Some violence, but California protests mostly peaceful

LOS ANGELES (AP) — National Guard reinforced police in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Vallejo after a second night of violence. That was among scattered incidents that stood in contrast to largely peaceful California protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Fifty members of the Guard arrived Tuesday after they were requested to “assist in securing locations that are considered high-risk,” said statement from the city.

A person was shot by police during looting that began late Monday, according to local news reports, and another round of violence erupted late Tuesday.

“A group of approximately 100 individuals armed with batteries and nearly 40 vehicles surrounded the Vallejo Police Department,” the city said. “Additionally rocks and bottles thrown at PD units and a subject with a Molotov cocktail was observed.”

Elsewhere, police cordons — in some cases backed by National Guard troops — kept a tight watch on marchers from San Francisco to Hollywood but on the fifth day of protests the mood seemed far less tense. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and some police officers took a knee during a clergy-led demonstration outside police headquarters.

People marched up the Great Highway along San Francisco’s Ocean Beach while at San Jose’s City Hall several hundred people showed up for a demonstration organized by the local branch of the NAACP.

Protesters held about nine minutes of silence in front of the state Capitol in Sacramento — approximately the amount of time that a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck.

After evening curfews fell, police began moving in to disperse demonstrators outside the Los Angeles mayor’s residence. More than 200 people were detained, including about two dozen who lay down on a Hollywood apartment building rooftop and spelled out “BLM” with their bodies, for “Black Lives Matter.”

Police Chief Michel Moore said nearly 3,000 people had been arrested since the protests began, most of them for failure to disperse or curfew violations.

Moore himself came under fire at a civilian Police Commission hearing where speakers called for his resignation or firing because of remarks he made a day earlier. Moore had said rioters and thieves were “capitalizing” on the demonstrations to commit crimes and had Floyd’s death on their hands just as much as the Minneapolis police officers who killed him.

He quickly said he misspoke and later issued a written apology. Garcetti on Tuesday defended Moore and praised him for correcting his “wrong” statement. “Moore is among police chiefs who have denounced Floyd’s death.

The Los Angeles County curfew was extended to a fourth night Tuesday. Authorities credit it and the arrival of more than 1,000 National Guard troops with significantly reducing vandalism and thefts.

In Redwood City, protesters chanted “take a knee and we’ll leave” at California Highway Patrol officers, and began leaving after an officer dropped to one knee, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Law enforcement officers said during the protests, organized gangs of thieves took advantage of the distraction to hit dozens of businesses.

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating an officer shown on cellphone video using a carotid restraint on an 18-year-old man arrested following a sidewalk chase early Monday, The Sacramento Bee reported. The technique, which can cut off blood flow to the brain and render a person unconscious, has been banned by many departments but is allowed in Sacramento under certain conditions. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of looting and resisting arrest.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott asked supervisors Tuesday to keep an overnight curfew order for at least the “next few days.” He said burglars are organized, with vehicles waiting to ferry away people rushing out of stores with armloads of goods.

Oakland’s interim police chief, Susan Manheimer, asked for video or other information on a shooting during Friday night’s protest that killed a federal officer and injured another. The victims were guarding the U.S. courthouse. She said investigators believe the assailants were targeting law enforcement.

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Associated Press journalists Olga Rodriguez and Janie Har in San Francisco; Kathleen Ronayne, Cuneyt Dil and Adam Beam in Sacramento; and Christopher Weber and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

Thousands ignore Minneapolis curfew as U.S. protests spread

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters ignored a curfew and vows of a forceful police response to take to the Minneapolis streets for a fourth straight night, as the anger stoked by the police killing of George Floyd spread to more cities across the U.S.

The Pentagon on Saturday ordered the Army to put military police units on alert to head to the city on short notice at President Donald Trump’s request, according to three people with direct knowledge of the orders who did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the preparations. The rare step came as the violence spread to other cities: a man shot dead in Detroit, police cars battered in Atlanta and skirmishes with police in New York City.

Criminal charges filed Friday morning against the white officer who held his knee for nearly nine minutes on the neck of Floyd, a black man, did nothing to stem the anger. Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Minneapolis police said shots had been fired at law enforcement officers during the protests but no one was injured.

As the night dragged on, fires erupted across the city’s south side, including at a Japanese restaurant, a Wells Fargo bank and an Office Depot. Many burned for hours, with firefighters again delayed in reaching them because areas weren’t secure.

Shortly before midnight, scores of officers on foot and in vehicles moved in to curb the violence, one day after city and state leaders faced blowback for their handling of the crisis. On Thursday, protesters had torched a police station soon after it was abandoned by police and went on to burn or vandalize dozens of businesses.

The new round of unrest came despite Gov. Tim Walz vowing early in the day to show a more forceful response by the state than the one Thursday run by Minneapolis city leaders. But by early Saturday morning, Walz was acknowledging he didn’t have enough manpower, even with some 500 Guard soldiers.

“We do not have the numbers,” Walz said. “We cannot arrest people when we are trying to hold ground.”

Walz said he was moving quickly to mobilize more than 1,000 more Guard members, for a total of 1,700, and was considering the potential offer of federal military police. But he warned that even that might not be enough, saying he expected another difficult night Saturday.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association urged Walz to accept any help.


“You need more resources,” the group said in a tweet. “Law enforcement needs leadership.”

Not all the protests were violent. Downtown, thousands of demonstrators encircled a barricaded police station after the 8 p.m. Friday curfew. “Prosecute the police!” some chanted, and “Say his name: George Floyd!” Some protesters sprayed graffiti on buildings.

Anger filled the streets of Minneapolis.

Ben Hubert, a 26-year-old local resident, said he wasn’t surprised people were breaking curfew and setting fires.

“I’m outraged,” he said of the Floyd case. “But I’m also sad. The injustice has been going on for so long. It’s been swelling for years.”

Chauvin was also was accused of ignoring another officer who expressed concerns about Floyd as he lay handcuffed on the ground, pleading that he could not breathe while Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes. Floyd, who was black, had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill at a store.

Chauvin, who was fired along with three other officers who were at the scene, faces more than 12 years in prison if convicted of murder.

An attorney for Floyd’s family welcomed the arrest but said he expected a more serious murder charge and wants the other officers arrested, too.

Prosecutor Mike Freeman said more charges were possible, but authorities “felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator.”

Protests nationwide have been fueled by outrage over Floyd’s death and years of police violence against African Americans. Protesters smashed windows at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, set a police car on fire and struck officers with bottles. Large demonstrations in New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., and dozens of other cities ranged from people peacefully blocking roads to repeated clashes with police.

“You are disgracing our city,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told protesters. “You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country.”

Police were trying to put Floyd in a squad car Monday when he stiffened and fell to the ground, saying he was claustrophobic, a criminal complaint said. Chauvin and Officer Tou Thoa arrived and tried several times to get the struggling Floyd into the car.

Chauvin eventually pulled Floyd out of the car, and the handcuffed Floyd went to the ground face down. Officer J.K. Kueng held Floyd’s back and Officer Thomas Lane held his legs while Chauvin put his knee on Floyd’s head and neck area, the complaint said.

When Lane asked if Floyd should be rolled onto his side, Chauvin said, “No, staying put is where we got him.” Lane said he was “worried about excited delirium or whatever.”

An autopsy said the combined effects of being restrained, potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system and his underlying health issues, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death. It revealed nothing to support strangulation as the cause of death.

There were no other details about intoxicants, and toxicology results can take weeks. In the 911 call that drew police, the caller describes the man suspected of paying with counterfeit money as “awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself.”

After Floyd apparently stopped breathing, Lane again said he wanted to roll Floyd onto his side. Kueng checked for a pulse and said he could not find one, according to the complaint.

Chauvin’s attorney had no comment when reached by The Associated Press.

The prosecutor highlighted the “extraordinary speed” in charging the case four days after Floyd’s death and defended himself against questions about why it did not happen sooner. Freeman said his office needed time to gather evidence, including what he called the “horrible” video recorded by a bystander.

Trump said Friday that he’d spoken to Floyd’s family and “expressed my sorrow.”

He called video of the arrest “just a horrible thing to witness and to watch. It certainly looked like there was no excuse for it.”

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Floyd’s family, asked to take custody of Floyd’s body for an independent autopsy.

The doctor who will do the autopsy is Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner of New York City, who was hired to do an autopsy for Eric Garner, a black man who died in 2014 after New York police placed him in a chokehold and he pleaded that he could not breathe.

State and federal authorities also are investigating Floyd’s death.

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Associated Press writers Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski, and Doug Glass in Minneapolis, Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee, Bernard Condon in New York, and James LaPorta in Delray Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Lawmakers on each side blame the other in Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG — Lawmakers on each side of Hong Kong’s political divide said Monday the other side bears responsibility after violence during anti-government protests over the weekend.

Pro-government members of the Legislative Council condemned the acts of protesters who blocked streets, threw gasoline bombs, and assaulted police officers.


“You can say a lot of different opinions to the government,” said Starry Lee, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. “But violence is different. If we can accept violence, our city will be ruined.”

Pro-democracy legislators countered that the government and the police need to take responsibility, the former for introducing the extradition legislation that sparked the protests and the latter for what they say is selective enforcement of the law targeting government opponents.

Kwok Ka-ki, a member of the Civic Party, blamed Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. He called her creation of a platform for dialogue a delaying tactic rather than an attempt to resolve the conflict.

“She is the one who should shoulder all the responsibility, and now she is trying to get away from all the responsibility and shifting the focus to the so- called platform,” Ka-ki said.

A hardline contingent took over streets on Saturday and Sunday following peaceful pro-democracy marches. They argue that peaceful protest is not enough to get the government to respond. Police used tear gas to clear the streets and arrested more than 50 people.

The movement has five demands including democratic elections and an independent inquiry into what it alleges is police violence in breaking up demonstrations. /kga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Google employees to walk out to protest treatment of women

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers are expected to walk off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company’s lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.

It is the latest expression of a backlash against men’s exploitation of female subordinates in a business, entertainment and politics. In Silicon Valley, women also are becoming fed up with the male-dominated composition of the technology industry’s workforce — a glaring imbalance that critics say fosters unsavory behavior akin to a college fraternity house.


The Google protest, billed “Walkout For Real Change,” is unfolding a week after a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct about creator of its Android software, Andy Rubin. The report said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 even though Google concluded the sexual misconduct allegations against him were credible.

Rubin derided the Times story article as inaccurate and denied the allegations in a tweet.

The same story also disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct of other executives, including Richard DeVaul, a director at the same Google-affiliated lab that created far-flung projects such as self-driving cars and internet-beaming balloons. DeVaul had remained at the “X” lab after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced about him a few years ago, but he resigned Tuesday without severance, Google confirmed Wednesday.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized for the company’s “past actions” in an email sent to employees Tuesday. “I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel,” Pichai wrote. “I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society. and, yes, here at Google, too.”

The email didn’t mention the reported incidents involving Rubin, DeVaul or anyone else, but Pichai didn’t dispute anything in the Times story.


In an email last week, Pichai and Eileen Naughton, Google’s executive in charge of personnel issues, sought to reassure workers that the company had cracked down on sexual misconduct since Rubin’s departure four years ago.

Among other things, Pichai and Naughton disclosed that Google had fired 48 employees , including 13 senior managers, for “sexual harassment” in recent years without giving any of them severance packages.

But Thursday’s workout could signal that a significant number of the 94,000 employees working for Google and its corporate parent Alphabet Inc. remained unconvinced the company is doing enough to adhere to Alphabet’s own edict urging all employees to “do the right thing .”

A Silicon Valley congresswoman tweeted her support of the Google walkout using the “metoo” hashtag that has become a battle cry for women fighting sexual misconduct. “Why do they think it’s OK to reward perpetrators & further violate victims?” asked Rep. Jackie Speier, who represents an affluent district where many of Google’s employees live. /ee

source: technology.inquirer.net

Musician protests earth balling by tying self to a tree

MANILA, Philippines – Protests come in many forms—demonstrations, rallies, noise barrages—but former Yano frontman Dong Abay chose a unique form of expression: he tied himself to a tree.

Dong, in a report by “TV Patrol,” had himself tied up to a tree on Session Road in Baguio for one hour. Throughout his protest, he held up a banner that read, “Dong cut the trees.” This was his way of showing his concern for the environment and to display his protest over SM Baguio’s uprooting of more than 200 trees on Luneta Hill.

“Pakikisama [ko ito] sa mga tao dito sa Baguio sa pursige nila na hindi maputol itong mga pine trees,” Dong said.

The news program tried to get a statement from SM Baguio through text but the company had not responded yet.

On April 23, Sun Star Baguio posted a short report about Dong’s scene-stealing protest.

“This is my way of supporting the Earth Day celebration and my way of protesting for the environment,” Dong was quoted to have said.

The report noted, however, that, “his act is in no connection to the environmental protests against SM’s plans of expansion, which have bombarded the Baguio City the past few days.”

The news report added that Dong isn’t connected with any organization although he’s giving his full support to other environmental activists.

Apart from music, Dong is occupied with writing blogs about problems faced by Filipinos.

“I have a website where I write about every Filipino’s problem, about your problems” he said in the Sunstar Baguio interview.

An avowed environmentalist, Dong performed in a show “Dong Cut the Trees” at the University of the Philippines-Baguio Auditorium last Saturday, April 21.

Yano is known for its hits “Banal na Aso, Santong Kabayo,” “Senti,” and “Esem.”

source: mb.com.ph