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Police and Prisons

Texas National Guard Firing Pepper Spray Projectiles at Migrants

Texas National Guard has repeatedly fired pepper spray projectiles at arriving migrants, including women and children.

‘I Am Outraged, and You Should Be Too!’

The writer is outraged at four more persons killed in a school shooting. She also explains her outrage that the 14 year old child who killed four people and wounded others will be treated as an adult in the criminal justice system.

Michael Brown Jr.’s Father Is Still Fighting for Justice and His Son’s Legacy

Mike Brown Sr. releases butterflies after four and a half minutes of silence to honor the four and a half hours Mike Brown Jr.’s body was left on the ground after he was shot on August 9, 2014.

Sonya Massey, Shot by Police in Illinois, ‘Should Be Alive Today’

One deputy in Sonya Massey’s murder was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. Read the story and see the video.

Outrage Grows After Police Kill Unhoused Black Man Near RNC, Firing 27 Bullets

Outrage grows in Milwaukee after police killing of Samuel Shorte, Jr., a homeless Black man with multiple sclerosis.

Milwaukee: Another Deadly Knee on a Black Man’s Neck

Black father killed outside Milwaukee's Hyatt Regency Hotel. He was held down and beaten with batons by four security personnell, saying he couldn't breathe.

At the U.S.-Mexico Border: Fight Against Texas SB4 Continues

The movement against Texas’ SB4 law continues, undeterred by a highly contested U.S. Supreme Court ruling clearing the way for the law allowing Texas police to arrest and deport people they “suspect” are in Texas illegally.

Two Attempted Suicides in Midst of 200-People Hunger Strike at ICE Detention Center

The following is a March 11, 2024 press release from La Resistencia about the hunger strikes, attempted suicides, and death at the Northwest Detention...

Pastor Charged for Opening Church to Homeless in Freezing Weather

Pastor in Bryan, Ohio, pleaded not guilty to charges he broke zoning codes when he gave shelter to people who might otherwise have frozen to death.

Uvalde Victims’ Families Get Official Acknowledgement of Botched Shooting Response

Relatives of the 21 people killed in Uvalde, TX mass shooting demand criminal charges after federal officials say delayed police response cost lives

‘Drop Charges Against Woman Who Suffered Miscarriage,’ Say Ohio Doctors

Brittany Watts, 33, was charged with a felony in Ohio after police searched her toilet after she suffered a miscarriage. Doctors are pushing the prosecutor to drop charges.

‘This Is Madness’: Supreme Court Denies Solitary Confinement Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court's three liberal justices issued a scathing dissent this week as the tribunal's right-wing supermajority rejected the appeal of an Illinois inmate with mental illness imprisoned in solitary confinement without access to fresh air for three straight years.

Four Senior Women Arrested for Blocking Entrance to Cop City

The latest warriors to save Atlanta's Weelaunee forest and stop ‘Cop City’ are four elder women who believe people should decide the fate of the forest, not the Mayor, Atlanta City Council, or the Atlanta Police Foundation. A petition for a public vote was signed by 116,000 people.

CARE Court in California: A Primer

CA Senate Bill 1338 created a mental health court. A court-appointed conservator would make health care decisions and control one’s medication and treatment — at an involuntary stay in a psychiatric facility. Could this be the housing promised by Governor Newsom?

Georgia Attorney General Brings RICO Indictments Against 61 Activists

This article reposted from the Atlanta Community Press Collective describes the Georgia Attorney General's attempt to stifle free speech by indicting opponents of Cop City in Atlanta.

The Rise of Private Cops: How Not to Tackle Homelessness

Like many cities with a serious housing problem, Portland is increasingly relying on private security to “clean up” the human debris of capitalism.

Six White Mississippi Police Plead Guilty to Torturing Two Black Men

In Braxton, Mississippi on January 24, 2023 six white police officers raided a home and tortured, tasered, sexually abused two Black men, shooting one in the mouth. The six police just pled guilty to torture. The two men speak about their fight for justice.

#StopCopCity: People Power Grows in Response to State Repression in Atlanta

Read an update on the growth of the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta in response to the State repression in Atlanta.

Sending Kids to Angola Prison

Threatening to transfer a child in need of support and services to a dangerous maximum-security adult prison, like Angola Penitentiary, represents a complete failure by the state of Louisiana to provide rehabilitation to children. The juvenile justice system is skewed toward punitive justice; find out what we can do about it.

Cop City’s Corporate Ties Exposed!

The push to build the planned $90 million corporate-funded militarized police training facility in a forest near Atlanta tells us a lot about what the movement for progressive change is up against, both in Atlanta and nationwide.

Atlanta City Council OKs $67M for Massive Police Facility Despite Large Protests

Thousands lined up at an Atlanta City Council meeting to voice their opposition to the construction of a massive police training facility known as Cop City.

Atlanta: Police Arrest Group Raising Funds for Cop City Opponents

Police SWAT team raided the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and arrested three people who had been raising money to bail out protesters opposed to the construction of a police training facility known as Cop City.

The 1937 Memorial Day Massacre: ‘We Don’t Want Fascism in America’

In the 1937 Memorial Day massacre police were called out by Republic Steel to do violence against a campaign to unionize the steel industry. Today the fight for justice and democracy continues for all who’ve been killed by police – on picket lines or in neighborhoods.

A Police Killing Inside Hospital During Mental Health Crisis

Seven sheriff's deputies and three hospital workers are indicted on murder charges for killing a shackled Black man by piling on him and pinning him to the ground for 11 minutes in a Virginia mental health hospital.

A Special Show: Texas Governor Sends More Troops to the Border

The author is in the Rio Grande Valley witnessing desperate people swimming across the river for asylum on the eve of the elimination of Title 42.

A JUST QUESTION: Why is SJ Police Association Fentanyl Queen Treated Differently?

Former San Jose Police Association Executive Director faces federal charges for running an international drug ring. She was released without bail and local law officials have been relatively quiet on the alleged charges despite its size and scope. Writer Raymond Goins asks - why is she treated differently?

Injustice in Merced: Sisters Fight for Justice for Their Brother

Jacob Merlin Apodaca was attacked while in police custody. Since his death his sisters have been demanding transparency and justice from Merced officials regarding their brother’s death. 

Forest Defenders Reoccupy Weelaunee to Stop Cop City

Atlanta neighborhoods, clergy, environmental and many other groups and activists joined Stop Cop City actions to save Atlanta forest from destruction for proposed police academy. Events were held in 38 cities and supported by international environmental groups.

Atlanta Area Resident: Why Cop City Must Be Stopped

Atlanta area resident from the majority Black neighborhood adjacent to the Atlanta forest speaks about what’s behind the struggle to Stop Cop City, and recent events.

Police Violently Raid Music Festival in Atlanta’s Weelaunee Forest

Police agencies in militarized gear, armed with lethal weapons, raided a music festival in a public park within the Weelaunee forest in Atlanta during the fifth Week of Action to protect the Weelaunee (Atlanta) Forest and stop ‘Cop City’

Family of Man Killed by Border Patrol Seeks Justice from International Body

After Anastasio Hernández Rojas was beaten to death by U.S. Border Patrol agents in 2010, his family ultimately had to take the case to an international human rights body to seek justice. This is the first case of its kind.

Police Killings in 2022: Highest in a Decade

Police killed 1,183 people in 2022, the highest number in a single year in the past decade. There were only 12 days last year without a police killing.

Atlanta Forest Defender Shot and Killed By Police

Forest defenders refuse to let this murder of one of their own stop them from protesting building of largest militarized police training center for urban warfare in the country.

Community Demands Police Abolition As They Mourn Tortuguita, Forest Defender Killed By Police

People mourned, cried, and supported each other at one of many remembrances of Tortugita, the forest defender killed by police, reaffirming a commitment to public safety free of police and to "Stop Cop City."

Women: The Collateral Consequences of Mass Incarceration

The majority of arrested women have been involved in crimes by their significant other or mistreated by them. Once imprisoned, women face more abuse. Prisons also dissolve the family; over 1.25 million children are currently separated from incarcerated parents. The author argues that the system must be dismantled and government must protect everyone.

Victory in Police Brutality Lawsuit Against City of Detroit

A victory for the movement against police brutality was won in a lawsuit against the City of Detroit. The settlement means that a federal court will rule that the City of Detroit and the Detroit Police Department violated the constitutional rights of protestors during the George Floyd uprising of 2020.

Prison Money Diaries

Find out what people really make (and spend) behind bars to learn how prisoners navigate and survive the harsh reality of prison economics.

Stars Don’t Shine Bright in the Heart of Texas

The news out of Texas is bleak. But if the people of Uvalde can rise up and question social norms despite their pain and loss, there is hope for a brighter tomorrow

GO TO NOWHERE LAND?

Hear voices of homeless campers in Santa Cruz about their planned evictions, alongside the City’s misuse of $14 million in funds that were to help the homeless.

Akron Community Demands Justice for Jayland Walker

Outrage is growing in Akron, Ohio, after police officers killed Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, on June 27 after what was supposed to be a stop for traffic and equipment violations. Walker suffered more than 60 gunshot wounds.

Time for Bold Action: Jan. 6th Plus Court Rulings = Democracy in Danger

If anyone doubted that American democracy – however partial and imperfect – is in danger, the stunning revelations of the Jan. 6 hearings and the recent series of court rulings are a loud wake-up call.

Occupy the PGA in Benton Harbor, MI!

On May 28, Reverend Edward Pinkney and the Benton Harbor Community Water Council hosted "Occupy the PGA," protesting the corporate takeover of the predominantly...

First Tennesseean Arrested For ‘The Crime’ of Felony Camping

A 32-year-old homeless woman in Knoxville was arrested and charged under Tennessee's new felony law that criminalizes homelessness. Photo/hardknoxwire.com

Bitter Recall of San Francisco’s D.A.: An attack on reform

Billionaires and corporate interests, bankroll recall of San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin who prosecuted criminal acts such as wage theft, worked to reform the justice system and hold police accountable when they break the law.

‘We Are Not Afraid,’ Says Progressive San Francisco D.A., Ousted By Billionaires

San Francisco District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, speaks to supporters on the eve of his recall, funded by right-wing billionaires.

Luis J. Rodriguez Thanks Supporters of His California Gubernatorial Campaign

Luis J. Rodriguez: "We articulated the seeds of a movement for shared well-being. I don’t know what we’ll call this, but we’ll continue along these lines as we mobilize and organize for a new California. "

Melissa Lucio wins stay of execution, new hearing

Melissa Lucio, a mother accused of the murder of Mariah, her two-year-old daughter, will now have a chance for a real and honest defense.

Homeless Demand harm reduction, not incarceration!

End game – to incarcerate the unhoused who have experienced the violence of being stigmatized for mental health and substance use, both of which are results of state-inflicted violence on poor communities of color.

Immigrant detention

The Biden administration has unnecessarily—and often unlawfully—jailed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers, many of whom have suffered “severe” physical and psychological abuse and discrimination, according to a report published April 21.

Justice for Anthony Gay

Man is imprisoned for a petty larceny involving $1. His struggle inside against a racist system of incarceration lands him in solitary confinement for 22 years.

Another Border Patrol Killing, Another Possible Cover-up?

The Border Patrol killed another migrant along the southern border in Arizona in February, and once again there are questions about the integrity of the investigation into the killing.

Will U.S. Justice Dept. Bring a Case Against Jason Van Dyke?

The ex-Chicago police officer spent only three years in prison for killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald with 16 gunshots in October 2014. He is out now.

Teen girl killed by LAPD in store dressing room

LAPD bullets pierced the wall of a store dressing room and killed a 14-year-old girl. The family wants justice. LAPD officers shot at least 37 people in 2021, killing 17—more than either of the last two years.

“The system is rigged,” says Rev. Pinkney from prison

You will never ever see me associating with Michael Jordan or Lebron James: they believe in the system, the establishment. They’re rich. I’m poor. But I ...

The face of opposition to Emergency Management: Rev. Pinkney

Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, MI was among the first to speak out against the state’s dictator law which allowed for Whirlpool to take over the town’s prime ...

Baltimore: Police violence increases as jobs decrease

Last spring Freddie Gray died in Baltimore Police custody. Freddie Gray came from a part of Baltimore called Sandtown. Here one-third of the housing units ...

Police murder of poor continues in Chicago area

If the capitalists do not need to hire you, they will not provide your loved ones with mental health treatment services. They will not resolve your domestic troubles ...

Battle for prisoners’ rights and environmental justice in Kentucky

The United States boasts the highest prison population in the world. The government constantly installs new, larger prisons to fill with “criminals” indicted for committing ...

Greetings from Rev. Pinkney!

Over New Year’s, we drove from Chicago to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (near Canada) to visit Rev. Edward Pinkney. Isolated in a prison that looks like a 19th century castle ...

We demand the real criminals go to jail

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King shared a prophetic speech to millions of people called, "I Have A Dream." In it, he quoted the Old Testament Prophet Amos: "But let justice ...

Free Rev. Pinkney!

Defender of the poor and a political prisoner—Rev. Pinkney sounded the alarm early on about the threat of the iron fist of the emergency manager system of corporate ...

“The Pinkney’s have done so much for so many,” says supporter

On Dec. 15, 2014 two people were actually sentenced by the Berrien County courts—Rev. Edward Pinkney, who was railroaded, and his wife, Dorothy. The first thing I take issue ...

“So many young people are involved now,” says Dorothy Pinkney

“I was four-years-old when my parents moved to Benton Harbor’s countryside. When we moved to the city, I saw a different side to Benton Harbor. I remember walking ...

We Can Provide Health Care to Everyone

  If we need any more reasons to nationalize health care so it can be guaranteed to all, the horror stories in America surrounding the...

Struggle for justice continues in Baltimore

Six Baltimore police officers were indicted on charges connected to the death of Freddie Gray. Freddie’s treatment before he was put in the police van was ...

Stop the killings

  A young reporter and cameraman killed on live television. A nine year-old girl shot dead through her bedroom window as she sits doing homework....

Homeless man beaten to death by jailers

Friends, families, and supporters of inmates incarcerated in the Santa Clara County Jail here rallied on September 4 to protest the brutal murder of ...

From racial division to class unity

There is an old saying, “a hungry belly has no color.” This is the reality the ruling class fears. While starving the workers it no longer needs ...

Police violence aimed at poorest workers

Unable to further disregard the growing mass reaction to police violence, spreading poverty and deepening social crisis, the ruling class has taken the tactical...

No Jobs, No Water: How much longer do we have to live like this?

Baltimore City, whose police are under Federal investigation for outrageous cruelty, started shutting off water to 150 families a day. ...

California drought affects poor disproportionately

Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in the rich agricultural state of California, which is enduring the fourth ...

Police killing of teen ruled lawful

Protests broke out after the Madison, WI, district attorney ruled that the killing of 19-yearold Tony Robinson was a lawful use of deadly ...

Welcome to the new Jim Crow

Families across this country celebrated Mother's Day, however, there are mothers who will not have praises uttered to them ...

San Jose: “Protect your people”

San Jose ended 2014 with problems that mirrored the rest of the country. In the midst of the Ferguson protests, San Jose Police Officer Philip White ...

“A spectacle of horror” in Baltimore

I'm sort of shell shocked from my time in Baltimore during the unrest. First thing you see is the National Guard holding huge ...

Mothers rally for justice for their children

On Mother’s Day, 2015, Moms whose children have been killed by police, and who seek justice, rallied in Washington, D.C. under the banner of the ...

“System designed with children’s interests at the bottom,” says homeless Mom

On January 3, 2015, my family parked the camper van we have been living in near “Slab City” in Niland, California. Slab City is ...

No Justice. No Peace!

The not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin has made clear the raw and growing disconnect between the humane and moral foundation of justice and the hard, cold immorality of some of the laws of the land. This verdict compels the American people ...

Report from Rev. Pinkney’s Attorney on Judge’s Ruling

Protesting Whirlpool's takeover of the town of Benton Harbor's city owned park and the redevelopment. Photo/DaymonjHartles.comEditors Note: The following are excerpts from Attorney Hugh...

Corporate Power and the Case of Rev. Edward Pinkney

Rev. Edward Pinkney is in prison for fighting Whirlpool Corporation'stakeover of Benton Harbor, MI. PHOTO/FACEBOOK Editor’s Note: In a miscarriage of justice the likes of...