ultralaser

The oil industry vs. Oklahoma.

By Lisa Wade, PhD

One of the concerns of environmental sociologists is the way that harm is unequally distributed. The way, for example, that poor people and people of color are more likely to live with high levels of lead, near toxic release facilities,with bad air quality, and in the paths of airborne pesticides.

I thought of this research when I saw Time‘s 1-minute illustration of the rise of earthquakes in Oklahoma. To sum, thanks to the particular type of oil drilling done there, the state is now “one of the most seismic places on the planet.” There were 21 earthquakes in 2005. In 2015, there were 5,957. Nine hundred of these were magnitude 3 or higher.

I am trying to imagine what would happen if an industry caused almost 6,000 extra earthquakes annually (and growing) in or near a city America cared about. I’ve lived in Los Angeles and New York and, I can’t be sure but, I suspect politicians there might be quicker to interfere with business practices. And, if they weren’t, the political power of residents of those cities might force them to.

“But it’s just Oklahoma,” is apparently the refrain. Who cares if the oil companies’ saltwater disposal wells are causing the houses of hillbillies to shake? Apparently Okies don’t have anything — aren’t anybody — worth protecting. At least, not over the rights of corporations.

Lisa Wade is a professor at Occidental College and the co-author of Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Esquire’s Charles Pierce on well-heeled 73-Year-Old Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates shooting of Eric Courtney Harris.   (via holygoddamnshitballs)

UNARMED BLACK MAN FATALLY SHOT BY VOLUNTEER COP

Eric Harris, who was unarmed, died an hour later after what Tulsa, Oklahoma police officials called a “mistake.” According to several news sources, On April 2nd, the victim had reportedly tried to sell a gun to undercover cops and fled on foot as they attempted to arrest him. A video camera captured him, wearing dark shorts and a t-shirt, running up a sidewalk. Harris was quickly caught and subdued. That’s when a 73-year-old volunteer patrolman, Robert Bates, “allegedly” reached for his Taser, but grabbed “accidentally” grabbed his gun instead. According to Tulsa World, Bates, who has donated thousands of dollars worth of items to the Sheriff’s Office since becoming a reserve deputy in 2008, is a Tulsa insurance company executive. He was working undercover as a member of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Task Force. The World reported that “Bates is classified as an ‘advanced reserve,’ which means he ‘can do anything a full-time deputy can do.’” 

Rather than immediately render aid, the officers held Harris down by his neck as a deputy screamed, “Fuck You! You shouldn’t have f*cking ran!”

As Eric Harris lay mortally wounded, face down on the pavement, he begged for his life. “He shot me!” Harris shouted. “He shot me, man. Oh, my god. I’m losing my breath.” 

“F*ck your breath!” the officer yelled.

Capt. Billy McKelvey said the officers were not aware the suspect had been shot, despite the unmistakable sound of the gunshot noise. Bates “made an inadvertent mistake,” he said.

The New York Daily News reported that no further investigation is planned, unless requested by the sheriff’s office.

Source/ Source / Video

#StayWoke

BUT CAN WE GET INTO THE FACT THAT THIS PIECE OF SHIT WAS A FUCKING VOLUNTEER COP! Wow…just wow. Another George Zimmerman.

Are we surprised tho? 😑😒

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BLACK TULSA? IF NOT… WHY NOT?

This horrific incident has been well documented, everywhere: from YouTube videos of survivor interviews to PBS Lesson Plans for school teachers. Please do your Google diligence:

64 years after the first bombing of an American city was committed against the Black residents of Tulsa… the second bombing of an American city took place in Philadelphia when the city bombed the black members of the MOVE organization. (see the blackourstory archive for details). 

Isn’t it a shame that 76 after the bombing of Tulsa, when Timothy McVeigh blew up the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City, most historically illiterate Americans - including American “journalists” - responded as if it were the first time such a horror had been visited on Oklahoma. If only we knew.

While there are many lessons to be drawn from this, a few questions that stick out to me are these:

There is a reason that Marcus Garvey AND Elijah Muhammad had armies of trained Black men as a huge part of their organizations. Many of us Black folk took those great men as jokes, yet NO BLACK LEADERS SINCE THOSE TWO have reached the same heights of economic and ideological success and unity of Black people. 

Not only do we need to LEARN THIS HISTORY, we need to start taking these events men and movements MORE SERIOUSLY, and doing some CRITICAL HISTORICAL ANALYSIS if we are ever to stop being on the bottom rung of every metric in American life. Not just some casual or accidental reading of history; some CRITICAL. HISTORICAL. ANALYSIS.

TULSA 1921 was real. PHILLY 1985 was real. Will it happen again?

I didn’t know about the Tulsa race riot until I read Sundown Towns last year (excellent book, recommended to everyone, btw), and I just want everybody to be talking about this, because when people try to claim that we’re all equal now and everyone gets equal opportunity in America, this is what I think of. Black Wall Street. Black people who had money, who could have passed it to their kids, who could have passed it to their kids, who might still have some of it today, except they never got the chance, because Black Wall Street was fucking destroyed. By white people. Burned it to the fucking ground.

Republicans whine about the estate tax and then turn around and try to claim black people have equal opportunity in this country? Nope. Fuck you.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma City police officer was charged Friday with 16 counts including first-degree rape and sexual battery after being accused of assaulting at least eight women while on patrol.

Daniel Holtzclaw, 27, also faces charges of forcible oral sodomy and indecent exposure. Holtzclaw, a former standout football player in high school and college, was arrested Aug. 21. He remained in custody on a $5 million cash bond Friday, according to jail records.

He is accused of stopping women, who were all black and between the ages of 34 and 58, while on duty in Oklahoma City. Prosecutors allege that he raped two women and either fondled others or forced them to expose themselves, and police said there may be more victims.

Source

Justice for Daniel Holtzclaw GoFundMe

Justice for Daniel Holtzclaw Facebook

"Former standout football player in high school and college"

"He only assaulted older Black women"

*39 people raise over $7,000 to defend him*

Alternatively titled: how we discuss and treat white male criminals (rapists) in the United States

With the subtitle: how inhumane crime doesn’t really count when it’s done against black women

Also: asian am men and the desire to roll just like white men… with racial coding shifting depending on who you target… 

eight victims and ppl are still donating money and saying don't be hasty, let's reserve judgement, maybe they, idk, is the conceit here that maybe they deserved it or maybe he's being framed?

Tulsa, Oklahoma near the original Black Wall Street.

Just sad

I guess that meme of DaQuan—the one y’all thought was funny—came true mhmmm 😒

These people

Such bullshit

Attempted murder (and shooting at minors!)  only gets paid leave. The more one scratches the surface..

Oklahoma Governor’s Daughter Enrages Native American Protestors (via nerdymouse)

Okey dokey.

(via rachelfershleiser)

okay, yeah, this is the same terrible white girl incident that the drummer for the flaming lips protested about, and was subsequently kicked out of the band for having insulted her or whatever. maybe governor fallin can do more than 'i told my daughter i am disappointed in her'.

yeah okey dokey i guess.

Key Republicans: No offsets for Oklahoma - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

Richard Shelby at least voted for Sandy aid, but it’s notable that Republicans have done that with a real emergency quite recently, including both of Oklahoma’s senators, Tom Coburn and James Inhofe.

(via robot-heart-politics)

we have always been at war with eastasia.