Fayette Factor: Buffalo

The Fayette Factor 2020 marches on.

Early on the morning of Friday, June 4, 2020, I tweeted notice of the significant "on this date" 195th anniversary of the naming of Lafayette Square in Buffalo. I noted the link, "George Floyd and the Fayette Factor: Fayetteville to Lafayette Square, from June 2, 2020, in my tweet.

Buffalo Incident

Lafayette Square is laid out in Joseph Ellicott's Buffalo city plan. The square is located three blocks east of Niagara Square and is the second most important space in downtown Buffalo. In 1825 American Revolutionary War veteran and French General Lafayette visited this square during his historic tour of the United States and gave a speech in the square. He spoke on a platform in front of the Eagle Tavern, a highly regarded hotel in its day, on June 4 as part of ceremonies to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the war. 

That same year, 1825, Buffalo carried out its last official public hanging when brothers Israel, Isaac and Nelson Thayer were hanged for murdering John Love, which some accounts say occurred in the square, while others say it was at Niagara Square. 

June 4 would turn out to be an important date for Buffalo in terms of the nationwide demonstrations.

On June 4, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in New York state, a curfew began in Buffalo, and police formed lines to sweep through the area.
At the Niagara Square, two Buffalo police officers shoved a 75-year old man who approached them. The man stumbled backwards and fell. The back of his head hit the pavement, knocking him unconscious, as blood flowed from his head. Nearby police appeared to walk past the injured man. The victim was taken to a hospital in serious condition where he was treated for a concussion and laceration.
The department issued an initial statement claiming that during a "skirmish involving protestors, one person was injured when he tripped & fell". Video of the incident was uploaded to Twitter and quickly became viral.
Police Commissioner Bryan Lockwood suspended two police officers without pay, and Mayor Byron Brown initiated an investigation.
As a result of the suspensions of the two officers, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association, a police union, expressed its displeasure by declaring on June 5 that it would not pay any legal fees to defend any other Buffalo police officers for incidents related to the protests. The police union's president claimed that the suspended officers "were simply following orders" and "simply doing their job", while also saying that the victim "did slip".
All 57 police officers from the Emergency Response Team resigned from the team, although they did not resign from the department. According to the police union's president, the mass resignations were a show of solidarity with the two suspended officers. Source notes citations.

Niagara Square is located three blocks from Lafayette Square, Buffalo, New York.

The Lafayette Square Photo Op

Police, military police, park police, and rangers clear out the peaceful demonstrators from Lafayette Square, for the photo op walk and Bible posing.

The Buffalo incident followed the widely discussed and photographed events at Lafayette Park/Square in Washington D.C. 

On June 1, 2020, President Trump went to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, whose basement had been damaged by fire, and posed for pictures in front of it holding up a Bible. To clear the route so that he could walk there, police and national guardsmen had used tearing agents in smoke devices (perhaps "tear gas"), rubber bullets, and flash grenades to clear a crowd of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square, resulting in significant news coverage and denunciation by the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

See also, "The battle of Lafayette Square and the undermining of American democracy," Robert Kagan, Saturday, June 6, 2020, Brookings Press.

As of June 7, 2020, at least 19 people have died during the protests. Sixteen of the casualties died of gunshot wounds. Wikipedia is keeping a running total of deaths and injuries to the protestors, here.

Jokers Shall Quietly Repeat

There was a "High School Scare" on Halloween 2019, at the High School for Arts and Business, Corona, Queens, New York. The site is a former bowling alley changed to educational facility. 

Corona = crown 

This makes one think of "king," as in the dark subplot in Joker involving Robert De Niro [Italian: southern variant of Nero, from niro, niru 'black' (Latin niger)]. The "King of Comedy" indirectly returns from his earlier movie.

===

November 1, 2019 article in New York Post.

As of November 10, 2019, Joker has grossed $313.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $673 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $986.5 million. It is the seventh highest-grossing film of 2019 and the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

As of November 8, 2019, with Joker's global cumulative total of $953 million, DC Films and Warner Bros.’ Joker is the most profitable comic book movie of all time.

In 2012, Joker and his copycats killed many people. In reality.

In 2019, Joker mostly made a killing at the box-office.

"We may be through with the past, but the past is never through with us." 

~ Narrator, Magnolia, 1999, Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Are we done with the Joker's past in the future?

“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” 

― Edmund Burke

“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it” 

― Sara Shepard

“Those unable to catalog the past are doomed to repeat it.” 

― Lemony Snicket

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." 

― George Santayana

"I've got news for Mr. Santayana: we're doomed to repeat the past no matter what. That's what it is to be alive.” 

― Kurt Vonnegut

Clinton: Four Dead in Mississippi

Clinton, Mississippi police were called to Foxhill Drive around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, February 16, 2019, following reports of a domestic disturbance at the residence. The situation soon escalated as officers received gunfire from the suspect when they arrived.

Law enforcement officers, over 50 in number, surrounded the house, as a hostage situation developed. At 11 a.m., children were released. At 12:30 p.m., gunfire was heard inside the home. About 90 minutes later, police discovered four people were dead. And they soon arrested the gunman. 

No identifying information has been released yet. (Watch for updates.)

This incident happened a day after the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, which left five employees of Henry Pratt Co. dead and six police officers injured. (See Aurora Effect Again.)

Clinton Name Game

The name Clinton is an English name, with a meaning that is: "Settlement on a hill," or "from the headland estate."

In the United States, historically, most place names given the name "Clinton" are due to DeWitt Clinton. His role in the construction of the Erie Canal created accessible Eastern seaboard markets for Midwestern agriculture and he was widely admired by settlers, especially those hailing from New York. Some of these places may have been named for both DeWitt Clinton and his uncle George Clinton, the fourth vice president in the USA, an important figure in the founding of the United States.

Several counties, cities, and towns are named after DeWitt Clinton:

Clinton County, Illinois
Clinton County, Indiana
Clinton County, Iowa
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County, Michigan
Clinton County, Missouri
Clinton County, Pennsylvania
DeWitt County, Illinois
Clinton Charter Township, Michigan
Clinton Township, Lenawee County, Michigan
City of Clinton, Arkansas
City of Clinton, Indiana
City of Clinton, Illinois
City of Clinton, Iowa
City of Clinton, Missouri
City of Clinton, Mississippi
Community of Clinton, Pennsylvania
City of DeWitt, Arkansas
City of DeWitt, Iowa
Town of Clinton, Louisiana
Town of Clinton, Massachusetts
City of DeWitt, Michigan
Town of Clinton, New Jersey
Town of Clinton, Rock County, Wisconsin
Village of Clinton, Lenawee County, Michigan
Village of DeWitt, Illinois
Village of Clinton, Wisconsin
Village of Clintonville, KY
Town of Clinton, Connecticut
Town of Port Clinton, Ohio

Freemason and Society of the Cincinnati Member

DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769 – February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist who served as a United States Senator, Mayor of New York City and sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal. Clinton was a major candidate for the American presidency in the election of 1812, challenging incumbent James Madison.

Clinton was a York Rite Freemason. He founded the New York Free School Society, forerunner of the public school system of education established in 1842 and also offered a $1000 reward for information on William Morgan during the (anti-Masonic) Morgan Affair (d. 1826).

He was initiated in the "Holland" Lodge No. 16 (now No 8), NY on September 3, 1790, and in 1806 he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York Clinton was essential in establishing the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in the United States, serving as its first, second, and third Grand Master from 1816-1828.. He retained this title until his death in 1828.

In 1813, Clinton became a hereditary member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati in succession to his brother, Lieutenant Alexander Clinton, who was an original member of the society. Each officer may be represented by only one descendant at any given time, following the rules of primogeniture.

The concept of the Society of the Cincinnati was that of Major General Henry Knox. The first meeting of the Society was held in May 1783 at a dinner at Mount Gulian (Verplanck House) in Fishkill, New York, before the British evacuation from New York City. The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, and the participants agreed to stay in contact with each other after the war. Membership was generally limited to officers who had served at least three years in the Continental Army or Navy; it included officers of the French Army and Navy above certain ranks.

George Washington was elected the first President General of the Society. He served from December 1783 until his death in 1799. The second President General was Alexander Hamilton.

The Society of the Cincinnati continues to the present, and some call it "George Washington's secret society."

A specially commissioned [Society of the Cincinnati] "Eagle" worn by President General George Washington was presented to Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 during his grand tour of the United States. This badge remained in possession of the Lafayette family until sold at auction on December 11, 2007, for 5.3 million USD by Lafayette's great-great granddaughter. Together with what are believed to be the original ribbon and red leather box, the badge was purchased by the Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation for display in Lafayette's bedroom at Chateau La Grange, his former home, thirty miles east of Paris; it may also be displayed at Mount Vernon, Washington's former home in Virginia. This was one of three eagles known to have been owned by Washington, who most often wore the "diamond eagle," a diamond-encrusted badge given him by the French matelots (sailors). That diamond eagle continues to be passed down to each President General of the Society of the Cincinnati as part of his induction into office.

The Cincinnati Eagle is displayed in various places of public importance, including in Fountain Square in Cincinnati (named for the Society), Ohio, alongside the American and municipal flags. The flag of the Society displays blue and white stripes and a dark blue canton (containing a circle of 14 stars around the Cincinnati Eagle, representing the fourteen subsidiary societies, one each in the thirteen original States and France) in the upper corner next to the hoist. 

Mounds, Murders, and Mayhem

The mass shooting in Cincinnati's Fountain Square on September 6, 2018, caused some re-examination of the links between mass violence and mounds. Others have noted a connection between mounts and the Society of the Cincinnati.

Examples of Clinton in the news

The media-driven violence often pinpoints suicides and shootings in Clinton locations, just as they do with Fayette sites.

Almost exactly a year ago, on February 19, 2018, a "Clinton" location was the site of a dramatic suicide. A 26-year-old woman jumped from the 28th floor of a 39-story Hell’s Kitchen building at 6:50 a.m.. The woman, whose name was not released, plummeted from Clinton Towers on W. 54th St. at 11th Ave. and died at the scene.

Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas mass murderer, was born in Clinton, Iowa. On October 1, 2017, the death toll was 58 people being killed, over 500 injured. Police report the gunman, Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, who was holded up on the 32th floor in the Mandalay Hotel, died by suicide.

Prestige Limo Crash: #HolyHex

What does it mean?

The Hex sign on the side of the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie County, New York, towards which the limousine was heading, when it shot to the right and crashed.

"Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood."

A prominent site in the Schoharie County is the Old Stone Fort, used for defense against British and allied Indian attacks during the Revolution. It was later used as an armory during the Civil War. In August 2010, the series Ghost Hunters filmed an episode about the Old Stone Fort; it aired December 8, 2010.

The large territory of the county (much of upstate and western New York) was long occupied by the Mohawk Indians and, to the west, the other four tribes of the Iroquois League (increased to six with the migration of the Tuscarora from the South to New York in 1722). After European colonization of the Northeast started, the Mohawk had a lucrative fur trade with the French coming down from Canada, as well as the early Dutch colonists, and later British and German colonists.

Some Palatine Germans, who worked in camps on the Hudson to pay off their passage in 1710, later settled in this county in the 1720s and 1730s.

"The Apple Barrel was built in the 1940s as an outlet for Edwin and Helen Vedder’s orchard on Terrace Mountain. Willis and Ruth Vedder Truax bought the outlet in 1965 and named it Apple Barrel. They sold seasonal produce, including apples, peaches, potatoes and maple products." From Images of America: The Schoharie Valley by John P.D. Wilkinson. 

The Loden family purchased the Apple Barrel in January 1983 after owning the Corner Store in Gallupville, NY. Since 1983, the Lodens have made several expansions to the business including additions for more retail space and the tremendously popular Apple Barrel Cafe. Source.

Most people associate the Amish with Hex signs. The truth be told, Hex signs are not representative of either Amish art nor Mennonite traditions. In fact, neither communities place the signs on their barns or other property.
Actually, Lutherans who came to Pennsylvania at the invitation of William Penn introduced these artistic signs to the area. These early Pennsylvania German settlers placed these images on birth certificates, furniture, textiles, and so forth. Source.

Prestige Limousines, also known as Hasy Limousines and Saratoga Luxury Limousines, is the company whose modified 2001 Ford Excursion plowed into the parking lot of The Apple Barrel country store in Schoharie, New York, on Saturday, October 6, 2018. 

All 17 passengers who were in the vehicle on their way to a 30th birthday party died as did the driver Scott Lisinicchia, 53, and two pedestrians who were hit in the parking lot.
Over at The Kitchen Sync, commentator Anita Ladaprarez, speaking of the limo crash, makes this observation: "What's going on now is so mind-blowingly complex and ornate and far-ranging that it takes considerable time to digest and research. The details and notes mount and one doesn't wish to leave out anything compelling."

One of the names of the “death-ridden” limo company is Prestige, which is code for magic, illusion, and wealth.

David Bowie portrayed Tesla in the movie The Prestige (2006), in which one of the main characters gets Tesla to develop a remarkable electro-replicating device for him.
Wardenclyffe Tower (1901–1917), also known as the Tesla Tower, was an early experimental wireless transmission station designed and built by Nikola Tesla in Shoreham, New York in 1901–1902.

Let us stroll down this path.

Source.