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A police fishing expedition has been fought successfully over the course of the past year by one of the Indymedia.us system administrators and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), largely in secret due to dodgy gag orders. Earlier this year, U.S. attorneys issued a federal grand jury subpoena to Indymedia.us sysadmin Kristina Clair demanding “all IP traffic to and from www.indymedia.us" for a particular date, potentially identifying every person who visited any news story on the Indymedia site. EFF argued that the overly broad demand for Internet records not only violated federal privacy law but also violated Clair’s First Amendment rights, by ordering her not to disclose the existence of the subpoena without a U.S. attorney’s permission.
This is the first of a series of profiles of alternative and activist media workers in the Bay Area, written and photographed by Indybay contributor Peter M. Featured in the first profile is Tracy Rosenberg, the Executive Director of Media Alliance.
"Media Alliance exists in a cramped fifth floor office in downtown Oakland, where I found Executive Director Tracy Rosenberg busy with two volunteers. Adbusters magazine stuck out from a jam-packed periodical bin, and the walls were adorned with various images from Media Alliance’s past. We went downstairs to an empty conference room, where she told me about herself and the thirty-three year history of her organization. It is in a way key to the history of media activism in the Bay Area."
 Read Story and See Photo
On September 24th, San Francisco-based Twitter.com shut down an account that was monitoring the movement of police and military through the city of Pittsburgh during protests against the G-20 summit on September 24th and 25th. The Pennsylvania State Police also arrested Elliot Madison and Michael Wallschlaeger and accused them of "criminal use of communication facility" and other charges. On October 1st, the FBI raided Elliot's home in Queens.
Disorientation Guide Collective writes, "So you've gotten to the University of California at Santa Cruz. Congratulations! What now? The ideas the University produces about itself construct an ideal image of what awaits you here: an image of fulfillment and understanding, a picture of the life you might build for yourself after you get your degree. So how couldn't you be idealistic and excited? After all, you’ve arrived at one of the most beautiful places in the world and prepared yourself for the journey of a lifetime."
On September 21st, J.R. Valrey stood for trial in Oakland on felony arson charges, after he was arrested while reporting on the Oscar Grant Rebellion on January 7, 2009. Valrey is a producer at KPFA radio, associate editor and multimedia director of the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, and runs the Block Report Radio website. His trial was postponed until late October. Supporters are asked to show they stand with J.R. by attending upcoming court dates.
Informativo Pacifica, a half hour national and international newscast produced in Spanish by volunteers at Pacifica's KPFK radio station in Los Angeles, has been cut and rescheduled without warning. Instead of broadcasting Monday through Friday at 5:30am, the show was rescheduled to 9:00pm and only four days a week, Monday through Thursday.
Boston Woodard, a frequent contributor to Indybay, is in solitary confinement because of an article he wrote, which displeased the staff and warden at Solano State Prison. Boston's article, "Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking all the Rules," published on Indybay in April, describes in detail the threats and intimidation taking place at Solano - the filing of false disciplinary charges, mail tampering, verbal threats, etc.
In Greece, a period of widespread state repression and brutality has followed the rebellion of December 2008. During and after the rebellion, the extreme right wing political party LAOS (Popular Orthodox Party Alert) and the Greek state investigated the IMCs of Athens and Patras, Greece, on the grounds that they were used as centers for the "coordination of rebellion." Indymedia participants say that rebellions are not conducted via the Internet, and that Indymedia contributed vital counter-information to state- and corporate-controlled media.
Since early January, dozens and dozens of posts related to justice for Oscar Grant have been published to Indybay — video, audio, photos, and reports such as first hand accounts of protests, court hearings, and more. In order to consolidate the history and latest developments in the movement for justice for Oscar Grant, this feature was created. It centralizes the multitude of related stories and has its own unique web address: www.indybay.org/oscargrant.
On June 21st, the Israeli State Prosecutor ordered police to start an investigation of Indymedia Israel. At the heart of the investigation is an article posted to the website with a picture of a soldier who, according to witnesses, murdered protest organizer Abu Rahma on April 17th. The posting with the heading “murderer“ asks for the name and any other relevant information of that soldier so that he can face murder charges.
Public service announcement by the SF Bay Area IMC collective: While anonymous posting may seem anonymous, it is easy for the federal government to monitor web traffic even when it is said to be secure by web browsers. Posting from public computers is one way to remain anonymous, but many of those facilities can be monitored and themselves face serious risks if threats or illegal posts are traced back to them.
The Project is a newspaper created by an open collective of UCSC students and allies to document and inspire strategic radical actions that are relevant to local, regional, and global socioeconomic justice. The Project collective has published their second issue since being resurrected in the Fall.
Kiilu Nyasha, former member of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, was recently interviewed on a wide variety of topics. Kiilu Nyasha quotes George Jackson from a passage in his book Blood In My Eye: “Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution.”
The "Israel Truth Campaign" announced its first ad on March 30th in Berkeley in observance of “Land Day." The new satirical campaign make fun of pro-Israel PR efforts in the Bay Area. For example, the press release for the ads explains that the "campaign features a picture of Palestinian terrorists disguised as schoolchildren" and notes that the ad "commemorates attacks on Israeli forces by unarmed children."
On March 13th, 2009, Tristan Anderson, an Indymedia journalist from Oakland, California, was critically wounded in the village of Ni'lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a high-powered tear-gas canister. Tristan is a dedicated activist and reporter who has long been committed to social and environmental justice in the U.S. and abroad in places such as Oaxaca, Iraq, and Palestine. Tristan has posted his reports to Indybay since 2001. Tristan's family reported Sunday that he has moved his fingers in response to a request from a doctor.
The Project is an open collective of UCSC students working together to produce a monthly(ish) newspaper with a focus on radical politics and activism. The Project Media Collective believe independent media is crucial for organizing and documenting direct action for social transformation.
If you are interested in contributing, meetings are held at 5:00 p.m. on Fridays at SubRosa (Pacific and Spruce), and articles/opinion/art/poetry can be submitted to theproject [at] riseup.net  Read The Project
Teachers for Class War is back on the air at 101.1 FM, and have uploaded their most recent two shows. On January 26th the Maestr@s, hosts of 'Teachers For Class War,' interviewed Genevieve Siegel-Hawley of the Civil Rights Project about school segregation in the 21st Century. On February 2nd they spoke with George Ciccariello-Maher about the police murders of Gary King Jr. and Oscar Grant, and the community response in the East Bay.
On January 28th, George Cadman interviewed Ali Abunimah on Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM regarding the future of Palestine/Israel. In this interview they discuss the recent Israeli assault on Gaza, the "ceasefire," the death of the two-state solution, and the potential for a one-state or bi-national state in Palestine/Israel. Abunimah is a Palestinian American journalist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a not-for-profit, independent online publication about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
On February 4th at Louden Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz, Michael Parenti spoke on the topic of "The War On Prosperity." The event was a benefit for Free Radio Santa Cruz, 101.1 FM. Copies of Michael's latest book, "Contrary Notions," were available at the event. Parenti is one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts, an internationally known award-winning author and lecturer.
On January 22, police seized an Indymedia server in Manchester, England. Kent Police had e-mailed UK Indymedia earlier in the day in regards to two comments containing the address of a judge that had been posted to the site. It is believed the search and seizure was connected to postings about a recent Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) trial in the UK. The seizure specifically targeted a server named "Strummer" which functions as a mirror of the UK site and does not actually receive submissions from users. The server was reportedly handed over to police by hosting company UK Grid without a warrant being served.
Tired of the constant barrage of the corporate media? Have you been disappointed by the TV and print coverage of local issues you find important? Are you sick of the constant right-wing slant and the racist framing of important issues? Do you want to do something about it?
On Sunday, February 1st there will be an Indybay orientation at 4:20pm at La Peña in Berkeley.
La Peña is located at 3105 Shattuck Avenue, several blocks east of the Ashby BART station. We will be meeting in a room on the south side of the building (not the main entrance) and there should be a sign on the door to help you find it. Volunteers will demonstrate how to publish text, photos, audio and video, and much more, including how stories get made into center column features. Read More
Indybay.org is part of the global Indymedia network with sites across the United States and around the world. Indymedia is a community project in need of your perspective, voice, pictures and/or audio so that a variety of people are heard in our communities. We are seeking more people to get involved and would love to meet you!
Barry Cooper, a former Texas police officer with eight years of specialty in drug interdiction, first made waves when he released the film "Never Get Busted Again," a how-to guide for evading police drug seizures. Austin, Texas-based Cooper's latest project, 'KopBusters,' is not nearly so benign, and sparked an immediate response after RAW STORY covered a news brief of their first sting.
On Saturday, December 6th, supporters of death-row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal gathered at Philadelphia City Hall for a protest march through downtown that concluded at the Federal Court Building. International solidarity actions were alsoheld in France, Switzerland, Germany, England, and Mexico, while in the US, events were held in Detroit, San Francisco, Baltimore, Portland, and San Diego.
The brand new documentary "Terrorizing Dissent: Election Cut" will be screened on the evening of Saturday, November 8th at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. Independent media activists from Twin Cities Indymedia and other groups have released a new film which chronicles the events at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The documentary shows exclusive footage of the criminalization of dissent in St. Paul, interviews organizers now charged as terrorists under the Minnesota PATRIOT Act, and uncovers who ordered the violence against demonstrators.
Featuring first-person accounts and footage from more than forty cameras on the streets, "Terrorizing Dissent" focuses on the story of dissent suppressed. All donations given at the event will benefit the RNC 8 and general RNC legal support. Read More
 Trailer and Press Release | TerrorizingDissent.org
The movie Battle in Seattle is based on real events that took place surrounding the demonstrations against the World Trade Organization Meeting in 1999. San Francisco Bay area activists were involved in the protest and contributed to the production of the film. Concerned for accurate portrayal of protesters, David Solnit worked with the film's director to give input for a more true-to-life depiction. An Indybay contributor's photos were also featured in the film.
Following last month's raid of the venerable Long Haul Infoshop in Berkeley, UCPD is still holding the computers and data storage devices seized from the computer lab, Slingshot newspaper and other tenants for analysis by a forensics team. The San Francisco chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) says it is working with EFF on a legal response on behalf of the Long Haul.
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