Fri Jun 30 2017
Critical Time to Defend People's Park
Fri Jun 30 2017
Berkeley Mayor and UC Chancellor Agree to End People's Park
From the open-publishing newswire: Berkeley's new mayor, Jesse Arreguin, has been meeting in private with UC Berkeley's new chancellor, Carol Christ. The new mayor and the new chancellor are in agreement: People's Park must end. According to Berkeleyside, the mayor "is enthusiastic about the plans" to develop housing on People's Park. This is a crucial time to defend People's Park, through occupy tactics, and other methods of public support. The development plan includes two large buildings: a unit for student housing and allegedly a unit to house the homeless. Increasing housing is a noble cause; however, the city of Berkeley has a shortage of truly public open space.
Fri Jun 30 2017 (Updated 07/01/17)
Agreement Reached to Close Cemex Sand Mine in Marina
Fri Jun 30 2017 (Updated 07/01/17)
An End to the Last Coastal Sand Mine in the United States
On July 13, the California Coastal Commission will consider an agreement that would close the Cemex Lapis Sand Mine in Marina. The mine has been linked to severe coastal erosion in southern Monterey Bay, which is losing more coastline than anywhere else in the state. Cemex mines about 300,000 tons of sand each year from a self-made pond right on the beach in Marina. This is essentially like carrying away one 14-yard dump truck full of sand from the beach every 40 minutes, around the clock. And this has been going on at the plant for decades — although at lower quantities when operations began — without a requisite Coastal Development Permit.
Wed Jun 28 2017 (Updated 06/30/17)
Berkeley Votes to Continue Participation in Urban Shield Despite Protest
Wed Jun 28 2017 (Updated 06/30/17)
Police Beat & Arrest Community Members Protesting at Berkeley City Council Meeting
On June 20, over 500 advocates and Berkeley residents, including former mayor of Berkeley Gus Newport, packed the Berkeley City Council chamber to show support for withdrawing the city from the controversial and highly militarized Urban Shield SWAT training and weapons expo. Berkeley police officers violently cracked down on community members opposed to Berkeley’s participation in Urban Shield at a special hearing of the city council. Two people were arrested, and multiple people were injured. Two days later, the City of Berkeley decided to uphold the largely contested vote by the Mayor and City Council on the city's participation in the controversial Urban Shield program.
Mon Jun 26 2017 (Updated 06/28/17)
Tracking Twenty Years of Stockton Killings by Law Enforcement
Mon Jun 26 2017 (Updated 06/28/17)
Timeline Documents High Rate of Officer-Involved Killings in Stockton, CA
This timeline mapping state violence in Stockton, CA was collectively generated as part of a larger ongoing convivial research effort to expose low intensity war across the Bay Area and state. The timeline was produced through a collaboration between the Center for Convivial Research and Autonomy (CCRA) and the efforts of families and grassroots groups in Stockton and beyond. It is a tool that remembers, counts, mourns and honors our dead. The timeline is a collaborative effort of documentation over time that makes visible the many resistances that have refused erasure.
Thu Jun 22 2017
Meet the Bay Area’s 4chan Kangaroo Court
Northern California Anti-Racist Action writes: On May 24, the Berkeley Police Department arrested Eric Clanton in Oakland regarding alleged assaults that occurred during an April 15 confrontation in Berkeley between antifascists and a coalition of far-right groups. In weeks preceding Clanton’s arrest, members of 4chan’s politics forum called /pol/, the alt-right and all around disgusting and hate-filled internet message board, had been collecting what they considered to be evidence in the case. Threads about Eric Clanton’s alleged behavior could be seen wedged between other discussions such as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jewish world domination and the biological inferiority of people of color.
Tue Jun 20 2017 (Updated 06/26/17)
Charges of Election Rigging Aggravate Split in California Democratic Party
Tue Jun 20 2017 (Updated 06/26/17)
Independent Audit Sought to Resolve Secretive Selection Process for Dem Party Chair
Joel Block writes: Clearly, there is a split in the California State Party, which reflects the split in the National Party since the beginning of Bernie Sanders' campaign and even earlier. The current issue splitting the California Party is over who won the recent Party Chair election at the State Convention in Sacramento, May 19-21. Everyone agrees the California State Convention Chair election between "insider" Eric Bauman and "outsider" Kimberly Ellis was extremely close. No official election vote report was made to the Convention Delegates. The ongoing informal "ballot review/audit" process to resolve the election and the challenges is clearly not working to unite the Party.
Mon Jun 5 2017
The Epic Battle Between Big Oil & the People of California
On Thirteenth Street in front of the Sacramento Convention Center where the Democratic Convention was being held on May 20, a group of activists held a mock “tug of war" between the people of California and the oil industry for the loyalty of Governor Jerry Brown. The skit depicted the contradiction between Jerry Brown the “climate leader,” who appeals to his Democratic base by preaching against climate change and for green energy, and the other guy, “Big Oil Brown,” who supports the expansion of fracking in California and the construction of the Delta Tunnels — and has received millions in contributions from the oil and energy industries.
Sun Jun 4 2017 (Updated 06/06/17)
Stay Vigilant, Stay Strong, and Fuck Snitches
Sun Jun 4 2017 (Updated 06/06/17)
Once A Snitch, Always a Snitch: Andrew Clark Darst Ironically Protests His Lack of Privacy
On May 5, someone presenting themselves as federal informant Andrew Clark Darst tried again to establish communication with organizers he informed against in the lead-up to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN. Most of the RNC 8 write: We are bewildered, dismayed and angered by the bizarre entitlement of the email. The author, apparently the same person who spent a full year lying to people to gain their trust, all the while sharing all the information he gathered with the FBI, dares to ask us for privacy. He points out that our shining a light on his actions may damage his career options.
Thu Jun 1 2017
80% of Palestinian Detainee Demands Met
The hunger striking Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons suspended their hunger strike on May 27 at dawn, after a 20-hour session of talks between the Israeli Prison Authority and imprisoned legislator Marwan Barghouthi and other senior political prisoners. Issa Qaraqe, the head of the Palestinian Detainees’ Committee, and Qaddoura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, said in a press release that the detainees reached an agreement with the Israeli authorities regarding their demands and officially suspended their strike. “A substantial transformation has been achieved by this strike,” Qaraqe declared.
Tue May 30 2017 (Updated 05/31/17)
Fuck Trump at the Oakland Coliseum
Tue May 30 2017 (Updated 05/31/17)
Artists Project Call for Trump Impeachment at Coliseum, Get Handcuffed by Security
From the open-publishing newswire: Don the Con has admitted to obstructing justice, and he should be impeached. We tried to project just that on a billboard next to Oracle Coliseum, after a Warriors game (victory!). IMPEACH didn't fit the sign as well as Fuck Trump. As fireworks went up so did the chant, "Fuck Trump! Fuck Trump!" Security noticed. A policewoman asked us to leave, and we packed up. As we were on our way out, we were surrounded and seized by coliseum security. Some of us were handcuffed. Our projector tripod was broken. The coliseum security did not wear badges and refused to give their names.
Thu May 25 2017 (Updated 06/22/17)
Hunger Strike Begins at Folsom State Prison
Thu May 25 2017 (Updated 06/22/17)
Prisoners Protest Inhumane Conditions in Segregation Units with Hunger Strike
The men at Old Folsom State Prison in the ASU and Ad-Seg will begin a hunger strike on May 25 due to ongoing issues with the conditions of confinement that violate the Eighth Amendment. All the prisoners held in Folsom’s ASU and Ad-Seg are without food bowls, therefore having to eat out of ziplock bags. They have no cups, needing to drink water from an old milk carton. They have no TVs, no property at all. The mail is sometimes withheld for no reason — up to a month for some prisoners, for others even longer. All they’re asking for is to be given day-to-day necessities. So, in order to have their voices heard, they feel they have no choice but to hunger strike.
Mon May 22 2017
The Highway Murderers Are A Neo-Nazi Band From Santa Cruz
The Highway Murderers are a crypto-fascist rock band from Santa Cruz. Since their formation in 2002, they have constantly been subject to criticism and resistance from the northern California music community for their violent, misogynistic, and racist behavior. The band is generally good at masking their white power and fascist symbols and aesthetics behind the violent imagery that permeates in contemporary metal music scenes. Despite this, members have slipped up and revealed their true colors with social media posts that expose their neo-nazi leanings. The Highway Murderers are scheduled to perform on Saturday, May 27 in San José.
At a meeting between representatives of the Santa Cruz chapter of ACLU of Northern California; Sanctuary Santa Cruz; Peace United Church of Christ and the Public Defender’s Office on April 19, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart was presented evidence of the ongoing arrangement whereby the Sheriff’s Office notifies ICE of release dates of arrested but non-convicted undocumented locals. When confronted with this evidence Hart confirmed the jail policy of cooperation and agreed to consider the information presented to him about other jurisdictions who refused to cooperate with ICE. At a meeting on May 10, however, Hart said that he would not change Santa Cruz County's jail policy.
A new study released by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Paying More for Being Poor: Bias and Disparity in California’s Traffic Court System, shows that Californians pay some of the highest fines and fees in the country — more than three times the national average for running a red light. And new Bay Area data reveals that African-Americans are four to sixteen times more likely to be booked into county jail on a charge related to inability to pay a citation. Two bills before the California Legislature (SB 185 and AB 412) seek to address many of the disparities
Wed May 17 2017 (Updated 05/19/17)
The Poverty, Politics and Profit of Section 8 Housing
Wed May 17 2017 (Updated 05/19/17)
Section 8 Vouchers Help The Poor — But Only If Housing Is Available
More than 2 million families now use Section 8 vouchers to keep from becoming homeless. It's the government's largest program to help low-income families pay their rent. However Section 8 housing proposals face stiff opposition in cities across the US, including the McKinney and Frisco suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Nicole Humphrey, an opponent, proclaimed, "In this neighborhood, most of us are stay-at-home moms with young kids. The lifestyle that goes with Section 8 is usually working, single moms or people who are struggling to keep their heads above water. It's just not people who are the same class as us."
Tue May 16 2017
Call Goes Out to Defund OPD, Invest in Community
Defund OPD writes: The process of allocating Oakland’s 2.6 billion dollar budget for 2017-2019 has begun. We believe that the scandal-ridden and dysfunctional Oakland Police Department consumes far too many of our city's resources. It’s time to audit police spending and performance, and redirect wasted funds to community-building, constructive strategies for making Oakland a safer and better place to live. The people of Oakland know that policing is the wrong framework for bringing true security to our communities. Oakland’s budget needs to reflect our values and our priorities.
Mon May 15 2017 (Updated 05/20/17)
Standing Rock Copwatchers in the Bay Area
Mon May 15 2017 (Updated 05/20/17)
Young Natives Traveling, Sharing & Seeking Funds for the Resistance as Camps Begin to Grow
Standing Rock Copwatchers write: In 2016, we left our families, our homes, our lives to go defend the water at Standing Rock, North Dakota. We stood in struggle with hundreds of tribes from across the country and continent. Our fight was for mother earth, and it was for our people, our history, and for our future. We have been traveling from city to city connecting with other people, sharing our stories, speaking about the fight for our earth, and conducting know your rights trainings. Many of us are currently in Oakland. We are fundraising to get the clutch on our bus fixed and for a NoDAPL / Copwatch food truck.
Fri May 5 2017 (Updated 05/16/17)
Reclaim Our Democracy from the Oil Industry
Fri May 5 2017 (Updated 05/16/17)
Oil Money Out, People Power In! March and Rally in Sacramento
California is often portrayed as the nation's “green leader,” but the reality is much different. Over the 2015-2016 Legislative Session, the oil industry spent a historic $36.1 million to lobby California lawmakers. During the last six years, the industry has spent $122 million in Sacramento, more than any other interest group. “This spending spree has paid huge dividends for these companies, allowing them to dismantle and crush any meaningful legislation that might significantly curb their power to drill and pollute in California,” said David Braun of Rootskeeper. Braun urged people to join a diverse array of activists on Saturday, May 20 for a march and rally in Sacramento.
Wed May 3 2017 (Updated 05/10/17)
City Considers Taking More Measures Against The Homeless
Wed May 3 2017 (Updated 05/10/17)
Protest and March on May 9: No Penalty for Poverty — Housing for All
The City of Santa Cruz is considering a number of new policies that would impact local homeless people. There is an effort by a handful of property owners and their allies at City Hall to end the Food Not Bombs meals outside the downtown Post Office. Officials may implement a number of new restrictions and architectural changes to make the lives of those without housing more painful. One unhoused person, Greg Mercado, died of complications from an old surgery twelve hours after the police kicked him out from the City Hall grounds and gave him a ticket for being in a park after hours.
Fri May 5 2017 (Updated 05/10/17)
Affordable Housing Crisis in Sonoma County
Fri May 5 2017 (Updated 05/10/17)
Younger Workers Priced Out of Sonoma County Housing Market
The bay area's affordable housing crisis continues to expand, and students at Sonoma Student University are trying to cope with the implications. Kendyl Saxby writes: Sonoma County is in a rent crisis that is negatively effecting everyone and it is only growing. People are stuck living in squalor due to the 1% vacancy rate in Santa Rosa. Families can no longer afford extracurricular activities for their children. College students cannot afford rent and end up living at home with their parents or homeless. Employers are losing workers who can no longer afford to live here.
Tue May 2 2017 (Updated 05/04/17)
UCSC's Kerr Hall Reclaimed Until A/BSA Demands Are Met
Tue May 2 2017 (Updated 05/04/17)
Students Reclaim Main Administrative Building at UC Santa Cruz to Press Demands
Update: In a meeting on May 4, Chancellor George Blumenthal agreed to meet all four demands presented by A/BSA. Students stress that the struggle continues.
On May 2, hundreds of students rallied in Quarry Plaza at UC Santa Cruz to "let the Chancellor know Black Students need support from the University." Students then marched to Kerr Hall, the main administrative building at UCSC, and launched a reclamation of the building. Employees left the building, as students declared they will remain until the demands from Afrikan Black Student Alliance (A/BSA) are met. Their demands begin by stating, "The Afrikan Black Caribbean identified students have spoken. The issues on this campus far exceed anything easily fixed. However Black students at UCSC have composed a list of uncompromisable demands."
Sun Apr 30 2017 (Updated 05/02/17)
Day of Rage in Palestine as Mass Hunger Strike Continues
Sun Apr 30 2017 (Updated 05/02/17)
West Bank Rises Up in Protest in Solidarity with 1500 Hunger Strikers in Israeli Prisons
Ongoing clashes erupted across the occupied West Bank on April 28 in support of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners who entered the 12th day of a hunger strike. Palestinians are calling it the Day of Rage. Israeli forces fired tear-gas bombs, rubber-coated steel bullets and live fire, during the clashes, which broke out following Friday prayers in cities, villages and refugee camps in various districts of the West Bank. Numerous Palestinians were injured. Detainees started their hunger strike on April 17th, which also marks the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, demanding basic, internationally-guaranteed rights.
06/30/17 An End to the Last Coastal Sand Mine in the United States frontpage | environment | healthhousing | government | santacruz06/30/17 Berkeley Mayor and UC Chancellor Agree to End People's Park frontpage | environment | healthhousing | education | eastbay | california | government06/28/17 Police Beat & Arrest Community Members Protesting at Berkeley City Council Meeting frontpage | police | eastbay | government06/26/17 Timeline Documents High Rate of Officer-Involved Killings in Stockton, CA frontpage | police | race | centralvalley06/22/17 NoCARA Highlights the Local Racists Targeting Anti-Fascists Online and in the Courthouse frontpage | police | race | globaljustice | eastbay | northbay06/20/17 Independent Audit Sought to Resolve Secretive Selection Process for Dem Party Chair frontpage | california | government06/05/17 “Oil Money Out, People Power In” March and Rally in Sacramento frontpage | environment | race | centralvalley | california | government06/04/17 Once A Snitch, Always a Snitch: Andrew Clark Darst Ironically Protests His Lack of Privacy frontpage | police | globaljustice | us06/01/17 Palestinian Hunger Strike Officially Suspended After Reaching An Agreement frontpage | police | international | palestine05/30/17 Artists Project Call for Trump Impeachment at Coliseum, Get Handcuffed by Security frontpage | police | arts | eastbay | government05/25/17 Prisoners Protest Inhumane Conditions in Segregation Units with Hunger Strike frontpage | police | healthhousing | centralvalley | california
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