As David Anderson pointed out in the post right before this:
I am not worried about the outdoor spread. I am very worried about COVID spread among individuals arrested/detained and forced into tight, indoor space with a bunch of unfamiliar individuals who will then disperse throughout metro areas.
We received a request this morning for crowdsourcing of good places to donate bail funds. That seems like a good idea! So if this is of interest to you, and you’d like do what you can to help keep protesters safe, you know what to do.
Here’s the note we received – I haven’t included the jackal’s name because I don’t know that the person wants to be identified.
Hi, I mean this to all of you FPers, because you’re all such great people and -leaders-.
These are horrible times. If you could think about putting up a list of good places we readers might donate, that might be useful. For myself, I have two priorities -right- -now-:(1) bail funds in DC, and (2) bail funds in MPLS. After that, I know what to do for GOTV in Texas and Georgia, and more generally supporting candidates nationwide.
But it’s possible that many of your readers are unaware of where to donate for bail funds. And honestly, I”m a little in the same boat wrt DC. So if you guys have thoughts on this, I’m sure we would welcome them.
Crazy time, crazy time. I must say, reading B-J over the years has been somewhat of preparation. Now’s the moment when we get to find out whether we’re citizens, or free-riders, I guess. Anyway, any advice you had to give us, would be useful.
As always, thank you for B-J, and for ALL your contributions, posts, and guidance.
Update: Recommendation in the comments, see comment #8 for more details:
DO NOT donate to any fund claiming to be for the benefit of Louisville detainees.
HumboldtBlue
List of Bail Funds for Protestors across the Country
Feathers
Act Blue is collecting for bail funds. You can either split your donation as you choose or have it divided evenly among the bail funds they are supporting, which is currently at 11. Act Blue Donate to Bail Funds for Protesters
Laura Too
minnesotafreedomfund.org/
nytimes.com/2020/06/01/style/minnesota-freedom-fund-bail-george-floyd-protests.html
gwangung
@HumboldtBlue: Yup. The one-step place.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
3 other Minneapolis officers involved in George Floyd’s Death Charged, Chauvin now charged with Second-Degree Murder
Good
sdhays
Some good news: Attorney General Keith Ellison to elevate charges against officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck; also charging other 3 involved.
Dallas Taylor
Not a bail fund, but an (WoC) artist friend is running a front line aid station out of a bar/art galley on Seattle’s Capitol Hill called Vermillion. Donations VenMo’d to @blueconestudios will be put to good and immediate use.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
DO NOT donate to any fund claiming to be for the benefit of Louisville detainees. We are no longer doing cash bonds except for exceedingly egregious cases where there are some extraordinary circumstances or a significant history of avoiding appearances.
I know, I’ve been doing those arraignments – most are getting released overnight. We had one glitch where a night duty judge decided to be a dick, but that problem has cleared.
Served
It’s the lying:
twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1268264501721341953?s=20
twitter.com/MattBinder/status/1268217783193567232?s=20
Redshift
OT, but since I missed the last thread – WaPo has a piece up pointing out that what was used on the protesters fits the CDC’s definition of tear gas.
Served
The White House jumps in on the lie: twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1268254025109196800?s=20
Another Scott
@Redshift:
Cheers,
Scott.
Laura Too
I’m very concerned tonight is going to be hell. The MPD is not going to take this sitting down. It is going to get uglier. I so hope I’m wrong!
Edith
@Laura Too:
Also very worried. While we’ve been spared the wholesale burning up here in North, there have been a couple of black businesses burned under very suspicious circumstances. The neighborhood has been organizing it’s own patrols all week, but white supremacists and bugaloos have been active here. Hope Walz and Frey are anticipating the MPD reaction and are ready. I saw an interview with Walz when he tried to visit the memorial anonymously and ran into a CNN reporter. I think he understands the stakes and what we’re up against. So tired.
Laura Too
That said, thrilled with charges.
Inventor
Ellison is not playing.
Edith
@Laura Too:
Did you read the statements from the City Council and Frey regarding the DHR investigation into the MPD? I have never read more politely phrased giant fuck-yous to the MPD and its union. In the interview mentioned above, Walz says he doesn’t think we’re going to get another chance to get this right. I think he gets it, I just really really hope he’s up to this fight.
I also hope the DHR investigation doesn’t result in Arradondo needing to resign. He seems to have the trust and respect of the African American community here. He’d be an excellent person to rebuild the department if we can break the union’s hold on accountability.
J R in WV
From Goku:
I spent all morning — til 1:00 pm — at my family doctor’s office, wearing the respirator mask from heavy industry, a miserable thing to have to wear.
After that, driving to Kroger’s to fill the scripts and stock up on produce etc, I heard on MSNBC that Chauvin was being charged with second degree murder, and his 3 accomplices with aiding and abetting or some such offense.
Of course, as we’re all aware, premeditation is necessary for a charge of first degree murder. IANAL, but I have been on two capital murder juries, foreman on one of those juries… so I have had WV law on first degree murder explained to me by two different judges, and then discussed by both defense and prosecution lawyers at some length. And believe me, I paid attention.
Chauvin worked hard to kill Mr Floyd — it didn’t happen in a split second, like using his sidearm would have entailed. He killed Mr Floyd for a long time, continuously, and had help from other “officers” at the scene. How much premeditation is enough? If Mr Floyd had died quickly, after a minute or less, then I might accept 2nd or 3rd degree murder, with a lot of argument and reasons, maybe.
But after 3 or 4 minutes? Probably not.
After 5 or 6 minutes? GTF outa here!!! AFter 8 minutes? Guilty, guilty, guilty. Chauvin was thinking the whole time he was killing George Floyd, and I think he was thinking how swell it was that he was getting to kill Floyd on the job, in front of his fellow dirty cops. There is no question in my mind that this killing was deliberate, intentional, and had plenty of forethought before Mr Floyd died for First Degree Murder to be an appropriate charge to the jury, along with all the other murder charges, should they vote to convict on a lessor charge. But it should be the jury that decides which charge has been proven, after they watch the whole video of the whole murder, all 8 minutes and some odd seconds of the murder. Actually, they should watch it several times, both in open court and privately in the Jury room, together.
Chauvin needs to be able to look forward to a fair trial right there in his city he was sworn to protect and serve, or however the local oath goes, and to contemplate a first degree murder conviction, and spending the rest of his lame, despicable life behind bars in a concrete box. Premeditated for at least 6 minutes, which was plenty of time to decide NOT to commit first degree murder, if he had wanted to NOT commit that crime. But he didn’t stop, did he? He kept right on killing for all of those long terrible minutes it took him to finish Mr Floyd off.
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
Re donations, I’ve kicked some money to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund.
Laura Too
@Edith: I think Walz is the right person at the right time. Besides, he’s got Peggy and as far as I’m concerned she’s Wonder Woman. I feel a bit better now, got word that our blocks are united. I trust your folks up there to be fully aware of what these folks are capable are. I’m going to sign the drive thru petition to get rid of Kroll and go to stand quietly and respectfully at the back of the line at the Memorial tomorrow. We are resolved. This will change.
Ruckus
@J R in WV:
The only thing I would caution about your post is that different states write their laws differently, and what may be absolute in one state may be different in others. In general there may not be a lot of differences but specifics can make an outcome entirely different.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: It’s cool. JR in WV’s legal training has made him an expert.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Esper is still searching for his spine. The coward thinks this will save his job. It won’t
gwangung
Esper making the Admin look weak and indecisive.
J R in WV
@Omnes Omnibus:
I described my IANAL legal training in some detail. Real trials, real judges, real lawyers, real jurors, who are very rarely lawyers.
If you disagree, don’t try to make fun of me, explain your opinion and tell us why.
Or do make fun of me for expressing my opinion and explaining my reasoning, all the same to me. On the Internet, no one can tell you’re a dog! ;-)
ETA: woof, woof !
jackmac
My 28-year-old son hasn’t expressed a lot of political opinions over the years, but he’s woke now.
And he donated $250 to a bail bond fund.
I’m so proud of him.
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
Hey it gives him more experience than a lot of us.
Plus it makes him sound smarter than some attorneys I’ve known.
Adam Lang
So very convenient that the bail bond industry managed to get the revocation of cash bail bonds in California put off until after November.
Emma
For those who aren’t able to financially support causes right now and/or protest, please turn off ad-blockers, watch this video, and let all the ads run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM&ab_channel=ZoeAmira
100% of the money from ads will go to all the various causes and memorial funds, and there’s even a tip on watching this, then watching 3-5 other videos, then rewatching this video to “donate” more money without the algorithm labeling you as spam.