A “Fire Dyer” rally was held on Aug. 1 to mark Fresno Police Department (FPD) Chief Jerry Dyer’s 11th year. According to a press release from the Brown Berets, the group that organized this event, [...] Continue Reading
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Scorched Earth Policy
By Mike Rhodes Last month, the City of Fresno destroyed a long established growth of oleander bushes to remove a couple of dozen homeless people from their encampment on Weber Avenue, between Olive [...] Continue Reading
It’s No Longer Enough to Be Progressive
By Chip Ashley On Sept. 16, regional progressives will meet under a new name—the Progressive Network of Central California (PNCC)—at the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union hall at 4422 E. [...] Continue Reading
Prison System Punishes Community Alliance Writer
By Mike Rhodes Boston Woodard, who has been writing for the Community Alliance newspaper for the last seven-plus years, has been put in solitary confinement in a California state prison. This is [...] Continue Reading
From the Editor – September 2012
“Hey, if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.” I hear that comment frequently from people defending the City of Fresno’s use of video surveillance. But I can’t help wonder [...] Continue Reading
Exonoree Says “Death to the Death Penalty”
By Richard Stone Sabrina Butler has the dubious honor of being the only American female “exonoree”—a death row inmate who has later been found not guilty of the crime she was incarcerated for and [...] Continue Reading
Fresno City Council Takes Next Step Toward Privatizing Residential Garbage Collection
By Stan Santos On Aug. 16, the Fresno City Council approved a motion to hire a consultant, identified as Robert Hilton, to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) that would open residential garbage [...] Continue Reading
McKinney-Vento Turns 25 and Homelessness Continues to Grow
By Paul Boden Passed in 1987, the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act was intended to address the emergency needs of homeless people while the federal government worked to restore the funding that [...] Continue Reading
Momentum Grows for Renters’ Rights in Fresno
By Leah Simon-Weisberg More than 50% of the residents of Fresno are tenants. This silent majority is about to make some noise. Tenants Together, California’s statewide organization for renters’ [...] Continue Reading
Continuing Saga of “Just Cause for Evictions” in Merced
By Susan Bouscaren As detailed in the last issue of the Community Alliance, the new realtor- and bank-influenced City Council of Merced voted to repeal the Just Cause for Evictions ordinance on May [...] Continue Reading
Community Group Advocates Recall of Tony Vang
By Mai Summer Vue The Community United for Education Justice (CUEJ) held a press conference on Aug. 8 to announce a recall campaign of Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) Trustee Tony Vang. Vang [...] Continue Reading
SaveFTA Seeks Justice in Union Election
By Jerome Rice On May 29, the ballots were counted in the runoff election for president of the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA). Mai Summer Vue defeated Eva Ruiz by 51 votes (more than 5% of the [...] Continue Reading