(2020-06-23). Whistleblowing, the Pandemic and a 'Law and Order' System of Injustice. zcomm.org America, my country deemed an African American fighting for his civil rights as a threat to national security…
(2020-06-23). Black Activists Expose The FBI Targeting Their Movements. popularresistance.org In 2017, a leak from the FBI revealed they were targeting black activists organizing to end racist policies and practices calling them "Black Identity Extremists." This is consistent with the FBI's long history of investigating and harassing black and brown activists. Organizations like Media Justice and the ACLU have been working to get information from the FBI about what they are doing and who they are targeting but the FBI has been putting barriers in their way. We speak with Myaisha Hayes of Media Justice about what they have learned so far and its impact on activists. Hayes also discusses their efforts to ur…
(2020-06-23). WATCH: Heroes: A Conversation with Albert Woodfox and Robert King (of the Angola 3). indybay.org Heroes: A Conversation with Albert Woodfox and Robert King (of the Angola 3) is a short video being released at this time to highlight another dimension of the protests taking place around the world supporting Black Lives Matter and to draw attention to racism in criminal justice systems around the world.
(2020-06-23). BLM Demonstrators Calling for Racial Justice March on Facebook HQ. indybay.org On June 12, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters demanded Facebook stop funding local police by marching on the social media giant's headquarters in Menlo Park.
(2020-06-23). Ferry Building to City Hall and Beyond: March for Freedom and Justice in San Francisco. indybay.org Black Lives Matter supporters marched from the Ferry Building to City Hall to 555 Franklin, headquarters of the San Francisco Unified School District, with rallies at each stop on June 19.
(2020-06-23). Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org Dear siblings, these times are a great call for change. | As mindfulness practitioners, we can breathe for others who cannot. Let's bring the practice of peaceful compassionate nonviolence to the streets; to listen, to follow, and support black people. | As Thich Nhat Hanh once said: "Nonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity." | Together we can walk in peace, love, compassion and awareness.
(2020-06-23). To Make Crime, Create Laws. zcomm.org Research indicates that 70% of US adults have committed a crime that could lead to their imprisonment. In reality, there's a law on the books that could put you away if needed…
(2020-06-23). Indonesian Muslim scholars worried by Europe Islamophobia. yenisafak.com Indonesian Muslim intellectuals have voiced their concerns following a recent report on mounting Islamophobia in western countries.A report published Sunday by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), a think tank based int eh Turkish capital Ankara, outlined the discrimination and xenophobia that many Muslims face in European countries. The European Islamophobia Report 2019 recounted many Islamophobic developments that occurred last year in both Europe and across the world."The elections to the European parliament and to several national parliaments saw a further rise in popularity of…
(2020-06-23). Wednesday 6/24: NAACP Town Hall: A Legal Perspective on Disparities & Systemic Racism in America (online). indybay.org …
(2020-06-23). Protesters Rally, March to Redwood City Jail to Tell Prisoners "We Are Here for You" indybay.org On June 21, San Mateo County residents cried out in support of diverting funds from police back to the community.
(2020-06-22). A Ridiculous Debate on Sexual Orientation, But a Welcome Ruling. counterpunch.org The Supreme Court just affirmed a right I thought I always had: not to be fired for my sexual orientation. The 6-3 ruling found that, under existing civil rights legislation against sex-based discrimination, it's illegal for employers to discriminate against their employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It feels ridiculous that this needed
(2020-06-22). Opponents of police crimes say no to the Minneapolis Foundation. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of police accountability and civil rights organizations held a press conference to denounce plans by Mayor Jacob Frey to turn over police accountability efforts to the Minneapolis Foundation and an unnamed group of advisors. This comes on the heels of nine city council members declaring they will disband the Minneapolis Police Department. | The Minneapolis Foundation is headed by former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak. During his tenure as mayor, 38 people lost their lives at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, including Abu Kassim Jeilani, Fong Lee and Terrance Franklin. Rybak fa…
(2020-06-22). Black Communities Can Not Wait Any Longer. The Time to Divest Is Now. aclu.org In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, we are seeing a massive popular political realignment around the role and scope of policing in the United States, led by Black organizers and Black-led movement groups. More than ever before, this movement is calling for divestment from police departments and reinvestment into the life-affirming services that help communities thrive. Further still, these protests are not confined to cities and towns across America — they have crossed our borders and are taking place globally., , These calls are being heard, and the power of the people has already led to momentu…
(2020-06-22). Finishing the unfinished revolution — from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter — a WW commentary. workers.org 
The following is a slightly edited talk given June 19 by Larry Holmes, Workers World Party First Secretary, during the WWP webinar on "Juneteenth and the Black Lives Matter Rebellion." Larry Holmes. WW Photo: Liza Green This Juneteenth is probably going to be one of the biggest Juneteenths in a . . . |
(2020-06-22). Racism, COVID-19, and the fight for economic justice. mronline.org While the Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the United States were triggered by recent police murders of unarmed African Americans, they are also helping to encourage popular recognition that racism has a long history with punishing consequences for black people that extend beyond policing.
(2020-06-22). Building multinational unity for Black lives. liberationnews.org 
On June 14, a Black Lives Matter protest began in Jackson Heights, the most diverse urban area in the world, ending in the immigrant neighborhood of Corona, the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in New York City. The protest had an explicitly theme of "Multinational Unity for Black Lives," and united the multinational, largely immigrant …
(2020-06-22). Tampa Bay community honors life of murdered Tallahassee activist Oluwatoyin Salau. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On June 20, Tampa Bay community members gathered at the Joe Chillura Courthouse Square to honor the life of Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau, who was sexually assaulted, abducted and murdered. Salau was a known Black Lives Matter activist in Tallahassee, Florida. Her death follows a recent wave of violence against, and murder of, Black people in the United States committed by the police, white vigilantes and others. | The vigil began at 7 p.m. and was co-hosted by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC), Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Intersections of Tampa Advocates (ITA…
(2020-06-22). ILWU shuts down 29 ports for Juneteenth, Movement for Black Lives. liberationnews.org 
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union made a significant intervention into the national uprising against racism by organizing the Juneteenth West Coast Port Shutdown on June 19, closing down 29 ports in the U.S. and Canada. This act of solidarity is in keeping with the union's long tradition of fighting racism and for working-class unity. …
(2020-06-22). Fort Lauderdale community commemorates Juneteenth with rally and march. fightbacknews.org Fort Lauderdale, FL – About 400 members of the surrounding communities gathered in downtown Fort Lauderdale to commemorate Juneteenth and demand an end to police violence. The event was sponsored by several local organizations, including SEIU Local 32BJ, Black Lives Matter Alliance of Broward, Broward Dream Defenders, and the New Florida Majority. The event began at 3 p.m. at Bubier Park, where those in attendance listened to speeches, chanted, and even danced. | The atmosphere was both festive and somber, joyful yet ripe with anger. As the protesters marked the holiday meant to celebrate the ending of slavery i…
(2020-06-22). Do Black Lives Matter to Big Conservation Groups? counterpunch.org 
You are walking through the rainforest with your best friend. Sunlight sparkles through the leaves and the two of you are chatting and laughing. Birds tweet, monkeys hoot, and perhaps that was the sound of a forest elephant you heard in the distance. Suddenly you hear the crack of a rifle: your best friend collapses, crumpled, and you fall to your knees to catch them as their blood pours over your hands and stains your clothes.
(2020-06-22). Connecticut uprisings are the seeds of a better world. peoplesworld.org 
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Black Lives Matter and racial justice rallies and marches have continued over several weeks across Southeastern Connecticut cities and towns. These events have involved people of all colors and ages in New London, Groton, Norwich, Mystic, East Lyme, Waterford, and Old Lyme. The events show people's concerns over police violence against …
(2020-06-22). Protesting for Black Lives in Trump Country. counterpunch.org I grew up biracial in a small, conservative town. Still, after living for years in Austin, moving back to one was a culture shock — it felt like going back in time. For the last three years I've lived in Volusia County, Florida — home to Daytona Beach, many small towns and suburbs, and a
(2020-06-22). Do Black Lives Matter in Iowa? thenation.com Do Black Lives Matter in Iowa?
(2020-06-22). 'I'll Teach My Grandkids to Hate You': US MAGA Supporter Berates BLM Protesters – Videos. sputniknews.com Newly surfaced cellphone footage captured a Missouri resident lashing out at a group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters, informing members of the demonstration that she would be teaching her grandkids to "hate" them.
(2020-06-22). 'How about taking out guns too?': Gamers react to removal of police cars from Fortnite in support of Black Lives Matter. rt.com 
The decision to remove police cars from 'Fortnite' was a cop-out on part of Epic Games, the players argued. Some said the move was pointless, while others urged the developer to do much more for the cause. | Police vehicles will no longer be available in one of the most popular online video games, which has a fan base of around 350 million players, an unnamed source told the Wall Street Journal on Monday. | "I wouldn't say it's a political statement. I think it's just us being sensitive about the issues many people in our audience are dealing with," the source pointed out, referring to ongoing, and often viole…
(2020-06-22). Saturday 6/20: #SixNineteen: M4BL Juneteenth Restream to Defend Black Lives (online). indybay.org …
(2020-06-22). PCHR Follows with Concern Continued Detention of Citizens on Grounds of Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows with concern the continued summonsing and detention of several Fatah Movement activists and cadres by the Internal Security Services (ISS) on grounds of a protest and social media posts on the 14th anniversary of the internal Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas movements. …
(2020-06-22). Syrians confirm death of missing relatives by photos. yenisafak.com Hundreds of thousands of Syrians searching for their relatives have stepped up their efforts after the US adopted the Caesar Act, a law which imposes sanctions on the Syrian regime for war crimes.Families, who have long given up on ever finding their relatives, click on web links where photos of people killed in regime prisons are posted, in a desperate attempt to confirm the death of their loved ones.Imaduddin Rasit, the founding member of a France-based association monitoring Syrian casualties of war and prisoners, said more than 6,000 photos of people tortured to death were shared on the internet.The photos we…
(2020-06-22). Juneteenth: ILWU shuts down 29 ports along the West Coast. workers.org 
Oakland, Calif. Taking bold stands against systemic racism and oppression is nothing new for the Bay Area's Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10. The union has organized work stoppages to protest many injustices from apartheid in South Africa to the police murder of Oscar Grant to the Israeli bombing . . . |
(2020-06-22). Voter suppression looms over the 2020 election. peoplesworld.org 
ATLANTA—You've heard or read about a wide range of ways the right wing is suppressing the votes of people it hates, but this takes the cake: Postage stamps, or lack of them, for absentee voters in the entire state of Georgia. It's as bad as having one polling place for a county with 767,000 people …
(2020-06-22). Pussy Riot co-founder Pyotr Verzilov jailed for 15 days on 'hooliganism' charges, activist says he was set up by police. rt.com 
Pyotr Verzilov, a controversial Russian shock artist and co-founder of 'punk' art collectives Pussy Riot and Voina – along with ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova – has been jailed for 15 days for "swearing in public." | The penalty comes the day after Verzilov said police questioned him about last year's Moscow protests, specifically over allegedly using violence against a law enforcement officer. | On Sunday evening, the activist was released, but after a street altercation he was again detained, taken to a police station, and kept overnight. Cops accused him of "repeatedly expressing obscene language." | On Mon…
(2020-06-22). Demonstrators in Tunisia demand freedom for George Abdallah and other revolutionaries in jail. peoplesdispatch.org Abdallah, a prominent Lebanese communist leader, has been languishing in a prison in France for the last 35 years. The demonstrations in Tunisian capital Tunis on Saturday were part of the International Week of Action between June 15-22…
(2020-06-22). Algerian court sentences prominent Hirak activist to one year imprisonment. peoplesdispatch.org Amira Bouraoui, who has been convicted for her Facebook post, is part of the popular ongoing Hirak movement which calls for large-scale democratic reforms in Algeria…
(2020-06-22). Atlanta Jail Task Force Recommends Razing Building, Creating Equity Center. popularresistance.org Nearly a year after its creation, the Atlanta City Jail task force has recommended closing the jail, demolishing the building and replacing it with a Center for Equity that would support Atlantans' needs. | The 26-page report was delivered to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on June 12, giving suggestions on how the city can change the institution and convert it into a space to serve Atlanta residents, particularly those from communities most affected by the criminal justice system. The report described a center "that will advance racial and economic equity, promote restorative justice, and invest in the well-b…
(2020-06-22). Germany arrests suspected Assad regime torturer. yenisafak.com German police arrested a Syrian former secret service employee on suspicion of crimes against humanity, officials said on Monday. | Alaa M., who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015, was arrested in the central state of Hesse on Friday, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. | The suspect worked for the military intelligence as a doctor, and he was strongly suspected of torturing inmates in 2011 at an Assad regime prison in the city of Homs. | The prosecutors accused the Assad regime of using brutal force to suppress the political opposition, torturing and murdering many of them in prisons…
(2020-06-22). New York Statue of Roosevelt to Be Removed as Museum Considers it 'Racist'. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City will be removed amid protests against racial discrimination in the United States, the museum said in a statement.
(2020-06-21). STEM workers join call to 'Strike for Black Lives'. workers.org 
On June 10, thousands of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educators and workers around the U.S. and worldwide organized the #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia one-day work stoppage in solidarity with the ongoing Black uprising. Grassroots Black gender-oppressed STEM organizers galvanized their co-workers to join in the nationwide call for #AStrikeForBlackLives. . . . |
(2020-06-21). British police say Reading stabbing attack treated as terrorist act. yenisafak.com British police on Sunday said that a stabbing attack in a southern English town that left three people dead and another three injured was being treated as a terrorist attack but that there was no intelligence on any further attacks."This was an atrocity," Britain's top counter-terrorism officer, Neil Basu, said, adding that unarmed police officers had tackled the attacker.Basu said that counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation and that the attack is not linked to the Black Lives Matter protest in the same park in Reading a few hours before Saturday's attack.
(2020-06-21). VIDEO: Anti-racism protests in the Netherlands. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) — In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in the US that has fueled the Black Lives Matter movement around the globe, the Netherlands in recent weeks has seen protests across the country against police violence and racism.
(2020-06-21). Why were there empty seats at Trump's Tulsa rally? Parscale blames BLM protesters, but TikTok teens claim they did it. rt.com 
The crowd at President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma was lower than expected, with the campaign blaming the size on Black Lives Matter protesters, while TikTok users say they pulled off the prank. | Brad Parscale, the chairman of Trump's reelection campaign, built up anticipation for the rally by saying they had received more than one million ticket requests. When Saturday's event rolled around, however, the 19,000-seat capacity theater only contained around 6,000 people looking to see the president speak. Planned outdoor events for overflow crowds were nixed due to the low amount of people. | Empty…
(2020-06-21). 'I'll beat your ass!' BLM activists threaten Trump supporters in Tulsa as police fire pepper balls at protesters (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Police used non-lethal weapons to disperse a crowd of protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where US President Donald Trump held a campaign event. BLM activists, meanwhile, threatened Trump supporters with violence. | Protesters gathered downtown during and after Trump's speech. Though the demonstrations were largely peaceful, police occasionally fired pepper balls to control the crowd. | Loud arguments broke out between Black Lives Matter activists and Trump supporters. Some protesters threatened to "beat up" their opponents, and told them to "go away." | UNHINGED: BLM protesters threatening to "beat" Trump Suppo…
(2020-06-21). 'If you burn the flag, you go to jail': Trump says he wants a law criminalizing desecration of the symbol. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has reiterated calls for a law that will ban the burning of the American flag — an act which is now protected as free speech — after Black Lives Matter protesters have repeatedly torched the flag. | "We ought to come up with legislation that if you burn the American flag you go to jail for one year," Trump said at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma — his first 'Make America Great Again' rally in three months — on Saturday. | Doubling down on his previous calls to make acts of desecrating the flag, including by setting it on fire, a punishable offense, Trump soug…
(2020-06-21). Trump's Tulsa rally has low turnout, but Biden has none at all — and aids to both candidates stumble to explain it. rt.com 
Fox News' Chris Wallace has confronted advisers of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, grilling them on their presidential campaigns' failures. Neither of them seem to produce a good explanation besides campaign speeches. | Fox News Sunday turned out to be quite eventful, as its host faced campaign advisers for both of the presidential candidates. Wallace spoke with Trump's 2020 campaign spokeswoman, Mercedes Schlapp, about poor attendance of Saturday's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where whole sections of the arena were seen empty. | The spokeswoman blamed the poor turnout on Black Lives Matter protesters, who were…
(2020-06-21). I'm Protesting for a World That Affirms My Black Son's Life Matters. truthout.org During a recent Black Lives Matter march in New York City, I got a text with a photo of my son. The screen showed an image of him in bed, smiling in that goofy, mischievous way he smiles. I pressed the phone to my chest, and then held it up. His face bobbed between protest signs. I protested for him. I want a world where his life matters. | He was born into danger. He is half Puerto Rican, half Black. When I looked at the phone, I saw his big eyes, so open to new experience, on the screen. As I marched,…
(2020-06-21). Street in Front of Fresno City Hall painted with "Black Lives Matter" indybay.org Over four hundred people came out to downtown Fresno June 18 to paint "Black Lives Matter" in twenty foot tall letters on P Street where it passes in front of City Hall.
(2020-06-21). Friday 6/19: #SixNineteen: M4BL Juneteenth Livestream to Defend Black Lives (online). indybay.org Online livestream…
(2020-06-21). 'You killed somebody in cold blood': Cop charged in George Floyd killing shamed in viral VIDEO as he goes to buy Oreos. rt.com 
J. Alexander Keung, one of the officers being charged in connection with the death of George Floyd, was accosted in a grocery store where he was casually buying "necessities" like Oreos, which began trending on Twitter. | Freed on $750,000 bail on Friday, Keung was spotted at a Cub Foods supermarket when one person decided to put him on film. | "What's your name?" the unidentified woman asks the 26-year-old former officer. He then confirms he is Keung and the woman says, "So you're out of prison, and you're comfortably shopping in Cub Foods, as if you didn't do anything." | Keung replies that he is getting "ne…
(2020-06-21). 911 Services That Dispatch Mental Health Counselors, Not Cops, Gain Traction. zcomm.org "Abolition of police in the current moment that we're talking about, around defunding the police, does not get rid of other systems of oppression that people face"
(2020-06-21). Israeli Forces Arrest Fourteen Palestinians, Including Two Children. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), reported that Israeli forces detained fourteen Palestinians across the West Bank, on Saturday night and Sunday morning, nine of whom were abducted by Israeli police from Al-'Isawiya town in East Jerusalem. The nine abductees were identified as Hassan Yasser Darwish, 14, Muhammad Murad Dari, Omar …
(2020-06-21). Why Has COVID-19 Not Led To More Humanitarian Releases? popularresistance.org Jalil Muntaqim, a Black Panther imprisoned since 1971, is one of thousands of elderly prisoners the United States has refused to free during the pandemic. | In 1971, two weeks shy of his twentieth birthday, Anthony Bottom, a young Black Panther, along with another Panther, Albert Nuh Washington, were arrested following a shootout with San Francisco police. The pair would be tried along with a third man, Herman Bell, for a separate attack: the May killing of two New York City police officers. They were convicted and sentenced to twenty-five years to life, the maximum penalty in New York at the time. The judge who…