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Good Morning, News: Cool Moms and Dads Protest, Wheeler Won’t Give Up Police Control, and Breaking Down Cop Propaganda
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Good morning, Portland! And a special good morning to all the cool moms and dads who were out protesting in downtown Portland last night:
This is like 1.5k pic.twitter.com/PR2O5x7Z85
— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) July 21, 2020
But alas, the night took a turn for the worse when federal police officers used tear gas, batons, and pepper balls to disperse the crowd:
Federal officers dispersed protestors using tear gas and batons pic.twitter.com/WXdihtNtOk
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) July 21, 2020
We’ll have more protest content from Suzette Smith to share later today… but for now, here are the rest of the headlines!
• Two groups of workers are airing their concerns about being forced to work in potentially unsafe conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Florida, teachers are suing to block a school reopening mandate they see as reckless; and NFL players are taking to social media to cast doubt on the league’s decision to open training camps for next season.
• The European Union has adopted an “unprecedented” $857 billion COVID-19 relief package, which includes debt forgiveness for some of the EU’s poorer countries. A society that looks out for its most vulnerable members—must be nice, must be nice!
• Surprising absolutely fucking no one, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are being sued for sexual harassment by a former Fox employee. Ed Henry, another Fox on-air personality, has been accused of rape.
• In Oklahoma, the unemployment situation has gotten so dire that hundreds of people are literally camping out in front of the state’s unemployment office.
• Don’t you hate it when you’re hanging out in downtown Portland at night and you suddenly get snatched up by an anonymous federal police officer? Here’s our handy guide on what to do the next time this happens to you!
• Maybe the criminal justice system is good now? (Just kidding, it’s not)
UPDATE: St. Louis Couple Charged for Pulling Guns at Protest.
Circuit Atty. Kim Gardner announced the charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey. They also face a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault.https://t.co/1NXBTQVw2U
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) July 20, 2020
• The Portland Police Bureau’s official party line is that it is not cooperating with any federal officers. But when it comes to the union that represents most Portland police officers—well, that’s a different story. Our Alex Zielinski breaks down the details.
• Over the weekend, City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty called on Mayor Ted Wheeler to make her police commissioner—a role that’s currently held by Wheeler, though he has the authority to hand it over to the City Council member of his choosing at any time. Wheeler released a statement Monday saying he has no plans to abandon his post as police commissioner, but it isn’t clear why he’s intent on holding that position.
• One more thing about Portland cops:
I wonder where the @PortlandPolice officer who pushed me to the ground Saturday night as I was following the police’s orders gets his sense of moral righteousness? Because I know it can’t come from this pitiful collection of thank you cards. https://t.co/fIoexDUDNL
— Blair Stenvick (@BlairStenvick) July 21, 2020