(2019-09-10). The Last Days of Coney Island. counterpunch.org 
The Last Days of Coney Island Off in Coney Island there's an otter in the water And some harbor seals in tanks in the aquarium And penguins and brown pelicans Who envy all The gliding gulls and pizza-pecking pigeons there And rays who pray for hurricanes to come and wreck their prison — some desire More
(2019-09-10). NRA sues San Francisco after city brands it a 'domestic terrorist organization'. rt.com 
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking the city of San Francisco to court over a recent resolution calling it a domestic terrorist entity and discouraging businesses from dealing with it. | The powerful gun lobbying organization, which has borne the brunt of liberal anger in the wake of mass shootings that have rattled the US over the past several years, has filed a complaint against the City and County of San Francisco and its super…
(2019-09-10). Yoel Alonso Leal Is Facing Deportation. Doctors Say He May Die on the Plane. truthout.org | | Yoel Alonso Leal, a Cuban asylum seeker who has a lung tumor and has been struggling with gout and pneumonia while being shuffled through immigration jails, is facing deportation. Doctors and advocates say Leal's health is quickly declining and he could die before his plane back to Cuba lands at the airport. | "There is a high chance that he would die from the flight itself. Deportation for him would be deadly," said Kiersta Kurtz-Burke of Louisiana State University's School of Medicine,…
(2019-09-10). Donald Trump Smears the Victims of Hurricane Dorian. truthdig.com Echoing the racist and dehumanizing rhetoric he has repeatedly deployed against Mexican immigrants, Muslims, and others, President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters—without offering a shred of evidence—that there may be "very bad gang members" and "drug dealers" among those fleeing the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. | The president's comments sparked outrage, with the Sierra Club responding that "Donald Trump's racism and cruelty knows no bounds." | "He needs to do his job and respond to the ongoing humanitarian…
(2019-09-10). Appeals Court to Hear ACLU Discrimination Case Against Dignity Health. indybay.org SAN FRANCISCO—The ACLU is set to argue before the Court of Appeal in San Francisco Tuesday on behalf of Evan Minton, a man who was denied health care because he is transgender.
(2019-09-10). Don't Be Fooled — Kamala Harris's "Criminal Justice" Plan Is Not Progressive. truthout.org | | On Monday, Sen. Kamala Harris released her plan on criminal punishment reform — the latest Democratic presidential hopeful to do so. While some of her competitors have released ambitious, if flawed, plans that identify a political agenda, Harris's plan rests mostly on the candidate herself. | Harris, of course, is the former attorney general of California and ha…
(2019-09-10). The Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap: A Path to Peace and Rapprochement? globalresearch.ca The Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap proves that some degree of goodwill exists on both sides towards the other after Zelensky's historic election and recent clinching of a parliamentary majority, thus making it more likely that they'll continue down the path of …
(2019-09-10). 'Democracy for Some, But Not for All': Report Reveals Nearly 1,700 Polling Places Closed Since Supreme Court Weakened Voting Rights Act. commondreams.org Civil rights advocates said Tuesday that The U.S. Supreme Court must restore the key provision of the Voting Rights Act which it invalidated in 2013, after a sweeping new report showed how the court's decision led to the closure of nearly 1,700 polling places across the American South. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/georgia_0_0_0.jpg …
(2019-09-09). Court commando: Chinese 'spy' trial gets off to bizarre start over underwear shortage. rt.com 
The trial of a Chinese businesswoman accused of trespassing at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and deceiving Secret Service agents kicked off with an exceptionally odd hold-up: the defendant showed up without underwear. | Yujing Zhang, who was arrested in March after slipping past security at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, appeared at a jury selection hearing on Monday dressed in a brown prison jumpsuit, claiming she wasn't given any underwear. Defendants in general wear civilian clothing during trials so the jurors aren't prejudiced against them. | After a discussion about which agency was responsible…
(2019-09-09). Judge Reinstates Nationwide Halt on Trump Asylum Policy Plan. truthdig.com OAKLAND, Calif. — A U.S. judge in California on Monday reinstated a nationwide halt on the Trump administration's plan to prevent most migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. | U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar ruled in Oakland that an injunction blocking the administration's policy from taking effect should apply nationwide. | Tigar blocked the policy in July after a lawsuit by groups that help asylum seekers. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals limited the impact of Tigar's injunction to states within the area overseen by the appeals court. | That meant the policy was blocked in the bord…
(2019-09-09). The Mail scrapes the very bottom of the barrel trying to smear Corbyn. thecanary.co 
The Daily Mail's latest efforts to smear Jeremy Corbyn are a new low. With this 'shocking scoop', its latest claim against the Labour leader shows just how desperate the right-wing press is getting. | Scoop?: | On 9 September, a Mail "exclusive" claimed that "never-before-seen photographs" link Corbyn and John McDonnell to an IRA 'terrorist'. | It ran pictures of Corbyn and McDonnell "smiling for the ca…
(2019-09-08). Guaido on the verge of imprisonment: Why does the US have its eye on Essequibo? uwidata.com 
Self-proclaimed Venezuelan president Juan Guaido and his team have been convicted of holding talks with Guyana on the territorial issue of Essequibo. According to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Bolivarian Republic, the opposition has offered to surrender Venezuelan's historical claims to the territory of Essequibo. El presidente venezolano @NicolasMaduro anunció que el gobierno se …
(2019-09-08). Racketeering lawsuit heats up wine vs. weed war in Oregon. rt.com 
The rolling hills of northern Oregon produce some of the most prized wine in America. But there's rivalry from a new neighbor: Cannabis farms. With grapes and buds competing for the same soil, messy legal battles have ensued. | A number of racketeering lawsuits taken by winemakers against pot growers have languished and failed in Oregon's courts, with the grape-growers unable to prove that the pot plantations next door messed with their crops or cost them business. One such lawsuit, however, has managed to proceed, with a federal judge acknowledging an actual financial loss. | The owners of Momtazi Vineyard, i…
(2019-09-08). UN chief welcomes prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. un.org United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday, yesterday's exchange of prisoners and detainees between Russia and Ukraine.
(2019-09-07). Trump lauds prisoner exchange between Russia & Ukraine as 'giant step to peace'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has praised the prisoner swap between Moscow and Ukraine, congratulating the two countries for making such a move and naming it a "giant step to peace." | Earlier in the day, Russia surrendered 35 individuals to Ukraine that had been held in its prisons and detainment centers, receiving an equal amount of people in return. | Weighing in, Trump wrote that it was indeed a step forward. | Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!
(2019-09-07). Texas protest says "No kids in cages" fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…
(2019-09-06). Robert Mugabe, Ousted Zimbabwean President & Liberation Leader, Dies at 95. democracynow.org 
Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was wide…
(2019-09-06). End religious discrimination. greenleft.org.au 
civil rightsIssue 1236 Australia religious discrimination bill LGBTI MelbourneSeptember 6, 2019A rally against the proposed religious exemptions bill was held in Melbourne on August 31. | The bill wo…
(2019-09-05). Israeli Security Tech on US-Mexican Border Threatens Nation's Civil Liberties. therealnews.com 
The ACLU's Jay Stanley says that the Border Patrol's repurposing of surveillance technology and drones could open doors that put our liberty and privacy at risk…
(2019-09-05). Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions? thegrayzone.com The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…
(2019-09-05). Judge blocks ICE from denying parole to asylum-seekers. splcenter.org A federal judge ordered the Trump administration today to change its blanket policy of locking up people lawfully seeking asylum in the United States as a lawsuit filed by the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana makes its way through the federal courts.
(2019-09-05). Military deal makes Australia complicit in Palestine's oppression. greenleft.org.au 
weapons and military equipment Mark GovierIssue 1236 Australia Iron Dome Weapon SystemSeptember 5, 2019An Israeli government-owned military company has joined forces with an Australian firm to produce precision-guided missiles and other equipm…
(2019-09-04). Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…
(2019-09-04). Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests. democracynow.org 
Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…
(2019-09-03). No' Money, Mo' Problems: Militiaman's Fundraising Plea Devolves into Lawsuit and Mistrust. splcenter.org The jailed militiaman had an interesting fundraising appeal.
(2019-09-03). A New York Jail Forced a Trans Woman Into a Men's Facility. aclu.org Trans women routinely face harassment and discrimination in jails and prisons. | Jena Faith's experience in the Steuben County Jail was a living nightmare. | The military veteran spent four weeks in the jail awaiting trial last spring. She was initially housed in the jail's women's facility without incident, but things changed when officials suddenly transferred her to the men's facility, despite the fact that she is a woman. | During the weeks that Jena spent as a woman in a men's jail, she was routinely targeted with physical and verbal harassment from other incarcerated people and guards. On her first day in t…
(2019-08-30). In Secretive Court Hearing, NYPD Cops Who Raped Brooklyn Teen in Custody Get No Jail Time. theintercept.com 
Two NYPD cops coerced Anna Chambers into sex in exchange for her freedom. A judge just gave them no jail time.
(2019-08-29). The Growing Push for Politicians to #VisitAPrison. progressive.org "It's our job. We represent them too. So whether or not they're enfranchised or disenfranchised, we are still their representative."
(2019-08-29). Taxpayers Have Been Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million For Discriminating Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Government officials should know that discrimination comes with a cost to taxpayers. | Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky was liable for $224,000 for the actions of Kim Davis, who refused to do her job and issue marriage licenses (to same-sex or different-sex couples) as county clerk. | While Davis' story made national headlines, her case isn't the only one in the past year where a court case filed by the ACLU has led to a bill for discriminatio…
(2019-08-27). Stripped of Their Rights. aclu.org In 2011, guards at an Illinois prison violated the constitution when they carried out a mass strip-search of incarcerated women. | In March 2011, a tactical team of guards at a state prison in Lincoln, Illinois gathered 200 women and ushered them into a gymnasium, where they were brought in small groups into a separate room nearby. Inside that room, they were told to strip naked in plain view of other guards, cadets, and civilians, without any explanation. Women on their periods were ordered to remove their tampons and sanitary pads. One-by-one, each woman was ordered to lift her breasts, cough and squat, and dis…
(2019-08-27). New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System. aclu.org Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…
(2019-08-26). Breaking The Media Blackout on the Imprisonment of Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com The same media that has spent years dragging Assange's name through the mud is now engaging in a blackout on his treatment. If you are waiting for corporate media pundits to defend freedom of the press, you're going to be disappointed.
(2019-08-23). Will North Carolina's Supreme Court Allow Racism to Remain a Persistent Factor in its Death Penalty? aclu.org North Carolina's Supreme Court will determine whether evidence of racism in capital punishment can be swept under the rug. | In 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), which allowed defendants to strike the death penalty from their cases if they could show that racial discrimination was a factor in their prosecution. The law came as a response to a series of exonerations of Black people who were falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit by all-white or nearly all-white juries. The legislature took a bold step to address was what suspected to be deeply troubling evidence of racism infe…
(2019-08-22). A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing. aclu.org Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…
(2019-08-21). An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent. aclu.org The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished—both explicitly and implicitly—based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…
(2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…
(2019-08-15). The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person. aclu.org How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
(2019-08-15). The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs. bdsmovement.net 
The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs: PACBI StatementConne Island, Golden Pudel and : //about blank are complicit in Israel's oppression of Palestinians | Cultural Boycott Right To BoycottAugust 15, 2019…
(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)