Calendar
A conversation with Asad Haider, co-editor of Viewpoint Magazine
Doors at 6:30pm, event starts at 7pm
Followed by reception with food and drink
Asad has written extensively on socialist history, theory, and strategy and has contributed to the ongoing discussion of how to build multi-racial solidarity. This kind of solidarity, he argues, will be crucial not only to successfully resisting the attacks of the Trump administration, but also to actually winning reforms like single-payer healthcare that can increase our confidence and capacity to fight for a socialist society.
In his latest Jacobin article, “Where Are the People of Color?” Asad describes how white guilt on the left ignores and sidelines socialists of color. He points out that a “meaningful common interest does not somehow exist by default” but instead must be “constituted by the composition of these multitudes into a group,” which is “a process of political practice.”
Join us for a conversation about how capitalism and white supremacy are inextricably linked, and what the growing socialist left can learn from past socialists and communists about building solidarity. Followed by reception!
Militant resistance has a long history both domestically and abroad.
Every day, people are fighting back against the Trump Administration, corporations and the forces of hate. From the immigration ban to the Dakota Access Pipeline to the normalization of white supremacy, we are seeing new waves of resistance no longer taking any shit from the authoritarian state. We see militant action appearing more and more frequently challenging these powers that be,and challenging orderly liberal political solutions.
Domestically, forces from the martyrs at Haymarket and the 1877 Great Railroad Strike (the only actual “general strike” in American history) to the march on Blair Mountain and the Flint sit down strikes to the Black Panthers, the American Indian Movement and the anti-nuclear movement of the 1960s and 1970s have shaped American dissent to capital and industry. Globally, people’s movements have ejected U.S. Empire from places like Cuba and Vietnam and led global insurrections against neo-liberalism from Chiapas, Mexico.
Now we can use history as a guide for more radical action and resistance.
Join us for a provocative and exciting discussion with Dr. Robert Buzzanco, Professor of History at the University of Houston, about militant and effective resistance to U.S. Capital and Empire.
This event is another in a series of Diablo Rising Tide events discussing militancy and escalation in social movements.
Robert Buzzanco is a Professor of History at the University of Houston. He is author of ‘Masters of War: Military Dissent and Politics in the Vietnam Era’ and ‘Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life.’ He teaches courses in War, Globalization and Terrorism, Social Movements, US Foreign Policy, and Twentieth Century History. You can read more of his work at https://
Do you think internet should be a public commons rather than a corporate monopoly?
Come on over to the Omni Commons to learn about the history of the internet, how it works, and how to build your own. Meet and mingle with civic hackers and organizers behind peoplesopen.net: an open, community-based network in the East Bay.
Agenda:
* 1:00pm – Why/what/how of the internet (< 30 minutes)
* 1:30pm – Snack, mingle, share and experiment
* 2:00pm – Hands-on workshop with a variety of learning stations
Donations for pizza and internet are enthusiastically accepted ; )
The Omni Commons’ ballroom is wheelchair-accessible via a lift in the Entrance Hall, where there is also located a wheelchair-accessible single-stall bathroom.
The Peoples Open Network enables anyone to share their Internet connection or extend signal from neighboring nodes. Learn more atpeoplesopen.net.
The Omni Commons is a 100% volunteer-run space for community organizing, collaboration, and creative production located in North Oakland. Learn more at omnicommons.org.
Join SURJ Bay Area and the Anti Police-Terror Project for a First Responders Training.
APTP builds the capacity of community members to respond to police terror and violence. The purpose of this training is to share knowledge and skills with regards to conducting independent people’s investigations into cases of police terror.
The topics covered will be:
– An introduction to APTP
– How to conduct people’s investigations of police murder
– Know your rights and security considerations when conducting an investigation
– First aid
– An overview of different aspects of family support
The material being presented is created by the Anti Police-Terror Project. Email mobilization@surjbayarea.o
MORE ABOUT APTP: The Anti Police-Terror Project is a group of concerned and committed institutions, organizations, and individuals dedicated to ending state-sanctioned murder and violence perpetuated against Black, Brown and Poor people. They are a Black led, multi-racial, multi-generational coalition. Visit their website here: http://
CHILDCARE: We will be providing childcare on location that is arranged in advance. Please email madeleinemtaylor3@gmail.co
ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific access needs, please email mobilization@surjbayarea.o
SCENT FREE: We ask that guests do their best to be as scent free as possible. Please refer to this resource from the EastBay Meditation Center for more information on what that means: https://
Join faith leaders and activists as we urge our elected officials to honor sanctuary for all people, regardless of immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion.
Speakers Include:
-Dolores Huerta, Co-founder of United Farm Workers
-Rev. John Fife, Co-founder of the Sanctuary movement
-Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and
immigration activist
-Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy, President of Pacific School of Religion
This rally will conclude a Borders and Identity conference, hosted by Pacific School of Religion and Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion – CLGS. More information about Borders and Identity at psr.edu/earl-17
Strike Debt is building a debt resistance movement. We believe that most individual debt is illegitimate and unjust. Most of us fall into debt because we are increasingly deprived of the means to acquire the basic necessities of life: health care, education, and housing. Because we are forced to go into debt simply in order to live, we think it is right and moral to resist it.
- organizing for public banking in Oakland! We made the first steps happen… now we have to keep the momentum going! We organized the forum for Public Banking in Oakland on February 9th.
- Tiny Homes for the homeless.
- Promoting single-payer / Medicare for All to end the plague of medical debt
- Working on debarring US Banks that have been convicted of felonies from municipal contracts
- money bail reform and fighting modern day debtors’ prisons and exploitive ticketing and fining schemes
- helping out America’s only non-profit check-cashing organization and fighting against usurious for-profit pay-day lenders and their ilk
- student debt resistance
- Promoting the concept of Basic Income
- advocating for Postal banking
- Presenting debt-related topics at forums and workshops
- Bring your own debt-related project!
If you are new to Strike Debt and want to come early, meet one or two of us and get a briefing on our projects before we dive into our agenda, email us at strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com .
Strike Debt – Principles of Solidarity
Strike Debt is building a debt resistance movement. We believe that most individual debt is illegitimate and unjust. Most of us fall into debt because we are increasingly deprived of the means to acquire the basic necessities of life: health care, education, and housing. Because we are forced to go into debt simply in order to live, we think it is right and moral to resist it.
We also oppose debt because it is an instrument of exploitation and political domination. Debt is used to discipline us, deepen existing inequalities, and reinforce racial, gendered, and other social hierarchies. Every Strike Debt action is designed to weaken the institutions that seek to divide us and benefit from our division. As an alternative to this predatory system, Strike Debt advocates a just and sustainable economy, based on mutual aid, common goods, and public affluence.
Strike Debt is committed to the principles and tactics of political autonomy, direct democracy, direct action, creative openness, a culture of solidarity, and commitment to anti-oppressive language and conduct. We struggle for a world without racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and all forms of oppression.
Strike Debt holds that we are all debtors, whether or not we have personal loan agreements. Through the manipulation of sovereign and municipal debt, the costs of speculator-driven crises are passed on to all of us. Though different kinds of debt can affect the same household, they are all interconnected, and so all household debtors have a common interest in resisting.
Strike Debt engages in public education about the debt-system to counteract the self-serving myth that finance is too complicated for laypersons to understand. In particular, it urges direct action as a way of stopping the damage caused by the creditor class and their enablers among elected government officials. Direct action empowers those who participate in challenging the debt-system.
Strike Debt holds that we owe the financial institutions nothing, whereas, to our friends, families and communities, we owe everything. In pursuing a long-term strategy for national organizing around this principle, we pledge international solidarity with the growing global movement against debt and austerity.
Dear Friends,
Please join us on Sunday, March 19th from 3-5pm to make art for the homeless! We will design and cut out shadow scenes to be projected on to tents at the homeless camp located at the Here/There sign on the Berkeley/Oakland border.
A wonderful opportunity to meet members of the camp and do something fun to support them!
All ages welcome. Please spread the word!
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. (In prior years we have agreed to meet at 4:00 PM during summer hours, that is, once Daylight Savings Time goes back into effect).
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
- 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
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!
Liberated Lens Film Collective presents a dark night of comedy shorts by Thalia Drori Ramirez and Cineastas de Granada.
An evening of comedy shorts by filmmaker Thalia Drori Ramirez, including a premiere of her latest film, Squirrel, which features Mary Vivian Pearce (Pink Flamingos, Multiple Maniacs, Female Trouble) as the school principal. Drori Ramirez will also present a comedy by the students of Cineastas de Granada, a video production program she founded for teen girls in Granada, Nicaragua. A discussion with the filmmaker will follow the screening.
Squirrel Trailer:
https://vimeo.com/
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
About the Filmmaker:
Dark and surreal comedies, Thalia Drori Ramirez’s films are uncensored female fantasies, focusing on revenge, fear and horror. Like the group hug that turns into an opportunity to cop a feel, her work embraces mainstream Hollywood’s comforting and sensuous form, while it simultaneously takes advantage of the innocence of that form by telling non-traditional stories and by using unorthodox
content. Within the context of film as the coquettish seductress, her work reveals the female inner world.
Cineastas de Granada:
In 2005, Thalia Drori Ramirez founded Cineastas de Granada, a video production program for teenage girls in Granada, Nicaragua. The free-of-charge classes offer young women an opportunity to learn film writing, directing, camera and editing, to gain access to the world of media, and to put their stories out into the world.
Why Congress Should Start an Impeachment Investigation Now of President Donald Trump”
Panel Discussion with:
Jovanka Beckles, Member of Richmond City Council
John Bonifaz, Co-Founder and President, Free Speech For People
Ben Clements, Chair of the Board, Free Speech For People
Eva Paterson, Civil Rights Attorney and Activist
Norman Solomon, Co-Founder and Coordinator, RootsAction
Moderated by: Kris Welch of KPFA Radio
Welcoming remarks by:
Rev. Michael McBride, The Center for Faith and Justice
This event is free and open to the public
To learn more visit www.impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org
How does a city like Oakland deal with real crime issues, but also avoid repeating the past excesses of police surveillance? Our guest for Episode 12 of Ars Technica Live is Bruce Stoffmacher, a civilian employee and legislative analyst with the Oakland Police Department.
Stoffmacher will be discussing how the city balances privacy interests with the needs of law enforcement. Prior to working for OPD, he was a policy analyst in the mayor’s office.
Filmed before a live audience at Eli’s Mile High Club (3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Oakland, CA), each episode of Ars Technica Live is a speculative, informal conversation between Ars Technica hosts and an invited guest. The audience is also invited to join the conversation and ask questions. These aren’t soundbyte setups; they are deepcuts from the frontiers of research and creativity.
Doors are at 7pm, and the live taping is from 7:30 to 8:20pm (be sure to get there early if you want a seat). Then you can stick around for informal discussion at the bar.
Bruce Stoffmacher currently works as the Legislation Manager for the Oakland Police Department, where he works with the City’s Office of the City Attorney, Controller’s Bureau and City Administration to pass legislation in support of contracts, MOUs, budget priorities, and policies related to connected to public safety strategies. He writes City Council reports, legislation and grants, and supports diverse communication and partnership efforts. He also works on several data and technology projects.
David Kravets senior editor for Ars Technica. Founder of TYDN fake news site. Technologist. Political scientist. Humorist. Dad of two boys. Peace.
Cyrus [suh-ROOS] Farivar is the Senior Business Editor at Ars Technica, and is also an author and radio producer. His book, The Internet of Elsewhere—about the history and effects of the Internet on different countries around the world, including Senegal, Iran, Estonia and South Korea—was published by Rutgers University Press in April 2011.
Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
“What is to be done?”
Michael Goldstein
He is author of the visionary book, Return of the Light: A Political Fable in Which the American People Retake Their Country, which offers a roadmap for uniting
our separate campaigns to stop the worst abuses of the ruling class into a single movement. The aim of that movement: making government our own means
for pooling our collective resources in the interests of peace, social justice, environmental sustainability, and a society hospitable to the needs of the human spirit.
Join us as Michael presents his analysis of the need for, and means for bringing about, the nonviolent overthrow of the government of corporate wealth, and for what promises to be a lively discussion after.
Michael Goldstein writes a blog in the Huffington Post. Last spring he spearheaded BeyondBernie.us, which circulated an open letter urging Bernie Sanders to actually help build the movement he spoke of so eloquently, not just an electoral operation. The letter called on the candidate to enable his supporters to have direct dialog with each other about how to create an ongoing movement and what its goals, strategy, and organizational forms should be. The group launched a website to assist in that process.
Michael practices law, representing indigents appealing criminal convictions, including death sentences, and he also works as a mediator.
Don Hazen, Executive Editor of Alternet, wrote that Michael’s book “Catalogues the failures of consumer capitalism and the future solutions, at the same time and place a very encouraging read, in a time of little optimism,,” and social critic Michael Parenti described it as “clearly written, hopeful and useful for those interestedin building a real democracy.”
Time will be allotted for announcements.
Continue the momentum of the Women’s March in January and the Women’s Strike March 8th, planning towards a May 1st General Strike!
All welcome!
Come on Wednesday to support Jack and Nestor, who were arrested at an Anti Trump demo on Election Day. Lets pack the court!
East Bay DSA is forming a Socialist Feminist Working Group! Come learn more about how we can work together to fight capitalism and the patriarchy at our first big meeting.
Email socfem@eastbaydsa.org for more info.
“First They Came for the Homeless”
Please join us in a California speaking tour of front line leaders in the movement to end homelessness in America.
Speakers:
.
Mike Zint – homeless leader from ‘OccupySF, founding member of ‘First they came for the homeless’ and the Poor Tour intentional tent community/action
.
Bilal Mafundi Ali –People’s Commission for Justice and the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness
.
And others from Los Angeles, San Jose and the Central Valley, tba
With poetry by Jack Hirschman & music [tba]
As you know, President Trump and Republican leaders are moving quickly to repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut Medicaid – threatening the healthcare and lives of millions of low to moderate income Americans while handing huge tax cuts to the rich and big healthcare corporations. By mid-April, we could be living in the new world of Trumpcare nationally.
In California though, we have the opportunity to not only resist these extreme attacks on our healthcare and lives, but to expand and create the healthcare system we truly need – guaranteed, comprehensive, universal healthcare for all regardless of income or immigration status. Last month, the Healthy California Act (SB 562) was introduced by Senators Lara and Atkins as a key step towards creation of a single payer universal healthcare system for all Californians, and a broad-based statewide coalition, HealthyCA is coming together to advance this exciting, visionary campaign for healthcare justice.
Please join us for a lunchtime briefing about these important issues and to find out how your organization can get involved
Lunch provided, and translation available upon request.
For more info and to RSVP, contact Carolyn Bowden at cbowden@calnurses.org.
This workshop is for all students and community members who are eager to make social change. Students who want to sharpen their organizing skills and learn how to develop a campaign strategy are encouraged to attend.
Participants will walk through the steps of a successful worker organizing campaign to better understand how these principles and strategies can be applied to grassroots and student organizing efforts. This workshop will showcase how to:
· identify issues
· set goals
· identify targets and analyze power relationships
· develop strategy and tactics
· create a road map to win
New and experienced activists, organizers, and advocates are welcome!
Facilitator: Kevin Christensen, AFL-CIO
This event is sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center<http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/> and the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment<http://irle.berkeley.edu/>.
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Location is wheelchair accessible.
Please register for the event<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/organizers-toolkit-how-to-develop-a-strategic-campaign-tickets-32517418474>.
Dear Community,
We need everyone who can get to Fairfield this Friday come show support for Dejuan Hall.
Dejuan Hall is a 23-year old Black man who was brutally beaten by a Vallejo police officer Spencer Muniz-Bottomley on 3/10/2017. Dejuan Hall is currently held in Solano County jail, charged with battery on police officer.
Please come support!