Bay View trusted by newsmakers in world hot spots; meet Hajj Malcolm Shabazz tomorrow

The intrepid little Bay View newspaper (sfbayview.com) is worth a read if you want to hear from hot spots around the world where Black people are taking on their oppressors. It's humbling - and exciting - to be trusted by Congolese and Rwandans reporting on the Congo election, where challenger Tshisekedi appears to have won by a landslide yet incumbent President Kabila is expected to be declared the winner, and on Rwandan President Kagame's deadly pursuit of critics, including our dear friend Claude Gatebuke. The testimony before Congress today by Claude and our friend Kambale Musavuli of the Congo will no doubt intensify the danger. It's up to us to protect them by supporting them so strongly the http://sfbayview.com/ them.

Bay View contributors in even more immediate danger are prisoners, especially those in California and in Georgia, where brutal, even deadly, retaliation for their strikes and rebellions in the past year is a constant threat. Nevertheless they persist in reporting on and condemning the abuse and writing brilliantly about the better world we know is possible. They too trust the Bay View to publish their work despite herculean efforts by the powers that be to silence them.

Freedom fighters against police terrorism - from Minister of Information JR, who first wrote for the Bay View a decade ago, to Fly Benzo, whose first story for the Bay View was posted just today - trust our paper to help them organize resistance and begin to win a war that was invisible to most Americans until police went wild on Occupy protesters across the country. Fly faces four years in prison for copwatching; he too needs such strong support that the oppressors dare not touch him.

To all of you, our Bay View family, please support these events and read our latest stories as we celebrate the love of our families and communities, the progress of the past year and the victories we'll win in 2012.  

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.: Hajj Malcolm Shabazz, the oldest grandson of Malcolm X, will premiere his recently finished DVD, "2010 Hajj Pilgrimage," at the Twinspace, 2011 Mission St. in San Francisco. He'll be there for a Q&A. Bring the whole family. This is a fundraiser for his new book, "Still By Any Means Necessary," a compilation of writings about Hajj Malcolm Shabazz from various writers, featuring forwards by former Black Panther, Professor Ericka Huggins, and the People's Minister of Information JR.

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m.: Community Outraged at Verdict in Carrethers v. Mehserle, a protest against the verdict and address BART's continued refusal to enforce its own police policies and to discipline its out-of-control officers, in front of BART headquarters, 300 Lakeside Drive, near 20th and Harrison, Oakland.

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 5-8 p.m.: Come on Down to Historic Sam Jordan's Bar and Bring Toys to be donated to the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation's Strengthening Families Program and distributed at a community celebration Dec. 15.  For more information about the program and celebration, contact Farah Dews, (415) 468- 5100 or email Farah at artistfirstentertainment@yahoo.com. Sam Jordan's is at 4004 Third St., San Francisco.

Now through Dec. 9: Exhibit of the Work of Ronnie Goodman, longtime contributor to the Bay View - readers from the '90s will remember his long running comic strip J-Cat and Bootzilla - by Hospitality House's Community Arts Program at Luggage Store Gallery, 1009 Market St. at Sixth Street, San Francisco. For more information, contact Ivan Vera at (415) 553-4525, ext. 304, or ivera@hospitalityhouse.org.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 11a.m.-4 p.m.: Solidarity with 'Tarp City,' where nearly a million Haitian earthquake survivors still live. Come stand with the Haiti Action Committee under a sheet tent - in whatever weather we get - and learn from USF student researchers about U.S. violations of international law in Haiti at Powell and Market, San Francisco, on International Human Rights Day.

Monday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.: Free Fly Benzo! Pack the courtroom, demand they drop the charges at his pretrial hearing in Department 23 at 850 Bryant, San Francisco. Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter) is a community hero for challenging SFPD, especially since they murdered Kenneth Harding. Now he's facing four years for videotaping them.

LATEST STORIES AT SFBAYVIEW.COM

News and Views - Africa

Rwanda Genocide survivor: My mother and I were ordered to dig our own graves Interview of Claude Gatebuke by Ministers of Information JR

'Good' survivors of genocide and 'bad' survivors in the hands of Rwanda's dictator and his agents by Frank LeFever

Congo deserves a leader who cares about the Congolese people by Eric Kamba, with research and editing assistance from Ann Garrison

Worse than Penn State by Claude Gatebuke

Memorandum of Diaspora Congolese women from Belgium, France and United Kingdom ahead of the DR Congo elections results

Carnegie Mellon University and President Kagame: A venture capital romance by Rebecca Cech

The 'Responsibility to Protect' and the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Carrie Crawford

Protestors gather for Ingabire, the woman who challenged Kagame by Ann Garrison

Open letter: Carnegie Mellon University should not collaborate with Rwandan government by African Great Lakes Advocacy Coalition

Rwanda returns Congo minerals as more are smuggled in by Ann Garrison

News and Views - Bay Area and the U.S.

The First Amendment right to record the police by Fly Benzo

Police critic Fly Benzo keeps catching hell since police murder of Kenneth Harding Interview of Fly Benzo by Minister of Information JR

Martina Correia, 1967-2011, champion of Troy Davis and justice for all by Matthew Cardinale and Martina Correia: Her life was consumed by the fight to win justice by Marlene Martin

Death threat against Cynthia McKinney: Why is the FBI calling me? by Cynthia McKinney

Tea parties and Occupy protests by Mumia Abu-Jamal

Racism, white privilege in the 99%: If not now, when do we address it? by Minister of Information JR

Occupy the Hood's national effort coordinated by Ife Johari Uhuru, Detroit single mom by Janelle Ross and Occupy Wall Street protesters occupy Harlem boiler room, get tenants heat and hot water by Trymaine Lee

My thoughts on Occupy Oakland after the murder and one-month anniversary by Minister of Information JR

On state violence, white male privilege and 'Occupy' by Nancy A. Heitzeg

The police raid on Occupy Oakland was nothing new for this city by Ali Winston

Whose streets? Oakland's shadow government presses City Hall to end the occupation by Adrian Drummond-Cole and Darwin BondGraham

Reflections on organizing towards collective liberation at Occupy NOLA by Lydia Pelot-Hobbs

The other 1 percent by Isaac Lev Szmonko and Isaac Ontiveros

To occupy or be occupied - a bird's eye view by Marc Sapir

Police turn Occupy Oakland's Thanksgiving into potty riot by Deborah Dupre, Human Rights Examiner

Local hiring pushes Prop. B Road Bond to success by Brightline Defense Project

SF Building Trades are election's biggest loser by SF Election Watch

Youth homelessness on the rise in Richmond by Kia Croom,Richmond Pulse

Behind Enemy Lines

Georgia prisons on fire by Eugene Thomas

California prison hunger strikers propose '10 core demands' for the national Occupy Wall Street Movement by Heshima Denham, Zaharibu Dorrough and Kambui Robinson

We are willing to sacrifice ourselves to change our conditions by Mutope Duguma, s/n James Crawford

Hunger striker dies mysteriously at Calipatria, family reports funeral is Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Oakland by Yolanda Moore andWas Hozel Blanchard's death really a suicide? by Kendra Castaneda

Three prisoners die in hunger strike related incidents CDCR withholds information from family members, fails to report deaths by Isaac Ontiveros, Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity

We dare to win: The reality and impact of SHU torture units by J. Heshima Denham, Zaharibu Dorrough and Kambui Robinson of the NCTT Corcoran Security Housing Unit (SHU)

A chance for redemption by Felipe Ponce

Staff accountability is key to meeting our demands by Brian Keith Barnett

A people's revolution: It's time! by Comrade Tee

Culture Currents

Wanda's Picks for December 2011 by Wanda Sabir

Saving Oakland schools: Fighting for the future of Oakland by Siraj Fowler

Congratulations to San Francisco NAACP honorees, 'Red Tails' lifts off by Jacquie Taliaferro, LaHitz News

Buy Black Wednesdays 8: Occupy Black Wall Street! by Paradise Free Jahlove

Are poor Black boys easy targets for sexual predators? by Edward Wyckoff Williams

'I Am America: Black Genealogy Through the Eye of An Artist' opens at San Francisco Main Library's African American Center  

Dregs One debuts 'The Wake Up Call' by Crystal Carter

Looms in the living room by Ani Klose

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Check the Bay View Calendar of Events daily. You're sure to find an event that beckons you to get involved - and many are free!

Support SF BayView with a donation to the Prisoners Subscription Fund. Be sure to read Celebrate the Bay View's 35th anniversary with a gift to the Prisoners Subscription Fund  by prisoners on the Bay View mailing list.

Find a friend among the Bay View Pen Pals, who write, "I would love to hear my name at mail call."

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If you want folks to know about your business or service or event, Advertise in the Bay View, online or in print. Call me any time at (415) 671-0789.

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Mary Ratcliff, editor

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