U.S. Supreme Court Rules Unconstitutional California's Sentencing Procedures

"Debi Zuver & Tanya Brannan at CCWF"

Update on Debi Zuver March 2007

Click here

Sex Discrimination at KPFA

Noelle Hanrahan, with Amy Goodman of Pacifica's 'Democracy Now'.

First, award-winning journalist, Noelle Hanrahan, files sex discrimination lawsuit; then Solange Echeverria is forced out for similar complaints. Now eight more women are filing federal complaints of sex harassment by general manager Roy Campanella.
What in the world is going on at KPFA? And who's going to fix it?

Next KPFA Local Station Board Meeting
Be There in Support of Women Workers!
Saturday, September 17th, 11 a.m.
Freight & Salvage, 1111 Addison at San Pablo, Berkeley

To read more about Sex Discrimination at KPFA click here.

CA Attorney General Joins the
Purple Berets!
. . . in Calling for Sweeping Domestic Violence Reforms

CA Attorney General Bill Lockyer

On July 26, the California Attorney General Bill Lockyer went on record with the same complaints Purple Berets have been making for 14 years on how domestic violence is handled by the criminal justice system.  The criticism comes of an 18-month study conducted by a task force out of the AG's office into responses by police, prosecutors and the judicial system to domestic abuse.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous similar reports and recommendations out of the AG's office over the years.  It's time to actually make the changes, not talk about them.

Please contact Bill Lockyer's office and tell him you want action, not lip-service! 
Phone: Patty O'Ran at (916) 324-7863

San Francisco Chronicle article on the findings. 
The full report.

New Reports of Police Domestic Violence

Last February, CHP Officer Curt Lubiszewski was acquitted of domestic violence in a case botched by police cover-ups, slimy defense tactics, and questionable judicial rulings.  The California Highway Patrol, using the acquittal as an excuse to coddle the batterer in their midst, refused to take any disciplinary action, despite evidence of fourteen years of violence against two different women.

In the wake of that heart-sickening defeat, Purple Berets got agreements from District Attorney Passalacqua on how future police officer-involved domestic violence would be handled by the DA’s office.  With the recent report of DV calls on Lubiszewski and Petaluma Ofcr. Paul Accornero, we’re about to get a chance to see just how effective those agreements were . . . or weren’t.

Jump In to the Purple Berets

Are you fed up with the state of women’s rights in your community? Sick of reading about women being raped, beaten and killed by violent men? Disgusted with watching those men go free to rape and batter again, often with no criminal charges ever filed against them? Are you ready to take on the most powerful men in your community — police and district attorneys — and force them whether they want to or not to uphold women’s right to equal justice? Then it’s time to form a Purple Berets group in your area. For more than 11 years, this grassroots, in-your-face women’s rights group has been standing with women fighting back against the patriarchy ... and winning!

Our new organizing packet is hot-off-the-press. If you’re interested in joining other women around the country in the fight for women’s rights, contact us now by phone or e-mail and we’ll send your packet right out.

The Purple Berets organizing packet was produced through a grant from
The Women’s Foundation.