Santa Cruz Police Department Seeks Council Approval for $235K Taser Purchase
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2019-11-11
The Santa Cruz Police Department is seeking approval from the City Council to finalize a contract with the Axon Enterprise, Inc. to re-outfit the entire department with new Taser Guns at a cost of $235,439. SCPD's Taser purchase proposal has been placed on the consent agenda for Tuesday's City Council meeting. The consent agenda is reserved for non-controversial issues, however the use of Tasers by police is a topic of concern for those advocating against police brutality, who want the weapons either banned altogether, or at minimum classified the same as other deadly weapons. SCPD's Use of Force policy presently…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/11/1882801…
California police arrest woman for delivering stillborn baby with drugs in its system
wsws.org | 2019-11-11
California police arrested 25-year-old Chelsea Cheyenne Becker on a charge of 1st degree murder last week after she delivered a stillborn baby with methamphetamine in its system.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/11/drug…
Cops shot couple over 'obviously fake' gun at erotic party despite being told it was a toy, Australian court hears
rt.com | 2019-11-11
An Australian man and woman are suing the state of Victoria after police burst into a swingers club party and shot the pair, despite being told that the gun the man was carrying was a mere prop. | Dale Ewins, then 35, and his former girlfriend Zita Sukys had donned detailed costumes for a 'Saints and Sinners' ball in Melbourne on July 8, 2017. The pair say they were engaged in a sex act at the back of the club when they were suddenly surrounded by heavily-armed police who opened fire on them with non-lethal bullets. | A patron called the cops after seeing Ewins with a gun tucked into his trousers, but security…
rt.com/news/473170-australia-erotic-cost…
The Criminal Justice System Is Not Broken. It's Doing What It Was Designed to Do
Alice Speri | theintercept.com | 2019-11-09
Alec Karakatsanis's book "Usual Cruelty" is a powerful takedown of the U.S. mass punishment bureaucracy, also known as the criminal justice system.
theintercept.com/2019/11/09/criminal-jus…
Violence can 'never be the answer': UN rights experts condemn excessive force during Chile protests
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-08
United Nations human rights experts on Friday condemned the excessive use of force during Chile's ongoing street protests, and in a statement underscored that violence "can never be the answer to people's social and political demands".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1…
"We Can't Afford to Wait for the DNC": Why Black Lawmakers Organized an Environmental Justice Forum
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-08
The first-ever Presidential Forum on Environmental Justice takes place tonight in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where six presidential candidates will take to the stage at South Carolina State University. African-American communities and people of color on the frontlines in South Carolina have been fighting for justice in the face of extreme environmental racism for years. We host a roundtable with local leaders and environmental justice advocates to talk about the significance of the event, the issues their communities face and the 2020 candidates' platforms on environmental justice. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, president o…
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/8/south_car…
The Reality of Everyday Racism
Kiki Monifa | progressive.org | 2019-11-07
For many black people, the most surprising thing about racism is that anyone is surprised it.
progressive.org/dispatches/the-reality-o…
Algerian Protesters Are Still in the Streets, Months After Pushing Out Longtime President Bouteflika
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-07
In Algeria, protests against corruption, the jailing of opposition leaders and the army's powerful role in national politics have entered their ninth month. Tens of thousands filled the streets of the capital Algiers last Friday to mark the 65th anniversary of the war of independence from France and to demand a "new revolution" rather than an upcoming election they say will be rigged. Over 100 student protesters were arrested last night as the Algerian government intensified its crackdown on demonstrators ahead of the upcoming polls. Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah announced the country will hold a presiden…
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/7/algerian_…
FRSO condemns wave of repression against trade unionists, progressive activists in Philippines
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-11-06
Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in opposition to the wave of political repression that is being unleashed in the Philippines. The U.S.-backed regime of President Duterte has carried out a series of raids on homes and offices, jailing more than 60 participants in the progressive and national democratic movement. | According to reports, among those arrested in the raids were 40 members of the militant labor movement Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)/May First Movement. Leaders of the KMU have toured the U.S. in the past, speaking of their struggle for justice and a better way of life. They need our solidarity now.
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/11/6/frso-con…
Is Texas About to Execute an Innocent Man? Rodney Reed's Family Demands Retrial Amid New Evidence
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-06
The state of Texas is facing growing calls to halt the upcoming execution of Rodney Reed, an African-American man who has spent over 20 years on death row for a rape and murder he says he did not commit. A group of 26 Texas lawmakers — including both Democrats and Republicans — have written a letter this week to Governor Greg Abbott to stop the execution planned for November 20. More than 1.4 million people have signed an online petition to save Reed's life. Supporters include celebrities Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna and Meek Mill. Reed was sentenced to die after being convicted of the 1996 murder of…
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/6/rodney_re…
"Release My Mother": A Yale Student Fights to Halt Deportation of His Mother with Stage IV Cancer
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-05
Tania Romero, an undocumented mother from Honduras and survivor of stage IV cancer, is fighting to remain in the United States with her four children. Two months ago, Romero was imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the privately owned Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, interrupting her life-saving medical treatments. In mid-August, Romero was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction and arrested for not having a driver's license. Tania Romero's attorney requested a stay of deportation on humanitarian grounds because of her fragile health, but it was denied in September. Her son, Cristian…
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/5/cancer_pa…
Gaza Championship Football Team Urges Argentina and Uruguay National Teams to Cancel "Friendly" Match in Apartheid Israel
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-11-05
Gaza Championship Football Team Urges Argentina and Uruguay National Teams to Cancel "Friendly" Match in Apartheid Israel: Open LetterIn an open letter, Khadamat Rafah, the top Gaza League football team, urges Argentina and Uruguay national teams to cancel "friendly" match in apartheid Tel Aviv. Israel denied Khadamat Rafah permits to travel to the 2019 Palestine Cup, causing the finals…
bdsmovement.net/news/gaza-championship-f…
NYC protest demands release of activists, union members jailed in Philippines
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-11-05
New York, NY – Several dozen organizers and community members gathered outside the Philippine Consulate on 5th Avenue, November 4, to demand that the government of the Philippines release the 62 organizers of legal, mass organizations who were arrested Negros and Metro Manila. | The emergency rally was called as the Duterte Regime amped up its repression. On October 26, the military dropped 500-pound bombs on Samar Island to further crackdown on organizing. This was followed by raids on the regional offices of GABRIELA, BAYAN MUNA, and the National Federation of Sugar Workers on October 31. During these raids, 60…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/11/5/nyc-prot…
Journalist Max Blumenthal arrested on false charge in DC
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-11-03
The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal speaks out on his arrest months after reporting on Venezuelan opposition violence at the DC…
thegrayzone.com/2019/11/03/journalist-ma…
Condemn mass arrest and Duterte regime's heightened fascist drive
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-11-02
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Nov. 2 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the mass arrest of activist workers, peasants, women, and media practitioners over the past few days in Bacolod, Escalante and Manila. Police arrested and detained more than 60 people belonging to various sectoral organizations. More than five children were also accosted. | The CPP condemns the statement issued by Malacañang which makes the patently false claim that the arrested activists in Bacolod City were members of th…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/11/2/condemn-…
Tell Argentina and Uruguay: There's Nothing Friendly About Israeli Apartheid
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-11-02
Tell Argentina and Uruguay: There's Nothing Friendly About Israeli Apartheid: Action AlertUrge Argentina and Uruguay national football teams to stand with Palestinian footballers and cancel the "friendly" match in apartheid Israel. Red Card IsraelNovember 2, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) …
bdsmovement.net/argentina-uruguay
'This charge is 100% false': Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal arrested months after reporting on Venezuelan opposition violence
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-10-28
The Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal has been arrested on false charges after reporting on Venezuelan opposition violence outside the DC…
thegrayzone.com/2019/10/28/this-charge-i…