Calendar

**WEAR RED**

Endorse here:
https://goo.gl/forms/mioA4lTZSwSd2XOw1

California has the 5th largest economy in the world and the wealthiest in the nation but ranks only 48th in class size and 43rd in per-pupil funding. In terms of relative economic opportunity, California is 48th in cost of living and 49th in housing affordability.

Both United Teachers of Los Angeles and Oakland Education Association are fighting to improve student learning conditions that are their working conditions, for fair wages for educators and support staff, to decrease class size and caseload reductions, and support community schools, all made possible through increased funding that our students and schools deserve.

We are building towards coordinated local, regional, and statewide actions to fight for progressive and fully funded schools in all of California’s 1,050 districts; to defend public education against privatization and the further erosion of union sector jobs which fight to preserve decent working conditions for their workers, and to connect with struggles for social, racial, and economic justice so our students and communities can thrive.

OEA and UTLA are in intense contract negotiations and gearing up for possible strikes this coming winter. In response to the realtime needs of both UTLA and OEA, California Educators Rising is shifting the focus of this event on 12/15 (on the same day as UTLA’s “March for Public Education”) to a gathering of local union members, including OEA leaders and organizers, and community allies to build labor-community support for a possible OEA strike. We will engage in solidarity actions (photos, social media, art, etc) to support UTLA’s public march on the same day, and build our network of rank-and-file supporters that stand in solidarity with each other across the Bay. The more unions and adjacent organizations that participate in strike support, the better for the overall health and strength of the labor movement.

We envision this public meeting as an active participatory space that will build a network of rank and file union members and community allies who will support strike solidarity with OEA and UTLA and build towards future actions in the fight for fully and progressively funded public education in California. We welcome union members, community allies, and anyone in the Bay Area (and CA!) to join us on this date. We stand together with OEA and UTLA in the fight for the schools all our students deserve! Location and other details to be announced soon.

The meeting will include speakers, art, music, story shares and organizing meetings.

We welcome endorsements and participation from unions, organizations, and community groups for this mass meeting so that we can build the strongest base of support for OEA/UTLA and public education in California. We will also be showing our solidarity with UTLA’s “March for Public Education” happening on the same day.

If you are a member of a local union or community group, please bring this information back to your membership, and endorse here:
https://goo.gl/forms/Z5CNIWkSx8o2Y6Qw2

GOING SOLAR WORKSHOP

Strike Debt is building a debt resistance movement. We believe that most individual debt is illegitimate and unjust. Most of us fall into debt because we are increasingly deprived of the means to acquire the basic necessities of life: health care, education, and housing. Because we are forced to go into debt simply in order to live, we think it is right and moral to resist it.

• Presenting debt and inequality related topics at forums, workshops and in radio productions.
• Relieving Medical Debt through pennies-on-the-dollar buyback programs.
• A book group focused on Economic Inequality and Economic Theory for the modern age.
• Promoting single-payer / Medicare for All to end the plague of medical debt
• Money bail reform and fighting modern day debtors’ prisons and exploitative ticketing and fining schemes
• Tiny Homes and other solutions for the homeless.
• Student debt resistance. Check out the Debt Collective, our sister organization
• Helping out America’s only non-profit check-cashing organization and fighting against usurious for-profit pay-day lenders and their ilk
• Working on debarring US Banks that have been convicted of felonies from municipal contracts, and divesting from the Wall St. banks
• Promoting the concept of Basic Income
• Advocating for Postal banking
• Organizing for public banking in Oakland! We made the first steps happen… now there’s a spinoff group
• Bring your own debt-related project!

If you are new to Strike Debt and want to come early, meet one or two of us and get a briefing on our projects before we dive into our agenda, email us at strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com

Join Berkeley Copwatch for a community potluck and games night. This is a chance to socialize and get to know some folks who are working to hold police accountable. Invite your friends! We will play some games, talk politics and build some community together.

Bring a dish, side dish or dessert, as well as any party games you would like to share. BYOB if you so choose. There will be vegan and vegetarian options available.

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library

   What have things come to when arch racist Jeff Sessions and deep state spooks are canonized as by self-identified liberals and leftists as bulwarks against fascism? When all mainstream “opposition” politics can be summarized in a single word: Trump. And when the midterm elections ignored deepening impoverishment at home, endless wars abroad, and climate catastrophe  – let alone the tax cut for the superrich – instead focusing on the “threat” posed by (take your pick) immigrant workers and the Russians.

   The majority of eligible voters sat out the midterm spectacle, simply not bothering with politicians awash in ever more obscene tsunamis of corporate cash. Meanwhile, both the economy and the polity have become more concentrated and less democratic with an ever-wealthier elite perched atop of an ever-growing surveillance state, mass incarceration, and censored media on the internet.

   Economist Allan Miller, Green Party congressional candidate Laura Wells, and Peace and Freedom Party central committee member Roger Harris will try to inject reason to the rant, followed by robust questions and commentary. ICSS (Institute for the Critical Study of Society) member Raj Sahai will facilitate.

There will be an RPA membership meeting from 2-3:15 pm. Right after that, we will move into party mode and have our winter holiday party & fundraiser from 3:30 – 5:30. As usual, the meeting is for RPA members. But the party is open to all! Please invite friends, family and neighbors and help support the RPA in 2019.

About the party: Desserts and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided free of charge with donations accepted for beer and wine.

Our silent auction will provide an opportunity for you to bid on exciting gifts for others or for yourself, including: art work, art tour, piano tuning, dance lessons, Sushi and Cal-Mediterranean dinners, Cuban Rum and a 3 night stay in Cuba.

This event is open to the public and a great chance to get to know the RPA, build community, contribute to a great cause and pick up some wonderful gifts.

RSVP for the party here

After you register spread the free ticket link here, and spread the word via Facebook here

The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 3 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 3:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland.  (Note: we meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months,  once Daylight Savings Time springs forward we tend to assemble at 4 PM).

On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 2 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.

OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over five years! 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

1. Welcome & Introductions
2. Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
3. Announcements
4. (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

We’re featuring the best films from FILMS TO THE PEOPLE Short Film Festival. Because of the smoke caused by the fires, a lot of you were bummed that you weren’t able to attend. So we’re hosting a Best of the Fest at our next film night. You won’t want to miss this last chance to watch this slate of films that shows social justice can be touching, hard-hitting, and even funny.

A Pair Of Horns On A Female Homo Sapiens by Saleh Kashefi
Con o Sin Papeles by Aria Zapata
Cycles by Latajh Weaver
Guardian Movie by Nicolas Jara
Snow Mountain by Ed Ntiri
The Salmon Will Run by Survival Media Agency
ZOO by Andrew Schrader

Doors Open @ 4:30pm
$5 NOTAFLOF

A Valve Turner In Person!

Leonard Higgins and four other Valve Turners decided to turn off the valves that regulate the pipeline flow of Canadian crude oil into the US. They were following the honored tradition of civil disobedience – take the bold action, have it documented for all the world to see, then wait to be arrested. At their trials, they sought to use the Necessity Defense to challenge the nation’s energy policy.
Higgins is the only UU in the group of three men and two women. By their actions at the US borders, they demonstrated strong commitment to Environmental Justice.
Sponsored by the BFUU SJC.

Kick-off meeting to create Slingshot issue #128. (Note – issue #128 was supposed to come out in the fall but we postponed it to improve the articles and revive the collective.) Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.

* Brainstorm articles for next issue
* Orientation on how you can submit articles, art, photographs
* Help us discuss our audience and themes for the next issue
* Discuss fundraising and distribution
* Your chance to comment on Slingshot

Everyone is welcome.
Issue #128 is due out on February 1, 2019
Deadline for Issue #128 is January 19, 2019

Our last meeting of 2018.

Agenda forthcoming.

Working Group Meetings:

The Advocacy Working Group meets with public officials, government staff and other stakeholders to learn what they can teach us about integrating a public bank into existing systems, and to convince them to support our bank. Drop us a note (contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org) if you want to participate.

The Outreach Working Group needs organizers, and people to staff tables and talk to folks about public banking. Send us a note at contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org if you can help.

The ad hoc Governance Working Group is working on updating our governance plan in light of new information. Drop us a note at contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org if you want to be part of this effort.

For those of you who would like to be more involved in the planning of the Audit the Sheriff campaign organized by the Ella Baker center, meetings are held every other Monday from 6-7:30 at the EBC office.

SCHEDULE
8:20 Coffee & Bagels
8:30 Gathering & Opening Circle
8:45 Press Conference
9:00 Sgt. Russell’s Courtdate

Recently, it was revealed that Alameda County Sergeant James Russell and Lieutenant Timothy Schellenberg were caught on video admitting to the illegal recording of youth defendants in confidential conversations with their own attorneys.

This is a Constitutional Rights violation and our concern is that it points to a much larger systemic problem.

Recording a defendant and their lawyer is a violation of the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments, as well as CA Penal Code 632, which is a felony offense punishable by up to 3 years in prison.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) have spied on a defendant as they spoke with their lawyer. It also happened back in 2012.

This is NOT an issue of “one bad apple.” We have a rotten tree that must be dealt with.

THE ENTIRE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AS NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

Felony charges have been filed against one sergeant, which is a good start but certainly not enough. This is just the tip of the iceberg for a department riddled with problems and constant allegations of the violation of people’s rights.

We call on Alameda County’s District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to conduct a thorough investigation of this matter and pursue the appropriate criminal charges against the Sheriff’s Deputies who have broken the law.

SIGN THE PETITION: bit.ly/NotAboveLaw

We demand that the District Attorney Nancy O’Malley do the following:

1. PROSECUTE Sergeant James Russell on the four counts of felony eavesdropping to the fullest extent of the law. No slap on the wrist.

2. INVESTIGATE the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to determine the extent of this egregious violation of the United States Constitution, make public the results of the investigation, and file felony charges against Lt. Tim Schellenberg for his complicity, as well as all other officers involved in the recording of these constitutionally protected conversations.

Three antifascist activists are facing serious charges for defending our city against neo-Nazis two and a half years ago. We’re calling on our community to come out to their 2nd pretrial hearing and show support for these brave individuals. It’s up to us to make it clear that we stand with them!

We will be meeting at the courthouse and attending their court appearance. Come in casual, formal, or semi-formal attire and be prepared to go through a metal detector. Avoid arriving or leaving alone, and leave the area as soon as the court appearance is over. The court date will begin at 9 am and continue until 5 pm or until the hearing has concluded, whichever comes first. This is a critical way to show your solidarity and be a presence for activists being unfairly targeted by the state.

About the court case:
On June 26th, 2016, members of the neo-Nazi gang the Golden State Skinheads attempted to rally at the State Capitol here in Sacramento. Hundreds of counter-protesters mobilized and successfully shut down the Nazi rally. After the rally was canceled, the neo-Nazis attacked demonstrators with knives and clubs, stabbing and critically injuring several. Since then, one neo-Nazi has been arrested and three anti-racist activists are facing charges. After several cancellations and continuations, this is the final court date before our comrades are put on trial. So far, our community has come out to each court date to support them. This is their most important court appearance until the trial, so it’s urgent that we show up in numbers and make our support known!

Celebrating the publication of Human Rights and Wrongs and Plan Colombia

Authors Adrianne Aron and John Lindsay-Poland discuss their new books, Human Rights and Wrongs (Sunshot Press) and Plan Colombia: U.S. Ally Atrocities and Community Activism (Duke University Press), respectively. Both books recount stories of individuals and communities – especially in Latin America – resisting U.S. and state violence, often at great cost, and the power of human solidarity. Aron’s vignettes in the style of Eduardo Galeano draw from her experience as a psychologist and work with Central American refugees.

Lindsay-Poland narrates a Colombian peace community and a massacre, as well as the policy of training and equipping Colombian forces that serves as a template for U.S. intervention globally.

Books will be available for sale and signing.
www.sunshots.org/human-rights-and-wrongs
www.dukeupress.edu/plan-colombia (Preface and Introduction free online)
Sponsored by the BFUU SJC.

JOINT WALK‐IN CLINICS with Public Defender and EBCLC

*Please bring your statewide CA DOJ RAP sheet
if you have it or we can give information at clinic*

We may be able to help with:
 Dismissal of Conviction – PC 1203.4
 Felony Reduction / Prop 47 and 64 Relief
 Early Termination of Probation
 Certificate of Rehabilitation
 Sealing Arrest Record – Factual Innocence
 Juvenile Record Sealing
 Post-Conviction Relief for Immigrants and
Survivors of Human Trafficking
 Employment denials due to criminal background
reports
 Occupational Licensing Denials(DSS, Security
Guard)
 Voting Rights, Jury Service Rights

Tomorrow @ 12 pm, the Landless People’s Alliance is holding a press conference @ Alameda County Admin Building 1221 Oak St. to speak out against the mistreatment of unhoused folks in the Bay Area. Please show up to support their demands for justice&dignity https://t.co/oOZsFJl7U0

— The Village, Oakland (@VillageOakland) December 20, 2018

A presentation, The True Cost of Healthcare, by David Belk, MD