On Wednesday, February 22, 2006 a group of concerned residents of Fresno’s Addams Community held a demonstration to oppose the relocation of Rosenbalm Rockery, a Clovis concrete and soils processing facility, to a lot directly across the street from the Addams Elementary School. The group, which was made up largely of youth, their parents, and community members, called on Fresno City officials to rezone the area so Rosenbalm Rockery, won't be able to be built by the school. Report and pictures from the protest.

Merced activists believe the federal case of medical marijuana patient, caregiver, and activist Dustin Costa represents a dangerous turn for California's medical marijuana law, as the arrest of DC on federal charges for medical marijuana cultivation was effectively a re-arrest for what had originally been a state case. This was the third case in 2005 in which California law enforcement in the Central Valley has conspired with the DEA to deny a fair trial to a patient-caregiver who sought to operate legally in accordance with Prop. 215. Report and more info here.

Also in the Fresno area, the Reedley Police Department went to court last Thursday to force Bernabe Santillan, who irritates officers by videotaping them during Copwatch, to stop his practice of filming the police. Instead, police officials were served with a counter-claim that would make the city of Reedley liable for Santillan's attorney fees and court costs if the civil injunction is not granted. The case in Fresno County Superior Court pits Santillan's First Amendment right to document police activity on public streets against the city's desire to stop Santillan from allegedly harassing police officers with his cameras. Report and more info here.

In Modesto, the anarchist collective Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians announced a protest on March 25, to rally against a string of racist, fascist, and nazi vandalism attacks in Modesto, and the local area. More info here.