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WAR ON THE POOR
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Dec 3 2004
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Homeless Families Occupy Army Recruiters Office
 In the early afternoon of November 30, 2004, homeless families from across
Philadelphia took over two federal government offices. KWRU Reports:
"Members of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union attempted to meet with
the Office of Housing and Urban Developement in Philadelphia. Soon after
the families entered the building the elevators were turned off and we
were denied our right to speak with government officials. The growing
protest then moved to the Army Recruiting Office at Broad and Arch, where
the families then took over the Army Recruiting Office. The families are
demanding to meet with Alphonso Jackson, the current Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development." Protesters demand that Jackson "fly to
Philadelphia to witness firsthand the impact the recent budget cuts made
by the Bush Administration have had on the families in this city."
[ Full Story
| Kensington Welfare Rights Union
| Dec. 6: Bushville goes to Washington
]
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ANTI-CONSUMERISM
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Dec 3 2004
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Mall Arrests Four for Promoting Buying 'Nothing'
IMC Journalist Anna White reports: "On "Black Friday" (Nov 26), aka
"Buy Nothing Day", Christiana Mall arrested three women wearing Santa hats
for promoting buying "NOTHING". A fourth women who was videotaping for a
local public access television channel was also arrested. ...In Delaware, home of tax-free shopping,
credit card capitol of the world, and the state of incorporation for well
over half of Fortune 500 companies (thanks to the state's pro-business
laws), the holiday shopping season is taken very seriously. On
Thanksgiving day, the newspaper comes stuffed with several inches thick
worth of advertisements for holiday sales and early store opening times
the next day...7:30 am, 6:30 am, even 5:30 am... For the past five or so
years, we have marked Buy Nothing Day with a trip to our local shopping
mecca, Christiana Mall And thus, the product NOTHING was born..."
[ Full Story
| Buy Nothing Day
| US Anti-Heroes celebrate Buy Nothing Day in Philadelphia
]
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MASS TRANSIT
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Nov 30 2004
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SEPTA Faces $62 Million Deficit
SEPTA is facing a $62 million deficit that if not plugged, will cause a massive cutback in weekend and evening services and fare increases. SEPTA has already issued layoff notices to hundreds of employees in the event of cutbacks.
When Ed Rendell proposed increases on tires and driver's records, the state's GOP senators wouldn't support it. This has led to the stalling of proposals for dedicated funding or emergency funding in the state legislature whose session closed 10 days early.
About 600,000 riders use SEPTA on weekends and evenings to get to evening and weekend jobs among other things. Such a cutback will have a drastic effect on the city. Activists are encouraging residents to write to their legislators about the importance of getting dedicated funding.
On December 2, SEPTA's plan to raise the fare was vetoed.
Email Ed Rendell and urge him to come up with emergency funding while the legislators work for dedicated funding.
[ Philadelphia Transit Campaign
| The coalition put together by SEPTA
| SEPTA's proposed cutbacks
]
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DEATH PENALTY
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Nov 27 2004
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PA Set to Kill George Banks; Execution Stayed!
For the first time in more than five years, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania is set to execute
a prisoner, George Banks, a man with severe
mental illness who has been on death row for nearly two decades. On December 2, barring unforeseen intervention by the
courts or Governor
Rendell, Banks will be the fourth person to be killed by the state
since Pennsylvania reinstated the death penalty in 1978.
Banks has not waived his appeals and would be the first
person executed against his will in Pennsylvania since 1962.
The jury did not consider Banks' mental
illness as a mitigating factor, due to jury instructions that the Third Circuit ruled unconstitutional on on
October 31, 2001, and on January 14,
2003. The Third-Circuit ruling in Banks' case prompted PA
courts to overturn
several other
death sentences, including that of Mumia
Abu Jamal. Yet on June
24, 2004, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that this constitutional standard was set in 1988, eight months after Banks exhausted his state appeals, and therefore could not be applied retroactively to Banks. Prompted by this Supreme
Court decision, on
June 29, 2004, the Third Circuit lifted its stay of Mumia Abu-Jamal's execution.
A massive letter-writing campaign to Governor Rendell and to the Board
of Pardons is under way,
demanding that he immediately rescind the death warrant for George
Banks. (See Governor Rendell's response.) On Dec. 2, activists will demonstrate throughout Pennsylvania against the scheduled 7 p.m. execution.
Breaking News: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has just issued a stay of George Banks' execution, pending a hearing of his mental competency. READ MORE...
[ Full Story
| PA Abolitionists
| Mumia Abu-Jamal's legal updates
]
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MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
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Nov 26 2004
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Activists & media-makers work to shed light on the politics behind the personality
Local activists have declared November 21-28 political prisoner awareness week. Though commonly associated with third-world countries, political prisoners currently being held in the US number in the scores, according to the Prison Activist Network. The week started on Sunday with a film about one of the nation's most famous prisoners, who many believe is a political prisoner--Philadelphia native Mumia Abu-Jamal. "The Framing of an Execution," narrated by Danny Glover, focuses on the media's role in what it argues was a thorough frame-up. Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, has been on death row since 1982 for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner, for which he pleads innocence. Abu-Jamal's case was catapulted into the international spotlight in 1995 when human rights activists intervened and forced the case back into litigation only ten days before his scheduled execution.
Supporters believe that Abu-Jamal, who was under FBI surveillance for over a decade before the murder, was the target of racial and political discrimination for his involvement with the Black Panther Party (BPP) and his vocal support of the radical community
MOVE. Though it is now well established that the FBI engaged in routine setup and sabotage of BPP members, skepticism that this influenced the verdict in Abu-Jamal's case runs high, even among those who oppose his death sentence.
Last spring, Abu-Jamal released his first-ever memoir on his Panther years. We Want Freedom evolved from a masters thesis Abu-Jamal completed while imprisoned, and offers a historical overview of the Party interspersed with personal reflection. The book's publisher, South End Press, has released a series of excerpts from the book for limited web publication. These writings, accompanied by a series of historical commentary by historian Todd Steven Burroughs, offer a frank and personal portrait of the background of this controversial case. Click here to read these limited-edition posts.
[ Political Prisoner Awarness Week Events
| Review of We Want Freedom
| Z Magazine's archive of Mumia Abu-Jamal material
]
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COLIN POWELL'S CONTRIBUTIONS
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Nov 26 2004
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Colin Powell's performance over the last four years
In examing the career of Secretary of State Colin Powell, one event
that stands out in the last four years is his speech to the UN on 5
February 2003. There
is little doubt that it had a serious
impact on American popular opinion and an electrifying
effect on politicians concerning the then-proposed war with Iraq.
The Washington Post claimed
that "We were not able to marshal enough evidence to say that he was
wrong" in a 12 August 2004 mea culpa
explaining why the Post did not challenge Administration claims before
the war. Norman Solomon of FAIR
however, was able to point out the very next day that while Powell
claimed Iraq was a grave threat to surrounding nations, the only nation
of the Middle East to have made any such claim was Israel. The
Post also claimed that it carefully examined the question of whether
Iraq had chemical or biological weapons, but it completely ignored the
UN report in August
2000 that for Iraq to have able to have produced such weapons was
somewhere
within the remote bounds of possibility, but was extremely unlikely.
For Powell to claim that Iraq had any usable weapons, he needed
to demonstrate just how it might have obtained any. Generally,
major American news organizations did not request such
evidence. People have claimed Powell worked behind
the scenes to limit
damage from the Iraq War but clearly, the Bush Administration did not
appreciate his efforts.
[ New warning from Powell on Iran's nuclear program
| Member - Council on Hemispheric Affairs unimpressed with Powell
| Powell appears to have supported ditching Taiwan
]
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FIRST AMENDMENT
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Nov 24 2004
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NJ Weedman Receives Federal Sentence
Ed Forchion, the self-styled "New Jersey Weedman" and his friend Pat Duff have been
conducting public "smokeouts" on the third Saturday of every
month at 4:20 pm since December 20th, 2003. They argue
that this practice is legal, citing
Title 42 of the US Code, Chapter 21 B ("The Religious Freedom Restoration Act") which states, "Government shall
not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general
applicability," such as a drug law. On May 28, 2002, in People of Guam v. Guerrero when the 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals cited that law in upholding a Rastafarian's right to possess marijuana on federal property as part of a
religious sacrament.
Until now, federal prosecutors had declined to prosecute Forchion and Duff for this monthly act of civil disobedience;
however, on November 12, 2004, Federal Eastern District Judge Arnold Rapoport convicted Forchion
and Duff of violating Independence Park regulations and federal drug laws, and sentenced them to a $150 fine and a year
of random drug testing. One year in federal prison would result from any violation of probation. Judge Rapoport argued
that the smokeout was a political demonstration, not a religious ceremony, on the basis of a video the two had made of
the smokeout. Rapoport further argued that since Forchion had once abstained from marijuana for three years, Forchion
had no compelling reason to smoke. Forchion plans to appeal, to the US Supreme Court if necessary.
[ NJWeedman.Com
| Inquirer article on the sentence
| NORML
]
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ABUSE OF CORPORATE POWER
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Nov 16 2004
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Rendell Administration to Strip Local Control Over Factory Farms in PA
The Rendell Administration has announced a new initiative entitled ACRE (Agriculture, Communities, and Rural Environment) which threatens to give agribusiness unprecedented power to move into rural communities. ACRE would allow corporations to supercede local ordinances that protect townships and rural communities against Factory Farming.
[ Full Story
| Info on Factory Farming
| Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
]
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THE DAY AFTER...
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Nov 4 2004
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Philadelphians march and rally against Bush's wars
With a spirit of mourning at the thought of another 4 years of neo-con
rule, and a spirit of resistance against the war supported by the 2 major
parties' presidential candidates, a crowd gathered in Love Park at 4:30
pm, November 3d. MC'd by poets Martin Wiley and Jessica, the crowd shared
the mic, sharing speeches, songs, and poems of resistance. Following the
rally, a spontaneous march erupted into the streets of Philadelphia.
Winding past City Hall to Rittenhouse Square, the march grew to nearly
200. People upset with the re-election of Bush as well as those
against both Bush and Kerry's support for the US war in Iraq joined
in. Blocking traffic marching down Market Street, over Broad and up South
Street, the march drew mainly cheers and honks of support. They played
drums, whistles, an accordian, and guitar. A marcher said how empowering
this march felt, winding through the city and expressing the grief and anger
over the direction of the US. The march continued up past the Federal
Courthouse and jail and turned east. It turned towards the Benjamin
Franklin Bridge, blocking the lane heading towards New Jersey; halfway
across the bridge, Port Authority police informed demonstrators that the
bridge was private property and that they would be arrested if they
continued. The end of the march was trailed by police and also
a TV news cameraman, from ABC Action News Channel 6; police seized the
camera and arrested the cameraman. Legal observers were told he would be
taken to the main Camden police station, in New Jersey; he was
released later that night. The march ended around 8:30 pm in Love Park with promises to keep working together for peace and social
justice.
[ 'Philly Fights Back' summary of the day
| Hundreds rally and march against war and the election that supported it
| Photos and video from the demonstration
]
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PERSECUTION OF ACTIVISTS
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Nov 3 2004
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Philly Animal-Rights Activists Home Raided by FBI
At approximately 6 am, Thursday, October 28th 2004, the house
at 5018 Hazel Ave, Philadelphia, was served a warrant and
raided by about 16 agents from The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The warrant was signed by United States Magistrate Arlander Keys of the
Northern District Justice of Illinois. The warrant was served by Special
Agent Jeremy Ashcroft of Illinois Terrorism Task Force and was directed
towards SHAC-USA and a the Prominent Philadelphia area animal rights
organization "Hugs For Puppies." After gaining entry to the home the
agents seized two computers, dozens of disks and software, cell phones of
the residents, various flyers, various books, spray paint, one sweat shirt
and miscellaneous items. Hugs for Puppies activists were also arrested at an animal-rights demonstration in June, 2004: see the 6/9/04 PhillyIMC feature for more information. Some of the activists affected will be speaking at the open-mic protest at Philadelphia's Love Park, on Wednesday, November 3, starting after 4:30 pm.
[ Full Story
| Hugs for Puppies
| Raid coverage by the Inquirer
]
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ELECTION 2004
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Nov 1 2004
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As Tuesday nears, Philadelphians mobilize for all scenarios
On November 2nd, voters will cast ballots for the next President and Vice President, the US Senate, the US House, some state Senate seats, all state House seats, PA's attorney general, PA's auditor general, and the PA treasurer. Philadelphia residents will also consider a city bond initiative. At the same time, hundreds of volunteers from around the city and country will be working behind the scenes to get out every vote possible, and to make sure they count.
Get out the vote efforts have proliferated this election season, the combined result of changes in campaign law and a vigorous activist response to the unelection of 2000. Local efforts have been augmented by national organizations such as MoveOn.org that are focusing on Pennsylvania as one of the key swing states that could decide the presidency.
Much energy is being focused on getting information out to voters regarding the details of their right to vote. Groups like ACORN, the Vote for Homes! Coalition, and the Black Radical Congress are focusing especially on populations that might face barriers to voting due to social and ecnomic disenfranchisement. Local and national groups have set up legal response teams to facilitate a quick response to situations where a person's right to vote might be challenged at the poll.
At 7pm on Monday all these efforts will take a collective deep breath and converge at Rittenhouse Square for an election eve vigil initiated by the American Friends Service Committee.
Several protests are organized for the day after the election. Anticipating the possibility of a close race, the Kengington Welfare Rights Union has called for an 8am protest outside of the Federal Court Building and,
if necessary, "massive acts of civil disobedience" to defend the right of each person's vote to count before the election is called. On 4:30pm, anti-war activists will hold several "free speech gatherings" to express their dissatisfaction with both Bush and Kerry's military policies -- one at Vernon Park in Germantown, and one at Love Park in Center City. Finally, at 7pm, the Uhuru Solidarity Movement will host a conference on postelection strategy at the William Way Center.
[ Find your Polling Site
| Official Ballot Info for Philly
| An Anti-Authoritarian Argument for Voting
]
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BUSH-WATCH
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Nov 1 2004
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Video exposes Bush regime incompetence in Iraq
 John Kerry made a speech
in Philadelphia
on 25 October 2004 blaming President Bush for incompetence. The reason
was that the Iraqi weapons storage depot al Qaqaa, three miles by three
miles large, was looted of the high explosives HMX and RDX, used
in nuclear weapons to slam uranium together and thereby cause aa
critical mass. HMX and RDX are the most powerful explosives known
short of actual nuclear weapons. The al Qaqaa
facility had been known
of since 1991. The Iraqi
Ministry of Science and Technology claimed
on 10 October 2004 that it had lost 345 tons of very high explosives
"after 9 April 2003, through the theft and looting of the governmental
installations due to lack of security�. KSTP, a Minneapolis/St.
Paul ABC affiliate, has film taken
of the al Qaqaa site. They filmed the doors having seals on
them. Disturbingly, KSTP reports that after American broke the seals to
inspect the bunkers, doors to the bunkers were left open and looters
then had free run of the
base. The Boston Globe confirms there was no
attempt to secure the facility against looters. Former arms
inspector David Kay stated both that the seals seen in the videos were
authentic and the powders
in the barrels were unequivocally HMX or RDX. It now
turns out that the Muthanna
site, containing chemical weapons, was also broken into and
looted.
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
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Oct 26 2004
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Grassroots Cable Coalition Issues 'Code of Conduct' to Comcast
The Philadelphia Grassroots
Cable Coalition, a partnership of media, consumer, social and
economic justice groups, held a press conference on Wednesday, October
20, 2004 at the Clothespin in downtown Philly to issue its 'Code of Conduct'
to Comcast. The 'Code of Conduct' sites article 19 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of
Human Rights stating that the freedom of opinion and expression
are inaliable rights and that the current climate of consolidated
media ownership is a threat to those rights. PGCC calls on Comcast,
the worlds largest cable provider, to improve its record on consumer rights, workers rights, the lack of community access and representation, the lack of assurance of open
access through its broadband service, and the lack of recognition
of Comcast's obligations
to the communities it serves.
[ Photos from Press Conference
| Oct 20 Press Release
| Media Tank
]
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ANTI-WAR
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Oct 23 2004
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Five More War Resisters in Jail
Supporters rallied Tuesday in front of the Philadelphia Federal Courthouse as five more people went to jail for nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq. The five are: Michael Brix (PP#58969-066), Marion Brown (PP#58973-066), Cassie Heino (PP#58971-066), Chris Haw (PP#58972-066), and, 90-year-old Quaker peacemaking legend Lillian Willoughby (PP#58970-066). Supporters can write them (making sure to include the prisoner number next to the prisoner's name on the envelope) at: Federal Detention Center - SHU, P.O. Box 562 (7th & Arch Sts.), Philadelphia, PA 19105.
The Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends is holding daily vigils of support for the war resisters. The vigil will conclude with a "Welcome Out" vigil on Tuesday October 26 at the Philadelphia Federal Courthouse, 601 Market Street.
These five were among the 107 people arrested on March 20, 2003 (the day after the US began its bombardment and invasion of Iraq) for blockading the Philadelphia Federal Building with their bodies. This protest was organized by the Brandywine Peace Community as part of the Iraq Pledge of Resistance. Since December 2003, those who have refused to pay the court-imposed fine have, in groups of five to ten, been taken to Federal Court and sentenced to seven days in the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center.
[ Brandywine Peace Community
| Iraq Pledge of Resistance
| Previous feature about jailbound Iraq War Resisters
]
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SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
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Oct 20 2004
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March for Social Justice in West Philly
On Saturday, October 16th, the African People's Solidarity Committee sponsored the 2004 March for Social Justice aimed at building the demand for "Democracy and Shared Prosperity for African People." The March organized many from the white community to join under the leadership of the black working class-led Uhuru Movement to oppose America's "Other" War" the 500 year old assault on the rights and resources of African, Indigenous and other colonized peoples.
[ Full Story
| Forum on Shared Prosperity 10/12
]
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Welcome to the Independent
Media Center of
Philadelphia
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A democractic alternative to the mainstream media empire. On our website, all
news is "fit to print" -- anyone can submit a news
article, editorial, photograph, audio or video clip for instant publication. Every
submission is added to our Newswire for immediate public
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articles are Top News and featured
headlines by rating and commenting on everything you read.
Looking for background information on some the issues covered by indymedia? Visit our resources page at www.phillyimc.org/resources.shtml.
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Mumia Reconsidered Editorials, 9.50 (2 ratings) Dec 8
Son Of U.S. Consul General Luis Espada Is Webmaster For Online Hate Organization Targeting Muslims News, 8.75 (4) Dec 8
Report on PVC, The Poison Plastic News, 10.00 (4) Dec 7
Anti-Poverty Bus Tour's Finale in Philly: Worship & Word (Streaming LNR #322) News, 10.00 (1) Dec 7
How U.S. Corporations Illegally Sponsor Foreign Workers News, 9.00 (3) Dec 7
Programmer Built Vote Rigging Prototype at Republican's Request News, 7.00 (1) Dec 7
Video of the USAntiheroes in action on Buy Nothing Day News, 10.00 (1) Dec 6
Psst! Hey buddy, did you hear how great the Iraq war is going? Editorials, 10.00 (1) Dec 6
U Penn fits the description News, 10.00 (1) Dec 6
ERR Communique from the Cultural Front Announcements, 10.00 (1) Dec 5
Bait And Switch: GWB and the WMD News, 10.00 (1) Dec 5
Dipshit's Legacy Editorials, 8.00 (9) Dec 5
Judge OKs Full Recount in Ohio News, 9.67 (3) Dec 4
"I Smell a Rat" Editorials, 7.00 (2) Dec 4
The best we have to offer. For more interesting stuff, visit our newswire.
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