Today on Sojourner Truth:
Five years ago, Eric Garner was killed in a chokehold by New York City police officers. He famously said twelve times, "I Can't Breathe." Nevertheless, the chokehold was not released and Eric was killed. Trump's Attorney General, William Barr, has now made the decision that the police officer involved in Garner's killing will not be charged. This, after years of disagreement and legal wrangling and non-stop campaigning for justice by Eric's family. The murder, which was caught on video tape, sparked protests in New York City and across the country. Many protesters have chanted "I can't breathe." For our Campaigners for Black Lives series, our guest is Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele, a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement who serves as Director of Community Organizing for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Protesters are continuing to block access to the building of a controversial telescope in Hawaii on the mountain of Mauna Kea, where a dormant volcano is located. Protesters say the mountain the telescope will be built on is one of the most sacred sites of Indigenous people on the island. We speak with Dr. Kalama Niheu, a protester on the ground in Hawaii, and Iokepa Casumbal-Salazar, a Native Hawaiian who is a professor of Race, Ethnicity, and Indigenous Studies at Ithaca College, New York.
On Tuesday, July 16, the Trump administration imposed new asylum rules that are in conflict with international law. Attorney Marjorie Cohn break this down for us.
