Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. Even though there are many more which I can't include. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."
Alecto is the Fury normally charged with dealing with issues which are unceasing, semper ubique
et ab omnibus, to use a legal term (always, everywhere, and from everyone). The phrase crossed my mind when I read an article in The Nation, itself an abstract from the book A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes. The article is called "Policing the Colony: From the American Revolution to Ferguson," and it takes an amazing look at how similar too many modern police procedures in the United States are to the police procedures of the British police in the American colonies, and how little the Bill of Rights has to do with either. The driving rationale of both is not public safety, nor public welfare, but revenue.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the DOJ report is how open and honest the city officials are about their police department’s purpose, how certain they seem that no one is watching them. Their comments suggest no winking and nudging, no ironic and knowing smiles. Just plain statements of financial goals, of dollars and cents. At one point the department started a new “I-270 traffic enforcement initiative” in order to “begin to fill the revenue pipeline.” The masterminds behind it warned that the initiative would require “60 to 90 [days] of lead time to turn citations into cash.” None of the people administering this enterprise appear concerned that what they’re doing is a gross violation of their duty to their constituents. And when you ask yourself how this report came to be written, the reason for their nonchalance is evident. The damning pages of the report exist only because a 17-year-old black boy was shot and killed by a police officer, and because that shooting led to an uprising. That uprising in turn led to the DOJ getting involved, which in turn led to the investigation that produced this audit.
I could have quoted almost any paragraph of this article and made a point of some kind. The whole article is well worth a read, which suggests that the whole book is well worth a read. And that Alecto will be very busy.
The death of Darren Rainey, an inmate in the Dade Correctional Institution, a state prison about 
40 miles south of Miami, FL, was so shocking that everyone will probably remember having read about it. He was locked inside a scorching shower for nearly two hours. Another then-inmate, Mark Joiner, was ordered to clean up the shower by removing the pieces of skin which had peeled from Rainey's body. This was, of course, not made public in 2012. It took about a year for Joiner to, first, be transferred to a different facility, and second, make contact with someone who would listen (needless to say, that someone was NOT a Florida law enforcement agency of any kind, although he tried.)
The reason the story is news again is that on Friday, March 17, the state attorney for Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, announced that the investigation was being closed and that no charges would be filed. Because "the evidence does not show that Rainey’s well-being was grossly disregarded by the correctional staff.”
Right.
As the rest of the article amply demonstrates, the well being of not only Rainey, but of all the inmates, as well as the professional staff, and incidentally, the families of all of the inmates, were grossly disregarded "on a regular basis."
Tisiphone – help. Please.
Finally – in California – the self-proclaimed "activists" (whom I would call "grifters") who made
the fake film designed to destroy Planned Parenthood have been charged with fifteen felonies. This in a state where there is a chance they will be convicted. However, there is a way to go from being charged to actually being put away. Megaera, I hope you will follow this up and nudge in the right direction any participants who need a nudge.
The Furies and I will be back.
Cross posted to Care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/4045401
11 Responses to “Everyday Erinyes #68”
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thanks!
YVW.
Chris Hayes, as others have done from different (historical) perspectives before him and will undoubtedly do after him, has shown in his book that while there may be fleeting moments in history when governments to something that benefits most of the people and not just the happy few, in the history of mankind only one force has driven the powers that be to act: money. Money is power, and power is money, and that is all those "in power" cared about the or care about now. And that is why Alecto will never be without a job.
The correctional staff was responsible for the horrible, tortuous death of Darren Rainey, but hey, Rainey's well-being was never grossly disregarded by them. Makes me start to wonder what it would take to grossly disregard the well-being of an inmate, but I don't think I want to dwell on it if I want to sleep at all tonight. But I will wonder how it is possible for a state attorney to close down the investigation and say there's no evidence on which to persecute while that evidence is piling up so high she can't look over it, and still sleep well at night. Perhaps Tisiphone could make her lose some sleep over this yet and confront her with that evidence and the horror that was Rainey's death..
I'm sure Megaera, PP, associated groups working to give women a choice in reproduction and watch over their health and all the women who have fought for that will keep an eye on how this case is going to play out, "nudging" anyone who stands in the way of a fair conviction to back off. These grifters will of course be provided with the best defense lawyers their "clients" can buy for them – you don't really believe these "activists" did it on their own accord and for free, do you – so I hope Megaera makes sure California's best prosecutor is on the case.
They are so batshit crazy they might have done it for free, but I agree that they didn't, and will continue to have money behind them.
Rainey: My guys joke, "A prisoners body was foumd shot and covetred in chains. The investigation ruled the shooting was justified, because that damn convict had stolen too many chains."
Great job, JD.
Joke – ouch. I can well believe it.
Well, at least he got Congress critters to PROVE
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/03/29/david_daleiden_the_anti_abortion_planned_parenthood_activist_has_been_charged.html
They've given up trying to prove THAT hoax.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/04/the_anti_planned_parenthood_congressional_panel_has_finally_disbanded.html
They is that, yes. But of course, those – people – fall back on, "Well, it may have been legal, but it's still immoral" – never mind that nothing happened. And after one state (Texas, wasn't it?) refused to charge them – I'm glad they have been charged now and hope it leads to something.
BTW sometimes you say you wonder how I can do it. This week I wondered myself how I managed. I kept seeing my dear friend's two sons, 16 and 14, with basketball heights and football builds (they in fact both play both sports) and feeling grateful none of the casualties was either of them, and almost guilty for feeling grateful.
Here is a petition in support of Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Thanks, Freya! Yes, this is his baby, and he deserves thanks for this as well as for some other things that this particular petition doesn't go into. California is lucky to have him!
Alecto: Sounds like an interesting read, good perspective too!
Tisiphone: What happened to Mr. Rainey, and others who have died at the hands of correctional staff, is unbelievably cruel and also frightening. To treat another human being with such disregard for 2 hours in a scorching shower!!, is abhorrent. The SA, sounds like she has padded her pockets with this case. She should be on the other side of justice, and be serving time for her 'findings', as it's murder.
Magaera: Kudos to Xavier Becerra, and to Senator Harris! Keep up the good work!
Another busy week for the Furies!
Thank you, Joanne for post.