Feature Archives

Local and national media are reporting on the recall of 143 million pounds of meat from a southern California slaughterhouse. More than 70 school districts and social service agencies in the Central Valley ended up with some of that meat. But, the issue of contaminated meat might be a lot more problematic and local than we have been told.

On Wednesday, February 20th, students at D-Q University, which is California's only tribal college, reported that Yolo County deputies had begun arresting them for allegedly "trespassing" on campus. As many as four students were taken to the Yolo County Jail, and it is believed that more arrests are likely. Students are calling for support from the community, and are asking for people to come out and witness the deputies' actions. D-Q University is located at 33250 Road 31 in Davis.

Peace Fresno sponsored a Presidents' Day peace march on Monday, Feb. 18th. Organizers called it "Mourning in America" and about 150 marchers went from the Tower Theatre to the new Federal Building in downtown Fresno. There was an extremely heavy police presence at the march, but there were no incidents.

Carissa Phelps was 12 years old when she was forced into prostitution on the mean streets of Fresno. She has returned to Fresno to put a spotlight on the sexual exploitation of youth, which she says is still happening today. Telling her story is a part of the process.

Modesto Anarcho writes, "Modesto Anarcho #6 is out now and ready for download and distribution! This issue is packed full of insurrectionary class struggle analysis about what's going on in the California Central Valley area. Included within are extensive direct action and repression reports, poetry, news about ongoing struggles and happenings, a report back from the Feral Visions gathering, an in depth look at the recent Modesto dumpster dive ban, an article detailing the resistance to development at Jesse Morrow Mountain in Fresno, and much more!"

The California Fish and Game Commission in San Diego voted 3-0 on February 7th to designate the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), a native fish that has dropped to record low numbers in the San Francisco Bay-Delta and is nearing extinction in other northern California estuaries, as a "candidate species." This is the first step toward a formal listing as an endangered or threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act, according to a press release from a coalition of three environmental groups.

Sammy Galvan was killed by Modesto police in August 2004. A wrongful death lawsuit will be heard in the federal courtroom in Fresno. This article is about the circumstances of Sammy’s death, police accountability, and the struggle for justice.