Calendar
Join activists, foreclosure fighters and elected officials as we talk about the state of the fight for housing justice in Bernal Heights, where neighbors have been organizing neighbors to keep each other in their homes. Discuss how our efforts fit into the rich history of organizing for affordable housing–in the neighborhood and beyond. Hear from supervisors and activists organizing to ensure that anyone fighting foreclosure has the same protections as tenants to stay in their homes; and discuss the next steps in the fight to make sure all San Franciscans have a right to safe, decent, affordable housing. Come to this event and find out how you can get involved in the movement for housing justice.
*Ross Rhodes, Bernal Heights Foreclosure Fighter
*Grace Martinez, Organizer with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
*Amy Beinart, Housing Director, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
*Buck Bagot, Occupy Bernal
*Assemblymember Tom Ammiano
*SF Supervisor John Avalos
This public forum is sponsored by Occupy Bernal. For more info, email info@occupybernal.org or call 415-483-9138, or visit www.occupybernal.org
Join us for an ongoing monthly discussion of the COINTELPRO and its implications for contemporary activists.
COINTELPRO (an acronym for Counterintelligence Program) was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveying, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.
The FBI has used covert operations against domestic political groups since its inception; however, covert operations under the official COINTELPRO label took place between 1956 and 1971. COINTELPRO tactics include[d] discrediting targets through psychological warfare; smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and by planting false reports in the media; harassment; wrongful imprisonment; and illegal violence, including assassination. The FBI’s stated motivation was “protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order.”
John Burris and Dan Siegel will argue before the U.S. Court of Appeals against the efforts of the police officers who murdered Oscar Grant and brutalized his friends to win immunity for their actions. Last year federal judge Marilyn Patel ruled that the officers were not immune from suit for civil rights violations. The hearing will take place at the federal courthouse located at Seven and Mission, San Francisco. Supporters of the movement for justice for Oscar Grant are urged to attend the hearing.
Get there early to get a seat.
Hey folks, this week we’re going to do something a little different – Tuesday morning we’ll gather at the house to do an hour or two of neighborhood outreach, flyering a bit to get word out about Movie Night.
We’ll gather at 9:30 for coffee and and some sweet gooey morning buns, chat a bit among ourselves, and then take flyers out to a couple of places in town.
If you’d like to join us, comment here to RSVP.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is trying to sneak tried to sneak their drone purchase request through the Board of Supervisors at tomorrow’s meeting, before we could have our hearing with the Public Protection Committee.
But they were caught in the act! Michael Siegel, attorney for ACAD (Alameda County Against Drones), informed us by twitter that:
Michael Siegel @OaktownMike
You all must work fast! Just got call from Alameda County counsel, saying Sheriff WILL NOT seek approval for drone tomorrow. #agitationworks
PLEASE JOIN US ANYWAY FOR AN EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE:
Tuesday, December 4
10am (Precedes Board of Supervisors meeting at 10:45am)
1221 Oak Street, Oakland
There will be an organizing meeting for Bay Area climate action hosted by http://www.350bayarea.org/ on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 7:00-9:00PM at the Ed Roberts Center/Ashby BART station
Town hall meeting with Mayor Jean Quan, OPD Chief Howard Jordan, City Administrator Deanna Santana and City Council Member Pat Kernighan. J4AB will attend to demand answers about the Blueford case and demand accountability from OPD and the city.
Occupy Our Homes 1 Year Anniversary: Celebrate by taking action!
Please join us this Thursday, December 6th for the Occupy Our Homes National Day of action:
8am: Press Event to celebrate a real, community victory at Gayla Newsome’s home, 1536 Adeline Street in West Oakland
3:30 pm: Join ACCE members in kicking off a new statewide effort to hold Banks accountable to the national attorneys general settlement and calling for aggressive principal reduction by resetting mortgages to their current value! Meet in downtown Oakland.
On December 6, 2011 Oakland ACCE reached out to allies and supporters, including many members of Occupy Oakland, and helped Gayla Newsome and her family successfully re-occupy their West Oakland home after it was lost to a wrongful foreclosure. Thanks to the actions of ACCE members, Occupy Oakland and each and every one of our supporters, Gayla and her family have got their house back and on have been given a trial modification.
Last year’s Occupy Our Homes events that saw actions and home re-occupations throughout the Bay Area and across the country helped to create momentum for a national movement that began to hold Big Banks accountable to homeowners, residents and neighborhoods. In the past year, ACCE members have won more than $1 million in principal reduction and we are proud to report than none of our members have lost their homes in the past year!
Our movement has gained some momentum – but we need to keep strong if we want Wall Street banks to give quality loan modifications with principal reduction to all homeowners. We are calling on ACCE members, supporters and allies to celebrate Gayla’s victory & the anniversary of the Occupy Our Homes movement by starting a new chapter in the long fight to hold Banks accountable.
We will come together at the Port Commissioners meeting to, once again, tell the stories of the non-union food service workers at the Oakland Airport. Union and non-union workers are standing together. Come join us in the fight for justice.
Update on the Campaign:
Non-union food service workers at the Oakland Airport continue to seek a fair process to decide if they want to form a union. They have called for a boycott of their shops, and have participated in several rallies over the past few months to bring attention to injustices and retaliatory firings. Workers have filed grievances with all levels of government, and met directly with Port Commissioners to stress the urgency of the situation.
At the same time, UNITE HERE Local 2850 members working in food and retail service at the Oakland Airport have been in ongoing contract negotiations with HMS Host. Host has proposed a number of takeaways already. On November 12, workers voted 134-0 to authorize a strike if necessary to win a fair contract.
Janitors and clerical workers represented by SEIU Local 1021 were in their own contract fight for a long time at the Port of Oakland. Our members have stood with them in solidarity, and this past week the workers represented by SEIU won a fair contract.
Union and non-union workers are standing together to fight for a better future at the Oakland Airport. These fights are about ensuring that jobs at the Airport are secure, good quality jobs, and that Airport workers are treated with respect and dignity.
For questions about the event, contact Matt at 703-955-0075.
Si se puede!
UNITE HERE! Local 2850
www.unitehere2850.org www.facebook.com/unitehere2850
UNITE HERE Local 2850, 1440 Broadway, Suite 208, Oakland, CA 94612, Tel. 510-893-3181, Fax 510-893-5362
Our first movie night was such a great time, we’re going to continue on alternate Thursdays, weather permitting, to share family-friendly drive-in (or walk-in) style movies with Jodie’s friends and neighbors.
Join us on Thursday December 6 – this time we will show “Up,” a fun film with squirrels, dogs, undaunted love, flying houses and other assorted madcappery.
Refreshments will be served, along with a healthy dose of community and cameraderie.
In case of rain, we will wait two weeks and try again.
If you’d like to suggest a film, bring your ideas, and those present will choose for next time.
Documentary about Occupy in the Bay Area will be shown December 6 at ANSWER in SF at 7:00 p.m., 2969 Mission @ 26th St., S.F. $5-$10 donation requested, no one turned away.
The Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition will have a table, literature and an art display prominently located at the heart of First Friday action.
Come by, talk to J4AB volunteers, learn about the case, view the beautiful, if tragic, art that tells Alan’s story, and perhaps join the coalition in the streets to help flyer the crowd!
AFTER THE ELECTIONS: WHAT NEXT FOR THE 99%?
COME TO A MEETING OF WORKERS WORLD PARTY
REPORT BACK FROM WORKERS WORLD PARTY NATIONAL CONFERENCE
GAZA AND THE FIGHT FOR PALESTINE
THE STRUGGLE TO SAVE THE PEOPLE’S POST OFFICE
THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE FOR ALAN BLUEFORD
UPDATE ON LABOR STRUGGLES AT THE PORTS
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED
HANG AROUND FOR DISCUSSION & TALK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, AT 4PM
1440 BROADWAY, 2ND FLOOR, OAKLAND
http://occupyoakland.org/2012/12/show-up-a-ga-dec-9th-to-express-solidarity-with-occupy-sandy/
Join us to send a message of solidarity to Occupy Sandy.
Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609, USA
Doors open at 6 PM, Music starts at 7 PM
David’s music is almost all Creative Commons and he puts it out there for free download, or you can pigeon-hole Fat Ed and he can give you a pile of mp3s. Check out Rovics’ web site here: http://davidrovics.com/
Hopefully there will be some rudimentary grub and maybe even beverages for sale, Ed has got to check with the library.
12/12/12 THIS EVENT
(& THE HEARING ITSELF)
IS CANCELLED (AGAIN!)
(Update: 12/11/12 10:26pm this event will happen, so our presence is essential!! Thank you for working on making this world a better world.)
.
Judge Thelton Henderson is hearing arguments for and against putting the Oakland Police Department under a Federal Receivership.
Outside the Federal District Court in San Francisco, 450 Golden Gate Ave.
December 13th, starting at 8:30 AM (until ~ 10:00 AM)
Called for by The Justice For Alan Blueford Coalition.
Press Conference to be Held Jointly by the Justice For Alan Blueford Coalition and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (Oakland Chapter). (Because of the off-again, on-again nature of this event due to what’s happened recently with the case, Malcolm X may no longer participate)
This is history in the making. No police department in the history of the United States has ever been put under the control of a Federal Judge. The fact that such a step is even being considered is a stinging indictment of the Oakland Police, in particular their racist, unconstitutional approach to policing. The whole world will be watching these proceedings.
Alan Blueford, an 18 year old Oakland high school student about to graduate, was murdered by an Oakland policeman on May 6th 2012 following an unconstitutional ‘stop & frisk.’ Many other young men of color have been killed in similar circumstances over the years. These deaths are a direct result of OPD’s inability to act constitutionally, avoid racial bias and control its trigger-happy officers.
The Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition demands that whatever steps are ultimately taken to control OPD’s illegal practices, that they include sufficient safeguards to insure:
— there are no more wrongful killings and
— the end of the racial profiling, rampant in OPD, which ultimately
resulted in the tragedy of Alan’s murder.
We demand Justice 4 Alan Blueford! We demand an end to police violence! We cannot have any more killing of our children by OPD! AND WE WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW IT. We will not stop, federal control or no, until OPD stops harassing, beating and killing young men of color of Oakland.
COME JOIN US. MAKE SURE THE WORLD HEARS ALL OF OUR VOICES!
Facebook page for this event. Tell us you are coming!
Background Links
Federal court is asked to put Oakland Police Department in receivership
Are The Oakland Police Going Down At last? At Long Last?
Join us for a screening of “Roadmap To Apartheid”, a free event at Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. The film explores the striking parallels between South Africa and Israeli apartheid & institutional racism. It is a joint production by filmmakers Ana Nogueira (a white South African) and Eron Davidson (a Jewish American-Israeli). It is narrated by Alice Walker. Opening welcome by Tristan Anderson. A free dinner will be served at 5:30 and the film will start at 7 PM, with a Q&A with discussion with filmmaker Eron Davidson after the movie.
Our “DIY drive-in” continues Jodie’s driveway every Thursday night at 6pm.
This week we are showing “Cinema Paradiso.”
Hot cocoa and cider, popcorn, and community!
Come on by and chat, chill or whatever!
Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group
“Solidarity is the People’s Weapon”