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The Vancouver Pride Parade is still months away, but there's already controversy brewing over the involvement of the city's police force.

For the second year in a row, local Black Lives Matter activists are petitioning the Vancouver Police Department to voluntarily withdraw from the parade as a symbolic gesture of support.

That would bring them in line with police in Toronto and Halifax, which have already announced they will step aside this year over the concerns of some in the community.

It doesn't appear Vancouver police will be following suit, however; asked about the petition Friday, Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham told CTV News members still intend to take part in this year's parade.

"The VPD is looking forward to working with our community partners with Black Lives Matter and the Vancouver Pride Society, and unless requested otherwise, have our volunteers and civilian and sworn staff walk with pride," Fincham said in an email.

Black Lives Matter'spetition, which has been signed about 400 times, does not seek to exclude LGBT+ police officers from the parade altogether.

It does ask that they take part in Pride without representing the force as a whole meaning no uniforms, and no police float.

"The policing institution is an instrument of state violence and oppression. Dressing up in rainbows and feather boas does not change that fact," the petition reads.

"If they really support queer and trans people of colour they need to do a lot more work to earn their spot. There are so many other ways they can show meaningful initiative to work to protect the most marginalized groups."

Black Lives Matter listed a number of examples of what it sees as institutional issues in Canada's policing community, including the widely reported inaction toward cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

It also highlighted a 2015 Human Rights Tribunal decision against the VPD that found "systemic discrimination" in the way members dealt with transgender people.

"Across the country the police have a poor track record and current practices for dealing with Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour and queer and trans individuals," Black Lives Matter said in its petition.

"The police can of course be present to do their jobs and show support but being in the parade is not appropriate."

Vancouver police have said they strive to maintain a good relationship with Black Lives Matter members, and the group has called the departments approach "civil."

Last year, the VPD participated in the parade but agreed to not to bring its armoured rescue vehicle.

Read more:
VPD plans to participate in Pride, despite Black Lives Matter petition - CTV News

The Black Lives Matter movementremains controversial, asracism and anti-police violence have plagued it during the past few years. It was heartening to see someone on the left, writing in The Huffington Post, call for the resignation of an openly racist BLM activist on Thursday. This is exactly the kind of response which might helpseparate the criminal justice reform activism of BLM from the ugliness which gives the movement a bad name.

"Now, normally my white skin would admittedly preclude me from even suggesting that a black activist should hang up the megaphone, but [Toronto BLM co-founder Yusra] Khogali has made a habit of directing violent, hateful language towards people with white skin, so much so that I feel comfortable calling her out," wrote James Di Fore, a Canadian writer and producerknown forWe Run Sh*t (2012).

Di Fore is right on target here. Yusra Khogali, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Toronto, Canada, has gone so far as to suggest that white people are subhuman. Here's an excerpt from her musings in 2016:

infact, white skin is sub-humxn. [sic]

all phenotypes exist within the black family

and white ppl are a genetic defect of blackness

white ppl have a higher concentration of enzyme inhibitors that suppress melanin production.

they are genetically deficient because;

melanin is present at the inception of life ...

melanin is directly linked to the strength of neuro systems affecting capacities like intelligence, memory and creativity

melanin enables black skin to capture light and hold it in its memory mode which reveals that blackness converts light into knowledge. ...

THEREFORE

white ppl are recessive genetic defects, this is factual.

Wow. And some people say "reverse racism" is impossible.

But it gets worse. In April of last year, Khogali tweeted, "Plz Allah give me strength to not cuss/kill these men and white folks out here today. Plz Plz Plz."

Now, Di Fore actually criticized the media for "focusing on that tweet instead of the issues black communities are facing." He argued that "this was and is a legit criticism of the media. Black people are treated unjustly by the criminal justice system at all levels, and the press is almost, as bad, [sic] and that's why I support the underlying credo of BLM."

Nevertheless, Di Fore added, "that can't absolve Khogali from being held accountable for constantly inserting hate speech into the ether of Toronto activism."

Finally, Di Fore noted Khogali's recent comments attacking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a "white supremacist terrorist." Indeed, Khogali slandered Quebec City as "a white supremacist settler colony," and claimed that Trudeau's statement that he would welcome into Canada anyone excluded from the U.S. by President Donald Trump's immigration action was a lie.

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Toronto Black Lives Matter Co-Founder So Racist, Even HuffPo Turns on Her - PJ Media

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Tulsi Gabbard, a charismatic, two-time Veteran of the Iraq war, and congresswoman from Hawaii, is turning the Democratic Party on its head. Refusing to play partisan politics, she instead opts to cosponsor policy that could be best described as common sense. Despite falling very much on the Progressive side of the ideological scale, she has caught the ire of many Democrats. She has committed three egregious sins in their eyes; the first being her apparent willingness to work with President Trump, as she demonstrated by her post-election visit to Trump Tower in late November. Secondly, she was one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of President Obamas foreign policy. She condemned the former President for not using the words Islamic extremism a favorite attack line of Republicans, including the then candidate Donald J. Trump. Finally, as Vice-Chair of the DNC, she refused support for the rigged Democratic Primary, and instead resigned. In the process, she rebuked Clinton stooge and DNC Chair, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and backed populist candidate Senator Bernie Sanders in a coup de foudre. She was totally vindicated five months later when WikiLeaks exposed high level corruption which then ultimately forced the resignation of Wasserman-Schultz. This would be the first, but not the last, time she demonstrated her incredible political instincts.

Her meeting at Trump Tower in New York, and her comfortable appearance as a guest on Fox News with Tucker Carlson, should not come as a surprise but rather indicate a calculated political strategy. She is reaching out to a demographic that has been written off by the DNC. She may be one of the only Democratic politicians who, left in the wake of Novembers election, truly gets it. The election was less about identity politics than the left so desperately tried to define it as, and was more Americanism vs. globalism. It was no coincidence Senator Sanders and President Trumps campaign had similar anti-globalist and anti-government corruption themes. This is why candidate Trump tried to appeal to disenfranchised Sanders voters in the fall out of Clintons nomination; a demographic taken for granted by Clinton. Congresswoman Gabbard saw the power of populism in the meteoric rise of the Sanders campaign, and started hedging her political aspirations; backing Sanders over Clinton shows she is laying groundwork for a similar campaign in 2020 and beyond.

Further demonstrating her populist appeal is the Hill.coms report that Congresswoman Gabbard is a favorite of Steve Bannon, the populist architect of the Trump campaign. It also explains why she was an early consideration for Secretary of State in the Trump Administration an option which still may be on the table for a second-term Trump presidency as part of a sweetheart deal to keep her out of the race as a challenger. She has real potential as a future Presidential candidate as far as electoral math is concerned. As William F. Buckley once said, The Average American is not a liberal nor is he a conservative. He may have liberal leanings or Conservative leanings; but it is a mistake to think of him as a conscious agent. Here is where Congresswoman Gabbard stands to capitalize: her progressive Democratic platform has appeal on the Liberal coasts, but her refusal to take a hard-line stance on gun control and her disdain for globalist trade deals could bring the Aloha Spirit to Trump Republicans in the Midwest. Her common sense legislation like the Stop Arming Terrorists Act and general opposition of foreign conflict could garner her support with Libertarians and other ideological moderates. She also fits many different political demographics as a mixed race woman and Veteran if a race was defined as around identity politics. Most importantly, she is maneuvering away from the herd: when Democrats are happy to settle for obstructionism, she is looking like a pragmatist.

In four years, an exhausted Democratic Party establishment, tired from battling President Trump, will be primed for a shocking primary defeat to a populist candidate, akin to the Republicans in 2016 after eight years of battling Obama. That candidate is Tulsi Gabbard.

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A Progressive Democrat Is Populism's Heir Apparent - Daily Caller

Rep. Jerrold Angerer (D-NY) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A senior member of the House Judiciary Committee introduced a Resolution of Inquiry on Thursday that directs the Department of Justice to provide the House of Representatives with any and all information relevant to an inquiry into President Trump and his associates conflicts of interest, ethical violations (including the Emoluments Clause), and Russia ties.

The House Judiciary Committee has 14 days to debate and vote on whether the resolution Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced should be introduced to the floor, and if it does not do so within that 14-day period, then the resolution can be brought to the floor in front of the full house for a vote.

According to the Washington Post, Nadler is dusting off a little-used legislative tool to force a committee debate or floor vote on an issue.

More from the Washington Post:

Nadlers resolution asks Attorney General Jeff Sessions to provide copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication of the Department of Justice that pertains to any criminal or counterintelligence investigation into Trump, his White House team or certain campaign associates; any investment made by a foreign power or agent thereof in Trumps businesses; Trumps plans to distance himself from his business empire; and any Trump-related examination of federal conflict of interest laws or the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

The full text of Nadlers resolution can be read here.

Nadler is the No. 2-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and he said that the move came after Democrats sent two letters to Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), one on Nov. 30, 2016 and a second on Jan. 24, 2017, and another letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asking for investigations into Trumps financial entanglements.

All of this demands investigation, and of course theyve refused, Nadler said Thursday at the House Democrats annual policy retreat here. This resolution will force them to confront the issue.

The resolution asks for records on any investigation targeting Trump as well as national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, oil industry consultant and former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, political operative Roger Stone, or any employee of the Executive Office of the President.

Flynn, Manafort, Page and Stone have all come under scrutiny for their alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Trump has stepped down from the management side of his businesses, he has not divested his assets, a move that was recommended by the nonpartisan Office of Government Ethics.

While Nadler himself has not mentioned nor implied that this resolution has anything to do with impeachment of the president, many are speculating as to whether this could be the opening salvo that leads us down that path.

As a nation, we have watched the president make many questionable moves in his first three weeks in office, and the ties that many of his closest advisers in his administration have to Russia are undeniable.

As Countable notes, the information yielded by the inquiry could lead to broader calls for impeachment.

More from Countable:

As a reminder, impeachment involves the levying of charges against a government official who has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The indictment comes from the House, and if a majority of lawmakers support impeachment the case advances to the Senate. The Senate then begins a trial with witnesses and cross-examinations, and a two-thirds majority is required to convict an official. In the event of a conviction, the official is immediately removed from office and could be barred from holding office in the future or face criminal prosecution.

Nadler said that the resolution will force Republicans to debate their role in holding Trump accountable for his potential business conflicts, and it will possibly force every member of Congress to vote on the matter.

If the resolution comes to the floor, Republicans would most likely move to table it, and Nadler said, That means every Republican will have to vote, in effect, on whether or not to abdicate their responsibility to have oversight.

And thats really all a lot of us want right? Republicans are in control of the government, and they are letting Trump (someone on Twitter called him President Twitler, but I wont do that here) run around like a Bebe kid just doing whatever he wants whenever he wants without checking him. Its dangerous, and the fact that they act like they dont have the power to stop him is scary.

Even if the resolution does not lead to impeachment, lets start getting this man in check and redirect him to the purpose of his job, which is serving the American people.

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Could This Be The 1st Step In The Impeachment Process? Democrat Files 'Resolution of Inquiry' on Trump - The Root

Reports that President Donald Trump's national security adviser secretly called Russia's ambassador to the US to discuss sanctions before Trump took office raise "serious questions of legality and fitness for office," the House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat said Friday.

The Washington Post and the New York Times reported on Thursday night, citing nearly a dozen current and former officials in total, that the adviser, Michael Flynn, had spoken with Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, about sanctions before Trump was sworn in including at least one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed new penalties on Russia for its election-related meddling.

"The allegation that General Flynn, while President Obama was still in office, secretly discussed with Russia's ambassador ways to undermine the sanctions levied against Russia for its interference in the Presidential election on Donald Trump's behalf, raises serious questions of legality and fitness for office," Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the committee, wrote in a statement.

"If he did so, and then he and other Administration officials misled the American people, his conduct would be all the more pernicious, and he should no longer serve in this Administration or any other," Schiff added.

5 PHOTOS

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

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Retired United States Army lieutenant general Michael T. Flynn introduces Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump before he delivered a speech at The Union League of Philadelphia on September 7, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trump spoke about his plans to build up the military if elected. Recent national polls show the presidential race is tightening with two months until the election.

(Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, prepares to testify at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Dirksen Building titled 'Current and Future Worldwide Threats,' featuring testimony by he and James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn arrives at the Trump Tower for meetings with US President-elect Donald Trump, in New York on November 17, 2016.

(EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, at podium, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a campaign event with veterans at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, where Trump stated he believes President Obama was born in the United States, September 16, 2016.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

HIDE CAPTION

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Both Flynn and Vice President Mike Pence had previously denied that the sanctions were discussed on the calls, but counterintelligence officials told The Times they had transcripts of the conversations. Flynn denied the allegations through Wednesday, according to The Post, but then backed away from those denials through his spokesperson on Thursday.

Flynn, the spokesperson said, "indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn't be certain that the topic never came up."

The former officials told The Post and The Times that while Flynn did not make any explicit promises about lifting the sanctions on Russia, Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, "was left with the impression that the sanctions would be revisited at a later time."

Federal officials who have read the transcript of the call "were surprised by Mr. Flynn's comments, since he would have known that American eavesdroppers closely monitor such calls," The Times reported. "They were even more surprised that Mr. Trump's team publicly denied that the topics of conversation included sanctions."

Schiff is one of seven top Democratic lawmakers calling on the Defense Department to investigate whether Flynn ran afoul of the Constitution by being paid to speak at a gala in Moscow in December 2015 celebrating the 10th anniversary of the state-sponsored news agency Russia Today.

"Since his retirement in 2014, General Flynn has made regular appearances on Russia Today (RT), that country's state-sponsored propaganda outlet," the lawmakers wrote. "He has admitted to being paid on at least one of these occasions at an RT gala in Moscow where he dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Flynn told The Washington Post last year that he had been paid to speak at the event, but he did not disclose the amount.

The emoluments clause of the Constitution deals with conflicts of interest that might arise by accepting gifts or payments from a foreign country. It has been cited by critics of Trump's refusal to sell off his businesses, which operate in four continents and nearly two dozen countries.

The lawmakers, in a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, requested that Mattis provide "all documents in the possession or control" of the Defense Department relating to Flynn's communications with Russian government officials, interactions with RT officials, and payments received from "any foreign source" from the time he retired through January 20 the date on which Trump was inaugurated.

NOW WATCH: Watch protesters and Trump supporters get into a fiery argument on the National Mall right after the new president was sworn in

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Top-ranking intel Democrat: Flynn 'should no longer serve' if he made secret calls to Russian ambassador - AOL News