Rochester Indymedia Recap of 2010 Features

On this first day of the New Year, Rochester Indymedia offers this Round-up of stories that we featured throughout the 2010. The following are the six categories that we most focused on. Being a grassroots, all-volunteer media collective, our resources are finite, and we are all too aware of the stories that didn’t make it to our site.

The goal of going back and looking at actions, events, groups, movements and people that stand in 2010 out as having a significant impact in the struggle for a directly democratic society is to assess where we are, and where we need to be. So this list is just the start of a discussion to carry us into the next year.

1-The Struggle against Mayoral Control of Rochester City Schools, that gave rise to the “Community Education Task Force” was our most covered category of Stories of this year, and one of the most hopeful signs of new movements.

-Community Education Task Force Press Conference Opposing Mayoral Control of RCSD
-Opponents of Mayoral Control Picket David Gantt's Office
-Indy TV interviews members of CETF
-Students March against Mayoral Control
-Community Asks Duffy, "Why Avoid Open Debate?"
-THE EXPERTS SPEAK: Parents' and Students' Perspectives on Mayoral Control
-The Numbers Are In, Mayoral Control Is Out: Community Members Testify against Mayoral Control
-The Fight against Mayoral Control: Celebrating Victories, Pushing Forward
-Experts Discuss Failures of School Privatization and Mayoral Control
-Community Education Task Force (CETF) Responds to RCSD/Charter Compact and School Closings 2. Stories that deal with Resistance to US Imperialism were the next most featured items. 2010 saw the expansion of War in Afghanistan, Israeli attacks on Humanitarian activists, the continued presence of US forces and private contractors in Iraq, the Leaked Documents by the whistle blower group Wiki Leaks, a smaller but continued antiwar presence in Rochester. -Local Rally in Support of Viva Palestina!
-Vigil for Peace on 7th Anniversary of Iraq Invasion
-Collateral Murder: Wikileaks releases video of Journalist Shooting
-Marchers Protest Syracuse Drone Base
-Israelis Attack Gaza Humanitarian Sea Convoy
-Video Report: Community Gathers to Remember the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagaski
-Army Colonel (Ret.) and diplomat Ann Wright to Speak in Rochester
-Dispatches from Colombia Reportback
-RIMC Stands in solidarity With Assange and Wikileaks

3. Poor People’s Economic Human Rights and Take Back the Land. In the midst of the foreclosure crisis that is now in its 3rd year, a number of groups have mobilized to demand housing as a basic human right.

-Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign National Coordinator Cheri Honkala Speaks in Rochester
-Take Back the Land Rochester Liberates a Home on CNN
-Rochester Housing Rights Organizers Hold Truth Commission

4. Resistance to Capitalism is the next category. An exciting development in Independent media in the service of resistance movements has been the media coop network in Canada. 2 Rochester Indymedia reporters participated in covering the actions to resist the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Rochester also saw a new coalition of groups come together to celebrate May Day (International Workers Day)

-A Rochester Indymedia Recap of the Anti-Olympic Protests in Vancouver
-Barefoot Host Dawn Zuppelli Detained at Canadian Border
-May Day 2010 Sparks New Collaborations

5. Labor Struggles. The Motts Workers in Williamson went on strike in May of this year. Abundance workers and supporters began a campaign for a living wage.

-Mott's Workers Go on Strike, Charge Unfair Labor Practices
-The Scarcity of Abundance: Living Wage Campaign Started at Local, Cooperative Grocery Store

6. Activists working for social change continue to face increased attacks by the state. In 2010 Indymedia has covered both national and local stories that uncover, oppose, analyze the ever growing police state.

-Demonstrators Demand End to Abuse at Erie County Holding Center
-IndyTV Interview with Robert Hillary King, Black Panther and Only Freed Member of the Angola 3
-Joel Dow, Artist, Activist, Anarchist, Musician, and Rochestarian Held in Jail with Bail set at $259,000; Maintains Innocence -Demonstrators Speak Out Against War and Police Brutality on Anniversary
-Local Activists Stand in Support of Midwest FBI Raid Targets
-Johannes Mehserle Gets Minimum Sentence of Two Years
-RPD Surveillance of Picket Raises Concerns"
-July-August AARM Newsletter OUT NOW!