From the Editor – March 2016

From the Editor – March 2016

By Hannah Brandt

You, our readers, know that we are in a fundraising drive. Thanks to your help we were able to print the March edition! To celebrate our achievements, continue our efforts, and thank you for your support, we will be holding Community Alliance: the Next Generation on April 16 from 5-7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 2672 E Alluvial Ave in Fresno. Mike Rhodes will be reading from his newly published book, Dispatches from the Warzone. Tickets are $35 on Brown Paper Tickets. Please join us!

In case it did not reach you, here is the letter we sent out in February. If you have not and are able to, please to donate today on our website, fresnoalliance.com.

Our community newspaper is in a financial crisis, and unless you help it might not be around next month.

We believe that having a progressive newspaper in Fresno is essential and gives us hope for social, economic, and environmental justice in this region. Alternative and independent media do matter. With this newspaper, we can expose injustice, express our narrative for a better world, and build the unity necessary to win political power.

Significant highlights of our success include the following:

The special section that exposed the withholding of medication for mental health patients in the Fresno County Jail to save a few dollars. When the Community Alliance shed light on this outrageous practice that traumatized these peopleā€™s lives and cost the taxpayers millions of dollars in additional court and medical expenses, it led to a change in policy.

The in-depth coverage of the City of Fresnoā€™s attacks on the homeless resulted in readers better understanding the issue and knowing why a federal court order was necessary to stop the city from violating homeless peopleā€™s constitutional rights.

Coverage that has shifted the balance of power in this area by covering important local elections, making a strong argument for why this area is more progressive than many people think and showing that change is possible.

In recent years, the newspaper has attracted more youthful readers, writers, and staff. We continue to make important changes that will keep it relevant to a new generation of readers. As current and past editors of the Community Alliance newspaper, we are proud of what has been accomplished and look forward to future opportunities. As such, we urge you to step forward and lend your financial support this paper.

While we sincerely appreciate all donations, please consider giving at one of three levels of support: The Ida B. Wells level of $500, the Edward Snowden level of $250, or the Amy Goodman level of $100.

We are, in fact, at a critical juncture. As this letter is being written, we do not have enough money in the bank to publish the March issue. We are pleading with you, our readers, to vote with your pocketbook. If you believe in investigative journalism, independent media and passing the torch to empower a new generation of readers and writers, please send us a check or use your credit card on our website to donate today. If you do nothing, the Community Alliance will cease to exist, leaving a hole in the community.

Our future is in your hands. We are cautiously optimistic that we will hear from you soon.

In solidarity,

Hannah Brandt

Mike Rhodes

Thank you so much to our donors at all levels!

Michael Mirigian – $140

Douglas Gordon – $100

Mary Lindae – $60

Tope Adewusi – $20

Norman Lambert – $100

Ann & Conde McGowan – $60

Lee Liddle -$100

Helen Wilson – $60

Rose Rowe – $40

Ray Ensher – $40

Lee Schilling – $100

Jules Gottschalk – $40

Kay Taus & Renee Polk – $10

Larry Taylor – $100

Charlotte Showers – $100

Deborah Jo Wagner – $175

Belinda Guerrero – $5

Michael Banti-$40

Shirley Valett – $50

Maia Ballis – $25

John Reed – $40

Alice Powell – $40

Mary Lou Rodriguez – $40

Linda Arreola – $40

Helen Winkel – $40

Ruth Austin – $100

Larry Reina – $40

Barbara Crain – $40

Angela & Merlin Price – $40

Paul Gilmore & Mary Coomes – $300

Shirley Carlson – $60

Jacob M. Weisberg – $50

Mary Betteschild – $100

Skip & Evelyn Howard – $60

Aggie Rose-Chavez – $100

Marge & Ray McKnight – $40

Mary Perich – $100

Joan Hughes – $100

Scott Hill – $50

Alex & Vasiliky Vavoulis – $100

Janet Cloonan – $40

Stephanie Frederick – $140

Kristine Cole – $40

Chip Ashley – $40

Steven Roesch – $40

Gene & Burnis Tuck – $40

Leni Reeves & Barry Chambers – $100

Ruth Gadebusch – $60

Dennis Boone – $40

Carol Rodely – $40

David Dinsdale – $60

Ken & Eve Hudson – $40

Peter McDonald – $100

Anne Merrill – $100

Ellie Garabedian – $100

Nora & Hiram DeWitt – $50

Meghan Moran – $30

Robert Navarro – $100

Mary Perich $100

Kathryn Johnson – $20

Haidie Simonet – $100

Richard Russell – $100

Emily Brandt – $135

Ellen Bush – $250

Author

  • Community Alliance

    The Community Alliance is a monthly newspaper that has been published in Fresno, California, since 1996. The purpose of the newspaper is to help build a progressive movement for social and economic justice.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x