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‘Gaza is Everywhere!’: Activists Latch on to George Floyd’s Death to Bash Israel

By
Sholom Schreirber
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Protesters hold signs and shout slogans during a protest to decry the killing of George Floyd in front of the American embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 2, 2020. Ariel Schalit / The Associated Press

(TPS) Anti-Israel activists on social media have recently launched a campaign that attempts to draw parallels between police violence in the US against African Americans and the alleged violence against Arabs by the Israel Police and the IDF in.

Following the police’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, anti-Israel activists immediately began drawing comparisons with what they describe as systematic and deadly Israeli brutality against Palestinians., and that in some cases, Israeli policemen trained the US cops to be employ brutality.

One image, typifying the campaign, depicts a photoshopped image of George Floyd on the security barrier between Israel and parts of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The anti-Israel German Das Palästina Portal published an article titled “Gaza is everywhere! What the current unrest and protest in the US have to do with Israel,” arguing that police brutality can be attributed to an “ongoing Israelization of the world.”

Several groups have applied violent terms such as “Intifada” (Arabic for uprising) to the current eruption of protests in the wake of Floyd’s death.

The term Intifada was the name given to the first and second Palestinian violent riots in the late 1980s and early 2000s, which saw daily terror attacks, including suicide bombings, stabbings and shootings against Israeli civilians that claimed thousands of lives.

By describing the current wave of protests as a “black intifada”, the groups’ statements appear to constitute an incitement to violence and terrorism.

Samidoun, a global delegitimization organization with close ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a US-designated terror organization, released a statement titled “From Gaza to Minneapolis, one struggle for justice and liberation!” in which it called the protests an “intifada.”

The statement declared: “We support the uprising in Minneapolis, the intifada of people subjected to an ongoing, vicious and structural racism, inheriting a lengthy and rich tradition of Black resistance, organizing and struggle.”

The PFLP itself published a statement in Arabic in solidarity with protestors, stating that “it is not surprising for a country like the United States, which has a strategic alliance with the Zionist entity [Israel], to intersect with it in the discrimination, racism and repression that embodies its treatment of Palestinians.”

The BDS National Committee (BNC) stated that “as long as this system of oppression continues, it is up to our grassroots movements to work collectively and intersectionally to dismantle it, from the US to Palestine.”

BDS US group Adalah Justice Project linked white supremacy and Zionism, accusing them of being “underpinned by anti-Blackness.”

The hashtag #PalestinianLivesMatter, inspired by #BlackLivesMatter, has been used

on Twitter since at least 2015. However, the hashtag’s popularity surged following the killing of George Floyd as BLM protests gained momentum in the US. Many activists campaigned to highlight intersectional parallels between African American and Palestinian causes, once again reviving this hashtag.

Usage of #PalestinianLivesMatter on Twitter grew exponentially from May 28-30, and was also highly visible to Twitter users from June 2-3, reaching an estimated 29.4 million users in this 24-hour period

This exploitation of the tragedy in the US is a strategic attempt by delegitimization groups to entrench themselves and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as a focal point of the progressive Movement. (TPS)

 

Is America Going to the Dogs?

By
Sholom Schreirber
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We don’t want to unnecessarily scare you, but America is going to the dogs. In other words, the future of this nation, for our kids and their kids, is bleak. We are now in a state of national rioting that borders on revolution. Throughout the nation, shopping centers, Mom and Pop shops, churches, the CNN headquarters in NYC, Macy’s in Herald Square were broken into, vandalized, torched and many totally destroyed. They may never re-open. Just an aside…..notice there were no libraries looted of their contents.

The streets, controlled by the likes of radical revolutionary groups such as ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter, initiate and inflame not only the street mayhem, but are positively reported on and openly supported by nearly all the mainstream media. These mobs are now considered by such as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and others on her side of the aisle, to be true “freedom fighters.” From the non-stop reporting and videos of the rioting, it appears that the willing participants rampaging through the streets are kids in their late teens. Their youth sadly brings to mind this past week’s June 6th commemoration of the 76th anniversary of D Day and the landings on the shores of Normandy by our troops and allies that helped defeat Nazi Germany. On that hallowed day, over 3,000 of our young men, the same age as the current street thugs, gave their lives or were listed as missing in action. What a difference 76 years make in the quality of our youth and their commitment to freedom. We are losing the battle to remain a free society.

 

It’s almost incredible that this violent, national uprising, where there is no regard for officially pronounced curfews, has spawned the call for police departments all over the country to be either dissolved or defunded. A colossal disaster in the making. Our own Mayor DeBlasio has called for a reduction in the NYPD budget and for those “saved” funds to go to youth programs and other such “social justice” bottomless pits, that are staffed by political appointees. This Sunday he said: “We are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people.”

 

On Monday, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that he is “1000 percent” behind a proposal to shift police department funds to city youth groups. “To help the kids of our city, I’m 1000 percent behind shifting some funding from the police to youth programs,” Shea said on Twitter. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to dig down and do what’s needed.”

 

On Sunday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo also weighed in on the issue of defunding the police and his opinion was in stark contrast to that of the mayor. Speaking to reporters in Albany, the governor said: “You have New York City, that is still reeling from the COVID virus, and now you have this night of looting, that I’m telling you shook people in the city to the core. You don’t need police? You don’t need police? That’s what happens when you don’t have effective policing.”

 

The country is still reeling from the effects of the Chinese virus. The outrageous killing of George Floyd by rogue Minneapolis cops has inflamed a damaged nation to the point where law and order has virtually vanished. Cities across the nation are in danger of going broke. Tax income has virtually ground to a halt. Businesses are shut down. People are unemployed. There is mayhem in the streets. People are antsy. Politicians are running in circles spooked by unchecked, criminal mobs that seem to be unrestrained. We’ll end where we began…the nation is going to the dogs.

 

Antibody Testing in NY Serves to Counter Anxiety about Coronavirus

By
Sholom Schreirber
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The COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing shutdown, the social distancing and masks all came as a shock to New Yorkers. Now, New Yorkers are looking to one thing for relief-- antibody testing. Photo Credit: AP

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing shutdown, the social distancing and masks all came as a shock to New Yorkers.   Now, New Yorkers are looking to one thing for relief– antibody testing. Doctors and scientists have given clues that possessing antibodies means patients have had some exposure to the virus. It is not yet conclusive, however, whether having these antibodies means a person cannot get Covid-19 again.  It is not known if they can still pass on the virus on to other people.  Still, the idea has circulated that antibodies will play a role in determining who can go back to work, or start to socialize or travel again.

“In general, a positive antibody test is presumed to mean a person has been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, at some point in the past,” as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. “We currently don’t have enough information yet to say whether someone will definitely be immune and protected from reinfection if they have antibodies to the virus.”

As per a recent article in the NY Times, many people across the city, however, have already come to the conclusion that the test results will be a prediction of their future necessity to continue the labor of social distancing.  Some people who have received positive antibody results, are celebrating that they have already beat the virus and have the whole thing behind them.   They feel less anxious, knowing their body already fought off the disease to a certain degree.

Testing for antibodies has become very popular.  Even when the test comes out negative, there is reason to feel triumph.  It can be taken to mean that the social distancing has been successful, and all the sacrifices made were not for naught.  In the early days of the pandemic, people did not have access to testing.  They still do not know if they fought a regular cold or if it was indeed the coronavirus.  Now that testing is readily available, New Yorkers have been eager to see the results.

“I would hate to never actually know,” said Lauren McFarland, 48, who lives in Brooklyn with her three sons. “It’s one fact we can count on in this whole thing.”  Her family has tested positive for antibodies, and she hopes the results will have positive ramifications for their impending future. “What if there is a stamp in our passport, or we are a different color on an app, or it means the boys can go to sleepaway camp?” said Ms. McFarland. “My friends and I joke that the positives can hang out with the positives.”

These ideas all stem from statements made by The World Health Organization.  The WHO has suggested, via a science brief put out in April, that in the future antibodies “could serve as the basis for an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are protected against re-infection”.  Still, there is no evidence that antibodies can protect someone from getting infected again.

Doubtlessly, there is still a lot that is unknown in regards to this novel pandemic.  Any bit of confidence and assurance is welcome in these times.   This is likely where the allure of the antibody testing comes in.  Even if the testing can bring can only bring a bit of peace of mind to some people, it will be considered quite worthwhile.  So, while there is still no certainty of immunity for those who test positive, many have decided they will take any reassurance they can get for now.

 

Amidst Pandemic & Riots, Has NYC Lost its Special Allure?

By
Sholom Schreirber
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Despite the high costs of living in the Big Apple, for many being in the center of the business world made it all worthwhile. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

By Ilana Siyance

New York City has always had a special allure.  Despite the high costs of living in the Big Apple, for many being in the center of the business world made it all worthwhile.  It afforded opportunities that not many other places could live up to.  Now, with the breakout of the pandemic, the will to social distance from other people, the prolonged shutdown, and finally the violent riots have residents questioning if NYC still holds its appeal.

For months now, New Yorkers have  been leaving their homes.  This new challenge, where protestors have proved violent, has kicked it up a few notches leading to fear.  Many residents are contemplating whether or not to return at all.  As reported by the NY Times, some 420,000 New Yorkers have already left between March and May as a response to the pandemic, according to cellphone data analyzed by the Times.   Those who left were mostly affluent, or those who had the means to do so.

Of course, this city has seen its fair share of problems in the past.  We had the 1970s recession, the Sept. 11 terror attack, hurricanes, and prolonged power outages.  Each time, however, there was a resurgence and the city and its residence bounced back.  Why would this be different?  Some say the very nature of the pandemic threatens the way of life that NYC optimizes.  This is the bustling city that never sleeps.  If it can’t be bustling and it has to be put to sleep, then maybe it loses its allure.  Further, if people are working remotely then why opt to pay the higher price of living in NYC.  Why not move to other places where the same rent can provide a backyard and more square footage?

One New Yorker who left is Rebekah Rosler, 40, a therapist and doula.  She picked up with her husband and two children and is looking for a home in Connecticut.  She grew up in Manhattan.  Her parents and grandparents lived here since the 1870s, but she decided to leave.  “I had never felt an energy like that before, like the city was on the brink of something, and I don’t know what it is,” she said. “I was like, ‘We need to get out of here right now.’”  She said the recent curfews and violence further confirmed her decision to relocate.  “I live near Union Square, and it was terrifying to watch what was happening,” she said. “It made me realize what a relief not being there is right now.”

At the same time, there are other New Yorkers who feel differently.  They wouldn’t consider leaving their city when the going gets tough.  “These times of crisis, when things get tough in the city, it’s where I want to be, it’s where my neighbors are,” said Joseph Holmes, 66, a photographer in Park Slope, Brooklyn, who moved here in 1984. He takes offense to those who are leaving, and particularly to those who say that the city has no value if the museums, bars and restaurants are shuttered.  “I hate to admit it, but I do feel like if you don’t want to be here, ‘So long, I wish you the best of luck and goodbye,’” said Holmes.

“I don’t understand people who would consider leaving the city because of events that happen once every few decades and last for a matter of days,” added Holmes.  He sides with those who have faith that NYC will return to its prime, and will overcome all obstacles as it has in the past.

 

Ongoing George Floyd Protests Leave Close to 300 NYPD Officers Injured

By
Sholom Schreirber
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FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, the incoming New York City Police Commissioner, attends a news conference at New York's City Hall. Shea is drawing on his early days as a patrolman as he pushes the nation’s largest police department to cultivate deeper bonds with the communities it serves. Shea says that will be key to building trust and cutting crime. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By Ilana Siyance

The tragic death of George Floyd has led to even more tragedy, loss and death all around the nation.  In NY, close to 300 of New York’s finest have been injured during the ongoing protests.  As reported by the NY Post, 292 NYPD officers have been hurt in violent clashes that erupted during demonstrations, police said.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called for an end to violence against officers.  “Violence has been used multiple times during what could have been and what should have been peaceful protests,” Shea said Thursday night at a live-streamed press conference.  “Violence poisons the well of democracy. It has done so at a time when we so desperately need civil discourse about issues that all of us, black, white — all of us that we care so much about.”

The protests should be peaceful, but many times they are not.  NYPD police said it seems multiple different groups including Al Qaeda, ISIS, neo-Nazis, other political extremists and hate groups have unified for the goal of opportunistic propaganda to “accelerate conflict, incite violence.”

“What they’re seeking is more disorder, more violence, more mayhem,” said Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller.  As reported by NBC, police officials said “there’s been a pretty dramatic escalation in terms of rhetoric and propaganda from these extremist entities” in posting online and on social media trying to use George Floyd protests for their own agendas and to create unrest in the country.  “It’s our responsibility and obligation to make sure that we track down which of these propagandists has security implications for the large number of protests in New York City,” police officials said.

As of Saturday, the NYPD said they have made 1,024 protest related arrests and given 1,164 summonses. These numbers do not include curfew violations. Some 467 arrests have been linked specifically to felonies.  While the data still needs to be studied before making any inferences, 3.6 percent of those arrested had previous arrests or incidents with law enforcement tied to shootings, homicides, or weapons charges; 6 percent had ties to gangs; and 2.3 percent of those arrested were repeat offenders.

“You have anarchist groups that are actively planning to do destruction and violence against police,” said Miller, explaining that those groups don’t generally loot, but rather break glass, and damage buildings.  Then, “You have the looters who have tried to blend with the protesters for cover and then break off with the sole purpose of looting merchandise,” he continued.

 

 

 

 

MLB offers 76-game season, Playoffs Rise Up to 16 teams

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

By RONALD BLUM (AP)

(AP) — Major League Baseball has made another try to start the coronavirus-delayed season in early July, proposing a 76-game regular season, expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to as many as 16 and allowing players to earn about 75% of their prorated salaries.

Players have refused cuts beyond what they agreed to in March shortly after the pandemic began, part of baseball’s again acrimonious labor relations. The arduous negotiations have jeopardized plans to hold opening day around the Fourth of July in empty ballparks and provide entertainment to a public still emerging from months of quarantine.

MLB’s latest proposal would guarantee 50% of players’ prorated salaries over the regular season, according to details obtained by The Associated Press.

The proposal would eliminate all free-agent compensation for the first time since the free-agent era started in 1976. It also would forgive 20% of the $170 million in salaries already advanced to players during April and May.

“If the players desire to accept this proposal, we need to reach an agreement by Wednesday,” Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote in a letter to union negotiator Bruce Meyer that was obtained by The Associated Press. “While we understand that it is a relatively short time frame, we cannot waste any additional days if we are to have sufficient time for players to travel to spring training, conduct COVID-19 testing and education, conduct a spring training of an appropriate length, and schedule a 76-game season that ends no later than Sept. 27.”

“While we are prepared to continue discussion past Wednesday on a season with fewer than 76 games, we simply do not have enough days to schedule a season of that length unless an agreement is reached in the next 48 hours,” he added.

There was no immediate response from the union, which is likely to view the plan as a step back because of the large percentage of salaries not guaranteed.

“There’s social unrest in our country amid a global pandemic. Baseball won’t solve these problems, but maybe it could help,” Washington pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted. “We’ve been staying ready & we proposed 114 games — to protect the integrity of the game, to give back to our fans & cities, and because we want to play.”

“It’s frustrating to have a public labor dispute when there’s so much hardship. I hate it,” he said. “But we have an obligation to future players to do right by them. We want to play. We also have to make sure that future players won’t be paying for any concessions we make.”

While there is no chance players would accept this proposal as is, the offer dropped the sliding scale teams embraced last month that would have left stars with just a fraction of their expected pay. The latest proposal figures to spark more talks that could lead to opening day at some point in July.

Players agreed March 26 for prorated salaries that depend on games played, part of a deal for a guarantee of service time if the season was scrapped.

MLB says it can’t afford to play in ballparks without fans and on May 26 proposed an 82-game schedule. The union countered five days later with a 114-game schedule at prorated pay that would extend the regular season by a month through October.

MLB is worried a second wave of the virus would endanger the postseason — when MLB is scheduled to receive $787 million in broadcast revenue.

Teams estimate the new offer would guarantee $1.43 billion in compensation: $955 million in salaries, including an allowance for earned bonuses; $393 million if the postseason is played — half the broadcast revenue — for a 20% bonus for every player with a big league contract; $50 million for the regular season postseason pool normally funded with ticket money; and $34 million for the forgiven advances.

Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole, who have the highest salaries of $36 million each, would have been guaranteed $5.58 million each under the initial MLB proposal with the chance to earn up to about $8 million, and $25.3 million apiece in the union plan. They would be guaranteed $8,723,967 each under the latest offer and would get $12,190,633 apiece if the postseason is completed.

A player at the $563,500 minimum could earn up to $244,492 and those at $1 million — about half those on current active rosters — could get up to $389,496.

MLB estimates its revenue would drop from $9.73 billion last year to $2.75 billion this year with a 76-game season. Adding prorated shares of signing bonuses, option buyout, termination pay, assignment bonuses and benefits, MLB says players would get 70.2% of revenue, up from 46.7%. Also factoring in signing bonuses for amateurs in the draft this week and international players, MLB projects players would get 86.2%, up from 52.1%.

Expansion of the playoffs would make a major change for MLB’s 30 clubs. Postseason teams doubled to four with the split of each league into two divisions in 1969, then to eight with the realignment to three divisions and the addition of a wild card in 1995, a year later than planned due to a players’ strike. The postseason reached its current 10 with the addition of a second wild card and a wild-card round in 2012.

Players proposed expanding the playoffs to 14 teams in both 2020 and ’21. The MLB plan also would cover the next two seasons. It doesn’t specify a format other than as many as eight clubs per league.

Free agent compensation has long caused bitter fights since the arbitration decision in December 1975 that struck down the reserve clause — it led to an eight-day strike during spring training in 1980 and a 50-day strike during the 1981 season. Compensation had been narrowed in recent years but still caused some free agents to have fewer bidders and sign later, such as pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel in 2019.

MLB proposed dropping the loss of draft picks and international signing bonus pool allocation for signing a qualified free agent.

All players would have the right to opt out and not play, but only high-risk individuals would be treated as if injured and would receive salary and service time.

Players’ distrust of MLB stems from accusations of service time manipulation to delay eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration; payroll paring for rebuilding the union calls tanking; slow free-agent markets; and five years of relatively flat salaries.

MLB’s frustration with the union has built since Tony Clark took over after Michael Weiner died in late 2013. Management complains the union procrastinates responding to proposals and then causes hectic deadline negotiations.

Halem sent Meyer an angry letter Wednesday, and Meyer replied in kind Friday.

“I am not going to respond to the assertions and mischaracterizations in your letter because we are well past the point that exchanging letters is a constructive use of our limited time,” Halem wrote Monday. “To be clear, we are neither shutting down negotiations nor requesting that the association negotiate against itself.”

Democrats propose sweeping police overhaul; Trump criticizes

By
Sholom Schreirber
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center, and other members of Congress, kneel and observe a moment of silence at the Capitol's Emancipation Hall, Monday, June 8, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington, reading the names of George Floyd and others killed during police interactions. Democrats proposed a sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures Monday, an ambitious legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

By LISA MASCARO (AP)

Democrats in Congress proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability Monday, a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement.

The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarized election year. President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “law and order” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.

“We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural change,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing on the nation’s history of slavery.

Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, reading the names of George Floyd and many others killed during police interactions. They knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — now a symbol of police brutality and violence — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned under a white police officer’s knee before he died.

Trump, who met with law enforcement officials at the White House, characterized Democrats as having “gone CRAZY!”

As activists beyond Capitol Hill call to restructure police departments and even to “ defund the police,” the president tweeted, “LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE.” He declared later, “We won’t be dismantling our police.”

Democratic leaders pushed back, saying their proposal would not eliminate police departments — a decision for cities and states — but establish new standards and oversight.

Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, “does not believe that police should be defunded,” said spokesman Andrew Bates.

The Justice in Policing Act, the most ambitious law enforcement reform from Congress in years, confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared widely across the nation and the world.

The package would limit legal protections for police, create a national database of excessive-force incidents and ban police choke holds, among other changes.

It would revise the federal criminal police misconduct statute to make it easier to prosecute officers who are involved in “reckless” misconduct and it would change “qualified immunity” protections to more broadly enable damage claims against police in lawsuits.

The legislation would ban racial profiling, boost requirements for police body cameras and limit the transfer of military equipment to local jurisdictions.

Overall, the bill seeks to provide greater transparency of police behavior in several ways. For one, it would grant subpoena power to the Justice Department to conduct “pattern and practice” investigations of potential misconduct and help states conduct independent investigations.

And it would create a “National Police Misconduct Registry,” a database to try to prevent officers from transferring from one department to another with past misconduct undetected, the draft says.

A long-sought federal anti-lynching bill that has stalled in Congress is included in the package.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a co-author with Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Democratic senators will convene a hearing on the legislation Wednesday.

“The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in this country,” said Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is leading the effort.

While Democrats are expected to swiftly approve the legislation this month, it does not go as far as some activists want. The outlook for passage in the Republican-held Senate is slim.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose Louisville hometown faces unrest after the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in her home, said he would take a look at potential Senate legislation.

It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will peel off some of their own proposals.

Republicans are likely to stick with Trump, and GOP campaign officials bashed efforts underway in some cities to reallocate police funds to other community services.

Yet McConnell was central to passage of a 2018 criminal justice sentencing overhaul the president signed into law, and some key GOP senators have expressed interest in more streamlined changes to policing practices and accountability.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who marched with protesters Sunday, told reporters late Monday at the Capitol that he is working with other Republican senators “to see if we can’t fashion a piece of legislation which could receive bipartisan support to make some changes to the way we do our policing.”

The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has said his panel intends to hold a hearing to review use of force and other issues, and other GOP lawmakers have suggested Floyd’s death could spark more modest changes.

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, who marched in support of Floyd in Houston, penned an op-ed Monday about how his own black father instructed him to respond if he was pulled over by the police, and suggested proposals for changes in police practices.

What started with the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has transformed with the killings of other black Americans into a diverse and mainstream effort calling for changing the way America polices its population, advocates say.

“I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry for protesters. Floyd pleaded with police that he couldn’t breathe, echoing the phrase Eric Garner said while in police custody in 2014 before his death in New York.

“All we’ve ever wanted is to be treated equally — not better, not worse,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Biden’s own platform reflects much of the approach from congressional Democrats, and his former presidential primary rivals, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., are co-authors of the package in the Senate.

It’s not about racism, fools, it’s about Western folly

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
A protester holds a skateboard in front of a fire in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 30, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu,AP
Don’t be fooled by what’s going in the US and in some European cities. It has nothing to do with racism, injustice and compassion. It is pure politics on the one hand and a form of mass ideological enslavement on the other.

Above all, it is not about reason, but irrationality.

There are those who fight for positive reasons, believing they will alleviate racism and that they have to correct the wrongs that exist in every democracy. But most people are there because in the pack they feel better off, can defend themselves from attacks and insults, avoid thinking.

I don’t care about all that so I’ll tell you how things are.

The policeman who killed George Floyd will spend the rest of his life in prison. The American system is not the Chinese one, where a policeman who tramples other citizens is given a medal. Unfortunately, anyone who does not submit to the dominant narrative will be called a racist, white supremacist and fascist, and not necessarily in that order.

Black Lives Matter, the movement behind the protests, doesn’t care about blacks. They never protest when blacks are killed by other blacks, although the biggest cause of death in the United States of blacks between the ages of 15 and 45 is … other black men. They have never protested against black slavery markets such as those in Mauritania or when blacks exterminate other blacks as they do in Sudan.

The police are not anti-black, since an average of about 20 percent of the police force in America is black (50 percent in Los Angeles is Hispanic, 60 percent in Atlanta is black as is 33 percent in Philadephia etc). Some of America’s poorest and most violent cities have black mayors, black governors and black councils. Like Baltimore, and Chicago.

In short, reality is not an edifying black and white film.

Reading the outraged media, hearing Obama who embraces the protests, or watching the kneeling members of hypocritical establishments, it would seem that in America racist white policemen have fun going around shooting black unarmed citizens.

Let’s see the facts.

There are hundreds of millions of interactions between the police and civilians in America every year. 1004 people were killed by police hands in 2019. Of these, 235 were black. And of these, 226 were armed. This means that 9 unarmed black citizens were killed by police over a population of 330 million last year. Each of these lost lives is a defeat.

But such as to justify the devastation of cities? The destruction of people’s livelihood? And the accusations of “systematic racism”?

As Heather Mac Donald reports in an article in the Wall Street Journal, blacks represent a quarter of the total number of people killed in police shootings every year, a stable figure since 2015. The answer would seem that this 25 percent demonstrates racism since African Americans are only 13 percent of the American population. Let us look deeper.

There were 7,407 murder victims of color in the United States in 2018, the last year for which final data are available. The 9 unarmed men killed in police shootings are 0.1 percent of those killings. While African Americans are twice as involved in police shootings as their total percentage would seem to justify, they commit 53 percent of the murders and 60 percent of the robberies – well over four times their percentage of the population. And whose fault is that? The fact that life, the system, is unfair? Maybe.

But 55 years of Democratic programs in the fight against racism and poverty have not helped. Nor is the fact that all the cities where the protests take place, including Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed, are almost all Democratic fiefdoms.

In addition, the killing of black citizens by the police is on the wane. Higher numbers were reported under Obama.

But unlike the liberal partisans, we say that it is not anyone’s fault, neither Obama’s nor Trump’s.

Except that liberals must go back to blaming Trump, to see the Mississipi Burning again, to publish articles about the Ku Klux Klan, to dream of racial war to redeem our “sick” society. The real disease, however, is in the mind of the beholder, it is the idea that we are racist and unjust and that we have to pay for who we are.

Liberals love to see the system burning for electoral gains.

Trump has his political game, that is, to close the ranks of white Main Street and others who find the riots frightening and unacceptable. The Democrats have their game, stirring the racial war for electoral purposes. Who loses the game? Society, its decency, our capacity for discernment and culture.

In a society calling itself “open” it is becoming increasingly difficult to say these things without being verbally and physically attacked.

In Bristol, UK, the “anti-racists” tore down a statue of philantropist Colston because he was involved in the slave trade. You have to look at it, at those images of human fury and fanaticism, cultural vengeance and moral irrationality. It is the West’s folly.

Giulio Meotti is an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, and writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. Besides his Italian books, he is the author of the English language books “A New Shoah”, that researched the personal stories of Israel’s terror victims, published by Encounter, and of “J’Accuse: the Vatican Against Israel” published by Mantua Books.. His writing has appeared in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Gatestone, Frontpage and Commentary.

Trump Continues to Slam Colin Powell After His Biden Endorsement

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
- President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he visits outside St. John's Church across Lafayette Park from the White House Monday, June 1, 2020, in Washington. Part of the church was set on fire during protests on Sunday night. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

By Brian Freeman (NEWSMAX)

President Donald Trump continued his attack on fellow Republican Colin Powell after the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president on Sunday.

“Colin Powell was a pathetic interview today on Fake News CNN,” the president wrote on Twitter. “In his time, he was weak & gave away everything to everybody — so bad for the USA. Also got the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ totally wrong, and you know what that mistake cost us?”

Trump had already tweeted at least two other times on the subject a number of hours earlier when news of Powell’s endorsement of Biden first broke.

Trump wrote on Twitter that “Colin Powell, a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars, just announced he will be voting for another stiff, Sleepy Joe Biden.”

An hour later the president tweeted again, saying “Somebody please tell highly overrated Colin Powell that I will have gotten almost 300 Federal Judges approved (a record), Two Great Supreme Court Justices, rebuilt our once depleted Military, Choice for Vets, Biggest Ever Tax & Regulation Cuts, Saved Healthcare & 2A, & much more!”

Powell did not vote for Trump in 2016 either.

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh brushed off the reported defection of some other top Republicans, such as former president George W. Bush and Sen. Mitt Romney, saying “President Trump has the support of a record number of Republicans across the country. He leads a united party and will win in November,” Fox News reported.

Settler Leader: Netanyahu Moving Ahead with Annexation Plans

By
Sholom Schreirber
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(Ronen Zvulun/ Pool Photo via AP)

(AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assured Jewish settlers that he is going ahead with plans to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank next month, a settler representative said Monday.

Netanyahu told a group of settler leaders late Sunday that President Donald Trump’s Mideast plan allowing the annexation has not been finalized, Oded Revivi, mayor of the Efrat settlement, told The Associated Press. But Netanyahu said that once a final map is agreed upon with the Americans, he will present it to settler leaders individually, Revivi said.

Revivi was one of a dozen settler leaders who attended Sunday’s meeting to support the annexation effort and offer a counterbalance to growing criticism of the plan among the prime minister’s nationalist base.

Annexation of West Bank land has long been a dream of the Israeli settler movement.

Despite what is widely viewed as a pro-Israel plan, some settlers have voiced concern that it does not go far enough. They note that many settlements would be turned into isolated enclaves surrounded by Palestinian territory. They also reject the U.S. offer to recognize Palestinian statehood, albeit with far less land and far less authority than the Palestinians seek.

“This doesn’t answer all our dreams but you have to keep it in perspective and see what the alternative is,” Revivi said. “We have an opportunity with this president, this prime minister and this international climate and we have to seize it.”

The schism in the settlement leadership burst into the open last week when David Elhayani, chairman of the Yesha Council, an umbrella settlers’ group, told an Israeli newspaper that the plan was inadequate and proved Trump was “not a friend of Israel.”

Netanyahu, fearful of upsetting his close ally in the White House, responded harshly, lauding Trump’s friendship and accusing the settler leadership of being ungrateful.

Revivi, a senior figure in Yesha, said the majority of settlers supported the plan, even if they harbored some concerns, and were solidly behind Netanyahu.

Netanyahu and much of his nationalist base are eager to move ahead with annexation, especially with Trump facing shaky re-election prospects in November. The presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, has said he opposes annexation.

Netanyahu has said he wants to annex parts of the West Bank, including the strategic Jordan Valley and dozens of Jewish settlements, in line with Trump’s Mideast plan. He’s lauded the move as a historic opportunity to establish Israel’s permanent borders, without having to evacuate a single settler. Previous peace plans have all included far greater Israeli concessions.

A U.S. Embassy official, said the “the work of the mapping committee is ongoing.” The official was not authorized to speak to the media on the record and requested anonymity.

Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.

The U.S. plan envisions leaving about one third of the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, under permanent Israeli control, while granting the Palestinians expanded autonomy in the remainder of the territory. The Palestinians, who seek all of the West Bank as part of an independent state, have rejected the plan, saying it unfairly favors Israel.

They have already cut off key security ties with Israel and say they are no longer bound to agreements signed. The moves have raised concerns of a return to violence if the plan is carried out. Israel’s defense minister has urged the military to hasten preparations for the country’s planned annexation in apparent anticipation of what could be fierce Palestinian protests against the move.

The annexation plan has also come under harsh criticism from some of Israel’s closest allies, who say that unilaterally redrawing the Mideast map would destroy any lingering hopes for establishing a Palestinian state and reaching a two-state peace agreement.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is set to arrive in Israel this week and is expected to voice his country’s displeasure with the plan. Next month, Germany will be taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and will be assuming the presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

 

Protesting Lawyer Shoots Innocent Motorist in Head During George Floyd Protest in Colorado

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
screenshot

by TJV News

In a barely reported  incident : a radicalized lawyer, 27 year old James Marshall from Colorado, is being charged with attempted murder and assault after he shot a driver in the head while the motorist tried to creep through a line of protesters blocking the road.

This is the 3rd lawyer arrested for violence at a George Floyd Protest, the other 2 are the Brooklyn lawyers who lobbed a  Molotov cocktail at a police car.

Initially social media misinformation made the rounds, mostly proliferated by George Floyd protesters, who attempted to paint the innocent victim as the guilty one who was trying to run over protesters.

“We’ve heard the same thing,” Alamos Police Capt. Joey Spangler said of the rumors. “But again, it’s an ongoing investigation. I can say we have no evidence to show that he was driving into or through the protester”, the Captain told KRDO TV

A nearby security camera captured the incident on tape, revealing the driver was not trying to run anyone over and was basically stopped and waiting for the few protesters to clear the way.

Obtained by KRDO NewsChannel 13, video shows about a dozen protesters swarm the middle of the street before a truck approaches very slowly and attempts to make its way through the small group.

Despite driving extremely slow, not hitting anyone or even putting any of the protesters in danger, attorney James Marshall, 27, pulled out a handgun and shot the driver in the head.

The driver, Danny Pruitt, was found alert and sitting in his truck a half-mile down the road. He is currently on life support.

Marshall was arrested and charged with multiple crimes, but is now free after paying a $60,000 bond.

You can see the brazen attempted murder as reported by KRDO TV.  This displays the intensely violent mindset of many of the more radical George Floyd protesters who are out on the streets across America. Strangely, this is not a national story , as the narrative is being painted by the main line media that these are now 100% peaceful and righteous protests.

Graphic News report below

 

“Molotov Cocktail” Lawyer Lambasts de Blasio For NYPD Policing Violent Protests

By
Sholom Schreirber
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A photo taken by a witness showed Ms. Rahman holding a Molotov cocktail as she was offering it to another protester, according to prosecutors, who provided the photo. Credit...U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York

by Jared Evan

Two attorneys were taken back into custody Friday for charges in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack on a police patrol car during protests in Brooklyn last weekend in the wake of George Floyd’s death & one of the alleged attackers was interviewed by an online outlet ,before her attack,  lambasting the mayor for using the police to keep the violent riots as peaceful as possible.

“This has got to stop. And the only way they hear, the only way they hear us is through violence, through the means that they use”, suspect and lawyer Urooj Rahman said in the newly unearthed interview.

The first several nights of the George Floyd protests were extremely violent, particularly in Brooklyn. Hours of footage of the crowd gathered from social media display the protesters, spitting at cops, cursing them out, and some rioters physically confronting them. By all accounts it was perfectly reasonable for NYPD to have a presence, since the initial protests triggered violence, looting and several murders all across the nation.

The radicalized Brooklyn born lawyer Urooj Rahman however did not see a need for police at these violent riots. Urooj Rahman, 31, was one of the two suspects in the brazen Molotov cocktail attack on a police car.  In most circumstances this would be considered a serious act of terrorism, and the suspect held without chance of bail for up to 14 days, if  arrested under the Terrorism Act,  however the suspects had been out on $25,000 bail with electronic monitoring, CNN pointed out.

On Saturday night, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged Rahman and  fellow lawyer Colinford Mattis, with causing damage by fire and explosives to a New York Police Department car after they allegedly drove a tan minivan to the Fort Greene neighborhood and Rahman threw a makeshift explosive into the broken window of an empty patrol car, according to court filings, according to CNN.

These are fairly lenient charges, considering if the police car had officers in it, there could have been dead cops. It would not be beyond reason for prosecutors to throw the full extent of the law at these two radicalized lawyers, who’s backgrounds are of storybook like success.

The NY Times reported that both lawyers come from poor backgrounds in Brooklyn. Ms. Rahman was born in Pakistan and grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a neighborhood with a large population of Muslim immigrants. The neighborhood came under intense police scrutiny after the Sept. 11 terror attack, which became a defining experience for Ms. Rahman, childhood friends said, The Times  reported

The NY Post reported on the newly uncovered interview from online entity Loud Labs.

“I think this protest is a long time coming,” lawyer Urooj Rahman said in a videotaped interview filmed near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at around 12:15 a.m. May 30.

“This s–t won’t ever stop unless we f–kin’ take it all down. And that’s why the anger is being expressed tonight in this way,” she said.

The video surfaced Friday, as Rahman and co-defendant Colinford Mattis were taken back into custody by US marshals.

The NY Post continued: During the four-minute interview, Rahman claimed to be unaware that cops had been hurt by protesters during violent clashes sparked by the police killing of George Floyd — but said de Blasio should have held back the NYPD “the way that the mayor in Minneapolis did.”

The Minneapolis model was obviously a failure as millions of dollars of damage was done to the city, with buildings and a police station in flames.

“I think the mayor should have done that, because if he really cared about his police officers, he should have realized that it’s not worth them getting hurt,” she said.

Rahman was then caught on surveillance video just before 1 a.m. that day lighting a Molotov cocktail and tossing it into an empty police vehicle near the 88th Precinct, according to court papers, the Post reported.

 

An Insider Explains How Contact Tracing Works in Fascinating Presentation

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
(Dreamstime)

TJV News

In this fascinating video- recently published on YouTube, an insider who was fully trained to be a contact tracer in California explains how it exactly works  and what this controversial method being implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus means to everyone. Questions of privacy heavily weigh in as this new concept becomes more widely implemented.

https://youtu.be/nafP5Hpyh48

 

All You Need to Know About NYC Re-Opening & Entering Phase 1, Cuomo’s Important Press Conference

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
. Photo Credit: AP

Edited by TJV News

“Tomorrow is a new day”, Governor Cuomo declared on Twitter last night. before the daily press conference. Phase 1 one NYC re-opening began on Monday.

The governor also took a ride on the NYC subway, which local media found amusing considering Cuomo is notoriously known for not liking subway rides. New York also decided to allow graduation ceremonies with social distancing with attendance capped at 150. Over the weekend, Cuomo announced that religious services can restart with restrictions on capacity

NY government website highlighted exactly what Monday’s fist phase of re-opening

This is the first of a four-step process that will gradually ease restrictions on business activity and people’s ability to move around and socialize in the state of New York. The progress is contingent on infection rates, hospital capacity and the state’s ability to test and trace those who may have contracted the virus. Regardless, each phase will last at least two weeks. Some parts of the state that opened up in mid-May have already entered the second stage, as shown on this monitoring dashboard. New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., is the last region to meet the requirements to start reopening, Bloomberg reported.

This chart fully explains the 4 Phases of re-opening as determined by NY State

 

 

 

 

From NY State website & Bloomberg News

Must I still keep social distancing and avoid seeing friends?

You can see friends and others — but remain careful. A May 22 executive order from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said groups of up to 10 people can gather for any lawful reason. (It was introduced after a lawsuit challenged a prior order, which eased distancing rules for Memorial Day activities and religious services only.) But health experts still advise New Yorkers to practice social distancing and wear face protections in public.

Are trains, buses and ferries still running, and are they safe?

Unless you’re an essential worker or on an essential trip, you should refrain from riding at all. But if you must, a few ground rules apply: If possible, avoid rush hours and keep your distance. Always wear a face mask. Don’t skimp on the hand sanitizer. And once you reach your destination, wash your hands. If you’re still worried, you can always remind yourself that both vehicles and stations are now being cleaned more frequently than before the virus outbreak.

MTA SUBWAY AND BUSES: Both will be back on their normal day schedules starting Monday, but trains still won’t run between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Tickets can only be bought from kiosks, not from station agents. The agency plans to post staff and volunteers in some stations to give hand sanitizer and face masks to customers who need them.

FERRIES: The Staten Island Ferry will run on a modified schedule — departures in both directions every half hour — during weekday mornings and evenings. At all other times, departures will be hourly. The East River Ferry will continue running at about half capacity, and daily service ends at about 9 p.m.

METRO-NORTH & LONG ISLAND RAILROAD: Both expanded their limited-service schedules last month as areas outside the city began reopening. Metro-North now runs additional city-bound trains in the morning and in the opposite direction in the evening, and LIRR has increased capacity by 15%. Ticket counters remain closed, so passengers must use kiosks or the MTA app. But on the upside, off-peak fares will apply to all rides.

NEW JERSEY TRANSIT: Trains and buses are still operating. The concourse in New York’s Penn Station will be closed for cleaning every night between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., but customers can still enter via the main entrance on 7th Avenue and 32nd Street. Those with paper tickets will be asked to tear those themselves to minimize hand-to-hand contact with staff.

AMTRAK: The train operator has pared back its trips nationwide, but still runs regional trains in the Northeast. It also resumed its popular Acela route between Boston and Washington earlier this month — though on a reduced schedule. Customers can still buy food and drinks onboard, but there’s no seating in the dining cars.

Are stores open again?

A variety of nonessential businesses can now open up again, including retailers that sell clothes, jewelry, sporting goods, books and furniture – but customers still can’t enter. For now, retailers must stick with curbside pickup and delivery. That, combined with damage incurred during the recent protests and worries about profitability, has led some stores to keep their doors closed a bit longer.

Those that do reopen must follow a strict protocol for cleaning and sanitation, ensure proper social distancing and provide employees with face masks. The state also recommends businesses stagger workers’ schedules.

What about parks?

Many parks with green spaces have remained open while playgrounds and basketball courts have been closed. The city hasn’t yet set a date for when the shuttered areas will reopen.

When will I be able to go back to my office?

The short answer: It depends. Most companies are taking a cautious approach and they’ll likely send employees back to offices in waves rather than all at once. Even so, the governor’s plan doesn’t permit offices to reopen until Phase Two, which at the very earliest will be two weeks from now.

What happens if New York sees a surge in cases and no longer meets the state’s reopening requirements? For now, it’s unclear how that will be handled.

The governor delivered his Daily press conference

  • NY released  the daily coronavirus data for Monday, claiming that the number of deaths reported in the state was fewer than 100 once again, and that much of central NY state is will soon enter ‘Phase 2’ of the reopening plan. Cases climbed just 0.2%, compared with a 7-day average of 0.3%.
  • Regarding his earlier ride on the 7 train (which we mentioned below), Cuomo says he wouldn’t ask New Yorkers to ride the trains if he didn’t feel comfortable riding them.
  • Finally, Cuomo warned NYers to “stay smart” after the reopening “because if you don’t, you can see a spike…and that is the last thing we want to see”.
  • “Stay smart…stay smart…look at facts around us – other states, the spike is going up, California, the numbers are going up, Florida, the numebrs are going up, Texas the numbers are going up…look at the reopening date and look at what happened after they reopened…that is the cautionary tale my friends,” Cuomo said.
  • Ask if he expected a spike in the coming weeks, Cuomo replied “are you a cynic, my friend?” before adding that subways have been opened this entire time, and that a rebound isn’t guaranteed “if we stay as smart and disciplined as we have for the past 100 days”.
  • “In terms of reopening, we have been calibrating our strategy based on the data and the facts, and overall the numbers are down, the numbers are good and our plan is working,” Governor Cuomo said. “Based on today’s numbers we can continue to advance our reopening, and we will now allow outdoor graduations of up to 150 beginning June 26th. New Yorkers have worked together to bend this curve quickly, and if we continue on this trajectory, remain responsible and follow all social distancing protocols, we can keep accelerating our reopening strategy.”

 

All eyes’ on New York: Reopening tests city torn by crises

By
Sholom Schreirber
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ILE - In this June 20, 2019, file photo, tourists visit Times Square in New York. After three months of a coronavirus crisis followed by protests and unrest, New York City is trying to turn a page when a limited range of industries reopen Monday, June 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

By JENNIFER PELTZ (AP)

After three bleak months, New York, the corner of the U.S. hit hardest by the coronavirus, gradually began reopening Monday in what was seen as a landmark moment in the crisis and a test of the city’s discipline.

With the virus in check — at least for now — stores previously deemed nonessential were cleared to reopen for delivery and pickup, though customers cannot yet browse inside. Construction, manufacturing and wholesalers also received the go-ahead to resume work.

“This is a triumph for all New Yorkers that we’ve gotten to this point,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

But he warned the city against letting its guard down and risking a resurgence of the virus: “We got this far by doing it the right way, by doing the social distancing, the face coverings. We’ve got to keep doing it at those work sites and everywhere if we expect to keep moving forward.”

New York City became the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, with more than 21,000 people dying citywide of confirmed or probable COVID-19. That is roughly 1 out of 5 of the 110,000 coronavirus deaths across the U.S.

At its peak, the scourge killed more than 500 people a day in New York City in early to mid-April. At the end of last week, the number of deaths per day had dropped into the single digits.

The number of people testing positive for the virus was down to 200 to 300 per day at the start of last week, compared with more than 6,000 a day in early April.

“All eyes will be on New York this next couple of months,” said urban policy expert Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future. “The city now has to prove that it really knows what it’s doing, that it can still be a dense city like New York and yet figure this out.”

Facing such challenges as how to maintain social distancing on the subway and how to restore public confidence in police in the wake of the unrest set off by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, can New York City regroup?

Edwin Arce thinks so. A chef at a Manhattan restaurant, he was heartened to see more customers than expected when it reopened for takeout and delivery.

“As a city, we are ready to be back, start going out, living life — with the new reality, though,” of masks and 6-foot (2-meter) separation, said Arce, 31.

Sam Solomon wonders how normal that will be.

“I don’t know if it’s ever going to be like it was,” said Solomon, 22, who has a health-related job. After months of relative isolation, “it’s going to be an adjustment being around so many people,” said the native New Yorker, who never thought she would have to get used to crowds.

The city has already reawakened somewhat as warm weather drew people outdoors, more restaurants offered carryout service, and as thousands of people marched in protest over the Floyd case.

Subway ridership is ticking back up after plunging from 5.4 million rides per weekday in February to under 450,000 in April, the city’s transit agency says. Subway schedules are returning to normal, though riders will see signs showing how far apart to stand on platforms, and the 1 a.m.-to-5 a.m. shutdowns that began in May will continue so trains can be cleaned.

But as the city tries to recover economically, will the virus strike back?

“It’s going to be a big test,” said Dr. Bruce Polsky, a city resident who is chairman of medicine at NYU Winthrop Hospital in suburban Mineola.

Months of social distancing, mask-wearing, hand-washing, shock and fear have made New Yorkers better prepared to keep the coronavirus under control, health experts said.

Yet Dr. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University epidemiologist who had COVID-19 himself in March, is concerned the virus might spread at the protests following Floyd’s May 25 death. And the virus’s toll — in lives, despair and exhaustion — weighs on him: “It’s very difficult to see how we recover.”

Last week, demonstrations over Floyd’s death were marked by a few nights of smash-and-grab thefts in the city. But the 8 p.m. curfew was lifted Sunday, a day earlier than planned.

Of course, New York City has had to prove itself before — after its population decline and fiscal crisis in the 1970s, after its 1980s-’90s crime peak, after 9/11.

“You can’t keep us down,” said Carlo Scissura, president of the New York Building Congress, a construction industry group. “We may go down a little bit, but we go right back up.”

Bronx Shop Owner Says Looters ‘Targeted’ Minorities During Riots

By
Sholom Schreirber
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0
AP image

AMY FURR (BREITBART)

A store owner in New York is speaking out following the destructive riots and looting that severely hurt his business on Monday night.

“The quarantine hit me hard. I closed completely for almost two months. We were just getting back up on our feet with online sales,” 25-year-old Oscar Izaguirre, who owns Oscar’s Gold & Diamonds, told the New York Post Saturday

His parents opened the shop in the Bronx after moving from Peru and worked hard to put him and his siblings through college.

When friends called Monday to warn him that rioters were headed his way, Izaguirre said he felt “terrified.”

“There’s millions of dollars of merchandise. Along with 15 or so friends, I moved everything to a safe location,” he recalled, adding that he later watched men with sledgehammers break into the store via a security camera.

Izaguirre continued:

By the time I got there, there were gunshots and fires on the street. Some people had weapons: crowbars, bricks. I was afraid they’d burn up my store, but I stood 20 feet away and said nothing. I was afraid for my life. For several hours, I watched looters go into my store and break the cameras, bash the glass cases, destroy the wiring, even knock out the ceiling tiles. Every store around me got trashed, and I did not hear one rant for justice or for ­George Floyd. Not in The Bronx, not that night. That night, they targeted minorities. They were opportunists who just wanted to steal.

However, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said Friday that rioters arrested for “low-level” crimes, such as unlawful assembly or disorderly conduct, would not face any charges, according to Breitbart News.

“The announcement means the overwhelming majority of hundreds of rioters in New York City will likely not face any criminal prosecution,” the report noted.

Despite the violent protests and demonstrations that swept across the city recently, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Sunday that officials had committed to moving resources from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to “youth and social services as part of our City’s budget”:

Saturday, Izaguirre noted that by breaking into and stealing from his store, the looters sent a message that said he did not “deserve” what he and his family worked so hard to achieve.

“But I’m a minority, too. My family and I have worked our whole lives for this,” he concluded.

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