ACLU: Coroner’s inquest “smoke and mirrors”

From:Progressive Pensacola

ACLU: Coroner’s inquest “smoke and mirrors”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has formally asked State Attorney Bill Eddins to withdraw his request for a coroner’s inquest in the Victor Steen case, and to either make a prosecutorial decision himself or request a special prosecutor be appointed.

Victor Steen, 17, was killed by Pensacola Police officer Jerald Ard in October of last year. While attempting to detain Mr. Steen, Officer Ard struck the teenager with his patrol vehicle. Mr. Steen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Despite the fact that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement performed a lengthy investigation, State Attorney Bill Eddins declined to decide whether or not Officer Ard should be prosecuted. Instead, he has requested a coroner’s inquest, a procedure that the ACLU calls “arcane.” The inquest is currently scheduled for February 25. At the inquest, case material would be presented to a county judge, who would then make a non-binding recommendation to the State Attorney.

“Using an inquest to avoid making a decision about whether to prosecute this case is a waste of time, a waste of money, and is disrespectful to Mr. Steen, who lost his life,” said Benjamin Stevenson, an ACLU of Florida attorney based in Pensacola. “This is an arcane practice that is rarely used elsewhere in the state. This move is political cover — it’s time for the State Attorney to make a decision and not drag this out. This inquest is smoke and mirrors with the intent to fool the public into thinking that an independent and binding review of the facts will occur, when in fact, it will not. With FDLE having investigated this matter for three months, it is doubtful that the State Attorney will learn anything new.

Public sector strike paralyzes Greece

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From:Libcom.org

The 24h public sector general strike supplemented by private sector strikes has brought Greece to a standstill with no airplanes flying in or out the country.

It is the first big strike in Greece since the announcement of the austerity measures by the socialist government last week. And it has managed to bring the country to a standstill: the 24h strike of the public sector under the union umbrella of ADEDY has seen a complete freeze in the following fronts - all civil servants, including tax offices, social security, municipal and county workers; all doctors and nurses (except emergency personnel); all teachers at all school grades and all university teaching staff and personnel; all archeological sites (Acropolis shut); all air traffic control (no flights in or out of the country). Also in the means of mass transport, rolling stoppages of work are being performed in the National Railway System, and the suburban railway system of Athens.

The public sector strike has been further supplemented by strikes in the private sector. PAME the Communist Party umbrella union has called a 24h strike affecting large sections of the private sector, while at the same time several Autonomous unions have call a strike further hampering the private sector. The latter include: the books and printed material workers of Athens and the workers of Wind Telecom. The PAME strike is affecting a big range of private business that cannot be accurately reproduced here but include: Carrefur-Dia workers, elevator maintenance workers and construction builders. It is worth noting that all hydrofoil transport from Peiraeus and Igoumenitsa to the islands has frozen due to the strike.

At the time of writing different demos and strike related protest marches are unfolding in various cities of the country. In Athens, tension built up between protesters and the riot police forces (MAT) when the former tried to break trough police lines with the help of a garbage collecting vehicle (see picture, above).

Lat Monday, in relation to the austerity measures, anarchists broke in the central conference of the industrialists association of north greece on whose panel sat the Minister of National Economy. The protesters held banners against the sold out union bosses and soiled the conference with the help of "rotten-potato bombs" and other foul smelling devices, disrupting its procedures.

Reactions to the austerity measures are expected to augment after the announcement of the new tax scheme and in expectation of the social security reforms, a front that has in the past caused mass and massively dynamic protests in the country

REAL Solidarity, people.

Miami Autonomy and Solidarity - An Unnatural Catastrophe: Solidarity for Haiti - Call for Solidarity and Funds for the Working People of Haiti!

Date Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:09:09 +0200

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Call for Solidarity and Funds for the Working People of Haiti! ---- A natural disaster has descended upon Haiti whose scope we only are seeing the surface of at this time. The Haitian people will be struggling to rebuild their lives and their home possibly for decades in light of unprecedented collapse, both physical and social. Yet despite the unpredictability of earthquakes, this disaster is unnatural, a monstrosity of our time. The extent of the damage of the earthquake is part of the cost of unrestrained exploitation which at every step put profit above the health, safety, and well being of the Haitian people. While the world watches on ready to help, power is being dealt an opportunity. The Haitian workers and peasants have been fighting for their rights to even the most basic level of existence for decades, while the UN-occupying force, the state, and the ruling elites maintain the social misery without relenting. Now as Port-Au-Prince is in rubble, new opportunities arise for rulers to rebuild Haiti in their own interests, and likewise for the Haitian workers and peasants to assert their right to their own Haiti, one where they will be not be forced to live in dangerous buildings, and work merely to fill the pockets of elites, foreign or domestic.

As we move from watching in horror to taking decisive action, progressives can offer an alternative. There is a strong and beautiful desire to do something, to help others in this time of need. Our actions are strongest when we organize ourselves, and make a concerted effort in unity. Right now we can have the deepest impact by committing ourselves to act in solidarity with the autonomous social movements of Haiti directly. They present the best possible option for the Haitian people, and are in the greatest need. At the same time, we are in the best position to help them out our common interest as people engaged in struggling against a system that works to exploit us all. We are calling for solidarity people-to-people engaged in common struggle. It is not only a question of money for AID but also an autonomous and independent act of international solidarity that illuminates the bankruptcy of the occupying forces, multinational corporations, and Haitian elites that are primarily responsible for the decayed state of Haiti. There will be aid flowing and money given as a form of charity until the next disaster. Our act of solidarity should, in no shape or form, be solely an act of humanitarian aid. It should not be an apolitical act, and we shouldn't give the green light to those that wish to capitalize on the suffering of others. It should be an act of solidarity to the struggling people of Haiti and their organizations while at the same time rejecting the totally inept Haitian elites and their state apparatus for bankrupting Haiti. The earthquake is a natural disaster, but the state of Haiti, the abject poverty of the masses and the vile injustice of the social order, are unnatural.

We have a relationship with one organization, Batay Ouvriye, and are putting our resources and time into helping Batay Ouvriye to help rebuild from the catastrophe and maintain the struggle for a better Haiti and a better world. Batay Ouvriye is a combative grassroots worker and peasant's organization in Haiti with workers organized all over Haiti, especially in the Industrial sweatshops and Free Trade Zones. We have set up a means to send money to Batay Ourviye. If others wish to send money to Batay Ouvriye, please email miamiautonomyandsolidarity@yahoo.com

Greetings,

The Batay Ouvriye Haiti Solidarity Network is calling on all Progressives to join us in the aftermath of the Earthquake Disaster to help us organize support for the various Workers'' Unions, Peasant Associations, Toilers' Associations in the Batay Ouvriye Movement in Haiti.

Join us on Saturday January 16, 2010 at 5 P.M. at 963 Rogers Ave, between Beverly Road and Tilden Ave in Brooklyn. The Batay Ouvriye Haiti Solidarity Network has been active and doing solidarity work with Batay Ouvriye for the last decade while its members are experienced activists who have been working in the People's Camp for over thirty years.

We would like to differentiate our orientation for the disaster relief effort from other organizations and imperialist institutions on the ground.

We want to empower the People's Camp to take charge of rebuilding their lives with dignity independently of reactionary and imperialist control.

Mario

For the Batay Ouvriye Haiti Solidarity Network
http://miamiautonomyandsolidarity.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/call-for-solidarity-and-funds-for-the-working-people-of-haiti/


Please forward this to other interested parties. Translations (spanish, kreyol) will be posted when we received it to our website or when we get them done. Here's our statement (joint statement from Miami Autonomy and Solidarity/Batay Ouvriye Haiti Solidarity Network)

Miami Autonomy & Solidarityauthor email miamiautonomyandsolidarity@yahoo.com