Feature Archives

Free Battered Women presented Our Voices Within: Out of the Shadows, on Saturday October 21st from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, at the Humanist Hall in Oakland (390 27th St. between Telegraph & Broadway). Flyer/Volante This event celebrated the freedom of formerly incarcerated survivors of domestic violence, and honored those who remain imprisoned. Arts and crafts by incarcerated battered women were featured, and battered women who have been released from California prisons were present.

Sunday, October 22nd was the 11th National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation. Events were held in cities all over the country, with people wearing black and remembering the names of people who have been killed by law enforcement. An update to the book "Stolen Lives: Killed by Law Enforcement" was released on October 22nd. In San Francisco, a 2pm rally was held at Haight and Stanyan. Hundreds marched to Jefferson Square Park for a second rally. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Video: 1 | 2 In San Jose, people whose lives have been directly impacted by police use of force and repression spoke out at an indoor event in the late afternoon. In Fresno, people marched from Justice Corner to N street and Mariposa for a rally and vigil. Photos

The nation’s first bill to address use of panic strategies, the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act (AB 1160), was signed into law on September 28th by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill was written by Assemblymember Sally Lieber and sponsored by Equality California. It puts California firmly on record as opposing a defendant’s use of societal bias against their victim in order to decrease their own culpability for a crime.

The World Can't Wait called for a national day of action on October 5th against the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. In San Francisco, students staged a morning walkout and protesters converged at noon in Justin Herman Plaza. Protests also took place in Oakland, Mill Valley, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Arcata.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Video

Proposition 85, the "Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of a Minor's Pregnancy" initiative, was rejected by California voters on November 7th, 2006. It would have amended California's state constitution to young women under the age of 18 from obtaining abortion care without government-mandated parental notification. Opponents of Prop 85 pointed out that California's adolescent pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates have declined in the last ten years. In San Francisco, pro-choice activists gathered November 8th to learn about the history of abortion laws, and to consider the possibilities that face the pro-choice movement in the future.

After escaping a second forced Iraq deployment via a window in Germany, medic Agustin Aguayo reported to a Mojave Desert army base to continue his fight for a conscientious objector discharge. He applied for the discharge in February 2004 - before he was sent to Tikrit, Iraq, for a year as a combat medic. He has unsuccessfully fought the Pentagon for a discharge ever since. Photos

SB 840, the 'Universal Health Care' bill, was passed by the California State Senate on Aug. 31, and would provide health care coverage to all California residents through a state-run, single-payer system, ending the need for private insurance companies.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promise to veto Senate Bill 840 ensures that the health care system of California will remain privately run.