Feature Archives

On Friday, April 21st, President Bush was in San Jose (1 | 2 | 3). A protest was held outside of Cisco Systems when Bush was scheduled to appear. Toward the end of the rally, a half dozen Muslim youth gathered to pray a block from the protest zone. As the street was blocked off to traffic, the youth laid out make-shirt prayer mats in the bike lane and began their prayer ritual. Within moments, San Jose Police had them surrounded, and those that were not passive enough during questioning found themselves hand cuffed. Most were finally released at the scene of the crime after being issued tickets for jay-walking and obstructing traffic.
Audio | Photos: 1 | 2

Bush was then scheduled to meet with fellows at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, but thousands of protestors blocked the main entrance forcing him to change his plans.
Photos | Video
He spent Friday night in the Napa County town of St. Helena, where protesters lined the street.

On Saturday, Bush made a stop at the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento to pay lip service to alternative energy.
Photos | Announcements: 1 | 2 | 3

There will be protests against Bush in the Los Angeles area Sunday and Monday: Read LA Indymedia For More

A christian right organization will hold a Battlecry event at San Francisco's AT&T Park at Third and King Streets on March 24th and 25th. Before the event they held a rally at City Hall on Friday, March 24th. At the rally talked about their plans to build a future for the country based on biblical values. A counter-rally was held Photos: 1 | 2 | Reports: 1 | 2
The values that the right-wing groups promote include wars against Muslim countries, with young "christian soldiers" doing the fighting, laws that take away women's rights to make decisions about their bodies, and other anti-sexual and homophobic ideas. Read more

Theocracy Watch | Globalization, Theocracy & the New Fascism | 2005 No Theocracy Day in SF | Talk to Action

On Tuesday, January 31st, World Can't Wait held protests in many cities around the US during President Bush's State of the Union address. Several thousand people are reported to have attended a protest in Union Square in San Francisco that included the toppling of a 30-foot statue of Bush. ( Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Video ) The organization called for people to "Bring the noise, and drown out Bush's lies," and demand "Bush Step Down! And take your program with you!" Earlier, Bernal Hill was liberated with a huge Bush Step Down sign. Two different protests were called for Sacramento on January 31st. ( Report 1) A State of Emergency Protest was held at 5pm in Santa Rosa. People planned to Drown Out Bush and speak out at 6pm in San Jose.

World Can't Wait is calling for people to converge on Washington, DC at 11:00am on Saturday, February 4th, "for a historic demonstration in front of the White House demanding that "Bush Step Down! And Take Your Program With You!" On Sunday, February 5th, there will be a WCW National Organizing Conference in Washington, DC.
World Can't Wait website

A new organization called "The World Can't Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!" formed in 2005 and organized a national day of protest for Wednesday, November 2nd. That date is the anniversary of Bush's re-election last year. World Can't Wait says, "People everywhere will walk out of school, they will take off work, they will come to the downtowns and town squares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us." World Can't Wait says that people in 67 cities, at 43 colleges and universities, and in 90 high schools will leave their jobs and classes to join protests on that day.

World Can't Wait says that it is organizing people who live in the United States to take responsibility to stop "the whole disastrous course led by the Bush administration. We seek to create a political situation where the Bush administration's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking U.S. society is reversed."

People held rallies, feeder marches, and caravans from all over the Bay Area to gather in San Francisco. They converged at 12pm in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, rallied from 12pm to 1pm, marched at 1:30pm, and an ended with another rally at 4:30pm in Civic Center Plaza. The march down Mission Street and back up Market was a sea of energized youth carrying aloft the distinctive WCW signs, doted with red “Not Our President! – Not in Our Name” posters and Earth flags.
Event speakers included Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace, California State Senator Carole Migden, SF Supervisor Chris Daly, CODEPINK’s Media Benjamin, Jeff Paterson on behalf of Not in Our Name, Paul George of the Pennisula Peace and Justice Center, a taped message from Mumia Abu Jamal, and a statement from WCW initiators the Revolutionary Communist Party.
After the main march left Civic Center, there was an unpermited breakaway march. As the march moved up Mission Street, a Molotov cocktail was tossed at the Chronicle Building. Near the end of the march, a small group sat down in the the street near Hyde and Market as a form of direct action. The police moved in and nine protesters were arrested. A tenth protester was arrested accused of having Molotov cocktails in their posession.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Video

Hayes Valley/Lower Haight/Alamo Square residents gathered at 10:00am to talk about neighborhood organizing, and then marched to Civic Center to join World Can't Wait. In Sacramento, people planned to gather in William Land Park (3930 W Land Park Dr, Sacramento, CA), and they planned to march at 3:45.

Elsewhere in California, protests were also held in Eureka and Los Angeles.
Protest also occurred in Atlanta Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Houston, New York, Portland, and many other cities around the country.

World Can't Wait website

Harriet Miers has withdrawn as a nominee to the US Supreme Court.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the following statement as Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court.
"This was an extremist veto of Miers' nomination. Her withdrawal today demonstrates that the President is beholden to extremist groups rather than to the American people. There is still time to listen to the American people while selecting a nominee. We urge the President to find a nominee who shares the values of the American people. We join Republicans and Democrats alike in calling on President Bush to nominate a justice who will keep the court balanced."
Read More | Bush administration bows to the ultra-right | NOW: O'Connor Must Stay On

On Friday, October 21st, the official unveiling of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's "Air Force One Pavilion" was held in Simi Valley, California. Current president George W. Bush was in attendance, but the library was not open to the public, as is its custom 362 days per year. According to Santa Cruz IMC reporter Bradley, "(t)he closing of the library was a major inconvenience to all the people that wanted to take some time to tribute Ronald Reagan."

As Bradley drew closer to the library, he noticed about 40 people standing on the corner of Madera Road and Country Club Drive. Most of the people were holding signs calling for peace or denouncing Bush and his administration in one way or another. Bradley interviewed several members of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Simi Valley is one of the communities that has been contaminated by the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory Contamination, a disputed and controversial issue involving the contamination of the groundwater, air, workers, and nearby residents near Boeing's (Rocketdyne's) rocket and nuclear test facility known as the Santa Susana Field Labs (or SSFL) in Southern California between 1954 and 1989. Simi Valley is recognized as a very conservative area. Bradley was surprised to see that so many people had come together to call for peace and an end to the occupation of Iraq, and to denounce Bush's frivolous trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Photos and Audio Interviews from October 21st

The California special election of 2005 was held on November 8, 2005 after being called by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 13, 2005. Californians voted on eight ballot initiatives. Propositions 73, 76, and 77 were initiative constitutional amendments, while the others were initiative statutes. The election was the most expensive in California history. Election Returns | 11/8 Labor Victory Statewide; SF's Mixed County Results | MTA Board of Supervisors will remain in the hands of the Mayor | Bay Guardian: Election 2005 | Nov 8: WE WON THE NOV 8 CALIFORNIA ELECTION! | Governator going down in flames; hand gun and military bans in SF | Schwarzenegger Is Shrimp Toast, Aloha!

Statewide Propositions:

Prop. 73 (Defeated) : Waiting period and parental notification before termination of a minor’s pregnancy. Read More | Reproductive Rights Rally and Take Back the Night March | Prop 73 would set up a "hit list" of California judges

Prop. 74 (Defeated): Would make new teachers wait five years before achieving permanent status, and would make firing permanent teachers easier. Read More

Prop. 75 (Defeated): Would require public workers unions to get written permission yearly from each member before their dues money could be used for political activities. Read More | Political Tasks Facing the Working Class

Prop. 76 (Defeated) : Gives the governor significant unilateral powers to cut the budget. Overturns voter-approved Prop. 98 to guarantee minimum funding for education. Would result in cuts to education, health, firefighters and police. Read More | Why Parents Should Give a Damn | Teleconference on October 11 for Reporters, Editors, and Columnists

Prop. 77 (Defeated) : Places responsibility for redistricting in the hands of a panel of retired judges, instead of the state Legislature. Read More

Prop. 78 (Defeated) : Prescription drug initiative written by big pharmaceutical companies. Drug companies could enter a voluntary prescription drug discount program. Fewer people would be served by Prop. 78 than by Prop. 79. Read More

Prop. 79 (Defeated) : Initiated by the broad Health Access coalition, it would create a drug discount program requiring participation by drug manufacturers if they wish to sell drugs through the state’s Medi-Cal program. Read More

Prop. 80 (Defeated) : Would reinstate a legal obligation for PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric – the three big private utilities in California – to operate in the public interest.

SF Propositions: Proposition H (Passed) bans firearms and Proposition I (Passed) attempts to ban military recruiters from public schools

Inside Arnold's Camp - Where are the people of color? | 10/29-11/8 Phone Banks & Precinct Walks to Defeat Arnold Props 73-78 | Photos: Protesting Arnold in Fresno | WSWS: Right-wing initiatives dominate California special election | Todd Chretien: Judgment Day for the Governator