Tag Archives: Protest

Activism, Education, Featured, US

Libertarian Student Sues USC Following ‘Free Speech Zone’ Demonstration

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As previously reported by Truth In Media’s Rachel Blevins, universities in the United States are designating “Free Speech Zones” that restrict the 1st Amendment rights of students.

In 2014, Blevins described these “Free Speech Zones” as a “designated space on campus where students can set up booths, hand out pamphlets, and host speeches concerning the things they are passionate about.”

Universities across the nation are apparently continuing to infringe on students’ 1st Amendment rights.

According to the The State newspaper, libertarian activist and University of South Carolina (USC) student Ross Abbott sued the university, claiming that the college threatened to discipline him for displaying posters on campus.

Last fall, Abbott’s student organization held a campus event which reportedly highlighted examples of censorship at various campuses. The event displayed posters that exposed 1st Amendment restrictions occurring on campuses across the United States. Despite holding the event in a designated “free speech zone,” some people complained that the posters were “offensive” and “triggering,” according to TheFire.org.

The complaints triggered a response from USC and Abbott was served with a “Notice of Charge,” an investigation was launched, and he was allegedly threatened with expulsion.

Abbot filed the lawsuit on Tuesday to preserve the rights of students to engage in freedom of expression.

Abbott told Truth In Media’s Joshua Cook, “Last I checked, the entire United States was supposed to be a ‘free speech zone.’ Trying to limit student speech to a small area of campus, especially at a public school such as ours, is not only impractical but immoral.”

“The University of South Carolina is so intolerant of free speech that students can’t even talk about free speech,” said Catherine Sevcenko, FIRE’s litigation director. “Ironically, the university’s current marketing campaign features the slogan ‘No Limits.’ But as Ross and his fellow students learned, that does not extend to their free speech rights.”

Cook asked Abbott about the reaction he’s received since he filed the lawsuit. “So far I’ve heard nothing but positive things from my peers. Even some friends from High School who I haven’t heard from in years have reached out to express their support,” said Abbott.

Abbott joins many other students who are fighting to have their voices heard on university campuses. For more information please visit the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education here to see other cases.

The lawsuit can be seen below:

Follow Joshua Cook on Facebook and Twitter.
Education, Politics

U.S. Students Participate in ‘Million Student March’ Over Debt, Free College

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Students in universities across the United States participated in the “Million Student March” on Thursday, leaving their classrooms to advocate for changes in the higher public education system.

The march called for free public college tuition, the elimination of all current student debt, and a $15 per hour minimum wage for all workers. The organizers noted that individual marches could also touch on higher pay for adjunct professors.

Reuters reported that over a hundred schools pledged to join the march, and about 50 students were seen at Northeastern University carrying signs that read “Degrees not receipts” and “Is this a school or a corporation?”

Marches were also reported on social media at schools such as Texas State University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Texas.

“Education should be free. The United States is the richest country in the world, yet students have to take on crippling debt in order to get a college education,” the organizers stated. “We are united to fight for education as a human right.”

The march occurred days after the president at the University of Missouri resigned following protests from the school’s football team, and after a national “Fight for $15” campaign calling for a nationwide $15 minimum wage held large rallies across the country, “many of which were led or bolstered by student activists.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt currently stands at $1.2 trillion under the Obama administration, which is more than double the figure of less than $600 billion under the Bush administration in 2006.

Students at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, carried signs that said things such as “Banks got bailed out, students got sold out,” and chanted “Fight! Fight! Fight! Education is a right!”

The university’s radio station, KTSW 89.9, reported that students marched “until they reached the President’s House, where protesters gathered to voice their opinions and demands,” and that “several students that were against these demands approached the protest,” with one stating that the marchers’ “demands were absurd and wouldn’t resolve anything.”

https://twitter.com/AndrewDAdamson/status/664919791388463104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

As students from Penn, Drexel, and the Community College of Philadelphia gathered to protest at City Hall, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia reported that the protests were sparked by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

In June, Sanders said Republicans in Congress would be forced to act on student debt if a million young people marched on Washington.

Activism, Police Accountability

Black Lives Matter, Anonymous, and Open Carry Activists Unite for John Crawford Rally

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On Wednesday, August 5th, activists in Ohio marked the one year anniversary of the shooting of John Crawford III. The 22-year old was shot by a Beavercreek police officer after being seen holding a BB gun inside the Wal-Mart near Dayton, Ohio. A grand jury would later find that the officer innocent of murder. Federal authorities are still reviewing the case.

The activists came from a range of groups including Greene County Black Lives Matter, Anonymous #OpJohnCrawford, Beavercreek CopBlock and Ohio Open Carry. The Greene County BLM had planned a protest and “die-in” outside the Wal-Mart where Crawford was shot. The group carried a black coffin through the parking lot to the front door of the Wal-Mart. The planned protests prompted the store managers to close down for the evening.

Ohio Open Carry stated that their demonstration was part of an effort to “remind the nation that open carry is legal and that police are not above our most basic human rights.”

However, not all of the activists involved appreciated the open carry groups’ message. According to Counter Current News:

“Many of the participants in Greene County Black Lives Matter did not like the idea of having firearms at a protest, and some controversy arose when they delineated “rules of conduct” that included “no firearms.”

The other activist groups noted that they had long planned their protests and had been a regular presence at the location, with the continued blessing of John’s mother Tressa.

Just two days before the protest, at the request of a handful of activists and John’s mother, representatives from local Anonymous groups, Beavercreek CopBlock, Black Lives Matter and Ohio Open Carry sat down and hashed things out like grown ups.”

The protest went on without major conflict between the activist groups, and with no arrests reported.

Following the protest at Wal-Mart, John Crawford III’s parents gathered with the activists and spoke to a large crowd about the importance of taking action against violent police officers.

At one point John Crawford Sr. told the crowd, “How many people right now are bearing arms? If everyone out here would have held their hand up we wouldn’t have to worry about any problems.”

John Crawford Sr. went on to tell the crowd that, “You can’t reason with a bully. You have to eventually fight that bully. You have to let him know that win, lose or draw, I’m gonna fight you every day.”

The elder Crawford reminded the crowd that their numbers were greater than the police, stating, “You have a right to defend yourself. You have a right defend your family. You have that right – a Godly right and a Constitutional right.”

Despite the powerful words, John Crawford Sr. expressed that he was not promoting the use of violence against police, but rather the of self-defense.

“I’m not advocating death. I’m simply saying, inevitably it may go down that way. If it continues to go like its going now it will go down that way cause you can only push people for so long before they’re going to strike back!”

Activism, Government Accountability

“Apache Stronghold” Arrives in Washington D.C. to Protest Sale of Sacred Land

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On Tuesday the Apache Stronghold activist community arrived in Washington D.C. for two days of ceremony and protest in front of the White House. The Apache Stronghold is made up of members of the San Carlos Apache tribe as well as supporters from across the country.

The tribal members are protesting the sale of 2400 acres of sacred land at the Oakflat campground in Arizona. The sale was done under the Southeast Arizona land exchange, a bill that has failed several times over the last few years but was ultimately attached to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015. The NDAA 2015 was passed into law by the U.S. House and Senate with the support of Arizona Representatives Paul Gosar and Ann Kirkpatrick, as well as Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake.

Under the NDAA 2015 a land exchange was approved which will allow a new project by Australian company Resolution Copper Mining. The Apache Stronghold is determined to stop the sale and destruction of land that they consider to be sacred to their people and way of life. The group says the copper mine would leave a crater nearly 2 miles wide and threaten streams, springs and wildlife habitats.

Earlier this month the activists began a cross-country caravan from Arizona to New York and Washington D.C. The group stopped at Native reservations along the way to drum up support for their cause.

On Tuesday they gathered in front of the White House and marched to the capitol for a “spiritual run” and ceremonial prayers and songs. Wednesday morning a second round of protests and demonstrations were underway.

“Today is our day. Today is our ceremony. We’re not here looking at this Capitol like it’s in charge of us,” tribe councilman Wendsler Nosie told Reuters.

Resolution spokeswoman Jennifer Russo told Reuters that they are committed to working with tribal members. The company claims the project will bring about 3,700 jobs to the area.

The Oakflat area is especially important to the San Carlos Apaches as it is near the Apache Leap cliffs where Apaches jumped to their death to avoid capture by American troops during the 1870’s. Protesters set up camp on the site in February, promising not to leave until the deal is repealed.

Featured, Government Accountability, Government Corruption, Police State, US

White House Pushes to Keep Power to Shut Down Cellphone Networks

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By Jason Ditz, April 26, 2015

In 2005, amid reports that the London subway bombers had used cellphones as detonators, the White House secretly established the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 303, which granted the government the ability to unilaterally shut down all cellphone service in an area of its choosing when it feels it needs to.

The details of the procedure are still not public, and a series of lawsuits aiming to at the very least get the basics of how the law even theoretically works have faced massive official opposition, with the White House and DHS desperate to avoid any oversight.

The power has become increasingly controversial in recent years, as cellphone communication has increasingly replaced landline phones, and would be more essential than ever during “emergencies,” the very time the administration wants to be able to silence them.

An even bigger concern is that, with the details of the law a secret, officials can just flat out abuse it to silence dissent. In 2011, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system used the kill switch to shut off all cellphone services in several stations specifically to try to prevent organization of a public protest there.

The administration argues that even letting the public know the basic outline of the policy would itself be a threat to national security, and while courts have been somewhat skeptical on this claim, whenever the administration plays the terrorism card they seem to get what they want, so the safe money is on the power remaining unchecked.

Featured, US

Media Ignores Tens of Thousands of People Marching Against Police Brutality

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On Saturday tens of thousands of people across the United States participated in marches and rallies against police brutality. The corporate media largely ignored the protests as they continued into the evening in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Ferguson, Missouri, Washington D.C. and several others.

The protests are calling attention to police violence after several recent high profile killings in Ferguson, Cleveland, and New York. Family members of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, and John Crawford – all killed at the hands of the police – attend the “Justice for All” rally in Washington D.C.

In New York Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change reported an estimated 50,000 people.

NYPD says there’s 50,000 to 60,000 protestors RIGHT NOW in NYC

In Washington D.C. protesters also numbered in the thousands.

Arrests in Chicago.

The scene in Boston.

In Houston several arrests were made after protesters attempted to slow or stop traffic near the busy Galleria mall.

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The Christian Science Monitor also reports that activists have been “protesting” heavily online as well.

The activist organization Change.org reports that so far this year, 622 online petitions have been started about police violence, which have attracted a total of 1.1 million signatures – considerably more than the 217 petitions in 2013.

These petitions have included support for federal funding for body cameras; a call for NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo, the man who choked Eric Garner to death, to be fired; and a petition called for an end of the militarization of the police.

As the daylight faded New York protesters marched down the Brooklyn Bridge temporarily halting traffic.

As protests continued in Oakland, the mother of murdered Oscar Grant told protesters: “We want officers to be held accountable for their actions… [to] feel that pain just as we have to feel it.”

Police Accountability, Politics, US

Police Chief Joins Protest Against Police Brutality, Holds Sign Saying “#BlackLivesMatter”

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Across the nation, protests have erupted over widespread reports of police brutality and, more specifically, in response to news that that the officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed African-American men, will not face charges. Police departments in various jurisdictions have been handling the protests in a variety of ways, with some turning to militarized crackdowns while others focus their efforts on fostering cooperation with protesters.

According to Fox 2 Now St. Louis, around 100 protesters took to the streets of Richmond, CA on Tuesday in an effort to sound the alarm on police brutality and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. When Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus arrived on the scene, protesters were met with the most surprising police response to a protest yet. Rather than deploying tear gas on protesters, Chief Magnus held a sign saying “#BlackLivesMatter” and joined in the protest.

“I spoke with my command staff, and we agreed it would be nice to convey our commitment to peaceful protest and that black and brown lives do matter… And to help bridge the gap that we understand sometimes exists between police and community around certain issues,” said Chief Magnus in comments to Contra Costa Times. Other officers and police officials also joined in on the demonstration.

“We get the conversation about use of force, we get it… This is an opportunity for all police departments, including ours, to look inward and examine our approaches and get better,” said Deputy Chief Allwyn Brown, who also attended the protest. In addition to moral support, Richmond police provided pizza for protesters.

Contra Costa Times writer Robert Rogers noted the fact that Chief Magnus has drawn significant local praise for his approach to policing, as both crime rates and police use of force incidents have been on the decline in his jurisdiction.

Protest organizer and RYSE Executive Director Kimberly Aceves said of Chief Magnus’ protest response in comments to CBS San Francisco, “I think symbolically, when there’s so much division between communities and police departments, to have the highest ranking members of the department hold signs for 4.5 hours…I felt like it was definitely legitimate.” The protest went on for five hours, a symbolic reference to the length of time that Michael Brown’s body remained in the street after he was killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

Photographs of Chief Magnus holding a “#BlackLivesMatter” sign have gone viral online, symbolizing an Andy Griffith-esque community-based approach to policing as an alternative to the intimidation-based, militarized approaches that have become more common in modern times. According to WDAZ-TV, the Department of Justice has asked the Richmond, CA police chief to participate in a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Michael Brown.

Featured, Politics, US

LA Protesters Push Back Against Drone Use by LAPD

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Back in February of 2013, The Seattle Times reported that Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn ordered the Seattle Police Department to abandon its drone program following pushback from local protesters. Consequently, the city donated its Draganflyer X-6 drones to the Los Angeles Police Department back in May of this year. Now, civil liberties advocates in the City of Angels are equally concerned that police use of drones will escalate beyond the boundaries of the Constitution and have launched a protest similar to the one that succeeded in Seattle.

According to NBC Los Angeles, a vocal and large group of protesters representing the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition demonstrated outside of the Los Angeles City Hall on Thursday morning, chanting “drone-free LAPD.” The group intended to and successfully delivered a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti requesting that the city abandon its plans to use the spy technology. Protesters are concerned that the silent and inexpensive nature of the drones will lead to a future in which the LAPD engages in widespread warrantless snooping on citizens.

LAPD spokesman Bruce Borihahn said that Los Angeles’ drone program still awaits approval by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, a civilian police commission, and local civil rights groups. He also indicated that a federal agency is storing the drones until proper approval is attained. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California issued a statement in June tepidly thanking officials for being open about the fact that the city received the drones, but cautioning that actually using them might harm citizens’ privacy more than it improves security for the community.

In a statement on June 5, Police Chief Charlie Beck left open the possibility that the LAPD might abandon its drone program before it starts, if there is enough community pushback. “We are going to thoroughly vet the public’s opinion on the use of aerial surveillance platforms by the LA Police Department before they are ever deployed… If we don’t have the public’s confidence in the use of these systems, they won’t be used.” He expressed that officials are working with the ACLU and other civil liberties groups to determine if workable policies can be employed to limit the potential for drones to be used by police in a manner that might abuse citizens’ privacy. Chief Beck gave manhunts and standoffs as examples of the limited situations that might call for the use of an unmanned drone.

During a June appearance on KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that was reported on by CBS Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti gave his position on using the drones, “I’ve asked them to be grounded until we have a policy, until we have community input. I don’t want these things up in the air until we know for sure they’re not going to be used against innocent folks.” Going further, he said, “I don’t want to have UAVs flying over the city looking at the general population, trying to find crime. That’s creepy, that’s not the place for these things.”

Despite the fact that officials have acknowledged the privacy implications associated with the use of drones, protesters simply want them grounded out of the fear that the temptation will be too great for law enforcement officers to expand their use over time. Given the statements made by officials and the recent victory by Seattle’s anti-drone activists, it would seem that, if there is enough pushback from voices in the community, LAPD’s drone program may ultimately end up facing the same fate that befell Seattle’s.

It is worth noting that the LAPD also recently complained when activist Daniel Saulmon flew a drone over the Hollywood police station, alleging, without pressing charges, that he had committed a form of trespassing.

Politics, US

Over 500 Memphis Cops Fake Sick, Skip Work to Protest Benefits Cuts

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Labor negotiations in Memphis took a scandalous turn this week as hundreds of the city’s police officers called in sick simultaneously in a large-scale protest against the Memphis City Council’s recent decision to cut healthcare benefits for city employees and retirees. The strike began over the Fourth of July weekend, which left Shelby County unprotected during a historically busy time for police work, and continues to this day. According to WMC Action News 5, the number of officers calling in sick had reached at least 552 by Tuesday morning.

The fake illness known as the “blue flu” has left city officials scrambling to provide police protection to the community. Officers from nearby towns have been enlisted to help patrol Memphis, as have approximately 50 Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies. Also, plainclothes detectives have been placed back in uniform and are patrolling the streets in an effort to fill the void created by the massive number of police officers calling in sick.

On June 17, the Memphis City Council approved a new budget which would reduce healthcare subsidies for current city employees and retirees. The changes would increase healthcare premiums for police and other city officials by 24%, create a penalty for smokers, and cut benefits for spouses who have other healthcare plans available through their employers. According to MyFoxMemphis, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said that the changes are necessary to control the city’s costs. However, the benefits cuts have not yet passed into law. On July 15, the Memphis City Council will take a final vote on the proposed changes to city employees’ benefits packages.

Facing a situation in which a significant percentage of the city’s police have been faking sick all at once, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong was quoted by WQAD-8 as saying, “We’re in a crisis mode. We’re going to do absolutely everything we have to do to make sure that public safety isn’t compromised.” Armstrong also specified that the mass illnesses were not a coincidence, and that officers could face punishment for skipping work and leaving the community in danger. According to The Memphis Daily News, Armstrong said, “I will acknowledge that this is more [sick leave] than normal for us and it appears on the surface that we do have a work action. If any of those officers are found to be out of compliance with our sick policies, corrective actions will be taken.”

Said Mayor Wharton of the massive number of sick leave requests, “We’ve not reached any conclusions about who may have orchestrated it. We do know this is not just happenstance. Three hundred officers don’t just accidentally call in at the same time. That defies common sense.”

Memphis Police Association President Mike Williams told The Commercial Appeal that the stunt may be backfiring politically, “This is not something that the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) orchestrated or condoned. I don’t necessarily agree with this because we were getting support from the citizens and smaller businesses in the community.” However, in a television appearance on WKNO-TV last month that was cited by The Memphis Daily News, Williams gave mixed signals, saying in reference to the cuts, “You’re going to make me have to think twice about running to the aid of citizens.”

The Memphis Police Department also made news recently on BenSwann.com when an off-duty officer allegedly attempted to rob a Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteer who was presenting a gift at Memphis International Airport to a child suffering from a serious illness.

Politics, US

Albuquerque Protesters Overtake City Council Meeting, Attempt Citizen’s Arrest Of Police Chief

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Albuquerque, NM– An Albuquerque City Council meeting was shut down last Monday after over 40 protesters took control of the meeting, attempting to serve Police Chief Gorden Eden with a warrant for a citizen’s arrest while demanding drastic changes to the city’s police department.

The activists overtook the meeting following weeks of protest concerning allegations of the Albuquerque Police Department’s violent tactics. The Justice Department wrote in a letter to Mayor Richard J. Berry that in their civil investigation of APD, they “believe that APD engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment and Section 14141.” In that letter, the investigation determined that the majority of fatal shootings by Albuquerque officers between 2009-2012 were unconstitutional.

“This militarized police department we have here is a national problem,” said Kenneth Ellis II, whose son was fatally shot by Albuquerque police.

Protester Nora Anaya took over Council President Ken Sanchez’s seat and called a “People’s Council” meeting. Chief Eden fled the building after being served a citizen’s arrest warrant, followed by the quick exits of some council members and Sanchez eventually cancelling the meeting after calling a recess that failed to calm the tension in the building.

Included in the agenda for the original meeting was a proposal to curb the Mayor’s power to appoint police chiefs. No arrests were made that evening.

In a statement prepared on behalf of Eden, APD Janet Blair said:

“We understand there are those in our community who have expressed concerns about APD issues related to the Department of Justice report. We are working hard to make proactive improvements now and in conjunction with DOJ recommendations. While we welcome constructive discussions, we do not believe disruption of tonight’s city council meeting was a productive way to meet those goals.”

Follow Annabelle on Facebook and Twitter.

US

Unions Protest Postal Service Alliance With Staples

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April 25, 2014- United States Postal Service employees demonstrated in front of 50 Staples stores in 27 states on Thursday, protesting the partnership between the USPS and the office supply chain.

In Washington, D.C., over 200 people protested outside of a Staples store carrying signs that read, “Stop Staples. The US Mail is Not for Sale”.

The USPS has been burdened with financial losses for years, and has been struggling to find new ways to boost revenue and slash operating costs.

Last year, Staples began offering postal services at its retail counters in a pilot program. It’s speculated by unions that the USPS will continue with this program and expand it to over 1,500 stores. While both Staples and the USPS describe this new service as an improvement in convenience for customers, postal workers are worried about job security and accuse the USPS of trying to privatize the mail service.

The largest complaint from Postal Service employees is the fact that the mail counters at Staples are not run by federal employees, but by nonunion Staples employees. “This is a fight against the Wall Street privatizers,” said American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein. Postal workers argue that the counters are taking well-paying jobs away from trained federal employees and handing them over to “lesser skilled” employees.

The USPS visualizes this partnership as a way to cut costs and provide better service. “The privatization discussion is a ruse,” Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in an interview. “We have no interest in privatizing the Postal Service. We are looking to grow our business to provide customer convenience to postal products.”

In a similar statement, Staples spokeswoman Carrie McElwee said that the chain “continually tests new products and services to better meet the needs of our customers.”

The protesters seek to convince Staples to replace nonunion employees at their mail counters with USPS employees. Donahoe said that choice is for Staples to make, not the Postal Service. “They make their own business decisions and it has nothing to do with us,” she said.

Dimondstein said he plans to place pressure on Staples to agree to use federal employees. “If Staples insists on continuing to refuse to staff those stores with postal workers, we’re going to urge people to take their business elsewhere,” he said.

More protests are planned later this month in California and other areas.

Follow Annabelle on Twitter.

 

 

Education, US

(VIDEO) 1st Amendment Free Zones: Cops threaten anti-common core group for walking in Christmas parade

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“Apparently there are 1st Amendment free zones in America,” says Johnnelle Raines who is an anti-Common Core activist. She was shocked when she was told by the event planner that her group could not be in the Easley Christmas parade in South Carolina. The event planner abruptly told her, “we do not allow political messages in our parade, whatsoever. I will get the police chief over.”

Raines told Benswann.com’s Joshua Cook that she already paid to be in the parade and the application was approved (see document here). There is no mention of any group restrictions in the application. Raines told Cook, “I feel discriminated against and my 1st Amendment rights have been violated.” Raines believed that she was singled out because of her opposition to Common Core.

Raines refused to leave. She was threatened by city police who told her to remove the signs they were holding. Raines asked the officer, “What is political about this sign? Can you tell me what’s political about that?” “I cannot, but I’m not the one who is making that decision” the officer said.

Raines asked, “Can you cite the law that keeps us from bringing a sign in the parade? Is there a law?”

The officer said, “It’s a city event. We can dictate and put in restrictions of what we allow in the parade.”

Activist Jim Hargett told Cook, “I was prepared to be arrested and thought I was for a moment, but then the officer walked away.” Because the children in our group were so upset we decided to go ahead and walk in the parade without signs. Hargett said that his 1st Amendment rights have been violated before.  “One of the assistant principals of a Greenville county school called the cops because I was passing out anti-common core literature on a sidewalk in front of a school.”

Cook called the City of Easley police department but no one was available for comment.

“This experience has taught the children here today a valuable lesson of how important free speech really is,” Raines said.

International, US

Worldwide Protest Against Mainstream Media

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Thousands of protesters across America and much of the English speaking world gathered on Saturday to protest the lack of credibility in the mainstream media.  They held signs outside the doors of more than 200 mainstream outlets like ABC, FOX, NBC and the BBC, challenging them to actually cover the protests and urging viewers to get information from alternative news sources.  There was virtually no MSM reporting on the protests.

Image from Facebook.com @MarchAgainstMainstreamMedia
Image from Facebook.com @MarchAgainstMainstreamMedia

The media has been at near record low popularity for years.  Since at least 2011, it has been at a mere 44%, and during the election year – when more people were actually paying attention – it dropped to a record low of 40%.  More conservatives and Republicans are disillusioned than liberals and Democrats, but Saturday’s protest crossed political boundaries, with libertarians, anarchists, conservatives and progressives alike participating.

With the Twitter hashtag #MAMSM, a Facebook page and a simple website, the protest spread via many of the same outlets as non-traditional, or new, media stories do.  Soon, what started as a USA movement had quickly crossed continents and protests were organized in Canada, the UK and Australia.  Big protests were organized in larger cities, while smaller ones were organized in over 200 towns.  Corporate owned newspapers and major tv stations were the major targets.

“March Against Mainstream Media is more than just a protest,” the organization’s website reads, “It is an attack against the credibility of the mainstream media in an attempt to steer its viewers away from its lies and towards alternative media sources.”  Its goal was not only to draw attention to the omissions of the mainstream media; it was to confront them directly.  With thousands protesting the media right outside its doors, would it report the event?  Or would it willing leave the majority of the population completely unaware?

“The news source that is not showing the protests is the news source you have to stop getting your news from.  And the news source that IS showing the protests is where you should look for news from now on,” says the site.  All but one traditional outlet chose to ignore the protest.  The Seattle Times did report the event, though it simply said that a small group of protesters had gathered with flags, signs and megaphones and shouted slogans.  Unsurprisingly, new media has covered the story extensively.

Recently Ben Swann was interviewed by Abby Martin from RT.com about the Truth in Media project. Interview starts at 2:30.

 

ben interview

 

 

 

Politics, US

Truckers Shutting Down DC To Protest The Federal Government And Its “Bulls**t”

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A group of truckers plans to shut down DC to protest the government and its “bulls**t.” The rally, happening on October 11 for three days, will question the Obama administration’s “corruption against the Constitution.”

The truckers were initially gathering attention using social media, primarily Facebook.

But now the group’s Facebook page, “Truckers to Shut Down America,” has been pulled off the web. The page’s admins were banned for using “God Bless America.”

The group’s Facebook page used to say, “The American people are sick and tired of the corruption that is destroying America! We therefore declare a GENERAL STRIKE on the weekend of October 11-13, 2013! Truck drivers will not haul freight! Americans can strike in solidarity with truck drivers!”

As a result of being banned from Facebook, the truckers started their own website called RideForTheConstitution.org to promote the event.

Freedom Outpost pointed out that Facebook allows pages promoting jihad, but “will pull pages like Truckers to Shut Down America and Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children for promoting conservative and/or Christian beliefs. That makes sense when the owners and admins of Facebook are in cahoots with government and in bed with big money men.

With the social networking page nowhere to be found, it is now up to the old-fashioned, hit the pavement, door to door grassroots effort.”

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Here is more information on the protest from the group’s Facebook original page (the one that got pulled from the web):

“My fellow patriot this effort is to support the truckers in a major shut down of America ion [sic] a 3 day strike October 11th thru 13th. Obamacare will be in effect and most people will be ready to take action. No commerce on those days stock up on items that you will need. No banking no shopping no money transactions.

It does not matter if a million or 50 roll through DC in this effort. Congress will listen to We the People. Which is remove Obama from office for crimes of treason and misdemeanors. We want Congressional hearing on Benghazi and Seal Team 6. Louis Learner [sic] put in jail. No amnesty, remove all Muslims in our government that do not uphold the Constitution. Remove Eric Holder from office for crimes against the people and the Constitution. Last but not least is Fuel prices.”

Do you support these truckers? Also, do you think Facebook had a partisan motivation from pulling down the group’s page? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.