Benicia man arrested on suspicion of rapes in six counties over 27 years

A Benicia, Calif. man who worked for 25 years at the University of California, Berkeley was arrested Sept. 20 in Berkeley on suspicion of sexually assaulting 10 women in at least six counties between 1991 and 2006. Law enforcement agencies and district attorneys from the counties announced the arrest of Roy Charles Waller, 58, allegedly […]

Taking a Stand: Despite battling cancer, Sen. Hirono shines in national spotlight

Editor’s Note: Mazie Hirono made history in 2012, when she became the first elected female senator from Hawai‘i, the first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, the first U.S. senator born in Japan, and the nation’s first Buddhist senator. In the middle of a turbulent political year, she announced in May 2017 that […]

Compassion abounds in intimate journey

GENTLY TO NAGASAKI By Joy Kogawa (Halfmoon Bay, B.C.: Caitlin Press Inc., 2016, 214 pp., $25.95 CAD, paper) “Gently to Nagasaki” is filled with honesty, fragility and deep questioning of opposing forces and ironic encounters that bring writer Joy Kogawa to unravel her truth. Before the memoir begins, Kogawa calls upon the Goddess of Mercy, […]

Latest sexual assault linked to others, police believe

BERKELEY, Calif. — Berkeley police said March 5 that they believe a sexual assault early that morning near the University of California at Berkeley campus is linked to recent others near the south end of campus. The March 5’s early morning assault occurred at 12:09 a.m. in the 2500 block of Etna Street. A 21-year-old […]

Berkeley: Police Release video of suspect in three sexual assaults

BERKELEY, Calif. — Police are asking for help identifying a suspect in three sexual assaults that took place in Berkeley in less than a week and have a released a video of the person they want to identify. A suspect assaulted a woman at 9:10 p.m. Feb. 11 in the 2500 block of Haste Street, […]

Reflections on Day of Remembrance: Supporting the SF ‘comfort women’ memorial & delving into our own history of sexual violence against women in times of war

Last year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution to create a “comfort women” memorial. The resolution garnered broad support from both within the Japanese American community as well as veterans, women’s and labor rights groups, students, educators, and scholars. However, there was also opposition from some members of the Japanese and […]

Berkeley student allegedly sexually assaulted in dorm room

BERKELEY, Calif. — A female University of California at Berkeley student was allegedly assaulted in her dorm room by a co-worker, according to the University of California Police Department. Police received a report of the incident March 3 at 4:55 p.m. The incident occurred a short time earlier, police said. The student and the suspect […]