Newsitem List

(New York, April 24, 2006) – Incompetence, negligence, and irresponsibility by U.S. states put condemned prisoners at needless risk of excruciating pain during lethal injection executions, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Lethal injections are used in 37 of the 38 death penalty states in the United States and by the federal government. Every execution in 2005 was by lethal injection....

On April 21, thousands of students and other young people from around Florida descended on the state capitol building to protest the death of Martin Lee Anderson, a 14-year-old African-American boy who died in a Florida Boot camp one day after being beaten and choked by guards. The march on the capitol was the culmination of weeklong protests that included an overnight sit-in outside Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s office....

On the afternoon of Friday, Aprill 22, supporters of Black journalist and death-row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, gathered outside of City Hall and DA Abraham’s office for a “Honk for Mumia” demonstration that greeted the numerous French delegates that had just arrived....

"Attacks against corporations by animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists are costly to the targeted company and, over time, can undermine confidence in the economy. ... Although we have no specific, credible information at this time suggesting animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists are planning to target known corporations, we encourage private sector owners and operators to remain vigilant, report suspicious activity, and continue to enhance protective measures."...

After more than 10,000 anti-war protestors marched on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on March 20, 2003, police detained and arrested hundreds of demonstrators and bystanders. A lawsuit brought on behalf of over 800 people who were unlawfully held that night has recently been granted class action status....

"Appropriate Medical Care" and the Paradox of Sanitized Execution...

The case of journalist Zhao Yan, a researcher for the New York Times imprisoned in China, may not be on the agenda during talks between President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao, according to U.S.-based Chinese media. Eugenia Chien is a writer and media monitor for New America Media....

In a further erosion of democratic rights in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that after April 24, School Safety Agents and police officers will perform random searches with metal detectors of students attending the city’s middle and high schools. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the searches might affect as many as 10 schools a day, noting that the Police Department already had the necessary material and personnel. The president of the United Federation of Teachers, Ran...

Communities in Milwaukee are continuing to voice outrage over an all-white jury's decision to acquit three white police officers charged with brutally beating an African-American man. We go to Milwaukee to speak with the victim's aunt and his attorney about the stunning verdict....

The second issue of “The Warrior Wind,” a newsletter against our society of confinement, is out now. It is available as a .pdf file, to print out and distribute locally, from either of the following two locations: http://www.socialwar.net/main/subversion/warriorwind2.pdf or http://www.impassionedinsurrection.info/pamphlets/warriorwind2.pdf (available at the latter address after April 15)...