Nurses donate $50,000 to aid the veterans providing a human shield for protectors at Standing Rock

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http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/

#NoDAPL

National Nurses United Press Release, 12/2/16

As Third Delegation of RN Volunteers Heads to North Dakota
RNs Call to President Obama, Attorney Gen Lynch to Intervene

National Nurses United today announced that it is donating $50,000 to support U.S. service veterans who are assembling this weekend as peaceful, unarmed defenders for the water protectors at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota who are enduring military style police assaults for opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, herself a decorated veteran, will be joining with the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock mobilization to support the protectors and help raise public attention to the growing human rights emergency that has emerged at the protest site in the face of increased attacks.

The NNU donation will assist a delegation of Navajo veterans from Arizona and New Mexico who will join the veterans gathering this weekend. Through NNU’s Registered Nurse Response Network, RN volunteers have worked with Navajo First Nation members before, providing first aid in September at the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, AZ.

Veterans Stand for Standing Rock plan a deployment December 4 to 7 of 2,000 veterans of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard who intend to “defend the water protectors from assault and intimidation of the militarized police force and DAPL security.”

Concurrently, NNU is dispatching its third delegation of RN volunteers Saturday to stand in solidarity with the water protectors and their supporters.

“We salute the brave veterans who are standing up for the rights of the water protectors, and all of us who support this critical defense of the First Amendment right to assemble and protest without facing brutal and unwarranted attacks,” said NNU Co-President Jean Ross, RN.

In a letter last week to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, NNU urged the Department of Justice “to promptly end the militarized response to Standing Rock water protesters and immediately stop the law enforcement use of military grade weapons and equipment that comes from the federal government.”

Nurses also support the call by tribal leaders on President Obama to deny the easement for the pipeline and “to protect the water for Standing Rock citizens and the 17 million people downstream”  as well as the call on North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to “stop the constitutional and human rights violations that are happening at Standing Rock.”

A combination of police agencies in apparent collaboration with DAPL private security contractors have reportedly used rubber/plastic bullets, tear gas grenades, pepper spray, sound cannons, and water cannons in sub-freezing temperature against those who oppose construction of a pipeline that the Standing Rock Sioux and allies say threatens water resources and ancestral sacred sites.

One protester, 21-year-old Sophia Wilansky, has faced the loss of an arm after being hit with a police concussion grenade, according to the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council.

NNU volunteers will also be on hand this coming weekend. One RN headed to the site this weekend, Amy Bowen, said she is “committed to exhausting every effort to help save our environment and take a stand for our most basic human necessity: clean, oil-free water.

“I, along with other nurse volunteers with RNRN, will stand in solidarity to support the water protectors,” Bowen said. http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/

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Milwaukee, January 20:Inauguration Day Protest Against Trump – Milwaukee

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The Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump (MCAT) is hosting a mass march and rally on Trump’s inauguration day, Friday, January 20th, 2017. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people will join protests across the country and in Washington D.C. to protest Trump and his agenda.

In Milwaukee, the January 20th protest will officially kick off our “100 Days of Resistance” to put up opposition to Trump’s plans for his first 100 days in office. MCAT is organizing a wide variety of events and actions throughout the first 100 days designed to educate, organize, and resist the Trump agenda. To learn more or get involved in the coalition please follow Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump for events and announcements.

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Washington D.C., January 20: Make It Ungovernable! Protest the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC

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ALL OUT to Washington, DC, January 20 to PROTEST the Presidential InaugurationAfter the most divisive, racist, misogynist, contentious presidential campaign in modern history, Monica Moorehead for President and Lamont Lilly for Vice President urge everyone to converge in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 20 to protest the inauguration of the next president.No matter who wins the 2016 election, the people must take to the streets. This election year proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the capitalist system cannot represent the interests of the people. It revealed that democracy under capitalism is a sham.While Trump and Clinton were fighting among themselves, often like children, Black and Brown people continued to be shot by racist police. Neither candidate ever expressed genuine support for the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement, essential in this period of police terrorism.

Clearly Donald Trump has galvanized racist, right-wing, anti-immigrant thugs. These elements have been stoked, and they will not likely crawl back into the gutter. But we cannot give up on all these workers. They have been misled by Trump, and we should struggle to win their hearts and minds.

Misogyny ultimately became a major issue this election season. At the heart of the “Trumpite” sexism against Hillary Clinton is not just hatred of women, but racism that is central to their odious ideology.

These forces are not reconciled to the historical fact that the first Black president was elected. They erroneously fear the “browning of America.” They think migrants are changing the fabric of “their” society and that they steal jobs, when in fact it is the corporations that lay off and shut factories.

The answer is solidarity and unity of all those who work and struggle for a living. Our enemy is not in the factory or the office but in the board room.

Neither Trump nor Clinton have a real program to address unemployment or underemployment. Neither will order the banks to put families back into foreclosed homes or to lower rents. Neither will unilaterally cancel the student debt. Neither will stop anti-LGBTQ laws from sweeping the country.

Trump is a dangerous buffoon. But Hillary Clinton is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Her political history is one of war and intervention. She is responsible, along with others, for the coup in Honduras and for war in Libya and Syria. She is historically aligned with the forces that dismantled welfare and led to mass incarceration.

As the economic crisis deepens, what can we expect? Under capitalism not only more of the same, but an intensification of all the ills that are byproducts of capitalism: war, racism, sexism, islamopho¬bia and the exploitation of all workers.

It is very likely that Hillary Clinton will win the election as she has proven her ability to well represent the 1%. We can be assured that in her first 100 days, there will be an escalation of war.

What’s the solution? Unity in fightback! Only our solidarity can push back the 1%! What matters is not who is in the White House, but in the streets.

We urge everyone – Black, Latinx, Native, Arab, Asian and white, women, trans people and men, young and old, queer or straight, documented or undocumented, people with disabilities, in a union or not, of every faith and belief from around the country – to converge in Washington on Friday, Jan. 20.

Join tens of thousands to present a people’s agenda!

Bus or travel information to Washington TBA
Visit http://www.workers.org/wwp/all-out-to-washington-dc-january-20-to-protest-the-presidential-inauguration/
or call 917-740-2628

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Call WI Prison Officials & Politicians To Demand That The Torture of Cesar De Leon Stop NOW

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The Milwaukee IWW just received the following message from Cesar De Leon’s niece:

“My mom called me and reported that Cesar called her and said that they are abusing and humiliating him. They have him naked in the cell and they are torturing him. So please help us! By contacting the prison and comment about his health, for they could know that he is not alone. Also, any other thing that could possibly help would be great”

 
Cesar De Leon has participated in food refusal since June 10th in opposition to long-term solitary confinement in Wisconsin. He has already faced physical and psychological abuse from the Department of Corrections in retaliation for his public stand against the torturous condition of longterm solitary confinement. Below the line is information on how to call the prison, and a suggested sample script. Please take a moment to make this call, and another moment to spread word of to other people. Call Saturday, Sunday and Monday if possible. Every bit helps.
Survey form identifying tasks that you can do to be part of the movement against prison abuse: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jIToClitl8JErcqDRPNdOB_FY2jwgXlNncV8nVI_81E
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Wisconsin Department of Corrections central office- 608-240-5000, docweb@wi.gov Ask to speak with the office of DOC Secretary Jon Litscher, sample script: “I am calling in support of Cesar DeLeon, an incarcerated worker at Waupun Correctional. I am hearing reports of physical torture and psychological abuse happening to Cesar at the hands of Waupun’s staff, this is intolerable and needs to stop.”
Wapun Correctional Institution Warden Brian Foster- (920) 324-5571 Ask to speak with the Warden’s office, sample script: ““I am calling in support of Cesar DeLeon, imprisoned in administrative confinement at your institution. I am hearing reports of physical torture and psychological abuse happening to Cesar at the hands of your guards, this is intolerable and needs to stop.”
Expect to redirected around to other phone numbers and brushed off by different levels of bureaucracy of the prison. Be persistent, talk to as many people as you can, ask for names and positions, and post the response here. If possible, call for multiple days to increase the pressure. Call when you’re able, at some times it will go to voicemail, but getting as many calls as possible helps put impact, and makes continued abuse less likely. 


Here is a “How-To” video for calling prisons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=251DPVDQ17A (the example used is a lot longer than what’s expected for this call, but it shows how the process can often look like)

If you’re participating internationally, you can make an international voice call to the US very cheaply using google voice / hangouts

If you wish to write to a letter of support the address is

 Cesar Deleon #322800
P.O. Box 351
Waupon, WI 53963

People who wish to write can use the Milwaukee IWW PO Box as a return address, at PO Box 342294, Milwaukee, WI, 53234

More information on the Dying To Live Hunger Campaign can be found at: solitarytorture.blogspot.com and #DyingToLiveWI on twitter.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

Milwaukee, January 14: Día de Resistencia Nacional para los Inmigrantes y Refugiados / RISING IN RESISTANCE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

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SURGIMIENTO DE LA RESISTENCIA NACIONAL PARA LOS INMIGRANTES Y REFUGIADOS
sábado, 14 de enero, 11am
Marcha de Voces de la Frontera
1027 sur de la calle 5

El el 14 de enero, el movimiento pro-inmigrante nacional declará el principio de su resistencia en contra del fascismo que ahora amenaza a nuestras comunidades. Organizaciones llevarán a cabo marchas y acciones a través del país para exigir:

Alto a las deportaciones masivas
Familias Unidas
Defendamos DACA
Refugiados bienvenidos

Luchamos en frente popular con todos los trabajadores, musulmanes, afroamericanxs, mujeres, judixs y la comunidad LGBTQ.

Más información: 414-643-1620, www.vdlf.org
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RISING IN RESISTANCE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
Saturday, January 14, 11am
March from Voces de la Frontera
1027 S. 5th St. in Milwaukee
More information: 414-643-1620, www.vdlf.org

On January 14th, immigrant rights groups across the country will declare the beginning of their resistance to the fascist threats our country faces. Communities will take to the streets in marches and direct actions nationwide to demand:

Keep Families Together
Stop Mass Deportations
Defend DACA
Refugees Welcome

United Front with all workers, Muslims, African-Americans, women, Jews and the LGBTQ community

More information: 414-643-1620, www.vdlf.org

Confronting anti-immigrant racists in Milwaukee July 19. [Photo: Occupy Riverwest]
Voces marching on Labor Day 2011 in Milwaukee

Cuba-Trained Doctors Head to Standing Rock

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teleSUR: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/index.html
A delegation of doctors trained at the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba announced they will head to Standing Rock to “serve in solidarity.” In a late Thursday Facebook post, a group of U.S.-based medical professionals trained at Cuba’s famous Latin American School of Medicine, or ELAM, announced they will head to Standing Rock “to humbly serve in solidarity with the Sacred Water Protectors on the front lines of the current human rights and ecological crisis occurring right now in North Dakota.”

OPINION:
Laying the Foundations of Cuban Revolutionary Health Care

Dr. Revery P. Barnes, a graduate of ELAM, said in a post on Facebook, “We answer the call to serve in alignment with the mission and core principles of our alma mater and dedication to our commitment to serve underserved communities in our HOME country.” The delegation will work in collaboration with the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council.

“While Cuba instilled in us an unwavering commitment to internationalism, with the acceptance of a full scholarship to medical school at ELAM, we made the moral commitment to respond to the needs of our most vulnerable communities here at home in the U.S.,” the statement continued.

On Wednesday, the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council – which has been providing emergency and chronic health care services to the thousands of water protectors gathered at Standing Rock – issued a warning about the grave health and safety threats posed by escalating use of violence by Morton County Sheriff’s Department and Dakota Access Pipeline security personnel, whom they described as creating “war-like conditions.”

While the Facebook statement did not give details about the size of the delegation or when it is expected to arrive, the announcement comes as thousands of U.S. Army veterans are expected to arrive at the Oceti Sakowin camp this weekend in anticipation of the Dec. 5 eviction notice given to the camp by the Army Corps of Engineers and North Dakota Governor, Jack Dalrymple.

Health and safety concerns for the thousands of Water Protectors, who are asserting their Indigenous sovereignty in attempts to block the multi-billion dollar Dakota Access Pipeline project, are also on the rise as harsh winter conditions have been exacerbated by state law enforcement threats to cut off supplies and access to emergency services.

The Latin American School of Medicine was created in 1999 by the Cuban government and is one of the largest medical schools in the world, with approximately 19,550 students from 110 countries. All students receive a full scholarship, including room and board, and preferential treatment is given to applicants from marginalized groups who intend to return and practice in their own communities. The school plays a key part in Cuba’s widely-hailed medical internationalism, which has seen the socialist country send over 80,000 health care workers to over 94 countries to provide treatment and assistance to impoverished or underprivileged populations. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/index.html

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Cuban Doctors Arriving on a Mission In Sierra Leone in 2015 | Photo: Reuters

GATHERING ON 35th ANNIVERSARY of MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ARREST TO CALL FOR HIS FREEDOM, CLEAN WATER, HEP C TREATMENT FOR PRISONERS & TO DELIBERATE ON JUSTICE UNDER TRUMP

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PRESS ALERT

Dec 2, 2016

CONTACT: Tiffany Robbins 484-343-2172; Dr Suzanne Ross 917-584-2135; Joe Piette 610-931-2615

GATHERING ON 35th ANNIVERSARY of MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ARREST TO CALL FOR HIS FREEDOM, CLEAN WATER, HEP C TREATMENT FOR PRISONERS & TO DELIBERATE ON JUSTICE UNDER TRUMP

News reporters and community members are invited to a day of action on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 in Philadelphia to demand the constitutional right to clean water, hepatitis C treatment and freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal, unjustly imprisoned since 1981, and to witness deliberations on what a Trump Administration will mean for community activists.

  • People will begin gathering at the hated Rizzo statue, in Thomas Paine Plaza near 15th & JFK, at 3pm with signs and banners.
  • A march to Governor Wolf’s office at 200 S. Broad begins at 3:45pm, where thousands of petitions will be delivered.
  • Marchers will stop in front of the District Attorney’s office at 3 South Penn Square across from City Hall, before ending the march at the Rizzo statue.
  • An inside rally at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, beginning at 6pm, will feature three panels:
  • Fighting for hep C treatment, clean water and other health care issues inside and outside prison: Shani Akilah (Black & Brown Collective), Teresa Sullivan (member of Prison Health News), family members of prisoners, and others.
  • Fighting for legal rights for Mumia Abu-Jamal and other prisoners: Attorneys Michael Coard, Robert Boyle and Rachel Wolkenstein.
  • Fighting for Justice during a Trump Presidency: Erica Mines (Philly REAL Justice Coalition), Larry Hamm (Peoples Organization for Progress), Ramona Africa (the MOVE Organization), Carmen Guerrero (Coalicion Fortaleza Latina PA) and more.

The gathering is taking place just weeks after Philadelphia City Council passed an Oct 22 resolution “Calling upon Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania State Legislature to ensure that individuals incarcerated and working in state prisons have access to clean water and proper health services.”

In weeks, the racist billionaire administration of Donald Trump is set to begin. How will people respond to his regressive policies? “As the Trump presidency takes shape… Let us build movements. Let’s lift our hearts. Let us remake our history with the brick and mortar of struggle.” Abu-Jamal said on Prison Radio Nov 21.

The meeting occurs 3 months after the Federal Court decision (Abu-Jamal vs. Kerestes) on August 31 declared it was unconstitutional for the Department of Corrections to refuse to give hep C-infected prisoners with medicines boasting a 95% cure rate. “There are 3.2 million people in the United States living with Hepatitis C. This is unacceptable when there is a cure for the illness,” said Teresa Sullivan. “People living with Hepatitis C should not have to wait for access to treatment because getting early treatment will prevent long term damage from liver cancer and liver fibrosis.”

Reports will detail other developments impacting unfairly-convicted Pennsylvania prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal:

Abu-Jamal is experiencing increased symptoms of the deadly hepatitis C virus. His deteriorating health is again approaching alarming levels as occurred in March, 2015 when he was rushed to the hospital unconscious. For Mumia Abu-Jamal and nearly 7,000 other prisoners with hep C, prison authorities continue to refuse effective treatment until inmates are near death. Why is the DOC continuing its deadly protocol of “deliberate indifference”?

Prisoners at Mahanoy Prison had to bathe in dirty, brown water, and were limited to inadequate rations of drinking water for weeks until recently.  Is the water safe to use, especially for hep C inflicted prisoners with skin complications? Why does the DOC do so little to protect prisoners from unsafe water at SCI Mahanoy, SCI Frackville, SCI Graterford and other prisons?

A new lawsuit by Abu-Jamal’s attorneys has been filed, based on a recent Supreme Court decision (Williams vs PA) that a prosecutor in a case cannot sit as a judge over the same defendant he prosecuted. A ruling in Abu-Jamal’s favor would reopen all of the legal decisions in the case made since 1998. Acting as prosecutor and later Judge for both Abu-Jamal and Terrence Williams, why did former PA Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castille refuse to recuse himself?

Individual endorsers include:

Angela Davis;

Betty Davis, New Abolitionist Movement

Estela Vazquez, Executive Vice President, Local 1199 SEIU*

Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, US Green Party Presidential Ticket;

Juanita Young, Stolen Lives*

Lynne Stewart, former political prisoner and people’s lawyer, Lynne Stewart Organization

Martha Grevatt, Trustee, UAW Local 869*;

Minnie Bruce Pratt, UAW Local 1981/ National Writers Union *;

Monica Moorehead & Lamont Lilly, US Presidential & Vice-Presidential  Candidates, Mundo Obrero/Workers World Party;

Ralph Poynter, New Abolitionist Movement

Rev CD Witherspoon Baltimore SCLC President*;

Robin Laverne Wilson, US Senate Candidate (NY – Green);

Royce Adams,  International Longshoremen ‘s Association Local 1291 -AFL-CIO*;

Susan E. Davis, National Writers Union, UAW 1981*;

Wadiya Jamal;

*For Identification Only