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June 6, 2020 1:52 PM
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Catholic law school offers free help to arrested protesters – Catholic World Report

Catholic law school offers free help to arrested protesters – Catholic World Report | Apollyon | Scoop.it
St. Paul, Minn., Jun 6, 2020 / 06:01 am (CNA).- Since Friday, there have been 612 arrests in the Twin Cities metroplex associated with protests following the killing of George Floyd, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

In response to the arrests, the University of St. Thomas School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, announced that it would defend those arrested for non-felony offenses associated with the protests free of charge. The school ranks second in the nation for practical training, according to a 2020 ranking by the National Jurist.

Defending the marginalized of society, who otherwise would not be able to afford representation, has been a long-standing goal of the Criminal and Juvenile Defense Clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, which is taking on the cases associated with the protests.

The center will defend anyone charged with “gross misdemeanors, misdemeanors, petty offenses, delinquency offenses” that are associated with the protests, such as curfew violation. The center will not defend those charged with burglary and arson, which accounted for some of the arrests accompanying the protests.

“There have been a lot of cases coming in regarding violations of the curfew and other peaceful violations,” said University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean Robert Vischer. “That’s been the focus, rather than destruction of property.”

While the charges these defendants face are petty, if a defendant does not pay the fees associated with their arrest, their charges can quickly accumulate.

“There are huge collateral consequences for a juvenile who gets a misdemeanor charge or even an adult who gets a misdemeanor charge,” said Leyla Bari, a 2020 graduate from St. Thomas School of Law and an alumna of the clinic.
 
“The way that Minnesota law is written means [that] your driver's license will get suspended, and then often people will still have to drive to work… and when your license gets suspended, that results in more fees, and often people will have to drive out of necessity, and it just creates a whole cycle of debt that it makes really difficult to get out of,” Bari said. “So it's a small, little, tiny charge that just snowballs.”
 
Sarah Koziol, a rising third year law student who has been responding to calls made to the clinic, said that these kinds of cycles “plague poor people.”
 
“These types of fines create a pathway for criminalizing people who weren't even found guilty in the first place,” Koziol said.
 
“It is critical to perpetuating the mission of St. Thomas [and] perpetuating Catholic social teaching pillars in the community in a very tangible, real way, to make sure we stand up for each protestor, each indigent person who is down there fighting for their rights, to make sure these small, little minute charges do not snowball and ruin their life,” Bari said.

Although the commitment to serving the under-represented is part of the center’s mission, this particular initiative arose in immediate response to community need and will require the volunteer work of a team of 13 law students over the summer, during a time when the center does not usually accept new cases.

“We were not planning on this being our summer, but who was?” said Rachel Moran, who founded and directs the Criminal and Juvenile Defense Clinic. “It was just a very organic response to community need.”

On the second night of protests following the death of George Floyd, Moran received a message from Bari asking if the clinic would be able to provide representation for protesters who were being arrested.

“I saw protesters out on the streets very early on, and I was very distraught at seeing so many young black and brown youth who were the first on the front lines to be picked out by officers, being intimidated by officers, getting arrested, getting maced, and sprayed with tear gas, and I wanted to do something, so I reached out to Professor Moran,” said Bari.

“I said yes,” said Moran. “We are a clinic that prioritizes being responsive to community need.”

Vischer said that the response of the community has been “largely enthusiastic.”

“Of course, whenever you’re delving into the representation of participants in controversial social actions, it won’t be uniformly enthusiastic,” he said. “But that's part of being a criminal defense attorney; you are representing those who may not otherwise have a voice, and you may not be embraced by the larger community.”

The calls of complaints he has received from the public have expressed concern that the center is “supporting the protesters,” Vischer said.

“I point out that representing someone who is accused of a crime is separate from whether you support the underlying action that they have been arrested for,” said Vischer. “Ensuring that someone has representation doesn't mean that the person will escape all punishment for violating the law.”

“Defense attorneys broadly have to represent everyone,” said Bari. “That is our duty as attorneys. We have to represent people, we have to give people a fair shot at justice in our justice system.”
 
Koziol said that the voices that criticize the clinic often point to the destruction that ensued with protests, often saying, “look at the destruction of Minneapolis and other cities, you are supposed to be taking care of creation, not destroying it,” Koziol reported.
 
Bari challenged that assertion, saying that “by amplifying and standing up for communities who have traditionally been pushed down and silenced, we’re helping to not just keep our gardens and yards looking nice, we’re helping to actually deliver true justice, which is the fulcrum that any kind of creation needs to be premised on.”
 
“The protests are legitimate and the tactics that have turned violent were turned violent by police,” said Koziol. “When protestors can speak up, they can create meaningful change.”

As a former public defendant in Chicago, Moran said that she is accustomed to being criticized for her work.

“I’d like to have a longer conversation with them,” said Moran. “We have a duty to advocate for the marginalized and we have a duty to stand up for those who have been wronged, particularly when they have been wronged by an abusive authority. That should be very consistent with Catholicism.”

The center believes that in defending the protesters it is living its Catholic identity.

“I think a Catholic law school should be instrumental in helping provide a voice for the voiceless and that the views of those on the margins of society are heard, and I think that a criminal defense clinic, generally, is aligned well with that mission, and that includes protesters who are arrested for protests,” Vischer said.

“By protecting freedom of speech and expression, that doesn't just help one person, it helps all of us, which is directly tied to our mission, which is ‘for the common good,’” said Bari, quoting the University of St. Thomas motto. “It's not isolated as one incident.”

“It is deeply Catholic to affirm the dignity of every person, and that's really the starting point for what we’re doing here,” said Moran. “We are affirming the dignity of George Floyd. After the police denied that dignity and treated him as if he had no value, we are affirming that his life mattered.”

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Apollyon
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August 10, 11:47 PM
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The Origin of Anonymous Hades - Daikoketsu.com

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (ESV) 

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September 16, 9:20 PM
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Faith leaders are uniting in the fight against fossil fuels - 6PR Perth

Faith leaders are uniting in the fight against fossil fuels - 6PR Perth | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Cathedrals and over 150 places of worship across Australia will unveil banners calling for a rapid transition from fossil fuels. 

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September 13, 8:19 PM
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'God is mocked!' Evangelical leader condemns Trump's latest campaign gambit - Raw Story

'God is mocked!' Evangelical leader condemns Trump's latest campaign gambit - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Evangelical Christian leader Russell Moore put his foot down on Friday in the wake of threats being leveled against Haitian immigrants that were inspired by the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). 

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September 13, 8:07 PM
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‘Hell isn’t hot enough’: Fury at Trump as school evacuations follow ‘pet-eating’ story - Raw Story

‘Hell isn’t hot enough’: Fury at Trump as school evacuations follow ‘pet-eating’ story - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

For the second day in a row, elementary school children in Springfield, Ohio, were forced to be evacuated due to threats: a bomb threat on Thursday and an unspecified threat on Friday. 

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September 13, 7:56 AM
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'Your pets are safe': Springfield Mayor slams Trump and says 'we need help, not hate' - Raw Story

'Your pets are safe': Springfield Mayor slams Trump and says 'we need help, not hate' - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, denounced former President Donald Trump's promotion of a racist conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating people's pets in his city.

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September 10, 6:58 PM
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Unprecedented heat wave on the Tibetan plateau: Study highlights land-atmosphere interactions - PHYS.org

Unprecedented heat wave on the Tibetan plateau: Study highlights land-atmosphere interactions - PHYS.org | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Heat waves are generally thought to occur in hot, lowland regions—but what happens when extreme heat strikes the frigid, high-altitude Tibetan Plateau? Is the definition of a heat wave the same at 5,000 meters above sea level as it is in the plains? Could the Tibetan Plateau be facing a new threat?

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September 6, 7:02 PM
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'Trump is stuck': Analyst says ex-POTUS 'has no idea' how to stop growing revolt with base - Raw Story

'Trump is stuck': Analyst says ex-POTUS 'has no idea' how to stop growing revolt with base - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Back in the early 1980s, the late conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) — a scathing critic of the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., the Moral Majority and televangelist Pat Robertson — warned fellow Republicans that they were opening a Pandora's box by embracing the Religious Right. 

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September 5, 1:42 PM
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Four-star admiral tears into Trump's 'betrayal' at Arlington - Raw Story

Four-star admiral tears into Trump's 'betrayal' at Arlington - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Ever since the reprehensible Donald Trump — the Republican Party’s loathsome candidate for president — desecrated the graves of our fallen heroes and their families at Arlington National Cemetery’s hallowed Section 60 last Monday, August 26, by slovenly staking it out for a campaign photo-op, I have searched inside myself for the right words to express my sadness, anger, and disgust.

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September 4, 8:57 PM
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Father of school shooting victim shames MTG for 'praying today instead of reacting' - Raw Story

Father of school shooting victim shames MTG for 'praying today instead of reacting' - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

The father of a school shooting victim blasted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and other Republicans for "praying today instead of reacting."

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September 3, 6:16 PM
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Trump ripped by John McCain's son for Arlington Cemetery debacle - Raw Story

Trump ripped by John McCain's son for Arlington Cemetery debacle - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Former President Donald Trump's ill-fated campaign stunt at Arlington National Cemetery is receiving criticism from yet another source.

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September 3, 7:05 AM
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Robert Reich: Trump is a bully, but I'm fighting back - Raw Story

Robert Reich: Trump is a bully, but I'm fighting back - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

I’m feeling optimistic about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I want to put this extraordinary moment into context.

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August 30, 8:49 PM
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New Brunswick NJ pastor charged with sexually assaulting child - MyCentralJersey.com

New Brunswick NJ pastor charged with sexually assaulting child - MyCentralJersey.com | Apollyon | Scoop.it

A 61-year-old pastor at a Throop Avenue church has been charged with sexually assaulting a child.

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August 29, 5:58 PM
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Megachurch congregation implodes in wake of MAGA pastor sex scandal - Raw Story

Megachurch congregation implodes in wake of MAGA pastor sex scandal - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Congregants are streaming out the doors of a Texas megachurch after another pastor resigned over an undisclosed "moral issue." Gateway Church founder Robert Morris stepped down in June after allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s, and executive pastor Kemtal Glasgow became the fourth pastor since then to resign as the number of worshipers dwindles each Sunday...

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September 17, 9:58 PM
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Rupert Murdoch in tense court battle with his children over media empire - CBS News

Rupert Murdoch in tense court battle with his children over media empire - CBS News | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Fox patriarch Rupert Murdoch is in the middle of a fierce court battle with three of his four eldest children over who controls his media empire, which includes Fox News and News Corp. Murdoch was to change his irrevocable trust to put his eldest son in charge.

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September 16, 8:17 PM
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'Morally sick': Ex-Southern Baptist leader condemns Trump and Vance's lies - Raw Story

'Morally sick': Ex-Southern Baptist leader condemns Trump and Vance's lies - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Former Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore sees "the devil at play" in Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's stories about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. Both candidates on the Republican presidential ticket have spread false claims about migrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio...

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September 13, 8:16 PM
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'Wheels are coming off': Internal revolt reported as Arizona's Mormons grapple with GOP - Raw Story

'Wheels are coming off': Internal revolt reported as Arizona's Mormons grapple with GOP - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

In the key battleground state of Arizona, voters from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are experiencing a deep divide and a political identity crisis as their historical loyalty to the Republican Party is tested, reported The New York Times on Friday.

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September 13, 6:39 PM
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Pope calls sex abuse ‘demonic’ amid revelations about revered French priest Abbé Pierre - yahoo! news

Pope calls sex abuse ‘demonic’ amid revelations about revered French priest Abbé Pierre - yahoo! news | Apollyon | Scoop.it

After recent sexual abuse revelations concerning the Abbé Pierre, one of France's most revered public figures, Pope Francis said the Abbé was “a man who did so much good, but he’s also a sinner". He added: “Abuse is in my judgment is something demonic, because every type of abuse destroys the dignity of the person.” Pope Francis called sexual abuse “demonic” on Friday as he weighed in on the latest sex assault revelations against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre...

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September 12, 7:00 PM
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The Origin of Anonymous Hades: The Four Slanders - OpDemoniac.com

The Origin of Anonymous Hades: The Four Slanders - OpDemoniac.com | Apollyon | Scoop.it

The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Apocalypse 20:13-15 (BSB) 

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September 9, 3:26 PM
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The devil went down to Arlington - Raw Story

The devil went down to Arlington - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

To commemorate Labor Day, Donald Trump took his campaign crew to the graves of recently fallen American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, those suckers and losers whose bone spurs did not exempt them from service.

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September 6, 6:29 PM
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Trump aide involved in Arlington cemetery worker scandal was Jan. 6 organizer: report - Raw Story

Trump aide involved in Arlington cemetery worker scandal was Jan. 6 organizer: report - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

One of the two Donald Trump campaign aides reportedly involved in the now-infamous scandal in which an Arlington National Cemetery official was purportedly pushed aside for trying to enforce rules against campaign photography was an organizer of an event that became a January 6, 2021, attack, according to reports.

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September 4, 9:07 PM
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Pastor sees 'cracks' in GOP stronghold on Evangelical Christian voters - Raw Story

Pastor sees 'cracks' in GOP stronghold on Evangelical Christian voters - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Pastor Doug Pagitt of Vote Common Good spoke with MSNBC Wednesday morning about the shift he is seeing in the Republican Party's stronghold on Evangelical Christians. 

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September 3, 6:27 PM
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'Never seen anything like this': Senator slams Trump after Arlington cemetery incident - Raw Story

'Never seen anything like this': Senator slams Trump after Arlington cemetery incident - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) laid into former President Donald Trump on CNN on Tuesday afternoon over his move to try to manufacture a political campaign event at Arlington National Cemetery, where his staff reportedly got in a fight with an Army caretaker who told them it was against the rules.

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September 3, 5:20 PM
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Donald Trump says he was at Arlington to 'celebrate' anniversary of soldiers' deaths - Raw Story

Donald Trump says he was at Arlington to 'celebrate' anniversary of soldiers' deaths - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump defended his campaign's recent trip to Arlington National Cemetary by saying he was there to "celebrate" the anniversary of the deaths of soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

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August 30, 10:14 PM
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Pope Francis says Earth is 'sick' in new climate change warning - Reuters.com

Pope Francis says Earth is 'sick' in new climate change warning - Reuters.com | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Pope Francis on Friday urged people around the world to better protect the environment, ahead of a 12-day trip to Southeast Asia next week in which the pontiff is expected to urge global action on climate change.

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August 29, 6:41 PM
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'This is new': Veterans highlight rarity of Army rebuke for Trump altercation at Arlington - Raw Story

'This is new': Veterans highlight rarity of Army rebuke for Trump altercation at Arlington - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

Donald Trump and his campaign continue to experience backlash after the reported physical altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery official. Trump welcomed the press to the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday but didn't tell the press pool that he was headed to Section 60, where the altercation purportedly occurred. So, no media was on hand to observe the incident. The TikTok video showed photos of the wreath-laying from two different angles.

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August 29, 11:14 AM
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'Not something you do': Marine veteran appalled by Trump's thumbs-up pose at Arlington - Raw Story

'Not something you do': Marine veteran appalled by Trump's thumbs-up pose at Arlington - Raw Story | Apollyon | Scoop.it

A Marine Corps veteran who has written extensively about veterans issues condemned Donald Trump's behavior at Arlington National Cemetery. Ben Kesling, who served as an infantry officer in Afghanistan and Iraq before working as a Wall Street Journal correspondent, analyzed the former president's photo opportunity with Gold Star families at the gravesites of two service members killed three years ago in the Abbey Gate bombing.

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