Student Denied Bathroom Break Gets $1.25 Million
Former Patrick Henry High School student gets $1.25 million for teacher’s refusal to let her use the restroom, forced into using bucket instead.
Civil Rights
UPDATED: Aggressive Arrests For Peaceful Protesting
Colorado criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Christopher Carraway files a class action lawsuit for aggressive arrests made for peaceful protesting.
Michigan Environmental Officials Accused of Racial Discrimination
Another instance of racial discrimination has been uncovered, this time by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s civil-rights office. It’s been discovered that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) discriminated against African American’s residing in Flint “during the permitting of a power plant” in Genesee County more than two decades ago. Since it’s construction, the Genesee Power Plant burned “wood waste and other debris from 1992 through 1994.”
On Producing and Consuming Democracy
A week ago today, thousands of women and their allies were preparing to protest. Some were putting the finishing touches on their signs. Some were already on board buses headed across the country. The next day, from Washington D.C. to Antarctica, women marched peacefully, to show their solidarity with each other. They marched to show their disdain for misogyny. They marched to be counted and heard. But will their efforts amount to real change? It depends upon what happens after the march. While many people perceive protest marches as an exercise in democracy, that may be the wrong way to think about them. Protests are about consuming democracy. What matters more is the production of democracy.
Maryland Transit Administration Promises to Change
Settlement reached in class action lawsuit alleging MTA could not accommodate passengers with disabilities. It promises to change for the better.
Human Rights Activist and Attorney Stripped of his Rights
Chinese human rights attorney Xie Yang claims he was forced into signing a false confession while being detained in China.
Denver Life Insurance Company Accused Of Racial and Sexual Discrimination
A Denver life insurance company has been accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a recent federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The plaintiffs include seven African American Denver “annuity wholesalers and supervisors” who’s experiences include many “blatant racial and sexual abuse incidents,” such as when one saleswoman was “ordered to get on her knees while her boss mimicked a sex act with a vodka bottle and fellow workers laughed.” Others recounted times when they were “demeaned, denied promotions and bonuses, and fired” when they spoke out against the discrimination. According to EEOC attorneys and other private attorneys involved in the case, the lawsuit aims to award the plaintiffs things like “back pay, punitive damages and future lost wages.”
NYC DOT Sued for Systematic Racism
One would think that in the year 2017, systematic racism wouldn’t really be a thing. Unfortunately, it’s still alive in today’s society, and many would actually argue that racial tensions are at the highest they’ve been in years. For example, just recently a lawsuit was filed against the New York Department of Transportation (DOT), “accusing
Falling Trust Means Change, Opportunity
Falling trust in traditional institutions, such as the police, government, and media outlets, means people must rely on themselves – and each other. This can mean dealing with our own problems, but this double edged sword can kill us – or protect us. Will falling trust lead us to squabble with each other in our little tribal fiefdoms, gathering around charismatic strongmen? Few worse outcomes spring to mind. Rather, let us work around the institutions that no longer work for us. Let us take back the power we have given to the system in so many ways. We still need each other. This time of great change offers us an opportunity. Let’s remake the world into one worth living in again.
San Diego Men Claim Authorities Violated Their Amendment Rights
The two San Diego men arrested for explicit rap lyrics and social media posts are filing suit against police claiming violation of amendment rights.