(Middletown) Members of Queer Liberation Front helped organize a rally at Javapalooza in Middletown in response to the recent incident where the owner used homophobic language against a young customer.

(Middletown)  Thanks to our friends at Queerartist, we’ve recently received a report from the mother of  a local 18 year old (who wishes to remain anonymous to protect their identity) alleging that on December 18th, 2010, her child was verbally and physically assaulted by the owner of Javapalooza in Middletown. The incident started after owner Neil Dinerman asked the victim and two friends to remove a Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee cup from the premises. According to witnesses, the victim complied but then the owner proceeded to grab them by the shirt and forced them to leave the shop while hurling insults and calling them a ‘dick-sucking faggot’.

When asked to comment about the incident,  Dinerman called the report “an outright lie”, claiming that when he asked the youths to remove the offending Dunkin Donuts’ cup, they refused to do so and laughed at his request.  Dinerman admitted that he used harsh language when demanding they leave, but claims he did not use homophobic language when doing so, saying, “Yeah, I told them to get the fuck out, but I don’t recall saying anything beyond that”.

According to their website, the Queer Liberation Front is calling on queers and allies alike to join them on Sunday January 30th @ 12pm at Javapalooza for a “teach-in” and “know your rights” discussion. They will then present the owner of the coffee shop with a letter demanding an apology.

For more info: Queer Liberation Front

Hartford; Middletown, CT—Two days ago during rush hour, activists with the climate justice network Connecticut Rising Tide dropped two large banners off of the Portland Bridge in Middletown and over Interstate 91-North in Hartford, to highlight the irreparable destruction in the Gulf of Mexico on the 3-month anniversary of the oil disaster, and to demand an end to our oil addiction.

“The Deepwater Horizon explosion has caused the worst ecological disaster in history,” said Mica Taliaferro, a Hartford resident and a member of CT Rising Tide.  “Eleven rig workers have been killed, fishery economies have been bankrupt, and precious coastal ecosystems have been damaged beyond repair. Three months later, it is time to critically analyze our consumption of oil.  We need to be sure a catastrophe like this never happens again.”

The large banners were in full display for the morning rush hour, stating “Put a Cap on Big Oil” and “End Oil Drilling: Bikes and Buses!”  The banners conveyed the demand for an end to massive oil drilling, and a shift towards sustainability through measures such as increased public transportation and safer bike lanes.

Since the start of the leak three months ago, well over 100 million gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf.  Activists say that the sheer size and devastation of the spill is enough to warrant the total abolition of offshore drilling. We need to shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy. “It has become abundantly clear that our dependence on oil is destructive and unsustainable, and must soon end for the health of the planet and those living on it,” said Kevin Hayes, a student in Middletown and member of CT Rising Tide.

The leak was finally contained on July 15^th, after oil spewed into the Gulf at a rate of 35,000 barrels per day since the initial explosion on April 20^th.  Considering the extent of this damage, the moratorium placed on offshore drilling by the Obama Administration does not go nearly far enough; a permanent ban on offshore drilling is the only acceptable measure to take to prevent another catastrophe.

Activists emphasize that the oil disaster is not an isolated problem, but one which stems from America’s addiction to oil and other dirty energy sources.  Our lifestyle of over-consumption has lead to an unhealthy dependence on environmentally destructive fossil fuels, polluting our water and air systems, and contributing heavily to global climate change.  “We need a massive energy shift away from fossil fuels and into locally generated energy systems in order to begin to repair  the damage that has already been done and build towards a more ecologically sound future,” said Kevin Hayes.

For more information, go to:

http://www.actagainstoil.com/

Rising Tide is a grassroots network of groups and individuals who take direct action to confront the root causes of climate change and promote local, community-based solutions to the climate crisis.  We are an international network born out of the conviction that corporate-friendly and state-sponsored solutions to climate change will not save us. As a matter of survival, we must decrease our dependence on the industries and institutions that are destroying the planet and work toward community autonomy and sustainable living.

Abe Bobman of Middletown Food Not Bombs discusses food activism and their recent battle with the health department.

Click here to download the MP3

The latest in a series of battles between public health officials and Food Not Bombs happens tomorrow, August 11, at the Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.  Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, members of Food Not Bombs learned that the DPH has specifically targeted Food Not Bombs chapters across the state with the aim of disrupting or stopping them completely.  Food Not Bombs is a loosely organized, national grassroots food distribution network that provides free, weekly vegetarian meals to anyone who wants to eat.  Read the full story

After a series of crackdowns by Middletown officials against Middletown Food Not Bombs, the food activists are going on the offensive.  Today, FNB filed a federal injunction that would halt a cease and desist order which bars the group from meal-sharing activities unless food is prepared in a Health Department registered kitchen.   The target of the injunction is both the city of Middletown and the state of Connecticut.   According to the FNB press release, the cease and desist order also applies to “political” activities as well.  And, in a lawsuit filed on Friday, FNB argues that attempts to stop FNB’s public meals infringe on the group’s constitutional rights and has a chilling effect on such activities elsewhere.  Read the full story