Between The Lines - Kevin Alexander Gray: 'Ferguson October' Civil Disobedience Protests Target Police Violence in Communities of Color Nationwide (Week Ending Oct. 24, 2014)

Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018)

Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest.

Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades.

His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parry’s Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews.

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The Resistance Starts Now!

Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement

"The man who predicted Trump presidential win now says Trump impeachment could happen," AM Joy with Joy Reid, MSNBC, Jan. 21, 2018
"Sketchy Kazakh money finds its way into Trump dealings," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Red flags seen in many Trump real estate deals," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers," BuzzFeed, Jan. 12, 2018
"The Scandals of Donald Trump: Presidential Edition," The Atlantic, May 15, 2017
"Here's what we know so far about Team Trump's ties to Russian interests," Washington Post's ongoing compilation
"What Comey Was Investigating, Explained," The Moscow Project, Center for American Progress

"Donald Trump's Financial Ties to Russian Oligarchs and Mobsters Detailed In Explosive New Documentary from the Netherlands," Dutch TV documentary, Alternet.org, May 12, 2017
Ongoing compilation of Trump's creeping authoritarianism," MotherJones.com
Full resource list ...

SPECIAL REPORT: "The Resistance - Women's March 2018 - Hartford, Connecticut" Jan. 20, 2018

Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris

SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018

Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT

SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018

Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT.

SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018

Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill

SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017

Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand.

SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017

Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017

Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018.
Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017

Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda
Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist.

SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017

Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017

Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017

Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Two leaders from Redneck Revolt, an anti-racist, anti-capitalist movement, talk about their work organizing with white working class people in Suffolk County, New York. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017

Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.
Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.

SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven

John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.

2017 Gandhi Peace Awards

Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017.

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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE...

who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success!

For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Between The Lines on Stitcher

Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016

"How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop.

Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend.

JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars"

Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio

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'Ferguson October' Civil Disobedience Protests Target Police Violence in Communities of Color Nationwide

Posted Oct. 15, 2014

Interview with Kevin Alexander Gray, writer and activist, conducted by Scott Harris

Two months after the August day that Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African-American was shot to death by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, a "Weekend of Resistance" was launched to focus public attention on the urgent need to address police violence in communities of color. The rallies, marches, and civil disobedience actions – known as "Ferguson October" – drew thousands of activists locally and from around the nation. Just two days before the protests were scheduled to get underway, another 18-year-old African American, Vonderrit Myers was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in St. Louis. Police say that Myers shot at the officer first, but his family members maintain he was unarmed.

The protesters staged actions in both Ferguson and St. Louis at multiple sites that included police headquarters, City Hall, a political fundraiser, a university campus and a Walmart store. Religious and union leaders were among the activists who demanded the arrest and prosecution of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Michael Brown. Professor Cornel West, a well-known activist and author who participated in a civil disobedience action modeled on the Moral Monday movement, was arrested with 49 others at the Ferguson Police Department.

At an interfaith rally the night before, young activists expressed frustration at the tepid protest tactics practiced by their elders, maintaining that more militant action was needed to confront police violence and the lack of accountability. “Missouri is the new Mississippi,” said Tef Poe, a young St. Louis hip-hop artist and Hands Up United organizer. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with activist and author Kevin Alexander Gray, co-editor of the new book, "Killing Trayvons: An Anthology of American Violence." Here, Gray assesses the most recent round of protests in Missouri – and the growing movement to confront police violence nationwide.

KEVIN ALEXANDER GRAY: One person of color is killed in this country every 28 hours by police or under the color of law. In South Carolina, this year, I think we've had over 35 police shootings. So, this isn't something new that just happened with Michael Brown. It's something that has been going on a long time. I'm glad the country is starting to pay attention to it, that young folk are starting to pay attention to it and understand what racism and "skin privilege" is all about. I'm glad they're understanding the issues involving policing and police departments and making sure that police and citizens are held to the same standards as relates to their culpability for committing a crime, and there's a movement that's developing. But we still have to figure out ways in every community, not just Ferguson. Ferguson is the focal point right now as Sanford, Florida was the focal point when Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman under the guise of "stand your ground" or under the color of "stand your ground."

We have to put together a movement that really holds people accountable, that doesn't just focus on the individual tragedy, that recognizes that we have a problem with police violence and policing. That we have a problem with the militarization of police departments. That we have a problem with racial profiling. That we have a problem with the war on drugs, that we have a problem with how people view black males in general and black people in particular.

There are a lot of issues that have to be put on the table. And they all don't reside solely in Ferguson.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Kevin, what is the mindset that has to be challenged head on that exists in so many police departments across this country in terms of how they conduct themselves when they're in communities of color, that results obviously, in violence and the deaths of Michael Brown and hundreds, thousands of others over the years?

KEVIN ALEXANDER GRAY: Well, something has to be done to test a lot of police and to really find out if, in fact, they ought to have that job. There are police that are just straight-up racist or sadist. And they don't need to be on police departments. I would argue there are a lot of police that are in it for the power. They believe that they are the law. Not that they're enforcing the peace or even if you want to use the term enforcing the law – 'cuz I don't know if I like this term "law enforcement." People respect the law. People respect the people who are tasked with serving and protecting and being fair to everybody as they do their jobs. That's what makes the law work, when people respect the law, not when there are people who believe that they are the law and believe that you have to acquiesce to them because they have a badge, and you have to be subservient to them because they have a badge ,and they can kill you at will because they have a badge.

BETWEEN THE LINES: During the civil rights movement, there was a multiracial coalition that pushed forward on civil rights that many credit with an effective protest movement that actually won the day. How important is it that this new burgeoning movement against police violence be multi-racial and cross over into many different communities across the United States?

KEVIN ALEXANDER GRAY: Well, obviously, it's white kids and white people understanding what skin privilege is and what it means. The progressive movement is about building multiracial, multi-issue coalitions. That's what progressivism is. It's not about narrow black nationalism or pseudo-black nationalism or pseudo-white nationalism or liberalization or Democratic party politics. It's about having a set of progressive ideals that you believe in. You're against the drug war. You're against the police state. You're against government power to kill without due process.

You're for the so-called beloved community that Dr. King talked about and economically, how do we make that happen because it all goes hand in hand. We're concerned about poverty. We're concerned about the "least of thee." We're talking about building an egalitarian, fair community – a community that looks beyond race and stereotypes, that tries to reconcile history, that tries to make amends for history and understand what it's really about.

That is the essence of what progressive politics is about.

The troubling thing about Ferguson is that we get focused on young black men, and no question, young black men are a group that are targeted. But there are people of color; brown folk suffer under abuse because of immigration and other issues. Black women suffer. Poor people suffer. We have to be about building that movement. And when people understand it's the one percent that's running this country, that has this police force, this police state in place to keep everybody at bay and keep everybody fighting one another, as soon as we realize that, then we'll be building a movement and that movement will be successful. And we'll change government in this country.

To read more of Kevin Alexander Gray's writings, visit http://thenewliberator.wordpress.com.