Calendar
The ACLU of CA has prioritized working on bail reform and we are currently setting meetings with folks across the state to work through some critical issues as we begin to pull together this campaign as well as a coalition of folks who are interested in working on it with us. As an organization doing critical work in the bay area, we very much need your input and would love to have you come to our first bay area meeting (You don’t have to agree to join the coalition to come to this meeting).
Our first bay area in-person meeting will be October 6th from 12-2pm at the ACLU NorCal office in San Francisco.
We will provide a light refreshments for those of you who attend. Please RSVP by Tuesday, 9/27 and please feel free to forward this email to anyone else who might be interested.
Last but not least, and regardless of whether or not you can make it on the 6th, please take a moment to fill out our short community surve
Help fight the plan to build more jail space at Santa Rita!
The Oakland Advisory Privacy Commission meets monthly, addressing the surveillance technology OPD and the City of Oakland already possess and wish to possess. It’s first task is to develop a generalized Surveillance Equipment Regulation Ordinance governing how such equipment is to be assessed and procured.
Scroll to the bottom here for agendas and video of previous meetings:
For info: http://www.transitionberkeley.com or email: info [at] transitionberkeley.com
Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Ctee, Transition Berkeley, and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Wheelchair accessible.
For occasional email notices of peace/eco/social justice alerts and related events at BFUU, send any email to:
bfuusjev-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net
For weekly notices of BFUU services etc. go to:
http://www.bfuu.org/signup.html
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.
We are fundraising for an incredible local resource, the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area. The Step Up for Down Syndrome walk is a 1/8th mile lap around a flat track in a wheelchair accessible location. Folks can donate online or collect pledges in real life and bring them to the event.
Please donate, share the link, join the team as a virtual Walker, solicit donations offline, and/or come to the event as a refistered participant on October 9th, and generally support this fundraiser!
https://
WHAT: A community quilt making event in honor of Luis Góngora Pat. The family of Luis in San Francisco and our coalition in collaboration with our community allies at Praxis, Paseo Artístico and Alley Cat Bookstore invite you to help make a quilt in honor of Luis.
The finished quilt will be taken to his hometown of Teabo, Yucatán and delivered on November 2nd Day of the Dead to his wife, parents, and children.
This is a family friendly and community event!
HOW: Just show up and if you want to make donations contact Praxis (415-800-6601)
On Sunday, October 9th, join us at Mosswood Park near the ampitheater for a benefit BBQ and open discussion and update on the unfolding prison strike and how to support prison rebels in California. Organizers will discuss the September 9th strike, what has happened in the US and across the country, and talk about the situation in Merced county jails which joined the prison strike on the 9th giving a list of demands to the guards who proceeded to put the facilities on lock down. In response, the inmates went on hunger strike in protest of horrible conditions, brutal guards, and lack of access to basic food, programs, and legal services.
Bring drinks and/or a dish to share and come hungry. Donations will be collected that will go towards the Merced hunger strikers which will help them stay in contact with their loved ones and outside organizers.
Lastly, this BBQ is being organized to build support for a caravan to Merced happening the following week that will work to build bridges between the bay area and the central valley and hold a solidarity demonstration.
Organized by Oakland IWOC: https://
More info:
Merced Hunger Strike Interview:
https://itsgoingdown.org/
and
https://itsgoingdown.org/
Indepth Look at Reasons and Conditions Causing Hunger Strike:
http://
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 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. 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 four 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
- 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
Many have been alarmed by the recent spectacle of law enforcement in full riot gear and armored vehicles moving through peaceful demonstrations. At first glance, it’s easy to suspect our police forces are preparing for war or terrorism instead of protecting and serving citizens exercising their civil rights. In Craig Atkinson’s disquieting documentary, such suspicions are reinforced as we learn that since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has given police departments $34 billion in grants to purchase equipment, while the Department of Defense has contributed additional billions in free military equipment. What changed and where are we heading? Have the War on Drugs and the War on Terror formed an alliance that apparently justifies the use of military technology, including preemptive surveillance systems on civilians? Sure to spark debate, Do Not Resist thrusts the viewer into the action on the streets and seeks to examine the growing culture of militarized policing.
A multi-faceted documentary filmmaker, Craig Atkinson is a notable producer, editor and cinematographer. Most recently, Craig was an additional cinematographer on documentaryNorman Lear: Just Another Version of You. Craig also produced, and was the co-cinematographer on feature length documentary Detropia, a lyrical exploration about the city of Detroit trying to re-invent itself in a post-manufacturing United States. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won the Editing Award for U.S. Documentary. Detropia went on to win ten additional awards worldwide and was short-listed for an Academy Award. While in Detroit, Craig was also a cinematographer on The Education of Muhammed Hussein, a 40-minute short documentary exploring the Muslim population in the Detroit area. The film, made for HBO, was short-listed for an Academy Award in 2012. Earlier is his career; he was Enat Sidi’s (The Wolfpack, Jesus Camp) assistant editor during 12th and Delaware, an HBO film that takes a compelling look at the ongoing abortion debate in America. The film was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Craig holds a MA in Visual Media Arts from Emerson College.
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PRECEDED BY
THE DEAN SCREAM
US 2016, 10 min
Director Bryan Storkel
A case study of how the media can take a simple, innocent moment in time and spin it into something completely different.
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The Community Democracy Project is your connection to direct democracy in Oakland! Convened out of Occupy Oakland in Fall 2011, we’re gathering steam on a campaign to bring the people back in touch with the city’s resources through participatory budgeting.
Picture this: Across Oakland, Neighborhood Assemblies are regularly held in every community. People come together to tackle the important issues of their neighborhoods and of the city. At these assemblies, people don’t just have discussions–they learn from one another, from city staff, and they make fundamental decisions about how the city should run. They decide the city budget.
Democratic, community budgeting is a powerful step toward building strong communities, real democracy, and economic justice–and it’s being done all over the world.
The budget of the City Oakland totals more than $1 billion per year. Although part of the budget must be used for specific purposes, still over half of the budget–over $500 billion per year–consists of general purpose funds paid by the taxes, fees, and fines of the people of Oakland. The Mayor and the City Council decide the city budget, with minimal input from the community.
Working together, we will not only get a seat at the table–we will REBUILD the table itself. Participatory democracy is real democracy–join us to say: Local People, Local Resources, Local Power!
A message from Kevin Pina:
Many of you are aware of my work in Haiti and the documentaries I produced about the struggle for justice by the Haitian people. While reviewing footage from the spectacle of violence created by the Oakland Police Department against Occupy Oakland protesters, I was often reminded of experiences in Haiti where I saw US Marines, and later UN military forces, draw their guns on those protesting against the 2004 coup.
Many times a brutal Haitian police blatantly gunned people down in broad daylight in their neighborhoods in joint operations with US Marines and UN forces. This was almost always followed by mass arrests in those same neighborhoods and a campaign to demonize the victims in order to justify state violence against those who would dare to resist and continue to fight. For me the parallels with Occupy Oakland are undeniable and as such, I would also like to share proceeds from this screening of #OO (Occupy Oakland) to support the work of the Haiti Action Committee as they continue to work in solidarity with the historic movement of the Haitian people for real democracy and change.
As fate would have it, October 9, the date of this screening, is also the day of presidential elections in Haiti where the possibility for real change exists in the spirit of the Lavalas movement and the candidacy of Dr. Maryse Narcisse. She carries a heavy burden of history upon her shoulders especially as the elections are being threatened with violence by those who oppose real change in Haiti as well as those would buy votes and use corruption to forestall change. This event offers an opportunity to also support her and the Fanmi Lavalas movement against the forces of violence and repression.
So please join us for this benefit screening which I hope brings together a community of activists and supporters of Occupy Oakland, the Oscar Grant movement and those fighting alongside our Haitian sisters and brothers. Please consider forwarding this invitation to your personal and organizational e-mail lists along with the attached event flyer.
Join us to share and work together to support these causes we hold dear as only our communities can.
Alone we are weak, together we are strong!
Sincerely,
Kevin Pina
Producer/Director
#OO (Occupy Oakland)