smarsi-blog

[smarsi-blog]

Prison Strikes in California 

http://rt.com/usa/california-prisoners-hunger-strike-852/

30,000 inmates across 11 facilities are protesting to demand "that the state retire its current solitary confinement policies and allow inmates accused of prison gang involvement to spend a maximum of only five years in isolation. Currently there is no limit on how long inmates thought to be connected to internal gangs can spend in Segregated Housing Units (SHUs). According to the LA Times, 4,527 inmates at four state prisons are now living in such units - including 1,180 at Pelican Bay State Prison in northern California, where the demonstration was hatched."

In solidarity with this, but can only hope they get some real progress out of this movement.

This is also interesting: "The state does not officially recognize a hunger strike until participants have refused nine consecutive meals. On Monday, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton told the LA Times that 30,000 prisoners skipped breakfast and lunch, putting them on course to launch an actual strike by the middle of the week."

A lot of these folks are subdued to terrible treatment in their facilities, and currently over "10,000 prisoners" are being held in solitary confinement. 

[smarsi-blog]

Mos Def aka Yasiin Bey aka Dante Smith demonstrates how Guantanamo Bay prisoners in Cuba are being force fed as a result of their hunger striking. They are striking because many are being detained without trials. With Ramadon beginning yesterday there is a huge concern behind this treatment of prisoners.

Sorry for a late post.

Article and video: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-yasiin-bey-mos-def-video-guantanamo-20130708,0,2047047.story

"In this four-minute film made by Human Rights organisation Reprieve and Bafta award-winning director Asif Kapadia, US actor and rapper Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), experiences the procedure."

[smarsi-blog]

Female Inmates in California Prisons Sterilized Without State Approval

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/07/5549696/female-inmates-sterilized-in-california.html

Photo: Crystal Nguyen, a former inmate at Valley State Prison seen with son Neiko Nguyen, said she worked in the prison infirmary. She said she often heard the medical staff ask repeat offenders to agree to be sterilized. "I was like, 'Oh my God, that's not right,' " Nguyen recalls.

"Doctors under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sterilized nearly 150 female inmates from 2006 to 2010 without required state approvals, the Center for Investigative Reporting has found."

This is truly disgusting. Just another example of the patriarchy policing, or more like taking complete control over women's bodies. I just don't get it...

[smarsi-blog]

Trayvon Martin's Mother Testifies At Zimmerman Trial

Photo: Trayvon's parents enter the courtroom (July 3rd, 2013)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/05/trayvon-martin-mother-brother-george-zimmerman-trial_n_3550145.html

SANFORD, Fla. -- The mother and brother of Trayvon Martin testified Friday that screams for help captured on audio of a 911 call came from the 17-year-old. Sybrina Fulton and Jahvaris Fulton took the witness stand during the trial of George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in Martin's shooting death.

Honestly... I don't have much to say about this trial other than our justice system continues to prove how fucked up it is. A boy is dead, and although I don't think violence or death should be used to solve the case, justice has not been served for the Martin family. Enough said.

[smarsi-blog]

Texas Anti-Abortion Bill Back Up For Debate

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/02/19256802-public-input-limited-as-texas-anti-abortion-bill-comes-back-up-for-debate?lite

Basically Texas Republicans are bringing back up the anti-abortion bill in the House State Affairs Committee, but are limiting public comment of the bill by choosing a small room that only seats 64 in the state's capitol to have public testimony. The measure was approved by an 8-3 vote, which was only being considered again because "Gov. Rick Perry called a second special legislative session after the bill failed June 25." It still has to be approved by the Senate before going to the House.

And now there is movement in North Carolina in the Senate, which gave preliminary approval to a measure that would force similar standards on abortion clinics as walk-in surgical centers in order to receive a license.

I wonder when government officials will stop policing women's bodies?

Photo: Bill supporters and opponents gather for the hearing at the Texas state Capitol

[smarsi-blog]

Snowden Offered Asylum in Latin America

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/06/snowden-venezuela-asylum_n_3554125.html?ref=topbar

Several countries in Latin America are offering Snowden asylum, but since his passport has been invalidated by the U.S., it's not certain whether they are also offering him travel documents to get to Latin America (he's currently in Russia). Is it just me or is looking for this guy a complete fucking waste of our government's time? Lot of other shit going on out here.

[smarsi-blog]

Article 1: BART Strike: Another Instance of Media Portraying Workers as Greedy, Article 2: Bart to Resume Service, No Deal Reached with Union

http://www.thenation.com/blog/175063/bart-strike-another-instance-media-portraying-workers-greedy#axzz2XxCkGouf

&

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/05/bart-to-resume-service-no-deal-reached-with-union/2491015/

Thought this first article was spot on. BART workers in the California Bay Area striked this past week for;

a 23% raise over four years

improved safety measures (better lighting in tunnels and bullet-proof station booth glass)

because they haven't seen a rise in pay in 4 years due to a hiring freeze that BART imposed in 2009 and because the BART police have reported over 2,400 crimes (at just FIVE stations) in the past three years. Yet BART officials and the media make it look like BART workers are greedy - grubbing for more money. The San Francisco Examiner reported that BART workers make $62,000 annually, with BART officials claiming workers make $71,000. And then the second article reports that a compromise wasn't made.

Justice was not served, folks... Read for more details!

Photo: SF Supervisor David Campos speaking at a news conference in San Francisco.

[smarsi-blog]

Transgender-Rights Bill for California K-12 Students

http://gawker.com/california-legislators-pass-transgender-rights-bill-for-665279850

or

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/03/transgender-bill-california/2488171/

Photo: State Senator Jim Nielson, R-Gerber, calls for lawmakers to reject the bill at the Capitol in Sacramento (July 3rd) 

Just waiting on Governor Jerry Brown's signature. The bill "would require that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records." It's the first bill of its kind in California that would promote equal treatment of trans folk.

Finally some progress for trans students! Step by step...

[smarsi-blog]

Here goes.

So I'm just now realizing I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but last week on my graduate school tour, Cambridge was my favorite city. Didn't get to talk to any advisors of programs I was specifically interested in because I wasn't sure at the time which ones I might pursue, but the graduate sociology advisor said that if you had to choose between love and your Ph.D., your education, then you should choose love. Because if you don't find your partner during your Ph.D., it will be really difficult to find them elsewhere.

This made me laugh, and at the same scared me shitless. Lol.

Here's to finding love!

[smarsi-blog]

Hi

Not sure why I'm joining tumblr. I don't even like writing all that much, and I especially hate writing about myself. And it's not because of anything terrible, I'm just not very open about my life. I like my privacy. And I guess I'm also just a quiet person, even though some people would vehemently disagree. 

I guess if anything I'd like to see how long I can continue journaling my thoughts, because I think it'd be helpful for the stage that I'm entering. The pre-graduate school applying phase. Right now I'm just trying to figure shit out.

After this summer I thought I wanted to do Journalism in addition to Ethnic Studies. And now I just want to do Ethnic Studies in relation to Education. In other words, I'm a hot fuckin' mess, which will be the theme of my tumblr I suppose.

Cheers to my new journal, tumblr.