Feature Archives

On October 26th, Gabriel Meyers was told that the DA's office can proceed with the felony criminal charge that Meyers attempted to lynch himself at the anti- G8 demonstration in July of 2005. Meyers said that he feels that the government is "railroading and scapegoating" him. Gabe's next court date will be Friday, December 15th in Department 22, 850 Bryant St. in SF, at 9am, and opening arguments in the trial will be held within 60 days. Gabe is the only person who faces criminal charges from the July 8th, 2005 anti-G8 protest in which an SFPD officer was injured. Gabe's report from 12/8 court date

danielsan has published an audio interview, in spanish, with two Oaxacan teachers recorded on October 14th, 2006, at La Ley Barricade which protects an occupied radio station in Oaxaca City. An english language transcript of the interview has been provided thanks to Emilyn, Ariel, & Daniel(san).

Audio (en español): Baje el mp3 (36:34 minutos / 16.7 MB)

During the interview, one of the teachers explains that, "The most valiant victory of this movement is what we're learning from it, those who are participating, and those who are watching too. Oaxaca will never be the same again, after all of this. Because the people know what it is, a popular struggle. They know what it costs--the blood spilled. They know the need of organizing themselves. People see the need to organize just to feed the barricades! To sustain them!" Read the full transcript

see also: Declaration of Solidarity with the People of Oaxaca

On October 12th, 2006, Al Rojas of Sacramento and Fernando Mendoza from the Peoples Popular Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) spoke to a packed house at the Watsonville Brown Beret office about the situation in Oaxaca. Al introduces Fernando and speaks a little of his role as a stateside organizer. Fernando tells us the history and present situation in Oaxaca, Mexico. Audio (en español) and Photos

see also: "a revolution with an absolute minimum of violence" || Sprouts: Protests in Oaxaca and California

Oaxaca solidarity: El Enemigo Común (film and news) || email 'announcement' list || events and actions

danielsan reports from Oaxaca City, Mexico—where two protesters were shot on Oct. 13th, one fatally: "These days there is a lot of speculation and rumor, waiting for the outcome of the negotiations happening far away in Mexico City. There are propositions, leaked deals, and infinite possibilities, with some impatience, too. But nothing is concrete yet. Each side has a central demand, but at this point it isn´t clear whether a deal can be made: APPO and the people of Oaxaca have made perfectly clear that Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz cannot remain in power, since he has not been in power for several months now. Any step forward depends on his resignation, voluntary or otherwise."
Interview with an APPO supporter shot on Oct. 13th

Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace and Amazon watch held a protest at 8am on Monday, September 18th to demand corporate responsibility from Wells Fargo, Kimberly Clark, Monsanto, and ConocoPhillips. Representatives of these companies, as well as some 200 other CEO's, were meeting at an Investors Conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. Robbin Hood made a surprise appearance at the Investors Conference, calling for distribution of wealth. Photos

On September 1st, Oaxaca's 5th MegaMarcha started in the community of San Felipe and ended at the zócalo in the center of Oaxaca City. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets and marched to demand the immediate departure of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO), freedom for political prisoners, the cancellation of 70 government arrest warrants for people involved in the leaderless Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO, by its Spanish initials) and the desire for popular governance.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Slideshow || en español

Although the conflict has raged much longer, September 7th marked the two-year anniversary of the declaration of genocide in Darfur by the U.S. Congress. That evening, Fault Lines and Indybay hosted an event dedicated to telling the story behind the headlines and spreading awareness of how Bay Area activists are fighting to end the devastation in Sudan. The night included speakers for a reportback, photo show, and action strategy discussion.