Feature Archives

Fifty eight members of the 38th Venceremos ("We Shall Overcome") Brigade to Cuba returned to the United States on July 28th. They marched across the "Peace Bridge" that links Fort Erie in Canada and Buffalo, New York. On the US side they were greeted by supporters and welcomed with a picnic. Three of the members of this year's brigade are from Fresno.

Danny Jordan, the chief negotiator for the Hoopa Valley Tribe, issued a public statement today charging that H.R. 24, a bill to restore the San Joaquin River, will drain funds from the Trinity River restoration project.

While voters are calling Congress this week to "end the war," activists in Sacramento are using a near-antique red phone booth-- strategically placed at the Farmers Market Tuesday-- to call their Congressional representatives.

After many years of relative safety in the Sacramento area, the last several have seen virulent protest from radical fundamentalists. Satendar Singh, a recent immigrant from Fiji, was fatally wounded in an attack at Lake Natomas on July 1st by a group of Russian-speaking men after they perceived him as gay. Satendar was a recent immigrant to America from Fiji. Memorial services are being planned, and a West Coast Diversity Summit will take place on July 21st in Sacramento. The focus of the summit will be the growing number of hate crimes and threats generated from radical groups in the area.

A homeless woman in a wheelchair was arrested and given a citation in Fresno on July 7th because she needed to use a bathroom. Sherri Williams was cited by the police because she tried to use the restroom at McDonald's at Olive and highway 99. Williams and her husband Al are regular customer at McDonald's, they're homeless and she uses a wheelchair. On that morning, Al bought a cup of coffee and Sherri headed to the restroom. That is when McDonald's manager Michelle Torres saw Sherri and said "I need you to go, your not purchasing anything, I need you to go." Al told Torres that Sherri needed to use the restroom and wash her hands and after that she would buy something.

On June 24, Alberto Tovar, a recent graduate of Cal-State Monterey Bay and a Salinas local, was arrested for challenging military recruiters at a Día de la Famila celebration in Salinas. Tovar asked why recruiters promise kids health and educational benefits if they sign up, but don’t talk to them about the risks of combat. Tovar faces numerous charges, including "disturbing the peace," "criminal trespass," and "possession of a dangerous/deadly weapon" (a trendy bracelet from Hot Topic). The Monterey County D.A. also added "disorderly conduct for public intoxication" even though Tovar was never tested to see if he had been drinking. Alberto is asking for his supporters to donate to his Legal Defense Fund.

The It's Our Healthcare campaign rolled into Fresno, with about 200 people rallying at City Hall. Speakers at the rally included Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, who said "healthcare is a fundamental need, yet health insurance has become a luxury in California. Three-quarters of the more than six million Californians that go without health insurance every year are from working families."