Calendar
The new semester just recently began at UC Berkeley and there is a lot of students who want to know about Occupy around the Bay Area. The purpose of the Info Table is to inform students about Occupy Oakland, Occupy the Farm, and Occupy Cal; what actions they’ve done, what plans are in the mix for the future, and how they can get involved.
Come join us, help out!
We invite you to join us for an inspiring evening of solidarity with the Colombian labor movement as we launch and fundraise for PASO International (Proyecto de Acompañimiento y Solidaridad).
Colombia suffers from the highest level of economic inequality in Latin America, with 2/3 of all workers in the informal sector. Unions defending workers’ rights face surveillance, threats, kidnapping, torture, and death. Over 1,000 Colombian union activists have been assassinated since 2000 (15 this year) and Colombia accounts for 63% of all union assassinations worldwide. Recent implementation of free trade agreements has put Colombian workers on the frontlines of the global resistance against privatization and other neoliberal economic policies. In the face of this exploitation and repression, Colombia has one of the most vibrant labor movements in the Americas. Fired General Motors workers recently inspired the world by encamping 24/7 outside the U.S. Embassy for over a year and sewing their mouths shut in hunger strike, and port workers, oil workers, teachers, food service workers, health care workers, palm workers, and miners are all in key battles.
Working with and at the request of Colombian unions, PASO is launching an on-the-ground international presence in Colombia and rapid response solidarity network. But we need your help!
Join us on Wednesday, September 12th for an evening of:
•A report on the Colombian labor movement from PASO solidarity oorganizers in the Bay Area from Bogota.
•A live Skype conversation with GM hunger strikers.
•Video documentation of recent labor struggles.
•An opportunity to fund on-the-ground accompaniment of Colombian labor leaders.
•A raffle drawing for beautiful prints of Colombian worker rights art and other goodies.
•Yummy food and beverages, of course!
In Partnership With the Interfaith Tent:
Oakland’s Faith Community Responds to Alan Blueford’s Murder by Police (Fellowship Hall): Alan Blueford, high school senior about to graduate from Skyline High School in Oakland, was gunned down fatally by police on May 6. Come to this meeting with the Blueford family to pray, act, and strategize to make sure that what happened to Alan will not happen to anyone else.
See also the Blueford BBQ on Sept. 15th
On May 6th, Alan Blueford was murdered by OPD officer Miguel Masso. On May 15th, members of the City Council promised the Blueford family support for their struggle for justice. Since then, the family has received nothing but stonewalling and lies from the City of Oakland and OPD.
Join us at a BBQ and Community Meeting to take action against this injustice, and to fight to prevent further such tragic events.
Shut Down Monsanto!
September 17, 2012 – 6am (all day)
1910 – 5th Street, Davis, California
Whether you like it or not, chances are Monsanto contaminated the food you ate today with chemicals and GMOs. Monsanto controls much of the world’s food supply at the expense of food democracy worldwide. Take action against Monsanto during the week of September 17th, 2012.
Organize locally to take action for a decentralized occupation of Monsanto facilities around the world on September 17, 2012
For more details about the Davis action, see
http://occupy-monsanto.com/shutdown-monsanto-davis-california-600am-september-17-2012/
For other Occupy Monsanto actions planned elsewhere, see
http://occupy-monsanto.com/genetic-crimes-unit/
For a list of Monsanto facilities to organize actions at, see
http://occupy-monsanto.com/facilities/
For more information about why Monsanto must be shut down, and ideas for how to do it, visit
http://occupy-monsanto.com/
Monday September 17th, celebrating the one year anniversary of the Occupy Movement and Growing Resistance Worldwide.
At t 1pm begin gathering at Bradley Manning Plaza (a.k.a, Justin Herman Plaza) – Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco, CA.
At 2pm PARTY TAKES TO THE STREETS!
At 5pm Mass Convergence at 555 California, San Francisco, CA.
…. Stay Tuned For October 10th, 2012 — One Year Anniversary of Occupy Oakland!!!
Come and support the Bluefords as they tell the City Council they have had enough of their false promises and OPD’s lies.
In Tweetspeak:
OccupythePort @occupytheport
Tues. Sept. 18 5pm: Alan Blueford’s family to demand Oakland City Council fire Miguel Masso. No more excuses. #J4AB Via @OccupiedOakTribOccupythePort @occupytheport
Sept 18th #Justice4AlanBlueford at #OAKMTG City Council 5:00 join the fight for justice #OO #OccupyOakland #osfAlyssa @alyssa011968
#Justice4AlanBlueford Sept 18th City Council 5:00 join the fight for justice #OO #OccupyOakland
Visit the Justice 4 Alan Blueford Website for more information.
On Tuesday, June 5, just before 9 PM, Derrick Gaines, a fifteen-year-old youth of multi-racial descent, was needlessly killed by an officer of the South San Francisco Police Department.
South City Police Chief Michael Massoni and the cooperative local media wasted no time in fabricating a story intended to justify the blood on their hands, in part through shamelessly smearing the victim’s character.
But there are two sides to events like these: what the cops say, and what the truth is. In this case, the
truth is that Derrick never reached for or produced a weapon, and was shot down by an officer who had brutalized and restrained him first. Derrick’s friends and family have staged multiple actions at the site of the shooting, and the anger at Derrick’s murder is combining with general discontent regarding how the South SF police treat youth, particularly youth of color locally, as well as the horrendous reality that such acts of police violence are a disturbingly common occurrence, here in the Bay Area and across the country.
The Arco Gas Station, which was the scene of the incident, is located at 2300 Westborough Blvd., at the corner of Westborough and Gellert. It is 4.4 miles from the San Bruno Caltrain Station, and 3.2 miles from San Bruno BART.
Do not let the South SFPD’s lies, and heinous actions, go unchallenged. Please join friends, family members, and other allies in the ongoing struggle against racism and social injustice as we continue to demand justice for Derrick, and for all victims of racist police violence.
Article about Derrick Gaines: They Treated Him Like a Statistic
On September 22 this month there will be a forum in Oakland to defend the right to self-defense, to educate the communities suffering from racial profiling, and to launch new organizing efforts in these communities. The Forum, “SELF-RESPECT AND COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE IN A LAND OF ENDLESS RACIAL PROFILING”, will feature new materials on the history and methods of community self-defense, and guest speaker Djibril Toure, a leader of the the campaign against “Stop and Frisk” in New York as well as the newly launched National People’s Self-Defense Campaign, who will bring his experience to share.
Via the Oscar Grant Committee.
Website: A People’s Hearing on Rascism and Police Violence
Show support for the Chicago Teachers Union who are on strike defending jobs and public education.
Organized by local Bay Area unions.
Now performing as Redd Welsh, he sings a dozen mostly original songs on the album, backed by some fine musicians including Joe Goldmark on pedal steel guitar; Pete Elman on keyboards and bass; John Blakeley on Stratocaster, Telecaster and acoustic guitars; Lachelle Oats on vocals; Paul Hlebcar on harmonica; and Kelly Ralston on congas and percussion.
The party gets under way at 7:00 p.m. Saturday Sept. 22 in the friendly Fellowship Hall of the Berkeley Unitarians, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita, in Berkeley – which by the way has a great piano. The Hall is only a six-tenths of a mile walk up Cedar from North Berkeley BART.
Special guest appearances at the party by Jon Fromer, Harriet and Alex Bagwell, Hali Hammer and Barbara Dane.
Don’t miss this festive musical gathering of old and new friends.
Bannering for Bradley Manning/Occupy Issues at Berkeley Pedestrian Overpass
Bring a banner or join us bannering to support Bradley Manning and related Occupy issues Sunday Sept. 23 4pm-6pm
at the Berkeley Pedestrian Overpass on I-80 near the University Ave off ramp.
Parking available on both sides of the freeway, adjacent to the overpass pedestrian entrances.
This location gets tremendous traffic congestion in the evening commute and weekend vacation travel and is a hot spot to communicate on important issues of the day.
6:00 PM: Dinner
6:30 PM: Excerpts from “Occupation Has No Future”
A Film About US Veterans Who Travel To Palestine.
7:00 PM: Panel Discussion
Who: Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group,
ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment)
and YOU!
Zaki Alshalyan, our neighbor, an Oaklander from the east side is facing a sale date of October 4th!
We will be joining another community group, ACCE, to simultaneously take action on several banks in the downtown area. We are sending a “delegation” to accompany Zaki and his family as they deliver a demand letter to his bank and their executives. We are demanding that they postpone his sale date and reopen negotiations with him in good faith.
In other words, he needs backup to make these bastards treat him like a human being.
Here is his story:
My name is Zaki Alshalyan.
I am Iraqi-American and I was a prisoner of war in Operation Desert Storm 1991. I am one of thousands of Iraqis who stood up with the American army to fight with them against Saddam Hussein.
I spend 5 years in the prison. It was the worse place in the Saudi Arabian desert. I spent days and nights… months and years in this place without exit to anything. I can’t see anything except the sand and the sky…no plant, no bird, no animal can live there. Everyday my body was totally covered with sand because my tent where I slept was broken from the storms and sometimes I can’t see or breathe and the days turned to darkness. I suffered torture by Saudi guards many times. After seeking freedom for 5 years, I had the chance to meet the American delegation. They check my story and they accept me to live in the USA as a refugee.
I arrived in San Francisco on 1/15/1995. I had hope for my future and family I left behind. After one month in San Francisco, I started working two jobs 16 hours a day, 6 days a week… working hard and paying my taxes.
In May 2005, I had saved my money and put down payment to buy this property, a small four unit building in East Oakland.
Four years later, my hardship started when the bank started raising my mortgage payment until it reached 5000 dollars a month. I couldn’t pay the high payment. I ask the bank for help, for a loan modification. It took two years and the bank kept asking me for documents and paper work and I send them everything they ask for over and over. Finally, the bank denied my loan modification for no reason. The loan modification and hardship has negative effect on me and my job, on my wife and my three kids. Now I live in tough times.
After I spend all the money I had, after I borrow money from friends and family to fix the property, now the property is worth nothing – I owe more than the property is worth.
Bank of America sent me a letter saying they want to sell my property at auction on October 4th. I can’t lose my property. This is my only income. I have no other support for myself and my family.
I am now seeking help from you to put pressure on the bank to modify my loan and help me save my property.
Thank you very much,
Zaki Alshalyan
Sponsored by the Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition.
Rally at the 12th Street entrance to the County Superior Court, 1225 Fallon Street (location of the district attorney’s office)
March to city hall for the 5:30 city council meeting.
Conscience demands that we stand against excessive force, harassment, and racial profiling by the Oakland Police Department–practices that contributed to the death of Alan Blueford–and that we call upon city officials to stand against them, too. To date, the city has been unwilling to take a stand; city council adjourned several hours early on September 18 rather than deal with the grief and anger of the citizens, and now they are seeking to change meeting policies to avoid being confronted with such feelings in the future
At the district attorney’s office and then at city hall, we will issue the following demands of the Blueford family, their friends, and supporters:
* Release a police report that includes a thorough investigation of Alan’s murder
* Terminate Officer Masso’s employment with the Oakland Police Department
* Bring criminal charges against Officer Masso
* Hold Chief Jordan accountable for changing his story to the family about what happened the night of Alan’s death.
*End de facto stop-and-frisk and other racial profiling practices of the OPD
* Work with state legislators to repeal the so-called Police Officers’ Bill of Rights that shields violent cops from prosecution and keeps them on the street.
An essay: Searching for answers to a Police Killing
Justice 4 Alan Blueford website
Sign the Petition for Justice 4 Alan Blueford