ACLU Sues San Francisco Police Department for Unconstitutionally Targeting Black People for Arrest
ANC | indybay.org | 2018-10-08
SAN FRANCISCO, October 4, 2018 — The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Northern California, and the law firm Durie Tangri LLP, filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco for its police department's racially discriminatory enforcement practices. In violation of the Constitution, the SFPD, which has a long and sordid history of racial discrimination, targeted Black people for arrest because of their race.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/06/18818065.php
Immigrant Detainee Called ICE Help Line Before Killing Himself in Isolation Cell
Spencer Woodman | theintercept.com | 2018-10-08
Jeancarlo Alfonso Jimenez-Joseph repeatedly brought his suicidal thoughts to the attention of officials at a private ICE detention center run by CoreCivic. | The post Immigrant Detainee Called ICE Help Line Before Killing Himself in Isolation Cell appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/08/ice-detention-suicide-solitary-confinement/
EPI Dinner — Racism, Islamophobia and Empire
Ecumenical Peace Institute | indybay.org | 2018-10-08
St John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave, Berkeley CA…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/06/18818051.php
Israeli Prosecutor Reveals: Requests for Jail without Bail until End of Trial for Facebook Incitement Offenses — For Arab Suspects Only
INA | imemc.org | 2018-10-08
The Israeli courts are keeping Arab political leader Raja Eghbaria in detention at least until 15 October; the prosecutor doesn't deny existence of multiple errors in its translation of Eghbaria's Arabic-language Facebook posts, but says 'it doesn't matter.' An Israeli prosecutor revealed in court yesterday, 7 October 201…
President of Lithuania conceals from the UN and the ECHR the names of those who organized
Steve Eriksson | indybay.org | 2018-10-08
Like other EU states, Lithuania once pledged to uphold democratic values, to protect civil rights and freedoms, to conduct impartial investigations of violent crimes inside the country. Unfortunately, Lithuanian failed to upbuild consistent policy in this regard.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/08/18818087.php
The Government Is Blacklisting People Based on Predictions of Future Crimes
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-08
Our clients on the No Fly List are seeking a fair process to challenge and correct government error. | Imagine: You've never been charged with any crime, yet the government blacklists you as a terrorism threat and bans you from flying indefinitely. You're separated from family members, can't get to weddings or funerals or religious obligations, and lose jobs because you can't travel or your employer finds out you're blacklisted. | You know what the government has done violates your constitutionally protected ability to travel and to be free from false stigma. You have rights — the Constitution guarantees du…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/discriminatory-profiling/government-blacklisting-people-based-predictions
Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Targets DuPont, Chemours, 3M, and Other Makers of PFAS Chemicals
Sharon Lerner | theintercept.com | 2018-10-06
Robert Bilott, who successfully sued DuPont over PFOA, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of everyone in the U.S. who has PFAS chemicals in their blood. | The post Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Targets DuPont, Chemours, 3M, and Other Makers of PFAS Chemicals appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/06/dupont-pfas-chemicals-lawsuit/
Federal judge issues injunction against Trump administration refugee order
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-06
The four countries cited in the lawsuit represent nearly 300,000 of the 437,000 refugees who are currently receiving TPS in the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/06/refu-o06.html
Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation?
Shared by Marc Steiner | therealnews.com | 2018-10-06
Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavanaugh once he is confirmed. | The post Sen. Col…
therealnews.com/stories/sen-collins-calls-for-kavanaughs-presumption-of-innocence-where-is-the-criminal-investigation
Sen. Collins Calls for Kavanaugh's Presumption of Innocence — Where is the Criminal Investigation?
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-10-06
Our panelists Paul Jay, Dharna Noor, and Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the Maryland ACLU, and host Marc Steiner discuss the significance of the nomination, why the Democrats didn't pursue a criminal investigation for perjury, the consequences for women's rights and whether a fight should be waged to impeach Kavanaugh once he is confirmed. | The post Sen. Col…
therealnews.com/stories/sen-collins-calls-for-kavanaughs-presumption-of-innocence-where-is-the-criminal-investigation
40,000 people protest in Munich, Germany against racism and police state laws
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-06
On October 3, the day marking the reunification of Germany, 40,000 people demonstrated in the Bavarian capital against racism and the new Police Task Law (PAG)…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/06/anti-o06.html
August Wilson's Radio Golf applies radical traditions in assessing racial, economic progress
Tim Libretti | peoplesworld.org | 2018-10-05
CHICAGO–Because so many of the dynamics of America's racist past persist into the present, even…
peoplesworld.org/article/august-wilsons-radio-golf-applies-radical-traditions-in-assessing-racial-economic-progress/
Kanye is Wrong: Welfare Didn't Take Fathers Out of the Home, Racist Southern Conservatives Did
Chris Orlet | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-05
Rapper Kanye West used the megaphone that is Saturday Night Live last weekend to repeat the ancient myth that the Democratic Party and their welfare policies decimated the black family. Said West:…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/05/kanye-is-wrong-welfare-didnt-take-fathers-out-of-the-home-racist-southern-conservatives-did/
Afro-Brazilian Women Take on Brazil's Establishment in Upcoming Election
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-10-05
Mae Flavia Pinto is one in a wave of Afro-Brazilian women running for public office, challenging Brazil's deeply entrenched racist and classist establishment. A field report | The post Afro-Brazilian Women Take on Brazil's Establishment in Upcoming Election appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/afro-brazilian-women-take-on-brazils-establishment-in-upcoming-election
Could Brazil Return to a Dictatorship? Glenn Greenwald on Possible Election of Far-Right Demagogue
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-05
Voters in Brazil head to the polls on Sunday in an election that could reshape the political landscape of South America. Polls show the current front-runner is the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army officer who has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. Bolsonaro has a long history of making racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments, and has risen in the polls since September 8, when he was stabbed while campaigning. His campaign directly benefited from the jailing of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in April, who had been leading in all presidential polls…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/5/could_brazil_return_to_a_dictatorship
Action Alert Update: Cloture Vote Passes– Tell Your Senators NOW to Vote "No" on Kavanaugh, Full Senate Vote October 6th
Juliana Bolden | naacp.org | 2018-10-05
The final vote by the full U.S. Senate on President Trump's nomination of NAACP-opposed Judge Brett Kavanagh to serve a life-time appointment on the US Supreme Court is currently scheduled to occur on Saturday, 10/6/2018.‚Ä® The NAACP remains fervently opposed to this nomination and urges all Senators to vote "no". Urge Members of the Senate […] | The post Action Alert Update: Cloture Vote Passes– Tell Your Senators NOW to Vote "No"
naacp.org/latest/action-alert-update-cloture-vote-passes-tell-senators-now-vote-no-kavanaugh-full-senate-vote-october-6th/
When Our Collective Power Is Tested, We Must Vote! Our Lives Depend On It
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-10-04
As we approach this 2018 midterm election we have so much to consider. We have to acknowledge the alarming 230 million people that didn't vote in the 2016 presidential election. We have to acknowledge that there were more people who did not vote in the 2016 election than those who did. We have to acknowledge […] | The post When Our Collective Power Is Tested, We Must Vote! Our Lives Depend On It appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/collective-power-tested-must-vote-lives-depend/
NAACP Frequently Asked Questions
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-10-04
The NAACP hosted a National Call to Action Tele-Townhall on Wednesday, September 19, 2018. Thousands of concerned Americans participated and heard from NAACP leaders on how they can help push back against the current attack on civil rights and the right to vote. Out of this call came several important questions, and the NAACP has […] | The post NAACP Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/naacp-frequently-asked-questions/
SPLC report: Detention system forces people to give up claims to stay in U.S
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-10-04
Before fleeing Somalia, Yuusuf was a teacher.
splcenter.org/news/2018/10/04/splc-report-detention-system-forces-people-give-claims-stay-us
Black Voters Wanted! NAACP to Turn Out the Black Vote Like Our Lives Depend on It
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-10-04
The morning of November 7, 2016 was a rude awakening for millions of Americans — 231, 556,622 Americans to be exact. This was the approximate number of eligible voters who did not vote in the presidential election. In fact, if each of these 230 million plus people collectively wrote in a hypothetical candidate's name on […] | The post Black Voters Wanted! NAACP to Turn Out the Black Vote Like Our Lives Depend on It. appeared first on NAACP
naacp.org/latest/black-voters-wanted-naacp-turn-black-vote-like-lives-depend/
San Francisco Is a Hotbed of Illegal Race-Based Policing
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-04
Law enforcement in San Francisco have subverted the Constitution and broken the law by basing arrests on race. | Our Constitution promises all people, regardless of race, equal protection under the law. Yet the San Francisco Police Department has consistently singled out Black people for enforcement of criminal laws. | In 2013 and 2014, the SFPD collaborated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California on a drug enforcement operation. Despite the fact that the SFPD knew that in the Tenderloin district — where they chose to the…
aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police-practices/san-francisco-hotbed-illegal-race-based-policing
NAACP PARTNERS WITH WE TV IN MULTI-PLATFORM EFFORT TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING IN THE MID-TERM ELECTION
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-10-04
Campaign Features WE tv Talent Encouraging Viewers to Vote on November 6
…
naacp.org/latest/naacp-partners-tv-multi-platform-effort-underscore-importance-voting-mid-term-election/
'Bowing to racists'? University in Ohio cancels musical over 'whitewashing' backlash
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-04
A university in Ohio has cancelled a planned production of the musical 'West Side Story' after students complained that Latino roles were given to white students instead of students of Latino descent.
rt.com/usa/440272-musical-cancelled-white-latino-casting/
The U.S. Detention of Children Is Only Getting Worse
Michael Garcia Bochenek | progressive.org | 2018-10-03
No longer forcibly separating families at the border, the Trump Administration has merely changed the way children are harmed.
progressive.org/dispatches/the-u-s-detention-of-children-is-only-getting-worse-181003/
Mom Fears Her Autistic Son Is Being Abused at School. District Does Nothing
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-03
A Northern California school district is creating a hostile environment for a Black student with disabilities in violation of the law. | School just got back in session, but one school district in Northern California already needs a lesson in how to create a welcoming and safe environment for Black students with disabilities., , A 5-year-old Black student with autism and speech and language impairments suffered for months, including suffering injuries that needed to be treated by a hospital, all because of the inadequate oversight of Hayward Unified School District's staff. In a time when Black students are regul…
aclu.org/blog/disability-rights/disability-rights-and-education/mom-fears-her-autistic-son-being-abused
Mothers Should Not Be Jailed and Separated From Their Kids Before Trial
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-03
Despite not having been convicted of a crime, mothers in Oklahoma are routinely jailed before trial with devastating results for their families. | Tanisha (a pseudonym) is a 25-year-old mother of four who was arrested in Oklahoma in 2017 following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. Three of her children, a toddler and twin infants, were present. Once jailed, Tanisha's bail was set at $61,000. She couldn't afford to pay it, so she stayed behind bars, separated from her children. | This is wealth-based family separation perpetuated by the criminal justice system. | A new joint report from the ACLU and Human Ri…
aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/mothers-should-not-be-jailed-and-separated-their-kids-trial
Why the ACLU Opposes Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination to the Supreme Court
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-03
The ACLU board concluded sexual assault allegations raised enough doubt to warrant opposing a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. | On Friday, Sept. 28, following the Senate Judiciary hearing at which both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified, the ACLU decided to depart from its usual policy in order to oppose the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. | It was not a decision we took lightly. As a matter of policy, the ACLU does not endorse or oppose presidential nominations. We have made exceptions, but those exceptions are few and far between. In our 98-year history,…
aclu.org/blog/executive-branch/why-aclu-opposes-brett-kavanaughs-nomination-supreme-court
Jeff Sessions Is Fighting Tennessee's Effort to Make Prosecution More Fair
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-03
The Department of Justice is attempting to erode defendants' rights and state independence . | Earlier this year, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility released an ethical opinion that required federal prosecutors working in the state to disclose all information favorable to criminal defendants. It stated those disclosures must be even broader and earlier in the process than the U.S. Constitution requires. This is a praiseworthy move that could help stem the tide of coercive plea bargai…
aclu.org/blog/smart-justice/prosecutorial-reform/jeff-sessions-fighting-tennessees-effort-make-prosecution
ACLU Formally Opposes Kavanaugh, Citing Credible Sexual Assault Allegations & Partisan Temperament
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-02
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It is only the fourth time in the organization's 98-year history that its national board of directors has voted to oppose a Supreme Court nominee. ACLU President Susan Herman said in a statement, "As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him." The ACLU has now launched a $1 million ad campaign across four states urging key swing-vo…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/2/aclu_formally_opposes_kavanaugh_citing_credible
Due process: Remote immigration prisons impede access to attorneys, chances for success
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-10-02
The Stewart Detention Center where Mateo was held sits in Lumpkin, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta. With a capacity of 1,996 people, it is one of the nation's largest immigration prisons. In one important way, however, Stewart is like many other such facilities: It is far from cities where detainees would have easier access to counsel…
splcenter.org/20181002/due-process-remote-immigration-prisons-impede-access-attorneys-chances-success
Trump Admin Sends 1,600 Kids to Texas Tent City as Number of Detained Children Hits Record High
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-02
The Trump administration is transferring detained migrant children from shelters across the country to a barren tent city in West Texas. The New York Times reports that hundreds of children are being sent each week from shelters to the tent city, which currently houses 1,600 children. The facility reportedly has no school, and children have only limited access to legal services. The U.S. government is now detaining a record 13,000 migrant children. We speak with Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU, who says,…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/2/trump_admin_sends_1_600_kids
No One Should Be Detained Without a Hearing While Fighting Deportation
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-02
The government's sweeping interpretation of a 1996 law has expanded mandatory detention far beyond what Congress intended. | In May of 2013, Astrid Morataya, a legal permanent resident, woke up to a knock on the door. Looking outside the window, she saw law enforcement agents with bulletproof vests encircling her home in Illinois. | "They must have the wrong house," she thought. But they were, in fact, there for her. The government waited 15 years to attempt to deport Astrid for a low-level drug conviction that she received in the late '90s, during a period in her life when she was the victim of ongoing sexu…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/no-one-should-be-detained-without-hearing
Four members of racist, antisemitic 'Rise Above Movement' charged with rioting at 'Unite the Right' tiki-torch march
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-10-02
Four members of the racist and antisemitic "Rise Above Movement" face federal charges of traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, with the intent of rioting at the "Unite the Right" rally in 2017.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/10/02/four-members-racist-antisemitic-rise-above-movement-charged-rioting-unite-right-tiki-torch
Detention conditions: Medical neglect, death and other immigration prison failures
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-10-02
As Mateo's story demonstrates, immigrants held at immigration prisons struggle to receive the health care they need.
splcenter.org/20181002/detention-conditions-medical-neglect-death-and-other-immigration-prison-failures
German Far-Right Uses 'Judeo-Christian' Values to Polish its Racism
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-10-02
Shir Hever discusses the new Jewish section in the "Alternative to Germany" far-right party in Germany, and the way that pro-Israeli politics are used to mask Islamophobia, racism against Jews and the xenophobia | The post German Far-Right Uses 'Judeo-Christian' Values to Polish its Racism appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/german-far-right-uses-judeo-christian-values-to-polish-its-racism
How Jeff Sessions is Attacking Immigration Judges and Due Process Itself
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-01
The attorney general is abusing his power to force immigration judges to issue more deportation orders. | When the government believes that someone should be deported, it usually has to prove its case in an immigration court. And although the immigration courts have long been plagued by due process problems–including the lack of any right to an appointed lawyer, even for kids–those courts have at least held out the promise of neutrality: a neutral immigration judge hears the case, and the losing party may appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. | But Jeff Sessions is aggressively working to make t…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/deportation-and-due-process/how-jeff-sessions-attacking-immigration-judges
A Judge Just Reminded CBP That the Border Isn't a Rights-Free Zone
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-01
A federal court ruled in favor of an American family suing over their abusive detention at the U.S.-Canada border. | An American family that underwent a harrowing detention at the hands of U.S. Customs and Border Protection can now seek some measure of justice. That's the result of a recent ruling by the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit we filed on behalf of…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/discriminatory-profiling/judge-just-reminded-cbp-border-isnt-rights-free-zone
Laws Targeting Israel Boycotts Fail Again in Court
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-09-28
For the second time this year, a federal judge has ruled that anti-boycott laws likely violate the First Amendment. | A new wave of state laws that try to limit Americans' constitutional right to engage in political boycotts is now 0 for 2 in federal court. | On Thursday night, a federal court blocked Arizona from enforcing a law requiring state contractors to certify that they are not participating in boycotts of Israel. The court agreed with the ACLU that the law likely violates contractors' free speech rights under the First Amendment. | "A restriction of one's ability to participate in collective calls to opp…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/laws-targeting-israel-boycotts-fail-again-court