Connect with us

U.S.

Leaked Video of Uvalde Shooting Shows Cops Fist Bump, Sparks Outrage From Families

Published

8 months ago

on

Uvalde’s mayor slammed the leak as “one of the most chicken things I’ve seen,” while The Statesman defended itself, saying, “We have to bear witness to history.”

Video Reveals What Happened

The Austin American Statesman has released footage for the first time showing the law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre.

The video begins with the shooter crashing his truck near Robb Elementary, with two men approaching the wreckage, then running away.

Next, an unidentified teacher talks to 911 on a phone, saying, “the kids are running,” then yells at children to get into their classrooms.

Around this time, the shooter fired at the school from the parking lot.

When he enters the school, the video shows a child exiting the bathroom to return to class and running away after the shooter fires at him. He hid in the bathroom and was later rescued.

The shooter subsequently enters the first classroom and begins the massacre, at which point The Statesman said it censored audio of children screaming.

Police have said that he fired about 100 rounds in roughly two and a half minutes.

Nearly three minutes after the shooting begins, the video captures the first officers arriving on the scene, with some rushing toward the shooter and others peering around the corner.

Gunshots are heard booming throughout the hall, after which the officers who rushed forward retreat back toward the school’s entrance. They spent nearly 77 minutes waiting in the hallway for keys to open the classroom doors, which investigators later determined were never locked, despite hearing at least four more gunshots inside the classrooms 45 minutes after they arrived.

The video next shows around a dozen officers advancing toward the classrooms with one heard saying, “They’re making entry,” but no entry was immediately made.

Nine minutes later, one officer can be seen squirting some soap from a hand sanitizer dispenser into his hands.

Another officer is apparently using his phone, and two more fist-bump each other.

Investigators are still waiting for an Austin-based medical expert’s analysis to determine how many victims died after the first officers arrived.

Although much of the blame for the slow response has been directed toward School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, the video shows numerous agencies on the scene, including the Uvalde Police Department, Uvalde County sheriff’s department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Marshals Service.

Families Outraged at Video Leak

Some of the victims’ family members expressed anger Wednesday at the leak, publication, and circulation of the footage.

“Whoever leaked that video… I pray that you never have to deal with what all the parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles are dealing with. Shame on you,” one family member said at a press conference in Washington DC.

At a town council meeting, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin called the leak “one of the most chicken things I’ve seen.”

“They didn’t need to see the gunman coming in and hear the gunshots,” he said. “They don’t need to relive that, they’ve been through enough.”

A state senate panel had originally planned to show the video to relatives of the victims on Sunday.

Others expressed some support for the video’s publication.

“I am happy it is released. But I wish they would have waited until the family members got to see it beforehand,” Jesse Rizo, who lost a family member in the shooting, told local CBS affiliate KENS5.

The Statesman released a statement explaining why it opted to publish the footage.

“Our goal is to continue to bring to light what happened at Robb Elementary, which the families and friends of the Uvalde victims have long been asking for,” the statement said.

“We have to bear witness to history, and transparency and unrelenting reporting is a way to bring change.”

We make it a point to not include the names and pictures of those who may have been seeking attention or infamy and will not link out to websites that might contain such information.

Related Topics:

U.S.

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 9, 2023

By

 “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

White supremacist propaganda in the U.S. reached record levels in 2022, according to a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism.

The ADL found over 6,700 cases of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, which marks a 38% jump from the nearly 4,900 cases the group found in 2021. It also represents the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL. 

The propaganda tallied by the anti-hate organization includes the distribution of racist, antisemitic, and homophobic flyers, banners, graffiti, and more. This propaganda has spread substantially since 2018, when the ADL found just over 1,200 incidents. 

“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.” 

The report found that there were at least 50 white supremacist groups behind the spread of propaganda in 2022, but 93% of it came from just three groups. One of those groups was also responsible for 43% of the white supremacist events that took place last year. 

White supremacist events saw a startling uptick of their own, with the ADL documenting at least 167, a 55% jump from 2021. 

Propaganda was found in every U.S. state except for Hawaii, and events were documented in 33 states, most heavily in Massachusetts, California, Ohio, and Florida.

“The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism said in a statement. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by these coordinated, hateful actions, which are designed to sow anxiety and create fear.”

“We need a whole-of-society approach to combat this activity, including elected officials, community leaders, and people of good faith coming together and condemning this activity forcefully,” Segal continued. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (The New York Times)

Continue Reading

Business

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 8, 2023

By

Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 

Yeezy Surplus 

Adidas’ split with musician Kanye West has left the company with financial problems due to surplus Yeezy products, putting the sportswear giant in the position to potentially suffer its first annual loss in over 30 years. 

Adidas dropped West last year after he made a series of antisemitic remarks on social media and other broadcasts. His Yeezy line was a staple for Adidas, and the surplus product is due, in part, to the brand’s own decision to continue production during the split.

According to CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas continued production of only the items already in the pipeline to prevent thousands of people from losing their jobs. However, that has led to the unfortunate overabundance of Yeezy sneakers and clothes. 

On Wednesday, Gulden said that selling the shoes and donating the proceeds makes more sense than giving them away due to the Yeezy resale market — which has reportedly shot up 30% since October.

“If we sell it, I promise that the people who have been hurt by this will also get something good out of this,” Gulden said in a statement to the press. 

However, Gulden also said that West is entitled to a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Yeezys per his royalty agreement.

The Numbers 

Adidas announced in February that, following its divergence from West, it is facing potential sales losses totaling around $1.2 billion and profit losses of around $500 million. 

If it decides to not sell any more Yeezy products, Adidas is facing a projected annual loss of over $700 million.

Outside of West, Adidas has taken several heavy profit blows recently. Its operating profit reportedly fell by 66% last year, a total of more than $700 million. It also pulled out of Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which cost Adidas nearly $60 million dollars. Additionally, China’s “Zero Covid” lockdowns last year caused in part a 36% drop in revenue for Adidas compared to years prior.

As a step towards a solution, Gulden announced that the company is slashing its dividends from 3.30 euros to 0.70 euro cents per share pending shareholder approval. 

Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 

“Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful. But we need to put our focus back on our core: product, consumers, retail partners, and athletes,” Gulden said. “I am convinced that over time we will make Adidas shine again. But we need some time.”

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)

Continue Reading

U.S.

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 7, 2023

By

98% of nursing homes in the United States are experiencing difficulty hiring staff. 

The Labor Crisis 

A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper has offered up a solution to the nursing home labor shortage: immigration. 

According to a 2022 American Health Care Association survey, six in ten nursing homes are limiting new patients due to staffing issues. The survey also says that 87% of nursing homes have staffing shortages and 98% are experiencing difficulty hiring. 

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) outlined in their paper that increased immigration could help solve the labor shortage in nursing homes. Immigrants make up 19% of nursing home workers.

With every 10% increase in female immigration, nursing assistant hours go up by 0.7% and registered nursing hours go up by 1.1% And with that same immigration increase, short-term hospitalizations of nursing home residents go down by 0.6%.

The Solution 

Additionally, the State Department issued 145% more EB-3 documents, which are employment-based visas, for healthcare workers in the 2022 fiscal year than in 2019, suggesting that more people are coming to the U.S. to work in health care. 

However, according to Skilled Nursing News, in August of 2022, the approval process from beginning to end for an RN can take between seven to nine months. 

Displeasure about immigration has exploded since Pres. Joe Biden took office in 2021. According to a Gallup study published in February, around 40% of American adults want to see immigration decrease. That is a steep jump from 19% in 2021, and it is the highest the figure has been since 2016.

However, more than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration and want to see it increased. But with a divided Congress, the likelihood of any substantial immigration change happening is pretty slim. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (KHN) (Skilled Nursing News)

Continue Reading