Daily Archives: 2020-07-17

2020-07-17: News Headlines

Joel Wendland-Liu (2020-07-17). We cannot have the police viewing the people as the enemy. peoplesworld.org After the Black Lives Matter uprisings in May and June, which were prompted by the racist police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the slaying of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, few people in the world are unaware of the intensity of systemic racism in the U.S. From top to bottom, systemic racism dominates the …

SEIU Local 1021 (2020-07-17). Monday 7/20: San Francisco City Hall Strike for Black Lives. indybay.org San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102…

The Fight for $15 (2020-07-17). Monday 7/20: Bay Strike for Black Lives in Oakland. indybay.org Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St, Oakland CA 94611, Oakland, CA 94609…

RT (2020-07-17). No-fly zone: Pentagon effectively bans Confederate, LGBT and BLM flags from DoD property. rt.com The Pentagon has effectively banned the Confederate flag at US military sites around the world, without explicitly saying so, in a new policy unveiled on Friday. | A Department of Defense The LGBT pride flag and Black Lives Matter banners are also absent from the list of acceptable emblems. | A draft version of the policy repor…

RT (2020-07-17). 'You've the biggest nose I've ever seen': Black Portland cop details racist abuse dished out by white BLM protesters. rt.com Portland police officer Jakhary Jackson has detailed the stunning abuse he has faced during Black Lives Matter protests and blasted the "hypocritical" demonstrations for having fewer minorities than the police they're fighting. | In a wide ranging discussion Officer Jackson laid out some of his experiences on the frontline of the civil unrest which has unfolded in the city for nearly two months. | The cop reveals that he has been violently attacked with explosive devices, white protesters have hurled racist abuse at him and protesters routinely label white officers racists "without even knowing anything about…

Emily Hannon (2020-07-17). "My Appetite is Justice": mother launches hunger strike after son's death in presence of police officers. liberationnews.org On July 4, Dannielle Brown brought a rocking chair and a stool to Freedom Corner, the location of a monument in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh marking the spot where major civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s took place. She sat down in her rocking chair and would not leave or eat, beginning a …

San Francisco Public Library (2020-07-17). Wednesday 7/22: History of Alcatraz & Mass Incarceration In America Today. indybay.org Online…

Eds. (2020-07-17). Indian poet and activist Varavara Rao shifted from prison to hospital due to deteriorating health. mronline.org The health of the 79-year-old poet has deteriorated alarmingly over the past few weeks. He has been in prison since late 2018 in the Elgar Parishad case which critics say is aimed at silencing dissent in India.

Mirinda Crissman (2020-07-17). News about life behind the walls. workers.org Cruel and unusual: Lack of air conditioning exacerbates medical conditions Across the hottest places in the U.S., caged humans often face unbearable and sometimes lethal conditions behind the walls where air conditioning is not provided. The Prison Policy Initiative has found that famously hot states lack universal air conditioning in . . . |

WSWS Repost (2020-07-17). SEP candidates respond to California state officials in ballot access lawsuit. indybay.org Joseph Kishore and Norissa Santa Cruz respond to California officials who would have Socialist Equality Party (SEP) signature gatherers run a deadly COVID-19 "minefield" to gain them ballot access in November. In federal court they argued that putting the signature gatherers and the public at risk during the pandemic is unconstitutional and unacceptable.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-17). Palestinian prisoner with cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 is in critical condition. peoplesdispatch.org Kamal Abu Wa'ar, who suffers from throat cancer, was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week. He is currently in the Assaf Harofeh medical center and in a critical condition according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-17). Indian political prisoners, Varavara Rao and G.N. Saibaba face grave health risks. peoplesdispatch.org 79-year-old Varavara Rao has contracted COVID-19 and G.N. Saibaba, who is 90% disabled, is in a prison where a large number of cases have been reported.

yenisafak (2020-07-17). Turkey distributes hygiene kits in Tanzania. yenisafak.com Turkey's state-run aid agency distributed hygiene kits to thousands of prisoners in Tanzania amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the agency said in a statement on Friday.The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) dispatched the aid to assist the African nation.Sophia Mjema, district governor of Ilala, thanked TIKA for not forgetting prisoners and supporting the community health care.Tanzania has so far reported 509 coronavirus cases, 183 recoveries and 21 fatalities, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.The global pandemic has claimed over 590,600 lives in 188 countries…

WSWS (2020-07-16). Lawsuit claims Washington, DC police participated in June raid on Lafayette Square protest. wsws.org The latest amendments to the lawsuit filed by the ACLU implicate the Democratic administration of DC Mayor Bowser in the June 1 assault ordered by President Trump.

commondreams (2020-07-16). ACLU Statement on the Execution of Wes Purkey. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mary Miller — Ariel Gold (2020-07-16). The U.S. Struggle for Justice for Palestine Begins a New Chapter. counterpunch.org 2020 has indisputably been a chaotic year. From the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent disruption of daily life, to the killing of George Floyd and the passionate resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement that followed, to the looming general election: there has been plenty occupying the minds and newsfeeds of Americans. But in between all

Jennifer Bitterly (2020-07-16). How Latin American Activists Are Harnessing the Black Lives Matter Movement. progressive.org Protests have surged in Colombia and throughout Latin America following the police murders of George Floyd and an Afro-Colombian man.

Nick Licata (2020-07-16). How Protester Occupations Can Succeed. counterpunch.org Nationwide demonstrations, mobilized around the Black Lives Matter movement's response to the killing of George Floyd, were held in all fifty states and in 5,000 cities. Rallies were held in public squares and larger cities saw their freeways and bridges blocked. Only a few cities ( Richmond, Va.; Philadelphia; Oakland, CA, and New York City

Angela Peoples, Phillip Agnew (2020-07-16). The Best VP Choice for Biden When It Comes to Fighting for Black Lives Isn't Black—It's Elizabeth Warren. commondreams.org Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks during an event to introduce Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All Act of 2017 on Capitol Hill on Sept. 13, 2017. (Photo: Yuri Gripas/Reuters) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/hands_across_america_medicare_for_all_0.jpg

Strike for Black Lives (2020-07-16). Monday 7/20: Nationwide Strike for Black Lives. indybay.org Nationwide car caravans, rallies, and protest actions…

RT (2020-07-16). Saying 'pro-life' is racist and should be banned, says Rolling Stone writer. rt.com Staying woke on what's acceptable and what's racist is an ongoing process of shifting standards, as a Rolling Stone writer proved with the latest addition to terms that have surprisingly been branded as bigotry: "pro-life." | Jamil Smith, a senior writer who covers "the intersection of politics and identity" for the magazine, opined on Twitter Wednesday that the term "pro-life" deserves to be banished along with other recently outlawed characters and words. A wave of racial sensitivity brought on by the Black Lives Matter protest movement has already brought down decades-old consumer products brands such as Un…

The Canary (2020-07-16). Sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester removed from Colston plinth. thecanary.co A sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protester erected on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand has been removed.Artist Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid after seeing a photo of her standing on the empty plinth following the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol.The sculpture, A Surge Of Power (Jen Reid) 2020, was installed shortly before 4.30am on 15 July by Quinn's team without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council. | This morning we removed the sculpture. It will be held at our museum for the artist to collect or donate to ou…

Andrew Emett (2020-07-16). Former corrections officer sentenced to federal prison. nationofchange.org "The Department of Justice will ensure that those who willfully mislead officers to prevent justice for victims of civil rights violations are prosecuted."

Jesse Jackson (2020-07-16). A New Generation of Protest Holds Great Promise for America. counterpunch.org The inspiring rise of a new generation protesting against racial injustice is driving a new era of change in America, like the generation that emerged 60 years ago to build the civil rights movement of that time. July 16, 1960 is marked in my memory: that is the day I joined seven other friends to

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-16). Meatpackers hit for discrimination against workers of color in virus protection. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON — The nation's big meatpackers, notably Tyson Foods and JBS, are racially discriminating against their predominantly brown, Black, and Asian front-line labor force by not protecting rank-and-file workers against the coronavirus, a coalition of civil rights and pro-worker groups says. And the groups want to punish them by cutting off their federal cash. Fed …

Staff (2020-07-16). In Attempt to "Intimidate Protesters," 87 Face Felony Charges for Kentucky Sit-In for Breonna Taylor. democracynow.org In Louisville, Kentucky, civil rights groups are calling on prosecutors to drop felony charges against 87 people who held a peaceful sit-in protest Tuesday outside the home of Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The demonstrators were demanding the arrest and prosecution of the officers who killed Breonna Taylor, a Black Louisville resident who was shot inside her own home in March. Among those arrested: the president of the Minneapolis NAACP, Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills and Women's March co-founder Linda Sarsour. If convicted on felony charges, they could face up to five years in prison. "What they're…

Staff (2020-07-16). 87 Face Felony Charges for Kentucky Sit-In for Breonna Taylor. truthout.org Image Credit: Matt Stone/Courier Journal/Reuters | In Louisville, Kentucky, civil rights groups are calling on prosecutors to drop felony charges against 87 people who held a peaceful sit-in protest Tuesday outside the home of Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The demonstrators were demanding the arrest and prosecution of the officers who killed Breonna Taylor, a Black Louisville resident who was shot inside her own home in March. Among those arrested: the president of the Minneapolis NAACP, Houston Texans wide…

Eds. (2020-07-16). How Settler Colonial States use incarceration as a tool of dehumanization during the COVID crisis. mronline.org Incarceration is a manifestation and continuation of chronic and interwoven structures of oppression…

sputniknews (2020-07-16). Republicans Roll Out Resolution Accusing Ilhan Omar of 'Anti-American' Remarks. sputniknews.com Minnesota House of Representatives Democrat Ilhan Omar has been accused by members the Republican party of violating her oath to defend the US Constitution, following a speech earlier this month in which she called on the US public to tear down "systems of oppression" and fight racism and inequality.

WSWS (2020-07-16). Canada refuses to repatriate illegally jailed citizens accused of ISIS ties. wsws.org Trudeau's politically motivated refusal to repatriate children and others illegally detained in Kurdish military prisons in Syria is an attack on the citizenship rights of all Canadians.

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-07-16). White Professors Live In Fear. thealtworld.com Academics, if they are white, live in fear of their jobs. Professors lost their authority when administrations ceased backing them and instead allowed student complaints to result in investigations. Once an investigatory procedure is in place, it keeps itself funded by investigating. Feminist complaints, followed by political correctness, had the investigative process well oiled prior to the rise of wokism. Now almost any word can be turned into an offense requiring investigation. One professor is in trouble because he read to the class Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham jail." King's letter contained…

commondreams (2020-07-16). Chamber of Commerce Has a Long History of 'Chicken Little' Warnings of a Non-Existent Flood of Lawsuits. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Rocco Galati (2020-07-16). Video: Covid-19 Unlawful Acts: Law Suit against Trudeau Government: Constitutional Lawyer Rocco Galati. globalresearch.ca A constitutional claim against Canadian government actors for their actions in COVID-19 has just been filed at the Superior Court in Toronto, Canada. | A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. | What …

Ali Salam (2020-07-16). Israeli Forces Detain Several Palestinians, Including a Recently Released Prisoner. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Thursday at dawn, detained several Palestinian civilians after invading homes in several occupied West Bank areas, the Palestinian Information Center reported. Local sources stated that soldiers detained five Palestinian young men from various areas of the Bethlehem governorate, in the southern West Bank. In the central West …

news.un (2020-07-16). Rise in women prisoners and COVID measures, 'making sentences worse'. news.un.org More than 700,000 women are in prison around the world, and that number is growing much faster than men, the Human Rights Council has heard.

Graham Peebles (2020-07-16). Prison: Therapeutic Centers Or Academies of Crime? dissidentvoice.org We may know where one is, we may regularly pass by one, but most of us will never go to prison. Dark Islands of Confinement, existing in a space separated from the rest of society, where men, women and youths are locked up, often poorly treated, seldom rehabilitated. Black men and people from Asian and …

WSWS (2020-07-16). Nearly 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in US prisons. wsws.org As the virus's spread in prisons continues unabated, a new study shows the COVID-19 death rate for US inmates is triple the population at large.

Elizabeth Woodworth (2020-07-16). The Battle for Pandemic Sanity: Hydroxychloroquine Efficacy vs. Its Suppression. globalresearch.ca Covid-19 cases are on the rise again in the U.S. | Why are Dr. Anthony Fauci's NIAID, the FDA, and the CDC so blind to the real-world success of HCQ+azithromycin? | If this combination is the simple, cheap, safe way to prevent …

_____ (2020-07-16). Asheville Approves Reparations For Black Residents. popularresistance.org Asheville, NC – In an extraordinary move, the City Council has apologized for the city's historic role in slavery, discrimination and denial of basic liberties to Black residents and voted to provide reparations to them and their descendants. | The 7-0 vote came the night of July 14. | "Hundreds of years of black blood spilled that basically fills the cup we drink from today," said Councilman Keith Young, one of two African American members of the body and the measure's chief proponent. | "It is simply not enough to remove statues. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature,"

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-16). Trump Move to Bring White Nationalist Sebastian Gorka Back to White House Blasted as 'Sanctioning Discrimination'. commondreams.org "Trump and Gorka are spreading fear and division that leads to violence and harassment targeting Jews, Muslims, immigrants, Asian American Pacific Islanders, and all people of color." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gorks.jpg

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Top Iraqi diplomat meets French counterpart in Baghdad. yenisafak.com Iraq's foreign minister met with his French counterpart in the capital Baghdad on Thursday and discussed Daesh/ISIS militants of French origin, who are currently held in Iraqi prisons."The reason for our visit to Baghdad is to support the Iraqi government which is currently facing dangers," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein."We support Iraqi security forces against Daesh/ISIS terrorist group. We will not compromise against the enemy," Le Drian added.The two sides also discussed French companies' investments in Iraq and th…

Chris Schiavo (2020-07-15). Say Their Names. Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Say Their Names. Black Lives Matter.

Karen Rothmyer (2020-07-15). Where I Live, Hostility Toward Black Lives Matter Is Often Indirect. thenation.com Where I Live, Hostility Toward Black Lives Matter Is Often Indirect…

M. Skehan and G. Lechat (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerNameBlack women lead BLM march. workers.org Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative of Black women community leaders Daunasia Yancey, . . . |

Maureen Skehan (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerName/Black women lead BLM march. workers.org By M. Skehan and G. Lechat — Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative . . . |

Rann Miller (2020-07-15). Why Saying Black Lives Matter Isn't Enough. progressive.org White educators who say they support the movement need to show it by helping get rid of cops in schools.

Staff (2020-07-15). The Left Remakes the World: Amna Akbar on Canceling Rent, Defunding Police & Where We Go from Here. democracynow.org We look at another looming crisis for the American public: mass evictions. More than four months into a pandemic that has left millions unemployed, eviction freezes across the country are ending, even as case numbers rise and states reimpose lockdown measures. As the Cancel the Rent movement inspires rent strikes and protests nationwide, a coalition of labor unions, workers and racial and social justice groups in 25 states plans to stage a mass walkout this Monday called the "Strike for Black Lives." We speak with Amna Akbar, law professor at Ohio State University, who wrote about how to respond to all of this in…

The Canary (2020-07-15). Sculpture of Black protester installed on plinth on Edward Colston statue. thecanary.co A sculpture of a Black woman who took part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol has been erected on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand.Artist Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid, from Bristol, after seeing a photograph of her standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled.The sculpture, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), was erected shortly before 5am on Wednesday by Quinn's team without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council.The black resin and steel statue by Marc Quinn is titled A Surge of Power (Jen…

Staff (2020-07-15). Activists Fight to Cancel Rents as Pandemic Eviction Freezes Come to an End. truthout.org We look at another looming crisis for the American public: mass evictions. More than four months into a pandemic that has left millions unemployed, eviction freezes across the country are ending, even as case numbers rise and states reimpose lockdown measures. As the Cancel the Rent movement inspires rent strikes and protests nationwide, a coalition of labor unions, workers and racial and social justice groups in 25 states plans to stage a mass walkout this Monday called the "Strike for Black Lives.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-15). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. What is at stake is the violation of fundamental rights of Canadians. | "The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens, the restriction of access to …