Tag: Nevin Long

One of the strangest organizations in the rising “alt-right” movement, the headline-grabbing mix of white supremacism, racism and right-wing populism, has to be Proud Boys. The group takes on something of a libertarian credo similar to that of their founder, former editor and co-founder of Vice Magazine Gavin McInness, and are all-male “Western chauvinists” who “do not apologize for creating the Western world,” according to their Facebook group pages.

Every artist has a process, a ritual they go through before working. Some meditate. Some eat a ritual meal. Others listen to a specific kind of music. Director Jayson Johnson, whose credits range from Bollywood films to Lego commercials, prays and eats peanut butter. Lots and lots of peanut butter. Standing opposite a painting evocative of Jackson Pollock which he created, the 40-year-old Batavia, Ill., native gave a toothy grin and showed off a jar he had just purchased three days prior.

The future of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley remains unclear in the face of proposed changes to its services by its parent company, the not-for-profit medical organization Sutter Health. Nurses, politicians and community members protested the closure of Alta Bates and cuts in staffing on hospital grounds on Saturday, Nov. 5. An official press release from Sutter has only muddied the waters.

Activists, business owners and community members argued that victims of the War on Drugs should be given consideration as the city of San Francisco develops licensing policy for its fledgling recreational marijuana industry at a community forum on Oct. 21. The forum, which was held at the historic Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater and called by San Francisco Supervisor Malia Cohen, was designed to engage community members in discussion regarding the cannabis industry.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf faced heated questions and comments from attendees at a community forum on homelessness held at Allen Temple Baptist Church on Sept. 22. The discussion went from cordial to contentious when the subject of homeless encampment removal was raised. Many residents of the Deep East Oakland neighborhood were angered by perceived inertia on the part of city and county officials regarding the creation of adequate shelter.

Demonstrators will amass outside the Federal Building in downtown San Francisco to protest the repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals at 5 p.m. tonight. DACA gave hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants arriving in the U.S. as minors the right to enroll in college, among other privileges typically reserved for citizens. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the repeal of the Obama-era executive order this morning in Washington, D.C.

The mass of roughly 1,000 protesters, which included representatives of the Black Panthers, gathered in Oakland’s Latham Square at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday evening before taking to the streets. Demonstrators were angered over events which had taken place earlier that day in Charlottesville, Virginia, where alleged Nazi sympathizer, James Alex Fields Jr., mowed down several people with his car in an incident similar to recent terrorist attacks in London and Nice, France. One person was killed and 19 others were injured in Charlottesville.

A large group took to the streets in Oakland for several hours Saturday evening to demonstrate in solidarity with Charlottesville. The diverse crowd of approximately 1,000 people managed to shut down all eight lanes of Highway 580. The freeway shutdown was brief but boisterous. Protesters vacated the freeway voluntarily and in a celebratory mood.