Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

PASADENA--Hundreds of people gathered outside the Pasadena branch of the LA Superior Court yesterday--by some estimates as many as a thousand--to show their support for the victim of this legal lynching. The spirited crowd chanted, sang, danced, and held signs and banners, but also paused to listen to speakers during the two press conferences, one held prior to the hearing and the other held after the sentence was conferred. While one of the crowd's chants called for authorities to "Free Jasmine Right Now!," the concrete demand made by the leadership was for the judge to not sentence Jasmine to any jail time. The activist community considers her a political prisoner who had been profiled, surveilled, harassed, and ultimately entrapped by police and maliciously prosecuted by the district attorney's office. Given that perspective, the sentence, which consisted of a 90-day jail term, three years' probation, and a year of anger management, was considered unjust.

Full story: Black Lives Matter Activist Jasmine Abdullah Sentenced to Three Months in Jail on Attempted Lynching Charge by Rockero

Articulate and passionate, Daniel was selected for this distinguished Award for his ongoing efforts to encourage students and adults to recycle and reuse containers, plant organic gardens, create pollination habitats for bees and butterflies, and protect our, air, water and soil from being contaminated by toxic chemicals.

Daniel, an environmental advocate since pre-school, also volunteers at a local animal rescue and describes the day he helped a bird that was trapped in plastic netting get free and fly away as the "best day of my life.”

Full story: California Safe Schools Honors 11 Year Old Daniel Randall by California Safe Schools

IRVINE - In an unassuming classroom somewhere on the UCI campus, about 80 people, most of them students, gathered to hear the words of the recently-released Black Liberation Army prisoner Sekou Odinga, imprisoned for 33 years for his role in the 1979 emancipation of BLA soldier Assata Shakur.

Odinga is on tour speaking to students and community members, not only to tell his story, but also to encourage others to work to free US-held political prisoners and prisoners of war.

Story and audio: Liberated Political Prisoner Sekou Odinga Speaks Out by Rockero

Saturday, February 6, 2016

INGLEWOOD - In a day-long event, members of the Southern California chapter of the American Indian Movement, along with other members of the Native community and social justice activists, called for clemency for AIM activist Leonard Peltier, imprisoned since 1977 on trumped-up charges.

The day featured speeches from well-known figures from the movement in defense of indigenous rights, including Danny Blackgoat, George Funmaker, and Shannon Rivers, as well as musical performances from Kill the Bullfighter and Aztlan Underground and poetic performances from Julio Rodriguez and Matt Sedillo. And no event led by the spiritual activists of AIM would be complete without drums and prayer.

Full story, with pictures and links to videos: International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier by Rockero

More: The Lawyer's Guild (June 24, 2016) Attorney and Peltier supporter Cynthia Dunne discusses the case and action we can take. Her portion starts at about five minutes into the show. This program is only available for 90 days.

FONTANA -- (January 23) A group of about 20 Fontana residents and local activists gathered yesterday evening outside of Randall Pepper Elementary School to commemorate the 1945 firebombing of the house owned by O'Day Short, an African-American targeted for racist violence for challenging white supremacy in the segregated city by daring to purchase a house on the south side of Baseline Avenue. Short, his wife Helen, and their two children Barry and Carol-Ann were all killed as a result of the December 16, 1945 firebombing.

As we talked, several themes emerged. One topic that stuck out was how little known the crime was, even among lifelong residents and people deeply involved in the community.

Many people made mention of the history of Fontana and the area, including one man whose family had suffered from the persecution of Mexicans. Some went even further back: "There was a village here in Fontana, it was called Wasingna if I'm not mistaken, and I went to the Fontana historical society. . ." However, when this person asked for help locating the village, society members replied, "Oh, those people, they moved around a lot." The speaker added: "Thousands and thousands of years of habitation. And these white people around here, excuse me, but these people that colonized this place, they still wanna say, 'Oh, they're nomadic,' or 'they didn't have title to the land,' all this stupid shit."

Full story and pix: Vigil for O'Day, Helen, Barry, and Carol-Ann Short, killed by racist terrorists in Fontana by Rockero