Political artist John Sims detained, handcuffed by S.C. police in his gallery apartment

[KG]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/political-artist-john-sims-detained-231800369.html

David A. Love
Sat, May 22, 2021, 7:18 PM
EXCLUSIVE: “While I am very glad to be alive I know many have never made it out alive,” John Sims tells theGrio.

A Black artist in Columbia, South Carolina was held at gunpoint, handcuffed and detained by police officers who thought he was an intruder in his own apartment and art gallery.

Artist and activist John Sims — a Detroit native and Sarasota, Florida resident whose work explores the Confederate flag and other symbols of white supremacy — is an artist-in-residence at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Columbia, next to the University of South Carolina.

Sims’ show AfroDixia: A Righteous Confiscation, which is on display at the 701 CCA until June 25, is part of a series of his work throughout the South, and a culmination of his 20-year project, Recoloration Proclamation. Featured in Sims’ exhibition in Columbia is Five Flags: A Group Hanging, which displays reimagined Confederate flags hanging from nooses on a gallows. The Confederate flag flew at the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia until 2015, after pro-Confederate gunman Dylann Roof killed eight Black members of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston......

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

RFN!

EfuckingNOUGH!

[Demovictory9]

38. Kick

[no_hypocrisy]

2. IMO, but for George Floyd, Sims could have been murdered by the police

before they found out he was legal resident of the apartment/art gallery.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Cops have killed hundreds of people since they murdered George Floyd.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Agreed, but it may have been a factor why this time they didn't shoot first.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. How so?

[no_hypocrisy]

9. First, nothing is 100%.

Next, after George Floyd, you can be sure that police procedures around the country were reviewed. Either a decision to continue to kill first/ask questions later or a decision to do it differently, say in reverse.

Next, there is the inherent threat of a municipality being burdened with wrongful death lawsuits. Insurance carriers for that municipality may have given marching orders to the police departments.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Lotta conjecture just to throw George Floyd's name around.

"Kill first/ask questions later" is not a police procedure to be reviewed. Lawsuits have little effect on police brutality.

[Dan]

41. But going to prison does....

[llashram]

45. _+

[stopdiggin]

50. So, your position is that

there has been no changes in approach or procedure since Floyd? Or you are objecting to another poster's supposition that there might be?

No data here but I think it is fair to conjecture that considerable increased attention and scrutiny has had some effect. Perhaps grudgingly (on the part of some) -- but it's hard to imagine an organization or culture in which it would garner no effect at all.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

68. I'm pushing back on the idea that cops thinking about what happened to Derek Chauvin

is going to change their actions in a meaningful way across the country, and that tweaks in procedure are going to make a measurable difference. It hasn't happened before; I don't see why it would happen now. And I mean, I get it -- people desperately want George Floyd's death to mean something. But decades of reform in the Minneapolis Police Department didn't prevent his murder; I fully expect reforms in discussion across the country to have little effect on the actions of cops as well.

[soldierant]

59. According to Beau of the Fifth Column,

New York just legislated police best practices. Took the best practice policy and encoded it into law. That gives them teeth, So , even though in one way it changes nothing, it opens paths to recourse.

[quaint]

3. "When a police culture suffocates the voice of justice,

...why should I trust the police with my body? Why? If resisting and cooperating bring the same outcome — death — what am I to do, especially if good cops cannot stand up to bad cops?"

[SheltieLover]

6. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[GoCubsGo]

8. That figures...

I really hate this fucking state. Got to get out of here...

[wnylib]

27. I have a RW cousin who lives in SC.

I maintain a relationship with him because we were close as children and he is not rabid RW. But, he wants me to go there to visit at the end of June and I don't want to set foot anywhere in SC.

When I was a teen, I spent a summer just outside of Charleston with my brother, his wife, and their 2 kids. My brother was stationed there in the Navy. That summer was enough for me to never want to be there again.

[stopdiggin]

51. tell your cousin that

you can present it as 'humorous, jokin' around' -- 'don't really feel all that safe' -- but then stick with the decision not to go. The 'message' tends to sink in over time ...

[wnylib]

54. I think I will use a health angle.

I am vaccinated, but don't feel comfortable about flying or long distance travel in general. Breakthrough infections are rare in the general public but when they do occur, they are more common among seniors and women more than men. I am a 71 year old woman with secondary health issues that would make an infection serious if it did happen.

Plus, it would be hard to find a place to board my cat while I was away.

He wanted me to visit for 2 weeks and then return to NY by car with him when he and his wife go to PA (near the NY border where I live) to visit her family.

I will plead health and cat obstacles.

[stopdiggin]

55. whatever works

I have/had relations that lived in Texas -- and even though it meant a free (or very inexpensive) vacation -- I was just never very enthusiastic about the state, or wanting to visit. Sorry, cuz!

[DFW]

11. Every time I visit Charleston

I have to constantly remind myself that Central Charleston is no more typical of the rest of South Carolina than Dallas is representative of rural Texas.

[jaxexpat]

15. You may be surprised.

There's very little high-mindedness or gentility and intellectual honesty is rarely allowed in many of those well-kempt and colorful manors south of Broad Street. Except for their bank balances these people very much resemble their more bucolic neighbors up the rivers.

[DFW]

16. I guess that shouldn't surprise me.

I‘m usually there only 6 days a year and only interact with a like-minded crowd.

[Crunchy Frog]

12. Was it really a mistake, or was it an act of deliberate political intimidation? nt

[Merlot]

13. That was my first thought as well

[wnylib]

28. And mine, too. I lean toward thinking it

was deliberate intimidation.

[yardwork]

32. Interesting timing, isn't it? During his art exhibition.

[sop]

35. Yeah, it seems like too much of a coincidence. I'd bet the local cops weren't too happy about this

liberal, black "agitator" from out of state.

[MustLoveBeagles]

42. You read my mind

[StarfishSaver]

14. Another isolated incident that doesn't mean anything

We don't know the whole story, so we can't assume the cops did anything wrong. So let's instead assume that Sims deserved to be treated like a criminal and to be put in fear of his life unless and until we see conclusive proof that the cops shouldn't have done what they did.

Because it would be wrong to take sides at this point, right?

[malaise]

17. Oh FFS

Don't you get tired - same shit with Professor Gates back when Obama was president.

[Roy Rolling]

19. Yes, it's Maddening

But when we can be deliberately maddened by our opponents then it is we who are weak.

It’s a TV show to some of these police, they watch too much FoxNews and have become transformed into cowards.

Police should be brave, not fearful. The whole right-wing media assault is to make people fearful. So becoming terrorized by police terrorists isn’t the response, non-violence is the response as shared by MLK, Jr.

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. Do not respond to morons who act out for the cameras. Let them be processed by the criminal justice system like the millions of others they terrorize.

[11 Bravo]

34. Ummm, I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm.

[sop]

36. This site needs a sarcasm font.

[vanlassie]

40. Like.....

Like this....... 😉

[Beartracks]

49. See? And then you would have been able to type THAT in a sarcasm font!

=============

[StarfishSaver]

47. Some comments don't need a sarcasm font

[sheshe2]

61. + 1000

[twodogsbarking]

70. Some people on DU don't understand sarcasm,

or humor. Having to explain sarcasm loses the entire idea.

[StarfishSaver]

71. Most people get it.

Most others pretty quickly figure it out. Some people will never get it.

Can't please everyone.

Not sure what the big deal is or why folks are so worried about whether I choose to insert a certain emoji into one of my posts. Anyone who thinks a post needs to be explained to someone who might not get it can explain it. Problem solved.

[twodogsbarking]

72. People are puzzling;

no sarcasm.

[malaise]

39. Yes you're right

[sheshe2]

60. She was being facetious, malaise.

You need to read a lot more of her posts. She is a good solid poster on DU.

I like her a lot.

[malaise]

67. See #39

and I do read all her posts-snapped

[Maru Kitteh]

18. Yup. He might have been wearing a burglar uniform, you know, like

a hoodie or something. And he could have even been holding something of value in his hands! He might even have AIR FRESHENERS.

[paleotn]

23. Sure he wasn't dressed like this?

BDU's for burglars everywhere.

[Maru Kitteh]

25. Only a trusty Red Ryder will save you.

[sheshe2]

65. The 'burglar uniform' was his skin color. nt

[paleotn]

21. Ha! That's about how it stands right now.

Innocence until proof of guilt only works for white people. And for much of our history, only certain white people. Flip that around for brown people in 21st century Amurka.

[Thtwudbeme]

22. Maybe you should read the article

and that will help your perspective.

[paleotn]

24. sarcasm.

[yardwork]

33. That's about it, right?

Same old same old.

[Buckeyeblue]

20. They picked the wrong person to fuck with...

His entire body of work has prepared him creatively for this. I look forward to his response.

[rickford66]

26. His arrest video should be part of the exhibition.

[Warpy]

29. "Nazis or white supremacists"

Sounds like he knew exactly who they were, well, a good 50% of the time these days.

Cuffing somebody who is half asleep and offering no resistance when there is no evidence of a crime is insane. That policy needs to be altered.

Screaming orders without listening is a policy that needs to be altered.

Forgetting to lock the doors at night is a policy I'm pretty sure Sims will alter.

I'm just glad no one was hurt this time.

[csziggy]

48. According to Sims, they did not identify themselves as police officers

Just came in and started barking orders - and preventing him from taking pictures or recording the incident. Sims is very lucky he's alive.

[Marthe48]

30. I'm glad Mr. Sims is not dead

I read that during chauvin's trial, police across the U.S. shot a black person every day. Some of the victims only appearance on the national consciousness will happen because of the diligence of private citizens witnessing, collecting evidence and speaking up, or professional reporters reporting the facts of the crime. Unfortunately, most of the victims of police violence against people of color will be news for a day and then forgotten.

I don't want to minimize those deaths, but I think if Mr. Sims had been murdered by police, his published work, and the displays across the South would not die with him. I hope he continues working and raising consciousness.

[llashram]

31. who called the GD police!

this shit is getting old. Someone wanting to see a n***** killed? For their pleasure. AmeriKKKa really sucks sometimes. Especially for Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, et al...patience is a virtue? Tell that to all subject to American exceptionalism since 1619.

[sop]

37. Like swatting, racially motivated police reports should be considered a crime.

It's just another form of hate crime.

[llashram]

46. I concur

[RVN VET71]

43. No one called the police.

According to the report, the police happened by the building and noticed a door that had been wedged open. They entered prepared to find perps inside doing crimes. Up to the point they out ‘cuffs on the artist, it looked like they were doing what police do: investigating and apprehending. Even putting him in handcuffs was probably normal procedure. But the police refusal to allow him to take pics of the cops was clearly and obviously wrong -- especially after they realized that he was not only not doing anything wrong but was actually “home.”

I also have to wonder that the cops didn’t think that maybe, since the artist was sleeping when they rousted him and ultimately found out who he was, maybe there was an actual perp in the building.

I totally agree with the person who decried the yelling. What the fuck is proved by screaming at a suspect? Oh, yeah, it puts them off guard, right? So then you can tell them to do specific things in a rapid fire way that confuses them and gives you some kind of “right” to murder them. Again, the artist kept his cool while the cops seemed to be coming unhinged.

There was a case in Detroit involving a guy showing a girl a b.b. pistol in his hotel room. Some asshole had seen him with the pistol and called the cops who rushed to the scene, all Armied-up, dragged him out of his room and proceeded to bark orders at him while the poor guy, terrified, pleaded with them not to kill him. The screaming cop ordered him to lie still on the floor and crawl to him but not to move -- get it? How in hell do you move and not move? The guy raised his head, crying. The fucking pig murdered him for disobeying his contradictory orders. The police, of course, upheld the murder as righteous. For a fucking b.b. pistol! (The victim was Caucasian for what its worth.)

[llashram]

44. yeah, yeah

thanks

[stopdiggin]

53. you asked who called the gd police

poster gave the proper answer. pointed to the things done wrong by LE (here and in other situations). why the diss?

[sheshe2]

62. Actually?

It could be anger, frustration and a deep sadness that this happens over and over again.

I know I feel all those.

[stopdiggin]

64. point -(nt)-

[sheshe2]

66. Thanks.

[llashram]

74. you see it that way

I gave my thanks and while that person is entitled to an opinion, answer, so am I. Why is my business what you would see as your need to attack me?

[stopdiggin]

75. because you asked a question

(that was clearly answered in the reporting, had you bothered to read)
And then when that answer was provided to your query -- you backhanded it away with a dismissive "yeah, yeah, thanks."

No attack. Just questioning why that would be your response? Sorry if the answer wasn't one you wanted to hear, but that's what happens when you pose a question on a forum. People answer.
------ -------- ------

[Marcuse]

52. I'm glad he did not exercise the 2nd A/stand your ground/a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...

The best way to survive an abusive police contact is to consider yourself a prisoner of war; unless survival is just not enough anymore and you are ready to die. Resistance at that point in time is futile.

[sheshe2]

63. That did not help...

[b110 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police

snip

Most recently, officers with the Mesquite Police Department in Texas shot and killed Ashton Pinke on May 4 following what his family lawyer says should have been a wellness check by authorities. Instead, police claimed the 27-year-old Pinke charged at them “with a knife and a club,” purportedly leaving the officers no choice but to shoot to kill.
Pinke’s name joins a long list of other Black men and boys killed by the police, including but certainly not limited to: Tamir Rice; Botham Shem Jean; E.J. Bradford; and Michael Brown. But two of the most recent names that can tragically be included in this deadly equation are Michael Dean, a 28-year-old father who police shot in the head on Dec. 3, 2019, and Jamee Johnson, a 22-year-old HBCU student who police shot to death after a questionable traffic stop on Dec. 14, 2019.

One of the most distressing parts of this seemingly nonstop string of police killings of Black people is the fact that more times than not, the officer involved in the shooting can hide behind the claim that they feared for their lives — even if the victim was shot in the back, as has become the case for so many deadly episodes involving law enforcement. In a handful of those cases — such as Antwon Rose, a 13-year-old boy killed in Pittsburgh, and Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old killed in Sacramento,both of whom were unarmed — the officers either avoided being criminally charged altogether or were acquitted despite damning evidence that the cops’ lives were not threatened and there was no cause for them to resort to lethal force or any violence for that matter.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been retained in so many of these cases, described the above scenarios in his new book, “Open Season,” as the “genocide” of Black people.

As NewsOne continues covering these shootings that so often go ignored by mainstream media, the below running list (in no certain order) of Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police under suspicious circumstances can serve as a tragic reminder of the dangers Black and brown citizens face upon being born into a world of hate that has branded them as suspects since birth.

Scroll down to learn more about the Black men and boys who have lost their lives to police violence.


https://newsone.com/playlist/black-men-boy-who-were-killed-by-police/

[llashram]

76. +

[IcyPeas]

56. *HERE'S THE CLIP: * OF his arrest on youtube:

it is also in the OP linked article: The door to the gallery was wide open and cops thought it may be a robbery. He was handcuffed for 8 minutes before he was released.

[Martin68]

57. You can't make this stuff up. The police just keep fucking up and being racist.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

69. Feature, not a bug.

[StarfishSaver]

73. And people still keep giving cops the benefit of the doubt

Because they'd rather assume the Black people they killed were criminals who deserved to be summarily executed than to admit that the white cops who killed them did anything wrong.

Their first and strongest instinct is to circle the wagons and defend their own skinfolk, regardless the facts.

[Martin68]

77. You're right. And that's because they are afraid of big black men (and little children and women).

[BobTheSubgenius]

58. Sometimes an incident becomes a cause celebre...sometimes it sinks with nary a ripple.

Eventually, they ALL sink without a ripple. Some just flounder on the surface longer beforehand. Think of all the cases we've read in the last....say, five years. Some were shouted about, inspired marches, and sometimes, unfortunately, a few people got out of hand and committed violence.

Being that the common thread seems to be (SEEMS!!! HAH!!!!!) violence perpetrated against them by uniformed authority, I can understand the emotions that make them want to strike back. But that only seems to create backlash, and it's very hard to find a justification that's air-tight. so we're left with a bad version of whataboutism.

But...given all of that...all the "authorized" violence, the racism and the "unauthorized" violence it engenders and then all the reactive movements on the other side - what has changed? A bunch of people on both sides are angrier, some more are dead, many people suffer economic loss, and the media gets to wring its collective hands and wonder where it's all leading.

Not back to August of 1963. Of that, I'm sure.