Israeli and Palestinian responses to Richard Goldstone's (pictured above) report are inadequate, human rights organizations have said. PHOTO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P1010796.JPG A chorus of statements from human rights organizations has determined that both Israel and Palestinian authorities have failed to conduct independent, impartial investigations into alleged war crimes committed during last year’s Israeli assault on Gaza. The [...] read more »

For some Upper West Side residents, their usual stroll down Broadway this evening had a surprise:  a group of 20 New York Jews denouncing Israel’s occupation of Palestine were standing with thought-provoking signs while a few passed out flyers. Challenging the assumption that all Jews support Israel no matter what, the action, organized by Jews Say [...] read more »

BEIT HANOUN , Gaza Strip—One year after Israel’s ferocious assault, Dr. Mustafa El-Hawi, a professor at Al-Aqsa University, traveled by bus to attend a protest against the continuing Israeli siege of Gaza. read more »

I was one of the 85 international delegates who entered the Gaza Strip in Occupied Palestine at the beginning of the year. I was recently interviewed by fellow Indypendent contributor Danny Valdes on his weekly radio show, Radio Provocateur, where we discussed my experiences in Gaza. To listen to the entire interview, click here. Valdes’ radio show is broadcast [...] read more »

News outlets are reporting that Israeli warplanes bombed several sites around Gaza early this morning, injuring and killing Palestinians.  The Ma’an News Agency reported that two were injured and that three people were killed, including a child and a 15 year-old boy. The air strikes reportedly targeted tunnels alongside the Egypt-Gaza border in Rafah, as well [...] read more »

Gaza’s coast and the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo: Alex Kane) Occupied Palestinian Territory, Gaza City, Gaza Strip–Had it not been in Palestine, the scene would have been unsuspecting. People laughed and smiled. The Mediterranean Sea sparkled, and waves set the rhythm of the boat. Yet only mentioning that would be a mirage. The boat had set off from [...] read more »

Occupied Palestinian Territory, Gaza City, Gaza Strip—Dr.  Wael Weshah walks the halls of the Shifa Hospital, explaining what working in a medical facility during the Israeli assault on Gaza last winter was like.  While Dr. Weshah is a remarkably jovial man, the hospital was a dark and tragic place during the war. Dr. Wael Weshah It’s been [...] read more »

The question was like an electric shock to the six or so Palestine solidarity activists, including myself, as we were standing inside a classroom at a school in Gaza City. “Why the Palestinians? Why are we the only ones suffering?” asked a Palestinian girl who was probably about nine or ten-years-old. And then the enormity of [...] read more »

The following message is from a youth activist inside Gaza named Majed Abusalama.  It is addressed primarily to the Gaza Freedom Marchers still in Egypt.  Freedom dreamers in Gaza are awaiting the “candles of hope” outside    One year after the Gaza massacre, it gladdens our heart to see all these supporters from around the world who [...] read more »

  Occupied Palestinian Territory, Gaza City, Gaza Strip–About 85 international delegates marched with hundreds of Palestinians in the area of Beit Hanoun in Gaza yesterday afternoon.  The protesters called on Israel, Egypt and the United States to lift the devastating siege on Gaza and to let the over 1,300 delegates from the Gaza Freedom March still [...] read more »

“Saw devastating scenes of destruction today in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Gaza City. Visited schools, so sad, but brought some light.”  Read Alex Kane’s twitter feed at http://twitter.com/alexbkane . read more »

Peace activists and members of CODEPINK show New York solidarity with the people of Gaza. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/4198456667/in/pool-gazafreedommarch Indypendent reporter Alex Kane, who made it into Gaza along with 100 other activists earlier this evening as a part of the Gaza Freedom March, shares why he decided to participate in the Dec. 31 [...] read more »

EL-ARISH, EGYPT–Continuing a pattern of intimidation and harassment, Egyptian authorities are breaking up many Palestine solidarity actions across Egypt. The Egyptian government has still not granted permission for participants in the Gaza Freedom March to cross the border into Gaza, and have broken up demonstrations across Egypt commemorating the over 1,400 Palestinians killed during Israel’s assault on Gaza. [...] read more »

As more and more marchers arrive in Cairo, Egypt (including this reporter, today) for the Gaza Freedom March, the organizers of the historic march have made a personal appeal to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to let the over 1,300 delegates into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. The appeal comes after days of countless e-mails [...] read more »

The Egyptian government has told organizers of the Gaza Freedom March that the Rafah border crossing will be closed into January, delivering a setback for the planned December 31 march in the besieged Gaza Strip.  But with over 1,300 international delegates converging on Cairo this week, the organizers of the march have vowed to press [...] read more »

Peace activists and members of CODEPINK show New York solidarity with the people of Gaza. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/4198456667/in/pool-gazafreedommarch When I tell people I leave for Cairo, Egypt, to join up with Palestine solidarity activists on our way to the Gaza Strip on December 25th, they exclaim, “you’re leaving on Christmas?!” “Yes,” I say.  “Christmas [...] read more »

With the New York City shelter system at virtually full capacity and the economy in turmoil, working homeless families may now have yet another thing to worry about: paying the city rent to keep a roof over their heads. read more »

PHOTO: NYC.gov DHS Commissioner Robert Hess, on the left, with Mayor Bloomberg, center, at a Dec. 22 appearance. A Dec. 9 lawsuit against New York City alleges that homeless men and women are sleeping on benches, floors, and dining room tables, in violation of 1980s-era settlements with the city which established that homeless men [...] read more »

Last week, I reported on Picture the Homeless’ ongoing campaign against JPMorgan Chase.  The homeless-led organization is pressuring Chase bank to utilize the vacant property they own around the city to create affordable, low-income housing.  Picture the Homeless members rallied outside JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters Dec. 3 and delivered a letter to an investment officer demanding [...] read more »

PHOTO: Michael Premo JPMorgan Chase head Jamie Dimon better watch out this Christmas—the homeless are coming to town. At least 30 homeless and housing activists rallied outside the headquarters of banking giant Chase December 2 to demand that the bank utilize their ownership of vacant property in New York City to create housing for poor people [...] read more »

In the latest issue of the Indypendent, I report on Right to the City New York’s efforts to convert luxury condominiums into affordable housing for low-income people. Learn more about the alliance by viewing the video below put together by the IndyVideo team on Right to the City’s demands for New York City. read more »

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Now that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has won re-election to a third term, what does that mean for policies regarding homelessness in New York City? While it was not a huge issue during the election campaign, Democratic mayoral candidate Bill Thompson did, at times, hammer away at Bloomberg’s policies on homelessness. Thompson staked out positions that homeless advocates [...] read more »

Less than a week before Election Day, 5 citywide candidates for public office—minus billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg—spoke at a forum at Trinity Church on Wall St. on poverty, hunger and homelessness in New York City this afternoon. Public Advocate candidates Bill de Blasio (D) and Alex Zablocki (R), Comptroller candidates John Liu (D) and Joe Mendola [...] read more »

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PHOTO: Nesri.org. Raquel Rolnick, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, is touring the U.S. to examine the housing crisis. Last night, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnick, kicked off her nationwide tour by hosting a town hall meeting with New Yorkers affected by the housing crisis. To read more about [...] read more »

Public housing residents, victims of foreclosure, and homeless people gave testimony on New York City’s housing crisis Oct. 22 at a town hall meeting with the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnick. In what was often disturbing and emotional three-minute testimonies, New Yorkers shared stories of unscrupulous landlords, predatory equity firms, and a [...] read more »

PHOTO: Picture the Homeless' blog. Jean Rice, a member of Picture the Homeless, was one of the ten arrested July 23 after occupying a vacant lot for over six hours. Charges of criminal trespassing against ten housing and homeless activists were dropped this morning after a short hearing in the Manhattan Criminal Court building [...] read more »

Photo by Joel Cook. Housing advocates and East Harlem residents rallied March 17 outside a vacant building on Madison Avenue. The action was meant to bring attention to warehoused property that could be used for housing, and to push for the City Council to adopt legislation to combat vacant property. City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito has [...] read more »

Photo by Carlos Sabater Two members of the New York City War Resisters League (WRL) were arrested this evening as part of an anti-Afghanistan War demonstration in Grand Central in Midtown Manhattan. 64-year-old Ed Hedemann and Eric Laursen were taken away in handcuffs by the New York Police Department during a protest marking the 8th anniversary [...] read more »

From left to right: Maya Wind, an Israeli military resister, and Joel Bitar, of Hunter College's Campus Antiwar Network. 19-year-old Israeli military resister Maya Wind spoke to a classroom of about 40 people at Hunter College September 29, sharing why she refused to join the Israel Defense Forces and explaining the numerous facets of [...] read more »

Right to the City members protest outside of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Providence, Rhode Island last June. The local coalition of the national Right to the City Alliance has released a detailed policy platform for New York City, calling for low-income communities to be involved in the allocation of stimulus funds, radical changes to [...] read more »

From left to right: Rob Robinson, Lynn Lewis and Brandon King of Picture the Homeless. Members of the grassroots organization Picture the Homeless shared their experience from a 17-day trip to Budapest, Hungary and drew parallels between marginalized communities in Hungary and the United States at a September 8 evening panel held at the CUNY [...] read more »

Photo: http://www.tonyavellaformayor.com/photos/gallery/2          Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billthompson2009/3850993176/ Not many fireworks went off last night as the two Democratic primary candidates for mayor of New York squared off in a debate at the New York Public Library, the first of two meetings between candidates Bill Thompson, the city controller, and Tony Avella, a council man from Queens. Avella, the underdog [...] read more »

Fed up with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his run for a third term? Other New Yorkers are too, and they’re not expressing that sentiment quietly. A new, free rag has hit the streets of our city, put together by a group calling itself the Fed Up New Yorkers Coalition (FUNY).  Billing itself as “the best of NYC [...] read more »

This post originally appeared on the Gotham Gazette’s Wonkster blog. Photo: Jaisal Noor UPDATE, 7:35 AM, July 24:  The housing activists arrested last evening after taking over a vacant lot were released early this morning, Picture the Homeless reports.  Here’s the full post from their blog: “Dear friends, members, allies, etc, We wanted everyone to know that [...] read more »

This article originally appeared in the Gotham Gazette, where Alex Kane is interning this summer. PHOTO:  JOEL COOK ProtestWarehousing1 On a rainy June evening in the office of Rev. Billy Talen’s mayoral campaign a group of New York activists, part of the Housing Not Warehousing coalition, discussed how to find housing for people who need it. “What’s the quickest [...] read more »

The Indypendent's Alex Kane is blogging live tonight from the event. read more »

Hey all Indypendent readers! Be sure to check in with us later today at around 6:30 or 7:00 PM. I’ll be liveblogging President Barack Obama’s speech that he is giving tonight in Manhattan to the NAACP convention. Happy reading! read more »

The glamorous Grand Ballroom at the New York Hilton Hotel was beginning to fill up with convention goers as the fifth day of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) 100th Anniversary celebration went forward. I took my seat near the front, marveling at the glittery backdrop of the stage. I watched Benjamin [...] read more »

With Albany, after two weeks of stalling, still engulfed in political power plays and petty infighting, important progressive legislation remains tabled. Before Senators Hiram Monseratte (D-Queens) and Pedro Espada, Jr. (D-Bronx, or is it Mamaroneck?) threw the State Senate into disarray when they switched to the Republican side, there was hope that the Democrats would deliver [...] read more »

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Photo by Richard Corman, ACLU.org     When President Obama, in his first days in office, directed the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay to be suspended, pledged to shutter the prison at Guantanamo by the beginning of next year, and closed the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret prison sites around the world, many civil liberties and human [...] read more »

Media reports on Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon’s appointment of former President Bill Clinton as a special UN envoy to Haiti have lauded his role in “helping” Haiti out during his presidential terms. The Associated Press reports, with no irony intended, that, “Clinton has worked to bring aid to Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation…Clinton is [...] read more »

An interesting report recently published from the non-profit Institute for Children and Poverty examines gentrification and its effect on the social landscape of New York City. The report, titled “Pushed Out:  The Hidden Costs of Gentrification:  Displacement and Homelessness,” looks at housing, homelessness, income, and education through the lens of gentrification, and specifically looks at the [...] read more »

60 students entered into a New School University building early in the morning April 10 and occupied it for over five hours before a violent NYPD raid broke the demonstration up, resulting in the arrests of 19 people. The students were calling for the resignation of Bob Kerrey, the embattled President of the New School, and [...] read more »

Channeling widespread populist anger at seemingly never ending bank bailouts and excessive executive compensation, hundreds of demonstrators converged on Wall St. this afternoon for a rally and march through the financial district, even as a steady rain continued throughout the day. Organized by the Bail Out the People Movement (BOPM), protesters held signs and posters reading [...] read more »

Kimberly Rivera, the first female war resister to cross the Canadian border, was granted a temporary stay March 25 by the Federal Court in Canada after facing imminent deportation, granting her some time to fight against the Conservative Canadian government’s attempts to deport her to the United States. Rivera, who served in Iraq in 2006 with [...] read more »

With the number of homeless families hitting record highs, a new plan issued by New York City’s Department of Homeless Services in December has advocates for the homeless worried about a cutback in services for the homeless citywide. Critics of the plan fear that more than 30 faith-based shelters might have to close and that overnight services in many drop-in centers would be eliminated. read more »

PHOTO: Jewssayno.wordpress.com About 900 New York City Jews participated in a twenty-four hour protest outside the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency offices on 3rd Ave. between 40 and 41st St. in Manhattan, calling for justice for the Palestinian people and an end to the occupation of Palestine. The demonstrators came in waves throughout the day, [...] read more »

Judy Rebick has received death threats, been screamed at, and been labeled a “selfhating Jew” for her outspokenness on the Arab-Israeli conflict. But that hasn’t stopped her participation in any of the many Jewish-led and supported actions during Israel’s latest incursion into the impoverished Gaza Strip in Palestine. read more »

Finally!  The eight-year long nightmare of the Bush Administration is coming to an end Tuesday.  Celebrate with the Indypendent by coming on down to the south side of Union Square, where we’ll throw shoes at a portrait of George W.  Bush.  For more information, see below for the press release:  Drawing inspiration from Iraqi journalist Muntadar [...] read more »

Anger and anguish were expressed as thousands of people rallied at Times Square Sunday afternoon, calling for an immediate end to the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, which has entered its third week, and an end to U.S. support for Israel. The rally and march to the Time Warner building near Columbus Circle was organized [...] read more »

Three independent journalists who are suing the New York Police Department and the city over the NYPD’s system for granting press credentials have received previously denied credentials in a partial victory for the plaintiffs, according to a recently released press statement. But the journalists and prominent civil rights attorney Norman Siegel plan to press on with [...] read more »

Scenes of horror continue to unfold in front of the world’s eyes as Israel uses U.S.-made F-16’s to bomb the Gaza Strip in Palestine.  The Israeli strikes have killed nearly 400 Palestinians and wounded about 1600 as Israel’s defense minister vowed “a war to the bitter end against Hamas.”  Israel contends that the military response [...] read more »

The New York Police Department’s system for issuing annual press credentials to journalists is unconstitutional and arbitrary, a federal lawsuit filed Nov. 12 alleges. read more »

  In a significant move for the Hempstead 15, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office has agreed to drop the charges of “disorderly conduct” and “failure to obey a lawful order” against 10 Iraq War veterans and 5 of their supporters when what is known as a six-month “Adjournment to Contemplate Dismissal (ACD)” is finished.   The charges [...] read more »

While no third party presidential candidate was able to crack the one percent threshold in this year’s election, third parties have long been an important part of the electoral process. Historically, third parties have sprung up from across the ideological spectrum. And although none has won the White House since Abraham Lincoln and the newly formed Republican Party [...] read more »

Dozens of people gathered in Hempstead on Monday as members of the Hempstead 15  plead not guilty to the charges of “disorderly conduct” and “failure to obey a lawful order” in a court hearing at the Nassau County District Courthouse. The Hempstead 15, a group of 10 military veterans and 5 civilian supporters, were arrested Oct. [...] read more »

In the midst of all the hoopla and jubilation surrounding the historic win for President-elect Barack Obama comes some sobering numbers for third party presidential candidates, who took on issues the two major parties wouldn’t touch. None of the leading third party candidates received even one percent of the approximately 123 million votes that were cast [...] read more »

Recently released photographs and video from the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) protest outside the final presidential debate in Hempstead, NY on Oct. 15 clearly shows IVAW member Nick Morgan getting trampled on by Nassau County police on horseback, according to Emily Forman of I-Witness Video. The images have emerged less than two weeks before [...] read more »

Ten members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), a group of military veterans calling for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, were arrested outside Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, Oct. 15 in a protest before the final presidential debate. Nassau County police also apprehended five civilians supporting IVAW’s actions. read more »

When New York voters step into the booth Nov. 4 to cast their ballots, there will be five presidential candidates to choose from who are not from the Democratic or Republican tickets. Each campaign, when compared to Barack Obama and John McCain, offers radically different visions for the future of the United States. read more »

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A month after Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin trashed community organizers as a way to attack Barack Obama, activists and individuals around the country have responded by raising more than $7,500 for the "Community Organizers Fight Back Fund." The Chicago-based Midwest Academy is managing the fund and will use the money to train future organizers. During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Sept. 3, Palin remarked that being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, was "sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." read more »

A month after Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin trashed community organizers as a way to attack Barack Obama, activists and individuals around the country have responded by raising more than $7,500 for the "Community Organizers Fight Back Fund." The Chicago-based Midwest Academy is managing the fund and will use the money to train future organizers. During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Sept. 3, Palin remarked that being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, was "sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." read more »

Designed to be a beacon of multiculturalism, KGIA was surrounded by controversy from its inception (see below). Parents, students and educators say that inadequate classroom resources, an unresponsive school administration, lack of support from the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and teacher firings pushed the school to the brink of failure. read more »

DENVER, CO—Although the corporate media is transfixed on the spectacle of a convention centered on a candidate that promises “hope” and “change,” a real agenda for social justice was being pushed forward Aug. 25 just blocks away from Pepsi Center at the Mercury Café on California Street. read more »

Green Party presidential nominee and former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney announced July 9 that New York City’s own Rosa Clemente will be her vice-presidential running mate. read more »

On June 3, the House of Commons passed a non-binding measure, led by members of the top opposition parties, to grant residency to conscientious objectors and end deportation proceedings against them. The resolution supported the Dec. 6, 2007, recommendation by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, that called for the government to immediately implement an asylum program for war resisters. read more »

The borough of Manhattan alone, if warehoused buildings were put back in use, could house New York City’s entire homeless population. read more »

The chain link fences are up around the north end of Union Square Park as the city prepares to launch a $20 million renovation that critics say privileges private business interests over the public good. The overhaul began in 2002 as a $1.9 million initiative by then City Council Member Margarita Lopez to improve two playgrounds on both sides of the pavilion at the north end of Union Square. read more »

Critics of the plan say that the redesign of the park is unnecessary and fear that the Parks Department’s renovation will restrict space for political protest, and change the demographics of the users of the park. read more »

On Jan. 21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 1,000 people marched in freezing weather from WABC headquarters on West 32nd Street to CNN headquarters on West 58th Street. They invoked King’s message of racial equality while focusing on present-day race relations, including the anti-immigrant sentiment espoused by CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, the NYPD shooting death of Sean Bell and the Jena Six case. read more »

Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake facility for homeless families in the Bronx was home to the “sleep-out” protest Dec. 13 against the Department of Homeless Services’ policy of denying people emergency shelter. Frigid temperatures did not keep homeless families, community leaders and activist groups from voicing opposition to the Department of Homeless Services (OHS) policy in the form of a candlelight vigil, defiant chants and a press conference. read more »

From upcoming pickets by striking workers, and rallies for universal health care or affordable housing to freegan workshops and announcements about progressive film showings, readings, or good old antiwar protests, the New York City Activist and Protest Calendars have become indispensable resources for many in New York’s progressive circles. read more »