The Labor Video Project reported:

"On 8/20/2008, police were called by KPFA and Pacifica management to arrest a unpaid staff member Nadra Haeidy Foster . . . She was attacked, hogtied and arrested by the Berkeley police.


"Pacifica Executive Director Nicole Sawaya was also personally involved in trying to prevent the KPFA staff from video taping this incident and physically tried to block a photographer."

Beaten and Arrested by KPFA/Pacifica Bosses

The article has an attached video detailing the story.

On her June 9, 2008, Monday 7 a.m. show, Gang of Three member Lila Garrett, referring to the KPFK slate mailer faction, stated:

"A word about KPFK. You know, we had an election last year, which was very successful.

"Some of us formed a group called [the] committee to strengthen KPFK. We got a group of candidates together who won overwhelmingly, improving on our local board, our Pacifica National Board, getting us a really good executive director of Pacifica, . . .

KPFK Talk Show Host Lila Garrett Used Air Time to Propagandize Slate Mailer Faction

The KPFK "Gang of Three" refers to Grace Aaron, Lila, and Ian Masters, another controversial KPFK talk show host. They led a group that took control of the KPFK Local Station Board as a result of a slick slate mailer mailed to all eligible voters in the election. Critics continue to ask who financed the slate mailer costs.

The slate mailer group turned off the KPFK listener internet web forums and eliminated the opportunities for station listeners to discuss among themselves operation of the station. The new board continues to ignore listeners' calling for turning the web forums back on.

Just about everyone thought Sawaya would be a good ED. She had the radio experience and years of management experience as well as Pacifica knowledge to be a very promising choice.

She has not turned out so well -- e.g., running off to Denver to be executive producer of the convention coverage rather than staying in her office to deal with the financial meltdown at Pacifica as well as this disgraceful incident at KPFA.

But that's not the fault of those who expected she would be a good ED. It's just more of the sad story of Pacifica -- no competent people want the job, apparently.