(2020-08-20). Abolitionist Derecka Purnell on Historic Kamala Harris VP Pick & Why Black Progressives Feel Torn. democracynow.org 
As Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket, many Black progressive women remain ambivalent, says Derecka Purnell, a human rights lawyer, abolitionist and columnist for The Guardian newspaper. "It's just unfortunate that you have to protect someone because of their identity … while at the same time if you care about the masses of Black people, the masses of poor people, the masses of immigrants in this country, you know that you have to speak truth and be honest about their record," Purnell says.
(2020-08-20). Biden's Headquarters Rents A Fence To Stop The Poor People's Army. popularresistance.org Cheri Honkala is a founder and coordinator of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) . We spoke after she was arrested outside Biden campaign headquarters on the opening day of the virtual Democratic National Convention. | Ann Garrison: I see you marched from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to Biden's Philly headquarters and got arrested yesterday. What did you do to once again menace the foundation of our American institutions? | Cheri Honkala: We challenged American institutions by saying they shouldn't be run by corporations.
(2020-08-20). Before Kamala Harris, There Was Charlotta Bass: Remembering 1st Black Woman to Run for VP in 1952. democracynow.org 
Senator Kamala Harris is the first Indian American and first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket, but, as many historians have noted, Harris is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That distinction belongs to the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass, who was the editor of The California Eagle for nearly 30 years, one of the country's oldest Black newspapers, which covered women's suffrage, police brutality, the Klu Klux Klan, and discriminatory hiring and housing practices. Bass joined the Progressive Party ticket in 1952 on an antiracist platform tha…
(2020-08-20). Global South Calls For Sanctions On Apartheid Israel. popularresistance.org Israel's decades-old regime of apartheid and theft of Palestinian land is continuing unabated. Reports that Israel is "suspending" formal annexation are a smokescreen for continued colonisation and piecemeal ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians. | Around the world, advocates for justice are pushing back.The Global South response, initiated by South African civil society, brings together notable figures, intellectuals, policy makers, civil society leaders and experts from Africa, Latin America and Asia, in a joint effort to promote lawful sanctions on Israel to end its decades-old oppression of the Palestin…
(2020-08-20). Racists outnumbered at Stone Mountain. liberationnews.org 
This summer of mass protests against police brutality and the brutality of this capitalist system more broadly has stirred up a predictable reaction from the far-right, leading several of Georgia's most notorious racists to plan an Aug. 15 march up Stone Mountain, about 30 minutes east of Atlanta, to prove the vitality of the racist …
(2020-08-20). Prisoners' lives matter! 'Inmates cannot social distance'. workers.org 
Makinni Iyapo By Makini Iyapo This edited talk was given at an Aug. 13 Workers World Party webinar, "From Black August to Black Lives Matter," hosted by the WWP Prisoners Solidarity Committee. I am so honored to be here, in the company of people of like minds. I feel rejuvenated . . . |
(2020-08-20). Steve Bannon & 3 others ARRESTED, charged with border wall fundraiser fraud. rt.com 
Former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon, triple-amputee Air Force vet Brian Kolfage and two others have been arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors with their 'We Build the Wall' online fundraiser. | Bannon, Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea are accused of scamming over $25 million under the guise of raising funds to build a wall on the US' southern border with Mexico in an indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court. | While donors to the crowdfunding campaign were told Kolfage, the public face of We Build the Wall, "would not be paid a cent," the quartet a…
(2020-08-20). Ex-White House adviser Steve Bannon arrested over border wall fundraising scheme. thecanary.co 
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has been arrested on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme called We Build The Wall.The charges were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.Federal prosecutors alleged that Bannon and three others "orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors" in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $25m (£19m) to build a wall along the southern border of the United States.A spokesperson for Bannon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Steve Bannon l…
(2020-08-20). Sister 'sickened' by police actions in 'I'll choke you out' arrest video. thecanary.co 
A woman has said she was sickened by footage of her brother being arrested while being told "chill out or I'll choke you out" by a police officer.A West Yorkshire officer has been suspended after a video was widely shared of Hassan Ahmed, 27, being arrested in Halifax on Sunday.His sister Safyah, who did not wish to give her surname, joined around 100 people for a demonstration outside Halifax police station on Wednesday afternoon.Hassan Ahmed's sister Safyah joined around 100 people for a demonstration outside Halifax police station (Dave Higgens/PA)She said of her brother's arrest: "It was a total abuse of powe…
(2020-08-20). Zambian Socialist Party Secretary General Cosmas Musumali released from detention. peoplesdispatch.org Musumali was arrested along with nearly 30 other party workers while conducting a meeting. With the parliamentary elections only a month away, the ruling Patriotic Front has been cracking down on mobilizations and meetings by the opposition…
(2020-08-20). A bullet lodged next to my son's heart. zcomm.org I have lived my entire life under Israeli occupation. Generations of my family have fought against Israel's violent apartheid…
(2020-08-20). Green Bay police videos prompt march for Black lives. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – On August 14, more than 30 community members gathered at Brown County Courthouse to protest the recent 'public service' videos put out by the Green Bay Police Department. The third video, titled "Hands Up, Don't Shoot," is particularly offensive. The videos are meant to portray change, while no actual change takes place, and a murderer, Officer Erik O'Brien, remains employed. | In fact, GBPD promoted O'Brien to sergeant after he murdered Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida man, on October 19, 2018. Police Chief Andrew Smith publicly defends O'Brien, while making comments that compare Jonathon Tubby's…
(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
(2020-08-19). Goodyear backpedals on diversity virtue-signaling after Trump calls for boycott — but it's too late. rt.com 
Tire maker Goodyear is scrambling to do damage control after a leaked diversity-training slide suggested it'd fallen in with Black Lives Matter corporate virtue brigade, triggering calls for a boycott from President Donald Trump. | The company attempted to distance itself from the offending slide — which warned of "zero tolerance" for Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats or slogans such as "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter," while deeming "Black Lives Matter" and LGBT pride attire acceptable — in a frantic tweet on Wednesday. | Cautioning that the slide had "created some misconceptions about…
(2020-08-19). The Supreme Court Dropped The Ball On The Right To Protest. popularresistance.org In recent months, US cities have seen widespread protests denouncing police brutality against unarmed Black people. Local and national law enforcement agencies, responding to crowds of unprecedented size and scale, relied on methods that were equally unprecedented. For more than 30 years, the Supreme Court has failed to take up a freedom-of-assembly case. As a result, this fundamental constitutional right is in sore need of an update, such as a ruling that would protect protesters from the unduly harsh police response that has become all too common as a response to demonstrations in recent years. | The First Amen…
(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?
(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…
(2020-08-19). $16.5M Settlement Reached In Class-Action Lawsuit Over Mass Arrests. popularresistance.org A $16.5-million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit over mass arrests at the 2010 G20 summit. | The agreement comes after 10 years of court proceedings and negotiations between the Toronto Police Services Board and representatives for about 1,100 people who were arrested during the summit. | Under the settlement, those arrested will each be entitled to compensation between $5,000 and $24,700, depending on their experiences. | The deal also includes a public acknowledgment by police regarding the mass arrests and the conditions in which protestors where detained, as well as a commitment to changi…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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… …
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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… …