Portside

This uprising is the result of repeated failures by leaders to take the problem seriously. This country has a 20% unemployment rate, a global pandemic, and racist police institutions. Ignoring these root causes of unrest won't make them go away.

Reader Comments: George Floyd's final words; Protests for George; against police brutality, against massive militarized police, against systemic racism and white supremacy; against Trump; nature of police unions; mail-in voting; labor solidarity;

If ever there was a time to act up, be confrontational, disrupt and demand an end to this dystopia, it is now. Larry Kramer was right. Let's honor his legacy and raise hell.

Two-hundred thirty-six current and former staffers for Mayor de Blasio signed an open letter calling on him to live up to the promises of reform that initially drew them to work for him. One demand is to cut the $6 billion police budget by 1/6.

Policymakers in the 1960s had the answers - give political and economic power to the people - but walked away. Instead, policymakers blamed black people for the instability, ignoring the buildup of centuries of racial oppression.

What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health services, and in every area of American life, it's time for us to stand up in George's name and say get your knee off our necks.

World responds to Minneapolis police murder, and much more

In this review from five years ago, a retired Seattle Police Department official writes about a book that addresses some of the problems of U.S. policing as an institution. Both the strengths and weaknesses of this review are revelatory.

Minneapolis Police Union President, Bob Kroll, has failed the Labor Movement and the residents of Minneapolis. Bob Kroll has a long history of bigoted remarks and complaints of violence made against him. The Minnesota AFL-CIO has asked him to resign

Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so, says former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.