Articles Posted January 2012
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Michael Goldstein Remembered
Eileen Hanson, mistress of ceremonies, painted a sensitive and authentic picture of a “complicated person,” who could be “sweet,” but also “really bitchy.” According to Hanson, Michael loved gossip and the “blood sport that is San Francisco politics.”
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Herrera Files Lawsuits Against Tenderloin Markets
for Alleged Facilitation of Drugs TraffickingThe lawsuits were filed following a two-year undercover police investigation which documents “numerous instances in which the markets operated as virtual safe havens for the sale of cocaine, crack, heroin, prescription painkillers and other drugs,” in violation of the Drug Abatement Act, according to Herrera.
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Violent Clashes with Police Mar Occupy Oakland Move-In Day
Before it was over early Sunday, demonstrators had broken into City Hall, pelted police with rocks, and were thrice turned back from establishing a new headquarters. Police responded with tear gas, flash grenades, bean bag bullets and, at times, excessive force. By days end, more than 300 people were arrested. Several injuries were reported, involving both police and protesters.
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San Francisco Legitimizes Urban Farming
This ordinance allows properly permitted and code-abiding gardeners and farmers to sell any produce they grow directly to the public on site. Growers were previously required to haul their bounty to a third party commercial zone, like a farmers market, or sell through a distributor. The permit does not, however, allow for value-added products, such as pickles or jam, or animal products, such as honey and eggs, to be sold at garden sites in residential areas. These products can, however, be sold on production sites within commercial zones. Growers can apply for a permit through the Planning Department for approximately $350.
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Remembering Vietnam
General William Westmoreland commanded the U.S. military operations in the Vietnam War (1964–68) during the Tet Offensive. Tet is the Vietnamese New Year. We on the ground knew that Westmoreland’s highly publicized, overly optimistic assessments of the war were not true. We “won” every battle, but lost the war. The 1968 Tet Offensive, in which communist forces, having staged a diversion at the Battle of Khe Sanh, attacked cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. U.S. and South Vietnamese troops successfully fought off the attacks, and the communist forces took heavy losses, but the ferocity of the assault shook public confidence in Westmoreland’s previous assurances about the state of the war.
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Judge Refuses Change to Mirkarimi Stay Away Order, Prosecutor Reveals Lopez Messages
Judge Breall refused to modify the order, stating that she found no change in circumstances in the week since the order was first imposed; that she saw no reason to depart from the usual domestic violence court procedures of separating alleged abusers from their alleged victims.
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Sheriff Mirkarimi’s Trial Date Set,
Attorney Says Case “Overblown”,
Second Woman Files ComplaintWhen asked how Mirkarimi’s family is doing, McElroy said, “Every night his son, Theo, asks for ‘Daddy.’ This is tearing the family apart, doing more damage than good. Isn’t it supposed to be the exact opposite of what family court is about?”
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Hundreds Celebrate Life of Labor Leader Walter Johnson
The ceremony was simple, but the celebrants were remarkable. No less than the Episcopal Bishop of California, Marc Andrus, and the Dean of Grace Cathedral, Jane Shaw, presided over the service. In attendance included Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Kamala Harris, State Senator Mark Leno, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, Supervisor Eric Mar, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and former Mayor Art Agnos.
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Occupy West Protesters Decry Bank Foreclosures, Corporate Personhood
The day was organized by Occupy SF and numerous other groups. It started before sunrise, with sometimes overlapping demonstrations focusing on corporate greed, foreclosures, war and immigration crackdowns. Demonstrators noted their connections, such as profits from building incarceration facilities. There were a few breaks, but for the most part the rain was constant.
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Occupy Wall Street West Ends Hibernation
in Quest to Right AmericaProtesters also decried the role that the Supreme Court case Citizens United, now two years old, has played in pulling representative democracy out of the grasp of ordinary citizens. As many as 2,000 protesters took part in all of the activities. Thirteen people were arrested in actions at Wells Fargo and Bank of America.
Threaded throughout the Financial District, Occupy affinity groups engaged in various forms of non-violent activity such as chaining themselves with lock boxes to all the entrances to Wells Fargo’s headquarters on California Street, staging a rally at the “bankers heart” sculpture at the foot of the Bank of America building, performing guerrilla theater as military personnel arresting “terrorists” (American citizens), and marching from Justin Herman Plaza throughout the financial district.
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Mirkarimi Pleads Not Guilty,
Court Extends Protective OrderProsecutors allege Mirkarimi hurt his wife during an argument in the presence of their two-year old son and told her not to discuss it with anybody.
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Campos Draws Broad-Based Support for Re-Election Bid
A Guatemala-born immigrant first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2008, Campos was joined on the steps of City Hall by as many as 100 supporters including several colleagues on the Board as well as several labor leaders.
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Labor Council Honors Martin Luther King,
Celebrates Poor People’s CampaignA place was symbolically set for beloved labor leader, Walter Johnson, who passed away on January 12 following a heart attack. An enlarged photo of Johnson (taken by Linda Post) “sat” at the head table along with Mayor Ed Lee, newly-appointed D5 Supervisor Christina Olague, Assemblymember Fiona Ma, and SFLC Executive Director Tim Paulson. Various speakers recalled the Poor People’s Campaign, Dr. King’s last project, that highlighted our nation’s economic disparities while continuing to confront racism, militarism, and a self-centered society.
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Mayor Preparing to Pull Trigger on Sheriff?
Mirkarimi was formally charged with alleged domestic violence, child endangerment, and dissuading a witness, stemming from an incident on New Year’s Eve involving Mirkarimi and his wife, Eliana Lopez.
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Mirkarimi Faces Three Charges
Over New Year’s Eve IncidentIt is unknown what exactly transpired at the couple’s residence on December 31st. The incident was first reported to police by the couple’s neighbor, Ivory Madison, on January 4th. According to evidence documented by Madison, and later seized by police, Lopez received a bruise on her right arm during the alleged incident.
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Walter Johnson, Friend of all Workers, is Dead
Mr. Johnson, a lifetime member of the UFCW, was a ferocious defender of worker rights and civil rights whose dignified bearing and droll humor never wavered. He liked to refer to members of the Media Workers Guild as “intellectuals,” but during the 1994 San Francisco newspaper strike, he was the smartest, toughest one on the picket line.
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Run on the Banks: No More Foreclosures,
Evictions for ProfitThis Saturday the 14th, evicted tenants and foreclosed homeowners will tell their stories of the impact that bank’s greedy actions have had on them. Banks will be put on notice: You Will Be Held Accountable! Actions will culminate in a January 20th shutdown of San Francisco’s Financial District.
The Hunger Site
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