Calendar
MILITARIZATION OF LOCAL POLICE
A Talk and Discussion with
Toby Blome
Code Pink activist
Please join East Bay and SF WILPF
Free, Refreshments, Handicapped Accessible
www.wilpfEastBay.orgBerkeley Repertory Theatre is proud to present Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, a special presentation created, written, and performed by playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith. Directed by Obie Award-winner Leah C. Gardiner, this limited engagement opens Saturday, July 11 and runs through Sunday, August 2, 2015 in the Roda Theatre. Individual tickets start at $50 and are currently on sale to the general public. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (510) 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.
Smith garnered a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2012 and a MacArthur Award for her incisive and astounding theatrical investigations – from racial tension (Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992) to the deficiencies in our health care system in Let Me Down Easy. Now she turns her attention to the school-to-prison pipeline, which, by pushing children out of the classroom into the criminal justice system, has created a lost generation of youth from poor communities. In act one, Smith performs striking portraits culled from interviews she conducted with nearly 150 individuals in Northern California and elsewhere in the nation affected by the pipeline’s devastating policies – capturing the dynamics of a rapidly shifting social issue through her trademark performance technique. She will be joined by Bay Area favorite, jazz musician Marcus Shelby.
In act two, Smith invites the audience to engage in dynamic conversations and be active agents to help dissolve the school-to-prison pipeline and inequities in the education system. With the compelling and inspiring Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, Smith believes that we all have the imagination, the wit, and the heart to make a difference.
“I’m pleased to present Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter at Berkeley Rep,” says Smith. “This is my coming home project. By that I mean that I come from teachers who in my generation gave their lives to changing the lives of young Baltimoreans through belief in the potential of public education. I feel that the Bay Area is the perfect place for conversations about the school-to-prison pipeline to start and possibly for solutions to emerge. I’ve had a long history with Berkeley Rep and the Bay Area where I have presented my work since the early 1980s.”
Smith continues, “There’s a lot of research being conducted and has been done about the relationship of early suspensions and how that perpetuates a cycle of incarceration. Though the focus of fixing racial inequity is currently focused on problems with urban policemen, as President Obama cautioned us, in the midst of riots in Baltimore, the problem is broader and deeper than that. I believe that we have a chance to reimagine and recreate a new war on poverty. Education is a crucial part of that. Through this special presentation I hope that we can build a model for art to be in direct connection to advocacy. We can bring people forward to ask not just what they think, but what they can do. I hope this process will help us understand more about our children, our teachers, our judges, and our criminal justice system.”
To cultivate participation in the dialogue by as many voices as possible, Berkeley Rep is offering a wide array of ticket discounts including:
· 1,000 free community tickets are available by application to nonprofit, and government organizations serving populations impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline and indviduals for whom cost would be a barrier; details available at http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/1415/9293.asp#tabbed-
“Mogi and I are in need of some help. I need to move at the end of July and I won’t have enough to cover a deposit and last months rent for a new home. So, I’m throwing a Rent Party & Art Show.”
Open mic & cypher THIS SATURDAY July 11th at The Alan Blueford Center for Justice @abc4justice #Oakland https://t.co/4vsVadK4DV
— Mollie Costello (@missmollie33) July 9, 2015
Martin Luther King meets Alfred North Whitehead:
the praxis of Realist social philosophy
If you could prune half of capitalist demagoguery, leaving the other half for 2050’s young socialists to whittle at, would you take the job? Land rent communist David Giesen speaks this morning about the plausibility of engaging 40% of the US population in a conversation about disengaging land values from private ownership. With a modest dollop of historical review (1776-yesterday) of land speculation in America, a sliced banana’s worth of “their own scripture’s injunction” theological talking points for the faith community, and a heaping helping of predictable results economic logic challenge for Republicans and Tea Party folk, Giesen will serve up a credible conversational dessert that Marxists can offer the other 99% of the population. And if 40% bite, a big hunk of capitalism is going down, baby!
If you want to hear the latest from one of the groups and some of the organizers of perhaps the biggest fight against gentrification in SF right now, please join us this Monday when Andy Blue of Plaza 16 Coalition tells of their work to slay the Monster in The Mission. He’ll be joined by activist and videographer Peter Menchini who’ll show a few of his videos on recent anti-gentrification actions such as Mission Takes City Hall.
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
OccupyForum presents
A Turning Point
In The Fight For SF?
However, City Hall and the developers haven’t gone unchallenged. Organizations have formed to fight evictions, disrupt auctions of foreclosed-on homes, and to speak out at public hearings, planning commission meetings and in marches and demonstrations against massively inappropriate development. And while the mayor and a majority of supervisors seem intent on ethnically (and economically) cleansing the city, some of the efforts of groups such as The Plaza 16 Coalition, seem to be having at least some effects on the blind develop-everything-at-all-costs mentality of housing investors and the planning commission.
The Plaza 16 Coalition formed in 2013 to fight the largest ever market rate (luxury) housing development ever proposed for The Mission District. The group, which now has over 100 member organizations, advocates for affordable housing and to oppose the Maximus Investments plan for BART Plaza at Mission and 16th Streets for two ten-story towers of luxury apartments. The coalition has disrupted public meetings held by the developers to pitch their project and has demanded they turn the property over to the community which would be so negatively effected by its construction.
Since our Occupy Forum is held in the Global Exchange board room (thanks for your generosity GX!) this is an issue of direct interest to participants and fans of the Forum. Such a project would certainly increase both commercial and residential rents for blocks and so may put Occupy Forum at risk of losing its home.
Andy Blue is one of the organizers of Plaza 16 and he will update us on what’s happening in the fight against the luxury development and will tell us about the people and groups getting involved and what their vision for The Mission is. More info at: plaza16.org
Peter Menchini is a longtime SF activist and videographer who will show some of his footage from some Plaza 16 events and other recent affordable housing actions including the big, noisy Mission Takes City Hall.
A Victory in the Fight to Save our Historic Post Offices
With members of the Committee to Save the Berkeley Post Office
The U.S. Postal Service, now headed by those favoring privatization, is closing and selling off many post offices listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reducing postal services and cutting public sector union jobs. Many of these historic post offices have murals and art created during the New Deal. The City of Berkeley, however, prevailed in federal court saving the historic post office building and setting a precedent for others. The case promises to save union jobs by requiring the USPS to follow the law. Come hear the story of how a spirited group of Berkeley residents set a national precedent.
Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office fought for their historic building and art for three years. They made the nation aware of the issue with articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
For information: harveysmithberkeley@yahoo.com
or call 510-684-0414
A large number of items regarding police practices are on the agenda, descriptions of which can be found here, including
1) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Legislation Requiring The Use Of Psychological Testing And Screening For Officer New Hires
2) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Policies And Procedures Which Require OPD To Train Officers More Effectively In The Use Of Force
3) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Legislation To Eradicate The Persistent Widespread Custom Or Practice Of Concealing Or Suppressing Investigations Into Police Officer Misconduct;
4) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Officer Reporting And Disclosure Requirements For Both Responding And OnScene Officers In All Use Of Force Cases
5) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Legislation Prohibiting Any Law Enforcement Officer To Ask For, Or Take, Someone’s Camera, Phone, And/Or Other Device That Takes Photos Or Records Video Without First Securing A Warrant Issued By A Judge;
6) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Legislation To Send Law Enforcement Video, Dash Cams, Etc., To The Cloud In Real Time, To Avoid Any Tampering Of Evidence;
7) Receive A Report And Recommendations Regarding Adopting Legislation To Stop Criminalizing The Victim;
8) Receive A Report And Recommendations Encouraging The Public To Initiate A “Do Shoot” Campaign Urging Anyone Who Sees Someone Being Pulled Over By The Police Or Being Arrested To Shoot Video Of The Incident With Their Cell Phone Camera As A Means Of Self Defense
Stand with our sisters and brothers in Greece on this day of international solidarity in saying NO to austerity, NO to pension cuts, and NO to privatization. OXI means OXI! NO MEANS NO! CANCEL THE ILLEGAL DEBT. MAKE THE BANKS PAY.
The group ‘Europe says OXI’ has called for everyone all over the world to take to the streets on Wednesday, the day the Greek government will implement legislation that the Greek people voted resoundingly NO to last week.
Just a few of the cities so far holding solidarity demonstrations:
Athens, Greece
London, United Kingdom
Leeds, United Kingdom
Bristol, United Kingdom
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Duns, Scotland
Berlin, Germany
Paris, France
Graz, Austria
Sofia, Bulgaria
Belgrade, Serbia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Chicago, USA
Detroit, USA
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Prague, Czech Republic
Barcelona, Spain
Naples, Italy
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Lisbon, Portugal
Manchester, United Kingdom
Padua, Italy
Vienna, Austria
and BUFFALO NY USA
Endorsed by Workers World Party, Marcha Patriotica Colombia, International Action Center
10:00 AM — Gather at City Hall steps
10:30 AM — Hearing at the Government Audit & Oversight Committee on ALTERNATIVES to the NEW JAIL! (room to be announced)
Last month, anti-police violence activists and the No New SF Jail Coalition testified to the Board of Supervisors about the racial bias in SFPD and against the new jail. New reports have shown that black women make up 50% of arrests and that black people are 56% of those locked up in SF county jails.
The hearing on alternatives to the new jail scheduled for 6/18 was postponed to July 16th. We need people to mobilize to demand no new jail and to fund alternatives to incarceration!
The imprisonment rate in San Francisco is at a record low, with only about half of the jail capacity being used on any given day. Most of the people in the jail system are pretrial – meaning they have not been convicted or sentenced, and are only imprisoned because they cannot afford bail. People with mental health issues and homeless people also make up a significant number of those locked up. Simple bail reform, mental health diversion programs, and affordable housing would make wasting $290 million on a new jail completely unnecessary.
Organizers against the jail are gearing up for a public hearing on “Alternatives to Jail Rebuild,” sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim and Board President London Breed. Community members and residents will be mobilizing for the hearing to urge elected officials to invest in effective alternatives to the jail, such as expanded community-based mental health programs, drug treatment, and bail reform.
Read more about the SF Jail Fight here: www.nonewsfjail.wordpress.
For 3 years, the commercial development project that is slated to pave the southern 7 acres of the historic Gill Tract has been held off by a lawsuit. On June 16th, the courts ruled in favor of the UC, citing that their polluting, privatizing, pavement project breaks no state laws.
But we hold ourselves accountable to the laws of nature:
Did you know the neighborhood surrounding the Gill Tract already ranks in the top 2% nationwide for traffic congestion? Now imagine how many cars and diesel trucks the addition of a Sprouts grocery store would bring to the area. Did you know that same neighborhood ranks in the top 22% nationwide for asthma rates? Now imagine the air pollution and health implications of that traffic (approximately 6500 cars per day) on the community.
Join us Thursday, July 16th, one month after the court’s mis-ruling, to take a stand and demonstrate refusal to accept the misuse of public land in utter disregard of environmental and public health. We will be gathering to take action at the proposed development site on the corner of Monroe & San Pablo, from 4-5pm.
July 17, 2015 – one year since the murder of Eric Garner. One year since we watched the cops choke him to death! One year since we heard his dying words: “I can’t breathe” – words that the cops ignored. And still no justice! This murder, and how the whole system went into motion to exonerate Eric Garner’s killer, concentrate the slow genocide this system continues to enforce on Black and Latino people.
As we observe the anniversary of the murder of Eric Garner, we are confronted with a genocide that is speeding up, and getting even more blatant and ugly – whether from white supremacist murderers waving Confederate flags, or killer cops wearing American flags. To observe the one-year since Eric’s last breath, we need to get back out into the streets. We must let everyone know that we have not forgotten; that we have not moved on; that we refuse still to suffer these horrors in silence; and that “healing” cannot happen until the gaping wound of white supremacy is closed and no longer bleeding out. We call on every organization, and every person, who stands against this genocide against Black and Brown people, to come together on July 17th, in the memory of Eric Garner and the 1000’s of other Stolen Lives, and re-dedicate and declare our determination to end police murder once and for all.
And we invite all to join us in building toward #RiseUpOctober 22-24, culminating with tens of thousands of people from all over the country, shutting down the streets of New York City on October 24th.
Song and Story from Occupy
Rockin’ Solidarity Labor Chorus presents a celebration of the Occupy movement, in song and story. The audience is invited to sing along: lyric sheets will be provided. Founded in 1999, the Labor Chorus helps keeps working-class culture alive, in four-part harmony. We will also have special guests.
www.laborchorus.org
- Door Time: 8:00 PM
- Restrictions: 18 & over
Under 21 must buy $5 non-alcoholic drink ticket at the door.
Time for the Third Annual “Chalk the Police State” Day is fast approaching on July 18th. Like previous years, Nevada Cop Block and the CopBlock Network would like to make this a national event with as many cities as possible making a statement about police brutality and accountability, as well as the continuing militarization and expansion of police forces and governments.
Originally, the call for Chalk the Police State Day was put out by members of Nevada Cop Block, dubbed the “Sunset 5” after we were arrested for legally and peacefully protesting. However, the use of chalk in Cop Block protests actually dates back to the “Manchester 8” arrests in 2011 and two subsequent annual “Chalk the Police Day” events. So, technically this could be called the fifth annual chalk protest by members of the CopBlock Network nationwide.
The number of people killed by police this year alone already stands at 590 (and counting rapidly), with the per day average death toll being three people. Of those nearly 600 people whose lives have ended at the hands of the police, some of them have gotten a lot of attention and inspired massive protests. But for every Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, John Crawford, Kelly Thomas, Walter Scott, and Tamir Rice, there are many others, such as Michael Nida, Stanley Gibson, Manuel Diaz, Danielle Willard, and Erik Scott, in your own communities that don’t get the same sort of national attention.
July 18th will be an opportunity for local groups to highlight police brutality on a national level. You can choose who to talk about with a national audience ready to listen via the CopBlock Network. Bring so much attention to the crimes of the police that they have no choice, but to create meaningful change.
As a tool of protest chalk has many advantages. Chalking is an easy, effective, creative, and even fun way for groups to get their message out. It also requires very little preplanning, is inexpensive, and allows even a small group to have a large impact. It’s also a completely legal expression of free speach.
Last year, thirteen different groups from all over the country participated in Second Annual Chalk the Police State Day. With the spread of the CopBlock Network over the years into ever more cities and even internationally, it shouldn’t really be hard to get even more out onto the sidewalks this year. July 18th will be a day for everyone who is tired of police brutality and and the occupying armies that local police are rapidly turning into, regardless of where you are, to let them know that we won’t tolerate them any longer within our communities and against our friends and families.
If you haven’t already “liked” the CopBlock Network’s Facebook page, you should in order to get updates. Ideally, each individual city should set up their own event page to coordinate locally. However, you should also invite everyone you believe would want to participate (and stop hanging out with people that won’t) to the national event, especially those from a different city than you, in order to get the word out to as many people as possible.
Scheduled Chalk the Police State Events:
National Chalk the Police State Event created by Kelly on behalf of theCopBlock Network: This event is to share the concept of Chalk the Police State, allow people to join in solidarity and be a hub for suggestions/ideas regarding yours and others events.
- Chicago, IL: At the James R. Thompson Center @ Noon. Hosted by DeKalb County Cop Watch
- Cleveland, OH: At the Cleveland Police Headquarters @ Noon. Hosted by Greater Cleveland CopBlock
- Indianapolis, IN: At the Indianapolis City Market @ Noon. Hosted byIndianapolis CopBlock
- Las Vegas, NV: At the Regional Justice Center @ 11 am: Hosted byNevada CopBlock
- Minneapolis/St. Paul: Location to BE DETERMINED.
- Olympia, WA: At the Olympia Police Department @ Noon.
- Portland, OR: At the Police Station @ noon.
- Seattle, WA: At the King County Courthouse @ noon.
- MORE COMING SOON! Contact us here if you’d like your event added to this list.
Come to the RPA Summer Picnic!
RPA will provide compostable paper ware, ice, some beverages, and charcoal for the grills from noon to 1:30, if conditions allow fires. Bring food to share. Please invite friends, family, neighbors.
We’ve reserved a shady picnic area at Miller Knox Regional Shoreline that’s close to the parking lot and not far from the ADA-accessible children’s play area and tot lot. The views are marvelous. The Golden State Model Railroad Museum is across the street, and their trains run on Sunday afternoons…
All of RPA’s friends, members, and their families are most welcome.
The families of O’Shaine Evans, Kenneth Harding Jr. & James Rivera welcome you to celebrate the lives of their loved ones whose lives were stolen by police terror in the month of July, as well as the birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Some good eats are in the works. This is a Family friendly event. The day will be filled with activities, music, and fun.
South Park is just yards away from where O’Shaine was executed. We will have a Libation Ceremony there.
It is about 1 mile from Powell St. Bart Station. Carpooling is encouraged.
Looking forward to sharing in this Celebration of Life with you all.
Orientation: A call for volunteers for a child care collective.
Come to the new member orientation to learn more. Contact Sonia or email bayareachildcarecollective@gmail.com for location details. Visit the website for more info about what it looks like to be a part of their volunteer collective.
Hey activists, childcare providers, and folks who want to build power and spend time with kids…
The Bay Area Childcare Collective (BACC) is looking for new members!
The BACC offers childcare resources to grassroots organizations composed of a lead by m/others who face multiple opressions, primarily by providing competent and politicized childcare to low/no income immigrant m/others and m/others of color. They’re currently working with Causa Justa Just Cause, La Collectiva and LeftRoots.
If you want to:
-Support local grassroots organizing led by women and m/other of color
-Spend more time with kids
-Connect and build community with other folks who love working with kids
-Learn and share skills
-HAVE FUN
Then BACC is a great fit for you!
We look forward to connecting with you!
Panel Discussion
Featuring representatives from
Bay Area Socialist Alternative,
Richmond Progressive Alliance
Bay Area People for Bernie
Join us Saturday, July 18th to hear from three groups working to elect candidates for the 99%.
Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant won 95,000 votes in the Seattle City Council election in November 2013. Kshama was the first openly Socialist city council member elected in almost 100 years. This November Kshama is up for reelection in what Chris Hedges has called “one of the most important elections in the country this year.” Come hear from Michael who just recently returned from a week of volunteering for the campaign in Seattle.
Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination for President and has a long history of running successful independent campaigns. Hear from a leading member in the Bay Area People for Bernie group about Bernie’s past success and what they’re doing to ensure his continued success.
Richmond Progressive Alliance was up against Chevron’s smear campaign this past November and prevailed. Their experience is the roadmap to success for grass roots Bernie supporters. The RPA candidates were outspent 20:1 in campaign ads. It was door to door, heart to heart communication with friends and neighbors that won the vote
Join us Saturday July 18 to hear a panel discussion on independent politics in Seattle, Bernie Sanders history of running as an independent and the work the Richmond Progressive Alliance in defeating Chevron this past election!
Missing the International Peoples’ Tribunal (IPT) in Washington DC? You can still advocate for justice for victims of human rights abuses in the Philippines! At this event we will share the verdict of the IPT and discuss how to proceed to hold accountable perpetrators of gross human rights violations.
www.internationalpeoplestr
