by Christine Schanes
Do homeless people need money? Of course, housed or unhoused, we all need money. Some housed people believe that homeless people have enough money to get what they need. [Read more…]
Why We Should Care About the Death of Kelly Thomas
by Christine Schanes
At around 8:30 pm the evening of July 5, 2011, Kelly Thomas, a 37 year old, mentally ill homeless man, was in the parking lot of the Fullerton bus depot when he was approached by police officers. Approximately 33 minutes later, Kelly was unconscious and taken to the hospital where five days later he was pronounced dead.
What happened in that bus depot parking lot? Can we learn anything from the death of Kelly Thomas? Why should we care about the death of one homeless person? [Read more…]
UC Davis Pepper Spray Report: “… should and could have been prevented.”
The long-awaited report about the pepper spraying of UC Davis students by campus police last November is finally out. And the report doesn’t waste words:
“The pepper spraying incident that took place on November 18, 2011 should and could have been prevented.”
The report, by a task force appointed by the university and led by retired state Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, himself a former UC Davis prof, determined that UC Davis campus police violated their own policy and used bad judgment in pepper spraying the non-violent, sitting student protesters. And it said that university leaders really screwed up their handling of the protest and its aftermath.
We all saw the video of campus cop John Pike pepper spraying the students directly into their faces as they crouched together on the sidewalk of the campus.
Here’s more of what the Report said: [Read more…]
April 14th Is Kick Off Date for Occupy Wall Street’s Spring Offensive
OWS’ ‘Spring Awakening’ in Central Park Will Kick Off a Season of Activism, Attract New Faces
By Simran Sachdev /AlterNet / April 11, 2012
This Saturday’s family-friendly event will draw some new individuals into the movement while also energizing existing Occupiers and facilitating cross-organizational cooperation.
The Spring Awakening 2012, a day of rejuvenation, celebration, and intense movement-building, will take place this Saturday, April 14, in Central Park. For Occupy supporters who may have been disheartened by any struggles over the winter, this event will help propel Occupy Wall Street forward over the next six months. It is designed to welcome new people into the life of activism and strengthen existing ties of those already embedded in the movement. [Read more…]
First Cuppa Coffee – April 11, 2012: San Diego Drag Queens and Fat Cats Edition
The University of San Diego has a real-life controversy on its hands… It’s not like the fake manufactured crises that its well-heeled financial backers like to generate… In better times they call them debates, institutes or forums, and spend copious amounts of cash on them hoping that the great policy conclusions that emerge will reflect positively on the University. This time around USD’s marvelously wealthy groupies are throwing cash at stopping something from happening at the school.
It seems as though USD Pride, a student organization, has organized a Drag Show on campus, wherein boys will dress up as girls and vice versa. It started out as a bit of harmless fun designed to heighten awareness, yada, yada, yada. Now thanks to an article on the California Catholic Daily website (owned by the Reader’s Jim Holman), the angry alumni are circling the wagons, passing out petitions and yearning for the good old days when men were men except when they dressed up as women to sneak into the San Diego College for Women (true fact). The minions at the Daily website are screaming about “Perversion at its highest level” and saying mean things like “USD stands for Undeniable Satanic Destruction”. The drag show will take place at the University Center, Forums B/C. 7 – 9 p.m. There is no cover charge.
[Read more…]
First Cuppa Coffee – Monday, April 9, 2012: Get Smart Edition
It’s Tax Time… One of the mainstays of contemporary Republican legends has to do with the terror of tax day. To hear them tell it—aided by the mainstream media more interested in sensational headlines than facts—millions of Americans are traumatized annually during April by the prospect of having to file their income taxes. Never mind the 50% of taxpayers that either receive refunds or owe nothing. Never mind that over 70% of all taxpayers file on-line these days. It’s Tax Terror Time! And that means it’s the season for the annual Tea Party Tax Protests, which didn’t start until taxes went down a bit and we had a Democrat in the White House who happened to be Black.
I’m sure we won’t see any Tea Party types out in front of SeaWorld this month protesting the big corporate fat cats who spend April worrying that the public will find out how they’ve managed to acquire all those government services for free. Like SeaWorld, for instance, with $380 million in earnings and ZERO dollars in Federal taxes for 2011. Oh, and for those you who are feeling warm and fuzzy about the fact that our Daily Fishwrap ran a story about SeaWorld’s bad citizenship, consider the fact that other newspapers around the country ran with this story last week. [Read more…]
First Cuppa Coffee – April 6, 2012: Disgusting Wisdom Edition
Speaking out against slavery… Come Saturday, the Radical Feminists of San Diego are putting together a mobilization in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) to demand the abolishment of human trafficking, the modern-day form of slavery. The event will start at noon on the southeast corner of 30th and El Cajon Blvd. They’ll march east ending at the south-side bus stop at the intersection of El Cajon Blvd and the Rt 15 on ramp where human rights advocates will speak out human trafficking.
The sneaky feminist plot… Phyllis Schlafly, the happy right wing warrior chiefly known for defeating the Equal Rights Amendment and hating gays (except her gay son) gave an exceptional speech to young military cadets at the Citadel, South Carolina’s boot camp for middle class crackers this week. She passed on some serious wisdom to our future military leaders, like: “Feminists are having a hard time being elected because they essentially are unlikable,” and “Find out if your girlfriend is a feminist before you get too far into it,” she said. “Some of them are pretty. They don’t all look like Bella Abzug.” [Read more…]
Today I Washed Feet – Maundy Thursday in Ocean Beach
The morning grey still hung over OB as I parked my car up the street from the Episcopal Center Church on Sunset Cliffs Blvd. It was my first day of several much needed weeks off and I had made the mistake of responding to the Editordude’s request an hour earlier to cover the Maundy Thursday for the Needy at the Center. Groggily, as I walked down the street, I saw several familiar faces reclined on the grass outside the sanctuary, and the end of a line of folk stretching out to the street.
Ooops, I forgot my audience… what is Maundy Thursday you ask?
Come inside for the photo gallery… [Read more…]
Friday press conference at San Onofre Nuclear Plant in response to “visit” by NRC Chairman
Apparently, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, is coming to check out the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station tomorrow, Friday, April 6th.
In response, leaders of local community groups are holding a press conference near the facility on Friday, April 6th at 10am. The location of the press conference will be near the San Onofre State Beach guard shack on Beach Club Road.
These activists are asking supporters to join them [Read more…]
Occupy Medi-Cal – Justice for Raul Carranza Rally – Friday, April 6th
Patients, Caregivers and Community Leaders Rally to Restore Medi-cal Care to California’s Disabled and Elderly.
In the tradition of Disability Rights Movement patients, caregivers, human rights activists, and community leaders, Congressman Bob Filner, Lorena Gonzalez of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council and others will gather on Friday, April 6, 2012 at 11 a.m. to protest the state-wide budget cuts affecting millions of disabled patients and the jobs of their caregivers. ]
The rally will take place at the Medi-Cal office located at 690 Oxford Street in Chula Vista, Calif. [Read more…]
Film “Bag It” Asks How Plastic Are You? Free Showing In OB
Free Screening of “Bag It” at Indie Yoga April 7th at 7pm
Billions of plastic bags and bottles are used in the U.S. each year. Take a look around your own household, or check out the trash littering our streets and beaches.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year and, according to estimates, each bag is only used for about twelve minutes before being discarded.
There’s no denying it. Plastics are everywhere! Most of what we eat and drink, and the products we purchase, are packaged and wrapped in petroleum plastic – a material designed to last forever, yet used for products that most people use once and throw away. [Read more…]
San Diego Bishop to wash feet of Ocean Beach homeless – Thursday morning
The Ocean Beach branch of the Episcopal Church is holding a special event this morning – Thursday, April 5th.
The Episcopalian Bishop of San Diego is coming to OB to wash the feet of homeless people in our village. And it’s all being done to raise awareness about the homeless, homelessness, and the homeless population that seem to be “invisible” to the rest of society.
Bishop Jim Mathes will also put on new shoes and socks on them. Legal, medical and social services will also be available.
Where: The Episcopal Church Center, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego, in the courtyard
When: Thursday, April 5, 10:00am – 1:00pm
Why: To raise awareness about homelessness and to let our homeless population know they are not invisible; they are loved.
