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Category: Journalism

Hundreds Gather To ‘Wall Off Trump’ & Police Arrest 18 In Flag-Burning Demonstration At RNC 2016
July 19, 2016. An activist holds up a fist behind a "Wall Off Trump" banner, painted with a brick wall pattern and inscried "No human being is illegal." RNC 2016. (MintPress News / Desiree Kane)
July 22, 2016
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Hundreds Gather To ‘Wall Off Trump’ & Police Arrest 18 In Flag-Burning Demonstration At RNC 2016

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

In response to a proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall that Donald Trump’s turned into a hallmark of his presidential campaign, activists at the Republican National Convention built a wall of their own on Wednesday.

Using a combination of banners and brick wall-patterned costumes, activists surrounded the Quicken Loans Arena for about two-and-a-half hours to highlight the harm caused by the GOP nominee’s immigration policies.

Hundreds of people took part in the Wall Off Trump action, including many undocumented immigrants as well as a group of veterans who protected the demonstrators from interference. About 150 people came together to create the wall, which stretched for about 2,000 feet around the arena.

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$6B Spent Fighting ISIS, 50,000 Bombs Dropped In Iraq & Syria, And Still No End In Sight
In this August 11, 2014 photograph, CodePink activists at The White House protest a renewed bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria. (Flickr / Stephen Melkisethian)
July 22, 2016
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$6B Spent Fighting ISIS, 50,000 Bombs Dropped In Iraq & Syria, And Still No End In Sight

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

After two years of bombing, the U.S. recently marked a horrendous milestone in a war with no clear end in sight.

Vocativ reported that the American-led coalition in the Middle East has now dropped 50,000 bombs in the ongoing campaign against Daesh (an Arabic acronym for the terrorist group commonly known as ISIS or ISIL in the West) that began in August 2014.

The analysis noted that bombing has increased with time, peaking in June when coalition forces dropped 3,167 bombs on Iraq and Syria.

Read more$6B Spent Fighting ISIS, 50,000 Bombs Dropped In Iraq & Syria, And Still No End In Sight
From Anti-Trump Activists To Open Carry Advocates: RNC 2016 Opens With A Day Of Peaceful Protest
In this July 18, 2016 photograph, Cleveland police and a protester embrace outside the Quicken Loans Arena, site of the 2016 Republican National Convention. (MintPress News / Desiree Kane)
July 19, 2016
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From Anti-Trump Activists To Open Carry Advocates: RNC 2016 Opens With A Day Of Peaceful Protest

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The tense political landscape and presence of open carry activists didn’t dampen a day of peaceful protest for demonstrators gathered outside the Quicken Loans Arena for the opening day of the 2016 Republican National Convention.

MintPress News was present outside the arena on Monday, where attendance by protesters seemed somewhat lower than anticipated. Even during an unpermitted march led by a musical “supergroup” featuring members of Public Enemy, Cypress Hill and Rage Against the Machine, no arrests were reported.

On Saturday, Cleveland police swore in hundreds of temporary officers recruited from forces around the country in anticipation of intense protest and potential unrest. Police and FBI agents were also reported to be visiting Cleveland activists at their homes in advance of the convention, apparently in an attempt to intimidate or discourage protests.

Read moreFrom Anti-Trump Activists To Open Carry Advocates: RNC 2016 Opens With A Day Of Peaceful Protest
In Dallas & Baton Rouge, Media Ignores That Veterans Pulled The Trigger
A patch on a leather jacket reads "A Marine Is Forever. Semper Fi." (Flickr / Patricia Montes Gregory)
July 19, 2016
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In Dallas & Baton Rouge, Media Ignores That Veterans Pulled The Trigger

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

In the wake of shocking, deadly acts of violence, many in the media have been quick to tie the recent slayings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the Black Lives Matter movement, which advocates for the civil rights of those disproportionately affected by police violence.

Reporters even asked the family of Alton Sterling, the black man whose death at the hands of Baton Rouge police on July 5 ignited days of protests around the country, to condemn violence against police, a move widely criticized on social media.

But while the killers in Dallas and Baton Rouge were both black men who had expressed anger over police violence prior to their deaths, they had something else in common: Both were U.S. military veterans.

Read moreIn Dallas & Baton Rouge, Media Ignores That Veterans Pulled The Trigger
US Police Have Killed Nearly 9,000 Civilians Since 9/11
In this April 14, 2015 photograph, chalk in New York City's Union Square reads "Stop Murder by Police." (Flickr / The All-Nite Images)
July 14, 2016
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US Police Have Killed Nearly 9,000 Civilians Since 9/11

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Despite a number of high-profile attacks that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans both in the United States and abroad, police continue to pose a far deadlier and more immediate threat to Americans than terrorists.

At least 8,882 civilians have been killed by police since 9/11. This figure is based on government data and civilian- and media-run databases of police killings, although experts agree that the true number could be far higher. By contrast, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, still the deadliest act of terrorism committed on U.S. soil, claimed the lives of 2,996 people and injured over 6,000 others.

Even including the “Global War on Terror,” in which about 6,879 U.S. servicemembers were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which were a direct result of 9/11, and more recent terrorist attacks like the San Bernardino shooting (14 deaths), the Orlando nightclub shooting (49 deaths), or even Thursday’s attack on Dallas police officers protecting a Black Lives Matter march (five deaths), those who receive public funds to “protect and serve” are proving to be deadlier than terrorists.

Read moreUS Police Have Killed Nearly 9,000 Civilians Since 9/11
Secretive Internet ‘Kill Switch’ And Apple Patent Could Stop You From Filming Police & Protests
A group of masked Japanese protesters film the police with a videocamera in this Dec. 21, 2008 photograph. (Flickr / David Shackelford)
July 13, 2016
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Secretive Internet ‘Kill Switch’ And Apple Patent Could Stop You From Filming Police & Protests

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

As smartphones revolutionize how people interact with breaking news, internet freedom advocates are warning that “kill switch” technology could shut down this newfound form of expression during times of civil unrest.

Viral video footage of the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men recently fatally shot by police, triggered nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and renewed a nationwide discussion over the importance of easily accessible video and livestreaming to hold cops accountable.

However, police frequently target those caught filming them, even when courts have repeatedly upheld the right of citizens to do so. Police held Diamond Reynolds, Castille’s fiancee, at gunpoint while she filmed the aftermath of the shooting, and both witnesses to Sterling’s death, Chris LeDay and Abdullah Muflahi, were targeted by police after filming.

But perhaps even more worrisome than police targeting individuals for filming is the idea that the technology which allows witnesses to film and share incidents of brutality could be remotely disabled to stem dissent.

Read moreSecretive Internet ‘Kill Switch’ And Apple Patent Could Stop You From Filming Police & Protests