Calendar

Save our Kids – Join the Rally!

The EPA wants to repeal the Clean Power Plan, a critical policy which could prevent 4,500 early deaths and 90,000 pediatric asthma attacks EVERY YEAR by 2030.

We can’t let this happen and must demand that EPA protect public health. Health professionals are encouraged to wear white coats or scrubs.

Emergency rally in SF at the ICE building. ICE has arrested more than 150 people in Northern California in the past few days. Donald Trump’s deportation force is threatening our neighbors and families with mass raids. This is nothing less than political repression against sanctuary cities, which are defending human rights! Are you ready to take a stand against Trump’s naked racism? Join us tomorrow and check this page for updates.

Transition Berkeley presents:
Protect Our Oak Woodlands & Water Future

Did you know that Napa has the highest concentration of oak woodlands of any county in California? And that the Napa River is the second largest fresh water source emptying into San Francisco Bay? Meet the two dynamic authors of a June 5^th initiative to protect these treasures  Mike Hackett and Jim Wilson. Watch their film that tells the story of the Napa Valley watershed and the initiative they created to protect it – the Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative of 2018.  Also special guests from Forests Forever will share their work. Find out how you can help protect the forests, oak woodlands and watershed of Napa Valley from the ever-expanding wine industry.

Event is hosted by Transition Berkeley and co-hosted by The Ecology Center, Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter and the Social Justice Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists.

Bring: An earth-friendly, vegetarian potluck dish to share at 6:30pm if you like! 7 pm event begins
Info: click here

Join the picket line with SEIU Service Employees Union EVERY FRIDAY.
STOP DEPORTATIONS and harassment of immigrants and refugees.

​Also…​

SF Labor Council Calls for a Clean Dream Act Now,
No Compromises;
Urges Labor Movement to Take Action!

[Resolution Adopted Unanimously by the Feb. 12, 2018, Delegates Assembly of the San Francisco Labor Council]

� For a Clean Dream Act Now and a Path to Citizenship for all Undocumented Youth!

� Not One More Deportatioon!

� No Funding for the Wall of Shame!

� No More Funding for Immigration Enforcement!

• Stop the I-9 Audits!

� No Workplace Raids!

� Defend Our Sanctuary Cities!

� Maintain TPS!

Whereas, on Feb. 9, 2018, both houses of the U.S. Congress adopted a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that does not include any protections for the close to 800,000 undocumented youth (Dreamers) brought to this country when they were children;

Whereas, United We Dream and thousands of undocumented youth organized actions and lobbied Congress in support of a Clean Dream Act — that is, continued protections and a path to citizenship for the 800,000 undocumented youth, WITHOUT any funding for the Wall of Shame and WITHOUT any further funding for ICE immigration enforcement;

Whereas, March 5, 2018, has been set as the deadline by the Trump administration for the adoption of any legislation that would extend DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals);

Whereas, House Speaker Paul Ryan — taking his lead from the Trump administration — has stated that any protection for undocumented youth, would require, in exchange, millions of dollars more to build the Wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and millions of dollars more for immigration enforcement;

Whereas, Sanctuary Cities — particularly in California — are under increased attack by the Trump administration;

Whereas, on Nov. 20, 2017, Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke cut off Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for 60,000 Haitians and for more than 240,000 other immigrants from 10 nations (mainly from Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua);

Whereas, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 77 I-9 audits took place in Northern California at the end of January 2018 — audits that are expected to increase and become workplace raids and deportations if and when a deal is struck on protections for undocumented youth in exchange for increased immigration enforcement and funding for the Wall; and

Whereas, undocumented youth — just like all 11 million undocumented immigrants, and just like all hundreds of thousands of TPS recipients — are part of the U.S. working class and deserve protections and a path to citizenship through a just immigration reform; in particular, they deserve the labor movement’s protection and support.

Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council reaffirms its stance in support of the following demands: “For a Clean Dream Act and a Path to Citizenship for all Undocumented Youth! Not one More Deportation, No Funding for the Wall of Shame, No More Funding for Immigration Enforcement! Stop the I-9 Audits! No Workplace Raids! Defend Our Sanctuary Cities! Maintain TPS!”

Be it further resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council will work closely with our community partners to call on our elected representatives to take a firm and unwavering stand for a Clean Dream Act Now; and

Be it finally resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council calls on the California Federation of Labor and the national AFL-CIO to issue statements in support of a Clean Dream Act Now and to call for mobilizations, where possible, in alliance with our immigrant sisters and brothers and their organizations, to promote the above-stated demands.

Respectfully submitted by:

Olga Miranda, SEIU Local 87; member SF Labor Council Executive Committee; Rudy Gonzalez, IBT 856, member SF Labor Council Executive Committee; Susan Solomon, UESF, member SF Labor Council Executive Committee; Alan Benjamin, OPEIU Local 29.

Suds, Snacks, & Socialism at the Starry Plough

“The fight for net neutrality:  an update & what we in SF can do to protect and promote equal access to the internet”

Trump’s FCC has taken steps to do away with net neutrality, which would undermine equal access to the internet in our country.  But the fight is far from over.  We will get an update from two outstanding Bay Area leaders and activists about the attack on net neutrality; why net neutrality is so crucial for our democracy and must be defended; and what we can do in San Francisco to protect it at all levels of government.

Speakers:

Tracy Rosenberg is the executive director of Media Alliance. She organizes and advocates for a free, accountable and accessible media system; monitors the mainstream media for accuracy and fair representation; and has facilitated the training of many groups in effective communications. She is published in newspapers and blogs around the country. She serves on the board of the Alliance for Community Media (Western Region), on the steering committee of the Media Action Grassroots Network and co-coordinates Oakland Privacy.

Katherine Trendacosta is a Policy Analyst at the Electronic Frontier foundation, focusing on intellectual property, net neutrality, fair use, free speech online, and intermediary liability. With a background as a writer and editor of science fiction and science, she  got her  JD at USC Gould School of Law, doing work with the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic.  She has major responsibility for Net Neutrality activism at EFF.

A fundraising party to celebrate, learn about, and support the work of Initiate Justice and their campaign to restore voting rights to people who are incarcerated or on parole in California. The party will include homemade appetizers, beverages, and a silent auction of artwork by incarcerated artists and others. Space is limited, please RSVP.

SURJ Bay Area and Panorama Framing are jointly sponsoring this event to raise awareness about and funding for the current campaign, organized by Initiate Justice, to restore voting rights in California for people who are incarcerated. The Voting Restoration and Democracy Act of 2018 would, if passed in November, remove the restrictions that prevent people in prison or on parole in California from voting. Representatives from Initiate Justice will join us to give a presentation and answer questions.

Denial of voting rights to currently and formerly incarcerated people has a long and sordid history in the US as part of the effort to maintain white supremacy by preventing Black and Brown people from gaining political power. There are approximately 162,000-180,000 people in California who cannot vote simply because they are in prison or on parole. A vastly disproportionate number of these folks are people of color, given the inequities in our prison industrial complex.

Most other developed countries, and 2 states in the U.S. (Maine and Vermont), do not remove people’s right to vote when they are sent to prison. Restoration of the fundamental right to vote has been shown to lower the risk of recidivism, promoting public safety as well as upholding principles of democracy and universal suffrage. For more info: https://www.initiatejustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/VRDAFactSheet.pdf

We invite you to join us in supporting this historic challenge to white supremacy as we work together to knock down one of the pillars of systemic racial injustice in California.

Accessibility Information

Ground floor storefront space for the event is accessible from the sidewalk without steps. A large bathroom on ground floor (all genders). Food will include vegan, vegetarian, and GF choices and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Likely will be standing room only (except for wheelchairs or people needing a chair). We encourage guests to avoid using scented products. Questions can be directed to jkgrether@gmail.com.

As many of you know and can see, Oakland has been facing skyrocketing rates of homelessness, with the counts in our community increasing dramatically in recent years.  We now have around 3,000 people unhoused in our community, and it is vital that we take significant action to expand solutions, and the funding for them, in our community.  This situation is causing widespread suffering, as people are living in difficult situations in underpasses and sidewalks, often without access to water, bathrooms, and more.  This endangers the entire community, both those with and without homes, and creates a potential for expanding blight and spread of disease.

Please join us  for a community discussion around homeless solutions.

We will hear about a range of solutions, including use of “tiny homes” and shipping container conversion homes, tenant assistance and rapid rehousing, partnering with faith-based organizations and other community groups, and encouraging effective use of vacant properties.

This includes a proposal to pass a Ballot Measure to tax vacant properties, and dedicate the revenue to homeless solutions. By taxing vacant properties, this will help encourage people to put those properties back into use, thus, increasing the housing supply.  Yhe money raised by the Measure would create a dedicated funding stream to support real homeless solutions, by ensuring they have a funding source that doesn’t have to be fought over each year. Funding would include sanitation and services, rapid rehousing, alternative housing structure solutions, navigation centers, and more.

See a recent article in The Nation describing inspiring local actions in various cities, which includes discussion of our proposed vacant property tax:
https://www.thenation.com/article/progressive-change-is-rocking-one-of-the-most-unlikely-places-in-philadelphia-the-das-office/

Also, you can read a submitted report for the Vacant Property Tax, and attached additional articles about the vacant property taxes in other cities, online at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4ROx9q8MqLECdZA8B3KDU9Lg9Upc81Q/view

In addition, legislation is being brought forward to encourage and authorize the use of innovative solutions, including small homes and RVs, to be allowed on church lots and in partnership with other groups.  A few months ago, during the north bay fires, some nearby communities lost thousands of housing units in one night.  As a result, they quickly passed laws allowing use of innovative, rapid, and low-cost housing solutions, including RVs and trailers.  While our housing crisis was not primarily caused by fire, it is no less of a crisis.  We too should be embracing a range of strategies to help.

Seethe title/request for homeless Alternatives/tiny homes on community lots here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qv3_qA4ssY1bLCt76IbEfIyHetmzZmJZ/view

Join us to defend our immigrant communities!
STOP DEPORTATIONS!
DEFEND DACA!
PROTECT TPS!

March 5 is the initial expiration date for DACA that the Trump administration has set. Because of community organizing and legal advocacy, the date has been suspended. As the White House continues to threaten our immigrant communities, DACA is still in jeopardy, and many TPS holders’ lives hang in the balance.

Join us on March 5: We, the community, will continue to love and protect each other.

Join us for the Bay Area premier of the new short film “Transforming California from Red to Blue: How Community Organizing Changed the Political Landscape”

The film documents the success of social movements in California in creating a more progressive political atmosphere in the state, pushing for policies and legislation that challenged dog whistle politics, xenophobia and structural racialization. Through interviews with key movement leaders and historical footage, the 10-minute video documents an important chapter in the California story. Following the film, a panel of activists will discuss the video and the significance of the gains made, as well as the challenges ahead.

Free. Wheel chair accessible. Food and drink will be provided

The Internet Archive presents the first ever Military Powerpoint Karaoke: a night of “Powerpoint Karaoke” using presentations in the Military Industrial Powerpoint Complex collection at archive.org that were thoughtfully extracted during the Internet Archive’s most recent end-of-term web crawl. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 6th at 7:30pm at our headquarters in San Francisco. The show will be preceded by a reception at 6:30 pm, when doors will also open.

Also known as “Battle Decks,” Powerpoint Karaoke is an improvisational and art event where audience members give a presentation using a set of Powerpoint slides that they’ve never seen before. There are three rules: 1) The presenter cannot see the slides before presenting; 2) The presenter delivers each slide in succession without skipping slides or going back; and 3) The presentation ends when all slides are presented, or after 5 minutes (whichever comes first). We’re thrilled to have Rick Prelinger, creator of Lost Landscapes and Prelinger Archive, and Avery Trufelman of 99% Invisible, joining us to deliver headlining Powerpoint decks. The rest of the presentations will be delivered by you — the audience members who sign up.

This event will use, as its source material, a curated collection of the Internet Archive’s Military Industrial Powerpoint Complex, a special project for the Internet Archive’s 20th Anniversary in which IA staff extracted all the Powerpoint files openly available from the government’s “.mil” web domain. This collection contains over 57,000 Powerpoint decks, each charged with material that ranges from the violent to the banal, featuring attack modes, leadership styles, harness types, and modes for requesting vacation days from the US Military. As a whole, this collection forms a unique snapshot into our government’s Military Industrial Complex.

This event is organized by artists/archivists Liat Berdugo and Charlie Macquarie in partnership with the Internet Archive.

MERCHANTS OF DOUBT, co-presented by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

A documentary that looks at pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities as they speak about topics like toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change.

Register

We’re at an important crossroads on how law enforcement agencies and courts are using big data and new technologies. Will they be used to reduce incarceration rates or to exacerbate unjust, biased enforcement patterns in policing? This is the moment to ask hard questions about how these systems are developed, and what kinds of checks are in place to ensure they meet high ethical standards.

We’ll explore the challenges and opportunities of these new systems and offer ideas on ways forward with a distinguished panel of experts in law, policing, and big data. This forum is part of Impact Justice’s Impact:Ideas series of occasional conversations, book discussions and panels designed to provoke fresh ideas about the future of our criminal justice system. The panel will feature:

• George Gascón, the District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. Prior to his appointment in 2011, Gascon served as Chief of the San Francisco Police Department. During his tenure as DA, Gascón has implemented a series of reforms and initiatives focused on bringing more data-driven solutions to preventing crime and recidivism. Most recently, he has led efforts to reduce the role of money in pre-trial decision-making, increasing the use of risk assessments and diversion programs in San Francisco bail and sentencing decisions.
• Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a professor of law at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and a nationally-recognized expert on the use of big data systems in policing. His new book, The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement, examines how surveillance technology and predictive analytics shape modern policing.
• Christy Lopez, a distinguished visitor at Georgetown Law School and former Deputy Chief in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. While at DOJ, Professor Lopez led the team that investigated the Ferguson Police Department as well as investigations of many other law enforcement agencies, including the Chicago Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. She also served as a federal court monitor of the Oakland Police Department.
• Antoinette Davis (moderator), Director of Impact Justice’s Research and Action Center. She is an expert in research, analysis, and evaluation, particularly around criminal and juvenile justice system reform. Her work is centered on finding strength-based solutions to complex systemic and social issues. She is currently leading several multi-site, mixed method research projects and has authored research reports on such topics as youth incarceration and the harmful effects of adult incarceration on girls.

Please join us! Light refreshments will be served.