All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent
#NEVERAGAIN, California, Gun control, Gun violence, Mass shootings

Oh please, not again… (32 mass shootings in California in 2018)

By Roger Straw, November 8, 2018
[See also, Gun Control Links, from last May.  – R.S.]

Respectfully and profoundly, the Thousand Oaks, CA mass shooting is first and foremost about human lives, carnage, grieving, bullets and fear.

THE NUMBERS aren’t nearly as staggering as the personal loss and our common grieving.  But the numbers tell the larger story of legislative and executive governmental inaction.  The numbers may not have the passion, but they have the fact-based, incontrovertible, insistent, deadly proof that sensible gun control in the U.S. is needed NOW and long overdue.

California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation.  And yet, California recorded 32 mass shootings in the first 312 days of 2018, one every 10 days.  49 individuals are dead with grieving families and friends.  Another 131 were injured.  (Mass shooting is defined here as 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter).

Nationally in 2018 to date, there have been  307 mass shootings, (just shy of ONE EVERY DAY), killing 328 (OVER ONE A DAY) and injuring another 1251 (OVER FOUR EVERY DAY).

These numbers are a call to action:

MASS SHOOTINGS IN 2018 – CALIFORNIA
Incident Date City Or County # Killed # Injured
Source: gunviolencearchive.org/ (GVA defines mass shootings based on the numeric value of 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter.)
7-Nov-18 Thousand Oaks 13 10
2-Nov-18 Long Beach (North Long Beach) 0 4
30-Oct-18 Vallejo 2 3
30-Oct-18 Los Angeles 0 5
29-Oct-18 Riverside 0 7
14-Oct-18 Palo Alto (East Palo Alto) 2 2
6-Oct-18 Oakland 0 6
30-Sep-18 Compton 1 3
23-Sep-18 Bakersfield 1 4
23-Sep-18 Baldwin Park 0 4
12-Sep-18 Bakersfield 6 0
2-Sep-18 San Bernardino 0 8
12-Aug-18 Clearlake 4 1
11-Aug-18 San Francisco 1 4
31-Jul-18 Gardena 2 3
28-Jul-18 Los Angeles 2 4
26-Jul-18 Oakland 2 2
5-Jul-18 Los Angeles 3 3
27-Jun-18 Oakland 1 3
21-Jun-18 San Bernardino 1 3
20-Jun-18 Modesto 0 5
14-Jun-18 Union City 0 5
14-Jun-18 Tracy 1 4
10-Jun-18 Valley Village 0 6
13-May-18 Stockton 3 2
13-May-18 Los Angeles 2 2
7-May-18 San Diego 0 5
20-Apr-18 San Francisco 1 5
9-Apr-18 Vallejo 0 4
21-Mar-18 San Francisco 1 5
12-Mar-18 Modesto 0 4
27-Jan-18 Los Angeles 0 5
TOTAL 49 131

What do do?  Protest in the streets, phone and write our state and national elected officials.  Weep.  Try like mad to stay hopeful…

Roger Straw
Benicia, California

#ENOUGH, #NEVERAGAIN, Electoral politics, Gun control, Mass shootings

Gun control links – renewed call to VOTE THEM OUT!

By Roger Straw
[Originally published in the spring of 2018 following the Parkland, FL mass shooting, republished here in November 2018 following mass shootings in Pittsburgh, PA and Thousand Oaks, CA.  – R.S.]

School shootings and other mass murders will never stop until we elect new leaders who are willing to stand up to the NRA.  Below you will find links to organizations dedicated to ending gun violence.  Many are focusing on electing new leaders who stand for change.  Please click on at least one today – sign a petition, make a contribution, join or start a new group.  Renew your commitment to resist!

National

Everytown For Gun Safety (everytown.org/throwthemout/)

header

Guns Down America (gunsdownamerica.org/)

States United to Prevent Gun Violence (ceasefireusa.org/)

States United to Prevent Gun Violence

Indivisible (indivisible.org)

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus (keepgunsoffcampus.org/)

Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (lawcenter.giffords.org/take-action/)

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (csgv.org/)

California & Benicia

Bay Area Student Activists (bayareastudentactivists.org/)

Bay Area Student Activists

Benicia March For Our Lives (facebook.com/groups/529647794085732/)

 

North Bay|#NEVERAGAIN (twitter.com/nbayNEVERAGAIN)

North Bay|#NEVERAGAIN

northbayneveragain (instagram.com/northbayneveragain/)

Women Against Gun Violence (wagv.org/)

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, California Chapters (bradycampaign.org/)

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence logo

Keeping Watch on Earth News

Benicia election results – Nov. 8 UPDATE

By Roger Straw, November 8, 2018
[Editor – this is NOT the latest update.  For that, see Latest Benicia Election Results – no changes, just new numbers.  – R.S.]

Latest numbers – Nov. 7, End of Day

Unchanged:
City Council: Strawbridge and Largaespada
School Board: Maselli, Zada and Ferrucci
Measure E Cannabis: YES

Solano County Registrar of Voters
Election Results

Run Date:11/07/18 04:54 PM (Next update 11/8/2018 at EOD)
Estimated Provisional Ballots: Benicia 223

Same information as above, in text, can be copied/pasted:

City of Benicia Member, City Council
Vote for no more than  2    (WITH 8 OF 8 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Total Votes      %      Election Day   Vote by Mail     Provisional
CHRISTINA STRAWBRIDGE . . . . . . 6,602    33.36   2,195   4,407   0
LIONEL LARGAESPADA . . . . . . . 5,891   29.77   1,933   3,958   0
KARI BIRDSEYE . . . . . . . . . 5,178   26.17   1,749   3,429   0
WILLIAM EMES JR. . . . . . . . . 2,043   10.32   717   1,326   0
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 75   .38   33   42   0

Benicia Unified School District Member, Governing Board
Vote for no more than  3    (WITH 10 OF 10 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Total Votes      %      Election Day   Vote by Mail     Provisional
MARK MASELLI . . . . . . . . . 7,519   28.63    2,507    5,012    0
SHERI ZADA . . . . . . . . . . 6,938    26.42   2,375   4,563     0
DIANE FERRUCCI. . . . . . . . . 5,443     20.73     1,678      3,765     0
ADREAN HAYASHI. . . . . . . . . 3,261   12.42   1,058   2,203   0
GETHSEMANE MOSS . . . . . . . . 2,959   11.27   1,082   1,877   0
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 140   .53   45   95   0

City of Benicia Measure E – Cannabis tax
Vote for no more than  1    (WITH 8 OF 8 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Total Votes      %      Election Day   Vote by Mail     Provisional
YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,902    76.30   2,892   6,010   0
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,765   23.70   1,132   1,633   0

Donald Trump, Nobody Is Above the Law, U.S. Department of Justice

Protest rally in Vallejo Thursday 5pm – No One is Above the Law

Repost from trumpisnotabovethelaw.org

No One is Above the Law – Protest Trump action in Vallejo on Thursday 5pm

RSVP to attend this event (more info below).

logoDonald Trump just crossed a red line, violating the independence of the investigation pursuing criminal charges in the Trump-Russia scandal and cover-up.

Trump putting himself above the law is a threat to our democracy, and we’ve got to get Congress to stop him.

We’re mobilizing immediately to demand accountability, because Trump is not above the law.

Please make note of the date, time, and description below to confirm that the host is able to organize the event on such short notice!

Once you sign up, make sure to invite friends to join you at the event!

Note: If you choose to attend an event, you agree to engage in nonviolent, peaceful action, to act lawfully, and to strive to de-escalate any potential confrontations with those who may disagree with our values.

The host has marked that this event is wheelchair accessible

IN VALLEJO:

Trump has crossed the line! Peaceful protest is tomorrow, Thursday, November 8. We will MEET AT THE VALLEJO FERRY BUILDING at 5:00 p.m. to protest.  Bring signs, musical instruments, anything that helps us protest loud and proud! Let’s stand with our fellow Americans throughout the country and reject this shredding of our rule of law.

Where: Vallejo Ferry Building, Vallejo, CA 94590
Host: Mimosa M.
RSVP to attend this event at Nobody Is Above the Law