One Imagination

NEW SITE!

2011-06-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE MOVED!!!

http://oneimagination.weebly.com/

Break The Silence 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

2011-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

ONE IMAGINATION presents: BREAK THE SILENCE
in downtown Long Beach, CA.

Featured Artist: CANELA NEGRA

Our four year anniversary is coming up and we want you to be a part of it! Meet old face and new as we reminisce on memories and look forward to building new ones. First timers highly encouraged!

Thursday, May 26, 2011 (and every last Thursday of the month)
7-10PM, sign-ups begin at 6:30PM.
Please arrive early to guarantee slot.

Email ONEIMAGINATION@GMAIL.COM for more information.

Also featuring:

Featured in this video is Sumiko Braun, a hip hop/spoken word artist involved with The CollectiV and One Imagination.

http://oneimagination.blogspot.com
http://www.sumikobraun.com

COMMERCIALS:

Refined words near the crude oil towers

2011-05-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

Refined words near the crude oil towers

One Imagination was highlighted recently in a Los Angeles Times column written by Hector Tobar. Check it out!

HabuNami video featuring 1i artist MAYAZTECA

2011-01-01T22:52:00.001-08:00

OUR WORD IS OUR WEAPON: A Creative and Critical Response to Bullying, Suicide, and the Difficulties Faced by Queer Youth

2010-11-20T23:03:00.000-08:00

Because it only "gets better" when we do something about it.

Highways Performance Space - Artistic Director Leo Garcia presents

OUR WORD IS OUR WEAPON

A Creative and Critical Response to Bullying, Suicide, and the Difficulties Faced by Queer Youth

Produced by One Imagination, a social justice arts collective

Directed by Carina Clemente

When David's poetry outs him at school, the bullies take their harassment and abuse to the next level. Even the support of his best friends, Gina and Melanie, is not enough to stave off his feelings of depression and hopelessness. With homophobic parents who don't understand and no adults to intervene, David turns to what he, and so many gay youth, believe is their only option: suicide. But David is given a second chance and finds the love and support he needs to courageously empower himself and take his life in a new direction.

ONE NIGHT ONLY! -- Sunday, December 5th

Performance starts at 7:30PM

Highways Performance Space and Gallery

at the 18th Street Arts Center

1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

$15 Regular | $10 Students*

Ticket Customer Service: 310-315-1459

Purchase Tickets Online @ highwaysperformance.org

Featuring: Lucas Hardeman, Courtney Klink, Cree Lee, Sumiko Braun, Timothy “Big Brother” Cheung, Andres Ruiz, Kayla De Los Reyes, Arie Dunkelberger, and Violet Guardado

If you care about the lives of youth, if you want to understand the struggles youth face, if you want to change the way things are, then you don't want to miss this show.

Official Website: http://ourwordisourweapon.weebly.com

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160036024037019

Violence Against Women

2010-08-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Violence Against Women

A final YA BASTA paper written by:
Abrielle Parker (age 15)
Dianne Cababa (age 13)
Karen Ramirez (age 20)
Keymara Garzon (age 17)

Violence against women is an issue commonly found in the home. Which can include anything ranging from threats to actual physical, psychological and/or sexual abuse against a woman and family members. This physical and mental violence not only affects the women suffering the abuse but also the children in the home and the parents of the woman. Causes of this problem are power and control, growing up in and around violence and being exposed to a distorted concept of manhood.

Physical assaults of a woman by partners range from 1.1 million to almost 4 million per year. This issue should be known and understood more because women usually hold the household together. Having to raise their children in an environment with violence can cause mental damage; which just starts a different cycle of abuse.

Native American women lived in an egalitarian society where both males and females were seen as equals. The Iroquois are an example of this egalitarian society. In this society women contributed to agriculture, food gathering, and owned property; it was believed that if the women worked the land then they owned that land.

In this period women also had political power and could easily get rid of a chief that she considered unfair. Many Native American tribes, including the Iroquois had matriarchal lineage, which meant that property, land was passed through the women in the family. White colonists disturbed this way of life, upon their arrival to what they considered the “new world”, they saw the Native American way of life as completely wrong.

White colonists came from a patriarchal society where they believed that husbands and fathers had the right and even duty to “correct” their wives and children through abuse. Colonists also had the view that women were separate and inferior to men.

Sexual violence was used as a weapon for the conquest of native people; natives were seen as “dirty”, inferior beings. During colonial times African women were sexually abused for economic benefit. Slave owners would rape the women so that they would have children to increase the slave labor. These women too were seen as inferior and “dirty” and were treated like chattel. Because these women were “owned” the owners were not charged or prosecuted with rape.

Another cultural normality that has developed and influenced violence against women comes from Ancient Greek, Roman, and Hebrew civilizations. In these civilizations winners in combat would come home and have the right to rape and pillage. In this period women were considered property so it was not considered a big deal when wives, mothers, and daughters were raped. The development of violence against women has also stemmed from Calvinist, Puritan and biblical beliefs. The biblical reference of Eve has created an image of women as evil. Calvinist teachings say that women should remain quiet, passive and confined to the home. Puritan women are viewed as submissive to men, “unto him God put her in subjection”. Like mentioned before, women were seen as inferior and property and because of this whenever violence was present, actions were not taken against those who committed the violent acts. Rape was not considered rape when the husband forced his wife to have sexual intercourse with him. Rape was not considered rape when a slave owner raped his slave because she was property. And violence was not considered a big issue because men were encouraged to discipline their wives. All types of violent acts against women stem from colonialism, racism, and classism.

There are many organizations that focus on addressing violence against women. In the Vietnam War 58,000 soldiers died and at the same period of time 51,000 women were killed mostly by men. In the summer of 1990, that statistic became what started a union of women's groups on Cape Cod, Massachusetts to break the silence and bear witness one issue. The Clothesline Project honors women survivors as well as victims of intimate violence. This group of women wanted to find a unique way to take the statistics and turn them into a pro active. One of the women in the group named Rachel Caley-Harper showed the concept of using shirts. They let each women tell her story by using words or artwork to decorate her shirt and then hang them on the clothesline. The reason for using shirts and hanging them was because doing the laundry was considered women's work.

In 2004, Amnesty International had its global stop violence against women campaign to also help break the silence, stop the violence, and create a world where women and girls are afforded their basic human rights. The Amnesty International members have united to work towards making women’s human rights a reality.

So the question is now: What are we going to do about it?

API Hip Hop and Update from Melissa Roxas on Her Abduction

2010-08-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

re-posted from Justice for Melissa Roxas

API Hip Hop and Update from Melissa Roxas on Her Abduction
Aug 20th, 2010

From APEX Express

Listen here: http://kpfa.org/archive/id/63400

This week’s Apex Express, hosted by Kiwi Illafonte, features an exclusive interview with Filipino American activist Melissa Roxas who was abducted and tortured for six days while on a medical mission in the Philippines in 2009. She will share her experience, talk about the progress of her case, and what is currently being done to address the human rights crisis in the Philippines.

This is also Apex’s once-a-month hip hop program, featuring songs from Asian & Pacific Islander hip hop artists, as well as an interview with local Bay Area rapper Jern Eye.

Come watch Melissa Roxas at this Thursday's Break the Silence Open Mic!

Be in Connie Lim's First Collage Music Video!

2010-08-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

re-posted from Connie Lim Music

8/19/2010: Be in my very first Collage Music Video!

Hey homies! I have recently been inspired by International Friend's Day to make an interactive music video with YOU!

If you email connielimstreetteam@gmail.com with pictures of you with friends, along with shout outs to your buddies, I will respond to your email with a free mp3 of "walk on", and place you as a part of the collage music video!

So far we have submissions from new friends all the way from Japan, Hawaii, and Hong Kong! Let's get some more fresh faces so I can celebrate YOU celebrating FRIENDS!

Once I'm finished with this little project of mine (teehee), I'll send you the link to the video, and you can send it to the friends you sent pictures of. What a great way to reconnect with friends in our age of technology, rushing, and being busy bees!

Please send your pix in by August 30th!

Come watch Connie Lim at this Thursday's Break the Silence Open Mic!

Next Week -- Break the Silence!

2010-08-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

One Imagination presents

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic

Thursday, August 26th

7PM - 10PM

@ Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach
Sign-ups start at 6:30PM

One Imagination is truly blessed and honored this August Break the Silence Open Mic to feature two amazing and inspiring Asian American women: Melissa Roxas and Connie Lim.

Melissa Roxas is a Filipina-American poet, writer, organizer, and human rights activist.
http://justiceformelissa.org/

Connie Lim is a singer and songwriter, "I aim to write heartfelt, intelligent, and honest lyrics, and to sing with a vulnerable yet powerful voice."
http://www.connielimmusic.com/

Screening of Iraq for Sale on Friday, August 6th at The HUB in Long Beach

2010-08-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Cinema of the Oppressed presents

IRAQ FOR SALE
THE WAR PROFITEERS

Friday, August 6, 2010 @ 7:30PM
@ The H.U.B. Bicycle Co-op:

1741 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90813
$1 Donation

IRAQ FOR SALE is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war. Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq (Blackwater, Halliburton/KBR, CACI and Titan) and the decision makers who allow them to do so.

The screening is outdoors so please dress warmly as the weather is unpredictable!

Street parking is available, but we highly encourage folks to ride their bikes or take public transportation. The Metro Rail Blue Line Pacific Coast Highway Station is walking distance from The H.U.B.

One Imagination 323-337-4413 oneimagination@gmail.com

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic is THIS Thursday, July 29th, 7-10PM in Long Beach!

2010-07-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic is THIS Thursday, July 29th, 7-10PM in Long Beach!

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic
Thursday, July 29th
7PM - 10PM (Sign ups start at 6:30PM)
Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
FREE

You, your friends, loved ones, and family are invited to come, perform, share, watch, eat, drink, laugh, cry, love, and connect at this month's BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic presented by One Imagination.

We strive to provide a safe space where all established and emerging artists can come together and share the stage to express themselves -- their struggles, their desires, their suffering, their passions, their accomplishments. And we absolutely love first timers! First timers are highly encouraged to get on the mic and share their creative work.

Featured artists for July's BTS include the amazing live hip hop band, The Committee, and the debut of One Imagination's own hip hop emcee and Long Beach fixie master, SK. You don't want to miss this!

Support One Imagination!
Make sure to visit our merchandise table to support the work One Imagination is doing. We have recycled DIY shirts, used books, political pamphlets, and more! We also recently released Voices of Our Community, a compilation album featuring local artists from Long Beach, South Bay, and South Los Angeles. All album proceeds go towards funding our youth programs. Stop by the table and say hi!

Exciting update - Childcare Available at BTS
One Imagination is now providing CHILDCARE at Break the Silence from 7-9PM. Families are an important and key part of our community and we want to include you!

Parents, please bring along your children, drop them off to the backroom at Pizza Pi with experienced caregivers for fun activities and games, and enjoy your evening of community spoken word, music, poetry, dance, and artistic expression! Children, be prepared to create and have fun! We'll be working on a children's collaborative mural :).

Hope to see you at BTS!
-1i

BTS this Thursday, Counter-Militarism Workshop this Sunday, 1i Team Returns from Brave New Voices

2010-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello One Imagination family!

How are you doing this beautiful summer 2010? We have some updates and announcements for this week:

The One Imagination Long Beach Youth Poetry Slam Team Returns from Brave New Voices
Break the Silence! Open Mic is THIS Thursday, July 29th, 7-10PM in Long Beach
Counter-Recruitment & Anti-Militarism Workshop is THIS Sunday, August 1st, 12-4PM in Long Beach
YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute is Entering Session VII and Going Strong

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The One Imagination Long Beach Youth Poetry Slam Team Returns from Brave New Voices

This past week, youth poets from all over the world gathered in Los Angeles for the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Competition and Conference, and One Imagination had a team of four young fierce female poets represent Long Beach. Though Team Long Beach did not win, the youth had the opportunity to participate in an international level slam competition and meet other youth poets from across the nation and globe. The One Imagination family is so proud and wants to congratulate Abrielle Parker, Cree Lee, Meaghan Bermudes, and Milan Bond for putting in so much hard work in developing themselves as writers and performers. We also want to thank June “Jumakae” Kaewsith and Tim “Big Brother” Cheung for taking on the role as coaches for the team and for supporting and challenging the youth in becoming more impacting and confident artists and people. This accomplishment is not one we expected to pursue even a year ago, and it further reinforces for us the importance of youth empowerment and the arts.

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BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic is THIS Thursday, July 29th, 7-10PM in Long Beach!

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic
Thursday, July 29th
7PM - 10PM (Sign ups start at 6:30PM)
Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
FREE

You, your friends, loved ones, and family are invited to come, perform, share, watch, eat, drink, laugh, cry, love, and connect at this month's BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic presented by One Imagination.

We strive to provide a safe space where all established and emerging artists can come together and share the stage to express themselves -- their struggles, their desires, their suffering, their passions, their accomplishments. And we absolutely love first timers! First timers are highly encouraged to get on the mic and share their creative work.

Featured artists for July's BTS include the amazing live hip hop band, The Committee, and the debut of One Imagination's own hip hop emcee and Long Beach fixie master, SK. You don't want to miss this!

Support One Imagination!
Make sure to visit our merchandise table to support the work One Imagination is doing. We have recycled DIY shirts, used books, political pamphlets, and more! We also recently released Voices of Our Community, a compilation album featuring local artists from Long Beach, South Bay, and South Los Angeles. All album proceeds go towards funding our youth programs. Stop by the table and say hi!

Exciting update - Childcare Available at BTS
One Imagination is now providing CHILDCARE at Break the Silence from 7-9PM. Families are an important and key part of our community and we want to include you!

Parents, please bring along your children, drop them off to the backroom at Pizza Pi with experienced caregivers for fun activities and games, and enjoy your evening of community spoken word, music, poetry, dance, and artistic expression! Children, be prepared to create and have fun! We'll be working on a children's collaborative mural :).

------

Counter-Recruitment & Anti-Militarism Workshop is THIS Sunday, August 1st, 12-4PM in Long Beach

Did you know nearly 50% of our U.S. federal income taxes go towards defense and the military?
Did you know that U.S. troops occupy nations across the globe, and not just ones where we are engaged in illegal and unjustified wars?
Did you know the U.S. government spends $20,000 on enlisting just ONE youth into the military while funding for schools and education are slashed year after year?
Did you know military recruiters target poor and working class youth of color, filling them with blatant LIES of how their college education will be paid for, how they’ll never see combat, and how they’ll be given applicable job training?

Want to do something about it??

Counter-Recruitment & Anti-Militarism Workshop by CAMS
Sunday, August 1st
12PM – 4PM
Catalyst Space: 430 E. 1st Street, Long Beach, CA 90802

One Imagination is looking at adopting a counter-recruitment and anti-militarism campaign in the Long Beach, South Bay, Harbor, and South Los Angeles area, and to kick off the planning, we have invited the Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in Schools (CAMS) to conduct a workshop with us. If you are interested in getting involved, please come through to the workshop. And then afterwards we’ll all head over to Cesar Chavez Park for Park Jam!

The Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in Schools: http://www.militaryfreeschools.org/

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¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute is Entering Session VII and Going Strong

If you haven’t heard, One Imagination launched its first ever youth organizing institute, ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough! this summer 2010. In the last 7 weeks we have studied, discussed, and analyzed concepts such as oppression, capitalism, and imperialism. We have gone on a reality tour of Los Angeles and compared the wealth and economic access in communities such as Palos Verdes and Watts. We have looked at ourselves and the status of our own neighborhoods when it comes to education and poverty. We have done icebreakers and played games to get to know each other better. We have learned about organizing and movement-building, looked at case studies from SNCC to the EZLN. We have learned about base-building, and done street outreach in Long Beach. And we still have 4 more sessions to go! Every day we spend with this group of young people, we are more and more impressed by their ability to open themselves up and challenge themselves to becoming compassionate and engaged members of our community.

If all this sounds interesting to you, make sure to contact us about getting involved with One Imagination for future programs.

Other Announcements:

The TN Party: Annual Benefit for the Tuesday Night Project
Saturday, July 31
5PM – 11PM
JACCC Plaza
244 S. San Pedro St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$15 pre-sale, $20 at the door // $15 student / senior // children 12 and under FREE
Tickets on sale NOW: http://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/

Hope we connect soon,
One Imagination

Justice 4 Oscar Grant: Write a LETTER to the Judge!

2010-07-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

Wanna help out the Justice 4 Oscar Grant movement??

Write a Letter to Judge Perry, tell him to give Johannes Mehserle the maximum sentence permissible under the law!!

Send letters addressed to Judge Perry to:
Law Offices of John Burris
7677 Oakport St, Ste 1120
Oakland, CA 94621

*Letters will go to the Probation Dept, who is responsible for recommending sentencing in criminal cases...

**We are sending PHYSICAL LETTERS to the judge, NOT emails. We need to step our game up Up UP if we are going to get anywhere.
Same old tactics = same old results = No Justice.

For more info: contact the New Years Movement 4 Justice
for Oscar Grant, all New Years victims, and all victims of police abuse
http://newyearsmovement.org

Comment now to ensure Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes get approved!

2010-07-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Re-posted from The Labor/Community Strategy Center
http://www.thestrategycenter.org/blog/2010/07/12/comment-now-ensure-wilshire-bus-only-lanes-get-approved

Comment now to ensure Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes get approved!
By April Wong
Publication Date: Monday, July 12, 2010

We're so close to making Bus Only Lanes a reality!

The draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes Project has been released for public review!

Over the next month until July 26th, MTA will be taking in public comments online and via mail to be included in the official Environmental Impact Report.

If all goes as planned we can have the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes up and running in early 2012!

Your comments are critical, due by July 26th
Your comments will be critical during this time because full public participation makes the Environmental Impact Report that much stronger.

As soon as the Environmental Impact Report is completed, the Los Angeles City Council and the MTA can move to approve the project for construction.

Imagine what we else we can unlock with this precedent for reducing auto/oil consumption in the auto capital of the world!

How to submit your comment
Submit your comment supporting the results of the draft Environmental Impact Report to Wilshirebrt@metro.net or visit the website for an online comment submission form at http://www.metro.net/projects/wilshire/

Key points for your comment
1. I support the findings of the draft EIR.
2. I urge MTA and LA City Council to adopt the "Alternative A" proposal with one minor amendment. Amend the proposal to include Valencia to Parkview St. segments in the project where the Westlake/Alvarado community resides.
3. I support the expedient implementation of the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes Project.

Organizing behind the Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
The last two weeks members of the Bus Riders Union, environmental allies such as Green LA and Natural Resources Defense Council, community residents from the Wilshire Corridor, Koreatown, and Pico Union as well as the Westside have come out to testify at 4 public hearings on why they support the results of the environmental impact report and the overall bus-only lanes project.

The successful implementation of the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes project is not only an environmental breakthrough but holds the key to implementing a countywide bus-only lanes network and bus-only lanes throughout the rest of the country. Our right to clean air, responsibility to reduce greenhouse gases and the impacts of global warming, and reclaiming our streets from cars for our mobility and community needs all takes a movement fighting on the ground to win.

THE LYNCHINGS CONTINUE: Police Brutality in America

2010-07-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

THE LYNCHINGS CONTINUE: Police Brutality in America
by Stephen Lendman Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Despite Congress passing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, Congress has consistently failed to fund it. Further, the legislation doesn't require local police agencies to keep records, nor does it criminalize police violence and excessive force as human rights violations.

Across America, daily incidents occur, one of many the cold-blooded January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant - unarmed, offering no resistance, thrust face-down on the ground, shot in the back, and killed, videotaped on at least four cameras for irrefutable proof. USA Today said five bystanders taped it.

His killer: Oakland, CA transit officer, Johannes Mehserle, tried for the killing, the jury told to consider four possible verdicts - innocent, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter, jurors deciding the latter.

The Legal Dictionary defines it as "The act of unlawfully killing another human being unintentionally," the absence of intent distinguishing it from voluntary manslaughter. Many states don't define it or do it vaguely. Wallin & Klarich Violent Crime Attorneys say in California it carries a two - four year sentence. However, since a gun was used, Judge Robert Perry can add three to 10 additional years.

Because minority victims seldom get justice, especially against police, Mehserle may serve minimal time, then be paroled quietly when the current furor subsides.
After the verdict, it erupted on Oakland streets, hundreds turning out to protest, Bay Area indymedia.org saying:

"The actions of the Police in Oakland tonight (including dozens of arrests) show their disrespect for justice in General. Their heavy handed violence towards protestors just reinforces their total disconnect with the people of Oakland." It's as true everywhere across America, police acting like Gestapo, usually unaccountably.

Grant's family will appeal the verdict and is suing the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) for $25 million, his mother Wanda Johnson saying "My son was murdered (and) the law has not held the officer accountable." It rarely does for Black, Latino, or other minorities, no matter the injustice, civil rights lawyer John Burris, representing Grant's family in the civil suit, saying:

"The system is rarely fair when a police officer shoots an African-American male." Police brutality against them and other minorites is systemic, including beatings, torture, and cold-blooded murder, usually with impunity, justice nearly always denied.

While far from certain, the Obama administration may charge Mehserle with civil rights or hate crime violations, DOJ spokesman Alejandro Miyar saying:

"The Justice Department has been closely monitoring the state's investigation and prosecution. The Civil Rights Division, the US Attorney's Office, and the FBI have an open investigation into the fatal shooting and, at the conclusion of the state prosecution, will conduct an independent review of the facts and circumstances to determine whether the evidence warrants federal prosecution."

Systemic Police Brutality
An earlier Jones Report.com text and video account headlined, "Epidemic of Police Brutality Sweeps America," showing footage of police repeatedly tasering a student with 50,000 volts of electricity for questioning the 2004 election results at a campus meeting.

Other videotaped incidents showed:

a man victimized by police violence;

a former sheriff's deputy acquitted of voluntary manslaughter for shooting an unarmed man;

police repeatedly beating an old man on the head, "for the crime of intoxication;"

officers violently using assault rifles, tear gas, dogs, and at least one helicopter in an alleged narcotics sweep;

a woman tasered to death by police; and

a man in shock, bleeding and burned over much of his body, ordered to lie on the pavement, then tasered and shot to death while he sat dazed, the Report highlighting systemic police violence "repeated almost every day in (America), the police (getting) away with murder," beatings, and other lawless acts - poor Blacks, Latinos, and Muslims for their faith and ethnicity their usual victims.

Amnesty International (AI) on American Police Brutality
On its web site, AI says "Police brutality and use of excessive force has been one of the central themes of (AI's) campaign on human rights violations in the USA," launched in October 1998. In its "United States of America: Rights for All Index," it documented systematic patterns of abuse across America, including "police beatings, unjustified shootings and the use of dangerous restraint techniques to subdue suspects."

Yet little is done to monitor or constrain it, evidence showing that "racial and ethnic minorities were disproportionately" harmed by harassment, verbal and physical abuse, false arrests, and in the case of West African immigrant, Amadou Diallo, shot at 41 times by four New York policemen, struck 19 times and killed while he stood in the vestibule of his apartment building, unarmed and nonviolent, victimized by police brutality.

Nationwide, driving while black has been criminalized, racial profiling used for traffic stops and searches for suspected drugs or other reasons, the practice especially common in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Texas.

AI cited numerous incidents, including beatings and "questionable" shootings, usually found to be unjustified, yet cops most often absolved. Although most US police departments stipulate that officers should only use deadly force when their lives, or others, are endangered, dozens of cases show they do it indiscriminately, at most being "mildly disciplined" even if guilty of serious misconduct.

"Police shooting(s) resulting in death or injury are routinely reviewed (internally or) by local prosecutors....to see whether criminal laws (were) violated. However, few officers are criminally charged and little public information is given out if a case does not go to trial." As a result, systemic abuse stays hidden, police brutality allowed to persist with impunity.

Despite Congress passing the 1994 Police Accountability Act, incorporated into the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act to require the Attorney General to compile national data on excessive police force, Congress has consistently failed to fund it. Further, the legislation doesn't require local police agencies to keep records or submit data to the Justice Department. Nor does it criminalize police violence and excessive force as human rights violations.

ACLU Report on Racial and Ethnic Profiling
In August 2009, the report titled, "The Persistence of Racial Profiling in the United States" quoted Rep. John Conyers (D. MI) saying "Since (9/11), our nation has engaged in a policy of institutionalized racial and ethnic profiling," although, as an African-American, he knows the problem goes back generations, most recently in the "war on terrorism" against Blacks, Latinos, and Muslims for their faith, ethnicity, activism, prominence, and at times charity, a topic this writer addresses often - arrests, some violently, bogus charges, prosecutions, and imprisonments often compounding the injustice.

Post-9/11 under Bush and Obama, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have engaged in virulent racial/ethnic profiling, what the ACLU calls "a widespread and pervasive problem throughout the United States, impacting the lives of millions of people in African American, Asian, Latino, South Asian, and Arab communities."
Evidence shows that racial minorities are systematically victimized, without cause, in public, when driving, at work, at home, in places of worship, and traveling, often violently.

Evidence shows that racial minorities are systematically victimized, without cause, in public, when driving, at work, at home, in places of worship, and traveling, often violently.

A "major impediment to (prohibiting it) remains the continued unwillingness or inability of the US government to pass federal legislation (banning the practice) with binding effect on federal, state or local law enforcement."

Nor do authorities comply with the provisions of the 1994 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) that obligates all levels of government.

In addition, the Justice Department's 2003 Guidance Regarding the Use of Race by Federal Law Enforcement Agencies designed to ban federal officers from engaging in racial profiling is, in fact, flawed and does little to end it, because it doesn't cover "profiling based on religion, religious appearance, or national origin."

Nor does it apply to state and local law enforcement where police brutality is systemic. In addition, it specifies no enforcement mechanisms or punishments for violators, and contains a "blanket exception for national security and border integrity cases," besides being advisory and not legally binding.

As a result, it actually promotes profiling and abuse, including false arrests, beatings and killings. It's not surprising how minorities have been systematically mistreated by federal, state and local authorities, or that congressional legislation introduced to stop it never passed.

On December 13, 2007, the House and Senate introduced their versions of the End Racial Profiling Act (HR 4611 and S. 2481). Both bills were referred to committee and never enacted - making it extremely hard to nearly impossible for victims to successfully challenge abuses against them.

As a candidate, Obama promised a "Blueprint for Change" to ban racial profiling and related mistreatment, criminalizing them, but so far, no measures have been introduced or passed, showing another promise made, another broken, a systematic pattern under his leadership, across the board against the constituencies that elected him. Hopefully they'll remember next election and choose another way, a third way, both parties equally corrupted in deference to big money and systemic police brutality that serves it.

National Police Misconduct Statistics
The Injustice Everywhere.com (IE) web site compiles them, publishing them in regular reports, some for individual cities, including daily accounts. One on July 10 covers King County, WA deputy Paul Schene, captured on videotape assaulting a 15-year old girl in jail. He was tried twice, hung juries resulting each time.

On July 9, the County Prosecutor's Office dropped the charges, and won't pursue a third trial. As a result, the sheriff's department may rehire Schene, though he still faces possible disciplinary action. It's currently in arbitration, IE saying decisions nearly always favor officers, in which case he'll likely be reinstated to abuse other detainees, off camera to avoid being charged.

In early 2010, IE published an April - mid-December 2009 (8.5 months) Police Misconduct Report, from figures compiled in its National Police Misconduct Statistics Reporting Project (NPMSRP), begun earlier in March 2009, analyzing data:
"by utilizing news media reports of police misconduct to generate statistical information (to) approximate how prevalent (it) may be in the United States."

Police departments don't usually provide them, nor do courts, except for successful prosecutions, omitting confidential settlements and cases resulting in disciplinary action only, not trials. Media reports, though imperfect, are more complete because laws limit or filter information released. As a result, IE's data "should be considered as a low-end estimate of the current rate of police misconduct," as well as in individual cities covered.

Statistics compiled follow the same DOJ/FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) methodology, recording only the most serious allegation (not conviction) when multiple ones are associated with a particular incident. The findings were as follows:

3,445 police misconduct reports;

4,012 officers charged;

261 law enforcement officials (police chiefs or sheriffs) cited;

4,778 alleged victims;

258 fatalities reported;

an average of 15.05 daily incidents or one every 96 minutes;

nearly $200 million in related civil litigation expense, excluding legal fees and court costs;

980.64 per 100,000 officers charged;

one of every 266 officers accused of a violent crime;

one of every 1,875 charged with homocide;

one of every 947 accused of sexual assault;

33% of police officers charged were convicted, not necessarily justly for the offense committed;

64% of officers convicted were imprisoned, not necessarily as long as justified;

those sentenced served an average 14 months, far less than citizens for the same crime;

misconduct by category included 18.1% for non-firearm related excessive force; 11.9% for sexual misconduct; and 8.9% for fraud or theft;

analyzing reports by last reported status showed 45.9% affected officers adversely, including 14% internally disciplined and 31.9% criminally charged; of the latter, 32.5% were convicted "for a 10.4% total criminal conviction rate for alleged misconduct incidents; and

27% resulted in civil lawsuits, 34.3% favoring victims.

In addition, data were compiled for states, cities and counties, excluding unavailable federal statistics as well as local omissions, especially in some states. Various offenses included:
accountability: evidence of coverups, lax discipline, and other failures to adhere to official policies or processes;

animal cruelty, harming them by unnecessary shooting, inappropriate KP unit training, or other mistreatment;

assault: "unwarranted violence" off-duty, excluding murder;
auto incidents involving recklessness, negligence, and other violations of official policies;

brutality, involving excessive physical force on-duty, excluding firearms or tasers;

civil rights, including unconstitutional civil liberties violations such as lawless peaceful protest disruptions;

sexual misconduct, including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, wrongfully eliciting sex, harassment, coercion, prostitution, sex on duty, incest, and molestation;

theft or fraud, including robbery, shoplifting, extortion or bribery;

shooting: gun-related incidents both on and off-duty, including self-harm;

taser: excessive force, including usage not according to guidelines, resulting in excessive injury or death; also, improper taser use may be recorded as "brutality;"

color of law, including incidents involving misuse of authority such as bribery, soliciting favors, extortion by threat of arrest, or using badges to avoid arrest;

perjury, including false testimony, dishonesty during investigations, and falsifying charging papers or warrants; and

raids, including misconduct during warranted or warrantless operations or searches, wrong address raids, mistaken ones, use of no-knock ones when warrants require notification, or mistreatment during executions.

Misconduct status stages go from allegations to investigations, lawsuits, charges, trials, judgments, disciplinary measures, terminations, convictions, and sentences.

IE compiles data regularly, prepares daily and quarterly reports, and henceforth an annual one each January the following year. It explains that its statistics:

"should only be used (as) a very basic and general view of the extent of police misconduct. It is by no means an accurate gauge that truly represents the exact extent (of its extensiveness) since it relies on the information voluntarily gathered and/or released to the media, not (first-hand) by independent monitors who investigate complaints.....because no such agency exists for any law enforcement agency...."

Detailed quarterly and annual reports are produced, not monthly ones considered a less accurate "depiction of the overall extent of police misconduct...." Daily reports cover a sampling of individual incidents. Overall, IE provides a valuable reading of systemic police misconduct, though capturing only a snapshot of the full problem - widespread, abusive, violent, often with impunity, and when officers are held accountable, imposed discipline is usually mild, prison sentences rare and short-term, victims cheated by a criminally unjust system, favoring power over people, no matter the offense.

Final Comments
In December 2007, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination published a report titled, " In the Shadows of the War on Terror: Persistent Police Brutality and Abuse of People of Color in the United States," saying:

"Since this Committee's 2001 review of the US, during which it expressed concern regarding incidents of police brutality and deaths in custody at the hands of US law enforcement officers, there have been dramatic increases in law enforcement powers in the name of waging the "war on terror (resulting in) the use of excessive force against people of color....(It's not only continued post-9/11), but has worsened in both practice and severity" - a NAACP representative saying it's "the worst I've seen in 50 years."

On April 4, 2007, Ryan Gallagher, writing for Medill Reports, produced by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, headlined, "Study: Police abuse goes unpunished," saying:

From 2002 - 2004, over "10,000 complaints of police abuse were filed with Chicago police....but only 19 resulted in meaningful disciplinary action, a new study asserts." According to Gerald Frazier, president of Citizens Alert, it reflects "not only the appearance of influence and cover-up," but clear evidence that city residents are being abused, not protected, despite the department's official motto being "We Serve and Protect."

Most disturbing is that the Chicago pattern reflects what's happening across America, people of color like Oscar Grant systematically abused, in his case murdered in cold blood, what no criminal or civil actions can undo.

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. Mr. Lendman's stories are republished in the Baltimore Chronicle with permission of the author. Copyright © 2010 The Baltimore News Network. All rights reserved.

It's HERE: One Imagination's VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY Releases THIS SATURDAY!

2010-07-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

The long anticipated One Imagination compilation album VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY releases this weekend!

Join us Saturday, July 10th, 7:30PM-10PM, at The HUB in Long Beach to celebrate at our album release party!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=136505706360377&ref=ts

Performances by:

-Ryan Tong

-Sumiko Braun

-Big Brother
-Maggie Boles

-Leilani

-Mayazteca

-Meymuna

-Stevie Merino

-Cyril Cueva

-Sue Jin

-Chad Bishop

-Mary Rose

-Manila Ryce

-Pablo

-Diana Bui

-White Noise

...and hosted by Jumakae

@ The HUB
1741 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA
Major cross streets: Long Beach Blvd and Pacific Coast Highway
*It's outdoors so dress warm!

$5 Donation
(no one turned away for lack of funds)
Purchase album for $10

***100% of proceeds go towards

One Imagination's youth programs!

Justice for Oscar Grant! Verdict to come soon -- this week!

2010-07-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

Undocumented couple leave SB 1070 behind

2010-06-28T16:44:00.001-07:00

Undocumented couple leave SB 1070 behind
by Daniel González - Jun. 27, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

A white Ford pickup with Arizona plates is driving north on U.S. 191 headed for the Utah border. Afraid of encountering police, the family inside is traveling at night. The pickup's headlights cut through a sea of darkness.

The family is in a hurry to get out of Arizona, to get away from the state's harsh new immigration law.

Leaving Arizona

The pickup crosses into Utah at 11:59 p.m. Luis Sanchez breathes a sigh of relief as his wife, Marlen Ramirez, keeps driving. Both are undocumented immigrants from Mexico.

"Look," he says. "We are here. We have arrived in Utah."

They have made it safely out of Arizona, past the Maricopa County sheriff's deputy they saw as they were leaving Surprise and past the highway patrol cars they saw along Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

They still have a long way to their final destination: Pennsylvania. There will be engine troubles along the way. And more police. And frayed nerves.

But the hardest part of the nearly 2,700-mile journey will be the end. Their final destination is where starting their lives over begins.

Feeling like prisoners
Luis and Marlen, both 33, lived in Arizona for more than 15 years. They are from the same small town, Xaltianguis, in southern Mexico, but they met while living at the same West Valley apartment complex.

Luis was 17 when he crossed the border illegally near Douglas. Marlen was 16 when she jumped a fence near Nogales. Both came looking for work.

Their three children are U.S. citizens because they were born in Arizona. The oldest, Luis Jr., is a quiet 13-year-old. Vanessa, 10, wears glasses and loves to talk. The baby, Christian, is 2.

Lawyers have told Luis and Marlen that they do not qualify for legal residency.

Luis has washed dishes at a restaurant on Grand Avenue, at a retirement home in Peoria and at a restaurant in Sun City West. For the past four years, he worked as a landscaper for a company that maintains office buildings in the West Valley. He earned $9.80 an hour. Marlen is a stay-at-home mom.

Luis got his jobs using fake papers. He has managed to keep working despite the recession and Arizona's employer-sanctions law, which have made it much harder for illegal immigrants to get jobs.

The couple started thinking about leaving Arizona when Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio began conducting his crime sweeps two years ago, saturating largely Latino neighborhoods with deputies, stopping vehicles for minor traffic violations and arresting illegal immigrants. The couple said the sweeps made them feel like prisoners. They used to enjoy spending Sundays at the park. But to avoid the police, they started staying home as much as possible.

The day after Gov. Jan Brewer signed Arizona's new immigration law on April 23, Luis and Marlen decided to leave.

They are not alone.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of families have fled Arizona, abandoning homes and apartments in already struggling neighborhoods. Many more are planning to leave. Some have returned to Mexico. Many are relocating to neighboring states, many of which may soon try to adopt laws similar to Arizona's.

Luis and Marlen picked Pennsylvania. They have relatives there who say there is plenty of work.

Arizona's new immigration law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It states that an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally. It takes effect July 29.

Supporters of the law say it does not allow racial profiling. But Luis and Marlen are unconvinced. They think that once the law takes effect, police in Arizona will stop anyone who looks Mexican to check their papers. They fear they would be deported, their children left behind.

They built a life and a family in Arizona, so the thought of leaving brought them and their children to tears. But to them, the alternative was even worse.

"That is why we decided to leave, before something happens," Luis said.

Troubles on the road
Luis and Marlen plan to drive straight through to Pennsylvania, stopping only every so often to sleep a few hours. They want to get there as quickly as possible to avoid being caught by authorities. They also can't afford to stay at motels each night, and every day on the road is money lost because Luis isn't working.

But soon after entering Utah on June 8, there is trouble. Their neighbors, also undocumented immigrants, are following them in a 20-year-old Jeep Cherokee with 183,000 miles. The Jeep's engine is starting to overheat. The driver, Daniel Diaz, 22, pulls over in the darkness and pops the hood. The radiator hisses loudly. A cloud of steam billows out. Daniel thinks his car is overloaded with the belongings of his three passengers, Ruben Rosario, 33, Ruben's wife, Betty Cabrera, 34, and the couple's U.S.-born daughter, Alondra, who will be 2 in September.

Daniel and Ruben try lightening the load. They toss a suitcase stuffed with clothes and a cooler filled with food. Daniel even chucks the spare tire before reconsidering and putting it back.

Luis takes a hard look at the engine. Then he scoots under the Jeep to get a better look. The water pump is busted, he thinks. So the men start twisting off caps from bottles of drinking water and pouring them into the radiator. A moment passes. Then the water just leaks out.

It is past 1 a.m. The highway is empty. Luis and the others worry that if they stay here, they might draw the attention of the police.

They decide to take their chances and keep driving, broken water pump and all.

Need to travel light
Luis and Marlen prepared for the trip for weeks. They took the pickup to a mechanic and spent $450 on new tires. They held a yard sale to winnow their belongings and make some money. They boxed some belongings and mailed them ahead. Their plan was to travel as light as possible. A pickup overflowing with televisions and furniture might draw the attention of police.

But the yard sale was a bust. The first day, they made just $30. Luis and Marlen chalked it up to the new law. Many of their neighbors were in the same situation, undocumented immigrants either leaving or planning to leave. So no one was buying anything. Luis and Marlen ended up throwing away most everything they owned. Televisions, VCRs, a stereo system, bedroom furniture, mattresses, dressers, a leather sofa, kitchen table - all dumped in the trash bins at their apartment complex.

Preparations were difficult for the children, as well.

On the last day of school, Luis Jr. and Vanessa told everyone they would not be coming back. Some of their classmates cried. Others said they were leaving Arizona, too.

At home, the tears continued.

Luis and Marlen had told Vanessa that they would bring their Chihuahua, Brandy, and her puppies. On moving day, the 10-day-old puppies were still nursing. They hadn't opened their eyes.

Just before leaving, Luis and Marlen broke the news: The dogs would have to stay and would be given to another family. Vanessa turned her head. Tears ran down her face.

Journey resumes
The caravan heads north on U.S. 191, stopping finally at a Mobil in White Mesa, a tiny community of Ute Indians. It is 1:30 in the morning. The gas station is closed. Luis and the others decide there is nothing to do but sleep.

At 6 a.m., the station opens. The cashier says there is a repair shop 10 miles away in Blanding, a Mormon settlement. But the mechanic there is too backed up to work on the Jeep. He suggests a shop on the other side of town.

By 10:30 a.m., the water pump is fixed. The bill is $252.60. Daniel hands the mechanic $253 in cash, money pooled with help from Luis and Ruben.

Will the Jeep make it to Pennsylvania?

"I don't see why not," the mechanic says, tightening the last bolt. "I've seen much worse cars make it that far."

Last goodbyes
The Friday before they left, Luis picked up his last paycheck. On Saturday, he also cut three lawns, the last of the weekend side business he ran with the help of Marlen and the children. They informed their clients they would not be returning. One of the houses had a sign on the front lawn, an award from a homeowner's association for having the best-kept yard. The sign made Luis and Marlen proud. So they took photos of themselves and the kids in front of it.

That Sunday, they had one last cookout. Luis grilled carne asada in the dirt courtyard outside their apartment while neighbors and friends grabbed sodas and Coronas from a cooler. Luis and Marlen tried to look happy. But it was times like these they were going to miss.

Of the eight apartments that share the courtyard, one was already empty. It belonged to Luis' brother and Marlen's sister, who are married to each other, and their two children. They moved to Pennsylvania two months ago. Soon, three more apartments would be empty. One belonging to Luis and Marlen, one belonging to Ruben and Betty, and one belonging to Daniel, the owner of the Jeep.

Luis and Marlen decided to leave at 5 p.m. As the hour approached, neighbors and friends stopped by to say goodbye.

Just before they left, Luis gathered his family in the kitchen, empty except for the santitos on a little altar. They said a short prayer and crossed themselves on the forehead. Luis and Marlen handed out the Catholic saints and, one by one, the travelers filed out of the apartment in tears. Daniel wrapped his arms around his father, Gilberto, 48. The father and son stayed locked in embrace for a long time. Daniel was heading to Pennsylvania, his father back to Mexico, way south to Chiapas. They had no idea if they would ever see each other again.

Marlen placed the Santo Niño de Atocha, a little pilgrim depicting the boy Jesus, on the front seat and started the pickup. The courtyard was filled with neighbors and friends. They were all crying. Luis climbed in the passenger seat and turned on the stereo. He cranked up an upbeat Mexican corrido to lighten the mood.

'Stay calm'
The pickup and the Jeep make it through the Rocky Mountains without trouble. On Wednesday night, the families stop at a little motel 30 miles past Denver and rent rooms for $60 a night. They sleep until 3:30 a.m. and are back on the highway by 4.

The trip is going smoothly now.

But in Iowa they have a scare. Driving east on Interstate 70, a blue Ford Crown Victoria pulls alongside the Jeep. Daniel's heart is pounding. The state trooper in the unmarked car is looking over at him and talking on his radio. The patrol car zooms ahead, pulling alongside the pickup. It's obvious the trooper is running the Arizona plates. The trooper seems like he is about to turn on his lights any second. But instead he speeds away.

At the next rest area, the pickup and the Jeep get off the highway.

Daniel tells Luis how nervous he was.

"It's best to stay calm," Luis tells him.

Plenty of work
One of Luis' brothers moved to Pennsylvania eight years ago. He has his own landscaping business. Another brother works with him. Luis was told there would be plenty of work for all three.

Marlen's sister cleans houses in Pennsylvania. She told Marlen there is plenty of work for her, too.

Luis' brothers told him they are less afraid of being turned over to immigration authorities by the police in Pennsylvania. But the state may not be as welcoming as they think.

In 2006, the mayor of Hazelton, in eastern Pennsylvania, declared that he wanted to make the city the toughest place on illegal immigrants in America. That year, the city passed an ordinance aimed at barring illegal immigrants from working or renting homes. A federal judge struck down the ordinance the following year.

Then, in 2008, a group of youths beat to death a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico in the town of Shenandoah.

Now, some Pennsylvania lawmakers say they want to pass an immigration law similar to Arizona's.

No one knows how many undocumented immigrants will eventually leave Arizona. But anecdotal evidence suggests that many families are going to other parts of the United States, not returning to their own countries.

"If things are bad here, they are much worse in Mexico," said Salvador, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in Arizona for 18 years. He is the godfather of Luis' daughter, Vanessa.

"There is no work in Mexico," Salvador said. "And then you have to deal with the sicarios," he said, referring to the hit men who carry out assassinations for the drug cartels. Salvador knows Mexican families moving to Oregon, California, Texas, Chicago, New York.

Despite the lack of jobs and the violence, Luis and Marlen say they considered returning to Mexico. But their children balked.

"They cried," Marlen said. "They got mad."

The children consider the United States their country. Not Mexico, she said.

Bittersweet reunion
The caravan reaches Pennsylvania at 3:56 p.m. on Friday. The two families have traveled 2,254 miles in 68 hours through nine states and three time zones. But Pennsylvania is a huge state. They still have hours of driving. There are rolling hills and dense forests. Instead of desert brown, everything is emerald green.

Arriving in Pennsylvania is bittersweet. Luis and Marlen have been crying a lot in the car. They are excited to see their relatives. But they know there is little chance of going back to Arizona. And soon the hard part will begin. Beginning new jobs. Getting an apartment. Making new friends. Starting over. Marlen makes a vow. If she ever gets her green card, she will return to Arizona.

At 9:45 p.m., Luis pulls into a rest area. He calls his brother, who says he should keep driving. Marlen thinks that is a bad idea. For the past half hour, Luis has been dozing off behind the wheel. She wants him to sleep. Luis is so tired he can hardly think. He spreads his map on the hood of the pickup. His brother tells him they are only 40 minutes away. But Luis' GPS, a going-away gift from a friend, and the map say they are more like 90 minutes away. Against Marlen's wishes, Luis keeps going.

The last hour and a half seem like an eternity. But they finally reach the exit. They make a few turns then drive through the center of a quaint town lined with mom-and-pop stores. This is their new home.

It is now 12:25 Saturday morning. Luis makes a final left turn, entering a sprawling apartment complex with green lawns, three-story brick buildings, and a community swimming pool, a vast improvement from the complex they left in Arizona.

Everyone piles out in the parking lot. They hug each other and their relatives and cry.

Inside the apartment, Luis finds his mother, who moved to Pennsylvania two months ago. She puts her arms around Luis and hugs him for a very long time. Then she whispers in his ear: "Gracias a Dios, llegaron seguros."

Thanks to God, you made it safely.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/06/27/20100627arizona-immigration-law-leaving-state.html#ixzz0s4kFVg3Q

Youth Poets Feature at BTS This Thursday | other 1i News

2010-06-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

Hello One Imagination family and friends!

This Thursday, June 24th, is BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic and it is
sure to be AMAZING! Featured artists include youth from One
Imagination’s Spring 2010 Our Word is Our Weapon who will be competing
at Brave New Voices, an international youth poetry slam competition.
You won’t want to miss this!

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic
Thursday, June 24th
7-10PM (sign ups start at 6:30PM)
@ Pizza Pi, 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112612465451979&ref=ts

And, for the first time ever, One Imagination is releasing a
compilation album of local musicians, poets, and artists called VOICES
OF OUR COMMUNITY. Our official release party is being held on
Saturday, July 10th at The HUB in Long Beach. Save the date! More
details to come! All album proceeds will be going towards One
Imagination’s youth programs.

In case you were wondering about our youth programs, One Imagination’s
2010 ¡YA BASTA!/Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute
has finally launched and is going strong with an awesome group of
ambitious and committed youth and mentors meeting weekly to become
better, more strategic community organizers.

We are also proud to announce the starting of our One Imagination Free
University political study group. Reading material and meeting times
are to be determined by the collective, but we do plan to get started
in mid-July. If interested in participating, contact us at
oneimagination@gmail.com.

And last but not least, if you’re interested in joining One
Imagination, we’re holding a general membership meeting this Sunday,
June 27th, 12-2PM at Catalyst Space: 430 E. 1st Street in Long Beach.
Email us at oneimagination@gmail.com if you’re interested in learning
more and receiving an orientation.

Join our listserv:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oneimagination-announcements/join
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/1imaginationfam

--
One Imagination
oneimagination@gmail.com
http://oneimagination.blogspot.com/

One Imagination empowers the current and next generation of leaders
through written and oral expression. As a collective based in the
Long Beach/South Bay area, we believe that through conscious artistic
programming, community education and outreach, and leadership
development, we can cultivate a world free of hatred, ignorance,
injustice, inequality, and oppression.

If you want waves in Long Beach, please read!

2010-06-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

From: Robert Garcia
Reply-To: robert@robertgarcia.com
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:44:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: If You Want Waves On Our Beaches... YOU MUST READ THIS!

Dear Friend:

As you know, we are strong supporters of cleaning our water and bringing waves back to Long Beach by reconfiguring the Breakwater. Wave activity will improve our water quality, stimulate tourism, and boost our local economy by making our beaches a new and exciting destination. We can do all this while protecting our coastal homes and the Port of Long Beach.

We expect that this Friday, June 18, 2010 the Army Corps of Engineers will release their decision on moving forward with a federal feasibility study on the breakwater's reconfiguration.

If the decision is released as expected, then on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 the City Council will vote on whether to move forward and partner with the Army Corps on an extensive feasibility study. This will be a historic vote, and decide the future of our local beaches.

We encourage you to attend the June 22nd City Council meeting and voice your support for a federal feasibility study. The meeting starts at 5:00pm.

Feel free to call our offices (562) 570-6919 (Councilmember Robert Garcia) or (562) 570-6918 (Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell) if you have any questions.

Also, please help spread the word - feel free to forward this email, Tweet it, or post it on your Facebook wall.

Thank you!

Councilmember Robert Garcia
Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell

Office of Long Beach City Councilmember Robert Garcia 333 West Ocean Blvd. 14th Floor Long Beach CA 90802

UC Irvine Bans Muslim Student Union

2010-06-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I heard about this on KPFK 90.7FM while listening to Democracy Now! this morning. This is what was reported:

UC Irvine Bans Muslim Student Union
In news from California, officials at the University of California, Irvine, have banned the Muslim Student Union for one year and placed the organization on disciplinary probation for an additional year. In February, members of the group disrupted a speech by Israeli ambassador Michael Oren. Victor Sanchez, president of the University of California Student Association, said he was outraged by the ban. Sanchez said, "It’s almost impossible not to interpret this as a means of the university to silence dissent."
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/15/headlines

Below is a press release by UC San Diego's Students for Justice in Palestine condemning the disciplinary action taken against the UCI 11 and the Muslim Student Union:

UCSD SJP Condemns Disciplinary Action Taken Against UCI 11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Meryem Kamil mkamil@ucsd.edu
Students for Justice in Palestine, UC San Diego
http://sjpucsd.org/

14 June 2010, La Jolla- The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCSD condemns the silencing of free speech at University of California, Irvine (UCI). A disciplinary board recently suspended eleven students who had protested the presence of Israeli ambassador Michael Oren on their campus and for his support of Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people. The Associated Students at UCSD had unanimously passed a resolution in full support of the UCI 11, and also called for the dropping of all academic charges against the protesters.

The collective punishment against the Palestinian people committed by Israel's right-wing Likud-government, along violations of over 65 UN resolutions, have already led to a mass condemnation from the international community. The Gaza blockade has been called inhumane and illegal by the Red Cross, the European Union, Amnesty International, and the International Court of Justice. Recently, Israeli soldiers boarded a humanitarian fleet in protected waters (under International Maritime Law), and needlessly injured and killed many of those on board. As spokesperson for the Gaza Massacre, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, Michael Oren is a representative of these actions. He is a representative of a government that defends actions the international community condemns.

Free speech is a tenet of American society. At a recent speech punctuated by the shouts of anti-abortion demonstrators, President Obama defended the rights of those protesting: "Some people got organized to do that. That's part of the American tradition we are proud of. And that's hard too, standing in the midst of people who disagree with you and letting your voice be heard." The students who exercised their right to free speech in Irvine did not commit any illegal action. Rather, they took part in a peaceful action reminiscent of Martin Luther King Jr., of the 1986 Olympics, and of the Little Rock Nine.

Many of the UCI 11 are of Palestinian descent. Two of the students had multiple family members killed in last year's Israeli bombing of Gaza. To question their right to protest as American citizens is dangerous constitutionally, and to question the validity of their struggle is a demonstration of the lack of diverse narratives taught in our California universities.

The actions taken against the eleven students comes in conjunction with a recommendation to suspend the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UCI. The organization, which represents a significant population at the Irvine campus, puts on a wide variety events that work towards building global humanitarian efforts, supporting a diverse and vibrant campus life, and providing forums for UCI students' campus involvement. Silencing an entire sector of the student population denies Muslim students their right to assemble as a legitimate and recognized organization and removes a key voice from the UCI community.

SJP UCSD calls for the immediate reversal of disciplinary actions taken against the UCI 11 and MSU. Furthermore, we demand that UCI, UCSD, and the California educational system re-examine its policy regarding bias, racism, and discrimination on campus. We put our full support behind the UCI 11, MSU, and all those affected.

I wonder if a pro-Israeli student group had taken similar action with a Palestinian speaker, if they would have faced such harsh consequences and infringement of their rights to dissent... thoughts?

-soul.in.my.fist

THURS 06/17: Housing Rights March in LA

2010-06-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Please join the LA Human Right to Housing Collective THIS WEEK!

Housing Rights March
Thursday, June 17th
5:30 PM
Meet at the corner of Sunset and Echo Park Blvd.

Bring signs and noisemakers!!

Given our temporary setback on the rent freeze – it is more important than ever for us to be strong and visible in pushing forward full rent control reform and our other demands! This march will be in Council District 13 because of Councilmember Garcetti’s decision to vote against tenants, with actions in other council districts in the future.

Please share with colleagues, members, friends and neighbors – see you all there!

Becky Dennison
BeckyD@cangress.org

Towards Land, Work, and Power: Charting A Path Of Resistance To U.S. -Led Imperialism

2010-06-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

How many of you have ever gotten thru "Capital" by Karl Marx? I know I haven't, and I am well aware that I need to read more and discuss more to develop a better understanding and analysis of capitalism. But I feel like a lot of these books are over my head... I may be "educated" in the sense that I do have a college degree, but school didn't really teach me how to study and analyze. Plus, I want something that I can concretely apply to my community and there is a huge disconnect between theory/academia and practice/community.

Recently, a friend of mine turned me on to a book that is easy to read and accessible, that breaks down some of these concepts that I'm familiar with but that I feel I really need to understand better. By having an analysis, I can push myself to be more of an organizer who is strategic in my approach than as an activist who usually reactively jumps from issue to issue as they rise up. I wanted to share that book with all of you, so here it is:

Towards Land, Work & Power:

Charting A Path Of Resistance To U.S. -Led Imperialism

http://www.peopleorganized.org/article.php?id=114

I encourage you all to purchase it, read it. You can even pull together a group of your friends to study it and discuss (I highly encourage this). Understanding the political and economic system is key to us challenging the power structure and creating an alternative vision where all people's needs are met and where all people are free.

Respect and dignity for all,

soul.in.my.fist

One Imagination

Retenes / Checkpoints este weekend (10-12/jun/2010)

2010-06-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Retenes / Checkpoints este weekend (10-12/jun/2010)
by Checkpoint response Thursday, Jun. 10, 2010 at 5:12 PM
noretenes@gmail.com

Take this list and send it to your friends, post it on your local indymedia site, craiglist, or whatever site is popular in your area, post it to your facebook, take the information and send out text messages to all your friends and all the people in your church.

Mande esta lista a sus amigos, cópiala a tu sitio local de indymedia o craigslist, o el sitio que sea popular en su área, tome la información y envía mensajes de texto a sus amistades y a todos y todas de su iglesia.

This weekend / Este fin de semana (impreciso)

BOONE COUNTY (MO) - "A sobriety checkpoint is planned for one night between now and Sunday in Boone County...The checkpoint will begin in the late evening and end in the early morning of the following day." (http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/06/09/sobriety-checkpoint-planned-boone-county/)

KANSAS CITY (MO) - "sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location this weekend." (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/10/2006191/sobriety-checkpoint-planned-for.html)

WAYNE COUNTY (PA) - "Police announced that they are planning another sobriety checkpoint and roving patrols this weekend" (http://www.wayneindependent.com/news/x1722581942/DUI-checkpoints-this-weekend-in-Wayne-County)

Jueves / Thursday (10/jun)

CITRUS HEIGHTS - "Citrus Heights Police Department officers will conduct a DUI/driver's license checkpoint Thursday on Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Driver, according to a news release." (http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2010/06/citrus-heights-64.html)

KANSAS CITY (MO) - "Kansas City police have announced they will hold a driver’s license checkpoint later today." (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/10/2006180/drivers-license-checkpoint-planned.html)

Viernes / Friday (11/jun)

CRESTVIEW (FL) - "sobriety checkpoint on Friday beginning at 11 p.m. The DUI checkpoint will on State Road 85 north of P.J. Adams Parkway will last until 2 a.m. Saturday." (http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/crestview-10155-checkpoint-conduct.html)

FARGO (ND) - "Police, the Cass County Sheriff's Office, and NDSU police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint." (http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/34682/group/Your%20City/)

GOLETA (CA) - "DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, June 11, 2010" (http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=32881)

LA VERNE (CA) - "DUI /driver's license checkpoint from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight." (http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15266154)

LEMON GROVE (CA) - "DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Friday, June 11, 2010" (http://apps.sdsheriff.net/press/Default.aspx?FileLink=673101d5-c1aa-43c2-96c7-9faee9149a8e)

ONTARIO (CA) - "DUI/ driver's license checkpoint Friday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday." (http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15262763)

PALMDALE (CA) - "DUI/DL Checkpoint on Friday, June 11, 2010 from 6 PM until approximately 2 AM" (http://sheriff.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/lasd/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3hLAwMDd3-nYCN3M19LA0_nEDPvMJMAQ_8QM6B8pFm8hQEEAOU93Qw8_d093QKMzY0MnMwJ6A4H2Ydbf5AJfnmQ-SB5AxzA0UDfzyM_N1W_IDfCIDMgXREAv8HHeQ!!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfOTAwMEdPQlMyRzZNOTBJQ1Q2S1Y0UDFPMzA!/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/lasd+content/lasd+site/home/news+room/news+crime+information/10-dui-palmadale-01)

PETALUMA (CA) - "The [two] checkpoints will be conducted from 6 p.m. Friday, June 11 to 2 a.m. Saturday, June 12." (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100610/COMMUNITY/100619938?Title=Police-plan-DUI-checkpoints-)

SACRAMENTO (CA) - "DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Friday in the east area of the city" (http://www.modbee.com/2010/06/09/1201616/sacto-9-1-1-sacramento-pd-to-conduct.html)

SEYMOUR (CT) - "sobriety checkpoint on Route 67 from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday." (http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/06/10/news/valley/doc4c10f01f133af628067661.txt)

SOUTH WINDSOR (CT) -"DUI checkpoint in town Friday between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m." (http://www.courant.com/community/south-windsor/hc-south-windsor-checkpoint0610-20100609,0,1313911.story)

VALLEJO (CA) - "driver checkpoint Friday night from 6 to 11 p.m. at an undisclosed location." (http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_15267114)

VICTORVILLE (CA) - "6:30 p.m. at an undisclosed location." (http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/checkpoint-19785-friday-scheduled.html)

Sábado / Saturday (12/jun)

FONTANA (CA) - "DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Saturday, June 12 from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at an undisclosed location" (http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/articles/2010/06/08/news/doc4c0e73c5c8408958130287.txt)

NORCO (CA) - "DUI/Driver’s License Safety checkpoint in Norco on June 12, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m." (http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/jvs10-0612.asp)

REDLANDS (CA) - "Officers will set up in the eastbound lane of Lugonia Avenue between Dearborn Street and Wabash Avenue from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday." (http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15269617)

El mes que entra

GREENFIELD (CA) - "the checkpoint targeting impaired drivers will occur from 6 to 10 p.m. on the 800 block of Oak Avenue"
(http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20100609/NEWS01/100609015/1002/South+Monterey+County+police+agency+to+hold+DUI+checkpoint+%28updated+11+a.m.%29)

WE ARE ALL OSCAR GRANT!

2010-06-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

WE ARE ALL OSCAR GRANT!

JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT
Murdered by BART Officer Johannes Mehserle

MASS PROTEST ON 1st DAY OF TRIAL!

Monday, June 14th
7AM Sharp
Los Angeles Superior Court
210 W. Temple Street,
Los Angeles, CA

Oscar Grant's young life was ripped away from his daughter and family on New Year's Day, 2009. He was shot execution style with his face to the ground by Oakland BART officer Johannes Mehserle. Oscar's murder was filmed and posted on youtube.com which ignited firestorms of protest in Oakland. Mehserle's trial was moved to LA, escaping Oakland's outraged community. LA judge Perry, who covered up the Rampart/CRASH scandal, is assigned the case.

Mehserle is the 1st cop in California to be tried for on-duty murder. We cannot allow another killer cop to be released back into the community. Mehserle must be convicted for the cold blooded murder of Oscar Grant.

For more information or to get involved, contact:

Los Angeles Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant
(213) 973-3434
WeAreAllOscarGrant@gmail.com
Facebook: Search - LA Coalition for Oscar Grant
www.myspace.com/justice4oscargrant

LBCreative! Events & Artist Calls

2010-06-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

LBCreative! Artist Calls

Upcoming Events and Art Shows

Lightbulb Mouth
Slam poetry and music
Every Wednesday, 8-11pm
The Basement, 149 Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

$5.00 entrance before 8 pm
After 8 pm, entrance is $6.00

And please remember 21+ only.

DISCOUNTS:
If you dress in cocktail attire (suit with collared shirt or dinner dress) you will receive two dollars off cover and you’ll feel fancy.
There is CHAMPAGNE IN A CAN!
Senior Citizen Discount before 8 pm.
Military Discount before 8 pm.

www.lightbulbmouth.com

S.A.M. Summer and Music 2010
Future Legends: Now Sounds of the Long Beach Bloodline
June 12, 2010
4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
East Village Arts District

Comparable to the Saddle Creek scene in Omaha, Neb. that produced Rilo Kiley and Conor Oberst, Long Beach has its own distinct sound and armory of musicians to refine it. Future Legends: Now Sounds of the Long Beach Bloodline, as the free, all-ages June 12 event is titled, is a sampling of that very combination. Performers will play in the East Village Arts District, at First Street and Elm Avenue, on an outdoor, solar-powered stage.

Music By:
DJ Lithuanian Prince
Korey Dane
So Many Wizards
Boris Smile
Jay Buchanan
Deep Sea Diver

Special Performance by UK band Phantom Limb!

2nd Saturday Art Walk
Arts, crafts and entertainment
Linden Avenue between 1st & Broadway
Saturday, June 12, 2010 from 4pm - 10pm

Now Showing at Sipology Gallerie
Presented by LVXEdge.com
448 E Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
June 12 – July 2, 2010
"The Girl Who Knows Where"
curated by Sumako of LVXEdge.com

FEATURING THE WORKS OF:
Rodney Sellers
Clinton NeuHaus
Bron
& a special guest or two???

LIVE MUSIC BY:
Thavius Beck
The Year Zero

Now Showing at District Wine
Presented by LVXEdge.com
144 Linden Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802
June 12 – July 2, 2010
"Exploring The Self"
curated by Sumako of LVXEdge.com

FEATURING THE WORKS OF:
Shannon Kamikubo
Opening Reception
Saturday June 12, 6-11pm

For more information please visit LVXEdge.com, Sipologycoffee.com, Districtwine.com
Contact Sumako directly: 562-760-9930

Sing Serendipity
Women of Note Spring Concerts
Sunday, June 13th, 4pm
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Atlantic Avenue at Seventh Street in Long Beach
http://womenofnotelb.blogspot.com/

Urban Rhythm Auditions
Auditions for New GLEE-Inspired Long Beach Community Urban Show Choir for high school teens AND young adults up to age 25
Friday, June 18, 2010 4pm - 8pm
Hancock University Art & Design Center, 1600 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90813
http://www.gocatalyst.org/urbanrhythm.php

Soulstice Lovefest
Sunday, June 20th, 2010 12pm - 10pm
The Long Beach community is coming together to host a fun family festival to kick off* the summer. Solstice is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year to celebrate we are bringing together musicians, artists, local crafters, dancers, drummers and more. Our Soulstice Event is taking place at Will Reid Scout Camp. There will plenty of room to picnic, barbeque and relax on the grass as you enjoy the festivities. Long Beach Summer Soulstice in conjunction with Drum For Love and Living Love Foundation is hosting this event for the benefit of homeless children. Living Love Foundation is “igniting young hearts for success through the love of art.”

We are honored to have the Native Tongva Tribe join us in performing Sacred Ceremony to open our event. We will be celebrating the four directions and 5 elements through out the day.

Some local bands include: Bossa Da Gemma, I Read Her Journal, Familiar Trees, Ben White, Tyler Steele, Lowly Lisa and the Rollie Pollies, Temple Cats, Shania D and Lovers Inc.

Drum for Love Rhythm Circle will end the day with Fire and Dance.

Limited camping available’ $12.00 per person.
Reserve your space to participate in sunrise chanting and Yoga.
Contact us: lbsoulstice@gmail.com

For Sponsorship and Vendor information visit our website:
http://lbsoulstice.wordpress.com/

Long Beach Dance Festival 2011 Planning Meeting
Call for Partners!
Catalyst Community and Datugan Dance Theatre are co-hosting the 1st annual Long Beach Dance Festival in October of 2011. Looking for individuals and organizations who would like to partner together and join the collaborative planning team. We've got plenty of time to plan ahead and do this well! Together we can shape this to be an amazing experience for Long Beach. Join us for the first planning meeting:

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 7pm
Catalyst Space, 430 E. 1st Street, Long Beach, CA 90802
Contact Eric Leocadio, eric.leocadio@gocatalyst.org

Artisan Crafts Fair
Pottery, natural based goodies, paintings, jewelery or eco-friendly gifts.
El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90815
June 26, 2010 11am - 2pm, every last Saturday of each month

Patchwork Indie Arts & Craft Festival
Look and shop for handmade goods from over 75 vendors
When: June 27th, 2010
Where: Marine Stadium Park (Appian Way @ Nieto)
Time: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
www.patchworkshow.com

LBCreative! Mixer
Connect with others in the creative community: local artists, musicians, performers, producers, writers, crafters, dancers, film makers, designers, innovators, dreamers and all those included in the wide range of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment. It's a potluck so bring a dish or beverage to share!
June 28th, 2010 7-10pm, every last monday of each month.
Hosted at Exhibit [A] Gallery, 555 Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802

First Fridays Long Beach
July 2nd, 2010 on Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls
This will be a perfect holiday weekend kick-off. Be Lady Liberty or Uncle Sam and celebrate in Bixby Knolls. First Fridays attendees are no longer just spectators but active participants! People are encouraged to bring something to stick on our new "Leave Something Behind" collage. Post a penny, photo, leaf, hair pin, cuff link, heirloom, or anything in your pocket to create a unique abstract collection. Also, bring your creativity for our community art piece where you pick up the pen and draw, sign your name, write a poem, or leave your mark. Stop by the First Fridays Information Table from 6:30pm - 8pm, located on the northwest corner of Bixby & Atlantic Ave, where you'll find info about First Fridays, maps, business info, and restaurant recommendations.

When the businesses start to close, "after hours" begins at Nino's Italian Restaurant for the newest feature, "drink and draw." Come in with your inspiration from the night, relax and enjoy a beverage, grab a sketch pad and pen, and draw your buddy or the scene all around you. Dine on Art-Lantic Avenue at one of our tasty restaurants then grab the Big Red Bus (6:45p at Nino’s Italian Restaurant) that will transport you venue to venue from designated stops at the participating businesses.

Park Jam
Collective I Come-Unity Potluck
Sunday, July 4th, 2010 Noon - 8pm
Cesar Chavez Park
It takes place every first Sunday of the Summer months for the past 7 years now. It's a COMEUNITY Potluck so bring something to share, your own utensils, bring the family, blankets, chairs, balls, whatever. We provide the sound system, grill, tables, entertainment, and crafts for the youth.

Paul Jackson Watercolor Workshop
When: July 16-18, 2010
Where: Exhibit [A] Gallery 555 Pine Ave. Long Beach
Time: 9-3 PM Friday—Sunday
Cost: $300 for 3-day workshop
Subject: “A Dramatic Landscape”
(or Paul will guide you through another subject of your choosing)
All skill levels welcome
To register: contact debbieellen.lewis@gmail.com or 562 436 4543
For more info on Paul Jackson visit: http://PaulJacksonArt.com

The Art of Life Syndicate
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
5 - 11pm
4313 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, Ca. 90807
Lite Hordevers / Signature Cocktails
Live Music / DJ
Live Art / & Art Auction
For more info please contact Stephanie Zapalac - Life Coach for Artists :
INFO@THEARTOFLIFE.BIZ

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Artists

@Catalyst Space
CALL: Visual art wanted for June showcase and June 12th reception.
VENUE: Catalyst Space, 430 1st St., Long Beach, CA
WEBSITE: www.gocatalyst.org
CONTACT: Jason Huggins, jason.huggins@gocatalyst.org, 562.628.1100

@Evolver Long Beach Network
CALL: VIDEO
We have some great video ideas for the future, and are looking for collaborators to help shoot: upcoming events (Spores, other events), and 15-20 minute features for Reality Sandwich in Long Beach. We can edit, or collaborate on editing if you wish. http://www.realitysandwich.com

CALL: RECORDING ARTISTS
We are also seeking submissions for
"The LB Evolver Mixtape" project, which will be a digital download that features Evolvers from Long Beach. This would give artists exposure to a much larger network of 100K viewers / month at RealitySandwich.com, plus the 4K plus members of Evolver.net. The content would be made available for online donation to a number of community projects that contributing artists suggest.

CALL: PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographers are also needed for upcoming events, like our workshop, and poetry performance at GLB Fest, and upcoming spore events. We have a couple great photographers in our network (Leah and Angie...wow!) But a couple more volunteers with SLR-type cameras are needed, as we have a busy summer coming.

CONTACT: Tony Damico, the regional coordinator, about any of these and MORE opportunities at: lbevolver@gmail.com

@Bixby Knolls Gallery Expo Building
CALL: Art pieces, sculptures, installations and photographs wanted for California’s Cool Car Culture exhibit.
VENUE: Gallery Expo Building, 4321 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA
WEBSITE: http://www.galleryexpo.net
CONTACT: 562.746.1481, galleryexpo@galleryexpo.net

@ LBCreative! Monthly Mixer
CALL: Artists of all genres to showcase and perform their work at LBCreative!’s Monthly Mixer & Potluck.
VENUE: Exhibit [A], 555 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA
WEBSITE: www.lbcreative.org
CONTACT: Sharreace, LBCeventsteam@gmail.com

@ Face painters for Bike Parade
CALL: Looking for volunteer face painters for the 7th annual Great American 4th of July Bike Parade. Bring your own supplies.
VENUE: Belmont Shore
WEBSITE: www.justinrudd.com/bikeparade.html
CONTACT: Jeff Taylor, jtaylor@profit-expansion.com, (562) 277-3777

@ SoundWalk 2010
CALL: Artists who utilize, in any manner, sound in their work are invited to submit to the Seventh Annual SoundWalk event on Saturday, October 9, 2010.
VENUE: East Village Arts District
WEBSITE: www.soundwalk.org
CONTACT: Kamran Assadi, soundwalk2010@yahoo.com

@ 2010 ART COMPETITION
Pacific Shores Hematology-Oncology Foundation

CALL: Looking for artwork produced by artists that are challenged with cancer to join art exhibition The foundation has the honor of exhibiting 75-100 of these paintings on Sept 25, 2010 along with a debut of the "Artist Within" artist (local cancer patients)
WEBSITE: http://www.lillyoncologyoncanvas.com/Pages/2010Competition.aspx and www.pacificshoresfoundation.org
OPENING: Sat. Sept 25 a one evening show
SUBMIT: written narrative companion if you will that offers snapshots of the human spirit - the hopes and fears, the triumphs and losses in the face of challenge.
CONTACT: Jann Buaiz, MS, 714-293-4848

CALL: Art enthusiast/artist/friends /family that are challenged with cancer or a family/close friend is, they are welcome to join the watercolor art class. "Artist Within" (amateurs welcome).
VENUE: Lyon Art Supply
DEADLINE: Next workshop series date TBA
WEBSITE: www.pacificshoresfoundation.org
SUBMIT: written narrative companion if you will that offers snapshots of the human spirit - the hopes and fears, the triumphs and losses in the face of challenge.
CONTACT: Jann Buaiz, MS, Executive Director, Pacific Shores Hematology-Oncology Foundation, 714-293-4848

@ The Griot Cafe
CALL: Spoken word artists sought for weekly open mic every Saturday, 7pm
VENUE: Shades of Afrika, 1001 4th St, Long Beach, CA
WEBSITE: www.shadesofafrika.com
CONTACT: Isaac Sundiata, shadesofafrika@verizon.net, (562) 436-2210

@ The Long Beach Experiment
CALL: Artists of all genres wanted to showcase their work every Wednesday.
VENUE: The Cellar, 201 E. Broadway (on the Promenade – Mention LBCreative! and save $1 at the door)
WEBSITE: thecellarlbc.com
CONTACT: Chris Ornelas, chrisornelas@yahoo.com and Efren Luna, lunaefren@yahoo.com

@ RAW Natural Born Artists
CALL: Artists of all genres wanted to showcase throughout LA and Orange County
VENUE: Various throughout LA and the OC
WEBSITE: RAWartists.org
CONTACT: Lorin@RAWartists.org

@ First Fridays
CALL: Visual artists wanted to showcase work within businesses and galleries during monthly First Friday’s Art Walk.
VENUE: Various businesses along Atlantic, Long Beach, CA (Bixby Knolls)
WEBSITE: firstfridayslongbeach.com
CONTACT: Victoria Wells, victoria@firstfridayslongbeach.com

@ Hellada Gallery
CALL: Artists wanted to rent gallery spaces ranging from $450 – $650/mo or $15/hr
VENUE: 117 Linden Ave, East Village
WEBSITE: hellada.us/spacerent.htm
CONTACT: Marek, 562-435-5232

@ East Village Farmers Market Stage
CALL: Family friendly performers wanted for Saturday Market 11-1pm. Looking for singer/songwriters, musicians, bands, spoken word artists, dancers, street performers.
VENUE: East Village Farmers Market on 1st St. between Linden and Elm
WEBSITE: www.gocatalyst.org
CONTACT: Eric Leocadio, eric.leocadio@gocatalyst.org

@ Inspire Youth With Your Art
CALL: Artists of all genres wanted for monthly meet, show and tell events with K-8th grade students.
VENUE: Eastman Boys and Girls Club 700 E Del Amo Blvd Long Beach, CA 90807
WEBSITE: bgclublb.org
CONTACT: Hai Minh, (562) 428-9188 (2pm-6pm)

@ More Artist Opportunities
Check out the Arts Council of Long Beach for more arts opportunities.
http://www.artspca.org/content/artist-opportunities

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Volunteers

@ LBCreative! Street Team Members
CALL: Street team members sought to distribute flyers & interact with the public.
VENUE: Festivals, events and community meetings.
WEBSITE: www.lbcreative.org
CONTACT: Volunteer Coordinator, lbcvolunteer@gmail.com

@ LBCreative! Newsletter
CALL: Editor, writers, photographers, videographers sought for monthly newsletter publication.
VENUE: Various
WEBSITE: www.lbcreative.org
CONTACT: Volunteer Coordinator, lbcvolunteer@gmail.com

@ LBCreative! Monthly Mixer
CALL: Production team members sought for mixer set up, coordination & breakdown.
VENUE: Exibit A – 517 Pine Ave. Long Beach, Ca.
WEBSITE: www.lbcreative.org
CONTACT: Volunteer Coordinator, lbcvolunteer@gmail.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Vendors

@ East Village Farmers Market every Saturday morning
CALL: Fruits and vegetables vendors, arts and crafts booths
VENUE: East Village Arts District
WEBSITE: www.gocatalyst.org
CONTACT: Eric Leocadio, info@gocatalyst.org

@ El Dorado Nature Center Artisan Craft Fair
CALL: Long Beach Artists wanted to participate every last Saturday, April-Sept., 11am-2pm
VENUE: El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90815
WEBSITE: longbeach.gov/naturc
CONTACT: Suzanne Mohler, suzannemohler.ednc@yahoo.com

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Submit a Call

To submit a call for artists, arts vendors or volunteers in next month's newsletter please send email to lbc411@gmail.com with the following info:

@ Title
CALL: (Short Description)
VENUE: (Location, Include Zip)
WEBSITE: (Where Call or Location Details are posted online)
CONTACT: (Name, Number, Email)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LBCreative! is a part of the Catalyst Network of Communities.

Save the Date! - FRIDAY, JULY 2ND Screening of CRUDE in Long Beach

2010-06-08T12:53:00.001-07:00

LA Unified employees facing layoff on July 1st

2010-06-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

LA Unified employees facing layoff on July 1st

Date:6/8/2010 11:18:32 P.M. China Standard Time
From: ng121585@UCLA.EDU

LA Unified employees facing layoff on July 1st. We need your URGENT
support! Plant Managers, represented by Teamsters Local 572, are critical to
ensuring kids’ safe schools. Try to make an informational Teamsters meeting
12pm, Saturday June 12, at Teamsters’ union hall, Local 572, 450 E Carson
Plaza Drive, Carson, CA 90746. Help us save these positions! Only a very
modest time commitment is requested – and much of your help can be done
remotely, via email and phone. For more information, call Adriana or Connie:
(310) 515-0601; or email adsworld@live.com or ASalazar@teamsters572.org .
More than 500 elementary plant manager positions will be axed in the latest
“cost-cutting” measure at LAUSD – but here’s the really crazy thing: The
layoff plan will actually COST the District 19 million dollars!

Natalia Garcia
UCLA Labor Center
213-480-4155x220
ng121585@ucla.edu

APALA Mourns Loss of National President John Delloro

2010-06-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Our movement lost a beloved labor leader this weekend, as John Delloro passed away of a heart attack. Below is the press release from APALA national:

APALA Mourns Loss of National President John Delloro

Monday, June 7, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Malcolm Amado Uno
Phone: 202-508-3733
Email: muno@apalanet.org

APALA Mourns Loss of National President John Delloro

Washington D.C. - The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO mourns the unexpected loss of its National President, John Delloro, who passed away from a heart attack. Elected in 2009 as one of the youngest leaders to this position, Delloro also served as Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Labor Institute, where he was a member of the American Federation of Teachers.

"We are all saddened by the sudden passing of John Delloro, a brilliant young labor leader, who made incredible contributions to APALA and to the U.S. labor movement," said Luisa Blue, APALA First Vice President.

Although Delloro was recently elected as the APALA National President, his dedication and commitment to serving working people dates back almost two decades. He was a student leader and activist at UCLA, where he received his B.A. in Psychology in 1994, and his M.A. in Asian American Studies in 1996. Soon after, Delloro was introduced to APALA as a participant in the APALA Organizing Institute, a program that has trained the next generation of Asian Pacific American union organizers and community activists.

Delloro's first position in the labor movement was organizing hotel workers in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Culinary Workers Union 226. He went on to organize clerical workers with AFSCME, and health care workers with SEIU 399 in Los Angeles, California. While at SEIU 399, he created a member organizing program that trained hundreds of rank and file members that actively participated in external organizing campaigns. In 2003, he was promoted to the Southwest Area Manager of SEIU 1000, the largest state workers union in the country at the time, with close to 100,000 members.

In 2006, he was hired as the first Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Labor Institute, an organization that is expanding labor studies curriculum within the Los Angeles Community College District, which has over 130,000 students. Under his leadership, the program has strengthened labor studies on all nine campuses, and has exposed thousands of community college students to unions. Since 2007, he has also taught Asian American Studies at UCLA, and has inspired and mentored hundreds of students.

Delloro also served as President of the APALA Los Angeles chapter where he played a leadership role in expanding labor, community and student partnerships. Under his leadership as National President, APALA and the AFL-CIO convened the first National Asian Pacific American Workers' Rights Hearing in Washington D.C. in November 2009. Following the hearing, Delloro was a principal author in Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: a report from the first National Asian Pacific American Workers' Rights Hearing. In 2009, Delloro received the Unsung Hero Award by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.

"As a nationally recognized union leader, labor educator, organizer, teacher and mentor, John Delloro touched the lives of many and will be remembered for his compassion, his generosity of spirit, and for his visionary leadership," said Kent Wong, APALA Founding President.

John Delloro is survived by his wife Dr. Susan Suh, a sociologist and community activist, and their two young children, Mina and Malcolm.

###

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO was founded in 1992 as the first and only national organization for Asian Pacific American union members to advance worker, immigrant and civil rights.

Community Celebration of John Delloro

The Pilipino Worker Center is hosting a community celebration to celebrate John Delloro's life this Wednesday, 6/9/2010 at 7:00pm at 153 Glendale Blvd. Please join us to celebrate his life and legacy.

Chilling testimony from one of the passengers on board the Mavi Marmara

2010-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Re-Posted from Al Jazeera

Kidnapped by Israel, Forsaken by Britain
By Jamal Elshayyal

Firstly I must apologise for taking so long to update my blog. The events of the past few days have been hectic to say the least, and I am still trying to come to grips with many of the things that have happened.

It was this time last week that I was on the top deck of the Mavi Marmara, and first spotted Israeli war ships in the distance, as they approached the humanitarian flotilla. Little did I know how deadly and bloody were the events that soon began to unfold.

What I will write in this entry is fact, every letter of it, none of it is opinion, none of it is analysis, and I will leave that to you, the reader.

After spotting the warships at a distance, (at roughly 11pm) the organisers called for passengers to wear their life vests and remain indoors as they monitored the situation. The naval war ships together with helicopters remained in the distance for several hours.

At 2am local time the organisers informed me that they had re-routed the ship, as far away from Israel as possible, as deep into international waters as they could. They did not want a confrontation with the Israeli military, at least not by night.

Just after 4am local time, the Israeli military attacked the ship, in international waters, and totally unprovoked. Tear gas was used, sound grenades were launched, and rubber coated steel bullets were fired from almost every direction.

Dozens of speed boats carrying on average of 15-20 masked Israeli soldiers, armed to the teeth surrounded the Mavi Marmara which was carrying 600 or so unarmed civilians. Two helicopters at a time hovered above the vessel. Commandos on board the choppers joined the firing, using live ammunition, before any of the soldiers had descended onto the ship.

Two unarmed civilians were killed just meters away from me. Dozens of unarmed civilians were injured right before my eyes.

One Israeli soldier, armed with a large automatic gun and a side pistol, was overpowered by several passengers. They disarmed him. They did not use his weapons or fire them; instead they threw his weapons over board and into the sea.

After what seemed at the time as roughly 30 minutes, passengers on board the ship raised a white flag. The Israeli army continued to fire live ammunition. The ships organisers made a loud speaker announcement saying they have surrendered the ship. The Israeli army continued to fire live ammunition.

I was the last person to leave the top deck.

Below, inside the sleeping quarters, all the passengers had gathered. There was shock, anger, fear, hurt, chaos.

Doctors ran in all directions trying to treat the wounded, blood was on the floor, tears ran down people’s faces, cries of pain and mourning could be heard everywhere. Death was in the air.

Three critically injured civilians were being treated on the ground in the reception area of the ship. Their clothes soaked in blood. Passengers stood by watching in shock, some read out verses of the Qur’an to calm them, doctors worked in despair to save them.

Several announcements were made on the load speakers in Hebrew, Arabic and English - "This is a message to the Israeli army, we have surrendered. We are unarmed. We have critically injured people. Please come and take them. We will not attack."

There was no response.

One of the passengers, a member of the Israeli Parliament wrote a sign in Hebrew, reading the exact same thing; she held it together with a white flag and approached the windows where the Israeli soldiers were standing outside. The pointed their laser guided guns to her head, ushered her to go away.

A British citizen tried the same sign only this time holding a British Flag and taking the sign to a different set of windows and different set of soldiers. They responded in the same manner.

Three hours later, all three of the injured were pronounced dead. The Israeli soldiers who refused to allow them treatment succeeded where their colleagues had earlier failed when they targeted these three men with bullets.

At around 8am the Israeli army entered the sleeping quarters. They handcuffed the passengers. I was thrown onto the ground, my hands tied behind my back, I couldn’t move an inch.

I was taken to the top deck where the other passengers were, forced to sit on my knees under the burning sun.

One passenger had his hands tied so tight his wrists were all sorts of colours. When he requested that the cuffs be loosened, an Israeli soldier tightened them even more. He let out a scream that sent chills down my body.

I requested to go to the bathroom, I was prevented, instead the Israeli soldier told me to urinate where I was and in my own clothes. Three or four hours later I was allowed to go.

I was then marched, together with the other passengers, back to the sleeping quarters. The place was ransacked, its image like that of the aftermath of an earthquake.

I remained on the ship, seated, without any food or drink bar three sips of water for more than 24 hours. Throughout this time, Israeli soldiers had their guns pointed at us. Their hands on the trigger. For more than 24 hours.

I was then taken off the ship at Ashdod where I was asked to sign a deportation order, it claimed that I had entered Israel illegally and agreed to be deported. I told the officer that I, in fact, had not entered Israel but that the Israeli army had kidnapped me from international waters and brought me to Israel against my will; therefore I could not sign this document.

My passport was taken from me. I was told that I would go to jail.

Only then were my hands freed, I spent more than 24 hours with my hands cuffed behind my back, with nothing to eat, and barely anything to drink.

Upon arrival at the prison I was put in a cell with three other passengers. The cell was roughly 12ft by 9ft.

I spent more than 24 hours in jail. I was not allowed to make a single phone call.

The British consulate did not come and see me. I did not see a lawyer.

There was no hot water for a shower.

The only meal was frozen bread and some potatoes.

The only reason I believe I was released was because the Turkish prisoners refused to leave until and unless the other nationalities (those whose consulates had not come and released them) were set free.

I was taken to Ben Gurion airport. When I asked for my passport, the Israeli official presented me with a piece of paper and said "congratulations this is your new passport". I replied "you must be joking, you have my passport". The Israeli official's response: "sue me".

There I was asked again to sign a deportation order. Again I refused.

I was put on a plane headed to Istanbul.

Masked Israeli soldiers and commandos took me from international waters.

Uniformed Israeli officials locked me behind bars.

The British government did not lift a finger to help me, till this day I have not seen or heard from a British official.

The Israeli government stole my passport.

The Israeli government stole my lap top, two cameras, 3 phones, $1500 and all my possessions.

My government, the British government has not even acknowledged my existence.

I was kidnapped by Israel. I was forsaken by my country.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/06/kidnapped-israel-forsaken-britain

Judges hearing BP Lawsuits have ties to Oil Industry

2010-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

How convenient... :/

Re-posted from The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post
June 8, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill: Many Federal Judges Have Links To Oil Industry
First Posted: 06- 6-10 01:48 PM Updated: 06- 7-10 12:05 PM

MIAMI — More than half of the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial connections to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases, an Associated Press analysis of judicial financial disclosure reports shows.

Thirty-seven of the 64 active or senior judges in key Gulf Coast districts in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida have links to oil, gas and related energy industries, including some who own stocks or bonds in BP PLC, Halliburton or Transocean – and others who regularly list receiving royalties from oil and gas production wells, according to the reports judges must file each year. The AP reviewed 2008 disclosure forms, the most recent available.

Those three companies are named as defendants in virtually all of the 150-plus lawsuits seeking damages, mainly for economic losses in the fishing, seafood, tourism and related industries, that have been filed over the growing oil spill since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Attorneys for the companies and those suing them are pushing for consolidation of the cases in one court, with BP recommending Texas and others advocating for Louisiana and other states.

A Washington-based federal judicial panel is scheduled to meet next month to decide whether to consolidate the cases and, if so, which judge should be assigned the monumental task. The job would include such key pretrial decisions as certifying a large class of plaintiffs to seek damages, a potential multibillion-dollar settlement, whether to dismiss the cases and what documents BP and the other companies might be forced to produce in court.

The AP review of disclosure statements shows the oil and gas industry's roots run as deep in the Gulf Coast's judiciary as they do in the region's economy. For example, one federal judge in Texas is a member of Houston's Petroleum Club, an "exclusive, handsome club of, and for, men of the oil industry."

Federal judicial rules require judges to disqualify themselves from hearing cases involving a company in which they have a direct financial interest, and some Louisiana judges have already done so. For example, U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon in New Orleans, who reported ownership of BP stock, issued an order in early May that the court clerk not allot cases involving BP or related entities to her docket.

Another New Orleans jurist, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, said in court Friday he is selling his oil and gas investments – which included Transocean and Halliburton – to avoid any perception of a conflict. Barbier is presiding over about 20 spill-related lawsuits and some attorneys are recommending that he be chosen to oversee all cases filed nationally.

Still another judge in Louisiana, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, recused himself because his attorney son-in-law is representing several people and businesses filing suits against BP and the other companies over the rig explosion.

In many ways, the financial conflict rules are murky. For example, a judge does not have to step aside if the investments are part of a mutual fund over which they have no management control. Mere ties to companies or entities in the same industry, no matter how extensive, also don't require disqualification, according to legal experts.

"The specific rule forbids judges from hearing a case in which they have a financial interest. The more general rule forbids them from hearing cases in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned," said Charles Geyh, an Indiana University law professor who has closely studied judicial ethics.

So a judge like U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval of New Orleans would not have to disqualify himself even though he reported royalties from "mineral interest No. 1 and No. 2" in Terrebonne Parish, La., on his 2008 forms. Likewise for Senior U.S. District Judge William Barbour Jr. of Mississippi, who listed at least 30 oil and gas interests in three states including "McGowan Working Partners" and "Petro-Hunt Bovina Field," both in Mississippi.

Some judges have close ties to the energy industry that aren't for financial gain, but could still raise questions of potential bias.

The judge BP wants to hear all of the spill-related cases, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of Houston, for the past two years has been a "distinguished lecturer" focusing on ethical issues for the 35,000-member American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Hughes is not paid a fee but does receive reimbursements for travel, food and lodging, said association spokesman Larry Nation. Hughes has appeared at petroleum geologist meetings in several Texas cities, in New Orleans and also in Cape Town, South Africa. He is scheduled to give a lecture later this month in Calgary, Canada, the oil and gas capital of that country.

"Under the circumstances, I can see why the questions are being raised," Nation said. "But one of the reasons Judge Hughes was chosen to be a lecturer is that he is known as a very ethical person. I would think his being an ethics lecturer for our organization would be a positive, not a negative."

Hughes said at a hearing Friday that his work for the geologists poses no conflict and that his other oil and gas investments – which include royalties from several mineral rights interests – are not connected to BP or the other companies involved in the spill lawsuits.

Florida attorney Scott Weinstein, whose firm represents charter captains and other companies suffering economic loss from the spill – including the owners of the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Key West – said people might think it's unfair for BP to win its wish with a Texas judge rather than one seated in Louisiana or Florida, where the spill's impacts are greater.

"I would never assume that a judge is biased because of the jurisdiction that he or she sits in," Weinstein said. Still, "if this case winds up in Houston, many of the victims will feel very distant from where that justice is being handed out. It will not make sense to them."

Another Florida plaintiffs' attorney, Stuart Smith, was more blunt about the companies' aims.

"They would get much more sympathetic judges and perhaps a more sympathetic jury," Smith said.

In court papers, BP says that Hughes has the "experience and capacity" to handle the lawsuits and that Houston is the ideal location because most of the defendants' companies have headquarters or major operations there. BP spokesman have repeatedly declined to comment on pending lawsuits.

Some attorneys have come up with an unusual assertion: import a New York federal judge with a strong background in environmental lawsuits to Louisiana to preside over the cases.

They are recommending that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation appoint U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin. Scheindlin presided over settlement of some 200 lawsuits brought against BP and other oil companies over a toxic additive called MTBE that contaminated drinking supplies nationally – and she has no oil and gas investments, according to her financial disclosure forms.

Attorneys with the Weitz & Luxenberg firm in New York said they recommended Scheindlin rather than a Louisiana judge because "most or all of the judges in the (Louisiana) district have a conflict and cannot preside" over the consolidated cases.

Scheindlin's deputy said Friday she was out of town and unavailable to comment on whether she would accept such an appointment.

The judicial panel meets July 29 in Boise, Idaho, to hear arguments on consolidation of the oil spill cases. Recommendations also have been made for sending the cases to Alabama, Mississippi and South Florida.

___

The Associated Press National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org

Get HuffPost Green On Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz! Know something we don't? E-mail us at Huffpostgreen@huffingtonpost.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/06/gulf-oil-spill-many-feder_n_602192.html

KPFK 90.7FM needs Volunteers, Interns

2010-06-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

KPFK needs volunteers to take pledges in our phone room. If you have time to donate, please call Jesse at (818) 985-2711 x513 to set up a shift. You can also email your availability to: jwood@kpfk.org.

Come on down and be a part of your station!
What: June "Spring into Summer" Fund Drive
Who: YOU - Listeners and Supporters
When: Wednesday June 9th through June 25th (We need volunteers especially for drive time 5:00 am to 9:00 am and 4:15 pm to 6:15 pm)
Where: KPFK phone room in studio A.
Why: It's your station, do your part.
Details: To coordinate, schedule, or any questions call Jessica Wood 818.985.2711 x513 jwood@kpfk.org

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Become A Food Donor During KPFK's Fund Drives
During our fund drives local restaurants donate vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous meals for our volunteers.

If you'd like to donate, contact Jessica at jwood@kpfk.org or at 818-985-2711 x513

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RADIO INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
KPFK 90.7fm in Los Angeles is currently seeking interns that are willing to help with the production of several new and existing programs.

Responsibilities may include:
Research
Writing for radio
Administration of various social websites
Helping to book guests
Segment construction
And much more!

If you have a passion for progressive news, arts and culture and community action, check out www.KPFK.org.

Those who can commit to at least one day per week (4-8 hours) for a minimum of 12 weeks are preferred.

PLEASE CONTACT
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
Jessica Wood
(818) 985-2711 X513
or
jwood@kpfk.org

KPFK IS IN IMMEDIATE NEED OF VOLUNTEERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO EXERCISE THEIR TECHNICAL SKILLS AND ASSIST WITH OUR MUSIC PROGRAMMING, YOU MIGHT EVEN RECEIVE COLLEGE CREDIT! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE CALL JESSIE AT 818-985-2711 X 513

KPFK STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: This program provides an important opportunity to participate and contribute to one of the most important and significant news and information organization in the United States and around the world. The KPFK Student Internship Program is designed to provide opportunities to community members of Southern California and the college campuses within our listening area. Due to budgetary cutbacks the community college, CSU, and UC systems have an urgent need for assistance and support of its large student base. KPFK seeks to initiate this important effort through the collaboration with community organizations and our community colleges. KPFK and the Pacifica Foundation will contribute to the development of students and community organizations through education and community radio.

Download the application HERE.

Jessica Wood
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
KPFK Radio 90.7FM
3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West
North Hollywood, CA 91604
Tel.: 818.985.2711 x513
Fax: 818.763-7526
jwood@kpfk.org

Attention Tea Party: We are radicals, progressives and anarchists who have transforming this land on our mind.

2010-06-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Came across this article and found it to be very interesting. Please read and post your thoughts, comments, questions, etc. -s

Re-posted from Spots in the Sky

Attention Tea Party: We are radicals, progressives and anarchists who have transforming this land on our mind.
April 23, 2010

On the importance of identifying and pro-actively confronting the emerging reactionary movement in the United States.

If I were not the aforementioned bogeyman I would definitely be somewhat afraid. See, Glenn Beck is right, we are everywhere and we really do want it all. When I say want it all I mean all of the issues on the table. No compromising anymore. If you own a corporation that pollutes, we want to cut right into your profit, take it away and turn your shop green. You know what, scratch that, we think your workers deserve most of that profit. Sorry, maybe you’ll have better luck next time. It gets worse. No compromise at all in terms of gay marriage. Do you want to know the interesting thing about gay marriage for many of us? Of course we want civil rights for everyone, no compromise there either. But generally we have a strong disdain for religion, most likely your religion. Speaking only for myself, I am fully, 100 percent aware that allowing gay people to be accepted as members of our society shakes your organized religious experience to its core. Great.

The Tea Party and what it stands for

Reactionary movements are always around, at certain periods in history more active than not. Pick any of these currents from around the world, the social and political aim is always the same;

“defense of the existing social norm and traditional power in society.”

It makes sense then that these movements will be most active during times of upheaval and change. It is at these times when the old, traditional foundations of society are being shook. The Tea Party along with other socially conservative elements are utilizing the language of reaction, it certainly does not take long to find it. Even the more moderate, umbrella organizations have the basic creed of “defending a constitutionally limited government” and “free market.” This is nothing new of course, politicians and the more privileged among us always defend the free market indefinitely. They have the most to lose when it is threatened.

As unwavering support for the free market is a defense of the economic status quo, agitation for a constitutionally limited government is a defense of the social one. A convenient way of refusing to accept social change for a limited time until federal and state power is wielded by the right. The absolute rejection of progressive ideals through campaigns of intimidation and fear. The defense of God and Nationalism by those who benefit, this is the Tea Party and more so, it is the face of the reaction.

Beyond the Liberal and Democratic Party consensus

I should make clear that the grassroots Tea Party groups and individuals not only speak the reactionary language, they represent it. From the inception of this movement the left was quick to write it off, claiming that it was Astroturf. A fictional representation of the Republican party base that only existed due to corporate money and free television publicity. How incredibly disingenuous and naive! In a short amount of time the United States has gone through massive upheaval both in social and economic terms. To think that a massive loss of wealth, and beginnings of United States loss of global dominance will not cause a rift in society is not only foolish but dangerous.

Are Television and Radio stations actively promoting the reactionary agenda? Yes. Are there big business and rich conservative supporters behind the Tea Party movement? Of course. Does this mean it is fictional? No. These are simply the people who make up the movement along with many other individuals who intend to defend their interests.

We need to apply this to all liberal critiques. Of course there are racist, homophobic, sexist and all sorts of close minded individuals in the tea party movement. The defense of tradition, god and country will attract people who want to defend these values. Although, this does not mean the countless liberal commentators who claim the movement is the new KKK or dominated by those obsessed with race is true. Claiming it to be is just an easy way to cast aside the actual implications of a broad based social movement determined to move backwards.

It may also be amusing to focus on the seemingly inane statements coming from the figureheads and members of the reactionary movement. Simply, can we afford to ignore this political force because they say things that are illogical? If we are so aware of history, we should clearly know this is a poor idea. The arguments that people like Glenn Beck make, who many on the right revere, are not intended to make good points or convince the masses. In fact, these arguments give voice to a segment of American society that cannot truly say for differing reasons, what is on their mind.

The Democratic Party is a really big part of the problem. The Democrats have managed to convince way to many people that they represent left leaning interests. Even anarchists who understand the implications of electoral politics fall for it time and time again. This phony-progressivism creates an officially sanctioned monopoly on ideas, arguments and strategy. And the official Democratic Party strategy for dealing with the Tea Party is? Move along folks, nothing to see here but a bunch of freaks and weirdos. The reason being is simple, an actual progressive argument against the reactionary majority of the Tea Party would undermine the Democratic Party agenda.

Heads up friends, this stuff is serious

Right now we have groups of libertarians, conservatives, disaffected voters, business owners, middle and working class people coalescing around right wing ideology. Their leaders are attacking both ideas and groups of people. Progressives, leftists and immigrants along with Health Care and Internet Neutrality legislation are fascistic and Anti-American. The current economic collapse and resulting bank bailouts are to blame squarely on Marxist ideology.

Hundreds of thousands of people have joined in street demonstrations across the country under this banner. Organizations that are generally supported by the left such as Acorn have been shut down while many more are under attack. Representatives are already being elected by reactionary currents. The Democratic Party along with Obama has been unable to carry out the change promised due to right wing electoral procedure, propaganda and direct action.

There has not been a movement like this in the United States for some time, and it is gaining steam. It is essential to understand that this is something new and different than the normal reaction to a new political administration. The Tea Party does not intend to strengthen the Republican Party, they want to become the Republican Party.

Completely possible scenarios nobody wants to think about

The reactionary movement has strengthened right wing elements in the United States. In doing so many elected and aspiring politicians have aligned themselves with the Tea Party. As we know, many of these political figures are adopting and promoting even the most incendiary rhetoric. This is not a political ploy for more votes. It is instead the new and emerging voice of the Republican Party.

The Tea Party folks may be in the streets, active at town halls and even organizing outside official channels but their strategy is essentially an electoral one. This electoral strategy is made up of multiple tactics:

Block all efforts by the Democratic Party that do not benefit the right
Influence and intimidate(through loss of votes) elected officials to adopt Tea Party positions
Elect new representatives that come from the Tea Party and other reactionary currents
This overall strategy seems to be working. The Democrats, due to wishy washy tendencies and outright fear of electoral repercussions have been unable to put forth a clear agenda. This has allowed the right to galvanize and the Democrats to lose supporters, the same supporters that propelled Barack Obama into the electorate. The Democrats are set to lose out in a few short months, when they do, say goodbye to any chance of promised change or reform. This will set into motion a scenario that includes a dissolution of the activist base that was already weary of the Democratic Party line.

The gaining voice of the new opposition through official channels will consistently attack progressive legislation, ideas and voices in order to satisfy their supporters. There will be no lightening of rhetoric. Under this scenario there is no way the Democrats hold onto the presidency in 2012. The political conventions will be a true turning point for American democracy. The Democrats, unable to come to terms with themselves will be in complete melt down. Republicans on the other hand, will put forth a right wing agenda that has been witnessed many times throughout history. The defense of god and tradition, the promotion of nationalism and business. A display of the worst aspects of American history and culture.

When reaction dominates, everything is at stake

Net neutrality is the general theory that Internet providers should stay out of regulating content. Meaning that your cable company is not allowed to tell you that Google is more important than Yahoo. It is a good place to start in terms of issues that are at stake and threatened. Since the beginning of mass availability to Internet access the free flow of information has not only hurt corporate America but has shaken the whole foundation of traditional American society. Is it really surprising that Tea Party figureheads have deemed net neutrality socialist and anti American?

It is an incredibly important focal point, not only because it threatens access to information, but it seems far fetched that the Internet could indeed be threatened. Something basic, the unregulated digital world that a generation now takes for granted is under attack. This is indeed part of the program, reel in this free space, bring it under control. As the printing press threatened the ruling classes centuries ago, the Internet threatens them today.

The Tea Party has came out decisively against projects and services apart from the free market that help the poor. Don’t be fooled though, the idea here is not to weaken the state and move these services towards capitalist ventures. It instead represents the desire to cut the programs completely. From public education to welfare. Of course we never hear from the right that the military and prisons need a cut in funding. If we cut the defense and prisons budget where would all the poor people who are jobless with no help or recourse go? Do not expect non governmental organizations or unions to help either, we already know what happens when organizations such as Acorn draw the ire of the Tea Party movement.

We can only assume that groups making inroads towards greater civil rights will not fare well. Immigrants are already being scapegoated and attacked. Gays and Lesbians, even with mass support have watched as the little rights they do have are taken away. The right of women to have domain over their bodies has always been under attack. It can be assumed at the very least, that certain states dominated by the new right will have success restricting these rights.

The groundswell of reactionary sentiment has been building well before the last election. We quickly forget how right wing ideologues went after Ward Churchill, an American Indian activist and professor. How during the economic collapse, instead of blaming the bankers and big business the right singled out poor people who should have known better. Or the backwards religious zealots across the country campaigning against the teaching of evolution.

I am not suggesting we are heading towards a black hole, an inevitable confrontation with an authoritarian anti progressive state. The general state of society is much more positive than it seems. The wealth of information younger generations have had access to has created a situation very difficult for the right wing in society to battle against. The older generation of progressives and radicals who have held it down over the years and gave us guidance are still a force in and of itself. So we come to this juncture; the old society ready to fight for their world and the rest of us, who are ready to move forward.

We are radicals, progressives and anarchists who have a new world in our hearts

For everyone who has been fighting, struggling, arguing and supporting the new freedoms and ideas springing up over the past decade it is not even a question what side we are on. There has been many dips and turns we have found ourselves in. There are so many people who really get it, who are ready to push forward the changes that we feel are absolutely necessary. We may as a group understand that gay rights, immigrant rights, the environmental movement and anti-prison movement are all connected but no matter how pie in the sky it sounds, our efforts are not connected. And why should they be? For so long business, the Democrats and Republicans have criticized and shut down any organizing outside their realm.

It is way past time to quit being shy and engage each other in actual discussion. Radical activists who many see as rigid, professor like and PC need to step outside their box and talk to people who may not agree with all tenets of your philosophy. Those who tout the stereotypical idea of the “activist” need to realize that without direct action, speaking up and organizing outside the Internet we will not be ready for the challenges ahead. And it is a shame that we are so many but at the same time so insulated. Let us move past the dogma, realize that we all come from different places and build on it. When we do that, we are ready.

A proactive strategy to engage the Tea Party and build a new response

The reaction is not a united entity. Many in the movement are looking for the same answers that we are and that has to be recognized. The Libertarian party types who are there with us when we talk about the surveillance state, prisons and defense are ripe for engagement. As a whole we need to articulate our position and provide an alternative platform. More so, in our writings, arguments and organizing we need to present a clear position as to why the right wing reaction does not make sense for them. It is my personal opinion that as the Tea Party develops into a more cohesive force after the elections, the libertarians who are part of it will drop out. The social conservative and false small government ideology will become much to clear for them.

More importantly, the Tea Party has attracted so many regular non party affiliated Americans who are sick of the bank bail outs and two party government. People looking for answers to the problems that nobody is willing to answer for. We can think of it like religion whereas it gives people hope but can also lead down a dangerous path. This path is pushing working class Americans towards anti progressive, nationalist ideology. The blame is shouldered by many who held out hope that the Democratic party would be able to provide an alternative. It has not, it will not, it is time for us to do so.

Holding meetings that provide counter arguments and solutions to the reactionary agenda outside the Democratic and Republican spectrum. Writing, discussing and responding in ways that counter the conservative myths as to why the big parties gave bailouts to the rich. If we can handle limited and basic counter organizing we can at the very least slow the momentum of the right. And at best we can peel away sections of the American public to our side.

Moving forward towards the long term

No matter how it looks, the old society, however hard they fight will lose out in the end. It is up to us to not only defend our ideals but be prepared to put them into practice. If we do not, it may be decades before even our basic hopes and desires become reality. Beyond the Democrats or Republicans, we know the world we must win starts from the bottom. The more of us there are, when millions are on the streets determined to fight for it all, that is when we win.

Radical Doula: Becoming a Doula

2010-06-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Re-posted from Radical Doula

Becoming a Doula
by Miriam Zoila Pérez
Over the years of running this blog (coming up on three!) I’ve often gotten emails asking me about how to become a doula. Here is the nitty gritty run down about where to look and how to get started.

So you want to be a doula?

Congrats! It’s an amazing journey, and one of the most direct and fulfilling forms of activism I have found. It’s a blessing to be invited into a families birth experience, and empowering to be help parents have the experience they want.

First step: Find a doula training.
While some folks might say that a formal doula training isn’t necessary, I think it’s a good way to get a foundation in the world of doula work. You learn the nuts and bolts of childbirth, watch some cool videos and do great reading. You also get to be in community with all the other doulas in training and get one perspective on what the role of a doula is. There are a few major training organizations out there, and that’s where I would start. While some of these won’t be particularly “radical” (probably won’t be much mention of abortion rights, race, sexuality, etc) it’s a foundation for you to work from. Then you can build community with like-minded doulas and bring your own radical philosophy to your doula work. Doula training will cost you. Mine was about $500 when I did it four years ago. But don’t let that stop you! You can always ask about scholarships, or try and find an organization to sponsor your training. Mine was covered by my college at the time.

For a list of doula organizations that provide trainings (US focused) go here.

Step 2: What about Certification?
You’ll notice when researching doula trainings that all these organizations also mention certification. DONA is especially certification focused. Certification is the process by which doulas become certified by a national organization–basically another stamp of approval. Certification processes vary, but generally they involve more money, paperwork from a certain number of births (from the mom, doctor/midwife, nurses), required reading and book reports, childbirth education class). DONA has certification details here, and they’ve become even more rigorous in the years’ since I did their training.

Certification is all part of the attempt to professionalize and legitimize doula’s and doula work. While I support efforts to legitimize doulas and our work, I am not necessarily an advocate of certification. It’s a cumbersome and costly process. I wrote here about my reasons for not being certified, but the main one is that for me doula work is not a business. It’s a form of activism, something I do as a volunteer, and I have not yet found barriers to my participating in this work as a volunteer without certification. Training is almost always a requirement, but certification has not been.

Whether to get certified is up to you, but don’t let it stop you from beginning the journey. You don’t need to be certified to be considered a doula, and you don’t need to work with DONA to feel legitimate in the work you do.

Step 3: Get to work!
Now that you have done your doula training, it’s time to get into the birth action! I’m a huge proponent of volunteer doula programs, both for new doulas in the making and as a practice overall. These programs (which vary widely) find ways to set volunteer doula’s up with moms who can’t afford to pay for a doula on her own, or might not even know about the services doula’s provide. Some programs set parents up with doulas before the birth, others use an on-call system to connect doulas to laboring parents. These programs are great because you can vary your commitment–if you only have one day a month to offer, no problem! If you want to work with a few births a year–great! They also do the awesome work of getting doula care to folks who wouldn’t otherwise have it.

These programs can unfortunately be hard to find, as many don’t have websites or public information. Know a volunteer doula program not listed here? Email me at radicaldoulaATgmailDOTcom and I’ll add it.

You can find a full list of volunteer doula programs here.

--------------------------------------------------
Miriam Zoila Pérez is a writer, blogger and reproductive justice activist. She works with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and is an Editor at Feministing. Miriam was trained as a doula in 2004.

Mexican immigrant beaten to death by US Border Patrol

2010-06-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Re-posted from Blog for Peace and Freedom

Mexican immigrant beaten to death by US Border Patrol
By Bill Van Auken
4 June 2010

Anastasio Hernández Rojas, a Mexican immigrant construction worker and father of five, died in a San Diego hospital Monday after a brutal beating and tasering by US Border Patrol agents at the San Ysidro crossing to Tijuana left him brain dead.

The San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office Wednesday ruled the death a homicide, with the beating having resulted in a loss of oxygen to the brain and a heart attack.

The 42-year-old worker had lived in the Encanto, California, area since he was 14, his entire adult life. His children, ages four through 20 were all born in the US and are American citizens. He supported his family through work installing swimming pools.

Hernández had been detained and deported to Mexico on May 25 after reportedly being picked up by the San Diego police. He was again detained by the Border Patrol while attempting to cross back into the US to reunite with his family on Friday, May 28.

Immigration authorities rushed him through the system and were preparing to push him back across the border to waiting Mexican border agents when the incident took place.

The Border Patrol claimed that Hernández became violent and that it was necessary to club and then taser him into submission.

Witnesses, however, reported that as many as 20 agents pummeled the worker. His brother, Pedro Pablo Hernández, whose whereabouts are unknown and is presumed still in US custody, testified that he and Anastasio were seated on the ground in handcuffs when one of the agents kicked him in the chest and another kicked him in the leg. He said that Anastasio shouted at the agents to stop, but they only became more violent.

The murdered man’s wife, María Hernández, told the media, “What happened is that Anastasio wasn’t going to let them get away with it; I know him.”

Initially, the beating could not be seen from the Mexican side of the border, but a woman who was passing through the border transfer area towards Mexico informed agents of the Mexican National Immigration Institute that the US agents were “almost killing someone” on the other side.

Then, according to accounts in the Mexican press, Anastasio Hernández crawled to an area where he could be seen from Mexican territory, pursued by the US agents. With dozens of people watching, the agents kicked and used stun guns on him until he stopped screaming and no longer moved.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency issued a perfunctory statement declaring that it “regrets the loss of life and awaits the results of a complete investigation into this incident.”

Immigrant rights defenders, however, say that the brutal attack is by no means uncommon, and that Border Patrol personnel enjoy impunity in the use of violence against undocumented immigrants. They add that such investigations are generally internal, with no accountability to the public.

This latest killing provoked rage on both sides of the US-Mexico border. The Mexican government responded with its usual words of condemnation and indignation, but has taken no action outside of instructing its consulate in San Diego to aid the bereaved family.

The Mexican Conference of Bishops charged that the atmosphere for the killing had been created by the whipping up of anti-immigrant reaction, particularly with the passage of the law in Arizona ordering local police to target people on the basis of suspicion that they are in the country without documents. “They are encouraging hatred for Hispanic immigrants and the existence of a climate of violence based on the erroneous idea that their territories are being invaded and locals are being deprived of opportunities,” the conference said.

In the town of Mexicali, members of the Mexicali Civic Front briefly blocked the border in protest over the killing. The president of the group, Sergio Tamay, demanded justice for the murdered worker and said that efforts were being made to unite organizations in southern California and Baja California to defend the rights of immigrants, whatever their status.

At a press conference in San Diego on Wednesday, immigrant rights groups joined with the family of Anastasio Hernández to condemn the killing.

“I only wish that all those who suffered the same fate find justice, that there be justice for all of these deaths and for the death of Anastasio,” said Veronica Hernández, the murdered worker’s cousin. “They didn’t end just that one life, they took away life for all the members of our family.”

She continued: “With all that we have suffered, with immigration and discrimination, it is time that we rise up. It is time to say we are here and we have come only to work, not rob anybody. All we want is a better life for our children, for our parents.”

Andrea Guerrero of the American Civil Liberties Union in San Diego said that there was no possible justification for the level of violence unleashed against Anastasio Hernández, given that he was in a secure area after already being searched and processed, about to be turned over to Mexican authorities.

She said that the killing was not an isolated incident, but a manifestation of a “culture of impunity” within the Border Patrol. “If this kind of incident can happen in the full light of day in front of hundreds of people, what is happening behind closed doors?” she asked.

She expressed anger at the Obama White House for failing to ameliorate draconian US immigration statutes or improve conditions in any way for immigrant workers. “This administration made promises about change, but we have seen very little of it here in the border region,” she said.

Guerrero stressed that Anastasio Hernández had only two choices: abandon his family and his home of nearly 30 years, or risk his life by coming back across the border without papers. The idea that workers like him can “get in line” and return legally, she said, is a myth. “There are not lines for everybody, and this is a perfect example.”

Addressing the death of Anastasio Hernández at a press briefing Wednesday, US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said that the brutal state killing “obviously represents the challenge of securing the border on both sides, and we are very mindful of the fact that [for] those who try to enter the United States illegally, there is a significant loss of life every year along the border as people endeavor to come here.”

A report released last month by the Washington-based establishment think tank National Foundation for American Policy found that 4,000 men, women and children have died crossing the border since 1998, when the Democratic administration of President Bill Clinton launched a crackdown on the border. This is approximately one person every day.

As a result of increased surveillance and repression along the border, the death rate has risen sharply, even as the number of people crossing into the US has fallen. The study found a 64 percent decline in the number of workers entering without documents, alongside a 59 percent increase in immigrant deaths at the border.

Retenes este fin de semana / Checkpoints this weekend

2010-06-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Retenes este fin de semana / Checkpoints this weekend (4-5/jun/2010)
by Checkpoint response
Friday, Jun. 04, 2010 at 1:19 AM
noretenes@gmail.com

Raza, una cosa que pueden hacer para enterarse de los retenes es leer a diario su periódico local, sobre todo si tiene la posibilidad de leer el diario publicado en inglés, ya que muchas veces las agencias del llamado "orden público" sólo avisan a ellos, y muchas veces ni siquiera les avisa a ellos. Otra táctica es buscar en los sitios de internet de sus departamentos locales de policía al igual que los sitios del alguacil de su condado. Muchas veces tienen una página dedicada a boletines de prensa, o a veces se anuncian en la parte de "asuntos públicos." Lamentablemente, éstos también suelen proporcionar información únicamente en inglés.

Fellow workers, one thing you can do to find out about the checkpoints is to read your local paper daily, especially if you can read the one published in English, since o ften law enforcement agencies only make advisories to English-language press, and often not even them. Another tactic is to check the websites of your local police departments and county sheriff. Often they will have a page just for press releases, or sometimes they are listed under "public affairs." Unfortunately, these sites also tend to provide information only in English.

Viernes / Friday (4/jun)

COACHELLA (CA) - "The Coachella Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, 06/4/10, between the hours of 7:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M." (http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/ind10-0604.asp)

LANCASTER (CA) - "Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Risk Management Bureau will be conducting a DUI/DL Checkpoint on Friday, June 04, 2010 from 6 PM until approximately 2 AM." (http://sheriff.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/lasd/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3hLAwMDd3-nYCN3M19LA0_nEDPvMJMAQ39jA_2CbEdFAFVdgp4!/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/lasd+content/lasd+site/home/news+room/news+crime+information/10-dui-lancaster-06-04-10)

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP (OH) - "police departments will conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on state Route 21 southbound and northbound between the Stark-Wayne county line, and Marshallville Road within Lawrence Township." (http://www.cantonrep.com/stark/x293545272/Sobriety-checkpoints-set-for-Route-21-Marshallville-Road)

REDLANDS (CA) - "The Redlands roadblock is set for 10:30 p.m. Friday until 3 a.m. Saturday in the southbound lane of Ford Street just south of South Avenue." (http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_D_nb04_checkpoint.1cacd9a.html)

SACRAMENTO (CA) - "Sacramento Police Department officers will conduct a DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Friday in the north area of the city." (http://www.modbee.com/2010/06/03/1192797/sacramento-pd-to-run-dui-checkpoint.html)

SAN BERNARDINO (CA) - "The San Bernardino checkpoint is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Saturday near Lynwood and Del Rosa avenues." (http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_D_nb04_checkpoint.1cacd9a.html)

VISTA (CA) - "Vista Station will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on the evening of June 4, 2010, at an undisclosed location in the City of Vista." (http://apps.sdsheriff.net/press/Default.aspx?FileLink=4128ab10-032b-4efa-80e8-66fc913a0d2c)

Sábado / Saturday (5/jun)

DARIEN (CT) - "the Darien police will hold the town’s first sobriety checkpoint this Saturday night, June 5, starting around 11. The checkpoint will continue into the early morning hours of June 6." (http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/darientimes/news/local/60246-dariens-first-sobriety-checkpoint-comes-to-post-road-saturday.html)

LAKE ELSINORE (CA) - "Lake Elsinore Police Department announced today they will be holding a DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint on Saturday, June 5th, at an undisclosed location within the city." (http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/lak10-0605.asp)

MENIFEE (CA) - "Between 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday, officers with the Menifee Police Department will patrol undisclosed locations within the city limits." (http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2010-06-02/news/dui-checkpoint-planned-in-menifee)

Police re-open street, arrest 8 protesters -The Orange County Register

2010-06-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

Police re-open street, arrest 8 protesters -The Orange County Register
By MICHAEL MELLO, CINDY CARCAMO and DOUG IRVING
2010-06-03 10:58:48

SANTA ANA – Eight protesters remained in jail Thursday night after being arrested when they chained themselves together and blocked Santa Ana Boulevard to decry immigration enforcement practices and Arizona's controversial immigration law.

The protesters declined to give police their names, causing authorities problems when they tried to book them into Santa Ana Jail.

Using ropes, duct tape, bolts, and PVC pipes, they had linked themselves together into a circular chain in the westbound lanes of busy Santa Ana Boulevard. Police and firefighters had to use medical scissors and wrenches to free the protesters, who lay on the baking asphalt, looking into the sun.

A banner lay on the street in the center of the circle, reading: "Arizona to Costa Mesa, racism ends here." Stickers on the pipes said, "Brown and proud."

Some of the protesters either couldn't stand or refused to stand once they were freed. All refused to give police their names, and many even refused to speak to Fire Department paramedics who gave them a once-over before they were loaded into a waiting police holding van.

They stayed silent in solidarity with those who are in the country illegally, other members of their group said. They also carried no identifying documents, also as part of a solidarity movement.

Officers arrested them on suspicion of unlawful assembly and refusal to disperse, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

He added that the eight would be cited and released if they could be identified by officers. If not, they would remain in jail.

Seven of the eight refused to give officers their names to help with identifying them, and refused to allow officers to fingerprint them, Bertagna said.

A much larger group of about 60 peaceful but loud protesters helped block the street in front of the federal building for several hours. They chose the spot because it was in front of the chain-link gate Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents use as the intake for those suspected of being in the country illegally.

During the protest, police vehicles and fire trucks blocked off Santa Ana Boulevard between Parton and Flower streets. Police directed traffic around the closure.

Authorities didn't know about the protest until an officer happened upon it as he drove down the boulevard.

"We were given no notice" of the gathering, Bertagna said, noting the protest affected traffic downtown and nearby businesses. "This is a major thoroughfare in the city of Santa Ana."

The protesters handed out lists of demands: that Santa Ana declare itself a so-called sanctuary city; that police officers not work with immigration officials; that Costa Mesa repeal its Rule of Law resolution and that Arizona repeal its anti-illegal immigration law.

One banner read: "Vengo a Defender los Derechos de la Humanidad'' – "I Come Here to Defend the Rights of Humanity.''

Sarina Sanchez, 21, a UCLA student from Los Angeles, was one of the protesters. She said the group wants Santa Ana to take a firmer stance against the Arizona immigration-enforcement law and wants Santa Ana police to stop collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said Thursday's protest was led by the youth in the city.

"There is a lot of youth here and immigrant families in Santa Ana," she said. She added that the eight arrested by authorities were in the country legally.

The demonstration was organized by word of mouth. Phone calls were made and messages sent through social networking sites, such as Facebook.

"We see an attack in the communities all over the nation,'' said protester Abraham Medina, a 21-year-old Santa Ana resident who attends UC Irvine. "People are scared to even go to work and come home from work.''

The protesters are not part of any specific group, he said, but represent "the community that has been silenced because of policies that introduce terror in our communities."

The protesters scoffed – "Whose street? Our street!" -- after police issued a dispersal warning about two hours after they first blocked Santa Ana Boulevard. Others chanted, "la raza unida, jamás será vencida"—"a race, united, will never be defeated."

However, most of group quickly headed for the sidewalk and down the street once 75 police officers closed in.

Members of the group would not say if they plan more demonstrations.

Thursday evening, about a dozen members of the group waited outside the Santa Ana Jail for the "detainees," as they referred to the arrested protesters. Through phone calls from friends, America Najera said, they got limited news from inside the jail.

Najera said the arrested women were being held without water. In addition, she said, two of the protesters were hurt when they were dragged down the street as they were arrested. The pair claimed they have asked for medical treatment and were refused.

Bertagna said that's not the case. Many sinks in the jail come equipped with drinking spouts for easy access to water.

"If they request water, they get water," Bertagna said. "If they request medical attention, they get medical attention."

Re-posted from OC Register

Israel Attacks & The People Fight Back!

2010-05-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, Israeli forces attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships aiming to break the blockade on Gaza. According to Aljazeera, at least 19 people were killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops attacked the convoy of ships, dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, in international waters about 75 miles off the Gaza coast.

For live feed from the flotilla, check out: http://mondoweiss.net/2010/05/israeli-ships-bear-down-on-freedom-flotilla-in-the-dark.html

For more in-depth articles about the incident, check out the following:
Israel Attacks Gaza Aid Fleet (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.html)
Israel Attacks Aid Ship, Kills at least 10 civilians (http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/05/31/israel/index.html)

Gaza has been blockaded by Israel since 2007 with full backing by the U.S. government. For background on the Freedom Flotilla and the Free Gaza Movement, visit http://www.freegaza.org/.

Emergency actions are taking place worldwide in protest of the atrocious massacre. In Los Angeles, a demonstration is taking place TODAY at 4:30PM at the Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (Between Crescent Heights and San Vicente). Come out and show your solidarity! For more information, check out http://www.answerla.org.

¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute

2010-05-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

***DEADLINE TO APPLY IS JUNE 1ST!

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATIONS TODAY!!!!***

The government that represents YOU engages in unprovoked wars for financial gain and power, imprisons and tortures innocent civilians without being charged with crimes or given a trial, cuts funding to your education while spending more on defense than any other nation in the world, bails out corporations while millions of homeless people starve and live on the streets, discriminates against lesbians and gays, transgender people, immigrants, poor people, women, people of color, and disabled people…

We say ¡YA BASTA! Enough is Enough!

¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute is an intensive summer youth leadership and organizing program that provides local middle school and high school students with the skills necessary to resist injustice and oppression within their communities. Through nontraditional teaching methods including interactive workshops, group discussions, guest speakers, field trips, readings, and hands on experiences, youth will learn the basics of direct action organizing, community building, campaign development, and see how these tactics and strategies have been applied in movements all throughout the world present and past. ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough! provides a historical foundation of U.S. and global resistance to key issues directly connected to young people and demonstrates methods of how to resist and organize alternatives.

Email Andres Ruiz at oneimagination@gmail.com for an application TODAY! Or call us at (310) 614-4713. Deadline to apply is June 1st, 2010.

Two Special Events this Week: BTS on Thurs & Visions of Freedom 1i Mixer on Sat!

2010-05-25T15:22:00.001-07:00

One Imagination presents
BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic
Thursday, May 27th
7PM - 10PM
@ Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach

Sign-ups start at 6:30PM

Featuring:

guerrilla hip hop artist and 1i organizer

and

Traci Akemi Kato-Kiriyama

published poet & TNP organizer

________________________________________________________

VISIONS OF FREEDOM
a One Imagination Mixer
"not your ordinary happy hour..."
Saturday, May 29th
6PM - 9PM
@ Catalyst Space: 430 E. 1st Street, Long Beach

Hang out, eat, and drink with the One Imagination family, learn more about what we do and what we stand for, and get involved with upcoming programs and campaigns such as ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute.

Music by DJ South
Hosted by Jumakae, female hip hop artist and 1i organizer

7 Year Old African American Girl Murdered by Police in Detroit

2010-05-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Aiyana Jones, a 7 year old African American girl, was shot to death in Detroit early Sunday morning by Michigan state police officers executing a search warrant for a murder suspect at the wrong house (see article below for details). She was hit in the neck by a single bullet and pronounced dead at St. John's hospital.

This is truly tragic and we send our condolences to Jones's family and loved ones, though unfortunately this is not an isolated incident of systemic brutality, repression, and abuse of power by law enforcement. We hope Aiyana Jones's story will resonate with people and move them to the point of wanting to do something more to change the world we live in. Whether it's working on increasing police accountability or building community alternatives to law enforcement or supporting victims' families, we make the call to everyone to step up and take action now.

State Police to Investigate Girl's Death

-1i

TUE 05/18 One Imagination's Sumiko Braun to Feature at Tuesday Night Cafe in LA

2010-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hope you can make it out! Come say hello to us!

And if you can't come... you can always watch the show live here: http://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/2010/05/05/2010/04/07/watchlive/

1i's Youth Poetry Slam Team Auditions this Sunday! Join us and compete at Brave New Voices!

2010-05-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, we're One Imagination. And this past spring, we organized a youth leadership, writing, performance, and mentorship program called Our Word is Our Weapon. One Imagination along with three of the youth from Our Word is Our Weapon decided to give it a shot and apply to compete in the international Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Slam Competition. Well, we got accepted, but teams must have 4-6 youth poets! So, we have at least one slot to fill, and we are looking for young poets, ages 13-19, to audition THIS SUNDAY for a chance to be a part of our team and compete at Brave New Voices this summer!

If you're interested or might know someone who is interested, please contact Jumakae at jumakae@gmail.com to schedule an audition. Auditions start at 3PM on Sunday, May 16th, and will be held at a location in downtown Long Beach, accessible by the Metro Rail Blue Line. Please prepare at least two original pieces and expect to answer some basic questions about yourself.

Please spread the word!

Thank you,

Beatrock Music to release Remittances by Power Struggle -- Download "What Goes Up" Track

2010-05-11T15:51:00.001-07:00

This upcoming Tuesday (5/18) Beatrock Music will be dropping their next full-length album release: Remittances by Power Struggle. Make sure to get a taste of Remittances by downloading the sick ass track "What Goes Up".

POWER STRUGGLE is rapper Nomi accompanied by producers Mister REY and Fatgums. The new album REMITTANCES takes listeners on a journey through the American landscape from the perspective of a working-class immigrant disillusioned by the American dream. With help from fellow comrades Bambu, Kiwi, Denizen Kane, BWAN and others, REMITTANCES promises to speak to the revolutionary in us all. Presented to the people by Beatrock Music, REMITTANCES will be available in stores and online May 18, 2010.

Info on Power Struggle and the album:
Artist: Power Struggle
Album Title: Remittances
Release Date: 5/18/2010
Label: Beatrock Music

Info on the track:
Track Title: "What Goes Up" (produced by Mister REY and Fatgums)
Cover art piece by Drama One
Direct Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?zqzizilzmut
Beatrock Music Free Downloads Page: http://beatrockmusic.com/?page_id=106

Thank you so much for supporting Beatrock Music and independent Hip Hop!

Break the Silence short film by Nori Kato

2010-05-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Break the Silence from Nori Kato on Vimeo.

FRI 05/07 "AOKI" at Cinema of the Oppressed (COTO)

2010-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every First Fridays, One Imagination hosts Cinema of the Oppressed (COTO), a series of documentaries depicting relevant situations in the lives of our communities. The chosen films focus on progressive ideas, self-determination, and the struggles for just societies.

On May 7th, join us for a screening of "AOKI," a documentary chronicling the life of Richard Aoki (1938-2009), a third-generation Japanese American who became one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. For more information on the film, and the creators, Ben Wang and Mike Cheng, visit http://aokifilm.com/.

When: Friday, May 7, 6:30-9:30PM.

Where: Pizza Pi, 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA.

Click for map.

For those using public transportation or for those in need of parking, do refer to our Pizza Pi Transportation Map.

Suggested donation: $1 (all donations will fund our youth in Our Word is Our Weapon (OWOW) as they journey into Brave New Voices, an international slam poetry competition).

RSVP on Facebook (click)

"AOKI" Trailer:

Direct all questions to One Imagination: oneimagination@gmail.com

-1i

MAY DAY - THE LABOR DAY

2010-05-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Note from 1i: We wanted to re-post this to share with our 1i family the history of May Day for those who may not be familiar. It's important to know why we come out into the streets on May 1st every year and why it's significant that May Day is the true Labor Day and we must continue this struggle for workers internationally.

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in most countries. The United States of America and Canada are among the exceptions. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the USA, linked to the battle for the eight-hour day, and the Chicago anarchists.

The struggle for the eight-hour day began in the 1860s. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada, organized in 1881 (and changing its name in 1886 to American Federation of Labor) passed a resolution which asserted that "eight hours shall constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886, and that we recommend to labor organizations throughout this district that they so direct their laws as to conform to this resolution". The following year the Federation repeated the declaration that an eight-hour system was to go into effect on May 1, 1886. With workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day, support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly. In the months prior to May 1, 1886, thousands of workers, organized and unorganized, members of the organization Knights of Labor and of the federation, were drawn into the struggle. Chicago was the main center of the agitation for a shorter day. The anarchists were in the forefront of the Central Labor Union of Chicago, which consisted of 22 unions in 1886, among them the seven largest in the city.

During the Railroad strikes of 1877, the workers had been violently attacked by the police and the United States Army. A similar tactic of state terrorism was prepared by the bureaucracy to fight the eight-hour movement. The police and National Guard were increased in size and received new and powerful weapons financed by local business leaders. Chicago's Commercial Club purchased a $2000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to be used against strikers. Nevertheless, by May 1st, the movement had already won gains for many Chicago workers. But on May 3, 1886, police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Harvester Machine Company, killing at least one striker, seriously wounding five or six others, and injuring an undetermined number. Anarchists called for a mass meeting the next day in Haymarket Square to protest the brutality.

The meeting proceeded without incident, and by the time the last speaker was on the platform, the rainy gathering was already breaking up, with only about two hundred people remaining. It was then a police column of 180 men marched into the square and ordered the meeting to disperse. At the end of the meeting a bomb was thrown at the police, killing one instantly, six others died later. About seventy police officers were wounded. Police responded by firing into the crowd. How many civilians were wounded or killed from police bullits never was ascertained exactly. Although it was never determined who threw the bomb, the incident was used as an excuse to attack anarchists and the labor movement in general. Police ransacked the homes and offices of suspected radicals, and hundreds were arrested without charge. A reign of police terror swept over Chicago. Staging "raids" in the working-class districts, the police rounded up all known anarchists and other socialists. "Make the raids first and look up the law afterward!" publicly counseled the state's attorney.

Anarchists in particular were harassed, and eight of Chicago's most active were charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the Haymarket bombing. A kangaroo court found all eight guilty, despite a lack of evidence connecting any of them to the bomb-thrower, and they were sentenced to die. In October 9, 1886, the weekly journal Knights of Labor published in Chicago, carried on page 1 the following announcement: "Next week we begin the publication of the lives of the anarchists advertised in another column." The advertisement, carried on page 14, read: "The story of the anarchists, told by themselves; Parsons, Spies, Fielden, Schwab, Fischer, Lingg, Engle, Neebe. The only true history of the men who claim that they are condemned to suffer death for exercising the right of Free Speech: Their association with Labor, Socialistic and Anarchistic Societies, their views as to the aims and objects of these organizations, and how they expect to accomplish them; also their connection with the Chicago Haymarket Affair. Each man is the author of his own story, which will appear only in the "Knights of Labor" during the next three months, - the great labor paper of the United States, a 16-page weekly paper, containing all the latest foreign and domestic labor news of the day, stories, household hints, etc. A co-operative paper owned and controlled by members of the Knights of Labor, and furnished for the small sum of $1.00 per annum . Adress all communications to Knights of Labor Publishing Company, 163 Washington St., Chicago, Ill." Later this journal and the paper Alarm published the autobiographies of the Haymarket men.

Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolf Fischer and George Engel were hanged on November 11, 1887. Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison. The authorities turned over the bodies to friends for burial, and one of the largest funeral processions in Chicago history was held. It was estimated that between 150,000 to 500,000 persons lined the route taken by the funeral cortege of the Haymarket martyrs. A monument to the executed men was unveiled June 25, 1893 at Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago. The remaining three, Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe and Michael Schwab, were finally pardoned in 1893.

On June 26, 1893, the governor of Illinois, John Peter Altgeld, issued the pardon message in which he made it clear that he was not granting the pardon because he believed that the men had suffered enough, but because they were innocent of the crime for which they had been tried, and that they and the hanged men had been the victims of hysteria, packed juries and a biased judge. He noted that the defendants were not proven guilty because the state "has never discovered who it was that threw the bomb which killed the policeman, and the evidence does not show any connection whatsoever between the defendants and the man who threw it."

International Workers' Day is the commemoration of the Haymarket Event in Chicago in 1886; in 1889, the first congress of the Second International , meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle (1889) , following an initiative from the American Federation of Labor, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. These were so successful that May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.

It is not surprising that the state, business leaders, mainstream union officials, and the media would want to hide the true history of May Day. In its attempt to erase the history and significance of May Day, the United States government declared May 1st to be "Law Day", and gave the workers instead Labor Day, the first Monday of September - a holiday devoid of any historical significance.

Nevertheless, rather than suppressing the labor and anarchist movements, the events of 1886 and the execution of the Chicago anarchists, spokesmen of the movement for the eight-hour day, mobilized many generations of radicals. Emma Goldman, a young immigrant at the time, later pointed to the Haymarket affair as her political birth. Instead of disappearing, the anarchist movement only grew in the wake of Haymarket.

As workers, we must recognize and commemorate May Day not only for it's historical significance, but also as a time to organize around issues of vital importance of today for the working-class broadly defined, i.e. the grassroots - the people seen as a class in contrast to the superiors in income and/or rank - economically and/or political/administrative.

Re-posted from http://www.anarchy.no/mayday.html

THUR 04/29 BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic, 7-10PM @ Pizza Pi Long Beach

2010-04-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

Don't miss Break the Silence! Open Mic this THURSDAY, April 29th, 7-10PM at Pizza Pi Long Beach. First time performers are highly encouraged!

Featured artists include emcee AVI The Most Ill, the hip hop duo Shining Sons, and visual artist Catherine Bishop.

AVI The Most Ill: http://www.myspace.com/avithemostill
The Shining Sons: http://www.myspace.com/shiningsons

1i at Open Mic Night for Red Ribbon Week 2009 in Carson

2010-04-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute Summer 2010

2010-04-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!:
Summer Youth Organizing Institute
planting seeds through a concrete foundation

EVERY SATURDAY 2-6PM JUNE 12 – AUGUST 21, 2010
Hosted at Catalyst Space: 430 E. 1st Street, Long Beach, CA

We say ¡YA BASTA! Enough is Enough!

This summer 2010, One Imagination offers ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute, a program building the leadership and power of youth ages 13-19 in the South Los Angeles, South Bay/Harbor, and Long Beach area. Through political education and organizing skills, youth will receive the resources and tools to exercise their power as leaders through campaign development, community building, advocacy, and direct action organizing.

¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute is an intensive summer youth leadership and organizing program that provides local middle school and high school students with the skills necessary to resist injustice and oppression within their communities. Through nontraditional teaching methods including interactive workshops, group discussions, guest speakers, field trips, readings, and hands on experiences, youth will learn the basics of direct action organizing, community building, campaign development, and see how these tactics and strategies have been applied in movements all throughout the world present and past. ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough! provides a historical foundation of U.S. and global resistance to key issues directly connected to young people and demonstrates methods of how to resist and organize alternatives.

Email Andres today at oneimagination@gmail.com for an application TODAY! Or call us at (310) 614-4713.

Deadline to apply is June 1st, 2010.

I’m not a youth. Can I get involved?
We are looking for people to get involved with ¡YA BASTA!/Enough is Enough!, from serving on the planning committee to doing outreach to facilitating workshops to mentoring. If you’re interested in fulfilling any of these roles, email us at oneimagination@gmail.com so we can send you more information and best plug you into the 1i ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute.

What's on One Imagination's Recommended Reading List?

2010-04-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

1i Recommended Reading List (in progress)

Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism – by Greg Grandin
American Holocaust – by David E. Stannard
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong – by James W. Loewen
Tattooed Soldier – by Hector Tobar
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism – by Naomi Klein
Legacy to Liberation: Politics and Culture of Revolutionary Asian/Pacific America - edited by Fred Ho
Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution - by Peter Kropotkin (read it online!: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/kropotkin/mutaidcontents.html)
The Marx-Engels Reader - edited by Robert C. Tucker
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color - edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua
The Wretched of the Earth - by Frantz Fanon
The Prophet - by Kahlil Gibran
Think On These Things - by Jiddu Krishnamurti
Paper Bullets: A Fictional Autobiography - by Kip Fulbeck
Pedagogy of the Oppressed - by Paulo Freire
I Ching (Book of Changes) - No author, many versions
The Alchemist – by Paulo Coelho
Hope For The Flowers – by Trina Paulus
Slaughterhouse Five – by Kurt Vonnegut
1984 – by George Orwell
A Scanner Darkly – by Philip K. Dick

Independent Bookstores/Sites:

Marxist Internet Archive
Anarchy Archives
AK Press (San Francisco, online)
Shades of Afrika (Long Beach)
IMIX Bookstore (Los Angeles – Eagle Rock)
Eso Won Bookstore (Los Angeles – Leimert Park)
Powell’s Books (Portland, online)
Eastwind Books (Berkeley, online)

Support Youth Empowerment! Blacklava Features 1i's Our Word is Our Weapon Shirts & Youth Poetry Chapbooks

2010-04-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

I want to live in a world where young people are encouraged to speak up and others actually listen to them.
I believe art is a powerful tool that can transform people, communities, and societies.
I think the U.S. public education system is inadequate on its own and alternative programs that teach youth about their histories and contemporary social and political issues are necessary.
I support programs that build self-confidence and leadership skills in young people.
I believe that we need alternatives to mass media and entertainment, and that spaces where people are encouraged to share, dialogue, create, and grow are necessary to changing how we relate to each other.
I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and those stories deserve to be heard.

If any of the above statements apply to you, then you need to check out http://blacklava.net because One Imagination, a community organization committed to youth empowerment through arts and social justice education, has Our Word is Our Weapon t-shirts and youth poetry chapbooks on sale!

All proceeds go directly towards funding One Imagination’s youth programming and the Our Word is Our Weapon Youth Poetry Slam Team’s way into the Brave New Voices International Slam Poetry Competition.

Make sure to visit http://blacklava.net TODAY (04/12) for the daily deal and watch Stephanie, a youth participant of Our Word is Our Weapon, talk about the program and pitch the shirts and chapbooks.

Thank you for your continued love and support! We hope to see you at one of our upcoming programs or events. Interested in getting involved with One Imagination? Just shoot us an email!

Love and respect,
One Imagination

WED 04/28 – One Imagination at the Labor and Social Justice Fair, all day at CSU Dominguez Hills
THU 04/29 – Break the Silence! Open Mic featuring hip hop artist AVI, 7-10PM at Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, LB
FRI 05/07 – Cinema of the Oppressed film showing of AOKI, 6:30-9:30PM at Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway, LB
06/12 – 08/21 - ¡YA BASTA! / Enough is Enough!: Summer Youth Organizing Institute at Catalyst Space: 430 E. 1st Street, LB (Applications due June 1st)

Also, this Summer 2010 will feature the long awaited release of the One Imagination Compilation Album! Date/time/location TBA! You won’t want to miss this!

Youth Poets Take the Stage in Long Beach This SATURDAY, APRIL 10TH!

2010-04-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Ages 13 to 17, from Torrance to Watts, from Compton to Long Beach,
these seven youth cried and laughed, listened and shared, wrote and performed,
came together against all odds to endure eight long weeks of introspection,
connection of the self to our greater communities and struggles,
and personal transformation as more conscious, mindful writers and people.

We are proud to announce the culmination of their efforts:

One Imagination’s First Ever
Our Word is Our Weapon
Youth Community Performance

Saturday, April 10th, 2010
6:00PM – 10:00PM
@ Catalyst Space:
430 E. 1st Street,
Long Beach, CA 90802

featuring:
Abrielle Quinn
Cree Lee
Daisy Farias
Desmon Murphy
M, Thalia B.
Stephanie South
T-Jay Ley

Please join us in an evening of spoken word, music, and poetry to celebrate the voices, not only of the future, but of today – our youth:

“But all the while you sit in a big leather chair behind a brown desk inside of a white house and stare, / Stare at the misery that the children my age have and only because this government is so racist” – Daisy Farias, age 14

“I am from broken homes and apartments to the loving generous family members that take my sister and I under their wings while others are off getting clean.” – T-Jay Ley, age 17

“‘She aint one of us. Oreo from head to toe! How a black chick gonna sink to the white girl’s low? / Try to talk black, would you please? It would put these crackers and Negroes at ease’” – Cree Lee, age 17

“You little boys with your new socks and your shoes— / I bet that Mommy bought them for you / and I bet she thinks you’re the greatest little shits ever.” –Abrielle Quinn, age 14

“We are slaves to a free America. We are slaves to our happiness. We are slaves to ourselves. To our individuality. We will all die alone, if we can never accept that we are the same.” – M, Thalia B., age 14

“I am from Compton / Where Bloods and Crips are fighting for land that isn’t their own” – Desmon Murphy, age 13

“Since actions speak louder than words, you might be able to make a difference in your society without even saying a word. Sometimes the lawmakers aren’t always right. Sometimes the normal, everyday citizens of our country have the better ideas.” – Stephanie South, age 17

Our Word is Our Weapon (OWOW), a youth leadership and writing project of One Imagination, exists as a hate-free, anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, safe space for young people to create, grow, change, cultivate, reflect, and transform through art as critical and conscious expression. OWOW exists at the intersection of art and activism, individual growth and community empowerment. For more information, contact One Imagination at oneimagination@gmail.com.

1i POEM OF THE DAY: Document Four by M, Thalia B.

2010-04-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

Document Four

Naivety is an essence that envelopes a life.

It is a feeling,
Like the taste of sugar.
One you long for in its absence.

It is a beautiful song
That you had listened to everyday in your youth
But forgotten with age.

The day the song returns you realize how much you’ve missed its sound,
Never realizing its absence until now.
You can’t manage to fully capture its old feelings.

But you know it’s there.

Naivety and newness is what I look for everyday,
Not wisdom.

written by M, Thalia B.

Join us on Saturday, April 10th, 6-10PM at Catalyst Space, 430 E. 1st Street, in Long Beach to watch Cree and the other youth from Our Word is Our Weapon perform!

1i POEM OF THE DAY: I'mma be a stereotype by Crizzie Cree

2010-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

I’mma be a stereotype

I’mma walk down the street
To my own style and beat and greet
Every person I meet with a smile
I’ll use the charisma my thick hips and lips
Have given me to flip out folks
With my flow
To perform a real show
Aint no one gonna run my mane
Of curl that I unfurl when I wanna have fun
‘Cuz Imma black woman who knows that
Natural is back from
Her fingers to her toes
Don’t have a dime or the time
To spare to help your ego
Grow or to even care
I will quiet down in a town when
On the ballot the choice
Is my voice. Even then, I want
My word heard louder. I will be the
Thunder in the ears of my peers
I’mma be the shake in an earthquake
Making buildings fall
‘cuz I walk tall with my
Head high. My intelligence surpassing the stereotypical sky
Shackles and chains aint
Gonna restrain this spirit!
So let’s hear it!
Give it up!
Live it up!
To the conformist conforming to the conformity of non-conforming
Let those performing know
You are feeling the words of
Their absurd babble
I am using and abusing my wit and tongue.
I aint gonna sit
And wait for no one to say my life
Is a joke
I choke from your suffocating smog.
I aint gonna be treated as your personal hog
I’m not gonna run as you
Pursue what is new and shoot
It down with a gun
I itch when I read of the ditch
My people hid in.
Either die in a tree or somehow
Get free I see that one
Eye twitch as you realize
I Aint Your Bitch.
I will kill your will
To spread my legs and fertilize my eggs
I am a woman: Stronger
I bet the barrel of my gun I longer
Stop me from supporting rainbow
Socks or putting my hair in dreadlocks
Try to step
Up or interrupt my right
To be a stereotype or to fight my war
‘Cuz this is my battle meat
To rattle the stability of your mind
The devil is at our level
He implants words like Superior
Inferior black white brown tan nationality and race
To disguise his true face. You let him
I know begins with 3.14 but what is more
Is its eternity
It will go on forever like my word and shall
Never stop
The DNE because I am absolute
I will root for nothing less than equality
Destiny: yours and mine intertwined
Like a prickly rose vine.
You create the ladder
That divides and provides: my goal
Is to override your robotic system
With my virus
I live in your ghetto. I represent
What’s vile. My people defiled by your legal
Caresses. Arresting our men. College
Entrance barred ‘cuz they in the pen
It does not depend on innocence
Or guilt. Loathing is built
Into our cops’
What’s all the hype about me being a stereotype?
It’s not strange that
I rearrange what is
Defined as my kind. I’ve got the
Knowledge, the unconviental beauty: the
True me.
I’m going to college. I will make a new
Ladder. Break yours! Burn it!
You can’t spell slaughter without laughter
‘Cuz I am the daughter of your oppression
It don’t matter what
I talk like. ‘Cuz I’mma be a stereotype.

written by Crizzie Cree

Join us on Saturday, April 10th, 6-10PM at Catalyst Space, 430 E. 1st Street, in Long Beach to watch Cree and the other youth from Our Word is Our Weapon perform!

T's Space Upcoming Events in Long Beach - Spring Detox, Get RAW, Argentine Cuisine

2010-04-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Spring Detox and Liver Care

T'sSpace is hosting a Spring Detox to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. Rid the stagnation
and toxins of Winter and spring into Spring with full vitality.

Sunday, April 25 11:00 - 2:00pm

Instruction: Tanya will present different cleansing rituals including the Master Cleanse, a juice fast and how to make and select liver supporting tonics, broths and foods. Massage and Movement instructors will guide you in techniques to further support your detox.

Pleasure: Enjoy the feeling of taking care of your health in a nurturing environment and have fun doing it. Select the path that is right for you and begin.

DETAILS: Cost $35 includes instruction, fresh, organic produce & ingredients.
$5 off if you bring a friend.

TO REGISTER: Send email with participants name(s), phone & email to: ts_space@yahoo.com

Visit T'sSpace: www.tspaceonline.com

Get RAW with us

T'sSpace and Elevated Edibles team up to present Gourmet Raw
Cuisine and Herbal Body Care. Get ready to mash, grind and rub.

Sunday, May 2nd 1:00 - 4:00pm

Instruction: Dustin will teach you about the history and benefits of RAW cuisine and how to prepare food that is healthy and tastes divine. Tanya will entice you to create sticky, juicy, tangy sweet creations for your personal body care.

Pleasure: Experience the tastes and textures of living foods and take some of your creations home. Join us as we uncook, feel good and celebrate together.

DETAILS: Cost $45 includes instruction, fresh, organic produce & ingredients.
$5 off if you bring a friend.

TO REGISTER: Send email with participants name(s), phone & email to: ts_space@yahoo.com

Visit T'sSpace: www.tspaceonline.com

Argentine Cuisine & Dance (vegetarian)

T'sSpace presents the Salatino family. Sip on some mate while you listen to
Tango and are introduced to Argentine culture and cuisine. This will be an event to remember.
Join us as we share,create, feast & celebrate each other.

Sunday, May 30th 1:00 - 4:00pm

Instruction: We will be making authentic Argentine dishes the vegetarian way.Learn "hands on" how to prepare empanadas, chimichurri, mate and other Argentine goodies. Pleasure: Bring your comfortable dancing shoes and come dance with us. We will be teaching the basic steps of traditional dances like Tango, Folklore and Chamame!!

DETAILS: Cost $45 includes instruction, fresh, organic produce & ingredients. $5 off if you bring a friend.

TO REGISTER: Send email with participants name(s), phone & email to: ts_space@yahoo.com

Visit T'sSpace: www.tspaceonline.com

1i POEM OF THE DAY: Bodies and Thoughts and Sunsets by Abrielle Parker

2010-04-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Bodies and Thoughts and Sunsets

“I like my body when it is with your body.” – E. E. Cummings

I want to write a poem.
I’ve been wanting to write a poem,
about how it feels to have a person’s
lips against mine.
And I wouldn’t give a damn at all if their lips
were chapped, sliced,
caked with Vaseline.
I’ve just been wanting to write a poem,
with fiery words about how someone
can hold you so tight
and it’ll all be alright.
I’ve heard it is such
a high.
And I’ve just wanted to write a poem
just one poem about the man,
older, he would know,
he rents me my videos,
he would give me the words for my poem when
our lips could meet, and my insides could twist.
I could be sick in the greatest way.
I could write my poem of how it felt
to finally be kissed.
to finally,
be touched,
to finally have those perfect words
of a poem,
bliss.

written by Abrielle Parker

Join us on Saturday, April 10th, 6-10PM at Catalyst Space, 430 E. 1st Street, in Long Beach to watch Abrielle and the other youth from Our Word is Our Weapon perform!

TUE 04/06 1i's Andres Ruiz on Sojourner Truth, 7-8AM on KPFK 90.7FM Los Angeles

2010-04-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Join us on Sojourner Truth,

Tuesday, April 6th, 7-8 am
Hosted by Margaret Prescod

on KPFK 90.7FM Los Angeles

98.7FM Santa Barbara
Or tune in at http://www.kpfk.org/

Tuesday, Southern California youth speak out! The second in our Youth Round-table series: Generation Y activists will discuss the crisis in public education; health care reform; the impact of social media on youth activism and the role of art in politics.

Guests include:

Andres Ruiz

Kokayi Kwa Jitahadi

Daniel Solis

Co-hosted by

Sojourner Youth alumnus grad Karume James

Produced by

UCI grad Narinda Heng

--------------------------------------------

Sojourner Truth

Tues - Fri 7:00-8:00 AM

HOST: Margaret Prescod
PRODUCER: Margaret Prescod
Engineered by: Mark Maxwell
http://www.kpfk.org/programs/142-sojournertruth.html

"When woman gets her rights, man will be right. Then there will be peace on earth and goodwill to men (women and men)." - Sojourner Truth, former slave

SAT 04/10 OWOW Youth Community Performance 6-10PM in Long Beach

2010-04-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

One Imagination’s First Ever
Our Word is Our Weapon
Youth Community Performance

Saturday, April 10th, 2010
6:00PM – 10:00PM
@ Catalyst Space:
430 E. 1st Street,
Long Beach, CA 90802

featuring:
Abrielle Parker
Cree Lee
Daisy Farias
Desmon Murphy
Meaghan Thalia Bermudes
Stephanie South
Teresa (T-Jay) Ley

Please join us in an evening of spoken word, music, and poetry to celebrate the voices, not only of the future, but of today – our youth.

Our Word is Our Weapon (OWOW), a youth leadership and writing project of One Imagination, exists as a hate-free, anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, safe space for young people to create, grow, change, cultivate, reflect, and transform through art as critical and conscious expression. OWOW exists at the intersection of art and activism, individual growth and community empowerment. For more information, contact One Imagination at oneimagination@gmail.com.

FRI 4/2 Cinema of the Oppressed film showing feat. THE PEOPLE SPEAK

2010-03-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

One Imagination's Cinema of the Oppressed presents:

THE PEOPLE SPEAK

a film showing & discussion

Friday, April 2nd

6:30PM - 9:30PM

@ Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway Avenue,

Long Beach, CA 90802

THE PEOPLE SPEAK is a documentary based on the late Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking books A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States, and features music by Eddie Vedder and performances by Viggo Mortensen, Sandra Oh, Sean Penn, Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle, John Legend, and many other great performers. The documentary shows the rich history of dissent in our history, and explores why it is so relevant and urgent today.

To view the trailer, click on the following link: The People Speak Trailer

Memorable quotes for The People Speak (2009)

Howard Zinn: To live now, as human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

Kerry Washington: [Reading from a speech by Sojouner Truth] Women can't have the same rights of men, because Christ wasn't a woman. Well, where did your Christ come from? He came from God and a woman. Man did not have nothin' to do with it.

Sandra Oh: [Reading from Emma Goldman's speech given in San Francisco] Patriotism, sir, is the last resort of scoundrels, said Dr. Johnson.

Howard Zinn: We didn't want to hear the words of the White House. We wanted to hear the words of those picketing the White House. Agitators. The anti-war protesters. The socialists and anarchists. In other words, the people who gave us whatever liberty and democracy we have in this country. What's common to all of them is the spirit of resistance to illegitimate authority. Democracy is in dissent. Democracy is in resistance. Democracy does not come from the top. It comes from the bottom.

Christina Kirk: [Reading Susan B. Anthony's last words during her trial for voting, when it was illegal for women to vote] Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God!

In Loving Memory of

Howard Zinn, 1922 - 2010

http://www.howardzinn.org/default/index.php

CanarySing @ Break the Silence.

2010-03-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Video to come soon. Thank you CanarySing for the solid performance!

Check out their latest music video, "Freak Show:"

More CanarySing: http://www.myspace.com/canarysing

BREAK THE SILENCE! Open Mic is THURSDAY, Saturday, March 25th, 7-10PM

2010-03-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

for freedom by Narinda Heng

the power of words by Sumiko Braun

Photos of 1i & OWOW Youth @ East Village Farmers' Market Open Mic

2010-03-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, March 20th, before Our Word is Our Weapon, we hung out and performed at the East Village Farmers' Market open mic held by Catalyst Community Long Beach:

For more photos: Our Catalyst Community

Don't Miss the Long Beach 1i Premiere of Howard Zinn's The People Speak!

2010-03-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

Because DEMOCRACY is not a spectator sport...

One Imagination announces the launching of Cinema of the Oppressed, a conscious Long Beach film series held on First Fridays of every month to bring people together to educate, discuss, learn, grow, speak out, and take action.

Our first Cinema of the Oppressed showing is very exciting as we will be featuring the Long Beach premiere of THE PEOPLE SPEAK, a newly released documentary based on the late Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking books A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.

It will be on Friday, April 2nd, 6:30-9:30PM at Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway Avenue, Long Beach, CA.

Check out the trailer: The People Speak.
And for more on Howard Zinn: HowardZinn.Org

Diwang Pinay -- "Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas"

2010-03-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw) presents:

Diwang Pinay

Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas

Sunday, March 21, 2010

3:00pm

Fernando's Hideaway (F Square Print shop)

519 S Spring Street (between 5th and 6th streets)

Los Angeles, CA 90013

$10 suggested donation (No one turned away for lack of funds.)

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Reference: Terrie Cervas, Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw!)
(213) 537-8278, sigawla@gmail.com

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of International Working Women's Day,
LA Filipinas Honor Migrant and Working Class Women
And Shed Light on Human Rights Violations

LOS ANGELES , CA- In the spirit of the Centennial of International Working Women's Day this past March 8, Los Angeles-based Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken (SiGAw) will take their stories to the stage. SiGAw connects life to art with their first annual production of Diwang Pinay, entitled "Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas" on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 3pm at Fernando’s Hideaway in Downtown Los Angeles (519 S Spring St., Los Angeles , CA 90013 ).

The theme, which translates to "Your Struggle is My Struggle," draws from the idea that Filipinas share in the same struggle of migration and working towards a better life for themselves and their families. SiGAw seeks to shed light on the common issues affecting Filipinas: violence, hardship, immigration, and expectations through seven stories of working-class and migrant Filipinas. All of the stories drew inspiration from interviews SiGAw members collected of Filipina migrant workers who reside in the Valley, Central LA and Carson , and through their own personal life histories. Written and performed by members of SiGAw, these stories will include the acting talents of local Filipinas, Gina Honda, Kristine Sabella and Rena Heinrich. The afternoon will also showcase original pieces by Filipina musical and visual artists Asa Lioness, Leaf, Liza Camba, and others.

Diwang Pinay, meaning "Spirit of the Filipina," stands as part of a national project initiated by GABRIELA USA, which aims to promote the work of Pinay artists everywhere. SiGAw sees the production also as part of their efforts in raising awareness around GABRIELA's iVOW Campaign (iVOW to Fight Violence Against Women). The campaign, which launched in February 2010, urges people to take a stand and commit to ending violence against women. Photos of participants taking their vows will be incorporated into numerous photo and video projects throughout the US and Philippines . The iVOW Campaign highlights the importance of upholding human rights as violence against the people of the Philippines increases.

In the wake of the illegal arrest and detention of 43 community health workers in the province of Rizal , Philippines by the Philippine National Policy (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), it is imperative that international pressure be put on the Philippine military and government. 22 of the 43 health workers are women, two of whom are pregnant. Following the May 2009 abduction and release of health worker Melissa Roxas, and the mass murder of 62 people, including women and journalists in Maguindanao last November 2009, the case of the 43 health workers emphasizes the increased state violence against its own people. Melissa's story of valiant courage in the face of state violence will be featured in this special Diwang Pinay production.

SiGAw is outraged by the Philippine military and government's state-sponsored violence against the people, especially women. SiGAw stands in solidarity with the 43 health workers. We condemn the PNP, AFP, and Philippine government in their unfounded accusations against the 43 and for their illegal arrest, detention, and torture. We call on the US government, specifically Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Howard Berman, to put pressure on the Philippine government and military to release the 43 and end all human rights violations in the Philippines!

FREE THE 43!
END STATE SPONSORED VIOLENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES !
ADANCE THE MILITANT WOMEN'S STRUGGLE!

SiGAw is a member organization of GABRIELA USA, an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines (alliance of progressive women's organizations) and BAYAN USA (a multi-sectoral alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the US ).

###

1i POEM OF THE DAY: for freedom by Narinda Heng

2010-03-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

for freedom

Our soldiers

what are we doing to them?
what have we asked from them?

not only their
physical effort

not only their
mental discipline.

We’ve asked for
their lives–

we’ve asked them
to fight our wars

to imprint forever on their souls
the images of destruction

we’ll never see with our own eyes
for the sake of our status quo.

Do we wonder

what they feel
when that M-16 is in their hands

what they feel
when they’re told to fire

what they feel
when the explosions begin

what they feel when
they return home

and the visions
haunt their dreams?

Do we wonder enough

what happens to our
soldiers in the dark
of their memories

what happens to their hearts
when they are forced
to return to war?

Don’t tell me
we do not force them

don’t tell me
that the soldier I sat next to
on a plane last winter
on his way to see his baby daughter
for the first time in nearly two years
was happy to be ordered on another tour

don’t tell me
he went willingly
and not because circumstance
had made the military
look like the best way
he could provide for his family

don’t tell me
he went willingly
when he was supposed to be
finished with his obligation

don’t tell me
we don’t use force
in one way or another.

We ask of our soldiers

their strength
their intelligence
their hearts
for our freedom

What
have we
done
with
theirs?

written by Narinda Heng
http://longcoolhallway.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/for-freedom/

Narinda Heng is a featured artist at this month's Break the Silence on Thursday, March 25th, 7-10PM. She is a writer currently based out of Long Beach, CA. She writes at Long Cool Hallway with The Undeniables.

Thursday, March 25th - BREAK THE SILENCE Open Mic

2010-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.pizzapilb.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-pi-long-beach

DIRECTIONS FROM THE METRO RAIL:
Metro Rail Blue Line to 1st Street Station in Long Beach
Walk north on Long Beach Blvd (440 ft)
Turn right on Broadway
Destination will be on the left (0.3 mi)
Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway Blvd, Long Beach

PARKING:
Most meters are free after 6PM, and there is some residential parking nearby as well. But beware because Broadway is a one way street!

Hope to see you there!
-1i

One Imagination's JUMAKAE to open for KRS ONE in Long Beach this THURSDAY!!

2010-03-07T08:48:00.001-08:00

update on my father's passing by Patrisse Cullors

2010-02-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Patrisse Cullors: update on my father's passing
Wed at 12:56pm

My father died of neglect. He died of racism. I found out that my dad apparently had a heart disease for years and it went undiagnosed. He died of neglect. He died of racism. He had all the classic signs, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and chest pains, but no diagnosis (while incarcerated or by the veteran's hospital). I want to talk about Black people having agency over their health. I’m battling rage right now. Grappling with this place called the U.S.A.

As Black people we have so much to heal from emotionally, spiritually and physically. I have dedicated a significant part of my life trying to help change the pre-prisoning of Black and Brown youth both within my organization the Labor Community Strategy Center, and with my family, because I see it as the housing ground to traumatizing an entire nation. I have bared witness to the most egregious acts of police brutality in my home, and have seen the treacherous violence that Black men face while incarcerated. I have cried many nights over the intense pain that Black people live with and the intense pain I have lived with.

My father was released from prison in March of 2009 and died in December 2009. We (my family and his friends) were all shocked. My father always went to the doctor, and was very clear about wanting to practice healthy living. So, how did he die? Feb 23rd, 2010 I received the coroner’s report. My father suffered from atherosclerosis a heart disease that clogs the arteries. The classic symptoms are high blood pressure and high cholesterol (both of which my father suffered from.) Yet, he was never diagnosed with heart disease. I believe that he was neglected because he was a recovering addict, veteran, inmate and above all a Black man. My father was left to die.

Black people, WE must have agency over our health. We must look for alternatives outside of the western health care providers. We also need to advocate for our families and ourselves when we are not given proper care in medical hospitals as well as psychiatric hospitals. I want to share some of the steps I have made to have a healthier life. Steps for being healthy specifically living as a Black person in the U.S:

1. Remember to breathe deep breaths on a daily basis
2. If you are using substances on a regular basis try to cut them down or stop use of them immediately.
3. Exercise! At least 3 x a week but try every day. Walk, ride a bike, go to the local YMCA, do sit-ups and or pushups in your room. Go on you tube and find workout videos. (This is a huge stress reliever)
4. Eat Healthy. That means greens, fruits, and lean meats. Try to cut back on the cheese and refined sugars. (If you go to http://www.southcentralfarmers.com/ you can get 15-dollar vegetable boxes at local farmer’s markets and some schools.)
5. Find a therapist. Most of us that grew up poor and working class have and continue to experience trauma and its effects. Please go to your local clinic and or call your health care provider and get in on some therapy sessions

I have done all these things and more. They can literally save our lives. My father was trying to be healthy and it was really difficult for him at times, but a lot of the times he was able to fulfill his dreams around his health. Even when he didn’t have the resources or knowledge to advocate for himself. I want us to talk more about what health ailments most affect Black people and what steps we can take to prevent/intervene. I love myself too much to let them kill me. Peace and Blessings.

Patrisse Cullors

1i presents BREAK THE SILENCE! OPEN MIC on Thurs, Feb 25th, 7-10PM

2010-02-17T18:11:00.001-08:00

http://www.pizzapilb.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-pi-long-beach

DIRECTIONS FROM THE METRO RAIL:

Metro Rail Blue Line to 1st Street Station in Long Beach

Walk north on Long Beach Blvd (440 ft)

Turn right on Broadway

Destination will be on the left (0.3 mi)

Pizza Pi: 649 E. Broadway Blvd, Long Beach

PARKING:

Most meters are free after 6PM, and there is some residential parking nearby as well. But beware because Broadway is a one way street!

Hope to see you there!

-1i

POEM OF THE DAY: Poem about My Rights by June Jordan

2010-02-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

Poem about My Rights

Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear
my head about this poem about why I can’t
go out without changing my clothes my shoes
my body posture my gender identity my age
my status as a woman alone in the evening/
alone on the streets/alone not being the point/
the point being that I can’t do what I want
to do with my own body because I am the wrong
sex the wrong age the wrong skin and
suppose it was not here in the city but down on the beach/
or far into the woods and I wanted to go
there by myself thinking about God/or thinking
about children or thinking about the world/all of it
disclosed by the stars and the silence:
I could not go and I could not think and I could not
stay there
alone
as I need to be
alone because I can’t do what I want to do with my own
body and
who in the hell set things up
like this
and in France they say if the guy penetrates
but does not ejaculate then he did not rape me
and if after stabbing him if after screams if
after begging the bastard and if even after smashing
a hammer to his head if even after that if he
and his buddies fuck me after that
then I consented and there was
no rape because finally you understand finally
they fucked me over because I was wrong I was
wrong again to be me being me where I was/wrong
to be who I am
which is exactly like South Africa
penetrating into Namibia penetrating into
Angola and does that mean I mean how do you know if
Pretoria ejaculates what will the evidence look like the
proof of the monster jackboot ejaculation on Blackland
and if
after Namibia and if after Angola and if after Zimbabwe
and if after all of my kinsmen and women resist even to
self-immolation of the villages and if after that
we lose nevertheless what will the big boys say will they
claim my consent:
Do You Follow Me: We are the wrong people of
the wrong skin on the wrong continent and what
in the hell is everybody being reasonable about
and according to the Times this week
back in 1966 the C.I.A. decided that they had this problem
and the problem was a man named Nkrumah so they
killed him and before that it was Patrice Lumumba
and before that it was my father on the campus
of my Ivy League school and my father afraid
to walk into the cafeteria because he said he
was wrong the wrong age the wrong skin the wrong
gender identity and he was paying my tuition and
before that
it was my father saying I was wrong saying that
I should have been a boy because he wanted one/a
boy and that I should have been lighter skinned and
that I should have had straighter hair and that
I should not be so boy crazy but instead I should
just be one/a boy and before that
it was my mother pleading plastic surgery for
my nose and braces for my teeth and telling me
to let the books loose to let them loose in other
words
I am very familiar with the problems of the C.I.A.
and the problems of South Africa and the problems
of Exxon Corporation and the problems of white
America in general and the problems of the teachers
and the preachers and the F.B.I. and the social
workers and my particular Mom and Dad/I am very
familiar with the problems because the problems
turn out to be
me
I am the history of rape
I am the history of the rejection of who I am
I am the history of the terrorized incarceration of
myself
I am the history of battery assault and limitless
armies against whatever I want to do with my mind
and my body and my soul and
whether it’s about walking out at night
or whether it’s about the love that I feel or
whether it’s about the sanctity of my vagina or
the sanctity of my national boundaries
or the sanctity of my leaders or the sanctity
of each and every desire
that I know from my personal and idiosyncratic
and indisputably single and singular heart
I have been raped
be-
cause I have been wrong the wrong sex the wrong age
the wrong skin the wrong nose the wrong hair the
wrong need the wrong dream the wrong geographic
the wrong sartorial I
I have been the meaning of rape
I have been the problem everyone seeks to
eliminate by forced
penetration with or without the evidence of slime and/
but let this be unmistakable this poem
is not consent I do not consent
to my mother to my father to the teachers to
the F.B.I. to South Africa to Bedford-Stuy
to Park Avenue to American Airlines to the hardon
idlers on the corners to the sneaky creeps in
cars
I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name
My name is my own my own my own
and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this
but I can tell you that from now on my resistance
my simple and daily and nightly self-determination
may very well cost you your life

written by June Jordan
http://www.junejordan.com/
http://iambecauseweare.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/poem-about-my-rights-by-june-jordan/

1i's BREAK THE SILENCE is BACK!

2010-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

*Yawn / Stretch / Rub Eyes*... Yes! We at One Imagination have woken up from hibernation and are rejuvenated in finally bringing back to the Long Beach community our infamous life-changing eye-opening death-defying open mic, BREAK THE SILENCE!

Are YOU willing to break YOUR silence this Thursday, February 25th?

We thank Mirage Coffeehouse and Hookah Lounge for graciously being our home for the past three years. As the owner seeks to expand his business into a restaurant, we have had no choice but to seek a new venue to host Break the Silence. With that, we are excited to announce that Break the Silence's new home is Pizza Pi, located at 649 E. Broadway Avenue in Long Beach.

http://www.pizzapilb.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-pi-long-beach

So, make sure to save the date: add it to your Outlook, your Google Calendar, your planner, your iPhone, whatever! Thursday, February 25th is going to be hot! We have some featured artists we'll be announcing shortly with plenty of open mic slots waiting to be filled with newcomers and old timers! Whether your artistic medium is dance, music, poetry, story telling, comedy, or even juggling, we want you to come out and share your story! Break your silence and BE HEARD!

Hope to see you there!

-1i

POEM OF THE DAY: What I Will by Suheir Hammad

2010-02-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

What I Will

I will not

dance to your war

drum. I will

not lend my soul nor

my bones to your war

drum. I will

not dance to your

beating. I know that beat.

It is lifeless. I know

intimately that skin

you are hitting. It

was alive once

hunted stolen

stretched. I will

not dance to your drummed

up war. I will not pop

spin beak for you. I

will not hate for you or

even hate you. I will

not kill for you. Especially

I will not die

for you. I will not mourn

the dead with murder nor

suicide. I will not side

with you nor dance to bombs

because everyone else is

dancing. Everyone can be

wrong. Life is a right not

collateral or casual. I

will not forget where

I come from. I

will craft my own drum. Gather my beloved

near and our chanting

will be dancing. Our

humming will be drumming. I

will not be played. I

will not lend my name

nor my rhythm to your

beat. I will dance

and resist and dance and

persist and dance. This heartbeat is louder than

death. Your war drum ain’t

louder than this breath.

written by Suheir Hammad

http://ageofjahiliyah.wordpress.com/2007/08/29/what-i-will-by-suheir-hammad/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFbE8RBhSDw

One Imagination launches Our Word is Our Weapon

2010-02-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Our Word is Our Weapon is a leadership and writing program for youth ages 13-19. Our focus is on the local communities of Long Beach and South Bay, but all youth are welcome to apply and participate.

The eight week program takes place in February and March on Saturdays for four hour intensive sessions of reading, critiquing, writing, editing, performing, teaching, learning, playing, laughing, loving, and growing. The first session is focused on the contemporary history and art of resistance in the U.S. We will be reading/listening/watching work by Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsburg, Claude McKay, Mark Gonzales, I Was Born With Two Tongues, and more.

For the privacy of our youth we won’t be posting up their names, but we have fourteen youth participants signed up from all over Long Beach, Torrance, Compton, Gardena, Wilmington, Carson, and Watts. As far as we know, no such program like Our Word is Our Weapon has existed in this part of LA County, and we are proud to provide this space to nurture the growth of young artistic leaders.

If you’re interested in volunteering as an adult ally/mentor or being a guest speaker, please email us at oneimagination@gmail.com.

POEM OF THE DAY: America by Claude McKay

2010-02-05T10:46:00.000-08:00

America

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.

written by Claude McKay

POEM OF THE DAY: The Power of Words by Sumiko Braun

2010-01-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Power of Words

It was so simple for him to say

To tell me to get an abortion

To flush our beautiful son down the drain

A gorgeous child with my dark coffee brown eyes

A laugh that makes me melt whenever I hear it

A smile so sweet and pure and innocent

Small hands that I could stroke all day

And cheeks that I can’t stop kissing

If only your father had his way…

The thought of it still brings tears

And I just want to hold my baby close

Hug him, kiss him, tell him that “you are loved”

And “no, you were not a mistake”

Give him the world, unconditional support and love

Always be there whenever he needs his mama

And hope I teach him

To respect women and all living things

And that words are powerful and everlasting

written by Sumiko Braun

"The Power of Words" can be found in Sumiko's poetry chapbook, BECOMING: A Journey to Complete Samsara, at Blacklava. Please support our local community artists!

POEM OF THE DAY: Vulva by June Kaewsith

2010-01-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Vulva

Vagina is only one part of me. It is where the soil lives and can only
be penetrated after permission from Vulva.
If properly watered with love you can see that she is more than
just flesh, muscle, and bone
but she is the heart that beats continuously for more.
Her multiple curves will turn any man, or woman, on.
Can you recognize her beauty? Do you hear her cry for help?
This place can be a refuge. A sacred temple – if you bring your
prayers.
And if treated like a true queen she will secrete her blessings over
your head;
an anointment of acceptance and trust.
A blooming flower that will produce a healthy bud,
and if we water this seed together,
We can witness the garden we’ve always dreamed of.

written by June Kaewsith

It's not too late to apply for Our Word is Our Weapon!!!

2010-01-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a story to tell, and every story is worth telling. Stories of struggle, stories of real lived experiences, stories of the imagination, stories of pain and suffering, stories of love and desire, stories of resistance to injustice, stories of war and violence, stories of hope, stories of victory, stories of our generation. What stories do you have to tell? Will you use your word as your weapon?

Our Word is Our Weapon (OWOW) exists as a hate-free, anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, safe space for young people to create, grow, change, cultivate, reflect, and transform through art as critical and conscious expression. OWOW exists at the intersection of art and activism, individual growth and community empowerment.

Deadline for applications has been extended to January 31st. Email One Imagination at oneimagination@gmail.com for an application TODAY!

One Imagination Family

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Immediate Members

Big Brother [Blog]
DJ nPrevail [Blog]
Hemly Ordonez
JEG [Blog]
Jumakae Yodraj [Blog] [MySpace]
MAYAZTECA [Blog] [MySpace]
Ryan the Lion [Blog]
SK
soul.in.my.fist

Extended Members

Chiamaka Okwu
Cyril Cueva
Diana Bui
eM Jae
James Yamanoha
Kayla De Los Reyes
Meymuna Hussein
Narinda Heng
Queen Herstory
Rodolfo Duriez
Seth Salonga
Stevie Merino
Taz Ahmed

12/04 - One Imagination presents THE GUNSHOP

2009-11-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Come and chill with the folks at One Imagination, the same people who host the monthly open mic Break the Silence.

We're hosting The Gunshop this week on Friday evening from 7-9PM at Catalyst Space (430 East 1st Street) in downtown Long Beach, and we want you to join us, unwind, hang out, discuss, learn, share, grow, and create conscious written work. It's going to be a dope session with MAYAZTECA, guerrilla hip hop emcee and community organizer, facilitating this Friday on Pilgrims & Indians: Distorted Histories and the Truth Behind Thanksgiving.

Would you really rather waste your time and money at some superficial bar or club or staying at home watching reality TV on a Friday night? Nah, I didn't think so. See you at The Gunshop!

-1i

Students Taking Action at UCLA Against the Fee Increase

2009-11-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Articles REPOSTED from LA Times

Hundreds rally at UCLA to protest expected 32% increase in student fees

A second day of protests roiled the UCLA campus today as the UC regents prepared to approve a 32% increase in student fees.

Groups of UC students from several other campuses arrived in Westwood to join a noisy demonstration against the fee hike, and a group of protesters was occupying a UCLA classroom building.

UCLA officials declared Campbell Hall, where the sit-in continued, closed for the day. Inside, about 40 to 50 students had chained the doors shut shortly after midnight and were issuing e-mail statements.

“We choose to fight back, to resist, where we find ourselves, the place where we live and work, our university,” their statement said. Campus police surrounded the classroom building, but no arrests were made.

Meanwhile, across campus, a crowd of several hundred gathered outside Covel Commons, where the regents were meeting. Students and UC employees chanted such slogans as “Whose university? Our university!”Among them was Tommy Le, a fourth-year student at UC Santa Cruz, who left his campus at 3 a.m. today in a convoy of two buses headed south. Le, 21, an American studies major from El Monte, said he was worried about how he being able to afford the higher charges, starting with an additional $585 for the rest of the school year.

“It’s adding more stress and more burden,” said Le, who said he works two part-time jobs and sends.money home to help his family. The fee increase, he said, would be “a lose-lose situation.”

The full Board of Regents is expected to approve a fee hike of $2,500, or 32%, in two steps by next fall. That would bring the basic UC education fees to about $10,300, plus about another $1,000 for campus-based charges, for a total that would be about triple the UC cost a decade ago. Room, board and books can add another $16,000.

-- Larry Gordon

Photo: Chanel Nealon, center left, and Hyacinth Noble join other UCLA students, faculty and workers in a demonstration at UCLA's Covel Commons to protest fee increases that are expected to be approved today by the UC Board of Regents. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Students storm UCLA building to protest expected UC system fee increase [Updated]

About 30 students stormed UCLA’s Campbell Hall and barricaded the doors with chains and bike locks early this morning to protest a student fee increase that is expected to be endorsed by the University of California’s Board of Regents today.

[Updated at 8:39 a.m.: The UC Regents have started to meet, and hundreds of students have surrounded the building, protesting the proposed fee hike.]

Students who spent the night were sprawled outside Campbell Hall in sleeping bags. They carried posters and signs that read, “Don’t take our education away” and “Don’t privatize, democratize.” Many wore bandannas over their faces.

Dozens of other students spent the night camped out in tents on top of Parking Structure 4. Hundreds of other students are expected to join the protesters and demonstrate at the UC Regents meeting that will take place later today.

The proposed two-step student fee increase would raise UC undergraduate education costs more than $2,500, or 32%.The annual cost of a UC education, not including campus-based fees would rise to $10,302.

Kyle Tramberly, a junior at UC San Diego, said he did not sleep since arriving at UCLA late Wednesday night.

“I’m here in solidarity with people across the state of California that are being subjugated to these outrageous fee increases,” he said. “I can’t afford the fee increases, personally. I have to take out private loans in order to cover this. It’s completely unjust to put the burden on students.”

A key committee of the UC Regents backed the two-step hike Wednesday, despite appeals from students who urged the board to at least postpone a vote. About 500 student and labor-union activists demonstrated outside the meeting. Fourteen were arrested.

-- My-Thuan Tran

Photo: Students march in front of Covel Commons at UCLA, where regents will be voting on a fee increase later in the day. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

BREAK YOUR SILENCE!

2009-11-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

REFLECT CREATE HEAL SHARE LISTEN GROW

THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19th

6-8PM - Writing Session: Reflecting on Melody Ross, Healing from Violence, and Building Solutions

8-11PM - Break the Silence Open Mic dedicated to the memory of Melody Ross and all victims of violence

@ Mirage Coffeehouse, 539 E. Bixby Road, Long Beach

Hope to see you there!

-1i

JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT!

2009-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

One Imagination recently held a workshop on Power: The Role of Law Enforcement in Society and The Prevalence of Police Brutality where we watched the raw footage of Oscar Grant's murder by Johannes Mehserle and wrote on our perspectives of police , repression, and the state. Below is an update on the Oscar Grant incident, with Mehserle's trial getting ready to start. Please spread the word. -1i

REPOSTED ARTICLE

Southern California: First Cop on Trial for Murder in History of State Is Headed Your Way

by dave id Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 at 8:48 AM

In the words of the late great Harvey Milk*, I'm here to recruit you. The trial of Johannes Mehserle is about to head your way and the time is now for Southern California social justice and media activists to start getting ready.

In Oakland, California, in the early hours of January 1st of this year, while Bay Area Rapid Transit passenger Oscar Grant III lay face-down on a BART platform with another officer's knee on his shoulder, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle drew his service weapon and shot Oscar Grant in the back, execution-style. This type of killing of an unarmed, young African American man by police is all too common in America. L.A. police are reported to have killed 310 people in the last ten years. San Diego police have killed ninety-one people in the same time. It goes without saying that the overwhelming majority of those killed by police are people of color. For instance, the Oakland police department has shot nearly fifty citizens in the last six years, killing a third of them, and not a single one of the victims of these "officer-involved shootings" was of European descent. Cops cited the usual excuses of fearing for their lives, thinking they'd seen weapons on unarmed people, and every last one of the shootings was determined by the OPD and the Alameda County District Attorney's office to have been justified.

Similarly, the BART police department started lying as soon as the news was out on New Year's Day. At first they denied that Oscar Grant was restrained on the platform when he was shot. They denied that they had video of the incident. The police chief blindly defended his officers by claiming they had acted professionally on the platform. Giving Johannes Mehserle far more leniency than even the California Police Bill of Rights calls for, he was not even questioned by superiors at BART. [BART has continued to officially blame Oscar Grant for having been shot in the back.] The District Attorney of Alameda County showed little interest in pursuing the case after the shooting.

The murder of Oscar Grant looked very much like it would be swept under the rug just as the other 1000 police killings have been in California since 1999. But, this time it was different -- he was killed in front of hundreds of witnesses on a crowded train returning home after New Year's Eve celebrations. While BART police were brutalizing Oscar Grant and his friends on the BART platform -- punching them, pulling their hair, pointing tasers in their faces -- a fair number of the witnesses on the train had the foresight, like good copwatchers, to record video of the incident on their cell phones and cameras. Sure enough, they also captured the shooting on video. A few days after the shooting, several of these videos of the shooting began to appear on the internet. It became immediately clear to anyone who watched the available video that BART had been lying and that it was completely inexcusable for Mehserle to have not even been questioned about the matter. Imagine, if you will, what would happen to any one of us if we had been caught shooting a police officer or anyone else on camera.

On January 7th, the same day funeral services were held for Oscar Grant, Johannes Mehserle resigned from BART, still not having been held to account in any way. In the afternoon, about 1,500 people attended a rally at the Fruitvale BART station where Oscar Grant had been killed exactly one week before. Dozens of people young and old took to the mic to express their sadness, their outrage, and their commitment to stopping the wanton killing of people of color by police. As dark approached that day, a group of about 300 people marched up International Boulevard heading towards downtown Oakland. It was downtown that the rally and march turned into a rebellion lasting several hours. A police car was attacked, two other cars were burned. Windows were broken throughout downtown. By the time it was over police had arrested more than 100 people, over half of them in a mass arrest late in the evening. Most of the charges have been dropped but three people are still facing bogus felony charges, one being prominent African American Bay Area media activist JR Valrey. The corporate media railed against the property destruction resulting from the rebellion, all the while attempting to rationalize the murder of Oscar Grant as some sort of accident. It was the corporate media that invented one of the defenses that Mehserle himself is now using in court to avoid culpability, that is that Mehserle intended to draw his taser when he pulled his gun instead.

The same ad hoc coalition of community activists that had organized the rally on the 7th continued to demand accountability and declared that they would hold a rally every Thursday on the weekly anniversary of the shooting until Mehserle was charged with murder. The next rally was scheduled for January 14th, to happen in front of Oakland City Hall, and it promised to be significantly larger than the first. Indeed, the second rally was up to 5,000 people strong, all committed to seeking justice for Oscar Grant. Prior to that day, however, after having broken up smaller protests downtown throughout the week, authorities clearly feared an even larger rebellion with the second rally approaching, and on January 13th, Johannes Mehserle was arrested and charged with murder. Common wisdom amongst community activists in the Bay Area since then is that riots work. As a result of community pressure when authorities were all too ready to look the other way as they almost always to when it comes to police violence, Johannes Mehserle is the now first police officer in the history of California to face a murder trial for an on-duty shooting.

Mehserle walks free now because he was granted bail and his defense is being funded by police unions. They have successfully delayed the case and have attempted to derail it at every turn. Not surprisingly, the corporate media has done a terrible job reporting on the various hearings, generally parroting defense motions and testimony of BART cops verbatim with little to no critical analysis or reporting on evidence that refutes defense claims. To cite just one particularly egregious example, a local TV station reposted an AP piece built solely on a regurgitation of the lies told by BART officer Marysol Domenici -- only at the very end of the article did it include a sentence that read: "Deputy District Attorney David Stein, however, tried to point out inconsistencies in their testimony." The Deputy DA "tried" to point out inconsistencies?!? What actually happened that day in the Mehserle's preliminary hearing was that Domenici showed herself to be a complete liar and was blatantly exposed as such by the prosecutor. Even the judge himself repeatedly called out the obvious lies of the various BART officers who testified over the course of the preliminary hearing. But you didn't hear about that in the corporate media.

The San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center (Indybay), on the other hand, reported with great detail the actual happenings inside the preliminary hearing and other court dates. In fact, you can find actual court filings and transcripts from hearings at the site. It is not hyperbole to say that the related reports by numerous individuals at Indybay have proven invaluable for community activists to stay informed about the case.

It was not unexpected when Mehserle's defense team cited the abundance of Bay Area coverage of the case and the January Oscar Grant Rebellions as reasons to move the trial out of the county in which Mehserle murdered Oscar Grant. Community activists were taken aback, though, when blatantly racist arguments were made about how African Americans could not be fair jurors and how the defense intended to grill prospective African American jurors in extraordinary ways. Additionally, in an affront to free speech, Mehserle and his defense claimed that the many reports on Indybay and the public outreach actions of community activists were cause for a venue change. Unfortunately, Judge Jacobson agreed, and so Mehserle's trial is now set to be held in either Los Angeles or San Diego County.

On the afternoon of November 19th, Judge Jacobson is set to hear defense and prosecution arguments regarding venue selection. The defense will argue for the much more conservative and police-friendly San Diego. Prosecutors will make a case for holding the trial in Los Angeles which, while not an exact match for Alameda County, represents a similarly diverse populace in terms of ethnicity and political persuasions. It is not known if the judge will make a ruling at the conclusion of the hearing, but a final decision is expected at any time afterward. Regardless of where the trial is held, the venue change offers an opportunity for activists up and down the state to forge new alliances dedicated to securing justice for Oscar Grant and all victims of police abuses, a new solidarity that could push the movement against racist state violence to new levels.

Let me take the time to repeat this for the record -- Johannes Mehserle is the first police officer in the history of California to face a murder trial for an on-duty shooting. This is a hugely important case, far too important to simply trust that the corporate media and prosecutors will do the right thing on their own. They have shown repeatedly that they will not. We cannot assume that justice will be done without our direct involvement.

The time is now for Southern California activists of all stripes concerned about justice to join in solidarity with their brothers and sisters from Oakland and the Bay Area. Together let's get the truth out there. Let's hold authorities accountable for any action they take that is not in the interest of justice.

- We need media activists, experienced or not, who can attend court hearings which are held during business hours so that truthful reports can be made available to the general public and to activists everywhere concerned with justice for Oscar Grant and all victims of police violence.

- We need social justice demonstrators outside and around the courthouse to remind prosecutors that we are watching and will tolerate nothing less than their full effort towards securing a conviction for Johannes Mehserle.

- We need trusted allies to offer space in their homes for Bay Area activists who will likely want to come south to participate in related activities intermittently.

- We need to fundraise to assist the family of Oscar Grant who must soon leave their jobs and relocate to the venue county in order to attend the entire trial. At this point the trial is expected to last several months from jury selection to the final verdict and hopefully sentencing.

A good place to start now is by informing yourself and others. Remember that you can't trust the corporate media when your local television stations and newspapers begin to pick up on the story. A thorough independent media repository of information on the various fronts of the movement for justice for Oscar Grant has been compiled at http://www.indybay.org/oscargrant.

* Harvey Milk fought for gay rights and against police brutality, and, in the end, was assassinated by a former police officer turned politician.

~~~ Please, forward this widely to everyone you can -- through blogs, email, print it out, whatever -- especially if you have friends and allies in Southern California.

UCs Increase Student Fees By 32%

2009-11-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

UC Regents committee approves student fee increases; at least 14 protesters arrested at meeting at UCLA

BREAKING: Protests on UCLA Campus at Regent Meeting, Reports of arrests

"Who Cares for the Caregivers?"

2009-11-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

"Doctors seeing a constant stream of troops with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can start to have problems of their own — an issue that has not gotten enough attention, said Dr. Allen Taylor, a cardiologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for 20 years before recently moving to Washington Hospital Center.

'It's time for some introspection: Who cares for the caregivers?' he said."

Okay, so we're a little late on this but an important article was published in USA Today that we found after looking up information on Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother soldier who refused to deploy to care for her infant. Aside from that also very interesting story, the Fort Hood massacre is still fresh in everyone's minds. Majority of the coverage on Hasan and his violent breakdown has focused on the fact that he is Muslim and allegedly espouses anti-American views. However, the following article focuses on the fact that army mental health specialists are not given adequate support services.

Please take a look if you haven't already:

In wake of attack, military asks: Who cares for the caregivers?