Friday, March 29, 2024
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Live from the streets of San Salvador

The Prisoners of Conscience Committee delegation from the United States returned recently from a fact-finding mission in El Salvador. We were in three cities - San Salvador, Suchitoto and Sansonate - and we talked to former combatants, government officials, union leaders, community leaders, members of street organizations, former political prisoners and more. One of my favorite groups that we met was Radio Zurda, a collective of youth who do a political radio show heard in El Salvador and Honduras, targeted towards a youth audience.

‘Black in America’ misses the ‘why’

In a country where racism is still alive, it is important for White America not only to see, but also to understand Black America's story as well. For too long only a partial testament has been given to the adversity that affects millions of our people on a daily basis. Someone should take the time to find the "why." It is this question that millions of people never ask. Did CNN's "Black in America" answer it?

The struggle for the safe release of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, Haitian human rights activist

A chorus of extraordinarily influential voices is calling for the freedom of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, the epitome of the Haitian genius for political organizing with superhuman courage and integrity, who was disappeared one year ago. Here are several of those voices: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Selma James, Pierre Labossiere, Kevin Pina, Michele Pierre-Antoine and President Bertrand Aristide.

U.N. weighs in against demolishing public housing

The U.N. Human Rights Council concluded, "Thousands of Black families would continue to suffer displacement and homelessness if the demolition of 4,500 public housing units is not halted. ... We therefore call on the Federal Government (U.S.) and state and local authorities to immediately halt the demolitions of public housing in New Orleans."

Katrina Pain Index: New Orleans three years later

Zero apartments currently being built to replace the 963 public housing apartments formerly occupied and now demolished at the St. Bernard Housing Development. 2.6 billion FEMA dollars for Katrina damages that have not yet been delivered. Renowned people's attorney Bill Quigley has compiled a shocking "pain index" caused by the continuing ethnic cleansing of New Orleans.

One on one with Yusuf Bey IV: Part 2

Over the last year, there have been hundreds of stories in the local and national media accusing young men from Your Black Muslim Bakery of the murder of Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey. Yet with all that coverage, we have not heard Yusuf Bey IV himself, successor to the Bakery's founder, address these accusations.

U.N. out of Haiti, Brazil out of Haiti

David Josue of the Haitian Lawyers' Leadership Network addressed the Brazilian Parliament on the U.N. troops led by Brazil and their violation, disregard and almost depraved indifference to Haitian life, liberty and civil and human rights. To standing ovations, he demanded the withdrawal of the U.N. troops led by Brazil out of Haiti.

Reflections on Zimbabwe 40 years later

When I arrived in Rhodesia, 1968 had already been a momentous year in the United States. U.S. setbacks in Vietnam had led Lyndon Johnson to announce his withdrawal from the 1968 presidential campaign. Days later, on April 4, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5. Meanwhile, Black Power activists in the United States, led by young Blacks like me, were urging Black Americans to be proud of our African heritage. I felt lucky to be in Africa.

Haiti’s food crisis: Imposing hunger on the people of Haiti

In Haiti, they have a name for hunger. It's called Clorox hunger - meaning something that eats you from the inside. But it's an imposed hunger, an imposed starvation on the people of Haiti. It has a history. Until the 1980s, Haiti was self sufficient in rice production. But with the lowering of tariffs, Haitians got what we call "Miami" rice. Haiti was flooded with cheap rice imports and Haitian peasants couldn't compete.

Cindy Sheehan is on the ballot!

The Cindy Sheehan campaign to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress is offering a new vision for San Francisco and the nation. Cindy believes in peace, accountability, freedom and well being for all. She believes that war should be a last resort for defense and not the handy policy tool that it is currently being used as. She believes that healthcare is a basic right in a democratic society and should not be based on ability to pay.

‘Repair the damage of destroying the Black presence in this city!’

Blacks were very instrumental in San Francisco's founding, but today in San Francisco you run the risk of losing the entire Black population. It is not only appropriate to call a hearing, there should be emergency hearings because this is an emergency situation. Minister Christopher Muhammad explains that one of the reasons for this emergency is the land grab and poisoning of the Black community by the Lennar Corp.

The nationalization of Banco de Venezuela

Banco de Venezuela is one of the most important banks in Venezuela, with a 12 percent share of the market in loans and obtained profits of US$170 million in the first half of 2008, a 29 percent increase on 2007, when its profits had already increased by 20 percent. It has 285 offices and 3 million customers. Banco de Venezuela was nationalized in 1994 after a massive banking crisis which bankrupted 60 percent of the banking sector, only to be privatized in 1996 and bought by the Spanish multinational banking group Grupo Santander for only US$300 million. In only nine months Grupo Santander recovered its original investment.

Child care families, providers abandoned by state government

At a press conference in Oakland, Tandenico Jones, a member of LIFETIME, declared: "The governor and the Legislature need to come to agreement that doesn't just cut services to balance the budget. Our economy is so bad right now; costs for everything have gone up. If the services I depend on are cut, all the efforts I've made to move my family forward will slip away."

Millions of African Americans will be disenfranchised on Election Day

When Election Day arrives in November, the state of Virginia will likely play a huge role in determining whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain is the next president of the United States. Unfortunately, the vote tally from the Old Dominion will be illegitimate because the state will disenfranchise nearly 350,000 individuals who are barred from voting because of felony convictions.

Africans reject U.S. Africa Command

On Oct. 1, the much-anticipated United States Africa Command (Africom) was officially launched. This military reorganization of U.S. forces to oversee developments in the entire continent has been met with strong objection from the major political states and regional blocs there.

Nadra Foster and the mission of KPFA

As a member of first the advisory board and later the governing Local Station Board at KPFA through 2006, I witnessed events that I believe gave rise to what the writers of yesterday's Berkeley Daily Planet commentary call a threat of "civil war," and I contribute these words to the struggle for a just peace. KPFA managers are apparently oblivious to the everyday police war on Black people that I believe KPFA is obligated by its mission to cover.

What really happened to Nadra Foster: an eyewitness account

One of the officers has his knee on her groin. Another one is pressing her arms against her chest and his full body weight is top of her. Nadra and the officers are rolling and struggling on the ground. Nadra is still screaming for help.

KPFA’s Nadra Foster

It is a sad commentary when the management of KPFA Radio, a nonprofit dedicated to social justice in my hometown of Berkeley, Calif., calls the police on a staff member who volunteers her time, donating talent and skill to bring the mission of that organization to bear.

From Amy Goodman to Nadra Foster: Implementing alternatives to police terror

The officers were waiting, loaded firearms dangling from their waists, steel filled chests puffed out, glassy stares behind helmets. She was one woman alone. She was a reporter doing her job. She was attacked by the police for no reason at all. Her only crime was being a media producer in a hostile location.

Open letter to the KPFA staff, paid and unpaid

I was outraged to hear that my "daughter," Nadra Foster, was attacked, brutalized, hogtied, arrested and charged with trespassing, resisting arrest, assaults on police, and other charges, with bail set at $81,500!