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From the open publishing newswire: Local peace and justice organizations have been meeting to discuss ways of involving more people in efforts to oppose the war. Current plans include a teach-in, neighborhood canvassing, and another large-scale march and rally similar to the one that took place on October 5th. "There are new organizations forming here in Portland, many involving people who have never before taken part in this kind of activism," said Will Seaman of the PPRC. "Last week's "Circle for Peace" action is an example of new communities forming to oppose Bush's war."

PPRC organizers are encouraged by the emergence and growth of new anti-war efforts in Portland. "We hope such groups join with the loose coalition that came together for the October 5th rally against the war," said Seaman. "Volunteers from more than a dozen organizations are contacting other groups and communities to build support for these efforts."

PPRC Friday Rally, 5:00 p.m., Pioneer Courthouse Square. [ Full story ]

for a full list of upcoming peace / anti-war events in the region, visit portland.indymedia.org/stopwar

From the open publishing newswire: Each year the YWCA of Greater Portland celebrates Week Without Violence to promote non-violence and conflict resolution. The YWCA of Greater Portland celebrates Week Without Violence with over 70 YWCA's across the nation.

This year, the YWCA of Greater Portland will celebrate with a Take Back the Night March on Friday, October 25th. The March celebrates a woman's right to be safe at night. The Event is free of charge, but participants will be asked to make a donation to the YWCA's Yolanda House, a domestic violence shelter for women and children. Participants donating $40 or more will receive a t-shirt and flashlight.

The March will begin inside Pioneer Place Mall and will conitinue along the waterfront after a presentation and candle lighting ceremony inside. This event honors Yolanda Panek, a former YWCA employee who was brutally murdered by her ex-partner. [ Newswire article ]

From the open publishing newswire: TODAY=FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25th=CRITICAL MASS!!!! 5:30PM underneath the Burnside bridge on the downtown (west) side of the river, east side of Naito pkwy/front ave (right next to the river). FoodNotBombs is a-gonna feed us [if you get there at 5], and then it's TIME TO RIDE, BABY!!!! [ Read More ]

What is Critical Mass?
A comment to the story: Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of bicycles and a demonstration against automobile culture that started in San Francisco, California, ten years ago. Every last Friday, in cities around the world, hundreds (or even thousands) of bicyclists take over the streets of the city they live in with a free, fun, fabulous ride. Critical Mass is not an organization, and has no leaders; in fact, it's been described by participants as a "coincidence". Portland Critical Masses are often some of the largest and most enthusiastic in the U.S., and -- despite occasional police harrassment -- are safe, joyous events where people often take their kids. Haven't been to a Mass yet? Portland's a great place to do it! Tonight's Mass will celebrate Halloween, and many people will be showing up in costumes. It should be a great, colorful event.

Past Critical Mass Articles

All over Cascadia, in towns big and small, using a diversity of tactics, people are rising up to say NO WAR!

PORTLAND - OCT. 25
The struggle for peace hits Portland Bridges
Public, visible peace activism is crucial to counter media marching in step to the war drums. Activists from interfaith, peace and justice groups will be out on Portland's bridges (on the sidewalks!) on Oct. 25, 4:00-5:30 pm, with peace signs, flags, banners, "burma shave" peace messages to keep the movement for non-violence and pro-peace in the public eye. [ DETAILS ]

PORTLAND - OCT. 26
ANTI WAR MARCH AND DIRECT ACTION
In solidarity with national mobilizations in DC and SF (see below). What's happening? Whatever you make happen! This is just a time for people to come together and express themselves however they want to. It's time to turn up the heat! We have marched in the streets, thousands strong. We have called Congress. But Bush is not slowing down in his drive to war. Let's take to the streets and let the policy makers know how we feel. People are encouraged to hook up with, form, or come with affinity groups and make this action your own. Do you have an idea for a creative action? Street theater? Civil Disobedience? Anti-War Art Party? Make it happen--call some friends and set it up. Thousands of people will be taking to the streets in DC and San Francisco on this day. If you are not heading out of town, head downtown around noon. [ DETAILS ]

ASHLAND - OCT. 26
"Survival hole" art
In solidarity with national mobilizations in DC and SF (see below). A "survival" hole (example of the plight of the civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq) will be dug by an artist in Ashland with posters, flyers and press release.

EUGENE - OCT. 26
Rally to stop the war before it starts
Lane County's Response to a National Call for Action: Show your community that war is not the answer. Music by Vocal Tangents and Mark Ross. Speakers: Bill Bradbury, Alan Siporin & Debbie Pitney. 10:30 a.m., Federal Building (7th & Pearl). Sponsored by CALC & Eugene PeaceWorks. 503.485.1755.

OCT. 25-27
Regularly scheduled peace vigils
ashland: Peace Vigil, 4:30 to 5:30 in the Plaza, Sundays
astoria: Peace Vigil, 5:00-6:00 pm in front of the post office at 8th and Commercial, Fridays
corvallis: Daily vigil, 5pm, County Courthouse, Everyday(!)
hood river: Peace vigil, 5-5:45 in front of the Hood River post office, Fridays
newport: Peace vigil, 5:00-6:00 p.m. on the corner of Highways 101 and 20, Fridays
pendleton: Peace Vigil, 7pm, City, Hall/Library.
portland: PPRC Rally + March, 5:00 in Pioneer Square, Fridays

for a full list of upcoming peace / anti-war events in the region, visit portland.indymedia.org/stopwar

From the open publishing newswire: The FTAA is meeting next week in Ecuador. Is anything going to happen in Portland to stand in solidarity with all the folks in the southern part of the hemisphere who will be standing up to this attempt to destory local economies, trample on human rights and destroy the environment.

From another poster: THIS HALLOWEEN, BRING YOUR FESTIVE, RADICAL ASS OUT TO TERRY SHRUNK PLAZA (ACROSS FROM THE FEDERAL BUILDING AT SW 3RD AND MADISON) AT 3:30PM ON HALLOWEEN. WEAR A COSTUME, IF YOU WANT TO. THERE WILL BE A TOTALLY COOL RADICAL STREET FESTIVAL IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE FTAA PROTESTS GOING ON IN ECUADOR AND ALL OVER THE AMERICAS. ART, BANDS, THEATER, DANCING--THIS WILL BE A CELEBRATION OF OUR RESISTANCE!(AND NOT A BUNCH OF BORING SPEAKERS.)
3:30pm--OCTOBER 31, 2002, TERRY SHRUNK PLAZA, PORTLAND.
[ Read More... ]

Del sala de noticias:Felicidades a la tienda de Blockbuster localizada en la esquina de las calles Clay y 12 por haber proveido informacion en espa?ol. El letrero en la entrada dice: "Los empleados no pueden abrir la cajafuerte. Acceso a la cajafuerte esta controlado por una cerradura programada." Aunque este letrero es el unico que aparece en espa?ol, la comunidad hispana quiere agradecer a Blockbuster por su generosidad, pero estamos preocupados por nuestros amigos anglo-parlantes; no aparece un letrero equivalente en ingles. [ Lee Mas... ]

From the open publishing newswire: Congratulations to the Blockbuster on Twelfth and Clay for providing information in Spanish. This sign on the entrance window reads " The employees cannot open the safe, access to the safe is controlled by a time lock". Though this is the only sign in Spanish, the Hispanic community appreciates the generosity, but we are concerned for our English speaking friends. There was no equivalent of this sign in English. [ Larger sized-photo ]

From the open publishing newswire: Please get the word out about measure 27 which would require the labeling of genetically engineered foods if passed. Vote YES on 27 for CONSUMER RIGHTS! Vote YES on 27 for FAMILY FARMS! Vote YES on 27 for ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY! Vote YES on 27 for HEALTH AWARENESS! Stand by the truth!

More than 4 million dollars worth of advertising propoganda is being pushed in Oregon to mislead Oregonians into voting no on measure 27. I say it is 'propoganda' designed to 'mislead' because the arguments posited in said campaign are fallacious and skirt the fundamental issue of consumer's rights to know what they are purchasing.

Two fallacious primary arguments currently being propogandized are that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are no different in effect from traditionally bred organisms and that voting yes on 27 would have a negative effect on the economic well-being of local farmers and the public in general. [ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire:On Thursday morning, October 24, Mazama Forest Defense reported that Columbia Helicopters is yarding felled trees within fifteen feet of a treesitter living in the canopy of the Peak Timber Sale in the Rogue River National Forest in Southwestern Oregon. Helicopters are hovering over human-occupied trees as they lift as many as six logs at a time at the end of a yarding cable. The treesitter, "Misty," stated that his traverse lines may be damaged from the violent wind force of the helicopter's blades. Treesitters generally hang traverse lines made from nylon truck rope to connect their platforms to surrounding trees. Until now, all such traverses have remained intact, effectively protecting them from the chainsaws, since they enable sitters to get into their branches. "Misty" said that he will remain off the traverses now, fearing they may snap from the intense swaying of the trees. Even remaining on his platform, the swaying is endangering his safety. [ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire: Santee-Sioux spoken word artist and public speaker, John Trudell, 56, has rare, charismatic vision, and can be very inspiring to people getting beaten down in their attempts to continue a consistent social challenge. This article was originally made by persons with the Atlanta, GA IMC interviewing Trudell at Emory University, and has been slightly edited for easier reading.

Mali: What drew you to the work that you do today?
Trudell: You mean with the music and the writing and things? It just kind of happened. What I'm doing now... the writing and the poetry and this aspect of it... I started this writing, maybe 1979, the end of 79. I was 33 years old then - it had never been a thought in my consciousness that I would be doing what I'm doing now. Prior to that, I had spent ten years, actually, as a political activist with *Indians of All Tribes* and Alcatraz, in the American Indian Movement. [ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire: This comes from the Oregon AFL-CIO site about Measure 23: "This "Health Care for All" measure is well-intended, but built on a tax scheme that shifts too much of its costs to working families. We recommend a NO vote."

I thought that seemed to be a lame opposition and appeared to me to be hiding something. After all, aren't they ignoring the money we as employees already pay into our health costs, supplementing the insurance premium with paycheck deductions in addition to copays and the like? They say this is a tax scheme unfair to workers, but isn't the whole insurance scam already unfair to workers? I say we already pay this tax and then some, so we should shift that money to health care for all, instead of paying into a profit-driven insurance racket that shakes us down for more money every year, driving up the costs of that health care while trying to give us less medical coverage. [ Read More... ]

Articles on union sites about Measure 23:
[ www.activeseniors.org | www.oregonafscme.com | www.afscme3336.org ]

From the open publishing newswire:Medea begins by thanking the people of Portland for the protests against George Bush when he last visted here, August 22, 2002. She later comes back to this point again, emphasizing how important it is that everyone stands up and speaks out for peace.Recently returned from Afghaistan and Iraq, she debunked administration myths that the U.S. is taking care of the Afghani people after bombing them in the War Against Terror, which began one year ago this month.[ Read More... ]

[ Audio | Event Announcment ]

From the open publishing newswire: The more I juxtapose logical world opinion with the Bush administration's actions in the war on terror, I realize one overwhelming theme: hypocrisy. No one in any of the branches of government runs a physical risk to themselves by entering a war with Iraq, and we can bet that none of their family members are at risk, either. That is, until the next "terrorist" attack. I put "terrorist" in quotes because its definition is subjective, and I myself used to be in the Marine Corps, part of the most powerful "terrorist" organization on the planet: the U.S. government. Of course, we never call our operations "terrorism" because every operation is considered legitimate to us. When found guilty by the World Court for violence in Nicaragua, we ignore the decision. Too bad the nations we hurt can't just ignore what we do to them. When the planet condemns us for killing between 2,500-4,000 people in Panama, we're too busy planning the next invasion of a country that can't fight back. [ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire: I headed down to the DEMONSTRATION/MARCH AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE tonight. Here's my take on it...

I showed up because of things I see happening to people like Jose' Mejia Poot, demonstrating infants, and bicyclists. Had I known that this event was going to be commandeered by a handfull of revolutionary wannabees, I would have skipped it. Diversity in tactics should not include imposing your own, vaguely related agenda. The FSU supporters don't speak to me, and have so far failed to provide a plan for deciding when s**t has been sufficiently f$$d up, nor have thay come up with a workable plan to rebuild, while meeting everyone's needs, in "communities" which now consist of millions, while at the same time protecting people from those who will try to take advantage of others. [ Full story ]

March Against Police Brutality=Success
From the open publishing newswire: This year's October 22nd March Against Police Brutality went well. We wish to thank everyone who attended, and hope to see you Friday. One point of clarification is in order here: The march was intended to be a "wear black" event not because of a "radical" or "anarchist" mindset (although I won't deny that that element was both present and welcomed with open arms), but because it was intended to be symbolic of a "funeral" march. Here is the account:
[ Tell me more! ] [ Show me the original announcement, please ]

October 22 solidarity march against police violence with little police presence
From the open publiching newswire: The October 22 march was a great feeling event! There was free food, t-shirts, and drums for great community spirit. There was certainly a tremendous energy in the crowd as we arrived back from the march empowered, strong, and loved by one another! With Mike D released from wrongfull imprisonment there was certainly a lot to celebrate! We danced inside city hall and took the streets without timidity! No compromise in the face of fascism!
[ Tell me more! ]

Oct. 22 march marred by violence... but not how you're thinking
From the open publiching newswire: these issues tend to bring out the more radical set, about whom i'm quite fond, but who've been the object of a great deal of criticism on this site lately. in comments posted to an article about Sunday's peace circle, for example, a bizarre false dichotomy of peaceful vs. violent behavior is presented into which the tactics of the young people with whom i marched today would surely be classified as not peaceful. that's too bad. the situation is really not that black and white, and the differences that do exist shouldn't be a reason for one group to reject the other. but that's what seems to be happening, which plays right into the hands of the powers-that-be that are trying to keep us all down. [ Full story ]

With friends like Dan?... .

Many of you have read Dan Savage?'s column ?"Savage Love?" published in alternative weeklies throughout the U.S. Dan offers hard-hitting sex advice to his readers and has done so for many years. While most of his advice is well-researched and thought out, some of his other advice leaves one wondering if they?'ve suddenly picked up a copy of the Weekly Standard. While liberal in his sex advice, Savage often swings to the right in other areas, such as foreign policy.[ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 pm
616 E. Burnside, Portland
CBLOC and PCASC present:

A slide show and discussion of a recent solidarity delegation to El Salvador, the international opposition to free trade agreements, the current national health care strike in resistance to privatization, and the successful lock downs that derailed a beltway construction outside San Salvador. Learn how international solidarity is playing a critical role in the struggle to stop the FTAA, sweatshop labor, the PPP, union busting, and the privatization of public services. [ Full Story ]

From the open publishing newswire: A town hall meeting on October 24th in Eugene will bring together a civil rights attorney, Free Speech attorney,activists and others to discuss the Patriot Act and the erosion of human rights in America. Come learn how YOUR civil rights are being eroded and what YOU can do about it. [ Full Story ]

From the open publishing newswire: The workers of Transerv Systems have been on strike since the 15th of this month. After escalating tactics of intimidation and coersion, Transerv has, and still does, refuse to deal honestly and fairly with it's employees. Help them with their struggle by joining the picket line, distibuting handbills, or calling or writing Transerv to let them know you dont support their underhanded treatment of those who have openly and legally organized for collective bargaining. [ Oct 22 Picket line photos ]

Picket Line Site: 310 sw 4th Ave. (stop by during lunch!) Come down to the picket line. Bring food if possible, the messengers are hungry and poor right now.

[ DOWNTOWN, TODAY - Support Striking Bike Messengers | Transserv Strike Still On! Come down and show support ]

background: [ Transerv (Bike Delivery) Workers on Strike (IWW statement) | Picket line for Bike workers (indymedia report) | What you can do to support bike workers ]

From the open publishing newswire:"Every day, more trees are falling at Borg. 23 of the 60 acres of beautiful native forest has already been obliterated. Many trees are 300+ years old. This profit-driven ecocide must stop! Borg has been defended this summer through numerous forms of direct action, including road blockades, a lockdown, and a tree sit. Activists have been targeted, arrested, and have experienced frequent government harassment on public land."

"Thomas Creek Lumber, contract holder for Borg, has been twice convicted of timber theft, demonstrating a propensity for dishonesty in their destructive practices. Contact the Cascadia Forest Alliance to find out how you can help halt the further destruction of our native forests. Help is needed in organizing fundraisers for legal defense efforts, groundtruthing, outreach, and surveying." [ Read More... ]

From the open publishing newswire: "Here at indymedia something is happening that I think we ought to encourage. People are posting art and poetry with some frequency. This has developed an expanded range of content which could grow into a thriving community atmosphere. Once we realize the possibilities that media activism unleashs, we can abandon the model of objective media dissasociated from the pursuits of its members and their activities. Indymedia can become an integral part of our pursuits and help realize our goals. It is afterall a tool for organizing, developing, and living." [ Read More... ] [ Daily Poetry 1 ] [ Daily Poetry 2 ] [ Daily Poetry 3 ] [ Daily Poetry Movement 4 ] [ "Freedom is Winning" (June 29, 2002) ] [ "Fuck You Bush" poem (May 11, 2002) ] [ "God's Valley" (Oct. 29, 2001) ] [ "March" (Oct. 8th 2002)]

From the open publishing newswire:

Oct 22 Update and photos

The Eugene Homeless Initiative has a homeless man named Traveler tree sitting for homeless rights. He has vowed to stay up in the tree at the park on the corner of eighth and oak for as long as it takes the city of Eugene to let us build our own legal campsite. If a person is denied a legal place to sleep then how will they be able to sleep?

Update: They put up a fence ($3,000 + daily rental) to starve Traveler out. Days prior, Officer Jennifer Curry made it her task to initiate Travelers starvation diet by calling it 'aiding and abetting' and giving citations to anyone giving him supplies. This is an obvious crime to deny a person a basic human right such as food and water. Traveler has all the supplies he needs and he is in good spirits.

Saturday Market occurred in the park where Traveler sits this weekend and besides the fence displacing 15 booths everything seemed peaceful. The market put peace flags around the chain link fence. Some vendors are sore and some are supportive. [ Read More... ]