Oscar Quintero, Currently Detained Inside Etowah County Detention Center, Speaks Up on the Brutality of the Immigration Detention System
Immigrant Rights Groups Block Entrance to…
Today is our last day with long-time community organizer, immigrants’ rights advocate, and social justice pioneer Rebecca Fontaine. We wish her all the best in…
Amnesty International USA presents
North Carolina State Conference 2009
Sunday, April 19th
North Carolina State University
10am-4pm at Caldwell Lounge
2221 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh
Join Local Activists and Amnesty Members for AIUSA’s Annual State Conference
Featuring a Keynote Address by:
Hannah Gill
Center for Global Initiatives, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
~Network with other activists and representatives from other organizations~
Learn about key issues and skills such as:
How to Raise Awareness about Immigrant Rights and the impact of 287G
TASER Abuse: How to Organize Delegations to Promote TASER Reform
Failed System: The Death Penalty from a Former Death Row Inmate
Develop Your Lobbying Skills: End the US Torture Program and Demand Accountability
Lessons from the Obama Campaign: How to Recruit and Retain Members
The Gaza Crisis: Understanding the Background
HOW TO REGISTER
Conference begins at 10am, Registration begins at 9am
$10 for non-members, $5 for members/students
Registration for non-members includes a complimentary t-shirt and discounted membership
No one turned away, please alert Mana Kharrazi if the fee presents an obstacle to your attendance
To pre-register, contact Mana Kharrazi: mkharrazi@aiusa.org
Civil-rights groups want feds to ensure immigrant children can get NC educations
This piece originally appeared in the Charlotte Observer
By T. Keung Hui
khui@newsobserver.com…
Parents in lawsuit say Robeson County charter school’s enrollment plan was unfair
By Ali Rockett
Staff writer
LUMBERTON – Parents who say they were unable…
A lawsuit involving an altercation between a public transit patron and a private security officer at the Depot in July 2008 has been settled out of court.
Russell Kilfoil, a member of the Latin Kings street organization, filed suit against security officer Byron Meadows and Lankford Protective services last June, alleging he was assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned by Meadows, and alleging that the security company breached its duty by failing to sufficiently investigate and discipline its employee’s conduct.
Chris Brook, a lawyer with the Durham-based Southern Coalition for Social Justice who represented Kilfoil, said defendants have agreed to pay his client $13,500. Brooks said he understands that the majority of the payout will come from Lankford’s protective services. The coalition represented Kilfoil free of charge and with the exception of a small portion to cover expenses, Brooks said his client will receive the vast majority of the settlement money.
“We’re very happy with the terms of the settlement, but this case was never about money for either Russell Kilfoil or the Southern Coalition for Social Justice,” Brook said. “This case was about trying to ensure that Lankford Protective Services thinks twice about how they treat patrons at the bus terminal and throughout Guilford County, especially patrons of color. Russell Kilfoil was just trying to catch a bus that night. The situation was entirely unacceptable, and I think the terms of the settlement reflect that.”
Sam Lankford, co-owner of Lankford Protective Services, could not be immediately contacted for comment.
Assistant City Manager Michael Speedling, who oversees the private security company’s contract, said that all institutional changes took place soon after the incident.
“It had to do with tightening reporting procedures and continuing education in post-order requirements,” he said. “Our post-orders relate to how an individual will respond to incidents, when they can and cannot put hands on persons, and can and cannot make arrests.”
Speedling said a determination of whether Meadows would have been justified in arresting Kilfoil depends on whose story you believe.
“I wasn’t present during this situation,” Speedling said. “The failure was that Officer Meadows initiated the process of arrest by placing the handcuffs on him and did not follow through. He decided that he was going to give this individual a break, and did not go through with taking him before a magistrate. That created a problem.”
A December 2008 investigation by the Greensboro Human Relations Department concluded that there was reasonable cause to believe that discrimination was at play in the incident based on Kilfoil’s Latino national origin, in conjunction with his age and gender.
A Guilford County jury deadlocked last November over a misdemeanor assault charge against Meadows.
Meadows was banned from working on city property in late 2008, but has remained employed by Lankford. Brooks said he recently encountered him working security at the Alamance County Courthouse in Graham.
The Women’s Refugee Commission has announced the release of its groundbreaking new publication, Detained or Deported: What about my children? What to do if you…
Have you wondered why the Social Forum is being held in Detroit? Many people at the forum, including much of the SCSJ delegation, have never visited Detroit and they got the chance to learn about the city's significance on Wednesday. At the evening plenary, we all learned why Detroit is known as the "City of Resistance.” Grace Boggs, Detroit’s renowned anti-racism and civil rights community activist fervently detailed the history of political and racial struggle in Detroit, which led to the coining of the term. She explained that Detroit, in the midst of the economic crisis with its car industry, was selected to be the host because of the opportunity it presents to “create something new and something different.” She, along with former Black Panther members, talked about the many national movements that began in Detroit, including the Shrine, the Freedom Now Party, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Nation of Islam. In the second part of the plenary, we learned about Detroit’s role as a “border city” and how “secure” the U.S. and Canadian border has become since September 11. While the U.S.-Mexico border cities contain stories of harassment against the Latin@ community, the American Muslim community as well as the Latin@ community, are simultaneously targeted here. The first mosque in the U.S was founded Detroit in 1921 and the Nation of Islam was founded here in 1931. Since then, the Muslim community has commuted between Windsor, Canada and Detroit, MI for worship. Panelist Malik Yakini from the Counsel of American-Islamic Relations, explained that “every international issue facing the Arab world are local issues faced by the Islamic community in Detroit.” He communicated that their right to worship freely has been greatly affected.
Further talks reflected the infringement upon human rights on a variety of issues. To learn more about the US Social Forum, click here. For more pictures, click here.
Duke-UNC Initiative on Poverty and Inequality
Summer Fellowship
This is a joint effort between UNC and Duke University to focus on issues of poverty and…
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice has signed onto a resolution drafted by the North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal…