~~~~~THE FILM~~~~~~
A feature-length documentary about the history and resurgence of socialism in America.
Socialism: an American Story (socialismmovie.com) features the stories of ordinary Americans across the United States. From a Marine veteran turned socialist legislator, to a teacher on strike, to the son of Cuban immigrants organizing to free deportees, today’s surging interest in socialism manifests across demographics. Through their stories and a historical road trip through the old socialist hub of Wisconsin, we learn what a uniquely American form of socialism might look like.
Two years ago, 13 million Americans voted for a socialist presidential candidate for the first time. Millions more flirted with socialism, feared it, or scratched their heads and moved on. We want to reach people who are unfamiliar with socialist thought but feel its growing influence in their lives. For the first time in decades, there are socialists in both houses of Congress. Americans deserve an opportunity to evaluate socialist ideas without the usual Cold War stigma or fear-mongering.
The word “socialism” can be alienating. “Medicare for All” now enjoys wide majority support even among Republicans, but the socialist project goes beyond healthcare reform. We journey through a vision of America transformed by that project.
~~~~~~Q&A DISCUSSION FEATURING~~~~~~
Yael Bridge is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, recently produced Netflix’s Saving Capitalism.
Bhaskar Sunkara is the founder and editor of Jacobin and author of new book The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality.
Meagan Day is a staff writer at Jacobin. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vox, Mother Jones, The Week, The Baffler, In These Times, n+1 and elsewhere.
~~~~~~COSPONSORS~~~~~~
Democratic Socialists of America
Young Democratic Socialists of America
Jacobin
Our Revolution
Socialist Alternative
When: May 12, 2019, 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Where: The New Parkway
Please join us for our regular biweekly meeting of the Sunflower Alliance. We’ll discuss ongoing campaigns and future plans and identify upcoming actions we can take to fight fossil fuels and work for a just and sustainable world. Old friends and newcomers are equally welcome. We need your participation and your voice!
Join us for part 2 of Marx on the US Civil War! This class was created with the intention of bringing in folks who are unfamiliar with Marx. Come through!
Here is the handout from the previous class: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DpOmmMkhyrzYxNQXIuonwi3To93v2RJnJsRdUArFLNU/edit?usp=sharing
Note: The meeting space is up a flight of stairs.
NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
With the appointment of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, the United States Supreme Court accelerates the federal courts’ return to early 20th century jurisprudence on legal disputes long considered settled concerning labor rights, women’s rights, minority rights, and proportional electoral power. For example, last year’s Janus vs. AFSCME decision overturned over four decades of precedent that public employees must pay fees to unions to cover the costs of collective bargaining.
Eduard Meleshinsky will discuss several key cases from the last two Supreme Court terms and potentially a few lower court decisions to illustrate the troubling jurisprudential trends developing in the federal courts, and will leave plenty of time to discuss the implications of these trends for the health of our democracy so please bring your questions, concerns, etc.
Eduard is a Senior Associate Attorney at B ryan Schwartz Law, an Oakland-based employment civil rights firm, and represents workers in class actions against private and public employers who have engaged in systematic wage theft and discrimination. Eduard also represents individual workers in asserting whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, and harassment claims. Eduard is an active member of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), has co-authored amici briefs on behalf of CELA in cases pending at the California Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and regularly writes and discusses practical issues arising in employment law litigation.
SPONSOR: Green Sundays are a series of free programs and discussions sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Snacks are potluck. Vegetarian and vegan snacks are always welcome, but we appreciate whatever you can bring! The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party of Alameda County follows at 6:45 pm; council meetings are always open to anyone who is interested. Please visit our website: https://acgreens. wordpress.com
https://acgreens.wordpress.com/
Express your green ideas and “like” us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenpartyofalamedacounty/
AB 392 simply mandates that law enforcement must exhaust every possible alternative before they use deadly force. This is common sense legislation that will save lives. Yet and still, some of our legislators at the State Capitol are hesitant – or flat out refusing – to vote for the bill. The Law Enforcement Lobby is strong. But nothing is stronger than the power of the people! On Monday, May 13th – we are heading up to Sacramento to spend the day lobbying legislators. Impacted families, advocates and organizers will gather at the capitol to demand that they #letuslive.
The California Act to Save Lives #AB392 will save lives and stop police from using deadly force when there are alternatives. So far, we have passed AB 392 out the first committee – now we must overcome the biggest hurdle yet, the Assembly Floor. Let’s keep up the momentum at Lobby Day. Join us to make your voice heard at the Capitol on May 13!
To join us, REGISTER here https://forms.gle/Rv99wmMRNx7qnHQu8 by this Friday, May 10. We need everyone to register in order to sort you into Capitol lobby visits and you can also sign up for buses, car pools and gas cards here.
And here is our Facebook page, co-hosted with the Anti Police-Terror Project: https://www.facebook.com/events/1176274515877129/
For those in Sacramento or traveling on their own:
Lunch and ‘homebase’ at South Steps of Capitol (Intersection of 11th St. and N. St.)
Parking at Capitol:
–10th and L St., $20 / day
–14th St. — between H and I, $6 / day
–J and 11th St., ~$15 / day
Assemblymember Rob Bonta
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks
Meeting of homeless activists and homed supporters from around the Bay Area.
Resist!
A 6-week series to help us develop a deeper analysis and to call attention to the kinds of changes needed in the City’s budget and policies.
4/15 – Housing
4/22 – Economy
4/29 – Education
5/6 – Public Health
5/13 – Neighborhood Life
5/20 – Public Safety
The first week’s workshop on the Housing Indicators is the first of a 6-week series to help us develop a deeper analysis and to call attention to the kinds of changes needed in the City’s budget and policies.
Join us for this deeper dive into the Equity Indicators Report for the City of Oakland. Released last year, it clearly shows the effects of white supremacy on our community. Oakland posted a failing score of 33.5 out of a possible 100 across all indicators. This was the lowest score of all cities that participated in this national study.
Carroll Fife, the founder of Black Women & Elected Leadership, the Executive Director of Oakland ACCE, and one of the founding members of Community READY Corps, will join us as a guest speaker to provide some deeper analysis of the report’s findings and point us to actual solutions that will advance racial justice and equity in our housing market.
OTU’s Mission
The Oakland Tenants Union is an organization of housing activists dedicated to protecting tenant rights and interests. OTU does this by working directly with tenants in their struggle with landlords, impacting legislation and public policy about housing, community education, and working with other organizations committed to furthering renters’ rights. The Oakland Tenants Union is open to anyone who shares our core values and who believes that tenants themselves have the primary responsibility to work on their own behalf.
Monthly Meetings
The Oakland Tenants Union meets regularly at 7:00 pm on the second Monday evening of each month. Our monthly meetings are held in the Community Room of the Madison Park Apartments, 100 – 9th Street (at Oak Street, across from the Lake Merritt BART Station). To enter, gently knock on the window of the room to the right of the main entrance to the building. At the meetings, first we focus on general issues affecting renters city-wide and then second we offer advice to renters regarding their individual concerns.
If you have an issue, a question, or need advice about a tenant/landlord issue, please call us at (510) 704-5276. Leave a message with your name and phone number and someone will get back to you.
KPFA Radio 94.1 FM presents
Bhaskar Sunkara
The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality
MONDAY, MAY 13, 7:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley
Hosted by: Sasha Lilley
advance tickets: $12: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4069692: T: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus Books (3 sites), Moe’s, Books Inc (Berkeley), Walden Pond Bookstore, East Bay Books, Mrs. Dalloway’s $15 door, benefits KPFA Radio 94.1FM info: kpfa.org/events
“Accessible, irreverent and entertaining. Bhaskar Sunkara has delivered a razor-sharp guide to socialism’s history, transformative promise, and path to power. This book also serves as an irresistible invitation to join in building that power, and in shaping the radically democratic future that is our best hope in these make-or-break times.”
– NAOMI KLEIN
The success of Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign revived a political idea many had thought dead. But what, exactly, is socialism? What would a socialist system in America look like?
In The Socialist Manifesto Bhaskar Sunkara explores socialism’s history since the mid-1800’s, and presents a realistic vision for the future. The editor of Jacobin magazine, Sunkara shows that socialism, though often seen primarily as an economic system, in fact offers the means to fight all forms of oppression, including racism and sexism. The ultimate goal is not Soviet-style planning, but to win rights to health care, education, and housing, and to create new democratic institutions in workplaces and communities. A primer on socialism for the twenty-first century, this book is for anyone seeking an end to the grotesque inequities of our age.
Bhaskar Sunkara is the founder and editor of Jacobin, which he launched in 2010. He has written for The New York Times, LeMonde, Vice, and The Washington Post.
$12 advance, $15 door.
More information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4069692
KPFA Radio 94.1 FM presents
Advance tickets: $12: brownpapertickets.com :: T: 800-838-3006 or
Pegasus Books (3 sites),
Moe’s,
Books Inc (Berkeley),
Walden Pond Bookstore,
East Bay Books,
Mrs. Dalloway’s
“Accessible, irreverent and entertaining. Bhaskar Sunkara has delivered a razor-sharp guide to socialism’s history, transformative promise, and path to power. This book also serves as an irresistible invitation to join in building that power, and in shaping the radically democratic future that is our best hope in these make-or-break times.”
— NAOMI KLEIN
The success of Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign revived a political idea many had thought dead. But what, exactly, is socialism? What would a socialiist system in America look like?
In The Socialist Manifesto Bhaskar Sunkara explores socialism’s history since the mid-1800’s, and presents a realistic vision for the future. The editor of Jacobin magazine, Sunkara shows that socialism, though often seen primarily aks an economic system, in fact offers the means to fight all forms of oppression, including racism and sexism. The ultimate goal is not Soviet-style planning, but to win rights to health care, education, and housing, and to create new democratic institutions in workplaces and communities. A primer on socialism for the twenty-first century, this book is for anyone seeking an end to the grotesque inequities of our age.
Bhaskar Sunkara is the founder and editor of Jacobin, which he launched in 2010. He has written for The New York Times, LeMonde, Vice, and The Washington Post.
Sasha Lilley is the editor of Capital and Its Discontents: Conversations with Radical Thinkers in a Time of Tumult.She is also a contributor to the Turbulence Collective’s What Would it Mean to Win?, and a co-founder and host of the Pacifica Radio program Against the Grain.
KPFA benefit
The City of Oakland is planning to push homeless West Oakland residents onto a sanctioned site on May 14th. Residents that do not comply run the risk of arrest and having their property confiscated.
Join up with homeless residents, people in the area need support be it moving their things or in not complying with the city of Oakland unreasonable request
The new site is small and lacks many of the services that homeless residents have been demanding.
Did you know that if a tenant lives in a duplex or triplex in Oakland & the owner or their relative moves into one of the units ALL of the tenants lose rent stabilization & protections from both harassment & landlords that refuse to make necessary repairs?
Do you think that the housing affordability crisis in Oakland is out of control and that all tenants in Oakland deserve strong protections against displacement, homelessness, and rent gouging?
Then come out and demand City Council close a loophole that already exempts ~3,000 units in Oakland from rent control and that threatens the future stability of thousands more.
Landlords have been turning out to protest this ordinance in mass and we have to show City Council that they must act to protect the diversity of our city.
Invite your friends! City Council especially needs to hear from tenants in 2-3 unit buildings AND from small property landlords who believe that strong renter protections keep Oakland thriving.
5/14 12:30pm Community & Economic Development Committee Sgt. Mark Dunakin Room – 1st Floor Oakland City Hall
Stay tuned and continue to mobilize for the second vote by the full City Council on the evening of 5/21
The SF Board of Supervisors will consider a Surveillance Equipment Regulation Ordinance, including a provision to ban all use of facial recognition technology by City/County agencies.
Passage of the ordinance would force the City to reveal all of its currently used surveillance equipment, and bring the request and purchase of new equipment and the use of new surveillance techniques before the Board of Supervisors for a hearing and approval (or denial) before it could be used.
a *MEMORIAL/VIGIL for all whom we know who have died in Berkeley in the last 12 months*.
Many Consider The Homeless Volunteers will remember *KK… died June 2018*, and *Michelle Larson, died October 22018*. Some may remember hearing about *Lisa Blowers*, found dead on Telegraph Ave with her wheelchair and her dog back in *May 2018*, about a week after her encampment was raided… About a month later, her partner *RICHARD* died. In the last month a woman was found dead in her tent, her name was *MELINDA*.
A few days ago we heard of *Eric Sibbald*’s death. He was one of thee resident’s of the old *9th St. Shelter*, and one that we interviewed while trying to save it. You can watch it here, https://www.facebook.com/ConsiderTheHomeless/videos/453801608448409/
Eric was lucky enough to get one of the few spaces that were available for the 9th St. Shelter’s residents. The reduced size was only capable of sheltering one-half of what they were able to do on 9th St. Last week, an ambulance was called to the new Vet Bldg Shelter, as Eric was having another heart attack. Eric died at the hospital.
Frank Bombo
Sadly, he was one of three residents we had met while on this campaign to *Save The Shelter* that have died since shelter moved to ½ capacity.
Last month we were informed that *Frank Bomba* died. We knew him as one of the un-housed workers at the shelter. When 9th St. Shelter closed, he lost the job there, and ended up back on the streets battling his personal demons. Sometime, in April of 2019, Frank lost that battle and died of an overdose.
Another guest at the old *9th St. Shelter* that we had the opportunity to meet and interview was *Mary Evans* and her husband, David. Both were sick, and in need of regular care.
Mary Evans
At the time, Mary was doing a series of kemo trearments and was worried about what they would do after the shelter closed. Both Mary and her husband were also lucky enough to get space to remain with the Dorothy Say House Shelter when it moved to the Vet Bldg. Not sure of the circumstances of Mary’s death, only that she crossed over in *February 2019*.
There has been _NOTHING_ in the papers about these three friends and am sadly reminded that officially, there is NO count of how many un-housed die every year.
District 3 City Budget Forum w/ Councilmember McElhaney’s Office
Mayor Schaaf’s proposed budget underfunds crucial city services and efforts like affordable housing, public works, race & equity, and parks, recreation & youth – while policing consumes an ever-greater share of the city’s General Purpose Fund.
Come hang out with East Bay DSA members and talk about socialism, current events, historic events, the future, music, your cat, someone else’s cat, etc. We’ll tell you about upcoming East Bay DSA events and how you can get involved!
Join Ethics In Technology for our reception and comedy night in San Francisco on May 17th.
6 to 7 PM. Reception hosted by Ethics In Technology a new non-profit based in San Francisco.
Brett Wilkins, Independent Journalist and Board Member of Ethics In Technology will be presenting Bug Splat.
Bugsplat: Can Technology Really Make War Less Deadly for Civilians?
There is a school of thought that posits advances in technology will make war less deadly for innocent civilians. But is that really true? We’ll examine the notion that “smart,” “precision” and other technologies have made armed conflicts less dangerous for civilians by looking at case studies from decades of US wars in the Middle East and beyond.
We will be showing the Movie “Drone”- Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and Produced by Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare
Bob Chandra has worked in high-tech since 1996; serving in Product Management roles for Twitter, Amazon, and Walmart Global E-Commerce. His talk is on the commercialization of military weapons including technologies such as Active Guardian (a pain beam used for crowd control) and LRAD (a long range acoustic weapon that produces ear splitting targeted sound). These weapons have made their way into private markets and can be purchased by anyone with sufficient finds, with very few state of federal regulations. The talk will delve into this new generation of Frequency Weapons, how they work, their potential for harm, instances of usage among civilians and what must be done to prevent putting the civilian population at risk from such weapons.
Our comedian for the evening is Will Durst- “Quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today.” NY Times. The Boston Globe: “A modern day Will Rogers.”
San Francisco Examiner: “Heir apparent to Mort Sahl & Dick Gregory.”
Vahid Razavi is the host of previous NSA Comedy Shows and Big Tech Comedy Roast. Previously employed at Amazon and many tech firms in the Valley. Author of a new book Ethics In Tech and Lack Thereof. Copies of the book will be shared with the audience for a small donation.
All net proceeds to benefit Ethics In Technology a new 501 (c)3 organization.