Calendar
A vigil and reading of Moore’s poetry will be held in tribute to Kayla Moore and all Trans victims of police violence. #Justice4KaylaMoore
We welcome participants to read poetry, offer remembrances, and voice support for Trans POC.
Presented in collaboration with Justice for Kayla Moore + Copwatch Berkeley
Sponsored by Southern Exposure
WHAT: TOWN HALL @THE CORNERS: MOMENTUM!!! HEALTHCARE, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, CLIMATE & MORE!!!
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
Since inauguration, 100 days ago, the #ResistTrumpTuesdays movement, started by our friends at Working Families Party, has brought out tens of thousands of people – and has members of Congress shaking in their boots. This resistance has led to significant victories, from defeating round one of Trumpcare to pushing Democrats to hold strong and filibuster extreme Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. In every corner of the country, week after week, we are meeting face to face with our elected officials, making it clear to Republicans and Democrats alike that collaboration with the Trump administration comes at a steep political price.
With Republicans trying once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, will you keep up the pressure and attend an event at your elected official’s local office?
Will you join the event as a part of #ResistTrumpTuesdays?
YES, I’LL BE THERE!
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump’s agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation’s pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
CALL TO ACTION
JOIN OFPC AT CITY HALL TUESDAY, MAY 2nd at 5:30pm in efforts to urge Mayor Schaaf keeps her word!
On Friday, we learned that the Mayor is proposing to use Measure HH funds to fill a gap in the general Oakland budget. WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN! Check out these articles by the East Bay Express and @SFGate on Mayor Libby Schaaf’s proposed plan.
http://www.sfgate.com/
We expect to receive an oral report about the Mayor’s budget proposal at the Tuesday, May 2nd City Council Meeting, commencing at 5:30pm in the Council Chambers, 3rd floor.
OFPC stands behind Oakland’s community efforts to use these funds to increase healthy options throughout the neighborhoods that need it most!
Background
In 2016, Oakland Food Policy Council worked with collaborators on helping pass the recent Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax or Measure HH.
In November 2016, Oakland voters passed Measure HH, a one cent per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverage distribution in the city of Oakland to bring in approximately, 8 -9 Millions dollars in revenue to supports efforts to improve health and nutrition for youth and our community.
Journalist Anabel Hernandez presents her new book, What Really Happened in Iguala.
On September 26, 2014, Mexican police and military forces attacked and disappeared 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in Iguala, Guerrero. Faced with such events, no country can go forward without knowing the truth to which the victims the society have a right. The events in Iguala force us to reflect on what is occurring in Mexico: they show crudely the degradation of state forces who are supposed to carry out justice and protect. At the same time, they show the society’s deepest fears – and also its hopes.
In What Really Happened in Iguala (La Verdadera Noche de Iguala), Hernandez traverses the labyrinth of the Ayotzinapa case, its traps, it darkness and light. The reader sees the streets where the events took place, the bullet casings, and sandals left on the ground; hears the voices of the Ayotzinapa students; visits the places where torture was applied to manufacture guilt, as well as the offices of high-level officials who carried out the cover-up.
Anabel Hernandez is among the most important investigative journalists in Mexico and the winner of numerous national and international journalism awards. She was a Fellow in the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley in 2014-2016. She has reported for The Guardian, Le Monde, La Repubblica, La Stampa, Reforma, Proceso, Univision and Telemundo. She is the author of The Presidential Family (2005, co-authored with Areli Quintero), Party Over in Los Pinos (2006), The President’s Accomplices (2008), Narcoland: The Mexican Drug Lords and their Godfathers (2010), and Mexico in Flames: Calderon’s Legacy (2012).
On May 3, we will also show the 26-minute documentary, Where the Guns Go: U.S. Policy and Human Rights in Mexico. Through testimony of victims, activists and journalists, the film exposes the U.S. role in violence in Mexico affecting so much Mexican communities and migrants seeking refuge.
Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie
Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner
directed by: Jonathan Kane
performed by: Charlotte Hemmings
The critically acclaimed NY production of “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” comes to San Francisco for a limited run.
“My Name Is Rachel Corrie” is a one-woman play composed from Rachel’s own journals, letters and e-mails – creating a portrait of a messy, articulate, Salvador Dali – loving chain smoker (with a passion for the music of Pat Benatar), who left her home and school in Olympia, Washington, to work as an activist in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the three sold-out London runs since its Royal Court premier, the piece has been surrounded by both controversy and impassioned proponents, and has raised an unprecedented call to support political work and the difficult discourse it creates.
Scheduled Post ShowTalk Backs
Saturday April 29 – actor Charlotte Hemmings and director Jonathan Kane
Wednesday May 3rd – Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie
Thursday May 4th – Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie
3. 5:10pm: Open Forum
4. 5:15pm: Staff update on Surveillance Equipment Ordinance proposal to Public Safety Committee
5. 5:20pm: Discussion and possible action on Non-Cooperation with Registry Ordinance
6. 5:40pm: Presentation by Electronic Frontier Foundation – Analysis of Oakland Police Department’s
use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR), and overview of ALPR use by law enforcement
7. 6:00pm: Review and discussion of Oakland Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader
policy. No action will be taken on this item at this meeting
Anti Lab is a kind of clubhouse for creative resistance, a meeting place for people who want to transform their frustration with the current political climate into action. Anti Lab’s calendar features everything from a tenants’ rights workshop presented by the East Bay Community Law Center to weekly screen-printing hours and a trans photo booth. All for free.
It will be open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 11am-8pm (ish). With workshops/events on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus Saturday afternoons.
In the mood for resistance? Read our profile on Anti Lab & join them tonight at 6pm for Hot Fresh Dissent: https://t.co/1vZpSDX7xJ
— East Bay Express (@EastBayExpress) May 4, 2017
On Thursday, May 4: "The Battle for Berkeley" — "a talk and a challenge to debate" by @SunsaraTaylor @RevolutionBksB #berkmtg pic.twitter.com/vikd6wfYM3
— Berkeleyside (@berkeleyside) May 3, 2017
Universal basic income made a big splash last week at this year’s TED conference in Vancouver. Rutger Bregman, basic income advocate and author of “Utopia for Realists”, received a standing ovation for his talk on why basic income could be the best solution for ending poverty.
Rutger is visiting San Francisco this week, and we’re very excited to host him for a discussion and book signing this Thursday, May 4th. Join us to hear about Rutger’s experiences and perspectives from his book.
Program:
– 6:30 Doors open
– 7:00 Program starts
– 7:30 Program concludes, stay for book signing and networking until 8:30
We’ll be hosting at Brigade in downtown San Francisco. Snacks and drinks will be available. See you on Thursday!
Space is limited, so make sure to register if you’d like to attend. You can RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1464341970305791/
Gentrification comes up constantly in the Bay Area, but few of us feel equipped to take action against it. Is it inevitable? What can we do now to prevent displacement?
This SURJ workshop will put gentrification and displacement in a historical context so we understand the racialized political and economic drivers. You’ll hear about past and current struggles led by communities of color to preserve their homes and communities.
The analysis that we are presenting is based on the work of Causa Justa :: Just Cause and we are asking for $5-$20 donation, sliding scale, which will go to support CJJC’s work challegning gentrification and fighting displacement. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Our workshop has space for 66 people. To reserve your spot in advance, please purchase tickets at http://
ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. If you have specific access needs, please email surjbasebuilding@gmail.com
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://
SPREAD THE WORD, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!
*Though intended for a white allied audience – people of color are also welcome.*
Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie
Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner
directed by: Jonathan Kane
performed by: Charlotte Hemmings
The critically acclaimed NY production of “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” comes to San Francisco for a limited run.
“My Name Is Rachel Corrie” is a one-woman play composed from Rachel’s own journals, letters and e-mails – creating a portrait of a messy, articulate, Salvador Dali – loving chain smoker (with a passion for the music of Pat Benatar), who left her home and school in Olympia, Washington, to work as an activist in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the three sold-out London runs since its Royal Court premier, the piece has been surrounded by both controversy and impassioned proponents, and has raised an unprecedented call to support political work and the difficult discourse it creates.
Scheduled Post ShowTalk Backs
Saturday April 29 – actor Charlotte Hemmings and director Jonathan Kane
Wednesday May 3rd – Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie
Thursday May 4th – Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie
Sponsored by
THE CITY OF BERKELEY
On Cinco de Mayo, restaurants throughout Berkeley and other Bay Area sanctuary cities take part in “Cocktails for La Causa” to raise awareness of deportation and immigration issues and support local organizations providing legal defense. Funds collected from the sale of food or drink specifically created for this event will be donated equally between Centro Legal de la Raza (acting as the fiscal agent), the East Bay Community Law Center, and the Multicultural Institute.
Berkeley became a City of Refuge in 1971; in 2007 it reaffirmed this status in response to an increase in I.C.E. raids throughout the Bay Area; and in 2016, it again reaffirmed itself a sanctuary city in response to the election of Donald Trump and his anti-immigration policies. Berkeley is now leading efforts in the Bay Area to support its undocumented residents.
Come out to support and enjoy
Thanks so much to all of these establishments for helping to support the Bay Area’s sanctuary movement to aide undocumented residents in the current political climate. We encourage you to support them with your patronage. Check back for additions to the list.
| Agrodolce | 1730 Shattuck Ave. | Mocha Martini |
| Albatross Pub | 1822 San Pablo Ave. | Ponche de Puebla |
| Babette @ UC Art Museum | 2155 Center St | TBD |
| Cancun Taqueria | 2134 Allston Way | Sangria |
| Cheeseboard | 1512 Shattuck Ave. | Mexican Chocolate Scone |
| Gilman Brewing Company | 912 Gilman St. | Green Chile Beer |
| Highwire Coffee Roasters | 2049 San Pablo Ave. | 25% of Conscientious Objector Coffee drink & bean sales at all cafe locations |
| Lalime’s Restaurant | 1329 Gilman St. | TBD |
| Le Bateau Ivre | 2629 Telegraph Ave. | TBD |
| Phil’s Sliders | 2024 Shattuck Ave. | Spicy Sanctuary Tater Tots |
| Rangoon Super Stars | 2826 Telegraph Ave. | Donny Chicken Curry |
| Revival Bar + Kitchen | 2021 Shattuck Ave. | Bad Hombre Cocktail |
| Saturn Cafe | 2175 Allston Way | RISEUP Rita |
| Saul’s Deli | 1475 Shattuck Ave. | Americano Cocktail |
| Spats | 1974 Shattuck Ave. | ‘Through the Wall’ Mayan Mule |
| Starry Plough Irish Pub | 3101 Shattuck Ave. | 10% donation on all food & drink |
| Tacos Sinaloa | 2384 Telegraph Ave. | Green Card Burrito |
| Xocolate Bar | 1709 Solano Ave. | Chocolate-Dipped 9th Circuit Bananas |
Annie Danger, Mike Esmailzadeh and Heather will lead a two hour workshop on the basics of intervening in public as a bystander. They will cover the basics of stance, assertiveness, and situational awareness as well as go into depth about different potential scenarios, legality of bystander intervention, physical and social skills and tactics for successful intervention, de-escalation, police involvement, knowing your place, and aftercare.
This workshop cannot cover all possibilities of intervention, but will provide a baseline for reducing harm and acting in effective solidarity with people being harassed or assaulted.
If you have any physical disabilities or differences in ability organizers should know about, please email basebuilding@surjbayarea.org.
Tickets are sliding scale $10 – $20. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Anti Lab is a kind of clubhouse for creative resistance, a meeting place for people who want to transform their frustration with the current political climate into action. Anti Lab’s calendar features everything from a tenants’ rights workshop presented by the East Bay Community Law Center to weekly screen-printing hours and a trans photo booth. All for free.
It will be open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 11am-8pm (ish). With workshops/events on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus Saturday afternoons.
In the mood for resistance? Read our profile on Anti Lab & join them tonight at 6pm for Hot Fresh Dissent: https://t.co/1vZpSDX7xJ
— East Bay Express (@EastBayExpress) May 4, 2017
Health Care for All – Contra Costa County Chapter and Indivisible Central Contra Costa County will sponsor a showing of a powerful new documentary, Now Is The Time Healthcare for Everybody.
With the future of the Affordable Care Act in serious doubt, millions may lose their health insurance. Medicare and Medi-Cal are under attack. This documentary explains what single payer healthcare is and how it saves money. It shows what behind-the-scenes heroes are doing to clear the fog of misperceptions that has kept us from moving forward.
Q&A and Discussion about newly-introduced State Senate Bill 562,The Healthy California Act (Lara/Atkins).
RSVP here: https://goo.gl/forms/
This is a key moment in the fight for single-payer health care. On April 26, the CA Senate Health Committee approved SB-562, a single-payer bill that will make healthcare free for all California residents. No more co-pays, no more expensive premiums. We have been calling our senators relentlessly to urge them to support the bill – now we need to develop more people power to usher SB-562 through the Senate appropriations committee, and through the CA legislature!
Since our February canvassing kick-off, we’ve had 250 volunteer canvassers sign up 1,260 East Bay residents to stay informed and support the fight. Learn more about one of our past big canvassing events here:http://www.eastbaydsa.org/
Anyone who comes will receive education on single payer and be trained on how to talk to your neighbors and friends about the issue. First-time canvassers will be paired with experienced organizers and canvassers to go spread the word about single payer, sign people up to be supporters, and recruit new members to DSA. We want all hands on deck for this exciting day! No prior experience necessary!
Please RSVP to let us know if you need childcare, what kind of transportation you will bring, etc
https://goo.gl/forms/
BAY AREA: Stand up to attacks on healthcare & join our fight for #SinglePayer in California. Canvass with us on Sunday, May 7 ️ pic.twitter.com/cHJlsUMezr
— DSA East Bay (@DSAEastBay) May 4, 2017
The As Salaam Mosque has invited the East Bay community to show solidarity against harassment and discrimination, share cultural experiences, and celebrate diversity this Sunday from two to four thirty at 975 7th Street. There will be speakers, refreshments, and time to network with neighbors and local leaders.
Imam Muhammed and Pastor Jim Hopkins of the Lakeshore Baptist Church will lead the event in prayer. Speakers include Assembly Member Rob Bonta, leader in the State Sanctuary movement, Assembly Member Tony Thurmond, Council Members Lynette Gibson McElhany and Noel Gallo, Jose Hernandez of Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s office, School Board Trustee Jumoke Hodge, and former Mayor Jean Quan. Sundiata Rashid of the Lighthouse Mosque and Reverend Ken Chambers of the West Oakland Baptist Church will also address the gathering.
Jehan Hakim of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, organizer of the event along with Jean Quan, stated, “In these times of bigotry and harassment, it’s important for us as residents of the East Bay and beyond to spend the day with our Muslim neighbors learning what it means to create a real sanctuary in our community.”
Information, discussion & community! Monday NightForum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
Nuts and Bolts of Transitions of Power:
Initiating a Just and Sustainable Society: Part I
Monday, we will address these transitions, asking how kings, autocrats, dictators and presidents are actually thrown out… the nuts and bolts of it, and how, again nuts and bolts, a new society is started in the ashes of the old one. For the next three OccupyForums, we will hear about and discuss these ideas. This Monday, Michael Goldstein, (who spoke in March on fundamental social transformation), will present some thoughts and lead the conversation. In the next two OccupyForums, speakers will continue on this theme.
Michael Goldstein is author of the visionary book, Return of the Light: A Political Fable in Which the American People Retake Their Country, which has been endorsed by Michael Parenti, Don Hazen (executive editor of Alternet), and Wavy Gravy, among others. He writes a blog in the Huffington Post, focusing on the need to get beyond the teeter-totter of the two-party system, and a year ago he spearheaded an effort, via BeyondBernie.us, to urge the senator to enable his supporters to find each other and engage in dialog and action to actually build the greater movement he often spoke about.
Time will be allotted for announcements.
Have you ever wondered:
- What do police really spend their time doing?
- How much do they make, and why do they get paid so much?
- Could we shrink OPD and make Oakland an even safer, better place to live?
The process of allocating Oakland’s 2.6 billion dollar budget for 2017-2019 has begun. We believe that the scandal-ridden and dysfunctional Oakland Police Department consumes far too many of our city’s resources. It’s time to audit police spending and performance, and redirect wasted funds to community-building, constructive strategies for making Oakland a safer and better place to live.
Our Demands:
- INDEPENDENT AND THOROUGH COST SAVINGS AND PERFORMANCE AUDIT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
- DEFUND OPD BY 50%
PLEASE COME OUT TO YOUR LOCAL BUDGET FORUM:
Monday May 8, 6:30-8:30 pm, Councilmember Abel Guillen
St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave
Wednesday May 10, 6:30-8:30 pm, Councilmember Annie Campbell
Bret Harte Middle School, 3700 Coolidge Ave
Saturday May 13, 10am-12pm, Councilmembers Lynette McElhaney & Dan Kalb
Beebe Memorial Church, 3900 Telegraph Ave
Wednesday May 17, 6:30-8:30 pm, Councilmembers Larry Reid & Rebecca Kaplan
Oakland Zoo- Snow Building, 9777 Golf Links Road
Thursday May 18, 6-8pm, Councilmember Desley Brooks
Eastmont Police Dept. Substation, 2651 73rd Ave
Monday May 22, 6-8pm, Councilmember Lynette McElhaney
West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline St
Thursday May 25, 6:30-8:30 pm, Councilmember Abel Guillen
Lincoln Rec Center, 261 11th St. (cantonese interpretation)
Defund OPD will be at each of these budget meetings with information about the police budget, questions to ask, and our demands! Please show up 15 minutes early if possible. More information is available at defundopd.org.
#DefundOPD
In the last few weeks we’ve built a ton of momentum and had some significant successes:
-With incredible and wide-ranging community support, we’ve succeeded in making sure that the city’s outrageous and unaccountable spending on police is the #1 topic of discussion at every single city council member budget forum.
-We’ve already gotten the mayor to stand down from her effort to increase the police force to 800 officers, and now the discussion is turning to maintaining the current staffing levels (near 750) instead of the fully budgeted levels (792).
-We’ve gotten almost every council member to commit, on the record, to supporting an independent, thorough audit of police spending, and the city auditor’s office is on board.
-We’ve built a huge amount of synergy and mutual support with dozens of organizations who are calling for various budget priorities that will ACTUALLY make Oakland a safer and more just city — and many of them are now making explicit connections between the bloated police budget and the lack of funding for these crucial measures to support housing affordability, education, homeless services, youth programs and employment, and cultural initiatives.
The last two city council members are hosting meetings TONIGHT and THURSDAY NIGHT!
Monday May 22, 6-8pm, Councilmember Lynette McElhaney
West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline St
Thursday May 25, 6:30-8:30 pm, Councilmember Abel Guillen
Lincoln Rec Center, 261 11th St. (cantonese interpretation)
For those of you looking for ways to plug in, here’s what we could use right now:
1) come out tonight and/or thursday if you can, and mobilize others to come!
2) Post to social media with the hashtag #DefundOPD and tag Defund OPD in your posts on facebook.
3) Email budgetsuggestions@oaklandnet.c om with our demand: Defund OPD, invest in community. Feel free to reach out if you want to collaborate on more specific verbiage – or just mention the budget priorities that matter to you, and state that you’d like the $ to come out of the police budget (Please cc defundopd@gmail.com)