Feature Archives

On June 9th, 2007, Silicon Valley Impeachment Coalition held an impeach "spell-in" where people laid down in San Jose City Hall Plaza to spell IMPEACH with their bodies. Merriam Kathaleen, one of the organizers, explained, "we have come together to work specifically for impeachment because we believe that the next war can only be stopped by the impeachment and trial of those that brought us this one."

Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr recently announced that her office would not be filing any charges in the De Anza gang-rape case, in which an underage, unconscious young woman was assaulted by a group of De Anza College baseball players. At a Thursday May 31st press conference, community members gathered outside the DA's office in San Jose to demand justice for the young woman. Within a week's time, it was announced that Carr would pass the case on to state Attorney General Jerry Brown.

The ACLU said in a press conference held in San Jose on May 30th that a lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, a subsidiary of Boeing Co., was being filed under the Alien Tort Statute, which permits aliens to bring claims in the United States for violations of the law of nations or a United States treaty. The statute recognizes international norms accepted among civilized nations that are violated by acts such as enforced disappearance, torture and other inhuman treatment.

Filipino organizations, youth groups, and a growing movement for police accountability rallied outside the San José Superior Court Hall of Justice on May 16th, demanding justice for Marlo, Romel, and Marilou Custodio. The Custodios are three Evergreen Valley residents who are being charged with resisting arrest during a February 5th incident. The Custodio Family and other community organizations are charging the San José Police Department with police brutality and racial profiling.

A newly formed branch of the Minutemen and other similar groups are targeting the San Francisco Peninsula and South Bay cities with their anti-immigrant messages. The Raging Grannies have sounded the alarm for local community activists to react quickly in response. Calling on peace and immigrant rights groups to counter-demonstrate, the Peninsula Raging Grannies Action League set up a team to get the word out that, "our communities will NOT be divided along lines of immigrant vs. citizen."

Robert Zabala, a UC Santa Cruz alumni currently living in San Jose, is finally receiving his release from the U.S. Marines. They had previously denied his Conscientious Objector application, filed in 2004. On Tuesday, April 3, a federal judge in San Jose ordered the Marines to discharge him within 15 days. He was supported by the GI Rights Hotline, including counselors from the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz.

From March 1st though 6th, Shannon Young and Vladimir Flores, Oaxaca correspondents for Free Speech Radio News and Mal de Ojo TV, will be in Watsonville, Santa Cruz, San Jose and San Francisco to present a series of short films produced by Mal de Ojo TV. Indybay reporters Danielsan and Ariel will show photos and reportback on their recent experiences in Oaxaca City.