UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors.

KPFA - UpFront

UpFront – February 15, 2022

[caption id="attachment_375793" align="alignnone" width="603"] A truck displays signs protesting Canada's COVID vaccine mandate. | Image by Ana Krachkovskaya, 2022.[/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - We discuss the Ottawa truckers' protest with Tracey Lindeman (@traceylindeman [1]), a freelance journalist near Ottawa who has been covering the protest for The Guardian and the Associated Press. 0:20 - Program Director of ALMAS, Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias, a domestic worker organizing project of the Graton Day Labor Center [2], Renee Saucedo (@ReneeSaucedo1 [3]) joins us to discuss their one day protest. 0:33 - Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health joins us to discuss the latest COVID science and answer listener questions. 1:08 - Mark Osler (@Oslerguy [4]), professor of law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota and a former federal prosecutor joins us to discuss the federal trial against the three other Minneapolis Police Officers charged in George Floyd's killing. 1:25 - Moses Omolade, Westlake Middle School administrator joins us on the 14th day of his hunger strike. 1:33 - We discuss the oversight of Oakland’s FCMAT—Financial Crisis Management Assistance Team with Kitty Kelly Epstein, educator, scholar, and host of KPFA's Education Today [5], Pecolia Manigo [6], co-director of Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network and member of the Reparations for Black Students Coalition, and Clarissa Doutherd [7], Executive Director of Parent Voices Oakland. [1] https://twitter.com/traceylindeman [2] https://www.gratondaylabor.org/ [3] https://twitter.com/ReneeSaucedo1 [4] https://twitter.com/Oslerguy [5] https://kpfa.org/program/education-today/ [6] https://twitter.com/SistahPecolia [7] https://twitter.com/msclarissaellen

Ottawa truckers protest Canada’s vaccine mandate; COVID science with Dr. Swartzberg; Plus FCMAT, the entity managing OUSD’s fiscal crisis since 2003

[caption id="attachment_375574" align="alignnone" width="603"] Portrait of Harriet Tubman taken circa 1868. | Library of Congress — Photograph by Benjamin Powelson.[/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Kalonji Jama (@kalonjichanga [1]), National Coordinator of the FTP Movement (@FTPMovement [2]) joins us to discuss their campaign to provide housing for aging civil rights and human rights activists. 0:33 - Dr. Greg Carr (@AfricanaCarr [3]), Associate Professor of African Studies at Howard University and Adjunct Professor of Law at Howard University’s School of Law joins us to discuss Harriet Tubman. [1] https://twitter.com/kalonjichanga [2] https://twitter.com/ftpmovement [3] https://twitter.com/AfricanaCarr

FTP Movement launches campaign to house aging civil rights activists; Plus Dr. Carr on Harriett Tubman

[caption id="attachment_375525" align="alignnone" width="603"] The National Butterfly Center, 2013. | Image by Marianna Wright is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 [1][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Jules Boykoff (@JulesBoykoff [2]), associate professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon, author, and former professional soccer player joins us to discuss the Beijing Olympics. 0:33 - We discuss the San Francisco Police Department's MOU with the San Francisco District Attorney's office with Cristine Soto DeBerry (@CristineDeBerry [3]), Founder and Executive Director of the Prosecutors Alliance of California and Equipto (@EQUIPTO [4]), a San Francisco activist and hip hop artist fighting for justice for victims of police violence. 1:08 - The National Butterfly Center [5] in Mission, Texas just closed its doors for the foreseeable future after years of harassment, online threats, and violence by right-wing extremists. Marianna Wright (@mtwrighter [6]), the Center's Executive Director joins us to discuss. 1:33 - Tracy Baxter, a writer, actor, and playwright and Zach Kopciak, Associate Artistic Director of the 3 Girls Theater [7] joins us to discuss Kudzu 2012 [8], which plays at the 3 Girls Theater on Sunday, February 13. [1] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [2] https://twitter.com/JulesBoykoff [3] https://twitter.com/CristineDeBerry [4] https://twitter.com/EQUIPTO [5] https://nationalbutterflycenter.org/ [6] https://twitter.com/mtwrighter [7] https://www.3girlstheatre.org/ [8] https://www.3girlstheatre.org/event-details/salon-series-kudzu-2012-by-tracy-baxter

The politics of the Beijing Olympics and the future of Olympic boycotts; More on SFPD’s MOU with the SF District Attorney; Plus: Texas butterfly sanctuary shut down by far-right extremists

[caption id="attachment_375447" align="alignnone" width="604"] Naloxone (Narcan) is administered to reverse opioid overdoses. | Image by VCU Capital News Service [1] is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 [2][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Paul Offit (@drpauloffit [3]) Doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania discusses his latest book: You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination, the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation [4]. 0:33 - We debrief the OUSD Board's decision to close and merge a smaller list of Oakland's schools with D3 Councilmember Carroll Fife (@carroll_fife [5]), Pecolia Manigo (@SistahPecolia [6]), co-director of Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network and member of the Reparations for Black Students Coalition, Maurice "André" San-Chez, choir and dance teacher at Westlake Middle School and hunger striker, and liz suk (@liz_suk [7]), Executive Director of Oakland Rising. 1:08 - Doni Chamberlain (@donichamberlain [8]), a former newspaper reporter who publishes A News Cafe [9], an online news and opinion blog about Shasta County politics and Lisa Pruitt (@lisareneepruitt [10]), an expert on the intersection of law and rural livelihoods and professor at UC Davis School of Law join us to discuss a successful campaign mounted by a militia group to recall Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty. 1:33 - We discuss San Francisco's fentanyl crisis with Trisha Thadani (@TrishaThadani [11]), city hall reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle who recently coproduced a multi-media news feature on the topic: A Disaster in Plain Sight [12], Laura Guzman, Senior Director of Capacity Building and Mobilization at the National Harm Reduction Coalition, and Jason Norelli, who works on GLIDE’s Harm Reduction [13] team as a Navigation Manager. [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/vcucns/31579570334 [2] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ [3] https://twitter.com/drpauloffit [4] https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/paul-a-offit-md/you-bet-your-life/9781541620384/ [5] https://twitter.com/carroll_fife [6] https://twitter.com/SistahPecolia [7] https://twitter.com/liz_suk [8] https://twitter.com/donichamberlain [9] https://anewscafe.com/ [10] https://twitter.com/lisareneepruitt [11] https://twitter.com/TrishaThadani [12] https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2022/sf-fentanyl-opioid-epidemic/ [13] https://www.glide.org/program/hiv-hep-c-and-harm-reduction-services/

OUSD approves school closures; Militia members mount successful campaign to recall Shasta County Supervisor; Plus San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis

[caption id="attachment_375372" align="alignnone" width="604"] Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, CA. | Image by Scott Hess [1] is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 [2][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - John Feffer (@johnfeffer [3]), Director of Foreign Policy in Focus joins us to discuss French President Macron Meeting with Russian President Putin. 0:33 - San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin (@chesaboudin [4]), and John Crew, retired attorney for the ACLU join us to discuss the San Francisco Police Department's intention to withdraw from the MOU with the District Attorney's office and theirs, effectively reversing whose role it is to investigate police use of force incidents and in-custody deaths. 1:08 - B.K. White, Vice President of United Steelworkers Local 5 [5] and Shiva Mishek (@ShivaMishek [6]), Communications Co-Chair of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (@RPA_Richmond [7]) join us to discuss worker safety concerns and a possible strike at Chevron. 1:33 - Troy Williams, Communications Manager and Kellie Walters, Staff Attorney with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (@LSPC_ [8]) join us to discuss the consequences of the state's latest step towards ending capital punishment, dismantling San Quentin's death row. 1:50 - Dr. Rupa Marya (@DrRupaMarya), Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF, co-founder of the Do No Harm Coalition and Walter Riley (@walterphillip [9]), longtime Oakland social justice activist and civil rights lawyer join us with some breaking news about the health of Westlake Middle School Administrator and hunger striker Moses Omolade. [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotthessphoto/10453140803/in/photostream/ [2] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ [3] https://twitter.com/johnfeffer [4] https://twitter.com/chesaboudin [5] https://www.usw5.org/ [6] https://twitter.com/ShivaMishek [7] https://twitter.com/RPA_Richmond [8] https://twitter.com/LSPC_ [9] https://twitter.com/walterphillip

French President Macron Meets with Russian President Putin; SFPD will not longer cooperate with District Attorney on use of force investigations; Worker safety concerns and a possible strike at Chevron; Plus the consequences of dismantling San Quentin’s death row

[caption id="attachment_375330" align="alignnone" width="302"] Image courtesy of Reparations for Black Students [1][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13 [2]), senior economist at the Center for Economic Policy and Research joins us to discuss the latest federal jobs figures. 0:33 - Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health joins us to discuss the latest COVID science and answer listener questions. 1:08 - Jaylani Hussein (@Jaylanihussein [3]), Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Minnesota Chapter joins us to discuss the Minneapolis police killing of Amir Locke and the federal trial against three Minneapolis Police Officers charged in George Floyd’s killing. 1:33 - Walter Riley (@walterphillip [4]), longtime Oakland social justice activist and civil rights lawyer and Kitty Kelly Epstein, educator, scholar, and host of KPFA's Education Today [5] join us to discuss the movement that has emerged against the OUSD's proposed decision to close or merge schools. [1] https://reparationsforblackstudents.org/ [2] https://twitter.com/DeanBaker13 [3] https://twitter.com/Jaylanihussein [4] https://twitter.com/walterphillip [5] https://kpfa.org/program/education-today/

The latest jobs figures; More COVID science; Amir Locke killed by Minneapolis Police; Plus a movement emerges against OUSD school closures

[caption id="attachment_375570" align="alignnone" width="604"] Portrait of Mary McLeod Bethune, 1949. | Library of Congress – Photographer: Carl Van Vechten[/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Phyllis Bennis (@PhyllisBennis [1]), Middle East analyst and Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies joins us to discuss the Syrian Civil War and the recent US special forces raid that lead to several civilian casualties and the death of a jihadist leader in northern Syria. 0:33 - Dr. Greg Carr (@AfricanaCarr [2]), Associate Professor of African Studies at Howard University and Adjunct Professor of Law at Howard University’s School of Law joins us to discuss the life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune. [1] https://twitter.com/PhyllisBennis [2] https://twitter.com/AfricanaCarr

Jihadist leader dies in a US special forces raid in Syria; Plus the life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune

[caption id="attachment_375072" align="alignnone" width="605"] Map of Ellis Act Evictions in San Francisco, 1994-2021 | Map created by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project [1][/caption] On today's show: 0:18 - The San Mateo County Superior Court was recently sued [2] for imposing a $300 civil assessment automatically every time an individual misses a payment or court deadline in their traffic infraction case. Joining us to discuss are Zal Shroff, Senior Racial Justice Attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area (@lccrsf [3]), a representing attorney on the case and Manuel Galindo, an organizer with the Debt Collective (@StrikeDebt [4]), which is one of the plaintiffs. 0:33 - The Oakland Unified School District’s pending decision to close or merge 19 schools in order to overcome a budget shortfall has galvanized a week of action among students, teachers and parents across the city. We continue our coverage with Moses Omolade, Westlake Middle School administrator and hunger striker and Arleita Bailey, a student at Westlake Middle School. 1:08 - Assemblymember Alex Lee (@alex_lee [5]), representing the 25th Assembly District in San Jose, joins us to detail the death of AB 854 [6], the Ellis Act reform bill that he authored. 1:20 - We continue our discussion with Shanti Singh, Communications and Legislative Director for Tenants Together (@TenantsTogether [7]). 1:33 - Andrew Knoll, Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard, winner of prestigious International Prize for Biology and the Crafoord Prize in Geosciences joins us to discuss his new book, A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters [8]. [1] https://antievictionmap.com/ [2] https://www.aclunc.org/sites/default/files/Complaint_and_Exhibits_civil_assessments%5D.pdf [3] https://twitter.com/lccrsf [4] https://twitter.com/StrikeDebt [5] https://twitter.com/alex_lee [6] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB854 [7] https://twitter.com/TenantsTogether [8] https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-brief-history-of-earth-andrew-h-knoll?variant=32231858700322

San Mateo court sued for imposing de facto tax on late traffic tickets; More on the week of action in Oakland; Plus Ellis Act reform bill dead and buried

[caption id="attachment_375016" align="alignnone" width="600"] Ida Louise Jackson and class in 1944. Jackson was Oakland's first African American teacher. Prescott School is one of several schools slated to be closed or merged by OUSD. | Image digitized by the African American Museum and Library at Oakland [1].[/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Jeff Cohen, co-founder of RootsAction.org [2] and founder of the progressive media watchdog group FAIR [3] (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) joins us to discuss the peace movement and Ukraine. 0:33 - The Oakland Unified School District's proposal to close or merge schools in order to overcome a budget shortfall has galvanized a week of action among students, teachers and parents across the city. Joining us to discuss are Mike Hutchinson (@Blackholemikeh [4]) OUSD School Board Director for District 5 and Clarissa Doutherd (@msclarissaellen [5]) Executive Director of Parent Voices Oakland. 1:08 - Dean Preston (@DeanPreston [6]), San Francisco Supervisor for District 5 joins us to discuss a new report presented to Supervisors this week that shows over 40,000 units sitting vacant in San Francisco. 1:33 - Acoustical engineer Trevor Cox (@trevor_cox [7]) joins us to discuss his book, The Sound Book: The [8] Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World. [1] https://oakland.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/digitalFile_bea9da06-9ba9-4d9b-a0fd-35592ea0108b/ [2] https://rootsaction.org/ [3] https://fair.org/ [4] https://twitter.com/Blackholemikeh [5] https://twitter.com/msclarissaellen [6] https://twitter.com/DeanPreston [7] https://twitter.com/trevor_cox [8] https://acousticengineering.wordpress.com/book/

The peace movement and Ukraine; OUSD proposal to shutter schools galvanizes a week of action; Plus new report shows 40,000 vacant units in SF

[caption id="attachment_374962" align="alignnone" width="620"] A young student attends school from home. | Image by Joe Shlabotnik [1] is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 [2][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 The legislative package that would have brought California closer to its own single payer healthcare system stopped dead in its tracks yesterday. Democratic Assemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose (@Ash_Kalra [3]) joins us to unpack his decision to call off a floor vote for AB 1400. 0:16 - After that, president of the California Nurses Association (@CalNurses [4]), which has been campaigning for single payer bills in the state capitol for almost two decades, RN Zenei Triunfo-Cortez joins us to discuss Asm. Kalra's decision. Also joining us is Dr. Rupa Marya (@DrRupaMarya [5]), Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF, co-founder of the Do No Harm Coalition, and one of Governor Newsom’s appointees to the Healthy California for All Commission [6]. 0:33 - Dr. Tyler Black (@tylerblack32 [7]) Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia, suicidologist, and full-time emergency psychiatrist at a provincial hospital in Canada joins us to discuss the COVID pandemic's impact on children's mental health. 1:08 - We spend our second hour with Johann Hari (@johannhari101 [8]), who joins us to discuss his latest book Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again [9]. [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/49946574711/in/photostream/ [2] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ [3] https://twitter.com/Ash_Kalra [4] https://twitter.com/CalNurses [5] https://twitter.com/DrRupaMarya [6] https://www.chhs.ca.gov/healthycaforall/ [7] https://twitter.com/tylerblack32 [8] https://twitter.com/johannhari101 [9] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634289/stolen-focus-by-johann-hari/

Asm. Ash Kalra kills California single payer bill; Healthcare workers condemn decision by legislator; Canadian suicidologist on children’s mental health during COVID pandemic; Plus how to pay attention with Johann Hari

  [caption id="attachment_374801" align="alignnone" width="601"] Rescuers arrive at the scene of the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse, August 1, 2007. | Image by Tony Webster [1] is licensed under CC BY 2.0 [2][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) national affairs correspondent for The Nation joins us to discuss (D-WA) Rep. Pramila Jayapal's push to revive Build Back Better bill and urging the U.S. towards diplomacy over tensions at the Ukraine border. 0:33 - We discuss COVID science and take listener questions about the disease with Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/1011531544/ [2] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Rep. Pramila Jayapal aims to revive Build Back Better bill and urges diplomacy over Ukraine; Plus COVID science with Dr. Swartzberg

[caption id="attachment_374712" align="alignnone" width="603"] Community Ready Corps member handing out fresh produce and PPE. | Image still sourced from video produced by the Black Solidarity Network, 2021.[/caption] On today's show: Pamela E. Glazner, a lawyer with the Emanuel Law Group [1] joins us to discuss a new California law that outlaws "stealthing" or non-consensual condom removal. 0:33 - We speak with an organizer distributing COVID-related mutual aid resources to underserved communities in Oakland, Tur Ha Ak (@crcpocc [2]), founder of Community Ready Corps [3] and Field Marshall for the Black Panther Cubs. [1] https://siliconvalleylawyer.net/attorneys/pamela-e-glazner/ [2] https://twitter.com/crcpocc [3] http://www.crc4sd.org/

New California law that outlaws non-consensual condom removal AKA “stealthing”; Plus CRC’s COVID-related mutual aid campaign

[caption id="attachment_374661" align="alignnone" width="633"] Xiomara Castro speaks to press following the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, July 7, 2009. | Image by M. Santos and R. Irias is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 [1][/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Dana Frank, Professor Emerita of History at UC-Santa Cruz joins us to discuss Honduran President Xiomara Castro's swearing in. Frank's latest book is The Long Honduran Night [2]. 0:34 - We discuss the Supreme Court's decision to hear a challenge to affirmative action in the fall with Mona Tawatao (@monatawatao [3]), Legal Director at the Equal Justice Society and Adam Harris (@AdamHSays [4]), staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal--and How to Set Them Right [5]. 1:08 - Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee (@OttoLee_ [6]) joins us to discuss the vote of no confidence by the County and the attendant investigation by the state Attorney General Rob Bonta into alleged corruption at the Sheriff's office. Supervisor Lee served on the County Blue Ribbon Commission to study the County jail and the sheriffs department. 1:33 - We discuss the musical acts at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival as captured by Questlove's documentary film, Summer of Soul [7]. The soundtrack debuts on January 28. Joining us are Rickey Vincent (@rickeyvincent [8]), author, educator, music scholar, and host of KPFA's The History of Funk [9] and Davey D Cook (@mrdaveyd [10]), Hip Hop historian and host of KPFA's Hard Knock Radio [11]. During this segment we play an early release off the forthcoming Summer of Soul (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [12], "Sing a Simple Song" performed by Sly and the Family Stone at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. [1] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ [2] https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1226-the-long-honduran-night [3] https://twitter.com/monatawatao [4] https://twitter.com/AdamHSays [5] https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-state-must-provide-adam-harris?variant=33007266791458 [6] https://twitter.com/OttoLee_ [7] https://www.searchlightpictures.com/summerofsoul/ [8] https://twitter.com/rickeyvincent [9] https://kpfa.org/program/the-history-of-funk/ [10] https://twitter.com/mrdaveyd [11] https://kpfa.org/program/hard-knock-radio/ [12] https://www.legacyrecordings.com/2021/12/09/summer-of-soul-or-when-the-revolution-could-not-be-televised-soundtrack-to-be-released-january-28-2022/

Xiomara Castro sworn in as president of Honduras; SCOTUS will take up challenge to affirmative action; SCC Supervisor Otto Lee on alleged corruption at Sheriffs; Plus music historians discuss the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival

[caption id="attachment_374622" align="alignnone" width="607"] Aerial view of the 23rd Avenue Community Building in Oakland's San Antonio district. Tenants at the live work space successfully raised funds in partnership with the Oakland Community Land Trust to purchase the property after the landowner decided to sell it in 2017. The City of Berkeley is considering a Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act, which would offer this practice to more tenants in an effort to preserve affordable housing. | Image by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission[/caption] On today's show: 0:08 - Conn Hallinan, military analyst and former columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus joins us to discuss the latest developments on the Russian border with Ukraine. 0:33 - We discuss racial discrimination in home appraisals, a practice which has been described by some observers as "present day redlining" with Lauren Hepler (@LAHepler [1]), a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle who covers housing and neighborhood retail for their race and equity team and Morgan Williams, General Counsel for the National Fair Housing Alliance. 1:08 - Sarah Scruggs, Stewardship & Education Coordinator and Co-Director of Policy at Northern California Land Trust joins us to discuss Berkeley's Tenants Right to Purchase Act or TOPA proposal. Link to supporters' website: https://yes2topa.org 1:33 - Immigrant rights advocates sent a sign on letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials urging the swift release of Enrique Cristobal Meneses. Sandy Valenciano, an Oakland-based community organizer with the #FreeEnrique team and Francisca Porchas Coronado, Director and Founder of the Latinx Therapists Action Network join us to discuss. [1] https://twitter.com/LAHepler

The latest on tensions between Russia and Ukraine; Study estimates $156B racial gap in home appraisals; Berkeley takes up TOPA; Plus groups urge ICE to release Enrique Cristobal Meneses

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. Pitch us at upfront@kpfa.org.

hubhopper

KPFA - UpFront

hubhopper