Hosted by Dr.G., Minister of Information of the Northbay MDS.
Tune in Thursdays 4 to 5pm (PST), at 89.5FM in the northeast San Pablo Bay Area, or on a Smart Phone [link], Desktop U-stream [link], Live Mp3 (.pls) stream [link], Netbook [link].
Be a Community Journalist with our Community Journalist's Notebook [link]. Send news & info to [NorthbayMDS@) gmail.com]! Northbay Uprising News scripts [link]. Archived webpages at (archive.org) and at (archive.is) are available even if the original is taken down. News links are provided for educational purposes only, and do not constitute an endorsement of political tendencies, or, of foreign governments. Circumvent "Error 451" [archive.is/WOZXx] by using the proxy server at [webproxy.to] or, by using Tor Browser [http://is.gd/r18EVD].
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InDIYpendent Media
Spotlight from the Northbay Uprising Media Collective
* "Project Censored: Dispatches from the Media Revolution" set of videos (2012) [http://is.gd/ALGtwa], showcasing the means utilized to break the blockade of censorship in the USA!
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The Peace and Social Justice Program
Community Radio station KZFR
Fridays, 11:30am-1pm on 90.1FM
(streams at www.kzfr.org and shows are archived.)
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* "Panther Town" by Ras Ceylon feat. Askari X & Sinista Z (prod.by A-RusH) [rasceylon.bandcamp.com/track/panther-town-feat-askari-x-sinista-z-prod-by-a-rush]
ACTION CALENDER
A list of gatherings, workshops, and educational events in the greater Bay Area region
[indybay.org/calendar] [occupyoakland.org/calendar]* The Alan Blueford Center For Justice [www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE]
A healing ritual to soothe the family and community’s aching hearts over the unlawful killing Alan Blueford is being offered by Awon Ohun Omnira (Voices of Freedom), who will bring the traditional music of West Africa to the streets of Oakland.
Demand Justice for Alan Blueford! [www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzCtG1L5CuY]
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Occupy Beale Air Force Base
Activist Arraignment
Support at the Federal Courthouse
Tuesday, May 10th
501 I Street, Sacramento.
Call Chris to find out about a carpool. 707-345-759
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Occupy Beale PM vigil, potluck, camp-in, AM vigil at base gates.
Monday-Tuesday May 23-24
See Occupy Beale Air ForceBase facebook page or www.occupybealeafb.org
for directions and more information.
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ACTION HEADLINES!
Stories are reviewed and provided by Northbay MDS Committees and Affiliates
BAY AREA SOLIDARITY
Updates on campaigns for Peace, Justice, & Freedom across the greater Bay Area, Norcal, and Socal
#hungerforjusticesf
[www.facebook.com/hungerforjusticesf/]
* "Rapper to lead hunger strike outside SF police station" (2016-04-20, sfchronicle.com) [archive.is/v0hHD]
* "Activists Protest SFPD Shootings With Mission District Hunger Strike" (2016-04-21, sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com) [archive.is/rTRGL] [begin excerpt]:
Community activists outraged by recent police killings in San Francisco took a dramatic step Thursday in an effort to spur change by staging a hunger strike outside a Mission District police station.
Local rapper and activist “Ilych Equipto” Sato is leading this small group on the hunger strike outside the police station at the intersection of Valencia and 17th streets.Calling themselves members of the Black & Brown Social Club, the protesters said they planned to stay in front of the station, consuming nothing but liquids until police Chief Greg Suhr is either fired or resigns.
“I come to you as a son of San Francisco that’s fighting for justice,” said Sato.
Sato told gathered KPIX 5 the hunger strike was something that he and others had been seriously considering for a while.
“This is just a really deep issue and it shows no sign of letting up and we just need to do something radical,” said Ike Pinkston, a hunger strike participant and member of the club. “I’ll stay out here for however long it takes, one week, two weeks, two months.”
The protesters say they plan to stay until they collapse from malnutrition or until their call for the resignation of Suhr or San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is answered.
The action is to call attention to what they see as fatal racism by the San Francisco Police Department.
“We’ve exhausted every option to seek justice for the black and brown community here in San Francisco,” said protester Edward Lindo. [...]
On Wednesday, Mayor Lee addressed the protest.
“Whether they call it a demonstration, a hunger strike or a march, we’re going to respect that,” said Lee. “And we’ve heard. I take police reform seriously, and so does the chief.”
Suhr has been dogged by repeated calls for his resignation from activists since the Dec. 2 fatal police shooting of Mario Woods. He was not available to comment on the protest. [end excerpt]
* "Day III of Hunger Strike: ‘We Are Hungry for Justice’ ; Five people still outside Mission Station as supporters rally to demand police accountability" (2016-04-24, 48hills.org) [archive.is/v13aJ]
* "Police Briefly Cut Power and Close Bathrooms to SF Mission Hunger Strikers" (2016-04-25, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/y45ln]
* Ten photos (2016-04-25, facebook.com/al.osorio.9) [archive.is/2WUxJ]: Hunger Strike for Justice - hunger strikers refuse to leave sfpd mission station. Photos [archive.is/7UFVb] [archive.is/oBf6h] [archive.is/uRear] [archive.is/B9Rfi] [archive.is/Q3Qtm] [archive.is/NC8mV] [archive.is/kgmMM] [archive.is/M1Ged] [archive.is/96Ig6] [archive.is/Lv2Sr].
Update (2016-04-25, Ilyich Sato): Police just came out the station & said they're about to cite & arrest us if we continue our hunger strike..!!!! We need media & cameras out here asap, because we aint goin anywhere.. Day 5* Hunger Strike flier [archive.is/3Xuhi]:
IN THE NAME OF GOD
STOP THE EXECUTION OF OUR PEOPLE
HUNGER STRIKE
JOIN US AT MISSION POLICE STATION AT 630 VALENCIA ST. & SUPPORT OUR HUNGER STRIKERS, NOW ON DAY 3!!! The City of San Francisco is suffering from an occupation! But we, the people of San Francisco are coming together to say Enough is Enough! We can no longer watch our community be targeted & murdered by a police department wrought with criminal behavior & racism! We can no longer support a Chief who is content to keep his head in the sand!
HELP US TELL MAYOR ED LEE TO FIRE POLICE CHIEF GREG SUHR OR THE PEOPLE DEMAND HE RESIGN!
Organized with the guidance of Black & Brown Social Club, a project of Companeros del Barrio Preschool, Family Day Care & Parent Support Project. We strive to unite & empower the Black & Brown Communities through support, guidance & training. We are encouraging & inspiring Black & Brown families to showcase their talents in order to create & build their own futures. We are empowering people to believe in themselves & not be co-dependent on government agencies. We must strengthen the hands of our communities not weaken them!
* "Activists Begin Hunger Strike to Protest Police Shootings" (2016-04-21, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/RBrRQ]
* "This San Francisco Rapper is Refusing to Eat Until the City’s Mayor or Police Chief Resign" (2016-04-22, mic.com) [archive.is/jCPmW]
* "Hunger Strike, Day II: ‘This is not a publicity stunt by any means of the imagination’ ; Protesters camp out in front of Mission Police Station to make a statement on police killings" (2016-04-23, 48hills.org) [archive.is/W5Iwz]
* "Hunger strike against police killing day 3. Maria Cristina, hunger striker and mother of Equipto speaks on the strike and how to support" video (2016-04-23, Tony Robles) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/1EukZ3]
* Sellassie at Hunger For Justice Day 3 (2016-04-23) [archive.is/JFBbb], with a sign against the fascist Trump and chalked sidewalk with message Solidarity Forever (SF, with both letters in the form of the SF Giants baseball team logo)
* "Fourth Day of SF Mission Hunger Strike Adds One More" (2016-04-24, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/cVEqN]
* "Hunger Strike in San Francisco - Maria Cristina Gutierrez" video (2016-04-24) [youtube.com/watch?v=xigLizePhlQ]: Five San Franciscans are hunger striking in front of the San Francisco Police Station on Valencia Street in the Mission District. Let's Get Political SF speaks to Maria Cristina Gutierrez.
* Photo (2016-04-24) [archive.is/zHXpk]: Out here supporting my brothers in their hunger strike for justice. Going on 72 hours. Accountability matters. Fire chief Suhr #justice4alexnieto #Mariowoods #amilicarperez #joseluisgongora the most pure and true form of sacrifice I have ever witnessed in my life.
* "A change is going to come... Averi Sellassie Blackwell giving us spirit" video (2016-04-25, Edwin Lindo) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/sI9koQ]
* (2016-04-25) [archive.is/afb4J]: Please come to the Mission Police station now to protect the Hunger strikers while they catch some sleep. The police are getting a little restless... They locked the bathroom (important for strikers) but we all entered the Po station and with People power won it back. Now we need peeps who can stay late or all night in solidarity to come out. It's 10:30 now... Need late-nighters present to keep watch. Solidarity.
Update: Hunger strike is growing. Please come down to Mission Police Station at Valencia and 17th in solidarity. Spread the word to friends in other cities and states: this hunger strike is because racist SFPD continues to murder black and brown people in the streets in ethnic cleansing. We have lost members of our community. This is a national emergency. Our power comes from love and from the word being spread: along with it: OUTRAGE.2nd Update: TONIGHT, April 26, 2016 at 6pm is the Mission District Police Community Meeting. at SFPD Police Station on Valencia nr. 17th St. This will be the first Mission District Meeting since the SFPD murder of Luis Gongoria! Some folks will be holding a rally at 5:30pm
* photo (2016-04-25, Eva Kane) [archive.is/udGKB]: My friends are beautiful and compassionate people that genuinely care about others. Merewyn Dixon-Beckett, the best nurse I know taking pulses of many on the hunger strike in our community and taking precautionary measures into her own hands. #humanity
* photo (2016-04-25) [archive.is/jlRLG], with Maria CristinaGuttierez, Min. Chris Muhammad, Edwin Lindo, Nunosur LatinoAmerica, Ilyich Sato, Max LeYoung and Ike Ali Pinkston.
* "Hunger Strikers Under Threat" video (2016-04-25) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/QVYcz0]: Edwin Lindo Relates How the SFPD are Escalating Their Harassment
* "200 protesters join hunger strikers outside Mission Police Station; community meeting canceled" (2016-04-26, ktvu.com) [archive.is/6sNqb]
* two photos [archive.is/km6Q8] [archive.is/msqSw] (posted 2016-04-26) [archive.is/9zamg], caption translated: The Chief of San Francisco Police CANCELED the meeting with the public. Madame Cristina of Colombia continues to fight for Social Justice in her 6th day of Hunger Strike alongside 7 other community leaders. They expect to soon receive an announcement from the Police Chief.
* SFPD terrorises Hunger Strike, video (posted 2016-04-26, by Liam Mc), photo (posted 2016-04-26, by Liam MC) [archive.is/Fnaqu]: Come now we need your support!
- photo of the same motorcycle brigade (posted 2016-04-26, Old Soul Kollective, facebook.com/oldsoulko) [archive.is/qytBI]: Fire in The Streets Begs the Water to Rise High. Rally at Mission Police Station @5:30PM
* "SFPD terrorises Hunger Strike" video (2016-04-26 by Liam Mc) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/ZF3SiQ]
* "Police officers denying access to public bathrooms. Protesters taken over station lobby" video (2016-04-25, Broke-Ass Stuart) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/GsBFRk]
* Hunger Strike invades SFPD HQ, set of photos (posted 2016-04-26, by Davey D) [archive.is/RaV5z] [archive.is/YMieM] [archive.is/2OstV] [archive.is/FHEXW] [archive.is/7yNcj], including one with the following caption: This individual here through his hostile and dismissive attitude shows how much of a disconnect exists between police and residents..
He's not a cop, yet he went out of his way to tell the hundred plus people assembled in the lobby that the bathrooms were closed because 'He said so and wasn't going to open them'.. This was said after folks asked to speak to the ssupervising officer...
Instead of doing his job as a public servant, he decided to engage folks by glaring, smirking and mean mugging.. This individual may one day be patrolling our streets.
* "Mayor Lee addresses ongoing hunger strike" (2016-04-26, sfexaminer.com) [archive.is/DiS2F]
* "SF Hunger Strike rally" video (posted 2016-04-26, by Spike Kahn) (.mp4) [http://is.gd/xIjzjs]: "We are.doing this in the name of all the Black and Brown men killed by police."
* "SF Police Captain Cuts Off Community Meeting, Rally Goes On" (2016-04-27, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/8QQvV] [begin excerpt]: A monthly community meeting Tuesday night at the Mission Police Station, highly anticipated by a group of nine hunger strikers and their supporters demanding the police chief’s resignation, was abruptly called off after only a few minutes as strikers and police disagreed as to where the meeting should be held.
Upon arrival, Mission Station Captain Daniel Perea began to discuss neighborhood events and said he would leave time for questions toward the end of his presentation, but was interrupted by Edwin Lindo, a hunger striker also running for District 9 Supervisor. Lindo pointed out that only 49 people had been allowed inside the meeting room – the legal capacity of the room – and another 100 or so remained outside.To accommodate everyone, Lindo asked Perea to hold the meeting outside. Perea asked Lindo to hold questions until the end of the discussion.
“This isn’t a question, this is a demand,” Lindo said.
When Perea declined, protesters interrupted with chants of “fire chief Suhr!” which prompted the station Captain to announce that he could not run a community meeting that just consisted of shouting. He departed quickly and the meeting disbanded. [end excerpt]
* "Hunger Strike in San Francisco Puts a Spotlight on Police Brutality; A string of fatal police shootings of blacks and Latinos has met with rising protest" (2016-04-27, motherjones.com) [archive.is/jiW5A]
* "Activists on Day 7 of San Fran Hunger Strike Call for Police Chief's Removal; From the release of racist texts sent by San Francisco officers to the police-involved deaths of people of color like Alex Nieto and Mario Woods, they’ve had enough" (2016-04-27, colorlines.com) [archive.is/jnypa]
* "This San Francisco political candidate won't eat until his city's police chief resigns; Edwin Lindo has been on a hunger strike for seven days over recent police shootings" (2016-04-27, vox.com) [archive.is/FSTMr]
* "This 66-year-old grandma isn’t stopping her hunger strike until a police chief resigns" (2016-04-27, fusion.net) [archive.is/BIfJF]
* photo (2016-04-27) [archive.is/Vg4p5]: Out here in front of The Mission Police station supporting the hunger strike to #firechiefsuhr
* "In Their Words: The 'Frisco Five' Hunger Strike" (2016-05-01, hoodline.com) [archive.is/zjdbS]
* "Refusing Food and Compromise, ‘Frisco Five’ to Meet With Mayor" (2016-05-01, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/0jwIr], photo caption: On their 10th day without food, the group of hunger strikers said that they plan to meet with Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday.
* "Mayor visits SF Mission hunger strikers" (2016-05-02, blog.sfgate.com) [archive.is/LIXEr] [begin excerpt]: Mayor Ed Lee came unannounced to the Mission District police station on Monday just after noon where a group of hunger strikers — known as the Frisco Five — are on day 12 of a protest demanding the firing of the city’s police chief or the resignation of the mayor over a series of police shootings and racist text message scandals.
The visit comes a day before a planned march to City Hall, where the strikers hope to coerce the mayor to speak with them about their demand that Chief Greg Suhr be fired.
“We’re 12 days into starvation. You know what that says to us? You didn’t care,” said Edwin Lindo, one of the hunger strikers and a candidate for District Nine supervisor, through a bullhorn as the mayor sat inside the police station. “So tomorrow we are happy to meet with you at city hall. Leave your doors open, we will walk in, we will meet with you.”
“But just know we have one demand,” Lindo continued. “That Chief Suhr be fired. Because that man has been operating this police department with impunity.” [end excerpt]
* "The ‘Frisco 5’ are now 12 days into a hunger strike, demanding justice outside the San Francisco Police Department" (2016-05-02, by Shaun King, nydailynews.com) [archive.is/Klhrw]
* "Four District 9 Candidates Support Demand to Fire Police Chief Suhr" (2016-05-02, missionlocal.org) [archive.is/SSeI2]
* " ‘Like wild animals’: Racist texts from SF cops have over 200 cases under review" (2016-04-27, rt.com) [archive.is/uvvSv]
* "Bigots By The Bay: San Francisco Has A Cop Problem; The SFPD is under intense scrutiny after a string of scandals that involve racist text messages and questionable use-of-force" (2016-04-11, vocativ.com) [archive.is/wjHRH]
* "Mayor Ed Lee: Fire Police Chief Gregory P. Suhr now!" (2016-04-25, sfbayview.com) [http://is.gd/wm1Z6I/] [begin excerpt]:
The people of San Francisco are outraged by the ongoing misconduct and mismanagement of the San Francisco Police Department by Police Chief Gregory P. Suhr. His history of breaking the laws he is sworn to uphold, along with his consistent refusal to discipline officers for their brutality and crimes against residents, has created a crisis in the city.
Since becoming chief in 2011, Suhr’s mismanagement has led to dozens of brutality and corruption lawsuits, many of which are kept away from the media in order to deflect public criticism. Because of his unwillingness to comply with internal Police Department policy, regulations, and state and federal law, the department is now under multiple city and federal investigations and is being excoriated by the national and international press.
Chief Suhr’s lies and misconduct have resulted in several national scandals of such magnitude that San Francisco is now being compared to Ferguson. Your name regularly appears in this negative media attention. We will accept no more. It is time for Suhr to go.
Recently, eight violent officer-involved shootings, all justified by Suhr to the press and public long before investigations were complete, made 2015 the bloodiest year in SFPD history. San Francisco has become one of the top 10 of the 100 worst U.S. cities for per-capita police killings.
The brutal, senseless April 2016 killing of homeless immigrant Luis Gongora Pat and your cruel public response by clearing homeless residents out of San Francisco points toward an ugly future San Francisco controlled by a violent, racist, rogue police force. Local and national backlash against the SFPD’s reckless disregard for due process and constitutional rights of the people, especially Black and Brown San Franciscans, has grown to politically and socially dangerous proportions. [end excerpt]
The article includes Highlights of Gregory P. Suhr’s career, being a catalogue of known human rights abuse and extra-judicial murder from 1997 through April 2016, plus source links.
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JUSTICE 4 Luis Demetrio Gongora Pat, killed by SFPD 4-7-16 [https://www.facebook.com/groups/230409604013458]
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Free Manny!
* (2016-05-01, Brown Berets De SacrAztlán) [archive.is/LFroe]: Please keep our comrade #EmmanuelBallesteros in your thoughts. He was brutalized by the #EPA police department during a #DumpTrump rally in #Burlingame & is currently being held in the San Mateo County #jail on 50k bail. Our brother was unarmed & peacefully providing safety for this action. A legal fund is in the works. Feel free to contact corrections directly & demand his immediate #release. (650)363-4000
* [archive.is/kpLiz]: #FreeManny! Homie got locked up at the #DumpTrump protest... $50K Bail... F@#%! I'm in LA... wish I could have been there, but family time... I can't be at them all... #Salute to all the real ones putting it on the line.
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* (2016-04-25, Xulio Soriano):
#healingwalknv #napavalley #Napatitlan #ournapa #EarthDay #protectwater #protectforests
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* "Pacifica Hires Notorious Union-Busters Jackson Lewis" (2012-03-13, by KPFA Worker, via calaborfed.org) [archive.is/JSWkE]
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BAY AREA SOLIDARITY: Updates on campaigns across the Nation!
* "On May Day 2016" (WFTU Statement for May Day 2016) [archive.is/ogeBV]
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* "May Day marches sweep through North America, turn ugly in Montreal" (2016-05-01, rt.com) [archive.is/oJHbY]
* "5 officers injured, 9 protesters arrested as May Day march turns violent" (2016-05-01, q13fox.com) [archive.is/lsyko]
* (2016-05-02) [archive.is/GE34S]: Fucking cops stopped Seattle mayday immediately after it left the park, pepper sprayed us for literally no reason and have been tailing the march shooting concussion grenades since then, at least 1 arrest. Fuck spd!
[A comment]: Been watching the live stream,pigs had the march contained from the start! One pig hit in the face with a rock,fucked him up good! Another one injured,but don't know the deets.They saying they confiscated molotovs...Anyways,is everyone alright?
* 7 photos (2016-05-01, facebook.com/insurrectionnews) [archive.is/EA9YJ]: USA: Clashes and police brutality at #MayDay2016 in Seattle. #MayDaySea
- Tear gas in the streets [archive.is/TVKcx]
- Seattle Police use pepper-spray against journalist [archive.is/7M4pU]
- Victim of Seattle Police torture and kidnapping [archive.is/V04dV]
- Seattle Police kidnapping an activist [archive.is/Ke31W]
- Streets are burning! [archive.is/X6ofj]
- Seattle Police shooting alleged protesters at close range [archive.is/qRHGK]
- Anarchists flee bombs thrown by Seattle Police [archive.is/EI1T7]
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* "May Day rally in LA hoists effigy of Trump with KKK hood as crowd trashes him" (2016-05-02, Reuters Newswire) [archive.is/DI3mO]
* photo (2016-05-01): Party of Communists USA members calling for International Solidarity against fascism worldwide (amidst the FMLN contingent)!
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* In Seattle (2016-05-05), photos [archive.is/045OC] [archive.is/fY42G].
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* "Latinos ‘in solidarity' with African Americans in Baltimore" (2016-05-03, via msnbc.com) [http://is.gd/9oIq47]: African Americans and Latinos are natural allies because they are both subjected to racism and police abuse. Once they begin to coalesce their numbers and voice will be unavoidable in the political process.
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TOWARDS REVOLUTIONARY SOLUTIONS
* "Focus on Activism - Tools for Change: Strategies for Nonviolent Movements Notes" (2016-05-01, by Chris Nelson and Cathy Webster, Peaceful Action newsletter, Chico Peace and Justice Center) [http://is.gd/bsFPJN]:
Rivera Sun, strategical Non-Violence author, activist and trainer with Pace e Bene, gave a well-attended training at the Peace Center on April 11. We learned from her about the work of social scientist Erica Chenowith, who has conducted research showing that nonviolence works twice as often as violence does in creating social change, even in cases of severe repression. These successes depend on at least 3.5% of a population participating. Rivera explained that in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of a power-holder it is important to determine the Pillars of Support that support those in power—including Authority (e.g. constitutional role, supreme court decisions) Materials (arms and budget), and Sanctions (police, FBI, etc.), as well as the intangible factors (myths, fears, culture) that maintain them. Despite what seem like overwhelming odds, strategic nonviolent movements can use the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion elucidated by Gene Sharp [aeinstein.org/nonviolentaction/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action]. These include such techniques as boycotts, blockades, and civil disobedience to undermine the pillars and topple power-holders.In nonviolent struggle, the movement attempts to erode the pillars of support and shift supporting groups from a position of active or passive support of the power-holder to engaging in noncooperation, inaction or active resistance to the power-holder’s rule. For example, the Civil Rights movement in the South was based on multiple actions and campaigns focused with goals and aims for equal rights and desegregation, and it was able to topple the outward manifestations of southern racism through the disciplined tactics of non-violence. There are a stepping stones natural to social movements, and to be effective there must be Goals and Strategies, although Rivera also showed us that leadership can change, and flocking birds can show us a model for working together in self-organizing structures
Rivera Sun has donated a wonderful book to the Chico Peace and Justice Center: The Dandelion Insurrection Study Guide is a guide, which accompanies her novel, including thoughtful and motivating exercises. Thus we can see how a disciplined and focused effort could topple the oil and gas industry or the prison industrial complex with the understanding that all the dots of activism focus are connected and that nonviolence can provide the Movement of Movements to unite us and give us the numbers we need for any one campaign.Other observations from Rivera Sun:
• American independence was won before a single shot was fired--one hundred years before Gandhi
• Governments rarely operate with the consent of the governed.
• Sanctions are agents of repression and compose 30% of all failure rates of nonviolent movements.
• To win, we must have foundational events–phased in and escalating.
• Always respond, adjust, adapt. Skill up. Strengthen up.
• Seek alignment and collaboration.
We are all part of a system of domination even though we are in an ecosystem of change. The nexus of problems is interconnected. We succeed with cooperation and collaboration which rely on flexibility and adaptability. Complex systems are ok for the peace and justice movement; we must support one another even if in only a small way. Seek alignment and collaboration.
* "Successful Strategies for Changemaking" (2016-05-01, by Gayle Kimball, Peaceful Action newsletter, Chico Peace and Justice Center) [http://is.gd/bsFPJN]:
Here are ideas for Changemaking from Gayle's book on youth activism. Gayle has traveled the world asking young people what they think and want to do about world issues.
"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." -Dalai Lama XIV"It always seems impossible until it’s done." -Nelson Mandela
• Identify widespread outrage about injustice that violates deeply held values, such as it’s not fair that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer or that school food is unhealthy. Define the problem: The unfair economic system is the focus of recent activism. People also need to have hope, Obama’s campaign slogan along with “Yes We Can.” Many student groups work on environmental issues.
• Reach out to potential activists on social media and with face-to-face meetings. Include incentives such as food, live music and raffle.
• Decide on your top priority and action to achieve it. Think of planning a non-violent battle strategy including gaining allies, coalitions, and mentors. Create a power chart of who has control around your issue, such as a principal, school board, or city council. Who are the pillars of support for the power holders and celebrities that you can influence? Soccer fans helped out in uprisings in Egypt and Turkey and Leonardo Decaprio speaks for the environmental movement. Pope Francis told a Brazilian crowd of young people, “The young people in the street are the ones who want to be actors of change. Please don't let others be actors of change."
• Form a local organization based on an issue: Models are Quebec and Chilean student groups working for affordable education. Study successful campaigns such as the Civil Rights Movement or the campaign for GLBT acceptance. Read Gandhi’s autobiography, and Bill Moyer and Gene Sharp's analyses about how to create a sustained movement. For example, the women’s movement in the US greatly changed attitudes. Betty Friedan named the problem that had no name in The Feminine Mystique. Women and male allies held huge marches and lobbied politicians to change laws. They organized influential groups like NOW and the Moral Majority. They publicized concepts with skilled speakers like Gloria Steinem who advised doing an outrageous act daily. High schools and colleges formed feminist groups.
• In organizing, involve people by giving them specific tasks that they report on to the group. Teach skills like how to facilitate a meeting, rotating leadership positions, and conflict resolution. Successful groups like Immigrant Dreamers provide direct action training. Large meetings can use hand signals such as a twinkle with fingers for approval or thumbs down. People are more likely to get involved if their friends are participating and they think success will result. Celebrate small successes and give praise for good work. Chenowith's Why Civil Resistance Works study of resistance movements indicates they succeed if 3.5% of the population participates and non-violent tactics are the most effective because they invite more participation.
• Brand your campaign as if were Nike shoes. What do you want your audience to learn? Educate them. Pick a logo, symbol, color, and slogan. A popular symbol is a flag or a black fist, created by Serbian Otpor to overthrow their corrupt president. Otpor said “We’re trying to make politics sexy.” Quebec students used a red felt square pinned on their shirts to symbolize being in the red. Popular slogans during the recent youth-led uprisings were “Enough” and “We’re the 99%.” Create a “frame” or identity such as "It’s cool to be an activist".
• Create stickers, posters, flyers, and YouTube videos that educate about the facts, graffiti, and T-shirts with your slogan and logo. See the Arab Spring slogans and art at [http://en.quantara.de/content/symbols-and-slogans-arab-spring].
• Create polls and petitions where people give input into decisions and feel they have power.
• Get attention from many people and media with marches, demonstrations,boycotts or "buycotts," strikes, sit-ins, and occupations of public spaces--the main tactic of recent uprisings. Think in terms of photo ops for media with banners, costumes, symbolic actions such as presenting a petition to a city mayor. Environmentalist Bill McKibben advises us to keep up the pressure, to be a pain in the neck and to never give up (as 350.org has demonstrated with its successful campaign against the XL pipeline).
• Make activities fun and attractive to media, such as Chilean student demonstrators dressed as superheroes. They also held a kiss-a-thon and danced to Michael Jackson songs
Gayle Kimball invites readers to add to this list of Successful Strategies for Changemaking and to critique the chapter. Send ideas and comments to <gkimball@csuchico.edu>.
Resources
Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. Columbia University Press, 2011.
Gene Sharp’s books. [http://www.aeinstein.org/free-resources/free-publications/english/]
Bill Moyer, “The Movement Action Plan,” Spring 1987.
[http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.html]
Mark Engler and Paul Engler. This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the 21st Century by brothers (2016).
* [http://globalyouthbook.wordpress.com/]
*Photos of global youth and their homes: [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.348956001796264.91437.160382763986923&type=1]
*Video interviews with global youth: [www.youtube.com/user/TheGlobalyouth?feature=mhee#p/u]
*Literacy project in NW Pakistan: [http://opendoorsliteracyproject.weebly.com].
* = from Gayle's research.
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* "Congressman Mike Rogers Introduces Bill to Get U.S. Out of UN" (2016-06-12, thenewamerican.com) [archive.is/Gl5NM]
Why not target transnational capitalist holding companies for nationalization, while we're on the topic of sovereignty? Economic sovereignty is the next step...
The People's Councils on the County level could replace government. It happened among the radicals of the 1960s in the cities and mountain regions (!), and among the conservatives during the 1980s and 1990s... but the idea of self-governance for the people has been applied and maintained through great cost, and no effort beyond what I seen in east India's Liberated Zones can match the technology of trans-national companies whose holdings match the assets of over a hundred state governments combined. Only in East India have sovereign Liberated Zones been applied with great effort to bring complete control to cities outside of the dominating cultural factor fueling the Liberated Zones. And only in East India are the rebels targetng cell-phone towers, for example, and put a stop to trans-national project for mining and energy extraction (for foreign companies and shareholders).
I think USA's dominant culture is too reliant on those trans-national companies to make an effort to free the land. That's where nationalization and, of course, expropriation comes in handy!
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* "Police Reform or Community Control of the Police?" (2016-04-19, by Aislinn Pulley, Black Lives Matter, Chicago & Frank Chapman, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression) [archive.is/2V12Y]
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CHICANO POWER! LUCHA PARA LA NUEVA AZTLAN!
* "Alleging Labor Abuses, U.S. and Mexican Workers Call for Boycott of Driscoll’s Berries" (2015-04-18, inthesetimes.com) [archive.is/Bkaow]
* "Driscoll’s Runs Away At Watsonville Earth Day People started speaking about the Driscoll’s boycott, so Driscoll’s got rid of their strawberries and quickly left Watsonville Earth Day" (2016-04-25, bradleyallen.net) [archive.is/vFEs4], photo caption: Michael Garcia of the Watsonville Brown Berets holds a boycott Driscoll’s flyer in front of the Driscoll’s booth at Watsonville Earth Day. April 24, 2016
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SOLIDARITY WITH THE NEW AFRICAN NATION!Black Power! Revive the Community! Defend the Nation!
The Minnesota Chapter of the Black Rider Liberation Party has finally done it... they have Liberated Minnesota for the People! As long as they exist, the People are being served, there is a process of Liberation being unleashed which can't stop, won't stop, and is joined by a network of hundreds of chapters and affiliates across the world... Anti-fascism is here to stay!
* (2016-04-25): I got my PantherPower pamphlets and literature printed out. I have 25 fliers to selectively hand out today. My nominated officers, contact me. If not today, tomorrow we will definitely if time allows. BP!
* "Black Riders Combat Trainin" 5 photos (2016-05-03, BRLP - Oakland Chapter) [archive.is/OX3mz], photos [archive.is/dVnNh] [archive.is/DyIcD] [archive.is/rMH0E] [archive.is/tR112] [archive.is/Tvmro].
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* event announcement [archive.is/TPaRf]: Let's Remember! On Wed, April 27th, the SO CA Cease Fire will Remember, Talk About & Celebrate This Historic Event, Bloods & Crips 1992 Peace Treaty!!! (read more at the link about the event)
* [archive.is/64AOC]: April 29, 1992 – May 4, 1992, the Rodney King Rebellion For the First Time... Crips, Bloods, Black & Brown Unified during the Rebellion..
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* "Anonymous takes down Black Lives Matter website to make point that 'All Lives Matter' " (2016-05-03, ibtimes.co.uk) [archive.is/BX018]
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* "Too Short Says There Was An Industry-Wide Plot To Shut Down Conscious Hip Hop" (2012-02-29, hiphopdx.com) [archive.is/SiTBh]
* "Ice Cube Speaks On Conspiracy To Take Conscious Rap Off Of The Airwaves" (2016-04-30, news.hiphopearly.com) [archive.is/BjAlP]
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* "Racism in schools is pushing more black families to homeschool their children; Eurocentric school curricula continues to prevail in a society that is increasingly brown" (2016-04-10, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/o96nO]
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* "U.S. Comptroller General Accused of Involvement in False Imprisonment of African Americans" (2015-07-08, postnewsgroup.com) [archive.is/xB4Hd]:
Critics claim Dodaro has failed to overrule a GAO employee who refused to investigate the ongoing false imprisonment of thousands of African Americans by members of California’s federal judiciary.
This story is documented in a new book at Amazon.com by legal researcher Conrad Baldwin, “The Void Generation: How a Generation of Void Restraining Orders Voided the Lives of a Generation.”
Between 1999 and 2007, according to the book, the California Judicial Council published a “whole generation” of void restraining order forms.
These void forms violated due process, and the 1999 Senate Bill 218 by requiring restraining order respondents to give up their firearms without a hearing and by failing to warn respondents they are prohibited by law from “owning or possessing” a firearm.
When the Judicial Council’s legal staff discovered their mistakes and omissions, they refused to provide the courts with corrective forms because “attaching the warning to every restraining order might be bothersome to court clerks and individuals.”
With no valid forms available for their use, California’s judges were compelled to issue all their restraining orders on void forms for from two to eight years, which resulted in the false arrest and ongoing false imprisonment of thousands of young African American men without a statutorily required warning notice or a prior court hearing, as detailed in the YouTube Video, “A Chat with Candyman/The Void Generation. “
For the last 15 years, California’s state and federal courts have tried to cover up these void forms and their tragic consequences by issuing fraudulent decisions that claimed that these void forms are valid, according to the book’s author.
But under federal law, any judge who upholds a void order is acting without jurisdiction or authority, and without immunity from prosecution, so the federal judges who have been covering up this scandal are now both civilly and criminally liable for the damages their fraudulent decisions have caused the African American community, the book alleges.
Since there are no statutes of limitations that apply to void orders, anyone who was affected by these fraudulent decisions can sue the responsible courts at any time, even twenty years down the line, to have these void restraining orders set aside – and for damages for false imprisonment, says the book.
The U.S. Comptroller General is responsible for investigating wrongdoing committed by federal officials, including frauds committed by members of the federal judiciary, and Dodaro has long been lauded for encouraging citizens to report suspected fraud to the GAO at fraud@gao.gov or the FraudNet Hotline at 1-800-424-5454.
But now Dodaro is under fire for allegedly failing to overrule a GAO investigative analyst who responded to citizen complaints about these frauds by refusing to authorize a GAO investigation of the complaints and by falsely advising complainants their only available route to justice was through these same corrupt federal courts, according to the book.
Unlike the DEA’s Leonhart, who frequently quarreled with the administration on drug policy, Dodaro enjoys a friendly relationship with President Obama, who nominated him for the office of U.S. Comptroller General in 2010.
It remains to be seen if that relationship will survive implications the GAO is helping to cover up a judicial scandal that victimized thousands of African Americans.
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STUDENT POWER!
information collected by the Committee to Defend Public Education!
* "SF College Faculty Strike for Justice Stop Class Reductions & Pay Cuts" (2016-04-28, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/2kzUg]
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WORKER'S POWER!
information collected by the Worker's Defense Committee [http://is.gd/VOkmLr]
* 20 photos (2016-05-01, in Boston, Massachusetts) [archive.is/jRP53]: Stand with the strikers on May Day and Everyday until Victory! Join the fight! Walk the line! Solidarity Forever!
[archive.is/DsmLV] [archive.is/gW1oE] [archive.is/wTFDp] [archive.is/NSYSR] [archive.is/Z6bWP] [archive.is/pJwmb] [archive.is/3eaYU] [archive.is/GIPBD] [archive.is/jaPdF] [archive.is/WFtQo] [archive.is/LV8E6] [archive.is/EkMvT] [archive.is/Q9rIz] [archive.is/655Xk] [archive.is/9bpYI] [archive.is/LDpAK] [archive.is/o74dt] [archive.is/OLoCP] [archive.is/rdoeR] [archive.is/4H2RA]
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HANDS OFF OUR HOMES![HandsOffHomes.blogspot.com]
* "Outraged San Jose Tenants Claim More 'Retaliatory' Evictions Took Place While They Met With Mayor; NBC Bay Area reported exclusively last week about a so-called "tenant revolt" that led to a private meeting between residents and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo" (2016-02-15, nbcbayarea.com) [archive.is/3wC2T]
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* " ‘City’s worst landlords’ busted by Brooklyn DA for allegedly sabotaging tenants’ apartments" (2016-04-16, pix11.com) [archive.is/6JI9W], photos showing the slum-lords [archive.is/MfEIC].
* "300 Nassau Ave. tenants fight landlords Joel and Aaron Israel; Greenpointers still frozen out of rent-stabilized digs by alleged sabotage" (2014-12-22, brooklynpaper.com) [archive.is/5pdpc], photograph [archive.is/C6TKx] showing actual living conditions in one of the affected domiciles.
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information collected by the Committee to
DEFEND THOSE WITHOUT HOMES!
* "Access Denied: Berkeley neighbors attack the homeless on Nextdoor.com, but the website won't let the homeless fight back" (2016-04-27, eastbayexpress.com) [archive.is/pP9Ln]
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FRIDAY 2pm! Oakland Hearing to Stop Planned Eureka Homeless Raid
April 28, 2016
vervain@lists.riseup.net
To Bay Area friends and comrades,
A federal lawsuit was filed to stop the Planned Eviction of about 150 houseless people who live behind the Mall in Eureka (the area is commonly known as the "PALCO marsh"). People have been living there for many years, and there is no place for them to go any where else in the city (or in this Humboldt County really). the cops will take everything they have. There are many more houseless people in this city, and there is no legal place for most of them either. It's wet and cold here.
To my happy surprise, a local lawyer (about the only one who will file civil rights cases in this area) recently filed a federal lawsuit about the City's plan to violate the rights of the people who live back there by essentially making it illegal to be anywhere in the City of Eureka (There is NO place where that many people can sleep; and no one - well, no houseless person- is allowed to sit, lie, defecate, or panhandle anywhere here either.
TOMORROW (Friday, April 29) there will be a hearing for a temporary restraining order/preliminary injunction to stop the imminent raid and massive eviction on Monday, May 2nd. There will be oral argument. Please attend or ask folks who can attend to support the people with no place to go and be present to oppose horrendous oppression from the City of Eureka.
The lawsuit ("Complaint") is linked here. Thanks for going Friday if you can make it!
Oakland federal Courthouse
1301 Clay St, Oakland, CA 94612
2:00pm (need I.D., and get there a little early to go through metal detector)
Cobine v City of Eureka
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COMMUNITY FASCISM WATCH
* "Oakland Official Handling Coal Controversy Personally Invested in Fossil Fuels" (2016-05-02, eastbayexpress.com) [archive.is/pD7ns]
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* "Former Hunters Point Worker Claims Supervisors Ordered Him to Hide Radiation; Anthony Smith reveals to the Investigative Unit how he says supervisors concealed radiation at Hunters Point by instructing him to switch soil samples and dump potentially contaminated dirt into the ground" (2016-03-11, nbcbayarea.com) [archive.is/jL0l0] [begin excerpt]: For the first time last November, the former radiation control technician revealed to the Investigative Unit the tactics he said his supervisors used to conceal radiation on Hunters Point. The 800-acre former Superfund site is slated for parks, shops and homes. Smith said what he witnessed—and what he did—calls into question claims that Hunters Point has been properly cleaned up and does not pose a public health hazard. For decades on Hunters Point, the Navy operated a radiological defense laboratory and decontaminated ships exposed to nuclear weapons tests. [...]
Pasadena-based company Tetra Tech won $300 million in Navy contracts to oversee the cleanup of radiation. Smith said the company repeatedly cut corners to save money. In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Smith claimed Tetra Tech supervisors:
- Ordered him to replace potentially contaminated soil samples with clean soil samples.
- Instructed him to dump potentially contaminated soil into open trenches across Hunters Point.
- Forced him to sign falsified documents that were later submitted to the government.
- Tampered with computer data that analyzed radiation levels. [...]
Smith said beginning in 2009, his supervisors began instructing him to get rid of contaminated soil samples and replace them with clean soil samples. He said the switching of the soil samples often took place out of public view, inside large Conex bins located around the job site. He estimates hundreds of samples had been switched.
“I didn’t like it because it wasn’t right,” Smith said. “That’s not the way it was supposed to be done.” Smith believes multiple locations across Hunters Point may still be contaminated with radiation.
He said he collected soil samples underneath a structure referred to as building 351A, which once housed part of the Navy’s radiological lab. He recalls a sample tested positive for radium, an element linked to bone cancer.
“When I took a sample it came back hot,” he said, “and they made me get rid of it.”
Smith said the building should have been remediated after he found a hot soil sample, but he questions whether crews subsequently cleaned up the contamination. He said remediating the area would have taken more time and money.
The California Department of Public Health also questioned the cleanup of building 351A. In December the department ordered the structure to be retested. The state reported that “no contamination was found.” Health officials confirmed Tetra Tech conducted the retesting.
Smith said his supervisors directed him to dump the discarded, potentially contaminated soil into trenches that have since been covered or paved. Smith said there is no way to know what the contamination levels are in the trenches without retesting the soil. He said as far as he can tell, Tetra Tech did not test the trenches after they were backfilled.
Smith also said Tetra Tech fabricated documents called Chain of Custody forms, which are supposed to document where and when Smith took soil samples and certify that the samples stayed under his control. He said sometimes his bosses would fill out the forms instead.
“I never got to see them until the end of the day when all I done was sign my name and put the date,” Smith said.
He said he also watched Tetra Tech supervisors change computer data that detailed radiation readings, a practice he considers to be fraud. Smith said if his bosses thought a radiation level was too high, they would knock it down to a lower level. [...]
Tetra Tech came up with multiple theories, but could not definitively conclude how or why soil samples were switched and data was falsified. In the report, the company blamed the “sample collectors on the chain of custody forms” including Smith. He believes the company made him its scapegoat. “They were blaming me for something [they] were telling me to do every day,” Smith said.
[end excerpt]
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* "Oakland residents want school gone Neighbors complain of illegal activity by teens who should be in class" (2006-11-26, eastbaytimes.com) [archive.is/wvm9o] [begin excerpt]: Each morning, teenagers from Youth Empowerment School and East Oakland Community High School travel from their homes in some of the citys most violent neighborhoods to a quiet, 12-acre campus in the south Oakland hills.
The students say they like the open space, the beautiful views and a feeling of safety, which they dont always experience in their own neighborhoods. But those who live near the Fontaine Street campus off Keller Road say some of the kids seem more interested in roaming the streets than getting an education.
After numerous complaints of break-ins, truant-sightings and graffiti since the two small high schools opened at a former middle school campus in 2004 and 2005, neighbors are asking the district to move them somewhere else.
Meanwhile, Oakland school district officials also have begun a series of meetings with parents and students to determine the fate of the East Oakland Community High School, which has seen its test scores plummet and enrollment dwindle to roughly 65 students per grade-level.
All options, right now, are open, said Wendy Gudalewicz, a school district administrator who supervises the high schools. The students and the families are, of course, a priority, but we dont want to dismiss the neighbors concerns.
The decision is expected to be announced in January.
A neighborhood under siege -
Youth Empowerment School and East Oakland Community High School are part of a sweeping small schools movement fueled by millions of dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Although the two schools have a combined enrollment of fewer than 400, residents say crime has spiked since they opened on what used to be the King Estates Middle School campus.
School officials erected fences and installed security cameras in response to the complaints, but residents say the truancy — and the problems that stem from it — persists.
We went from a classic Oakland neighborhood — a very diverse, culturally advanced, peaceful community — to a community that felt under siege, said Stewart Elliot, whose house was ransacked earlier this year.
Elliot said police detained three students who were seen trying to enter his home and others down the street shortly after the burglary.
In the last few weeks, a group of residents in the active Oak Knoll Neighborhood Improvement Association have collected about 600 signatures on a petition to relocate the high schools. The petition also calls for the school district to open a middle school there instead.
Although few residents send their children to Howard, the local elementary school up the street, some say the area needs a middle school. If one opened at King Estates, they say, they would work with the district to make it — and Howard — a true neighborhood school.
People feel theyre still vested in the community, and theyll give their time and effort to create a school that the community can be proud of, said Serena Coorey, who recalled angrily confronting a group of kids scribbling on the Fontaine overpass on Halloween. [end excerpt]
* "State Administrator Agrees to Close East Oakland High" (2007-03-02, by J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, berkeleydailyplanet.com) [archive.is/tnn7j]
* "Breaking the rules can flunk a school -- and the teachers" (2007-06-19, sfgate.com) [archive.is/n943Q]
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Documenting human-rights abuse by domestic security agencies
NORTHBAY COPWATCH
[NorthbayCopwatch.blogspot.com] [copblock.org] [wecopwatch.org] [filmingcops.com]
* "Senior LA county sheriff’s official leaves office over racist emails" (2016-05-03, rt.com) [archive.is/GkmGG]
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* "Vallejo Police Department Hosts Annual Awards Luncheon" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The Vallejo Police Department hosted its annual awards luncheon on Thursday, April 28 at the World Classics Event Center in Vallejo. Chief Bidou recognized the dedication, service and commitment of officers, civilians and volunteers over the past year that help make Vallejo a safe City for its residents, businesses owners, and visitors.More than Awards included Certificates of Commendation, Good Conduct Medals, Certificates of Merit, Life Saving Medal, and Volunteer of the Year, as well as achievements in law enforcement tactics, skills and service. More than 80 Vallejo officers, City employees and volunteers were nominated for awards.
Officer of the Year -
Detective Mat Mustard, who joined VPD in 2001, was recognized with the Officer of the Year Award. Mustard is a veteran investigator known for using his experience to mentor newer detectives and assisting other officers. He spent most of 2015 assisting with the investigation of 18 homicides, Mustard was also the lead investigator for the criminal case against the man charged with the murder of Vallejo Officer Jim Capoot 2011, which resulted in a murder conviction in 2015. Chief Bidou noted that Mustard defines the outstanding qualities of the City’s peace officers who protect and serve the public.
Communications Operator of the Year -
Communications Supervisor Kelly Newman received the Communications Operator of the Year Award for her positive attitude, her calm demeanor when dealing with emergency situations, and her ability to communicate relevant information clearly with officers in the field. Newman joined the City in 2003 as a Communications Operator I, and has been a supervisor since 2010. Among other duties, Newman is also a member of the Tactical Dispatch Team, a speaker/presenter at the Community Services and Neighborhood Watch meetings, and a Dispatch Training Manager.
Civilian of the Year -
Shellyne Darst, Executive Secretary to the Chief of Police since 2005, was awarded the Civilian of the Year Award. Having spent time previously with Vallejo’s Public Works Department, Darst has more than 30 years of service with the City. She is known for going out of her way to help other members of the Department and is a major com-ponent of the glue that holds VPD together.
* "Chief Bidou and Capt. Whitney Join Charity Bike Ride" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
Chief Andrew Bidou and Captain John Whitney had the pleasure of cycling 50 miles with Congress-man Mike Thompson, Napa County Sheriff John Robertson and Olympic Cycling Medalist Levi Liepheimer. The group participated in the 9th Annual "Cycle for Sight/Rotary Ride for Veter-ans,” which took place among the hills and vineyards of the Napa Valley.Proceeds from the day's events benefitted to two local organizations: Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind & Visually Impaired and The California Veterans "Pathway Home Project."
* "Vallejo PAL Golf Classic- May 13" (2016-04-29, Vallejo News) [archive.is/GTE0M]:
Vallejo PAL will be hosting the 37th Annual Golf Classic at the Mare Island Golf Course on May 13. Entry fee is $135 per golfer, which includes golf, a golf cart, box lunch, dinner, and tee prize. Dinner will be held at the Mare Island Museum, located on Railroad Avenue and 8th Street.
The golf classic will include a four-person scramble in a handicap format and will reward prizes to participants for the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pins. This action-packed event will also include raffle prizes, silent auctions, and contest holes. Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m., and starts at 11:00 a.m.
Get the entry form at the PAL office located at 301 Wallace Avenue.
* "Vallejo Police Department Meets with Neighborhood Watch Block Captains" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The Vallejo Police Department's Community Services and Code Enforcement Division hosted a neighborhood training event at the J.F.K. Library. Neighbor-hood block watch coordinators and block captains representing various neigh-borhoods throughout the city came together to share personal stories and strategies regarding crime prevention activities in their respective neighbor-hoods.Officer Hans Williams instructed the group on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Code Enforcement Officer David Sidie gave a brief overview on Code Enforcement duties and responsibilities. Officer Kenneth Doughty discussed mental health issues within our community and Deputy City Attorney Eli Flushman offered residents his legal insights concerning nuisance properties and steps to gain property owners’ compliance. The VPD would like to thank all participants who are improving the quality of life in Vallejo.
* (2016-01, Glen Cove Community Association newsletter) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/V9dARk]
- 1st Citizen Worship - Handling Quality of Life Issues: In past newsletters we have reported on the Neighborhood Law Program. Eli Flushman and Brandon Grestle are two attorneys who have been working for the city to address a variety of property issues throughout Vallejo. Mr. Flushman and Mr. Grestle will be teaching on how to address nuisance properties throughout our communities. The training is scheduled for February 1, 2016, at the Empress Theater located at 330 Virginia Street (downtown Vallejo) starting at 6:30PM.
- Vallejo Police Community Services/Neighborhood Law Program, General Meeting April 21st, 7:00pm, at the Glen Cove Elementary Multi Purpose Rm
The Vallejo Police Department’s Community Services Division has taken over management of Code Enforcement of Vallejo. Representatives from Community Services and Code Enforcement will be our main speakers for April’s General Meeting. Please attend to find out changes in enforcement and ask questions. Light refreshments will be served.
- Next Door is a great way to communicate with your neighbors on crime, happenings, lost pets, and events. The Vallejo Police and Fire Departments frequently use the Next Door boards for announcements, police actions and warnings. Apps are free for iPhones and Android phones. Website sign up is at NextDoor.comLatest post from Vallejo PD: Onewheelboyz bicycle group - 7 Jan.
The Vallejo Police Department has received numerous complaints regarding a group of young people on bicycles causing traffic hazards and playing chicken with vehicles. The Community Service Section is investigating this group. Please continue to report any contact you have with this group to 911 with a follow up email to CSS at CSS@CItyofvallejo.net refer to case number 16-239. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter and reporting all issues.
- Vallejo Police Department App now available for iPhone and Android devices. Important contact number, online reporting and crime statistics map. The apps are free.
* "Public Works Fleet Maintenance Gets Police Cars Back on the Road" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The Fleet Maintenance section repaired police vehicle #134 by taking an engine and trans-mission from a soon-to-be salvaged police vehicle. Staff was able to repair the vehicle and put it safely back on the road in a short amount of time while avoiding a costly re-placement purchase.
* "Fleet Receives New Motorcycles for Police Department" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The Fleet Maintenance section is in the process of outfitting three new motorcycles with the required emergency and radio equipment. They will be put into service in the coming weeks.
* "Vallejo Police Department Invited to the White House to Launch Public Safety Open Data Portal" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
VPD Captain Lee Horton and Sargent Brenton Garrick had the honor of visiting the White House on April 22 to participate in “The Police Data Initiative”.In May 2015, the White House launched the Police Data Initiative (PDI) [archive.is/Ws7Wx] as a response to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which identified best practices to build partnerships between law enforcement agencies and communities. At the live-streamed event, jurisdictions had the opportunity to share strategies for using data and building networks.
Participating in the Police Data Initiative will allow the Vallejo Police Department to use shared data and technology to further strengthen relationships between residents and law en-forcement in Vallejo. The Police Department’s webpage highlights the new initiative and provides a direct link to the Vallejo Police Open Data Portal at [vallejopd.com].
* "Communicate With Us" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The City of Vallejo is eager to connect with residents, businesses and stake-holders. There are many ways to communicate and connect with City staff. The following describes the number of people signing up to communicate with the City and one another.
SEECLICKFIX Report : Issues reported from April 14, 2016 through April 26, 2016.
- Illegal Dumping: 66
- Potholes & Street Maintenance: 20
- Graffiti & Tagging: 18
- Streetlights & Traffic Signals: 6
Please note, Police-related non-emergency issues, such as abandoned/illegally parked vehicles and illegal camping, should be reported to the Police Department using Compass [compass.cityofvallejo.net]. Use SeeClickFix to report a non-emergency maintenance issue [cityofvallejo.net/city_hall/departments___divisions/public_works/seeclickfix].
* "Beautifying Vallejo" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
In most of the following cases, the City’s team of employees representing the Neighborhood Law Program (NLP), Community Service Section (CSS), along with Code Enforcement, Building, and Fire Prevention Divisions, work together to fight blight and nuisance activity in an effort to restore the beauty of Vallejo and increase the quality-of-life for Vallejo residents, businesses and visitors.
Neighborhood Cleanup Coordinated on Westwood Street (Alley) -
The Vallejo Police Department Community Services Division helped coordinate a neighborhood clean-up this past weekend in East Vallejo. The focus of the cleanup was in the 100 block of Westwood Street, specifically in the alley behind the Springstowne Shopping Center, which is shared by tenants on Westwood Street and neighboring business owners. By the end of the day, those involved in the clean-up managed to fill three large dumpsters full of trash and refuse. Residents were also instructed on ordinances regarding illegal dumping and measures to take in order to detect illegal dumping activities. The City appreciates all who participated in this clean-up effort.
NLP: 336 Barcelona Street -
Code Enforcement received a citizen complaint about this bank-owned property that had attracted squatters and accumulated trash. NLP assisted and the bank quickly cleaned up the property and it is now listed for sale.
* "City Leaders Support Leadership Vallejo" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
On Friday, April 20, Kathleen Diohep, the City’s Economic Devel-opment Manager, spoke to the 2016 Leadership Vallejo program as part of their Economic Development Day. She answered questions from the 20 participants of the nine-month program that educates and trains future business, government, and volunteer leaders. This year, two City Staff, Kevin Brown of the Fire Department, and Kristin Jackson of the Police Department, are participating in the program.
In addition, on April 14, Leadership Vallejo held a fundraiser at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. City representatives in attendance included: Councilmem-ber Pippin Dew-Costa, City Manager Daniel E. Keen, Police Chief Andrew Bidou, Fire Chief Jack MacArthur, Police Captain John Whitney, Assistant to the City Manager Joanna Altman, Police Lieutenant Mike Nichelini, Senior Community Development Analyst Annette Taylor, Administrative Analyst II Bonnie Mirante, Executive Assistants Michelle Straub and Shellyne Darst, and retired VPD Officer Mary Pedretti.* "City Continues to Support Critical Community Services" (2016-04-29, Vallejo City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/xfa666]:
The City annually provides Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds through contracts with social service and housing non-profit organizations to help low-income families in Vallejo. Some of these organizations are:
- Christian Help Center
- Fighting Back Partnership
- Global Center for Success
- House of Acts
- Meals on Wheels
- Vallejo Senior Citizens’ Council (Florence Douglas Senior Center)
- Community Housing Development Corporation
The services provided by these agencies are wide-ranging, including: emergency food and shelter, supportive services, assistance for persons who are homeless, homebuyer education and foreclosure prevention counseling, home-delivered meals for the elderly, the acquisition and rehabilitation of abandoned and blighted housing, and transitional housing for victims of domestic violence. Between July 2015 and March 2016, these groups have provided services to over 4,600 Vallejo residents, and expended more than $400,000 in City-administered CDBG and HOME funds.
===*===*===
NORTHBAY COPWATCH: Domestic Security Agencies and private-sector partners
* "Supreme Court Quietly Approves Rule to Give FBI 'Sprawling' Hacking Powers; Absent action by Congress, the rule change will go into effect in December" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/N9YTV]
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* "Meet Annie Dookhan, the Government Chemist Who Purposefully Sent Thousands of Innocent Americans to Prison" (2016-01-27, anonhq.com) [archive.is/PHAHa]
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* "Sikh community furious at Texas authorities after detention on false terrorism accusations" (2016-04-29, rt.com) [archive.is/qWUuI]
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* "Letter details FBI plan for secretive anti-radicalization committees" (2016-04-28, theintercept.com) [archive.is/6XgdZ]
---
* "Former Tor developer makes malware for FBI" (2016-04-28, rt.com) [archive.is/sSdPW]
---
* "FBI doesn’t know how to use iPhone hack it bought for $1mn" (2016-04-29, rt.com) [archive.is/V6g1T]
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* "Facebook malware download? Kaspersky Malware Scanner" (2015-04-02) [archive.is/R9TI8]
Facebook is affiliates of Trend, Kaspersky, and a few others and they get an affiliate payment every time someone uses the scanners they force on you.
A user writes, "This has happened to me for the first time yesterday. I'm very suspect because lets face it, Facebook is virtually a part of the NSA, now they want the NSA to scan your computer with no privacy protection at all? It would not even matter if Kapersky was the best Malware remover in the world. I'm not allowing Facebook to scan my computer. Like you, i can still use the phone, but not the PC. However, i use my Facebook account a lot and Admin groups, so this is a real pain in the butt. No matter, i just cannot click "Download"."
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* "Yahoo and Mac Afee target Native American website Snowwowl.com" (2008-05-30, snowwowl.com) [archive.is/lwJWu], update (2008-06-11) [archive.is/7Wnkn], "Mac Afee's final word on the Snowwowl.com rating" (2008-06-17) [archive.is/7DEf1], "Yahoo launches new campaign against Snowwowl.com" (2008-07-01) [archive.is/xgYFn]
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* "Ambitious plans for ‘blood alley’ " (2015-10-15, sonomanews.com) [archive.is/1oCag] [begin excerpt]: That aside, perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of the scheme is the proposal for making it a toll road – one way only, and electronically collected like the Bay Area’s FasTrak service, but a toll road nonetheless.
“Legislation would be required if the preferred alternative included converting a State Highway to a toll highway,” said Amsk. While toll roads are being added to the state highway system, some of them privately-funded like this project, they usually do require a legal change-in-status. [end excerpt]
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The casual use of snitches by domestic security agencies to bring public opinion against political movements against the regime on both the "left" and "right".
* "One Ugly Summer: Is Latest Trump Rally Violence Just Taste of What's to Come? Rancor, riot police, anger, and arrests. Will 2016 be the year political events become violent by design?" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/qBYvX]
* "350.org’s Bill McKibben Responds to Right Wing Group’s Plans to Target Climate Activists with Trackers and Video Cameras" (2016-04-29, 350.org) [archive.is/wRWz7]
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* "YG Is Being Monitored by the Secret Service Because of “FDT” " (2016-04-26, xxlmag.com) [archive.is/s9brc]
* "First Belly. Now Indy Artist "Ras Ceylon" Got His Spot Raided By The DEA!" (2008-10-28, worldstarhiphop.com) [archive.is/Dpyhp]
===*===*===
NORTHBAY COPWATCH: Five-Eyes, and other transnational partners
* " 'Police hit everyone': Danish officers use batons on citizens, violently detain man" (2016-04-29, rt.com) [archive.is/yZtvU]
===*===*===
articles recommended by the
SAN PABLO BAY ECOLOGICAL PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION
Campaigns, info, and more [SanPabloBayEPA.blogspot.com]. Science [discardstudies.com]
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* Orcem flier (2015-10-08):
* "Ambitious plans for ‘blood alley’ " (2015-10-15, sonomanews.com) [archive.is/1oCag] [begin excerpt]: The highway – now a two-lane road with a center barrier, built atop a levee that bisects the wetlands – has been considered for freeway construction in the past, but a plethora of economic and environmental concerns have blocked those plans, and the California Department of Transportation has directed its focus on the Highway 101 corridor.
That’s changing. In 2012 Caltrans partnered with U.C. Davis on a Highway 37 Stewardship Survey, which found broad political and institutional acceptance of the possibility of rising sea levels, and a willingness to incorporate marsh adaptation into new infrastructure.
“A raised causeway structure was found to meet most objectives of the diverse group of stakeholders – meeting transportation demand needs, while protecting or enhancing wetlands ecosystems,” said Allyn Amsk, of Caltrans. [...]
Enter the private sector. After almost three years of behind-the-scenes research, an alliance known as the United Bridge Partners on Oct. 7 gave a presentation at Sonoma Raceway to Sonoma Valley wine, tourism and business professionals – proposing an innovative solution:
A four-lane elevated causeway, funded privately and paid for over time by one-way toll.
Such a plan would allow tidal exchange of fresh and salt water, encourage movement of anadromous fish (salmon) and other wildlife, help restore the much-diminished Bay Area wetlands – and ease traffic congestion, to boot. [...]
Perhaps surprisingly, getting the backing of a major environmental group was one of the first steps in moving the plan forward. Back in 2009, the San Francisco Bay Habitat Joint Venture asked Caltrans to study the feasibility of replacing the existing “at-grade” Highway 37 roadway between Sears Point and Mare Island with an elevated causeway operated as a toll facility.
The United Bridge plan includes a portion of the toll revenue going to “a permanent fund to do environmental restoration,” said Marc Holmes of the Bay Institute, bay.org. “That’s what hooked me.”
Holmes emphasized that it was environmentalists that pressed for a new highway because of the benefits it would bring in re-establishing wetlands of the San Francisco Bay.
“There were 196,000 acres of tidal wetlands prior to European colonization,” he said. “By 1990, all but 16,000 acres had been diked off from the tidal waters of the Bay and converted to other uses.” Those dikes created low-value agricultural land for grazing or growing oat-hay, a sorry trade-off for the wealth of wildlife, including fish and birds that once teemed the edges of San Francisco Bay.
One bird species on the endangered species list, Ridgway’s rail or the California clapper rail, is indigenous to Bay Area marshlands with fewer than a thousand individuals left. The flightless shorebird’s Latin name reflects its precarious status: Rallus obsoletus.
Another endangered species is the salt marsh harvest mouse, which can survive on either fresh water or salt water. Current local habitat includes the Napa Sonoma Marsh at the mouth of Sonoma Creek, and Alman Marsh adjacent to Shollenberger Park in Petaluma.
The dikes that were built around the “islands” in the wetlands – including Skaggs Island – led to further subsidence of those mounds, which had served as barrier islands to prevent tidal surge flooding in settled areas. Maintaining those dikes now has become an expensive and un-ending drain on counties surrounding the bay. [end excerpt]
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* "GOP grouse about bird they falsely claim can cripple world’s largest military" (2016-04-28, rt.com) [archive.is/bSUAu]
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* " ‘Invalid and unenforceable’: Colorado court rules for state power over city fracking ban" (2016-05-03, rt.com) [archive.is/rqnsC]
===*===*===
SAN PABLO BAY EPA: Health and the Human Ecology
Monopolists enforce a regime that does not recognize the natural right to health and life. Info [detoxproject.org].
* "Number of lead-tainted schools grows in Washington state as uncovered test results go public" (2016-04-27, rt.com) [archive.is/5eZSi]
===*===*===
articles recommended by the
NO NUKES! campaign
[StopNuclearDeath.blogspot.com] [nuclear-news.net] [nukeresister.org] [nukefree.org]
* "Compensation denied to US nuclear workers to hush up Santa Susana radiation dangers – fmr employee" (2016-05-03, rt.com) [archive.is/ss2tj]
===*===*===
NORTHBAY ENTHEOGENIC FREEDOM
[NorthbayEntheogen.blogspot.com]
* "Why Can’t You Smoke Pot? Because Lobbyists Are Getting Rich Off of the War on Drugs" (2012-03-07, republicreport.org) [archive.is/IjtYt]
===*===*===
UNITED STATES FASCISM WATCH
Documenting the process of fascism and for whom it benefits. [UnitedStatesFascism.blogspot.com] [exposefacts.org]
* "Treasury Dept. financial crimes director to join HSBC despite Mexican drug money taint – report" (2016-04-27, rt.com) [archive.is/PilDx]
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* "Barclays fights price-fixing fine in power-market test" (2016-04-26, bloomberg.com) [archive.is/fgMQr]
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* "Chevron’s Lobbyist Now Runs the Congressional Science Committee" (2014-02-21, republicreport.org) [archive.is/sDQha]
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* "The House Just Voted To Give Wall Street Billions From Americans’ Retirement Savings; Investment advisers are allowed to give you bad advice. The House wants to keep it that way" (2016-04-28, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/QJiP7]
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* "Economic data leaks in US could be boosting trader profits – ECB paper" (2016-05-02, rt.com) [archive.is/FqbtC]
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* "Regulatory pollution at root of American woes" (2011-10-16, by John Liscano, social sciences chair at Napa Valley College / Napa) [archive.is/v1B7h] [begin excerpt]: Many folks get upset at me when I equate the United States to the former Soviet Union or China. But I don’t equate them at all, because in terms of government regulation, the United States is worse. Yes. Worse. Our health care and financial sectors are the two most heavily and irrationally regulated sectors in the American economy, much worse than modern China or Russia.
A direct result of this government regulation is that all manner of perverse incentives are created that drive up prices, encourage misbehavior and produce socially damaging outcomes.
And so, like the 1890s, 1930s and 1970s, here we are again, suffering through an economic crisis brought about by irrational and predatory government regulation.
And, like those earlier periods, the narrow but well-organized groups of beneficiaries of market regulation are quick to attribute it to a “lack of regulation” and the “unregulated” market in general. But in 2011, that argument is pure fiction and totally detached from political reality.
Why? Because the current abuses and dismal outcomes to be found in the American economy are not the result of “unregulated” markets — there are no unregulated markets in the American economy. The perverse and worsening outcomes this country is experiencing in health care, finance, infrastructure, real estate, education and energy are the direct result of decades of accumulated regulatory pollution. In all of these areas, supply and demand have, for decades, been twisted, bullied and coerced through the “wisdom” of government regulation into serving narrow political interests rather than economic logic, common sense and the public good.
* "Paul Ryan wants to end Obamacare protections for people with pre-existing conditions" (2016-04-27, by Reuters Newswire) [archive.is/3QG69]
* "Paul Ryan mocks senior citizen who wants to keep his medicare. Says "I hope he's on his blood pressure medication as he's dragged out of the town hall" (2012-08-12, ireport.cnn.com) [http://is.gd/ydvOAo]
* Voice Of Prophecy (2015-10) [https://archive.org/details/VoiceOfProphecy201510]: Voice of Prophecy produces materials intended to gain fellowship over interpretations of the Book of Revelations concerning current events, and the material produced here is an example of an ideology shared by hundreds of thousands across the USA.
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* "Not to be a downer, but here's a reality check on 'Loyalty Day' " (2016-04-29, latimes.com) [archive.is/YLpJ1]: As is customary for U.S. presidents around this time of year, President Obama this week recognized Loyalty Day with a lofty proclamation extolling American democracy, freedom and shared national purpose [archive.is/WF5ID]. This year's version spoke of how America is defined not by “similarities of origin or creed,” but by “our dedication to common ideals,” including “an overarching belief in the possibilities our shared future holds.”
We find nothing to quibble with in that aspirational view of the nation, but the history of Loyalty Day itself is not so admirable. First celebrated in 1921 as Americanization Day, it arose in response to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and growing radicalism in a swelling U.S. labor movement. Congress formally recognized Loyalty Day in 1958, when Cold War-era anti-communist fervor led to a hunt for suspected subversives that cost countless leftists their jobs, prompted prosecutions for political beliefs, led governments to require employees and job seekers to take loyalty oaths, and propelled inquisitions by the House Un-American Activities Committee. It's no coincidence that Loyalty Day falls on May 1 or “May Day,” a celebration of workers around the industrialized world observed on the anniversary of the 1886 Haymarket Square incident in Chicago — when four people were executed on the strength of murky evidence that they killed eight people (seven of them police officers) during a labor rally for the eight-hour workday.
We're all for recognizing the strengths of American democracy, even during its ebbs (this presidential election may be one), and for highlighting the dreams and desires that undergird the Constitution. But it's also important to recognize our full history and not gloss over those moments when we fell short of our aspirations, and those “common ideals” the president mentioned.
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: Two Party Dictatorship
* "RNC Says They Will Deny Trump Even If He Gets 1237 Delegates" (2016-04-25, dailypoliticsusa.com) [archive.is/1bfgY]
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* "Trump and Hillary Refuse to Explain Why They Both Share the Same Address in Delaware" (2016-04-25, theantimedia.org) [archive.is/wLbrV]
* "Clinton Camp says She's Been Forced to the Left Enough Already; Clinton ally tells The Hill, 'I don't know what's left to extract' " (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/ntZtS]
* "Clinton donates millions to strapped Democratic Party" (2016-02-18, AP Newswire) [archive.is/myEX5]
* "How Hillary Clinton Bought the Loyalty of 33 State Democratic Parties" (2016-04-01, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/vAb7n]
* "Hillary PAC Spends $1 Million to ‘Correct’ Commenters on Reddit and Facebook; FEC loopholes mean Correct the Record can openly coordinate with Clinton’s campaign" (2016-04-21, thedailybeast.com) [archive.is/xsEJJ]* "Hillary Clinton Trolls Shut Down Pro-Bernie Sanders Facebook Groups" (2016-04-26, usuncut.com) [archive.is/mAbQC]
* "7 PRO-BERNIE FACEBOOK GROUPS WITH 200,000+ MEMBERS PURGED BY HILLARY CLINTON PAID TROLLS" (2016-04-25, pivotamerica.com) [archive.is/mSUUY]
* "Pro-Hillary Trolls Shut Down Pro-Bernie Facebook Groups – But It Backfired" (2016-04-26, freakoutnation.com) [archive.is/cTvF1]
* "Bernie Blackout" eyewitness documentation, example 1 [archive.is/SzmRQ], example 2 [archive.is/fTfu2] including the following screengrabs [archive.is/5gn3I] [archive.is/6i24p] [archive.is/JNHG8] [archive.is/ok1ky] [archive.is/P3FLi] [archive.is/atG7b] and montage [archive.is/Fkkz0], shown here:
* WNDU-CBS News calls for the Indiana State Democrat Party Primary in favor of Hillary Clinton 7 days ahead of the primary election, screengrabs (2016-04-27) [archive.is/vyshq] [archive.is/DmmS4]
* "Votes for Bernie Sanders disappear in Delaware: Another example of a rigged election?" (2016-04-27, by Reno Berkeley, via inquisitr.com) [http://is.gd/0y4Sza]
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* "The Sanders Campaign – From Sea to Shining Sea" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/gVilm] [begin excerpt]: And it's no secret who constitute the bulk of the voters who do see things differently. While most anything may become a bone of contention in the midst of a presidential campaign, one point that no one argues is that Sanders has electrified the youth vote: Pennsylvania exit polls, for instance, showed him winning 83 percent of under-30 primary voters. Why? Perhaps it's because he has brought the U.S. up to speed with the rest of the world by introducing the idea of democratic socialism into the mainstream political whirl Or maybe it's because of the clarity of his positions: Whether he's advocating the $15 minimum wage; tuition-free public higher education; the need for a single-payer, Medicare-for-all health care system; the legalization of marijuana; the abolition of the death penalty; or his denunciation of the Iraq War as the country's greatest foreign policy disaster of the last forty years, when Sanders finishes talking you know clearly where he stands, something that is often not the case with the opposition. [end excerpt]
* "Who Are Bernie Sanders’ Top Contributors? Active Duty Army, Navy, & Air Force, That’s Who" (2016-03-06, linkis.com) [archive.is/0nN8g]
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: State Media Watch
Documenting propaganda issued by the monopolist media and members of the state security regime that uphold the economic dictatorship, imperialist wars, and the "New Jim Crow" regime [mediamatters.org]
* "Long-time Iowa farm cartoonist fired after creating this cartoon" (2016-05-03, kcci.com) [archive.is/Jv25T]
* "Farm Hero, Rick Friday, Fired for Speaking Truth to Power" (2016-05-03, robynobrien.com) [archive.is/jzZCb]: Meet Rick Friday, a cartoonist who was just fired for highlighting the fact that in 2015, the CEOs of Monsanto, Dupont Pioneer, and John Deere made more money than 2,129 Iowa farmers
According to KCCI, Des Moines, Iowa, “Rick Friday has been giving farmers a voice and a laugh every Friday for two decades through his cartoons in Farm News.” But after publishing a popular cartoon last week, he was fired, for calling attention to how much the CEOs of Monsanto and Dupont are paid.
As he shared on his Facebook wall,
“Again, I fall hard in the best interest of large corporations. I am no longer the Editorial Cartoonist for Farm News due to the attached cartoon which was published yesterday. Apparently a large company affiliated with one of the corporations mentioned in the cartoon was insulted and cancelled their advertisement with the paper, thus, resulting in the reprimand of my editor and cancellation of It’s Friday cartoons after 21 years of service and over 1090 published cartoons to over 24,000 households per week in 33 counties of Iowa.I did my research and only submitted the facts in my cartoon.
That’s okay, hopefully my children and my grandchildren will see that this last cartoon published by Farm News out of Fort Dodge, Iowa, will shine light on how fragile our rights to free speech and free press really are in the country.”
He only submitted facts in his cartoon. But apparently, even facts aren’t allowed in the free press, and Rick was fired. According to KCCI, Friday received an email from his editor at Farm New cutting off their relationship a day after the cartoon was published.
If these companies didn’t want anyone to see this message, they sure chose the wrong way to handle this.
We think Rick Friday is a hero. Please share so that others can see his story and scoop up this amazing talent.
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* "All The Koch's Men: Anatomy of a right-wing media smear" (2012-12-25, nsfwcorp.com) [archive.is/hpxCr]: Earlier this month, we learned that Fox News contributor Steven "Dickless" Crowder [archive.is/NpDDX] doctored a Fox News segment to supposedly show him being punched in the face unprovoked by a rampaging union protester at an anti-Right to Work rally in Michigan.
This alleged union thug looked to be way past his retirement age, but the video showed Crowder cowering in fear. Later, like a true wuss, Crowder explained that he would've used his deadly martial arts skills to incapacitate the attacker, but felt "that if I would have defended myself I would have been killed where I stood."
As fate would have it, Crowder's attempt to demonize unions was inadvertently thwarted by his own people at Fox News: Sean Hannity's producers accidentally aired an unedited clip of Crowder's altercation clearly showing that the unnamed union assailant had actually been shoved to the ground and violently provoked into the fight. Crowder himself later admitted that he'd earlier been involved in "pushing" union activists [archive.is/CGisF].
But by the time someone caught Hannity's slip-up, the damage had been done: a Fox News segment showing union thugs attacking a reporter had been beamed to every corner of the right-wing media world. Even Michigan police took the episode seriously, and have opened an investigation into the attack.
Stepping back from "Dickless" Crowder's rank publicity stunt, the question arises: Have you ever wondered how these right-wing media stunts get started? The more cynical among us have long assumed that they're planned out in advance, and that people like "Dickless" Crowder are just trained monkeys acting on orders from on high.
But who comes up with the ideas? Who generates these things? Who funds them? And what do the brainstorming sessions look like?
Finally, we have some answers.
For the first time we have concrete evidence showing exactly how these types of media stunts are created: a series of leaked emails showing how a right-wing mega-donor and a couple of high-ranking GOP strategists hatch a plan to "expose" union-organized voter registration fraud. In the space of one long email discussion, they hash out all the details of the operation before giving orders — and money — to the late, lamented Andrew Breitbart, and his employee James O'Keefe, to carry our their plan.
It's an amazing thread, laying bare the degree to which wealthy right-wing donors personally involve themselves in the nuts and bolts planning of these operations. The emails also show right-wing muckraker-heroes O'Keefe and Breitbart for what they really are (or were): paid lackeys and fetch boys for billionaires.
First the hard facts:
These emails were obtained by a very credible source who I know personally, but who would like to remain anonymous. Lets call him "Breitbart's Deep Throat." They show the planning of a video sting to expose voter fraud by the SEIU during the 2010 special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts 2010, which was held to replace the seat vacated by death of Senator Ted Kennedy.
Some of these emails were first published by BuzzFeed in September 2012 [archive.is/zfAme]. But BuzzFeed being BuzzFeed, they fucked up their own scoop, failing to put the emails into proper context, failing even to arrange the leaked emails in chronological order to make sense of what's going on. That's what NSFWCORP is doing here now. We're also publishing exclusive material never before made public.
So let's begin...
The email triggering the SEIU operation came from John Fund, who at the time was a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and is now a senior editor at the American Spectator, as well as a Fox News contributor. Fund, who received his journalism training at the tobacco-funded National Journalism Center, was an early crusader for stricter voter ID laws [archive.is/hSg2N] designed to make it more difficult for minorities and poor people to vote—a sort of modern version of the old school Jim Crow poll taxes and literacy tests.
On the morning of Tuesday, January 12, 2010, John Fund wrote an email to another right-wing operative by the name of Michael Thielen.
Thielen serves as the executive director of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA), a GOP organization set up in 1985 with the primary purpose of digging up fake instances of voter fraud and using the courts to restrict minority votes. During Bush’s reelection campaign in 2004, members of the RNLA cooked up a false racist scandal, accusing the NAACP of using crack cocaine to lure black voters to vote.
That's the kind of stuff Thielen's been involved in. In 2010, he helped John Fund and Fox News promote a fake scandal [archive.is/ZCQHV] about "New Black Panthers" paramilitary units being deployed at polling stations during the 2008 presidential election to intimidate and threaten white voters—presumably on behalf of Barack Obama himself.
So in January 2010, Fund sent the following email to Thielen that was short and to the point. It concerned a “tip” from a "reliable" source that warned of a plot by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to round up “black or brown” folk in several regions of Massachusetts and to “rope” them into committing voter fraud on behalf of the Democratic party.
Note that the email came Fund’s Wall Street Journal company account. (Proprietor: Rupert Murdoch.)
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: Artificial Poverty and Starvation
[talkpoverty.org]
* "For Nebraska’s Poor, Get Sick and Get Sued; Cheap court fees and looser rules make suing over medical debts as small as $60 easy. Every year Nebraska collection agencies file lawsuits by the tens of thousands" (2016-04-28, propublica.org) [archive.is/Sb884]
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* "Lawsuit Challenges State's "Immoral, Unjust, Illegal" Law Banning Local Wage Increases; 'If the legislature and governor hadn’t illegally stolen my raise, I would have had money to pay for my son's child care,' worker in Birmingham, Ala. says" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/EtiJk]
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* "As Millions of Workers Face Pension Cuts Thanks to Wall Street Greed, Executive Benefits Remain Lavish" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/6bW94]
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* "US hospitals lack life-saving drugs despite government measures" (2016-05-03, rt.com) [archive.is/iMmiI]
===*===*===
information collected by the
SOLANO PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM COALITION
[SolanoPeaceJustice.blogspot.com], for justice, dignity and human rights, and an end to the USA's endless wars, in harmony with Principle 1 & 6 of International Law [archive.is/tmncz], the 5 protocols of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) [archive.is/LhUTj], and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [archive.is/U1Ota].
* (2016-05-01, Greg Butterfeld): Odessa massacre commemoration happening now in New York City, prior to the May Day rally and march this afternoon. Photos [archive.is/BFknA] [archive.is/OtZAg]
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* "Pentagon Claim That War Crimes Must Be "Intentional" Called 'Flatly Wrong' ; 'There are laws—even in the heat of warfare—which must be followed. And no one is above them,' says Physicians for Human Rights" (2016-04-29, commondreams.org) [archive.is/eXvnu]
* "Initial Reaction to Public Release of U.S. Military Investigative Report on the Attack on MSF Trauma Hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan" (2016-04-29, newyork.msf.org) [archive.is/XxV0a]
* "Physicians for Human Rights Responds to Kunduz Hospital Airstrike Report" (2016-04-29, phrusa.org) [archive.is/A2ACT]
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* "Obama Requests Support for Possible War Against Russia" (2016-04-27, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/LBibW]
* "Germany Will Deploy Troops in Lithuania to 'Contain' Russia; The German Bundeswehr is planning to deploy its soldiers in Lithuania as part of NATO's mission aimed at "containing" possible Russian aggression, German media reported" (2016-04-29, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/lcxLn]
* "Russian FM spokesperson in tears: Russians do not want WW3, West should be ashamed of war mongering" (2016-03-08) [youtube.com/watch?v=K-__erUxhsk]: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova interviewed by In the Now.
* "NATO greedy for geopolitical space, wants to encircle those who disagree – Lavrov" (2016-04-29, rt.com) [archive.is/s2ev6]
* " 'We’re going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan & Iran'... video Interview with General Wesley Clark" (2007-03-02) [archive.is/fIDq7]
* "The "Manual" given to paid SDSM and Soros activists" (2016-04-26, macedoniaonline.eu) [archive.is/UAMFm]: GROM leader, Stevco Jakimovski at a press conference showed the Macedonian public the "Manual" that are brought in and given to SDSM and Soros activists.
"This paint throwing and portrait showing protesters are being gathered, organized and told what to do by Soros financed NGO. The manual itself was created by Belgrade based Canvas (CIA backed coup school), which is the only non-islamic terrorirst organization to be banned in dozens of countries. The manuals themselves are printed and financed by the Soros foundation" says Jakimovski.
These so called "protesters" are nothing but paid agitatorators. The finances for this enters Macedonia through NGOs, something with which the Macedonian public is very aware. These ridiculous "protests" are not protests or some citizen movement, rather an imported paid for attempt at destabilization" said Jakimovski.
During the so called protests, Jakimovski further stressed that protesters are dressed precisely as the manual entitled "Canvas Core Curriculum" tells them to. "The paint, the dress code, the mirrors, the ridiculous decor, the portraits of politicians, it's all from the manual", says Jakimovski.
Sample pages [archive.is/5941O] [archive.is/KHoFe] [archive.is/A0IuD] [archive.is/qhnjl]
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* "FROM WOUNDED KNEE TO SYRIA: A CENTURY OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTIONS" (by Dr. Zoltan Grossman, Faculty member in Geography and Native American Studies, The Evergreen State College, academic.evergreen.edu) [archive.is/pNN36]
===*===*===
Weapons for a New World Order
* "1000+ yr shelf life: Microsoft buys into synthetic DNA for data storage" (2016-04-29, rt.com) [archive.is/WGch4]
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