(2021-05-26). "America on Fire": Historian Elizabeth Hinton on George Floyd, Policing & Black Rebellion. democracynow.org 
Protests and vigils were held across the U.S. to mark one year since the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd's death sparked a national uprising and global movement against systemic racism and police brutality. Elizabeth Hinton, an associate professor of history and African American studies at Yale University and a professor of law at Yale Law School, connects the Black Lives Matter protests to a long history of Black rebellion against police violence in her new book "America on Fire" and notes that the U.S. has had previous opportunities to address systemic racism and state violence, but change r…
(2021-05-26). Marcus Smith "Died Like an Animal" When Cops Hogtied Him. Police Have Known for Decades It Can Kill. democracynow.org 
Despite decades of warnings against the practice, police departments across the country continue to hogtie people during arrests, sometimes with fatal results. On September 8, 2018, Marcus Smith, a 38-year-old homeless Black man in Greensboro, North Carolina, was facing a mental health crisis and asked police officers for help. Instead, eight white officers brutally and fatally hogtied him. Police videos show officers pushed Smith face down on the street and tied a belt around his ankles, then attached it to his cuffed hands so tightly that his knees were lifted off the pavement. Smith's family filed a lawsuit in…
(2021-05-26). Victory in closure of Georgia detention center. workers.org 
Atlanta On May 20, Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement that Georgia immigrant rights advocates, current and former immigrant detainees were overjoyed to hear — the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga., would close "as soon as possible." Dawn Wooten, left, at a news conference . . . |
(2021-05-26). Getting Real About Prisons and Why They Don't Make Us Safer. truthout.org 
"People end up in prison for a reason, but it's not the reason that we're fed by all of these cop shows," says Victoria Law. In this episode of "Movement Memos," Kelly Hayes talks with journalist Victoria Law about prisons, why they don't work, and what even well-meaning people tend to get wrong about incarceration. | Music by TRANSCRIPT: | Note: This a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. Copy may not be in its final form. | K…
(2021-05-26). Headlines for May 26, 2021. democracynow.org George Floyd's Family Calls for Passage of Policing Act as Nation Marks One Year Since His Killing, Blinken Says U.S. Will Reopen Jerusalem Consulate, Pledges Aid for Gaza as U.S. OKs New Arms Sales to Israel, Israel Arrests Hundreds of Palestinians; UNRWA Head Apologizes for Remarks on Israeli Assault, U.S. Joins Calls to Further Probe Origins of COVID-19, 50% of U.S. Adults Fully Vaccinated; Moderna's Vaccine Is 100% Effective in 12- to 17-Year-Olds, Kristen Clarke Sworn In as First Black Woman to Lead the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, Iraqi Security Forces Kill Protester at Rally Demanding Accountability for Mu…
(2021-05-26). BLM: American Revolution Spreads Around the Globe. indybay.org The world changed not only because of COVID-19 pandemic beyond 2020. Political and economic crisis has led to growing of various protest movements. The widest and most active emerged in the USA. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gained the largest extent. It demands from the American government not even reforms but revolutionary changes in the national social political course concerning people of color.
(2021-05-26). Fifty Years Later: The Forgotten Story of Dissenting POWs. counterpunch.org In the Middle Eastern wars that the US has been waging for the past 30 years, few soldiers or pilots have become prisoners of war. The best known is Bowe Bergdahl, a 23-year old Army private who was captured by the Taliban in 2009 and held until a prisoner exchange arranged five years later by
(2021-05-26). Green Bay, WI: Family of Jonathon Tubby vows to continue fight for justice. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – The family of Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida Nation man killed by the Green Bay Police Department in October 2018, has vowed to continue fighting for justice even after a federal judge dismissed their wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Speaking at a May 23 press conference, on the Oneida Nation Indian Reservation, the Tubby family responded to Judge William Griesbach's decision with a renewed call for changes to the policing system in the United States. | "Judge Griesbach had a great chance to make some changes, he could've created the start of systematic change," said Sue Doxator, Jona…
(2021-05-26). Edge of Sports: Turning Against Trans Student Athletes. progressive.org Youth sports provide hope and acceptance. For trans youth, who are at greater risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide because of the oppression they face, it is potentially a rare safe space.
(2021-05-26). West Papua: Violence Continues; Calls To Release Political Prisoners Strengthen. popularresistance.org Large scale protests were held in the Papuan provinces of Indonesia at a time of heightened violence between government forces and pro-independence insurgents. On Friday, May 21, protests were held in different parts of West Papua, demanding release of political prisoners, and an end to months of violence. | West Papuan cities like Manokwari, among others, witnessed hundreds participating in demonstrations. Along with protests in the Papuan provinces, Papuan communities in Java and other regions of Indonesia, also held protests condemning the violence. According to Veronica Koman, an Indonesian lawyer and human r…
(2021-05-25). Becoming Black: a conversation with Olúfémi Táíwà≤ and Achille Mbembe. roarmag.org 
Protester facing police at a Black Lives Matter protest in London, UK — June 6, 2020. Photo: Viktor Kadiri / Shutterstock.com | The Movement for Black Lives not only exposed the brutality of US policing, it has stimulated conversations on systemic racism and coercive state power everywhere. For the tenth edition of its flagship Achille Mbembe is a groundbreaking philosopher, whose many books since the mid 1980s…
(2021-05-25). Suit seeks to limit anti-Muslim speech on Facebook but roots of Islamophobia run far deeper. juancole.com 
By Caleb Elfenbein | — A civil rights group is suing Facebook and its top executives in federal court over the company's failure to crack down on hate speech against Muslims. Muslim Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based organization focused on discrimination against American Muslims, alleges in the suit that Facebook has violated a series of local …
(2021-05-25). Drivers Beware: The Deadly Perils of Blank Check Traffic Stops. dissidentvoice.org 
The Fourth Amendment was designed to stand between us and arbitrary governmental authority. For all practical purposes, that shield has been shattered, leaving our liberty and personal integrity subject to the whim of every cop on the beat, trooper on the highway and jail official. The framers would be appalled. — Herman Schwartz, The Nation. …
(2021-05-25). Cuban President Visits Community Project Against Racial Discrimination in Havana. orinocotribune.com 
The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, this Thursday visited the headquarters of a community project against racial discrimination—the Afro-descendant Neighborhood Network—in Havana, in the municipality of La Lisa. | The official Twitter account of the presidency commented on the meeting, where Maritza López, general coordinator of the initiative, received the Cuban president and provided an explanation of the principles and projections of this community initiative. | Photo: Twitter of the Cuban Presidency. | Created nine years ago, this project against racism also maintains relationships with simi…
(2021-05-25). Military Coup In Mali, Nine Months After The Last One. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On May 24th, Mali's military detained the President and Prime Minister of the interim government, according to the United Nations and the African Union. The coup d'état took place place nine months after a military coup overthrew its previous leader. | The detention of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane came hours after a government reshuffle left out two soldiers who led the coup in August last year and raised fears of a second military takeover. | In a joint statement, the U…
(2021-05-25). Military Situation In Afghanistan On May 25, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On May 24, clashes between the government forces and Taliban continued in the Imam Saheb area | On May 24, clashes between the government forces and Taliban continued in the Pole Khomri area | On May 25, six people, including three civilians and three army soldiers were wounded in two back-to-back explosions in Qarabagh district | On May 24, Afghan forces freed 41 people, including 19 security force members from a Taliban prison in the Marwa village of Pashtun Zargh…
(2021-05-25). Biden: End Your Co-Belligerent Backing of Israeli War Crimes. counterpunch.org As Senator, Vice President, and now President, your self-promoted/displayed empathy has a problem. You can't seem to connect the Israeli military powerhouse's occupation to the oppression and destruction of innocent Palestinian civilians, illegal seizure of Palestinian land/water, and daily violations of U.S. and international law. Israel's military is deliberately bombing these families, the offices of
(2021-05-25). The Connection Between Black Lives Matter and the Palestinian Solidarity Movement. commondreams.org "Black communities in the U.S. and the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation have a lot in common. Colonisation, police brutality and discrimination are just some of issues they face." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/blm_gaza.jpg …
(2021-05-25). D.C. Attorney General Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon. telesurenglish.net Attorney General for the District of Columbia Karl A. Racine on Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, alleging the online retail giant's "anticompetitive practices" have raised prices for consumers and stifled innovation. | RELATED: | "Amazon has used its dominant position in the online retail market to win at all costs. It maximizes its profits at the expense of third-party sellers and consumers, while harmi…
(2021-05-25). The People, Not the Police, Should Decide If and How Surveillance Technologies Are Used In Their Communities. aclu.org Four and a half years ago, the use of surveillance technologies by local police and governments was growing exponentially. There were many factors behind this rapid growth, but the two most significant were (1) the ever-increasing pool of federal grant money that was being made available for surveillance tech purchases, and (2) that in almost every jurisdiction, local police were empowered to make decisions about acquiring and using surveillance technologies unilaterally and in secret. Because it is hard to oppose a specific local surveillance tech acquisition when you don't know it's happening, surveillance t…
(2021-05-25). Historic Day, Historic Nominee: Kristen Clarke Becomes the First Woman Confirmed to Lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-05-25). Senate Confirms Kristen Clarke as First Woman—and First Black Woman—to Lead the Civil Rights Division. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-05-25). Tuesday 5/25: George Floyd Commemoration. indybay.org 701 Ocean St, Santa Cruz…
(2021-05-25). OPINION: The Closing Act of George Floyd's Story Hasn't Been Written Yet. latinorebels.com I'd like to believe that the Black Lives Matter marches against police brutality that erupted a year ago in the U.S. and around the world in the wake of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer were the first act of that show.
(2021-05-25). Military attempts another coup in Mali, arrests president and prime minister. peoplesdispatch.org The detention followed a minor reshuffle in the transitional government in which two military representatives were removed. The military had staged a coup in August 2020, forcing then president Boubacar Keita to resign…