IMC/Confluence writer's meeting
We need writers!
Thursday, Dec. 4 7:30 PM CAMP 3026 Cherokee @ Minnesota in south St. LouisFeature
SHARING IS CARRING
Most St. Louisans drive to work, by themselves, every day. This ubiquitous ritual demands 38 minutes out of the average American's day, according to a June, 2007 US Census report. It's grossly ironic that the American capitalistic market economy—a model which reveres cold efficiency as a virtue of the highest order—accesses the lion's share of its workforce through such unproductive, wasteful means. And it's not only the nine-to-fivers who are affected by sprawl and the prevailing petro-culture: Across all demographic lines, we have come to think of the custom of so often traversing such distances as necessary and nearly inevitable. However, until we collectively recall the benefits of living in proximity to our frequented destinations and make cars obsolete, walking or biking everywhere will continue to be unrealistic. In the meantime, we need to rethink the model we currently support (with its soaring costs in time, money, and environmental hazard) and create alternatives that challenge the ethic of personal and private ownership of cars.
Surprisingly enough, the self-proclaimed "largest rental car company in North America," St. Louis-based Enterprise Rent-A-Car, may be introducing our city to one such solution: carsharing. As San Francisco-based nonprofit City CarShare outlines, the model "converts automobile use from a product to a service" allowing members 24-hour on-call access to a bank of cars, from small to large, without the hassles of car ownership. Formalized carsharing is a popular and growing trend around the country, and elsewhere in the world.
KDHX CUTS AN IMPORTANT NEWS SOURCE
According to an informal community survey conducted by KDHX members this September, listeners and members of KDHX overwhelmingly favor bringing the award winning Democracy Now! back to its full hour broadcast five days a week on the radio station.
This response follows the decision by KDHX management to cut Democracy Now! airtime to a mere ten minute headlines broadcast Monday through Friday back in August (reported back on August 8 on the STL IMC newswire).
Many responding to the survey complained about cutting the news show 's broadcast time: "You can't get the full story on the world in just one hour, let alone 10 minutes," one person responded.
The Enclosed Public: Protest and Premonitions at the Vice-Presidential Debate in St. Louis
A record television audience of almost 70 million people viewed the vice-presidential debate last Thursday night at Washington University's Athletic Complex in St. Louis. But nearly a mile out of view of the complex lay an example of what corporations, the media, and the state have together tried to quell in increasingly forceful ways: public dissent.
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min maimetuner_houseforclosure.mp3 1:53 (1.72 MB)
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min melanieshoust_healthcaresystem.mp3 3:05 (2.82 MB)
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min drjohnson.mp3 9:58 (9.12 MB)
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min andrew_schoolboard.mp3 5:34 (5.10 MB)
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min kalimuendesha_policebrutailty.mp3 3:22 (3.09 MB)
44.1 kHz 128 Kbps min barricades.mp3 0:58 (0.88 MB)
Over one hundred workers, activists, students, veterans and families gathered in Northmoor park near campus to voice alternatives to the candidates' discussion of abstract policy issues. Activist groups Instead of War, Code Pink, and Veterans for Peace organized the protest to highlight the narrow scope of the debate, and to expose the carefully mediated lack of public access to discussions of public policy.
Upcoming IMC & Confluence Meetings!
Become part of local, independent, radical media! An alternaive media collective is forming in St. Louis to reinvigorate the St. Louis Independent Media Center website and to continue to publish Confluence. St. Louis is in dire needs of a more radical media that confronts the sensationalism and fear-mongering awash in our news choices. We will not find this radicalism amongst the corporate media, so we must create our own options!
We want to announce two important meetings in the coming weeks:
Gonzales Speaks at Wash U Amidst Protest, pockets $30,000
On a bitter cold Tuesday evening here in St. Louis, 150-200 people marched and rallied outside a speaking engagement for former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The event was funded by Washington University (specifically the College Republicans, part of the school's tuition-financed Student Union), which paid Gonzales $30,000 for the occasion. This payment came amidst protest from both students and law school faculty.
Photos of Rally
Other Media coverage: Post-Dispatch, Fox, KMOX,
Kevin Johnson: Monster, hero or VICTIM?
Kevin Johnson was convicted for 1st degree murder recently and has recieved the death sentence for the shooting of a Kirkwood cop. The following report, reprinted from the current Confluence (online: stlconfluence.org or pick up hard copy at locations around St. Louis) gives another view of this story.
Monster in the Media, Hero in the Streets: the Saga of Kevin Johnson
Before his trial, before the release of any evidence to the public, the mainstream media convicted Kevin Johnson of killing a cop. Why does the "innocent until proven guilty" standard only apply to police who shoot and kill people, and not the other way around? (See Jeremy Robinson article in current Confluence.)
"Let's Close The SOA!" Podcast of Nov. 9, 2007 St. Louis Local Protest to Close The School of The Americas
End human rights abuse in Latin America! Don't let your tax dollars fund corruption and torture training.
The SOA is a military training ground in Fort Benning, Georgia that teaches how to conduct torture, assassination, and other violent actions. The academy has been open for more than 60 years, and each year the cry to close the SOA gets louder. Learn about this human rights atrocity and how to stop it. This is a podcast of an event sponsored by The St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America(IFCLA), recorded on November 9, 2007 at Mokabee's coffee house. The keynote speaker is Tina Busch-Nema who was imprisoned for two months after being arrested in an act of civil disobedience at the annual protest outside Fort Benning. Marilyn Lorenz of the IFCLA also speaks, and a staged reading, "I Will Never Be Silenced, Testimonies of hope from Colombian Women," is performed. Live music from John McClellan & Atlas Dropped The Ball.
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 01 Welcome - Emily Piro.mp3 0:37 (0.14 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 02 _The Hundredth Monkey_.mp3 3:14 (0.74 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 03 Introduction_Welcome Pt. 2 - Emily Piro.mp3 3:17 (0.75 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 04 Marilyn Lorenz.mp3 2:12 (0.50 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 05 Tina Busch-Nima.mp3 8:59 (2.06 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 06 Introduction _I Will Never Be Silenced_ - Emily Piro.mp3 1:06 (0.25 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 07 I Will Never Be Silenced.mp3 19:33 (4.47 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 08 Rome is Burning(so you might as well dance).mp3 4:47 (1.10 MB)
22.1 kHz 32 Kbps min 10 20071109CloseTheSOAEventMokabees.mp3 43:44 (10.01 MB)
"Let's Close The SOA!" Nov. 9, 2007 St. Louis Local Protest to Close The School of The Americas held at Mokabees Coffee House
.jpg "staged reading \"I Will Never Be Silenced\" at St. Louis Local Protest to Close The School of The Americas")
Keynote Speaker:
Tina Busch-Nema
Band: John McClellan & Atlas Dropped The Ball
IFCLA Coordinator: Marilyn Lorenz
Event Co-coordinator: Margaret Murphy
MC: Emily Piro
DJ/Soundboard: Ryan Kohl
Filmographer: Jon Michael Ryan
Podcast: Peter Jones
Staged Reading:
"I Will Never Be Silenced"
Testimonies of hope from Colombian Women
Produced by American Friends Service Committee & The Fellowship of Reconciliation
adapted by: Emily Piro
Cast:
A - Madre -> Katie Cushwa
B - Madre, Debora -> Erica Irwin
C - Madre, Joven -> Margaret Murphy
St. Louisans Rally to Dump Racially Divisive Mayor
From ZMag: An interview with Zaki Baruti
Zaki Baruti interviewed by
Don Fitz
October 25, 2007
The contemptuous demotion of a fire chief ignited unified opposition in St. Louis' Black community. Previously fragmented groups have pulled together whether their focus has been on police violence, employment opportunities, school closings, eminent domain or childhood lead poisoning.
Hundreds of black and dozens of white St. Louisans gathered on the steps of City hall on Sunday October 21 to show their support for former Fire Chief Sherman George and begin steps to recall the mayor responsible for demoting him - Francis Slay. Zaki Baruti is a veteran organizer against police violence. He was one of the rally's organizers.
Don Fitz: When fire chief Sherman George refused to make promotions within the Fire Department, Mayor Slay demoted him in early October. Why was there such an outcry in the Black community?
Podcast of Ethical Food Panel at Washington University in St. Louis, Kaldi's, Kallari, Bon Appetit
Recording of an Ethical Food Panel presented by Washington University in St. Louis Students for Fair Trade and Amnesty International. Learn about how the food you eat affects the wider world around you! Representatives from Kaldi's coffee, the Kallari fair trade chocolate association in Ecuador, Bon Appetit(Washington University's dining services provider) speak about making a difference by buying local and/or fair trade food. A recurring theme is how the care taken in growing food affects the quality.
0.0 kHz 0 Kbps min 20071023EthicalFoodPanelAMP.mp3 (17.69 MB)
Podcast of Ethical Food Panel at Washington University in St. Louis, Kaldi's, Kallari, Bon Appetit
Speakers:
Nikki Spencer, Amnesty International
Julia Baskin, Students for Fair Trade
Bon Appetit:
Rick Turner and Dan Connif
http://diningservices.wustl.edu/
Kallari:
Jake Levitas and Mason Earles
http://www.kallari.com/
Kaldi's
Mike Marquart and Andrew Timko
www.kaldiscoffee.com/
Reggie Clemons: A victim of the MO "Justice" System
This is a preview from the new Confluence, due out in late October. Look for it in locations around St. Louis.
Reggie Clemons has sat on death row since his 1993 conviction for the Chain of Rocks Bridge tragedy. However, many significant and troubling questions linger about who actually committed the crime for which Reggie was convicted.
Reggie was convicted of accomplice liability for the murders of Julie and Robin Kerry two years beforehand. The events of that night and the trial of the four young men charged with the murders received much media attention at the time. Three of the four (including Reggie) tried for the crime were African -American The victims, who were pushed off the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge to their deaths, were both white.
