Satender Singh's Memorial



There will be a Memorial tomorrow, Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 4:00 pm for Satender Singh, the young man, who was the victim of a suspected hate crime at Natoma Lake on Sunday, July 1st.

The Memorial will be at Lombard & Company at 1550 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Sacramento Stonewall Democrats would like to extend our deepest condolences to Satender's family and friends. We weep, as a community, at the loss of another life to senseless violence.

His obituary appears in today's Sacramento Bee and the text is as follows:
Time: Friday, July 13, 2007 - 4:00pm PST

Update on Satendar Singh as of Sunday, July 8th, 2007
http://www.sacstonewall.org/

Members of the gay community have met with leaders from the Faith and Minority Communities, as well as many local elected officials. They have all pledged their support and have formed a Community Task Force that will respond to this horrible crime. This task force is coordinating efforts to insure that we put pressure where pressure is needed to make sure that a) these people are caught and b) that they are charged appropriately for the crime and c) prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Over 300 people attended the Community Vigil held at the World Peace Garden at Capitol Park on July 6, 2007. Muslim leaders, Sikh leaders, Pastors and Faith leaders, and API leaders were all represented, as well as, Senator Darrell Steinberg, Assemblymember Dave Jones, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, and Yolo County Supervisor Mariko Yamada. We heard from many members of the community that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.

Here is a link to a video that Nate Feldman, from “Being Gay Today”, produced from that very moving Vigil:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-10598370163019630&hl=en

There will be a memorial service for Satendar and details will be released soon.

Those responsible will face a unified community effort to hold them accountable.

We have also been contacted by the U. S. Attorney’s Office, the San Francisco office of the U. S. Department of Justice, and the State Attorney General’s office who are all closely monitoring this investigation to ensure hate crimes enhancements are applied if appropriate. This case will continue to develop very quickly. If arrests are made, all of these offices will contact the District Attorney to monitor the progress made in the prosecution of this case.

Death by Gay Bashing in Sacramento

"Well, what the gay community has feared for some time has finally happened. After a couple years of fundamentalist and Slavic Christian virulent anti-gay protests at almost every Sacramento gay event in the region, and after years of relative safety in the Sacramento gay community, the homophobic hatred has turned deadly. Today the life support plug will be pulled on a young East Indian gay man killed in a gay bashing at Lake Natomas on Sunday by a group of Slavic Christians. The Sacramento Bee reported that the man's friends told reporters he is not gay, but family members discussing the murder with Being Gay Today's Nathan Feldman, said they knew of Satendar Singh's sexual orientation, and that it had never interfered with their deep love for him. Singh was a recent immigrant to America, having won a lottery for a green card, earning him the nickname "The Lucky One" among his family and friends.

Matthew Shepard Act

You've got to watch this video. Thousands of people are attacked every year because of their sexual orientation, and there's still no federal hate crimes law to protect them. This video is the most powerful statement I've seen on hate crimes, and I couldn't help but pass it on. I think you'll see why.

http://www.hrc.org/FightHate

There's a bill in the Senate right now that would address this heartbreaking problem, and we only have a few weeks until the vote. It would mean a lot to me if you could take a minute to watch the video and write your Senators, and then pass this along to five friends. I really believe none of us can sit this one out. Just go to:

THE YOLO COUNTY ACLU CHAPTER PRESENTS

2007 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD DINNER

HONORING

Yolo County Clerk Recorder, Freddie Oakley

ALSO FEATURING

Mary Kearney Stroube, MS, JD, Author of "I Do, Don't I?"

Alex Cleghorn, Staff Attorney for the ACLU's LGBT and AIDS Project

Maddy Ryan, Founder of Emerson Junior High School Gay Straight Alliance

WITH MUSIC BY

Duval Speck

SATURDAY JUNE 30th 2007
6-9PM

Sudwerk Restaurant and Brewery
2001 2nd St., Davis, CA

$25 Donation

Call Natalie Wormeli at (530) 756-1900 for more info and reservations.
Time: Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 6:00pm PST

Welcome To Sacramento Pride!

The Sacramento Pride Festival will be held on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 at Southside Park(6th & T street) from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Additionally, the Sacramento Pride Parade begins at the historic Capitol Park at 10 a.m. and winds its way through the downtown district on its way to the festival grounds at Southside Park.

Once again, we celebrate the pride season with plenty of food and games, live entertainment, a Kidzone and carnival, a car show, a beer garden for adults, plus more! We encourage everyone in the community to join us at this year's parade and festival.

Please vist our website for more info www.sacramentopride.org
Time: Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 10:00am PST

First Annual Sacramento Dyke March
Friday June 15 -- 6:30 p.m. to - 9:30 p.m.

Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, 1927 L Street in Midtown Sacramento.
Event Type: Party/Street Party
Please join us for the FIRST Annual Sacramento Dyke March

For the first time in its history, Sacramento's LGBT Pride Week events will include a Dyke March. All lesbian- and women-supportive organizations and individuals are invited to participate.

The First Annual Sacramento Dyke March will begin with a kick-off rally at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 15, at the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, 1927 L Street in Midtown Sacramento. The group will march from the Center to the State Capitol for a brief program featuring Yolo County Clerk-Recorder Freddie Oakley, who has supported equality for LGBT people by issuing Certificates of Inequality to same-sex couples who apply for marriage licenses; Jean Adams, field organizer for Equality California; and a performance by True Colors Women's Chorus.
Time: Friday, June 15, 2007 - 6:30pm PST

Freddie Oakley needs our help. You remember Freddie, she's the Yolo County Clerk-Recorder who stood up against Arnold during his "Special Election" in 2005. She basically told him that the taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for his $80 Million dollar election when we could just wait until June and vote on his ballot measures during the regular primary election at NO additional cost to the taxpayers.

Well Freddie is once again standing up and speaking out. She will be handing out "Certificates of Inequality" to same-sex couples on Valentine's Day (which is also Marriage Equality Day). As you can see from the email that Leslie Simmons sent me below, the right-wingers are going on the offense and they plan to show up in Woodland at the county clerk office (625 Court St., click here for map) this Wed. at 11:45 AM. Can you join us to lend much deserved support for Freddie?

Members of the Yolo County ACLU will be there and they would like our support. I have room for 3 people in my car if anyone needs a ride. We can all meet downtown or in Natomas on the way up there if you'd like. If anyone else has room for carpoolers in their vehicle, please send me an email ( sac4democracy[AT]hotmail.com ) and I will try to coordinate it.

As you can see from the email below, they have been given suggestions for signs to bring. Please bring one of your own. Here are some suggestions based on the signs that they will bring.
Time: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 11:30am PST

Thanks Howard

Howard on the Daily Show

The Fifty State Strategy

"We cannot run 18-state campaigns. We've got to be everywhere. We've got to be in Mississippi. We've got to be in Oklahoma. We have to be organized. By the end of this year, we have a goal of having a Democrat in every precinct in America,

http://aztlannet-news-blog.blogspot.com/2006/11/jueves-11-02-06-aztlannetnews-report.html

Charlie Brown, Democrat, to debate John Doolittle (R) in Rocklin tonight wednesday, October 11, 7:30pm to 9:30pm Local cable, channel 4 Starstream in Lincoln/Rocklin/Granite Bay/Loomis area.
Also to be live streamed on the web by newschannel 10, http://www.news10.net
Doolittle gave very short notice, don't miss this if possible.

Sunday, September 17th, 2006
Sixth Annual
Sacramento Valley AIDS Run/Walk

West steps of the State Capitol
7:30 AM – Registration
8:30 AM – Run Begins
9:00 AM – Walk Begins

http://www.sacvalleyaidsrunwalk.org/home.html

Why Get Involved?
Time: Sunday, September 17, 2006 - 8:29am PST

Sacramento Pride is the oldest LGBTI pride event in Sacramento. This year is the 22nd annual fair and is the primary source of income for the Lambda Community Fund which operates the Lambda Community Center. All money raised at Sac Pride goes to support the fund for the following year. This allows us to provide resources and programs to the community. For more information on the programs that are sponsored by the Center, click on the Lambda Logo on the left side of the page.

The 22nd Annual Lambda Freedom Fair will be on Saturday, June 10, 2006 at Southside Park from 10a.m. - 6 p.m.
Time: Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 10:59am PST

I didn't realize there were so many Al Qaeda cells in America. I guess we really do need to be afraid...

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls
Updated 5/11/2006 10:38 AM ET
By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

Confessions of a Repentant Republican

"I supported George W. Bush in the presidential election in 2000, believing then that he best reflected my love for America and for our tradition of liberty. I supported the war in Afghanistan. In March of 2003, I believed that the invasion of Iraq was justified based upon pre-war revelations presented to Congress and to the American people. Acordingly, the indictments contained herein apply, first and foremost, to myself.

I am so pleased with San Juan Unified School District right now. They have Silence Day and have had it for a few years.

I have been in contact with the District office about recruiters on campus and they have very strict policies for recruiters.

As you may have heard, the hate-mongers showed up at the last School Board meeting spewing their anti-gay, anti-civil rights agenda.

If you can make it, please show up at the School Board meeting this evening to show that Sacramento does not support discrimination in our schools!!

Please arrive early as it may be very crowded like last time.

The Board meets on Thurs. 4/20 at 6:30 pm at 5735 47th Ave. just east of Highway 99 47th Ave exit.
Map is here: http://tinyurl.com/g7etw

More info on the Day of Silence can be found here: http://www.dayofsilence.org/
Time: Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 7:29pm PST

Support for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Students Needed

I wanted to let some of my friends know there is a need for support for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender students in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Two months ago, our high school campus GLBTS clubs approached the district task force that monitors AB 537 the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 which prohibits discrimination in public schools on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. They requested this resolution so they could silently observe the Day of Silence on April 26. This is a national student initiated event. This voluntary event occurred at our Rosemont High School last year without incident and the educational program was not interrupted.
Time: Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 7:29pm PST

This Saturday, March 11th, from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm, we'll build upon the spectacular, colorful, energetic gathering of political voices that we had at 16th & Broadway last weekend. (see http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/1725300.php )

Once again, we'll join forces and hold a major anti-war/anti-Bush/pro-democracy rally, rain or shine.

Saturday's event is the second of three consecutive Saturday rallies at 16th & Broadway. As we approach the third anniversary of the US-led/UN-opposed invasion of Iraq, let's increase the momentum of our demand to end the war!
Time: Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 3:59pm PST

Resolution to Impeach Bush-Cheney Passes 7-3
by Ken Werner, Trinity Plaza Tenants Association (TPTA), 2006-03-03

On Tuesday, February 28, 2006, the City and County of San Francisco became the first large municipality to call for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, by a 7-3 vote. Supervisors Sean Elsbernd, Michela Alioto-Pier, and Sophie Maxwell cast the dissenting votes (Sup. Jake McGoldrick was absent for the vote). Sup. Chris Daly commenced his introduction of Agenda Item 27 with "I initially thought this ... would be a noncontroversial piece of legislation. Perhaps it still is, maybe not-a-unanimous-vote piece of legislation. But if you remember when we took our oath of office we swore to uphold the Constitution."