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Tribute To Honor George Floyd The Hate that Trump Created Police Brutality Unarmed Blacks Still Being Killed COVID-19 Death Toll Rising 2
It has taken over 400 years of Black people fighting for injustice, the lost of many Black lives, and worldwide riots for white society to finally open their eyes and realize that Black lives matter and another innocent Black man by the name of George Floyd has died by the hands of another racist white police officer that should be sentenced to death for taking the life of George Floyd. As of the writing of this issue of Unjust Magazine on 6/13/2020 another innocent unarmed Black man by the name of Rayshard Brooks was killed yesterday by Atlanta Police on 6/12/2020 for sleeping at a Wendy's drive thru window. I am still feeling the pain of two unarmed innocent Black women that were killed by racist police, and those two women were Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. Black and Hispanic people have a long history of being targeted by Police because of their skin color and it's now time to take the power of the people back from all racist cops, all racist politicians, and all racist groups by any means necessary. George Floyd is one man that has made a difference in the struggle to prove Black Live Matter, and he has proven that one person can make a difference, so I ask you, will you continue to fight injustice to make a difference? 3 Greg X * Editor In Chief
I’m fifty percent Huey Newton, fifty percent Joseph Cinque, and one hundred percent for the revolution, that Malcolm X expected to take place, after the Black race awakens to its unrest and latest state of oppression in the west. I guess eighty percent of my direct message will be suppressed with prejudice by the media, meaning my people will only receive twenty percent truth from Europeans, who view me as a threat, because my public address upsets investors and rednecks, one hundred percent of the time. By: Greg X * Editor In Chief 4
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George Floyd Honored: A three-state, five-day final journey for George Floyd ended Tuesday in Houston, the city he called home for most of his life. Thousands of mourners, including longtime friends and family members, gathered for the final funeral services at The Fountain of Praise church. Many wore black face coverings and sat apart in the pews as pallbearers brought Floyd's gold-colored casket up the aisle. 6
Family members broke down as they approached the casket and paid their respects one last time. \"I’m going to miss my brother a whole lot,\" LaTonya Floyd, George Floyd's sister, said through tears. \"I thank God for giving me, my own personal Superman.\" Religious leaders, gospel singers and other celebrants shared their condolences with Floyd's kin through prayers, poems and songs. They often referred to the 6-foot, 6-inch man as a \"gentle giant.\" 7
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Floyd's death in Minneapolis at the hands of four officers set off worldwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. A montage of videos of those protests was shown on a big screen while Dray Tate sang “A Change is Going to Come.” During the montage, Ange Hillz created a large sketch of Floyd's face with white paint on a black canvas. Floyd's niece Brooke Williams gave a passionate eulogy chastising the four officers who arrested Floyd and pinned him to the ground. She also took a not-so- subtle dig at President Trump, who has come under fire for pushing for tough police action in cities that are experiencing protests. \"Someone said, 'Make America great again,' but when has America ever been great?\" Williams said to cheers. \"You shouldn’t feel this pain, no one should feel this pain.\" 9
Floyd stayed close to his Houston family and friends and kept in close contact with his daughter, Gianna, 6, and her mother Roxie Washington. He was planning on bringing them to Minneapolis full-time, according to friends and family. He remained active in the community, particularly in his church, and helped organize events including Bible studies and basketball tournaments. \"All I think about is when he was yelling for momma,\" Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, said. \"Every momma felt that.\" 10
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Several dignitaries were in attendance including the Rev. Al Sharpton, U.S. Rep. Al Green, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Jamie Foxx, Channing Tatum and Houston Texans player J.J. Watt. Sharpton gave a fiery speech chastising leaders and police forces for their decades of discrimination against black Americans. After the funeral, Floyd's body was taken to Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland, and mourners gathered on the streets to watch the procession. 12
Floyd's body received a police escort and for the final mile the casket was brought in a horse drawn- carriage. Floyd was buried next to his mother, Sissy. The burial marks the end of memorial celebrations that began on Thursday in Minneapolis and included an event in North Carolina, where Floyd was born. 13
In a service punctuated throughout by moments of ecstatic worship and praise, the family of George Floyd gathered in Raeford, N.C., to honor the life of the man who was killed by Minneapolis police nearly two weeks ago. Floyd's family arrived dressed in white for the private memorial service at Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters of the United American Free Will Baptist Denomination near Fayetteville, N.C., Floyd's birthplace, on Saturday afternoon. Mourners were led in invocations, prayer and music. Floyd's uncle, Isaac Floyd, sang. Ruby Floyd, another family member, told the crowd, \"God is on our side.“ Several public officials also joined the family, including members of the state's congressional delegation, Democrat G.K. Butterfield and Republican Richard Hudson. A spokesman for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper presented the family with a flag that had flown at the state Capitol. \"In his living and in his dying, he has pleased God. He has woke all of us up,\" the spokesman, Jeremy Collins, said. 14
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George Floyd Death: Timeline from arrest to asphyxiation It was a typical Monday evening in Minneapolis before police arrived to apprehend a man they were told was \"awfully drunk\" and \"not in control of himself\". What followed were 31 minutes that ended a black man's life, saw four police officers fired - and one charged with murder - and pitted the public against police in cities across the US. George Floyd, 46, was killed face down on the side of the road. His death sparked peaceful protests in some cities and riots and looting in others. Scenes of utter chaos have continued for almost a week. Floyd's death will be scrutinised in depth at the trial for Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. This is how it happened, minute-by-minute, according to eyewitness accounts, police transcripts and CCTV footage. 16
7.57pm: George Floyd, a bouncer originally from Houston, arrived at the Cup Foods store in Powderhorn, a neighbourhood south of downtown Minneapolis. He was with friends when he entered the corner store to purchase cigarettes with what staff there later claimed was a counterfeit $20 note. After returning to his car, a blue SUV, Floyd was confronted by two employees of Cup Foods. They wanted the cigarettes back but said Floyd was drunk and not happy to be accosted. 8.01pm: A Cup Foods employee calls police. A transcript of the phone call includes the following conversation. Operator: \"How can I help you?\" Caller: \"Ummm, someone comes into our store and give us fake bills and we realise it before he left the store and we ran back outside, they was sitting on their car. We tell them to give us their phone, put their (inaudible) thing back and everything and he was also drunk and everything and return to give us our cigarettes back and so he can, so he can go home but he doesn't want to do that, and he's sitting on his car cause he is awfully drunk and he's not in control of himself.\" 17
8.08pm: Two officers arrive on the scene first. They are Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. They approach the blue SUV, which has its front passenger-side door open. CCTV footage from a nearby store shows Lane pull his gun out and order Floyd to put his hands on the wheel of the car. Within seconds, he puts the gun back in its holster. A minute later he pulls Floyd out of the driver's seat. Floyd is handcuffed and pressed against the wall of a restaurant when he is asked to identify himself by Kueng. 8.14pm: Six minutes into the arrest, Floyd is walked back to the car by Lane and Kueng. He falls to the ground, telling officers he doesn't want to enter because he is claustrophobic. 8.17pm: Three minutes later, a squad car carrying Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and fellow officer Tou Thao arrives on the scene. 18
Things almost immediately escalate when Chauvin, who has multiple previous complaints against his name, pulls Floyd from the back of the car and onto the pavement. 8.20pm: Eyewitness footage filmed at 8.20pm shows Chauvin applying pressure to Floyd's neck with his knee. Kueng is applying pressure to Floyd's torso. Lane is applying pressure to Floyd's legs. Thao stands by, keeping bystanders at a distance as the situation becomes increasingly tense. 19
Floyd struggles to catch his breath and manages the words, \"I can't breathe, man.“ Almost immediately, the officers call for medical assistance, citing \"bleeding from the mouth\". 8.21pm: The call from officers on the scene is upgraded to a request for emergency medical assistance. Chauvin keeps his knee on Floyd's neck for another seven minutes. \"Please, the knee in my neck. I can't breathe,\" Floyd begs. According to a criminal complaint filed against Chauvin on Friday, he knelt on Floyd's neck for a total of eight minutes and 46 seconds. The New York Times reports that the complaint against Chauvin claims Lane asked him twice if Floyd should be rolled onto his side. He allegedly responded \"no\" both times. 20
8.25pm: Having told officers 16 times that he could not breathe, Floyd appears to lose consciousness. Bystanders urge Chauvin to \"get off of him\". But instead, Chauvin pulls out his capsicum spray and gestures with it towards those watching on. \"Bro, he's not *f***ing moving,\" a bystander says. 8.27pm: An ambulance arrives and paramedics almost immediately check Floyd's pulse at the insistence of those watching on. \"Check his pulse. Check it right now,\" one witness tells police in a video that was later shared on Facebook. \"The man ain't breathing,\" another says. 8.28pm: Chauvin keeps his knee on Floyd's neck for another whole minute and only takes it away when a paramedic tells him to. Floyd is rolled onto a stretcher, his lifeless body shoved quickly into the back of the ambulance and carried away. 21
9.25pm: Floyd is pronounced dead in hospital less than an hour after his body was driven away from the scene of the arrest. But we know from a recorded phone call with paramedics that Floyd went into full cardiac arrest in as little as five minutes after he was loaded into the ambulance. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers who attended Floyd's arrest were also stood down. 22
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The Hate That Trump Created 26
Twitter hides Donald Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence' After a video of a policeman with his knee on Floyd's neck went viral, protests began in Minneapolis on May 26. Demonstrations spread to other cities on May 27. President Trump’s tweet warned people in Minneapolis protesting against the killing of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer that he would send the military to intervene if there was “any difficulty”. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump wrote, apparently quoting the former Miami police chief Walter Headley, who in December 1967 promised violent reprisals to protests over stop-and-frisk tactics. Two hours later, Twitter added a notice to the tweet: “This tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the tweet to remain accessible.” 27
As protests spread to other cities, Trump threatens use of military force. On May 30, he blames \"Antifa and the Radical Left\" for violence. On June 1, protesters in Lafayette Square, next to the White House, are forced out of the park shortly before Trump walks to St. John's Episcopal Church to be photographed holding a Bible. On June 4, a video shows a Buffalo police officer shoving a 75-year-old protester to the ground. He is hospitalized with a head injury and two officers are suspended without pay and later charged with assault. 28
A number of retired four-star generals and admirals denounced Trump's threat to use the US active military to quell nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. The military leaders criticized the use of law enforcement and National Guard troops to aggressively disperse peaceful protesters outside the White House, so that Trump could walk over to the St. John's Episcopal Church across the street and pose with a Bible, some condemned the appearance of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accompanying Trump for the photo-op. Many of these military leaders have been critical of the President in the past. 29
At a February 27 press conference meant to reassure the public, Trump seemed to spend more time defending his own actions than explaining what was being done to combat the coronavirus. “I took a lot of heat,” Trump said about the travel ban he imposed in January, which blocked people who were in China from entering the United States. “Some people called me racist because I made a decision so early It was a bold decision, and it turned out to be a good decision.” By the end of February, Trump and administration officials started shifting their tone. They spoke about the expected uptick in cases and Trump backed away from his comment that concerns about the virus were a “hoax” peddled by Democrats to help them at the polls this November. 30
In public comments and tweets, President Trump consistently played down the fledgling COVID-19 pandemic even as the first US case was reported in Washington state. He also applauded China’s handling of the virus at several points in January, before taking action to protect the US in the form of a limited travel ban from China on January 31. 31
Trump claims falsely that he was “so early. I was earlier than anybody thought” in response to a Columbia University study suggesting that 36,000 lives could have been saved in the US alone by implementing social distancing measures just a week earlier. As noted above, the president reportedly ignored security briefings on the coronavirus for weeks and did not roll out a social distancing campaign until mid-March. May 26: Trump again favorably compares the death toll to an Imperial College projection that estimated the death toll had the US taken no steps to stop the spread of Covid-19, tweeting that “if I hadn’t done my job well, & early, we would have lost 1 1/2 to 2 Million People.” For all of the political hacks out there, if I hadn’t done my job well, & early, we would have lost 1 1/2 to 2 Million People, as opposed to the 100,000 plus that looks like will be the number. That’s 15 to 20 times more than we will lose. I shut down entry from China very early! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 May 27: The US hits 100,000 reported Covid-19 deaths. 32
America Divided By Race and Trump Rhetoric Since Donald Trump injected himself into a life of politics, life has changed for many Americans, especially for non White citizens of America. The Trump agenda with all of its conspiracy theories, racist statements, untruthful rhetoric, lies, deception, and scare tactics have evidently brought out the best in white racists, ultra conservative White voters, back hills rural White folks, and a cowardly White Trump Administration, backed by a spineless passive White Senate that has stood behind every lying word and every unjust action of Donald Trump, in the same way that obedient children responds out of fear to demanding parents. Trump’s rhetoric has not only evoked anger among non White people, but has inspired violent White racists to commit anti-Semitic attacks on Black churches, Jewish Churches, Islamic Mosques, and let us not forget Charlottesville, Virginia. 33
Trump provokes anxiety in both the right and the left perhaps equally, albeit in very different ways. For the right, he fuels their fears about minorities and dissimilar others, calling Hispanic immigrants “murderers and rapists,” and stating in blanket- fashion that “Islam hates us.” His demonization of the “liberal media” and the Obama administration has transformed many right- wingers into full-fledged conspiracy theorists. 34
For the left, President Trump is the fear, his narcissistic personality and unpredictable, unrestrained behavior makes him a dangerous Commander-in-Chief, one that is liable to get the U.S. into a game of nuclear chicken with countries led by similarly erratic leaders, like North Korea. Trump’s policies and willingness to please his most extreme supporters threatens the rights of all non White people, gays, transgender folk, and women across the country. The only thing liberals might fear worse than Trump himself is the sentiment he brings out in his supporters, which has already proved deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia. 35
Trump says ”Make America Great Again” and Unjust Magazine says” Remember the slaves and immigrants that made America Great in the first place” and I’m sure that even Donald trump can relate to the latter, since Trump’s family originated in Germany and his wife Melania was born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia, which is known today as Slovenia. 36
We are obliged to track Trump’s lies, if only to remind Americans of the difference between truth and fiction and to trace the pace of his lies. In the seven weeks leading up the midterm elections, the president made 1,419 false or misleading claims. FACTS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP’S RACIST ACTIONS: Trump suggested that Mexican immigrants are mostly rapists; or said he didn’t want people from “shithole countries” like Haiti and countries in Africa coming to the United States; or systematically discriminated against African-Americans in his housing developments; or propagated a conspiracy theory about how the first black president wasn’t really an American; or insisted that there were “very fine people” marching with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville; or employed a personal butler who wrote on Facebook that Barack Obama should be lynched; or likened nonwhite immigrants to vermin; or called for banning Muslims from the United States; or encouraged U.S. soldiers to fire on a caravan of Central American women and children at the slightest provocation. 37
Trump and his father were forced to settle a housing discrimination claim in the 1970s alleging that they refused to rent to African Americans; Trump called for the death penalty for the so-called Central Park Five, insisting on their guilt even after DNA evidence exonerated them; He stoked birtherism, a racist conspiracy theory claiming that the first African American president wasn’t born in the United States; At a rally during the 2016 campaign, he referred to an • African American in the crowd “as my African American over here,” imploring the crowd to “look” at him. 38
There is no visible African American staffer in the West Wing; In a White House meeting, Trump allegedly said Haitians “all have AIDS” and that Nigerians should “go back to their huts.” According to lawmakers who attended an immigration meeting with Trump, the president said the United States should not be taking immigrants from “shithole” countries such as Haiti and from Africa; he said American immigration should prefer Norwegians; Trump said there were some “very fine people” among the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville last year, and; Trump regularly refers to African Americans as “low IQ.” (Lets not forget about the racist remarks and policies about Muslims and Hispanics.) Donald Trump is neither for Making America Great Again or for the people and the 2018 Mid-Term Elections proved detrimental to Trump, when Democrats hit Trump with the Blue Wave of Defeat. 39
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On the evening of Friday, June 12, 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police Department officer in the parking lot of the Wendy’s restaurant on University Avenue in Peoplestown. the Atlanta Police Department arrived at the Wendy’s at 125 University Avenue to respond to a complaint of a man asleep in his vehicle in the drive-thru, blocking it and causing customers to have to drive around the vehicle to pick up their orders. APD conducted a field sobriety test on the man, later identified as Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta, who failed, according to GBI. Officers then attempted to place him in custody. “During the arrest, the male subject resisted and a struggle ensued. The officer deployed a Taser. Witnesses report that during the struggle the male subject grabbed and was in possession of the Taser.” GBI initially reported that Brooks was shot in the struggle over the Taser. However, cellphone video circulating widely on social media, allegedly from the scene, appears to show a struggle between Brooks and police, the Taser deployment, and Brooks running away as an officer deploys a Taser on him. Then, gunshots are heard, and Brooks is seen on the ground. 41
The GBI has released the 46-minute Wendy’s surveillance video. At about 28:32 (10:22 p.m. according to the video’s timestamp), Brooks runs into the frame with the APD officer running behind him. Brooks is seen falling to the ground at about 28:38, about 5-6 seconds later 42
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LMPD officers went to the home of Breonna Taylor on Springfield Drive on March 13 to serve a warrant related to a drug trafficking investigation. LMPD officials described that warrant as a “no-knock warrant,” meaning the officers were not required to announce themselves upon arriving at Taylor’s home, but those LMPD officials said they did anyway. Taylor’s family and attorneys dispute that the officers announced themselves. A shootout ensued between a suspect inside the home -- Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker -- and the LMPD officers. One LMPD officer was struck, and three of them fired back. The officer who was struck has recovered. Taylor’s family has filed a civil lawsuit that states Walker thought someone was breaking into the apartment, and that’s why he fired his gun. Taylor was shot multiple times and died during the shootout. Three LMPD officers -- Jon Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove -- all were placed on administrative assignment, per department protocol. 44
Three LMPD officers -- Jon Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove -- all were placed on administrative assignment, per department protocol. Police fired shots from the outside into the apartment through closed blinds. Taylor was not armed. Attorneys for Taylor said neither Taylor nor Walker had a history of drugs or violence. 45
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If they had died of COVID-19 at the same rate as White Americans, at least 14,400 Black Americans, 1,200 Latino Americans and 200 Indigenous Americans would still be alive. 48
Collectively, Black Americans represent 12.4% of the population in the U.S., but they have suffered 24.3% of known COVID-19 deaths—i.e., they are dying at twice their population share. Black Americans are also over-represented in deaths in 30 states and Washington, D.C. In 16 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Black residents’ share of the deaths exceed their share of the population by 10 to 30 percentage points—extremely large disparities. 49
Whites are considerably less likely to die from COVID-19 than expected, given their share of the population (10.4 points below). White Americans represent 62.2% of the population in the U.S., but they have experienced 51.7% of deaths. Collectively, Indigenous, Asian and Latino Americans are dying roughly proportional to their population share. 50
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