Feature Archives

On May 31st, Israeli commandos attacked an unarmed aid flotilla, killing at least nine and injuring dozens of others, in international waters forty miles off the coast of Gaza. On board the ships were hundreds of civilians attempting to bring 10,000 tons of supplies and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been under an illegal Israeli-imposed siege for the past three years.

Demonstrations against the Israeli attack have been taking place around the world with the largest being in Turkey where at least four of those killed were from. At a protest in the West Bank, an American solidarity activist was shot in the face with a tear gas canister and is currently in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem undergoing surgery to remove her left eye.

Protests have taken place all week at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco. The next protest will be Thursday June 3rd at 4pm at Powell and Market with a march to the Consulate at 5pm.

On Tuesday, May 18th, local LGBT groups rallied in front of the federal building in San Francisco to call on community members to contact their congressional representatives and urge them to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA. ENDA would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Currently, it is legal in many states to discriminate against LGBT people and there are no federal laws protecting LGBT people in the workplace.

On Wednesday, May 12th, Seize BP held a protest in front of the BP offices on New Montgomery Street in San Francisco, to demand that the U.S. government seize BP and all of its assets. BP is involved in a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is still leaking 5 to 25 thousand barrels of oil daily into surrounding waters. Other corporations involved include Transocean and Halliburton. On Friday, May 14th, Act Against Oil demonstrated in Berkeley at the site of a new BP building under construction next to the UCB campus.

A flashmob invaded the Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco on May 8th, singing and dancing before an amused audience of tourists and hotel guests. The activists performed to accompanying horns and drums of the Brass Liberation Orchestra with their own version of the Lady Gaga song Bad Romance, "Don't Get Caught in a Bad Hotel". The spectacle drew attention to a boycott called by the workers of the hotel who are eager to get a fair contract and affordable healthcare.

The Muni Riders and Drivers Expanding Coalition, made up of low income families, youth and elderly organizations in San Francisco, have united to demand an end to MUNI service cuts, demanding MUNI seek more progressive sources of revenue, and an end to MUNI and SFPD "saturation" checkpoints on buses. Last week they held their first public action on the steps of City Hall. Another protest was held on May 12th at 1pm at City Hall.

A clamor across the country to hold banks and Wall Street accountable for the financial crisis started in earnest this week with a large demonstration in San Francisco. Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of the building where Wells Fargo's annual shareholders meeting was being held on April 27. They said bankers broke laws, lack ethics and need to create jobs for working people instead of rewarding themselves with huge bonuses.

Saturday, May 1st is May Day, or International Workers Day. The Bay Area observed the holiday with celebrations, marches, rallies, and street parties. Events on Saturday included rallies, marches, and demonstrations for immigrant and workers rights in San Francisco, Watsonville, the East Bay, Fresno, Modesto, and San Jose. Celebrations and street parties were held in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Oakland.