Salem-News.com Protests articles Page 1

Occupy Salem Movement Gaining Steady Momentum at Wilson Park

The group of citizen activists at Wilson Park in Salem's capitol say they are steadfast, and say they will not disperse until things in our government undergo a 'serious makeover'.

(SALEM, Oregon) - Spirits are high among individuals who are using their voices and making their presence known in Salem.

Approaching the 6th night of 'Occupy Salem', protesters aren't wavering from a constant police presence, and both local and state police have been respectful so far, according to the group. Mostly just driving by, with little interaction.

A Sit Down with Top Underground Artist Gambino yA bOi

In this interview we talk about the music industry today, Bino's personal life, and plans for next year.

(SALEM / PITTSBURGH) - Albanian-American author Agron Belica and Poet Christopher DelOrfano, who is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, conversed briefly at an undisclosed location in Boston, MA about promoting future projects they are putting together.

Because their projects include music, DelOrfano suggested they contact his long time friend and associate for advice, Gambino of La Familia Entertainment out of Pittsburg, PA.

Corvallis Woman Says She Will Fast to Death to Protest Iraq War Deployment

Michele Darr says she is determined to Keep National Guard in Oregon.

(SALEM, Ore.) - On January 22nd, 2009, Michele Darr, a Corvallis mother of 6, commenced a second hunger strike in addition to the 24-hour vigil that she and members of Camp Homebound have maintained on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol Building in Salem since November 1st, 2008.

In an all-out effort to pass legislation giving the Governor authority to block this spring's deployment of the Oregon National Guard, Darr has decided to "fast unto death" as a means of generating the support necessary to garner sponsors for a proposed bill in the State Legislature and to engage Oregonians in the struggle to protect the troops, and keep them in Oregon, where they belong.

Vigil Urges Legislature to Steer Oregon Guard Away From Deployment

Group asks Oregon's Governor to cancel a massive deployment set for 2009.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A woman who camped on the Oregon Capitol steps for several weeks in protest of the war in Iraq in 2002, has returned to Salem to help convince lawmakers to remove Oregon Guard soldiers from a planned trip to Iraq next year. Michele Darr will spend long, cold days and nights in the Oregon rain trying to convince the powers to be that Oregon soldiers should instead be home with their families.

Darr left her home, family and 4 children in Corvallis to "deploy" for the steps of the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem, Oregon, where she and others are on a hunger strike and 24-7 vigil/encampment set to continue through the holidays, winter months and into next year's legislative session.

Darr is doing this because she believes she and other can make a difference, and "bolster the possibility of the success of a proposed resolution to keep Oregon's National Guard home in Oregon, and to bring attention and awareness of the imminent deployment of 3500 National Guard troops next year."

Grannies on Trial for Protesting WWII Tank in Rose Festival

"A parade is a form of entertainment and it is wrong to include a tank in the streets of Portland, especially while our country is engaged in a war in which thousands of soldiers and civilians have died."- Bonnie Tinker

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - One year after protesting the presence of a WWII tank in the 2007 Rose Festival Parade, two members of "The Seriously Pissed Off Grannies" will be tried on June 9th on charges of "disorderly conduct" and "interfering with a peace officer." The trial will be before Judge Fuchs in room 528 of the County Courthouse and will start at 9:30 AM on June 9th.

Sara Graham and Bonnie Tinker will both testify that their actions were directly tied to freedom of speech. Graham said that after unsuccessfully trying to persuade the Rose Festival not to include a tank, she felt she had no alternative but to protest.

International Human Rights Activist Walks 4 Life

As the Supreme Court decides whether lethal injections are "cruel and unusual", a prisoners rights activist walks through 10 of the 12 highest executing states.

(Salem, Ore.) - Andre Latallade, also known as Capital-"X", is a Brooklyn born Puerto Rican who now resides in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey. Spending nearly half of his life trapped within the web of the criminal justice system, Andre transformed himself into a prisoners rights activist.

In an attempt to bring awareness to capital punishment, Andre will walk approximately 1,700 miles from Trenton, New Jersey, to the Governors mansion in Texas.

War Protesters Clash Repeatedly With Olympia Police (VIDEO)

Tensions are seriously out of control as war protesters battle police in riot gear armed with chemical agents.

(OLYMPIA, Wash.) - Salem, Oregon sure is a mellow place in comparison to Olympia, Washington, the capitol city of our northern neighbor. War protesters held police at bay for 17 hours last Saturday, successfully forcing a military convoy back into the port.

Their main problem is the shipment of military supplies in and out of the Port of Olympia. Saturday their objective was to block a convoy of Stryker vehicles being moved into the fort. Ironically, the Stryker is one of the few vehicles in use overseas that allows soldiers to survive IED blasts.

PETA Demonstrators Protest KFC in Salem (VIDEO)

To ensure that they gained people`s attention, PETA Campaign Coordinator Lindsay Rajt donned a yellow bikini, and gained her objective.

(SALEM) - Members of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, demonstrated in front of the Salem KFC restaurant on Lancaster Drive Thursday.

They say the chain`s practices aren`t ethical. Without going into too many details, PETA Campaign Coordinator Lindsay Rajt described their complaints against this fast food chain, `I'm here as one chick sticking up for other chicks. Getting the message out that we're only asking KFC to take the scientific advice of their own animal welfare advisors."

"After you see, behind the scenes, what really happens to these chickens, anybody that cares about animals would want to be out here. They're scalded alive, they're kept in sheds of 30-50,000 birds."

PETA has plenty of critics. Some people go so far as to call them a terrorist group. These PETA members and supporters say they are simply asking the huge corporation, KFC, to kill their chickens in a humane manner.

Students Teach-In Rally Demands Access to Treatment for Those Infested With HIV Globally

Willamette University students say they will rally to raise awareness and demand increased access to treatment for those who are infected with HIV internationally.

(SALEM) - Members of the Willamette University Student Global AIDS Campaign and the Salem community will raise awareness for the need to make HIV medications more readily available internationally.


Speakers include Willamette students, and Professor Joyce Millen (Co-author of Global AIDS: Myths and Facts) and Lowen Berman from the HIV Daycenter in Multnomah County.

Political Firestorm Brewing Over Student Anti-Immigration Reform Protests

State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo`s statement on the student protests has Republican legislators mad, and they now want to stop a special $42 Million allocation for kids and schools announced earlier this week.

(SALEM) - Hundreds of Portland-area students held a walkout and protest rally on Friday in downtown Portland.

On Thursday, an estimated 700 high and middle school students from Woodburn, Gervais, and Silverton protested along Highway 214 near I-5 before rallying in a parking lot.

In Salem, an estimated 1,000 high and middle school students protested on the steps of the Oregon State on Monday...