Calendar
We all know there will never be justice on stolen land… until we take a stand for justice. We encourage everyone to join Vanja Mawusi Abena’s yearly Boycott of BART. This individual 2 day solidarity action honors the victims of BART police. This is an individual action. This is not affiliated with any other protest or march plan by Oscar Grant’s family or other organizations. We encourage you to participate in the Grant Family’s annual vigil and other events held for Oscar Grant in his memory on January 1, 2015.
Please use other means of transportation beside Bart. to get to your NYE & NYD destinations. BIKE, RIDE SHARE, WALK.
For more info on trip planning for NYE & NYD visit : http://www.511.org/
“Here on Earth, tell me what’s a black life worth? A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts. And even when you take the shit, move counties get a lawyer you can shake the shit. Ask Rodney, LaTasha, and many more! It’s been goin’ on for years, there’s plenty more! When they ask me, when will the violence cease? When your troops stop shooting niggas down in the street” – Tupac Shakur
Please come to Wiley Manuel Dept 112 at 2pm on Friday (tmrw!) to do court support for comrades, TJ and DT,arrested at march New Years Eve.
— Russell Bates (@crustyrustyMAD) January 2, 2015
Folks have marched hundreds of miles all over the East Bay from East Oakland to West Oakland and out past North Oakland.
Folks feet gotta be aching by now!
Folks gotta be gettin tired of all the kettling!
so let’s do a night ride and show some love for all our people’s, let’s show how deep the solidarity runs between our communities. How about creating a critical mass bike ride for #BlackLivesMatter for #NativeLivesMatter!
We’ll be riding around Oakland!
Why?
Cause these are our streets!!
this is open to all folks. bring the music, ya feel me! Fixies, commuters, scrapers, peeps with kidseats, roadies, bmxers…if it’s got wheels then you need to show up n show your luv for #MikeBrown #EricGarner #AlexNieto #AndyLopez #OscarGrant & all the countless folks that have lost their lives to police violence.
Some of us will get together this Saturday at noon to help plan for the garden. I would like to invite people from Transition, Berkeley and Albany and the farmers market master gardeners and see if anyone shows up and get more advise.
Members of First They Came for the Homeless and Berkeley Post Office Defenders are asking people to participate in the creation of a community garden on the west side of the Berkeley Post Office. Please come to a planning meeting on Saturday January 3rd at noon. Honey bees, hummingbird flowers, tiered and vertical gardening, heirloom seeds, organic non GMOs, and medicinal plants are all part of the chat. First They Came for the Homeless members have been at the post office at 2000 Allston Way for over 3 months and we want to expand our use of the space with new ecological planting, growing, weeding and harvesting possibilities . This will help to maintain ongoing protection of the Berkeley Post Office and post offices all over the country from sale and privatization and also will support our community connection with the earth.
Many community organizations and individuals have been have been working collaboratively participating in actions to keep this beautiful and historic resource as a post office and for public use. Right now we have had some success as there is no identified buyer and we are waiting to see what will happen with the city lawsuit against the United States Postal Service and how things will develop with the zoning overlay passed by the Berkeley City Council in 2014 to keep it zoned for public use.
You can see more at https://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com
For more information of our community garden project contact First They Came for the Homeless on Facebook
We want the unheard voices to be present so we can begin to rebuild and protect our communities.
This event is to bring together disengaged youth and community members from Hunterspoint, Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, Mission, Fillmore, Tenderloin, and Lakeview who are not currently active in this movement happening across the nation.
Engaging youth requires innovative strategies. Black and Brown intellectuals can analyze the system and organize all day everyday, but “what good do your words do if they can’t understand you”, we need the youth who aren’t plugged in to be apart of this movement. #BlackLivesMatter
Because you matter! We matter! Our hoods matter!
San Francisco has the fastest out migration of Black people since post-Katrina New Orleans. I feel that it is time that we show the city we are still here, we are young, we are strong, we will fight our whole lives long.
This symposium will bring together experts, practitioners, members of community development organizations, local high school and college BSU ambassadors, and youth leaders to create innovative solutions to the racist issues that directly impact youth and their communities. A list of demands to stop police brutality, change current policy and practices as it pertains to law enforcement, and reinvest in Black and Brown communities will be presented to the community at this symposium. The symposium will develop a series of key calls to action and plans for major demonstration utilizing social capital and existing community resources as mechanisms for youth development worldwide.
The active engagement and development of leadership skills among disenfranchised youth in marginalized neighborhoods of San Francisco is essential to national security, stability, capacity building, and increased quality of life worldwide. This symposium will bring together community organizers from around the Bay Area, along with practitioners and members of community development organizations, subject-matter experts, and youth leaders to showcase and exchange their experiences and best practices in this area.
“The great problem is how in the world is one going to invest these children with a new morale and a sense of their own worth if the country isn’t going to do it. The country won’t do it… ”
Please watch this poignant film “Take This Hammer” if you haven’t already of Bayview Hunters Point in 1964 with James Baldwin…everything in this video is still relevant today.
Gear up to get MARISSA ALEXANDER out of jail!
Free Marissa NOW East Bay is holding an exciting fundraising event to fund our cross-country caravan to spread the word about Marissa.
We will have a potluck, music, spoken word, theater, and testimonials from the womyn who are going on the caravan!
Come out, support, and REPRESENT the Bay!
Marissa, a Black woman who defended herself from abuse & threatened death, by firing a warning shot into the ceiling – injuring NO ONE – is still being persecuted, is back in jail plus she has a new hearing coming up Jan 27th!
We are planning a cross-country caravan to arrive in Jacksonville by Jan 27th: Make the freedom of Marissa a national STAND UP, FIGHT BACK cause.
Please bring an organic dish to share, if possible. And don’t forget your own plate, utensils, cup. We go green!!!
And feel free to bring musical instruments, written words to share, and a lot of money!!! Or just bring yourself!
You can also go to our online donation site – THANK YOU BREEZE – at http://www.gofundme.com/freemarissacaravan
Pack the courts! Come out to Department 9 to support James as he begins his fight against serious charges from Black Friday in San Francisco.
CHECK THE FACEBOOK EVENT FOR ANY LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION, POSTPONEMENT OR TIME CHANGE.
“Let Oakland’s New Mayor know, “THERE WILL BE NO BUSINESS AS USUAL” UNTIL OPD STOPS THE WAR ON BLACK LIVES
On Monday, January 5th, Ms. Schaff will be inaugurated as Oakland’s mayor. We will convene outside the Paramount Theater as a silent wall along the sidewalk from BART to the entrance of the theater so that every guest of the Mayoral Inauguration knows that Oakland expects the new Mayor to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to police terror in Oakland.
We ask attendees to join this SILENT protest, wear all black, join the line on the edge of the sidewalk and wear or hold your choice of signage (we’ll be posting some examples for you to print on this event).
We will not shout, chant or do anything that makes this an arrestable action. This action is meant to unify Oakland residents (current and those that have been displaced) in a powerful message of solidarity that says to the new mayor: IT ENDS TODAY.
The Anti Police-Terrorism is a project of the ONYX Organizing Committee in collaboration with individuals and organizations such as The Community Ready Corps, the Alan Blueford Center for Justice, Healthy Hoodz and the Black Power Network.
Anti-Police Terrorism Project Facebook
100,000 Tweets for Oscar!
Social Media Campaign on Oscar López Rivera’s Birthday January 6th
La Respuesta Magazine & National Boricua Human Rights Network
On January 6, 2015 La Respuesta magazine and National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN) call on you to act on behalf of the Puerto Rican people’s longest-held political prisoner. In honor of the man who has withstood thirty-three years in prison the campaign is called “Birth of a Patriot, Star of a Nation”.
The worldwide campaign calls for 100,000 messages to the twitter accounts of the President, White House, and Justice Department on January 6, 2015, Oscar’s birthday and the Day of the Epiphany/ Three Kings, the holiest day in his Puerto Rico homeland. We also call on participants to share “virtual gifts” in the form of photographs, videos, and writings on their social media pages in honor of Oscar’s birthday.
� Are you a poet? Artist? Photographer? Chef? Athlete? Dancer? Educator? Student? Health worker? Laborer? Mother? Father? Whatever you are or do, wherever you are, write a post, take a photo, record a video – dedicate a “virtual gift” to raising awareness and building support for Oscar López Rivera.
Post one of your poems, share a picture of your art or photography, cook and photograph a meal, run a few miles and write about it, record yourself dancing, take a selfie with a sign. Get creative and let the world know that you demand the release of Puerto Rican patriot Oscar López Rivera!
This January 6, 2015, on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or any other platform you use, post using the hashtags #FreeOscarLopez and #Gift4Oscar (#RegaloPaOscar for Spanish-language messages). On Twitter, make sure to tag @BarackObama and @TheJusticeDept so that those with the power to release him hear our demands. We encourage you to begin planning your action to make sure we are all heard in unison on January 6.
Oscar, who was born on Three King’s Day, has become the Puerto Rican nation’s shining star, able to unite a people facing the divisive effects of a more than one-hundred year colonial occupation. Now, more than ever, the Puerto Rican people have come together in a way that presents U.S. President Barack Obama every reason to exercise his power of pardon and release Oscar. To learn more about Oscar and to read his original essays, visit: larespuestamedia.com/category/oscars-corner/
Let’s use social media for social change and send the clear message: RELEASE OSCAR NOW, 33 YEARS IS TOO MUCH!
For more information, contact alejandrom@boricuahumanrights.org
Sent by Haiti Action Committee
www.haitisolidarity.net and on FACEBOOK
“Reckoning with Torture”
Dramatic Reading of related documents in a film produced by CodePink, ACLU, The National Lawyers Guild & World Can’t Wait
In 2010 CodePink, ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, and World Cant Wait organized a week of“Berkeley Says No to Torture.”
Q&A and Announcements to follow.
Come learn about continuing developments in the battle save the Berkeley Post Office and the Postal Service from privatization, support our Occupiers and help us plan our next steps in opposition to the theft of our public commons.
THE POSTAL SERVICE WANTED TO SELL THE POST OFFICE TO HUDSON-MCDONALD DEVELOPMENT GROUP. HUDSON-MCDONALD BACKED OUT OF THE DEAL IN EARLY DECEMBER. THE CITY OF BERKELEY SUED THE POST OFFICE TO STOP THE SALE. A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER WAS IN PLACE UNTIL DECEMBER 17th, BUT WAS LIFTED BY THE JUDGE WHEN HUDSON WITHDREW.
Get an overview of the sale announcement here. Here’s a good more general overview piece.
There was a hearing in Federal Court on December 11th.
THE FEDERAL JUDGE WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE LAWSUIT WILL CONTINUE OR BE DISMISSED – HE’LL DECIDE SOMETIME AFTER JANUARY 8TH.
THE POSTAL POLICE HAVE BEEN RAIDING THE OCCUPATION INTERMITTENTLY IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. BUT THE OCCUPIERS ARE NOT LEAVING! Read about one of the eviction attempts here.
Stay tuned for a possible new Chalkupy and Community Gardening event at the Post Office.
Also CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE. and the Save the Berkeley Post Office website, and First they Came for the Homeless Facebook for updates.
BPOD is an offshoot of Strike Debt Bay Area, which itself is an offshoot of Occupy Oakland and a chapter of the national Strike Debt movement, which is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street.
: : : : : : Reclaiming King’s Legacy : : : : : :
“This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is a state-sponsored war on Black lives in the United States and people across the country are demanding it comes to an end. As long as it remains business as usual to gun down Black women, men and children in the streets of this country, there will be no business as usual anywhere or for anyone. Shut. It. Down.
Oakland’s Anti Police-Terrorism Project is calling a bay area wide spokescouncil to plan and coordinate actions for the upcoming Martin Luther King Day weekend (1/16-1/19). Let’s carry forward and amplify thestruggle, together!
PLEASE SAVE THE FOLLOWING DATES for upcoming meetings in your calendar, and check back on this page because locations will be announced when they are confirmed.
Monday Jan 5th 7pm
Thursday Jan 8th 6pm
Saturday Jan 10th 10am
Monday Jan 12th 6pm
Wednesday Jan 14th 6pm
What is a spokescouncil?
A spokescouncil is a collective framework for direct action mobilizations, where large masses of people organize themselves into smaller teams called “affinity groups”. Affinity groups plan their actions independently with the intention of advancing the larger goal of the spokescouncil. Affinity groups are represented by at least one person (“a spoke”) at the meetings, where they are able to share resources and coordinate their actions with other groups.
Why a spokescouncil?
We propose the spokescouncil as a solution to many of the shortcomings of unstructured mass assemblies. We intend to provide a highly structured organizing space with clear tactical and messaging guidelines, that empowers participants to organize independently and in parallel. We intend to inspire a multitude of diverse actions and awaken the massive potential we have as a community engaging in direct action.
* The Anti Police-Terrorism Project is a project of the ONYX Organizing Committee in coalition with individuals and organizations like The Alan Blueford Center for Justice, Healthy Hoodz, Community Ready Corps, Idriss Stelly Foundation and more
** for questions or more information about the spokescouncil please contact aptpspokescouncil@gmail.co
Bring the Bay to Department 701 at 9am! Let’s pack the courts to support Marsha, who was arrested doing jail support at Santa Rita.
Use this event page to coordinate rides with one another to the Dublin Courthouse. There is also a call for folks to step up and do childcare outside during the appearance. Support the support workers!
Check the event page before going as court times and dates change!
On New Year’s Eve, our comrade and friend Eric Garcia was brutally and arbitrarily arrested by police and held on false charges. This campaign seeks to reimburse Eric’s bond cosigner for bailing him out of jail. A more detailed description of the incident can be found below.
Eric and his friends attended an NYE noise demo in downtown Oakland, which they left after the demonstration was attacked by the police. Eric was standing with his friends on the sidewalk outside Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe on Telegraph Avenue, a full two blocks from the remaining marchers, among an assortment of cafe patrons and nighttime revelers, when police officers parked on Telegraph jumped out of their vehicles and charged at the small sidewalk gathering. The police snatched Eric from the crowd and violently arrested him, amid shouts of protest against police brutality. Fortunately, multiple people immediately began cop watching, recording the arrest on their phones, but this didn’t stop the police from hauling Eric off to the station and jailing him on completely unfounded felony charges.
Eric’s bail was set at $35,000. Since it was New Year’s Eve, the following day was a holiday, and following the holiday was the start of the weekend, Eric would have been held in jail for 5 nights until his arraignment on Monday if he hadn’t been bailed out, since court does not proceed on weekends and holidays. At his arraignment, given that there was a complete lack of justification for the arrest, no charges have been filed against Eric. The situation he was put in, through no wrongdoing on his part, amounts to state-sanctioned kidnapping and ransom.
Please give what you can to help Eric and his partner raise the amount of the bond payment that was exacted from them. These are very trying financial times for them both.
If you care about women, children and the planet, come see this revealing and inspiring film.
Free goodies available after the screening.
This event is not sponsored by, provided by, or affiliated with the Berkeley Public Library.
If you have been protesting, know people who have or just want to know your rights, you should definitely join us.
There will be civil rights attorneys from John Burris’ law firm who will be giving a presentation and fielding questions mostly about protesting and knowing your rights pertaining to it, as well as knowing what police can and can’t do, legally. They have also agreed to stay in contact with protesters for any ongoing situations that may arise.
There will also be women from Free Marissa Alexander Now east bay who will be discussing our upcoming caravan through the South to Florida and ways you can help support us!
You are welcome to come and bring guests! All welcome!
The Strike Debt Bay Area / Public School reading group meets regularly to discuss readings on the broad subject of the Politics of Debt.
We’re starting a new topic/book for the new year. We’re reading chapter 4 of the first section, and chapters 1 & 2 of the fourth section, of ‘Small is Beautiful’ by E. F. Schumacher.
Join us!