Feature Archives

EBAA, (East Bay Animal Advocates), has a growing reputation among animal protectionists as one of only a handful of organizations in the U.S. currently engaged in open rescues. From its base in Oakland, on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay, EBAA focuses on education, legislation, and rescue work for animals. Christine and her team also use video and still cameras to document the conditions they see, publicizing the images online and sending them to the media. The group has also engaged in "open rescue", in which activists go onto farms and remove sick, dying, and dead animals, and document the conditions of animals on farms. View the article from Satya magazine on open rescue in the Central Valley here.

On June 16th, a federal grand jury indicted Umer Hayat, a Lodi ice cream truck driver, and his son Hamid on charges they lied to FBI agents. The two men were arrested on June 5th and accused of lying during interrogation about a trip Hamid took to Pakistan. The FBI gave the media a far more damaging version of the affidavit against Umer and Hamid Hayat than was finally given to a court in Sacramento. The affidavit filed Thursday JUne 9th, did not contain any of the sensational material from earlier in the week which said the son's "potential terrorist targets included hospitals and groceries, and contained names of key individuals and statements about the international origins of 'hundreds' of participants in alleged Al Qaeda terrorist training camps in Pakistan." In response to the leaked FBI accusations Hamid Hayat's attorney stated, "my client and his son are only charged with one thing, and that is making a false statement. Though there are very alarming statements in the complaint concerning terrorist organizations ... it's important to note that my client is not charged with being involved in terrorist acts. He has been painted with the brush of being a terrorist and he's not even charged with it." Attorneys say they will challenge the government on this discrepancy, which they see as a deliberate move by the FBI to prejudice the case against their clients.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has eight verified incidents of civil rights violations by the FBI against Muslims in Lodi, including threats of deportation, humiliating two people in front of co-workers, threatening to charge people with jaywalking if they didn't cooperate, and not allowing attorneys to be present during questioning. Civil rights groups are filing a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) seeking FBI records of the procedures and policies used during the questioning and detention of dozens of Muslims in the Central Valley town of Lodi. In addition to arresting the Hayats, the FBI also arrested several leaders of local mosques. Two of those arrested, Muhammed Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed were known for organizing interfaith events to help spread religious tolerance. Rabbi Jason Gwasdoff of Temple Israel, a synagogue in Stockton, worked with Muhammed Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed to organize the Celebration of Abraham, celebrating the common roots of Jews, Christians and Muslims in the biblical patriarch Abraham.

The arrests in Lodi come just weeks after a similar set of arrests on the East Coast. Tarik Shah and Rafiq Sabir were arrested on May 28th. Rafiq Sabir, a doctor, was charged with conspiring "to treat wounded jihadists in Saudi Arabia". Tarik Shah, a well-known New York City jazz musician and son of a former aide to Malcolm X, was charged with conspiring to teach militants martial arts. Prosecutors said Shah and Sabir were caught expressing their "eagerness to help terrorists" in secretly taped conversations with an undercover FBI agent posing as an "al-Qaida recruiter".

Both the Lodi and East Coast arrests come as Bush is struggling for the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act. Even if the arrests get overturned by the courts as entrapment, they may have only been intended to create a public perception of a terrorist threat to rally support behind the law. In Sacramento , the American Muslim Alliance & California Civil Rights Alliance held a townhall meeting on June 14th to discuss the Lodi arrests and "how not to be a victim of guilt by association." The Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) also hosted a series of “Know Your Rights” workshops in Lodi and Stockton, Calif., prompted by reports of what local Muslims called “harassment” by FBI agents. Sunday's workshop in Stockton, attended by some 200 area Muslims, was the last of three sessions designed to inform community members about their legal rights.

FOIA Request Filed Over Lodi ‘Harassment' | Oh ! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again | Friends describe terror suspect as well-known New York musician | Council Of American-Islamic Relations

Yesterday morning, a counter-recruitment demonstration by buses arriving at the Military Entrance Processing Station, 3870 Rosin Ct, #105, in Sacramento, California, took place. Protestors held signs, talked with people, and also gave out information on the dangers of joining the military. The group celebrated when a mother and her daughter changed their mind and left before the young girl was administered the oath or signed the eight-year contract for military service. Read report here, pictures here.

6/9/2005: The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board on May 19 voted to start the annexation process of 70,000 residents of Yolo County, all current customers of PG&E. The vote for public power is very significant at a time when the national trend is the very opposite - towards privatization of electrical power, water and other utilities.

“This is not a hostile takeover, as PG&E claims,” said Susan Patterson, SMUD Board member, in arguing for annexation. “It’s a customer revolt."

The move was unanimously supported by 20 elected officials in four jurisdictions, including the cities of Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland and Yolo County. Many of these officials, along with community activists from Yolo and Sacramento counties, spoke in support of annexation. Read the whole story here

Jeff "Free" Luers, and environmental and community activist from Eugene, was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months in 2001, for his part in starting a fire on a vacant car lot that resulted in $40,000 in damage to three SUV's. Although the SUV's were later resold, Jeff's large sentence was tacked on in part due to the fact that militant eco-defense activists are rarely caught, and Jeff was seen by authorities as "a leader". Jeff is launching an appeal, and his support group has started to hold "days of action" in solidarity with him, in order to raise awareness to the public. In Sacramento, on June 11th, activists will be showing documentary footage on Jeff and his case, as well as "The Fourth World War", a new film detailing anti-capitalist uprisings around the world. In Modesto, on June 10th, "The Jeff Luers Story" will be shown, as well as other films on earth and animal liberation. For more info, go here.

In response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Raich, medical marijuana patients and advocates gathered in front of the Federal court building in Sacramento to urge congress to pass the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment to the Justice Appropriations bill . The protest was called in response of the 6-3 split decision, as the Supreme Court overturned Raich v. Gonzales, ruling that the federal government may continue to arrest and prosecute patients for using medical marijuana according to their state laws. It is important to note that this ruling in no way affects the state laws that legally protect medical marijuana patients. In their ruling, the Supreme Court acknowledged the preponderance of evidence that marijuana is legitimate medicine. Furthermore, the Court has extended an invitation to Congress to join the 80% of Americans who support medical use of cannabis and reschedule marijuana. More info here, and what you can do to help.

6/4/05 Protests took place throughout California against the ever expanding prison industrial complex. A reverse ribbon cutting was held in Fresno to protest the opening of the Delano II prison. In Delano, Dolores Huerta spoke to the press outside the gates of the new prison. See video here. Despite massive budget shortfalls and poll after poll showing that Californians want cuts to prison spending and favor rehabilitation over more prisons, California will open its 33rd state prison on June 1: the $750 million boondoggle, Delano II. At the same time, we are closing schools, hospitals and libraries. Come protest the opening of the Delano II and the closing of public institution that truly build safe communities.