This is sure an interesting Friday, with Reddit and Facebook and now Amazon CEOs and founders speaking about Black Lives Matter and the protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd. Read the rest
Yes, we regret to inform you that Large Adult President Donald Trump said something stupid again on the Twitters. Read the rest
"Black lives matter," said Mark Zuckerberg today. Read the rest
• Founder to leave Reddit, saying resignation can be ‘act of leadership’ • Reddit promises to update content moderation policies to “explicitly address hate” within weeks
Earlier today, we told you that Reddit's Alexis Ohanian was resigning from the Reddit board, asked the company to fill his seat with a Black candidate, and said he'd donate further proceeds from Reddit to anti-racism causes beginning with a $1M pledge to Colin Kaepernick's “Know Your Rights Camp.”
Now, Reddit has responded.
Reddit community demanding change in hate speech policy. Exciting times.https://t.co/2dt5JB4avE
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020
Reports Hannah Murphy at the Financial Times:
In a lengthy statement later on Friday, Steve Huffman, Reddit’s chief executive, said that the company would “honour” the request by Mr Ohanian that his successor be a black candidate.
He added the company would update its content moderation policies to “explicitly address hate”, adding that the timeline would be “weeks, not months” if moderators of individual forums engage in the process.
“[Our] current policy lists only what you cannot do, articulates none of the values behind the rules, and does not explicitly take a stance on hate or racism,” he said. “We will update our content policy to include a vision for Reddit and its communities to aspire to, a statement on hate, the context for the rules, and a principle that Reddit isn’t to be used as a weapon.”
Read more: Reddit pledges to appoint black director after Ohanian quits [ft.com] Read the rest
An autopsy of George Floyd, who was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, shows that he'd tested positive for COVID-19 in April, and had recovered -- only to have his life cut short by those who vow to “protect and serve.” Read the rest
• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison increased the charge against Derek Chauvin, and charged Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd.
On Wednesday, three additional Minneapolis police officers were charged in the killing of George Floyd, and charges against Derek Chauvin were elevated to second degree murder. Read the rest
Her name is Keke Palmer.
She is amazing. She's an actor in Los Angeles, and an activist. Read the rest
ICYMI: GOP senators avoid answering whether there was an abuse of power, after police clear peaceful protestors with tear gas. #mtpdaily @SenRonJohnson: “I didn’t really see it.”@SenPatRoberts: “I don’t have any comment. Thank you.” pic.twitter.com/drOgtZrMcg
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 3, 2020
MSNBC reporter Casey Hunt asked Republican senators what they thought of Trump's gassing and grenading of people peacefully protesting the murder of George Floyd.
Read the rest“I didn’t really see it.”
“I don’t have any comment. Thank you.”
"..."
"I'm late for lunch."
"I didn't watch that closely enough to know what happened there."
“I Cannot Remain Silent,” former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen writes in an Atlantic op-ed today, “Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.” Read the rest
Along with a gathering of peaceful protesters, clergy members of St. John’s Episcopal Church were gassed and grenaded to clear a path for Trump to pose in front of the church holding a Bible, said Reverend Gini Gerbasi in a Facebook post.
From her post:
Read the restWe were literally DRIVEN OFF of the St. John’s, Lafayette Square patio with tear gas and concussion grenades and police in full riot gear. We were pushed back 20 feet, and then eventually – with SO MANY concussion grenades – back to K street. By the time I got back to my car, around 7, I was getting texts from people saying that Trump was outside of St. John’s, Lafayette Square.
I literally COULD NOT believe it. WE WERE DRIVEN OFF OF THE PATIO AT ST. JOHN’S – a place of peace and respite and medical care throughout the day – SO THAT MAN COULD HAVE A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH! PEOPLE WERE HURT SO THAT HE COULD POSE IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH WITH A BIBLE! HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO STEP OVER THE MEDICAL SUPPLIES WE LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE WE WERE BEING TEAR GASSED!
“There is a new movement being born right now.
A movement against hatred. And the elements of that movement includes racism, which traces its origin back 400 years, antisemitism, sexism, and xenophobia.”
Watch this incredible comment by longtime CNN anchor and news presenter Bernard Shaw. Read the rest
