Feature Archives

The 4th anniversary of the US-led war on Iraq is being commemorated March 16th through March 19th. Local vigils took place on Friday and Saturday, and a big ANSWER march took place in San Francisco on Sunday. The SF march started with a rally at noon in Justin Herman Plaza. Around 1pm, protesters marched up Market St. for another rally in Civic Center Plaza. Protests took place in cities across California, including Eureka, Arcata, Chico, Sacramento, Fresno Walnut Creek, Palo Alto, San Jose, and Los Angeles, as well as around the country. 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 anti-war march to the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. On Saturday March 17th, people from around the country gathered in Washington, DC to march on the Pentagon and demand that the US get out of Iraq now.

On Monday, January 22nd DEA "Pill Bottle Dump" actions were held at local federal buildings around California. Events were scheduled for 12pm at federal buildings in cities such as Sacramento. In San Francisco, protesters gathered at 12pm at 450 Golden Gate, and then marched to City Hall. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has raided a number of California dispensaries and grow facilities in the last two months. This has limited safe access to cannabis for bona-fide patients statewide. Americans for Safe Access is demanding an end to DEA raids on patients and providers who are abiding by state law.

On Wednesday, January 17th, the DEA raided some 11 dispensaries in the Los Angeles area, primarily in West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. ASA is calling on patients, advocates, and city officials to protest the attack on safe access. In San Francisco, patients and their supporters gathered to protest the raids at 12pm on Thursday at the Federal Building at 450 Golden Gate Ave. Advocates for medicinal cannabis will protest the recent raids at the Sacramento Federal Building at 5th & I Streets on Tuesday, January 23rd.

The film "HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" takes an in-depth look at representations of manhood, sexism and homophobia in hip-hop culture. This documentary is a “loving critique” of certain "disturbing" developments in rap music culture from the point of view of a fan who challenges the art form’s representations of masculinity. The film was screened on January 9th at the San Francisco Public Library. That event included a screening of the short "Trendsetters or Fakers," and a panel discussion. The film was also shown on January 17th at the Oakland Museum of California. The evening included performances by Youth Movement Records and Youth Speaks, audio pieces produced by TEMPO, and discussion with filmmaker Byron Hurt and hip hop community activists.

After their successful effort to stop Andronico's Market from selling battery-caged eggs in 2006, East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) is now campaigning to stop Andronico's lead competitor Lunardi's Supermarket from doing the same. Lunardi's still relies on egg supplier Ranch Pak which utilizes intensive battery cages in massive warehouses. EBAA launched its outreach campaign against Lunardi's Supermarket on Saturday, December 23 with a demo in Danville.

Americans for Safe Access held the 2nd Annual State Conference on January 13th and 14th at the Pickwick Gardens Conference Center in Burbank, California. ASA staff planned workshops and seminars that are designed to "give activists the skills they need to achieve effective statewide campaigns while providing a vehicle for local campaigns to flourish." PDF of Conference Materials

On Friday, December 15th, US District Judge Jeremy Fogel said that the State of California's lethal injection protocol may be unconstitutional. In his 17-page decision, Fogel urged Governor Schwarzenegger to immediately address "significant problems" with the state's lethal injection procedures before executions can resume on the nation's largest death row. Fogel's decision stems from a challenge by convicted rapist and murderer, Michael Morales, that California's lethal injection protocol violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Most death sentences in the US are carried out through lethal injection. Florida has suspended executions after a medical examiner said the insertion of the needles when Angel Nieves Diaz was put to death this week was botched. Governor Jeb Bush has said that he will not sign any death warrants until the panel that is investigating the state's death process completes its final report.