Feature Archives

On September 28th, Act Against Torture protested in San Francisco against torture and indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Bagram AFB in Afghanistan, and in secret prisons and other torture sites all over the world. Staff at Senator Diane Feinstein's downtown San Francisco office refused to even meet with the protesters. Photos: 1 | 2

After escaping a second forced Iraq deployment via a window in Germany, medic Agustin Aguayo reported to a Mojave Desert army base to continue his fight for a conscientious objector discharge. He applied for the discharge in February 2004 - before he was sent to Tikrit, Iraq, for a year as a combat medic. He has unsuccessfully fought the Pentagon for a discharge ever since. Photos

On the evening of Friday, September 15, 2006, members of the Filipino/ American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity (FACES) and Women for Genuine Security (WGS) lay in symbolic protest around the Dewey statue in downtown San Francisco. The silent protest was held in response to the brutal rape by US Marines of Nicole, a 22-year-old Filipina woman, at the former Subic Naval Base in Olongapo, Philippines on November 1st, 2005. Currently, the Marines face trial in the Philippines.

On Saturday, September 16th, the anniversary of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon, over 40 Bay Area activists staged a "die-in" at the Ferry Building in San Francisco to highlight the fact that US tax money has been used to fund the attacks on and killings of civilians in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. Photos

Many events are being held around the Bay Area to commemorate the fifth anniversary of September 11th, 2001. Some will focus on mourning the lives lost, while others will question the official message about how and why 911 occurred; still others will stand in opposition to the deaths of 3,000 Americans leading to tens of thousands of deaths worldwide in wars against "terrorism." The 5th annual 9/11 Truth Rally and March was held on Saturday morning, September 9th. Report Emergent Sea 9/11: Artists of Color Speak Up 5 Years after 'Sep 11' was held Saturday night in San Francisco, with an evening of spoken word and music.

Bob Watada visited the West Coast on a speaking tour in support of his son, Lt. Ehren Watada, from August 19th through 27th. On the tour, he: spoke out about why his son refuses to participate in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq; built support for his son as he faces military court- martial proceedings; and raised funds for his son's legal defense. Lt. Ehren Watada is the first commissioned U.S. military officer to publicly refuse orders in support of the Iraq War. A military pre-trial hearing took place on August 17-18, and the actual court-martial will likely be 6 to 12 weeks later.

On Saturday, August 19th, which would have been Abeer Hamza's 15th birthday, candlelight vigils were held in several cities. Abeer Hamza was the young Iraqi woman who was raped and killed, along with her family, in March of this year by US occupation forces. The vigils in for Berkeley, New York, and Los Angeles were organized by a group of 8 young women who were outraged by the story of what happened to the Hamza family. In Berkeley, people gathered for a vigil at Willard Park from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Photos