Elimination of Affordable Housing Loophole Will Degentrify Wealthy New Jersey Communities.

July 18, 2008 — Working class residents of New Jersey packed under a tent yesterday at the Ethel Lawrence Homes to watch the governor sign a law banning Regional Cooperation Agreements or RCA's.

Political observers ask if Barack Obama is moving to the center. I don’t know, and it is not my concern. But I will say that the strategy of going down the middle to score points and win elections, changing one’s positions, and flip-flopping, is a time-tested failure. The political graveyard is strewn with the careers of poor souls who followed “conventional wisdom” or the advice of highly paid strategists with their poll-driven drivel. Al Gore and John Kerry - who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by becoming wooden centrist caricatures - are two names that come to mind, Bush election stealing notwithstanding....

Footage includes worker testimony from the anti-sweatshop rally held on July 12, 2008, across from the National Association of Governors meeting in Philadelphia.

From The Shalom Center: The two of us are in Madrid, having on Friday completed taking part in a three-day Global Interfaith Conference initiated by the King of Saudi Arabia and sponsored by the World Muslim League. The gathering is itself an important breakthrough in this work, a clarification of how far there is yet to go, and a signal that even within the conference itself, the organizers were willing to begin correcting some shortcomings when the participants pointed them out.

Last week, death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal filed an appeal of a March 27 US Third Circuit Court ruling that rejected his bid for a new guilt-phase trial.

On the 4th of July in Philadelphia, over 75 supporters of Abu-Jamal gathered at the Liberty Bell, including Rebel Diaz, Sundiata Sadiq, and Pam Africa (View Photos and Video). Issue #3 of Abu-Jamal-News was released, spotlighting Freedom Archives, this fall's CR10 conference and NYC Jerchico march, as well as prisoners Ruchell Magee, Hugo Pinell, Leonard Peltier, the SF8, KC5, and Omaha 2 (View PDF).

RELATED: 4th of July report by Betsey Piette; photos by Joe Piette II New articles on The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal by Carolina Saldaña, Linn Washington Jr., and Dissident Voice II Philadelphia events for Mumia and the MOVE 9 on Aug. 8 & 9 II Online Video Series II FreeMumia.com

UPDATE: Philadelphia journalist and IWW member John Kalwaic reports that on July 5, the Philadelphia IWW organized an action outside Starbucks "to protest the firing of Starbucks baristas who had been trying to unionize with the IWW Starbucks Workers Union in the United States. This event was coordinated with the Anarchist CNT Union in Spain where baristas have also been fired for organizing." (READ FULL REPORT)

Events took place in New York City, Grand Rapids, MI, and Seville, Spain. Organizers say that coordinated actions across the US, Europe, and Latin America could be the largest ever against the coffee giant. Read more: Press Release & Event Info | | | Related Coverage: MediaMouse.Org Report | Starbucks Fires Barista for Union Activity! from Grand Rapids Starbucks Union | Starbucks Stores to Close, Only Tens of Thousands Left from KBCS in Seattle, WA | | | Picture from Lancaster, PA report

In May, Team Colors Collective and Journal of Aesthetics and Protest Press released a one-off online journal entitled In the Middle of a Whirlwind: 2008 Convention Protests, Movement and Movements. The publication uses "whirlwinds" as a metaphor to examine the class and relationship dynamics in recent "counter-globalization" movements. On Wednesday, July 2, Jenna Peters-Golden of Philly Stands Up, Timothy Colman of Philly's Pissed, and Craig Hughes of Team Colors Collective will speak at Wooden Shoe Books about the compositions of movements and struggles circulating the US and across the planet. Read More & Event Details | In the Middle of a Whirlwind

The Longest Walk 2, 2008----February 11 - July 11, 2008----4,400 miles

The purpose of the Longest Walk 2 is to continue and carry the message from the Longest Walk of 1978: The Longest Walk is an Indian spiritual walk, a historical walk; and it is a walk for educational awareness to the American and the world communities about the concerns of American Indian people. We will carry the message of Renewing the Spirit by Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors. This walk is to commemorate the Longest Walk in 1978- those who walked then and those who walk now. We are walking to bring awareness of the struggle to protect Mother Earth and sacred sites.

On Wed., June 25, 7pm, at The A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., author J. Patrick O'Connor will speak and be signing copies of his new book "The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal." On Monday, O'Connor appeared on "Jazz and Justice" (LISTEN HERE) and a book-signing event at Baruch College in New York City. Tuesday night, he is appearing at The Brecht Forum alongside Pam and Ramona Africa. The San Francisco Bay Area is now preparing for a similar tour this Fall.

Despite an important NY Times article written in May, the mainstream media has virtually ignored this powerful new book which argues in painstaking detail that Abu-Jamal is innocent and that the actual shooter of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner was a man named Kenneth Freeman. Watch a video-interview at City Hall (PARTS 1, 2, and 3), a text-interview an excerpt, a previous interview, O’Connor’s review of “Murdered By Mumia,” his response to the March 27 ruling, and his essay on the Kansas City Firefighters Case.

On June 13, 2008, police entered a home in North Philadelphia without warrant and arrested its four residents, whose recent community activities included petitioning against police brutality and new police surveillance cameras in their community. One of the arrestees, Jen Rock recounts that police "said they were responding to a complaint about 'trespassing in an abandoned building'. We have lived in our home for almost 4 years." Read Report

Local writer Jeff Rousset summarizes the weeks events and argues that these recent incidents further reveal "the consistent dedication of the Philadelphia Police Department to squash dissent by any means necessary." Read Report

Past coverage from PhillyIMC and The Defenestrator.