Feature Archives

For just a couple of hours on the last Friday of each month, hundreds of cyclists informally ride together to claim the streets which are normally ruled by automobiles. The gathering is part celebration and part peaceful protest. The messages of the event: that we still have a choice to live our lives in a way that is more thoughtful of the world's resources, to live in a way that is more socially nurturing of life and health, and to live our lives with more joy. The ride on September 28th marked the spontaneous demonstration's 15th year.

Gay Shame SF and LAGAI-Queer Insurrection will sponsor an "HRC sweatshop play land" for kids of all ages at the 19th and Castro Streets during the Castro Street Fair in San Francisco on Sunday, October 7th. The playland will ask "how can the Human Rights Campaign claim to be for the rights of humans, while cheering on corporate culture and selling goods manufactured in sweatshops?" Organizers will point out that corporations such as Coors, Nike, Chevron, and Merck aim to maximize profits, even at the expense of workers' safety and human rights. The playland, which will be for kids of all ages, will include a sewing machine, a button press, a paint fume bouncy tent, and more.

San Francisco’s security workers took to the streets September 24th through September 28th for a week of direct action to demand that the city’s wealthiest property owners, including Shorenstein, Morgan Stanley and Hines, give them a living wage and decent health care benefits. San Francisco’s security workers, who are mostly people of color and recent immigrants, earn less than other staff in the city’s commercial property buildings, including window washers, parking attendants, and janitors.

On Saturday September 22nd, over 150 people came together from across California to participate in Lyrical Revolt, an event put on by the Youth & Student A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition at Counter Pulse in San Francisco. The night was filled with politically conscious Hip Hop, spoken word, and speeches from such organizations as the Brown Berets of Watsonville and Youth Alive.

On Tuesday, September 18, the Bay Area-based Haiti Action Committee (HAC) held a rally in downtown San Francisco to call attention to the unresolved kidnapping of veteran Haitian human rights activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.

The Iraq Moratorium called on everyone to take some public action to stop the war on Iraq - on Friday, September 21st and every third Friday of the month from now on. In San Francisco there wereactions Friday at 1187 Franklin at 10am and at Market & Montgomery at 5pm. In San Mateo, 150 people gathered for an evening rally. In Berkeley, there was a rally at Acton and University. In Palo Alto there was a rally at Lytton Plaza. In Oakland, was a march on the docks starting from the West Oakland BART station. There were also be rallies at many other location around the Bay Area.

San Francisco 8 defendants Harold Taylor, Ray Boudreaux, Richard O'Neal, and Richard Brown have all been freed on bail. Bail arrangements are in the final stages for Hank Jones and Francisco Torres. On Sunday, September 23rd, the SF Print Collective exhibited new work, and artist Emory Douglas gave a presentation and signed books at a fundraiser for the SF 8, at the Center for Political Education in San Francisco. The next court date for the SF 8 case is set for Monday, September 24th at 9:30 am, with a demonstration at 8:30am outside of the courthouse.