(2019-11-21). Ilhan Omar's Call for Restorative Justice Gives Me Profound Hope for the Future. commondreams.org Omar understands that punishment perpetuates crime; that healing, repairing harm and creating peace are not simplistic matters to be dumped into the trash bin of the prison-industrial complex. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ilhan_2.jpeg …
(2019-11-21). 'Humiliation and extreme distress': Jussie Smollett sues Chicago after faking hate crime. rt.com 
Disgraced actor Jussie Smollett is suing the city of Chicago for malicious prosecution, saying he was subjected to "humiliation and extreme distress" after having falsely claimed to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. | In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, lawyers for the 'Empire' actor also said that the Chicago police department "obtained false, self-serving and unreliable statements" from the Osundairo brothers — the two men Smollett paid to help with the hoax hate crime, who claim that the entire incident had been orchestrated by the actor. | Smollett's attorneys say that investigators ignored…
(2019-11-21). Conference at European Parliament defends Julian Assange. wsws.org Speakers warned that the persecution of Assange was creating a precedent for the suppression of press freedom and for the application of repressive US laws all over the world.
(2019-11-21). Backfire — LaNada War Jack's 'Native Resistance' chronicles Alcatraz to Standing Rock. indybay.org Dr. LaNada War Jack, Shoshone Bannock, released her new book this week in Berkeley, as the 50th Anniversary of Alcatraz events begin. The book, Native Resistance, an Intergenerational Fight for Survival and Life, chronicles Native American resistance from Alcatraz to Standing Rock, and the longstanding struggle for land rights and civil rights.
(2019-11-21). Congress Just Temporarily Extended the Government's Spying Powers. aclu.org In a bill passed today and now headed to the president's desk for signature, Congress temporarily extended the NSA's spying powers that time and again have been used to violate our rights. Disturbingly, this three-month extension was snuck into a broader funding bill, forcing members of Congress to choose between extending this program and causing a government shutdown. The extension is an unnecessary lifeline to spying programs that are plagued with compliance violations, have no proven intelligence value, and violate our rights. | Under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, one of the spying | powers extended, th…
(2019-11-21). Hundreds of Documents Released Detailing Plans to Build Migrant Detention Facilities at Contaminated Fort Bliss Site. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-11-21). SF Public Library Commission: discrimination vs. seniors, low-income and disabled. indybay.org The SF Public Library has jeopardized its long-standing policy of serving all patrons equally with the same level of service by making it very difficult if not impossible for low-income, seniors and disabled to access the full range of services at this $160 million funded library system. (SFPL spends $3 million per year on digital service contacts).
(2019-11-21). PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Eight Palestinians, Including Jerusalem Governor, One Woman, In West Bank" imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Thursday, at least eight Palestinians, including a young woman and the Governor of occupied Jerusalem, from several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has confirmed. The PPS office in Hebron, in southern West Bank, said several army jeeps invaded Beit Ummar …
(2019-11-21). If Prison Conditions Don't Improve, 'It Will Be Our Blood Running Through the Water'. thenation.com If Prison Conditions Don't Improve, 'It Will Be Our Blood Running Through the Water'
(2019-11-21). Lawsuit Launched Against Trump's EPA for Failing to Enforce Smog Rules in California. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-11-21). UAW President Gary Jones resigns as GM lawsuit charges that UAW is a "controlled enterprise" of Fiat Chrysler. wsws.org Jones' resignation came after the UAW International Executive Board, in an act of damage control, took measures to remove and expel him.
(2019-11-21). Lawsuit Launched to Save 274 Species From Extinction Crisis. globalresearch.ca In one of the largest lawsuits ever launched under the Endangered Species Act, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to decide whether 274 imperiled animals and …
(2019-11-21). Citing White Nationalist Emails, Over 100 Democratic Lawmakers Sign Letter Demanding Stephen Miller's Resignation. commondreams.org More than 100 Democratic lawmakers joined dozens of civil rights groups and other critics of President Donald Trump in demanding the resignation of senior policy adviser Stephen Miller a week after emails displaying the depth of his racist ideology surfaced. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_stephen_miller_2.jpg …
(2019-11-21). 'Targeted by My Own Government': Journalists Sue Trump DHS Over 'Coordinated Attack' on Press Freedom. commondreams.org Five journalists who were tracked, detained, and interrogated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for reporting on conditions at the southern border in 2018 and 2019 brought a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday for what the ACLU called an "unprecedented, coordinated attack on the freedom of the press." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/database.jpg …
(2019-11-21). Media continues its smear campaign against Lula. greenleft.org.au 
media lies Brian MierIssue 1246 Brazil stitch upNovember 21, 2019The Brazilian Supreme Court reversed a 2018 ruling on November 7, upholding the principle of innocent until proven guilty in the 1988 Constitution and declaring it illegal to jail defendants before their appeals' proces…
(2019-11-21). Inside Australia's refugee prison camp in PNG. greenleft.org.au 
refugee rights Chris SleeIssue 1246 Australia MelbourneNovember 21, 2019The Refugee Action Collective (RAC) Victoria held a forum on November 18 to discuss the situation facing asylum seekers in Bomana Immigration Centre, a detention centre attached to Bomana prison in…
(2019-11-21). Assange's case 'a threat to free speech worldwide'. greenleft.org.au 
civil liberties Jim McIlroyIssue 1246 Australia Julian Assange SydneyNovember 21, 2019Jennifer Robinson, a lawyer for imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, believes the United States' applicatio…
(2019-11-20). Palestinians resist Israeli renewed attack on Gaza. workers.org 
Israel began pounding the Palestinian area of Gaza on Nov. 12 with scores of air raids and artillery attacks. The assaults renewed an ongoing Israeli military campaign against Gaza that had been in a lull in recent months. Gaza has been described as the largest open-air prison in the world, . . . | Continue reading Palestinians resist Israeli renewed attack on Gaza at Workers.org
(2019-11-20). US Human Rights Activist Found Not Guilty of Harboring Migrants. telesurenglish.net United States human rights activist Scott Warren was found not guilty Wednesday of hiding two Central American migrants from U.S. Border Patrol agents. | RELATED: | Mexico: Central American Mothers Looking For Missing Relatives | "I love you all," Warren told his defense team and members of his group No More Deaths (NMD), a humanitarian and faith…
(2019-11-20). Soldiers Abduct Eight Palestinians in West Bank. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday at dawn, eight Palestinians from several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS office in Hebron, in southern West Bank, said the soldiers invaded and ransacked several homes in the al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of the city, …
(2019-11-20). The U.S. Government Tracked, Detained, and Interrogated Journalists. We're Suing on Their Behalf. aclu.org 
As part of a coordinated effort that undermined the freedom of the press, the U.S. government tracked, detained, and interrogated journalists who were reporting on conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border. Now, we're suing on their behalf to defend their First Amendment rights. | Together with the New York Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, we're representing five photojournalists who traveled to Mexico in late 2018 and early 2019 to document the experiences of people traveli…
(2019-11-19). Saving Julian Assange is Saving Ourselves. dissidentvoice.org 
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner issued a statement based on special-rapporteur-on-torture Nils Melzer's fact-finding mission into the incarceration of WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. The facts were a scathing indictment of those nations behind the targeting of Assange. 'The evidence is overwhelming and clear,' the expert said. 'Mr. Assange …
(2019-11-19). Headlines for November 19, 2019. democracynow.org U.S. Claims Israeli Settlements Are Not Illegal Under International Law, Four Witnesses Slated to Testify in Public Impeachment Hearings, U.N. Condemns U.S. for World's Highest Rate of Children in Detention, Political Crisis in Bolivia Continues After Military Pressure Ousts Evo Morales, American Professor Freed in Prisoner Swap in Afghanistan, 1,000 Students Arrested in Police Siege of Hong Kong University, Coal Mine Blast in China Kills 15; Pipeline Explosion in Bangladesh Kills 7, Deforestation of Brazilian Amazon Skyrocketed Since Bolsonaro's Election, Syracuse Suspends All Fraternity Activities After String…
(2019-11-18). Students Told They Would Be Better Off 'If They Had Jesus in Their Life'. aclu.org 
The ACLU and the ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit against the Smith County School System for violating the separation of church and state on Monday. According to the lawsuit, four students who are atheists have had to contend with school officials promoting Christianity through official prayers, Bible distributions, religious posters, and even a giant cross painted in one of the school's athletic facilities. | We asked our three high school clients in this case — Harleigh, | Leyna and Pyper — to tell us about their e…
(2019-11-18). Don't Suppress Votes of New Citizens. progressive.org A new kind of voter suppression is being perpetrated by the federal government and flying largely under the radar: a multi-faceted effort to prevent legal immigrants from becoming citizens in time to vote.
(2019-11-18). An Arizona Sheriff Deputy's Abuse of a Quadruple Amputee Teen Highlights a Policing Culture That Must Change. aclu.org Inhumane. Cruel. Abusive. What other words could possibly describe a Pima County, Arizona Sheriff Deputy placing a 15-year-old quadruple amputee who posed no threat into a headlock and then pinning him to the ground at a group home? What if the Deputy then screamed at another teenager videotaping the abuse and yelled at him repeatedly "shut the hell up" and, "Am I your bitch?" before slamming the teenager's head into the wall while handcuffed? | This is not another example…
(2019-11-18). Monday's Daily Brief: Progress and pitfalls in child rights, millions of Afghans acutely food insecure, Middle East nuclear-free zone, social media and child detention. un.org A recap of Monday's stories in brief: Uneven child rights progress; over 10 million Afghans severely food insecure; Middle East nuclear weapons conference gets underway; Social media posts increasing child detention cases; UN and partners commit to universal health.
(2019-11-18). Baby Shark Coup. dissidentvoice.org I also write from time to time, and if any sweet breath fills my soul, it's the light of memory … Oh the memory in prison! How it gets here and falls upon the heart, which it oils with melancholy already so decomposed … In short, I don't know what these people will do. We …
(2019-11-18). After Texas Court Blocks Execution, Rodney Reed Has a Chance to Prove His Innocence in 1996 Murder. democracynow.org 
In a stunning decision handed down Friday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Rodney Reed, an African-American death row prisoner who was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for a murder he says he did not commit. The appeals court ordered a review of the case to examine claims of prosecutorial misconduct. Millions of people around the country had joined Reed's cause in recent weeks amid mounting evidence that another man may be responsible for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites, a 19-year-old white woman. In 1998, an all-white jury sentenced Reed to die for Stites's murder after his DNA…
(2019-11-17). Protesters demand end to Israeli attacks on Gaza. fightbacknews.org NY, New York – On the evening of November 15, over 150 people gathered on 42nd and Broadway to demand that Israel, backed by the United States government, stop the murder and occupation of Palestinians. | The emergency rally was called by several different organizations in New York City in response to Israel murdering 34 people, including eight children in Gaza. The organizations were Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, CODEPINK: Women For Peace, Labor for Palestine, Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, NY4Palestine, Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, American Muslims for Palesti…
(2019-11-15). The Size of Your Wallet Should Never Determine Your Freedom. aclu.org Lea Allison is a 30-year-old Alamance County | resident and mother to a 6-year-old daughter. She has been living with | relatives because she cannot afford to live on her own, but was about to start | a new job that she hoped would provide her and her daughter with financial | stability. | Lea's plans came to an abrupt halt when she was arrested and locked in an Alamance County, North Carolina jail on a $3,500 bond. Although she has not been found guilty of a crime, she will remain behind bars because she cannot afford to pay for her freedom. Instead of starting her new job, Lea is sitting in the Alamance Coun…
(2019-11-15). Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California. aclu.org This is a cross-post from the ACLU of Northern California. | There is a story we tell ourselves about being American. Much of it is a lie. Two dates that students throughout the country are required to memorize to inform an American identity are 1492, when Columbus supposedly "discovered" America, and 1776, when the United States claimed sovereignty from England and through the Declaration of Independence declared: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." If we're honest, we'll admit that the "all men" in that catchphrase didn't include African Americans, Native Americans, and…
(2019-11-15). Whistleblowers Are Public Servants. We Must Protect Them. aclu.org President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke on the phone. The president insists the call was " perfect." Others are concerned that, during the call, the president intimated he would withhold financial aid appropriated to Ukraine unless the Ukrainian president agreed to investigate former-Vice President Joe Biden, a political rival of the president. | How do we even know about any of this? A…
(2019-11-15). Disruptive protests don't justify police violence. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights Sue BoltonIssue 1245 Australia police MelbourneNovember 15, 2019It is unusual for the Police Union or Victoria Police chiefs to condemn the actions of any officer. But they have been forced to crit…
(2019-11-15). Justice for Rodney Reed: Millions Urge Texas to Halt Execution Amid New Evidence of His Innocence. democracynow.org 
The Supreme Court considers Friday whether to take up the case of Rodney Reed, an African-American death row prisoner in Texas who is scheduled to be executed in less than a week for a murder he says he did not commit. On Thursday, Reed's family braved the cold to camp outside the Supreme Court for a vigil asking the justices to help halt the execution. Millions of people around the country have joined their cause in recent weeks amid mounting evidence that another man may be responsible for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites, a 19-year-old white woman. In 1998, an all-white jury sentenced Reed to die for Stites's…
(2019-11-15). "This Is My Home": Meet the Lead Plaintiff in the Supreme Court Case to Save DACA. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from three lawsuits demanding the Trump administration preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The Obama-era program has granted protection from deportation and a work permit to at least 700,000 undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children. The court's conservative majority appeared poised to side with President Trump in ending the program, while some of the court's liberal justices seemed skeptical of Trump's efforts. In September 2017, the Trump administration announced it planned to terminate DACA, arguing the program…
(2019-11-14). Trump Administration Forgoes Petition to Supreme Court in Jane Doe Case. aclu.org For more | than two years, the ACLU has been fighting a Trump administration policy that | prevents unaccompanied immigrant minors in federal care from accessing | abortion. We had previously won in the lower court, securing a preliminary block on | the policy. And last week, the Trump administration chose not to challenge that | ruling and ask the Supreme Court to review the case—a real victory in our fight | for justice for the Janes. | We first filed | the case in Octobe…
(2019-11-14). Three Common Privacy Misconceptions That Companies Love. aclu.org A significant number of Americans hold significant misconceptions about their privacy, according to opinion research — misconceptions that privacy-invading companies love. That's according to research on American understandings of privacy carried out over the past couple decades by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, lead by Prof. Joseph Turow, whom I recently heard give a talk summarizing these studies. | Misconceptio…
(2019-11-13). The Real Reasons Behind Israel's Arrest of Two Jordanian Nationals. mintpressnews.com 
The release on November 6 of two Jordanian nationals, Heba al-Labadi and Abdul Rahman Mi'ri from Israeli prisons was a bittersweet moment. The pair were finally reunited with their families after harrowing experiences in Israel. Sadly, thousands of Palestinian prisoners are still denied their freedom, still subjected to all sorts of hardships at the hands of their Israeli jailers. | Despite the jubilant return of the two prisoners, celebrated in Jordan, Palestine and throughout the Arab world, several compelling questions remain unanswered: why were they held in the first place? Why were they released and what ca…
(2019-11-13). Neo-Nazi Group NSM Faces New Upheaval After James Hart Stern's Death. splcenter.org The leadership of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has been thrown into chaos again following the death of self-described civil rights activist James Hart Stern.
(2019-11-07). After a hard-won sentence reduction, Huntsville man's court debt is another obstacle to freedom. splcenter.org Fresh out of prison after nearly 23 years, Archie "Jody" Hamlett appeared at his mother's door in Huntsville, Ala., one fall day in 2017.
(2019-11-05). League of the South Resorts to Video Stunts as Membership Declines. splcenter.org The League of the South made a 25-second propaganda video over the weekend at the memorial of a civil rights icon in an apparent attempt to attract members to its neo-Confederate ideology.
(2019-11-05). SPLC celebrates 30th anniversary of Civil Rights Memorial. splcenter.org The first African American elected mayor of Montgomery, Alabama — a city known as both the "Cradle of the Confederacy" and the "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement" — urged those who gathered today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Civil Rights Memorial to ask themselves how they can make an impact on the lives of others.
(2019-11-01). Civil Rights Memorial commemorates 30 years. splcenter.org Carolyn Wells Gee was in bed watching TV with her younger sister when she heard the shot that killed Medgar Evers.