Calendar

9896
Mar
16
Thu
Protest the Muslim Ban! @ SF Federal Bldg
Mar 16 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

62590
Selma Screening @ Black Repertory Group Theater
Mar 16 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

http://selmaoutloud.brownpapertickets.com/

Join us to see the award winning film “Selma” at our watch party — and help build the community of resistance that will carry us forward in the next four years.

This movie is not recommended for young children; however we will have food and activities outside the theater for kids and families. All ages are welcome and encouraged.

The Nanci For Berkeley campaign showed that the power of the people is real in Berkeley and in the world. In just a few short months, we helped to change to political and social conversation in Berkeley politics. We also helped to unseat an incumbent whose policies did not reflect our neighborhood values, and use the ranked choice voting strategy to help elect Cheryl Davila, a progressive activist who is currently the only council voice saying no to militarization of the Berkeley police.

PEACE Out Loud is a neighborhood Social Permaculture project dedicated to being in community. We know that our liberation must be collective if it is to happen at all. We host classes, camps, workshops and events for joy and freedom.

Here’s why you should come:

More than forty years after the Selma march, the voting rights Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists fought for and won back then are under attack from Republican governors across the country — and Trump is indicating that he wants to make things worse.

At this critical moment, the progressive left has much to learn from the movements that paved the way for this one. That’s why this March, DFA members are gathering to build community and energize for the resistance by screening Ava DuVernay’s 2015 film “SELMA.” Here’s the 2-minute trailer for Selma — check it out and then sign up to join us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic

This event is hosted by the Nanci For Berkeley campaign and PEACE Out Loud. There is no cost for the event, but we do ask folks to make donations to help cover the cost of the venue, and we will be accepting donations for Democracy For America and local nonprofits.

62588
Trumpcare and the Assault on Women and Reproductive Rights @ Oakstop
Mar 16 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

The Predator-in-Chief wasted no time in attacking women’s reproductive rights in restricting funding for international women’s organizations and the nomination of known anti-abortion judge William Gorsuch to the supreme court. The republican health care proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare represents a dangerous escalation in the right wing war on women. Not only would Trumpcare do away with gender equity rules for insurance plans, it would require the exclusion of abortion care for any plan sold to individuals receiving a government subsidy, and it would defund Planned Parenthood.

The Trump administration threatens to drive back decades of progress on women’s rights. At the same time, a new generation of women activists has signaled its willingness to fight for full equality in movements against sexual violence on college campuses. We urgently need to build a new women’s movement that will fight to extend women’s reproductive rights, counter Trump’s emboldening of sexists, and unite with the movements for immigrant rights, for LBGTQ rights, for Black Lives Matter and others to decisively defeat Trump and the billionaire class.

After Women’s Day, the next date to prepare massive collective resistance is May Day, known and celebrated around the world as International Worker’s Day. Since May Day 2006, when strike action for immigrant rights succeeded in pushing back attacks from the Bush administration, this day has also been linked to the struggle against racism and for immigrant rights.

This May Day can be turned into a first major rally of resistance by women, immigrants, by students walking out and unions mobilizing against “right to work” (for less) legislation. Join us to build for such action from below and put pressure on labor, women, environmental and immigrant rights leaders to come together and coordinate these efforts.

Trump’s despicable attitude towards women are a reflection of the vicious sexism that capitalist society constantly reinforces through stereotypes and systemic gender inequality. To truly end sexism, we need to take on the entire system that relies on inequality, both economic and social, to create huge profits for the few at the top.

As socialists, we fight for a society based on gender, racial and economic justice. For Socialist Alternative, the struggle against Trump and the billionaire class is part of a larger struggle to end the capitalist system as a whole.

Join us Thursday March 16 to discuss a new women’s movement as part of a larger Anti-Trump movement, and the need for a socialist transformation of society.

Speakers during the event will include:
A Bay Area Nurse to talk about single payer
Darby Thomas, San Francisco DSA
Erin Brightwell, Socialist Alternative

62592
Displacement & Gentrification: How did we get here and how do we stop it? @ Sierra Club
Mar 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

This SURJ workshop will put gentrification and displacement in a historical context so we understand the racialized political and economic drivers. We will use this historical analysis to discuss the ways we can challenge gentrification today.

The analysis that we are presenting is based on the work of Causa Justa :: Just Cause.

Our workshop has space for 66 people. To reserve your spot in advance, please purchase tickets at http://www.surjbayarea.org/surj_displacement_and_gentrification_workshop_20170316

ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific access needs, please email surjbasebuilding@gmail.com, and we’ll be happy to work with you to accommodate them.

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. There will be a scent free section of seating offered. http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/PDF/How-to-Be-Fragrance-Free-.pdf

http://www.cjjc.org/

SPREAD THE WORD, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!

*Though intended for a white allied audience – people of color are also welcome.*

62558
Mar
17
Fri
What IS Fascism? @ YWCA
Mar 17 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
What is Fascism? Why are Trump/Pence Fascists? What is the Direction and Trajectory of This Regime? Why is it Important to Not Normalize, Accommodate, Conciliate or Collaborate with this Fascist Regime?
Event will include… • Deborah Blocker, Professor, French Department, UC Berkeley • Jonathan Simon, Professor, School of Law, UC Berkeley • Refuse Fascism, SF Bay Area “The Trump/Pence Regime is a Fascist Regime.
Not insult or exaggeration, this is what it is. For the future of humanity and the planet, we, the people, must drive this regime out. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have assembled a vicious cabal that has put forth positions and begun initiatives which demonstrate that they fully intend to shred political and social norms with catastrophic consequence. Because Trump has his finger on the nuclear trigger, the Trump/Pence regime is more dangerous to the world than even Hitler.” – from the RefuseFascism.org updated Call to Action. Join with others to engage and learn about the fascist nature of this administration, what this will mean for humanity, and what we can do to stop it. Students, professors, and activists will speak from different angles and perspectives, about the fascist nature of this regime, what this will mean, and what we can do to stop it. Now is a crucial time for people to deeply confront what is actually happening in this country. Speakers will deeply expose and cut through the lies so that we can grasp and respond to the great danger this fascist regime poses to humanity. Come, bring your friends, learn and teach the truth about Trump’s America, and get organized to stop them before it’s too late.
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62586
How Socialism Can Beat White Supremacy @ Humanist Hall
Mar 17 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

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!

62557
Resistance Works – How People Have Fought U.S. Capital & Empire @ The Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics
Mar 17 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

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://afflictthecomfortable.org/

62594
Mar
18
Sat
SURJ/APTP: First Responders Training @ Sierra Club
Mar 18 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

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.org with ticket requests or questions. Our workshop has space for 60 people. To reserve your spot in advance, please purchase tickets on the SURJ website here: http://www.surjbayarea.org/firstresponderstraining.

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://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/

CHILDCARE: We will be providing childcare on location that is arranged in advance. Please email madeleinemtaylor3@gmail.com for requests.

ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific access needs, please email mobilization@surjbayarea.org, and we’ll be happy to work with you to accommodate them.

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://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/PDF/How-to-Be-Fragrance-Free-.pdf

62559
Creating Communities of Sanctuary for All @ MLK Park
Mar 18 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

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

62587
Mar
19
Sun
Make Art for the Homeless @ Longhaul
Mar 19 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

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!

 

Image may contain: text

62591
Liberated Lens: Film Night – Thalia Drori (local filmmaker series!) @ Omni Commons
Mar 19 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

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/164283185

[ Facebook event here ]

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.

62553
Impeach Donald Trump Now Berkeley Campaign Event @ pin The Center For Faith and Justice
Mar 19 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

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

62606
Privacy and the Practicalities of Policing @ Eli's Mile High Club
Mar 19 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

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.

62677
Mar
20
Mon
Occupy Forum: “What is to be done?” – Michael Goldstein @ The Black and Brown Social Club
Mar 20 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

OccupyForum presents…

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

Michael Goldstein will present his challenging, promising, and unusual view of the path forward for those seeking fundamental social transformation, and then lead discussion.

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.

62593
Mar
22
Wed
Pretrial for Jack and Nestor @ Rene Davidson Courthouse, Dept 7
Mar 22 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Come on Wednesday to support Jack and Nestor, who were arrested at an Anti Trump demo on Election Day. Lets pack the court!

62600
DSA: Socialist Feminist Working Group @ Email socfem@eastbaydsa.org for more info.
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

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.

62605
Homelessness – Speakers for a New America Tour . @ Luggage Store Gallery
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

“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]

62678
Mar
23
Thu
Learn more about single payer health care in CA! @ California Nurses Association, 1st Floor
Mar 23 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

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.

62619
Organizer’s Toolkit: How to Develop a Strategic Campaign @ UC Berkeley Labor Center
Mar 23 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

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>.

62612
Mar
24
Fri
Court Support for Man Beaten by Vallejo Police @ Fairfield Superior Court, Dept 9
Mar 24 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am

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!

62613