Latest Human rights and civil liberties News
San Francisco to strip Washington, Lincoln from school names
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The names of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and other prominent figures including California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will be removed from 44 San Francisco public schools, a move that stirred debate Wednesday on whether the famously liberal city has taken the national reckoning on...
The Hammer makes one last trip to spot where he hit No. 715
ATLANTA (AP) — The Hammer made one last trip to the spot where he hit No. 715. After a nearly three-hour funeral service Wednesday that featured two former presidents, a long-time baseball commissioner and a civil rights icon, the hearse carrying Hank Aaron's body detoured off the road bearing his name to...
Maryland Episcopal church commits $500,000 to reparations
(RNS) — A historic Episcopal church in Baltimore has committed to setting aside $100,000 to reparations, an initiative that will contribute to local racial justice causes. Memorial Episcopal Church also pledged to contribute an additional $400,000 for reparations and justice over five years. “Our...
Biden's pick for UN post calls China 'a strategic adversary'
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Linda Thomas-Greenfield called China “a strategic adversary” that threatens the world and expressed regret at a Senate hearing Wednesday on her nomination as United Nations ambassador for a speech she gave in 2019 that praised China’s initiatives in Africa and...
UN slams killing of anti-dam activist in southern Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.N. human rights office in Mexico called for justice Wednesday in the case of an anti-dam activist who was killed in the southern state of Oaxaca on Jan. 23. Fidel Heras Cruz had opposed plans to build dams on the Rio Verde river, and the U.N. office said he had reportedly received...
Bill calls for background checks for renting guns at ranges
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Last July, five days apart, two young men walked into the Green Top Shooting Range in Hanover, Virginia, and fatally shot themselves. Both were in their 20s and had a history of mental health issues, but neither man was subjected to a background check before he was allowed to rent a...
Court: Shackled inmate's exercise was cruel punishment
A federal appeals court on Wednesday reinstated a verdict that found Connecticut's Department of Correction violated the Constitutional rights of an inmate by forcing him to wear full shackles during his outside exercise periods. A jury had concluded that convicted killer Michael Edwards was subjected to cruel...
Kansas eyes allowing concealed carry for people under 21
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas gun rights supporters are pushing to lower the age for concealed carry of firearms from 21 to 18. Wichita Republican Rep. Blake Carpenter and a Kansas State Rifle Association lobbyist on Wednesday told the House Federal and State Affairs Committee that it's already legal in...
Cowboys for Trump leader seeks release from Washington jail
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Defense attorneys for jailed Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin urged a federal judge Wednesday to release the New Mexico county commissioner and gun rights advocate as he awaits trial in Washington in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors want Griffin,...
Montana man faces $9.9M fine for racist, harassing robocalls
KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man is facing a $9.9 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission after he sent racist, anti-Semitic and harassing robocalls to tens of thousands of phones across eight states. Scott D. Rhodes' calls in 2018 targeted Black and Jewish politicians, a journalist,...
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