Regular Wednesday Protest in Felton

Wednesday afternoon, anti-war protests spread to the small town of Felton, a Santa Cruz County town of 1500. Protesters promised to hold their vigil every Wednesday afternoon until the end of the war.

The protesters meet at the corner of Highway 9 and Graham Hill Road. They held signs and lit candles. Some signs read "Ask the President What He Plans To Do About the War" and "Email the President and Tell Hium to Meet With Cindy."

More than a dozen protesters greeted the afternoon stream of commuters returning to the San Lorenzo Valley. Many commuters honked and yelled in support of the protest.

On September 9th, Vinny and I arrived in Houston, Texas along with Blank from Portland, Oregon to provide aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The three of us headed to Houston to help with with independent media, including a low power fm radio station which was being organized for the Astrodome. Upon our arrival in Houston, we learned that the Astrodome emergency radio station was again being blocked from broadcasting information to survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

We went to the Astrodome and spoke with people who were willing to speak with us. We listened to their experiences in the past and at the Astrodome. Please visit the following links for audio, photos and written reports published by Vinny, Blank and I.

Audio: Criticism of Red Cross Relief Efforts at Astrodome || Katrina Survivor Recounts Experiences || Another Katrina Survivor Recounts Experiences || "One Day at a Time" || Katrina Survivors Organize for Better Conditions || Interview from 'Dome City' with Joseph Bijou of New Orleans || Activists Organize to Free Frances Newton

Photos: The Surreal Scene of Dome City || More Scenes from 'Dome City'

Words: The Houston Astrodome: Do You Know What Is Really Happening?

While in Houston, we were asked if we could go down to the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana to help set up an emergency low power fm radio station. We were welcomed into the Algiers community by Malik Rahim and Common Ground, a community-run organization offering temporary assistance and mutual aid to the citizens of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

Words: Algiers New Orleans: Where Common Ground Is Found

Photos: Creativity, Solidarity and Mutual Aid in Algiers, New Orleans || Community Support in Algiers, New Orleans || Common Ground Wellness Center in Algiers, New Orleans || Finding Common Ground in New Orleans

Audio: Interview with Noah, a volunteer medic || Algiers residents starting to return || Leenie Halbert interview || FSRN: Grassroots Groups Offer Assistance in Algiers

We returned to Houston on September 16th. Blank traveled back to Portland and Vinny and I stayed in Houston. We continued trying to find out what was happening with the people at the shelters; human souls that we are referring to as "Katrina survivors."

Audio: Struggles for Katrina Survivors at George R. Brown Convention Center || Interview from 'Dome City' with Josh from New Orleans || Houston Ends Katrina Shelter Operations || Struggling for a Home After Hurricane Katrina

Photos: No Compassion at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston || Scenes from the Reliant Arena || Exit Only at the George R. Brown in Houston || Struggling for a Home After Hurricane Katrina

more resources: Houston Indymedia || Common Ground Relief || New Orleans Indymedia || Real Reports of Katrina Relief || Katrina Indymedia || Portland Indymedia's katrina aftermath page || Indybay's poverty page || Infoshops's Hurricane Katrina Mutual Aid Relief || Food Not Bombs || Grassroots/Low-income/People of Color-led Hurricane Katrina Relief || Common Ground: How You Can Help

Live radio from Algiers, New Orleans!: Listen to MP3 stream (or try m3u link). In New Orleans, tune in at 88.7FM or call in at 303-572-4390

On September 24, about 100 people who are "sickened by the killing, torture, and spiraling human and financial costs of the illegal and immoral war in Iraq" held an anti-war demonstration in Santa Cruz. People rallied at the County Court House and marched to the Town Clock.

I got to the rally in time to hear some folk music, take some photos of the Raging Grannies, listen to a guy describe how voting machines don't work, listen to another guy descibe how 911 was an inside job, see Robert passing out flyers about a taser related death inside the Santa Cruz Jail, etc....

Meanwhile, some Santa Cruz activists chose to protest in San Francisco.

A march and related events are taking place in Washington D.C.

see also: Real Reports of Katrina Relief Special: One Hundred Thousand

Hoping someone out there might be interested in my new Web site on power, politics, and social change. It includes documents on national and local power structures as well as an updated photo essay on the Bohemian Grove and suggestions on new directions for progressive social change.

Who Rules America: Power, Politics, and Social Change is a Web site with many different aspects, created with the hope that everyone will be able to find something of use to them. It is based on social science research, mostly in sociology, but it can be applied in activism, media endeavors, or teaching.

[ WhoRulesAmerica.net ]

Call out for Santa Cruz DIY New Year's Eve parade and party

After several years of city-sponsored mediocrity, First Night Santa Cruz officially goes belly-up. To hell with city-sponsored anything anyway. Let's do our own parade. A Last Night celebration. A last night of waiting for governments, institutions, or anyone else to entertain us, satisfy us, bring us security, freedom, or joy. We reclaim our streets and usher in the new year with our own celebration.

We're not asking for permits or permission. We're just gonna do it. We'll start at one end of the mall and march down Pacific. Extra bonus points if we can pull off a swell dance party to rollicking live music on the other end. This is your parade, your celebration, and your new year. Interested?

Don't wait to see who else is involved or whether we will really pull this off. Fuck it. Jump in.

[ Last Night Santa Cruz DIY Parade ]

The Resource Center for Nonviolence invites you to join us for a conversation with John Harrington regarding his new book, "The Challenge to Power," a thoughtful analysis of the influence corporate power has on democracy.
John will be at Capitola Book Cafe on Monday, Jan. 23rd at 7:30pm
Capitola Book Cafe is located at 1475 41st Avenue Capitola, CA
Call 831-462-4415 for more info

Can I kick it? Yes you can!

Why: Because as Students of color we aren't visible on campus, in class, or in the curriculum! So we're coming together as a community and kickin it on

SYC
Show Your Color!
WEDNESDAY
to show our presence at UCSC

Four Directions would like to share our Principals for Solidarity and Respect that we are using to coordinate our efforts with the bayou tribes.

Dispite cold temperatures, last month was a
very active month for activists around the
country and the world.