Category: Police & FBI

Behind U.S.-China cyberwar debate

BY JEFF MACKLER  We live in a society of law and order for sure! Indeed, the U.S. likely has more laws than any nation on earth. Many, if not most, are derived from the U.S. Constitution and its associated Bill of Rights, both of which have been subjected to endless revisions or re-interpretations over the … Continue reading Behind U.S.-China cyberwar debate →

Boston activists demand jobs, not jails

By MARILYN LAVIN — BOSTON — Long overdue, the unfinished civil rights movement of the last century is being reborn. Unlike the earlier focus on voting and southern segregation, the nascent movement is taking to the streets to protest the “new” Jim Crow of mass incarceration and police misconduct expressed in the “Stop and Frisk” laws … Continue reading Boston activists demand jobs, not jails →

Happy birthday, Mumia Abu-Jamal!

By BEN FORTEN April 24 marks Mumia Abu-Jamal’s 60th birthday. Mumia’s supporters, who are engaged in new efforts to re-open his case and win his freedom, will celebrate his birthday with events on April 24 and April 26 in Philadelphia, and on May 4 in Oakland, Calif. “Although it is Mumia’s birthday, we’re celebrating the … Continue reading Happy birthday, Mumia Abu-Jamal! →

‘One Nation Under Surveillance’

By ERNIE GOTTA  “I ask you, how many times does Barack Obama have to lie to you before you get it?” journalist and author Chris Hedges asked the crowd of over 200 gathered in Torpe Theater at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on March 29. Hedges was the keynote speaker at the 2nd annual civil … Continue reading ‘One Nation Under Surveillance’ →

Partial victory for victimized antiwar activists

By CHRISTINE MARIE  On Feb. 26, the U.S. District Attorney in Chicago was forced to unseal the applications and affidavits submitted in advance of raids involving over 70 FBI agents on the homes of nearly two-dozen antiwar and Palestine solidarity activists in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Grand Rapids, Mich. The documents reveal that the government carried … Continue reading Partial victory for victimized antiwar activists →

Victory! Lynne Stewart is free!

By JEFF MACKLER Jeff Mackler is the West Coast coordinator of the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee. Lynne Stewart is free! With almost 100 family and supporters chanting, “We love you, Lynne,” she rose from a wheelchair and bravely walked forward for a half-hour rally at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. She landed at 1:10 p.m. on … Continue reading Victory! Lynne Stewart is free! →

Protesters demand justice for Andy Lopez

By NICHOLAS BRANNON  — SANTA ROSA, Calif. — On a Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m., 13-year-old Andy Lopez was walking down the street from his home to a friend’s house, carrying a BB gun that his friend had left at his house, when two Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies saw him while driving around on patrol. … Continue reading Protesters demand justice for Andy Lopez →

Film: Fruitvale Station

By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH “Fruitvale Station.” Directed by Ryan Coogler; starring Michael B. Jordan, Olivia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz “Fruitvale Station” is filmmaker and director Ryan Coogler’s first work and is as polished as any seasoned Hollywood filmmaker’s. He opens his film with the authentic, jumpy, low resolution of the cell-phone videos taken by passengers of … Continue reading Film: Fruitvale Station →

Trayvon Martin verdict stirs mass outrage

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER The acquittal of the vigilante killer, George Zimmerman, gave notice to the world that racism is alive and well in the United States. For many days after the verdict was handed down, protesters repeatedly took to the streets of cities and towns throughout the U.S. and internationally. The initial marches and rallies … Continue reading Trayvon Martin verdict stirs mass outrage →

U.S. court frames Somalis for ‘terrorism’

By STEFANIE LEVI On May 16, a group of about 200 Somali people—mostly women—and their supporters from other communities assembled at the federal building in downtown Minneapolis. The people came to support Hawa Mohamed Hassan, 64, and Amina Farah Ali, 35, both residents of Rochester, Minn., at their sentencing hearing. The courtrooms were filled to … Continue reading U.S. court frames Somalis for ‘terrorism’ →

Obama demands detention without trial

By DANIEL ADAM Four years ago, Barack Obama ran for president on the promise of closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within one year of taking office. Today, the prison remains open—the pledge all but forgotten. Instead of dismantling Guantanamo and with it the government’s power to detain without a trial, Obama wants … Continue reading Obama demands detention without trial →

NY protest against ‘stop & frisk’

<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> On Father’s Day, June 17, several thousand marched behind a banner demanding that the New York City police “End Stop and Frisk” and “End Racial Profiling.” Said NAACP President Ben Jealous, a central march organizer: “Stop and frisk is the most massive local racial profiling program in the country.” The ethnically diverse rally … Continue reading NY protest against ‘stop & frisk’ →

Broad coalition responds to NYPD spying

NEW YORK—After months of revelations by the Associated Press of spying by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on the Muslim community here and throughout the Northeast, the AP recently exposed surveillance by the N.Y. cops on racial justice, antiwar, labor, anti-repression and other movements as far afield as New Orleans.The revelations have broadened a … Continue reading Broad coalition responds to NYPD spying →

Modern day witch hunts sanctioned by law

The indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) managed to avoid mass public outcry as most Americans diverted their attention to end-of-year festivities. On Dec. 31, President Obama made a name for himself as the president who codified into law measures that permit indefinite detention without due process and trial for U.S. … Continue reading Modern day witch hunts sanctioned by law →

ICE expands immigrant deportation program despite growing outcry

On Dec. 12, John Morton, the director of Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, announced that the long-controversial 287(g) program is ending.The designation 287(g) refers to a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes ICE to enter into agreements with local law enforcement … Continue reading ICE expands immigrant deportation program despite growing outcry →

S.F. activists protest murders by police

Heating up the typically cool summer months in the San Francisco Bay Area have been the nearly unmitigated mobilizations and solidarity meetings throughout July and August to protest the police murders of a Black man and a white man in two of San Francisco’s transit systems. In an attempt to cool off a planned political … Continue reading S.F. activists protest murders by police →

Philly cops murder another Black man

PHILADELPHIA—By all accounts, 39-year-old Eric Crawley was a hard-working, dedicated family man. Relatives report that he was dedicated to his four children and fiancée. His sister was a victim of domestic violence.  On June 17, during the course of an argument with her boyfriend, she had called on her brother for help.  Within an hour … Continue reading Philly cops murder another Black man →

FBI escalates witch hunt against antiwar activists

In an escalation of their McCarthy-style witch hunt of antiwar and trade-union activists, on May 17 the FBI and Los Angeles County Sheriffs raided the home of veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes. Sheriff SWAT teams broke down the door of Montes’ house at 5:00 a.m.Sheriff’s deputies rushed into the house with automatic weapons while Montes … Continue reading FBI escalates witch hunt against antiwar activists →

Civil-liberties supporters hold conferences against FBI repression

by David BerntCHICAGO—Supporters of the 23 antiwar, international solidarity, and trade-union activists who have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury have continued to organize a broad defense against this government witch hunt. The 23 activists have been subpoenaed to answer questions related to solidarity trips they made to Palestine and Colombia.U.S. Attorney Patrick … Continue reading Civil-liberties supporters hold conferences against FBI repression →

Citizens’ Hearing decries U.S. government’s war on Muslims

by Christopher Towne WASHINGTON—A climate of fear grips the Muslim community in the U.S. Countless people are behind bars, victims of sting operations and disgusting distortions of the law. Rep. Peter King of New York will soon hold hearings on Capitol Hill, where Muslim clerics will be forced to appear and testify to their efforts … Continue reading Citizens’ Hearing decries U.S. government’s war on Muslims →