(2019-08-16). Rap Brown, now Jamil Abdullah El-Amin, Challenges His Imprisonment. therealnews.com 
Kairi Al-Amin, the son of H. Rap Brown, now Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, talks about his father's case and his appeal because of a prosecutor violating his right not to testify him by questioning during closing arguments. Al-Amin is 75 and with a sentence of life imprisonment…
(2019-08-16). The Prosecution of Julian Assange Affects Us All. counterpunch.org With the indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the imprisonment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, we are seeing the US government's blatant attack on the First Amendment. This assault now is officially acknowledged by a US federal court, where the judge dismissed a Democratic National Committee (DNC) civil suit against WikiLeaks on the grounds of More
(2019-08-16). How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. truthout.org | | Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving force…
(2019-08-16). Australian government boosts Special Forces despite war crimes charges. wsws.org The move is part of the preparation for war, as well as for the suppression of domestic dissent.
(2019-08-16). US Trained Honduran Police Get Medieval as Political Prisoner Edwin Espinal Released. mintpressnews.com The Honduran corruption canard keeps the focus on police resources and individuals rather than on the pangs of privatization, and so it is often the line favored by the U.S. State Department.
(2019-08-16). Brazil: Supreme Court Judges Sergio Moro's Lack of Impartiality. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) will judge the lack of impartiality of former judge Sergio Moro in conducting trials against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has remained a political prisoner since April 7, 2018. | RELATED: | Students Strike, Protest Across Brazil as Moro Orders Crackdown | From August 16 to August 22, the STF judges w…
(2019-08-16). Blackwater mercenary sentenced to life in prison. nationofchange.org Responsible for firing the first bullet in the Nisour Square massacre in 2007, former Blackwater security contractor Nicholas Slatten was sentenced Wednesday to life in federal prison. Last year, Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder after murdering an aspiring doctor without provocation. At approximately noon on September 16, 2007, a Blackwater convoy codenamed Raven 23 disobeyed orders from U.S. Embassy officials to remain in the Green Zone and instead established a blockade at Nisour Square in Baghdad. …
(2019-08-16). 600 Mink Liberated from Jerry Marr Mink Farm in Washington (Delayed Report). indybay.org Washington State: In early November last year, animal liberation activists crossed a waist high stream to reach the woods surrounding Jerry Marr mink farm in northern Washington. While waiting to ensure the farm was free from security patrols, the activists were met with the scattered cries and constant scratching of imprisoned minks. Within fifteen minutes six hundred cages were opened. Fencing was damaged allowing escapees easier access to the nearby creek. These solitary predators can travel ten miles in a day and will quickly disperse over a large area once released. Hopefully a handful of animals found the N…
(2019-08-16). Black August Forum: Down with the Racist Prison System! indybay.org 2969 Mission St. near 26th St.
(2019-08-16). The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. democracynow.org 
Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…
(2019-08-16). New Trump Rule Allows Federal Contractors to Fire LGBTQ Employees. truthout.org | | Shortly after Donald Trump took office, he officially declared that his administration was "determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community," following on his campaign promise to "do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology." (That would be a not-so-coded reference to Islam.) Despite such rhetorical gestures, Trump's administration can hardly be described as pro-LGBT. | On Wednesday, the De…
(2019-08-16). For Years, Reporters Questioned the Terror Prosecution of Hamid Hayat. Now He's Been Freed. theintercept.com 
After spending 14 years in prison on charges that he attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, Hamid Hayat was freed on August 9 following a California judge's decision to overturn the conviction. | From the start, Hayat's case had been controversial. | The government's star witness, Naseem Khan, was a fast-food worker earning $7 per hour before the FBI enlisted him as an informant and paid him nearly $230,000 over three years. Khan came to the FBI's attention about a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks by claiming to have information about a visit to the United States by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama…
(2019-08-16). India turns Kashmir into a giant prison. greenleft.org.au 
Susan PriceIssue 1233 Kashmir 2019 Indian occupation of KashmirThe left in India and Pakistan is united in opposing the decision by Narendra Modi's BJP government on August 5 to unilaterally revoke Kashmir's autonomy, send in troops, impose a curfew and shut down all communications. | Pakistan's Awami Workers' Party spokes…
(2019-08-16). Bulgaria: Jock Palfreeman denied parole. greenleft.org.au 
Andy FlemingIssue 1233 Bulgaria Jock Palfreeman Bulgarian Prisoners Rehabilitation Association (BPRA)Anti-fascist activist Jock Palfreeman was denied parole on July 17 on his 20-year prison sentence for murder in Sofia, Bulgaria.
(2019-08-15). Talks break down between Women's Soccer and Federation over pay equity. peoplesworld.org 
After three days, mediated talks between World Cup champion U.S. women's national soccer team and the U.S. Soccer Federation, aimed at settling their equal pay dispute, came to a crashing end. The USWNT's gender discrimination and equal pay lawsuit will now likely head to jury trial following the breakdown in New York. "We entered this …
(2019-08-15). Federal Ex-Offenders at Risk of Losing Ties to Their Community in DC. therealnews.com 
A DC Real estate mega-developer has reneged on an agreement to lease one of his properties for a re-entry program for 300 men returning from federal prison. What does this mean for those men, their families, and the community?
(2019-08-15). Truck Rams Anti-ICE Protest in Rhode Island. therealnews.com 
A corrections officer struck Never Again protestors with his truck outside of the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, hospitalizing two while other protestors were pepper sprayed by police. Update: A Captain involved in the incident was placed on leave pending an independent investigation, officials say…
(2019-08-15). The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person. aclu.org How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
(2019-08-15). In Chicago, Assata's Daughters Fight for Radical Change Through Youth Mentoring. truthout.org | | Assata's Daughters is a Black women-led organization formed by Black feminists and organizers in the south side of Chicago as a reaction to the violence in their neighborhoods. Under the shared respect and study of Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur, Assata's Daughters provides mentorship for young people to participate in a meaningful way for Black lives. Members of Assata's Daughters learn tactics and strategies to organize and address the many social issues that impact their…
(2019-08-15). Fighting back: Six states sue the EPA over its approval of pesticide linked to brain damage. nationofchange.org Last month the EPA announced that despite urging from the scientific community, it will not ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos. Now six states are fighting back against the decision. | California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland and Vermont have filed a lawsuit against the EPA arguing the chloypyrifos poses a significant danger to human health and should be banned. | A similar lawsuit has been filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the environmental and health groups that advocate for environmentalists, farmworkers, and people with learning disabilities. | The EPA argues that environmental grou…
(2019-08-15). A 19-year-old explains why she'd rather go to jail than fight in the Israeli army. thecanary.co An Israeli woman has released a video explaining why she's willing to go to prison rather than fight in the army. Maya Bernad-Figenbaum has already spent seven days in a military jail. But she's prepared to go back because: The state actively tries to separate us, [and] does not want connections and linkage between Jewish and Palestinian culture. | Thank you to Israelis of conscience like Maya who would rather serve multiple stints in military jail than be drafted into the Israeli…
(2019-08-15). Resistance in Honduras Marches on as Political Prisoner Is Released on Bail. truthout.org | | After 18 months in maximum-security jail enduring inhumane conditions, Honduran activist and political prisoner Edwin Espinal was released on bail last week. Upon his exit, Espinal opted to eschew the type of comforts many others might have sought after securing their freedom: Still wearing his jail garb, he went straight to a demonstration to greet his supporters, thank them for their tireless efforts, and pledged to continue the struggle against the regime of Honduran President Juan O…
(2019-08-15). SPLC publishes Opportunity Costs: Unequal Justice in Alabama's Community Corrections Programs. splcenter.org A new investigative report published today by the Southern Poverty Law Center reveals serious flaws in Alabama's community corrections programs, an otherwise promising system for diverting people from the state's prisons.
(2019-08-15). Headlines for August 15, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Moves to Seize Iranian Tanker Held in Gibraltar, Chinese Paramilitaries Mass on Hong Kong Border as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue, Dow Jones Plunges 800 Points on Fears of Looming Recession, Study Finds CEO Pay Increased 1,000% Since 1978 While Wages Stagnated, Facebook Hired Hundreds to Listen In on Users' Audio Messages, Mexico City Police Officers Suspended over Rape of Two Teenagers, Italian Court Allows Rescued Migrants to Disembark as Hundreds More Remain Stranded at Sea, NBC News: ICE Now Jailing 8,000 Migrants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Federal Court Weighs Fate of Protected Status…
(2019-08-15). Mexico City Prison Fire Kills 3, Injures 7. telesurenglish.net A fire at a prison in eastern Mexico City on Thursday morning killed at least three men and injured seven others, the city government said in a statement. | RELATED: | Mexico Urges US to Designate El Paso Shooting Act of Terrorism | Officials were still working to determine the cause of the fire, which was detected in a sleeping area at the prison in the Iztapalapa neighborhood at 5: 25 a.m. local time, the statement said. | The three inmates killed in the fire were identified…
(2019-08-15). 'This Was Murder,' Says Judge, Sentencing Ex-Blackwater Guard to Life for Nisour Square Massacre. commondreams.org Rejecting claims that U.S. prosecutors scapegoated former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to improve U.S.-Iraqi relations, a federal judge sentenced Slatten to life in prison Wednesday for his role in the notorious 2007 Nisour Square massacre. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nicholas-slatten-ap_0.jpg …
(2019-08-15). The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs. bdsmovement.net 
The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs: PACBI StatementConne Island, Golden Pudel and : //about blank are complicit in Israel's oppression of Palestinians | Cultural Boycott Right To BoycottAugust 15, 2019…
(2019-08-15). Over 250 Lawsuits Vs Catholic Church Filed over Sex Abuse in NY. telesurenglish.net A New York law office on Wednesday filed more than 250 lawsuits over sexual abuse of minors against the Catholic Church with the entry into force of the so-called "lookback window" law, allowing victims to sue for these crimes even if the statute of limitations has expired. | RELATED: | Chile Removes Statue of Limitations on Child Sex Abuse | Jeff Anderson & Associates made public the 262 lawsuits in New York state at a press conference, where the chief partner — Jeff Anderson [m…
(2019-08-15). Prison Guard Drives Truck Into Crowd of Peaceful Anti-ICE Protesters. truthdig.com 
Activists who were sitting at the entry to the detention facility's parking lot in Rhode Island are shaken but remain as committed as ever.
(2019-08-15). Truck drives into protesters blocking entrance to ICE detention center (VIDEO). rt.com 
A video made by protesters shows the moment a pickup truck drives into sit-in demonstrators blocking the street entrance to an ICE detention center in Rhode Island. A crowd starts banging on the car then gets pepper-sprayed.
(2019-08-14). Labor's problem: Overcoming Mitch McConnell's blockade. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON — Worker rights. Clean elections. Campaign finance reform. Stronger job safety and health laws. Restoring the right to vote and banning voter suppression. Collective bargaining rights for public workers. Raising the minimum wage. Putting financially troubled multi-employer pension plans on fiscally sound footings without severely slashing benefits. The Green New Deal. What do all …
(2019-08-14). Federal Judge Continues Chelsea Manning's Confinement and $1000 a Day Fine. dissidentvoice.org Chelsea Manning could be jailed for another 400 days and owe $144,00 because of an unprecedented decision by Bush-Appointed Judge Tenga. Kevin Gosztola discusses the latest development.
(2019-08-14). "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…
(2019-08-14). BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide. bdsmovement.net 
BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide: BNC StatementOur nonviolent movement opposes all forms of racism and racial discrimination. | Right To BoycottAugust 14, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
(2019-08-13). Federal Judge Continues Chelsea Manning's Confinement and $1000 a Day Fine. therealnews.com 
Manning could be jailed for another 400 days and owe $144,00 because of an unprecedented decision by Bush-Appointed Judge Trenga. Kevin Gosztola discusses the latest development…
(2019-08-13). Intent on Restoring His Conviction and Death Sentence, Arizona Reinvents Its Case Against Barry Jones. theintercept.com 
On a clear, blue day in late spring, Arizona Assistant Attorney General Myles Braccio stood before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was just after 10 a.m. Braccio had a half-hour to salvage a 24-year-old death penalty conviction that had been overturned by a federal judge. "Your honors," he began, "this case today presents nothing more than a habeas petitioner who hired several new experts, many years after his convictions and sentences, in an attempt to undermine the jury's verdicts." | The petitioner was Barry Lee Jones, sent to death row in 1995 for an unspeakable crime: the rape and…
(2019-08-13). Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence. aclu.org Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…
(2019-08-13). Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. progressive.org Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(2019-08-10). Weekend Read: Neo-Nazi leader must pay more than $14 million in damages. splcenter.org A federal judge has ruled in an SPLC lawsuit that neo-Nazi leader Andrew Anglin must pay more than $14 million in damages for using his website to launch an antisemitic campaign of terror against a Jewish woman and her family.
(2019-08-09). Headlines for August 9, 2019. democracynow.org Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Take Up Gun Bills, But Not Until September, President and First Lady Pose with Infant Orphaned in El Paso Massacre, Man with Guns and Body Armor Sparks Panic at Missouri Walmart, Home of Interracial Couple in Ohio Torched in Apparent Hate Crime, Over 100 Immigrant Hunger Strikers Tear-Gassed Inside ICE Jail, ICE Releases Some of the 680 Immigrants Swept Up in Massive Mississippi Raid, Mentally Ill Michigan Man with Diabetes Dies After Deportation to Iraq, ICE Agents, Lacking Warrant, Denied Entry to Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, Hundreds of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Occupy A…
(2019-08-09). Over 132,400 Opposed Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan. aclu.org A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…
(2019-08-08). Headlines for August 8, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Scientists Warn Rapid Global Warming Threatens Food Supply, 680 Mississippi Poultry Workers Arrested in Massive Immigration Raid, ICE Raids Targeted Company Whose Workers Won Discrimination Lawsuit, Trump Visits Dayton and El Paso, Sites of Weekend Mass Shootings, El Paso Protesters Link Trump's Racist Rhetoric to Gunman's Manifesto, Trump Supporter with Loaded Pistol, Knife Arrested Outside El Paso Immigrant Center, Trump Suggests Antifa Shares Equal Blame for Deadly Violence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Trump Enables White Supremacists, SPLC: State Department Employee Secretly Worked as White Na…
(2019-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2019. democracynow.org Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extr…
(2019-08-05). New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act. splcenter.org Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
(2019-07-31). Los Angeles demands justice for Anthony Vargas — #JailKillerCops! liberationnews.org 
On July 27, over 60 members of the Los Angeles community gathered outside the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to celebrate the life of Anthony Daniel Vargas, who would have been celebrating his 22nd birthday that day.
(2019-07-31). Oklahoma Victims Compensation Program Disproportionately Denies Funds for Black Victims. aclu.org Data shows that Black victims are often denied compensation for the very same crimes as committed against white victims, who did receive compensation. | Tiras Johnson, age 23, was unarmed when he was shot and killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His family was devastated by his death, and they were struggling to pay for Tiras' funeral. Like many victims' families, Tiras' mother applied for financial compensation through the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Act in order to cover his funeral costs, but instead received a surprising response in the mail. | The letter, addressed to Tiras' mother, Netarsha, explained that h…
(2019-07-29). Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues. aclu.org The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…
(2019-07-26). When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation. aclu.org I was in 8th grade. I just didn't want to get in more trouble, so I signed the papers, like I was told to. | I was in 8th grade when it happened. I'll never forget the feeling of those cold, clanky pairs of metal constraints. I was being handcuffed in front of my friends and classmates. | As a lot of middle school students do, I was fooling around with my friends outside at lunch. We found an orange and started kicking it around like a soccer ball. It turns out I picked a bad day to fool around, and a bad person to tick off. A school resource officer — basically a cop — was stationed in the cafeteria,…
(2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…
(2019-07-25). This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now. aclu.org Today, we filed a landmark settlement that will end the relationship between the probation department and school districts in Riverside. | Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. | This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). Instead of counselors or other school and community-based supports stepping in to support and…