By Ajay Iyer, Marie Claire, & Adhya Gummadi
Many of us have had trouble keeping up with the news over the past few weeks, especially with the news coming it out as quickly as it has. It is for that very reason that we editors at Teens Against Racism Times have decided to create weekly briefings to make sure we are all informed and engaged with the world around us.
1) Rayshard Brooks
On Friday, June 12, 2020, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white Atlanta police officer named Garret Rolfe during an attempted arrest. Brooks was asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru lane, and someone called the police. The officers reporting to the scene and spoke to and questioned Brooks before patting him down for weapons, where none were found. They administered a breathalyzer test and video footage shows the officers then attempting to arrest and cuff the man. The footage shows a struggle between the two officers and Brooks while he was on the ground. In the scuffle he grabbed an officer’s taser from his hand and attempted to run away, turning and pointing the taser once before the officer shot and ultimately killed him.
Beginning Saturday night, resulting protests commenced in Atlanta, and the Wendy’s was set aflame while many others marched in the city to protest yet another violent death of a black person at the hands of police. Since the incident, Rolfe has been fired and Brosnan has been placed on administrative duty. As of now, charges have not been determined, but the District Attorney mentioned the possibility of the charge of murder or felony murder. The Atlanta mayor has stated she does not believe the use of deadly force was necessary, regardless of whether or not it may officially be considered appropriate, and has also said that the Atlanta Police Chief will be stepping down to facilitate trust between the community and police force.
2) Facial Recognition Software
In light of recent protests, particularly due to protesters voicing concerns regarding safety and anonymity, some large technology corporations have begun to respond. Facial recognition software has become increasingly ubiquitous in the past few years, but little regulation currently addresses the relatively new technology’s potential uses. The dangers of facial recognition software for citizens and protesters was first brought to public attention during the Hong Kong protests, in which police were suspected of using the technology to arrest individuals even after protests had ended. As concerns of the same software being used to potentially silence or target protesters in the United States have grown, these three American companies which supply a large portion of the country’s development of and access to the software have expressed that they will not allow police access to their companies’ software or sell related data to the government until federal legislation is passed to regulate the handling of this technology and data, stating it is in an attempt to protect the rights of American citizens.
3) Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)
The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), recently renamed to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), is a makeshift neighborhood spanning several blocks in the Capitol Hill region of Seattle, Washington. It was created around June 6th, 2020 and has gained notoriety for being an area full of "Black Lives Matter" protesters with no police presence. It is an area cordoned off with the intention of peacefully protesting and discussing paths to better future without governmental intervention. CHAZ does not intend to secede from the city of Seattle or the country and only seeks to improve the country and develop ideas for meaningful change.
People within the zone appear to be peaceful thus far although media representations have painted them as a dangerous anarchists. They live within tents strewn all over the Cal Anderson Park and along the streets, cooking "camp" foods such as oatmeal and hot dogs. A rainwater collection system is also in the works to ensure that the people within CHAZ are able to function completely without outside interference. A community garden has also been started within Cal Anderson Park.
The existence of CHAZ has stirred extreme scrutiny and conflicted feelings about what it represents. It was not intended to be an anarchist establishment, but many people believe that is what it stands for. Some people and even news organizations have gone so far as to digitally edit images to make CHAZ appear more dangerous than it currently is. There have been reports that certain protestors have firearms, but it is important to note that Washington is an open-carry state.
On June 9, 2020, an author by the name of "Free Capitol Hill" posted a list of demands on Medium, a website for amateur blog creation. These demands span from reform to the justice system to the education system. The blog post is linked here.
A website was created to document the history and relevant information on CHAZ. The creators of the site support defunding the Seattle Police Department, but explicitly state that they are not directly associated with CHAZ. That website is linked here and will be updated as more information comes out.
4) Rollback of Transgender Health Protections
On Friday, June 12, the Trump administration finalized a rollback of LGBTQ+ health protections that will heavily impact transgender Americans. This repeal of Obama-era protections comes on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse Massacre, a shooting which killed 49 people and was widely considered to be a homophobic hate crime. This decision will change the meaning of "sex discrimination" to refer only to discrimination based on biological sex, not on gender identity/expression as was true under the Obama administration. Neither administration considered discrimination based on sexual orientation to be "sex discrimination"
This decision particularly affects Section 1557 in the Affordable Care Act under the Department of Health and Human Services. With this changed rule, transgender Americans could be denied care, especially as they relate to these individuals' transitions. Although people can still sue if they believe they have unjustly been denied care, few people will have the resources and time for a costly litigation process. Many argue that this deepens the disproportional impact of health inequality on members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom are of lower socioeconomic status.
Some health care professionals and people believe that this choice will cut costs for associated with disseminating non-discrimination information—costs that do creep into the billions. Many also believe that this clarification will allow health care professionals to make appropriate decisions based on biological sex as opposed to gender identity and other "non-scientific" measures.
Others believe that the administration is using the current climate in the country to silently remove protections that are vital to many Americans. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, this repeal could prevent transgender Americans from seeking care and, if they do, could prevent them from receiving the care they need and deserve.
Despite the fact that this rule is now final, it is not necessarily set in stone. Supreme Court decisions on the meaning of "sex" could heavily impact the legitimacy of this rule. Congress may also invoke the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to vote to block the act only if both houses achieve a simple majority and Trump is no longer president by the 60-day legislative deadline—a deadline that is even further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
5) Minneapolis Takes Steps to Abolish the Police
Last month, George Floyd, although already in police custody, was killed due to police brutality from the Minneapolis Police Department. These past three weeks have consisted of many protests for the reassessment and reform of the policing system. The Minneapolis City Council is officially the first to take measures to do so.
Of the 12 members on the council, 9 agreed to disband the current police force to start a yearlong process involving the overall reform of it. Since this was the majority, it has been declared as official and before June 24, all plans will be announced. The city council also called for the creation of the “Future of Community Safety Work Group”, which includes members from a variety of the city departments. The city council is approaching public safety in terms of all races, and is replacing what is currently present with an all-new model, including laws like banning the use of choke holds and mandating that police report if their partner has used excessive force. Although this is still in the planning phase, the council is determined to facilitate a transformed model of public safety.
6) Historical Statues Removed Amid Protests
Throughout the world, there are various historical statues to represent historical figures, many of whom represent a darker and crueler side of history. Major examples of these are the statues of confederate generals and soldiers. In the aftermath of George Floyd's death, protestors have vandalized, destroyed, and spoke out about these figures as a way to re-examine the racial injustices happening for centuries due to the fact that they are believed to be honored for their violent racism.
In Britain, the statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader, was thrown into the harbor. In Belgium, statues of Leopold II have been defaced, because he was a very brutal ruler in the Congo. Amid these protests many celebrities have stepped up and also spoken out. Perhaps the most notable is Taylor Swift, who spoke out about confederate members Nathan Bedford and Edward Carmack. The 61 ft. tall statue of Robert E. Lee, perhaps the most resented and infamous confederate leader, will be removed in the near future, but it has been advised that the protestors not take matters into their own hands. Down in the South, Alabama has also gotten rid of a confederate officer statue, and Virginia tore down a slave auction block. So many cities, states, and even countries across the globe have all come together in this time to confront the truths behind historical figures, and through this, new history is being created.
Sources:
Alonso, Melissa. “Minneapolis City Council Takes Another Step to 'End the Current Policing System," Council Member Says.”CNN, Cable News Network, 12 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/minneapolis-city-council-resolution-police-reform/index.html.
“Atlanta Police killing of Rayshard Brooks leads to officer’s firing and chief’s resignation” (CNN, June 14, 2020).
Brunner, Jim. “Fox News Runs Digitally Altered Images in Coverage of Seattle's Protests, Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.”The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 12 June 2020, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digitally-altered-images-in-coverage-of-seattles-protests-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/.
CBS News. “Minneapolis City Council Members Say They Plan to Vote to Disband City's Police Department.”CBS News, CBS Interactive, 9 June 2020, www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-city-council-intent-disband-police-department/.
“Floyd Protests Live Updates: Details of Atlanta Shooting Fuel Debate on Use of Force” (MYT, June 14, 2020)
“IBM, Microsoft and Amazon not Letting Police Use Their Facial Recognition Technology” (Forbes, June 12, 2020)
“In Hong Kong Protests, Faces Become Weapons” (NYT, July 26, 2019)
Miller, Ryan W. “CHAZ, a 'No Cop Co-Op': Here's What Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Looks Like.”USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 12 June 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/12/seattle-protest-chaz-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-police-free/3173968001/.
Rankin, Sarah. “Historical Figures Reassessed after George Floyd's Death.”AP NEWS, Associated Press, 11 June 2020, apnews.com/30452aa70f2fe1e9d4ef51088d402c6e.
Read, Bridget. “What's Going On in CHAZ, the Seattle Autonomous Zone?”The Cut, The Cut, 11 June 2020, www.thecut.com/2020/06/whats-going-on-in-chaz-the-seattle-autonomous-zone.html.
Roberts, Paul. “Dubbed a 'Lawless State' by Some, the CHAZ or CHOP, Seattle's Newest Neighborhood, Tries to Create Its Own Narrative.”The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 14 June 2020, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/dubbed-a-lawless-state-by-some-the-chaz-or-chop-seattles-newest-neighborhood-tries-to-create-its-own-narrative/.
Sanger-katz, Margot, and Noah Weiland. “Trump Administration Erases Transgender Civil Rights Protections in Health Care.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/us/politics/trump-transgender-rights.html.
Simmons-Duffin, Selena. “Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration.”NPR, NPR, 12 June 2020, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/12/868073068/transgender-health-protections-reversed-by-trump-administration.
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