Archive for May, 2008

Protests Sean Bell Killing

N.Y. Activists to Protest Sean Bell Killing

And here in New York, activists are planning to stage city-wide civil disobedience today in protest of the recent acquittal of three police officers in the killing of Sean Bell. The twenty-three-year-old Bell died in a hail of fifty police bullets on the morning of what would have been his wedding day in November 2006. He was unarmed. The Reverend Al Sharpton says the protests will be the first in what he hopes will lead to a city-wide shut-down.

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Drug Arrests Grows

Studies: Racial Disparity in Drug Arrests Grows

New studies show racial disparities in drug arrests are continuing to rise. According to Human Rights Watch, black men are nearly twelve times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as white men, even though whites commit more drug-related crimes. Black women are five times as likely to see prison time for drug crimes than white women. According to the Sentencing Project, since 1980 the rate of drug arrests for blacks has increased by 225 percent, compared to 75 percent for whites

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Burma Death Toll

Burma Toll Could Top 80,000


In Burma, the death toll from the weekend cyclone has topped more than 22,000. Up to 60,000 people are reported missing, while up to a million have been left homeless. Earlier today, the UN said the Burmese military junta had approved the first UN aid flight to help the victims. Rashid Khalikov of the UN disaster relief agency OCHA said hundreds of thousands are in need of aid.
Rashid Khalikov: “You also heard that the figures on the death toll now are more than 22,000. There is also figures used that more than 40,000 are still missing. I wanted to tell you that unfortunately we cannot tell you how many people are in need of assistance. We just clearly understand that it probably will be hundreds of thousands of people.”
The UN says an aircraft carrying twenty-five tons of aid will land in Burma later today. At the White House, President Bush urged the junta to accept aid from the United States.
President Bush: “So our message is to the military rulers, let the United States come and help you, help the people. Our hearts go out to the people of Burma. We want to help them deal with this terrible disaster, and at the same time, of course, we want them to live in a free society."
Cyclone Nargis was the largest to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh.

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Obama Widens Lead

Obama Widens Lead Over Clinton with Big NC Win, Narrow Indiana Loss

Senator Barack Obama has increased his lead over Senator Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Tuesday, Obama scored a decisive fourteen-point victory in North Carolina while narrowly losing to Clinton by two points in Indiana. Addressing supporters in Raleigh, Obama said he is close to securing the nomination.
Sen. Barack Obama: “Because you still believe that this is our moment and our time to change America, tonight we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. More importantly, because of you, we’ve seen that it’s possible to overcome the politics of division and the politics of distraction, that it’s possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems.”
Despite Obama’s lead in the popular vote and delegate count, he’ll be unable to wrap up the nomination without support of Democratic superdelegates. Clinton is expected to try to slow Obama’s momentum by focusing on resolving the dispute over the uncounted primaries in Michigan and Florida. Speaking to supporters in Indianapolis, Clinton promised to stay in the race.
Sen. Hillary Clinton: “Tonight, we’ve come from behind. We’ve broken the tie. And thanks to you, it’s full speed onto the White House… But I can assure you, as I have said on many occasions, that no matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party, because we must win in November.”
Clinton has reportedly made another multi-million-dollar loan from her personal fortune to keep her campaign afloat.

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Georgia’s First Execution Since Moratorium Ended

Georgia Schedules First Execution Since End of Moratorium

Georgia is set to execute William Earl Lynd tonight. He will become the first US prisoner to be put to death since the Supreme Court ended a de facto seven-month moratorium on capital punishment. Anti-death penalty campaigners have planned protests outside the prison and in five cities across the state. Since the Supreme Court ruling three weeks ago, states have scheduled at least fourteen more executions to take place over the next six months.

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