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‘Police Lives Matter’ March In Austin, Texas, Hosted By Ex-Cop Accused Of Violence
An activist's sign reads "Demilitarize the Police" at a protest in solidarity with Ferguson. October 22, 2014. (Flickr / Johnny Silvercloud)
September 8, 2015
Kit
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‘Police Lives Matter’ March In Austin, Texas, Hosted By Ex-Cop Accused Of Violence

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and MintPress News

An Austin, Texas, police constable with a violent past as an officer is organizing a “Police Lives Matter” march in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, which police supporters blame for the recent death of a Houston-area sheriff’s deputy.

Shannon J. Miles was arrested on Aug. 29 and charged with fatally shooting Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Goforth on Aug. 28. Miles allegedly shot Goforth 15 times, including in the head and back, after sneaking up on him from behind. In response to the incident, pro-police marches are planned to take place in Houston on Sept. 12 and Austin on Sept. 19.

Although Miles has no known connection to the Black Lives Matter movement and was once found mentally unfit to stand trial for a 2012 assault charge, police officials were quick to make the connection. The Associated Press quoted Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman as saying that the “dangerous national rhetoric that is out there today … has gotten out of control.”

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Police Shooting Of Larry Jackson Reflects Racism, Inequality In Austin, Texas
Activists from Underground Sketchbook hold banners and signs demanding funding cuts for the Austin Police Department at a community forum on race and policing on August 24, 2015. (MintPress News / Kit O’Connell)
August 31, 2015
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Police Shooting Of Larry Jackson Reflects Racism, Inequality In Austin, Texas

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and MintPress News

Two years ago, Austin Police Det. Charles Kleinert shot and killed Larry Jackson, Jr., an unarmed black man, under a bridge near one of the city’s many greenbelt trails. His death was the savage culmination of a wild chase through the city that ultimately led to Kleinert’s early retirement and indictment for manslaughter.

When Austin’s black community gathered on Aug. 24 for a forum on race and policing, it was Larry Jackson’s name on everyone’s lips. Although far from being the only source of tension between residents and police, Jackson’s death has united a diverse community of activists seeking police reform.

Adam Loewy, an Austin lawyer retained by the victim’s family, who sat on the panel at the forum, claims Jackson was “hunted down and beaten” before being murdered.

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Protesting George Friedman, CEO Of Stratfor, In Austin & San Francisco
In this Feb 2. 2015 photograph, George Friedman, CEO of Strategic Forecasting, speaks at a podium while Kit O'Connell stands nearby with a banner reading "Justice for Bhopal," at BookPeople in Austin, Texas. (YouTube screenshot)
February 13, 2015
Kit
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Protesting George Friedman, CEO Of Stratfor, In Austin & San Francisco

Posted in Austin, Journalism, MintPress News, and Occupy Wall Street

On January 22, journalist and political prisoner Barrett Brown was convicted in a Texas court of controversial charges. In addition to a 63-month sentence, Brown is expected to pay $890,250 in restitution to the private spy agency, Strategic Forecasting (a.k.a. “Stratfor”).

This monumental fine, which turns a theoretically free citizen into an indentured servant of a corporation, is meant to hold Brown responsible for a hack by the Anonymous group LulzSec — even though the government admitted it didn’t have any concrete evidence to show he’d taken any material part in the hack.

Jeremy Hammond, a member of LulzSec, pled guilty in May of 2013 and was sentenced to ten years in prison. The hack, carried out under the instruction of the FBI’s agent saboteur and snitch Sabu, revealed millions of emails that showed the complex interrelationship between the private intelligence firm, multinational corporations, and the surveillance state. The emails also revealed how Stratfor had infiltrated activist groups from Texas to India.

On February 2, 2015, George Friedman, Stratfor’s CEO, was scheduled to sign his book “Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe,” at Book People, an independent bookstore in Austin, Texas. It would be Hammond’s 1,065th day in prison; Brown had been incarcerated for 874.

George Friedman, you should have expected us.

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Occupy Austin Mic Checks For MedicaidOccupy Austin members
October 18, 2012
Kit
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Occupy Austin Mic Checks For Medicaid

Posted in Austin, and Occupy Wall Street

Today Occupy Austin OccuKripz mic-checked the Texas State Capitol in solidarity with ADAPT who completed five days of intensive direct action in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania today. Activists there faced police brutality as they tried to force meetings with government officials to protest cuts to Medicaid.

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A Look Back At Burning Flipside 2011 (burningflipside.com)
Fireworks and flame as Burning Bridges ignites. Pyropolis, 2011. (Trey Jones, used with permission)
July 5, 2011
Kit
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A Look Back At Burning Flipside 2011 (burningflipside.com)

Posted in Burning Man

As the Web Content Lead for this year’s Burning Flipside, I essentially created an internal media team to document in the event. As a result, I was privileged to oversee an article about the event itself. It would be impossible to encapsulate the diverse experiences of thousands of participants into a single article of less than 1,000 words. Even so, I’m proud of what I created with help from my team, a couple great photographers and the input of several Burners.

Read moreA Look Back At Burning Flipside 2011 (burningflipside.com)