. You’d think that’d be alarming enough, considering what happened to New York in the spring. Add to it that Yakima’s main hospital, Virginia Mason Memorial, has been sounding sirens that its intensive-care beds are overflowing from patients sick with COVID-19. And yet. ‘It’s like Yakima refuses to believe there’s an actual issue,’ Reeves says.”
Why a Small Town in Washington Is Printing Its Own Currency During the Pandemic (Dana)
From The Hustle: “In a bid to lessen the blow of COVID-19, the town of Tenino has started issuing its own wooden dollars that can only be spent at local businesses. Will it work?”
