On 18 occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters. 14 of these alerts were related to the outbreak of rioting and destructive behavior in cities across the U.S.. In most cases, the rioting was at least "said" to be in response to the killing of George Floyd while being detained by Minneapolis police, as well as other claims of police brutality.
Most important for this report:
George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man, died on Monday evening after a white officer used his knee to pin Floyd's neck down to the ground for several minutes. Floyd can be heard on a bystander video repeatedly pleading with officers, saying "I can't breathe." He eventually goes motionless with the officer's knee still on his neck.
On Tuesday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified shortly after protests erupted in Minneapolis, which continued into Wednesday and Thursday.
On Thursday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an Executive Order activating the National Guard amid the increasingly violent and destructive protests. About 500 National Guard members, drawn from military police and other specialties, are assisting local governments in Minneapolis, St. Paul and their neighboring areas with handling the protests.
On Friday, Maj. Gen Jon Jensen of the MN National Guard told reporters that a "credible threat" against MN Nat'l Guard was relayed via the FBI, and that Guard members are now armed and able to defend themselves. This can be seen across the Minneapolis / St. Paul area with soldiers carrying loaded M-4 carbines.
Also on Friday, the mayors of Minneapolis, St. Paul and several other surrounding cities ordered curfews from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM through the weekend.
Since Tuesday, civil unrest and rioting has spread to numerous cities, including New York, Washington, DC., Atlanta, Detroit, Columbus, Louisville, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, San Jose, and Los Angeles.
PERSPECTIVE ON EVENTS
Every organization will have it's share of bad employees, and this includes police departments. The people of Minneapolis and elsewhere have the right to protest and express anger at police this tragic incident, heavy handedness and overreach. But as has been seen on innumerable occasions in the past, such protests rapidly progress from lawful gatherings outside of a city hall or capital building to the gleeful looting and destruction of local businesses, municipal property, private vehicles, the blocking of roads and freeways, as well as attacks on individuals completely unrelated to the original egregious behavior.
Also to be taken into consideration is the fact that this is an election year, and just as was demonstrated in 2016 in the weeks leading up to and immediately following the election of Donald Trump as President, left-leaning groups across America leveraged every opportunity to sow discord, destroy businesses, disrupt commerce, and stir up mayhem. The same cast of characters can be seen in the current civil unrest. Reading the signs carried by protesters tells the story.
Add into the mix the historically high unemployment rate brought about by the national response to the coronavirus and the overall desperation of millions of Americans whose lives have been turned upside down or whose businesses have been ruined.
With each of these factors, it is easy to see that we have the makings for a potentially very dangerous summer and autumn ahead, both on a local level as well as nationally. In desperate times, desperate people do desperate things.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
OFFICIAL CASE NUMBERS
World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control (U.S.)
Johns Hopkins CSSE (Interactive map updated multiple times daily)
WHO RISK OF SPREAD & IMPACT ASSESSMENT
China Very High
Regional Level Very High
Global Level Very High
PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE RESOURCES
White House
Guidelines for Opening Up America Again
Official Coronavirus Information Pages:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration
Public Health Agency of Canada
Infection Prevention and Control Canada
World Health Organization
Official Pandemic Preparedness Guidance:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Homeland Security / Ready.Gov
World Health Organization
DIY CLOTH MASK RESOURCES
Don't buy the masks online. At the present time, most retail masks are made in China anyhow. Make it at home.
CDC Homemade Cloth Face Coverings
Instructables DIY Cloth Face Mask
NYT How to Sew a Face Mask
The Olson Mask Pattern
Assorted Resources
(While some of the resources below were prepared for pandemic influenza, the broader guidance contain therein is directly applicable to the current coronavirus crisis).
Home Care for Patients w/ Suspected Coronavirus Infection
Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza
Fundamentals of Emergency Planning for Schools
Healthcare Systems Preparedness for COVID-19
Pub Health Guidance for Community-Level Preparedness & Response (SARS)
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
Faith-based & Community Org. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist
WHO Checklist for Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Planning
Get Your Workplace Ready for Pandemic Flu
Dept of Defense Coronavirus Response Page
DHS Supplemental Instructions For Inbound Flights
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AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.
