Feature Archives

On June 5th, after a federal judge cleared the way, Blackwater Worldwide, the 'World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army', opened a large training facility in San Diego, just three blocks from the border that separates California and Mexico. Blackwater is setting its sights on the so-called "war on drugs" and recently opened its own private CIA, called "Total Intelligence Solutions," marketing "CIA-type services" to Fortune 500 companies. On Wednesday, June 11th, local groups in San Diego are organizing a major protest outside the Blackwater facility at 7685 Siempre Viva Road in Otay Mesa.

Between 1973 and 1976, more than 76 traditional Lakotas and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. These deaths were part of the F.B.I.'s "Reign of Terror", designed to destroy traditional peoples' resistance to corporate projects such as uranium mining. A free film screening and information night on Wednesday, June 4th in Santa Cruz will include literature on John's case and related resistance movements, and will be introduced by a friend and supporter of John Graham.

On May 30th, the Movement for Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA) organized a rally and press conference at Beach Flats Park in Santa Cruz to denounce recent raids by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). Community members, union representatives, religious leaders, students and other local activists created a space for community members to become informed of their rights if approached by ICE agents.

anarchists write, "Over the last week, we took out six surveillance cameras from the exteriors of four different buildings on the University of California in Santa Cruz campus. This was an act of rebellion to the social control in our daily lives. These cameras are the eyes of the police. This task was easy to accomplish, and would be easy for anyone to reproduce."

The campaign against science experiments on animals at the University of California continues to grow stronger, but not without opposition. Over the last several months, activists have been conducting frequent demonstrations outside the homes of UC animal researchers -- a handful of people with signs, a bullhorn and some literature to hand out to neighbors.

June 2008 marks the 8th anniversary of the imprisonment of Jeffrey Free Luers. Each June for the past 8 years, a Day of Solidarity has been held to garner support for Jeff and other eco-prisoners. June 14, 2008 will mark the kickoff to a campaign to raise money to help Jeff with his education and living expenses upon his release, as well as call attention to the many eco-prisoners still facing time behind bars and repression by the state.

danielsan writes, "Migrawatch heard about it first, sending a message Tuesday night to be on alert. Turns out five people were disappeared by the Feds in Watsonville, plus two in Capitola, fifteen in Seaside, two in Salinas, and another in San Jose. As always, they claim they are selectively targeting dangerous criminals and those who have defied orders to be deported, yet the Santa Cruz Sentinel quotes Lori Haley of ICE, saying "Six of the people arrested had criminal convictions." What about the other nineteen people?"