Many activist groups intend to travel from the Bay Area in the coming week to protest the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Indybay will be featuring reports by activists who will be at the DNC, protesting the Democrats. We encourage all people who are going to the DNC to publish photos, videos, and reports from the streets.

On Thursday, August 12, anti-torture and anti-war activists came to disrupt Pelosi’s book promotion at the San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre. Pelosi was promoting her new book “Know Your Power- a Message to America’s Daughter.” While speaking, activists yelled and disrupted Pelosi’s talk, calling her “traitor” and yelling “torture,” “impeach.” Two people were escorted out by security personnel, and arguments erupted between Pelosi supporters and the activists.

Shutdown: The Rise and Fall of Direct Action to Stop the War, a new documentary created by organizers from within DASW, chronicles the story of the March 20, 2003 shutdown of San Francisco's financial district, going behind the scenes for a look at the successes and pitfalls of mass organizing. The film screens in San Francisco on Friday, August 22 along with five shorts about oil, war and organizing.

On August 6th, around 50 anti-war activists in San Francisco targeted the video game maker Ubisoft to “help stop the Army’s child recruitment program” in the form of the free “America’s Army” game. Organizers noted that the game “targets children as young as 13.” San Francisco game companies Ubisoft, Gameloft, and Secret Level are profiting from the illegal recruitment program.

The San Francisco Bay View newspaper has been forced to stop printing its weekly paper due to financial strain. The last printed copy went out on July 2nd, marking the 697th issue the Ratcliffs have published since starting the paper in 1992.

Outraged by voting irregularities and allegations of fraud in the 2000 and 2004 elections, the Raging Grannies teamed up with the Open Voting Consortium to promote open source electronic voting solutions at San Francisco's LinuxWorld, the largest single gathering of fans of open source technology.

Northern California radicals have banded together as "Unconventional Action (UA) in the Bay" and collectively chosen to adopt Sector 4 in downtown St. Paul, MN during the Republican National Convention. UA in the Bay has announced a Barricade Building Contest and named three street intersections as convergence points for the morning of September 1st. A pre-RNC UA in the Bay meeting will be held in St. Paul on August 30th.

Over three hundred pro-immigrant demonstrators called for the reaffirmation of San Francisco's sanctuary program on the steps of City Hall on July 30th. They countered about a dozen anti-immigrant members of the Minutemen Project. During the rally Renee Saucedo, an attorney with La Raza Centro, spoke for many saying the city should affirm the sanctuary law and "call out these hatemongers," referring to the Minutemen Project.

On Saturday, July 26th, several local organizations held a demonstration outside the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square. This show of force was called the Left-Out Party, and featured speakers, music and dancing. It was held to draw attention to the fact that the Human Rights Campaign insisted on leaving gender identity out of any new federal legislation that would protect workers on their jobs.

On July 19th, a monument to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade was spray painted with the words “Viva Durruti Y Orwell.” The graffiti was in reference to Buenaventura Durruti and George Orwell, who opposed the Republican army that the Lincoln brigade was part of. In a statement posted on Indybay, the Worker Memorial Project wrote that the artwork was vandalized because “[t]he revolutionary movement in Spain was defeated by the Stalinist Soviet Union and its global puppets and public relations hacks.” Some supporters and opponents of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade have condemned the attack on a public artwork and called for different tactics to express political differences.

On July 19th, three activists were arrested for breaking through police barricades around Pelosi's Pacific Heights mansion and "dying in" on her walkway to protest against war with Iran. Many banners and signs focused on House Concurrent Resolution 362 and the $400 million the US is spending on covert operations in Iran.

On July 31st, there will be an eyewitness report-back at the SF Women’s Building from two Iranian American activists just back from Iran.

At a public meeting held July 15th in San Francisco, Bayview residents and supporters accused the San Francisco Department of Public Health of turning a blind eye to Lennar Corp's toxic construction in the Hunter's Point Shipyard. Bayview community members said Lennar Corp, a housing redevelopment corporation based out of Miami, has been digging into asbestos-rich serpentine rock sending plumes of cancer-causing dust into nearby homes, recreation centers and elementary schools. Last November, The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) voted to fine Lennar for not accurately monitoring toxicity levels during construction.

On July 4th, peace and humanitarian organizations celebrated a Canadian federal court decision favoring Iraq war resister Joshua Key that could have substantial implications for other American war objectors. Canada's ruling conservative government may still try to ignore the will of its citizenry.In a nationwide action July 9th, US protesters drew attention to the imminent deportation from Canada of AWOL GIs. Across the country 14 events were held in support of US war resisters attempting to remain in Canada. Activists were pleased with a surprise decision announced just hours after San Francisco's noon hour protest; a Canadian Federal Court granted Corey a last minute reprieve of at least several months while his lawyers are given an opportunity to appeal earlier negative rulings.

On July 12th, global demonstrations against the Church of Scientology were held. In San Francisco, the demonstration took place at 701 Montgomery Street. Anonymous, the group organizing the demonstrations, is charging the Scientology Church for corruption, racism, homophobia, practices that cause death, abuse of their followers, and harassment of their critics.

LaborFest will take place this year from July 5th through July 31st. LaborFest was established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival. July 5th is the anniversary of the 1934 “Bloody Thursday” event. On that day, two maritime workers were killed by the police attack on strikers and their supporters. This touched off a general strike and led to the complete shutdown of the city.

A group of San Francisco residents are gathering signatures for an initiative to be put on the November ballot. The initiative will ask to rename Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W Bush Sewage Plant. The group has managed to collect 8,500 signatures so far; 15,000 are needed for an initiative.

The 5th annual Trans Pride March took place June 27th in Dolores Park. The theme of this year's march was "Marching for a Gender Inclusive ENDA", with an objective to bring a focus on transgender civil rights and to celebrate the support of the LGBT family.

The Trans March kicked off a weekend of Pride events. The 16th annual San Francisco Dyke March took place Saturday June 28th in Dolores Park. The rally and stage began at 3pm with the march at 7pm. The 38th SF LGBT Pride Festival took place Saturday from noon till 6 in Civic Center Plaza and the Pride March took place on Market St from 10:30am through 7pm Sunday.

On June 21, local activists in the Castro district united, in an outdoor public awards ceremony to "honor" the greedy landlord speculators most responsible for the gentrification and destruction of San Francisco's communities. The event took place at Harvey Milk Plaza at Castro and Market in San Francisco, and the activists called on people to stand up against gentrification by landlord speculators who are destroying our neighborhoods and communities.

On June 19th, between 2,500 and 3,000 people gathered for a very spirited "Heathcare-Yes, Insurance Companies-NO" rally outside the Moscone convention center in San Francisco. The largest contingents came from the California School Employees Association, the California Nurses Association, and the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project.

On June 16th, same sex marriages officially began in California. same sex marriages were officially held in San Francisco. In San Francisco, hundreds came to City Hall to celebrate. After being together for more than 50 years, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin were the first couple to be legally married. In Oakland, the first couples were married by mayor Ron Dellums, city council member Jean Quan, and congresswoman Barbara Lee. In Fresno, dozens of couples arrived early to get their marriage licenses Tuesday morning. Tinasha Broadus and Alicia Rice were the first in line and the first to be married.

"Jonah" Larrama, a traveler who spends most of his time in SF and NY, is being held at the Northwest ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Detention Center in Tacoma, WA. He is known locally from Food Not Bombs, Homes Not Jails, and various tenants' rights, homeless rights, bike rights and animal rights activities among other things. He was arrested at the end of May for trespassing to watch the sunset from a roof of a building in Seattle and spent some time in county jail. An ICE raid took place at the jail and he was transported to the Northwest Detention Center because his citizenship status is in question.

California held an election on June 3rd. Proposition 98 failed to pass and Proposition 99 passed. In the CA Assembly, Nancy Skinner beat Kriss Worthington and in the State Senate Mark Leno beat Carole Migden. In San Francisco, Prop G passed and Prop F failed to pass.

Propositions 98 and 99 were aimed at changing the government’s power to take private property. Proposition 98 would have abolished rent control and other renter protections. Proposition 99 will block the government from taking single family homes or condominiums to transfer to other private parties.

San Francisco renters took to the streets on May 31st to reclaim public space and call attention to the urgent need to protect tenants' rights in this ever-gentrifying city. The action was timed to raise awareness about the urgent need to stop Proposition 98 and save rent control in the June 3rd election.

On May 31st, nearly a thousand protesters marched across the Golden Gate Bridge to protest the proposed spraying of the Bay Area for light brown apple moths. Groups gathered on both sides of the bridge and marched to the middle carrying signs protesting the proposed aerial spraying of a moth pheromone as part of a statewide campaign to wipe out the moth.

May 2008 marked 60 years of the Nakba, the catastrophe. Sixty years ago, 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and 350 Palestinian villages were destroyed by the Israeli army and militias. In the Bay Area, the Nakba was commemorated by numerous events and demonstrations. On May 10th at the Civic Center, a peace and solidarity festival took place with bands such as the Coup and Dam. Jewish groups also organized solidarity actions. The International Jewish Solidarity Network has circulated a statement calling on people not to celebrate, and Jewish Voice for Peace called on Americans to remember the thousands of Palestinians who have suffered in the creation of Israel. The IJSN disrupted an event at San Francisco's JCC called "Israel at Sixty."

Thousands of immigrants and their supporters around the country and in San Francisco marched in favor of a more just immigration policy for the US on May 1st. The next day, 63 immigrant workers from El Balazo Taquerias were raided and detained by ICE. Immigrant rights groups, labor, faith-based groups, and many others will gather for a press conference and rally to denounce the Bay Area raids, and to support the taqueria workers on the day of their first court hearing. They will gather on Tuesday, May 27th at 10 am outside of the Homeland Security Building at 630 Sansome St., in downtown San Francisco.

Bay Area environmental and social justice organizations are demanding a halt to San Francisco's proposed highly polluting Peaker Power Plant Project. Also known as the Combustion Turbine Project, the plant is proposed to be built in Southeast San Francisco, right next to the Bayview Hunters Point community that is already overburdened with pollution.