Feature Archives

Sunday, November 20th was the 7th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, and it was observed in over 250 locations worldwide. These events briought to light the violence against transgendered people that occurs every day. Gwen Smith, who founded the event, points out that the trans community is not small or powerless. In the last two years, GLSEN and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network have worked with the Remembering Our Dead project over the last two years. As a result of this collaboration, over one hundred of the events will be held at high schools across the US. The Remembering Our Dead Project exists to honor individuals murdered as a result of anti-transgender hatred and prejudice, and draw attention to the issue of anti-transgender violence. Remembering Our Dead is a project of Gender Education and Advocacy, Inc. Press Release

Some local events:
UC Berkeley: A commemoration of the lives lost due to transphobia took place on November 17th at noon on Sproul Plaza’s Mario Savio steps.
UC Davis: Trans Action Week started on November 15th, with events to educate people about transgender legal issues, gender policing in public restrooms and general problems within the transgender community. The Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial concluded the series on Friday at 7 p.m. in MU II. LGBT Resource Center
San Francisco: The event on Sunday started at the San Francisco LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, at 6:30 pm, with a march up Market Street, through the Castro, and ending at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy. A memorial event featuring speakers and performers was held at the Academy beginning at 7:30 p.m. Photos
The South Bay Transgender Day of Remembrance was held on Sunday, November 20th at 3:00 p.m. at the Billy DeFrank Center. The event included activists from the trans community, a member of Gwen Araujo's family, a slideshow called "Transfigurations: The Making of a Man," and a dance presentation. Read more

There were also events in San Diego, Los Angeles (Report and Photos), and many other cities

On November 8th, Bill O'Reilly went on KNEW-910AM and used the public airwaves to condone a terrorist strike on San Francisco. He suggested that Al Qaeda specifically blow up Coit Tower - which is dedicated as a memorial to fallen firefighters. O'Reilly said, "And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not gonna do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You wanna blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." These comments were roundly criticized by Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisors Daly and Peskin, John Hanley (President of the San Francisco Firefighters Union Local 798), local journalists at KRON, the SF Chronicle, CBS-5, and many community activists.

Media activists feel that this is one more reason why people should take action now to deny KNEW's license renewal. This can be done by going to http://www.bethemedia.org to print, sign and mail an Informal Objection to the FCC and the Station Owner before November 30, 2005. These letters can help to make the FCC aware of Clear Channel/KNEW's pattern of broadcasting anti-American hate speech on the public airwaves. The Be the Media Website also has sample letters and background about struggles against Clear Channel.

Read more | Why Bill O'Reilly Hates San Francisco
Osama Bin O'Reilly Issues Fatwa Against San Francisco: Photos | Video

On Friday, October 28th, a month after Bill Bennett aired a racist remark about aborting black babies, Bay Area protesters held a Halloween-themed direct action to revoke the broadcast license of host station 910 am KNEW. Photos | Audio

The protest was organized in direct response to Bennett’s recent statement on his “Morning in America” show, which airs from 3-5AM on Clear Channel-owned 910am, KNEW. Bennett remarked: “If you wanted to reduce crime, you could – if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.” Audio | Article Bennett is not the only KNEW talk show host to make hateful comments- Michael Savage routinely calls immigrants “vermin” who are “raping, stealing, murdering and defecating on our lawns”. Protesters say this content is grounds for revoking KNEW’s broadcast license. “We’ve petitioned the FCC to revoke KNEW’s license because Clear Channel should not be given a license to hate,” says Taishi Duchicela, an organizer for the Youth Media Council.
Bill Bennett On Crime And Race | Southern Poverty Law Center | Savage Anti-Semitism

The direct action against KNEW took place on Friday from 4:30pm to 6:00pm at Clear Channel Headquarters, at 340 Townsend Street between 4th and 5th Streets in San Francisco. Protesters wore Halloween masks, performed a street theater piece to expose the hateful content on 910AM KNEW, and took direct action to deliver a legal petition to deny Clear Channel’s license to broadcast KNEW as well as 106.1 KMEL, WILD 94.9, and 92.3 KSJO in San Jose. The public comment period for or against California radio stations, which are all applying for renewal through the FCC, lasts through November 1st. Or visit Youth Media Council's Media Action Center under "Take Action" to file a public comment.

Event organizers: Code Pink | Media Alliance | Youth Media Council | Acción Latina | Youth Movement Records | East Side Arts Alliance | La Peña Cultural Center. Color of Change's Bennett Page

Recent reports state that drug overdoses have increased statewide in California, but fewer addicts are dying in San Francisco since the city adopted a harm reduction approach to overdose prevention. Health clinics and jail and treatment centers are giving IV drug users tools for saving their own lives, and those of people around them. Many opiate users are now taught how to use mouth-to-mouth to resuscitate an overdose victim. Class participants are given needles that contain naloxone, a drug that can revive a person who is overdosing. Many users have reported saving others with the treatment. The City also has an outreach program that suggests that people have a partner nearby when they are using, and tells them about the risks of overdosing. Other cities are using similar programs and are reportedly experiencing a drop in overdose deaths. The San Francisco Needle Exchange website includes overdose prevention tips.

Read more in a report from Join Together

On Tuesday, December 6th, the US Supreme Court began to decide the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which denies federal funding for schools that don't allow military recruitment on campus in the case of FAIR v Rumsfeld. Students and activists in the Campus Antiwar Network, and many other people nationwide, held rallies and marches in solidarity with the counter-recruitment activists in the Supreme Court case.

In San Francisco, a rally was held at Justin Herman Plaza. The crowd marched to the Davis Street Recruitment Station at 670 Davis Street to voice its outrage.Photos | Report
Past Coverage Of Counter Recruitment Protests:
Berkeley ( 1 | 2 | 3 ), Oakland, San Francisco ( 1 | 2 ), Santa Cruz, Hayward, Eureka ( 1 | 2 ) and Petaluma

On Buy Nothing Day, November 25th, animal rights activists targeted the makers and sellers of fur throughout the Bay Area and across the country. In addition to sponsoring events in 20 states, In Defense of Animals (IDA) held one of the largest local demonstrations in San Francisco. Dozens of activists demonstrated in bustling Union Square and in front of the fur and fur-trim retailers Macy's and Neiman Marcus, educating shoppers about where fur comes from. Most fur, activists reported, comes from Chinese fur farms where, due to weaker animal welfare laws, the animals are treated inhumanely and skinned alive. Foxes, minks, rabbits, raccoons and dogs and cats are raised in poor conditions and slaughtered in the name of fashion. After being skinned, the carcasses of the animals are ground up and fed back to the trapped animals.

Photos & Video | Related

IDA's Fur Kills.org | PETA's Fur Is Dead.org

Indybay's 2004 Fur Free Friday Coverage