December 2015

Black Lives Matter demands Justice for Alonzo Smith at Marbury Plaza

Submitted by Luke on Sat, 12/12/2015 - 22:58

On the 12th of December, Black Lives Matter activists gathered at Marbury Plaza on Good Hope Road to demand community control of all police and the names of the "special police" who killed Alonzo Smith. His mother spoke at the rally, reporting that the coroner's office had found he was beaten to death. On November 1, DC Police were summoned to Marbury Plaza, finding Alonzo dead and in handcuffs in the custody of the "Special Police" of Blackout Security, which provides "security" at the apartment complex.

Video-Mother of Alonzo Smith speaks

Police/Legal/Prisons
Race/Racism
Demanding justice for Alonzo Smith

Koran burners STOPPED near the White House

Submitted by Luke on Sat, 12/12/2015 - 22:15

On the 12th of December, the "new furor" exemplified by Donald Trump boiled over into an attempt by right-wing nutjobs to burn the Koran at the White House. With minutes to go, the Secret Service noticed an abandoned backpack and closed the street and park, denying them their intended location. Pushed to 15th st, the right-wingers pulled out a Koran and began to tear it up-only to lose control of it as counterprotesters challenged them for the book. The man tearing out pages started yelling "take it! take it! and someone did exactly that before he could set flame to it. Given this invitation, police made no attempt to stop the man who rescued the book and the pages and got them safely out of the area.

Video:anti-racist protesters confront would-be Koran burners

Anti-War/Peace
Right Wing

The Koran in the air as those who would burn it lose control of it-still from John Zangas Youtube video

Would-be Koran burners shut down

People's Climate Rescue brings boat to White House as Paris summit ends in weak deal

Submitted by Luke on Sat, 12/12/2015 - 21:43

On the 12th of December, the People's Climate Rescue brought a rubber boat and oars to the White House to demand real action on climate chaos and climate justice. Meanwhile in Paris, the negotiating countries announced a deal promising to hold temperature rise to 1 C, but the deal has no enforcement teeth. No trade sanctions, no courts bypassing normal legal procedures, none of the iron teeth associated with things like NAFTA/TPP style trade treaties.

Video featuring bagpipe and sung music from the People's Climate Rescue

Environment/Food/Health
People's Climate Rescue

Activists protest World Bank loans to Uzbek cotton industry known for forced labor

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/10/2015 - 23:10

On the 10th of December, activists projected huge images on the sides of the World Bank's headquarters to protest a half-billion dollar loan to Uzbekistan for their cotton industry. Uzbekistan's cotton producers were called out for using child labor and forced labor. The production of cotton with slave labor was supposedly stopped in 1865 by the Civil War in the US, yet the World Bank is lending US tax dollars for the same thing in Uzbekistan today.

45 sec video of projection on World Bank headquarters

Globalization/Anti-globalization
Human Rights
Saying NO to slavery-on the walls of the World Bank

Protesters at Trump hotel project call for boycott

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/10/2015 - 22:58

On the 10th of December, representatives of Code Pink and NOW joined area Muslims and at least one Syrian refugee at Donald Trump's hotel project on Penn Ave at 11th st. A huge banner with the word "racist" was held up under the giant "Trump" sign that some say violates campaign finance laws. Underneath, speakers condemned the incredible racist proposals that have been coming from Donald Trump's presidental campaign in recent weeks and called for a boycott of his hotel when it opens in 2016.

Video-protesters at Trump Hotel call for boycott

Civil Liberites/Constitution
Civil Rights/Equal Rights
Elections/Legislation/Government
Protesters at Trump hotel call for boycott

DC Bike Party reportback for December

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/10/2015 - 00:33

On the 9th of December, the DC Bike Party took to the streets once again. Unlike last year, the Bike Parties have continued into winter, normally on the second Wednesdays of each month excepting special events. Although not as many people ride in winter rides as summer, energy was high and this was still a large and festive group ride.

Video highlights from near the beginning of the ride(1 min 12 sec)

Culture/Entertainment
A festive DC Bike Party

BLM postpones DC oil/gas lease auction under threat of protest

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/10/2015 - 00:14

On the 1oth of December, the Bureau of Land Management had planned to hold an auction near the Navy Yard to sell oil and gase leases on public land. Two parcels in Arkansas and 7 in Michigan were on the block, with fracking as their possible fate. Climate activists had been planning some rather confrontational actions against this. With Obama"s involvement in the Paris climate talks, any news coverage of the protests could have been a major political embarassment. On the other hand, a publiclty-avoiding refusal to arrest protesters no matter what would give activists a free hand to shut the proceedings down entirely. As a result, the BLM has postponed the auction until March 17, 2016.

Environment/Food/Health

Protesters shut down night of deer killing in Rock Creek Park

Submitted by Luke on Mon, 12/07/2015 - 20:22

On the 7th of December, the National Park Service and "Wildlife Services" attempted to launch a dastardly sneak attack on Rock Creek Park's deer, setting up to shoot them while Monday Night Football distracted the protesters. It didn't work. Activists patrolling the woods found NPS setting up at about 7PM and announced plans for a 10PM protest. By 9:30PM closed roads had been reopened and it appeared the deer shoot had been cancelled for the night. Protesters set up anyway, standing alert against them trying to set back up.

Video of the protest

Animal Rights
Protesters shut down deer killing for a night

Cove Point Defender Fighting Charge for Filing Complaint Against Police Abuse

Submitted by Luke on Mon, 12/07/2015 - 17:56

LUSBY, Maryland — A police investigator and the State’s Attorney in southern Maryland have turned the tables on two activists involved with SEED (Stopping Extraction and Exports Destruction) after they filed complaints about unsafe and reprehensible police behavior. In an internal investigation of the complaints, members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office lied to cover up the actions of three officers during their response to a protest at a Dominion construction area tied to its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project at Cove Point.

Environment/Food/Health
Police/Legal/Prisons

"Solutions 21" corporate event disrupted at COP21 climate summit

Submitted by Luke on Mon, 12/07/2015 - 16:42

On the 4th of December,the "Toxic Tour" defeated the French protest ban long enough to stage a disruption of the corporate "Solutions 21" event at the COP21 climate summit in Paris. Both protesters and reporters were physically dragged out by undercover cops. One of the targetted corporate presentors had gone so to present gas fracking as a "solution to the future" even though methane leakage from fracking is a major contributor to climate change. Protest bans and house arrests of organizers have failed to protect this kind of outrage from all dissent as the fossil fuel industry had no doubt hoped.

Video-undercover cops drag protesters from corporate "Solutions 21" COP21 event

Environment/Food/Health
Police/Legal/Prisons

Still from the New Internatiobnalist video

Undercovers drag protesters from corporate event at Paris climate summit

Saudi Embassy security gets rough with Code Pink protest of death sentences

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/03/2015 - 16:43

On the 3rd of December, Code Pink protested at th Embassy of Saudi Arabia against the many sentences of death by beheading recently handed down for political dissent. One of these sentences is for a poem condemning the country's oil industry. When protesters attempted to deliver a letter from the mothers of the condemned young men, the security guards responded with force to remove Code Pink from the embassy steps. Code Pink reponded by calling out Saudi Arabia for supporting Daesh (Isis) and the security guards for protecting funders of terrorism and war.

Video of the incident on the steps of the Saudi Embassy

Foreign Policy/Imperialism
Security guards at Saudi Embassy mandhandle Code Pink

DC government raids Va Ave tent city for second time

Submitted by Luke on Thu, 12/03/2015 - 16:32

On the 3rd of December in mid-afternoon, a trash truck and work crew were seen at the former Va Ave/Rock Creek Parkway tent city site. No tents remained and what appeared to be people's belongings were being loaded into the trash truck. It appeared that all campers had been driven off earlier in the day. A few days ago, twelve campers were reported to be still waiting for city promised apartments, unknown if every camper got one or not.

Housing/urban Issues/Gentrification
Local News/Neighborhoods

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