Outgoing Senator Jay Rockefeller Wants to Kill the FOIA Reform Act
Washington, DC — Outgoing Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia is single-handedly attempting to kill a critical governmental transparency bill. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2520) is the product of over six months of bipartisan work that would enact desperately needed reforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The bill enjoys overwhelming support […]
Communities Organize After Grand Jury Decision, Vow Nonviolent Protest in Ferguson & Beyond
FERGUSON, MO — At 8PM CT, Ferguson Action issued the following statement in response to the St. Louis County Grand Jury’s failure to levy charges against Darren Wilson for the August 9th killing of Michael Brown Jr. “We are devastated that the grand jury has failed to indict Darren Wilson in the killing of Mike Brown,” […]
While a St. Louis Grand Jury Returns Decision in Mike Brown Case, Ferguson Speaks About Systemic Change
FERGUSON, MO — A St. Louis County Grand Jury returned Thursday and with them a decision as to whether or not to levy charges against Darren Wilson for the August 9th shooting of Michael Brown Jr. Despite having the Grand Jury’s decision, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, for logistical purposes, has opted to announce the […]
Sister of Slain Kent State Protestor Responds to Urban Outfitters’ Blood Spattered Sweatshirt Stunt
MENDOCINO, CA — On Monday, September 15, 2014, in a crass marketing exercise, —shoddily enveloped in deniability— Urban Outfitters made available on their website, a sweatshirt, with a Kent State University insignia, appearing to be tattered and blood spattered. The launch of this item cut deep with many, triggering painful thoughts of contemporary school shootings, ugly […]
Rolling Jubilee Abolishes Nearly Four Million Dollars of Student Debt, Launches New Debt Collective
[NEW YORK, NY] On the third anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Rolling Jubilee has, for the first time ever, bought and abolished student debt: $3,856,866.11 of student debt owed by 2,761 people across the United States. With the aim of building a broad-based debt resistance movement, the Rolling Jubilee relieves debtors by […]
Activist Teams Enter Yellowstone Backcountry to Document and Protest Extralegal Wolf Hunt
BILLINGS, MT — Americans outraged with the killing of wolves from Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have organized the Yellowstone Wolf Patrol, whose members have entered the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness to monitor and document Montana’s wolf hunt, which began on September 15th. Nine members of the Wolf Patrol are currently trailing hunters, who in the last two […]
Fashion Week Investigation Links Top Brands with Cruelty on Rabbit Farms
NEW YORK, NY — After a two-year undercover investigation of 70 rabbit farms in Spain, Last Chance for Animals (LCA) has evidence linking U.S. designers Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg, as well as international designers Burberry, Dior, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton, with cruelty to animals. A joint investigative effort of animal rights […]
Victim of Anti-Gay Hate Crime Luke O’Donovan Sentenced to 10 Years for Self-Defense
ATLANTA, GA — Luke O’Donovan, a survivor of a homophobic attack in Atlanta, GA, was sentenced on Tuesday, August 12th, 2014 to 10 years in prison on charges that he assaulted those who attacked him. On December 31, 2012, O’Donovan was attacked, beaten and stabbed by at least five men shouting homophobic slurs at a New […]
Human Rights Watch Report Reveals Investigations & Trials of American Muslims Rife with Abuse
WASHINGTON, DC — The US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have targeted American Muslims in abusive counterterrorism “sting operations” based on religious and ethnic identity, Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute said in a report released today. Many of the more than 500 terrorism-related cases prosecuted in US […]
FBI Releases New Documents Detailing Extensive Spying on Nelson Mandela in Response to MIT Student’s FOIA Lawsuit
CAMBRIDGE, MA — As revealed in an exclusive report by Jason Leopold for Al Jazeera America, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD candidate Ryan Shapiro has received a second batch of documents from the FBI as part of Shapiro’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records on Nelson Mandela. In the wake of recent NSA […]
Cecily McMillan Released from Rikers Island: Uses Platform to Challenge Systemic Injustices Incarcerated Women Face Daily
[NEW YORK, NY] Imprisoned Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan was released from Rikers Island on Wednesday morning, July 2nd, after serving 58 days. She spoke publicly at a 1pm press conference outside the jail’s outer gates on Hazen Street. This was the first time she was able to speak publicly after testifying in her […]
Investigative Journalist and MIT PhD Candidate Sue CIA for Records on Illegal Surveillance of Senate Investigation into Torture
WASHINGTON, DC — Investigative journalist Jason Leopold and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD candidate Ryan Shapiro filed a lawsuit this morning against the Central Intelligence Agency. The suit is over the CIA’s failure to comply with Leopold and Shapiro’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records on the CIA’s alleged spying on the Senate Select […]
FBI Releases Nelson Mandela Documents in Response to MIT Student’s FOIA Lawsuit: 3 Takeaways From the Redacted Documents
[CAMBRIDGE , MA] As revealed in an exclusive report by Jason Leopold for Al Jazeera America, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD candidate Ryan Shapiro has received the first batch of documents from the FBI as part of Shapiro’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records on Nelson Mandela. The released records largely […]
Cecily McMillan Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail & 5 years Probation: Official Statement from Cecily’s Support Committee
[NEW YORK, NY] After years of awaiting trial Cecily McMillan was sentenced this morning to a term of incarceration of 90 days on New York’s Rikers Island and a probationary term of 5 years for allegations that she assaulted NYPD officer Grantley Bovel. Posted below is the official statement of her support team. Today, Cecily Mcmillan […]
Still Falling: The Fight to Preserve Tasmania’s World Heritage Forests
AUSTRALIA — Miranda Gibson has devoted years of her life to defending Tasmania’s old growth forests. Holding Australia’s record for longest tree sit, Miranda is no stranger to the long haul of tenacious grassroots campaigns for eco-defence. Miranda’s Observer Tree sit lasted 449 days and her six and a half years working on the Florentine Forest […]
Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova & Masha Alyokhina Visit Rikers Island in Support of Cecily McMillan
NEW YORK, NY — At 11:00am EST Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina of Pussy Riot / Zona Prava visited New York’s Rikers Island to meet with jailed Occupy protestor Cecily McMillan. Cecily, who was groped and beaten by the NYPD on March 17, 2012, was convicted of assaulting a police officer on May 5, 2014, and […]
Cecily McMillan Found Guilty, Immediately Remanded Into Custody: Support Group Issues Statement to the Press
[NEW YORK, NY] At 2pm EST Occupy Wall Street Activist Cecily McMillan was convicted and immediately remanded into custody by Judge Zweibel of the New York Superior Court, a sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2014. The following is the official statement from Cecily McMillan’s support committee » Beyond Judge Zweibel, it is […]
Laura Poitras & Edward Snowden Awarded 2014 Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, The Ridenhour Prizes announced that Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras will be jointly awarded the 2014 Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling for exposing the US government’s vast warrantless surveillance operation. The revelations sparked a debate on the constitutionality of mass surveillance, and how technology has transformed the parameters of individual privacy. In reflecting […]
Trial Resumes Monday for Occupy Activist Cecily McMillan: Faces 7yrs in Prison After Beating by NYPD Left Her Unconscious
[NEW YORK, NY] After two years of delays, trial will begin for Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan. Set for this Monday, April 7th at 9:30am at 100 Centre St Room 1116 Part 41, Cecily’s case marks the last ongoing Occupy trial. On March 17th, 2012 Cecily was sexually assaulted by a plainclothes NYPD officer and then beaten unconscious by police […]
NSA Invokes “National Defense” and the Espionage Act to Stonewall MIT Student’s FOIA Request on Nelson Mandela
[WASHINGTON, DC] Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD candidate Ryan Shapiro filed a lawsuit this morning against the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Defense Intelligence Agency over the spy agencies’ failure to comply with his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for records on anti-apartheid activist and South African President, […]
Sister of Slain Kent State Student Testifies in Front of United Nations Human Rights Committee
[GENEVA, SWITZERLAND] At 10am EST, Laurel Krause, whose sister Allison was among those killed at Kent State, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) as part of its 4th Periodic Review on Human Rights in America. Laurel asked the UNHRC to press the US to initiate a new and independent investigation into what occurred […]
Former Church Committee Chief Counsel Fredrick A.O. Schwarz, Jr. Calls for a Committee to Investigate Mass Surveillance
Today, The Nation Institute announced that Frederick A.O. “Fritz” Schwarz, Jr., Chief Counsel of the Brennan Center and former Chief Counsel of the Church Committee, will receive the Ridenhour Courage Prize. The Nation magazine will also publish his editorial, “Why We Need a New Church Committee to Fix Our Broken Intelligence System,” calling for a […]
Sister of Kent State University Student Slain by National Guard will be Deposed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee
[GENEVA, SWITZERLAND] The 1970 shooting of unarmed students at Kent State University will for the first time be brought before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva on March 10-14, 2014. Laurel Krause, whose sister Allison was among those killed at Kent State, will address the UNHRC at its 4th Periodic Review on Human […]
Monthly ‘No Separate Justice’ Vigil Outside NYC’s Metropolitan Correctional Center will Highlight the Case of Tarek Mehanna
[NEW YORK, NY] Activists will gather for a second candlelight vigil on Monday, March 10 at 6PM outside the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan [150 Park Row and Pearl St]. These monthly vigils are organized by a critical new campaign titled No Separate Justice (NSJ). Monday’s vigil focuses on the unjust prosecution and […]