2020-06-02: News Headlines

ACLU (2020-06-02). Know Your Rights While Protesting Police Brutality. aclu.org The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, people across the country have taken to the streets to demand racial justice and an end to police brutality and systematic racism against Black people. , , Especially in the time of COVID-19, it's important to know your rights and stay safe while protesting. In this video taken over the weekend at a protest in Brooklyn, New York, Emerson Sykes, staff attorney for the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, & Technology Project, sh…

Jason Jones (2020-06-02). Peaceful protests in Indiana met with police violence. peoplesworld.org INDIANAPOLIS — On Saturday and Sunday, Black Lives Matter held peaceful protests in downtown Indianapolis in response to the extrajudicial murders of George Floyd, 46, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as Dreasjon Reed, 21, in Indianapolis. Some 1,000 demonstrated at the Indiana War Memorial, about two blocks north of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis on …

Mirinda Crissman (2020-06-02). Behind the Walls: Prisoner resistance roundup. workers.org Prisoners are acting to protect themselves and each other in the middle of the global pandemic as they protest inhuman cages across the country and across the world. In the brutal facilities of incarceration in the U.S. alone, there have been hundreds of recorded actions related to COVID-19 since late . . . |

Staff (2020-06-02). 'Tough On Crime' Cities Might Make Violence Worse. therealnews.com Baltimore's leading mayoral candidates are embracing calls for change, but their proposals risk worsening mass incarceration and inequality.

Staff (2020-06-02). Social Justice Is The Way To End Riots. therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with Jacqueline Luqman about the myths surrounding peaceful protests, uprisings, economic oppression and capitalism, valuing property over people, and the country's founding on violence.

Ashley Curtin (2020-06-02). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law urge officials to withdraw law enforcement, National Guard at elections. nationofchange.org "We are sounding an alarm regarding the potential deployment of the National Guard, state police and local law enforcement on Tuesday as voters prepare to cast ballots in primary elections."

Fight Back (2020-06-02). 100,000-plus join protests called by National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – In cities across the country, more than a 100,000 people responded to the call from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to make May 30 a Day of Protest against the racist murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery by police and vigilantes. | Protesters demanded that Floyd's, Taylor's and Arbery's killers be arrested and jailed, while the millions who are trapped in prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers be freed from the threat of COVID-19. Finally, the many thousands who lifted their voices demanded the inalienable democratic right for communities t…

Prof. Karen Ferguson (2020-06-02). Black Lives Matter: The Perils of Liberal Philanthropy. globalresearch.ca This carefully research article first published in 2016 shows that Black Lives Matter has been funded by philanthropists and corporate foundations including Soros' Open Society Initiative and the Ford Foundation which has links to the CIA. | The underlying objective is …

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Appleton, WI joins in demanding justice for George Floyd. fightbacknews.org Appleton, WI – On May 30, as many as 1000 people braved the pandemic, wearing masks and practicing social distancing where they could while filling Houdini Plaza in downtown Appleton. People joined together to protest the savage and racist police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd last week, and to rally for the Black Lives Matter movement. | With chants of "No justice, no peace!" and signs that read "Police accountability now!" the diverse crowd of outraged protesters stood in the sun for hours and marched several times around the police station. The demonstration was able to proceed without any troubl…

commondreams (2020-06-02). 350.org in Solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives; Reinforces Commitment to Dismantle White Supremacy. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2020-06-02). Thousands Attend #BlackLivesMatter Protests in Paris. telesurenglish.net Thousands of people demonstrated Tuesday in Paris, France, defying a ban to protest over the death of a young black man in French police custody in 2016. | RELATED: | Using slogans in English such as "Black Lives Matter" and "I can't breathe," protesters echoed the protest movement in the United States (U.S.) over the police killing last week of unarmed black man, George Floyd. | "Today we are not just talking abo…

commondreams (2020-06-02). Veterans Tell Troops: Stand Down for Black Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Prof. Karen Ferguson (2020-06-02). Black Lives Matters: The Perils of Liberal Philanthropy. globalresearch.ca The Movement for Black Lives has started turning to foundations for funding. But the history of the Black Power movement offers a cautionary tale about the warping effects of liberal philanthropy's soft power. | *** | In 2016, the Ford Foundation, …

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-06-02). ACLU Demands Congressional Probe Into 'Politically-Motivated' Attack on Peaceful Protest Outside Trump White House. commondreams.org "This appears to be grossly unjustified use of a dangerous chemical weapon on protesters and raises serious human rights concerns under international law," the civil liberties group said. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tear_gas_aclu.jpg

ACLU (2020-06-02). Pride 2020 is About Resilience, and we are Resilient Together. aclu.org Pride has never been just about the parties. To the LGBTQ community, Pride is about staking our place in the world and speaking truth to power. It's about making clear that we're here, we belong, and we are resilient — resilient together., , As our Trans Justice Campaign Manager LaLa Zannell has said: "For many Black and Brown queer and trans people, gathering in person has always come with a health and safety risk — including from law enforcement, and others who feel they have the right to harm us for simply being who we are … For many of us, this is not the first pandemic that shows the injust…

Fred_F (2020-06-02). From United States to Australia: Black lives matter everywhere! — Join a protest in your city this weekend. greenleft.org.au

Staff (2020-06-02). Autopsy Reports Showing George Floyd's Death Was a Homicide Underscore Corruption & Police Impunity. democracynow.org Two autopsies have agreed George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police was a homicide. "I don't think that most of us are surprised that the county medical examiner tried to find a reason related to why George Floyd died that distanced it from law enforcement's role," says Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney, activist, founder of the Racial Justice Network and former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. She also discusses the local history of police accountability: "What this does is illustrates the corruption that exists within Hennepin County, where you have law enforcement wor…

Staff (2020-06-02). "A Declaration of War Against Americans": Trump Threatens to Deploy Military to Quell Protests. democracynow.org As a historic week-long uprising against police violence continues and curfews are in place across the United States, President Trump has declared himself "the president of law and order" and threatened to send thousands of heavily armed soldiers into the streets. "President Trump's speech almost amounted to a declaration of war against Americans," says Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. We also speak with William Arkin, longtime reporter on the military, who notes Trump is getting "no pushback" from Defense Department officials.

Staff (2020-06-02). Black Lives Matter Co-Founder: Protests Are the Result of "Police Terror with No Accountability" democracynow.org As thousands in Los Angeles continue to protest against police brutality and face mass arrests, Mayor Eric Garcetti is facing criticism for increasing the budget for the Los Angeles Police Department. Organizers have called on the City Council to enact a People's Budget that slashes money for police and invests in services for the community instead. "We have created a system that overrelies on law enforcement and prioritizes their money, their budget, their needs over everything else," says Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Reform L.A. Jails. "Now is the time that we redirect resources back…

Staff (2020-06-02). Headlines for June 2, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Threatens to Send Military into Streets to Crack Down on Nationwide Uprising, Protests Spread Around the U.S. and the Globe as Autopsies Confirm George Floyd Died of Homicide, Louisville Police Chief Fired After African American Man Shot and Killed Monday, 15,000 People Attend Youth Rally in Oakland, CA; Police Continue Attacks on Protesters, Outrage After White Bar Owner Who Shot and Killed 22-Year-Old James Scurlock Dodges Criminal Charge, Facebook Workers Stage Virtual "Walkout," Call Out Inaction on Trump's Posts Inciting Violence, Iranian Scientist Who Contracted COVID-19 in ICE Jail Is Deported, First…

The Commonwealth Club (2020-06-02). Tuesday 6/9: My Vanishing Country: Bakari Sellers talks about memior on being son of civil rights hero. indybay.org Online via Livestream…

The Canary (2020-06-02). Wales's health minister defends George Floyd protesters in US. thecanary.co Wales's health minister has defended people protesting against the death of George Floyd in the United States, saying the loss of black lives was the "biggest harm" to the country. | Vaughan Gething said that the US was not alone in appearing to be "going backwards" on race relations, and that though all lives should matter "in some countries they don't". | African American Floyd died in police custody last week after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. | Gething, who became the first black minister of any of the UK's devolved governments in 2013, was speaking after posting a…

RT (2020-06-02). Education or propaganda? Nickelodeon makes children watch 9 MINUTES of 'I can't breathe' BLM commercial, polarizing parents. rt.com Children's TV network Nickelodeon went silent for nearly nine minutes as a gesture of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. But pushing social-justice rhetoric on such a young audience has rubbed many the wrong way. | The channel, owned by Viacom, stopped its transmission for eight minutes and 46 seconds on Tuesday "in support of justice, equality, and human rights," presenting children with a black screen on which the phrase "I can't breathe" faded in and out, timed with audio of a person breathing. That spot was preceded by a promotion scrolling Nickelodeon's "Declaration of Kids' Rights" over an oran…

RT (2020-06-02). Almost 400 cities in EVERY US state join wave of protest over George Floyd death. rt.com Hundreds of cities and towns across the US have seen people hitting the streets to join anti-police-brutality protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. Yet, as tensions ran high, many rallies turned into nightmarish riots. | America has once again been gripped by massive protests as the Black Lives Matter movement seemingly regained momentum following the death of another African American at the hands of the US police. The man was choked to death by a police officer during detention in Minneapolis last week. An independent autopsy confirmed that the man's death was a result of asphyxiation. | A total of s…

RT (2020-06-02). Predator or prank? 'Black Lives Matter' podcaster orders woman to get on her knees & APOLOGIZE for white privilege. rt.com A man claiming to work for Black Lives Matter filmed himself accosting a woman on the street in New York City, ordering her to kneel and apologize for her white privilege. Her compliance has the internet speculating feverishly. | While it was pretty clear the cameraman didn't actually "work for Black Lives Matter" – he claimed to have been sent by its "CEO," and BLM doesn't have a CEO – the rest of the clip – seen over 1.4 million times – was open to interpretation. Was the woman just playing along? Unbelievably gullible? Genuinely frightened? |

RT (2020-06-02). State of Minnesota files racial discrimination charges against police department over George Floyd death. rt.com Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has announced the state's Department of Human Rights will be investigating Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) for signs of racial discrimination, following the death of George Floyd. | According to state officials, the investigation will go far beyond the death of Floyd — who was choked to death by a police officer during his detention in Minneapolis on May 25 — and look into the policies and practices of the police department for the past 10 years to "determine if the MPD has engaged in systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color and ensure any such practic…

RT (2020-06-02). Turkish authorities issue detention warrants for 118 military, security personnel over suspected Gulen links. rt.com Turkey issued detention warrants for 118 people, mostly members of the military and security forces, who are suspected of links to the network that Ankara says was behind a 2016 coup attempt. | The Istanbul prosecutor's office said Tuesday that detention warrants had been issued for 42 military and gendarmerie personnel as a result of statements by previously detained people and analyses of payphone calls. Among them, 24 officers were on active duty. | It had requested the detention of 76 military, gendarmarie personnel and civilians in a separate operation, after determining they'd used payphones to contact m…

RT (2020-06-02). More than half of Americans SUPPORT SENDING MILITARY to aid police in dealing with George Floyd protests — poll. rt.com Over 50 percent of Americans would like to see the army deployed to the streets of US cities to help police tackle the riots raging across the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. | The US has been gripped by a massive wave of protests for over a week, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to call for justice for the African American man, who was choked to death by a police officer during a detention process. | While it might seem that the nation, or the larger part of it at least, has rallied behind the cause, a large number of Americans admitted the…

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Solidarity with U.S. protests in India. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist). | Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) organizes demonstrations expressing solidarity with the American people fighting against racist oppression and anti-people, pro-capitalist policy of the Trump administration | Undaunted by the Corona pandemic Cadres and leaders of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) marched om the streets and organized demonstrations in the metropolises and numerous small towns throughout India voicing solidarity with struggling people of USA who have come o…

_____ (2020-06-02). UK Government Urged To Suspend Export Of Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets And Riot Shields To US. popularresistance.org The government is being urged to suspend the sales of British tear gas, rubber bullets and riot shields to the United States amid fears they are being used against civil rights protesters. | The US has been rocked by angry demonstrations for nearly a week following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died pleading for air while a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for eight minutes. | The police response, apparently endorsed by president Donald Trump, has seen security forces ramming crowds with cars, deploying gas and baton rounds against peaceful demonstrators, and arresting and shoo…

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Thousands march in Fort Lauderdale against killer cops. fightbacknews.org Fort Lauderdale, FL – Over 3000 members of the South Florida community took to the streets in downtown Fort Lauderdale to protest the killing of George Floyd. They marched to demand the arrest of the other Minneapolis cops involved in Floyd's murder and an end to all racist police violence. | The protesters, all wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, gathered at Huizenga Park where they rallied, heard speeches and chanted phrases such as, "Black lives matter," and "I can't breathe!" While speeches were going on, volunteers handed out water bottles and snacks for anyone in attendance who needed help cop…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-06-02). Clamoring for Mic at Black Lives Matter Event, Rep. Eliot Engel Admits "If I Didn't Have a Primary I Wouldn't Care" commondreams.org "Frankly," said a representative for Engel's progressive challenger Jamaal Bowman, "we couldn't have made the case more clearly ourselves that after 31 years, it's time for change." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1224836568_1_0.jpg

National Lawyers Guild (2020-06-02). NLG Condemns Violent Police Response to Black Lives Matter Protests Nationwide. indybay.org "Racialized, violent policing of Black, Brown, and Indigenous bodies has always existed in this country. Now is the time for accountability. Property can always be replaced. Black lives can not," stated NLG Executive Director Pooja Gehi.

Posted By Lynda Carson (2020-06-02). #CancelRent Movement Escalates Amid Growing National Unrest. indybay.org "We're at a Breaking Point: " #CancelRent Movement Escalates Amid Growing National Unrest, and Warns that Police Enforcement of Evictions Will Destroy More Black Lives!!!

imperial.ac.uk (2020-06-02). Imperial shows solidarity with protesters against racial injustice. imperial.ac.uk Many members of the Imperial community have expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of George Floyd.

sputniknews (2020-06-02). Hong Kong's Lam Blasts US for 'Double Standard' Security Law Criticism Amid Protest Repressions. sputniknews.com Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam sharply criticized the US on Tuesday for applying a "double standard" to the city's new national security law being drafted by Beijing, as the US has seen widespread police repression and violence against Black Lives Matter protesters.

yenisafak (2020-06-02). All lives, black lives matter: EU foreign policy chief. yenisafak.com The EU supports the right to peaceful protest, and it condemns violence and all forms of racism, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference on Tuesday. "All lives matter, black lives also matter," Borrell stated, referring to nationwide protests in the US following the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, in police custody. | He described the circumstances of the unarmed man's death as "shocking." | "All societies must remain vigilant against the excessive use of force" and ensure that people in charge of public order do not exercise their authority the way they did in the case of Fl…

_____ (2020-06-02). White Women Caught Tagging BLM on Starbucks. popularresistance.org Two white protesters got called out by a black protester for tagging a Starbucks with graffiti repping the Black Lives Matter movement … and the bizarre encounter was caught on video. | Check it out … you see two white women decked out in all black and wearing face masks/coverings spraying 'BLM' along the side of a Starbucks in L.A., as well as other messaging. One African-American woman who's also protesting gets in their faces and questions what they're doing … and why. Watch what happens when she confronts them. | The white gals were NOT down to stick around for answers, as they mumbled incoherent respon…

_____ (2020-06-02). White Women Line Up To Form Human Shield To Protect Black Protesters. popularresistance.org Injustice and discrimination tend to be described in binary terms: good vs. evil, female vs. male, Black vs. White. | However, at one of the at least twenty anti-police violence demonstrations held across the country on Thursday, an act of alliance disrupted that line of thinking by showing White bodies on the line to protect Black lives. | In an image captured by photographer Tim Druck, scores of White women in Lousiville lined up arm-in-arm to form a human shield separating the Louisville Metro Police from protestors expressing their angst about the murder of Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people at…

Joachim Hagopian (2020-06-02). Floyd Murder Sparks Violent Protests in US — Citizens at Breaking Point with Police State Oppression? globalresearch.ca How many times are we going to see another appalling episode of racist white cops maliciously murdering another unarmed black man, before we realize this repugnant injustice fueling our anger at this point is multilayered, penetrating to the core of …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-02). Israeli forces arrest several Palestinians in occupied territories. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli forces arrested 23 Palestinians from different parts of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on June 1, Monday. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), among those arrested are two former prisoners and two minors. | At least six Palestinians were arrested from Hebron and five from a Jordan Valley village. The reasons for the arrest were not made clear by the Israeli forces. An 18-year-old school boy and a 16-year-old minor have been arrested from Beit Umar town near Hebron city. | Though Israeli forces regularly detain Palestinians, the number of such arrests has increased in the last c…

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Hundreds in New Orleans rally against police, racism and gender-based violence. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – May 30, 400 New Orleanians gathered in Duncan Plaza to protest in memory of George Floyd and in solidarity with Minneapolis demonstrators. The rally coordinated with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression's National Day of Protest. Participants demanded: "Justice for victims of police crime," "Community control of the police," and "Mass release of prisoners, in response to COVID-19." | The crowd of demonstrators, which was multinational and mostly made up of Black and white working-class people, made militant chants. They proudly shouted, "Fuck 12", "Abolish the police" an…

Dr. Ashok Kumbamu (2020-06-02). Save the Life of Imprisoned Indian Public Intellectuals and Social Justice Activists. globalresearch.ca Chief Justice of India | 5, Krishna Menon Marg | New Delhi, 110011 | India | .. | We, the undersigned, demand the release of public intellectuals and social justice activists, Prof. G.N. Saibaba and Varavara Rao, who are imprisoned in fabricated cases and …

NAACP (2020-06-02). Wednesday 6/3: Emergency Virtual Town Hall w/ NAACP: A National in Peril. indybay.org Tele-town hall: naacp.org/a-nation-in-peril/

Staff (2020-06-02). Trump's Anti-Blackness Is Overt in Protest Response and Covert in Policymaking. truthout.org Over the weekend, President Trump used his bully pulpit to openly fantasize about the Secret Service siccing "vicious dogs" on demonstrators outside the White House who were protesting police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota last week. Trump's calls for violence against protesters reflect the anti-Blackness of economic policies he and the GOP have relentlessly pursued since 2016, including recent attempts to destroy public sector jobs and to make discrimination in…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-02). Iranian scientist Asgari to arrive in country on Wednesday morning: Mousavi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 02 (MNA) — Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that Iranian scientist Asgari, who had been imprisoned in the US, will return to the country on Wednesday morning.

sputniknews (2020-06-02). Trump Faces New Lawsuit Over Executive Order Targeting Twitter – Advocacy Group. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump faces a new lawsuit accusing him of breaking the First Amendment to the US Constitution by issuing an executive order targeting Twitter and other social media platforms as they seek to counter misinformation, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said in a news release.

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Communist Party of the Philippines oppose repression of U.S. protests. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 2 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | Denounce brutal suppression of U.S. protests against racism and fascism! Support and draw inspiration from the American people's mass protest actions! | The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins the American people in condemning U.S. President Donald Trump for ordering the mobilization of police and national guard forces to "dominate and crush" mass protest actions currently sweeping across the United States. He has denounced the mass actions and organizations and threatened to "desi…

Ceren Sagir (2020-06-01). Black Lives Matter U.K.: London activists demand justice for George Floyd. peoplesworld.org LONDON—Hundreds of anti-racists gathered in London's Trafalgar Square Sunday to protest against the death of George Floyd, the Black man killed last week in Minneapolis by white police officers, who held him down while one pressed his knee into his neck as he cried: "I can't breathe." The demonstration was organized by Black Lives Matter. …

Martha Grevatt (2020-06-01). Cleveland car/pedestrian action demands prisoner release. workers.org Cleveland May 29 — Today a combination car/pedestrian protest in downtown Cleveland called for the Cuyahoga County Jail to release more prisoners and end "inhumane treatment." Similar actions have been taking place around Ohio, which has the highest COVID-19 prisoner death rate in the country. This demonstration was called by . . . |