Serious Charges Against the RNC 16
Joey Johnson and some of the RNC 16 released from jail
On July 20, outside the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Joey Johnson was surrounded by a circle of members of the Revolution Club, who created a safe space for him to burn the American flag. Joey led chants, "1, 2, 3, 4 -- Slavery, Genocide, and War! 5, 6, 7, 8 -- America Was NEVER Great!" The flag went up in flames.
This warmed the hearts of people all over the world: a powerful statement that American lives are NOT more important than other people's lives. The system hit back immediately, trying to send the message that this will not be tolerated.
As the flag started to burn, police attacked, arresting Joey and 16 others, the RNC 16. They were given serious charges - and the authorities have piled on even more charges, including charging two of the protestors with felonies.
We'll hear the latest on all this from Joey Johnson, whose Supreme Court case Texas vs Johnson established flag burning as protected speech. Joey Johnson is a supporter of the Revolutionary Communist Party.
Detained and Deported:
Stories of Immigrant Families Under Fire
Margaret Regan has written an important book, Detained and Deported: Stories of Immigrant Families Under Fire. She tells the stories of people like Elena Santiago, who opened her door to find her house surrounded by a platoon of federal immigration agents. Her children screamed as the officers handcuffed her and drove her away. She was deported to Nogales, Sonora, with nothing but the clothes on her back. Her two-year-old daughter and fifteen-year-old son, both American citizens, were taken by the state of Arizona and consigned to foster care.
Immigrants like Elena, who've lived in the United States for years, are being detained and deported at unprecedented rates. Thousands languish in detention centers for months or even years, or are summarily deported to Latin American countries they may barely remember.
Detained and Deported is based on years of reporting that Margaret Regan has done as a long-time journalist in Tucson, Arizona.