A 6-week series to help us develop a deeper analysis and to call attention to the kinds of changes needed in the City’s budget and policies.

4/15 – Housing
4/22 – Economy
4/29 – Education
5/6 – Public Health
5/13 – Neighborhood Life
5/20 – Public Safety

The first week’s workshop on the Housing Indicators is the first of a 6-week series to help us develop a deeper analysis and to call attention to the kinds of changes needed in the City’s budget and policies.

Join us for this deeper dive into the Equity Indicators Report for the City of Oakland. Released last year, it clearly shows the effects of white supremacy on our community. Oakland posted a failing score of 33.5 out of a possible 100 across all indicators. This was the lowest score of all cities that participated in this national study.

Carroll Fife, the founder of Black Women & Elected Leadership, the Executive Director of Oakland ACCE, and one of the founding members of Community READY Corps, will join us as a guest speaker to provide some deeper analysis of the report’s findings and point us to actual solutions that will advance racial justice and equity in our housing market.

Tuesday May 21: Turn out for a rally and press conference followed by public comment. We need you to help us push #AuditAhern forward. The abuses committed by ACSO are unacceptable. We will not be silent. We will not be complacent. pic.twitter.com/WpsviplSC6

— Ella Baker Center (@ellabakercenter) May 16, 2019

We don’t have to wait to repeal Costa Hawkins to fight displacement and stabilize the homes of thousands of tenants in Oakland NOW.

Oakland City Council has the power to remove rent-control exemptions on thousands of currently owner-occupied duplex and triplex units in Oakland and protect the futures of families in thousands more. It’s time we demand they take action to stop displacement and rent gouging.

Closing the rent stabilization loophole for owner-occupied 2-3 unit buildings would immediately:
• Protect an estimated 5,100 tenants already living owner-occupied duplexes or triplex units by allowing them to re/gain rent stabilization;
• Qualify these tenants for protections under Oakland’s Tenant Protection Ordinance, which protects tenants from harassment and “bad acting“ landlords who are refusing to make necessary repairs;
• Make these tenants eligible for relocation payments for no-fault evictions
• Preserve the affordability of approximately 11,000 additional units vulnerable to losing rent stabilization and coverage under the Tenant Protection Ordinance and Uniform Relocation Ordinance.

Learn more about the fight here https://cjjc.org/mediapress/closetheloopholes-to-defend-and-expand-oaklands-rent-stabilized-housing/

And join us

Tuesday 5/21 @ 5:30pm First full City Council Vote – 3rd Floor Oakland City Hall

and

Tuesday 6/4 @ 5:30pm Final vote 3rd Floor Oakland City Hall

Also up for a vote on 5/21 – demand transparency and accountability from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department https://www.facebook.com/events/395420811306185/

Agenda

Item 12 (Acquisition of Bearcat armored vehicle)

The Josh Pawlik killing in March 2018 is a key event conditioning responses to this request to approve the acquisition of a second Bearcat. In that event, OPD deployed its existing Bearcat, as well as officers armed with AR-15 assault rifles. Compliance Director Robert Warshaw and the Executive Force Review Board pointed out that “officers did not use the armored vehicle as cover. They utilized it as a shooting platform.” (see attached, p. 2) The killing was wholly preventable. Yet OPD’s review of the event made no reference to the Bearcat deployment rules included in Chief Kirkpatrick’s supplemental report – which had been re-distributed to OPD commanders only 11 days before the killing of Mr. Pawlik.

• The Department has no use policy for the Bearcat or other armored vehicles, only “rules for deployment,” and even those apply only to the Tactical Operations Team, not other officers who use the Bearcat.
• The deployment rules state that neither the Bearcat nor Armored Suburban will “be deployed for incidents that do not involve actual, threatened, or suspected violence, related to loss of life or serious bodily injury, or crowd control situations unless articulable facts dictate the need to deploy the equipment.” Yet the report says that “The Bearcat is frequently deployed to planned events to deter attacks or respond to attacks if they do occur.” This interpretation of “articulable facts [that] dictate the need to deploy” the Bearcat renders the rules for deployment wholly meaningless.
• The reasons given for deployment and rationale for obtaining a second Bearcat also broaden the permitted uses outlined in the rules for deployment. These include blocking in vehicles to prevent drivers pursued by police from fleeing.
• Studies indicate that police departments in the United States that acquire military-grade equipment are more likely to use violence and are no more successful in reducing crime than those that acquire less such equipment.

Questions raised or that remain unanswered by the supplemental report:

• How many deployments of the Bearcat in each of recent years were to events other than critical incidents of “actual, threatened or suspected violence”?
• What impact does frequent deployment of the Bearcat have on relations between OPD and community members? The supplemental report says OPD receives positive comments when it is deployed to special events, but this clearly does not reflect community members who feel intimidated and scared of OPD or do not voice their concerns directly to OPD.
• By what date will Chief Kirkpatrick commit to the incorporation of deployment rules for the Bearcat and Armored Surburban into policy for both a) tactical teams and b) other officers?
• How are deployments of the Bearcat documented and evaluted? Who is responsible for such documentation and evaluation?
• If the Bearcat is deployed or used in a manner that violates the rules for deployment, what process does the Department to discipline those responsible for this violation?
• Did the OPD consider application of the state COPS grant for other expenditures, such as other cities have done – such as overtime or juvenile justice programs? If not, why not? If so, why did OPD conclude that the Bearcat was a higher priority for this application?

In light of the fatal misuse of OPD’s Bearcat in the killing of Josh Pawlik, the Council should not approve the acquisition of a second Bearcat, at the very least, until OPD has incorporated a use policy for the Bearcat, applicable to all members of OPD, that is considered and approved by the Police Commission.

Other points: A Public Records Act request was file for records of OPD’s deployments of the Bearcat and other armored vehicles since the beginning of 2016, including reasons for deployment, demographics of those contacted during the deployments, and any harms documented. Their response was extended and is now due on June 1.

State legislation last year (AB 3131) would have required, for police departments’ acquisition from any source of all military-grade equipment, including Bearcats: use policies, reporting on use, and approval by city councils. The Senate and Assembly approved the bill, but it was vetoed by Governor Brown. Similar state legislation is expected to be re-introduced next year.

Socialist Night School takes a post-convention breather on May 21 for our first film night, the second session in our three-part series on imperialism and internationalism. We’ll be holding a special screening of Part I of Patricio Guzman’s The Battle of Chile, the legendary documentary about the social revolution that brought Salvador Allende to power in Chile in the 1970s and its violent repression. Here’s your chance to see what the Village Voice called “the major political film of our times.” We will also have LaCroix and snacks!

See the readings

A trial will be held to determine whether the City of Berkeley persecuted First They Came for the Homeless, aka The Poor Tour, a group of politicized homeless individuals, for their political activities.

Jury selection commences on the 20th.

This police review commission meeting will feature a discussion on the Berkeley Police Department’s surveillance policies regarding the following:
+Body Worn Cameras
+Automatic License Plate Readers
+GPS Trackers
+More?

There will also be a discussion on data collection and analysis from police stops.

Public comment will be at the very start of the meeting, with additional time at the very end of the meeting.

Heads Up… local Blue Lives Matters activist Christine Schwartz will be at the meeting filming public speakers for the purposes of harassment. She has habitually been at PRC meetings with her camera to intimidate members of the public from speaking.

Movie Nights at Reem’s

The Arab Film and Media Institute and Reem’s are partnering to bring some of our favorite Arab films to Oakland. Screenings are free + the amazing team at Reem’s will be serving the full menu throughout the evening.  And that’s not all! There will be movie snacks (including za’atar popcorn!),

April 11: Refugee Stories
Far from a one-size-fits-all marking of “experience” so often depicted on Western media outlets when it comes to the plight of the refugee, this program of 5 powerful short documentaries spotlight the multitude of hues that should be considered when discussions of the refugee experience are had.

May 23: Shorts (Playful Pondering)
From dating drama in Bahrain and an abandoned Qatari cinemaplex, to wacky Lebanese nuns and land mine explosions, this eclectic mix of 6 whimsical, albeit socially-concerned short format narrative works will take viewers on a journey of humor, self-discovery, and provocation.

June 13: Seventeen
The Jordanian under-17 women’s soccer team prepares for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, hosted by Jordan in 2016. Coming from different backgrounds, each of the girls has faced a different set of challenges as a national team player. But now they come together to face their biggest challenge yet.

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Hang out with other members who are interested in the labor movement, hear about what’s happening in the East Bay DSA Labor Committee, and learn how you can get involved!

By Young Adults from St. Paul’s Episcopal School

About #FridaysForFuture

#FridaysForFuture is a movement that began in August 2018, after 15 years old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis. She posted what she was doing on Instagram and Twitter and it soon went viral.

On the 8th of September, Greta decided to continue striking every Friday until the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2-degree C, i.e. in line with the Paris agreement.

The hashtags #FridaysForFuture and #Climatestrike spread and many students and adults began to protest outside of their parliaments and local city halls all over the world. This has also inspired the Belgium Thursday school strikes.

Global Facebook Event Page

TILL SHE IS FREE OR MARYTRED YEAH IT/S VERY SERIOUS
BASTA !!! FREE CHELSEA MANNING WEEKLY VIGIL
optional after meeting/party rain cancels.

Housed folks: show up this Friday w/ POOR Magazine in solidarity with your unhoused neighbors who are getting swept & criminalized all over the Bay. This brutality won't end until housed & unhoused folks stand together.

1pm SF City Hall
4pm Oakland City Hall#StopTheSweeps pic.twitter.com/OyyWlaewQ8

— DSA San Francisco (@DSA_SF) May 22, 2019

The U.S. government lost track of some 1,475 immigrant children, perhaps more, who were placed in sponsor homes.

At least 389 migrant children have been separated from their families since a federal judge ruled to stop the practice in June 2018.

Families are still being separated at an alarming rate. Babies and young children continue to be exposed to inhumane conditions.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO BRING AWARENESS OF THIS ISSUE TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND TO MAKE A STAND AGAINST THIS PRACTICE.

Please join us for a PEACEFUL PROTEST on SATURDAY, MAY 25TH, 2019 at the corner of YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD & N. CIVIC DRIVE in WALNUT CREEK, CA.

REMEMBER: Bring your signage and snacks. Water will be provided.

There will also be a limited number of poster boards and markers available to make your own signage.

OUR “STATIONS”:

– South Side corner of Ygnacio Valley Road and N. Civic Drive

– Iron Horse Trail Bridge above Ygnacio Valley Road (please plan to use effectively large signage in this area)

THE “MESSAGE”:

Human rights is a non-partisan issue. You are welcome to bring your own signage, but please, refrain from hate-fueled messages, derogatory phrases, and foul language. Please find a balance between bringing positivity and awareness to our table.

THE “RULES”:

– Be Civil
– Be Safe
– Be Present

Feel free to share with your friends, families, and communities at large!

https://act.indivisible.org/event/attend-local-actions/140685

Book talk and signing with Gordon H. Chang for Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Built the Transcontinental Railroad.

GHOSTS OF GOLD MOUNTAIN: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, on sale May 7, 2019) by award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang is a groundbreaking account that draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers’ stories and celebrate their role in remaking America. An invaluable correction of a great historical injustice, GHOSTS OF GOLD MOUNTAIN returns these “silent spikes” to their rightful place in our national saga.

GORDON H. CHANG is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities and Professor of History at Stanford University, where he also serves as director of the Center for East Asian Studies and codirector of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. Chang is the author of Fateful Ties and editor of four other books. He lives in Stanford, California.

Pre-Talk Reception Lecture by Chef David Soohoo
1 – 2 PM
The Diet of The Chinese Railroad Builders
Learn about the culinary findings of the early Chinese pioneers who built the Transcontinental railroad and the birth of present day Chinese American culture. Chef David SooHoo was born in San Francisco to Cantonese immigrants who owned Chinese-American restaurants in Sacramento. With more than 50 years behind the wok, SooHoo was the first chef from Sacramento invited to the Beard House, and most recent personal chef to Barron Hilton at his Venice Island Duck Club located in the reclaimed swampland of the San Joaquin Delta by the Chinese after the gold rush.

RSVP here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-ghosts-of-gold-mountain-tickets-58873119084

More Information: http://oacc.cc/event/book-talk-ghosts-of-gold-mountain/

This event is sponsored by Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.