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Show the press you support and value them

June 2020 – peaceful protests called in the wake of the murder of George Floyd have experienced attempts to hijack them by a number of extremists, racists, and police.  Over 100 members of the press have been attacked by police wholly against Constitutional rights:  journalists have been arrested, beaten, even shot with rubber/plastic bullets – designed not to kill but to inflict serious injury.  Several peaceful protesters have been assaulted by police; several have been shot.  These peoples’ constitutional rights have been unduly taken from them.  The reason we know about these grave assaults on people and on all of our liberties is because of journalists and the media.

It is not so long ago that crowds of anti-lockdown protestors, in many cases heavily-armed men in quasi-military garb held aggressive protests and  stormed a state capital.  They screamed at people trying to perform their jobs; they endangered public safety because they refuse to believe in the Covid-19 virus, and threatened violence if their rights were ‘removed’- which was only ever a temporary measure for the good of public health.  The vast majority of these people were never met with police brutality or arrests.

This is the most crucial turning point in our country’s and our society’s future many of us will ever see.  In order to stay informed, receive facts and avoid propaganda, we 100% need a free, unhampered press – as the Constitution guarantees.

There are those who have distorted the Second Amendment past all reason, morality and logic.  A ‘well-regulated militia’ for some means any disgruntled person can get a deadly, rapid-fire weapon – and kill innocent adults and children.  Yet the same people who will not brook any criticism of their interpretation of the 2nd Amendment do not remotely want to see other amendments upheld when these rights pertain to freedom of the press or indeed the basic human rights of equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

While a nation mourns George Floyd and the many victims who have gone before him, for instance two innocent black people who were shot to death, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor (it is her birthday; she should be blowing out 27 candles as I write), we have a White House hostile to black people, women, ethnic minorities, LGBT people, veterans and asylum seekers.  The horrors this administration has created include caging asylum-seekers and taking their children, hampering LGBT people who had careers in the military, removing womens’ rights, the creation of ICE, and more.  These injustices are brought to our attention by a free press – and that is why, using language of dictators past, Donald Trump calls the press ‘the enemy of the people.’

We need every citizen to vote, however hard those opposed to this try to disenfranchise voters; votes should be informed with access to accurate, full, timely news reporting.

We need everyone to uphold the rights of the press – and by the press we mean those news outlets large and little that are looking to report and record the truth of what is going on so we may make informed choices: not those who bombard us with lies to support tyranny and their owners’ self-interests.

ACTION:

You can add your name, town and state to the post this Action Alert appears in, and your name will be added to our One Pulse letter which will be sent to various news outlets.  You can also contact one of the major news networks (I have only chosen a few – please find your own favourites)  and/or your regional news sources through one of the channels below  and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

I am a member of One Pulse for America, a gun-law reform group started by George Takei.  I wanted to let you know that I greatly appreciate the news you bring us and the sacrifices and dangers your news crews increasingly face to bring us accurate reporting.  Only a dictator would call the responsible press ‘enemies of the people’; only a coward with much to hide would try to villify the press, and I am not buying it. 

I want to see any police officer who impedes the constitutionally-protected rights you have to report brought to justice.  No reporter should be arrested, threatened – let alone assaulted or shot. 

My respect to all who bring us the truth, and my contempt to those who want to stop you, or those who want to deliver propaganda as news.  Thank you.

MSNBC
Email:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/msnbc/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MSNBC

ABC
Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ABC

CBS
Facebook:
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CBSNews

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

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Gun-threat police must be fired and charged

On May 27, 2019, Phoenix Arizona police  threatened to shoot, assaulted, and endangered the lives of a family including small children.  We call for these police officers to be fully removed from the force immediately without pay; for law enforcement to arrest them promptly; and for prosecutors to prepare a robust case against the officers on a number of charges – as well as making some form of substantial financial compensation to the family.

Phoenix police responding to a prior dollar store theft were allegedly told by staff that  Dravon Ames, 22, Iesha Harper, 24, were in possession of stolen goods (allegedly a doll taken by a 4 year old).  The family and an unidentified woman are alleged to have driven away while police asked them to stop.  The unidentified woman apparently exited the car and was arrested before the unacceptable, violent drama unfolded.

One video circulating in mainstream press including ABC  shows officers with guns drawn yelling ‘you’re going to get f**king shot’ at  pregnant  Harper, two small children, and demanding  that she put her hands up – while she was holding a child – which she was forced to hand over to a complete stranger.  The police were at the scene about a previous earlier theft, but apparently on the say-so of the dollar store personnel, they decided drawing guns on a family, assaulting, shouting and threatening them was the way to deal with an alleged shoplifting misdemeanor.  Why the store staff didn’t confront the family before they left the store has not been explained, but One Pulse will be asking.

Police Chief Jeri Williams and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego both offered apologies after a fashion, but with Williams undoing her statement by saying ‘… but there is more to the story…’  it is far from an acceptable situation.  One Pulse will be asking what precisely that story is that required guns drawn on a family with officers threatening to shoot them over alleged petty theft.

As it stands the police involved seem to have only been put on desk duty.  According to the family’s attorney,  Tom Horne, said:  “The police officers committed battery, unlawful imprisonment, false arrest, infliction of emotional distress, and violation of civil rights…”  Jay-z is funding the legal fees for the family.

 

From the video
Images from ABC News video; top shows police kicking Mr Ames’ legs out from under him; image below shows Ms Harper forced to hand her child over to a complete stranger as she is cuffed.

TAKE ACTION:

Please watch the video on this link and read the article, or read other related articles to be familiar with the case.

Next, please contact the following individuals through one of the channels listed below and give the following message, personalized to your liking:

I was absolutely furious to learn that Arizona police officers pulled a gun on two children, a pregnant woman and her fiance over what apparently amounted to resisting arrest.

Whether or not a third woman who may or may not have been with the couple, Dravon Ames, 22 and Iesha Harper, 24, earlier was wanted by the police, the video footage being watched around the world shows two white officers threatening to ‘f***king shoot’ the adults, assaulting Ames, threatening a pregnant woman and terrorizing children:  allegedly over a petty theft. 

Without any delay, we demand the police involved be arrested and charged with what surely seems, as defence council claims,  committed battery, unlawful imprisonment, false arrest, infliction of emotional distress, and violation of civil rights:  presuming the State of Arizona finds these as serious as its officers finds alleged dollar-store theft.  We also want without delay any and all charges dropped against the couple, an investigation into how the officers were trained, an explanation from the store staff as to what they did to confront the family before they left the store about any alleged shoplifting.  We also want Police Chief Williams to explain what ‘more there is to the story’ that warranted assault, firearms drawn, and a pregnant woman forced to hand over a small child to a stranger.  We’re waiting.

The state owes more than a half-hearted, partially retracted apology to this family, and we want a minimum of a five figure sum, to be agreed with their lawyer, to be paid to them forthwith.  We also want assurances that none of those who filmed the outrageous behaviour of your police to have any action whatsoever taken against them.  We demand assurances from Arizona that any such approaches to threaten, jail, intimidate or in any way interfere with the video filmers will not happen whatsoever.

Finally, one reason that your officers claim to have drawn weapons is that they feared the couple might have been armed.  We now demand that your state legislature re-think your cavalier gun laws as they clearly have been shown to escalate officer responses – to an alleged petty theft – before any more tragic shootings by your officers, who obviously need re-training, occurs.

We will demand your answers and your actions; we will follow-up on this campaign and we hold all officials involved responsible for this life-threatening attack.  If you don’t act, you will be responsible for any subsequent deaths; if you don’t act, we will campaign until there is justice for this family, and we will campaign to oust anyone from office who is not working for justice for this family and to prevent further such illegal, violent, deadly police acts.

Phoenix Police / Police Chief Williams
Email: Chief of Police  (form)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoenixazpolice/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PhxPDChief 

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego
Phone:  602-262-6011
Email:  Mayor (form) 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityofPhoenixAZ/

After you contact Williams or Gallego, click the orange banner at the top of this page to report your action!