Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

LOS ANGELES, Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Despite heavy rain, a group of about 30 people attended a demonstration for the freedom of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. The last-minute action was organized by anti-racist activists who were reacting to the overturning of a judgment that favored the condemned journalist.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals had overturned Abu-Jamal's death sentence, finding that the judge in the case had failed to properly instruct members of the jury to consider possible mitigating circumstances during sentencing. However, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision, opening up the possibility that Abu-Jamal, who has always maintained his innocence, could return to death row. Full Report: Free Mumia! Los Angeles Rejects High Court Ruling by Rockero | | En espa�ol: �Libertad Para Mumia! Los Angeles Rechaz� el Juicio de la Corte Suprema por Rockero

RELATED: FREE MUMIA! by Echo Park Community Coalition

This week, workers fired from the Cort guitar plants in Korea came to Southern California to demand their jobs back with a series of actions targeting the NAMM trade show, a global trade show for the musical instrument industry. Cort, known as a midrange guitar brand, is also a contract manufacturer for many well-known guitar brands, like Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, and others, producing budget-priced guitars for the global market. The work was carried out in sweatshop conditions - and when the workers organized a union, the company shut down their Korea factories, offshoring manufacturing work to Indonesian and Chinese factories owned by Cort.

In Los Angeles, they gained the support of world famous guitarist Tom Morello, as well as rapper/activist Boots Riley, MC5's Wayne Kramer, SOAD's Serj Tankian, local Asian American artists Skim, Shin Kawasaki, David Tran, and other artists. The workers also got labor solidarity from United Steelworkers 675, the Korean Metalworkers Union, individuals from LA and OC unions. They also achived meetings with representatives from Gibson and Fender guitar companies.

Cort Guitar Workers Action - main activist site.
Video: The ugly truth behind Cort
KPCC: Tom Morello Plays Concert for Korean Guitar Workers
Paper Planes
Guerilla Radio
Cort Guitar Worker Support Event at Nanum Cultural Center K-Town

The first hearing of the Mehserle murder trial in Southern California took place on Friday January 8, 2010. The 7am gathering and press conference in front of the L.A. Superior Court Building was in many ways a meet-and-greet between the newly formed LA Coalition For Justice for Oscar Grant and representatives from Oakland.

The Oakland coalition originally formed itself out of a spontaneous rebellion when Mehserle, a BART police officer, shot Oscar Grant in the back execution style last New Year�s day. The coalition and the Oakland community insured, through a relentless effort, that the cop would be tried for murder and not a lesser charge.

When the trial was moved to Los Angeles after the Mehserle defense argued that he couldn�t obtain a fair trail in Alameda County, the Los Angeles community banded together in a show of strength to show solidarity with the Oakland coalition and the family of Oscar Grant in order to guarantee a conviction of the police officer. From the Newswire: 1ST HEARING FOR OSCAR GRANT/MEHSERLE MURDER TRIAL by Anna Kunkin | | LA Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant Press Conference, 1/8/09: photos and full audio by dave id

Update from the LA Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant: Report from inside (and outside) court room - The People vs. Johannes Mehserle

In Oakland, California, in the early hours of January 1st of this year, while Bay Area Rapid Transit passenger Oscar Grant III lay face-down on a BART platform with another officer's knee on his shoulder, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle drew his service weapon and shot Oscar Grant in the back, execution-style. This type of killing of an unarmed, young African American man by police is all too common in America. L.A. police are reported to have killed 310 people in the last ten years. Not surprisingly, the corporate media has done a terrible job reporting on the various hearings, generally parroting defense motions and testimony of BART cops verbatim with little to no critical analysis or reporting on evidence that refutes defense claims. Police accountability and media activists are currently organizing to ensure that the community is informed of the trial's proceedings and that justice is achieved for Oscar Grant.

From the newswire: Southern California: First Cop on Trial for Murder in History of State Is Headed Your Way by dave id

From the calendar: Planning meeting for Justice for Oscar Grant 5:00 Sunday, January 3, 2010 at Chuco's Justice Center | | Johannes Mehserle murder trial begins 8:30 AM Friday, January 8, 2010 at Los Angeles County Superior Court

UPDATE: Report Back: Organizing Meeting for Oscar Grant Justice Coalition by Michael Novick

Law enforcement agencies have declared they will hold 300 "DUI" checkpoints during the holiday season statewide. Furthermore, they have declared 2010 "the year of the checkpoint." Checkpoints are a military tactic that violate the Fourth Amendment and condition society to passivity toward police interference in daily activities. They disproportionately impact immigrant communities, who face deportation due to 287(g) agreements, which deputize local law agencies to enforce federal immigration law. For these reasons, resistance to "the checkpoint society" has been fierce, and has included lobbying local officials, holding vigils and marches, creating communication networks, and actually being present at checkpoints to warn passing motorists and document abuses. Follow reports from the struggle:

Op/Ed: Checkpoints Violate the Fourth Amendment and Normalize the Police State by Rockero

From the newswire: Pomona anti-checkpoint action by Direct Action Claremont | | Documentación de un caso de injusticia ejecutada en un retén policial por Rockero | | Protest LAPD Stealing Cars from Raza during Xmas Season!! by Unión del Barrio

This week's checkpoints: Retenes navideños / Christmas checkpoints (25/dec-2/ene) by Checkpoint response