This is a very good piece by a colleague accusing university presidents of lying, in their own narrow self-interest, about what's happening on campuses. Their craven behavior barely protects them and makes everyone else far less safe. Including Muslim and Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
"A handful of powerful businessmen pushed New York City Mayor Eric Adams to use police to crack down on pro-Palestinian student protesters at #Columbia University, donating to the politician and offering to pay for private investigators to help break up the demonstrations, based on leaked WhatsApp conversations"
"The way to fight #crime is not with stops based on hunches and pretext, but by investing proactively in communities and with #policing targeted at people for whom there is suspicion of serious criminal conduct.
On the other hand, there is a real #trafficSafety problem in this country… #transportation officials should focus their efforts... better lighting… #protectedBikeLanes & pedestrian crossings; self-ticketing cars with speed limiters, … [#transit]" 🚎 🚲
Unleash the litigation gates! These universities calling the police on their students will be in litigation for years. And those costs don't include the $ NYC is bleeding paying for these cops.:
In an interview I just taped with Rashid Khalidi about #Columbia he said words to the effect of "this is the neoliberal dream of the university--no students, no professors, just administrators and cops on campus"
"police raids do not serve a university’s own interests in maintaining peace and civility on campus. The 1960s made that crystal clear. Bringing law enforcement to campus invariably intensifies protests, fuels acrimony, and creates a climate of distrust. Police involvement doesn’t dampen protests; it accelerates them, often with devastating consequences"
My 1st study as part of my PhD has been published. It explores the circumstances of seriously harmed missing children and the associated guardianship opportunities and issues.
Every day, police rely on common tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them, such as physical holds, Tasers and body blows. But when misused, these tactics can still end in death.
A new AP investigation finds more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through means not intended to be lethal. In hundreds of cases, officers weren’t taught or didn’t follow best safety practices for physical force and weapons. #policing #force https://apnews.com/projects/investigation-police-use-of-force/visual-story/
Got a legit chortle out of this gem: "Cmmr Osborne asked how many tickets the TTC actually issues today, and management answered about 100 per week. That number provoked debate considering that there are about 100 Fare Inspectors."
“Despite the lack of utility to state security, [Prevent] referrals – and their storage, retention and sharing – can have disruptive and lasting impacts on individuals, including children as young as 6-years-old.”
If you’re referred to Prevent, your data rights are made difficult to enforce.
The right to erasure is weakened by a lack of transparency about data sharing between multiple databases and national security exemptions used by counter-terrorism police.
This reminds us that #policing - in #SettlerColonial societies like Canada - has always been a central force for dispossession, displacement & containment.
Mark Watson was ten when the 1984 miners' strike took over his life.
Forty years on, he wants to know what really happened and how it changed his community - and this country. Tales of violence, desperation, and determination.
"The overwhelming majority of people subject to Prevent referrals did not meet the threshold for a de-radicalisation intervention, yet their data is being retained for at least six years."
ORG's report raises serious concerns about the Prevent programme (UK).
Our report into widespread data misuse under the Prevent programme comes as referrals have spiked following the Israel/Gaza conflict.
Students should have safe spaces to process the world around them without fearing it’ll mark them for life. Prevent is a flawed programme that undermines freedom of expression and abuses data rights.