The city of Bell has a neighbor city called Vernon, and it's ringleaders of Republican Christian mobsters make the RICO predicate acts of Bell pale in comparison. http://www.latimes.com/news/opin... You should go read the entire article at the URL offered howeveer here's an extract: -=- The tiny family fiefdom is essentially a criminal enterprise posing as a city government. It should be officially unincorporated as soon as possible. What's really protected Vernon all these decades is the disregard for the thousands who work in the city's factories each day but live outside Vernon's tightly controlled borders. The city has an assessed property tax base of $4.1 billion to support a population of 96. Next-door Bell has a tax base of $1.1 billion to support a population of 40,000, many of whom are employed in Vernon. The world was outraged when the South African apartheid regime segregated the urban black population into impoverished "Bantustans," cut off from the white-controlled commercial wealth. Why should we permit similar disparities in the heart of our region? -=- This is what happens when Republicanism is allowed to fester. http://www.latimes.com/news/opin...

Yahoo was off today for short bursts of time as the servers appeared to be overloaded. About five percent of Yahoo's workforce is being let go today. The login problems might or may not be linked to these staffing changes. The Yahoo business is fighting the image of a business in free fall. These layoffs and issues with login are not doing anything to fight this image. This layoff puts more individuals in the payday advance loan line. Source of article - Yahoo login goes down as company lays off 700 employees by MoneyBlogNewz.

Yahoo goes down with offerings such as login

Many reports on the web explained that Yahoo login just was not working. That was Tuesday morning. Yahoo News, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo email all would not work. It seemed like Yahoo services were down. Several outside mail offerings reported that Yahoo Mail servers were off. Tues at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, things were better. It seemed all Yahoo services were working intermittently.

Documented to be Yahoo layoffs

Monday night, the New York Times reported that rumors were circulating about Yahoo layoffs. Many news sources confirmed the rumors on Tuesday. About 5 percent of the workforce can be laid off, which is from 600 to seven-hundred people. Most layoffs can be within Yahoo’s product group. This is the group that controls Yahoo goods like Yahoo mail. The Yahoo product division head told department heads to prepare for up to 20 percent of their workforce to get laid off a few days ago.

AOL buyout rejected by Yahoo

In Denver, Colorado outrage about the case of Julian Assange and the illegal attacks on Wikileaks is almost invisible.  Exceptions to the rule include random messaging on college campuses, such as Auroria Denver, and street messaging, such as this graffiti picture, taken from a locomotive next to the Lightrail at the 10th and Osage station.  These messages are beautifully done, and certainly it is better that these exist than nothing at all.  However, these meager offerings, moderately inspiring though they might be to some, are only in reaction to the dominant discourse.  At best these messages are an attempt to radicalize people at an incremental level, influencing the discourse and encouraging people to action and inquiry, however shallow.  At worst they honestly hope to influence policy about Wikileaks or the attack on Julian Assange with some pressure-group theory of politics.  Unfortunately, the current mode of production, system, or totality (krapitalism, the spectacle, the commodity relationship, class rule) not only determines the dominant discourse, it defines it.

Rally to Show Solidarity for Striking Georgia Prisoners
By Phillip Reynes

Note: We are having problems uploading pictures and so the pictures will be found as attachments at the bottom of the article.  COIMC is working to resolve this issue as soon as posible.

It was cold and my hands felt it, I could not wear gloves and work my camera, when I arrived at the new jail that Denver had built on Elate and Colfax to cover the rally in solidarity with the skiting Georgia inmates. I had just heard the strike had ended and wondered if this would effect the turn out. As it turned out nobody knew this at the rally. Despite this fact it was good to see so many cared enough to come out in support of these inmates who exhibit great courage in doing what they have done. I can't help but feel that the state will take it's own revenge against the leaders of the strike.

Regardless, today marks the end of a seven-day strike where tens of thousands of inmates in Georgia refused to work or leave their cells until their demands had been met. The odd thing is, that until today, no one had ever heard about this strike. Unless you read COIMC or are very media savvy and know where to look on line.

It was already dark when I arrived at 5:00 pm for the six o'clock rally. I reflected on Georgia's bad weather as I shivered and waited for the rally to start. The turnout, considering the cold was good, as 20 or so people arrived to show there support and hoist signs showing their solidarity with the Georgia prisoners.

The folowing post was recently submitted to the newsfeed but disapeared in a few days.  The content in no way violates the editorial policy, so I am at a loss of how it disapeared.  I emailed the COIMC list about it, and I am a member of that list so I know that it was not approved for moderation to be sent out to the list.  With no information or idea of what happened to this post, I am re-posting it.  COIMC editors may contact me at stanley1848@riseup.net .

From the Ward Churchill Solidarity Network

At Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado an urgent letter was released altering the Fort Lewis and Durango community about a meeting that took place between FLC president Dene Thomas, Provost Steven Roderick and two students. Concern was raised because of the methods used by the president and the Provost of the college with regards to student input. Not only did the students concerns fall on deaf ears, but we feel there was an attempt to silence us. Most surprising of which is an analogy President Thomas made to FLC and Ken State. Please read the narrative below explaining the meeting in further detail.

Fort Lewis College President Dene Kay Thomas Threatens Students with Kent State
November 17, 2010

FLC President Dene Kay Thomas Brings up Kent State Shootings

At Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado an urgent letter was released altering the Fort Lewis and Durango community about a meeting that took place between FLC president Dene Thomas, Provost Steven Roderick and two students. Concern was raised because of the methods used by the president and the Provost of the college with regards to student input. Not only did the students concerns fall on deaf ears, but we feel there was an attempt to silence us. Most surprising of which is an analogy President Thomas made to FLC and Ken State. Please read the narrative below explaining the meeting in further detail.

November 15th, 2010

The following narrative is a jointly written document concerning the meeting held on Friday November 12th, between FLC students, Jake Brettin and Alex Pullen, and FLC President Dene Kay Thomas and Provost Stephen Roderick. As students who were invited by the President to her office to talk, we feel our voices were not heard and, moreover, an attempt was made to silence us.

In communities across North America October 22nd has become a day to commemorate victims of police repression and violence. For many communities, October 22, 2010 took on a more urgent meaning in the wake of severe police repression and violence that has plagued cities large and small. In Denver, this year's October 22nd event saw a rise in hostility towards the cops and an increased militancy from years' past.

 Throughout 2010, police in the metro area have repeatedly made headlines with horrific acts of violence directed at community members. Ranging from allegations of sexual assault, rapes of children, murders, and beatings, news stories have painted a picture of a department that is clearly running amok and waging war on the residents of Colorado. Offending officers are rarely held accountable and department leadership deftly sweeps incidents under the rug to stave off an increasingly angry public.

One of the most violent and high profile incidents occurred in July. Denver Sheriff's Deputies serving as guards at the new Denver Justice Center murdered 56 year old Marvin Booker, a homeless preacher being held as a prisoner at the jail. Marvin had asked for access to his shoes before he would comply with orders to return to his cell. In response, five deputies tackled him, placed him in repeated choke and pain compliance holds, tasered him, and beat him. Marvin died shortly after the attack. While the local coroner deemed the death a homicide, the DA announced in late September that no charges would be filed against any of the officers involved.

Join Denver ABC for our monthly political prisoner letterwriting night. This month we will focus on women identified prisoners that are being caged for their contributions to liberation struggles and their personal actions against patriarchy.

Come write letters to amazing and strong women who have robbed banks, carried out armed actions against the state and capitalists, successfully defended themselves against their abusers, and have devoted their lives to women’s liberation.

As always, DABC provides everything you need: envelopes, paper, pens, stamps, addresses, and EVEN DINNER!

This is a kid’s friendly event, so bring the whole family… and your friends!

http://denverabc.wordpress.com/2...

Facebook

On September 9, two months to the day after Marvin Booker was murdered by five sheriffs deputies in Denver's brand-spanking new jail, members of Mr. Booker's extended family, in Denver from all over the country to mark the occasion, gathered with their attorneys for a press conference on the steps of the City and County building. Earlier in the day, they had met with Mayor Hickenlooper, who, they said, had expressed condolences and sympathy to the family. And the mayor appeared at the press conference, for which he certainly deserved credit, since I'm sure the city attorney told him not to; though when asked by a reporter about his appearance, and its relevance to the inevitable civil lawsuit, Hickenlooper was quick to say that it did not in any way constitute an admission of wrongdoing on the part of the city. Reverend Spencer Booker, speaking for the family, thanked the mayor for showing sensitivity to their pain, but also called on the District Attorney to quickly bring criminal charges against the officers responsible for Marvin Booker's death.Darold Kilmer, the lead attorney for the family, also called upon the mayor and the city to achieve swift accountability and take measures to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Imagine, he said, if five inmates had killed a deputy; imagine how much further along the process of holding someone accountable would be. He called on the DA to act promptly to bring appropriate criminal charges, noting “the unfortunate history in Denver of a failure of courage to charge law enforcement officers criminally.” Which was a diplomatic way of noting that a DA criminally charging a cop or sheriff for even the most egregious criminal act occurs with roughly the same frequency as a sighting of Halley's comet.

“how can I be a rape ‘survivor’ if I have to continue to go through the motions over and over? I am being Raped Again!! How many times should I have to go through this? I haven’t survived shit! I am still suffering! If I refuse to do this procedure, I will be written up... This refusal would cost me the apartment program and my 8-year-old son would not be able to stay the night with me ever again.” --letter from inmate in DWCF In January of 2010, the Denver Women's Correctional Facility (DWCF) implemented a new search procedure called the 'labia lift.' The following is a description given by an inmate that entails what the strip search includes:

Santa Fe New Mexico to many represents a unique icon of our nation's multicultural past. Little known to the thousands of tourists who visit the city each summer to buy original art and knock-off trinkets, local officials also harbor some deep, dark secrets. The secrets are not told at the iconic state-run Palace of Governors Museum, where Native American artisans sell hand-made jewelry under a covered walkway alongside one of the nation's most visited town squares.

The dark secret involves murder, religion and conquest. Each year, a city-funded celebration of a "peaceful reconquest" omits details of 70 prisoners executed by Conquistadors who captured the Plaza on Dec. 29, 1693. The prisoners had been seized during a daylong battle in which the band of starving colonists hoped to find a supply of food to get them through the winter. The murders, in the words of the conquistador's leader, were for the crime of apostasy against his deity.

The truth of the killings is told in first person by Don Diego De Vargas, who led the 1693 expedition back into New Mexico. De Vargas wrote in his now-translated journals (To the Royal Crown Restored, University of New Mexico Press, 1995) that "I told them I was having them killed”. He ordered his priests to attempt religious conversion of the condemned prisoners, that he ordered his officers to quickly execute the prisoners and wrote that "the number of Indians killed that day was 70." The book is available in the research section of the Santa Fe Public Library, just around the corner from the Plaza.

Grand Valley Homeless Children Need Day Shelter

On Wednesday, September 1, at South 9th St. and the railroad tracks (631 S. 9th St.), Housing First! No More Deaths!, homeless families and other supporters are holding a demonstration to demand action for homeless families. As wonderful of a community as Grand Junction is, there remains a void in services provided to homeless families with children. If this need can not be met before the cold weather of winter comes to the Grand Valley, Housing First! No More Deaths! is ready to take action.

There have been around 500 school-age children identified as homeless in District 51, and there are many more homeless babies and toddlers. There is no designated space in our community for homeless families, some of the most vulnerable members of our community, to safely spend time during the day.

The Catholic Outreach Day Center provides space for homeless adults to do laundry, receive mail, and have shelter from inclement weather during the day. But the Day Center has exhausted their resources and are unable to allow children in their facility. This means that Grand Junction’s homeless children and babies are left out in the elements, and single mothers and fathers are left with nowhere to do laundry or access the Day Center’s other services.

An American and an Australian activist have been cleared of planning violent demos at COP15.

Danish prosecutors have suffered a serious defeat in the wake of the COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen last December after a court has cleared an Australian and an American activist of planning violent demonstrations during the summit.

The Copenhagen Municipal Court judge found that prosecution evidence was not strong enough to warrant the accusations and set the two free to the general applause of some 30 supporters.

The charges against the two, a 27-year-old American man and a 34-year-old Australian woman, included planning several violent demonstrations against, among others, the Danish confederation of industries DI, Dansk Energi, Shell, Maersk and Forum.

The two, who have previously been in custody for three weeks, have consistently denied all charges.

According to the charges the two had planned their violent demonstrations but were prevented from carrying them out when police detained them in mid-December, before the COP15 summit reached its climax.
 

Community Protests Police Terror

On Saturday, August 28, activists and concerned community members marched through the streets of Denver to protest murders and beatings of unarmed persons by Denver and Aurora police officers. About 150 marchers gathered at 2 pm, at the corner of 20th Street and Little Raven, where Mark Ashford was brutalized. The march followed a route that visited the scene of police violence against Shawn Johnson and Michael DeHerrera at Fifteenth and Larimer Streets, and finally ending at the Van Cise Simonet Detention Center, where Marvin Booker, a homeless street preacher arrested on a misdemeanor charge, was beaten, tased, and crushed to death by deputies on July 9, 2010, as he tried to retrieve his shoes, before being taken to another area of the jail.

There were several protests shortly after Mr. Booker's death. This larger event, organized by All Nations Alliance and West Denver and Aurora Copwatch, was the first since the usually complacent court termed Mr. Booker's death a homicide. The deputies involved in the death have been put on paid leave—hardly a punishment--and Safety Manager Ron Peria has resigned. However, outraged community members are calling for full prosecution of the case, with murder charges against the officers. They are also demanding the release of a video-tape that captured the murder of Mr. Booker.

Join West Denver Copwatch, Aurora Copwatch, the hood, the barrio, the community, and concerned folks for a tour of police brutality.

Denver Law Enforcement has been brutal for years, however the situation has reached a pinnacle.

We will be marching to the sites of the most recent incidents of brutality

The march will be begin at 20th St and Little Raven where Mark Ashford was brutalized.

It will continue to 15th street and Larimer where Shawn Johnson and Michael DeHerrera were viciously assaulted.

The march will end at the Van Cise Justice Center where Marvin Booker was murdered by the hands of Denver deputies, and the rally will ensue.

Be there to demand JUSTICE, TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, OVERSIGHT, and an END TO POLICE BRUTALITY

Where: Gather at 20th and Little Raven

When: Saturday August 28, 2010 @ 2:00pm, Step off @ 2:30pm

Bring your love and your rage

Contact info: westdenvercopwatch@riseup.net
720.878.3658
 

by anonymous for Colorado Indymedia

August 20th, 2010 - Denver, CO

The police in Denver are rabid. Folks are saying the cops and the city are "circling their wagons" after multiple high-profile brutality incidents were caught on video. By the actions of the Denver Sheriff's Department and Denver Safety Manager Ron Perea, it would be hard to say those folks are wrong. At the new detention center, fully equipped with state of the art surveillance, a small but lively 54 year old black houseless street preacher brought in on a minor drug charge is beaten, choked out, and tased before succumbing to death over a pair of shoes; the Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney do everything they can to suppress the release of the video in the name of a "pending investigation." His killers, five guards, continue to work in the facility despite a Denver Corner ruling of homicide this week. More rallies are planned.

Marvin Booker was a street pastor tased and beaten to death in the new Denver jail. His family, including his father and brothers have just arrived in Denver to get answers around his brutal murder.

The family, along with his attorneys, are demanding entrance into the jail to relive and attempt to put to rest the horrific tragedy that occurred by the hands of the Denver Sheriff’s department.

Join the Family for a press conference and to Demand Justice for Marvin Booker

When: Tomorrow, August 11th @ 10:00 am

Where: Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, located at 490 W.Colfax Ave

Plans are in the works for a Southwest Bio-Regional Earth First! Rendezvous and Organizers’ Conference, August 20-22, in the beautiful San Luis Valley of Colorado. The rendezvous site is near the town of Saguache, in the Rio Grande National Forest. Exact site location and directions will be released some time in early August.

We’re seeking teachers and trainers to help facilitate workshops in direct action, civil disobedience, forest defense, eco-defense, and more…

We must build the skill sets and face to face relationships of trust and affinity necessary to effectively defend our bio-regions and land bases.

The size and organization of this event will in many ways reflect our current state as a force to be reckoned with in the Southwest, which is to say that this will be a small gathering with less structure and organization than other rendezvous in bio-regions where the EF! presence is more established and experienced.

Though an informal communal kitchen will be formed, please come prepared for self-sufficiency and inclement weather. Water for filtration or other purification is available on site.

Contact southwestearthfirst@riseup.net for more info or to get involved.
 

More: http://southwestearthfirst.wordp...