About | Contact | Subscribe | Calendar | Publish | Donate |
---|
Fri Jan 18 2013 (Updated 01/19/13)
Thousands of Animals are Suffering at For-Profit Research Lab in Santa Cruz
The first-ever lawsuit against an animal research lab under California's cruelty and unfair competition laws was filed in early January in a complaint with the California Superior Court of Santa Cruz County against Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., for violating state animal cruelty and unfair competition laws by failing to properly care for their animals according to numerous Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspections.
Wed Jan 16 2013 (Updated 01/17/13)
Activist Says Homeland Security Agenda of Peacecamp Enforcement Strategy was Anti-Homeless
On December 6, a jury found Linda Lemaster guilty of "unlawful lodging" during Peacecamp 2010 in Santa Cruz, and she was sentenced to community service and probation. Lemaster believes now, even more than when she left the trial, that her being cited for lodging was about breaking up a political protest that relied on a law enforcement strategy that is anti-homeless and has a homeland security agenda.
![]() ![]()
On January 10th, IWW members and community allies staged an informational picket and rally to build energy towards what organizers think will be a protracted contract negotiation with Berkeley's Ecology Center. Management at the non-profit recycling center is looking to offer minor wage increases over the next two years, impose a wage freeze for the remaining three years of the new contract, and remove any employer-related benefit contributions. Workers have vowed to continue fighting against any and all concessions proposed by management of the company.
Tue Jan 15 2013 (Updated 01/16/13)
Community Groups Organize Against the Hiring of William Bratton as OPD Consultant
On Tuesday, January 15th, hundreds of community activists from groups including Stop the Injunctions Coalition and Justice for Alan Blueford gathered at Oakland's City Council Public Safety Committee meeting to protest Oakland's plans to hire former NYPD and LAPD police chief William Bratton as a consultant to the OPD. Bratton is well known for the implementation of aggressive policing tactics known as "zero tolerance" policy which applies aggressive policing tactics such as New York's infamous "stop and frisk" to target minor infractions within the city. Even though the public safety meeting was well attended by those opposed to the contract, the committee voted unanimously to recommend that the city council vote on the proposal.
Tue Jan 15 2013 (Updated 01/16/13)
$4.1 Silicon Valley "Dream House" Site of Occupy Movement Speak-Out
On January 10th, demonstrators protested in Menlo Park in front of a $4.1 million Dream House that is being raffled off to benefit the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. They explained their objection to the Dream House model of fundraising saying that arts organizations should receive public funds from taxes paid by corporations instead of a raffle that is essentially "a tax on the people".
Mon Jan 14 2013 (Updated 01/15/13)
Oakland Courthouse Blows Up After FTP March Arrestee Taken into Custody
Four people were arrested and one was tased by sheriff's deputies after protesters became boisterous in an Alameda County Wiley Manuel courtroom on January 8th. Of the courthouse disruption, Bay of Rage writes: nearly 100 people gathered at Oscar Grant Plaza to say goodbye to Jack. Jack was arrested on January 7, 2012 during the very first FTP march in downtown Oakland.... Together with our comrade and his family leading the way we walked quietly in the street some eight blocks to the court house. About 50 of us somberly filed into the courtroom.
Mon Jan 14 2013 (Updated 01/15/13)
Orange Jumpsuit Protest in Palo Alto Marks Opening of Guantánamo 11 Years Ago
January 11th, 2013, marked the day the unlawful prison Guantánamo opened 11 years ago. A protest organized by Amnesty International was held in Palo Alto's Lytton Plaza. Protesters demonstrated to remind President Obama of his promise to shut down Guantánamo prison and uphold human rights. Participants from many groups gathered in busy downtown Palo Alto to gather signatures and draw attention to the human rights abuses that continue in Guantánamo.
Thu Jan 10 2013
75 River Conspiracy Charges Dismissed at Preliminary Hearing
At a preliminary hearing on January 8, all charges against Desiree Foster, Robert Norse, and Becky Johnson in association with the occupation of a vacant bank building in 2011 were dismissed by Santa Cruz Judge Paul P. Burdick. Charges still remain in effect for four defendants, though Burdick removed conspiracy from the counts they face. Additionally, the judge sanctioned District Attorney Rebekah Young with a $500 fine for the violation of a discovery order, saying that he had never imposed a sanction like this on the District Attorney's office before.
![]()
Sat Jan 5 2013 (Updated 01/06/13)
In Protest of Prison Industrial Complex, Barrage of Fireworks Aimed at North County Jail
For the second New Year's Eve in a row, nearly two hundred people chose to forgo traditional evening indoor parties and instead demonstrated in the streets of Oakland against the racist prison industrial complex. After a noisy march with a sound system, a symbolic attack was made against the North County jail by a barrage of fireworks shot high into the air towards the jailhouse walls. Participants marched back to the plaza in time for the midnight count down to 2013, right in the middle of the intersection of 14th & Broadway.
Thu Jan 3 2013 (Updated 01/04/13)
Family, Friends, and Community Activists Gather for 4th Annual Vigil for Oscar Grant
Family and friends remembered Oscar Grant during a January 1st, 2013 vigil at the Fruitvale BART Station where his life was taken New Year's Day 2009. Four years after his murder by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, Oakland has not forgotten Grant. Over 150 people came out in Grant's memory.
Mon Dec 31 2012 (Updated 01/01/13)
After a Year of Demonstrations, Only 3 of 113 Former La Playa Workers Have Been Re-Hired
As the holiday season hit full force at the shopping/vacation destination of Carmel by the Sea, former La Playa Hotel workers continued to remain hopeful that some of those in attendance at a labor rally at the hotel on December 20th would receive back the jobs that they lost over a year ago. Since the hotel re-opened over the summer, only three of the former 113 workers have been re-hired.
Wed Dec 19 2012 (Updated 12/25/12)
Environmental Activists Demonstrate Against Fracking on the Monterey Shale
On December 12th, dozens of protesters rallied outside a federal auction in Sacramento against plans to lease more than 17,000 acres of California public land to oil companies for drilling and fracking. Demonstrators fear that opening up thousands of acres of public land to oil and gas exploration would directly undercut the state's commitment to clean and renewable energy and endanger an already threatened water supply. Land spanning Monterey, San Benito and Fresno counties lies on what is known as the Monterey Shale, a formation of underground minerals. Oil and gas companies are targeting this expanse for hydraulic drilling.
Sat Dec 15 2012 (Updated 12/25/12)
"We Witness": A Panel on Digital Video, Social Media, & Political Protest at UC Berkeley
A forum on the UC Berkeley campus called “We Witness: A Panel on Digital Video, Social Media, & Political Protest,” was held on Monday, December 10, and presented by the CITRIS Data and Democracy Initiative. It featured Witness, an NGO documenting human rights violations, The New Media Advocacy Project, and Ustream, a commercial service for live video streaming.
Fri Dec 21 2012 (Updated 12/22/12)
San Francisco Protesters Portray Wells Fargo as Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Saying that Wells Fargo has "case after case of folks who are in foreclosure, forced out of homes they have lived in for decades," protesters portrayed the mega bank as "the Grinch that stole Christmas" on December 18th. Two senior citizen organizations took their money out of Wells Fargo and joined a protest rally outside at Grant and Market in San Francisco.
![]()
Sat Nov 24 2012 (Updated 11/28/12)
Occupy the Farm Remains Committed to Protecting Albany Farmland in Perpetuity
Occupy the Farm writes: "On Friday November 16, 2012, the University of California (UC) razed all of the publicly planted crops on the Gill Tract. Occupy the Farm is disappointed that the UC has unnecessarily destroyed the hard work of the community and food that could have fed it. The weekly distribution and harvest events could have continued that, over the course of the summer and early fall, have yielded over one ton of food from the crops planted during the occupation last Spring.
Tue Nov 27 2012 (Updated 11/28/12)
Community Members Strip After SF Board of Supervisors Vote to Ban Public Nudity
In a narrow 6-5 vote on November 20, the Board of Supervisors voted to ban public nudity in the City of San Francisco. Community members have protested the legislation, proposed by Supervisor Scott Wiener, for weeks, culminating when individuals stripped nude after the decision was made at the meeting. The ban will be put to a final vote by the Board on Tuesday, December 4th.
Sun Nov 25 2012 (Updated 11/28/12)
Richmond and San Leandro Walmart Workers Protest in National Action on Black Friday 2012
On November 22nd & 23rd, Walmart workers and supporters demonstrated at the Richmond and San Leandro Walmarts as part of the national Black Friday protests against the nation's largest retailer. In San Leandro on November 22nd, Walmart threatened the use of the police to remove the protesters, including their own workers. On November 23rd, demonstrations were held in San Leandro and Richmond. Walmart workers spoke about the intimidation and terrorism on the job to silence them from speaking out and organizing.
Mon Nov 26 2012 (Updated 11/29/12)
Water Decision May Be Last Legal Hurdle Preventing UC Santa Cruz Development
On Wednesday, December 5th, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will reconvene for what may be the final hearing concerning the request by UC Santa Cruz to extend the water service needed to develop 240 acres of Upper Campus natural habitat, which would require over 250 million additional gallons of water per year from the Santa Cruz water supply.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
Thu Nov 22 2012 (Updated 11/26/12)
Lawyer Demands Indybay Remove "Information Pertaining to Public Safety Officers"
Attorney David E. Mastagni of the Sacramento law firm Mastagni, Holstedt, Amick, Miller & Johnsen has demanded that the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center (Indybay) remove a post by Vallejo Copwatch. It is unclear on whose behalf the overly broad demand was made as it requests that Indybay "remove any and all information pertaining to public safety officers employed by the City of Vallejo." The specific Vallejo Copwatch post listed in the demand letter, though, identifies Vallejo police officer Dustin B. Joseph as the killer of Mario Romero on September 2nd of this year. The Indybay Collective has no intention of removing the post.
For a few hours on November 17th in San Francisco, a Wells Fargo Home loan bank branch was turned into a homeless shelter and soup kitchen to highlight the harm caused by the bank to numerous communities across the U.S. The action was "Brought to you by Occupy Bernal, ACCE-SF, Occupy Direct Action Workgroup, Occupy Action Council of SF, Occupy SF Environmental Justice Workgroup, Community Not Commodity, Occupy Noe, San Francisco Tenants Union, Senior and Disability Action, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Communities United in Defense of Olmsted."
![]()
Tue Nov 13 2012 (Updated 11/14/12)
Memorial for Soldiers Killed in Iraq and Afghanistan Continues to Grow
On a small hill next to Deer Hill Road in the City of Lafayette, over 6,000 crosses have been erected and displayed as an on-going tribute, and to memorialize the soldiers, who have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The hillside has been marked with controversy, and has sparked anger and even attracted counter protests to its existence.
Sun Nov 4 2012 (Updated 11/05/12)
Attorney John Burris Says Racial Profiling by Police Lead to Derrick Gaines's Killing
On October 30, the family of Derrick Gaines, the 15 year old who was shot and killed by South San Francisco Police Department officer Joshua Cabillo, filed a federal civil rights action against the City of South San Francisco. Family members, who are seeking $10 million in damages, hired Attorney John Burris to represent them in the wrongful death action. Burris says, "This is a clear case of racial profiling that lead to disastrous results."
Occupy Oakland Anti-Repression Committee writes: "Over the past year, we have experienced many forms of overt police repression, from the camp eviction and night of tear gas on October 25th, to raids on the vigil, to snatch and grab squads on May Day. We have come to expect the riot-clad police, with their batons and chemical weapons, although repression comes in other forms as well. As a community, we have not been sufficiently attuned to these other faces of repression."
Mon Oct 22 2012 (Updated 10/25/12)
Opponents of Proposed Desalination Plant Estimate a Total Cost of $300 Million
Program managers delivered a $114 million cost estimate for construction of the proposed desal plant to the members of the Desalination Task Force at their October 17 meeting in Santa Cruz. The $114 million figure is to be considered a range, representing a possible cost of between $97 million and $143 million for the plant, and it does not include the millions spent already during the early phase of planning and promotion of the proposed water project.
Mon Oct 22 2012
Now is the Time to Take Security Very Seriously
BayOfRage writes: "The spectre of state repression has been growing over Bay Area radical milieus. Grand juries in the Pacific Northwest and in Santa Cruz, threats by police of using gang enhancements against activists, the recent string of mass arrests, the profusion of political divisions and threats, abundant conspiracy theories, surveillance of our social spaces, FOIA paperwork that references a confidential informer--The list goes on and on and on. Even though everything we hear cannot be entirely proven or disproven, recent events underscore the importance of preparing for a possible crackdown."
Mon Oct 15 2012 (Updated 10/19/12)
Hotel Workers and Unite Here Officials Continue to Fight for Justice at La Playa Hotel
After more than a dozen labor demonstrations at La Playa Carmel this summer which followed the announcement of a boycott of the hotel, community members had new answers to the question, "Is this working?" At a rally at the hotel held on September 28, Mark Weller of UNITE HERE Local 483, the hospitality union that represents workers in the Monterey Bay area, cited the recent contract approval negotiated for workers at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley as a victory for La Playa workers also.
Fri Oct 12 2012 (Updated 10/14/12)
Homes Not Jails and Allies Occupy Vacant Building in the Castro; Twenty Arrested
On October 10th, Homes Not Jails and their allies occupied a building in the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco in solidarity with the 3rd annual World Homeless Action Day. The action began with a rally in Dolores Park, followed by a march to the occupation site. Homes Not Jails reclaimed the vacant space in an attempt to provide housing through direct action and protest the criminalization of homelessness. San Francisco police arrested twenty people on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and vandalism. Homes Not Jails intends to continue “to take to the streets to and take direct action” by occupying vacant buildings until their needs are met.
![]() ![]()
Wed Oct 10 2012 (Updated 11/23/12)
Looking Back and Forward, Occupy Oakland Marks Anniversary with Gathering at Snow Park
Following the lead of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy San Francisco, and other cities across the U.S., Occupy Oakland established itself on October 10th, 2011, with a large rally of thousands in the Frank Ogawa plaza in front of City Hall. Regular rallies, marches, workshops, and skillshares began to emanate from within the encampment. A second smaller camp was established in nearby Snow Park. Despite the encampments having been destroyed by police, and throughout numerous dramatic ups and downs, large and small, Occupy Oakland in various forms has persisted. Occupy Oakland celebrates its one-year anniversary at Snow Park on Lake Merritt at 5pm on Wednesday, October 10th.
01/18/13 Thousands of Animals are Suffering at For-Profit Research Lab in Santa Cruz animalliberation | santacruz 01/16/13 Activist Says Homeland Security Agenda of Peacecamp Enforcement Strategy was Anti-Homeless police | poverty | california | santacruz 01/16/13 Curbside and Buyback Recycling Workers Stage Protest Against Management environment | labor 01/15/13 $4.1 Silicon Valley "Dream House" Site of Occupy Movement Speak-Out globalization | peninsula 01/15/13 Community Groups Organize Against the Hiring of William Bratton as OPD Consultant police | race 01/14/13 Oakland Courthouse Blows Up After FTP March Arrestee Taken into Custody police | globalization 01/14/13 Orange Jumpsuit Protest in Palo Alto Marks Opening of Guantánamo 11 Years Ago police | antiwar | international 01/10/13 75 River Conspiracy Charges Dismissed at Preliminary Hearing police | globalization | santacruz 01/05/13 In Protest of Prison Industrial Complex, Barrage of Fireworks Aimed at North County Jail police | race 01/03/13 Family, Friends, and Community Activists Gather for 4th Annual Vigil for Oscar Grant police | race 12/31/12 After a Year of Demonstrations, Only 3 of 113 Former La Playa Workers Have Been Re-Hired labor | santacruz |
![]() Monday Jan 21st 10:51 AM ![]() Saturday Jan 19th 10:43 PM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 9:01 PM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 11:25 AM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 7:35 AM ![]() Thursday Jan 17th 10:07 AM ![]() Wednesday Jan 16th 6:54 PM ![]() Sunday Jan 20th 8:32 PM ![]() Sunday Jan 20th 12:42 PM ![]() Saturday Jan 19th 9:15 AM ![]() Sunday Jan 20th 12:59 PM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 11:51 PM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 11:21 PM ![]() Friday Jan 18th 11:15 PM ![]() Thursday Jan 17th 9:31 PM ![]() Tuesday Jan 15th 8:20 AM ![]() Tuesday Jan 15th 6:15 AM |