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Tag: Philadelphia

‘An Unjust Law Is No Law At All’: Philadelphia Councilperson Helen Gym On Immigration & Texas Bill SB4

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Video

Helen Gym, vice-chair of Local Progress, a nonprofit representing progressive elected officials from around the United States, and a member of the Philadelphia City Council, spoke to a crowd of activists and other elected officials at the Texas Legislature on July 28, 2017. The rally gathered in opposition to SB4, the recently signed law which would overrule local protections on undocumented immigrants and force law enforcement officials to actively participate in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. It’s been compared to a “supercharged” version of Arizona’s infamous “Show Us Your Papers” law.

Over 150 elected officials signed off on a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott opposing the law.  In her speech, Gym compared SB4 to similar bills that have been introduced in other parts of the country.

Interview with Flashpoints Radio: Cell-Jamming Tech Used On Journalists At DNC

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

I covered the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia for MintPress News, where I was disturbed to discover that journalists’ cell-phone signals were routinely jammed at protests near the convention’s security fence. The jamming, which was experienced by both mainstream and independent journalists, was especially clear on the night Pres. Barack Obama spoke.

Developed In Iraq, Deployed At the DNC?: Cell-Jamming Technology Is Being Turned On Journalists

Posted in Journalism, MintPress News, and Occupy Wall Street

Technology developed to jam cellphones during the Iraq War may be getting deployed against journalists reporting on protests against the political establishment in the United States.

While police and government surveillance of protests, including monitoring of cellphone use, is well-documented, efforts to block signals at protests remains an oft-repeated, but never proven, rumor.

It may be impossible to definitively prove that authorities are using cellphone “jamming” technology, but journalists working with both mainstream and independent media reported unusual difficulties accessing the internet during recent protests at the gates of the Democratic National Convention, consistent with the effects this very real technology could have.

Third-Party, Independent Candidates Challenge Dems On Trans-Pacific Partnership Support

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

The day after delegates inside the Democratic National Convention formally endorsed Hillary Clinton, activists gathered outside the convention site to express their opposition to a controversial trade deal that could be ratified later this year.

On Wednesday, about 150 people gathered under the trees of FDR Park, a public space just outside the massive security fence surrounding the Wells Fargo Center, to demand an end to U.S. support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade deal that critics warn will devastate democracy and the environment and send health care costs through the roof.

“There’s not a single person this doesn’t impact, but in terms of health care it’s going to raise the cost of health care for everyone,” Dr. Margaret Flowers told MintPress News.

7 Arrested As Tensions Rise & Protesters Breach Security Fence At DNC 2016

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

From passing gas to burning flags to breaching a massive security fence, activists expressed their outrage at the Democratic Party on Wednesday night.

Dozens of police crowded around the entrance to AT&T Station, the subway stop closest to the site of the Democratic National Convention, to prevent a “fart-in” protest to highlight corruption in the American democratic system.

“When it comes to the continued racial discrimination in this country, when it comes to being in a state spends more on prisons than on education, something is wrong with this picture,” Cheri Honkala, the event’s organizer, declared. “It’s an absolute farce, and quite frankly, this whole thing reminds me of the Hunger Games, except for the sad thing is this is the real Hunger Games.”

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.