How The Magna Carta Can Save Donald Trump
If Trump's lawyers succeed in this argument, not only will his rights be vindicated, but the rights of all individuals facing criminal charges will be made more secure.
Videos on Tuesday captured the moment that dozens of apparent shots were fired in the vicinity of George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on the anniversary of Floyd's death while in police custody.
Here's a clip from KARE-TV showing numerous people running for cover and a man yelling to "get down!":
Gunshots near George Floyd Square in Minneapolisyoutu.be
Here's another video from a different vantage point, showing AP reporter Philip Crowther speaking on camera when the apparent shots rang out — and he reported what he heard as he headed for safety.
Content warning: Language:
Gunshots heard near Floyd memorial squareyoutu.be
Crowther on Twitter reported that he saw "one broken window, apparently from one of the shots fired. Consensus among reporters here at George Floyd Square was that we heard anywhere between a dozen and two dozen shots fired."
He added a tweet saying that a "fellow reporter just had her phone smashed because she took photos of a storefront hit by a bullet."
The New York Times reported that the mood had been somber all morning as people placed flowers and bowed their heads in front of an outline where Floyd was killed — and the serene scene was over about 10:10 a.m. "with a series of loud noises that sounded like at least 10 gunshots. One girl screamed for her mother as she ran into a corner behind portable toilets. Organizers yelled for children to run to one side."
The paper said organizers returned to the square five minutes later to attend to those who appeared panicked by the incident. Here's a police statement via the Times:
On Tuesday morning at 10:09 a.m., the Minneapolis police department responded to the 3800 block of Elliott Avenue south on a report of the sound of shots fired.
Information received from callers was that a suspect vehicle was last seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed.
A short period of time later, an individual showed up at Abbott Northwestern Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim has been transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. It is believed that the injury is non-life-threatening.
The autonomous zone consisting of several barricaded blocks that the city has allowed to exist has been a recent source of controversy.
Video from March showed the area being controlled by thuggish, left-wing militants. Here's a reporter's encounter with two of them.
Content warning: Language:
The George Floyd memorial is an "autonomous zone" with several blocks controlled by activists. Police don't even go… https://t.co/tLHXtegToQ
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) 1615338802.0
Last month video showed a sign posted at one of the barricaded entrances to George Floyd Square that included rules "for white people in particular."
Walking into George Floyd Square https://t.co/jIDzBNicVw
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) 1619027576.0
And black-owned businesses near the square in late April were begging for financial help because they said increased crime in their neighborhood is driving their businesses into the ground.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday recognized the horrific 2012 mass murder of 26 innocent people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, by marking the eighth anniversary of the tragedy with calls for implementing new gun control measures.
But Harris' message sparked concern among some gun owners weary of what it might mean under a Joe Biden administration, given that he and Harris have vowed to clamp down on gun rights, including the implementation of a "buy back" program.
"Today marks 8 years since 20 first-graders and 6 educators were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School," Harris tweeted. "To honor the lives lost in this terrible tragedy, it's past time we implement common-sense gun safety reforms to keep our children safe."
Today marks 8 years since 20 first-graders and 6 educators were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. To hono… https://t.co/guNQBFKSwG— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)1607969547.0
Harris received both praise and criticism for the post, but specifics were missing from both the commenters and Harris on what might serve as prevention in the future.
One person replied, "So exactly what are your 'common-sense' gun safety reforms that are going to keep children safe? Make sure you show real-world statistics to back up the ideas/positions . . . as I've seen a lot of statistical 'cherry picking' related to this subject."
As a candidate for president last year, Harris promised an executive order for "a renewal of the assault weapon ban," per The New York Times, who reported that "she would introduce the executive actions if Congress did not pass gun control legislation in the first 100 days of her presidency."
This is an area where Biden and Harris are in lock-step. On their campaign website, Biden promises to "buy back the assault weapons and high-capacity magazines already in our communities," explaining:
Biden will also institute a program to buy back weapons of war currently on our streets. This will give individuals who now possess assault weapons or high-capacity magazines two options: sell the weapons to the government, or register them under the National Firearms Act.
While the definition or targeted models of so-called "assault weapons" are not mentioned on Biden's website, he has spoken out against the ownership of the popular AR-15 rifle, which has fallen under immense scrutiny from Democrats and was the type used by the deranged murderer in the Sandy Hook massacre.
Earlier in March, Biden told former Democratic presidential rival Beto O'Rourke that he would "take care of the gun problem with [him]," which raised alarms from Second Amendment advocates given O'Rourke's campaign vow to confiscate firearms from Americans.
"Hell yes, we're gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47," O'Rourke declared from the debate stage in 2019. "We're not gonna allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore."