Feature Archives

On Tuesday, February 19th, in a ruling unrelated to the pending US Third Circuit Court decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal’s appeal of a 2005 ruling by Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Pamela Dembe, which denied Abu-Jamal’s Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petition, on grounds that it was not "timely." Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted—many believe falsely—of killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, and his trial was riddled with improprieties.

Family and friends of Anita Gay gathered on Thursday, February 21st at 6pm at the South Berkeley Community Church to celebrate her life and to share concerns about police conduct in Berkeley. Anita Gay, a long-term Berkeley resident and beloved neighborhood grandmother, was shot dead by a Berkeley Police officer on February 16th at her home on Ward Street. Family and community members have organized the creation of the Justice for Anita! Justice for All Campaign! to press the City Council to take action to address residents' concerns about the conduct of BPD.

Jeff Muskrat writes, "With the fall of the Bear Mountain tree-sit in Victoria, BC, it seems like this is a very crucial time for activists in the trees up and down the west coast. There are two campus trees-sits, one under attack right now at UC Berkeley and one at UC Santa Cruz. These actions are opposing the unnecessary development of greenspace."

On February 21st, Critical Resistance presented Gender, Health Care and the Prison Industrial Complex, at the Louden Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz. This forum was the second in a series of monthly events that focus on different aspects of the prison industrial complex. The evening featured speakers from Justice Now, Critical Resistance and Santa Cruz AIDS Project.

On February 4th, lawyers representing Jennifer Charles requested that the University of California's lawsuit attempting to stifle her free speech be dismissed. Charles, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus, has been acting as the media contact for tree sitters at UCSC protesting the University's plan to destroy 120 acres of forest. The tree sitters have been protecting groves of redwoods since November 7th, when hundreds of people rallied in opposition to the increased University construction.

On Wednesday, Feb. 13th, attorneys will present oral arguments in the infamous Fajitagate case before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a special hearing at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall. In a motion for recusal filed last week, plaintiff's attorney Dennis Cunningham asserted that Judge Bybee, one of three judges on the panel, cannot be fair because of his involvement in authorizing the Bush Administration's torture policies.

Perched in the stairwell of the UCSC extension building, Santa Cruz police officer Auldridge was filming the drum circle and Food Not Bombs at the Farmers' Market on January 30th, presumably with regards to the new "15 minute parking lot rule." The filming was interrupted when a man began waving a "Don't Tread On Me" flag in front of the camera. After being blocked by the flag for several minutes and being observed by a growing crowd, the officer left the building and waved to the camera.