3/19 Cinematheque - Big Noise Tactical Media
3/20 Society of PEACE Free Movie Night & Vegan Bake Sale Fundraiser
3/21 Vegan BBQ
3/21 "A Force for Change": Environmental Justice Conference
3/21 Screening of Short Films from Iraq with Big Noise Films Director

Mon, Wed, Fri at 8pm, and Sun at 7pm: Food Not Bombs near Herman Square @ Smith and McKinney
Every Friday @ 7:30pm: Houston Indymedia Radio 90.1fm KPFT

A selection of short films from Iraq by Big Noise Films
Saturday March 21st 8pm at Rice Cinema [map]
Filmmaker Rick Rowley in attendance

With over 1 million Iraqi dead, 4 million refugees, 4,000 dead American soldiers and a total cost of 1-4 trillion dollars, the war in Iraq remains the most important fact of American politics, but it has faded from the headlines. The scraps of television coverage that still make the news don't go far beyond US military press releases and Iraqi politicians interviewed inside the Green Zone. 'Beyond the Walls' is a collection of short films from the other side of the blast shields in Iraq's walled cities. Rick Rowley covers a very different side of the war than is ever seen on American television. He reported unembedded from war-torn Falluja, from the giant US prison at Umm Qasr, from the Mehdi Army stronghold inside Sadr City, from the places where mainstream corporate channels can not or will not go.

Rick Rowley on Progressive Forum | Flier for the Filmscreening Print, Copy, Distribute!

from the open publishing newswire: On Monday, March 16, the retrial of Austin activist David McKay, accused of possessing Molotov cocktails at the Republican National Convention last September, will begin in Minneapolis. McKay’s first trial in late January was declared a mistrial as a result of a hung jury over the question of whether the conduct of the main informant in the case, Brandon Darby, constituted entrapment. While this was not the acquittal that was deserved, it remains a clear indictment of the government's conduct and use of informants.

Many of us familiar with the situation and the individuals involved, in Austin and elsewhere, easily saw through the lies presented by the State and their informant Brandon Darby at the first trial. Despite the State assigning one of their top prosecutors to the case, the jury obviously did as well. Jurors could not in good conscience send McKay to prison for the alleged crimes for which the FBI and their informant bear the real responsibility.

Darby is an excellent example of the government's long history of using informants to destroy community organizing and activist groups. In reports from folks who knew him, Darby is consistently characterized as an intentionally divisive figure who escalated conflicts, fetishized violence, and often encouraged the use of force, instead of cooperation, to get things done.
[Read Full Article]

from the open publishing newswire: Nearly 100 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people were refused entry to Union Bar and Lounge in Midtown Friday while others were welcomed. Patrons started lining up at about 9:40 p.m. and were told to wait in line and not allowed inside, even as straight-appearing people were waved through. As the line grew and patrons waited in the rain, employees at the door told those who were that they were maintaining a “ratio.” Later, the bar employees simply indicated they had the right to refuse anyone.

“I was shocked to be a victim of that kind of discrimination in a city like Houston in 2009,” said Neal Falgoust, a Houston law student. “I have never experienced anything like that before in my life.” A patron who arrived at the bar early reported that the bar was nearly empty at about 9:40 p.m., when gay people started arriving and were stopped at the door. Gay people continued to line up to the street and around the corner as people who appeared to be straight went to the front and were ushered in.
[Read Full Article]

from the open publishing newswire: Austin, Texas – March 11, 2009 - The Rhizome Collective is a consensus-run 501c3 nonprofit organization that has operated a center for community organizing and urban sustainability in an East Austin warehouse since 2000.

This warehouse was inspected on March 3rd by officials from the Building and Standards Commission of the City of Austin. On Thursday, March 5th The Code Enforcement Division of The City of Austin delivered a letter outlining a list of code violations to the Collective. The City mandated that the residents and organizations based in the warehouse must vacate before March 16th. The Collective is looking into all options, but is preparing to vacate the warehouse by the deadline. Before this inspection, the Collective was in negotiations to buy the warehouse from its current owner.

The Rhizome Collective is making every effort to work with the City on this matter. Contractors are currently completing an estimate of the cost required to bring the building into compliance with city building codes. Based on conversations with contractors, the Collective does not believe it will be possible to get an estimate, obtain permits and complete the work by the City’s deadline.
[read full article]. The Rhizome also hosts the following projects: Inside Books a free books to prisoners program, Bikes Across Borders fixes and sends bikes to Cuba, Mexico and Central America, Austin Food Not Bombs shares free vegan food with homeless, KPWR People Will Radio, an urban, community, web-based radio project. Rhizome also held the Austin Indymedia Space.
The Slow Decline of a Dying Rhizome

from the open publishing newswire: Hardly anyone even knows it by name, but virtually anyone who has spent time in Montrose at all knows of Wilshire Village. Seventeen mostly vacant apartment buildings largely obscured from view by beautiful old magnolias and oaks. The buildings are in varying states of decrepitude, the consequence of generations of benign neglect. Most of them are effectively uninhabitable and uninhabited. Others are surrounded by carefully tended gardens, patio furniture... children's toys. Of course, it could not last. It has been considered a given for decades that there would come a day when the slow decay would be accelerated by bulldozers. Years of rumors of demolition began to segue into fact in 2005, when plans were announced for the construction of a pair of high-rise residential condominiums on the property. Although the plans never got beyond the press-release stage, public records show that within a year the property had changed hands.

Ignoring the stories of impending demolition ceased to be an option at the beginning of February, when eviction notices began to arrive via certified mail. Although there were and continue to be questions regarding the legitimacy of these notices, it became something of a moot point on February 19 when city workers affixed notices from the Fire Marshal's office to the buildings of Wilshire Village. The notices state that the buildings are unsafe for human habitation. [read full article] or go pick up the march issue of Free Press Houston.

from the open publishing newswire: Anarchists Against the Wall member Schachaf Polakow spoke in McAllen, TX and Houston to share videos and images of the ongoing struggle against Israeli aggression in the occupied territories. His presentations were part of AAW's North American tour to raise funds to cover the thousands of dollars in legal fees the AAW and Palestinian activists face for their arrests and detentions.

Polakav explained that AAW began in --- and has worked in solidarity with Palestinian popular committees on a number of actions and regular protests against Israeli aggression. AAW members only participate in actions when they're invited to villages and they meet with the village popular committees to decide what kind of actions and collaborations will take place. [read full article]

Contribute to AAW | Watch videos from the presentation | A new website whoprofits.org lists companies invested in Israel and the occupation

from the open publishing newswire: Around 50 people from Houston, Austin, College Station, Georgetown, Hutto and Taylor came to the T Don Hutto "Residential Center" to support the call put out by Students for a Democratic Society of UH to protest the detention of immigrant children and women for the profits of the Tennessee based Corrections Corporation of America. Participating Groups (that we were aware of) included; Houston SDS, Houston Anti-Racist Action, Grassroots Leadership, LULAC, Brazos Valley Coalition Against War, Austin Labor Defense Project, Texans United for Families, Rice for Peace and the fearless A Scouts!

Folks that came to the rally decorated the driveway with chalk, chanted, held signs and banners, spoke to the rally and marched from the North (front) side of the facility to the east side, where we could see the playground behind the prison walls. The event had high amounts of energy from young and old participants, and folks left feeling like the event was a success, and many (re)committed to continuing the struggle to end the incarceration of children and Shut Hutto Down! [read full article with photos]
Houston Press Hairballs Coverage

from the open publishing newswire: The Palestine Red Crescent Society helped us to coordinate a delivery of 140 tents and 280 blankets to the people of Gaza who lost their homes during the 22 day Israeli assault. The idea came about after having raised funds for medical supplies and equipment. We were told by sources on the ground in Gaza that there was a desperate need for tents that was not being fulfilled, so it seemed like a project that we could make a direct impact with. The amazing thing about the tent campaign was the support we received from the Houston community. After sending out an initial email to gauge people’s interest to sponsor a tent for $150, I had over 120 responses within 48 hours.

One thing worth noting is the contrasting sentiments of the Egyptian people and the Egyptian government with regard to the Gaza issue. From the moment I arrived in Cairo I have felt nothing but support on all levels ranging from the tent merchant who sold the tents to us at cost to the workers loading the trucks who refused to be paid to the inspectors at the check points who did everything possible to facilitate our safe passage. Their warmth and encouragement was truly a sign of the support of the Egyptian people. [Read full article]

from the open publishing newswire: On Sunday February 22nd folks from the new Houston Youth for Peace in Palestine (HYPP) with support from the Muslim Student Association (MSA) of UH set up a small "cemetary" to the folks who died in Gaza, with the goal of making a public memorial and educate students at UH about the plight of the Palestinian people. The Memorial stayed up through the day of the 23rd and 24th. The reactions I got from students ran the gamut, from not wanting fliers to having no knowledge of what or where Gaza is, to having very positive and supportive responses. [Read full article]

from the open publishing newswire: Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan featured testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground. We were able to catch most of the testimony from 2 panels of IVAW members and others with direct experience with the War in Iraq and "War on Terror." It took place in the Central Austin Presbyterian Church in downtown Austin. The sanctuary of the church was full with around 200 people.

There were a number of people from Houston including folks with Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out and Houston IVAW. Brandon Neely of Houston IVAW was on the first panel and spoke on his experience as a military police officer at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Cuba. While much of the testimony was sad and distressing, the room was full of positive energy with frequent outbreaks of clapping and cheering, and many people sharing amazing work being done to show non-military options for youth, help people in active duty get out of the military and show opposition to the war.

At the end of the testimony, at 5pm we undertook a brisk and loud march through downtown Austin with banners, signs and loud chanting that ended at City Hall for a rally. [full article and photos] More photo

Located in the same Montrose building as Skybar, SKYDIVE is currently showing “OPEN HOUSE,” a collaborative exhibition about appropriating the growing wasteland of foreclosed and abandoned housing. The space is open to the public Saturdays 1-5 pm. They are also holding a “Free School for the Arts.”

Sasha Dela, the curator and a former Core fellow, explained what inspired the free school. “I teach at universities and have found what I want to teach is not included in the programming at the universities,” she said. “I wanted a place where new things can happen, something interdisciplinary, where people can volunteer to teach a class or students can propose a class. There is a long tradition of free schools, an anarchist tradition that started in Spain. There are no charges. We may go off-site or stay at Skydive.”

Here are the details about the classes and the exhibition

from the open publishing newswire: Peoples Party II began early in the 1970's as Black Panther Party chapters were being established all across the United States. The success of the Voting Rights Act and other legislation that was won by the civil rights movement was largely viewed as inadequate to young urban blacks, and youth generally. Many participants in the civil rights movement were beginning to become impatient with the slow pace of reform and the tactics of non-violence which were closely associated with the activism of groups organizing and mobilizing for civil rights in the south. One group that presented these frustrations and made much more radical demands quickly became the vanguard of the black power movement; The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. [Read Full Article]

On the February 20th edition of the Houston IMC Radio Show; BPP vets Sensei and Boko Reflected on the Legacy of People's Party 2 and talked about the (lack of) progress that has been made in Houston since their work in the 1970's [listen]. Longer interviews on Radio Indymedia: Boko Freeman on People's Party 2 and the Black Power Movment in Houston | Veterans of Black Liberation Struggles in Houston Look Back on Peoples Party 2. This article is published in the February 2009 issue of Free Press Houston. Learn More about the Black Panthers in Houston and elsewhere at Its About Time.

Brandon Neely, IVAW's Houston chapter president, is speaking publicly about his time as a guard at Guantanamo. Brandon was interviewed by AP reporters and the Guantanamo Testimonials Project, an effort to document accounts of prisoner abuse. Neely's is the first guard at Guantanamo to grant researchers at the project an interview. On Tuesday the 17th, Neely spoke with Rachel Maddow on her television program on MSNBC.

On December 4, 2008, Specialist Brandon Neely approached Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas with testimony he wished to contribute to the Guantánamo Testimonials Project. He believed that insufficient attention had been paid to "the hell that went on at Camp X-Ray." He would be in a position to know, as he arrived in Guantánamo while the cages of Camp X-Ray were still being welded, and escorted the second detainee to hit the prison grounds. [read full interview with CSHRA]
Brandon Neely will be one of dozens of Veterans against the War speaking at the February 28th Winter Soldier gathering in Austin Texas.

from the open publishing newswire: We're excited to announce that the Business of Detention project has been selected as a 2009 Finalist in the "Student" category at the South by Southwest Interactive Web Awards.

The Business of Detention project was created by *reporters Renee Feltz ('08) and Stokely Baksh ('08)*, while graduate students at Columbia University's Graduate of Journalism. Our desire was to create an innovative way to present the business of privatized immigration detention management — using solid reporting skills and pairing that up with video and interactive info graphics.

*WE NEED YOUR HELP!* Please visit* http://sxsw.com/peoples-choice to vote us for the People's Choice Award. You can vote once a day until the contest ends!

from the open publishing newswire: Around 130 children will be locked up at the T Don Hutto Detention Center, a converted Medium Security Prison, this Valentines Day. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Houston sent Valentines cards to about 85 of them as part of the 100 Actions in 100 Days to End Family Detention. These Children range in age from less than a year of age to 17 years old.

UH SDS is planning to organize on our campus and in the community for the end family detention. We are developing a workshop on the history of immigrant detention and private prisons which we hope to offer to classes and clubs at UH as well as in the community. We are mobilizing to go to Taylor Texas in early March to protest demanding the closure of Hutto and an end to the policy of family detention. Get in touch with us if you would like to join the struggle for immigrant and human rights, and putting people before corporate profits. [read full story with photos]

Houston Indymedia has changed the wording of our Mission Statement, which sits on the about page and serves along with the Action Guidelines as the document new participants sign. The wording of the new statement is:

"The Houston Independent Media Center is an all volunteer collective committed to using media production and distribution as tools for promoting social and economic justice. We seek to provide alternatives to for-profit media not only in our coverage, but also within our collective by implementing consensus based non-hierarchical work-group models of decision making. While focusing on local social movements, we will explore connections to global systems. We believe that by reporting on dissent, by critiquing corporate, government and military domination, and by promoting art, culture and critical thinking through participatory events, we can contribute to the development of an equitable and sustainable society."

Some of the significant changes since the previous Mission Statement from early 2001 includes that we are all volunteers, that we are focusing on social movements, that we reporting on dissent, and that our events are intended to be participatory.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with us at Houston Indymedia, please send an email to: houston at indymedia dot org