Daily Archives: August 19, 2020

2020-08-19: News Headlines

RT (2020-08-19). Portland police identify suspect in BRUTAL assault by BLM mob (DISTURBING VIDEO). rt.com Portland police are searching for a Black Lives Matter protester who took a running kick at the head of a defenseless man, knocking him out after a group dragged the victim from his truck and made him sit in the street.

Menchie Caliboso and Vanessa Acosta (2020-08-19). This Op-Ed Can Get Us Arrested in the Philippines. zcomm.org What if state officials targeted people who shared an Instagram post criticizing the government for criminalizing the poor and not providing mass testing or economic relief?

Fight Back (2020-08-19). Tampa demands justice for Jonas Joseph, 'Community control now!'. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – Over 50 people rallied and marched through downtown Tampa August 15 to demand justice for Jonas Joseph, a 26-year-old Haitian-American man murdered by five Tampa Police Department officers after they fired 125 shots. The march was attended by the family of Jonas Joseph and members of the community and was hosted by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk Inc. | Jonas Joseph was murdered by Tampa officers the night of April 28 when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Police accounts of the events leading up to the shooting have changed numerous times…

KJSKDC (2020-08-19). Mayor Keller's Killer Cops: An Assessment of Court-Ordered Police Reform in Albuquerque. counterpunch.org Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller says the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is making progress at police reform, but you can't ask Albuquerque residents Ken Reiss and Jose Vallejos what they think about Keller's claims. APD officers killed them last week. Reiss, the co-owner of a beloved college-area dive bar in Albuquerque, wore a tattered ball cap

_____ (2020-08-18). 'What Happens If Julian Assange Dies In A British Prison?'. popularresistance.org For Assange however, justice delayed is not only justice denied. With global attention shifting from Wuhan to Washington, from Minneapolis to Lebanon, the father of two young children has spent another five months in incarceration without access to lawyers or family visitations. It follows what is approaching ten years of what the United Nations has repeatedly labeled arbitrary detention — the British government has so far failed to respond to three separate U.N. reports and correspondences on the matter. | Serena Tinari, a Switzerland-based investigative journalist, condemned Britain's handling of the case…

RT (2020-08-18). Rebel soldiers detain Mali president & PM as political crisis boils into mutiny (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Soldiers who have taken up arms in Mali have arrested the nation's top officials, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, sparking concerns in the UN and the African Union. | Keita's detention came after a period of uncertainty amid reports suggesting that soldiers mutinied at the Kati military base outside of the Malian capital of Bamako and arrested a number of senior military and civil officials, including several ministers. | Both the president and the prime minister are "at the hands" of the rebelling military, according to various sources both within the government and…

RT (2020-08-18). Democratic Convention rides on BLM momentum, putting George Floyd family front & center in moment of silence. rt.com On the first night of its national convention, the Democratic Party has sought to cash in on months of raging protests over police brutality to sell 2020 nominee Joe Biden, trotting out George Floyd's relatives at the event. | "George had a giving spirit, a spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation and around the world. People of all races, all ages, all genders, all backgrounds, peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity," said Philonise Floyd, the brother of the man slain by Minneapolis police in May, bringing in a moment of silence to honor the memory of "the many other souls we lost to…

news.un (2020-08-18). Mali: UN chief demands 'immediate and unconditional release' of President, cabinet members. news.un.org UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the rule of law in Mali, after mutinying troops arrested the country's leader and other senior officials on Tuesday.

teleSUR (2020-08-18). Mali: Military Forces Arrest President and Top Officials. telesurenglish.net Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, alongside other officials, were arrested on Tuesday by military forces following weeks of widespread protests against the government. | RELATED: | Local media outlets point at Colonel Malick Diaw and General Gen Sadio Camara as the alleged coup leaders. | The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the coup via Twi…

David Stovall (2020-08-18). Condemnations of Chicago "Looting" Prioritize Property Over Black Lives. zcomm.org Anti-Blackness alerts us that the state will always value property over Black life.

progressive (2020-08-18). Smoking Gun: Police Bias, in Black and White. progressive.org Recent police murders have drawn renewed attention to police brutality and racist violence.

_____ (2020-08-18). Jimmy Lai Arrested, And Long Live Hong Kong. popularresistance.org The 71-year-old Lai, originally from Mainland China, owns a right-wing tabloid Apple Daily. He is known for dutifully echoing media salvos that are being fired by Western governments and media outlets, salvos against Beijing, and SAR administration, which in turn gained him, in the West, of course, various flattering and unreal titles such as 'an outspoken pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong who regularly criticizes China's authoritarian rule' (CBS News). Lies, of course. Obvious lies.

Staff (2020-08-18). Susan B. Anthony Never Sought Anyone's Pardon, But Trump Did It Anyway. truthout.org President Donald Trump has announced plans to pardon Susan B. Anthony, a suffragist, who was charged for voting illegally in 1872. He announced the pardon at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote in 1920. | In November of 1872, Anthony persuaded election officials to allow her to vote in the presidential election. Shortly after, she was arrested — and, at her trial, was adamant that her crime was only unjust under "forms of law al…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-08-18). Watchdog Calls on Authorities to Drop 'Absurd' Charges Against Journalists Covering Black Lives Matter Protests. commondreams.org More than 600 attacks against members of the press covering the ongoing protests have been reported to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-08-17). Headlines for August 17, 2020. democracynow.org Pelosi Calls House Back from Recess as Outrage Mounts over Turmoil at USPS, AZ Teachers Halt School Reopening; COVID-19 Data Shows Devastating Effect on Latinx, Black People, New Zealand Postpones Election Amid COVID-19 Spike; Virus Compounds Disaster in Lebanon, Mass Protests Continue in Belarus Amid Reports of Torture in Jails, Student Protests in Thailand Swell, Demanding Democratic Reforms, 16 People Killed After Car Bomb Blast at Hotel in Somalia, At Least 6 People Killed as Protests Intensify in Ivory Coast, Trump Vows to Reinstate U.N. Sanctions Against Iran, Lawyers Say Guards at Immigration Jail "Systema…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-17). Following protests across the globe, Israel releases BDS activist Mahmoud Nawajaa. peoplesdispatch.org Following his release after 17 days in prison, Mahmoud Nawajaa called for the intensification of BDS campaigns "to bring to an end this system of apartheid and oppression and free all 4,700 Palestinian prisoners"

teleSUR (2020-08-17). El Salvador: Prosecutor's Office Arrests Ex Defense Ministers. telesurenglish.net In El Salvador, the Attorney General's Office confirmed that former Defense Ministers David Munguia and Jose Atilio were arrested on charges of illegal weaponry exchange. | RELATED: | Munguia and Atilio held office between 2009 and 2014 during President Mauricio Funes' administration. Three civilians, Hector Mejia, Manuel Romero, and Carlos Davidson were also captured. | Besides being a pharmaceutical…

WSWS (2020-08-17). This week in history: August 17-23. wsws.org 25 years ago: Mumia Abu-Jamal escapes death penalty Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Black Panther and broadcast journalist who had been on Pennsylvania's death row for over 13 years, narrowly escaped an execution scheduled for August 17, 1995 when his trial judge granted a stay.

Ella Fassler (2020-08-17). Cops Have Repeatedly Attacked and Obstructed Street Medics During BLM Rebellion. zcomm.org Dozens of reports of police arresting medics and destroying their property have arisen since the revolt began in late May. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, police assaulted medics at their tent in a Kmart parking lot on May 31.

Cassie Miller (2020-08-17). One Way To Counter the Far Right? Demilitarize the Police. splcenter.org In recent weeks, the blocks surrounding Portland's federal courthouse have turned into a battleground where armed federal troops emerge nightly to violently suppress protests against police brutality.

sputniknews (2020-08-17). US Cops Investigate Discovery of Skeletal Remains Inside Winter Coat in Vacant Home. sputniknews.com A potential homebuyer in Baltimore, Maryland, made a grisly discovery on Sunday when they arrived to tour a house and found a dead body inside wearing cold weather gear.

yenisafak (2020-08-17). Turkey arrests 26 suspects for FETàñ, PKK terror links. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces arrested 26 people for their suspected links to the PKK terror group and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETàñ) in southeastern Turkey, security sources said on Monday.Local counter-terrorism police in the Sirnak province nabbed suspects during anti-terror operations held on Aug. 10-16, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The suspects were sent to a local courthouse which released 13 of them. The legal procedures continue for the remaining suspects.FETàñ and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the July 15, 2…

Paul Buchheit (2020-08-17). What to Know When Someone Blames Black People for All the Riots. commondreams.org A protester wearing a mask holds a large black power raised fist in the middle of the crowd that gathered at Columbus Circle in New York City on June 14, 2020. (Photo: Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Loretta Graceffo (2020-08-17). Activist Voices Missing From Corporate Coverage of Uprisings. commondreams.org Protesters march through lower Manhattan over the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police on June 19, 2020. (Photo: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Tim Whitehouse (2020-08-17). Public Lands Are Key to Fighting Climate Change. commondreams.org Existing gas and oil development in the Plateau Creek Drainage, near where BLM leases were sold in December 2016 and December 2017, can be seen from an EcoFlight plane on June 25, 2018 near DeBeque, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2020-08-16). 3 cops shot at Cedar Park, Texas after gunman opens fire & barricades himself inside. rt.com Three police officers in Texas were shot in a hail of gunfire while responding to a call in Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin. The suspect barricaded himself into a house, taking hostages and refusing to leave for 18 hours. | The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon, around 3: 00 pm local time after police were called to a home off Natalia Cove in Cedar Park, a major Austin suburb with a population of about 80,000 people. | Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon said that the police received a tip from the suspect's mother, claiming that her son knocked down the door and was acting erratically. | Upon arriving at th…

RT (2020-08-16). At least 3 cops shot at Cedar Park, Texas after gunman opens fire & barricades himself inside. rt.com Three police officers in Texas have been shot after they were met with gunfire while responding to a call in Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin. There have been reports that the suspect, barricaded in a house, has taken hostages. | The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon, after police were called to a home off Natalia Cove in Cedar Park, a major Austin suburb with a population of about 80,000 people. | In the ensuing standoff, three responding police officers were shot, Cedar Park Police have confirmed. All three officers were taken to hospital and are in stable condition, Chief Mike Harmon reported, while advis…

RT (2020-08-16). Portland protesters hurl rocks at police on 80th night of BLM demonstrations, riot declared & 2 officers hospitalized (VIDEOS). rt.com The 80th night of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland turned violent, with police declaring yet another riot as demonstrators threw rocks and projectiles at officers and their vehicles. Police said two cops were hospitalized. | More than 200 people showed up to an anti-police brutality protest in East Portland on Saturday night. What began as peaceful demonstration later turned violent as protesters began moving into residential areas, throwing rocks and projectiles at police property and officers. | Portland Police eventually declared the demonstration a riot early on Sunday, arresting several people as t…

Movement for Black Lives (2020-08-16). Friday 8/28: 2020 Black National Convention Livestream (M4BL). indybay.org Online via livestream…

RT (2020-08-15). Navalny's regional organizer arrested as Khabarovsk protests enter sixth week. rt.com The Khabarovsk regional coordinator for Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny has been detained for participating in an unapproved demonstration, as crowds rallied for a sixth weekend in a row. | Alexey Vorsin, a regular fixture at Khabarovsk protests, was Khabarovsk residents have been protesting every day since July 11, after hugely popular regional governor Sergey Furgal was arrested on suspicion of ordering t…

Karen Conner (2020-08-15). The Same Racist Rhetoric Used To Oppose D.C. Statehood Keeps The Federal Government Dysfunctional. cepr.net Talking Points Memo See article on original site The House's passage of legislation approving D.C. statehood in late June marked a milestone in the political struggle for full enfranchisement of the district, which, until recently, was a majority African-American city, and would become America's most predominantly African-American state. The bill, passed largely along party lines, …

Gary Olson (2020-08-15). White Allies For Black Lives Matter. dissidentvoice.org We're now emerging from an intense period of racial justice protests that began after the killing of George Floyd. It was exhilarating and pride-inspiring to witness the multitudes in the Lehigh Valley (Pa) who "took it to the streets" on behalf of racial equality, especially the waves of Black and white young people. According to …

WSWS (2020-08-15). Infiltration of US protests against police brutality used to delegitimize demonstrations, undermine democratic rights. wsws.org Police infiltration of protests has a renewed significance at a time when democratic rights have been stretched to the point of breaking.

Staff (2020-08-15). Confederate Monument Protests Gain Momentum in Small Alabama Town. truthout.org This year cities across the nation erupted in outrage as the stories of police brutality garnered national attention. News coverage of nationwide demonstrations forms a grim mosaic, documenting the trials and tribulations of protesting oppressive institutions: streets flooded with protesters, seas of signs with harrowing messages, street brawls among opposing protesters, and police retaliation, complete with tear gas and rubber bullets. The national conversation surrounding the U.S.'s roots in systemic…

Common Dreams staff (2020-08-15). 'Go Home, Racists!': BLM Counterprotesters Shout Down White Nationalists in Stone Mountain, Georgia. commondreams.org "Hundreds of workers from across Georgia took a stand against racism and won." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…