2019-06-08: News Headlines

RT (2019-06-08). Minnesota cop sentenced to 12+ years for killing unarmed woman who called 911. rt.com A former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer convicted of shooting an unarmed woman in an alley behind her home was given a 12.5 year prison sentence, in a controversial case that had the ACLU crying racism. |

Martha Grevatt (2019-06-08). High court allows racist gerrymandering in Ohio, Michigan. workers.org In 2004, Ohio became notorious for the deliberate suppression of Black voters. The racist disenfranchisement, called "Ohio's first poll tax," may have given the state's 20 electoral votes to George W. Bush. — without which he would have lost to John Kerry. Not much has changed in 15 years. Only . . . | Continue reading High court allows racist gerrymandering in Ohio, Michigan at Workers.org

WSWS (2019-06-08). Free Reis Morris! Grenfell Tower campaigner imprisoned while those guilty of social murder walk free. wsws.org Morris's jailing is a vicious act of class justice aimed at suppressing opposition and protecting those responsible for 72 deaths in the Grenfell Tower inferno two years ago.

WSWS (2019-06-08). Revisiting the Central Park Five case in the #MeToo era. wsws.org Thirty years after the New York Times and Washington Post helped railroad five innocent teenagers to prison, these newspapers continue to wage a campaign against the presumption of innocence.

Vanessa Mbonu (2019-06-08). Wear Orange to Raise Awareness for Gun Violence. naacp.org June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. On average, 100 Americans are killed with guns each day, and many of the victims are young and Black. Hadiya Pendleton was one of these victims. At the age of 15, she was shot and killed. To honor her and speak up for gun safety, her friends wore orange—and now so …

Camille Erickson (2019-06-07). Pharmaceutical hulk Johnson & Johnson keeps up lobbying efforts as lawsuits pile on. nationofchange.org Amid an onslaught of lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson has kept pace with its historically hefty lobbying efforts as it wrestles to maintain influence in the halls of Congress.

Michelle Zacarias (2019-06-07). "Straight Pride Parade": When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. peoplesworld.org Boston may be gearing up to host the first-ever "Straight Pride Parade" this summer after a group of men allegedly filed a discrimination complaint against the city. City officials have confirmed the group contacted them, but say that they haven't yet received the permits required to host a parade. The official "straight pride" website currently …

teleSUR (2019-06-07). Sick Migrants Being Left To Die in Libyan 'Hellhole': UN. telesurenglish.net The United Nations (U.N.) denounced the atrocious conditions of migrant detention centers in Libya with reports of dozens left untreated and dying from tuberculosis and hundreds of others trying to survive on starvation rations. | RELATED: | At Least Two Migrants Die, 25 Missing in Boat Crash off Libya | U.N. rights office spokesman Rupert Colville made a statement to the press about a recent visit by the OHCHR to the Zintan detention center, where 654 refugees and migrants are b…

United Nations (2019-06-07). Libya's migrants and refugees with tuberculosis 'left to die' in detention centres. un.org Migrants and refugees suffering from tuberculosis are being left "effectively to die" in a Libyan detention centre south of Tripoli, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, citing reports that those returned to shore by the coastguard have been disappeared or sold to traffickers.

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-07). Assemblyman Weprin, State Senator Liu, and Amnesty International Introduce Immigration Customs Oversight Bill. blackstarnews.com Assemblyman David Weprin, at the microphones, with immigration advocates seeking proper treatement of detained immigrants… | Assemblyman David I. Weprin (D-Queens) and Senator John C. Liu (D-Queens), with support from Amnesty International, have introduced the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Oversight Act, A 7853 / S 6107. The law's purpose is to ensure that immigrants detained in county jails in New York are held in accordance with legal detention standards and to limit the expansion of immigration detention facilities in New York unless approval can be gained from the legislature. | This action was s…

WSWS (2019-06-07). Trump administration cuts education and recreation funding for immigrant children in detention centers. wsws.org The Office of Refugee Settlement has halted the flow of funding for any activities they consider "not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety," including legal aid and recreation.

Tim Wheeler (2019-06-07). James Jackson: Communist leader and pioneer fighter for civil rights. peoplesworld.org James E. Jackson Jr., (1914-2007), a leader of the Communist Party USA for many years, began his eventful life in political action at age 16 and he remained an unwavering fighter for equality, democracy, world peace, and socialism all his days. Not the least of Jackson's achievements was his role in the early 1960s as …

WSWS Repost (2019-06-07). Dr. King and Mr. Garrow. indybay.org Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site responds to an incendiary smear campaign against the political legacy of the American civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Arielle Robinson (2019-06-07). Anti-racists drown out the Klan in Dayton, Ohio. workers.org Hundreds of anti-racist people came out May 25 to protest the Ku Klux Klan in Dayton, Ohio. Members of the Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana were scheduled to have a rally that day when only nine members showed up. Their bullhorn was drowned out by the cheering and drum beating . . . | Continue reading Anti-racists drown out the Klan in Dayton, Ohio at Workers.org

RT (2019-06-07). 'Rape and racism': Washington Post celebrates D-Day with controversial op-ed. rt.com As leaders from around the world gathered in Normandy to honor allied troops who landed on the beaches 75 years ago, the Washington Post published an op-ed that called WWII American troops rapists and racists.

Ron Jacobs (2019-06-07). Free the Seattle 7! A Persecution From the Past. counterpunch.org The radical antiracist and antiwar movements of the 1960s were often the object of severe repression. Besides the attacks on protesters and the attempts to destroy their media outlets by the state and vigilantes who worked for the state, there were the prosecutions of the movement's luminaries and leaders. Some of those prosecutions are well-documented: More

Jessicah Pierre (2019-06-07). Racism is a Public Health Crisis. counterpunch.org Racism is often viewed as an action performed by individuals. But even if we got rid of all America's prejudiced individuals, racism would still exist in the systems they built. Systemic racism, writer Jenee Desmond-Harris explains, refers to how racial disparities operate "in major parts of U.S. society: the economy, politics, education, and more." Racism, More

Monica Cruz (2019-06-07). NYC communities fight jail project and score wins. liberationnews.org New Yorkers do not need more cages for our communities.

RT (2019-06-07). 'Disgusting': Trump slams 'Nervous Nancy' Pelosi over jail-not-impeach comment. rt.com US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, calling her a "disgrace" and a "disaster" for wanting to see him "in prison" rather than impeached — and suggesting the idea is "disgusting."

pip.hinman (2019-06-07). Bring Julian Assange home appeal. greenleft.org.au Below is an appeal, initiated by Michael Rubbo and signed by many journalists, to the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) to pull out all stops to do more to get Julian Assange released. | * * * | We are a diverse group of people, many of whom originally came together in 2018 to work for the release of James Ricketson from his Cambodian jail. We now reunite to push for the release of Julian Assange who is currently very ill in Britain's Belmarsh prison as he awaits extradition to either the United States or Sweden. | On May 9, he was visited by UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer: "Our finding…

W. T. Whitney (2019-06-07). Santrich Goes Free While Peace in Colombia Still Held Hostage. counterpunch.org Former FARC guerrilla commander Jesús Santrich, imprisoned on April 9, 2018, went free on May 30. Colombian authorities had held him pending extradition to the United Sates. Their plan violated the peace agreement signed in November 2016 between FARC guerrillas and Colombia's government. Santrich, born Seuxis Hernández Solarte, personifies turmoil in Colombia stemming from the More

Fight Back (2019-06-07). Day six of Arizona migrant aid trial sees RedForEd solidarity. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – On June 6, nearly 150 people gathered outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tucson to demonstrate solidarity with humanitarian activist Scott Warren. Warren, an Arizona State University geography professor from the border town of Ajo, is facing 20 years in federal prison for providing humanitarian aid to crossing immigrants. | "It is clear that this is an attack by the Trump administration on not just migrants and undocumented immigrants but organizers and aid providers. It is gross political repression. And we are here to protest that attack," said immigrant rights organizer Jessica Rodriguez.

WSWS (2019-06-07). WikiLeaks warns US Justice Department preparing more charges against Assange. wsws.org The threat of new charges against the persecuted journalist, already facing 170 years in prison, comes amid fresh fears about his health after his father reported a "short notice" medical appointment.

Staff (2019-06-07). UN Torture Expert Says Assange Is Victim of Psychological Torture. therealnews.com UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer investigated the situation of Julian Assange, despite initial reservations. He says if Assange is extradited he faces a "politicized trial," part of the unprecedented international effort to silence and imprison him…

Adam Lee (2019-06-07). U.S. House passes relief for Dreamers and TPS/DED holders. naacp.org On June 4, 2019, the U.S. House passed, by a bipartisan margin of 237 yeas to 187 nays, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. This bill builds on the 2001 DREAM Act by combining protections for Dreamers with those who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) because they have fled …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-06-07). Predicting Even More Horrifying Conditions, Historical Journalist Describes Parallels Between Trump Migrant Detention and Concentration Camps. commondreams.org The administration's treatment of migrants is part of a pattern of dehumanization that has disturbing precedent for what could come next | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pitzer.png

CGTN Africa (2019-06-07). Nigeria's oldest prisoner released after 19 years. cgtn.com Nigeria's oldest prisoner, Pa Celestine Egbonuche, 101, who was imprisoned at the Enugu Maximum Prison for over 19 years has finally been released. | The younger Egbonuche is alive and still in prison on death row. | Pa Celestine was released on Thursday to his only surviving daughter, Miss Chisom Celestine through a non-governmental organisation, Global Society for Anti-corruption (GSAC) who had been pushing for his release from the Enugu Prison. | "I am so grateful to God who made this day a reality, who made it possible for my father to come out of prison after spending over 19 years in the prison," Celesti…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-06). Bronx Borough President Reuben Diaz Jr. Supports Lawsuit Against Mayor Bill de Blasio's Jail Proposal. blackstarnews.com Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz addressed reasons Diego Beekman House residents are opposed to Mott Haven jail plan… | This week Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. spoke in support of a lawsuit by residents of the Diego Beekman House who are opposed to Mayor Bill de Blasio plan to build a nearby jail. | "The lawsuit filed by the residents of Diego Beekman Houses is a direct result of this administration's failure to give true consideration to an alternative site in The Bronx," said Diaz Jr. "The Lippmann Commission's own recommendations make it clear that the Mott Haven tow yard is the wrong site for the…

ACLU (2019-06-06). Harvard Was Wrong to Dismiss its Dean for Representing Harvey Weinstein. aclu.org Our system of rights depends on the fundamental distinction between a lawyer and his client. | Last month, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana announced that Ronald Sullivan, a professor in the law school, would no longer serve as faculty dean of Winthrop House, a residential dorm at Harvard. Sullivan was the first African American to serve as a faculty dean and had served in that role at Winthrop House for a decade. But when he chose to join the legal team defending Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in his upcoming criminal trial on allegations of sexual assault, his decision sparked protests and sit-ins, as stud…

WSWS (2019-06-06). Three immigrants die in US custody in three days. wsws.org Immigrants are being subjected to inhumane treatment all along the line, guaranteeing that there will be more deaths in federal detention centers across the US.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-06-06). Warren and Jayapal Launch Probe into 'Rapid, Cynical, and Unethical' Profiteering Off Trump Child Detention Policy by Former Top Aide John Kelly. commondreams.org The former White House chief of staff and former head of DHS is specifically advising the company on child detention | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/john_kelly_0.jpg

teleSUR (2019-06-06). AOC Slams FBI for Racial Prejudice in Handling Terrorism Cases. telesurenglish.net Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) questioned an FBI officer over not charging white supremacists' acts of violence as domestic terrorism in the United States but doing the same for violence carried out by Muslims. | RELATED: | Ocasio-Cortez: 'Time to Open Impeachment Inquiry Against Trump' | During a hearing before the House Oversight subcommittee on civil rights and civil liberties on "Confronting White Supremacy," various Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officia…

WSWS Repost (2019-06-06). Dr. King and Mr. Garrow. indybay.org Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site responds to an incendiary smear campaign against the political legacy of the American civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Emma Fiala (2019-06-06). YouTube Just Fired the First Shot in a New War on Journalism. theantimedia.com (TMU) — Wednesday morning, news began circulating warning that YouTube was about to delete thousands of accounts in the platform's latest wave of censorship. This time, the massive video sharing platform claimed to be targeting hateful content, "supremacists," conspiracy theorists and anything that promotes discrimination or segregation based on sexual orientation, religion, race, gender, age …

teleSUR (2019-06-06). LGBTQ in Israel Protest Anti-Gay Laws in Mass Marriage. telesurenglish.net An unofficial mass wedding was held in Tel Aviv by 23 gay couples to protest Israel's discrimination against homosexual unions. | RELATED: | BDS Activists Go on Trial in Germany over Protesting Israeli 'Pinkwashing' | "Struggle is not only about demonstrations and protests," organizers said in a statement before the Tuesday event. "It is also about loving the one we want, the way we want," they said | "So in a place where it is forbidden to us to marry, we will marry…

Staff (2019-06-06). Ava DuVernay's Searing Portrait of the Central Park Five. truthdig.com "When They See Us," the filmmaker's Netflix miniseries, shows the systemic racism at the heart of the wrongful convictions of five young boys.

Sue Davis (2019-06-06). Why it's necessary: Unite and fight against abortion bans. workers.org The criminal anti-abortion network in the U.S., praised and promoted by the racist, reactionary Don in the Oval Office, was hard at work the last two weeks of May. A Missouri abortion ban was signed into law on May 24. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a split decision in an . . . | Continue reading Why it's necessary: Unite and fight against abortion bans at Workers.org

MAIL (2019-06-06). Headlines for June 6, 2019. democracynow.org U.S.-Mexico Immigration Talks Continue as Trump's Tariff Deadline Nears, Trump Admin to Cut School, Legal Aid and Recreation for Migrant Children, Mexican Police Arrest Immigration Activists Cristóbal Sánchez and Irineo Mujica, Trump Visits Normandy, France, on 75th Anniversary of D-Day Invasion, Trump Compares Future Irish Border to U.S.-Mexico Border Wall, Irish Protesters Decry Trump's Racism, Misogyny and Climate Denial, Pressed on Climate Change, Trump Says Weather "Changes Both Ways", Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim They've Seized Territory in Saudi Arabia, CNN: Trump Admin Withheld Intelligence on China-Backed…

Zillah Eisenstein (2019-06-06). Watching 'When They See Us', as a white woman. mronline.org In order to really see these boys and their families white people have to see themselves as participatory in racism. So to see their innocence "we" must see our own part, our guilt, our responsibility in the newest forms of slavery, no longer chattel, but carceral. | Source

Santa Cruz Police News (2019-06-06). Family Member Believes Man who Died in Police Custody was Denied Proper Medical Care. indybay.org On June 1, 40-year-old Kevin Allen died while in custody of the Santa Cruz Police. A SCPD press release states officers were responding to a report that a man had fallen to the ground near Water Street and River Street in Santa Cruz when they found and took Kevin Allen into custody and transported him to jail, claiming he was intoxicated. Once at the jail, medical staff there determined Allen would need to be taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead after suffering cardiac issues on the ride over. Community members have questioned why Allen was not given medical attention immediately instead of being a…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-06). "BOROUGHS UNITED" CAMPAIGN: MAYOR DE BLASIO'S JAILS PLAN CONTRADICTS HIS PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY. blackstarnews.com Mayor Bill de Blasio's is running for president as a "progressive" but Boroughs United activists say his jail building plans are "regressive" | Community advocates from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan today announced they have joined forces to launch a new campaign, Boroughs United, to oppose Mayor de Blasio's plan to build four massive new jails in New York City. The campaign also launched a new website: www.DeBlasiosJails.com. | As Mayor de Blasio pitches himself on the national stage as a progressive presidential candidate, this campaign will point ou…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-06-06). "BOROUGHS UNITED" CAMPAIGN: MAYOR DE BLASIO'S JAILS PLAN CONTRADICTS HIS PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE. blackstarnews.com Mayor Bill de Blasio's is running for president as a "progressive" but Boroughs United activists say his jail building plans are "regressive" | Community advocates from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan today announced they have joined forces to launch a new campaign, Boroughs United, to oppose Mayor de Blasio's plan to build four massive new jails in New York City. The campaign also launched a new website: www.DeBlasiosJails.com. | As Mayor de Blasio pitches himself on the national stage as a progressive presidential candidate, this campaign will point ou…

Shadowproof (2019-06-06). Chelsea Manning Has Better Grasp Of Grand Jury Than Federal Judge Who Jailed Her. shadowproof.com When Judge Anthony Trenga sent Chelsea Manning back to jail, he urged her to reflect on her principled opposition to testifying before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. Manning took Trenga's admonishment seriously and wrote a letter to Trenga that outlined why she opposes the grand jury in general. She delved…

WSWS (2019-06-06). UN Special Rapporteur on Torture warns Julian Assange could die in prison. wsws.org The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture said in an Australian radio interview on June 1 that Julian Assange could die in jail if his persecution is not ended here and now.

MAIL (2019-06-06). Meet the Animal Rights Activists Facing Prison Time for Rescuing Ducks, Piglets from Factory Farms. democracynow.org Nearly 100 animal rights activists were freed today, after being arrested by police in riot gear for carrying out a rescue mission and protest at the Reichardt Duck Farm in Petaluma, California, which they accuse of engaging in animal torture. More than 600 activists with Direct Action Everywhere stormed the slaughterhouse Monday, fanning out in teams to chain themselves together at the entrance, freeing dozens of ducks and in some cases locking themselves by the neck to the slaughter line. Several of the activists made it inside the slaughterhouse, where they began trying to rescue ducks that were hanging upside…

Fight Back (2019-06-06). Filipino trade union condemns imprisonment of labor leader. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 4 statement from the militant trade union Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). | Court decision on Maga's case, unjust, anti-union | We protest the guilty verdict handed down by the San Mateo Regional Trial Court against trade unionist and political prisoner Maoj Maga. He was convicted yesterday on the case of illegal possession of firearms and was sentenced to prison for a minimum of eight years and one day. | The court's decision is biased against trade unionists and is leaning towards the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippines National Polic…

splcenter (2019-06-06). SPLC sues Trump administration for detaining immigrants who cannot afford bail. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies sued the Trump administration today for holding people in Georgia immigration prisons just because they do not have enough money to pay for bail.

Staff (2019-06-06). Activists Face Prison Time for Rescuing Ducks, Piglets From Factory Farms. truthout.org Nearly 100 animal rights activists were freed today, after being arrested by police in riot gear for carrying out a rescue mission and protest at the Reichardt Duck Farm in Petaluma, California, which they accuse of engaging in animal torture. More than 600 activists with Direct Action Everywhere stormed the slaughterhouse Monday, fanning out in teams to chain themselves together at the entrance, freeing dozens of ducks and in some cases locking themselves by the neck to the slaughter line. Several of the activists made it inside the slaughterhouse, where they began trying to rescue ducks that were hanging ups…

plenglish (2019-06-06). Lula Calls to Defend Brazilian Sovereignty and People. plenglish.com Brasilia, Jun 6 (Prensa Latina) Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison for more than one year, called to defend national sovereignty, because that way, Brazil"s people, territories and wealth are safeguarded.

George Ochenski (2019-06-06). What Will It Take to Stop Trump's Climate Policy Insanity? counterpunch.org The smoke began to roll into the Helena Valley late Thursday evening and by Friday morning it was so thick the surrounding mountains were invisible. It was coming from massive wildfires burning in Canada's far north between Edmonton and Yellow Knife, and flowing inexorably down the east side of the Continental Divide and out into the plains. And no, all the phony excuses of "a century of wildfire suppression" or not enough logging and thinning have nothing to do with it. More