Calendar
By the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group
People’s Park is at the center of fifteen other officially recognized city landmarks, which collectively are a de facto historic district. They represent the heritage of the 1960s and the context of the larger theme of a century of town/gown relationships. Berkeley became a major target of the New Right conservative backlash with Ronald Reagan promising to “clean up the mess in Berkeley.” The preservation of the community-built park is again threatened by UC Berkeley because of the pressures of over-enrollment that has engendered overreach through university expansion into Berkeley and an attendant drain on city resources. UCB proposes to cover People’s Park with concrete housing monoliths, possibly to be erected by a private firm that will profit from student occupants. This would destroy both a historical legacy and much needed open space when reasonable alternatives are available. If Berkeley all but invented the sixties, surely the city and its university should be able to commemorate that decade by preserving People’s Park as the heart and soul of a vital historic district.
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California’s wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal. “Schools and Communities First” (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital.
A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I reviews the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a ‘tax the rich’ ballot measure, in 2012. Part III will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on ZOOM, beginning Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.
Where: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09
#DefundOPD It’s not over by a longshot! Speak up at Tuesday’s City Council.https://t.co/aMcVW2M6RB pic.twitter.com/oPMophggzt
— Anti Police-Terror (@APTPaction) July 26, 2020
Is Police Accountability Possible in Oakland?
A national conversation is taking place about reforming, defunding, and re-imagining policing. Please join in the dialog!
The Oakland Police Department has caused untold suffering to families of mostly black and brown residents and has cost taxpayers $74 million dollars in legal settlements over the last 10 years. Being under a consent decree has failed to resolve problems in spite of 17 years of court oversight.
How could this happen? What can we do about it? Representatives from The Coalition for Police Accountability will share recent history of the Oakland Police Department and update us on Measure LL – the upcoming ballot initiative that hopes to strengthen police oversight and accountability.
It’s time for Oakland residents to make our police department accountable to the people of Oakland that they are sworn to serve.
The Zoom meeting is hosted by Reverend Theresa Soto, the Journey Towards Wholeness Transformation Team, and the Justice Team of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland.
Please RSVP for this free event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/is-police-accountability-possible-in-oakland-tickets-112869447556
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84693488061?pwd=M2t3S0dzdkhwN01oZm1hcFpHZS91UT09
In 2018 the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report, stating that the world needed to steeply cut its carbon emissions and make radical changes in order to limit the planet’s temperature from rising to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. If that goal wasn’t met, the report predicted a horrifying increase in suffering for almost all life and ecological collapses.
In America, this report was met on the political Left by sustained calls for the abolition of capitalist exploitation of people and the planet. The rationale was that capitalism’s imperative for endless economic growth required massive amounts of energy, the vast majority of which is still produced through fossil fuels. Some of the specific responses were reinvigorated support for anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggles by Indigenous peoples, surges in attendance at climate strikes, and great support for proposals like the Green New Deal by elected officials.
East Bay DSA will explore this theme in a Socialist Night School mini-series, co-organized with our Green New Deal Committee. These 3 events will explore what it means to be an ecosocialist, the Red Deal and Indigenous struggle, and how to fight for a Green New Deal after Bernie.
In this first Night School, we’ll get an introduction to ecosocialism, its history, and how we can organize as ecosocialists today from the local to the national and international levels. Our readings will cover a broad swath of socialist history, and we’ll get started with 2 speakers:
Becca Miller has been a member of Boston DSA for two years and is a core member of the Take Back the Grid energy democracy campaign. She recently started her second term on DSA’s nationwide ecosocialism working group steering committee, where she’s been working on a new member onboarding process. Becca works as a campaign manager to increase state funding for a program that helps SNAP recipients afford more fruits and vegetables from local farmers.
Benny Zank is a member of the East Bay DSA Steering Committee and has previously served as co-chair of the chapter’s Green New Deal committee. He has organized as an ecosocialist for several years building strong coalitions with other organizations in the Bay Area and works professionally on addressing environmental issues, like supporting the California Energy Code. Follow him @bread_by_benny.
Priority Readings:
DSA Ecosocialist Working Group Principles
Care and Repair: Left Politics in the Age of Climate Change
Recommended Readings:
Karl Marx on the materials of production
– SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 and
– SUNDAY AUGUST 9, 10a-1pm
MAIN Distribution day: Sunday August 16.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpEKYFMn_elFBrtglSiPSSHg4cRK3lrVCuqd6aTZI1p7SbRg/viewform
**fill out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpEKYFMn_elFBrtglSiPSSHg4cRK3lrVCuqd6aTZI1p7SbRg/viewform or email Diana at diwu118@gmail.com / text +1 510 898 6992 and volunteers will pick up from your porch (also email if you have a car and can pick up or redistribute)
Items we need:
– canned food: tuna, beans, jams, peanut butter, meats, soups, etc.
– Bagged rice, beans/pulses
– ramen, mac & cheese (easy to heat)
– Frozen Meats/Tofu (for future meals)
– bottled water
– juice packs
– Vitamin C tablets/EmergenC
– New tooth brush, toothpaste, deodorant
– soap (bar and liquid)
– pads and tampons
– hand sanitizer
– New wrapped toilet paper/paper towels
– Disinfectant Wipes
– Rubbing Alcohol/Bleach
– Unopened masks/gloves
– New in Package: socks and underwear
-Homemade masks
– rain gear
– tents
– tarp
– Garbage bags
– 2-5 gallon water containers with spigots
– Dog Food
– $$$ Donate
– Ziplock Bags
– batteries
****
We will be organizing on an ongoing basis so funds or supplies not distributed will go out the following weeks.
Sign up to volunteer for a shift for the main day. Some roles include people to help assemble bags, folks with cars to help caravan the supplies to the unhoused, etc. Please email Diana at diwu118@gmail.com / text +1 510 898 6992 to do so.
Watch on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/haitiemergencyrelieffund/live
Click here to make a donation to Haiti’s Campaign For Dignity
About Haiti Emergency Relief Fund
Since its inception in March 2004, the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund has given concrete aid to Haiti’s democratic movement as they attempted to survive the brutal coup against their democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and to rebuild shattered development projects. We urge you to contribute generously, not only for this immediate crisis, but in order to support the long-run development of human rights, sustainable agriculture and economic justice in Haiti.
Learn more at www.haitiemergencyrelief.org
– SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 and
– SUNDAY AUGUST 9, 10a-1pm
MAIN Distribution day: Sunday August 16.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpEKYFMn_elFBrtglSiPSSHg4cRK3lrVCuqd6aTZI1p7SbRg/viewform
**fill out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpEKYFMn_elFBrtglSiPSSHg4cRK3lrVCuqd6aTZI1p7SbRg/viewform or email Diana at diwu118@gmail.com / text +1 510 898 6992 and volunteers will pick up from your porch (also email if you have a car and can pick up or redistribute)
Items we need:
– canned food: tuna, beans, jams, peanut butter, meats, soups, etc.
– Bagged rice, beans/pulses
– ramen, mac & cheese (easy to heat)
– Frozen Meats/Tofu (for future meals)
– bottled water
– juice packs
– Vitamin C tablets/EmergenC
– New tooth brush, toothpaste, deodorant
– soap (bar and liquid)
– pads and tampons
– hand sanitizer
– New wrapped toilet paper/paper towels
– Disinfectant Wipes
– Rubbing Alcohol/Bleach
– Unopened masks/gloves
– New in Package: socks and underwear
-Homemade masks
– rain gear
– tents
– tarp
– Garbage bags
– 2-5 gallon water containers with spigots
– Dog Food
– $$$ Donate
– Ziplock Bags
– batteries
****
We will be organizing on an ongoing basis so funds or supplies not distributed will go out the following weeks.
Sign up to volunteer for a shift for the main day. Some roles include people to help assemble bags, folks with cars to help caravan the supplies to the unhoused, etc. Please email Diana at diwu118@gmail.com / text +1 510 898 6992 to do so.
The Chiapas Support Committee presents
¡Viva Zapata Film Series!
rebellious films | películas rebeldes
In partnership with PM Press and A Radical Guide.
Join us online for the second installment of the Viva Zapata Film Series.
We will be screening: The Fourth World War (A Big Noise Tactical Media production; 75 minutes)
Film screening followed by circle discussion with members of the Chiapas Support Committee
Please register here.
The Reality seen through this camera is more real – Subcomandante Marcos
Join us to view and discuss the documentary, The Fourth World War. This film gives us a snapshot of the global protest movements in the early 2000’s against global capitalism and neoliberal politics. The film features the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) and traces the common spirit of resistance, justice, and life between the Zapatistas and the peoples of Palestine, Argentina, Korea, and South Africa.
Afterwards, take part in a discussion about the EZLN, how it has unfolded over the last 26 years and how the Zapatista struggle relates and exists in solidarity with current global struggles today. We are currently living through a capitalist crisis and the people of the world have taken to the streets, from Hong Kong to Seattle, from Minneapolis to Palestine, from Oakland to DC to demand a world where many worlds fit.
Please register by clicking on the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoc-uhrjIvGNOfld2iPt8QCh0j79dDodGq
About the Film:
From the front-lines of conflicts in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Palestine, Korea, and the North; from Seattle to Genova, and the War on Terror in New York, Afghanistan, and Iraq, The Fourth World War is the story of men and women around the world who resist being annihilated in this war.
While our airwaves are crowded with talk of a new world war, narrated by generals and filmed from the noses of bombs, the human story of this global conflict remains untold. The Fourth World War brings together the images and voices of the war on the ground. It is a story of a war without end and of those who resist.
The product of over two years of filming on the inside of movements on five continents, The Fourth World War is a film that would have been unimaginable at any other moment in history. Directed by the makers of This Is What Democracy Looks Like and Zapatista, produced through a global network of independent media and activist groups, it is a truly global film from our global movement.
Narrated by Michael Franti and Suheir Hammad
For more information, visit the Chiapas Support Committee’s blog: https://chiapas-support.org
ON BEHALF OF THE CHIAPAS SUPPORT COMMITTEE, please join me on Sunday, August 9, 2020, 2:00-4:00pm.
Can schools be reopened safely with the pandemic out of control? Why do several prestigious scientific and public health organizations push for reopening schools (the National Academy of Sciences; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the Centers for Disease Control) — do they really know, is their advice really unbiased, and anyway is this really a strictly scientific decision or is it a social decision to be based on overall well-being?
What will be necessary for schools to reopen safely? Can we learn from the experiences of other nations and communities around the world? This talk will take up these and other related questions — trying to provide answers to some, and to promote dialogue on others.
Jack Gerson is a retired Oakland teacher who thinks about issues related to education, politics, public health and the pandemic — and every once in a while still writes or speaks about them. Before retiring, he was on the executive board and bargaining team of the Oakland teachers union (OEA). Among other things, he helped organize OEA’s campaign to bail out schools not banks and end foreclosures, and the Occupy Oakland education committee’s 18 day occupation of Lakeview Elementary in 2012 to protest school closures. He also has graduate degrees in public health (MPH and PhD in biostatistics).
Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows, at 6:15 pm. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88246367071?pwd=TktrODRsS2dpSWYzbEtuTmc0dlkwZz09
Meeting ID: 882 4636 7071
Passcode: 2020
One tap mobile
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Dial by your location
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+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 882 4636 7071
Passcode: 2020
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcJoSkFC39
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, WHOSE STREETS? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy. Empowered parents, artists, and teachers from around the country come together as freedom fighters. As the national guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance.
Filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis know this story because they have lived the story. WHOSE STREETS? is a powerful battle cry from a generation fighting, not for their civil rights, but for the right to live.
Official Selection:
Sundance Film Festival 2017 – World Premiere (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Full Frame 2017
Register: https://29050a.blackbaudhosting.com/29050a/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=0b916a66-f070-433d-81be-5b7a4687bca6
Participation instructions here
In response to Black Lives Matter, the tragic murder of
George Floyd by Minneapolis Police, Bay Area social
justice protests and public demand, the Board of
Directors requests that the General Manager work with
the Board of Directors on an immediate stakeholder
process to develop changes to the BART Police model
that de-emphasize the use of sworn personnel to
respond to homelessness, behavioral health and
substance use, among other issues that do not need an
armed police response. Recognizing that much has
been done to implement progressive and equitable
policing practices, we also need to consider a different
model of public safety that is more effective and
prevents racially biased policing. The goal is to have
recommendations for consideration in October when
the Board considers revisions to this year’s budget.
4. a. BART Police Model Enhancements. For information.
b. Overview of the BART Police Citizen Review Board Model. For information.
c. BPCRB Stakeholder Input and Recommendations. For discussion.
d. BART Board of Directors’ Comments and Feedback. For discussion.
Making sense of data has never been more important. “Big data” in healthcare, education and the economy influences policies that affect billions. The problem? Most of us are woefully unprepared to spot accurate information amid the flood of misinformation and propaganda shared on channels like social media.
University of Washington professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West, authors of Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World, have made it their mission to help us assess data, separate the accurate from the bogus, and fight back with effective analysis and argument
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/calling-bs-how-to-spot-data-misinformation-with-professor-jevin-west-tickets-111174313364?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&mc_cid=a332aaba8f
Register: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/discussing-the-dangers/register
Panelists:
- Jake Laperruque, Senior Counsel for The Constitution Project at POGO
- Clare Garvie, Senior Associate from the Center for Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law
- Malkia Cyril, Senior Fellow at Center for Media Justice
- Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorney for the ACLU of Northern California
- Congressman Jimmy Gomez, (D-CA)
- Senator Jeff Merkley, (D-OR)
Participate as the Commission continues work to develop a plan for to achieve a health care delivery system for California that provides coverage and access for all through a unified financing system.
The Commissioners are responding to our feedback!
More Opportunities for Public Input.
agenda is available online.
For more information and updates go to the
Healthy California for All website
chhs.ca.gov/healthycaforall/.
At this meeting, Commissioners will discuss and take an advisory vote on its first deliverable, An Environmental Analysis of Health Care Delivery, Coverage, and Financing in California. They will receive an update on community engagement plans. Finally, members of the Commission will discuss design issues related to financing.
Email your Comments and Stories.
HealthyCAforAll@chhs.ca.gov
Invite Others.
Together we can transform Health Care in California!
The Biosafety Alliance/Soil Not Oil Coalition has been organizing conferences since 2011. Starting with the historic Justice Begins with Seeds Conference that supported GMO Labeling campaigns by educating community members about the environmental hazards of industrial agriculture that is highly fueled by the GMO industry. In 2015, we expanded our work through the Soil Not OilInternational Conference, in which we promote practical soil-based solutions to climate change by restoring ecosystems and expanding environmental justice by offering scholarships to diverse participants..
Our conference have featured international scientists, farmers, elected officials and environmental activists including: Dr. Vandana Shiva, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Andrew Kimbrell, Wenonah Hauter, Miguel Altieri, David Zuckerman, John D. Liu, Starhawk, John Jeavons, Tim LaSalle, Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser and hundreds more.
Soil Not Oil is an educational event in which attendees learn the root causes, effects and solutions towards creating climate stability. Highly recommended to students, educators, activists, farmers, scientists, investors, policy makers, health providers, families, urban planners and everyone else concerned with life on earth.
It’s not too late to submit proposals to present at the 6th Annual Soil Not Oil conference, or to volunteer, or even register for this year’s conference—this time to be held entirely online. Soil Not Oil is an exciting educational event in which attendees learn about the root causes and effects of climate instability, as well as the solutions that contribute to climate stability. Highly recommended for students, educators, activists, farmers, scientists, investors, policymakers, health providers, families, urban planners, and everyone else concerned with life on earth. Each year’s conference has been well worth attending, with presenters from all over the globe. This year promises to be no different, except that it’s going virtual.
The Soil Not Oil Coalition advocates for sustainable and regenerative management of soils while reducing dependency on fossil fuels. It works to promote respect for soils worldwide, and to highlight how shifting agricultural practices is the key to combating climate change. The Coalition promotes integrated action on sustainable agriculture and clean energy to ensure a safe and healthy planet for generations to come.
Register here.
The Biosafety Alliance/Soil Not Oil Coalition has been organizing conferences since 2011. Starting with the historic Justice Begins with Seeds Conference that supported GMO Labeling campaigns by educating community members about the environmental hazards of industrial agriculture that is highly fueled by the GMO industry. In 2015, we expanded our work through the Soil Not OilInternational Conference, in which we promote practical soil-based solutions to climate change by restoring ecosystems and expanding environmental justice by offering scholarships to diverse participants..
Our conference have featured international scientists, farmers, elected officials and environmental activists including: Dr. Vandana Shiva, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Andrew Kimbrell, Wenonah Hauter, Miguel Altieri, David Zuckerman, John D. Liu, Starhawk, John Jeavons, Tim LaSalle, Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser and hundreds more.
Soil Not Oil is an educational event in which attendees learn the root causes, effects and solutions towards creating climate stability. Highly recommended to students, educators, activists, farmers, scientists, investors, policy makers, health providers, families, urban planners and everyone else concerned with life on earth.
It’s not too late to submit proposals to present at the 6th Annual Soil Not Oil conference, or to volunteer, or even register for this year’s conference—this time to be held entirely online. Soil Not Oil is an exciting educational event in which attendees learn about the root causes and effects of climate instability, as well as the solutions that contribute to climate stability. Highly recommended for students, educators, activists, farmers, scientists, investors, policymakers, health providers, families, urban planners, and everyone else concerned with life on earth. Each year’s conference has been well worth attending, with presenters from all over the globe. This year promises to be no different, except that it’s going virtual.
The Soil Not Oil Coalition advocates for sustainable and regenerative management of soils while reducing dependency on fossil fuels. It works to promote respect for soils worldwide, and to highlight how shifting agricultural practices is the key to combating climate change. The Coalition promotes integrated action on sustainable agriculture and clean energy to ensure a safe and healthy planet for generations to come.
Register here.
***>> EMAIL STRIKE.DEBT.BAY.AREA@GMAIL.COM FOR ZOOM INFO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. <<***
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts a non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, and How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century.
For our July, August and September discussions we will be reading ‘The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy’ by Stephanie Kelton. (Find it at your local bookstore or through this site.)
For July, we will have read the first two chapters.
For August, we will have read chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6,
For September, chapters 7 and 8.
The book is easy reading, and it would be easy to catch up. Join us – all are welcome!
Stephanie Kelton’s brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
Kelton was chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee (minority staff) and an advisor to the Bernie2016 presidential campaign. Kelton is a regular commentator on national radio and television and speaks across the world at large gatherings of people interested in global finance, political economy and public policy. She has superb connections in all areas of print and broadcast national media. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg.
For July, we will also have read two shorter pieces, following up on themes we have taken up in previous readings:
- The Neoliberal Era is Ending – What Comes Next? by Rutger Bregman
- From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring.
We are pleased to report that Georgi Marinov, Stanford postdoc in Genetics, , has accepted our invitation to speak about his recent article in LEFTEAST on this subject.
LOG-IN INFORMATION
Although the invitation SAYS 10:30, 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
ICSS is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 836 4878 6240
Passcode: 334139
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Meeting ID: 836 4878 6240
Passcode: 334139
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd6JAlRnpl