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2020 July

Monthly Archives: July 2020

The bomb in our bodies

“On Sunday, the 15th of July, about noon, we were at Hunters Point and they put upon us what we now know was the atomic bomb.” – Capt. Charles McVay III, US Navy Commanding Officer, USS Indianapolis (Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center)

A review of the SF Black Film Fest selection, ‘The Council’

“The Council,” by Ryda for Life Films, tells a story of civil social unrest in the Black community today. Set in South Central Los Angeles, it begins with the typical gangsta movie energy, but beneath the surface is a radical politicized element.

‘American Dream’ review

Rebellions, protests and racial tension have consumed the COVID-19 summer of 2020 following the police executions of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF.org) film selection “American Dream” presents a relevant 19-minute short by French born filmmakers Nicolas Polixene and Sylvain Loubet dit Gajol.

Census 2020: Overcoming barriers to being counted

Many residents of the Bayview, Tenderloin and Mission report not being counted in the census, some because they didn’t have time or had a fear of the Census Bureau not upholding privacy rules. Some have language barriers, and for many, their address changes frequently.

San Quentin Prison protest against state execution by COVID-19 this Sunday, Aug. 2

This Sunday, protest the execution of our incarcerated brothers, sisters and siblings by Governor Newsom's and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's (CDCR) complete failure to mitigate the pandemic within the prison and jail system. As of July 29, 2020, CDCR COVID-19 deaths are at 47; deaths in San Quentin are at 19.

Soledad’s Black prisoners brutalized in 3 a.m. raid report guards warned, ‘You Niggers will...

A group of Black Soledad prisoners document and denounce the violent and racist attacks by white guards against them and issue various calls to action!

Four months after the San Leandro police execution of Steven Taylor in Walmart, police...

“Steven was a 33-year-old San Leandro resident. At the time of the incident with police, Steven was struggling with homelessness and mental health. He was experiencing a mental health crisis in Walmart when the police were called, when Steven Taylor was murdered on April 18 inside Walmart, at 15555 Hesperian Blvd in San Leandro.”

Frontline healthcare workers urge mass reduction in state prison population to curb coronavirus

San Francisco – Healthcare workers sent an open letter with over 750 signatories to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the morning of July 27 urging immediate action to reduce the state prison population to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The signers condemn the recent COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin State Prison as a “public health crisis that impacts not only those Californians who are currently experiencing incarceration, but all of us.”

Life in the Afro-tech world of ever-expanding Silicon Valley

“I learned how to jailbreak iPhones through a lot of different YouTube tutorials. My mom was worried at the time because it was something unfamiliar and taboo, but my peers at school were so intrigued after seeing what iPhones are truly capable of that they started to pay to get their phones broken and customized by me,” said George Hofstetter.

Protesters at Gov. Newsom’s mansion demand he save the lives of incarcerated people –...

Fourteen arrests at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mansion in Fair Oaks, outside Sacramento, where protestors, organized as the California Liberation Collective, continue to demand the governor use his power to end COVID-19 deaths and suffering in the prisons and detention centers. No more testing the water – swim the river.

‘No Lye: An American Beauty Story’ is a must-see Black hair documentary screening online...

“No Lye: An American Beauty Story” is one of the best documentaries on Black history this year. It gives a definitive history of the Black hair care industry and how it paralleled Black political movements. It presents historical accounts of early Black entrepreneurs who were pioneers in the Black cosmetics trade, the Black press and who created a lobbying group in Washington.

Oakland schools start Aug. 10: Hope for the best, expect the worst

History teaches us that the people who govern the United States have no regard for the health of Black people and in this case Black children. The Oakland Unified School District faces the looming ‘20-‘21 school year, beginning Aug. 10 and Black parents are rightfully terrified for their children’s safety faced with the federal push to carelessly open schools amid COVID spiking in Alameda County and new lockdown orders.

The East Oakland Youth Development Center is a beacon of hope for East Oakland...

The East Oakland Youth Development Center aka EOYDC is a deep anchor in the Deep East Oakland community, helping Black and Brown families navigate the uncertainties of the historic COVID pandemic. Regina Jackson and staff have sustained this community lifeline and shined a light on the creative choices possible when critical disruption occurs.

Pop-up clinic to assist people in getting stimulus checks: Every Saturday in Hunters Point

DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter, well-known community activist from Hunters Point, is helping people get their stimulus checks by signing them up with his pop-up help clinics happening every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What are Trump and his goons up to?

Policing and privacy expert Tracy Rosenberg, and executive director of Media Alliance and coordinator of Oakland Privacy shares her thoughts about Trump and his goons in Portland with additional invasions in specified Democratic cities across the nation soon to come.

Controlled demolition: Patient X couldn’t get tested for COVID-19 if his life depended on...

The U.S.is in a frenzy behind the coronavirus pandemic and TV and media want us to believe that the federal, state and local governments are doing everything possible to curb the spike in infection numbers. If California was a country, it would be fifth in infections, following only the U.S., Brazil, India and Russia. As California approaches the 4 million mark we surpass New York as the nation’s hotbed of infection.

Soledad warden ‘sympathizes’ with furious loved ones of 200+ Black prisoners brutalized in 3...

200+ exclusively Black prisoners were brutally assaulted under Soledad State Prison Warden Craig Koenig’s command at 3 a.m. Monday – Tuesday Koenig reacted with a massive excuse binge after receiving numerous emails from the angry wives about their brutalized loved ones.

San Francisco African American Revolving Loan Fund – Apply by Aug. 4

San Francisco African American Revolving Loan Fund As you may be aware, the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Mayor's...

Soledad 3 a.m. raid on 200+ Black prisoners

In the pre-dawn hours, white and Hispanic guards at Soledad State Prison in California violently ripped hundreds of Black prisoners from their bunks. The men were slammed around by wannabe commandos in full riot gear, zip-tied and led to the chow hall, without masks, barefoot, wearing only what they’d fallen asleep in.

In preparation for ‘Mario Woods Remembrance Day’ gathering on Wednesday

As we prepare for “Mario Woods Remembrance Day,” I had the opportunity to interview iconic Elaine Brown, former leader of the Black Panther Party. Join us to hear her and others speak Wednesday, July 22, 4:30-7:00 p.m., at Third & Fitzgerald, SF.