"Pre-Prison Diaries" is a series from the Community Rights Campaign in which organizers, students and parents share stories and observations about truancy tickets, police in schools, zero tolerance, and other "pre-prison" conditions and experiences. Jackie Hill, current freshmen at Dominguez Hills, shares how the recent budget crisis and the increased spending on prisons in the last 25 years have impacted her life as a young Black woman. 

Last weekend, the Honduran political crisis entered a new stage when US
diplomats brokered an agreement between the coup government led by
Roberto Micheletti and the ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Is the agreement a victory for Zelaya and popular forces in Honduras
and across Latin America or is it a triumph of a sophisticated strategy
of US imperial manipulation? Manuel Criollo comments.

On Tuesday October 13th, the last of the four public scoping meetings was held regarding the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes Project to hear from the public around their thoughts and concerns around this project.

BRU wins two major policy breakthroughs to protect bus riders' Civil Rights at the MTA's monthly Board meeting! After months of pressure from the BRU, Mayor Villaraigosa requests that MTA staff present a plan for bus system improvements and Supervisor Ridley-Thomas introduced an amendment to the 2009 LRTP that included language to protect the 20% of Measure R funds exclusively for bus expansion.

"Pre-Prison Diaries" is a series from the Community Rights Campaign in which organizers, students and parents share stories and observations about truancy tickets, police in schools, zero tolerance, and other "pre-prison" conditions and experiences. Barbara Lott-Holland, shares the story of a Black mother who is determined to challenge her son's truancy tickets and expresses why we must decriminalize tardiness and "truancy". 

The Bus Riders Union surveyed LA's bus riders on the Wilshire Bus-Only Lanes.  LA riders overwhelmingly support the Bus-Only Lanes project for its anticipated reduction and greater efficiency in bus travel time and improvements in the city's air quality.

I learned by experience what transformative organizing is, it is when we transform ourselves by having our values and actions aligned. Even though none of us are perfect, we should try to live our lives with full integrity...

BRU member Julian Lamb reports on the monthly meeting.  "For me, the highlight of the meeting, was when Mike de la Rocha, community activist and strong supporter of the We are Alex campaign, spoke passionately on the plight of Alex Sanchez."

We have just finished with our teatro / rally / action at the MTA headquarters, but we are repeating our performance on Wednesday 10/21/2009 at 12:30pm at the corner of Wilshire / Western.  Don't miss our performance!  The Bus Riders Union, bus riders and their allies will be urging the public to call on MTA Board of Directors to reject the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) draft that calls for permanent fare increases and bus service reduction.