Democracy Now Staff Suspended

[michael perelman <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ENTIRE DEMOCRACY NOW! STAFF SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY

Below is a bulletin from the Pacifica Campaign?s Juan Gonzalez
explaining why most Pacifica listeners are no longer hearing the
network?s flagship show, Democracy Now!, on their airwaves.

You?ll find several ways to help toward the end of his message --
especially if you are a union member -- and following it, the memo which
Amy Goodman and other Democracy Now! staffers sent to
Pacifica management today. Please take a few moments to take
action in support of them!

================================
NEWS UPDATE FROM JUAN GONZALEZ
================================

Dear Pacifica Campaign Supporters:

The crisis with Pacifica's flagship national news show, Democracy
Now!, has gotten worse. Pacifica management has now suspended Amy
Goodman without pay. Incredibly, the Democracy Now! team found
this out in the morning newspapers.

As you will remember, Amy and the Democracy Now! staff last
Tuesday, August 14, decided to move production from Pacifica
station WBAI in New York to an alternate studio in downtown
Manhattan because they feared for their physical safety. At WBAI,
they had been physically and verbally attacked by interim station
manager Utrice Leid and other Leid loyalists. When Pacifica senior
management ignored their repeated written requests that something
be done about the intolerable atmosphere of intimidation and
threats at the station, they felt they had no choice but to
fashion some interim solution and find a safe and secure
workplace.

But instead of taking steps to investigate the assault on Amy, and
to ensure a violence- and harassment-free workplace, it is Amy and
the Democracy Now! team that are now being disciplined by Pacifica
Executive Director Bessie Wash.

For more than a week, Pacifica management has refused to broadcast
live editions of Democracy Now! that Amy and her staff have been
producing from Downtown Community Television (DCTV). This is
despite the fact that other shows at WBAI are produced from
alternate sites and fed to the station by ISDN line.

Despite Pacifica's claims that Amy had failed to report to work,
KPFA in Berkeley continues to air the live broadcasts of DN!, as
do several affiliates around the country who were able to get the
feed via phone, web and ISDN. But on the other four Pacifica
stations in New York, Washington, Houston and Los Angeles,
listeners were denied the show they have grown accustomed to
hearing each morning.

For several days last week, Amy and DN! staffers Kris Abrams, Brad
Simpson and Anthony Sloan engaged in marathon negotiations with
their AFTRA union representative and Pacifica lawyers to defuse
the crisis. Before they would return to WBAI, the DN! staff
insisted minimally on firm written guarantees and actions by
Pacifica to assure their safety. They also asked for an
investigation of the Leid assault, an end to their banishment to a
second-class production studio at WBAI, and unrestricted access
with their own keys to the DN! offices. Clearly, if a station
manager is allowed to physically assault an employee, as Leid
did before eyewitnesses, and to deny basic quality working
conditions, without any censure from management, it provides a
greenlight for intimidation and attacks to continue.

Quite predictably, on Saturday one of the most virulent and
violence-prone producers on WBAI, Clayton Riley, launched into an
on-air tirade of threats that were clearly directed at Amy and the
current crisis. "When you talk about the enemy, you find the
enemy, you isolate the enemy and you destroy the enemy," said
Riley. "These people have put themselves in the position of being
the enemies. This conflict is not going to end, in my judgment and
let me be clear about that, until the dissidents, until the so-
called exile community is destroyed. Unequivocally."

This echoes Station Manager Utrice Leid's own statements, some of
which on NPR's Morning Edition of June 21st: "I need you stalwart
soldiers out there ... This is a call to arms. I told you, it's a
war." Leid said that some of those who she says were sabotaging
the station are "right here with us." Listen to NPR's report at
http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnpd01fm.cfm?PrgDate=6%2F21%2F2001&PrgID=3


AFTRA SELLS OUT TO PACIFICA MANAGEMENT

Unfortunately, the AFTRA union seemed at times to be in
management's pocket. Rather than militantly fight for firm
guarantees of physical safety for Amy, the AFTRA rep wanted the
DN! staff to settle for a vaguely-worded policy statement from
Pacifica reaffirming that the workplace should be free of threats.
The same statement contained a so-called "management rights"
clause that required all employees to obey any directives from
management, except those that violated the union contract. Since
the AFTRA contract has no sections dealing with on-the-job safety,
that provision thus required Amy and her staff to follow any
orders, even if they felt physically threatened. In addition, the
union was willing to settle for a Pacifica promise to conduct an
investigation of the alleged assault and to report back on the
progress of the investigation by Sept. 10. In other words, no
conclusion to the investigation was required at that time, only a
report of "progress". How long does it take to investigate whether
a supervisor physically attacked an employee? Aren't there
numerous recently installed surveillance cameras at WBAI that
probably captured the assault on tape? Aren't there several
witnesses to the act?

As a veteran union representative with the Newspaper Guild, I must
ask, why would a union rep cave in so easily to management?

Well, what is not widely known is that the WBAI paid staff, with
the apparent blessing of Pacifica management, is seeking to
decertify another union with a much more militant history of
worker defense -- the United Electrical Workers, and to affiliate
instead to AFTRA. AFTRA officials are reportedly even willing to
waive their union's astronomically-high union initiation fees just
to gain a foothold in WBAI.

Quite simply, it appears that AFTRA is selling out Amy and the
staff at DN! and will soon be amply rewarded with many more new
dues-paying members at WBAI.

CALL AFTRA TODAY!

We urge you, especially those of you who are union members, to
call AFTRA headquarters today and ask to speak to union president
Greg Hessinger. The AFTRA national office telephone number is 212-
532-0800. The fax number is 212-532-2242. Or e-mail him at:
ghessing@xxxxxxxxxx

Tell him that Amy Goodman and the DN! staff should not be forced
to report to a job site where they are physically attacked by
supervisors and where staff members go on the air to urge their
physical destruction. That is fascism, not democracy, and no union
should collaborate with such policies.

THE FIGHT MOVES TO THE COURTS AND THE STREETS!

Plaintiffs in the various law suits against the Pacifica board
have asked for an expedited hearing this Wednesday in Alameda
County Superior Court over this latest attack on Democracy Now! As
part of a court stipulation between the two sides, Pacifica cannot
unilaterally make changes in national programming, including
Democracy Now!, and the litigants are seeking an injunction. While
we are hopeful that the judge will rule appropriately, we cannot
place all our faith in the courts. Pacifica now has an even more
expensive and politically-connected corporate law firm than it had
before.

We urge you to keep up your phone calls and e-mails to Pacifica
management demanding that Democracy Now! come back on the air.
Thousands have spoken. We urge you to continue. Also organize
protests in your listening area during the next few days and weeks
against Pacifica management and the renegade board members who
still refuse to restore democratic accountability and free speech
to the network.

Already there has been a tremendous response from community
stations nationwide. And endorsements for Democracy Now! have come
far and wide, from activist Pam Africa to actor Danny Glover to
the Journalists for Democratic Rights in Nigeria. And thanks for
all your great e-mails to the Pacifica Campaign. We appreciate
them and will try to respond as soon as we can.

A National Day of Solidarity is planned for this Tuesday, August
28. Hold a picket in front of your local Pacifica or affiliate
station in support of the DN! team. Organize a radio program on
the crisis. The Pacifica Campaign will be happy to come on to talk
about the crisis. Also, please send a contribution to the Pacifica
Campaign. Tax deductible contributions can be made to: Institute
for Media Analysis-Pacifica Campaign. Our mailing address:
Pacifica Campaign, 51 MacDougal St., #80, New York, NY, 10012.

In the meantime, please be sure to contact AFTRA and make the
phone calls, faxes or e-mails listed below.

In struggle,

Juan Gonzalez


***********************************************************

WHAT YOU CAN DO !

Pick up the phone, organize demonstrations, notify all you come in
contact with not to contribute to any Pacifica fundraisers, until
democracy returns to the Pacifica network and the fired and the
banned have been returned. Demand that the hijacker Pacifica
National Board members resign now and the immediate resignations
and dismissals of Bessie Wash and Utrice Leid.

Please call, fax, e-mail or mail the following individuals.
Contact as many times possible until you feel that your voice has
been heard. Your phone calls are important. Keep the message
straightforward, no profanity, or name calling. Victory is
certain, we will win.

Call AFTRA headquarters today and ask to speak to union president
Greg Hessinger. The AFTRA national office telephone number is 212-
532-0800. The fax number is 212-532-2242. Or e-mail him at:
ghessing@xxxxxxxxxx

Tell him that Amy Goodman and the DN! staff should not be forced
to report to a job site where they are physically attacked by
supervisors and where staff members go on the air to urge their
physical destruction. That is fascism, not democracy, and no union
should collaborate with such policies.

Pacifica Board Vice Chair Ken Ford
Tel: 800-368-5242 ext. 228
Tel: (301) 350-6388
Fax: 202-822-0369
E-mail: kenfordpacifica@xxxxxxx, kford@xxxxxxxx

Ken Ford's boss at the National Association of Home Builders:
Jerry Howard, CEO 800-368-5242 ext. 257
E-mail: jhoward@xxxxxxxx
Ask that the NAHB's Ken Ford resign from the Pacifica Board today

Pacifica Board member Valrie Chambers
Tel: 361-825-6012
Fax: 281-655-0266
E-mail: Valrie.Chambers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, valriechambers@xxxxxxx

Pacifica Board member Wendell L. Johns
Tel: 202-752-5355
Fax: 202-752-4281
E-mail: wendell_L_johns@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cut the below list of email addresses, paste it into the To: line
of your email composition form. Also go to:
http://www.progressiveportal.org/letters/pacifica/resign/

Bmwpacifica@xxxxxxx, uleid@xxxxxxxxxx, sypacifica@xxxxxxx,
kford@xxxxxxxx, KenFordPacifica@xxxxxxx, jmurdock@xxxxxxxxxx,
wendell_L_johns@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Alfigo@xxxxxxx,
valriechambers@xxxxxxx, Valrie.Chambers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
jhoward@xxxxxxxx, bsmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
pacificacampaign@xxxxxxxxx, ghessing@xxxxxxxxx



=========================================
MEMO FROM THE DEMOCRACY NOW! STAFF
=========================================
TO: Pacifica National Board and Pacifica management
FROM: Democracy Now! Staff
DATE: 8/20/01
RE: safety

As you know, the Democracy Now! staff spent last week
negotiating with Pacifica management over how our safety could be
guaranteed.  The talks came after two attacks, one physical and
one verbal.

On Friday, August 10, WBAI Station Manager Utrice Leid
physically assaulted Amy Goodman.  On Monday, August 13, the
Operations Director Sidney Smith and morning show host Marjorie
Moore began yelling at Amy as soon as she entered the station.
They followed her to her office, and when Democracy Now!
producer Brad Simpson closed the door after her, Smith used his
master key to re-enter. They continued to yell at us as we tried
to  prepare for the morning's program, until the on-air host came
out of  master control to tell them to stop disturbing his
broadcast.

We left after our broadcast, believing we could no longer safely
work at WBAI.  We waited for a response to our Friday e-mails to
management about the first attack.  When no response came, we
wrote our second letter laying out why we felt we had no recourse,
but to find an alternative space from which to broadcast and
produce Democracy Now! It was only then that management
responded.

For the next three days, the Democracy Now! staff negotiated in
good faith, attempting to reach agreement with management on a
minimum set of safety guarantees for our return.  We agreed not to
comment publicly during the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the situation at WBAI deteriorated.  On Thursday
morning before Democracy Now!, the newly installed morning show
staff used the time to encourage listeners to attack Amy and
Democracy Now! As further evidence of the increasingly
unprofessional and hostile workplace, when people voiced their
support, the hosts either mocked them or cut short their calls
with the sound of a flushing toilet.

On Saturday, the verbal harassment reached a peak, when
producer Clayton Riley said on the air: "When you talk about the
enemy, you find the enemy, you isolate the enemy and you
destroy the enemy.  These people have put themselves in the
position of being the enemies. This conflict is not going to end,
in my judgment and let me be clear about that, until the
dissidents, until the so-called exile community is destroyed.
Unequivocally."

This echoes Station Manager Utrice Leid's own oft-repeated
comments, some of which aired around the nation on NPR's Morning
Edition of June 21st:

"I need you stalwart soldiers out there. This is a call to arms. I
told you, it's a war."  Leid said that some of those who she says
were sabotaging the station are right here with us.

These inflammatory comments are not just words.  Several months
ago, Clayton physically moved in on WBAI reporter Robert Knight
for coming to Amy's defense, shouting repeatedly  "Stop kissing
the ass of that white bitch." Minutes later, he assaulted Knight
in Utrice Leid's office, while she looked on.

Riley has also threatened to pay a hitman $400 to break the legs
of Democracy Now! engineer Anthony Sloan.  He has screamed
obscenities at former Democracy Now! producer Terry Allen.  In
each case,  we informed WBAI and Pacifica management of these
incidents.  Management never responded.

Furthermore, Clayton was not disciplined, but rewarded: Utrice
Leid has since doubled the air-time of his weekly program. The
hate-filled, violent on and off-air harassment and intimidation
only intensified after Leid's assault on Amy.

While Pacifica management has offered to post a statement
asserting that WBAI is a nonviolent workplace, they refused to
prohibit the on-air personal attacks, which gives a green light
for the kind of assault and harassment we experienced last week.
They also have refused to give Amy a key to the station or even to
her own office.  She is locked out until she hands over her home
and cell phone numbers to the very person who assaulted her.

We have an interim solution.  As we have communicated, we have
a safe and even technically superior studio from which to
broadcast. Democracy Now! will continue to work at Downtown
Community Television until our safety at WBAI can be guaranteed
in a meaningful way.

This will:

 - preclude further intimidation, harassment and assault
 - de-escalate the situation
 - provide us with a technically superior studio at no cost
 - lessen Pacifica's liability

It also answers Leid's demand.  On the air, she has said we will
throw the unwanted tenants out.  Off the air, she has stormed into
our office, insisting that we find an alternative studio.

There is ample precedent for this arrangement.  At least three men
broadcast from offsite studios daily for Pacifica and WBAI:  Gary
Null (M-F, 12-1 pm), Armand DeMille (M-F, 1 to 2 pm), and
Pacifica Network News correspondent Bob Hennelly (daily for PNN
and weekly for WBAI).

For these men, broadcasting from an alternative site is a
convenience.  For us, it has become a necessary safety
precaution.

We feel it is our responsibility to continue to provide Democracy
Now! to the Pacifica stations and affiliates, as we have for
nearly six years. Because WBAI is presently an unsafe workplace,
last week we broadcast from DCTV.

The programs were technically perfect, of higher broadcast quality
than even WBAI provides.  But most importantly, we are safe.

Until we feel our safety is guaranteed at WBAI, the incidents we
described are adequately investigated and dealt with, and the on-
air personal attacks stop, we see no other option but to continue
to produce and broadcast Democracy Now! in this manner.

Our safety is non-negotiable.  We hope you agree.

Signed,

Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!
Kris Abrams, producer of Democracy Now!
Brad Simpson, producer of Democracy Now!
Anthony Sloan, engineer of Democracy Now!



**********************************************************
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--

Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx