Daily Archives: 2020-07-09

2020-07-09: News Headlines

Terry Everton (2020-07-09). Facebook: "serious setbacks for civil rights" dissidentvoice.org The Verge reports: A team of civil rights auditors has delivered a scathing and unexpected indictment of Facebook's recent moderation choices after a two-year examination of the platform's practices and internal policies. "While the audit process has been meaningful and has led to some significant improvements in the platform," the report reads, "we have also …

Aaron Morrison (2020-07-09). 'Strike for Black Lives': Planned July 20 walkout unites BLM and unions. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK (AP)—A national coalition of labor unions, along with racial and social justice organizations, will stage a mass walkout from work this month, as part of an ongoing reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality in the U.S. Dubbed the "Strike for Black Lives," tens of thousands of fast food, ride-share, nursing home, and airport workers …

_____ (2020-07-09). The State And White Supremacy. popularresistance.org As an ongoing phenomenon, the analysis of what is referred to as the George Floyd, or now the "Black Lives Matter" demos, must be necessarily tentative. It has been instructive to observe how the energy and passion of the spontaneous militant response to the murder of George Floyd went from a movement that saw the burning of a police station transformed into one in which, according to Martin Schoots-McAlpine , the most militant demand was to make "minor amendments to municipal budgets." I will resist the temptation of attempting to address all the components and will only focus on one central element in this shor…

_____ (2020-07-09). How Black And Brown Workers Are Redefining Strikes. popularresistance.org During George Floyd's funeral on June 9th, Black dockworkers in Charleston, S.C., shut down the nation's 4th busiest port and gathered to show their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. | "All operations stopped, the terminals were shut down, no machines were working, trucks were backed up for miles along the interstate because we weren't moving anything on the terminal," said Ken Riley, a Black dockworker and President of ILA Local 1422. | The actions were part of a nationwide effort in which the International Longshore Association, which is 65% Black, shut down all the ports on the East and Gulf Sho…

RT (2020-07-09). 'Liberating 5th Avenue': New York mayor paints BLACK LIVES MATTER outside Trump Tower. rt.com Signaling where his priorities lie amid an epidemic of coronavirus and violence, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a stretch of 5th Avenue outside Trump Tower to be painted with the words 'Black Lives Matter'. | City workers closed off the street on Thursday morning and began painting the mural, as De Blasio boasted about "liberating 5th Avenue" and finally giving credit to African-Americans for building New York and the US. | | "We are not denigrating anything, we are liberating Fifth Avenue." | New York City Mayor Bill de Blasi…

RT (2020-07-09). 'Coping' mechanism: Ford workers request company stops providing US police with vehicles amid reckoning on cop violence. rt.com The Great Awokening has finally pulled into the automobile industry amid the growing Black Lives Matter movement. Ford's CEO is apparently not on board with the idea though, praising the role of law enforcement. | In the United States, two-thirds of police cars are Fords. Now, some Ford employees The internal letter is…

Michael Harris (2020-07-09). California Reparations Bill AB 3121 – Senate Process in flow… indybay.org The signs and symbols surrounding the California State Capitol are coming down and few know the reason they were put in place. Reparative Justice hidden, cloaked in secrecy and does not mention Slavery thoroughout the State of California… limited narrow focus may do additional harm… yet not sure it matters because the Black Lives "in the building" is all that matters.

Amy Porte, Meg Brizz (2020-07-09). Saturday 7/11: Black Lives Matter. indybay.org Slade Park, Novato…

Staff (2020-07-09). Belgian Princess Condemns Her Family's Brutal Colonial History in Congo & Calls For Reparations. democracynow.org Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. have sparked a reckoning about racism and colonialism across the world, including in Belgium, where a growing movement is demanding the country address systemic racism and make amends for its violent colonial legacy. King Philippe issued an unprecedented statement "expressing regret" for Belgium's brutal colonial rule in Congo under Leopold II, who ran the country as his personal fiefdom and under whose command millions of Congolese were enslaved and killed. "It's an erased history," says Belgo-Congolese journalist and activist Gia Abrassart. We also speak with Princess Esm…

Santa Cruz News (2020-07-09). Santa Cruz Grand Jury Suggests Transitioning Juvenile Hall into a Homeless Services Center. indybay.org In it's report, "Homelessness: Big Problem, Little Progress: It's Time To Think Outside The Box," the 2019-2020 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury suggests transitioning Juvenile Hall in Felton into a, "treatment and multi-faceted supportive services center for homeless individuals". The Civil Grand Jury report cited low incarceration numbers at Juvenile Hall in Felton compared to the number of staff members required to operate the facility, and noted that decreasing youth incarceration rates across the State of California has led to other counties closing their juvenile detention centers. "The Grand Jury believe…

Makasi Motema (2020-07-09). Revolution and proletarian democracy. workers.org A socialist revolution is an uprising of the proletariat — the working class, those who do not own the property necessary to run a business but must instead work for someone else. A socialist revolution is an awakening that causes the mass of workers to resist their oppression. In order . . . |

Ahrar Ahmad (2020-07-09). Racism in America: Police Choke-Holds Are Not the Issue. counterpunch.org While the abject inhumanity of slavery may have been legally mitigated to some extent, the institutions, practices and values of exclusion, exploitation and devaluation were not. Constitutional guarantees, and Supreme Court decisions, could be cleverly subverted by States. For example, Black people were denied the right to vote through poll taxes, arbitrary registration requirements, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, white primaries and so on. In 1940, 70 years after they had received the right to vote, only 3% of Blacks in the South were registered as voters. Less overt voter suppression efforts continue to t…

Ahrar Ahmad (2020-07-09). Racism in America: Police Choke-hold is Not the Issue. counterpunch.org While the abject inhumanity of slavery may have been legally mitigated to some extent, the institutions, practices and values of exclusion, exploitation and devaluation were not. Constitutional guarantees, and Supreme Court decisions, could be cleverly subverted by States. For example, Black people were denied the right to vote through poll taxes, arbitrary registration requirements, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, white primaries and so on. In 1940, 70 years after they had received the right to vote, only 3% of Blacks in the South were registered as voters. Less overt voter suppression efforts continue to t…

Judy Greenspan (2020-07-09). Release San Quentin prisoners immediately! workers.org Oakland, Calif. July 5 — After a large prisoner transfer to San Quentin State Prison dramatically increased the COVID infection rate there, prisoners and advocates have stepped up their campaign to win the release of thousands of elderly, ill and vulnerable people inside. COVID-19 infections are spiking at astronomical levels . . . |

RT (2020-07-09). Lady Antebellum, renamed 'Lady A' in woke PR move, sues black artist who already has the name. rt.com Tennessee country rock band Lady A — known as Lady Antebellum before officially renaming itself amid 2020's cultural purge of references to the Confederacy — is suing a black artist with the same name in a case of peak woke irony.

Staff (2020-07-09). Headlines for July 9, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Posts Another Record Daily High in New Coronavirus Cases, Anthony Fauci Absent from Coronavirus Task Force Briefing After Drawing Criticism from Trump, Trump Attacks CDC Guidance on School Reopenings During Pandemic, Hundreds Test Positive for COVID-19 at Arizona For-Profit Immigration Jail, Tulsa, OK Health Official Links Explosion of Coronavirus Cases to Trump Rally, HHS Secretary Claims Medical Workers "Don't Get Infected" After 95,000 Test Positive for Coronavirus, COVID-19 Cases Spike in Africa, While Melbourne, Australia, Is Placed Back on Lockdown, Bolivians Buried in Mass Graves as Hospitals "Collaps…

_____ (2020-07-09). Historic Climate Liability Case In Colorado Against Exxon And Suncor. popularresistance.org Washington, D.C.—Today, the United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit ruled that a case launched by Boulder County, San Miguel County, and the City of Boulder will proceed in state, rather than federal court. Marco Simons, General Counsel of EarthRights International, which is representing the municipalities in the case, issued the following statement in response: | "We applaud today's decision as an important step forward in our lawsuit against Suncor and Exxon. Federal courts have consistently ruled that these climate cases belong in state courts — which makes sense because these cases are about…

Center for Biological Diversity (2020-07-09). Lawsuit Launched to Protect Endangered Wildlife in California Redwood Forest. indybay.org GUALALA, Calif., July 9, 2020 — Conservation groups today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and a timber company for failing to protect threatened and endangered fish, birds and frogs from a redwood logging project near northern California's Gualala River.

commondreams (2020-07-08). Facebook's Civil Rights Audit Shows Need for Reforms. commondreams.org ______________________________…

sputniknews (2020-07-08). Facebook Pressured Towards Censorship Based on Civil Rights Claims. sputniknews.com On this episode of the Critical Hour, host Garland Nixon talks to Margaret Kimberley about pressure Facebook is facing to censor by Civil Rights groups and others.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-08). Civil Rights Groups Say Internal Facebook Audit Confirms Company Business Model 'Relies on Racism and Hate'. commondreams.org "There are real-life consequences when social media networks provide platforms for violent white supremacists, allowing them to incubate, organize, and recruit new followers to their hateful movements." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook_1.jpeg

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-07-08). George F. Will Disposes of Dumbshit Progressives. thealtworld.com We can add to Will's list Greek, Roman, and other ancient artifacts from slave-owning societies in museums throughout the Western world. The Roman statues in the Met celebrate slave-holders and must be defaced and destroyed. The Roman colosseum and other remains must be pulled down along with the Acropolis in Athens. Even though the slaves were white, these architectural and historically significant ruins are offensive to blacks and must go. Blacks will never recover from slavery until all signs of Western civilization are obliterated. From the standpoint of Antifa and Black Lives Matter—essentially white o…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-08). Black Lives Matter protests continue in cities across the US. peoplesdispatch.org Over a month after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, protests continue to rage on in dozens of cities across the United States with demands for structural change…

Minnie Bruce Pratt (2020-07-08). Black Lives Matter rewrites history. workers.org July 7 — A people's tidal wave against white supremacy has swept through the U.S. since the police murder of George Floyd on May 25. The assertion of power by the people against racist oppression has defied curfews, teargas, deadly weapons, mass arrests and unjust laws. A statue of Christopher . . . |

RT (2020-07-08). WATCH: SUV drives through crowd of BLM protesters in New York, but driver released without charge. rt.com A motorist panicked after being surrounded by Black Lives Matter protesters in New York's Times Square, speeding through the crowd and trapping a bicycle under the vehicle's chassis. No charges have been filed as yet, however. | "We have bikes that go in the front and block off the intersection and redirect traffic so we don't have to worry about things happening like what just happened," one protest organizer explained after protesters pursued the driver for two blocks. | The group of cyclists were attempting to stop traffic to allow the BLM protesters through when the driver suddenly panicked after their Dod…

RT (2020-07-08). California couple charged with HATE CRIME for painting over city-approved BLM mural. rt.com The couple who attempted to paint over the City of Martinez's "Black Lives Matter" mural on the 4th of July have been charged with a hate crime and two other misdemeanors by a controversial "progressive" prosecutor. | Nichole Anderson and David Nelson have been hit with three misdemeanor charges over their efforts to paint over a Black Lives Matter mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse just hours after the original painting was completed with the full blessing of the city of Martinez, a statement from Contra Costa District Attorney Diane Becton's office revealed on Tuesday. The pair could face up t…

Black Lives Matter Scotts Valley (2020-07-08). Thursday 7/9: Scotts Valley: Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest. indybay.org 5: 30pm: Meet at Skypark, 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley | March to MacDorsa Park, 1 Civic Center Drive, Scotts Valley…

RT (2020-07-08). US must tear down 'whole system of oppression,' says Democrat Ilhan Omar. Dems have 'given up' on America, Republicans reply. rt.com Ilhan Omar has called on the US "to tear down systems of oppression." But the Minnesota Democratic representative's remarks have outraged Republicans, who say she wants to ruin the whole American system. | Oppression is seen pretty much across the board in the American system, Omar claimed in a speech in Minnesota on Tuesday. | "We are fighting to tear down systems of oppression that exist in housing, in education, in healthcare, in employment, in the air we breathe," she said. | "We cannot stop at the criminal justice system. We must begin the work of dismantling the whole system of oppression wherever we fin…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-08). GOP Has Unhinged Meltdown After Ilhan Omar Makes Simple Call to 'Dismantle All Systems of Oppression'. commondreams.org "Just to be clear, Ilhan Omar is under attack by the rightwing media machine for statements that are utterly normal and totally uncontroversial when they're delivered by white, non-Muslim politicians." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ilhan_omar_3.jpg

RT (2020-07-08). San Francisco's CAREN Act will 'criminalize reporting minorities,' conservatives say. rt.com San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton is outraged at white women calling the police on minorities. His creatively named CAREN Act would put an end to this, but conservatives claim it's just more discrimination. | Walton introduced the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act on Tuesday. Its name is a nod to 'Karen', which has become internet slang for a white woman who demeans store assistants, demands to speak to the manager, or, crucially here, feels unduly threatened by minorities. | Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that's why I'm introducing the CAREN Act at today's SF Board of…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-08). Democratic Candidate James Averhart Personally Oversaw Solitary Confinement of Chelsea Manning. mintpressnews.com Alabama congressional candidate James Averhart led a campaign to punish soldiers who deserted the Vietnam war and personally oversaw the brutal imprisonment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

commondreams (2020-07-08). 9th Circuit Court Urged to Reject Arizona Utility's Discrimination Against Rooftop Solar. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Fight Back (2020-07-08). Oneida Nation holds memorial ride, rally, for indigenous man killed by Green Bay police. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – On Sunday, July 5, the Oneida Nation held a memorial ride and rally for Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida man killed in police custody nearly two years ago. Jonathon's family, which has filed a civil lawsuit against members of the Green Bay Police Department, had requested a one-year mourning period before beginning public advocacy. That one-year period ended in November 2019 and the family has been pursuing justice ever since. | Approximately 100 vehicles were in a procession through the Oneida reservation with signs reading, "No justice – no peace" and "Justice for Jonathon." They made stops in residen…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-08). Macri is further implicated in the case investigating an illegal spying network. peoplesdispatch.org Former Argentine president Mauricio Macri is eagerly watching the progress of a lawsuit in which 22 people were arrested on June 30, including former officials of his government, which links intelligence agents to political power…

Ali Salam (2020-07-08). Israeli Forces Detain Additional Palestinians, Including Former Prisoners. imemc.org The Israeli army, on Wednesday, detained a large number of Palestinian civilians, including a former political prisoner, from the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said in a statement. In the southern West Bank, Israeli forces abducted, Khalil Takfaji, the head of the Maps Department of the Arab …

Andrew Emett (2020-07-08). Former LA Councilman pleads guilty to obstructing federal corruption probe. nationofchange.org If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

PCHR (2020-07-08). PCHR Holds Israel Fully Responsible for Death of Palestinian Al-Gharabli in Israeli Prisons. imemc.org The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR): On Wednesday, 08 July 2020, Palestinian detained in Israeli prisons for the past 26 years, Sa'di Khalil al-Gharabli (47) from Gaza City, was pronounced dead in Kaplan Medical Center where he was recently transferred from al-Ramlah prison after his health condition deteriorated. Al-Gharabli …

William D. Hartung (2020-07-08). Police, Prisons, and the Pentagon. zcomm.org Defunding America's Wars at Home and Abroad…

Saed Bannoura (2020-07-08). Elderly Palestinian Detainee Dies In Captivity. imemc.org The Palestinian Commission of Detainees' Affairs has confirmed, on Wednesday morning, the death of an elderly Palestinian political prisoner at Israeli medical center following years of medical neglect. The Commission stated that Sa'adi Khalil al-Gharabily, 75, from Gaza, has died on Wednesday morning, at an Israeli medical center, after suffering …

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-08). Were the Skripals Secretly Executed by Britain's Government? dissidentvoice.org Where are Sergei and Yulia Skripal? Are they still alive? Their having been poisoned in England on 4 March 2018 didn't kill them. Sergei Skripal is (or was) the Russian and British double agent (Russian spy who defected to UK), who had become imprisoned for six years in Russia, and then became spy-swapped to, and …

Julian Rose (2020-07-08). The Sad Faces of Our Children in Lockdown Covid Captivity. globalresearch.ca Of all the depressing sights witnessed during the insane process of Covid home imprisonment, stupid social distancing and mask madness, the regimentation of children into predesignated playground /classroom 'chalked-off zones' is the one I find the most blood chilling. | There …

_____ (2020-07-08). Why Did The Bureau Of Prisons Impose A National Lockdown? popularresistance.org Following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25, a nationwide uprising of unprecedented proportions has swept the U.S. in thousands of cities and towns, large and small, across all 50 states. This surge of mass resistance around issues of racial injustice, occurring against the backdrop of a major public health crisis and increasingly deteriorating economic conditions, has laid bare the failure of our capitalist system to protect working class communities of color. In addition to facing a much higher possibility of being endangered by an encounter with law enforcement, thes…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-08). In Latest Blow to Fossil Fuel Industry, Appeals Court Sends Colorado Municipalities' Climate Case Back to State Court. commondreams.org The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled late Tuesday that a lawsuit filed by three Colorado municipalities against two powerful fossil fuel companies will proceed in state rather than federal court—a blow to the oil giants. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1180054273_1.jpg

RT (2020-07-07). Hate is in the eye of the beholder: Facebook extends olive branch to boycott leaders, but middle ground is elusive in polarized US. rt.com Seeking to appease hundreds of companies that have halted advertising, Facebook is pledging to do a better job policing 'hateful' content — a tall order in a nation where warring political parties can't even agree on basic facts. | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg met on Tuesday with organizers of the boycott campaign, led by the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League. They also announced plans to meet with other activist groups and consult with their own civil rights auditor. | The #StopHateForProfit boycott movement has seen more than 900 businesses suspending thei…

Staff (2020-07-07). Headlines for July 7, 2020. democracynow.org Judge Rules Dakota Access Pipeline Be Shut Down Pending Review, Trump Admin Moves to Deport and Bar International Students If Colleges Go Online in Fall, Coronavirus Surges Across Country as Dr. Fauci Warns U.S. Still "Knee-Deep" in First Wave, Jair Bolsonaro Gets Tested for COVID-19; WHO Warns AIDS Deaths in Africa Could Rise Amid Pandemic, Congressmembers, Trump Associates Among Beneficiaries of Coronavirus Stimulus Funds, Anti-Asian American Hate Crimes Have Been Soaring Since the Start of the Pandemic, Indiana Civil Rights Activist Says He Was Victim of Attempted Lynching, Video Shows Police Officers Fatally…

ACLU (2020-07-07). Voting by Mail is Essential for Voters with Disabilities, but it's Not Enough. aclu.org , COVID-19 highlighted the need for universal access to no-excuse vote by mail. For many voters with disabilities, vote by mail has always been the safest and most accessible way to cast a ballot, because it allows them to avoid the challenges of getting to the polls, waiting in line, and facing physical barriers at the polling place. While in-person polling places are required to be fully accessible, we still see

Staff (2020-07-07). #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives Wants Racial Justice In The Medical Field. therealnews.com The healthcare industry has a long and well-documented history of racist treatment of Black and Indigenous people. Now, doctors join the movement for Black lives.

Felipe Galindo (2020-07-07). Black Lives Matter, Every Day. thenation.com Black Lives Matter, Every Day…

_____ (2020-07-07). Black Women In Italy Weren't Being Heard, That's Changed. popularresistance.org Ariam Tekle had just begun co-hosting a podcast about black identities in Italy when, in late May, George Floyd was killed in police custody and a series of Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the United States. | That outcry for social change resonated across the Atlantic, hitting many cities in Europe with unprecedented force, including her hometown of Milan. And for local black communities, the protests became an opportunity to speak out about issues of endemic racism beyond the U.S. experience. | "We stand in solidarity with what is happening in the U.S., but we also want this to be a starting point to…

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. | Are all white people bad? | No. | Are all black people good? | No. | Knowing this reality- I st…