Feature Archives

Five people were arrested on August 20th for chaining themselves to bicycles and blocking an entrance to the Arco/BP gas station at the corner of Fell and Divisadero in San Francisco. Friday evening's action was the 11th since the group Fix Fell began demonstrations to demand that the city and the Department of Public Works take measures to make the street safe for bicyclists.

Early in the morning on August 17th, forest defenders set up a 60 ft. high road blockade to stop the active clear-cutting operations of Green Diamond Resource Company in the redwoods near Jacoby Creek Road north of Eureka in Humboldt County. These clear-cut logging plans represent a fraction of the ongoing clear-cut logging operations in Northern California. “We are not coming down voluntarily until the reckless logging in the Jacoby Creek watershed is stopped,” said Fly, one of the activists from atop the 60 ft. high hanging platform.

Despite opposition from the City of Scotts Valley and the County of Santa Cruz, PG&E continues to install inaccurate, potentially health damaging 'smart' meters onto homes and businesses. Some Scotts Valley residents have had enough. They are directing employees of Wellington Energy, local contractors for PG&E, to not install smart meters for their homes.

Responding to weeks of protests and direct action by the grassroots group Fix Fell, as well as lobbying efforts by other community groups, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on August 3rd painted the bike lane on Fell Street between Scott and Baker Streets green. This is just one more small improvement that is being made to this stretch of Fell Street to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and improve clarity for motorists.

Josh Hart with Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters reports that PG&E continues to install their inaccurate, carcinogenic, and overpriced smart meters onto peoples' homes in Scotts Valley, despite the City and County demanding a halt to any further meter installation. Neighbors are denying access to PG&E contractors, Wellington Energy, and demanding that the CPUC put a halt to this ill-conceived program.

On July 21, more than 50 tribal nations peacefully took control of the Marine Life Protection Act’s Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Fort Bragg. The group of more than 300 stood together to protest the implications of the act on their traditional tribal activities on the North Coast. For thousands of years, these tribes have sustainably gathered coastal resources in their ancestral territory.

On July 22nd, San Francisco's Submission Gallery will host a benefit for Marie Mason, a long-time activist in the environmental and labor movements from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2008, Marie was arrested on federal charges of property destruction and later sentenced to almost 22 years in prison, the longest term of any "Green Scare" prisoner. Activists and former prisoners Linda Evans, Jeff Luers, and Karen Pickett will share their experiences and perspectives on Marie’s case.