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https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/10/17/18859648.php
No to Cop CampusStop Cop Campus Coalition Protests Planned Police Facility in San Pablo2023-10-17T07:10:08Z2023-10-17T07:10:08Zen-US
The Stop Cop Campus Coalition intends to prevent the new facility from being constructed, arguing such huge amounts of money would be better spent meeting the needs of city residents rather than policing them. On August 10, a protest was held on what was scheduled to be the ground breaking day for the new police building, but the city got cold feet and cancelled the event. No groundbreaking has been scheduled since, and activists are hoping it never happens. On September 30, another protest was held which was large enough to march down the middle of San Pablo Avenue from Kennedy Plaza to the site of the proposed "Cop Campus."
After the demonstration, the fence enclosing the building site was down and the estimated completion date had been corrected to "never."
March Against Cop Campus in San Pablo |
Stop Cop Campus Coalition Protests Planned Police Facility in San Pablo |
San Pablo Says No to Cop Campus |
StopCopCampus.org
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https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/08/08/18858238.php
Cities for People, Not for ProfitArtists Evicted from Stop Music Studios to Make Way for Commercial Development in Portugal2023-08-08T07:34:34Z2023-08-08T07:34:34Zen-US
Porto has undergone significant changes in recent years under its political leadership, losing its identity and losing thousands of inhabitants due to a housing affordability crisis. Furthermore, its city administration is being investigated for real estate speculation activities and favoring economically powerful interests.
The city finally moved on the Stop Shopping Center in late July. For over 10 days, more than 500 musicians in Porto have been forcibly evicted from their workspace, by police and the city authorities, with over 100 rehearsal rooms and workplaces closed down at Stop, in what has been called the largest DIY studio complex in Europe. Thousands came out to protest the eviction.
Artists face forced Eviction of STOP in Porto, the largest DIY Studio complex in Europe
]]>Arts + ActionFront PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismGovernment & ElectionsInternationalPolice Stateimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/07/13/18857314.php
French See Democracy FadingDemonstrations Wrack France, Boiling Over After Police Murder of Youth2023-07-13T21:34:26Z2023-07-13T21:34:26Zen-USNahel Merzouk, a seventeen-year-old of Algerian descent, at a traffic stop. The rebellion was intense. Police, fire stations, schools and city halls were attacked as symbols of the State. A car was sent into the home of a mayor, injuring his wife. Merchandise was expropriated from over two thousand stores.
In response to this latest immigrant-led revolt, the French government has taken a number of repressive anti-democratic actions. Government spokespersons have restricted their rhetoric to deploring protest "violence," while ignoring underlying causes, and have become more strident in accusing opposition on the left of disloyalty to the Republic. Former presidential candidate Eric Zemour proposed to withhold French nationality from people born in France to French parents until they "apply" for citizenship.
Several hundred protesters were detained, tried, convicted, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms all in the space of forty-eight hours. One seventeen-year-old with no prior record was sent to prison for a year and a month for allegedly throwing an empty soda can at a group of police (hitting no one). Government officials are also trying to impose severe fines and remove public assistance from the parents of protesters.
Related Feature:
French Working People Will Not Accept Retirement Age Increase]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesImmigrant RightsInternationalLGBTI / QueerPolice Stateimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/05/27/18856364.php
Enviro Law Restrictions Proposed to Expedite Favored ProjectsLong-Time Industry Goal Is to Hamper CEQA by Expanding Exemptions, Limiting Challenges2023-05-28T06:27:51Z2023-05-28T06:27:51Zen-US
CEQA is a landmark environmental law that the construction industry, Big Ag, Big Oil and other Big Money interests have been trying to eviscerate for years in order to shorten the contracting process for bridge and water projects, limit timelines for environmental litigation, and simplify permitting for complicated developments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and elsewhere throughout California.
On May 25, the California Senate Budget Committee, in a 3-0 vote, temporarily blocked Gavin Newsom's legislative plan, ending the proposal for this legislative year.
California Senate Committee Blocks Governor's Plan to Gut Environmental Law |
Governor guts landmark environmental law to expedite the salmon-killing Delta Tunnel |
CalMatters analysis of proposal
]]>CaliforniaCentral ValleyEast Bay AreaEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageGovernment & ElectionsNorth Bay / Marinimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/04/25/18855640.php
French Working People Will Not Accept Retirement Age IncreaseTradition of Revolutionary Protest Continues in Paris and Across France as Labor Fights On2023-04-25T16:41:14Z2023-04-25T16:41:14Zen-US
The French left, with its revolutionary tradition, has a history of almost, but not quite, achieving power. The times they really did achieve dominance, as in the pre-WWII Blum government, they failed to support the Spanish Republic in its fight against the Hitler and Mussolini supported General Franco. This led to generations of fascism for Spain. The Socialist Mitterrand government did make social achievements. President Holland was socialist in name only. His presidency turned into something of a joke when he was photographed sneaking out of the Elysee palace on a scooter to go visit his mistress.
Currently, the French labor movement is more unified than it has been in a long time. Still, labor's relationship with the political left under Jean Luc Mélenchon is bumpy. As the leader of the "Insoumis" (unsubmissive) party, Mélenchon somewhat combines the qualities of Jean Jaurès, Eugene Debs, and Bernie Sanders.
Historical Background:
The Revolution and The Commune]]>Front PageGlobal Justice and Anti-CapitalismGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesInternationalLabor & Workersimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/04/21/18855578.php
Abortion Medication Safe For Now, But Perhaps Not for LongProtests Continue Despite US Supreme Court Allowing Access to Abortion Pill Temporarily2023-04-22T06:51:27Z2023-04-22T06:51:27Zen-US
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals then scaled back the Kascmaryk ban on April 13, but issued new restrictions on mifepristone, reducing the number of weeks into a pregnancy it could be used and forbidding its shipment by mail. On April 15, a national day of action, demonstrators in Scottsdale, Arizona, protested in front of the headquarters of Alliance Defending Freedom, the right-wing lawers designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center that filed the lawsuit in Amarillo. Locally, protests were held in Sacramento, Half Moon Bay, Mountain View, Santa Cruz, Oakland, and other cities.
On April 21, the U.S. Supreme Court extended the stay against any mifepristone bans or restrictions, sending the issue back to the Fifth Circuit for further deliberations. While this is seen as at least a temporary victory, defenders of reproductive justice rights say that extremists will continue try to ban abortion at the federal level and the fight is far from over.
Related Feature: Renewed Sense of Urgency Driving Reproductive Rights Actions
]]>CaliforniaCity of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaSouth Bay AreaU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/04/17/18855508.php
Oil Companies Greenwash Reputations Through the News MediaBig Oil Sponsors Dinners and Awards for California Journalists, Gets Favorable Mentions2023-04-18T02:28:14Z2023-04-18T02:28:14Zen-US
Further examples abound. The WSPA sponsored a "media dinner" in Sacramento on February 28 as part of a business conference known as "BizFed Sacramento Days." Speakers at the dinner included editors and bureau chiefs from the the Sacramento Bee, the LA Times, and the Orange County Register.
And, when the Sacramento Press Club announced that the WSPA would be the "Lede Sponsor" of their Journalism Awards Reception on March 29, the press club wrote, "WSPA is dedicated to guaranteeing that every American has access to reliable energy options through socially, economically and environmentally responsible policies and regulations." That greenwashing language was lifted directly from WSPA's own public relations copy on their website.
Meanwhile, Big Oil spends millions of dollars lobbying California politicians every economic quarter and it pays off. A total of 897 oil drilling permits have been approved since the start of the year by CalGEM, the state’s oil and gas regulator.
Read More
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https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/04/14/18855485.php
Drag Up and Fight BackDrag Activists March in San Francisco Against Nationwide Anti-Trans/Queer Bills2023-04-15T04:51:27Z2023-04-15T04:51:27Zen-US
So far in 2023, lawmakers in 46 states have introduced more than 650 anti-LGBTQ bills. These attempts to strip away the rights of queer and trans people include attacks on gender-affirming care and drag shows, as well as book bannings.
In the San Francisco march, many demonstrators carried signs and wore paraphernalia in remembrance of drag activist Heklina who was a pioneering figure in the San Francisco drag scene and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ causes. Heklina died in London just two days before the march at the age of 55.
Related Feature:Queer/Trans Youth Organize National Day of Action
]]>City of San FranciscoFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesLGBTI / QueerU.S.image/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/03/02/18854663.php
Chevron Doubles Profits, Sending Transportation Costs SoaringCalifornia Legislation Under Consideration to Establish a Windfall Profits Cap for Oil Refiners2023-03-03T01:50:19Z2023-03-03T01:50:19Zen-US
“West Coast refining margins were a startling 85 cents per gallon for 2022, doubling last year's margin of 37 cents per gallon,” Consumer Watchdog pointed out in a press statement. “Chevron historically posted average profits per gallon of 46 cents over the last 20 years and only exceeded 50 cents three times in that period—until now. Chevron’s West Coast refining margins were the largest of any of its other regions.”
Under a new law passed in 2022, the Oil Refinery Cost Disclosure Act, SB 1322 (Allen), Chevron and other California refiners will be required to report monthly the cost of the crude oil they buy versus the wholesale price of the gasoline they sell and their profits made per gallon.
Now, the legislature is considering new legislation, SBx12 (Skinner), to establish a windfall profits cap on how much oil refiners can make in profit per gallon of gasoline. Consumer Watchdog has suggested penalties kick in after 50 cents per gallon.
See Also: Big Oil spent over $34.2 million lobbying California officials in the 2021-22 session
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https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/01/21/18853913.php
Renewed Sense of Urgency Driving Reproductive Rights ActionsAnnual SF Counter-Protest of Anti-Abortion March Comes Amid New Post-Roe Reality2023-01-21T22:29:08Z2023-01-21T22:29:08Zen-US
The year 2023 would have been the 50th anniversary of the baseline protections afforded by the Roe v Wade decision, a moment to celebrate a half century of reproductive choice. Instead, women and their allies across the country are pushing back against existing laws and resisting further attacks. On January 21, San Francisco once again turned out to counter-protest the annual so-called "Walk for Life," when thousands of anti-choice activists are bussed in to demand a total end to reproductive freedom. On January 22, dozens of Women's Marches were held in cities throughout the country.
Related Features: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade! (2022) |
Protests Erupt Nationwide at Prospect of SCOTUS Ending 50 Years of Abortion Rights (2022) |
Counter-Protesters Rise Up at Anti-Abortion "Walk for Life" (2022)]]>City of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesNorth Bay / MarinSouth Bay AreaU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/01/14/18853824.php
Time to Close Guantanamo PrisonCodePink U.C. Law School Action Demands Closure of Guantamamo, Prosecution of John Yoo2023-01-14T20:20:49Z2023-01-14T20:20:49Zen-US
Dean Chemerinsky, the co-directors of the International Human Rights Law Clinic at the law school, Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission members, and law school students were invited to speak at the press conference. Professor Yoo was asked to contribute to the newly established Guantanamo Survivors Fund. They did not appear, but letters were left for them at the school's office of the dean.
Related Features:University of California Continues to Shelter War Criminal Professor (2016) |
4th of July Anti-Torture Demonstration (2009) |
National Day of Resistance to U.S. Torture (2009) |
Protest Against John Yoo at Boalt Hall Graduation (2009) |
Berkeley Protests Against John Yoo (2008) |
Berkeley Protests John Yoo's Justice Department Torture Memos (2004)
]]>Anti-War and MilitarismEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsInternationalRacial JusticeU.S.image/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/09/24/18852210.php
No Quarry on Mutsun Sacred GroundsHundreds Rally for Protection of Sacred Tribal Land from Mining Project2022-09-24T19:48:53Z2022-09-24T19:48:53Zen-US
The proposed sand and gravel mine in the county would significantly damage the sacred Native American site and historic artifacts. Speakers said the mining which would extract minerals for 30 years on a 300-acre site destroying indigenous history. Valentin Lopez, Amah Mutsun tribal chairman, said that the tribe went through three periods of brutal colonization and that destroying the sacred site would bring further devastation. Lopez called the rally "a call for cultural survival."
The Environmental Impact Report for the project states that, if approved, ceremonial areas used for healing and harvesting, burial sites, and sacred live oak trees, could be destroyed. In addition, the mining would eliminate precious grassland and oak woodland habitat, and disrupt a critical wildlife movement corridor.
Related Features: Campaign to Protect Juristac Gains Support of Santa Cruz City Council (2020) |
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Fight to Protect One of Their Few Remaining Sacred Lands (2018)
]]>Environment & Forest DefenseFront PageGovernment & ElectionsRacial JusticeSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaSouth Bay Areaimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/07/03/18850857.php
City of Santa Cruz Vehicles TorchedCity Hall's Hostility Toward Homeless Residents of Santa Cruz Spurs Vehicle Arson2022-07-04T04:36:18Z2022-07-04T04:36:18Zen-US
Despite community pleas to stop the intended "closure," which was announced in May, City Manager Matt Huffaker held firm to his plan to evict the 300-400 people who reside in the Benchlands. Authorities falsely claim they'll be able to shelter anyone who applies, but there are only 150 spaces actually available for those expected to be displaced from Benchlands, much less the 1000-2000 folks currently living outdoors in Santa Cruz. HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) and Food Not Bombs have worked to raise awareness through a series of "Koffee Klatches," demanding that the city revise its homeless policies overall and that there be "No Evictions Without Real Shelter."
Related Features: Santa Cruz Police Evict Unhoused Community, Despite Pandemic |
COVID-19 Pandemic Threatens Most Vulnerable Populations ]]>Front PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesPolice StateSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay Areaimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/06/05/18850235.php
Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade!Reproductive Justice Defenders Hit the Streets in San Francisco and Across Country2022-06-05T09:16:49Z2022-06-05T09:16:49Zen-US
Street protests were quickly organized in cities and towns large and small, most at 5pm nationwide.
In San Francisco, people rallied in several locations, including in front of the Phillip Burton Federal Building, at City Hall, and at the intersection of Powell and Market. The rally at the federal building morphed into a march to the cross streets of Market and 8th, where hundreds of demonstrators sat in the middle of the intersection for 49 minutes. The number of minutes was chosen to represent the number of years Roe v. Wade was law of the land.
During that sit-in, an estimated 3,000 people converged on the intersection from multiple marches that had started at different locations. While protesters blocked traffic at the Market Street location, thousands more protested at City Hall and in other parts of the city. About 200 people walked onto Highway 101 to demonstrate even more resistance. The Bay Area cities of San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, San Jose, San Rafael and others also saw fast response actions on the 24th. Demonstrations continued on a smaller scale throughout the weekend.
Related Feature: Protests Erupt Nationwide at Prospect of SCOTUS Ending 50 Years of Abortion Rights
]]>City of San FranciscoFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/05/04/18849464.php
The Supreme Court Intends to Overturn Roe v. WadeProtests Erupt Nationwide at Prospect of SCOTUS Ending 50 Years of Abortion Rights2022-05-05T04:43:48Z2022-05-05T04:43:48Zen-US
Protests immediately broke out across the country, including on the steps of the US Supreme Court in Washington D.C., and have continued for weeks. One of the first locally was at the Federal Courthouse in Oakland, within hours of the news breaking. Check the Indybay calendar for upcoming events.
Related Features: SCOTUS Decision to Trigger Immediate Protest in San Francisco |
St. Mary's Sunday Mass Disrupted, Catholic Patriarchy Denounced |
Counter-Protesters Rise Up at Anti-Abortion "Walk for Life" |
Demonstrators Target Corporations that Support Abortion Opponents (2021) |
Bay Area Rejects Texas Anti-Abortion Law (2021)]]>City of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaSouth Bay AreaU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/01/19/18847448.php
Counter-Protesters Rise Up at Anti-Abortion "Walk for Life"On Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Pro-Choice and Anti-Choice Demonstrators Face Off2022-01-20T04:30:21Z2022-01-20T04:30:21Zen-US
Reproductive justice supporters rallied at the Phillip Burton Federal Building/U.S. Courthouse at 450 Golden Gate beginning at 11:30am with street theater, chanting, dance, and music. At 12:30pm they marched with banners a block to the Civic Center where Walk for Life was holding their pre-march event. Pro-abortion attendees created a strong visible presence and held a speak out clarifying their demands.
The counter protest was spearheaded by the National Mobilization for Reproductive Justice—San Francisco with other groups and individuals participating and supporting. This was the 18th year that Walk for Life has marched through San Francisco with permits from the city. There have been counter protests on most of those occasions. Organizers said, “This year of all years, with Roe in danger of being overturned, we head to the streets to rise up for reproductive justice.”
Related Feature: Fascist Coup Attempt Fails to Overthrow Presidential Election Results]]>CaliforniaCentral ValleyCity of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsNorth Bay / MarinPeninsulaU.S.image/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/12/15/18846841.php
Demonstrators Target Corporations that Support Abortion OpponentsProtests at Whole Foods and AT&T on Day of Action for Reproductive Justice2021-12-16T05:35:20Z2021-12-16T05:35:20Zen-US
At a demonstration in San Mateo, where women wore green "don't tread on me" uterus emblazoned t-shirts, Whole Foods management called the police as soon as protestors arrived. Palo Alto Whole Foods summoned police to attend to grandmothers in aprons and handmaiden characters in red cloaks. The grocery store chain has headquarters in Texas, yet has not spoken up to support its customers, who are mostly women. Dallas-based AT&T is one of the top donors to the sponsors of Texas' abortion ban, making it another target for protest. In San Francisco, AT&T management summoned police to deal with peaceful "Lady of Liberty" protesters who sported pink robes and wielded torches created from cardboard.
Also, on December 1, speakers at after-dark rallies in San Jose and San Francisco called for bodily autonomy and the freedom to choose when and if to procreate. Mobilization for Reproductive Justice—SF Chapter organized an afternoon speakout at the original Federal Courthouse in San Francisco. At that event, activists cheered and applauded calls to action for January 22, 2020, a day that will mark the 49th anniversary of landmark decision Roe v. Wade.
Related Features: Grieving on the Third Anniversary of the Yemen School Bus Attack |
Resistance at Sausalito Camp Eviction
]]>CaliforniaCity of San FranciscoFront PageGovernment & ElectionsIndependent MediaInternationalNorth Bay / MarinPalestinePolice StateU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/11/03/18846089.php
Day of the Dead Protest at Nancy Pelosi's HouseMarch and Rally for Medicare for All in San Francisco Demands Pelosi Take Action2021-11-03T22:01:06Z2021-11-03T22:01:06Zen-US
In front of Speaker Pelosi's elegant house, speakers blasted Pelosi's refusal to work for Medicare for All. Doctor Ana Malinow noted that Pelosi had indeed been trick or treating this Halloween season, the trick being the lack of health care for all and the treat being the massive giveaways to her supporters in corporate America. Vara Ramakrishnan spoke of how fascists always start by attacking the women because of their power, as is happening in Texas. Pointing an accusing finger at the speaker's house, she said that Pelosi had had the necessary votes for Medicare for All during the Obama years, but buckled to her supporters in the healthcare and insurance industries.
Related Feature: Bay Area Marches to Protect Women's Rights (2020)
]]>CaliforniaCentral ValleyCity of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsNorth Bay / MarinPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay AreaSouth Bay AreaWomynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/08/17/18844356.php
Protest for Better Treatment of the Homeless Held at Fresno City HallActivists Set Up Tents and Demonstrate for Alternatives to Being on the Streets2021-08-17T21:44:16Z2021-08-17T21:44:16Zen-US
One of the activists at City Hall was Gordie Ochinero-Bermudez, who recently got media attention for doing a 450-mile bike ride to raise money for porta-potties for Fresno’s homeless. Ochinero was herself homeless for a time, and she has had mental health issues. She thinks mental illness is common among homeless people and should be treated. In fact, she thinks this is key.
“There's a core to the problem, and it's not addiction, it's not homelessness, it's mental health,” Ochinero said. “We have to go to that core. You can put them in shelters all day long, but you're not going to be successful unless you have help there and support and resources and an AA meeting, a therapist. Somebody who can go in there and say, ‘Hey, do you take medication? Do you have a dog? Hey, let us get your dog in a shelter.’ Like do the things that are going to help them emotionally, mentally."
Read More with Photos]]>Central ValleyFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public Servicesimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/01/18839711.php
Tenants and Advocates Block Eviction Hearings in Santa Clara CountySan José Anti-Eviction Protest Shuts Down Court Hearings, Nine Arrested2021-02-02T06:31:29Z2021-02-02T06:31:29Zen-US
On January 27, over 100 tenants and advocates, organized by the Regional Tenant Organizing Network, blocked eviction hearings at the Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose, protesting the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters blocking the courthouse entrance effectively shut down the court in the morning hours before being violently removed by County Sheriff’s Deputies. Nine protesters were arrested on the charge of disrupting court operations.
Read More]]>Front PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public ServicesPolice StateSouth Bay Areaimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/01/27/18839618.php
People's Park in Berkeley Faces Greatest Danger YetUniversity of California Puts Up Fencing and Takes First Steps to Privatize People's Park2021-01-28T07:44:06Z2021-01-28T07:44:06Zen-US A park defender writes: If you have told yourself, "I'll show up when the fences come," well it's happening. The fences are starting to arrive. It's now. It's real. People's Park needs you. According to UC Berkeley, the construction at People's Park won't start until 2022. However, here and now in 2021, the pre-construction work is commencing. The UC is now slowly introducing fencing, slowly starting to nudge people away from the area, and starting to drill for the soil stability and hydrology tests....
If you can get to People's Park physically, be on the ground and get involved. Now is the time for civil disobedience. Now is the time to start documenting the UC police. Now is the time for mutual aid and resistance.
UC Fencing at People's Park Torn Down and Delivered to Sproul Hall |
UC Students Remove Fence from People's Park |
Rally to Save Peoples Park (1/29) |
People's Park Fenced Off by University of California Berkeley |
UC Places Initial Fencing Around People's Park, More to Come]]>East Bay AreaEducation & Student ActivismEnvironment & Forest DefenseFront PageGovernment & ElectionsHealth, Housing, and Public Servicesimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/01/08/18839288.php
Fascist Coup Attempt Fails to Overthrow Presidential Election ResultsBay Area Reacts to Unprecedented Attack on US Capitol Building by Trump Fascists2021-01-09T07:58:56Z2021-01-09T07:58:56Zen-US WSWS writes: What occurred was the outcome of a carefully planned conspiracy. It was instigated by Donald Trump, who has been working with a gang of fascist conspirators strategically positioned within the White House and other powerful institutions, departments and agencies of the state. Wednesday’s operation carries with it the overwhelming stench of the Trump sons, close aides like Stephen Miller, and numerous others working behind the scenes within the military, the National Guard and the police.... The conspiracy utilized the well-known techniques of modern coups.
Reaction was swift in San Francisco. On January 6 at 3pm PST, outraged activists held a press conference calling for protests at City Hall against the insurrection to be held daily starting January 7 at 5pm until Trump is removed. The first protest started at 3:30pm January 6, leaving from the city building. About 15 cars decorated with signs demanding Trump leave office departed from City Hall in a caravan that drove through the city's Castro and Mission neighborhoods, where spectators cheered, waved, and raised fists to show approval.
Related Features: Our Long National Nightmare Is Over |
Rallies Readied for Possible Post-Election Electoral Emergency]]>City of San FranciscoFront PageGovernment & ElectionsU.S.image/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/11/08/18838301.php
Our Long National Nightmare Is OverWhile Planned Protests Turn Festive After Trump's Defeat, Struggle for Justice Continues2020-11-08T13:29:03Z2020-11-08T13:29:03Zen-US
In San Francisco, contingents from the San Francisco Labor Council, SEIU Local 1021, the American Federation of Teachers and other labor unions marched up Market Street. They were joined by environmentalists holding hastily-made signs including "Paris: We're Back", alluding to the Paris Climate Agreement from which Trump withdrew the United States. People festooned with bright orange Trump/Pence Out Now! stickers said it will be a relief to finally realize that goal and remove the immediate threat of a Trump autocracy.
In San Francisco's Castro District, in Vice-President elect Kamala Harris' birthplace of Oakland, in San Rafael in Marin County, and elsewhere, the mood was jubilant as people filled sidewalks and roadways. Many recalled their emotions four years ago when Trump was declared president-elect. Saying they are eager for the day he leaves office, they asked each other how and if he will leave as he has ensconced himself in the White House. Some demonstrators said they remain fearful of a coup.
Other October protests in the Bay Area unrelated to the "Protect the Results" national day of action also demonstrated for the constitutional rights to a fair election. Saying that it was essential to show publicly that the majority of the American people will not accept any interference in the election, the group March for Democracy SF organized a march up Mission to Market Street where they held a sit-in near City Hall on October 24. On October 29, grassroots artists painted the words "Choose Democracy, Stop a Coup" in a giant street mural next to the Federal Building in Oakland. Many people fear that that Trump might refuse to leave office in a coup d'etat.
Related Features: Our Long National Nightmare Is Over |
While Planned Protests Turn Festive After Trump's Defeat, Struggle for Justice Continues
]]>City of San FranciscoEast Bay AreaFront PageGovernment & ElectionsPeninsulaSanta Cruz / Monterey Bay Areaimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/10/20/18837729.php
Bay Area Marches to Protect Women's RightsNationwide Marches Honor RBG, Urge Getting Out the Vote to Defeat Trump2020-10-21T06:25:12Z2020-10-21T06:25:12Zen-US
Maskless Trump supporters in bulletproof vests attempted to rally near City Hall. Police tried to keep furious San Franciscans behind metal barriers. However, the protesters kept police on the run as they redeployed at various locations around City Hall. At one point, the police used pepper spray.
Led by a wall of protesters' shields, there was a spontaneous march south on Market Street.
Related Features: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Passes |
2020 Women's March Organizers Issue Broad Demands for Human Rights |
2019 San Francisco Bay Area Women's Marches Inclusive, Exhilirating (2019) |
Women Across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa Rise Up for the 2018 Women's March (2018)]]>CaliforniaCity of San FranciscoFront PageGovernment & ElectionsU.S.Womynimage/jpeg
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/10/15/18837578.php
Library/Parking Garage Is Litmus Test for the Future of Santa CruzCity Council and City Manager Advance Construction Projects Under False PretensesErica Aitken of Reimagine Santa Cruz writes: The next City Council elections will decide the future of Santa Cruz. Do we open our doors to Silicon Valley with luxury rentals and our very own Santana Row? Or do we take control and build beautiful affordable housing for those who work and would like to live here? If we ask ourselves this question, it is because we have recently been the victims of a particularly galling breach of trust from our current City Councilmembers.]]>2020-10-15T23:37:33Z2020-10-15T23:37:33Zen-USErica Aitken of Reimagine Santa Cruz writes: The next City Council elections will decide the future of Santa Cruz. Do we open our doors to Silicon Valley with luxury rentals and our very own Santana Row? Or do we take control and build beautiful affordable housing for those who work and would like to live here? If we ask ourselves this question, it is because we have recently been the victims of a particularly galling breach of trust from our current City Councilmembers who voted 4 – 2 to replace our current library with a multi-purpose, six-story parking garage flanked by a new library, right where our farmer’s market stands.
The advocates of this project used Measure S, passed in 2016, to morph what was a mandate to upgrade and fix our libraries, into a monstrous block of concrete that would never have been approved by the voters. Even though the Nelson/Nygaard study advised against the garage, the City Council voted for it, ignoring the advice of the study they themselves had commissioned. And we don’t need additional parking spaces. Downtown parking is not only underused but we, as environmentally concerned citizens, want to reduce our dependence on cars.
On September 25, President Trump announced his nomination of conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett as a replacement for Ginsburg, prompting increased concern by women's rights advocates as they are certain she will try to overturn Roe v. Wade.