By Catherine Campbell (Author’s note: This is part one of a two-part series on the history of the California prison boom. Part two will appear in the November issue of the Community Alliance.) Our [...] Continue Reading
Activism
Rockwell Didn’t Paint Guacamole and Tortillas
By Leonard Adame Indians, in my 4th grade class, killed good White people, rode pinto ponies and salivated over White damsels in distress on The Lone Ranger show. But one day, probably Dec. 11 or 12, [...] Continue Reading
New Radio Show: Keeping It Real with Dr. Jean Kennedy
By Jean Kennedy Dr. Jean Kennedy is the host and producer of Keeping It Real, a radio show that comes to our community on KFCF-FM 88.1 on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 8 p.m. to 10 [...] Continue Reading
Glenn Beck on a Skewer: An Interview with the Author of the Roasting
By Richard Stone Radio and television show host Glenn Beck is a controversial figure. He has made his fortune from being a media pundit and propagandist. Describing himself as only “a rodeo clown” [...] Continue Reading
50 Years of Catch-22: Now Spot Fresno’s Saroyan
By Tom Moradian Published in 1961, Catch-22 sold 10 million copies by 1968. The novel’s dark humor fed the bitterness many felt about the Vietnam War. Today, many feel the same about senseless wars [...] Continue Reading
The Interfaith Social Justice Collaborative Faith Calendar
Compiled by Susan Orovitz ISJC Mission Statement: To network and collaborate as we work to serve and promote systemic change for the common good; to educate and inspire one another to positive [...] Continue Reading
The Martyrdom of Troy Davis: Shariah Law and Bloodthirsty American “Justice”
By Maria Telesco In days of yore, crime victims’ families took swift revenge. If a neighbor stole your goat, they’d slaughter his entire herd in retaliation. If someone was killed, they’d massacre [...] Continue Reading
Opinion and Analysis from the Grassroots
The Autumn of Awakening By Wendy Russell We moved from Fresno to Costa Rica (a country that has had no army since 1948) for many reasons, but paramount for me was the feeling that our beloved United [...] Continue Reading
Occupy Merced
By Jason Flores Occupy Merced began on Oct. 15 at Courthouse Park in Merced. Organized and facilitated by young adults, college students and other citizens, they organized general assemblies the week [...] Continue Reading
The Long Road to Justice: The Everardo Torres Police Killing in Madera
By Sal Sandoval Not a single person’s eyes were dry when Melchor Torres of Madera recounted the story of his son’s murder while in police custody on the night of Oct. 22, 2002. Melchor was an invited [...] Continue Reading
The Power of Prisoners: The Pelican Bay Hunger Strike
By Catherine Campbell This summer, prisoners in the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) came together and began a hunger strike that at its peak spread throughout the California prison system to [...] Continue Reading
$54 a Month for Water You Can’t Drink
By David Bacon When Mary Broad moved to Lanare in 1955, there were only four other families still living in this tiny, unincorporated community in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley, halfway [...] Continue Reading