Good Thursday Morning.
Here is what’s on the President’s agenda today:
- In the afternoon, President Donald J. Trump will have lunch with the Governor of Florida.
- The President will then meet with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Chicago Pastor: Remove Washington, Jackson park names
As we are removing Confederate statues around the states, a Chicago pastor wants to take it a step further.
A Chicago pastor has asked the Emanuel administration to remove the names of two presidents who owned slaves from parks on the South Side, saying the city should not honor slave owners in black communities.
A bronze statue of George Washington on horseback stands at the corner of 51st and King Drive, at the northwest entrance to Washington Park.
Bishops James Dukes said, “When I see that, I see a person who fought for the liberties, and I see people that fought for the justice and freedom of white America, because at that moment, we were still chattel slavery, and was three-fifths of humans. Some people out here ask me, say ‘Well, you know, he taught his slaves to read.’ That’s almost sad; the equivalent of someone who kidnaps you, that you gave them something to eat.”
Dukes explained America’s first president, George Washington, was not a hero to the black community.
“There’s no way plausible that we would even think that they would erect a Malcolm X statue in Mount Greenwood, Lincoln Park, or any of that. Not that [sic] say Malcolm X was a bad guy; they just would not go for it,” he said. “Native Americans would not even think about putting up a Custer statue, because of the atrocities that he plagued upon Native Americans. And for them to say to us ‘just accept it’ is actually insulting.”
“I think we should be able to identify and decide who we declare heroes in our communities because we have to tell the stories to our children of who these persons are,” he said.
Does that go for all communities? I agree that communities should decide what statues and monuments they want around and that means one shouldn’t orchestrate a protest with a bus full of “visitors” to complain about a statue in a community one doesn’t live in, right?
“I am feeling ambivalent that I would have to walk my child, attend a parade or enjoy a game of softball in a park that commemorates the memory of a slave owner,” he wrote. “Therefore, I call on the immediate removal of President George Washington and President Andrew Jackson names from the parks located on the southeast side of Chicago. They should not have the distinct honor of being held as heroes when they actively participated in the slave trade.”
And speaking of statues…
Protests begin over Vladimir Lenin statue
There are reportedly at least three statues of Lenin in the U.S. — one in New York City, Seattle, and Los Angeles. A group of Trump supporters gathered around the statue of Lenin in Seattle Wednesday afternoon and called for the removal of the statue.
Lenin is the communist known for killing millions of his own people, for his use of concentration camps and having his own political advisors executed.
The calls comes after a group of protesters toppled a monument of a Confederate soldier in Durham, N.C., Monday evening in response to a white nationalist rally that turned violent over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va.
Meh. If the Seattle people want a to keep the Lenin statue in their city, let them keep it.
Hundreds attend candlelight vigil at UVA
A large crowd of people gathered last night for a peaceful candlelight vigil in Charlottesville, following the violent riots over the weekend that left a young woman dead.
Marchers Wednesday covered the same ground that hundreds of torch-carrying white nationalists had taken Friday, when several fights broke out. That was followed Saturday by clashes between rally attendees and those protesting them in the city’s streets, which resulted in the death of a woman when an alleged white nationalist appeared to delibertely plow into counter-protesters with his car.
“What happened on Friday night was a tragedy and we’re here to take back the lawn for this student generation, all the previous, all the future generations of students who walked the Lawn,” march attendee Jerry Connor told WCAV-TV. “The Lawn stands for liberty, equality, justice and freedom.”
Phoenix Mayor “disappointed” about upcoming Trump visit
Greg Stanton, mayor of Phoenix, is disappointed President Trump will be visiting his city next week.
“If President Trump is coming to Arizona to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Jeff Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to inflame emotions and further divide our nation.” He added, “It is my hope that more sound judgment prevails and that he delays his visit.”
Apple to donate $2M to fight hate groups
Apple is jumping onto the anti-hate train and donating $2 million to the ADL and the SPLC.
Cook sent a memo to employees Wednesday pledging the donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. The Montgomery, Alabama based SPLC is one of the leading groups that track the rise of hate groups. Cook is an Alabama native.
Apple is also encouraging employees to contribute as well, and is matching their payments by two to one through Sept. 30. Additionally, Apple is setting up a system in Apple’s iTunes software to let consumers directly donate to the SPLC, which Cook said would be operational within the next few days.
You can learn about the SPLC by reading these articles (for starters):
7 Things You Need To Know About The Left’s Favorite Attack Dog, The Southern Poverty Law Center
“Like so many of you, equality is at the core of my beliefs and values,” Cook wrote. “The events of the past several days have been deeply troubling for me, and I’ve heard from many people at Apple who are saddened, outraged or confused,” Cook said in the memo shared with USA TODAY.
“What occurred in Charlottesville has no place in our country. Hate is a cancer, and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path. Its scars last generations. History has taught us this time and time again, both in the United States and countries around the world.”
Historical picture of the day:
President Clinton sits in the Map Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, August 17, 1998, before making a statement to the American people about his relationship with former intern Monica Lewinsky. Clinton acknowledged to a grand jury and the nation that his relationship with Lewinsky was “not appropriate.” (AP Photo/Greg Gibson)
Other morsels:
Six months later, EPA employees are still ‘crying at their desks’ because of Trump
Maryland judge reaffirms life sentences for D.C. sniper Malvo
American Bar Association passes resolution to allow illegal immigrants to practice law
Maine woman, 72, died after naked female home intruder jumped in her bed, officials say
New NBC comedy ‘Marlon:’ white people ‘genetically predisposed’ to be racist
KKK application denied for cross burning atop Stone Mountain
Facebook shut down conservative-leaning employee chat room, report says
Sessions: Chicago’s sanctuary city policies are ‘lawlessness’
And that’s all I’ve got.
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