Sep 26, 2016In reviewing nearly every publicly available video of a police shooting over the past year or so, it is close to impossible to find footage of an officer aiding the person who has been shot.
↩︎ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rakeyia-scott-video-call-the-police_us_57e59706e4b0e80b1ba22256
Black Lives, Black Deaths in Charlotte
- Nine-year-old implores the Charlotte City Council to figure out a way to treat black people better. Updated Oct 4, 2016 ago
- The loss of busing led to "academic genocide for low-income children" at Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, a drastic reversal from the 1980s.
- Charlotte police release footage of Keith Scott's death.
Oct 4, 2016When Charlotte-Mecklenburg eliminated race as a factor in student assignment, it not only meant less diverse schools; it also created a feedback loop that made the problem worse.
↩︎ New Yorker
Footage Released
Deferring to public pressure, Charlotte police release footage of Keith Scott's death. The video shows a one-sided scene, as Scott is only visible for a split second before crumpling to the ground. He may have had an ankle holster on, but no gun is clearly visible, and his arms never leave his sides.
Police Video Not to Be Released, Which Perhaps Is a Good Thing
Video may be the only thing that will sate a public hungry for answers, but according to Charlotte's police chief it doesn't contain any definitive answers as to whether Keith Lamont Scott was holding a book or a gun.
Earlier this year Governor McCrory signed a controversial law banning police from releasing police footage except under orders from a judge, which the ACLU called "shameful."
That said, "when black death goes viral, it can trigger PTSD-like trauma," according to mental health researchers. PTSD is more common in African-Americans than in other ethnicities even though they are less likely to have other anxiety disorders.
State of Emergency—aka, the "Shock Doctrine"—Declared in Charlotte
North Carolina governor Pat McCrory—formerly mayor of Charlotte—declared a state of emergency in North Carolina on Thursday following the previous day's protests. The state of emergency authorizes the governor to deploy National Guard troops to put down riot, rebellion, protest, or uprising.
A state of emergency is, according to social theorist Giorgio Agamben, an excuse the state uses to suspend constitutional rights and extend its power—for example, the establishment of extralegal detention at Guantanamo Bay following 9/11. These ideas are also familiar to fans of pop-leftist Naomi Klein as the "shock doctrine," which uses emergency as an excuse to neoliberalize areas following disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
Contrary to the author's recollection, what "state of emergency" is not is the title of the excellent Bjork song that prominently features those words as lyrics; that song is properly titled "Joga."
Two Days of Violence
Violence struck twice in Charlotte this week: On Monday, a policeman shot and killed a middle-aged black man, Keith Lamont Scott, who may have been armed, while serving a warrant for someone totally different. On Tuesday, after rioting led to highway bonfires and smashed cars, a "civilian-on-civilian" altercation in the crowd left another man in critical condition (he died yesterday afternoon).
Sep 23, 2016The likelihood of climbing out of poverty is lower in Charlotte than in any other big city in the country.
↩︎ Charlotte Magazine
North Carolina Stands Divided
The division of North Carolina's communities is real: none of North Carolina's electoral districts are expected to be competitive, thanks to gerrymandering. Even the schools are practically segregated.
The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.