Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-19: News Headlines

Tony Murphy (2020-12-19). Cops and landlords go hand-in-hand in New York City. workers.org WW PHOTO: Tony Murphy With the looming Jan. 31 expiration of the federal ban on evictions — and landlords already evicting tenants — protests, stoop defense and militant housing actions are spreading. In Brooklyn, a Dec. 11 downtown protest that began at housing court made the just demand to stop . . . |

Jane Cutter (2020-12-19). Houseless people, supporters mount resistance to 'sweep' in Seattle. liberationnews.org In the early hours of Dec. 18, heavily armed officers of the Seattle Police Department carried out a "sweep" of a homeless camp in Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Liberation News witnessed several brutal arrests of people on 11th St. just outside the park, in which numerous cops dogpiled onto arrestees, placing …

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-19). Ten years on, hopes of 'Arab Spring' snuffed out. zcomm.org Ten years after the Arab Spring, there is little to celebrate. Great hopes have been set aside. Old cynicisms have returned, the cynicisms of arms deals and of energy deals, the cynicism of brutality…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

MEE staff (2020-12-18). New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist'. middleeasteye.net New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist' | Newspaper says award-winning 2018 series failed to meet its standards for accuracy after main subject arrested in Canada on hoax terrorism charge | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 13: 50 | Rukmini Callimachi (R) and Andy Mills pose with the New York Times' 2018 Peabody Award for 'Caliphate' (AFP) | The New York Times admitted on Friday that its award-w…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-12-18). As Pandemic Rages On, Analysis Finds 1 in 5 People in US Prisons Infected With Covid-19. commondreams.org The new data follow the ACLU's warning that America's "unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of Covid-19." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Steve Martinot (2020-12-18). The Killing Just Keeps Going On. counterpunch.org It is a Monday in late November, 2020, and I catch Amy Goodman ("Democracy Now") looking back on the weekend. A couple of months have passed since the massive demonstrations against police brutality, people shaking governments by the collar demanding that the pointless wanton arbitrary killing of black people stop. Organizations had formed and the

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

Staff (2020-12-17). This is how far cops will go to stop you from recording them. therealnews.com The arrest of citizen journalist James Freeman shows the extreme measures police in Arizona are taking to block the public from documenting routine police work and hide it from scrutiny.

John Wojcik (2020-12-17). Video shows Chicago cops terrorizing Black social worker in her home. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—Video finally released after almost two years shows police in Chicago terrorizing an innocent Black woman social worker who had just undressed in her home after a long day on her job of two years. Brandishing a completely baseless search warrant which was itself issued under highly questionable circumstances, they burst into her home as …

G. Dunkel (2020-12-17). Car hits anti-ICE march in New York Cit. workers.org New York Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, there have been at least 100 car attacks on protesters in the U.S. Most recently, in Manhattan near 39th St. and Third Ave., a car plowed at high speed through a group of protesters on Dec. 12. . . . |

Fight Back (2020-12-17). People of Milwaukee defeat the COPS grant. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On December 15, the Milwaukee Common Council, after a backlash from the people, voted no on approving a grant that would give the Milwaukee Police Department $10 million. The grant would be given through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with the expectation that Milwaukee Police Department would carry out tasks through a federal program called Operation Legend. Operation Legend's stated purpose is to cut down on violence in cities. The reality is that Operation Legend is terrorizing oppressed nationality neighborhoods. | The defeat of the COPS grant was only possible through…

teleSUR (2020-12-17). MLB Rights Wrong By Reclassifying Negro Leagues as Major League. telesurenglish.net Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. reported that the seven Negro Leagues received Major League status along with the 3,400 players who competed between 1920 and 1948. | The Negro Leagues brought together African-American athletes who have been recognized for their sports performance and also as bulwarks of resistance against racial segregation. | RELATED: | Manfred noted that dark-skinned players wer…

Alan Macleod (2020-12-16). New Report Details the Shocking Growth of the Prison Exploitation Across the US. mintpressnews.com "This report is really hoping to unveil the prison industry, the government and corporate actors who are exploiting the fact that they have been in the shadows," — Bianca Tylek, Founder of Worth Rises…

splcenter (2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.

2020-12-18: News Headlines

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Steve Martinot (2020-12-18). The Killing Just Keeps Going On. counterpunch.org It is a Monday in late November, 2020, and I catch Amy Goodman ("Democracy Now") looking back on the weekend. A couple of months have passed since the massive demonstrations against police brutality, people shaking governments by the collar demanding that the pointless wanton arbitrary killing of black people stop. Organizations had formed and the

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

John Wojcik (2020-12-17). Video shows Chicago cops terrorizing Black social worker in her home. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—Video finally released after almost two years shows police in Chicago terrorizing an innocent Black woman social worker who had just undressed in her home after a long day on her job of two years. Brandishing a completely baseless search warrant which was itself issued under highly questionable circumstances, they burst into her home as …

Staff (2020-12-17). This is how far cops will go to stop you from recording them. therealnews.com The arrest of citizen journalist James Freeman shows the extreme measures police in Arizona are taking to block the public from documenting routine police work and hide it from scrutiny.

G. Dunkel (2020-12-17). Car hits anti-ICE march in New York Cit. workers.org New York Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, there have been at least 100 car attacks on protesters in the U.S. Most recently, in Manhattan near 39th St. and Third Ave., a car plowed at high speed through a group of protesters on Dec. 12. . . . |

Fight Back (2020-12-17). People of Milwaukee defeat the COPS grant. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On December 15, the Milwaukee Common Council, after a backlash from the people, voted no on approving a grant that would give the Milwaukee Police Department $10 million. The grant would be given through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with the expectation that Milwaukee Police Department would carry out tasks through a federal program called Operation Legend. Operation Legend's stated purpose is to cut down on violence in cities. The reality is that Operation Legend is terrorizing oppressed nationality neighborhoods. | The defeat of the COPS grant was only possible through…

teleSUR (2020-12-17). MLB Rights Wrong By Reclassifying Negro Leagues as Major League. telesurenglish.net Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. reported that the seven Negro Leagues received Major League status along with the 3,400 players who competed between 1920 and 1948. | The Negro Leagues brought together African-American athletes who have been recognized for their sports performance and also as bulwarks of resistance against racial segregation. | RELATED: | Manfred noted that dark-skinned players wer…

MEE staff (2020-12-16). Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. middleeasteye.net Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul | Terrorism court judge says verdict and possible sentencing in Hathloul's case may be expected as early as Monday | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 20: 45 | Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 alongside at least a dozen other women activists (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's state prosecutor is seeking the maximum possible ja…

Alan Macleod (2020-12-16). New Report Details the Shocking Growth of the Prison Exploitation Across the US. mintpressnews.com "This report is really hoping to unveil the prison industry, the government and corporate actors who are exploiting the fact that they have been in the shadows," — Bianca Tylek, Founder of Worth Rises…

splcenter (2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-16). Three peasant leaders arbitrarily detained in Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org Three well-known peasant and social leaders were arrested by officials of the National Police and the Attorney General's office in the last 24 hours in Colombia. At around 3am on December 16, peasant leader Robert Daza was arrested in the municipality of Pasto in the southwest department of Nariño. Less than 12 hours before his arrest, at around 5pm on December 15, Teófilo Acuña was arrested in the municipality Barranco de Loba of the Bolívar department, and Adelso Gallo was detained in the city of Villavicencio in the department of Meta. | Daza, Acuña and Gallo are all spokespersons of the Agrarian, Peasant, Eth…

WSWS (2020-12-16). Police arrested more than 117 journalists in the US in 2020. wsws.org The mass multiracial anti-police violence protests that erupted over the summer were met by brutal repression, with police forces across the country taking particular aim at intimidating and silencing journalists.

_____ (2020-12-16). Latin American Academics Endorse Boycott Of Complicit Israeli Academic Institutions. popularresistance.org In their statement, the signatories commit not to participate in any type of academic exchange or cooperation with or accept funding from complicit Israeli institutions or the State of Israel. In addition, they call on Latin American universities to suspend cooperation with complicit Israeli institutions, until Israel respects the UN- sanctioned political and human rights of the Palestinian people. | The boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions was initiated in 2004 and later became a key part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel's occupation and apartheid regime. It wa…

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

2020-12-17: News Headlines

Workers World Party (2020-12-17). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

John Wojcik (2020-12-17). Video shows Chicago cops terrorizing Black social worker in her home. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—Video finally released after almost two years shows police in Chicago terrorizing an innocent Black woman social worker who had just undressed in her home after a long day on her job of two years. Brandishing a completely baseless search warrant which was itself issued under highly questionable circumstances, they burst into her home as …

Fight Back (2020-12-17). Green Bay, WI: Body cams for cops now required, struggle for justice for Jonathon Tubby continues. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – On the evening of December 15, the Green Bay City Council voted unanimously to require the Green Bay Police Department to wear body cameras while on duty, part of a $2.5 million overhaul to the department over five years. This comes over two years after Jonathon Tubby of the Oneida Nation was shot five times in the sally port of the GBPD building, murdered by Officer Erik O'Brien while he laid on the ground, handcuffed, pepper sprayed, and restrained by a police dog. The implementation of a body camera policy for officers of the GBPD is a win for the family of Jonathon as it was one of the primary…

MEE staff (2020-12-16). Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. middleeasteye.net Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul | Terrorism court judge says verdict and possible sentencing in Hathloul's case may be expected as early as Monday | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 20: 45 | Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 alongside at least a dozen other women activists (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's state prosecutor is seeking the maximum possible ja…

Alan Macleod (2020-12-16). New Report Details the Shocking Growth of the Prison Exploitation Across the US. mintpressnews.com "This report is really hoping to unveil the prison industry, the government and corporate actors who are exploiting the fact that they have been in the shadows," — Bianca Tylek, Founder of Worth Rises…

splcenter (2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.

WSWS (2020-12-16). Police arrested more than 117 journalists in the US in 2020. wsws.org The mass multiracial anti-police violence protests that erupted over the summer were met by brutal repression, with police forces across the country taking particular aim at intimidating and silencing journalists.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-16). Three peasant leaders arbitrarily detained in Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org Three well-known peasant and social leaders were arrested by officials of the National Police and the Attorney General's office in the last 24 hours in Colombia. At around 3am on December 16, peasant leader Robert Daza was arrested in the municipality of Pasto in the southwest department of Nariño. Less than 12 hours before his arrest, at around 5pm on December 15, Teófilo Acuña was arrested in the municipality Barranco de Loba of the Bolívar department, and Adelso Gallo was detained in the city of Villavicencio in the department of Meta. | Daza, Acuña and Gallo are all spokespersons of the Agrarian, Peasant, Eth…

Staff (2020-12-16). COVID Cases in Prisons and ICE Immigration Jails Surpass 250,000. truthout.org The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate and largest systems for locking people up. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began, experts and advocates warned the virus would be amplified by prisons and jails, where social distancing is impossible, ventilation is often poor and people are more likely to have underserved medical needs. | The virus, they warned, would spread quickly both inside and beyond prison walls. They were right. | As new cases and deaths surge nationwide, the combined n…

_____ (2020-12-16). Latin American Academics Endorse Boycott Of Complicit Israeli Academic Institutions. popularresistance.org In their statement, the signatories commit not to participate in any type of academic exchange or cooperation with or accept funding from complicit Israeli institutions or the State of Israel. In addition, they call on Latin American universities to suspend cooperation with complicit Israeli institutions, until Israel respects the UN- sanctioned political and human rights of the Palestinian people. | The boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions was initiated in 2004 and later became a key part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel's occupation and apartheid regime. It wa…

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Haymarket Books (2020-12-15). Wednesday 12/16: The Legacy of Police Violence Against the Black Panthers to the Attica Uprising. indybay.org Online event…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-15). 'On the Verge of Global Vaccine Apartheid': Rich Countries Hoard Supplies as Poorest Left Out. commondreams.org Global public health officials fear that the push for international solidarity "has mostly been lost" as the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe has claimed a vast majority of the available vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

2020-12-16: News Headlines

Alan Macleod (2020-12-16). New Report Details the Shocking Growth of the Prison Exploitation Across the US. mintpressnews.com "This report is really hoping to unveil the prison industry, the government and corporate actors who are exploiting the fact that they have been in the shadows," — Bianca Tylek, Founder of Worth Rises…

MEE staff (2020-12-16). Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. middleeasteye.net Saudi prosecutor seeks 20 years in prison for women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul | Terrorism court judge says verdict and possible sentencing in Hathloul's case may be expected as early as Monday | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 20: 45 | Loujain al-Hathloul was arrested in May 2018 alongside at least a dozen other women activists (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's state prosecutor is seeking the maximum possible ja…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-16). Three peasant leaders arbitrarily detained in Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org Three well-known peasant and social leaders were arrested by officials of the National Police and the Attorney General's office in the last 24 hours in Colombia. At around 3am on December 16, peasant leader Robert Daza was arrested in the municipality of Pasto in the southwest department of Nariño. Less than 12 hours before his arrest, at around 5pm on December 15, Teófilo Acuña was arrested in the municipality Barranco de Loba of the Bolívar department, and Adelso Gallo was detained in the city of Villavicencio in the department of Meta. | Daza, Acuña and Gallo are all spokespersons of the Agrarian, Peasant, Eth…

_____ (2020-12-16). Latin American Academics Endorse Boycott Of Complicit Israeli Academic Institutions. popularresistance.org In their statement, the signatories commit not to participate in any type of academic exchange or cooperation with or accept funding from complicit Israeli institutions or the State of Israel. In addition, they call on Latin American universities to suspend cooperation with complicit Israeli institutions, until Israel respects the UN- sanctioned political and human rights of the Palestinian people. | The boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions was initiated in 2004 and later became a key part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel's occupation and apartheid regime. It wa…

Staff (2020-12-16). COVID Cases in Prisons and ICE Immigration Jails Surpass 250,000. truthout.org The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate and largest systems for locking people up. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began, experts and advocates warned the virus would be amplified by prisons and jails, where social distancing is impossible, ventilation is often poor and people are more likely to have underserved medical needs. | The virus, they warned, would spread quickly both inside and beyond prison walls. They were right. | As new cases and deaths surge nationwide, the combined n…

John Pilger (2020-12-15). The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War. counterpunch.org In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Fight Back (2020-12-15). Jacksonville rallies for justice for Devon Gregory and community control of the police. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – On December 11, activists both locally and nationally joined the family of Devon Gregory, an 18-year-old Black man shot 35 times by four Jacksonville Sheriff's officers, in a day of action for Devon. | Earlier that day at around 11 a.m., Gregory's family was joined by their attorney, Kevin O'Conner, and organizers from various groups for a press conference on the steps of city hall. | The demands were for a federal investigation of the case, as well as an end to protections for killer cops that are currently in the Florida Officers' Bill of Rights, so that evidence such as the remaining body ca…

Haymarket Books (2020-12-15). Wednesday 12/16: The Legacy of Police Violence Against the Black Panthers to the Attica Uprising. indybay.org Online event…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-15). 'On the Verge of Global Vaccine Apartheid': Rich Countries Hoard Supplies as Poorest Left Out. commondreams.org Global public health officials fear that the push for international solidarity "has mostly been lost" as the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe has claimed a vast majority of the available vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

WSWS (2020-12-14). Hundreds protest in Columbus, Ohio to demand justice for Casey Goodson, victim of police shooting. wsws.org More than 200 protesters gathered in front of the state capitol on Saturday to demand justice for the 23-year-old African-American man gunned down by a sheriff's deputy on December 4.

teleSUR (2020-12-14). US Implements Enforcement Measures on Two Iranian Officials. telesurenglish.net The US Department of the Treasury (US) published on Monday a communiqué in which it revealed the application of unilateral coercive measures against two high officials of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security of Iran (MOIS), for the alleged "kidnapping and detention" of the ex-agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Robert A. "Bob" Levinson. | RELATED: | The US entity detailed that Levinson was allegedly arrested on March 9 2007 on Kish…

The Canary (2020-12-13). Dozens arrested in Paris protest against new security law. thecanary.co Police in Paris have arrested dozens of people during a tense demonstration against a proposed security law.Arrests: Officers targeted protesters who they suspected might gather in violent groups, like those who vandalised shops and vehicles at previous demonstrations. The interior minister said 81 people had been arrested on Saturday 12 December.The proposed new law has sparked successive weekends of protests (Lewis Joly/AP)Riot police escorted the march through the streets of the French capital.The proposed security law has been met by successive weekends of protests. The most contested measure in the ne…