San Diego Indymedia // (((i)))

The City Heights Free Skool is a project that provides free classes, skill-shares and workshops to all regardless of educational backgrounds. There is a computer lab, free library, community garden, bike kitchen and three meeting spaces. Our focus is the geographic area of City Heights and we integrate practical skills and personal experiences into our learning experiences. Our outreach and class schedules are also distributed throughout the mid city area, in both English and Spanish, all are welcome. We recognize that learning has strong ties to privilege based on race, class, gender, sexual orientation and ableness. This is important to recognize and this is why we provide an accessible space where all are welcome to attend or teach a class in a free, open and non-hierarchical environment.

The free skool is a project that addresses issues of exclusion by creating a space where there is the ability to freely express one’s skills and desires. The free skool offers a diverse selection of classes that are free and open to anyone who may wish to attend. There are no skill level requirements. Classes are not taught with a top down method where the teacher is the sole possessor of knowledge. Rather the distinction of teacher and student disappears with skill-share. This method recognizes that even if someone is taking a class to learn a subject they in turn have something to contribute and a knowledge that is valuable to the learning process.

All of the continuing projects at the Free Skool have been implemented through the strong youth led volunteer base. These projects as well as a rotating schedule of classes, skill-shares and workshops have continued to be largely youth led. Our four projects are: the City Heights Info Shop?, SPROUT City Heights, the Free Bike Kitchen and the Computer Lab, which is a collaborative effort.

City Heights Free Skool Website

City Heights Free Skool Benefit
Friday August 31 7-11PM
4246 Wightman (xVanDyke)


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The hypocrisy knows no bounds. While the powerful get their sex in public men's rooms, us "normal" people who negotiate for it online are about to be criminalized. Read what the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has to say about proposed rule changes that will have the FBI collecting and storing info on your sex partners - more warrantless searches - woohoo.

"The federal government is proposing regulations that would effectively kill adult social-networking sites. This is being done under the guise of fighting child pornography. You have until September 10 to object to these regulations. It’s easy to do and essential...Obviously, none of this has anything to do with child pornography. Instead, it is a blatant attempt to end the ability of consenting adults to use adult social-networking sites to meet other people for sex..."

comment from Gadfly: I guess they're milking it for all it's worth before attempting to shut it down. How's this for a laugh/puke?

comment from queer-j-brad: i'm not happy about defending a vile creature like larry craig, but the outrage, shaking of heads, and throwing around of phrases like closet cases and hypocrisy is just too much to bear.

1 - who decided that having sex in public men's rooms with men means that a guy is gay? that's ridiculous! lots of straight men have sex with men, especially oral sex - trust me. are people living in some kind of christian fantasy theme park world on this one, for crying out loud? so when larry craig says he is not gay, he is very likely telling the truth.

2 - however disgusting it might be, it's perfectly logical to have sex with men in men's rooms at the same time as opposing civil rights for queers. i'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there is no hypocrisy here.

3 - why is everyone believing that ridiculous cop report? COPS LIE! --Read More--(scroll down)

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These are harsh times. The economy grinds down and the wars bomb on. In such an era, people define themselves by their actions. Often, there is no reversing the action taken, as a wounded economy and a desperate empire at war have no forgiveness.

This is especially true for educators, school workers, who face the militarization of schooling and the regimentation of what is taught, what kids come to know and how they come to know it, through curricula regulations noosed by high stakes exams. Every educator now faces questions like, “Why am I here? Whose interests are being served? What shall I do?”

Jonathan Kozol was an early inspiration for me and thousands of others, even though he quit as a teacher very early on. Now, he has issued an “Education Manifesto.” His plan of action for educators is a false flag rooted in wrong premises about the nature of education, society, and the possibilities of action for social change. Educators and activists need to get beyond Kozol with a concrete analysis of capitalist schools.
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Last night I went on a bike ride during the eclipse. It was so awesome watching a spectacular natural event unfold over the paved, built, engineered, unnatural urban landscape.

Scientific study, precise calculations, news reports, photos, videos, animations, simulations and more have reduced mind-blowing phenomena such as eclipses to routine, scripted series of steps far less engaging than the latest video game. But last night, for me, the eclipse was much more than that.

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On Saturday afternoon, about three hundred protesters gathered in front of Horton Plaza to oppose the unveiling of a statue of Pete Wilson, white supremicist and queerophobic former mayor of San Diego, and California Senator and Governor. Wilson is notorious for championing Proposition 187 and for vetoing legislation to protect queers from job discrimination.

from Janice Jordan: On Saturday, activist communities from San Diego challenged the presence of Pete Wilson, a man of hate and a symbol of racism in downtown San Diego. Border Angels and Raza Rights, two of the organizing bodies for the demonstration of the installation of facism kept the crowd of 200-300 noisy and energized. --Read More--

comment from s t a r r: At the unveiling of his statue yesterday, former SD mayor/CA governor Pete Wilson called those opposed to the statue "thugs," "childish," and "horse's asses." He went on to state that whoever opposed the statue was in support of illegal immigration... [We] reject the statue of Pete Wilson because of the profits he and his wife have made off of exploiting prison labor and prison privatization. During his tenure as Governor, Pete Wilson's wife, Gayle, owned over half of the prisons in California. At the same time, Wilson got re-elected using a tough-on-crime Republican platform which resulted in the denial of parole for numerous women serving excessive sentences for defending themselves against domestic violence. It also landed tens of thousands of minor drug offenders behind bars, as he aided & abetted Ronald Reagan's so-called war on drugs. This was clearly a conflict of interest. One could picture Pete and Gayle in bed, chatting. Okay, honey, you buy the prisons, and I'll fill them up. --Read More-- (scroll down for comments)

comment from Rocky: ...Let them put up the bronze statue of Pete Wilson, if you must. The seagulls will know what to do with it.--Read More--

comment from Cecil: Statues suck anyway. Why waste time? let them put it up and then vandalize it. Put pink spray paint on his crotch or something. Really, have you ever seen a good statue? Even an Emma Goldman statue would be worthless. Let them waste their money on a statue of stupid Pete-- they want to honor him for building Horton Plaza for fuck's sake. --Read More--

from Mexica Movement at los angeles indymedia: ...The crowd chanted "Tear down the statue! Tear down the hate!", disrupting the dedication ceremony across the street honoring Wilson. At times, Wilson gestured to the crowd, acknowledging that the protesters were making their message heard loud and clear...--Read More w/ Photos, Video--
Video of Protest
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Approximately 50 community members gathered in front of the Federal Building in downtown San Diego Tuesday evening to express their opposition to the deportation of Elvira Arellano, who was apprehended by ICE officers in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon, and to the continuing ICE raids, which are devasting families.

Video includes interviews, demo speakers and chanting (en español e english). Video in quicktime format (for assistance in viewing it, click here and scroll down).

Play the video

Tonight was san diego indymedia's second successful practice with our mobile media catalyst unit (the first being last week's no borders camp benefit). The unit allows us to go anywhere and immediate upload stories, pictures, video to san diego indymedia on-site, as well as provide media and internet access to those who don't have it. if you would like us to bring the unit to your event, meeting or community, please write us at
imc-sd AT lists DOT indymedia DOT org
(replacing " AT " with "@" and " DOT " with "."

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UPDATE from sdimc volunteer Wed afternoon: According to a bailiff in the sd felony arraignment court, charges were not filed against Danae and she should be released this evening. (see also this blog post on alongingforcollapsepress on myspace: click here

UPDATE from Troy Tuesday evening: Danae will be arraigned on Wednesday at 1:30pm. She will be in Judge SZUMOWSKI's courtroom, which is Dept. 12 at the downtown county courthouse. According to jail information, she is currently being charged with PC 422, which is essentially threatening to cause great bodily injury to another person. Anyone can go down to Dept. 12 and observe the arraignment, but be warned: it is likely to be a very routine, scripted process. The only reason to go would be to offer emotional support through your presence. But, know that you won't be allowed to communicate with Danae at the arraignment, and it's possible that she won't even be able to see any courtroom supporters.

from Njeri / San Francisco Bay Area Indymedia: California activist [and Grand Jury Resister] Danae Kelley was arrested after a legal demonstration in San Diego over the weekend. (13 others were detained but then released without charges just as Danae should have been.) Phone calls need to be made on her behalf. Please call [Los Colinas Detention Facility] and ask when she will be released.

Danae Kelley - Booking #7762437 - is at the Las Colinas Detention Facility-- Please call 619-258-3176 & ask when she'll be released and if she's getting vegan food. --Read More--; see also article on infoshop.org; updates at alongingforcollapsepress on myspace

SD City Beat description of arrest: click here

from fuck the green scare: you can/should also contact city council and the district attorney to speak out about her unfair arrest and inflated bail: san diego city council | San Diego District Attorney

from Janice Jordan: The people wielding the power of the justice system, law enforcement agencies and political administrations want working-class communities to live in fear. For if we live in a constant state of fear, "I can't get involved", "I can't go to jail", "I might lose my job", "It's none of my business", the disease of fear spreads and its' infectious wrath takes more and more people down with it... It is imperative that all concerned parties of free speech, civil rights, and the right to assemble unconditionally support both Rod Coronado and Danae Kelley. Just when we all think it couldn't get more reactionary-IT HAS!--Read More--

Related: Rod Coronado's Hearing/Trial | Midwest ALF/ELF Grand Jury | More info about the Minnesota Grand Jury | Eric McDavid's Trial | Solidarity for Non-Cooperation Political Prisoners | greenscare.org | ecoprisoners.org | greenisthenewred.com
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from Leslie/LA Indymedia: Elvira Arellano, who, with her son Saul, has become a national symbol of the destruction of families by federal policy, was taken into immigration custody today in Los Angeles.--Read More--

from r.l. rodriguez/SD Indymedia: I received a phone call from a friend at 7:15 notifying me that Elvira Arellano was being driven from L.A. to TJ to be deported.

The corporate media reported late sunday that the pastor of the church in Chicago where she sought sanctuary had spoken to her by phone in Tijuana, where she was free after being deported.

Solidarity actions have taken place in Los Angeles and Chicago.

UPDATE:
San Diego Solidarity Demo
Tuesday August 21, 6PM
Fed Building, 800 Front Street Downtown

Read More: Chicago Indymedia feature | Los Angeles Indymedia feature

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On July 11, 2005 Emily Hicks, Professor of Chican@ Studies and English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University appeared on Veer Towards Queer on radioActive sanDiego. She talked about the military-industrial-academic complex, the mechanics of the corporate university, open source software, creating community with music, the existence of bisexuality, a proposed open source lab for chicanas, and the ideology of borders and breaking them down.

From the Interview: Emily Hicks
Who is going to be the actor, the subject of history, and I don't think it is a male factory worker anymore. I think immigrants, people without papers, people all over the world who do not have the last name that matches the dominant culture, that matches the passport. Those are the people who are going to be fighting the state for all of us. As anarchists, concerned with overthrowing the state, we can see that whoever is trying to cross the border, whoever doesn't have papers, whatever musician is sitting on the cement embankment three months, trying to get across, can't get across and has no ID, except for a flyer that he had from a gig in Mexico City, an alternative art space.

Those people are not just US-Mexico border people, its not just this border, those people are speaking for, embodying the contradictions of people all over the world, that would be eastern Europe, that would be in any part of the world right now where people are without papers, and their papers were taken from them, and they aren't ever going to get to go back home.

The theoretical term for that is those people are de-territorialized, that is what Deleuze and Guattari call it.... It's now the person who is de-territorialized, speaking with an accent, speaking without rights. And whatever those people are up to, that's our leader, that's who we should be looking to...

Emily Hicks Interview: Part One | Part Two


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Only participatory democracy will save this planet. Political power from the bottom-up, the inside-out, that is self-governing and makes decisions in unity with our common global needs. Face to face democracy breaks down the pyramids of power which institutionalize unfairness,inequality and privilege. That is what I propose for San Diego.

As a candidate for an office that I can't possibly win, part of a broader coalition, possibly a local justice movement, if nothing else, at least an adventure; I am free to campaign on the issues. To go beyond the media forged parameters of possibility and discussion. To change the political dialogue or, as that great Chicago organizer, Saul Alinsky, once said, "to stink up the place."

I will challenge the fundamental nature of store bought politics. Today's politicians have become squabbling creatures of self-interest. Our mayor is their poster boy. Jerry Sanders...jerry rigging city contracts and peddling influence.....JS....BS. The darling of the corporate media and wealthy developers, he has been called a "crook" by our own elected City Attorney and "silly and uniformed" in a recent City Beat editorial. Like Sanders, most local politicians lack vision and have forgotten how to imagine, prisoners of their own mendacity and greed. They pander to despair and fear, thumping the virtues of selfishness and looking out for number one, reducing collective existence to its most banal aspects.
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SD Alt. Media