Calendar
The public safety system has enormous consequences on the quality of life for Oakland residents, but have you ever wondered why the public safety system works as it does, and who really is in charge? At this month’s Virtual Assembly, we’ll be learning about how the Oakland public safety system works, making sense of the different players, from the Oakland Police Department, the District Attorney, City Council, and more. We’ll break down who they are, their responsibilities, duties, and powers, to understand what they legally can, and cannot, do. Join us: https://volunteer.care4communityaction.org/monthly_assembly_20230906
Prominent Agenda Items:
4. Surveillance Technology Ordinance – DOT – Mobile Parking Payment System
a. Review and take possible action on the proposed use policy
5. Surveillance Technology Ordinance – OPD – Fixed Wing Aircraft (with surveillance technology)
a. Review and take possible action on a proposed use policy
https://bit.ly/LaborOnTheMove
to receive your personal link to participate in this event online
Following the Covid disruptions, we are seeing a new militancy among U.S. workers, with an uptick of labor organizing and activity that has not been seen in decades. President Biden was able to stop railway workers from striking last December. Now union members are choosing more progressive leadership. How can they assert themselves independently and throw off the stranglehold by the Democratic Party?
Luna Osleger – UAW* member, academic researcher at UC Santa Cruz and the shop steward at her workplace
Speaker: Sara Flounders
President Obama famously announced the US foreign policy pivot to Asia: “To preserve US hegemony, we have to make sure that America writes the rules of the global economy or China will.” The US ruling class has pushed this topic of China to the top of our agenda.
US imperialism’s hostility to China is increasing with military threats, new rounds of sanctions, and increasingly wild fabrications. The media have been saturated with allegations of human rights abuses, forced labor, religious persecution and “genocide.” Addressing these topics from an anti-imperialist perspective will be Sara Flounders. She will comment on the recent BRICS summit, flashpoints Xinjiang and Taiwan, and the formation of an Asian NATO.
The big question for those on the side of socialist revolution is what is the class character of People’s China? Sara will discuss China’s road to building socialism and what it means to have a socialist state with “Chinese characteristics.” What is the critical role of mass mobilizations in the long struggle for communist ideals and the ideological commitment to egalitarian ideals? How does China’s international geopolitical role compare to that of the former Soviet Union?
Our speaker, Sara Flounders, recently visited China for the second time on a fact-finding tour. She is a longstanding political activist and author based in New York City. She is a contributing editor of Workers World Newspaper and a leader of the United National Antiwar Coalition, the International Action Center, and the SanctionsKill Campaign. She is the co-author and editor of numerous books, including Capitalism on a Ventilator: The Impact of COVID-19 in China and the US and the recently released SANCTIONS � A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy.
Recently posted articles by Sara Flounders include:
BRICS for Cooperation, Camp David for Insecurity https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202308/1297122.shtml
Eyewitness Xinjiang https://www.workers.org/2023/06/71723/
Camp David summit outlines military alliance against China https://www.workers.org/2023/08/73064/
Japan rearms under Washington’s pressure https://www.workers.org/2022/12/68400/
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Join us Sunday September 10! Stop by or hang out the whole time.
Know Your Rights training 12-2pm.
Share a meal in community 2-4pm!
You are invited Sunday Sept 10!
Delicious lunch grilled and prepped by your copwatch community. A training hosted by copwatch, for first-timers and those wanting a refresher course on their rights.
All are welcome.
Let’s talk about what’s going on in Berkeley, and beyond. We’ve got updates to share, and we wanna hear what you’re seeing and what you’re working on!
RSVP!
(RSVP so we can make sure there’s enough grub to go around!)
NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 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 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! 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
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(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
This forum will reflect on the massive wave of current labor organizing, ranging from campaigns in major logistics (UPS) to industry (auto) to retail service (Trader Joe’s and Starbucks) to education (the University of California system, the Oakland Education Association, and United Teachers Los Angeles).
It will be lead by Barry Eidlin, activist and scholar at McGill University, who is renowned for advocacy for, and analysis of, the “rank and file” strategy for building power from the base.
Barry Eidlin is Associate Professor of Sociology at McGill University. He is a comparative historical sociologist interested in the study of class, politics, inequality, and social change and is the author of Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada (2018). He has published dozens of articles, including in Jacobin, Washington Post, and Labor Notes.
Eidlin’s research has examined diverging trajectories of working class power in the United States and Canada over the course of the twentieth century, changing party-class relations in the United States and Canada, intra-class conflict and organizational transformation in the Teamsters Union, and the effect of Walmart on retail sector wages, among other things. His major current project revisits the question of “why no workplace democracy in America?” He is also working on a series of other projects broadly aimed at re-theorizing contemporary notions of class identity, ideology, and politics.Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows at 7:00 pm, after a 30-minute break. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.
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OTU’s Mission
The Oakland Tenants Union is an organization of housing activists dedicated to protecting tenant rights and interests. OTU does this by working directly with tenants in their struggle with landlords, impacting legislation and public policy about housing, community education, and working with other organizations committed to furthering renters’ rights. The Oakland Tenants Union is open to anyone who shares our core values and who believes that tenants themselves have the primary responsibility to work on their own behalf.
Monthly Meetings
The Oakland Tenants Union meets regularly at 7:00 pm on the second Monday evening of each month. Our monthly meetings are held in the Community Room of the Madison Park Apartments, 100 – 9th Street (at Oak Street, across from the Lake Merritt BART Station). To enter, gently knock on the window of the room to the right of the main entrance to the building. At the meetings, first we focus on general issues affecting renters city-wide and then second we offer advice to renters regarding their individual concerns.
If you have an issue, a question, or need advice about a tenant/landlord issue, please call us at (510) 704-5276. Leave a message with your name and phone number and someone will get back to you.
Today the Berkeley Property Owners Association is hosting a "party" at Freehouse Pub to "celebrate" the end of the eviction moratorium. We’ll be hosting an alternative celebration of tenant power on the sidewalk out front with picket signs, banners, chants, and pizza. Turn up!! pic.twitter.com/lqG4hjuJxw
— Tenant And Neighborhood Councils (@TANC_Bay) September 12, 2023
The Guaranteed Income Works national tour is coming to Oakland on Tuesday, September 12th, with a screening of the new film, It’s Basic. Featured in the Tribeca Film Festival, It’s Basic follows recipients of guaranteed income – monthly cash payments with no strings attached – as they experience the transformative effects of financial stabillity on their lives and families.
After the film, Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf will participate in a roundtable discussion with Michael D. Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, and Alisha Roe, a recipient of Oakland’s guaranteed income program, Oakland Resilient Families.
Reserve your seat now for a thought-provoking conversation on the power of cash to end poverty.
Guaranteed Income Works: Oakland
When: Sept. 12
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: 555 Santa Clara St., Vallejo
Why: City Council Meeting to Demand:1.) Release badge bending report
2.) Pursue firing of Tonn
3.) Hire reform Police Chief
4.) Hire reform City Manager
5.) Plan for non-discriminatory & lawful recruiting.— Melissa Nold, Esq. (@savage_esquire) September 11, 2023
Online via Zoom (Register: https://forms.gle/3ndS1aHkPnudEXSHA)
Join our community to discuss the impact of Shotspotter, an audio surveillance system used to detect gunshots, which was installed in Pasadena in 2022. We will also hear experiences and lessons learned about Shotspotter from other cities across the nation.
Speakers:
Mohammad Tajsar, ACLU, Pasadena
Ed Vogel, Lucy Parsons Labs, Chicago
Tracy Rosenberg, Oakland Privacy, Oakland
Aje “Je” Amaechi, Freedom to Thrive, Portland
Moderated by Florence Annang, POP Pasadena
New Copwatcher Orientation
Wanna get involved in Berkeley Copwatch? Sign up for an orientation this month. Learn about how we do the work and find where you can plug in!
Wed. September 13, 7:00-8:00pm
Wed. September 21, 7:00-8:00pm
There will be more new copwatcher orientations in the future, please email us if you can’t make the sessions above:
berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com
Do you want to get involved in Berkeley Copwatch?
Learn more or contact us directly at berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com
Donate
Save the date for the next virtual summit from the Bay Area Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force: Climate and Indigenous Leadership. This is the next in the series on Climate, Social Justice, and the Rights of Nature.
Save the date. Watch for program details
Register here
End Fossil Fuels!
Protest the climate emergency by joining us for a climate action rally with speakers, music, and dance at Lytton Plaza in Palo Alto on Friday, September 15 at 4PM.
This event is part of a worldwide weekend of climate action ahead of the UN Climate Summit 2023.
More info: https://www.instagram.com/fridaysforfuture_paloalto/
FROM FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE WEBSITE: SEPT 15th GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE
https://fridaysforfuture.org/september15/
We must end the Era of Fossil Fuels. Scientists have warned us of the dire consequences of fossil fuel dependency for many years, and affected communities have testified to their disastrous impacts. Yet they have been brushed aside. Our wealthiest nations’ leaders have failed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the most privileged 1% continue to live in excess while the most vulnerable remain on the frontlines of a crisis they did not create. Already marginalized and disadvantaged communities face the worst impacts while their resilience is stretched.
The Global Climate Strike is part of the truly global effort to End The Era of Fossil Fuels. This is a call to action from Indigenous and First Nations, youth activists, civil society organisations, social movements, feminist and migrant rights groups, trade unions, faith institutions, academic centres, health institutions, people of all genders and backgrounds, everywhere.
The fossil fuel industry is content with sacrificing life on earth to rake in an annual profit. It is past time for world leaders to take a clear stand and address the climate crisis. We are organizing to put people over profit and demand action for communities everywhere.
WE DEMAND:
–An end to Fossil Finance, divesting from new and current fossil fuel projects.
–A rapid, just, and equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, ensuring that the burdens and benefits are re-distributed fairly among different stakeholders, with particular attention to historically marginalized and vulnerable communities.
–Massive investments in community owned renewable energy projects.
–Reparations for the harms caused to communities affected by the climate crisis and its structural causes, as well as enforcement of the Loss and Damage Fund, with special emphasis of historical polluters paying into the Fun
The Sept. 15th Global Climate Strike (https://fridaysforfuture.org/september15/) is part of the worldwide weekend of climate action to protest the climate emergency ahead of the UN Climate Summit 2023, with the main March to End Fossil Fuels NYC and more global protest actions happening on Sept 17th: https://www.endfossilfuels.us/
Through the eyes of children, their families, and the helping industry that has developed from the housing crisis, A Rising Tide follows the strategies of families and service providers struggling with homelessness.
The film results from a conversation between the filmmaker and Dr. Christine Ma. Dr. Ma is the Medical Director of two clinics working with houseless children and their families.
Presented by The Oakland Greens
So weed is legal all over, proving again that profit wins over conservative morality. Are small independent growers, manufacturers, and dispensaries receiving a level playing field?
The Green Party has long been an advocate for ending the war on drugs. We also support and encourage from our candidates an economic equalization position when it comes to the economics of cannabis.
For September we deep dive into what solutions are out there to balance the playing fields with new systems to promote an economic lift up to the communities that have suffered most when pot was illegal. Join us Saturday September 16 with the regular cast thru Alice’s looking glass into this important issue.
Please register today (Friday), at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/corporate-cannabis-the-economic-divide-presented-by-the-oakland-greens-tickets-559097845707?aff=ebdssbdestsearch