‘Intelligence gathering run amok’ challenged
/GIN NEW YORK - The bitter controversy over the building of a Muslim community center and mosque near the site of the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, is sparking new fears of government snooping on Islamic holy places–which it now claims it can do without a warrant. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Asian Law...
Africa must unite, rise up and beware of smart, crooked deceivers
The upcoming United States-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., raises questions and concerns about U.S. intentions and plans on the continent. According to organizers, the three-day summit scheduled for December 13-15 is expected to convene African presidents, civil society, diaspora communities across the United States, and the private sector in the pursuit of a...
Outrage over police killings of Latinos – #JusticeOrElse
By Charlene Muhammad CHARLENEM LOS ANGELES–Attorneys for the family of a man slain by Gardena police officers is calling on the Justice Department to create a special unit to investigate police killings in America, starting with that city's police force. The Gardena Police Department failed to properly internally investigate the June 2, 2013 fatal shooting of Ricardo Diaz Zeferino, civil rights Attorney...
Redlining’s legacy endures as 45 million Americans breathe polluted air: Study
More than half a century after the official end of discriminatory redlining, 45 million people across the United States—overwhelmingly in communities of color—are exposed to elevated levels of illness-inducing air pollution, a study published March 9 affirmed. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington and published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters found that...
Lawyers condemn destruction of CIA tapes
Religious leaders want probe on CIA 'torture' tapes (FCN, 12-31-2007)Torture was taught by CIA; Declassified manual details (Baltimore Sun, 1997) NEW YORK - A former U.S. Department of Justice ethics adviser has joined leading members of the U.S. legal community in asking Congress to investigate the destruction of tape recordings of interrogations carried out by the CIA. Jesselyn Radack–who came...
‘Blackburn Takeover’ highlights students’ problems with Howard University administration
By Sam P.K. Collins, The Washington Informer On October 13, a student-led protest at Howard University’s (HU) Blackburn University Center entered its first full day as more than 50 young people continued to demand a meeting with HU President Wayne A.I. Frederick and the fulfillment of other requests. At the culmination of a student-led town hall the night before, several dozen...
Shame on Jamestown 400th year anniversary
Virginia legislature’s "profound regret" (FCN, 03-29-2007) Behind the pomp and circumstance of the 400th year celebration of the founding of Jamestown, Va., May 12 is the shame and horror of a history based on the destruction of the Indians, the cash crop of tobacco that led to countless deaths from smoking, and the enslavement of Africans to produce that...
Study challenges claims of Gitmo recidivism
NEW YORK (IPS/GIN) - A prominent law professor said the U.S. Defense Department is issuing questionable data on the number of Guantanamo detainees who have been released “and then returned to the battlefield.” He gives the reason as because the government “is now in a position where they have to find some bad guys–even if they have to invent...
Recognizing unsung heroes in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath
The Unmasking of New Orleans (Final Call Documentary) It was bad enough that Jason Williams (name changed) had witnessed Hurricane Katrina. Now, he was in the Superdome with others who had lost everything. But the worst wasn't over yet. While in the Superdome, he witnessed some of the criminal activity the news had reported, such as robberies and assaults. It was...
Blood companies indicted for the spread of HIV
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)–A five-year criminal investigation into the blood distribution system of Canada that spread the HIV virus throughout Canada and the United States has resulted in charges of criminal negligence and endangerment of the public. The charges, filed Nov. 20 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Blood Task Force, targeted the Canadian Red Cross, former Canadian government...