Feds will look into civil-rights charges against NYPD officers
CNN Apr 25, 08 6:12 PM CDT
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Rev. Al Sharpton blasted today's acquittal of three NYPD officers who killed an unarmed man in a 50-slug fusillade in 2006, CNN reports. "Justice didn't miscarry," Sharpton said. "This was an abortion of justice. Justice was aborted." Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged citizens to respect the “authority” of the court; meanwhile, the Justice Department is considering civil-rights charges, Reuters reports.
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ANALYSIS
Senator has trouble 'feigning interest,' says scribe
Politico Apr 8, 08 2:26 PM CDT
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John McCain has "pretty well zero relationship" with African Americans in his home state, says one prominent civil rights leader, and many others say they've never even gotten their senior senator's attention—much less met him. McCain's perceived indifference may be one thing in Arizona, and quite another in the event of a general election in which he faces Barack Obama.
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Would civil rights legend be controversial in today's political climate?
Washington Post Apr 4, 08 6:41 PM CDT
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On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Washington Post looks past the legend at the multidimensional figure scholars and King's associates consider his true legacy. ”His challenge was much bigger than being nice," says historian Taylor Branch. "It was even bigger than race. It was whether we take our national purpose seriously, which is the full promise of equal citizenship."
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Court sees violation of fair housing laws
Los Angeles Times Apr 4, 08 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Roommates.com is violating fair-housing laws by asking users their gender, sexual preference, and whether they have children, and using that information to match them, a US Court of Appeals ruled yesterday. Judges said such questions would be illegal if a real estate agent asked them over the phone and don't "magically become lawful when asked electronically," the Los Angeles Times reports.
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EU, US slam China's handling of Hu Jia's case
New York Times Apr 3, 08 8:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A top Chinese human-rights activist has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for writings and comments considered subversive, the New York Times reports. The case of Hu Jia, 34, been watched closely around the world; critics see it as part of a government crackdown on dissidents in advance of the Beijing Olympics. The US pronounced itself “dismayed” by the move and the EU called for his release.
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Georgia lawmaker and superdelegate initially backed Clinton
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Feb 27, 08 5:15 PM CST
(Newser)
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After a month of shifting signals, influential congressman John Lewis said today he’s switching his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Lewis says he’s unwilling to go against the voters in his Atlanta district—and that Obama “has tapped into something that is extraordinary.” The civil-rights leader irked local African-Americans by lining up behind Clinton early.
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Friend of Rosa Parks and organizer of 1955 Ala. Bus Boycott
Montgomery Advertiser (Alamaba) Feb 23, 08 4:00 PM CST
(Newser)
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Johnnie Rebecca Carr, an early leader in the civil rights movement and compatriot of Rosa Parks, has died of a stroke at age 97, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Carr helped organize the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955 after Parks made her famous stand on a city bus. The group's yearlong boycott caught the nation's attention. She later served as the group's president and was active with it until her death.
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Ex-manager asks
court to spring Britney from family control
E! Online Feb 16, 08 7:34 AM CST
(Newser)
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Britney Spears' former manager and pal Sam Lutfi is trying to liberate her from her family's control by getting her case moved from Los Angeles to federal court, E! reports. He's arguing in a petition that Jamie Spears is unfit to oversee his daughter's life and that she's being unfairly denied the right to see friends, make phone calls, drive her car, receive mail, and have access to her money. "Sam is at war with Jamie. This is his first strike," a Spears insider told E! yesterday.
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Young voters reject old-timey partisan bickering
Voice of America Jan 28, 08 4:07 PM CST
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With "youth vote" challenging "change" as the buzzword of the 2008 elections, Barack Obama is drawing hordes of young people tired of what one campaign worker calls “the old partisan fights and bickering,” reports Voice of America. John Edwards also appeals to the young, but the Clinton camp hasn’t made a concerted effort.
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Bill Clinton, Huckabee pay respects to civil rights leader
Associated Press Jan 21, 08 3:04 PM CST
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The Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached his message of racial equality rang with praise today for the slain civil rights leader, reports the AP. Hundreds of notables, including Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, crammed into Ebenezer Baptist Church. "King's legacy gives light to our hopes, permission to our aspirations, and relevance to our dreams," said Franklin.
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Senator speaks of 'empathy deficit' as Clinton campaigns in Harlem
Chicago Tribune Jan 20, 08 7:50 PM CST
(Newser)
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On the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, Barack Obama visited the civil rights leader’s old church and repeated his mantra of unity, the Chicago Tribune reports. “If enough Americans were awakened to the injustice,” Obama said, “if they joined together, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down." Atlanta's mayor attended the event, which coincided with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 's endorsement of Obama.
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Turmoil in Cheney's Secret Service detail
New York Times Jan 18, 08 3:00 AM CST
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Vice President Dick Cheney may be questioned under oath in a free-speech and civil rights lawsuit brought by a man who was arrested and threatened with assault charges when he approached Cheney at a ski resort. The 2006 incident has sparked a storm of controversy inside the Secret Service with agents charging one another of a cover-up. Steven Howards was busted when he touched or pushed Cheney on the shoulder and called US policy in Iraq "disgusting,"
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