Calendar
South Berkeley District Canvass
This last Saturday, a team of ten canvassers knocked on doors and had some wonderful conversations with their South Berkeley neighbors about single-payer healthcare in California.
Come join us on Saturday, August 26, in South Berkeley for our next neighborhood canvassing event. For more information, email info@eastbaydsa.org.
Aug 26 at 1 PM to Aug 27 at 5 PM
Offering free empathic listening, dialogue, empathy circles, circle facilitation training, conflict mediation, mediation training, de-escalation, arts and empathic design (human-centered design) project team building.
more: http://j.mp/2tWBVxK
BERKELEY — The film “Hate Man, street philosopher,” about the former New York Times reporter Mark Hawthorne who quit the paper and became a colorful fixture of Berkeley street life for more than three decades, will be screened on Aug. 26 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St.
The free screening of the film, made by local filmmaker Ivan Jaigirdar, will occur at 2 p.m. as part of a city-sponsored event celebrating Hawthorne that also will include a city proclamation in Hate Man’s honor. The showing, appropriately, will be outdoors.
Beyt Tikkun Invitation to all faith communities, secular-humanists and atheists to join at Civic Center Park for inter-faith secular gathering, Saturday, August 26, 3:00 pm, gathering to assemble the day before to affirm solidarity with those who will be nonviolently protesting Sunday.
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.
- Promoting single-payer / Medicare for All to end the plague of medical debt
- Presenting debt-related topics at forums and workshops
- Working on debarring US Banks that have been convicted of felonies from municipal contracts, and divesting from the Wall St. banks
- Tiny Homes and other solutions for the homeless.
- money bail reform and fighting modern day debtors’ prisons and exploitative ticketing and fining schemes
- Student debt resistance. Check out the Debt Collective, our sister organization
- helping out America’s only non-profit check-cashing organization and fighting against usurious for-profit pay-day lenders and their ilk
- Promoting the concept of Basic Income
- Advocating for Postal banking
- Organizing for public banking in Oakland! We made the first steps happen… now there’s a spinoff group
- 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.
Bring medical supplies and something good to eat (and share)!
We’ll assemble kits for Sunday’s #Resistance work. There will also be an opportunity for street medic training and a place to create art for the rally. If you can’t join us for the 2 hour time slot, feel free to drop of medical supplies any time. Families are welcome and encouraged.
Here’s the list of supplies we need:
Gauze rolls
Gauze pads, various sizes
Bottled Water
Milk of Magnesia (plain, unflavored)
Ear plugs
Sterile Saline Solution (basic contact lens solution)
Adhesive Bandages (different sizes)
Feminine hygiene products
Medical Tape (different widths)
Latex-Free Gloves
Antiseptic wipes
Surgical masks
Snacks (peanut-free clif bars, granola bars, etc)
Bandanas
Gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bags
Clean, empty spray bottles
Oil free sunscreen
This month’s Left of the Dial will be extended to a weekend of anti-fascist resistance in the Bay Area.In addition to the regular nights at the Golden Bull and St. Mary’s Pub, two additional nights have been added as emergency benefits for the medical and legal funds for anti-fascists of Charlottesville.
Join the Left of the Dial crew for another night of left-leaning vinyl
Funk, Soul, Reggae, Hip Hop, Punk, and anything in between that grooves with an anti-racist, anti-fascist lean.
Every last Saturday of the month
No Cover, 21+
**Wear a White T-Shirt in Solidarity with Immigrant Rights and a Bandanna for Safety**
Sunday @ 10am
MLK Park in Downtown Berkeley pic.twitter.com/ANOlsgZaep— Indybay (@Indybay) August 21, 2017
We’re residents of the Bay Area — people of color, working class people, immigrants, queer, gay, bi, and trans people, liberals, leftists, and others. We think it’s time to get together, to celebrate our differences in solidarity, and peacefully speak out against the hateful currents in American society.
Fascists and white supremacists are meeting in Berkeley to try to intimidate us and incite violence. We’re meeting near UC Berkeley campus, blocks away and on the other side of the downtown, for a non-violent rally to speak to each other about the world we want. Join us, bring snacks, bring signs!
Endorsed by:
Alameda County Labor Council
Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT)
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Social Justice Committee
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – East Bay
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – San Francisco
Green Party
International Socialist Organization
Labor Rising (Bay Area)
Laurel Cyclery
Muslim Student Association – UC Berkeley
Oscar Grant Organizing Committee
Socialist Alternative
Solidarity – Bay Area
System Change not Climate Change – Bay Area
Tech Workers Coalition
UAW 2865, Berkeley Unit
Workers’ Voice / La Voz de los Trabajadores
Cathy Campbell, President, Berkeley Federation of Teachers*
Kathryn Lybarger, President, AFSCME-3299*
*Organization listed for identification purposes only
To endorse: https://goo.gl/forms/
Gather at Ohlone Park.
March to Old City Hall.
Bay Area United Against White Supremacy.
Our powerful SURJ contingent will gather to refuse violence and intimidation by white supremacists and nazis who intend to rally in Berkeley on August 27. Our strength is in our numbers.
Meet at Ohlone Park (Hearst and Martin Luther King Blvd.) and march with us to Berkeley City Hall (Center and Martin Luther King Blvd.) where we will maintain a presence and send a clear message: No racism, no hate in Berkeley. We stand strong for Black lives and racial justice, and shoulder to shoulder against Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, trans/homophobia, and the scapegoating of immigrants.
#Berkeley – Sunday, August 27, 11am pic.twitter.com/ohdQQNCR6h
— tree (@treekisser) August 20, 2017
Event flier for Aug. 27th march/rally to Resist Racist Violence & Hate in Berkeley pic.twitter.com/Jh8nPPFTP6
— SURJ Bay Area (@surjbayarea) August 20, 2017
Meet 11AM at Shattuck and Allston Way, and then march to Martin Luther King Park, MLK and Center St., Berkeley
Stand up to the “No to Marxism in America” rally in Berkeley! Once again the fascists are targeting Berkeley, this time claiming, “Berkeley is a ground zero for the Marxist Movement.” By going after Marxism, they are taking a line right out of Hitler’s playbook — conflating anyone progressive with communists while viciously going after communists themselves, aiming to shut down any exploration of radical solutions to this system.
DRIVE OUT THE TRUMP/PENCE REGIME AND THEIR RACIST MURDERING NAZI THUGS!
Sponsor: Refuse Fascism Bay Area
The bigotry, racism and violence that far-right organizers are bringing to Berkeley on August 27th cannot be allowed to go unanswered. Their event will be a magnet for white supremacists, Nazi enthusiasts, anti-Muslims and anti-Semites, feminist bashers, home/trasphobes, anti-communists and immigrant haters, all gathered under the theme “No Marxism in America.”
We want to build on Charlottseville, VA where 6,000 brave protesters shut down the neo-Nazi rally. Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder with those targeted by bogotry in a unified, orderly, and strong counter-demo. History has shown that by taking a stand we can stop the far right when the are still small. Ignoring them only encourages them!
A group of congregants, with leadership from the Justice Council Coordinating Team, have decided that we will gather with many other People of Faith for Sunday’s rally against the alt-right, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism at the August 27th rally and protest.
We will assemble at the first Congregational Church of Berkeley at Dana and Channing between 12:15 and 12:30 on Sunday then process together down Channing to the Civic Center where we will join others in front of old City Hall on Martin Luther King. We will be accompanied by a singing group led by Betsy Rose called Occupella.
There have been meetings between several of the groups that will be protesting and the mayor’s office and the Berkeley Police Department to lessen the likelihood of violent confrontations. We understand that people have valid concerns and fears about violence erupting. Our understanding is that the people of faith will be processing into the Civic Center if it is safe to do so.
We encourage everyone to bring the following: water, snacks, and a bandanna or something that you could put in front of your face in the unlikely case of teargas. If there are others that you want to be buddies with, let us know. We want to make certain that everyone has 2 buddies before we leave from the church for the Civic Center.
Please let the justice council coordinating team (justicecouncil@uuoakland.org) know:
~ If you will be attending
~ Tell us if you have buddies or not
~Your cell phone number and any special needs you have
~Have you attended a recent non-violence training?
We will assign buddies if you don’t have one or two, and will share your information among all of you. Please call each other ahead of time or just connect at 12:15 on Sunday at the faith group assembly location. We are marching and protesting in the spirit of Martin Luther King and many others who have come before us to stand against hate and for justice.
Aug 26 at 1 PM to Aug 27 at 5 PM
Offering free empathic listening, dialogue, empathy circles, circle facilitation training, conflict mediation, mediation training, de-escalation, arts and empathic design (human-centered design) project team building.
more: http://j.mp/2tWBVxK
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. (Note: we meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months, once Daylight Savings Time springs forward we tend to assemble at 4 PM).
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
Please note that the time and location are different from our regular General Assembly.
Monday marks the 54th anniversary of the historic March on Washington (August 28, 1963) that
signaled a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. Our country is now at another inflection point
in the fight for equality and civil rights. Following the election of Donald Trump, hate groups and
domestic terrorists have been emboldened to appear publicly and spew their dangerous messages
of white supremacy, fascism, anti-Semitism, and bigotry.
But we are stronger. We are Indivisible.
Join Indivisible Berkeley and other community members for an evening of:
celebrating our community with food, music respite from the day’s events and support for
and an atmosphere of love and support progressive friends involved in counter-protests
vision for the journey ahead grounding as we frame the arc of the Civil Rights movement
empowerment to action and where we are now on the journey to a more just society
inspiration to keep bending the arc of the moral universe
from Berkeley community social justice leaders
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!
Occupella organizes informal public singing at Bay Area occupation sites, marches and at BART stations. We sing to promote peace, justice, and an end to corporate domination, especially in support of the Occupy movement.
Music has the power to build spirit, foster a sense of unity, convey messages and emotions, spread information, and bring joy to participants and audience alike. See spirited clip of an action at BART. Check out the actions calendar and come add your voice. There are lots of ways to participate and everyone is welcome.
OccupyForum presents…Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
OccupyForum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
Our Responses when
Free Speech is Hate Speech
An open discussion to debrief
the events of August 26-27 in the Bay Area
With permits now issued for five events this weekend in San Francisco’s Crissy Field, one of them organized by a right-wing group and the other four groups protesting the right-wingers, the stage is being set for conflict between white nationalists and a city that has come out roundly against them. Patriot Prayer, the Oregon-based right-wing group led by founder Joey Gibson, has organized other events that have attracted white supremacists and ended up in violent confrontations among demonstrators. The group received a permit from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (public comment phone number below), which controls Crissy Field. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi denounced the San Francisco event as a “white supremacist” rally; asked about the federal government’s permit for the group to use Crissy Field, and said “now they’re going to give it as a venue to Nazis and white nationalists.” White Supremacist events have been on the rise since Trump’s election; Berkeley, Seattle, Portland, Boston, Charlottesville, and more. After appearances by Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter were cancelled earlier this year, these two will be joined by Steve Bannon at a September “free speech” event on Sproul Plaza.
What decisions and choices did you make on learning about the “Patriot Prayer” (the announced rally of white supremacists) event on Crissy Field (a public commons), or those in Berkeley, or Sacramento. Why?
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, in an official statement, while calling out the SFPD in force, asks us to “not dignify it with a response”. Others believe that rooting out fascism at its inception is critical to a sane and peaceful society, and that it must be stopped in its every form. Some argue that “free speech” ACLU style must be allowed, no matter what. Where do your ideas and beliefs fall in this spectrum? What has brought you to your understanding and beliefs?
OccupyForum will host a debriefing discussion in the wake of this weekend’s event and the protests against it in the many forms they take. Which events did you attend, what were they like, or did you choose to sit it out? What have we seen and how do we analyze this for our understanding and the future forms of action (or inaction) we choose to take?
Come to OccupyForum for open and respectful dialogue on all sides of this issue.