Calendar
In light of other actions this day in Oakland and in Santa Rosa for Andy Lopez, the monthly Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition meeting has been postponed for a week.
Hope to see you all next week!
Rally – Speak Out – March
–
Nationwide outrage has swept across the nation in the wake of the brutal murder of 13 year-old Andy Lopez by Santa Rosa Sheriff Erik Gelhaus.
The worst thing we can do now is go home. Keep the pressure on!
Stand with us as we stand against terror in our communities because:
– Playing with toys is NOT a crime.
– Walking while Brown or Black is NOT a crime.
– Living our lives is NOT a crime.
Fire Prosecute and Jail Erick Gelhaus.
Sponsoring Organizations:
ONYX Organizing Committee, Justice for Alan Blueford (JAB), ANSWER, Oscar Grant Foundation
There will be protests, in Andy’s name, as a collaboration with countless organizations around the nation, with groups protesting in their own respective cities…
Facebook page, more info & RSVP.
Come Tell Your Story.
Guest Speakers & Open Mic. Music, Snacks, Information Tables.
Say NO to Veolia/City Union Busting!
Hands off the Boston School Bus Union 5
– Vice President Steven Gillis (fired 11/1/13),
– Grievance Chair and Local founder Stevan Kirschbaum (fired 11/1/13),
– Recording Secretary and Charlestown Chief Steward Andre Francois,
– Steward and Local founder Richard Lynch and Steward
– 3 term former President Garry Murchison.
The latter three suspended and threatened with firing.
Every day, USW Local 8751 members in Boston are experiencing more and increasing disrespect from Veolia management, including constant suspensions and threats based on bogus allegations and constant harassment. This includes an illegal lockout that occurred on October 8 that was substantiated and witnessed by local union officials and community leaders, which followed a constitutionally protected free speech protest and discussion by the workers of Veolia’s contract violations and disrespect.
eolia is an international conglomerate that has an extensive history of union busting, and relentless attacks on communities of color. Veolia is an International Tea Party patriot with links to the Koch brothers and the 1%. Their crimes of greed are worldwide, from the profits garnered from running segregated buses and a “settlers only” garbage dump in Israeli occupied Palestine.
Facebook page, More info & RSVP.
A unique opportunity to attend a free talk by Dr. Joy DeGruy, author of Posttraumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Injury and Healing.
This is a FREE event.
Dr. Joy DeGruy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication, a master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Work Research. Dr. Joy DeGruy is a nationally and internationally renowned researcher, educator, author and presenter. She is an Assistant Professor at Portland State University and the President of JDP Inc. Dr. DeGruy has over twenty-five years of practical experience as a professional in the field of social work. She conducts workshops and trainings in the areas of mental health, social justice and culture specific social service model development.
Our weekly open meeting for members and supporters to discuss the weeks tasks and projects. Come get plugged into ongoing housing defense work! We have abundant and varied work for all folks in any number of meaningful projects.
Rain location: SF Pizza, 1500 Broadway, Oakland
Our weekly open meeting for members and supporters to discuss the week’s tasks and projects. Come get plugged into ongoing housing defense work! We have abundant and varied work for all folks in any number of meaningful projects.
Rain location: SF Pizza, 1500 Broadway, Oakland
***PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE BELOW!
The Bay Area Battle in Transport: Workers Face Employer Onslaught
No More Defeats Like Wisconsin!
Business Unionism vs.
Class Struggle Unionism
Meeting:
November 10 (Sunday) 2:00 PM
At: Black Repertory Theater
3201 Adeline Street, Berkeley
Although BART workers marched through downtown Oakland in August and October chanting “Strike, strike, strike!”, union officials shackled them with a concessionary contract.
Why did BART workers settle for a concessionary contract after fighting for four months — striking twice, staging militant mass rallies in downtown Oakland, and inspiring AC Transit bus drivers and mechanics to twice vote down concessionary contracts — each time overwhelmingly?
Why did BART workers vote so resoundingly to approve the concessionary contract (more than 85% of those voting voted “Yes”)? Was this the best they could do? How could they have won a better contract?
Why didn’t BART union leaders mobilize the rank and file (for example, through democratically elected strike committees?) Why wasn’t there a joint strike committee of the BART unions (ATU 1555, SEIU 1021, and AFSCME 3993) and the AC Transit union (ATU 192)? Why did ATU 192 president Yvonne Williams denounce a joint strike of AC Transit workers and BART workers as “Armageddon”?
Why did BART and AC Transit union officials put their faith in Democratic politicians rather than reaching out aggressively to labor and the community? Why did ATU 1555 leaders call on Jerry Brown to invoke a 60-day cooling-off period to suspend the right to strike? How can we defend the right to strike for transit workers, when Democratic state politicians are drafting legislation to make such strikes illegal?
Why did ILWU officials turn their backs on their union’s militant history and direct their members to cross a picket line of port truckers and community supporters? How can ILWU members reclaim the solidarity their union badly needs. Longshoremen are locked out at two northwest ports. Scabs are doing their work. And negotiations for the ILWU’s master contract for all West Coast ports is just around the bend.
Has the labor movement lost its class struggle moorings? In its heyday unions fought for the unemployed and underemployed, for immigrant workers and youth, against racism and home foreclosures. What can be done to ignite such struggle today, forge real solidarity, and beat the bosses’ barrage of union busting?
Come hear speakers involved in these worker struggles:
George Figueroa– Strike Coordinator of the successful July BART strike for ATULocal 1555*, now being victimized by BART.
Clarence Thomas– Co-Chair of the Million Worker March, Executive Board member of ILWU 10*
A Member ATU Local 192* (AC Transit worker)
Yemane Seium, Frank Adams– Organziers, Oakland Port Truckers’ Association*
Jack Heyman– Chair of TWSC and an organizer of the 1984 longshore anti-apartheid ship boycott, the May Day 2008 anti-war West Coast port shutdown and the 2010 Bay Area ports protest for justice for Oscar Grant
(*for identification purposes only)
This forum is organized by the Transport Workers Solidarity Comittee (www.transportworkers.org)
The Post Office has put the Berkeley Post Office up for sale!!
Five weeks ago we learned that perfidious Post Office Executives, who only the week before had sent a letter to the Berkeley City Council offering to negotiate until at least November 12th, had had CBRE (Richard Blum’s company) list the downtown Berkeley Post Office for sale.
Last week the Planning Commission passed on to the Berkeley City a proposed Zoning Ordinance that would make the Post Office property less desirable to potential purchasers of the capitalist variety.
Come and help plan our next actions in defense of our post office and against privatization.
Check out the video of Peter Byrne’s talk at our recent Save the Post Office Rally!
Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
OccupyForum presents…
Making Observations: Seeing the World as it Currently is and Adjusting Accordingly
with Javier Ocasio
“Making Observations came about through my need to educate myself, my fellow active citizens and the passive people who go about their daily lives not knowing the current state of the world they live in. Only by getting a visual picture of the present health of our biosphere and the humans who reside in it, can we see what our impact is, and thereby understand how urgent and dire our current situation is. That in turn will enable us to see the importance of developing a broad strategy in which everyone can participate to respond to this crisis, and how unity is the key to our survival.” — Javier Ocasio
Javier Ocasio is an Army Veteran who served 15 years in Army Aviation, in the regular Army and in Special Operations Aviation. He’s been stationed at Ft. Campbell Kentucky, Hawaii, South Korea, Iraq, and Virginia. He was an Aviation mechanic on Chinook helicopters; Squad Leader, Section Supervisor and an instructor teaching new recruits how to fix helicopters. He specialized in troubleshooting and problem solving. After leaving the service he joined Occupy Wall Street, then Occupy DC. He is also a member of Veterans For Peace.
Time will be allotted for Q&A, discussion and announcements. Donations to Occupy Forum to cover costs are encouraged; no one turned away!
A curfew for those less than 18 years of age will
- Give carte blanche to the Oakland Police to stop and harass anyone to check their ID for age, but especially younger people who are in fact eighteen or older.
- Give the Oakland Police carte blanche to stop young women and “search” them.
- Make those who are legally allowed to be out after curfew – both those under 18 and over – have to prove their innocence to the Oakland Police.
- Devote police resources to harassing people, instead of responding to real crime.
- Violate the civil liberties of Oakland’s residents.
- Increase the animosity felt among young people of color towards the Oakland Police, rather than reduce it.
- Increase the likelihood of another horrible police murder, such as happened to Alan Blueford, 18 at the time he was stopped on the sidewalk for no reason by the Oakland Police.
> The 17th Annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture will present a panel discussion on “New Strategies for Confronting the Climate Crisis” on November 12, at 8 p.m., in UC’s Wheeler Auditorium. Free tickets are available at:
>
> www.mariosaviolecture.eventbrite.com
>
> Disabled access instructions here:
>
> http://access-guide.berkeley.edu/buildings/wheeler-hall
>
> Doors open at 6:30; tickets must be presented by 7:45 to receive priority entrance. The only way to assure a Reserved Seat is by making a donation to the Lecture fund via this link:
>
> http://www.savio.org/donations.html
>
> Panelists include: May Boeve, Executive Director and co-founder of 350.org, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Gopal Dayaneni of Movement Generation (Justice & Ecology Project), Sharon Lungo, co-director of The Ruckus Society, and Phil Radford, Executive Director of Greenpeace.
>
> Wheeler is significantly smaller than Pauley, so people should download their tickets as soon as they know for sure that they’re coming. A friend can save you a seat, but remember, you will need to have your own ticket to enter.
>
Join the Port Truckers as they make noise at city hall while some are inside meeting with California Air Resources Board. This is the body that is able to grant some of the demands of the Truckers, including an extension on truck upgrades and grant funding to compensate the cost of upgrades. They had refused to meet with the truckers until the port action in October.
While a few if them are in the meeting with CARB, port and city officials, the truckers want to let them know that there is LOTS of support for them outside!!
Protest Against the Indictment of Palestinian Activist, Rasmea Odeh
The United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and Rasmea’s supporters and legal team have called for the 13th of this month to be NATIONAL DAYS of ACTION to support Rasmea and demand dropping of the charges now!
If convicted, Rasmea faces up to 10 years in prison, being stripped of her U.S. citizenship, and probable deportation. We cannot allow this to happen. The charges against her are a political attack on her as an individual and on Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities across the U.S. as a whole. The U.S. government is attacking Rasmea just as they attacked the Holy Land Foundation, the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists in 2010, Chicano leader, Carlos Montes, and many others who have fought for justice and dignity.
Endorsed by: USPCN, Palestinian Youth Movement, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, International Jewish Anti-zionist Network, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Bay Area Committee to Stop Political Repression, National Lawyer’s Guild-San Francisco, Freedom Archives, Critical Resistance, All Of Us Or None
Take Action!
Sign the petition to drop the charges against Rasmea: http://www.iacenter.org/rasmeaodehpetition/
Call and send photos of support for Rasmea!
Join the Facebook page: Drop The Charges Against Rasmea Now!
Mobilize to support Rasmea at her next hearing in Detroit on November 13th.
Have your organization sign or write a solidarity statement (email to: stopfbi@gmail.com)
Less than 2 months ago, Occupy Wall Street’s Alternative Banking Group published a brand new 100-page book entitled, “Occupy Finance”! The entire book is available free online.
Strike Debt Bay Area’s “Politics of Debt” book discussion group will get together in downtown Oakland next Wednesday evening, November 13th, to discuss the first half of the book, including the following chapters:
Introduction: Fighting Our Way Out of the Financial Maze
Section 1. The Real Life Impact of Financialization on the 99%
Chapter 1. Heads They Win, Tails We Lose
Chapter 2. The Bailout: It Didn’t Work, It’s Still Going On, and It’s Making Things Worse
Section 2. How We Got Here
Chapter 3. How Banks Create Money … and Keep Itt
Chapter 4. A Little History to Explain a Lot of Tragedy
Chapter 5. The Dirty Dozen Legal Outrages
Join us for lively and informative discussion of this important Occupy achievement!
All are welcome!
Resisting the Prison Industrial Complex is a multiracial and inter-generational panel discussion on community resistance efforts against mass incarceration among communities of color. Panelists will share their experiences and perspectives as former prisoners, crusaders against mass incarceration and advocates for the rights of prisoners, their families and ex-offenders.
The panel will include prestigious members of the following community organizations:
• Families With a Future
• All of Us or None
• Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity
• Asian Prisoner Support Committee
• Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
In the fall of 2012, Bob Avakian gave a series of talks in different cities. This is a film of one of those talks.
“American Promise is more than a documentary; it is part of a bigger, ongoing movement about changing perceptions of-and behavior and values with respect to-young African-American males in our society.” Documentary Magazine
A documentary 13 years in the making, American Promise follows the journeys of two African-American boys and their families from kindergarten to high school graduation and provides a powerful narrative about the lives of african-american boys and their families, as well as the factors that contribute to the achievement gap in education for black males.
Also showing in San Francisco at the Roxie and in Berkeley at Rialto Cinemas in Elmwood.
#WalmartStrikers are #HellaOURWalmart and we are here to tell Walmart we’re here to stay and not backing down. Join us for a community planning meeting this Saturday for Black Friday 2013 in the Bay.
Near 12th St BART in downtown Oakland.
Northern California Our Walmart Facebook.
And Twitter @ForRespectNoCal and @HellaOURWalmart
Fighting the proposed curfew in Oakland. Protesting in Sacramento on O22. Demanding that Kamala Harris investigate the death of Alan Blueford and all other victims of police violence here in California. Speaking out against the militarization of police.
Join as as we review our recent actions and plan future ones!