On May 17, 2011 at 5:00 AM the SWAT Team of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and members of the FBI raided the home of Carlos Montes, a long time Chicano activist and active member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. The SWAT Team smashed the front door and rushed in with automatic weapons as Carlos slept. The team of Sheriffs and FBI proceeded to ransack his house, taking his computer, cell phones and hundreds of documents, photos, diskettes and mementos of his current political activities in the pro-immigrant rights and Chicano civil rights movement. Also taken were hundreds of historical documents related to Carlos Montes’ involvement in the Chicano movement for the past 44 years. Read more...

May Day 2011 - Challenges the President to Take Action on Immigration

This year's May Day turnout was difficult to count, but smaller than last years' due to lack of a bill or law to be passed or protested. The LA Times reported a rift between two coalitions, the gist of which was whether to support Obama's re-election, or to criticize him for not passing immigration reform and withhold votes or vote for a third party. Both positions, slience regarding the President, and a demand for immigration reform now or no re-election, were well represented. Who were not present were the large number of immigrants who in the past had been mobilized by morning radio DJs.

Coverage: May Day March Videos by wildgift | | San Diego Hosts Three May Day Rallies by Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger's Newsmagazine | | Related events from the Calendar: Locked Out - a story about a labor struggle in the Mojave desert, May 6th - The Power of a General Strike, Celebrate May Day

For 2011, the May Day International Workers Day march for immigrant workers rights returns to Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles This annual demonstration of support for immigrant workers, their families, and for all workers, has been happening since 2000. In 2006, after years of growth, an estimated half-million people marched on "A Day Without an Immigrant" - a boycott to demonstrate the impact of immigrants on the local economy. This was the largest political demonstration in Los Angeles (and perhaps American) history.

In 2007, the annual march was fractured, with different marches happening in different areas. The later march, which was supposed to be the moderate march, ended at Macarthur Park, and turned into a police riot where out-of-control LAPD brutalized the marchers.

In 2010, with the odds of legalization for students and youth dwindling, and in response to Arizona's draconian racist law SB 1070, tens of thousands of people mobilized to protest the criminalization of undocumented immigrants. Obama promised a path to citizenship, but delivered on desktop deportations.

In 2011, we've experienced the rightward shift of politics, and a leftward response. Not only are immigrants being scapegoated for the terrible economy, but the attacks have extended to public sector workers and labor unions. California schools are being threatened with severe cuts to funding, and tuition at state colleges are rising. And around the world, millions are marching to protest the ongoing "austerity" of budget cuts, raised fees, privatization, and attacks on immigrants. The rich are getting their tax cuts, but the poor and middle class are just getting cut. We're working so they can avoid paying taxes.

People are suffering and angry. We're going to take to the streets to stand up and fight back -- the economy is not working for us; it's working for the capitalists. We refuse to scapegoat immigrants; we need legalization now. We're sick of these racist wars. We're getting evicted and foreclosed. And we see through the bullshit, flim-flam of divisive bigotry, inequality and poverty that the capitalist class is pulling on us. Enough already. Ya Basta! We march together.

The march starts at Olympic and Broadway at 10:00AM this Sunday. There will be numerous contingents representing all communities: immigrants, progressives, radicals, community groups, LGBT, labor unions, Democrats, unemployed, teachers, students, enviros, and everyone who supports the idea of respect for the people. Take your signs and banners!

Newswire stories about May Day: 2 May Day Marches by the Southern California Immigration Coalition | | May Day 2011 Call to Action! by Immigrant Solidarity Network | | The History of May day, Made in the USA by janus | | RAC-LA May Day 2011-Calling All RAC-LA Supporters by RAC-LA | | This Sunday, May 1: March for Immigrant & Workers' Rights by ANSWER-LA | | May Day 2011 Celebration and Film Showing at Solidarity Hall, Friday, May 6, 7:00 pm by Radical Women LA | | Luchando por Nuestros Derechos - Tres Días de Lucha por Comité Latino de Valle de Coachella | | March on May 1 for Immigration Reform! by LA County Federation of Labor

RELATED: Retenes del fin de semana del Día del Trabajo / May Day Weekend Checkpoints 2011 by/por Checkpoint response

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Most readers here already know about the effects of plastic on birds and sea life--although the footage shown here is even worse than anything I've seen. There is also footage of impoverished people in China sorting through OUR "recyclables" as their children loiter about and pollution from a processing plant poisons the air.

But most revealing of all (to me, anyway) is the effects plastic seems to be having on us humans, including, perhaps, the increase we're seeing in Autism; Attention Deficit Disorder; early onset of puberty; male infants becoming more feminine and females more masculine; and lower sperm count.

Also insightful is the film's revelations about the powerful American Chemistry Council, which is made up of plastic and oil interests, including Chevron BP, Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Dow, DuPont, 3M, Honeywell, and Bayer. ACC spends huge sums of money battling initiatives that would ban plastic bags. Some of their cute pro-plastic bag slogans include “save the plastic bag!”

Review: Important New Film “Bag It!” Playing on PBS This Week by R

Showing Sept. 8 in Pasadena: Calendar announcement

Protests against banks are being reported in L.A. Some have been targeting Chase Bank (as discussed here). Also, various organizations, including MoveOn, are organizing protests throughout Southern California this Monday, April 18: Tax Day Protests on April 18th! (announcement by mous). Times vary from location to location.

Also, for almost a year, a weekly demonstration has been taking place in front of Bank of America in Silver Lake (at the corner of Glendale and Silver Lake Boulevards). It is organized by the Silver Lake-Echo Park chapter of The Coffee Party, the only chapter to be engaged in such an action. (It is hoped that other chapters across the country will follow suite.) Not surprisingly, public reaction has been rather positive. Some motorists even pull over and join in. The demonstration takes place on Saturdays from 1:30pm to 3.

Report and photos: Weekly Demonstration Against Sleazy Banks by RP | | Analysis: An Expansion of Terms Used in the Coffee Party Article by RP by mous | | On the legal front: Fraud by Bank of America in the Los Angeles Court by Human Rights Alert, NGO