Human Rights

Your Right To Protest And Police Enforcing Laws

December 8, 2014 Steve Rosenfeld, www.alternet.org Strategize! Human Rights, Law, Protests

Everyone knows the First Amendment guarantees free speech and freedom of assembly—the right to protest. But as demonstrations build across the country over institutional racism and excessive force in policing, there are other things protesters need to know, from legal limits on protests to what to do if arrested. In some cities, there’s no guarantee that police will behave, balancing the rights of protesters with what they will say are the rights of everyone else. What follows are summaries and links to five guidelines and legal analyses for protesters from civil rights’ lawyers. They say what you can and cannot do, tell protesters to be prepared for possible arrest, what to do if arrested and more.

St. Louis Cop: ‘Whole System Is Guilty’

December 8, 2014 Redditt Hudson, www.washingtonpost.com Educate! Human Rights, police brutality, Police the Police, Racial Justice

Unfortunately, I don’t think better training alone will reduce police brutality. My fellow officers and I took plenty of classes on racial sensitivity and on limiting the use of force. The problem is that cops aren’t held accountable for their actions, and they know it. These officers violate rights with impunity. They know there’s a different criminal justice system for civilians and police. Even when officers get caught, they know they’ll be investigated by their friends, and put on paid leave. My colleagues would laughingly refer to this as a free vacation. It isn’t a punishment. And excessive force is almost always deemed acceptable in our courts and among our grand juries. Prosecutors are tight with law enforcement, and share the same values and ideas. The number of people in uniform who will knowingly and maliciously violate your human rights is huge. At the Ferguson protests, people are chanting, “The whole damn system is guilty as hell.” I agree, and we have a lot of work to do.

Will International Criminal Court Finally Hold US Accountable?

December 6, 2014 David Bosco, www.foreignpolicy.com Educate! Afghanistan, Human Rights, Law, United Nations, Wars and Militarism

The International Criminal Court in The Hague is tiptoeing closer to a confrontation with the United States. The key issue is U.S. detention practices, and the alleged use of torture, in Afghanistan. A report just released by the office of the court’s prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, for the first time explicitly names U.S. forces as potential culprits. The back story of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) inquiry into possible crimes in Afghanistan extends more than a decade. Afghanistan joined the ICC in early 2003, less than a year after the court opened its doors. That move gave the international prosecutor potentially broad jurisdiction over crimes committed by all combatants on Afghan soil.

Net Neutrality Jumbotron Delivers Message FCC Couldn’t Miss

December 6, 2014 Mary Alice Crim, www.freepress.net Resist! FCC, Human Rights, Internet, Net Neutrality, Obama

Just after dark on Thursday night in Washington, Free Press parked a Jumbotron right outside the swanky hotel hosting a dinner and roast honoring FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The huge screen outside the so-called “Telecom Prom” featured a song pleading with the FCC to protect the open Internet — part of a video montage that played for hours. The program included President Obama’s historic video statement endorsing Net Neutrality, homemade YouTube videos, images from rallies, and testimonials from public hearings that Wheeler and his colleagues declined to attend.

Ohio Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Against State & Fracking Corps

December 5, 2014 Tish O’Dell, www.popularresistance.org Resist! Environment, Fracking, Human Rights

Today, residents of Broadview Heights, Ohio, filed a first-in-the-state class action lawsuit against the State of Ohio, Governor John R. Kasich, and Bass Energy, Inc. and Ohio Valley Energy Systems Corp. The lawsuit was filed to protect the rights of the people of Broadview Heights to self-governance, including their right to ban fracking. In November 2012, residents of Broadview Heights overwhelmingly adopted a Home Rule Charter Amendment – proposed by residents – banning all new commercial extraction of gas and oil within the City limits. The Amendment establishes aCommunity Bill of Rights – which secures the rights of human and natural communities to water and a healthy environment. The Bill of Rights bans fracking and frack waste disposal as a violation of those rights.

Snowden Wins Swedish Human Rights Award

December 5, 2014 Ewan MacAskill, www.theguardian.com Educate! Edward Snowden, Human Rights, NSA, Surveillance

Whistleblower Edward Snowden received several standing ovations in the Swedish parliament after being given the Right Livelihood award for his revelations of the scale of state surveillance. Snowden, who is in exile in Russia, addressed the parliament by video from Moscow. In a symbolic gesture, his family and supporters said no one picked up the award on his behalf in the hope that one day he might be free to travel toSweden to receive it in person. His father, Lon, who was in the chamber for what was an emotional ceremony, said: “I am thankful for the support of the Right Livelihood award and the Swedish parliament. The award will remain here in expectation that some time – sooner or later – he will come to Stockholm to accept the award.” Snowden is wanted by the US on charges under the Espionage Act. His chances of a deal with the US justice department that would allow him to return home are slim and he may end up spending the rest of his days in Russia. His supporters hope that a west European country such as Sweden might grant him asylum. Members of the Green party called for him to be given sanctuary in Sweden.

December Week Of Action Challenges CIA And NSA Crimes

December 4, 2014 Shahid Buttar, www.bordc.org Organize! Human Rights, Wars and Militarism

This December presents a rare opportunity to commemorate a series of human rights disasters driven by our nation's intelligence agencies, which continue to evade justice and accountability. December 10 marks UN International Human Rights Day, as well as the 10th anniversary of the still unexplained death of journalist Gary Webb, both of which implicate CIA complicity in human rights abuses for which no one has ever been held responsible. Days later, Bill of Rights Day on December 15 commemorates the constitutional legacy eroded by NSA dragnet spying and militarized police, both of which trace their origins to various CIA violations in the past. Years before the war on terror began, the CIA helped initiate it by promoting violent religious struggle across Central Asia as a bulwark against Soviet aspirations for access to a warm weather port through Afghanistan. The strategy, spearheaded by President Reagan and former Congressman Charlie Wilson, did help break the Soviet Union.

Private Prison Nightmare For Immigrants In Georgia

December 2, 2014 Azadeh N. Shahshahani, www.thehill.com Educate! Human Rights, Hunger Strike, Immigration, Mass Incarceration

Reports are mounting of a living nightmare in Lumpkin, Georgia, at Stewart, a 1,750-bed detention facility housing immigrants facing potential deportation. According to multiple interviews with detained immigrants at Stewart, they are dealing withmaggots in food, improper medical care, sweltering temperatures, and in many cases no communication with staff due to no translators on site. The Corrections Corporation of America operates the facility for profit, adding fuel to an already roaring fire of opposition. While President Obama’s expanded deportation relief is a welcome move—the truth is that without addressing immigration detention, immigrants will continue to suffer horrifying conditions in detention centers.

We Are Tired Of Supporting Militarized Police At Home & Abroad

November 29, 2014 Staff, www.ustired2.com Resist! Corruption, Human Rights, Mexico, Militarized police, Violence

The #USTired2 Campaign Demonstrates How The Us Is Not Only Supporting Militarized Police In Ferguson and Across the United States, but Around The World As Well. This December 7th Join In Protested the Killing of 43 Students In Mexico, a Crime in Which the US is Complicit For many in these United States, images of mass graves in Mexico or stories like that of the 43 missing Normalista students of Ayotzinapa are disturbing, but far away. For others of us, Mexico is not just a “foreign policy issue.” Mexico es familia. Inspired by our friends, family and loved ones in Mexico, #UStired2 is a nationwide effort involving students, local Mexican and Latino and other communities, immigrant rights activists, religious organizations, concerned scholars and many others from across the entire United States. Our effort has one goal: working in the United States to promote peace as an alternative to the catastrophically failed drug war that has left more than 100,000 dead and 25,000 people disappeared in Mexico. More than 43 cities in the United States—one for each student disappeared in Ayotzinapa—have joined our effort—all in less than a week after the call to action was made.

FCC, Deliver The Internet We Deserve

November 29, 2014 Center For Media Justice, www.freepress.net Resist! Civil Rights, Human Rights, Internet, Net Neutrality, Racial Justice

We brought this delegation of civil rights leaders to Washington, D.C., to remind Commissioner Clyburn that the communities that will be most adversely affected by weak Net Neutrality rules are communities of color. Presente shared how vital an open Internet has been in pushing the immigration debate forward and empowering President Obama to issue last week’s executive order. For ColorOfChange, an organization that grew from one email in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the largest online community of African Americans, the Internet has allowed it to stake out a powerful political voice. The evidence of this power is unfolding in Ferguson as we speak. We delivered the message that strong Net Neutrality 1) ensures companies are not allowed to discriminate against voices online, 2) bans fast lanes and slow lanes, and 3) provides equal protections for the 60 percent of Latinos and 43 percent of African Americans who access the Internet primarily through their cellphones.

#BlackOutBlackFriday: The Time Has Come

November 28, 2014 John Burris, www.blackoutforhumanrights.com Resist! Human Rights, police brutality

#BlackoutBlackFriday: The Time Has Come' is our latest video that we've produced to raise awareness about Blackout Black Friday and our nation's epidemic of police brutality. Blackout for Human Rights started #BlackoutBlackFriday to stand up for victims of police brutality and spark change. Blackout for Human Rights (Blackout) is a network of concerned citizens who commit their energy and resources to immediately address the staggering level of human rights violations against fellow Americans throughout the United States. We demand an immediate end to the brutal treatment and inhumane killings of our loved ones; the lives of our friends, our parents and our children have value and should be treated with respect. Our right to life is secured not only by our humanity, but is protected by law both federally and internationally by the Constitution of the United States of America and the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

People Of Conscience: “Brown Friday” Don’t Shop

November 28, 2014 I Am Color Of Change, www.iam.colorofchange.org Resist! Capitalism, Consumerism, Human Rights, police brutality

BLACKOUT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (Blackout) is a nationwide network of high profile artists, activists and faith leaders, who stand against human rights violations. We’ve watched in outrage, frustration and sadness as Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, Oscar Grant, Tanisha Anderson, Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, John Crawford, and so many others met their deaths at the hands of police officers. We mourn the loss of life and the absence of justice for Trayvon Martin, Renisha McBride and Jordan Davis, killed by private citizens, in a climate where police action demonstrates this as acceptable. We are making Black Friday (November 28, 2014) a nationwide day of action and retail boycott. Don’t spend: take action. Your dollars matter and so does your voice. Will you join us?

Human Rights Assessment Of Unconventional Gas

November 24, 2014 Extreme Energy Initiative, www.extremeenergy.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Fracking, Human Rights, Law, United Nations

A report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2011 argues that the environmental damage caused by hydraulic fracturing for natural gas poses ‘a new threat to human rights’. This report concurs and calls attention to the most directly applicable rights, both substantive and procedural, implicated by fracking operations, including the rights to life and security of person, to water and health, to respect for home and private life and to public participation in the decision making processes concerning environmental matters, as well as the human rights dimensions of climate change and the rights of future generations.

Digital Privacy: New Frontier Of Human Rights

November 24, 2014 Natasha Lomas, www.techcrunch.com Educate! Edward Snowden, Human Rights, NSA, Privacy, Surveillance

The impact of mass, digitally-enabled state surveillance upon individuals’ privacy has been described as “the new frontier of human rights” by Member of the European Parliament, Claude Moraes, who was giving an annual lecture on behalf of the Centre for Research into Information, Surveillance and Privacy at the London School of Economics on Friday. Moraes is chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), which conducted an inquiry into electronic mass surveillance of European Union citizens last year, in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s digital dragnets.

5 Arrested In Lumpkin During Stewart Detention Center Protest

November 24, 2014 Naomi Keitt, www.wrbl.com Resist! Human Rights, ICE, Mass Incarceration

Five human rights activists were arrested Saturday morning as they protested at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. For 8 years, hundreds of protesters have called for the closure of one the largest immigrant detention centers in the country. This year, five activists were arrested trying to get their voices heard. It was a silent message that spoke volumes as five activists crossed a restricted line and were arrested in Lumpkin Saturday morning. One of those activists was Anton Flores. "Right now in the United States, there are 34,000 immigrants that are detained in detention centers around the United States. We want to see that number decrease and we want to see this facility shut down," said Anton Flores.

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