Feature Archives

Garbage workers returned to work July 30th at Waste Management of Alameda County.

On July 2nd, Waste Management Inc. locked out union drivers and hired scab workers to cover garbage collection routes. Garbage has continued to pile up in some of the poorer communities of the East Bay. As the lockout continued, rotting trash piled up in some of the East Bay communities that were served by the unionized sanitation workers

Copwatch held its first National Conference from July 13th-15th at Laney College in Oakland. The conference consisted of a "weekend of networking, workshops, film showings, and discussions in support of direct observation of police as part of a strategy for stopping police brutality." Saturday was a day of workshops, with a screening of "Free Ya Hood" and other Copwatch footage from around the country. The conference closed on Sunday morning with final presentations and discussion.

On May 19th, work activity at the Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) gates was successfully halted after the ILWU locals chose not to cross the community picket lines. Pickets continued throughout the day. The picket was a direct action to stop the war. Currently, military shipments through the port enable and support the ongoing occupation of Iraq.

On Friday, May 11th, Berkeley Critical Mass was stopped by a car that destroyed several bicycles. The cyclists had been through much of Berkeley, including a sojourn to Indian Rock, and were heading back down the Alameda. The riders entered an intersection on a green light, and several were struck by a car, which trapped three bicycles underneath it. They, along with dozens of others, had been participating in a monthly bicycle ride around Berkeley, promoting bicycling and the reduction of automobile and oil dependency. Police reportedly sided with the driver and denied the rights of the demonstrators.

The Circus of (Im)Migration is touring the west coast from April 30th through May 13th. The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) made their first stop in the Bay Area on May 7th at UC Berkeley. The trip continued on May 8th with a San Francisco evening show at Station 40, before a workshop and performance in Santa Cruz on May 9th and 10th.

Friday, May 4th was one of the most successful Oakland Critical Mass rides to date. The bicyclists rolled together down Telegraph, visited the Art Murmur, and encountered a scene where a bicyclist had apparently been struck by a motorist. After the ride, some cyclists continued through West Oakland to the collapsed portion of the MacArthur Maze, where they entered the worksite and observed the deconstruction/reconstruction. Later, they corrected a bike hazard that is known as the "Grates of Death." To further assert the message of carmageddon in the face of deadly grates, mazes, and consumer culture, the big box stores of Emeryville were stormed by TallBike.

On April 26, 2007, Danny Glover announced that he is joining with Congresswoman Barbara Lee in supporting the ongoing boycott by UC workers against UC Berkeley due to the unsolved issue of pay equity for custodians. Before the boycott began last year, custodians who clean the dorms and classrooms at UC Berkeley have been urging the Chancellor to end poverty wages. According to the Economic Policy Institute 100% of the custodians at UC Berkeley earn a wage that is below the $19.78 per hour needed to support a one parent and one child household in the East Bay.