shadowproof--2020-04-08--Joe Biden Was Silent As GOP Death Cult Forced Wisconsin To Vote During COVID-19 Pandemic

Joe Biden Was Silent As GOP Death Cult Forced Wisconsin To Vote During COVID-19 Pandemic Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his campaign never called for the Wisconsin primary to be postponed .
In fact , they were silent as Republican judges on the state ’ s supreme court and the United States Supreme Court issued decisions that forced officials to hold the primary during a deadly coronavirus pandemic .
Yet , after voters risked their health on April 7 , Biden appeared on CNN ’ s “ Cuomo Prime Time , ” and stated , “ My gut is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election in the first place , the in-person election , ” as if that was his position all along .
Throughout the pandemic , Biden and his campaign repeated a conservative talking point while offering no leadership as Democrats at the state level scrambled to figure out whether to delay their primaries or jeopardize the safety of voters .
They even promoted fake science .
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers waited until April 6 , the day before the primary , to issue an executive order banning in-person voting .
About five hours later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s supreme court overturned Evers ’ order .
Conservative judges on the U.S. Supreme Court followed their ruling with a 5-4 decision that overturned a federal court , which gave voters until April 13 to return their absentee ballots .
Thousands , if not tens of thousands of residents , did not receive their ballots by election day and were disenfranchised .
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board immediately responded , “ Tuesday ’ s election will be the most undemocratic in the state ’ s history , in addition to putting at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past three weeks of staying home and keeping our distance.
” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos counted on the outbreak to suppress voter turnout and help conservative Judge Daniel keep his seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court .
As the editorial board noted , President Donald Trump previously complained about expanding mail-in voting after Democrats attempted to include a proposal in the third coronavirus response package .
Trump said such a proposal would mean “ you ’ d never have a Republican elected in this country again.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party reflect a scorched earth politics hellbent on depriving citizens of their right to vote .
They have explicitly targeted minorities , who they believe would support Democrats , and there are around 200,000 voters who will likely be purged in Wisconsin before November .
ABC ’ s George Stephanopoulos asked Biden on April 5 , “ Wisconsin [ is ] now having its primary on Tuesday , your opponent [ Bernie ] Sanders said that should be put off and the governor [ is ] now joining that chorus as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to happen .
Is that wise ?
” Biden ’ s gut told him something totally different .
“ Well , look , I think they should follow the science , I—and , you know , what I ’ ve been hearing , I have been following it like you have , like everybody has , watching the court action , it ’ s still in court now .
And—but I think whatever , whatever the science says is what we should do , ” Biden answered .
It represented a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Democratic National Committee , the Wisconsin Democratic Party , the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin , and multiple groups , which focus on get-out-the-vote efforts , backed postponement .
They also demanded an extension of deadlines to give voters more time to request and mail absentee ballots .
Biden did not clearly back their efforts .
Biden continued , “ We can not let this , we ’ ve never allowed any crisis from the Civil War straight through to the pandemic of ’ 17 , all the way around , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never let our democracy sake second fiddle , way they , we can both have a democracy , elections , and at the same time correct the public health.
” It was a wildly jumbled recitation of a conservative talking point that he has uttered throughout the coronavirus .
In fact , he said it without any difficulty when he was on “ Cuomo Prime Time.
” “ We had an election in the middle of the Civil War .
We had an election in the middle of pandemic flu back in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve had an election in every major crisis , ” Biden asserted .
While Republicans ensured an illegitimate election took place and the primary unfolded , Biden ’ s campaign ignored massive voter disenfranchisement in Wisconsin .
They tweeted platitudes about the “ spirit and resolve ” of America that would guide people through the coronavirus crisis .
They urged cash-strapped Americans to donate to Biden .
They engaged in a tit-for-tat over the issue of whether Trump should wear a mask in public .
And they shared Biden ’ s love for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sandwiches .
The day before the primary , Andrea Palm , who heads the Wisconsin Health Department , stated , “ In-person voting , by definition , inhibits our ability to physically distance , and the recent consolidation of polling locations in many parts of Wisconsin would result in mass gatherings.
” “ In-person voting would , without question , accelerate the transmission of COVID-19 and increase the number of cases .
And an increase in the number of cases in Wisconsin would result in more deaths.
” ( Palm was a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department during President Barack Obama ’ s administration . )
On April 2 , the Democratic National Committee moved the party ’ s national convention in Milwaukee from July to August .
That did not change Biden ’ s view .
He still disregarded concerns that led numerous mayors and various other officials to believe voters would be endangered while at the same time giving his comments a pseudo-science veneer .
“ I listen to the scientists .
A convention , having tens of thousands of people in one arena , is very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling booth with accurate spacing to six to ten people , feet apart , one at a time and having machines scrubbed down , ” Biden declared .
Evers initially took a “ middle path , ” where he did not back postponing the primary , but he was open to making changes to ensure fewer voters were disenfranchised .
But even that effort was not unequivocally supported by Biden ’ s campaign .
“ I mean , there ’ s a lot of things that can be done .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide , ” Biden surmised .
The comments were part of a pattern of irresponsible statements , which have come from Biden ’ s campaign as he prioritizes clinching the Democratic Party ’ s nomination sooner rather than later over the lives of voters .
As the country shut down , Biden steadfastly backed in-person voting in Arizona , Florida , Illinois , and Ohio on March 17 .
Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders went on CNN after the presidential debate on March 15 and said , “ The CDC [ Centers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said it ’ s safe out there for Tuesday , ” even though the CDC issued no statements about whether primaries posed a risk to the public ’ s health .
She encouraged people to vote in the middle of an accelerating pandemic .
Once Biden had a commanding delegate lead after the March 17 primary results , Sanders hypocritically changed her tune .
“ Jake Tapper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are basically pleading with Americans to take the threat of COVID-19 seriously .
This is not a drill folks !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , the Biden campaign cynically tweeted , “ The right to vote is the most sacred American right there is .
State election officials are working closely with public officials to hold safe elections.
” “ If you are feeling healthy , not showing symptoms , and not at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 , please vote on Tuesday , ” the campaign urged .
The message was Trump-like in its disregard for public health risks .
Everyone was at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus .
A person who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus and infect someone .
A person may feel healthy but be a carrier .
This is why schools , restaurants , bars , and non-essential businesses closed .
It is why the CDC recommended bans on gatherings of people similar to the gatherings observed at polling places .
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine found a way to overcome Democratic Party opposition to delaying the state ’ s primary .
The state ’ s health department director designated polling places as “ health emergency risks , ” which effectively forced Democrats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed a proposal that expanded access to mail-in voting for residents until in-person voting ( which is currently scheduled for late April ) could take place .
Fifteen states delayed their primaries until May or June , including Maryland , New York , and Pennsylvania .
The science indicates that probably saved lives .
Unlike Ohio , Michigan held their primary on March 10 .
The state has four times as many coronavirus cases .
Dr. Robert Salata , an infectious disease expert in Cleveland , suggested “ Michigan ’ s presidential primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state ’ s elevated cases , because large gatherings of people make it easier for the disease to spread.
” The response of Bernie Sanders and his presidential campaign contrasts sharply .
“ It ’ s outrageous that the Republican legislative leaders and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court in Wisconsin are willing to risk the health and safety of many thousands of Wisconsin voters tomorrow for their own political gain , ” Sanders stated .
“ Holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous , disregards the guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very well prove deadly .
For that reason , our campaign will not be engaged in any traditional [ get-out-the-vote ] efforts.
” Before Evers attempted to use his executive authority , Sanders declared , “ People shouldn ’ t have to put their lives on the line to vote .
Wisconsin should join the 15 states delaying elections , delay Tuesday ’ s vote , extend early voting , and work to send every voter a ballot by mail .
While we wait for a decision , we urge our supporters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the postponement of any of the March 17 primaries , but they were reluctant to endorse in-person voting .
“ Going to the polls amid the coronavirus outbreak is a personal decision , and we respect whichever choice voters make.
” The coronavirus has not revealed how Biden is the leader the country needs during the next crisis .
In fact , it has further exposed the opposite—that Biden and the people who surround him are craven political elites , who put their selfish interests before preserving public health and the rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the same side as Trump and Republicans , as they force voters to risk death or severe illness to do their civic duty , so be it .

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his campaign never called for the Wisconsin primary to be postponed. In fact, they were silent as Republican judges on the state’s supreme court and the United States Supreme Court issued decisions that forced officials to hold the primary during a deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Yet, after voters risked their health on April 7, Biden appeared on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time,” and stated, “My gut is we shouldn’t have had the election in the first place, the in-person election,” as if that was his position all along.
Throughout the pandemic, Biden and his campaign repeated a conservative talking point while offering no leadership as Democrats at the state level scrambled to figure out whether to delay their primaries or jeopardize the safety of voters. They even promoted fake science.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers waited until April 6, the day before the primary, to issue an executive order banning in-person voting. About five hours later, conservative judges on the state’s supreme court overturned Evers’ order.
Conservative judges on the U.S. Supreme Court followed their ruling with a 5-4 decision that overturned a federal court, which gave voters until April 13 to return their absentee ballots. Thousands, if not tens of thousands of residents, did not receive their ballots by election day and were disenfranchised.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board immediately responded, “Tuesday’s election will be the most undemocratic in the state’s history, in addition to putting at risk everything we’ve gained from the past three weeks of staying home and keeping our distance.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos counted on the outbreak to suppress voter turnout and help conservative Judge Daniel keep his seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
As the editorial board noted, President Donald Trump previously complained about expanding mail-in voting after Democrats attempted to include a proposal in the third coronavirus response package. Trump said such a proposal would mean “you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”
The past twenty years of the Republican Party reflect a scorched earth politics hellbent on depriving citizens of their right to vote. They have explicitly targeted minorities, who they believe would support Democrats, and there are around 200,000 voters who will likely be purged in Wisconsin before November.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Biden on April 5, “Wisconsin [is] now having its primary on Tuesday, your opponent [Bernie] Sanders said that should be put off and the governor [is] now joining that chorus as well. But it looks like it’s going to happen. Is that wise?”
Biden’s gut told him something totally different. “Well, look, I think they should follow the science, I—and, you know, what I’ve been hearing, I have been following it like you have, like everybody has, watching the court action, it’s still in court now. And—but I think whatever, whatever the science says is what we should do,” Biden answered.
It represented a lack of leadership during the crisis. The Democratic National Committee, the Wisconsin Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, and multiple groups, which focus on get-out-the-vote efforts, backed postponement. They also demanded an extension of deadlines to give voters more time to request and mail absentee ballots. Biden did not clearly back their efforts.
Biden continued, “We cannot let this, we’ve never allowed any crisis from the Civil War straight through to the pandemic of ’17, all the way around, ’16, we have never, never let our democracy sake second fiddle, way they, we can both have a democracy, elections, and at the same time correct the public health.”
It was a wildly jumbled recitation of a conservative talking point that he has uttered throughout the coronavirus. In fact, he said it without any difficulty when he was on “Cuomo Prime Time.”
“We had an election in the middle of the Civil War. We had an election in the middle of pandemic flu back in the turn of the century. We’ve had an election in every major crisis,” Biden asserted.
While Republicans ensured an illegitimate election took place and the primary unfolded, Biden’s campaign ignored massive voter disenfranchisement in Wisconsin. They tweeted platitudes about the “spirit and resolve” of America that would guide people through the coronavirus crisis. They urged cash-strapped Americans to donate to Biden. They engaged in a tit-for-tat over the issue of whether Trump should wear a mask in public. And they shared Biden’s love for Fig Newtons and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The day before the primary, Andrea Palm, who heads the Wisconsin Health Department, stated, “In-person voting, by definition, inhibits our ability to physically distance, and the recent consolidation of polling locations in many parts of Wisconsin would result in mass gatherings.”
“In-person voting would, without question, accelerate the transmission of COVID-19 and increase the number of cases. And an increase in the number of cases in Wisconsin would result in more deaths.” (Palm was a senior counselor in the Health and Human Services Department during President Barack Obama’s administration.)
On April 2, the Democratic National Committee moved the party’s national convention in Milwaukee from July to August. That did not change Biden’s view. He still disregarded concerns that led numerous mayors and various other officials to believe voters would be endangered while at the same time giving his comments a pseudo-science veneer.
“I listen to the scientists. A convention, having tens of thousands of people in one arena, is very different than having people walk into a polling booth with accurate spacing to six to ten people, feet apart, one at a time and having machines scrubbed down,” Biden declared.
Evers initially took a “middle path,” where he did not back postponing the primary, but he was open to making changes to ensure fewer voters were disenfranchised. But even that effort was not unequivocally supported by Biden’s campaign.
“I mean, there’s a lot of things that can be done. That’s for the Wisconsin courts and folks to decide,” Biden surmised.
The comments were part of a pattern of irresponsible statements, which have come from Biden’s campaign as he prioritizes clinching the Democratic Party’s nomination sooner rather than later over the lives of voters.
As the country shut down, Biden steadfastly backed in-person voting in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio on March 17.
Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders went on CNN after the presidential debate on March 15 and said, “The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and folks have said it’s safe out there for Tuesday,” even though the CDC issued no statements about whether primaries posed a risk to the public’s health. She encouraged people to vote in the middle of an accelerating pandemic.
Once Biden had a commanding delegate lead after the March 17 primary results, Sanders hypocritically changed her tune. “Jake Tapper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are basically pleading with Americans to take the threat of COVID-19 seriously. This is not a drill folks!”
Afraid the pandemic would keep voters at home, the Biden campaign cynically tweeted, “The right to vote is the most sacred American right there is. State election officials are working closely with public officials to hold safe elections.”
“If you are feeling healthy, not showing symptoms, and not at risk of being exposed to COVID-19, please vote on Tuesday,” the campaign urged.
The message was Trump-like in its disregard for public health risks. Everyone was at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus.
A person who does not show symptoms can still have the virus and infect someone. A person may feel healthy but be a carrier. This is why schools, restaurants, bars, and non-essential businesses closed. It is why the CDC recommended bans on gatherings of people similar to the gatherings observed at polling places.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine found a way to overcome Democratic Party opposition to delaying the state’s primary. The state’s health department director designated polling places as “health emergency risks,” which effectively forced Democrats to support changing the date. Ohio subsequently developed a proposal that expanded access to mail-in voting for residents until in-person voting (which is currently scheduled for late April) could take place.
Fifteen states delayed their primaries until May or June, including Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. The science indicates that probably saved lives.
Unlike Ohio, Michigan held their primary on March 10. The state has four times as many coronavirus cases.
Dr. Robert Salata, an infectious disease expert in Cleveland, suggested “Michigan’s presidential primary March 10 could be a possible factor in the state’s elevated cases, because large gatherings of people make it easier for the disease to spread.”
The response of Bernie Sanders and his presidential campaign contrasts sharply.
“It’s outrageous that the Republican legislative leaders and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court in Wisconsin are willing to risk the health and safety of many thousands of Wisconsin voters tomorrow for their own political gain,” Sanders stated.
“Holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous, disregards the guidance of public health experts, and may very well prove deadly. For that reason, our campaign will not be engaged in any traditional [get-out-the-vote] efforts.”
Before Evers attempted to use his executive authority, Sanders declared, “People shouldn’t have to put their lives on the line to vote. Wisconsin should join the 15 states delaying elections, delay Tuesday’s vote, extend early voting, and work to send every voter a ballot by mail. While we wait for a decision, we urge our supporters to vote-by-mail.”
His campaign did not call for the postponement of any of the March 17 primaries, but they were reluctant to endorse in-person voting. “Going to the polls amid the coronavirus outbreak is a personal decision, and we respect whichever choice voters make.”
The coronavirus has not revealed how Biden is the leader the country needs during the next crisis. In fact, it has further exposed the opposite—that Biden and the people who surround him are craven political elites, who put their selfish interests before preserving public health and the rights of voters.
If that means being on the same side as Trump and Republicans, as they force voters to risk death or severe illness to do their civic duty, so be it.


shadowproof--2020-04-07--Released From Rikers Island, NYU Student Speaks Out About COVID-19

Released From Rikers Island , NYU Student Speaks Out About COVID-19 Writer , artist , and NYU student Jose Díaz shares his experience of being arrested and imprisoned on a technical violation during the COVID-19 crisis .
Jose describes the conditions and lack of medical care inside New York City jails where he was held .
He talks about the organizing efforts that secured his release and how exceptionalism played a role in gaining people ’ s support .
Finally , Jose shares his thoughts on why demanding the immediate release of prisoners is important and why reform efforts so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s problems .
Jose Díaz is a Master ’ s student majoring in Social and Cultural Analysis with an emphasis on Latino Studies at NYU .
As a student and advocate , he seeks to unravel ideological narratives that underlie our common notions of race , class , and gender , and how those ideas inform public space and human interaction .
He is also a writer and public speaker , where he uses the power of storytelling to highlight his personal struggles with incarceration while challenging theoretical postulations about the carceral system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of inclusivity within prison initiative programs and education as well as pushing back against the language , privilege , and ideas that perpetuate the reproduction of negative notions of people of color .
As an artist and photographer , he is currently engaged in a project that looks at the urban landscape of New York City as a place to explore cultural memory , the city block , and overlapping diasporas .
Support our show and join us on Patreon .
Check out our other donation options as well .
Please listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on iTunes , Spotify , and on Google Play Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes , events , and more Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops .
Please contact beyondprisonspodcast @ gmail.com for more information

Crossposted from beyond-prisons.com
Writer, artist, and NYU student Jose Díaz shares his experience of being arrested and imprisoned on a technical violation during the COVID-19 crisis.
Jose describes the conditions and lack of medical care inside New York City jails where he was held. He talks about the organizing efforts that secured his release and how exceptionalism played a role in gaining people’s support.
Finally, Jose shares his thoughts on why demanding the immediate release of prisoners is important and why reform efforts so often fall short of addressing people’s problems.
Jose Díaz is a Master’s student majoring in Social and Cultural Analysis with an emphasis on Latino Studies at NYU. As a student and advocate, he seeks to unravel ideological narratives that underlie our common notions of race, class, and gender, and how those ideas inform public space and human interaction. He is also a writer and public speaker, where he uses the power of storytelling to highlight his personal struggles with incarceration while challenging theoretical postulations about the carceral system. He advocates and educates on the importance of inclusivity within prison initiative programs and education as well as pushing back against the language, privilege, and ideas that perpetuate the reproduction of negative notions of people of color. As an artist and photographer, he is currently engaged in a project that looks at the urban landscape of New York City as a place to explore cultural memory, the city block, and overlapping diasporas.
Jose’s website: https://www.jdiazmemory.com/bio
NYU Prison Education Program: https://prisoneducation.nyu.edu
Support our show and join us on Patreon. Check out our other donation options as well.
Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and on Google Play
Visit our website at beyond-prisons.com
Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes, events, and more
Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com
Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops. Please contact beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com for more information
Twitter: @Beyond_Prison
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondprisons/
Hosts: Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein
Music: Jared Ware


shadowproof--2020-04-07--Detainees Sue As Cook County Jail Becomes One Of Biggest COVID-19 Clusters In United States

Detainees Sue As Cook County Jail Becomes One Of Biggest COVID-19 Clusters In United States Kenneth Foster is a 39-year-old detained at Cook County Jail in Chicago .
He has stage 4 stomach cancer , sarcoidosis in his lungs , asthma , bronchitis , and high blood pressure .
According to a declaration filed in federal court [ PDF ] , “ Five or six people from Mr. Foster ’ s dorm have tested positive for COVID-19 .
So far , Mr. Foster is not exhibiting any symptoms and so he has not been tested.
” “ The people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the dorm .
Mr. Foster does not know what happened to them , ” the declaration adds .
Foster is one of several plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit that seeks emergency relief for detainees because Cook County has “ failed in its constitutional responsibility ” to “ provide reasonable protection against the further spread ” of the “ deadly disease.
” The Chicago Community Bond Fund , Loevy & Loevy , a civil rights firm , Civil Rights Corps , and the MacArthur Justice Center urged Judge Matthew Kennelly to release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very least , transfer them to other facilities until the outbreak ends .
On March 6 , the Chicago Community Bond Fund , with the support of various groups , demanded Cook County officials release detainees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Yet , one month later , there are more than 230 detainees who have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Nearly 80 staff have tested positive as well .
There are 4,700 individuals detained in dual cell or dormitory quarters .
As many as 1,500 detainees are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay their bond .
The infection rate is so high that an average of one out of every 20 detainees has tested positive for COVID-19 .
Like the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City , Cook County Jail has one of the biggest case clusters in the United States .
On April 5 , Jeffery Pendleton , a 59 year-old black man , became the first person to die from the outbreak while incarcerated at Cook County .
“ The jail has repeatedly failed and continues to fail to separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 from other detainees , ” according to the lawsuit .
“ Sanitation of surfaces and objects that are frequently touched by the infected and the not-yet-infected is non-existent.
” The lawsuit additionally argues , “ Conditions violate applicable guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and ensure the continued rapid , uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 within the jail and beyond—because the jail is not and can not be isolated from the larger community.
” Sean Alexander is 19 years old and has sickle cell anemia , yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease .
He is living in a two-person cell with a cellmate .
They share a sink and toilet and have no cleaning supplies .
One resident in the same division as Alexander cut up shirts to use as masks , but the resident tested positive for COVID-19 .
Detainees had to quit using the “ shirt masks.
” “ Anyone with a temperature that was too high has been removed to quarantine , ” however , Alexander has no idea where individuals who test positive are taken .
“ [ One ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deck , and jail staff threw out his belongings and moved his cellmate into a different cell with another person , ” Alexander indicated .
“ That other person is now coughing , and jail staff have told him not to touch the remotes and to keep in his cell.
” The entire division where 24-year-old Christopher Zeigler resides is quarantined .
He has MRSA and a “ compromised immune system.
” He is in a one-person cell in a division that is under lockdown .
Detainees are allowed out of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
Last week , when Zeigler and others refused to lock up because they wanted more time out of their cells and information on the jail ’ s response to the virus from staff , they were threatened with mace .
A sheriff ’ s deputy said they would not be given a COVID-19 test , since they disobeyed an order .
Zeigler has apparently observed black mold in the shower area in his division .
Brandon Mathis , who is 26 year-old , was previously shot in his throat .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breathing .
He had open heart surgery as a child and suffers from blood clots .
However , according to the lawsuit , “ he is not receiving medication.
” He lives with another detainee in a cell that has not been cleaned , despite the fact that two men in the division became sick with COVID-19 .
They were transferred to some unknown location .
“ Two people tested positive for COVID-19 on the deck across from Mr. Mathis .
Jail staff took the belongings of those individuals and threw them out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the lawsuit states .
“ Mathis has not been tested for COVID-19 , but he has started to feel sick .
He feels hot and like he can not breathe and suffers headaches.
” There are tiers in Cook County Jail that are packed with people , and new detainees continue to arrive in the middle of an outbreak .
In the division where Anthony Mays , a 38-year-old , lives , “ each cell on his tier has two concrete beds , spaced two feet apart.
” There are about 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the tier , which means if a detainee becomes ill they don ’ t have a “ channel by which to alert health care.
” Many in Mays ’ tier appear to be ill , and Mays does not feel safe .
A number of detainees were released by judges .
But Steve Weil , an attorney with Loevy & Loevy , points out there was little transparency .
Advocates do not know what medical considerations went into those decisions .
Weil cautioned against the idea that everyone who could be released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past couple weeks .
Many in the jail could walk out if they had money for bail .
A March 31 letter from staff revealed even more about the conditions at the jail .
“ Neither the Sheriff ’ s Office nor Cook County Health is conducting regular temperature checks on incarcerated people to identify those with symptoms of COVID-19.
” There simply aren ’ t enough nurses for such checks .
“ Without any infection control , these ‘ quarantines ’ are really just incubators of the infection and are rapidly spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The complaint additionally notes , “ With so few medical staff , the existing health staff employees—i.e.
, those dealing with sick detainees—must travel all over the facility to carry out their duties , potentially spreading the illness from one division to another.
” “ Indeed , to make matters worse , the March 31 letter reports that many of these employees do not have access to N95 masks , increasing their chances of infection and further raising the risk that they will infect other staff and incarcerated people , spreading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was detained at Cook County Jail , reacted , “ We have people that ’ s in jail , who can ’ t get out and their lives are in danger .
The living conditions in the county jail [ are ] not suitable for human beings .
People are living like animals .
And there is no such thing as social distancing , and in some places , people are squeezed together like sardines in a can.
” “ The sleeping arrangements are far less than the required six feet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are still part of the community , ” Wrencher said .
Tiffany , who has a son in the Cook County Jail , called the facility “ today ’ s concentration camp ” because people are “ being held and confined without their right to due process under the Constitution .
People are being detained and held on alleged charges and have not yet been proven guilty or innocent.
” She recently spent two hours outside the facility and spoke with several guards .
Only one said he had enough sanitizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if detainees had access to sanitizer , told her he had to look out for himself .
As of April 5 , around 70 percent of deaths from the COVID-19 were black people .
Officials in Cook County , including Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot , have slowed the release of detainees by insisting detainees may be infected and spread the virus if they return to communities .
Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center responded to this widespread notion .
“ I ’ d push back on the premise that people released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the stay-at-home order that is also in place for everyone in the state of Illinois , ” Van Brunt said .
“ This is what protects the public in this case , which is that we ’ re all subject to this executive order in place on March 20 and that has since been extended .
”

Kenneth Foster is a 39-year-old detained at Cook County Jail in Chicago. He has stage 4 stomach cancer, sarcoidosis in his lungs, asthma, bronchitis, and high blood pressure.
According to a declaration filed in federal court [PDF], “Five or six people from Mr. Foster’s dorm have tested positive for COVID-19. So far, Mr. Foster is not exhibiting any symptoms and so he has not been tested.”
“The people who tested positive for the virus were removed from the dorm. Mr. Foster does not know what happened to them,” the declaration adds.
Foster is one of several plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit that seeks emergency relief for detainees because Cook County has “failed in its constitutional responsibility” to “provide reasonable protection against the further spread” of the “deadly disease.”
The Chicago Community Bond Fund, Loevy & Loevy, a civil rights firm, Civil Rights Corps, and the MacArthur Justice Center urged Judge Matthew Kennelly to release vulnerable people from jail, or at the very least, transfer them to other facilities until the outbreak ends.
On March 6, the Chicago Community Bond Fund, with the support of various groups, demanded Cook County officials release detainees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Yet, one month later, there are more than 230 detainees who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Nearly 80 staff have tested positive as well.
There are 4,700 individuals detained in dual cell or dormitory quarters. As many as 1,500 detainees are in jail because they can’t afford to pay their bond.
The infection rate is so high that an average of one out of every 20 detainees has tested positive for COVID-19. Like the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, Cook County Jail has one of the biggest case clusters in the United States.
On April 5, Jeffery Pendleton, a 59 year-old black man, became the first person to die from the outbreak while incarcerated at Cook County.
“The jail has repeatedly failed and continues to fail to separate persons known to have been exposed to COVID-19 from other detainees,” according to the lawsuit. “Sanitation of surfaces and objects that are frequently touched by the infected and the not-yet-infected is non-existent.”
The lawsuit additionally argues, “Conditions violate applicable guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ensure the continued rapid, uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 within the jail and beyond—because the jail is not and cannot be isolated from the larger community.”
Sean Alexander is 19 years old and has sickle cell anemia, yet he is not receiving medication for the disease. He is living in a two-person cell with a cellmate. They share a sink and toilet and have no cleaning supplies.
One resident in the same division as Alexander cut up shirts to use as masks, but the resident tested positive for COVID-19. Detainees had to quit using the “shirt masks.”
“Anyone with a temperature that was too high has been removed to quarantine,” however, Alexander has no idea where individuals who test positive are taken.
“[One] person who tested positive was removed from the deck, and jail staff threw out his belongings and moved his cellmate into a different cell with another person,” Alexander indicated. “That other person is now coughing, and jail staff have told him not to touch the remotes and to keep in his cell.”
The entire division where 24-year-old Christopher Zeigler resides is quarantined. He has MRSA and a “compromised immune system.” He is in a one-person cell in a division that is under lockdown. Detainees are allowed out of their cell for only three hours during the day.
Last week, when Zeigler and others refused to lock up because they wanted more time out of their cells and information on the jail’s response to the virus from staff, they were threatened with mace. A sheriff’s deputy said they would not be given a COVID-19 test, since they disobeyed an order.
Zeigler has apparently observed black mold in the shower area in his division.
Brandon Mathis, who is 26 year-old, was previously shot in his throat. It was reconstructed, and he has difficulty breathing. He had open heart surgery as a child and suffers from blood clots. However, according to the lawsuit, “he is not receiving medication.”
He lives with another detainee in a cell that has not been cleaned, despite the fact that two men in the division became sick with COVID-19. They were transferred to some unknown location.
“Two people tested positive for COVID-19 on the deck across from Mr. Mathis. Jail staff took the belongings of those individuals and threw them out, and then sanitized the cell,” the lawsuit states. “Mathis has not been tested for COVID-19, but he has started to feel sick. He feels hot and like he cannot breathe and suffers headaches.”
There are tiers in Cook County Jail that are packed with people, and new detainees continue to arrive in the middle of an outbreak.
In the division where Anthony Mays, a 38-year-old, lives, “each cell on his tier has two concrete beds, spaced two feet apart.” There are about 40 beds. Sick call slips were removed from the tier, which means if a detainee becomes ill they don’t have a “channel by which to alert health care.”
Many in Mays’ tier appear to be ill, and Mays does not feel safe.
A number of detainees were released by judges. But Steve Weil, an attorney with Loevy & Loevy, points out there was little transparency. Advocates do not know what medical considerations went into those decisions.
Weil cautioned against the idea that everyone who could be released by the judges was released in the past couple weeks. Many in the jail could walk out if they had money for bail.
A March 31 letter from staff revealed even more about the conditions at the jail. “Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor Cook County Health is conducting regular temperature checks on incarcerated people to identify those with symptoms of COVID-19.” There simply aren’t enough nurses for such checks.
“Without any infection control, these ‘quarantines’ are really just incubators of the infection and are rapidly spreading the disease,” the lawsuit declares.
The complaint additionally notes, “With so few medical staff, the existing health staff employees—i.e., those dealing with sick detainees—must travel all over the facility to carry out their duties, potentially spreading the illness from one division to another.”
“Indeed, to make matters worse, the March 31 letter reports that many of these employees do not have access to N95 masks, increasing their chances of infection and further raising the risk that they will infect other staff and incarcerated people, spreading the infection even further.”
Flonard Wrencher, who was detained at Cook County Jail, reacted, “We have people that’s in jail, who can’t get out and their lives are in danger. The living conditions in the county jail [are] not suitable for human beings. People are living like animals. And there is no such thing as social distancing, and in some places, people are squeezed together like sardines in a can.”
“The sleeping arrangements are far less than the required six feet. We are talking about non-convicted people, people who are still part of the community,” Wrencher said.
Tiffany, who has a son in the Cook County Jail, called the facility “today’s concentration camp” because people are “being held and confined without their right to due process under the Constitution. People are being detained and held on alleged charges and have not yet been proven guilty or innocent.”
She recently spent two hours outside the facility and spoke with several guards. Only one said he had enough sanitizer. One guard, who was asked if detainees had access to sanitizer, told her he had to look out for himself.
As of April 5, around 70 percent of deaths from the COVID-19 were black people.
Officials in Cook County, including Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, have slowed the release of detainees by insisting detainees may be infected and spread the virus if they return to communities.
Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center responded to this widespread notion.
“I’d push back on the premise that people released by the jail won’t abide by the stay-at-home order that is also in place for everyone in the state of Illinois,” Van Brunt said. “This is what protects the public in this case, which is that we’re all subject to this executive order in place on March 20 and that has since been extended.”


shadowproof--2020-04-03--Dissenter Weekly: Dumping Nuclear Waste, COVID-19 Risks From Food

On this edition of the “ Dissenter Weekly , ” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola highlights how President Donald Trump ’ s administration is apparently moving to massively deregulate nuclear waste disposal while everyone is focused on the coronavirus outbreak .
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility , a group known for its work representing environmental whistleblowers in government agencies , says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) plans to allow “ every reactor in the country to dump virtually all its radioactive waste except spent fuel in local regular garbage dumps , which are designed for household trash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Academy of Sciences and EPA calculate that the risk of such doses would be every 500th person exposed getting a cancer from the radiation , ” according to PEER .
Worse , the public may not know radioactive waste is in their local garbage dump because there will be no requirement for notifying the public .
Later in the show , Gosztola covers Cate Jenkins , an EPA whistleblower , who is known for criticizing the EPA ’ s response to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam as well as how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers collapsed .
She says the CDC and FDA should not minimize the possible risks of contracting COVID-19 from consuming food .
Gosztola discusses a prisons whistleblower in Arizona , how a medical staffing company is cutting salaries and benefits for doctors and nurses , and as he does each week , he offers an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his detention at Belmarsh prison in London .
“ Dissenter Weekly ” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from that week .
During Pandemic , US Government Deregulates Massive Amounts Of Nuclear Waste Whistleblower Exposes Alleged Saudi Phone Spying Campaign In US Report : Belmarsh Prison Has History Of ‘ Inadequate Infection Control ’ Julian Assange has been in jail for 359 days , since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London .
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com , a 100 % reader-funded press organization .
If you enjoy our work , you can support us with a donation or by subscribing for $ 5/month or @ @ @ @ @

On this edition of the “Dissenter Weekly,” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola highlights how President Donald Trump’s administration is apparently moving to massively deregulate nuclear waste disposal while everyone is focused on the coronavirus outbreak.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group known for its work representing environmental whistleblowers in government agencies, says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) plans to allow “every reactor in the country to dump virtually all its radioactive waste except spent fuel in local regular garbage dumps, which are designed for household trash not for plutonium.”
“Both the National Academy of Sciences and EPA calculate that the risk of such doses would be every 500th person exposed getting a cancer from the radiation,” according to PEER.
Worse, the public may not know radioactive waste is in their local garbage dump because there will be no requirement for notifying the public.
Later in the show, Gosztola covers Cate Jenkins, an EPA whistleblower, who is known for criticizing the EPA’s response to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam as well as how the agency downplayed concerns about air quality in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers collapsed. She says the CDC and FDA should not minimize the possible risks of contracting COVID-19 from consuming food.
Gosztola discusses a prisons whistleblower in Arizona, how a medical staffing company is cutting salaries and benefits for doctors and nurses, and as he does each week, he offers an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his detention at Belmarsh prison in London.
“Dissenter Weekly” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook, and covers whistleblower and press freedom news from that week.
This week’s stories:
During Pandemic, US Government Deregulates Massive Amounts Of Nuclear Waste
EPA Whistleblower Suggests CDC, FDA Wrong To Downplay COVID-19 Risks In Food
Arizona Prisons Whistleblower Claims Staff Are Forbidden From Wearing Masks
Medical Staffing Company Cuts Salaries And Benefits For Hospital Staff Fighting Coronavirus
Whistleblower Exposes Alleged Saudi Phone Spying Campaign In US
Report: Belmarsh Prison Has History Of ‘Inadequate Infection Control’
***
Julian Assange has been in jail for 359 days, since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London.
Send tips and feedback to editor@shadowproof.com
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com, a 100% reader-funded press organization. If you enjoy our work, you can support us with a donation or by subscribing for $5/month or more: https://shadowproof.com/donate


shadowproof--2020-01-05--Spotting The State Department’s Propaganda For Escalating War Against Iran

*A version of this newsletter written by Shadowproof ’ s Kevin Gosztola was sent out on January 3 .
President Donald Trump ’ s administration assassinated Iranian general Qassim Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis .
They were killed in a drone strike near Baghdad ’ s international airport overnight on January 3 .
Viewed as an escalation of war against Iran , Trump officials responded , “ If we had not taken this action , and hundreds of Americans were dead , you would be asking me , ‘ Why didn ’ t you take out Soleimani when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The propaganda from the Trump administration has been steady since the attack .
In fact , Trump himself ludicrously claimed the assassination was authorized to “ stop a war.
” Vice President Mike Pence promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that Soleimani “ assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
” As noted in the press , the 9/11 commission report found “ no evidence that Iran or Hezbollah was aware of the planning for what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State Mike Pompeo insisted the assassination of Soleimani was aimed at setting the conditions for “ de-escalation.
” That prompted Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst to clearly state , “ The reality on the ground is what happened last night , the United States assassinating the senior most Iranian military official , is anything but de-escalation.
” Rockets were launched against the U.S. military ’ s Green Zone in Baghdad on January 4—a little less than 48 hours after Soleimani was assassinated .
But for the most part , the U.S. media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s main justification for the assassination—that Soleimani was a bad guy who deserved to be executed .
The State Department ’ s briefing with reporters on January 3 was loaded with lies , disinformation , and passive aggressive remarks aimed at anyone interested in the truth .
Many of the statements from three senior State Department officials on the conference call formed the basis of coverage of the attack .
Officials strongly objected to any reporter who demanded evidence that Soleimani represented an “ imminent threat ” and invoked the lies President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to justify invading Iraq in 2003 .
“ You ’ re not going to make the Iraq comparison , ” the first senior State Department official said .
“ There ’ s been so many presidential terms , ” since then , and “ it ’ s a failed analogy.
” However , when asked if the Trump administration would ever share evidence that Soleimani posed an imminent threat with the American people , a third senior State Department official replied , “ That ’ s a political decision by – above my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did not matter .
“ Whether you ’ re going to be able to release it to the American people or not is not a criteria in that checklist .
The checklist is , are you likely to see American blood if you don ’ t act ?
And that checklist was met.
” When a reporter said , “ If we just got dragged into a war , obviously the American people are going to want to know.
” “ We were heading towards further attacks if we did not act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I think it ’ s clear to the other people briefing you , ” the third senior State Department official said .
In 2014 , CNN told viewers , “ U.S .
Treasury officials say Qassem Soleimani was involved in a notorious plot on American soil , overseeing Quds Force officers who in 2011 tried and failed to assassinate Saudi Arabia ’ s ambassador to the United States at Washington ’ s upscale Cafe Milano.
” The third senior State Department official mentioned this alleged plot four times , yet there has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Soleimani ever pursued such a plot .
‘ Something That We Have Done Many Times Over Both Democratic And Republican Administrations ’ As one reporter called what happened an assassination , the State Department officials objected .
“ I did this for two years in the Bush administration .
Assassinations are not allowed under law .
Revenge killings , non-judicial executions are not , ” the third State Department official argued .
“ The criteria is do you have overwhelming evidence that somebody is going to launch a military or terrorist attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The same official added , “ The second one is do you have some legal means to , like , have this guy arrested by the Belgian authorities or something .
Check that box because there ’ s no way anybody was going to stop Qasem Soleimani in the places he was running around – Damascus , Beirut .
And so , you take lethal action against him .
This is something that we have done many times over both Democratic and Republican administrations that I served in .
It ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case and all cases.
” Which illustrated how the assassination complex established by President Barack Obama has metastasized under President Donald Trump .
The Trump administration apparently does not limit kill list candidates to militant group leaders .
They clearly believe they can label a military officer a “ terrorist ” because they are part of an “ enemy ” government , and that makes them a “ legitimate ” target for assassination .
Furthermore , this particular official mentioned there must be overwhelming evidence that the target will “ launch a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to share such evidence .
An American contractor was reportedly killed in the final week of December , and the assassination of Soleimani was supposedly a response .
But officials refuse to disclose any information about who died , including which agency and/or firm employed the contractor .
The first State Department official said decisive action was necessary or else “ hundreds of Americans would be killed.
” At no point did any official specifically articulate what they believed Soleimani was planning , which suggests this is pure fabrication .
Plus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now known that senior White House officials were skeptical and assassinating Soleimani was initially the “ extreme and improbable option.
” ‘ There Will Not Be Tears Shed In Iran ’ “ Can you talk more about [ how ] you ’ re ready to talk with the Iranians ?
About what ’ s the off-ramp ?
” one reporter asked .
To this question about de-escalating conflict , the first State Department official insisted the “ off-ramp has been there for three years.
” A second State Department official said the ball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ [ Iran ] typically choose [ s ] to escalate asymmetrically .
It ’ s the nature of modern terrorism , ” the same official added .
“ We are , again , denying them the fiction that this is some Westphalian country that has , like , a conventional defense ministry and a standard president and a foreign minister.
” “ It ’ s a regime with clerical and revolutionary oversight that seeks to dominate the Middle East and beyond .
You ’ ve heard me say this is a kleptocratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of Iran , Iraq , and Lebanon , are all rejecting the Iranian model at the same time .
And there will be , there will not be tears shed in Iran for the death of Soleimani by so many Iranians .
He recently killed 1,500 of them.
” About a day later , the New York Times reported , “ Iranians young and old have thronged the streets across Iran , waving national flags and breaking into mass chants of “ I am Soleimani.
” A million or more Iranians filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a funeral procession .
The crowd of people extended across a bridge , as they mourned a military leader , who they revere because he protected Iran from attacks by Islamic State militants .
He led forces that fought al Nusra in Syria and al Qaida in Iraq .
“ I ’ ve only seen him on TV , ” one woman told Al Jazeera English .
“ But I feel like I ’ ve lost my father .
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Army have to take their revenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ express our condolences to his family.
” The hubris of the Trump administration was further illustrated when the first State Department official asserted there will be no retaliation from Iran .
“ We ’ re speaking in a language the regime understands.
” One of the most prevalent lies is that Soleimani was primarily responsible for the deaths of 600 U.S. troops in Iraq .
For example , CNN national security correspondent Jim Sciutto repeated this State Department talking point immediately after the strike was reported .
He said Soleimani was “ responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soldiers in Iraq .
Iran shipped in highly sophisticated IEDs responsible for so many of the deaths of U.S. troops there.
” As journalist Gareth Porter wrote in June 2019 , this is right out of former Vice President Dick Cheney ’ s playbook .
“ After General David Petraeus took over as commander of coalition forces in Iraq in January 2007 , the command went all out to support Cheney ’ s strategy .
Its main argument was that Iran was providing Shiite militias with the powerful roadside bombs called Explosively Formed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasing number of U.S. casualties in Iraq .
But the evidence proved otherwise.
” Porter noted , “ Hezbollah—not Iran —had been well known as the world ’ s most knowledgeable designer and user of EFPs.
” A 2007 military briefing confirmed “ Iraqi extremist group members ” and not Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) were behind the explosives .
“ Major General Rick Lynch , the U.S. commander for southern Iraq , admitted in a July 6 press briefing , his troops had not “ captured anybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to Iran.
” What Country Seeks To Dominate The Middle East And Beyond ?
Journalist Ali Abunimah offered a thumbnail history of the decades-long acts of the U.S. empire against Iran .
The U.S. backed Iraq President Saddam Hussein ’ s invasion of Iran in 1980 , supplying Iraq with chemical weapons to attack Iran .
Afghanistan , Iran ’ s eastern neighbor , was invaded by U.S. military forces , and they still occupy the country nearly two decades later .
When Obama was president , Iran faced cyber attacks against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and offered concessions as part of a nuclear deal , which the Trump administration shredded .
Crippling economic sanctions were imposed on Iran over the last twenty years that have resulted in devastating impacts against cancer patients .
They increased air pollution , unemployment , and food lines .
This constitutes an act of economic warfare against poor and working class Iranians .
U.S. forces have encircled Iran for well over a decade .
Even though Iran has engaged in military operations aimed at eliminating the threat posed by the Islamic State , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq , it still faces aggression from the Trump administration .
Three days after Trump ’ s act of war , the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution in favor of expelling U.S. troops from Iraq .
State Department officials will say this development was the result of pressure from Iranian proxies .
They will express disappointment that Iraq ’ s politicians are “ choosing ” to be an “ Iranian satellite state ” and lean aggressively on the Iraqi government to defy parliament by keeping troops in Iraq .
The leadership of both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warfare state and its policies against Iran , which is why it is critical that grassroots organization like the ANSWER Coalition , Codepink , and Veterans for Peace are mobilizing people to protest these latest developments .

Editor’s Note We’re pleased to publish this preview of our member newsletter, “Keeping The Issues Alive,” which provides a closer examination of stories we’re following at Shadowproof. You can subscribe for $5/month and receive this weekly newsletter. By subscribing, you’ll help us fund our independent journalism.SUBSCRIBE NOW
*A version of this newsletter written by Shadowproof’s Kevin Gosztola was sent out on January 3.
President Donald Trump’s administration assassinated Iranian general Qassim Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. They were killed in a drone strike near Baghdad’s international airport overnight on January 3.
Viewed as an escalation of war against Iran, Trump officials responded, “If we had not taken this action, and hundreds of Americans were dead, you would be asking me, ‘Why didn’t you take out Soleimani when you had the chance?’”
The propaganda from the Trump administration has been steady since the attack. In fact, Trump himself ludicrously claimed the assassination was authorized to “stop a war.”
Vice President Mike Pence promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that Soleimani “assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.”
As noted in the press, the 9/11 commission report found “no evidence that Iran or Hezbollah was aware of the planning for what later became the 9/11 attack.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted the assassination of Soleimani was aimed at setting the conditions for “de-escalation.” That prompted Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst to clearly state, “The reality on the ground is what happened last night, the United States assassinating the senior most Iranian military official, is anything but de-escalation.”
Rockets were launched against the U.S. military’s Green Zone in Baghdad on January 4—a little less than 48 hours after Soleimani was assassinated.
But for the most part, the U.S. media establishment appears to accept the Trump administration’s main justification for the assassination—that Soleimani was a bad guy who deserved to be executed.
The State Department’s briefing with reporters on January 3 was loaded with lies, disinformation, and passive aggressive remarks aimed at anyone interested in the truth. Many of the statements from three senior State Department officials on the conference call formed the basis of coverage of the attack.
Officials strongly objected to any reporter who demanded evidence that Soleimani represented an “imminent threat” and invoked the lies President George W. Bush’s administration told to justify invading Iraq in 2003.
“You’re not going to make the Iraq comparison,” the first senior State Department official said. “There’s been so many presidential terms,” since then, and “it’s a failed analogy.”
However, when asked if the Trump administration would ever share evidence that Soleimani posed an imminent threat with the American people, a third senior State Department official replied, “That’s a political decision by – above my pay grade.”
The same official maintained it did not matter. “Whether you’re going to be able to release it to the American people or not is not a criteria in that checklist. The checklist is, are you likely to see American blood if you don’t act? And that checklist was met.”
When a reporter said, “If we just got dragged into a war, obviously the American people are going to want to know.”
“We were heading towards further attacks if we did not act. That is clear to me, and I think it’s clear to the other people briefing you,” the third senior State Department official said.
In 2014, CNN told viewers, “U.S. Treasury officials say Qassem Soleimani was involved in a notorious plot on American soil, overseeing Quds Force officers who in 2011 tried and failed to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States at Washington’s upscale Cafe Milano.”
The third senior State Department official mentioned this alleged plot four times, yet there has been very little independent reporting to confirm whether Soleimani ever pursued such a plot.
‘Something That We Have Done Many Times Over Both Democratic And Republican Administrations’
As one reporter called what happened an assassination, the State Department officials objected.
“I did this for two years in the Bush administration. Assassinations are not allowed under law. Revenge killings, non-judicial executions are not,” the third State Department official argued. “The criteria is do you have overwhelming evidence that somebody is going to launch a military or terrorist attack against you. Check that box.”
The same official added, “The second one is do you have some legal means to, like, have this guy arrested by the Belgian authorities or something. Check that box because there’s no way anybody was going to stop Qasem Soleimani in the places he was running around – Damascus, Beirut. And so, you take lethal action against him. This is something that we have done many times over both Democratic and Republican administrations that I served in. It’s the same criteria. It was applied in this case and all cases.”
Which illustrated how the assassination complex established by President Barack Obama has metastasized under President Donald Trump. The Trump administration apparently does not limit kill list candidates to militant group leaders. They clearly believe they can label a military officer a “terrorist” because they are part of an “enemy” government, and that makes them a “legitimate” target for assassination.
Furthermore, this particular official mentioned there must be overwhelming evidence that the target will “launch a military or terrorist attack” and simultaneously refused to share such evidence.
An American contractor was reportedly killed in the final week of December, and the assassination of Soleimani was supposedly a response. But officials refuse to disclose any information about who died, including which agency and/or firm employed the contractor.
The first State Department official said decisive action was necessary or else “hundreds of Americans would be killed.”
At no point did any official specifically articulate what they believed Soleimani was planning, which suggests this is pure fabrication. Plus, as of January 4, it is now known that senior White House officials were skeptical and assassinating Soleimani was initially the “extreme and improbable option.”
‘There Will Not Be Tears Shed In Iran’
“Can you talk more about [how] you’re ready to talk with the Iranians? About what’s the off-ramp?” one reporter asked.
To this question about de-escalating conflict, the first State Department official insisted the “off-ramp has been there for three years.” A second State Department official said the ball is in Iran’s court.
“[Iran] typically choose[s] to escalate asymmetrically. It’s the nature of modern terrorism,” the same official added. “We are, again, denying them the fiction that this is some Westphalian country that has, like, a conventional defense ministry and a standard president and a foreign minister.”
“It’s a regime with clerical and revolutionary oversight that seeks to dominate the Middle East and beyond. You’ve heard me say this is a kleptocratic theocracy. And you look at the people of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, are all rejecting the Iranian model at the same time. And there will be, there will not be tears shed in Iran for the death of Soleimani by so many Iranians. He recently killed 1,500 of them.”
About a day later, the New York Times reported, “Iranians young and old have thronged the streets across Iran, waving national flags and breaking into mass chants of “I am Soleimani.”
A million or more Iranians filled the streets of Ahvaz, Iran, for a funeral procession. The crowd of people extended across a bridge, as they mourned a military leader, who they revere because he protected Iran from attacks by Islamic State militants. He led forces that fought al Nusra in Syria and al Qaida in Iraq.
“I’ve only seen him on TV,” one woman told Al Jazeera English. “But I feel like I’ve lost my father. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Army have to take their revenge. Our hearts are hurting. I express our condolences to his family.”
The hubris of the Trump administration was further illustrated when the first State Department official asserted there will be no retaliation from Iran. “We’re speaking in a language the regime understands.”
One of the most prevalent lies is that Soleimani was primarily responsible for the deaths of 600 U.S. troops in Iraq.
For example, CNN national security correspondent Jim Sciutto repeated this State Department talking point immediately after the strike was reported. He said Soleimani was “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Iran shipped in highly sophisticated IEDs responsible for so many of the deaths of U.S. troops there.”
As journalist Gareth Porter wrote in June 2019, this is right out of former Vice President Dick Cheney’s playbook.
“After General David Petraeus took over as commander of coalition forces in Iraq in January 2007, the command went all out to support Cheney’s strategy. Its main argument was that Iran was providing Shiite militias with the powerful roadside bombs called Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) that were causing increasing number of U.S. casualties in Iraq. But the evidence proved otherwise.”
Porter noted, “Hezbollah—not Iran —had been well known as the world’s most knowledgeable designer and user of EFPs.”
A 2007 military briefing confirmed “Iraqi extremist group members” and not Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were behind the explosives. “Major General Rick Lynch, the U.S. commander for southern Iraq, admitted in a July 6 press briefing, his troops had not “captured anybody that [they could] directly tie back to Iran.”
What Country Seeks To Dominate The Middle East And Beyond?
Journalist Ali Abunimah offered a thumbnail history of the decades-long acts of the U.S. empire against Iran.
The U.S. backed Iraq President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980, supplying Iraq with chemical weapons to attack Iran. Afghanistan, Iran’s eastern neighbor, was invaded by U.S. military forces, and they still occupy the country nearly two decades later.
When Obama was president, Iran faced cyber attacks against their nuclear infrastructure. They subsequently cooperated and offered concessions as part of a nuclear deal, which the Trump administration shredded.
Crippling economic sanctions were imposed on Iran over the last twenty years that have resulted in devastating impacts against cancer patients. They increased air pollution, unemployment, and food lines. This constitutes an act of economic warfare against poor and working class Iranians.
U.S. forces have encircled Iran for well over a decade. Even though Iran has engaged in military operations aimed at eliminating the threat posed by the Islamic State, which the U.S. practically created by invading Iraq, it still faces aggression from the Trump administration.
Three days after Trump’s act of war, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution in favor of expelling U.S. troops from Iraq. State Department officials will say this development was the result of pressure from Iranian proxies. They will express disappointment that Iraq’s politicians are “choosing” to be an “Iranian satellite state” and lean aggressively on the Iraqi government to defy parliament by keeping troops in Iraq.
The leadership of both the Republican and Democratic Parties back the warfare state and its policies against Iran, which is why it is critical that grassroots organization like the ANSWER Coalition, Codepink, and Veterans for Peace are mobilizing people to protest these latest developments.


shadowproof--2020-01-03--Dissenter Weekly With Guest John Kiriakou: UN Official Condemns ‘Coercive Confinement’ Of Chelsea Ma

Dissenter Weekly With Guest John Kiriakou: UN Official Condemns ‘Coercive Confinement’ Of Chelsea Manning

In our first “ Dissenter Weekly Update ” episode of the year , CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou joins the show .
He is also a former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee .
We highlight letters to the United Kingdom and United States government from United Nations Special Rapporteur Nils Melzer that condemn torture and mistreatment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning .
We also highlight President Donald Trump ’ s authorization of a drone strike , which assassinated General Qassim Soleimani , the head of Iran ’ s elite Quds Force .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whistleblowers spoke out against President Barack Obama ’ s institutionalization of the assassination complex .
Yet , sadly , their warnings went unheeded .
We launched the show on November 21 .
It is hosted by Kevin Gosztola , managing editor at Shadowproof .
This is a special episode because it is the first to feature a guest .
Although due to the holiday week the show streamed at 1 pm ET on Friday , the show streams live every Thursday at 4 pm ET .
It typically runs close to a half-hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the episode and share it widely .
*To support the show , we encourage you to go to shadowproof.com/donate .
We also have a Patreon page , and you may sign up here if you want help us fund this new show .

In our first “Dissenter Weekly Update” episode of the year, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou joins the show. He is also a former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
We highlight letters to the United Kingdom and United States government from United Nations Special Rapporteur Nils Melzer that condemn torture and mistreatment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
We also highlight President Donald Trump’s authorization of a drone strike, which assassinated General Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. It was a prime example of why whistleblowers spoke out against President Barack Obama’s institutionalization of the assassination complex. Yet, sadly, their warnings went unheeded.
We launched the show on November 21. It is hosted by Kevin Gosztola, managing editor at Shadowproof. This is a special episode because it is the first to feature a guest.
Although due to the holiday week the show streamed at 1 pm ET on Friday, the show streams live every Thursday at 4 pm ET. It typically runs close to a half-hour. Following each broadcast, we archive the episode and share it widely.
*To support the show, we encourage you to go to shadowproof.com/donate. We also have a Patreon page, and you may sign up here if you want help us fund this new show.


shadowproof--2020-01-02--UN Special Rapporteur On Torture Blasts UK Government’s Indifference To Abuse Against Julian Assange

The government of the United Kingdom informed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer that they reject any allegation that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “ has been subjected to torture in any form as a result of actions by the U.K. government.
” Officials also reject the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ( WGAD ) that Assange was ever “ arbitrarily detained.
” While living under diplomatic asylum from Ecuador , they contend that Assange was “ free to leave the Ecuadorian embassy at any time.
” Melzer strongly objected to the UK government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse and mistreatment .
In April 2019 , Assange was expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy and arrested by U.K. authorities .
The United States government charged him with conspiracy to commit a computer crime and requested his extradition .
U.S. prosecutors subsequently charged him with 17 violations of the Espionage Act in May .
All charges related to WikiLeaks ’ publication of the Afghanistan War Logs in 2010 , which were provided to the media organization by U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning .
Assange completed a 50-week sentence for violating bail conditions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prison Belmarsh in London .
A letter from October 29 , 2019 , which Melzer released , indicates , “ Despite significant efforts made by my mandate to ensure a prompt and objective assessment of this case , and despite the urgency of my requests , it took more than four months for [ the U.K. government ] to respond.
” Melzer adds , “ The government ’ s response failed to address any of my recommendations and to provide any of the information requested and made no effort towards engaging in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 2019 , Melzer visited Assange and later condemned the “ collective persecution ” against him by Ecuador , Sweden , the U.K. , and the U.S. governments .
“ Based on a careful evaluation of the available evidence , I found that the U.K. had contributed decisively to producing the observed medical symptoms , most notably through its participation , over the course of almost a decade , in Mr. Assange ’ s arbitrary confinement , his judicial persecution , as well as his sustained and unrestrained public mobbing , intimidation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical experts Melzer consulted determined there was “ reasonable ground to believe ” that U.K. officials were responsible for contributing to psychological torture against Assange .
Under the Convention Against Torture , the U.K. government has an obligation to conduct a “ prompt and impartial investigation ” into Melzer ’ s allegations .
They do not have the “ political discretion ” to merely reject his conclusions .
“ This reinforces my concerns expressed in a separate communication about the U.K. government ’ s recent refusal to conduct a judicial inquiry into British @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , ” Melzer further declared .
Melzer seemed appalled that the U.K. government would suggest Assange was ever “ free to leave ” the Ecuadorian embassy .
The U.S. government likely would have violated his right to a free trial , right to not be arbitrarily detained , and right to not be tortured or subject to cruel and inhuman treatment .
In fact , the U.K. government completely ignores the ongoing grand jury investigation that was empaneled prior to Assange ’ s decision to seek asylum .
“ No objective observer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s due process rights have been seriously , consistently , and deliberately violated in every phase of each judicial proceeding conducted against him in all involved jurisdictions , ” Melzer asserted .
The list of due process rights violations , as Melzer noted , included : obstruction of his rights during Swedish proceedings ; conflicts of interest and overt bias on the part of judicial magistrates ; “ arbitrary conviction and grossly disproportionate imprisonment for having violated U.K. bail by seeking and receiving diplomatic asylum from political persecution by another U.N. member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to legal counsel , documents , and other facilities , which has deprived him of his right to an adequate defense .
“ Despite the obvious inappropriateness of such harsh and discriminatory treatment for a non-violent inmate held solely in relation to a pending extradition procedure , no adequate explanations appear to be given by the prison administration , and no alternative measures , such as house arrest , or his re-integration in the general population , seem to be envisaged.
” Melzer reiterated his concerns about Assange ’ s deteriorating health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his letter , he urged the U.K. government to withdraw their authorization for extradition and release him from jail .
Or place him on house arrest so Assange may “ regains his health and resume a normal and social professional life.
” Assange is detained in conditions that amount to solitary confinement .
He spends 22 hours on average in a prison healthcare unit .
He has “ daily walks ” for 45 minutes , access to church services , as well as meetings with lawyers and social visits .
But he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gym , and he apparently can not talk with other inmates .
Meanwhile , in Alexandria , Virginia , Manning is jailed at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center , where she has been confined for 294 days .
She owes $ 185,000 in fines as of January 1 .
Every day , she is fined $ 1000 more for refusing to go before a grand jury and testify against WikiLeaks .
Melzer released a letter [ PDF ] from November 1 , 2019 , to the U.S. government that raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Manning .
He suggested authorities were intentionally inflicting “ progressively severe mental and emotional suffering for the purposes of coercion and intimidation at the order of judicial authorities , ” and it is compounding Manning ’ s post-traumatic symptoms and other mental and physical health problems she still experiences as a result of prior abuse she endured when she was imprisoned for releasing documents to WikiLeaks .
“ I conclude that such deprivation of liberty does not constitute a circumscribed sanction for a specific offense but an open-ended , progressively severe measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of torture or other cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment , ” Melzer declared .
He requested information about her continued detention and daily fines , especially since her “ categorical and persistent refusal to give testimony demonstrates the lack of their coercive effect.
” Manning reacted in a statement , “ Nearly every other legal system in the world condemns coercive confinement , and long ago replaced secret grand juries with public hearings .
I am thrilled to see the practice of coercive confinement called out for what it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Regardless , even knowing I am very likely to stay in jail for an even longer time , I ’ m never backing down , ” Manning added .
On February 25 , a major hearing in Assange ’ s extradition case is expected to unfold at a court adjacent to the Belmarsh prison .
It is expected to last three to four weeks , and U.S. prosecutors will present their case for extradition .

The government of the United Kingdom informed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer that they reject any allegation that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “has been subjected to torture in any form as a result of actions by the U.K. government.”
Officials also reject the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) that Assange was ever “arbitrarily detained.” While living under diplomatic asylum from Ecuador, they contend that Assange was “free to leave the Ecuadorian embassy at any time.”
Melzer strongly objected to the UK government’s indifference toward Assange’s ongoing abuse and mistreatment.
In April 2019, Assange was expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy and arrested by U.K. authorities. The United States government charged him with conspiracy to commit a computer crime and requested his extradition.
U.S. prosecutors subsequently charged him with 17 violations of the Espionage Act in May. All charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of the Afghanistan War Logs in 2010, which were provided to the media organization by U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
Assange completed a 50-week sentence for violating bail conditions and remains detained at Her Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh in London.
A letter from October 29, 2019, which Melzer released, indicates, “Despite significant efforts made by my mandate to ensure a prompt and objective assessment of this case, and despite the urgency of my requests, it took more than four months for [the U.K. government] to respond.”
Melzer adds, “The government’s response failed to address any of my recommendations and to provide any of the information requested and made no effort towards engaging in a constructive dialogue with my mandate.”
During May 2019, Melzer visited Assange and later condemned the “collective persecution” against him by Ecuador, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. governments.
“Based on a careful evaluation of the available evidence, I found that the U.K. had contributed decisively to producing the observed medical symptoms, most notably through its participation, over the course of almost a decade, in Mr. Assange’s arbitrary confinement, his judicial persecution, as well as his sustained and unrestrained public mobbing, intimidation and defamation,” Melzer noted.
Two medical experts Melzer consulted determined there was “reasonable ground to believe” that U.K. officials were responsible for contributing to psychological torture against Assange.
Under the Convention Against Torture, the U.K. government has an obligation to conduct a “prompt and impartial investigation” into Melzer’s allegations. They do not have the “political discretion” to merely reject his conclusions.
“This reinforces my concerns expressed in a separate communication about the U.K. government’s recent refusal to conduct a judicial inquiry into British involvement in the U.S. torture and rendition program,” Melzer further declared.
Melzer seemed appalled that the U.K. government would suggest Assange was ever “free to leave” the Ecuadorian embassy. The U.S. government likely would have violated his right to a free trial, right to not be arbitrarily detained, and right to not be tortured or subject to cruel and inhuman treatment.
In fact, the U.K. government completely ignores the ongoing grand jury investigation that was empaneled prior to Assange’s decision to seek asylum.
“No objective observer can escape the conclusion that Mr. Assange’s due process rights have been seriously, consistently, and deliberately violated in every phase of each judicial proceeding conducted against him in all involved jurisdictions,” Melzer asserted.
The list of due process rights violations, as Melzer noted, included: obstruction of his rights during Swedish proceedings; conflicts of interest and overt bias on the part of judicial magistrates; “arbitrary conviction and grossly disproportionate imprisonment for having violated U.K. bail by seeking and receiving diplomatic asylum from political persecution by another U.N. member state”; and obstruction of his access to legal counsel, documents, and other facilities, which has deprived him of his right to an adequate defense.
“Despite the obvious inappropriateness of such harsh and discriminatory treatment for a non-violent inmate held solely in relation to a pending extradition procedure, no adequate explanations appear to be given by the prison administration, and no alternative measures, such as house arrest, or his re-integration in the general population, seem to be envisaged.”
Melzer reiterated his concerns about Assange’s deteriorating health, and in the final part of his letter, he urged the U.K. government to withdraw their authorization for extradition and release him from jail. Or place him on house arrest so Assange may “regains his health and resume a normal and social professional life.”
Assange is detained in conditions that amount to solitary confinement. He spends 22 hours on average in a prison healthcare unit. He has “daily walks” for 45 minutes, access to church services, as well as meetings with lawyers and social visits. But he is not permitted to work or
go to the gym, and he apparently cannot talk with other inmates.
Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Virginia, Manning is jailed at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center, where she has been confined for 294 days. She owes $185,000 in fines as of January 1.
Every day, she is fined $1000 more for refusing to go before a grand jury and testify against WikiLeaks.
Melzer released a letter [PDF] from November 1, 2019, to the U.S. government that raised serious concerns over “coercive measures” against Manning.
He suggested authorities were intentionally inflicting “progressively severe mental and emotional suffering for the purposes of coercion and intimidation at the order of judicial authorities,” and it is compounding Manning’s post-traumatic symptoms and other mental and physical health problems she still experiences as a result of prior abuse she endured when she was imprisoned for releasing documents to WikiLeaks.
“I conclude that such deprivation of liberty does not constitute a circumscribed sanction for a specific offense but an open-ended, progressively severe measure of coercion fulfilling all the constitutive elements of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” Melzer declared.
He requested information about her continued detention and daily fines, especially since her “categorical and persistent refusal to give testimony demonstrates the lack of their coercive effect.”
Manning reacted in a statement, “Nearly every other legal system in the world condemns coercive confinement, and long ago replaced secret grand juries with public hearings. I am thrilled to see the practice of coercive confinement called out for what it is: incompatible with international human rights standards.
“Regardless, even knowing I am very likely to stay in jail for an even longer time, I’m never backing down,” Manning added.
On February 25, a major hearing in Assange’s extradition case is expected to unfold at a court adjacent to the Belmarsh prison. It is expected to last three to four weeks, and U.S. prosecutors will present their case for extradition.


shadowproof--2020-01-07--Protest Song Of The Week: ‘We Are Rising’ by Taína Asili

The following post was originally published at Ongoing History Of Protest Songs .
Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer , filmmaker , and activist who for over two decades has been using her art to honor the tradition of her ancestors and deliver a stirring message of hope and liberation .
Her album “ Resiliencia ” was one of the best protest albums of 2019 , and her latest single and video , “ We Are Rising , ” was recorded in connection with One Billion Rising , a mass action movement dedicated to ending violence against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the heartbeat of our movements for liberation , ” Asili described in a statement about the tune .
“ With ‘ We Are Rising , ’ I offer women around the world a new anthem to help us tap into the energy , strength , courage and wisdom needed to usher in a new era of justice and healing.
” Asili directed the accompanying video , which features footage from both the recording session and One Billion Rising mass actions across the globe .
The celebratory visuals complement the anthemic lyrics , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the climate crisis , racism and corporate greed .
It is a galvanizing call to action .
Now , is the time to rise .

The following post was originally published at Ongoing History Of Protest Songs.
Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, filmmaker, and activist who for over two decades has been using her art to honor the tradition of her ancestors and deliver a stirring message of hope and liberation.
Her album “Resiliencia” was one of the best protest albums of 2019, and her latest single and video, “We Are Rising,” was recorded in connection with One Billion Rising, a mass action movement dedicated to ending violence against women.
“Music has always been the heartbeat of our movements for liberation,” Asili described in a statement about the tune. “With ‘We Are Rising,’ I offer women around the world a new anthem to help us tap into the energy, strength, courage and wisdom needed to usher in a new era of justice and healing.”
Asili directed the accompanying video, which features footage from both the recording session and One Billion Rising mass actions across the globe.
The celebratory visuals complement the anthemic lyrics, which rallies against violence towards all women, the climate crisis, racism and corporate greed. It is a galvanizing call to action. Now, is the time to rise.