La Raza Chronicles team statement on the recent incident at KPFA

On September 16, the La Raza Chronicles production team unanimously issued the following statement read by Nina Serrano concerning the recent incident at KPFA involving the beating and arrest of longtime KPFA volunteer Nadra Foster.

Hear the statement as broadcast:

PLAY NOW (statement at 13:10 into program)
La Raza Chronicles - September 16, 2008 - stream @ KPFA FM

"You have heard on these airwaves the upsetting news of dissension among the paid and unpaid staff over the station management and Pacifica's calling the police to remove a volunteer from the building and her ensuing injuries from the police and the felony charges against her. We, at La Raza Chronicles, object to the calling of the police. We believe that police intervention would only be warranted if bodily harm to people and/or broadcast equipment are involved. This does not seem to have been the case.

"We must and surely will find nonviolent ways to work things out and to discuss the issues beyond a "them and us" mentality. Police enforcement can be brutal. But the debates about this unfortunate and ill-advised event are happening just before we begin the fundraising drive this Thursday- while there is with a more ominous situation in the wings.

"The Pacifica network is in dire fiscal straits. On top of this, Hurricane Ike has now closed down the Texas station for a while. This means that we will be asking you to participate in the fund drive as generously as you can to help pay the on-going bills. Because, if there is no KPFA, we cannot democratically resolve our internal disagreements. Imagine any local or world crisis without KPFA to turn to for information

Nina Serrano - host/producer
Julieta Kusnir - associate producer
Ventura Longoria - engineer/producer, Streets of Aztlan
Vanessa Bohm - producer, News Sin Fronteras
Clayton Leander - engineer / webmaster
Emiliano Echeverria - music segment producer