Calendar
On February 26th (6pm-8pm) the City of Oakland will host a session in City Council Chambers for “Public Input to the DAC Privacy Policy Framework.” The Oakland Privacy Working Group will conduct a meeting the day before (Tuesday, February 25th 7pm) at the Sudo Room. If you are an active participant please attend this meeting. We will be discussing and solidifying our overall approach and plan for addressing City Council as one voice.
Note: Our regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 28th, at 8:30 PM in the same location (Sudo room), after the Privacy Policy Framework meeting at City Call.
SAN FRANCISCO TENANTS’ GROUPS TO HOLD “MARCH ON GREED” IN PROTEST OF LOCAL LANDLORD AND “SERIAL EVICTOR”
San Francisco – Next Wednesday, February 26, a coalition of tenants’ rights activists and and local economic justice groups, led by the rising direct action group Eviction Free San Francisco, will hold a march in protest of a local landlord Kaushik Dattani, who has been receiving increased notoriety as a “serial evictor” due to him recently being added to the “dirty dozen” by the Anti Eviction Mapping Project, for being one of the worst Ellis- Act evictors in San Francisco. The event, titled “A March on Greed: Housing is a Human Right”, aims to make Mr. Dattani an example of real estate speculation that has been directly affecting the displacement of the City’s lower and middle income renters.
The meet-up for this event is to happen at 11:30am on Wednesday, at the 24th Street BART station. From there, the group plans to walk to Mr. Dattani’s office at 3232 22nd Street. The event is anticipated to last no longer than an hour, and is expected to have a similar crowd size as past protests led by the group, which has shown to be 50 to over 100 participants.
Rally & March.
We Aer All Trayvon Martin. The whole Damn System is Guilty.
Youth Are Not Suspects, They Are Human Beings.
The murder of Trayvon Martin was, and still is, a towering outrage. Remember: when the verdict came down many thousands rejected the call for “calm reflection” from Obama and others and took to the streets in outrage.
Many more asked: Why does this happen? And, what can we do about it? There is a challenge before us: What kind of world are we going to live in? On February 26, 2014 we must answer that challenge with a day of outrage and remembrance for Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Andy Lopez, Renisha MeBride and all the thousands of others like them.
These are modern day lynchings. They sent a message that Black and Latino youth have a bulls-eye on their backs that cops and any ordinary racist can use as target practice.
In response we must deliver our own message: we will not stand by in silence as our youth are brutalized, locked up, murdered and more. On Feb 26th, in Oakland and EVERYWHERE across the country we must say NO MORE! to the criminalization of whole generations of Black and Latino youth.
NOTE: We are meeting at 8:30 tonight so we can attend the first public meeting on the DAC “privacy” policy.
http://oaklandwiki.org/Public_Meeting_on_DAC_Privacy_Policy
Join Oakland Privacy Working Group to organize against the Domain Awareness Center (DAC), Oakland’s citywide networked mass surveillance hub.
We aim to have 2 monthly meetings, every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 6:30 at the SUDOROOM. Stop by and learn how you can help guard Oakland’s right not to be spied on by the government & if you are interested in joining the Oakland Privacy Working Group email listserv, send an email to: oaklandprivacyworkinggroup-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The entrance to the sudoroom is on 22nd Street, ring the buzzer and come up the stairs or take the elevator.
For more information on the DAC check out the DAC FAQ, the Oakland Wiki Domain Awareness Page and the Oakland Privacy WordPress.
A Kentucky-based company called Bowie Resource Partners wants to turn Oakland’s Jack London Square into a hub for shipping dirty coal to Asia.
CREDO activists have helped fight off similar proposals in Oregon and Washington over the past few years, but the coal industry is desperate to ship its dirty product overseas, so it is now targeting California for coal exports.
The Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners will be discussing the proposal at its meeting on Thursday � and it wants to hear whatt local residents think. Can you be there to urge the Board of Commissioners to reject the disastrous proposal to export dirty coal through the Port of Oakland
We’d recommend arriving at 3 p.m. to sign up to speak.
Allowing coal to be exported through the Port of Oakland would pollute our air and water with dangerous coal dust and undermine our efforts to fight climate change. It’s a bad deal for Oakland and the Port’s Board of Commissioners needs to reject it without delay.
The Board of Commissioners’ own staff report detailed several problems with the proposal, including increased greenhouse gas emissions, coal dust pollution, conflicts with the port’s policies and the likelihood of community opposition.
It is outrageous that the Port of Oakland is even considering proposals to export dirty coal. With a big turnout at Thursday’s public meeting we can make it clear to the Port’s Board of Commissioners that the Bay Area won’t stand for a dirty coal export terminal at Jack London Square.
JAB is currently focused on the demand that California Attorney General Kamala Harris do her job & prosecute ALL killer cops. Everyone is welcome, we will meet at The Alan Blueford Center for Justice at 2434 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, please check here for late changes.
Our latest action was a civil disobedience “standin” at Oakland’s State Building that resulted in eight people being arrested, but the good news is that all the charges are being dropped.
Upcoming events we will be discussing include
- – April 8 – Families United March on State Capital
- – April 25 – Civil trial begins in support of Ernest Duenez, Jr. in Sacramento
- – May 8 – Civil trial begins in support of Alan Blueford
- – May 31 – statewide mobilization in support of Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa
“First they came for the homeless…”
Occupy / Sit-in against Sit/Lie law in front of Macy’s
This is the second action of this campaign
Don’t stand for Sit/Lie!!
After the March Against Corruption this Saturday,
join us in front of Macy’s SF Store on Union Square
The Postal Service has put the Berkeley Post Office up for sale!!
The Postal Service has started to outsource Post Office services to Staples, replacing union jobs with low-paying, low benefit work.
And we’re fighting against both!
Come help us plan our next steps.
The City Council is on a path to pass some sort of Zoning Overlay which may protect the Post Office against various commercial uses, or be totally ineffective. We need to stay on top of it.
The American Postal Workers Union is planning more actions against Staples; we need to support them. We have some ideas of our own too! One will be presented at this meeting.
Encouraging articles have come out recently about using Post Offices as banking facilities for the unbanked and we need to be on the leading edge of that. And Barbara Lee has introduced even stronger language into legislation to stop the sale of Historic Post Offices.
THINGS ARE HAPPENING!
AND CHECK OUT OUR SPIFFY NEW WEBSITE.
Dearest friends, family and fellow farmers,
We need your voices and bodies in Albany this Wednesday! Despite a successful referendum, citizen appeal, 2 current lawsuits, and 15 years of public comments against the commercial development of the Gill Tract Farm, Albany City Council will be voting on a development plan to place a large parking lot and chain grocery store (“Sprouts”) on the south side of the Gill Tract. The city council moved this vote up from the original date of March 17th, so please help us get the word out about the new date and time!
This a very important vote and the outcome will greatly impact the struggle for the Gill Tract. Please join us to voice your opposition to this development:
If you can’t come, please email or call UCB Vice-chancellor of Real Estate Rob Lalanne (415-908-1500) and Chancellor Nicholas Dirks (510-642-7464). Tell them we want preserve this land as a center for agroecological research and local, sustainable urban farming, and demand that they stop commercial development of public farmlands!
We meet on a once-every-two-week-or-so schedule, discussing debt, money, how our financial system does (and usually does not) work, and the politics of it all.
Here is the PDF for chapters 2 & 3 for Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. These are the chapters we will discuss next meeting:
- Here is a link to the scan for the preface of Michael Hudson’s The Bubble and Beyond. Please read it and come with an idea for which chapters you would like the class to read.
Michael Hudson’s ‘The Bubble and Beyond.’
We’ll be discussing chapters 6 & 7 from Michael Hudson’s The Bubble and Beyond. Here’s a PDF.
Massive Women’s Convergence on the Golden Gate Bridge
Activists from Bay Area CodePink, No Nukes Action Committee and Fukushima Response will form a united front on the Golden Gate Bridge in recognition of women’s global effort for a better world.
10:00 Rally, Music, Dance, S.F. side of Golden Gate Bridge.
11:00 March across the eastern walkway, starting on either side of the bridge, to meet in middle for convergence for peace, equality and environmental justice.
12:00 (SF side)
Honoring women activists, past & present.
All are encouraged to represent a woman peace & social justice activist from around the world, and to share her story through a mini-bio, a poem, a photo, song and or story.
The convergence themes will include:
1. Women United to End War & Violence:
In solidarity with the Afghan women working for peace & justice and an end to brutal occupation. Please wear sky blue scarves to symbolize the blue sky that we all share, and our inherent right to peace, justice and economic equality.
2. Nuke-Free World Now! On the 3rd anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, we stand in solidarity with the women of Japan who demand an end to all nuclear power and weapons and a commitment to a safe and nuclear free environment for all.
3. E.R.A. NOW. In the 21st Century it is an abomination that the Equal Rights Amendment has still not been ratified. This day will mark the send off of a year long campaign & march from San Francisco to Washington DC to culminate on March 8, 2015, when Helen de Boissiere, accompanied by supporters, will arrive in DC to chain herself to the White House fence, demanding passage of the E.R.A.
Sponsored by Bay Area CodePink, No Nukes Action Committee and Fukushima Response
Prosecuting Attorney Angela Corey is planning to push for consecutive sentencing in Marissa’s upcoming re-trial, pushing for a 60 year sentence for firing a warning shot, causing no injury, to protect herself from her abusive husband. We cannot allow this to happen! It’s time to drop the charges against Marissa Alexander and let her get back to the work of raising her children and living her life.
This Saturday, International Women’s Day, at 2pm we will gather in Oscar Grant Plaza for a march into West Oakland to bring awareness to Marissa’s case. We will have information to give to folks and will move at a pace that allows for both participation and important conversations with our neighbors. Families are encouraged to participate!
New to Strike Debt?? Don’t walk cold turkey into a bunch of radicals talking about debt! Show up a half hour early—at 2:30 PM—for an informal pre-meeting intro session. If you’d like to attend this pre-together please email strike.debt.bay.area@
Join Strike Debt Bay Area in working on some exciting projects locally and nationally to fight unjust debt.
– The latest on our coalition efforts to Save the Berkeley Post Office and fight the privatization of our commons.
– The latest on our efforts to help Richmond and NGO allies push for principal reduction for Richmond’s homeowners. Read an article written by two Strike Debt Bay Area members on the Richmond principal reduction / eminent domain case.
In addition, we are exploring the use of a public bank to help Richmond, CA and other communities escape the thrall of Wall Street.
– Work on our radio segment on KPFA
– Other projects include efforts to fight against student debt in conjunction with peeps at UC Cal via a Strike Debt UC Berkeley chapter of Strike Debt, a book group with semi-weekly discussions, investigations into the legitimacy of mortgage ownership and therefore the right to foreclose, efforts to thwart payday loan usury and more.
“Just as bosses are dependent on workers, so are lenders dependent on borrowers. If workers walk out, the enterprise stops. If borrowers refuse to pay their debts, the lenders could be in real trouble. Each side depends on the other. The millions of underwater mortgage holders, of student debtors and credit card holders, need the bank loans – but so do the banks need those borrowers, and they especially need them to cooperate by paying their monthly charges. Otherwise, the capital that the banks list on their books begins to drain away.” ~Francis Fox Piven
Check out our website, our Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
Check out the Berkeley Post Office Defenders website too.
GG’s statement on homelessness at the Albany City Council:
http://www.youtube.com/user/orionorion99?feature=watch
On March 5th, we are sorry to report that Albany City Council chose to ignore the overwhelming crowd of farm supporters, and instead approved the UC’s development plan for the southern half of the Gill Tract. This public farmland is an invaluable and rare resource, but if the UC Administration has its way, it will be developed it for purely commercial uses that have nothing to do with Berkeley’s mission and responsibilities as a public land grant university.
After the meeting, many of the people who had come to speak to City Council had an impromptu meeting and announced several followup events:
- 1) A brainstorming and power-mapping forum for the community to propose and deliberate actions that might prevent the development.
- 2) A kickoff event for campus organizing. Let’s bring some pressure to bear on the UC Administration!
“Lunch with the Chancellor”
Meet in front of California Hall, on the UC campus
112 Hilgard Hall on UC campus
Can’t come out? Keep making calls!
Please continue to email or call UCB Vice-chancellor of Real Estate Rob Lalanne (415-908-1500) and Chancellor Nicholas Dirks (510-642-7464). Tell them we want preserve ALL of this land as a center for agroecological research and local, sustainable urban farming, and demand that they stop commercial development of public farmlands!
The Postal Service has put the Berkeley Post Office up for sale!!
The Postal Service has started to outsource Post Office services to Staples, replacing union jobs with low-paying, low benefit work.
And we’re fighting against both!
Come help us plan our next steps.
The City Council is on a path to pass some sort of Zoning Overlay which may protect the Post Office against various commercial uses, or be totally ineffective. We need to stay on top of it.
The American Postal Workers Union is planning more actions against Staples; we need to support them. We are going to start a “Don’t Shop at Staples” campaign.
Encouraging articles have come out recently about using Post Offices as banking facilities for the unbanked and we need to be on the leading edge of that. We hope to holding a forum on postal and public banking soon on the Post Office steps. Come help us plan it!
THINGS ARE HAPPENING!
AND CHECK OUT OUR SPIFFY NEW WEBSITE.
This Monday, we will start promptly at 6!!
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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
Got water?
Our water commons is leaking away,
next thing you know they’ll be selling us air
Water is essential for life. We are 65% water and are not likely to survive more than three days without it. Water is not just for drinking, but for other essential processes like growing food and for sanitation. Fresh water is in limited supply. Despite its preciousness, however, water is being violated by pollution and waste, and commercialization all over the globe. Corporations are privatizing and exploiting water supplies where people can least afford it. Climate change is turning more and more of the earth’s surface to desert, and when the rains do come, they come more often as violent storms. California’s most recent drought has brought our regional water issues to the front pages, including the question of why Northern California reservoirs are empty and SoCal reservoirs are full. How can we cope with and reverse this global and local water crisis?
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla is the Executive Director for Restore the Delta, which works in the areas of public education and outreach so that all Californians recognize the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta as part of California’s natural heritage, deserving of restoration. Prior to joining the campaign, Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla served as the Business Development Manager for the Planning and Conservation League in Sacramento. Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla has also worked in education, business and communications. Over the last seven years, Ms. Barrigan-Parrilla has worked to give Delta residents a voice in the myriad of government processes leading to the proposed peripheral tunnels project, or Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
Adam Scow is the California Director of Food & Water Watch, a national organization dedicated to protecting our right to safe food and clean water. He is responsible for developing strategy for local, state, and campaigns. Adam is a co-founder of Californians against Fracking and has won several campaigns to defeat attempts to privatize our water. He has served on the planning committee for the annual California Water Policy Conference.
Check out the Blue-Gold action plan!
http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/actionplan/index.html
The San Francisco School Bus Drivers (UTU 1741) are inviting you to a picket of Veolia’s para-transit office. This protest is in support of the 4 Union leaders fired by Veolia in Boston. Veolia’s anti-Union record is as bad as its environmental and human rights record.
Steve Gillis, Vice President of Boston School Bus Drivers Union, was one of the fired Union leaders. He was a featured speaker at the anti-Veolia Conference in SF on 2/8. Veolia locked out 800 drivers and fired the leadership of the Union (USW 8751) when they engaged in a protected union activity protesting Unfair Labor Practices by Veolia.
Over a period of only 3 months after Veolia won a contract for school busing in Boston Veolia succeeded in violating every term and condition of the Union contract that they had signed. The Union had, in that short time, filed 18 unfair labor practice charges and over 175 individual & class action grievances.
The fired Union leaders were the Vice President, The Chair of the Grievance committee, the three-term past President and the Recording Secretary. This was an attempt to decapitate the Union.
USW 8751 has asked for solidarity pickets at Veolia’s offices & businesses. Such protests have already had an effect and the Boston School Bus Drivers emphasize that right now things are at a critical juncture in negotiations to get their jobs back and the actions are more important than ever.
We will have signs, but feel free to bring your own signs.
Support Tristan and loved ones as we mark five years since the shooting of Bay Area activist, Tristan Anderson. Tristan was severely injured when he was shot in the head with a (American made) tear gas grenade by Israeli Military Police during a protest in Occupied Palestine in 2009 in the village of Ni’ilin. Tristan became paralyzed on about half his body and lives with severe permanent injury to his brain.
We honor Tristan and rage at our own government for it’s direct role in the misery of Gaza, the tear gas over Taksim, the police killings of Alan Blueford, Oscar Grant, Kenneth Harding Jr…
The US Government sends huge shipments of tear gas to be used against our sister movements around the world… what side are WE are?
4:00 PM: Free Feast.
5:00 PM: Speakers.
6:00 PM: March.
7:00 PM: Solidarity & Healing.