Society's ChildS


Arrow Down

Shopping mall demolished in India with people trapped inside

demolition
© Flickr/ Steve Johnson
Four people were killed and five others wounded in the result of the demolition of unauthorized shopping complex in Meerut, India.

The incident occurred early on Saturday in the Sadar area, a popular shopping destination in Meerut.

The collapsed building had reportedly been a matter of dispute as it was illegally constructed on premises that belonged to the defense forces.

The High Court ordered the demolition of the four-storey mall after the Cantonment Board — administration body under control of Defence Ministry — filed a petition.


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Arrow Up

Native American Lakota chant celebrates Senate's rejection of controversial crude oil pipeline

Native American
Seconds after Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced that the "aye" votes approving Keystone XL project fell just short of the 60 vote threshold, a Native American chant broke out in the gallery, celebrating the Senate's rejection of the controversial crude oil pipeline.

The man who began the chant reportedly came from the Lakota tribe: Tribal spokesman says man who started chanting is Greg Graycloud with the Lakota Tribe in South Dakota.

Comment: See also: People Power: Keystone XL shut down thanks to grassroots environmental activism


Padlock

Everything you've been told about debt is wrong

debt
A debt resistance movement is rising from the realization that most debts are not fair

The legitimacy of a given social order rests on the legitimacy of its debts. Even in ancient times this was so. In traditional cultures, debt in a broad sense—gifts to be reciprocated, memories of help rendered, obligations not yet fulfilled—was a glue that held society together. Everybody at one time or another owed something to someone else. Repayment of debt was inseparable from the meeting of social obligations; it resonated with the principles of fairness and gratitude.

The moral associations of making good on one's debts are still with us today, informing the logic of austerity as well as the legal code. A good country, or a good person, is supposed to make every effort to repay debts. Accordingly, if a country like Jamaica or Greece, or a municipality like Baltimore or Detroit, has insufficient revenue to make its debt payments, it is morally compelled to privatize public assets, slash pensions and salaries, liquidate natural resources, and cut public services so it can use the savings to pay creditors. Such a prescription takes for granted the legitimacy of its debts.
Today a burgeoning debt resistance movement draws from the realization that many of these debts are not fair.
Most obviously unfair are loans involving illegal or deceptive practices—the kind that were rampant in the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis. From sneaky balloon interest hikes on mortgages, to loans deliberately made to unqualified borrowers, to incomprehensible financial products peddled to local governments that were kept ignorant about their risks, these practices resulted in billions of dollars of extra costs for citizens and public institutions alike.

Pistol

Bahamian government cautions male citizens on travelling to the US; urges caution in interacting with police

air bahamas
The Bahamas government Friday urged nationals to exercise caution if they intend on travelling to the United States following the shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas on Thursday night.

The US authorities said that seven other police officers were shot and wounded as the lone sniper shot at white police officers in retaliation for the deaths of black people by police officers in recent days.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had taken note of the recent tensions in some American cities over shootings of young Black males by policemen.

Comment: Way to go, America. That's quite a reputation you've built for yourself.


Handcuffs

Arrests made in Baton Rouge protests; Atlanta protesters against police brutality in standoff with police on highway

Atlanta
© ABC15 Arizona / YouTube
Protesters in Atlanta, Georgia marching against police brutality have shut down Interstate-75 and the northbound side of Interstate-85, where a large police presence is preventing them from advancing further. Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, some arrests have been made in protests there.

Thousands of people rallied in Atlanta, Georgia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Friday to protest the recent police-involved deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, both African-American men, in Louisiana and Minnesota respectively.

Comment: See also: 11 Dallas officers shot, 4 dead in shooting as protest ended


Sheriff

Cleveland police tighten security plan for Republican Convention in light of the Dallas shootings

cleveland PD
© REUTERS/Aaron JosefczykCleveland mounted police look on prior to Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio, March 12, 2016.
Cleveland police on Friday tightened their security plan for the Republican National Convention after the deadly shootings of police officers in Dallas, increasing surveillance and intelligence operations just 10 days before the convention.

Other police departments across the country required officers to patrol in pairs rather than alone following the ambush in Dallas, the deadliest day for police in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

In Cleveland, the attack raised another potential threat during the July 18-21 convention, when Donald Trump is expected to receive the Republican nomination for president.

The police officers' labor union, rank-and-file cops and some outside experts had already questioned Cleveland's preparedness for the convention with the city's police under federal supervision over use of force.

Key

Inmates break out of cell to save fallen jailer

inmates
© Parker County Jail
A Parker County jailer who had an apparent heart attack may very well be alive thanks to inmates who put themselves at risk to help him.

It happened on June 23 in a holding cell in the basement of the District Courts Building in Weatherford.

At least eight prisoners were behind a locked door in a small room off to one side. Their lone guard sat outside and had been joking with them when he slumped over unconscious.

"He just fell over," said inmate Nick Kelton. "Looked like an act. Could have died right there."

Kelton and other inmates began shouting for help. Then they managed to bust out of their holding room, even though they knew it was dangerous.

Robot

Dallas armed robot kill highlights the militarization of American police

bomb robot
As news emerges that police officers in Dallas, Texas used an armed robot to kill the suspected shooter in Thursday night's ambush, experts are warning that it represents a sea change in police militarization that only heightens risks to human and constitutional rights.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Friday morning during a press conference that police "saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate" where the suspect had taken refuge in a parking garage as police tried to negotiate with him, adding that he was "deceased as a result of detonating the bomb."

The suspect, identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, was killed around 2:30am Friday morning after an hours-long standoff with police. The shootings killed five officers and left more than a dozen people injured. Johnson reportedly confirmed that he had acted alone and was not affiliated with any group.

Comment: Dallas shooting: Law enforcement's use of vehicle based IED to kill suspect raises a few questions


Green Light

How senseless violence will firmly entrench the police state

Police State
© humansarefree.com
As soon as I saw the video of the Alton Sterling shooting on Wednesday, I had a very, very bad feeling about where this was all headed. In fact, I became so concerned I wrote a post titled, A Period of Major Civil Unrest is Coming - How to Win an Inevitable Confrontation with the Status Quo. Here are a few of the key warnings and suggestions I provided:
Increasingly, the general public is coming to the very unpleasant realization that they live in a corporate oligarchy in which they are subjects rather than citizens. The more they are pushed into a corner, the sooner they will lash out in all sorts of ways.

The generational level revolts I anticipate have been a long time coming and will emanate from both rural, largely white America, as well from inner city communities populated mostly by minorities. The key thing we must all bear in mind going into the turbulent times ahead is that we are all in this together.

Comment: See also: Freedom loses again: How the Dallas attacks validate the police state


Magnify

RT traces the trail of 2 Russian sisters believed to have joined ISIS in Syria

Two sisters, Zalina and Khava, disappeared from their home in the Russian Republic of Ossetia over a year ago. Their family believe they ran away to Syria and joined Islamic State. RT visited the girls' home to attempt to uncover the reasons that prompted the young women to flee.

In the girls' village of Mayskoe many believe Zalina and Khava may be now living in Syria, side-by-side with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) jihadists.

"They left and never came back - that's it," the locals said.

Hiding their faces, two young men told RT the girls went to Syria.

When asked if "everybody knows that?" they answered, "yes."

Comment: See also:
Escaped ISIS fighter shares his horrors from Syria