Health

  • 50 Years After Chavez, the Struggle for Farmworkers Continues in Merced County

    April 13, 2015 /

    “I wish they would treat us better, or that we could have more opportunities,” said Gonzalez, who also noted that working in the fields while being a student at Merced College student is challenging. “I’ve been working in the fields since I was in high school, because it is the only way I could make a living.”

    farmworkers  legrand  planada  spotlight  UFW  undocumented  
  • Residents Speak Out on the Effects of Violence in Merced

    April 9, 2015 /

    Merced County just counted its ninth homicide of 2015 a few days ago. The previous year had the most homicides on record in the county at 31. Many of the Merced County victims have been young people of color, like the young man shot and killed in Winton earlier this week and a Merced teen who was shot and killed in the parking lot of Tenaya Middle School back in February. Much of the media coverage around the violence has focused on law enforcement, gang activity and property values. We’ced youth reporters asked our community members a different question: How has violence affected your life?

    community  gangs  mental health  merced  spotlight  violence  
  • Civic Leaders Discuss Mass Incarceration In Valley

    April 7, 2015 /

    FRESNO– Community leaders, residents and state officials met Thursday night in West Fresno at Westside Church of God to talk about Proposition 47 and the flaws in the criminal justice system in Fresno County and across California.

    BSCC  FIC  incarceration  mass incarceration  PICO  Prop 47  spotlight  
  • 15 and Tackling Mass Incarceration

    April 7, 2015 /

    Before I was even born, someone decided that my life did not matter. As it turns out, [California’s] infamous three strikes law actually originated in Fresno after some very serious crimes occurred in the area. But after it passed, people of color were mostly targeted. This is not fair, because Black lives do matter.

    BSCC  central valley  FIC  fresno  mass incarceration  merced  PICO  Prop 47  spotlight  
  • At Town Hall, Residents Advocate For Health Care For Undocumented

    March 17, 2015 /

    by Miguel Garcia Photo by Merced Organizing Project Ed Note: The Affordable Care Act has extended health care coverage to millions of Americans but has left an estimated one million undocumented California residents without coverage. Locally, health care reform advocates have estimated that nearly 25,000 residents of Merced County do not have access to regular care. Read More

    #health4all  board of supervisors  health care  john pedrozo  merced county  spotlight  undocumented  
  • Young, Brown and ‘Looking Unsafe’

    March 16, 2015 /

    A young white police officer asked me this question after he pulled me over while I rode my bike in Pinole, CA, close to Richmond, where I live. It was Feb. 20, and I had just left the China House restaurant. If you know me, you know I ride my bike everywhere, all over the bay. It’s my main mode of transportation.

    brown  police  spotlight