Daily Archives: 2020-05-29

2020-05-29: News Headlines

United Steelworkers (2020-05-29). United Steelworkers on solidarity and justice for Black Lives. zcomm.org Many of us are saddened, but too many of our African-American members are worried that they can be stopped on the way home from work or a union meeting and suffer the same fate as George Floyd…

Lewis Conway (2020-05-29). Recidivism Will Only Decrease if Successful Reentry is Embraced as an Antidote for Mass Incarceration. aclu.org While there are many policies drafted and bills legislated, really the only components that comprise successful reentry to the community are skills, support, and shelter. Thinking about what I needed when I came home from prison looks much different now than it did 20 odd years ago. Back then, I thought serving my time in prison was my punishment; I didn't know I was facing a life sentence after leaving prison. And for many people reentering society after leaving incarceration, that's what reentry is — a life sentence., , When the corrections officer stopped by my bunk to tell me I was being paroled, my…

commondreams (2020-05-29). ACLU Statement On Trump Tweet Directing the National Guard to Murder Protesters in Minneapolis. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Manuel Pérez Rocha (2020-05-29). Corporate Lawsuits Could Devastate Poor Countries Grappling With COVID-19. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cusco.jpg

J.P. Linstroth (2020-05-29). Arundhati Roy on Indian Migrant-Worker Oppression and India's Fateful COVID Crisis. counterpunch.org In India there is never one story but thousands, even millions, and so the detrimental impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on this country of more than 1.3 billion, especially among the poor, has been profound, causing immense suffering. Nor did it help matters much when Prime Minister Narendra Modi shut India into immediate lockdown without warning

Dale Ho (2020-05-28). We're Working to Safeguard Our Democracy and Our Health. aclu.org No one should have to choose between their health and their vote, but during the Wisconsin primary, an estimated

Nathan Freed Wessler (2020-05-28). We're Taking Clearview AI to Court to End its Privacy-Destroying Face Surveillance Activities. aclu.org For several years, a little-known start-up based in New York has been amassing a database of billions of our faceprints — unique biometric identifiers akin to a fingerprint or DNA profile — drawn from personal photos on our social media accounts and elsewhere online. The company has captured these faceprints in secret, without our knowledge, much less our consent, using everything from casual selfies to photos of birthday parties, college graduations, weddings, and so much more., , Unbeknownst to the public, this company has offered up this massive faceprint database to private companies, police,…

teleSUR (2020-05-28). US: Bid To Discard Lawsuit On Cuban Properties Granted In Court. telesurenglish.net South Florida District Judge Robert N. Scola dismissed on Thursday a lawsuit against Booking, Hotels, Expedia, and Orbitz supported by Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, activated by Trump administration in May 2019. | RELATED: | Scola definitively dismissed the lawsuit filed by Mario Del Valle, Enrique Falla, and Angelo Pou after accepting requests from hotel and travel booking companies. The plaintiffs accused the compa…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-28). Hirak protests continue across Algeria in solidarity with political prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org Algeria witnessed a fresh round of anti-government protests on May 25, Monday in solidarity with political prisoners associated with the Hirak movement, who are being held in jails on frivolous and motivated charges. Rallies and demonstrations were conducted in cities across Algeria, coinciding with the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations. A ban on public demonstrations and other restrictions are in force in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | One of the main sites of Monday's protest was Kherrata city in Bejaia province, east of Algerian capital Algiers. The city holds particular significance as it is where the Hir…

Frances Madeson (2020-05-28). Federal Prison 'Should Not Be a Death Sentence'. progressive.org Advocates press for the release of Native inmates due to COVID-19.

teleSUR (2020-05-28). Haiti: HR Groups Warn of Prisoner Vulnerability to COVID. telesurenglish.net Haiti's social justice organizations warned on May 27 about the health situation due to the COVID-19 outbreak in penitentiary centers. | RELATED: | "In practically all of the prisons, there are dozens of prisoners suffering from a fever, but we can't say for certain it's COVID-19," Haiti's National Human Rights Institution's Director, Renan Hédouville, stated. | According to the human rights advocators, "the figure is…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-28). Israeli Troops Abduct Eight Palestinians Across the West Bank. imemc.org Israeli troops reportedly abducted, late on Wednesday night and early on Thursday at dawn, eight Palestinians, across the occupied West Bank. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners' Society said in a statement that Israeli troops invaded both Ya'bad and Qabatia villages of Jenin district and abducted Nour Bashar Abu Bakr, a former …

Monica Moorehead (2020-05-27). Want justice for George Floyd? Jail & convict killer cops! — a WW commentary. workers.org Protesters at the Minneapolis police department before being assaulted by cops, May 26. May 27 — It was déjà vu, all over again. Another Black man captured on videotape, first, being tortured and, then, being choked to death by a white police officer. It was almost six years ago when, . . . |

Staff (2020-05-27). Sanitation Workers Striking For PPE And Pay Replaced By Prison Labor. therealnews.com Dr. Talitha LeFlouria talks with TRNN about the New Orleans sanitation strike where workers were fired and replaced by prison labor from nearby Livingston Parish, and the historical roots of the exploitation of prison labor.

Alexia Ramirez (2020-05-27). ICE Records Confirm that Immigration Enforcement Agencies are Using Invasive Cell Phone Surveillance Devices. aclu.org For years, immigration enforcement agencies have been using invasive cell phone surveillance technology known as Stingrays in near-total secrecy. To find out more, the ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, and now we've forced the agencies to turn over documents revealing new details about the agencies' practices. Today, we are publishing

Julia Kaye (2020-05-27). The FDA is Making Needless COVID-19 Risks a Condition of Abortion and Miscarriage Care. We're Suing. aclu.org The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe and upended normal life. In the four months since the first U.S. case was reported, more than 1.5 million people have been infected and 100,000 people have died in the United States. To mitigate risk, public health authorities tell us to get our

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-05-29). Honduran Family Sues US Govt for Separation Lawyers Say Was Deliberately Meant to 'Torment and Traumatize'. commondreams.org "These federal agents made a choice, a cruel and heinous choice, to deliberately inflict pain and trauma upon a family seeking refuge." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/honduran-family-lawsuit-detention-cruel.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-28). ACLU Sues Tech Firm to Halt 'Unlawful, Privacy-Destroying' Facial Recognition Activities. commondreams.org The ACLU and law firm Edelson PC on Thursday filed a lawsuit in Illinois state court to end the "unlawful, privacy-destroying surveillance activities" of Clearview AI, a U.S.-based facial recognition technology startup that has contracted with hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1080200068_0.png

Staff (2020-05-29). As Pandemic Epicenter Shifts to Latin America, Gov'ts Use COVID-19 as Pretext for Police Repression. democracynow.org As the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic shifts to Latin America, so too has the use of COVID-19 as a pretext for police repression. "We're seeing that COVID-19, like other pandemics before it, magnifies structural discrimination. And sadly, it's often the most marginalized that are the first targets," says Louise Tillotson, co-author of a new Amnesty International report on the abuse. We also go to San Salvador to speak with journalist Jorge Cuéllar.

Staff (2020-05-28). Headlines for May 28, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 100,000, Minneapolis Erupts in Flames as Protesters Rage Against Police Killing of George Floyd, China Tightens Grip on Hong Kong with New National Security Law, House of Representatives Holds First-Ever Remote Vote Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Protesters Surround Sing Sing Prison Demanding Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Researchers: 6 Feet of Social Distancing Might Not Be Enough to Stop Coronavirus Spread, Doctors Without Borders Warns of Spike in Coronavirus Cases Among Florida Farmworkers, Brazilian Police Raid Fake News Network Linked to Son of Far-Right President, A…

Staff (2020-05-27). "Horrifying Neglect": COVID-19 Deaths in ICE Custody Spark New Calls for Mass Release of Prisoners. democracynow.org Calls are growing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release people from detention during the pandemic, as two people have died from COVID-19 while in custody. We speak with The Intercept's Ryan Devereaux, who reported on how Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia, held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, suffered horrifying neglect before he passed away. We are also joined by Erika Andiola with RAICES Action. "None of those folks — especially people who migrated seeking asylum — they did not do anything to deserve a life sentence in a detention center," Andiola notes.

Staff (2020-05-28). Civil Rights Attorney: Minneapolis Police Have a Long Pattern of Racist Violence. truthout.org Image Credit: Sigal Photos | Parts of Minneapolis erupted into flames Wednesday night as residents again took to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday. A viral video shows Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck for a number of minutes as Floyd repeatedly says "I cannot breathe." Three other officers stood by as George Floyd suffocated. They have been identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. All…

RT (2020-05-29). Driver MOWS DOWN protesters in Denver (GRAPHIC VIDEO). rt.com A female motorist in Denver, Colorado plowed her SUV through a crowd of demonstrators protesting the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minnesota. Local activists have tried to identify the woman on social media. | As protesters blocked a street in downtown Denver on Thursday, one motorist lashed out at the activists, some of whom were holding 'Black Lives Matter' placards. | Video footage captured at the scene shows the woman accelerating through the crowd at an intersection, throwing one man onto the hood of her vehicle. When the man falls off the SUV, the driver turns her vehicle in his direction and…

_____ (2020-05-29). Denver driver RAMS road-blocking protesters angry at police killing of black man in Minnesota (GRAPHIC VIDEO). rt.com A female motorist in Denver, Colorado plowed her SUV through a crowd of demonstrators protesting the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minnesota. Local activists have tried to identify the woman on social media. | As protesters blocked a street in downtown Denver on Thursday, one motorist lashed out at the activists, some of whom were holding 'Black Lives Matter' placards. | Video footage captured at the scene shows the woman accelerating through the crowd at an intersection, throwing one man onto the hood of her vehicle. When the man falls off the SUV, the driver turns her vehicle in his direction and…

RT (2020-05-29). Staff with no masks, bosses likening Covid-19 to flu: US family tell RT of legal vendetta over their father's death at care home. rt.com An elderly Californian died a lonely death after sharing a room with a Covid-19 patient at a care home where staff weren't allowed to wear masks as bosses feared the facility could be shut down, his daughter and lawyer told RT.

_____ (2020-05-28). Trump signs social media executive order challenging platforms' liability protections. rt.com US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at the major social media platforms, denouncing the tech behemoths as "tantamount to a monopoly." The order may alter Section 230, which protects them from litigation. | Trump signed the order, which aims to modify the legal protections currently shielding Big Tech from lawsuits over content hosted on its platforms, on Thursday as he addressed reporters at the White House. | Excoriating the platforms for what he and many others believe to be editorial bias, the president added that US Attorney General William Barr will also be tasked with working wi…

RT (2020-05-28). Arizona sues Google for 'misleading' users by secretly tracking their personal data on smartphones. rt.com Google has been accused of collecting data on people's whereabouts and their searches even when they disabled these options on their mobile devices. | The lawsuit, filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, alleges that certain apps developed by the Silicon Valley-based company tracked and stored location records and search history on Android-running smartphones even when users turned off these options. | The apps that allow the collection of personal data without users' consent include mapping and weather, which violates Arizona's consumer protection laws, the lawsuit says. | "When consumers try to opt…

_____ (2020-05-29). Minnesota National Guard: Stand Down For Black Lives. popularresistance.org We write you as fellow veterans and service members with full knowledge of what's at stake as many of you are being asked to mobilize against civilians in your own country. As your neighbors fill the streets demanding the justice this country promised them, your command is undoubtedly telling you that you're being activated in service to your community. And yet, it is your community members who fill the streets, while your Commander in Chief tweets about using you to murder people over something as insignificant as property damage. A moral choice lies before you. As veterans who have faced similar tests of consci…

Fight Back (2020-05-29). Chicanos in Boyle Heights to participate in the National Day of Action May 30. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m. Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) will be participating in the National Day of Protest to demand the mass release of all prisoners due to COVID-19. The action is called by the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and CSO is an affiliated organization with the Alliance. We are protesting the murders of Ahmaud Aubery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and George Floyd in Minneapolis because they are outraging, and we must demand justice. This lynch-style, racist terrorism must stop and perpetrators must be punished. | The Boyle Heig…

_____ (2020-05-29). Bus Drivers Refuse To Help Police, Prison Labor Replaces Meatpackers And More. popularresistance.org With protests erupting all over Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, cops are attempting to arrest protesters in mass. | However, some bus drivers in Minneapolis are refusing to use their buses to transport protestors to jail. | "As a transit worker and union member, I refuse to transport my class and radical youth," Minneapolis bus driver Adam Burch told Payday. "An injury to one is an injury to all. The police murdered George Floyd and the protest against is completely justified and should continue until their demands are met." | While it would be illegal for Burch's union to call for a wildcat strike, h…

Tyler Durden (2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain't it grand?>