(2020-06-04). After attacks by police, journalists fight to defend First Amendment. peoplesworld.org Journalists alarmed by dozens of incidents where reporters were shot at, manhandled, gassed, or arrested while covering demonstrations touched off by the death of Minnesota man George Floyd are fighting back legally. A freelance journalist, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the city of Minneapolis, and dozens of …
(2020-06-04). Striking New Orleans sanitation workers fired, replaced by prison slave labor. workers.org Sanitation workers protest, New Orleans, May 5. Sanitation workers in New Orleans are fed up with low pay, long hours and hazardous conditions. Their problems are magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic which has officially killed nearly 1,000 people in the city's metropolitan area. Close to 20 city sanitation workers who . . . |
(2020-06-04). 350.org Holds Webinar on Dismantling White Supremacy, Calls on Climate Movement to Prioritize Racial Justice and Show Up for Black Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-04). Global Black Lives Matter Protests. zcomm.org Thousands across the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, and more condemn racism and demand justice…
(2020-06-04). Hundreds protest racist violence in New Orleans, police attack demonstrators. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – The night of June 3, hundreds of New Orleans protesters climbed the Crescent City Connection to fight racist violence and demand justice for police murders. The Connection is a highway bridge that crosses the Mississippi River to connect the East and West banks of New Orleans. The protesters fought as part of the Black Lives Matter and Justice for George Floyd movements, rallying behind various calls to abolish prisons and police. | "No justice, no peace!" and "Black Lives Matter!" rang up and down the highway. Black participants came right up to the mic to express their disgust for the police.
(2020-06-04). I Remember the Lynchings of the 60s. They're Still Happening. counterpunch.org I was naive until I wasn't. At just 18, the day after I graduated from high school, I drove from Boston to Atlanta to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Two weeks later, on June 21, 1964, we got word that three young civil rights workers — James Chaney, Mickey Schwerner, and Andrew
(2020-06-04). Police Accidentally Record Themselves Conspiring to Fabricate Criminal Charges Against Protester. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on ACLU in September 2016. | The ACLU of Connecticut is suing state police for fabricating retaliatory criminal charges against a protester after troopers were recorded discussing how to trump up charges against him. In what …
(2020-06-04). More Military Deployment and Terrorism Investigations are an Outrageous Response to Black Pain, Grief, and Anger. aclu.org Across the country, people are protesting police brutality and systemic racism. They are relentlessly demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black people killed by police. In response, President Trump, supported by belligerent enablers in Congress and his administration, has threatened to deploy federal troops into states, and federal agencies are investigating protestors for domestic terrorism. These presidential threats and actions are authoritarian, irresponsible, dangerous, and wrong. , , Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 was extraordinary — ov…
(2020-06-04). [Commentary] Governments and international institutions should urgently attend to the unjust disparities that COVID-19 is exposing and causing. thelancet.com During the COVID-19 pandemic, world leaders should pay more attention to those populations living in the poorest conditions, such as the homeless, those in prisons, poor ethnic & racial minorities, and millions of distressed migrants and refugees in unsanitary camps, settlements, shelters or detention centres. These vulnerable groups are most likely to suffer the consequences of inadequate and equitable access to testing, treatment and medical care [1]. Socio-economic circumstances determine the distribution of health conditions in populations and the severity of outcomes.
(2020-06-04). New Report Condemns Age Discrimination in Voting at Home Across Seven States as Unconstitutional. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-04). Beyond Nuclear Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging High-Level Radioactive Waste Dump for Entire Inventory of U.S. "Spent" Reactor Fuel. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-04). Court Rejects Meatpacker's Efforts to Kill Lawsuit Over Slaughterhouse Pollution in South Platte River. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-04). Google sued for $5bn for stealing data from "every American with a PC or phone" truepublica.org.uk Alphabet's Google is facing yet another class-action lawsuit claiming illegal privacy infringements that seek at least $5 billion, Reuters reported Tuesday. The tech giant was sued Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, California. Reuters reported that Google is accused of "covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone." …
(2020-06-04). US Federal Bureau of Prisons implements full lockdown amid mass protests across the country. wsws.org Amidst a worsening COVID-19 outbreak and protests over police violence, fears of brewing rebellions lead to the rapid lockdown of federal prisons this week.
(2020-06-03). Police are Attacking Journalists at Protests. We're Suing. aclu.org As people take to the streets to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and too many other Black people who have been killed by police in recent years, journalists have joined them to bear witness. While covering these protests in cities throughout the country, journalists have become conspicuous targets for arrest, intimidation, and assault by police officers, even though (or perhaps because) they are clearly identifiable as members of the press. , , These apparently deliberate attacks on journalists violate the First Amendment freedom of the press, and they will not go u…
(2020-06-04). The Protests Made a Huge Difference: All Four Minneapolis Cops Charged in Killing of George Floyd. democracynow.org After more than a week of nationwide protests, all four Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd have been charged with murder or aiding and abetting murder in a case that triggered historic protests across the country. "If you look at the video … the pressure from all three officers on Mr. Floyd's body contributed to his death," says activist and civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. "They heard the man pleading, saying 'I can't breathe,' and they had a callous disregard for his life."
(2020-06-04). Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor Was Killed by Police in March. Why Haven't the Officers Faced Charges? democracynow.org We go to Louisville, where protesters are calling for charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African American woman who was an emergency room technician treating COVID patients and was shot to death by police inside her own apartment in March. This comes as the National Guard fired shots at a crowd of protesters on Monday, killing David McAtee, a local barbecue restaurant owner who regularly gave police officers free meals. We speak with Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of Louisville Urban League.
(2020-06-03). Killed at Home: Legal Battle Reopened over 2011 Police Shooting of Elderly Black Ex-Marine in NY. democracynow.org We look at a major development in the case of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., a Black man killed in his own apartment in White Plains, New York, during a police confrontation in 2011, after he accidentally triggered his medical alert pendant. On Monday, the 2nd Circuit of Appeals ruled a federal judge was wrong to dismiss parts of a lawsuit against the police for excessive use of force. "My family and I are extremely overjoyed that the original ruling was vacated," says Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. "I think that people are now coming together, and they're saying that extrajudicial killings and summary executions of unarmed B…
(2020-06-04). Lakota and Navajo respond as police blind and beat reporters and peaceful protesters. indybay.org Lakota and Navajo respond, as news reporters and peaceful protesters are shot, blinded and beaten during Black Lives Matter protests. In Albuquerque, The Red Nation group was stalked and confronted by white vigilantes working with Albuquerque Police officers.
(2020-06-04). Nearly 2,000 rally for black lives in Seaside, 100s take Highway 1 in Monterey. indybay.org Nearly 2,000 people met at a Seaside City Hall on Tuesday demanding an end to police brutality and justice for George Floyd in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. 20 second video of march.
(2020-06-04). Wednesday 6/3: Black Lives Matter March in Santa Cruz. indybay.org Meet across the street from the Dream Inn on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz…
(2020-06-04). NLG Condemns Violent Police Response to Black Lives Matter Protests Nationwide. indybay.org "Racialized, violent policing of Black, Brown, and Indigenous bodies has always existed in this country. Now is the time for accountability. Property can always be replaced. Black lives can not," stated NLG Executive Director Pooja Gehi.
(2020-06-04). Thursday 6/4: Paddle Out: Black Lives Matter and George Floyd Memorial. indybay.org 2900 Pleasure Point Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062-5408…
(2020-06-04). Thursday 6/4: Black Lives Matter, Night March in Santa Cruz. indybay.org Meeting at Town Clock, N. Pacific Avenue…
(2020-06-04). Demand Change: Homeless Civil Rights & the Santa Cruz Police. indybay.org The attached flyers were distributed at the protest last night (June 3) and are suitable for future distribution unless and until things radically change. Comments and additions are welcome.
(2020-06-04). Wednesday 6/3: Emergency Virtual Town Hall w/ NAACP: A Nation in Peril. indybay.org Online…
(2020-06-04). LEGO joins corporate virtue-signaling squad after pulling police & White House sets. Skeptics doubt its original intention. rt.com The Left has praised toymaker LEGO after it asked shops to hide sets related to police and the White House. But critics suspect a typical corporate wish to distance itself from controversy was at the core of the firm's decision. | LEGO is "taking a firm stand in support of protestors and the Black Lives Matter movement,"
(2020-06-04). Lawsuit targets NYPD over concealment of officers' badge numbers with black ribbons during demonstrations. rt.com The NYPD faces a lawsuit over officers covering their badge numbers during protests. Apparently done to mourn fallen officers, the practice seems to be nationwide, but critics claim it is used to avoid punishment for misconduct. | Many police officers in New York have been covering their shield numbers when deployed at the scenes of mass protests against police brutality in the city, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
(2020-06-03). Catch and release: Rioters jailed in St. Louis and New York set free by local prosecutors. rt.com Even as US police crack down on riots and looting, authorities from St. Louis to New York City are simply releasing everyone arrested in connection with the unrest, due to the reform championed by social justice activists. | Retired police captain David Dorn was gunned down by looters and four active duty police were shot in St. Louis, Missouri, as protests over last week's death of George Floyd in Minnesota turned into violent riots on Monday. The 25 people arrested in connection with the unrest were released by circuit attorney Kim Gardner, however. | "It's unfathomable that every single person arrested that…
(2020-06-04). Minnesota: Anti-War Committee demands justice for George Floyd. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 4 statement from Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee. | The police killing of George Floyd has ignited a rebellion that has spread across the entire United States. Minneapolis is the epicenter for this movement, and the people of the Twin Cities are committed to ensuring that George Floyd is the last life stolen by police in Minnesota. We in the Anti-War Committee stand with the movement for Black lives as we demand Justice for George Floyd. We stand against the war waged on Black and brown communities by police forces all across the country, and we stan…
(2020-06-03). "Total Domination": Popular Rebellion in the Shadow of Trumpism-Fascism. counterpunch.org I joined a decent-sized civil and human rights march in Iowa City two nights ago. It started with mostly young and white people milling around, quietly chalking and talking at City Hall. When the numbers got big enough and two young Black sparkplug activists showed up, we took to (and took over) the downtown streets and had a rally at the Old Capital building on the University of Iowa's scenic, tree-filled Pentacrest. Then we headed over to the Johnson County Jail, the headquarters of racist mass incarceration in Johnson County (which is named after a former U.S. Vice President reputed to have killed the great Na…
(2020-06-03). Armed Chicanos in Texas lead Black Lives Matter protest. fightbacknews.org Laredo, TX – On May 30, 200 mostly working-class protesters took to the streets and in front of their city hall to unite in solidarity with Black sisters, brothers and comrades around the U.S. The event was called for and led by Red Wing and was part of the National Day of Protest call made by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). | The event began with a Fred Hampton chant, "I am! I am! A revolutionary! A revolutionary!" Continuing with the spirit of Hampton, Red Wing activists explained the importance of the Black revolutionary. | Dozens marched and chanted to demand justice an…
(2020-06-03). The Response to Protests Against Police Brutality is Not More Brutality. aclu.org Around the country, people are bursting back onto the streets to protest police brutality and demand racial justice in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Their message is vital, and it is correct: Police violence is one of the
(2020-06-03). The Time for Thoughts and Prayers is Over. aclu.org A police officer with his hand casually in his pocket knelt on George Floyd's neck for almost 9 minutes while several colleagues watched or knelt on other parts of Mr. Floyd's body. The officers knew people were filming, but they were confident no one would stop them. They were right, and they killed Mr. Floyd without interference from anyone, apart from the cries of horrified bystanders. After all, they had badges and guns. On that day, Minneapolis police conducted a racial terror lynching of George Floyd in broad daylight that was filmed by onlookers and then sent across America. President Trump's reaction…
(2020-06-03). 85% of Indian domestic workers not paid during lockdown, says survey. peoplesdispatch.org The survey by the Domestic Workers Sector Skill Council (DWSSC) also stated that they are facing discrimination and stigma as employers doubt them of being carriers of the virus…
(2020-06-03). Dozens of Palestinian Prisoners Set to Go on Hunger Strike. imemc.org Dozens of Palestinian prisoners, inside the Israeli Hadareem jail, are reportedly prepared to start a collective open hunger strike, in the near future. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said, on Wednesday, that the hunger strike comes in response to maltreatment of inmates in the Hadareem prison. The PPS added …
(2020-06-03). Israeli Forces Arrest Eleven Palestinians Including Teens across West Bank. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) reported that Israeli forces detained 5 Palestinian youths from Ramallah and Al-Bireh District; | 1. Musa Ahmed Hamed, 22, from Silwad, | 2. Basil Mufeed Atta, | 3.
(2020-06-02). Know Your Rights While Protesting Police Brutality. aclu.org The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, people across the country have taken to the streets to demand racial justice and an end to police brutality and systematic racism against Black people. , , Especially in the time of COVID-19, it's important to know your rights and stay safe while protesting. In this video taken over the weekend at a protest in Brooklyn, New York, Emerson Sykes, staff attorney for the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, & Technology Project, sh…
(2020-06-02). Peaceful protests in Indiana met with police violence. peoplesworld.org INDIANAPOLIS — On Saturday and Sunday, Black Lives Matter held peaceful protests in downtown Indianapolis in response to the extrajudicial murders of George Floyd, 46, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as Dreasjon Reed, 21, in Indianapolis. Some 1,000 demonstrated at the Indiana War Memorial, about two blocks north of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis on …
(2020-06-02). Behind the Walls: Prisoner resistance roundup. workers.org Prisoners are acting to protect themselves and each other in the middle of the global pandemic as they protest inhuman cages across the country and across the world. In the brutal facilities of incarceration in the U.S. alone, there have been hundreds of recorded actions related to COVID-19 since late . . . |
(2020-06-02). 'Tough On Crime' Cities Might Make Violence Worse. therealnews.com Baltimore's leading mayoral candidates are embracing calls for change, but their proposals risk worsening mass incarceration and inequality.
(2020-06-02). Social Justice Is The Way To End Riots. therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with Jacqueline Luqman about the myths surrounding peaceful protests, uprisings, economic oppression and capitalism, valuing property over people, and the country's founding on violence.
(2020-06-02). Pride 2020 is About Resilience, and we are Resilient Together. aclu.org Pride has never been just about the parties. To the LGBTQ community, Pride is about staking our place in the world and speaking truth to power. It's about making clear that we're here, we belong, and we are resilient — resilient together., , As our Trans Justice Campaign Manager LaLa Zannell has said: "For many Black and Brown queer and trans people, gathering in person has always come with a health and safety risk — including from law enforcement, and others who feel they have the right to harm us for simply being who we are … For many of us, this is not the first pandemic that shows the injust…
(2020-06-02). From United States to Australia: Black lives matter everywhere! — Join a protest in your city this weekend. greenleft.org.au
(2020-06-02). Autopsy Reports Showing George Floyd's Death Was a Homicide Underscore Corruption & Police Impunity. democracynow.org Two autopsies have agreed George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police was a homicide. "I don't think that most of us are surprised that the county medical examiner tried to find a reason related to why George Floyd died that distanced it from law enforcement's role," says Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney, activist, founder of the Racial Justice Network and former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. She also discusses the local history of police accountability: "What this does is illustrates the corruption that exists within Hennepin County, where you have law enforcement wor…
(2020-06-02). "A Declaration of War Against Americans": Trump Threatens to Deploy Military to Quell Protests. democracynow.org As a historic week-long uprising against police violence continues and curfews are in place across the United States, President Trump has declared himself "the president of law and order" and threatened to send thousands of heavily armed soldiers into the streets. "President Trump's speech almost amounted to a declaration of war against Americans," says Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. We also speak with William Arkin, longtime reporter on the military, who notes Trump is getting "no pushback" from Defense Department officials.
(2020-06-02). Black Lives Matter Co-Founder: Protests Are the Result of "Police Terror with No Accountability" democracynow.org As thousands in Los Angeles continue to protest against police brutality and face mass arrests, Mayor Eric Garcetti is facing criticism for increasing the budget for the Los Angeles Police Department. Organizers have called on the City Council to enact a People's Budget that slashes money for police and invests in services for the community instead. "We have created a system that overrelies on law enforcement and prioritizes their money, their budget, their needs over everything else," says Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Reform L.A. Jails. "Now is the time that we redirect resources back…
(2020-06-02). Wales's health minister defends George Floyd protesters in US. thecanary.co Wales's health minister has defended people protesting against the death of George Floyd in the United States, saying the loss of black lives was the "biggest harm" to the country. | Vaughan Gething said that the US was not alone in appearing to be "going backwards" on race relations, and that though all lives should matter "in some countries they don't". | African American Floyd died in police custody last week after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. | Gething, who became the first black minister of any of the UK's devolved governments in 2013, was speaking after posting a…
(2020-06-02). Solidarity with U.S. protests in India. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist). | Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) organizes demonstrations expressing solidarity with the American people fighting against racist oppression and anti-people, pro-capitalist policy of the Trump administration | Undaunted by the Corona pandemic Cadres and leaders of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) marched om the streets and organized demonstrations in the metropolises and numerous small towns throughout India voicing solidarity with struggling people of USA who have come o…
(2020-06-02). Headlines for June 2, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Threatens to Send Military into Streets to Crack Down on Nationwide Uprising, Protests Spread Around the U.S. and the Globe as Autopsies Confirm George Floyd Died of Homicide, Louisville Police Chief Fired After African American Man Shot and Killed Monday, 15,000 People Attend Youth Rally in Oakland, CA; Police Continue Attacks on Protesters, Outrage After White Bar Owner Who Shot and Killed 22-Year-Old James Scurlock Dodges Criminal Charge, Facebook Workers Stage Virtual "Walkout," Call Out Inaction on Trump's Posts Inciting Violence, Iranian Scientist Who Contracted COVID-19 in ICE Jail Is Deported, First…