Occupy Oakland Community Block Party, BBQ, & Speak Out Tour
After the high profile clashes of the J28 Move-In Day and in the lead up to what we expect will be an exciting and spectacular spring climaxing with the international General Strike on May 1, 2012, we feel that this period is a crucial moment for Occupy Oakland to do outreach and connect with the many neighborhoods across Oakland in order to build a stronger movement and lay the groundwork for our collective future.
In this spirit, we propose that OO hold a series of community block party/ bbq/ speak out events every Saturday in a different neighborhood over the course of four weeks in March and possibly early April. This series of events would be advertised as an Occupy Oakland tour and would give our comrades across the city a low risk and friendly environment to participate in OO activities and help shape the direction of the movement. It would also be a chance for existing OO committees to promote and advertise their work and upcoming plans to a broad range of Oakland residents. We imagine a lively BBQ in a different neighborhood park or lot each Saturday with music and speakers and various activities such as arts and crafts and the children’s village. We would also prioritize holding a community speak out at each event where neighbors, comrades, and members of OO could all share their views on issues affecting the city and how we can build our movements. At the end of each event we would organize a march from that neighborhood back to Oscar Grant Plaza if it is not too far. This would be another outreach opportunity and a way to build more connections with the plaza.
In order to plan the specifics of this OO tour we will create a new BBQ assembly which will meet every Sunday before the GA. This will be where we plan out all the details of the events including the exact dates, activities, locations, promotion, etc. We want as many committees within OO as possible to be a part of this tour and we invite all to participate in the BBQ assemblies. So far we are coordinating with the Move-In Assembly, TAC, Occupy Patriarchy, and the Arts & Crafts Committee.
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