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The Never Again Moss Landing (NAML) stakeholder group has released a new report detailing the findings of their 120-day investigation into how and why the Vistra Energy lithium-ion battery facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant caught fire and destroyed itself during the period of January 16-22. The report is highly critical of Vistra's design of the facility, as well as the California PUC's role in regulating the plant.

On July 19, hundreds of people showed up in Dublin to oppose the establishment of new detention centers in Northern California and across the U.S. ICE has signaled serious interest in reopening the notorious FCI Dublin prison as an immigration detention center. FCI Dublin was closed in 2024 due to powerful survivor-led organizing following years of horrific staff sexual abuse, retaliation, and medical neglect.

Demonstrators in Palo Alto blockaded the offices of data company Palantir on June 26, and returned for a similar action on July 14, demanding the company stop building surveillance systems for ICE and working with the Israeli government. Actions took place in Palo Alto frequently in the years 2016 to 2020, before Palantir moved its headquarters to Denver. Demonstrations have started up at the remaining Palo Alto office in earnest again.

John Malkin speaks with Heather Edney, co-founder in 1990 of the Santa Cruz Needle Exchange Program. Despite lack of funding and support for syringe distribution, the program pioneered a model of harm reduction that centered the voices of drug users. Operated by young women volunteers who used drugs, SCNEP was one of the first risk reduction models that included holistic healthcare practices.

Despite being sued by Trader Joe's, activists with the grassroots animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) continue to protest at their stores. On July 19, the group held a 40-minute funeral for the chickens being sold inside an Oakland store. They mourned the countless chickens who suffer and die at Trader Joe's "free-range," "organic" chicken supplier. DxE investigators have documented systemic animal abuse at Petaluma Poultry.

Kayakers brought the fight for liberation to the rivers, disrupting what they call "the shroud of ignorance" that is held there. The South Fork of the American River is the busiest section of whitewater in the Western U.S., and July 4th weekend is the busiest weekend for it. Understanding this, protesters ensured that commercial rafters weren’t able to ignore the message that the planet and its people are under attack by Donald Trump.

Activists in Northern California are not waiting for court challenges to stop Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Protests are ongoing and have cropped up outside Tesla showrooms in Berkeley, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Corte Madera and Seaside, amongst other locations. The earliest of these happened on a national day of action on February 15. The action at the Van Ness Tesla location in SF grew to about a thousand people.

Protesters in the San Francisco Bay Area mustered a half dozen demonstrations during a nationwide weekend of actions organized by the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.  Chevron is a major economic partner of the Israeli government and fuels Israeli apartheid and war crimes. Demonstrators said that just as in the case of South Africa, international boycotts will be an important tool to bring justice for Palestinians. 

Indigenous rights activist Leonard Peltier was a political prisoner for nearly half a century until he had his life sentence commuted on Jan 20, 2025, to serve the remainder of this sentence at home, effective February 18, 2025. The 80-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain…

The post Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier Granted Clemency After Decades in Prison appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

Washington, D.C. — During his three-minute speech at President Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, Elon Musk performed a Nazi salute multiple times while emphasizing how this election “really mattered” and thanking the crowd “for making it happen.”

While some news outlets avoided describing the clear…

The post Elon Musk Gives Nazi Salute During His Trump Inauguration Speech appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

It’s been over a year since the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated, leading to what some human rights’ experts have called a Palestinian genocide with more than 48,000 Palestinians killed, over 100,000 injured, and nearly 2 million internally displaced. The majority of the deaths in Israel occurred…

The post Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Leads to Possible End of Genocide in Gaza appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

On January 13, demonstrators rallied outside the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco to protest the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Investors Conference which brought together capitalists from around the world who profit from denying health care. They delivered the message that "health care is for people, not for profit" and also connected the genocide of Palestinians to the healthcare system.

Minneapolis, MN — In February 2024, Allison Lussier, a mother and 47-year-old Indigenous woman from Minneapolis, was living in the North Loop neighborhood when, according to community members and family, an intermittent boyfriend killed her. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, the cause of…

The post Community Demands Justice for Allison Lussier Amid Ongoing Investigation appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

Gaza, Palestine — In late 2024, not long after the U.S. Presidential Elections, three displaced Palestinians spoke with Unicorn Riot about their thoughts on Donald Trump again becoming president. “Regarding the U.S. elections, for us, the Palestinian people, it doesn’t matter who wins, because U.S.…

The post Palestinians in Gaza Discuss Upcoming Donald Trump Presidency appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

On December 11, 2024, staff at Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) officially requested that APTP's management recognize their newly formed union with The Industrial Workers of the World Bay Area (IWW) as their bargaining agent. Since 2015, APTP has provided support to families of victims while pushing for policy changes to end police violence and over-policing, including advocating for defunding the Oakland Police Department.

Denver, CO — The first Denver City Council meeting of the new year on January 6 was met with dozens of activists calling for the city to divest from Israel and pass a resolution demanding a permanent and enforceable Gaza ceasefire. During the 30-minute public…

The post Activists Demand Denver Divest from Investments in Israel and Pass a Ceasefire Resolution appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

For over a decade the Anti Police-Terror Project has called for a week of action and a mass march on MLK Day to reclaim the revolutionary spirit of Dr. King. Towards the end of King's short life he had moved towards a politic rooted in Black liberation and freedom, while vociferously rejecting war, capitalism, and white supremacy. On January 20, people will fill the streets of Oakland to Reclaim King's Radical Legacy for the 11th year in a row.

St. Paul, MN — Minnesota regulators have rescinded a controversial permit allowing Magellan Pipeline Co. to reconstruct a petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument, following sustained opposition from tribal nations, community groups, and environmental advocates. The decision, made during a recent Minnesota Public Utilities Commission…

The post Permit for Pipeline Reconstruction Near Sacred Pipestone Site Rescinded After Tribal Pushback appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

South Saint Paul, MN — “I just want the world to know that I am innocent,” said Philip Vance from a prison phone. Volunteers with the Free Philip Vance team braved frigid temperatures to hold a press conference on the 22nd anniversary of the robbery-turned-murder…

The post Community Demands Exoneration for Philip Vance on 22nd Anniversary of Murder appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.

Belcourt, ND — On Sunday, December 29, 2024 a traffic stop at approximately 10:30 a.m. led to a fatal officer-involved-shooting (OIS) on the Turtle Mountain Reservation that left a tribal citizen dead. The deceased is 32-year-old Jordan Parisien, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band…

The post Bystanders Record Turtle Mountain Tribal Citizen Fatally Shot by BIA Police During Apprehension, FBI Investigating appeared first on UNICORN RIOT.