Here is where I got off last night:
"20 years after the ‘Million Man March,’ a fresh call for justice" by David Nakamura Washington Post October 10, 2015
Woah! Thing really filled up!
WASHINGTON — Thousands of black men, women, and children gathered on the National Mall on Saturday to demand justice at a time of growing anger and fraying tensions in African-American communities across the nation over the police shooting deaths of young black men.
Crowds began forming on a cool, sunny morning just beyond the west front of the Capitol, and by noon the number of participants had swelled significantly, with onlookers watching on several jumbo screens set up along the lawn.
Some people set up lawn chairs, and others sat on blankets to listen to a long lineup of speakers, including Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, which sponsored the “Justice or Else” rally.
See: Farrakhan’s “Justice or Else” march rocks DC
I'm not a big fan of Farrakhan, but he is refreshing sometimes.
The event marked the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in 1995, when hundreds of thousands of black men rallied on the Mall. Although the crowd Saturday was expected to be far smaller than that protest, the spirit of the first movement was echoed by the those who addressed the crowds.
But the speakers also pointedly tied the struggle of the black community to modern-day incidents.
They mentioned Tamir Rice of Cleveland; Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo.; Eric Garner of Staten Island; and Walter Scott, a South Carolina man killed in a police shooting in North Charleston in April whose family recently received a $6.5 million settlement from the city.
Also see:
"A reform panel formed after the Ferguson police shooting of Michael Brown is pushing for the consolidation of police departments and municipal courts in the St. Louis area, and decreasing the use of police force."
Related: St. Louis County police faulted in Ferguson unrest
Something strange going on in Missouri.
Prosecutor, Cleveland police union still at odds in boy’s death
I've disposed of those and it's time to get moving. You will have to look for the Garner and Scott stuff if you are so inclined (is it possible the pay-offs are to keep families quiet?).
Signs of the community’s frustration were written on T-shirts for the “Black Lives Matter” movement and on posters reading “Straight Outta Patience.” One man wore a “Hands up, don’t shoot” T-shirt.
There were calls for justice, calls for voting rights, and calls for statehood for D.C.
Also see:
Officer complains after “blacklivesmatter” put on coffee cup
Former officer leads ‘blacklivesmatter’ coffee cup protest
Related:
South Carolina officer shot (as of linking, it was the fourth photo from left in the top row in my printed paper)
Some lives do matter more than others.
“Police officers are very needed in our community, but I think the badge should not be a license to kill or a license to hide a murderer,” Muhammad said. “When a police officer steps out of the bounds of the law and what is right, then it’s for government to retaliate on behalf of the people. Our government has not done that.”
Doesn't that tell you something?
--more--"
I now need to board the team bus, dear readers, and head north. I have a basketball game to play this morning. A real one that I participate in (when pouting I sometimes put forth little effort; one might think of it as shaving points), not a game of fantasy, and I'm no rookie or no front-page star feature, either.
I may be back for a couple of more stops before football this afternoon (and evening), but don't hold your breath waiting for my return (and now I know alien visitors are long gone -- if they were ever here at all. Their prevalence in the ma$$ media cast doubt upon the theories, imho).
