Calendar
The first of eight meetings is January 28th.
This seminar will study the corporate structure, its historical development, and its modes of political control.
We are having an orientation for our hands-on study group. The focus of the project is both analytical and activist. As a group, we will develop an understanding of the relationship between gentrification and police violence thru readings, workshops and discussions. At the same time, we will be developing and implementing strategies in our neighborhoods that seek to discourage other people that are new to Oakland from calling the cops. It will last about 3 months and we would love to host it all at the Omni if that works for y’all!
Meet and greet starting at 6:30, please bring light and local snacks to share if you can. The film starts at 7:00 and will be followed by small group discussions.
In The Economics of Happiness filmmaker Helena Norberg-Hodge examines how—in resistance to globalization—communities are successfully relocalizing their economies and treasuring the rich uniqueness of each local place.
Discover how communities around the world are coming together to re-build on a more human scale with respect for the environment and the rights and needs of people. We’ll hear from voices from six continents, including Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Samdhong Rinpoche, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Michael Shuman, Zac Goldsmith and Keibo Oiwa. They tell us that climate change and peak oil give us little choice: we need to localize, to bring the economy home. The good news is that as we move in this direction we will begin not only to heal the earth but also to restore our own sense of well-being.
For more info: info [at] transitionberkeley.com
website: http://www.transitionberkeley.com
This event is cosponsored by Transition Berkeley and BFUU’s Social Justice Ctee.
Animal Defense League – San Francisco will be organizing events for the week of action against Skanska USA. Skanska USA is being targeted nationally for its decision to accept a contract to build a new, underground animal testing facility for the University of Washington.
The University of Washington (UW) has a long history of animal neglect that has resulted in the institution being cited, fined, and even placed on probation by the USDA. If the construction of this new animal research facility goes forward the numbers of animals at the mercy of the UW will increase significantly. It estimated that the number of primates used could increase by 280, the number of pigs used could double, and the number of rodents could go up by 10 – 20%. Additionally, the UW’s capacity to house animals kept in pens could double in capacity.
We have a rare opportunity to stop this lab from being constructed. Please join us as we put the pressure on Skanska to cut their contract with the University of Washington!
More info:
http://www.facebook.com/ADLSanFrancisco?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://nonewanimallab.com/about/
http://www.facebook.com/dontexpanduwprimatetesting?ref=ts&fref=ts
*Please leave your companion animals at home.
The planting was a few weeks ago. The gardening work continues. Join us!
More information on the Berkeley Post Office Defense against the sale and privatization here.
Pictures and videos of the soil preparation and planting here.
On February 7th thousands of Californians from across the state are gathering in Governor Jerry Brown’s longtime home of Oakland to say that we need real climate leadership. Across the state wells are drying up, more than a dozen cities are in real danger of running out of water, & there’s no question it’s being made worse by climate change.
But instead of reigning in the oil and gas industry & putting an end to incredibly dangerous and water-intensive practices like fracking, Governor Brown has been letting companies continue with business as usual. Join people from all corners of California this February in telling Governor Brown that if he won’t be a real climate leader, that if he won’t stand up to the fossil fuel industry, then we will. Because this is about our water, our health, & our California.
For more information: http://marchforclimateleadership.org/
The Communist Party USA, Political Discussion Group, invites you to this discussion.
Financial wars, trade wars, media wars, cyber wars and proxy wars are already underwasy on a world scale. Is the escalation of small scale military engagements (e.g. Ukraine) into a global conflagration the next step?
This open circle will continue the dialogue and planning around support, goals, and long-term strategy in addressing the issues of disproportionate degrees of police brutality and killings of black people and people of color, systemic racism, state violence, militarization of police, and more that have been brought to the forefront once again due to the recent surge of such atrocities.
Let’s kick this meeting off with a potluck at 3:00 pm followed by the Open Circle at 3:45 pm. Please bring a dish or snacks to share!
Open circle will begin with report backs and announcements of upcoming actions followed by breakout group discussions and the formation of new projects.
There will be breakout groups to allow time for networking and collaboration on projects and affinity groups.
The facilitation team welcomes suggestions, guidance, and participation. Please get in touch by commenting on this page if you want to offer any of these.
Notes from last meeting:
omnicommons.org/connect
Link to our previous meeting:
https://www.facebook.com/
Until the end of February (22nd) 2015 GA will meet at the Omni Collective basement, mostly at its regular time, 4PM Sunday. But on February 8th we will meet at 5 PM so folks can also attend the Open Circle meeting at the Omni Ballroom at 3 PM.
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly generally meets Sundays, at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway, often on the steps of City Hall. “If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Commons, 4799 Shattuck Ave, Oakland Directions
We have met on a continuous basis for more than three 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.
The bulk of the work of Occupy Oakland does NOT happen in the General Assembly. It happens in various committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives voluntarily come to the GA and report on past and future actions. 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
- Discussion Topic (Optional)
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)
Occupy Oakland Kitchen Committee: (kitchen@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
(Documentary – 2013) 90 minutes – UC Berkeley professor Robert Reich discusses economic inequality in the United States.
Discussion can follow if folks at the movie like.
OccupyForum Presents…
The Square
Tahrir Square film with Ahmed Salah
We have all heard of and even followed news of the Egyptian revolution when it kicked back in 2011. On this event we shall be watching The Square together, with commentary of Ahmed Salah, the Egyptian revolutionary living in SF. We will see the journey of the revolution in Egypt, and learn what happened to the revolution, and whether it is over or is it still an ongoing matter.
The Square is an intimate observational documentary that tells the real story of the ongoing struggle of the Egyptian Revolution through the eyes of six very different protesters. Starting in the tents of Tahrir in the days leading up to the fall of Mubarak, we follow our characters on a life-changing journey through the euphoria of victory into the uncertainties and dangers of the current “transitional period†under military rule, where everything they fought for is now under threat or in balance.
Ahmed Salah, an Egyptian Revolutionary. Salah was one of the co-founders of the Kifaya Movement (the Egyptian Movement for Change) in 2004 and remained a member of the Coordinators Council of Kifaya until mid-2008. He led the first, and only, youth movement in Egypt during the years 2005-2006, called Youth For Change. In addition, he was also the co-founder, strategist, and foreign affairs representative of the April 6 Youth Movement. In these capacities, Salah served as a principle organizer for the January 25th revolution.
Donations accepted for OccupyForum; no one turned away.
Q& A and Announcements after the film.
Come learn about continuing developments in the battle save the Berkeley Post Office and the Postal Service from privatization, support our Occupiers and help us plan our next steps in opposition to the theft of our public commons.
THE POSTAL SERVICE WANTED TO SELL THE POST OFFICE TO HUDSON-MCDONALD DEVELOPMENT GROUP. HUDSON-MCDONALD BACKED OUT OF THE DEAL IN EARLY DECEMBER. THE CITY OF BERKELEY SUED THE POST OFFICE TO STOP THE SALE. A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER WAS IN PLACE UNTIL DECEMBER 17th, BUT WAS LIFTED BY THE JUDGE WHEN HUDSON WITHDREW. `
Get an overview of the sale announcement here. Here’s a good more general overview piece.
There was a hearing in Federal Court on December 11th.
The next hearing is March 19th.THE FEDERAL JUDGE WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE LAWSUIT WILL CONTINUE OR BE DISMISSED – HE’LL DECIDE SOMETIME AFTER MARCH 19th.
THE POSTAL POLICE HAD BEEN RAIDING THE OCCUPATION INTERMITTENTLY IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. BUT THE OCCUPIERS ARE NOT LEAVING! Read about one of the eviction attempts here. There haven’t been any raids since a few days before Christmas, but they might start up again at any time.
Check out the new Community Garden at the Post Office.
Also CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE. and the Save the Berkeley Post Office website, and First they Came for the Homeless Facebook for updates.
BPOD is an offshoot of Strike Debt Bay Area, which itself is an offshoot of Occupy Oakland and a chapter of the national Strike Debt movement, which is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street.
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.
Tue 2/10 at 9:00 am, Anti Police-Terror Project is gathering at 34th & Hollis, to carry on the struggle for justice for #YvetteHenderson
— هدهد (@thehoopoe) February 10, 2015
From that point, we will disperse to deliver demands to Home Depot, Sports Authority, Extra Storage and the Police Department. Pls join us
— هدهد (@thehoopoe) February 10, 2015
Turn Up for Taja
Taja was stabbed to death on the streets of San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood on February 1, 2015.
Taja is the fourth known trans* woman of color to be violently murdered in California in the last four months and the fifth in the United States in 2015.
We recognize this epidemic of violence as being deeply rooted in systemic racism, trans* misogyny, class inequity, and lack of access to affordable housing for trans* communities.
This is a national crisis in which the most vulnerable members of our community are fighting for their lives. In Taja’s memory, we will not relent in demanding justice.
A call to action has been issued for: Trans* Liberation Tuesday on Tuesday, February 10th 2015 to demand an end to the systemic violence targeting trans* communities.
RSVP on the facebook event here.
The agenda for the action is:
1:30pm: Gather at SF City Hall for a Die In and Press Conference (Polk St)
3:00pm: Board of Supervisors Meeting Public Comment Perio
TAJA’s Coalition has issued the following demands in advance of Tuesday’s action:
- We demand that cisgender people end violence against trans* communities, and particularly transgender women of color. Transphobia and violence against trans* people is not a trans* problem. It is a problem rooted in and created by cisgender people, and there is a call to see active support of and participation in local and national efforts to create resources, access and justice for our trans* communities.
- Trans* communities need safety and access to resources, not jails. We demand that all plans for a new jail in San Francisco be ceased, and that no new jail construction is included in any City planning or budget with funds being routed instead to trans* community programming, especially re-entry support and anti-violence work, with respect for the depth of work not the quantity.
- We demand safe, affordable, and accessible housing for trans people. The rising cost of living in San Francisco, fueled by municipal protections for corporate interests at the expense of our most vulnerable residents, has forced countless trans* people into unsafe living situations. Additionally, the massive gentrification of the Mission, Tenderloin, and SOMA neighborhoods in the past two years has displaced countless residents. San Francisco must shift its priorities away from protecting corporations and toward providing affordable housing for all who need it and particularly creating affordable housing services, safe housing programs and more safe spaces for trans* people.
It takes community power to end the war on Black communities. Join us Tues, Feb 10th @ 5:30pm to demand Berkeley City Council take legislative action to address police brutality and militarization of the Berkeley Police Department.
We will meet at Oxford Ave and Center St. at 5:30PM.
We will march to the city council and rally for black lives.
We need the city of Berkeley to act RIGHT NOW and be in solidarity with the growing movement for Black Lives.
Background:
There is a growing movement for Black Lives which escalated when the people of Ferguson took to the streets in response to Officer Darren Wilson’s murder of Mike Brown. Back in December, Berkeley joined the national call to disrupt business as usual to elevate the declaration that #BlackLivesMatter.
The police responded to the peaceful protesters with high technology military grade weaponry. As a result, women, children, students and community members were tear gassed and beat with over the shoulder baton strikes and jailed by the Berkeley Police. Community members often say Ferguson is everywhere, and we felt that in December with the grotesque police response to peaceful protesting in Berkeley.
We also felt this back in 2013 when the police brutally murdered Kayla Moore, who was a black transgender woman with schizophrenia. Kayla Moore was experiencing a psychiatric emergency when police pinned her down and suffocated her to death in her own home. She was a Berkeley resident living on Allston Way apartments.
Additional Information
The city council will be voting on two resolutions dealing with police brutality & militarization and Ferguson’s National Demands.
The first item is a resolution of Ferguson’s National Demands. The second item is in regards to the December protest that erupted throughout the nation, including in Berkeley, CA.
The motion will prohibit police forms of violence such as over the shoulder baton strikes and use of tear gas against protesters until the Police Review Commission makes a recommendation to the council.
The mayor has delayed this item since December. He hoped that the energy would dissipate, that people will stop paying attention. After months of delay, the resolution is finally up for a vote. The police are fighting back against this simple policy.
The Berkeley City Council has a choice on Tuesday. Which side will they stand on? We are on the freedom side.
#BlackLivesMatter
#DecarcerateBerkeley
#Ferguson2Cal
#CalBSU #AfroHouseCal
#OnyxExpress
#BCCBSU
#BerkeleyBSU
ASUC EAVP Action Page
https://www.facebook.com/
Ferguson National Demands
http://fergusonaction.com/
Berkeley City Council Agenda http://