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Biweekly Discussion - Hypervigilance & "Protest Panics"

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Brian B.
Biweekly Discussion - Hypervigilance & "Protest Panics"

Details

This is going to be our group's third online meetup using Zoom. If you've never used Zoom before, don't worry - it's easy to use and free to join.

Here's the link to the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87855588683?pwd=ZFg4QzJoMnRpREs3Sk9XbXA4RUxhdz09

Meeting ID: 878 5558 8683
Password: 223007

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HAVE THE PROTESTS & RIOTS FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD LED TO HYPERVIGILANCE & A MORAL PANIC?

INTRODUCTION:

In this meetup, we'll look at several viral rumors that emerged on social media during the protests & riots in the aftermath of George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis Police, as well as over the following month or so. We'll assess their veracity, and to the extent that they involve exaggeration and/or fabrication we'll ask if this may constitute a sign that we're falling prey to "hypervigilance" - a state of increased alertness marked by perpetual scanning of our environment for threats.

Much of the general public appear to be caught in a "moral panic" - a type of mass hysteria where threats appear magnified. This could be dangerous for the cause of policing reform, since it could distort the general public's ability to think carefully about the conflicting threats of over-policing vs under-policing (i.e. police brutality vs breakdown of law & order).

The emerging "moral panic" has also led to the proliferation of a host of conspiracy theories which could negatively affect the public's willingness to trust in both our news media and our government. Unfortunately, as we'll see, while there's been some excellent investigate journalism lately and government crime statistics are still often one of our best sources for understanding the big picture, there's also been enough sensationalistic reporting and dishonest rhetoric from politicians that the general public would probably be justified in trusting them less -- that is, if only the average person wasn't so bad at reasoning through complex social issues on their own.

I briefly considered using a recent episode of a skeptic podcast called "Squaring the Strange" for this meetup, since the hosts (Ben Radford, Pascual Romero & Celestia Ward) addressed several topics I wanted to discuss, namely rumors of "bait bricks" at protests, the alleged "noose" in Nascar driver Bubba Wallace's garage, and the dueling media narratives of Antifa & Boogaloo being the cause of most of the serious violence at protests. Unfortunately, it's rather long (1 hour, 20 minutes) and doesn't mention some of the related topics I'd like to cover, so I won't ask you to listen to it prior to our meetup. Instead, I've linked a bunch of short video clips below that come to around 36 minutes total. However, if you want to check out the podcast, you can find it here: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14974460/tdest_id/607796

In the first section of this discussion, we'll look at the circumstances surrounding George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police and how what should've been a fairly clear-cut case of police brutality led to a host of misconceptions and several conspiracy theories. We'll see how attempts to blame Floyd for his own death relate to the "just-world hypothesis" and we'll see how conflicting views of the same event relate to the "Rashomon effect".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon_effect

In the second section, we'll look at the violence & looting that broke out during the protests in Minneapolis & other cities following Floyd's death and the way the news media struggle to assign blame - was it angry locals, outside agitators, police acting as agent provocateurs, Antifa anarchists, Boogaloo Boys, all of the above? We'll see the politicization of this issues has led to "whatboutism" and blame-shifting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

In the third section, we'll look at how hypervigilance led to viral rumors about "bait bricks" at protests, "bleach milkshakes" being served to the NYPD, "Antifa buses" being deployed to small towns, and the widespread fireworks displays that as part of a government "psy-op". Once these rumors are started, they are often magnified by "confirmation bias".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

In the fourth section, we'll look at several allegations of nooses hung in public places and black men found hanged which are allegedly part of a wave of lynchings, and we'll discuss why these might also be false alarms caused by hypervigilance. We'll also see how the psychological effects of the current tensions between urban black communities and police can be partly explained by "intergroup threat theory".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_threat_theory

RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:

To get a better understanding of urban legends, false sightings & moral panics, it might be a good idea to review a meetup we had back in February of 2019 entitled "Social Contagion and Irrational Fears".
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/ffkqkqyzdbwb/

Back in June of 2020, we had a meetup entitled "Racial Bias in the Police Use of Force". We examined the data on racial bias in police use of force incidents in the U.S. Two of the basic takeaways was that the data collection & aggregation on police use of force isn't very comprehensive, and as with the statistics on gun violence there is a lot of dishonest "massaging" of statistics in both the liberal & conservative news media -- in this case, to either support or counter the charges of systematic racism by police.
https://www.meetup.com/Philly-Skeptics/events/249125196/

The Philly Political Agnostics looked at the statistics on hate crimes & domestic terrorism in 2 meetups back in May of 2017. The general takeaway was that crimes officially classified as "hate crimes" are about 2 orders of magnitude less common than routine forms of violent crime that occur between members of different races/ethnic groups. (Total hate crimes in the early 2000s varied between 7-8K/yr whereas total interracial violent crimes in 2010 were about 380K.) The most common forms of hate crimes are not violent attacks but rather verbal/online harassment or defacement of property. It may be hard to get an accurate count of hate crimes, since watchdog groups claim they often go under-reported or dismissed by local law enforcement. However, the news media often gives certain hate crimes a disproportionate amount of coverage compared to routine street crime, and watchdog groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League have been accused of framing or “massaging” the statistics to make hate crimes & hate groups appear more pervasive. Nevertheless, hate crimes (like terrorist attacks) tend to play upon human psychology in such a way that they provoke far more anger & fear than normal crimes and strengthen in-group/out-group suspicions in a way that tears at the social fabric, so this is the rationale for pursuing them more vigorously & punishing them more severely.

A similar dynamic holds true for riots, where politically motivated riots, while relatively rare, garner lots of media attention and are often strongly condemned, whereas riots after sports games get less media attention and are often met with shrugs and comments about "crazy sports fans." The rationale for this disparity is similar to that for hate crimes - political protests that devolve into riots & lead to widespread vandalism & looting threaten to break down our social norms around using the courts & the ballot box rather than violence to resolve our political differences, whereas sports riots can cause a lot of property damage but don't generally intimidate anyone or risk leading to a civil war. You can find the material on hate crimes & riots, at the following links:
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/wxsktmywgbnc/
https://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Political-Agnostics/events/239785704/

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DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:

The videos & articles you see linked below are intended to give you a basic overview of some of the major debates over several viral rumors that have emerged in the wake of the policing reform protests. As usual, I certainly don't expect you to read all the articles & watch all the videos prior to attending our discussion. The easiest way to prepare for our discussion is to just watch the numbered videos linked under each section - the videos come to about about 36 minutes total. The articles marked with asterisks are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.

In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section.

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I. THE "JUST WORLD HYPOTHESIS", THE "RASHOMON EFFECT", AND RUMORS ABOUT THE "REAL CAUSE" OF GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH:

  • WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT GEORGE FLOYD'S CRIMINAL HISTORY, INCLUDING HIS 2009 ARMED ROBBERY CONVICTION? DID HE LOSE HIS BOUNCING JOB DUE TO COVID-19 SHUTDOWNS, WHICH MAY HAVE MADE HIM ECONOMICALLY DESPERATE? IS ANY OF THIS FOCUS ON FLOYD'S PAST RELEVANT TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS DEATH, OR IS IT AN EXAMPLE OF THE "JUST WORLD HYPOTHESIS" - I.E. AN ATTEMPT TO BLAME THE VICTIM IN ORDER TO KEEP BELIEVING WE LIVE IN A "JUST WORLD"?

  • DID POLICE ARREST GEORGE FLOYD OVER TRYING TO USE A COUNTERFEIT $20 BILL AT "CUP FOODS", OR ALSO FOR REFUSING TO RETURN FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED GOODS & SUSPICIONS OF DUI? DID HE RESIST ARREST INITIALLY? WHY DIDN'T POLICE PUT HIM IN THE SQUAD CAR ONCE THEY CUFFED HIM, AND INSTEAD PIN HIM TO THE GROUND FOR 8-9 MINUTES UNTIL AN AMBULANCE CAME?

  • WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE "RASHOMON EFFECT" - THE TENDENCY OF EYEWITNESSES TO GIVE CONFLICTING INTERPRETATIONS OF EVENTS? DID THAT HAPPEN WITH GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH, OR DID MOST PEOPLE AGREE IT WAS HOMICIDE REGARDLESS OF THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS OR RACIAL IDENTITY?

  • WHY DID THE 1ST AUTOPSY SUGGEST GEORGE FLOYD DIED FROM PREEXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS (COVID, HEART DISEASE) & DRUGS (FENTANYL & METH) IN HIS SYSTEM, WHEREAS 2 LATER AUTOPSIES SUGGESTED THE POLICE RESTRAINTS ON HIS NECK & BACK KILLED HIM VIA ASPHYXIA OR HEART ATTACK? WHAT IS THE "EGGSHELL SKULL RULE" IN LEGAL DOCTRINE & DOES IT APPLY TO THIS CASE?

  • WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT PAST COMPLAINTS AGAINST OFFICER DEREK CHAUVIN? IS IT TRUE HE WORE A "MAKE AMERICA WHITE AGAIN" HAT TO A TRUMP RALLY, OR IS THAT MISINFORMATION?

  • DID GEORGE FLOYD & DEREK CHAUVIN WORK TOGETHER AS BOUNCERS AT THE "EL NUEVO RODEO" NIGHTCLUB? DID THEY EVER HAVE A DISPUTE? IF SO, IS IT PLAUSIBLE CHAUVIN KILLED FLOYD OVER A PAST GRUDGE?

  • WHY DID SOME PEOPLE THINK GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH MIGHT'VE BEEN A "STAGED EXECUTION" BY "CRISIS ACTORS" PLAYING POLICE, MEANT TO INCITE RACIAL UNREST IN MINNESOTA AHEAD OF THE 2020 ELECTION? WAS IT A COMBINATION OF THINKING "THE POLICE LOOKED TOO CALM FOR SOMETHING SO BLATANT" AND THE "CUI BONO" FALLACY?

  • HOW DID THE "STAGED EXECUTION" SCENARIO EVOLVE INTO A CONSPIRACY THEORY INVOLVING GEORGE SOROS AND CLAIMS FLOYD DIDN'T EVEN DIE - OR WAS ALREADY DEAD? HOW DO CONSPIRACY THEORISTS RECONCILE THEIR BELIEF IN AN UTTERLY EVIL CABAL WITH THE IDEA THEY DON'T REALLY KILL PEOPLE?

  • DID SOME MINNESOTA POLICE ATTEND A SEMINAR AT THE ISRAELI CONSULATE IN 2012? IS THIS WHY SOME PEOPLE THINK POLICE LEARNED THE "KNEE-ON-NECK RESTRAINT" FROM ISRAELI SECRET SERVICE? DID THIS RUMOR COME FROM PALESTINIANS OR BDS ACTIVISTS?

1a) CBC News, "State, private autopsies differ on how George Floyd died" (video - 4:08 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bqKgwanA80

1b) Politifact, "George Soros isn't funding protests" (video - 2:35 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kn16TP-cCA

1c) Hananya Naftali, "Palestinians Exploit George Floyd’s Death to Blame Israel" (video - 3:06 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQYtkjH1sn8

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II. "WHATABOUTISM", CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE "REAL CAUSE" OF MANY PROTESTS DEVOLVING INTO RIOTS, AND THE MORAL PANIC OVER FRINGE GROUPS ATTEMPTING TO SPARK A "CIVIL WAR":

  • WAS THE MASKED "UMBRELLA MAN" WHO BROKE THE WINDOWS OF THE AUTOZONE IN MINNEAPOLIS ON MAY 28 A POLICE OFFICER ACTING AS AN "AGENT PROVOCATEUR"? DID THIS INCIDENT TIP THE PROTEST INTO RIOTS, OR WAS RIOTING & LOOTING ALREADY GOING ON?

  • WERE MOST OF THE RIOTERS & LOOTERS IN MINNEAPOLIS COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE AS THE GOVERNOR ORIGINALLY ALLEGED? HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE "OUTSIDE AGITATORS" NARRATIVE USED DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA?

  • HOW COMMON WERE THE INSTANCES OF LOCALS CONFRONTING WHITE VANDALS IN BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS? WERE THE VANDALS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIFA?

  • DO MOST OF THE BLM ACTIVISTS THAT ORGANIZE PROTESTS ESPOUSE PRAGMATIC POLICE REFORM PROPOSALS LIKE "CAMPAIGN ZERO", OR ARE MANY OF THEM "TRAINED MARXISTS" ITCHING FOR A REVOLUTION?

  • IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS AFFILIATED WITH "ANTIFA" ORCHESTRATED THE RIOTS, AS TRUMP ALLEGED? IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THEY WERE EVEN INVOLVED IN THE RIOTS IN MINNEAPOLIS, D.C., NYC, PHILLY, OR OTHER CITIES WHERE THEY AT LEAST HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE?

  • WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL IDEOLOGY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SHORT-LIVED "CHAZ/COP" IN SEATTLE? WERE THEY MOSTLY ANARCHISTS, COMMUNISTS OR OTHER FAR-LEFT GROUPS, OR WERE THEY MOSTLY JUST PEACEFUL HIPPIES WHO WANTED POLICE REFORM?

  • ARE THE LAWYERS UROOJ RAHMAN & COLINFORD MATTIS AND THE STREET MUSICIAN SAMANTHA SHADER WHO THREW MOLOTOV COCKTAILS INTO NYPD VANS MEMBERA OF "ANTIFA" OR JUST PROTESTORS WHO GOT CAUGHT UP IN "MOB MENTALITY" DURING THE RIOTS?

  • WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE MEN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING RETIRED POLICE CPT. DAVID DORN IN ST. LOUIS AND ITALIA MARIE KELLY IN DAVENPORT? WERE THEY MERELY CRIMINALS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS, OR MEMBERS OF EXTREMIST GROUPS?

  • WHAT IS THE "BOOGALOO" MOVEMENT, AND WERE THEY A MAJOR PART OF THE ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTEST DURING QUARANTINE? ARE THE "BOOGALOO BOYS" PRIMARILY ANTI-GOV'T & PREPARING FOR A "SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION", OR ARE THEY PRIMARILY RACISTS TRYING START A "SECOND CIVIL WAR"?

  • DID ANY MEMBERS OF FAR-RIGHT GROUPS LIKE THE "BOOGALOO BOYS" PARTICIPATE IN THE PEACEFUL PROTESTS, OR DID THEY ACT AS COUNTER-PROTESTORS? DURING THE RIOTS, DID THEY TRY TO GUARD STOREFRONTS OR ATTACK PEOPLE & ACT AS "AGENT PROVOCATEURS"?

  • SHOULD STEVEN CARILLO, THE HISPANIC ARMY MP & "BOOGALOO BOY" SUSPECTED OF SHOOTING 2 POLICE OFFICERS IN OAKLAND, BE CONSIDERED A "FAR-RIGHT EXTREMIST"? OR DOES THE FACT THAT HE IDENTIFIED AS A LIBERTARIAN & COMPLAINED ABOUT POLICE BRUTALITY, RACISM & FASCISM ON SOCIAL MEDIA SUGGEST HIS POLITICAL VIEWS MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED?

  • DID THE 3 MILITARY VETS AFFILIATED WITH THE "BOOGALOO BOYS" WHO PLANNED TO FIREBOMB AN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION & TOLL BOOTH IN LAS VEGAS DURING THE PROTESTS ALSO WANT TO HARM BLM PROTESTORS, OR DID THEY PLAN TO ATTACK POLICE?

  • HOW SHOULD WE DESCRIBE THE IDEOLOGY OF ETHAN MELTZER, THE ITALY-BASED ARMY PARATROOPER WHO SHARED CLASSIFIED INFO ON HIS UNIT'S DEPLOYMENT WITH THE OCCULT GROUP "THE ORDER OF THE NINE ANGLES"? DOES THE "ORDER" HAVE ANY CONNECTION TO "BOOGALOO" AND IS IT BASED ON SATANISM, NEO-NAZISM, ISLAMISM, OR ALL THREE? DID MELZER ALSO CONTACT AN AL-AQAEDA MEMBER?

  • TO WHAT EXTENT ARE CONFLICTING TAKES IN THE NEWS MEDIA DUE TO "WHATABOUTISM" - I.E. A TYPE OF "TU QUOQUE" FALLACY THAT ATTEMPTS TO DERAIL DISCUSSIONS OF ONE SORT OF WRONGDOING BY BRINGING UP OTHER CASES? DO LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS AND GROUPS LIKE THE ADL & SPLC TRY TO MAGNIFY THE PUBLIC'S FEAR OF RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS AND DOWNPLAY LEFT-WING EXTREMISTS? DO CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLETS LIKE FOX NEWS & BREITBART DO THE OPPOSITE?

  • IS THE LEFT-RIGHT POLITICAL SPECTRUM THE BEST TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING EXTREMISTS & DOMESTIC TERRORISTS, OR WOULD A TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODEL LIKE THE "POLITICAL COMPASS" OR "HORSESHOE THEORY" BE MORE ACCURATE?

2a) KARE11, "Deciphering facts from fiction during times of high emotion: The 'Umbrella Man'" (video - 2:03 min, start at 1:15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLeUF8Nz5ys&t=1m15s

2b) CBS News w/ Dan Patterson, "Online conspiracy theories spread after the death of George Floyd" (video - 5:21 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55iBaa4-k8M

2c) ABC7NY, "NYC officials blame protest violence on small group of 'anarchists'" (video - 2:17 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxAysVepLA

2d) WGBH News, "Violent Protesters or Outside Agitators? Local Media Struggles To Establish The Narrative" (video - 6:34 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-2PKzUZjis

Kyle Shideler, "The Hubbub About ‘The Boogaloo’ Is the Worst Kind of Fake News - Meanwhile, let’s keep pretending Antifa doesn’t exist."
https://amgreatness.com/2020/06/30/the-hubbub-about-the-boogaloo-is-the-worst-kind-of-fake-news/

Cary Spivak, "Boogaloo movement receives a cool reception at Black Lives Matter marches in Milwaukee"
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/reports/2020/06/10/boogaloo-boys-get-cool-reception-at-milwaukee-black-lives-matter-marches/5323664002/

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III. "HYPERVIGILANCE" & VIRAL RUMORS OF "BAIT BRICKS", "BLEACH MILKSHAKES", "ANTIFA BUSES" & FIREWORKS AS "PSY-OPS"

  • WHAT IS "HYPERVIGILANCE" AND WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT IT EFFECT ON THE FREQUENCY OF "TYPE I ERRORS" (I.E. FALSE POSITIVES) IN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS? ONCE AN INITIAL FALSE CLAIM GETS STARTED, HOW DOES "CONFIRMATION BIAS" AMPLIFY IT?

  • IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT SOMEONE CONSPIRED TO STAGE PALLETS OF BRICKS AT PROTEST SITES, EITHER TO MAKE THE RIOTS MORE DEADLY OR TO BAIT PROTESTORS INTO COMMITTING VIOLENCE? OR WERE THESE BRICKS INTENDED FOR LOCAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, AND THEY BECAME CONSPICUOUS THRU CONFIRMATION BIAS?

  • DID 3 NYPD OFFICERS IN LOWER MANHATTAN GET MILKSHAKES SPIKED WITH BLEACH BY EMPLOYEES AT SHAKE SHACK? OR WAS IT JUST AN ACCIDENT (I.E. TRACES OF CLEANER) AND POLICE INTERPRETED IT AS AN ATTACK DUE TO ONGOING PROTESTS & RIOTS?

  • WERE THERE A SERIES OF ATM BURGLARIES USING EXPLOSIVES IN PHILADELPHIA IN EARLY JUNE? WHY DID SOME PHILADELPHIANS INTERPRET THE LATE-NIGHT EXPLOSIONS AS GOV'T "PSY-OPS" USING LRAD OR OTHER NOISE-MAKERS?

  • WHY HAVE THERE BEEN SO MANY REPORTS OF FIREWORKS GOING OFF AT NIGHT IN MANY MAJOR CITIES? IS THIS PRIMARILY DUE TO A SUPPLY GLUT OF FIREWORKS DUE TO CANCELED JULY 4TH CELEBRATIONS & LOTS OF BORED PEOPLE AT HOME, OR IS IT AN INTENTIONAL PART OF THE PROTESTS? OR COULD IT BE A CONSPIRACY BY POLICE TO TERRIFY THE POPULACE?

  • HOW DID THE RUMORS ABOUT "ANTIFA BUSES" COMING TO SMALL TOWNS START? HOW DID THESE RUMORS & SIGHTINGS OF REGULAR BUSES LEAD TO ASSEMBLIES OF ARMED CITIZENS IN SMALL TOWNS & POLICE IMPOUNDING A HIPPIE BUS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO FILLED WITH JUGGLING EQUIPMENT?

3a) CBC News ,"No, bricks aren’t being planted for protesters" (video - 1:58 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUrdHOgWh0g

3b) ABC7NY, "'No criminality' after officers sickened by milkshakes, NYPD says" (video - 1:54 min)
https://youtu.be/uEPBk3aAV14

3c) Inside Edition, "Why Fireworks Are Popping Up in States Where They're Illegal" (video - 2:26 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPE3I5uaWHo

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IV. "INTERGROUP THREAT THEORY", HATE CRIMES VS HOAXES, AND RUMORS OF NOOSES & LYNCHINGS:

  • WHAT CAN "INTERGROUP THREAT THEORY" TELL US ABOUT THE SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PERCEIVED THREATS, INCLUDING FALSE ALARMS?

  • HAVE INTERRACIAL VIOLENT CRIMES INCREASED SINCE THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD? HOW MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS ARE BEING CATEGORIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AS HATE CRIMES? AND HOW MANY HATE CRIMES ARE NON-VIOLENT CRIMES LIKE VANDALISM OR HARASSMENT?

  • HOW COMMON ARE HATE CRIME HOAXES? IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT HATE CRIME HOAXES HAVE INCREASED SINCE THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, OR DOES IT APPEAR THAT MISIDENTIFICATION OF INNOCUOUS OBJECTS IS THE BETTER EXPLANATION?

  • DID THE "NOOSES" HUNG IN THE PARK IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA TURN OUT TO BE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT? IF SO, WHY DID THE MAYOR SAY SHE STILL INTENDED TO HAVE THEM INVESTIGATED AS A POSSIBLE HATE CRIME? WAS THE EFFIGY LATER FOUND HANGING IN THE PARK AN EXAMPLE OF "OSTENSION" - I.E. A COPYCAT INCIDENT BASED ON AN EARLIER RUMOR OR URBAN LEGEND?

  • DID THE "NOOSE" IN NASCAR DRIVER DARRELL "BUBBA" WALLACE'S GARAGE AT THE TALLADEGA SPEEDWAY TURN OUT TO BE A GARAGE DOOR PULL THAT HAD BEEN THERE SINCE OCT. 2019, WELL BEFORE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THAT SPOT? IF SO, WHY DID SOMONE SUDDENLY THINK IT WAS A DEATH THREAT?

  • WERE THE 4 MEN FOUND HANGING WITHIN WEEKS OF THE PROTESTS RULED SUICIDES TOO QUICKLY? IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT ANY OF THEM WERE NOT SUICIDAL, WERE ABDUCTED, WERE INJURED PRIOR TO BEING HUNG, ETC., WHICH WOULD POINT TO A POSSIBLE LYNCHING? DID ANY OF THESE MEN HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUDDEN LIFE CHANGES (E.G. BREAKUP, JOB LOSS) THAT MIGHT DRIVE THEM TO COMMIT SUICIDE?

  • DOES THE FACT THAT L.A. COUNTY POLICE KILLED THE HALF-BROTHER OF ONE OF THE HANGED MEN (ROBERT FULLER) IN A SHOOTOUT SEVERAL WEEKS LATER SUGGEST THERE'S A CONSPIRACY AGAINST THEIR FAMILY, OR MERELY THAT BOTH SIBLINGS HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS?

  • IF WE LOOK AT THE STATS FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SUICIDOLOGY, HOW OFTEN DO BLACK MALES COMMIT SUICIDE BY HANGING? IF WE LOOK AT STATS FROM THE FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORT, HOW OFTEN ARE BLACK MALES MURDERED BY HANGING? IS AUTOMATICALLY INTERPRETING HANGING DEATHS OF BLACK MEN AS "LYNCHINGS" AN EXAMPLE OF THE "BASE RATE FALLACY", OR ARE LYNCHINGS ACTUALLY MORE COMMON THAN HANGING SUICIDES?

  • DO STATE & LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN THE EARLY 21st CENTURY TYPICALLY PROSECUTE RACE-BASED MURDERS HARSHLY, OR DOES THE AHMAUD ARBERY CASE SUGGEST THE FEDERAL GOV'T OFTEN NEEDS TO STEP IN & PROSECUTE SUCH CRIMES AS FEDERAL HATE CRIMES? CAN THE FEDS DO SO UNDER EXISTING LAWS? DOES THE FEDERAL "EMMETT TILL ANTI-LYNCHING BILL" (H.R. 35) PASSED BY THE HOUSE IN FEBRUARY OF 2020 WIDEN THE DEFINITION OF "LYNCHING" TO INCLUDE NON-VIOLENT CRIMES LIKE VANDALISM & HARASSMENT, OR DID IT REQUIRE BODILY INJURY? WHY DID RAND PAUL OPPOSE THE BILL IN THE SENATE?

4a) ABC News, "Oakland Mayor Calls Workout Equipment 'Nooses' & 'Hate Crime'" (video - 1:00 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Q-vaggWIw

4b) WHAS11, "VERIFY: FBI determines Bubba Wallace not target of hate crime" (video - 1:22 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsgciYyTq5U

4c) Newsy, "Series Of Hanging Deaths Spark Speculation About Potential Lynchings" (video - 4:21 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40TrHEhm9TY

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