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A protest was held in Alameda on Saturday July 23rd to say "NO!" to the idea of building a megaplex on the island. The city has a plan to build a seven-screen cinema and a six-story parking structure next door to the historic Alameda Theater. The issue continues to be debated at the Alameda City Council. The protest, outside of the theater on Central Avenue, included balloons on long strings to illustrate how high the proposed building would be, dogs wearing signs, and people giving out water and flyers about the megaplex. A report from the protest said, "It's nice to be a part of a genuine effort by a whole community, people of all ages and backgrounds." Opponents of the megaplex say that the new theater is not what people wanted, because it is not a restoration of an historic theater, but rather construction of a new one. Stop the Megaplex wants attractive movie theatres that fit with the small-town character of Alameda. The group says that it would be a bad deal for Alameda taxpayers, and would create a parking and traffic nightmare.

Hundreds of people went to the City Council meeting on August 16th to say no to the megaplex. Report The council's plan stayed largely the same, with minor design revisions, including the exploration of more vertical elements for the parking garage, a "less modern" look to the second-story cineplex windows, and the restoration of the original ticket booth or a facsimile (not necessarily to be used as such) to the historic theater entryway.

A Stop the Megaplex meeting was held on Thursday, August 4th. The meeting included an update on the latest developments, set a strategy for the August 16th City Council meeting, and answered people's questions. Plans were also made for a phone calling campaign prior to the 16th.

Stop Alameda Megaplex Website | Alameda City Council Info | Alameda Daily News | Announcement for 7/23 Protest | Photos from the 7/23 Protest

Just Cause reports that Wal-Mart is scheduled to open a store in East Oakland around August 24th. Just Cause and the coalition fighting Wal-Mart are making plans to let the public know what impact Wal-Mart has on communities, and to make it known that they want Wal-Mart to leave Oakland. A planning meeting for anti-Walmart actions was held on Tuesday, August 2nd from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in the Just Cause Oakland office at 1212 Broadway, Suite 400 in Oakland.

People have been protesting Wal Mart nationwide as well as locally. In February of 2004, members of Raging Grannies and the Women's International League For Peace And Freedom protested Wal Mart's unfair labor practices and anti-union management policies outside of a store in Mountain View. After workers at a Quebec Wal-Mart store formed a union, the company closed the store. Wal-Mart Watch held "Grill Wal-Mart Week,” a series of neighborhood barbeques that activists and supporters in 25 states have held during the week of July 23-30, 2005

In 2003, Oakland's City Council had voted to limit the size of big-box stores, which are discount retail stores with full-service supermarkets that exceed 100,000 square feet, or about 2.5 acres. Wal-Mart is one of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's biggest campaign contributors. This February, protests against Wal-Mart sprang up, as building trades workers protested an out-of-state contractor that used non-union labor in construction of the store.

Just Cause Oakland's Website | Poor Magazine Article about Just Cause and Anti-Walmart Organizing | Wal-Mart Associates Complain About Employer | Wal*Mart Watch | Good Jobs First | Always Low Prices Blog | UC Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Educations' report Hidden Costs of Wal-Mart Jobs | Wal-Mart Sucks | The Case Against Sprawl | UFCW Article: The Wal-Mart Threat | UFCW's Wake Up Wal-Mart Campaign

At 12:03 am on July 28th, the House of Representatives narrowly approved the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. The final tally was 217 to 215, with 15 Democrats voting in favor of CAFTA, and 25 Republicans voting against it. This treaty, which would expand NAFTA to Central America and the Dominican Republic, has been predicted to bring decreasing living standards, falling wages, eroding environmental protection, and the loss of family farms to Central American nations, as well as the US.

Deborah James of Global Exchange said of the vote, "...money values of big corporate interests trumped human values of worker’s rights, fair trade, and environmental protection," and "The passage of CAFTA is a serious blow to our movement for global justice. But the vote also seals the fate of the future of NAFTA expansion," due to the thin margin by which CAFTA was passed. The Bush Administration has also been negotiating the expansion of NAFTA to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia through the Andean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), AFTA negotiations have stumbled over crucial chapters on agriculture and intellectual property. Now AFTA may be seen as unpopular amongst Americans.

James continues, "(We must) fight even harder next time. That means the current negotiations on the World Trade Organization, which has a key General Council meeting this week in Geneva, Switzerland. And it means stopping the expansion of NAFTA to the Andes through AFTA." Opponents of "free trade" have been invited by several organizations to write to Congresspeople to let them know if they approved or disapproved of their votes. Read more on Indybay's Americas News Page

Democracy Sold Out- CAFTA Approved by Pork and a Hill of Beans, by Deborah James | Public Citizen | Citizens Trade Campaign | Global Exchange's CAFTA Page | Stop CAFTA

Demonstrators at the July 8th action met at 8pm at the 16th & Mission BART Plaza. During the first half hour, protesters converged, and bilingual pamphlets were distributed to residents, passers-by, and protesters. Within a few minutes of marching, the SFPD declared the march illegal and ordered those present to disperse. People continued to march down Mission St. and were pushed from the streets onto the sidewalks. A sound system was confiscated and the person carrying it was arrested relatively quickly for noise "violations."

Once it turned onto Valencia Street, the march broke up as one portion was blocked in by riot police and the other portion outran the cops. The march was periodically broken into different groups, taking different routes along Mission & Valencia streets. Many corporate businesses were targeted for property destruction and newspaper stands were placed in the roads as barricades to block the police. Damage to corporate targets included: Two Wells Fargo Banks, a Bank of America ATM, Kentucky Fried Chicken, PG&E, Chevron, Vanguard Properties, Skechers, and Shoebiz.

At 23rd and Valencia an altercation with police officers took place. Reports say that officers ran their car into the crowd at unsafe speeds, protesters attacked the car, and the police tackled people in the crowd. A scuffle broke out and left one police officer injured with a cracked skull that required 7 staples. 6 people were arrested and face severe charges. One person is still being held on a $50,000 bond. Corporate news is reporting that this incident is causing a political fallout within the SFPD. Deputy Chief Greg Suhr is being transfered from the SFPD and it has now been confirmed that the FBI is investigating the incidents.

Communique from Anarchist Action | Legal Updates: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7/25 Legal Update

Video: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Photos and Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
Commentary | So long Suhr

Read all Indybay's breaking news items from the West Coast G8 solidarity protests

Related: G8 Updates from Scotland | Midwest and East Coast Anti-Capitalist Actions | Legal Disclaimer from NLG | West Coast Anti-Capitalist Mobilization Against the G8

In addition to the West Coast Anti-Capitalist Mobilization Against the G8 on the evening of Friday, July 8th, there were two other U.S. actions organized by Anarchist Action in solidarity with the mobilization against the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Scotland. The East Coast action was held in Richmond, Virginia on the afternoon of July 8th, and the Midwest action was held in Kansas City on Wednesday, July 6th.

East Coast: Hundreds of activists converged on Richmond, Virginia in solidarity with Appalachian residents fighting for self determination and community control and in solidarity with G8 protesters in Scotland and around the world. The primary focus of the actions was the issue of Mountain Top Removal, but connections were made to the global struggle against global capitalism’s dominance over every sector of people’s lives. Read More

Midwest: The Heartland G-8 anti-capitalist mobilization drew roughly 50-75 people from various places in the mid-west including people from Arkansas, Des Moines, St. Louis, and Kansas (and others). It was held in Kansas City, Mo with a diversity of groups from KC there to stand together in opposition to the G8 (Group 8) and the Free-Market principles it represents. These principles inevitably lead to environmental degredation, the erosion of worker's rights and social stratification among the poorest of the poor. Read More

On 7/8, a street party was held on a bridge in Glasgow to celebrate the end of the G8 summit and protest the expansion of the M74 motorway. People who live in the areas that would be affected by an M74 extension have said that the expansion would increase air and noise pollution, contribute to climate change, worsen traffic, expose contaminated land, and split the local community. Photos And Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

7/7 - After the bombings in London that morning, a Vigil Against War and Bombings was held in Edinburgh. (Photos: 1 | 2) Also, activists were gearing up for a demonstration on July 8th in support of Maryam Rajavi, a fighter in the Iranian Resistance Movement, who has come under heavy repression in France. (Audio)

In an attempt to prevent protest in Scotland, police surrounded the Stirling Campsite - the Ecovillage - and searched the carpark and surrounding areas. Demonstrations against the G8 continued elsewhere. Read Full Report

7/6: Blockades - Movement against the G8 started very early this morning: while the beacons of dissent were still burning in the dark in the Ochil Hills, hundreds of people were making their way out of the Stirling convergence ecocamp 'Hori-Zone' to head for Gleneagles. In Edinburgh there was an attempt to blockade G8 delegates in the Sheraton Grand hotel and the M9 motorway was blocked by a couple of hundred people...all before dawn. Read full report on UK Indymedia

Meanwhile, protesters arrived by bus at Gleneagles, the site of the G8 Summit. Police attempted to dissuade people from going, by telling them the march had been cancelled. Eventually, the buses arrived at Gleneagles and people marched to the fence and tore it down. Those unable to get to Gleneagles marched in Edinburgh. And there were a number of clashes with police in the town of Stirling.
Reports: Gleaneagles | Edinburgh || Photos & Videos: 1 | 2 | 3 || Audio: 1 | 2

7/5 - About 1000 people demonstrated at the Dungavel Detention Centre, to demand equal rights and free movement for all, and for an end to detention and deportation.
Audio || Photos || Read "The Story So Far"

7/4 - People are amassing to protest the G8 Summit which begins on Wednesday 7/6. Two petrol stations were shut down.
Photos: Carnival of Full Enjoyment || Violent clashes

7/2 - Over 200,000 people participated in a "Make Poverty History" march.
Photos: Arriving & INB || 7/2 Newsblast

Video Page

From July 6-8, 2005, the annual G8 summit will be held at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. The G8 is a forum of the rulers of the eight most industrialized, wealthy, and powerful states in the world. Every year they meet to discuss how to further their interests, expand their empire, and tighten their grip on every aspect of our lives. This convergence will be "in solidarity with those descending upon the streets of Scotland to face the G8 head on. We act in solidarity with revolutionaries taking to the streets to defend working peoples' lives all around the world..." Read More

Scotland Indymedia || UK Indymedia || G8 Bloggers || Listen to live audio from the Radical Radio Coalition