Calendar

9896
Feb
24
Wed
The Future of Prejudice @ FUSION
Feb 24 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

How is your computer judging you? As we enter an age where who we are online is an aggregation of data, how that data gets interpreted is a matter of moral concern.  Jacky Alciné will join us to talk about his personal experience with Google Photos tagging a photo of his friend as a ‘gorilla’ , and what we can do to change the way machines learn. We will also walk through some of the words that could get you surveilled as the government turns to tech companies to identify radicalism online. Our own Kashmir Hill will update us on the future of discrimination through a few current examples of how your data could be used against you. Join us for a lively discussion and a chance to meet other people passionate about how the internet is changing our lives, all over drinks in our Oakland office.

Free with registration.
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Film: Merchants of Doubt @ David Brower Center
Feb 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

tillerson.jpgBased on the book by Naomi Orestes and Erik M. Conway, this documentary lifts the curtain on pundits-for-hire paid by large corporations to cast doubt on scientific studies and spread confusion about a range of public threats, from toxic chemicals to climate change. The film explores the illusions created by these corporations in order distract the public from the harm their products create.

Purchase Tickets

Pictured: Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson. Beginning in the late 1970s Exxon conducted climate research and then, without revealing what it had learned, worked at the forefront of climate denial and manufactured doubt about the scientific consensus that its own scientists had confirmed.

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Feb
25
Thu
Court Support for Janye @ Rene Davidson Courthouse
Feb 25 @ 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

See here for some background.

The case is moving into pretrial and court support is more important than ever. Please come support Janye and show the courts that we stand with him.

Antirepression Crew will be doing Coffee not Cops outside Rene C. Davidson starting at 8:30.

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Feb
26
Fri
Defend Homeless from SFPD @ Under the Freeway
Feb 26 @ 5:00 am – 11:45 pm

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One-year Anniversary of Amilcar’s Killing by SFPD
Feb 26 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

We’ll begin with a vigil at the site of his shooting (Folsom btw 24th and 25th), and then march to Mission Police Station. Afterwards, a free community dinner at St. John’s at 15th and Julian (between Valencia and Mission).

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Feb
27
Sat
National Victim of Police Terrorism Panel “Policing in the 21st Century” @ First AME Church
Feb 27 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Members of the Historic Original Black Panthers of Oakland, Ericka Huggins, Tarika Lewis, Clarence Thomas, and David Hilliard will join various National and Local families victimized by Police Terrorism to inspire, pass on wisdom, experience, and discuss Policing in the 21st Century, Theme “Where do we go from Here”. “If you want to hear the truth, you must let the suffering speak”. It is this truth that has fueled the Movement for Justice across the United States. These families will share their faith, strength and hope, while listening, learning, and being inspired by these revolutionaries.

There will be two panels, one mothers’ panel moderated by Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant, and one mens’ panel moderated by Davey D, KPFA radio host and Hip-Hop artist.

All will have an opportunity to meet and embrace these chosen families that have taken their tragedy to move the movement toward Justice. Join us as we welcome them in Oakland for the Oscar Grant Legacy Weekend Birthday Celebration.

This free event is open to the Public.

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Late Night Mass Berkeley Copwatching @ See below
Feb 27 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm

JOIN US FOR A SHIFT: LATE NIGHT MASS COPWATCHING

· February 12, 10 PM – 1 AM
· February 27, 8 PM – 11 PM

Since October 2015, Berkeley Copwatch has been holding “mass copwatch” events that invite folks to join us for a shift. It’s been fun and very empowering to have up to five cars full of copwatchers patrolling our city and on the scene when police stop people.

This month we have two shifts scheduled. Please join us; we will train you in the essentials of copwatching, how to document and how to stay safe!

Contact us at (510) 548-0425 or berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com to learn where we will be meeting.

60408
Feb
28
Sun
Sudo Room CryptoParty @ Sudo Room, Omni Commons
Feb 28 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

 

 

We’ll teach you how to use common encryption technologies like Signal, Tor, and password managers. We’d also like to have speakers, email jehan.tremback@gmail.com if you’d like to present.

60534
Stealing Democracy-Haiti Fights Back! @ Eastside Arts Alliance
Feb 28 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

STEALING DEMOCRACY – HAITI FIGHTS BACK FEB 28th 3-5PM at EASTSIDE ARTS ALLIANCE, OAKLAND

Join Haiti Action Committee to mark the 12th anniversary of the February 29, 2004 U.S.-backed coup d’état that overthrew the progressive, democratically-elected Lavalas government headed by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide  and to stand with Haiti’s popular movement at a critical moment in its longstanding struggle for democracy.Eastside Arts Alliance Sunday, Feb 28th, 3-5PM2277 International Avenue, Oakland

See the statement issued by 68 grassroots organizations in Haiti calling for solidarity with their struggle for free and fair elections, dignity and justice.

The statement was written as tens of thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets – braving assassination, tear gas, beatings, and police torture – demanding the annulment of the fraudulent elections that gave the lead positions in the legislative and presidential races to the hand-picked candidates of President Michel Martelly, the corrupt “Haiti is Open for Business” government head imposed on Haiti. by Hilary Clinton.
 
The postponement of Haiti’s  rigged January 24th presidential run-off election is a dramatic and hard-won victory for the people’s movement, which has insisted that no election take place until it could be free and fair and democratic. The response of the Obama administration? Blame the protesters. The struggle for the right to vote and for all Haitians to participate in the political process continues.

See this August 2003 publication Hidden From The Headlines: The U.S.War Against Haiti. to understand the relentless U.S. campaign to sabotage and destroy Haiti’s democratic government that led to the 2004 coup d’etat and military occupation. Hidden from the Headlines exposed  a highly organized U.S. propaganda offensive against the Aristide government aimed at progressive activists who might otherwise have defended a democratically elected government committed to social change.

We invite you to attend this challenging and informative event and come out ready to support Haitians’ struggle for democracy.

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Open Circle ~ Families Fighting for Justice @ Omni Commons
Feb 28 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

59100
Feb
29
Mon
E 12th Street Affordable Housing Proposal @ Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater / City Hall Steps
Feb 29 @ 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Will Oakland City Council prioritize the E 12th proposal with the most affordable housing, or will they build more luxury condo towers? This will be a critical moment for Oakland to stand for public land for public good and against displacement.

As a direct result of incredible community organizing over the past year, Oakland City Council is holding a special hearing of the Community Economic Development Committee, where the three proposals for development on E 12th – including A People’s Proposal – will be presented publicly. A People’s Proposal is available online here.

We need to show the depth of community support for 100% affordable housing on public land. Please join us on Monday 2/29:

  • 4:00 Community gathering on steps of Oakland City Hall
  • 4:30 Special CED Committee Meeting on E 12th Proposals

The fight for the E 12th A People’s Proposal is not just about one piece of public land. We need to lift up the voices of the people who are being impacted by our housing crisis and push back against development-as-usual in Oakland. Join us to demand real solutions to the housing crisis and public land for public good, not luxury towers and segregated housing.

Please sign up here to speak on Monday 2/29 at 5:30 and share your support for A People’s Proposal for E 12th. We are the only agenda item, so enter “1” where it asks for the agenda number. You can also cede your time to another speaker. (Remember to print out your confirmation page and bring it with you.)

Help us keep the public pressure up by calling or emailing Council Members, or contacting them on Twitter or Facebook!

Sample Tweet: Dear @Abel_Guillen @DanKalb @annieforoakland @LynetteGM @desleyb, please support @peoplesproposal for 100% affordable housing! #SaveE12th
www.facebook.com/AbelGuillen;
www.facebook.com/DanKalb;
www.facebook.com/anniewashington;
www.facebook.com/desleyb;
www.facebook.com/lynettemcelhaney

Sample call-in script or email:
“My name is ____ and I am calling to ask City Council Member ____ to support A People’s Proposal for 100% affordable housing on E 12th St. We need to maximize affordable housing for working families on public land, not a luxury tower. Please support A People’s Proposal when it comes before you.”

District 2 Council Member Abel Guillen (510) 238-7002, aguillen@oaklandnet.com
District 1 Council Member Dan Kalb (510) 238-7001, dkalb@oaklandnet.com
District 3 Council Member Lynette Gibson McElhaney (510) 238-7003, lmcelhaney@oaklandnet.com
District 4 Council Member Annie Campbell Washington (510) 238-7004, acampbell-washington@oaklandnet.com
District 6 Council Member Desley Brooks (510) 238-7006, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com

We are inspired by how many people and organizations have helped A People’s Proposal over the past year, and deeply grateful for every single call, email, and public support for this effort. Thank you & together we can make community-led housing development a reality in Oakland! #SaveE12th #PublicLand4PublicGood

60541
Occupy Forum: “Heist: Who Stole the American Dream” a Documentary and Discussion. @ Global Exchange, 2nd floor, across from 16th St. BART
Feb 29 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
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
“Heist: Who Stole the American Dream”  a Documentary,
and discussion with director Donald Goldmacher

“Heist traces the worldwide economic collapse to a 1971 secret memo entitled “Attack on American Free Enterprise System”. Written over 40 years ago by the future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell at the behest of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the 6-page memo, a free-market utopian treatise, called for a money fueled big business makeover of government through corporate control of the media, academia, the pulpit, arts and sciences and destruction of organized labor and consumer protection groups.But Powell’s real “end game” was business control of law and politics. Heist’s step by step detail exposes the systemic implementation of Powell’s memo by both U.S. political parties culminating in the deregulation of industry, outsourcing of jobs, and regressive taxation –  all of which led us to the global financial crisis of 2008 and the continued dismantling of the American middle class.

Today, politics is the playground of the rich and powerful with no thought given to the hopes and dreams of ordinary Americans. HEIST goes deep in explaining the greatest wealth transfer of our time. Moving beyond the white noise of today’s polarizing media, HEIST provides us with an explanation of the crisis in which we find ourselves, and the steps we must take to restore representative democracy.”

Donald Goldmacher will lead discussion on the system as it is intentionally pushed toward oligarchy, and the problematic nature of this system in any case.

Time will be allotted for announcements.

60563
Mar
1
Tue
Early Morning Picket to Defend San Francisco’s Leeville Tent City! @ SoMa StrEat Food Park
Mar 1 @ 4:30 am – 12:00 pm

Early Morning Picket to Defend San Francisco’s Leeville Tent City! 4:30 AM @ division and 11th in SF. We just got confirmation from the homeless outreach team that riot police are going to be trying to arrest and throw out homeless folks possessions at early in the morning on tuesday at the division underpass.

We call on the entire working class to stand with the Leeville Tent City and together build a movement to build housing and community autonomy for working class, working poor, and homeless people. Please bring pickett signs and banners. We need to mobilize a mass of people to copwatch and defend the mostly black/brown and working class/poor. On Friday Morning 100 working class people stopped an eviction of a homeless encampment by getting in the way of the police to prevent eviction of the#leevilletencity. Tomorrow morning please meet at soma streat food at 11th and division today 4:30 AM tomorrow morning!

We demand:
1. Build Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Housing not Luxury Condominums.

2. Repeal The Ellis Act and stop evicting working class and poor people.

3. A Living wage and Union Jobs for all!

60579
Mar
2
Wed
Court Support: Support the Farm Defenders! Fill the Courthouse! @ Wiley Manual Courthouse
Mar 2 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am

Come fill the court to show love for Jean and Jean, who put their bodies on the line for the land at the #GillTract! Let’s show the judge it’d be best to dismiss all charges!

60544
Help Raise the Minimum Wage in Berkeley! @ Blue Door Cafe
Mar 2 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
  • $15 by October, 2017.
  • Sick leave standards equivalent to Oakland and Emeryille.
  • Prevent tip theft.

Learn about the initiative and how you can help. Brief training for signature gathering. Join a team to go out and gather signatures. Get additional petitions.

60582
Candlelight Vigil for #OurThreeBrothers @ Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley
Mar 2 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

On Wednesday, February 24th, 2016, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, three young men, Adam Mekki, Muhannad Tairab, and Mohamed Taha Omar, were killed in a horrific act of violence.
Please join us on Wednesday to remember them and recognize the injustice that was committed against them.
Please note that this event is meant to be a healing space for Black Muslims and their communities.

In addition to attending, please sign this petition to bring justice to our three brothers: http://act.mpowerchange.org/sign/justice-ourthreeboys/, and message the Fort Wayne Police Department demanding a full investigation into their murders.

Sponsored by:
Mills College Muslim Student Alliance
UC Berkeley Muslim Student Association
UC Berkeley Black Student Union

60580
Mar
3
Thu
Oakland Stand Up: Protect Our Residents @ Rules Committee, City Council Chambers, Oakland City Hall
Mar 3 @ 10:45 am – 12:15 pm

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.

60577
Ella Baker Center Prisoner Mail Writing Night @ Ella Baker Center
Mar 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

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

60589
Screening of : Tiny: A Story About Living Small @ Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall
Mar 3 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

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

tiny.jpg

60532
Mar
4
Fri
Alex Nieto Trial: Join Us in Solidarity @ federal building room 15 b 15th floor
Mar 4 @ 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

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.

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