Whose neighborhood

Gang injunctions; solution or political theatre

The city of San Francisco is known all over the world for its natural beauty, gourmet restaurants, and booming nightlife. When people think about San Francisco, they don’t often think about gang violence. But that’s just what’s been plaguing the city’s mission district for many years.

On this edition, Making Contact intern Joaquin Palomino spoke to former gang members, and other mission residents, about gang injunctions, a controversial legal strategy that’s divided the community. Some call it a solution, but many believe it’s an ineffective measure that does more damage than good.

Greener Magazine

Featuring::

Renee Quinonez, Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth (H.O.M.E.Y.) executive director; Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal community activist and lawyer; Dennis Herrera, San Francisco City Attorney; Nancy Hernandez, H.O.M.E.Y. youth mentor; Francisco, Mission resident and artist; Ruben Palomares, Conscious Youth Media Collective student; Mike Trigger, H.O.M.E.Y. artist.

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Intern Producer: Joaquin Palomino
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Interns: Samson Reiny and Elena Botkin-Levy
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman

This program was produced as part of National Radio Project’s internship program. Go to our homepage and click on “Get Involved” to learn more about it.

For more information::

Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth
1337 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-861-1600
http://www.homeysf.org/

La Raza Centro Legal
474 Valencia Street, Suite 295
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-575-3500
http://www.lrcl.org/

PODER
474 Valencia Street #125
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-431-4210
http://www.podersf.org/

Conscious Youth Media Crew
1337 Mission Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-250-5552
cymc2000@yahoo.com
http://www.consciousyouthmediacrew.org/

Homeboy Industries
130 West Bruno Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
323-526-1257
info@homeboy-industries.org
http://www.homeboy-industries.org/

Music:

Lady Tragik: Release my Pain
Native Guns: Hammer
People Under the Stairs: San Francisco Knights

The Iran Agenda

Is Iran developing nuclear weapons? Does the U.S. plan to bomb Iran? What do the people of Iran think about U.S. policy? On this edition, we’ll hear the answers to these and other key questions as independent producer and book author Reese Erlich looks at the Bush administration's efforts to overthrow the government of Iran. This radio documentary is based on Erlich’s 2007 book “The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis.”

Featuring::

Sean Penn, human rights activist and academy award winning actor; Moshtabor and Ali Mohammadi, Tehran merchants; Paul Pillar, former CIA’s National Intelligence Officer for the Near East; Charles Freeman, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former assistant secretary of defense for international security; Hermidas Bavand, former Iranian diplomat; Mohammad Sahimi, University of Southern California energy professor; Ebrahim Yazdi, former Iranian Foreign Minister; Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist; Pouran Farokzhad, leading women’s rights campaigner; Zenar Agri, Party of Free Life top leader; Abbas Milani, Stanford University Iranian Studies director and political science professor.

Greener Magazine

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Freelance Producer: Reese Erlich
Sound Editor: Matt Fidler
Interns: Samson Reiny and Joaquin Palomino

For more information::

Reese Erlich
“The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy
and The Middle East Crisis"
http://www.reeseerlich.com/

Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) National Office
65 Ninth Street, Suite 3
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-552-5378
institute@igc.org

Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP)
1500 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 119
Washington, DC 20005
202-223-3677
www.merip.org/misc/contact.html

Middle East Report Online (MERO)
www.merip.org/mero/mero.html

Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF)
1112 16th St., NW Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
202-234-9382
web@fpif.org
http://www.fpif.org/

Center for International Policy (CIP)
1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 801
Washington, DC 20036
202-232-3317
http://www.ciponline.org/

Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)
1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
202-234-9382
www.ips-dc.org/index.htm

Human Rights Watch (HRW)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
www.hrw.org
Middle East
www.hrw.org/doc/?t=mideast

War on democracy

"I don't care if they [the private media] call me names… As Don Quixote said, 'If the dogs are barking, it is because we are working.'" Hugo Chavez President: Venezuela

A new feature film, The War on Democracy by Australian journalist John Pilger, currently showing in the UK, but noticably not in the US takes issue with American foreign policy over the past 5 decades since the end of the WW II.

From America's entry into the Asian arena and Viet Nam to our current involvement in Iraq, Pilgers examines US foreign involvment from the perspective of other nation states and people and emerges with a very different view of US partitocracy.



Greener Magazine

Liberian leader Sirleaf, launches global initiative

Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first black, woman president of Liberia and often referred to as “The Iron Lady”, is launching a global campaign to raise funds in hopes of repairing her country’s debt-ridden economy.

Recently Johnson accepted an invitation to visit Canada where she met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. During her 2-day visit, Johnson sought Harper’s support for debt waiver ahead of the upcoming G-8 meeting. Canada is a member of the G-8.

While in Canada Johnson presented a keynote speech at the Canada 2020 Conference on social policy and global leadership, where it was announced that Spread the Net and UNICEF Canada have purchased 33,000 long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets for distribution to children and pregnant women in Liberia. Liberia is facing a significant health challenge from malaria, the number-one killer of children there. Liberian parents often have large families, 6 or more children, in the hope that at least one or two will survive to adulthood.

Spread the Net is raising funds in Canada for the purchase of additional bed nets for children under the age of five and pregnant women in both Liberia and Rwanda. The two-year campaign, launched in November 2006, aims to raise $5 million to provide bed nets to these two countries.

Johnson is faced with the challenge of not only reducing her nation’s crippling financial debt and eradicating malaria she must also find a way to eradicate persistent, endemic corruption, address human rights abuse and investigate war crimes at the same time her government struggles to foster goodwill among surrounding countries that were former enemies.

As part of her mission to wrest Liberia from the brink of disaster and educate the world about the need for parity among people and nations, Johnson has accepted an invitation to deliver the commencement address to the Spelman College Class of 2007 on Sunday, May 20 at 4P.M.

Considering the serious issues of illiteracy, abject poverty, sexual violence, domestic abuse and political disenfranchisement that exist in her country, it is not surprising that Johnson would pick Spelman, this private, historically black women's college in Decatur, Georgia boasts such outstanding alumnae, as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson

Spelman’s graduating class will be fertile ground over which to reiterate the promise Johnson made during her inaugural speech: “This administration must endeavor to give Liberian women prominence in all affairs of our country. We will empower all Liberian women in all aspects of our national life…. We will enforce without fear of failure the laws against rape. We will encourage all families to educate all children, especially the girls.”

By Harlan Weikle
Greener Magazine

ABOUT SPELMAN:: Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top 75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges. http://www.spelman.edu.

Further information:: Bed Nets - Nothing But Nets

Keywords:: ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF LIBERIA SPELMAN MALARIA AFRICA

Senegalese election potential watershed for democracy in West Africa

Tomorrow's democratic elections in Senegal may mark the last hoorah for octogenarian, reform president Abdoulaye Wade. Wade, who was elected to the presidency in 2000 by a coalition of all the Senegalese people, including Christians, Animists, and Muslims, leads the socialist opposition party known as the Senegalese Democratic Party or (PDS).

The President's final campaign rally was held Friday in Dakar the Senegalese capitol. Cheered by hundreds of youthful supporters, Wade told the crowd that he would bring jobs to the country’s youth, those who are desperate for a chance to leave the country. Many young men and women attempt to illegally emigrate to Europe in hopes of finding employment.

His election marked the first time since Senegal achieved independence in 1960- after 300 years of French rule that there was a peaceful transition of government when socialist President Abdou Diouf, who had ruled since 1981, stepped aside.

The country of approximately 12 million is the only West African nation to have successfully avoided political violence in the form of a coup, which most observers credit to the Senegalese democratic experience under French rule.

Wade is anticipated to emerge victorious in Sunday’s election having the support of a majority of the country’s Muslim base led by the Mourides. The Mourides are a Sufi Muslim brotherhood founded in Senegal in the early 1900s. Millions of Senegalese claim allegiance to them.

Several days ago, supporters of Mr. Wade were accused of disrupting a rally for a former protégé of the president, Idrissa Seck, who is now a rival for the presidency. Seck's campaign team blamed the attack on followers of Cheikh Bethio Thioune, a Mouride leader who, at Friday's rally, sat on center stage with Mr. Wade. Thioune denied any involvement in the violence at the Seck rally, while at the same time acknowledging that he favors Wade’s candidacy.

Senegalese election rules prohibit any candidate from attaining office without at least a better than 50% minimum of the popular vote. There are 15 candidates in Sunday’s election so Wade, some believe, may not make it in the first round. If that happens there will be a runoff election between the 2 leading candidates on March 11.

In recent years thousands of young Senegalese have arrived by boat, hungry and ill from the hazardous trip, suffering from exposure and angry at the lack of opportunity they say faces them in their home land. No one knows for certain how many have died on these voyages. Their much painful slogan is "BARCELONA OR DEATH"

At the rally the President promised to embark the nation on an unprecedented round of modernization, which would create jobs in construction as the country improves its infrastructure by building modern hotels, airports, highways and a new rail system.

Greener News Room

Additional Resource:: CIA World book, Senegal

Keywords:: SENEGAL DEMOCRACY WEST AFRICA ELECTION DAKAR WADE