Calendar
Occupy4Prisoners @Occupy4Prisoner
Hey! A bunch of rad folks are having a strategy mtg to discuss supporting people in CA prisons as they prepare to go on hunger strike! (1/2)
Occupy4Prisoners @Occupy4Prisoner
Hunger strike support mtg: Mon 5/20 6-8p, 499 14th Street, Oak (Siegel & Yee)
Come to the very first session of The Politics of Debt reading group on Monday, May 20th at 6:30!
Darwin Bond-Graham will help kick off the discussion and present on public debt as it relates to our personal lives and public institutions. Together we will help shed light on the variety of ways that the debt economy subjects individuals and communities to moral and financial burden. After the initial talk we will break into a general group discussion and lay out the vision for the class.
Members of the SF Commune and Students at San Francisco State University are calling for a direct action at 2PM on Tuesday, May 21st. Organizers say that the action, which will take place on Malcom X Plaza on the SF State campus, is a response to the brutalization and detainment of five individuals who were arrested while visiting students in the SF State dorms on Thursday evening.
More information, photos, video via Political Fail Blog.
We are less than a month away from PFC Bradley Manning’s court martial which begins on June 3rd, more than 3 years after his initial arrest and incarceration. We will be doing a mass mailing to bring in as much support as we can right before his trial begins. Help us in our office stuff letters and eat pizza to save Bradley!
BRADLEY MANNING, a 25-year-old, openly gay, US Army intelligence analyst is facing life in prison and has been held in pre-trial confinement for over 3 years. He endured torture and solitary confinement for the first 10 months of his incarceration. He is accused of sharing with Wikileaks: the “Collateral Murder” video of the killing of civilians and journalists by a US helicopter in Iraq, the Guantanamo Files, the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, & revealing US diplomatic cables. In short, he’s been charged with blowing the whistle on war crimes & telling us the truth.
Rescheduled from the 4th Monday of the month, May 27th.
2313 San Pablo Ave, Oakland CA
The Occupy Oakland (OO) Finance Committee works inclusively to make our process transparent, our membership requirements clear, and to develop clear communication and financial reporting available to associated groups and to OO as a whole.
Our commitments to Occupy Oakland as a whole:
We commit to report back to the GA. We commit to regularly updating our page onoccupyoakland.org with monthly bank statements, meeting notes, summaries of check reimbursements and general OO Finance committee updates. We will not post or make public any sensitive or confidential information including the names of donors or check recipients.
Our membership structure:
Our work demands solid accountability. We are tasked with acting as the liaison between our supporting organization and OO associated groups seeking to be reimbursed for funds spent, check disbursements, sending thank you cards to donors, printing and making available OO general fund bank statements.
Because of the sensitivity of our tasks, our committee demands a high level of commitment and responsibility from our organizers.
To serve this end we have adopted a model utilizing different levels of commitment and expectations. There are three levels of involvement:
OO Finance Committee Observer: If you are interested in understanding the functioning of the OO Finance Committee, or have questions related to OO finances you are welcome to attend a finance committee meeting to observe and ask questions at the end of the meeting.
OO Finance Committee Supporter: You are welcome to attend meetings to observe and ask questions, give suggestions or make requests during appropriate times during the meeting. You can sign up to receive email updates that let you know how you can plug in.
OO Finance Committee Member: You lend regular support, take on tasks, and are a voting member in our meetings. To become a member, you must have attended at least three meetings and fulfill regular responsibilities.
OO Finance Committee Meeting Ground Rules
The following list of common ground rules from various equity, diversity, and social justice organizations and groups. The OO Finance Committee follows in strict adherence to these guidelines and any observer, supporter or member that cannot observe the following practices will be asked to leave.
1. Listen actively: respect others when they are talking.
2. Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing (“I” instead of “they,” “we,” and “you”).
3. Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks — focus on ideas.
4. Participate to the fullest of your ability, but make space for others participation — community growth depends on inclusion
5. Instead of invalidating somebody else’s story with your own spin on her or his experience, share your own story and experience.
6. The goal is not to agree, it is to gain a deeper understanding and improve our work.
7.Threats of physical force, intimidation, and/or any type of harassment will not be tolerated.
8. Be conscious of body language and nonverbal responses which can be as disrespectful as words.
(all ground rules are subject to the sensitivities and needs of the people participating in each meeting)
*Recent critical analysis of common ground rules have resulted in a collective reconsideration of their role. This is because, too often, ground rules that are put in place, whether by an educator/facilitator or by participants, privilege the already-privileged groups in a dialogical experience. When we consider who is protected by ground rules like “do not express anger,” it becomes apparent that, intentionally or not, they protect the participants representing privileged groups.
We also analyze how our ground rules that might ultimately support the status quo by providing safety and comfort for those who, for the sake of their own learning, most desperately need to be made to feel uncomfortable. We must constantly challenge ourselves to make sure that the discussions and dialogues taken place within OOFC meetings do not further oppress historically oppressed people.
A reading group focused on graeber’s Debt. The plan is to have this be a long discussion covering about a chapter a month so that it will be accessible for those with other commitments. We will have our first meeting on Wednesday may 22 at 7pm. We’re meeting at Research on Collective Art at 2331 international Blvd.
A Film by Darryl Cherney and Mary Laz Thomson.
Free Outdoors Event/Action.
Please gather at Union Square to hear some speakers and share our bag lunch exchange! Kids performance art! Political music!
We will march to Justin Herman Plaza where we will have more speakers including well known activists in the anit GMO movement.
Come Occupy the Farm Saturday night, and let’s camp out under the stars and stay through to Sunday! There will be free food, workshops, music, kids activities, celebration, and farming, of course!
Our weekly open meeting for members and supporters to discuss the week’s tasks and projects. Come get plugged into ongoing housing defense work! We have abundant and varied work for all folks in any number of meaningful projects.
Rain location: SF Pizza, 1500 Broadway, Oakland
Our weekly open meeting for members and supporters to discuss the weeks tasks and projects. Come get plugged into ongoing housing defense work! We have abundant and varied work for all folks in any number of meaningful projects.
Rain location: SF Pizza, 1500 Broadway, Oakland
Our weekly open meeting for members and supporters to discuss the week’s tasks and projects. Come get plugged into ongoing housing defense work! We have abundant and varied work for all folks in any number of meaningful projects.
Rain location: SF Pizza, 1500 Broadway, Oakland
Join us! All Are Welcome!
You Are Not a Loan! Or Alone.
We held our second Debtor’s Assembly (watch a video from our first one in February), May 18th in San Francisco.
We are planning our next general get-together wherein our five current subgroups: Direct Action, Debtor’s Union, Outreach and Education, Alternative Institutions, and Research, will meet, organize, plan and report back. It will be held on June 1, 518 Valencia St, near the Mission St. BART in San Francisco 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
We will be discussing our next major actions.
Join us! You Are Not a Loan! Or Alone.
Strike Debt Bay Area, loosely affiliated with Strike Debt (check out their latest video) and Occupy, is dedicated to educating people about and organizing resistance to debt, and finding alternatives to our current system of debt slavery.
Bike the Math to Chevron’s shareholders at their Annual General Meeting in San Ramon. Let’s tell Chevron to stop fueling climate chaos and become a renewable energy company!
Light to medium 6 mile ride to Chevron Headquarters in San Ramon along Iron Horse Trail, arriving at approximately 9am
RSVP at 350BayArea.org or join Facebook Event page
Tasers, spit hoods, pepper spray, hog-tie and “the Wrap” : Is this what Berkeley means by the term “Mental Health Services” ? Numerous incidents in Berkeley show that the “compassionate care” we thought was beging given by mental health care professionals has deteriorated into the systematic use of brute force against those in crisis.
SPEAKERS VIDEO CLIPS WORKSHOP
Join us for a public examination of Berkeley’s Emergency Mental Health Services and whether Police should even be involved as responders.
Stockton Courthouse 222 Weber St. @ 2pm
BUS FROM Oscar Grant Plaza TO STOCKTON AT 12:00 NOON (get there early)