(2019-02-20). Civil rights groups sue New Orleans for map of surveillance camera locations. splcenter.org Representing a Louisiana public defender, the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed suit against the City of New Orleans over its refusal to provide a map of the city's 400 real-time surveillance cameras. Though the cameras themselves are publicly visible, the City of New Orleans has refused to comply with a public records request for a map of their locations.
(2019-02-20). An 'Othello' for our time: Was Shakespeare a white supremacist or anti-racist? peoplesworld.org 
PASADENA, Calif.—Fresh from that championship season, A Noise Within's Spring 2019 season blasts off with a must-see modern dress Othello that demonstrates why the Pasadena classical repertory theatre company just won the coveted Ovation Award for Best Season. Shakespeare's tragedy is on one level an extremely up-close-and-personal tale about betrayal, as well as about friendship, …
(2019-02-20). William Barr confirmed as US Attorney General. naacp.org On February 14, 2019, the United States Senate voted, by a margin of 54 yeas to 45 nays, in support of the confirmation of NAACP-opposed William P. Barr to be the Attorney General of the United States. He was sworn in later that day. To see why the NAACP opposed this nomination and how each …
(2019-02-20). Touch√©. 'Crazy Bernie' Calls Trump 'A Racist, a Sexist, a Xenophobe and a Fraud'. commondreams.org A day after Bernie Sanders officially announced his 2020 presidential bid, he offered President Donald Trump a taste of how he might handle the insulter-in-chief on Wednesday morning after the president referred to the senator as "Crazy Bernie"—not the first time he's used the pejorative nickname. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-02-20_at_12.13.09_pm.png…
(2019-02-20). Is Trump a Racist? thenation.com Is Trump a Racist?
(2019-02-20). Trump's 'National Emergency' Is a Hot Legal Mess. thenation.com Trump's 'National Emergency' Is a Hot Legal Mess…
(2019-02-20). Odebercht Pays US$20 Million To Former Peru Pres For Contracts. telesurenglish.net Questioning of top Odebrecht officials in Brazil by Peruvian state prosecutors has quickly revealed that the Brazilian construction company dolled out around US$45 million to high-level officials, including former President Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006). | RELATED: | Peru: Court Upholds Preventive Prison For Keiko Fujimori | Upon questioning by lead Peruvian…
(2019-02-20). El Chapo's Mother Appeals to AMLO for US Visa Intervention. telesurenglish.net The defense team of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman confirmed Tuesday that the cartel boss's mother sent a letter of appeal to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) for his intervention in order for her to obtain a U.S. humanitarian visa so she may visit her son. | RELATED: | War on Drugs Failed Even with 'El Chapo' Facing Prison for Life | "I haven't seen him in more than five years," Maria Consuelo Loera Perez, who describes herself as a "distressed and worried mother," said,…
(2019-02-20). Saudi Arabia: Saudi Activist Held in Solitary Confinement: Nassima al-Sada. amnesty.org Woman human rights defender, Nassima al-Sada, was placed in solitary confinement since early February 2019, in al-Mabahith Prison in Dammam. Nassima has been detained since July 2018 without charge or trial. Nassima's detention was part of a recent wave of arrests that targeted Saudi human rights activists. Since May 2018, at least 15 human rights activists, including several women human rights defenders have been detained without charge in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International calls on the Saudi authorities to release Nassima al-Sada and all other human rights activists immediately and unconditionally.
(2019-02-20). The Bolshevik Revolution and the Fight Against Black Oppression. indybay.org 303 Hudson St., lower level, Oakland | (Berkeley Korean United Methodist Church, at College and Manila Aves.)…
(2019-02-20). ThaàØlande: Un bahreàØnite libéré retourne en Australie. amnesty.org Hakeem Ali al Araibi a été libéré du centre de détention provisoire de Bangkok le 11 février 2019, après que les autorités bahreàØnites eurent renoncé à leur demande d'extradition. Il est reparti en Australie le jour même. Hakeem Ali al Araibi a été arrêté le 27 novembre 2018 par les autorités thaàØlandaises à son arrivée à l'aéroport international de Bangkok, sur la base d'une notice rouge diffusée par Interpol demandant son extradition vers BahreàØn. Il devait y purger une peine injuste de 10 ans d'emprisonnement, et risquait d'être victime de torture et d'autres mauvais traitements en déte…
(2019-02-20). John Wayne posthumously bashed for 1971 'white supremacist', 'homophobic' Playboy interview. rt.com 
Legendary cowboy actor and all-American tough guy John Wayne has posthumously infuriated social justice types, after a 1971 interview resurfaced in which the 'True Grit' actor criticized racial equality and homosexuality. |
(2019-02-20). 'Irritated' by Russia, US Admiral Sends Warship to Black Sea. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — In November, a maritime incident saw Ukrainian boats enter Russian territorial waters without permission, leading to their capture and detention of their crew. US Admiral James Foggo says he is 'irritated' by that To that end, the admiral has ordered the USS Donald Cook, a destroyer, to enter the Black Sea and conduct naval exercises with Ukraine to …
(2019-02-20). Washington Post slapped with $250mn defamation suit by Covington student. rt.com 
The boy who became the face of "white privilege" when an edited video of his confrontation with an indigenous protester went viral is suing the Washington Post for defamation, asking for its entire value in a 2013 sale as damages.
(2019-02-20). US Gov't Settles Another Suit Against Border Patrol Sex Abuse. telesurenglish.net A young Guatemalan women has settled with the United States government to receive US$125,000 in damages for being sexually assaulted by a U.S. detention center agent in July 2016, after she and her older sister, Clarita, turned themselves over to authorities while trying to enter Texas from Mexico. | RELATED: | Third Migrant Dies in US Border Patrol Custody | The Guatemalan migrant, identified as JI to protect her identity, was 17 years old when she and her then 19-year old sister, Clarita, l…
(2019-02-20). Settlement Reached in Customs and Border Protection Sexual Assault Case. indybay.org Teen Was Assaulted by Border Patrol Agent in Texas…
(2019-02-20). Somaliland: Free Poet Detained for Critical Poems. hrw.org 
| | Abdirahman Abees. | © 2019 Private | (Nairobi, February 19, 2019) — Somaliland authorities should immediately and unconditionally release from arbitrary detention Abdirahman Ibrahim Adan, a poet known as "Abdirahman Abees," Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. Abdirahman, a popular Somaliland poet and British dual citizen, has been held at the central prison in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, for over a month, solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
(2019-02-20). Thailand: Further Information: Released Bahraini Returns To Australia: Hakeem Ali al-Araibi. amnesty.org On 11 February 2019, Hakeem Ali al-Araibi was released from Bangkok's remand prison after the Bahraini authorities dropped their extradition request. He flew back to Australia the same day. Hakeem was arrested on 27 November 2018, by the Thai authorities upon arrival at Bangkok's international airport, based on an Interpol red notice requesting his extradition to Bahrain. He was expected to serve an unfair 10-year prison sentence there, and would have been at risk of torture and other ill-treatment in detention. Upon his return to Australia, Hakeem thanked the human rights organizations that had acted on his beha…
(2019-02-20). Somaliland: Free poet detained for critical poems. amnesty.org Somaliland authorities should immediately and unconditionally release from arbitrary detention Abdirahman Ibrahim Adan, a poet also known as Abdirahman Abees, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. | Abdirahman Abees, a popular poet with British dual citizenship, has been held at the central prison in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, for over a month, solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression. |
(2019-02-19). A Wisconsin School District Shrugged After High School Coaches Body-Shamed Cheerleaders. aclu.org Parents say staff are subjecting students to pervasive gender discrimination in the Kenosha Unified School District. | The cheerleaders at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, looked forward to the annual spring banquet as a time to celebrate their hard work in the company of over 100 friends and family members. What they never expected was for the banquet to become a humiliating exercise in body shaming. | In the banquet hall of a Kenosha restaurant in March 2018, the cheer coaches presented some squad members with…
(2019-02-19). Japanese American community slams Trump's National Emergency. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Sunday, February 17, more than 400 people filled the San Jose Buddhist Church gym for the 39th annual Day of Remembrance event. Across the country, Japanese American communities commemorate the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. The San Jose event was organized by NOC, the Nihonmachi [Japantown] Organizing Committee. | This year's event came just two days after President Trump declared a National Emergency in order to build his wall on the Mexico-U.S. border. Criticism of this act and compari…
(2019-02-19). Nationwide rallies protest "Trumped-up" national emergency. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON — Pouring into the streets of 234 cities nationwide to protest what one D.C. speaker termed a "Trumped-up — pun intended" crisis, tens of thousands of people demanded Congress end GOP President Donald Trump's "national emergency," which Trump declared so he could grab $6 billion to build his racist wall at the U.S.-Mexican border. …
(2019-02-19). NAACP Challenge to Prison Gerrymandering Moves Forward, First Statewide Challenge in the Nation. naacp.org February 19, 2019 CONTACT: Malik Russell / mrussell@naacpnet.org / 443-610-0361 Vanessa Mbonu /vmbonu@naacpnet.org Doni Bloomfield /‚ÄØDoni.Bloomfield@ylsclinics.org Federal judge refuses to dismiss suit over discriminatory counting of incarcerated persons New Haven, CT (Feb. 19, 2019) — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), together with the NAACP Connecticut State Conference and individual NAACP members, won a key ruling today that allows their …
(2019-02-19). Egypt: Halt imminent execution of nine prisoners on death row. amnesty.org Egyptian authorities must immediately halt the execution of nine prisoners whom Amnesty International has learned could be put to death as soon as tomorrow morning. The men were convicted after an unfair trial over the 2015 killing of Egypt's former public prosecutor, and have been moved from their prison cells to the appeals prison in preparation for their executions. During the trial some of the defendants said they were forcibly disappeared and tortured to confessing to the crime.
(2019-02-19). 16 states sue Trump over use of emergency powers to build border wall. rt.com 
Sixteen US states have filed a joint lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's use of emergency powers to requisition billions of dollars to build his border wall as an unconstitutional violation of separation of powers.
(2019-02-19). Turkey: Courts being used to strangle media freedom. amnesty.org Responding to the decision of a Turkish first instance appeals court to uphold the conviction of journalists and executives from the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Amnesty International's Turkey Strategy and Research Manager, Andrew Gardner said: | "Today's ruling to send the former Cumhuriyet staff back to prison exposes yet again the way in which politically motivated trials and unsound court decisions are simply rubber stamped by an equally biased appeals process. |
(2019-02-19). Eleven-year-old Florida student arrested after refusing to recite Pledge of Allegiance. wsws.org The incident occurred after the sixth grader told his substitute teacher that the American flag is "racist" and that the national anthem is offensive to black people.
(2019-02-19). Iceland: Diverse bodies are not mistakes to be corrected. amnesty.org Individuals born with sex characteristics that vary from female or male "norms" face barriers to accessing appropriate healthcare, risking lifelong physical and psychological damage, Amnesty International said today. In a new report, "No Shame in Diversity", the organization uses case studies in Iceland to show how the lack of rights-based healthcare protocols mean that people born with variations of sex characteristics — who sometimes describe themselves as 'intersex' – face stigma and discrimination and are often subjected to harmful surgery. | A Bill that could help stop this — the Bill on Act on S…
(2019-02-18). Angela Davis Returns to Birmingham, Reflecting on Palestinian Rights & Fight for Freedom Everywhere. democracynow.org 
Civil rights icon and scholar Angela Davis returned to her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend. She originally planned the visit to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, but the institute withdrew the award last month, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinst…
(2019-02-18). Jewish Activists Hold Solidarity Shabbat Defending Angela Davis in Birmingham & Across U.S. democracynow.org 
Jewish supporters of Angela Davis across the nation held solidarity Shabbat on Friday evening, the night before the civil rights icon had been expected to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The institute rescinded the honor in January due to Davis' support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. The institute later reversed this decision after international outcry, but Davis has yet to accept the award. Democracy Now! was in Birmingham on Friday and attended a Shabbat in support of An…
(2019-02-18). Racial Equity Groups Mobilize In Support of Voting Rights Act Hearings. naacp.org Atlanta Event 2nd in Series of National Hearings to Restore Voting Rights ATLANTA (February 18, 2019) — On Tuesday, February 19, all eyes will be on Georgia when the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration holds its "Field Hearing on Voting Rights and Election Administration in Georgia." Scheduled for 9: 30 AM EST …
(2019-02-18). Minneapolis erupts in protest over Trump's 'National Emergency' declaration. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — Hundreds of people poured into the streets on Saturday, February 16, to demonstrate against the latest escalation of President Trump's anti-immigrant policies. | The day before, Trump had declared a so-called "National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States." Under the National Emergencies Act, the declaration could grant Trump new executive powers to allocate billions of dollars in funding toward further militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump claimed these measures will allow him to fulfill the racist "build the wall" narrative that he has used to mobilize his w…
(2019-02-18). Minnesotans stand up to racists to defend Representative Omar. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A group calling itself Patriots United put out a racist, anti-Muslim call for Minnesotans to come out on February 17 to protest U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar at her office near Target Field in Minneapolis. Jewish Voice for Peace-Twin Cities called for a counter-protest and over 80 people came out strong with signs like "Jews for Ilhan" and "Minnesotans against Islamophobia" against Patriots United's contingent of six people, holding three signs and two American flags. | Newly elected Representative Omar, of Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis, started a national c…
(2019-02-18). 25 Years in Jail for Protecting the Planet? thenation.com 25 Years in Jail for Protecting the Planet?
(2019-02-18). Saudi Arabia: Clarify Status of 'Corruption' Detainees. hrw.org (Beirut) — Saudi Arabia announced an end to its high-profile anti-corruption campaign on January 31, 2019, but some of those rounded up remain in detention without a clear legal basis, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi Arabia carried out the mass arrests, including of princes, current and former government officials, and prominent businessmen, on November 4, 2017, holding some for months at Riyadh's five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel and forcing them to turn over assets in exchange for their freedom outside of any legal process. | Those who re…
(2019-02-18). How the Federal Government Undermines Prison Education. theintercept.com Aaron Kinzel grew up poor in Toledo, Ohio, and from an early age, he was pulled into a life of crime. He didn't know his father, and his mother's partners encouraged him to break into houses, sell drugs, and engage in various forms of violence. "I just grew up around a lot of bullshit," he says. "I was really groomed to be a professional criminal." | He was a teenager on probation in 1997 when he left the Midwest on an ill-fated road trip to Maine with his girlfriend. He was carrying drugs and a loaded gun when he was pulled over by a state trooper. With the officer standing outside his car window, Kinzel panicke…
(2019-02-18). Politicians jump ship as Jussie Smollett hate hoax sinks amid revelations. rt.com 
As the narrative of a 'racist, homophobic attack' on actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago continues to collapse, politicians and celebrities who fueled the outrage over the incident are quietly backing away and hoping no one notices.
(2019-02-16). The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and NAACP to Sign Historic Memorandum of Understanding During Annual Board Meeting. naacp.org The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American Men, and the nation's oldest and largest grassroots civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) share common priorities and interests in ensuring the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons …
(2019-02-16). NAACP Restructures to Advance Advocacy Strategy. naacp.org New York (February 16, 2019)—The nation's most prominent civil rights organization announced today during its annual national board meeting in New York, a strategic restructuring which better positions the organization to lead the critical policy advocacy and social justice work needed to ensure the rights of all people. The group also signed memoranda of understanding …
(2019-02-16). Response underway to Trump's National Emergency to fund wall. fightbacknews.org Washington, D.C. — Progressive organizations around the country are taking a stand against Trump's declaration of a State of Emergency, which would divert federal funds towards building a wall on the border with Mexico. | Many groups have signed on to a call initiated by the Legalization for All Network, that read in part, "To get the funding for his racist wall, Trump is taking it a step further by threatening to declare a state of emergency. With already thousands of U.S. troops mobilized to the border, a State of Emergency would heighten the tension of armed troops and border agents who already unleashed…
(2019-02-16). Locked Inside a Freezing Federal Jail, They United to Protest Their Conditions — Only to Face Reprisals. theintercept.com 
In some units where incarcerated people protested, the toilets were shut off — leaving them sleeping next to their own feces.
(2019-02-15). Black Civil Rights Advocate Takes Control of Neo-Nazi Hate Group the National Socialist Movement. splcenter.org The antisemitic and neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Movement (NSM) is now under the control of a black civil rights advocate from California who once dissolved a notorious Ku Klux Klan chapter in Mississippi.
(2019-02-15). There Is No 'National Emergency' at the Border, and Trump's Declaration Is Illegal. aclu.org President Donald Trump admits he's making his move because he didn't get his way with Congress, and in the process, he hurts American communities. | After more than a month of threats, a government shutdown, and bipartisan action by Congress, President Trump has finally declared a national emergency to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on his border wall obsession. In response, the ACLU will file a lawsuit early next week challenging this blatantly illegal executive action. | Let's get something straight upfront: There is no em…
(2019-02-15). Ibram X. Kendi on Surviving Cancer & His Anti-Racist Reading List for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. democracynow.org 
As we celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Frederick Douglass on his 201st birthday, we are joined by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of history and international relations and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Kendi spoke Thursday night at the Library of Congress at an event honoring Frederick Douglass. He is the National Book Award-winning author of "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" and a contributing editor at The Atlantic.
(2019-02-15). Asylum Seekers Are Being Imprisoned in an Abandoned Factory in Mexico Under Trump Admin Policy. democracynow.org 
As Trump plans to declare a national emergency, we look at what some have called the real humanitarian crisis at the border. Riot police in northern Mexico blocked hundreds of desperate Central American migrants Wednesday as they tried to escape an abandoned factory complex where they've been imprisoned while waiting for the U.S. to process their asylum claims. More than 1,700 migrants have been held in the maquiladora in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras since February 5, after they arrived in a caravan of people seeking asylum in the U.S. The vast majority have remained prisoners at the site, after the…
(2019-02-14). Trump Administration Is Illegally Forcing Asylum Seekers Out of the United States. aclu.org The administration is once again breaking the law in order to shut the door on immigrants. | Last September, Bianca* was forced to flee Honduras because her partner's father threatened to kill her for being a lesbian. Bianca could not go to the police in Honduras because they do not protect LGBTQ people from harm. So she left home to save her life. | After traveling through Guatemala and Mexico, Bianca reached Tijuana, where she got in line to enter the United States through the border station and ask for asylum.
(2019-02-14). U.S. Border Patrol Detained U.S. Citizens for Speaking Spanish in Montana. aclu.org 
Illegal arrests and seizures reflect an out-of-control agency emboldened by Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. | For Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, May 16, 2018, began like any other in Havre, Montana: work, school, and a trip to the gym once their kids were in bed. They stopped by Town Pump — a local convenience store — to pick up groceries. While in line, the friends were chatting in Spanish, just two people having an ordinary conversation. But the Customs and Border Protection agent standing in line behind them did not see it that way. | He demanded to know where Ana and Mimi were born. After t…
(2019-02-14). Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me. aclu.org Customs and Border Protection violated our rights as U.S. citizens just for speaking Spanish in a grocery store. | I moved to Havre, Montana — near the U.S.-Canada border — in 2014 with my husband and our two young children. Home to around 10,000 people, I've always found Havre to be a friendly town, one where I felt good about raising my kids. But that all changed last May when my friend and I were illegally targeted and detained by a Customs and Border Protection agent, just for speaking Spanish to each other in a convenience store. | I didn't think it was possible for one incident to change our liv…
(2019-02-14). New Hampshire Is Trying to Stop College Students From Registering to Vote. aclu.org Voting is my right. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to exercise it. | Growing up, my parents taught me that voting is not only a right, but a privilege. They voted in every local, midterm, and presidential election, and every time they did so they were sure to show me their "I voted" sticker. | As I grew older, they discussed propositions or candidates with me, asking me what I thought and even providing me with sample ballots. My dad and I would talk about why our opinions were the same or different, and what information we were basing those votes on. When 2016 rolled around, I still wasn't old enough to…
(2019-02-14). NAACP Youth and College Division hosts State of the Union: For the Counter Culture. naacp.org 
On Tuesday, February 12, 2019, our Youth and College Division teamed up with Baller Alert to put on their own State of the Union: For the Counter Culture. Our Youth and College Director, Tiffany Dena Loftin served as moderator. The panelists were Kendrick Sampson, Philip Agnew, and Blair Imani, all young black people between the …