Feature Archives

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

On October 3rd, Andrew Stepanian started a three-year prison term, becoming the first person to do time under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) activists were not accused of causing physical damage to property or people. They were convicted of targeting Huntingdon Life Sciences by maintaining a website which contained information that could potentially be used to commit a crime. Congress has been working to pass more laws offering special protection for businesses that profit from the use of animals and restricting the free speech of peaceful activists.

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

On Wednesday September 27th, the US House of Representatives approved HR 6166 by a margin of 253-168 and on September 28th, the US Senate approved its version of the bill, Senate Bill 3930, in a 65-34 vote. The bill will give President Bush extraordinary power to detain and try prisoners. The legislation strips detainees of the right to challenge their own detention and gives the President the power to detain them indefinitely. The bill also immunizes U.S. officials from prosecution for torturing detainees who the military and the CIA captured before the end of last year.

On September 14th, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to consumers about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in multiple states. The FDA has warned that people should not eat any fresh spinach, or salad mixes that were grown in Monterey County, San Benito County, or Santa Clara County. 171 people are reported to have been sickened, and two deaths seem to be linked to the E-coli. The cause of the contamination has not been determined, but it appears not to be linked to organic farming practices.

On July 19th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote a bill that could lead to more wide-scale drug searches in public schools across the country. It would allow schools to search large groups of students on the mere suspicion that just one of them has drugs. Despite the bill's controversial nature, House leaders skipped the committee deliberation process and brought the bill directly to the floor, effectively giving its sponsor, Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), a victory to help his reelection bid this November. The bill, "The Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006," H.R. 5295, mandates that school districts adopt written policies allowing expanded searches, under threat of losing federal anti-drug funding. There is not yet a Senate version of the bill, so it might not become law.

On Thursday, September 14th, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a legal battle that, many believe, could decide the future of American Indian religious freedom and the ecological integrity of the San Francisco Peaks. The mountain in question is located in Northern Arizona, and is held sacred by some 13 Native American nations. Tribes and environmental groups have united to halt development plans to expand a Ski Resort and to use treated sewage effluent to make artificial snow on the sacred peaks. A caravan from Flagstaff, Arizona was welcomed to SF on Wednesday, September 13th, and several events were held that day and the next. Video and Audio