Working to make the promise of the Bill of Rights a reality.
Welcome to Defending Rights & Dissent
Join the grassroots movement to fulfill the promise of the Bill of Rights for everyone. Together, we can make police and intelligence agencies accountable to we the people whom they serve. It’s time to convert your concern and outrage into political action. Let’s do this.
Dissent NewsWire
APA Should Stand Strong Against Psychologist Complicity With Torture
Psychologists as a group have a long history of abuse to contend with, including their contributions to the legacy of torture. Psychologists had a hand in creating the torture programs employed by the CIA at “black sites” and the military at sites like Guantanamo Bay.
Take Action: Facebook Censors Local Anti-Racist Organizers, Citing Russiagate
We have been repeatedly subjected to a narrative in which foreign operatives have amplified “divisive issues,” such as Black Lives Matter or opposition to fracking in order to sow discord. Such a narrative delegitimizes domestic dissent.
The 2020 Republican Convention Will Be in Charlotte. Local Activists Are Preparing Now to Protect the Community.
They want to pass the Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2018.
Silver Spring Justice Coalition Decries Decision that Fatal Police Shooting Was “Justified.” Demands Transparency and Accountability
On July 30, the Howard County State’s Attorney handed down a decision that the shooting of an unarmed black man by a Montgomery County police officer was legally justified.
#EndMoneyBail Doesn’t Mean We Want #Minority Report Risk Assessment Tools Instead
America’s pretrial justice system is broken, and violates one of the bedrock principles of the justice system: innocent until proven guilty.
Color of Surveillance Delegation Takes DC By Storm, Demands Transparency and Accountability on Government Surveillance Aimed at Communities of Color
Community leaders from around the country participated in lobby visits, a Congressional briefing, and a full day conference at Georgetown Law last week as part of the Color of Surveillance delegation organized by the Center for Media Justice.
Ban Tear Gas
Tear gas is among the least of the problems facing those who care about the murder and destruction of war. But it is a major element in the militarization of local policing. In fact, it is widely deemed illegal in war, but legal in non-war.
Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit Is Both A Testament to the Power of Dissent And An Illustration of Government Hostility to Black Political Power
July 17 marks the 59th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s death. We recall Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”, a musical protest against this country’s white supremacist violence. “Strange Fruit” is a testament to the power of music as an impetus for social change. The government’s reaction is also a story about the repression of dissent. It is for both of these reasons why we at Defending Rights & Dissent continue to defend the right to dissent.
DEA Finds a New Way Around Encryption: Planting Spy Phones With Suspects, Raising Concerns About Privacy, Security, and Free Expression
“Putting a smartphone whose security has been compromised into circulation could create privacy and security risks for anyone who ultimately uses that device and jeopardize free expression,” said Sarah St.Vincent, researcher on US surveillance and domestic law enforcement at Human Rights Watch.
Fatema Ahmad Receives July Patriot Award
Fatema Ahmad, the recipient of DRAD’s July 2018 Patriot Award, does advocacy work in Boston by engaging in community building and empowering residents to resist abusive policing practices. She is the Deputy Director of the Muslim Justice League (MJL),… [Read More]