Law

Climate Advocates Shift Focus To State Action In 2015

January 3, 2015 Katherine Bagley, www.insideclimatenews.org Organize! Climate Change, Congress, Environmental Justice, Law

Concluding that global warming will be a toxic topic in the newly elected Congress, climate movement leaders say they will press for action by state and local authorities while encouraging President Barack Obama to advance his agenda for fighting climate change. "D.C. has always been tough ground—the fossil fuel industry owns one party and terrifies the other," said Bill McKibben, an environmental activist and founder of the climate advocacy organization 350.org. "We're aware of the hardship, but undaunted." Local and regional governments have initiated some of the most aggressive efforts to combat climate change in the U.S. This has been particularly true in cities, where 80 percent of Americans live. Climate leaders say they will lobby more states, cities and towns to start adaptation programs to stave off the worst effects of global warming, including rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and stronger storms.

Diplomatic Relations With Cuba & Sanctions For Venezuela

January 3, 2015 The Real News, www.therealnews.com Educate! Congress, Cuba, Law, Sanctions, usa, Venezuela

I think Venezuela is seen, certainly by this group of legislators that form a very small minority of the Congress but that hold very powerful positions on committees, Venezuela is seen as a bigger threat these days than Cuba, due to its rather large regional influence. And so they are now focusing more and more. They were very pleased to see see this legislation go through. And it made, I think, this opening towards Cuba slightly more palatable to these members of Congress. It is supported by some of the opposition. It's supported by what's sort of called the extremist or radical opposition, those who actually promoted the violent protests that took place back in March--February, March of this year. These protests, of course, involved a lot of violence that was carried out directly by protesters, and it's something that the mainstream media, of course, didn't cover very well at all.

Court Rejects Oil And Gas Language In Drilling Ban

January 3, 2015 Earth Justice, www.earthjustice.org Organize! California, Environmental Justice, Law

The Los Angeles Superior Court ruled in favor of La Habra Heights residents today by rejecting inaccurate oil and gas-backed language from being included in a March 2015 ballot initiative. The Court ordered the City to revise the language. The community-proposed initiative aims to ban new oil and gas development, including high-intensity practices like fracking and acid well stimulation that have been linked to serious health and environmental impacts. This victory comes as a result of an Earthjustice, La Habra Heights Oil Watch, and the Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit against language that would have deceived the public into thinking that “The Healthy City Initiative,” otherwise known as Measure A, covers a broader scope of the industry than it actually does.

Egypt Court Orders Retrial For Peter Greste & Al-Jazeera Colleagues

January 3, 2015 Patrick Kingsley, www.theguardian.com Educate! Egypt, Freedom of Press, Journalism, Law

Three al-Jazeera English journalists jailed in Egypt have been sent for retrial after a New Year’s Day appeal hearing in Cairo, dashing their families’ hopes of a release on bail, but opening the door for two of the trio to be deported. After more than a year in jail, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy, Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed now face several further months behind bars, with no date for a new hearing set. Fahmy and Greste could still be deported under the terms of a recent presidential decree that allows foreign nationals to serve sentences in their home countries, but President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s office did not respond to a request for comment about his intentions.

The Changing Civil Disobedience Movement To Save Seneca Lake

January 3, 2015 Faith Meckley, www.theithacan.org Educate! Civil Disobedience, Law, Seneca Lake

By the time everyone had settled in, we had changed our strategy. Instead of pleading guilty and refusing our fines, we would all plead not guilty. I glared at the back of the chair in front of me as everyone went up, one by one. Something didn’t seem right. How could we know for sure they had taken away the jail option? The district attorney had left after Salamendra’s case, and he wasn’t here to breath down Judge Berry’s neck anymore. I stood and went over to stand next to Steingraber, who was in the midst of conversation with another person. “I think we should have one person plead guilty, just to see what happens,” she said as I approached, her eyes sliding knowingly to mine. “I’ll do it,” I said. If I could break through and get to jail tonight, it would be big news.

2014: The Year The American Justice System Officially Died

January 1, 2015 Carey Wedler, www.theantimedia.org Educate! Criminal Justice, Law, Mass Incarceration, Racial Justice, Social Change

In 2014, the problem of police brutality forced itself to the forefront of the national conversation following the brutal killing of Americans at the hands of the police. This increased attention has been a success for activists from all walks of life and for the well-being of citizens. The problem of racism and police murders that involve it is finally receiving widespread acknowledgment and opposition. But as much as the issue of police abuse needs attention, it remains that injustice in America permeates layers of society that transcend law enforcement, race, and problems of direct violence against citizens. Rather, police brutality is a symptom of much deeper decay in the concept and system of “justice” in the United States. In 2015, the fight against police injustice must continue. But that fight must not forget the multitude of other ways that justice is trampled. In fact, if the system is allowed to continue, any small, superficial wins made in the fight against brutality will surely be reversed at the hands of a government whose foundational power is never questioned.

The Prison State Of America

December 31, 2014 Chris Hedges, www.truthdig.com Educate! Law, Mass Incarceration, police brutality, Racial Justice

Our prison-industrial complex, which holds 2.3 million prisoners, or 25 percent of the world’s prison population, makes money by keeping prisons full. It demands bodies, regardless of color, gender or ethnicity. As the system drains the pool of black bodies, it has begun to incarcerate others. Women—the fastest-growing segment of the prison population—are swelling prisons, as are poor whites in general, Hispanics and immigrants. Prisons are no longer a black-white issue. Prisons are a grotesque manifestation of corporate capitalism. Slavery is legal in prisons under the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It reads: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States. …” And the massive U.S. prison industry functions like the forced labor camps that have existed in all totalitarian states.

Police Chief Explains Why He’s Not Arresting Protesters

December 31, 2014 Steve Anderson, www.nashville.com Educate! Law, Non-Violence, police brutality, Police the Police

As imperfect humans, we have a tendency to limit our association with other persons to those persons who are most like us. Unfortunately, there is even more of a human tendency to stay within our comfort zone by further narrowing those associations to those persons who share our thoughts and opinions. By doing this we can avoid giving consideration to thoughts and ideas different than our own. This would make us uncomfortable. By considering only the thoughts and ideas we are in agreement with, we stay in our comfort zone. Our own biases get reinforced and reflected back at us leaving no room for any opinion but our own. By doing this, we often convince ourselves that the majority of the world shares opinion and that anyone with another opinion is, obviously, wrong. I have to admit, I am somewhat puzzled by this announcement. None of the demonstrators in this city have in any way exhibited any propensity for violence or indicated, even verbally, that they would harm anyone. I can understand how you may feel that your ideologies have been questioned but I am not aware of any occurrence that would give reason for someone to feel physically threatened.

Chilling, Disgusting: Investigations Into NYPD Corruption

December 30, 2014 Justin Gardner, www.thefreethoughtproject.com Educate! Corruption, Law, NYPD, police brutality

Grass eaters, meat eaters, pads, bagmen, scores, and doing doors. These are a few of the nicknames cops in the New York City Police Department use for their colleagues engaged in the business of committing crime. It’s no wonder these words have become part of the NYPD lexicon, considering its long history of corruption. Patrick Lynch, the head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, is attempting to use the senseless murder of two NYPD officers as the basis for irrational rants and calls to impose “wartime” measures on the citizens. But the more rational among us know that unprovoked murder is absolutely wrong and is rejected by those protesting police brutality. Awareness of police brutality and corruption is growing exponentially, and, as you will see below, excessive force has risen dramatically in the NYPD since 1993. It should come as no surprise to authorities that people are showing their frustration through peaceful yet powerful protests.

Autopsy: Ezell Ford Shot 3 Times, Once In Back

December 30, 2014 Mike Hayes, www.buzzfeed.com Educate! Law, police brutality

The report reveals that Ford was shot three times: once in the abdomen, once in the back and once in the right arm. The wounds to abdomen and back were ruled fatal. The wound to back showed a muzzle imprint, suggesting it occurred from very close range. The Los Angeles County Coroner released the long-awaited autopsy report Monday for Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old black man who was fatally shot by police in August. The LAPD had blocked its release for months. On Aug. 11, Ford, who was mentally ill, was shot and killed after he was confronted by LAPD officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas on a Los Angeles street while he was walking home. Ford was unarmed at the time. Ford’s parents, Edsell and Tritobia Ford, are suing the city of Los Angeles and the police department for $75 million.

Little-Known Civil Rights Statute In Police Shootings

December 30, 2014 Paul Lewis, www.theguardian.com Educate! Civil Rights, Law, police brutality, Police the Police

The review was launched after the Milwaukee district attorney announced that Christopher Manney – the police officer who shot Hamilton, and who has since been fired – will not face charges. In all four cases, federal officials are considering whether there is sufficient evidence to bring charges under a section of the US code that prohibits public officials from depriving an individual of constitutional rights under “color of law”. The DOJ did not respond to questions about whether there were any additional police shooting cases from 2014 – aside from those relating to the deaths of Brown, Garner, Crawford III and Hamilton – that are currently subject to departmental review or investigation.

Dominion Leans On Landowners To Survey For Atlantic Coast Pipeline

December 30, 2014 Cetology, www.cetology.org Resist! Energy, Environment, Land, Law

Dominion Transmission, Duke Energy and other partners are trying to nail down the route of the 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline to transport fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. Many landowners have refused to let Dominion onto their land to survey for the pipeline. Sometimes, surveyors have even been caught trespassing without permission. Now, Dominion is playing hardball and taking landowners who won’t cooperate to court to get access to their land: Dominion Resources is suing more than 40 landowners in Virginia who won’t allow the energy company to survey their properties for a proposed $5 billion natural gas pipeline. Dominion filed lawsuits earlier this week in circuit courts against 20 property owners in Nelson County and 27 in Augusta County. That number is expected to double, the company said.

How 13 Complaints Against McDonald’s Could Help Millions Unionize

December 30, 2014 David Moberg, www.inthesetimes.com Create! Fast Food, Labor Rights, Law

The law is catching up with Ronald McDonald. On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board issued 13 complaints involving 78 charges by workers that McDonald’s USA, LLC, and many of its franchisees broke the law by interfering with collective efforts to organize and improve working conditions. The complaints will now go to trial before administrative law judges , who could, for the first time, find McDonald’s guilty of violating workers’ right to organize. Until now, McDonald’s has shielded itself from liability by claiming that it’s not an actual employer. Franchisors argue that although they provide the brand name, products, techniques and other operational necessities, they leave franchisees the discretion to operate as sole employer, responsible for all labor costs, risks and obligations.

Do Corporate Rights Trump Free Speech #BlackLivesMatter

December 29, 2014 Brendan Fischer, www.prwatch.org Educate! Freedom of Speech, Law, police brutality

Minnesotans protesting police violence and institutional racism could face "staggering" fees and criminal charges for a protest at Mall of America, with the City of Bloomington announcing plans to force organizers to pay for the mall's lost revenue during the exercise of their free speech rights, highlighting important questions about free speech in an era of privatized public spaces. "Youth leaders of color [are] under attack," Black Lives Matter-Minnesota said in a statement. "It’s clear that the Bloomington City government, at the behest of one of the largest centers of commerce in the country, hopes to set a precedent that will stifle dissent and instill fear into young people of color and allies who refuse to watch their brothers and sisters get gunned down in the streets with no consequences."

Police Using Pre-Charge Bail To Muzzle Protesters

December 27, 2014 Kevin Rawlinson, www.theguardian.com Educate! Law, Police, Protests

Police are being accused of trying to muzzle protest movements as figures obtained by the Guardian reveal the widespread use of bail to ban hundreds of innocent people from attending lawful demonstrations. The data shows that around 85% of those barred from protesting when bailed have not been subsequently charged with any crime. Civil liberties and protest groups accused police of dealing out their own justice and called for a change in the law. The figures show that a least 732 people have been banned by police forces in England and Wales since 2008 but then never charged. They come as the government confirms it is considering overhauling the police bail rules.

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