The Worcester County Chapter of the ACLU of Massachusetts released a full chronology detailing their involvement in and work to obtain a copy of the City's reported policy prohibiting photography at City pools and beaches. The chronology details the specifics of several incidents reported to the ACLU, several of which I was personally involved. The City Manager's Office reported back to the ACLU that "photographers had the right to take the photographs and that when written [the ACLU] would receive a copy of the new regulations".

The city Auditor is resigning in May. This position is a powerful position that is in charge of auditing (or ignoring) city projects and runs the Independent Police Review. The powers that be want a special election held that is in 4 months. This is bad as most people who can qualify for auditor will be busy doing Taxes and not able to run. Also, this is not enough time for people to qualify for Public Financing. Which leaves an auditor who is elected by the PDC, business and the Portland Police Union. If you can please attend the following meeting and support Portland Publicly Financed Elections by asking that the election happen in September (this will give time for good progressive people to run for this office).

The City Manager has announced that City Council meetings will now be available on-line, greatly increasing citizen participation and government accountability.

"I am pleased to inform you that the City will now offer a live stream on its website of all meetings and events that are currently broadcast 0n the Government Channel. In addition, archived videos of these meetings and events will be available for viewing 24/7 on the website. The live feed will begin at the Tuesday, January 6, 2009 City Council meeting and all archived meetings will be available for viewing beginning with the City Council meeting of November 18, 2008." Full Announcement (pdf) | Earlier: Worcester Indymedia & WCCA TV 13 Mark One Year Anniversary

This January marks the one year anniversary of the Worcester City Council multimedia archives, a project of Worcester Indymedia facilitated by WCCA TV13. Over the past year, Mike Benedetti has picked-up the work of getting Worcester City Council meetings on-line. Maintained at the Internet Archive, every Worcester City Council meeting from this past year is available as either a full video or simply an audio/podcast download. It's been our public records and open meeting gift to Worcester. A directory of the Council meetings is available at Worcester Activist. While positive responses have accompanied the project throughout this one year pilot, there have sadly been no steps taken by the City Manager’s Cable Services Division (Gov Ch12) to assume their responsibility to more broadly disseminate these broadcasts.

History is what you think of when you think of the city of Boston. Yet the history of city hall departments needs to be made more accessible to those of us with strong interests in municipal governmental history. Routinely public access is deflected or blocked for public meetings and to public records regardless of what officials claim about transparency. A Mayoral Directive and a Boston City Council Order are needed for the more routine transmittal of public city documents to our Government Documents Department of Boston Public Library. In addition to the city archives city departments keep their own archives but deflect interest when approached. TEXTHERE

On December 4th, the Worcester Chapter of the ACLU submitted a formal public records request to the City Manager requesting a copy of "any policy, memorandum or rule concerning photography in public places, including pools, ponds, lakes and beaches". The formal request was made after the repeated failure of informal requests.

That request, reported on earliershould have been responded to earlier this week. I followed up with Ron Madnick to find out the status of this public records request.

Ashland, Oregon - December 16, 2008 : It was unanimous when the vote came down at the Ashland City Council's 12/16/08 meeting. All councilors voted "Yes" in support of "A RESOLUTION FOR A SWEATSHOP FREE PROCUREMENT POLICY" which is for the uniforms and garments the city purchases with public dollars...

Watch the debate and the vote by the Ashland City Council, streaming video... http://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=745 (under "City Council Meetings" click on "December 16, 2008")
Note* The meeting is 3 hrs.15 mins. long. & the Sweatfree Resolution is at 2 hrs. 15 mins., about 2/3rds way through

We must encourage democratically organized political expressions which reflect the growing anger and disillusionment of poor and working class communities. All available forms of non-violent protest – from sit-ins to occupations, from education to mass direct action – must be employed in this struggle.

A common reaction to our Governor's latest legislative maneuverings (the governor has promised that at trial, we will see there was clearly no wrongdoing on his part - if we would just quit closing in on him and give him some space.) has been sprinkled with a fairly consistent belief that the Governor's arrest comes as no surprise. read more

While most of Worcester has been waiting for the release and review of the “Rojas File” to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (T&G), District 4 City Councilor Barbara Haller has been pro-actively working to prevent full disclosure, cutting off discussion and preventing a complete public review of the contents, public records process and workings of the WPD’s internal affairs investigations.

As the Chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, Haller has been blocking efforts to have the “Rojas file” reviewed and discussed publicly and has used a parliamentary maneuver to table City Councilor Rick Rushton’s request for a Law Department report explaining the legal justifications behind the failure to comply with the initial and subsequent requests.

On Wednesday, December 10, an International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement contingent intervened in a townhall meeting that was organized by the neo-colonial (white power in black face) administration of Mayor Michael Nutter to discuss the recently imposed cuts on the City's budget.

InPDUM International Organizer Diop Olugbala served Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey with the People's Subpoena to appear in the Philadelphia Tribunal for Reparations to African People - a court organized by InPDUM to serve the interests of the African working class and to put the City of Philadelphia on trial for crimes committed against the African community. The Tribunal is to be held on Saturday, December 13, 2008 in downtown Philadelphia.

In an amazing show of solidarity, people in Boston's progressive community stand for Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner defying FBI charges of corruption. We repost here a report-back from the latest community gathering for Chuck. -- BIMC Editors

Ever the visionary, ever the rebel, Councilor Turner rallied hundreds of supporters and neighbors at Roxbury Community College this evening. In a crowd that swelled from a capacity of 300 at the outset to a couple hundred more at its high point, Turner methodically refuted the two main media narratives against him: “victimhood” and “need for new leadership”. Throughout the emotional evening, the Councilor and all the speakers, singers, and poets connected with a deep spirituality as they prepared for the next day’s hearing in federal court. The event however was grounded by a serious analysis of US Attorney Sullivan’s motives in bringing charges against Councilor Turner.

"Do you voters understand why so many of us have less-than-zero faith in the electoral process now?" But explain, spell it out for us. What is this better method of decision making you have in mind? How does it work? Are you under the impression that a vast number of Americans [and billions around the world] wanted some particular (different) major change and so were denied a choice of that at the polls? And that is the reason why the electoral process didn't work to bring about that change. Look, I want major change as much as you do, but we're not going to make much progress toward that goal as long as we keep deluding ourselves as to what the real problem is. The real problem is that we haven't managed to project a clear vision of those changes, convinced many other people to want them. That comes first. ORGANIZE.

The NYC Local of the Socialist Party USA therefore encourages immediate acts of non-violent protest to defend education, healthcare, transportation and social services. All of these are our rights as human beings and are fundamental to the creation of a democratic socialist political project.

As we approach this historic election, I have to applaud local CBS affiliate KHOU’s 11 News investigative reporter Mark Greenblatt for his excellent work in tackling the controversial issue of voter suppression here in Harris County. As Latinos/as, African Americans, and the youth vote in unprecedented numbers. their increasing engagement in the democratic process will help sustain our democracy.

In a two part investigative report, Greenblatt exposes the voter suppression tactics - which tend to be passed off as “simple mistakes” or “human error” - being used to disenfranchise thousands of voters their right to vote in Harris County. These tactics are being carried out by Republican elected Paul Bettencourt, Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar.

It seems Bettencourt, has a nasty habit of excluding certain voters out of the voter rolls and is willing to lie to the Texas Legislature to make his case. Prior to this investigative report, the state office of the League of Women Voters and elections expert Lauri Van Hoose already noted that Harris County had “serious and widespread voter registration problem.”

Here are some of the details from part one of Mark Greenblatt’s report. [read the fully story with video]
Pictured: Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt

City Council will hear disturbing news from City Manager OBrien at Tuesday's (9/23) City Council meeting. His plan is to cut 5% of the access center's funding (that is 5% of the 60% percent of the franchise provisions for the city's PEG channels so really more like 8%). In addition he is making no commitment for funding beyond 2009.

Since Hurricane Ike made landfall, Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, City Manager Steve LeBlanc, and County Judge Jim Yarbrough are ruling the Galveston area as if it were a totalitarian dictatorship. Citizens are not allowed to make decisions that are essential to their future because of the current level of paternalism. These politicians do not seem to believe that the citizens of Galveston County are able to make these decisions on their own, and are either refusing to allow people back on the island or are threatening to physically remove people from Bolivar Peninsula. To support their views, they have been providing the mainstream media with quite a bit of misinformation about Hurricane Ike and Galveston Island.

Those who are politically connected and their work crews are being all to access the island and to start repairs. The Stork Club, a bar owned by Guy Taylor Jr., and Buchanan Gallery, owned by Kathryn Buchanan, are examples of businesses that have crews cleaning and repairing them. Although I am a supporter of the arts, an art gallery is not an essential business. Those who are not politically connected are not allowed on the island. They are told that no one is allowed. [read the full article]

Update: A civil disobedience action is planned by Galveston residents who want access to their homes. We are planning to caravan to Galveston and disobey the police when they tell us that we cannot have access to our homes.
Where: Meet at the Walmart parking lot at El Dorado
When:Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10am
Why: There are numerous reasons. Here are a few
Update pt 2: Bailbondsmen not allowed in Galveston???

East Harlem Residents Denounce Melissa Mark Viverito's History of Supporting Displacement

Carrying signs that said, “Harlem no se vende” (Harlem is not for sale), “We will not be moved” and “El Barrio will not be sold”, the protesters marched down Third Avenue to Viverito’s home. Mothers, fathers and young children held vigil outside the townhouse as activists spoke out against Viverito’s support of gentrification. Protesters spoke through a makeshift bullhorn - a rolled up sign - pointing out that, in addition to voting for the rezoning of 125th Street, Mark Vierito also voted for the Columbia University expansion into West Harlem. The announcement was met with jeers and boos.

On Monday June 23rd, Between 60 and 80 protesters gathered at the county jail and marched to Tommy Thomas' office in protest of the abuses of power, resources and people. The crowd was very diverse in terms of age, race, and gender. There were more than a dozen organizations represented, and many spoke at a rally that took place in front of the Baker Street jail. Both rallies were interesting, as many families and friends of incarcerated people came to visit and watched or participated in the protest. [full article with photos] Full Audio from Baker St Jail Rally on Radio Indymedia

Why Shouldn’t the Harris County Sheriffs Office Enforce Federal Immigration Laws? It Harms, Not Helps, Public Safety From Grits for Breakfast, Some background on Tommy Thomas: Department Of Justice investigating Harris County Jail | Guard fears retaliation for revealing Harris County inmates still sleep on floors | Immigration and County Jails: Are high costs caused by an unfunded mandate or poor choices by county sheriffs? | Harris County officials wrong to think they'll build their way out of jail overcrowding

On November 21, 2007 a report was made to Jackson County Commissioners. The presentation was made in the Jackson County courthouse by citizen volunteer Lynn Howe via a powerpoint slide show. The report focused on five recent town hall meetings on community involvement in county government. The town halls were held in September and October in Ashland, Eagle Point, Rogue River, Ruch and Medford. They drew 300 to 400 people in September and October. They were sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Ashland and Medford, the American Association of University Women, Medford and Ashland chapters and the Citizens for County Solutions

Lynn Howe makes the report available to the Rogue IMC. She writes, "Here is the town hall report we handed out and would love it if you could distribute. Here are all the written comments we collected as well which are terrific themselves and you can also distribute those."