Daily Archives: 2019-09-13

2019-09-13: News Headlines

Jonah Raskin (2019-09-13). Uncensored Tony Serra: Consummate Criminal Defense Lawyer. counterpunch.org "In the 1960s I was dropping acid and doing cases pro-bono and decided then and there that I didn't want to own things. In that sense I'm a Marxist. I've been in jail three times for not paying taxes. I've always helped prisoners. There's usually a long line of people waiting to see me for More

Michaela Warnsley (2019-09-13). NYC: Fight continues for 'No new jails!'. liberationnews.org "It's up to us to keep the pressure on these shameless, opportunistic politicians, hold them accountable, and fight back!"

WSWS (2019-09-13). Pamela Anderson defends Julian Assange: "Journalism is not a crime!" wsws.org In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, actress Pamela Anderson says imprisoned journalist Julian Assange is "depending on all of us to save him."

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2019-09-13). The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End But Do Any Americans Care? counterpunch.org On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected More

Vicky Peláez (2019-09-13). The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery? globalresearch.ca This incisive and carefully researched article was first published by Global Research eleven years ago in March 2008. | In recent developments, California has adopted legislation which bans the private prison industry from operating in the state. | "The move will probably …

pip.hinman (2019-09-13). West Papua: End Australian and US training of Indonesian military. greenleft.org.au civil rights Peter BoyleIssue 1237 Australia West Papua independence Indonesian repressionSeptember 13, 2019″We are winning the struggle with Indonesia," said Benny Wenda, chair of the…

Staff (2019-09-12). 48 States to Investigate Google: Anti-Trust or Politicking? therealnews.com While there are real reasons to be concerned about Google's immense power, this investigation is quite politically motivated, explains former financial regulator Bill Black…

Michelle Zacarias (2019-09-12). Marca Bristo leaves behind a legacy of disability justice. peoplesworld.org After a long battle with cancer, disability justice pioneer Marca Bristo passed away this week. The veteran community organizer was one of the key players in drafting and passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Bristo also founded Access Living, a Chicago-based disability rights organization that …

teleSUR (2019-09-12). California Outlaws For-Profit Prisons Including ICE Facilities. telesurenglish.net California lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to ban for-profit prisons and migrant detention facilities to operate in the state. | RELATED: | US: Protests Against Salvadoran Deportation, Child with Cancer | California's governor Gavin Newsom still has to sign the bill under which the contracts of private prisons companies with the…

Staff (2019-09-12). Trump Condemned for Refusing to Grant Protected Status to Dorian Victims. truthout.org | | Reports late Wednesday that the Trump administration will not offer Temporary Protected Status to Bahamians displaced by Hurricane Dorian drew outrage from lawmakers and rights advocates, who condemned the decision as an inhumane…

teleSUR (2019-09-12). France Finds Saudi Crown Prince's Sister Guilty in Beating Case. telesurenglish.net A Saudi princess was found guilty by a French court Thursday of beating a workman inside her luxury flat in Paris. | RELATED: | Dozens of Palestinians Forcibly Disappeared in Saudi Arabia: NGO Warns | Princess Hassa bint Salman, the daughter of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, was found to be complicit in violence with a deadly weapon and complicit in the kidnapping of a workman in her flat. | The French court sentenced the Saudi princess to a ten-month suspended prison sentence…

teleSUR -EF (2019-09-12). Us Judge Keeps Peru Ex-President in Prison to Wife's Protest. telesurenglish.net Former first lady of Peru, Eliane Karp, was dragged out of a San Francisco courtroom Thursday by authorities as she cursed a judge's decision to keep her husband, ex-president Alejandro Toledo, in jail pending extradition proceedings. | RELATED: | Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in US | Toledo, 73, has been held in a California prison since July under a judge's orders because he's considered a flight risk after the was arrested by United States FBI agents with a…

Staff (2019-09-12). In Chicago, Survivors of Police Violence Heal Through Song. truthout.org | | Over a slice of caramel cake on a Tuesday evening last month, Mark Clements shared his story with me. At the young age of 16, Clements was tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit. He subsequently spent nearly 30 years in prison. | "You know," he began, settling back into his chair, "when I went to prison, sister, I couldn't read that word right there." He pointed to a bulletin board behind me. The word displayed was "love." | "As a kid, you go into the prison system naive," Clements continue…

teleSUR (2019-09-12). Stop Jailing Kids: Australian Boy Pleads UN Human Rights Body. telesurenglish.net A 12-year-old Indigenous boy from Australia's Northern Territory addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday during the 42nd session, appealing to its members to help bring an end to the jailing of children in Australia. | RELATED: | 'Can't Feel My Heart': Caged Migrant Children Face PTSD Report Warns | "I want adults to stop putting 10-year-old kids in jail," Dujuan Hoosan said before the council, becoming the youngest person to speak at the U.N. body. | In his speec…

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2019-09-11). The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End but Do Any Americans Care? dissidentvoice.org On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected …

Staff (2019-09-11). Incarcerated Pregnant Women Face Enormous Challenges With Few Reproductive Rights. therealnews.com Kimberly Haven, Reproductive Justice Inside Coalition Director, talks about the horror stories from pregnant women in prisons that were originally designed for men. Haven talks about what needs to change to protect women and their unborn children that will eventually come home to the community.

Eds. (2019-09-11). Nationalism, borders, and the state. mronline.org Last summer, protesters in Oregon set up a makeshift camp outside the Portland office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Similar encampments soon spread across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles and New York. Horrified by stories of family separation and images of children in detention centers along the southern border, a consequence of […] | Source

ACLU (2019-09-11). Being Black is Not a Crime: Yunek's Story of Police Brutality. aclu.org A personal story of police brutality at the hands of the police in Peoria, Illinois. | My name is Yunek Moore. I am a Black woman, a college graduate, and a survivor of police brutality. I'm choosing to tell my story because, sadly, this wasn't the last time something like this happened to a person of color in Peoria, Illinois, and that must change. | On June 4, 2013, I was a happy 17-year-old looking forward to attending college at Millikin University. I had just graduated high school, where I was ranked 11th in my entire class and spoke at graduation as one of my final duties as Senior Class President. | That n…

United Nations (2019-09-11). UN report on Syria conflict highlights inhumane detention of women and children. un.org As the people of north-west Syria face intensifying violence, tens of thousands of women and children continue to be kept in "inhumane conditions" in a remote camp on the other side of the country, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Wednesday.

Fight Back (2019-09-11). Chrystul Kizer bail reduction and justice denied. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – When Cyntoia Brown's case was brought forward to the media, there was a large public outcry for justice. How could a victim of human trafficking be imprisoned for killing her rapist and trafficker? Unfortunately, her case is not novel. Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee native, has been charged with multiple counts for defending herself against a sexual predator, Randall Volar III. | Only 17 years old at the time of the incident, Kizer's case is incredibly similar to Cyntoia Brown's. Even more concerning is the fact that they were young, Black teenagers, charged with killing older white males who had sexua…

RT (2019-09-10). NRA sues San Francisco after city brands it a 'domestic terrorist organization'. rt.com The National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking the city of San Francisco to court over a recent resolution calling it a domestic terrorist entity and discouraging businesses from dealing with it. | The powerful gun lobbying organization, which has borne the brunt of liberal anger in the wake of mass shootings that have rattled the US over the past several years, has filed a complaint against the City and County of San Francisco and its super…

United Nations (2019-09-08). UN chief welcomes prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. un.org United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday, yesterday's exchange of prisoners and detainees between Russia and Ukraine.

Fight Back (2019-09-07). Texas protest says "No kids in cages" fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…

Staff (2019-09-06). Robert Mugabe, Ousted Zimbabwean President & Liberation Leader, Dies at 95. democracynow.org Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was wide…

pip.hinman (2019-09-06). End religious discrimination. greenleft.org.au civil rightsIssue 1236 Australia religious discrimination bill LGBTI MelbourneSeptember 6, 2019A rally against the proposed religious exemptions bill was held in Melbourne on August 31. | The bill wo…

Max Blumenthal (2019-09-05). Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions? thegrayzone.com The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…

splcenter (2019-09-05). Judge blocks ICE from denying parole to asylum-seekers. splcenter.org A federal judge ordered the Trump administration today to change its blanket policy of locking up people lawfully seeking asylum in the United States as a lawsuit filed by the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana makes its way through the federal courts.

Fight Back (2019-09-04). Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…

Staff (2019-09-04). Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests. democracynow.org Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…

splcenter (2019-09-03). No' Money, Mo' Problems: Militiaman's Fundraising Plea Devolves into Lawsuit and Mistrust. splcenter.org The jailed militiaman had an interesting fundraising appeal.

ACLU (2019-09-03). A New York Jail Forced a Trans Woman Into a Men's Facility. aclu.org Trans women routinely face harassment and discrimination in jails and prisons. | Jena Faith's experience in the Steuben County Jail was a living nightmare. | The military veteran spent four weeks in the jail awaiting trial last spring. She was initially housed in the jail's women's facility without incident, but things changed when officials suddenly transferred her to the men's facility, despite the fact that she is a woman. | During the weeks that Jena spent as a woman in a men's jail, she was routinely targeted with physical and verbal harassment from other incarcerated people and guards. On her first day in t…

Stephanie Wykstra (2019-08-29). The Growing Push for Politicians to #VisitAPrison. progressive.org "It's our job. We represent them too. So whether or not they're enfranchised or disenfranchised, we are still their representative."

ACLU (2019-08-29). Taxpayers Have Been Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million For Discriminating Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Government officials should know that discrimination comes with a cost to taxpayers. | Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky was liable for $224,000 for the actions of Kim Davis, who refused to do her job and issue marriage licenses (to same-sex or different-sex couples) as county clerk. | While Davis' story made national headlines, her case isn't the only one in the past year where a court case filed by the ACLU has led to a bill for discriminatio…

ACLU (2019-08-27). Stripped of Their Rights. aclu.org In 2011, guards at an Illinois prison violated the constitution when they carried out a mass strip-search of incarcerated women. | In March 2011, a tactical team of guards at a state prison in Lincoln, Illinois gathered 200 women and ushered them into a gymnasium, where they were brought in small groups into a separate room nearby. Inside that room, they were told to strip naked in plain view of other guards, cadets, and civilians, without any explanation. Women on their periods were ordered to remove their tampons and sanitary pads. One-by-one, each woman was ordered to lift her breasts, cough and squat, and dis…

ACLU (2019-08-27). New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System. aclu.org Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…

ACLU (2019-08-23). Will North Carolina's Supreme Court Allow Racism to Remain a Persistent Factor in its Death Penalty? aclu.org North Carolina's Supreme Court will determine whether evidence of racism in capital punishment can be swept under the rug. | In 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), which allowed defendants to strike the death penalty from their cases if they could show that racial discrimination was a factor in their prosecution. The law came as a response to a series of exonerations of Black people who were falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit by all-white or nearly all-white juries. The legislature took a bold step to address was what suspected to be deeply troubling evidence of racism infe…

ACLU (2019-08-22). A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing. aclu.org Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…

ACLU (2019-08-21). An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent. aclu.org The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished—both explicitly and implicitly—based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…

ACLU (2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…

SAMIR (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…

patrick (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)

2019-09-13: Social Media Postees

Pamela Anderson defends Julian Assange: "Journalism is not a crime!"
wsws.org | 2019-09-13
In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, actress Pamela Anderson says imprisoned journalist Julian Assange is "depending on all of us to save him."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/13/ande-s13.html

The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End But Do Any Americans Care?
Jeremy Kuzmarov | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/the-war-in-eastern-ukraine-may-be-coming-to-an-end-but-do-any-americans-care/

The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End But Do Any Americans Care?
Jeremy Kuzmarov | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/the-war-in-eastern-ukraine-may-be-coming-to-an-end-but-do-any-americans-care/

The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery?
Vicky Peláez | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-13
This incisive and carefully researched article was first published by Global Research eleven years ago in March 2008. | In recent developments, California has adopted legislation which bans the private prison industry from operating in the state. | "The move will probably | …
globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-united-states-big-business-or-a-new-form-of-slavery/8289

NYC: Fight continues for 'No new jails!'
Michaela Warnsley | liberationnews.org | 2019-09-13
"It's up to us to keep the pressure on these shameless, opportunistic politicians, hold them accountable, and fight back!"
liberationnews.org/nyc-fight-continues-for-no-new-jails/

West Papua: End Australian and US training of Indonesian military
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-09-13
civil rights Peter BoyleIssue 1237 Australia West Papua independence Indonesian repressionSeptember 13, 2019″We are winning the struggle with Indonesia," said Benny Wenda, chair of the…
greenleft.org.au/content/west-papua-end-australian-and-us-training-indonesian-military

Marca Bristo leaves behind a legacy of disability justice
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-09-12
After a long battle with cancer, disability justice pioneer Marca Bristo passed away this week. The veteran community organizer was one of the key players in drafting and passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Bristo also founded Access Living, a Chicago-based disability rights organization that …
peoplesworld.org/article/marca-bristo-leaves-behind-a-legacy-of-disability-justice-rights/

California Outlaws For-Profit Prisons Including ICE Facilities
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-12
California lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to ban for-profit prisons and migrant detention facilities to operate in the state. | RELATED: | US: Protests Against Salvadoran Deportation, Child with Cancer | California's governor Gavin Newsom still has to sign the bill under which the contracts of private prisons companies with the…
telesurenglish.net/news/California-Outlaws-For-Profit-Prisons-Including-ICE-Facilities–20190912-0024.html

In Chicago, Survivors of Police Violence Heal Through Song
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-09-12
| Over a slice of caramel cake on a Tuesday evening last month, Mark Clements shared his story with me. At the young age of 16, Clements was tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit. He subsequently spent nearly 30 years in prison. | "You know," he began, settling back into his chair, "when I went to prison, sister, I couldn't read that word right there." He pointed to a bulletin board behind me. The word displayed was "love." | "As a kid, you go into the prison system naive," Clements continue…
truthout.org/articles/in-chicago-survivors-of-police-violence-heal-through-song/

France Finds Saudi Crown Prince's Sister Guilty in Beating Case
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-12
A Saudi princess was found guilty by a French court Thursday of beating a workman inside her luxury flat in Paris. | RELATED: | Dozens of Palestinians Forcibly Disappeared in Saudi Arabia: NGO Warns | Princess Hassa bint Salman, the daughter of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, was found to be complicit in violence with a deadly weapon and complicit in the kidnapping of a workman in her flat. | The French court sentenced the Saudi princess to a ten-month suspended prison sentence…
telesurenglish.net/news/France-Finds-Saudi-Crown-Princes-Sister-Guilty-in-Beating-Case-20190912-0002.html

Us Judge Keeps Peru Ex-President in Prison to Wife's Protest
teleSUR -EF | telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-12
Former first lady of Peru, Eliane Karp, was dragged out of a San Francisco courtroom Thursday by authorities as she cursed a judge's decision to keep her husband, ex-president Alejandro Toledo, in jail pending extradition proceedings. | RELATED: | Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in US | Toledo, 73, has been held in a California prison since July under a judge's orders because he's considered a flight risk after the was arrested by United States FBI agents with a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Us-Judge-Keeps-Peru-Ex-President-in-Prison-to-Wifes-Protest-20190912-0019.html

Us Judge Keeps Peru Ex-President in Prison to Wife's Protest
teleSUR -EF | telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-12
Former first lady of Peru, Eliane Karp, was dragged out of a San Francisco courtroom Thursday by authorities as she cursed a judge's decision to keep her husband, ex-president Alejandro Toledo, in jail pending extradition proceedings. | RELATED: | Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in US | Toledo, 73, has been held in a California prison since July under a judge's orders because he's considered a flight risk after the was arrested by United States FBI agents with a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Us-Judge-Keeps-Peru-Ex-President-in-Prison-to-Wifes-Protest-20190912-0019.html

Stop Jailing Kids: Australian Boy Pleads UN Human Rights Body
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-12
A 12-year-old Indigenous boy from Australia's Northern Territory addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday during the 42nd session, appealing to its members to help bring an end to the jailing of children in Australia. | RELATED: | 'Can't Feel My Heart': Caged Migrant Children Face PTSD Report Warns | "I want adults to stop putting 10-year-old kids in jail," Dujuan Hoosan said before the council, becoming the youngest person to speak at the U.N. body. | In his speec…
telesurenglish.net/news/Stop-Jailing-Kids-Australian-Boy-Addresses-UN-Human-Rights-Body-20190912-0020.html

Nationalism, borders, and the state
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-09-11
Last summer, protesters in Oregon set up a makeshift camp outside the Portland office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Similar encampments soon spread across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles and New York. Horrified by stories of family separation and images of children in detention centers along the southern border, a consequence of […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/09/11/nationalism-borders-and-the-state/

Being Black is Not a Crime: Yunek's Story of Police Brutality
aclu.org | 2019-09-11
A personal story of police brutality at the hands of the police in Peoria, Illinois. | My name is Yunek Moore. I am a Black woman, a college graduate, and a survivor of police brutality. I'm choosing to tell my story because, sadly, this wasn't the last time something like this happened to a person of color in Peoria, Illinois, and that must change. | On June 4, 2013, I was a happy 17-year-old looking forward to attending college at Millikin University. I had just graduated high school, where I was ranked 11th in my entire class and spoke at graduation as one of my final duties as Senior Class President. | That n…
aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police-practices/being-black-not-crime-yuneks-story-police

UN report on Syria conflict highlights inhumane detention of women and children
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-11
As the people of north-west Syria face intensifying violence, tens of thousands of women and children continue to be kept in "inhumane conditions" in a remote camp on the other side of the country, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1046102

Incarcerated Pregnant Women Face Enormous Challenges With Few Reproductive Rights
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-11
Kimberly Haven, Reproductive Justice Inside Coalition Director, talks about the horror stories from pregnant women in prisons that were originally designed for men. Haven talks about what needs to change to protect women and their unborn children that will eventually come home to the community.
therealnews.com/stories/challenges-incarcerated-pregnant-women-face-are-enormous-with-few-reproductive-rights

Chrystul Kizer bail reduction and justice denied
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-11
Kenosha, WI – When Cyntoia Brown's case was brought forward to the media, there was a large public outcry for justice. How could a victim of human trafficking be imprisoned for killing her rapist and trafficker? Unfortunately, her case is not novel. Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee native, has been charged with multiple counts for defending herself against a sexual predator, Randall Volar III. | Only 17 years old at the time of the incident, Kizer's case is incredibly similar to Cyntoia Brown's. Even more concerning is the fact that they were young, Black teenagers, charged with killing older white males who had sexua…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/11/chrystul-kizer-bail-reduction-and-justice-denied

The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End but Do Any Americans Care?
Jeremy Kuzmarov | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-09-11
On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/09/the-war-in-eastern-ukraine-may-be-coming-to-an-end-but-do-any-americans-care/

NRA sues San Francisco after city brands it a 'domestic terrorist organization'
rt.com | 2019-09-10
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking the city of San Francisco to court over a recent resolution calling it a domestic terrorist entity and discouraging businesses from dealing with it. | The powerful gun lobbying organization, which has borne the brunt of liberal anger in the wake of mass shootings that have rattled the US over the past several years, has filed a complaint against the City and County of San Francisco and its super…
rt.com/usa/468457-nra-lawsuit-san-francisco/

Guaido on the verge of imprisonment: Why does the US have its eye on Essequibo?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-09-08
Self-proclaimed Venezuelan president Juan Guaido and his team have been convicted of holding talks with Guyana on the territorial issue of Essequibo. According to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Bolivarian Republic, the opposition has offered to surrender Venezuelan's historical claims to the territory of Essequibo. El presidente venezolano @NicolasMaduro anunció que el gobierno se …
uwidata.com/5251-guaido-on-the-verge-of-imprisonment-why-does-the-us-have-its-eye-on-essequibo/

UN chief welcomes prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-08
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday, yesterday's exchange of prisoners and detainees between Russia and Ukraine.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1045842

Texas protest says "No kids in cages"
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-07
Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/7/texas-protest-says-no-kids-cages

Robert Mugabe, Ousted Zimbabwean President & Liberation Leader, Dies at 95
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-06
Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was wide…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/6/zimbabwe_robert_mugabe_horace_campbell

End religious discrimination
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-09-06
civil rightsIssue 1236 Australia religious discrimination bill LGBTI MelbourneSeptember 6, 2019A rally against the proposed religious exemptions bill was held in Melbourne on August 31. | The bill wo…
greenleft.org.au/content/end-religious-discrimination

Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions?
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-09-05
The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…
thegrayzone.com/2019/09/05/was-the-imprisonment-of-iranian-american-journalist-marzieh-hashemi-spun-into-expanded-us-sanctions/

Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions?
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-09-05
The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…
thegrayzone.com/2019/09/05/was-the-imprisonment-of-iranian-american-journalist-marzieh-hashemi-spun-into-expanded-us-sanctions/

Judge blocks ICE from denying parole to asylum-seekers
splcenter.org | 2019-09-05
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration today to change its blanket policy of locking up people lawfully seeking asylum in the United States as a lawsuit filed by the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana makes its way through the federal courts.
splcenter.org/news/2019/09/05/judge-blocks-ice-denying-parole-asylum-seekers

Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-04
Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/4/civil-rights-conference-featuring-renowned-activist-angela-davis-gather-chicago-november

Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-04
Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/4/nigerian_journalist_activist_omoyele_sowore_jailed

No' Money, Mo' Problems: Militiaman's Fundraising Plea Devolves into Lawsuit and Mistrust
splcenter.org | 2019-09-03
The jailed militiaman had an interesting fundraising appeal.
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/no-money-mo-problems-militiamans-fundraising-plea-devolves-lawsuit-and-mistrust

A New York Jail Forced a Trans Woman Into a Men's Facility
aclu.org | 2019-09-03
Trans women routinely face harassment and discrimination in jails and prisons. | Jena Faith's experience in the Steuben County Jail was a living nightmare. | The military veteran spent four weeks in the jail awaiting trial last spring. She was initially housed in the jail's women's facility without incident, but things changed when officials suddenly transferred her to the men's facility, despite the fact that she is a woman. | During the weeks that Jena spent as a woman in a men's jail, she was routinely targeted with physical and verbal harassment from other incarcerated people and guards. On her first day in t…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/criminal-justice-reform-lgbt-people/new-york-jail-forced-trans-woman-mens-facility

The Growing Push for Politicians to #VisitAPrison
Stephanie Wykstra | progressive.org | 2019-08-29
"It's our job. We represent them too. So whether or not they're enfranchised or disenfranchised, we are still their representative."
progressive.org/dispatches/growing-push-for-politicians-visit-prison-wykstra-190829/

Taxpayers Have Been Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million For Discriminating Against LGBTQ People
aclu.org | 2019-08-29
Government officials should know that discrimination comes with a cost to taxpayers. | Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky was liable for $224,000 for the actions of Kim Davis, who refused to do her job and issue marriage licenses (to same-sex or different-sex couples) as county clerk. | While Davis' story made national headlines, her case isn't the only one in the past year where a court case filed by the ACLU has led to a bill for discriminatio…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/lgbt-nondiscrimination-protections/taxpayers-have-been-ordered-pay-over-2-million

Stripped of Their Rights
aclu.org | 2019-08-27
In 2011, guards at an Illinois prison violated the constitution when they carried out a mass strip-search of incarcerated women. | In March 2011, a tactical team of guards at a state prison in Lincoln, Illinois gathered 200 women and ushered them into a gymnasium, where they were brought in small groups into a separate room nearby. Inside that room, they were told to strip naked in plain view of other guards, cadets, and civilians, without any explanation. Women on their periods were ordered to remove their tampons and sanitary pads. One-by-one, each woman was ordered to lift her breasts, cough and squat, and dis…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/women-prison/stripped-their-rights

New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System
aclu.org | 2019-08-27
Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/employee-speech-and-whistleblowers/new-resource-tool-sheds-light-governments

Will North Carolina's Supreme Court Allow Racism to Remain a Persistent Factor in its Death Penalty?
aclu.org | 2019-08-23
North Carolina's Supreme Court will determine whether evidence of racism in capital punishment can be swept under the rug. | In 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), which allowed defendants to strike the death penalty from their cases if they could show that racial discrimination was a factor in their prosecution. The law came as a response to a series of exonerations of Black people who were falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit by all-white or nearly all-white juries. The legislature took a bold step to address was what suspected to be deeply troubling evidence of racism infe…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/racial-disparities-and-death-penalty/will-north-carolinas-supreme-court

A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing
aclu.org | 2019-08-22
Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/louisiana-parish-jailed-us-citizen-being-latinx-were

An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent
aclu.org | 2019-08-21
The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished–both explicitly and implicitly–based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/arizona-law-requires-surveillance-people-who-are

Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him
aclu.org | 2019-08-19
Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/trump-taking-more-money-raids-and-detention

The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs
SAMIR | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-15
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…
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-calls-to-boycott-three-german-clubs

BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-14
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) …
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-condemns-antisemitic-fascist-forces-germany-and-worldwide