- The Folio Yellow Sheet -
VI
Kahlil Found Innocent!
"Congratulations to Kahlil for fighting the good fight for free speech." - Amy Goodman
After numerous appearances before two judges, in what can only be called deliberate harassment, and after the seating of a jury at taxpayers’ expense, Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi was found not guilty of the charge that he obstructed Berkeley Police Sergeant Randy Files from approaching campers at Camp KPFA. He says he is now filing a lawsuit over physical abuse at the hands of the cops, withholding of his civil rights because he was handcuffed, not told why he was being arrested, not apprised of his rights, not allowed a phone call etc. etc. A video made by Matthew Dodt of Copwatch provided the crucial evidence that Sergeant Files was flat-out lying about Kahlil’s arrest. Prosecuting Deputy DA David Lim openly confirmed that Kahlil was being prosecuted for political activity and that he equated political activism with criminal activity. One very large question here is how long police can continue to get away with lying in court with no penalty. Will the public continue to tolerate this in light of the LAPD and the NYPD exposures?
This From the Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board
PLEASE WRITE TO ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL LOCKYER AND REQUEST ACTION
We learned today [5/18/00] from the Charitable Trusts division of the Attorney General's office that a summary of the "pros" and "cons" of our case was "sent up the chain of command" some time ago -- and that it's sitting on someone's desk with no timeline on when they will take action.
We very much need to get to court now! Ongoing damage is being done at Pacifica while we wait. The PNB is illegally "packing the board" with five additional "at large" directors, they are hiring key policy-making management personnel, they potentially will soon enter into long-term contracts with huge ramifications for the future of Pacifica, and generally wreak havoc and do irreparable harm before we can stop them if we don't get to court quickly asking for injunctive relief.
So, Please write to: Attorney General Bill Lockyer P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550Reference the "Quo Warranto Complaint of Spooner, et al. v Pacifica" and ask (politely) for immediate action on this urgent matter.
Thank you, Carol Spooner - wildrose@pon.net
Democracy Comes to the KPFA LAB
The KPFA Local Area Board met on Wednesday evening, May 18, 2000. In order to take "official" action it was necessary to temporarily elect three new members to the board. They then elected Jay Imani as a Pacifica director representing KPFA on the Pacifica National Board. By this act they joined the KPFK and WBAI LABs in exercising their rights to place or remove directors of the PNB.
In an historic move, the KPFA LAB voted to adopt the election procedure published in last month’s Folio with two amendments: 1. Listeners under the age of 20 can vote by walking into the station and presenting I.D. -- they do not have the $25 or 3 hours volunteer work requirement that "adults" do, and 2. Any changes to the election procedure affecting the voting rights of any category of voter ("staff" or "listener sponsor") can be changed only by majority vote of those affected.
Consensus was reached that elections should be held soon and that any flaws in the procedure can be fine-tuned as the process continues.
A Great New Weapon in the Battle
Gary Evans, a member of North Bay for KPFA and a member of the Folio Editorial Board, has created a new website containing the complete transcripts of the Pacifica National Board meetings from late 1997 to the most recent. Revealed therein are details of the conspiratorial takeover of the network by illegally seated non-progressive board members. Mary Frances Berry is recorded appointing Tomas Moran to two board committees, a fact that she later denied. Gary has gathered and rearranged these transcripts for easy reading and reference. You can find this information at www.ringnebula.com/PNB Here is the transcript of the illegal change in the Pacifica Foundation bylaws (that section is highlighted) whereby the LAB's role in selecting National Board Directors is changed from an electing body to a nominating body. After this, the LABs were to nominate candidates who would then be approved (or rejected) by the National Board.
Hiding out in D.C. - The Next Pacifica Board Meeting
For decades it was traditional for the Pacifica Board to meet on a rotational basis in the various network station areas. The next Pacifica National Board Meeting will once again be held in Washington D.C. The board seems to be doing all they can to avoid meeting in an area where listeners are active and aware of their agenda. This upcoming meeting will be held from June 9th to June 11th at the Washington Hilton and Towers at 1919 Connecticut Ave. in Washington D.C. The nearest airport is the National (AKA by some as Ronald Reagan International).
The June 9th session (Friday) is "Board training" and has been closed to the public for the last few years. PNB member Tomas Moran will challenge this, asking that any appropriately public parts be open to the public. Concern is growing that the Board will enter into long-term contracts involving the leasing of office space in D.C. and leasing out the Berkeley national office. The Board is actively attempting to fill positions on national staff. After defeat of the Pacifica coup, breaking these leases and contracts will cost a large amount of money, just to move Pacifica back to Berkeley and to fill positions in Pacifica with people dedicated to progressive ideals.
The Moranatron Metrics
In an effort to create a very badly needed response to the role of Arbitron Ratings in the decisions being made by the PNB, Tomas Moran is developing an alternative method of judging the effectiveness of Pacifica broadcasts. Tomas will be creating an analysis to present at the upcoming board meeting in June. Although it will take a couple of years for this project to get to a mature stage, its fruits will be valuable to KPFA and to Pacifica almost immediately. Tomas believes that this effort "can only be good for free speech, as long as we get there before the organization has been destroyed."
The Missing Audit Committee Report
For yet one more month, the California State Legislative Audit Committee is failing to release the findings of their investigation into Pacifica. One can only imagine how much money was spent in process of holding the hearings, investigating the evidence and creating a report. The taxpayers of the State of California should demand some results. If you are curious, you can write to the Committee and demand the release of the report.
Honorable Scott Wildman, Chair Joint Legislative Audit Committee State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 ___________________ Written by: Michael Costello NB4KPFA