By JEFF MACKLER Edward Snowden, renowned for his 2013 exposure of all pervasive U.S. government Internet and telephone spying on virtually all Americans, if not the entire world (no exaggeration), has once again blown the cover off corporate America’s collaboration with the nation’s top super-spy entity, the National Security Administration (NSA). Snowden’s most recent revelations—once … Continue reading Snowden exposes new NSA spying
Category: Police & FBI
Cops dispense racially defined “justice”
By JOE AUCIELLO “In my career, my only training in the Constitution was how to get around it,” (Sue Rahr, former sheriff, executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, and member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing). Drivers on their way to work, zipping by one of the predominantly … Continue reading Cops dispense racially defined “justice”
Newark: The Million People’s March
March against police brutality, racial injustice, and economic inequality: Saturday, July 25, 12 noon. The march begins at the Lincoln Monument, Springfield Ave. & W. Market St., Newark, N.J. Below are articles about the march by Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, and Glen Ford, executive editor of Black Agenda Report: By … Continue reading Newark: The Million People’s March
‘Little has changed in the ghetto’
By BILL ONASCH The following commentary was posted in early May at kclabor.org/wordpress. “Baltimore: We Have Been Here Before”—that is the title of a perceptive piece by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Of course, every such uprising like the one sparked by the death of Freddie Gray while in custody of the Baltimore police has some … Continue reading ‘Little has changed in the ghetto’
Malcolm X’s ideas still important today
By ERA BURKE The following remarks by Socialist Action member Era Burke were presented at an April 24 Bay Area Socialist Action public forum at the Niebyl Proctor Library in Oakland, Calif., entitled, "Revolutionaries past and present: Their relevance today from Malcolm X, on the 50th anniversary of his murder, to Mumia Abu-Jamal, on his … Continue reading Malcolm X’s ideas still important today
Baltimore protests bring victory — for now
By JOE AUCIELLO Following the death of Freddie Gray, who died from a spinal injury sustained while in Baltimore police custody, almost three weeks of daily protests and marches—plus some incidents of arson and looting—finally culminated in a real and unanticipated break from “business as usual.” This does not refer to the first major league … Continue reading Baltimore protests bring victory — for now
Outrage in Baltimore over Gray murder
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Baltimore has become a symbol of rebellion against the rampant police brutality, racism, and poverty that pervades America’s cities. In late April, Maryland’s governor called in the National Guard, and Baltimore’s mayor imposed a “state of emergency” over the city as protesters clashed with police. Outraged citizens, mainly youth, filled the streets … Continue reading Outrage in Baltimore over Gray murder
The American gulag: A call to action
By RALPH SCHOENMAN The following talk was given via Skype at a Feb. 20 meeting at St. Peter’s Church in New York City, called to celebrate the first anniversary of the release of civil-liberties attorney Lynne Stewart from prison. Ralph Schoenman is the past general secretary of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and a frequent … Continue reading The American gulag: A call to action
Does Tsarnev deserve the death penalty?
By JOE AUCIELLO — BOSTON — “I don’t favor the death penalty, but this case makes me question my beliefs.” “Give ‘im what he deserves—the electric chair!” “There is no way this guy ought to live.” “Let him get the most gruesome death possible.” These are a sample of the comments readily heard in Boston … Continue reading Does Tsarnev deserve the death penalty?
Visit with Mumia
By WADIYA JAMAL — With Great Pride — April 11, 2015 — On Thursday April 9, 2015 I visited my husband Mumia Abu-Jamal at SCI Mahanoy, with Rachel Wolkenstein my lawyer and sister. I had seen Mumia in the ICU at the hospital, where he was sitting upright, hand cuffed to a chair. I saw … Continue reading Visit with Mumia
Madison cop kills Black youth
By CARL SACK MADISON, Wis.—On March 6, police officer Matthew Kenney shot and killed 19-year-old Tony Terrell Robinson. The case has galvanized the Black community here and shaken Madison’s self-image as a socially aware, progressive city. Robinson, a recent high school graduate with plans to attend business school, was identified by police as a Black … Continue reading Madison cop kills Black youth
Mumia Abu-Jamal in hospital ICU
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER — UPDATED APRIL 6 — Supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal are on emergency alert concerning his deteriorated health. Protests have been held around the world demanding that prison authorities grant Mumia his right to proper medical treatment. On March 30, Mumia fainted in prison and was taken to the Schuylkill Medical … Continue reading Mumia Abu-Jamal in hospital ICU
Who killed Brandon Tate-Brown?
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Why did Philadelphia cops kill Brandon Tate-Brown? Why did police pull over his car, since he had committed no crime? And what were the names of the officers who shot the young Black man? His mother, Tanya Brown-Dickerson, has been searching for answers. “Brandon was a beautiful and spirited young man,” Brown … Continue reading Who killed Brandon Tate-Brown?
‘Advantages’ of CIA torture?
BY JEFF MACKLER While mass murder via “legally approved” wars remains the weapon of choice of today’s imperial conquerors—especially the United States—torture, conducted properly and legally and with the help of modern science, does have its advantages. Or so we are given to understand. The forme moderne now practiced by the CIA and defined as … Continue reading ‘Advantages’ of CIA torture?
MLK Day of Resistance
MLK-Day of Action, Resistance, and Empowerment (MLK-D.A.R.E.) is organizing a march in Philadelphia on Jan. 19. The broad-based coalition hopes to “reclaim” Martin Luther King Day with a focus on political action. The demands of the march are: a $15 minimum wage and the right to a union; an end to the police department’s “stop and … Continue reading MLK Day of Resistance
Militarized police aimed at Black America
By MARTY GOODMAN The military weapons we saw on display in Ferguson, Mo., are part of the militarization of police forces across the U.S. Its roots began with the SWAT teams under Democrat Lyndon Johnson, whose war of extermination against the Black Panther Party was continued under Republican Richard Nixon. As Michelle Alexander explains in … Continue reading Militarized police aimed at Black America
Mumia Abu-Jamal: Making torture legal
By MUMIA ABU-JAMAL In the week of the Senate Intelligence Select Committee’s report on CIA torture of terror suspects, we’re reminded how little Americans know about how the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency rolls in the real world. Predictably, the 500-page summary of a 6700-page report erupted into a political and media firestorm. Networks and cable … Continue reading Mumia Abu-Jamal: Making torture legal
Outrage at racist grand jury decisions
By MARTY GOODMAN — NEW YORK, Dec. 4 — The horror of Ferguson was repeated on Dec. 3 when a 23-person grand jury in Staten Island, N.Y., failed to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Black man. The cause of death was ruled a homicide by chokehold by the … Continue reading Outrage at racist grand jury decisions
Mumia speaks on Ferguson
By MUMIA ABU-JAMAL Like a fever, the news broke. But unlike a fever, it brought no relief. For the news, from the perspective of the national Black community, wasn’t good. The 12-member grand jury in Ferguson, investigating the killing of a Black teenager, Mike Brown, returned with “no true bill,” legalese for no charges, no … Continue reading Mumia speaks on Ferguson
Lessons of Ferguson
By CLAY WADENA As of press time for Socialist Action newspaper, the grand jury investigating Michael Brown’s death at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson has still not issued its decision. The grand jury is made up of six white men, three white women, two African-American women, and one African-American man. Nine out of the … Continue reading Lessons of Ferguson
Anti-Mumia gag law protested
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Since Mumia Abu-Jamal was railroaded to death row on false charges of killing a Philadelphia police officer 33 years ago, he has won acclaim for his eight books and thousands of articles and radio commentaries. Known as the “voice of the voiceless,” Mumia has become one of the foremost progressive political essayists … Continue reading Anti-Mumia gag law protested
Mumia speaks on new prisoner gag law
Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal gave the commencement speech Oct. 5 at Goddard College, where he earned his degree, at the invitation of the graduating students. Mumia prerecorded the speech from his prison cell. The ceremony was moved forward three hours to avoid threatened disruption resulting from from police efforts to silence Mumia. Immediately following Mumia’s … Continue reading Mumia speaks on new prisoner gag law
Michael Brown lives on in the movement!
By CLAY WADENA The United States is moving closer and closer to a period of reckoning in regard to centuries of racist exploitation, oppression, and murder. The young Michael Brown, whose life was taken on Aug. 9 by Ferguson police, haunts the dreams of those who wish to beautify, hide, and deny the brutal treatment … Continue reading Michael Brown lives on in the movement!
All out for Michael Brown!
By CLAY WADENA “I don’t have a gun, stop shooting!” — Michael Brown, Rest In Power, killed by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer on Aug. 9. Unarmed, Michael had already been shot in the back once when—according to witnesses—he turned around, raised his arms in the air to surrender, and pleaded for his life. Brown, … Continue reading All out for Michael Brown!
‘It stops today!’ — Eric Garner, NYPD victim
By CLAY WADENA “Every time you see me you want to mess with me. I’m tired of it. It stops today! I’m minding my business, please just leave me alone.” — Eric Garner, Rest In Power, killed by NYPD July 17, 2014. Eric Garner’s last words ring with righteous anger, disgust, desperation, and fatigue. Garner … Continue reading ‘It stops today!’ — Eric Garner, NYPD victim