What’s Up With Portland?

Ken AshfordPolice Brutality/Reform, Race, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Today marks the 50th straight day of protests in Portland, Oregon—which have been ongoing since shortly after the May 25 murder of George Floyd. The protests have been largely peaceful, but there have been several well-documented episodes of violence, vandalism and property damage. In the past few days, however, the protests have been met with what appears to be a … Read More

Tucker Carlson’s Lead Writer Outed As Racist

Ken AshfordFake News, Race, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

The top writer for Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show resigned after a CNN media reporter uncovered that the lead writer had penned racist, sexist, and homophobic comments in an online forum using a pseudonym. CNN’s Oliver Darcy said that Carlson’s former top writer Blake Neff, posted a series of derogatory comments about women, Black, Asian, and LGBTQ people. Some of the racist … Read More

Trump Signs Weak Executive Order Reining In Police While Vocally Supporting Police

Ken AshfordRacial Homicides, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Trump signed a piece of paper that didn’t mean shit a while ago. CNN’s account of the Sharpie action notes that by signing an executive order on “police reform,” Trump is taking “his first concrete steps on Tuesday to address growing national outcry over police brutality.” Yeah, right. It’s a bullshit feint at “reform” because Trump doesn’t give a shit about changing a broken system, but he does … Read More

Rayshard Brooks

Ken AshfordRacial HomicidesLeave a Comment

An Atlanta medical examiner declared Sunday evening that the death of 27-year-old Black man Rayshard Brooks, who was shot twice in the back by a white police officer in the parking lot of a Wendy’s, was a homicide. Brooks suffered organ damage and blood loss from two gunshot wounds, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office determined after completing an autopsy. “His cause … Read More

The Fire Of Violence Is Being Stoked… By The Right

Ken AshfordLaw, Racial Homicides, Social Media & Networking, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Let me be clear about one thing… the overwhelming majority of protests that are taking place are peaceful, Let me be clear about another thing… looting and violence are occurring and some of it are by violent leftist protesters and much of it — particularly the looting — are crimes of opportunity. It is also true that people in law … Read More

Weekend Protests And Riots

Ken AshfordRacial Homicides, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The weekend kicked off Friday evening with the release of the criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin, which included the horrifying detail that Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nearly three minutes after Floyd was unresponsive. The weekend ended with the lights out at the White House and the news that at one point, with protesters outside the White House, Donald … Read More

Protests Continue

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Racial HomicidesLeave a Comment

From last night: And now tonight: Riots/demonstrations in multiple areas currently. NY, AZ, MN, GA, CA, D.C and other locations. Some states are seeing multiple demonstrations in various cities. — Doge (@IntelDoge) May 30, 2020 .@CNNValencia and crew take cover after an explosion takes place in the space between protesters and police at the CNN Center in Atlanta. https://t.co/zNw4zkkYxP pic.twitter.com/WQmT35ucab … Read More

Charging Documents Of Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin

Ken AshfordCrime, Racial HomicidesLeave a Comment

Third degree murder: After a week of escalating protests, Hennepin County attorney Michael Freeman announced that former police officer Derek Chauvin had been arrested and would be charged with manslaughter and 3rd degree murder in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd. Floyd died after being arrested for possibly passing a fake $10 or $20 bill to buy cigarettes. The arrest made headlines as onlookers … Read More

Society Coming Apart At The Seems

Ken AshfordConstitution, Racial Homicides, Social Media & Networking, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The brutal manslaughter of George Floyd by Minneapolis policemen has become a touchstone for so many societal hot spots. The most notable, of course, is the continued racial injustice by police in communities throughout the country. This is not new of course. We have seen it repeatedly over the years. I’m not sure anything I can say will add to … Read More

“I Can’t Breathe”

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Racial HomicidesLeave a Comment

A Minnesota man is dead after being handcuffed and pinned under the knee of a police officer in front of numerous onlookers. Video of the encounter appeared on social media Monday, and the Star Tribune reports that an attorney for the man’s family has identified him as George Floyd. The video shows Floyd lying facedown on the cement, almost under the back wheel of … Read More

El Paso Victims Say No To Trump

Ken AshfordGun Control, Immigration and Xenophobia, Race, Rightwing Extremism/Violence, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Daily Kos: Donald Trump’s visit to El Paso was packaged with slick videos and pictures of a grinning Trump posing with medical staff. But one thing the White House will not be releasing pictures of is Trump with the shooting victims still being treated at University Medical Center—because none of the eight patients was willing to meet with him. “This is a very sensitive time … Read More

Weekend, Bloody Weekend

Ken AshfordCrime, Gun Control, Immigration and Xenophobia, Racial Homicides, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

This weekend saw two mass shootings with a total casualty count (so far) of 29 people. On Sunday, Americans woke up to news of a shooting rampage in an entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio, where a man wearing body armor shot and killed nine people, including his own sister. Hours earlier, a 21-year-old with a rifle entered a Walmart in … Read More