Calendar

Join us for a conversation with the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an urban Indigenous women-led land trust that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Starting in Fall 2020, BCNM commits to paying an annual Shuumi Land Tax, a small step towards acknowledging the history of genocide on this land and contributing to its healing, as well as embarking on our Indigenous Technologies Initiative.

About Corrina Gould

Corrina Gould (Lisjan Ohlone) is the chair and spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan​— she was born and raised in Oakland, CA, the village of Huichin. A mother of three and grandmother of four, Corrina is the Co-Founder and Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, a small Native run organization that works on Indigenous people issues and sponsored annual Shellmound Peace Walks from 2005 to 2009. These walks brought about education and awareness of the desecration of sacred sites in the greater Bay Area. As a tribal leader, she has continued to fight for the protection of the Shellmounds, uphold her nation’s inherent right to sovereignty, and stand in solidarity with her Indigenous relatives to protect our sacred waters, mountains, and lands all over the world.

Her life’s work has led to the creation of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a women-led organization within the urban setting of her ancestral territory of the Bay Area. Sogorea Te’ Land Trust works to return Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Based on an understanding that Oakland is home to many peoples that have been oppressed and marginalized, Sogorea Te works to create a thriving community that lives in relation to the land. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, the Land Trust calls on native and non-native peoples to heal and transform legacies of colonization, genocide, and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.

Due to unhealthy air quality, this memorial event is postponed until next Thursday.https://t.co/q9PjfNRCpy

— Indybay (@Indybay) September 10, 2020

Come through to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater (Oakland) on Thursday, September 10th 7-10pm for a memorial honoring the dozens of lives that have been taken by police and vigilante violence since George Floyd was killed. This number grows everyday 💔 Just as we exercise collective power through demonstrations, it is also important to collectively mourn and make the time and space to honor those for whom we seek justice 🖤 bring candles, flowers, offerings, and your mask! Please maintain social distance when possible

This is a virtual meeting: join with this link: https://tinyurl.com/SudsSnacks
2:30-3:30 Discussion of local elections, Featuring:
– Carroll Fife, candidate for Oakland City Council District 3
– Aiden Hill, Green Party candidate for Berkeley Mayor
– The Action 2020 slate for Oakland School Board
– The socialist slate for Hayward City Council
3:30-4:00
Presentation and discussion of the Statewide propositions on the
California ballot –
– A short summary of all of the propositions with concurring positions by the Alameda County Greens and the Peace and Freedom Party, and a brief presentation of their differing views on Propositions 24 and 25.
4:00-4:30
Additional time for questions and comments
– Note: A forum about the national election will be held on Oct 3, 2020.
This event is sponsored by the Oakland Greens, Bay Area System Change Not Climate Change, and the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party.
For more information call 510-465-9414

The convention is the highest decision-making body of the chapter, where we discuss and reflect upon our work and organizing, debate priorities and platform for the future and ratify our annual Priorities Resolution. If you want to influence or provide your opinion on what you think the chapter should focus on, prioritize, or otherwise organize for, you don’t want to miss it!

This year is a little different than previous years though:

1. Because of COVID-19, we’ll be holding our convention digitally
2. Normally we have our Steering Committee elections during the convention, but they have already happened
3. We’re using a new, more participatory process to choose our priorities (more on that below)

For the full Convention breakdown, check out convention.eastbaydsa.org!

How Will the Convention Work?

Similar to our General Meetings, we will have structured debate and voting. All members of East Bay DSA are welcome to join and vote (double check your membership at proof.dsausa.org).

The final agenda for the convention will be available in the upcoming weeks.

How Will Priorities Be Determined?

Over a month-long span, committees, leaders, and members like you will draft short priority proposals around a single issue and/or campaign, gather signatures from membership in support, and bring them to the convention floor for debate. The purpose of these proposals is to outline political positions and concrete tasks that will guide our chapter’s work for the coming year. You can read about the whole process on our website soon!

Once the priority proposals are final, we will send them out along with a poll to members to agendize them in order of support. Most things will go on the consent calendar while contentious things will come to the convention floor.

Once we have heard and debated all of the proposals, we will vote them each up or down and those that were adopted, in addition to the consent calendar and the political preamble, will be our new priorities resolution.

Email info@eastbaydsa.org ASAP with any accessibility needs so we can begin to arrange accommodations.

Other questions about the convention? Reach out with questions at info@eastbaydsa.org.

See you there!

Details

When: September 13, 2020, 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Rosemarie Day and Zach Norris discuss both of their books, the pandemic’s effect on communities of color and lower income communities, public health policy across a wider range of issues, and much more!

Find participation info, observation info, the agenda, the taskforce timeline, and more here:

https://www.oaklandca.gov/meetings/reimagining-public-safety-taskforce-special-meeting

Learn about why a for-profit PG&E will never work for the people or the planet and be a part of winning a Community-owned, Community-controlled PG&E.

Where: Zoom: RSVP for link for 8/19

Zoom: RSVP for 9/16
 

Due to unhealthy air quality, this memorial event is postponed until next Thursday.https://t.co/q9PjfNRCpy

— Indybay (@Indybay) September 10, 2020

Come through to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater (Oakland) on Thursday, September 10th 7-10pm for a memorial honoring the dozens of lives that have been taken by police and vigilante violence since George Floyd was killed. This number grows everyday 💔 Just as we exercise collective power through demonstrations, it is also important to collectively mourn and make the time and space to honor those for whom we seek justice 🖤 bring candles, flowers, offerings, and your mask! Please maintain social distance when possible

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.

URGENT: Monday 9/21, the City of Oakland will be introducing a new encampment management policy during Life Enrichment Committee mtg.

The proposed policy is anti-homeless, pro-police, and a violent attack on human rights.
Sign up to speak against it https://t.co/16T00BI3A7 pic.twitter.com/2CJMOPArKG

— The Village, Oakland (@VillageOakland) September 21, 2020

Zoom: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362663ttps://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193

Presentation of the Commission’s Draft Use of Force Policy

Commissioners on the Use of Force Ad Hoc Committee will provide an overview of the revision project and walk the full Police Commission through a working draft, highlighting suggested edits, community input, and the Raheem survey.

Core Principles and Overall Mission First: The first section of the document is dedicated to important overarching concepts that must guide all decisions surrounding the use and evaluation of force, including the primary mission of protecting life, a commitment to de-escalation, a duty to intervene to stop excessive force, a commitment to medical aid, and a commitment to through and fair evaluation of force.

 Specific Policy Direction Mandating De-Escalation: Sworn officers are required by the draft policy (in Section C) to utilize de-escalation tactics and techniques in order to educe the need for force, and de-escalation is tied specifically to the Department’s mission of preserving life and limiting reliance on the use of force.
 Overarching, Easily Understood Concepts Applicable to All Force: Before getting into more specific rules and prohibitions, the draft policy sets forth (in Section D) general policy requirements that apply to all force, regardless of type or intensity. These include:
o Requirements that force be reasonable, necessary, and proportional;
o Prohibitions on unreasonable force;
o Requirements for identification and warnings prior to all use of force;
o Requirements to de-escalate force after force has been used; and
o Requirements to provide medical aid after force has been used.
 Extensive Discussion of Levels of Resistance, Force, and Less-Lethal Force Options
 Strict Necessity Requirements for Lethal Force in Line with AB 392
 Prohibitions on Discharging Firearms at Moving Vehicles
 Specific Rules on Preventing Positional Asphyxia: