Sanford, FL – As the trial of George Zimmerman reaches its twelfth day, activists and organizers around Florida question whether the murderer of Trayvon Martin will face justice for killing the 17 year-old African-American student in cold blood.
Los Angeles, CA – On July 8, 30,000 prisoners in California began a massive, system-wide hunger strike and work stoppage. This is likely the largest prison strike in U.S. history. The prisoners have five demands, centered on stopping long-term solitary confinement, group punishment and administrative abuse, as well as other issues of appalling prison conditions, many of which can be classified as torture. The strike is uniting prisoners across lines of race and nationality throughout the California prison system.
Milwaukee, WI – Community members rallied in memory of Derek Williams, who was killed in the custody of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) on July 6, 2011, two years ago to the day. Militant protests against MPD brutality and corruption have been happening regularly for over a year, and protesters routinely take over major streets for hours on end. This time however, the police response was far more aggressive, resulting in a heated confrontation on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Durham, NC – Chants of “No justice, no peace! No racist police!” and “Free Carlos Riley Jr.!” rang out on June 28, as about 40 people gathered outside the Durham police headquarters to demand the charges be dropped against Carlos Riley Jr.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International League of Peoples' Struggle, written by Jose Maria Sison, in support of Edward Snowden.ILPS praises heroic act of Edward Snowden in exposing NSA surveillance program PRISM
Minneapolis, MN – In an effort to build support for the compassionate release of Lynne Stewart from prison, a delegation of community leaders met with staff at the office of Congressman Keith Ellison on June 20.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 supporters of civil liberties join a protest at the office of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar under the slogan, “Say no to NSA surveillance.” The protest was organized by Anti-War Committee and the MN Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and had the backing of the Twin Cites peace and justice community.
New York, NY – Jess Sundin, of the Committee to Stop FBI repression, spoke on a panel at the Left Forum here, June 8. Entitled the “Targeted killings of Americans on American soil: the story of Lynne Stewart, political prisoners and all progressive struggles in America.” The panel included Ralph Poynter, husband of jailed people’s lawyer Lynn Stewart and a leader of her defense committee. Also speaking was Ricardo Jimenez and Luis Rosa, fighters for Puerto Rico’s independence who served long prison sentences, Sue Udry of the Defending Dissent Foundation, Reverend Pinkney, Pam Africa, and others.
Minneapolis, MN – About 25 protesters gathered in front of the Hennepin County government building here, June 11, to protest the massive National Security Agency spying program and to support whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Lynne Stewart, a heroic and long-time progressive lawyer, is serving a ten-year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas for ‘material support of terrorism,’ after serving as defense attorney for Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman. On June 9 Fight Back! spoke with her husband, Ralph Poynter, about her case. Poynter is a Black community leader and retired New York City teacher.
In a whirlwind news week the public has become aware that the majority, if not all, of U.S. telephone calls are monitored by the NSA (National Security Agency) and have been for seven years, that the U.S. government is monitoring emails through a secret NSA program called PRISM, and that Edward Snowden is the whistleblower that made these revelations possible. On June 9, Snowden told The Guardian to publish that he was the leak even though it puts him in the crosshairs of the U.S. government. “I'm willing to sacrifice all…because I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building.”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.Justice Department Tramples on First Amendment Rights of Associated Press and Anti-war Activists
Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of people marched through the streets of downtown Minneapolis on May 31 to demand justice for Terrance “Mookie” Franklin, a 22-year-old African American man killed by the police in a South Minneapolis home on May 10.
Washington, DC – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said on May 17 that it plans to file a complaint against a Minnesota judge who inappropriately questioned defendants on their religious beliefs and equated mainstream Islamic principles with terrorism.
Minneapolis, MN – About 200 Somalis, mainly women, converged on the Federal Building here, May 16, for the sentencing hearing of two Somali humanitarian workers. Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan were convicted of ‘material support for terrorism’ in October, 2011. Judge Michael J. Davis handed down a 20-year sentence for Amina Ali and a 10-year sentence for Hawo Hassan.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from People's Organization For Progress (POP) chair Lawrence Hamm, from a May 10 Newark, New Jersey press conference.
Struggle continues to free Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio and Fernando
Miami, FL – On May 3, René González, one of the Cuban 5, finally won his freedom from the U.S. prison system when a judge ruled that he could move back to Cuba. González had already served an unjust sentence of more than 13 years in U.S. prisons. He was then was forced to stay in Miami another year and a half on parole. González was greeted as a hero on his return to Cuba, which has waged a determined campaign to win freedom for the Cuban 5.