Dine' Establish Blockade Near Proposed Power Plant SiteSithe Global & DPA are proposing to build the Desert Rock power plant , a 1,500 MW Coal Fired plant in the Four Corners area on the Navajo Reservation. This is an area already polluted by 2 other major coal power plants (Four Corners and San Juan power plants). Local Navajo residence and community members oppose this project for many harmful reasons!! This Desert Rock power plant is still in the environmental review process and has NOT yet been permitted.
However, Desert Rock company trucks have began moving onto the backyard of Alice Gilmore, an elderly Navajo woman, and her family on Wednesday to begin drilling efforts. Desert Rock officials and police have not shown any documents or permits to the local residents stating their purpose or permission to be there. Dine supporters and community members have joined Alice and her family to blockade the road. They are elderly women and youth, and they have been camped out on the road over night since Tuesday! Desert Rock trucks have repeatedly rushed them and have almost run-over people a number of times as they attempt to get by. Desert Rock power company is violating the lease rights of the local Navajo residences and is harassing elderly Navajo women and youth! This is an urgent time and support is needed!!! Please read on to find out how you can help!
It looks like the City of Miami is preparing for a raid on our "Umoja" Liberty City Shantytown, while local clergy demand 'Hands Off of Take Back the Land' Shantytown. Confirming the fears of Umoja Village residents and Take Back the Land organizers, the city of Miami pased by a 3-2 vote, including a 'yea' vote by the lone Black commissioner and Manny Diaz ally Michelle Spence-Jones, an "emergency ordinance" to redefine the meaning of "exempt public land," essentially gutting the Pottinger Settlement which protects the shantytown, and other homeless people, setting the stage for a government raid on the property.
At least 1,280 workers have been arrested in a series of immigration raids targeting six Swift & Co. meatpacking plants. The raids took place in Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Iowa and Minnesota It marks the largest sweep of its kind ever against a single company. Local Spanish radio host, Antonio Medina, describes the immigration raid as aggressive and ugly. “I went to the plant to see what was happening, but because I’m Latino they immediately asked me for my papers,” said Medina.Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff justified the raids saying many of the detained men and women were using false or stolen identities. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has filed an emergency lawsuit in an effort to release the workers who they say were illegally detained and are being held without access to legal counsel. In Iowa, immigration lawyers have accused the federal government of holding the arrested workers at the military site Camp Dodge near Des Moines. [New America Media Coverage | Democracy Now Coverage | WSWS Coverage]
The goal of the Southern Human Rights Organizing Conference (SHROC) is to bring together human rights organizers to discuss common issues and develop more effective strategies for building a human rights movement in the Deep South. The sixth bi-annual SHROC conference was held in Houston the weekend of December 8th, which included Human Rights Day on December 10th.Houston Indymedia hosted a Makin' Media Workshop on December 5th to encourage coverage of the conference which has yielded a large amount of coverage from the open publishing newswire:
~ Many of the central themes of the conference were explored in Sarah's article; The struggle is not over: 40 years of organizing in the Deep South and the Global South, including a sense of history, the effects of globalization and imperialism and black brown unity. Massoud covered the December 8th press conference that kicked off the weekend, showing some of the diverse participation in the conference; Decades of struggle was revealed at the SHROC press conference
~ During the conference Chickpea and Meg got a chance to interview Angela Davis, the keynote speaker and long time social justice activist [listen to the interview]. RoB wrote up some observations and published photos from workshops and keynote presentations on Saturday.
~ On Saturday afternoon SHROC moved out of the conference rooms and onto the sidewalks for a protest at Wal-Mart. Art B reports: At day's end on a very full Saturday, activists converged on the Wal-Mart at Westheimer and Dunvale for a happening full of healthy spirit to counteract the consumer spirit that corrupts the season and pollutes the planet! RoB had some photos and advised Dont Shop Wal-Mart, Dont Drink Coke
~ The Conference concluded on Sunday the 10th, John published these photos from the closing. Some people attending the conference left on the 10th for a field trip to Rio Grande City to observe the 40th anniversary of the farm workers' strike that took place in 1966.
Nearly two months after Brad Will was gunned down on the streets of Oaxaca City while chronicling a popular revolution against the State governor, and more than two weeks after that uprising suffered a brutal wave of repression, the investigation into the murder of the NYC Indymedia journalist appears to be hostage to internal Mexican politics.
From the newswire: "Police coerced teenager Harold Hill into falsely confessing to a murder and rape he did not commit. Recently tested DNA evidence demonstrated his innocence… Yesterday [December 8, 2006] Hill filed suit in federal court against nine current and former Area 3 police officers. Among the defendant officers is Lieut. Kenneth Boudreau, who has compiled a notorious record of false confessions of young and otherwise vulnerable defendants" 
Outgoing lawmaker cites numerous abuses of the Constitution by President Bush "With a heavy heart and in the deepest spirit of patriotism, I exercise my duty and responsibility to speak truthfully about what is before us. To shy away from this responsibility would be easier. But I have not been one to travel the easy road. I believe in this country, and in the power of our democracy. I feel the steely conviction of one who will not let the country I love descend into shame; for the fabric of our democracy is at stake."Full Story from Guerrilla News Network || McKinney's Statement || Download Articles of Impeachment (H.R. 1106) || Inymedia Coverage of Impeachment Campaign
December 7th is the one year anniversary of the FBI’s first arrests in “Operation Backfire,” a multi-state sweep targeting radical environmental activists with charges of conspiracy and arson, threatening them with life in prison. This rise in systematic criminalization of dissent has been dubbed the Green Scare because of its use of tactics reminiscent of the Red Scares of the early twentieth century -- including grand juries, specialized legislation, and paid agents provocateurs. Today, people all over the world will be organizing and participating in educational events and protests to raise awareness about the Green Scare and show solidarity with those targeted by it. [Portland, OR | San Francisco & Fresno, CA | Santa Cruz, CA | New York City]Worcester Reportback: Congressman McGovern Commits to Work to Repeal AETA
On November 29th protesters in Worcester, Mass scored a major victory in the fight to defend civil liberties against Green Scare tactics. Dozens rallied outside of Representative James McGovern’s in protest of The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) -- a law passed on November 27th that exposes animal rights activists to massive fines and jail time for being involved in nonviolent civil disobedience. After about an hour and a half outside, the group went into the office and presented McGovern's staff with a letter, petition, and proposed repeal bill. They were then able to speak to the Congressman via speakerphone. He subsequently released a statement agreeing to further dialogue with the activists regarding the AETA at a meeting in January and hopes to address the problems with the law. Read more >>
More Action Reportbacks: Durban, South Africa | New York City | Austin, TX
| Portland, OR | Washington, DC | San Diego, CA
Resources: cldc.org | olycivlib.org | Green is the New Red | Portland IMC green scare topic page | Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network | ELP Network USA | Jeff "Free" Luers | greenscare.org | fbiwitchhunt.com
Some Non-cooperating Greenscare defendants who have websites: Briana Waters | Daniel McGowan | Eric McDavid | Josh Wolf | Rod Coronado | SHAC 7
World-renowned black death-row prisoner and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of killing white Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in a 1982 trial that Amnesty International has deemed unfair (see report). His court case has now hit the fast track with oral arguments beginning any month. Supported by the NAACP, NLG, UK Lawyers, and The German Parliament, Philly Journalists Linn Washington and Dave Lindorff have optimistically written of Abu-Jamal's chances for a new trial. In April, longtime French support (2005 photos) continued when the Paris suburb of St. Denis named a major street after Mumia (see video) and was quickly condemned with government resolutions in the US (pdf booklet), while local media continued a long history of bias. In November, Philadelphia Republicans (radio interview) filed criminal charges against St. Denis and Paris for allegedly "glorifying" a "cop-killer". Abu-Jamal's support network is organizing a mass demonstration at Philadelphia City Hall on December 9 -- the 25th anniversary of Abu-Jamal's arrest. Also, German author Michael Schiffmann just released a new book on Abu-Jamal.RELATED LINKS: Philly IMC journalist's series on Mumia | Trial Transcripts (on anti-Mumia site) | Mumia on Oaxaca
Indybay: Worldwide Events to Observe 25th Anniversary of Mumia Abu-Jamal's Arrest
On Dec. 4 2006, the Supreme Court heard two cases from Seattle and Kentucky challenging the standing of Brown v. The Board of Education. About 1000 students from across the nation came to protest the Courts hearing of the case. Video || AudioFrom the Newswire:At the crack of dawn on the coldest morning yet of the year, Howard University students set out for the US Supreme Court. At the Court, the protest swelled to many hundreds while inside Bush's new Supreme Court heard its first affirmative action case. Read More>>
Patrice Lumumba Ford's 18-year sentence will be reviewed by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on December 4 in Portland, Oregon. Ford received national media attention as part of The Portland Six, who were accused of being a "terrorist cell" in 2002. Ford's new lawyer, Shaun McCrea of Eugene, will argue that the sentencing guidelines for "treason" were erroneously applied in her client's case.Ford made a trip to China in October 2001 in the company of five other Portland men--mostly African-American converts to Islam. In China, he was denied entry to Pakistan, where he hoped to help at the Afghani refugee camps. After a month abroad, he returned to his home in Portland. One year later, federal agents nabbed Ford and the others who had traveled with him to China. Attorney General John Ashcroft called the group a "terrorist cell." It was never proven that Ford or the others had any connection to Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or any other terrorist organization. The case was expected to be a challenge to the Department of Justice's expanded spying powers under the Patriot Act but, like other "terrorist" cases around the country, it never came to trial.
About 350 workers and activists marched in crisp but clear weather in Cleveland on Saturday, December 2 to show their opposition to the "Made in USA" war of aggression against Iraq. The march was a part of the US Labor Against the War national conference. Read Reportback >>Pictures || Video: 1 | 2 | 3 || Conference Details
Related:
Nov 23: More than 200 dead in Baghdad’s deadliest day of bombings
What Price is the Bob Dylan in Each of Us?
Malachi Ritscher: A Martyr For Peace
Hundreds of community members in Jamaica, Queens mourned and protested this weekend on behalf of Sean Bell, a 23-year-old black man killed by police last month. Bell was killed on November 25 when when five undercover police officers fired 50 shots at a car carrying him and two friends. Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield survived the shooting but remain hospitalized. None of the victims were armed. The killing, which occurred on the very day Bell was to be married to his high school sweetheart, has provoked a barrage of criticism and community outrage. Photos by Stanley W. Rogouski: December 1: Funeral at the Community Church of Christ, December 2: New Black Panther Party Protest | Democracy Now Coverage: 1, 2
By Housing WorksIn the very first, dark minutes of World AIDS Day, we began reciting the long list of New Yorkers who have died because of the failure to adequately address the AIDS crisis. In the 25 horrible years of the AIDS pandemic, heroes have successfully spoken out, sought answers and demanded solutions. Despite this, more than 80,000 New Yorkers have died.... Read more>>
The charges stem from an October 2004 incident when Roger Barnett, along with his wife and brother, pulled loaded assault weapons on a latino family who had accidently wandered onto land leased by Barnett while on a hunting trip.
This incident was not the first time Barnett has faced accusations of abuse. Lawsuits have been filed by immigrants and U.S. citizens alike, charging Barnett with assault and battery, false imprisonment, trespass and impersonating an officer. Despite a pattern of violence, Barnett has enjoyed almost official impunity, with Sheriff Larry Dever refusing to arrest Barnett and the Cochise County Attorney's Office refusing to prosecute. In April of 2005 a petition was filed with the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights charging the U.S. government with human rights violations for failing to prosecute border vigilante groups and activities.
For more coverage, please see "Jury to AZ Border Vigilante: Guilty!"
On December 16th, there will be a "Day of Celebration Under the Tree-Sitters" from 11 am to 6 pm. Country Joe McDonald, Wavy Gravy, Carol Denney Fiddlers for Peace will be performing.
Perforaciones petrolíferas en el Amazonas
El líder tribal, o Apu que pertenece a una de las comunidades Achuar abrióla conversación. En su lengua nativa, este dijo que habían viajado desde lejos para llegar hasta aquí y agradecer a todas las personas que les habían dado apoyo. También anadió que puesto que las companías petroleras se habían apropiado de los territorio en los años setentas, sus recursos naturales habían sido destruidos. Este dijo: “No queremos mas companías” también dijo: “Queremos defender nuestro derecho de heredar a nuestros hijos con tierras sanas, limpias.”
Gonzalo, vice-presidente de la Federación del RióCorriente, exigió que no mas companías petroleras se dieran lugar en la región, también que estas compañías no se apropiaran de los territorios sin antes consultar con las poblaciones indígenas que habitan en esas tierras. ler mas
PDF ), Fogel urged Governor Schwarzenegger to immediately address "significant problems" with the state's lethal injection procedures before executions can resume on the nation's largest death row. 
12/15 Report from Vinny Lombardo | 
9/28 Audio about a hearing | 10/2 Audio about hearings | Legal Challenges to lethal injection as "cruel and unusual" | Human Rights Watch Report: States Negligent in Use of Lethal Injections | Autopsy Results Expose Cruelty of Lethal Injection
Diane Nelson is a 46 year old woman confined to a wheel chair living with terminal cancer. Diane is a prisoner at the Carswell Federal Women's prison here in Fort Worth, serving a sentence for a first time non- violent offense. Both the Federal Judge who sentenced her and the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted her case requested her immediate release more than a month ago. Diane is hoping she will be able to spend what most likely will be her last Christmas with family and loved ones. Thus far the Warden of the Prison, Warden Van Buren, has refused to release her...
This article is in response to the show put on by the Wooster Collective this weekend at 11 Spring Street St.
http://www.furisdead.com to see videos and read about how animals are brutalized in the fur trade. It's time for Schumacher to rip off the covering, walk the gray pavement like everyone else, and face the reality of their industry.
Sisters, Brothers, Comrades: The United States and New Jersey recently placed Assata Shakur on the FBI’s wanted lists of “terrorists,” and also placed a $1 million dollar bounty on her head. Both of these actions pose serious threats to Assata’s life. These actions are also equally dangerous to the Republic of Cuba, because they are an escalation of the United States’ destabilization campaign, providing a pretext for military aggression.