Citations Needed Newsletter - 4.27.21

Hi all,

Here's this fortnight's newsletter. We hope you are doing well and we can't thank you enough for your support. New episode drops tomorrow, it's on phony "labor shortages"--be sure to check it out! 

- Adam, Florence, Marco, Nima, Julianne

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“Justice Looks Like Abolition”: A Minneapolis Organizer on the Chauvin Verdict Alice C. Herman, In These Times (April 22, 2021)

In the wake of the guilty verdict against officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, Miski Noor, co-founder of Minneapolis-based abolitionist collective Black Visions Collective, said that the verdict may be a relief, but it is not a substitute for justice. Justice involves abolition from policing and prisons.

The Right to Crash Cars Into People Alex Pareene, The New Republic (April 24, 2021)

In Florida, an anti-protest bill that was signed into law included a provision to shield liability for drivers who injure protestors with their car. Cars have been used as a weapon by police when dealing with protestors and the new law comes only a few years after a neo-nazi ran over protestors in Charlottesville and

Joe Biden’s New Climate Pledge Isn’t Fair or Ambitious Rishika Pardikar, Jacobin (April 26, 2021)

Biden recently announced that the U.S. will pledge to reduce emissions by 50 to 52% below 2005 levels. While the pledge is more ambitious than Obama’s prior pledge to the Paris Climate Agreement, the climate target is still below what is needed to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius.

Sunday Shows Hit Snooze on Climate Alarm Julie Hollar, FAIR (April 22, 2021)

As the coronavirus pandemic dominated the year in headlines, Sunday shows put climate change questions on the backburner. Some only began asking questions after the devastating wildfires, and most of those questions went to government officials or politicians.

Report Sheds Light On The Pattern Of Over-Policing That Led Cops to Pull Over Daunte Wright Samantha Schuyler, The Appeal (Apr 21, 2021)

A report from the ACLU describes how pulling drivers over for minor infractions, like the those  that led to Daunte Wright’s killing in Brooklyn Center, are used as a source of revenue for the criminal legal system. Drivers’ inability to pay fines sets off a snowball effect that leads to them owning thousands to the state.

Joe Biden's Afghanistan Announcement Is Not What It Appears Norman Solomon, In These Times (April 16, 2021)

Joe Biden’s announcement that troops would be pulling out of Afghanistan by September 11 was met as a mark that the U.S. was turning the page on the conflict. However, Biden did not say whether he would be ending U.S. bombings in the country, which have wreaked havoc on the population.

The Long Fight to Cancel Student Loans Ryann Liebenthal The New Republic (April 19, 2021)

Student debt cancellation has recently become a more mainstream issue, with even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for Biden to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt by executive order. The movement to cancel student debt has grown over the past decade from a movement of frustrated debtors.

Oakland Takes First Steps Toward Directing Some 911 Calls to Community Responders Eliyahu Kamisher, The Appeal (Apr 20, 2021)

Oakland is launching a pilot program to redirect 911 calls to community responders rather than to the police. While it may take months to be implemented with a smaller budget than expected, activists hope that it's a first step for not relying on police to handle mental health crises.

U.S. Marshals Used Drones to Spy on Black Lives Matter Protests in Washington, D.C. Sam Biddle, The Intercept (April 22, 2021)

During last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, U.S. Marshals flew drones over D.C. to watch the protests. Experts say drone surveillance does not typically fall under the Marshals’ purview and is reflective of military strategies being adopted by domestic law enforcement.