| 'Boogaloo' arrests in Nevada portray extremists using protests to incite civil war Posted: 05 Jun 2020 06:11 AM PDT  Two men charged with conspiring to incite violence and civil unrest at protests over the killing of George Floyd previously sought to do the same thing at protests against coronavirus lockdowns, federal prosecutors say.
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| Tired of troops on the streets, Washington, D.C., names 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' outside the White House Posted: 05 Jun 2020 10:27 AM PDT  Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the change Friday morning, but a local Black Lives Matter group called it "a performative distraction."
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| Alabama shooting: Seven people found dead in ‘horrific’ scene at home Posted: 05 Jun 2020 05:25 AM PDT  Seven people have been found shot dead in an Alabama home in what police described as a "horrific" scene.Police were responding to an emergency call reporting gunshots on Sunday evening when they arrived to find the house on fire.
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| China urges citizens to shun Australia as dispute simmers Posted: 05 Jun 2020 07:26 PM PDT  China is advising its citizens not to visit Australia, citing racial discrimination and violence against Asians, in what appears to be Beijing's latest attempt to punish the country for advocating an investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. A notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism late Friday said there has "been an increase in words and deeds of racial discrimination and acts of violence against Chinese and Asians in Australia, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic." "The ministry advises Chinese tourists to raise their safety awareness and avoid travelling to Australia," the notice said.
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| Bolsonaro defends later, partial release of Brazil COVID-19 data Posted: 06 Jun 2020 09:03 AM PDT  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday defended his government's move to partially withhold official data on the scale of the world's second-largest coronavirus outbreak. Late on Friday, Brazil's Health Ministry took down a website showing the evolution of the epidemic over time and by state and municipality. The ministry also stopped reporting a total tally of confirmed cases, which have shot past 645,000 – more than anywhere outside the United States – and its overall death toll, which just passed Italy with more than 35,000.
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| New arms race taking shape amid a pandemic and economic crisis Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:01 AM PDT  Three decades after the Cold War ended without a feared nuclear cataclysm, arms control experts are starting to think the sigh of relief heard around the world then might have been premature.
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| Deception at D-Day: How Fake Armies, False Radio Traffic and Even Rubber Tanks Helped Fool Hitler Posted: 05 Jun 2020 07:45 AM PDT  On June 6, 1944, the Allies mounted the largest amphibious invasion in military history– it was D-Day and some 156,000 Allied soldiers landed in Normandy, France beginning the liberation of Western Europe. However, in the days and weeks that followed the German military – including their leader Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler – believed the landings at Normandy were merely a feint, a deception with the real invasion still to come at Pas de Calais.
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| Trump says the economy will cure the 'very sad problem' of police killing blacks Posted: 05 Jun 2020 11:07 AM PDT  Over the past two days, President Trump has twice been asked how he plans to try to fix the daunting problem of systemic racism in police departments across America and both times he has made clear that he believes a healthy economy will do the trick.
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| 'Are you serious? I'm working!': Cops arrest essential workers alongside protestors as calls grow to end NYC curfew Posted: 05 Jun 2020 09:02 AM PDT  Calls have grown in recent days for New York City officials to end a curfew amid protests against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, as reports show police arresting essential workers alongside demonstrators.The 8pm curfew has caused confusion and further disruption in the city, despite Mayor Bill de Blasio designating on-demand food delivery workers essential — as some workers and industries have been labelled throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
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| 'Sick with remorse': Cyclist charged with assaulting teen protesters who put up justice for George Floyd posters says he's 'committed to making amends' Posted: 06 Jun 2020 12:56 PM PDT  Anthony Brennan III was charged with three counts of second-degree assault after being seen attacking young people while on a trail in Maryland.
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| Minneapolis businesswoman stands with protesters, even after her store burned down Posted: 06 Jun 2020 01:54 PM PDT  "This hurts, but watching him lose his life like that, it hurts more, it hurts more than losing my business," she said.
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| The 20 Best Podcasts About All Things Tech Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:00 AM PDT |
| Brazil's Supreme Court halts police raids in Rio's favelas during pandemic Posted: 05 Jun 2020 05:27 PM PDT  A Brazilian Supreme Court minister on Friday prohibited police raids in Rio de Janeiro's favelas during the novel coronavirus pandemic, as a groundswell of criticism of brutal police tactics grows in Latin America's largest nation. In the decision, Minister Edson Fachin forbid raids in favelas - as Brazil's informal shantytowns are known - "except in absolutely exceptional cases," which most be pre-approved by the state prosecutor's office. Rio's police forces are notoriously violent, having killed over 1,800 people in 2019.
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| The White House praised the ‘courage’ of Chinese protesters who died in the Tiananmen Square massacre days after tear gas and rubber bullets were used against protesters in DC Posted: 05 Jun 2020 01:18 AM PDT  The statement praises Chinese protesters for their "courage and optimism." It doesn't address the violent police response against protesters in the US.
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| Iran FM throws ball back in Trump's court on nuclear deal Posted: 05 Jun 2020 01:15 PM PDT  Iran's foreign minister Friday threw the ball back into the US president's court on reaching a new nuclear agreement, after the two countries carried out a prisoner swap. President Donald Trump had voiced hope for progress with Iran a day earlier, after the Islamic republic released a US Navy veteran and the United States freed two Iranians. "Thank you to Iran, it shows a deal is possible!" Trump had tweeted.
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| Two Buffalo policemen charged for shoving 75-year-old protester Posted: 06 Jun 2020 03:27 PM PDT  The officers filmed pushing a man, 75, to the ground have been charged with second degree-assault.
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| Denver police fire pepper balls at man yelling that his pregnant fiancée is in car Posted: 05 Jun 2020 03:18 PM PDT  "Honestly I thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to be the next black man shot by police," the man said.
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| Elephant dies in India after eating explosive-stuffed fruit Posted: 05 Jun 2020 03:33 AM PDT  Indian police on Friday arrested a man accused of causing the death of a pregnant elephant that died after biting a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers that exploded in its mouth. The 15-year-old elephant was unable to eat after the injury and died in a river in Pallakad in southern Kerala state on May 27, state forest officer Surendra Kumar said. The state forest department announced the arrest and said it is investigating whether he was a poacher or a farmer who wanted to kill the elephant to prevent it from damaging crops.
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| Bolsonaro threatens WHO exit as COVID-19 kills 'a Brazilian per minute' Posted: 05 Jun 2020 06:05 AM PDT  President Jair Bolsonaro threatened on Friday to pull Brazil out of the World Health Organization after the U.N. agency warned Latin American governments about the risk of lifting lockdowns before slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the region. A new Brazilian record for daily COVID-19 fatalities pushed the county's death toll past that of Italy late on Thursday, but Bolsonaro continues to argue for quickly lifting state isolation orders, arguing that the economic costs outweigh public health risks. Latin America's most populous nations, Brazil and Mexico, are seeing the highest rates of new infections, though the pandemic is also gathering pace in countries such as Peru, Colombia, Chile and Bolivia.
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| US Marines order Confederate flag to be removed from public display Posted: 06 Jun 2020 07:44 AM PDT  The US Marine Corps has officially ordered the removal of the Confederate battle flag from public display on its bases and offices, citing the flag's use by racist groups as a "threat to our core values".In a statement on 5 June, the service branch said: "The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps."
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| Young white men with long guns at George Floyd protests likely affiliated with far-right group Boogaloo Posted: 05 Jun 2020 11:02 AM PDT  Some gun-toting men affiliated with far-right group Boogaloo offer protection. Others seek to incite violence between police and demonstrators.
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| Carole Baskin says she had to let go of half of Big Cat Rescue's paid staff while she and her husband aren't taking paychecks Posted: 05 Jun 2020 10:22 AM PDT  Carole Baskin told Insider she had to let go of 10 out of 20 staff members after Big Cat Rescue lost approximately one third of its revenue.
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| Trump praises success against coronavirus in states that are seeing cases spike Posted: 05 Jun 2020 11:02 AM PDT  "Look at what's going in Florida, it's incredible," Trump said at one point. "The job the governor of Florida's done, it's incredible. The numbers they're doing ... you gotta open it up." Much like Florida, Georgia has had the integrity of its coronavirus numbers questioned.
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| Police arrested in Mexico after riots over man's death Posted: 05 Jun 2020 12:57 PM PDT  Three police officers have been arrested in the Mexican state of Jalisco over the death of a man taken into custody for allegedly breaking coronavirus restrictions, authorities said Friday. Among those placed under arrest over the death of 30-year-old Giovanni Lopez last month is a municipal police chief in Guadalajara and another middle-ranking officer, state prosecutor Gerardo Solis told reporters. The arrests follow riots in the state capital Guadalajara after protesters had gathered to demand justice over Lopez's death.
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| COVID-19 Is a Symptom of a Bigger Problem: Our Planet’s Ailing Health Posted: 05 Jun 2020 05:00 AM PDT  On World Environment Day, Inger Andersen and Johan Rockström explain how the COVID-19 pandemic is a sign of bigger problems with the Earth.
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| Rights group says another Thai dissident abducted in SE Asia Posted: 05 Jun 2020 12:57 AM PDT  A Thai dissident has been abducted in Cambodia, a human rights group said Friday, raising concern that a mysterious campaign targeting exiles for disappearance or death may have been revived. Armed men snatched Wanchalearm Satsaksit off the street in front of his apartment in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh late Thursday afternoon, Human Rights Watch said Friday, citing witnesses and a security video at the building. Cambodia denied any abduction had taken place and said no investigation was planned.
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| 'Enough is Enough': Jamaicans protest in support of George Floyd Posted: 06 Jun 2020 04:01 PM PDT |
| Herman Cain reacts to ‘stunning’ May jobs report: Consumers trust businesses more than politicians Posted: 06 Jun 2020 07:41 AM PDT  Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain tells 'Fox and Friends Weekend' once the economy started reopening, the job numbers increased.
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| 'Only African American in the Room:' Next Air Force Chief of Staff Speaks Out on Racism in Ranks Posted: 05 Jun 2020 09:17 AM PDT  Brown described his experience as "living in two worlds," with some questioning whether he even belonged in the ranks.
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| Tom Cotton’s Foes Are Embracing Authoritarianism Posted: 05 Jun 2020 08:21 AM PDT  It was probably inevitable that, at some point, the New York Times would become engulfed in the national controversy over racism and everything that's wrong with America.
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| Trump orders large withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany Posted: 06 Jun 2020 05:47 AM PDT |
| Cops Are Finally Being Disciplined—but Is Anybody Buying It? Posted: 05 Jun 2020 07:24 PM PDT  Nearly two weeks into protests against the killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis police custody, a slew of different cities across the country have been forced to confront the brutal methods used by their own police officers as videos emerged of harrowing incident after harrowing incident. And on Friday, it seemed a reckoning of sorts was in the air: Police officers in multiple cities were suspended, hit with charges, or stripped of their powers after they were caught on camera treating peaceful protesters like combatants. In New York City, where earlier this week authorities had praised the police department's "restraint" amid protests despite video evidence to the contrary, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced that two officers involved in violent encounters with protesters—including one woman who was violently pushed to the ground and a man who was pepper sprayed after his mask was pulled down—have been suspended without pay.New York Cops Beat Protesters for Crime of Being ThereIn Philadelphia, the District Attorney's office filed aggravated assault charges against police inspector Joseph Bologna after a video showed him hitting a demonstrator with a metal baton. The demonstrator, a Temple University student who was also arrested and detained for 24 hours, needed ten staples and sutures in his head following Monday's incident in Center City. Several states away, two Chicago police officers caught on video pulling a woman from a car by her hair before placing a knee on her neck have been stripped of their police powers pending an investigation, authorities said in a Friday statement. But before the night was even halfway over, the illusion of change began to unravel. NYPD officers rushed dozens of demonstrators in Manhattan that were out past the 8 p.m. curfew, arresting people in droves and hitting several with batons. At least 10 protesters were arrested after the peaceful protest—several of whom chanted "black lives matter" while they were awaiting transport, according to City & State NY."This is outrageous. We were engaged in a non-violent protest. Stop arresting New Yorkers for no reason," NYC Council Member Ben Kallos tweeted.Across the river in Brooklyn, one protester told The Daily Beast he was pushed over by authorities—prompting other residents to shout and swear at officers pushing them to go home past curfew. After a tense stand-off in which cops yelled at reporters and pushed people who had been peacefully protesting onto the sidewalks, at least a dozen were arrested and directed into NYPD vans. And in Buffalo, while there was a sense of accountability after the officers who shoved down 75-year-old Martin Gugino on Thursday night were suspended without pay, there was another sign of the rift between peaceful protesters and police officers as 57 fellow members of the Buffalo Police Department Emergency Response Team resigned in solidarity with the suspended officers.In Minneapolis, where protesters continued to express outrage over the death of Floyd on Friday, demonstrators were skeptical of police being held accountable. Zeque Davies, a 29-year-old whose parents emigrated to Minneapolis from Liberia, said the cities that have disciplined officers in recent days are "trying to prove a point through the media." "I don't think they're actually holding cops accountable," Davies told The Daily Beast. "A slap on the wrist and a paid vacation is not holding a cop accountable. Trying him, arresting him and giving him a charge, that's holding a cop accountable."Demonstrators in other cities weren't convinced that a simple suspension would solve any problems. "I'm sure there are professional police officers. But what we're seeing is that unlike other departments or other services, when a police officer goes rogue, they kill people," Tara Smith, 30, told The Daily Beast at a vigil held at Union Square in Manhattan. "A city clerk is not going to do the same kind of damage, so you can't tell me that they should not be held to a higher standard than other industries and other departments and services." Others pointed out that all the recent acts of brutality by police were happening even while people were filming them—raising the question of what happens when the cameras stop rolling. Carolina Martinez, a bartender in Buffalo taking part in a peaceful protest on Friday, said it only took four hours for video of police officers shoving down a peaceful protester to garner worldwide attention a day earlier. "The only thing we can do now is just continue to just broadcast it," she said. Residents still came out in droves on Friday to protest. In Washington, D.C., the mayor's office commissioned "Black Lives Matter" to be painted across a street leading to the White House.Cops Reclaim New York in Massive Show of Force In New York, thousands of residents across the five boroughs took to the streets despite the rain. Upstate, in Buffalo, protesters gathered in Niagara Square demanding police reform one day after an elderly activist was shoved to the ground by officers.The nation-wide demonstrations on Friday also focused on Breonna Taylor, the Kentucky EMT worker fatally shot in her home during a botched March police raid. On Friday, Taylor would have been 27-years-old. From New York to Portland to Miami, thousands of protesters sang Happy Birthday in Taylor's honor. In Kentucky, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Jefferson Square Park in Kentucky to honor her memory, many writing birthday cards that will be sent to Taylor's family.In Miami, hundreds of residents took to the streets in a Black Lives Matter protest, forcing officials to shut down several highways and the mayor to change the city-wide curfew. The Miami Police Department closed Interstate 95 in both directions to allow space for the continued protesters chanting "say their names" near Wynwood. "I think the protests are finally getting politicians and police departments to finally listen. Everyday it's a step forward," Ashlynn Lee, 20, told The Daily Beast. Her friend, Tanisha Brown, 20, added: "They are definitely listening to what these protests are about. We are taking not only over the streets in the 50 states and different countries, but also social media. All you see when you scroll down is black lives matter. People are starting to shout it is definitely happening. Everybody is fighting for black lives."About an hour later, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez moved the curfew to 10 p.m., after it was pushed back to midnight earlier this week. Alan, one protester who attended the Miami protests, called the mayor's decision to bump up the curfew due to "unrest" a "bullshit move.""If it wasn't about Black Lives Matter and police reform, the protestors would be treated differently. There was no unrest," Alan said. In Minneapolis, the intersection where Floyd was killed has turned into a constant block party—complete with a stage that hosts speakers, spoken word artists, and rappers. Robin Jackson, 27-year-who lives down the street, told The Daily Beast things are peaceful in the downtown Minneapolis neighborhood, for now. He added that while some Americans are reeling from Floyd's tragic death, the black community is simply witnessing what they have known for years."I feel like this is just the acknowledgment among people other than Black people, where they can say, "Ok, maybe they have a point," Jackson said. "They're at least acknowledging that something is happening."The ongoing protests have already sparked police reform in two states. City officials in Minneapolis have agreed to ban police chokeholds while detaining suspects and require officers to intervene when they see unauthorized force used by a colleague. Every Buffalo Cop in Elite Unit Quits to Back Officers Who Shoved Elderly Man to GroundIn California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the "carotid hold," a neck restraint move that blocks blood flow to the brain, be removed from police training. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Friday announced a ban on the police use of tear gas for 30 days as protests are expected to continue in the city. The ban came just hours after three civilian police watchdog groups urged Seattle leaders to ban the violent tactic that public health officials believe may potentially increase the COVID-19 spread. A federal judge in Denver Friday also ruled that police must limit their use of "chemical weapons or projectiles" and a number of other measures of force against protesters, calling the past actions of law enforcement nation-wide "disgusting."As demonstrators have continued to take to the streets, one medical worker in New York acknowledged that the health care community is concerned about how the protests will ultimately impact the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "Obviously it worries us because we're afraid of a spike in coronavirus cases. We all work at a hospital and we know what that means when that happens," Sushmitha Echt, an attending physician at Northwell Health, told The Daily Beast. "At the same time, we're wearing our masks... there are certain things we just have to take a stand for. This is one of those things."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 'They pepper-sprayed him to death': Mom of dead prisoner speaks out Posted: 05 Jun 2020 07:41 AM PDT  The incident began when inmate Jamel Floyd barricaded himself inside his cell and used a metal object to break the cell-door window, authorities said.
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| Combat drone to compete against piloted plane Posted: 06 Jun 2020 12:40 AM PDT  The US Air Force will pit an advanced autonomous aircraft against a piloted plane in tests.
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| FBI: National Guardsman expressed white supremacist ideology Posted: 05 Jun 2020 01:57 PM PDT  An Ohio National Guardsman was removed from policing protests in Washington D.C. after the FBI found he expressed white supremacist ideology online, Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a briefing Friday. The state had sent 100 National Guard soldiers to the nation's capital Tuesday at the request of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to assist in quelling violence over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
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| U.S. envoy to U.N. pushes back against criticism over protests Posted: 05 Jun 2020 11:01 AM PDT  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft on Friday pushed back against criticism from China and Iran over the protests across the United States about racial inequality and excessive police force, challenging them to compare records. China and Iran, described respectively in the past as authoritarian and a mafia-like state by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both urged the United States in recent days to tackle racism and protect minorities' rights.
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| One of Apple's suppliers just dropped a big hint that the iPhone 12 will probably be delayed Posted: 05 Jun 2020 06:44 AM PDT  It's looking increasingly likely that the launch of Apple's anticipated iPhone 12 will be pushed back this year.
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| Soldiers Pull BLM Signs, Confederate Flag from Vehicles After Viral Confrontation Posted: 05 Jun 2020 06:49 AM PDT  In the video, a soldier demands that another, out of frame, remove "Black Lives Matter" decals from his personal vehicle.
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| Why China Looked To Israel's Lavi Jet For Its J-10 'Vigorous Dragon' Posted: 06 Jun 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Though not a cutting-edge stealth aircraft, it marked an important milestone in China's military modernization—achieved, most likely, with a little foreign assistance.
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| Taiwan populist mayor recalled in historic vote Posted: 06 Jun 2020 07:51 AM PDT  A populist Taiwanese mayor was recalled by voters on Saturday, abruptly ending the rise of a politician whose failed presidential bid had favoured closer ties with China. The historic recall by citizens in the democratic island that Beijing regards as part of its own territory -- vowing to one day seize it, by force if necessary -- comes as tensions with China surge. Han Kuo-yu was ousted by more than 40 percent of eligible voters in the southern city of Kaohsiung, with 97 percent of the ballots cast calling for the recall, according to the city's elections commission.
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| Minneapolis Neighborhood Patrols Fear White Supremacists Are Infiltrating to Derail Protests Posted: 05 Jun 2020 12:39 AM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS—Edward walked up to an SUV full of four armed white men on Monday night, pumped his shotgun, and told them to get out of his neighborhood.The men—who he said were armed with hunting knives and wearing tactical vests—told him they were from a suburb south of the city. After repeatedly asking them what they were doing and why they were in the Field neighborhood of South Minneapolis, Edward signaled to his wife, who retrieved the weapon and gave it to her husband."I just figured I'd respond using the language and methods that they use, and it worked," Edward, who requested to use a pseudonym out of concern for his safety, told The Daily Beast.The incident speaks to the fear that has descended on Minneapolis in the week since George Floyd was killed by a local police officer, and protests—including occasional bursts of violence, looting, and arson— consumed the city. Across the city and its surrounding suburbs, residents who sympathize with anti-police protesters are creating small, independent groups of citizens—or else arming themselves individually—to look out for their own neighborhoods. 'Your Home Will Burn': Minnesota Homes With BLM Signs Are Receiving Death ThreatsArmed Counterprotesters Are Menacing BLM Rallies Across AmericaIn other words, with police—and a bevy of state and National Guard reinforcements—focused on monitoring protests, the people of Minneapolis are in some cases policing themselves.KB Brown, who owns a printing shop in north Minneapolis, said he coordinated community patrols two days after Floyd's death, when protests began to roil the city. These volunteers included rival gang members, now reportedly united to protect the area, a contingent of biker clubs, and even "white people with hockey sticks." "We were abandoned by law enforcement so I figured the quote-unquote thugs were the best ones to patrol the streets, and they were more than willing to do it," Brown, 45, told The Daily Beast. "I agree with you protesting over Floyd," the business owner said, adding that one of his printing machines was damaged in the riots. "I don't agree with you tearing up my stuff. I worked too hard for it. A lot of people in the neighborhood felt the same way."Brown's nighttime network of about 60 people has covered a large swath of north Minneapolis, which is predominantly black, to fend off outsiders and looters. At one point, he says, his group faced off with armed white men firing shots, and thieves trying to break into a single mother's house. Using patrols by foot and by car, Brown says, he provided intel to the mayor's office and police. One night he stationed himself outside a mosque on Lyndale Avenue N."The first night I was out with my German Shepherd, I gathered up the gang members and said, 'This is your hood. Now you have fighters and they're threatening your neighborhood. What you gonna do? They stepped up to the plate—big time," said Brown, who also spoke to the Minneapolis Star Tribune of his effort.While the riots have quieted down, Brown says, he wants his group to "keep intact in case something happens again." On Thursday, Brown said he and his dog—named Akasha, after R&B; singer Aaliyah's character in The Queen of the Damned movie—would take the night off and "pray that nothing happens tonight.""I have never been more proud of my community—that's been outside of race," Brown said. "There's whites, Mexicans, blacks, Somalians, Africans, everybody's out and everybody's doing their part. The rest of the community that are not on the front lines are leaving sandwiches and cookies and coffee. They're coming out saying thank you for keeping us safe."In the south of the city, the specter of violence was keeping residents alert, too. Some of them, per this NPR report, took posts on the roofs of apartments and Latino businesses, armed with semi-automatic weapons in absence of a law enforcement presence. While black residents have been patrolling the predominately African-American north side, white residents are working their mostly-white neighborhoods south of downtown as well, in addition to Somalis patrolling their own pockets of Minneapolis. "We don't know how preoccupied the cops are or even if they're around and patrolling, so it's a lot of fear and anxiety and paranoia around these people who might mess with personal property," said Justin Bruhn, a white man who lives in the city's Longfellow neighborhood, where much of the destruction, burning and looting took place last week. "We're literally and figuratively in the dark about what is happening in the neighborhoods at any given moment."All of the residents who spoke to The Daily Beast said they support the protests, with Edward adding that he "absolutely" supports "complete police reform and criminal justice reform." Mohamed Salad, a 20-year-old who came to Minneapolis as a child after his family fled Somalia, said violence, looting and vandalism "diverts from the cause and the message we're trying to put across, which isn't justice for George Floyd, but justice for everyone who has been wronged in America."Edward, Brown, Bruhn, Salad and others are dealing with wildly-spreading rumors about alleged incidents and nefarious plots across the city. The chatter includes talk of white supremacists, the KKK and white "militia" men with guns, intent on sowing chaos and terrorizing neighborhoods at night. Antifa members are rumored—as in other cities, from Idaho to New York—to be coming to the city to do the same. Vehicles without license plates are often thought to be an indicator that havoc is imminent. Piles of wood and accelerants are being found in alleys and behind people's homes. Pallets of bricks have been inexplicably left around the city, supposedly to provide vandals and looters with the tools they need. (In other cities, locals have said bricks and concrete might just be regular construction debris.)Rumors this week of antifa (or antifascist) militants plotting massive attacks on white people were revealed to be a hoax—propagated by a white supremacist group. In recent days, even the mayor of Minneapolis and governor of Minnesota publicly warned of white supremacists—and even drug cartels—fanning the flames of violence. State Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington clarified on Saturday: "But I cannot say that we have confirmed observations of local law enforcement to say that we've seen cells of white supremacists in the area.""I'm tired of this overload of information every five minutes and 80 percent of it being hearsay, or like the game of telephone," Edward said. "But then, this happened to me." Edward didn't get many answers to his questions when he confronted the armed men, just that they were from the suburb of Burnsville and were in south Minneapolis to join "peaceful protests." But the main gathering sites for protesters and mourners—the fifth and third police precinct and the Cup Foods where Floyd was killed—are miles from his home. He also pointed out that the men were armed and wearing tactical vests. One of the men wore white laces in his boots, a common practice among skinheads.For his part, Salad believes the rumors that white supremacists are roaming the city and looking to do damage that will only come back to hurt peaceful protesters, who he says make up 90 percent of those on the streets on any given night. When authorities announced that they believed white supremacists were targeting the city, Salad and his fellow residents of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood took action.Salad and his neighbors now go on nightly patrols, armed with flashlights, fire extinguishers and walkie-talkies for communication. "This is a community that's not only one of the largest black communities but it's one of the largest immigrant and Muslim communities so it's a considerably large target," Salad told The Daily Beast. "Even before the protests and the riots people were coming after us, but so far we haven't had one incident of looting, which is a blessing."Doug Mack, 39, also of Longfellow—a largely white neighborhood that also has black, Somali, Mexican and Asian residents—said neighbors on his street were taking shifts to make sure no one invades the area and destroys homes or businesses. Residents are taking posts up and down the block and in back alleyways, he said, "because there's been some paranoia about opportunists looking to set garbage cans on fire."Mack said there was a community meeting at Longfellow Park on Saturday in which local leaders encouraged the organizing of block-based clubs to be vigilant. "There are definitely a lot of rumors going around all kinds of things," he said. "People in South Minneapolis are on edge." His block searched parked cars and in alleys and bushes in case incendiaries were left about—which residents have been finding in their yards and alleys."That being said, there's just genuinely weird stuff going on around here."On Sunday night, Mack's group spotted people in a gray Honda, without license plates, cruising slowly down an alleyway which runs behind houses on the block, he recalled. "It's weird to see a vehicle with no plates, let alone with a curfew, going down an alley," Mack said.The neighborhood sentinels also spotted a red vehicle with Wisconsin plates occupied by young white men "who were pretty evasive when we were trying to say, 'Hi, how's it going? Do you need any help?'""They seemed pretty jumpy. I don't want to make any assumptions but we are on a random quiet residential street," Mack said, adding that the men claimed they were trying to get back to Wisconsin. Later on, neighbors spotted a strikingly similar vehicle at the other end of the block, but it had Minnesota plates, he continued.On Thursday, Mack said the block's official night shifts had ended as violence throughout the city appeared to diminish. Residents continue, however, to perch on their stoops and stay alert. The group's discussion has switched from the neighborhood watch to "long-term equity" and using resources to volunteer and stay engaged "beyond the patrols," Mack said.Mack's block leader sent out a group text Thursday, inviting neighbors to stand on Lake Street in solidarity with Floyd's family for Floyd's memorial service later that night.Meanwhile, Edward didn't get many answers from the armed strangers, but he did get some insight into their ideology: "Aren't you tired of having your liberties taken from you?" one of the men asked him, he recalled.Eventually, he had his wife grab his 12-gauge shotgun. He took the weapon from her, walked toward the men and pumped the shotgun, holding it in the air. The men sped away. "We are on our own in some of these neighborhoods," he added." We are defending ourselves as a community."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 'Rahul is a f---ing champ': The DC man who gave refuge to more than 70 protesters fleeing police and pepper spray is being heralded as a legend Posted: 06 Jun 2020 06:02 AM PDT  "If you're not black and you're not uncomfortable right now you're probably not doing enough," a protester said.
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