#BanTigerSwan: the fight against the Bayou Bridge pipeline in Louisiana continues

Last Thursday, our allies in Louisiana fighting against the Bayou Bridge pipeline argued their petition to intervene in the licensing hearing before the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners regarding TigerSwan LLC, a private security firm connected to Energy Transfer Partners, one of the owners of the pipeline.

TigerSwan had applied for a license to operate in Louisiana—but the advocacy groups say their dangerous conduct across the country makes them unfit to operate there. “Given its track record, TigerSwan should not be allowed to come into Louisiana and use their military-style tactics to hinder the right of ordinary Louisianans to exercise their First Amendment rights,” said Center for Constitutional Rights Senior Staff Attorney Pamela Spees, who represents the groups.

Though the Board ruled against the activists, they obtained documents that showed a TigerSwan employee seeking a license to operate in the state after the firm had already been turned down but not disclosing she was employed by them.

Read more on the case page: No Bayou Bridge pipeline, petition to intervene.

Support CCR at Netroots Nation: check out our panels and vote

As every year, a delegation from CCR will participate in Netroots Nation, the largest annual conference for progressive organizers, grassroots activists and independent media makers organized by Netroots Nation and Netroots Foundation. In advance of this year’s session, that will take place in New Orleans on August 2-4, we proposed three panels:

1. The #RacePaper and other Secret Documents: How the FBI and DHS are Surveilling & Criminalizing Black Protest: a discussion on how the government has been targeting Black and Brown activists, labeling them as ‘Black Supremacist Extremists’, and portraying them as violent to justify their surveillance, as shown in the documents obtained through a FOIA request by CCR and Color of Change.
2. Gender, Race, Human Rights, and the Trump Effect: a plenary panel that will involve the Women’s March powerhouse Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, and Carmen Perez in a debate moderated by CCR’s Executive Director Vince Warren on the intersection of gender, race and social justice in the Trump era.
3. ‘Fight pipelines, fight racism’ - Louisiana’s #NoBayouBridge fight is about much more than a pipeline: after watching the #NoBayouBridge short-film series, our Senior Staff Attorney Pam Spees will lead a conversation between Louisiana grassroots activists on how deeply oil companies are colluded with the State political system and the importance of building the power of communities to fight against corporate abuse.

Do you like our ideas? Click on the links to learn more and VOTE for the panels — there's time until April 3 at 11.59pm (PT)!

#WeHaveRights: join the campaign to empower and defend immigrant communities

We’re supporting Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS), ACLU National and MediaTank Productions in ‘We Have Rights,’ an immigrant empowerment campaign aimed at providing information to communities threatened by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and engage the broader American public in an urgent conversation about immigrant justice in our country.

Through a video series translated in seven languages and narrated by an all-star cast of influencers and activists, the campaign gives action points on what to do in case of contact with ICE, from a home visit to an arrest.

Check out the campaign and support by sharing the videos and participating in the online conversation.