An officer fired her gun Thursday night after coming upon three suspects robbing a Berkeley drug store but police aren't sure if anyone was hit by gunfire. -more-

On August 1st at 3:53 am, officers responded to the area of Solano Avenue and Fresno Avenue on a report of gunfire in the area. When officers arrived, they discovered a man in his 20’s on the ground with a single gunshot wound on the 900 block of Fresno Avenue. The Berkeley Fire Department transported the man to a local hospital with serious injuries. -more-

During a discussion over a November ballot measure about promoting our elected deciders to full-time status conducted at the 4pm meeting of the City Council of Tuesday July 21, D-8 councilmember Lori Droste mused about reducing the number of city commissions, then went further by suggesting fewer council districts as well. (These moves would cut costs, the savings then presumably applied to the councilors’ ‘raises’.) While both notions are bound to generate loud opinions, the second struck me as both timely and prescient. Whether or not she was expecting a constructive reaction from her out-of-the-whirlwind inspiration, she has one. My idea may put Berkeley on the map—a new map. -more-

The Black Live Matter movement is gaining resonance in many of the minority communities around the world.

In Israel BLM has reenergized Palestinians, “Palestinian Lives Matter” are ubiquitous banners seen in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The horrific murder of George Floyd has renewed demands for ISRAEL GET YOUR LEG OFF PALESTINIAN NECKS!

In India police violence against Muslim minorities following the highly unpopular “Citzenship Law” created deep hostiles and mistrust. Disturbing accounts had emerged of gross mistreatment by police and state officials in the town of Nagina. Police chased young teenagers ranging in age from 13 to 17 and brutally tortured them. According to two of the boys, the officers laughed during beatings, saying, “You will die in this prison.” Witnesses said that police officers opened fire on demonstrators with live ammunition, broke into houses, stole money, and threatened to rape women. -more-

It is time to pull the plug on Major League Baseball. From the beginning, I suspected from the beginning that the reopening of the pandemic-shortened Major League Baseball season would be short-lived. Given the raging pandemic, MLB was unwise to reopen in the first place. -more-

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available.

You can view it absolutely free of charge by clicking here . You can print it out to give to your friends.

Grace Underpressure has been producing it for many years now, even before the Berkeley Daily Planet started distributing it, most of the time without being paid, and now we'd like you to show your appreciation by using the button below to send her money.

This is a Very Good Deal. Go for it! -more-

Diana E. H. Russell, world-renowned feminist activist, scholar, and author died July 28^th in Oakland, California. She was 81 years old. The cause of her death was cardiac arrest. -more-

Most adults who live in the U.S. seem to link their self-worth with their careers. Many also identify with their body image, irrespective of gender. Some pin their self-esteem on high intelligence. People seek advanced college degrees in the expectation that it will allow them to earn more money, and for the purpose of self-worth. Thus, we have Americans who exercise and watch their diet, and who educate themselves and increase their earnings. Many Americans value the accomplishments of their offspring, as extensions of themselves.

Mentally ill people, if we went into a bar and someone approached us to ask, "What do you do?" We might not have a good answer. It would be an awkward moment. And, because psych medications adversely affect metabolism and make it a lot harder to exercise, we may not have a fit physique. Regarding the accomplishments of family, we may have parents or siblings who've done well for themselves, but very few mentally ill people are raising their kids, if they have produced them. Thus, again, when we are approached in a bar or at almost any gathering, when asked about ourselves, we might not have much to say, and this is awkward.

Under these circumstances, it is difficult to have much self-esteem. If we are subject to outpatient institutionalization, and if we don't have a professional job, we may be subject to implied messages telling us that we're subnormal. -more-

We're living in a revolutionary era (with Donald Trump standing in for King George). Racist statues are being toppled from DC to SF. Even Abe Lincoln and FDR are being called out for their racist failings (Abe ordered the 1862 mass execution of 39 Dakota men while FDR ignored Eleanor's pleas to sign a federal anti-lynching law). But if we're going to topple statues and call for renaming US military bases and high schools, we might also want to consider renaming our weapons of war.

Take tanks, for starters. The Sherman Tank, one of our best-known combat vehicles, honors the memory of Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman. But, as the History Engine notes, Sherman "forbade the entry of African- Americans into the army. Sherman did not hide the fact that he was a white supremacist." (Sherman's legacy is probably safe for the moment. It's too much trouble to topple a tank.) -more-

From: 1921 Walnut St. Association in Downtown Berkeley, and ally organizations -more-

Worth Noting:

July 31, The total number of COVID-19 cases in California is now more than 500,000. California now has more cases of COVID-19 than 191 countries. Only the total US, Brazil, India and Russia have reported more cases of COVID-19 than the State of California.



City Council is on Summer Recess through September 14, 2020. Most of the Boards and Commissions recess during August and the majority have been held from meeting even via zoom since the shelter in place order March 16^th.



There are four City meetings in the coming week.

Monday – Ashby and North Berkeley BART Community Advisory Group, 6 pm. The number of decisions that have already been made regarding the BART Projects can be reviewed through the website link below with the meeting agenda. The BART Projects will be a minimum of 7 stories. -more-