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Friday April 28, 2017

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Serena McKay was just 19 when she was killed in Sagkeeng First Nation in northern Manitoba.

And the crime was made all the more disturbing by a video posted on Facebookthat appears to show McKay being violently assaulted.

Two teenaged girls have been charged with second degree murder in McKay's death.

Facebook has removed the video though it's still working on stopping it from being shared on the Messenger app.

It's the latest video posted on Facebook, showing a disturbing incident of real violence, either posted or streamed live. And it is raising questions about how social media should handle this disturbing content.

Jacqueline Helfgott, a professor of criminal justice at Seattle University, says that for some people, social media can be a motivating factor for a crime.

Serena McKay, 19, was found dead, April 23, in Sagkeeng First Nation. Two teenage girls have been arrested in connection with her death.

"Social media creates opportunities for people who aren't famousto be famous," Helfgott tells The Current's Friday host Laura Lynch.

"And there's an element of that in these types of crimes."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said his organization is working on preventing the sharing or streaming of videos of crime. But experts are asking how exactly that should be done.

"Even with all of the advances in machine learning and AI, we are nowhere near being able to filter content like that at internet scale," says Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College.

"There is a gap between what we can do and what we want to do."

However, Daphne Keller, the director of intermediary liability at the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, questions whether machine monitoring is something we should even want to do.

"The idea that we can have an automated machine that can detect what's illegal from what's legal is pretty risky," Keller tells Lynch.

'I can never unsee it,' says elder Alma Kakinapinace who found Serena McKay's body in Sagkeeng First Nation. (CBC)

Farid advocates bringing people into the decision process, to work with machines in making sure decisions on what content to take down are ethical. He says it's a complex process that would require an investment of time, staff and money.

"I don't think Facebook is putting enough effort in ... and this is probably true of most of the tech companies," he says.

"They put a huge amount of effort into data mining. They put a huge amount of effort into advertising. They put a huge amount of effort into the latest features, like Live. And I think the efforts that are going into really making sure these platforms are safe are much, much less," Farid points out.

Keller, however, sees bigger ethical problems with the monitoring effort altogether.

"Platforms like Facebook are the public square," she says.

"Unlike the public square historically, they're run by a private company that is subject to media pressures and legal pressures and can choose to just silence difficult speech, or controversial speech, or minority speech if that is what makes the media and shareholders happier," Keller tells Lynch.

"Do we want a system where that private actor is systematically erring on the side of caution?"

Listen to the full segment at the top of this web post.

This segment was produced by The Current's Samira Mohyeddin, Catherine Kalbfleisch and Seher Asaf,

Original post:
Facebook isn't doing enough to control violent posts, says expert - CBC.ca

Srinagar, April 28 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Hurriyet forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has said that the Indian authorities have to understand that they cannot control the situation by resorting to brute force.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing a public gathering at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, today, said that spontaneous mass student protests and agitation across the Valley clearly showed that every section and segment of the Kashmiri society was actively connected with the liberation struggle.

He said, the puppet authorities have to change their prohibitory mindset and allow students to reclaim their space for activism and freedom of expression in college and university campuses, as is the norm across the world. He said extreme state repression in all forms further pushes the people to resist and stand up against it, despite fatal consequences for them.

The Mirwaiz said keeping leadership in jails or under house detention for months or for years has proved futile in containing the problem.it is a pan-Kashmir peoples political struggle and not confined to any particular section that it can be isolated and curbed by force, he added.

He said that much blood of innocent Kashmiris had flowed down the Jhelum and people of Kashmir did not even want the death of Indian soldiers. They want the death dance to stop, he added.

The Hurriyet forum Chairman said for ending bloodshed and establishing real peace in Kashmir and the region India had to behave as a genuine and mature democracy. It has to seriously and sincerely engage with the people of Kashmir taking into account their political will and aspirations and simultaneously start a process of engagement with Pakistan which is a party to the dispute, he maintained.

Visit link:
Authorities cannot control IOK situation by force: Mirwaiz - Kashmir Media Service

The annual Avenue of Roses Parade in Portland, Oregon, has been called off after the organizers received specific threats of violence from anarchist groups. An anonymous email included threats that, if the Multnomah County Republican Party was allowed to participate, their members would be forcibly removed by their large band of thugs. The email bragged: "You have seen how much power we have downtown and that the police cannot stop us from shutting down roads so please consider your decision wisely." This is a reference to the riots in Portland in November in which citizens were terrorized and millions of dollars worth of property damage occurred over a period of almost a week.

The email included links to two Facebook events: "Defend Portland from Fascists at the Avenue Of Roses Parade," hosted by Direct Action Alliance, and "Shut down fascism! No nazis in Portland!," hosted by Oregon Students Empowered. Both groups are affiliated with the Antifa movement, which has violently confronted participants in Trump rallies across the nation.

This is the full email to parade organizers:

The Facebook event from Direct Action Alliance reads:

In response, the Multnomah County Republican Party issued a press release along with a letter to the mayor, chief of police, and district attorney of Portland, asking for cooperation to provide sufficient security and investigate the anarchists. The letter to the city said, in part:

Before the GOP could have the requested discussion with organizers and city officials, an announcement was made that the entire event -- parade and carnival -- was canceled. Parade organizers released a simple statement explaining that "following threats of violence during the parade by multiple groups planning to demonstrate at the event, we can no longer guarantee the safety of our community and have made the difficult decision to cancel the parade and carnival."

The cancellation of the parade has caused a firestorm in local media, with widespread condemnation of the anarchists. One comment left on the Multnomah County Republican Party website represented the predominant reaction among a vast number of Portlanders:

Read the rest here:
Portland Anarchists Shut Down Parade After Bragging the Police Can't Control Them - PJ Media

On April 4th the Marana Town Council voted not to renew a contract with Pima County for animal services (enforcement and licensing). This decision was made following nearly a year of research and discussions with Pima County administration on how to best serve our residents and their pets.

Leading up to this meeting were comments from concerned citizens, many of whom had worked directly for or as volunteers with PACC. They spoke passionately on behalf of Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), its no-kill policy, the compassionate care that animals received, and their frustration that the Countys new animal control shelter, paid for with a recent $22m bond voted on by county citizens, would now be unavailable to Marana residents. These are all valid concerns, and I want to explain why I voted for severance from the County in our animal control services.

Maranas relationship with PACC goes back to the Towns founding, but recent problems stem from cost increases the County has imposed partner communities. Pima Animal Control services are paid for with county taxes we all pay, but incorporated areas like Marana, Tucson, Sahuarita and Oro Valley are billed in addition to these taxes. The services that the County provides to Maranas residents are the same as those provided to county residents, but at an increased cost to our towns citizens as a result of this extra billing.

This County billing has increased from $10,000 per year in fiscal year 06-07 to around $230,000 for this year, an increase of over 2300%. During the same period, all County residents were billed through their property taxes. Maranas residents pay County taxes too, so for me this is about equality in what a tax payer is charged for services.

All local municipalities face this imbalanceCounty taxes plus extra billing, with no additional services. Our staff has appealed to the County for a more equitable system but they have been unwilling even to discuss the matter. For instance, when we asked County administration if we could reduce costs by managing individual elements of our contract, we were politely told no.

Under these circumstances, we decided to part ways and establish our own program, contracting with the Humane Society for sheltering, and hiring our own animal control staff to provide dedicated service for our citizens. Marana residents will not see any increase in the Towns expenditures, since these costs would have to be paid to the County anyway. And we know that we can provide better service for the same money.

The County priced itself to a level where Marana can consider running its own program, better, with the same dollars. I believe weve made the right decision and with vigilant oversight, we can look forward to providing excellent animal control services to the residents of Marana.

Dave Bowen

Read the rest here:
Animal control debate in Marana - Tucson Local Media

Art has always been an outlet for society to express themselves. Whether it be the oppressed or the oppressors, art is a vehicle that is used to affect change and affect perception of events.

The Gun Show is a new work that points the barrel of criticism at gun rights in America and takes a stance in the middle of the isle.

Mark Collins in the regional premiere of The Gun Show photo credit Brian Landis Folkins

This one man show by playwright EM Lewis both highlights the importance of having guns in society but also bring to light the serious concerns around the gun control debate.

Using her unique experience of growing up in a small Oregon town and her time living in the big cities of LA and New York, Lewis brings to light the ideas that guns can provide protection and that large populations of the country are properly trained and respect guns. Lewis also shares stories about the dangerous and violent side of guns.

The Gun Show is, at its core, a work of storytelling. The show is told from Lewis perspective and from Lewis voice. She is sharing her personal experiences with the audience.

In this production Lewis is portrayed by local actor Mark Collins. Collins does a truly delightful job telling these stories. He is able to bring different emotions and shift his emotions on cue creating an immersive experience for the audience.

The decision to have a male actor as the Playwright did cause some confusion throughout the show. Although it was clearly stated by Lewis early on in the show not to think too much into the decision of having herself played by a man. It did bring some unnecessary confusion to the show. There were moments when the audience needed to remind themselves that Collins is playing a women. The choice distracted from the main point of the show, guns, and the stories that go along with them.

AND TOTO TOO Theatre Company has developed a reputation of producing new work by women playwrights and The Gun Show is a nice and thoughtful addition to that list.

Whether you support gun rights or you feel that there should be more legislation around guns, you can enjoy and appreciate the stories that The Gun Show brings to light.

Mark Collins in the regional premiere of The Gun Show photo credit Brian Landis Folkins

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The Gun Show ** (our of four stars)

The Gun Show now playing at The Commons on Champa in The Studio at 1245 Champa Street. Directed by Susan Lyles. Starring: Mark Collins. Through April 29. For tickets visit http://www.andtototoo.org.

Also playing:

42nd Street- Candlelight Dinner Playhouse

The Robber Bridegroom- Town Hall Arts Center

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow- Vintage Theatre productions

Disenchanted!- BDT Stage

Evita- Lone Tree Arts Center

The Drowning Girls- Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

Link:
Review: In the middle of the gun control conversation - My Met Media - Met Media