Calendar
Agenda Information:
4. Federal Task Force Ordinance – OPD – NESS ATF MOU
a. Review and take possible action on the proposed Resolution and MOU between the Oakland Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms & Explosives for enhanced data access to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network through use of NIBIN Enforcement Support System (NESS)
5. Chair Status Update – Old Business – informational discussion only – no action will be taken
a. Cash Payment Ordinance
b. Rent Registry
c. Illegal Dumping Cameras (ad hoc status)
d. Retreat
We are continuing the fight to limit allowable rent increases and prevent unfair evictions. “We are excited to share information about three state bills we’re working on that will limit rent increases, prevent some of the unreasonable evictions by landlords, and create more housing that working families can afford.”
Join our monthly Housing Justice League meeting over Zoom and phone
If you’re unable to join by video, you can call in by dialing +16699006833 and then putting in this code: 81529360568#
At this meeting we will talk about our fight for Rent Control and “Just Cause” Eviction protections for ALL RENTERS in the state. We’ve been winning city by city, but we need these protections for all Californians.
Please register in advance at
https://bit.ly/SS_S_Womens_Rights-2023-03-04
to receive your personal link to participate in this event online
The recent Rage Against the War Machine demonstration in Washington DC exposed deep divisions within our movement. Open Mic! Bring your thoughts about this. We encourage and will allow five to ten minutes for you to present your ideas for discussion. Some questions to consider:
(1) What are the political, economic, and military factors that led to this war?
(2) Who are the main forces in the antiwar movement – what is their class character and what are their political demands?
(3) How to build the antiwar movement? Why is there so much support in the US and so little opposition to the war? What happened to the antiwar movement – why did it split over the Rage Against the War demonstration, and how can we revive and build it? Who should socialists unite with to do so, and how?
Note: the moderator may ask questions of participants, make or ask for clarifications, or interrupt the discussion if speakers wonder off topic or become disruptive.
Here is a link to the speeches at the Rage Against the War Machine rally at which you can pick and choose to listen to individual speeches:
https://rageagainstwar.com/speeches/
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NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
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 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 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
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 six years, since October 2011! 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
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(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
Because of the COVID pandemic we will be meeting virtually via Zoom on the first Monday of the month.
Meeting ID: 828 0976 4186
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.
In alliance with the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) we organized the October 23, 2010 labor and community rally for Justice for Oscar Grant. On that day the ILWU shut down the Bay Area ports in solidarity. Our mission is to educate, organize and mobilize people against police and state repression. Sisters and brothers! The Oscar Grant Committee invites you to join us in this vital struggle.
We meet on the 1st Monday of each month
You can join our discussion list by sending a blank (doesn’t even need a subject) email to
oscargrantcommittee-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
https://t.co/FQYTHaNbc5 things are getting fun during our Monday night women coding nights at the SudoRoom – new flyer and a cool learning mapping project of all the languages spoken in Oakland using Jupiter pic.twitter.com/pUvHtP1sRa
— Sudo Room (@sudoroom) February 12, 2023
Michael Brown, Jr. was a beloved Black teenager who was murdered by Ferguson police on August 9th, 2014. His killing ignited a global movement against police & state violence.
We’re honored to host the Brown family in Oakland on 3/7 for a screening of ‘Ferguson Rises’. pic.twitter.com/Hr8gje73BL
— Anti Police-Terror Project (@APTPaction) February 21, 2023
Free with RSVP.
📚📚 Join our #Ecosocialist Book Club for a two part discussion of The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World beyond Capitalism. Open to all – @demsocialists, @dsa_ecosocialists, & DSA-curious! We'll meet in March – register today! https://t.co/pHlv9iA3EM pic.twitter.com/1kw1zi23rO
— DSA San Francisco (@DSA_SF) March 2, 2023
We're done letting the ruling class burn our towns, lives, and planet for a profit. If you are too, join us March 9th at 8PM EST to talk about how we can win the world we deserve by fighting alongside labor and Building For Power!https://t.co/zvY4yGHhKi#ABetterWorldIsPossible pic.twitter.com/3d4IdSzIhL
— DSA for a Green New Deal🌱🌹⚡️ (@DSAecosocialism) February 17, 2023
‘Tasha is a one woman show exploring the in-custody murder of Natasha McKenna at the hands of law enforcement in Farifax, Virginia in 2015. The play, written by artist and activist Cat Brooks, directed by Oakland’s Poet Laureate Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, and performed by acclaimed actor Jeunée Simon, explores her life and murder from the point of view of several characters, including Natasha herself. “Natasha started talking so loudly I had to get up and write what she was saying,” Brooks said of the script’s genesis in 2015.
Trigger warning: This show contains graphic images and language depicting the murder of a young Black woman at the hands of police. A non-shooting, replica firearm will be used onstage and will be pointed at the audience. It is a non-working, prop gun. It will be accompanied by the sounds of gunshots and screaming.
Thanks to the support of Anti Police-Terror Project and Mental Health First Oakland, Healing Services by Nekia Wright and Hadiza Mohammed are available for select performances. Healers will be in the lobby during the performance and in the theatre after the show to support anyone who feels the need for healing after experiencing the images and themes explored in this show.
The healers are available to talk to anyone about feelings that come up and help manage emotions to help you process this experience so you can go back out into the world.
‘Tasha is a one woman show exploring the in-custody murder of Natasha McKenna at the hands of law enforcement in Farifax, Virginia in 2015. The play, written by artist and activist Cat Brooks, directed by Oakland’s Poet Laureate Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, and performed by acclaimed actor Jeunée Simon, explores her life and murder from the point of view of several characters, including Natasha herself. “Natasha started talking so loudly I had to get up and write what she was saying,” Brooks said of the script’s genesis in 2015.
Trigger warning: This show contains graphic images and language depicting the murder of a young Black woman at the hands of police. A non-shooting, replica firearm will be used onstage and will be pointed at the audience. It is a non-working, prop gun. It will be accompanied by the sounds of gunshots and screaming.
Thanks to the support of Anti Police-Terror Project and Mental Health First Oakland, Healing Services by Nekia Wright and Hadiza Mohammed are available for select performances. Healers will be in the lobby during the performance and in the theatre after the show to support anyone who feels the need for healing after experiencing the images and themes explored in this show.
The healers are available to talk to anyone about feelings that come up and help manage emotions to help you process this experience so you can go back out into the world.
‘Tasha is a one woman show exploring the in-custody murder of Natasha McKenna at the hands of law enforcement in Farifax, Virginia in 2015. The play, written by artist and activist Cat Brooks, directed by Oakland’s Poet Laureate Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, and performed by acclaimed actor Jeunée Simon, explores her life and murder from the point of view of several characters, including Natasha herself. “Natasha started talking so loudly I had to get up and write what she was saying,” Brooks said of the script’s genesis in 2015.
Trigger warning: This show contains graphic images and language depicting the murder of a young Black woman at the hands of police. A non-shooting, replica firearm will be used onstage and will be pointed at the audience. It is a non-working, prop gun. It will be accompanied by the sounds of gunshots and screaming.
Thanks to the support of Anti Police-Terror Project and Mental Health First Oakland, Healing Services by Nekia Wright and Hadiza Mohammed are available for select performances. Healers will be in the lobby during the performance and in the theatre after the show to support anyone who feels the need for healing after experiencing the images and themes explored in this show.
The healers are available to talk to anyone about feelings that come up and help manage emotions to help you process this experience so you can go back out into the world.
Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
The Part played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man, by Frederick Engels
In 1876, Engels complained about “that idealistic world outlook which, especially since the fall of the world of antiquity, has dominated men’s minds. It still rules them to such a degree that even the most materialistic natural scientists of the Darwinian school are still unable to form any clear idea of the origin of man, because under this ideological influence they do not recognise the part that has been played therein by labour.” This situation remains true today, nearly a century and a half later, as prominent bourgeois institutions entertain us with vivid videos of the latest fossil finds in Africa and elsewhere without ever mentioning the role of labor in the lives of the people who left these remains.
This talk, by Professor Eugene E Ruyle, will discuss Engels contribution noting that the spectacular fossil finds since Engels’ death of the twentieth century have confirmed Engels brilliant insight that: “First comes labour, after it, and then side by side with it, articulate speech – these were the two most essential stimuli under the influence of which the brain of the ape gradually changed into that of man, which for all its similarity to the former is far larger and more perfect.” Ruyle will also discuss why bourgeois anthropology has neglected the work of Marx and Engels, in spite of their obvious importance.
Our speaker, Eugene E Ruyle, is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Cal State Long Beach, a working class university. He earned his PhD in 1971 and has published numerous articles, including “Labor, People, Culture: A Labor Theory of Human Origins” Yearbook of Physical Anthropology Vol 20, 1976. <https://home.csulb.edu/~eruyle/published/ruyle_labor_29_.pdf> The article by Engels is available on the Marx-Engels Internet archive <https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1876/part-played-labour/index.htm>
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NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
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 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 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
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 six years, since October 2011! 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
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(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
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89559844652
What Can we Learn from Nicaragua? Eyewitness Report!
Panel Discussion with delegates on the Alliance for Global Justice trip to Nicaragua in January titled “Women in Nicaragua – Power & Protagonism.” Did you know that Nicaragua is a world leader in gender equality? In a historically macho culture, find out how this, and so much more, was achieved by Sandinistas since 2006.
Erica Caines is a co-coordinator of The Black Alliance For Peace – Haití/Americas Team. Caines, a member of the Black working-class centered Ujima People’s Progress Party in Maryland, founded the African children’s book gifting initiative, Liberation Through Reading, in 2017. She is also co-editor of the African revolutionary blog, Hood Communist. For Green Sunday, she particularly looks forward to speaking about the connections between imperialism in the US and in Nicaragua. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jennifer Sullivan is a lifelong feminist activist and currently serves as an International Committee and National Committee delegate for the Green Party of Florida. She served four years as the FL state co-chair and is treasurer for the GP-US National Women’s Caucus. Born in the Chicago area, her political life began at age 15 reading/studying Ramparts magazine. She Dem-Exited after the 1972 presidential campaign. Independent until 1996, she joined the Green Party and helped found the Hernando County Green Party. She hosted a broadcast TV show in Tampa called On the Table With the Green Party and has produced several radio programs including hosting a debate show called The Fairness Doctrine on Tampa’s WMNF. Sullivan has traveled deep into many countries, not tourist areas, on four continents.
Phoebe Thomas Sorgen is a Green Party of Alameda County Councilor, California Co-ordinating Committee member, CA representative to the GP National and International Committees, and GP-US representative to the Global Green Network. She will attend the Global Greens Congress in Korea in June. (If you want to attend, at your own expense, contact her.) She was Outstanding Woman of Berkeley 2005 for work as a Peace and Justice Commissioner including writing Resolutions adopted by the city to end corporate personhood, stop CAFTA, and support Haiti, Burma, Iraq, Iran, and democracy in the US. She was a 2015 Tom Paine Courageous Spirit awardee and chairs the Berkeley Fellowship of UU’s Social Justice Committee. She traveled extensively while at the Université de Paris for six years, and since. Because she speaks Italian, she manages to communicate with Spanish speakers.
Delegation written report: https://afgj.salsalabs.org/reportjan23?wvpId=3b43e68b-92fb-431b-b75f-6268ae8dcb1f
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]
Following the many Bay Area cities that have voted to ban gas in new buildings, along with recent revelations about how fossil gas harms both the climate and human health, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is considering a new rule that would ban the sale of new gas furnaces and water heaters within about eight years.
At the same time the California Air Resources Board is developing a similar rule, with a deadline of 2030.
The hazards of fossil gas have been getting a lot of publicity lately, after the December 2022 release of a study reporting that almost 13 percent of childhood asthma is attributable to gas stoves. Burning natural gas causes the release of health-harming nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. In addition fossil gas equipment — from the well to where it’s burned — inevitably leaks methane, a greenhouse gas with 80 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it’s released.
The Air District rule would not ban gas stoves, but would ban most new gas water heaters (in new construction and replacements in homes) after 2027, gas furnaces after 2029, and large gas water heaters (in apartments and commercial buildings) after 2031.
While this rule would have great benefits for the climate and health, it’s controversial. Opponents charge it would put a big financial burden on many households that could not afford it. A report prepared for the Air District Board meeting February 15 outlines state and federal funding “available for retrofitting low-income homes with cleaner appliances.”
The board is scheduled to vote on this rule in its March 15 meeting. You can let them know your thoughts on this important topic by emailing your representative on the Air District board.
Click here to find out who your representative is.
OTU’s Mission
The Oakland Tenants Union is an organization of housing activists dedicated to protecting tenant rights and interests. OTU does this by working directly with tenants in their struggle with landlords, impacting legislation and public policy about housing, community education, and working with other organizations committed to furthering renters’ rights. The Oakland Tenants Union is open to anyone who shares our core values and who believes that tenants themselves have the primary responsibility to work on their own behalf.
Monthly Meetings
The Oakland Tenants Union meets regularly at 7:00 pm on the second Monday evening of each month. Our monthly meetings are held in the Community Room of the Madison Park Apartments, 100 – 9th Street (at Oak Street, across from the Lake Merritt BART Station). To enter, gently knock on the window of the room to the right of the main entrance to the building. At the meetings, first we focus on general issues affecting renters city-wide and then second we offer advice to renters regarding their individual concerns.
If you have an issue, a question, or need advice about a tenant/landlord issue, please call us at (510) 704-5276. Leave a message with your name and phone number and someone will get back to you.
For years, anti-surveillance, civil rights, and racial justice groups have been sounding the alarm about the dangers posed by Amazon Ring-police partnerships. Collectively, we’ve successfully petitioned members of Congress to investigate these surveillance partnerships, garnered widespread media attention, and published studies exposing the harms. Despite all the negative attention and backlash, over 2,000 police departments continue to partner with Amazon Ring to surveil communities.
In an effort to end these partnerships for good, the Athena Surveillance Table is launching a campaign to pass local ordinances to effectively ban these partnerships (even in cities without partnerships).
The Surveillance Table is holding its first Ban Ring Coalition Campaign meeting on Thursday, March 23rd from 1-3pm EST. We’re hoping you can attend.
At the meeting, we’ll talk about the ordinance, the recent changes to how these partnerships work, share the ordinance campaign toolkit, and discuss ways we can work together to lead campaigns and/or support local efforts to ban Ring-police partnerships.
A little background on Amazon Ring-police partnerships: Ring cameras surveil millions, from children playing in the park to people visiting health clinics to protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. Alongside the massive growth of this private network of cameras, the tech giant is aggressively expanding their police partnerships. Amazon’s doorbell, floodlight, mailbox, and dash cameras record and collect data on our whereabouts, our homes, and our communities. This massive surveillance dragnet poses an existential Orwellian threat to the daily lives of the public at large and to our democracy�but for Black and brown communities Amazon Ring technology puts their lives in immediate danger.
Join us on March 23rd to take part in developing a shared plan to ban these dangerous partnerships. Click here to register.
Should you need any additional information or have any questions please email me.
In solidarity,
Ayele B. Hunt
Campaigns Director
Fight for the Future