In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Misogynoir; disablism; hostility to consent] Kam Brock, a 28-year-old black woman from Long Island, was forcibly committed, held for eight days, and injected with powerful sedatives by medical staff at the Harlem Hospital psych ward because they didn't believe her that President Obama follows her on Twitter. (He does.) (Which they could have easily checked.) (But inexplicably didn't.) And then she was billed $13,637.10 for the experience. This all started with (ahem) a traffic stop. Municipal violations. I'm telling you.

[CN: Police malfeasance; violence; carcerality] Debra Milke, a white woman from Arizona, has been released after spending 22 years on death row for the murder of her own child, all because a police officer lied about her involvement: "On Monday, a judge formally dismissed murder charges against Debra Milke, ending what her lawyers called a 'living nightmare' that spanned nearly half her life. After her son was found dead, the now-discredited Phoenix police detective Armando Saldate claimed Milke confessed to arranging her son's murder, even though there was no witness or recording." And, in fact, the two men she allegedly recruited to kill her son, according to Saldate, never testified to her involvement. Her conviction was based solely on Saldate's word. "Saldate's testimony was the only evidence that connected Milke to the murder. However, at the time, prosecutors did not disclose, and defense attorneys did not have access to, the detective's personnel records, which showed a history of lying under oath and misconduct."

[CN: Police brutality; animal abuse] Goddammit: San Diego police respond to a domestic violence call, but go to the wrong address, and end up killing the resident's service dog for no fucking reason. Goddammit.

[CN: War on agency; mandatory ultrasounds] North Carolina really wants to force abortion-seeking people to submit to unwanted ultrasounds: "Attorneys for the State of North Carolina have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a state law that requires patients to undergo a narrated ultrasound before having an abortion, even if the patient objects. ...The legislation, considered by reproductive health advocates to be one of the most extreme ultrasound laws in the country, requires that abortion providers perform an ultrasound and place the image in the patient's line of sight." A federal court blocked the law, and now North Carolina wants the Supreme Court to let them enact it. Fucking hell.

[CN: Racism] Whoooooooooops your social media fail! "Jill Renslow, senior vice president of development and marketing for the Mall of America tweeted Monday that the mall was launching the #ItsMyMall hashtag to encourage the community to share Mall of America stories... By Tuesday evening, the hashtag was trending on Twitter, but probably not in the way mall officials intended. Members of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis were among many Twitter users who recounted their encounters with police at the mall by using the hashtag: [e.g.] 'That one time 3,000 of our closest friends showed up to sing carols and were met with riot gear. #itsmymall.' Members of the group Black Lives Matter organized a Dec. 20 protest of at least 1,500 people at the mall that was part of a nationwide wave of protests following grand jury decisions in Missouri and New York not to indict white police officers who killed black men. Although the protest was largely peaceful and there was no property damage reported, Bloomington City Attorney filed trespassing and other charges against some of the protesters and said they face thousands of dollars in fines and restitution for extra security costs." That response to Mall of America was well-deserved.

[CN: Fat hatred] You know how I always say that we're indoctrinated with fat hatred our entire lives? Well, I'm not kidding: Wry Baby discontinued its "I Hate My Thighs" baby onesie after complaints.

[CN: Racism] A new report finds that "African Americans are grossly overrepresented on local news broadcasts about criminal activity. ...In New York City alone, black people make up 75 percent of criminals discussed on local channels, whereas they only make up 51 percent of the actual arrest rate." This is not surprising, but it is nonetheless infuriating.

Heads-up if you drive a Ford SUV: "Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it is recalling more than 220,000 vehicles in North America for potential issues with door handles, vacuum pump relays and sensors. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said it is recalling 212,911 Ford Explorer SUVs and Ford Police Interceptor utility vehicles from model years 2011 to 2013 because a spring that controls the interior door handle may become loose and cause the door to become unlatched in a side-impact crash, increasing the risk of injury."

Neat! "A fingernail-size frog that can morph its skin texture from spiny to smooth in just minutes is the first shape-shifting amphibian ever found, according to a new report. The tiny 'mutable rain frog' (Pristimantis mutabilis) was discovered on the western slopes of Ecuador's Andes Mountains, in a protected cloud forest reserve."

Yay! Madrid becomes a no-kill city "after the government signed in a new law making the euthanasia of strays or abandoned animals illegal. From now on, all pets in Madrid will have the right to enjoy their lives even if they have no homes or responsible owners." This isn't easy to achieve, but it's possible, and clearly Madrid expects more.

Meanwhile, in the States: Lawmakers in Nevada and Kentucky have just passed legislation to better protect horses. Woot!

And finally! Here is a terrific story about a recently rescued cat who saved her new family's home from what could have been a devastating flood. Oh cats! ♥