Condoms Behind the Counter - But Only in Black Neighborhoods

The NAACP and partner organizations are taking on drugstore chain CVS for consistently providing less service and quality to customers in African American neighborhoods. Among the ways CVS discriminates against its African American customers? Keeping condoms locked up in predominantly black neighborhoods, but not predominantly white neighborhoods.

Keeping condoms behind the counter or otherwise locked up creates a barrier to access and unnecessarily draws attention to the person purchasing condoms - which may inhibit them from making the purchase. In cities across the United States African Americans continue to become infected with HIV at rates vastly higher than those among white people. Our country cannot afford for CVS's policies to keep anyone from getting the condoms they need.

Check out the Cure CVS Now website for information and how you can take action.

Take Back The Land!

Democracy Now! interviewing Max Rameau, author of the book, Take Back The Land, and organizer of the group by the same name, which rehouses homeless people in foreclosed houses.



TBtL's website.

Starbucks Union: Texts and Calls Needed!!

First, we would like to extend thanks to all of you that have been calling and texting store manager Gwen Krueger this past week and demanding she pay Anna what is owed.

Yesterday, Anna was called into a meeting with Krueger and her District Manager, Mark Ormsbee. Krueger used this meeting as an opportunity to lie about the facts in order to cover her hide. Ormsbee, expectantly, sided with Krueger and made the mistake of refusing to pay Anna her money.

We need to let Mark Ormsbee to know that this is not over until Anna receives every penny that Starbucks owes her so she can care for her family in the holiday season.

Call and/or Text District Manager, Mark Ormsbee, at 1-917-841-4198 and continue to call and text Store Manager, Gwen Krueger, at 1-551-497-0127. This action for justice will take place from December 11th - December 19th.


BACKGROUND
------------------------------
-----------------
Anna's Story:

Anna Hurst is a New York City barista, Starbucks Union member, and a single mother of two.

In August, Anna went home ill from work. In retaliation, her Store Manager - abruptly and without notice - completely removed her from the schedule for two weeks.

Starbucks wrongfully denied Anna work for two weeks. Anna needs the money she's owed to put food on the table, pay her bills, and provide Christmas presents for her children.

Thank you for your solidarity.

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union is a grassroots organization of over 200 current and former employees at the world's largest coffee chain united for secure work hours and a living wage. The union has members throughout the United States fighting for systemic change at the company and remedying individual grievances with management. http://www.StarbucksUnion.org

Historic “St. Paul Principles” Agreed upon by Key Twin Cities Groups

Very old news, but I was reading up on these principles, and I feel like it's a damn good page to read. From the RNC Welcoming Committee website.

At an anti-RNC conference held over the weekend of February 9th and 10th, a broad spectrum of groups revealed what are being called the “St. Paul Principles” of unity for resisting the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC). Key organizations including the RNC Welcoming Committee and The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War are signed onto the principles which seek to unite and strengthen the partnerships amongst those planning to confront the RNC. This is a departure from the sectarian squabbles that have plagued past years’ anti-convention organizing. Pitting groups of differing political beliefs against each other has been a frequent tactic of state repression since the days of COINTELPRO.

By drafting the principles together, the co-signing organizations are taking historic steps to actively extinguish divisiveness from their respective groups. The principles will ensure respect for the soon-to-be-permitted march on September 1 by people planning non-permitted activities, and in turn, participants in the September 1 march will adhere to the principles and do nothing to sow division among the many activists coming to the Twin Cities to protest the RNC.

The principles are:

1. Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups.
2. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space.
3. Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.
4. We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others.

The RNC Welcoming Committee, The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, The Anti-war Committee, SDS-U of MN, Communities United Against Police Brutality, The Welfare Rights Committee, and Unconventional Action – Chicago were among the first to sign on to these principles. As other groups sign on to these principles, a unified, effective, and radical front will form.

FOUR MINK FREED IN OPEN RESCUE

The Open Rescue Team of Igualdad Animal (Animal Equalty) have rescued four mink from a fur farm in northern Spain. This is the second open rescue by Igualdad Animal (in August 2007, six baby pigs were rescued from an intensive farm).

In late July, activists entered the fur farm and documented conditions inside. Four mink were carefully removed from cages and later released into a natural environment many miles away.

Igualdad Animal's website, www.IgualdadAnimal.org.


Excerpt from rescue report (translation):

"Although legally non-human animals, including mink, are considered property and therefore to remove them from cages is considered 'theft,' a criminal act, at Igualdad Animal we believe that no individual is the property of another and the moment has arrived to liberate our slaves. Just as in the past when some humans were considered property of others and this was an unjust situation, currently we are still involved with slavery. Animals are not property and to liberate them is not robbery but a legitimate act of justice.

With these open rescues we not only intend to rescue a few animals that were going to suffer and die, but we want to provoke a social debate that causes us to rethink the exploitation to which we subject the animals with whom we share the planet, and to bring about a change of mentality and habits of consumption in each one of us, because ultimately we are the ones who-- with our daily decisions of how we dress ourselves, feed ourselves, or entertain ourselves-- can put an end to the daily suffering and death of animals.

We also want to remember all of the victims who still remain in cages, to show our support for all those who rescue caged animals, and finally to dedicate this action to the Austrian prisoners Martin, Christian, Christof, Elmar, Felix, Jan, Jürgen, Kevin, Leo and Sabine, who at this moment are victims of an unjust judicial system."

Rescate abierto de Igualdad Animal de cuatro visones from Igualdad Animal on Vimeo.

It's heartbreaking to watch the little mink, so hesitant about leaving its' conatiner, hopping in and out while it gets used to the sun, air, water- it's outside and free for the first time in its' life and it's really scared.

Everyday Anarchism...

Part 1.


Part 2.