Calendar

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Oct
10
Thu
Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Fossil Free California @ Nido's
Oct 10 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Fossil Free California has been leading a growing coalition building support to get California state pension funds — California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) — to divest from fossil fuels.

Help them continue this invaluable leadership and show your appreciation by attending one of their 10th Anniversary parties.

Info/tickets here.

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Oct
12
Sat
Film Screening: “Democracy Noir” : a damning portrait of how Orban @ BAMPFA
Oct 12 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

A political thriller, character drama, and a clarion call to action, this riveting documentary portraying resistance to Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orban is perfectly relevant to this political moment.

In the September 10  2024 presidential debate, Donald Trump said “Viktor Orban, one of the most respected men, they call him a strong man, he is a tough person, smart, Prime Minister of Hungary, said why is he world blowing up, three years ago it wasn’t, because you need Trump back as President.”    Orban also enjoys a very close relationship to the Heritage Foundations, and his ideas are reflected in Project 2025.

Few politicians have proven as adept at undermining democracy as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. A hero to his country’s Christian conservative population as well as an acolyte to Donald Trump and the republican party, Orban fastens methodical steps to successfully chip away at Hungarian democratic institutions.

With unparalleled access, “Democracy Noir” follows three courageous activists – Timea, Babett, and Niko – as they reveal the layers of deception embedded within Orban’s government. Wielding expertise in law, journalism and healthcare, these women organize innovative ways to take on one of the West’s most powerful demagogues. But they face an increasingly well-financed and sophisticated opposition in Orban’s Fidesz party, who control the media.

“Democracy Noir” paints a damning portrait of how Orban, over the years, systematically destabilized the country’s democratic institutions for financial gain while enjoying widespread approval from Hungarian nationalists. The film reveals an urgent cautionary tale for all democracies through the story of Orban’s relentless work to build an autocratic white Christian state. But amidst this dark, new brand of authoritarianism, vital resistance remains. Through the testimony and actions of Timea, Babett and Niko, we not only witness the terror of a democracy in free fall, we see first-hand what it takes to try and claw precious freedoms back from the abyss. “Democracy Noir” serves as a warning and a ray of hope: it reveals the undemocratic nature of Orban’s regime and the courage of three women, representing many, who will not acquiesce.

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Oct
13
Sun
Green Sunday: The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime @ Online
Oct 13 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Across the country, reporters, pundits, and others have referred to the current election as “The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime”.  Yet here in northern Alameda County, an unprecedented election is already certain as numerous incumbents are vacating their seats, guaranteeing that newcomers will be taking office for US Congress, State Senate, County Supervisor, Berkeley Mayor, half of the Berkeley City Council and Oakland School Board seats up for election, 3 out of the 5 Oakland City Council seats on the ballot, Oakland City Attorney, and all 4 of the EBMUD and EBRPD seats we’ll be voting on in our county.  Plus there will be unprecedented recall election votes on District Attorney Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as well as a significant opportunity for Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein, who is polling at 29% among Muslim voters and leading the field in several key states — ahead of both Harris and Trump.

In addition to Jill Stein and the two recall elections, we’ll also be discussing the campaigns of Jovanka Beckles for State Senate, Kate Harrison for Berkeley Mayor, Jenny Guarino for Berkeley City Council, and more.  Please join us this Sunday at 5:00 pm for “The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime”.

Elana Auerbach is an activist and writer who ran in a special election for Berkeley City Council earlier this year.  She has served on the Berkeley Tenants Union steering committee and was also a member of Berkeley Copwatch for many years.  She wrote a Reimagining Berkeley column for the “Berkeley Times” and organized for a Berkeley Ceasefire Resolution in Gaza, as well as with the Berkeley Unified School District Jewish parents for Collective Liberation.

Sean Dougherty was the March 2024 Green Party candidate for California’s 19 Congressional District (from southern Santa Clara county to San Luis Obispo county).  He has worked as an engineer for consumer products like smartphones and laptops since the late 90’s and previously was an advisory group member for Santa Cruz for Bernie.  He is now a co-chair of the Membership and Outreach Committee of the California Green Party.

Negeene Mosaed is Chair of the Berkeley Tenants Union, a member of Friends of Adeline, and in 2022 was a candidate for Berkeley’s Rent Board.  She also is the owner of Berkeley Community Physical Therapy, the only clinic serving Medi-Cal and Medicare, and most types of insurance, and having the lowest cash pay rate in the greater Bay Area, as a commitment to serve and provide the highest quality of care to all community members.  Negeene was involved in organizing for a ceasefire resolution in Palestine, at the Berkeley city Council, and was one of the lead organizers of that movement in Berkeley.

BK Woodson, Sr. is a Steering Committee member of the “Respect Our Vote” (No Recalls) coalition.  He is a director of “Faith in Action, East Bay” and pastor of the Bay Area Christian Connection. October 13th, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm Via Zoom: please see the access info below 

 
Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows at 7:00 pm, after a 30-minute break. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.

Topic: Green Party of Alameda County

Description: Green Sunday presentation at 5 PM

(Followed by County Council business meeting at 7:00. All are welcome to attend)

Time: October 13, 2024, 5:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 880 8334 2274
Dial by your location
        +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/k39IUnw59

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Oct
17
Thu
How to Protest with Privacy in Mind @ Online
Oct 17 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Take a deep dive into protecting your privacy while advocating for a better world. Meet our panel featuring EFF Security and Privacy Activist Thorin Klosowski, The Civil Liberties Defense Center Executive Director Lauren Regan, Greenpeace International Information Security Capacity Manager Gillo Cutrupi, and EFF Senior Staff Technologist Cooper Quintin. Learn what’s happening around the world, how you can fortify your devices, and be prepared for the next assembly.

Following the discussion, our panelists will be answering your questions. Participate in the live Q&A or reply to this message now with a question for the panelists.

We hope you and your friends can join us live! If you can’t make it, we’ll post the recording afterward on YouTube and the Internet Archive!

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Oct
22
Tue
Celebrate with the Internet Archive @ Internet Archive
Oct 22 @ 5:00 pm – Oct 23 @ 8:00 pm

October 22: Tour the Physical Archive

Please join us on Tuesday, October 22 from 6-8pm as we take a peek behind the doors of the Physical Archive in Richmond, California.

We are excited to offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the physical collections of books, music, film, and video in Richmond, California.

With this special insider event we are opening the doors to an often unseen place. See the lifecycle of physical books—donation, preservation, digitization, and access. Also, samples from generous donations and acquisitions of books, records, microfiche, and more will be on display.

REGISTER NOW for the physical archive tour.


October 23: Join our annual celebration—in-person & online!

In a world where major entertainment websites vanish overnight and streaming media disappears from platforms without warning, our digital culture is at risk of being erased. What safeguards are in place to preserve our collective memory?

Join us October 23rd for the Internet Archive’s annual celebration. This year’s gathering, “Escaping the Memory Hole,” explores the vital role that libraries play in protecting our digital heritage. As corporate decision-makers increasingly control what stays online, libraries like the Internet Archive stand as guardians of our shared digital culture, ensuring that it remains preserved and accessible for future generations.

Event details

5pm: Entertainment and food trucks
7pm: Program in our Great Room
8pm: Dancing in the streets

Location: 300 Funston Ave. at Clement St., San Francisco

Register now for in-person or virtual attendance.

77974
Oct
23
Wed
2024 CA Ballot Props & Oakland Local Measures w/ LWV Oakland @ Oakland Public Library: Dimond Branch
Oct 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

2024 CA Ballot Props & Oakland Local Measures w/ LWV Oakland

Date:
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time:
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Event Type:
Teach-In
Organizer/Author:
League of Women Voters Oakland
Location Details:
Oakland Public Library: Dimond Branch
3565 Fruitvale Avenue
Oakland, CA 94602

Join a nonpartisan – Pros and Cons – presentation on CA state and Oakland ballot measures.
We will welcome questions from the audience as time allows.

Come learn before you cast your vote!

Wednesday, October 23 at 7 – 9pm PT

Oakland Public Library: Dimond Branch, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602

More info here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ballot-measures-forum-tickets-1022635449157

For info on attending the OCT 5 ballot information event, go here: https://www.lwvoakland.org/events-1/ballot-measures-pros-cons-presentation

77988
Oct
26
Sat
Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: Mutual Aid, by Dean Spade @ Online
Oct 26 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite.

For our October 26th meeting we will be reading “Mutual Aid” by Dean Spade. (Amazon, free PDF)

Mutual aid is the radical act of caring for each other while working to change the world.
 
Around the globe, people are faced with a spiralling succession of crises, from the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change-induced fires, floods, and storms to the ongoing horrors of mass incarceration, racist policing, brutal immigration enforcement, endemic gender violence, and severe wealth inequality. As governments fail to respond to—or actively engineer—each crisis, ordinary people are finding bold and innovative ways to share resources and support the vulnerable.
 
Survival work, when done alongside social movement demands for transformative change, is called mutual aid.

This book is about mutual aid: why it is so important, what it looks like, and how to do it. It provides a grassroots theory of mutual aid, describes how mutual aid is a crucial part of powerful movements for social justice, and offers concrete tools for organizing, such as how to work in groups, how to foster a collective decision-making process, how to prevent and address conflict, and how to deal with burnout.  
 
Writing for those new to activism as well as those who have been in social movements for a long time, Dean Spade draws on years of organizing to offer a radical vision of community mobilization, social transformation, compassionate activism, and solidarity.

Strike Debt Bay Area hosts this non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included (in chronological order) Doughnut EconomicsLimitsBanking on the PeopleCapital and Its Discontents, How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century, The Deficit Myth,  Revenge Capitalism, the Edge of Chaos blog symposium , Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons, The Optimist’s TelescopeMission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, Exploring Degrowth, The Origin of Wealth, Mine!, The Dawn of Everything  A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, Beyond Money, Less is More,  Cannibal Capitalism,  Debt, the First 5000 Years , Poverty, By America, End Times, Jackson Rising Redux , The Feminist Subversion of the Economy, How Infrastructure Works, Inside the Systems that Shape our World, Wealth Supremacy, The Persuaders,  The Path to a Livable Future. and Solidarity.

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