(2021-10-06). "Becoming Abolitionists": Derecka Purnell on Why Police Reform Is Not Enough to Protect Black Lives. democracynow.org 
Derecka Purnell draws from her experience as a human rights lawyer in her new book, published this month, "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom," to argue that police reform is an inadequate compromise to calls for abolition. Since the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville in 2020, many states have passed laws aimed at reforming police, but congressional talks at the federal level have broken down. Purnell reflects upon her personal journey as a Black woman who believed in police reform before pivoting to abolition, saying, "I became a part of soci…
(2021-10-05). New Study Shows More Than Half of Police Killings Have Gone Uncounted Since 1980. truthout.org 
New research appears to confirm what Black Lives Matter activists and abolitionist organizers have said for years: There is a crisis of police-perpetrated killings in the United States that has gone underreported for decades, and people of color (and Black people especially) are most at risk. | Deadly police violence has long been a major public health crisis, but an estimated 17,000 deaths from police violence were misclassified in federal public health data over the past four decades, a…
(2021-10-05). Russian Communist leader warns Putin that police 'brutality' & controversial online voting are 'bomb' waiting to 'blow up' society. rt.com 
The leader of Russia's Communists has written an open letter to President Vladimir Putin bemoaning the arrests of his comrades and what he sees as the "unjustified brutality" of the police, warning that trouble may lie ahead. | In the missive, published on the party's official website, Gennady Zyuganov complained about the detentions of Communists following protests on September 20 and 25. He described the arrests as "groundless" and "unlawful." | Last month, the party organized two demonstrations against the results of September's parliamentary election, which, for the first time, was held over multiple days.
(2021-10-05). The Brutality of Denying Water to Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-05). Activists Call For End To 'Death By Incarceration'. popularresistance.org The activists held a press conference and rally in Philadelphia Sept. 30 to promote SB835, introduced by a bipartisan group of legislators. If passed, the state bill would offer geriatric and medical parole for anyone, aged 55 years or older, who has served 25 years or half their sentence, whichever comes first. | The bill would offer incarcerated people with a chronic medical condition — either a physical or mental illness — a chance at parole. Currently, an incarcerated person in Pennsylvania needs to petition their sentencing judge to qualify for compassionate release. And they need a doctor to con…
(2021-10-05). Lawyer-Organizer Tiffany Roberts: Atlanta Politicians Are Using Mass Incarceration Rhetoric, Approve $90 Million For 'Cop City'. moguldom.com The Atlanta City Council recently approved $90 million in funding to build a massive police training facility dubbed "Cop City," and local community activists including criminal defense and civil rights attorney Tiffany Roberts aren't too happy. There had been significant pushback against funding and building the facility. Still, on Sept. 8, the city council voted …