2013-05-23 Northbay Uprising Radio Showcase

We have liberated the airwaves, bringing you Rap, Rock & Rebellion with Dr.G. & Mis.Demeanor! Every Thursday 3 to 6pm. Tune in [link], courtesy of Ozcatradio.com, KZCT 89.5 FM, straight out of Vallejo! Ozcat Radio, their sponsors and associates, are not responsible for anything said during the Northbay Uprising radio showcase.

Listen to our other programs:
* The Mothership Connection! Saturdays, 5 to 5:30pm [mothershipradio.blogspot.com], featuring the Mothers of Creative Conception: Mis.Demeanor & Serial Mom!
* Northbay UpRising morning show! Tuesdays, 6 to 9am [northbaymorningshow.blogspot.com], progressive commentary, communitarian news and local rock, hip-hop, and reggae, with Dr.G. & Mis.D.!


Mis.Demeanors Hitlist: "Strange, Isn't It?" 
Check out Mis.D.'s "Rap Sheet"!!! [radiomisdemeanor.blogspot.com]
Music news [thizzler.com] [bayareacompass.blogspot.com] [bestinthewestrap.blogspot.com]
W. Instrumentals by Suave Debonaire [reverbnation.com/suavedebonaire‎], watch his new video "Rhythm Of The Night" (shot by TS Films) [youtube.com/watch?v=fceC1d5iuZk]

Interview with C-Lim, with the debut of
"I Bounce" by C-Lim (w. Sunny Boy, ft. Baby Bash & Marques Houston) 


Ten Most Wanted!
10. "Backout" by Peezy
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/05/peezy-concord.html]
9. "Twisted" by Mike-D (ft. Mack Truck)
8. "Gangsta" by Kat Dahlia ft. Dr.DOSHA 
Official Bay Area REMIX! Download it for Free at [doshalyfe.com]!! 
7. "I need a license" by Tuxedo Black
6. "Apologize" by King Adrian
5. "Like a boss" by Rico Mendoza
4. "I'm Fly" by Marty JR
3. "Cuzzo Ooze" by C-Lim (ft. Brotha Lynch Hung) 2. "The Journey" by OSCYI
1. "Put it on me" by Down n' Dirty (ft. Macwon)
with additional music from Kobra Abysmal ft. E-40, J-Stalin, Stevie Stone and more!


Gathering of the Tribes
Hip-Hop, Rock, Reggae, Psychonaut grooves, and Calender Listings!
[gatheringofthetribes.blogspot.com]


Northbay Uprising radio news
George Seldes had it right: "Tell the Truth, Then Run Like Hell".
Journalist's Notebook [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/06/journalists-notebook.html]
More uncensored news & info at: [unitedstatesfascism.blogspot.com] [worldfascism.blogspot.com] [northbaycopwatch.blogspot.com] [vallejocopwatch.blogspot.com] [sanpablobayepa.blogspot.com] [sovereignsanpablobay.blogspot.com] [politicalprisonersusa.blogspot.com] 



Interview with Akubundu Amazu of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party in honor of the...
50th Anniversary of African Liberation Day
We will discuss the significance of Africa's history, and the legacy of colonization with the African Diaspora, in California and across the world. African Liberation Day was founded in 1958 when Kwame Nkrumah convened the First Conference of Independent States of Africa held in Accra, Ghana and attended by eight independent African states. Each year African Liberation Day marks the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. More information about African Liberation Day [africanliberationday.net].
* Why is African Liberation Day relevant to the People of the Bay Area?
* Is Africa liberated today? Is the African nation within the USA free?
* How does Pan-African view-points help unite the People?

2013-05-25 African Liberation Day, in honor of decolonization of Africa
Saturday, 11:30am to 6pm
Eastside Arts Alliance [2277 International Blvd., Oakland]
Organized by "A-APRP"

 


Headlines:
2013-05-18 "Monterey cracks-down on people without homes"
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/05/monterey-cracks-down-on-people-without.html]

Occupy the Farm! Preserve our sovereign foodland!!
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/04/occupy-farm-preserve-our-sovereign.html]


Action Calender for the Liberated Zones of the San Pablo bay area and beyond!   
What are Liberated Zones? [link] More: * IndyBay [indybay.org/calendar] * Ecology Center [ecologycenter.org/calendar] * Nuclear Resister [nukeresister.org/future-actions] * 

2013-05-23 to 27
Digital Renaissance Faire
[www.digitalrenfaire.org]
Memorial Day Weekend
11820 Eagle Lakes Road, Soda Springs CA
The Digital Renaissance Faire is a B.Y.O.E. (Bring Your Own Everything) Community Based Educational Collaborative Art Festival practicing decommodification and sacred economy within a festival community environment.



2013-05-24 to 27 FanimeCon presents...
Clockwork Alchemy: Beyond your hopes and fears, Joys and tear, is a place where Mayhem, mirth and Machines made of gears Make magic.
[clockworkalchemy.com]




March against Monsanto!
[facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto]

---
Documentary: The World According to Monsanto (Bring some Popcorn!)    
Thursday, May 23rd, 6:00-7:00pm    
Loma Vista Farm 150 Rainer Ave. Vallejo, CA 94589
---
March against Monsanto in Vallejo!
Saturday, May 25th,  Rally at 10:30am, March at 11:00am
Vallejo City Hall 555 Santa Clara St.
[facebook.com/events/483492741706645]
Contact Andrea Mrotz [707.704.0585] [andreamrotz@yahoo.com], with
"Label GMOs movement" of Vallejo & Benicia [https://www.facebook.com/LabelGMOsVallejoBenicia]
---
SACRAMENTO ACTION CALENDAR

* Wednesday, May 22nd - Lobbying Day at the Department of Food and Agriculture then march to the State Capital: 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. [facebook.com/events/559732670733079]
* Friday, May 24th - Monsanto Shutdown in Davis: 1920 5th Street Davis, CA. Starts at 6:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. [facebook.com/events/168730756615089]
*  Saturday,  May 25th, March Against Monsanto at the State capitol: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Meet at North Steps for Rally and March [facebook.com/events/427960777291632]
* FREE Seed Exchange! Friday at the action in Davis, Saturday at Sacramento's action!
We got a non-GMO seed bank of veggies, fruits, herbs and medicine. Tons of varieties. Be happy to share. Weve hosted numerous seed exchanges and would be happy to talk about the importance of seed saving as a eat to preserve cultural and genetic diversity: Green Beans (Contender) * Tomato (Roma) * Eggplant (Black Beauty) * Bell Pepper (California Wonder) * Okra (Clemson Spineless) * Watermelon (Black Diamond) * Pumpkin (Small Sugar) * Cantaloupe (Hales Best Jumbo) * Cucumber (Poinsett 76) * Sweet Corn (Golden Cross Bantam) * Lettuce (Oak Leaf, Black Seeded Simpson, Mesclun Mix) * Beet (Detroit Dark Red) * Alfalfa (VNS) * Collards (Georgia) * Kohlrabi (Purple Vienna) * Cauliflower (Snowball Y) * Mustard (Florida Broad-leaf) * Radish (White Icicle) * Broccoli (Green Sprouting) * Rutabaga (American Purple Top) * Kale (Dwarf Siberian) * Dill (Mammoth) * Turnip (Purple Top) * Venus Fly Traps (Dionaea Muscipula)

ALSO on the 25th, you'll see LIVE performances by:
* Kalpulli Tepochkalli Danza Azteca * J Ross-Parrelli * D M Tea Hawk * Barclay Neumann * Hoping to see Quen!! and others!!
18 California Cities so far to March Against Monsanto! 
 TOTAL WORLDWIDE are adding up quickly. 40+ Countries and over 300 Sites listed
 Find your city and pass the word...  DONT FORGET THE LOBBYING DAY AT THE CAPITOL ON THE 22ND! [facebook.com/notes/shut-down-monsanto-california/17-california-sites-confirmed-to-march-against-monsanto-may-25-2013/257118621099097]
Flier artwork by Luis Ramon


2013-05-25, Saturday, 9:00pm
A very special night of conscious roots music!
Come check out Illuminati Congo as he makes his way from Chicago to California, performing in Oakland for the first time.
Doors at 9pm / $5 admission
Riddim [581 5th st., Oakland]


Rock The River
Saturday, 5:00pm until 11:00pm
at Silo's jazz club [530 Main St., Napa]. Get tickets [www.silosnapa.com]
ALL AGES: $20 Advance, $25 @ the Door.
Doors @ 4pm. This event will showcase some of the best local talent in the Napa Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
10 different artists with acts to include Reggae, Hip Hop, Rock, Country Rock, Blues, Acoustic, DJ, Slam Poetry, Comedy, and more.
Featured artists:
* Pion 2 Zion.
* The westcoast blues revue.
* the highway poets
* Steve siders.
* Aria.
* Ilija James
* Jumpstart.
* On 3.
* Anamnesis. 



2013-05-26 "Veterans Speak Out on Memorial Day: Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, Stop the Wars"
Sunday, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
The first Memorial Day was on May 1, 1865. “African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with their flowers, their feet, and their songs what the War had been about. What they basically were creating was the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution.” Over the years, Memorial has come to be remembered on the last Monday of May, a time to honor the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in the wars of the United States. Local members of Veterans for Peace will speak out on the meaning that Memorial Day holds for them.
Location: NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609
[marxistlibr.org] [510-595-7417] [NPML@marxistlibr.org]


2013-05-31 Justice for James Rivera jr. (Stockton)  
Friday @ 2:00 Stockton court house come out and support Justice 4 James E. Rivera Jr. "Oscar Grant Committee": Just want to let folks that a bus will be available to transport folks from Oscar Grant Plaza to Stockton on May 31st. Bus leaves at 12:30pm.
For more information [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/01/mobilize-for-justice-4-james-rivera-and.html]. THE JUSTICE MOVEMENT! [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/01/justice-campaigns-against-police-murder.html]


2013-05-31 "City of Trees Reggae Music Festival"



Sunday--Tuesday, June 2-4
Reclaim our Economy from Wall Street with Public Banking 
 Dominican University in San Rafael, Ca
 Join Matt Taibbi, Birgitta Jonsdottir, Ellen Brown, and Gar Alperovitz and many more thought leaders discussing how best to redesign the banking systems of nation in ways that will create new prosperity for millions and help to rebuild local economies
Join pioneering policy makers, civic leaders, banking entrepreneurs, innovators and ordinary citizens interested in learning about one of the most critical undertakings of our time: creating a truly prosperous, democratic and sustainable new economy.
More about the conference can be found here [http://publicbankinginamerica.org/].



Hella Open Mic.!
Public · By Slack Collective Art Studios and Gallery
Friday, June 14, 2013
7:30pm until 10:00pm
Slack Collective Art Studios and Gallery [964 Pearl St., Suite B, Napa, California 94559]
 Do you write poetry, tell jokes, make beats, rap, sing, or act? Then you don't wanna miss out! Sliding scale suggested donation. Limit 2 pieces per person, or one longer performance. We want everyone to have a chance to share their talent!
Questions? Email Xulio Soriano, coordinator of Open Mic [slackcollective@gmail.com] [707.927.6703] [http://slackcollective.com/b-a-w-center/open-mic]


Gettcho' Kinetics On!!! JULY 21, 2013!!!
[obtainiumworks.net]


2013-07-27 "Trinity Gold" and "Wasted Media" presents...  Singularity - Collective Album Release Show/Party
Saturday, Doors @ 7p, Showcase @ 8p, End 11p
Trinity Gold Media Studios [3149 California Blvd - Suite F, Napa]
 * Singularity [facebook.com/SingularityOfficial] [singularityofficial.bandcamp.com/album/cthulhu-ep]
 * Earth Snake [facebook.com/EarthSnakeMusic]
 * Marou
$10.ºº admission at the door.
ALL AGES, Drugs and Alcohol are prohibited



And remember, y'all, Occupy and Liberate your minds!

2013-05-16 Northbay Uprising Radio Showcase

We have liberated the airwaves, bringing you Rap, Rock, Rebellion with Dr.G. & Mis.Demeanor!
Every Thursday 3 to 6pm. Tune in [link], courtesy of Ozcatradio.com, KZCT 89.5 FM, straight out of Vallejo! Ozcat Radio, their sponsors and associates, are not responsible for anything said during the Northbay Uprising radio showcase.

Listen to our other programs:
* The Mothership Connection! Saturdays, 5 to 5:30pm [mothershipradio.blogspot.com], featuring the Mothers of Creative Conception: Mis.Demeanor & Serial Mom!
* Northbay UpRising morning show! Tuesdays, 6 to 9am [northbaymorningshow.blogspot.com], progressive commentary, communitarian news and local rock, hip-hop, and reggae, with Dr.G. & Mis.D.!


Mis.Demeanors Hitlist 
Check out Mis.D.'s "Rap Sheet"!!! [radiomisdemeanor.blogspot.com]
Music news [thizzler.com] [bayareacompass.blogspot.com] [bestinthewestrap.blogspot.com]

Ten Most Wanted!
10. "Dear Momma" by Random White Guy
9. "Hustle everyday" by 2EZ
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/08/2ez-fairfield.html]
8. "Backout" by Peezy
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/05/peezy-concord.html]
7. "Like a boss" by Rico Mendoza
6. "Put it on me" by Down n' Dirty (ft. Macwon)
5. "I need a license" by Tuxedo Black
4. "Our Story" by Monai (ft. Mac Feezy)
3. "Apologize" by King Adrian
2. "Twisted" by Mike-D (ft. Mack Truck)
1. "Cuzzo Ooze" by C-Lim (ft. Brotha Lynch Hung)

with additional music from 4 rAx, J-Stalin, Marty JayR, D-Boi, Birdman and more!
and monster shout-out to 4 rAx of the Mechanix on his ten year directorial anniversary of J-Stalin's video "808"...



Gathering of the Tribes
Culture, music, and more! [gatheringofthetribes.blogspot.com]

Interview with Jordan Talley & Logan Estrella Hooten, for the upcoming Rock the River concert!
Rock the River: Music & Art from the Heart of the Napa Valley
Saturday, May 25, 5pm-11pm , at Silo's Club [530 Main St. Napa, CA 94559]
You can order tickets from [silosnapa.com], [localwineevents.com],as well as facebook.
With: pion 2 zion * jeremy lewis (slam poetry) * steve siders (acoustic) * jess jane (acoustic) * jumpstart (hip hop) * aria (rap with regea beats) * byron coolbe (acoustic) * betty luma (acoustic) * tim bacon & frad parker (acoustic)... with Jordan Talley hosting the event along with some comedy

Debut tracks from Los Mentes Diferentes!
"The Struggle Continues" w. Desperados ft. Chaotic ITILII, from their album SacraMentes
Bongs and Bongos Mixtape link: [datpiff.com/Mentes-Diferentes-Bongs-And-Bongos-mixtape.340869.html]


Northbay Uprising radio news
George Seldes had it right: "Tell the Truth, Then Run Like Hell".
Journalist's Notebook [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/06/journalists-notebook.html]
More uncensored news & info at: [unitedstatesfascism.blogspot.com] [worldfascism.blogspot.com] [northbaycopwatch.blogspot.com] [vallejocopwatch.blogspot.com] [sanpablobayepa.blogspot.com] [sovereignsanpablobay.blogspot.com] [politicalprisonersusa.blogspot.com] 



Interview with  Stephen Payan, of the Occupy Sacramento! network 
to discuss the danger of the fall-out from biological technologies being produced by Monsanto. He and the warriors of the Occupy Sacramento network are organizing a series of events that serve to educate the public, engage the media, and make the world aware that people are organizing to preserve life itself, in contrast to the values held by the investors in control of Monsanto. The events are part of a larger network worldwide, including gatherings in Vallejo! Their March Against Monsanto at the State capitol happens Saturday, May 25th, 10:00am to 5:00pm [facebook.com/events/427960777291632].
Meanwhile, there is a March against Monsanto in Vallejo! Saturday, May 25th,  at Vallejo City Hall 555 Santa Clara St. Rally at 10:30am, March at 11:00am [facebook.com/events/483492741706645].
Contact Andrea Mrotz [707.704.0585] [andreamrotz@yahoo.com], with
"Label GMOs movement" of Vallejo & Benicia [facebook.com/LabelGMOsVallejoBenicia]

"Ten Ways Monsanto and Big Ag Are Trying to Kill You - And the Planet"
[organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24800.cfm]:
#1 Generating Massive Greenhouse Gas Pollution (CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide) and Global Warming; While Promoting False Solutions Such as Industrial Biofuels, So-Called Drought-Resistant Crops, and Genetically Engineered Trees
#2 Polluting the Environment and the Soil-Food Web with Pesticides, Chemical Fertilizers, and Persistent Toxins, Including Dioxin
#3 Turning Farmland into Desert, Draining Aquifers and Wetlands
#4 Poisoning Drinking Water, Acidifying the Oceans
#5 Chopping Down the Rainforests for Monoculture GMO Crops, Biofuels and Cattle Grazing
#6 Increasing the Cost of Food, While Reducing Nutrition and Biodiversity
#7 Spawning Pesticide-Resistant "Super" Bugs and Weeds, and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
#8 Generating New and More Virulent Plant, Animal and Human Diseases
#9 Utilizing Wasteful Fossil Fuel-Intensive Practices and Encouraging the Expansion of Natural Gas Fracking and Tar Sands Extraction (Which Destroy Forests, Aquifers, and Farmland)
#10 Stealing Money From the 99% to Give Huge Subsidies to the 1% Wealthiest, Most Chemical and Energy-Intensive Farms and Food Producers

More information:
*  The Anti-Monsanto Project: [facebook.com/Anti.Monsanto]
* 2013-05-13 "Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life' Indiana farmer must pay agribusiness giant $84,000 for patent infringement"
[unitedstatesfascism.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-05-13-corporate-win-supreme-court.html]
* Examples of how the Plutocracy uses Federal government to rule the people [unitedstatesfascism.blogspot.com/2013/02/example-of-how-plutocracy-uses-federal.html]
More information on genetically modified organisms & food:
* LabelGMOs.org: [labelgmos.org]
* OCA: [earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3.pdf]
* Institute for Responsible Technology: [responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education]
Educational documentaries:
* The World According to Monsanto: [topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto]
* Genetic Roulette the Gamble of Our Lives: [geneticroulettemovie.com]
* Bitter Seeds: [youtube.com/watch?v=QZtKB_KuASc]
Guide to buying non-GMO products: [responsibletechnology.org/buy-non-gmo]


Headlines:
2013-05-11 "Statewide Tour to Pass AB 880 & Close the "Walmart Loophole" Kicks Off in West Sacramento" [http://unitedstatesfascism.blogspot.com/2013/05/statewide-tour-to-pass-ab-880-close.html]

Psychonaut Action Calender 
featuring events and Liberated Zones from around the San Pablo bay area and beyond!
More here [link]! Action Calenders! * IndyBay [indybay.org/calendar] * Ecology Center [ecologycenter.org/calendar] * Nuclear Resister [nukeresister.org/future-actions] * 

2013-05-18 Have-Not's Reunion (Vallejo)
with Mike Have-Not's Birthday and Presidential Campaign Launch Party!
Saturday, 9:00pm
Chris' Club [656 Benicia Road, Vallejo, California 94591]
Mike Have-Not is finally of legal age! To run for President of the U.S. of A! Come kick off his campaign with the V-Town Have-Nots, Bankrupt District, the Shenanigans, and more to be announced! Come dressed in presidential themed attire. Bring buttons, posters, etc. We gon' party like it's November 2016!





2013-05-18 at TGM Studios presents...
Saturday,  8 to 11pm
$10, All-Ages
Trinity Gold Media Studios [3149 California Blvd - Suite F, Napa]


Strike Debt San Francisco invites you to their
DEBTORS’ ASSEMBLY
Saturday, May 18, 2:00-5:00PM
At UNITE HERE, 209 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco
Near the Civic Center BART station
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/04/strike-debt-bay-area-campaign-for.html]


2013-05-18 "Malcom X Jazz Arts Festival" (Oakland)



2013-05-18 "Peace, Justice and Freedom vigil" in Vallejo  
3rd Saturday of the month, 4pm. 
Peace Pole at the Waterfront, located at the front entrance of Panama Red Coffee Co. 289 Mare Island Way, Vallejo, CA 94590. 
Directions. On I-80, take Georgia st exit towards Mare Island. At the end of Gerogia st, is the waterfront and Panama Red Coffee Co.
On-going Peace and Justice vigils in the Bay Area [solanopeacejustice.blogspot.com/2013/01/peace-and-justice-calender.html] [upj-bayarea.org/vigils]
Sign the Jobs-Not-War Petition  [http://www.jobs-not-wars.org/]
Get in with the "New Priorities Campaign" [info@newprioritiescampaign.org]





2013-05-19 Kenneth Harding Jr Foundation Monthly Community Feed (San Francisco)  
Sunday, 10:00am until 2:00pm
Kenny's Plaza (Mendell Plaza) in San Francisco at 3RD & OAKDALE
 The reason we feed the community is because on July 16, 2011 19 year old Kenneth Wade Harding Jr. was brutally murdered by the SFPD over a $2.00 transit fare. While the community of Bayiew Hunters Point watched this live, the rest of the world watched the horrific video on youtube. It was evident that something needed to be done to address not only the crime against Kenny and his family but also against the community members that witnessed this crime.
For more information [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/12/justice-for-kenneth-harding-jr.html]. THE JUSTICE MOVEMENT! [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/01/justice-campaigns-against-police-murder.html]


2013-05-19 "Occupy Psychiatry!", an event to uphold Mental Freedom
Upcoming Protest of the American Psychiatric Association's 2013 annual conference
Sunday, 11:30am
MindFreedom International and the California Client Action Group protest of the American Psychiatric Association's 2013 annual conference-- an Occupy Psychiatry Event.
MC Matthew Morrissey
Confirmed Speakers include:
* Leonard Roy Frank [psychiatrized.org/LeonardRoyFrank/FromTheFilesOfLeonardRoyFrank.htm]
*Ted Chabasinski, [youtube.com/watch?v=Z3qulaD-jXQ]
*Chaya Grossberg, [chayagrossberg.weebly.com]
* James B. (Jim) Gottstein (Esq.) [psychrights.org/about/Gottstein.htm]
There will also be an open mike.
---
NOTE BY NORSE from "Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom (Santa Cruz)" [huffsantacruz.org]: A segment of the homeless population has their status dismissed and demeaned by describing them as "mentally ill" and there are currently bills pending in the state legislature to strip rights from those who do not "take their meds", ramping up the repressive Laura's Law, which so far has been limited. To defend the rights of the homeless means defending the rights of those labeled "mentally ill". Another useful resource for those interested in this issue is [madinamerica.com/category/blogs].


2013-05-20 Vigil Against Never-ending War
Monday, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Living Graveyard at Oakland Federal Building [1301 Clay Street, two blocks from 12th Street BART]
Contact Ecumenical Peace Institute, www.epicalc.org, (510) 655-1162
Covered with sheets to represent the dead of the war of occupation on Iraq, people lie down on the city sidewalk in front of the Federal Building, This is legal, non-violent witness. People stop, look and think.
Participants lie at least three feet apart and do not block entry to the building.The names of some of the Californians who have died in Iraq and the names of some of the Iraqi dead will be read. A gong is sounded after each name. People will hand out flyers, as we do each week at the Tuesday noon vigil.
Please bring a white sheet to cover yourself with. A pad to lie on is recommended.
* U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,486 (Other Coalition Military deaths: 4,804)
* Iraqi Civilian Deaths: 1,690,816
* U.S.  Military Deaths in Afghanistan 2,187 (Other Coalition Military deaths: 3,267)
* Afghan & Pakistani Civilian Deaths: 2 million plus


And remember, y'all, Occupy and Liberate your minds!

Monterey cracks-down on people without homes

Defend those without homes! [northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2009/01/defend-those-without-homes.html]

NOTES FROM NORSE:
Occupy Monterey Peninsula activists have sent out a plea for help to oppose upcoming anti-homeless laws -- similar to some long in place in Santa Cruz (with the anti-homeless Downtown Ordinances in place since 1994).
E-mail the Monterey City Council your objections as suggested by the activist alert below.
E-mails for the Monterey City Council can be found at [monterey.org/en-us/cityhall/citycouncil.aspx].
E-mail the Monterey Herald with a letter opposing the "Santa Cruz solution" to Monterey's "too many visible homeless" bigotry problem. mheditor@montereyherald.com (up to 200 words)
If you attend the 4 PM or 7 PM Monterey City Council meeting, please send HUFF an update. If you make any contacts there, pass on that information to HUFF and to Occupy Santa Cruz activists.
"Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom - Santa Cruz" [huffsantacruz.org] [info@huffsantacruz.org] [831-423-HUFF]



ACTION ALERT: Monterey City Council Slated to Crack Down on Homeless Tuesday 5-21
Occupy Monterey Peninsula [occupymontereypeninsula@hotmail.com]
A recent story from the Herald follows the Activist Alert.
---
  The City of Monterey is considering adopting new ordinances to punish homeless and other needy folks that live in, or visit, Monterey. Urgent action is needed for the public to speak out against these punitive actions, which are counter-productive and ineffective.
  The 4:00 City Council meeting is focused on punitive ordinances--Sit-Lie, No Smoking areas outside, and Restricted Parking on Garden Road and elsewhere that homeless people sleep in cars. The 7:00 meeting, after Budget update, will look at new programs that SERVE the homeless. The purpose in breaking the agenda items up was to confuse and divide the community. Please show up and comment in opposition to these ordinances, and to urge the city to adopt programs that help needy folks, not punish them. Let's stop criminalizinag poverty!!
  Please read the talking points reprinted below and speak to one or more of them, or other pertinent subject matter of your choice.
In solidarity with the victims of an unjust and unequal society.

TALKING POINTS ON THE PROPOSED ANTI-HOMELESS LAWS
Council is discussing Sit-Lie, non-smoking ordinances and expanded Parking Restrictions (on Garden Road and near Roger’s Lake) at their 4:00 meeting on Tuesday, May 21. In the evening session, after 7:00, they are discussing other options to provide services to the homeless.
Sit-Lie Talking Points -
Pick ONE of these to explore in detail. Other people will do others.
1) Sit-Lie laws are not proven to be effective. There is no objective evidence that they reduce the amount of panhandling or other negative impacts of homelessness. The so-called Travelers are not intimidated by Sit-Lie because they are only here for a few days or weeks at a time and simply leave without going to court.

2) The ordinance would be costly to enforce—it would require more police to walk around and cite people and court costs to prosecute.

3) There has been no cost-benefit analysis to compare a Sit-Lie ordinance to other types of programs designed to assist people. How can Council discuss this apart from a budget report, with no cost projection, and without a benefit comparison to other support programs that are being considered later tonight?

4) The ordinance is likely to be challenged in court and could cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. The city would be assuming legal liability for no proven benefit.

5) The city claims that residents and tourists feel afraid downtown because of the homeless. Is this fear legitimate or imaginary? Is there any objective criminal evidence to prove that fear of homeless individuals is justified? How many violent crimes have the homeless in Monterey been convicted of in the past year? How many violent crimes have non-homeless individuals committed? Laws based simply on unfounded fear (lacking any real threats or harm) are biased and prejudicial. In the past, our country had a shameful history of passing laws to limit the presence of minorities in white neighborhoods and in the evening.

6) A recent city survey found that 91% of residents feel “safe” or “very safe” downtown; only 1% felt “very unsafe.” Are you proposing a fear based ordinance based on only 1% of the population?

7) Over the past several years funding for homeless programs has been cut. In 2012, social service funding (some of which helps homeless individuals) in Monterey was cut 50% from $250,000 to $125,000. In 2013 it is proposed to cut it another 30% to $80,000, of which about $50,000 will directly benefit homeless people. During this time complaints related to homelessness have risen. There appears to be a correlation between funding for homeless programs and increasing complaints. Shouldn’t the city study this correlation to see if it would be more cost effective to fund homeless programs better rather than shift resources to policing and criminalizing of homelessness?

8) The city is proposing to allocated $80,000 in CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) to various non-profits that serve elderly and low income individuals, of which about $50,000 directly serves the
homeless. None of that money is from city of Monterey’s general fund; it is all federal money. The city simply transfers the federal money to various programs. Out of a 60 Million dollar budget, not one dollar from local sales tax, TOT, or property taxes is devoted to helping homeless individuals. It would appear that our homeless problem is not a result of attracting people with our great programs. Other cities that have imposed Sit-Lie ordinances offer far more options, spaces (Shelters), and support to the homeless than Monterey. It is inhumane to criminalize the act of sitting, lying or sleeping in public when the city does not offer low income people a place to go and where it devotes zero city dollars to helping people.

9) The city recently conducted a survey and a large majority of residents said that city services to low income people were Very Poor. In comparison to other cities, Monterey was “Far Below Average” in public perception of its services to Low Income individuals. Instead of wasting more resources on an ordinance that will be costly to enforce, and ineffective, the city should devote more resources to improving services to low income people. Clearly the survey shows that the public does not deem these services as adequate.

What kinds of services were supported by the public at the MPC Symposium on Homelessness, attended by over 250 people? Again, speak to one or two that you feel are most important, or other ideas that have been advanced.

1) A jobs programs: many homeless want jobs but their age, the Recession, or a criminal record (often for doing nothing other than sleeping) makes it hard to get jobs. According to the last Monterey County Homeless Census, over a third do work now, but they don’t make enough to pay rent. Clearly we need more jobs and more better paying jobs. Some homeless people would be happy to sweep our streets, pick up trash, and clean up graffiti. The city should explore partnering with the various business districts, the Chamber of Commerce, and the non-profits to develop a job placement program that could be funded by the businesses. The businesses don’t like the homeless panhandling; perhaps they would be willing to hire them to keep our business districts clean and attractive? The city should develop a plan after looking at models used in other cities.

2) A Safe Car Park program would give the car homeless a safe place to park where they would not impact businesses or neighborhoods. This would be more cost effective than ticketing and prosecuting people for sleeping in their cars. The New Beginnings in Santa Barbara is a good model.

3) The city should provide more public restrooms to avoid hygiene issues; everyone, not only the homeless, would benefit from more bathrooms and a cleaner city. If there are problems with people urinating or defecating in public for lack of public restrooms that is the fault of the city.

4) Police could hand out MST bus passes to local homeless as an incentive for good behavior and to enable them to get to the Good Sam in Sand City for showers and laundry services.

5) There should be one person on staff responsible for interfacing with the homeless, businesses, and non-profits, either a Social Worker or special trained police officer. If this person is a police office, he or she should have some Social Work or restorative justice training, in addition to mediation and conflict resolution training. The city could offer to train an existing officer, hire one, or hire a Social Worker for far less. In a city with 700 plus employees that is experiencing so many issues around homelessness, it is shocking there is not one trained social worker. The city claims that police are not trained to deal with these types of populations and that they are not primarily addressing “homelessness” per se, but in fact, they are the only city employees who regularly interact with the homeless. We need someone who understands the complex issues surrounding homelessness and who has proper training.

6) The city should work with other cities to ensure that more low income housing is set aside for the homeless and other low income individuals. The section 8 waiting list for Monterey county for housing is 5 years long and they are no longer taking names. The city should partner with other cities and FORA to identify barracks on the former Fort Ord that could be converted by a non-profit into emergency shelter. It is time to stop passing the buck and ignoring the fundamental problem: lack of shelter. Do something to provide shelter to our veterans, women, families and children.

7) Women in Monterey do not have a shelter and are among the most vulnerable to life on the streets. Monterey should require that the low income housing it is proposing behind City Hall be restricted to low income women over the age of 50, with preference to currently homeless women living in Monterey.


2013-05-18 "Monterey symposium examines homelessness; Health care, public policy, shelter among topics"
by Dennis Taylor from "Monterey Herald" [http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_23275211/monterey-symposium-examines-homelessness]:
There are 2,500 to 3,000 homeless people in Monterey County. Half are classified as "chronic homeless," meaning they have a documented disability or have been without a residence for a year or longer. The county has about 250 homeless families.
"These are the people we can find, and the people who fit a very strict definition of 'homeless,'" said Supervisor Jane Parker, keynote speaker at United Way Monterey County's "Hungry and Homeless in Paradise" symposium Saturday at Monterey Peninsula College. "If you start to think about the number of families who are living in a garage, or crowded into one bedroom at the home of a friend or relative, or sleeping on a couch, the numbers go much higher very quickly."
The ugly truth in "paradise" is that the majority of locals who are fortunate enough to be employed are also in dire straits: More than half the jobs in Monterey County pay minimum wage or less — a fact that brings up another dismal set of statistics.
"There's a table in the weekly home report that shows how many hours a person earning minimum wage must work to afford an apartment in Monterey County," Parker said. "To live in a studio apartment in our area, a person earning minimum wage must work 83 hours in a week. To afford a one-bedroom apartment, the number is 94 hours. A person needs to work 108 hours in a single week to pay for a two-bedroom apartment, and 152 hours for a three-bedroom apartment."
Those figures do not include food, utilities, car repair, medical bills or any other necessities that might compete for a person's dollars, she said.
Those stark realities were the rallying cry that attracted hundreds of residents — some homeless — to MPC for a five-hour summit designed to identify the issues surrounding homelessness and to discuss possible solutions.
The symposium comes as the Monterey City Council is set Tuesday to discuss possible new ordinances to address frequent complaints from residents, tourists and the business community about homeless people and panhandlers downtown and in other areas. One ordinance under discussion would make it a crime to sit or lie on sidewalks or other public spaces.

10-year plan -
 Saturday's symposium featured breakout sessions on topics that included health care, public policy, faith-based initiatives and shelters. The sessions were largely town-hall style gatherings that solicited input from those attending.
One session was titled "Our Community's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness." The plan was created in 2010-11 by HomeBase/Center for Common Concerns, a nonprofit public-policy law firm based in San Francisco, using input from "a wide array of community stakeholders."
The plan, accepted by the boards of supervisors in Monterey and San Benito counties, calls for access to housing and housing services, and transition services for people who have just been released from jails, medical facilities and foster programs.
Much of the strategy involves streamlining processes, improving communication and eliminating the bureaucratic red tape that tends to clog the system.
"Let's say a single male comes to a shelter that is for women and children only. So that person is told, 'I'm sorry, you don't qualify here.' That person then might have to go from program to program to program, trying to find somewhere to be, and therefore might be more likely to simply give up," said HomeBase attorney Carolyn Wylie. "Instead, we'd have a coordinated system in which the person could make one telephone call, or be sent to a center that is a one-entry point. It would be a coordinated system where all people could go (to find solutions to their problems)."

Looking for solutions -
 Audience members pointed out specific issues commonly faced by the homeless, including what they called a tendency to regard them as "second-class citizens" and to dismiss their problems.
They suggested a need for free transportation to get the services they require. They asked for more responsive, more flexible agencies. They advocated local jobs that pay a living wage, and more affordable housing.
"I think it's important to try to lower the cost of living, rather than try to increase income, for the homeless," said Charles Wilson, a Peninsula resident with homelessness in his history and a computer science degree on his résumé. "Rent should not be more than one-third of income for anyone."
Another woman called for the decriminalization of homelessness and an end to harassment by law enforcement officers of people living and sleeping in public places.
One homeless man, who said his street name is "Bones," said current laws make getting assistance difficult for anyone with a felony drug conviction.
"It's against federal law for drug offenders to use federal funds for a lot of this stuff. I don't have any drug convictions, but I have felonies on my record, which is what's holding me back from getting a real job," he said. "People who have serious drug problems and get out of prison and can't get their stuff together because of these federal laws that stand in their way ... that really screws things up for everybody. The guy is on the street, he's a drug addict, he doesn't have a job, he can't get any kind of federal assistance because it's against the law, and the cycle just continues."

Occupy the Farm! Preserve our sovereign foodland!!

Occupy The Farm / Gill Tract Farmers Collective [www.occupythefarm.org] [occupyfarmmedia@gmail.com]

Farmers Plan to Re-Occupy the Gill Tract Farm
When: Saturday, May 18 at 11 a.m.
Where: San Pablo and Monroe, Albany, CA
Press Contacts:
* Lesley Haddock  [707-293-3253] [lesleylives@gmail.com]
* Matthew McHale [562-754-8756] [matthew@mchaledesign.com]
---
Albany, CA – On Saturday, May 18th, hundreds of East Bay farmers, Albany residents, and UC Berkeley students will return to the Gill Tract to replant an urban farm on this public land and put it to public use.
Occupy the Farm envisions a future in which East Bay communities make use of all available land – occupying it when necessary – to create urban agriculture alternatives and meet local needs in the face of economic and environmental crisis. The long term goal on the Gill Tract is to establish a productive farm and preserve this rich natural resource in perpetuity, emphasizing much needed research into sustainable urban agriculture, open access, and participation by the larger East Bay community.
On Saturday, May 11th, Occupy the Farm peacefully marched onto the Gill Tract to challenge the UC’s renewed plans for private, commercial development of this public agricultural resource, replacing 5-foot high weeds with thousands of squash, kale, basil, corn, lettuce and tomato plants, and even flowers.
Rather than recognizing this as an opportunity to position itself on the cutting edge of urban agriculture and participatory research, the University raided the farm on Monday, May 13, at 4:30 a.m. and violently arrested four peaceful farmers, three of whom were held for more than 60 hours before being released without charge. The University then ploughed over the farm that morning, destroying thousands of starts that, if nurtured, would have provided sustenance to local communities.
“This land has been vacant for years,” said an Occupy the Farm member, Matthew McHale, “the UC only destroyed the crops because it’s afraid that if the community sees what an amazing asset this would be as a community farm, they would refuse to let it be paved over.”
In protest of the UC’s actions, more than eighty farmers and community members re-converged on Monday afternoon for a rally, then marched back onto the farm to replant the field and recover some of the starts they had planted over the weekend. The University plowed the farm again Tuesday morning.
Since Occupy the Farm first planted on the Gill tract in April 2012, the group has organized at least 10 public forums focused on the Gill Tract as an asset to community-driven participatory research. The UC Berkeley administration has consistently failed to attend, despite being invited repeatedly. Students on campus however, support turning the land into an urban farm; last Spring the Associated Students of the University of California Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of Occupy the Farm.


2012-09-07 "Occupy the Farm's Speaker Series #1"

Kickoff on Fri with Via Campesina, Miguel Altieri, Iganacio Chapela, and more!!!
Several UC Berkeley faculty and a visiting scholar-activist will be speaking this Friday, in Morgan Hall, about the importance of farm land and access to it, around the world. Please find attached the flyer and map for the first event entitled "Land Occupation in Global Context," the first in Occupy the Farm's Fall Speaker Series. It starts at 5pm this Friday in Morgan Hall at UC Berkeley.
Speaking will be:
* Rita Zanotto, Via Campesina (Brazil)
* Prof. Miguel Altieri, Agroecology (Chile)
* Prof. Ignacio Chapela, Microbial Ecology (Mexico)
* Angelika Hilbeck, Geobotanics + Biosafety (Germany)
Please feel free to share amongst your networks.
What: Land Occupation in Global Context - The First in Occupy the Farm's Speaker Series
Where: Morgan Hall Lounge, UC Berkeley (see attached map)
When: 5pm, Friday, Sep 7




2012-04-23 "Albany: Activists raise stakes with renegade farm" by Benny Evangelista and Carolyne Zinko from "San Francisco Chronicle"
[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/22/BAM71O7HR6.DTL]
A tussle between preservationists and UC Berkeley over a decadelong development project in Albany erupted into a pitchfork protest Sunday, when activists planted a renegade farm on a plot of land known as the Gill Tract in an effort to keep it agriculturally pristine.
Timing their action to Earth Day, about 200 members of Occupy the Farm to Take Back the Gill Tract broke a lock on a gate, rototilled the soil and planted carrot, broccoli and corn seedlings on part of the 10-acre site at Marin and San Pablo avenues. The Albany tract is owned by UC Berkeley, which has plans for further housing and commercial development nearby.
Police were on hand not long after the activists broke in at mid-afternoon and informed them they were breaking the law, but no arrests were made.
By early evening, there was no police presence visible at the site, located near a busy street corner just east of Highway 80. Most of the activists had departed, but 50 or 60 planned to camp out at the site and had begun erecting tents.
Anya Kamenskaya, a spokeswoman for the group, said police officers told them they might return, but it was unclear if they would try to evict them.
"Our goal is not to live here, our goal is to create a working urban agro-ecological farm," Kamenskaya said.
There was no immediate comment on the situation from UC Berkeley representatives.
 The university in recent years tore down and rebuilt a more modern University Village family housing complex in the area for faculty and students, two portions of a three-phase project. In the last phase, the university is poised to renovate the Village's community center and add more new housing to the site.

Grocery store planned -
The university plans a separate project that calls for construction of a for-profit senior housing complex and grocery store on the Village land. The final segment of phase three calls for Little League fields that currently stand on Village land to be moved to the Gill Tract, occupying only about half of the 10 acres, with the rest of the land to remain open in some form, according to Albany City Councilman Robert Lieder.
 Preservationists want the entire Gill Tract, which they describe as pristine, to be saved as open space or an urban farm.
"I wouldn't call this property damage, I'd call it property enrichment," said Lesley Haddock, a UC Berkeley sophomore who was part of the farm-in. "Basically what we did was pull out weeds. We're not trying to protect it as is, but to turn it into a community hub for agriculture."
She said Occupy the Farm was not linked to the Occupy Oakland protests, but "was philosophically inspired by it." The movement, she added, was done in solidarity with the Brazilian Movimiento Sin Tierra (Landless Workers Movement) and La Via Campesina (the International Day of Peasant's Struggles).
 The activists erected signs, including one that read "Whole food, not Whole Foods," a reference to the grocery chain that is a possible tenant at the site.
 "We think it is the height of irony that a upscale national chain grocery store would be building on arable land where food can be grown here for the community," Kamenskaya said.

'This treasure of ours' -
Albany community activist Jackie Hermes-Fletcher said UC students acted independently in organizing the protest and that it was not timed to upcoming hearings on the UC development plans at City Hall.
"I really didn't plan it myself, but I wish I did," Hermes-Fletcher said, talking by cell phone on a visit to the site.
"We've spent 15 years trying to present solutions for this land, like an educational interpretive center, an urban farm, a neighborhood co-op, community garden or farmers' market. It's very dramatic and extremely fantastic. It's going to put a bright light on this issue, on this treasure of ours, Gill Tract."

An Occupy the Farm protester rototills a patch of land owned by UC Berkeley at Buchanan and Jackson streets in Albany. Photo: Kevin Johnson / The Chronicle

Rows of seedlings are planted one-by-one by occupiers in Albany on Sunday. Several hundred people occupied a tract of arable land in Berkeley on Sunday where they tilled soil and planted seeds for a community garden. Photo: Kevin Johnson / The Chronicle

People gathered at a tract of University owned land on Sunday to build a community garden. Several hundred people occupied a tract of arable land in Berkeley on Sunday where they tilled soil and planted seeds for a community garden. Photo: Kevin Johnson / The Chronicle



2012-04-22 "Hundreds of Farmers Occupy UC Berkeley's Gill Tract farm in Albany" 
by Indybay volunteers ( sfbay-web [at] lists.indymedia.org ) [indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/22/18711839.php]
On Sunday, April 22nd, Earth Day, the Love the Land March began, following a rally in Ohlone Park at Sacramento Avenue in Berkeley. The event was organized as "a demonstration of the community’s commitment to food security in the East Bay" by "proponents of organic, non-GMO, locally grown foods." There were public speakers, skill shares, and a potluck at the rally in Ohlone Park.
After marching through North Berkeley, hundreds of people, including many local farmers, occupied UC Berkeley's Gill Tract farm. The ten-plus acre Gill Tract, at the corners of Marin and San Pablo Avenues in Albany, rests within a thermal belt considered one of the finest horticultural zones in California.
 The farmers and their supporters have quickly prepared the field for an urban sustainable agriculture farm.
 The University of California has a very different agenda for the Albany Gill Tract; they intend to sell the land to commercial developers.
 More information is available at:
* Love the Land March: Earth Day [http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/20/18711703.php]
* The Gill Tract – Urban farm sanctuary, or just another lot slated for development? [http://organiconthegreen.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/the-gill-tract-–-urban-farm-sanctuary-or-just-another-lot-slated-for-development/]



2012-04-22 "Occupy the Farm Activists Reclaim Prime Urban Agricultural Land in SF Bay Area" by Occupy the Farm ( GillTractFarm [at] riseup.net )
[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/22/18711841.php]
 (Albany, Calif.), April 22, 2012 – Occupy the Farm, a coalition of local residents, farmers, students, researchers, and activists are planting over 15,000 seedlings at the Gill Tract, the last remaining 10 acres of Class I agricultural soil in the urbanized East Bay area. The Gill Tract is public land administered by the University of California, which plans to sell it to private developers.
 For decades the UC has thwarted attempts by community members to transform the site for urban sustainable agriculture and hands-on education. With deliberate disregard for public interest, the University administrators plan to pave over this prime agricultural soil for commercial retail space, a Whole Foods, and a parking lot.
 "For ten years people in Albany have tried to turn the Gill Tract into an Urban Farm and a more open space for the community. The people in the Bay Area deserve to use this treasure of land for an urban farm to help secure the future of our children," explains Jackie Hermes-Fletcher, an Albany resident and public school teacher for 38 years.
 Occupy the Farm seeks to address structural problems with health and inequalities in the Bay Area that stem from communities’ lack of access to food and land. Today’s action reclaims the Gill Tract to demonstrate and exercise the peoples’ right to use public space for the public good. This farm will serve as a hub for urban agriculture, a healthy and affordable food source for Bay Area residents and an educational center.
 “Every piece of uncontaminated urban land needs to be farmed if we are to reclaim control over how food is grown, where it comes from, and who it goes to,” says Anya Kamenskaya, UC Berkeley alum and educator of urban agriculture. “We can farm underutilized spaces such as these to create alternatives to the corporate control of our food system.”
 UC Berkeley has decided to privatize this unique public asset for commercial retail space, and, ironically, a high-end grocery store. This is only the latest in a string of privatization schemes. Over the last several decades, the university has increasingly shifted use of the Gill Tract away from sustainable agriculture and towards biotechnology with funding from corporations such as Novartis and BP.
 Frustrated that traditional dialogue has fallen on deaf ears, many of these same local residents, students, and professors have united as Occupy the Farm to Take Back the Gill Tract. This group is working to empower communities to control their own resilient food systems for a stable and just future – a concept and practice known as food sovereignty.
 Occupy the Farm is in solidarity with Via Campesina and the Movimiento Sin Tierra (Landless Workers Movement).
 The Gill Tract is located at the Berkeley-Albany border, at the intersection of San Pablo Ave and Marin Ave.

Ways to Get Involved:
• Join us: Come dressed to work! We need people to help till the soil, plant seedlings, teach workshops, and more.
 • Donate/lend: We need shovels, rakes, pickaxes, rototillers, drip irrigation tape, gloves, hats, food, and anything else farming related!
 • Monetary donations can be sent through our website at http://www.TakeBacktheTract.com

 Contact:
* Twitter: @OccupyFarm
* Facebook Page: Gill Tract Farm
* Website: [http://www.TakeBacktheTract.com]
* Email: GillTractFarm [at] riseup.net
* Gopal - (510) 847-3592

URGENT. OCCUPY THE FARM NEEDS HELP PLANTING AND PROTECTING THE NEWLY OCCUPIED GILL TRACT!
More than an acre has already been planted and over 200 people are working hard to plant the rest of the tract. The Gill Tract is a highly contested agriculture space owned by University of California Capital Projects on the border of Albany and Berkeley. Parts of the space are in the process of being zoned for commercial use, and sold to Whole Foods. Please come by and help and bring plants, trowels, shovels, and irrigation supplies. Police have indicated that the Gill Tract encampment will be contested after 10pm tonight. Folk plan to stay the night and protect the space from police and hungry deer. Please forward on the friends and come down immediately!
The Gill Tract is on the corner of Marin and San Pablo in South Albany. AC Transit 72 Bus goes to the tract and North Berkeley BART is a few blocks southeast on Sacramento.
*Police Raid is Imminent*

Students Strike for a fair contract for workers at University of California

2013-05-15 "Right Now: Students and Workers Getting Arrested for a Fair Contract"
[http://usas.org/2013/05/15/right-now-students-and-workers-getting-arrested-at-uc/]:

Moments ago, 13 students and workers at the University of California were arrested after they took over a Board of Regents meeting and demanded a fair contract for UC Patient Care workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299.
The students and workers are demanding that the Regents tell the hospital CEO’s to put patients and students first rather than awarding their executives with exorbitant salaries. Diverting money away from patient care and instruction to shamelessly enrich UC executives is unbecoming of a world class institution. UC cannot forget its mission.
The Regents need to propose real pension reform and lower the cap on UC executive pensions, which currently top out at $250,000 or $375,000 per year. To drive that message home, we delivered actual baseball caps to the regents with the words “executive pensions” on them. Imagine our shock when the Regents refused to wear them!
Support the arrested students and workers by sending an email to the Chair of the UC Board of Regents Sherry Lansing and the CEO of UCSF Medical Center Mark Laret telling them to put patients and students first. Use the form on the left to send your message.
On Tuesday, nearly 13,000 workers will go on strike after nearly a year of contract negotiations, while executives like Mark Laret continue to pull down exorbitant salaries. Laret even had the nerve to threaten to sue UC if the Regents didn’t abolish his pension cap, which would have raised his annual pension payout to nearly $800,000.
At the same time, he laid off 300 nurses, pharmacy technicians, and other patient care workers, at a hospital that was already dangerously short-staffed.
It’s clear that UC executives are determined to grant themselves massive rewards, even if that means putting patient safety at risk. That’s why USASers like me from UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis are standing arm-in-arm with AFSCME members today at the Regents meeting.Tell Sherry Lansing and Mark Laret to put patients over profit and agree to safe staffing committees, limits on subcontracting patient care work to inexperienced temps, and reasonable caps on executive pension payouts.

Palo Alto declares Human Rights null and void if you are homeless

Defend those without homes! 
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2009/01/defend-those-without-homes.html]

2013-05-18 "Bigots in Palo Alto Moving to Ban Vehicular Sleeping"
from NOTES BY NORSE:
Palo Alto activists and supporters have successfully fought to retain the rights of Palo Alto vehicular dwellers to sleep in their vehicles on city streets--up to now. Stubborn activists like Tony Ciampi have courageously resisted police harassment, suffering physical injury, and lengthy court battles. (see "Palo Alto settles Taser suit for $35K " at [paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=22122].
Santa Cruz makes the only affordable housing many poor people have--a vehicle--criminal at night. The City specifically targets homeless people by making it difficult to park in many neighborhoods with NIMBY permit parking schemes. Under staff "guidance", City Council has also made it illegal to even be awake in your vehicle in any of the downtown parking lots (you can only park and/or retrieve your vehicle, but not sit in your car reading a book, socialize with friends, etc.).
Unofficial former police vigilantes like Lt. Joe Haebe have been seen roaming the neighborhood banging on vehicles at 4 AM. Take Back Santa Cruz-inspired thugs video "suspected" vehicles. The police have a special "snitch" line for reporting on "illegal camping." Those churches who do harbor a few vehicles (only 3 per parking lot are allowed) face neighborhood pressure to stop.
Even if you're not homeless, those who are poor and can't afford fines for driving on a suspended license or need to do so to work, can lose their vehicles as many homeless people have.


2013-05-14 "Ban on vehicle dwelling back on the table; Palo Alto committee voices support for prohibiting vehicle habitation"
by Gennady Sheyner from "Palo Alto Weekly" [paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=29631]:
After balking last year, Palo Alto is now once again pursuing a new law that would make it illegal for people to live in vehicles.
 Spurred by a growing number of homeless people congregating overnight at Cubberley Community Center and insufficient support from the faith-based community, a committee of the City Council directed staff Tuesday night to draft an ordinance banning vehicle dwelling and to pursue various outreach options to help homeless people get the social services they need.
 The Policy and Services Committee voted 2-1, with Chair Liz Kniss and Councilman Larry Klein supporting, Councilwoman Gail Price dissenting and Councilwoman Karen Holman absent, to resurrect the controversial vehicle-dwelling ban, which appeared to have been put to bed just last November.
 With only three council members present and only two voting in support of the ban, the new prohibition is still far from a sure thing. But with complaints about vehicle dwellers on the rise, Kniss and Klein both argued that it's time for Palo Alto to join most other cities in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties in adopting the ban.
 Staff had first proposed a prohibition on vehicle dwelling about two years ago, though officials halted the effort after a community outcry and formed a community working group to further study the issue. One idea that gained traction from the exercise was creating a program like one in Eugene, Ore., where churches let vehicle dwellers use their parking lots for shelter. But staff efforts to create a similar system in Palo Alto has fallen flat, with only one local church -- the University Lutheran Church in College Terrace -- agreeing to participate in such a program.
 Palo Alto Friends Meeting, a Quaker congregation on Colorado Avenue, also expressed interest but then changed its mind after dozens of neighborhood residents submitted a petition protesting the idea of having homeless dwellers at a nearby lot. George Mills, a member of Palo Alto Friends Meeting, said the congregation "immediately felt compassionate" when the city reached out about participating in the program.
 "It seemed obvious for us that living without a home should not be criminalized," Mills said.
 Mills said the church had sent out notices to about 120 area residents stating its intention to participate in the process. But after a signed petition and two community meetings, the congregation decided not to follow through, he said. Residents cited everything from potential drug use to violence and mental health issues in explaining their opposition, Mills said.
 "In the meetings, there was a lot of praise for our good intentions, but almost everyone who spoke thought that unfortunately our site wasn't the right one for this project," Mills said. "In short, it was NIMBY. Not here but some place else."
 While the city's inability to recruit churches was one factor in reviving the ban, the evolving situation at Cubberley was another. According to staff from the Community Services, Police and Planning departments, the community center has been attracting a growing number of homeless dwellers, some of whom have been causing disturbances.
 Planning Director Curtis Williams said the city has seen a "fairly significant increase in homeless dwelling in Cubberley." There are now about 20 to 30 people there every evening, he said, about five to 10 of whom are in vehicles.
 "There have been more activities of concerns that have drawn police attention and required more of a police presence in Cubberley," Williams said.
 Police Chief Dennis Burns said that in 2010, police had been summoned to Cubberley for complaints involving vehicle dwellers 10 times. The number went up to 16 in 2011 and to 39 last year. So far this year, police have made nine contacts with homeless dwellers at Cubberley.
 Minka van der Zwaag, a manager in the city's Community Services Department, said there have been numerous incidents of drug use and fights on campus. At times, custodians had arrived to lock up rooms at Cubberley and found people inside. The city has been working with social service providers, including the Downtown Streets Team and InnVision, to provide outreach to the homeless dwellers at Cubberley, she said.
 An ordinance banning vehicle dwelling would give officers a new tool to use to address complaints about disturbances at the site, Williams said.
 "Enforcement is very difficult without having an ordinance," Williams said.
 Not everyone was anxious to revisit the ban. Several residents urged the council not to proceed with the new ordinance and to focus instead on giving homeless dwellers the help they need. Mary Klein, a Ramona Street resident, urged the council to consider more creative solutions.
 "I don't think we should feel like we're late to the party in passing an ordinance," said Mary Klein (no relation to Larry Klein). "I think we should feel some pride in that we're looking for a less draconian solution than criminalizing some fact of life that some people have been subjected to."
 Brent Barker, president of the College Terrace Residents Association and member of the community group working on the issue, said the ordinance is unlikely to change the situation. Enforcement will be based on complaints, much as it is today, he said. He urged the council to consider broader solutions.
 "One of the things the city should be thinking about in the long term is what is the carrying capacity that we have for dealing with this kind of a situation," Barker said. "I think the scarce resources we have should go to the bottom and let the solution come from the bottom up."
 Kniss and Klein agreed that continuing outreach to the homeless is important. But they also felt it's time to revisit the proposed ban. Klein suggested that the absence of a vehicle-habitation ban may have contributed to making Palo Alto a magnet for homeless dwellers. He and Kniss both stressed that the city will continue to work with its partners in the nonprofit community to deliver services to the homeless.
 "This is just one more way of handling the problem," Kniss said. "We're not turning people into criminals. I think we're giving the police a method to use for those few -- but not as few as I thought -- who are abusing the situation and are troublesome."
 Price disagreed and said she's not convinced that the ordinance would accomplish much. The city's emphasis, she said, should be on education, awareness, compassion and support.
 "I don't feel the ordinance is going to give us that much leverage," Price said.

2013-05-14 "Homeless protest evictions from Concord campsites"

by Laura McCrystal from "Concord Monitor" [http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/6203768-95/homeless-protest-evictions-from-concord-campsites]:
As camps on private property and state land in Concord are cleared for trespassing, Concord’s homeless population and their advocates have one question.
“Where are they supposed to live?”
Marcia Sprague, director of the Concord Homeless Resource Center, asked that question at a rally in front of the State House yesterday afternoon. More than 60 people attended to hold signs, raise awareness and speak about their experiences.
“We cannot take away a campground without offering an alternative,” said Maggie Fogarty, a board member of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness.
Fogarty and others said the homeless population has been left without an alternative this spring, as the police clear camps on private property and the state forbids camping on its land around Concord.
Many homeless individuals and advocates held signs yesterday: “Stop illegalizing homelessness,” “We have a right to a home,” “Out of sight out of mind? Don’t look the other way.”
Sprague said she understands that the Concord police are enforcing the rights of private property owners, and that state officials chose to clear homeless camps on their property after a number of incidents last year. But that doesn’t change the plight of people living on that land.
“The big picture is everyone has to be off at the same time,” she said.
Jonathan Hopkins said he’s camping on state land off Loudon Road, but it was recently posted with “no camping” signs. He said he plans to stay there because he has nowhere else to go.
“I shall keep out of sight,” he said.
Wendell Ford, who is homeless, said yesterday that it’s difficult to find new camps, and available options are far from the Friendly Kitchen and other resources.
Sean Lambert, a 20-year-old who stayed at the camp behind Everett Arena last summer, asked for an end to stereotypes about the homeless. Lambert said he doesn’t drink or do drugs and he has a job, but he still needs somewhere to stay. He stressed that incidents involving relatively few people caused state officials to clear camps.
“People simply don’t understand,” he said.
Action to clear homeless camps began last year. The police said the camp on state land behind Everett Arena became a serious safety concern after a number of incidents, including the disappearance of a man whose body was later found nearby in the Merrimack River, the drowning of another homeless man who was swimming in the river and an ax attack on one man by another man at the camp.
As state land was posted for trespassing this spring, private property owners asked the Concord police to clear campers from their land between Stickney Avenue and North Main Street. The police began by giving campers notice to leave and then began pressing charges. On a single Sunday, the police issued 18 court summonses for alcohol and trespassing violations.
Barbara Keshen, an attorney for the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, spoke yesterday to explain the lawsuit she filed against the state on behalf of three homeless men. She encouraged yesterday’s crowd to attend a court hearing Monday.
“People deserve to be treated with respect, decency and humanity,” Keshen said. “People deserve a place where they can feel safe and they can feel secure and they can live in peace, and that’s what we’re trying to do, is to go into court and to see if the court will listen to the voice of the people.”
The lawsuit is one hope to reverse the evictions from state property, and advocates said their other option was raising awareness at yesterday’s rally.
Fogarty said the idea for the rally came from a Concord Coalition to End Homelessness board meeting Friday. It grew support Monday when they gathered homeless individuals and religious leaders at the Friendly Kitchen.
The protest lasted for about an hour, and few passing pedestrians paused to listen. Some motorists shouted obscenities or honked as they passed on Main Street.
“The reasons people become homeless are myriad, the solutions are complex,” said Ellen Fries, one of the coalition’s board members. “But today, our message is simple: Until we have other solutions, please allow those who are without other options an appropriate place to camp where they will not be harassed as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding.”

Standing on a parked car, 'Bic,' who asked that his real name not be used, stands holding a sign as people gathered in front of the State House in Concord on Tuesday afternoon, May 14, 2013, to rally against the dismantling of homeless camps and the lack of housing options for homeless people. 'Bic' said he is under the age of 21 and this is the second time he has been homeless. Later in the rally, a man driving a green jeep on Main Street yelled obscenities at the group about getting a job. "People legitimately don't understand what it's like to be in this situation," he said. (JOHN TULLY / Monitor staff)
Steve Mann and his fiancŽ Leona Hunt, center, listen to speakers in front of the State House on Tuesday afternoon, May 14, 2013, during a rally against the dismantling of the homeless camps and a lack of housing options for homeless people. Mann has been homeless since August, he said. "We're stuck between a rock and a hard place," Mann said. When he moved to Concord in 1985, Mann said he owned a condo and is now living out of his car. (JOHN TULLY / Monitor staff)