‘GENERALLY’ BAD
President Trump would like to see an end to police chokeholds ... with limits.
President Donald Trump says he’d like to see an end to the police use of chokeholds, except in limited circumstances.
Mr. Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News Channel that aired Friday.
Mr. Trump said he doesn’t like chokeholds and thinks that, “generally speaking,” the practice “should be ended.”
But he also talked at length about a scenario in which a police officer is alone and fighting one-onone and might need to use the tactic.
The White House has been working to craft an executive order on policing in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody, which has sparked protests across the nation and around the world demanding justice and racial equality.
Congress also has been working to craft legislation in response.
Judge addresses use of devices in Seattle
A U.S. judge on Friday ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up largely peaceful protests — a victory for groups who say authorities have overreacted to recent demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice.
The liberal city with a lengthy history of massive, frequent protests has taken hits from all sides — from demonstrators, some city officials, the president and now a judge — over the way it’s responded to crowds taking to the streets following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Those on the right say the mayor and police chief aren’t being tough enough on protesters who have taken over part of a neighborhood near downtown Seattle; those on the left say police tactics have been far too harsh.
U.S. District Judge Richard Jones sided with a Black Lives Matter group that sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the violent tactics it has used to break up protests.
Last weekend, officers used tear gas, pepper spray and other force against crowds of protesters. Judge Jones’ order halts those tactics for two weeks, although demonstrations this week have been calm.
Mayor Jenny Durkan and police Chief Carmen Best have apologized to peaceful protesters who were subjected to chemical weapons. But Chief Best has said some demonstrators violently targeted police, throwing objects and ignoring orders to disperse. Both have faced calls to resign, which they have rejected.
The judge said those objecting to the police tactics make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional. He said weapons like tear gas and pepper spray fail to target “any single agitator or criminal” and are especially problematic during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders’ homes or offices as they have done before,” Judge Jones wrote.
Boston mayor declares racism a health crisis
Boston’s mayor declared racism a public health crisis on Friday, outlining a series of police reforms.
Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh said he would propose transferring $12 million from the police department, or roughly 20% of its overtime budget, to fund a range of social services, including mental health counseling, housing and homelessness programs, and new public health commission efforts to address racial disparities in health care.
Protesters have called on
Mr. Walsh to “defund” police, and redirecting money from police to other social services is one of the goals of that movement. Activists have also asked Mr. Walsh to remove or rename city landmarks in recent days.
The mayor also announced the creation of the Boston Police Reform Task Force to review the department’s use of force policies and suggest ways to improve officer training, its body camera program and the city’s police review board.
Name tweak sought for Rhode Island
The smallest U.S. state has the longest name, and it’s not sitting well with some in the George Floyd era.
Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. Now, opponents have revived an effort to lop off the plantations reference, saying it evokes the legacy of slavery.
An online petition aims to ask the state to shorten the name to just Rhode Island, a nonbinding campaign intended to generate momentum toward an eventual ballot question this November.
“In no way am I trying to erase history. But we shouldn’t glorify our shameful past,” said Tyson Pianka, a University of Rhode Island sophomore who organized the petition drive.
Name alterations have been attempted before — most recently in 2010, when nearly eight in 10 voters rejected the shorter name in a referendum. But supporters say they’re feeling a fresh sense of urgency and determination. About 60% of all slave-trading voyages launched from North America came from Rhode Island, researchers say.
Clemson to rename honors college, hall
Clemson University trustees voted Friday to rename the school’s honors college, stripping off the name of slavery proponent and former Vice President John C. Calhoun.
The university’s board also publicly requested permission from the state legislature to change the name of Tillman Hall back to its original name, the Main building. The iconic campus building currently honors “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman, the governor and U.S. senator who used virulent racism to dominate South Carolina politics after Reconstruction.
Other than removing the Confederate flag from state House grounds after a deadly attack on nine black Charleston church members in 2015, lawmakers have refused to take up any major changes of Confederate monuments. Change requires a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate.
The honors program will now be called the “Clemson University Honors College.”
Calhoun, who was born in South Carolina, declared slavery a “positive good” on the U.S. Senate floor in 1837. Tillman led a white mob in 1876 that killed several black men in Hamburg, an Aiken County town where freed slaves had settled.
Clemson’s honors college was established in 1962 and named after Calhoun in 1981, and the university maintains Calhoun’s plantation home on campus.
Trudeau calls video of arrest ‘shocking’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that black and indigenous people in Canada do not feel safe around police after video emerged of the violent arrest of a Canadian aboriginal chief.
The 12-minute police video shows an officer charging at Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam with his arm and elbow up as he tackles him to the ground. It also shows the officer punching him in the head.
Mr. Trudeau called the video “shocking.”
“I have serious questions about what happened,” he said. “The independent investigation must be transparent and be carried out so that we get answers. At the same time, though, we also know that this is not an isolated incident. Far too many black Canadians and indigenous people do not feel safe around police. It’s unacceptable. And as governments, we have to change that.”
Pictures show Mr. Adam was left bloodied with his face swollen. Alberta’s police watchdog agency is investigating. Police charged Mr. Adam with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.
Activists grab relic at Paris museum
Activists dislodged a 19th-century African funeral pole from its perch in a Paris museum Friday, saying they wanted to return it to Africa in a protest against colonial-era abuses.
The incident in the Quai Branly Museum came amid growing anger at symbols of colonialism and slavery in the U.S. and Europe.
The five protesters were stopped before they could leave the museum with the artwork, and an investigation was opened, according to a statement from France’s culture minister. The work did not suffer serious damage.