Join Oakland Privacy to organize against the surveillance state,  against Urban Shield, and to advocate for privacy and surveillance regulation ordinances to be passed around the Bay Area, including the Alameda and San Francisco County Boards of Supervisors, the BART Board of Directors, and by the Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and Davis City Councils.

We are also engaged in the fight against Predictive Policing and other “pre-crime” and “thought-crime” abominations, drones, improper use of police body cameras, ALPRs, requirements for “backdoors” to your cellphone and against other invasions of privacy by our benighted City, County, State and Federal Governments.

Oakland Privacy (nee Oakland Privacy Working Group) originally came together in 2013 to fight against the Domain Awareness Center (DAC), Oakland’s citywide networked mass surveillance hub. OPWG was instrumental in stopping the DAC from becoming a city-wide spying network; its members helped draft the Privacy Policy that puts further restrictions on the now Port-restricted DAC, and made Oakland’s new Privacy Advisory Commission to the City Council happen.  We were also the lead in having Alameda County pass the most comprehensive privacy and usage policy in the country for deployment of “Stingray” technology (cell phone interceptors).  Oakland and Fremont have followed suit. In conjunction with other groups we fight against Urban Shield and other killer-cop trainings.

We have presented our work at RightsCon in San Francisco and at Left Forum and HOPE in New York City.

If you would like to attend our meeting and would like a quick introduction to what we’re doing before we dive right into the thick of our agenda, send email to  contact@oaklandprivacy.org and one of us will arange to meet you before the meeting.

Stop by and learn how you can help guard our right not to be spied on by the government. Look on the whiteboard inside near the entrance to the OMNI for our exact location within the OMNI.

If you are interested in joining the Oakland Privacy Working Group email listserv, send an email to:

oaklandprivacyworkinggroup-subscribe AT lists.riseup.net

or send a request to contact@oaklandprivacy.org

Check out our website.

For more information on the DAC check out

• DAC FAQ
• Oakland Wiki Domain Awareness Page
• Oakland Privacy WordPress

Volunteer with us!

The Prisoners Literature Project is based in Berkeley, California, and we’re always looking for volunteers to help answer letters, send out books, learn more about the prison system, and assist in other ways.

We currently meet on Sundays from 2-5pm and on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30pm at the Grassroots House.  This is located at 2022 Blake St. (at Milvia), Berkeley, CA 94704.  (Map – there’s plenty of local parking, and the office is walkable in 11-15 minutes from downtown Berkeley BART or Ashby BART  – also, AC Transit bus #18 stops nearby.)

(Please note that we can’t accept prisoner book requests at this address.  Book requests from U.S. prisoners must be mailed to PLP; c/o Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117.)

We welcome helpers of any age and experience at our volunteer sessions (here’s what they look like!), and are also very happy to host students looking for community service.  You should read a lot, have neat legible handwriting, and be able to follow the rules to get books into prisons. We don’t make the rules, but we do have to follow them!

Bringing more than four people? Please contact us first so we can better accommodate your group. (BTW, we maintain ‘call for volunteer’ listings on VolunteerMatch.org, on Idealist.org, and on AllForGood.org, so you might have seen us there!)

A Panel of Health Professionals will answer all your questions on the Healthy California Act [SB562] Free event.

Sponsored by the City of Alameda Democratic Club, which has endorsed the bill.

Looking for more ways to plug in after Decarcerate Alameda County’s Town Hall?

Come join us on June 15th to talk about our next steps to getting care not cages for our community. We’ll talk about why we’re fighting the jail expansion in Alameda County, and how you can plug in.

We will also be preparing for the joint public safety/public health meeting on Monday, July 24th at 9:30am. Here the committees will be discussing the state of mental health in Alameda County- this appears to be a tepid replacement for the public forum we have been demanding for months. We need to show up and let them know that we will be heard!

Building is wheelchair/ADA friendly.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Richmond Leaders to Host Town Hall,
Rally to Save Historic Downtown Richmond Post Office

Richmond, CA — Following a public hearing convened by the United States Postal Service on May 31, Richmond leaders have announced a community-wide Town Hall meeting.

The town hall meeting is being hosted by the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council and co-organized by the Office of Mayor Tom Butt, the Office of Congressman DeSaulnier, and Richmond Main Street Initiative.

“The community really spoke loud and clear at the public hearing. They were very concerned about the USPS proposal to relocate the Richmond Main Post Office and the lack of information about the whole process, especially the public comment portion,” says Alicia Gallo, Outreach Coordinator, Richmond Main Street Initiative.

In January a notice announcing that the historic Richmond Main Post Office had been “determined to be in excess by the Postal Service and is no longer necessary for Postal operations” was posted. The notice advised the public to submit written comments no later than February 8. Upon receiving inquiries from local leaders and elected officials, the USPS reverse course citing an error in procedure.

In mid-May, a second notice and two-page letter to Richmond Mayor Tom Butt was posted at the office. This notice announced a proposal to relocate retail post office operations from the Richmond Main Post Office (1025 Nevin Avenue) to the McVittie DDU facility (2100 Chanslor Avenue), as well as details regarding a public hearing and a public comment period.

More than fifty community members attended the public hearing, with roughly half offering comments to Dean Cameron and Augustin Ruiz of the USPS. Attendees included Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, representatives from John Gioia and Mayor Tom Butt’s office, Councilmember Eduardo Martinez, Richmond Main Street Initiative, Downtown businesses, residents, and retired postal workers. Also in attendance were organizers from Save the Berkeley Post Office.

All speakers passionately spoke out against the proposed relocation, citing that the relocation proposal would create severe hardships for residents and businesses. Many expressed concerns about the environmental and human impact of relocating services to the McVittie site, which is not accessible by public transportation, is located in a residential area, and sits at the intersection of two dead-end streets.

In addition to praising the Richmond Main Post Office for its central location, longtime residents also spoke about the local landmark for its historic and cultural value. Built in 1938 as a New Deal project, the building is a rare example of a one that has retained both its original form and function.

Amanda Elliott, Executive Director of Richmond Main Street Initiative, spoke about new development projects planned for the Downtown district. In the next five years, new infill projects will bring nearly 1000 new housing units and 60,000+ square feet of retail, all located just blocks from the current main post office.

Community members also questioned the decision making process used by the USPS to arrive at the relocation proposal. Data supporting the USPS assertion that the Downtown post office is not economically viable was not presented. Also not provided were reasons for deciding against relocating or consolidating services of other post offices in the area, including the McVittie facility, or exploring creative revenue generating ventures.

All community members are invited to attend this town hall to learn more about the USPS proposal and how to submit public comments. Organizers will have instructions and sample letters available. Those who are not able to attend the town hall meeting are encouraged to visit www.RichmondMainStreet.org/Save-Richmond-Main-Post-Office to learn more, read letters of support from local leaders and others, and to access the online petition.

About
Richmond Main Street Initiative is a community based non-profit dedicated to revitalizing historic Downtown Richmond. RMSI partners with the City of Richmond, merchants, and residents to develop and improve downtown Richmond as a pedestrian-friendly urban village that offers products, services, arts and entertainment that reflect the community’s rich and diverse heritage. www.richmondmainstreet.org and www.facebook.com/richmondmainstreet.


Letters of Support:
Mayor Tom Butt, Congressman DeSaulnier, Supervisor John Gioia, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Richmond Main Street Initiative

Stay Connected

       
www.richmondmainstreet.org

Richmond Main Street Initiative
Revitalizing Historic Downtown Richmond
1015 Nevin Avenue, Suite 105

Richmond, CA 94801
(additional entrance at 402 Harbour Way)

A History of California Prisons

Every month, we invite members, non-members, activists, organizers, lawyers and legal workers to join us for the NLGSF “Join the Conversation” Membership Meeting

Each month will feature a political discussion. This month we will hold a discussion onBodies and Bondage A History of California’s Prisons with Jared Rudolph of the Prison Advocacy Network. Jared Rudolph is a criminal defense attorney and the founder of Prisoner Reentry Network,a nonprofit that supports successful transitions from incarceration to the community. California’s prison system started as a privately-run barge anchored in the Bay, and was embroiled in corruption, political scandal, and violence. Since then, our system has grown to incarcerate more people than the population of Berkeley. Prisons represent the power of the state in its most raw and basic form, and 165 years later Californians are still confronting the same fundamental questions: Why do we incarcerate people, what happens when they leave, and can we do better?

Refreshments Provided

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR!!!

Click HERE for the job description.

Applications due June 15th!

Though we didn’t make our fundraising goal by our intended deadline … we have decided to extend our campaign.

We must extend our campaign because it is solelythrough the generosity of our members that we are able to sustain ourselves. This means we are not accountable to corporations or foundations.

We are accountable to the people. We are accountable to you.

If you didn’t donate, stop what you are doing and donate today.

If you did donate, forward this request with a personal note to all of your contacts and ask them to donate today.

The work demand is high. Our coffers are low. Resistance requires resources. If we don’t support our movements – who will?

Donate a little or a lot. But DONATE TODAY!!

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability.

Want to get involved with SURJ Bay Area? Come learn about our current work and activities. You’ll also hear about SURJ’s new pathways for entering the work, including study and action groups as well as committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We’ll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice.

—
Address info:
The Sierra Club is located at 2101 Webster Street between 21st and 22nd Street in Oakland. The Sierra Club Offices are on the 13th floor. There is a bank of elevators that go to the 12th floor and above.

Getting Into the Lobby:
The doors for the Sierra Club building lock right at 7pm, so please do your best to arrive prior to 7pm. We will have someone stationed at the Webster entrance to the building until 7:15 for late arrivals. If you arrive after 7pm, please use the Webster entrance.

Accessibility:
Building Accessibility: There are two entrances to Sierra Club Office building on Webster and 21st both of which are accessible for mobility devices. The building has an elevator, and the kitchen space, conference room, and restrooms can also all accommodate mobility devices.

Scents: The Sierra Club’s space endeavors to offer a scent free environment; however as the Club is currently transitioning towards the use of only scent free products, we cannot guarantee an entirely scent free space. We ask everyone to please arrive at meetings fragrance free to support access for folks who experience multiple chemical sensitivities and allergies. This means using only body products and laundry detergent that say “fragrance free” or “unscented” on the label and do not have scented ingredients.

Restrooms: Restrooms are currently labeled in a gender-binary way. The Sierra Club is working on changing this and has an office policy that all restrooms are available to anyone, regardless of lived or perceived gender identity. We ask that folks choose the restroom that is right for them, and that no one question a person’s chosen restroom.

Come by our open Delegates Meetings every First and Third Thursday of the month at 7pm! We’ll give space to brief announcements, updates from working groups, proposals up for consensus, and discussion around important issues. The schedule is created weekly at the following url: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom

Nat Bates For Mayor tells the story of the outrageous 2014 mayor’s race in Richmond, home to the second largest refinery in California. In a brazen move, Chevron spent more than $3 million to back 83-year-old African American stalwart Nat Bates.

Bates makes a Faustian bargain with the city’s corporate behemoth in a cagey attempt to preserve the long-standing but waning power of Richmond’s African-American working class community, whose rich history dates back to the formation of the Kaiser shipyards during World War Two. It’s black against white. It’s pro-development forces against eco-friendly Progressives. It’s David versus Goliath. Is Nat Bates the savior or stooge? The movie is a wacky ride with some of the most entertaining and offbeat political characters you’ll ever meet.

The guerilla-style documentary (with extraordinary access) follows the candidates on the campaign trail, in revealing personal moments, and during the city’s audacious Jerry Springer-like city council meetings, as they lock in a battle for the mayor’s seat and the future of the Bay Area’s overlooked oil town.There are cameos by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and legendary civil rights leader Andrew Young. The documentary is a potent mix of corporate influence, race, gentrification, homophobia, political self-determination, and humor–all told through the lives of bigger-than-life small-town characters.

Co-presented with KQED’s Truly California.

Join Alameda for Black Lives and community and faith leaders as we honor the two-year anniversary of the white supremacist terror attack that claimed the lives of nine people as they attended a church service in Charleston, SC. We will meet at the southwest corner of Webster Street and Atlantic Avenue. Speakers will include Rab’ia Keeble of Qual’bu Maryam Women’s Mosque and Robbie Wilson of Alameda Black Achievers Alliance. State Rep. Barbara Lee has been invited to speak also. All are welcome to this free event. Please share widely.

Peace in the Park is reaching out to your community to come out and experience peace in YOUR park. Enjoy a fun, relaxing, mindful day with us free of stress and cost. Children and youth are strongly encouraged to attend. Lets get to know each other!

11-12 pm Arts & Crafts, Games
12-12:20 pm Meditative Movement w/ Dr. Marcus Penn
12:20-12:35pm Pancho Ramos, Peace Activist and founder of Casa de Paz
12:35-12:50 Pause for World Peace Meditation
12:50-1:10 pm Mai’saan hip-hop of Youth Speaks
1:10-1:40 pm Lunch
1:40-2 pm Nature Walk

DJ Brandon

To find us in the park, look for couple Peace in the Park flags. Check the pics posted for landmark on where to park closest to us.
Hosted by Peace in the Park Festival https://www.peaceintheparksf.org/

Bring family and friends and come enjoy some BBQ and talk about the future of your neighborhood (District 2). We are a group of Oaklanders who have come together around the causes we all believe in, including: Jobs, Displacement, Homelessness, Education, Public Safety, Healthcare, Immigration

Join state legislators @TonyThurmond @RobBonta @NancySkinnerCA for a Town Hall this Saturday on CA's recent leadership on important issues! pic.twitter.com/TvuqqdZa1A

— Keith Carson (@Keith_Carson) June 13, 2017

You are invited!
Richmond Progressive Alliance Membership Meeting

As always, members can join or renew at the meeting, and all RPA supporters are welcomed, too.

Volunteers Needed Before the Meeting! Consider joining us from 11 am – 2 pm to help distribute the latest issue of The Richmond Sun.

We’ll feed volunteers a late lunch before the meeting starts.  Click here to sign up for a volunteer shift.

Occupella will have our monthly BART sing for Black Lives Matter/Protect the Vulnerable from 5:15-6:15 at the San Leandro BART station. We’re at the Tax the Rich Rally on Solano every Monday from 5-6. Songbooks provided at all events. For a full calendar, visit www.occupella.org.

Annie Danger, Mike Esmailzadeh, and Heather will lead a two-hour workshop on the basics of intervening in public as a bystander. They will cover the basics of stance, assertiveness, and situational awareness as well as go into depth about different potential scenarios, legality of bystander intervention, physical and social skills and tactics for successful intervention, de-escalation, police involvement, knowing your place, and aftercare.

This workshop cannot cover all possibilities of intervention, but will provide a baseline for reducing harm and acting in effective solidarity with people being harassed or assaulted.

If you have any physical disabilities or differences in ability organizers should know about, please email basebuilding@surjbayarea.org.

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