Mediaboss Marketing

Heres what you need to know:Representative Ken Buck of Coloradosaid last month that he would not accept money from the tech giants political action committees.Credit...Joe Skipper/Reuters

A group of seven House Republicans said on Wednesday that they would no longer take donations from major tech companies or their top executives, a sign of the growing distance between some conservatives and big business.

The lawmakers said in a letter that the companies limited the reach of conservative voices, citing bans on the chat app Parler after it was used by participants in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and abused their market power.

These monopolies have shown that personal liberty can be threatened by corporate tyranny just as much as by government tyranny, they said in the letter. All but one of the lawmakers are members of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the antitrust questions confronting the tech companies.

The pledge was led by Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committees antitrust subcommittee. Mr. Buck said last month that he would not accept money from the tech giants political action committees.

For years, lawmakers on the right have attacked Google, Twitter and Facebook, accusing the companies of unfairly removing content posted by conservatives. The lawmakers have also accused Amazon and Apple of stifling competition. In recent weeks, some conservatives have turned on other major businesses traditionally their allies in efforts to deregulate the economy that have opposed their positions on voting rights and other issues.

Five of the lawmakers received donations from the corporate political action committees of Google, Facebook and Amazon in the last election cycle. Representatives Chip Roy of Texas, Gregory Steube of Florida and Andy Biggs of Arizona, who signed the pledge, all received a combined $3,500 in donations. Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina (not Oklahoma, as previously reported here) received $1,000 from Amazons political committee.

But it is also possible that some of the lawmakers who signed the pledge will not have to turn any donations down in the near future. Amazon and Google froze donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying the election results after the Jan. 6 attack. Facebook paused all of its political donations.

Mr. Steube and Mr. Norman, as well as Representatives Dan Bishop of North Carolina and Burgess Owens of Utah, all objected to the results of the presidential election.

Mr. Bishop and Mr. Owens both signed the pledge even though they did not receive money from the firms political committees last election cycle.

On Tuesday, JPMorgan Chases co-heads of investment banking, Jim Casey and Viswas Raghavan, announced policies aimed at improving working conditions amid record deal volume and an industrywide debate about banker burnout, especially in the junior ranks.

The countrys largest bank has tried similar moves before. Mr. Casey spoke with the DealBook newsletter about the companys latest plan and whether this one will stick.

Burnout became the buzz on Wall Street after a group of 13 anonymous first-year analysts at Goldman Sachs described how frequent 100-hour weeks were taking a toll on their mental and physical health.

To help alleviate that level of exhaustion among its own ranks, JPMorgan is bringing on more workers to help cope with heavy deal volume, which generated $3 billion in investment banking fees in the first quarter, up nearly 60 percent from the previous year. It has already hired 65 analysts and 22 associates this year and plans to add another 100 junior bankers and support staff, if we can find them, as quickly as we can, Mr. Casey said.

Its also focused on managing its bankers hours better. JPMorgan will tell associates not to do marketing work on weekends. It will encourage all bankers to go home by 7 p.m. on weekdays and add more flexibility for personal time. It will force bankers to take at least three weeks vacation a year. It will require group heads to call two to three junior bankers every day to find out whats working.

Some of these actions are similar to what JPMorgan rolled out in 2016, but it wasnt stringently enforced, Mr. Casey said. Why not? Laziness.

This time, junior bankers hours and feedback will figure in senior managers performance evaluations and crucially compensation.

One thing the bank wont be doing: offering one-time checks or free Peloton exercise bikes to staff after a big rush, like at some other banks. Its not a money problem, Mr. Casey said. If we just cut the junior bankers a check now, he said, then that would be the excuse that everybody says, Well, OK, the problem is fixed. No, its not.

And some other things wont change. Banking is a client-service job, so managers sometimes have limited control over workloads and hours. You might do 100 deals a year, but that client only does one deal every three years, Mr. Casey said.

As to how the bank will measure the success of these policies, ask me what our turnover ratio has gone to and I will tell you, Mr. Casey said. Whats the target? Lower.

American Airlines plans to bring back all of its pilots by the end of summer and start hiring new ones this fall, reflecting optimism across the industry that widespread vaccinations will encourage more people to book flights.

The airline expects to hire about 300 pilots this year and twice as many next year, Chip Long, Americans vice president of flight operations, said in a note to pilots on Wednesday. He added the airline planned to honor offers it made to new pilots but didnt fulfill last year when the pandemic crushed demand for tickets.

United Airlines also said this month that it would restart pilot hiring and expected to make about 300 offers this year.

The return to flying of so many of our pilots and the addition of hundreds more, the resumption of many old routes and the introduction of new destinations are hopeful signs, opportunities to look beyond the immediate and into a brighter future, Mr. Long said.

A spokesman for the union that represents Americans pilots, the Allied Pilots Association, welcomed the news but said it should come with more scheduling certainty for its members.

We have faith that we can get it done, but we have to have the tools to do it, said the spokesman, Dennis Tajer, who is also a pilot at American.

Airlines have been heartened by the increase in bookings over the past month and are optimistic that even more people will fly this summer. American has said it expects this summer to offer more than 90 percent of the seats on domestic flights as it did in 2019 and 80 percent of the seats on international flights.

Still, the airline is expected to report a large loss for the first three months of the year when it announces quarterly results on Thursday morning.

The past year has crushed independent restaurants across the country and brought a reality to their doors: Many were unprepared for a digital world.

Unlike other small retailers, restaurateurs could keep the tech low, with basic websites and maybe Instagram accounts with tantalizing, well-lit photos of their food. It meant businesses like BentoBox, which aims to help restaurants build more robust websites with e-commerce abilities, were a hard sell, Amy Haimerl reports for The New York Times.

For many, BentoBoxs services were a nice to have, not a necessity, the companys founder, Krystle Mobayeni, said.

But the pandemic sent chefs and owners flocking to the firm as they suddenly needed to add to-go ordering, delivery scheduling, gift card sales and more to their websites. Before the pandemic the company, based in New York City, had about 4,800 clients, including the high-profile Manhattan restaurant Gramercy Tavern; today it has more than 7,000 restaurants on board and recently received a $28.8 million investment led by Goldman Sachs.

The moment opened a well of opportunity for other companies like it. Dozens of firms have either started or scaled up sharply as they found their services in urgent demand. Meanwhile, investors and venture capitalists have been sourcing deals in the restaurant tech sector particularly seeking companies that bring the big chains advantages to independent restaurants.

The European Union on Wednesday unveiled strict regulations to govern the use of artificial intelligence. The rules have far-reaching implications for major technology companies including Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft that have poured resources into developing artificial intelligence. With these landmark rules, the E.U. is spearheading the development of new global norms to make sure A.I. can be trusted, Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission executive vice president who oversees digital policy for the 27-nation bloc, said in a statement.

Netflix reported the addition of four million new customers in the first quarter, below the six million it had forecast. The company expects to add only one million new customers for this current quarter ending in June. Netflix shares plummeted about 10 percent in after-hours trading.

Apple unveiled new products on Tuesday that showed how it continued to center its marketing pitch on consumer privacy, at the potential expense of other companies, while muscling into markets pioneered by much smaller competitors. Apple showed off a new high-end iPad and an iMac desktop computer based on new processors that Apple now makes itself. The company said it was redesigning its podcast app, which competes with companies like Spotify, to enable creators to charge for their shows. It revealed the AirTag, a $29 disc that attaches to key rings or wallets so they can be found if lost. And after its product show, Apple said that it planned to release iPhone software next week with a privacy feature that worries digital-advertising companies, most notably Facebook.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, reversing some of the previous days drop. The sentiment in stock markets this week has shifted from the optimism that recently set record highs amid growing concerns about coronavirus variants that are leading to new outbreaks.

The S&P 500 ticked up 0.4 percent after falling 0.7 percent on Tuesday.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose about 0.5 percent after plunging 1.9 percent on Tuesday. That was the biggest one-day decline since December.

Oil prices fell, with futures on West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, declining 1.2 percent to just below $62 a barrel.

Netflix shares dropped nearly 8 percent after its latest earnings report. For the first quarter of 2021, Netflix said after markets closed on Tuesday that it added four million new customers, less than the six million it had forecast. Its another sign that, although Netflix still dominates streaming, its rivals are starting to catch up.

As plans for a European Super League for soccer rapidly fell apart on Tuesday, shares in publicly traded football clubs that had joined the group dropped. Manchester United shares fell in New York, extending a 6 percent drop from the previous day. Shares in Juventus, an Italian club, tumbled more than 10 percent.

Inflation in Britain rose less in March than economists predicted. The annual rate of price increases was 0.7 percent, data published Wednesday showed, up from 0.4 percent in February. The jump is notable, but it is less than the 0.8 percent analysts had predicted. As in the United States, policymakers and economists expect some of the increase to be temporary and explained by transitionary factors such as the steep drop in oil prices this time last year. Therefore, bets are that the central bank wont reduce its monetary stimulus yet.

A growing number of retirees and those approaching retirement are in debt.

The share of households headed by someone 55 or older with debt from credit cards, mortgages, medical bills and student loans increased to 68.4 percent in 2019, from 53.8 percent in 1992, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. A survey at the end of 2020 by Clever, an online real estate service, found that on average, retirees had doubled their nonmortgage debt in 2020 to $19,200.

Susan B. Garland reports for The New York Times on what to do if youre in this position:

Consult a nonprofit credit counseling agency, which will review a clients expenses and income sources and create a custom action plan. The initial budgeting session is often free, said Bruce McClary, senior vice president for communications at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. An action plan could include cutting unnecessary spending, such as selling a rarely used car and banking some proceeds for taxi fare.

Tap into senior-oriented government benefits, such as property tax relief, utility assistance and Medicare premium subsidies. The National Council on Aging operates a clearinghouse website for them, BenefitsCheckUp.org. The average individual 65-plus on a fixed income is leaving $7,000 annually on the table in unused benefits, said Ramsey Alwin, the councils president.

Avoid using high-interest credit cards to fill income gaps. Medical bills typically charge little or no interest but turn into high-interest costs if placed on credit cards, said Melinda Opperman, president of Credit.org. Instead, she said, patients should call hospitals or other providers directly to work out an arrangement.

Avoid taking out home-equity loans or lines of credit to pay off credit cards or medical bills, said Rose Perkins, quality assurance manager for CCCSMD, a credit counseling service. Though tapping home equity carries a lower interest rate than a credit card, a homeowner could put a home at risk if a job loss, the death of a spouse or illness made it difficult to pay off the lender, she said.

Excerpt from:
7 Republicans Swear Off Campaign Money From Big Tech: Live Updates - The New York Times

Advertisement

The U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released its final report recently, listing China as a strategic competitor to the United States in this field. The report describes China as a U.S. peer in many areas and an AI leader in some areas. This new technology allows machines to exhibit characteristics associated with human learning and problem-solving, and can be applied to areas such as facial and speech recognition, natural language processing, and automated reasoning.

While China has made technological strides in the AI field, the authors of the report view these developments as a threat. As recorded in the report, potential threatening applications can be made in a number of areas.

First, AI boosts the threat imposed by potential cyberattacks coming from China. Cyberattacks can be made more rapidly, with better precision, and in greater secrecy with the use of AI. Already, cyberattacks have been used to steal trade and government secrets. Intellectual property protection was a central issue in the China-U.S. trade war and may become more vulnerable as China accelerates its AI capabilities. Cyberattacks have also been used to disseminate disinformation, which was prevalent during the 2016 U.S. election, and spread self-replicating AI-generated malware. Use of AI-fused data for blackmail, deepfakes, or swarms are possible in the future.

Second, China plans to use AI to offset U.S. military superiority by implementing a type of intelligentized war that relies more on creation of alternative logistics, procurement, and training, as well as warfare algorithms. Battle networks will connect systems, and armed drones with autonomous functions will be employed. Soldiers will be trained in live and virtual environments that integrate AI. AI will speed up the process with which valuable targets can be identified and hit due to enhancements in collection and transmission of intelligence.

Third, Chinas use of AI in national intelligence will help government officials pinpoint trends and threats as well as use deception and expose sources and methods. AI renders social media information, satellite imagery, communications signals, and other sources of data more understandable and potentially actionable. Intelligence sources may be coupled with domestic and international surveillance. The authors assert that Chinas domestic use of AI is a chilling precedent for anyone around the world who cherishes individual liberty due to its use in domestic surveillance and repression.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

To combat these possibilities, the report emphasizes that the United States should ensure that it also builds its own AI capabilities and not fall behind. The authors recommend that the U.S. invest $40 billion in expanding and democratizing federal AI research and development. They also recommend that the U.S. create a Joint Interagency Task Force and Operations Center and provide additional funds to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to counter social media disinformation. As a response to hacking and other attacks, the U.S. should develop AI-enabled defenses against cyberattacks and set up red teams for adversarial testing. The report also recommends that, in order to maintain military defense capabilities against AI-based attacks, the Department of Defense should invest in next-generation technologies and set up a joint warfighting network architecture this year.

Certainly, the world of AI will lead to the danger of automating and accelerating decisions that can harm other nations. One of the biggest issues is that AI-based applications may automatically authorize use of nuclear weapons. This emphasizes the need to ensure that AI cannot make security-critical decisions without some human intervention. As long as humans are somehow involved in the final decision, possessing the capability to engage in cyberattacks, intelligentized war, or national intelligence gathering does not in itself place other nations in direct jeopardy. Equally importantly, ensuring that there are open channels to negotiate disputes and keep the peace is the most critical aspect of reducing conflict.

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

It is important for world powers to maintain AI capabilities in the event of a conflict, but these offensive AI-based technologies should not be the first response for the U.S. or any other nation. This can only serve to escalate conflict and increase the likelihood that two or more nations will engage in a broader war. Reliance on AI-based conflict should be viewed as a last resort, and diplomatic and economic relations should be used as the primary method of maintaining peace.

Read the original here:
China and Artificial Intelligence The Diplomat - The Diplomat

ANDERSON Waiting to exhale.

Thats what several Black Anderson residents, including Peggy Nunn, Terrell Brown and James Burgess said they did Tuesday afternoon as the jury in Derek Chauvins trial deliberated his fate for the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nunn, who watched the events unfold on Court TV, said she burst into tears when she heard the guilty verdict on all three counts, including second-degree unintentional murder, third degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

I just wanted justice served. From what I saw in TV, he was guilty as ever, she said. I have no hatred toward him. Im just glad that justice was served.

Nunn was one of millions of African-Americans nationwide who have waited for justice for the man whose death last summer sparked angry, sometimes violent, protests.

Its been a long journey, and Im glad its over with and they found justice for George Floyd, she said.

Like many Black Americans, Nunn feared the high standard of reasonable doubt of one juror might have set Chauvin free and set off a new round of protests. And she admitted she still fears the verdict could be overturned at appeal.

I just knew it was going to turn the other way. I have a sister in Minnesota, and I thought, They are going to tear Minnesota up, she said.

A grandmother of four boys, Nunn said she hopes the verdict will help lead to reforms that will keep them safe.

I cant see myself experiencing what the Floyd family went through, she said.

Last summer, Brown was so caught up in the horror of Floyds death under Chauvins knee that he helped establish Its Up There, an organization that brought protests to communities throughout Madison County.

That was a major win for us, he said. God got something in store for him. I feel like this is just the beginning for him.

Brown said he like like a huge burden had been lifted.

I was nervous. I aint gonna lie. I was nervous, he said about the verdict. Its like a boulder has been lifted off of everybodys back, but not just Black people.

But it felt good to hear the jury do the right thing, Brown said.

It was more of a humanity thing than a law thing when it came to the verdict, he said. Its a good feeling to know that the worlds changing, man. That right there proves it. I dont know who the jurors were, but I feel like they went into that room and made a decision off of morals more than law.

As he followed the trial, Brown said he became upset as he watched defense lawyers try to blame the victim.

I feel like the defense didnt have a good fight. They really tried to slander George Floyd, he said.

But the verdict was just a small victory, Brown said.

Just because we got this verdict for George Floyd doesnt mean it isnt still happening, he said. We still got Daunte Wright in Minneapolis. We got this victory, but we still got a whole war to win.

Wright was shot to death by 26-year police veteran Kim Potter in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center as the Chauvin trial took place.

Burgess, president of the Anderson chapter of the NAACP, said this is a victory Black Americans have been waiting for since four Los Angeles police officers were filmed beating Rodney King after a high-speed chase in 1991. Three of the officers were acquitted and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on one charge for a fourth.

Ever since the Rodney King verdict, Blacks have been waiting to exhale, he said, referencing an expression made popular by Terry McMillans book by the same name and Floyds utterance that he couldnt breathe as Chauvin kept his knee on his neck.

Like the others, Burgess said he didnt hold out much hope for Chauvins conviction.

You would wonder, what would it take? You can only exhale and say, Wow, he said. There have been so many killings that take place, and it doesnt start and stop with George Floyd.

The reason is that time and again Black Americans have been disappointed by the acquittals of police officers, even if they were filmed, in high-profile cases.

With George Zimmerman, I was in California when that verdict came, and I never want to feel that way again, he said. Though Zimmerman, who was acquitted of all charges in the 2012 shooting death of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, was not a police officer but a neighborhood watch coordinator.

Though he is pleased with what he said was an obvious verdict, Burgess said there are hundreds of similar cases around the nation that likely wont end the same way.

What I have learned in the civil rights arena is that the victory is short and something new is right around the corner, he said.

More:
Black community exhales but admits there is still work to be done - The Herald Bulletin

All eyes were on a Minneapolis courtroom Tuesday, where a jury delivered guilty verdicts on all counts against former police Officer Derek Chauvin, convicting him of the murder of George Floyd.

In Wyoming, local activists say theres still a long way to go until justice is really served.

Jimmy Simmons, vice president of the Pikes Peak Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the former president of the Casper NAACP, said the verdict surprised him.

Ive seen it so many times, the cop usually gets off, Simmons said. I was set for the jury to go the other way.

People in Casper are raising their voices to protest racism and police brutality. Here are six of their stories.

Simmons says since the summers protests, momentum for Caspers own conference chapter has grown. He said Tuesday that the Casper group is around 70 strong, but the pandemic has delayed starting an official chapter.

But one convicted officer in Minnesota doesnt mean the whole system is going to change, activists from the Laramie Human Rights Network said Tuesday. Around 1% of U.S. officers who kill someone on the job face charges, and just 0.3% are convicted, according to data from watchdog group Mapping Police Violence.

The verdict still means that George Floyd was murdered, Illyanna Saucedo said. Its better than Chauvin being acquitted, but that is a pretty low bar for seeking justice.

Jimmy Simmons holds his first in the air as tears fall down his face during the eight minutes of silence in honor of George Floyd on June 5 in Casper. Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes.

Karlee Provenza, executive director of Albany County for Proper Policing, said she heard from some locals Tuesday who compared the Chauvin case to that of Derek Colling, the Albany County Sheriffs deputy who shot and killed Robbie Ramirez in 2018. A grand jury declined to indict Colling, who was involved in two earlier deadly shootings while working in Las Vegas and now faces a civil lawsuit filed by Ramirezs family. The Laramie shooting prompted protests and calls for reform in Albany County.

Watching that (Chauvin) verdict, is it justice? No, not really, said Provenza, who is also a state representative out of Laramie. I think justice is stopping police use of lethal force before it happens rather than going through the punitive system.

Casper woman accuses police officer of excessive force

Provenza said change needs to come through legislation and local policy to stop similar events from happening again. Wyomings policing statutes have remained unchanged for nearly 50 years, and attempts at reform in the Legislature this year failed.

There are some areas opening up to change in Wyoming in Laramie, for example, the city is considering installing a civilian oversight board for its police department. It would be the first of its kind in the state.

That was something that the city of Laramie wasnt considering before George Floyds death, Provenza said. To have this national conversation come here and spark protests opened up an opportunity to get some of that oversight.

The large crowd gathered outside the Minneapolis courthouse where a judge read out the three guilty verdicts for Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd erupted in celebration and tearful relief.

But Saucedo said the Laramie Human Rights Network has yet to see any concrete reforms by law enforcement in Albany County.

In Casper, activist Mariah Bovee said she had conversations with the police department last summer about how to make policing more transparent and weed out bad officers. She says she doesnt see it as an us versus them or police-versus-citizen issue, but a community issue where everyone has a stake.

Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters declined to comment Tuesday.

Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters marches alongside demonstrators honoring George Floyd on June 5 in Casper.

Bovee said Chauvins conviction is a step in the right direction, but she sees a lot of work that still needs to be done both in Wyoming and at the federal level. For a start, she said Wyoming needs to enact hate crime legislation (which also failed in the Legislature in March).

She cites issues with qualified immunity for officers, adding to a list of demands Bovee called for during a march in Casper last June in reaction to Floyds death including bias screenings, anti-racist and de-escalation trainings and citizen review boards.

Its going to take a cultural shift. Its going to be slow, but you have to keep at it, Bovee said. Im seeing some small shifts. Im very hopeful with our young people, because I think they are going to demand those changes.

Protesters raise their fits during eight minutes of silence honoring George Floyd at a vigil in Casper Friday, June 5.

Keisha Simmons stands at a podium delivering the final speech at a vigil for George Floyd in front of the Hall of Justice on June 5 in Casper.While many states are enacting police reforms, there appears to be little appetite for major changes in Wyoming.

Kailey Hardy poses for a portrait with a face mask bearing a red "x" over her mouth at a vigil for George Floyd in downtown Casper Friday, June 6.

Demonstrators stand in silence in honor of George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Peaceful demonstrators march in silence along David Street towards the Hall of Justice for a vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Demonstrators march along David Street towards the Hall of Justice for a peaceful vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Hundreds gather in a parking lot in downtown Casper to take part in a march and vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5.

Hundred gather in front of the Hall of Justice for a vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

During a moment of silence, demonstrators raise their fists in solidarity at a vigil for George Floyd in front of the Hall of Justice in Casper Friday, June 5.

Demonstrators raise their fists in solidarity during a moment of silence for George Floyd at a vigil in his honor Friday, June 5.

Shannon Burton, left, and Leah Ann Burton raise their fits along with hundreds of protestors during eight minutes of silence honoring George Floyd at a vigil in Casper Friday, June 5.

Armed civilians stand on the sidewalk watching a peaceful march along David Street towards the Hall of Justice for a vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5.

Demonstrators hold signs and stand in solidarity at a peaceful vigil for George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Silent demonstrators march along David Street towards the Hall of Justice passing a man holding up a Gadsden flag with his fist raised Friday, June 5, in Casper.

A group of armed civilians stand in the middle of David Street watching a vigil for George Floyd in downtown Casper Friday, June 5. The group declined to give their names or state their purpose for attending.

A young armed civilian walks along the periphery of a silent march down David Street towards the Hall of Justice for a vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5. The armed civilian would not give his name but was among a group who stated their purpose for being present was to protect the First Amendment and keep the peace.

Amya Shropshire pose for a portrait wearing a shirt depicting Trayvon Martin at a vigil for George Floyd in Casper Friday, June 5. Martin was killed by George Zimmerman in Florida, Zimmerman was later found not guilty at a trial.

An upside down American flag is held aloft as demonstrators gather to walk in honor of George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Keisha Simmons speaks at a vigil for George Floyd in front of the Hall of Justice in Casper Friday, June 5, while artist Josh Kravik holds up a photo collage depicting a portrait of Floyd.

Local artist Josh Kravik created a photo collage portrait of George Floyd using photos of other victims of police brutality and held it on display at the vigil for Floyd during a vigil in his honor in front of the Hall of Justice in Casper Friday, June 5.

Local artist Josh Kravik used photos of victims of police brutality to create a portrait of George Floyd on display at a vigil in his honor Friday, June 5, in Casper. Kravik used photos of graduations, celebrations and other uplifting images, "It was important to me that I only sourced pictured of people that were happy, not violence, said Kravik. This man may be why were all here but everyone that came before also needs to be remembered.

A demonstrator at a march and vigil for George Floyd wears a Guy Fawkes mask backwards Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Teagan Bizzell, 7, sits on her uncle, George Clam's shoulders at a vigil for George Floyd in Casper Friday, June 5. Bizzell and her sibling are both biracial adopted into a white family. Her mother said the reason she brought Bizzell to the demonstration, "I want them to know when they grow up that their voice will always be heard."

Stacy Mapp holds up a speaker while it plays "We are the World' as the demonstrators participating at a vigil for George Floyd arrive in front of the Hall of Justice on David Street in Casper Friday, June 5.

Shadows of protesters stretch to the steps of the Hall of Justice as they gather for a vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Jimmy Simmons holds his first in the air as tears fall down his face during the eight minutes of silence in honor of George Floyd on June 5 in Casper. Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes.

Rosetta Jones wears a face mask with the words "we can't breathe" written as she attends a peaceful vigil for George Floyd in downtown Casper Friday, June 5. Jones said as she was walking on her way to the demonstration people in a truck yelled a racial slur at her. A group of fellow demonstrators who witnessed the event joined her and walked with her to the gathering for the march and vigil. "That's what this is about," says Jones, "I'll stand with you."

Hundreds gather on David Street in front of the Hall of Justice for a peaceful vigil honoring George Floyd Friday, June 5.

Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters marches alongside demonstrators honoring George Floyd on June 5 in Casper. The City Council discussed the protests at its Tuesday evening meeting.

Teagan Bizzell, 7, sits on her uncle's shoulders as she raises her fist in solidarity during eight minutes of silence for George Floyd Friday, June 5, in Casper.

Isaiah Dobbins walks arm in arm with fellow demonstrators leading a march down David Street towards the Hall of Justice for a peaceful vigil for George Floyd Friday, June 6, in Casper.

Keisha Simmons speaks to a crowd of hundreds gathered in front of the Hall of Justice in Casper for a vigil honoring George Floyd on Friday. The group that organized the vigil, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is looking to start a chapter in Casper.

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Hall of Justice to honor George Floyd are reflected in the windows of the building Friday, June 5, in Casper.

A man raises his first in solidarity at a vigil for George Floyd in downtown Casper Friday, June 5.

Armed civilians watch from the sidewalk as demonstrators who attended the vigil for George Floyd disperse from downtown Casper Friday, June 5.

See original here:
After conviction in Minnesota, Wyoming activists say there's more work to be done - KPVI News 6

Derek Chauvin is guilty on all counts, a jury ruled. Now, campus DEI leaders are asking: Where do we go from here?

The University of Alabamas Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host a virtual event titled Where Do We Go From Here? The Chauvin Case and Social Justice on April 21 at 6 p.m.

Derek Chauvin, formerly an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, was dismissed in May 2020 after he killed a handcuffed George Floyd. On April 20, after the deadly arrest sparked nationwide protests, a jury found Chauvin guilty on all three charges of murder and manslaughter.

UA President Stuart Bell announced the event in an email hours after Chauvin was found guilty. In the message, he highlighted the importance of the Universitys current diversity plan, the Path Forward Diversity Report.

As a University, we will continue our Path Forward, including our mission of changing lives not just through education, research and service but also building on the values of inclusivity, respect and justice for all, Bell said.

UA students, faculty and staff can register for the event online.

Professor of law Montr D. Corodine and director of system security Steve Anderson will discuss the [Floyd] case and its effects.

Corodine was also involved in an UA-sponsored discussion with the defense attorney of George Zimmerman, the officer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

Anderson is an alumnus of the UA criminal justice department and served on the Tuscaloosa Police Department for nearly two decades. He began working for the UA system in 2019 after retiring from TPD.

Bell provided a link to both the webinar and a collaboration with the DEI Intercultural Diversity Center, the Counseling Center and the Student Care and Well-Being Office, which are offering support and resources for all students, faculty and staff. He stressed the importance of seeking help during this time.

The tragic events that have occurred over the last several months, and that led to todays verdict in the murder of George Floyd, have impacted us all especially our communities of colorI encourage our campus community to seek out campus resources and to support one another.

See more here:
Campus community to discuss Chauvin verdict - The Crimson White - The University of Alabama Crimson White