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 people’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 Fresno’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 people’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
