When the media does us wrong and community accountability
On June 13, 2017, the DC Court of Appeals dealt a big blow to years of organizing to wipe predatory commissions and reduce prices on phone calls in and out jails, prisons and detention centers.
The services are riven with monstrous commissions that raise prices sky-high and force inmate families to choose between food, rent and staying in touch with loved ones who are incarcerated. Continue reading DC Court of Appeals Kills Prison Phone Justice
On August 1, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, which has been under fire for several years over the police militarization expo Urban Shield, took its first action to enforce 12 reform principles the Board embraced in January of 2017, four months after two dozen people were arrested at the 2016 expo.
After being notified only hours before the meeting by MA executive director Tracy Rosenberg and American Friends Service Committee Wage Peace Coordinator John Lindsay-Poland of extreme racial stereotyping on the website of Urban Shield vendor Strategic Operations of San Diego, the board of supervisors refused to authorize the use of the vendor. Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern’s request to contract with Strategic Operations for $45,000 in “hyper-realistic training” for the 2017 Urban Shield event failed for lack of a motion, with none of the five supervisors willing to support the request. Supervisor Keith Carson removed the item from the board’s consent calender. Supervisor Richard Valle indicated he would not vote for it and Board President Wilma Chan also spoke in opposition. Continue reading Stopping STOPS: Urban Shield Vendor Vetoed Due To Racist Stereotyping
238 national and state immigration and human rights organizations, (including Media Alliance) law offices, educational institutions, elected officials, and faith based groups demanded that the White House rescind the latest iteration of the unconstitutional and discriminatory “Muslim ban” executive travel order. Continue reading 238 Groups Urge Recision Of Third Muslim Ban
In a case filed by public access TV legend Deedee Halleck and poet Jesus Papaleto Melendez against NY’s public access chanel Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals revived a free speech lawsuit after a lower court had dismissed it.
The case involved banning from the public access channel’s premises of Hallack and Melendez by MNN executive director Dan Coughlin and his employees without a clear infringement of any facility rule or regulation. Continue reading Appeals Court Affirms Public Access TV Is A Public Forum
In a sign-on letter, 28 groups are calling on some of the world’s largest companies – including Facebook, Google and Amazon, as well as digital advertisers like Nestle, Walmart and JPMorgan Chase – to use Europe’s impending General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regime as a baseline standard worldwide for all of their services, including in the U.S.
Continue reading 28 Privacy Groups Tell Companies US Residents Deserve a GDPR
by Chris Witteman and Tracy Rosenberg. Originally published in 48 Hills.
The last couple of weeks have not been good ones for those who see communications as a social justice issue.
The 2015 Open Internet Order, which ensured Internet neutrality and fairness, was finally stripped out of the law books per order of the Trump FCC, now run by a former lawyer for Verizon. San Francisco’s plan for a publicly-owned fiber broadband network was put on hold, and all indications are that Mayor Breed will likely bow to AT&T and Comcast by keeping it from resurfacing. And California’s own net neutrality bill, designed to reverse what Trump’s FCC had done, got ambushed by an upstart young Assemblymember. Continue reading Profiles in Corruption: How Telecoms Control the State Legislature
Two dozen civil rights and liberties groups rose above party-based partisanship to insist Congressional Democrats including Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, John Warner and Adam Schiff stop trying to weaken congressional oversight of intelligence agencies. Continue reading 24 Civil Rights Groups Write To Dems Demanding Intelligence Oversight
Media Alliance was happy to support local Assemblyperson Tony Thurmond (AD-15) in his effort to draw attention to educational technology needs in CA public schools with ACR 268.
We joined Computer Using Educators, the Napa Office of Education and the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) in support.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://media-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ACR-268-Ed-Tech-Presentation-Press-Release4.pdf” title=”ACR 268 Ed Tech Presentation Press Release4″]
