(2019-06-04). Irish civil rights NGO calls Trump's policies 'unethical and unlawful' as he prepares to visit the country. thecanary.co An Irish civil rights organisation, along with its US counterpart, has criticised Donald Trump ahead of his trip to Ireland on 5 June. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties ( ICCL) and the American Civil Lib…
(2019-06-04). Dr. King and Mr. Garrow. wsws.org The historian and King biographer David Garrow has unleashed a #MeToo-style slander campaign against the martyred civil rights leader.
(2019-06-04). The Murdering of Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org Julian Assange is being slowly murdered by "Her Majesty's Prison Service" at Belmarsh prison in the south-east of London. The prison is notorious for holding people who have never been charged with a crime indefinitely. It is also called the British version of Guantanamo, and, typically used to detain so-called terrorists, thus called by the …
(2019-06-04). 'Blatant Attempt to Intimidate': Trump Administration Proposal Threatens Pipeline Protesters With Up to 20 Years in Prison. commondreams.org "This dangerous proposal threatens to undermine Americans' right to peaceful assembly and free speech." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/dapl_protest_1_0_0.jpg…
(2019-06-04). XY Chelsea: A deeply flawed portrait of US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. wsws.org The film charts Manning's life following Barack Obama's unexpected commutation in January 2017 of her vindictive 35-year-term jail sentence.
(2019-06-03). NAACP President and CEO Addresses Graduates at STCL Houston Commencement. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson gave an inspiring commencement address at his alma mater, South Texas College of Law Houston, on May, 25, 2019. ### About the NAACP Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the …
(2019-06-03). St. Paul marks police killing of Marcus Golden. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – June 2 would have been Marcus Golden's 29th birthday, but he was shot in the back of the head and killed by St. Paul police four years ago. About three dozen friends and family of Marcus and other victims of police killing, activists, and supporters gathered, June 2, in front of the Minnesota Governor's Mansion to celebrate Marcus' birthday and call for justice for all victims of police violence. | Monique Collars Doty, Marcus' aunt and member of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, said, "I thank you so much for being out here to show Marcus some love, to sho…
(2019-06-03). How Voter Suppression & Gerrymandering Cleared the Path for Unprecedented Abortion Bans. democracynow.org 
As Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia attempt to outlaw abortions after six weeks, Missouri legislators approve an eight-week ban and Alabama passes a near total ban on abortions, we speak to journalist Ari Berman about how the widespread attack on abortion rights across the country is tied directly to voter suppression. He writes in a recent piece for Mother Jones, "These states have something else in common: a systematic effort to distort the democratic process through voter suppression and gerrymandering. These tactics have greased the way for near-total bans on abortion and for other extreme r…
(2019-06-03). How Voter Suppression and Gerrymandering Cleared the Path for Abortion Bans. truthout.org As Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia attempt to outlaw abortions after six weeks, Missouri legislators approve an eight-week ban and Alabama passes a near total ban on abortions, we speak to journalist Ari Berman about how the widespread attack on abortion rights across the country is tied directly to voter suppression. He writes in a recent piece for Mother Jones, "These states have something else in common: a systematic effort to distort the democratic process through voter suppression and gerrymandering. These tactics have greased the way for near-total bans on abortion and for other extrem…
(2019-06-03). Who Controls Our Genes? Congress Is Deciding Right Now And It Could Harm Our Health. aclu.org Draft legislation will try to undo Supreme Court precedent forbidding patenting of human genes. | This morning the ACLU, along with 169 other civil rights, medical, scientific, patient advocacy, and women's health organizations, including the Mayo Clinic, Breast Cancer Action, Lung Cancer Research Foundation, the Huntington's Disease Society of America, the Women's March, University of Washington, and many others sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Intellectual Property strong…
(2019-06-03). Raising Some Issues at Oral Communications. indybay.org Continued delay and inaction on providing homeless shelter and services (to say nothing of civil rights) for homeless folks was the silent part of yesterday's Santa Cruz City Council agenda. Several of us raised issues at Oral Communications…
(2019-06-03). The Hypocrisy of William Barr's Spying Claims. aclu.org Lawyers from Barr's Justice Department are trying to block a federal court from holding the government accountable for its surveillance of Americans. | This piece originally ran at Slate. | Discussing the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation, Attorney General William Barr recently claimed that " Government power was used to spy on American citizens." He went on to say, "I…
(2019-06-03). Swedish Court Rules Out Arrest Warrant For Assange. plenglish.com Stockholm, Jun 3 (Prensa Latina) A court in the Swedish city of Uppsala on Monday ruled out issuing an arrest warrant in absentia against the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who is in serious health conditions in the British prison of Belmarsh.
(2019-06-03). Headlines for June 3, 2019. democracynow.org Gunman Kills 12 People During Virginia Beach Rampage, DHS Watchdog Warns of "Dangerous Overcrowding" at El Paso Migrant Prison, El Salvadoran Transgender Migrant Dies in ICE Custody After Denial of Medical Care, Judge Temporarily Keeps Missouri's Sole Abortion Clinic Open, Military Forces in Sudan Raid Sit-in, Killing At Least 9 Protesters, Protesters Set Fire Outside U.S. Embassy in Honduras, Police Tear-Gas, Arrest Palestinian Protesters as Israeli Settlers Enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, Trump Blasts Brexit, Insults Meghan Markle, While London Mayor Protests His U.K. Visit, Report: Disappearance and Murder of 1000s of I…
(2019-06-03). After EU election, Podemos backs Spanish social democrats' repressive policy. wsws.org Podemos aims to join Spain's social democratic government, which is preparing draconian attacks on social programs and new measures against Catalan political prisoners.
(2019-06-03). Free Lula Festival as a Chant for Freedom, Former President Says. plenglish.com Brasilia, June 3 (Prensa Latina) Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva believes that Free Lula Festival was much more than an act of solidarity to him, but a chant of freedom that was imprisoned in the throat of the Brazilian people.
(2019-06-03). San Francisco Joins National Push to Abolish Youth Prisons. truthout.org It's happening in Minneapolis. New Jersey. Arkansas. Upstate New York. Durango, Colorado. One by one, juvenile prisons are closing, or are slated to close, in response to child abuse reports, sustained pressure from activists and a halving of national juvenile confinement rates since 2002. | San Francisco is on the verge of joining the national trend, following decades of organizing led by Black and Brown activists, and a San Francisco Chronicle report that documented stable spending o…
(2019-06-03). Lawsuit Over Ferguson's 'Debtors Prison' Drags On. truthdig.com After discovering that DeBerry, 51, had several outstanding traffic tickets from three jurisdictions, the officer handcuffed her and took her to jail. | To be released, she was told, she would have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines she owed the county, according to her account in a federal lawsuit. But after her family came up with the money, DeBerry wasn't released from custody. Instead, she was handed over to the municipalities of Ferguson and Jennings, and in each city, she was told she would be released only after she paid a portion of the fines she owed them, according to the lawsuit. | It was as if she we…
(2019-06-03). New York rallies on Al-Quds Day. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 100 people gathered in Times Square on May 31 in honor of the International Day of Al-Quds. This day marks the occupation of Palestine and is in protest of Israel's apartheid regime. | The speakers addressed different topics, from the United States' role in the occupation to other examples of intervention in the Middle East and around the world. | Joe Catron, of the group Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Network, read a statement from Ahmad Sa'adat, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine that stated, "The goal of every struggling revolutionary prisoner, whether in…
(2019-06-03). Trans Asylum-Seeker Dies after Being Denied Healthcare by ICE. telesurenglish.net Asylum-seeker Johana Medina Leon from El Salvador, died Saturday due to complications related to HIV/AIDS after spending six weeks at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in New Mexico, where she asked, in vain, repeatedly for treatment, according to her lawyer. | RELATED: | Record Number of Cubans in ICE Detention Centers | "For weeks she pleaded for medical help, referring to health problems caused by complications with HIV/AIDS," Grecia, a transgender advocate and…
(2019-06-03). Los Angeles County sues Monsanto over chemical contamination. nationofchange.org Los Angeles County recently filed a | lawsuit against Bayer, the company that purchased Monsanto last year, for | allegedly contaminating the local environment with an outlawed chemical that | Monsanto used in many of its products decades ago. According to the lawsuit, | Monsanto had been aware that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were harmful but | concealed the data for years while polluting the water. | Between 1935 and 1977, Monsanto manufactured | PCBs in many of its products but discontinued production shortly before the | U.S. government outlawed PCBs in 1979. According to the U.S. Environmental | Prot…
(2019-06-03). Amazon Offered Job to Pentagon Official Involved With $10 Billion Contract It Sought. theintercept.com In a federal lawsuit, the tech giant Oracle has provided new details to support its accusation that Amazon secretly negotiated a job offer with a then-Department of Defense official who helped shape the procurement process for a massive federal contract for which Amazon was a key bidder. | Amazon Web Services and Microsoft are now the two finalists to win the highly contested $10 billion contract for what is known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI. The deal, one of the largest federal contracts in U.S. history, would pay one company to provide cloud computing services in support of Defense D…
(2019-06-03). Imagine suggesting Jews couldn't govern themselves? Kushner's remarks on Palestinians slammed. rt.com 
White House envoy Jared Kushner stands accused of "racism" for answering a question about Palestinians' ability to self-govern by expressing hope they'll be capable of this in the future — implying they're incapable of this now.
(2019-06-03). What Former NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's Column Omitted About Racist Broken Windows Policing. blackstarnews.com 
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton still trying to defend bigoted "Broken Windows" policing… | On Sunday, former New York City Commissioner Bill Bratton wrote an op-ed expressing frustration that the racially-applied "Broken Windows" policing policy, which he championed, is falling out of favor. | In a New York Daily News column, Mr. Bratton laments that "One of the foundations of New York City's public safety renaissance is falling out of favor in some quarters." Since, Bratton was an early proponent of promoting this discredited policing policy, it's no surprise he's trying to preserve it as somehow being…
(2019-06-02). Biden Declares LGBTQ Rights His Top Priority. truthdig.com 
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declared Saturday that the Equality Act would be his top legislative priority, an effort to enshrine LGBTQ protections into the nation's labor and civil rights laws. | The former vice president shared his hopes of signing the legislation as part of a keynote address to hundreds of activists at the Human Rights Campaign's annual Ohio gala on the first day of Pride Month. In a half-hour at the lectern, his remarks ranged from emotional…
(2019-06-02). Imprisoned soldiers rebelled during Vietnam War. workers.org 
The following report is based on a chapter in Catalinotto's book, "Turn the Guns Around: Mutinies, Soldier Revolts and Revolutions" (World View Forum, 2017), which tells the story of the American Servicemen's Union, an anti-war, anti-racist organization of U.S. active-duty service members during 1968-75. On the evening of June 5, . . . | Continue reading Imprisoned soldiers rebelled during Vietnam War at Workers.org
(2019-06-02). A Lawsuit Over Ferguson's "Debtors Prison" Drags On. truthout.org After discovering that DeBerry, 51, had several outstanding traffic tickets from three jurisdictions, the officer handcuffed her and took her to jail. | To be released, she was told, she would have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines she owed the county, according to her account in a federal lawsuit. But after her family came up with the money, DeBerry wasn't released from custody. Instead, she was handed over to the municipalities of Ferguson and Jennings, and in each city, she was told she would be released only after she paid a portion of the fines she owed them, according to the lawsuit. | It was as if she…
(2019-06-02). US History Is Defined by the Use of Torture. truthout.org Soon after 9/11, the US began holding people in secret prisons around the world in places called "black sites." Black sites were secret and what happened within them was unknown. When we did learn about the techniques our government was using to extract information, we were told it was not torture but something called "enhanced interrogation." It sounded new and not so brutal. But it was torture. An updated version of it, but torture nonetheless, which forced us to think about what we were willing to do to other human beings in a state of war. In this episode, Rebecca Gordon argues that enhanced interrogation…
(2019-06-02). Connecticut activists speak against police violence with a silent march. liberationnews.org 
"How can I stop marching if the discrimination hasn't stopped?"
(2019-06-02). Sanders Cheered, Delaney Booed at California Dem Convention. telesurenglish.net United States (U.S.) Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday called on California Democrats to unite against Donald Trump, kicking off the 2020 presidential campaign, by calling Trump "a racist, a sexist, a homophobe and a religious bigot" in a speech capping off the state's Democratic convention. | RELATED: | No One Knows Joe Biden's Plans for Healthcare, Maybe Not Even Joe Biden | The Convention drew fourteen of the 24 candidates to make their case before 5,000 delegates, gue…
(2019-06-02). In Prison for 37 Years, Mumia Abu Jamal Finally has the Right to Defend Himself. dissidentvoice.org 
Mumia Abu Jamal just turned 65. Known as "The Voice of the Voiceless", he has spent most of his life in prison — 37 years now — after his death sentence in 1982. "A vindictive trial" as denounced by his supporters around the world. The evolution of this court case seems to show that, despite …
(2019-06-01). There's a Simple Explanation for Racial Disparities in Terrorism Prosecutions: Racism. commondreams.org A Black Lives Matter protest, November 2015. (Photo: Johnny Silvercloud, Flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/blm_3.jpg…
(2019-06-01). Trump's Anti-LGBTQ Agenda Will Keep Foster Children From Having a Loving Home. commondreams.org The Trump administration's agenda will ultimately cause the most harm to children in foster care who are in need of a loving home. (Photo: ACLU) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/kiddos_0.jpg…
(2019-06-01). 'Beyond Barbaric': Internal Government Report Reveals Migrants Forced to Stand on Toilets for Breathing Space at Overcrowded US Detention Center. globalresearch.ca "This is insane. Not only can they not move, they can't breathe, they can't eat, they can't do anything like this. Children have died and will continue to die if this is not stopped now." | *** | A federal immigrant detention …
(2019-06-01). Reggae Artist Macka B Releases Song To "Kick Racism Out Of Football" In England And Europe. blackstarnews.com 
Reggae artist Macka B above with Rap legend Fredro Starr, of Onyx, in Los Angeles, in 2018… | Reggae artist Macka B has joined the fight against racism in European soccer [also called football] with his recently released single entitled "Kick Racism Out Of Football." | Macka B's song was inspired by Manchester City soccer player Raheem Sterling who stood firm against the racist verbal taunts fans of the Chelsea soccer team spewed his way during a game last December. Sterling was previously physically attacked and kicked in December 2017, outside the Manchester City training facility. Sterling, then 23, was call…
(2019-06-01). US watchdog finds 900 immigrants jammed into jail designed for 125. wsws.org The inspector general found detainees "standing on toilets in the cells to make room and gain breathing space, thus limiting access to the toilets."
(2019-05-31). Victorian budget: Billions for prisons but nothing for housing. greenleft.org.au 
The Andrews' Labor government allocated $1.8 billion in the state budget on May 27, to build 1600 new prison cells in Victoria and less than one sixth of that amount — $209 million — for 1000 social housing units. | But the capital expenditure is just the tip of the iceberg. The annual recurrent cost of imprisoning a person in a Victoria is about $125,000, while housing a family in a public housing dwelling costs about $6400. | Victoria is in an acute housing crisis with more than 24,000 people homeless and 84,000 on waiting lists for social housing. At the same time, prisons are bursting at the seams…
(2019-05-31). Assange Hospitalized, "dagger in journalist hearts" — George Galloway. dissidentvoice.org The attorney of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange's has revealed that he was too ill to appear in a video chat for his extradition hearing. Assange has spent the past seven weeks at Belmarsh prison, where his health has continued to deteriorate. The WikiLeaks founder faces extradition to the US over "espionage" charges dating …
(2019-05-31). WikiLeaks: Assange indictments 'the gravest attack on press freedom'. greenleft.org.au 
In response to the news on May 24 that the United States government is seeking to lay multiple espionage charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the organisation accused US President Donald Trump's administration of launching "an unprecedented attack on the global free press". | The unsealed Espionage Act charges carry combined sentences of 175 years in prison and relate to disclosures of war crimes and human rights abuses by the US government, including the groundbreaking Collateral Murder video, Iraq War Logs, Afghan War Diaries, Cablegate, and the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Manuals, published in 2010 an…
(2019-05-31). UN expert criticizes States for 'ganging up' on Wikileaks' Assange; warns against extradition, fearing 'serious' rights violations. un.org After visiting Julian Assange in a London prison, an independent UN human rights expert expressed urgent concern on Friday, for the Wikileaks co-founder's well-being, accusing "a group of democratic States" of "ganging up" on the prisoner to "isolate, demonize and abuse" him and warned against extraditing the controversial publisher to the United States.
(2019-05-31). Turkey: Leyla Gàºven ends hunger strike. greenleft.org.au 
Peoples Democratic Party MP, Leyla Gàºven ended her 200-day hunger strike on May 26. Gàºven had been consuming only sugar and salt solutions and vitamins. | Gàºven, a member of the Turkish parliament, began her hunger strike in prison. She was arrested for criticising the Turkish invasion of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish area of northern Syria. | Gàºven's hunger strike was a protest against the isolation of imprisoned PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) leader Abdullah àñcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999 and has not been allowed visitors, including family members and lawyers, f…
(2019-05-31). U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls for Julian Assange to Be Freed, Citing "Psychological Torture" democracynow.org 
The United Nations special rapporteur on torture is warning that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suffering from the effects of "psychological torture" due to his ongoing detention and threats of possible extradition to the United States. The U.N. expert, Nils Melzer, also warned that Assange would likely face a "politicized show trial" if he were to be extradited to the United States. Melzer writes, "In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a lo…
(2019-05-31). Chelsea Manning's Legal Team Challenge Harsh Fines Levied Against Her By Federal Court. shadowproof.com The legal team for Chelsea Manning requested a hearing to challenge the harsh fines levied to force her to testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. | On May 16, Judge Anthony Trenga held Manning in civil contempt and ordered her to be sent back to the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria. The court also imposed a fine of $500 per day after 30 days, and then a fine of $1000 per day after 60 days. | If Manning "persists in her refusal" for the next 16 months, her legal team points out she will face a total amount of fines that is over $440,000. This excessive amount may violate he…
(2019-05-31). The fight against the racist Ramsay Centre continues. greenleft.org.au 
Eighty people gathered at Sydney University on May 23 for a forum "Ramsay and the new academic racism", to hear speakers condemn the Ramsay Centre's proposed Western Civilisation degree. | Chaired by Robert Boncardo (lecturer at Sydney University's School of Languages and Cultures), the speakers included Layla Mkhayber (undergraduate student, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Dr Nesrine Basheer (Arabic Language and Cultures) and Jeff Sparrow (Guardian Australia columnist and author) | The Ramsay Centre is a right-wing think tank, established by the wealthy philanthropist Paul Ramsay. It is chaired by former…
(2019-05-31). Call to Refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | We issue this Call in a sense of outrage in the face of increasing racist violence and political repression towards working class and Black and Brown communities. | We are currently facing a national epidemic of state-sponsored violence perpetrated by police and vigilantes targeting the oppressed Black, Latinx, immigrant, indigenous, LGBTQ, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid communities. Black Trans women are also being harassed and killed at record rates. | We are…
(2019-05-31). Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Jail Guards Pepper-Spray Black Woman Strapped to Torture Chamber Restraint Chair. blackstarnews.com 
Chantelle Glass is being victimized above by guards inside Cuyahoga County Jail torture chamber… | A newly released video shows a Black Ohio woman being pepper-sprayed and assaulted by corrections officers inside Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Jail—while she was strapped to a restraint chair, in July 2018. | The Cuyahoga County Jail has been in the news recently because of the suspicious deaths of nine inmates over the past year. Two corrections officers have been arrested and charged in connection with one of those deaths–that of inmate Joseph Arquillo. Several others have also been arrested and charged wi…
(2019-05-30). NAACP President: "Mueller's Statement Confirms Integrity of Our Democracy Continues to be at Risk" naacp.org NAACP president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement: "Special Counsel Robert Mueller's statement on the Russia investigation confirms that the integrity and security of our democracy continues to be at risk. Mueller reminded us that '[t]here were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of …
(2019-05-30). WikiLeaks expresses 'grave concerns' as Julian Assange's health deteriorates further. thecanary.co Julian Assange was unable to appear in court via videolink for his US extradition hearing on 30 May amid "grave concerns" for the WikiLeaks founder's health. This news is a predictable result of the UK's wilful neglect of Assange's well-being. | "Grave concerns": | On 28 May, Reuters reported that Assan…
(2019-05-30). SPLC lawsuit: ICE illegally denying parole to asylum seekers in Southeast. splcenter.org The SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed suit today against the Trump administration for categorically denying release to hundreds of people who are languishing in immigration prisons after lawfully seeking asylum in the United States.
(2019-05-30). Rally vows to defend refugees' rights. greenleft.org.au 
Three hundred people rallied on May 24 to show solidarity with refugees, who face increasing attacks following the re-election of the Coalition government. | Lucy Honan, representing the Refugee Action Collective which called the rally, said the election result had been "bruising" for refugees and their supporters. Even though Labor and the Coalition shared bipartisan policies of offshore detention and boat turnbacks, refugees had hoped for some changes from a Labor government. | Labor had promised to accept New Zealand's offer to take 150 refugees a year from Manus and Nauru. This had raised the hopes of th…