Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

DOWNEY - Michael Nida was an unarmed, innocent man, who was gunned down at the hands of the Downey PD in an admitted case of mistaken identity. He was not a criminal; he was a loving husband and father of four. He was a union carpenter who worked hard to provide for his family, and also volunteered his time in his community as a coach for youth sports teams.

The Downey PD admits that they were pursuing Michael Nida because they thought that he was an armed robbery suspect. However, no non-lethal methods were used in apprehending him, and their police error resulted in his death. He was on a date with his wife and had briefly stopped at a gas station when he was shot and killed by an officer yielding an MP5 submachine gun.

The family and their supporters are asking for people to come and speak out at the next Downey City Council meeting this Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 7:30 p.m., located at 11111 Brookshire Avenue in Downey
Full article: Justice for Michael Nida II, Murdered October 22, 2011 by Downey Police by Lashonte Mayer & Lima Harris

Related Story: Tyisha Miller remembered in light of recent spate of police shootings by Rockero

PASADENA - Occupy joined this year's New Year celebrations by marching at the end of the Rose Parade. They carried float-sized props of the Constitution, the "corporate Constitution," and the Occupy Octopus, made entirely of recycled material rather than the plant material the Tournament of Roses requires.

As Rose Parade spectators dispersed, the Occupy movement held a rally outside Pasadena City Hall with speakers, including Cindy Sheehan, the "peace mom."

Despite recent setbacks for the economic justice movement, including the breakup of all the major encampments, occupiers in the US and the outraged worldwide are hopeful that 2012 is the year of great change.

From the newswire: Occupy the Rose Parade by Rockero | | Did Occupy the Rose Parade Get Air? by nobody | | OCCUPY roses and constitution showed up in media by one of many

This year's version of the National Defense Authorization Act, in addition to allocating massive amounts of tax dollars to war, contains provisions that will allow the president to indefinitely detain anybody he determines is part of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, an "associated group," or has committed "belligerent acts" against the United States until such a time as he declares an "end to hostilities." The wording of the bill is vague enough to create the potential for the detention of peaceful activists for positive change, and eliminate the rights of due process and trial by jury.

The potential for the use of this act for political repression is clear, and for this reason, it has encountered widespread popular opposition. While some elements of the right have also taken measures against the bill, including an Oathkeepers group in Montana who have launched a recall of their congressional delegation for supporting NDAA, it is the Occupy movement that has taken the most militant stance against it, with actions nationwide resulting in several arrests. Southern California has seen its share of the action, as well.

From the newswire: Banner Drops Urge Veto of NDAA and Occupy Riverside Challenges Indefinite Military Detention by Rockero | | Is The Passed Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (retroactive) To Detain Americans? by Sue Riley | | Obama Year Three: Continuing His Rogue Agenda by Stephen Lendman

UPDATE: On New Year's Eve, President Obama quietly signed the NDAA from his holiday hideaway in Honolulu. Although he issued a signing statement promising that his administration would not use the law to violate the rights of American citizens, the statement has no force of law, and there is no guarantee whatsoever that future presidents will keep that promise. The ACLU has vowed to fight the military detention provisions in the courts, while Occupy and other justice advocated have vowed to take that fight to the streets.

The days of the immigrant rights movement's maintaining a safe distance from the Occupy movement are long gone as throughout Southern California, "Occupy ICE" actions have brought the movements much closer together in honor of International Migrants Day. In Los Angeles, mainline labor and immigrant rights leaders spoke alongside mic-checking occupiers as marchers the downtown federal building, which contains an ICE detention facility.

Eastward, Occupy Riverside's Latino Forum held a "Latino Day," designed to celebrate the struggle of the immigrant and highlight Latino issues in the Inland Empire.

The Occupy movement has always been sensitive to pre-existing movements, whether they were environmentalist, pro-labor, feminist, or pro-civil rights, but this is the first time that immigrants and occupiers have come together in a serious way.

From the newswire: "Dí­a del Latino" en Occupy Riverside / Occupy Riverside's Latino Forum Celebrates by/por Rockero

LONG BEACH, California - Heeding the call of Occupy Oakland, which called for a shutdown of west coast ports in response to the brutal eviction of occupy encampments nationwide, and in solidarity with expolited port workers and truckers, about 500 militant occupiers and their friends shut down Terminal J of the Port of Long Beach, the home of SSA Marine, an investment of the criminal enterprise Goldman Sachs and the main stakeholder of the US government.

The marchers were eventually split off from each other by the Los Angeles Port Police. However a group of 300 to 500 people successfully blocked a road that led to one of the SSA piers for a few hours causing traffic snarls and the like. At this point the police phalanx declared the march an unlawful assembly and threatened the Gandhian / King-inspired demonstrators with possible bodily harm from batons, percussion weapons, tasers and finally......nonlethal dog bites.

The Port Police eventually physically pushed the people back for 100 yards or so, at which point the nonviolent protesters turned and walked back to Harry Bridges Park. The rain began to fall heavily as the crowd of now about 200 began to disperse.

Some arrests were made. One for failure to disperse, one for resisting and a number of pedestrian traffic violations were issued.The well known Los Angeles organizer Kwazi Nkrumah was arrested and charged with failure to obey a police officer and walking in a roadway. He is out on bail of 10,000 dollars.

Full report: Occupy the Ports - A Day without Goldman Sachs by Rockero

Occupy The Ports Long Beach, part 1 by Robert Stuart Lowden

Occupy The Ports Long Beach, part 2 by Robert Stuart Lowden

UPDATE: Interview with Nathan, arrested at Long Beach Port shutdown by Rockero