Opinion

It’s time for another report on the state of the newspaper industry, Berkeley branch. This is beginning to look more and more like KQED’s pattern of incessant pledge breaks, but it’s unavoidable. Maybe it’s just our preoccupation, but it seems that every publication we pick up, every website we read, has a story on the dire and desperate fate of newspapers, which all over the country are dying like flies. Papers elsewhere, notably Europe and India, aren’t doing so well either. -more-

OFFICE DEPOT -more-

Many of us are familiar with the Free Speech Movement on the Berkeley campus in 1964 that followed the Loyalty Oath Struggle of the 1950s, which cost the University of California 68 of its finest professors and teachers, who refused to sign it. The community movement to build People’s Park followed immediately after the drawn-out yet ultimately successful struggle to create ethnic studies programs both at the university and at San Francisco State College in the fall of 1968. The image of President Samuel Hayakawa tearing out the wiring on one of the movement’s loudspeaker trucks on the San Francisco campus at that time is still indelibly burned into the brains of those alive at the time. -more-

First off I would like to thank you for “Undercurrents.” J. Douglas Allen-Taylor generally hits the mark, and his stuff on Oakland has exposed Chip Johnson for the gossip columnist he is. I must take Jean Damu to task, though, for his recent commentary. I know Damu and admire his union work and his solidarity work, but his piece on “Black America and the Police” is almost embarrassing. I mean it was a step up from the garbage that was Mr. Anderson’s commentary, but in a way like it. -more-

The San Francisco Chronicle is here to stay! As a lifelong reader of the San Francisco Chronicle, I am pleased to hear the news that Northern California’s largest newspaper will not shut down. -more-

Even though you can’t always get what you want, you can’t even get what you need, try hard as you may. Not in Berkeley anyway. They not only tore down paradise, but also they tore down the parking lot (although later). -more-

I am writing in response to Joseph Anderson’s April 2 commentary, “The Karmic Justice of Lovelle Mixon’s Act.” In the commentary, Anderson mentioned Jeremiah Chass. I am a close family friend of Jeremiah’s and his family’s and I wanted to take the time to clear up some misrepresented information. Although Jeremiah’s mother appreciated the objective of your article she was deeply affected by the misinformation. -more-

Given the problems associated with the Jan. 30 party at the Gaia Building (“Another Gaia Building Riot—With Gun Fire,” Daily Planet, Feb. 4), it is appropriate and timely to take a step back and examine how we as a community address the social needs of our younger members. It is natural for people to seek social interaction with other people. This is particularly true for younger people. The type of interaction is varied, but parties usually play an important role. As with all social interactions, there are risks. It is appropriate for city officials—within the bounds of their authority—to attempt to reduce the risks. -more-