Calendar

The Free Land Project Presents: A night of art and culture celebrating Indigenous resistance.

Corrina Gold, Wicahpiluta Candelaria, Iamani I. Ameni, Michelle Steinberg, GoodShield Aguilar, Mignon Geli, Rico Pabon, DJ Free Leonard and Bear Fox.

Hosted by Ariel Lucky.

Join CODEPINK, World Can’t Wait and others as we protest against President Barack Obama use of deadly drones! President Obama will be in San Francisco to attend a high-roller luncheon at the new SF Jazz Center in Hayes Valley.

Obama’s drone policy is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians in Pakistan and Yemen — countries we aren’t even at war with. Since Obama has taken office, deadly drone strikes have increased, causing more drone bases to pop up across the country and across the globe to engage in surveillance and targeted killing. Join us to say stop the killing! Bring your own signs, props, costumes etc.

We understand that others may have a long list of grievances against the President’s policies. We welcome other signs, groups and issues!

March to the SF Jazz Center at 11:30am where will have an outside presence against US/CIA drone strikes. Be flexible because we might have to move locations.

Facebook event & RSVP.

Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!

OccupyForum presents…

Revolutions

The word “revolution” is used a lot in Occupy, often with little or no context. Ethan Davidson and Ryan Smith hope to fill that gap. How do revolutions happen? What are the short- and long-term effects? How do they improve and how do they not improve the societies they happen in? Whether you advocate or oppose revolutions, these are questions worth considering.

Ryan Smith will talk about the American and Russian revolutions. Ethan Davidson will talk about the revolutions and post-revolutionary histories of France and Cuba.

Ethan Davidson has been an activist since 1977. He has traveled widely, including two months in Guatemala, three weeks in France, and one month in Cuba. Ryan Smith is a longtime Occupy activist and a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

 Donations to OccupyForum to cover our costs
are encouraged; no one turned away!

Facebook event, read more & RSVP.

Port of Oakland Truckers Association (POTA) members voted unanimously late Friday evening to stop work at the port on Wednesday, November 27. They’ve met with city, state and federal regulators, terminal managers, and Port of Oakland officials many times since their August 19 work stoppage, but have not made any gains on their demands. On November 13, truckers met with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Deputy Mayor Sandré Swanson, Port Executive Director Chris Lytle, as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) members, expecting to bring offers of an extension from CARB or funding from the City and Port, but were forced to return to their membership without any offers to present.

“The Mayor said she was going to help us, but during the meeting she seemed more interested in her phone than in what we were saying,” said POTA board member Jorge Esparza.

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We need folks with cars to volunteer to shuttle people from West Oakland BART from 4:30am to 5:30am. This job pays in coffee, perhaps donuts, but mostly satisfaction that you are lending needed material support to some really inspiring workers!

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Excellent article on the Port Truckers’ situation by Dave Firestein: “Tired of Carrying the Load.”

Now the time has come to fight back. This Wednesday, the truckers are taking the last action available to them. They are putting their bodies on the line and risking their livelihoods to get the attention of the Port the only way they can. If you can get to the port on Wednesday morning to help support their lines, that will be helpful. Whether or not you can make it to the pickets, please give what you can to the strike fund. Every dollar helps, but it’s gonna take a lot more dollars than what they have now in order to sustain a lengthy strike, should one happen.

Leafleting ALL DAY: 6 am – 7 pm
Mobilizations at 7 am, noon, and 5 pm

OAKLAND AIRPORT FOOD AND RETAIL WORKERS ARE STANDING UP FOR THEIR JOBS, THEIR RIGHTS AND THEIR FAMILIES! ON THE BUSIEST TRAVEL DAY OF THE YEAR, STAND WITH THEM!

RIDES AVAILABLE FROM ILWU Local 6, 99 Hegenberger, beginning 20 minutes before each mobilization. Call Sarah Norr at 510-502-5344 if you arrive and don’t see a shuttle.

Part of the ReFund Oakland Coalition’s Week of Action: A Hand Up for Workers, not Handouts for Corporations!

In the old days, workers were thankful to have a good union job in food service at the Oakland Airport. But now their employer, HMS Host, is going backwards in negotiations and proposing a contract would plunge many of the workers’ families into poverty. The proposal would slash vacation and sick days; eliminate pensions, paid meal breaks, and even overtime pay on shifts longer than eight hours; cut pay for new hires and freeze longtime workers’ wages for five years; and take away workers’ affordable health insurance plan.

“Host is going so far backwards in bargaining that now they say they want to charge me $899 a month for Kaiser for my family. I only make $12.64 an hour – if I pay that much for health care, how can I pay rent in the Bay Area?” said Monica Guzman, who’s been a retail clerk at the airport for 21 years.

On the day before Thanksgiving – the busiest travel day of the year – join the workers for a daylong action at the Oakland Airport. Mobilizations and picketing are at 7 am, 12 noon, and 5 pm – or come by and help leaflet any time. For questions or rides, contact Sarah Norr at snorr@unitehere.org or 510-502-5344.

(Last Thursday, the airport workers announced plans to go on strike sometime during this holiday season to protest Host’s Unfair Labor Practices. The strike date has not yet been announced.)

Airport workers are part of a growing national movement of low-wage workers standing up for their rights! This action is part of a Week of Action sponsored by the ReFund & ReBuild Oakland Community-Labor Coalition (ACCE, EBASE, the East Bay Organizing Committee, UNITE-HERE Local 2850, OUR WALMART, SEIU 1021, & SEIU ULTCW).

Also on Wednesday the 27th, join our friends at OURWalmart for a community action calling for reinstatement for fired strikers, respect at Walmart, a $25,000 a year salary and full-time hours. 9 am at 44009 Osgood Road, Fremont. Spend your whole day standing up for worker justice!

In solidarity,

UNITE HERE Local 2850
www.facebook.com/UniteHere2850
www.unitehere2850.org

UNITE HERE Local 2850, 1440 Broadway, Suite 208, Oakland, CA 94612, Tel. 510-893-3181, Fax 510-893-5362

Thursday, November 28th:

4pm – No Thanks Anti-colonial potluck feast. – The Beachfront/Entrance Aka The Cove

5 pm discussion on Post-Colonialism and Autonomy – The Cove

7pm – Buried Voices Film Screening. (Details struggles of Ohlone and Miwok peoples regarding sacred sites). – The Cove
Each day will conclude with a campout on the Bulb. Bring water, warm clothing, tents, and camping gear. Potlucks will take place on Friday – Sunday at 12pm and 4pm.

Provided gratis by Food Not Bombs, in cooperation with the Berkeley Post Office Defenders.  All are welcome!

Raise Awareness of Child, Forced and Prison Labor to Make Our ClothesÂ

Buy Nothing Day or Black Friday

X-Mess Caroling at the Christmas Tree (political/anti-sweatshop songs)
2:00 pm; 4:00 pm and 5:45 pm

(look for the sign OCCUPY X-MESS CAROLS)

Free Market 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Buy Nothing Day (BND) is an international day of protest against consumerism. Come for a Free Market, Caroling & Leafleting

People will be meeting at Union Square on the Macy’s side at 1 pm to go flyer stores around Union Square that use sweatshops.

X-Mess Caroling Info: Sandra 650 – 303 -1176

Follow on Twitter: #WalmartStrikers

Location is near the Bayfair BART Station.

Facebook Event & RSVP.

Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!

Occupy Forum presents… Participatory Budgeting: “Take Back Democracy – Occupy the Budget!”

Presentation and Q & A
with members of Community Democracy Project.

What would a city look like if the residents had a say in how the city’s budget was spent? How could this be implemented? What specific legal measures and institutional structures would be necessary to make this happen? How would this change a city and how we relate to each other?

Community Democracy Project is currently gathering signatures to amend Oakland’s City Charter in order to take back Oakland’sOne Billion dollar budget, put it into the hands of the community and out of the hands of the usual gatekeepers, politicians, and vested corporate interests. It’s a campaign to create real democracy through dialogue, community building, education, and most of all, by taking back ownership of our own tax dollars.

Core members of CDP will share insights, approaches, history and philosophy of participatory budgeting, and discuss this necessary transformation that can fundamentally transform our communities. CDP will explain why and how you should join this movement.

More information at communitydemocracyproject.org

“It’s not from lack of money that our cities are they way they are. It’s a lack of democracy.”

Donations to Occupy Forum to cover costs are encouraged; no one turned away!

Facebook Event & RSVP.

Jill Ravitch is the District Attorney for Sonoma County, where Andy Lopez was murdered by Deputy Gelhaus. Gelhaus has not yet been indicted for his crime.

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We will protest at a Campaign fundraiser for District Attorney Ravitch’s re-election. Here we will make our presence known!

We will not stand by while Ravitch refuses to do her job. She must uphold her sworn oath to uphold the law. She must do right by her community by fulfilling her sacred duty to protect and serve the citizens of Sonoma County. She must arrest Gelhaus immediately!

There will be another event, Light Up the Night for Andy Lopez, at 8:00 PM.

Facebook Event & RSVP.

This is a march scheduled to take place on the 3rd of December, starting at 8:00pm. We will rally at The old court house square, and march up Santa Rosa to the Sheriffs dept. (unless people within the group “action for andy lopez” would like to start at a different location. This is Your march. This is Andy’s march so all input is welcome.. This is intended to be a peaceful action, but also an action to let the city of Santa Rosa, as well as the Sonoma County Sheriff that we will not let up, and that we will be heard. December 3rd should be a historic day in Santa Rosa.

There is also an earlier event “No arrest=No Elect” taking place at 4:30pm. This is a protest that will be held at the location of the District Attorney’s fund raiser, which she is having to raise money for a re-election campaign. Most of us will be attending this action, and then follow it up with “light up the night for Andy Lopez.

There are several reasons we are calling for a march in the dark. 1) This will cause the same police who are killing us, to spend the same money they purchase weapons and bullets to kill us with, on observing our march. 2) The 2nd reason we are calling for a march in the dark is because we are living in DARK DARK times. We live in a world, where a thug with a piece of tin on his blue shirt, can murder a 13 year old boy in cold blood, yet suffer no consequence. Because of this darkness in which we will endure, we will march in the dark……

Deputy Gelhaus may think that he killed Andy Lopez…… but he did not. Andy lives on now and forever in all of us who have been touched by this tragedy. Andy’s light will not go out, and we will be his light,3) The fear factor of this gang called the police, needs to be removed from the youth EVERYWHERE . This will help build these kids up, just as all previous and future actions that they take part in will. on December the 3rd….. We suggest all participants where black. This is not only as a symbol of mourning, but also a show of unity. We will be one on this night. To Andy’s Friends, schoolmates, peers, etc…. Ride your bikes, skate boards, scooters, or walk. Just be there. If you have a flashlight bring it. Bring pots, pans, bullhorns, or anything else to make yourself heard. Together we will bring light to the darkness in the Name of Andy Lopez.

Please mark your calendar to join Communities for a Better Environment, the Sunflower Alliance, the Richmond Environmental Justice Coalition, Idle No More, 350BayArea, Occupy, and many others for a rally at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board Meeting. We will rally at 9:00 a.m. and then go inside for the Board meeting at 9:45 a.m.

What is at Stake?

The Board will receive a report, that we have requested, to address the linkages of all of the Bay Area proposed Crude by Rail/Refinery Projects. We believe staff will try and downplay the connections and deny the Oil Industry has a Master Plan for the Bay Area Refinery Corridor.

Staff has been caving into the Oil Industry on the Regional Green House Gas Emissions Rule. It is imperative we let the Board members know the community is deeply engaged in these issues.

We need to show support to our allies on the Board who want to see Bay Area Green House Gas Emissions reduced substantially.

How Can You Help?

Contact me, Andrés Soto (andres@cbecal.org, or at 510.282.5363) and let me know if you would like to help plan the rally. This should be a relatively simple affair.
Pass the word to your friends, family and allies who are concerned about Climate Change and have them join us and/or join in the planning. I will schedule a planning meeting as soon as I hear from a critical mass of folks. It would be great to have our signs and banners for this one as well as a solid media strategy.

A delegation of us from Richmond will arrive by BART. We will meet at Richmond BART at 8:00 a.m. to catch the train and get off at the Civic Center BART Station.

Hearing starting at 9am, rally at 1pm, lobby visits in the afternoon.

On December 4th, Sheriffs throughout the state will be begging the Board of State and Community Corrections for millions of dollars to build more cages for our children. Come to Sacramento and help us show that communities across the state are united: No New Jails!

Over 33 of California’s 58 counties have plans to build new jails. While some of them claim to be reformers, we know we won’t be able to pass sentencing reform or bring our loved ones home unless we stop building cages. These projects put our counties in fiscal jeopardy, and steal resources from the life-affirming programs and services that get people out of jail and keep them out.

What happens December 4th will determine whether counties build new jails or reduce their jail populations.

But, as usual, what they aren’t counting on is us. We’re going to pack the hearing room with as many activists as we can possibly mobilize.

RSVP.

LowPayIsNotOkay website (find an event).

Against all odds, Fast Food Workers are organizing. In one lunch hour, you could create a tipping point for their campaign.

A whopping 52% of fast-food employees’ families are forced to rely on public assistance to put food on the table or see a doctor. That means American taxpayers are putting about $7 billion a year into fast food corporate profits. Workers are taking an enormous risk — for all of us. They’re asking us to give just one lunch hour to show solidarity and help spread their movement to new cities. Search for a rally near you and sign up to attend or to help organize.

The Berkeley Community Heeds the Call for a Grand Alliance to Defend America’s Right to a Vibrant Public Postal Service!

John Postal Workers, Berkeley Post Office Defenders, Strike Debt Bay Area, the Green Party and others interested in protecting our hard earned public resources from the profit pirates of privatization. We are gathering to discuss the next steps in this ongoing campaign and ask you to come help us formulate solutions to save our commons, in particular the Berkeley Post Office which is on the auction block.

Come learn more about our legislative, judicial and direct action tactics. Discuss how to bring democratic pressure to bear on Berkeley’s elected officials to pass a zoning overlay which would impact the ability of the Post Office to sell the downtown property. Learn more about the toxic strategy of the privateers who hope to sell off the entire Postal Service. Contribute your energy and ideas.

Statement by APWU President Mark Dimondstein.

Save the Post Office.

 
December is Alan’s birthday month & it’s the holiday season of giving, so in that spirit, this month’s 1st Friday at the Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice is dedicated to the food & toy donation drive. Dec 6th will only be the 1st day the donation drive, after that, we will be collecting donations from M-F noon-6pm at ABC4J which is located at 2434 Telegraph Ave; the donations can be toys and non-perishable food items which will be donated to the Mary Ann Wright Foundation which carries on the work of Mother Wright.

As a special holiday bonus, FRESH JUICE PARTY will be playing inside ABC4J for Dec’s 1st Friday!!!

Please help us spread the word about The Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice Holiday Donation Drive!