(2020-12-19). Swift Justice: 'A fight from the inside out'. workers.org 
These slightly edited comments are from a Dec. 10 webinar organized by the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. Swift Justice is currently incarcerated within the Alabama Department of Corrections system. For more on prison stoppage by the Free Alabama Movement, see Workers World, Dec. 4. Co-moderator Devin C.: . . . |
(2020-12-19). The penalty for half a million deaths? A stern talking-to before Congress. liberationnews.org 
Corporate drug kingpins are given the privilege of choosing to appear before Congress in a video conference, while more than 2 million prisoners are forced into squalid conditions.
(2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org 
By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |
(2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…
(2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."
(2020-12-18). Abuse on the Mainland: Australia's Medevac Hotel Detentions. counterpunch.org Governments that issue press releases about the abuse of human rights tend to avoid close gazes at the mirror. Doing so would be telling. In the case of Australia, its record on dealing with refugees is both abysmal and cruel. It tends to be easier to point the finger at national security laws in Hong
(2020-12-18). As Pandemic Rages On, Analysis Finds 1 in 5 People in US Prisons Infected With Covid-19. commondreams.org The new data follow the ACLU's warning that America's "unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of Covid-19." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/covid-prisons-1in5.png …
(2020-12-18). 2020 Saw Resurgence of Strikes as a Key Tactic for Labor Around the World. truthout.org Like every other social movement in the U.S. this year, the compounding crises of 2020 proved a catalyzing force for the labor movement, compelling essential and frontline workers to join picket lines to ensure basic protections and increased pay as they continue to face disproportionate risks and increasingly perilous working conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | But essential workers weren't the only sector on strike this year: Prisoners and tenants across the country also withheld their la…
(2020-12-18). Remembering protest singer Phil Ochs on his 80th birthday. peoplesworld.org 
For those not fortunate enough to recall, Phil Ochs was one of our nation's most profound singer/songwriters in the period that bridged the Civil Rights, antiwar, and feminist movements. He was born on December 19, 1940: This week, he would have been 80 years old. His topical songs called for peace and an equitable society. They called for …
(2020-12-18). ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Census Ruling. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-12-18). Workers of Leica plant in Portugal protest wage discrimination. peoplesdispatch.org The workers at the Lousado plant of the German company Leica in Portugal organised a protest demanding a salary hike and an end to the harassment faced by workers…
(2020-12-18). Air Force Veterans of Plutonium Dust Disaster Win Class Action Standing. counterpunch.org Air force veterans exposed to plutonium after a first-ever US nuclear weapons disaster in Spain have won extremely rare recognition as a class in a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs. On Jan. 17, 1966, an air force B-52 bomber exploded over the village of Palomares, Spain during a routine airborne refueling. Seven airmen
(2020-12-18). The Winner of the 2020 Election: Drug Legalization. aclu.org The 2020 election was notable for many reasons, but one winner really stood out: drug legalization. Five states legalized either medicinal or adult use of marijuana. Oregon and went even further, becoming the first state to decriminalize the personal use and possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. The momentum garnered from these cross-country wins helped push the
(2020-12-18). Google faces major antitrust lawsuits for alleged search monopoly. nationofchange.org "As the gateway to the internet, Google has systematically degraded the ability of other companies to access consumers."
(2020-12-18). We Are Not Done With Abolition. zcomm.org The framers of the 13th Amendment did not intend to establish an empire of prison labor…
(2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.
(2020-12-18). Sunday 12/20: Jail Support Simulation Training. indybay.org Online Zoom…
(2020-12-17). Car hits anti-ICE march in New York Cit. workers.org 
New York Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, there have been at least 100 car attacks on protesters in the U.S. Most recently, in Manhattan near 39th St. and Third Ave., a car plowed at high speed through a group of protesters on Dec. 12. . . . |
(2020-12-17). Incarcerated rise up against COVID deaths, raging infections. workers.org 
Coffin of a Stafford Creek incarcerated person. On Dec. 9 an incarcerated person at Stafford Creek "men's" prison, near Aberdeen, Wash., died of COVID-19. The same week, coronavirus infections tripled from 85 to 237 among the imprisoned there. In response to this person's death and the alarming increase in infections, . . . |
(2020-12-17). Lebanon military court sentences pop singer Fadel Shaker to 22 years in prison. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon military court sentences pop singer Fadel Shaker to 22 years in prison | Shaker was sentenced in absentia for 'interfering in terrorist acts' and financing an armed group in 2012 | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 11: 50 | Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker performs during a gathering in the main sports stadium in the southern Lebanese city of Saida on 9 June 2013 (AFP) | A Lebanese military court sentenced on Wednesday ev…
(2020-12-17). Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome'. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome' | Meanwhile, British diplomat says UK 'very concerned about continuing tensions in the Gulf', and number of people held in Algerian prisons without legal basis now 'exceeds 20,000', says human rights group | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 16: 20 | Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (L) and Egyptian President Abdel…
(2020-12-17). Rafer Johnson, once the "World's Greatest Athlete," dies at age 86. wsws.org The US gold medal winner of the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics, Rafer Johnson, was the first African American athlete to achieve world prominence during the period of the Cold War and civil rights movement.
(2020-12-17). Major victory in MN: 'Myon is free!'. fightbacknews.org Bayport, MN – After 18 long years, Myon Burrell walked out the doors of Stillwater prison, to a cheering crowd of family and 100-plus community supporters. First embraced by his sister Ianna Burrell from the front, and his son Myon Burrell, Jr. from the back, he slowly made his way to the outside stairs to chants of, "Welcome home!" and "Myon's free!" | Burrell made his way through the crowd, and then said, "I thank everybody who came out and supported me. I can't even explain my gratitude. All my supporters, I love y'all. Y'all take care. And y'all keep on pushing, man, we fighting for justice. There's too much…
(2020-12-17). NSW government under scrutiny for strip searches, 'war on drugs'. greenleft.org.au The push back against NSW Police's 'war on drugs' is growing as they pay up hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits and restrictions on strip-searches are being considered by the parliament. Rachel Evans reports.
(2020-12-16). VIDEO: SA holding migrants in inhuman conditions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (MNA) — Human Rights Watch has released footage of a detention center for foreigners in Riyadh, proving that Saudi officials have detained and tortured hundreds of foreign workers. As reported, three have lost lives by the present.
(2020-12-16). Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'. commondreams.org "We need an attorney general… committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/black_lives_matter_solidarity.png …
(2020-12-16). New Report Details the Shocking Growth of the Prison Exploitation Across the US. mintpressnews.com "This report is really hoping to unveil the prison industry, the government and corporate actors who are exploiting the fact that they have been in the shadows," — Bianca Tylek, Founder of Worth Rises…
(2020-12-16). Conservation Groups Challenge Blackfoot River Timber Sale That Threatens Elk, Grizzly Bear, Bull Trout, and Lynx Habitat. counterpunch.org 
Two conservation groups, Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Missoula on December 11th challenging the 1,112 acre Stonewall Logging Project in the Blackfoot River valley in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest about four miles northwest of Lincoln, MT. The proposed changes to the
(2020-12-16). Defend incarcerated workers! workers.org 
These comments were given at a Dec. 10 webinar of the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. The theme of tonight's webinar is "Build class solidarity with incarcerated workers: No walls in the workers' struggle." The PSC wanted to sponsor this webinar on International Human Rights Day — the . . . |
(2020-12-16). Maeve in America: How We Can Do Better. progressive.org The racial oppression codified into the formation of the United States has been tinkered with, modified, lessened, but still rules the land.
(2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.