The Oakland Police Department’s future use of a cell-site simulator, known as Stingray, hinges on the policy’s approval by the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission and the Oakland City Council. The Stingray, and its upgraded version, the Hailstorm, poses as a cellular tower and tricks cell phones into giving up data like unique ID numbers and location. The police use it to locate a suspect or victim in an investigation, but critics have long voiced concerns about privacy and potential abuse of the powerful tool.

The commission and OPD representatives will reconvene on Thursday, Oct 20th in a special session to discuss and likely vote on an updated policy.

Video of the previous OPAC meeting.

Recent article about the Stingray, the policy, OPAC, etc.

Our guest for episode 7 of Ars Technica Live is author and space activist Ariel Waldman! She’ll tell us about what it’s like to live in space, and how we’ll make that happen.

Ariel is the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration, and the global director of Science Hack Day, a 20-countries-and-growing grassroots endeavor to make things with science.

Filmed before a live audience in tiki bar Longitude each episode of Ars Technica Live is a speculative, informal conversation between Ars Technica hosts and an invited guest. The audience, drawn from Ars Technica’s readers, is also invited to join the conversation and ask questions. These aren’t soundbyte setups; they are deepcuts from the frontiers of research and creativity.

Doors are at 7pm, and the live taping is from 7:30 to 8:00pm (be sure to get there early if you want a seat). Then you can stick around for informal discussion at the bar, along with delicious tiki drinks and snacks. Can’t make it out to Oakland? Never fear! Episodes will be posted to Ars Technica the week after the live events.

Contact: Annalee Newitz (annalee@arstechnica.com)

Ariel Waldman is the author of What’s It Like in Space?: Stories from Astronauts Who’ve Been There and the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences study on the future of human spaceflight. She sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), a program that nurtures radical, sci-fi-esque ideas that could transform future space missions. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science.

Annalee Newitz is the tech culture editor at Ars Technica. Previously she was the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo and io9. She is the author of Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction (Doubleday). Her first novel, Autonomous, comes out in 2017 from Tor Books.

Cyrus [suh-ROOS] is the Senior Business Editor at Ars Technica, and is also an author and radio producer. His book, The Internet of Elsewhere – about the history and effects of the Internet on different countries around the world, including Senegal, Iran, Estonia and South Korea – was published by Rutgers University Press in April 2011. He previously was the Sci-Tech Editor, and host of “Spectrum” at Deutsche Welle English, Germany’s international broadcaster.

Come by our open Delegates Meetings every First and Third Thursday of the month at 7pm! We’ll give space to brief announcements, updates from working groups, proposals up for consensus, and discussion around important issues. The schedule is created weekly at the following url: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom

Conscientious Projector Presents “Paying the Price for Peace: The Story of S. Brian Willson”

“Paying the Price for Peace: The Story of S. Brian Willson” is an exciting film packed with ideas on how we can overcome the fears that fuel endless war. It is also the heroic story of the courageous dedication of Brian, a longtime friend of the Fellowship, who lost his legs at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in 1986.
www.payingthepriceforpeace.com

The Greatest Heist You Never Heard of: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI and the Unveiling of COINTELPRO

Friday, October 21, 2016 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm

With our democracy in the cross hairs of “G” Man #1, some courageous citizens stood up to defend our liberties.
The program will feature the film, 1971: Before Watergate, WikiLeaks, and Edward Snowden, There Was Media, Pennsylvania.

Directed by Johanna Hamilton, 1971 is a moving account of how citizens found the extraordinary courage to carry out one of the most powerful acts of non-violent resistance in American history: a break in to the FBI offices in Media, Pennsylvania. |

“We were early whistleblowers before whistleblowers were known as such,” says Dr. John Raines, a member of the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI (group who broke into the office).
PANEL DISCUSSION with QUESTION and ANSWER SESSION
 * Bobby Seale – Co-Founder, Black Panther Party
* Kathleen Cleaver, Esq. – Former Communications Secretary, Black Panther Party
* Dr. John Raines – Professor of Religion (Retired)
* Bonnie Raines – Civil Rights and Anti-War Activist
* Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele – Senior Community Organizer, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
* Michael D. McCarty – Former Chicago Black Panther
Moderator: Dr. J. Vern Cromatie – Professor of Sociology; Chair of the Sociology Dept., Contra Costa College

There will be a post-screening presentation by Dr. Raines on why dissent is the lifeblood of democracy.
“As a nation we continue to debate the proper use of domestic surveillance techniques, particularly as technology has evolved in ways that could not have been foreseen during the 1970s, the country must remain vigilant to abuses of power, no matter what the stated public purpose of the abusers. May we strengthen our resolve to protect the rights the Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI cherished and helped preserve over forty years ago”

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (from the Congressional record commending the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI for exposing the illegal COINTELPRO program)

OAKLAND FREEDOM FEST: Building Beyond Police & Prisons

October 22nd is the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality and the Take Bake Oakland Coalition and the Justice Reinvestment Coalition is collaborating to put on a Freedom Fest to end and amplify the entangled state violence of police terror, criminalization, and imprisonment.

FREE FOOD | COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS | MUSIC | CULTURAL PERFORMANCES | RESOURCE FAIR

The trauma and oppression our black, brown, immigrant, queer, trans, gender non-conforming, poor, and disabled communities face with police terror and imprisonment go hand in hand. So turn out to the Oakland Freedom Fest to build the power of our communities. Let’s break the cycles of of state violence and poverty and make our communities safe, healthy, and strong!

RESOURCE FAIR DIRECTORY:
– Alternatives to Calling the Cops & De-Escalation Trainings
– Voter Registration & Voter Guides
– Prop 47 & Clean Slate Record Expungement Clinics
– Community Mapping
– more to come!

Are you outraged by recent attacks by police upon unarmed Black men and women in Baltimore, Tulsa, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, and Charlotte, NC? Are you angry that as brutal as the attacks have been, almost no officers have been charged or held accountable for their actions? Join SURJ – Bay Area for an initial coordination meeting to discuss bringing our support for the Movement 4 Black Lives to neighborhoods across the East Bay.

As non-Black allies, we witness these injustices and know that it is critical to make our empathy and support for Black people visible and public now more than ever! Throughout the East Bay and nationally, folks have been holding weekly gatherings on prominent street corners and freeway overpasses, holding signs and making visible our support for Black communities in these critical times. These gatherings, or “human billboards,” have been a simple yet effective way of calling attention to injustice and demonstrating solidarity.

Meeting objectives:
1) To listen to and Q&A with folks who have established regular vigils/billboards in their neighborhoods.
2) To provide interested folks the tools and skills necessary to organize their own committee.
3) To establish a new network of neighborhood-based committees that will organize human-billboards in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives

Do Not Resist

The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland.  On every last Sunday we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.

OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over four years! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally . Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.

At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.

General Assembly Standard Agenda

1. Welcome & Introductions
2. Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
3. Announcements
4. (Optional) Discussion Topic

Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.

Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area

San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv

The Community Democracy Project is your connection to direct democracy in Oakland! Convened out of Occupy Oakland in Fall 2011, we’re gathering steam on a campaign to bring the people back in touch with the city’s resources through participatory budgeting.

Picture this: Across Oakland, Neighborhood Assemblies are regularly held in every community. People come together to tackle the important issues of their neighborhoods and of the city. At these assemblies, people don’t just have discussions–they learn from one another, from city staff, and they make fundamental decisions about how the city should run. They decide the city budget.

Democratic, community budgeting is a powerful step toward building strong communities, real democracy, and economic justice–and it’s being done all over the world.

The budget of the City Oakland totals more than $1 billion per year. Although part of the budget must be used for specific purposes, still over half of the budget–over $500 billion per year–consists of general purpose funds paid by the taxes, fees, and fines of the people of Oakland. The Mayor and the City Council decide the city budget, with minimal input from the community.

Working together, we will not only get a seat at the table–we will REBUILD the table itself. Participatory democracy is real democracy–join us to say: Local People, Local Resources, Local Power!

Every Sunday The Community Democracy Project and our supporters gather to imagine a society that functions differently. We organize and strategize to make Participatory Budgeting a reality in Oakland through a voter initiative that uplifts and values the voices of the most marginalized.

Beginning August 28th every 4th Sunday will be dedicated to a work of Science Fiction that inspires us. We’re very excited to blast off with the short story, Bloodchild by Octavia Butler. Read (attached in the comments!) and join us to share your insight and inspiration.

Future works may include but are not limited to: novels, articles, episodes and films!

Liberated Lens Collective is a community media project based in Oakland, California. We share resources, skills and knowledge to tell stories that might otherwise remain untold. We believe that story telling belongs to everyone. We do not depend on mainstream media or an expensive film school: we empower ourselves to make our own images!

We learn by doing. We teach eachother. We work horizontally, and operate by consensus. We make films in a spirit of collaboration, inclusivity and solidarity, maintain a film equipment library for creative projects, organize free, at cost or donation-based workshops, and host film screenings. In May 2015 we organized the Films 2 The People Short Film Festival.

To be updated about what we do, join our announce mailing list: Liberated_Lens.announce@lists.riseup.net

To get involved, come to our meetings! We’re open and happy to welcome you, no matter your experience level. Sometimes, the meetings turn into creative workshops!

OccupyForum presents…

Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!

Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!

Report from The Homeless People’s Popular Assembly

The Homeless People’s Popular Assembly (HPPA) is a gathering of the homeless, formerly homeless, and their supporters for self-determination to create solutions for encampments.

Strategies involve:

• Collectively develop a political analysis of the current homeless crisis and the systemic root causes of homelessness,

• Come up with visions of the life we want and create plans to get there (consider short, medium,and long-term demands as appropriate),

• Create and coordinate related collective actions, campaigns, and strategic movement agendas.

We will report on our efforts re: establishing the Homeless People’s Popular Assembly. Additionally we will speak about props R&Q, two anti-homeless measures on the November ballot.

Bilal Mafundi Ali is a longtime organizer/activist with over 30 years experience living and organizing in oppressed communities in Los Angeles. Bilal became involved in the Black Liberation Movement as a teen in Los Angeles as a member of the Black Student Union, organized by the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party Self-Defense.

Throughout the 90’s Bilal served as the program coordinator for the Coalition Against Police Abuse (CAPA) in Los Angeles. CAPA was started by former members of the BPP, who continue to carry out work against police misconduct. Through his involvement with CAPA, Bilal was imprisoned for six years.

In the 2000s Bilal’s worked and lived in the Skid Row area in Downtown Los Angles as lead organizer with the Los Angeles Coalition Action Network (LACAN) and Coalition L.A. organizing those living in skid row to confront the social-economic policies that give rise to poverty and homelessness, along with organizing resistance against gentrification of the West lake / MacArthur area.

Since moving to San Francisco in 2014, Bilal has been involved with the Coalition On Homelessness, as a Human Rights Advocate and organizer. His current activities with the COH includes establishing the Homeless People’s Speakers Bureau, the Homeless People’s Popular Assembly, and building the campaign against Props R&Q. Bilal is also a board member of the Idriss Stelley Foundation. Bilal serves as the co-coordinator of the

Peoples Commission for Justice Campaign.

Kelly Cutler of the Coalition On Homelessness will also be speaking about Propositions Q & R and our organizing to defeat both these ballot measures. Both anti-homeless ballot measures legislation will be on the November ballot.

An invitation to a class on the

When the English first got to Virginia, in the early 1600s, they didn’t see themselves as “white.” It took a century for their colonialism to produce the concepts of race and white supremacy.

We’ve been fighting racism, white privilege, white supremacy, and institutional racism since then. And still, a Trump can come along with his “dogwhistle” politics, and get an instant white following at varying degrees of frenzy. Today even the most liberal cities cannot stop police racial profiling  – while thee illiberal ones officiate over “stop and frisk.”

Ø                 What are we missing?

Ø                 If racism is just a “divide and rule” strategy, why has it always worked so well? Why does it still work so well?

Ø                 How is it that new groups, like immigrants and Muslims, can be continually targetted for racial assault (victim de jour)?

Ø                 If race is a social construct, what is the structure that has been constructed?

Ø                 Is it an economic structure? A cultural structure? What?

Ø                 How deep culturally does it reside in this country?

Ø                 Is “race” a noun or a verb?

This class will look at the the structures of policing today, of segregation yesterday, and of colonization and slavery the day before that. If the “modern concept of race” was constructed socially at a particular moment, does that imply an ending we can programmatize?

This class will be mostly discussion and dialogue. We will have to address our prejudices about prejudice in order to get to the issues of structure. There will be non-mandatory readings on line for the class. It will also be open to other texts that class members wish to propose.

Facilitator:         Steve Martinot