Calendar

Our Sunday morning programs are scheduled pretty much on a “first come, first served” basis and confirmed at our planning sessions. The opinions expressed are those of the speakers only and do not represent a group consensus on the issues by the members of ICSS. Our general practice is to allot at least half of the time to comradely discussion of the issues so that we include as many voices as practical .

Check here close to the date each week for subject matter and Zoom info if not below:

https://icssmarx.org/icss-sched-latest.html

Sun, Sep 20, 2020:
Socialism and ‘Movement for a People’s Party’
In the US, a movement is afoot for a new party and over 100,000 people have responded to the call to form a new ‘People’s Party’, which is presently a pre-party formation.  In this Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library session, we will be showing some videos of the speeches by notable speakers and analyze the platform for this new political formation from a Marxist perspective, followed by a lively discussion

LOG-IN INFO 
The meeting will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc. We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=TTdlcFlnZEVCdWt2VlRHeWZLeHNKQT09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: 6MwQP7

Sun, Sep 27, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED: Labor and Immigration
David will talk about the struggles of farmworkers on the West Coast to organize, and the way it’s affected by their work lives and status as immigrants.  He’ll include photographs and a description of his documentary work in process.

Sun, Oct 4, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED: The Crisis in Education:
Capitalist Mess and Socialist Solutions
The NY Times recently ran two articles on its front page: U.S. Campuses See Explosions Of Virus Cases,“ and “How Beijing got 295 Million Back to School.” This illustrates how socialism attempts to solve the mess in education created by capitalism. Similar forces can be seen in Oakland, CA, where billionaire-funded charter school organizations are buying our school board members, implementing school closures, and turning students and parents into vectors for billionaire profit. Meanwhile, socialists and union activists fighting to keep Oakland schools public, and to keep charter schools and their billionaire supporters out of our communities. We have invited Gerald Smith, an activist with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and former candidate for the Oakland School Board, to lead a discussion with members of the Oakland Education Association (OEA) the teacher’s union. Discussants will include Mike Hutchinson, a candidate  for the Oakland School Board in District 5, endorse by both DSA and OEA.
The session will be moderated by ICSS Members Eugene Ruyle and Raj Sahai.

Sun, Oct 11, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED: Dealing with Covid 19:
A Comparison Between Cuba and the United States
   Cuba, a socialist nation with a population of about 11 million, has suffered (as of mid-September, 2020) about 100 fatalities from the Covid 19 virus pandemic. The USA, a capitalist nation with a population about 30 times as great as Cuba, has suffered (as of mid-September), almost 200,000 deaths from this virus. The U.S., with about 30 times the population of Cuba has lost about 2000 times as many lives! What are the social, political, economic, ideological, cultural, strategic and other factors relevant to each nation that explain this profound difference
Dr. Laurence H. Shoup has taught history at a number of universities and is the author of five books, his most recent one being Wall Street’s Think Tank: The Council on Foreign Relations and the Empire Neoliberal Geopolitics 1976-2019 (Monthly Review Press). He has been in active solidarity with the Cuban Revolution for many decades and has visited the country over a dozen times on a variety of solidarity excursions, including two Pastors for Peace caravans, several Labor Exchange trips, as well as with the Venceremos Brigade and Global Exchange.

Sun, Oct 18, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED: What Should Working People in the U.S.
do about Elections 2020?
Should we: 1. Vote Third Party? 2. Vote Democratic to oppose the Fascist tendency represented by Trump? Trump? 3. Adopt the Safe State Strategy?, 4. Sit out of the bourgeois election? 4. Vote for Trump to deny support to the real danger, Biden? 5. suport only those down-ballot candidates from any group that pushes for reform of the capitalist system, e.g Greens, Berners and “The Squad”?
We have three confirmed speakers,
* Tom Gallagher, former Massachusetts State Representative and author of The Primary Route.
* Roger Harris, among his many activities, Roger is on the Central Committee of the Peace and Freedom Party and a board member of the Task Force on the Americas
* Laura Wells, former Green Party candidate for Governor, writer (laurawells.org)
ICSS member Sharon Rose will facilitate the session..
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
* The Specter of a Fascist Coup by Trump Haunts the US, But There’s Worse to Worry About https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/21/the-specter-of-a-fascist-coup-by-trump-haunts-the-us-but-theres-worse-to-worry-About/
* Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World By Rutger Bregman, recommended by https://laurawells.org
* Joe Biden, Don’t Let Donald Trump Run as the Antiwar Candidate! https://tomgallagherwrites.com
LOG-IN INFO 
The meeting will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc. We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible
BLURB AND LOG-IN INFO WILL BE PROVIDED ON
FRIDAY, OCT 16, 2020

Sun, Oct 25, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED: Attack on Anti-racist Organizers
On Sept. 17, 2020, several protest leaders, including four members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), were arrested in Denver, Colorado in a coordinated police attack. The organizers now face over 30 bogus charges including “kidnapping” and “inciting a riot,” and potentially years in prison. They were targeted because of their dedicated organizing efforts in recent months to denouncing the police murder of Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado.
This attack is part of a larger assault on the anti-racist movement directed from the White House, Governor’s mansions, and local governments and police agencies around the country. This can happen to any protester who has used their voice to mobilize in the mass movement against racism in every single corner of the United States.
   We will be joined by Lillian House, one of the protest organizers  facing 12 bogus facing charges including “kidnapping” and “inciting a riot,” and potentially years in prison and well as Richard Becker of the PSL.
For more info and to donate, see https://www.liberationnews.org/thousands-declare-their-solidarity-with-framed-denver-anti-racist-organizers-add-your-name-here/
The demands are: 1. Drop all the charges! 2. Stop the assault on the movement and on free speech!

Sun, Nov 1, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm DST FALL BACK
CONFIRMED -The fall of the Soviet Union: New insights into the sequence of events, starting with the victory of the Russian Revolution on November 7, 1917, and implications for Marxists today.”
Wadi’h Halabi, with the Center for Marxist Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will discuss this topic. His analysis extends to differences between the Chinese and Russian Revolutions. For example, civil war and land reform followed revolution in Russia but preceded it in China. Halabi’s discussion will touch on the ‘new Cold War’. The global class struggle hardly ended with the fall of the Soviet Union, and this is the framework of the presentation.

Sun, Nov 8, 2020: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
CONFIRMED – WHAT NOW?
This will be our first meeting after the November 3, 2020 election, and we know they will not turn out well. Do we Dump Trump or Battle Biden? What will groups like ANSWER, the Poor People’s Campaign, and DSA  be doing? We have invited  Gloria La Riva, the only socialist Presidential Candidate on the ballot in 23 states, or her representative, to lead our discussion, possibly  she will be  joined by another speaker.
Gene is organizing.

We’re looking forward to getting together with you for a regular meeting. We’ll discuss the latest developments in our fight to keep new oil and gas wells out of eastern Contra Costa County and ban new fossil fuel development in the county. Plus we’ll catch up on campaigns against coal exports in Richmond and Oakland, just transition, regional climate planning, and more — and check in with each other. We need your participation and your voice!

RSVP to action@sunflower-alliance.org to get the link

🚨THIS SUNDAY🚨
October 4, 2pm
34th & Wood St

Our landlord SMC is serving illegal eviction notices, twisting CA’s new AB3088 to scare tenants into self-evicting or paying money they don’t have.

You better believe we’re responding to this! COME THRU, we need your support! pic.twitter.com/Iyn4gaDEzl

— SMC Tenants Council (@smc_tenants) October 1, 2020

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

PRESS CONFERENCE:

In the wake of renewed international attention to the murders of Black men, woman, children, and most notably the recent tortuous killing of George Floyd — who was killed beneath the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin, using the same technique that was used on Oscar Grant minutes before he was shot to death by BART Officer Johannes Mehserle — the family of Oscar Grant and the community that supports them demand that the District Attorney of Alameda County, Nancy O’Malley, reopen the case of the murder of Oscar Grant. Among Oscar’s last words were, “I can’t breathe.” Anthony Pirone, the BART Officer who created the climate of violence, pinned Oscar down with a knee on his neck, fracturing bones in Oscar’s face, and called Oscar a “bitch-ass nigger”, three times has escaped justice.  The family demands that DA O’Malley reopen Oscar’s case.

WHO: Rev. Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar and CEO of the Oscar Grant Foundation, will be joined by Oscar’s uncle, Uncle Bobby X, and Ms. Beatrice X Johnson, of the Love Not Blood Campaign, along with a host of supporters, civic and religious leaders and a community that seeks justice and supports the demand to reopen the case of Oscar Grant.

Note: Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson called the murder of Oscar Grant an “execution.”  The Community is looking for renewed support for reopening the murder case of Oscar Grant from Mr. Carson and other Black elected officials, including Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Lateefah Simon, current President of the BART Board.  The Community is also looking to Black celebrities such as now-renowned director Ryan Coogler to give his support to this effort, the Black Panther director having launched his career with the film Fruitvale Station, the story of the murder of Oscar Grant.

Join DSA members to win power for:
Free Public Transit
Greatly expanded service, accessibility, and schedule
Protection of union workers and expansion of union jobs
Social equity to overcome transportation discrimination
Conversion of Public Transit to Zero Emissions vehicles

RSVP for Zoom link

oscargrantcommittee-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

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 1^st 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

Register here

Please join us for a special webcast about protecting election integrity, voting rights, and democracy in the age of Facebook. Our guests will discuss what they see as the most perilous threats to democracy that are being promulgated on Facebook and what can be done about them—through government regulation, legal efforts, changes to company policies, and pro-democracy activism.

– Ángel Díaz is counsel in the Liberty & National Security Program of the Brennan Center for Justice. His work focuses on the intersection of technology with civil rights and civil liberties.

– Yaël Eisenstat is the former Global Head of Elections Integrity Operations for political advertising at Facebook. She is a key voice and public advocate for transparency and accountability in tech.

– Myaisha Hayes is the Campaign Strategies Director at MediaJustice, where she oversees the launch of campaigns such as #NoDigitalPrisons and #ProtectBlackDissent.

– Jesse Littlewood is the Vice President of Campaigns at Common Cause, which is training election protection social media monitors to combat cyber-suppression in their communities.

Sponsored by the Protest Facebook Coalition, Media Alliance, and Global Exchange.

Register for this event.

Join AC Library’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) team for a screening of Arc of Justice: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Beloved Community on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 from 2-4pm. This short documentary is about the community land trust, New Communities, Inc., in Albany, Georgia. NCI was created in 1969 by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to help secure economic independence for African American families.

The screening begins at 2:10pm, followed by the Q&A from 2:35pm to 3:35pm. The Q&A will feature guests Mark Lipman, filmmaker, Gus Newport, former Mayor of Berkeley, and Steve King, Executive Director of the Oakland Community Land Trust. Register for this event.

Mark Lipman is a documentary filmmaker whose topics delve into a range of social issues. His films include Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street (1996) and its sequel Gaining Ground (2013), Street of Dreams: Development Without Displacement in Communities of Color (2013), and States of Grace (2014).

Gus Newport was the mayor of Berkeley from 1979-1986 and is currently on the National Council of Elders. He is a lifelong social justice activist and has been deeply involved with community land trusts. After his time as mayor, he became the director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative that was featured in the documentaries Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street (1996) and Gaining Ground (2013).

Steve King is the Executive Director of the Oakland Community Land Trust. His work with community-based organizations focuses on equitable development, affordable housing, and applied social research. He previously served as the Housing and Economic Development Coordinator at the Urban Strategies Council.

Register at: bit.ly/nosl20oakland

Join Oakland activists and artists for performances streaming live on Zoom and Facebook lifting up what #SafetyIs means and how #WeKeepUsSafe. Performers include:

Agenda

Zoom link

Notable agenda items:

• Update from Interim Police Chief
• OPD Presentation on Race and Equity
• Use of Force Ad Hoc Committee Presentation of Department General Order (DGO) K-3
  Use of Force
• Report from Special Concurrent Meeting of the Oakland City Council, Community
  Policing Advisory Board (CPAB), Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission (SSOC),
  and Police Commission on September 29, 2020
• Update on Special Order (SO) 9205 Banning Carotid Restraint and All Forms of Asphyxia

Find agendas and minutes here.

Global Day of Climate Action.

Demonstrations and manifestations will take place all across the globe, adjusted according to Covid-19 circumstances.

Weekly protests to follow.