Feature Archives

The 6th annual Art in Action performance, Stop the Violence, took place in Santa Cruz on August 3rd. 25 youth artists, many from Oakland, performed hip hop, spoken word, original music, dance and theater. Original art and digital stories created during a 10 day Art in Action camp in Ben Lomond were also shared.

Landmark Cinema attorney Tom Pavone recently sent a letter to the Industrial Workers of the World, announcing pay raises for Landmark employees nationwide. At Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, the starting wage will go from $7.25 to $8 per hour, if the workers choose to accept the offer. The IWW-Shattuck union considers this to be "a clear demonstration of union power," and says that it "will continue to press the company for gains in benefits and improvments in working conditions." A rally will be held in front of the Shattuck Cinema on September 1st at 6:30pm.

Saturday, August 26th was the 5th Annual Sistahs Steppin' in Pride celebration. This East Bay Dyke March and Festival started at the Lake Merritt pillars at 11am, with the march leaving at noon. The free community celebration continued that afternoon in Snow Park's Sistah Village (on Harrison between 19th and 20th Streets). There were vendors, a children's area, elder space, and more. Photos and audio

Immigrant rights activists gathered on July 28th at Fremont and Mowry Blvds. to counter the bi-weekly rally called by the racist East Bay Coalition for Border Security (EBCBS) which is looking to become an affiliate of the vigilante group, the Minutemen. The EBCBS, in an effort to hide the location of their demonstration from the anti-minutemen protesters, rallied a couple miles down Fremont Blvd in the Irvington neighborhood. By foot, bike and car, about 40 anti-minutemen protesters left Mowry Ave. and Fremont Blvd and went to the Irvington neighborhood (Fremont and Washington) to show solidarity with immigrants and route out fascism in Fremont.

The Federal Department of Homeland Security provided the Pentagon with information on anti-war protests at UC campuses last year, according to the most recent government documents released to the ACLU of Northern California. This disclosure includes two previously redacted reports on student protests at UC Berkeley and Santa Cruz. Following an administrative appeal, that information was released. Both bulletins indicate that the source of the information was "a special agent of the federal protective service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security."

On July 14th, 25 protesters with the East Bay Coalition for Border Security, a racist, anti-immigrant group in Fremont that is seeking affiliation with the Minutemen, were met by twice as many counter-protesters at a rally in Fremont which takes place every other Friday during the summer. For the first time, the counter-protesters were violently assaulted by the Minutemen wannabes and repressed by the Fremont police. As can be seen in a video taken at the event, a member of the EBCBS shoved and punched two of the anti-racist counter-protesters. This came after another violent altercation with a young Latino man.

The Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative has been awarded the agency contract to issue Alameda County patient ID cards as part of SB 420. OCBC will continue to issue its non-governmental cards for all patients and caregivers who live in other counties. The state ID card, which will be issued beginning on August 1st, will be handled through a process like a driver's license application. The OCBC card will continue to be a option for patients or caregivers who do not want to be on the state list.