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Thousands Jam On Mauna Kea Over Weekend

(BIVN) – A crowd of thousands gathered at the base of the Mauna Kea Access Road on Sunday, as opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope swelled over the weekend. Saturday and Sunday were day 27 and 28 of the scheduled start of construction on the TMT. Crews seeking to ascend the mountain in order to build the billion-dollar observatory have been stopped, for now, as project opponents have taken control of the only road (suitable for heavy machinery) that leads to the summit.

Prince George’s County Residents Want To Halt Suspected Amazon Warehouse

When Briana Bostic moved to her developing Prince George’s County neighborhood last year, she was told that a shopping center, grocery store, library, and other amenities were going to be a part of the development. “It wasn’t just promises,” Bostic said. “It was a large and developed and involved plan with neighborhood input from thousands of people. It was the exact opposite of the process we see now.” Bostic is referencing a decision at a county council meeting last month to approve zoning changes.

It Took A Crisis To Bring Hawaiians Together

What’s happening at Mauna Kea is a form of nation-building, and its value supersedes whatever the Thirty Meter Telescope could accomplish. It was surely an unplanned coincidence that Gov. David Ige’s decision Tuesday to delay construction on Mauna Kea and revoke his emergency proclamation came the day before La Hoihoi Ea, a national celebration of the Kingdom of Hawaii that first occurred July 31, 1843, during the reign of Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli. On that date, after a brief occupation by Britain, Adm. Richard Thomas, on behalf of the British government, was sent to Hawaii to restore sovereignty to the kingdom.

The Fight For Mauna Kea Is A Fight Against Colonial Science

Kānaka ʻŌiwi, or Native Hawaiians, have long gazed into the sky to develop sophisticated knowledge systems about the stars, and have even welcomed non-Hawaiian communities to join in doing so. In 1874, King Kalākaua invited British astronomers to observe the transit of Venus; he dreamed of building an observatory on the Big Island, perhaps at a school. Nearly a century and a half later, the island of Hawai’i is getting a world-class observatory, but not at the invitation of Native Hawaiians, and not at a place of their collective choosing. A consortium of several international universities backed by six countries wants to build a $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)...

After 9 Days Of Protests Hawaii Governor Finally Visits Sacred Mauna Kea

Hawaii Gov. David Ige wants Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim to take the lead on negotiating with opponents of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope who are engaged in a massive protest to prevent its construction on Mauna Kea, a mountain they consider sacred. The governor issued a statement Tuesday morning on the ninth day of protests before visiting activists camping on the mountain in the late afternoon. Hundreds of people were gathered peacefully at Puʻu Huluhulu across from Mauna Kea Access Road to oppose the project.

No Arrests And No Construction Convoy After A Day Of Protests

Tensions seemed to flare anew late Monday afternoon when protestors were seen blocking three police vehicles from going up the Mauna Kea Access Road. Authorities were still negotiating with the protestors at 4:45 p.m. in an attempt to get them to move. The standoff came after a work crew had erected a gate next to where protestors had chained themselves to a cattle grate earlier in the day. Later, authorities agreed to take the gate back down as they continued to negotiate for passage up the mountain.

Poor Neighborhoods Need More Than ‘Investment’

Low-income neighborhoods need employee-owned businesses anchored to their communities, not investors looking to make a quick buck. Where some of us see distressed neighborhoods — where families endure poverty and homes fall into disrepair — others see dollar signs. In fact, the Trump administration now brands them “opportunity zones,” offering tax breaks to investors who invest capital there. What remains unclear is this: Opportunity for whom? Big investors may stand to cash in, but many communities are saying they’re not getting the benefits they were promised.

US Has Regressed To Developing Nation Status, MIT Economist Warns

Peter Temin says 80 per cent of the population is burdened with debt and anxious about job security  America is regressing to have the economic and political structure of a developing nation, an MIT economist has warned.  Peter Temin says the world's’ largest economy has roads and bridges that look more like those in Thailand and Venezuela than those in parts of Europe. In his new book, “The Vanishing Middle Class", reviewed by the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Mr Temin says the fracture of US society is leading the middle class to disappear. 

Cries Of ‘Shame!’ Heard At Arlington County, Va. Hearing As Officials Approve $23M In Incentives For Amazon

"You claim Arlington is a place for all, for immigrants, for equality, [and] clamor for the attention of a company that does the opposite." Anti-Amazon protesters in Arlington County, Virginia were outraged Saturday after the county board dismissed outright their concerns over the corporate giant's decision to build a headquarters in Crystal City—voting unanimously to approve $23 million in tax incentives for the company. The 5-0 vote followed hours of testimony by Amazon representatives, supporters, and opponents of the plan, with critics arguing that the trillion-dollar company has no need for financial incentives and that its presence in Crystal City will negatively impact lower-income residents and public services.

As Big Lincoln Yards Vote Looms, Protesters Call On Ald. James Cappleman To ‘Delay The TIF’

UPTOWN — On Thursday, the massive Lincoln Yards development will advance to the City Council’s Zoning Committee. And while the project is miles from Ald. James Cappleman’s North Side ward, his position as chair of the powerful committee has made him a target for those opposed to the development — and the $900 million tax subsidy that goes along with it. “Hey Cappleman, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side,” protesters chanted outside the 46th Ward aldermanic office at 4544 N. Broadway on Tuesday.

Without Amazon, New York Can Now Do Economic Development Right

Now that activists in New York City successfully chased Amazon and its “HQ2” plan out of New York City, there is a new challenge: Can the organizers and elected leaders who successfully blocked the kind of economic development they opposed bring about the kind of economic development they want? That was a question that Cheyenna Weber, general coordinator for the Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City, was wrestling with hours after Amazon announced on Thursday that it was canceling a planned complex in Long Island City, Queens that they said would bring 25,000 jobs to the area.

Feeling Unwelcome, Amazon Ditches Plans For New York Hub

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc abruptly scrapped plans to build a major outpost in New York that could have created 25,000 jobs, blaming opposition from local leaders upset by the nearly $3 billion in incentives promised by state and city politicians. The company said on Thursday it did not see consistently “positive, collaborative” relationships with state and local officials. Opponents of the project feared congestion and higher rents in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, and objected to handing billions in incentives to a company run by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man.

Protests Push Amazon To Explore Alternatives To New York Office

The online retailer has not yet acquired any land for the project, which would make it easy to scrap its plans, the source said. The Washington Post reported the story earlier on Friday. The person briefed on the matter said that Amazon was still working toward winning approval from New York officials and had not given up on the proposal, but was considering potential alternatives to New York. Earlier, the Post, which is owned by Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, reported that Amazon executives had had internal discussions to reassess the situation in New York and explore alternatives. It cited two unnamed people familiar with the retailer’s thinking.

Corporate And Banking Interests Profit From Desecration Of Black Maryland Graveyard

In the grand scheme of things it didn’t even register a blip. Four people arrested in an obscure auditorium in a place whose name has a certain regal air to it -- Kensington. But this wasn’t somewhere in England. No, it was in Maryland, well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, in a county with the disgraceful heritage of kidnapping, enslavement, lynching, Black breeding farms, covenants to keep Blacks and Jews sequestered and ethnic cleansing high on the list of priorities that have informed every county official since before the Emancipation Proclamation and their systematic erasure of that history both physically and from public consciousness.

Germany Allocates $62m To Development Projects In Palestine

Germany allocated €55 million ($62.5 million) to be dispersed to Palestinian development projects in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip in 2019. Klaus Kramer, the head of division in the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, told reporters in Ramallah that it was agreed, in coordination with various ministries in the Palestinian government, that the money will go to mainly three sectors: sustainable economic development, infrastructure such as water projects and local governance, including projects with municipalities. While the funds in the form of grants will go mainly to these three areas, development projects in other fields will also get part of the money, such as projects carried out by civil society organisations.

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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