Feature Archives

4/29/2005: Students at CSU-Fresno are hungry for the truth. Holding a 48 hour fast outside the university president’s office, students demanded an end to undercover police attendance at their events, an apology for the violation of their civil liberties, and a change in the policy that led to this spy caper. The Campus Peace and Civil Liberties Coalition has been given at least 5 different versions of why their were undercover law enforcement officers at an official club function held in November 2004. They are tired of the lies and want the truth.

An earlier story on Indymedia gives readers the details of the multiple version of the campus administrations story. When the students discovered the infiltration and violation of their civil liberties they held a press conference. That story can be seen HERE See the SunMt video of today’s press conference here

4/27/2005: Students at CSU-Fresno started a 48 hour fast on Wednesday because they say their civil liberties have been violated. The students are concerned because undercover law enforcement officers were used to monitor an event the group held on campus and they believe the administration is lying about it.

Ruth Obel-Jorgensen says that her civil liberties have been violated and academic freedom is in jeopardy at CSUF. Obel-Jorgensen is the president of the Campus Peace and Civil Liberties Coalition. Her group held the event featuring Yourofsky on campus. The topic was veganism, which is a type of vegetarianism. Obel-Jorgensen said that her group was surprised to learn that there were undercover law enforcement officers attending the event.

See the SunMt video of today’s press conference and the start of the fast here

On Tuesday, community activists spoke before a packed City Hall in Fresno, calling attention to problems confronting the Fresno Police department. The public hearing was called as a part of the accreditation process that the FPD is seeking. Activists with the Central California Criminal Justice Committee have worked for years to get an independent police auditor in Fresno and have recently succeeded in getting police complaint forms in community centers around town. However, speaker Ellie Bluestein brought up several problems with this system, stemming largely from police not putting the complaint forms out for the public. Bluestein also brought up several instances of police misconduct involving harassment, police misconduct with suspects, sexual misconduct, misuse of city equipment, and other problems within the department. Gloria Hernandez, brought up several problems with the accreditation process. Mark Stout brought up information in relation to the number of police fatal shootings in the area.

Activists from the Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians (DAAA) Collective in Modesto engaged in a spontainous protest after Susan Galvan, mother of Sammy Galvan who was killed by Modesto police in 2004 attempted to hand out protest flyers during an Earth Day celebration and was stopped by police. Police claim that since the city had an organized event at the park, Mrs. Galvan had no right to engage in free speech and hand out the flyers. They also attempted to stop her from handing out flyers when she stood behind the permitted DAAA Collective table. A small march then took place to protest the police actions against Mrs. Galvan. Report: 1 Justice for Sammy March and Protest: 1

4/16/2005: Students, faculty, and community supporters are handing out fliers to counter military recruiters lies at CSU-Fresno this weekend. See the SunMt video of chants, drumming, and un-recruiting. Police on Friday threatened the activists with arrest if they continued handing out fliers. On Saturday the activists not only continued handing out fliers, but held a drum circle right next to the military recruiters table. They chanted anti-war slogans that drew a bigger crowd than the military. The Army recruiters countered by stealing posters from the counter recruiters, taking fliers from the hands of people who had received counter recruiting fliers, calling in the police to stop the counter recruiters, and even had an attractive female recruiter giving a hoola hoop demonstration to attract visitors. See the story from the Friday CSUF action HERE.

Students For Social Justice at Merced College held an event Friday, featuring anti-war speakers, spoken word artists, and musicians. While the anti war rally was assigned to the amphitheater on the fringe of the campus, the Army was given a prime location in the center of the school, next to the student union. A climbing wall was set up, posters were on display, and recruiters were engaging students as they walked by. One recruiter was heard cajoling a young Chicana student to "take a test" so she could be all she could be. When she said she didn’t have time to take the test the recruiter said he would "track her down." Police showed up on the scene later in the rally, and confirmed with an Indymedia reporter that they had heard a rumor that someone was going to burn a U.S. flag at the event.

4/14/2005: Counter recruiting activists handed out fliers, talked to students, and were threatened with arrest at a job fair at Fresno City College. Army recruiters objected to the activists and claimed they were interfering with their job. After complaints were made to the event organizers the counter recruiters were asked to leave. Instead of leaving they were joined by more supporters and continued to hand out fliers and talk to students. Fliers and brochures were distributed throughout the day by FCC students and community supporters

The counter recruiters were told that the community college had rules prohibiting free speech and that if they wanted to hand out fliers they would have to fill out a form and wait at least ten working days. Campus police were more concerned with a littering problem than the First Amendment. Read the story here

More counter recruiting is taking place this weekend at CSU-Fresno. On Friday, April 15 students and community activists were on the campus to confront military recruiters at Vintage Day activities. Meanwhile, at Merced College activists held a peace rally as military recruiters were on campus.

Last month the Reedley Peace Center held a vigil for peace and heard a presentation by high school students about their efforts to counter the lies of military recruiters on campus. Additional counter recruiting efforts are being planned in the Central Valley. To find out about upcoming counter recruiting events go to the Peace Fresno web site.

4/6/2005: Evidence that local law enforcement is continuing to infiltrate Fresno peace groups was presented at a press conference at California State University Fresno (CSUF) on April 6, 2005. Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, president of the campus Peace & Civil Liberties Coalition said “we have recently discovered that undercover law enforcement agents were present at an event we held.” Obel-Jorgensen said that CSUF police chief David Huerta admitted that undercover agents were at a presentation by Gary Yourofsky, which the group sponsored in November 2004. Yourofsky is one of the foremost animal rights lecturers in the United States.

In addition to the undercover agents attending events sponsored by the Campus Peace and Civil Liberties group it was also reveled that Peace Fresno is again being monitored by local law enforcement. Read the story here

The original infiltration of Peace Fresno made national and international news. It was one of the first concrete examples showing that the US government used the Patriot Act to infiltrate community groups who were not suspected of criminal activity. The story of the infiltration was told on Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! Radio show, Bill Moyer’s television show on PBS, and in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911 movie. This incident was what many observers believe prompted Attorney General Bill Lockyer to issue the directive to all law enforcement offices in the state directing them to follow the California State Constitution, which prevents them from infiltrating groups that are not under investigation for criminal activity. See the story about the first time Peace Fresno was infiltrated here