The Prairieland 9 are a group of nine north Texas friends and activists who were arrested last year after a July 4th noise demonstration outside an ICE detention facility in the Dallas Fort Worth area. They were charged with multiple criminal counts including attempted murder, conspiracy, riot, and giving material support to terrorists; some were held for months in solitary confinement and all face multi-million dollar bail demands. Their show trial concluded on March 13, when all nine were convicted of at least one count. They remain in custody, awaiting sentencing in June. Pacifica’s Thomas O’Rourke spoke to Amber Lowrey, sister of one of the defendants, about the trial, its unusual procedures, and what it could mean for other political dissidents.
The Prairieland Defendants website has much more about the case including the individual defendants, court filings and records, media coverage, and ways to get involved. Their website is prairielanddefendants.com.
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Throughout California, teachers have been going on strike for living wages and healthcare. This week 30,000 members of United Teachers-Los Angeles, UTLA, and 30,000 members of Service Employees International Union, SEIU, who work in the schools will go out on strike. At a statewide rally in Sacramento on March 20, 2026, Pacifica’s Steve Zeltzer spoke with UTLA teacher Brian Calderon Tabatabai about the strikes.
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We thank all of Pacifica’s sister stations and affiliates who contribute to the production of this show. Today’s program was produced by the Capitalism, Race & Democracy collective, with contributions from Thomas O’Rourke, Steve Zeltzer and the host, Polina Vasiliev.
You can find this and all previous episodes at our website “capitalism race and democracy dot ORG”. Make sure you click the subscribe button. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @PacificaCRD.
Thanks for listening.
Music:
El Flaco Jimenez [01 Un Mexicano Sin Licencia] CD 1993
Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, born in San Antonio Tejas in 1939, was a virtuoso accordionist and master of the Tex-Mex, Tejano and Conjunto sounds of south Texas/north Mejico. Flaco passed away last July 31, 2025 after a long illness. ¡Adiós, Flaco!.
