Tag: community
Protests disrupt, no duh!
“Power concedes nothing without struggle and once the vigilance of struggle subsides, will seek to re-impose the comforts it once enjoyed.” The kumbaya of revision and co-optation later can’t alter the reality of disruption inherent in the…
In authoritarian tirade, Trump claims Americans ‘want law and order’ policing whether they know it or not. Video
Civil rights advocates slammed the president’s law enforcement executive order as “a band-aid for a bullet wound.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Tuesday. June 16 Prior to signing an executive order approving law enforcement reforms that…
A Sundown Town sees its first Black Lives Matter protest
Most people I met in Anna, Illinois, wish the racist lore behind the city’s name would go away. Some say Anna’s first Black Lives Matter protest is a step toward real change. But what is next?…
Police unions are one of the biggest obstacles to transforming policing
Protesters in front of Boston Police Headquarters during a United Against Racist Police Terror Rally on June 7, 2020. (Photo Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) by Jill McCorkel, Villanova University Protesters and community…
As nationwide protests over police brutality continue, cities across the US cut and reallocate police funding
“You don’t have to go full abolition to see that maybe sinking 1/3 of a city’s general budget into police is a problematic investment.” by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Friday, June 12 Cities across the U.S….
Police Accountability Report Card
by Wade Rathke New Orleans Many cities and some states are wrestling with what to do with unaccountable and too often brutal and abusive police forces unable or unwilling to police themselves. The proposals are…
Pushed by national uprising, Democratic lawmakers unveil legislation to overhaul policing
The new measure includes provisions to ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants and limits transfers of military-grade equipment to local law enforcement. by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Monday, June 8 After two weeks of nationwide protests over…
Keith Ellison talks about police power, protest and George Floyd murder prosecutions
by Reveal staff June 6, 2020 Keith Ellison came of age as an activist fighting police brutality. Now, as the attorney general of Minnesota, he’s prosecuting what may be the most important police brutality case in…
“When They Say We Don’t Have the Right to Protest,” Says Naomi Klein, “That’s the Moment to Flood the Streets”
As Trump declares “law and order” clampdown against peaceful demonstrations, author and activist reminds people of most important lesson she’s learned studying history of shock doctrine tactics. by Jon Queally, staff writer Thursday, June 4 Amid…
Global protests erupt in solidarity with racial justice crusaders in US
“Police brutality has created a flashpoint for unrest that was already simmering,” read an editorial published Monday in The Times of London. by Julia Conley, staff writer Monday, June 1 People in a number of international…
Don’t let cops join our protests
Cops who turn marches against police violence into parades don’t actually want substantial changes to policing. This piece is a commentary, part of The Appeal’s collection of opinion and analysis. by Derecka Purnell, The Appeal Sunday…
Mutual aid and governmental responsibility
by Wade Rathke New Orleans Mutual aid or solidarity work has long been a feature of political activity in times of crisis and often at all times. ACORN affiliates around the world have been involved…
A memorial day for lies?
by Laura Flanders So which will it be? Will this disaster spark a shift for the better? Or will the deadly myths white Americans tell ourselves survive Covid-19? Memorial Day messaging bodes ill. I want to…
Foretelling labor’s future in the cloudy crystal ball
Pearl River Roughly 39 million Americans have applied for unemployment, not even counting gig and self-employed workers, workers who have abandoned job search, or couldn’t access the benefits, which means real unemployment is over 50…
A passion for equality
by Wade Rathke Pearl River The other day I read a belated obituary on Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Nick Kotz. He had passed away at 87 on his cattle farm in Virginia of a freak accident…
Putting the fist on the wood again
by Wade Rathke Pearl River The sports pages are full of discussion about whether or not baseball players will be putting the wood on the ball soon in huge, empty parks, or whether basketball players…
Naomi Klein and Arundhati Roy help launch Global Green New Deal project with worldwide invitation. Video
“The time to build the future we deserve is now, and international solidarity is the tool we need to begin its construction.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Wednesday, May 20 Authors Arundhati Roy and Naomi Klein…
Solar farms, power stations and water treatment plants can be attractions instead of eyesores
Infrastructure as art: Jacob van Ruisdael, ‘Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede,’ c. 1670. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, CC BY-ND by Margaret Birney Vickery, University of Massachusetts Amherst Amid the economic and social fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic,…
Masks and food for the people
by Wade Rathke May 14 Pearl River ACORN and its affiliates are direct action, mass-based organizations. Some now ask, how do we explain the fact that we also, especially now, deliver what many would only expect…
You’re not going far from home – and neither are the animals you spy out your window
Is it that same busy squirrel you’re watching every day? Julian Avery, CC BY-ND Julian Avery, Pennsylvania State University Watching the wildlife outside your window can boost your mental well-being, and it’s something lots of people…
New progressive coalition organizes ‘to form common front’ in global struggle for justice and a better world
by Eoin Higgins, staff writer A coalition of left-leaning thinkers, activists, organizations, and political leaders from around the world on Monday officially launched the Progressive International, a new global effort aimed to provide the world with…
Will masks become the new class and race divide?
New Orleans It is no secret that opening versus stay-at-home from state to state and nationally has now, somewhat amazingly, but unsurprisingly as pandemic combines with polarization in the United States, become equally politicized. Having recently…
May Day for workers and the vast army of the unemployed
Pearl River May Day traditionally has been marked around the world with workers marching under the banners of their unions and labor-friendly political parties. In the USA, Labor Day marks the end of the summer,…
How to support your local farmers as restaurants and farmers markets close
As the virus has small, local farms scrambling for income streams, community-supported agriculture (CSA) is one way to support them. By April M. Short April 14 The global outbreak of COVID-19, and the collective effort to…
