Jan. 16th, 2014, The Northbay Uprising Radio News Report

Tune in to the broadcast [link], Thursdays 4 to 5pm (PST), with news from across Northern California, produced by [NorthbayMDS.Blogspot.com]! Broadcast to the San Pablo bay area courtesy of Ozcat Radio 89.5FM KZCT Vallejo. Join the Community Journalist program, send news & info to [NorthbayMDS@gmail.com]. Know more with the Community Journalist's Notebook [link]!

Interview with...

Paulette Lagana, to talk about the Community campaign against ecocide in Pittsburg, with the Pittsburg Defense Council [pittsburgdc.org]!
Paulette writes, "I have been a volunteer Environmental Activist since June 1992 when a few neighbors and myself galvanized the residents of Pittsburg to put pressure on Pittsburg City Council to reject Dow Chemical's plan to build a toxic waste incinerator in Pittsburg. Through blind luck, public pressure, and a fair amount of publicity, Dow did withdraw their application and the project went away.  Now Pittsburg faces a new and all too familiar threat to our health and safety with this WesPac project. However, this time its effect is far reaching and affects the health and safety of MANY communities, including Vallejo and Benicia."

ACTION HEADLINES
Solidarity against the repression of a community in Santa Rosa! [link]

Pittsburg Pushes Back against "crude-by-rail" project & increased refinery pollution! [link]

Retaliation Against California Prison Hunger Strikers! [link]

ACTION CALENDER

"One prisoner, One contact" letter writing campaign  
Starbucks Coffee Shop [3839 Emery Street, Emeryville, California 94608]
Friday, January 17th at 6:30pm
Writing letters to political prisoners and sending them off that night. Pens, paper, stamps, and envelopes are provided.
Hosted by the Revolutionary ECBO, who writes, "Free the move 9! I got a letter in the mail from Delbert Orr Africa (of the MOVE 9 political prisoners)... he said to tell everybody on the out side to stay strong and never give up the struggle..."

"Occupy! Sacramento" Urban Outreach presents...
Poor People's Campaign (Sacramento)
Organised by Occupy Sacramento!
Saturday, January 18, 11:00am
Gather at Crocker Park (3RD AND N STREETS)
What would the Poor People's Campaign Look like in 2014?
Remembering and Continuing the Legacy of Dr. King towards Equality & Social Justice: Jobs & A living Wage, Fair Democracy, Ending Police Brutality & Discrimination, More Schools Not Prisons, Im/migrant Rights, Food Justice, Home Owners Rights and other issues we face today.
*In Solidarity with the OURWalmart Workers, Fastfood Farmworkers and others fighting for dignity and a Living wage...
11:00am Join us at Crocker Park (3RD AND N STREETS) to march to Rally
11:30am March to the Ca State Capitol
12:00pm to 4:00pm Program with Speakers, Entertainment, Info Booths and more
PERFORMANCES BY:
* Kingdom (R&B)
* Old Ghost of T.P.R. (The People's Revolution) [oldghost1.bandcamp.com/album/americas-forgotten]
* La Noche Oskura (Ska/Raggae) [soundcloud.com/La-Noche-Oskura] [youtube.com/watch?v=qKswYCEmJ8k]
* HurriKane Da Poet & Daughter Tornado (Spoken Word)
* Ayatollah & Straightway (Hip-Hop) [youtube.com/watch?v=C2a8lw7uu2E]
* DJ Selecta I-Lone Guevara & DJ BA
and more...

OccupySacramento adds: Organizations who wish to Endorse or Sponsor, please feel free to contact us. During the Meet and Greet, hand out your information and recruit people to your movement. Build that one on one Solidarity... It is on us to build up this campaign onto the Occupy National Gathering here in Sacramento to address these issues on a national level... All Power to the People... Find a movement you can join that represents you. The Next generation will be bearing a heavy burden if we do not act now...
---
Bring Them Back to Chico Downtown Plaza [http://youtu.be/XUOcRAEjL_s]
Chico Stands with our Friends on Sacramento for the rights of poor people 'EVERYWHERE"
---
Lakota Elder, William Underbaggage [facebook.com/william.underbaggage], is in need of financial support. He is in Colorado and having some car trouble; he is trying to raise money to come back to California. He has been traveling across the country speaking to several movements to unify as well a support and endorse the Occupy National Gathering we are helping organize for Sacramento in August. He hopes to be back for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Continuing the Poor People's Campaign. If you can help, please comment or inbox us. Every little bit helps. even asking if others can spare support. Send donations to [MegcPegc@Hotmail.com] using [www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/send-money-online]




Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration (Santa Rosa)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Free
Santa Rosa High School Auditorium, 1235 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time. Come celebrate the legacy of a man of peace and justice. Middle school and high school oratories; multicultural performances; the Celebration Mass Choir; awards presentation; children's art contest; special celebration for children ages 4 to 8.


MLK Day of Service: Potluck Pancake Community Breakfast 
Join us @ Dover St Edible Park
Sunday, Jan 19th, 10-1pm
at 57th and Dover St. Edible Park in North Oakland
Join Phat Beets Produce, Dover St. Neighbors, Growing Together and neighbors like you to honor the radical and transformative work of Dr. King with...
* A Restorative Justice Healing Circle hosted by Malachi: share your community issues, your harm and how you have harmed (12pm)
* Potluck Pancake Breakfast, let us know what you are bringing to share, please email info@phatbeetsprodu ce.org (juice, toppings, and side dishes needed) (10-12pm)
* Sign up to Plant a Tree in Your Front Yard [growingtogetherinfo@gmail.com]
* Garden tour and activities (11am)
* Children's activities (all day)
* Garden workday (all day)
 "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom" - Martin Luther King,

connecting small farmers to urban communities... [www.phatbeetsproduce.org] [http://youtu.be/biVbW52uE8M]. Become a supporting member [http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org/get-involved/donate]


Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2:00 p.m.
Come to OAEC for a slideshow and experiential activity by Professor Karen Liftin, author of "Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community." Enjoy a slideshow of ecovillages from around the world, followed by a one-hour experiential foray into the possibility of collective awakening! Copies of the book will be available for sale.
Free
Go to [oaec.org] to reserve your spot and get directions


Civil Rights Then and Now
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day On! Not a Day Off!
Monday, Jan. 20, 2:00 p.m.
March from Community Baptist Church to a civil rights rally at Courthouse Square; a joint action with the Justice Coalition for Andy Lopez
Begin at the church at 1620 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa


Occupy Sonoma!'s Dorothy Day Working Group
Monday, Jan. 20, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Discussion and action around issues relating to homelessness, mental health, and social services in Sonoma County.
The Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa


DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION (Walnut Creek)
Hosted by: Social Justice Alliance of Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County and Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
Monday, January 20th at noon
at St. Paul's Episcopal Church [1924 Trinity Ave., Walnut Creek]
Joyous music provided by Gospel Choir from St. Benedict's Catholic Church, Oakland and inspiration from Rev. Kamal Hassan, Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church, Richmond
PLEASE JOIN US!






Another Free Trade Disaster: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and What We Must Do About It
with Victor Menotti, Executive Director of the International Forum on Globalization 
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 1:30 PM
North Berkeley Senior Center
1901 Hearst, at MLK, Berkeley.
Wheelchair accessible. All Welcome.
The Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers presents Victor Menotti, Executive Director of the International Forum on Globalization to talk on the dreadful new Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) "free trade" agreement now considered by Congress. TPP will benefit U.S. extraction companies and turn much of the pristine Pacific region into a slag heap.
Menotti is expert on the impact of globalization on ecosystems, and has helped build international networks among the traditional farming, forest, fishing, and indigenous communities whose survival depends on them. He is the author of the IFG report, “Free Trade, Free Logging: How the World Trade Organization Undermines Global Forest Conservation,” “The Other Oil War: The Halliburton Agenda on WTO Energy Services,” the chapter “WTO and Native Sovereignty" in Paradigm Wars: Indigenous Peoples' Resistance to Economic Globalization, and, ”The WTO and Sustainable Fisheries” for the Institute for Fisheries Resources. Victor learned to speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and some Slovak, after earning his degree in International Relations from UCLA. For information contact the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers at 510-598-9696 or GrayPanthersBerk@aol.com or [http://www.berkeleygraypanthers.mysite.com]. ; The International Forum on Globalization is at [http://www.ifg.org/].

Albany Bulb's Freeman's Library is destroyed

Protect the People of the Albany Bulb and their Liberated Zone of culture and dignity!
Defend the Albany Bulb! [link]

"Freeman's" Library Burns to the Ground at Albany Bulb
by Amber Whitson [https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/01/19/18749437.php]:
The following text is not describing an attack against the Albany Bulb, and nobody is hurt. The report is provided for those that care, to let you know the situation at the Albany Bulb.

Written January 12th, 2014:
This morning I woke to the sound of one of the residents yelling that the Library was on fire. I grabbed my shovel, threw on my boots and ran to the Library is fast as I could. When I got there, the library was already burnt to the ground.
Having done this many times before, I went to a nearby camp and grabbed a wet rug and started putting out a hotspot, where the fire was trying to spread. Minutes after I arrived, the Albany Fire Department showed up.
For the first time in over 7 years of my living here, the fire department actually started putting out a fire on the Albany Bulb.
We are grateful for the assistance of the personnel of the Albany Fire Department. Although the residents prevented the fire from spreading, the whole tree that the library was built underneath, might have gone up in flames, were it not for their efforts.
This will no doubt be another blemish on the reputation of the community that lives on the Landfill.
I, for one, have my own suspicions, that the fire was caused by a transient girl, who is schizophrenic and has no camp of her own, but who is known to sleep in the Library, on occasion, and lights a small fire to keep warm.
I cannot help but to wonder, if she might have actually been staying in the shelter, if the city wasn't busily denying requests for accommodations, for people with mental disabilities of a complicated nature.
Thankfully, no one was physically hurt as a result of this fire.

Freeman's Library destroyed (photo by Amber)

Retaliation Against Hunger Strikers With Inadequate Food

Solidarity with the Prisoner Hunger Strike for Human Rights! [link]

2014-01-10 message from "Emergency Response Network/Pledge of Resistance" of the "Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition"
Thank you for your ongoing support of the hunger strikers who participated in their non-violent strike in 2013, in an inspiring show of unity across prison-manufactured racial and geographical lines.
Hunger strikers at Pelican Bay are being retaliated against through food service that is insufficient, inedible, and lacking nutritional value. As we exit the holiday season, it is appropriate to be mindful that adequate food is a human right. It is also one of the prisoners’ five core demands.

HUNGER STRIKERS DEMAND ADEQUATE & NUTRITIOUS FOOD  -
The hunger strikers developed five core demands [See footnote 1]. The changes demanded are standards in many other Supermax prisons and are not a threat to safety or security. Demand 4 is: Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food.
Peaceful protests have occurred through recent decades to bring attention to inadequate, substandard, dangerously old food, shoved at prisoners with disrespect. This is not a new issue. Since last year’s hunger strike, the problem has become worse at some California prisons, including Pelican Bay.
Portion sizes have declined dramatically, described as “bite size” or “child-size.” The prison issues menus that describe each diet in detail, but food trays are served without everything that was described. The meals offer very little fresh produce, food is frequently served on top of wet cardboard, and the items themselves may be spoiled or not completely cooked.
Given the unsafe environment characterized by lack of sunlight, inadequate ventilation, extreme heat or cold, the lack of appropriate medical treatment, verbal and physical abuse, and social isolation, it is all the more critical that meals be consistently nutritious and wholesome, and ample to meet an adult male's caloric needs.
This is one kind of unjust retaliation that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) continues to perpetrate against hunger strikers.
Inmates are nearly powerless to complain about this underhanded and retaliatory food situation.

NO MEANINGFUL WAY TO COMPLAIN, NO CHECK ON THIS SYSTEM -
The process for prisoner complaints at CDCR is filing an administrative appeal (form 602). In addition to complaining about inadequate, unhealthy, or disgusting food, a 602 form might address topics like the miscalculation of work credits, restrictive mail policies, and visitor denials. But CDCR only allows prisoners to file one “non-emergency” 602 form per week. Otherwise, the form will be rejected for abusing the process. Emergency appeals are only for very serious and time-sensitive topics, a protective custody request for example. If an inmate is experiencing other abuse or retaliation, he must choose what is more important: asking to see his family, or asking that his food be completely cooked. This obviously makes it hard for prisoners to decide to file food-related grievances.
Ombudspersons, the other check on the system, are stretched beyond capacity. There are only five ombudspersons, each assigned to 6 – 8 institutions across the state. Approximately 228,060 meals are prepared monthly for 2,715 inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison alone. No doubt ombudspersons are responsible for a host of functions besides monitoring food. Thus, even assuming a best-case scenario, it’s unlikely that the ombudspersons will be able to monitor the food.
State regulations mandate a better system. For example, Title 15, Article 4, Sec. 3050(a) of California Code of Regulations states that “[e]ach inmate shall be provided a wholesome, nutritionally balanced diet,” and that “[f]ood shall not be withheld nor standard menu varied as a disciplinary sanction for any inmate.”

DEMAND TO FEED PRISONERS ADEQUATE & NUTRITIOUS FOOD -
Please contact Jean Weiss (Ombudsman for eight California State Prisons, including Pelican Bay) and Robert Diaz (Associate Director of High Security Institutions). Your voice matters—use it! Tell Ms. Weiss and Mr. Diaz to end this policy of punishing people by denying them adequate food, and to fix this problem through a meaningful systematic audit that will discover and correct issues immediately. Let them know that you are upset to learn that the peaceful hunger strikers are being retaliated against through inadequate and unhealthy meals, and that prisoners are nearly powerless to complain.
* Jean Weiss, Office of the Ombudsman, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation [1515 S Street, Room 311 South, Sacramento, CA 95811] [Jean.Weiss@cdcr.ca.gov] [916-324-5458]
* Ralph Diaz, Associate Director of High Security Institutions, Division of Adult Institutions,  Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation [P. O. Box 942883, Sacramento CA. 94283] [916-445-7688]

In solidarity,
[signed] "Emergency Response Network/Pledge of Resistance" of the "Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition"
Footnote 1 - The five core demands are:
1. End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse
2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria
3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006 Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement
4. Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food
5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for Indefinite SHU Status Inmates.

Jan. 9th, 2014, The Northbay Uprising Radio News Report

Tune in to the broadcast [link], Thursdays 4 to 5pm (PST), with news from across Northern California, produced by [NorthbayMDS.Blogspot.com]! Broadcast to the San Pablo bay area courtesy of Ozcat Radio 89.5FM KZCT Vallejo. Join the Community Journalist program, send news & info to [NorthbayMDS@gmail.com]. Know more with the Community Journalist's Notebook [link]!

Interview with
Denika "Mama DOE" Chatmon of the Kenneth Harding Foundation [link], to talk about the monthly community feeds, and about the community needs, in Bayview Hunter's Point and elsewhere there is hunger and need in the Bay Area (and nationwide)!


ACTION HEADLINES

Marysville Joint Unified School District attacks Chicano student club MeCha, censoring student activity, abolishing student organizing [link]!

San Pablo Bay community residents unite against "crude-by-rail" project, increased refinery pollution and ecocide [link]!

Campaign to abolish the 500 years old basis of imperialism in the Americas [link]!

National Network in Action on Blogtalk radio with "Real Talk" and "Justice for All" [link]!

Whistleblower on USA Drone War tells facts about war-crimes and censorship [link]!
Occupy Beale AFB! [link] End Drone Warfare! 

"Justice for Andy Lopez" and all victims of Human Rights Abuse and systematic terrorism!
Artist Jay Tyrrell is recording the memorials, signs, graphics, and artifacts of the peace & social justice movement.
Jay will be visiting the Center on January 17th and he would love to see what you have used and saved. He is photographing these artifacts for his project "I Remember - War, Conflict, and Protest." You can check out his work at www.jaytyrrell.com.
He has just returned from photographing the Murrah Building Bombing Memorial in Oklahoma City (this is not one of his photographs). He is particularly interested in hand held items and anything that works will be photographed against a black background in a studio. Contact the Center (707-575-8902 or peacentr@sonic.net) if you'd like to be involved in this project.
The Peace & Justice Center is working for justice for Andy Lopez. Our particular focus is the creation of a Citizens' Review Board that really means something and a change in the militarized mindset of local law enforcement.

Sonoma Court workers win respect with picket
2014-01-07 from “1021 NewsWire”:
Sonoma Superior Court: Info picket brings respect to contract talks -
A day after holding an informational picket to publicize their employer’s unreasonable posture in contract negotiations, SEIU 1021 Sonoma court workers’ bargaining team returned to the table to find management’s talk and tone changed, even if little substantial movement was made.
More than 60 court workers and their supporters turned out for the Dec. 12 lunchtime action, leafleting the public and rallying support. With their flyers, picket signs, chants and speeches they made the point that while the court has millions of dollars in reserves it must legally spend before July or lose it, management has offered nothing to its workers who haven’t seen a cost of living raise in five years. Even worse, management has proposed numerous unnecessary and mean-spirited cuts in workers’ health and disability benefits.
Back at the bargaining table the next day, management took a more respectful tone and even indicated they would like to offer their employees some of the surplus. But no dollar amounts were proposed. Instead there were excuses. With so many unsettled issues on the table, they said, they could not talk money specifics.
Management did engage in constructive talk on how to package proposals and bargain around them. But the only proposal they made was a slight change in their previous one on minimizing bi-lingual pay that moved money around but changed little from their initial position.

Human Rights abuse against those without homes in Humboldt County [link]!
"Dane Carr's Sentencing @2pm Monday (Jan 6)", a message from Verbena of PARC: "It's despicable that there would be such a thing as a criminal trial against someone (Dane) for sleeping, 9 convictions from a jury (who heard the case -replete with lies about available shelter- while someone died on the streets of Eureka from cold), and now... SENTENCING. Please come support Dane and show your disdain for this ongoing injustice. In Judge Miles' courtroom, #2, second floor courthouse."

PARC also asks if anyone in Eureka has a GARAGE or YARD SPACE for their Safe Sleeping Program in service of those without homes, to please call (707) 442-7465. "We'll take care of everything- we just need the space." More info about the program is here [link], organized in response to the illegally limited shelter beds provided for those without homes and the many premature deaths seen during the winter months. This brings up a recent message sent December 13th from Verbena, where she describes the recent premature deaths of many folks without homes, saying, "Robert died in Eureka Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, outside in the cold. When Michael Graves died of exposure, when Mike Dragon died due to unsafe circumstances, when David Mielke died sleeping behind the library, when Robert died two nights ago, or when other folks have lost their lives in Eureka sleeping outside, this City (both the people and the government) should have declared that never again will someone die because they were stuck in the rain or cold, out, vulnerable... But, neither the governments in Humboldt nor most of the housed people here seem to care enough to declare that or to do anything to stop the suffering or the deaths. Shameful. Let's turn that around..."
Bill Holmes, a renowned musician of Humboldt County, also sent out a message about Robert, who had died two days before, attesting to the peaceful nature of this prematurely deceased man, saying, "I will do a show for the people Monday (December 16th) at noon til 3 pm or so in front of Free Meal in Eureka (St. Vincents Dining Hall) on 3rd st near A st. I will be as close to Free Meal as I can be with my guitar. You will find us. If there are any other musicians who would like to sing a few songs for Robert please come down, as well as bring some pot luck for the people. How about some good coffee and some nutritious food? People who need to speak will have a chance, that is my intention. Robert was a friend of mine, he was always kind and respectful towards me and my music. I played many songs for him over the last 7 years. Its time to play them again. Rest in Peace, Brother. My name is Bill, contact me at Humboldt.organizer@gmail.com, have a peaceful day, [signed] Bill."


ACTION CALENDER

Stop crude oil storage and rail transfer facility (Martinez)
Push HARD [pushhard.net] Community campaign against ecocide in Pittsburg [link]



Fair Wage Cafe (Eureka)
The Cafe is open Saturday, January 11th from 12noon to 5pm
at the Labor Temple in Eureka: 840 E Street, 9th & E.
Please share the FACEBOOK EVENT: [facebook.com/events/555247401229721] [fairwages.org][eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com] [info@fairwages.org] [707-442-7465]. The Fair Wage Cafe is brought to you by the folks who wrote the Eureka Fair Wage Act (on the 2014 ballot as the Minimum Wage Ordinance w. $12.00 An Hour Minimum Wage for Large Employers).
Bring friends and family for live music all day, coffee, tea, juice, lunch and snacks. There's games for kids, fabulous live local music, and everything is Free! The Cafe is a family-friendly space open for relaxation and community building.
Live music from local talents including Sarah Torres, Mad River Rounders, and Bill Holmes!
Chris Kerrigan, who will replace Frank Jager as Eureka mayor next year (hallelujah!) will speak.
If you or your organization want to set up informational tables, please do. This is our exciting kick off for a successful year which will end in the people winning a higher minimum wage!






Living Graveyard peace vigil
Monthly every 3rd Monday, January 13, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay Street (two blocks from 12th Street BART)
Covered with sheets to represent the dead of the war of occupation on Iraq, people lie down on the city sidewalk in front of the Federal Building, This is legal, non-violent witness. People stop, look and think.
Participants lie at least three feet apart and do not block entry to the building.The names of some of the Californians who have died in Iraq and the names of some of the Iraqi dead will be read. A gong is sounded after each name. People will hand out flyers, as we do each week at the Tuesday noon vigil.
Please bring a white sheet to cover yourself with. A pad to lay down on is recommended.
sponsors include: Berkeley Women in Black • East Bay Coalition to Support Self-Rule for Iraqis * Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice • Peace & Freedom Party * BFUU Social Justice Committee • Gray Panthers • Mustardseed Affinity Group * Father Bill Social Justice Committee, St Joseph Church • Middle East Children’s Alliance * Trinity United Methodist Church • East Bay Peace Action * Southern Alameda County Peace & Justice Coalition • Ecumenical Peace Institute, www.epicalc.org, (510) 990-0374
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Iraqi Deaths 1,841,516
U.S. Deaths 4,486 Coalition 4,804
Afghan & Pakistani Deaths 2 million +
U.S. Deaths in Afghanistan 2303
Coalition Deaths in Afghanistan 3411

(Photo November 2006, from Berkeley Daily Planet)
---
U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan When?
A Washington Post article published December 28 reports that a new National Intelligence Estimate assessment “predicts that the Taliban and other power brokers will become increasingly influential as the United States winds down its longest war in history The article also reports that the Obama administration is trying to get Kabul’s permission to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan past the promised 2014 withdrawal date for “counterterrorism and training missions.” We who remember Vietnam know about “advisors.”
For an immense price of human life and money, estimated at $1.4 trillion, we have put in place a client state heavily dependent on U.S. military support and financial assistance. The financial assistance does not filter down the poor, many of whom are starving and freezing in tents in the refugee camps which have grown up to house people who had fled the fighting and returned to find their homes and land “now belong to victorious warlords, and . . . that safety is painfully elusive in conditions of poverty and social disintegration that follows years . . . and decades of war.” (Kathy Kelly, http://vcnv.org/locked-in-winter)
Call President Obama at the White House 202-456-1111
Ask him to end all wars of occupation, end drone strikes, to bring our troops home, leave behind no bases, and to use the international legal system in all future conflicts.
Call your congressperson and senators 1-866-338-1015
Tell them ––> No more money for occupation anywhere!
––>> End drone warfare ––>> Don’t Attack Iran!
––>> Stop Supporting Syrian Civil War ––>> Bring our troops home now!


Occupy Sonoma!'s Dorothy Day Working Group
Monday, Jan. 13, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Discussion and action around issues relating to homelessness, mental health, and social services in Sonoma County.
The Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa


Santa Rosa City Council addressing...
Issues of Importance to the Peace, Environmental and Social Justice Community
Tuesday, Jan 14, 4:00 p.m. to ?
Important issues on the agenda: Bag Ban, Emergency Shelter Bed funding, City Attorney/Council Privilege, Community Media, Communications for Critical Incidents (an Andy Lopez related discussion), Review of actions and path to healing (an Andy Lopez related discussion).
Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa


Shutting Down the War on Women
Wednesday, January 15, 7:00 PM
Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek
Susannah Delano, public affairs director of Planned Parenthood Shasta-Pacific, will give an update on the status of reproductive rights across the country, efforts to limit them and California's role in preserving them at the meeting of the Diablo Valley Democratic Club. 925-946-0469, [http://www.dvdems.org/]

Marysville Joint Unified School District attacks Chicano student club MeCha, censoring student activity, abolishing student organizing

REINSTATE M.E.Ch.A!: MARCH, PRESS CONFERENCE & PICKET
posted to [facebook.com/events/714092605281400/permalink/714252045265456]:
~ ~ THE FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHT TO ORGANIZE AS STUDENTS CONTINUES! ~ ~
FILING OF CLAIM AT DISTRICT OFFICE THEN MARCH, PRESS CONFERENCE AND PICKET  AT HIGH SCHOOL: Students demand re-instating of terminated campus student organization!
Friday, January 10, 2014 -
* 9am - Attorney will file claim at the Marysville Joint Unified School District office [1919 B Street, Marysville, Ca. 95901] followed by a march from the district office to the high school.
* 10am - PRESS CONFERENCE and PICKET at Lindhurst High School [4446
Olive Avenue, Olivehurst, CA 95961]

Check out the Moving Mural that students from MEChA de Lindhurst High School created for tomorrow's Press Conference, March and Picket at Lindhurst High!

Another stencil made by Lindhurst High MEChistas. Si se puede!


Press release from Law Offices of James P. Segall-Gutierrez [562-321-5950] [6709 Greenleaf Ave., Ste. 202 Whittier, CA 90601] [jpsglaw@gmail.com], posted to [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzc7MxG-0AejMUFxNjVZb3NQc2s]
On the week of October 4, 2013, administration officials at Lindhurst High School decided to implement a ban which terminated the M.E.Ch.A. student organization from school. By doing so Lindhurst High School has blatantly denied Chicana and Chicano students an opportunity to extend and enhance their study of curriculum subjects, focusing on democracy, civil rights, equality, discrimination and diversity with an eye toward the perspectives of Chicanas and Chicanos. In denying the club recognition, Marysville Joint Unified School District, Lindhurst High School & Bob Eckardt, Principal of Lindhurst High School, have trampled on students' first amendment rights of speech and expressive association.
To that end, students, parents and community have retained the services of the Law Offices of James P. Segal Gutierrez. At 9am, attorney James P. Segal Gutierrez will file the claim for damages at the Marysville Joint Unified School District. This will be followed by a short march to Lindhurst High School for the 10am press conference and picket, where it will be publicly announced that the law has filed the claim for damages for violations of denying freedom of speech, expression and assembly on behalf of the student members of the campus student organization - the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan (MEChA) Lindhurst High School chapter.
The Law Offices of James P. Segal Gutierrez on behalf of the student members of MEChA of Lindhurst High School sent a letter to both Principal Bob Eckardt and Superintedent Dr. Gray Todd a month ago on December 5, 2013 outlining several basic demands to avoid entering into a legal battle. The demands were; allow MEChA to meet on school grounds, access to their funds, the implementation of more conducive environments for Chicana and Chicano learning. Thus far, the administration has not responded and now students and community will proceed with entering into a legal fight to secure their rights.


2014-01-07 letter from  Elias Serna, English PhD Candidate, Professor at CSUDH, Member of Association of Mexican American Educators Santa Monica / West LA Chapter:
Dear Principal Eckardt,
I am writing to you regarding the status of MEChA. I am a former high school teacher, currently a college instructor, and a former MEChA student in college. I find it unbelievable that you are playing power politics with young people.
The history of MEChA is in the Civil rights movement, especially in California where this group pioneered Ethnic Studies curriculum and led the racial diversification movement of university admissions, a cornerstone of the Civil rights movement. THis legacy is incontestable. It seems you are swallowing the propaganda wholesale that far right wing Republicans state about MEChA (which is mythical, one-sided and malicious); I certainly hope you are not a far right wing Republican.
Thousands if not more support MEChA/Chican@ Rights to assemble, speak/advocate, organize, study our culture : these are HUMAN RIGHTS. I cant believe this is happening in the "21st century" and let me remind you that California is NOT Arizona.
MLK holiday is coming up: how can you "celebrate racial harmony" when you are violating the human rights of Chicano/Latino young people?? Is the curriculum at your school culturally relevant, as it should be, or are Chicano contributions & histories being banned too? Do you offer a Chicano Literature class in your English department? Are the histories of Mexican Americans, African Americans and Indigenous peoples taught at your school? MLK, MEChA, Cesar Chavez and Ethnic/Chicano Studies movements were all part of the Civil Rights movement for racial justice and equality... do you stand against this? Republican Arizona was the only state to vote against the MLK national holiday in the 90's; I certainly hope you are not of this camp.
I await your reply.

Safe Sleeping Program in Humboldt County

Organized by the People's Action for Rights and Community (PARC) [parc.2truth.com]
Learn more about Human Rights abuse against those without homes in Humboldt County [link]!
Safe Sleeping Program (est. 2009)
EMERGENCY- Freezing weather and people with no shelter.
Cold weather, especially over an extended period of time, takes a heavy toll on the health and well-being of the most vulnerable members in our community.
Recently, a small household in Eureka, made its garage available as a safe sleeping space for people with no shelter. The household and a group of friends (many PEOPLE PROJECT folks) organized the space in response to the dangerous weather and police conditions on the street. It was actually quite simple. Prior to opening the safe sleeping space, we discussed how we thought it would work best. One of the things decided beforehand was that we would make the space available for 11 nights, and would be explicit about that time frame, so that people sleeping there could depend on a stable schedule.
At this time, opening your home or some covered space is imperative. We were so grateful for the garage, and all went well. Being only a temporary situation, we are reaching out to you, asking you to open your garage, yard, or big room for whatever time you decide is possible. We imagine a rotating emergency sleeping space.
We have found that when a community cooperates and shares in the protection of its most vulnerable members, the result is a vital sense of security experienced by all.
The people who recently shared their garage and those of us who supported and helped coordinate that emergency shelter space are available to talk with you about our experiences. We are eager to assist you in many ways if you are able to open up a sleeping space.
Ways we can assist you include: collecting floor padding, blankets, sleepware, and other necessary warm things (the garage just used had a cement floor); driving folks who need a ride to and from the space; and being present in the sleeping space overnight. The volunteer-run PARC (Peoples’ Action for Rights and Community) in Old Town Eureka fully supports the creation of temporary or permanent dignified community sleeping spaces. PARC is available, for any set-up you may provide, as a phone contact, a donation drop-off, and a dedicated resource for people offering or utilizing a safe shelter.
Please Call PARC: (707) 442-7465

People can and do freeze to death in cold or wet or windy weather.. here we have all three at once. And the police continue to harass people and ruin their gear in the rain and cold. Please call and/or email if you want to talk about opening a space up yourself. It is freezing at night, and we can make a way through these hard times together.
Please Call PARC: (707) 442-7465

The following are the guidelines that were posted on the inside of the garage. You may have some different ideas for your place. We believe that emphasizing honor, dignity, and relationship makes for a truly “safe space.”

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ WELCOME ///////////////////////////
This is a hate-free space. that means… NO racism, sexism, homophobia, etc
* please no physical or verbal violence
* smaller room is for women only
* bigger room is for all

To protect this safe sleeping space…
- no drinking alcohol or doing drugs (including pot) here .
- use lights, not candles .
- every night, come through front house door when you first arrive; then use the front gate to go in/out.
- use bathroom in the house (walk in back door, then to right) .
- quiet after 9pm, and during cigarette breaks

You are welcome to sleep here…
- every night through the night of Dec 31st.
- Please come in no earlier than 6pm and no later than 10:30pm.
- mornings, out by 9am please.
- Please do not leave your belongings here, as no-one is here to protect them.
- Please communicate theses guide-lines with newcomers.
- If you need anything, please feel free to ask.

Investigating the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless

John Colby's Freedom of Information Campaign against Human Rights abuse in Santa Cruz [link]
* Santa Cruz retaliates against Human Rights advocate John Colby [link]
* Human Rights abuse in itty-bitty Santa Cruz [link]

"CPRA request about the County of Santa Cruz and the Citizens Committee for the Homeless"
2014-01-04 message from Dr. John Colby to Dana McRae, Santa Cruz County Counsel:
It has come to my attention from documents provided to me by the City of Santa Cruz and other service providers, that County of Santa Cruz staff consulted with the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless — which I understand from searching the California Secretary of State's and the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts databases to be a fraudulent charity (an illegal nonentity) — about developing what was called the Community House at 109 Coral Street (which later became the Page Smith House).
Subsequent to this discovery, to ascertain the County of Santa Cruz's involvement with what I allege is an illegal nonentity, I would like to submit a request under the California Public Records Act (CPRA). I ask for:
* All reports, statements, declarations, meeting agendum and minutes, memoranda and summaries about, pertaining to or referring to the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless maintained in a County of Santa Cruz system of records.
* All written communications including any electronic content between officials, staff, volunteers, representatives, (sub)contractors and agents of the County of Santa Cruz with the following individuals —
- Lonna/Lanna Mercklinghaus, Board member, convener, Citizens Committee for the Homeless.
- Alan Bayer, Vice Chair of the Board, Citizens Committee for the Homeless.
- John Wadhams, Board member, Citizens Committee for the Homeless. Licensed electrician and electrical inspector at UC Santa Cruz.
- Paul Pfoetenhauer, Board member, Citizens Committee for the Homeless, and former pastor of the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Soquel, California.
- Darrell Darling, Community House, Project Development, Owner Manager, The Darling House.
- Paul Marceau, Executive Director, Citizens Committee for the Homeless.
- Karen Gillette, Executive Director, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Ken Cole, Executive Director, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Carole Shannon, Executive Director, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Paul Lee, Founder, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Page Smith, Founder, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Frank Pucelik, Manager, Community House
- Mike Bustos, Manager, Community House
- Linda Lemaster, Board Member, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- Becky Johnson, Board Member, Citizens Committee for the Homeless
- David Foster, contact person, Mercy Charities Housing
* All written communications including any electronic content between officials, staff, volunteers, representatives, (sub)contractors and agents of the County of Santa Cruz and the following about, pertaining to, or referring to the Community House and/or the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless:
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of Mercy Charities Housing.
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of the Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program (ISSP).
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of the Homeless Community Resource Center.
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of the Homeless Garden Project.
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of the Homeless Services Center.
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of Families in Transition (of Santa Cruz County).
- Board members, officials, employees, volunteers, (sub)contractors, representatives and agents of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz (HACOSC).
- Any and all award letters for (sub)grants to, (sub)contracts with, and any other form of agreement or understanding between the County of Santa Cruz and the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless.

I ask:
* if you determine that any or all or the information qualifies for an exemption from disclosure, to note whether, as is normally the case under the Act, whether the exemption is discretionary, and if so whether it is necessary in this case to exercise your discretion to withhold the information.
* in case you decide that any of the information is exempt, please explain how the interest in not disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.
* if you determine that some but not all of the information is exempt from disclosure and that you intend to withhold it, that you redact it for the time being (while citing the statutes exempting the redacted elements) and make the rest available as requested.
* if there is any information in these records which is private and you decide it is exempt information, yet it is in an otherwise disclosable document, please segregate the private information by redacting it (citing the statutes exempting the redacted elements), while providing me the rest of the unredacted record.
* If these records are available in an electronic format such as standard video, audio and image formats, MS Power Point (PPT), Apple Keynote, Portable Document Format (PDF), standard spreadsheet formats like MS Excel File Extension (XLS), MS Word Document (DOC), Hypertext Markup (HTM), any standard database format (like those listed here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_file_formats#Database), Rich Text Format (RTF), plain electronic text (TXT) or native email formats — like AOL for Windows, Apple Mail, Claris Emailer, Compuserve, EML, Entourage, Eudora, Maldir, MBOX File, Mulberry, Neoplanet, Outlook, Outlook Express, Outspring, Powertalk, Quickmail Pro, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail and Yahoo Archive! — or as links to the Internet then I ask that they be provided to me in one of those forms, preferably in their native format.
* I am willing to pay a fee of up to $35 for this request. If you estimate the cost of completing this request will exceed that amount, please contact me first before completing it with a fee estimate. If this request would entail special searches which would incur search fees to me, please contact me first with a fee estimate.

In the public interest — because I plan to provide these records to the news media, Congress, Governor Jerry Brown, the California state legislature, state and federal agencies and investigators, as well as posting them on these Facebook groups:
* [https://www.facebook.com/GorillaAdvocacyInc]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/OpenTransparentAccountableGovernment/]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaCruzWhistleBlowers/]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/DisabledHomelessAdvocacy/]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/CitizensForPositiveChangeinSC/]

I ask you to waive all applicable exemptions and applicable fees (for search, retrieval, redaction and duplication).
Please confirm receipt of this CPRA request via email.
Thank you for fulfilling my CPRA request to gain more information about dealings between the (Santa Cruz) Citizens Committee for the Homeless — an alleged illegal nonentity — and the County of Santa Cruz.
Sincerely yours, [signed] John E. Colby, Ph.D.