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Hans Bennett is a multi-media journalist mostly focusing on the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners. An archive of his work is available at insubordination.blogspot.com and he is also co-founder of "Journalists for Mumia," created to challenge the long history of corporate media bias, whose website is: Abu-Jamal-News.com
Thursday, October 29, 2009 ColorLines Magazine book review: Other: An Asian & Pacific Islander Prisoners' Anthology (1 comments)
Other contributes significantly to both prison-abolitionist and ethnic-studies literature, each of which has badly neglected this issue. In the preface, journalist Helen Zia argues that the resulting invisibility of API prisoners extends to the “mainstream media and ethnic media alike,” where they essentially “do not exist.”
Thursday, May 7, 2009 Jamie & Gladys Scott: Nothing New About American Torture
But since 1993, in Mississippi, two sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott, sit awaiting an investigation, awaiting accountability by the same justice apparatus that sentenced them to double life each for a crime they did not commit. The sisters had no prior convictions. They are waiting to hear from the new administration's Attorney General, Eric Holder.
Friday, April 17, 2009 Amy Goodman interviews Mumia Abu-Jamal: "Without Struggle, There Is Nothing"
DN! speaks with author, journalist and death row prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal. Speaking from his Pennsylvania jail cell, Abu-Jamal calls the recent Supreme Court decision to deny his appeal to overturn his conviction "Kafkaesque." He goes on to say, "The fight goes on...without struggle, there is no progress...without struggle, there's nothing." Abu-Jamal's new book is Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. the USA.
Sunday, April 12, 2009 No Justice No BART Takes Over BART Board Meeting to Press Demands (1 comments)
OAKLAND: On April 9, No Justice No BART assumed control of the agenda for the BART Board meeting, which previously had been set to cover the raising of BART fares and the reducing of train service later this year. Demonstrators took turns voicing their objections to the lack of accountability and the apparent cover-up attempts at BART regarding the murder of Oscar Grant. BART's many failures were recounted, including the...
Friday, April 10, 2009 Philly IMC: US Drug Policy Has Gone to Pot
The time seems ripe to change America's attitudes towards the criminalization of drugs, and the behemoth prison system which grows from current drug policy and feeds on society. The failed war on drugs has created a 1200% increase in drug incarceration rates since 1980 (from 41,000 people incarcerated to over 500,000), and has disproportionately hurt African Americans.
Friday, April 3, 2009 "Mumia Abu-Jamal's Last Chance for Justice" by author J Patrick O'Connor
As Amnesty International established in its 2000 pamphlet, Abu-Jamal's tortuous appeal process has been fraught with "judicial machinations." ...In denying Abu-Jamal's Batson claim, the Third Circuit's ruling created new law by placing new restrictions on a defendant's ability to file a Batson claim. The Third Circuit, in effect, tampered with and undermined a long-established Supreme Court ruling.
Thursday, April 2, 2009 Philly IMC: "Look forward, not back," and other Cliches, Idiocies, and Abused Words
Edward S. Herman writes: Can there be said to be a "rule of law" when high level but serious violators of law are beyond prosecution. Barry Bonds must be pursued because he allegedly may have lied to a grand jury on his use of steroids, but Bush - Cheney - Rice - Rumsfeld - Powell lied many times on issues involving mass killing and violations of domestic and international law.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 German Academy of Arts Demands Freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal (1 comments)
Franz Mntefering, national head of the Social Democratic Party which now shares government power in Germany, has also expressed support for Mumia. But some recalled the nearly forgotten fact that a decade ago the Bundestag, Germany's congress, not only officially opposed the death penalty in all countries but called explicitly for a new, fair trial for Mumia. If Europe could decide he would probably be free tomorrow.
Thursday, March 26, 2009 Philly IMC: SDS Anti-War Rally in West Chester, PA (1 comments)
On March 20th West Chester University Students for a Democratic Society gathered to protest the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq. We met at the Sykes Student Union building at four o'clock with a few members of the Chester County Peace Movement, War Resisters League, and Veterans for Peace.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 PhillyIMC: Regional Effort Grows to Shut Down 'Army Experience Center'
Peace groups from DC to NY are getting behind a large demonstration at the Army Experience Center at the Franklin Mills Mall in Bensalem, PA on Saturday, May 2nd at 2:00 pm. We demand the Army close up shop at Franklin Mills Mall and we're determined to block the expansion of this monstrosity in malls across the nation. We will be successful in this campaign because we'll bring in enough protestors to attract national media..
Thursday, March 19, 2009 Black Panther, Asian American Activist Richard Aoki Dies at Age 71 (1 comments)
Revolutionary and civil rights activist Richard Aoki died on March 16, 2009. Aoki was a founding member of the Black Panther Party (BPP), becoming a Field Marshal. Using his military training, Aoki assisted members of the BPP in acquiring weapons and trained members in defending the community from the Oakland Police.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 It's time to expose the sexual abuse of inmates by prison employees: Reports from Angola and Ely
While the general public has been exposed to stories of rape among prisoners, there is little awareness about the high incidence of brutal rape of both men and women by prison employees. These cases remain under the radar because victims are threatened with violence to prevent them from speaking out, while the employees involved, who generally feel shielded from society, might simply be charged with "malfeasance in office."
Sunday, March 15, 2009 INFOSHOP: Retrial of RNC defendant David McKay starts Monday (1 comments)
The retrial of Austin activist David McKay, accused of possessing Molotov cocktails at the RNC last September, will begin in MN. McKay's first trial in late January was declared a mistrial as a result of a hung jury over the question of whether the conduct of the main informant in the case, Brandon Darby, constituted entrapment. While this was not the acquittal that was deserved, it remains a clear indictment of the govt.'s...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 NAACP LDF Files Brief in US Supreme Court in Mumia Abu-Jamal Case (1 comments)
Today the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) filed a friend of the court brief in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal's claim of racial discrimination in the selection of the jury for his 1981 death penalty trial. LDF's brief supports Mr. Abu-Jamal's request for United States Supreme Court review of his appeal urging enforcement of the laws that require courts to promptly investigate evidence of discrimination...
Thursday, February 19, 2009 ILWU unites antiracist activists (2 comments)
On Feb. 14, less than 2 months after the police murder of 22-year-old African American father, Oscar Grant, nearly 200 people rallied against racism and police brutality at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 hall in San Francisco. The recent election of the first Black president has emboldened many in the Bay Area to set higher sights and focus greater initiative in the fightback against racism.
Thursday, February 12, 2009 PhillyIMC: Draft report calls for shake-ups in low-performing schools
The Philadelphia School District is strongly considering yet another "turnaround" strategy for chronically underperforming schools, one based on Chicago's controversial Renaissance 2010 project that closes existing schools and opens new ones under a different management structure.
Monday, January 26, 2009 FREE PRESS: President Obama must free Leonard Peltier
The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee points out that "Amnesty International considers Leonard Peltier to be a political prisoner whose avenues of redress have long been exhausted....Amnesty International recognizes that a retrial is no longer a feasible option and believes that Leonard Peltier should be immediately and unconditionally released."
Sunday, January 25, 2009 Interview with musician / poet Taina Asili
Taina Asili carries on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing present and past struggles into one poetic song-voice. She is a puertorriquena vocalist, poet, visual artist, educator, activist and mother from Philadelphia, PA and Albany, NY.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 SF Bay View's JR reports on Oakland uprising, following his own arrest
I've also heard some criticisms of the rebels, because of the fact that they tore up innocent people's property. But the reality is that the peaceful protest outside of Fruitvale BART as well as the meeting of ministers, reverends and local politicians that took place that morning demanding an explanation from the D.A. did not put the mayor, police and city officials on notice nor did those actions have the energy...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 Philly IMC: Iraqi Journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi Captures the Moment
Muntadhar al-Zeidi is Rodney King, and he is Lech Walesa. And he is Rosa Parks and the anonymous protestor who stopped the tank in Tiananmen Square. A journalist who stands up for the widows, the orphans, and the children of the Iraq War, this ordinary man is doing extraordinary things that the power elite and lame stream media ignored. He sees through the deception of the war, and the disastrous consequences for...
Monday, January 12, 2009 Oakland PD arrests activist journalist JR of POCC, SF Bay View, and KPFA radio
Oakland attorney Walter Riley, described JR's arrest on KPFA News on Friday after he was arraigned: "They went after him and tackled him and took him down. I think that JR looks too much like the average young Black man." "JR was out there as a reporter," Riley said, explaining that he "had his camera with him. His camera was confiscated." Readers are urged to call for the trumped up charges against JR Valrey and all the...
Saturday, January 10, 2009 Philly IMC: Subversive Prayer in Time of War - to Shatter Pyramids of Callousness
Two weeks after the outbreak of carnage and war in Gaza and in Southern Israel, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, as children die from bombs made with our money, as the present government of the United States refuses to act to end these wars - our communities gather for Jumat, for Shabbat, and for the Lord's Day. This is no time for solidarity with governments - American, Palestinian, or Israeli. It is a time for..
Thursday, January 8, 2009 Philly IMC: Ed Herman writes that The Phila. Inquirer Struggles, Unsuccessfully, With the Gaza Assault
More than a week after Israel began its escalated bombing of Gaza the Inky has yet to put up an editorial on the subject. I'm sure they are struggling painfully to figure out what to say, with the U.S. political establishment solidly supporting Israel, and the Israeli supporters - without - limit ready to pounce on any criticism, on the one hand, and the savagery and high civilian death toll of the attack, large global...
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Indymedia-US: BART Police Shoot and Kill Man at Fruitvale BART Station, caught on video
In the early hours of January 1st, BART police shot and killed a 22 year old man, Oscar Grant, on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. Witnesses report that Grant was "lying on his stomach with his hands out in a non-threatening position when he was shot". Police have confirmed Grant was unarmed and have suggested the shooting was an accident. Grant lived in Hayward and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 Indymedia-US: Anti-war Protests Escalate as Israel Launches Ground War
Thousands of US residents were in the streets and at the doors of the politicians and ambassadors, imploring for intervention, as Israel was preparing to dispatch troops into Gaza. In Washington, DC, between one and two thousand people descended on the Israeli and Egyptian embassies to protest the atrocities. (Egypt, and other Arab leaders, are seen as complicit in the attacks due to their support of the blockade of goods.)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Philly IMC: The Payday loan game
I have had personal experiences with this cash cow. Only problem is that the cash went back to them 5 maybe 10 times what was originally borrowed. I wanted the experience, one to see if it was real. Two, cause I could find ways to spend it.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 United for Change in El Salvador: Video on 2009 Elections
Watch the new video "Unidos por el Cambio" previewing the elections in El Salvador and highlighting the upcoming CISPES delegation! Recent polls in El Salvador show that the leftist FMLN party is 14 points ahead over the right-wing presidential candidate from the ruling party.
Monday, December 29, 2008 Prop 8, Jim Crow, Nuremberg and Other Unjust Laws
Today's laws banning same-sex marriage - including CA's Proposition 8, a ballot measure which passed in the November 2008 election - are the descendants of these pernicious Jim Crow laws and the Nuremberg laws enacted in Nazi Germany. All of these forms of codified intolerance are promulgated for the same reasons: to justify and perpetuate a regime of supremacy, hatred and violence against a group of people, end of story.
Monday, December 22, 2008 Talk Is Cheap, Human Life Is Not, Justice and Freedom for Palestinians Now! (1 comments)
If Gideon Levy is truly interested in justice and human rights, then call unequivocally and immediately for good faith measures: an internationally monitored cease-fire and peace, for Israel to be a single state with equal human rights for all its citizens, acceptance of the right of return, elimination of all racist laws, full reparations, and a sincere apology to the Palestinian people.
Thursday, December 18, 2008 Philly IMC: Pro se prisoner Andre Jacobs awarded $185,000
A jury in a federal lawsuit ruled for Jacobs after they found 3 current and former employees of the PA Department of Corrections guilty of conspiring to deny him access to the courts by seizing and destroying his legal property.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Santa Cruz Tree Sit Ends, Redwoods and Oaks Cut on UCSC's Science Hill (1 comments)
INDYBAY.ORG REPORTS: Over four hundred days ago, a handful of activists climbed up into the trees on Science Hill as a symbol of resistance to the University of California's plan to destroy 120 acres of campus forest. For the past 13 months, the tree sit has drawn attention to UCSC's plan to develop upper campus in a way that activists say is, "without regard for the welfare of one of Santa Cruz's last wild ecosystems."
Sunday, December 14, 2008 Were Philadelphia anti-racist activists set up by undercover cops at KKK rally
In Philadelphia, a judge has granted a defense motion to compel the identities of two police officers working as confidential informants in a bizarre case involving the Ku Klux Klan, anti-racist protesters, police and FBI. Attorneys say their clients, 3 anti-racist protesters facing trial on misdemeanor vandalism, harassment and related charges, may have been set up by law enforcement, possibly acting as agents provocateur.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 GeoClan.com interviews Hans Bennett about Mumia Abu-Jamal (4 comments)
Those advocating this radical journalist's execution show a disturbing lack of concern about the undeniable problems of racism (and all documented police/DA/judicial misconduct) throughout this case. At the most fundamental level, the FOP-led "Fry Mumia" campaign's lack of concern is racist....The FOP appeals to a racist lynch-mob mentality that has long infected the US, so calling this a "legal lynching" is no exaggeration.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Citizens Rally to Stop Philly Free Library Branch Closings
PHILLY IMC REPORTS: Philadelphians rally at the Central Parkway Branch on December 6, 2008 before marching to city hall to protest Mayor Nutter's plan to close branch libraries. Ironically, three years ago when he was a councilman Nutter denounced his predecessor's plan to do the same. Watch the video and see the photo-essay!
Sunday, December 7, 2008 Chicago factory occupied by laid off workers
WORKERS OCCUPYING the Republic Windows & Doors factory slated for closure are vowing to remain in the Chicago plant until they win the $1.5 million in severance and vacation pay owed them by management. In a tactic rarely used in the U.S. since the labor struggles of the 1930s, the workers, members of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 1110, refused to leave the plant on December 5.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 James Bond Takes on the Corporate Water Privateers
The fact that Quantum of Solace makes water the villain's object of greed, replacing oil, gold, diamonds, and mutually assured destruction, is telling of the point we've reached. More telling still is the fact that our villain's cover has him acting as an environmentalist, the ultimate corporate greenwasher. The fact that the action winds up in Bolivia the country where, in real life, both Bechtel and Suez have tried...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Transgeneros Unidas: Transgender Day of Remembrance (1 comments)
November 20, 2008 was the 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Each year communities across the country gather to memorialize those who have been killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The first DOR was held in memory of Rita Hester who was murdered in San Francisco. Features coverage from actions in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Rochester, and more
Friday, November 21, 2008 'An End to the Southern Strategy, But No Post-Racial America' by David A. Love (1 comments)
Lee Atwater died a second time, on November 4, 2008, with the election of Obama. And the Southern Strategy died with him. The G.O.P. could no longer depend on racism for their bread and butter. Try as the McCain-Palin ticket did to stoke the flames of racial anger and resentment by conjuring up the image of Obama as the uppity communist Muslim terrorist with a radical Black pastor, the Southern Strategy made its last stand.
Thursday, November 20, 2008 Troy Davis Granted Hearing; Oral Arguments Set for Dec. 9 (1 comments)
A hearing date has been set for death row prisoner Troy Davis, before the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court, which stopped Davis's scheduled execution last month, will hear oral arguments about a new round of appeals on December 9th. His lawyers want the circuit court to give them permission to file an appeal with the U.S. District Court of Southern Georgia for a fresh trial, where they can present new evidence.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 IMC Photos: Marching Against Racism In Rural New Jersey (1 comments)
Over 300 people march in Hardwick New Jersey to support Gary Grewal and his family, supporters of Barack Obama who were the victims of a cross burning. In response to a call by Mayor Kevin Duffy, over 300 people marched from Hardick's municipal building a mile to Grewal's house in support of Grewal's right to fly a banner supporting Barack Obama.
Monday, November 17, 2008 AL-JAZEERA: Guantanamo Bay: Obama's options
The detention and treatment of prisoners held at the US facility has been widely condemned by international rights groups and the UN and EU. It has held more than 750 captives from around the world since opening in 2002, including many who were captured during the US "war on terror" that followed the attacks on the US of September 11, 2001. Around 250 prisoners remain in the camp - most held without charge or trial...
Monday, November 17, 2008 Nadra Foster and the resignation of KPFA Business Manager Lois Withers (1 comments)
On Nov. 10, KPFA General Manager Lemlem Rijio announced that Lois Withers, KPFA's business manager, was resigning. Lois is the white woman who called the police on Black programmer Nadra Foster, falsely accusing her of being banned, on Aug. 20. Consequently, Nadra was beaten up, thrown to the ground, kicked in the head, strait-jacketed and forcibly removed out of the station, resulting in her facing five charges...
Sunday, November 16, 2008 Secretary of Greed: How Larry Summers Championed Wall Street By Impoverishing the Mexican People
Summers, while serving as under secretary of the Treasury in 1995, engineered the destruction of Mexico's economy by increasing interest rates to unmanageable levels-business and farm loans went from 11% to 56%, credit card rates from 7% to 61%, home loans from 5% to 75%, car loans from 7% to 91%. The result was massive human suffering and the forced migration of millions of economic refugees to the United States.
Thursday, November 13, 2008 TOWARD FREEDOM: Confronting the Military Industrial Complex
On November 1st, in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, a hundred activists gathered to protest against General Dynamics, a weapons manufacturer operating in the state. The diverse group of activists gathered in support of building a peace economy and movement beyond election day. General Dynamics has profited more than any other defense contactor from the Iraq War.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Gaza Again Plunged into Darkness, Hunger as Israel Blocks Fuel, Food to Suffering Population (1 comments)
Gaza's humanitarian crisis has worsened in the aftermath of Israel's latest blockade of fuel and food. We speak to Diana Buttu, a former lawyer for the Palestinian Authority, and Reverend Edwin "Eddie" Makue of the South African Council of Churches, a veteran of South Africa's apartheid struggle. They are on an "anti-apartheid" speaking tour across the US for the next two weeks.
Monday, November 10, 2008 Philly IMC: Are We a Winner? I Think We Are
Are we a winner? Yes, I think we are. "And never let anybody say 'Boy, you can't make it,'" as Curtis Mayfield once told us...It was the fourth day of the eleventh month of a new era, And we were there, But there were many who had come before us, Oh, they've been waiting as well. This day was for Harriet and Frederick, for Martin, Malcolm and Rosa, For Fannie Lou, who was sick and tired of being sick and tired...
Sunday, November 9, 2008 Sarah Palin Blamed by the US Secret Service Over Death Threats Against Barack Obama
Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign...The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him"... Michelle Obama, the future First Lady...said: "Why would they try to make people hate us?"
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 The Black Panthers: defiance in the face of repression
The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. They were enraged by the racism they saw particularly police brutality and inspired by Malcolm X and the anti-colonial liberation movements of the time. At its launch in 1966 the Panthers issued a ten-point revolutionary programme. Members had a striking visual image with black leather jackets and black berets.
Monday, November 3, 2008 Philly IMC: The Threat of Nuclear War Grows (1 comments)
In this Kafkaesque age everything is stood on its head. The champion violator of international law, sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of states is gung ho for respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity (of Georgia, but not Pakistan). Primary terrorist and ethnic cleansing states (the United States and Israel) invade, bomb, and torture, but wax indignant at retail terrorism that flows largely in response.
Sunday, November 2, 2008 IVAW Protest Update: Shocking New Video Released as Nick Morgan Undergoes Surgery and First Court Date Set (3 comments)
Recently released photos and video from the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) protest outside the final presidential debate in Hempstead, NY on Oct. 15 clearly shows IVAW member Nick Morgan getting trampled on by Nassau County police on horseback, according to I-Witness Video. The images have emerged less than two weeks before the "Hempstead 15″ - the group of 10 Iraq War veterans and 5 civilians's court date Nov. 10.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Framing the 'RNC 8': Members of anarchist organization face terrorism charges, nearly 8 years in prison
In an unprecedented application of Minnesota's version of the federal Patriot Act, eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee, an anarchist organization, each face up to seven and a half years in prison for charges of "conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism" for their alleged roles in RNC protest activities.
Monday, October 27, 2008 INDYMEDIA-US: Two Victories for Advocates of Life
On Thursday, the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals stopped the scheduled execution of Bobby Woods because of overwhelming evidence that he is mentally retarded. The following day in Atlanta, a federal appeals court granted a stay to Troy Davis, who was set to be executed on Monday night.
Sunday, October 26, 2008 'Meet the Real Joe' Video Series
Following the recent national attention given to his videos documenting the hatred and racism of many McCain supporters in Pennsylvania, film-maker Michael Morrill of KeystoneProgress.org interviews several other "American Joes" that contrast with the GOP's "Joe the Plumber". A MUST SEE FOR THE CUTTING EDGE OF CITIZEN-JOURNALISM!
Saturday, October 25, 2008 LINN WASHINGTON JR: Consider Florida: The Great Vote Fraud Hoax (1 comments)
Contrary to McCainian claims of major registration fraud, the greatest voter fraud in recent history occurred during the 2000 presidential election where a massive Bush/GOP conspiracy robbed over 50,000 folks in Florida of their right to vote by falsely listing them as felons ineligible to cast ballots...McCainian claims of ACORN actions possibly "destroying the fabric of democracy" are inaccurate, insulting and hypocritical..
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Keith Olberman Confronts the GOP's Racist Lynch Mob Tactics
Calling Rush Limbaugh "the grand wizard of this school of reactionary non-thought", Olberman says to Palin:
"Governor, your prejudice is overwhelming. It is not just 'pockets' of this country that are 'pro-America' Governor. America is 'pro-America'. And the 'Real America' of yours, Governor, is where people at your rallies shout threats of violence... and you say nothing about them or to them.
Monday, October 20, 2008 DN!: Ignoring Evidence, Mexican Authorities Charge Activists with 2006 Murder of Independent Journalist Brad Will (1 comments)
Speculation has long centered around police officers and pro-government militants in Will's death. Some were initially arrested in the months after the shooting, but ultimately released. But today the government is accusing two members of the popular movement APPO, the group opposed to state governor Ulises Ruiz. Will's family has criticized the charges, calling the arrests a sham.
Saturday, October 18, 2008 Oaxaca: APPO Activists arrested for the murder of Brad Will (2 comments)
Mexican federal police arrested five Oaxacan activists on Thursday afternoon. At least two were arrested for supposedly murdering US citizen and Indymedia journalist Brad Will on October 27, 2006. Brad Will was assassinated while reporting and filming the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca. Multiple witnesses say he was shot by paramilitaries who are seen in photos shooting towards Will.
Thursday, October 16, 2008 Will YOUR vote count? Pennsylvania's polls lack uniform standards (1 comments)
On Nov. 4, will the vote of every Pennsylvanian be counted? Sadly, unless changes are made before Election Day, the answer is no. If these things do not happen, then we might find ourselves with another Florida or Ohio disaster on our hands in the Keystone State.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 McCain, Suspend Your Campaign: The GOP ticket is inciting supporters to violence against Barack Obama
MSNBC's Keith Olberman says: "Sen. McCain, your supporters, at your events, are calling Obama a terrorist and traitor and are calling for him to be killed. And yet you keep bringing back these same rabid Right Wing nuts to deliberately stir these crowds into frenzies. And then you take offense when somebody who remembers the violence in our political past, calls you on it. You, sir, are responsible for..."
Sunday, October 12, 2008 Philadelphia Against War: Photo-essay on rally of Oct 10th
Philly Against War conducted a spirited rally against the many wars of the Bush Administration in a very cheerful and noisy demonstration. Check out the photos!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Palin's Racist Remark: "I Don't Mess With Black Men" (1 comments)
Charles Greg Royal, the renowned jazz musician recently utilized the National Press Club in Washington, DC to recount a flirtatious encounter he had in Alaska with a woman who identified herself as Sarah Heath. Royal said this encounter ended after a racist remark by the woman now known as Gov Sarah Palin. Making that racist remark, Royal contends, coupled with Gov Palin's disengaged relations with racial minorities...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Mumia Abu-Jamal Faces US Supreme Court as New Book and Film Expose Injustice (4 comments)
With Monday's PCRA rejection, Abu-Jamal's upcoming appeal of the Third Circuit decision (the filing of this appeal is due by Oct. 20 unless a 60 day extension is requested) is now more important than ever, because this is now his last chance for a new guilt-phase trial. This crucial moment coincides with two new media projects that expose injustice in his case that extends beyond the narrow issues being considered in court.
Thursday, October 2, 2008 Urgent Action Alert! Prisoners Under Attack in Camp Hill's SMU (1 comments)
In the last four months over a dozen prisoners confined in the Special Management Unit (SMU) at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Camp Hill have written HRC/Fed Up! about conditions of severe brutality, white supremacy, and the systematic sabotage at all inmate efforts to file grievances and/or obtain legal assistance.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Indymedia Journalist Raped and Murdered in Oaxaca
Marcella "Sali" Grace Eiler, solidarity worker with the people's struggle in Oaxaca, was found dead last week with signs of a brutal rape and murder. She helped with documentation accompaniment, and gave report-backs on the movement in Arizona.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 PERU: Interview with Political Prisoner Lori Berenson (1 comments)
American activist Lori Berenson was pulled off a bus in Peru in November of 1995, detained by anti-terrorist police, and tried for treason against the Peruvian state by a hooded military tribunal. A gun was held to her head as she received her sentence: life in prison. Accused of being a leader of the MRTA (Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement), Lori was one of thousands of people kidnapped, tortured, disappeared, and...
Saturday, September 27, 2008 Alaska's Blacks and Palin: a Strained Relationship
Did the Governor Say She "Didn't Have to Hire Any Blacks?" Linn Washington Jr. writes that "Alaskan blacks fault Palin for not hiring African-Americans, dismissing blacks from government posts, spurning repeated requests to meet with black leaders to discuss issues of concern and refusing to attend that state's major African-American celebration."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 KBOO Radio's "Prison Pipeline": Journalists for Mumia
Prison Pipeline presented an interview between host, Ruth Kovacs and telephone guest, Hans Bennett--a Philadelphia-based independent journalist and co-founder of Journalists for Mumia. They reviewed updated information on pending appeals for Mumia Abu-Jamall and current recent stories about his case.
Thursday, September 18, 2008 PhillyIMC: Mourning the death of Imam W. Deen Mohammed
The Shalom Center mourns the death of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, may the memory of this righteous and loving leader be a blessing to us all. Imam Mohammed, 74, was the son of Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the "Nation of Islam." After his father's death in 1975, Imam Mohammed led his community to mainstream Islam. Those who followed him took a path similar to that of El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz ("Malcolm X" ) in his last months...
Thursday, September 11, 2008 How Mumia was Railroaded
Reviewing J. Patrick O'Connor's recently published "The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal," Ben Davis writes that "Opponents of Abu-Jamal always say that his supporters should just 'read the transcripts' of the trial for evidence of his guilt. Supporters can now reply: Read 'The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal'".
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Video interview with Amy Goodman after being released
Watch the video. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel
Kouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody
in St. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on
Monday afternoon.
Saturday, August 30, 2008 Leonard Peltier Sends Messages to Obama and the DNC Protesters
Leonard Peltier writes to Obama: "Your election as president of the United States, where slaves and Indians were long considered less than human under the law, will undoubtedly constitute a historic moment in race relations in the United States. Yet symbolism alone will not bring about change..."
Monday, August 25, 2008 PHOTOS and AUDIO: Watsonville LGBT Pride Day a Huge Success
Watsonville's (CA) first Pride celebration was a huge success, with 325 marching through the streets and over 500 enjoying a liberating party in the Plaza. The party is probably still going on... fotos and audio (MP3) included below. Features photos of many different groups, including the Brown Berets holding a banner that read "Liberacin para to@s l@s Oprimid@s" (Liberation for All of the Oppressed).
Thursday, August 21, 2008 Dispatch From Paraguay: Hope Reigns at Dawn of Fernando Lugo Presidency
"Soldiers will never again be sent out to kill campesinos," Lugo promised, but the uniformed men who passed through the crowds nevertheless drew quiet, suspicious looks. Their olive green uniforms still in some sense symbolized the forty-year-long Stroessner dictatorship....Lugo had broken all protocol by dressing in sandals and a typical Paraguayan shirt, an aopo'i, and he began his speech in Guarani, the indigenous language.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 VICTORY! -Tree Sitters Descend; Old Growth Won't Be Cut on Old Pacific Lumber land
Eureka, CA-Community residents and forest activists from the redwood region and far beyond Humboldt County in Northern California, were relieved and elated as news spread of an unprecedented commitment by Humboldt Redwood Company owners of what was Maxxam/PL land to spare the Nanning Creek and Fern Gully ancient groves where tree-sits have been keeping chain saws at bay. The message was delivered directly to tree-sitters...
Monday, August 18, 2008 Can a Handful of International Activists and Two Boats Break the Siege of Gaza?
It is the responsibility of all activists for human rights and social justice worldwide to stand behind the courageous passengers of the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty in the coming critical days as they prepare to depart from Cyprus. This is an act of nonviolent civil disobedience following in the footsteps of Gandhi - unarmed ordinary people with an unshakable moral conviction facing down one of the most powerful militaries...
Thursday, August 14, 2008 Communication Breakdown: How Cell Phones Hurt Communities
It was a fresh morning after a night of rain and we were hiking up into the mountains in Southern France. The plants and trees glowed with green, vibrant life. Sheep and cows were meandering in the fields, and the sky was blue, stretching out for miles. Then I heard a faint beeping noise that didn't sound like a bird.
Friday, August 8, 2008 One year after Jena tree was cut, little progress has been made
We have made some progress since the ugly incidents in Jena, La. But we still have a long way to go to make the noose a thing of the past....on Feb. 19, 2008, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said on his radio program: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels...."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 Angola death case hinges on '63 ruling (1 comments)
An important update on the case of the Angola 3, who many feel are political prisoners. At the angola3.org website, you can watch an NBC news report which features the widow of the slain prison guard, who is supportive of a new trial, because she says she doesn't want innocent people to be blamed for his death.
Saturday, July 19, 2008 San Francisco Bay View: The end of an era, the dawn of a new day (1 comments)
Publishing the Bay View in print has been a labor of love and the love of our lives for over 16 years, but although major advertising agencies recognize the Bay View as one of the top 10 Black papers in the country, we were never able to make it profitable or even sustainable. Now we've had to face the reality that we're flat out of funds or any source to tap.
Sunday, July 13, 2008 The Freedom Archives: An Interview with Claude Marks (1 comments)
Claude Marks is the director of The Freedom Archives, a San Francisco-based organization. Through the website and email list-serves, it provides a valuable resource documenting both revolutionary struggle and police state repression. Freedom Archives also creates high quality audio and video documentaries, including the recent video about the San Francisco Eight, titled "Legacy of Torture."
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Kiilu Nyasha on George Jackson and Black August
This is the 29th anniversary of Black August, first organized to honor our martyred freedom fighters, Jonathan and George Jackson, Khatari Gaulden, James McClain, William Christmas, and the sole survivor of the August 7,1970 Courthouse Slave Rebellion, Ruchell Cinque Magee. It's a time to embrace the principles of unity, self-sacrifice, political education, physical fitness and/or training in martial arts, resistance and...
Sunday, July 6, 2008 PhillyIMC: Global Day of Action Protests Starbucks' Anti-Union Terminations
Philadelphia journalist and IWW member John Kalwaic reports that on July 5, the Philadelphia IWW organized an action outside Starbucks "to protest the firing of Starbucks baristas who had been trying to unionize with the IWW Starbucks Workers Union in the United States. This event was coordinated with the Anarchist CNT Union in Spain where baristas have also been fired for organizing.
Monday, June 23, 2008 Philly activists still homeless after arrests and seizure of home (3 comments)
On June 13, 2008, police entered a home in North Philadelphia without warrant and arrested its 4 residents, whose recent community activities included petitioning against police brutality and new police surveillance cameras in their community. One of the arrestees, Jen Rock writes that police "said they were responding to a complaint about 'trespassing in an abandoned building'. We have lived in our home for almost 4 years."
Saturday, June 14, 2008 Police critics arrested, home seized in police raid!
Philadelphia Police descended upon the home of homeowners who have been questioning police tactics in Mayor Nutter's new "stop and frisk" program. 4 residents were arrested in their home at 17th street and Ridge Avenue, and the police are in the process of sealing the building. The homeowners are being held at the police station, no charges have yet been filed.
Thursday, June 12, 2008 Flag Day in Chester County: calling all colors (1 comments)
For the nearly six years the Chester County Peace Movement (CCPM) has been holding regular anti-war vigils at High and Market Street in West Chester, PA. Just this year, though, their efforts have attracted the ire of several pro-war groups including the Gathering of Eagles, who now hold a regular counter vigil on the opposite corner. Several weeks ago the Gathering put out a call for a special protest on Flag Day, June 14
Sunday, June 8, 2008 Philly's Keystone Kop Follies: Police Brutality and Cover-up
Family and supporters of the now incarcerated trio say the beating arose from a case of mistaken identity and authorities filed charges against them to evade responsibility for the beating. One of the trio, Dwayne Dyches, physically resembled a man police sought for the murder of a policeman days before the trio's beating. The trio admits being in the area of that 5/5 street corner shooting but say they were visiting with...
Friday, May 30, 2008 BLACK COMMENTATOR: Assassination Talk Shows Hillary's True Colors (2 comments)
Hillary Clinton cannot claim to be a feminist whose candidacy has fallen victim to misogyny, yet engage in raw, unabashed appeals to white-skin solidarity, and endorse military aggression against innocent women and children in Iraq and Iran. Red meat, testosterone and hubris dressed in a pants suit do not equate to feminism.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 PhillyIMC: Philadelphia-area Mid East Peace Activists cast a Shadow of Mourning over "Israel at 60" Celebration
As supporters of how Israel was created were celebrating down the Ben Franklin Parkway, Palestinians and solidarity activists sent a cloud of 1000 black balloons into the sky to mark the 60th anniversary of Palestinian dispossession, when the Israeli military uprooted and killed Palestine's indigenous population to make way for the Israeli state.
Monday, May 19, 2008 PHILADELPHIA: Brewerytown Organizers Threaten to Boycott Rita's Water Ice
On May 15, 2008, community members in Brewerytown, held a meeting to create a preliminary plan for how to address the imminent opening of a Rita's Water Ice franchise at 2829 W. Girard Avenue. The attendees were responding to eight years of frustration over the way Rita's handled the rape of an 11-year old African-American girl by two white Rita's employees at Veteran's Stadium in 2000.
Thursday, May 8, 2008 IWW Delegation Returns from Haiti (1 comments)
An Industrial Workers of the World delegation has just returned from Haiti where we spent twelve days meeting with representatives of the Confederation des Travailleurs Hatiens (Haitian Confederation of Workers) and other worker and peasant movements....We kept a detailed blog and are making a video from the trip. There will be organized report backs with photos and video in June.
Friday, May 2, 2008 NY Times showcases new book "The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal"
The book, "The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal," by J. Patrick O'Connor, asserts that Officer Daniel Faulkner died on Dec. 9, 1981, from shots fired by Kenneth Freeman, a business partner of the brother of the convicted man, Mr. Abu-Jamal, who has been on death row for 25 years for a crime he says he did not commit.
Friday, April 18, 2008 Author of "The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal" analyzes March 27 ruling
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit's ruling in the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal continues a long and tortured denial of Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial. Just as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed its own precedent to deny Abu-Jamal a new trial based on the prosecutor's improper summation to the jury during the guilt phase of his trial, the Third Circuit's March 27 decision has now followed suit by...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 WHAT'S UP WITH TIBET (1 comments)
A look at the Dalai Lama's dark side...."I can't tell you what the people of Tibet want, but neither can Richard Gere."
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 The Black Commentator: GOP Jesus Is No Friend of Mine (1 comments)
Christian conservatives have created a perverse and profane Jesus with warped priorities. Frankly, their invention disturbs me. This GOP Jesus is preoccupied, even obsessed, with two issues: abortion and same-sex marriage.
Monday, February 25, 2008 Two birthday parties for the late great Huey P. Newton (2 comments)
Last weekend the people of West Oakland and East Oakland celebrated the birth of Black Panther Party co-founder, its leading theoretician and practitioner and Minister of Defense Huey P. Newton in two separate ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday. Both events were filled with political information and insight coming from veterans of the Black Panther Party. Those who spoke included Ericka Huggins, "Big Man" Howard....
Saturday, February 23, 2008 Stand with Cab Drivers: Demand that PPA is Accountable to Drivers and Philadelphians
The Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania (TWA) is calling drivers and concerned citizens to the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) Board Meeting on Monday. The cabdrivers are attending the board meeting to demand that the PPA live up to its promise of removing the failing GPS systems from city cabs.
Sunday, February 17, 2008 Philadelphia for Philadelphians!: The Don't Tax Me Out Campaign
The City's plan to get back on budget will place an even heavier tax burden on poor and working class Philadelphians despite widespread foreclosure thanks to property taxes already overwhelming for many low- and fixed-income home owners. Properties, the scheme urges, should be taxed at full market value instead of the lower "assessed value" now used to determine real estate taxes.
