Lawrence Reyes Lawsuit to save Pacifica Radio

The Pacifica Foundation, Inc. was born in the late 1940's out of the peace movement surrounding World War Two. Lewis Hill, a conscientious objector and Washington, D.C. newsman, was fired from his mainstream reporting job when he refused to misrepresent the facts.

Today, Pacifica Radio is the largest not-for-profit listener-sponsored radio station in the U.S. It's 5 unique, progressive free speech radio stations in Los Angeles, Berkley, New York, Washington and Houston as well as over 220 affiliate stations nationwide provide America with what little is left of progressive, uncensored, critical and investigative news.

Blessed with an enormous transmitter in a prime location, KPFK is the most powerful of the Pacifica stations and indeed is the most powerful public radio station in the Western United States.

Being in an influential, political position, Pacifica Radio and especially KPFK Los Angeles has been the target of mostly conservative forces in an increasingly censored, mainstreamed world.

Currently, Pacifica is facing dangers from within: the Pacifica National Board (PNB) in 2022 has become compromised and made a long row of illegal and ill-advised decisions. The Board cancelled the bylaws-mandated 2022 elections of nationwide delegates to the 5 Local Station Boards. In an unprecedented power-grab, they also decided to extend their own term-limits past bylaws-mandated 6 years and threatened all Local Station Boards with disciplinary actions if they don't follow their illegal dictates to keep their termed-out delegates as well. This move was designed to created an artificial majority for the "New Day"faction on multiple boards that wants to sell the Los Angeles (KPFK) station building, effectively rendering KPFK, the Pacifica National Archive and the Pacifica Foundation office (all three housed in this building) homeless. The KPFK Local Station Board has been the only Board to follow the bylaws and resist this rough PNB.

This PNB also has suspended and removed opposing board members from Local Station Boards, and blocked access of the KPFK-officers to the website www.fpftcx.org where all stations communicate with their listeners and members about upcoming meetings and participation.

Our lawsuit with Plaintiffs from all 5 station areas will hold this rogue PNB accountable and bring Pacifica Foundation back into compliance with the bylaws.

We're calling this the "Lawrence Reyes" lawsuit, after former PNB-Board member Lawrence Reyes (KPFK) who fought for years to bring this board back into compliance with its bylaws. Brother Lawrence loved Pacifica and valued its transformative reach and its educational and organizing power. He stayed in the struggle until total exhaustion. Working to correct the PNB's multiple bylaws violations was his last fight. He died weeks later in December 2022 and is still with us in spirit, as we work together to bring Pacifica back to its roots and fulfill its mission. Lawrence Reyes, PRESENTÉ!