From the open publishing newswire: Recent Public Access program, "A Growing Concern," interviewing a member of the No New Animal Lab Campaign.

No New Animal Lab is a new pressure campaign to stop the University of Washington from building a proposed underground Animal Research and Care Facility, which would expand the number of animals that the UW can torture and kill by thousands. The No New Animal Lab campaign's primary target is Skanska, a multi-billion dollar international construction firm and the general contractor of the project.

A Growing Concern: No New Animal Labs

[...] Skanska is one of the biggest construction firms in the world; it operates internationally with billions in revenue from its projects. The construction budget for the lab is $90 million, which makes it a comparatively minor project. This is small change to them.

Skanska is also not new to controversy. They have a track record of terminating contracts and canceling projects when their image is on the line. Their long-term branding matters more to them than short-term small cash flows. They know that this lab does not fit their desired image. They even neglected to issue press releases about it, despite a tradition of boasting about their projects to the media.

The No New Animal Lab campaign revealed their dirty secret. Consistency will make them fold. It all hinges on our commitment to animal liberation. The lab will not be built if we sustain enough pressure. So what are you going to do\\\\\\\?

http://nonewanimallab.com

From the open publishing newswire: Keaton Otis Vigil on 4.12.15 in Portland Oregon.
This vigil is at the exact place where Keaton was shot 23 times by the Portland Police in 2010.

https://youtu.be/LGa0OnhYXr0 (Vigil video: 47 minutes)

This monthly vigil is on the 12th in NE Portland and its held at 6:00 PM on NE 6th and Halsey.
In May (next month) there is yearly memorial for Keaton "We Remember"... more info on where and when will be posted here on Indymedia.

The 2010 cellphone video of the murder is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch

There is archived information on this sad tragic death on Portland Copwatch (PCW) here: http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/PPR51/shootingsportland51.html

From the open publishing newswire: How scandalous that communities and states should lose their sovereignty to corporations! In the TTIP, corporations can sue states for lost profits. The threat of a lawsuit can have a chilling effect on labor and environmental protective regulations. A parallel private arbitration system (ISDS) is created that privileges foreign investors over labor and the environment. Public interest legislation is called a trade barrier or indirect expropriation. [...]

The increasingly aggressive statements of those who welcome the planned agreement imply there are only a few ideologically wrong-headed conservationists, social state dreamers and eternal opponents of globalization who oppose the TTIP with their non-governmental organizations driven by a mixture of anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories. But that is wrong. Millions of people, Americans and Europeans, prominent and non-prominent, US congresspersons and German mayors, unionists from Philadelphia and consumer protectors from Marseille, Spanish entrepreneurs and Austrian academics see the TTIP as dangerous. [...]

Call Sen Wyden at 503-326-7525

UPDATE: April 18: Oregon Rallies to Stop Fast Track! 1:00 PM
 http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/04/429618.shtml#442517

From the open publishing newswire: No New Animal Lab: March on the University of Washington!

When: Saturday, April 25, 2pm
Where: Meet in Red Square, University of Washington - Seattle campus
*CARPOOLS WILL BE ORGANIZED FROM PORTLAND

No New Animal Lab: March on the University of Washington!

The University of Washington and construction company Skanska are planning to build a new underground Animal Research and Care Facility. As they attempt to move forward with plans to bury the torture of thousands of animals underground, the No New Animal Lab campaign is organizing international opposition and calling on our movement to make sure this lab is never built. We have the power to stop this lab and save more animals from suffering and death at the UW.

On April 25th, join hundreds of people for a March on the University of Washington. Be a part of making history and showing the University of Washington that people from all over the country will converge on its campus to show opposition to animal research and dedication to stopping the new animal lab from being built.

The clock is ticking. The University of Washington and Skanska will continue to move forward with lab construction unless we stop them. The future of thousands of animals depends on us. The time is now to take to the streets and stop the lab.

For more information about the No New Animal Lab campaign, visit: NoNewAnimalLab.com

From the open publishing newswire: The Red and Black cafe that has been so generous to donate us a space is closed :-( and Books to Prisoners is in need of a new space. We would need about 200 or so square feet, in a dry basement, garage, or extra room in the house---also open to office space or space in a church, community room etc. Because we are a non-profit, the space could be considered an "in kind" donation for a tax write off.
We would need about 200 or so square feet, in a dry basement, garage, or extra room in the house---also open to office space or space in a church, community room etc. Because we are a non-profit, the space could be considered an "in kind" donation for a tax write-off. Please CALL (503) 249-6343 if you might know of an available space. We would need the space twice a month for our mailing nights (first and third Weds of every month) and occasional access to drop books off. Close-in east side would be ideal but we are open to (most!)anything. Thanks!!

From the open publishing newswire: Through this conference [today] we hope to increase how networked our movement is and raise public awareness about issues of privacy, technology and social change in the digital age.

---------------------------

takes place on April 11th, 10am-7pm
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Student Union

Time Schedule:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/03/429357.shtml#442360

From the open publishing newswire: WHAT: Portland Rallies Against Fast-Tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (worse than WTO and NAFTA)
WHEN: Wednesday, April 8 at 12:15 p.m.
WHERE: Courtyard outside the offices of Sen. Wyden and Rep. Blumenauer
911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland (map)

RSVP:  http://sc.org/ORStandsAgainstFastTrack

Questions: Contact Morgan Gratz-Weiser at  morgan.gratzweiser@sierraclub.org.

Together, we'll call on Senator Wyden and Congressman Blumenauer to stand with Oregonians to ensure trade agreements protect the environment. We must keep the pressure on our representatives to reject fast track legislation that seeks to rush the TPP and similar trade deals through Congress.

We'll have great speakers and some fun chants, and will deliver letters to the members. Please feel free to write a personal letter to the representatives telling them specifically why you are opposed to fast track. If you'd like, ride your bike (or bring it!) to show our representatives we're committed to a clean, green future!

4/9 Salem Rally Information:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/04/429566.shtml#442335

From the open publishing newswire:

Updated Posts: 4.10.15 | 4.17.15
A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home. 3 files- Highest quality broadcast, regular broadcast, and slow-modem streaming. Radio Deutsche-Welle, Radio Havana Cuba, NHK World Radio Japan, and Sputnik Radio.

The latest Shortwave Report (April 3) is up at the website http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (160kb)(33MB), broadcast quality (13MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom [...]

From the open publishing newswire: Wednesday 4/1/2015

Today was a kind of fun day one rarely enjoys; most of the time others seem to have all the fun. It started by meeting with Jose, Lightning, and Steve to go over some things and plan out strategy for the future. Yes, believe it not Mr. fish, we do have a strategy to rid ourselves of this city council. Off to the council chambers and there seemed to be more suits than normal, the Ukrainians were waiting to go into the hall of sulfur. It was like being in a foreign country there were so many, maybe 20 people who came to listen and thank our mayor, (or yours, I don't want him) for supporting their cause, but what cause\? They even had a magazine with a smiling hale on its cover [...]

We can't get the mayor to sit down with citizens who have major problems with police accountability and yet there he is taking sides on an issue that is guaranteed to blow up in our faces. I do not understand why he does the things that he does and I continue to be amazed by the lack of shame of this council. We need to throw all of them out as they come up for re-election. And this my friends was just Communications, it gets worse. Moving to item *333, this looked innocent but then we read the supporting documentation and found out that the city was going to go after a grant of $200,000.00 for the cops to expand the capacity of the Portland Police Bureau Behavioral Health Unit. [...]

Bottom line we do not want the Portland Police anywhere near a person who is experiencing a mental breakdown, we want the County to respond to a call for help, not the cops. This grant will keep the PPD responding to people who need help and they will send some aggressive ass that will kill you if you don't shape up and act normal. If you call 911 you will get a cop, if you call the County Emergency number you will get a professional medical person to respond. Here is that number 503-988-4888. [...]

From the open publishing newswire: Books to Prisoners is needing a few more volunteers! Help inspire and educate our brothers and sisters behind bars!
Portland Books to Prisoners is an all volunteer group meeting twice a month for "mailing nights". We could use some volunteers to help with answering letters, filling orders, wrapping packages and sending them out (U.S. postal service). Any kind of fund-raising ideas are also appreciated, as are tax-deductible donations, and book donations--mostly paperbacks as hardback are expensive to mail out. Paperback dictionaries are always a big request. We are also open to being in a new space if anyone knows of a space we could use that is close-in east side (dry basement or garage, church basement, etc.)

The next mailing night is this Wednesday, March 18th from 5:30-8:00!

WHAT: B2P mailing nights
WHERE: in the basement of the Red and Black Cafe (400 S.E. 12th, and Oak) come through the gate around back--look for the sign...
WHEN: First and third Wednesdays of every month
Contact: (503) 249-6343 for more info.

From the open publishing newswire: Out & About With The Troublemakers! 3/13/2015
Going backwards is always my way. We attended the County Meeting on 3/12/2015 and offered the position of Individuals For Justice, (IFJ) on the problem of cell phones for the homeless. When your phone goes dead or you need a jump for it to continue working you plug it into your computer or outlet and you are good to go. What do you do if you live on the streets\? Street Roots did a wonderful job reminding us that José Serrica, a member in good standing, spoke of these a few months ago. So we used our 3 minutes of communication time to tell the Commissioners that it costs less than a penny to charge a cell phone from dead to let's make some calls. They seem to know what we were talking about, maybe because we sent them the article and gave them a heads up that we would be pressing them on this. We also sent copies to the 5 sh-ts at city hall and did receive a note back from our favorite of the 5, Comm. Amanda Fritz, who says they are working or talking about working or thinking of doing something to help. She is one of the few who try and in most cases answers her messages, we like that. "Trust what a politician says and you will get screwed, praise them only when they actually do something." (Joe Walsh 1971) Here is the video of our testimony/communication with the good county commissioners:
http://multnomah.granicus.com

This day only two of us spoke and I am about 4 minutes in, the woman who talked before me is worth listening to because she also is talking about the homeless/houseless. We will keep the pressure on but you can call the chair of the commissioners here and just ask how they are doing with offering a safe place to allow citizens to charge their cell phone. Thank you Street Roots again for reminding us of this important issue. Chair of County Commissioners Kafoury's number: 503- 988-3308 City Commissioner Fritz's number: 503-823-3008

We went to the City Council Gathering of the 5 sh-ts on 3/11/2015 and had a time; they are so weird! The morning session was kind of boring, except for the wonderful kids who came from Harrison Park Elementary school to talk about leadership and the arts, we enjoyed their presence. We also did speak on item 258 concerning the Park Ranger Program. We like the rangers in general and ask that they act as ambassadors and not as cops, we objected to them excluding people from the parks for 30-60-90 days, somebody else should make that decision and not them. There are only 7 permanent rangers for over 200+ parks, we thought that was shameful, we need more rangers, less cops. On to the afternoon session which surprised me with the large number of people coming out to express their views on item 266 commonly called "Remove the Box" [...]

From the open publishing newswire: Two people were arrested by police at the end of tuesday evenings solidarity rally and march downtown in honor of Africa, shot and killed by the LAPD.
In the longer ustream video the two people targeted were standing calmly nearby, without provocation the police arrest both, they say for disorderly conduct. Earlier an officer attempts to coerce someone's identity by threatening to give a citation for being in the street. Seems to me they were targeted for concealing their identity. What do you think\\\?

Clip of arrest:  http://youtu.be/2zNQYQN\\\_UeI
Better context:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/59762313

Relate pimc video post:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/03/429362.shtml#441796
Here's a better quality shot of the arrests yesterday  https://youtu.be/pgWdHLL5hD0 , thanks for being there videographers.

From the open publishing newswire: Know of anything planned to celebrate 4 full years of Fukushima\?

NO NUKES - meet @ Pioneer Square @ Noon

Earth Lover:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/03/429330.shtml#441769

3.11.15 @ 12-noon

"Meet at Pioneer Square at Noon to remember all who have died from Fukushima's ongoing radiation releases, from the people of Japan to the ocean animals and plant life, to the people across the world to those of us here on the West Coast who are being sickened and killed by radiation from Fukushima.

People should bring poster size photos and puppetry of ocean and river friends. Please bring the kids. Drummers welcome! To those who have gas masks, bring those. [...]

Related Video Post from the event: Video: Remembering Fukushima
 http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2015/03/429330.shtml#441846