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 Members of Southwest Fresno H.E.A.T. are raising concerns about high-density development, the displacement of longtime residents and the misallocation of funding that was intended to improve their community. Brunette Harris can often be seen at Fresno City Council meetings demanding to know what is being done with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money that she says should be used to help the residents in southwest Fresno, not developers.
Earlier this summer, I talked with Harris, Bobbie Parks and Diane Smith, all members of Southwest Fresno H.E.A.T., at one of southwest Fresno’s … Read the details.
If you’re a local filmmaker and thought it safe to make a film without the City of Fresno’s official approval––even on private property with the owner’s permission––think again. At least that’s what Fresno Film Commissioner Ray Arthur says.
In July, Arthur sent out a reminder to the Fresno Filmmakers Alliance (FFA), warning local filmmakers that City Hall “requires a film permit for all productions within the City of Fresno.” This reminder came appended to a posting from the L.A. Film Commission about “the significant personal and financial peril” that guerrilla filmmakers … Read the details.
Mike Rhodes
Last month, president Barack Obama and the corporate media cheerfully announced the end of the war in Iraq. The progressive and antiwar movement rejects this declaration and has concerns about the 50,000 U.S. troops still in that country, the increasing numbers of privatized soldiers being used (we used to call them mercenaries) and the ongoing drain on our economy as we continue to pump billions of dollars into this endless war. This month’s Community Alliance has several articles about war-related issues starting on page 4, … Read the details.
I just received the article you sent that was in the Fresno Bee, a reprint from the Sacramento Bee by Charles Piller, “The Public Eye: California Prisoner’s Rights Often Trampled.”
I did not read the article previously, but I had been told about it. I wanted to comment on Piller’s piece. First off, I think it’s great that a mainstream newspaper just did what the Community Alliance has been doing for years: telling the public about the abuses in California’s corrupt prison system the way its supposed to be done.
Let me … Read the details.
 City Gives Homeless the Bum’s Rush
The City of Fresno is able to create the illusion, through its capable public relations team, that it is working hard to end homelessness. It has even convinced some people in the community that the city is making progress toward ending homelessness.
The reality is that the City of Fresno used to spend money through the general fund to end homelessness. In 2009, $2,530,000 was spent from the general fund to end homelessness. According to Fresno homeless czar Greg Barfield, the city has budgeted absolutely nothing … Read the details.
 The U.S. military’s discredited “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy will be front and center in the opening night film of this year’s Reel Pride film festival at the Tower Theatre. The film A Marine Story takes an unflinching look at the policy’s effects on gays and lesbians in uniform. From the producer of Shelter and the director and star of The Gymnast, this new film examines what happens when a decorated Marine officer unexpectedly returns home from the war and is quickly recruited to help a troubled teen prepare for … Read the details.
 Wikileaks.org has done it again, publishing thousands of classified documents about the U.S. war in Afghanistan. The Web site provides a secure platform for whistle-blowers to deliver documents, videos and other electronic media while maintaining anonymity. Last March, it released a video shot from a U.S. military helicopter over Baghdad, exposing the Army’s indiscriminate killing of at least 12 people, two of whom worked for the Reuters news agency. This week, WikiLeaks, along with three mainstream media partners—the New York Times, the Guardian of London and Der Spiegel in Germany—released … Read the details.
 There is no shortage of matters of importance that need to be brought to the attention of the public from inside California’s prison system. Its difficult to prioritize what is more important to write about. As prisoners, we do not have access to the Internet for research or sources available to free world journalists. Many of the articles I submit to my editor Mike Rhodes of the Community Alliance newspaper are written as the story unfolds, on the spot. Uncensored, unfettered, as genuinely true and accurate as … Read the details.
Prior to the March 2003 assault on Iraq, there never was real proof that Saddam/Iraq had serious, deployable weapons of mass destruction (WMD)—the type of proof that was given to the American public during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, before initiating the successful naval blockade of Cuba, when Russia was forced to remove nuclear capable missiles from the island.
In 1962, as a young officer in the U.S. Navy, I was shipboard and actively participated in the naval blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Among other duties, I … Read the details.
 So that
U.S military deaths are decreased
6,392 in Iraq and Afghanistan
and Civilian deaths are decreased.
869,720 in Iraq and Afghanistan
So that
The Pentagon budget is decreased.
Current Pentagon budget:
$663.8 billion for fiscal 2010
$1.9 billion a day
$13.2 billion a week
$2,103.73 per person per year
So that
Resources are made available to Main Street.
So that
107,000 homeless veterans are cared for.
The 14.9 million unemployed find employment.
Health services are accessible to all.
Continuing education is available to all.
Hunger suffered by 58 million is reduced.
Home foreclosures of more than 300,000 are reduced.
Homelessness is reduced.
Crime … Read the details.
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