Feature Archives

Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr recently announced that her office would not be filing any charges in the De Anza gang-rape case, in which an underage, unconscious young woman was assaulted by a group of De Anza College baseball players. At a Thursday May 31st press conference, community members gathered outside the DA's office in San Jose to demand justice for the young woman. Within a week's time, it was announced that Carr would pass the case on to state Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Santa Cruz City Hall Courtyard hosted a jean art exhibit on April 25th as part of Denim Day in Santa Cruz. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and wearing denim, "Wear Your Jeans", is part of an international protest of an Italian High Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans. Denim Day is about challenging myth-based injustice.

On Thursday, April 19th, at 5:00 p.m., a rally was held at Civic Center in San Francisco to oppose the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Federal "Partial-Birth" Abortion Ban. Many say that the decision, which was announced on April 18th, will endanger women's health by eroding the scope of Roe v Wade. In a 5-4 decision, the justices upheld the Federal Abortion Ban that had been passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2003. This federal ban will come into effect within a few weeks. It will trump California's strong pro-choice laws and ban certain abortions, without an exception to preserve the health of the woman.

Alice Nuccio, a member of Local 510, the Sign and Display Workers Union, and an activist in the social justice community in the Bay Area, died of cancer on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007, at age 46. Her fellow activists and Local 510 members held a memorial service on Saturday March 24th at 6:30pm, at the St. Martin DePorres House, 225 Potrero Avenue (near 16th St.). Her life as an activist began with the anti-nuclear peace movement on the east coast in the late 1970s, then continued with her relationships, serving food with Food Not Bombs, working on AIDS issues with ACT UP, participating in the direct actions that shut down the WTO in Seattle, and organizing Anarchist Cafes. Alice fought for people to have more access to information about their illness, as well as for more holistic and less intrusive healing methods. Alice enjoyed community gardening, potlucks, bonfires at the beach, spending time with her cat, and collective musical experiences such as playing music with friends.

Thursday, March 8th is International Women's Day - a day on which women on all continents to come together to celebrate their various struggles for equality, justice, and peace. A number of events were held around the Bay Area and the Central Valley, including screenings of two different films about sweatshops, events that focused on struggles of women in Mexico, and an evening of poetry, music and dance with local activists and artists.

Heather MacAllister was "a fucking sexy fat wicked smart intense and funny fierce femme." She died February 13th in Portland, Oregon after battling ovarian cancer for several years. She was 38 years old. On Saturday, February 24th the 7:00pm Goddess Rosary service was in memory of Heather, at HerChurch, 678 Portola Drive, San Francisco. On Sunday, February 25th, a Funeral/Mourning/Goodbye ritual was held at 1:30pm at Precita Park, corner of Folsom and Precita, followed by a procession up Precita to a wake at El Rio ( Report). Ms. MacAllister was the founder and artistic director of Big Burlesque and the Fat Bottom Revue, the first burlesque act exclusively featuring large-sized performers. She was an anti-racist and queer community organizer and activist.

Since 1998, the V-Day movement has worked to stop violence against women and girls worldwide. V-Day’s model of "empowerment philanthropy" has been a catalyst for activists, college students and anti-violence organizations to "transform their communities," in more than 112 countries to date. Between February 1st and March 8th, local activists will stage benefit productions of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise funds and awareness for local anti-violence groups, rape crisis centers, and women’s shelters in their communities. There will be many performances in California.