WORK WITH PUBLIC BANK EAST BAY:

If you would like to get involved, we have lots for you to do, including advocacy with local organizations, educational events like this one, social media, and more.

We are devastated to report the untimely death of our Board member, activist and engineer Jake Varghese. Read our tribute to Jake here. Our Revolution East Bay is planning a memorial for Sunday, January 9 at 4:00 pm – we’ll post details on our website when we have them.

Donate to Public Bank East Bay!

We’ve worked closely with Hank Levy, Alameda County Treasurer and Tax Collector, since he was first elected in 2018. He’s running again in 2022, and (even though his website hasn’t fully caught up), he’s including “Developing a public bank to provide access to much-needed funds for those without such access” on his campaign materials. This public acknowledgment of his intentions is a big boost for our goals; being aligned with the County Treasurer is invaluable.

Our viability study, a report mandated by the California Public Banking Act, is in revision stage and will be released soon for approval by the founding members’ governing bodies.

We expect to submit our business plan and charter application to the regulatory agencies in the middle of 2022. That is the last major step in the process of opening the bank doors!

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Six minutes on “The Big Picture: How We Got Into this Mess and How We Get Out of It” with former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.

WHAT IS A PUBLIC BANK?

A public bank is owned and controlled by the people of the city, state, or region it serves. It takes revenue deposits from the governments in its region (and can take deposits from semi-governmental organizations such as EBMUD or BART). Because it is a public entity, rather than a completely profit-driven corporation, it is in a position to both save money and make money for its depositors and — much more important — for the people who live in the cities, states, and regions using the Bank.

Instead of being a retail bank, our Bank will work with local community banks and credit unions to make better, more favorable loans to local businesses, and local individuals. Public banking has several strongholds around the world, including Germany — where public banking profits are largely responsible for the green energy surge — Costa Rica, and Vietnam. Public banks currently hold about ⅓ of the money in circulation in the world.

Learn More: http://www.publicbankinginstitute.org/

The California Public Banking Alliance has published a comprehensive resource booklet highlighting the ideas behind public banking and statewide efforts of the California public banking movement. It neatly organizes many of the overall intentions and purposes of imminent public banks, along with frequently asked questions. Some key points include:

• Statewide list of emergent public banks
• What is a Public Bank? A government owned nonprofit lending and depository institution by/for localized infrastructure and community investments
• Benefits of Public Banks
• 2019 Legislative support for Public Banks via AB 857
• Why Public Banks?
• How Public Banks will work
• We need Public Banks now
• 2021 Legislative support for the California Public Banking Option s via AB 1177
• Frequently Asked Questions … and answers

TONIGHT Feb. 16, 5pm: #DebtStrike victory party & panel WHEN DEBT IS POWER!
Featuring Jane McAlevey @rsgexp, Astra Taylor @astradisastra, @AFSCMELocal3299 & Veritas Debt Strikers discussing Veritas debt strike, tenant unions & organizing to win!
Register: https://t.co/Jt1JKqAllK pic.twitter.com/fbPKs5pX5R

— Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (@housingrightsSF) February 16, 2022

Please email contact@oaklandprivacy.org a few days before the meeting to get up-to-date location information or obtain Zoom meeting access info.

Join Oakland Privacy to organize against the surveillance state, police militarization and ICE, and to advocate for surveillance regulation around the Bay and nationwide.

We fight against spy drones, facial recognition, tracking equipment, police body camera secrecy, anti-transparency laws and requirements for “backdoors” to cellphones; we oppose “pre-crime” and “thought-crime,” —  to list just a few invasions of our privacy by all levels of Government, and attempts to hide what government officials, employees and agencies are doing.

We draft and push for privacy legislation for City Councils, at the County level, and in Sacramento. We advocate in op-eds and in the streets. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and believe no one is illegal.

Check out some of what we worked on in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Oakland Privacy originally came together in 2013 to fight against the Domain Awareness Center, Oakland’s citywide networked mass surveillance hub. OP was instrumental in stopping the DAC from becoming a city-wide spying network.  We helped fight and helped win the fight against Urban Shield.

Our major projects currently include local legislation to regulate state surveillance (we got the strongest surveillance regulation ordinance in the country passed in Oakland!), supporting and opposing state legislation as appropriate, battling mass surveillance in the form of facial recognition and other analytics, mass aerial surveillance, ubiquitous license plate readers, and pushing back against ICE.

On September 12th, 2019 we were presented with a Barlow Award by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for our work, and on March 16th, 2021 s James Madison Freedom of Information Award by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

If you are interested in joining the Oakland Privacy email listserv, coming to a meeting, or have questions, send an email to:

contact@oaklandprivacy.org

Check out our website: http://oaklandprivacy.org/

Follow us on twitter: @oaklandprivacy

“WATCHING YOU WATCHING US”

Oakland Privacy works regionally to defend the right to privacy and enhance public transparency and oversight regarding the use of surveillance techniques and equipment.  Oakland Privacy drove the passage of surveillance regulation and transparency ordinances in Oakland and Berkeley and is kicking off new processes in various municipalities around the Bay.  To help slow down the encroaching police and surveillance state all over the Bay Area, join us at the Omni.

James Ramsey, a young Black Oakland resident with severe mental illness is being held on trumped up charges at Santa Rita for the alleged assault of Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan. James needs care, not incarceration.

James Ramsey has a history of mental illness and was living unhoused when the incident occurred. Both prosecution and defense agree that mental illness is an important factor in this case.

He has never received adequate mental health services or the support needed for his disabilities. Instead, he’s been funneled to the carceral system and subjected to punishment for incidents that likely stemmed from his mental illness, further traumatizing him. The state failed him at every turn, and now it wants to punish him for its failure.

Please join us at the courthouse this Thursday at 9:30 am to demand care and housing for James Ramsey, not incarceration!

Instructions: Participants are invited to go inside the courthouse to support. The building is wheelchair accessible. Bring a mask.

The U.S. Postal Service is one of our nation’s oldest institutions, and it’s a lynchpin of our communities — allowing us to communicate with one another affordably, vote from our homes, and receive necessary supplies.
But if privatizers in Congress and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy get their way, the USPS will soon cease to exist.
The destruction of the post office is a national crisis, and we must rally to stop it.

You’re invited to a sneak peek of Cinema Libre’s new documentary, The Great Postal Heist, an investigation into the effort to dismantle the U.S. Postal Service. The event will feature highlights from the film and a panel discussion by the filmmaker, activists, and labor organizers about what we can do to save the post office.

Click here to register for our special sneak peek of The Great Postal Heist!

For two years, the USPS has found itself in the middle of the nation’s greatest debates, from mail-in ballots to special rates for Amazon and FedEx to skyrocketing stamp costs and slowing service. The Great Postal Heist shows how we ended up in this situation. The film is directed by Jay Galione, the son of a postal clerk, and includes interviews with Ralph Nader, Richard Wolff, former Rep. Blake Farenthold, Rep. Stephen Lynch, and historians, legislators, and postal workers.

Courage California is standing up against the privatizing of the post office, and we want you on board with us.
Our event will show you how you can get involved in the fight to save the USPS — sign up today!

Click here to register for our sneak peek of The Great Postal Heist!

Curious about #Abolition work happening in California? Unsure where to plug in?

Join @C_Resistance this Thursday, February 17th at 5:30pm to get up to speed on @curbprisons #CloseCAPrisons Campaign & how you can get involved 💖

➡️ Register here: https://t.co/egop7gNiAm pic.twitter.com/vhIJvCg5Vn

— CURB (@CURBprisons) February 15, 2022

On February 2022, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia joined Xi Jinping, Presideent of the PRC, to take part in the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They also released a 5000 word document, “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development.”

This document expresses the views of two of the world’s largest nuclear powers, both permanent members of the UN Security Council. As such, it merits the closest attention by anyone concerned with the survival and well being of our species.

The document can be viewed at

http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5770

Our speaker will be Eugene E Ruyle, Emeitus Professor of Anthropology, Cal State, Long Beach, and a member of ICSS.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=ZmhhYWNHWC9BeUdENmYzN2JFWGhQUT09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS0220rs
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,2591082607#,,,,*7029537714# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,2591082607#,,,,*7029537714# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: 7029537714

Join @ellabakercenter this Sunday 2/20 for a mutual aid event from 12-3PM. Scan the QR code on the flyer attached or visit https://t.co/sTQNknvZuj register! #WeKeepUsSafe pic.twitter.com/ojbvU1uddO

— Bay Rising (@_BayRising) February 15, 2022

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

Links to join will be shared upon registration.
RSVP Today

In 57 out of 58 California counties, a district attorney election or recall will be on the ballot this June. Gain insight from our organizing experts and get prepared to influence the outcome of these upcoming elections.

Here’s what we’ll cover during the one-hour webinar:

• Key district attorney races in priority regions
• How you can elect a DA who shares your values
• How you can work with ACLU NorCal to help get out the vote

Reserve your spot and learn – or relearn – what the role of a DA looks like in your community. Register today for this virtual, community-powered event.

We look forward to seeing you there,

Ashley Morris
Organizing Director, ACLU of Northern California

This 5-part course is designed for anyone interested in studying technology and data as the new frontier in organizing against the systems of enforcement and criminalization that harm our communities.

Three years since beginning our monumental #NoTechForICE campaign, we’re launching this course to share resources we’ve developed and to create a digital space for deepening our collective understanding of the ever-expanding state of surveillance––and how to organize against it.

By signing up for this course, you will hear from organizers, professors, and movement leaders who contribute towards this powerful movement for a surveillance-free future. Lessons will cover: data colonialism, race and policing, immigration enforcement, border militarization, global migration, organizing tools, and more.

Alongside key speakers, you will engage with selected readings, reflection questions, and meet other people thinking through these issues of 21st century technologies in their own communities. Join us every two weeks for one hour as we learn together and continue to build a path that centers communities targeted by the detention and deportation machinery, policing, and military operations.

We know that left unchecked, we will be facing down a new world order designed and controlled by big tech and enabled by the government.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US!

Session Dates

Live sessions will take place biweekly on Wednesdays for one hour at 3pm PST/5PM CST/6pm EST. Lesson materials and content for each lesson will be unlocked prior to the live session.

Session 1: February 23rd
Session 2: March 9th
Session 3: March 23rd
Session 4: April 6th
Session 5: April 20th

Email bayareadebtorsunion@gmail.com for Zoom link.

Twice monthly meetings, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

Put POTUS On Notice: Digital Rally

President Biden campaigned on being a climate champion. But a year into his presidency – after millions of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and froontline communities and young people turned out in record numbers to the polls in the middle of a global pandemic to elect him – we’ve seeen Biden fail to tackle the climate crisis with the urgency it demands. Biden will give his first State of the Union address on March 1st. Before then, we’re gathering with partners in the Build Back Fossil Free coalition for a Peoples State of the Union to demand that Biden stop approving fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency.

JOIN the Build Back Fossil Free coalition for an energizing digital rally on Feb 24th at 5:00pm.

RSVP here.

Meet Oakland's very first independent Inspector General, Friday 2.25 hosted by the African American Chamber of Commerce and others pic.twitter.com/isDq8KqkKU

— Oakland Police Commission (@OakPoliceComm) February 17, 2022