Feature Archives

Los Banos August 23rd 6pm DMV I street to City Hall J Street
Turlock August 25th 6pm DMV to Police Station
Salinas August 26th 6pm DMV E Laurel Street to City Hall Lincoln Street

8/31/04: There will be a report back from Fresno activists that participated in the demonstrations in New York against the Republican National Convention (RNC). Several Fresno activists were arrested on Tuesday, August 31 as they protested at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Fresno Indymedia reporter Dallas Blanchard filed daily reports on this Central Valley Indybay site. See his report of activities here. For the last 9 months Fresno activists have been organizing to attend the protests during the RNC in New York City. RANCOR , (Radicals Against Neo-Cons Organized Resistance), has raised hundreds of dollars to help young activists get to New York, and also train in preparation for the expected police state experience of New York's best. Fresno activists are participating in a wide range of actions and marches, and when returning to Fresno will organize a report back to share their experience.

8/18/04: Friday August 13th over one hundred community members in Madera, CA marched from the DMV station to the Madera Police Station in support of SB 1160 demanding drivers licenses for undocumented workers in California. From workers to students came out to demonstrate their support for the Senate Bill 1160 currently passing throught the California state legislature process. Senator Gilbert Cedillo D-(LA) is currently making efforts to bring the bill before the Senate floor for a vote. Grassroots organizers and community members in several California cities are planning local actions over the next several weeks to show their support for SB 1160.

9/03/04: Judge Wanger issued a historic decision holding Modesto resident Alvaro Saravia responsible for his role in the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador as he was saying mass on March 24, 1980. Judge Wanger ordered Saravia to pay $10 million to the plaintiff, a relative of the Archbishop, who has still not been identified for security reasons. Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was one of the most revered advocates for human rights in the Americas. The hearing, which started last month, concluded on Friday, September 3. See a report from the first day of the trial here and here. See video of the support rally held outside of the Federal Building here. The hearing is the culmination of a lawsuit brought against Modesto resident Alvaro Rafael Saravia for his role in organizing the March 1980 assassination. Saravia, a former Captain in the Salvadoran military, was the right-hand man to reputed Salvadoran death squad leader Roberto D’Aubuisson. For more information about this case go to the Center for Justice and Accountability web site.

8/16/04: Since the inception of Folsom Dam on the American River some fifty years ago, the river has increasingly been jerked around by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to export water to contractors and to meet salinity standards in the Delta. The lack of flow and temperature standards needed to protect fisheries and aquatic habitat have significantly impacted the natural reproduction of the river's salmon, steelhead and American shad. Unless flow and water temperature standards for the lower American River are change, thousands of salmon could die before spawning during the fall on the river. California Sportfishing Protection Alliance is calling for action to save the river and the fisheries.

8/13/04: As the events of the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage unfold, local Fresno Mayor Alan Autry plans to conduct a "defend traditional marriage event" at Fresno City Hall on August 29th to counter the actions of SF. “As mayor, I’m responsible for preserving the health of this community,” Autry said. “Gay marriage is a threat to the health of Fresno.” He continued, “most gays don’t want gay marriage.” Activists in Fresno had views of their own however, and a group of people staged a protest against the Supreme Court ruling, and in favor of marriage for all.

9/06/04: The San Francisco Mime Troupe brings a new musical "Spaghetti Western" to parks and theaters in the Central Valley September 11 - 24 with Showdown at Crawford Gulch, an original fable about lies, greed, and dirty double-crossing in a dusty old Texas town where the Good go bad, the Bad ain't pretty, and the Ugly get uglier. Tumbleweeds fly as peace-loving citizens of 1886 Crawford Gulch, Texas, face perpetual war with the neighboring Comanche, and townfolk fight to protect their liberties as they are whupped into a frenzy of fear over reported Arrows of Mass Destruction.