(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). Free Press: HUD Action Against Facebook Just a First Step in Protecting Users' Civil Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-03-28). Biggest Migrant Caravan Forming Amidst Broken US Border Patrol. telesurenglish.net A "mother of all caravans" is building up in Honduras, the federal interior secretary said Wednesday while the United States Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the immigration system at the U.S. southern border has reached a breaking point. | RELATED: | Negligence Leaves ICE Detention Facilities Overrun With Mumps | "We are aware that a new caravan is forming in Honduras that they're calling the mother of all caravans . . . and which could be [made up of] more th…
(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). 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). 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). 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). Facebook Charged for Racial Discrimination in Housing Ads. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) charged Facebook Thursday with violating the Fair Housing Act, alleging that the company's targeted advertising discriminated on the basis of race and ethnicity. | RELATED: | Social Media Sites Struggle to Stem Spread of New Zealand's Terror Attack Footage | HUD said Facebook also re…
(2019-03-28). Facebook Charged With Discrimination for Targeted Housing Ads. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—Facebook was charged with discrimination by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because of its ad-targeting system. | HUD said Thursday that Facebook is allowing advertisers to exclude people based on their neighborhood by drawing a red line around those neighborhoods on a map and giving advertisers the option of showing ads only to men or only to women. The agency also claims Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude people that the social media company classified as parents; non-American-born; non-Christian; interested in accessibility; interested in Hispanic culture or a wide va…
(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). 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…
(2019-03-28). In defense of To Kill a Mockingbird: The 1962 film about racism in theaters this week. wsws.org Fathom Events, TCM and Universal Pictures are screening To Kill a Mockingbird in select cinemas this week. The Robert Mulligan movie is based on Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title.
(2019-03-28). Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning! wsws.org The fate of these political prisoners must be a focus of attention of the entire working class and all those who defend democratic rights.
(2019-03-28). SF Workshop on Racism, White Supremacy & the Case of New Zealand. indybay.org 2969 Mission St., near 26th St.
(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). 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). 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). 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). "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). Corbyn assailant jailed, but significance of his attack still minimised. wsws.org The SEP reiterates the necessity for heightened political vigilance and security regarding fascist provocateurs, along with a political counteroffensive for socialism against all those giving succour to the far-right.
(2019-03-27). Over 400 Brazilian Jurists Demand Lula's Release. plenglish.com Brasilia, Mar 27 (Prensa Latina) More than 400 Brazilian jurists signed a manifesto asking for the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, imprisoned since April for passive corruption and money laundering without presentation of evidence.
(2019-03-27). Brazilian Prosecutors Ratify Lawsuit against Temer for Corruption. plenglish.com Brasilia, Mar 27 (Prensa Latina) The Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office ratified a complaint filed two years ago against former Brazilian President Michel Temer (2016-2018) for an alleged case of passive corruption which could put him once again in jail.
(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). 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
(2019-03-26). 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). Criminal charges dropped in case against Jussie Smollett. rt.com 
Chicago prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against 'Empire' star and alleged hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett. The actor had been indicted on 16 felony counts for faking a 'racist and homophobic' attack on himself. |
(2019-03-26). In just two tweets, Laura Kuenssberg blew the lid on dangerous Tory racism. thecanary.co On 25 March, parliament voted to take back control of the ongoing Brexit chaos. Meanwhile, Laura Kuenssberg — the BBC's supposedly impartial political editor … | Read more In just two tweets, Laura Kuenssberg blew the lid on dangerous Tory racism | By Fréa Lockley
(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). 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). 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.
(2019-03-25). Labor's failure to offer alternatives lost it the NSW election. greenleft.org.au 
NSW Labor lost the March 23 state election with its small-target strategy, its refusal to challenge the privatisation agenda and its sly accommodation to racism. | Despite a statewide swing of 3.3% against the Liberal-National Coalition, the Gladys Berejiklian government still won 48 seats for another four-year term to finish their agenda of more privatisations, cuts to services and handouts to corporate mates. | Labor also suffered a swing against it (1.1%) because it did not offer a clear political alternative to the Coalition. | Small right-wing parties, in particular the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (S…
(2019-03-25). Who watches the watchdog? Hate monitor group SPLC embroiled in harassment scandal (VIDEO). rt.com 
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization which crusades against racism, has been hit by a string of resignations amid workplace harassment claims. Analysts say the scandal reflects the watchdog's duplicitous nature.
(2019-03-25). 'Protecting money at expense of children': Jailed whistleblower's wife details his confinement to RT. rt.com 
Hacktivist Martin Gottesfeld was sentenced to 10 years in prison for exposing Boston Children's Hospital for a medical kidnapping. His wife joined RT to talk about how the US is protecting abusers while punishing whistleblowers.
(2019-03-24). NAACP Calls for Full Release of Mueller Report, Barr Summary Not Enough. naacp.org Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, made the following statement: Attorney General William Barr's principal conclusions submitted to Congress today raise more questions than answers. The American people deserve to see the full report and findings from the investigation, not just a summary from Trump's hand-picked Attorney General. Robert Mueller stated, "While this report does not conclude …
(2019-03-23). NAACP Calls for Full Mueller Report to be Released. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement regarding a recent development in Mueller investigation: "The full Mueller report and all underlying findings must be released. The people of this nation deserve transparency. The integrity of our democracy is at stake. Our country cannot afford anything less than the unvarnished and unedited truth. …
(2019-03-22). Why School Psychologists Are Worried About the Mental Health of America's Students. aclu.org A new ACLU report shows that millions of kids are in schools that have no mental health staff. One of the report's authors discusses the implications. | Earlier this month, thousands of school psychologists met in Atlanta at the annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists. One of the hottest topics among attendees was exhaustion — a consequence of having to serve more students who are experiencing more trauma and other mental health problems without more help in carrying the load. | It's not just school psychologists who are concerned about being short-staffed. I know of far too ma…
(2019-03-22). In Boston, People Are Charged With Crimes That Waste Taxpayers' Money and Prosecutors' Time. aclu.org When people in Boston are charged with certain low-level crimes and misdemeanors, prosecutors dismiss the charges nearly 60 percent of the time. | America's growing awareness of mass incarceration and the over-incarceration of people of color has sparked something nationwide: From Birmingham to Boston, voters are electing progressive, reform-minded prosecutors., , Suffolk County District Attorney candidate Rachael Rollins last year announced that, if elected, her office would decline to prosecute 15 misdemeanors and…
(2019-03-22). The Silencing of Manuel Duran Ortega. progressive.org A journalist fights detention and deportation by ICE.
(2019-03-21). The FBI Won't Hand Over Its Surveillance Records on 'Black Identity Extremists,' so We're Suing. aclu.org The ACLU and the Center for Media Justice are suing the FBI for records about the surveillance of Black activists—a tactic with a long, sordid history | At a time when violence by white supremacists is on the rise, the FBI appears to be targeting Black people in a secret intelligence program concerning so-called "Black Identity Extremists"— an inflammatory term for a group that doesn't even exist. The bureau's practice echoes earlier, shameful government surveillance programs that sought to discredit civil rights and Black power activists who were critical to advancing racial equality — and it e…
(2019-03-21). Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I'm Transgender. aclu.org Gender-affirming care is lifesaving and supported by medical professionals. Yet Oliver Knight and many other transgender people are denied this care. | After years of working to affirm my identity in a world where transgender people are questioned constantly about their decisions, I felt hopeful as I arrived for the surgery I had waited so long for. I was 27, and I would finally be closer to calling my body home. | Since I was a kid, I've felt like my body didn't match my soul. I felt uncomfortable in clothes. I felt disgusting when I showered. Everything felt wrong, but it took me a while to figure out why. | On…
(2019-03-21). New Mexico prisons: less than 1% of inmates with hepatitis C treated. liberationnews.org 
Universal healthcare demands should extend to the millions of working class people trapped in the prison-camps-for-the-unemployed known as the U.S. prison system.
(2019-03-21). Headlines for March 21, 2019. democracynow.org New Zealand Outlaws Military-Style Weapons After Mosque Attacks, "Major Humanitarian Emergency" After Cyclone Pounds Southeast Africa, Three U.S. States Declare Emergencies as Missouri River Swells, Judge Halts Wyoming Oil and Gas Drilling, Citing Climate Change, Radovan Karadzic Sentenced to Life in Prison over Bosnian Genocide, Trump Administration Official Under Fire for Islamophobic Comments, Trump Travel Ban Prohibits Dozens from Attending U.N. Women's Forum, Trump Claims Mueller Report Should Be Made Public, Trump Assails Husband of White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, Pentagon Watchdog to Probe Acting D…
(2019-03-20). Lawmakers in Colorado Should Abolish the Death Penalty. aclu.org The death penalty is a broken tool riddled with bias that must be abandoned. A new bill in Colorado can do just that. | In July 2012, Coloradans were devastated by the now-infamous murder of 12 moviegoers in the town of Aurora. Despite the trauma and grief that crime caused, a local jury three years later refused the prosecutor's request to impose the death sentence against the convicted perpetrator. At the time, The Denver Post observed, "The death penalty in Colorado has effectively expired. And…
(2019-03-20). The Government Is Hiding Its Plans for Anti-Pipeline Protests. aclu.org 
Federal and state responses to public records requests raise concerns of a crackdown on First Amendment-protected speech. | President Trump likes to build things — apartment buildings, casinos, golf courses, walls —…
(2019-03-20). Colton Fears Sentenced to Five Years in Prison. splcenter.org A Houston man has been sentenced to five years in prison in Florida for his role in an armed confrontation with protesters following a speaking engagement by Richard Spencer on Oct. 19, 2017.