It is impressive that the dangerous radicals of Berkley just barely were able to have a ceasefire resolution sent to City Hall for approval. I am not holding my breath for it's approval by the mayor. At Indybay, Hank Pellissier writes:

"Mayor Jesse Areguin’s appointee - Andrea Cassidy - is also a truth-denying Zionist. At the meeting she ludicrously praised Israel as a very diverse country where there is no apartheid ?!?!?!? A Palestinian American in the audience countered this by holding up his green ID card that prevents him from moving freely in Palestine."

It is important to recall what happened 2 years ago, and how the same people who fought against the ceasefire resolution also fought reform of the police department... and won.

Whistleblower Upends Berkeley Police

"Despite these severe allegations, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley concluded
that the City Council should still confirm Interim Chief Louis tomorrow."
 - Nathan Mizell of the Berkeley Police Accountability Board, 14nov22

(INDYRADIO 17nov22) Exactly one week ago, the city council of Berkeley, California was set to vote on the appointment of their police chief, until council members and the mayor received an email (at right, and below)) from a whistleblower. Now, confirmation of the chief has been put on hold and Berkeley Police Association President Sgt. Darren Kacalek has taken a leave of absence from the police association board in the wake of numerous misconduct allegations.

Details and documents, according to the timeline of the past week, start with the email from 11:10 AM last Thursday. The text messages are here

My name is Corey Shedoudy and I was a Berkeley Police Officer from November 2014 until my termination on August 31 2021. My termination is currently in the arbitration process, and I expect expect my termination will not be upheld for, amongst other reasons, I have the truth on my side. Regardless, the purpose of this letter today is to ask you to delay making permanent interim BPD Chief Jennifer Louis at your November 15th. Meeting.

My latest assignment at BPD was on the Downtown Task Force from October 2019 - September 2020 and the BPD Bike Force beginning in September 2020. During the course of my week-long arbitration hearing, evidence was uncovered that exposed the unethical and illegal practice of arrest quotas of downtown unhoused ordered by Sgt Darren Kacalek to DTF/Bike Force that began when Chief Louis was a BPD Police Captain and continued after she was named interim chief.

Berkeley Police Whistleblower Statement

DTF/Bike Force was order by Sgt. Kacalek to make 100 arrests per month, which was at the time more than the rest of the police department combined. We were ordered to do so using questionable legal tactics that included stop and frisk, probation searches with no reasonable suspicion of a crime, and very loose interpretation of stay-away orders from UC Berkeley.

The only acceptable response to such evidence from multiple officers inside the unit, separate from my arbitration or the allegations against me, in an immediate comprehensive investigation. Chief Louis has instead responded with deafening silence and inaction. No investigation, no further inquiries. My intention is for this practice to stop, and I'm afraid now that it will not.

As the result of this inaction, at the conclusion of my arbitration I will be releasing to the public hundreds of DTF/Bike Force text messages, emails, sworn testimony transcripts, public arrest records, and photographs that clearly outline a practice of illegal arrest quotas, racism, evidence suppression, lying and quid pro quo inside the unit.

My plea is that you delay the permanency of the BPD Chief of Police until this information is reviewed, and hopefully one day formally investigated. If at that point Chief Jennifer Louis is deemed the best leader of the Berkeley Police Department then that is a fair decision, but I believe doing so now, absent any investigation, will be a disservice to the citizens of Berkeley.

I am attaching a few DTF/Bike Force Group text messages from Sgt. Kacalek. myself, and other DTF/Bike Force members that begin to tell the story that I would consider the tip of the iceberg.

Sincerely,

Corey Shedoudy

More is available at the indyradio post from November, 2022: https://indyradio.net/?q=node/75

Genocide continues to spread like cancer through the Middle East, thanks to billions of dollars of weapons shipped from the US to Israel. Meanwhile, journalists who survive continue to complain, while the New York Times provides theater and dining suggestions and Israel makes a nice profit on generous donations from US taxpayers, reselling US$13 Billion in weapons each year.

The most recent and cogent complaints are from Truthout:

As Israel’s Bombardment of Lebanon Grows,
So Do Fears of Regional War

Just as in Gaza, the displaced are “in schools, mosques, churches, community centers,”
By Shireen Akram-Boshar,
Truthout

Published October 1, 2024

“Israel has been trying to carpet bomb the south as much as possible before invading,” Sintia Issa, editor-at-large of Beirut-based publication, The Public Source, told Truthout. “Israel will try to invade and occupy the south again, at least until the Litani River, but perhaps further.”
While Lebanon’s south has been under bombardment ever since October, Israel’s attacks have steadily moved to encompass more and more of the country. In a massive escalation on Friday, September 27, Israel dropped 2000-pound bombs on the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut, flattening at least six residential buildings and assassinating Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Lebanon needed Hezbollah during the long years of Israeli aggression against it's sovereign territory. It was Hezbollah that drove out not only the occupying Israelis in 2000, but also the "Christians" who ran a torture operation in an old prison in Khiam. Now Israel, strengthened by massive generosity from #GenocideJoe, renews its attacks on Khiam.

Truthout continues with the rest of today's story.

On July 24th, our fellow activists will be taking to DC as Netanyahu addresses Congress! Let's show the community that it's time to hold Netanyahu and our Congressman, Ted Lieu, responsible for the genocide in Gaza!
Join CODEPINK San Pedro, Justice4Palestine-LA, and Westside4Palestine from 2:30-5pm outside of the Federal Building at the SW corner of Veteran and Wilshire Blvd. CODEPINK San Pedro, Justice4Palestine-LA, and San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice will be speaking!

codepink

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Washington, where he will address a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott the speech. Netanyahu’s visit comes two months after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced he was seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. The Center for Constitutional Rights has urged the Justice Department to investigate Netanyahu for genocide, war crimes and torture.

From Democracy Now