Feature Archives

On June 22nd, disability right activists established a tent city they have named "Arnieville" on Adeline at Stewart Street in Berkeley. Arnieville is an ongoing tent city protesting the Governor's proposed cuts to In-Home Support Services (IHSS), which enables people to remain in their homes rather than be institutionalized. A similar protest was held at the same place in late May.

Rick and Brandon Morse held a press conference on June 22nd to explain the latest news about the City of Fresno’s attempt to close their medical marijuana dispensary. They say that the city has put pressure on their landlord to have them evicted from the location where their dispensary is located.

Northern California’s status as the home of high-quality marijuana didn’t need much reinforcement, but the region dominated the competition at the first High Times Medical Cannabis Cup on June 19th and 20th in San Francisco. The event featured a presentation by internationally renowned, best-selling author Jorge Cervantes during his first U.S. appearance. There was also an expo, cultivation seminars, an activism session with leaders of the medical marijuana movement and much more.

After more than a year in a Tel Aviv hospital, Bay Area activist and photo-journalist Tristan Anderson has returned home to California. Tristan was critically injured when he was shot in the head at close range with a metal high-velocity tear gas canister at the Israeli Separation Wall on March 13, 2009, while taking photos following a demonstration against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Ni'lin.

Melissa Schott writes, "Peace On The Streets, being a group for only five weeks, was able to organize a community forum that not only discussed the violence on the streets but was able to address the problems our community has been faced with and came up with many solutions. I have never seen such a great crowd where each person cared so much about their surroundings. In little words I would like to admit that I, Melissa Schott, am proud to be one of many in such a progressive group."

Positive Loiterer writes, "When Take Back Santa Cruz first appeared as a response to a gang-related stabbing of a high school student last year, it seemed reasonable enough. Why not have an organization dedicated to making our community safer, largely through encouraging people to spend more time 'positively loitering' in public spaces? Before long, however, it became clear that TBSC had a fairly narrow vision of what safety means, and from whom Santa Cruz should be taken back."

The Muni Riders and Drivers Expanding Coalition, made up of low income families, youth and elderly organizations in San Francisco, have united to demand an end to MUNI service cuts, demanding MUNI seek more progressive sources of revenue, and an end to MUNI and SFPD "saturation" checkpoints on buses. Last week they held their first public action on the steps of City Hall. Another protest was held on May 12th at 1pm at City Hall.