#protests and riots

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Marjorie Taylor Greene had to leave the Trump arraignment rally after she was drowned out by counter-protesters.

During her chaotic arrival in New York on Tuesday, there appeared to be more members of the media than protesters present.

Ms. Greene was joined by the New York Young Republicans – a group with ties to embattled congressman George Santos, who also made a brief appearance at the rally before departing after being mobbed by the media. Ms. Greene was also met by counterprotesters holding their own “emergency noise demo” to drown out her “hate speech”.

The New York Young Republicans at one point responded with a USA-chant.

As clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators took place, the NYPD tried to separate the groups. Both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.

Ms. Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying that “you send your henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises”.

Per Ben Collins of NBC News, the reason it was difficult to hear Ms. Greene may have been because a Trump supporter handed out whistles. He was apparently unaware that Ms. Greene was attending.

Ms. Greene urged Americans to “take a stand” during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been “weaponized” against Americans, adding: “I’m here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand. This is what happens in communist countries – not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.”

She continued: “They’re taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be. Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!”

Ms. Greene soon left the rally and appeared on RSBN, saying that Mr. Trump “is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered”.

She was slammed by New York congressman Jamaal Bowman, who told her to “go back to your district. What are you doing here? You’re here for politics, you’re here because you want to be VP ... you’re here for your own nonsense”.

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

After years of spirited opposition from environmental activists, the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a 304-mile gas pipeline cutting through the Appalachian Mountains — was behind schedule, over budget and beset with lawsuits. As recently as February, one of its developers, NextEra Energy, warned that the many legal and regulatory obstacles meant there was “a very low probability of pipeline completion.”

Then came Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and his hold on the Democrats’ climate agenda.

Mr. Manchin’s recent surprise agreement to back the Biden administration’s historic climate legislation came about in part because the senator was promised something in return: not only support for the pipeline in his home state, but also expedited approval for pipelines and other infrastructure nationwide, as part of a wider set of concessions to fossil fuels.

It was a big win for a pipeline industry that, in recent years, has quietly become one of Mr. Manchin’s biggest financial supporters.

Natural gas pipeline companies have dramatically increased their contributions to Mr. Manchin, from just $20,000 in 2020 to more than $331,000 so far this election cycle, according to campaign finance disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission and tallied by the Center for Responsive Politics. Mr. Manchin has been by far Congress’s largest recipient of money from natural gas pipeline companies this cycle, raising three times as much from the industry than any other lawmaker.

NextEra Energy, a utility giant and stakeholder in the Mountain Valley Pipeline, is a top donor to both Mr. Manchin and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, who negotiated the pipeline side deal with Mr. Manchin. Mr. Schumer has received more than $281,000 from NextEra this election cycle, the data shows. Equitrans Midstream, which owns the largest stake in the pipeline, has given more than $10,000 to Mr. Manchin. The pipeline and its owners have also spent heavily to lobby Congress.

The disclosures point to the extraordinary behind-the-scenes spending and deal-making by the fossil fuel industry that have shaped a climate bill that nevertheless stands to be transformational. The final reconciliation package, which cleared the Senate on Sunday, would allocate more than $370 billion to climate and energy policies, including support for cleaner technologies like wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles, and put the United States on track to reduce its emissions of planet-warming gases by roughly 40

[bevsmith]

In another time and place i would still be living here. But now I'm on another adventure. Nothing wrong with keeping the good memories though...

[kropotkindersurprise]

April 22, 2024 - Student protesters for Palestine defend their occupation of the Siemens hall building at Cal Poly Humboldt from riot police sent in by university administrators.

According to the @humboldtforpalestine Instagram account, which posted a statement at around 7 p.m., protesters are demanding that the university “disclose all holdings and collaborations with the zionist entity,” an academic boycott of Israeli universities, proactive pardons for the protesters and, finally, an immediate ceasefire and end to the occupation of Palestine. [video]

[alwaysbewoke]

[animentality]

[post-leffert]

Acoustic weapons are used against protestors around the world. This video shows you how acoustic weapons work and how to protect yourself from them.

Testing different methods for protecting yourself against an LRAD system.

Nothing - 3:54

Earplugs - 4:50

Standard Headphones - 5:54

Electronic Headphones - 6:46

Face Shield - 8:21

Riot Shield - 9:23

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

VIOLENCE ERUPTED OUTSIDE A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AS LGBTQ+ ACTIVISTS AND RIGHT-WING GROUPS CLASHED OVER LGBTQ+ INCLUSION DURING PRIDE MONTH.

On Tuesday (6 June) police were called to a school board meeting in the city of Glendale, California – just north of Los Angeles – after demonstrators came to blows with each other.

The confrontation happened as board members for the Glendale Unified School District, which represents 25,000 students, met to discuss recognising June as Pride Month. An agenda item they unanimously approved later in the evening.

The public comment section of the meeting was cut short by police due to the violent situation outside the building, with officers giving attendees instructions not to leave for a short period for their own safety.

Footage and images shared on social media showed hundreds of people from both sides outside the school district headquarters on North Jackson Street in the city.

LGBTQ+ activists and allies waved Pride flags and held signs which read “protect trans kids” while those protesting the school district’s inclusive policies held American flags and wore white t-shirts with the phrase “leave our kids alone” printed on, a phrase they also chanted.

Reports have surfaced on social media that a number of the anti-LGBTQ+ protesters were members of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys.

Law enforcement officials said a majority of the protest was peaceful but a “small group” of people engaged in violent behaviour which led to three arrests on various charges, of which included unlawful use of pepper spray and willfully obstructing officers in their line of duty.

Videos shared on Twitter show the scale of the violence with members of the opposing sides punching and kicking each other as police officers attempt to de-escalate the situation and separate the brawling parties.

It is unclear who threw the first punch.

During the meeting, parents expressed both support and outrage at the school board for its LGBTQ-inclusive policies.

One parent, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, said she was grateful for efforts to be inclusive as her child had faced discrimination due to being queer.

“I’ve never spoken before,” she said, “but as an actual parent, I felt that I had to be here because a lot of the opposing people don’t believe that I exist.”

Another person, however, decried the board and said they want to “keep the focus in schools on academics rather than on sexual orientation.”

Prior to the meeting, the school district was forced to issue a statement and fact sheet regarding misinformation being spread about the curriculum used in schools.

“Recently, intentional and harmful disinformation has been circulating about what is being taught in our district and the ways we serve our students.”

“This includes disinformation about LGBTQIA+ curriculum, sex education, and supporting transgender and gender non-conforming youth,” the school district stated.

The document outlines what students are taught as well as wider policies in regards to the rights of trans pupils, such as the use of pronouns and access to spaces such as locker rooms.

In a statement, the Glendale Police Department said the protest eventually exceeded the “bounds of peaceful assemble” after attempts to calm the situation, resulting in the force issuing a dispersal order just after 6pm.

One parent, named Megan, spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the demonstration, describing the anti-LGBTQ+ rally as “heartbreaking.”

“This is a great community, my son has received a great education here,” Megan said.

“The Glendale Police Department acknowledges and respects the right of individuals to peacefully assemble and express their opinions,” the police force said in a release.

“We encourage continued open dialogue and constructive engagement with community members.”

“The Glendale Police Department remains committed to fostering positive relationships and working collaboratively with community leaders and organizations to address concerns and find common ground.”

PinkNews has contacted the Glendale Unified School District and the Glendale Police Department for comment.

[sethshead]

Why did the nation have to wait until May, 2022 to learn of this? Why wasn’t the alarm sounded as soon as Esper was relieved of his portfolio? Why did he, like Bolton before him, care more about the book deal than about the national welfare? Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad Esper finally came clean. But it seems Trump wasn’t the only one in his administration motivated by self-interest rather than service. If anything, Trump selected for exactly that personality type.

[icarusxxrising]

No Authority

No Rulers

No Masters

No Kings

No Captains

[mysidaesm]

I saw a post talking about how we shouldn't celebrate when organizations, people, countries and etc make changes to be more accepting towards minorities or make changes that would better the world because "they should have already done that."

The ideal world we want, where everyone can live a kind and nice life, isn't going to happen in one massive swoop. It is going to come in tiny steps over many, many years. And guess what? We should celebrate each step we take. Each time something changes for the better we are closer to what we've all been dreaming of and that is something worth celebrating. If we refuse to find happiness in small victories, we won't have the strength to make it to the end.

So throw a party with some of your friends when your city council installs bike lanes. Go protest outside the shop down the street for being bigoted. Kick Karen out of the neighborhood group chat and go out for dinner with the rest. It's worth it not just in the end but to you in the present. You should, and need, to celebrate small achievements.

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

Source: Out In America; A Portrait Of Gay and Lesbian Life , by Michael Goff and the staff of OUT magazine