On Saturday March 21st, five people were killed, after police pulled over a man in East Oakland. Copwatch13 writes: "[F]or the second time in recent months, police in Oakland shot and killed a young African American man apparently after prematurely resorting to the use of deadly force when alternative remedies were available. This time, the haste on the part of police caused them to lose two of their own just after two other officers had just been shot, with one killed, at a separate location."

A vigil and rally for Lovelle Mixon and his family will be held Wednesday, March 25 at 6pm.

Ten days after he was shot in the head by an Israeli Defense Force high-velocity tear gas canister, Tristan Anderson is still hospitalized, unconscious and on a respirator, following three surgeries in a hospital in Israel. His family's attorney has filed a formal complaint with the West Bank Israeli border police, demanding the immediate launch of a rigorous and independent investigation into the shooting. Friends of Tristan and Palestine is calling for a rally and press conference on Thursday, March 26th at noon outside of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco which will address the beatings and arrests that occurred after the March 16th Solidarity with Tristan and Palestine demonstration.

No Justice No BART (NJNB) are holding a series of disruptive actions with the goal of seeking accountability for the abuse and murder of Oscar Grant. After successfully blocking the fare gates at Fruitvale BART in their first demo, NJNB chose the BART station in the upscale Rockridge neighborhood for their second demonstration. NJNB is committed to demos at various stations until justice for Oscar Grant is reached. NJNB's next action will be at MacArthur BART in Oakland, Thursday, April 2nd at 4pm.

On Saturday, March 21st, protest marches took place across the U.S. and around the world on the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In the Bay Area, four days of demonstrations protesting the continuing war on Iraq officially commenced on Thursday, March 19th with leafleting at more than 20 BART stations and a march in Berkeley. On Wednesday, March 18th, a group of persons wearing masks smashed the windows and splattered red paint at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Berkeley. On Saturday, March 21st, a demonstration sponsored by ANSWER began with a march from Justin Herman Plaza at 11am culminating in a rally at Civic Center Plaza. On Sunday, March 22nd, a Rally in the Valley for Peace and Justice will be held in downtown Fresno.

A group of youth in Salinas are activating a chapter of the Brown Berets to help deal with gang violence, discrimination and poverty. Brown Berets are currently active in communities such as Watsonville and Fresno. Historically, Brown Berets have been an important component of the Chicano/Chicana movement and instrumental in educating and inspiring youth to become politically active.

Between the forest and the ocean, among the students and the yuppies, Anarchists in Santa Cruz have fostered a close-knit community dedicated to the destruction of this world and the creation of another. Santa Cruz is a hub of anarchist culture and resistance, with a long history of radical struggle and active anarchist projects spanning decades. From May 7th to 11th, the Santa Cruz Anarchist Convergence will be a four-day event for building community and resistance and sharing radical ideas.

Last week tenants and activists protested in front of Page Mill Properties' headquarters in downtown Palo Alto and marched to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's office. They are asking elected officials to do more to stop the giant landlord/investor from harassing tenants and neglecting maintenance at the East Palo Alto rental properties owned and managed by Page Mill. This week's disclosure that the San Mateo County District Attorney's office may file criminal charges stemming from the electrocution death of a Page Mill employee is a grim reminder that landlord negligence can even lead to death, as it did during the winter holidays of 2007.

Curtis Reliford and his Follow Your Heart Action Network sued Starbucks for slander after an incident in 2007 when a Starbucks manager in Santa Cruz tried to have Curtis arrested for panhandling. Curtis, and about 20 supporters, attended a court hearing on March 17th in front of Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Jeff Almquist. The case was dismissed on the premise that calling a charitable organization a "panhandler" was not going to hurt its reputation or influence how it conducts its business. Further action against Starbucks is being planned.

On Monday March 16th, hundreds demonstrated at of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco to hear speakers in support of Tristan Anderson and the people of Palestine. About 5pm, demonstrators marched to the intersection of Market and 5th. After demonstrating there for about an hour, many in the crowd marched back to the consulate where police attacked protesters with clubs and as many as six people were arrested. Other solidarity events are being held all over the world.

Revolutionary and civil rights activist Richard Aoki died on March 15, 2009. Aoki was a founding member of the Black Panther Party (BPP), becoming a Field Marshal. Using his military training, Aoki assisted members of the BPP in acquiring weapons and trained members in defending the community from the Oakland Police. Aoki was also a leader in the third world Liberation Front (twLF), resulting in the establishment of Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies department.

When vote totals came in from the Salvadoran presidential election Sunday, the winner by a slim but significant margin was the candidate of the FMLN, Mauricio Funes. The FMLN website said “Hope won over fear.” The FMLN fought fascism in Central America with a military effort that went on for twelve years. A truce was called in 1992, but the extreme right wing remained in power until now. A San Francisco celebration of the FMLN victory is planned for March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Women’s Building.

Anticipating a California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 that could come as early as this month, lesbian/gay/bi/trans activists and supporters will leave Berkeley, California for a 100-mile walk to the state Capitol in Sacramento on March 25. The event will begin with a rally on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall at Noon on Tuesday, March 24 with a symbolic march to the State Supreme Court Building. Meanwhile, many activists are calling for a return to the streets and civil disobedience on Prop 8 D-Day if discrimination is written back into the California Constitution.

On March 13th, 2009, Tristan Anderson, an Indymedia journalist from Oakland, California, was critically wounded in the village of Ni'lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a high-powered tear-gas canister. Tristan is a dedicated activist and reporter who has long been committed to social and environmental justice in the U.S. and abroad in places such as Oaxaca, Iraq, and Palestine. Tristan has posted his reports to Indybay since 2001. Tristan's family reported Sunday that he has moved his fingers in response to a request from a doctor.

On Tuesday March 10th, the “Activism Right There (A.R.T.) Festival” was held at Zellerbach Auditorium at UC Berkeley. The festival, part of a week of events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the third world Liberation Front (twLF) strikes, featured a variety of radical performances.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 14th and 15th, dozens of publishers, distributors, independent booksellers, alternative media and political groups, artists, and others participated in the 14th Annual Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair. The fair was held in the San Francisco County Fair Building at Golden Gate Park, 9th Avenue & Lincoln Way.

On February 20th, the Palestinian Village of Bil'in celebrated four years of weekly protests against the Apartheid Wall. The village of Bil'in has fought for four years against the Apartheid Wall. The wall steals much of the villagers' land and is part of the Israeli plan to divide Palestine into tiny pieces. Many villagers, journalists, foreign and Israeli activists, and even politicians attended on the anniversary.

No Justice No BART (NJNB) held their first action at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland on March 5th. NJNB intends to continue disruptive protests at various BART stations until their list of demands is addressed. NJNB said the demo was a success despite not having fully closed the station. Passengers came and went yet BART collected no fares during the protest. The next NJNB action will be March 19th at Rockridge BART.

International Women's Day was Sunday, March 8th, and was celebrated around the Bay Area through a variety of events. The Stop Violence Against Women: 1 in 3 Art Exhibit included performances on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, March 8th, Code Pink marched across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then attended a potluck and program in Berkeley. In Palo Alto, the film "A Single Woman: The Story of Jeannette Rankin" was screened. In L.A., a march and rally aimed to "Celebrate Resistance and Internationalism! " and on Sunday there was a Women Hold Up Half the Sky presentation.

On March 5th, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board of trustees approved a budget that closes a 14 million dollar deficit. The cuts eliminate the Class Size Reduction program in kindergarten and 3rd grade (eliminating 50 teacher positions from the elementary schools), slash funding for nurses, custodians, aides, and counselors.

On Thursday, March 5th, legal arguments took place in the California Supreme Court regarding an attempt to overturn 2008's Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage. Lead counsel Shannon Minter argued that if the initiative process is used to take a fundamental right away from a persecuted minority, no one in California is safe. The court has 90 days to issue an opinion, but Equality California thinks that a decision will be issued sooner. Several events related to same-sex marriage are planned for the next few days.

The satirical song warbling Raging Grannies have been both booed and applauded up and down the San Francisco Peninsula and excitement is building as the premiere of Pam Walton's documentary *Raging Grannies: The Action League* comes to the Cinequest Film Festival this weekend. The San Jose Mercury News puts the spotlight on this documentary saying it's "what's hot at Cinequest" and the Metro News Silicon Valley calls it a PICK of this year's annual 10 -day film festival. The 55 minute documentary premieres in San Jose on March 7 and 8.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama, along with other major Democratic candidates, promised to stop the federal government's raids on medical cannabis dispensaries. Federal medical cannabis-related raids continued in January and February. On February 25th, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters that Obama's pledge "is now American policy." However, no laws have been changed.

From March 2 to March 6, UC Berkeley students will host Israeli Apartheid Week. The week long event will include lectures, panel discussions and movies addressing the legal system of Apartheid in Occupied Palestine. The event is also orientated toward educating the public about the boycott, divestment, sanctions campaign, of Israeli-Apartheid products. In its fifth annual year, Israeli Apartheid Week will be held in over forty cities around the world. At UC Berkeley, the event is happening for the second year.

Over a hundred people marched through Hayward from the BART Station to City Hall on what would of been Oscar Grant's 23rd birthday on February 27th, 2009. A large outpouring of friends and family rallied in front of Hayward City Hall after the march. Family members called for justice for all those murdered by police and to keep the movement going. There was a large police presence throughout.

A report released in February and authored by a group of researchers from various organizations supports concerns Californians have had about the aerial spraying of pesticides in the Monterey Bay area in 2007. The study shows the correlation of the unprecedented bird die off and red tide with the timing of the spraying of the pesticide Checkmate.

January 2009 marked the 3rd year that Eric McDavid has spent behind bars. His arrest and imprisonment were a direct result of government infiltration and entrapment. Eric has spent the last three years of his life in a cage for what amounts to thought crime. Those years have been full of challenges and struggle. Most recently, Eric has been enduring lockdowns at the prison, the loss of phone and internet access, and a move.

On February 23rd, students at UC Berkeley voted whether to recall John Moghtader, a senator at the student government. Moghtader, along with members of the student groups Tikva and Zionist Freedom Alliance, are accused of assaulting three Palestinian students for displaying Palestinian flags during a campus event last November.

Laurel Krause writes: Ongoing medical marijuana busts throughout Mendocino County have been arresting local residents daily. I was one of five busts made and charged with two felonies (cultivation and intent to sell/distribute) on February 20th, even though I had my doctor recommendation and was growing with the guidelines published at the Mendocino County website.

On February 13th, about 75 people gathered in Santa Rosa's Courthouse Square to demand that the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department end their use of Tasers, a deadly device which has led to five deaths of unarmed civilians in our community over the last two years. The October 22nd Coalition Against Police Brutality organized the protest as part of a new campaign demanding the end of Taser use in Sonoma County.

Phoenix, AZ — Organizations from around the country are calling for an end to the immigration raids of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and specifically to revoke his controversial contract with the Department of Homeland Security. A national organizing conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 27th, as well as a march on February 28th.

On Tuesday, February 24, hundreds of hotel workers and community members marched through downtown San Francisco to call on visitors to boycott two major hotels: the HEI Le Meridien and the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf. Workers at these hotels are seeking respect, job security and better livelihoods for themselves and their families. HEI and Hyatt workers have called on management to respect their choice whether or not to form a union through the majority sign-up process – the same process used by numerous other hotels in San Francisco and across the US.

Following a series of Town Hall meetings that have been held since the murder of Oscar Grant, the first in a series of Caravans for Justice traveled to the California State Capitol on February 19th to speak out and lobby legislators on the issues of Oscar Grant and police killings, repressive gang laws, Three Strikes, the San Francisco 8, environmental justice, and other laws and issues that negatively effect urban communities of color.

The 55-year-old Bevatron particle accelerator at the Berkeley Lab will soon be reduced to 4,700 truckloads of rubble to make way for a new experimental facility. Local residents worry that UC's disposal methods are not taking the human population and environment thoroughly into account, and point to the history of the Bevatron as a facility intended to further nuclear weapons technology. Radioactive waste will be trucked to Nevada, while less hazardous rubble will be dumped in Richmond and Livermore.