Image: @thedailyclog
This policeman is captured on film as he is about to smash his baton down upon his victim on Friday, November 20, 2009, outside Wheeler Hall on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley.
The headline here is taken from CNN’s shameful coverage of the events of the past week at the University of California system. It refers specifically to a UCLA protest, while the image above comes from UC Berkeley, but it is apropos nonetheless. Remember, the UCLA protest included students being maced, beaten with batons, tasered, and arrested. There is no bastardized version of the English language in which it is possible to make such incidents equate linguistically to “ended without incident.”
CNN is lying to you. MSNBC makes no mention(1, 2) of the police brutality in California or New York City. Fox News? They have been hosting a 24/7 webcam feed for over a year so they can keep an eye on the protesters outside the Marine recruiting station in Berkeley, but they have not made a single mention of the UC protests, at least nowhere I can find online. And of course no one is talking about the students in Vienna marching on the US embassy in support of the UC uprising or the occupations of the various Universities across Europe or how this is a global movement in favor of free or cheap education.
Corporate media are not interested in giving you the truth. They have a singular interest: maximizing profit for their shareholders. That’s why you should consider donating to independent media outlets, places like Democracy Now!, IndyMedia and little ol’ me! If you find yourself at a site that is giving you information that you are not getting from CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and their ilk, throw a dollar or two at the proprietor of the site. You would be amazed at how far that would go if everyone did that. So, check out my brand new, ass-kicking, Ruth Gator Binsburg donation button if you are so inclined. But even if you can’t spare a square, keep fighting the good fight!
Thanks, @erinacb!