Calendar
10:00 AM — Gather at City Hall steps
10:30 AM — Hearing at the Government Audit & Oversight Committee on ALTERNATIVES to the NEW JAIL! (room to be announced)
Last month, anti-police violence activists and the No New SF Jail Coalition testified to the Board of Supervisors about the racial bias in SFPD and against the new jail. New reports have shown that black women make up 50% of arrests and that black people are 56% of those locked up in SF county jails.
The hearing on alternatives to the new jail scheduled for 6/18 was postponed to July 16th. We need people to mobilize to demand no new jail and to fund alternatives to incarceration!
The imprisonment rate in San Francisco is at a record low, with only about half of the jail capacity being used on any given day. Most of the people in the jail system are pretrial – meaning they have not been convicted or sentenced, and are only imprisoned because they cannot afford bail. People with mental health issues and homeless people also make up a significant number of those locked up. Simple bail reform, mental health diversion programs, and affordable housing would make wasting $290 million on a new jail completely unnecessary.
Organizers against the jail are gearing up for a public hearing on “Alternatives to Jail Rebuild,” sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim and Board President London Breed. Community members and residents will be mobilizing for the hearing to urge elected officials to invest in effective alternatives to the jail, such as expanded community-based mental health programs, drug treatment, and bail reform.
Read more about the SF Jail Fight here: www.nonewsfjail.wordpress.
For 3 years, the commercial development project that is slated to pave the southern 7 acres of the historic Gill Tract has been held off by a lawsuit. On June 16th, the courts ruled in favor of the UC, citing that their polluting, privatizing, pavement project breaks no state laws.
But we hold ourselves accountable to the laws of nature:
Did you know the neighborhood surrounding the Gill Tract already ranks in the top 2% nationwide for traffic congestion? Now imagine how many cars and diesel trucks the addition of a Sprouts grocery store would bring to the area. Did you know that same neighborhood ranks in the top 22% nationwide for asthma rates? Now imagine the air pollution and health implications of that traffic (approximately 6500 cars per day) on the community.
Join us Thursday, July 16th, one month after the court’s mis-ruling, to take a stand and demonstrate refusal to accept the misuse of public land in utter disregard of environmental and public health. We will be gathering to take action at the proposed development site on the corner of Monroe & San Pablo, from 4-5pm.
July 17, 2015 – one year since the murder of Eric Garner. One year since we watched the cops choke him to death! One year since we heard his dying words: “I can’t breathe” – words that the cops ignored. And still no justice! This murder, and how the whole system went into motion to exonerate Eric Garner’s killer, concentrate the slow genocide this system continues to enforce on Black and Latino people.
As we observe the anniversary of the murder of Eric Garner, we are confronted with a genocide that is speeding up, and getting even more blatant and ugly – whether from white supremacist murderers waving Confederate flags, or killer cops wearing American flags. To observe the one-year since Eric’s last breath, we need to get back out into the streets. We must let everyone know that we have not forgotten; that we have not moved on; that we refuse still to suffer these horrors in silence; and that “healing” cannot happen until the gaping wound of white supremacy is closed and no longer bleeding out. We call on every organization, and every person, who stands against this genocide against Black and Brown people, to come together on July 17th, in the memory of Eric Garner and the 1000’s of other Stolen Lives, and re-dedicate and declare our determination to end police murder once and for all.
And we invite all to join us in building toward #RiseUpOctober 22-24, culminating with tens of thousands of people from all over the country, shutting down the streets of New York City on October 24th.
Song and Story from Occupy
Rockin’ Solidarity Labor Chorus presents a celebration of the Occupy movement, in song and story. The audience is invited to sing along: lyric sheets will be provided. Founded in 1999, the Labor Chorus helps keeps working-class culture alive, in four-part harmony. We will also have special guests.
www.laborchorus.org
- Door Time: 8:00 PM
- Restrictions: 18 & over
Under 21 must buy $5 non-alcoholic drink ticket at the door.
Time for the Third Annual “Chalk the Police State” Day is fast approaching on July 18th. Like previous years, Nevada Cop Block and the CopBlock Network would like to make this a national event with as many cities as possible making a statement about police brutality and accountability, as well as the continuing militarization and expansion of police forces and governments.
Originally, the call for Chalk the Police State Day was put out by members of Nevada Cop Block, dubbed the “Sunset 5” after we were arrested for legally and peacefully protesting. However, the use of chalk in Cop Block protests actually dates back to the “Manchester 8” arrests in 2011 and two subsequent annual “Chalk the Police Day” events. So, technically this could be called the fifth annual chalk protest by members of the CopBlock Network nationwide.
The number of people killed by police this year alone already stands at 590 (and counting rapidly), with the per day average death toll being three people. Of those nearly 600 people whose lives have ended at the hands of the police, some of them have gotten a lot of attention and inspired massive protests. But for every Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, John Crawford, Kelly Thomas, Walter Scott, and Tamir Rice, there are many others, such as Michael Nida, Stanley Gibson, Manuel Diaz, Danielle Willard, and Erik Scott, in your own communities that don’t get the same sort of national attention.
July 18th will be an opportunity for local groups to highlight police brutality on a national level. You can choose who to talk about with a national audience ready to listen via the CopBlock Network. Bring so much attention to the crimes of the police that they have no choice, but to create meaningful change.
As a tool of protest chalk has many advantages. Chalking is an easy, effective, creative, and even fun way for groups to get their message out. It also requires very little preplanning, is inexpensive, and allows even a small group to have a large impact. It’s also a completely legal expression of free speach.
Last year, thirteen different groups from all over the country participated in Second Annual Chalk the Police State Day. With the spread of the CopBlock Network over the years into ever more cities and even internationally, it shouldn’t really be hard to get even more out onto the sidewalks this year. July 18th will be a day for everyone who is tired of police brutality and and the occupying armies that local police are rapidly turning into, regardless of where you are, to let them know that we won’t tolerate them any longer within our communities and against our friends and families.
If you haven’t already “liked” the CopBlock Network’s Facebook page, you should in order to get updates. Ideally, each individual city should set up their own event page to coordinate locally. However, you should also invite everyone you believe would want to participate (and stop hanging out with people that won’t) to the national event, especially those from a different city than you, in order to get the word out to as many people as possible.
Scheduled Chalk the Police State Events:
National Chalk the Police State Event created by Kelly on behalf of theCopBlock Network: This event is to share the concept of Chalk the Police State, allow people to join in solidarity and be a hub for suggestions/ideas regarding yours and others events.
- Chicago, IL: At the James R. Thompson Center @ Noon. Hosted by DeKalb County Cop Watch
- Cleveland, OH: At the Cleveland Police Headquarters @ Noon. Hosted by Greater Cleveland CopBlock
- Indianapolis, IN: At the Indianapolis City Market @ Noon. Hosted byIndianapolis CopBlock
- Las Vegas, NV: At the Regional Justice Center @ 11 am: Hosted byNevada CopBlock
- Minneapolis/St. Paul: Location to BE DETERMINED.
- Olympia, WA: At the Olympia Police Department @ Noon.
- Portland, OR: At the Police Station @ noon.
- Seattle, WA: At the King County Courthouse @ noon.
- MORE COMING SOON! Contact us here if you’d like your event added to this list.
Come to the RPA Summer Picnic!
RPA will provide compostable paper ware, ice, some beverages, and charcoal for the grills from noon to 1:30, if conditions allow fires. Bring food to share. Please invite friends, family, neighbors.
We’ve reserved a shady picnic area at Miller Knox Regional Shoreline that’s close to the parking lot and not far from the ADA-accessible children’s play area and tot lot. The views are marvelous. The Golden State Model Railroad Museum is across the street, and their trains run on Sunday afternoons…
All of RPA’s friends, members, and their families are most welcome.
The families of O’Shaine Evans, Kenneth Harding Jr. & James Rivera welcome you to celebrate the lives of their loved ones whose lives were stolen by police terror in the month of July, as well as the birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Some good eats are in the works. This is a Family friendly event. The day will be filled with activities, music, and fun.
South Park is just yards away from where O’Shaine was executed. We will have a Libation Ceremony there.
It is about 1 mile from Powell St. Bart Station. Carpooling is encouraged.
Looking forward to sharing in this Celebration of Life with you all.
Orientation: A call for volunteers for a child care collective.
Come to the new member orientation to learn more. Contact Sonia or email bayareachildcarecollective@gmail.com for location details. Visit the website for more info about what it looks like to be a part of their volunteer collective.
Hey activists, childcare providers, and folks who want to build power and spend time with kids…
The Bay Area Childcare Collective (BACC) is looking for new members!
The BACC offers childcare resources to grassroots organizations composed of a lead by m/others who face multiple opressions, primarily by providing competent and politicized childcare to low/no income immigrant m/others and m/others of color. They’re currently working with Causa Justa Just Cause, La Collectiva and LeftRoots.
If you want to:
-Support local grassroots organizing led by women and m/other of color
-Spend more time with kids
-Connect and build community with other folks who love working with kids
-Learn and share skills
-HAVE FUN
Then BACC is a great fit for you!
We look forward to connecting with you!
Panel Discussion
Featuring representatives from
Bay Area Socialist Alternative,
Richmond Progressive Alliance
Bay Area People for Bernie
Join us Saturday, July 18th to hear from three groups working to elect candidates for the 99%.
Socialist Alternative’s Kshama Sawant won 95,000 votes in the Seattle City Council election in November 2013. Kshama was the first openly Socialist city council member elected in almost 100 years. This November Kshama is up for reelection in what Chris Hedges has called “one of the most important elections in the country this year.” Come hear from Michael who just recently returned from a week of volunteering for the campaign in Seattle.
Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination for President and has a long history of running successful independent campaigns. Hear from a leading member in the Bay Area People for Bernie group about Bernie’s past success and what they’re doing to ensure his continued success.
Richmond Progressive Alliance was up against Chevron’s smear campaign this past November and prevailed. Their experience is the roadmap to success for grass roots Bernie supporters. The RPA candidates were outspent 20:1 in campaign ads. It was door to door, heart to heart communication with friends and neighbors that won the vote
Join us Saturday July 18 to hear a panel discussion on independent politics in Seattle, Bernie Sanders history of running as an independent and the work the Richmond Progressive Alliance in defeating Chevron this past election!
Missing the International Peoples’ Tribunal (IPT) in Washington DC? You can still advocate for justice for victims of human rights abuses in the Philippines! At this event we will share the verdict of the IPT and discuss how to proceed to hold accountable perpetrators of gross human rights violations.
www.internationalpeoplestr
“Life A Shade Darker” is a Book, Album, & T shirt brand by award winning poet “Kleeane Ryhmen”
Life A Shade Darker (#LASD) the book consists of 45 of Kleeane Ryhmen’s most eloquent poems and the album consists of 7 all original tracks.
The #LASD T shirts consists of some of the most powerful quotes within the book and the album.
This event is free to the public.
This event will be held at The Alan Blueford Center For Justice
1/4 OF ALL PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE ORGANIZATION AND EVERYTHING HELPS.
purchase the products we have inside and enjoy a free show!
There will be a book signing and reading.
We will have a live band and also, local poets, comedians, hiphop artist, and rnb singers performing.
We encourage anyone who wants to perform at this event to contact lasoulevent@gmail.com
This is a family friendly event, though i will not censor any artist for content in any way.
ALSO VISIT THE WEBSITE TO PURCHASE YOUR BOOK ALBUM AND T SHIRTS @
www.lifeashadedarker.com
Sandra Bland, a young black woman, was pulled over for failure to signal in a small town in Texas, and then arrested. Three days later, on July 13th, 2015 she was found dead in her cell. The police claim she hanged herself, but the Bland family and her friends do not believe a word of it.
“…friend and mentor LaVaughn Mosley, 57 [[said]] “She was making plans for the future, so there’s no way she was in a suicidal state.”
Join those who stand against police terror and the outrage of in-custody deaths, in especial memory of Sandra Bland.
After Sandra Bland was pulled out of her vehicle and thrown to the ground a bystander video has her saying
You just slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that? I can’t even hear! … You slammed me into the ground and everything.
AT FIRST THEY USED A NOOSE, NOW ALL THEY DO IS SHOOT #BlackLivesMatter #SandySpeaks https://t.co/O23QJytGVn
— Sandra Bland (@a_sandybeach) April 8, 2015
Join others who have signed a petition calling for the Department of Justice to do an autopsy on Sandra Bland.
We will stand in memory and we will let the world know about Sandra! Bring signs.
This event will be repeated each day this week and possibly into the future.
Sandra Bland memorial. This is where she was pulled over. #WhatHappendToSandraBland pic.twitter.com/nnfchdMQYC
— Rhys (@rhysism_) July 19, 2015
#SandraBland didn’t assault that damn officer. He assaulted her, threatened her, violated her rights. https://t.co/mIKNbdm3ua
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) July 20, 2015
Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
OccupyForum presents
Environmental Justice for West Oakland: Stop Coal Trains
with Natalie Berns and others from Oakland Fossil Fuel Resistance
Fossil fuel industries are pushing hard to expand the export of oil and coal from Bay Area ports. Refineries are seeking new permits for terminals to import extremely dirty crude oil from Canadian tar sands and the Bakken fields in North Dakota. The crude oil will come here by train. Coal exporters want to bring coal here in mile-long trains with open-top cars running through densely populated Bay Area neighborhoods. Once processed, both the oil and coal will then be loaded onto ships in the Bay and sent out the Golden Gate.
More oil coming into the Bay Area by rail will increase the risk of accidents that could spill oil into San Francisco Bay and its watershed. More than a million gallons of crude oil was spilled in rail accidents in the US last year. Past oil spills in the Bay have been very harmful to the ecosystem, but trains bringing in crude oil aren’t covered by even the basic safety regulations that tanker ships must meet.
Coal shipped by rail also poses dangers. It is usually shipped in open cars that typically lose hundreds of pounds of coal as they travel, spreading highly toxic coal dust into surrounding areas. Moreover, parts of the Bay Area are at increased risk for flooding due to sea level rise caused by global climate change. Expanded refineries and oil and coal storage facilities could be flooded by rising Bay levels, causing even more pollution in the Bay. The coal and oil slated to be shipped here for export are also extremely dirty; when they are burned as fuel, it will worsen global warming.
Come to OccupyForum right before a number of important actions to get the background.
Time will be allotted for Q&A, discussion and announcements.
Donations to Occupy Forum to cover costs are encouraged; no one turned away!
Sandra Bland, a young black woman, was pulled over for failure to signal in a small town in Texas, and then arrested. Three days later, on July 13th, 2015 she was found dead in her cell. The police claim she hanged herself, but the Bland family and her friends do not believe a word of it.
“…friend and mentor LaVaughn Mosley, 57 [[said]] “She was making plans for the future, so there’s no way she was in a suicidal state.”
Join those who stand against police terror and the outrage of in-custody deaths, in especial memory of Sandra Bland.
After Sandra Bland was pulled out of her vehicle and thrown to the ground a bystander video has her saying
You just slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that? I can’t even hear! … You slammed me into the ground and everything.
AT FIRST THEY USED A NOOSE, NOW ALL THEY DO IS SHOOT #BlackLivesMatter #SandySpeaks https://t.co/O23QJytGVn
— Sandra Bland (@a_sandybeach) April 8, 2015
Join others who have signed a petition calling for the Department of Justice to do an autopsy on Sandra Bland.
We will stand in memory and we will let the world know about Sandra! Bring signs.
This event will be repeated each day this week and possibly into the future.
Sandra Bland memorial. This is where she was pulled over. #WhatHappendToSandraBland pic.twitter.com/nnfchdMQYC
— Rhys (@rhysism_) July 19, 2015
#SandraBland didn’t assault that damn officer. He assaulted her, threatened her, violated her rights. https://t.co/mIKNbdm3ua
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) July 20, 2015
3:00 PM — Board of Supervisors Meeting to approve Planning Commission’s Mitigated Negative Declaration to circumvent a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The BOS is rushing to apply for $80 million from the state to build new cages. We can’t allow more money to fund jails!
On 6/25, the No New SF Jail Coalition rallied at the hearing on our appeal against the SF Planning Department’s decision to forgo a full EIR DESPITE many clear social and environmental impacts on housing, transportation, and outdoor space for the SOMA community, which is predominately working-class Filipinos.
Our appeal was rejected and the Planning Department’s decision was upheld. The city is rushing through the Environmental Review process because they are applying for state funding from the BSCC for $80 million. We need to show up and make sure that NO MORE MONEY goes to funding cages in San Francisco!
Stand up for Rent Control & Just Cause for Eviction Tenant Protections
Let’s speak up to get these important measures passed by Council in July. Tell the Council you want this ordinance on the books before the August recess! Staff will be bringing back draft versions. Let the Council know you want strong and effective protections. Last estimate was that Rent Control could apply to 9400 units here. Help promote Development without Displacement.
Sandra Bland, a young black woman, was pulled over for failure to signal in a small town in Texas, and then arrested. Three days later, on July 13th, 2015 she was found dead in her cell. The police claim she hanged herself, but the Bland family and her friends do not believe a word of it.
“…friend and mentor LaVaughn Mosley, 57 [[said]] “She was making plans for the future, so there’s no way she was in a suicidal state.”
Join those who stand against police terror and the outrage of in-custody deaths, in especial memory of Sandra Bland.
After Sandra Bland was pulled out of her vehicle and thrown to the ground a bystander video has her saying
You just slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that? I can’t even hear! … You slammed me into the ground and everything.
AT FIRST THEY USED A NOOSE, NOW ALL THEY DO IS SHOOT #BlackLivesMatter #SandySpeaks https://t.co/O23QJytGVn
— Sandra Bland (@a_sandybeach) April 8, 2015
Join others who have signed a petition calling for the Department of Justice to do an autopsy on Sandra Bland.
We will stand in memory and we will let the world know about Sandra! Bring signs.
This event will be repeated each day this week and possibly into the future.
Sandra Bland memorial. This is where she was pulled over. #WhatHappendToSandraBland pic.twitter.com/nnfchdMQYC
— Rhys (@rhysism_) July 19, 2015
#SandraBland didn’t assault that damn officer. He assaulted her, threatened her, violated her rights. https://t.co/mIKNbdm3ua
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) July 20, 2015
From Ferguson to Charleston, Hempstead to Oakland.
In recent months, there has been a horrifying number of accounts of police and white supremacist vigilantes murdering Black people; from Charleston to Cleveland to Ferguson. Now, our attention is turned to Hempstead, TX and the suspicious death of Sandra Bland who was found hanged in a jail cell. Only 28-years old, this young woman had been detained and labeled “high risk” after failing to signal a lane change. And just as we begin to collect ourselves to respond, we find that another young Black man has died after a routine traffic stop on Sunday evening in Oakland.
We are organizing this gathering because white communities are too often insulated from the violence meted against Black people and Black communities. When we ignore or remain silent in the face of the daily violence that results from living under white supremacy, we become complicit in the deaths of our neighbors.
Everyone is invited to participate and we are especially calling on white people to stand up and speak out in neighborhoods so sheltered from this lived violence and trauma.
Join us in amplifying this call, please bring signs and candles!
Timeline
5:30pm :: Collect at Rockridge BART Station.
6:00pm :: Short walk up College to Oak Grove Ave intersection for Vigil to honor black lives lost to police and vigilante violence.
7:00pm :: Walk back to Rockridge BART, travel home safely.