(2020-04-07). Racism, COVID-19 and Black people — WW commentary. workers.org 
April 4 marks the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader, who sacrificed his life to realize a dream for social equality. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was gunned down in cold blood when he went . . . |
(2020-04-07). Calls for urgent action to protect prison staff and inmates from coronavirus. thecanary.co 
Failure to reduce the number of prisoners behind bars drastically and urgently to protect them and others from coronavirus "will have a devastating impact", campaigners have warned.The comments came after it emerged the death toll of inmates who had died after contracting the virus had risen to 10.Three were inmates at HMP Littlehey, Cambridgeshire, with others being held at Birmingham, Manchester, Altcourse in Merseyside, Belmarsh in south east London, Whatton in Nottinghamshire, Sudbury in Derbyshire, and a female prisoner at Low Newton, County Durham.A total of 116 prisoners had tested positive for Covid-19 in…
(2020-04-07). California, facing COVID-19, moves to release "low-risk" inmates. peoplesworld.org 
As COVID-19 makes its way into California prisons, efforts are intensifying to secure the release of inmates nearing the end of their sentences, serving terms for nonviolent offenses, or at high risk for the virus because of age and/or health status. As of April 6, 17 people incarcerated in the state's prison system, and 53 …
(2020-04-07). San Diego "Honk for Justice" Calls for the Release of people in ICE Detention. indybay.org Author Pedro Rios serves as director of the AFSC's U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC since 2003. He is a steering committee member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, which brings together over 60 organizations along the Southern border working to support migrants and border communities.
(2020-04-07). The Radical Work of Healing. zcomm.org Fania and Angela Davis On a New Kind of Civil Rights Activism…
(2020-04-07). Lithuanian socialist leader Algirdas Palecki released from jail, to serve house arrest. peoplesdispatch.org Socialist leader Algirdas Paleckis has been incarcerated since October 2018 for allegedly "intending to kidnap prosecutors" and being a Russian spy. Critics believe that the former diplomat has been targeted by the right-wing Lithuanian government for his socialist ideology…
(2020-04-07). Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike against negligence amid Coronavirus threat. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli prison authorities have failed to provide Palestinian prisoners adequate access to medical services, testing, protective gear and other essential sanitary items crucial to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in overcrowded Israeli prisons…
(2020-04-07). Ecuador: Ex President Correa Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's RELATED: | Accordin…
(2020-04-07). WikiLeaks Alarmed by News of First COVID-19 Death in Prison Holding Assange. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks reiterated its concerns about the health of its founder, Julian Assange, on Tuesday after the high-security Belmarsh prison, where he is being held, confirmed its first COVID-19 death.
(2020-04-07). 'Snitch' Tekashi 6ix9ine Released from Prison Due to Coronavirus Fears. sputniknews.com US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, who sentenced the rapper to two years, suggested the current pandemic presented "extraordinary and compelling reasons" for a compassionate release, and Daniel Hernandez would "no longer present a meaningful danger to the community" once released.
(2020-04-06). "Leaving Us Here to Die": Prisoners Plea for Release, Protection Amid Skyrocketing Infection Rates. democracynow.org 
U.S. Attorney General William Barr issued an emergency order Friday calling for the release of vulnerable federal prisoners into home confinement amid the coronavirus crisis. This news comes as at least 16 states have also released prisoners. We look at the treatment of incarcerated people in New York state, where Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to grant anyone freedom despite at least 24 confirmed cases among state prisoners. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he'll release about 300 people from Rikers Island and other city jails, but advocates are calling for far more to be freed. We speak to…
(2020-04-06). California Activists March To End Life Without Parole. therealnews.com 
Joanne Scheer, founder of the Felony Murder Elimination Project, and Kelly Savage, recently released after 23 years of incarceration, speak about how racial, gender and age disparities relate to life without parole (LWOP).
(2020-04-06). 'For Life' and Black incarceration; The twin meanings of 'Twisty'. peoplesworld.org 
The best network series in what might be a coronavirus-abbreviated season is ABC's For Life, a combination prison/courtroom drama about an innocent African-American inmate sentenced to life imprisonment for being a drug kingpin. The series is based on the true story of Issac Wright Jr., a New Jersey inmate who used his time in prison …
(2020-04-06). Assange Extradition: Assange Won't be Released Amid Virus Crisis, Australian Newswire Reports. globalresearch.ca The British Ministry of Justice has told the Australian Associated Press that Julian Assange is not eligible for early release from prison in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. | *** | Imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is not eligible for an …
(2020-04-06). National Civil Rights Group and Hundreds of Medical Professionals Call on the Trump Administration and States to Release Racial Data for COVID-19 Tests, Cases and Outcomes. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-04-06). Everyone Must be Counted in the 2020 Census. aclu.org Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a census to count everyone living in the United States. For people of color, especially Black people, the census has traditionally been exclusionary and deeply flawed. | Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution was intentionally designed to protect the institution of slavery by immorally reducing those enslaved to three-fifths of a human being. It remains the only reference to slavery in the Constitution and was the law when the first census was completed in 1790 and for 75 years thereafter until the 14th Amendment was passed. Two hundred thirty years later, Bla…
(2020-04-06). On Palestinian Child Day — There are 200 Children Detained in Israeli Prisons. imemc.org Head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Commission, Qadri Abu Bakr, on Sunday, said that Israel has 200 Palestinian children in detention, commemorating 'Palestinian Child Day' on April 5th, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. In a statement, Abu Bakr said that since the year 2000, Israel has arrested no less …
(2020-04-06). Rights experts warn against discrimination in COVID-19 response. news.un.org Fearing a needless increase in COVID-19 deaths due to discrimination, UN independent human rights experts on Monday called for Governments to commit to racial equity and equality in their response to the pandemic.
(2020-04-06). Cook County Jail is a death trap. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Hundreds of prisoners at the Cook County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 6. Frank Chapman, the interim Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, "Right now, the Cook County Jail is a death trap for the prisoners because it is overcrowded, and the prisoners can't practice social distancing. This jail must be depopulated at once to save lives." | Chapman continued, "All low-level charges must be dismissed by the States Attorney Kim Foxx, all prisoners who are locked up because they can't make bail must be freed, all…
(2020-04-06). Morocco releases over 5,600 incarcerated people amid COVID-19 threat in prisons. peoplesdispatch.org Several human rights groups and organizations had appealed to the king for the release of all political prisoners and detainees, a large number of whom were part of the popular Rif protests in Morocco.
(2020-04-06). Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime. news.un.org The UN has condemned the shelling of the women's section of the Central Prison in a district of Yemen's war-torn Taizz Governerate, in the south of the country, which has left at least five women and one child dead, and wounding more than 11, with casualties expected to rise.
(2020-04-06). Prisoners Plea for Release, Protection Amid Skyrocketing Infection Rates. truthout.org U.S. Attorney General William Barr issued an emergency order Friday calling for the release of vulnerable federal prisoners into home confinement amid the coronavirus crisis. This news comes as at least 16 states have also released prisoners. We look at the treatment of incarcerated people in New York state, where Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to grant anyone freedom despite at least 24 confirmed cases among state prisoners. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he'll release abou…
(2020-04-06). Selected Articles: Fake Coronavirus Data, Fear Campaign. Spread of the COVID-19 Infection. globalresearch.ca Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …
(2020-04-05). Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem. telesurenglish.net Israel has detained Sunday the Palestinian Authority (PA) Governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith over "illegal" activities and imprisoned him for the seventh time in the previous 18 months period. | RELATED: | "Adnan Ghaith was detained this morning for Palestinian activity in Jerusalem, which is illegal," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. | Ghaith's lawyer, Rami Othman, said his client, who was taken for q…
(2020-04-04). Prisoners, workers vs. pandemic profiteers. workers.org 
Seattle Worker actions and organizing to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic have run into conflict with the capitalists' efforts to make all the profits they can during this crisis. More than 300 imprisoned im/migrants have joined a mass hunger strike in Tacoma, Wash., protesting a coronavirus epidemic that is . . . |
(2020-04-03). Slave Labor, Dire Conditions: A TRNN Update On Prisons And COVID-19. therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway talks to journalists Kim Kelly and Adryan Corcione about how the coronavirus pandemic is exposing the poor healthcare system in US prisons and jails.
(2020-04-03). Protect Immigrant Communities: Fear Mounts of Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak in U.S. Border Camps, ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has joined thousands of medical professionals and immigration rights groups to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all prisoners from immigration jails as the coronavirus continues to spread. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are working to prepare crowded encampments of asylum seekers across the U.S.-Mexico border for a potentially catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19. Since the implementation of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy, tens of thousands of asylum seekers from regions like Central America and Africa have been stranded in Mexican bord…
(2020-04-03). COVID-19 Is The New Cash Cow For Policing. therealnews.com 
American citizens are facing thousands of dollars in fines and jail time for breaking state-ordered pandemic restrictions. PAR and The Masters Report discuss how profit can still be extracted by police during the coronavirus outbreak.
(2020-04-03). Are NYC cops contributing to coronavirus epidemic by sending people to packed jails for violating social distancing? rt.com 
As Covid-19 lockdowns keep three-quarters of Americans indoors and see crime rates drop, New York police are arresting people for social distancing violations in a move that flies in the face of safety advisory and public policy. | New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has released hundreds of low-level offenders from city jails, including the notoriously overcrowded Rikers Island, citing the risk of uncontrollable coronavirus contagion. New Yorkers are being told — constantly — to stay home and do their part to "flatten the curve." | But police don't seem to have received that message, continuing to arrest…
(2020-04-03). "He's Got Eight Numbers, Just Like Everybody Else" dissidentvoice.org On April 4, 2020, my friend Steve Kelly will begin a third year of imprisonment in Georgia's Glynn County jail. He turned 70 while in prison, and while he has served multiple prison sentences for protesting nuclear weapons, spending two years in a county jail is unusual even for him. Yet he adamantly urges supporters …
(2020-04-03). Political prisoners should be among first released in pandemic response, says UN rights chief. news.un.org The decision by many Governments to release prisoners to slow the transmission of new coronavirus, was welcomed on Friday by the UN's top rights official, Michelle Bachelet.
(2020-04-03). Inmates at Privately-Run ICE Camp Go on Hunger Strike Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, Deteriorating Conditions. mintpressnews.com ICA Farmville already has a reputation for overcrowding and poor sanitation. Last year the private ICE prison was hit with an outbreak of mumps, a classic disease of overcrowding and poor sanitation.
(2020-04-02). Refugees held by ICE struggle for their lives. liberationnews.org 
Immigrant refugees being held in ICE detention centers are struggling for their lives and demanding to be released to prevent their deaths from COVID-19.
(2020-04-02). Family Of Imprisoned New Yorkers Call On Governor For Clemency. therealnews.com 
Family members of inmates inside New York prisons and advocates host a virtual press conference with demands, including suspension of required office visits for parole and probation and for the release of inmates.
(2020-04-02). Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic. splcenter.org As people across the country are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to a group of people whose health is in danger because they are locked away from the outside world — people in immigrant detention centers.
(2020-04-02). COVID-19 Doesn't Discriminate — Neither Should Congress' Response. aclu.org Congress' third bill addressing the impacts of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was a necessary attempt to respond to this public health crisis but its exclusion of immigrant communities is downright racist and xenophobic. Immigrants were
(2020-04-02). Alabama prisons hold more than 1,100 older people at greater COVID-19 risk. splcenter.org More than 1,100 people age 65 or older are locked away in Alabama prisons, putting a group already highly susceptible to the deadly COVID-19 virus at an even greater risk, according to an SPLC analysis of the state's prison system.
(2020-04-01). Headlines for April 1, 2020. democracynow.org No Longer Downplaying Virus, Trump Says Up to 240,000 Will Die in U.S. from COVID-19, FEMA Sends 85 Refrigerated Trucks to NYC as Makeshift Morgues as COVID-19 Deaths Grow, As Confirmed U.S. Cases Top 188,000, Unhoused People Forced to Sleep in Las Vegas Parking Lot, Chicago COVID-19 Nurse Quits over Critical Lack of Personal Protective Equipment, Fed Economists: U.S. Unemployment Could Reach Record 32% in June, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Demands Release of All Jailed Immigrants Amid Pandemic, Captain Calls for Evacuation of Infected U.S. Aircraft Carrier: "Sailors Do Not Need to Die", Governor Won't Allow Sic…
(2020-04-01). The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19. aclu.org Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care — mo…
(2020-04-01). New York Mobilizes Rikers Island Prisoners To Dig Mass Graves for Coronavirus Victims. mintpressnews.com Rikers Island itself is on the verge of near collapse, over 300 inmates and staff have tested positive and human rights campaigners warn conditions in the notorious prison are dire.
(2020-03-31). Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians. thegrayzone.com In comments ignored by English-language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro a…
(2020-03-30). Is Location Tracking Technology the Magic Pill to Stemming the Coronavirus? aclu.org This piece first appeared on
(2020-03-30). Headlines for March 30, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Extends Social Distancing, Says U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Could Reach 100,000 | , States Mandate Quarantines, Set Up Checkpoints to Limit Cross-State COVID-19 Infections , ER Doctor Who Blasted Lack of Worker & Patient Protections at WA Hospital Removed from Post, Coronavirus Cases Mount in Prisons and Among Law Enforcement Workers | , 9-Month-Old Is First Known Infant to Die from the Coronavirus in U.S. | , Cigna and Humana to Waive Copays for Coronavirus Treatment | , CBS News Executive and Cancer Survivor Maria Mercader Dies from Coronavirus | , | New York Scrambles to Build Hospitals, Imposes Fines fo…
(2020-03-30). The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery played key role in launching SPLC's legal battle against Ku Klux Klan. splcenter.org The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who died on Friday at 98 years old, was a longtime friend of the Southern Poverty Law Center and played a leading role in the SPLC's first lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan in 1980.
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-26). Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19. aclu.org 
Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of
(2020-03-24). Arbitrary & excessive: Marijuana trafficking sentences in Alabama. splcenter.org Alabama resident Lee Carroll Brooker garnered national attention in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the marijuana trafficking case that put Brooker, in his 70s at the time, in prison for life.
(2020-03-24). [Correspondence] Immunosuppression for hyperinflammation in COVID-19: a double-edged sword? thelancet.com Mehta and colleagues1 postulate that hyperinflammation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be a driver of severity that is amenable to therapeutic targeting since retro-spective data have shown that systemic inflammation is associated with adverse outcome. However, correlation does not equal causation, and it is equally plausible that increased virus burden (secondary to failure of the immune response to control infection) drives inflammation and consequent severity (as shown for other viruses2) rather than augmented inflammation being an inappropriate host response that requires correction.
(2020-03-23). This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy. aclu.org Update 03/27/2020: Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package intended to address the broad impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While it included $400 million for states to expand access to the ballot for eligible voters, as outlined in this blog, more can and must be done to safeguard our democracy. , , To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting.
(2020-03-20). How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses. aclu.org Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — this practice is unconstitutional and blatantly racist. By pushing aggressively with the help of our membership and…