Violent Reaction

From Stonewall to Pride, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen

Retrieved on:

Friday, June 30, 2023

Its unclear who threw the first brick at Stonewall Inn on that night in New York City that arguably launched the gay rights liberation movement.

Key Points:

Its unclear who threw the first brick at Stonewall Inn on that night in New York City that arguably launched the gay rights liberation movement.
As part of queer lore, Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman at the forefront of gay liberation, or Sylvia Rivera, a Latina transwoman, was the first.
But based on their accounts of that night of June 28, 1969, neither threw that first brick.
Despite some social progress, Black transwomen continue to pay the price, sometimes with their lives.

Misperceptions of the Stonewall Riots

I have learned that the story of Stonewall became popularized when a movie was released in 2015.
But the “Stonewall” movie was met with harsh criticism for whitewashing the story and omitting the role of Black and Latina queer people.

An overlooked act of defiance

Stonewall was not the first act of public defiance by a gay community.
The Compton’s Cafeteria riot took place about three years before Stonewall and nearly 3,000 miles away in San Francisco.
Compton’s Cafeteria, located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, was a popular late-night gathering spot in the 1960s for transgender people, particularly transwomen.
This act of resistance ignited a spontaneous uprising within the cafeteria and on the streets.

Hate still runs rampant

In addition, the murder of transpeople nearly doubled from 29 deaths in 2017 to 56 in 2021, according to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety.
So far in 2023, the murders of Cashay Henderson, a Black transwoman and KoKo Da Doll, the lead actor in “Kokomo City,” a Sundance Award-winning documentary, serve as tragic reminders of the ongoing violence and discrimination targeting queer people.

How Imran Khan's populism has divided Pakistan and put it on a knife's edge

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Pakistan’s political crisis has worsened significantly since Khan lost a no-confidence motion in parliament and was ousted from power last April.

Key Points:

Pakistan’s political crisis has worsened significantly since Khan lost a no-confidence motion in parliament and was ousted from power last April.
Since then, Khan’s populist rhetoric has stoked divisions in society, leading to extreme polarisation and the violent reactions we’ve seen this week.

Khan takes on the military

Khan wanted the then-chief of the agency, General Faiz Hameed, to continue in the role, while the military wanted someone else.
The military establishment issued a statement accusing Khan of fabricating the allegations.
Read more:
Shooting of Imran Khan takes Pakistan into dangerous political waters

Graft allegations from the new government

Read more:
What's the dispute between Imran Khan and the Pakistan government about?
In the so-called “Toshakhana case”, the government accused Khan and his wife of corruption for illegally keeping gifts given to them by other countries.
The case refers to the Toshakhana department in the government responsible for storing expensive gifts given to public officials.
Although the government has tightly controlled the mainstream media, Khan’s party has reached its supporters through social media to stoke dissent.

Khan’s arrest sparks violence

Khan’s lawyers challenged the legality of the arrest, but the High Court upheld it.
Within hours of the arrest, party workers and supporters gathered in many major cities and began openly attacking key military buildings.
It is very likely the protests will continue – and with that, increasing levels of violence – until Khan is released.

'Stand your ground' laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed

Retrieved on:

Friday, April 21, 2023

What these young people have in common is that they were killed in accidental encounters with armed property owners.

Key Points:

What these young people have in common is that they were killed in accidental encounters with armed property owners.
Stand your ground laws, meanwhile, authorize defensive violence without a duty to retreat, wherever a person may legally be.
Some also expand the circumstances in which someone could use lethal force to defend property.
But he would still have to show reasonable cause for firing two shots at the unarmed teen standing at his front door.

Defining ‘reasonable’ force

This does not preclude the defense from invoking Lester’s right to “stand his ground” and use force in self-defense, if his lawyers can show Lester truly believed Yarl posed a real threat.
Traditional laws on the use of force place that burden on the alleged self-defender, who must prove that their actions were reasonable.
This means that the prosecution must prove that the alleged self-defender was truly fearful when using force.

Increase in gun homicides

Research on public health and crime reveals a pernicious effect of stand your ground laws on public safety, showing a correlation with increased rates of gun homicide.
One study, which includes an assessment of Missouri’s law, found that the passage of stand your ground laws correlates with an 8% to 11% increase in firearm homicide rates.
An analysis of stand your ground cases in Florida, carried out by gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety, addressed the way removal of the duty to retreat encourages violent escalation; researchers suggested that over half the cases could have been resolved without loss of life.

Encouraging armed citizenry

In the Yarl case, the possible presence of racial bias has not escaped the attention of Kansas City prosecutors.
With laws that encourage armed citizens to use force against any perceived threat – real or imagined – even the most innocent mistakes and chance encounters can turn deadly.

'Stand Your Ground' laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed

Retrieved on:

Friday, April 21, 2023

What these young people have in common is that they were killed in accidental encounters with armed property owners.

Key Points:

What these young people have in common is that they were killed in accidental encounters with armed property owners.
Stand Your Ground laws, meanwhile, authorize defensive violence without a duty to retreat, wherever a person may legally be.
Some also expand the circumstances in which someone could use lethal force to defend property.
But he would still have to show reasonable cause for firing two shots at the unarmed teen standing at his front door.

Defining 'reasonable’ force

This does not preclude the defense from invoking Lester’s right to “Stand his Ground” and use force in self defense, if his lawyers can show Lester truly believed Yarl posed a real threat.
Traditional use of force laws place that burden on the alleged self-defender, who must prove that their actions were reasonable.
This means that the prosecution must prove that the alleged self-defender was truly fearful when they used force.

Increase in gun homicides

Research on public health and crime reveals a pernicious effect of Stand Your Ground laws on public safety, showing a correlation with increased rates of gun homicide.
One study, which includes an assessment of Missouri’s law, found that the passage of “Stand Your Ground” laws correlates with an 8% to 11% increase in firearm homicide rates.
An analysis of Stand Your Ground cases in Florida, carried out by gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety, addressed the way removal of the duty to retreat encourages violent escalation; researchers suggested that over half the cases could have been resolved without loss of life.

Encouraging armed citizenry

In the case of Ralph Yarl, the possible presence of racial bias has not escaped the attention of Kansas City prosecutors.
With laws that encourage armed citizens to use force against any perceived threat – real or imagined – even the most innocent mistakes and chance encounters can turn deadly.

Legion Partners Comments on Momentive Global Inc.’s Strategic Review Process

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Dear Members of the Board:

Key Points:

Dear Members of the Board:
Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC, together with its affiliates (collectively, we or Legion Partners) are long-term stockholders of Momentive Global Inc. (Momentive, MNTV, or the Company), beneficially owning approximately 1.4% of the Companys outstanding stock.
Upon review of the joint proxy statement/prospectus, our initial suspicions of a dubious strategic review process have been largely confirmed.
We believe the market reaction has been negative at both Momentive and Zendesk since the Merger was announced because the combination lacks strategic merit.
In the meantime, we urge you to explore a path towards terminating the proposed Merger at no additional cost to Momentive stockholders.