Breaking News

Governor Vetoes Farm worker Overtime, As Arizona Revolts even after Judge Ruling


Protesters in Arizona square off against police over racist anti-immigration laws.

Protests were carried out across Arizona, despite judges halting the carrying out of the most controversial sections of racist anti-immigrant legislation SB-1070. According to the SB-1070 Resistance Blog, outside of Tucson:

A group calling itself "Freedom for Arizona" said it planned to cover the southbound lanes of I-19 with tires covered in tar and broken glass to shut down "the very road that is used to deport people deemed 'illegal' as well as a direct disruption of the flow of capital," the group said in a news release.

Read the full communique here. More info on ongoing resistance can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Governor vetoed a bill that would allow farm workers to receive overtime after working 8 hours a day. This ruling by the Governor is disgusting, again keeping hard working people and the families that they support locked in poverty.


The governor "has decided not to end this vestige of a caste system of farm labor that treats California farm workers as if they are not important workers or important human beings," UFW (United Farm Workers) president Arturo Rodriguez said in a statement.

Modesto Area Continues to face Massive Foreclosures

The foreclosure crisis is far from over. Millions of more hard working and poor people are set to lose their homes as banks and businesses continue to grow rich off of our backs and bailout cash. According to the Modesto Bee:

Households across a majority of large U.S. cities received more foreclosure warnings in the first six months of this year than in the first half of 2009, new data shows.More than 1 million American households are likely to lose their homes to foreclosure this year, the firm said. That translates to one in 78 U.S. homes. Of the top 10 hardest-hit metro areas, Modesto is listed as third and Merced fourth. Stockton is sixth.

As foreclosures continue to skyrocket, the need is even greater for people to stand up to the big banks and businesses and not move from there homes no matter what. One successful example of this was the occupation of the California Valley Miwok Tribe foreclosed home in Stockton in early 2010.

Police Continue to Murder Across the Valley


In Bakersfield, a police officer that has been in three shootings in the last two months, has killed a 15 year old child. A witness stated, "They shot at the suspects for no reason. The people in the car really didn't have a chance to surrender." According to a local paper:

In recent history, Sgt. Jon Scott had eight shootings -- including three fatal when he was among other officers shooting at suspects -- in a 13-year span that began in 1993, police reported. And in the 1980s, Bruce Adair had four shootings in his first four years on the force, two of them fatal.

The murder of the young man mirrors the also recent murder of James in Stockton, which we also reported on.

Stockton Police Murder James Rivera, 16

According to the We Are All Oscar Grant blog:

James Rivera was murdered by Stockton Police Officer Eric Azarvand, a 14-year department veteran; Officer Gregory Dunn, with the department eight years; and San Joaquin County sheriff's deputy John Thomas Nesbitt, with 11 years at the sheriff's department on July 22, 2010.

On the morning of July 22 at around 11:30 16 year old James Rivera was assassinated in premeditated murder, according to his family and witnesses.

According to James Rivera's mother police came to her house late at night/early morning before the murder and terrorized the family. Police held guns at 2 even younger children and told them they were going to kill him.

Later, according to friends, he was pulled over then released and then chased. As he crashed into a fence and made a u turn , police rammed the back of the blue van which caused the van to go out of control. The van went onto a lawn of a corner house on Salters Dr and Bancroft Way, finally crashed straight into the garage wall where the van seemed to be lodged into.


Officers exited their vehicles and asked James to exit the van twice but 2 seconds later they began to shoot. Over 30 rounds have been estimated to be found. They executed those rounds with 9mm handguns and fully automatic M-16 assault riffles.

Witnesses say that the ambulance arrived with out their sirens and left without them, as if there was no urgency. The people believe that he was dead at the scene. They saw officers pull him out and slap his face and then do nothing.

Reporters are saying that police stated the pursuit began at 10:30 after finding the van that had been part of a carjacking with a shotgun. It has not been said if this was the van, and the police do not mention any previous encounters with James Rivera.


The media has yet to report the truth, i know we heard the people speak the truth and that's not what they are printing.

People came out in rage of what they had just witnessed. "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE" the people chanted until the officials Chaplin later came to them and asked them to be quiet.

in the Stockton Record Stockton Police Spokesperson Pete Smith agreed that the crowd was "upset and very vocal about their concerns" but was also recorded threatening the community "Let officers complete their investigation and not unduly create any other situations that would need any kind of police investigation"

Although the people continued to chant after the Chaplin told a couple that it would do them no good, people realized the importance of speaking up for injustices like this one. There will be a BBQ on Friday July 23, to celebrate James Rivera's 17th birthday and to empower the community.


Later that night while people continued to observe and exercise their freedom of speech the police harassed a young man for not having a light on his bike which he rode from literally across the street after insulting the officers behavior. Apparently the cop who cited the young man was making jokes and laughing at James Rivera's mother and made her leave in tears.

Witnesses say he was doing it in retaliation for calling out names. The same cop threw a glass bottle at the street where several young children were standing in their yard. The glass broke and shattered very close to the childrens feet.

For more info, check out the article in the Stockton Record here.

Anti-Police Brutality Forum Set for Wednesday in Stockton

Rampant police brutality, murder, death in local jails, the rising of deaths due to tasers...all are out of control in the Central Valley. Local legal aid programs receive a high volume of cases in relation to out of control police, who answer to no one but their own commanders and police bosses. Internal affairs, a department that looks into wrong doings by police, are composed of police themselves, and do nothing to stop the tide of police wrong doings. Many 'liberal' cities in the bay area and beyond, have police review boards, which appoint people who can at the best, bring investigations against the police. Many have no power what so ever, and people on the street and in jail are still subject to the loss of their rights and lives at any time.

Many people in the valley are looking for answers outside of the police process. Many are taking to the streets and forming Copwatch groups, which watch and monitor the police and create a counter power to their state sanctioned violence. A forum is set for Wednesday in Stockton, to bring these issues to the forefront, and get people in the valley talking to each other about what they want to do. Unlike other community meetings organized in Modesto and beyond, the POLICE WILL NOT BE THERE! At least, not dressed in uniform...

New Videos Up Now!

Protest at CSU Stanislaus of Sarash Palin


Get Up Stay Up Graffiti Festival


Testament and Illogik at Firehouse and Miwok Occupation


West Side Community BBQ


Underground Open mike Night


Anarchist Cafe


Keep Ya Head Up Graffiti Fest


Hip Hop at Graceada Park

Photo Of the Day

Nurses and patients in French Camp, near Stockton, hold an information picket over the laying off of 14 workers at San Joaquin General Hospital.

Public Space from 11am - 1pm

The City of Modesto is trying to throw poor people in the downtown a bone. They will be shutting down Paperboy Park until the 16th, after which the park will be turned over to the McHenry Mansion, which will allow people to use the park after paying a fee. The park will be open to the public however, from 11am until 1pm. For more information, check out the article in the Modesto Bee here.

In other news, police in Fresno on the 4th of July drew shotguns on a young group of Copwatchers who wore bandannas while filming police interactions in an attempt to stop abuse and harassment. Many of those participating in the Copwatching were young Latinos. View the video below.

Bailouts For the Police?

Anti-police graffiti messages left in Merced several months ago...

Recently in Merced, (where cops take the time to keep us safe from working class Latinos selling us cheap fruit), police received a new armored Hummer. According to the Modesto Bee:

The Merced County Sheriff's Department unveiled its new 2010 Lenco Bearcat last week, a tactical armored vehicle that will be used by the department's
Special Weapons and Tactics officers in emergency situations.

The $300,000 vehicle was purchased with grant funds from the Department of Homeland Security, said Sheriff Mark Pazin. He added that no money from the county's general fund was used.

This is not the first time that law enforcement has received aid and training from the Department of Homeland Security. Recently, police in Modesto and across the Central Valley got training in how to deal with protesters, in part, for the upcoming protests against Sarah Palin at CSU Stanislaus.

Also, numerous valley cities have gotten grants with the Department for installations of high tech video surveillance systems. Check out the article "The Pigs Eye in the Sky" from Modesto Anarcho #3 for more info.

We live in a time where the federal government, whether "right" or "left" is banking on repression. Isn't it time that we get organized ourselves?

Attacks on Working People Continue in California

California State Workers Pay Threatened



Once again, the Governor has ordered most state workers’ paychecks slashed to the federal minimum wage -- $7.25 per hour -- now that California has entered a new budget year without a spending plan. According to the SEIU, which represents many state workers:

The pay reduction, if ordered by the governor, would be reflected in the Aug. 1 paycheck for most state employees. The appeal of this ruling will be heard on June 21, in the 3rd District Court of Appeal. Since July 2008 we have been on the roller coaster of this governor's whims. It's been tough and it will probably get tougher. It is important for all of us to stand united as we fight for our families, our future and for California.

State workers have already taken a 15 percent pay cut and have been put on various furlough days. This means that state workers have increased work loads while getting less pay, and other working and poor people who depend on their services have to wait longer and get less services. Many people respond to state workers angry over pay cuts and furloughs that they should stop complaining, because they make ok money and receive good benefits. However, this is largely because (like nurses) state workers have fought for these things through strikes and struggle.

To all state workers - why wait for the union to negotiate with those in Sacramento? What we need is a general strike across all sectors that takes a kidney punch right to the rich. Walk out, strike, demand no pay cuts, no furloughs, no layoffs! We need a strike that is in our hands, not those of bureaucrats and across all sectors.

Shirvani Appoints College Republican President to Foundation Board at CSU Stanislaus


The California State University Board of Trustees has raised school fees by 5% in 2010, (on top of the 32% last year). The President of the University, Shirvani, states clearly that he does not believe in "free" education, nor does he believe that it is a "right." Instead, he wants to raise fees, cut classes, and revamp the entire institution. Shirvani was also in hot water recently for bringing former Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin to the campus, which drew large protests. Now, President Shirvani has chosen a new rep for the Foundation Board, which directs grant funds for students. The new candidate is CSU Stanislaus own president of the College Republicans (who also received free tickets to go see Sarah Palin), Marie Brichetto. Just the person you want handing out student aid right?! - someone who thinks that only the rich should attend college. As a banner read last year at a demonstration outside of Shirvani's home, "Shirvani out! Hella Class War!"

We Are All Oscar Grant!

As regular readers of Modesto Anarcho know, police brutality, harassment, murder, and abuse, are all issues that we cover heavily in our magazine. In the past year, many people have died in the local county jail at the hands of police neglect and tasers, as well as all of those who have have died on the streets as a result of a police encournter. As every poor person in the Central Valley knows, the police act as a unit and look at for each other. They will lie on the stand, in court, in paper work, and if need be, intimidate and threaten those that attempt to speak out against them.

While doing Copwatch in Modesto, one of the things that we hear most often from people on the street is, "Oh I know MPD is fucked up, they beat the shit out of me..." It is almost cliche to talk about police abuse in this area, because the police control and influence so much of the power structure. The Modesto Bee prints things always favorable to their side. When a publication like Modesto Anarcho then steps up to take the police head on, they react with repression. For instance, several months ago, the police threatened the owner of a corner store if he did not take out a free box stocked with copies of our magazine from his property. Fearing for his safety, he did so.


As the author Kristian Williams explained in his book, Our Enemies in Blue, the police force in the United States is a result of the power structure seeking to keep class and racial divisions in place. In the north, the modern police force grew out of a desire to keep strikes by workers from turning into full scale insurretions. In the south, it was established to keep blacks and those on the border squarely in their place as a lower class of workers that could be exploited for the sake of white capitalists.



Recently, there is a new blog that has stared in the Central Valley to chronicle the violence of the police in the local area and make connections with those in the bay area who are struggling for Justice for Oscar Grant. View the blog here.


Oscar Grant, was a young black father from the bay area who worked as a butcher, he was shot on New Years day 2009. If you haven't seen the video, which shows Oscar unarmed on the ground as a white police officer shoots him in the back, you need to watch it. Outrage over the murder brought people out into the streets of Oakland, where people rioted and fought the police. The riots focused attention to the murder and forced the state to charge Oscar's killer with murder - a first in many years. The slogan, "We are all Oscar Grant" serves to remind people that to the police, we are all potential murder victims, especially poor and people of color.


Now, with the trail coming to an end, people are calling for everyone to assemble at 14th and Broadway in Oakland when the verdict is read. Whether in Modesto or Oakland - SEE YOU IN THE STREETS!