https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89559844652

The two-year civil war in Ethiopia has seen far more casualties than the Ukraine War but received a tiny fraction of the press. Estimates are that half a million people, maybe even more, have died, while the highest estimate is 100,000 in Ukraine. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, Ethiopia also saw a record number of people internally displaced by conflict in 2021, over five million.

The press it has gotten has been largely that of the genocide industrial complex, which portrays the Tegaru minority as victims in the conflict, and the Ethiopian government and its ally Eritrea as the aggressors and war criminals. This narrative is in line with the US foreign policy objective of controlling the Horn of Africa. Ann Garrison will talk about what she saw on her trip to Ethiopia and Eritrea in March, April, May and June. She will be joined by Eritrean American scholar, journalist, and activist Elias Amare.

Ann Garrison is a Contributing Editor at Black Agenda Report, a contributor to The Grayzone, Counterpunch, and Pacifica Radio, and a longtime Green.

Elias Amare is an Eritrean American scholar, activist, and host of Horn of Africa TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40KVITOaaM

February 12: About Ukraine (more info coming soon!)

March 12: Report from Nicaragua:

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Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows at 7:00 pm, after a 30-minute break. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.

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Location Details:
Virtual through Google Meet: The Pursuit of Happiness framed in political-economic terms
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Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mqd-jtmf-gkk

Join high school US History teacher David Giesen as he vets an overview–seeking your critique–of next year’s approach to US History.

The curriculum’s theme is “Liberating the Pursuit of Happiness.”

The “elevator pitch” is: The United States was created in the stated belief that governments should exist in order to facilitate a people’s ability to pursue happiness. The pursuit of happiness requires liberty to be playfully expressive. The USA is on the continuum of aligning politico-economic conditions with the sort of liberty required for people to pursue happiness.

On three successive Sunday evenings (January 8, 15, and 22) you are invited to join a virtual conference where you will remotely watch a few videos and afterwards join in discussion of those videos as they relate to the curriculum. You need not attend every session.

I welcome those desiring a short course in US history, those desirous of critiquing an unconventional approach to US history, friends of Howard Zinn-like alternate US histories, enemies of Howard Zinn-like alternate US histories, self-described woke, self-described woke-adverse, would-be US history teachers, US history teachers, and others.

If raining, the press conference will be held inside the building, at the Dean’s office.
CodePink event page: https://www.codepink.org

Berkeley, CA.  Human rights groups will gather in person at UC Berkeley Law School on January 11, 2023 @ 1pm to call for the closure of Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp on its 21st Anniversary, and for the prosecution of UC Berkeley Law Professor John Yoo for complicity in torture. The press conference is hosted by CodePink for Peace, Berkeley No More Guantanamos, Progressive Democrats of Oakland, Triple Justice, Extinction Rebellion Peace and others.

Press conference organizer and SF Bay CodePink Coordinator Cynthia Papermaster says “The U.S. carried out torture at Guantanamo. That is well established. Professor Yoo is complicit because he provided the legal opinions that Cheney and Bush relied on to order the torture at Abu Ghraib, Bagram, Guantanamo and elsewhere. Prosecution for complicity in torture is not discretionary; in other words, our Department of Justice is required to prosecute Yoo. Instead this disgraced lawyer walks free in Berkeley and teaches at our public university, at a salary of nearly $500,000/year. As a graduate of UC Berkeley I am horrified that he’s allowed to corrupt the minds of UC Berkeley Law students with his criminal theories. Yoo embodies the “banality of evil.” He must be prosecuted.”

Papermaster continued, saying “Yoo’s legal opinions were called “rubbish, shoddy research” by the Department of Justice. There were calls for his disbarment and firing from students and faculty at UC Berkeley, the American Bar Association and the National Lawyers Guild. The City of Berkeley passed resolutions condemning Yoo. UC Berkeley Faculty objected to Yoo receiving an endowed chair, but then-law school Dean Christopher Edley insisted on giving him the honor. In 2014, Erwin Chemerinsky, the current Dean of UC Berkeley Law School, and then Dean of UC Irvine Law School, said in a Nation magazine interview that Yoo should be criminally prosecuted.”

“I think he [John Yoo] should be,” Chemerinsky said. “All who planned, all who implemented, all who carried out the torture should be criminally prosecuted. How else do we as a society express our outrage? How else do we deter it in the future, except by criminal  prosecutions?”  https://www.thenation.com/article/prosecute-john-yoo-says-law-school-dean-erwin-chemerinsky/

Dean Chemerinsky, the Co-directors of the International Human Rights Law Clinic at the law school, Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission members and law school students have been invited to speak at the press conference. Professor Yoo will be asked to contribute to the newly-established Guantanamo Survivors Fund. https://www.nogitmos.org/guantanamo-survivors-fund 

Speakers

Marta Segura, M.P.H.

Marta serves as the City of Los Angeles’ founding Chief Heat Officer and Director of Climate Emergency Mobilization and is one of seven Chief Heat Officers worldwide and the only Latina in the Nation to serve in those respective roles. She is a thought leader and policy expert in environmental health, public health, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked directly with public, philanthropic, private, institutional, and non-profit sectors to design, implement, and drive equitable climate policy.

Abby Edwards

Abby Edwards leads the development, implementation, and administration of climate adaptation planning grants for the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program’s Adaptation Planning Grant Program in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. The program aims to prioritize equitable outcomes by proactively targeting investments towards climate-vulnerable communities.

Coral Abbott

Coral serves as Program Manager for Strategic Growth Council’s Community Resilience Centers program, which funds neighborhood-scale resilience centers that will provide shelter and resources during climate and other emergencies, while also acting as a year-round hub for community services and programming that build community resilience over the long term.

Shina Robinson

Shina Robinson has a deep commitment to environmental justice as the intersection of human rights, equity, health, and ecological sanity. As Resilience Hubs Manager, Shina connects Asia Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) leaders and host site partners to build a network of community-based climate resilience hubs that advance tangible models of a Just Transition in frontline communities.

Join ACCE for the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy’s event on Right to Housing.

RSVP HERE

At a time of mass houselessness, deepening tenant precarity, and the criminalization of poverty, housing justice movements are pushing for a right to housing in California. In this convening, current and former UN Special Rapporteurs on Adequate Housing provide insight and guidance on key elements of such a right, how such a right can be informed by an international human rights framework, and how such a right can become an actionable government obligation. In conversation with prominent housing justice leaders, they will take up questions such as: What does the right to housing mean for those without a right to recognized housing, notably unhoused communities? How can the right to housing address the effects of global financialization on housing markets and housing systems? Is there a vision of social housing that can be a core part of such a right? How might the right to housing remake highly unequal relations of property and land?

Featuring UN Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Adequate Housing:

• Leilani Farha, 2014 – 2020
• Balakrishnan Rajagopal, 2020 – 2026
• Raquel Rolnik, 2008 – 2014

With commentary by:

• Gary Blasi, Tenant Power Toolkit
• Clarissa Woo Hermosillo, ACLU Southern California
• Christina Livingston, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)
• Pete White, Los Angeles Community Action Network

Chaired by:

Ananya Roy, UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy
RSVP HERE

Because housing IS a human right!

ACCE Action
http://www.acceaction.org/

Why is the internet so broken, and what could ever possibly fix it? Join Internet Archive's senior policy counsel @lilabailey for a discussion with author @bentarnoff about his latest book, INTERNET FOR THE PEOPLE.
⏰ Jan 12 @ 6pm PT, IN-PERSON
🔗 https://t.co/Gn0OCZAJ4L pic.twitter.com/6jdkk1QAa6

— Internet Archive (@internetarchive) December 28, 2022

Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

For December, we are reading the first part, and the beginning of the second part, of Less is More, by Jason Hickel (Amazon, Barnes & Noble).

For January, 2023, we are finishing the book.

The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: DEGROWTH. If we want to have a shot at halting the crisis, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see nature and our place in it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that’s rooted in reciprocity and regeneration.

We need to evolve beyond the dogmas of capitalism to a new system that is fit for the twenty-first century. But what does such a society look like? What about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and traces a clear pathway to a post-capitalist economy. An economy that’s more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that enables human flourishing while reversing ecological breakdown. An economy that will not only lift us out of our current crisis, but restore our sense of connection to a world that’s brimming with life. By taking less, we can become more.

Strike Debt Bay Area hosts this non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century, The Deficit Myth,  Revenge Capitalism, the Edge of Chaos blog symposium , Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons, The Optimist’s Telescope, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, Exploring Degrowth, The Origin of Wealth, Mine!, The Dawn of Everything  A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, and Beyond Money.

All are welcome!

January Oakland Greens Virtual Townhall.

Our first event will be the January virtual townhall “What Does a Green Police System Look Like”?  Imagine a future of community policing, police commissions with real authority, and registered Green Party police chiefs. What would a Green Party police force look like? Demilitarized officers, biodiesel-fueled vehicles, and hemp weapons? How would you create a police force with Green Party values? Well, the irregular cast with special guests will discuss the possibilities with you and theorize on how to make an entirely new police system a reality.

Join us on Saturday, January 14, 2023 � virtual doors open at 6 PM (with the best pre-show music diversity). The discussion begins at 6:30 PM PST on ZOOM. (Click on the link to register).

Full 2023 VTH season link

8 Years Before is an independently-funded documentary film directed by international journalist Donald Courter and produced collaboratively with international heavyweight fighting champion Jeff Monson.

The film portrays in stark detail the long saga of suffering that the Donbass people endured at the hands of the Ukrainian military, following the 2014 Euromaidan Coup d’etat. Through primary source accounts and interviews with ordinary citizens of Donbass, human stories with a perspective never before seen in the mainstream media are brought to light.
Speaker: Jeff Monson Moscow-based filmmaker, international heavyweight fighting champion, and activist.  He is the co-producer of” 8 Years Before,” which can be viewed at:


Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81133350622?pwd=dUUyUWppbWt6djVTaElISUhocXpSUT09

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Dial by your location
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+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Location Details:
Virtual through Google Meet: The Pursuit of Happiness framed in political-economic terms
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mqd-jtmf-gkk

Join high school US History teacher David Giesen as he vets an overview–seeking your critique–of next year’s approach to US History.

The curriculum’s theme is “Liberating the Pursuit of Happiness.”

The “elevator pitch” is: The United States was created in the stated belief that governments should exist in order to facilitate a people’s ability to pursue happiness. The pursuit of happiness requires liberty to be playfully expressive. The USA is on the continuum of aligning politico-economic conditions with the sort of liberty required for people to pursue happiness.

On three successive Sunday evenings (January 8, 15, and 22) you are invited to join a virtual conference where you will remotely watch a few videos and afterwards join in discussion of those videos as they relate to the curriculum. You need not attend every session.

I welcome those desiring a short course in US history, those desirous of critiquing an unconventional approach to US history, friends of Howard Zinn-like alternate US histories, enemies of Howard Zinn-like alternate US histories, self-described woke, self-described woke-adverse, would-be US history teachers, US history teachers, and others.

REMINDER: Our 9th Annual Weekend to Reclaim MLK’s Radical Legacy begins in ONE WEEK! And MLK Day is in only TEN DAYS!!

✊🏾WHEN: Monday, January 16, meet-up at 11am
✊🏾MEET UP LOCATION: Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, 2777 Middle Harbor Rd, Oakland, CA pic.twitter.com/gGDTnPnkab

— Anti Police-Terror Project (@APTPaction) January 6, 2023

“What I'm saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, ‘America, you must be born again!’”

🌹Join us tomorrow at 6:30pm tomorrow to here the King in his own words🌹https://t.co/NFajjLLeBY pic.twitter.com/uYgyqwdFTv

— East Bay DSA 🌹 (@DSAEastBay) January 16, 2023

We know it has been quite 2022 and a lot to come in 2023, so join our STATE OF THE DEBTORS UNION January 25, 8pm ET / 5pm ET as we highlight some accomplishments in the fight against housing debt, medical debt, carceral debt and student debt. We’ll discuss lessons from 2022 and take stock for the year ahead.

The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover Up in Oakland
By Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham
(Atria Books; 480 pages; $30)

9th Ave. presents “Riders” authors in conversation with Joe Eskenazi: 7 p.m. Jan. 19. Free. Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., S.F. www.greenapplebooks.com

Uncovering Brutality, Cover-Up, and Corruption in Oakland: “Riders” authors in conversation with Otis Taylor. Live stream only. 3 p.m. Jan. 25. $10-$40, free for members. Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, S.F. www.commonwealthclub.org

“Riders” authors in conversation with Karym Sanchez: 4 p.m. Jan. 28. Free. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. www.bookpassage.com

The Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force presents:

CEMTF 3RD Virtual Summit Series: CLIMATE & the ECONOMY

Which Green Matters Most?

9:00 – 9:20 AM

Land Acknowledgement

Corrina Gould, Tribal Chair, Confederated Villages of Lisjan & Co Director Sogorea Te Land Trust

Welcome

Cheryl Davila, Chair CEMTF & Former Councilmember

Speakers & Co-Speaker

9:20 – 10:00 AM

Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder Code Pink

10:00 – 10:30 AM

“The Doughnut that’s good for CA”

Franziska Raedeker & Anne Sheridan, California Doughnut Economics Coalition

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Public Banks, A Tool for building pathways to a just and sustainable future

Gayle McLaughlin, Councilmember, City of Richmond

Public Banks, A Piece of the Sustainability Jigsaw Puzzle

Debbie Notkin, Chair, Friends of the Public Bank East Bay

5 minute Break

11:05 – 11:50 AM

Zero Food Waste–

Tara McNerney & Pete Pearson, World Wildlife Fund

David Hott, Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen

Cara Morgan, Branch Chief, Local Assistance and Market Development, CalRecycle, State of California

11:50 AM – Noon

Announcements & Closing

Cheryl Davila

CEMTF.org/ @CEMTF1/ https://www.facebook.com/ClimateEmergencyMobilizationTaskForce/

Rally in front of the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland

Saturday, January 21: 10 AM – 12 PM

Victory to the people of Ukraine, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Belarus & India!

  Flyer

Peoples Assemblies are new for 2023. Collaborative actions and mutual aid are valuable community responses to concerns and as alternatives to relying on unresponsive government. An Extinction Rebellion demand is to hold Peoples Assemblies to take action because government is not acting quickly or effectively on the climate emergency, threat of nuclear annihilation, racism, poverty, and other problems. Together we can generate solutions, connect in community, be heard, be creative.

Limited seating; you must register for the assembly in advance and to reserve free childcare: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/berkeley-community-peoples-assembly-tickets-503288949797

Agenda: Welcome and introductions, brief presentations on

1) banking responsibly; moving your money to ‘good’ banks & credit unions that don’t finance nuclear weapons or fossil fuel projects, presented by Third Act/350.org

2) ending the war in Ukraine, presented by CODEPINK with video from Medea Benjamin

3) saving rooftop solar in California, presented by Solar Rights and Clean Energy Alliances. Discussions focusing on solutions and generating ideas for future Assemblies. Snacks, free childcare by reservation to codepinksfbay@gmail.com, handouts, door prizes.

Hosted by Mutual Aid Institute (https://mutualaid.institute), CodePink (https://codepink.org), Third Act (350.org), Extinction Rebellion Peace, Progressive Democrats of Oakland, Triple Justice.

On January 22, 2023, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, as we mourn the loss of nearly 50 years of constitutional protections, we send a clear message: We are not defeated. We are not going gently. Women are rising, and we are on the march.

We are taking our fight to every state house and every state legislator in this country. We are putting all politicians at every level of government on notice: If you come for our families, our freedoms, or our future, we are coming for your seat.

Our movement is strong. Our movement is growing. Our movement is #BiggerThanRoe

RSVP