(2020-08-11). "Prisons Are Not Fit for Human Occupation": San Quentin Prisoners Speak Out as Virus Deaths Reach 25. democracynow.org 
California's notorious San Quentin State Prison is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the United States. At least 2,200 prisoners have been infected, and 25 have died. More than 260 staff members have also been infected. We hear from two people incarcerated at San Quentin about conditions inside and the punitive measures authorities have taken against prisoners campaigning for better safety measures, and speak with James King, a member of the Stop San Quentin Outbreak Coalition. "The conditions at San Quentin are horrific," says King, who was incarcerated at San Quentin from 2013 until December 2019.
(2020-08-11). Ilhan Omar speaks at Minneapolis celebration of NO BAN Act passage In House. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A small crowd gathered in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on August 10 for a press conference celebrating the passage of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. | The bill would repeal President Trump's racist travel ban that has prevented immigration from a list of Muslim-majority and African countries. It would also strengthen prohibitions against discrimination on visa applications, permanently barring the executive branch from banning people from entering the United States on the basis of religious affiliation. Approv…
(2020-08-11). Student-athletes organize for health, Black Lives Matter, labor rights. workers.org 
Since March 12, the coronavirus has impacted every sector of U.S. society, not only health but also social life. With all the suffering going on and with no national public health care system in the U.S., different sectors of society are seeking to protect themselves by preventing the spread of . . . |
(2020-08-11). Stephen Lawrence's parents will never give up hope of getting justice. thecanary.co 
The parents of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence have said they will never give up hope of getting justice for their son as the investigation into his death was shelved by police.Doreen and Neville Lawrence have campaigned tirelessly since the 18-year-old was murdered by racists in Eltham, south east London in April 1993. | Two of the 18-year-old's killers, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were jailed for murder in 2012, but three remain at large.Two of the three remaining suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, have since served jail time for drug dealing, while Luke Knight has remained free.Gary Dobson and Davi…
(2020-08-11). Tracking Apps Are Unlikely to Help Stop COVID-19. globalresearch.ca Proposals to use the tracking capabilities of our cell phones to help fight COVID-19 have probably received more attention than any other technology issue during the pandemic. Here at the ACLU, we
(2020-08-11). US Attorney General Barr gives fascistic tirade against Antifa, Black Lives Matter. wsws.org Barr made a political amalgam connecting the Democratic Party, Black Lives Matter, Antifa and terrorism.
(2020-08-11). The Backstory to Portland? Two Decades of 'Homeland Security'. zcomm.org The calls for oversight and demands that federal agents be withdrawn from our cities are urgent. The move to deploy these forces in brazen contempt for civil rights is escalating repression to a frightening new level…
(2020-08-11). How South Korea's past informs Moon Jae-In's civil rights policy. indybay.org President Moon Jae-In is the current president of South Korea. His presidency began without the typical two-month adjustment period, coming out of the previous scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. His justice minister pick became embroiled in a scandal, and the country's economy and unemployment rate have taken a turn for the worse. His approval rates have fallen to record lows, as protestors take to the streets. What actions is President Moon taking to bolster his candidacy? Let's examine how South Korea's political history has informed President Moon Jae In's public policy.
(2020-08-11). In SF, Low Riders Join Day to Demand "Shut Down CA Concentration Camps" indybay.org First there was a rally at Justin Herman Plaza, then a caravan led by Roberto Hernandez of the SF Low Rider Council in his classic white convertible. On August 8, during a statewide day of action to end ICE detention camps, over 1,000 marched behind the caravan of low riders in San Francisco. The culmination of the protest was at ICE headquarters on San Francisco's Sansome St. where demonstrators left red colored handprints to say, "ICE….you have blood on your hands."
(2020-08-11). Sunday 8/16: Anarchist Black Cross – Virtual Political Prisoner Support. indybay.org Online…
(2020-08-11). Saturday 8/15: Demand Justice for Brutalized Black Prisoners! indybay.org In front of Soledad State Prison CTF, off Highway 101 in Soledad, CA…
(2020-08-11). Saturday 8/22: Stop the Racist Attacks! Black Incarcerated Lives Matter! indybay.org The event will be held in front of the gates of Soledad State Prison CTF off Highway 101 in Soledad, CA…
(2020-08-11). Newly Released Video Shows Jailed Black Man Died In Custody. popularresistance.org Newly released video footage shows a Black man in custody in medical distress, repeatedly telling corrections officers he couldn't breathe as officers struggled to detain him after he experienced a medical event in a North Carolina jail two days before he died. | Five corrections officers and one nurse have since been fired and charged with involuntary manslaughter for their role in the death of a 56-year-old James Elliott Neville, who died on December 4, 2019. The video, released this week as part of a judge's order, depicts events that occurred at the Forsyth County Jail on December 2, 2019, two days before his…
(2020-08-11). Disabled Iraq Veteran Faces Prison In Alabama For Legal Medical Marijuana. popularresistance.org Worsley's ordeal began in 2016 when he and his wife, Eboni, were arrested late one night after stopping for gas. They were traveling through the state on their way to North Carolina, where they were planning on helping Sean's grandmother repair extensive damage to her home after Hurricane Matthew flooded her community. | "We [were] not being competitive, we were being completely compliant," Eboni Worsley told Fox News. "We're being very cooperative, so not thinking that there's going to be a major issue. … I show him I don't want trouble, don't mean any harm."
(2020-08-11). Police force use of facial recognition technology ruled unlawful. thecanary.co The use of facial recognition technology by police did interfere with privacy and data protection laws, the Court of Appeal has ruled. | Civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges brought a legal challenge against South Wales Police arguing their use of automatic facial recognition (AFR) had caused him "distress". | He had his face scanned while he was Christmas shopping in Cardiff in 2017 and at a peaceful anti-arms protest outside the city's Motorpoint Arena in 2018. | In a ruling on Tuesday, three Court of Appeal judges ruled the force's use of AFR was unlawful, allowing Bridges' appeal on three out of five grounds he…
(2020-08-11). UN official Expects More Allegations about Khashoggi-style Murders by Saudis. dissidentvoice.org The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings says she expects more allegations to surface about Khashoggi-style murders by Saudi death squads. Agnes Callamard was reacting to a Washington Post article that detailed a lawsuit filed in the US by Saad al-Jabri, a former Saudi spy. The plaintiff said, a hit squad was sent to …
(2020-08-10). Revolutionaries Living in a System of Growing Fascism. counterpunch.org Watching the documentary The Weather Underground (2002) (see Independent Lens review, PBS) is a painful experience. Included with this award-winning documentary about Vietnam-era revolutionaries is the smaller and separate interview with David Gilbert, who remains imprisoned in New York for his part in the 1981 Brinks robbery in which some of those involved in the robbery killed two policemen
(2020-08-10). The 'Wall of Vets' Continues Long Legacy Of Veteran Activism. popularresistance.org Military veterans have long been resisting war, promoting positive peace, and defending human and civil rights against state violence and other forms of oppression. They have made significant contributions to the antiwar and peace and justice movements over many decades. | Their participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is no different. Veterans have been highly visible in supporting the racial justice demands of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The disturbing truth, which a great number of veterans recognize, is that white supremacy, systemic racism and police brutality at…
(2020-08-10). Free Them All! Care Not Cages! March & Rally In SF Against ICE & Republicrats. indybay.org Activists protested at the ICE office in San Francisco against the imprisonment of children in cages and the ICE terrorism against immigrants and people of color. They also attacked California Governor Newsom, Pelosi and the Democrats for supporting these policies.
(2020-08-10). Not Just a Bad President, Trump is a "Holmesian Bad Man." Act Accordingly. aclu.org "If you want to know the law, you must look at it as a bad man does, who cares only for the material consequences," wrote legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Not as a good one, who finds his reasons for conduct, whether inside the law or outside of it, in the vaguer sanctions of conscience." , , Donald Trump is a Holmesian bad man, and an even worse president, pushing the bounds of corruption and authoritarianism, unbound by norms, the rule of law, a sense of shame, or even care for others. To deal with such a bad man and bad president — one who truckles to adversaries like Russian P…
(2020-08-10). US Supreme Court defends deadly jail conditions in California. wsws.org The high court decision denies inmates their right to safety during a deadly pandemic and at the same time shows contempt for the lives of the poor.
(2020-08-10). Afghan government to release remaining 400 Taliban prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org The release is expected to pave the way for the beginning of intra-Afghan talks this week in Qatar. President Ashraf Ghani had earlier refused to release them saying their crimes were to heinous…
(2020-08-10). Venezuela Sentences Former US Green Berets to 20 Years in Jail. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a third former soldier who orchestrated a failed coup attempt.
(2020-08-10). The Killing that Awakened the City that Never Sleeps. progressive.org A new documentary reflects on the killing of a Black teenager in 1989, drawing parallels to today's Black Lives Matter protests.
(2020-08-10). The Caldwells: Father-Son Duo Team Up on a Portion of Historic Minneapolis Mural. unicornriot.ninja Minneapolis, MN — When Kenneth Caldwell got tagged on a Facebook post about participating in making a Black Lives Matter mural in North Minneapolis, he jumped at the opportunity. | The well-known local artist teamed up with his father, Charles Caldwell, another prolific artist, to create…
(2020-08-10). Chowchilla Women's Prison. indybay.org Demonstration of women and children in front of Chowchilla Women's Prison highlight desperate conditions inside…
(2020-08-10). McDonald's sues former CEO Stephen Easterbrook. yenisafak.com McDonald's Corp filed a lawsuit against former chief executive officer Stephen Easterbrook to recover compensation benefits after an internal investigation showed that he had sexual relationships with multiple employees, violating company policy, it said in a filing on Monday.Easterbrook lied during the investigation into his behavior, the filing showed.McDonald's dismissed Easterbrook in November over a consensual relationship with an employee, which the board then determined violated company policy. Easterbrook and McDonald's could not be immediately reached for comment.
(2020-08-10). Citing 'Years of Chaos and Impunity,' ACLU Calls for Breakup of Department of Homeland Security. commondreams.org "We have to remove the loaded weapon that sits on the proverbial coffee table in the Oval Office." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-blm_portland_orecrop.jpg …
(2020-08-09). Federal Judge Calls On Supreme Court To Overturn 'Qualified Immunity'. popularresistance.org Handing down a ruling to dismiss a civil lawsuit which alleged a police officer violated a Black man's Fourth Amendment rights during a traffic stop in 2013, a federal judge in Mississippi made clear that he sided with the plaintiff—and demanded the U.S. Supreme Court overturn legal precedent that makes it nearly impossible for the judicial system to hold officers accountable for rights violations. | Calling for an end to qualified immunity, which dates back to a 1982 ruling and shields police from civil liability in most cases, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves turned his ruling into a plea for just…
(2020-08-09). Afghanistan to free 400 Taliban to start peace talks. yenisafak.com The Afghan president, following a recommendation by a traditional Afghan council, pledged on Sunday to release the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners to pave the way for peace talks aimed at ending the nearly two-decade-long war."The Taliban must demonstrate they are not afraid of a comprehensive ceasefire… there is no great bravery required for war, but for peace," Ashraf Ghani told the Loya Jirga, which began on Friday.He promised to free the remaining prisoners on Aug. 19, Afghanistan's Independence Day.Over 3,000 public figures, who assembled in the capital Kabul, approved the release and called for an immedia…
(2020-08-09). Pakistan welcomes prisoner release in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (MNA) — Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country welcomes Afghan Loya Jirga's recommendation on the release of prisoners.
(2020-08-08). Tribute to the outstanding communist Ka Fidel V. Agcaoili. fightbacknews.org On what would have been the 76th birthday of Ka Fidel V. Agcaoili, Freedom Road Socialist Organization joins in paying tribute to this great revolutionary and fighter for the liberation of the Philippines. Every communist can learn from his example and from his many contributions to the international communist movement. His passing is a cause for sadness among all of us who are working to end exploitation and oppression. | Ka Fidel was a revolutionary who devoted the whole of his life to the struggle for national liberation and socialism. He came from a privileged background, took up the science of Marxism, and i…
(2020-08-08). Portland protesters attack another police HQ, throw rocks and fireworks at officers (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland fired rocks and fireworks at police on the 71st night of demonstrations in the city, with some even wearing body armor and shields as they clashed with officers. | On Friday night, demonstrators made their way to the Penumbra Kelly Building in Portland, a headquarters shared by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and Portland Police Bureau. | Portland Police said in a statement on Saturday that they warned the crowd several times that arrests would be made for trespassing, but not all protesters cooperated. Some eventually took to launching rocks and fireworks at the…
(2020-08-08). Supreme Court Rules Jail Does Not Have to Provide Basic Protections to Inmates. indybay.org Even as prisons across the US report a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Supreme Court ruled on August 5th that prisons do not have to provide basic protections to inmates.
(2020-08-08). Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Under House Arrest. popularresistance.org The Colombian Supreme Court of Justice has ordered the preventive home detention of Senator and former President Alvaro Uribe for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery. The Latin American right-wing leader became the first former president to receive this type of arrest order, suspected of trying to manipulate the statement of a defendant who linked him to the creation of paramilitary groups. "The deprivation of my freedom causes me deep sadness for my wife, for my family and for the Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the country," lamented Uribe…
(2020-08-08). Street Artists Rise to the Occasion. progressive.org In the midst of international protests against racist violence, artists are using their skills to send a clear message: Black lives matter.
(2020-08-08). Video: Restrained detainee begs for life as guards kill him. nationofchange.org Neville's family has filed a civil lawsuit against the county of Forsyth and Wellpath, the medical agency that employs the nurse, for failing to save Neville's life and negligently causing his death.
(2020-08-08). Utah Protesters Face Charges With Potential Life Sentence. popularresistance.org Salt Lake City, UT – Some Black Lives Matter protesters in Salt Lake City could face up to life in prison if they're convicted of splashing red paint and smashing windows during a protest, a potential punishment that stands out among demonstrators arrested around the country and one that critics say doesn't fit the alleged crime. | The felony criminal mischief charges are more serious because they carry a gang enhancement. Prosecutors said Wednesday that's justified because the protesters worked together to cause thousands of dollars in damage, but watchdogs called the use of the 1990s-era law troubling, especial…
(2020-08-08). Abolishing Police Is a Step Toward Ending White Supremacy and Capitalism. truthout.org Something has come unstuck. The common sense about policing has abruptly changed. | This shift was a long time coming: Prison abolitionists — a movement of scholars and activists, notably spearheaded by Black women such as Angela Davis and Ruth Wilson Gilmore — have spent decades organizing toward a goal of abolishing the prison system. The Black Lives Matter movement and a new generation of Black-led organizing have kindled a new moment in which a world without police feels truly pos…
(2020-08-08). 'This Is a Five-Alarm Fire': With 2020 Election at Stake, Call Goes Up for Mass Mobilization to Save Postal Service. commondreams.org "Can't stress this enough— if the USPS is sabotaged, this will amount to the greatest voter suppression campaign in history." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/save_the_postal_service.jpg …
(2020-08-07). Susan Abulhawa Embodies the Spirit of Palestinian Resistance in Her New Book: Against the Loveless World. mintpressnews.com 
Writer and political activist Susan Abulhawa weaves a daring tale of a Palestinian woman's defiant experience in solitary confinement at an Israeli prison.
(2020-08-07). Neil deMause on Reopening Coverage, Nicole Porter on Covid and Prisons. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-08-07). 'Baseless & politically motivated': NRA counter-sues New York AG who seeks to shut down pro-gun organization. rt.com 
The National Rifle Association has filed its own lawsuit after New York's attorney general sued the group for fraud, hoping to put it out of business. The pro-gun org says the AG's case is politically motivated and frivolous. | Responding to a suit brought by New York state Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday — which accused top executives in the pro-Second Amendment group of misusing funds — the NRA filed a federal countersuit claiming James' case is based on a "rank political vendetta," rather than any "sincere belief" that the organization broke the law. | "This was a baseless, premeditated…
(2020-08-07). 'Enraging and Inexcusable': Louisiana Supreme Court Rules Black Man Convicted of Garden Tool Theft 20 Years Ago Should Die in Prison. commondreams.org A 62-year-old Black man is expected to spend the rest of his life in Louisiana's largest maximum-security prison after the state Supreme Court denied his request to overturn his life sentence, 23 years after his conviction for attempting to steal a pair of hedge clippers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/3936550016_1cac4a9184_o_1.jpg …
(2020-08-07). Amendment 4 is Back in Court as Florida Fights Our Victory Over its Modern-Day Poll Tax. aclu.org Betty Riddle, a grandmother and university graduate,
(2020-08-07). Thursday 8/6: Communities of Color: Communicating Safe Voting Options for November. indybay.org Online via livestream at Human Rights Campaign Facebook…
(2020-08-07). Resisting The Propaganda Of Status Quo Defenders. popularresistance.org First came the new names—Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and others—all added one by one to the long list of tragic, unjustifiable police killings of Black Americans. Then came the batons, the pepper spray, the tear gas, the flash-grenades, the helicopters, the armored vehicles, and the rubber bullets wielded against nonviolent Black Lives Matter protesters across the United States, from Minneapolis to New York City to Portland. And then came the chorus of privileged beneficiaries of our country's discriminatory status quo, denying and defending the reality of brutal, racist, militarize…
(2020-08-07). Black August And Black Liberation: 'Study, Fast, Train, Fight.'. popularresistance.org Each August since 1979, the surviving sectors of the Black Liberation Movement, our supporters, and the new entrants into the ranks of resistors to the ongoing oppression against the African/Black masses and colonized peoples of this territory now called the United States and its settler state, have paid homage to our fallen freedom fighters and those incarcerated for decades in the cages of this country. | The struggle for African/Black freedom in the United States began with the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to this territory in 1619. The tradition of resistance to the settler state is different from t…
(2020-08-07). General Motors Pushing Lawsuit Against Fiat Chrysler Claiming It Has New Evidence of Corruption. sputniknews.com The new evidence is supposed to complement the racketeering lawsuit, initiated years ago by former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, who passed away in 2018.
(2020-08-07). Putin and Lukashenko discuss Belarus' detention of 33 Russians: Kremlin. yenisafak.com Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin expressed confidence on Friday that tensions over the detention of 33 Russian citizens in Minsk can be resolved, the Kremlin said.The arrests further strained relations between the two traditional allies, already soured this year by a dispute over oil, in the run-up to a presidential election in Belarus on Sunday, seen as Lukashenko's toughest political challenge in years.The two leaders spoke by telephone, the Kremlin added.