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As early as next month the Oakland Zoo is going to start throwing up 8′ fences topped by 3′ of barbed wire around perhaps the most lovely park on the western flank of the East Bay hills and excluding the public from it forever unless you pay big bucks to visit the newly constructed paved roads, 50 structures, 15-car gondola, vistor center or high-end restaurant. So I’m leading a little hike Saturday, March 14th so we can see what we are about to lose unless we fight back.
BACKGROUND
Knowland Park is a 453 acre parcel granted to the city of Oakland in 1949 with the proviso that it always remain a public park. It is a beautiful expanse of live oak woodland and grassy slopes with amazing vistas, festooned with rare and beautiful native plants and wild life. Most local residents know Knowland Park solely as the site of the Oakland Zoo, located on 100 acres of Knowland Park on its western flank near Highway 580. The zoo is run by a private non-profit, the East Bay Zoological Society (EBZS), but funded by over 1.5 million dollars of public money every year, as well as high ticket prices, $15.75 & $8 parking with no free days for the general public (there are apparently annual free days for senior citizens). The Zoo also tried to pass a 25 year parcel tax last fall, Measure A1, which would have assessed $12 annually on all properties in Alameda County from the most humble shack to the most palatial mansion or sprawling apartment complex, but it didn’t get the required 2/3rds vote.
Oaklanders can be forgiven for believing that there is no public access to Knowland Park except the Zoo. The city doesn’t post online information about it or put up signs leading to the trails, and the Office of Parks & Recreation didn’t even list Knowland as a city park until 2012 after activists repeatedly demanded it. For years I drove around the park and tried to find trail heads, and only discovered a single fire road that paralleled Golf Links Road in the main part of the park and a small network of fire roads on the eastern part of the park, accessible off of Skyline Blvd (this part of Knowland doesn’t directly link up to the rest of the park, which lies west of Golf Links Road).
But a few weeks ago I discovered the there were indeed some directions & maps to the area hosted by the Save Knowland Park folks who are attempting to halt the expansion of the Zoo into the rest of Knowland Park. So I started exploring the area and was just bowled over by how enchanting it is, by far the most lovely grassy, oak-clad hill sides I’ve seen in the East Bay, with some of the most incredible views. (FWIW, I’ve hiked just about all the trails I can find within a 30 mile radius of O-town, and I will grant that for seasonally green grassy hills the northern part of Wildcat Regional, the Bort Meadow area of Chabot RP, Mission Peak, Garin, Briones, etc. have their charms, but this place was extra special, I felt like a Hobbit in the Shire traipsing over the slopes, except with views of the Bay Bridge, GG, Richmond Bridge, downtown SF & Oakland, etc.)
When I first heard about the Save Knowland Park movement last fall I thought, meh?, I don’t have much use for a zoo that never has free daze, and I voted against the parcel tax, but how bad can it be? They are only gobbling up another 53 acres or so, only a eighth of a park that is basically not open to the public anyway. And what has an endangered whipsnake recently done for me personally? I figured it was just NIMBYism from the relatively well-heeled neighbors who didn’t want their viewscapes mucked with. But it turns out that the the zoo is planning to develop the vast majority of the publicly accessible parts of the western section of Knowland Park, the zoo is planning to fence off another 22 acres from the public as a “conservation easement”. This hardly seems like mitigation, they are taking land that is now protected from development, and excluding the public from its own land in order to enrich the local contractors and build a bunch of new structures & roads.
Proposed Zoo Expansion
So why did the city council vote 6-2 to allow this taking of public land with no environmental review last fall? (Kaplan & Kalb voted against it, for those of you keeping score at home) And how can a city which can’t keep toilet papers in its public school bathrooms afford $61 million dollars to expand a zoo that most lower-income residents can’t even afford to visit? Well, guess who funds the city councillors’ election campaigns? Yup, developers and contractors. And most of the bills won’t become due until long after the current crop of council critters are out of office and counting the money they made from flipping properties with the help of “nonprofit” corporations.
THE PLAN FOR SATURDAY
So I’d like to meet folks at OGP (14th just west of Broadway at City Hall) at 2:30 PM Saturday morning, March 14th (3’14: Occu PI Day- and yes, I have a little reality distortion field about what exactly constitutes mourning). It would be good if folks could give me a call at (510) 763-0591 or (415) 623-6473 (cell) or email me at biow AT riseup DOT net so I know about how many folks are planning to attend and can arrange to have enough car space and stock-piled liquid refreshment on the hill. Then we can car pool to Knowland Park, about 17 minutes away. Folks that want a bit more of a hike can join me at the 106th Street entrance to Knowland Park and hike up the hill through the zoo parking lot and past the new (2012) veternary hospital that the zoo built. The rest can join my first wife Kathy and park on one of the roads off of Malcolm Avenue that lead to the higher entrances to the tract. I selected Snowdown Avenue because it reminded me of Edward Snowdon. Both groups will rendezvous at a spot on the hill and have some beverages, and maybe a sandwich, and then hike over to see the bison & tule elk paddock and the current gondola, and then walk around the rest of the area that is slated for development. We should be back at Snowdown Ave. by 5 PM, and can discuss what actions we can take to stop the development.
Proposed hike route, click for larger version
Please bring comfortable shoes, cameras, and whatever medications you need, I will have sandwich fixing and beverages cached at the rendezvous. Folks who are interested can repair to Slothaven (my humble abode) later for swine & beer.
LEARN MORE:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/zoo-gone-wild/Content?oid=4059113&showFullText=true Zoo Gone Wild, East Bay Express
http://www.saveknowland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/FAQ-Sheet-Updated-Sept2014.pdf
http://baynature.org/2014/11/17/conservationists-take-knowland-park-controversy/
http://bayleafnewsletter.org/wp/saving-knowland-park-november-2014/
Subscribe to the Save Knowland Park mailing list by sending an email to:
defendknowlandpark-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
Essentials of Scientific Socialism: Part One of a Series
“Clarity about the aims and problems of socialism is of greatest significance in our age of transition.” Einstein’s comment remains true in our Century, when the growing interest in socialism is matched by a growing confusion about socialism. This workshop, led by Gene Ruyle of the ICSS, will be the first in a series seeking to overcome this confusion through study and discussion, focusing on the classics of scientific socialism: The Communist Manifesto, by Marx and Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, by Engels, Critique of the Gotha Program, by Marx, and Fundamentals of Leninism, by Stalin. This session will focus on the Communist Manfesto. In preparation, participants are urged to read, or re-read, this important document.
“THE HIDDEN ENEMY”
THE COVERT OPERATION
BEHIND MILITARY SUICIDES
Some have claimed that this spate of self-harm is because of the stresses of war. But the facts reveal that 85% of military suicides have not seen combat – and 52% never even deployed. So what unsuspected factor is causing military suicide rates to soar?
According to the new documentary The Hidden Enemy: Inside Psychiatry’s Covert Agenda, evidence points to the soaring rates of psychiatric drug prescribing since 2003. Known side effects of these drugs such as increased aggression and suicidal thinking are reflected in similar uptrends in the rates of military domestic violence, child abuse and sex crimes, as well as self-harm.
In the face of these military suicide statistics, the U.S. Pentagon now spends $2 billion a year on mental health alone. The Veterans Administration’s mental health budget has skyrocketed from less than $3 billion in 2007 to nearly $7 billion in 2014 all while veterans’ conditions continue to worsen.
We will watch “The Hidden Enemy” followed by discussion with veterans.
Time will be allocated for announcements.
There will be a rally, starting at 5pm, on March 17, in front of the Richmond City Council, demanding justice for Pedie Perez, who was shot and killed by Richmond Police Officer Wallace Jensen on September 14, 2014 shortly after midnight. He had been asked to leave Sam’s Liquor Store, due to alcohol intoxication and sit on the curb outside on the sidewalk. The officer had searched him and found no weapons. After some time, Pedie started to walk away without permission, then the cop wrestled him to the ground and put him in a vicious choke hold. Around this time, the cop shot him, claiming that Pedie was reaching for his gun. Multiple witnesses said he never reached for the cop’s gun.
Demand that PO Jensen be fired from the Richmond Police Force and prosecuted for murder. A cop like this is now wanted in the Richmond community.
On March 17th, the Berkeley City Council will consider passing laws that would prohibit
- panhandling within 10 feet of a parking pay station
- placing object within three feet of a tree well
- using bedding or blankets on the sidewalk between 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM
- attaching objects to public fixtures
- unpermitted cooking on the sidewalks
They want to up the enforcement against people who are homeless. We can stop them if we unite.
STREETS ARE FOR EVERYONE (SAFE) COALITION
Speak out for Strong New BAAQMD Rules.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) is in the process of adopting new rules to improve monitoring of refinery emissions and to require at least a 20% reduction in CAP (criteria air pollutants) emissions (PM, SOx, NOx, CO, ROG) within five years. They have scheduled a Town Hall style meeting for public input: After a presentation by Board staff members, comments will be invited. The room is relatively small and the meeting will be brief. Nevertheless, let’s use this opportunity to show that this process is important to us and to advocate for meaningful improvements!
The RPA suggests these points for those who wish to speak for effective rules:
- We want emissions reporting and health risk assessments we can trust.
- We want real emission reductions through the use of BACT (Best Available Control Technology).
- BAAQMD should not allow any increases in pollution due to changes in feedstock.
- The BAAQMD refinery rule should not include exemptions that would allow increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil refineries.
- BAAQMD should enact a moratorium on permitting air emissions for proposed oil projects until the new refinery rules have been finalized.
Immediately before the meeting, at 5pm, a press conference will be held in the patio area outside the community room. Eye-catching signs, hats, and shirts are encouraged.
Court update: demur about constitutionality was filed. New date march 18 9am set to continue. #blackfriday14 #DropTheCharges
— Bay Solidarity (@BaySolidarity) February 4, 2015
motion to dismiss case called demur was made today: statute is unconstitutional-it's too broad-anyone cld be charged 4 interfering with BART
— Bay Solidarity (@BaySolidarity) February 4, 2015
Atty Walter Riley: the law could arrest anyone for having too baggy pants or too dark skin on Bart platform. #DropTheCharges #BlackFriday14
— Bay Solidarity (@BaySolidarity) February 4, 2015
Protest genocidal apartheid #HP March 18th, 10:30am #HewlettPackard Headquarters, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA. pic.twitter.com/BrsHuqBG60
— Occupy Oakland (@OccupyOakland) March 9, 2015
Long-time residents are being pushed out of Oakland every day because of skyrocketing housing costs. The city’s number one priority right now should be figuring out how to make it possible for working families to stay in Oakland – not developing luxury high rises for the rich that are just going to raise rents and exacerbate displacement.
March 18th come to Planning Commission hearing to speak out against gentrification in Oakland and for affordable housing!
Black Women’s Lives Matter (A Women’s History Month Event).
Did you know that: as many as 200 Black women are missing in Los Angeles, maybe 100 killed? Police referred to the murders as No Humans Involved (NHI)?
A new film by Nick Broomfield that highlights the devaluation of Black women’s lives and the lives of sex workers.
The film shows the:
— criminal neglect or worse in law enforcement’s handling of the investigation and the efforts of the community based Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders to win justice and accountability.
— devaluing of Black women’s lives, and of sex workers struggling to survive in the most impoverished part of LA
— vulnerability to violence women who are considered “illegal” as easy prey due, in particular women who are homeless and/or who work on the streets or caught us in the crack epidemic
The film was shortlisted for an academy award. Trailer link: http://www.pipelinead.net/uploads/HBO/grim/GrimSleeper_promo_v3_lo.mov
Co-sponsors: Advance the Struggle; All of Us or None; Erotic Service Providers Union; Global Women’s Strike; In Defense of Prostitute Women’s Safety Project; Queer Strike; Sin Barras.
Endorsers so far: BAYSWAN; Critical Resistance; Faithful Fools Street Ministry; Flying Over Walls/Black and Pink; Legal Action for Women; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper
Event called by: US PROStitues Collective
Monthly APTP meeting, held on every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Please note that this is held in the Eastside Arts Alliance Annex. The entrance is to the left of the main Eastside Entrance.
The Anti Police-Terror Project is a project of the ONYX ORGANIZING COMMITTEE that in coalition with other organizations like The Alan Blueford Center For Justice, the Idriss Stelley Foundation, Workers World and Healthy Hoodz, is working to develop a replicable and sustainable model to end police terrorism in this country.
We are led by the most impacted communities but are a multi-racial, mutil-generational coalition.
Elias Castillo discusses “A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of California’s Indians by the Spanish Missions”
Author Elias Castillo shatters the image of California’s Missions as idyllic places where Franciscan friars and Indians lived in an environment of mutual respect. In reality, the Missions were death camps where more than 60,000 Indian workers died, many as a result of whippings, disease, and malnutrition.
The book is the result of more than six years of research and study of original documents including eyewitness accounts by early travelers, records kept by the friars, and historic letters by church and government authorities in Alta California and Mexico.
A Cross of Thorns delivers a damning indictment of the enslavement of California’s Indians by the Spanish Missions. It is especially timely in light of the fact that the Pope has said he plans to declare Father Junipero Serra a saint. Serra was the key founder of California’s Spanish missions. Serra has been sharply criticized by Native Americans for his role in their abuse and genocidal treatment.
http://www.revolutionbooks.org/
Peacewalk for a Nuclear Free Future to start here
A group of dedicated activists is walking from Richmond to the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations in New York City in April. One of the organizers writes: “We are starting in Richmond because we want to bring the energy of all of the good things happening there with us as we walk.” The walk will be led by Reverend Jun Yasuda, (affectionately known as “Junsan”) a Nipponzon Myohoji Buddhist nun who has been walking around the country and the world for more than 40 years.
The group will meet in a prayer circle before beginning the walk, and you are invited to join in and to see them off. If you’d like to start the walk with them, the route on the 20th will go to West Oakland, passing many BART Stations along the way, so it would be possible to walk part of the day and BART back. (A support car is also available if someone can’t make it to a BART Station for some reason.)
For a flyer with more about the walk and its full route, follow this link.
Her Resilience Part I: Mural Unveiling & Ceremony presented byMamacitas Cafe and Her Resilience: A Mural for Women Affected by Violence in Oakland
Featuring Mona Webb as Emcee
Nuri Nusrat & Robert Castro – Circle Facilitators
– Calpulli Huey Papalotl Danza Opening Ceremony
-Community Dialogues on Safety and Resiliency
-Childcare by Liliana Hurtado of YOLOTL COLLECTIVE
– Face painting by Melody Sage
– Healing Circles for All Genders
– Tamales by Tamales La Oaxaqueña
– Coffee, Drinks, and Donuts by Mamacitas Cafe
Special thanks to Akonadi Foundation for event support
(Notes on accessibility: This is an outside garden space. the garden is entrance is level to the ground. The top portion of the garden can only be accessed by the stairs, about 15-20 steps. Both levels will have tables+chairs+pillows)
Join us at Whole Foods.
We’ll be rallying for higher minimum wages at noon in front of the store. Drop by if you’re interested in helping out or if you have any questions. An increase in the Berkeley minimum wage doesn’t just make economic sense—it’s a necessity for workers, who literally can’t afford to pay rent in this city on less than $15/hour!
The planting was in January. Now the garden is in full bloom. The gardening work continues. Join us!
More information on the Berkeley Post Office Defense against the sale and privatization here.
Join ~20 Bay Area activist groups on Saturday, 12th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, to say no to endless war. pic.twitter.com/aReDdWLFmQ
— Not Frantz Fanon (@violentfanon) March 16, 2015
The premier of “Amor for Alex.”
The one year anniversary of the unlawful killing by SFPD of Alex Nieto.
