Weekend Edition: Daily News Feed 12.08.07

Ethiopians face prejudice in Israel
Ethiopians in Israel face discrimination throughout the country, with many instances in schools, Ynetnews reported Friday. One school in northern Israel boasted on its Web site of the small numbers of Ethiopian students. In another, four Ethiopian students at an elementary school were placed in a separate classroom on the grounds they are “not observant enough.” (Continue Reading…)

The Drug War on African-Americans
As one who has written extensively on disparities in the criminal justice system, I am familiar with assorted statistics associated with selective prosecution. On Tuesday, the Justice Policy Institute released a comprehensive study on the issues of race, poverty, unemployment and selective prosecution within the context of the so-called war on drugs. The report’s conclusion was blunt: “The drug war is primarily being waged against African American citizens of our local jurisdictions, despite solid evidence that they are no more likely than their white counterparts to be engaged in drug use or drug delivery behaviors.” (Continue Reading…)

Bill on cold civil rights cases stalled
Legislation to beef up investigations into unsolved murders from the civil rights era looked like it would breeze through Congress. The House passed it 422-2 this summer. Its Senate sponsors included some of the most senior Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. But the bill has stalled since the House vote in June. Its supporters acknowledge that prospects are slim this year with just days left on the legislative calendar. (Continue Reading…)

Secret Service racism suit gets another day in court
A long-running federal lawsuit that alleges systemic discrimination against African Americans in the U.S. Secret Service could take a new turn on Monday. The class-action suit with sworn statements from 58 African American agents from across the country alleging that “a racially hostile environment” exists at the agency has languished for seven years. The government has been sanctioned twice for failing to produce evidence in a timely fashion and refusing to produce evidence as required under civil procedure rules, records show. (Continue Reading…)

Vivica Fox spared jail time in DUI case
Vivica A. Fox on Friday became the latest celebrity to enter a plea deal with prosecutors to settle a drunken driving case, authorities said. The actress and former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit of .08, city attorney’s spokesman Frank Mateljan said. (Continue Reading…)