Tag: defund the police

‘You are the problem’: AT&T tells white staff they are racist, asks them to confess their ‘white privilege’ and to promote ‘Defund the Police as part of re-education program by CEO John Stankey

White employees of AT&T have been told to read an article saying that they are racist, are told to confess to their ‘white privilege’ and acknowledge ‘systemic racism,’ and must engage with set texts or else they will be penalized in their performance reviews. 

John Stankey, who took over as CEO of AT&T in July 2020, has encouraged his staff to make use of an anti-racism education program entitled Listen Understand Act

AT&T, in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, introduced an internal program called Listen Understand Act.

John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T, wrote to the company’s 230,000 employees in an April 2021 email, obtained by journalist Christopher Rufo and published on his website.

Stankey, who took over as CEO in July 2020, urged his workers to make the most of the resources provided by AT&T’s anti-racism portal. 

‘As individuals, we can make a difference by doing our part to advance racial equity and justice for all,’ he wrote. 

‘If you are looking for tools to better educate and inform yourself on racial equality, resources are available at Listen. Understand. Act. 

‘We also encourage you to actively participate in our recently launched Equality First learning experience, a new initiative to increase awareness and action around our value to Stand for Equality.’

Most employees are not forced to engage with the Listen Understand Act program, but managers at AT&T are now assessed annually on diversity issues – with mandatory participation in programs such as discussion groups, book clubs, mentorship programs, and race reeducation exercises, according to Rufo’s source. 

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Defund-the-police firebrand Ocasio-Cortez gets protective police escort

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has expressed support for defunding the police, was ushered out of a news event with Capitol Police protection.

Ocasio-Cortez joined Democrats at a news conference on Tuesday to call for passage of a bill granting the Biden administration the authority to implement an eviction moratorium. Ocasio-Cortez, a climate action advocate and sponsor of the Green New Deal, left with Capitol Police protection in a large Chevy Suburban SUV at the conclusion of the news conference.

Ocasio-Cortez has supported the “defund the police” demand of the Black Lives Matter activist group.

“Defunding police means defunding police,” Ocasio-Cortez said last year. “It does not mean budget tricks or funny math.”

Capitol Police protection is assigned to congressional leaders in the House and Senate, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. In some cases, Capitol Police officers protect traveling members of Congress.

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Cori Bush defends calling to defund the police while having private security: ‘You would rather me die?’

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., was ripped by viewers on Thursday after telling CBS News that the police “need” to be defunded, despite shelling out thousands of dollars for her own personal security detail.

Bush slept outside the Capitol this week to protest the end of the first eviction moratorium that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. The representative was once homeless herself. She and Democratic leaders celebrated a short-term victory on Wednesday after the moratorium was extended to early October, albeit in a constitutionally dubious fashion.

But in recent days Bush has been called hypocritical for spending $70,000 on private security while pushing to defund the police. CBS anchor Vladimir Duthiers asked Bush to respond to the criticism.

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AOC has spent thousands on security, including $4k-plus to ex-Blackwater contractor

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez paid thousands for personal security to a former Blackwater contractor, a review of Federal Election Commission records shows.

AOC’s campaign spent at least $4,636 at Tullis Worldwide Protection for “security services” between January and June of this year, according to the filings.

The Franconia, Virginia-based company is owned by Devin Tullis, whose other clients include the royal families of both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to his website.

AOC, a New York Democrat, has been among the most vocal proponents of the defund the police movement since coming to Congress, and has insisted the idea would turn blighted communities into suburban paradises.

“[Suburban] communities have lower crime rates not because they have more police but because they have more resources to support healthy society in a way that reduces crime,” she said in a June 2020 Instagram story.

When New York City moved to defund a billion dollars from the NYPD, Ocasio-Cortez slammed the measure as insufficient. “Defunding police means defunding police,” the congresswoman said in a statement at the time.

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Despite efforts to defund police, these Democrat-led cities spent millions on private security for mayors

As crime surges across the nation, Democratic mayors in approximately 20 U.S. cities that have called for defunding the police have received millions in taxpayer funds towards their own personal security details, according to a new report.

New data compiled by Forbes auditor Open the Books through Freedom of Information Act requests reveals that the city of Chicago, for example, spent $17.3 million between 2015 and 2020 to guard “unnamed city officials.” Despite Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s claims that she is opposed to cutting funding for the police, records show the city quietly cut 400 police officer positions in 2020 while the cost of her security detail hit an all-time high of $3.4 million for 22 officers, according to the report.

Chicago reportedly spent $2.8 million for 17 officers in 2019; $2.8 million for 16 officers in 2018; $2.7 million for 20 police officers in 2017; and $2.9 million for 16 officers in 2016.

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