labor issues and working conditions, censorship and citizen journalism
Is fate just another word for the prison-industrial complex?
That’s where playright Luis Alfaro and the Magic Theater are pushing us in Oedipus El Rey, now revived at the Magic’s Fort Mason Theater for its 10 year anniversary.
Continue reading Culture Watch: Oedipus El Rey
By Jessie Gomez. Originally published at muckrock.com
In Nevada, Question 1 on this year’s ballot is Marsy’s Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment, better known as Marsy’s Law, and would exempt certain law enforcement records from being disclosed. Meanwhile in San Francisco, Proposition B, the Personal Information Protection Policy Charter Amendment better known as the “Privacy First” measure is set to protect the personal information of San Francisco residents from abuse by tech companies. Yet, the measure’s broad language could award the City’s Board of Supervisors the ability to change its transparency laws in the future. Continue reading A Look At Transparency On The Ballot This 2018 Midterm Election
In a case filed by public access TV legend Deedee Halleck and poet Jesus Papaleto Melendez against NY’s public access chanel Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals revived a free speech lawsuit after a lower court had dismissed it.
The case involved banning from the public access channel’s premises of Hallack and Melendez by MNN executive director Dan Coughlin and his employees without a clear infringement of any facility rule or regulation. Continue reading Appeals Court Affirms Public Access TV Is A Public Forum
The California Public Records Act is a crucial piece of legislation for journalists and activists. The 1968 law, modeled on the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) promoted maximum public disclosure based on the “The people have the right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business” statement contained in the California State Constitution.
Continue reading Public Records Act Challenges
Update: Victory. Yvette Felarca was restored to her teaching position at the Berkeley Unified School District.
Berkeley Unified School District teacher Yvette Felarca has been subjected to extremely punitive actions by the local school district after participating in an anti-white-supremacy protest in Sacramento, CA. Continue reading Berkeley Teacher Put Through The Wringer For Protesting
Cutting edge community arts space and Media Alliance’s wonderful new home, the Pacific Felt Factory, sprung into action after the tragic Ghost Ship Fire in December of 2016, to arm artists with fire safety tools to avoid tragedy in the living space challenges all low-income Bay Areans face.
Brava Theater for the Arts hosted a free anonymous fire safety workshop for Bay Area artists featuring a host of safety supplies and equipment and demonstrations and advice from the SF Fire Department, with an amnesty agreement that no one at the workshop needed to divulge where they were living in order to get their questions answered or to receive supplies.
The workshop got a huge amount of press attention including KRON , KPIX and KTVU.
Watch the video!
MA submitted these comments to the Berkeley Police Review Commission looking at the events of December 2014, when local Ferguson support rallies were dealt with violently by the Berkeley Police Department.
Among other problems, several members of the press both mainstream and alternative were manhandled and injured by law enforcement.
Following the submission of these comments, the PRC voted to set up a subcommittee (probably including MA) to work on a new press credentialing policy for the City of Berkeley. Continue reading Press Credentialing
The National Writers Union is preparing to go to court against Ebony Magazine for non-payment of as much as $200,000 to freelance writers.
Continue reading NWU Sues Ebony Magazine For Not Paying Freelancers
