Protect Our MACRO Victory & Police out of Special Events

1. The City must move MACRO forward with all deliberate speed in order to implement this critical program & framework;
2. The City must hold to their commitment to a higher pay scale for front line MACRO workers to ensure workers are able to invest long term in the program;
3. The City must implement a community oversight board that ensures MACRO works in an effective, transparent and transformational way that centers the expertise of the people of Oakland;
4. The City must pursue additional funding avenues and present a plan to expand and sustain MACRO so that this critical service can be accessible to Oakland residents 24/7.

Additionally we will be calling on the City Administrator Ed Reiskin to implement the council directive passed in July 2020 to move the handling of special events out of OPD, and have it done by civilians to end the prohibitive cost of police fees from stopping community events.

For events like First Fridays and others to continue, we must end the senseless drain by police staffing fees on events that are meant to benefit the community.
Hope to see you soon!
APTP
Anti Police-Terror Project is a Black-led, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition that seeks to build a replicable and sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. We support families surviving police terror in their fight for justice, documenting police abuses and connecting impacted families and community members with resources, legal referrals, and opportunities for healing.

Donate

=========================

The Berkeley Anarchist Study Group (aka BASTARD: Berkeley Anarchist Students [of] Attack, Revolt, & Destruction) is one of the longest running (if not the longest running) anarchist reading groups in North America. We meet every Tuesday night from 7:30-9:30pm PST (note the new time!) at The Long Haul (3124 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley).

New participants are always encouraged to stop by regardless of your familiarity with anarchist ideas or practices. We warmly welcome newcomers and encourage them to make the group their own in the same manner we all do. To this effect, we endeavor to cultivate a convivial and gregarious atmosphere where everyone can contribute in whatever ways and to whatever degree they each desire. We do not, however, incorporate fixed practices aimed at creating an artificial “safe space” or prioritize the voices of certain participants as a way of ostensibly bringing about contrived parity amongst ourselves. We have no membership, no responsibilities, and no codes of behavior. In lieu of spurious standards for relating to each other, we look to every participant to find a balance between making their voice heard and hearing those of the rest of the group, between disagreeing passionately with each other and accepting our divergences without necessarily needing to resolve them. In summary, we eschew inflexible precepts for interaction and instead embrace spontaneous and honest dialogue, while leaving it up to each individual to make their voice heard and utilize the group as they see fit.

The study group organizes an annual gathering called the BASTARD Conference. This DIY event consists of informal, autodidactic presentations on anarchy and anarchists, presented by participants in the study group along with friends, guests, and accomplices from around the world.

In addition, this group has acted as a launching point for many texts, projects, and actions in its three decades of existence. Many attendees have been and continue to be integrally involved in projects which have left enduring impacts on international anarchist milieus over the years.

We pick readings for the coming week at the end of each session, after which they will be posted here. If you have a text you’d like to suggest, come pitch it to the group, but please be ready to kick off the following week’s conversation by introducing & sharing your reasons for choosing it.

If any of this sparks your interest or curiosity, then come join us every Tuesday evening from 7:30-9:30pm at The Long Haul (3124 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley). Email birdsoffire [at] riseup [dot] net with any questions. We hope to see you soon!

Walk expropriating and igniting!
Always leaving behind me howls of moral offenses
and smoking trunks of old things.

For the annihilation of all authority!
For the refusal of all submission!
Toward the beautiful idea of anarchy!

Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Public Protection Committee is
taking up further AB1185 sheriff/jail oversight implementation
planning on Thursday, October 14th @ 10am. Make Your Voice Heard.
Links will be posted here: https:// bos.acgov.org/ committee-meetings/
Your emails to the Committee prior to the Oct 14th meeting can be sent
to Chair Valle, richard.valle@acgov.org and Supervisor Miley at
nate.miley@acgov.org supporting the principles that ICJJ, FIAEB, CPA
and allies are advocating (link) For additional followup information,
contact Bruce @ brucds@pacbell.net

Faith In Action East Bay, the Interfaith Coalition for
Justice in our Jails (ICJJ) and Coalition for Police
Accountability (CPA) have begun organizing broad
community support for implementation of the most
effective possible oversight of the Alameda County
Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). We know ACSO, which
includes control of Santa Rita Jail among its
assignments, has a record of the highest number of
inmate deaths and lawsuits in the region. Further the
US Department of Justice and ongoing lawsuits have
documented failure to provide adequate custodial
mental health services, and a variety of other practices
have been deemed violations of constitutional rights.
Members of the Board of Supervisors’ Public
Protection Committee, Chair Richard Valle of
District 1 and District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley, have
demonstrated serious interest in implementation of the
recent state law, AB1185, providing for communitybased
oversight boards and an office of Inspector
general, both with subpoena powers. FIAEB, CPA and
ICJJ have done extensive research.

We’ve identified several core principles:

First, we need both a community-based Oversight Board
as well as a professional, full-time Inspector General,
both with subpoena power and full access to all relevant
records and information related to ACSO law
enforcement operations in Santa Rita Jail.

Second, appointment of the community board, which
power is vested in the Board of Supervisors by state law,
should be a transparent, inclusive process with open
applications and evaluation of candidates from diverse
experience by an appointed selection panel which will
provide the Supervisors with the panel’s
recommendations. Current or former law enforcement
personnel will not be eligible to serve on the Board.

Third, it is essential that both the Inspector General
and the Oversight Board have legal counsel completely
independent of the County Counsel, which has conflicts
of interest as legal representative of the sheriff and
county in civil suits related to Santa Rita and the sheriff.

Fourth, the Board and office of Inspector General need
dedicated and adequate funding for administrative,
policy, community engagement and investigative staff –
we recommend a baseline of funding equivalent to 1% of
the sheriff’s budget.

Fifth, all Oversight Board meetings shall be open to the
public, with mandated public town halls and reports on
issues of community concern.

Full AB1185 Advocates Coalition Letter HERE:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BLgER7G2KMraT1mV_XyKG7GKLVfVHf3i/view

The post 9/11 war on terror framework further legitimized the targeting and criminalization of Muslim, immigrant and Black communities and produced techniques, agencies, and concepts of policing that are increasingly being used on all communities of color and protesters.  We will look at militarized policing, the development of ICE, fusion centers, “pre-crime,” the use of community leaders and social service organizations in surveillance, and what local communities are doing to push back.

Register: https://www.afsc.org/action/policing-and-war-terror

Join us for a screening of the KQED-produced documentary “Dear Homeland” by award-winning Colombian documentary filmmaker Claudia Escobar. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the film’s director and singer-songwriter Diana Gameros, whose story is the heart of this film, and a live musical performance.

—–Unete para la proyeccion del documental producido por KQED “Querida Tierra” (o “Dear Homeland” en ingles) de la galardonada cineasta documental colombiana Claudia Escobar. La proyeccion sera seguida de una conversacion con la directora de la pelicula y cantautora Diana Gameros, quien compartira algunas canciones.

About the Film

“Dear Homeland” tells the story of Bay Area-based singer-songwriter Diana Gameros as she finds her voice as an artist and fights to define home for herself as an undocumented immigrant. Told in part through Diana’s hauntingly beautiful music, we learn of her nearly 20-year journey that takes her from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to San Francisco, California, where we watch Diana assert herself not only as a musician, but as an immigrant seeking citizenship and as an advocate for immigrant rights. It is through song and finding a community of artists and immigrants that she finds the courage to share her own story of being undocumented. She channels her fears and the weight of her separation from her family into powerful songs and activism – navigating the world she left behind in Mexico while finding a home in the United States. This lyrical and poetic film gives audiences a unique look into the challenges, aspirations and opportunities Diana experiences, providing a counter-narrative to the dehumanizing language that dominates present-day narratives about immigrants. Dear Homeland is a deep reflection on family, resilience and what it means to call a place home.

Sunday at the Marxist Library (online)

So, what does Lenin take from Marx’s vast works and summarize it succinctly? And specifically on Socialism. Some of us thought that last week’s discussion on socialism did not deal aqequately with Lenin’s scientific concept, so we invited Raj Sahai to lead a Group Discusion on this important topic. Raj will be joined by Gary Hicks and Eugene Ruyle to begin our open discussion. In preparation, folks are invited to read V. I. Lenin’s Karl Marx — a Brief Biographical Sketch with an Exposition of Marxism (1914), available at:

https://libcom.org/library/karl-marx-brief-biographical-sketch-1914-vladimir-lenin
LOGIN INFORMATION

We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible, but the Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for informal discussion.

THIS ZOOM LINK IS GOOD FOR

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=WXc2dUlJcGNJektTcGlmSWhBMHZwdz09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS1017rs
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Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
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=========================

The Berkeley Anarchist Study Group (aka BASTARD: Berkeley Anarchist Students [of] Attack, Revolt, & Destruction) is one of the longest running (if not the longest running) anarchist reading groups in North America. We meet every Tuesday night from 7:30-9:30pm PST (note the new time!) at The Long Haul (3124 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley).

New participants are always encouraged to stop by regardless of your familiarity with anarchist ideas or practices. We warmly welcome newcomers and encourage them to make the group their own in the same manner we all do. To this effect, we endeavor to cultivate a convivial and gregarious atmosphere where everyone can contribute in whatever ways and to whatever degree they each desire. We do not, however, incorporate fixed practices aimed at creating an artificial “safe space” or prioritize the voices of certain participants as a way of ostensibly bringing about contrived parity amongst ourselves. We have no membership, no responsibilities, and no codes of behavior. In lieu of spurious standards for relating to each other, we look to every participant to find a balance between making their voice heard and hearing those of the rest of the group, between disagreeing passionately with each other and accepting our divergences without necessarily needing to resolve them. In summary, we eschew inflexible precepts for interaction and instead embrace spontaneous and honest dialogue, while leaving it up to each individual to make their voice heard and utilize the group as they see fit.

The study group organizes an annual gathering called the BASTARD Conference. This DIY event consists of informal, autodidactic presentations on anarchy and anarchists, presented by participants in the study group along with friends, guests, and accomplices from around the world.

In addition, this group has acted as a launching point for many texts, projects, and actions in its three decades of existence. Many attendees have been and continue to be integrally involved in projects which have left enduring impacts on international anarchist milieus over the years.

We pick readings for the coming week at the end of each session, after which they will be posted here. If you have a text you’d like to suggest, come pitch it to the group, but please be ready to kick off the following week’s conversation by introducing & sharing your reasons for choosing it.

If any of this sparks your interest or curiosity, then come join us every Tuesday evening from 7:30-9:30pm at The Long Haul (3124 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley). Email birdsoffire [at] riseup [dot] net with any questions. We hope to see you soon!

Walk expropriating and igniting!
Always leaving behind me howls of moral offenses
and smoking trunks of old things.

For the annihilation of all authority!
For the refusal of all submission!
Toward the beautiful idea of anarchy!

Oneof the country’s leading organizers and a co-creator of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza’s work has helped shape the discourse on activism and empowerment for more than a decade.

In 2013, Alicia wrote what she called “a love letter to Black people” on Facebook, in the aftermath of the acquittal of the man who murdered seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin. She wrote: Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.

Long before #BlackLivesMatter became a rallying cry for this generation, Alicia spent the better part of two decades learning and unlearning some hard lessons about organizing. The lessons she offers are different from the “rules for radicals” that animated earlier generations of activists, and diverge from the charismatic, patriarchal model of the American civil rights movement.

In her latest book, The Purpose of Power, Alicia reflects instead on how making room amongst the woke for those who are still awakening can inspire and activate more people to fight for the world we all deserve. Drawing on both her life and her work, Alicia shares a new paradigm for change for the next generation of change-makers.

Join performer, social worker, and activist Honey Mahogany for a powerful conversation with Alicia about her life, her work, and how to build transformative movements to address the challenges of our time.

Free, suggested donation of $20.

Join us along with @CAIRSFBA and @EFF for a CLE webinar that will survey what immigrants and noncitizens might face when entering or leaving a port of entry in California.

🗓 When: Wednesday, Oct. 20th from 6-8pm PT
✍️ Register here: https://t.co/dZL7JJJrum

(1/3) pic.twitter.com/XOtliMiieZ

— NLG San Francisco Bay Area (@nlgsf) October 5, 2021

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library

   Turkey is a neo-colonial NATO member country.  It is tied through its umbilical cord to imperialism.,  Changing the name from Ottoman Empire to Republic of Turkey did not change much from what Ottomans stood for.  An attempt at a bourgeois revolution was too late and had started during the Ottomans but was cut short, crushed, due to occurring in the age of imperialism,  Bourgeois had changed character in this age and was no longer what used to be called a “national bourgeoisie.”  Better term for the leaders of this crippled revolution would be “local bourgeoise” and its character as “comprador bourgeoisie” due to its relationship with imperialism.

Fascism passes through dormant and active phases, but never leaves Turkey.  It is impossible to speak of a “bourgeoise democracy” in the age of imperialism in the neo-colonial countries.  This is tied to the crippled bourgeois revolution.  Any and all, even very peaceful demonstrations are brutally attacked and participants get long prison sentences.  Hundreds of journalists are in jail, opposition party MPs are beaten, silenced and thrown into prisons, even without a charge for more than 4 years.  National Assembly is powerless and is irrelevant but stays for the show, typical of a regime that is defined as the neo-colonial fascism.  Unions are silenced and are under brutal attack.  Media is suppressed and internet access is controlled.  Government media spews unbelievable and outright ridiculous lies and repeats these 24 hours every hour on the clock. Corporations work hand in glove with the government while raking in billions of dollars.

Corruption, as expected in the capitalist world is no longer secret but has become the norm.  It is illegal to report corruption.  Turkey uses Europe’s regulations against surveillance capitalism to protect the citizens against corporations like Google and Facebook to protect the capitalists and the corrupt government officials.  It invokes the “right to be forgotten” against any news that exposes corruption, theft, bribery or murder and puts a media ban on news that exposes a corruption.  Meritocracy has long vanished and the only qualification to get a job is loyalty to the government.

Erdoğan was brought to power by the US imperialism and he knows not to bite the hand that feeds him.  As imperialism seems to lose the grip due to its seeming decline, neo-colonials do look around for a new boss to take its orders.  Fascism is the only way to rule in a country that also has a rich history of socialist and left opposition.  However, as new elections approach in a year and a half, the main topic that the country discusses is whether the government will even have the elections or respect the results.  The answer seems to lie in the parallel, paramilitary, armed, terrorist organizations the AKP government is preparing, very similar to the illegal, semi-secret structures that were used for the Armenian Genocide.

Economic collapse has only exacerbated the fascism and repression has increased even in the last few days.

These and similar issues on foreign affairs involving Syria, Russia, China, Greece but mostly European Union and the US will be discussed.  However, Turkey never did, does not, and will not decide independently in its internal or external affairs.  Imperialism is an internal affair in Turkey due to the class structure under imperialism.  What seems to be bold moves that could be read as challenging the US is only the slave asking for the leash to be extended a bit while Turkey picks up doing more dirty work for the US imperialism in the world and the Middle East.

Even many on the left who opposed the analysis of fascism in the past are pronouncing this terminology to define Turkey these days.

What are the alternatives?  What is the left to do?

Our speakeer, Mehmet Bayram, is visiting his native land Turkey and will be reporting from there.  He is a long time journalist, reporter, photographer and translator.  Currently he writes and translates for the Sendika.org in Turkey, a site shut down 62 times by the government. Please follow Turkey’s news in English at:  https://sendika.org/kategori/english/

LOGIN INFORMATION

We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible, but the Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for informal discussion.

THIS ZOOM LINK IS GOOD FOR

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=WXc2dUlJcGNJektTcGlmSWhBMHZwdz09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS1017rs
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,2591082607#,,,,*4131413530# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,2591082607#,,,,*4131413530# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
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