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On the 140th Anniversary of Custer’s Well-Remembered Demise, Why Is California Genocide Forgotten?

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By Meteor Blades / Daily Kos

June 25th marked the 140th anniversary of the Little Big Horn Battle, known as Custer’s Last Stand to Americans at the time and ever afterward. Remembered as the Battle of the Greasy Grass among the Lakota (Sioux), Cheyenne and Arapahoe, it’s hard to overstate how much the 7th Cavalry’s defeat in the hills of Montana that June day in 1876 affected the nation then and how it has shaped and reshaped subsequent views of both Custer and American Indians.

In the past couple of weeks, there have already been a few published commentaries about the battle and its impacts, including this fascinating New York Times piece: A Real War Story, in Drawings. It looks at colored pencil pictographs of the battle drawn five years after it occurred by Red Horse, a Mniconjou Lakota.   [Read more…]

People of Color and the Future of the Democratic Party

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By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos

The complexion of the United States has shifted over the last few decades, and the future will demonstrate an even more varied set of racial and ethnic demographics. Little wonder why there is a rabid response of racism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration rhetoric from the Republican Party—which we might as well call “The White People Party,” since, according to Gallup “non-Hispanic whites accounted for 89% of Republican self-identifiers nationwide in 2012.” From my perspective they are no different from the White Citizens’ Councils of the past, who were the public face of the Klan.

This shift presents a challenge, and not just to white Americans. It also highlights inter-ethnic positions and tensions. Let’s not fool ourselves: Developing fusion politics with whites and erasing friction between and among peoples of color is a challenge. We can look to movements like Moral Mondays in North Carolina for an example of how fusion is being put into practice outside of the electoral realm.

We’ve seen some of the obstacles play out during this Democratic primary season, which Issac J. Bailey explores in “How Bernie Sanders Exposed the Democrats’ Racial Rift.”   [Read more…]

Trump’s Local Congressional Tag Team in Trouble

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Two high-profile Congressional supporters of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump are in the news this week. A loss of voter support for down-ballot legislative seats is considered one the biggest challenges for Republicans in 2016.

Congressman Darrell Issa’s surprisingly weak showing in the primary has delighted Democrats. Ex-marine Douglas Applegate is garnering national attention after a strong showing in a district that’s been a lock for Republicans in the past.

Congressman Duncan Hunter is under fire for comparing a Latino bar association with white supremacist groups in a radio interview with Fox News Sean Hannity about Donald Trump’s accusations regarding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel.   [Read more…]

San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, Judge Curiel and Trump Attacks on Independent Judiciary

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The San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association along with Tom Homann LGBT Law Association and Justicia Criminal Defense Lawyers announce their response to Donald Trump’s misleading remarks regarding the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association and his repeated comments regarding U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

By Luis O. Osuna, San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association President

In recent days our organization and Judge Curiel have become the targets of Donald Trump’s attacks. The comments made by Trump have been misleading, blatant lies and even racist in nature. Given the amount of attention that Trump’s remarks have produced, this statement seeks to clarify who we are as an association, our purpose and the abject impropriety of Trump’s criticism of Judge Curiel and his attacks on the independence of the judiciary.   [Read more…]

Anti-War Legend and Boxing Great Muhammad Ali Dies at 74

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“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America… How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”

By Jon Queally / Common Dreams

Boxing great Muhammad Ali, known around the world as a humanitarian who spoke out forcefully against racial inequality, social injustice, and the Vietnam War during the 1960’s, has died at the age of 74.

The news of the athlete’s passing was confirmed by several news outlets late Friday night as well as a brief statement released on behalf of the family.

“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,” said family spokesperson Bob Gunnell in the statement.
  [Read more…]

Free Speech and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign at SDSU

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Open Letter From SDSU Staff and Faculty Regarding Naming and Targeting of Students

Dear President Hirshman

As staff and faculty of San Diego State University, we stand in support of students whose rights to free speech have come under threat as a result of flyers posted across campus by the Horowitz Freedom Center on April 14, 2016. The flyers specifically targeted seven students from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA), claiming that they have “allied themselves with Palestinian terrorists to perpetrate BDS and Jew Hatred on this campus.” We condemn these false and defamatory allegations that have caused harm and distress to our students.

We are disappointed that the administration has refused to defend students from charges of “Jew-hatred” and of being linked to “terrorists.” This is not only offensive, it leaves the targeted students exposed to harassment, discrimination, and other bias-motivated offenses. Students rightly feel betrayed. When protesting students hold signs that read “SDSU thinks we are terrorists,” they are correctly rebuking the university for failing to fulfill its mandate to treat students with respect and dignity.

We are speaking out because we have a collective responsibility as both community members and employees in supporting and promoting student rights to freedom of speech and to be free of intimidation.   [Read more…]

San Diegans Condemn Militarization of Barrio Logan by Mayor Faulconer and Chief Zimmerman

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Community is urged to report incidents of police abuse, mistreatment, and arrests during Trump protests

By Alliance San Diego

For many years, San Diego community leaders have engaged with city leaders and law-enforcement officials to dialogue about public actions involving protected First Amendment speech. This had been done in order to ensure that the right to peacefully assemble occurs without the encumbrance of disproportionate and unnecessary force. But on Friday May 27, that right was undermined by law enforcement and city leaders, which turned Barrio Logan into a militarized zone, threatening residents and scaring families.

Press conference scheduled today, May 31 at 11:00 am in Barrio Logan. Details inside.   [Read more…]

Mr. Trump Gets Fired In San Diego

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By Brett Warnke

With their motorcycles stacked like dominoes beneath the shade of the bright art in Chicano Park, SDPD grimly lined the streets in absurd riot gear in an enormous overreaction to a brief, spirited and peaceful march held on Friday May 26.

Unión del Barrio planned the protest—“Donald Trump: Fuera de San Diego”—which drew over a 1,000 marchers who rallied in the park and walked to the city’s Convention Center. Five or six other groups planned similar rallies. In the merry crush, there were loud and sometimes obscene chants in Spanish and English as bullhorns, posters, and groups vied for a break in the din.   [Read more…]

The Very Latest on San Diego’s “Crazy Anti-Trump Day” on Friday

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Love Trumps H8 Light Brigade signHere is the very, very latest in what’s happening on San Diego’s “Crazy Anti-Trump Day”, Friday May 27th.

More groups have announced they are mobilizing their members to protest Trump’s appearance in downtown. They include the LGBT community, the National Council of La Raza, San Diego Human Rights organizations and our very own Light Brigade – which is shining on tonight, Thursday.

The seven-or so networks that have been organizing their protest continue to mobilize, and are showing signs of cooperating with one another.

Police to Set Up Unconstitutional “Free Speech Zones”

In the meantime, San Diego Police Chief Shelly Zimmerman has come out with very restrictive – and even un-Constitutional – rules for demonstrations in front of the Convention Center, including threats to anti-Trump (and pro-Trump) protesters.
  [Read more…]

A Chicano Response to Donald Trump

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“Pa Pendejo No Se Estudia!”

By Herman Baca

One has to ask if we number 60 million (17% of the total population), why do we act like we are only 7 million? Politically, the only historical solution I see to end the above is: our peoples own political self-determination. Then and only then will we be able to build the infrastructure to have organized people/money to build the social, economic and political power necessary to deal with the historical issues/problems that afflict our people.

So what can Chicanos/Mexicanos/Latinos do to STOP TRUMP?

ACLU Report: Police Use Loophole to Profit from Innocent, Vulnerable Californians

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Policy brief exposes alarming cases of civil asset forfeiture abuse

By ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties

The American Civil Liberties Union of California released a policy brief Thursday, May 19, Civil Asset Forfeiture: Profiting from California’s Most Vulnerable, examining civil asset forfeiture abuse by California law enforcement agencies, a practice that greatly impacts communities of color and low-income Californians.

Under federal asset forfeiture laws, the government can legally and permanently forfeit a person’s property and money without charging the person with a crime, or seeking a conviction.   [Read more…]

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