(2019-01-18). One Wall, Supersized, Extra Racism, Hold the Wars. zcomm.org Discussion on Trump saying he wants to end U.S. wars abroad, while he threatens to use emergency powers to further militarize U.S. immigration enforcement…
(2019-01-18). NAACP to Participate in Women's March to Empower and Uplift Black Women Voices. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BALTIMORE (January 18, 2019) —NAACP is proud to support the Women's March and uplift the voices of all black women, and as such, Spelman NAACP Chapter President, Amari Fennoy, will speak at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 19. Fennoy will be speaking to ensure that the voice of […]
(2019-01-18). The Justice Department Shouldn't Be Snooping on Journalists. aclu.org Rolling back Justice Department rules that protect journalists' privacy would undermine freedom of the press. | At a time when President Trump regularly attacks the news media, the Department of Justice may be preparing to make it easier for the government to obtain journalists' private communications data. | The public relies on both journalists and whistleblowers for vital information about our government's most controversial activities. Weakening the current rules that protect reporters — as wel…
(2019-01-18). Spectre Unmasked: Racist 'Alt-Right' Podcaster Used To Be Local Reporter. splcenter.org A notorious white nationalist podcaster with a history of instigating harassment campaigns and threats of violence against reporters is in fact a journalist himself, Hatewatch has learned.
(2019-01-18). Oppose William Barr Nomination. naacp.org The United States Senate is considering the nomination of William P. Barr to be the next Attorney General of our United States in extraordinary times. The next Attorney General of our United States has the opportunity to reverse course and place the Justice Department back on track to fulfill its historic role in safeguarding our civil […]
(2019-01-18). San Francisco March: Annual MLK March/Parade Honoring Civil Rights History. indybay.org San Francisco Caltrain Station then march to Yerba Buena Gardens 700 4th Street, San Francisco…
(2019-01-18). Black History Month Forum: SF City Workers Rise Up Against Racism. indybay.org New Valencia Hall | 747 Polk St. (near Ellis) | San Francisco…
(2019-01-18). Pack to Court to Support Anti-Racist and Anti-Fascist Protesters in Sacramento. indybay.org Sacramento Superior Court | Dept. 18 | 720-9th St. | Sacramento, CA…
(2019-01-18). MLK Youth Day 2019. indybay.org Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz…
(2019-01-18). 2019 NAACP MLK Gospel Night. indybay.org Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz…
(2019-01-18). Madagascar: Next president must tackle historic rights violations. amnesty.org The next president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, must tackle historic human rights violations, including excessive use of pretrial detention and arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders, Amnesty International said ahead of his inauguration tomorrow. |
(2019-01-18). Release of Syrian man wrongly convicted of terrorism in Hungary an "overwhelming relief" amnesty.org Ahead of tomorrow's early release of Ahmed H, a Syrian man who was unfairly jailed for "complicity in an act of terror" during clashes with police at the Serbia-Hungary border in September 2015, Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International's Europe Counter Terrorism Campaigner, said: | | "After spending three-and-a-half years behind bars, Ahmed will finally be reunited with his wife and two young daughters. His…
(2019-01-18). Morocco: Conviction of Hirak El-Rif protest leader Nawal Benaissa upheld. amnesty.org Responding to the news that the appeals court in Al Hoceima has upheld the conviction of Nawal Benaissa, confirming her 10-month suspended prison sentence with a fine, Heba Morayef Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa said: | "This verdict is an appalling miscarriage of justice. Nawal Benaissa's only 'crime' was to join peaceful protests to demand the rights of people in the Rif region. The Moroccan authorities are blatantly targeting Nawal Benaissa for her role in the Hirak El-Rif movement and are making an example of her to intimidate others who may wish to speak out. Instead of…
(2019-01-18). US-born anchor for Iranian TV jailed without charges. wsws.org The police state style abduction and imprisonment of Marzieh Hashemi is part of Washington's wider preparations for war against Iran.
(2019-01-18). Southern Poverty Law Center hit with lawsuit for tagging immigration watchdog as hate group. rt.com 
An immigration policy group is hitting back at the Southern Poverty Law Center with a RICO lawsuit — used to prosecute criminal organizations — after the social-justice advocate included it on its list of "hate groups."
(2019-01-18). Will "Tough on Crime" Policies Fuel Mass Incarceration? therealnews.com 
As three of the most powerful men in Maryland vow to crack down on repeat violent offenders, community advocates question their plans to address the root causes of inequality and violence
(2019-01-18). Undocumented Immigrants Are Tethered to ICE and Private Companies. truthout.org A handful of companies are making millions off of ankle monitors strapped to undocumented immigrants in ICE custody. The makers pitch the monitors as an alternative to being jailed, but are they simply another form of bondage? Reporter Ryan Katz looks at what life is life while wearing one of these monitors. He untangles the complicated web of ICE, immigration bail agent companies, and the attorneys fighting them. | 70 Million is made possible by a grant from the Safety and Justice Challenge at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The 70 Million podcast is a production of Lantigua Williams & Co.
(2019-01-17). Prominent Iranian jailed by FBI: Demand her freedom. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — A well-known Iranian journalist, Marzieh Hashemi, has been jailed by the FBI. Hashemi is an anchor on Iran's English language Press TV and has interviewed many progressive U.S. activists. According to credible reports, Hashemi was taken into custody at the Saint Louis, Missouri area's Louis Lambert International Airport on January 13. The FBI has since moved her to a detention facility near Washington DC. | There is no indication that Hashemi has been charged with anything. | Hashemi, who was born in the United States but resides in Iran, was on a visit to family members, including a broth…
(2019-01-17). The Democratic Party Obsession Militarism Will Only Grow Worse by 2020. mintpressnews.com 
For a movement, especially a Black left movement that has yet to emerge in this period, the critical task is to develop mass consciousness of the fact that U.S. imperialism is incapable of providing concessions to the poor and oppressed. History has shown that the Black left has always been in the most favorable position for bringing this reality to light. After all, Black workers struggled to throw off the yoke of slavery only to find themselves mired in the murderous jaws of Jim Crow and mass Black incarceration. A significant shift occurred in the Obama period, one that ultimately marked the culmination of thr…
(2019-01-17). Martin Luther King Commemorations Take Place Amid Government Shutdown and Worsening Capitalist Crisis. globalresearch.ca Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and grew into maturity in the Deep South city of Atlanta, Georgia during the Great Depression of the 1930s and early 1940s. | Therefore King witnessed firsthand the racism and …
(2019-01-17). Rochester Could Break Through the Thin Blue Line Protecting Abusive Police. aclu.org How the city could create New York's first independent review board with the power to discipline officers. | We know what happens when we allow police to police themselves. Too often, they escape punishment when they abuse the people they are supposed to protect. A lack of meaningful police accountability not only skirts justice, but people's lives are in danger when officers who repeatedly harm civilians keep their jobs. | The Rochester City Council in New York introduced a draft bill this week that addresses this fundamental problem. The bill would create a civilian-controlled Police Accountability Board with t…
(2019-01-17). Campaign to free Aboriginal women jailed for unpaid fines. greenleft.org.au 
An online crowdfunding campaign set up to help Aboriginal women in Western Australia avoid jail for unpaid fines has raised $230,000 in its first four days and already settled the debts of 30 imprisoned women, with another 50 expected to be free in coming weeks. | The campaign is being organised by the Queensland-based Sisters Inside advocacy group. | In a statement calling for donations, Sisters Inside explained: "Western Australia refuses to change the laws where people who have no criminal convictions are imprisoned if they do not have the capacity to pay a fine. | "Single Aboriginal mothers make up the majori…
(2019-01-17). Egypt: Lawyer Detained in Undisclosed Location: Hoda Abdelmoniem. amnesty.org On 15 January 2019, Hoda Abdelmoniem appeared before the prosecution for investigation, and her pre-trial detention was renewed for 15 days. Hoda told her daughter that she is being detained in an undisclosed location. | Hoda's last appearance before the public prosecution was on 21 November 2018, after her 20 days of enforced disappearance. From 2 December 2018 until 14 January 2019, Hoda's lawyer and family could not find her in any prison and did not know about her fate and whereabouts.
(2019-01-17). Egypt: Arbitrary Detention Extended: Islam Khalil. amnesty.org On 8 January 2019, the Cairo Criminal Court renewed Islam Khalil's detention for a further 45 days. Islam Khalil was a victim of an enforced disappearance and has been held in pre-trial detention on trumped-up charges since 10 March 2018. He is being denied access to necessary health care. The charges, of which Islam Khalil maintains his innocence, are believed to have been brought against him in retaliation for his political activism. The four other co-defendants who were facing the same charges denied knowing Islam Khalil and were released on probation on 4 September.
(2019-01-17). Putin has given Chechnya free rein to persecute LGBTI people. amnesty.org By Natalia Prilutskaya, Russia Researcher at Amnesty International | For the second time in less than two years, a violent homophobic crackdown has left LGBTI people in Chechnya fearing for their lives. Earlier this week the Russian LGBT Network confirmed reports that the Chechen authorities have resumed large-scale arrests of individuals believed to be gay or lesbian, imprisoning and torturing them. | According to the organization's protected sources, around 40 people have been arrested since De…
(2019-01-17). Mauritania: Repressive Laws Restrict Peaceful Speech. hrw.org 
| | People wait to cast their vote on September 1, 2018 outside a polling station in Nouakchott for the country's legislative, regional and local elections. | © 2018 Ahmed Ould Mohamed Ould Elhadj/AFP/Getty Images | (Geneva) — Mauritanian authorities used a litany of harsh and overbroad laws on terrorism, cybercrime, apostasy, and criminal defamation to prosecute and jail human rights defenders, activists, bloggers, and politica…
(2019-01-17). UAE: Injustice, Intolerance, Repression. hrw.org 
| | A convoy of UAE military vehicles and personnel travels from Al Hamra Military Base to Zayed Military City, marking the return of the first batch of UAE Armed Forces military personnel from Yemen, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. | © 2015 AP Images | (Beirut) — The United Arab Emirates in 2018 handed down draconian prison sentences to an Emirati activist and a British academic following deeply flawed trials, Human Rig…
(2019-01-16). Could Trump's Attorney General Pick William Barr Be "Worse Than Jeff Sessions" on Civil Rights? democracynow.org 
Senate confirmation hearings began Tuesday for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain Haitian asylum seekers. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blueprint" for the National Security Agency'
(2019-01-16). Imprisoned Neo-Nazi Leader Says His Hate Group Is a Religion, Court Says No. splcenter.org A federal appeals court has ruled that Matthew Hale's hate philosophy, Creativity, isn't a religion because it focuses almost exclusively on preserving the white race and lacks a coherent set of "ultimate ideas."
(2019-01-16). Steve King's Racism Must Be Formally Censured. thenation.com Steve King's Racism Must Be Formally Censured…
(2019-01-16). I'm Out of a Job Because My Boss Didn't Think I Look Like a Woman. aclu.org 
A former Chili's employee speaks out after being forced to quit for not dressing more "gender appropriate." | I didn't look the part, so I was forced to quit. | Chili's, where I worked for nearly two years, was starting a new management training program and my superiors encouraged me to apply. It was a great opportunity, and I was excited about the prospect of a promotion. | I was planning to buy a home for the first time, and the pay increase would have helped a lot. I'm a single mother, so what I earn matters. I'm also a lesbian, a part of my identity that influences how I dress. | I'd started working at a Phoe…
(2019-01-16). Chili's Denied Meagan Hunter a Promotion Because She Needed to 'Dress More Gender Appropriate'. aclu.org 
The ACLU is taking action against Chili's, which discriminated against a server for not fitting her boss' idea of what a woman should look like. | Meagan Hunter loved her job as a server at Chili's Grill & Bar in Phoenix, Arizona — and she excelled at it. She was thrilled when her supervisors suggested that she apply for a new training program to become a manager. | In order to learn more about the opportunity, she attended a seminar on Chili's Certified Shift Leader program. She wore a men's button-up shirt, fitted slacks, and boat shoes — an outfit similar to what male managers at Chili's wear. So s…
(2019-01-16). Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Add Citizenship Question to Census, Citing "Smorgasbord" of Broken Rules. democracynow.org 
A federal judge in New York City has ruled against the Trump administration's decision to put a citizenship question on the census. In a lengthy opinion, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote that in deciding to add a citizenship question to the census, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a "veritable smorgasbord" of federal rules and "alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him." Ross announced the citizenship question in March, touting it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect minorities against voter discrimination. Voting rights acti…
(2019-01-16). #SaveHakeem: Stop the deportation of a Bahraini refugee. greenleft.org.au 
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since last November 27. He faces the terrifying prospect of being deported to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi, a semi-professional footballer and former member of the Bahraini national football team, was on his honeymoon and had just landed in Thailand. Australian authorities alerted Thai authorities, whereupon he was arrested. Bahrain is demanding his extradition. | Yahya Alhadid, a spokesperson for the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, said if Al-Araibi is extradited back to Bahrain he will face "continuous elec…
(2019-01-15). Court Blocks Trump's Plan to Add a Citizenship Question to 2020 Census. aclu.org A federal judge has ruled that the citizenship question violated federal law. | A federal court has blocked the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, stating that it constitutes an "egregious" violation of federal law. The ruling deals a serious blow to the administration's plan to use the 2020 census to attack the financial and political resources of immigrants and communities of color. | In a decision released Tuesday, Judge Jesse M. Furman deter…
(2019-01-15). The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's Insult to Angela Davis Has Boomeranged. thenation.com The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's Insult to Angela Davis Has Boomeranged…
(2019-01-15). SPLC statement on U.S. Rep. Steve King. splcenter.org If Republicans think they deserve applause for condemning Congressman Steve King's racism, they're sorely mistaken.
(2019-01-15). At Root a Radical. A New Book Re-Examines Martin Luther King's Quest for Economic Justice. progressive.org He refused to choose between economic equality and an end to racially-based discrimination.
(2019-01-15). NAACP President Derrick Johnson Responds to Federal Judge Jesse Furman's Ruling on the 2020 Census. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2019 CONTACT: Malik Russell/mrussell@naacpnet.org Derrick Johnson, President of NAACP, issued the following statement on federal Judge Jesse M. Furman's ruling to block of the Trump Administration's plan to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 census: "The ruling by Judge Jesse M. Furman is a step in the right direction to […]
(2019-01-15). Will Trump's AG Pick William Barr Face Questions over Gitmo, Mass Incarceration & NSA Surveillance? democracynow.org 
Senate confirmation hearings begin today for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions, who was fired in November. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain HIV-positive asylum seekers from Haiti. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blu…
(2019-01-15). NAACP Statement on CBS Election 2020 News Team. naacp.org Contact: Malik Russell/mrussell@naacpnet.org BALTIMORE (January 15, 2019) — The nation's leading civil rights organization issued the following statement: "CBS News' decision to not include Black reporters on their 2020 Election news team further proves the voting power and voices of Black America continue to be undervalued. As the voting bloc which will most certainly heavily determine […]
(2019-01-15). Trump pushes racist wall, but Democrats push racist cruelty too. greenleft.org.au 
When Donald Trump first announced he was running in the Republican primaries for the 2016 election, he signaled that his campaign would rely heavily on anti-Mexican racism, racism against all non-whites, anti-immigrant xenophobia and Islamophobia. | Part of this was his oft-repeated pledge to "build a wall" between the US and Mexico to keep out immigrants from Central America and Mexico. He slandered these migrants as rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, sex traffickers and more. | That a person with such open racism was even able to be a candidate for the most powerful post in Washington is testimony to ho…
(2019-01-15). India: Administrative detention for facebook posts: Kishorchandra Wangkhem. amnesty.org Kishorchandra Wangkhem, a journalist based in Manipur, India, was arrested in August, and again in November 2018, because of Facebook posts where he criticised the government. While he was released on bail in both cases, on 27 November, he was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA). This draconian administrative detention law allows for him to be imprisoned for 12 months without charge or trial, in violation of regular criminal justice safeguards. The High Court of Manipur will hear his challenge to his detention under the NSA on 1 February 2019.
(2019-01-15). In North Carolina, Domestic Violence Laws Still Discriminate Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Not all LGBTQ people can get a protective order for domestic violence under North Carolina law. | Same-sex couples in North Carolina won the freedom to marry in 2014, but LGBTQ people continue to be denied equal protection under the law in many other areas of life. | North Carolina is currently the only state in the nation that prevents those in same-sex relationships from accessing protective orders for domestic violence. The ACLU of North Carolina and attorney Amily McCool of the Scharff Law Firm are challenging that unequal policy in court on behalf of a survivor of domestic violence who was denied a protectiv…
(2019-01-15). Headlines for January 15, 2019. democracynow.org Over 30,000 Los Angeles Teachers Walk Out in First Strike in 30 Years, Barr Pledges to Protect Mueller Probe as He Faces Senate AG Hearings, NYC Prisoners Go on Hunger Strike, Feel Effect of Gov't Shutdown, Poland Mayor, Defender of Immigrant Rights, Dies After Public Stabbing, Afghanistan: Taliban Car Bomb Kills 5, Injures Over 100, Afghanistan: New Defense Minister Accused of War Crimes, Human Rights Abuses, Brexit: Lawmakers Set to Vote on Contested Brexit Deal, Pennsylvania Judge Blocks Trump's Birth Control Restrictions Nationwide, Justice Ginsburg Declared Cancer-Free, Reviews SCOTUS Cases from Home, SCOTUS…
(2019-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2019. democracynow.org Gov't Shutdown Now Longest in U.S. History, Trump Admin Considered Disaster Relief Funds to Build Border Wall, Interior Dept. Pushes Ahead Plans for New Arctic Drilling Leases, Texas: Tornillo Immigrant Prison Camp Shuts Down, Los Angeles: Public Teachers Go on Strike, Dems Vow to Investigate After 2 New Reports on Trump's Relationship with Russia, WSJ: Nat'l Sec. Council Asked About Possible Military Strike on Iran in 2018, Trump Threatens to "Devastate Turkey Economically" If Syrian Kurds Targeted, Saudi Arabia: Sec. of State Pompeo Meets with Crown Prince 3 Months After Khashoggi Killing, Canada Grants Asylum…
(2019-01-14). Venezuela: Self-Proclaimed 'Interim President' Released After 'Irregular' Detention. venezuelanalysis.com The officers responsible have been detained and suspended, reportedly on Maduro's orders.
(2019-01-11). The Scott Warren Case is Part of a Crackdown on Aid to Migrants. progressive.org He offered food, water, and clothing to migrants on a deadly stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now he's facing twenty years in prison. Humanitarian groups fear the situation will only get worse.
(2019-01-11). Headlines for January 11, 2019. democracynow.org Protests Target Shutdown as Federal Employees Miss First Paycheck, Trump May Raid Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Funds for Border Wall, Protesters Gather on Both Sides of U.S.-Mexico Border as Trump Visits, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Vote on Bill to Fund Government, Study Finds Oceans Are Absorbing Far More Heat Than Previously Known, Pentagon Says It's Withdrawing from Syria as Turkey Readies Invasion, In Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Rebukes Obama and Threatens Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Calls Jamal Khashoggi Murder an "Atrocity", Protests Outside Supreme Court Demand Closure of Guantánamo Prison…
(2019-01-11). Exclusive: Angela Davis Speaks Out on Palestine, BDS & More After Civil Rights Award Is Revoked. democracynow.org 
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights. In September, the institute announced that it would award Davis the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, named after the civil rights icon. But last Friday, the institute voted to withdraw the award and cancel this year's gala event. The institute rescinded the award days after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to he…