Memorial Day Massacre That We Didn't Learn About in School

On May 30, 1937, the temperature in Chicago reached a balmy 88 degrees: a “perfect day for a picnic,” as some would later describe it. But 1,500 steel workers hadn’t gathered with their wives and children inside a dilapidated dance hall called Sam’s Place to enjoy a relaxing Memorial Day celebration. Sam’s was the headquarters of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, an arm of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the workers were organizing a peaceful strike.

They were striking because Republic Steel, the plant where they worked, had declared it would not recognize their new union. Unlike his counterparts at U.S. Steel, Republic’s president, Tom Girdler, felt no obligation to mollify the outrageous and insulting demands of his workers. A 40-hour work week? An eight-hour day? Time-and-a-half wages for overtime? That was preposterous. It was communism, and there was no way he’d stand for it. The country was still in the midst of an economic catastrophe, after all. Those people were lucky to have jobs in the first place. 

Instead, Girdler called on his friends in the Chicago police force, arming them with submachine guns, wooden ax handles, and tear gas, and let them set up a command post inside the gates of his massive steel plant on Chicago’s southeast side. If the workers tried to picket his plant, they’d be stopped before they even started. What happened next is now regarded as one of the ugliest episodes of anti-worker violence in American history. One lone cameraman, an employee of Paramount News, filmed what actually occurred that day, and the footage he took is the only reason that any national memory of the actual event still survives.

Five White Police Officers Lose Their Jobs After Abuse of Two Black Mississippi Men

Five Mississippi deputy sheriffs involved in the assault of two men have been fired or have resigned, officials have said. 32-year-old Michael Corey Jenkins and 35-year-old Eddie Terrell Parker say those  Rankin County Sheriff Department officers entered a home without a warrant in January. They say they then tased them, assaulted them and shot one of them in the mouth.

Jenkins and Parker say that the deputies entered the home without a warrant and after turning off their body cameras. During a 90-minute encounter, the deputies brutally abused them, used stun guns on them, hurled racist slurs, and waterboarded them. Jenkins said one of the deputies also put a gun in his mouth and fired it, leaving him with serious facial injuries.  He was taken to the hospital only later, after deputies refused to assist him, their lawsuit alleges.

 Attorneys for the men have called for charges against the officers. Speaking at a news conference, their attorneys and relatives said the fact the five officers were no longer with the department was a sign of progress, but that more needs to be done.  "They treated our children as if they weren't even human," said Mary Jenkins, the mother of Jenkins, who was shot in the incident.  "It's not enough to fire those deputies because all they will do is go on to another police department and do the same thing."

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey announced on last week that deputies involved in the encounter were terminated following findings from an internal investigation. He said the deputies - whose names he declined to provide - had previously been placed on administrative leave. "We understand that the alleged actions of these deputies have eroded the trust of the public in our department. Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust," Mr Bailey said.

Earlier this year, the DOJ announced it was conducting an investigation into the sheriff's department over civil rights violations, including the incident with Parker and Jenkins and other violent encounters with black men.  Attorneys for the two men, who are both black, have said six white deputies were involved in the incident. They say a sixth officer from another agency may have been involved.  They have called on the sheriff department to release the names.  Jenkins and Parker have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages.

Deputies claim that on the night of the incident, they carried out a raid in response to a report of drug activity at the home in Braxton, Mississippi.  Although Parker was detained at the Rankin County Jail for possessing drug paraphernalia, prosecutors declined to move forward with charges.  Jenkins has suffered permanent nerve damage as a result of being shot in the mouth. 

 

What We Know About the Death of Tyre Nichols

So now we have the body camera and remote pole camera footage  from the January 7 arrest and killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after officers beat and pepper-sprayed him. The footage gives a graphic depiction of the officers overreacting and (ultimately) killing Nichols after a questionable traffic stop of the unarmed man.

Nichols is heard shouting “I didn’t do anything” as officers approach him with guns pointed at him. Officers can be heard shouting multiple obscenities at Nichols during the arrest. An officer threatens to use a Taser on Nichols, who replies to them to “stop” while he’s on the ground surrounded by officers. “Bitch, put your hands behind your back before I break you,” one officer is heard saying.

Another officer then says he is going to knock Nichols “the fuck out,” threatening more force as the young man is lying on the ground.  “You guys are really doing a lot right now. I’m just trying to go home,” Nichols told police. Officers can then be seen pepper-spraying Nichols and tasing him as he shouts again, “I’m not doing anything.”   Nichols then attempts to flee as officers are using the Taser on him and his shirt is falling off.

Police eventually catch up to Nichols, surround him and beat him while he is the on ground. He is passed around among officers who take turns punching him and pressing his body to the pavement.  The violent incident takes place in a residential neighborhood. The footage shows more cop cars eventually arriving as Nichols lies on the ground.

Nichols, a FedEx worker who was known for his love of skateboarding, told officers he was experiencing “shortness of breath,” and was hospitalized with serious injuries. He died three days after his injuries.  An independent autopsy performed at the request of the family indicated that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”  The traffic stop happened two minutes from Nichols’ home, his mother said, and he was beaten by police within 80 yards of where he lived. 

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis called the footage and beating of Nichols “incomprehensible” and said the videos are about “the same if not worse” than the images of the 1991 assault of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles.

The Memphis Fire Department has confirmed that two employees involved in the “initial patient care” of Nichols were relieved of duty pending an ongoing investigation.  Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. also said two of his department’s deputies were shown at the scene and that they had been relieved of duty pending investigation of their actions.

Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III were identified as the officers involved in Nichols’ deadly arrest.  The officers were a part of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION squad, whose name stands for Street Crimes Operation To Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The squad, introduced by Davis in 2021, is tasked with handling violent crimes in the area.

The Memphis Police Department announced that following an internal investigation, all five officers involved in Nichols’ arrest have been fired for violating department policy and practices, including those pertaining to excessive force. All five officers were charged with second-degree murder by a grand jury.   Shelby County records say the officers were additionally charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.  The officers were all released on bond. 

The Nichols family said that Tyre, an avid photographer, was out driving so he could take pictures of the sunset.  Officers initially said Nichols was pulled over for alleged reckless driving, but even Memphis police have admitted there is no evidence to substantiate that claim. The footage released only begins after police confront Nichols at an intersection at 8:24pm local time - police say the initial traffic stop was not filmed but we don't know why.

It is evident from the footage that Nichols was in distress after the beating. He writhes on the ground before being slumped up against a car, unable to properly sit up himself.  The group of officers stood around like a typical afternoon on the street, leaving Nichols lying on the ground like a piece of garbage. There are more officers on the scene than bodycams released, and we do not know if there is additional footage. Medics arrive to examine Mr Nichols at 8:41pm-- twenty minutes later a stretcher comes into view in the video and then an ambulance arrives. We don't know how long it is before Nichols was taken to hospital.

The case was handed over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. The Department of Justice and the FBI has also announced a civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death. 

 

Racist Cop Suspected of Over 400 False Arrests

More than 400 convictions in Virginia could be overturned after prosecutors found evidence the arresting cop was racist.  25-year-old Jonathan Freitag is accused of making up reasons to pull people over and planting drugs in their vehicles in Fairfax County, the Washington Post reported.

Freitag has not been criminally charged, though he is being investigated, according to the Post. The allegations were revealed Friday as attorneys worked to free an ex-firefighter sentenced to three years in prison based on a Freitag traffic stop.

Elon Wilson, a former Washington, D.C., firefighter, is the only person still locked up based on Freitag’s suspected misconduct, the Associated Press reported. Wilson’s defense attorneys and county prosecutors both argued for his release Friday.  Freitag stopped Wilson, a 23-year-old Black man, on April 3, 2018, and said he swerved over the center yellow line, according to the Post. Freitag then searched Wilson’s car and allegedly found drugs and a gun.  Facing a maximum of 10 years in prison, Wilson took a plea deal in 2019, in which he maintained his innocence but admitted he’d probably be convicted given the evidence, local radio station WTOP reported. The deal sent Wilson to prison for three years, and he lost his job.

Surveillance video of the arrest showed Wilson did nothing illegal.  After multiple, unrelated complaints, internal investigators at the Fairfax County Police Department began reviewing Freitag’s traffic stops.  During that investigation, Freitag admitted that the stops were a “pretext” for searching cars for guns and drugs, according to the Post. Prosecuting attorney Steve Descano said Freitag’s stops showed “potentially racially biased motive and racially biased impact.”

“They looked at 1,400 stops. When you’re looking at the stops, a very clear pattern emerged,” read a court filing from Descano, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney.  “The officer involved has a long history of improper and unjust stops with a racially disparate impact,” Descano told WTOP.

Descano said Freitag admitted to a third party that he was targeting Black people in the stops, the Post reported. Freitag has denied the allegations of racism.  Prosecutors said Freitag was involved in 932 cases during his three years as a Fairfax cop, according to the Post. Most were low level cases, but seven were felonies. In addition to the estimated 400 convictions, 21 pending cases were tossed.

Freitag resigned from the Fairfax County Police Department in May 2020. He was hired in August 2020 by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, but canned two weeks ago, according to the Post. The two law enforcement agencies have sparred over who was to blame for his hiring in Florida given his record in the D.C. suburbs.

 

John Oliver on Police Brutality

John Oliver devoted his entire Sunday night show to police brutality and how it runs hand-in-hand with white supremacy.  “The police have not just been incidentally tainted by racism,” Oliver pointed out. “For much of U.S. history, law enforcement meant enforcing laws that were explicitly designed to subjugate Black people.”

That, he said, means more than just weeding out a “bad apple” but rather dismantling an entire system ― and replacing it with something that more effectively serves the communities.  Oliver pointed out that many on the right have seized on the slogan as meaning that people want to do away with police altogether, playing a clip of Fox News host Tucker Carlson arguing the terms means   “No more cops.”

“Fuck you forever, Tucker Carlson, you sentient polo mallet,” Olive retorted before dismantling Carlson’s talking points.  “De-funding the police absolutely does not mean that we eliminate all cops and just succumb to the purge,” he said. “Instead, it’s about moving away from a narrow conception of public safety that relies on policing and punishment and investing in a community’s actual safety net.”

Police Union Chief's History of Flouting Authority of Mayor and Promoting Tactics That Result in Escalating Police Violence

Bob Kroll, the president of the Minneapolis police union has a history of flouting authority, promoting controversial police tactics and general bigotry.

Soon after Kroll was elected president of the policy union, observers pointed to his lengthy disciplinary record, which includes civil complaints and lawsuits for wrongful arrest and excessive force. That record, many said, embodied the brash, hard-charging mentality of a rapidly fading era of policing.

In 2015, police personnel records revealed that Kroll had 19 internal-affairs complaints during his 26 years on the force-- in addition to another reprimand, a suspension for using excessive force and involvement in several lawsuits against the city.  Mike Spangenberg, a local blogger who writes about social and racial issues, said Kroll’s hard-nosed approach to policing is a vestige of a bygone era. “He represents a really culturally incompetent and racially hostile style of policing,” Spangenberg said.

Kroll was reported to be a member of City Heat, a motorcycle club for police officers, some of whose members (according to the Anti-Defamation League) have openly displayed white supremacist symbols.  Kroll has also made public assertions about black people and black organizations that can be found on openly racist websites like Storm Front.  Kroll has also been know to call Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization

Kroll was named in a 2007 racial discrimination lawsuit against the department that was brought by five black officers — including current deputy chief Medaria Arradondo — after Kroll reportedly called U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison a terrorist and made disparaging comments about a gay aide to former Mayor R.T. Rybak in front of several other high-ranking commanders.  Kroll was alleged to have worn a 'white power' patch on his motorcycle jacket and discriminated against officers of color.  The city eventually settled the case.  In another lawsuit, Kroll was accused of using excessive force against an elderly couple during a “no knock” raid at their north Minneapolis home.  The case was thrown out by a federal judge.

Kroll recently generated a fresh wave of controversy when he spoke at a Trump rally last year.  Wearing a “Cops for Trump” shirt as he took the stage, Kroll slammed former President Obama's “handcuffing and oppression of police” while praising Donald Trump.  Retired Hennepin County District Judge Pamela Alexander called Kroll’s appearance at the Trump rally a “particularly egregious move.”  “It doesn’t help in terms of being comfortable calling upon the Minneapolis police for help if you feel they’re already hostile toward the community that you come from,” she said. Like Trump, Kroll is no stranger to inflammatory statements. 

In 2016, four Minneapolis police officers walked off the job and defaulted on their contractual obligation to provide guard services at a Minnesota Lynx game when several players wore pre-game jerseys that said "Black Lives Matter."   Kroll said in an interview that he commended the officers for leaving their post and predicted other officers would refuse to work games, adding that only four officers worked the game because the Lynx are a “pathetic draw.”  Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges characterized Kroll's words as "jackass remarks."

Several months ago, Kroll responded in an email to a random comment left on his Facebook page.  In that email, Kroll wrote:

"I'm a 21 year Army reservist that defeated socialists in the cold war. We defeated the socialism that you love so much and want to bring to the U.S. because you are too pathetic to make a good living on your own. . . .If you hate me so much, why don't you stop by and beat the shit out of me? 1811 University Ave. NE.  My bet is it won't happen, because you are a cowardly cunt."

So Kroll's reaction to criticism is to threaten violence and sling around derogatory names.  What a role model (not to mention a poor student of history)!

Kroll's record as Chief of the police union is now being more closely tied to George Floyd’s killing at the hands of a white police officer.   The controversial restraint tactic that led to Floyd suffocation was championed by Kroll in defiance with the Minnesota Mayor's direct orders.  The choking maneuver is part of the “warrior-style” police training that for years had been popular with Bob Kroll.  For the unfamiliar, the training, as reported in 2017, generally espouses a “killology” vision of law enforcement that’s frequently likened to “fear porn.” Experts say the training, which has been linked to high profile police-related killings around the country, including Philando Castille’s 2016 shooting death (also in Minnesota), often runs the risk of the use of unnecessary, and sometimes, fatal force.

Following the decision by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to ban all forms of ‘Warrior’ training for Minneapolis officers both on duty and during their personal time, Kroll flouted the Mayor's authority over rank-and-file police officers by sanctioning private funding of the newly-banned training.  The offer for free training only continues for the remainder of Mayor Frey’s term-- which calls into question whether the motivation was actually political in nature.

In eliminating the controversial training, Mayor Frey has said that Minneapolis would become the first department in the country to eliminate “fear-based” training.  Training rooted in fear, he said, “violate the values at the very heart of community policing.” His comments come as law enforcement tactics are under scrutiny following a series of high-profile deaths of civilians at the hands of police around the country.  Many policing agencies (including Minneapolis) are moving toward “guardian”-oriented tactics, which focus on de-escalating tense situations and use of deadly force as a last resort.

Frey told reporters, “I care deeply about our officer safety, and that safety can be ensured through existing training, sanctioned by our police department and approved by our chief,” Frey said in phone interview. “Everything from procedural justice to use of force, I have great faith in the training that is sanctioned by Chief Arradondo.”

Innocent Man Billed By Hospital For Anal Rape

A New York man wrongly suspected of hiding drugs in his bum was reportedly given a rectal probe - and billed for the unwanted examination.  Torrence Jackson said he refused consent for the invasive procedure, and suffered internal injuries as a result.

To add insult to injury, the hospital sent 42-year-old Jackson a bill for $4,595.

The incident happened on 16 October 2017, but has only been pieced together after a review by the newspaper of police, court and medical documents.  Jackson was originally stopped in his car by police after failing to signal, according to reports.

Officers found a bag of marijuana and cocaine residue in Jackson's vehicle.  Police officer Anthony Fiorini said Jackson's posture in the car was consistent with someone hiding drugs in his rectum.  Police also said Jackson had taunted them about having drugs concealed on his person, which he denies.

He was taken to St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse where an X-ray found no foreign objects in his body.  Despite that negative finding, police obtained a court warrant to perform a sigmoidoscopy, using a flexible 8-inch tube.

In a private conversation with the police, doctors initially refused to perform the procedure, until advised by a hospital lawyer that Jackson did not have a legal right to refuse.  Jackson was forcibly sedated for the examination.

After the procedure found no drugs, Jackson was released and said he only learned what doctors had done to him when he found blood in his underwear.  "I felt tampered with," he told reporters.

Upon release, the hospital had a debt collectors' agency pursue Jackson for the medical bill.  He refused to pay, and the matter was ultimately dropped.

In a statement to reporters, the hospital said its officials "comply with court orders whenever they are issued for detainees who come to our hospital in police custody".

Ferguson's Dreaming of a White Christmas