Feature Archives

Metro lighting in Berkeley claims to be a "socially and environmentally correct 'green business'," but on Thursday, August 9, 2007, workers feared caustic alkaline may have been released into the air as a result of unsafe disposal. IWW members and pro-union workers were locked out that morning after complaining about this potentially serious chemical exposure in their workplace. Daily pickets are being held from 12-5:00pm in front of Metro Lighting at 2121 San Pablo in Berkeley.

In yet another bicycle tragedy, Elena Castaneda was run over and killed some time around 8am on August 9th by a large dump truck at the intersection of West, Isabella, and San Pablo in Oakland. Castaneda's death is eerily similar to the death of John Msylin on August 7th in Santa Cruz who was also run over and killed by a large truck while cycling.

On August 2nd, there was a memorial die-in in front of the Federal Building in San Francisco to honor Hal Carlstad. Hal died on June 12th. He was a consummate anti-death penalty, anti-war, environmental, and civil rights activist. He was a frequent protester on behalf of People's Park, nuclear disarmament, Cuba, Haiti, Palestine, and El Salvador.

Chauncey Bailey was shot to death in downtown Oakland on August 2nd. Bailey was killed around 7:30AM on 14th Street near Alice Street, in what police described as "an assassination". Chauncey Bailey was an editor for the Oakland Post and had previously worked as a reporter for The Oakland Tribune.

On August 4th, Devaughndre Broussard was booked in connection with the shooting. Broussard was a handyman at Your Black Muslim Bakery and has reportedly confessed to having killed Bailey because of the journalist's coverage of the group.

On Monday August 6th, there was memorial ceremony and nonviolent direct action at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, to mark the 62nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The commemoration culminated with an air raid siren and a moment of silence and reflection at 8:15 AM, the exact time of day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. 29 people, including Daniel Ellsberg, were arrested for blocking entry into the labs.

On July 31st, medical marijuana patients and supporters rallied at a Berkeley City Council meeting to urge the City Council to adopt a Sanctuary Resolution to help protect medical cannabis dispensaries within the city. Supporters were mobilized because the LAPD had just seized the bank account of the Berkeley Patients' Group, which is a local dispensary. Local activists spoke about the need to protect patients and providers from federal interference both in Berkeley and across the state. City Council members assured the patients and their supporters that this issue will be taken up when the City Council reconvenes in September.

A life-size chicken cage-- confining humans instead of birds --will be on display at Lunardi's Supermarket in Danville on Saturday, August 4th as East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) asks the Bay Area-based grocery chain to stop selling eggs from chickens raised in overcrowded, wire cages, which are known as battery cages.