Time to stop the large increases in rents and out of control evictions.  In 2015 rent for a two bedroom in Oakland increased 40% to an average of $2950/month.

Join us to present a resolution to the Oakland City Council demanding a moratorium on Evictions and Rent Increases.

n March, EBC will begin hosting mail nights at our office to respond to the increase amount of correspondence we’ve been receiving from people in prison across the Country. We are getting lots of questions about upcoming ballot initiatives, Prop 47, requests for pen pals and EBC’s work at large.

Please RSVP to emily@ellabakercenter.org

Join us for a film and discussion about the tiny home movement. A screening of “Tiny: A Story About Living Small” will be followed by a panel discussion led by members of Tiny House In My BackYard (THIMBY), an interdisciplinary collaboration of UC Berkeley students designing and building a zero-net-energy tiny house on the Berkeley Global Campus.

About the film:
“The film follows one couple’s attempt to build a “tiny house” from scratch, and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into homes smaller than the average parking space. TINY is a story for a society redefining its priorities in the face of a changing financial and environmental climate. More than anything, TINY invites its viewers to dream big and imagine living small.”

Potluck snacks and meet and greet at 6:30pm; film at 7pm, followed by discussion. Purchase tickets ahead of time, or just drop in!

Event Website: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250094
Event Phone: (510) 548-2220 x239
Event Email: carrie [at] ecologycenter.org

This event is co-sponsored by Transition Berkeley, the Ecology Centerand BFUU’s Social Justice Ctee.
Suggested donation $5-$20. No one turned away.
Wheelchair accessible.

For occasional email notices of peace/eco/social justice alerts and related events at BFUU, send any email to:
bfuusjev-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net

For weekly notices of BFUU services etc. go to:
http://www.bfuu.org/signup.html

The time that we need you is now. Please join us in solidarity every day of the trial at the federal court building on 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.

BREAKING BREAKING NEWS! Witness Justin Fritz apologizes to the Nietos for calling the police on Alex Nieto! Fritz claims Alex Nieto had done nothing wrong that day. Witness Antonio Theodor testifies that police officers killed Alex Nieto in cold blood! Full news tomorrow morning. Amor for Alex!

http://missionlocal.org/2016/03/witness-testified-alex-nieto-never-drew-weapon/
The federal civil action filed by Refugio and Elvira Nieto v. SFPD and the City and County of San Francisco for the wrongful death and civil rights violations of their son, Alejandro “Alex” Nieto goes to trial on March 1.

Four San Francisco Police Department officersLt. (then Sgt.)) Jason Sawyer and officers Nathan Chew, Roger Morse, and Richard Schiff fired 48 bullets at Alex Nieto, killing him on Bernal Heights Park on March 21, 2014.

For more information about evidence in the trial check Case Status and Alex’s Story.

Amor por Alex Nieto and our community of justice and peace!

Watch our trial rally song here on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShxnYj6t-Sk

The trial will last approximately ten days. 

March 1st Report filed by A. Camarena � New information learned:

59 bullets were fired. 20 and 23 by Sgt. Sawyer and Ofc. Schiff who were first to arrive on scene. Both reloaded their .40 caliber guns once and kept shooting at Alex because they claim that he took a prone tactical position and kept pointing the taser at them. Ofcs. Morse and Chew arrived and make the incredible claim that Alex was still alive and threatening them with taser in a prone tactical position on the ground and fired 11 and 5 more shots until Alex dropped his head and taser. A crime scene photo of Alex turned over on his back, riddled, and bleeding out was shown.

Day 2  WED March 2  Testimony of Officer Schiff (the he Rookie) and partial testimony of Lt. Sawyer (the Vet)

Mini update by Adriana Camarena

Summary of testimony of rookie Ofcs. Schiff and partial testimony of Lt. Sawyer Schiff shot 23 rounnds, Sawyer 20. We learned today that the guns used by the officers who killed Alex are semi-automatic. It means that the officers had to squeeze the trigger on their .40 caliber gun each time to fire each shot. It means that each of those 59 shots fired were actually 59 individual decisions. Officers testified that it is their duty to continuously assess the situation for every shot fired.

They can only draw or fire their weapons if they have reasonable cause to believe that they themselves or someone else are at risk of death or serious bodily injury. This is why today we heard sworn testimony that Alex was still standing in a punched out tactical position pointing his taser the laser light visible after these two officers unloaded each a clip (13 bullets each, 26 total) and reloaded and kept firing (another 10 and 7 respectively). At some point Alex jumps down into a prone (belly on floor) punched out tactical position with his taser laser light pointed at them. Schiff and Sawyer both unloaded each almost another clip.

The testimony is that Alex kept threatening them as if he were a supernatural being, immune to bullets. There was sworn testimony that Alex was agonizing, breathing in gurgling distressed sounds, when they approached and decided to handcuff him because they assessed he could still be a threat. There were contradictions between the two officers we heard today as to what they said they saw Alex do. More on that tomorrow I suppose.

Free with RSVP.
Spotlight California follows comedian and filmmaker Kiran Deol as she travels across the state investigating environmental, social and economic issues. She meets people taking on the drought, water contamination in farm country, air pollution and potential gas price manipulation. Finding refuge in moments of levity along the way, Kiran takes us on a California road trip unlike any we’ve experienced.

Program:
6:30 – Doors Open
6:45 – 7:30: Screening
7:30 – 8:00: Discussion
8:00 – 8:30: Reception

Following the screening, we’ll have a 25-minute panel conversation featuring:
Tom Steyer (moderator), NextGen Climate
Vien Truong, Green For All
Seth Shonkoff, PSE Healthy Energy
Byron Ramos Gudiel, Communities for a Better Environment

Come to see communities in action, stay for the free pizza and drinks.

The first thing you need to know is that Qilombo is having its FIRST of MANY Art Showcase and Gallery Nights. Our first event is March 4th at 7pm, right around the time when you are winding down (or up) from First Fridays. There will be hella dope art and music, food and beverages, as well as performances. The main goal is to have artists submit their work to get more recognition and the chance to win large cash prizes. Submission fee is $15-25 sliding scale (you can submit more than one piece, but please pay more on the sliding scale entry fee if you do so). The money we raise will go to the winning artists!

But to add a bit of context…

The question right now should be: “What is a Black Arts District without Black people?”

Last November, Qilombo Community Center of the Afrikatown and McClymonds district hosted it’s first Anti-Gentrification Block Party. The event celebrated the importance of communities standing together in solidarity against gentrification and announced that Qilombo won their fight against their own eviction. Qilombo received a lot of attention for being able to successfully fight to stay in their location— from their neighbors, from the larger Afrikan/Black communities, from dedicated local radicals…and also from the City of Oakland.

Qilombo was paid a visit from a representative from the Planning and Building Department of Oakland. She laid out their thick pamphlet of what Oakland will look like over the course of five to ten years— the much needed bike paths, turning a highway into a lane to increase business, the investors who will build high-rises of new businesses. There was even a Black Arts District. Our volunteers agreed that Oakland needed development, but the kind of economic development that would not displace low-income residents in the process.

And what of this Black Arts District the city is designating if it would be more of a museum to the past? AGAIN THE QUESTION SHOULD BE: “How can you have a Black Arts District without Black people?” These plans are designed around investors and developers and are trying to plug in social justice out of the concerns of Oakland residents rather being designed around human lives. The representative didn’t have any answers to Qilombo’s questions. Rather, she told them to take a seat at upcoming meetings “without any promises” that any of the suggestions from Qilombo and it’s community can be considered due to the City of Oakland’s current development plans.

Instead of attending those meetings, Qilombo decided it’s time to have another war-cry against gentrification. It’s time to make our own Black Renaissance and Black Arts District, one that Afrikans can be able to fight to stay in Oakland to enjoy what we have created.

***
Submit your art of any expression (from paintings and sculpture to spoken word and performances). We do not want to put restrictions on your creativity. First place winners will win cash prizes! Afrikatown is dedicated towards making spaces that can economically sustain the most vibrant parts of our community— like the arts! So here’s to making our new Black Renaissance and POC arts thriving.

Guidelines: See the flyer for more information!

1. Artists should submit a high quality image or video of their artwork to info@qilombo.org and include the artists’ name, an art title, and the name of the contest theme they are submitting for. Submission deadline is February 3rd at midnight!
2. One must pay a $15 entry fee by the deadline via the Qilombo Paypal (finance@qilombo.org) which can also be found at our Qilombo Donate Page (qilombo.org/donate). Entry money will be used for the monetary contest prizes! Waivers may be given to those in true need.
3. Use the contest themes below!! :

• “Colonialism” or “Gentrification”
• “Ceremony” or “Generational Knowledge”
• “Liberate the Land” or “Black & Indigenous solidarity”
• “Resiliency” or “Community Power”
• “Decolonization” or “Resistance”
• “Afrofuturism” or “Indigenizing”

While 1st Fri out on the street may be getting more & more co-opted by blah from Mayor Libby Schaaf,

it’s still ‪#‎bythepeopleforthepeople‬ up in Alan’s house at 2434 Telegraph Ave ‪#‎Oakland‬.

We plan to turn up more and more every month!
So, in March, we on a whole nother level.

Surprise Line Up Coming Soon!

Your voice is needed!

Breakfast will be provided! You will be reimbursed for transit (keep your receipt).

What if confronting the climate crisis is the best chance we’ll ever get to build a better world?

Inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change.

After the film, join us for light refreshments at nearby Nong Thon Restaurant and mingle with representatives from local environmental and social justice organizations. Learn how to get involved and take action now.

Take low-carbon transport (bike, transit or walk) and enter a drawing for green giveaways!

Film Screening: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Mingle: 12:30pm – 2pm @ Nong Thon Restaurant

Event hosted by the City of El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee and the Ecology Center.
Co-sponsored by Breakthrough Communities, League of Women Voters, Transition Albany and Transition Berkeley.

For more information contact the Ecology Center at rebecca [at] ecologycenter.org, or the City of El Cerrito at green [at] ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or (510) 215-4350

In honor of International Women’s Day
Rasmea Fights Back:
The struggle of Women, Immigrants & Political Prisoners

Featuring:
Nadine Naber, University of Illinois at Chicago & Rasmea Odeh Defense Committee

#Justice4Rasmea

Hosted by:
The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC)

Rasmea Odeh is a 67 year old Palestinian American community leader who was tortured and falsely convicted by an Israeli military court. As a direct result, years later the US government convicted her of Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization, sentenced her to 18 months in prison and imminent deportation. The appeals court heard oral arguments on October 14th and recently granted the appeal!

What does the court of appeals’ decision mean for her case?
What are the implications for her and the Arab and Muslim community?
How can you get involved in her defense and in the defense of all people facing state repression?

www.justice4rasmea.org

If Iowa and New Hampshire have shaken the political establishment, how will things look after Super Tuesday, March 1? We are inviting speakers from different political perspectives (including Progressive Democrats of America, Peace and Freedom Party, Socialist Alternative, and UC Berkeley Students for Sanders) to share their views about Super Tuesday 2016 and listen to ours.

Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.
FREE – but hat will be passed for donations to NPML

About Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
A weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.

There is a solution to the Affordable Housing Crisis

Berkeley could build at least 100 units of affordable housing a year, if we raise funds for the Housing Trust Fund. Hear about practical solutions that will raise the money needed. Prepare for the 2016 Election by making plans to elect a mayor, city council members, and rent board commissioners who will represent all of us, not just the 1%.

Speakers include:

● Max Anderson ‐ Berkeley City Councilmember

District 3 (South Berkeley)

● Ben Bartlett ‐ member, Berkeley Planning Commission and District 3 City Council candidate

● Kate Harrison, Berkeley Progressive Alliance and National/State Politics Chair of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club

● Community Activists to update us on the upcoming 2016 Berkeley Tenant Convention, Minimum Wage efforts, the Proposed Landlord Tax and Public Campaign Financing

Lead poisoning is irreversible. Pediatricians such as Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha (who discovered the Flint water crisis) fear the Flint children who tested with elevated levels will suffer lifelong consequences. “If you were to put something in a population to keep them down for generation and generations to come, it would be lead,” Hanna-Attisha said. “It’s a well-known, potent neurotoxin. There’s tons of evidence on what lead does to a child, and it is one of the most damning things that you can do to a population. It drops your IQ, it affects your behavior, it’s been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. There is no safe level of lead in a child.”

The Flint water crisis is a drinking water contamination crisis began in April 2014. After Flint changed its water source from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water to the Flint River, its drinking water had a series of problems that culminated with lead contamination with extremely elevated levels of the heavy metal. In Flint, between 6,000 and 12,000 children have been exposed. Nine lawsuits have been filed against government officials on the issue, and several investigations have been opened. The city was declared to be in a state of emergency by the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, before Obama declared it as a federal state of emergency. Four government officials: one from the City of Flint, two from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and one from the Environmental Protection Agency resigned over the mishandling of the crisis, and one addditional MDEQ staff member was fired and another has a termination hearing pending. Governor Snyder issued an apology to citizens and promised to fix the problem.

While the local outcry about Flint water quality was growing in early 2015, Flint water officials filed papers with state regulators purporting to show that “tests at Flint’s water treatment plant had detected no lead and testing in homes had registered lead at acceptable levels.”The documents falsely claimed that the city had tested tap water from homes with lead service lines, and therefore the highest lead-poisoning risks; in reality; the city does not know the locations of lead service lines, which city officials acknowledged in November 2015 after the Flint Journal/MLive published an article revealing the practice after obtaining documents through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

In 2003, Bayview Hunters Point residents and community environmental justice organizations filed complaints with the US Department of Energy, charging the California Independent System Operator and PG&E with violating Title VI of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964. By applying standards that subject Bayview Hunters Point residents, the majority of who are low-income people of color, to unnecessary levels of fossil fuels, PG&E and California Independent Systems Operator are violating civil rights, the residents and organizations said.

Two years later, residents continued to suffer a medical chart’s worth health problems through being exposed to pollution from two of the state’s oldest power plants. This is in addition to the constant bombardment they’ve received of fumes and gases from sewage treatment, cement factories, a radioactive shipyard, and two highways. According to a 2003 study by the nonprofit Greenaction, residents in Southeast San Francisco are hospitalized for cognitive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, emphysema, and asthma at three times the statewide average. “The city of San Francisco has never made a commitment to the people of Bayview Hunters Point or to their health,” said Dr. Raymond Tompkins, administrative lecturer at San Francisco City College.

The rate of breast cancer in African American women under the age of 50 is twice as high there as in the rest of the state, he said. “The same chemicals that cause breast cancer cause testicular cancer,” he cautioned, adding that the health department has not even been searching for the latter disease when collecting its statistics on Bayview Hunters Point residents. He also pointed out that while the life expectancy for a white male living in San Francisco is 78 years, for an African American male in Bayview Hunters Point, it is 58 years. “We’re talking about life and death here.”

Please join us at OccupyForum Monday night to hear from Steve Zeltzer and Dr. Ray Tomkins about environmental genocide in communities of color; to call out the perpetrators, and to take a stand with communities against the corrupt agencies and systemic racism in the United States that allows, and perhaps encourages this to happen.

2016 International Working Women’s Day: Fight the Right, Deportations are Violence against Women!

This March 8th, join working women across the world to celebrate the resistance of immigrant women and stand up against right-wing attacks against immigrant families!

2 PM: Art and cultural Celebration [Lake Merritt Amphitheater, Lake Merritt Blvd & 12th St.]
March to the Federal Building [1301 Clay Street, Oakland] Vans provided to drive those with mobility needs
Rally: Immigrant Women speak out against Deportations and to stop the right wing attacks to immigrant women’s rights and survival!

Sponsored by ACUDIR, the World March of Women Bay Area Chapter, and GABRIELA USA.

The second of three community “listening sessions” to be conducted by the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, known by its acronym COPS, which was called in by police Chief Greg Suhr and Mayor Ed Lee following the fatal shooting of Mario Woods on Dec. 2.

Background article.

Our first film this year will be Salt of the Earth (1954), which was produced, directed and written by victims of U.S. Congressional blacklisting, (aka redlisting). Originally banned in the U.S., it was directed by Herbert Biberman, one of the Hollywood Ten. The cast is almost entirely workers who participated in the real-life strike that the film is based upon.
In a gritty mining town in New Mexico, Mexican-American workers go on strike to protest their dangerous working conditions and low wages. They meet with fierce opposition from company thugs and local deputies. After vicious beatings the wives and mothers of the striking workers take over the picket line in a final demand for justice.

Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Ctee
Wheelchair accessible.

Join us for an amazing panel discussion with four women activists with Black Lives Matter and associated organizations. Plus a documentary screening of “We Have Nothing to Lose But Our Chains!”