Activism

Black Caucus Members Join Rally to End Involuntary Servitude in California’s Prisons

On Sept. 3, community leaders and civil rights advocates joined lawmakers at the State Capitol to raise awareness about Proposition (Prop) 6, a ballot initiative that aims to ban forced labor in California’s prisons. California voters will decide the ballot initiative in this year’s November election. The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) introduced Prop 6 as part of the 14-bill reparations package.

Published

9 months ago

September 13, 2024

Oakland Post

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California voters will decide the ballot initiative in this year’s November election. The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) introduced Prop 6 as part of the 14-bill reparations package. The State Legislature passed the measure in June with a bipartisan vote, placing it on the November ballot. The Black Caucus proposed Prop 6 as the “Remove Involuntary Servitude as Punishment for Crime Amendment,” under the Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA8) to promote justice and equality in California.

Community groups organized a press conference including members of the Black Caucus, The Anti-Recidivism Coalition, The Abolish Slavery National Network, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, the ABC Coalition, and the American Civil Liberties Union

Assemblymember and Legislative Black Caucus Chair Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) is the author of the ballot measure and has been supportive of community groups in their efforts to abolish slave labor.

Carmen-Nicole Cox of the ACLU led the rally and condemned forced labor stating that it prevents people from building the necessary skills after they leave prison.

“Slavery never has and never will promote rehabilitation,” said Cox.

Supporters of the reparations bills challenged Republican and Democratic legislators to back the ballot measures and help voters understand the harmful impact of forced labor statewide.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

6 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.