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Tag: American politics

DNC 2016: Protesters React To ‘Shameful’ DNC Leaks, Voice Support For Jill Stein (VIDEO)

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

A leak of thousands of internal party emails has cast a shadow over the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

On Friday, WikiLeaks released 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee, apparently hacked from internal servers, although claims that the Russian government was involved remain unproven. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been hired by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign following her resignation as party chairwoman in the wake of the leak.

MintPress News interviewed Bernie Sanders supporters at Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday evening about their reaction to the leaks. For many in the pro-Sanders camp, the emails confirm something many had long suspected: that the Democratic Party actively helped Clinton secure the party’s nomination.

Bernie Supporters, Green Party, & Peace Activists ‘March For Our Lives’ Against DNC 2016

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

The Democratic National Convention opened on Monday amid a heat wave, but soaring temperatures didn’t stop activists from heating up the City of Brotherly Love.

MintPress News was there as protesters gathered outside of Philadelphia City Hall to chant, carry signs, or cool off in the shade of the building’s stone arches as temperatures reached 96 degrees, tying a previous record and keeping medics and volunteers busy treating heat stroke and handing out bottled water.

In the early afternoon, one group marched in honor of Berta Cáceres, a Honduran environmental activist and indigenous leader who was assassinated in March. Carrying a giant puppet made in her likeness, they chanted: “Berta didn’t die, she multiplied!”

See You In Philly: Kit Will Report Live From DNC 2016 Protests

Posted in Journalism, Life, and MintPress News

While delegates rally and Hillary Clinton turns on the charm at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the streets will be full of activists demanding justice.

MintPress News reporter Kit O’Connell will be there as supporters of Green Party candidate Jill Stein demand that she have access to the voting ballots and the debates. He’ll be at a march to end the war on cannabis users and growers. And he’ll talk to other activists representing diverse causes as they protest, march and rally outside the Wells Fargo Center from July 25 to 28.

Hundreds Gather To ‘Wall Off Trump’ & Police Arrest 18 In Flag-Burning Demonstration At RNC 2016

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

In response to a proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall that Donald Trump’s turned into a hallmark of his presidential campaign, activists at the Republican National Convention built a wall of their own on Wednesday.

Using a combination of banners and brick wall-patterned costumes, activists surrounded the Quicken Loans Arena for about two-and-a-half hours to highlight the harm caused by the GOP nominee’s immigration policies.

Hundreds of people took part in the Wall Off Trump action, including many undocumented immigrants as well as a group of veterans who protected the demonstrators from interference. About 150 people came together to create the wall, which stretched for about 2,000 feet around the arena.

From Anti-Trump Activists To Open Carry Advocates: RNC 2016 Opens With A Day Of Peaceful Protest

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The tense political landscape and presence of open carry activists didn’t dampen a day of peaceful protest for demonstrators gathered outside the Quicken Loans Arena for the opening day of the 2016 Republican National Convention.

MintPress News was present outside the arena on Monday, where attendance by protesters seemed somewhat lower than anticipated. Even during an unpermitted march led by a musical “supergroup” featuring members of Public Enemy, Cypress Hill and Rage Against the Machine, no arrests were reported.

On Saturday, Cleveland police swore in hundreds of temporary officers recruited from forces around the country in anticipation of intense protest and potential unrest. Police and FBI agents were also reported to be visiting Cleveland activists at their homes in advance of the convention, apparently in an attempt to intimidate or discourage protests.

What the US Can Learn From Canada’s Experiment With Electoral Reform

Posted in Journalism, and Truthout

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected, in part, on a promise to change how the next government gets elected.

Although Canada’s electoral reform is very much a work in progress, activists and politicians alike are working to eliminate a majority-rule system in favor of a different, still-to-be-determined, but hopefully more representational form of voting.

“We want proportional representation,” said Kelly Carmichael, executive director of Fair Vote Canada, in an interview with Truthout, referring to one type of alternate voting system being considered.

“We never want to be stuck in a situation again where one person can take over the governance of our country,” she added, referring to Stephen Harper, Trudeau’s predecessor.

Although the US and Canada use very different systems, we can learn a great deal from this historic moment, particularly at a time when US voter turnout is plummeting and dissatisfaction with the available choices on the ballot is on the rise.