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Since the death of George Floyd last week, protests have popped up daily across the nation and around the world. These protests have been for the large part peaceful, though some have turned violent. In some parts of America, heavily-armored police have gotten aggressive, to say the least, with protesters, and have made untold arrests every day. CNN’s Don Lemon chastised Hollywood for not saying much at all about the protests. Surely, he would be proud of a statement from Riverdale star Cole Sprouse, who revealed he’d been arrested on Sunday.

It happened in Santa Monica, which saw a large protest on Sunday. Sprouse was there, “standing in solidarity” with the protesters, but in his post he was quick to point out he didn’t want to make this about him, writing that “before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me, there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter.” Still, here’s what happened to him:

I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us.

Sprouse used his platform to encourage others to get out and protest. “This is, and will be, a time about standing ground near others as a situation escalates, providing educated support, demonstrating and doing the right thing,” he wrote. “This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well.”

The actor also took umbrage with the way the media has been presenting the protests, that “by nature” they were “only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long standing racist agenda.”

Sprouse’s full post can be read below:

A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica. So before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me, there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest. the media is by nature only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long standing racist agenda. I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us. It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement. This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn’t make it such. This is, and will be, a time about standing ground near others as a situation escalates, providing educated support, demonstrating and doing the right thing. This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well. I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps. I’ll speak no more on the subject, as I’m (1) not well versed enough to do so, (2) not the subject of the movement, and (3) uninterested in drawing attention away from the leaders of the #BLM movement. I will be, again, posting the link in my story to a comprehensive document for donations and support.

NBC reporter Shomari Stone shared powerful footage on taken at a protest in Lafayette Park near the White House on Sunday. In the video, a young black man jumps over a barricade and as law enforcement in riot gear approach, a young while girl hops over the barrier to stand between him and the police.

A person on Twitter named Monte who claims to be the young black man in the footage says the police threatened to hurt him if he didn’t return to the other side of the barricade.

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The incident is a beautiful display of solidarity, but it also shows the ugly side of privilege in American society.

The video went viral on Reddit where one user summed it up perfectly: “What’s worse? That she instinctively knew she had to step in to protect him, or that we all instinctively know it too?”

Thousands upon thousands of protesters took to the streets over the weekend to rally for racial justice and protest police brutality. And despite the images and video clips of destruction that inevitably make the front page, the vast majority of these demonstrations were peaceful the vast majority of the time.

This is the main story—but it’s not the story many Americans are seeing.

We humans have a tendency to rubberneck at tragedy and tune in our attention to violence, and the media caters to those instincts. In some cases, there’s a good reason for shining a light on violence—like when brutality and coverup of brutality is an issue in a legal system that is supposed to protect and serve the people. But choosing to place the spotlight on a minority of people causing destruction when most are peacefully demonstrating merely reinforces the stereotypes that help race-based police brutality to go unchecked. In addition, rioting may be a true expression of rage and pain (“the language of the unheard,” per Dr. King), but it also may be greedy opportunists taking advantage and outside forces purposefully sowing violence, chaos and confusion.

It’s a part of the story, but not the main story.

The story of the week is that people across the nation announced that they were fed up with watching black people die and protested racial injustice in beautiful and powerful ways. Here are some images that illustrate that story:

First of all, SO much dancing.

Protesters using their bodies as shields to protect other protesters, businesses, and on some cases, police.

And group acts of powerful solidarity.

And there’s just something about hearing people in London chant “Black Lives Matter” with a British accent that warms the heart.

Reports show that some of these peaceful protesters were met with tear gas and rubber bullets anyway. That’s another story as well. While we can’t distill anything that’s happening into a single, simplistic narrative, we should at least strive to make the main story the main story. When the majority of people in cities across the nation (and now around the world) are organizing and carrying out massive, peaceful, powerful protests to push the country toward justice, that’s the main story. Well done, most of America.

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El-P and Killer Mike have “A Few Words For The Firing Squad” on the latest single from their upcoming album, Run The Jewels 4. After giving a hip-hop history lesson alongside DJ Premier and Greg Nice with “Ooh La La” last month, the duo shift gears to address current events — or at least, the cyclical nature of state violence against citizens — on their new single, over another devastating El-P production.

Killer Mike closes the track with the titular few words — a knockout blow if ever there was one — after setting up the punchline with a few bars before delivering the crushing haymaker. ““This is for the do-gooders that the no-gooders used and then abused,” he snarls. “For the truth-tellers tied to the whipping post, left beaten, battered, bruised / For the ones whose body hung from a tree like a piece of strange fruit / Go hard, last words to the firing squad was, ‘F*ck you too.’” El-P previewed the track on Instagram, recording it from his television with his phone’s camera.

Run The Jewels have never shied away from political commentary in the past, but their latest full-length LP arrives after a week of protests of police brutality — especially the recent killing of George Floyd, a former member of Houston’s Screwed Up Click.

Listen to the new track via preview above.

Run The Jewels 4 is due 6/5 via Run The Jewels LLC and BMG Records.

In a post on Medium, former President Barack Obama offered some advice and guidance for the protestors calling for justice for George Floyd and an end to police brutality. “It’s going to be up to a new generation of activists to shape strategies that best fit the times. But I believe there are some basic lessons to draw from past efforts that are worth remembering.” Obama begins, acknowledging that the “overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring” but cautioned protestors to not get swept up in the violence of the small minority who are causing property damage and looting.

“If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.” Obama also called for protestors to channel their energy and passion into the political process, recognizing that historically the political system is responsive to marginalized communities following civil disobedience but stressing that “aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.”

While it’s easy to dismiss Obama’s remarks as a veiled Biden endorsement ad geared toward increasing voter turnout, much of President Obama’s advice revolves around people participating on the local level, writing “It’s mayors and county executives that appoint most police chiefs and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with police unions. It’s district attorneys and state’s attorneys that decide whether or not to investigate and ultimately charge those involved in police misconduct. Those are all selected positions.”

In closing, Obama offered a few words of hope that address a particularly tumultuous year in American history,

“I recognize that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life. But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.”

Read President Obama’s full message here.

Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers last Monday, people around the U.S. have taken to the streets to protest yet another act of police brutality against a black American. And, as is often the case when glaring acts of injustice and racism take place, many NBA and WNBA players took to social media to speak out about police violence against black Americans, and some even attended or led protests.

On Monday morning’s episode of Get Up, forward for the LA Sparks and WNBPA vice president Chiney Ogwumike spoke fervently about why athletes should use their platforms for social change and she praised her fellow basketball stars for speaking up.

“Seeing all the images of athletes has been tremendously inspiring, and I think the reason why you see athletes leading the charge when it comes to social change is because at the root of it all, it’s in our DNA,” Ogwumike said. “We are team players; we are wired to care for the last player on the bench as much as we care about ourselves. We’ve been athletes almost our entire lives. We cannot turn this on or off.”

The NBA and WNBA are widely viewed as two of the most progressive American sports leagues and they are also comprised mostly of black athletes and athletes of color, making this issue one that so many players have personally been affected by. Back in 2014, NBA players wore black t-shirts with the words, “I Can’t Breathe,” printed on them to protest Eric Garner’s death at the hands of an NYPD officer. In 2016, following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, four players on the Minnesota Lynx held a pre-game press conference to address police violence. In the days that followed, players from the New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever all wore black t-shirts during warmups. Maya Moore, one of the Lynx players who organized the press conference and one of the greatest to ever play in the WNBA, took the unprecedented decision to sit out the 2019 and 2020 WNBA seasons to fight for criminal justice reform.

Last week’s events saw many players go out and protest right alongside people for an end to police violence, an end to racism and a recognition from those in power that black lives matter. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown drove from Boston to Atlanta on Saturday to lead a peaceful protest where Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon joined him and delivered an impassioned message to the crowd. Several other Celtics players including Marcus Smart, Vincent Poirier, and Enes Kanter, who has faced threats from his own government in Turkey, attended Sunday’s protests in Boston. Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson led a press conference on Friday commemorating Floyd’s death with Karl-Anthony Towns, who recently lost his mother to COVID-19, Josh Okogie, Gary Trent Jr. and Royce White in attendance.

“This is why you see Jaylen Brown driving 15 hours to lead a peaceful protest in his hometown,” Ogwumike said. “This is why you see Maya Moore forgoing WNBA season in her prime in order to fight for the wrongfully convicted. This is why you see Karl-Anthony Towns, star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, still show strength in the midst of his grief after losing his mom due to the pandemic.”

On Monday, Ogwumike went on to talk about how black athletes can reach the highest pinnacles of success in their respective sports, but still be reduced to nothing based on the color of their skin. In April 2015, NYPD officers broke then-Milwaukee Bucks player Thabo Sefalosha’s leg while arresting him outside a Chelsea nightclub. However, Ogwumike also acknowledged the privileges that athletes of color do have compared to other people in the U.S. who may not have the same level of financial security, power or fame.

“I guess, overall as athletes, I’ve been really proud to see them stand up and speak up because ⁠— I mean we all know this ⁠— we’re not comfortable staying on the sidelines in the middle of a battle, in the middle of a struggle, when it’s crunch time,” she said. “So, we want to be in the game, we want to win and more importantly, share that feeling. That is what moves us. That is our standard and it’s bigger than sports.”

A number of NBA players joined protests nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice following the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Among them was J.R. Smith, who is currently in Los Angeles as he continues training for a hopeful return to the NBA, and after he joined in a protest near his home, he returned to find a looter breaking the windows of his car.

Smith was videoed punching and kicking the looter, who eventually ran off, and while many have said it was justified, Smith told Pat McAfee on Monday that he was disappointed in himself for how he handled the situation.

“You know what’s sad, is after like the first two kicks I really got in, in the third one you can see there wasn’t that much emphasis on it, cause at that point — when it happened, I seen red, and then when I finally snapped to I was so, I’m still like disappointed with myself even if people say I shouldn’t be,” Smith said. “It’s like, for me, I’m 34 years old. I have 4 little girls at home. I don’t want that image, regardless of the fact whether it was right or wrong, I don’t want them to have the image of their dad being capable of doing that, and doing something like that.”

Smith talked about how when he joined in the protests, he felt there was so much unity and love as he helped to hand out water bottles and peacefully protesting through the street, and then when he returned to the street he lived on, he found his car windows being broken. He talked about how that hurt because he’s the only black person on his block, and expressed frustration with how people have been somewhat aimlessly expressing their anger without full thought on who the target should be.