Indybay

Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst-turned-peace activist who revealed that the U.S. government had been lying about its war on Vietnam, died on June 16. He was best known for leaking the Pentagon Papers to news outlets in 1971. He became a vocal anti-war campaigner. In a 2019 interview, Ellsberg said, "an act of truth-telling, of exposing the realities about which the public had been misled, can indeed help end an unnecessary, deadly conflict."

In a pseudonymous communiqué published on Indybay on May 21, "some vandals" write: Under the cover of night, with the Frisco fog as our accomplice, a crew of friends vandalized over 10 of the right-wing, pro-police “Fentalyfe” street poster installations.... These disturbing posters are part of a $300k campaign, by reactionary group Together SF, that is shaming drug and Narcan users, and calling for the racist criminalization of poor people.

Banko Brown was a 24-year-old transgender organizer in San Francisco. On April 27, Walgreens' security guard Michael Anthony shot and killed Banko after accusing him of shoplifting. Anthony was arrested by SFPD. When the SF DA refused to file charges, the community was outraged. Banko's friends and community members have continued to protest to demand accountability for the killing. On May 26, Banko's family filed a wrongful death civil suit.

On May 19, Governor Newsom announced a legislative package and signed an executive order that would gut the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to expedite the construction of the Delta Tunnel, Sites Reservoir, and other controversial infrastructure projects, drawing condemnation from environmental groups. On May 25, the California Senate Budget Committee voted to temporarily block the plan, ending the proposal for this legislative year.

An international day of action was held on May 5 against a US nuclear submarine base in the Australian Port Kembla. Rallies took place at Port Kembla and in San Francisco against the base and the Australian, UK, and US military alliance (AUKUS). Several speakers representing Veterans for Peace, union activists, and others spoke of their opposition to the build-up of a war with China, along with using Australia as a pawn in that effort.

In San Francisco on May 1, IBU-ILWU ferry boat workers marched and rallied at Alcatraz Cruises at Pier 33 which is owned by the anti-union Hornblower company. In San José, union members and allies gathered from throughout the South Bay and beyond, then took to the streets. They chanted, "Up, up with liberation! Down, down with deportation!" In Fresno, around 200 people marched through downtown to advocate immigrants' rights.

On May 8, the Catholic Diocese of Oakland announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of California, as a direct result of facing over 330 child sexual abuse lawsuits. Similarly, the Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy protection two months ago. SNAP writes: Everything about this bankruptcy strikes us as wrong. It is all about keeping money and secrets.

Though technically legal, over seventy percent of the French people feel that the way President Macron pushed through legislation raising the retirement age was a violation of their democratic rights. He relied on Article 49.3, which allows legislation to pass without voting. Even though the Constitutional Assembly claimed the increase was legitimate, working people continue to reject the "reform." Huge demonstrations have wracked the country.

A Trump-appointed federal judge ordered the FDA to withdraw its decades-old approval of mifepristone nationwide on April 7. Mifepristone is used in more than 50% of abortions. On April 21, the Supreme Court issued a stay against any mifepristone bans or restrictions, sending the issue back to the Fifth Circuit. While this is seen as at least a temporary victory, defenders of reproductive justice rights say that the fight is far from over.

The Western States Petroleum Association and big oil companies peddle their influence through a variety of means, from campaign spending and lobbying legislators to creating astroturf groups and sponsoring business-friendly journalistic events. Numerous media events are paid for by oil dollars, earning the companies favorable mentions by journalistic organizations. Meanwhile, a total of 897 oil drilling permits have been approved thus far in 2023.

So far in 2023, lawmakers in 46 states have introduced more than 650 anti-LGBTQ bills. Citing these vicious attacks on trans people, drag artists, and the entire LGBTQ+ community, demonstrators said that they are standing up for not only themselves but for others who cannot do so. More than 1,000 rallied and marched starting at San Francisco's Union Square on April 8 in a show of solidarity that had the atmosphere of a colorful festival.