All posts by Midnightschildren

Press Room

Will New York’s Cable Strike Revitalize The Labor Movement — Or Kill It?

Originally printed in Salon. 

By Robert Hennelly

An ongoing strike by 1,800 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3 in New York, against the cable giant Charter/Spectrum, could well determine whether the American labor movement has a fighting chance for a revival. The strike has gone on for almost six months, and many of the union families face foreclosure or eviction. For decades, these workers worked with the company’s corporate predecessors, made a living wage, had decent benefits, sent kids to college and made profits for their employer.

Continue reading Will New York’s Cable Strike Revitalize The Labor Movement — Or Kill It? →

Press Room

What Exactly is Urban Shield Preparing Law Enforcement For?

Originally published at ktvu.com

By Andre Torres

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) – Tracy Rosenberg jumped up and down holding her protest sign outside the Alameda County Fairgrounds gate in Pleasanton last year. “I was not arrested,” she said.

Rosenberg, executive director at communications advocacy group, Media Alliance, admits to protesting the annual “Urban Shield” law enforcement disaster training event in 2016. This year was her first time actually attending the expo, although she had previously read several accounts from journalists who had documented Urban Shield.

Continue reading What Exactly is Urban Shield Preparing Law Enforcement For? →

Press Room

Right-Wing Extremist Group Had Booth at Urban Shield ‘To Explain Who They Are’

Originally printed in the East Bay Express  9-15-2017

By Jessica Lynn

Right-Wing Extremist Group Had Booth at Urban Shield ‘To Explain Who They Are’

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Oath Keepers as an extremist anti-government group

 

Continue reading Right-Wing Extremist Group Had Booth at Urban Shield ‘To Explain Who They Are’ →

Press Room

Pacifica’s WBAI Tries To Fight Off Predatory Empire State Lease

 

July 26, 2017

For Immediate Release

Contact: Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director, Media Alliance  Email: tracy@media-alliance.org  Tel: (510) 684-6853

Pacifica’s WBAI Tries To Fight Off Predatory Empire State Lease

15-Year Lease At Quadruple The Market Rate Threatens Radio Network

New York- On July 13, numerous prominent NY politicians joined producers and supporters of New York’s WBAI-FM on the steps of NY’s City Hall to say to the uber-wealthy owners of New York’s iconic skyscraper, the Empire State Building, that enough was enough.

Long trapped in a lengthy 15 year antenna space rental lease set at a ruinously high price with a 9% annual hike, WBAI supporters implored the billionaires to stop suing for a multi-million dollar summary judgment and sit down at the negotiating table to make a fair settlement and preserve not for profit community radio. Continue reading Pacifica’s WBAI Tries To Fight Off Predatory Empire State Lease →

Backgrounders and Toolkits

Center for Policing Equity Report on Berkeley Police Department

 

The famously liberal East Bay city of Berkeley has been engaged in a lengthy dispute about the release of a Center for Policing Equity analysis of police stop data that indicated significant racial profiling.

The decision to release the report went all the way to the City Council which overrode the Chief of Police to make the report public.

Here it is.  The report is preceded by a memo from the Berkeley Police Chief explaining his thoughts and concerns about the draft report.

It is probably fair to say that most, if not all, municipal police departments would yield similar or worse results when stop data is analyzed.  It is to Berkeley’s credit that they proceeded with the report.  Now the question is what will be done as a result.

Berkeley CPE Report

Media Workers

Republican Op-Ed Space Costs $7 A Word

Media Alliance received this solicitation this morning.

**

Dear Ms. Rosenberg,

My name is XX and I work for The Washington Times in Washington, D.C.  I’m reaching out to you inviting the Media Alliance to participate in the annual Constitution Day Special section which is a joint project is the of The Constitutional Sources Project and The Washington Times.

 

 

 

 

This year’s special section, publishes on September 12, focuses on the hot-button issue of Freedom of Speech.  We are developing a superb lineup of opinions written from various political perspectives on this subject.  We want your opinion and your perspective as well.   Continue reading Republican Op-Ed Space Costs $7 A Word →