Feature Archives

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

On August 12th, Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar was told by airline Jet Blue that he could not board an airline with a t-shirt saying "we will not be silent" in Arabic and English. One official told him, "Going to an airport with a T-shirt in Arabic script is like going to a bank and wearing a T-shirt that says, `I'm a robber'". Raed Jarrar is currently living in the Bay Area and is the Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange. Before the US invasion of Iraq, Raed lived in Iraq and ocasionally wrote on Salam Pax's blog before starting his own blog "Raed In The Middle".

Labor Day, September 4th, was a National Day of Action for Immigrant Rights. A March for Immigrant, Worker and Community Justice was held in San Francisco. Thousands gathered at 10am in Justin Herman Plaza and at 11:30am marched to Civic Center. The day of action focused on local struggles of immigrants, hotel workers, and those fighting displacement in BayView/Hunters Point. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Over ten thousand people marched in San José. The march started at King and Story roads and proceeded to Alum Rock Ave/E Santa Clara St before arriving at San Jose City Hall. Photos: 1 | 2 .

There was a march for immigrant rights in Oakland, that started at International Blvd. and 98th Ave and went to the Federal Building for an 11:30 rally. People also gathered for an immigrants' rights rally in Southside Park in Sacramento at 10am. There was also a March for Legalization at the Fulton Mall in Fresno Photos | Video .

On August 24th, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its decision to allow Plan B, the emergency contraceptive (EC) manufactured by Barr Pharmaceuticals, to be sold without prescription (over-the-counter) to women age 18 and older who show proof of age. National women's organizations are calling this an "incomplete victory" because it does not include young women aged 17 and younger. EC contains the same medication found in birth control pills, which have been used by millions of women for decades.

Several events were held in SF and Oakland to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina disaster on the Gulf Coast. People honor those who have died, committed to fight for the right to return for all those who are still displaced, and demanded an end to blatant racial discrimination in post-Katrina New Orleans. A Katrina Community Commemoration Event was held on Tuesday, August 29th at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland. Other Bay Area events included a film festival on Sunday, August 27th in SF, and a press conference on August 28th at FEMA Headquarters in Oakland. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Flyer SF Critical Mass will also commemorate Katrina on August 25th.

A federal judge in Detroit ruled on August 17th that the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program is unconstitutional and must be stopped. President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency program in 2001, and it was revealed in the media last year. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor found that the program violated freedom of speech, protections against unreasonable searches and a constitutional check on the power of the presidency. The Justice Department has appealed the decision and a hearing is set for September 7th. The ruling is on hold pending the appeal.

The Veterans For Peace national convention was held in Seattle from August 10th through the 13th. One of those who addressed the convention was Ricky Clousing, a 24-year-old Army sergeant and interrogator from Seattle. Clousing left Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division and has been AWOL since. Another speaker was Lt. Ehren Watada, who publicly refused to deploy with the Fort Lewis, Washington-based 3rd Stryker Brigade.