Some issues are so complex that they require more than a 10-minute YouTube video.
For my first “Deep Dive” episode of Political Payne, I take a look at the ongoing protests against police brutality in the United States and how they’ve been colored by a disturbing authoritarian overreach by law enforcement and the federal government. Why would police departments respond to protests against police brutality with even more brutality? Tear gas, pepper bullets, and mace have reigned down on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights. The president said he would deploy the military against the citizenry.
As the riots and looting have subsided and peaceful protests have continued, you wouldn’t know that from conservative media, which is being cravenly dishonest about the movement. According to President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr, the U.S. is in the midst of an existential battle with leftwing radicals like ANTIFA, despite the fact that the FBI has made no arrests, except for the several far-right extremists who were actively planning to disrupt and attack protests. Attacks on police officers have been linked to a far-right movement to sow discord and start a second Civil War.
There’s lots of noise being made about Black Lives Matter demonstrations as they spread across the world, building to possibly the largest civil rights movement in history by the numbers. Law enforcement agencies, including local officials, are actively working to protect their budgets, sometimes cynically so. But if we’re honest about this nationwide call for police reform, we have to look hard at the culture of law enforcement in the U.S., the political leanings of many officers, and how far-right extremists have worked for decades to infiltrate agencies across the nation. And with a commander-in-chief who actively spins conspiracy theories and celebrates police brutality, it’s been up to the American people to lead the call for accountability in law enforcement.
A personal thank you to anyone who actually watches this entire video. I did hours and hours of reading and research before I ever turned the camera on. In the interest of clarity and transparency, here is the complete list of links that I relied on to make this video. All of them wouldn’t fit in the description for the YouTube video, and I didn’t even get to mention everything I read about!
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Systemic Racism in America, 13th on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741
What is ANTIFA?:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/8/21277320/antifa-anti-fascist-explained
No proof of ANTIFA involvement in Washington.
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/antifa-trump-fbi/
FBI investigating possible links between Oakland and Santa Cruz shootings that killed cops:
https://apnews.com/805b15cb02d265e5f1dd77f3317180a9
Little evidence for ANTIFA involvement in destruction and violence:
https://apnews.com/20b9b86dba5c480bad759a3bd34cd875
No sign of ANTIFA in justice department cases over riots and unrest:
White nationalist group poses as ANTIFA on Twitter:
Fox News “investigative journalist” continually falls for hoaxes around ANTIFA:
Fox keeps playing older riot clips despite protests being peaceful:
Oregon town prepared for ANTIFA buses, which never arrived:
LOCAL business owners with guns on roofs in Arroyo Grande, California:
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/armed-men-on-roofs-during-local-protest-spark-debate
Santa Maria gun stores cleared out after Sunday unrest:
Brick conspiracy theories debunked:
https://apnews.com/2217e8c8af5dcdc1d47622822294ce2e
Trump makes up stuff about elderly man shoved by Buffalo Police:
Sheriff blames BLM movement:
Joe Biden and the Crime Bill:
Credit due to the Santa Maria Police Department:
Police brutality widespread during protests:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/06/police-violence-protests-us-george-floyd
Elderly man from Buffalo shoved:
https://twitter.com/OmarJimenez/status/1268894171668123653
Martin Gugino from Buffalo is longtime activist:
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/75-year-old-man-pushed-by-buffalo-police-is-long-time-activist
San Jose police severely injure man who trains them in bias:
https://abc7news.com/san-jose-police-george-floyd-protest-bay-area-shot-by-during/6234212/
Police targeting protest medics:
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5eda95b1c5b656c8b5c7c83a/amp
Activists begin online spreadsheet documenting police violence:
Several police agencies caught lying about protests:
Journalist loses sight in one eye after police attack::
US Now ranked in most dangerous countries for journalists:
Trump lies about Martin Gugino:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-comments-on-buffalo-protester-martin-gugino-antifa-police/
Killings of unarmed Americans disproportionately effects blacks:
Data on police violence:
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/nationaltrends
Misconduct reports hidden:
https://local21news.com/news/local/pennsylvanias-secret-police-misconduct-records
Houston Chief marches with protestors, criticized for lack of reforms
Police lied about Rolex:
https://www.gq.com/story/watch-store-looting-true-story
FBI Plan to infiltrate “Black Identity Extremists”
https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/mnzAKMpdtiZ7AcYLd5cRR
Police surveilling activists
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/20/political-surveillance-police-activists-tennessee/
Police Departments spying on black journalists and activists:
FBI report on white supremacist infilatration into police agencies and many examples:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fbi-white-supremacists-in-law-enforcement
FBI Report:
http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/402521/doc-26-white-supremacist-infiltration.pdf
Infiltration by white supremacists:
Neo-Nazi “gang” in LA Sheriff’s:
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-12-me-107-story.html
Cleveland Police “Nazi graffiti” in 1999:
https://www.mdcbowen.org/p2/bh/racist_grafitti_in_the_cleveland.htm
Texas officers fired for being members of the KKK:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93046&page=1
Chicago officer tortured more than 100 black men:
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/racism-torture-and-impunity-chicago/
Oregon Police asks Proud Boys to go inside so as not to appear to “play favorites”
https://www.insider.com/police-salem-oregon-protesters-stay-inside-curfew-proud-boys-white-2020-6
Proud Boys founder leaves the group:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/proud-boys-founder-gavin-mcinnes-quits-far-right-group
Extremists in Minnesota https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/30/outsiders-extremists-are-among-those-fomenting-violence-in-twin-cities
Extremists across US:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/01/officials-see-extremist-groups-disinformation-in-protests
White Supremacists call for violence at protests:
Bugaloo Boys, Trump and Sessions released police from federal oversight, Bill Bar orders attack on peaceful protestors:
MotherJones.com
Protestors attacked by cars, met with intimidation and gun violence:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/09/protests-us-america-cars-weapons
Three right-wing extremists arrest by FBI for planned attack on Las Vegas protests:
https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/vegas-authorities-3-arrested-on-terrorism-charges
Salt Lake City Bow and Arrow attacker:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/06/04/man-who-drew-bow-arrow/
KKK President arrested for hitting protester with truck:
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/kkk-president-arrested-for-hitting-protester-with-his-truck
Black Bakersfield protester run down by white man in car:
https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/111918398
DHS analyst suppressed by conservative intelligence officials and lawmakers:
https://www.wired.com/2012/08/dhs/
Rightwing Extremism report:
https://fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf
Candice Owens at House hearing on white supremacy:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4818085/kathleen-belew-candace-owens-clash-hearing-white-supremacy
Movement to “Defund the Police”
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/05/defunding-the-police-us-what-does-it-mean
Minneapolis City Council will vote to dismantle current police department:
Democratic police reform bill:
Calls to “defund police” not supported by most Democrats
Santa Maria City budget:
Trump and Sessions released cops from federal oversight:
Military hardware sold to police resumes under Trump Administration:
“Secret Police” in Washington:
Attacks on protestors included priests from St. John’s:
Mattis speaks against Trump:
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apoligizes for Lafayette Square:
Political Payne 