(2019-08-14). Cyntoia Brown — free at last! workers.org 
Cyntoia Brown, an African-American woman who was incarcerated for 15 years for the "crime" of self-defense, was finally freed Aug. 7 from a Nashville, Tenn., prison. Brown, now 31 years old, was granted clemency on Jan. 7 by former Gov. Bill Haslam. A Workers World article from Jan. 15 explains . . . | Continue reading Cyntoia Brown — free at last! at Workers.org
(2019-08-14). Immigrants Swept Up in Mississippi Raids Face Courts That Deport Most Defendants. truthout.org | | Hundreds of immigrants swept up in mass raids at meatpacking plants in Mississippi last week are now being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at privately run jails hours away in western Mississippi and Louisiana. Waves of hunger strikes have swept through an expanding network of immigration jails in the region as immigrants and asylum seekers protest against…
(2019-08-14). The Government Relies on False "Evidence" Against Migrants. truthout.org | | Laura Peña could see that her 36-year-old client was wasting away. Gaunt and haggard after nearly two months in jail, he ran his fingers through his hair and opened his hands to show her the clumps that were falling out. He was so distraught that his two young children had been taken from him at the border, he could barely speak without weeping. | After Carlos requested political asylum, border and immigration agents had accused him of being a member of the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador [mdas…
(2019-08-14). Growing Anti-Immigrant Sentiments and Trump's Immigration Policies. indybay.org Charney Hall, Room 104. Santa Clara University School of Law | 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara 95050…
(2019-08-14). Stand 4 Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning -Solidarity with London Action. indybay.org Join our protest against Julian Assange's US Extradition and Chelsea Manning's imprisonment. We'll chant for their freedom, distribute flyers and engage with the public over a two hour call to action, at the Powell & Market Cable Car turnaround. | "The days when I could read and speak and organize to defend myself, my ideals, and my people are over until I am free! Everyone else must take my place." — Julian Assange, from Belmarsh Prison…
(2019-08-14). New Zealand Man Accused of Mosque Shootings Sent Racist Letters. telesurenglish.net The Australian white supremacist accused of terror attacks at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 51 people in March, has written several letters from jail expressing his racist political and social views, prompting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to say that should never have been allowed. | RELATED: | Norway Mosque Attacker Inspired by El Paso, New Zealand Attacks: Report | "I think every New Zealander would have an expectation that this individual should not be able…
(2019-08-14). Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression. truthout.org | | After experiencing firsthand how voter suppression impacts elections in her narrowly unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial race against Republican Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams on Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at bolstering voter protections nationwide ahead of the 2020 elections. | "There are only two things stopping us in 2020: that people have…
(2019-08-14). US: Hundreds Protest Potential End to TPS. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and their children, citizens of the United States, appeared Wednesday in a California-based federal court to request that the program eliminated by President Donald Trump be salvaged. | RELATED: | US: 4 TPS Recipient Countries Assured Benefits By DHS | Around 500 TPS beneficiaries and their families from more than 20 states who presented a lawsuit against the president's 2018 measure, appeared at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, to tell the Trump administration the drastic decision will cause irreparabl…
(2019-08-14). Saudi Woman Activist Refuses to Deny Torture in Prison. telesurenglish.net Imprisoned women's rights activist Loujain Hathloul rejected Saudi Arabia's proposal to secure her release from prison in exchange for a video statement denying reports she was tortured in custody, her family said Tuesday. | RELATED: | Nicki Minaj Cancels Saudi Concert Citing Women, LGBT Rights | Hathloul, along with at least a dozen other women's rights activists, was arrested over a year ago as Saudi Arabia ended a ban on women driving cars, which many of the detainees had lon…
(2019-08-14). "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…
(2019-08-14). 'More Important Than Ever': Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression. commondreams.org "Creating a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will happen only when we hear every voice from the people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/stacey_abrams.jpg …
(2019-08-14). BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide. bdsmovement.net 
BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide: BNC StatementOur nonviolent movement opposes all forms of racism and racial discrimination. | Right To BoycottAugust 14, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
(2019-08-13). Federal Judge Continues Chelsea Manning's Confinement and $1000 a Day Fine. therealnews.com 
Manning could be jailed for another 400 days and owe $144,00 because of an unprecedented decision by Bush-Appointed Judge Trenga. Kevin Gosztola discusses the latest development…
(2019-08-13). Detention camps are concentration camps. mronline.org 
In June it was finally settled, the short-term detention centers run by the U.S. Border Patrol were—quite technically—concentration camps. While they are not the extermination camps of the Holocaust, the rounding up and mass incarceration of people who haven't seen a judge fits the definition exactly, according to expert Andrea Pitzer. The legal definition of […] | Source
(2019-08-13). John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. truthdig.com 
This piece originally appeared on The Progressive. | When Chief Justice John Roberts steps down from the Supreme Court years from now, how will he be remembered? | Many of his current admirers think (or at least hope) that it will be for defending judicial independence against the Tru…
(2019-08-13). Intent on Restoring His Conviction and Death Sentence, Arizona Reinvents Its Case Against Barry Jones. theintercept.com 
On a clear, blue day in late spring, Arizona Assistant Attorney General Myles Braccio stood before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was just after 10 a.m. Braccio had a half-hour to salvage a 24-year-old death penalty conviction that had been overturned by a federal judge. "Your honors," he began, "this case today presents nothing more than a habeas petitioner who hired several new experts, many years after his convictions and sentences, in an attempt to undermine the jury's verdicts." | The petitioner was Barry Lee Jones, sent to death row in 1995 for an unspeakable crime: the rape and…
(2019-08-13). NYPD Arrest 44 On 2nd Day of Protests Against Amazon-ICE Links. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Amazon Books in Manhattan Sunday to protest the company's involvement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On the second day of protests, 44 protestors were detained by New York's Police. | RELATED: | Labor Abuse Allegations Surrounded Factory Raided by ICE | The demonstration was organized by local Jewish leaders, who say Amazon provides technology that helps ICE make detentions and has contracts with the Department of Hom…
(2019-08-13). Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence. aclu.org Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…
(2019-08-13). Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. progressive.org Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(2019-08-13). Lawsuit Challenges Trump EPA's Failure to Protect California's Ventura County From Deadly Smog. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-08-13). Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman. greenleft.org.au 
African-American novelist Toni Morrison — winner of the Pulitzer Prize (1988), the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993), and many other awards — died on August 5 at the age 88. Following the announcement, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the civil rights organisation NAACP, remarked: "Rest in power to #ToniMorrison, one of the most prolific writers of our time." | "It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded…
(2019-08-13). 'Give Me Your Tired and Your Poor… Who Can Stand on Their Own Two Feet': Top Trump Official Rewrites Statue of Liberty Greeting. commondreams.org "Cuccinelli may as well have this engraved on a plaque, hang it around his neck, and wear it for the rest of his life," said the director of the ACLU's immigrant rights project | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/give_me_your_tired_and_your_poor._who_can_stand_on_their_own_two_feet_trump_administration_re-writes_statue_of_liberty_greeting.jpg …
(2019-08-12). The Tories' policing plan is bad enough. Their latest immigration one is utterly ludicrous. thecanary.co 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…
(2019-08-12). The American Workplace Still Won't Accommodate Pregnant Workers. thenation.com The American Workplace Still Won't Accommodate Pregnant Workers…
(2019-08-11). Kashmir: 'The Pakistan left and Indian left are united in condemning this bill.'. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2019-08-10). Weekend Read: Neo-Nazi leader must pay more than $14 million in damages. splcenter.org 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.
(2019-08-09). Headlines for August 9, 2019. democracynow.org Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Take Up Gun Bills, But Not Until September, President and First Lady Pose with Infant Orphaned in El Paso Massacre, Man with Guns and Body Armor Sparks Panic at Missouri Walmart, Home of Interracial Couple in Ohio Torched in Apparent Hate Crime, Over 100 Immigrant Hunger Strikers Tear-Gassed Inside ICE Jail, ICE Releases Some of the 680 Immigrants Swept Up in Massive Mississippi Raid, Mentally Ill Michigan Man with Diabetes Dies After Deportation to Iraq, ICE Agents, Lacking Warrant, Denied Entry to Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, Hundreds of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Occupy A…
(2019-08-09). We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan. aclu.org 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…
(2019-08-09). One rule for some, jail for the rest. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2019-08-09). Justice for David Dungay Jnr campaign hits Kempsey. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2019-08-08). Denver's City Council, Led by Democratic Socialist, Stuns For-Profit Prison Operators by Nuking Contracts. theintercept.com 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.
(2019-08-08). Headlines for August 8, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Scientists Warn Rapid Global Warming Threatens Food Supply, 680 Mississippi Poultry Workers Arrested in Massive Immigration Raid, ICE Raids Targeted Company Whose Workers Won Discrimination Lawsuit, Trump Visits Dayton and El Paso, Sites of Weekend Mass Shootings, El Paso Protesters Link Trump's Racist Rhetoric to Gunman's Manifesto, Trump Supporter with Loaded Pistol, Knife Arrested Outside El Paso Immigrant Center, Trump Suggests Antifa Shares Equal Blame for Deadly Violence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Trump Enables White Supremacists, SPLC: State Department Employee Secretly Worked as White Na…
(2019-08-07). UN Security Council 'utterly failed' Syrian detainees; a victim voices her plea to 'end impunity and stop this horror'. un.org 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.
(2019-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2019. democracynow.org Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extr…
(2019-08-05). New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act. splcenter.org Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
(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). 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…
(2019-07-29). 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). 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…
(2019-07-24). 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…
(2019-07-19). 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 17, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
(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.