Feature Archives

In October, Modern Times Bookstore, an independent, collectively owned and operated progressive bookstore in San Francisco's Mission District, will be celebrating its 35th anniversary. For a while, it had seemed as though the bookstore would suffer the fate of many other local bookstores that have closed recently, such as Changemakers in Oakland, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books in SF, and Cody's on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. A new collaboration with New College of California is one of the reasons for the store's security.

On Saturday, June 24th, Oliver ("Big O") Lefiti was fatally shot by San Francisco police on Capp Street, between 15th and 16th Streets. He was 37 years old, worked as a nightclub bouncer, and lived in South San Francisco. Big O's family is trying to find people who witnessed this incident. They want to know what happened on the night when he was killed. They are asking for any witnesses to contact them. His family was handing out flyers about him at the site of his death on Friday evening, July 21st. Photos Big O has been demonized in the corporate press, portrayed as a "suspected drug dealer", although no weapons or drugs were found at the scene of the fatal shooting.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is meeting in San Francisco from July 19th through 23rd. A Press Conference was held in protest of ALEC on Thursday, July 20th, at 2 pm at the Marriott Hotel at 55 Fourth St., in downtown SF. ALEC is one of the nation’s most powerful and least known corporate lobbies, and it is funded primarily by large corporations, industry groups, and conservative foundations. The Friday breakfast that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was to speak at has reportedly been cancelled.

Anti-G8 activist Gabriel Meyers went back to court on Thursday, July 20th for a pretrial hearing. One year ago, at a San Francisco protest against the Group of 8, a police officer received a head injury. Three people were originally arrested and charged in connection with the incident. It soon became clear that none of the three were involved. Nevertheless, SF prosecutors, in collaboration with the SF police department, are proceeding to trial against Gabriel Meyers. A recent interview with Gabe

Josh Wolf was taken into custody on August 1st after a 9am court hearing. He was found to be in contempt for exercising his first amendment rights and refusing to provide a federal grand jury with video footage he shot at the SF G8 protest last summer. He could be held until the grand jury expires next July. A press conference was held outside of City Hall at 1pm, and at 2:00pm, the SF Board of Supervisors was to vote on a resolution in support of Josh's case. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) believes that the grand jury is being improperly used to obtain materials which would normally be protected under California's Reporter Shield Law. Interview with Josh Wolf | Video from 8/1 Report from 8/1

On Monday July 17th, Bay Area Jewish activists protested in front of the Israeli consulate against Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Seventeen people engaging in an act of civil disobedience blocked the street in front of the consulate and were arrested. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Videos: 1 | 2 | 3

Jewish Voice for Peace is organizing public actions in major cities across the country to help bring an end to the current conflict. Many JVP members have friends and family in Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel. They believe that Israel’s refusal to negotiate and its decision to act with overwhelming force—using weapons supplied by the United States-- have escalated this situation to war.

A Radical Women contingent from four U.S. cities travelled to Jackson, Mississippi to take part in marches, rallies, forums and other actions that Southern feminists have organized during the week of July 15th through 22nd. Photos During this time, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi has been under siege by Operation Save America. A rally in Jackson on Saturday the 15th was disrupted by a bomb threat. Radical Women called for people to either join them in Jackson, or lend their financial support. BACORR organized a Reproductive Rights Film Festival to benefit efforts in Mississippi. On Sunday, July 16th, the PBS documentary "The Last Abortion Clinic" was shown at the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco.