KPFA - Making Contact

Who polices the police?  Do you or your neighbors have any say in the way your town’s cops and sheriffs do business?  For more than 35 years, cities around the country have been creating civilian oversight agencies – trying to make local police and sheriffs accountable to the communities they serve.  On this edition, producer Andrew Stelzer takes a look at the ongoing battle between the people and the police – and the debate over who gets to decide when an officer has done something wrong.

Featuring:

Barbara Attard, civilian oversight consultant, former San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints investigator and former Berkeley Police Review Commission Director; Marcel Diallo, artist and victim of police harassment; Rashidah Grinage, PUEBLO Executive Director; Jason Wechter, San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints investigator; Reginald Lyles, BART consultant and former Berkeley Police Officer; Gary Gee, BART Police Chief; Jesse Sekhon, BART Police Officers Association President; Quintin Mecke, California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s Communications Director; Greg Kaufory, attorney; Omar Osirus, Jan, and Bo, protestors; Daniel Buford, Allen Temple Baptist Church Reverend; Joyce Hicks, San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints Director and former Oakland’s Citizens Police Review Board Director; Patrick Cacares, Oakland Citizens Police Review Board acting director; Paulette Hogan, tasered Oakland resident who filed complaint with Internal Affairs; Chris Shannon, Oakland Police Lieutenant; Cephus Johnson, Oscar Grant’s uncle; Mark Kroeker, Portland Police Chief.

The post Making Contact – Breaking Through the Blue Wall of Silence appeared first on KPFA.

It’s been a couple of years since the mortgage crisis first broke. And there is little to indicate that the financial picture will be improving anytime soon. In this year alone, it’s projected that more than two million people will lose their homes to foreclosure.

On this edition, we continue our series “How We Survive”, a look into how communities and everyday people around the U.S. are responding to the economic crisis. This week we focus on people who are resisting foreclosures and answer the question––are rescue programs actually working? Kiesha’s name is always I before E. Can you tell me where to get this permanently corrected? It happens each week.

Featuring:

Frank Torres, home owner resisting eviction; Tosha Alberty, home owner resisting eviction; Martha Daniels, ACORN Oakland chapter foreclosure program Vice-President; Bill Chorneau, ACORN organizer; Craig Robbins, ACORN campaign Director; Steve Meacham, City Life/Vida Urbana Organizer; John Langley, Portland Collective Housing Cooperative; Kevin Gillette, Community Housing Resource Center program manager; “Larry”, facing foreclosure; “Anonymous”, buyer at auction;

Lisa Hasegawa, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development Executive Director.

The post Making Contact – “How We Survive: Resisting Foreclosures” appeared first on KPFA.

Joanna Manqueros hosts Music of the World. Interview with Lila Downs at 11AM, who will be part of the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco 8/29/09.  Tickets for Israel Vibration at the independent and Alam Khan at Herbst Theatre for 9/19/09.

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Physicians are taking a stand for a single-payer health care system for all. They say a public plan that cuts out for-profit insurers is the only way to fix our health care woes.

Featuring:  Michael Lighty, California Nurses Association; Oliver Fein, Physicians National Health Program president; Elizabeth Frost, Physicians National Health Program; U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

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Nearly two million Americans have fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On this edition, reporter Aaron Glantz takes us inside the war as it comes home to our communities … with a focus on the special role our educational institutions can play in helping former soldiers adjust to civilian life.

Featuring:

Andrew Berends, The Blood of My Brother filmmaker; Michael Hall, former US Army staff sergeant; Rachel Feldstein, New Directions associate director; Joshua Kors, The Nation magazine correspondent; Zollie Goodman, former Naval petty officer; Barack Obama, United States president; Todd Stenhouse, National Veterans Foundation spokesperson; Terry "T.J." Boyd, former Marine Corps sergeant; Ron Finch, National Business Group on Health; Catherine Morris, Sierra College veterans’ counselor; Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense executive director.

The post Making Contact – The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans (ENCORE EDITION) appeared first on KPFA.

From the Tennessee Valley Authority to the federal theatre project, Roosevelt’s’ New Deal of the 1930’s dramatically altered America’s infrastructure in lasting ways. Now President Obama wants a New Deal too –– only this one is green. Obama plans to create more than two-and-half million “green” jobs over the next two years.  But will these jobs be as plentiful and equitable as the new administration will have us believe? On this edition, we look at the greening of America. Is it really a new deal for everyone?

Featuring:

Ricky Thigpen, GRID Alternatives supervisor;

Lawrence Martinez, Randy Mason, Keith Rose and Antoine Sawyer, Richmond Build trainees;

Fred Lucero, Richmond Build Project Manager and City of Richmond Contract Compliance officer;

Zoey Burrows, Solar Richmond Development & Communications staff member;

Samuel Charles, Richmond Build lead instructor;

Deshan McFetta, California Conservation Corps member;

Veronica and Luz, Natural Home Cleaning Cooperative owners;

Hilary Abell, WAGES executive director;

Deb Goldburg, Natural Home Cleaning Cooperative general manager;

Grey Brechin, historical geographer and author.

The post Making Contact – The Greening of America: A New Deal for Everyone? appeared first on KPFA.

Facing a world map, most Americans would not be able to point to the Himalayan country of Bhutan.  But thousands of Nepali speaking refugees from this Buddhist-majority nation are arriving on North American soil, and soon will be part of the rich cultural fabric of U.S. society.

On this edition, correspondent Adelaide Chen brings us sounds from the journey of these new arrivals. From saying goodbye to the refugee camps, to settling into Oakland, California, their story of starting a new life is full of hard times, especially in this economy.

Featuring:

Ananta Gurung, Bhutanese American Community Center director; Don Climent, International Rescue Committee director; Tul Bahadur Tiwari, father and Bhutanese refugee; Gopal, Tiwari’s brother; Rianawati Rianawati, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Damak Office director; Padam Kumar Ghimirey, cultural orientation class participant; Januka Upreti, grandmother; Peter Newbegin, International Rescue Committee staff member; Damanta Kharel, Bhutanese refugee who went from graduate studies to serving fast food; George Rupp, International Rescue Committee president; Binod Gurung, Bhutanese refugee; Sushila, Gurung’s sister; Ann Strandoo, International Organization for Migration cultural orientation coordinator; Deepak Gurung, waiter and Bhutanese refugee; Bir Thapa, taxi driver and Bhutanese refugee; Phurba Tshering Tamang, Bhutanese refugee.

The post Making Contact – Neither Here Nor There: Bhutanese Refugees in the U.S. appeared first on KPFA.

June is Pride month. Every year across the country and around the world––lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer people and those who support them gather to march, protest and celebrate.

Over the past two decades, there have been profound transformations of human and civil rights for queer people in this country. Still, LGBTQ perspectives are largely absent from public discourse – especially the views of young queer people.  On this edition, we hear from queer youth who are making radio to share their stories, perspectives and create social change.

Featuring:

First Segment: “Dia’s Diary” Producers: Dia Fallana, Robbie Francis, Noah Miller 2003 

Second Segment: “Comics All Around” Producer: Thao To 2007 

Third Segment: “Glasnot” Producer: Alla Pekareva 2005

Fourth Segment: “Riot Boyyy”

Producer: Diego Ruiz 2008

Music:

“Bean Bag” by Neurowaxx

“New Radio” by Bikini Kill

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