#Hamas fighters in #Gaza claim that they shot down an Israeli #helicopter who was trying to rescue injured #IDF soldiers and then destroyed the vehicles moved in to help the passengers.
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia performed the 1st ever audit of LAPD's #helicopter program. "Our audit’s findings strongly suggest that the LAPD’s current use of helicopters causes significant harm to the community without meaningful or reliable assessment of the benefits it may or may not deliver". https://controller.lacity.gov/landings/lapd-helicopters
@nocontexttrek Ah, the ol' manually operated #helicopter wipers, but activated by a switch! That was a big feature back then before true automatic wipers were introduced. You got someone clinging to the side of your #chopper ready to actuate the wiper arm when you flip the control.
(Watch closely in the film and you can see a production assistant's finger sneak into frame as they move the wiper for @georgetakei's reaction.)
Dozens of #protesters showed up at the Seattle International District Union Station on Saturday, for a planned march to the Seattle Police Officers Guild #SPOG, demanding JUSTICE for #JaahnaviKandula#JusticeforJaahnavi
Relatives of victims of the Seattle #Police Department spoke before the beginning of the march, while car and bike brigades began organizing in the background. Pictured directly above and behind the parking lot where the car brigade was organizing, (3) Seattle Police officers are seen looking down at protesters. Not-journalist Jonathan Choe was also buzzing around in skin-colored flip flops with plaid shorts, expertly recording footage using a cell phone.
After marching down 5th Ave S, the group changed over to 4th Ave S. While largely uneventful of serious problems, a continuous stream of vehicles traveling south on 4th Ave S drove into oncoming traffic to go around the #protest at one point including a full size #Darigold semi-truck #281100, with trailer, middle-aged white female driver, putting many at risk.
While most drivers behind the protest were not a problem, another middle-aged white woman with braided hair and a wooden cross swinging from their rearview mirror, in a silver Subaru Crosstrek or Outback, repeatedly and aggressively accelerated toward the rear of the car brigade, while honking and stomping their brakes over and over. This went on for some time.
Also at an eastbound facing intersection a Seattle Department of Transportation #SDOT truck #34202 XMT61730D with trailer purposely laid on a very loud airhorn for what seemed like at least a full minute, in an attempt to disrupt the march to SPOG.
After arriving at SPOG #activists and victims spoke of the Seattle Police Department #SPD and other local city departments, taking turns using megaphones speaking about tragedies involving loved ones. Victims and activists voiced calls for police accountability and plans to functionally transform police interactions. Candles were assembled in the shape of a heart on the ground in front of SPOG but had difficulty staying lit, partially due to the on-off rain that was occurring.
Meanwhile a #drone appeared above the gathering, possibly a DJI Mavic. It was speculated to be either from SPOG or Not-journalist Jonathan Choe. Then an unknown police or media #helicopter circled from above a countless amount of times, creating a distraction for some. We believe this to be the same helicopter that kept making passes above Union Station earlier. Also an unknown-to-us media company continued to hover around with large cameras, which eventually created a disturbance.
At the beginnings of getting dark with increasing rain, the march began heading back northbound on 4th Ave S, and was largely similar to what occurred when previously traveling southbound. Albeit what seemed like less traffic due to diminishing sunlight. While expected honks occurred from some #motorists at one point a female driver in what we believe was a newer dark colored KIA sedan asked what the protest was about. About 4-5 minutes later the driver became irate and started creating a scene, although nothing serious occurred. With the sun fully down and increasing rain, the march ended not far from the Union Station on 4th Ave S. The car and bike brigades went their separate ways, and protesters dispersed into the dark Seattle streets.
09/25 edit: Added additional protesters photo and additional photo of King County Transit Service Supervisor SUV. This SUV was generally ahead of marchers by about a city block. Unclear purpose as they didn't seem to manage anything.
Taking to the air rather than the road may soon be possible in Paris: an electric air taxi service is in the pipeline and could be launched during the 2024 Olympic Games.
While the aircraft and the first vertiport are ready, the promoters still have to convince the authorities and regulators.
But what will the service actually look like? Euronews visited Europe's first vertiport, a test terminal just outside of Paris.
I reside in #Colorado, and have been photographing the wild #herds that roam the state's #PublicLands for a few years now. In 2021, I became heavily invested in this issue when I got word in that my local herd in #SandWashBasin was going to be rounded up. To me, it felt personal – I had to do something.
Together with advocates and local and national organizations, we worked hard to put a stop to the #roundup. We garnered national media attention and got the ear of state and federal officials who tried to compel the Bureau of Land Management (#BLM) to call off the operation. Ultimately, the operation proceeded, but I take some solace in the fact that less #horses were removed, and the agency told us that this herd will likely never face a #helicopter stampede again.
Russian Ka-52 helicopter crashes over Sea of Azov (www.pravda.com.ua)
On Friday, 1 September, a Russian Ka-52 combat helicopter crashed in the Sea of Azov; preliminary data says two pilots were rescued.