ON THE SHOW IN FEBRUARY 2011:

* CHICAGOANS RALLY IN SOLIDARITY FOR EGYPT

Some 1500 Chicagoans rallied outside the Egyptian consulate in February; we'll hear a live report from the streets.

* CHICAGOANS HOLD CONFERENCE ON FBI REPRESSION OF ACTIVISTS

FBI repression and intimidation remains a focus of activists in Chicago and nationwide; we'll hear excerpts from a conference held at Teamsters Hall in Chicago on the topic.

* ILLINOIS COALITION FOR JUSTICE, PEACE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT HOLDS CONFERENCE

We'll hear two presentations from the 2011 conference of the Illinois Coalition for Justice, Peace, and the Environment — by longtime immigrant rights' activist Jorge Mujica, and by Toussiant Losier from the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign.

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HEADLINES FROM THE INDYMEDIA NETWORK

Berlin police evict last residents of an alternative housing complex
Poland Indymedia and Germany Indymedia featured the developments of a standoff between an alternative German housing complex and German police. The twenty-five remaining residents of the Liebig 14 complex in Berlin saw their lengthy legal battle against gentrification efforts end on a losing note. On February 2, 2011, about 2500 police secured the "village square", occupying the roofs and forcing the eviction of the remaining residents. Solidarity protests swept Germany and much of Europe, including more than a thousand people at a protest in Berlin.
http://de.indymedia.org/2011/02/299288.shtml
http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2011/02/53026.shtml

Argentine women's rights advocates rally against jailed rape victim
Argentina Indymedia featured the case of a woman who was unjustly jailed over a sexual assault. In 2002, Romina Tejerina was raped by a neighbor, got pregnant, gave birth prematurely, and killed the infant boy in a state of psychosis. An investigation led to conviction against both Romina, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and against the unnamed rapist, who was jailed for just 23 days. Activists from a group called the Piquetera Tendency called for freedom for Romina and for the legalization of abortion in Argentina, where the procedure is outlawed.
http://argentina.indymedia.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=6359&category_id=31

Fort Hood Soldier to be discharged as Conscientious Objector
Houston Indymedia featured the story of a soldier at Fort Hood, Texas, who won his discharge from the army as a conscientious objector. Quoting from the feature: "Several months after returning from a combat tour in Iraq, Fort Hood soldier Kyle Wesolowski submitted an application for a conscientious objector discharge based on his Buddhist faith. Since that time, Wesolowski has completed a rigorous examination of his beliefs by military authorities, including required interviews by a psychiatrist, a chaplain and an independent investigating officer. All of these officials recommended that Wesolowski be discharged, and Wesolowski’s Conscientious Objector claim was approved by the U.S. Army, which will likely occur in early March 2011"
http://houston.indymedia.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=1358&category_id=1

New political party holds first national convention in New York City
New York City Indymedia featured the first national convention of a new political party, led by Latinos and African-Americans. The Freedom Party held its first convention at the National Black Theater in Manhattan on February 12-13, 2011, to advocate for more jobs and improved working conditions, particularly for communities of color. The Freedom Party did field candidates in New York statewide races in the November 2010 election, and made significant gains after just a four-month-long campaign.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/or/2011/02/114071.html

DC Needle Exchange Nonprofit To Close
DC Indymedia featured the announcement that a non-profit needle exchange program servicing Washington DC will shut down. On February 8, 2011, the board of directors of PreventionWorks! announced that it would cease operations after working for 12 years to provide free clean needles to individuals in Washington DC struggling with drug problems. The HIV rate in Washington stands at more than three times the rate considered as "severe" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the District of Columbia, since it is not a state, must have local legislation approved by Congress, and Congress in 2007 banned local funding for the needle exchange.
http://dc.indymedia.org/feature/display/132337/index.php
http://thefightback.org/2011/02/prevention-works/#more-1803

Indiana Democratic Representative "In Exile" in Urbana, Illinois, To Block Anti-Working-Class Votes
Urbana-Champaign Indymedia posted a feature about an Indiana state politician who fled Indiana and resides "in exile" in Urbana, Illinois in order to block quora on two anti-working-class votes, much like that done by Democratic politicians from Wisconsin. On February 24, 2011, Indiana Democratic Representative Clyde Kersey spoke at the University YMCA in Urbana; Kersey is one of 25 Democrats from Indiana taking refuge in Urbana in order to prevent the ability to hold votes in Indiana on two Indiana bills which would bust unions and attack public schools. Demonstrations at the state capital in Indianapolis have seen some 10,000 people rally in support on the same day Kersey gave his talk in Urbana. Kersey mentioned that this marks the first time the entire Democratic party caucus in Indiana has left the state.
http://ucimc.org/content/indiana-democratic-representative-clyde-kersey-appears-university-illinois-campus

Voldemort Elected Mayor of Chicago
Chicago Indymedia noted the results of the Chicago 2011 mayoral election with the headline "Voldemort Elected Mayor of Chicago", alluding to the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series of books and films. The political career of Rahm Emanuel is replete with illegal activity, conflicts of interest, and corporate kowtowing — from engaging in illegal business activity while working as a city consultant, to contributing to the Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation which demolished and didn't replace public housing, to illegally using city water workers to win election to the U.S. House. Emanuel has worked as an investment banker, and has ties to the financial industry, having been the leading recipient of donations from the financial services industry, and having received a great many political donations from finance firms in his run for mayor.
http://chicago.indymedia.org/feature/display/70438/index.php

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