Feature Archives

Another woman died last week, 7/29, at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in a string of three deaths in 10 days resulting from medical neglect, indifference and failure by that institution’s medical staff to recommend early release of terminally ill prisoners. “Even when they knew she was going to die they didn’t recommend her for early release because they didn’t want to admit how sick she became in their care,” said Darci Byrd, Jeanette’s sister. Read more

On 6/6, Oakland High School students led a lunchtime speak out to protest repression on campus. Students took the microphone to blast Principal Mok's responses to student organizing, including: suspending students who passed out fliers about anti-war walkouts, installing barbed wire on fences to prevent students from climbing them during walkouts, silencing dissent in classroom discussions, and eagerly cooperating with the Secret Service to come into the school and interrogate two students. Video | Photos | More Info

Since the latest outbreak of Oakland police violence after the Memorial Day Carijama Festival, police officials and Mayor Jerry Brown have gone on record to support their use of less-lethal weapons, such as sting grenades, which explode in a shower of rubber pellets and tear gas. (City officials also suggested banning future community festivals from Oakland parks.) "This was the best way for us to disperse the crowd," according to police Lt. Dave Kozicki; "we were able to break up the crowd without having our officers get into any fights." Sting grenades were last seen used against a nonviolent gathering during the 4/7 antiwar protest at the Port of Oakland, which resulted in a series of demonstrations against police violence as well as a city investigation of police tactics. Though unable to curb the city's murder rate, would-be state attorney general Brown is hard at work entrenching Oakland's tradition of anti-"terrorist" machinations and world-class crowd suppression.

"You can make an easy kind of a link that, if you have a protest group protesting a war where the cause that's being fought against is international terrorism, you might have terrorism at that (protest)." "You can almost argue that a protest against that is a terrorist act." Mike Van Winkle – spokesman for CATIC A bulletin issued by The California Anti-Terrorism Information Center (CATIC) five days before the now infamous Oakland docks protest where police fired wooden bullets and concussion grenades at protesters and dock workers may have played a big part in the excessive violence used by the OPD. Although CATIC's webpage states that their activities meet "stringent guidelines for intelligence gathering and civil rights protections", the bulletin clearly shows that the agency has been spying on protest groups, a conclusion reinforced by Oakland Tribune ( 1,2) sources and statements by CATIC officials. The ACLU has issued a statement urging Attourney General Bill Lockyer to stop state monitoring of political activists. ACLU Report on Suppression of Dissent in Post 9/11 America | Infoshop.org

On 4/23, Secret Service agents visited Oakland High and interrogated two 16 year-old male students in connection with comments they had allegedly made during a classroom discussion concerning President Bush and the U.S. Government's role in Iraq. When one of the students asked if he had to talk to the agents now, could he talk to them later with a lawyer present, the student said one of the agents told him, "We own you, if you don't talk to us now, and we find out you haven't told us everything, we'll put you MF's in federal prison. This is the beginning of the end for you." The Oakland Education Association issued a statement condemning the interrogation. Read more | SF Bayview story | Secret Service & 2600

Sacramento--Thousands of teachers, students and parents will rally on Thursday 5/8 against Governor Davis' proposal to gut millions of dollars from education while padding the state's prison budget. Protesters will ask lawmakers to save the jobs of thousands of pink-slipped teachers and improve school funding by reducing prison spending. "It speaks very poorly of how we choose to invest in the future when the only area of state spending slated for an increase is prison spending," says Wayne Au, a Berkeley High teacher. "While 30,000 California teachers have already received lay-off notices, prison guards await a 7% raise." Some schools have "simplified" matters by pink-slipping every teacher on staff, and later sending apology letters to those who can stay on. Report | Read more: 1 | 2 | 3 | May8.org

Citing Liability, Oakland City Attorney Puts a Lid on Public Hearing
The Oakland Police Department's violent attacks on non-violent demonstrators during a demonstration on 4/7, which received condemnation from Amnesty International, is being met with resistance. On 4/26 a union-led rally was held against the brutality suffered by ILWU members and activists, along with an Injured Protester Feeder March.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Audio: 1 | Video: 1 | 2 | 3

In an attempt to highlight the daily violence inflicted upon low-income and mostly people of color communities, a community forum is being organized for Apr 28 to discuss responses and make policy proposals to the city's public safety committee, which is meeting on Apr 29. Event synopsis