What To Know Today
Armed protests tick up as the presence of guns is linked to a higher chance of violence. Events where demonstrators carried firearms were about six times more likely than unarmed demonstrations to be violent, according to an analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety and Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. The report identified at least 560 events in the last 18 months where attendants carried guns. One out of every six armed protests turned violent, compared to one in every 37 protests without guns. Moreover, after a brief decline following the Capitol insurrection, the share of armed protests nationwide doubled from February to June. “This is the first time since our coverage began at the start of 2020 that we’ve seen such a continuous increase for so many months in a row,” Roudabeh Kishi, director of research and innovation at ACLED, told USA Today. “The last time we recorded a steady rise in armed demonstration activity like this, it culminated in the attack on the Capitol.” The dataset also noted more than 100 armed protests that took place at government buildings since 2020, 12 of which turned violent. [Everytown provides grants to The Trace. Here’s our list of major donors and our policy on editorial independence.]
Far-right Proud Boys chairman sentenced to five month in jail. Enrique Tarrio pleaded guilty to destruction of property for burning a church’s Black Lives Matter flag in Washington, D.C., and illegally possessing a high-capacity magazine in the city. He was arrested two days before the January 6 insurrection on a warrant related to the December 12 flag-burning incident, when officers searched Tarrio’s car and found high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. “Mr. Tarrio has intentionally and proudy crossed the line from peaceful protest and assembly to dangerous and potentially violent criminal conduct,” the DC Superior Court judge said Monday in announcing the 155-day sentence. Tarrio has two weeks to turn himself in.
Counter-protesters in Portland, Oregon, violently harass journalists. Yesterday, we covered the far-right rally that led to violent clashes between right- and left-wing protesters, saw almost no police involvement, and ended in people exchanging gunfire on the city’s streets. Independent video journalist Ford Fischer unearthed an incident in which far-left protesters threatened to smash several journalists’ video cameras and assaulted journalist Maranie R. Staab while yelling misogynistic slurs. Related: Amid widespread criticism for a lack of stronger police presence, Portland’s mayor released a statement defending the official response and how it “mitigated confrontation” and “minimized the impact of the weekend’s events to Portlanders,” leaving protesters to confront each other. Meanwhile, police were seeking another shooter or shooters involved in the burst of gunfire that led to one man’s arrest.
“There is hope for the city”: Chicagoans working to prevent gun violence discuss causes and solutions. WBEZ spoke with residents from several different backgrounds and jobs amid an ongoing pandemic shooting surge. “You have a lot of men and women out here that’s working to curb this violence,” said anti-violence advocate Anthony Chestnut, one of six people profiled. Separately in Chicago: Last year, police pledged that higher ups would sign off on overtime requests. But that’s largely not happening, according to records obtained by the South Side Weekly. Police overtime hit $177 million in 2020 and at least $150 million so far this year.
Latest U.S. sanctions on Russia include a ban on permanent imports of certain guns. The State Department announced the step as part of a package of sanctions related to the Russian Federation’s suspected poisoning and attempted assassination of Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny. The sanctions will be in place for at least one year and are expected to go into effect on September 7.
Data Point
At least 12 — the number of Missouri law enforcement officers who have withdrawn from joint state-federal gun violence task forces due to an incoming state law that would penalize agencies with up to $50,000 fines if their officers help enforce federal gun laws. [Department of Justice court filing]
