(2021-04-03). Pope Needs to Send Easter Message to Biden on Assange. orinocotribune.com Francis the First thought of the WikiLeaks publisher languishing in his cell on Palm Sunday and should consider sending a second message, writes Elizabeth Vos. | Pope Francis delivered a message of support last Sunday to WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange after a hard night in Belmarsh prison, according to a After a hard night, Julian woke up this morning to a kind, personal message from Pope Francis
(2021-04-03). Brothers EMpowered Is Building That Village We All Need to Thrive. popularresistance.org Charles Caine has a dream. Just like Martin Luther King understood civil rights include economic rights, Caine wants to give all people an opportunity to prosper. That mission starts with his two sons (ages 16 and 13) and the other youth he mentors in North Minneapolis as the president and executive director of Brothers EMpowered. | Caine founded the community mentorship organization in 2014 to help men of color overcome the barriers in their lives and the lives in their communities. His inspiration came from years of struggling as a young Black man in urban America. After overcoming many challenges and barriers…
(2021-04-03). Illinois: After 31 Years, Gerald Reed is Free! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) greets the commutation of Gerald Reed's life sentence today by Governor J. B. Pritzker as a courageous act to set right a terrible crime against a Black man committed 31 years ago. Now we need to finish the job of freeing all survivors of police torture who were convicted by confessions coerced by police and dismantling the prison industrial complex as a whole. | Reed was convicted of a double murder in 1990 after…
(2021-04-03). Illinois: After 31 Years, Gerald Reed is Free! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) greets the commutation of Gerald Reed's life sentence today by Governor J. B. Pritzker as a courageous act to set right a terrible crime against a Black man committed 31 years ago. Now we need to finish the job of freeing all survivors of police torture who were convicted by confessions coerced by police and dismantling the prison industrial complex as a whole. | Reed was convicted of a double murder in 1990 after…
(2021-04-03). US Church Membership Falls Under 50 Percent. zcomm.org Many Millennials who become unchurched cite discomfort with the prejudice and discrimination against LGBTQ persons in churches…
(2021-04-03). Peoples Coalition Helps Elect New Orleans Progressive Prosecutor. zcomm.org "Our mission is to create a District Attorney's office that is ethical, equitable, compassionate, and accountable to all of its constituents so that we may end the era of mass incarceration in New Orleans."
(2021-04-03). 50 Years of Injustice: Free Black Panther Political Prisoner Ed Poindexter Now! indybay.org In our interview conducted earlier this week, author Michael Richardson discusses the role of the FBI's infamous COINTELPRO in the frameup of the Omaha Two and provides an important update on Ed Poindexter's urgent health situation. Richardson also explains how you can help Ed Poindexter, an elder in poor health who is a 50-year victim of an obvious and well documented COINTELPRO frameup. We highly recommend reading Michael Richardson's book to learn more about this extreme injustice that needs to end immediately. Free Ed Poindexter now!
(2021-04-02). Sign our online birthday card to say: "Free Georges Abdallah!" on his 70th birthday! #MacronLibérezAbdallah. samidoun.net 
It's Georges Abdallah's 70th birthday. This Lebanese Arab communist struggler for Palestine is marking this birthday in Lannemezan Prison, after being jailed by France for over 36 years. Join us today to take action online to demand his immediate liberation. First, join the Twitterstorm! #MacronLibérezAbdallah Twitter Storm Friday, 2 April 2021 10 am Pacific — 1 pm Eastern — 7 pm central Europe — 8 pm Palestine Use the hashtag: #MacronLibérezAbdallah Sample Tweets: bit.ly/freeabdallah Tag: @EmmanuelMacron @GDarmanin to direct your demand to French officials. Sign our collective birthday…
(2021-04-02). Thousands of migrant children remain detained in overflowing detention camps along southern US border. wsws.org Children are being kept in eight "pods" consisting of 500 children each, crowded into cages lined with see-through plastic sheets at a Department of Homeland Security facility in Donna, Texas.
(2021-04-02). Did cops retaliate against this activist? therealnews.com 
As we continue our investigation into overpolicing and mass incarceration in rural America, we return to Pocomoke City on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore to speak with Michelle Lucas. Lucas is a pizza delivery driver, a proud grandmother, and community activist who asserts that she was railroaded into a felony conviction that could result in up to two years in prison. | Tune in every Thursday at 9: 00 p.m. EST for new episodes of the
(2021-04-02). Gerald Reed freed after 31 years of wrongful imprisonment. peoplesworld.org 
Gerald Reed is finally free after spending 31 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker commuted Reed's sentence to time served on April 1. Reed was one of the hundreds of young African American men brutally tortured into making a false confession by Chicago police during the 1970s, 80s …
(2021-04-02). New Domestic Terrorism Laws Won't End White Supremacy. aclu.org After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calls for new domestic terrorism laws grew louder. Proponents of the laws argue they'll provide law enforcement with more resources to go after white supremacists and stop the violence. Now, with the country reeling from a recent spike in mass shootings, the calls continue. | Not so fast, says Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project. New domestic terorrism laws will give the government even more power to surveil and criminalize communities of color. Existing counterrorism laws have already disproportionately affected these communities, an…
(2021-04-02). Why Paul Robeson's Voice Still Rings True Today. progressive.org The words and music of the legendary activist and singer are more relevant than ever in the era of Black Lives Matter.
(2021-04-02). Australian Labor Party backs coal, gas and "border protection" wsws.org With no dissent, the party conference supported fossil fuel super-profits and the brutal detention of refugees.
(2021-04-02). Fake News Op in the 'Candid Activists' Case: There was No Arrest, Only Protection of Journalists in Apure. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, April 1, the launch of a new media conspiracy against Venezuela was attempted on social media networks and in the US-financed "free press," but the truth quickly emerged. Finally, the alleged detention of journalists in Apure state, allegedly covering the events in the Colombian-Venezuelan border territory, was reported as false. | A new fake news story was spread by some media and journalists who assured that several journalists and activists were apprehended; some even dared to describe the arrests as "force disappearance." | In addition, social media exploded with manipulations and falsehoods th…
(2021-04-02). Woke—Except For My Beef Bowl. counterpunch.org It is amazing how many Woke people are not vegan. Their anti-racism, anti-white supremacy, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia and anti-Asian discrimination credentials are impeccable…and then they reach for their Thai chicken or beef bowl. What? Doesn't speciesism—believing that humans rule over other species and have the right to use them however they wish—showcase the nexus of all
(2021-04-02). As Biden Ramps Up Detention Capacity, Group Warns Contaminated Military Bases 'Are No Place' for Kids. commondreams.org "Immigrant children under the care of the federal government should not be in cages, let alone toxic sites in military bases," an Earthjustice attorney said. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/border_jail.jpg …
(2021-04-02). New Bills Could Stop Private Prisons From Cutting Deals With ICE. thenation.com New Bills Could Stop Private Prisons From Cutting Deals With ICE…
(2021-04-02). Appalachian Pipeline Blockade Ends With Arrests After 932 Days. truthout.org 
Mike Ludwig speaks with Max and Caroline, two activists who have been supporting the Yellow Finch blockade of the embattled Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would carry massive amounts fracked gas across the Appalachian mountains. The multiyear direct action ended last week after two protesters were arrested and jailed without bail. | Music by TRANSCRIPT: | Note: This a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. Copy may not…
(2021-04-02). UN expert calls on Bahrain to release human rights defender before 60th birthday. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert calls on Bahrain to release human rights defender before 60th birthday | Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has been imprisoned on terror-related charges for the past 10 years | Fri, 04/02/2021 – 18: 29 | A placard reads "Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, will and determination, hunger strike" during an anti-government protest on 5 September 2014 (AFP/File photo) | A U…
(2021-04-02). Headlines for April 2, 2021. democracynow.org Ex-Supervisor Says Derek Chauvin's Fatal Restraint of George Floyd Violated Use-of-Force Policies , Texas Senate Passes Republican-Led Voter Suppression Bill, Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium to Open at Full Capacity Despite Surging Coronavirus Cases, U.N. Warns Burma Headed for Civil War as Military Junta Continues Brutal Crackdown, At Least 51 Dead, Dozens More Injured in Taiwan Train Crash , Arizona ICE Jail Violated Prisoners' Rights and Failed to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreak, Biden Holds First Cabinet Meeting as Debate over Infrastructure Plan Continues, Unemployment Claims Rise as Pandemic Recovery Remains Uneve…
(2021-04-02). Will Georgia's Voting Law Be Repealed as Big Business Joins Critics Opposing "Jim Crow" Suppression? democracynow.org 
Activists are demanding accountability from Georgia-based companies in opposing a law that heavily restricts voting rights in the state, which many are calling the worst voter suppression legislation since the Jim Crow era. While some companies, including Coca-Cola and Delta, have weighed in on the Republican-backed crackdown on voting rights, Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, says voicing opposition is not enough. "We're calling for a repeal of this voter suppression law, and we're asking these companies to divest future support that they've given," Albright says. "Stand b…
(2021-04-02). Mumia Abu-Jamal On Pacifica With Noelle Hanrahan. indybay.org Pacifica's Covid, Race & Democracy interviews journalist Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio about how she helped bring Mumia Abu-Jamal to the airwaves of Pacifica.