“The Fresh Juice Party rose to stardom nearly a year and a half ago when they roasted President Obama, with a song in support of Bradley Manning, at one of his fundraisers in San Francisco. The protest elicited a high-profile response including one from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and Jon Stewart from “The Daily Show.” ”

Come learn about continuing developments in the battle save the Berkeley Post Office and the Postal Service from privatization, support our Occupiers and help us plan our next steps in opposition to the theft of our public commons.

The postal service wanted to sell the post office to Hudson-Mcdonald, a local developer. The City of Berkeley sued the post office to stop the sale. Hudson-Mcdonald backed out of the deal in early December.

Federal Judge William Alsup decided to dismiss the lawsuit in April because the Postal Service says it is not currently selling the building.  But we’re not fooled. The Postal Service could “find” a buyer at any moment. Fortunately, the Judge ordered the Postal Service to provide 42 days notice before any sale, so that the lawsuit could be refiled.

Check out the Community Garden at the Post Office.

In the latest developments, Berkeley has Declared War on Its Homeless, and an ordinance criminalizing the homeless came before the City Council on June 30th (see here and here) but was tabled until September.

Also check out our website and the Save the Berkeley Post Office website, and First they Came for the Homeless Facebook for updates.

BPOD is an offshoot of Strike Debt Bay Area, which itself is an offshoot of Occupy Oakland and a chapter of the national Strike Debt movement, which is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street.

LIBRARYGATE:   Community coalition exposes Fraud, Waste, and Abuse by Berkeley Library Director

Explosive new documents reveal an illegal and unethical cover up of the destruction of tens of thousands of books/items  from the Berkeley Public Library (BPL) in 2015. This unedited list of 13,850 deleted last copies validates librarians and former librarians concerns about the inaccuracy of the library director’s claim that only 2,200 books have been discarded this year.  Additional computer printouts are also available revealing that over 39,000 books/items were deleted in 2015.

Retired Librarians, Authors, and booklovers will unite in reading from a newly released list of 13,850 titles of last copies deleted from the BPL.  The complete list of last copies and the computer printout will be released at the event, and will be available by email.

ILLEGAL: The Library Director violated state law by failing to respond in a timely way and by failing to provide most of the documents requested in two California Public Records Act (PRA) requests.  After the Library Director refused to release details in response to numerous emails, a Bay Area News Group correspondent and a Berkeley High School student both wrote PRA’s.

WASTE:  Books that could have been donated to community groups or the public have not been made available to Berkeley or Bay Area groups. Prominent community groups such as the Maya Angelou Library and Literacy Center are urgently seeking books but are not allowed to save these books from disposal. Even the Friends of the Library did not get to review many books available for donation.

FRAUD:  Numerous emails from the Library Director have falsely informed residents leading them to believe that only a small percentage of books/items have been deleted. However, as a result of the recently exposed documents, it is evident that the vast discrepancy between the alleged 2,200 and the actual 39,140 books/items deleted is drastic.

ABUSE:  Concerned volunteers who asked questions have been called disparaging names and librarians have been threatened that if they continue to speak out they “will be held accountable.”  Knowledgeable librarians whom are skilled in the procedure of weeding books, have been unceremoniously yanked out of the decision making process. Many books are being disposed of so rapidly that subject experts do not even get to review the merits of that list.

CONTACTS:   Pat Mullan, Retired Head of BPL Art and Music:
Andrea Segal, Former Reference Librarian:
Diane Davenport, Former BPL Head of Reference:
Roya Arasteh, Former BPL Staff:
Kriss Worthington, Berkeley City Council

The final PRC meeting before summer recess. (The next meeting will be September 9) Note that the meeting will be a long one, starting at 6pm rather than 7pm and concluding at 10pm. The reason for the extended length is that we are at the city council’s deadline for a report-back on the investigation of the police response to the BlackLivesMatter protest of December 6. Even if we have to ask the council for a time extension, it is important that we make every effort to complete the investigation as quickly as possible, so it remains a timely report.

Here is the link to the full PRC packet:

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Police_Review_Commission/Commissions/PRC%20Pkt%208-12-15..pdf.

The packet contains background information on the city’s ban on using helicopters in most situations.  It also contains the police chief’s statement on the department’s response to the July 27 laundromat robbery, including the Alameda PD’s use of an armored car and a dog from the OPD.  A letter from Andrea Pritchett of CopWatch on this subject is also included.

Current status:

– The Findings are almost complete and are relatively strong as a critique of the BPD’s actions. There will be compromise language in there but it is a good beginning to the conversation.  The final discussion on the Findings this Wednesday may be brief, though there is still time for public comment.

– The Recommendatioons, by contrast, are contested on almost every point.  We have deferred critical decisions about many aspects, including the BPD’s desire for helicopters, less-lethal weapons in crowd situations, how to handle baton abuse, and the contentious debate over who controls mutual aid agencies’ activities and equipment, plus any overall recommendations about accountability and discipline.

Public comment in the PRC meetings has been very effective in strengthening the report.  There will reportedly be significant participation this Wednesday by students of color from UC Berkeley.  Please join them!  Your input on any of the topics mentioned above, or others related to the right to protest or racialized policing, are welcome and appreciated.

Do you know who picks your strawberries, cucumbers and pumpkins? Have you heard of the Driscoll’s produce company? Did you know that workers just hours south of the Bay Area are getting paid starvation wages? Did you hear that these workers waged a historic strike demanding dignity earlier this year?

Join us at a forum to hear a reportback on the struggle of agricultural workers in the San Quintin Valley of Baja CA, Mexico. A delegation of Bay Area activists along with a local San Quintin organizer (via Skype or in person, depending on their travel schedule) will present information on the historic strike that happened earlier this spring and how you can connect with and learn from the ongoing organizing of farm workers just across the border.

Sponsored by Advance the Struggle

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you that one of our longtime Ella Baker Center Books Not Bars family members, Sheri Costa, lost her nephew while he was inside Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail.

On July 15th, Mario Michael Martinez suffered from an asthma attack in his cell while calling for the emergency medical support that would have saved his life.

Tomorrow night, Sheri Costa and the Martinez family will hold a press conference and candlelight vigil to honor Mario, his loved ones, and those who have been victims of carceral violence.

Stand with us as we fight for #JusticeforMario, and for those who are incarcerated to have their immediate medical and safety needs met.

As we mourn Mario, we are thinking about how his death was caused by the same pattern of neglect and racism that allowed Sandra Bland, Rexdale Henry, and countless others to be taken away from us while behind bars.

We at the Ella Baker Center know that the only way to end this violence in our communities is to move resources away from law enforcement and towards communities, to build greater self-determination.

From Waller County, Texas to Alameda County, it is clear that our criminal justice system targets the most vulnerable members of our society: women, trans and queer people, people of color, people with disabilities, the poor, and the homeless.

Without overwhelming pressure from our communities, this pattern will continue. Together we will demand Alameda County make real and lasting investments in the health and sustainability of our city!

May we continue to honor how Mario touched our lives and continue our work in his spirit.

#BlackPoetsSpeakOut: Oakland

Black poets across the country have shared video responses in solidarity with those who refuse to accept the nation’s continuous murders of black people as a normal condition of black life. Black Poets Speak Out organized by Mahogany L. Browne, Amanda Johnston, Jonterri Gadson, Jericho Brown & Sherina Rodriguez has being using literary arts and technology to transform policy. Lead organizer: Mahogany L. Browne will present a community reading at Oakland’s City Hall for an intergenerational poetic protest. This community platform will engage leaders, activists and artists in a creative and healing discussion.

Visit www.blackpoetsspeakout.org for more information and for the full list of videos.

A Black man was killed by OPD on MLK Blvd and 27th in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 12th. We are gathering this Friday to mourn and rage.

This is a fourth Black man killed by OPD since June. This is also third vigil within the last 7 days. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

IndyBay listing source

🔥🔥🔥🔥 This Friday! Changing it up! We will be holding the Open mic🌟& Sistar Cypher ✨ at Alan Blueford center4justice pic.twitter.com/SaBxD5SPZ4

— WomynsCC (@womynscc) August 14, 2015

THE BERKELEY PROTEST FESTIVAL

(a benefit for the Social Justice Committee of the Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists)

Some of the performers:

MC #2: Mrs. T-Bill Banks (12:55-4 pm)
#31 Country Joe McDonald
#32 Randy Berge
#39 Occupella
MC #4: Chris Chandler (8 pm to the end)
#45 Harbinger (my grandson Isaiah’s group)
#48 Hali Hammer

More info.

Thanks to everyone who came last weekend to help fix up Omni Commons. We’re throwing another work party this Saturday August 15, 12-6pm. There is plenty more to do. All skill levels welcome. If you can, RSVP to volunteers@omnicommons.org. Otherwise, just show up.

The Oakland Livable Wage Assembly  will screen the American classic Norma Rae, provide food, and have a discussion about the movie and its relevance to today.

Come one, come all.

Facebook event & RSVP

If you can’t get into the building call or text (415) x 623-6473 and we’ll send someone down.

SEIU Local 1000
436 14th Street, 2nd Floor

***
The Oakland Livable Wage Assembly builds Community and Power among those who seek higher wages and better work life conditions for area workers.

Our work together encompasses:
1. The concerns of precarious, contingent and care workers
2. Concurrent campaigns to improve wages for low-wage workers
3. Efforts by unionized workers and unions to improve wages and quality of work life. We share stories and information in an egalitarian and participatory way to build relationships and build the movement

Oakland Livable Wage Assembly meets every
2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8pm

Please join us every 2nd & 4th Tuesday 6:30 – 8pm to collaborate in principled reflection on what Bay Area Livable Wage should be and where we are at in terms of Livable Wage rights.

Please Love and Support one another ~
We have a duty to fight ~ We have a duty to win!

To join the OLWA mailing list please send an email to:

oaklandlivablewagediscussion-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

Download, print and distribute the quarter-sized flyer for this event at the bottom of the post.

Download & distribute the flyer!

Fundraiser for #NateWilks (#JoeBart) today @ 3:00 PM on Gilman Playground across from old 49er stadium on Gilman ave https://t.co/OX2MSJqcCq

— APTP First Response (@aptpresponse) August 15, 2015

The Struggle Of Japanese Railway Workers Against Privatization/Union Busting/Nuclear Power And The Threat Of Imperialist War In Asia

Report By Doro-Chiba International Support Committee

The Japanese Abe government is working to crush all political opposition. It is reopening NUKE plants such as the Sendai nuclear plant, passing secrecy laws and also is attacking labor and all working people with economic attacks and increased repression. Doro-Chiba is a militant railway union based in Chiba,, Japan that has been fighting privatization of Japan rail for decades, opposing nuclear power and also linking up with Korean workers including the Korean Railway Workers Union who had a national strike against privatization of the Korea Rail.
The US government and US politicians both Democrat and Republicans are pushing for militarization of Japan and the elimination of clause 9 which prohibits offensive wars. Despite mass opposition of the people of Japan the government continues to push ahead with reaming, selling weapons to other countries and towards war with China and other countries of Asia. The revision of Japanese textbooks to censor the role of the sex slaves by the Japanese government and military during the 2nd WW is part and parcel of encouraging nationalism and a racist campaign against the people of other countries in Asia.
This delegate of the Doro-Chiba International Support Committee will report on the struggle of the railway workers, the fight against nuclear power and against a new imperialist war in Asia.
The need for US railway and transportation workers as well as all working people to oppose the opening of Japan’s 48 nuclear plants, the continued attacks on Japanese workers and war in Asia is critical. The working people have the power to halt these growing threats.

Sponsored by
Transport Workers Solidarity Committee TWSC
http://www.transportworkers.org
United Public Workers For Action
http://www.upwa.info
For more information call

Come join us for our second Classroom Under the Clouds workshop! Using plants from the Gill Tract Community Farm’s medicinal herb garden, herbalist and horticultural botanist Richard Koenig will lead a workshop introducing us to medicinal plants and their uses in healing. Richard will also review problems associated with commercial medicinal plant material and discuss the use of pharmaceuticals versus plant medicines.

All participants are invited to bring and share their own knowledge and experiences, and to engage in dialogue about these fabulous, friendly plants! As always, Classroom Under the Clouds workshops are free and open to the public. Please invite your friends, family, and community to join us at this event.

If you are unable to make it to this event, or you feel inspired to lead a workshop in the future, please use the link below to access our workshop sign-up sheet. This workshop series is created by the community and for the community to address our collective needs and utilize our shared knowledge and wisdom. The farm is your community space, and we encourage you to take cooperative ownership of the farm and the resources there.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SIKEnlRZaIwXUYnIH2u44N59yQcYUBpQBxG7tSsNfh4/edit#gid=0
POSTS

On August 16th, 2012, 34 striking miners at Marikana were gunned down by South African security forces in the Marikana Massacre. It was the single most lethal use of force by the South African government since the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960.

In August 2012, mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days into the strike, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. Using the POV of the Marikana miners, Miners Shot Down follows the strike from day one, showing the courageous but isolated fight waged by a group of low paid workers against the combined forces of the mining company, Lonmin, the ANC government and their allies in the National Union of Mineworkers. What emerges is collusion at the top, spiraling violence and the country’s first post-colonial massacre. South Africa will never be the same again.

This documentary contains uncensored footage of the violence used against the miners. 
(Trailer here)

Please join us for a commemoration for the miners who were murdered at Marikana, and an analysis for what it means for working class struggle in South Africa.

Film showing: Miners Shot Down, by Rehad Desai

Panel Discussion:
The Marikana Commission Report – Richard Chen
The Working Class Upsurge Following Marikana – Gerald Smith

Followed by floor discussion and reports from Bay Area workers struggles