The Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality & State Repression (OGC) is a grassroots democratic organization that was formed as a conscious united front for justice against police brutality. The OGC is involved in the struggle for police accountability and is committed to stopping police brutality.

Come to Rene C Davidson courthouse Dept 7 at 9am on Tuesday June 6, to support Cesar, who was arrested at an anti trump demo on election day. Lets pack the court!

“Let all of our deliberations be made with the seventh generation in mind”. Haudenosaunee Guiding Principle

On March 7th, the Oakland City Council nearly voted to end its banking relationship with JPMorgan Chase, one of the principal financiers of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the private prison industry, and the foreclosure crisis. Since then, Defenders of Mother Earth-Huichin has been working to introduce an amendment to Oakland’s Linked Banking Services Ordinance that will prohibit the City from banking with Chase and other institutions that benefit from violations of indigenous sovereignty, climate chaos, and mass incarceration.

On June 13th, our proposed amendments will go to the Oakland Finance Committee Meeting. Let’s make Oakland #NextToDivest!

Now is the time to invite in our city representatives to stand in solidarity and integrity with the Chochenyo Ohlone (the first people of Huichin/Oakland), with indigenous people across the continent, with their own resolutions, and with the people of Oakland and future generations: #DefundDAPL and end our relationship with JPMorgan Chase! #Divest from ongoing violations of indigenous sovereignty and climate chaos, and #Reinvest in native leadership, community resilience, and restorative economies! #MniWiconi

3 ways YOU can support:

TURN OUT! Join us on June 6th at 5pm in front of City Hall to gather our hearts and minds together in ceremony before making our voices heard at the City Council meeting. Then TURN OUT for the Finance Committee meeting on June 13th at 9:30am to support our proposed amendments!https://www.facebook.com/events/436803196691923 [More details on how to sign up to speak at the Council meeting coming soon]

SEND AND SHARE! Send the attached letter of support to Councilmembers on the Finance Committee expressing your support for our amendments. Then share your letter with friends! [TEMPLATE LETTER COMING SOON]

CALL THE COUNCIL! Call these councilmembers and flood their phone lines with messages of support! [PHONE SCRIPT COMING SOON]

As the City Council deliberates about where to invest our community assets, we invite their deep consideration of the following:

The Dakota Access Pipeline is yet another in a long list of violent violations of Native sovereignty for the sake of profit. We call upon the City of Oakland to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Lakota Nations, all indigenous people, and all lifeforms hoping to inhabit a livable planet by ending their relationships with financial institutions that fund the Dakota Access Pipeline and similar fossil fuel pipelines.

By keeping depository accounts in JP Morgan Chase, the City has made all of its taxpayers complicit in violence against the Lakota and other Indigenous peoples. When Oakland residents pay taxes, those funds are held in J.P. Morgan Chase, who can use them to make a profit in whatever way they see fit.

JP Morgan Chase is among 26 banks profiting from the Dakota Access Pipeline, and is thus profiting from the violation of U.S. Treaties and the eventual poisoning of drinking water for millions of people. Chase Bank alone has invested $312,500,000 in the company that is carrying out the project, Energy Transfer Partners.

JP Morgan Chase’s record of abuse extends beyond the Native community and the planet. It is one of the most avid lenders to private prison industry leaders, CCA and GEO Group, hence playing a crucial role in the exacerbation of mass incarceration of immigrants and people of color, which directly affects the people of Oakland. JPMorgan Chase also agreed to a $55 million settlement with the United States government over allegations that it discriminated against “thousands” of African American and Latino mortgage borrowers, and the bank’s independent brokers charged minority borrowers higher mortgage interest rates and fees from 2006 to 2009, compared to “similarly situated white borrowers.”

Oakland’s money should not be used to support these multiple forms of violence and furthering of inequities. It should be used to support community. Oakland has an abundance of financial institutions that are committed to lifting up all members of our city. The City could support these institutions with no cost and low risk by keeping their deposits in aligned institutions instead of extractive banks.

We call upon the City of Oakland to:
1. Close all current depository accounts with JP Morgan Chase.
2. Refuse to open a depository account with any of the 26 banks that invest in, lend to, or otherwise profit from the Dakota Access Pipeline, and/or whose investments negatively impact Indigenous Sovereignty.
3. Open depository accounts at local community-based financial institutions.
4. Continue working toward the creation of banking alternatives aligned with indigenous values.

Join us for this Berkeley Film Foundation funded film screening with an in-depth panel discussion post-screening with:

Azadeh Zohrabi, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

David Muhammad, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR)

Tamara Perkins, Director | Producer

Jesse Dana, Cinematographer | Co-Producer

Kevin Jones, Editor | Associate Producer and special guests from the film Harrison Seuga and Noel Valdivia Sr.

Purchase Tickets

Life After Life Trailer https://vimeo.com/137638023

Hosted by: Berkeley Film Foundation

Volunteer with us!

The Prisoners Literature Project is based in Berkeley, California, and we’re always looking for volunteers to help answer letters, send out books, learn more about the prison system, and assist in other ways.

We currently meet on Sundays from 2-5pm and on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30pm at the Grassroots House.  This is located at 2022 Blake St. (at Milvia), Berkeley, CA 94704.  (Map – there’s plenty of local parking, and the office is walkable in 11-15 minutes from downtown Berkeley BART or Ashby BART  – also, AC Transit bus #18 stops nearby.)

(Please note that we can’t accept prisoner book requests at this address.  Book requests from U.S. prisoners must be mailed to PLP; c/o Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117.)

We welcome helpers of any age and experience at our volunteer sessions (here’s what they look like!), and are also very happy to host students looking for community service.  You should read a lot, have neat legible handwriting, and be able to follow the rules to get books into prisons. We don’t make the rules, but we do have to follow them!

Bringing more than four people? Please contact us first so we can better accommodate your group. (BTW, we maintain ‘call for volunteer’ listings on VolunteerMatch.org, on Idealist.org, and on AllForGood.org, so you might have seen us there!)

Have you wanted to meet all the new activist groups under one tent? Come party at our 1st Activists Unite Event! We will have fabulous food and drinks and FUN!

You won’t want to miss this chance to meet other activists! Haven’t you been dying to learn their vision and activities! Come meet others who share your values.

Democratic clubs and activist groups to Table & increase your membership! Tell us what you do. Bring flyers & sign-up sheets.

One thing we all agree upon? We want to FLIP CD10 and replace the current Congressman who hates science; denies climate change; denies a woman’s right to choose; is against gay marriage; and wants to repeal Obamacare & take away health care benefits from 1 in 7 of hisconstituents. We all want to elect a Congressperson in CD10 who shares our values!

Party and mingle!
• Groups can tell us who you are at Tables and brief Introductions
• Hear from Michael Eggman who almost won CD10 in 2016 and deciding whether or not to run again;
• Chief of Staff, Tim Sbranti will tell us about Eric Swalwell’s efforts to flip congressional seats in California and more;
• Mark DeSaulnier is coming unless last minute problem;
• Patty Hughes, Vice-Chair of the CDP Rural Caucus for Central CA and other activists local to CD10 will talk to us

5 minute walk from Orinda BART. $5 per person donation requested, but not required, to cover rent, food and drinks. If possible sign up as GOING on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/events/1886335168268651/

TABLE: Request $10 contribution per table to help defray costs. You get one free admission with your table donation. Please sign up to table by donating $10 at www.ContraCostaDems.org. We will recognize that is for June 8 Tabling. Then, call or email Carolyn Phinney 925-788-7374; carolynphinney@comcast.net for details!

A Report on the National Indigenous Congress’ constituent assembly held over Memorial Day weekend to form a parallel government for Mexico. We’ll also have a report from the Chiapas Support Committee’s recent delegation to Zapatista Territory with photos and video footage. Discussion following reports

View agenda here.

Please come to the exhibit of the The Welcome Home Project Opening night.
The panel will feature moving stories by several of the participants in the Welcome Home Project. The photographer, Ruth Morgan, will be present and refreshments will be served.

I know it is a schlepp to Hayward, but the BART stops a block from the city hall gallery. I promise that you will be moved in many ways by hearing these powerful and compelling speakers talk about their many years of experience in the criminal justice system and how they turned their lives around. They all will share deeply personal stories of redemption, restitution, and restoration – true healing.

The exhibit is a powerful and compelling collection of photographs and stories of formerly incarcerated Alameda County residents that have turned their lives around after many years of involvement with the criminal justice system.  Ruth Morgan, is a nationally acclaimed photographer and Executive Director of Community Works West whose work was recently in the The Sentence Unseen show on Alcatraz. The Welcome Home Project humanizes the formerly incarcerated while adding a deeper understanding of the challenges of reentry. These stories are testimony to the power of resilience and determination in the face of the barriers that most formerly incarcerated individuals face.

Micky Duxbury

How do we approach the challenging conversations in our lives, whether its about confederate flags, Donald Trump, cultural appropriation, Palestine/Israel, or even just racism and racial justice in general?

This workshop is an opportunity to dive in much deeper with structured time to practice a range of difficult conversations around highly-charged racial issues. We will be sharing some basic skill-building tools in how to approach conversations, and then explore scenarios relevant to the lives of participants. This will include examination of some of the ways that internalized sexism can impact our courageous speaking capacities.

Small group work, role-plays, and Theater of the Oppressed techniques will support seeing tough communication blocks in a new light. Well try out what feels challenging, in a relatively low-stakes and supportive environment, allowing ourselves time to debrief, reflect, and learn from each other.

Contact basebuilding@surjbayarea.org with ticket requests or questions.

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Solar is more accessible and affordable than ever. Are you ready to make the leap to get your power from the sun? Should you? Can you? How? Solar expert Doug McKenzie will provide a strong foundation for your decision-making. Presentation followed by Q&A, so bring your questions!
Topics include:
Why: the environmental benefits of solar
What: what a PV system includes & how it works
Solar Economics: Payback/ROI, rate comparisons with/without solar
Solar Financing: owning versus leasing, low-income options
Other Considerations: Contractors, home selling, Tesla tiles, policies
Jobs: The growth of solar in CA, US, the world, and how to get a foot in the door
Join this FREE event at the Ecology Center. More details & RSVP here. There’s also a follow-up event to go deeper on solar topics on Saturday, June 24th – check that out here.

Walk #4 in July

Sunday, July 16th
Rodeo Conoco Phillips 66 Refinery to Richmond Chevron Refinery California

We encourage folks to walk with us the entire day.  It is truly a beautiful, profound and inspiring way to make a difference.

We will begin at Lone Tree Park in Rodeo

8:00 a.m. Water Ceremony – Feel free to bring water from your watershed!
9:00 a.m. Registration
9:30 a.m. Walk Begins
There are several places along the walk where folks can join the walk – please see the details of the route below.

The walk will end at Keller Beach in Richmond 

You can join us at any time during the day of the walks.
Call this number to find out where we are: (510) 619-8279

Make sure to keep the phone number on you if you are joining us on the walk!

Registration for the walk will begin at 8:00 a.m.  Walkers will be asked to agree to the Nonviolent Principles.  For details on what to bring/not bring, please go to “What To Expect” in the tabs above.

This walk is approximately 13 miles from beginning to end.  There will be vehicles available for people who wish to take breaks during the walk.  Medics will also be available.   Water will be provided – Please bring your own refillable water bottle.

Everyone will be taken back to their vehicles at the end of the walk.  If you are coming to the walk with friends and have two vehicles, please consider leaving one vehicle at the end.   Carpool:  Sign up to drive or be a passenger here: CARPOOL

There will be two points where folks can get rides back to the beginning in Rodeo, at the Hilltop stop in Richmond and at the end at Keller Beach.

We will begin at Lone Tree Park in Rodeo within sight of the Conoco Phillips 66 Refinery and walking to Richmond, stopping to pray at several places including the Kinder Morgan facility and the gates of the Chevron refinery.  We will end at Keller Beach in Richmond, the last natural beach left in the San Francisco Bay where we will all enjoy a delicious meal made by Mike Bear and his family and  youth from Urban Tilth in Richmond!

Can’t come but want to support?  Welcome us at Keller Beach in Point Richmond and feel free to bring a dish to share if you would like. 

Join SURJ Bay Area for our sixth homegrown Direct Action training dedicated to teaching you the framework and the hard skills needed to take action for racial justice. This interactive workshop is designed to give you real-time experiences of being in a protest while also building our understanding of direct action from the perspective of white people participating in the movement for racial justice.

We talk about the importance of direct action, centering Black and POC voices, our perspective on relating to police, our legal rights, and more. We teach direct action skills through the use of scenarios, discussion and role plays. Space is limited to 60 people per workshop and you must pre-register through the SURJ website to attend.

Cost: The workshop has a suggested donation of $10-$35 to cover event expenses, and support future organizing within SURJ Bay Area and our partner organizations. No one turned away for lack of funds- please contact mobilization@surjbayarea.org for accommodation. Lunch will be provided.

Materials: Please take a moment if you have not already done so to familiarize yourself with the SURJ Mission, Vision and Values. Also, another document that guides a lot of our work is the BASAT Protocol and Principles for White People Working to Support the Black Liberation Movement.

Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible. The entrance is a ground floor, street entrance. Bathrooms are ADA compliant. Please refrain from wearing perfume or heavily scented products our of respect for people with chemical sensitivities. There will *not* be sign language interpretation during the workshop, however, HOH folks will be accommodated with prioritized seating during group discussions and participatory activities. Inform people from our SURJ team, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

Contact: mobilization@surjbayarea.org with any questions or concerns.

http://www.surjbayarea.org/direct_action_training_20170611

——————
SURJ Mission

SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. We work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.

SURJ Vision

We envision a society where we struggle together with love, for justice, human dignity and a sustainable world.

The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 3 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall.  If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph.  If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 3:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland.  (Note: we meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months,  once Daylight Savings Time springs forward we tend to assemble at 4 PM).

On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 2 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.

OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over five 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

In the last few months, articles, conversations, and proposed legislation about public banking have been cropping up all over. It seems sudden – if you aren’t one of the people who have been working for well over five years to plant the seeds.

Because the topic is so new to most people, reactions range from blank looks to confusion and misapprehension about what a public bank is, what it isn’t, and what it could be.

The three speakers will cover many aspects of public banking, both potential and existing. To whet your interest, let’s just say that the Bank of North Dakota (the only currently-operating public bank in the country) has had fourteen consecutive years of profit, and that money is being reinvested in North Dakota, not funneled off to profiteers. For comparison, one reasonable estimate based on the relative sizes of North Dakota and Oakland is that an Oakland public bank could save the city $200,000 A DAY.

Come and learn more!

Craig Brandt is an attorney in the Bay Area who is deeply committed to the public bank movement. Recently featured in a public banking article in The Nation, Craig became a banking activist following the LIBOR scandal of 2015, which crystallized his opposition to Wall Street banking.

Christine McClintock has long been involved in the Green movement, from her time as an Environmental Extension Agent in the Peace Corps, stationed in Togo, West Africa, to her years as the Treasurer for the San Francisco Green Party, to her current role as a Financial and Compliance Analyst with the Sierra Club. She has been a part of the effort for the Public Bank of Oakland as well as Strike Debt Bay Area.

Debbie Notkin is a lifelong activist who veered away from public policy to feminist and body image issues in the 1980s and was pulled back by the energy of Occupy Wall Street in 2011. Since then, she has worked with Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense and Strike Debt Bay Area, as well as Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland, and is also working on bystander intervention projects.

SPONSOR: Green Sundays are a series of free programs & discussions sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party of Alameda County follows at 7 pm; council meetings are always open to anyone who is interested. Please visit our website: https://acgreens.wordpress.com/

Director Natasha Florentino will be in attendance!

Abundant Land is a one-hour documentary about a Hawaiian community on Moloka’i opposing the biotech industry’s use of the island to test genetically engineered seeds. Agrochemical biotech corporations, including Monsanto and Mycogen Seeds, are depleting Moloka’i’s topsoil and fresh water while contributing to dust storms that spread pesticides into the ocean and surrounding communities. Abundant Land also offers a historical look at the intrusion and political underpinnings of chemical-intensive farming in Hawaii while portraying the rich legacy of traditional Hawaiian land management and farming self-sufficiency.