Feature Archives

Friday, February 29th was the 3rd International Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People. On that day, there were "coordinated protests on 4 continents on the 4th anniversary of the ongoing US/UN invasion, coup, and occupation against democracy in Haiti." Haiti Action Committee was at the Marine Recruiting Station in Berkeley (64 Shattuck Square, 1/2 block south of University Ave. in Berkeley), starting at 7:30am, for a day of civil resistance and protest four years after the latest invasion of Haiti, which was led by US Marines.

Direct Action to Stop the War is planning "mass direct actions" to protest the 5th anniversary of the US-led war and occupation of Iraq. For March 19th, DASW is organizing a day of decentralized, multiple-target direct action against government offices and war profiteers in downtown San Francisco. Direct Action Radio will be on 102.5 and streamed over Indybay. People will be able to call in reports from the street. DASW, along with community organizations, held a direct action outside of the Chevron refinery in Richmond on March 15th.

Family and friends of Anita Gay gathered on Thursday, February 21st at 6pm at the South Berkeley Community Church to celebrate her life and to share concerns about police conduct in Berkeley. Anita Gay, a long-term Berkeley resident and beloved neighborhood grandmother, was shot dead by a Berkeley Police officer on February 16th at her home on Ward Street. Family and community members have organized the creation of the Justice for Anita! Justice for All Campaign! to press the City Council to take action to address residents' concerns about the conduct of BPD.

Aerial spraying of pesticides in Monterey and Santa Cruz is set to continue and soon will come to the Bay Area. Pesticide opponents say, "This supposed 'emergency' is the presence of the light brown apple moth in Bay Area counties, but like all toxic dumping by the agriculture industry, it is likely more about industry profits." While pro-environment organizations are calling on officials to use sticky traps instead of sprays, aerial treatments are scheduled to begin June 1st in the infested areas of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, with subsequent aerial treatments expected to begin August 1st in San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Tiburon and Belvedere.

Jeff Muskrat writes, "With the fall of the Bear Mountain tree-sit in Victoria, BC, it seems like this is a very crucial time for activists in the trees up and down the west coast. There are two campus trees-sits, one under attack right now at UC Berkeley and one at UC Santa Cruz. These actions are opposing the unnecessary development of greenspace."

On February 12th, the Berkeley City Council voted 7-to-2 to "clarify" an anti-recruitment resolution it had passed on January 29th. The original resolution stated that the U.S. Marine Recruiting Station near Berkeley High School "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders." The new resolution states that the military recruiters have the legal right to stay and that while the city opposes the war and military recruitment, it supports the troops. Members of Code Pink say they now intend to place a resolution against the recruitment center on the local ballot.

Protesters had camped out overnight Monday to oppose changes to the Council's anti-recruitment stand. Several pro-war groups organized members to confront protesters in Berkeley on Tuesday. During afternoon protests, three high school students were arrested by the Berkeley police. No one on the pro-war side was arrested.

To celebrate the growing support for medical cannabis and the spread of safe access in medical cannabis states throughout the nation, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) organized Medical Marijuana Week 2008. Medical Marijuana Week commemorated the passage of Proposition 215, California's medical cannabis law. Each day during the week, Americans for Safe Access announced opportunities to advance safe access to medical cannabis, through actions such as educating one's community, meeting with U.S. Senators, and more. Events were held in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley during the course of the week.