Anti-war and Palestine activists held actions during Boston's First Night/New Years Eve 2011 festivities.

Members of Boston's Stop the Wars Coalition held a large banner as well as signs outside the Boston Public Library... About a half block away, members of the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights staged street theater to dramatize the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Read More< & Pics/a> | More Photos | Video

On this first day of the New Year, Rochester Indymedia offers this Round-up of stories that we featured throughout the 2010. The following are the six categories that we most focused on. Being a grassroots, all-volunteer media collective, our resources are finite, and we are all too aware of the stories that didn’t make it to our site.

The goal of going back and looking at actions, events, groups, movements and people that stand in 2010 out as having a significant impact in the struggle for a directly democratic society is to assess where we are, and where we need to be. So this list is just the start of a discussion to carry us into the next year.

The Debate Heats Up Around the Israeli Consulate Open Journal On KPFT

Monthly Public Access program, "Veterans for Peace Forum," hosted by VFP,Chapter 72 member and Vietnam veteran, Dan Shea.
Veterans for Peace Forum airs live on the fourth Saturday of every month from 7:00 - 8:00 on channel 11, featuring interviews and discussions regarding community efforts to end war.

The November program featured two members of the Portland B Media Collective. The guests discussed projects in the local area as well as their experiences in Venezuela, providing a few video clips of their work.

This program is produced through the facilities of Metro East Community Media by Kellie La Bonty.

VFP Forum Featuring B Media

This is a rally against the animal killing done at OHSU. It has been excused time and time again all for "in the name of science", but shall not be excused anymore! Come out with ADL and show your support for those without a voice as we stand against OHSU and their murdering ways!

WHEN: January 7th, 2011 @ 12:00pm
WHERE: OHSU Campus, 3118 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, Or.
Near the Tram Entrance. Do NOT Park on OHSU Campus.

THEME: Street Theatre Funeral Procession and Demo.
Please Wear ALL Black.

More details for exact location will be updated in the very near future!

www.pdxanimaldefenseleague.org

 http://www.ohsukillsprimates.com

A short film of a man who appears to be homeless, who was soon surrounded by police, fire and Chiers detox workers. I video taped the interaction. This was in filmed in downtown Portland, near Pioneer Square.

It does seem like a lot of city agencies were involved, but the man was not hurt, nor arrested, and he ended up getting some shelter services. It looks like someone may of even gave him something to eat.

At the end of the video: I ask one of the cops what happened, he takes a long look at my press pass and then briefly explains.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FcC4x6KfCs
homepage:  http://www.joe-anybody.com

December 2 2010 meeting of The Portland Human Rights Committee
A 75 minute video of the public meeting. This video was filmed at the monthly meeting for the Portland Human Rights Committee
Meetings are usually held at their N Portland office, this meeting was held in NE Portland

 http://www.archive.org/details/PortlandHumanRightsCommittiee12.2.10

I have archived past videos from the Human Rights Committee previous meetings in Portland here:

 http://www.joe-anybody.com/id125.html

On Tuesday, Thurston County Commissioners imposed an emergency 12-month moratorium on biomass permits. This could spell the death of the Evergreen State College's forest-destroying gasification plant!

The County Commissioners will use this extra year to research the environmental consequences of using biomass (destroyed forests) for energy. Evergreen needs to enter a contract to build the facility by June 2011 to receive a $3.7 million grant from the state, but likely cannot do so if it has not received permits from the county.

While Thurston County is safe (for the next year) from dirty biomass energy, neighboring Mason County may not be so lucky...

2010 marked significant achievements for Our World In Depth, the Twin Cities produced cable access TV show with a focus on activism for a better world.  Locally, Our World in Depth is aired twice weekly on MTN (Saturday at 9pm and Tuesday at 8am) and thrice weekly on SPNN (Tuesday at 5pm and midnight and Wednesday at 10am) immediately following Democracy Now! All shows are also available online.

Read on to explore the shows of 2010 with their respective links.

Video at Left: Dakota elder and professor Chris Mato Nunpa talks about Minnesota history from an indigenous perspective. The origins of the Twin Cities are traced to the Treaty of 1805 which was signed between the US government and the Dakota nation. Dr. Mato Nunpa shares plans for an upcoming fish-in, illegal under local law but a Dakota tradition which should be protected by treaty. Also: learn about a proposed international criminal tribunal challenging the legacy of Minnesota governors Alexander Ramsey and Henry Sibley! (Nov., 2010)

read more

Check out what's going on at the IMC!

Wikileaks has provided a new tool for whistle blowers all over the world. However the US government is now trying to close it down. Please listen to our discussion on Wikileaks in relation to Latin America with Phyllis Bennis, Sunil Feeman, Chris Simpson, and Adrienne Pine

We still may be able to exert pressure to get these idiots to change their minds.

UC Santa Cruz has suspended the American Studies program, with a possible permanent termination of the major, according to an email sent to students on January 3rd. American Studies is the second major at UCSC to be suspended in the past year. It is widely speculated that Feminist Studies and The History of Consciousness are next to be eliminated.

Help reach the goal of 500 public comments to the Department of State Lands to make sure they deny the application for the Jordan Cove LNG terminal.

The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is currently accepting public comments on the application to dredge Coos Bay in order to accommodate the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal. The amount of material that they propose to dredge out of the Coos Bay estuary would fill the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena nearly 14 times!

Push and pull factors for migration, the impact of migration on rural Mayan communities, e.g. how Guatemalan immigrants have supported their communities with projects, improving the quality of life for children and families, and international solidarity for immigrant rights and Temporary Protected Status for Guatemalans residing in the United States.

And so it begins. It's a new year and we have a new congress. Unfortunately the 112th promises to be as divisive as any session before it. Can we expect better?

Once again, the justice system's complicity with the abuses taught at the School of the Americas was exposed today at the trial of anti-militarism activists Nancy Smith and Christopher Spicer. Nancy, from New York, changed her plea to no contest and was immediately sentenced to 6 months in prison by Magistrate Judge Stephen Hyles. In the SOA Watch tradition of using the courts to put a spotlight on the SOA/WHINSEC, Nancy affirmed that she "felt a strong moral imperative" to carry out her nonviolent act of civil disobedience "on behalf of those who have suffered so terribly".

Interview with Bruce Fein, former assistant deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, conducted by Scott Harris of Between the Lines.

The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is currently accepting public comments on the application to dredge Coos Bay in order to accommodate the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal. The amount of material that they propose to dredge out of the Coos Bay estuary would fill the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena nearly 14 times! Help us reach the goal of submitting 500 comments to the Department of State Lands asking them to deny the application from Port of Coos Bay for massive dredging to accommodate the Jordan Cove LNG terminal. Follow this link to our action page for an easy way to send a comment. | weagreenolng.org | KS Wild's Action page | Read More

"STOP THE DESECRATION! 90+ burials (at present) being disturbed in the development of the Mexican Cultural Center at LA Plaza/Olvera St. They have attempted to not follow the law at the discovery of remains. Please support and help - call, write letters, emails. Voice your disgust...Tongva people tired and in pain." -- Tongva Elder

The developer is denying the burials are Native, but the Tongva say one of them includes an obsidian blade and beads.

Call for action: From AIM Santa Barbara: Your VOICE HAS POWER- It only takes 5 minutes to make a phone call & save a sacred site- and piss off the people that need to put in check- STOP THE DESECRATION. Call- Gloria Molina office, (213)- 974-4111-or email molina@bos.lacounty.gov or call the Mayor Villaraigosa, 213 978-0600

More information: Statement of Facts/Call to Action Re: Burial Site by Members of the Gabrielino (Tongva) Community

Furthering Autonomous Realities Today Summit to take place January 14 - 16 at Encuentro 5.

Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue of the Public i is out and available around Urbana and Champaign this week.  Look for copies around campus, downtown Urbana, downtown and North Champaign, and here at your friendly neighborhood independent media center.

 

Of course, you can also download a copy here, too!

2011-01coverTopics covered this month include:

Historic Passage of the Local Community Radio Act (pictured left) by Danielle Chynoweth

Sheriffs Deputy Fired for DUI by Brian Dolinar

Volunteers Bring Open WiFi Network to Detroit by Brian Duggan

The Long Fight for a Wind Turbine Comes to a Head by Amy Allen

A Great Literacy Campaign for African America in the 21st Century by Amira Davis

Responses to Illinois civil unions by Paul Nolan, Phillip Reese, and students from Urbana High School

Everybody Wins, a poem by Kumar Salehi

Clear Bad Baggage, a poem by Durrell Callier, Suzanne Hassler & Kristina Williams

Attachment	Size
PI_201101-Dixon2.pdf	5.36 MB

Mothers & other caregivers speak out against child welfare injustices, budget cuts, criminalization and war. Together they planned joint actions to demand that child “protection”, welfare and other government policies end the trashing of mothers and recognize the value of their caregiving work.

Story and photos: Community Dialogues in four US Cities: Mothers and Other Caregivers Speak Out by Global Women's Strike

30 activists from Portland Animal Defense League gathered at OHSU on Sam Jackson Rd. dressed for a funeral procession to mourn the deaths of thousands of animals that have been needlessly raped, tortured and killed by vivisectors at OHSU.

Portland, OR - On Friday, January 7th at 12:30 pm, about 30 activists from Portland Animal Defense League gathered at OHSU on Sam Jackson Rd. dressed for a funeral procession to mourn the deaths of thousands of animals that have been needlessly tortured and killed by vivisectors at OHSU.

Animals in laboratories are subjected to horrible experiences. Recent government documentation has revealed primates dying of dehydration, starvation, hypothermia, heat stress, being boiled alive in cage washers, wasting diseases, hepatitis, encephalitis, and many other severe illnesses.

A 2.5 hour meeting

The US District Attorney and the Local FBI speak about the city of Portland (police) joining the terrorism Task Force (JTTF)

This was the regular monthly meeting.
The main topic of this meeting was having dialog on the JTTF / working with police in Portland:

 http://www.archive.org/details/PortlandHumanRightsMeetingWithJttfTaskForce1511

There was good public comment in this presentation
And good info from the ACLU
And good questions by the Human Right Commission

The FBI and the US DA gave their side;
Like a bucket with holes ...they tried to make their logic and position look worth wile

Coffee Strong is a veteran-owned and veteran-operated coffee shop outside of Fort Lewis, Washington, which since 2008 has provided a comfortable and safe atmosphere for veterans to share their experiences and find out about resources available to them.
September 2010 Interview with Member of Coffee Strong Coffeehouse

Coffee Strong provides free coffee, internet, concerts, movie screenings and other events to active-duty military personnel and their families, and acts as a meeting place for various organizations and support groups. It provides a place for veterans to socialize and relax in a safe atmosphere that also allows them to feel comfortable in seeking help if necessary.

In the past year, Coffee Strong has provided the following resources for the GI / veteran community:
Free, confidential counseling by a licensed therapist who is a veteran of Iraq;
G.I. rights counseling and advocacy for active-duty service members on Fort Lewis;
Weekly veterans' benefit assistance by experienced Veteran Service Officers.
Access to information and resources available to veterans within the local community; The New Website Coffee Strong for updates and connections to assistance.

Coffee Strong also acts as a hub for veteran activism, providing a place for interested veterans to speak out about the realities of the wars, address veteran issues, and pursue social change. Modeled on similar GI coffeehouses during the Vietnam War, it is a place where all veterans can feel free to share their opinions without fear.

These are difficult times for businesses to survive, especially nonprofits. Coffee Strong needs your help in order to continue to provide much needed resources to our soldiers and veterans.
September 2010 Interview with Member of Coffee Strong Coffeehouse

Rally and Procession to morn the deaths of countless animals as a result of animal experimentation at Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) in Portland Oregon. Event was sponsored and organized by Portland Animal Defense League, who can be contacted on both Myspace and Facebook

OHSU Tortures Animals


The gathering stood for a time in front of the hospital with numerous signs indicating their opposition to this lucrative animal experimentation before commencing the funeral procession. At this time they proceeded to march along both sides of the street, morning the needless loss of life and demonstrating OHSU's callous disregard for the sanctity of life.

The signs being carried by the demonstrators claim that at OHSU "Pigtail Macaques are beaten," "monies are used to kill bunnies," and that "pregnant mothers are forced to smoke." This last refers to the work of Dr. Elliot Spindel, who introduces high levels of nicotine into pregnant monkeys through transdermal mechanisms, and later dissects the infants, amazingly discovering that nicotine is bad for infant Primates.

In an interview with Tim Hitchins, spokesperson for Portland Animal Defense League, he states that these experiments are scientific fraudulent, morally unjustifiable and a waste of the taxpayers money.
These experiments are fraudulent, according to Hitchins, because humans respond completely different to tests and pharmaceutical drugs than animals do.

"The reason these experiments are defended so strongly by OHSU.........is because of the amount of money they bring to the University. We're talking about tens upon tens of millions of dollars that help fund....other facilities on their campus."

Other procedures cited by Hitchins in this interview include deliberately stressing animals and the deliberate inducing of obesity.

The 34th America's Cup will be held in San Francisco in 2013 and hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to come to see the sailing races. Critics fear that the No Sit-Lie Law recently created by the passage of Proposition L will be especially enforced during the event and tenants will be required to move away from new construction areas. Still others are concerned about expenditures including an estimated $4 million for a beefed up police presence.

By a bunch of haters in Free Press Houston: Gather around you fellow haters, cynics, and video game store clerks and bask in the hate that is our annual ‘Worst of Houston 2010’; a collection of the worst antics of 2010 in Houston and even beyond! Be forewarned, we pull no punches here and call em’ like we see them. So if you are included on this list, take it not as a stab but rather a nudge to change your actions and work towards a better tomorrow. We know we will. McCoin, you are fired! [Read Article]

Includes: Worst Invasion of Privacy, Worst Cocktail, Worst City Council Member, Worst Political Screw-up, Worst Southern Hospitality, Worst Attack on a Vital Houston Resource, Worst New Piece of Public Art, Worst Bureaucracy, Worst product to be sold in Montrose, Worst Corporate Shakedown passed off as Community Involvement, Worst Graffiti, Worst (Ab)Use of Public Airwaves, Worst Display of Human Nature, and more.

Nearly 50 protesters gathered at 20 Park Plaza, home of the Israeli consulate, to protest the recent murder of a Palestinian woman by Israeli police, and Israel's genocidal occupation of Palestine. The protest was organized by members of Boston Food Not Bombs and Israel's Anarchists Against the Wall.

Corporations are poisoning the water and destroying mountains and forests, while extracting coal and gas from Eastern regions we call home. Our response? ~FART~ January 14-16 2011 at Encuentro 5 in Boston, MA Register Here!: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEtVaEhvVVgwR2xrelR6S2RQU1M2TFE6MQ

A federal judge and a nine-year-old girl are among the deceased from that attack. Newsworks reports that a granddaughter of former Phils manager was also among dead. A suspect is in custody.

More coverage: Heroism from an intern

Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report, National Edition, Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg

Israel’s Building Boom Threatens Palestinian State -- Richard Falk, prof. of international law emeritus, Princeton University and Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories for the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Tell Israeli Diamond Merchant Lev Leviev, Financing Israeli Settlements Has Got To Go! -- with Adalah-NY

Once again, the justice system's complicity with the abuses taught at the School of the Americas was exposed today at the trial of anti-militarism activists Nancy Smith and Christopher Spicer. Nancy, from New York, changed her plea to no contest and was immediately sentenced to 6 months in prison by Magistrate Judge Stephen Hyles. In the SOA Watch tradition of using the courts to put a spotlight on the SOA/WHINSEC, Nancy affirmed that she "felt a strong moral imperative" to carry out her nonviolent act of civil disobedience "on behalf of those who have suffered so terribly". Read More by SOA Watch

Related: Nancy Smith, an SOA Watch prisoner of conscience, was interviewed by Tamar Sharabi shortly after the trial of Father Louis in November, in Georgia.

The next NEAN Assembly will be in Rochester, February 11-13.

"Over the course of my visits to see Bradley in Quantico, it’s become increasingly clear that the severe, inhumane conditions of his detention are wearing on Manning. The extraordinary restrictions of Manning’s basic rights to sleep, exercise, and communicate under the Prevention of Injury order are unnecessary and should be lifted immediately.

Please add your name to my letter urging the Quantico Brig Commanding Officer to lift Bradley Manning’s unnecessary POI order. I’ll deliver your signature to the Quantico Brig when I visit Bradley next month..." Read More by David House with General Joe and friends

Image from kasamaproject.org

The recent assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, which left 18 wounded and 6 dead, is a reminder that all is not well in that state. With anti-immigrant legislation, a ban on Chicano studies in the public schools and lax gun laws, Arizona is ground zero for hate and intolerance in America.

Related: Change you can be afraid of: AZ shooting should give us all pause

Past Feature with Discussion: Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) shot, survives, but six others dead

Governor Kitzhaber and Secretary of State Kate Brown will decide at a February 8th 2011 State Land Board Meeting on whether to move forward on auctioning off 4,920 acres of Common School Fund (CSF) Land in Josephine and Jackson counties. Most of these parcels if sold would likely be bought by local timber industry interests and subsequently clearcut. In 2010 this has been the case for sales and exchanges of CSF lands in western Oregon.

All of these parcels still contain some mature and/or old growth forests although DSL staff is attempting to deny it.

In Lane County 300-500 year old trees have been clear-cut from these "sold" public lands that were acquired by a former Oregon Board of Forestry member. The Oregon BOF makes recommendations and approves the disposal of the CSF lands. This current round of "disposal" sales of State public land has already occurred throughout most western Oregon counties.

We are urging folks who want to stop this public land from being sold off to local timber interests, clear-cut, and poisoned to write Governor Kitzhaber and Secretary of State Kate Brown who will decide the fate of these lands on February 8th 2011. Urge them to implement a moratorium on further Common School Fund land sales, initiate an independent investigation of whether laws were followed in earlier sales, if the "disposal" moves forward that the Forest Service and BLM be given priority in the acquisition of these lands, and demand the Governor mandate the adoption Code of Ethics rules for the Oregon Board of Forestry (BOF) to eliminate this sort of corruption. Together we can stop this corrupt travesty from moving forward and happening again.

 http://www.eco-advocates.org

from International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network--Twin Cities:  We, the undersigned, are outraged at the targeting of Dr. Waziyatawin, PhD by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On November 8th, 2010, Dr. Waziyatawin a well-known Dakota writer, activist and teacher, was invited and presented a talk at Winona State University concerning the brutal realities of the colonization of this continent’s land, its resources, and First Nations People.  She also spoke of a common need to restore our environment and a way of living that is not reliant on capitalism and the destruction of nature. 

The timing of the speech served to reinforce some of her points.  At the time she spoke, members of the Dakota Nation were holding a Commemorative March along the route that nearly two thousand Dakota people were forcibly marched in 1862.  The march route passes through Winona on its way from Lower Sioux Agency to Fort Snelling, where, over the winter of 1862-1863, those who managed to survive the march itself faced confinement, starvation, disease, rape and (for many), death. 

read more

The next Northeast Anarchist Network assembly will be in Rochester, NY on February 11-13. We are excited to welcome NEAN to Rochester for a weekend full of discussions, networking and fun, and to give you all an opportunity to see some of what's going on in our city! The assembly will be hosted at the Flying Squirrel Community Space (www.thesquirrel.org), and we are asking for a sliding scale contribution of $10-20 from attendees. The assembly is open to any and all anarchists in the Northeast, as well as other radicals and anti-authoritarians who agree with the NEAN points of unity (www.neanarchist.net/foundation#pou).

A look at upcoming events at the Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center for the week of January 10 and beyond!

Sandwich Workers Begin New Push for “10 Point Program” to Reform Fast
Food Industry

MINNEAPOLIS– The National Labor Relations Board approved a settlement today nullifying the results of the historic October 22 union election at Jimmy John's, putting victory back on the table for the nation's first-ever union in franchised fast food. The settlement validates workers' claims that franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan were able to squeak out an 87-85 victory in the election only by resorting to unlawful tactics including threatening a wage freeze, intentionally fabricating rumors that the union engaged in sabotage, retaliating against union supporters, and numerous other labor rights violations.

With the tainted election results nullified, the union is asking the franchise owners to negotiate over its "10 Point Program for Justice at Jimmy John's," a comprehensive package of reforms that will bring respect, dignity, and democracy to the fast food workplace.

read more

A vigil for Oscar Grant was held on New Year's Day 2011 at Fruitvale BART, two years after he was shot and killed by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. Meanwhile, documents recently obtained by KALW's The Informant reveal the significant involvement of state and federal law enforcement in monitoring the various Oscar Grant protests in Oakland over the past two years. Logs obtained indicate OPD monitored websites, including Indybay.org, public demonstrations, flyers and meetings to gather information about potential protests. Other documents indicate FBI involvement in monitoring the Oscar Grant protests as early as January 2009.

The two demands of our press conference are:
1. Occupation Troops Out of Haiti NOW!!!
2. Release ALL Emergency Aid to Haitian Popular Organizations NOW!! Read More

RELATED: WNU #1062: 2011 in Haiti—“Year of Revolt” or More of the Same? | Haiti worse off than ever | Haiti: Where’s the Money?

Photos © Tony Savino

The anti-war and international solidarity activists who are being called before a grand jury in Chicago have learned that beginning a few months before the protests against the Republican National Convention in the 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota, a law enforcement officer infiltrated the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee (AWC). The infiltrator went by the name Karen Sullivan, joined the AWC in April 2008, and about a year later she joined the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

read more | Video & Updates

PICTURED: FBI Informant "Karen Sullivan" on right (Image credit: StopFBI.net)

Video from Weds Press Conference by TC Indymedia 1/2 // Article From FightBackNews.org // Earlier: Press Release from Cmte to Stop FBI Repression

Minneapolis, MN - At a press conference here, Jan. 12, Jess Sundin of the Twin Cites based Anti-War Committee (AWC) blasted police infiltration of the anti-war and international solidarity movement, stating, “We are here today to express outrage that our democratic rights have been violated by a government operation of spying, infiltration and disruption of our anti-war movement, which was carried out over the course of at least two and half years.”

read more

* Talk about fracking and your concerns for the potential impacts on human health, the environment and local economies to family, friends, elected officials, coworkers and fellow members of your church, gym or other organizations. Talk in public at the store, barber shop or library to your neighbors and help us create an overwhelming movement to ban fracking and dirty energy production.
* Make copies of the various documentaries about fracking and give out the dvds to all of the above, including your town board members, mayor, state assembly and senators, and your federal congresspeople and senators.
* Send all of the above this link to watch Gasland the film online for free http://thoughtmaybe.com/video/gasland
* Show up (which is 90% of all success) at every fracking related event you can and bring friends because numbers matter. This could include educational events, film showings, legislative and departmental hearings, anti-fracking protests & marches, political rallies, and press conferences.
* Email or call folks and organizations about fracking and forward all the relevant info you receive from us to your contacts, especially when their is a general call of "All Out To Support" an action. read more

Looking back over 2010, we covered quite a few stories that the traditional media couldn't be bothered with. Below are the top ten in terms of ranking, with similar stories grouped together.

Other milestones in 2010: Dennis Brutus passes: a reflection | Our 2010 Emancipation Proclamation! | Ten years since the protests at the Philly RNC, and the first large Philadelphia Independent Media Project | Philadelphia Community Organizations Awarded $11.8 Million to Increase Broadband Adoption | the Defenestrator Releases its 50th Issue

Image from News from Inside

Newly elected Governor Jerry Brown's 2011-2012 budget proposal slashes $12.5 billion dollars from essential health and human services. Brown himself characterized his new budget as 'Draconian'. Immediately following the announcement of Brown's new budget, health service agencies held a a press conference in the Sacramento State House denouncing the proposal. Statewide actions included similar press conferences and rallies in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Fresno.

The Jan 7 Critical Mass bike ride did something unusual: Everyone stopped at Metro's headquarters for an impromptu rally against Metro's bag searches. Read More | Video Coverage

Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) is an Israeli direct action group established in 2003 to resist the Annexation Wall being built by Israel on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. They support Palestinian civilian resistance to massive confiscation of land and denial of freedom of movement caused by construction of the Wall.ﾠAATW activists have joined thousands of demonstrations against the Wall and against the Occupation in dozens of villages throughout the West Bank.

Dozens of people came together in Santa Cruz on January 8th to rally at the clock tower and march down Pacific Avenue in solidarity with WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and Bradley Manning. Protesters lined Mission St. with homemade signs in defense of free speech and calling for the prosecution of U.S. government war crimes. Read More on Santa Cruz Action

Actions were also held in San Francisco and Berkeley

Related: Protest for Bradley Manning in Back Bay from Boston IMC | Protesters at FBI, Quantico Marine Barracks demand release of Bradley Manning from DC-IMC

Governor Kitzhaber and Secretary of State Kate Brown will decide at a February 8th 2011 State Land Baord Meeting on whether to move forward on auctioning off 4,920 acres of Common School Fund Land in Josephine and Jackson counties. Most of these parcels if sold would likely be bought by local timber industry interests and subsequently clearcut. In 2010 this has been the case for sales and exchanges of CSF lands in western Oregon. It could happen near you.

The fact is that violence in American politics has always been the norm. The founding fathers knew the quill was mightier than the sword, but the sword could also come in handy.

In the House of Representatives in 1798, Roger Griswold of Connecticut insulted Vermont’s Matthew Lyon’s Revolutionary War credentials. Representative Lyons proved his martial mettle by crossing the floor and spitting in Griswold’s face. Two weeks later, Griswold hit Lyons with a cane, who then grabbed a fire tong and attacked Griswold. The brawl was quickly broken up, but it was just a taste of what was to come.

read more

Another year passes, and Chicago Indymedia is there to chart the year that was in Chicago political activism — and what a year it was. To reflect on the year that was, we present our annual collection of local links to Chicago Indymedia's newswire, sorted by theme — Chicago Indymedia's Year In Review for 2010.

January 17, 2011 — The Indymedia-Africa Working Group is organizing a special conference in Dakar, Senegal in a few weeks to coincide with the international gathering of activists at the World Social Forum. Delegates from nine African countries, including seven active or forming imcs, have coordinated to attend the gathering, which is the fourth Indymedia networking and training session to be held in Africa.

Despite hard work, several expected funding sources have not come through, leaving us short of funds for transportation. CLICK HERE for details on each delegation plus information on how to donate.

The work that these Indymedia activists are doing in Africa is amazing and courageous, especially in the context of the brutal repression they have faced in the past. Recently, Indymedia on Air and Uprising Radio interviewed Sphinx, one of the organizers of the Dakar project visited Los Angeles and a member of IMC-Ambazonia, about the stakes of this work: Conversation with an Indymedia Activist by Uprising Radio | Interview with Sphinx from Indymedia Africa (Ambazonia) by Indymedia On Air

Image from Sphinx's Video: Standing with the Students (23 Minutes Summary)

On Saturday, December 15, about 50 protesters held a rally and march in Back Bay to raise awareness of the plight of Bradley Manning. Manning is an Army intelligence analyst who is accused of leaking more than 250,000 classified diplomatic cables to Wikileaks. He is currently being held in solitary confinement while not allowed to exercise, or sleep between the hours of 5 AM and 8 PM.

Natural gas is one of the main sources of fuel for heating and even industrial energy. In this context the government of the right-wing president Piñera announced that it would increase the price of gas by about 17%. This announcement was not well received by the population in Magallanes for obvious reasons. However, it is important to point that in the midst of this proposed increase in prices, the government is also firing personnel in the region and the country.

In the last month, the teacher’s union in Rochester, New York, the Rochester Teacher’s Association (RTA) has built up to and started the process for a vote of no confidence in the Rochester City School District Superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard.

The build up to this has been a long time coming, as rank-and-file teachers within schools have long expressed frustration with the none too subtle hostility and disregard received from Brizard’s administration, policies, and overall agenda. As a Broad Superintendent’s Academy alumni Brizard has brought the Broad-agenda full court press style that many have increasingly found familiar.

Having been within schools and reached out to the community locally I have communicated extensively with teachers, parents, and community members, especially given the important work we at the Community Education Task Force are building. Several revealing conversations with various concerned parties have proved insightful during our outreach.

In order to provide fresher features, the TC Indymedia Editorial Collective will produce a 'roundup' post of short news bits which might be of interest roughly every week. Publish your event announcements, press releases and news tips to TCIMC via the Publish link at the top of each page - or, if you're having trouble with the submission form or would like to speak to us individually, contact us here.

Do you remember Karen Sullivan? Another layer of deception & trauma added to our collective experiences last week as FBI operative "Karen Sullivan" who invaded several movements between April 2008 to September 2010 was exposed by the Antiwar Committee. (TCIMC's press conference live coverage was featured on Democracy Now!) Does anyone in the community have more images, video, or recollection of "Karen Sullivan"?

See Something Messaging Multiplies: The dubious federalized scheme called "See Something, Say Something" has resulted in the Homeland Security Emergency Management division of the Department of Public Safety posting photos of the indoor billboards around the Mall of America, Rochester Airport, Downtown Minneapolis to their Facebook. As TCIMC noted earlier the entire campaign is designed to get around the more restrictive Minnesota police data laws, according to MOA's security boss, and use the dubious new Suspicious Activity Report framework instead.

read more

About 650 people marched to honor Martin Luther King in downtown Fresno on Monday, January 17, 2011. When the march stopped at Fresno City Hall elected officials and a couple of community activists spoke. Newly elected Fresno City Council member Clint Olivier spoke out strongly against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Jan 17, 2011(MLK holiday), protesters gathered at FBI headquarters in DC, then vanpooled to Quantico Marine Barracks demanding the release of accused Wikileaks source Bradley Manning. At Quantico, activists took over half the road to the main gate of Quantico-and attempted to deliver a care package for Bradley Manning. Video, over half of it on the care packaged delivery

Washington, D.C., January 4, 2011–Antiwar military veterans and other activists celebrated a breakthrough victory today in DC Superior Court, when charges were dropped, following arrests in front of the White House, on December 16, 2010. Over 130 people were arrested in a major veteran-led protest while participating in non-violent civil resistance in a driving snowstorm. U.S. Park Police charged all 131 protesters with “Failure to Obey a Lawful Order,” when they refused to move from the White House fence. The protesters were demanding an end to the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and further U.S. aggression in the region.

On January 22, the 38th anniversary of the passage of Roe v. Wade, the anti-choice, anti-gay Walk for Life organization will bus people into the city of San Francisco for a march in support of criminalizing abortions. Pro-Choice activists will counter them with a rally and march along the Embarcadero.

This is an in-depth analysis of the neighborhood based Peoples Court movement which emerged in September in response to the near death beating of Askia Sabur.

The story quickly circulated the internet and the grapevine, grabbing the attention of the Poor Righteous Party of the Black Nation, which called for a mass community build on September 11th at the scene of the crime. These local organizers set up a microphone, an amp, and emceed while person after person stepped up and testified about their experiences with the police [...] In next two days more People’s Courts were held at the same corner, attended by twice as many people. Read More

Past Coverage: Sept9: Domestic Terrorist-Philadelphia Police Brutalized brother Askia Sabur | Sept17: March to 19th Police District Demands Justice for Askia Sabur and an End to Domestic Terrorism | Oct30: Could Mayor Nutter's Police and Community meetings have backfired?

“John siempre se caracterizó por estar en el lugar de los hechos, por informar lo que veía, mezclando géneros; era un militante del nuevo periodismo”. "El monstruo," una historia de la ciudad de México, es “un gran fresco pintado al estilo de un mural con distintas escenas”. --Luis Hernández Navarro

Check out what's coming up at the IMC!

This is terrific inspiration for Southern Oregonians who plan to attend Senator Wyden's Town Hall 10AM, 1/19/11 at the Medford City Hall...

"I went to the town hall on friday night. I was lucky to even get to ask a question, but I did get to ask one and made some good points on Free Trade. I hope Sen. Wyden will consider the mood of this crowd when he formulates his position on the Korean Free Trade proposal....he said he is undecided on the subject. I logged some thoughts on the evening......"--Bruce Dennis

Multnomah County Town Hall
Ron Wydens Open Forum Jan 14, 2011

On January 2nd, residents of East Austin and the Montopolis neighborhood led a tour of the Roy Guerrero Park where the City of Austin is proposing putting a disc golf course. read more

From the open publishing newswire: A victory was won in getting the Israeli consulate off KPFT. The replacement that ran this week (listen) was hosted by Michael Duke, the associate editor of the Jewish Herald Voice. The show he produced wasn't about the local Jewish community, wasn't about Jewish culture, or events, it was again Israeli propaganda. It failed to talk about peace related issues, but instead co-opted the word "peace," describing as a "peace-initiative" the new cleaned up Jesus Trail which allows tourists to Israel to see bird routes and expansive vistas. Like the last show produced by the Israeli consulate, the purpose of the show was promoting Israel and tourism to Israel. [Read the full article]

The KPFT BDS Ad Hoc Committee is a group of KPFT listeners and activists united to push for KPFT to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement. We are organizing for KPFT to pass our proposal supporting BDS. [Read Full article]

Statement of KPFT management on "re-tooling" of Voice of Peace | KPFT BDS Ad Hoc Committee | Illustration: Shelby/FPH

Cointelpro 101 exposes illegal surveillance, disruption, and outright murder committed by the US government in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Cointelpro refers to the official FBI COunter INTELigence PROgram carried out to surveil, imprison, and eliminate leaders of social justice movements and to disrupt, divide, and destroy the movements as well. Through interviews with activists who experienced these abuses first-hand, with rare historical footage, the film provides an educational introduction to a period of intense repression and draws relevant lessons for the present and future. [full article and description] Trailer

[January 14, 2011] — Yesterday marked the 5th year of Eric's arrest and imprisonment. Every year, at this time, we are forced to reflect on all that has happened. It is never an easy process, but this year feels different. This year we know that Eric will be in prison for the duration of his sentence. All of his appeals have been exhausted. 5 years is a long time - but we aren't even halfway there...

We have watched in horror these last few years as more and more of these kinds of cases have appeared across the country. It is hard not to think of this as a time of mourning. So maybe instead of a day of mourning, today can be a day of defiance. Today can be a celebration of thought crime. Won't you celebrate with us?

Please remember that other folks are sitting in prison for very similar reasons as Eric! They deserve your support. Marie Mason and Sadie (Joyanna Zacher) both have birthdays this month. Please consider sending them a note of support. Finally, we recently set up a wishlist on Microcosm for Eric. If you would like to send him something, please visit: http://microcosmpublishing.com/wishlist/31412">microcosmpublishing.com. [Read More | Image from Eric's New Zine]

On Thursday, January 20, 2011, convicted police torturer Jon Burge will be sentenced on charges related to perjury and obstruction of justice. Burge ran a torture ring for the better part of two decades on Chicago's south side, and Burge was fired from the Chicago police in 1993, but the caustic influence of Burge continues still with police torture victims, activists, and victims' families raising ongoing charges of police misconduct.

Activists have vowed to attend the Burge sentencing hearing, and Chicago Indymedia has posted a roundtable discussion with community activists and relatives of torture victims to discuss Jon Burge and issues stemming from police torture.

Previous coverage: Historic conviction of cop torturer only partial justice, say activists

Call to Action: Write, Call and E-mail USP Lewisburg

Local music listen to the following artist the following artist who performed live last december The Elsa Riveros Band Elsa Riveros (Colombia): Singer Jose Vega - Joey (Puerto Rico) : Guitars Abdel Ahmadi (Morocco): Bass Erneto Tomayo classical guitarrist Born in Havana, Cuba, Ernesto began studying the guitar with his father when he was five. He made his public performance and television debut at the young age of nine. and Patricio Zamorano Songwriter, poet, musician

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden met more resistance to the Korean Free Trade Agreement when he held his Town Hall in Medford, Oregon on 1/19/11. Unionists Ivend Holen (IBEW steward, retired) and Ralph Browning (AFSCME President Medford employees) asked pointed questions at Wydens's Medford Town Hall. Their points were largely missed by mainstream media coverage so we are pleased to present their remarks here on Rogue Indy. -- rogue imc voluntee

The Medford forum follows the Senator's Portland stop on 1/14/11 at a Multnomah Town Hall where he heard from Bruce Dennis who told the Senator how damaging a Korean FTA would be for working families... Korea FTA resistance greets Sen. Wyden in Portland, OR | Video: Portland Rally Opposing Korea FTA

Wyden got his facts wrong when he stated that longshoremen favor the KORUS Free Trade Agreement: ILWU Opposes Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement

Image from: San Francisco Protest | More: Labor and Allies Say "No" to Another NAFTA

Demonstration opposing the Korea Free Trade Agreement. Speakers include Arthur Stamoulis, Oregon Fair Trade Campaign; Mitch Besser, displaced high-tech worker; Kim Kyung-Ran, director of external relations for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; and Madeline Elder, president, Communications Workers of America.
No to the Korean Free Trade Agreement



From the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign Website

"President Obama recently announced plans to push ahead with the Korea Free Trade Agreement in early 2011. This Bush-negotiated pact is the biggest free trade agreement since NAFTA itself. If passed, it will accelerate the offshoring of Oregon jobs, expose the state's environmental laws to new types of attacks and prohibit the type of banking regulations needed to head off the next financial crisis."

The Demonstration took place and the offices of Sen. Ron Wyden, who chairs the Senate's Trade Subcommittee. The gathering then marched the few blocks to the offices of Oregon Rep. Earl Blumeauer. Video is from the action at the Wyden offices.

[Related PIMC video link]

Police departments are perennially accused of excessive force--the poignant SPD shooting of Native American carver John Williams being just the latest example. Usually, however, the victims are human beings. Not so in an excessive-force case recently filed in federal court, which details the fatal shooting of a Labrador retriever mixed-breed dog named Slyder, allegedly for doing little more than sniffing the butt of a police dog.

That is the picture painted by attorney Adam Karp in his lawsuit filed last week on behalf of a Grant County man named Nicholas Criscuolo. Karp (pictured at left) is the Bellingham attorney whose relentless quest for four-legged justice we wrote about in September.
According to the complaint (see pdf) , Criscuolo was letting his two dogs, including Slyder (pictured above), have a little off-leash fun in a Moses Lake park last January when Grant County Sheriff's deputies proceeded to make a drug bust nearby. One of the deputies was Beau Lamens, who brought his police dog, Maddox, to search a car that contained some suspected meth.

Slyder took off after Maddox, giving rise to the alleged butt-sniffing. The deputy kicked Slyder, according to the complaint, causing the dog to run back toward his owner--"tail between his legs, not charging Lamens or Maddox or any other officer." Nevertheless, the complaint says, Lamens followed Slyder and shot the dog three times, killing him.

A prior investigation conducted by the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, however, offers a different version of events. Ruling the shooting justified, the office concluded that Slyder and Maddox had been fighting, and that it seemed to Lamens as though Criscuolo's dog was returning for another round.

Grant County Undersheriff Dave Ponozzo declines further comment on behalf of Lamens and his department, saying it hasn't had a chance to look at the lawsuit yet.

Taking place on the day after Thanksgiving, Fur Free Friday is an international event dedicated to educating people about the horrors suffered by animals in the fur industry.

Fur Free Friday, 2010

The City Council held a Town Hall on the topic of the JTTF and the Portland Police[.] This was attend by a good couple hundred people and lasted for a couple hours[.] It was an open forum for the public to voice their opinion[.]

There was no debate nor any decisions made

The JTTF stands for Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force formed in 1997 and is one of 106 across the country. The Portland Police Bureau are no longer part of the JTTF.

But the Oregon State Police, Port of Portland and the Washington County Sheriff's Office participate with federal agencies for investigations.

Most people at this forum / event in my opinion tended to be very skeptical of the FBI and wanted no part in the "becoming partners" with the city or our police, in this type of partnership. There were a few questions raised as to why this merger was necessary.

There was a point in the meeting where 'break-away' groups formed to discuss concerns in a smaller group setting.
The break-away groups lasted for about 30 - 40 minutes and was not recorded in the video.


 link to www.archive.org

In the political theater exhibited last December where 13 months of unemployment extensions were linked to continuing tax breaks for the rich, a significant issue was left out of the drama, though it directly impacts the lives of millions. That is the fate of those who have become known as the 99ers.

The 99ers are those who have not been able to find a job, though they have exhausted all their employment benefits. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits peaked from November 2008 to May 2009. Ninety-nine weeks later those still unemployed had exhausted their benefits and disappeared from the official unemployment statistics. They no longer have a social safety net to land in and crawl out of.

Their numbers and continuing growth are staggering, and their desperate situation effects all working class Americans -- employed and unemployed. The fact that their fate was left unaddressed last December, while the economic top one percent were allowed hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks, says a lot about the political priorities of those who set policy in this country and whose voices they listen to.

Long-term joblessness has been an especially pronounced problem in the Great Recession. Those out of work for longer than six months make up 45.9 percent of all those unemployed. Those out of work for over a year make up 23 percent. This situation is not improving. For every job there are still a minimum of five workers competing to get it. According to the Federal Reserve's extended forecast, the unemployment rate in 2011 will not go below nine percent, and in 2012 it will remain at eight percent or higher.

This bleak outlook is all the more difficult for the 99ers since employers frequently use a long period of unemployment as a reason not to hire workers.

It has been estimated that there are over two million 99ers. By the end of 2011, this number is expected to increase by four million, with the peak month for unemployment benefit cutoffs occurring in April.

As in the 1930s, today we must organize in a way that creates unity between the employed and unemployed. To start, we can organize the largest possible union-led demonstrations to realize this unity in the streets. Educating and agitating on demands for economic relief for the 99ers and a jobs-creation program funded by raising Wall Street's taxes, would help to rally the numbers to make an impact. We must not be distracted by those who wish to dilute these demands by arguing that they are impossible, given the current political climate. It is that political climate that must be changed and this will not happen unless workers unite around their own needs and aspirations. The history of the 1930s demonstrates that when workers join into a movement representing their own interests, what is considered impossible can be made possible.

 http://www.workerscompass.org/vorp/mv2011/mv01202011.html

wrongfully imprisoned: Muntaqim, Washington and Bell became known as the New York Three.

The Buffalo Common Council Chamber was the scene of a spirited discussion Tuesday, January 18,2011 as those on both sides of the hydraulic fracturing issue clashed. The Common Council will decide on a moratorium for the controversial method of drilling for natural gas will be allowed in the city limits of Buffalo. This decision is mostly symbolic considering there are few places in the city suitable for such drilling. However, the common council’s decision will be seen as setting precedent for the future of fracking. read more

Hundreds Staged Sit-In at Minneapolis Chipotle Store, Call on Company to Treat Workers with "Integrity", Urge Company to Pay Back Wages, Stand Up Publicly for Immigration Reform

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEIU.org - [Thursday], in protest of Chipotle's mistreatment of immigrant workers, 8 protesters were arrested in an act of civil disobedience at a Chipotle store in downtown Minneapolis. The protesters were joined by fired Chipotle workers and their allies who staged a sit-in urging Chipotle to treat their workers with the same "integrity" as they treat thei ingredients in their food. The action in Minneapolis - which was supported by solidarity events at stores in CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, IL, NY and VA - comes in the wake of Chipotle abruptly firing nearly 700 Latino immigrant workers in Minnesota, without notice and in some cases without paying back wages.

Photos from SEIU | More coverage from Fight Back! News | Video from The Uptake | Chipocrisy.com

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As the Obama administration moves closer to introducing the NAFTA-style Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) to Congress, on January 14th, 2011, citizens and activists joined Kim Kyung-Ran, Director of External Relations for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, in a rally at San Francisco's new Federal Building to oppose the deal. Labor, faith, environmental, fair trade, and family farm organizations called on Minority Leader Pelosi, Congress and President Obama to stop pursuing the KORUS FTA, an agreement expected to cost American jobs and grant corporations in each country rights to subvert public interest laws.

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is sponsoring the third annual Greenfield Peace Writing Contest. This contest is named for Del Greenfield,PSR's first Executive Director. Please help spread the word about this contest to the Oregon high school juniors and seniors in your communities.

Residents of Portland, Oregon, recently attended a forum on the question of whether the city should rejoin the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The city withdrew its task force membership five years ago after the Justice Department turned down a city request for oversight over the JTTF.

On January 13, 2011 Press conference. To announce a bold step to fight job discrimination against formerly incarcerated persons, Councilwoman Donna Reed-Miller sponsored a bill, which, if ratified, would remove the question of an applicant’s criminal history from employment applications. During a press conference held at the Berean Institute Thursday, Miller joined members of local organizations such as X-Offenders for Community Empowerment (XCE), the NAACP and others to publically announce efforts to “ban the box”.

Qwantrell Ayers was brought into a courtroom Friday morning, Jan. 21, 2011, in a wheelchair. He claims that the previous Friday, Jan. 14, he was kicked in the back, his groin, and had his leg injured by Sgt. Johnson in the Champaign County jail. He has been in and out of Carle Hospital three times since the alleged beating due to internal bleeding described as “excessive.” A colostomy bag was attached during surgery after he was having difficulty urinating. His leg is also swollen making it difficult to walk.

He was in court for a ruling on his fitness to stand trial for criminal charges against him. After a report filed by Champaign psychiatrist Dr. Jeckel, Qwantrell was ruled to be unfit by Judge Heidi Ladd and will receive treatment at the McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield. Also in the courtroom was Qwantrell’s mother, who I spoke with in order to get her son’s account of what happened.

Krissy Bates was found murdered in her apartment last week, in all likelihood by someone she knew and feared.  She’d appealed to her landlord to fix a broken window so that she’d be safer, but the landlord told her that she’d have to pay for the repair herself.

The media coverage, where it exists, has been sordid--from stories that mis-gender her to the City Pages’ ghoulish blotter coverage of her sex work and her last voicemail.   Once again, the death of a unique, valuable person can be turned into a media spectacle because that person is a trans woman. read more

Image from Outfront Minnesota

As apart of their campaign, 21 activists and community members demonstrated in against the fur trade and in the defense of animal rights at 'Furs by Russell' at 4446 Main St. in Amherst, saying "HAVE A HEART, DON'T WEAR FUR!"! This protest's aim was to raise public awareness about the local Amherst business's crimes against animals. The organizers say that the conditions under which animal live in the fur trade are "horrendous", particularly given that these animals, "[live] in deplorable conditions inside filthy, cramped cages. Many are stolen from their homes in the wild, using extremely painful and inhumane methods, such as snares and traps.

The local retailer 'Furs by Russell' is located in the affluent neighborhood around the Amherst-Williamsville border, where a number of stores, boutiques, and $10.00 sandwich cafes occupy this upper-Main street strip. Many of these 'consumers' do not know that the price of Russell's fur trade is much more than the already expensive garments. According to the organizer & spokesperson Morgan J. Dunbar, "These innocent creatures suffer in silence until the day they are killed by the cruelest methods, including anal electrocution and being violently injected with poisons. Animals on fur farms suffer the most egregious torture imaginable, all for the name of fashion and profit."; these methods are deemed more 'cost-effective' by the industry despite fur being a highly valued commodity for we homo sapiens.

The industry's response to the slowly awakening public to the issue of animal cruelty is the 'humanely treated' label, however, like the current usurpation of the label of 'organically grown' and 'locally grown' for food, it's more marketing than the massive change in the means of production that anti-cruelty activists are looking for.

read more

The verdict for the trial of a gay bashing on Wed was a huge disappointment in a long line of disappointments. City officials have been telling the queer community that if we want something done about gay bashings we must report. This case, in particular was brought up in a press conference with the mayor. Airick Heater (the victim & well known local DJ for Blow Pony) was encouraged to prosecute. This trial was to showcase the effectiveness of reporting hate crimes in Portland. I think you'll have a clear opinion on that after reading what happened.

Last week Rainforest Action Network's Change Chevron team asked people to call Chevron CEO John Watson and congratulate him for being inducted into Corporate Accountability International's Corporate Hall of Shame. The same day, Rainforest Action Network activists teamed up with the Raging Grannies, boarding a biodiesel bus to deliver an enlarged Corporate Hall of Shame certificate to Watson at his home in Lafayette, California.

Nobody was arrested when Witness Against Torture blocked traffic leaving the Department of Justice after a meeting with the Attorney General was refused. READ MORE | Night interviews with protesters maintaining a 24 hour vigil after blockading existing traffic

On Jan. 13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reversed a permit approved in 2007 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the largest mountaintop removal operation in West Virginia, Arch Coal's Spruce No. 1 site straddling Logan and Mingo counties in the coal-mining southern region of the state. The agency cited concerns about the potential impact on both the environment and human health. Audio

On the 20th of January, an estimated three dozen people showed up outside the home of Dick Knapp's house to protest plans to open a Wal-Mart on Ga Ave-for the second time. Video on Liveleak

On January 20th, a meeting on the USF campus was held in protest of the sudden and unannounced shutdown of the 34-year old college station the day before. A $3.75 million dollar sale occurred January 20th, in a secret deal in which nobody at the station had prior knowledge. Shocked and outraged station personnel, supporters, students, a media studies professor, and other media made up close to 500 people who rallied outside the packed auditorium. Supporters plan to attend the Board of Supervisor's meeting January 25th at City Hall.

Check out what's coming up at the IMC!

San Francisco women's rights activists turned out some of their best street theater for an anti-abortion crowd of thousands that marched through the city on Saturday. Following an opening rally, which at least one anti-choice visitor tried to interrupt, women's rights demonstrators walked along the Embarcadero, shadowing the "Walk for Life" march. A couple performed racy dances at various spots alongside the anti-choice march, shocking their opponents. Pro-choice activists said that what is more shocking, however, is "the extremes to which the right wing will go to deny women health care."

Activists Face Grand Jury January 25; Protests Planned in 43 Cities -- Tuesday, January 25 will be the day that nine Palestine solidarity activists are asked to appear before a grand jury in Chicago.  In response, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression has organized protests in 43 U.S. cities and several overseas embassies, reports Fight Back! News.  The local activists still facing subpoenas are Sarah Martin, Tracy Molm and Anh Pham.

The grand jury witch hunt is the fallout from last September 24's raids in Minneapolis and Chicago.  A lengthy article this week by Nick Pinto in City Pages exposed more details about FBI undercover agent Karen Sullivan, whose disappearance from the Antiwar Commmittee after the raids led to her identification as a rat. In Minneapolis, the protest on the January 25 national day of action will be held at 4:30 outside the Minneapolis Federal Building at 4th Street and 4th Avenue. More at StopFBI.net.

200 Vigil and March for Krissy Bates on Freezing Friday Night - Minneapolis has for years hosted a ceremony on the November 20 National Transgender Day of Remembrance.  But, said organizer Barbara Satin at Friday's MCTC vigil marking the death of Krissy Bates, this is the first time many are marking the murder of someone in our community due to their gender expression.  200 people attended the memorial at which LGBT/Queer activists and community members called for vigilance and ongoing work towards transgender equality.

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By Heights Parent to the Open Publishing Newswire: I attended the HISD Community Conversation meeting yesterday and was astonished to learn of the amount of budget shortfall HISD will soon face in a few months. Like many of you, I had heard of the State deficit and knew there would be cuts. Until now though I did not realize the staggering amounts of the cuts and the direct impact it will have in the Houston area. Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating to say the situation is bad for school districts across the state. HISD is anticipating a hit of multi-millions being cut.

What kind of budget cut is HISD expecting? HISD will in all likelihood experience a $202-$348 million loss for the 2011-2012 school year. The impact to HISD will be detrimental to say the least. These numbers are 16%-20% of the HISD general operating budget.

What is causing the shortfall? HISD will lose federal stimulus money that expires at the end of this school year, property values are estimated to drop and the cost of running the district continues to increase. However, the primary source will be the multi-millions lost from the state when they balance the state budget this session. Texas is facing a budget shortfall of $15-$27 billion. The law requires the state budget be balanced. State officials plan on accomplishing this in the form of cuts rather than increases in tax revenue. [read full article]

Fair trade products are supposed to ensure benefits for producers in countries that produce everything from coffee to coconuts. So when a product says it is fair trade should we question who says so? Apparently yes.

Last week was quite busy for community members looking to change the direction of the Rochester City School District. Before Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizzard gave his "State of the Schools" address, between 400 and 600 teachers protested outside of the School of the Arts. The protest, organized by the Rochester Teachers Association, focused on many issues, but the thread that tied them all together was that teachers see Brizzard as running the schools with a heavy-handed, top-down approach, rather than reaching out to teachers and listening to their expertise.

Earlier, the Community Education Task Force organized a study session at the Phylis Wheatley public library titled, "What IS the plan for our schools?" (video reportback) | | READ MORE | | Jan31 UPDATE: Victory for Community Organizing: Schools 2 and 6 Stay Open

Related from Houston IMC: HISD Budget Shortfall Projected in Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

In a day of protests in Egypt hundreds of thousands of people marched in the streets facing down riot police, water cannon, baton charges and tear gas. The people are chanting for freedom,an end to the corrupt administration of Hosni Mubarak in power for 30 years, with the demand that he to join the Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in Saudi Arabia. At least three protesters were killed with some reports that police in some cities used live ammunition on crowds.

Tonight, January the 26th, there will be a demonstration of solidarity with the Egyptian protests at Market St & Montgomery St in San Francisco starting at 5pm.

Martin Luther King jr. stood for revolutionary transformation; he is used today to support policies that he fought against. Jared Ball is interviewed on www.therealnews.com. "Every year we are asked to forget criticism of capitalism and divine dissatisfaction."

On April 16, 2000 20,000 protesters besieged the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. In 2011 the IMF and World Bank are again meeting on April 16. Their previous schemes ended in failure, but the Great Recession, bailouts, and austerity have brought them back from the brink. On A16 2011 we will again confront the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. Everyone’s invited…

Yesterday, Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner was sentenced to three years in federal prison for accepting a bribe. Turner has long been known for supporting radical causes and standing by his constituents, and the circumstances of his trial point to a concerted effort on the part of the Justice Department to silence his voice. Community Church of Boston's Jason Lydon has released the following statement.

MINNEAPOLIS, JANUARY 23 -- Outside the Radisson City Center hotel, hundreds of Somali people protested and drew attention to a visit by Abdi Mohamud Omar, president of the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. They demanded that human rights abuses under Omar's growing military end, while  raising awareness of the US' unquestioning military aid to Ethiopia.

The Ogaden region is a place of decades-long conflict, home to nomadic Somali people and occupied by the Ethiopian military. Both the Ogaden National Liberation Front and the military are accused of human rights abuses against civilians in the region by Human Rights Watch(1) -- hangings, setting makeshift villages on fire, systemic rape as a tool of warfare, hording the food aid from the UN and NGO's in the middle of droughts, demanding that men become soldiers in order to access food and water.

The government shuts down basic aid operations as soon as they're suspected of providing material aid to the rebels.(2) Always the threat of invisible rebels lurks in the countryside patrolled by soldiers, who use any excuse to collectively punish civilians and refugees. According to the Ogaden National Liberation Front, "In 1981 the Organisation of African Unity committee mediating between Somalia and Ethiopia regarding the conflict in the Ogaden declared that the Ogaden is part of Ethiopia. That decision was based on the 1964 resolution of the OAU promulgated in Cairo regarding the sanctity of the African borders left by colonialism. That unjust resolution in no way took into account the aspirations of the people of Ogaden and wrongly portrayed the Ogaden conflict as a border dispute between two States when it is infact a conflict borne from the desire of the Ogaden people for self-determination." (5)

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On January 25th, rallies were held in San Francisco and other cities across the U.S. in response to the FBI raids on seven homes and an anti-war office on September 24, 2010. The FBI also has served subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to 14 activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. These activists are involved in many groups, including the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Workers at the Red & Black Cafe are teaming up with a newly forming low-income housing non-profit to own the cafe's current building at 400 SE 12th St in Portland. A fundraising drive was launched at the beginning of this month to raise the $50 thousand dollar down payment. Loans and donations to the project bring the current total raised to over $43,000! We have until the end of January to raise the money to make this project successful. The plan for the building is that the main floor will remain the Red & Black Cafe. The upstairs, which is currently offices, will become income restricted affordable housing.

With ownership comes the security of knowing that space costs can't be pushed out of reach by a future landlord. This is especially reassuring news for the Red & Black Cafe which faced this very issue when it was forced from its original location. This is also important due to the Red & Black's controversial reputation — owning the building ensures that there will be no future landlord who is tempted to not renew the lease. Read More >>

All throughout the Arab world, the despots are on the run. Fueled by Facebook and Twitter, the Arab street is aflame. In the United States, instead of fueling the resistance, social media is like a hypnotic drug.

The return of LAVA's Really Really Free Market! Come on down to your favorite autonomous space from 12:20pm to 4:30pm on Saturday 29 January and check out what we got! If you've never been to the RRFM, this is how it works: * There is NO exchange of money for any goods, everything is FREE

Photos from today's Minnesota rally///Guerrilla Projections on UN building (Glassbead Collective)///Egypt supporters rally worldwide (Al Jazeera)/// In pictures: Anger in Egypt (Al Jazeera)///Dramatic video as thousands clash with Egypt riot police in Cairo (Russia Today)///Egyptian Activists' Action Plan: Translated (the Alantic)

Minneapolis -  On Friday, January 28th while communications were down in Egypt including the internet, activists in Minnesota held an emergency rally in support of people of egypt who are under a brutal government siege. Over 50 supporters showed up on a chilly January afternoon to let the Egyptian government know that the whole world is watching. During the rally, supporters chanted "Down with corruption, democracy must start" and "Down with the Pharaoh".

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Come to the Lucy Parsons Center for a night of great food and anarchist networking. Find out what your fellow anti-authoritarians are up to, and get fed too!

The successful effort of Houston United in Austin raised our collective voice for dignity and respect in the face of legislation that threatens at the core livelihood and well-being of millions of Texas immigrant families. As part of the Houston United activities, CRECEN and America Para Todos encouraged the growing movement of TPS immigrants impacted by TX DPS cancellation of Commercial Drivers Licenses to directly petition those in authority to redress the harm inflicted by these unjust laws and practices. Truck drivers joined the effort.

Union Condemns Retaliation for Defense of Cananea Miners at Grupo Mexico

On January 26 United Steel Workers sub-director and international representative Manny Armenta was arrested by Mexican customs agents while on his way to meet with attorneys for the Mexican mineworkers’ union, Minero. The USW has been supporting the mineworkers in Cananea, Sonora, who have waged a nearly four-year strike against Grupo Mexico at one of the world's largets copper mines, about thirty miles south of the international border.

Gerard said, “By arresting Manny, the Mexican government is trying to intimidate the USW copper miners from exercising our right to collective bargaining and showing solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Mexico.”

Commenting that Armenta was arrested on the same day the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Mexico in support of that country’s law enforcement actions on illegal drug activity, Gerard said: “I hope the U.S. State Department will put as much energy into seeking justice for Manny and for the rights of workers at Cananea as they have in praising the Mexican government.” read more>>> | www.usw.org/

Wellington Energy is the company that is installing PG&E's new wireless 'smart' meters in California. A former Wellington Energy employee contacted the Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters about his experience installing smart meters from June through September in 2010. The 'Wellington Whistleblower' warns, "I do feel that Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Corralitos, to name a few should be informed enough to prepare for what could realistically turn into another San Bruno."

Hundreds of Egyptians and their supporters rallied and marched through Cambridge and Boston in solidarity with the anti-goverment protests in Egypt.

On the day after President Obama's State of the Union address, young people and elders gathered in front of the Federal Building in San Francisco for a rally and press conference to demand more job creation efforts. They stood together to commit to the fight to save social security, calling it "America's promise to its people."

[...] Organizations represented at the protest included California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA), Jobs with Justice, the Gray Panthers, and the Raging Grannies.

Photo from yesterday's embassy protest in Washington, DC. The message to the U.S. that was over and over repeated by Egypt-Americans in interviews with the news media was simple: Mubarak needs to leave and the U.S. needs to stay out of it. Leave it to the Egyptians to determine their own future and stay out!

Dave Id writes: My traveling partner Tangle and I had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem and Palestine in December 2010. We met many kind and courageous people in the West Bank. We witnessed the hardships Palestinians face daily under the Israeli occupation. We saw how the Israeli Defense Forces react to those who dare to stand up, even peacefully, for the rights of their families and fellow villagers. We met Israeli and international solidarity activists willing to risk arrest and injury themselves. And we documented as much as we could during our relatively brief stay in the West Bank.

Amidst the growing popular uprising in Egypt, solidarity protests have swept the globe, including Chicago. From the newswire: "More than 1,500 people gathered in front of the Egyptian consulate on Chicago's gold coast Saturday afternoon to demand the ouster of the Mubarak dictatorship.

"People came not just from Chicago's Egyptian community, but from community groups and mosques across the region, and from a range of progressive anti-war projects, left-wing political formations and immigrant communities — Chileans, Palestinians, Irish, Polish, Greek and more. When asked how they heard about the protest, they said simply, 'The Internet.'"

Chicago Indymedia coverage: Photos | Video

Additional Coverage: Labor Beat | Democracy Now! coverage | Anger in Egypt - Al Jazeera English

On Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, a solidarity rally for Egypt took place at the Champaign County Courthouse in downtown Urbana.

More than 100 people stood in the bitter cold to show their support for the ouster of Egypt's President Mubarak and called on the US to get out of the Middle East.

One woman reported that her sister who is in Cairo told her that there were F-16s doing flyovers above the city, planes which the United States had sold to Mubarak.

BD

Egyptian Embassy, Washington, DC. January 29th, 2011 Those opposed to the rule of Hosni Mubarak are asked about the history of Elections in Egypt and what they think Democracy would look like like. Interviews with Egyptians who dream about Democracy for a country that has never known Democracy. And maybe for a moment - there is hope… Video

This Wednesday at 7PM at the Lucy Parsons Center Boston Anarchist Black Cross will present the Rikki O: The Story of Ricky. In the far-flung year 2000, prisons have undergone privatization.

LONG GONE -- UTAH REMEMBERS BRUCE "UTAH" PHILLIPS

A concert of the songs of the late Bruce "Utah" Phillips will be presented at the Unitarian Center, 87 4th Street in Ashland, on Wednesday, February 2 at 7:30 pm by four musical artists from and around the state of Utah. The musicians, Duncan Phillips (son of Utah), Kate McLeod, Doug Wintch and Gigi Love, have included Ashland in their West Coast CD release tour.

Community organizing and protest proved to be successful at last Thursday's school board meeting, where commissioners decided against voting to close Schools 2 and 6. "They didn't even bring that to a vote because they knew it would be voted down. That's a victory for 2 school and 6 school together with parents, students, community, organizing that was put in to push back on that issue." said Mark Friedman of the Community Education Task Force.

Click "more" for an in-depth report with lots of interviews from those present.

Check out what's coming up at the IMC in early February!