(2019-03-29). Chelsea Manning Has Sacrificed Everything Twice. truthdig.com Few can endure the mental anguish of solitary confinement, or what prisons more insidiously refer to as "administrative segregation." Fewer still can endure multiple stretches of "ad seg" occurring months and years apart. Former United Nations expert Juan Mendez has said that such detention can amount to torture, yet that's precisely what whistleblower Chelsea Manning has…
(2019-03-29). Syria's Rukban Now Little More than a US-Controlled Concentration Camp — and the Pentagon Won't Let Refugees Leave. globalresearch.ca According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a concentration camp is defined as "a place where large numbers of people are kept as prisoners in extremely bad conditions, especially for political reasons." It is undeniable that the Rukban camp fits this definition …
(2019-03-29). 43 Years: Meet the Man Held in Solitary Confinement Longer Than Any Prisoner in U.S. History. democracynow.org 
Albert Woodfox is a former political prisoner who was held in solitary confinement for 43 years until he won his freedom just over three years ago. Now he is traveling the world and joins us in studio to discuss his new memoir, "Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope." ‚Ä®‚Ä®In it, he writes about his childhood and how his mother struggled to keep the family cared for, how as a teenager and young man he was in and out of jails and prisons, and how he became radicalized when he met members of the Black Panther Party and went on…
(2019-03-29). Gaza, Stonewall: Izzy Mustafa on Why People Rise Up. counterpunch.org 
Every Friday since March 30, 2018, in what's known as the Great March of Return, Palestinians in Gaza come to the Israeli border fence to protest nearly twelve years of a blockade that has made Gaza into what's often called the world's largest open-air prison. They also come to invoke UN Resolution 194, their right More
(2019-03-29). SHAWN "JAY-Z" CARTER NAMED PRESIDENT'S AWARD RECIPIENT FOR 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS. naacp.org 
NAACP PRESIDENT DERRICK JOHNSON TO PRESENT THE AWARD DURING LIVE TV SPECIAL, MARCH 30, 2019 ON TV ONE ADDITIONAL PRESENTERS TO INCLUDE VIOLA DAVIS, JOHN LEGEND, ISSA RAE, LUPITA NYONG'O, DANAI GURIRA, AND VAN JONES LOS ANGELES (March 28, 2019) — The NAACP today announced that globally dominant pop culture icon Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter will …
(2019-03-29). Carey Gillam on Monsanto Lawsuit. fair.org 
Media…
(2019-03-29). Review: 'Captive State' puts sci-fi and resistance center stage in Chicago. peoplesworld.org 
"As long as we fight, we have a chance." — Captive State Throughout the history of the science fiction and horror genre of film and literature, there have been stories that hold a mirror to the realities of our world. Through fantastical plotlines, socio-political themes such as corruption, sexism, racism, and a general questioning of …
(2019-03-29). Meet the Man Held in Solitary Confinement Longer Than Anyone in US History. truthout.org Albert Woodfox is a former political prisoner who was held in solitary confinement for 43 years until he won his freedom just over three years ago. Now he is traveling the world and joins us in studio to discuss his new memoir, Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope. In it, he writes about his childhood and how his mother struggled to keep the family cared for, how as a teenager and young man he was in and out of jails and prisons, and how he became radicalized when he met members of the Black Panther Party and went on to establish the first chapter of t…
(2019-03-29). Redacted Tonight Highlights New Laws That Target Pipeline Protesters with $Millon Fines, 10 Years in Jail. mintpressnews.com Big Oil, working through ALEC in at least eight states, decided to up the ante in an attempt to ensure that no other massive petroleum or natural gas project ever gets canceled because of protesters risking life, limb, and lengthy prison time and fines.
(2019-03-29). Supreme Court Declines to Put Bump-Stock Ban on Hold. truthdig.com Anyone in possession of the device can now be charged with a federal offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
(2019-03-29). Headlines for March 29, 2019. democracynow.org NY Sues Sackler Family, Purdue & Other Drug Cos. for Profiting from Opioid Crisis, Dems Press AG William Barr on 300+-Page Mueller Report, HUD Sues Facebook over Discriminatory Housing Ads, Puerto Rico Gov. Rosselló to Trump: "I'll Punch the Bully in the Mouth", Philippines: Rappler Founder Maria Ressa Arrested for 2nd Time, Venezuela: Gov't Bans Opposition Head Guaidó from Running for Office, Saudi Authorities Temporarily Release 3 Women Activists, Somalia: At Least 15 People Killed in al-Shabab Attack, Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Freed After 5 Years in Prison, U.K.: Lawmakers to Vote on Key Text Two We…
(2019-03-29). Bolivia Strengthens Penal Law and Protects Minors. plenglish.com La Paz, March 29 (Prensa Latina) The House of Representatives of Bolivia passed modifications to the Penal Abbreviation Law that strengthen punishments for homicide in order to protect minors and women against violence, one of the latent problems today in society. Although the amendments of the Penal Code from the Proceeding and the Law of the Public Ministry make viable the judicial processes and reduce preventive detention in order to decrease the amount of prisoners, they also shield the Law 348 in order to guarantee women a life free of violence.
(2019-03-29). 'Love Aotearoa, hate racism' rally draws thousands in Auckland. greenleft.org.au 
A week after the Christchurch mosque attacks, thousands of people mobilised in Auckland for the "Love Aotearoa, hate racism" rally on March 24. | A number of speakers addressed the rally, including Mike Treen, national director of Unite Union and Global Peace and Justice. | "We need to organise, we need to connect," Treen told the rally. "Not just on an individual level to challenge every racist that we come across … not just on an individual level to speak up when we need to speak up. We need to connect, we need to organise in our churches, in our unions, in our schools, in our universities, in every instituti…
(2019-03-29). Lula Says It Is Time to Confront Extreme Right on Streets. plenglish.com Brasilia, Mar 29 (Prensa Latina) Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison for nearly one year for alleged corruption, is convinced that it is time to confront the extreme right on the streets.
(2019-03-29). US journalist exposes Julian Assange's prison-like conditions. wsws.org Prevented from holding a meeting with the journalist, Assange defiantly protested and condemned Ecuadorian officials for operating as "agents of the US government."
(2019-03-29). As Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan Reaches for Golden Parachute, Warren Says 'If He Broke the Law, He Should Go to Jail Like Anyone Else'. commondreams.org Amid news that Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan was resigning following several scandals at the bank, Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for the executive to be held accountable for his mismanagement, instead of walking away with the customary "golden parachute" given to departing Wall Street power brokers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sloan_warren_0.jpg…
(2019-03-29). Outrage grows over leaked government database targeting journalists, activists at US-Mexico border. wsws.org Congressional committees are now seeking information on repression of journalists and civil rights activists by the Trump administration.
(2019-03-29). UK Conservatives' rampant Islamophobia and racism covered up by party tops, downplayed by media. wsws.org The Conservative Party has a long history of whipping up racism in a divide-and-conquer strategy to legitimise its policies of austerity, militarism and war.
(2019-03-28). When Taking a Walk at Night Was an Act of Civil Disobedience. aclu.org Oregon remembers Minoru Yasui, a civil rights icon who broke the law to protest the curfews put on Japanese Americans at the start of World War II. | Seventy-six years ago, Minoru "Min" Yasui sat in a cell at the Multnomah County Jail in Oregon when he read a newspaper article detailing how Walter Pierce, the state's former governor and U.S. congressman, called for Japanese immigrants in the United States to be sent to Japan. Ever the racist and xenophobe, Pierce wasn't done. He even suggested revoking birthright citizens…
(2019-03-28). A Mentally Ill Man in Solitary Cut Off a Body Part at the Broward County Jail. aclu.org Broward County Jail has a sordid history of damage and death due to its dangerously substandard mental health system and unsafe conditions. | Around midnight on Sept. 5, 2018, guards responded to prisoners banging on their cell doors inside a lockdown unit at Broward County Jail's main facility in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They went to the solitary cell of J.I.* and made a gruesome discovery. | "I have a real medical emergency," J.I. told an officer. "I just cut my penis off and flushed it down the toilet. I have no need for it anymore." | J.I. had used a razor blade to cut himself. This grisly act of se…
(2019-03-28). Syria's Rukban Now Little More Than a US-Controlled Concentration Camp — and the Pentagon Won't Let Refugees Leave. mintpressnews.com 
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a concentration camp is defined as "a place where large numbers of people are kept as prisoners in extremely bad conditions, especially for political reasons." It is undeniable that the Rukban camp fits this definition to the letter.
(2019-03-28). Concert Helps Raise $9K for Hopkins Nurse Allegedly Fired For Union Organizing. therealnews.com 
Nurse Vivian Obijekwu says she was fired from Johns Hopkins Hospital—while 8 months pregnant—for organizing fellow workers to fight discrimination. Local organizers held a concert to show solidarity and raise funds for her…
(2019-03-28). City Settles, Agrees to Reforms with Fired Black Police Chief who Claimed Discrimination. therealnews.com 
Pocomoke City's first black police chief Kelvin Sewell has agreed to settle his discrimination lawsuit with the city for both monetary damages and a consent decree that will force the city to implement reforms in hiring and management practices…
(2019-03-28). Fighting Racial Bias in an Age of Mass Murder: Prejudice from the Coffee Shop to Charlottesville. democracynow.org 
As avowed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields pleaded guilty Wednesday to 29 counts of hate crimes in a federal court for plowing his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville in August of 2017, we look at a new book that addresses the tragic event, as well as the rising number of race-based mass shootings, hate crimes and police shootings of unarmed men in the past several years. It also examines cases of discrimination against African Americans for simply sitting in coffee shops or trying to vacation in Airbnb-hosted homes. Professor Jennifer Eberhardt is the author of "Biased: Uncovering the Hidden…
(2019-03-28). Jim Crow racism is back with Florida Republicans' poll tax. peoplesworld.org 
Until 2018, Florida—the state vital to the presidential victories of George W. Bush and Donald Trump—deprived one in 10 voters, and two in 10 African Americans, of the right to vote with a constitutional provision banning felons from voting, even after they had fulfilled their sentences. Many with nonviolent drug felonies, enforced by a systematically biased …
(2019-03-28). President Trump's veto of the resolution rejecting his wall is upheld. naacp.org Yesterday the U.S. House voted by a margin of 248 yeas to 181 nays not to override President Trump's veto of the resolution — which had passed both the House and the Senate with strong bi-partisan support earlier — which would have rejected and nullified his declaration of an emergency so he could shift as …
(2019-03-28). NAACP-supported bill promoting equal pay for equal work passes the US House. naacp.org Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women in the United States are typically paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the statistics are even worse for women of color. As a result, women were 35% more likely to live in poverty than men. While the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has helped to narrow …
(2019-03-28). FRSO mobilizes against U.S. wars and racism. fightbacknews.org Washington D.C. – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is building for a rally and march against U.S. wars and racism in Washington D.C. this Saturday, March 30. | "Oppose NATO, War, and Racism! Oppose U.S. intervention in Venezuela!" is the theme for a rally starting at 1 p.m. across from the White House in LaFayette Park. | The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is set to 'celebrate' 70 years on April 4. April 4 is also the anniversary of the day Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. So, a large coalition of anti-war, international solidarity, and anti-racist organizations are gathering to…
(2019-03-28). All charges dropped against Jussie Smollett, victim of Chicago police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Immediately after all charges were dropped Tuesday morning, March 26 against actor Jussie Smollett and the record of his arrest and prosecution expunged, Frank Chapman, Co-Chairperson of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, addressed the media. Smollett is a star of the Fox Television series "Empire." | "This is another example of the CPD doing what they do," Chapman declared. "They have falsely accused people, tortured confessions and framed-up innocent people, killed people — there is no justice when it come to the CPD. The people of this city are tired of this. We n…
(2019-03-28). Bipartisan breakdown as crisis levels of migrants push US-Mexico border to 'breaking point'. rt.com 
After the border control commissioner revealed that "crisis levels" of detentions in El Paso, Texas had led to hundreds of migrants being held under a bridge, politicians are finally stepping in… to point fingers.
(2019-03-28). MUA rally in solidarity with Pakistani dockworkers. greenleft.org.au 
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members rallied outside the Pakistani Consulate on March 26 to demand the dropping of all charges against the Karachi Dockworkers Union president and another unionist who were arrested following a dispute at Hutchison Ports' Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT). | The arrests occurred as Karachi dockworkers were protesting about safety conditions on the site after a worker was run over by a vehicle on March 17. The union leaders were released on bail after 10 days in detention. | The KICT Labour Union has joined with the International Transport Workers' Federation…
(2019-03-27). Mass Incarceration Since 1492: Native American Encounters With Criminal Injustice. shadowproof.com Critical accounts of police abuse and mass incarceration overlook structural violence visited upon Native peoples for centuries, and how it relates to and differs from Black peoples' experiences.
(2019-03-27). The Department of Homeland Security's Attack on Asylum Seekers at the Border Continues. aclu.org The U.S. is systematically violating the rights of asylum seekers and turning them back into Mexico where they are often abused. | In a desperate attempt to escape immediate threats to their life, the Castro* family fled their home country of El Salvador, hoping to make it to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek refuge. What they found instead at the port of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas, were cruel U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and no protection to be found. | After being physically pushed back into Mexico by CBP officers, the Castro family was told that they must get on a list in Mexico and wait. In…
(2019-03-27). OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Pay $270 Million Legal Settlement That Will Fund Addiction Center. democracynow.org 
The state of Oklahoma has reached a $270 million agreement with Purdue Pharma—the makers of OxyContin—settling a lawsuit that claimed the company contributed to the deaths of thousands of Oklahoma residents by downplaying the risk of opioid addiction and overstating the drug's benefits. The state says more Oklahomans have died from opioids over the last decade than have been killed in vehicle accidents. More than $100 million from the settlement will fund a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. "It's really just the first move in what is a very complicated…
(2019-03-27). An Invisible Crisis: Native American Tribes Ravaged by Opioids Take On Purdue Pharma & the Sacklers. democracynow.org 
A group of more than 500 cities, counties and Native American tribes have filed a lawsuit against members of the Sackler family for their role in creating "the worst drug crisis in American history" by lying about the dangers of the opioid painkiller OxyContin and deceitful marketing of the drug. The lawsuit differs from others that target drug companies, because it names eight members of the Sackler family, which founded and owns Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. We speak with attorney Brendan Johnson, partner with the law firm Robins Kaplan and chair of its American Indian Law and Policy Group, about the f…
(2019-03-27). "The Opioid Crisis Isn't White": How the Lethal Epidemic Affects Communities of Color. democracynow.org 
As Oklahoma and Purdue Pharma reach a $270 million agreement in a lawsuit claiming the company knowingly helped create the opioid crisis responsible for nearly 50,000 deaths per year in the United States, we look at how the opioid crisis affects communities of color with Abdullah Shihipar, a graduate student of public health at Brown University who wrote an op-ed about his research for The New York Times headlined "The Opioid Crisis Isn't White."
(2019-03-27). Why is society so racist? mronline.org 
Slavery, while intensely profitable for the bourgeoisie, ran counter to capitalism's ostensible ideology: liberté, égalité, fraternité. A resolution to this contradiction was needed, and came about in the concept of race | Source
(2019-03-27). Bureau Of Prisons Transfers Imprisoned Activist And Journalist Marty Gottesfeld To CMU In Terre Haute. shadowproof.com Marty Gottesfeld, an activist serving a 10-year prison sentence for offenses stemming from a digital sit-in he engaged in against the Boston Children's Hospital, was transferred to a Communications Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana. | When Gottesfeld found out Justina Pelletier was institutionalized in a psychiatric ward in 2013 against her parents' wishes, he allegedly organized with members of Anonymous and participated in a distributed denial of service (DDOS) operation that disrupted the donation portal for the hospital website. | A jury convicted Gottesfeld in August 2018 of "conspiracy to intent…
(2019-03-27). HYUNDAI, WELLS FARGO, FEDEX, AIRBNB ANNOUNCED AS LEADING SPONSORS OF 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS. naacp.org LOS ANGELES (March 27, 2019) — Hyundai, Wells Fargo, FedEx, Airbnb and Facebook are among a distinguished lineup of sponsors for the 50th NAACP Image Awards broadcasting live on March 30, 2019 at 9pm/8c on TV One. Other sponsors include AT&T, Amazon Prime, AMC, Google, The Southern Company, The Walt Disney Co., and CBS, Bank of America, American Airlines, Black News Channel, and WEtv head up the sponsorships for the …
(2019-03-26). Top 5 Reasons Why the House Should Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. aclu.org The law would give working women the legal tools they need to challenge discrimination and close the gender pay gap. | More than 55 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, women working fulltime and year-round, on average, are paid only 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. The disparity for women of color is even more severe. This wage gap has remained stagnant for years and continues to squeeze women's pocketbooks, erode their earning potential, and deprive them of the means to improve their own lives and support their families. | It's long past time to update the Equal Pay Act to give wo…
(2019-03-26). Prison Reformer Faces Challenges in Council Race. therealnews.com 
Chris Ervin knows firsthand the challenges of reforming the prison system. He spent time in prison and now has his own re-entry program where he trains former prisoners in the trucking industry and getting their commercial driver's licenses. He faces unique challenges in his run for city council in unifying diverse neighborhoods such as Roland…
(2019-03-26). UN expert condemns new sentence for jailed Venezuelan judge as 'another instance of reprisal'. un.org Maria Lourdes Afiuni, a jailed Venezuelan judge arrested ten years ago, has been slapped with a further five-year sentence, prompting a UN human rights expert to express his "grave concern", describing the further punishment as an act of "reprisal against her".
(2019-03-26). Protest demands justice for the wrongfully convicted. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – A crowd of 20 rallied outside the office of 30th Ward Alderman Ariel Reboyras on March 20 to condemn his record of covering for police crimes and preventing justice for those victimized by police violence. | Protesters included residents of the 30th Ward, members of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Chicago Boricua Resistance (CBR), and Innocent Demand Justice. Addressing the crowd, Jazmine Salas, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance, said "Reboyras has done nothing for the survivors of Guevara's crimes and instead made sure to protect dirty cops. He has turned his back on Bl…
(2019-03-26). Ku Klux Klan sues Tory Party for copyright infringement. thecanary.co Senior figures in the Tory Party have decided to name themselves after the head racists of the Ku Klux Klan: Isn't 'Grand Wizard' a … | Read more Ku Klux Klan sues Tory Party for copyright infringement | By John Shafthauer
(2019-03-25). TUNE IN: 50th NAACP Image Awards Airs Live this Saturday, March 30 on TV One. naacp.org On Saturday, March 30, 2019, the best and brightest in Black Hollywood will gather at the Dolby Theatre to celebrate the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Shaping up to be a night to remember, NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, will award activists and entertainers alike for their contributions to the culture over the past …
(2019-03-25). Chelsea Manning Once Again In Solitary And Denied Due Process To Challenge Mistreatment. shadowproof.com Chelsea Manning is once again detained in conditions of solitary confinement while United States authorities deny this reality to the press. | Individuals with the support group, Chelsea Resists, visited Manning at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center, where she has been detained since March 8 after she refused to answer questions before a federal grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. | The group learned she is in "administrative segregation," which the jail claims is standard for "high-profile" individuals like Manning. | The "administrative segregation" po…
(2019-03-25). Pennsylvania Is Jailing Mentally Ill People Who Belong in Treatment. aclu.org The people in jail have disabilities so severe they cannot be prosecuted under the Constitution. | For the third time in less than four years, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and co-counsel from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer asked a federal judge last week to order Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services to reduce the time that people with severe psychiatric disabilities spend waiting in jail for treatment beds. These people's mental disabilities are so significant that under the Constitution they can be neither prosecuted nor punished, which means they cannot be kept in a prison or jail. | How disabled are our clie…
(2019-03-25). An Uber Case Study In Technology Facilitated Inequity. millennialpolitics.co 
Many assert that technology, such as Uber, is bias-free. However, this assertion is false. | Fundamentally, technology is created by humans. Consequently, those who create and program technology have the obligation to check and correct for bias. Technology will continue to perpetuate discrimination and bias when those with this responsibility abdicated it. An example of this occurred to my friend. With her permission, I'm presenting an Uber case study in technology facilitated inequity. | The Backstory: : | A good friend of mine and her husband received offers to drive with Uber. These offers were guarante…
(2019-03-25). New Report: Black Residents Face More Barriers to Better Health than Whites. naacp.org 
Key findings from the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, released on March 19, 2019, reveal that "Black residents face greater barriers to opportunity and health than white residents." The finding comes from the 10th annual County Health Rankings — an assessment of how well counties across America fare in terms of various health factors — published …
(2019-03-25). 'Uphold human dignity', dismantle 'specious notion of racial superiority' urges UN chief. un.org Raise awareness of the dangers of racism and "stand up against old and new forms of slavery" was the resounding message of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday during a special event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.