Happy Equinox! Spring is here ~ plants are leafing out, peaches and plums are blooming, and folks are planting our perennial plants throughout the country.  It is the busiest time of the year for the nursery with finishing up cuttings, seeding, grafting fruit trees, weeding and fertilizing, potting up bare root plants, and shipping out plant orders.  We are very grateful to the many volunteers that have gotten their hands dirty with us this past month.  We had nearly 30 volunteers come through at our work party on March 4th, had about 40 college students on Alternative Spring Break from Penn St. and University of LaVerne come through for tours and volunteer work, and had teachers from Slide Ranch on the coast come out.  Our work and plant knowledge is being spread to youth in many places.  Much thanks to all of the hands that have helped us in the busyness of Spring!

We have two upcoming volunteer work parties  on Saturdays in April:
April 8th 10am-4pm
April 22nd (Earth Day!) 9am-4pm

On Earth Day, join us for a Volunteer Day of fruit tree planting, weeding, cleaning and more including a Super Citrus Fruit Tree Sale, a Sale of Salves and Tinctures from our gardens, a bounce house for kids, and a Kale Smoothie Pop Up.  Please bring your own Water, Pot Luck Food and Good Attitude!  We are building community as well as growing plants!

Offerings:

• Massage therapy
• Energy work
• Acupuncture
• Birth Doula Practitioners
• Herbal Medicine
• Resource library
• Free Hot Meal
• Free Store
• Cafe Space to hang out, eat, make art and discuss what healing means to us by us and for us.

BERKELEY COPWATCH PRESENTS

What can mental health care and crisis response look like without police involvement? Join the Justice 4 Kayla Moore Coalition and Berkeley Copwatch for a forum to address that question. The forum will feature individuals and organizations who are fighting for, building and living out mental health alternatives to the police. We will also discuss next steps for our campaign to fight for changes in how our communities and the City of Berkeley approach mental health crises.

How can we build our capacity and leverage our grassroots power to support the Movement for Black Lives Policy platform?

Please join the SURJ Policy Working Group on Saturday April 8th from 1pm to 4pm for an interactive legislative strategy session and workshop that will demystify the legislative process, build our legislative capacity, and highlight the legislative priorities and strategies of our POC partners. All levels of experience are welcome!

In addition to break-out discussion groups, we will hear from special guests Bridget Kolakosky, Legislative Director for Senator Holly Mitchell, author of the RISE Act and Emily Harris, State Field Director for the Ella Baker Center, a co-sponsor of the RISE Act. Both guests will share their experiences and strategies on how to bring grassroots voices to the capitol in meaningful and impactful ways.

This event is FREE but an RSVP on our website to required to attend as there is limited space: http://www.surjbayarea.org/policy_strategy_session

ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific access needs, please email us and we’ll be happy to work with you to accommodate them.

SCENT FREE: We ask that guests do their best to be as scent free as possible. Please refer to this resource from the EastBay Meditation Center for more information on what that means. There will be a scent free section of seating offered. http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/PDF/How-to-Be-Fragrance-Free-.pdf

Monthly interfaith prayer meeting, held on second Sundays, dedicated to survivors and victims of violence and police terror in Oakland.

“Remember the saying: ‘Of all pilgrimages the greatest is to relieve the sorrow-laden heart.'” ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The Baha’i community of Oakland is organizing this gathering for the community to connect, share prayers, writings and poems from all spiritual traditions, reflect and recharge and build coalitions interested in healing.

Come share prayers, quotes, poems, and favorite passages from your scriptures with us. Simple breakfast will be served.

“Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” ~ Bahá’u’lláh

Today, 12 pm, gather at GG Bridge Plaza, #SF side for monthly @CODEPINK Golden Gate Bridge Walk for Peace. #Syriahttps://t.co/0KCFvflbeQ pic.twitter.com/4mcAwsZjWk

— Indybay (@Indybay) April 9, 2017

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

The Trump-Putin post-truth world of Fox News and Russia Today, are kindred moments of a global capitalist order that has devolved into neo-fascism: scapegoating the “Other” and accepting genocide. Internal reactionaries and competing multiple regional and global powers have no regard for human life, as demonstrated most horribly by Assad’s latest chemical gas assault on Khan Sheikhoun and Trump’s terror against civilians in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. As a Syrian revolutionary recently put it, “After all this slaughter, we ask, do the Syrian people not belong to the human community?”

Multiple forms of resistance continue: the global women’s movement, Black Lives Matter and immigrants everywhere, including in the U.S. Mass demonstrations against Putin’s regime emerged anew across Russia last week, demanding end to official corruption.

Is this world of vile nationalism and permanent war a return to the horrors of so-called primitive accumulation through enslavement and conquest? Does Marx’s thought and revolutionary practice speak to this moment? Gerry Emmett’s essay, “Marx’s Marxism vs. Trump-Putin’s barbarism,” in the March/April News & Letters addresses these issues.

How can the mass outpourings go beyond opposition and give humanity a different future?

We hope to see you there and hear your thoughts.

Call #Vallejo police chief & demand he fire Officer Zachary Jacobsen for murder of #AngelRicoRamos. 707-648-4321; 707-552-3285; 707-648-5291 pic.twitter.com/GIXfjHOjZl

— Indybay (@Indybay) April 10, 2017

The team of expert consultants supported by The Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland had a very successful interview with City Administrators on Wednesday, March 25th. We’re now only three weeks away from the Finance Committee meeting at which a report is due on the proposals. We remain optimistic that our proposal for a feasibility study will be selected and funded in full.

Donate to Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland

Thanks to the generous support of our fiscal sponsor, HERA (Housing and Economic Rights Advocates), you can now make a tax-deductible donation to support our work. Our main expenses at the moment are related to outreach materials and mechanisms.

Click here to donate

*Important: Select “Other” from program and include “Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland” in the Honoree’s name section.
 

Tax the Rich Rallies every Monday from 5-6 pm on upper Solano in front of the Oaks Theater and the Chase Bank.

All are welcome!

Also We’ll be at  SURJ (Stand Up for Racial Justice) event that starts at the Grand Lake Theater on Saturday April 1^st from noon-1 :00 PM.

For our calendar of events, songs to download and more: www.occupella.org.

OccupyForum Presents the film “Thirty Seconds to Midnight” with Producer Regis Tremblay about the danger of nuclear war, climate change and the struggle to challenge these dangers

Friends,
Hope you can join us for one of the   three Bay area showings of excellent new film Thirty Seconds to Midnight April 10 and 11. It is a powerful film about the danger of nuclear war and climate change and the struggle of people around the world to challenge these dangers. Please spread the word   to the larger community and hope to see you there. See the flyer attached.
Warm Greetings and Peace,
David Hartsough

​What: Film “Thirty Seconds to Midnight” with Producer Regis Tremblay.

​Three threats to life on the planet: nuclear technology, a nuclear Armageddon, climate change.

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.

Join the Caravan Against Fear in the Bay Area
Stand up to Trump’s Racism & Xenophobia

Stand up for Immigrant Rights! Stop Separating our Families! Free Yasmin! ICE Out of California! Yes on sb54 for a Sanctuary State!

Stand with loved ones and workers who are locked up in the Bay Area immigration detention facility.

Transportation from Oakland or SF provided. REGISTER for your bus spot here: bit.ly/411crvn

Sponsored by: Asian Law Caucus, Bay Resistance, Contra Costa ACCE, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, Global Exchange, NDLON, SEIU 1021, SEIU UHW, SEIU USWW, Richmond Progressive Alliance

We’re mobilizing because fear is spreading throughout the U.S. and being used as a tool to promote white supremacy, terrorize communities and break apart families. We believe that defiant protest, coupled with acts of mutual aid, trust, and understanding across communities, are vital to combating fear, repelling Trump’s attacks on our freedoms and families, and building a lasting civic offensive to defend immigrants and defeat the hate-filled plans of the Trump administration.

Since Trump took power, millions have marched, blocked airports to defend immigrants and refugees, and gathered in public to speak – and shout – truth to power. But the job of fighting fascism is just getting started.

The Caravan Against Fear gives people a way to join and support a highly visible action in defense of basic civil and human rights.

The Caravan is sponsored by a coalition of labor, community, human rights, religious, civic, environmental, and other organizations in both the U.S. and Mexico including the Southern Border Communities Coalition, SEIU, National Day Labor Organizing Network, Rompeviento Television, as well as dozens of other local organizations joined together in a diverse and growing coalition of resistance.

EFF Launches Community Security Training Series

EFF is pleased to announce a series of community security trainings in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library. High-profile data breaches and hard-fought battles against unlawful mass surveillance programs underscore that the public needs practical information about online security. We know more about potential threats each day, but we also know that encryption works and can help thwart digital spying. Lack of knowledge about best practices puts individuals at risk, so EFF will bring lessons from its comprehensive Surveillance Self-Defense guide to the SFPL.

EFF has tailored this series for technology beginners who may be unaware of potential privacy dangers, but already use smart phones or computers. Library patrons are invited to bring their devices to EFF’s introductory classes which include discussions of basic online security concepts and privacy tools. Lisa Wright and Willie Theaker, members of EFF’s TechOps Team, will facilitate Digital Privacy and Security: A Beginner-to-Intermediate Workshop followed by Encryption Apps for your Phone: An Intermediate Workshop. There will be two opportunities to attend each class.

• Digital Privacy and Security: A Beginner-to-Intermediate Workshop
  Tuesday, March 28, 2017
  6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

• Encryption Apps for your Phone: An Intermediate Workshop
  Tuesday, April 4, 2017
  6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

• Digital Privacy and Security: A Beginner-to-Intermediate Workshop
  Tuesday, April 11, 2017
  6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

• Encryption Apps for your Phone: An Intermediate Workshop
  Tuesday, April 18, 2017
  6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Event details are included in each link to the EFF calendar above. Space is limited and attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis so attendees should prepare to arrive early. We encourage all EFF supporters to help people in their circles learn more about online rights issues and how to keep themselves—and each other— safer.

At the end of April, EFF’s spring Bay Area Members’ Speakeasy will feature a more advanced workshop on email encryption and key generation open to EFF members and their guests—we encourage you to bring a friend! Following the workshop, all EFF members will be invited to join our PGP keysigning party to help bring the community together and further expand the web of trust. If you are a current Bay Area member accepting email, you will receive a personal invitation including event details. Not a member yet? Join today!

With the Surveillance Self-Defense project and these local events, EFF strives to help make information about online security accessible to beginners as well as seasoned techno-activists and journalists. We hope you will consider our tips on how to protect your digital privacy, but we also hope you will encourage those around you to learn more and make better choices with technology. After all, privacy is a team sport and everyone wins.

Three Threats to Life on the Planet:

• Nuclear Technology
• Nuclear Armaggedon
• Climate Change

A powerful film about the danger of nuclear war and climate change and the struggle of people around the world to challenge these dangers. Please spread the word  to the larger community and hope to see you there.

Producer Regis Tremblay will be at the showing.

[Note: We called the Hayward City Manager’s office to confirm that there is a meeting on 4/11 at 7pm. Per the Brown Act, they’re supposed to post the agenda publicly 72 hours before the meeting, so hopefully that happens. We’ll call again the day of to make sure it’s still happening.]

Join the family of Elena “Ebbie” Mondragon at the next Hayward City Council meeting to demand both the truth and real accountability for her recent killing by Fremont police. (Hayward PD is “investigating” since it happened there.)

Unidentified Fremont detectives – driving an unmarked car in Hayward – shot 16 year-old Ebbie on March 14th in the middle of an apartment complex and concocted a very suspicious story to justify killing an innocent girl.

Ebbie’s family misses her deeply and remembers her as a kind young woman who was a big SF 49ers fan.

The family demands are as follows:
-Any video footage leading up to, during and after the shooting
-Full autopsy report plus any and all medical records
-Any and all information about what happened to the car the police were following
-Questions answered: Did Fremont police have permission to be conducting surveillance and following a car in Hayward? Was Hayward PD at all aware of this operation?

—–

Can’t make it? You can also support Ebbie’s family with funeral costs (they still need to pay for the grave marker – at least $1,000 at the Antioch cemetery) by donating here: https://www.gofundme.com/3iibrkw

Continue the momentum of the Women’s March in January and the Women’s Strike March 8th, planning towards a May 1st General Strike!

All welcome!