Daily Archives: 2020-12-05

2020-12-05: News Headlines

Ajamu Baraka (2020-12-05). Will This Be the Radicalization of Black Lives Matter? zcomm.org The rulers have consciously moved to pre-empt the radicalization of the present moment by propping up what has now become a diversionary movement meant to de-politicize…

ANCSCC (2020-12-05). Thursday 12/17: ACLU Webinar on Alternative Response to 911 Calls. indybay.org Online Event: | us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m4PGnUKRRWCqdVdvdSBWjg

Jeff Barrows (2020-12-05). [Correspondence] Freedom from coercion is not discrimination. thelancet.com In the World Report about LGBTQ discrimination in US health care,1 the new US Department of Health and Human Services ruling and the Texas federal court ruling from 2019 are inaccurately portrayed. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) was one of the plaintiffs in the case.

WSWS (2020-12-05). Sri Lankan government activates lie machine to cover up prison killings. wsws.org Colombo has reacted to opposition to the shooting of unarmed protesting prisoners with increased repression.

ACLU Northern California (2020-12-05). Thursday 12/17: Bill of Rights Day 2020 Celebration Webinar w/ ACLU NorCal. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Harry Blain (2020-12-04). America's Lame Duck Period is Palestine's Nightmare. counterpunch.org The political scientist William Adler recently argued that the main risk of our current lame duck period is inaction, rather than action. So far as the United States is concerned, it's hard to argue otherwise. Sure, President Trump will pardon his buddies, maintain the relentless grift of frivolous lawsuits, and do his best to undermine

Tony Pecinovsky (2020-12-04). REVIEW: 'Ballad of an American'—Civil rights giant Paul Robeson's illustrated bio. peoplesworld.org This has been a tumultuous year. Millions marched in the streets against police brutality and violence after the killing of George Floyd. They were tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets and percussion grenades, and run over, among any number of other civil liberties abuses. Their demand was "Black Lives Matter!" Their persistence has scored some gains. …

Devin C (2020-12-04). Free Alabama Movement calls 'economic blackout' on prison system. workers.org Occupied Muscogee Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee, Shawnee, Yuchi lands The Free Alabama Movement, led primarily by Black men who are incarcerated in the state of Alabama, has declared a 30-day economic blackout — a boycott of for-profit prison services and a work strike — to protest inhumane conditions at prisons across . . . |

MEE staff (2020-12-04). US rights group demands government disclose user data purchased from Muslim Pro app. middleeasteye.net US rights group demands government disclose user data purchased from Muslim Pro app | American Civil Liberties Union files FOIA request regarding records of acquisition of mobile phone location data | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 19: 58 | Muslim Pro denies it sold data to US military but says it is cutting ties with company found to be selling the data (Muslim Pro/Facebook) | The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) fil…

Princess Harmony (2020-12-04). WW Commentary/Harm reduction, not jails! workers.org In addressing addiction, harm reduction comes in many forms. Some include drug decriminalization, safe injection sites, spreading of Narcan and other forms of naloxone, distribution of medicines for medication assisted treatment along with pure drugs, fentanyl test kits, distribution of clean needles, and the diversion of methadone and buprenorphine. We . . . |

Mirinda Crissman (2020-12-04). Remembering Leslie Feinberg — trans warrior, communist revolutionary. workers.org Six years since hir passing on Nov. 15, 2014, Leslie Feinberg's presence is still unshakable. Leslie Feinberg with Workers World Party founding members Dorothy Ballan and Sam Marcy in 1991. The struggle against oppressions that stem from capitalism rages on. That struggle for liberation has literally been pushed forward by . . . |

The Canary (2020-12-04). Priti Patel is furious that campaigners are daring to challenge deportation flights. thecanary.co Home secretary Priti Patel has called comments from campaigners who linked the deportation of Black people to Jamaica "deeply offensive" because they linked it to the Windrush scandal. Said scandal involved the deportation of Black people to Jamaica.The government has defended the action as it claims those deported are criminals with no right to be in the UK. Campaigners argue there should be no deportations until "justice has been delivered for all Commonwealth Windrush victims".Thirteen prisoners were deported to Jamaica in a flight on 2 December, but lawyers successfully moved to have another 23 removed from t…

Betsey Piette (2020-12-04). Protesters call for release of incarcerated workers. workers.org Philadelphia Around 50 demonstrators gathered outside the Federal Detention Center at Seventh and Arch streets on Nov. 28 to demand the release of those on the inside — where at least 200 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in less than a month. In the past week, the detention center . . . |

RT (2020-12-04). French-Lebanese businessman who once claimed to transport Gaddafi funds to Sarkozy campaign by suitcase 'arrested in Beirut'. rt.com Authorities in Beirut have reportedly arrested a French-Lebanese businessman linked to allegations of illicit Libyan financing for Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 French presidential election campaign, on foot of an Interpol request. | Ziad Takieddine fled to the Lebanese capital earlier this year after a French court sentenced him to five years in prison in a separate case involving millions of euros he'd allegedly received for arms sales to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. | Takieddine previously claimed he had personally delivered suitcases carrying a total of €5 million from Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Tripoli to Sa…

Allison Frankel (2020-12-04). The problem with probation and parole. progressive.org Promoted as alternatives to incarceration, probation and parole have become systems of oppression and control, primarily over Black and brown people.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-04). 155 Years After Abolition, Slavery Is Still Legal in the United States—Democratic Lawmakers Are Trying to Fix That. commondreams.org A joint congressional resolution would close the 13th Amendment's "slavery loophole," from which the prison-industrial complex and businesses big and small profit. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/chain_gang.jpg

Elizabeth Wagmeister (2020-12-04). Felicity Huffman is making her Hollywood comeback; now what about Lori Loughlin?>. salon.com The former Queen of Hallmark TV Christmas is serving a jail sentence, but how long can cancellation last?>

Ria Tabacco Mar (2020-12-04). The Biden Administration's Women's Rights To-Do List. aclu.org Over the past four years, the Trump administration has gone out of its way to launch attacks on women — including in housing, the workplace, and schools. When President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take office, their administration and Congress must make it a top priority to not just undo the damage, but to push forward an agenda that will ensure everyone has the freedom to live, work, learn, and serve free from discrimination based on sex., , Here are just a few of the many items that should top the Biden administration's to-do list: , , Assure safe and stable housing for women and famili…

_____ (2020-12-04). Prison Strikers Suspend Starvation, Continue Work Strike. popularresistance.org Corcoran, CA – CDCr's negligent and careless response to the COVID-19 outbreak at CSATF has now killed at least three people. Active cases at the prison continue to hover near 1000 and now over half of the facility has contracted the disease. Guards and staff members are still failing to follow safety protocols and continue to move people around the facility creating more and more exposure. | The hunger strikers in D have decided to suspend their starvation in order to recover their health for an ongoing fight.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-03). Palestinian student activist released from Israeli prison after 15 months. peoplesdispatch.org 23-year-old Mays Abu Ghosh, a student of Birzeit university, was arrested by the Israeli security forces on charges of being a member of the Democratic Progressive Student Pole, a student group affiliated to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)…

Pip Hinman (2020-12-03). Right-wing extremist jailed for targeting left, Muslims. greenleft.org.au Far-right figure Phillip Galea, who was just sentenced to jail on terrorism charges, also threatened Socialist Alliance activist and local councillor Sue Bolton after having done reconnaissance in the Resistance Bookshop.

Staff (2020-12-03). 200K wrongfully purged GA voters fight to be heard in Senate runoffs. therealnews.com Civil rights groups are seeking an injunction against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to allow those voters to participate in the Jan. 5 runoff senate election, which will determine the balance of power in Congress.

sputniknews (2020-12-03). Ivanka Trump Slams Inauguration Lawsuit as 'Politically Motivated', Shares Email in Her Defense. sputniknews.com President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, testified as witness in the offices of the Washington DC Attorney General and was deposed in a lawsuit over allegations of the misuse of funds originally designated for the presidential inauguration of her father in 2016.

Victoria Law (2020-12-03). The Graying of Mass Incarceration. progressive.org Prisons, ill-suited for providing health care, are facing an explosion of elderly inmates.

Glen Ford (2020-12-03). Black Lives Matter (BLM) Chapters Demand "Accountability" from Trio that Cashed in on the Movement. globalresearch.ca Ten chapters of the national Black Lives Matter organization are in open revolt against the individuals that have treated the mass movement as their personal vehicle for upward political, professional and financial advancement. | In 2013 three Black women social activist …

Andrew Emett (2020-12-03). Former police officers sentenced to prison for framing innocent man. nationofchange.org "These officers shattered the victims' lives and dishonored the Honolulu Police Department. This community deserved so much better from these officers."

The Tricontinental (2020-12-02). Dossier 35: The Legacy of Lekra: Organising revolutionary culture in Indonesia. mronline.org Martin Aleida recalls the moment he was released from prison at the end of 1966. At twenty-two, Martin emerged from nearly a year behind bars to Jakarta, unable to find his friends and comrades.

Ted Kelly (2020-12-02). Palestinian prisoner Maher-al-Akhras released after 103-day hunger strike. workers.org Hunger striker Maher al-Akhras Palestinian political prisoner Maher al-Akhras was released from Israeli prison Nov. 26. He had staged a hunger strike for 103 days in protest of his arrest and incarceration. He was held by occupation forces under "administrative detention" and was never charged with a crime. Akhras, who . . . |

MEE and agencies (2020-12-02). Egypt: Amnesty condemns 'horrifying execution spree'. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Amnesty condemns 'horrifying execution spree' | Dozens of people have been put to death in the past two months according to UK-based rights group | Wed, 12/02/2020 – 08: 14 | Amnesty said the 'execution spree' followed an incident in September at Cairo's Tora prison in which several policemen and death-row prisoners were killed in a botched breakout attempt (AFP) | Amnesty Internati…

Keith Lamb (2020-12-02). Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan Go All the Way to the Top. globalresearch.ca The Australian Defense Force's (ADF) recent inquiry into Australian special forces conduct in Afghanistan, between 2005 and 2016, reveals that 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians were killed outside of battle, as part of a culture of "competition killings," where commanders …

Naureen Shah (2020-12-02). Separated Families, Death, and Despair — All at the Hands of CBP. We Need Action, Now. aclu.org Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is at the heart of some of the greatest moral horrors of the last four years, personified in stories that we cannot forget: the

Dana Drugmand (2020-12-02). Here's how big oil wants the Supreme Court to help delay and derail climate lawsuits. nationofchange.org This industry push is a concerted effort to squash climate liability lawsuits.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-02). ACLU Sues to Find Out How and Why Federal Agencies Are Accessing Americans' Cell Phone Location Data. commondreams.org "We're suing to bring some much-needed transparency to these disturbing practices," explained one ACLU staff attorney. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-8817662801.jpg

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (2020-12-02). Now Is the Time to Make Good on the Promise of Justice for All. thenation.com Now Is the Time to Make Good on the Promise of Justice for All…

H. Patricia Hynes (2020-12-02). Book Review of The Inner Level. zcomm.org As this book both documents and generously discusses, rising income inequality leads to a plague of ills: higher rates of people in prison, higher teenage birth rates, higher rates of mental illness, more child neglect and bullying…

Haymarket Books (2020-12-02). Wednesday 12/2: #BLM Book Launch: "Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice" indybay.org Online Event…

Oakland Privacy (2020-12-02). Solano Court Requires Public Approval Process for Cell Site Simulator Usage Policies. indybay.org Oakland Privacy's Lawsuit Against the City of Vallejo Upholds 2015 Legislation…

John Pilger (2020-12-01). "I spoke to impoverished families in 1975 and little has changed since then" dissidentvoice.org A British family from the film Smashing Kids, 1975. Photograph: John Garrett John Pilger interviewed Irene Brunsden in Hackney, east London about only being able to feed her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes in 1975. Now he sees nervous women queueing at foodbanks with their children as it's revealed 600,000 more kids are in poverty …

MEE correspondent (2020-12-01). Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family. middleeasteye.net Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family | Hoda Abdelmoneim's husband and daughter are urging authorities to release her after her pretrial detention period has expired | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 15: 51 | "> | Human rights lawyer Hoda Abdelmoneim's pretrial detention expired on 21 November, but she remains in custody (Suppl…

Eds. (2020-12-01). COVID explodes inside prisons, but only guards to get first doses of vaccine. mronline.org Over the past week, 14,697 new cases of Coronavirus infection were reported inside of state and federal prisons—the highest level since the pandemic began.

Johnnie Lewis (2020-12-01). COVID-19 in Oregon: Prison laundry workers at greatest risk. workers.org Portland, Ore. In November, three Oregon prisons — Two Rivers, Salem, and Snake River — reported the state's highest rate of workplace COVID-19 infections. Oregon prison laundry, 2017. By Oregon law, prisons are workplaces. All prisoners are forced to work a 40-hour week. On Nov. 23, Snake River reported 518 . . . |

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-01). Egypt: Photographer and model arrested over pyramid photoshoot. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Photographer and model arrested over pyramid photoshoot | Latest instance of detentions by Egyptian forces over images of women deemed too 'provocative' has garnered mixed reactions online | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 13: 52 | Model Salma al-Shimi in one of the images taken at the Saqqara site (Screengrab/Twitter) | Photos of an Egyptian model have sparked intense debate online, after both the photographer an…

Project Censored (2020-12-01). #24. Silenced in Savannah: Journalist Abby Martin Challenges Georgia's BDS "Gag Law" projectcensored.org Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to end support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians, was scheduled to give a…

Tiffani Burgess (2020-12-01). Race-Conscious Policies — Including Affirmative Action — Are Necessary For Addressing Racial Inequity. aclu.org Affirmative action recently survived yet another legal attack: Last month, the First Circuit Court of Appeals

Jesse Hagopian (2020-12-01). Making Black Lives Matter at School. progressive.org The national movement has four key demands to eliminate racism in education.

Jasmine Norden (2020-12-01). 'High-risk settings' in our jails means prisoners must get priority for coronavirus vaccines. thecanary.co Researchers have recommended prisoners be prioritised for the coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, after finding it's difficult to manage outbreaks. | Academics from the University of Oxford conducted a The researchers concluded that vaccinating prisoners early would help to so…

repost (2020-12-01). Kamala Harris' Prosecutors Sent This Innocent Man to Prison for Murder. Now He's Talking. indybay.org In a New York Times op-ed published in January, University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon described various instances when Harris, either as district attorney or state attorney general, vigorously defended cases in which prosecutors were accused of fabricating testimony or withholding potentially exculpatory evidence—stacking the deck against the accused. | "My issue with [Harris] is the way she characterizes herself and her record. If she were just straightforward, it wouldn't be a problem."—Lara Bazelon…

Hanna Johnson (2020-11-30). The Questions You Probably THINK You Know the Answer to — But Likely Don't — About ICE Detention. aclu.org What is ICE detention? What is it not?: | Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE — pronounced "ice," like a cube) detention is civil detention. It is not intended to be

Arvind Dilawar (2020-11-30). Wisconsin Governor Urged to Release Inmates from COVID-19 'Death Sentences'. progressive.org The number of COVID-19 cases in state prisons has nearly tripled in the last month, intensifying calls for release. The stakes are literally life or death.

Reiner Fuellmich (2020-11-30). Video: Is it a Staged Pandemic? The RT-PCR Test. globalresearch.ca An important guest to get to Dr. Reiner, is with us now and he is in Germany and my understanding is, is actually filing a lawsuit, correct me if I'm wrong, filing a lawsuit over many of the lockdowns …