(2020-12-21). Mothers Are Pushing to Free Their Children From Prison During COVID. truthout.org "Mom and Pop's, | I could no longer breathe too good. So I alerted the med tech. I was tested for COVID-19 and it came back positive. Right now, I'm in the south house in a cell by myself. I love you guys very much." | This is an email that no parent should ever have to read. Matthew Echevarria — a survivor of Chicago police torture who was convicted of a crime he did not commit — sent this email to his parents Denise and Brian Bronis from Menard Correctional Center where he is currently i…
(2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…
(2020-12-21). Political Science and the Fate of the Wolverine. counterpunch.org 
On December 14, 2020, 24 organizations and one individual (me) filed two different lawsuits to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) decision not to list the wolverine as a threatened Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The plaintiffs are arguing the FWS decision was capricious and arbitrary. The wolverine,
(2020-12-21). Donald Trump Administration's Approval of "Radioactive Roads": Lawsuit against EPA. globalresearch.ca Environmental, public health and union groups The EPA has long prohibi…
(2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…
(2020-12-21). Lawsuit Challenges Large Fossil-Fuel Project Proposed in Alaska's Arctic. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-12-21). China denies charges of forced labor camps, religious oppression in Xinjiang. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 21 (efe-epa).- China on Monday categorically denied the existence of forced labor camps or the oppression of religious practices in the Uighur region of Xinjiang, saying these were "accusations without any foundation" that "outrage" the people of the area. At a press conference in Beijing on the situation in the autonomous region, the …
(2020-12-20). At least 140 Palestinians contract COVID-19 in Israeli jails. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — At least 140 Palestinian inmates in the Zionist regime's jails have contracted COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in early March this year, a Palestinian official said.
(2020-12-20). 2020 Saw Resurgence Of Strikes Around the World. popularresistance.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 labor and rent to fight for their fundamental human right to life and housing. Building momentum after major strike waves…
(2020-12-20). Fifth of All American Prisoners Are Infected With COVID-19, Study Suggests. sputniknews.com The US has the world's highest COVID-19 rates, according to Johns Hopkins University data tracking. Over 194,000 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the last 24 hours alone, along with at least 2,628 deaths. Despite that a universal vaccination began in the US on Monday, prospects for American prisoners are not encouraging.
(2020-12-20). Elderly 110 lb. woman shot and killed by jail guard in Spokane, Wa. liberationnews.org 
"We demand justice for Nancy King, which begins with a thorough and independent investigation and by jailing killer cops."
(2020-12-20). Vigil for Muhammad — Malaysian student dies in detention. greenleft.org.au Activists organised a vigil for a young Malaysian student who died in the Villawood detention centre, reports Stephen Langford.
(2020-12-20). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demands release of Filipino trade unionists. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) demanding the release of jailed trade union leaders in the Philippines. | Greetings of solidarity to the Filipino people as they struggle courageously for the national liberation of their people from the bondage of U.S. imperialism | As always, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stands in solidarity with the struggle of the Filipino people for national democracy and call for the immediate release of the HRDay7. Six trade unionists with the…
(2020-12-19). One in five US prisoners has contracted COVID-19, more than 1,700 have died. wsws.org The staggering totals for infections and deaths show that the ruling elite's policy of "herd immunity" is even more concentrated within prison walls, where prisoners are confined to close quarters and social distancing is nearly impossible.
(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). Chilean Police Arrest at Least 30 Anti-Piñera Protesters. telesurenglish.net Santiago de Chile was again the scene this Friday of protests to demand the resignation of the President Sebastián Piñera, which ended with the arrest of at least 30 protesters. | RELATED: | The militarized police reported that they had arrested that number of participants in the demonstrations, whose objective was also to demand the freedom of people who were imprisoned during the protests that broke out in October…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Sunday 12/20: Jail Support Simulation Training. indybay.org Online Zoom…
(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.