This post is way off topic for this blog, but I have posted it as a matter of conscience. It has to do with crimes committed under colour of authority by police in the United States and accessorial conduct by prosecutors, judges, the Congress of the United States, the Department of Justice and the news media. Wanton killings by police in the United States have become more the rule than the exception in America, and most involve the excessive and gratuitously violent use of deadly force.
Last night while Tweeting on Twitter I noticed that the number one World Wide Trend was #BreloVerdict. I clicked on it, and then Tweeted the news I'd learned to my roughly 700 Twitter followers: #Breaking #News Policeman Michael Brelo gets away with murdering UNARMED Malissa Williams + Timothy Russell, killed with 137 bullets fired. Note: you'll notice in the image of the actual Tweet below that I initially misspelled "Malissa". I read that the Judge who found the killer cop not guilty had deliberately delayed the verdict until after the holiday weekend rush hour traffic was done, was on friendly terms with the prosecutor and the P.B.A., and used a description of a golf tee shot in reading his verdict.
Police in the United States kill many more people than alleged terrorists do, and additionally, police killings have been grossly under-reported. According to this article in The Guardian: Police killed more than twice as many people as reported by US government. They've killed an average of 928 people a year over the last eight years - 928 x 8 = 7,424 killed by police. This Huffington Post article lists American deaths from terrorism between 2009 and 2013 (five years) as 67 (13.4 per year). 928 divided by 13.4 is 69.25. You are more than 69 times more likely to be killed by police than by people the government calls terrorists.
The First Amendment guarantees "the right of the people peaceably to assemble , and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" yet this right was forcibly denied to the peacefull protesters in Cleveland Ohio last night.
The Cleveland police, in riot gear, surrounded the peaceful protesters, cutting off all routes of egress. Once they had the protesters "kettled" (trapped) they arrested them for failing to disburse. The surrounding and arresting had obviously been planned in advance. For the most part they forced the press out of the area, although prior to the mass arrests they had also been arresting legal observers and live streaming reporters, including Kris M. Wernowski (@kriswernowsky) managing producer of Cleveland Ohio news.
In a "bench trial", Judge John P. O'Donnell ruled policeman Michael Brelo "not guilty" despite the fact that, after more than 100 rounds had been fired, Brelo climbed up on the hood of Russel's car and shot the unarmed Melissa Williams and Timothy Russell through the windshield 15 more times at point blank range.
White people, of which I am one, are not generally aware of just how extreme racism and hatred are and can be in America, or perhaps I should call our country "AmeriKKKa". Many decades ago, back in my drinking days, I walked into a bar with someone I worked with who happened to be black. I had been in that bar many times before and never noticed anything unusual. This time I experienced hate stares.
Last night on Twitter I was stunned at the number of hateful racist and fascist (literally) Tweets on the #BreloVerdict. timeline. Some were even hawking stuff with swastikas. I BLOCKED a lot of Twitter users who were Tweeting that the unarmed black couple, Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, had deserved to be shot and killed.
I took screen-shots of my own Twitter feed to memorialise some of the Tweets. I Retweeted a lot of people. The Tweets in the screen-shot images below are as they appear in the Twitter feed, with the first at the bottom and the last at the top (first below).
HERE ARE SCREENSHOTS TAKEN FROM MY TWITTER FEED LAST NIGHT, ON 24 MAY, 2015 (most recent first, oldest last). WARNING: THERE IS A GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING IMAGE OF THE COUPLE THE CLEVELAND POLICE MURDERED BELOW THE IMAGES OF MY TWITTER FEED
I agonised over whether to include the following photos or even the descriptions of them because they are very upsetting, but in the end decided the truth is best told by them.
The image linked here - a graphic drawing of Cleveland police murdering Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell is from www.ipetitions.com and titled "Petition The Cleveland Atrocity (The 137 Shots)".
HERE IS THAT GRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPH Please read the article that accompanied the graphic image of the murdered couple below was taken from: An article titled "Graphic Photo Depicting Brelo's Crime | Cop Block" by Deo Odolecki. It gives the following credit for the photo and text:
"This photo along with this description was found on Facebook Posted by Former East Cleveland Mayor, Eric Jonathan Brewer". Here is the URL for the photo itself: the disturbing graphic photo of Malissa Williams' and Timothy Russell's bullet riddled bodies and HERE IS THAT UPSETTING GRAPHIC IMAGE
This image is listed as "Photo: Unacredited / Associated Press" and is from the article titled: "Trial to start for lone officer charged in Cleveland chase, killings - SFGate ":
I especially want to thank Kizzy Von Doll of the fashion, art, beauty and lifestyle blog The Dainty Dolls House from Scotland, UK, Twitter @DaintyDollHouse and YouTube Kizzy Von Doll's channel for Retweeting so many of my Tweets about the murders of at the hands of the Cleveland Police.
I'd like to say A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the following Fbloggers Bbloggers and Lbloggers who took the time to leave comments on my last post titled "THANK YOU 2014 Commenters, Bbloggers Beauty and Makeup Haul, No Pants Subway Ride 2015".
THANK YOU TO:
Miss Caitlin S. of Candyfloss and Persie and Twitter @CaitieLady08;
The hard-working (multiple jobs) fashion blogger and online marketing intern Ina R. a.k.a. Carina of Bad Taste Toast from Düsseldorf, Germany who moved to Perth, Australia in October of 2014 (three comments!!!);
The beautiful Camila Faria of Não Me Mande Flores Twitter @_CamilaF_;
Fashion blogger, fashionista editor and yoga/pilate instructor Couture Carrie of CC Loves, of Couture Carrie, and of Bikinis and Martinis Twitter @CoutureCarrie. Carrie loves spotting and sharing fashion trends and style with her readers;
The fashionista Fblogger, commerce accounting and law graduate from Sydney, Australia, lover of kitty cats, unicorns, polka dots, bows, pearls pretty dresses, sparkly cardigans and anything girly - Imogen of the blog Tia_Cherie and now vlogging on her new Tia Cherie - YouTube channel. Imogen recently uploaded YouTube videos titled "Monthly Beauty Favourites - December 2014 - YouTube", "H+M: Haul and First Impressions - January 2015 - YouTube", and "OOTD: By the Waterside + Ferry Ride - February 2015 - YouTube";
The horse riding, art, literature, ballet and poetry loving sex education blogger Anna Louise, the author of the sexy (Blogger Content Warning) blog "Welcome to Anna's Place";
The pretty and popular fashion blogger from Poland Ania Zarzycka of the fashion blog Fashion with blog photos taken by her sister Klaudia;
Celyn PS a.k.a. Life's a Shoe from the Philippines of the blogs Style and Chocolates, and Life Is A Shoe, Twitter @CelynPS Celyn PS's YouTube channel where she uploaded the video pandanun pabadlong harlem shake - YouTube;
Jamie Rose D. from Georgia, USA of the fashion and beauty blog Petite Panoply, Twitter @PetitePanoply and Petite Panoply's YouTube channel. I enjoyed watching her outfit video Summer Outfit: Galaxy Skirt + a Polka Dot Crop Top! - YouTube;
Beautiful fashion and lifestyle blogger from the Philippines Vanessa Mercado of Voguely Van and Twitter @VoguelyVan of Voguely Van: Blues Clues
Kelsey + Kenecha of Florals and Smiles Twitter @FloralAndSmiles and Kelsey + Kenecha's YouTube channel - I love their Bike Ride Wednesday ":) - YouTube" video;
Shopaholic of the blog Fashion Of A Shopaholic;
The poetic always inspiring dancing phenomenon RaeAbigael of RAELLARINA - The Ballerina on Fire Twitter @RaeAbigael; and Raellarina's Channel - YouTube;
The French fashionista Jeanne, lovely author of the sartorial blog Fashion Musings Diary and Twitter @FashionMusingsD ;
Diana Cloudlet Russian blogger and fashion lover of the blog Diana Cloudlet;
Fashionista, DIY and thrifting inspired blogger from the Door peninsula of Wisconsin Indy of The Fabulosity Factor Twitter @Fab_Factor;
Tasha of the U.K. fashion and beauty blog xBeYOUtifulx
Corinne of SKINNEDCARTREE.com Twitter @skinnedcartree and YouTube Corinne C at http://www.youtube.com/user/skinnedcartree;
Fashion beauty and lifestyle blogger from Jakarta Indonesia Winda Octavia of the blog W.I.N.D.A. Wish Imagination and Dreams Allowed, Twitter @pure_win ,and Winda Octavia - YouTube;
Kizzy Von Doll of the fashion, art, beauty and lifestyle blog The Dainty Dolls House from Scotland, UK, Twitter @DaintyDollHouse and YouTube Kizzy Von Doll's channel;
Jeanne Christine, a lovely, young, recently engaged "Fil-Chi, twenty-something girl, born and raised in Cebu, Philippines, but now based in Adelaide, Australia" blogging about "happy-happy-joy-joy aspects" of life, including fashion travel and food at her blog Jeanne in a Bottle;
Sony Mingoss from Spain of the blog TRèS ChIC. who loves and blogs about the world of beauty and fashion. I tried Google translate on her comment and got: "Hi Is beautiful, I just want us to let us know by GFC? I love, I hope at: http://www.sonymingoss.blogspot.com.es/
Kisses!";
Here are a few other places you can find me on the internet:
Mister Panty Buns's channel on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/misterpantybuns;
My Twitter @Panty_Buns;
PantyBuns on BuzzFeed;
http://www.funnyordie.com/Mister_Panty;
http://wn.com/mister_panty_buns;
my (Panty_Buns) account on Photobucket
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO INCLUDE LINKS to your fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogs WITH YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.
I love reading your comments, checking out your blogs, youtube channels and Tweets on Twitter.
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