Don’t Know The Original Source.

Chicago task force releases landmark report, calls on Police Chief to acknowledge racism in police force

Yesterday, Chicago’s Police Accountability Task Force released its final report. Historically, the report called on the newly appointed Chicago Police Superintendent to acknowledge the force’s “history of racial disparity and discrimination.” Many believe the report, which many believe forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel to publicly acknowledge the Chicago Police Department’s continued issues with racism and to consider dismantling the city’s widely criticized Internal Police Review Board.

The task force was established in response to the public outcry in the wake of the death of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times while running away from a Chicago Police Officer. The task force “dug deeper into the complaints of so many about the callous and disrespectful way in which they had been treated by some officers” within the CPD, and recommended sweeping changes to what it described as “systemic problems in CPD.”

The source of the current state of mistrust and animosity between the public and the CPD, it found, was the result of 

racism

a mentality in CPD that the ends justify the means 

a failure to make accountability a core value and imperative within CPD

a significant underinvestment in human capital

Below are the recommendations of the task force:

How We Propose to Empower People.

Create a Community Safety Oversight Board, allowing the community to have a powerful platform and role in the police oversight system.

Implement a citywide Reconciliation Process beginning with the Superintendent publicly acknowledging CPD’s history of racial disparity and discrimination, and making a public commitment to cultural change.

Replace CAPS with localized Community Empowerment and Engagement Districts (CEED) for each of the city’s 22 police districts, and support them accordingly. Under CEED, district Commanders and other leadership would work with local stakeholders to develop tailored community policing strategies and partnerships.

Renew commitment to beat-based policing and expand community patrols so that officers learn about and get to know the communities they serve, and community members take an active role in partnering with the police.

Reinvigorate community policing as a core philosophy and approach that informs actions throughout the department.

Evaluate and improve the training officers receive with respect to youth so that they are prepared to engage in ways that are age-appropriate, trauma-informed and based in a restorative justice model.

Require CPD and the police oversight system to be more transparent and release to the public incident-level information on arrests, traffic and investigatory stops, officer weapon use and disciplinary cases.

Host citywide summits jointly sponsored by the Mayor and the President of the Cook County Board to develop and implement comprehensive criminal justice reform.

Encourage the Mayor and President of the Cook County Board to work together to develop and implement programs that address socioeconomic justice and equality, housing segregation, systemic racism, poverty, education, health and safety.

Adoption of a citywide protocol allowing arrestees to make phone calls to an attorney and/or family member(s) within one hour of arrest.

Implementation of citywide “Know Your Rights” training for youth.

How We Propose to Address the Inadequate Emphasis on Accountability

Create a dedicated Inspector General for Public Safety, which would independently audit and monitor CPD and the police oversight system, including for patterns of racial bias.

Replace the Independent Police Review Authority with a new and fully transparent and accountable Civilian Police Investigative Agency, which will enhance structural protections, powers and resources for investigating serious cases of police misconduct, even in the absence of sworn complaints. The new CPIA should ensure an accessible, professional and supportive complaint process.

Implement a data-driven, best-in-class Early Intervention System for CPD to identify officers with problems before they become problems for the community.

Fundamentally change provisions in the collective bargaining agreements that are impediments to accountability, such as allowing for anonymous complaints, eliminating the ability to change statements after reviewing video and removing the requirement to destroy complaint records.

Fully implement the first-in-the-nation written video release policy for officer-involved shootings.

Expand CPD’s body cam pilot program.

Require that all disciplinary information be provided online so that citizens can track complaints and discipline histories.

How We Propose to Address Other Systemic and Longstanding Problems

Establish for the first time in Chicago a Deputy Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in CPD.

Implement policies to dismantle the institutionalization of the police “code of silence,” including substantial changes to the collective bargaining agreements between the police and the City, ending command channel review, reforming the role of CPD supervisors and pattern and practice analysis.

Establish a smart 911 system for OEMC, allowing residents to pre-enter information on mental health or other issues that would be instantly available to OEMC operators.

Create a multi-layer co-responder system where mental health providers work with OEMC and CPD to link individuals to treatment.

Expand significantly the Crisis Intervention System for CPD and other first responders.

Create a “Mental Health Critical Response Unit” within CPD that is responsible for mental health crisis response functions, training, support, community outreach and engagement, cross-agency coordination and data collection.

Create a hotline for CPD members, whether civilian or sworn, to lodge complaints, and develop a third-party system for the processing and follow-up of all comments and complaints reported to the hotline.

This Is What It’s Like To Dive Between Two Continents

Have you ever seen an octopus run before?

From @sciencefriday:

Crawling, swimming, squeezing, jetting—the range of movement available to an octopus is impressive. Yet some species occasionally choose to stand up on two arms and “run” backwards. Chrissy Huffard, a Senior Researcher at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, explains the pros and cons of this seemingly silly behavior and why an octopus might find looking foolish useful.

Learn why here:

[Some footage courtesy of The Shape of Life]

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they aren’t exactly 50/50

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they are part of a race/ethnicity that you don’t like

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they are multiracial but not multiethnic

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they grew up with one side of their family

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they only know the culture of one side of their family

Don’t earse a mixed persons identity because they don’t ‘look’ mixed

Don’t earse a mixed persons identity because they ‘look’ more like one side

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they don’t speak in a certain dialect or slang

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they don’t speak their native language(s)

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because they don’t fit a stereotype

Don’t erase a mixed persons identity because you disagree with them

Just don’t do it at all.

This Incredible New Project Is Explaining LGBT Themes To Preschool Kids

While the episodes may focus on explaining a central concept — like what does “gay” mean — “Queer Kids Stuff” also answers questions for children that some adults may not have the ability or language to talk about.

It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Cheez-y

Mac N’ Cheez (#bestcatnameever) is a 7-week-old kitten whose hind legs are temporarily paralyzed. So, the good folks at Massapequa Pet Vet built him a “wheelchair” out of K’nex. While they work on his treatment, he gets to scoot around the office on his rad new rig.

Godspeed, Mac N’ Cheez and get well soon.

We really need to talk about Boko Haram...

They haven’t been covered much in the mainstream media but Boko Haram have been terrorising Africans with devastating, widespread and long-lasting consequences.

Responsible for more deaths than ISIS

According to the Global Terrorism Report, they have overtaken ISIS as the world’s deadliest terrorist group. It should be noted that in March this year, they pledged allegiance to ISIS. The two groups are responsible for more than half of all terrorist attacks in the world.

Who are they?

Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it “haram”, or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.

This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.

Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, even when the country had a Muslim president - and it has extended its military campaign by targeting neighbouring states.

800,000 people have fled their homes since June

Since the beginning of Boko Haram’s attacks in 2009, 2.1 million people have been forced to leave their homes with a staggering 800,000 having fled between June - September 2015.

An estimated 1,100 schools have been destroyed this year alone

The UN have stated that over a thousand schools have been destroyed in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria in 2015 so far.

This is a list of their major attacks so far in 2015:

Although the figures of deaths are numerical, please remember that these are people who had jobs, lives, families, dreams, hobbies, just like you. They are more than numbers on a screen.

January 3 - 7th: The town of Baga in the north-eastern state of Borno is attacked.  Bodies lay strewn on Baga’s streets with as many as 2,000 people having been killed.

January 9th: Following the Boko Haram massacre, 7,300 flee to neighbouring Chad while over 1,000 are trapped on the island of Kangala in Lake Chad.

January 18th: Boko Haram militants kidnap 80 people and kill three others from villages in north Cameroon.

January 28th: Boko Haram fighters killed 40 people while on a rampage in Adamawa State.

February 15th: A suicide bomber kills 16 and wounds 30 in the Nigerian city of Damaturu.

February 20th: Boko Haram militants kill 34 people in attacks across Borno State and 21 from the town of Chibok.

February 24th: Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 people at bus stations in Potiskum and Kano.

March 7th: Five suicide bomb blasts leave 54 dead and 143 wounded in Maiduguri.

March 18th:  A mass grave of 90 people is discovered in the city of Damasak .

March 29th: Voting in the Nigerian general election is delayed for a second day. 25 people have died in Boko Haram attacks.

June 12th: Several days of nighttime raids on six remote villages that left at least 37 people dead in Northeastern Nigeria

June 16th:  Twin Suicide Bomb attacks in Chad capital killed 24 people and wounded more than 100.

June 17th: Bombs found at Boko Haram camp kills 63 people in Nigeria

June 23rd: Twin female suicide bomb attacks at busy fish market in Maiduguri kill 30 people.

June 28th: Five dead in suicide blast at Nigeria hospital

June 30th: Militants attacked Muslim residents after they had finished prayers, leaving 48 men dead.

July 1st: Attacks on Muslims praying in Mosques before breaking their Ramadan fast kills  97 people in Kukawa.

July 2nd:  Two female suicide bombers attack a village in Borno state killing at least 10 people

July 3rd: Militants slit the throats of 11 people

July 3rd: Several suicide bombers killed dozens of people in Zabarmari village.

July 7th: Bomb attack kills at least 25 people and wounded 32 others in northern Nigeria’s Zaria city

July 11th: At least 14 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a crowded market in Chad’s capital 

July 17th: Suicide bombs have killed more than 60 people in multiple blasts in the north-eastern towns of Gombe and Damaturu.

July 22nd: A double suicide attack killed at least 11 people in the far north of Cameroon

July 25th: A child and a middle-aged woman detonated suicide vests in two separate attacks, killing 34 and wounding over 100 people

Aug 2nd: 13 people killed and 27 injured in an attack on Malari village in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state

Aug 3rd: Eight people were killed and about 100 others were kidnapped in an overnight raid on a village near Cameroon’s northern border

Aug 5th: Militants behead a policeman in Nigeria

Aug 7th: Boko Haram attacks on two villages in Yobe kill nine people

Aug 11th: A bomb attack on a packed market in north-eastern Nigeria killed about 50 people.

Aug 17th: Insurgents raided a village in Borno state, Nigeria, near the border with Niger, killing 7 people

Aug 18th: Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria’s north-eastern Yobe state

Aug 23rd: Army Chief’s convoy attacked, 11 people killed, 5 injured

Aug 25th: Extremists killed 28 people during attacks on remote farming and fishing villages in northeast Nigeria.

Aug 30th: 56 villagers are killed in in Baanu village of Nganzai 

Sept 1st: Gunmen on horseback kill 79 in trio of attacks

Sept 3rd: Militants killed about 30 people and wounded 145 others in attacks on a market and infirmary in northern Cameroon

Sept 20th: More than 100 people were killed in northern Nigeria in a quick succession carefully coordinated bombings

Sept 24th: 15 people killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants on a border village in south-eastern Niger

Sept 27th: 9 people killed in attacks on Mailari Village 

Sept 27th: Militants attacked the town N’gourtoi, a Nigerien village, killing the village head and 14 other civilians.

Oct 1st: An attack on a village in south-eastern Niger killed two soldiers

Oct 3rd: 15 killed in bombings in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja

Oct 4th: Militants killed three civilians and a soldier in a double suicide attack in Niger

Oct 6th: 11 Chadian soldiers killed in a surprise attack near Lake Chad

Oct 10: Five suicide bombers targeted a market and a refugee camp in Chad killing 36 people and wounding 56 others.

Oct 6th: Suicide attacks in northern Nigeria kill at least 17 people, injuring 11

Oct 7th: At least 12 worshipers have been killed in set of twin suicide attacks on a mosque in Borno State

Oct 22nd: 20 people were shot dead outside the Jingalta village Borno state, Nigeria

Oct 23rd: 23 people were killed in a bombing in a mosque in Borno State

Oct 28th: Thirteen people were killed and three injured in an attack on village in south-east Niger 

Oct 29th: Many killed and houses burnt to the ground in Bara town of Gulani 

Nov 8th: A twin suicide bombing near Lake Chad on Sunday killed two people and wounded 14 others

Nov 11th: 25 dead in raid on a village in southern Niger 

Nov 12th: The government of Chad has imposed a state of emergency on the northern region by Lake Chad

Nov 17th: At least 32 people have been killed and 80 injured in a night-time suicide bomb attack at a truck stop in Yola, Adamawa state, Nigeria

I’ll be updating this list as events progress. Please let me know if I have missed anything and I’ll add it in.

Margaret Hamilton (b. 1936) is a computer scientist and engineer who, as Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, played an important part in the Apollo space programme. Her division was responsible for developing the onboard flight software for the missions that put the first men on the Moon, and she was the supervisor and lead programmer of the project.

She graduated with a degree in abstract mathematics, during a time when computer science and software engineering were not yet disciplines in their own right. She worked for the SAGE Project, used by the military in aircraft defense. Since 1986 she has been the CEO of Hamilton Technologies, an organization which she founded.

As a child, I once touched an untouchable. For this infraction I was forced by my grandmother to swallow cow dung as a punishment. I was also made to drink cow urine and bathe in Ganga water to purify myself. This experience ingrained in me what untouchability was in the minds of my community. These women here with me once cleaned human excrement from toilets, and this made them untouchables. They had to wear bells around their necks to warn families of their approach. They were forbidden from going to the temple, doing puja, even bathing in the Ganga. Their children could only play with the pigs and not with children of higher castes.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organization (via brahmaanda)