| Indymedia fact-checking workshop |
The first of a series of indymedia workshops nurturing DIY journalism.
Saturday, December 4th |
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Pilgrims, America's early terrorists |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
In Jabella Iraq yesterday, American and British soldiers fought street-to-street, raiding homes, taking prisoners, and killing Iraqis in a new military offensive dubbed Operation Plymouth Rock.
In Plymouth, at the rock itself, a crowd of close to four hundred Americans gathered beneath gray skies and a light sprinkling rain to commemorate the 35th National Day of Mourning, a tradition that aims to explode the myths that surround Thanksgiving. This year Iraq was held up as the latest example of European American’s continuing manifest destiny. |
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26 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Human Rights : Race |
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City plays catch-up with Boston's bicycle activists |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
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Back in September city councilors appeared surprised by the number of attendees at a hearing for crosswalk safety and the amount of anger they brought to the meeting. After last nights hearing, called to consider both bike safety in general and the appointment of a “bike czar” for the city, they should now realize that they have awoken a sleeping monster. Activists and citizens packed the Ianella chamber and instead of a line of individuals sounding off the hearing began with a well-organized power point presentation to the councilors by an informal organization of bicyclists and pedestrians. A comprehensive bike safety plan was requested and drawn out in detail for the councilors. |
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23 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Education : Environment : Organizing : Politics : Social Welfare : Technology |
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Fixing Broken Promises; City calls hearing on Bike Safety |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
The flowery, warm prose of the Bicycle Friendly Communities 2003 awards report would make a Boston bike commuter’s heart skip a beat.
“The [bike path] network grew to over 240 miles… More than one-quarter of the city’s arterial streets have striped bike lanes or shoulders… bicycle access is fully integrated into the city’s light rail and bus system... Bicycle parking is provided [everywhere]… Motorists and bicyclists are educated to share the road…” What kind of utopian village is this? Well it’s not in Scandinavia, but it is in Boston’s U.S. polar opposite attitude-wise, Portland Oregon, land of the smiley happy people.
It may be hard to view the streets of Boston through the golden lenses of Portland’s bicycle La-La land, but there are still a few folks who can catch a wink of it if they squint and throw off their eye focus on a bright sunny day. These are Boston’s bike visionaries. They see Boston in terms of how it could be. Some have 10, 20, 30 years of advocacy under their belts, and precious little city-built biking infrastructure to show for it. “Getting a few ribbon racks takes ten years.” Says Carl Kurz, Organizer of Bikes-not-Bombs, “In the twenty years that I’ve been here there’s been a little over two or three blocks of bike lanes put in on the actual streets.”
Back in 1999, Boston was rated the least bike friendly city in the country by Bicycling magazine. The city council reacted. Mayor Menino jumped. The mayor vowed to fix the problems by instating a “Bike Czar” to address pedaler’s grievances. But the title wasn’t official. And other responsibilities were folded into the job description. Paul Shimeck, the man with the job, felt like his hands were tied. Then he was laid-off. Now Maura Hennigan, Boston City Councilor at-large and Menino-critic number one, wants the mayor to fulfill his original promises.
Tonight, [Monday Nov. 22nd 5:30pm-see below] Councilor Hennigan and the rest of the Council will hear the communities problems, misgivings and suggestions on the topic of Bike safety and whether t reinstate the Bike Czar. |
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22 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment : Politics : Social Welfare : Technology |
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Springfield Protest Denounces Police Brutality |
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by Bryan G. Pfeifer, bgp (nospam) iacboston.org |
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The vicious beating of an African American school principal by four white cops is bringing to the surface long-held feelings of anger in this city’s oppressed communities and is compounded by the city’s serious economic crisis. |
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21 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Human Rights : Race |
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A Failed Policy? Boston Debates the War on Drugs |
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by Julia Steinberger, julias (at nospam) alum.mit.edu |
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Boston, Massachusetts, USA - "We have a public policy crisis: we are spending billions of dollars to fight a war on drugs and we don't seem to be able to stop the flow of drugs into this country. We are spending more and more public dollars on housing men and women who are involved with the drug trade, drug addiction seems to be increasing, and yet we don't seem to have the money to help those who want to turn their lives around and recover from addiction." With these words, Boston City Councillor Chuck Turner started the public hearing to investigate the war on drugs. He called the hearing "just the beginning of a long dialogue in Boston to see how we can move forward". |
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19 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Human Rights : Politics : Social Welfare |
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Interview: Krzysztof Krol of the Polish Anarchist Federation |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
 During a workshop on solidarity economics at the WoGan Decriminalizing Resistance conference last weekend (November 12th-13th) I met Krzysztof Krol, a member of the Anarchist Federation of Poland who resides at the Rozbrat Collective in the Polish city of Poznan. Of the many participators in that particular workshop only the two non-U.S. presenters seemed to have practical solutions for working class people. While Americans talked of seed exchanges, alternative currencies, and green investment schemes Krol told of his groups foray into radical labor organizing and a presenter from Argentina’s MST talked about a community center built by the community itself geared around food production and education.
As the debate over the validity of alternative currencies roared on past the workshop’s scheduled time I pulled the labor-minded Krzysztof aside to get a one-on-one interview. |
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18 Nov 2004
Modified: 12:23:02 PM |
Filed under: Interview / Education : Globalization : International : Labor : Organizing : Social Welfare |
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Public hearing to investigate the War on Drugs |
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by M Worth, |
 This Monday, November 15th, the Boston City Council will hold a hearing to investigate the effectiveness of our nation's War on Drugs, and the Boston component of it. The questions to be raised and addressed will include how much money has been spent nationally and in Massachusetts since 1973 and in the last ten years on the "war," this will include drug rehabilitation paid for by the state in this year's budget. The information gathered from these and other questions will be used to attempt to answer the ultimate question of this hearing, which is whether it is now time to admit that the War on Drugs has failed and that it is time to develop a new and more effective approach to the use of drugs in this country. |
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14 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Politics |
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The creep in the global cellar |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
 Still reeling from the election, a crowd of radical artists recently discussed the debacles in Ohio and Florida in a panel mistakenly called “What’s Next?” Lamentations over the demise of John Kerry clog the newswires of grassroots Indymedia outlets around the world. The world itself, from the Global South to the Social Democratic North, reacts with surprise and fear to the news of the President’s second term in office. But is Bush the real problem? Is he the root of all evil? Does anyone remember a little term called Globalization? |
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12 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Globalization |
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