Calendar

Omar Shakir is a brother who was arrested during a pre-dawn paramilitary OPD raid for an assault on a police officer that the cops KNOW Mr. Shakir did not commit. People are encourage to attend to show support and encourage the prosecutor to drop the charges.

Read more about this travesty.

SEIU Local 1000 employees are holding informational pickets in San Francisco and Oakland. We are looking for physical support and solidarity from our local labor and community groups at both of these events as we strive to uphold union labor in public service.

We are State employees represented by SEIU Local 1000, standing along with our brothers and sisters of IUOE Local 3, State division, who have turned down insulting offers from Cal HR on behalf of Governor Brown that disrespects and devalues the important work that we do for our great state of California.  We are toll collectors, janitors, legal secretaries, public utility regulators, bank auditors and planners providing valuable services to our communities and our fellow Californians.  We work to protect our beautiful coastline, marshes, and various other habitats for endangered and other species; we are teachers who provide education to the students of our schools for the blind and the deaf; we monitor traffic and dispatch emergency aid 24 hours around the clock; and we provide services and care to those with acute medical and psychiatric needs.

It is only right and just for us to expect fair compensation during our current contract bargaining as Governor Brown touts the strength of California’s great economic recovery from the recent recession.

Especially in light of the fact that State employees experienced forced furloughs that compromised our ability to provide for our families during that recession and in some cases continue to plague those of us who live and work in high cost regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area.  Don’t think for a second that State employees escaped evictions, displacement and homelessness.  For thousands of us who work for the State in the Bay Area, living here is not a lifestyle choice – we were born and raised here and this is our home – the only home many of us have known.

But for others, being displaced to areas such as Tracy, Manteca, Stockton, Merced, Elk Grove, Patterson, Jackson – was a vital choice for affordable housing for those families.  Those commutes add to the gas emissions Governor Brown wants to reduce but his poor salary structure and his disparaging proposed salary increase leaves us angry and resentful.

Thank you!

Reba Maestas
Jobsite Steward
Caltrans District 4

City Council is set to give final approval to a $1.2M settlement with the family of Demouria Hogg, a 30-year-old father of three shot to death last year by Oakland police, the first in a new spate of questionable OPD homicides.  The victim was unconscious in a car on a freeway offramp.  He could not be roused by sirens, loudly amplified commands, the firing of beanbag rounds, or even the breaking of windows in his car.  A pistol was on the passenger seat, but police could have finished clearing out the window over it, which they had partially broken, and grabbed the gun or kept him from reaching it.  They could have simply waited until he came to, with a negotiator ready in case a standoff developed.  Instead, those in charge decided to extract him.  They assigned a 28-year-old officer with 18 months’ experience to provide “lethal cover.”

When officers started breaking the driver’s side window to pull Mr. Hogg through it, he, predictably, twisted his entire body towards the passenger seat, i.e., away from the glass being shattered near his face.  This movement led to his being successfully tased by the cop providing non-lethal cover, but the near-rookie charged with making an instantaneous life-or-death decision fired too, killing him.

OPD called this a “standoff”;  immediately showed videos to the lawyer for the shooter, who told the press they showed Mr. Hogg going for the gun, but refused to release the videos publicly;  and put out the usual irrelevant smears about the victim’s character.  Eight months later — having waited until attention died down — D.A. Nancy O’Malley exonerated the shooter without even considering whether her commanding offcers did anything wrong.  After another three months the Citizens’ Police Review Board concluded no one was blameworthy.

Clearly someone told City Council that a jury could well disagree — it doesn’t take a million dollars to settle a meritless nuisance suit!

Please come and support our call for (a) accountability on the part of command staff, (b) requiring officials to decide whether charges should be filed as quickly as they would if one of us shot an officer and claimed self-defense, and (c) an end to selective release of information by OPD.

This is on the consent calendar so it should come up fairly early – unless it is pulled from consent, which is possible but not likely.

The time is right for rooftop solar!  At our Solar for All Convening learn about opportunities for renters and time-limited discounts for homeowners through the Bay Area SunShares bulk purchasing program. Hear about financing options and tax credits from local solar advocate Doug McKenzie of SunWork Renewable Energy Project, and GRID Alternatives’ low-to-no-cost solar for qualified low-income homeowners. Solar vendors and zero-emission vehicle dealers participating in SunShares will be on hand to discuss their products and answer questions.  Light refreshments served.

Co-presented by the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition and the City of Berkeley’s Office of Energy and Sustainable Development.

All residents of the nine Bay Area counties are encouraged to learn more about SunShares! SunShares is a limited time program; enrollment ends November 4th. Attending this event is not required to participate in SunShares.

RSVP: Registration Required
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bay-area-sunshares-solar-for-all-workshop-berkeley-tickets-27077410263

Bresha Meadows of Ohio was just 14 years old when she was incarcerated and charged with aggravated murder for defending herself and family against the unrelenting terror and abuse of her father. On October 6, Bresha has an important court hearing in which the prosecutor will determine if she will be prosecuted for a crime (possibly charged as an adult) instead of given the support & safety that she needs.

We take action in solidarity with Bresha and demand that she is returned home to her family and that all charges against her are dropped. For this year’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are coming together in solidarity nationwide with Bresha and all survivors of domestic & sexual violence who are criminalized for surviving.

Join us in sending our love and support to Bresha, and learn more about the larger historical context that Bresha’s story is a part of. We will read and discuss No Selves to Defend, an anthology that situates Bresha’s case in a centuries-long history of women (particularly Black women and women of color) being criminalized for self defense.

https://noselves2defend.wordpress.com/

No Selves to Defend was created during the #FreeMarissaNow mobilization campaign for Marissa Alexander, and its themes and lessons continue to be relevant today.

This event is sponsored by Survived and Punished, and Asians for Black Lives.

Accessibility information: ALC office is located on 55 Columbus Ave in San Francisco. 12 minute walk from Montgomery BART station, limited street parking. Wheelchair accessible and low-fragrance but not fragrance free. Please refrain from wearing perfumes and scents.

Stop the Political Witch-Hunt Against Ms. Yvette Felarca
Protest and Speak Out at the Berkeley School Board Meeting
7pm Rally outside
7:30 pm Speak Out inside

 

Community members, parents, teachers and students plan to rally and speak at the  the Berkeley School Board Meeting  to defend Yvette Felarca, an anti-fascist middle school teacher in Berkeley under attack by the school district.

After Ms. Felarca helped prevent the neo-Nazi/KKK rally on the steps of the capitol in Sacramento last June where she and 8 other anti-fascists were stabbed by the Nazis, racist threats were made against the school if she was not fired. Instead of defending the entire school, including Yvette, the Berkeley Unified School District turned on her, docked 17 days of her pay, and on Wed. Sept. 21, abruptly suspended her. Yvette is now the target of a witch-hunt. She has been disciplined on unfounded accusations of “unsatisfactory performance” and “unprofessional conduct” and was given no reason for her suspension.

Our weekly PARTY to get this hackerspace together, to provide a venue for those things that otherwise cannot be worked out through day-to-day practice.

Potluck! – bring your own tasty dish!

Sudo room, located in the southwast corner of the ground floor, is a creative community and hackerspace. We offer tools and project space for a wide range of activities: electronics, sewing/crafting, 3D and 2D manufacturing, coding, and good old-fashioned co-learning!

Hours: The space is open whenever a member is present. Come visit! Best times to drop in are evenings between 7 and 9pm. See the calendar for recurring meetups and upcoming events: https://sudoroom.org/calendar

For over 4 years, we have been fighting to hold McDonalds accountable for driving wages and working standards down.  They pay poverty wages, often are perpetrators of wage theft and turn a blind eye to the needs of their workers.

Sexual harassment is widespread at fast-food companies like McDonald’s, which, too often, turn a blind eye to their workers’ complaints. Forty-percent of women working in the fast-food industry have been sexually harassed on the job – that’s 60% higher than other industries on average.

Women who speak out about the problem often face negative consequences from their employers, so many women try to confront the harassment on their own, or, even worse, feel that they have to put up with harassment to keep their jobs.

Workers and allies will be silent no more.

On Thursday we will be joining workers nationwide for a press conference about this serious issue.  We will be meeting at 11:30 and beginning the press conference at 12.

Press conference on the 6 Month Anniversary of Luis’s Murder by SFPD

WHAT: Family of Luis Demetrio Góngora Pat —a Mayan indigenous father, husband,brother, son, uncle—, refute the biased autopsy report released by the San Francisco Medical Examiner on the six month anniversary of his murder by SFPD officers. They also plan a march to celebrate his life.

WHERE: The Luis Góngora Pat Community Altar on Shotwell Street (east side), near 19th Street in the Mission District

IMPORTANT NOTE: Afterwards, we will join the Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition @ NOON at 850 Bryant Street in a clamor to D.A. Gascón to press charges against killer cops. More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/153890998400464/

ArtCar Fest celebrates their 20th year exhibiting around the San Francisco Bay Area! They will be displaying their elaborately decorated vehicles on 23rd between Valley and Telegraph.

You can view the entertainment line-up for Friday here. And check out what artisan and food vendors we’ll be featuring here.

As always, the First Friday street festival is free, but we appreciate your help to keep our community-art event affordable for vendors and accessible to our community.

Please donate to Oakland First Fridays today to help us thrive and don’t forget to bring cash ($5-$10) to the event.

All donations to Oakland First Friday are tax-deductible as we are fiscally sponsored by KONO.

Thanks for helping us thrive, and see you on Friday!

This year, the Arab Film Festival is going bigger and bolder than ever: we are honored to host the US premiere of Clash, the Egyptian entry to the 2017 Oscars. Tickets are on sale, and bound to sell out, so snatch yours right away. And we will be making a special announcement on Opening Night, you won’t want to miss it!

Described as “bravura filmmaking with a kick-in-the-gut message” by the Hollywood Reporter, Clash was widely praised after opening Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival just a few months ago. Mohamed Diab’s film is set entirely within a padded wagon, traveling through the streets of Cairo in 2013, as supporters of Morsi’s toppled government and pro-military supporters fight each other inside and out. It is a hard hitting, intense action movie that will leave you at the edge of your seat, while challenging you.

Synopsis: Cairo, summer of 2013 – two years after the Egyptian revolution. In the wake of the ouster of Islamist president Morsi, a police truck full of detained demonstrators of divergent political and religious backgrounds roams through violent protests. Can the detainees overcome their differences to stand a chance of survival?

Note: Clash is an intense movie, not for young children

Renewed Hope Housing is putting on a forum on affordable housing. October 8, 10 to noon, at the United Methodist Church. 2311 Buena Vista.

They have lined two speakers who have real knowlege of the problem and the power to do something about it- Victoria Johnson, Director for Housing and Community Development, and Debbie Potter, Community Development Director for the City of Alameda. The Alameda Renters’ Coalition will be there too!

THE 9TH ANNUAL LIFE IS LIVING FESTIVAL

LEGACY: A TRIBUTE TO THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY

The Coup will rock the Life Is Living festival.

October 8th. Oakland. Defremery Park.
It’s free. pic.twitter.com/96n5eOZpa6

— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) September 16, 2016

This year marks the 9th Annual Life Is Living Festival in Oakland. Over the past 10 years, we have transformed deFremery Park (Little Bobby Hutton Park) from vacant to vibrant. We are indebted to the local West Oakland heroes and sheroes of The Black Panther Party for inspiring us to use culture as a vehicle for social change. That said, we are honored to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of The Black Panther Party at this year’s Festival.

Through efforts such as The Free Breakfast Program, we re-dedicate ourselves to sustaining the Panther’s revolutionary commitment to community generated solutions. From babies to grandparents, Life Is Living believes in intergenerational dialogue that honors the wisdom of children and elders. Our partners have been engaged in a year long process to envision, strategize and create a Festival that is inclusive, dynamic and democratic.

We hope you will join us for what is to be a beautiful day as we honor the 50 year legacy of the Black Panther Party.

Payday Loans, Panama Papers and Poverty

Why the fight to end extreme poverty is global, local and winnable

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Hanauer,

Campaigns Director at Jubilee USA in Washington, D.C.

We can heal our broken economy and build strong, safe and prosperous communities. Learn how predatory financial behavior from the East Bay to East Africa harms people and communities and what we can do about it.

Workshops will discuss predatory payday loans, anonymous shell companies, and how East Bay organizations, congregations and individuals can help stop the damage they do in our local communities.

To RSVP, email: Meg Bowerman  megbowerman@gmail.com

FAME is a network of clergy, spiritual leaders, and people of faith who work to educate and mobilize communities to stand with low-wage and immigrant workers.

 Jubilee USA is a coalition of 550 US faith communities working to address the structures and systems that perpetuate poverty and inequality here and around the world. Jubilee seeks to build an economy that serves, protects and promotes the participation of the most vulnerable.

 Jubilee East Bay, a coalition of 20 congregations and individuals based in the Bay Area, works with Jubilee USA through education and local organizing.

Panelists: Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, Steven Pits, Austin Long-Scott

RSVP – seats are limited. Call 877-687-1021.

Sponsored by SEIU 1021’s SEJ and Afram Solidarity Committees.

Beyond Occupy!

An art show with music and speakers, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Occupy Movement, highlighting its achievements and the work that has continued since the heady days of October and November, 2011.

GA. Kitchen. Info. Medics.  Library. Garden. Media. Labor Solidarity. Anti-Repression. Occupy Forum. Foreclosure Defense. Occupy the Farm. Strike Debt. Anti-Surveillance. Berkeley Post Office Defense. And more!

A bit of history: The Port Shutdown Video featuring Boots Riley.