‘I am a child!’ Pepper spray reflects policing of Black kids
What started with a report of “family trouble” in Rochester, New York, and ended with police treating a fourth-grader like a crime suspect, has spurred outrage as the latest example of law enforcement mistreatment of Black people.
As the U.S. undergoes a new reckoning on police brutality and racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death last May, the girl’s treatment illustrates how even young children are not exempt.
Research shows Black children are often viewed as being older than they are, and are more likely to be seen as threatening or dangerous. Advocates have long said that leads to police treating them in ways they wouldn’t dream of treating white children. In some cases it has led to fatalities like the killing of Tamir Rice, a Black 12-year-old shot by a white police officer in Cleveland in 2014.
Judge: Trump’s lifting of mining ban in US West was wrong
A federal judge on Feb. 11 overturned a Trump administration action that allowed mining and other development on 10 million acres (4 million hectares) in parts of six western states that are considered important for the survival of a struggling bird species.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill said the decision under Trump to cancel a prior effort to ban mining failed to fully consider how the move would affect greater sage grouse, a wide-ranging, chicken-sized bird that has seen a dramatic population drop in recent decades.
Winmill said the 2017 cancellation was arbitrary. He ordered the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management to reconsider whether mining should be allowed.
Greece: Protest gets heated ahead of campus policing vote
Student protesters hurled bottles, rocks, and gasoline bombs at police in central Athens Feb. 10 during nationwide demonstrations against an education bill that would allow police to patrol university campuses.
In the capital, riot police used tear gas and detained two protesters after clashes broke out outside parliament. Protests also turned violent in Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
The center-right government says it wants to establish a campus police force to stop university grounds from being used for illegal activities such as selling counterfeit goods or organizing violent protests.
Businesses start to rethink Myanmar as coup ignites protests
Businesses are just beginning to reassess their investments in Myanmar after the military seized power, detaining civilian leaders and sparking mass protests.
Singaporean tycoon Lim Kaling, a board member of technology firm Razer Inc., announced Feb. 9 that he was pulling out of a cigarette joint venture with military-linked Virginia Tobacco Co., the country’s biggest cigarette maker and owner of the Red Ruby and Premium Gold brands.
So far, most companies with major dealings or investments in Myanmar appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach.
