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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 29 July 2020
Barr says unrest not linked to Floyd, defends feds’ response

Continued from Front rights icon Rep. John Lewis,
acknowledged to lawma-
Among those actions is the kers Floyd’s death struck a
Justice Department’s deci- chord in the Black commu-
sion to drop the prosecu- nity because it reinforced
tion of former Trump admi- concerns Black people are
nistration national security treated differently by po-
adviser Michael Flynn and lice. But he condemned
Barr’s urging for a more le- Americans who he says
nient sentence for Trump have responded inappro-
ally Roger Stone, a move priately to Floyd’s death
that prompted the en- through what he said was
tire trial team’s departure. rioting and anarchy.
Trump later commuted the “As elected officials of the
sentence entirely. federal government, every
Opening the hearing, com- member of this committee
mittee Chairman Jerry Na- — regardless of your poli-
dler said the Trump admi- tical views or your feelings
nistration had “twisted the about the Trump admini-
Department of Justice into stration — should condemn
a shadow of its former self,” violence against federal
serving the powerful be- officers and destruction
fore average Americans. of federal property,” Barr
He said the committee has Int his July 24, 2020, file photo Federal officers use chemical irritants and projectiles to disperse said. “So should state and
a responsibility to protect Black Lives Matter protesters near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore. local leaders who have a
Associated Press
Americans “from that kind responsibility to keep their
of corruption.” to show an eight-minute vi- recent actions on policing pears to be your agenda communities safe.”
Nadler said Barr had “ai- deo that spliced together or otherwise. Fuming De- today.” On policing, Barr’s Civil unrest escalated in
ded and abetted” Trump’s images of violence by pro- mocrats often used their testimony underscores the Portland after federal
worst impulses and excoria- testers around the country, five minutes to lay out their Justice Department’s on- agents were accused of
ted him and the Justice De- showcasing law enforce- frustrations and cut him off going effort to differenti- whisking people away in
partment for turning a blind ment officers under attack as he attempted to answer ate between increasing unmarked cars without
eye to necessary reforms in Chicago, Portland and questions. “Many of the violence in some cities and probable cause; the peop-
to police departments, for New York. The images were Democrats on this Commit- Floyd’s death, which has le were detained and later
dismissing Black Lives Mat- cut from hundreds of hours tee have attempted to dis- led to state charges against released. And in Washing-
ter protests and for flooding of racial injustice footage credit me by conjuring up four officers and is under ton, D.C., peaceful protes-
streets with federal agents of largely peaceful protests a narrative that I am simply investigation by federal ters were violently cleared
to stop protesters. around the nation. the President’s factotum authorities. Massive but from the streets by fede-
Republicans hit back hard Under combative questio- who disposes of criminal peaceful demonstrations ral officers using smoke
in defense of Barr and ning, Barr acerbically de- cases according to his in- followed Floyd’s death in bombs and pepper balls
Trump’s administration. The fended himself but revea- structions,” Barr said in his May. The attorney general, last month before a photo
top Republican on the pa- led little new information opening statement. “Jud- speaking as Congress and op by Trump in front of St.
nel, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, about his motivations or ging from the letter inviting the public pay respects in John’s church, where Barr
used his opening statement the Justice Department’s me to this hearing, that ap- the Capitol to the late civil had accompanied him.q

California Indian tribe gets back Big Sur ancestral landsa

BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — A Na- by the early 1800s. the property was put up for
tive American tribe has re- "It is beyond words for us, sale by the family of Axel
claimed a small part of an- the highest honor," said Tom Adler, a Swedish immigrant
cestral lands on California's Little Bear Nason, chairman who bought it in the 1950s
scenic Big Sur coast that of the tribe. "The land is the and died in 2004.
were lost to Spanish colo- most important thing to us. The Portland, Oregon-
nial settlement nearly 250 It is our homeland, the cre- based Western Rivers Con-
years ago. ation story of our lives. We servancy initially negotiat-
The Esselen Tribe of Mon- are so elated and grateful." ed to purchase the proper-
terey County closed es- The land lies on the north ty and transfer it to the U.S.
crow on 1,199 acres (485 side of the Little Sur River, Forest Service. But some
hectares) about 5 miles (8 where endangered steel- area residents were con-
kilometers) inland from the head fish spawn, and en- cerned about potential in-
ocean that was part of a compasses old-growth creased use of the land by
$4.5 million deal involving redwoods, oak woodlands visitors and the agency's
the state and the Western and meadows. ability to care for the land. This undated photo provided by the Western Rivers Conservancy
Rivers Conservancy, The "The property is spectacu- The conservancy then start- shows lupines on the Adler Ranch in Big Sur on the coast of
Mercury News reported lar, and on top of that it ed working with the Esselen California south of Monterey.
Monday. repatriates land to a tribe Tribe and received a $4.5 Associated Press
It marks the first restoration that has had a really hard million grant from the Cali-
of any lands to the tribe, go of it over the years," said fornia Natural Resources The money came from a petitive grants to acquire
which lost 90% of its approx- Sue Doroff, president of the Agency to cover the $4.35 2018 voter-approved parks Native American natural,
imately 1,000 members to conservancy. million purchase price and and water bond that in- cultural and historic re-
disease and other causes Known as Rancho Aguila, pay for land studies. cluded $60 million for com- sources in California.q