ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community
ACLU Northern California | indybay.org | 2020-05-14
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/18832990.php
Beijing signals harsh counter-sanctions for US lawmakers & STATES targeting China over Covid-19 outbreak
rt.com | 2020-05-14
China will not submit to US lawsuits and legislation aimed at blaming Beijing for the coronavirus crisis, state media has warned, suggesting that counter-sanctions against officials and entire states are already in the works. | Numerous members of Congress and other officials will be put onto China's sanctions list for their involvement in efforts to demonize China for its alleged responsibility for the pandemic, the Global Times reported, citing analysts. | The "painful" countermeasures will likely target Senator John Haw…
rt.com/news/488638-china-us-sanctions-coronavirus-retaliation/
Adventures in Digital Organizing With Mariame Kaba
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-14
Kelly Hayes talks with Mariame Kaba about storytelling and building power. | Note: This a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. Copy may not be in its final form. | TRANSCRIPT: | Kelly Hayes: Welcome to movement memos, a Truthout podcast about things you should know if you want to change the world. I'm your host, Kelly Hayes. Today's guest is Mariame Kaba. Mariame is an abolitionist organizer, educator, and curator whose groundbreaking work has helped free countless people from jails, prisons a…
truthout.org/audio/adventures-in-digital-organizing-with-mariame-kaba/
21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2020-05-14
The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff's Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/18832983.php
Bay Area car caravan: Stop state executions by COVID-19!
Liberation Staff | liberationnews.org | 2020-05-14
More than 80 cars drove around San Quentin prison in Marin County, California on Sat. May .
liberationnews.org/stop-state-executions-0509/
U.S. global prison model: white supremacy on display
Mirinda Crissman | workers.org | 2020-05-14
The United States has institutionalized white supremacist violence at home and abroad through its use of police and prisons. This does not come as revelation, but as a call to action. Whether we examine photographs coming out of El Salvador's prisons, or surveillance software used by U.S. police and Immigration . . . | Continue reading U.S. global prison model: white supremacy on display at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48593/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=u-s-global-prison-model-white-supremacy-on-display-a-ww-commentary
PDF download of May 14 issue
A. Majumdar | workers.org | 2020-05-14
Download entire 12-page PDF here. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Kent State and Jackson State. Also: COVID‚Äë19: capitalism's end stage; workers resist. Editorial: Changing narrative in Michigan. World: China, Vietnam, Haiti, Ecuador. Tear down prisons: victory in PA; San Quentin caravan; No cages for migrants; Global prisons & white supremacy; Solidarity . . . | Continue reading PDF download of May 14 issue at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48613/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pdf-download-of-may-14-issue
There Is Only One Way to Prevent Mass Deaths in Prisons: Let Them Out
Daniel Fernandez | thenation.com | 2020-05-14
There Is Only One Way to Prevent Mass Deaths in Prisons: Let Them Out…
thenation.com/article/activism/coronavirus-prison-danbury/
ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community
ACLU Northern California | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/18832990.php
Contact Tracing, Immunity Cards and Mass Testing: Are We on The Fast Track to a National ID?
John Whitehead | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
CHARLOTTESVILLE ( Rutherford) —- No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. | That's the message being broadcast 24/7 with every new piece of government propaganda, every new law that criminalizes otherwise lawful activity, every new policeman on the beat, every new surveillance camera casting a watchful eye, every sensationalist news story that titillates and distracts, every new prison or detention center built to house troublemake…
mintpressnews.com/contact-tracing-immunity-cards-mass-testing-national-id/267488/
China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents
Joshua Hanks | workers.org | 2020-05-13
Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald's restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . | Continue reading China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48572/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=china-reacts-with-zero-tolerance-for-racist-incidents
China reacts with zero tolerance for racist incidents
Joshua Hanks | workers.org | 2020-05-13
Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald's restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . | Continue reading China reacts with zero tolerance for racist incidents at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48572/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=china-reacts-with-zero-tolerance-for-racist-incidents
Oops! FBI accidentally reveals name of Saudi diplomat who helped 9/11 hijackers after years of 'national security' stonewalling
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The FBI has accidentally revealed the name of a Saudi official believed to have aided two Al-Qaeda hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, after going to absurd lengths to keep it secret for years. | The name was unintentionally left unredacted in a court filing unsealed last week in the ongoing lawsuit by 9/11 victims' families against the Saudi government, which they accuse of complicity in the terrorist attacks. The 'error' was reported by Yahoo News on Tuesday
History of Ghana: The Tragedy of One-time Military Ruler Ignatius Acheampong: Visionary and Kleptocrat
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
"Beloved Ghana, born with a deep sense of pride, nurtured with unshakeable courage, has said goodbye forever to reaction, to timidity and hypocrisy in Government, and to the suppression of the interests and welfare of the people. Together we shall …
globalresearch.ca/ignatius-acheampong-visionary-kleptocrat/5712728
21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff's Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/18832983.php
Striking sanitation workers in New Orleans replaced by prison laborers
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
A private waste management company in New Orleans has used inmates to replace striking workers demanding hazard pay and safer working conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/nola-m13.html
At San Quentin: 'No state execution by COVID-19!'
Judy Greenspan | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 9
"Losing the Fabric of the City": COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First & Exposed Structural Racism
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-12
We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated structural racism" in Chicago.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/12/chicago_70_black_people_dead_first
COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First and Exposed Structural Racism
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-12
We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated struct…
truthout.org/video/covid-19-took-chicago-black-lives-first-and-exposed-structural-racism/
Dallas County Officials are Leaving Vulnerable People to Catch COVID-19 in Jail
Andrea Woods | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
Wykivia and Ideare Bailey were taking every precaution. Worried for their asthmatic daughter due to the spread of COVID-19, the couple was meticulous in cleaning, sanitizing, and social distancing to reduce every possible threat. However, when Ideare was arrested for property theft and booked into the Dallas County Jail on April 6, there was no way to adhere to those precautions. Held in a crowded intake room, he could not maintain six feet of distance from other people. Forced to live in a dormitory with 60 other people
ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community
ACLU Northern California | indybay.org | 2020-05-12
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/18832990.php
During COVID-19 Crisis, We Must Prioritize the Release of Pregnant People
Lauren Kuhlik | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
This piece was first published on USA Today., , Andrea Circle Bear was 30 years old and had only recently given birth when she died of COVID-19. Circle Bear was incarcerated for a drug-related charge at the time of her death. She spent the final weeks of her pregnancy in a local jail and then a federal prison, spaces that are known hotbeds for virus transmission…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/during-covid-19-crisis-we-must-prioritize-the-release-of-pregnant-people
President Trump's Assault On Inspectors General Threatens Our Civil Liberties
Kate Oh | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
One recent Friday night, President Trump quietly nominated a replacement inspector general (IG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But this was no ordinary nomination. If confirmed by the Senate, it will force out the acting IG after her office released a survey of hospitals that, to Trump's vocal displeasure, underscored his administration's botched handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. , , The ouster is also only the late…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/president-trumps-assault-on-inspectors-general-threatens-our-civil-liberties
Minneapolis vigil honors Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia, first person to die of COVID-19 in ICE detention
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-12
Minneapolis, MN – After dark on Monday, May 11, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a candlelight vigil at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse to remember Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia. He is the first person reported to die of COVID-19 while in jail detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The speakers at the vigil called on people to remember Carlos and called on government officials to free all ICE detainees. | Because of COVID-19, all vigil participants wore a mask and maintained social distance. | During the vigil, Escobar-Mejia's name was also projected on a large wall o…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/12/minneapolis-vigil-honors-carlos-ernesto-escobar-mejia-first-person-die-covid-19-ice-detent
Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic
NationAction | thenation.com | 2020-05-12
Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic…
thenation.com/article/activism/fight-mass-incarceration-amidst-the-pandemic/
Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic
NationAction | thenation.com | 2020-05-12
Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic…
thenation.com/article/activism/fight-mass-incarceration-amidst-the-pandemic/
Facebook paying $52 million settlement to moderators who claim they developed PTSD through work
rt.com | 2020-05-12
Current and former moderators for Facebook will each be receiving $1,000 or more, as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed having to deal with censoring content made them develop post traumatic stress disorder. | The social media giant will be paying out extra to individuals for additional mental health issues stemming from their jobs, such as depression. The settlement, first reported by The Verge, covers 11,250 moderators, while current employees will rec…
rt.com/usa/488483-facebook-settlement-moderators-ptsd/
Court hears appeal of dismissed lawsuit by family of man killed by Salt Lake police
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-12
Salt Lake City, UT – On May 6, the U.S. 10th Circuit heard the name Dillon Taylor for the first time. | Taylor was unarmed and likely could not hear Salt Lake City cop Bron Cruz when he was murdered by Cruz on August 11, 2014 outside a convenience store in South Salt Lake. The killing was quickly ruled justified, but the family filed a lawsuit roughly a year later. That suit was dismissed in 2019, and the hearing on May 6 was an appeal of that dismissal. | Gina Thayne, Taylor's aunt and legal guardian, recalls how difficult it was waiting to hear anything about their lawsuit before it was dismissed. | "The report…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/12/court-hears-appeal-dismissed-lawsuit-family-man-killed-salt-lake-police
Russian court keeps historian of Stalinist massacres jailed amid COVID-19 outbreak
wsws.org | 2020-05-12
The vendetta against Dmitriev is part of the campaign by Russia's state and ruling oligarchy to suppress all efforts to uncover the truth about the crimes of Stalinism.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/12/russ-m12.html
21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2020-05-12
The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff's Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/18832983.php
FM spox rejects US claims over Tehran's delay in prisoner swap
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-12
TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA)
Video: Plandemic Documentary: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19
Dr. Judy Mikovits | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-12
Humanity is imprisoned by a killer pandemic. People are being arrested for surfing in the ocean and meditating in nature. Nations are collapsing. Hungry citizens are rioting for food. The media has generated so much confusion and fear that people …
globalresearch.ca/video-plandemic-documentary-hidden-agenda-behind-covid-19/5712013
Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2020-05-12
These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . | Continue reading Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48559/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=political-prisoners-teach-in-mumia-migrant-rights-and-cages
Saharawi political prisoner Bachir Khada: "I only dream of my freedom"
Bahia Mahmud Awah | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-12
The story of Saharawi journalist Bachir Khada, political prisoner condemned to more than 20 years in Morocco because of his participation in the struggle to free Western Sahara. Today he is one of the thousands of prisoners that demands to be freed amid the pandemic…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/12/saharawi-political-prisoner-bachir-khada-i-only-dream-of-my-freedom/
Bolivia: Inmates Riot Due to COVID Outbreak in Prison
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-12
Bolivian police forces repressed May 11 an inmate riot in Palmasola prison, in Santa Cruz city. Convicts protested due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the prison population. | RELATED: | Bolivia De-Facto Govt Repress Protesters That Can't Afford More Lockdown | The authorities at the Palmasola penitentiary said two inmates who died last week after presenting respiratory distress. Local news media reported first deceased autopsy revealed he was COVID positive and was buried acco…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-inmates-riot-due-to-covid-prison-outbreak-20200512-0002.html
Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2020-05-12
These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 38 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . | Continue reading Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48559/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=political-prisoners-teach-in-mumia-migrant-rights-and-cages
Crime doesn't pay but prison does, even amidst a pandemic
Robin McDowell, Margie Mason | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-12
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)
US must stop acting callously, let Iranian hostages go: Foreign Ministry
Prerss TV | iranian.com | 2020-05-12
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has urged the US to stop acting callously and release the Iranian "hostages" jailed in America and other parts of the world upon Washington's request. Abbas Mousavi made the remarks on Monday in reaction to remarks made by US Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, who claimed the Iranian …
iranian.com/2020/05/11/us-must-stop-acting-callously-let-iranian-hostages-go-foreign-ministry/
We Also Face a Pandemic of Racism
Linda Wiggins-Chavis | progressive.org | 2020-05-11
COVID-19 sheds light on America's systemic oppression of people of color.
progressive.org/op-eds/we-face-pandemic-of-racism-wiggins-chavis-200511/