At this year’s Red Umbrella Day I learned that the West Mesa murders were now a cold case. My first thought was that NO this couldn’t be true. But sadly it is. Checking the Albuquerque Police link on the murders confirms. Damnit!
The most recent news I could find was this story. From KRQE: Serial murder case on business cards
“A unique new business card is about to go into circulation that detectives hope will help find the killer of the 11 women found buried on Albuquerque’s west mesa in 2009.
The 2-year-old case has seen a lot of publicity since the first bone was discovered by a woman walking her dog. It’s even been broadcast on a national television show.
This will be the first time that the serial murder case is printed on a business card.”
On one hand I’m glad the Albuquerque Police is still trying to solve these murders. On the other hand I can’t help but think how much the APD itself has hurt the case. How? The Southwest Companions bust that’s how.
NM escorts and prostitutes have lost business and now can’t even trust each other because they fear one of their own may now be an informant. But most importantly a site that gave them the ability to verify a client’s reputation is now gone. This bust didn’t magically make prostitution disappear in New Mexico. I think it just makes these women take more risks to make money.
If one of these women has information about the case can we really expect her to confide in a police department that says it cares about the West Mesa victims but is putting living sex workers lives at risk by shutting down SW Companions? I don’t think so.
We will remember the West Mesa victims. And we will continue to hope for justice.
It’s that time of year again-holiday giving. If you can give to charity I encourage you to give to the following groups. Some are a repeat from last year, some are new.
American Civil Liberties Union
“The ACLU is our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
(snip)
The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities.
If the rights of society’s most vulnerable members are denied, everybody’s rights are imperiled.”
With the current loom of the indefinite detention becoming law the ACLU is one of the most important organizations out there fighting for our freedoms.
—
Circle Sanctuary
“Circle, also known as Circle Sanctuary, is a non-profit international Nature Spirituality resource center and legally recognized Shamanic Wiccan church. Founded in 1974, Circle helps people from many spiritual orientations connect with each other as well as with the spiritual dimensions of Nature. Circle’s executive directors, Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter, work together with staff and volunteers to carry out a variety of activities and services
As a Pagan I want to highlight Circle Sanctuary. They have been around for years and are an excellent resources for us Pagans.
—
Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 61,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.”
Like the ACLU the EFF is one of the most important organizations fighting for a freedom. With the loom of SOPA happening it’s vital we support them.
—
Food Not Bombs
“We recover food that would have been discarded and share it as a way of protesting war and poverty. With fifty cents of every U.S. federal tax dollar going to the military and forty percent of our food being discarded while so many people were struggling to feed their families that we could inspire the public to press for military spending to be redirected to human needs. We also reduce food waste and meet the direct need our our community by collecting discarded food, preparing vegan meals that we share with the hungry while providing literature about the need to change our society. Food Not Bombs also provides food to protesters, striking workers and organize food releif after natural and political crisis.”
Food Not Bombs is a great group though they don’t think of themselves as a charity. They run on the simple idea that we should feed the hungry instead of dropping bombs on people. They were one of the first groups at Ground Zero and at Katrina to feed the hungry. They are an awesome and important group.
—
Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP)
“Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA is a national social justice network dedicated to the fundamental human rights of sex workers and their communities, focusing on ending violence and stigma through education and advocacy.”
SWOP does such good work. We sex workers need more groups like them.
From Women With A Vision: December 2nd: Save the Date! Summit on Sex Work in the South
“On December 2nd, 2011, Women With A Vision is joining forces with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Asheville Sex Worker Outreach Project, Sex Workers Without Borders, North Carolina Sex Workers Alliance and Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS) to host the first regional Summit on Sex Work in the South. Attendees include the awesome Human Rights Watch and other national allies.
We will be discussing sex work in the South, human rights & sex work, the negative public health & criminal justice effects of criminalization of condoms, advocacy for sex worker related issues, risk reduction for sex workers, drug use & sex work, bad date reporting and more!”
If I were in the area I think I’d go to this.
—
From Self Served: Haystacks, Fucking, and Needles: Is Sex Work a Cop-out?
“Let’s talk about the world’s oldest profession. In my experience, the societal view of sex work claims it’s easy. Women and men who choose sex work, our culture tells us, are throwing away their education, or should go make something better of themselves, because exchanging sex or sexuality for money is a drag on society, morally corrupt, and a waste of one’s talents. For this blog, we’re going to examine the last stereotype—that being a sex worker wastes a person’s talents because it is easy. The implied idea in this stereotype whispers: “You’re such a smart/pretty/talented/capable girl; you come from such a good family/religion/socio-economic status; why are you doing this?”
I don’t know that I can argue that being a sex worker is easy, even for the sake of argument. I do know that not everyone can do it.”
My friend Sera Miles is blogging over at Self Served, a hip sex store in New Mexico that gives a discount to sex workers. In this post he writes about traits sex workers need to have to do well in the industry. It’s a good read.
—
Found via Tits and Sass: Why are sex workers and their allies occupying Wall Street?
“In the last four weeks, many have been wondering what has driven people to Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and bring attention to the economic situation that has developed in our country. Critics have argued that so many issues are being discussed and that so many disparate groups have joined forces, that the occupation has no cohesive message, purpose, or goals. As our group of sex workers and allies stood in solidarity with our fellow revolutionaries Wednesday, October 5th at the rally at Foley Square in New York, it was apparent that we were included in that critique or question. What were we doing there? What was our purpose? What was our message? And how do sex workers’ rights connect to the larger OWS movement?
Those of us who were there, or who are active in the sex workers’ rights movement generally, have no doubt about how we fit within OWS and how OWS fits within our movement. United, in solidarity, with everyone coming together in Zuccotti Park and in all the plazas nationwide, we can bring about greater change. After the rally, we decided to highlight the points that bring together our intersecting movements and realities.”
Yes, yes and yes. This post is from last month but is still a good read. I wholeheartedly agree with it!
SWAAY’s text-only billboard reads, “Sex worker: a person who consensually exchanges their own sexual labor or sexual performance for compensation. Sex work is not the same as forced sex trafficking or sex slavery. Learn about the people and facts behind sex work at SWAAY.org.” Any variation of the group’s message was banned by Clear Channel, CBS, Lamar, Regency, Van Wagner, Avant Outdoor, LA Transit Authority, and Outdoor Solutions, but was finally picked up by a mobile billboard company.
The sex workers’ rights billboard was paid for by 115 supporters on EpicStep.com, a Kickstarter-like website that allows grassroots activist groups to crowdsource the funding of a media campaign. Previous billboards successfully launched through Epic Step include messages in support of WikiLeaks and accused war crimes whistle-blower Bradley Manning.”
While a billboard would have been awesome I’m glad SWAAY got the mobile billboard as a backup. It’s so nutty that the simple definition of a sex worker is considered controversial. Let’s hope this campaign gets bigger and goes nationwide.
I majored in journalism in college for awhile and am struck by the above image. Of all the images coming out of the Occupy Wallstreet movement this one of veteran Scott Olsen being carried away after Oakland police injured him is the most breathtaking. BagNotes analyzes the photo here. A commenter over there remarked how the photo looked like the Descent from the Cross paintings. I can see it. You have the injured martyr figure being carried down from the makeshift lamppost cross in the background by mourners.
If you don’t know the story Olsen was at Occupy Oakland when he was struck by a tear gas canister. He has a skull fracture and was until recently in critical condition. Video of the incident shows police throwing the tear gas canister at him. I suppose I should put “allegedly” in front of that. After watching the video tough it seems pretty clear to me what happened. Video of Olsen getting hit with tear gas is here and him being carried away by fellow protesters is here. (searching YouTube will give more videos from different angles) In the first video you can see the police throw more tear gas at the protesters who ran towards Olsen to carry him to safety. The irony of a US Veteran surviving two tours in Iraq getting critically injured in the US by police is staggering.
Call for Vigils for Scott at Occupations Everywhere
Occupy Oakland contact:
Matt Howard, Iraq Veterans Against the War Bay Area
415 819-6430, matt.dubya.howard @gmail.com
National contact, to arrange interviews with veterans:
Joseph Carter, Iraq Veterans Against the War national office:
253-777-6117, josephcarter @ivaw.org
This morning Occupy Oakland and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) put out a call for occupations across America and around the world to hold solidarity vigils for Scott Olsen, a former Marine and two time Iraq War veteran. Olsen sustained a skull fracture after being shot in the head on October 25 with a police projectile while peacefully participating in an Occupy Oakland march.”
—
From Reuters: Injured soldier spurs veteran support for “Occupy”
“A former soldier wounded in a protest on the streets of Oakland after surviving two tours in Iraq has put a new face on the ‘Occupy’ movement by galvanizing veteran backing for the push against economic inequality in the United States.”
It’s sad that it took a critical injury to force news coverage away from the dirty hippie tent city angle. Not all news agencies of course but some of it was pretty bad.
Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine struck in the head during Wall Street protests on Tuesday night, had been upgraded from critical to fair condition overnight.”
However, the decision doesn’t mean the nationally known political science scholar is out of hot water.
It’s a move that buys the D.A. and the police more time to analyze evidence and the build their case against Garcia and other men busted in what police call a prostitution ring.”
I’d been hearing some NM rumors that the case against Garcia was falling apart. I don’t like this whole “buying time” bit. If prosecutors don’t have a case then they shouldn’t file charges in the first place.
—
From the Advocate: A Gay Grandson to an Evangelical Empire
“Ten years later, Potts sits in front of an emotional crowd — many of them Oral Roberts University alumni — inside the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center to speak about his perspective on faith and sexuality, as he often does as a member of the Liberty Education Forum’s speakers bureau. He shakes his head, smiles a honeydew grin that belies memories big enough to break through stained-glass windows, and then begins sharing them. Potts continues to measure his former self — the closeted grandchild of televangelist Oral Roberts — against the one we see onstage: a proud, openly gay man.
(snip)
Oral Roberts pioneered TV evangelism, conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents, and founded Oral Roberts University and the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association —a holy empire that was worth more than half a billion dollars. He would also achieve worldwide notoriety after he claimed that God “would take him home” unless his followers raised $8 million in cash.”
Congrats to Randy Roberts Potts for speaking his truth!
As United States Ambassador to the United Nations under the Nixon Administration, President George H.W. Bush (the first President Bush) wrote a letter to Alan Guttmacher (founder of the Guttmacher Institute) congratulating him on creation of a “family planning” stamp commemorating (gasp!!) Margaret Sanger.”
Considering how many anti-choice laws are being hurled Planned Parenthood’s way these days it’s important to remember the Bush’s family one time spot on their board.
—
Found via Tits and Sass: Get on the bus: St. James Infirmary’s new sex worker PSAs are
“St. James Infirmary has been providing free, non-judgmental medical and social services for sex workers since 1999. This week, it’ll take the next step. The clinic is putting ads up in Muni buses throughout the city this month meant to educate and inspire Muni riders throughout the city.
A statement from New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway explained that the park’s owners were “postponing their scheduled cleaning of the park, and for the time being withdrawing their request from earlier in the week for police assistance during their cleaning operation.”
“Our position has been consistent throughout: the City’s role is to protect public health and safety, to enforce the law, and guarantee the rights of all New Yorkers,” Holloway explained. “Brookfield believes they can work out an arrangement with the protesters that will ensure the park remains clean, safe, available for public use and that the situation is respectful of residents and businesses downtown, and we will continue to monitor the situation.””
Wow did Occupy WallStreet go viral! Are you following this?! It’s crazy, inspiring and revolutionary.
Some links:
From Adbusters:
“#OCCUPYWALLSTREET is a people powered movement for democracy that began in America on September 17 with an encampment in the financial district of New York City. Inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and the Spanish acampadas, we vow to end the monied corruption of our democracy … join us! We’re now in DAY 22.”
The above link also has a live stream of Occupy WallStreet.
—
From Occupy Together:
“Welcome to OCCUPY TOGETHER, an unofficial hub for all of the events springing up across the country in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. As we have followed the news on facebook, twitter, and the various live feeds across the internet, we felt compelled to build a site that would help spread the word as more protests organize across the world. We hope to provide people with information about events that are organizing, ongoing, and building across the U.S. as we, the 99%, take action against the greed and corruption of the 1%.”
Occupy Together has a lot of info on their site.
—
From Reddit: OWS: The US vs International Media
“The limited coverage the Occupy Wall Street protest has had from US media has been dismissed on the claim that the protesters “lack a clear objective” other than to protest. This line is widely parroted.
AP via CBS, NPR, ABC, Forbes, Newsday, MSN Money, and many others.
(snip)
vaslittlecrow made a great post that spells out why the US media coverage is currently dismissive, what to expect next, and how this movement may survive becoming the next “Tea Party”.
The media in the US is lying. The protesters are diverse, but have some general unifying objectives. The non-US media sees that.”
This is a great post to see how the international media is covering the protests.
From Forbes: Some Say Occupy Wall Street Protesters Aimless; Facts Say Otherwise
“There has been a lot said about the lack of vision, lack of specific demands, and a disparity of beliefs and goals among the Occupy Wall Street protesters in the media in the past several weeks. A survey of the protestors shows that none of these criticisms are true.”
There are some good statistics in this post.
—
Is there a protest near you? Click here to find out.
From Daily Kos: UPDATE-Anonymous YouTube video censored
“This video was originally uploaded early this AM. I know, I watched it and bookmarked it to post later. When I went looking for it, it was… gone.
Anons have re-uploaded it, but it may well be taken down again. If you have the ability and will to do so, please copy and re-upload.
Below the orange solidarity squiggle, the transcription,and an UPDATE.”
The link above has the video transcript. Here’s a direct link to the video which may get pulled.
From Tits and Sass: Long Island Serial Killer Update
“Here’s the deeply depressing, and depressingly unsurprisingly verdict: two of the unidentified victims found on Gilgo Beach were likely working as prostitutes. One was an Asian male whose body was found in women’s clothing. He’s the only man among the ten bodies uncovered thus far. (Edit: Dacia has pointed out that the victim may have identified as a trans woman.) The five identified victims were all escorts.”
If you want to tell Suffolk County officials to give sex workers amnesty you can find details here.
From The Star: Prostitute turned Osgoode law student found dead
“Babcock was, of course, anything but normal: A homeless teenage prostitute who became a prominent activist and then a student at York University’s prestigious Osgoode Hall Law School.
(snip)
She was found dead in her home on Tuesday. She was 32.
A police spokesperson said there were no signs of foul play. Babcock had attempted suicide on several prior occasions, and she struggled with mental health issues even as her difficult life appeared to be improving.”
What an inspiring activist and what a sad, sad ending. Thank you to reader Nanette for sending in this story.
Iriepa had sex-change surgery in 2007 as part of a pilot program that began in earnest the following year and made gender-reassignment procedures part of the island’s universal health care system. One other transgender woman married many years ago, but Iriepa is the first to do so under the new policy.”
Can you imagine if the US health care plan paid for people’s sex changes? How progressive would that be? Go Cuba! Thanks to reader M for sending in this tip.
—
From KOB: Officials report APD officer made inappropriate contact with an escort
“Albuquerque Police Department have just released information concerning a uniformed field services officer with the department and inappropriate contact with an escort in reference to helping her with pending charges on an on-going criminal case.
According to officials, members of the APD Vice Unit conducted an undercover operation on Wednesday where the officer made contact with a decoy escort working with Albuquerque police.
According to a criminal complaint, 15-year APD veteran Matthew Kindle arranged to have a former female APD informant who had moved to Oregon travel back to Albuquerque to see him. Kindle told the her he was going to help her out with charges pending against her.”
I’ve heard stories of police blackmailing escorts in this fashion. This offer’s arrest is certainly interesting in light of the recent prostitution bust in Albuquerque. Thanks to reader T for sending in this tip.
—
This Sex News Roundup was all reader submissions which I always appreciate. If you’d like to send me news links you can email me at radicalvixenatgmaildotcom
From SF Gate: Transgender woman settles DMV suit
“A transgender woman who went to the Department of Motor Vehicles in San Francisco to record her sex change - and then got a letter from a DMV clerk saying homosexual acts were “an abomination that leads to hell” - will receive a $55,000 legal settlement, her lawyers said Monday.
Attorneys said Amber Yust’s settlement includes $40,000 from the state and $15,000 from Thomas Demartini, who was suspended with pay by the DMV shortly after the incident and quit his job in December.
(snip)
The department also agreed to work with the Transgender Law Center on staff training, said Kristina Wertz, legal director of the center.”
—
Good for her for following seeking justice. The harassment against her was so unacceptable and just plain creepy. I’m glad to see the SF DMV will work on staff training.
Another preview Ms. Magazine sent me is an article titled “Sex, Lies & Hush Money”. This was a great article! Hmm, I should rephrase that. This was an excellent piece of investigative journalism. The subject matter was not great-crooked politicians, sexual harassment, broken federal laws and several cover ups. The writing was excellent and I was totally pulled into the story.
From the intro:
“This is the story of an illicit sexual relationship between a powerful U.S. senator and his female campaign treasurer, and of the equally powerful male political figures who allegedly helped cover it up. It’s a story where so-called family values and religiosity meet abuse of power. And it’s the story of a handful of no-nonsense women watchdogs who have been trying to bring the culprits to justice.
The man at the center of this story is now-former U.S. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who earned a 100-percent approval rating from the “pro-family” Christian Coalition. He stepped down from Congress on May 3, just a day before he was to give a deposition under oath to the Senate Ethics Committee—which had spent nearly two years investigating his actions. On May 10, the committee issued its stunning report, detailing “substantial credible evidence” that Ensign had violated federal criminal and civil laws, including lying to federal investigators about illegal payments to the woman and her husband.
Still seated in Congress is another major player in the saga, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)—another powerful conservative Republican, who has advocated the death penalty for abortion providers. Coburn, whose name is throughout the report, may have played a central role in trying to negotiate a settlement with the woman’s husband (also an employee of Ensign’s)—though Coburn has denied this. And playing a minor but still-telling role in the report is the former Pennsylvania Republican senator and staunch social conservative Rick Santorum, who alerted Ensign to the fact that the whole sordid tale was about to be leaked to the media.”
This article was upsetting but sadly not a surprise. No one’s really surprised that politicians use their power, connections and money to not only break laws but to escape punishment as well. But it’s enraging that this is the norm. How can we change it? By doing what the women featured in this story are doing-slowing chipping away at this norm. Activist work like this is some of the hardest I think-doggedly filing complaints, making the phone calls, getting the word out, jumping through the hoops in the “system” to try to create change. These women deserve recognition for their efforts.
Andy they are certainly an inspiration. So is the reporting-Ms. Magazine takes you through the story and makes an excellent case. By the end I was convinced that the politicians they named were in on the cover up. Excellent writing Ms.!
The UK riots-have you been a news junkie like me today? For the last few hours I’ve been reading online and watching videos. Seeing the riot fires in London is somehow surreal and I’m not sure why. I didn’t get that feeling after the Vancouver riots. Maybe it’s the way they’re spreading from city to city like an invisible fuse is slowing burning through the country.
Here’s some of what I’ve been reading:
General news about the riots can be found at the BBC’s Live: UK riots page. Some riot photos can be seen here and also at this Flickr group.
From SkyNews: Man Shot By Police ‘Did Not Open Fire’
“The victim of a police shooting did not fire at officers before he was killed, according to a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
An IPCC ballistics report said there was “no evidence” that a handgun found near where Mark Duggan was shot by armed officers had been used.
The 29-year-old died after a gunshot to the chest on Thursday. The death sparked the first night of rioting in London in Tottenham.”
And two commentary pieces that make some very good points.
From Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.
“Violence is rarely mindless. The politics of a burning building, a smashed-in shop or a young man shot by police may be obscured even to those who lit the rags or fired the gun, but the politics are there. Unquestionably there is far, far more to these riots than the death of Mark Duggan, whose shooting sparked off the unrest on Saturday, when two police cars were set alight after a five-hour vigil at Tottenham police station. A peaceful protest over the death of a man at police hands, in a community where locals have been given every reason to mistrust the forces of law and order, is one sort of political statement. Raiding shops for technology and trainers that cost ten times as much as the benefits you’re no longer entitled to is another. A co-ordinated, viral wave of civil unrest across the poorest boroughs of Britain, with young people coming from across the capital and the country to battle the police, is another.
(snip)
Riots are about power, and they are about catharsis. They are not about poor parenting, or youth services being cut, or any of the other snap explanations that media pundits have been trotting out: structural inequalities, as a friend of mine remarked today, are not solved by a few pool tables. People riot because it makes them feel powerful, even if only for a night. People riot because they have spent their whole lives being told that they are good for nothing, and they realise that together they can do anything – literally, anything at all. People to whom respect has never been shown riot because they feel they have little reason to show respect themselves, and it spreads like fire on a warm summer night. And now people have lost their homes, and the country is tearing itself apart.”
The above blogger wrote her post while there was rioting nearby. I don’t think I could stay calm enough to not only blog but to make excellent social commentary too. Impressive.
And another commentary, this time from the Guardian: There is a context to London’s riots that can’t be ignored
“Since the coalition came to power just over a year ago, the country has seen multiple student protests, occupations of dozens of universities, several strikes, a half-a-million-strong trade union march and now unrest on the streets of the capital (preceded by clashes with Bristol police in Stokes Croft earlier in the year). Each of these events was sparked by a different cause, yet all take place against a backdrop of brutal cuts and enforced austerity measures. The government knows very well that it is taking a gamble, and that its policies run the risk of sparking mass unrest on a scale we haven’t seen since the early 1980s. With people taking to the streets of Tottenham, Edmonton, Brixton and elsewhere over the past few nights, we could be about to see the government enter a sustained and serious losing streak.
The policies of the past year may have clarified the division between the entitled and the dispossessed in extreme terms, but the context for social unrest cuts much deeper. The fatal shooting of Mark Duggan last Thursday, where it appears, contrary to initial accounts, that only police bullets were fired, is another tragic event in a longer history of the Metropolitan police’s treatment of ordinary Londoners, especially those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and the singling out of specific areas and individuals for monitoring, stop and search and daily harassment.”
