The problem with police unions

Ongoing anti-police brutality protests prompt scrutiny of police unions; the UK may offer a path to citizenship for many Hong Kong residents. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS Police unions and protests John Bazemore/AP - Mass protests against police brutality continue in the US following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last Monday. [[NYT / Derrick Bryson Taylor](] - And police in some cases have done little to calm the tensions: On Tuesday, police escalated against largely peaceful protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, and random arrests. [[Vox / Sean Collins](] - Over the weekend, one New York police union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, even posted personal details about New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter on Twitter in violation of the site’s policy, prompting Twitter to suspend the union's account. [[NYT / Dana Rubinstein and Jeffery C. Mays](] - And on Monday, the president of Minneapolis’s police union described ongoing protests and rioting in the city as a “terrorist movement” and said that union attorneys were fighting to have all four former officers charged in connection with Floyd’s killing rehired. [[Twitter / Libor Jany](] - Not every police union has taken the same line: In California, for example, many condemned Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis officers in no uncertain words. [[LA Times / Anita Chabria](] - But as BuzzFeed chronicles, police unions across the country have long pushed back against oversight and accountability for officers accused of misconduct, at the same time as they promote a “warrior” approach to policing. [[BuzzFeed / Melissa Segura](] - And in 2014, following the shooting death of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri, Vox’s German Lopez explained that police unions are legally required to defend all of their members, even those accused of misconduct, which has “helped build a culture in which police feel they can get away with nearly anything.” [[Vox / German Lopez](] A possible path to UK citizenship for 3 million Hong Kong residents - On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK would admit nearly 3 million Hong Kong residents to the country on 12-month visas if China goes ahead with its plan to impose a draconian new national security law on the former British territory. [[NYT / Mark Landler](] - All Hongkongers who hold a British National (Overseas) passport would be included in the plan, which also includes a path to citizenship. Some 350,000 Hong Kong residents already hold a BNO passport, and about 2.6 million more are eligible for one. [[BBC](] - Johnson made the announcement in an op-ed published in both the Times of London and the South China Morning Post, where he described the policy as “one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history.” [[South China Morning Post / Boris Johnson](] - China is predictably displeased with Johnson’s offer. According to the Guardian, the country’s foreign ministry cautioned on Wednesday that the UK should “step back… otherwise there will be consequences.” [[Guardian / Emma Graham-Harrison, Lily Kuo, and Helen Davidson](] - Last week, China’s parliament endorsed a plan to proceed with drafting the security law, which would criminalize protesting and criticizing the Chinese government. The final law will likely be passed sometime this August. [[Washington Post / Anna Fifield](] MISCELLANEOUS Minnesota's attorney general has escalated the charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder. [[Minneapolis Star Tribune / Stephen Montemayor](] - Iowa Rep. Steve King, who was stripped of committee assignments last year after defending white supremacism, lost his primary Tuesday night. [[Politico / Ally Mutnick, James Arkin, Zach Montellaro, and Steven Shepard](] - Tear-gassing protesters could make the coronavirus pandemic worse. [[NYT / Mike Baker](] - How the "hero of Swann Street" helped 70 protesters avoid arrest in DC. [[NPR / Bill Chappell and Mano Sundaresan](] VERBATIM "I’ve seen this kind of violence. This is what autocrats do. This is what happens in countries before a collapse. It really does unnerve me." [[Former CIA analyst Gail Helt on Trump's handling of protests against police brutality / Washington Post](] LISTEN TO THIS [Even after Derek Chauvin was captured on video killing George Floyd, he could still get his job back.]( Even after the police killing of George Floyd was captured on video, the officers involved could still get their jobs back. BuzzFeed’s Melissa Segura explains how. [[Spotify / Sean Rameswaram](] [Read more from Vox](#) [Growing calls to “defund the police,” explained]( [The disturbing history of tear gas as the weapon of choice against protesters]( [#BlackoutTuesday derailed #BlackLivesMatter. A community organizer explains how to do better.]( [Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s tense meeting with Facebook employees: Here’s the transcript]( [A vaccine may not be enough to end the pandemic]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.