Calendar

Liberated Lens Collective is a community media project based in Oakland, California. We share resources, skills and knowledge to tell stories that might otherwise remain untold. We believe that story telling belongs to everyone. We do not depend on mainstream media or an expensive film school: we empower ourselves to make our own images!

We learn by doing. We teach eachother. We work horizontally, and operate by consensus. We make films in a spirit of collaboration, inclusivity and solidarity, maintain a film equipment library for creative projects, organize free, at cost or donation-based workshops, and host film screenings. In May 2015 we organized the Films 2 The People Short Film Festival.

To be updated about what we do, join our announce mailing list: Liberated_Lens.announce@lists.riseup.net

To get involved, come to our meetings! We’re open and happy to welcome you, no matter your experience level. Sometimes, the meetings turn into creative workshops!

T H E  N E W  C O M M U N I S M
The science, the strategy, the leadership
for an actual revolution, and a radically new society

on the road to real emancipation

Discussion with Bruce Neuberger

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 this NEW Communism? What is new about it? Does communism provide an answer to the deep questions that people have about this society and its ability to deal with its problems — racism, class divisions, women’s oppression, ecological destruction, endless war? And if so, how could this new society (socialism on the road to communism) be brought into existence?

FOR ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD and the condition of humanity and agonizes over whether fundamental change is really possible, Bob Avakian’s new book, The New Communism, provides a sweeping and comprehensive orientation, foundation, and guide to making the most radical of revolutions: a communist revolution aimed at emancipating humanity — getting beyond all forms of oppression and exploitation on a world scale. Avakian scientifically analyzes the system of capitalism-imperialism and its unresolvable contradictions; confronts the challenges facing the movement for revolution; and forges a way forward to making an actual revolution in this country, as part of contributing to communist revolution internationally.

We are in a time of unspeakable and unnecessary suffering from one corner of the globe to the other: millions driven from their homes by unjust wars and environmental destruction, rampant violence and hatred against women, relentless murder and brutality against Black and Brown people by police in the U.S., vicious attacks on immigrants. It is a time of tremendous upheaval, with powerful resistance breaking out and people taking bold stands.

There is an urgent need for this new synthesis to be taken up, broadly, in this society and in the world as a whole: everywhere people are questioning why things are the way they are, and whether a different world is possible; everywhere people are talking about “revolution” but have no real understanding of what revolution means, no scientific approach to analyzing and dealing with what they are up against and what needs to be done. Everywhere people need a way out of their desperate conditions, but do not see the source of their suffering and the path forward out of the darkness.

— Bob Avakian

Avakian’s approach is one that has been thought through quite deeply and is based on a close examination of the previous attempts at a radical transformation of society from 1917 to 1976 (the Soviet and Chinese revolutions). We will begin a very initial discussion of a vast topic; a discussion in the spirit of open debate, in which different ideas and points of view can and should be aired.” — Bruce Neuberger

Announcements will follow. Donations to OccupyForum to cover our costs are encouraged;

no one turned away!

An invitation to a class on the

When the English first got to Virginia, in the early 1600s, they didn’t see themselves as “white.” It took a century for their colonialism to produce the concepts of race and white supremacy.

We’ve been fighting racism, white privilege, white supremacy, and institutional racism since then. And still, a Trump can come along with his “dogwhistle” politics, and get an instant white following at varying degrees of frenzy. Today even the most liberal cities cannot stop police racial profiling  – while thee illiberal ones officiate over “stop and frisk.”

Ø                 What are we missing?

Ø                 If racism is just a “divide and rule” strategy, why has it always worked so well? Why does it still work so well?

Ø                 How is it that new groups, like immigrants and Muslims, can be continually targetted for racial assault (victim de jour)?

Ø                 If race is a social construct, what is the structure that has been constructed?

Ø                 Is it an economic structure? A cultural structure? What?

Ø                 How deep culturally does it reside in this country?

Ø                 Is “race” a noun or a verb?

This class will look at the the structures of policing today, of segregation yesterday, and of colonization and slavery the day before that. If the “modern concept of race” was constructed socially at a particular moment, does that imply an ending we can programmatize?

This class will be mostly discussion and dialogue. We will have to address our prejudices about prejudice in order to get to the issues of structure. There will be non-mandatory readings on line for the class. It will also be open to other texts that class members wish to propose.

Facilitator:         Steve Martinot

The Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality & State Repression (OGC) is a grassroots democratic organization that was formed as a conscious united front for justice against police brutality. The OGC is involved in the struggle for police accountability and is committed to stopping police brutality.

Note: At our November meeting we changed our meeting date from the first Tuesday of the month to the first Monday, starting December 5th

Omar Shakir is a brother who was arrested during a pre-dawn paramilitary OPD raid for an assault on a police officer that the cops KNOW Mr. Shakir did not commit. People are encourage to attend to show support and encourage the prosecutor to drop the charges.

Read more about this travesty.

SEIU Local 1000 employees are holding informational pickets in San Francisco and Oakland. We are looking for physical support and solidarity from our local labor and community groups at both of these events as we strive to uphold union labor in public service.

We are State employees represented by SEIU Local 1000, standing along with our brothers and sisters of IUOE Local 3, State division, who have turned down insulting offers from Cal HR on behalf of Governor Brown that disrespects and devalues the important work that we do for our great state of California.  We are toll collectors, janitors, legal secretaries, public utility regulators, bank auditors and planners providing valuable services to our communities and our fellow Californians.  We work to protect our beautiful coastline, marshes, and various other habitats for endangered and other species; we are teachers who provide education to the students of our schools for the blind and the deaf; we monitor traffic and dispatch emergency aid 24 hours around the clock; and we provide services and care to those with acute medical and psychiatric needs.

It is only right and just for us to expect fair compensation during our current contract bargaining as Governor Brown touts the strength of California’s great economic recovery from the recent recession.

Especially in light of the fact that State employees experienced forced furloughs that compromised our ability to provide for our families during that recession and in some cases continue to plague those of us who live and work in high cost regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area.  Don’t think for a second that State employees escaped evictions, displacement and homelessness.  For thousands of us who work for the State in the Bay Area, living here is not a lifestyle choice – we were born and raised here and this is our home – the only home many of us have known.

But for others, being displaced to areas such as Tracy, Manteca, Stockton, Merced, Elk Grove, Patterson, Jackson – was a vital choice for affordable housing for those families.  Those commutes add to the gas emissions Governor Brown wants to reduce but his poor salary structure and his disparaging proposed salary increase leaves us angry and resentful.

Thank you!

Reba Maestas
Jobsite Steward
Caltrans District 4

City Council is set to give final approval to a $1.2M settlement with the family of Demouria Hogg, a 30-year-old father of three shot to death last year by Oakland police, the first in a new spate of questionable OPD homicides.  The victim was unconscious in a car on a freeway offramp.  He could not be roused by sirens, loudly amplified commands, the firing of beanbag rounds, or even the breaking of windows in his car.  A pistol was on the passenger seat, but police could have finished clearing out the window over it, which they had partially broken, and grabbed the gun or kept him from reaching it.  They could have simply waited until he came to, with a negotiator ready in case a standoff developed.  Instead, those in charge decided to extract him.  They assigned a 28-year-old officer with 18 months’ experience to provide “lethal cover.”

When officers started breaking the driver’s side window to pull Mr. Hogg through it, he, predictably, twisted his entire body towards the passenger seat, i.e., away from the glass being shattered near his face.  This movement led to his being successfully tased by the cop providing non-lethal cover, but the near-rookie charged with making an instantaneous life-or-death decision fired too, killing him.

OPD called this a “standoff”;  immediately showed videos to the lawyer for the shooter, who told the press they showed Mr. Hogg going for the gun, but refused to release the videos publicly;  and put out the usual irrelevant smears about the victim’s character.  Eight months later — having waited until attention died down — D.A. Nancy O’Malley exonerated the shooter without even considering whether her commanding offcers did anything wrong.  After another three months the Citizens’ Police Review Board concluded no one was blameworthy.

Clearly someone told City Council that a jury could well disagree — it doesn’t take a million dollars to settle a meritless nuisance suit!

Please come and support our call for (a) accountability on the part of command staff, (b) requiring officials to decide whether charges should be filed as quickly as they would if one of us shot an officer and claimed self-defense, and (c) an end to selective release of information by OPD.

This is on the consent calendar so it should come up fairly early – unless it is pulled from consent, which is possible but not likely.

The time is right for rooftop solar!  At our Solar for All Convening learn about opportunities for renters and time-limited discounts for homeowners through the Bay Area SunShares bulk purchasing program. Hear about financing options and tax credits from local solar advocate Doug McKenzie of SunWork Renewable Energy Project, and GRID Alternatives’ low-to-no-cost solar for qualified low-income homeowners. Solar vendors and zero-emission vehicle dealers participating in SunShares will be on hand to discuss their products and answer questions.  Light refreshments served.

Co-presented by the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition and the City of Berkeley’s Office of Energy and Sustainable Development.

All residents of the nine Bay Area counties are encouraged to learn more about SunShares! SunShares is a limited time program; enrollment ends November 4th. Attending this event is not required to participate in SunShares.

RSVP: Registration Required
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bay-area-sunshares-solar-for-all-workshop-berkeley-tickets-27077410263

Bresha Meadows of Ohio was just 14 years old when she was incarcerated and charged with aggravated murder for defending herself and family against the unrelenting terror and abuse of her father. On October 6, Bresha has an important court hearing in which the prosecutor will determine if she will be prosecuted for a crime (possibly charged as an adult) instead of given the support & safety that she needs.

We take action in solidarity with Bresha and demand that she is returned home to her family and that all charges against her are dropped. For this year’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are coming together in solidarity nationwide with Bresha and all survivors of domestic & sexual violence who are criminalized for surviving.

Join us in sending our love and support to Bresha, and learn more about the larger historical context that Bresha’s story is a part of. We will read and discuss No Selves to Defend, an anthology that situates Bresha’s case in a centuries-long history of women (particularly Black women and women of color) being criminalized for self defense.

https://noselves2defend.wordpress.com/

No Selves to Defend was created during the #FreeMarissaNow mobilization campaign for Marissa Alexander, and its themes and lessons continue to be relevant today.

This event is sponsored by Survived and Punished, and Asians for Black Lives.

Accessibility information: ALC office is located on 55 Columbus Ave in San Francisco. 12 minute walk from Montgomery BART station, limited street parking. Wheelchair accessible and low-fragrance but not fragrance free. Please refrain from wearing perfumes and scents.

(UPDATE: Note earlier time at more publicly visible place for the rally)


Protest and Speak Out in Defense of Anti-Fascist Teacher Yvette Felarca at the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Directors Meeting


Wednesday, October 5, 2016


6:30pm Rally outside (march to school board meeting 7pm)
2020 Bonar Street (at University), Berkeley California

7:30pm Speak out inside (fill out speakers cards before)
1231 Addison Street (around the corner from 2020 Bonar)



Contact the Berkeley school board and demand that the suspension of Yvette Felarca and harassment of her students be put on the agenda of Wednesday’s board meeting: boardofed@berkeley.net, Superintendent@berkeley.net



Yvette Felarca, a Berkeley middle school teacher, is being persecuted by the school district for her political activities.


After she helped prevent the neo-Nazi rally on the steps of the capitol in Sacramento this summer, and was one of several people who were stabbed by the fascists, terror threats were made against the school if she was not fired. Instead of defending the entire school, including Yvette, the Berkeley Unified School District has since capitulated to the neo-Nazis, docked some of her pay, and suspended her.


Parents of some of her students have reported that their children were removed from class without parental notification, consent, or presence, and were interrogated about Yvette.




Voice your solidarity with Yvette Felarca, and demand that she be reinstated immediately, paid her full wages, and the harassment of her and her students be stopped: boardofed@berkeley.net, Superintendent@berkeley.net




Non-sectarian defense of all anti-fascists!
An injury to one is an injury to all!




For more information:


Last week’s press conference with Yvette and her lawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHhVxvNt3vY


Public comments at the last school board meeting, including Yvette, her students, their parents, fellow workers, and community members: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg2giLt6Fu4


Details of what happened in Sacramento, and the neo-Nazis involved: http://antifasac.weebly.com/home/blood-in-the-valley-why-people-put-their-lives-on-the-line-to-run-nazis-out-of-sacramento


More about the fascist organizers of the Sacramento rally: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/06/27/violent-clashes-erupt-sacramento-between-white-nationalists-and-antifascists


Details about neo-Nazis converging in Berkeley prior to their attempted rally in Sacramento: https://itsgoingdown.org/big-nazis-on-campus/




 

…

Stop the Political Witch-Hunt Against Ms. Yvette Felarca
Protest and Speak Out at the Berkeley School Board Meeting
7pm Rally outside
7:30 pm Speak Out inside

 

Community members, parents, teachers and students plan to rally and speak at the  the Berkeley School Board Meeting  to defend Yvette Felarca, an anti-fascist middle school teacher in Berkeley under attack by the school district.

After Ms. Felarca helped prevent the neo-Nazi/KKK rally on the steps of the capitol in Sacramento last June where she and 8 other anti-fascists were stabbed by the Nazis, racist threats were made against the school if she was not fired. Instead of defending the entire school, including Yvette, the Berkeley Unified School District turned on her, docked 17 days of her pay, and on Wed. Sept. 21, abruptly suspended her. Yvette is now the target of a witch-hunt. She has been disciplined on unfounded accusations of “unsatisfactory performance” and “unprofessional conduct” and was given no reason for her suspension.

Our weekly PARTY to get this hackerspace together, to provide a venue for those things that otherwise cannot be worked out through day-to-day practice.

Potluck! – bring your own tasty dish!

Sudo room, located in the southwast corner of the ground floor, is a creative community and hackerspace. We offer tools and project space for a wide range of activities: electronics, sewing/crafting, 3D and 2D manufacturing, coding, and good old-fashioned co-learning!

Hours: The space is open whenever a member is present. Come visit! Best times to drop in are evenings between 7 and 9pm. See the calendar for recurring meetups and upcoming events: https://sudoroom.org/calendar

For over 4 years, we have been fighting to hold McDonalds accountable for driving wages and working standards down.  They pay poverty wages, often are perpetrators of wage theft and turn a blind eye to the needs of their workers.

Sexual harassment is widespread at fast-food companies like McDonald’s, which, too often, turn a blind eye to their workers’ complaints. Forty-percent of women working in the fast-food industry have been sexually harassed on the job – that’s 60% higher than other industries on average.

Women who speak out about the problem often face negative consequences from their employers, so many women try to confront the harassment on their own, or, even worse, feel that they have to put up with harassment to keep their jobs.

Workers and allies will be silent no more.

On Thursday we will be joining workers nationwide for a press conference about this serious issue.  We will be meeting at 11:30 and beginning the press conference at 12.

The ACLU of CA has prioritized working on bail reform and we are currently setting meetings with folks across the state to work through some critical issues as we begin to pull together this campaign as well as a coalition of folks who are interested in working on it with us.  As an organization doing critical work in the bay area, we very much need your input and would love to have you come to our first bay area meeting (You don’t have to agree to join the coalition to come to this meeting).

Our first bay area in-person meeting will be October 6^th from 12-2pm at the ACLU NorCal office in San Francisco.

We will provide a light refreshments for those of you who attend. Please RSVP by Tuesday, 9/27 and please feel free to forward this email to anyone else who might be interested.

Last but not least, and regardless of whether or not you can make it on the 6^th, please take a moment to fill out our short community surve

Help fight the plan to build more jail space at Santa Rita!

The Oakland Advisory Privacy Commission meets monthly, addressing the surveillance technology OPD and the City of Oakland already possess and wish to possess.  It’s first task is to develop a generalized Surveillance Equipment Regulation Ordinance governing how such equipment is to be assessed and procured.

Scroll to the bottom here for agendas and video of previous meetings: