Following a new wave of island-wide protests in Cuba over the past several days, there are worrying indicators that the authorities are repeating the repressive tactics they used for decades and also during the crackdown on protesters on 11 July last year, said Amnesty International today.
“In the latest wave of protests that have lasted several days, Cubans are exercising their simple but historically repressed rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Alarmingly, it seems the authorities are repeating the tactics of repression they used last year to detain and silence protesters, hundreds of whom remain in prison,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
“The international community must condemn the cycles of repression we are seeing in Cuba in the strongest possible terms. It is unacceptable for authorities to keep intimidating, threatening, detaining, stigmatizing, and attempting to silence anyone who demands necessities like electricity, food, and freedom.”
Since the start of protests in late September, Amnesty International has received reports of on-going internet interference, deployment of police and military, including cadets, to repress the protests, and arbitrary detentions.
Starting on the evening of 29 September, the Cuban authorities appear to have intentionally shut down internet access throughout the country. The internet outage lasted for at least two consecutive nights.
Cuban authorities control the country’s only telecommunication network and have often restricted internet access during politically sensitive times or moments of protests.
Alarmingly, it seems the authorities are repeating the tactics of repression they used last year to detain and silence protesters, hundreds of whom remain in prison.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International
Amnesty International has heard that the latest internet outages have made it hard for families to communicate following the passage of hurricane Ian, at a time when many people have had their homes damaged. They have also impacted the ability of independent human rights observers, including Amnesty International, and independent journalists to document the human rights situation in the country. Journalist Luz Escobar told Amnesty International that her internet was cut three nights in a row, impacting her ability to work, and that as of 4 October, several other journalists working at her independent online newspaper, 14 y medio, were without internet.
Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab has also analysed several videos that did not appear online before these protests. One video which Amnesty International analysed was filmed on Street 41, at the corner of 66 in Havana, Cuba, and appears to show the deployment of plain-clothed military cadets, armed with baseball bats, chanting pro-government slogans, including “I am Fidel.”
Another video, which also first appeared online in the context of the protests, and which is consistent with other videos Amnesty International has verified from the protests, appears to also show cadets with baseball bats chasing and then detaining protesters.
The Cuban authorities have developed a sophisticated machinery for controlling any form of dissent and protest, as previously documented by Amnesty International. While state security officials often carry out surveillance and arbitrary detentions of critics, the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (local members of the Communist Party who collaborate with state officials and law enforcement agencies) also provide the state with information about, what is considered, “counter-revolutionary activity.” “Acts of repudiation” – demonstrations led by government supporters with the alleged participation of state security officials – are also commonplace and aimed at harassing and intimidating government critics.
While communication with Cuba remains stunted due to internet interference, Justicia J11, a group established following the crackdown on protesters in July 2021 – has reported 26 detentions since 30 September, mostly of young people and artists, 19 of whom they reported remained in detention as of 4 October 2022.
Cuban authorities criminalized nearly all those who participated in the protests in July 2021, including some children, but flatly denied any human rights violations, and placed the blame for the economic situation almost exclusively on the US economic embargo. Similarly, on 2 October 2022, President Díaz-Canel downplayed the widespread nature of the latest protests and suggested that a minority of “counter-revolutionaries” with connections outside Cuba, had carried out “acts of vandalism such as blocking roads or throwing rocks” and would be dealt with with the “force of the law.”
Background
Following the passage of hurricane Ian, the electricity has been cut in multiple parts of the island, adding to the frequent electricity outages in recent months. NASA night-time light data showed a significant decrease in lights between 23 September, before the passing of Ian, and after, on 30 September.
Electricity outages have exacerbated violations of economic and social rights in the country, as in recent months Cubans have had to line up for many hours to buy food and other necessities, in the context of widespread food shortages.
The recent protests have occurred just 14 months after the similar widespread protests on 11 July 2021, which were followed by a crackdown on dissent. Hundreds remain imprisoned for the 11 July protests, including three prisoners of conscience: artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez, as well as leader of the non-official opposition, José Daniel Ferrer García. Other prisoners of conscience named by Amnesty International at the time were released on the condition of going into exile.
The post Cuba: Tactics of repression must not be repeated appeared first on Amnesty International.
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HUGE: Maricopa County Was Given $3 Million of ‘Zuckerbucks’ Before Election But No One Knows Who Received It and What It Was Used For!
Where did the millions go? Maricopa County Arizona, one of the largest counties in the nation, received $3 million in ‘Zuckerbucks’ from a Democrat non-profit before the election. No one knows who accepted it or where it went.
In addition to repeatedly sabotaging attempts by the Arizona Senate to implement an accurate, transparent, and factual forensic audit of Maricopa’s 2020 election – which is set to actually begin on April 22 – the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) also repeatedly violated the chain of custody of the 2.1 million ballots from the 2020 election which this Board is legally responsible for safeguarding. Under their watch things like shredded ballots ended up in a dumpster; doors were left wide open at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC); a gigantic, mysterious fire occurred at a chicken farm owned by one of the supervisors of the MCBOS; and, all of the ballots were without the AZ Senate’s permission literally moved out of the MCTEC and then brought back home again (who knows where these ballots went for a ride and how many never came back).
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have consistently blocked, politically harassed, and refused the Arizona Senate from auditing the results of the 2020 Election. One group is fed up and started a petition to remove and replace these supervisors. Here’s what We the People Arizona Alliance has to say about MCBOS members, Jack Sellers, Chair, Bill Gates, Vice-chair, Clint Hickman, Steve Chucri, and Steve Gallardo, and here are the recall forms for Maricopa voters to file:
The Board of Supervisors have failed to represent our rights through unconstitutional lock down orders and mask mandates and we stood by. They are now subverting our right to a fair election. They have made it clear they have no intention in preserving our inalienable rights or preserving our elections. They have lied, they have stalled and they have used deceptive political maneuvering. We the People must act to preserve the integrity of our elections. We must take it upon ourselves to do what is right.
Additional recalls are being pursued by this group for AZ Governor Doug Ducey (R), Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D), AZ Senator Paul Boyer (R), and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman (D).
Now, come to find out it appears the MCBOS accepted almost $3 million in Zuckerbucks in 2020 – grant money dumped from progressive Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Pricilla Chan’s foundation – as well as from other Big Tech billionaires and radical philanthropists – into the hands of somebody in Maricopa County through a 501(c)(3) “nonpartisan charity,” the Chicago-based Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL).
According to the Capital Research Center (CRC), which investigates corrupted and crooked nonprofits and foundations and which broke the Arizona/Nevada piece of this national Zuckerbucks story, almost $3M went to “Maricopa County election officials.” We assume that means the MCBOS. However, until the nonprofit grant paperwork surfaces and the MCBOS answers the public’s outraged questions, we’re totally in the dark.
The Postal Service is running a ‘covert operations program’ that monitors Americans’ social media posts
The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.
The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made public. The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as “inflammatory” postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.
BLM BLAST | Breonna Taylor’s mom slams ‘fraud’ BLM as Candace Owens says ‘dead black people being used to empower white Democrats’
ANDACE Owens launched a scathing attack on the Black Lives Matter movement as she backed Breonna Taylor’s mother’s claims the organization is a “fraud”.
The Conservative commentator accused the movement of being “racist” and using “dead black people to fund and empower white Democrats.”
” I’ve watched y’all raise money on behalf of Breonna’s family who has never done a damn thing for us nor have we needed it or asked so talk about fraud,’ Palmer (Breonna Taylor’s mother,) said in the deleted Facebook post.
Report: “The Squad” Spent Thousands On Private Security While Demanding Police Be Defunded
Members of progressive Democratic group “The Squad” reportedly spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on private security and other forms of security services in the first quarter while publicly calling to dismantle or defund the police force due to what they claim to be “institutionalized racism” among its ranks.
The group of radical-left, female lawmakers — composed of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Rashida T’laib (Michigan) and Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts) — were said to have spent for private securities for themselves, according the Daily Caller, citing Federal Election Commission (FEC) records that it reviewed.
NEW: Members of the progressive-Democrat group in Congress called “the squad” who have been pushing to defund the police, spent thousands of dollars on private security for themselves, according to FEC records reviewed by the @DailyCaller.
More here:
— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) April 19, 2021
“FEC reports show Democrats New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Missouri Rep. Cori Bush each spent thousands of dollars on their own security,” the publication wrote on its report. “The payments were described in the FEC filings as either ‘security’ or ‘security services.’”
The Democratic lawmakers were reported to have spent “nearly $70,000” for private security from January to March this year alone, while at the same time demanding that police forces be “defunded” and taxpayers money for law enforcement be funneled instead for “community welfare” projects. . .
Progressives also earlier signaled they wanted police duties to be transferred to social workers — leaving communities vulnerable to crimes.
Facebook Co-Founder Gave Millions To BLM’s Patrisse Cullors Before Facebook Censored News Story About Her Mansions
A new report from the the Washington Free Beacon has uncovered that Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz has given millions of dollars to groups run by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, including one which paid Cullors $20,000 a month.
Last week, Facebook desperately moved to censor a New York Post story about Cullors’ multi-million dollar mansion collection from the website.
The Washington Free Beacon reported Monday that Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who left the company in 2008 but still reportedly maintains a multi-billion dollar 2% stake in the platform, gave at least $5.6 million to groups founded and chaired by Black lives Matter co-founder Dustin Moskovitz over the course of four years.
READ MORE: Breonna Taylor’s Mom Slams BLM As ‘Fraud’ That’s ‘Never Done A Damn Thing For Us’
Moskovitz contributed $2.8 million to Dignity and Power Now, over $2.3 million to Reform L.A. Jails, and $500,000 to the The Justice Teams Network, all of which were founded or co-founded by Cullors between 2017 and 2020.
Cullors was paid a staggering $20,000 a month by L.A. Reform jails in 2019.
On Friday, Facebook moved to scrub a New York Post story that documented Cullors’ $3.2 million mansion-buying spree from its platform.
As National File reported last week, Cullors attempted to defend her extravagant tastes in luxury real estate by claiming that her personal mansion collection is in “direct support of black people”.
Trump: LeBron James’s ‘racist rants’ are divisive, nasty
Former President Trump slammed NBA superstar LeBron James on Thursday night, calling the basketball star’s “racist rants” “divisive, nasty, insulting and demeaning.”
“LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League,” Trump wrote in a statement released by his office.
“His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!” he continued.
Vaccines Are Effective Against the New York Variant, Studies Find
For weeks, New Yorkers have witnessed the alarming rise of a homegrown variant of the coronavirus that has kept the number of cases in the city stubbornly high. City officials have repeatedly warned that the variant may be more contagious and may dodge the immune response.
On that second point, at least, they can now breathe easier: Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will effectively prevent serious illness and death from the variant, two independent studies suggest.
Antibodies stimulated by those vaccines are only slightly less potent at controlling the variant than the original form of the virus, both studies found.
“We’re not seeing big differences,” said Michel Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University in New York and a member of the team that published one of the studies on Thursday.
The bottom line? “Get vaccinated,” he said.
‘Like Making An Arsonist Into The Town Fire Chief’: UN Elects Iran To Commission On Women’s Rights
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected Iran to a four-year term on its Commission on the Status of Women, the watchdog group UN Watch first reported Wednesday.
The Commission serves as the “principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.” Iran’s election to the Commission, which took place in secret balloting, has sparked outrage among human rights and women’s activists.
“Electing the Islamic Republic of Iran to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer in a statement. “It’s absurd — and morally reprehensible. This is a black day for women’s rights, and for all human rights.”
Protesters vandalize Central Park monument and clash with police
Protesters clashed with police in Manhattan on Thursday night after a monument was vandalized by cop-haters in Central Park. Six people were arrested in Columbus Circle near the USS Maine National Monument, which was defaced with anti-police graffiti, cops said.
“ACAB,” an acronym for “All Cops are Bastards,” and “F–k 12,” which means “F–k the police,” were spray-painted onto the monument.
“Stonewall was a riot,” was also written in the pink spray paint.
The NYPD condemned the vandalism in a social media post.
“We respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest, but vandalism is not part of peaceful protest,” the department wrote on Twitter.
‘They’re Afraid of What We’re Going to Find’: 2.1 Million Ballots Transferred for Audit in Maricopa | Video 8 Minutes 22 Seconds
Arizona State Senator joins the War Room talking about the big implications with the ballot audit. “Elections have consequences. The Election on November 3, since President Trump did not close on his massive victory, has had tremendous consequences. Well, the folks in the great state of Arizona are fighting back.” ~ Steve Bannon
Richard Dawkins Stripped Of Top Humanist Award For Using Science To ‘Demean Marginalized Groups’
The American Humanist Association (AHA) has revoked its top “Humanist of the Year” honor from British biologist and noted atheist Richard Dawkins for the academic’s history of demeaning marginalized groups under “the guise of scientific discourse,” the group announced Monday, pointing to a recent statement that questions the validity of transgender people and suggests Black identity can be “assumed when convenient.”
Newt Gingrich accuses Biden, Harris of parroting Chinese propaganda on race in America
‘The American president and vice president are doing as much damage to the U.S. as any propaganda campaign I can remember,’ former House speaker says.
Los Angeles Mayor Boosts Police Funds as Crimes Rise
Amid calls to defund the police, the progressive mayor of Los Angeles is instead increasing law enforcement’s funding—but only by a fraction. Crime rates in the city continue to climb. The president of LA’s Police League suggests this is caused by last year’s police cut.
The post Los Angeles Mayor Boosts Police Funds as Crimes Rise appeared first on NTD.
(READ) Public trust in CDC declines across all demographics
Public trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declined from May 2020 to October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a recent Rand study. Rand asked Americans about their level of trust in the CDC, the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in May 2020 and […]
April 22, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 53 Minutes 08 Seconds
Senate Republicans officially propose an infrastructure plan that’s less than half the cost of President Joe Biden’s plan, 20 state attorneys general urge President Biden not to expand the Supreme Court, and Biden announces an ambitious goal at a two-day virtual climate summit.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded April 22, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 59 Seconds
Blow-Dried Hair BS … How the Media and Biden Distract From Their Compromise and Crisis. “Joe Biden doesn’t have control of his government,” Navarro said. “There’s a segment of Biden’s administration that wants open borders. They stuffed the ballot box in 2020…in 2024 and beyond they want to stuff the ballot box with illegal aliens.” Guests are: Natalie Winters, Todd Bensman, Dr. Peter Navarro.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded April 22, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 59 Seconds
Fiction Checkers … CCP Compromised Journalists Attack Frank Speech. Guests are: Michael Yon, Natalie Winters, Mike Lindell.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded April 22, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 21 Seconds
Thunberg-ism … The Great Reset at the Sistine Chapel.
“They were prepared for this to go sideways in a bad way,” she said. “Why was there a single officer a guy that was that dangerous without any backup?” Guests are: Patrick Coffin, Alison Morrow.
Opinion: Ben Carson: Moving our focus from equality to equity won’t defeat racism. It’s another kind of racism.
This goal is not only un-American — it is impossible to attain.
Equity’s worldview, as I see it, starts with the proposition that the White majority is guilty of bigotry and oppression, and that all differential outcomes between groups are solely the result of that bigotry and oppression. Equity proponents therefore argue that retributive actions against the majority are necessary to correct those wrongs. Reparations for slavery — which a House committee has voted to study — are such an action; so are hiring programs that specifically recruit racial minorities, campaigns to support only Black-owned businesses and firms that require their board of directors to have a certain percentage of minorities. A perfect example of equity is the anti-poverty stipend recently announced by the city of Oakland, Calif., offered only to residents who are “BIPOC” — that is, Black, Indigenous or people of color. The program explicitly excludes poor White families.
I’ll say it again: Where is the outrage for the unsolved murders of 51 Chicago women?
Chicago figured out how to build a skyscraper and reverse a river’s flow, but it has not found the killers of these woman, most of whom were Black.
I don’t give a damn who’s tired of hearing it. I’m not gonna stop saying it: If 51 dogs were slain and discarded in trashcans, abandoned buildings and vacant lots across Chicago, set on fire and dismembered, this city would be up in arms.
Why not for at least 51 women slain here since 2001, and whose murders remain mostly unsolved?
Why not for their families who seek solace and justice for these daughters whose innocent blood cries out from their cold graves?
Can you hear them?
Imagine their last gasps, amid the torture they suffered from their murderer who strangled or asphyxiated them, desecrated them?
Can you envision their final desperate struggle? Hear their cries for help before they at last succumbed to death — the light of life seeping from their frightened eyes? Visualize their last moments in the hands of someone who hated them rather than being embraced by someone who loved them?
I can. I must.
The cold. The desolation of their bodies dumped, half dressed, defiled. The pain. The shame. Crying out for help. And yet, no one came. No one answered.
Why shouldn’t this city now have to answer?
The depravity. The inhumanity. This stark insanity of a city where they could figure out how to build a skyscraper, reverse the river’s flow, and design a world-class skyline that shimmers. A city that cannot find — at least has not found — these women’s killers.
And why not?
What if it were 51 women mostly white instead of 51 women mostly Black? What if they were mostly middle class instead of mostly poor and working class?
What if they lived and died in a posh Near North Side neighborhood, or along the Magnificent Mile, rather than on the South and West Sides on poverty’s isle? Would these murders still be largely unsolved? Might this city then care?
What if these women had not been all summarily — and falsely — characterized as “prostitutes” and “drug addicts”? Would we be so easily dismissive of their fate? Would we still deem them as perhaps “less than,” if not altogether “disposables,” rather than as flesh and blood and heart and soul, created in the image of God?
What if “she” was your daughter, your mother, your sister, your aunt, your granddaughter, the girl next door? What if we could see in the eyes of those among these victims whom life may have pushed into the gutter, the soul of a broken woman, not just some “whore”? Then would this city do more?
For Lollapalooza and an assortment of downtown entertainment fests, resources flow. And when murder, rape or a string of robberies occur beyond the hood, no stone is left unturned. Those victims garner headlines and nightly news because they are of a different hue, or well to do.
Remember Jussie Smollet and how quickly police got to the bottom of the truth?
But Black women and girls disappear, or are raped and murdered damn near everyday. And what does the city do?
All the official hand wringing and explaining sounds like one big excuse. And the inability to solve the murders of the 51 just evidence that this case is clearly not a priority for the mayor, or the police, or for far too many.
Maybe I’m wrong. What I do know is that some don’t want to hear it anymore. In so many words and with looks of dismay they say, Shut up, John Fountain, you’ve already said that. Write about something else, let it go.”
I can’t. I won’t. And I don’t give a damn what “they” say. I said it again. And I’m gonna say it some more.
Email: Author@johnwfountain.com
John Fountain led his class at Roosevelt University in a yearlong project on the 51 murdered Chicago women, To view the project, visit: www.unforgotten51.com
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.
Murders Rose 56 Percent in Major US Cities Amid Defunding Push: Report
Murders spiked in major American cities since the death of George Floyd amid a push to slash police funding, according to a new analysis. The rise in homicides in 10 major cities last year coincided with police making fewer arrests and stops, the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund found. In Chicago, for example, arrests and stops dropped by 53 percent while murders rose 65 percent, when comparing June 2019 through February 2020 and June 2020 through February 2021. In Minneapolis during the same time period, arrests and stops decreased by 42 percent while murders increased 64 percent. Chicago cut approximately $59 million from police in its 2021 budget, largely by axing vacant positions in the force. Minneapolis, which slashed $7.8 million from its police department in December 2020, approved an infusion of money a month prior and backed away from one proposal to decrease the number of police officers and another …
7 shot dead on Easter Sunday in Chicago, 27 others wounded in weekend violence
All of the weekend’s fatal shootings happened during the 24-hour period on Easter Sunday.
Chicago saw an especially bloody Easter Sunday with at least seven people shot and killed citywide during the 24-hour period.
At least 27 others were wounded in other weekend shootings, none of which were reported by police as fatal.
Easter weekend was more deadly, but saw less shootings, than last weekend when 36 people were shot, four of them fatally, between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.
Englewood homicide
The last murder on Easter Sunday was a 45-year-old man gunned down in Englewood on the South Side. About 11:25 p.m., the man was found in the 6800 block of South Throop Street with gunshot wounds on the chest, Chicago police said.
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released his name.
Man dies after being shot 14 times in Roseland
Before dawn Sunday, a man died after being shot more than a dozen times, and another man was critically wounded, in Roseland on the Far South Side. A 31-year-old man was arguing with two people about 1:30 a.m. in the 200 block of West 108th Street when one person fired multiple shots at him, police said.
He suffered 14 gunshot wounds to the upper body and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he died. His name hasn’t been released.
A 45-year-old man who tried to intervene was also shot, police said. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest and was taken to the same hospital in critical condition.
Fatal Austin shooting
A 28-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday after getting into a fight in a parking lot in Austin on the West Side. Jakub Marchewka of Belmont Craign was in a parking lot about 4:30 a.m. in the 3500 block of North Austin Avenue, when he got into a fight with a person who pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest, authorities said. He died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
Brainerd homicide
Sunday evening, a 25-year-old man was found fatally shot in Brainerd on the South Side. About 6:15 p.m., officers found Dashawn Norman of Brainerd unresponsive in the backyard of a residence in the 9300 block of South Throop Street, authorities said. He was pronounced dead with a gunshot wound to his head at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Man killed in car in Little Village
A 28-year-old man was found fatally shot inside an SUV Sunday in Little Village on the Southwest Side. About 12:15 p.m., officers found Brian Guerrero sitting unresponsive in the front passenger seat of a GMC Envoy in the 3600 block of West 32nd Street, authorities said. He died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head at the scene. The rear window of the vehicle was damaged from gunfire.
Man fatally shot while driving in West Pullman
A 38-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday while he was driving in West Pullman on the Far South Side. About 2:15 p.m., Octavius Mitchell of West Englewood was stopped in the middle of the street in the 11500 block of South LaSalle Street, authorities said. After a brief conversation with a man who approached his vehicle, the man fired shots and killed Mitchell, authorities said. No arrest was announced.
1 dead, 1 wounded in Humboldt Park shooting
Two people were shot, one fatally, in a drive-by Sunday in Humboldt Park on the West Side. They were in a vehicle driving north on Humboldt Drive about 8 p.m. when two males approached from behind on orange dirt bikes and began to fire shots as they drove past the driver-side door, police said.
Elijah Mena, 19, was struck in the neck and taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said said. The 20-year-old was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in critical condition.
Nonfatal shootings
In nonfatal shootings, a 24-year-old man was critically hurt Saturday evening in West Town. About 7:25 p.m., he was standing in an alley in the 2000 block of West Maypole Avenue, when he was approached by a man who pulled out a gun and fired several shots at him, police said.He was struck once in the abdomen and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Security guard shot in West Town attempted robbery
A security guard was shot during an attempted robbery Sunday morning in West Town. The 22-year-old was reporting to work about 6:20 a.m. in the 100 block of South Western Avenue when a vehicle approached and the people inside tried to rob him, police said.
One of the suspects opened fire, striking the man in the thigh and lower leg, Chicago police said. The security guard returned fire, but it was not immediately clear if anyone was hit. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Kennedy Expressway shooting
Saturday morning, a person was shot on the Kennedy Expressway in Avondale on the North Side. The person was shot about 6:35 a.m. as he drove south on Interstate 90 near Belmont Avenue, Illinois State Police said. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were thought to be non-life-threatening.
Cragin shooting
A 25-year-old man was critically hurt in a shooting over an hour earlier in Cragin on the Northwest Side. About 5:15 a.m., the man was in the 5000 block of West Deming Place when someone fired shots, police said. He was struck in the abdomen and taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition.
Loop shooting on Lower Wacker Drive
Earlier Saturday, a 29-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Loop. The man was a passenger in a vehicle about 3:30 a.m. on Lower Wacker Drive when he heard shots and felt pain, police said. He was shot in the knee and taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
First weekend shooting reported in Austin
In the weekend’s earliest reported shooting, a man was seriously hurt in a shooting Friday night in Austin on the West Side. The 54-year-old was standing near a home about 7:45 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Mason Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain, police said. He was struck in the leg and taken to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood.
Police Data Shows Chicago Shootings For March At Highest Level In 4 Years
Chicago has experienced a significant spike in shootings in March, with police data and other reports showing the numbers are their highest in four years.
There have been 233 shooting incidents and 298 victims in all of 2021, police data shows, according to CNN. There were 146 shootings and 175 victims in March of 2020, according to the report. In March of 2019 and 2018, there were 136 shooting incidents, respectively.
Shootings were up 50% between March 21 and March 28 when compared to data from 2020, according to police data. When compared to data over 28 days between 2020 and 2021, shootings were also up 60%. Data shows there has been a 4% increase in shootings over the past four years.
Murders have also skyrocketed in March when compared with previous years. Murders were up 150% between March 21 and March 28 when comparing data from 2021 and 2020. Murder rates were up when compared through a three-year change, but murders have declined by 1% when looking at a four year change, according to police data.
Man charged in murder of 11-year-old girl at Far South Side gas station
A 27-year-old man faces a count of first-degree murder in the death of 11-year-old Ny’Andrea Dyer.
A man has been charged with murder after allegedly firing the stray bullet that struck and killed an 11-year-old girl during a shootout last month at a Far South Side gas station.
Marcus Starkey, 27, faces a count of first-degree murder in the death of 11-year-old Ny’Andrea Dyer, Chicago police said.
He also faces counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery for allegedly wounding the 18-year-old man he was targeting March 1 at a gas station in the 100 block of West 127th Street.
As Of April 22, 2021 There Have Been There Have Been 178 Homicides in Chicago | City Homicide Database
This database lists names of every victim who was killed by another person within city limits. It is to be a comprehensive page compiled from information provided by disparate law enforcement and regional agencies that have a role with respect to Chicago homicides, including gun violence. The page will be updated daily, initially with information from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office and updated with additional reporting.
How Do You Hide An FBI Investigation Into Nancy Pelosi’s Father? Release It While The January 6, 2021 Capitol Riot Is Ongoing | Communist Roots & Familial Charges of Pedophile Rape
Amid Capitol riot, FBI released files from Kennedy-era investigation into Nancy Pelosi’s father. In a 1961 memo to the White House, an agent summarized allegations that Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. took payoffs from applicants to the police force, and helped to hinder the investigation and prosecution of crimes. (Full Article Here.)
While Washington, D.C. was riveted Jan. 6 on events at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI quietly released a trove of files from an “urgent” — yet seemingly controlled — investigation 60 years ago into Nancy Pelosi’s father.
The files reveal the results of an intense two-month investigation into Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., a Maryland politician who served in a long career as a member of Congress and mayor of Baltimore.
John F. Kennedy’s White House ordered the investigation after JFK planned to appoint D’Alesandro to a government post. A routine FBI name check revealed “allegations” against D’Alessandro, according to a Feb. 6, 1961 teletype from “FBI Director.” The director at the time was J. Edgar Hoover.
The “urgent” teletype seemed to signal the goal of ensuring that D’Alesandro would be appointed to a government watchdog board that reviewed defense contracts. . .
“There have been allegations that D’Alesandro has associated with the Baltimore criminal element and [redacted] and the son, Franklin Roosevelt D’Alesandro, had been arrested for rape,” an agent wrote on page 14 of the trove. The allegations may have been rumor, the agent noted.
Elsewhere in the trove, agents wrote about the son, who was arrested and acquitted on charges that saw others convicted of raping two young girls, aged 11 and 13. The young D’Alesandro, who died in 2007, also was tried and acquitted of perjury in relation to that case. . .
The following year, the memo notes, D’Alesandro was reported as the main speaker at an event for the International Workers Order, an insurance organization placed on a list of subversive organizations by the U.S. attorney general in 1947 and later disbanded by order of the New York State Insurance Department for being too closely aligned with the Communist Party, in violation of regulations prohibiting political activity in the industry.
The FBI did not disclose why the entire collection was released on Jan. 6, and did not immediately respond to Just the News.
Thomas D’Alesandro died in 1987, at age 84.
Speaker Pelosi did not respond to questions from Just the News. (Full Article Here.)
Here Are The Actual FBI Files On Nancy Pelosi’s Father & Brother Released As The January 6th Capitol Riots Were Ongoing
Nancy Pelosi’s Father’s FBI Files Showing Deep Communist Roots
Asian Left-Wing Journalist Beaten By BLM Mob As Crowd Confronts Portland Police At Latest Shooting Scene
Portland isn’t even safe for left wing journalists anymore. Justin Yau, best known for his Twitter account @PDocumentarians and occasional contributions to left wing propaganda rag Willamette Week, has now been targeted and attacked by antifa and Black Lives Matter terrorists. *PEACEFULLY*, of course. And oh yeah, he happens to be Asian. This went down at today’s protest in outer Southeast Portland, where police shot and killed a man.
He’s a partisan left-wing “journalist” who films what antifa tells him to film. As soon as that line is crossed they take him out.
— Wear a Mask – Save a Life (@FauciSexual) April 17, 2021
Now all of a sudden people in the left wing media, such as Mike Baker, are shocked to see the mobs turn against them. This after years of these same “journalists” and media outlets explaining away and excusing the mob violence from left wing militants, and often times encouraging the carnage.
Alex Zielinksi, far left apologist for the Portland Mercury, is “at a loss”:
Why is the fact that they get financial compensation for doing cop work a valid reason for them to keep doing it?
— West Philadelphia hate account (@17795C) April 16, 2021
Coverage of protests get allies arrested. Documenting can also be harmful.
— MackYak (@112112B119119) April 16, 2021
Why? Evidently they are mad that the Portland Police twitter account was sharing his videos, and even using one as possible evidence in the recent arson committed at the police union building. He apparently deleted the primary video that got everyone upset.
Pretty sure this was in response to him not taking down a video that PPB retweeted
— Green Socialist (@ProtestaBloc) April 16, 2021
.@PDocumentarians, why did you delete your video evidence of #antifa criminal activity after @PortlandPolice retweeted it? You identify as a journalist. Do you have affiliations with antifa that aren’t declared?
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 14, 2021
Yau had been receiving veiled threats in recent days.
justin yau sucks and consistently posts faces but it ain’t pretty deleted the tweet ppb quoted after they did it. def a case for like, not taking videos at all
— lil veggie fights fascism (@acabapril) April 14, 2021
Literally no threats in those pics, only demands to have consent respected. If you were a real journalist you’d know consent before filming and publishing faces is standard.
But you’re a hack and a fraud so
— not a cat (@UselessPouch) April 14, 2021
retweet this so it shows up on justin yau’s tl challenge lmao https://t.co/3B9H3iPNG8
— lil veggie fights fascism (@acabapril) April 13, 2021
As of this writing none of the Portland area media have officially acknowledged this attack in any published article. In fact, Yau himself contributed to the write up about the protest on Willamette Week’s website, yet he and his bosses apparently refuse to call out the violent mobs. No mention of it in Alex Zielinski’s write up on Portland Mercury. Ditto for Zane Sparling’s write up in the Portland Tribune. The paper of record, The Oregonian, also leaves this part out of their story by Maxine Bernstein. No tweets about this from Shane Burley either, who has pinned his career on books about strawmen “fascists” that he believes are everywhere.
Either the local media are afraid of the antifa mobs and they don’t want to be beaten and robbed next, or they are trying to ignore and downplay the violence.
Over 1,000 reported arrested at Navalny rallies in Russia
More than 1,000 people were arrested across the country in connection with the protests, according to a human rights group that monitors political repression.
MOSCOW — Thousands of supporters of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marched in central Moscow on Wednesday as part of nationwide demonstrations calling for his freedom as his health reportedly is in severe decline while on a hunger strike.
More than 1,000 people were arrested across the country in connection with the protests, according to a human rights group that monitors political repression. Many were seized before the protests even began, including two top Navalny associates in Moscow.
Navalny’s team called for the unsanctioned demonstrations after weekend reports that his health is deteriorating.
Bill that would reduce prison sentence for felony murder convictions in Colorado headed to Gov. Jared Polis
People convicted of felony murder in Colorado would no longer face a mandatory sentence of life without parole under a bill passed by the state legislature this week and sent to Gov. Jared Polis for his signature.
Under the state’s current law, a defendant can be convicted of felony murder if a person is killed during the commission of a felony — including arson, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, escape or sexual assault — even if they weren’t the one directly responsible for the victim’s death.
Senate Bill 21-124, which, if signed by Polis, will take effect Sept. 15, would do away with the mandatory life sentence by making felony murder a Class 2 felony instead of Class 1. The sentencing range for Class 2 felonies is eight to 24 years, though if it’s a crime of violence, that range changes to 16 to 48 years.
Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the punishment should fit the crime and the individual’s guilt.
“Felony murder was striking with a broad sword,” Lee said. “It would give life without (parole) regardless of culpability, so I wanted to put felony murder in a category where the sentence could be proportional to the culpability of the person who committed the offense.”
Lee explained that a majority of felony murder cases involve young men of color who are typically of low income. Adolescent brains do not have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, which impacts impulse control and sensation-seeking. Additionally, Lee said young men are heavily influenced by their peers, resulting in criminal actions that they may not have done as individuals.
“Kids that do… felony, fatal, stupid things when they’re 16, 17, 18, 21 years old are not the same people that they will be when they’re 30, 40, 50 years old,” Lee said. “We’re no longer throwing away people who are redeemable.”
If signed, the new bill will only impact people charged with felony murder after the law takes effect and will not change the sentences of defendants who already have been convicted.
Commentary: Ballot Equality and Who Really Defends the Votes of Black Americans | “Do we black Americans not have bank accounts? Union jobs? Do we not drive? Go to college? Buy beer?”
by Ken Blackwell
Buried in the liberal lie that vote security somehow “suppresses” votes of black Americans is the truth: it protects their vote security, as well. Even in minority communities, ballots themselves are color blind.
Deep in the cynical assertion that protecting votes is “racist” is the inference that black votes aren’t important enough to be protected. Liberals and their Democrat allies face two stumbling blocks in demonstrating legitimate concern about minority voting — the past and the present. They own the history of voting discrimination based on race, and they still practice it today.
To assert that vote security is “racist,” it must first be established that minorities are separate and unequal from other voters, and less competent at meeting voting requirements. But all Americans must show ID for driving, banking, voting in union elections, going to post-secondary school, and purchasing certain products. The Left’s anti–vote security influencers are currently focused on Georgia’s new voting laws, which require voter identity verification with photo ID. Democrats claim this discriminates against black voters in particular.
Why? Do we black Americans not have bank accounts? Union jobs? Do we not drive? Go to college? Buy beer?
Photo ID is free in Georgia with a birth certificate and proof of residency. Like all other Americans, black citizens are born and live somewhere. By labeling this requirement “racist,” the Left is putting minorities in a subclass incapable of getting ID. This is demeaning and absurd.
According the Georgia secretary of state, residents can choose several forms of ID to cast mail or absentee ballots, including Social Security numbers or utility bills. Georgians have long needed photo ID to register to vote or vote in person, and that has not changed. Additionally, 99 percent of voters already have driver’s licenses.
The liberal fuss is not about facts; it’s about manipulating the public — and sometimes causing harm.
Major League Baseball was recently intimidated by liberals into moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver to protest Georgia’s voting law after former President Obama and President Biden yelled, “Suppression!”
Atlanta’s population is 51 percent African American compared to Denver’s 10 percent. It is mathematically inarguable that black employees, vendors, and small business owners working in and around Georgia’s Truist Park will lose more income (in total, an estimated $100 million in revenue) than black employees in Denver will gain. This corporate capitulation to a lie takes income from the minority population it pretends to protect.
Jen Psaki Denies Biden Weighed In on Chauvin Verdict After Biden Clearly Weighed In on Chauvin Verdict
Judge Peter Cahill on Monday addressed crazy Maxine Waters’ demand for a first-degree murder conviction or else. Judge Cahill found the comments unhelpful and added: “I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case. … Their failure to do so I think is abhorrent.“ But Waters is just a 217-year-old congresswoman. I wonder what the judge would think of our 217-year-old president weighing in on the case before there was a conviction. Which is what Joe Biden did today. But if you ask Jen Psaki, she says “nuh-uh.”
REPORTER: The president has talked about the importance of an independent judiciary. Why is it appropriate for him to weigh in on the verdict, even though the jury is sequestered?
PSAKI: He totes didn’t do that.
He totes did.
Pro-Biden media outlets are even running with headlines Biden ‘praying’ for Chauvin conviction; evidence ‘overwhelming’:
While he did not explicitly use the words “guilty” or “evidence,” there was no mistaking the president’s meaning.
Philly Public Schools Teach Kindergarteners About BLM and George Floyd, Call U.S. ‘Pyramid Of Hate’
Leaked documents from the Philadelphia public school system shows Philadelphia’s Office of School Climate and Culture has introduced that teaches children from kindergarten through second grade about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, and warns about a “pyramid of hate” that starts with racial stereotyping and jokes and ends in “genocide.”
Documents obtained by reporter Christopher Rufo show that teachers are encouraged to ask the four-year-old children if they have heard of Derek Chauvin and George Floyd, and asks them to “share their feelings” about the Chauvin trial verdict.
Students are then shown a slideshow that reveals a “social story for George Floyd,” and encouraged to “take action.” Teachers are to instruct their toddler pupils to “talk with others about what happened to George Floyd and the goals of the Black lives Matter movement, as well as to “get involved in local activism on these or other issues of injustice.”
Teachers are then told to teach the kindergarten students about the left-wing “Pyramid of Hate,” which claims that a lack of “awareness of privilege” ultimately leads to “genocide.”
According to Rufo, “the teachers are asked to discuss the ‘Pyramid of Hate’ with the children as young as four years old, teaching that ‘our society’ is built on ‘biased attitudes,’ ‘systemic discrimination,’ and ‘bias-motivated violence,’ which can lead to ‘genocide.’”
Ben Carson Interview On Real America | Video: 7 Minutes 31 Seconds
“I’ve emphasized for a very long time that there’s a big difference between the phrase ‘Black lives matter’ and the organization Black Lives Matter. I don’t think there’s anybody who disagrees with the phrase ‘Black lives matter’. But the organization is really essentially very far left, even Marxist in their ideology. They used to actually admit that on their website before we started bringing it to people’s attention and they took it down. If they really wanted to be useful they would recognize that they need to get involved with places like Chicago and places where black lives are being snuffed out on a daily basis.” ~ Ben Carson
President Trump Answers Questions On Chicago’s Homicide Numbers Regarding Comments He Made In 2016 | Video: 1 Minute 38 Seconds
During a press briefing, President Trump is asked for clarity on a quote he made in 2016 about high numbers of homicides in Chicago being Obama’s fault. “Chicago is a disaster. . . Obama was invited in. . . President Obama could have gone into Chicago and solved the problem and he didn’t. In our case, they don’t want us in.” ~ President Donald Trump
April 21, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 52 Minutes 45 Seconds
The Columbus Police have released bodycam footage of an officer-involved shooting in Ohio on Tuesday.
Derek Chauvin has been found guilty, but many groups are still pushing to abolish the police.
The House has passed a Democrat-backed bill that’s based on the narrative that former President Donald Trump’s travel ban discriminated against Muslims and African nations.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded April 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 59 Seconds
Chauvin Trial Reaction and the Ongoing Marxist Revolution. “Does anybody believe that the merits of the case were considered by the jury,” asked Kassam. “Or were they just frightened by the riots that would ensue and the doxxing that they endured by the media in the last week?” Our guests are: Bernie Kerik, Tracey Anthony, Boris Epshteyn, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Faddis.
Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded April 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 21 Seconds
Powder Keg … The Systemic Racism Lie and Inside Look at Maricopa Audit.
“The joy of our system is the people have a right to scrutinize their elections,” Finchem said. “You don’t see that in communist China.” Guests are: Rudy Giuliani, Doug Wardlow, Boris Epshteyn, Mark Finchem, Raynard Jackson.
Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded April 21, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 46 Seconds
The Enemy Within … Marxists Run the Democrat Party and Globalists Run the Vatican.
“We are so close to losing the country,” Horowitz said. “This is a war and the quicker you understand that the better.” Guests are: Raynard Jackson, David Horowitz, Liz Yore.
China Shows John Kerry How to Reduce Carbon Footprint: Makes Kerry Wait for a Bus – Then Sticks Him in Back
This past weekend John Kerry signed a garbage “climate change” agreement with the Chinese Communist regime.
The Chinese didn’t even wait until Kerry was out of the country before they reneged on the agreement.
While Kerry was still in Shanghai, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng signaled Friday that China is unlikely to make any new pledges at next week’s summit.
One thing that was accomplished during the trip was China was able to reduce John Kerry’s carbon footprint.
Not only did they put John Kerry on a bus and force him to wait but they also stuck him in the back.
Chinese put John Kerry at the back of the bus…
Tour bus for Kerry visit – no official vehicle for Climate Clown
Made him wait for officials to meet him pic.twitter.com/kuiAGcNNox
— Charles R. Smith
(@softwarnet) April 16, 2021
They mock him.
The #CCP hired a bus from a travel company for John Kerry, and no longer arranges for officials at the state councilor level to meet him. How humiliating.https://t.co/58VQgzfnoM
— Anybody Home? (@ManyLivesMany) April 19, 2021
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