2020-07-07: News Headlines

RT (2020-07-07). CNN's Don Lemon clashes with actor Terry Crews: Is BLM about police brutality, or problems in the black community? rt.com Actor Terry Crews faced an angry backlash after voicing concerns about the radicalization of the BLM movement. His clash with CNN's Don Lemon on why black-on-black crime is not part of the agenda split society even further. | Last Saturday, Crews, who is also a human rights activist, tweeted that he saw good people as allies regardless of the color of their skin, adding that he was "prepared to die on this hill." He previously expressed concern that the Black Lives Matter movement might slide into black supremacy. | July 4, 2020 | On Monday, Crews Leon Kunstenaar (2020-07-07). San Geronimo Valley Joins BLM. indybay.org Quiet valley wakes up to Black Lives Matter…

Ed Sanders (2020-07-07). The Burning of Newgate Prison: a Glyph. counterpunch.org

Saed Bannoura (2020-07-07). Statement: "Death Of Palestinian Detainee Not Confirmed" imemc.org The Israeli Prison Service has not yet officially informed the Palestinians or the Red Cross of the death of a Palestinian detainee in prison, while the current information reveals that the detainee is likely clinically dead, but so far, there has been no official confirmation, despite various conflicting reports. Former …

Michael Berkowitz (2020-07-06). 'John Lewis: Good Trouble': A fine new documentary about a courageous life. peoplesworld.org When Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis was a kid, his parents brought him up to be religious and mindful of society's rules. But his grandfather also told him to engage in "good trouble, necessary trouble." Elder Lewis told his young grandson that sometimes good trouble would be needed to do what is right. …

RT (2020-07-06). 'You can't blame it on police', Atlanta mayor says after 8yo black girl shot dead during protest. rt.com The mayor of Atlanta, Georgia gave an impassioned plea to disclose any information on the gunmen who shot up a car, killing an eight-year-old black girl inside, during a BLM protest. | The shooters need to be brought to justice, because as long as they are roaming free, they pose a threat to everyone, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during an emotional press conference on Sunday. Staying silent regarding people like them will not keep people safe, and violence undermines the cause that has gained momentum in the past weeks, she said. | "In the civil rights movement there was a defined common enemy. We are figh…

RT (2020-07-06). Statue for black abolitionist Frederick Douglass in NY state beyond repair after it was ripped down by vandals (PHOTOS). rt.com A statue for Frederick Douglass, a former slave who became a prominent civil rights advocate, has been torn down from its pedestal in Rochester, New York. The damage to the monument is reportedly too significant to repair. | The statue was vandalized over the July 4th weekend, Rochester police told local media on Sunday. | Photos from the scene show an empty spot where the statue used to stand in Maplewood Park, as well as its debris scattered in the vicinity. The statue was lying 50 feet from its pedestal when officers found it. | The base of a Frederick Douglass statue torn down overnight here in Maplewood P…

RT (2020-07-06). Statue for black abolitionist Frederick Douglass in NY state beyond repair after ripped down by vandals (PHOTOS). rt.com A statue for Frederick Douglass, a former slave who became a prominent civil rights advocate, has been torn down from its pedestal in Rochester, New York state. The damage to the monument is reportedly too significant to fix it. | The statue was vandalized over the July 4th weekend, Rochester police told local media on Sunday. | Photos from the scene show an empty spot where the statue used to stand in Maplewood Park, as well as its debris scattered in the vicinity. The statue was lying some 50 feet from its pedestal, when officers found it. | The base of a Frederick Douglass statue torn down overnight here in…

Cassandra Lopez, Juan Lopez (2020-07-06). Oakland demonstrators say, 'Black Trans Lives Matter!'. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND—At the invitation of our godson, David Johnson, we headed to the "Black Trans Lives Matter" demonstration at Lake Merritt in Oakland June 12 with eager anticipation. It was another unique manifestation of the massive Black Lives Matter protests that have resulted from the police murders of Black people. In this case, it was members …

Steve Ellner (2020-07-06). David Harvey's New Thesis "Capitalism is too Big to Fail": Is it? zcomm.org It is surprising that at this moment, when dire circumstances have generated a degree of hope, with the Black Lives Matter protests and such widespread disillusionment with the system, that Harvey comes up with this line of thinking…

Mike Whitney (2020-07-06). Are the Democrats a Political Party or a CIA-Backed Fifth Column? globalresearch.ca How do the Democrats benefit from the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests? | While the protests are being used to paint Trump as a race-bating white supremacist, that is not their primary objective. The main goal is to suppress and demonize …

FIRE (2020-07-06). U.S. imperialism means we can't breathe! workers.org Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere released this statement on July 5. Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere (FIRE) is in solidarity with the global rebellion for Black lives. It is right to rebel against police terror. The same racist, sexist, police violence used to terrorize people at home is . . . |

_____ (2020-07-06). Raleigh Black Lives Matter Protest Reaches 35th Day. popularresistance.org For the 35th consecutive day, Black Lives Matter protesters chanted, made speeches, waved signs and marched across downtown Raleigh on Saturday. They are protesting SB 168 which lawmakers passed nearly unanimously with no discussion in the wee hours of the morning on June 27, would shield death investigation records from the public when they are shared with the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Those records are now considered public under state law. | "The fact that they're trying to … pass this over on us and act like it's no big deal like they're just gonna ignore us — that is why we're so mu…

_____ (2020-07-06). Seattle's CHOP Advanced The Movement For Black Lives. popularresistance.org What is unthinkable, or was at the beginning of the month, is the power of the Black Lives Matter movement in the streets. The emergence of the autonomous zone is a pinnacle of that power, a significant victory. It demonstrates the ability of popular power to win the impossible from structures of white supremacy — the state and the propertied interests they represent. That victory, and the subsequent diminution of state violence, is a major step forward for community self-control and autonomy. It shows that ending anti-Black violence is the first and most basic step to honoring Black life. | But it is just…

RT (2020-07-06). Georgia governor declares emergency & deploys National Guard as Atlanta violence skyrockets amid Black Lives Matter protests. rt.com Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ordered National Guard troops to deploy in Atlanta, after rioters sacked the state police headquarters. Shootings in the city have doubled in the wake of protests against police brutality. | Some 1,000 soldiers will be deployed to protect the state Capitol, the governor's mansion, and the Department of Public Safety building that was vandalized over the weekend, Kemp announced Monday. | "Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead," Kemp said. "This lawlessness must be stop…

RT (2020-07-06). 'Keep this s**t in f**king New York': California woman faces vandalism charges after VIDEO shows her painting over BLM mural. rt.com Martinez, California police have asked the public to help them identify a woman filmed covering a Black Lives Matter mural (which was greenlit by the city) while her partner argued that the "narrative of racism" is a liberal lie. | The incident took place on July 4th in front of the local courthouse, where a giant yellow-lettered 'Black Lives Matter' mural popped up earlier that day. | The mural in support of the ongoing protests against police brutality was approved by the city. However, it was in urgent need of restoration only a couple of hours into its existence after a woman, armed with cans of paint and…

RT (2020-07-06). White supremacy, or harmless gesture? Oregon police say cop accused of racist hand signal was simply checking protester was OK. rt.com An Oregon trooper was accused of dog whistling a counter-protester at a Black Lives Matter event in Salem, but state police said it was just an innocent OK gesture. 4Chan pranksters who started the hand sign confusion may rejoice. | The Oregon State Police (OSP) said their investigation into a viral video allegedly showing a white power gesture shown by an officer to an opponent of BLM demonstrators has revealed no wrongdoing. | Footage from the anti-racism protest in Salem on Saturday shows cops on the scene tasked with separating BLM demonstrators from groups of counter-protesters. The video shows one of the…

The Canary (2020-07-06). Harry and Meghan say past wrongs of Commonwealth need to be acknowledged. thecanary.co The duke and duchess of Sussex warned that the Commonwealth's past wrongs need to be acknowledged in order to move forward, as they joined a discussion on justice and equal rights.Harry and Meghan both took part in the video call with young leaders in one of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust's (QCT) weekly sessions set up in response to the growing Black Lives Matter movement.The Commonwealth's past mistakes: The duke, whose grandmother the Queen is head of the Commonwealth, last week outlined his personal commitment to tackling institutional racism. Harry said: When you look across the Commonwealth, there is…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-06). Mexican labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas arrested, raising USMCA enforcement doubts. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The arrest and detention in Mexico of prominent and outspoken pro-worker labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas is raising questions about whether Mexico can implement its commitments under the new "free trade" pact with the U.S. and Canada, which took effect July 1. Susana Prieto Terrazas was arrested in May on charges of inciting a riot …

WSWS (2020-07-06). Vigils in New Zealand demand freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Group's Tom Peters spoke at one of the Wellington vigils, which was part of global protests held to mark the jailed WikiLeaks founder's birthday.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-06). Fire-Engulfed California Short on Firefighters as Prison "Slaves" Under COVID-19 Lockdown. mintpressnews.com It is the height of California's dangerous forest fire season. But despite blazes currently raging, the state's fire department is dangerously understaffed. That is because many firefighters today are not the burly full time professionals of another era, but underpaid convict laborers risking their lives for pennies.

Staff (2020-07-06). Egyptian Activist Laila Soueif on the Jailing of Her Children & the Fight Against Authoritarianism. democracynow.org Egyptian authorities have arrested scores of people, including doctors, medical workers, journalists, lawyers and activists, as the country grapples with the coronavirus outbreak. "Unlike nearly every other country in the Middle East, Egypt has not released thousands of prisoners as a precaution against the coronavirus. Instead, it's arrested more people and cut off communication," says Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. One of the most high-profile arrests is that of Sanaa Seif, a film editor and the youngest member of one of Egypt's most prominent activist families. Sanaa's brother, Alaa Abd El…

Nino Brown (2020-07-06). 'Gains can be won if we stay united and in the street'. liberationnews.org What we are seeing today are the compounded contradictions of hundreds of years of racist and capitalist oppression…

Staff (2020-07-06). Majority Black Prison Populations In Maryland See Disproportionate COVID-19 Spikes. therealnews.com Racial disparities in Maryland prisons are affecting COVID-19's spread, with majority white populations receiving protective equipment even as Jessup institutions with majority Black populations struggle to get supplies.

Mirinda Crissman (2020-07-06). Behind the walls: a summary. workers.org Case numbers in the thousands At least 48,764 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among prisoners. The data suggest that even these numbers may be underreported. Texas leads in the number of cases with 7,757, followed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons with 6,621 cases. Ohio, Michigan, California and Tennessee . . . |

RT (2020-07-06). UK sanctions head of Russian investigative committee, following US lead. rt.com As part of rolling out the UK's own sanctions agenda for alleged human rights abuses around the world, London has blacklisted 25 Russian nationals, including the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. | Bastrykin has led the law enforcement agency — the Russian equivalent of the FBI in the US — since January 2011. In that capacity, he was sanctioned by the US in 2017, ostensibly over the death of accountant Sergey Magnitsky in a Russian prison in 2009. | While the sanctions, announced Monday by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, are supposed to be the first autonomous foreign policy i…

_____ (2020-07-06). Massive March Demands Justice And Liberation For Palestine. popularresistance.org Thousands of people joined a massive rally and march for Palestine in Brooklyn, New York, as part of the "Day of Rage" against Israeli annexation, colonization and Zionism in Palestine on Wednesday, 1 July. The rally was led by Within our Lifetime ‚Ä¢ United for Palestine and organized by the NY4Palestine coalition, of which Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is a member alongside WOL, Al-Awda NY, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; American Muslims for Palestine — NJ; and several Students for Justice for Palestine chapters throughout New York City. The rally lasted for ne…

Andrew Moss (2020-07-06). The Language of Vote Suppression. zcomm.org The injustices in our electoral system present an enormous, continuing task: to challenge the lies, the racism, and the specific practices of vote suppression — while still motivating voters, particularly young voters, to cast their ballots and secure full representation as citizens of their communities and of the nation…

IMEMC Staff (2020-07-06). Israeli Authorities to Demolish Home of a Palestinian Prisoner in West of Jenin City. imemc.org On Monday, Israeli authorities were reportedly endorsed a demolition order for the home of Palestinian prisoner, Nathmi Abubaker, 48, from the Y'abad village, south-west of Jenin City, in the West Bank. The official Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that Israeli occupation authorities jailed Abubaker after they had accused him of …

IMEMC Staff (2020-07-06). Israeli Authorities order Demolition of Palestinian Prisoner's Home near Jenin. imemc.org Israeli authorities, on Monday, delivered a demolition order for the home of Palestinian prisoner, Nathmi Abu-Baker, 48, from the Ya'bad village, south-west of Jenin City, in the northern West Bank. The official Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that Israeli occupation authorities jailed Abu-Baker, accusing him of causing the death of …

Ali Salam (2020-07-06). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Six Palestinians from West Bank. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) reported that the Israeli forces abducted several Palestinian civilians from across the occupied West Bank, overnight Saturday. Israeli forces assaulted Abdul Karim Khaled Abu Sal, before abducting him from Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The PPS added that Israeli …

Ali Salam (2020-07-06). Israeli Forces Abduct Several Palestinians from West Bank. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) reported that several Palestinians were abducted, Sunday night, by Israeli forces, across the occupied West Bank. In the Ramallah and Al-Bireh district, in the central West Bank, Adel Nadim Hawih, and Farhat Hosni Dahabra were abducted from the town of Ain Yabrud. From the town …

yenisafak (2020-07-06). Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli prison. yenisafak.com A Palestinian detainee held in Israel has died in custody, a local NGO said on Monday. | Sa'di al-Gharabli, 75, died at Assaf Harofeh medical center after his health deteriorated, the Handala Center for Detainees and Ex-detainees said in a statement. | Al-Gharabli, from the Gaza strip, was arrested by Israeli forces in 1994 and sentenced to a lifetime in prison. | According to the NGO, the Palestinian detainee had suffered prostate cancer, diabetes and blood pressure, accusing Israeli prison authorities of refusing to provide medical attention to him. | There was no comment from Israeli prison authorities on the…

The Canary (2020-07-06). PM wants driverless trains to be condition of future TfL bailout. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has said driverless trains should be a condition of a future bailout of Transport for London (TfL). | The government has given TfL a £1.6bn package to continue running services after a collapse in revenue in May 2020 due to the coronavirus lockdown. But that funding will run out in September 2020. | "Let's not be the prisoners of the unions": | On a visit to a site in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, where tech giant Siemens will open a rail manufacturing facility in 2022, Boris Johnson told reporters: You can run these trains without the need for somebody to be sitting in the driver's…

_____ (2020-07-05). Facebook Groups Pivot To Attacks On Black Lives Matter. popularresistance.org A loose network of Facebook groups that took root across the country in April to organize protests over coronavirus stay-at-home orders has become a hub of misinformation and conspiracy theories that have pivoted to a variety of new targets. Their latest: Black Lives Matter and the nationwide protests of racial injustice. | These groups, which now boast a collective audience of more than 1 million members, are still thriving after most states started lifting virus restrictions. | And many have expanded their focus. | One group transformed itself last month from "Reopen California" to "California Patriots Pro Law…

_____ (2020-07-05). Your White Neighbor's 'Black Lives Matter' Yard Sign Is Not Enough. popularresistance.org Despite my having grown up in the South, Portland is the most racist place I have ever lived. This is because being anti-racist isn't about using politically correct buzzwords and giving lip service to sensitive conversation topics. Being anti-racist is about constructing a landscape that is safe for dark people to inhabit. It is not about white people trying to prove they are "woke" by putting up yard signs. That is not even what "woke" means. "Woke" is a territory of open-eyed, unsuperficial, cultural awareness white people are nowhere close to occupying; they are not even in the neighborhood. But being anti-ra…

RT (2020-07-05). 'F**k the American flag': WATCH BLM protesters stomp on & BURN US flag outside White House (VIDEO). rt.com A group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington DC marked July 4 by trampling on the American flag before setting it on fire, arguing that the US state symbol represents "slavery, genocide and war." | Footage showing protesters mocking the US flag began making the rounds online on Saturday evening. | | © REUTERS/Leah Millis | One of the videos, filmed at a square outside the White House that was officially named 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' in the wake of the protests, shows a young black woman dancing on the American flag, as another female protester with a megaphone in her hand can be heard shout…

RT (2020-07-05). 'F*ck the American flag': WATCH BLM protesters stomp on & BURN US flag outside White House (VIDEO). rt.com A group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington, DC, has marked July 4th by trampling the American flag before setting it on fire, while arguing that the US state symbol represents "slavery, genocide and war." | Footage that shows protesters mocking the US flag began making rounds online on Saturday evening. | | © REUTERS/Leah Millis | One of the videos, filmed at a square outside the White House, an area which was officially named 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' in wake of the protests, shows a young black woman dancing on the American flag sprawled on the ground, as another female protester with a m…

The Canary (2020-07-05). Christopher Columbus statue toppled in Baltimore amid Black Lives Matter protests. thecanary.co Protesters in Baltimore pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbour. They used ropes to topple the statue on 4 July near the Little Italy neighbourhood, news outlets reported. | Protesters mobilised by the Black Lives Matter movement and the police killing of George Floyd have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. | According to the Baltimore Sun, the city owned the statue. It was dedicated in 1984 by former mayor…

The Canary (2020-07-05). Woman struck by car during Seattle protest dies in hospital. thecanary.co A car drove onto a closed road and ploughed into people in a Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle on Saturday 4 July. The driver killed one protester and critically injured the other, authorities have said.Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle died in the evening at Harborview Medical Centre, spokesperson Susan Gregg said.Officials said the car barrelled through a panicked crowd of protesters on Interstate 5 (I-5) in the early hours of 4 July, hitting Taylor along with Diaz Love, 32, of Portland.Video footage: Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles that were blocking the I-5 and sped into the crowd…

_____ (2020-07-05). San Quentin Inmates On Hunger Strike. popularresistance.org Several men incarcerated in California's San Quentin State Prison who have tested positive for COVID-19 have gone on a hunger strike to protest what they call "dismal" living conditions, KNTV in San Jose reported Wednesday. | More than 1,100 active coronavirus cases have been reported at San Quentin, California's oldest prison and home to the state's only death row. At least one person, a 71-year-old death row inmate, has died of complications from the coronavirus. | The hunger strike at San Quentin, north of San Francisco, began Monday, The Appeal reported. The strikers are protesting inhumane and cramped condit…

en.mehrnews (2020-07-05). VIDEO: Protesters topple statue of Christopher Columbus in US. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 06 (MNA) — Protesters against racial discrimination in the US have torn down a statue of Christopher Columbus in a park in the city of Richmond, Virginia.

Laborfest (2020-07-05). Sunday 7/12: LaborFest 2020: Technology, Lawsuits & How to Fight Union Busting. indybay.org This is a free Zoom based event. You can be anywhere to view and participant. Please visit the LaborFest 2020 website URL to register and to receive a Zoom invitation to the event.

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-07-05). ICE Out Of Marin Action at Marin County Jail. indybay.org Activists demand County end cooperation with ICE and defunding of Sherriff's department.

Eva Illouz (2020-07-05). The four walls are not what we think they are. indybay.org As Thomas Hobbes put it, we will always be prepared to sacrifice a large part of our freedom for our security. For Arendt, modernity in general is characterized by the loss of the world. The private home cannot compensate for all that is lost. The private home must be a part of the "world." By being imprisoned, we have lost our freedom and the world itself.

_____ (2020-07-05). A Historical Reminder of What Defines the United States, As Told by a Former Slave. strategic-culture.org We live in tumultuous days… one could say "the end of an era". | It is clear that there is a storm coming, however, the question is will it be the sort of storm that provides sustenance and relief to drought-stricken and barren lands, or will it be the sort of storm that destroys indiscriminately and leaves nothing recognizable in its wake? | There is such a heavy tension in the air, the buildup we are told of centuries of injustice, oppression and murder. It feels like the entire world's burden has laid itself upon one culprit and that it is high time that that villain pay for past blood spilled. | That villai…

Eliza Egret (2020-07-04). As Black Lives Matter protests continue on US Independence Day, Seattle police are accused of 'emboldening white supremacists'. thecanary.co Two women are in serious condition in a Seattle hospital after a man drove into them at high speed during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest. The women were part of a crowd which had blocked and closed a Seattle freeway in the early hours of 4 July. The devastating #seattleprotest this morning. I'm surprised anyone lived. | Victims: | 32 yr woman in serious/stable condition | 24 yr woman in critical condition | Suspect: | 27 yr male from Seattle

_____ (2020-07-04). Prisoners Mobilize For Black Lives And Against Brutality Behind Bars. popularresistance.org Prisoners say that abuse reminiscent of the "modern-day lynching" of George Floyd is common practice behind bars. Swift Justice, who is also incarcerated at Kilby Correctional Facility and prefers a pseudonym, tells Truthout: "What happens in here is just like the rhetoric police on the street used to justify killings." Outside of prison, the officers say, "'He had a gun or appeared to have a gun,'" Swift explains. In prison, they often say, "'he had a knife, or failed to comply with the direct order.' And in here it's hard to prove different and, we don't have cell phones to capture it. These guys in here know i…

_____ (2020-07-04). Seattle Activists Share Their Vision For Black Trans Pride. popularresistance.org In recent years, trans issues have broken into the mainstream. It didn't happen overnight; it's been a long time coming. Trans activists have been at the center of the fight for LGBTQ rights since before Stonewall, decrying discrimination and violence against their peers for decades. | Now, between Pride Month and protests centering on Black lives, these issues are in the spotlight again. Black trans activists have taken to social media and the streets, bringing attention in particular to the growing number of murdered Black trans women within their community. | For many who've criticized the commodification of P…

RT (2020-07-04). Bone-chilling video shows speeding car hit 2 BLM protesters on freeway in Seattle. rt.com A speeding car, which drove around vehicles blocking a road in Seattle in an area where a Black Lives Matter protest was taking place, has hit two women, killing one. The terrifying moment was caught on camera. | The two victims of the hit-and-run were taken to the Harborview Medical Center, but one later died from her injuries, a spokesperson for the hospital said. | The graphic video shows a white car maneuvering around a couple of vehicles blocking the road and hitting the protesters in the process. The collision sends the victims flying as the car struggles to get back to the middle of the road. | WARNING!