WOMBLES - North America

Inmate-frying microwave pain blaster turret installed in US jail

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:22:49 +0000

from the register, 24 August 2010: A microwave "pain ray" energy weapon, deemed too controversial for US military use in Iraq, has nonetheless gone into service. A trial installation is in use at a prison in Los Angeles for the purpose of quelling fights among the inmates... "We hope that this type of technology will either cause an inmate to stop an assault or lessen the severity of an assault by them being distracted by the pain as a result of the beam," Commander Bob Osborne of the LA County Sheriff's Department told the Los Angeles Daily News..." more

Oscar Grant: Oakland considers suing "anarchists" for damages

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:51:07 +0000

from denverabc, 16 July 2010: "Please note this comes from a capitalist news source and seems very much intended at continuing the the counter-insurgency model of dealing with the rebellion surrounding the Oscar Grant verdict.

Although almost all photos and video of the night show black and brown community members from Oakland attacking the downtown area, the media and law enforcement have tried to blame "outside agitators" and "anarchists" for the rebellion. These accusations aim to downplay the local involvement of hundreds of youth of color who were rightfully enraged by the verdict..." more

Newswires: Oscar Grant

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:25:19 +0000

OAKLAND, California: In the early hours of January 1st 2009, BART police shot and killed a 22 year old man, Oscar Grant, on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. Witnesses report that Grant was "lying on his stomach with his hands out in a non-threatening position when he was shot" by cop Johannes Mehserle.

Recent articles from the newswires that include the keywords: Oscar, Grant, Mehserle... more

Countering conspiracy theories on police response to Black Bloc

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:22:21 +0000

by Zig Zag, 15 July 2010, via Vancouver Media Co-op: "Despite a $1 billion security budget and some 19,000 security personnel during the Toronto G20 Summit, police appeared incompetent and confused as militants inflicted extensive property damage and torched 4 police cars. While the protests failed to breach the 6km security fencing, the attacks were a significant victory for the resistance, which had vowed to 'humiliate' the security apparatus in the weeks prior to the summit..." more

G20 policing in Toronto: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:19:59 +0000

by Lesley Wood, 12 July 2010, via Toronto Media Co-op: "During last week’s G20 summit, police arrested or detained over a thousand people. With guns drawn, they kicked people awake, they threatened, pepper sprayed, TASERed, tear gassed and beat those in the streets. Although the politicians declared the policing at the summit a success, popular anger at the police is at an all time high. At such moments, it is important to look closely at the tactics and strategy that were used to police dissent, not least because the models that are considered successful, tend to spread..." more

Solidarity with the defendants now: G20 struggle must continue and grow

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:17:43 +0000

from OCAP, via Toronto Media Co-op, 9 July 2010: "Statement from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) - On June 26 and 27, the political representatives of the world’s greatest thieves and murderers gathered in Toronto. They held their ‘G20 Summit’ in a billion dollar armed camp financed with public money stolen from vital social programs. They threw out some meaningless platitudes and drew up a plan around their real agenda – solving the crisis of their bankrupt system by imposing austerity and poverty on people throughout the world..." more

How Goldman Sachs gambled on starving the world's poor - and won

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:12:32 +0000

by Johann Hari, 6 July 2010: "By now, you probably think your opinion of Goldman Sachs and its swarm of Wall Street allies has rock-bottomed at raw loathing. You're wrong. There's more. It turns out the most destructive of all their recent acts has barely been discussed at all. Here's the rest. This is the story of how some of the richest people in the world - Goldman, Deutsche Bank, the traders at Merrill Lynch, and more - have caused the starvation of some of the poorest people in the world, just so they could make a fatter profit..." more

The killing of Oscar Grant: Jury deliberations to start over on Wednesday

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:51:15 +0000

from denverabc, 6 July 2010: "Deliberations in the trial of a former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer accused of murder in the shooting of an unarmed man on an Oakland train platform will have to start anew Wednesday (7 July 2010) because of juror absences. The jury’s deliberations were postponed Tuesday after a juror called in sick. Another juror has a previously scheduled vacation, so the court will seat an alternate when court proceedings resume Wednesday..." more

G8/G20 security bill to hit $833 million

Sat, 29 May 2010 14:26:11 +0000

from gipfelsoli, 25 May 2010: "CANADA: CTV News has learned that Ottawa expects to spend $833 million on security for next month’s G8 and G20 summits. In March, the federal government had allocated $179 million for its security budget. But under new estimates that will be introduced in the House of Commons later Tuesday, these costs should increase by $654 million to a total of $833 million, officials tell CTV..." more

Canada: Anti Prison Demo during G20 in Toronto

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:14:46 +0000

from gipfelsoli, 4 April 2010: "On Sunday, June 27 2010 at 5pm there will be a Demonstration Against Prison in Toronto. Anarchists are organizing the demonstration as a part of the larger mobilization in opposition to the G20 meetings. This is a statement of our perspective and intention for the demo, more details to come soon..." more

Newswires: Haiti

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:09:11 +0000

Updated daily: Articles from external newswires filtered for the keyword "Haiti"... more

A Convergence of Dreams: The Third Encuentro for Dignity and Against Displacement

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:40:45 +0000

from narconews, 2 April 2010: "The invitation reads, “We propose a coming together, a convergence, to which we can all bring: our histories, what makes us difference, and our dreams.” And in February 2010, rebel voices from throughout the world came together in East Harlem, New York at the Third New York City Encuentro for Dignity and Against Displacement. Hosted by Movement for Justice in El Barrio (Movement), more than 200 people and 40 organizations joined the gathering..." more

Montreal protests end in arrests

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:08:44 +0000

from denverabc, updated 23 March 2010: "Havoc broke out within minutes of Montreal’s 14th annual anti-police brutality march on Monday 15 March, resulting in about one hundred arrests. Arresting large groups, riot police gathered people and cornered them against a wall. The two sides remained in a standoff for over an hour before the protesters were loaded into city buses and carted to a police station in the city’s east end..." more

Grand Jury resister Carrie Feldman released

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:46:58 +0000

from davenportgrandjury, 18 March 2010: "Carrie was released today! The US Attorney unexpectedly filed a motion stating that her testimony was no longer needed, and now she’s out of jail and on her way back home. She’s excited to finally be free, and wants to express her gratitude to everyone for their support throughout this process..." more

Compete with the Northeast Clusterfuck at the Anticap Games, IMF/WB Summit, DC, 23-25 April 2010

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:33:09 +0000

from infoshop, 12 March 2010: "The Northeast Clusterfuck is stoked to descend on DC again this April! We’re all out in our cities and rural towns across the northeast US of Amerika, picking teams and spray painting our running shoes black, ready to bust ass in the Anticapitalathon Games against our most bitter of rivals, the International Murder Fund and the slimy World Bank. Get yer affinity team in training and we will see YOU on the streets of Washington, DC from April 23rd to 25th..." more