Feature Archives

Michael Martin of Tainted/Compassionate Medicinal Edibles faces a Change of Plea Hearing in Oakland on Wednesday, March 26th. He plans to accept a plea deal that was offered by the US Attorney. As he is unable to speak freely about the medicinal nature of Tainted's products in his defense, the alternative would be a jury that could assign him a ten year mandatory minimum sentence. Michael is hoping that the community will go to court to show support for him. The hearing will take place on Wednesday at 2:30pm in Judge Wilken's courtroom at 1301 Clay St. in Oakland.

The 4,000th US soldier was killed in Iraq on March 23rd. Vigils and actions were held at the Military Recruiting Centers in Capitola and Berkeley on March 24th to express grief over so many senseless deaths in Iraq. In San Francisco, a vigil was held in Civic Center Plaza. CodePink shut down the Marine Recruiting Station in Berkeley by conducting a direct action inside of it.

The battle to shut down the Marine recruiting station in Berkeley continued on March 19th, the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Hundreds, including many Berkeley High school students, took part in actions during the day to shut down the recruiting station in Berkeley and to stop the war in Iraq. Several students spoke powerfully to why the marine recruiters should be considered "unwelcome intruders" in Berkeley.

Every March, anarchists from around the Bay Area and the Americas come together for a week in which they celebrate anarchism with a number of different kinds of events. 8 Days of Anarchy begins and concludes with discussions at the Long Haul in Berkeley. The Anarchist Cafe will return to San Francisco on Friday night, March 21st. The Anarchist Bookfair will again take place on both Saturday and Sunday. The BASTARD Conference will be held at UC Berkeley on Sunday, March 24th.

On March 15th, activists and community members protested the war in Iraq, environmental racism and global warming by blockading the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, CA. A coalition which includes health, environmental and anti-war organizers had called for people to shut down the Chevron refinery for the day of Saturday, March 15th in support of community efforts to stop Chevron from expanding its Richmond refinery. An expansion will increase pollution and cause asthma, cancer and rising death rates in surrounding communities. 25 activists were arrested for taking part in the blockade.

On January 24th, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Chuck Conner announced the availability of $74.5 million in emergency funding to combat the light brown apple moth (LBAM) "infestation" in California. President Bush's recent budget proposal sent to Congress sets aside $330 Million to eradicate plant pests, like the LBAM. It is unprecedented to design a long term plan to spray chemicals on people, which are untested for safety.

In the past week, Israel has mounted a massive offensive against the Gaza Strip. The attacks have claiming the lives of over 112 Palestinians, including many civilians. The clashes reached a peak on March 1st, when Israel sent in a regiment of ground troops killing 77 Palestinians in two days. According to Gaza health ministry statistics, 22 children were killed and more than 350 people were wounded. On March 3rd, Students for Justice in Palestine staged a die-in in Berkeley to protest Israel's actions.