Dog-Whistle Racist Tweet Says Baltimore Is Full Of Rats -- Not NYC?

Photo credit: Andrew Savulich, NY Daily News

Have you ridden the subway in NYC lately? I have, and it's common to see rats there -- on the platforms, or down on the tracks, foraging.

Last night the power went out in Manhattan around 6:30pm, trapping people in subway cars and stations. If I had been one of them, you can bet I would have been thinking about the rats as I was led to safety by first responders.

I saw a woman almost step on a large rat just behind her as she stood chatting with friends on a bright summer morning. Ok, that was in Brooklyn.

Manhattan is the home base of the white supremacist family lolling in nepotism in the nation's capitol.

Yesterday their not-so-bright patriarch tweeted insults at Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore. Ostensibly Cummings' crime was being a bully -- to officials of Homeland Security under questioning in Congress about their conduct of torture centers for immigrants.

Cummings tweeted back: "Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors.

It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents." Cummings did not even use the tag #WeAreBaltimore which trended to the top quickly and stayed on the top 10 list of trending topics for hours.

Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors.

It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.

— Elijah E. Cummings (@RepCummings) July 27, 2019

Infested, dirty, rats, and crime are words that turn up regularly in White House insults directed at elected officials of color. Congresswomen of color are told they deserve to be "sent back" even though they are U.S. citizens. 

White people in the U.S. are no longer the majority, and whipping up their fear of other races is a good way to distract from the things really fueling their anxieties: declining prosperity, health care and higher education beyond their reach. 

Photo credit: Herika Martinez, Getty Images

Building a wall on our southern border is a visible symbol of white making right. The Supreme Court just ruled that the demagogue with bad hair can divert Pentagon funding to that purpose. Now you know what is even more sacred than the military in the U.S.: racism.

I heard that news with mixed feelings. U.S. and Afghan allied forces have killed more civilians than the Taliban, and the demagogue recently mentioned casually that he had the power to obliterate Afghanistan should he want to. More brown children he and his base do not care for, and they probably could not even articulate why not.

Congressman Cummings' real crime was more likely that the House Oversight Committee he chairs sent subpoenas this week to the demagogue's nepotism recipients. Personal emails and texts pertaining to official business are sought, according to the Associated Press:

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the panel’s chairman, said the committee has obtained “direct evidence” that the president’s daughter, Kushner and other top aides were using personal accounts for official business in violation of federal law and White House policy. 

“What we do not yet know is why these White House officials were attempting to conceal these communications,” Cummings said

What we do know: additional racist pronouncements will attempt to distract the public from this information.

Rep. Jared Golden's Staff To Constituent: ICE Roundups Not An Issue In Maine's 2nd District (Despite Arrest Of 6 In Rangeley)

The above post is from fierce and relentless child welfare crusader Mary Dunn, who's now on her way to stand outside the Homestead child detention center in Florida and shout:

¡No Estan Solos! (You all are not alone!)

Mary called her alleged representative in Congress, Rep. Jared Golden. Of course she didn't get to speak with him, just a staffer in his DC office. She wanted to know Golden's position on the recent ICE roundups terrorizing citizens and immigrants alike.

In case her words are hard to read above, I'll transcribe them here. (Link added by me).

She said that he believes that since this is an issue that doesn't really affect Maine's district 2 that it's not really on his radar! Holy shit! I informed her that 5 people were just rounded up in Rangely and last I knew that was in District 2 so that does affect him and his district.  

And reminded her that even if there was no ICE presence in Maine, which there is, this is affecting the entire country on his watch. And as a member of the United States Congress he will be remembered for how  he responded to this defining moment in our history. She was like whatever. It was clear she could care less. 

PLEASE call Golden's DC office and demand he respond appropriately to this crisis. Demand he work with congress to undo this mess that Trump and his administration is carrying out. Tell him to stop the ICE roundups. 1-202-225-6306.

Jason D. Owens and Senator Susan Collins of Maine (photo credit: Maine Beacon)

In searching for an article about the Rangeley ICE raid to link to, I came across this chilling quote from a Border Patrol officer in Maine who has been identified as a member of the now
archived racist and violently misogynistic "I'm 10-15" closed Facebook group:

"These arrests further illustrate the value of information provided by the public," 

Jason D. Owens, chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol in Maine, said in a statement obtained by The DCNF. "With our limited resources, 

we rely on the public to assist us by reporting suspicious activity."

So, there are informants eager to snitch on hard-working brown people in Maine. Once again, this history major is horrified, but not surprised.

What suspicious activity? you may be wondering. Here's what the Houston Chronicle reported about that: "Jason Owens, Border Patrol chief in Maine, said illegal contract labor deprives employment opportunities for those who are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S."

So I'm guessing Rep. Golden's staff would say he is also unaware of a major economic factor in staffing for the summer tourism surge in Maine each summer. Here's the Portland Press Herald on July 7 this year: "Summer labor crunch hits Maine businesses hard." 

Or maybe it's just about the gratuitous cruelty to fan the flames of his base for Golden, too.

Jared Golden's staffer will probably be reprimanded for being too honest about her boss's indifference to ICE raids in Maine.

When the DC office opens today, I'll be calling to echo Mary's demand for accountability from our elected representative. But I'll go easy on whoever answers the phone.  Likely that person will be young, idealistic, and imagines herself motivated to serve the public good. 

One thing is for certain. She or he is in the belly of the beast. Possibly she is starting to figure that out. Part of our job is to help her.

Close The Camps! National Disgrace! We Do Not Consent! Heard By ICE Agents At South Portland Sit-Down As 14 Protesters Issued Citations

Michael Cutting with a warning for us all (photos mine unless otherwise noted)

Yesterday at the ICE facility in South Portland, Maine, I joined about 50 people horrified by the torture of children in concentration camps, children who are caged and denied basic hygiene after being separated from their parents and other family members.

It was so hot that my phone quit working after the first 40 minutes so I did not get all the photos I had hoped to get. The Bangor Daily News and Portland Press Herald both covered the action and showed the 14 people who sat down and refused to move until the camps are closed. They were issued citations after a long time sitting on hot pavement. My sheroes and heroes, all.

Ably led by Catholic Worker Jessica Stewart from her wheelchair, the action repeated one a year ago for the audience of Homeland Security employees. Message for this target group: "just following orders" will not excuse you morally. It will not even protect you under international law when the torture of children is finally adjudicated.

Heed our warning now: exert your moral agency, and step away from doing evil.

I was so hot that I got a migraine, and on the drive home reflected that I had failed to ask the officers if any of them were members of the notorious "I'm 10-15" closed group for Border Patrol agents now archived (with a name change) on Facebook.

Border Patrol agent Jason D. Owens with Senator Susan Collins, who has shown a great fondness for fascism since the demagogue with bad hair was elected in 2016.

The head Border Patrol agent in Houlton, Maine,  Jason D. Owens, was a member of the group before it caught the attention of ProPublica and vanished.

The group's posts regularly featured sadistic memes and jokes aimed at "tonks" which is apparently what these cops call migrants based on the sound it makes when their heads are struck with a flashlight.

In case you're wondering why we protest.

In case you're wondering why I didn't sit down, too, it's because I'm still out on bail for my arrest blocking the road at a war ship launch by Bath Iron Works on June 22.

Another member of the Inouye 22, Ashley Bahlkow, was in SoPo yesterday with her husband and their 2 year old. We were both avoiding arrest for the same reason. When I remarked on the numerous reporters present, she observed that news outlets in Maine are a lot more reticent about covering protests of General Dynamic$, which owns Bath Iron Works.

Another friend I saw that did risk arrest was organizer Mary Dunn. It was a first time for her and I was super proud of her endurance and commitment. She has been holding weekly "close the camps" vigils on Fridays in Waterville, Maine and has just recently connected with Jessica Stewart. These women are formidable and I can't imagine having better advocates for justice for children.

Elizabeth Leonard was also on hand playing guitar and leading songs to keep morale up. Based on Mary's post about the experience, it sounds like it worked.

Photo credit: Brianna Soukup, Portland Press Herald

I had worried that the group that sat down could not hear us chanting and singing because they were directly behind the exhaust pipe of a Homeland Security truck that sat idling for two hours (all of them appeared to be content to waste fuel and spew CO2 while their trucks were parked).

While the sit-down was underway, we were informed that ICE had arrested six people in Rangely, Maine. A very small town high in the Western Mountains, and the type of tourist destination that is scrambling to staff its hospitality business as the federal government continues to prosecute those willing to travel far from home to work at those jobs. Cruelty is not very rational when it comes to economics.

How many people refuse to vacation in the U.S. as they boycott the cruelty? We'll never know for sure, but I know some individuals personally who are boycotting. And I can't say that I blame them.

Maine was once Vacationland but today will break a record for hottest ever recorded in Portland. The evil empire seems determined to go full throttle off the moral and environmental cliff.

I'll keep protesting until I literally cannot continue. See you in the streets.

With my friend Jacqui Deveneau yesterday. (Photo credit: Robin Farrin)

Protest wherever you go! To order a t-shirt with my sign design on it you can click here. Proceeds go to RAICES, a legal advocacy organization working directly to support migrants and asylum seekers. Thanks to my childhood friend Rebecca Northcutt for setting that up and spreading the image around Santa Cruz, California. We are allies from coast to coast demanding: CLOSE THE CAMPS!

Court Today For Activist Whose Dramatic Protests Bring Attention To Caged Kids #AbolishICE

Patricia Okoumou is a woman of conscience who could not stand by and watch children being separated from their parents and caged at the U.S.-Mexico border.

First on July 4 she climbed the Statue of Liberty with her banner and was arrested. I wrote about that at the time, and you can read that here.

In an interview with Democracy Now! this month she explained that the slogans on her attire are a response to the current First Lady who wore a jacket that said: I REALLY DON'T CARE DO U. Also Okoumou said she was inspired by our former First Lady, Michelle Obama, who was often targeted by ugly racists and who responded, "When they go low, we go high." 

Okoumou commented, "I went as high as I could."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12UC55fSREA

Subsequently Okoumou, an immigrant herself from the Republic of Congo, targeted Juan Sanchez, a billionaire who profits from child detention in Texas. On Valentine's Day she joined a group shouting out love to the children kept inside, and calling for their release. Then she climbed Southwest Key, a building owned and operated by Sanchez. 

When Okoumou was interviewed by Paper magazine, reporter Michael Love Michael wrote that she said:

...the way conservative politicians talk about the family separation crisis is steeped in misleading and xenophobic rhetoric designed to keep people distracted. "You can't call human beings illegal; you can't call human beings aliens because our children are listening," she said. "Aliens come from outer space, and by calling our children that who want better lives, we are a detriment to them."

Most recently news that child separations and detentions were kept secret, that they generate profit for corporations like Northrup Gruman and Amazon, and that even infants have been separated from nursing mothers makes Okoumou's cause even more pressing for those who care what their government does in their name. 

Today activists will pack the courtroom in NYC for Okoumou's bail hearing. A bad judge sentenced her to house arrest claiming that she engages in activism because it is the only way she has to make a living. Shame on him. 

Those of us who can't be in court with Okoumou today can help by contributing to her defense fund and other expenses here:  https://www.gofundme.com/PatriciaOkoumou.

Photo of an intact family protesting at City Hall in Los Angeles (source: Reuters)

Patricia Okoumou hears the children crying for their parents. Do you? (Trigger warning: this recording of their voices could make you cry, too).