Calendar
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
Information about prosecuting Bush in Alameda County for the deaths of Alameda County residents that died in Iraq. We review the state’s case and present the organization’s plan for prosecuting Bush and his co-conspirators in Alameda County. Please mark your calendar and bring a friend.
Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Albany CA 94706
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 6:30 pm
For more information, please see our website: www.prosecutebush.org
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
“From the folks who brought you the West Coast Port Shutdown.”
The OO Labor Solidarity Committee meets weekly, with every other meeting being held at Oscar Grant Plaza weather permitting. This week’s meeting will take place in the amphitheater at Oscar Grant Plaza, just outside of City Hall. at UNITE HERE, just across Broadway from Oscar Grant Plaza.
PLEASE CHECK BACK AS THERE IS STILL A CHANCE THE LOCATION MAY CHANGE!!
The main topic for this meeting will be discussion of and preparation for an Oakland Port Workers’ rank-and-file Assembly. Non-unionized airport workers (the Port of Oakland runs the Oakland Airport) have been targeted for union-organizing activity while UNITE HERE is trying to organize them. SEIU Port workers have no contract currently and ILWU contracts at various locales on the West Coast are due to expire soon. Couple that with deep labor unrest at various ports up and down the East Coast, and there seems to be a lot of possibility to work together and show solidarity.
Other topics may include the aftermath of the Chicago Teachers’ strike, recent events in South Africa, United Food Workers Union troubles and Alan Blueford Coalition organizing.
Sponsored by the Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition.
Mon/Thursdays At 19th and Telegraph at 6pm
Monday, October 1st at Snow Park.
Come and help plan the one year anniversary of Occupy Oakland!
http://www.facebook.com/events/365114273563528/
What books would be good for Occupiers to know about? What books can help us “change the world”? If you’re aware of any, please attend, and share what you know. Or if you might possibly be curious to hear from others, please also attend!
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
Demonstration against Chevron Wednesday October 3
Assemble 3 pm at Richmond BART
2nd Assembly point Washington Park
3rd Assembly point in front of the Chevron Refinery Gates
Points of Unity for the March/ Messages for Banners/ Speakers:…
1. Install the Air Quality Monitoring System NOW!
2. Community Compensation!
3. Reduce Emissions!
4. Worker and Public Safety First!
5. Pay Your Fair Share of Taxes!
The goal is to deliver the demands to Chevron staff and demand that they give them to Chevron Management.
Come hear Jeralynn Blueford, Alan Blueford’s mother, speak about her son and the fight for justice here in Oakland. This is a chance to find out how to get involved in the fight to stop police brutality in Oakland.
Sponsored by the Black Student Union and the International Socialist Organization standing in solidarity with the Blueford family.
New schedule and additional location!
Bi-Monthly meetings to organize and publish web content for occupyoakland.org.
We meet the first Thursday of the month at The Holdout, 2313 San Pablo Ave Oakland,CA 94612 @ 6PM
And the third Sunday of the month at 19th Street / Rashida Muhammad Street (one block away from 19th Street/Telegraph avenue) @ 2PM
If interested on helping us out, please come and join us!
Web@occupyoakland.org
Mon/Thursdays At 19th & Telegraph at 6pm
Come and help plan the one year anniversary of Occupy Oakland!
http://www.facebook.com/events/365114273563528/
NOTE: Folks attending Monday changed the venue from OGP, hence the dueling events announcements.
“From the folks who brought you the West Coast Port Shutdown.”
The OO Labor Solidarity Committee meets weekly, with every other meeting being held at Oscar Grant Plaza weather permitting. This week’s meeting will take place in the amphitheater at Oscar Grant Plaza, just outside of City Hall.
PLEASE CHECK BACK AS THERE IS STILL A CHANCE THE LOCATION MAY CHANGE!!
The main topic for this meeting will be discussion of and preparation for an Oakland Port Workers’ rank-and-file Assembly scheduled for October 6th. Non-unionized airport workers (the Port of Oakland runs the Oakland Airport) have been targeted for union-organizing activity while UNITE HERE is trying to organize them. SEIU Port workers have no contract currently and ILWU contracts at various locales on the West Coast are due to expire soon. Couple that with deep labor unrest at various ports up and down the East Coast, and there seems to be a lot of possibility to work together and show solidarity.
Other topics may include the aftermath of the Chicago Teachers’ strike, recent events in South Africa, United Food Workers Union troubles, massive protests in Portugal and Spain, the Castlewood settlement, and Alan Blueford Coalition organizing.