The U.S. government is currently engaged in perpetuating the charade of pseudo negotiations, known by some as the “piece” process, where more and more pieces of Palestine are taken by the Israelis. [...] Continue Reading
Grassroots Profile: Jason Chang
Jason Chang is the young president of the local chapter of the Japanese-American Citizens League (JACL). And, he tells me, he is the newly elected vice president of planning and development for the [...] Continue Reading
Spoon
By Boston Woodard When people work at the same job for many years, live in the same locale, shop at the same stores, attend the same schools and churches, become friends and associates with those [...] Continue Reading
How Many Scholars Does It Take to Make an Omelet?
If it is true that one must crack some eggs to make an omelet, and I suppose it is, then the times we live in must be the egg industry’s biggest boom to date. When I look around, all I can see are [...] Continue Reading
Police Auditor’s Report Faults Fresno Police Department for Its Handling of Citizen Complaints
Fresno’s first attempt at civilian oversight of the police is not yet a year old, so perhaps it is too soon to make any definitive judgments about its effectiveness. The Office of Independent Review [...] Continue Reading
Opinion and Analysis from the Grassroots
Defunding Public Education: An Arresting Development By Tim Young Americans are facing the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression. States like California have responded by pulling the [...] Continue Reading
A War Veteran and Homeless
“I’m thankful to be alive,” answered Wilson, a homeless veteran with his homeless wife, “and I’m thankful to be in Fresno.” “Huh, thankful to be in Fresno?” I ask back. Before he answered, I [...] Continue Reading
Letters to the Editor
Inspired by Prison Expose I would like to say what a joy you brought me today. Sunday—a day in prison that can go one way, or another. By chance I came across your newspaper and my day has been joyous [...] Continue Reading
The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow is a brilliant history and assemblage of legal decisions, statutes, rules and practices that have incrementally grown since the 1970s to form a system of mass [...] Continue Reading
On Hold at the Housing Authority
My husband, Tom, and I are reluctant landlords. We have just been told by Preston Prince, the new director of the Fresno Housing Authority, that we have a “small portfolio” of rental properties. What [...] Continue Reading
The Ben Lomond Four (Muslims Targeted During Ramadan)
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) houses prisoners of every faith imaginable: Islam, Catholic, Protestant, Episcopalian, Baptist, Jewish, Mormon, Buddhism, Hinduism, [...] Continue Reading
Grassroots Profile
I remember when I first met Camille Russell. A group of us peaceniks was picketing against the bombing of Kosovo on what we now call “Peace Corner” at Shaw and Blackstone, and there was a newcomer [...] Continue Reading