The government's takeover of Zaman newspaper is the latest deeply troubling episode in the Turkish authorities’ ongoing onslaught on dissenting media, Amnesty International says. The week before, TV channel IMCTV was taken off air, silencing the only national news channel reporting a critical view of the situation in south-eastern Turkey, where round-the-clock curfews were imposed as armed clashes devastated entire towns. [1] Kurdish residents recently returned to the town of Cizre in south-eastern Turkey to find many of their homes obliterated by the government's military campaign to crush Kurdish rebels. [2] Some residents called the destruction a "second Kobani," referring to the Kurdish town in Syria that endured a brutal siege at the hands of ISIS. [3] Turkey's most prominent journalist compared it to Dresden in 1945. [4] The U.S. government characterizes Turkey as a close NATO ally, [5] so the U.S. government should use its influence to press the Turkish government to respect human rights. Urge your representatives in Congress to speak up about Turkish government abuses of human rights by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/03/turkey-fears-of-zaman-newspaper-takeover/ 2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/12181740/Cizre-Kurds-PKK-Turkey-military-rubble-offensive.html 3. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-rolls-back-curfew-kurdish-town-37327505 4. http://www.radikal.com.tr/yazarlar/cengiz-candar/dresden-1945ten-cizre-2016-adindaki-mezarliga-1521904/ 5. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/03/253948.htm#TURKEY

Because, why not at this point. - Bewildered Black America

UIC is home to working students, immigrant, and students of color to have access to higher education and graduate. The platform Donald Trump would announce at the UIC Pavilion is a direct attack on much of the UIC student body - from mass deportation to a ban on muslims to a refusal to denounce the KKK, not to mention regular insults to women. If UIC is a "minority serving institution" that comes with specific responsibility. And that doesn't include serving white supremacists or hosting events that put the student body at risk of altercations with attendees who have a history of violent attacks on people of color at his rallies. Trump is a danger and so are his events. UIC should not be host to them.

We are asking our local officials to have the jogging trail renamed immediately. The Park is named after Reuben Ingold, of the Los Angeles Investment Company. Ingold was a wealthy landowner that was responsible for the development of View Park. Ingold inserted racial restrictive covenants into the deeds to the land he sold View Park developers as a means to keep blacks from owning property in the View Park/Windsor Hills Area.

I've watched the secret service beat up a photographer and oust many peaceful people from rallies. If peaceful people need to be removed, it should be the candidate's people who do it, not an arm of the government for which the citizens pay.

Because it's time for our elected officials to listen to their constituents, instead of big money donors. We will remember who fought with us, and who ignored us, during the next election cycle.

The Washington Voting Rights Act is about ensuring that every vote that is cast in this state counts. And we know a vote truly counts when the community is reflected in those who hold office. This bill gives our local governments the flexibility, choice, and due process to ensure this fundamental measure of democracy is maintained. We have an opportunity to make a dramatic difference in the ability of people to elect a candidate that represents them by passing the Washington Voting Rights Act this year. The WVRA will allow us to implement a process where unfair election systems can be challenged and fixed without having to resort to a federal court case. We’ll efficiently and quickly replace inequitable systems with ones that are fair, we’ll elect more people who truly represent the community, and we’ll help our communities thrive. Democrats and Republicans may have differing views on many things, including civil rights law like this, but we all believe in the inherent right and power of the vote. After years of working on this critical bill, making significant compromises to ensure we can get votes from both sides of the aisle, the time has come to join together in doing what is right and passing the Washington Voting Rights Act immediately. A more equitable Washington is possible, but we must stand together and demand that our legislators take action. Pass the Washington Voting Rights Act of 2016.

Minnesotans flocked to the polls in record numbers on Super Tuesday to support Bernie Sanders. We can not have our state's senators and representatives circumventing the clear and decisive will of the state they are supposed to represent. Our positions should be their position in this matter. They should be held accountable to their constituents. If they do not represent the people who elected them, we will find someone else who does. Their names are below: Al Franken - MN Senate (Clinton) Amy Klobuchar - MN Senate (Clinton) Betty McCollum - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Rick Nolan - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Tim Walz - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Collin Peterson - MN House of Representatives (Uncommitted) Keith Ellison - MN House of Representatives (Sanders)

Minnesotans flocked to the polls in record numbers on Super Tuesday to support Bernie Sanders. We can not have our governor circumventing the clear and decisive will of the state he is supposed to govern. Our positions should be his position in this matter. He should be held accountable to his constituents.

Democratic Party of Illinois & Reps. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, John D'Amico & Jaime Andrade have flooded mailboxes with dubious, inaccurate and unsourced claims that Chris Harris, Jac Charlier & Harish I. Patel are linked to Gov. Bruce Rauner. Attacking progressive & independent candidates as being tools of Rauner is a cynical way for insiders to protect themselves from legitimate challenges in Democratic Party primary.

The KKK (as well as all other racial and terroristic groups) has no grounds for being a legitimate group. If the US government disbanded the Black Panthers, they need to disband the KKK.

For the past three years, there have been racist attacks on students of color immediately following the Ray Warren Symposium for Race and Ethnic Studies. Each time, students have organized, and requested that the administration take proactive steps to change the culture of racism on campus. The President's office has sent a letter to the community each year, but has not taken concrete steps to concretely address the attacks or the culture of racism on campus. This lack of commitment borders on neglect, and is hazardous to the health and well-bring of the L&C community.