(2019-06-24). ICYMI: Election Security Tele Townhall. naacp.org 
NAACP held a tele townhall on Wednesday, June 19 to strategize on to make election security a top priority. The event featured policymakers and thought leaders in a candid conversation about election security, the role of social and digital media, and how we can combat the attempts to diminish the political power of the African-American …
(2019-06-24). Buttigieg Criticized at Emotional Town Hall After Shooting. truthdig.com SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg faced criticism Sunday from angry residents of South Bend, Indiana, at an emotional town hall meeting a week after a white police officer fatally shot a black man in the city where he is mayor. | Buttigieg (BOO'-tuh-juhj) said he would call for an outside investigation of the shooting of 54-year-old Eric Logan by Sgt. Ryan O'Neill. | The 37-year-old mayor said he would send a letter to the federal Department of Justice's civil rights division and notify the local prosecutor that he'd like an independent investigator appointed. He conceded t…
(2019-06-24). Hundreds of 737 Max Pilots Sue Boeing over 'Unprecedented Cover-Up" globalresearch.ca Over 400 pilots have joined a class-action lawsuit against Boeing, accusing the company of an "unprecedented cover-up" of "known design flaws" on the company's top-selling 737 MAX, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. | The MAX, first put into service in …
(2019-06-24). Why is the US government using social media to monitor the public? wsws.org The lawsuit filed by New Sanctuary Coalition and other groups, says that ICE specifically targeted individuals for deportation, to suppress their political speech.
(2019-06-24). Japanese-American Internment Survivors Protest Plan to Jail Migrant Kids. truthout.org Five Japanese-American elders, survivors of U.S. internment camps, engaged in civil disobedience Saturday outside the Fort Sill Army post in Oklahoma, where the Trump administration plans to indefinitely detain 1,400 immigrant and refugee children starting next month. Fort Sill was an internment camp for 700 Japanese-American men in 1942. It was one of more than 70 sites where the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, including one of 14 U.S. Army bases. President Obama first used Fort Sill in 2014 to detain migrant children seeking asylum from violence in Central A…
(2019-06-24). Ola Bini, Privacy Activist and Julian Assange Friend, Speaks Out After Release from Ecuadorian Jail. democracynow.org 
Last week, an Ecuadorian judge ordered the release of Swedish programmer and data privacy activist Ola Bini, who spent more than two months in jail without charge. Bini is a friend of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. He was arrested in Quito on the same day that Assange was forcibly taken by British authorities from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. We speak with Ola Bini in Quito, where he remains under investigation for allegedly hacking the Ecuadorian government. He says, "Through the whole process, 70 days in prison, and all of the days since, we've been asking the prosecution to tell us what it is I have don…
(2019-06-24). Japanese-American internment survivors protest plan to jail migrant kids at Fort Sill, a WWII camp. nationofchange.org "There's a historical pattern of detention and separation of families that we're seeing across the United States, affecting immigrant communities and affecting communities of color."
(2019-06-24). New Zealand neo-Nazi jailed for 21 months for sharing video of mosque shootings. wsws.org The trial was a test case for anti-democratic legislation that can and will be used to suppress mounting social opposition from the working class.
(2019-06-24). Japanese-American Internment Survivors Protest Plan to Jail Migrant Kids at WWII Prison Camp. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! was there when five Japanese-American elders, survivors of U.S. internment camps, engaged in civil disobedience Saturday outside the Fort Sill Army post in Oklahoma, where the Trump administration plans to indefinitely detain 1,400 immigrant and refugee children starting next month. Fort Sill was an internment camp for 700 Japanese-American men in 1942. It was one of more than 70 sites where the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, including one of 14 U.S. Army bases. President Obama first used Fort Sill in 2014 to detain migrant children seeking asylum…
(2019-06-24). "Somebody Is Going to Die": Lawyer Describes Chaos, Illness & Danger at Migrant Child Jail in Texas. democracynow.org 
Outrage is mounting over a shocking Associated Press report published late last week revealing that at least 250 migrant infants, children and teenagers have been locked up for nearly a month without adequate food, water or sanitation at a Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, near the city of El Paso. Lawyers who visited the facility described a scene of chaos and sickness, with children unable to shower or change into clean clothes for weeks on end. The AP report came the same week that the Trump administration argued in federal court that the government is not required to provide toothbrushes, soap or beds to…
(2019-06-24). Former IAAF chief to go on trial for corruption, money laundering. cgtn.com 
Lamine Diack [Gallo Images]Former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack will be tried in France for graft and money laundering, judicial sources said on Monday. | The trial will commence after a four-year investigation into doping cover-ups, extortion and bribe-taking in world athletics. | Diack and his son Papa Massata were last month formally accused by financial prosecutors of a host of illicit doings during his time with the world athletics organization. | Money laundering alone carries a jail term of up to 10 years. | Diack led the IAAF from 1999-2015, and wa…
(2019-06-24). Chaos, Illness and Danger Pervade Migrant Child Jail in Texas. truthout.org Outrage is mounting over a shocking Associated Press report published late last week revealing that at least 250 migrant infants, children and teenagers have been locked up for nearly a month without adequate food, water or sanitation at a Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, near the city of El Paso. Lawyers who visited the facility described a scene of chaos and sickness, with children unable to shower or change into clean clothes for weeks on end. The AP report came the same week that the Trump administration argued in federal court that the government is not required to provide toothbrushes, soap or beds…
(2019-06-24). International Jurists Manifesto Calls for Lula's Release. plenglish.com 24 de junio de 2019, 15: 18Brasilia, Jun 24 (Prensa Latina) At least 13 international lawyers and jurists have described on Monday former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as a political prisoner, asked for his sentence annulment and for being released as well.
(2019-06-24). Former police officer sentenced to prison for excessive force and obstruction. nationofchange.org A former Massachusetts police officer was recently sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after breaking a man's nose without legal justification and lying in his report of the incident in order to obstruct an investigation into the assault. Earlier this year, a jury found the ex-cop guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of a document. | On April 3, 2017, the victim, Nickolas Peters, was reportedly sitting on a bench in the Hadley Police Department booking area when Hadley Police Officer Christopher Roeder suddenly struck Peters in the face with…
(2019-06-24). Cop Caught on Body Cam Arresting a Man for Talking. therealnews.com 
The illegal arrest by a Baltimore City cop has lead to charges of false imprisonment and misconduct, but also reveals a deep-rooted reason why police seek to silence critics…
(2019-06-24). Alleged Threat against Jorge Glas Raises Requests for Prison Transfer. plenglish.com Quito, Jun 24 (Prensa Latina) A video threatening the life of former Ecuadorian President Jorge Glas, broadcast from the Latacunga prison, where he is serving time for alleged illegal association, has raised requests to transfer him to another prison.
(2019-06-24). Supreme Court to Postpone Analysis of Lula's Habeas Corpus. plenglish.com 24 de junio de 2019, 15: 14Brasilia, June 24 (Prensa Latina) The Federal Supreme Court (STF) will postpone the habeas corpus trial for the freedom of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, scheduled for Tuesday, according to what journalist Monica Bergamo published tMonday in the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.
(2019-06-24). What's Trending: Black News Weekly. naacp.org 
Blavity: Atlanta Mayor Launches 100 Men To Mentors Challenge To Find 100 Men To Give Guidance To Atlanta Boys Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has issued a call to action asking for 100 male volunteers to mentor Atlanta youth. Earlier this year, local officials met with leaders of Big Brothers and Big Sisters …
(2019-06-24). "Never Again" Means Act Now. indybay.org As the national conversation escalates around what to appropriately call the detention centers at the southern border, the humanitarian crisis continues. | Here are tangible actions the local Santa Cruz community can take to protest America's immigration policies and support relief efforts at the border.
(2019-06-24). Advocates Say Illinois Ban on Private Immigrant Detention Centers, a 'Firewall' Against Trump's Attacks on Immigrants, Should Be Model for Country. commondreams.org Critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policies are calling on state and federal lawmakers to follow the lead of Illinois, which banned private immigrant detention centers and enacted other protections for undocumented state residents ahead of the president's deportation raids that were planned for Sunday but have been temporarily delayed. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/jb_0.jpg…
(2019-06-24). Statelessness for terrorists' families, never an acceptable option, urges UN rights chief. un.org Thousands of suspected foreign ISIL terrorist fighters and their families who are being held in detention in Syria and Iraq, must be treated fairly by their captors and taken back by their home countries, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.
(2019-06-23). History Proves We Can't Count on the Democratic Party for a Green New Deal. truthout.org In 1966, the civil rights movement, in ways similar to the climate justice movement today, was at an impasse, confronting vast societal disparities of wealth and power. "A Freedom Budget for all Americans," issued by leaders of the civil rights movement, called on the federal government to implement programs that would eliminate poverty in 10 years through jobs, education, housing and health care programs. | Today, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a Green New Deal, with similarly broad universal social and environmental justice ambitions — and the stakes for the U.S. and global working class an…
(2019-06-23). 400+ 737 MAX pilots sue Boeing over 'unprecedented cover-up' that led to crashes & grounding. rt.com 
A class-action lawsuit against Boeing reportedly accuses the US aviation giant of covering up the faulty sensor issue and keeping pilots in the dark about the feature in the pursuit of quick returns.
(2019-06-23). Free Hiroji Yamashiro-Political Prisoner In Okinawa. indybay.org The Japanese government has jailed anti-war activist Hiroji Yamashiro who has been protesting the construction of a new base in Okinawa at Henoko. He has been imprisoned for over 70 days.
(2019-06-23). Alabama Prisoners on Hunger Strike Demand End to Inhumane Conditions. truthout.org Four Alabama prisoners are on hunger strike at the Limestone Correctional Facility in protest against corruption, abuse, and a lack of accountability for inhumane conditions in the state prison system. | The hunger strike is a response to a call to action from a coalition of prisoner rights groups, including the Free Alabama Movement (FAM) and Unheard Voices O.T.C.J., as well as incarcerated activists Kinetik Justice and Swift Justice. | Five prisoners were on hunger strike initially. One prisoner, Kenneth Traywick Jr., began his strike on June 12 and ended it this week when the Alabama Department of Correctio…
(2019-06-23). "Willful Recklessness": Trump Pushes for Indefinite Family Detention. truthout.org At the Greyhound bus station in San Antonio, Texas, you can easily spot the mothers and children who were released by immigration authorities from a facility run by the private prison company CoreCivic. The women wear what amount to prison uniforms: dark-wash jeans, pastel or red t-shirts or sweatshirts, and generic tennis shoes. Their sons and daughters, ranging from infants to tweens, all wear similar shirts and shoes with maroon sweatpants. | One mother, named Corina, ran her fingers through her 10-year-old son's hair as he leaned on her shoulder this past Saturday and waited for a bus to Oklahoma, where th…
(2019-06-23). 'Shameful' number of people sent to prison in England and Wales, report says. thecanary.co More people are being sent to prison in England and Wales every year than anywhere else in western Europe, figures branded as "shameful" have suggested.The rate of people being sent to prison in England and Wales is around twice as high as Germany and roughly three times that of Italy and Spain, the Prison Reform Trust found.This amounted to more than 140,000 admissions into prison in England and Wales in 2017, the most recent year data is available for.The trust's analysis suggests there are nearly 240 prison admissions for every 100,000 people in the England and Wales each year.It blamed an "addiction to impris…
(2019-06-23). "Never Again" Means Act Now. indybay.org As the national conversation escalates around what to appropriately call the detention centers at the southern border, the humanitarian crisis continues. | Here are tangible actions the local Santa Cruz community can take to protest America's immigration policies and support relief efforts at the border.
(2019-06-23). Are Immigration Detention Centers Concentration Camps? therealnews.com 
Aviva Chomsky discusses the reality of refugees coming to the U.S in light of the controversial statement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that refugees are kept in concentration camps…
(2019-06-22). What's next for the youth climate lawsuit. nationofchange.org 
On June 4, Andrea Rodgers was in the front row of attorneys sitting before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court. The court session, held in Portland, Oregon, was to determine whether the climate change lawsuit (Juliana v. United States) brought by 21 young plaintiffs should be dismissed, as requested by the U.S. government, or go on to trial. | It's the latest of many delays for the lawsuit, which was first filed in 2015 by the then-youth plaintiffs. The judges' decision on this most recent…
(2019-06-22). Free Hiroji Yamashiro-Political Prisoner In Okinawa. indybay.org The Japanese government has jailed anti-war activist Hiroji Yamashiro who has been protesting the construction of a new base in Okinawa at Henoko. He has been imprisoned for over 70 days.
(2019-06-22). Floridians are suing a cop fired for planting drugs in their vehicles. nationofchange.org In October 2017, Derek Benefield was driving in the Florida Panhandle's Jackson County when he was pulled over for allegedly swerving into the opposite lane. Once at the car, sheriff's deputy Zachary Wester claimed to smell marijuana and conducted a search of the vehicle, which, he reported, turned up methamphetamine and marijuana. Despite insisting the drugs weren't his, Benefield was arrested, charged $1,100 in fines and court fees, and sentenced to one year in county jail.* | Benefield was seven months into his sentence when, in September 2018, the state attorney's office dropped his case and those of 118 o…
(2019-06-22). 'We have chronic elitism and gross snobbery in our social movements. It has to stop'. thecanary.co The Canary is pleased to host this guest from D Hunter, author of Chav Solidarity. | In May, I wrote an article in the Independent, expressing frustration veering on disgust at the language Extinction Rebellion (XR) had used around arrest and imprisonment. I got some pats on the back and some grumpy emails about it. One of the…
(2019-06-22). In Venezuela, Bachelet calls on Government to release prisoners, appeals for 'bold steps towards compromise'. un.org Speaking at the end of the first-ever official mission to Venezuela by a UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet called on the Government to release all those detained for peacefully protesting and announced that a team from her office would remain in Caracas to monitor the human rights situation.
(2019-06-22). A Brief History of US Concentration Camps. globalresearch.ca Concentration camp (noun): a place in which large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labor or to await mass execution. …
(2019-06-22). Et tu, Ilhan? Twitter goes bananas as Omar explains why detention centers are 'concentration camps'. rt.com 
Rep. Ilhan Omar has argued that US immigrant detention centers fit the definition of concentration camps, eliciting both applause and eye-rolling on social media as debate over immigration continues to polarize the country.
(2019-06-22). "Never Again" Means Act Now. indybay.org As the national conversation escalates around what to appropriately call the detention centers at the southern border, the humanitarian crisis continues. | Here are tangible actions the local Santa Cruz community can take to protest America's immigration policies and support relief efforts at the border.
(2019-06-22). Et tu, Ilhan? Twitter goes bananas as Omar explains why detention centers are 'concentration camps'. rt.com 
Rep. Ilhan Omar has argued that US immigrant detention centers fit the definition of concentration camps, eliciting both applause and eye-rolling on social media as debate over immigration continues to polarize the country.
(2019-06-21). Billionaires Can Buy Sex and Not Go to Jail. Why Can't You? therealnews.com 
A new law introduced in New York state would decriminalize all sex work, but it faces pushback from the NY National Organization of Women and others groups. The law follows in the wake of last year's FOSTA SESTA, which has negatively impacted sex workers and online free speech advocates…
(2019-06-21). Crackdown on Christians in Eritrea spurs UN expert to press Government 'to live up to its international commitments'. un.org Cracking down on Catholic Church activities, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of Orthodox and Christian congregation members in Eritrea, prompted a call from a UN independent rights expert on Friday for the Government to respect citizens' freedom of religion and to "release those who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs".
(2019-06-21). Human Rights Lawyer Condemns Canada's Support For Honduras's Repressive Regime (2/2). therealnews.com 
Prisilla Alvarado, a lawyer acting for imprisoned human rights defender Edwin Espinal, condemns Canadian support for the regime of Juan Orlando Hernandez…
(2019-06-21). 'Like a debtors' prison': American who fled to CHINA from $30k in student loans. rt.com 
Millions of Americans are struggling under the weight of student loans, but the government would rather bomb Iran than fix it, the graduate who packed his bags for China to escape his own crippling college debt tells RT.
(2019-06-21). Crackdown on Christians in Eritrea spurs UN expert to press Government 'to live up to its international commitments'. un.org Cracking down on Catholic Church activities, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of Orthodox and other Christian congregation members in Eritrea, prompted a call from a UN independent rights expert on Friday for the Government to respect citizens' freedom of religion and to "release those who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs".
(2019-06-21). Brian Mier on Brazilian Political Scandal. fair.org 
The Brazilian anti-corruption crusade, called Car Wash or Lava Jato, that put popular ex-president Lula da Silva in prison and paved the way for fascist president Jair Bolsanaro—all while being celebrated in the US corporate press—was actually, as critics contended, less interested in corruption than in keeping Lula's Workers Party out of power.
(2019-06-21). NAACP Invites Detroit and Surrounding Cities Residents to 110th National Convention Events. naacp.org 
NAACP Experience Hall, Health Pavilion and Career Fair to headline free events at Convention. BALTIMORE‚ÄØ— Families, students, professionals and residents of Detroit, MI and surrounding areas are invited to attend the NAACP Experience taking place Saturday, July 20 through Tuesday, July 23. Hosted at the COBO Center, hundreds of partners, companies, civic organizations, and vendors …
(2019-06-21). A Brief History of US Concentration Camps. counterpunch.org 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has ignited a firestorm of criticism, from both the left and the right as well as the mainstream media, for calling US immigrant detention centers "concentration camps." To her credit, Ocasio-Cortez has refused to back down, citing academic experts and blasting the Trump administration for forcibly holding undocumented migrants "where they are brutalized with dehumanizing conditions and dying." She also cited history. "The US ran concentration camps before, when we rounded up Japanese people during World War II," she tweeted. "It is such a shameful history that we largely igno…
(2019-06-21). As Trump Tweets Hateful Threats, States are Protecting Immigrant Rights. commondreams.org The wave of pro-immigrant legislation in the states — and the recent passage in the House of Representatives of the American Dream and Promise Act — represents a powerful cross-current to the Trump administration's increasingly anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy. (Photo: via ACLU) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-06-21_at_5.02.31_pm.png…
(2019-06-21). Using Democratic institutions to smash Democratic aspirations (the Brazil model). mronline.org 
Brazil's former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has now been in prison since April 2018. More than four hundred Brazilian lawyers have signed a statement that expresses alarm at what they see as procedural irregularities in the case against him. | Source
(2019-06-20). Supreme Court Undermines Religious Neutrality In Permitting Giant Governmental Cross. aclu.org The decision ignores our constitutional commitment to official religious neutrality. | Today, the Supreme Court announced that a governmental display of a 40-foot-tall Latin cross as a war memorial for all veterans does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The decision ignores our constitutional commitment to official religious neutrality and is a slap in the face to non-Christian veterans.
(2019-06-20). The US Must Repair Historic and Current Racism. dissidentvoice.org 
On this Juneteenth, we must confront the impacts of racism dating back to the founding of the United States with the slave trade of Black people brought from Africa, Jim Crow segregation, and policies that continue to this day that cause wealth inequality, disinvestment in Black communities, police violence, mass incarceration, and white nationalist violence. …