Newsletter 12.8.20

Hi all, 

Thank you so much as always for your continued support. We really really are very appreciative. 

Here is this fortnight's newsletter. Hope you enjoy!

        -- Florence, Adam, Julianne, Nima, and Marco

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The Coming Wave of Evictions Will Significantly Worsen America's COVID-19 Crisis Emily Benfer, Gregg Gonsalves and Danya Keene, The Appeal (December 7, 2020)

The CDC’s order to halt evictions will expire on December 31 unless immediate action is taken. Mass-eviction would worsen the pandemic by creating stress that damages immune systems and increases potential exposure for countless people.

With Gigs Canceled and No Relief, Musicians Form a Nationwide Union Liz Pelly, In These Times (December 7, 2020)

In the aftermath of gigs and concerts getting cancelled due to COVID-19, musicians banded together to form a union. Along with advocating for economic relief during the pandemic, the union has called for structural changes to the music industry and cutting industry ties to ICE.

Israel’s Honeymoon With the United Arab Emirates Is Grotesque Belén Fernández, Jacobin (December 7, 2020)

As Israel and the United Arab Emirates’ normalize relations, the UAE is increasingly taking little issue with Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Talks of trade and modernization between the two countries are helping to whitewash Israel’s continued human rights abuses.

Immigrants Detained by ICE Say They Were Thrown in Solitary for Requesting Covid-19 Tests

Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, In These Times (December 2, 2020)

After ICE detainees at an Alabama detention center organized to request COVID-19 testing, organizers claim they were put in solitary confinement as punishment. Detainment centers ignore guidelines and put detainees who test positive in solitary confinement to isolate them and discourage testing.

The Girlboss Feminism of Joe Biden’s Cabinet Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic (December 2, 2020)

Joe Biden’s cabinet appointments have received praise from the media for including several women. Coverage has framed these appointments as revolutionary solely for giving underrepresented groups a seat at the table, and has ignored analyzing if they would push for policies that could materially benefit marginalized groups.

The End of Public Schools Would Mean the End of the Common Good Jon Shelton, Jacobin (December 7, 2020)

A new book analyzes the potential full privatization of education. The end of public education could spell the end of the belief in a right to education in the U.S. and an acceleration of societal fragmentation.

Newly Elected Los Angeles DA Will End Cash Bail in Nation's Largest Prosecutor Office Eliyahu Kamisher The Appeal (December 7, 2020)

George Gascón, Los Angeles County’s new district attorney, announced that he will eliminate cash bail in 2021. While ending cash bail has been a major cause of the prison reform movement, Gascón’s advocacy of risk assessment algorithms as a replacement remains controversial.

Healthcare Workers Are Organizing Like Their Lives Depend On It Alice Herman, In These Times (December 1,2020)

Healthcare workers have been sounding the alarm about how hospital systems are providing insufficient protection during a pandemic where several healthcare employees have died. While unionization efforts have slowed in 2020, healthcare workers are expressing greater interest in organizing.

What’s At Stake in Julian Assange’s Extradition Trial Nancy Carolina Graterol, The Nation (December 7, 2020)

If a British court approves Julian Assange’s extradition to the U.S. to go on trial for unlawfully obtaining documents, it would be a dangerous precedent for anyone who wishes to challenge authority. The U.S. has pulled several maneuvers to ensure that Assange loses extradition and is brought back to America.