So we’re going to talk about Ferguson again or a refresher on solidarity

Lean close, Amnesty International has sent a team into the US for the first time as the National Guard has been deployed to protect the police. All the while, repressive regimes around the world are rejoicing.

Things got violent again over the weekend, which honestly is expected given the determination of the police to incite violence. Natasha Culzac wrote for the Independent about Amnesty’s role in Ferguson. Amnesty has said it will be observing police and protester activity while gathering testimonies and training local activists “in methods of non-violent protest.” The executive director of Amnesty International USA, Steven W. Hawkins said the “people of Ferguson have the right to protest peacefully the lack of accountability for Michael Brown’s shooting.” The Amnesty team consists of 13 people including Jasmine Heiss who says the organization has limited access to post-curfew areas, which says something about the lack of transparency and the cover-up in Ferguson.

After declaring a state of emergency, Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon has ordered the deployment of the National Guard to “protect life and property.” But not the lives of black men. I just thought I’d fill in the subtext here. According to Nixon, the military will “maintain peace and order.” See the relationship disintegrated again after the curfew was issued, which by the way is patronizing shit all while perpetuating the myth that black people are violent. Way to go Gov. Nixon in what I’m pretty sure will be your last term in office, someone isn’t getting reelected.

Media outlets are claiming that hours before the curfew, the police opened fire into the crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets, which hit children and members of the media. Seriously, who are these people? Pro-tip, don’t fire on journalists unless your Egypt or Russia. Additionally, black journalists are alleging they have been racially profiled and refused re-entry to the press area while no white press had been.

Of course, there have been protests and vigils all over in support of Michael Brown’s family, but another unarmed black man was shot in LA on August 11, and people were gathering outside of police headquarters to protest there too.

There is only one more thing I want to talk about before I put this down for a bit. Class and race are not the same. And yes, I know we all make white people feel better by talking about this as a class issue or the racists cast Black people as dangerous, but while class plays a factor, Brown was executed because he was black. The National Guard was called because most protesters are Black. Now, do I think a governor would call up the National Guard to suppress the protesting of poor people, abso-fukcing-lutely. Do I think after justice for Michael Brown is achieved we should expand this conversation, maybe find out if police forced in affluent, white neighborhoods have tanks? Yes. We should, but right now I want the police officer who murdered an unarmed Black man to stand trial. That is the priority, and yeah, we might not get to the point where we can have a large conversation about classism and how it is linked to racism. Right now, the conversation needs to stay on the intersectionality of racism, structural racism, and the murder of Black children. We can’t change the narrative to be about class and risk throwing Black concerns overboard. Solidarity bitches, look it up. This is one of those time you have to wait your turn, and I know some of my white men readers have never been told that, but you get used to it.

John Oliver continuing to kick-ass.

The DOJ investigates AP, and that is bad news

So the DOJ has secretly sought to have the phone records of reporters at the Associated Press (AP) as part of an investigation into national security leaks. Show of hands, anyone surprised?

No one, good. This is the DOJ that deports more people than ever before and looks the other way as the President assassinates people and has them permanently detained without any rights. I just want to make sure everyone is paying attention. I heard about this Monday afternoon via ThinkProgress’ piece by Hayes Brown. So remember the underwear bomber, part of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)? When the AP broke this story it attracted the attention of the DOJ because the CIA foiled the plot, and AP made it clear,

“The FBI is examining the latest bomb to see whether it could have passed through airport security and brought down an airplane, officials said. They said the device did not contain metal, meaning it probably could have passed through an airport metal detector. But it was not clear whether new body scanners used in many airports would have detected it.

“The would-be suicide bomber, based in Yemen, had not yet picked a target or bought a plane ticket when the CIA stepped in and seized the bomb, officials said. It’s not immediately clear what happened to the alleged bomber.”

AP had learned about the plot a week before, but at the request of the White House and CIA didn’t publish it immediately because of national security concerns. (Noted, the press now works for the White House and CIA, anyone else get chills?) However, by reporting the CIA foiled the plot they put AQAP on notice that the CIA was involved in their activities. It became a concern that the operative involved would become a target of AQAP as they sought retribution.

John Brennan (head of the CIA for those of you who don’t monitor insanely scary and powerful men) said during his confirmation that the release of the information to AP was an “unauthorized and dangerous disclosure of classified information.” The DOJ pursuit of information on the leaks isn’t new, Attorney General Eric Holder’s appointment of federal prosecutors were to look into the disclosures last year. ThinkProgress finds it surprising that the DOJ is amassing tons of information because they don’t know how this works:

“In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown [who cares, we’re searching for a presumed bad guy, fuck journalism] but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about the government and other matters.”

*Shoulder shrug* No it’s cool, man. Who cares about confidential sources and privacy? Terrorism! AP released a letter to Holder denouncing the invasion of their records without their consent. They call it an “unprecedented step” and “a serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news.” The US Attorney’s DC office issued a statement on the case, claiming, “because we value the freedom of the press, we are always careful and deliberative in seeking to strike the right balance between the free flow of information and the public interest” in carrying out those laws. Of course, the investigation appears really broad anyway. Also, we don’t know if other news outlets were targeted as well.

I’m concerned that ThinkProgress doesn’t seem as horrified by this as I am. It is a big deal because the DOJ is pulling records without notifying news outlets, and of course there are lots of problems with media and news right now, but come on. Secondly, as noted the AP is holding stories at the request of the White House and the CIA, which I can get behind on occasion, but I’m thinking this is a more regular occurrence than a onetime thing. The shift the press has taken (which isn't a new one) to side with the administrations and not actually investigate is scary. Also, possibly a waste of resources for the DOJ. The invasion by the DOJ into the workings of the press should put everyone on notice. After all, don't we usually complain about lack of free press in nations? Usually, using it as a marker that these countries are less advanced or need the West to interfere?