A major bill providing some redress for some victims of U.S. nuclear testing, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, is set to expire on June 7th, 2024 unless House Speaker Mike Johnson brings it up for a vote. But simply extending the existing compensation law would be a gross injustice, since it excludes Downwinder communities in New Mexico, victims say. Tina Cordova joins us to talk about this: She’s co-founder and executive director of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, which seeks justice for victims of nuclear testing, including people radiated by the 1945 Trinity nuclear test in South-Central New Mexico. Cordova is a Downwinder and a cancer survivor who has been working as an advocate on behalf of the people of New Mexico for 19 years. Resources to get involved:
- Listeners can visit trinitydownwinders.com to contact Congress about expanding RECA and ensuring it doesn’t expire.
- More information about RECA is available at SaveRECA.org.
- The film First We Bombed New Mexico, about the fight for justice for New Mexico downwinders, will screen this Sunday, June 2nd at 10:30AM in Fort Bragg at the Mendocino Film Festival – you can find more details at FirstWeBombedNewMexico.com.
We also speak with K, a student at the UC Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine (PULP), about the encampment there now in its fourth week, as well as the students’ calls for the University of California to disclose its investments in Israel and divest from them, and for UC Davis Chancellor Gary May to resign over his ongoing board position with surveillance firm Leidos, which is tied to the Israeli security state. Listeners can find out more about daily programming and teach-ins, and donate and support PULP on their Instagram page at @davispulp and by emailing [email protected].
And, we speak with civil rights attorney Adante Pointer about the attack and shooting by Pittsburg, California police on father and community member Ashton Porter in 2022 after Porter and his family phoned the police to seek help for him during a mental health crisis. Porter has filed a federal lawsuit against an officer and the department. Pointer is a partner at Pointer and Buelna, LLP.
Law & Disorder exposes the cracks in our system, agitates for resistance and collectively builds a new world where all of us thrive. Hosted by Cat Brooks. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Boone.
This week’s Resistance in Residence Artist is Bay Area writer, musician, activist, author and founder of Krip Hop Nation, Leroy Moore.
Check out Leroy’s website: https://kriphopinstitute.com/
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