Join this conversation with Michael Leon Guerrero. Learn about the Labor Network for Sustainability, the only national membership organization building support in the labor movement for a just transition to a sustainable, renewable energy economy, and its Labor Climate Convergence taking place in CA next year.
This will also be an opportunity to discuss next steps for Labor Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice following the hugely successful Labor Contingent in the September 8th march in SF.
Pot-luck dinner: We’ll provide food. Any dish you would like to bring to share is welcome but not required.
**Please RSVP** on the Face Book Event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/1026883824160478/) to be sure there is enough food for everyone.
Come by our open Delegates Meetings every First and Third Thursday of the month at 7pm! We’ll give space to brief announcements, updates from working groups, proposals up for consensus, and discussion around important issues. The schedule is created weekly at the following url: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
Come find out why public banking is suddenly making national news: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and other cities and states are considering changing finance to finance change!
On Thursday, October 18, at the San Rafael Corporate Center 750 Lindaro Street in San Rafael, join 350Marin and hear author and attorney Ellen Brown, founder of the Public Banking Institute and host of the radio show ‘It’s our Money’ and Susan Harman, Co-founder of Commonomics USA Member of Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland, talk about about the Public Bank movement that’s rapidly building momentum locally and across the US. Refreshments and networking at 6:30pm. Speaking program begins at 7pm.
See, download and distribute the flyer HERE and RSVP below.
Meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Area Security Initiative, charged with reconstituting and rethinking Urban Shield.
The committee was established by the Board of Supervisors in March 2018 in response to sustained community concerns about Urban Shield, which is funded in part by UASI grants from the Department of Homeland Security, and coordinated by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
The Board of Supervisors decided in March, 2018 that 2018 would be the last year the county would approve Urban Shield, as currently constituted, and asked the Ad Hoc Committee to make recommendations to the Board on the UASI-funded emergency preparedness training and exercise in 2019 and beyond.
The agenda will include a presentation and Q/A with county emergency preparedness officials (from ACSO, Public Health, and Social Services); a discussion of criteria for weighing recommendations; and a presentation about community-based emergency preparedness initiatives.
Agendas and materials for each meeting are posted at http://www.acgov.org/board/calendarcom.htm
Meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Area Security Initiative, charged with reconstituting and rethinking Urban Shield.
The committee was established by the Board of Supervisors in March 2018 in response to sustained community concerns about Urban Shield, which is funded in part by UASI grants from the Department of Homeland Security, and coordinated by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
The Board of Supervisors decided in March, 2018 that 2018 would be the last year the county would approve Urban Shield, as currently constituted, and asked the Ad Hoc Committee to make recommendations to the Board on the UASI-funded emergency preparedness training and exercise in 2019 and beyond.
Theagenda will include a presentation and Q/A with county emergency preparedness officials (from ACSO, Public Health, and Social Services); a discussion of criteria for weighing recommendations; and a presentation about community-based emergency preparedness initiatives.
Join the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition (PHSS) for a rally and courtroom presence in opposition to the relentless practice of sleep deprivation torture in CA solitary confinement cells. Please show solidarity with imprisoned civil rights Plaintiff, Jorge Rico, and with people locked in solitary throughout CA suffering severe sleep deprivation due to guards’ loud and disturbing “security/welfare checks.”
9:00AM RALLY outside the Courthouse
10:00AM COURTROOM SOLIDARITY with Jorge Rico,
prisoner who brought this case (Crtrm #3, 15th Floor)
After the hearing, Jorge’s attorney, Kate Falkenstien, will be available briefly outside the courthouse to speak with community supporters and media.
Note: You must show ID and pass through a metal detector to get inside the Courthouse.
For rideshare to Sac & other info:
call 510-426-5322 or email phssreachingout@gmail.com
Background
In prison isolation units throughout California, guards jar prisoners EVERY 30 MINUTES with loud and disruptive “security/welfare checks” causing ongoing sleep deprivation.
Every half hour, 24/7 guards subject prisoners to shrill beeping, banging of metal on metal with a Guard One wand, stomping through the pods, talking loudly, and at times, shining flashlights in their faces. The California Department of Corrections and rehabilitation (CDCr) began this Guard One “security/welfare check” system in early 2014 in women’s and men’s prisons under the guise of suicide prevention. In conducting these automated “checks,” the guards aren’t actually checking to see if people are okay; but they wake and disturb prisoners night and day, inflicting serious sleep deprivation. These checks, in addition to the harm of extreme isolation, cause severe physical and mental injury, increase suicidal ideation, and are described by people forced to endure them as TORTURE.
Sleep deprivation is internationally defined – by experts inn human rights, sleep, and mental health – as a form of torture.
What’s the Oct 19 court hearing about?
CDCr is trying (again) to get Jorge Rico’s case dismissed. Currently, there are at least seven federal civil rights lawsuits by CA prisoners against these checks that charge CDCr administration, and specific wardens and guards, with violating prisoners’ constitutional protection from cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners are suing for money damages for serious physical and psychological injury caused by being jarred every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day. Perhaps most important, they are suing for declarative and injunctive relief- for the court to declare that the CDCr Guard One security/ welfare checks violate people’s civil rights and must stop. One of these lawsuits, brought by Christopher Lipsey (Lipsey v. Barnes), began in June 2014, over 4 years ago, and is still in initial court proceedings. Prisoner civil rights cases often take years to conclude, and only begin after a person in prison exhausts all of the avenues asking prison administration to deal with the problem, to no avail. With the so-called security/welfare checks, people in prison who have experienced them for months or years on end and who mustered the courage, paperwork, and fortitude to bring lawsuits, have been moved by CDCr in and out of solitary (where the checks occur) since the time they began their lawsuits.
Jorge Rico filed his lawsuit on August 2, 2016. Currently, Jorge is not in solitary experiencing the checks; he’s been in prison General Population since April 2018. CDCr is trying to get rid of significant parts of Jorge’s lawsuit- his request that the court declare the checks violate the Eighth Amendment constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment, and his request that the court order an end to the harmful, noisy, and useless Guard One checks that cause serious sleep disruption and deprivation. CDCr argues that those parts of Jorge’s lawsuit are “moot” because Jorge is not, at this time, enduring the checks. We believe Jorge’s claims are not moot because he is likely to experience the checks again. CDCr should not be allowed to evade his constitutional challenge.
CDCr tries every which way to get the civil rights case against the checks dismissed by the court.
The Legal Problem
How will anyone ever be able to successfully challenge the checks if their lawsuit goes away when CDCr decides to temporarily move them out of solitary? It is well known, and asserted by CDCr, that being put in Administrative Segregation (ASU solitary) at various times for various reasons should be expected by a person incarcerated in California. Indeed, Jorge has been in SHU solitary, then General Population, then Administrative Segregation solitary, then General Population – all since he began his lawsuit. If lawsuits take years, and people are in and out of solitary at CDCr’s discretion, and thus CDCr can get the lawsuits dismissed, this cruel sleep deprivation policy can continue on forever!
Jorge Rico’s lawsuit should not be dismissed because he gets some time out of solitary.
Bay Area Landless Peoples Alliance:
Regional meeting of landless activists of the San Francisco Bay Area
SF Rally & March For Marriott Hotel Strikers “One Job Is Enough”
http://sflaborcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/10-20-18-OneJobRallyFlier.pdf
One Job Should be Enough!
For more information on the strike check out https://onejob.org/. OPEIU 29 AFL-CIO 11
SF Marriott Workers Strike: A Class Battle For All Workers
https://youtu.be/R8M0mrxJpxA
Twenty five hundred Marriott workers went on strike in San Francisco on October 4, 2018 at 7 Marriott owned hotels in the city. This is part of a national strike of United HERE at Marriotts in Boston, Chicago, Oakland, Hawaii, San Francisco and other cities.
San Francisco members of Unite Here Local 2 at the Marriott talked about why they are on strike and the effect of the strike on their convention hotel which is usually 100% full because of convention business.
Last year, Marriott made $1.37 billion and they are the largest hotel chain in the world after they bought the Starwood group. Workers at the Marriott hotel spent 5 years trying to organize the union against the union busting tactics of the corporation but we eventually successful.
Many of these workers have to work two and three jobs to survive in the Bay Area and this has effects on their families and health and safety. They also face long hours commuting to their jobs.
Join us as we work together to set EBC’s policy agenda for our local and state work in 2019. We hope that we can build stronger relationships across the membership, discuss our campaign work and identify important roles for members in 2019. In order to attend, we kindly ask that you RSVP here, by October 15th.
Build elsewhere in Berkeley. Save our Greenspace. Save People’s Park.
If UCB gets their way, Berkeley will be covered with high-rises and hotels and the legal of Berkeley’s historic contributions to Free Speech, Anti War and Community Democracy will be reduced to a bronze plaque.
Oakland Marriott workers are in the second week of their strike for jobs that are enough to get by in the Bay Area. Marriott is the biggest and richest hotel company in the world and can afford to provide good jobs. That’s why nearly 8000 workers at 23 Marriott-operated hotels around the country, from Boston to Hawaii, are on strike for the principle that One Job Should Be Enough.
Join us for a rally to show Marriott that the whole East Bay stands behind the striking Marriott workers.
Benefit Film Showing for #MeToo Behind Bars Lawsuit
Screening of the film “Southwest of Salem,” about four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted in the early 1990’s. After the screening, Maria Moore, sister of Kayla Moore, will speak on a panel about the extreme levels of violence that LGBTQ – GNC people face from the legal injustice system.
Four plaintiffs who have been incarcerated at the women’s prison in Chowchilla, CCWF, have filed the #MeToo Behind Bars lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDC(r). The plaintiffs all identify as transgender, gender non-conforming (GNC) or queer. The lawsuit denounces physical assaults, sexual harassment and homophobic/ transphobic insults by correctional officers against them. Rojas, one of the plaintiffs in the case, will be part of a panel discussion after the film.
Southwest of Salem tells the story of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two young girls in the early 1990’s in San Antonio, Texas. They spent decades in prison before finally being exonerated. Their prosecution and conviction was the product of a homophobic culture and criminal legal system. Now trans, GNC and queer people are facing persecution in California’s women’s prisons as a result of similar attitudes and a prison power structure that condones targeted violence against LGBTQ and gender nonconforming prisoners.
Southwest of Salem tells the story of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two young girls in the early 1990’s in San Antonio, Texas. They spent decades in prison before finally being exonerated. Their prosecution and conviction was the product of a homophobic culture and criminal legal system. Now trans, GNC and queer people are facing persecution in California’s women’s prisons as a result of similar attitudes and a prison power structure that condones targeted violence against LGBTQ and gender nonconforming prisoners.
Hosted by California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Our philosophy:
We are more interconnected and interdependent in our world than we think. Our ecosystem is built on the principle of interconnectedness. While science allows us to understand few of the interactions in ecosystem, the entire image of our interconnectedness with other individuals, species and environment is still beyond our intellectual grasp. But we certainly understood the importance of having a system built on the principle of interconnection. As a result, we developed our social, economic and political systems that rely on our interconnectedness. The ability to see the entire system with its interacting parts is called System Thinking. Nature has given us a tool in order to successfully coexist in perfect harmony with our interconnected surrounding. This precious gift is our ability to empathize with others. Empathy comes from the Greek empatheia—em (into) and pathos (feeling)—a penetration, a kind of travel. Empathy is our ability to connect with others physically, psychologically and emotionally. But the misconception that the greater fulfillment lies within hoarding more “toys” has deteriorated the truth of interconnection from our awareness. The resultant individualism born out of greed gives rise to our social, economic and environmental issues and injustice
Our approach:
Cultivate Empathy for All is a volunteer group of empathy enthusiasts who are bringing back the culture of empathy in government, business and social work sectors through system thinking. We reach out to various groups, companies and organizations in the community and provide free presentations on ways in which empathy could be applied in their context and setting.
Volunteers also experience benefits. Through this work, volunteers grow their skillset, deepen their practice of empathy for all, and develop a culture of empathy in our community. It is a win-win for both presenters and audience members.
But this is only one of the ways to address the issue of limited Empathy. Therefore, we invite all social innovative thinkers to come together on this platform and create various ways of cultivating Empathy for all in our world.
About the launch event:
At our event, we will provide a presentation on Empathy Through System Thinking in Government. It will include 1) summary of the biggest consequences faced by humankind due to short sighted government regulations 2) System thinking-ability to see the interconnected nature of our social, economic and environmental systems 3) Empathy-a gift to co-exist in perfect harmony with our interconnected surrounding 4) Empathy through system thinking in Berkeley council to develop a healthier community for all.
At Cultivate Empathy for All, we understand corpocracy is an obstacle for a local government to be solely run for community interest. Election campaign is one of the doors through which corporate money enters in the government. As a result, we are providing a free platform for Berkeley council candidates to reach the hearts of community residents.
At this event, we will also have community leaders (chief guests) who will speak about their work in cultivating empathy for all.
Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.
FREE – but hat will be passed for donations to NPML
About Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
A weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.
For our full schedule, go to icssmarx.org
Labor donated by ICSS volunteers
Please join us for our regular biweekly meeting of the Sunflower Alliance. We’ll discuss ongoing eco-campaigns and plans for the future. Newcomers and old friends welcome — we need your participation and your voice. Come early to hang out and share a potluck lunch.
Potluck lunch: 12:30 PM
You can drop donations for our winter supply drive off at Omni Commons (4799 Shattuck) today bet 1-4pm. Help us and the folx we serve gear up for colder months ahead. pic.twitter.com/GdYe3C2kI6
— The Village, Oakland (@VillageOakland) October 21, 2018
This event focuses on the attack on the academic boycott and BDS movement, including the recent lawsuit targeting members of USACBI (US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) in the context of broader right-wing and Zionist repression, including of student activists such as GUPS at San Francisco State. The speakers will also discuss the campaign.
NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
