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What Would You Do If White Supremacists Tried to Hold a Rally in Chicano Park?

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Community Activists Respond to a Very Real Hypothetical

Barrio Logan’s national landmark, Chicano Park, is sacred space to the multitude of people that visit every year. It is the epicenter of Chicanx art and culture in San Diego and “el ombligo de Aztlán” as poetic wordmaestro alurista once wrote.

After the white supremacist terror in Charlottesville, Virginia I thought about what I would do if nazis and white supremacists decided to hold a rally in Chicano Park, steps away from my home.   [Read more…]

White [House] Supremacy: As the Nation Mourns, Trump Scorns

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People gathered in roughly 700 locations around the U.S. over the weekend in response to violence in Charlottesville instigated by right wing extremists on August 12. Activist Heather Heyer died, and 19 others were injured in an act of terrorism perpetrated by a young Nazi sympathizer. Virginia State troopers H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates died in a helicopter crash as the day came to a close.

The “Unite the Right” rally brought traditional white supremacist groups and militant members of the so-called alt-right together for what they hoped would be a clarion call to the darkest side of the American psyche. Years of dog whistles from the highest echelons of politics promoting fear of the ‘other’ paid off on Saturday, as advocates of hatred openly displayed their wares.

The President of the United States refused his staff’s entreaties to issue a statement directly condemning the far right, instead choosing to deflect blame using the “many sides” misdirect.   [Read more…]

Senator Kamala Harris: There Are Not “Many Sides” to This

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Editor’s Note: The following was originally posted to Facebook by California Senator Kamala Harris, speaking directly to the ‘many sides’ misdirect being bandied about by assorted conservative apologists. I thought it was worth sharing. -dp

As we all now know, this weekend in Charlottesville, hundreds of white supremacists gathered with torches, shouting racial, ethnic and religious epithets about Black and Jewish people, chanting Nazi slurs, waving the Confederate flag and banners emblazoned with giant swastikas. A peaceful protester was murdered. Two brave police officers lost their lives.

To some Americans, this was shocking and scary. They asked themselves how could this happen – in the United States of America – in 2017?

To other Americans, what they know is, Charlottesville exemplifies an undeniable reality that lurks just beneath the surface in this nation we love.

And as the country grappled with this tragedy, we were told that “many sides” should be condemned.
  [Read more…]

A Tragedy in Charlottesville: What Will It Take to Stop the Neo-Nazis and Their Enablers?

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Bigots of many flavors were encouraged by the campaign and election of President Donald J. Trump. In the 10 days following November 8, 2016, almost 900 hate and bias incidents were reported nationwide, with the victims typically being those populations demonized during the campaign.

What was slated for Charlottesville on Saturday, August 12, was a  “Unite the Right” rally including a variety of far-right and alt-right extremists, ranging from anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant hate groups to neo-Nazis, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, and members of the Ku Klux Klan, anti-government militias, and newer groups like the Proud Boys, American Guard and the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights.

The flash point enabling [white supremacist organizer] Jason Kessler, with help from alt-right celebrity Richard Spencer, was the upcoming removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville park. Statues of Confederate leaders nationwide have been removed in recent years as communities have come to view them as symbols of slavery.
  [Read more…]

The Resistance Never Takes a Vacation (But I Am) – Progressive Activist Calendar August 11- 31, 2017

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The good news as I write this is that Dear Leader hasn’t declared war. Yet. The bad news is that worrying about armed conflict can be distracting as hell.

I compiled an extra long list of events this week proving that, whatever the challenges, people remain engaged in a big way.

And, this will be the last calendar this month because I’m going to Switzerland to pick up suitcases full of small bills from George Soros. We’ll be livin’ la vida loca in September, comrades.

I will not be off the grid, however, so if major news breaks and there is an activist response brewing, there will be something written about it at San Diego Free Press.   [Read more…]

“Not One Penny” Aims at Rep. Issa in Campaign Opposing Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

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Congressman Darrell Issa’s 49th District is one of a handful targeted nationally for a seven figure ad campaign by a coalition of groups demanding proposed changes to the tax code not provide giveaways to corporations and wealthy individuals.

The “Not One Penny” campaign will incorporate direct action and activism, building on the energy from last spring’s Tax March and the Our Lives on the Line national day of action in opposition to Trumpcare.

Ongoing protests aimed at Issa will focus on plans by Congressional Republicans and the White House to enact tax-reform legislation this year. Depending on the language in the final version, between 47.3% and 99.6% of the tax cuts under consideration will flow to the wealthiest 1% of the population.   [Read more…]

A Manual for a New Era of Direct Action

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By George Lakey / Waging NonViolence

Movement manuals can be useful. Marty Oppenheimer and I found that out in 1964 when civil rights leaders were too busy to write a manual but wanted one. We wrote “A Manual for Direct Action” just in time for Mississippi Freedom Summer. Bayard Rustin wrote the forward. Some organizers in the South told me jokingly that it was their “first aid handbook — what to do until Dr. King comes.” It was also picked up by the growing movement against the Vietnam War.

For the past year, I’ve been book touring to over 60 cities and towns across the United States and have been asked repeatedly for a direct action manual that addresses challenges we face now. The requests come from people concerned about a variety of issues. While each situation is in some ways unique, organizers in multiple movements face some similar problems in both organization and action.

What follows is a different manual from the one we put out over 50 years ago. Then, movements operated in a robust empire that was used to winning its wars. The government was fairly stable and held great legitimacy in the eyes of the majority.   [Read more…]

It’s Time to Hold San Diego Sheriffs and Police Department Accountable – Progressive Activist Calendar Aug 4- 14, 2017

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Two incidents reported by Voice of San Diego over the past week highlight the unfinished work of making sure the ‘justice’ part of criminal justice becomes a reality in San Diego. This coming week offers opportunities for activists to weigh in issues concerning both the Sd Sheriffs Department and the San Diego Police Department.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department dropped a dime on a couple pulled over for a cracked windshield in Mission Bay, holding them until Border Patrol agents could detain them, despite a policy prohibiting deputies from stopping, detaining or questioning people for reasons related to immigration. A conveniently conjured up ‘ongoing felony criminal investigation’ (not mentioned in subsequent bail hearings) was all the deputies needed, apparently.

We also learned about a San Diego Police officer lying multiple times under oath thanks to body camera footage discovered by the city attorney’s office after a homeless man’s lawyer appealed his conviction. Sadly, after doing the right thing and filing a motion to throw out the conviction, they neglected to inform the SDPD about the officer’s perjury.   [Read more…]

This Week in Congress – July 31, 2017

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“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” – Mark Twain

By Indivisible 49

Over the last six months, many of us have gone from sitting on the sidelines and letting our government “happen” to us to taking an active role in standing up for our freedoms. We went to meetings, rallies, marches, called our Rep and Senators, held meetings in our home, wrote postcards–many times, for the first time ever.

This week we can bask in remembering that our voices matter, that small actions matter, that being a good citizen matters. Along with the three brave Senators, we can enjoy knowing that we played a small part in staving off an irresponsible bill that would have hurt millions of people and our economy.

Obviously, others have been fighting the fight for years or decades. And of course, there is SO much to do. To make the ACA better. To stand up for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. For our immigrant brothers and sisters. And fellow citizens of color. So much more to do.   [Read more…]

What If Trump Fires Mueller? Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 28- August 6, 2017

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Area Activists Have a Plan…

The President and his defenders have been actively seeking a way to disrupt Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into allegations of illegal activities surrounding the 2016 general election.

What started out as a response to reports of Russian interference has now expanded into money laundering and shady real estate deals. It’s important to remember also there is at least one State Attorney General investigation (New York) into the financial side of Donald Trump’s empire.

Activists with MoveOn, Public Citizen, and Indivisible San Diego (among others) are laying the groundwork for local responses to actions the President may take along these lines.   [Read more…]

Women Led, McCain Followed, Trump Lost, as GOP Healthcare Scheme Fails (For Now)

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I love the feeling of victory in the morning.

For six months lots of people worked very hard to oppose the Republican “Repeal or Replace” healthcare scam, designed to make the rich richer, the rest of us poorer, and take a big first step towards undoing Medicaid, Medicare, and ultimately Social Security.  

The other side lied. They cheated. They bullied and bribed. WE persisted, led by women principled enough to remain focused on what needed to be done. The marches, the phone calls, the emails, the letters to the editor all added up to be enough to stop this spiteful and reactionary strategy. For now.

Let us celebrate today, thank our allies, take a deep breath, and get ready for the next round of reaction. This victory will not go unnoticed. The attacks on people of good will are already underway.   [Read more…]

Escondido Activists Seek to Block Public Library Privatization

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Escondido Indivisible, in cooperation with Neighbors in Action, and the Escondido Democratic Club is organizing people to save their public library from being privatized.

The Escondido Public Library dates back to 1894 and is currently visited by an average of 1,435 people daily. The total collection in the facility amounts to 200,000 books, and users are fearful many of those volumes would be gone if a contractor operates the library.

Escondido City manager Jeff Epps claims the city is simply studying a proposal by Maryland-based Library Systems & Services (“LS&S”) to take over operations.   [Read more…]

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