BERKELEY, California, Aug. 4--The staff may have the broadcast studios back, but the Pacifica board continues its
armed guard siege of the transmitter, and this despite the approximately 15,000 people who took part in a march last Saturday through the downtown
area of this city in support of "Free Speech Radio" KPFA.The march culminated in a rally at Martin Luther King, Jr., Park. Among the speakers were San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Sand
Francisco Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano, both of whom called for the resignation of the Pacifica board. Today, the chains are off the station door and the "Camp KPFA" tent city is
gone, but regular broadcasting still has not resumed. The facility was damaged after it was locked down following protests on July 13, when armed guards hired by the Pacifica board attempted to evict
investigative reporter Dennis Bernstein after he was placed on administrative leave for broadcasting a portions of a press conference concerning an email discussing the feasibility of selling KPFA or sister
station WBAI in New York. Until repairs -- which some have estimated may cost $30,000 or more -- are made, Berkeley authorities have limited to 10 the number of people who can be in the building at one time.
With the armed guards in control the transmitter, all KPFA listeners can hear is taped music and repeats of a press conference held by Mary Frances Berry, who chairs the Pacifica board. More than 30
KPFA supporters held a peaceful protest outside the transmitter property on Grizzly Peak. Several members of the media and one officer from the East Bay Regional Park Police were on hand to observe the
event. Several hours later, after some demonstrators left and more police arrived, arrests ensued, with one female protester being pushed downhill by an officer. (See Wm Leslie Howard's account of the police activity).Flashpoints Free, the investigative news magazine produced by Dennis Bernstein, Leslie Kean and CS Soong is available at http://www.flashpoints.net/FlashpointsFree.html |
