Latest news with #protest
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protestors stand against CoreCivic ICE facility in Leavenworth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group opposing the possible opening of an ICE detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas gathered Saturday morning, July 19. The CoreCivic Opposition Group of Leavenworth (CCOG – LV) led the 'Pots and Pans March' at 9:30 a.m., protesting the proposed opening of a private, for-profit ICE facility. The march was organized by Leavenworth residents, as well as some from around the area. CoreCivic would make $4.2M a month running ICE detention center in Leavenworth One of the organizers, Mike Trapp, described how he's seen the group grow over time. 'There were four of us at our first meeting,' he explained. 'Then we had a roundtable discussion where we brainstormed ways we could impact and got more people involved, and out of that event, this march arose.' Others who attended the protest explained their reasons for protesting, sharing that immigrants are 'neighbors, not criminals.' 'I grew up in a very immigrant-dominant community and have so many immigrant family members and friends,' said Lynzie Clark, a demonstrator who came in to protest from out of town. 'I've watched my whole life the immigrant struggle and the impossible obstacles they put against the most loving and hard-working communities. None of these people deserve to be jailed for their birthplace. They are just like all of us. They're people.' Around three dozen people were seen protesting CoreCivic and its attempt to turn a former private prison into an ICE detention center. The protest comes after a Kansas City District Court judge temporarily blocked CoreCivic's plan. The judge sided with the City of Leavenworth that CoreCivic must first get the city's permission through zoning laws. 'I think it's great that they have actually responded well to trying to postpone and hold off and allowing them to roll in and take over with the CoreCivic facility,' said Nate Davis, who was seen at the protest. 'I hope that we can be the first of many for a rising movement for local communities to stand up to the authoritarian take down and the rule of law,' Trapp echoed. Judge hears motions from CoreCivic in Leavenworth lawsuit However, CoreCivic says they don't need that permission. 'We maintain the position that our facility, which we've operated for almost 30 years, does not require a Special Use Permit to care for detainees in partnership with ICE,' a release from Saturday reads. 'CoreCivic respects the judicial process and looks forward to the next steps in presenting our position to the court.' According to CoreCivic's website, a partnership with ICE would generate 300 new jobs, $2 million annual payouts to the city and no detainees would be released in Leavenworth. 'The overall economic impact on the community and local jobs seekers would be significant,' a spokesperson for CoreCivic shared Saturday. 'MRRC serving as a partner to ICE would create about 300 new, good-paying jobs with a starting salary of $28.25/hour. We've had a positive response from jobs seekers interested in these positions. As of July 1, we've had over 2,000 unique applicants who submitted over 3,000 applications for the open positions at MRRC. About 115 employees have been hired.' However, Trapp is standing strong. 'Leavenworth knows CoreCivic well and Leavenworth says no,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Attorney for Roebling Bridge protesters claims police overreacted during arrests
WCPO 9 News spoke with attorney Benjamin Pugh who is representing protesters arrested on the Roebling Bridge. He claims police escalated the situation and didn't give protesters time to disperse.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Japanese American internment survivors protest possible ICE detention center at former Dublin prison
With the rhythmic pounding of taiko drums echoing through Don Biddle Community Park, a large group of Japanese Americans and their allies gathered Saturday afternoon to voice opposition to the proposed reopening of the federal prison in Dublin as an immigration detention center. Among those in attendance was 81-year-old Satsuki Ina, a survivor of the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Ina, who was born in the Tule Lake Segregation Center in Northern California, has dedicated her life to ensuring the mistakes of the past are not repeated. "I'm angry, I'm angry," Ina said. "It's frightening. It's terrifying that this is happening again." Ina's parents were removed from San Francisco's Japantown in 1942 and incarcerated in multiple internment camps over a span of four and a half years. Her older brother, Kiyoshi, was born in the Topaz camp in Utah. Her father was later transferred to a separate detention facility in North Dakota. "When we were removed, there was no mass protesting of what was happening to us," she said. "In many ways, we felt like America had turned their back on us. We don't want to be a part of that again. So we are showing up where we can. We're raising our voices. We're protesting. We're getting the grannies and the grandpas out to tell their stories." For Ina, other survivors, and their descendants, the proposal to convert the now-closed Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin into a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility feels like a haunting echo of history. "It is a replication of our own history," Ina explained. "They're using the same legal false justification, removing people without due process." FCI Dublin was shut down last year after multiple correctional officials, including the former warden, were convicted of sexually abusing female inmates. Despite its troubled history, the Trump administration recently floated the idea of reopening the prison to hold undocumented immigrants. The president is also pushing to reopen Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay to house ICE detainees. Dr. Doug Yoshida, the son of two internment camp survivors, voiced concern over the types of individuals targeted for detention and deportation. "The people they're deporting are not the big, bad criminals," Yoshida said. "They clean your hotel rooms, they serve your food. They [build] these buildings here." Alameda County District 5 Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas also joined the protest. She warned against what she called an authoritarian direction for the country. "We have to raise our voices. This is authoritarianism. This is a dangerous road that our country is going down," said Bas. "And we have a responsibility, not only as elected officials, but members of this community, to stand up and speak out." For Ina, silence is not an option. "There is a growing discontent about what's happening," she said. "We want to get people activated so that they take action, whether it's voting or getting out on the streets and protesting." Organizers said they will continue to oppose the reopening of the Dublin facility, arguing that expanding detention capacity in Alameda County could lead to more arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Like everything else, protests in the US are a business
It should come as no surprise, but the next time you see a protest popping up in cities across America, there is a chance it was not as spontaneous and homegrown as once expected. In fact, many of the young, rebellious faces in the crowd are paid actors content to earn a paycheck on behalf of very wealthy individuals who are committed to artificially manipulating the US political system. Enter Adam Swart, the CEO and founder of Crowds on Demand (CoD), whose website details a long list of services it provides to give any political movement the booster rockets it needs to get off the ground. 'If you need to hire protesters, we can get a crowd on the street, sometimes within 24 hours time. If you need speakers to present at a council meeting, we can provide talented and well-spoken individuals to advocate for the cause. We also have a dedicated team of phone-banking staff who can call Congressional Offices and convince government officials to support your cause and help you overcome opposition. If you need lots of letters and emails written from constituents, we have a network of tens of thousands of individuals across the country who can send well-written constituent letters to their representatives…' 'We are the ultimate guerilla lobbying and government relations firm,' the website boldly declares. Swart was forthcoming with the information that his publicity firm was offered a lucrative contract to assist in a Democrat-backed astroturfing effort. 'Interests aligned with the organizers of the July 17th movement have approached us and, in fact, we rejected an offer that probably is worth around $20 million dollars,' Swart admitted to NewsNation's Brian Entin in an interview. On July 17th, protests took place around the country against the Trump administration, organized by Good Trouble Lives On, a left-wing progressive organization. July 17th was the fifth anniversary of the death of former Democratic Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights leader who referred to protests as 'good trouble.' So why did Swart reject the multi-million dollar offer to host the July 17th event? After all, some Trump supporters suspect that CoD played a prominent role in the highly successful 'No Kings Day' protests, which were said to have attracted more than five million people in more than 2,100 cities and towns, possibly the largest single-day demonstration in American history. Right-wingers have insisted that the numbers turning out to oppose Trump are routinely bolstered by hired operatives supplied by Swart's company. While CoD denies any involvement in No Kings, for example, just the idea that a publicity firm could legally exist as a driving force to any protest movement is extremely unsettling (determining exactly what groups CoD supports is very difficult as employees are forced to sign non-disclosure forms that protect the client's anonymity). With regards to the 'Good Trouble Lives On' protest, Swart admits turning down the offer because the demonstrations would 'make us all look bad' as 1,500 events planned across country had the potential to 'turn violent.' The CEO said he does not activate any activists-for-hire if 'it involves illegal activity… we do not engage in any form of illegal activity – of course, no violence, no vandalism, and no blocking streets without a permit.' While Swart must be applauded for turning down a fortune for keeping the US political process transparent and safe, there are other big-league players who do not operate by such a moral compass. Consider George Soros and his Open Society Foundation for one. Last summer, at the height of anti-Israel protests on university campuses, US lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Fox News that organizations funded by the billionaire philanthropist and others helped finance the movements. 'There's no question that there are organizations funded by George Soros and the Rockefeller Brothers. Take for example 'Jewish Voice for Peace,'' Dershowitz said. 'It has been behind many of these demonstrations. They're not Jewish and they don't want peace. It's a fake organization. It's an old-line group of communists and anarchists that want to overthrow the United States government… These organizations are funded by Soros and other organizations that help turn these useful idiots into protesters and eventually into terrorists.' Getting back to the Democrats, the very act of astroturfing the US political system strongly suggests that Trump's MAGA presents a clear and present danger to the liberals. The Democrats have reached the point where they are practically forced to pay people a minimum wage check to mobilize against Donald Trump. Nothing screams a party in disorder more than one that obviously lacks grassroots support and is forced to rig the political system.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Photos of 'Good Trouble' protests across the US, from Chicago to Mar-a-Lago
The ' Good Trouble Lives On ' national day of action took place around the United States to protest President Donald Trump's controversial policies such as mass deportations and Medicaid cuts. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
