On August 23rd, Cynthia McKinney, former US Congresswoman and member of the Free Gaza movement, gave a talk at the San Francisco Lunacy Theater.The event was part of a Bay Area benefit tour for the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper, an independent monthly that covers a variety of local and international stories. Her speaking tour follows her recent expedition on a boat delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza under siege.

Michael and Stephanie Williams report that they were brutalized by the Albany police department on June 5th in front of their children. Michael was tasered multiple times and Stephanie was searched under her clothing by a male officer. A rally was held at the Albany City Council meeting on August 5th in support of the family. Michael Williams has a preliminary hearing on Monday, August 10th, for charges related to the Albany police claim that he threatened them.

DS writes: "On Monday night, many people assembled to honor the youth killed and injured in Tel Aviv's LGBT Center. I was dreading this event, I needed to mourn – for the youth, and also for the sense of safety that I lost, years ago, when I first realized that my own LGBTQ youth center was unsafe space for me. I worried, that I wouldn’t be able to mourn, but would instead be distracted by anger and alienation at the Zionist rhetoric that accompany public Jewish events."

Susan Jordan, a civil litigator and criminal justice lawyer from Mendocino County, died on Friday, May 29th in a plane crash in Utah. She was 67 years old and left a legacy of civil litigation and criminal justice work behind. Jordan represented several prominent political activists throughout her career, including Earth First!'s Judi Bari after she was car bombed with Daryl Cherney in 1990 and members of the SLA, Symbionese Liberation Army in the kidnapping of Patty Hearst.

Dr. Tiller was shot down and killed Sunday, in a devastating attack on the right of women to control their bodies. On Tuesday June 2nd, a speak out against the assassination of long-time Kansas abortion provider, Doctor George Tiller, was held at City Hall in San Francisco's Civic Center. On Wednesday June 3rd, a memorial for slain abortionist Dr. Tiller took place at CSU East Bay campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, Hayward, CA. University Bookstore lawn.

On Saturday, April 25, hundreds marched through the streets of San Francisco to raise awareness of rape and sexual assault. The march, called “Walk Against Rape”, started at Embarcadero and ended at Dolores Park. Organized by San Francisco Women Against Rape, the marchers chanted “Stop date rape” and “Who’s body? my body!” The March concluded Sexual Assault Awareness Month where events were held throughout the country to call for an end to sexual assault.

The Women’s Choice Clinic of Oakland, the venerated feminist health clinic that has provided non-judgmental, culturally sensitive abortion and reproductive health care services to Bay Area women for 36 years, is closing its doors. The clinic is the oldest feminist health center providing abortions in the nation. However, it is not anti-abortion protests that are forcing the clinic to close, nor is it a decline in demand for services. It is California’s chronic low and slow reimbursements for MediCal services, and budget cuts. On Wed. April 8, a press conference will be held at the Oakland City Hall, at 1pm.