Calendar

Speakers:

• Jovanka Beckles, Vice Mayor Richmond
• Erin Brightwell, Socialist Alternative
• Dan Siegel, Oakland Justice Coalition
• International Socialist Organization, TBA

Monthly meeting and Mutual Aid Skill Shares.

Oct 14: Common Home Repair.

Nov 11: Dumpster Diving in the Bay

THE Dec 9 EVENT:  Researching Properties, HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

East Meets West is a series of conferences and festivals that curate international entertainment and catalyze conversation around human potential + well-being, creative culture, professional development and social impact in order to bring about lasting human health and happiness.

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

Sing songs with Ocupella and hold signs, use a sign created by Tax the Rich or create your own on the GOP-Trump tax plan.

Mobilization to Submit Reports to the United Nations Regarding Racism and Human Rights Violations

November 20, 2017 is the deadline to submit reports to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute (MCLI) is reaching out to the community to ensure that all forms of racism by the federal, state, and local governments in the U.S. are included in a report to be submitted by MCLI and allies working in communities experiencing racism at the hands of the government.

With the election of Donald Trump racism in the U.S. has been amplified. The struggle of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, the “Muslim Ban”, the repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the police violence against and mass incarceration of African Americans, harassment and criminalization of immigrant communities, and exploitation of immigrant labor are just some of the forms of racism that the MCLI would like to address in the upcoming report.

MCLI is holding this event to explain the process of holding the U.S. accountable for racism, to include the lived experiences of community members who have experienced racism at the hands of the government as well as social justice organizations working in communities of color, and to seek assistance compiling the report.

MCLI wants this report to be as expansive and comprehensive as possible. The only way we can do this is with community input and assistance. Please come to this event to find out how your experiences can be included and how you can help MCLI compile this report.

There will be a presentation by organizers working with MCLI followed by a Q and A.

OccupyForum presents…
Information, discussion, & community! Monday Night Forum!!

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

Society for the Many:
A report-back from the inaugural People’s Congress of Resistance

“Millions of people desire a political revolution against the billionaire class. The interest in socialism has grown rapidly in the last two years. The will to create a more just and equal society, the will to revolution, grows daily. The People’s Congress of Resistance was assembled to give voice and vision to this revolution. What kind of world do we want? What kind of society is worth fighting for?

The question contains its answer. The kind of society worth fighting for is one organized for society’s own good, for the equality and emancipation of the many. It is a society that replaces oppression with self-determination. It is a society that meets people’s needs. It is a society that protects the land, water and well-being of the planet. It is a society where people welcome the future with solidarity and hope. Today the vast wealth produced collectively by the many is in the hands of the very few. Today these few destroy our common planet for their own private profit. Today too many see nothing but misery ahead. If we are to care for our environment and provide for our common lives and futures, what working people have created through their collective labor must become theirs.”

­– ­From the Manifesto

On Sept. 16-17, the People’s Congress of Resistance movement was inaugurated with a mass convening of grassroots organizers and frontline resistors at Howard University. All told, 727 delegates from 38 states and 160 towns and cities came to Washington, D.C., to discuss the People’s Congress of Resistance manifesto “Society for the Many: A Vision for Revolution,” to share organizing experiences to take back home, to express solidarity with each other and to resolve on common projects and actions for the future.

Local activists, Nick Pardee and Michelle Schudel, who traveled to the Inaugural event in Washington D.C. will give a report-back on their experience and what’s next for the People’s Congress of Resistance.

•http://www.congressofresistance.org/inaugural_people_s_congress_of_resistance_draws_together_grassroots_leaders_unified_by_a_revolutionary_vision

•http://www.congressofresistance.org/

•http://www.congressofresistance.org/resolutions_from_the_2017_congress

Time will be allotted for discussion and announcements.

Donations to Occupy Forum to cover costs are encouraged; no one turned away!

At the next Board of Directors meeting, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) will for the first time in many years consider revisions to their permitting process—Rules 2-X.   The Air District’s past record of permitting indicates a bad habit of rubber stamping “stationary source” projects that endanger community health and destabilize the climate.  Can that behavior be reformed?

Unfortunately, BAAQMD is once again using the recent passage of AB 398, the cap and trade extension bill, to argue that they are prohibited from passing any direct regulation of CO₂ emissions.  Although the bill specifically restricts Air Districts from taking actions that produce CO₂ reductions, BAAQMD legal staff insists that this prevents them from pursuing efforts that would merely prevent future emission increases.

As a result, their proposed improvements to current permitting rules will do nothing to control future CO₂ emissions.  Dangerous projects, such as the massive expansion of crude-by-ship into the Phillips 66 marina at the Rodeo refinery, will continue to be rubber stamped.  The “improvements” fail to prevent the increased emissions that will inevitably follow from changes to dirtier, more GHG- and toxics- emitting crude sources.

Staff is using the same interpretation of AB 398 to argue that Rule 12-16, the proposed refinery emissions cap, can no longer be considered.

Please join us on Wednesday, October 18th, to demand permitting rules and refinery emission caps that truly prevent increased future emission of carbon dioxide and toxic co-pollutants.  We must have Rule 12-16 back on the BAAQMD agenda where it  belongs. Talking points will be provided before the meeting.

Court Support for Hearing: New Time!
NOTE: The court changed the hearing time…again! We will now gather at 1 p.m.

1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m: Gathering outside courthouse
1:30 p.m: Line up to enter courthouse
2:00 p.m.: Hearing begins in Courtroom#6
On Facebook: Click here for Facebook event
Accessibility: The court and gathering area outside are wheelchair accessible.
We will have folding chairs available for outside portion.
We won’t have ASL interpretation, unfortunately.
If you have questions or requests for other access needs in the future, please let us know: justice4kaylamoore@gmail.com.

Please join us in showing love and showing up for the Moore family at their final pretrial hearing before their jury trial begins. Show up and show the judge that we’re with Kayla Moore’s family – we remember Kayla and we know that her life and memory matter! At Wednesday’s hearing, the judge will rule on what evidence each party in the case will be able to bring before the jury.

The Moore family’s court case may set a national precedent for how the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) relates to policing and crisis response. Their case is call to action for Berkeley and all cities: it’s time to build ADA-compliant crisis responses that truly support Black people, people of color, trans people, queer people, and people with disabilities.

Save the date: The Moore family’s trial begins November 6th!
SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS: The judge might change the court dates/times again.
Text JUSTICE4KAYLA to 33222 to receive updates by text!

Get Involved

Show up for Court Support – November 6-10 (tentatively), San Francisco. RSVP and share our Court Support Event on Facebook.

Provide or request rides, food and accessibility support during the trial – Sign up here

Come to Meetings: We meet every Monday, 7pm-9pm, The Grassroots House, 2022 Blake Street, Berkeley.

Tell us about your work! Got knowledge about non-police mental health crisis response? Are you working towards justice and self-determination for trans people, disabled people and people of color? We want

We are a trans+queer led group acquiring N95 masks in large quantities and distributing them to encampments, folks on the street, and communities in need. We are too small and need more $ and people!

IF YOU STILL NEED AN N95 MASK
We will be at Impact Hub Oakland this Tuesday and Wednesday 2-6pm. 2323 Broadway. By donation, NOTAFLOF. We’ll be right in front with our cute sandwich board on the street. If you know a ton of people who need masks, you can buy a large chunk, or we might be able to give you a deal for those in need.

AFF presents: Migration, displacement, hope: Refugee Stories (special program) This year we received multiple submissions from filmmakers from around the globe documenting stories of displacement. From the gut-wrenching to the experimental to the hopeful, we are honored to share these stories with you. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster, struggling to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.

Far from a one-size-fits-all marking of “experience” so often depicted on Western media outlets when it comes to the plight of the refugee, this program of 5 powerful short documentaries spotlight the multitude of hues that should be considered when discussions of the refugee experience are had. From the Yarmouk and Ain El-Hilweh camps, to the streets of Berlin: Refugee Stories shows what it takes to hold onto one’s dreams amidst devastating circumstances.

The shorts include the following:

Here You Are (2017)

Tyma Hezam

USA/Syria, 5 minutes

Engages the post-traumatic stress experienced by refugees after their arrival to their destination.

The Pianist of Yarmouk (2017)

Vikram Ahluwalia

Syria/Palestine/Germany, 14 minutes

Meet Aeham: a classically-trained musician attempting to escape the war in Syria for safety in Europe.

After the Spring (2017)

Mathilde Babo

Germany/Syria/France, 4 minutes

On the streets of Berlin, Ahmad recounts the early days of the Syrian revolution.

A Man Returned (2016)

Mahdi Fleifel

Lebanon/Palestine, 30 minutes

Reda is 26 years old. His dreams of escaping the Palestinian refugee camp Ain El-Hilweh in Lebanon ended in failure after three years trapped in Greece. He returned with a drug addiction to life in a camp torn apart by internal strife and the encroachment of war from Syria. Against all odds he decides to marry his childhood sweetheart; a love story, bittersweet. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize (short film) at the 2016 Berlinale.

Through My Eyes: Hani’s Journey (2017)

Zahra Mackaoui

Lebanon/Syria/Canada, 30 minutes

Follows the journey of blind Syrian refugee Hani Al Moliya from the camps in Lebanon to Canada. Told through his photos, it is a story of triumph against adversity, set against the backdrop of the Syrian war.

After the program there will be a panel discussion with members of the International Rescue Committee.

Monthly APTP meeting, held on every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

– Strategize on addressing proposed changes to the BART police use of force policy.
– Find out ways you can use your talents and resources to support APTP and get involved with the work, including how to join various committees such as the Black Leadership Committee, First Responders, Action, Policy, Media, and Security committees.
– Find out more about the #DefundOPD campaign.

The Anti Police-Terror Project is a project of the ONYX ORGANIZING COMMITTEE that in coalition with other organizations, like Idriss Stelley Foundation, Community READY Corps and Workers World Party – Bay Area, is working to develop a replicable and sustainable model to end police terrorism in this country.

We are led by the most impacted communities but are a multi-racial, mutil-generational coalition.

For the July meeting:

There will be report backs on some of our recent actions including the Defund OPD campaign around the city budget process, including our shutdown of the Council budget meeting. You’ll also hear about our action to protest the promotion of rapist OPD Cops at their “secret” promotions ceremony.

We’d also love to have you get involved with APTP on a regular basis, by joining one of our committees. We will have committee breakouts as part of Wednesday’s meeting, so you can learn about what the different committees do. We know you all have lots of ideas and talent, so please contribute to further APTP’s on-going work.

Some of the committees include:
– Black Leadership
– First Responders
– Action
– Comms/Media
– Policy
– Security
– Fundraising

See you all on Wednesday!