(2019-08-04). Resistance to Private Prisons Comes Amid Debate Over Immigrant Detention Policy. truthout.org | | The private prison industry is under renewed scrutiny, and things are not going well for it. Prison companies were already under fire, accused of putting profits above the well-being of incarcerated individuals and staff at the dozens of federal and state prisons and local jails they run around the country. Currently, about 8 percent of state and federal prisoners are held in privately operated facil…
(2019-08-04). Black -Jewish Oppression viewed through the prism of the Leo Frank and Mary Turner lynches. indybay.org NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
(2019-08-04). Court halts Westlands Water District's participation in Shasta Dam raise plan. indybay.org Attorney General Becerra filed the lawsuit on May 13, 2019 to block Westlands from taking an unlawful action to assist in the planning and construction of a project to raise the height of the Shasta Dam, a project that is strongly opposed by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, fishing groups and environmental organizations.
(2019-08-03). Jamaica Rolls Out Final Phase of Justice Reform Program. telesurenglish.net The final phase in Jamaica's three-fold justice reform program is being implemented across the Caribbean nation to improve the legal and justice system for all. | RELATED: | Jamaica Imprisons 906 in 2 Months to Quell Violence to No Avail | Under the Justice Undertakings and Social Transformation (JUST) Program, Jamaicans will have equal access to gen…
(2019-08-03). Reimagining Justice for Immigrant Survivors Through VAWA. truthout.org | | The immigration-related provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) hold powerful potential to help us reimagine our understanding of diaspora, integration and discrimination. | Among the various purposes of VAWA is to make lawful immigration status a reality for those who have been victims of domestic abuse by spouses, parents or children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. Beyond this, VAWA-based immigration cases help…
(2019-08-03). 'You don't have any rights': CBP agents interrogate US citizen and seize his phone after Venezuela solidarity trip. thegrayzone.com The detention of a US citizen returning from Venezuela was an apparent extension of the US government's efforts to punish…
(2019-08-03). The CIA Takeover of America in the 1960s Is the Story of Our Times. The Killing of the Kennedys and Today's New Cold War. globalresearch.ca Sirhan did not kill Robert Kennedy, yet he remains in jail to this very day. Robert Kennedy, Jr., who was 14 years old at the time of his father's death, has visited Sirhan in prison, claims he is innocent, and believes there was another gunman.
(2019-08-03). United Church of Canada should Come Clean on Anti-Palestinian Accord. dissidentvoice.org Toronto church Trinity-St. Paul's shameful suppression of a Palestinian youth cultural event highlights anti-Palestinian rot festering in the United Church of Canada. It ought to also shine a light on a little discussed anti-Palestinian accord UCC leaders signed with Israel lobby groups five decades ago. Under pressure from B'nai B'rith and the Jewish Defence League …
(2019-08-02). Black, Muslim, freedom fighter: Free Imam Jamil Al-Amin! workers.org 
July 26 — The CNN Center was the site of a rally for the imprisoned freedom fighter, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown. A national annual gathering of Muslims initiated by Al-Amin, the Riyaadah, was taking place here and brought supporters of the political prisoner from cities . . . | Continue reading Black, Muslim, freedom fighter: Free Imam Jamil Al-Amin! at Workers.org
(2019-08-02). "You're Gonna Kill Me": Bodycam Video Shows Dallas Officers Mocking Man as He Died Pinned to Ground. democracynow.org 
In August 2016, 32-year-old Tony Timpa called 911 to ask for help. Timpa had schizophrenia and depression, and was off his medication for schizophrenia. Timpa told the Dallas dispatcher that he was scared. The police responded, and within 20 minutes Timpa was dead. For the past three years, the city of Dallas has fought efforts to release police bodycam footage showing what happened, but the video was finally released this week after a prolonged legal battle. The shocking video contains disturbing footage, with officers arriving on the scene where Timpa was already handcuffed by a private security guard. In the v…
(2019-08-02). Homeland security's civil rights unit lacks power to stop abuse of migrant kids. nationofchange.org 
The children's lawyer was incensed. Her two tiny clients — one of them blind — had been in a shelter for three months, separated from their mother. The family had traveled from Mexico to the United States, reaching Nogales, Arizona, on March 1, 2018. Officials at the border found the mother, Nadia Pulido, had "credible" …
(2019-08-02). The Lines Between Us: The Modern History of Baltimore Apartheid (2/2). therealnews.com 
In part two, Lawrence Lanahan says the fight for fair housing did not end after the civil rights movement.
(2019-08-02). US Federal Court Exposes Democratic Party Conspiracy Against Assange and WikiLeaks. Judge Dismisses DNC Lawsuit. globalresearch.ca In a ruling published late Tuesday, Judge John Koeltl of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York delivered a devastating blow to the US-led conspiracy against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | In his ruling, Judge Koeltl, …
(2019-08-02). America Has Gulags in Its Own Backyard. truthdig.com Plucking chickens for for-profit companies, caring for elderly patients without any training, and other forms of hard, uncompensated labor are sanctioned in the United States as court-mandated rehabilitation for drug-related charges. As the deficit of rehab care in the U.S. grew during the far-reaching opioids crisis over recent years, what are essentially work camps—where detainees work for no money or face prison time, despite often not even being convicted of a crime—started to pop up all over the country.
(2019-08-02). Update: Devonia Inman's Chance to Prove His Innocence. theintercept.com More than eight years after DNA evidence revealed the state of Georgia sent the wrong man to prison for murder, Inman may have a chance to prove his innocence.
(2019-08-02). 17 Million Americans Purged From Voter Rolls Between 2016 and 2018, Analysis Finds. commondreams.org Millions of Americans are still suffering the consequences of the 2013 Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions of the Voting Rights Act, allowing states with long histories of voter discrimination to purge voters from their rolls without federal oversight. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flag_4.jpeg …
(2019-08-02). Boycott HP products to show solidarity with Palestinians. greenleft.org.au 
Not many people know about the role of IT giant HP in Israel's grave violations of Palestinian rights and its system of military occupation, racial segregation and oppression. | Just as many companies profited from the South African Apartheid regime, HP is today profiting from Israel's apartheid policies towards Palestinians. It supplies Israel with technology, equipment and information that is used in its ongoing violations of Palestinians' rights. | July marked a year since Israel adopted its Jewish "nation-state" law, giving constitutional status to its apartheid policies towards Palestinian citizens of Israel…
(2019-08-01). "You're Dipping into the Kool-Aid": Booker Accuses Biden of Helping Drive Mass Incarceration. democracynow.org 
In one of the most heated exchanges of the debate, Senator Cory Booker criticized Joe Biden's role in backing several key crime bills during his time in the Senate. Biden fought back, attacking Booker's record as mayor of Newark, New Jersey.
(2019-08-01). 2nd Dem Debate Pt 2: Takes on Police Reform, Shows Divide on Criminal Justice (2/4). therealnews.com 
Julian Castro demands police accountability for first time in a presidential debate while candidates attack each other over their mass incarceration policies. With Kimberly Moffitt, Jacqueline Luqman, and Marc Steiner as host…
(2019-08-01). receiving our inheritance.jpg. progressive.org A legendary civil rights organization comes face-to-face with white supremacy—again.
(2019-08-01). Inside the Hive Mind. progressive.org Over several years submerged in violent prison racism, I became a fascist.
(2019-08-01). When Japanese print workers resisted war. greenleft.org.au 
Against the Storm: How Japanese Print-Workers Resisted the Military Regime, 1935-1945 | By Masao Sugiura
| Translated by Kaye Broadbent & Masa Sato | Interventions, Melbourne | 2019, $24.95 | "In doing what is normal for any trade union activist today —recruiting, arguing and organising — my comrades and I were made to suffer persecution, imprisonment and death," writes Masao Sugiura. | When researching Japanese working-class resistance to World War II, Kaye Broadbent discovered in a Japanese university archive Sugiura's 1964 memoirs detailing the formation and activities of the Shuppanako Kurabu…
(2019-07-31). Los Angeles demands justice for Anthony Vargas — #JailKillerCops! liberationnews.org 
On July 27, over 60 members of the Los Angeles community gathered outside the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to celebrate the life of Anthony Daniel Vargas, who would have been celebrating his 22nd birthday that day.
(2019-07-31). Brazilians Fight Far-Right Campaign to Silence Greenwald & Intercept Leaks. therealnews.com 
Hundreds of Brazilians rallied in defense of U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald, on Tuesday. Greenwald has been threatened to be deported, imprisoned, and even killed, because of his role in the release of the on-going bombshell Intercept leaks, which revealed right-wing bias in the corruption investigations that saw former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva jailed…
(2019-07-31). Tawanda Jones Leads Rally on the Sixth Anniversary of Tyrone West's Death. therealnews.com 
On the sixth anniversary of her brother, Tyrone West's death at the hands of police, Tawanda Jones leads a rally at the site of where police officers brutalized him, kicking, punching and sitting on him. Delegate Jill P. Carter and advocates from the ACLU attended the rally and spoke about continuing to seek justice for…
(2019-07-31). Headlines for July 31, 2019. democracynow.org Sens. Sanders and Warren Tout Progressive Vision for 2020 as 2nd Democratic Debate Kicks Off, Detroit Activists Call on 2020 Dems to Tackle Pollution, Implement Green New Deal, North Korea Launches 2nd Ballistic Missile Test in Under a Week, 130 Hunger-Striking Prisoners in Egypt Decry Inhumane Treatment, Senators Question DOD Nominee John Hyten over Sexual Assault Accusations, Virginia Delegate Protests Trump Speech: "You Can't Send Us Back!", House Report Says Trump Adviser Ran Campaign Speech by UAE, Saudi Officials, California Bill Requires Presidential Candidates to Disclose 5 Years of Tax Returns, 2 Chicago…
(2019-07-31). Oklahoma Victims Compensation Program Disproportionately Denies Funds for Black Victims. aclu.org Data shows that Black victims are often denied compensation for the very same crimes as committed against white victims, who did receive compensation. | Tiras Johnson, age 23, was unarmed when he was shot and killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His family was devastated by his death, and they were struggling to pay for Tiras' funeral. Like many victims' families, Tiras' mother applied for financial compensation through the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Act in order to cover his funeral costs, but instead received a surprising response in the mail. | The letter, addressed to Tiras' mother, Netarsha, explained that h…
(2019-07-30). Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Jail in Georgia. Advocates Want It Shut Down. democracynow.org 
A 44-year-old immigrant from Mexico died last week at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration jails in the United States and one that has been plagued by allegations of neglect and abuse for years. Pedro Arriago-Santoya was the fourth person to die at Stewart in just two years and the seventh person to die while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October. An immigration judge had ordered Arriago-Santoya be deported in June. Instead, he was transferred to Stewart on July 10 as his removal proceedings continued. Two weeks later he was pronounced dead at a Georgia hospital.
(2019-07-30). Headlines for July 30, 2019. democracynow.org Gilroy, CA Shooter Touted White Supremacist Text, Posted Racist Content Before Massacre, Trump Renews Attacks on Rep. Cummings, Lashes Out at Al Sharpton, Senate Fails to Override Trump Vetoes on Bills Blocking Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Air Raids Kill At Least 10 in Northern Yemen, 5 Teenage Students Killed by Security Forces in Sudan, Brazil: At Least 57 Killed in Prison Riot, 164 Environmental Activists Killed in 2018, Indigenous Activists Protest Real Estate Development in New Zealand, Greenland's Ice Sheet at Risk of Record Melting, CNN and MSNBC to Host Climate Crisis-Centered Events, Kamala Harris R…
(2019-07-29). Baltimore Residents: Trump's Attacks on the City Are Rooted in "Racism and White Supremacy" democracynow.org 
President Trump is facing widespread outrage after describing Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" in tweets attacking Congressmember Elijah Cummings, one of the most prominent African-American lawmakers in Washington. Trump tweeted that Cummings's district is "considered the Worst in the USA," and said "no human being would want to live there." Trump's initial tweets came after Fox News ran a story about Baltimore and after Cummings criticized the conditions of immigration jails along the Mexican border. Officials across Baltimore and Maryland denounced the president's remarks, and The Balti…
(2019-07-29). Bassam Shakaa: The Making of a Palestinian 'Organic Intellectual'. mintpressnews.com 
Between his birth in Nablus in 1930 and his death, Bassam Shakaa fought a relentless struggle for Palestinian rights. He challenged Israel, the PA, US imperialism and reactionary Arab governments. Throughout this arduous journey, he survived exile, prison and an assassination attempt.
(2019-07-29). Mike Pompeo Is Donald Trump's De Facto Intelligence Czar. theintercept.com 
Haspel has little room to maneuver to maintain her independence from Trump, or even from Pompeo. The CIA's independence and integrity have been threatened as a result. | Haspel, whose ties to the CIA's torture program made her anathema to Democrats, has been in an unfavorable political position since she became CIA director. She was chief of base at a secret CIA black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, when a detainee was subjected to waterboarding and other torture tactics. In 2005, w…
(2019-07-29). Headlines for July 29, 2019. democracynow.org Baltimore Pushes Back After Trump Calls City "Rodent Infested Mess" and Attacks Rep. Cummings, Gunman Kills 3, Injures 15 at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, Shooting at Brownsville, Brooklyn, Block Party Kills 1, Injures 11, SCOTUS OKs Trump Plan to Use Military Funds for Border Wall, U.S. and Guatemala Sign Controversial Immigration Deal Despite Widespread Opposition, Dir. of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Threatens Glenn Greenwald with Imprisonment, Miners Raid Tribe in Brazil, Killing Leader as Amazon Suffers Mass Deforestation by Illegal Loggers, Russian…
(2019-07-29). Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues. aclu.org The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…
(2019-07-26). Child Separation & Prison Camps: China's Campaign Against Uyghur Muslims Is "Cultural Genocide" democracynow.org 
Chinese authorities have been accused of systematically separating Muslim children from their families in the far western region of Xinjiang. According to a new report commissioned by the BBC, China is rushing to build boarding schools where children, mostly from the Uyghur community, are deliberately removed from their families, as well as their language and culture. This comes as an estimated 1 million adults from the Uyghur community are being imprisoned in camps that China claims are "vocational training centers" designed to combat extremism. We speak with independent researcher Adrian Zenz, who did the resea…
(2019-07-26). Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice. splcenter.org Clifton Franklin was a high school football running back who — at 16 — wanted to play in a big game between Louisiana rivals. His mother, however, had other plans.
(2019-07-26). When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation. aclu.org I was in 8th grade. I just didn't want to get in more trouble, so I signed the papers, like I was told to. | I was in 8th grade when it happened. I'll never forget the feeling of those cold, clanky pairs of metal constraints. I was being handcuffed in front of my friends and classmates. | As a lot of middle school students do, I was fooling around with my friends outside at lunch. We found an orange and started kicking it around like a soccer ball. It turns out I picked a bad day to fool around, and a bad person to tick off. A school resource officer — basically a cop — was stationed in the cafeteria,…
(2019-07-25). This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now. aclu.org Today, we filed a landmark settlement that will end the relationship between the probation department and school districts in Riverside. | Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. | This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). Instead of counselors or other school and community-based supports stepping in to support and…
(2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…
(2019-07-25). SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose. splcenter.org The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it plans to resume the executions of people who are awaiting the death penalty in federal prisons, ending nearly two decades in which the federal government had not imposed capital punishment.
(2019-07-24). Trans People Led the Fight Against HB2 in North Carolina. And We're Winning. aclu.org Transgender people in North Carolina cannot be banned from facilities based on their gender under H.B. 2 replacement law. | It's been more than three years since North Carolina lawmakers passed House Bill 2, the hateful North Carolina law that compromised the ability of transgender people like me to safely navigate our daily lives. | As the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit the ACLU and Lambda Legal filed to stop this measure, I've spent the last three years fighting alongside LGBTQ North Carolinians and others to mitigate the harm caused by H.B. 2…
(2019-07-22). Arkansas Wants to Make Sure You Know 'Almonds Don't Lactate'. aclu.org An Arkansas law censoring plant-based products isn't just absurd and unnecessary, it's unconstitutional. | The state of Arkansas thinks you're confused about whether a veggie burger comes from a cow. In fact, it thinks you're so confused that it passed a law making it illegal for companies to use words like "meat," "roast," and "sausage" to describe products that are not made from animals. Under the law, it doesn't matter if those words are modified by "vegan…
(2019-07-19). BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott. bdsmovement.net 
BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott: UpdateIn a historic move, Congress members Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and US civil rights veteran John Lewis introduce resolution affirming the right to boycott. | Right To BoycottJuly 19, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
(2019-07-17). SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion this week seeking to block a new Trump administration rule that categorically bars asylum for migrants who cross the southern border without applying for and being denied asylum in any country that they pass through on their way to the U.S.
(2019-07-15). Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center. splcenter.org As the prosecution made its closing argument, photos of the nine people that Dylann Roof had shot to death in a Charleston, South Carolina, church appeared on the screen in bloody, gruesome detail.
(2019-07-12). Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…
(2019-06-24). UN Human Rights Head Visits Venezuela, Meets Maduro and Guaido. venezuelanalysis.com Michelle Bachelet commented on access to food and medicine, allegations of political prisoners, and the impact of sanctions, among other issues.
(2019-06-21). Brian Mier on Brazilian Political Scandal. fair.org 
The Brazilian anti-corruption crusade, called Car Wash or Lava Jato, that put popular ex-president Lula da Silva in prison and paved the way for fascist president Jair Bolsanaro—all while being celebrated in the US corporate press—was actually, as critics contended, less interested in corruption than in keeping Lula's Workers Party out of power.