Immigration & Detention Solidarity on Tisha B'av in San Jose
Jewish Community Relations Council | indybay.org | 2019-08-12
James P. McEntee Sr. Plaza, County Of Santa Clara Government Building, 70 W Hedding St, San Jose, CA 95112…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/12/18825424.php

The Tories' policing plan is bad enough. Their latest immigration one is utterly ludicrous
Tracy Keeling | thecanary.co | 2019-08-12
The Tory government's new plans for policing and prisons came unstuck before they'd even got off the ground. Because a thinktank chaired by Iain Duncan Smith is already calling for changes to immigration rules from home s…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/12/the-tories-policing-plan-is-bad-enough-their-latest-immigration-one-is-utterly-ludicrous/

Say No to the "Cashless Future" — and to Cashless Stores
aclu.org | 2019-08-12
Going cash-free can be convenient but at what cost? | I went to a counter-serve restaurant recently, and when the time came to pay for my order, took out my wallet, presented a $20 bill, and was told, "Sorry, we don't accept cash." I was flabbergasted. What happened to "legal tender for all debts public and private," as it says right there on the bill? This has now happened to me at three separate establishments in recent months. The rise of cashless establishments is happening amid continuing hype over the supposed dawn…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/consumer-privacy/say-no-cashless-future-and-cashless-stores

Lawsuit Seeks to Let Medicare Patients Appeal Gap in Nursing Home Coverage
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-12
| Medicare paid for Betty Gordon's knee replacement surgery in March, but the 72-year-old former high school teacher needed a nursing home stay and care at home to recover. | Yet Medicare wouldn't pay for that. So Gordon is stuck with a $7,000 bill she can't afford — and, as if that were not bad enough, she can't appeal. | The reasons Medicare won't pay have frustrated the Rhode Island woman and many others trapped in the maze of regulations surrounding something called "observation…
truthout.org/articles/lawsuit-seeks-to-let-medicare-patients-appeal-gap-in-nursing-home-coverage/

Bayer Gets Help from Donald Trump as US Regulators Veto Warnings Its Roundup Weedkiller Causes Cancer
Theron Mohamed | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-12
Embattled Bayer is getting a helping hand from Donald Trump. | The German pharmaceuticals titan is currently inundated with lawsuits claiming Roundup, a weedkiller owned by its Monsanto subsidiary, causes cancer. The Trump administration is refusing to approve product labels …
globalresearch.ca/bayer-gets-help-donald-trump-us-regulators-veto-warnings-roundup-weedkiller-causes-cancer/5686208

The American Workplace Still Won't Accommodate Pregnant Workers
Bryce Covert | thenation.com | 2019-08-12
The American Workplace Still Won't Accommodate Pregnant Workers…
thenation.com/article/pregnant-workers-discrimination-workplace-low-wage/

They Survived Solitary Confinement. Now They're Fighting to End It
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-12
| For nine and a half months, Lydia Thornton was locked into her cell nearly 24 hours a day. All of her meals were slid through a slot in the cell's steel door. She was allowed outside to shower three times each week. Through cinderblock walls, she could hear women in adjoining cells screaming for hours on end. Sometimes they threatened to kill themselves, a threat often followed by an eerie silence. | This was administrative segregation, or "ad seg," in New Jersey's prison system. Ad seg is one of…
truthout.org/articles/they-survived-solitary-confinement-now-theyre-fighting-to-end-it/

Faith-Based Peace Activists, Facing 25-Year Sentence, Defend Disarmament Action at Nuclear Submarine Base
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-12
Advocates for seven faith-based peace activists are calling on the public to support the group as they fight federal charges and a potential 25-year prison sentence for disarming a nuclear submarine base. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-08-12_at_3.20.48_pm.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/12/faith-based-peace-activists-facing-25-year-sentence-defend-disarmament-action?cd-origin=rss

UK PM Vows 10,000 New Prison Places, More Stop-and-Search
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-11
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given support to the police's "stop-and-search powers" while also pledging to create "another 10,000 spaces" in U.K. prisons meaning new jails while also expanding the existing ones. | RELATED: | #NotMyPM Goes Viral as UK Reacts to Boris Johnson's Victory | "… I am announcing today that in all 43 police authorities in England and Wales, we are making clear that the police can and should make use of their stop-and-search powers," Johnson wrote in the…
telesurenglish.net/news/uk-pm-boris-johnson-10000-new-prison-places-stop-and-search-police-20190811-0004.html

Kashmir: 'The Pakistan left and Indian left are united in condemning this bill.'
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-11
Farooq Tariq, spokeperson for the Awami Workers' Party, Pakistan spoke to Green Left Weekly on August 6 about the situation in Kashmir: | "Yesterday was the darkest day for Kashmir's history, as the bifurcation of Kashmir was made a constitutional step by the Modi government, without any basis, just to promote Hindu chauvinism and the dua. This is an act against the Muslim minority. This was done without any consultation. | "There was no discussion at Kashmir Assembly. There has been a curfew imposed. Most of the activists are in jail. Schools are closed, universities are closed, Section 144 is imposed where…
greenleft.org.au/content/kashmir-pakistan-left-and-indian-left-are-united-condemning-bill

Weekend Read: Neo-Nazi leader must pay more than $14 million in damages
splcenter.org | 2019-08-10
A federal judge has ruled in an SPLC lawsuit that neo-Nazi leader Andrew Anglin must pay more than $14 million in damages for using his website to launch an antisemitic campaign of terror against a Jewish woman and her family.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/10/weekend-read-neo-nazi-leader-must-pay-more-14-million-damages

Anti-prison campaigners successfully stopped work on a new 'mega-prison'
Glen Black | thecanary.co | 2019-08-10
Anti-prison campaigners are fighting the creation of a new 'mega-prison' in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. And yesterday they stepped up their campaign by bringing work to a halt. | Disproportionate harm: | On 9 August, members of Community Action on Prison Expansion (CAPE) entered HMP Wellingborough's building site. They successfully occupied the site and said they shut operations down for six hours. In a press release, CAPE member Caren said the group was protestin…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/08/10/anti-prison-campaigners-successfully-stopped-work-on-a-new-mega-prison/

Disablement, oppression, and political economy
Marta Russell | mronline.org | 2019-08-10
It is often claimed that disabled persons are invisible, disregarded by mainstream society, and irrelevant to the workings of society. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/10/disablement-oppression-and-political-economy/

A Federal Court Sounds the Alarm on the Privacy Harms of Face Recognition Technology
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
The court ruled that a lawsuit alleging that Facebook is violating Illinois' biometric privacy law can proceed. | On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit became the first appellate court in the nation to directly address the privacy harms posed by face recognition technology. The decision is a significant advance in the fight against the threats of face surveillance, sounding the alarm on the potential for this technology to seriously violate people's privacy. | In Patel v. Facebook, a group of Facebook users from Illi…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/federal-court-sounds-alarm-privacy-harms-face

We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/we-have-until-aug-13-oppose-trumps-anti-trans-health-care-plan

One rule for some, jail for the rest
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
You could be forgiven for thinking theft is suddenly socially acceptable given recent events — provided you act remorsefully after being caught. However, that acceptance only extends so far. | The Fair Work Ombudsman fined celebrity chef George Calombaris $200,000 for underpaying staff $7.8 million in wages. | In 2017 it was estimated that Calombaris's wealth sat at $4.5 million, making him the sixth-richest chef in Australia at the time. | Most of the media focused on a fragile, contrite Calombaris talking about how much he loved his staff. Very little attention was paid to the employees who had their wage…
greenleft.org.au/content/one-rule-some-jail-rest

Justice for David Dungay Jnr campaign hits Kempsey
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
Relatives and supporters of David Dungay Jnr took over the town of Kempsey, in north coast New South Wales, to speak out against a corrective services system that claimed the life of the 26-year-old Dunghutti man. | Dungay, who was from Kempsey, died while in police custody in 2015 after being pinned down by prison officers and injected with strong sedatives for refusing to stop eating biscuits. He was due to be released three weeks later. | The protest was co-ordinated by David's mother, Leetona, his family and the Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA). It was part of a series of efforts to shed light on…
greenleft.org.au/content/justice-david-dungay-jnr-campaign-hits-kempsey

Denver's City Council, Led by Democratic Socialist, Stuns For-Profit Prison Operators by Nuking Contracts
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
It wasn't about pulling money from the halfway houses but from "organizations that put kids in cages, run concentration camps," said one council member.
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/private-prisons-contract-denver/

Why Do We Hate Immigrants?
Kevin Powell | thenation.com | 2019-08-08
Why Do We Hate Immigrants?
thenation.com/article/immigrants-detention-centers-ice-el-paso/

The hidden refugee 'hell' in Melbourne
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
Located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) has been described as a "hidden hell for refugees". | Addressing a forum organised by the Refugee Action Collective (RAC) on August 5 by video message, Iraqi refugee Ali Yousuf, who was previously in MITA and is now in an Adelaide detention centre, said MITA guards regularly provoke people, seeking any reaction as an excuse to attack them. Yousuf suffered a broken hand when assaulted by a guard. | Yousuf said that detention is a waste of money that could be spent on helping the sick and people with disabilities. | He said th…
greenleft.org.au/content/melbournes-refugee-hell

UN Security Council 'utterly failed' Syrian detainees; a victim voices her plea to 'end impunity and stop this horror'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-07
The Security Council has "utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families", Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the Security Council on Wednesday, during a meeting focussed on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria, during years of brutal conflict.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043891

All States have 'primary responsibility' to protect against hate attacks
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-06
The UN's top rights official has added her voice to condemnation of the weekend mass-shootings in the cities of El Paso and Dayton, insisting on Tuesday that "not just the US, but all States" should do more to stop discrimination.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043791

New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act
splcenter.org | 2019-08-05
Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/06/new-civil-rights-memorial-be-installed-54th-anniversary-voting-rights-act

'You don't have any rights': CBP agents interrogate US citizen and seize his phone after Venezuela solidarity trip
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-03
The detention of a US citizen returning from Venezuela was an apparent extension of the US government's efforts to punish…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/03/cbp-agents-interrogate-us-citizen-venezuela/

"You're Gonna Kill Me": Bodycam Video Shows Dallas Officers Mocking Man as He Died Pinned to Ground
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-02
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/2/tony_timpa_family_lawsuit_bodycam_footage

Oklahoma Victims Compensation Program Disproportionately Denies Funds for Black Victims
aclu.org | 2019-07-31
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…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/oklahoma-victims-compensation-program

Los Angeles demands justice for Anthony Vargas — #JailKillerCops!
Kameron Hurt | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-31
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.
liberationnews.org/los-angeles-demands-justice-for-anthony-vargas-jailkillercops/

Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues
aclu.org | 2019-07-29
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…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/supreme-court-order-no-big-victory-trumps-border-wall-fight-continues

Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice
splcenter.org | 2019-07-26
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/26/family-herbert-lee-visit-civil-rights-memorial-honors-his-sacrifice

When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation
aclu.org | 2019-07-26
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,…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/when-kicking-around-orange-gets-you-probation

This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
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…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/county-criminalized-students-bad-grades-until-now

Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
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…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/hawaiians-are-taking-streets-and-exercising-their-first-amendment

SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose
splcenter.org | 2019-07-25
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/25/splc-resuming-barbaric-practice-federal-executions-serves-no-useful-purpose

Trans People Led the Fight Against HB2 in North Carolina. And We're Winning
aclu.org | 2019-07-24
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…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/trans-people-led-fight-against-hb2-north-carolina-and-were

BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-07-19
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) …
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-movement-welcomes-us-congress-resolution-affirming-right-boycott