Calendar
The Policy Working Group is excited to invite you to our upcoming, SURJ Bay Area Lobby Visit Workshop, part two of our legislative workshop series!
Workshop participants can expect to…
-Learn about lobby visits and how they fit into SURJ’s larger framework
-Practice speaking about policy to a legislative staffer
-Hear about new opportunities to engage in the legislative process with SURJ
-Hear from Essie Justice Group on their 2019 policy priorities
Tickets are sliding scale, $0 – $10. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. This workshop is a fundraiser for Essie Justice Group. Please bring a cash donation that is meaningful for you.
****This is the second workshop of a two part series. Attendance at the first workshop on 1/13/19 is not necessary but may be helpful. All are welcome.
ALTERNATIVES TO POLICING WORKSHOP 2
Let’s talk about the “common sense” ideas about crime, morality, and safety that shape and limit how we think about policing and community safety. Many of these ideas are profoundly influenced by a particular brand of Christianity that has dominated in this country, a version of the faith that served to justify genocide and slavery and continues to uphold white supremacy in ways that are sometimes overt but more often subtle and even innocuous-seeming. How can we begin to call these “common sense” ideas into question so that we can have a different conversation?
In this interactive workshop, we will take a deep dive into both the actual history of policing and the narratives and ideologies that have shaped it. Content will include viewing and discussion of segments from two webinars, one offered by Andrea Ritchie on January 28, 2019 on the History of Policing, and one offered by SoulForce on January 8, 2018 on Christian Supremacy and Policing, both through SURJ-Faith.
Andrea Ritchie is a Black lesbian immigrant and police misconduct attorney and organizer who has engaged in extensive research, writing, and advocacy around criminalization of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people of color over the past two decades. She recently published Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color now available from Beacon Press. Read more about her and her work here: http://andreajritchie.com/bio/
SoulForce is an LGBTQI organization that sabotages Christian Supremacy through radical analysis, spiritual healing and strategic direct action. Their website reads: “Christian Supremacy is not new; the project of empire has snatched Christianity and put it into service for hundreds of years, especially in the United States and its business partners. Calling out Christian Supremacy means recognizing that the struggles against white supremacy, capitalism, and (neo)colonization – to name a few – are intricately tied to how certain sectors and expressions of Christianity are driven by power over, not justice. We believe consciousness of how this kind of religion works in the United States – its language, its cultural plumb lines, its relationship to social and financial power, its stated and unstated values – tells a more honest story of how this country came to be.”
Facilitators will be Nichola Torbett and Marcia Lovelace.
We will also ground ourselves in our values and agreements, which are rooted in transformative justice, and in our commitment to caring for our hearts, minds, and spirits as we do this work.
By donation; no one turned away for lack of funds.
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP SERIES
A growing coalition of organizations in the Bay Area is coming together to explore alternatives to calling the police to our campuses and into our neighborhoods. Over the coming year, we will be offering a series of workshops to explore alternatives to calling the police. Some of these workshops, like this one, will provide deepening analysis and a grounding in alternative ways of thinking about safety. Others will provide practical skills. All of them will lift up a transformative justice framework and emphasize the importance of self care.
The Coalition includes First Congregational Church of Oakland, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Agape Fellowship, Qal’bu Maryam, Jewish Voice for Peace, the East Bay Meditation Center, Skyline Community Church, Oakland Peace Center, Oakland LBGTQ Community Center, KinFolkz, the Omni Collective, and Black Organizing Project. We are eager to partner with additional organizations so please contact us if you are interested!
East Bay DSA’s Socialist Night School continues its 2019 Winter Session with a class examining strikes.
Over the last year there has been a wave of successful teacher strikes, and our local Oakland Education Association recently voted to authorize a strike. But how do strikes figure into the larger picture of class struggle and building working class power? And what lessons can we learn from historical strikes?
Please join us on Tuesday, February 19 to discuss these questions and more!
Details and readings coming soon!
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance and restrooms
Required Readings
See the readings that we’ll be discussing after a brief introduction from our members.
Oakland teachers just set the date of their strike for this coming Thursday! Join us this Tuesday night for an emergency Oakland Is Strike Ready meeting and bring everyone you know! pic.twitter.com/XlnnSR15Ok
— East Bay DSA 🌹 (@DSAEastBay) February 16, 2019
UC Berkeley is hosting influential scholars and social movement leaders from Brazil and the United States—homes to the two largest Black populations outside the continent of Africa.
Guest Speakers include:
Cat Brooks (Anti Police-Terror Project)
Ericka Huggins (Black Panther Party)
Vilma Reis (Movimento de Mulheres Negras)
Alicia Garza (Black Lives Matter)
Asha Ransby-Sporn (Black Youth Project 100)
Djamila Ribeiro (Movimento de Feministas Negras)
Andreia Beatriz & Hamilton Borges dos Santos (Reaja ou Será Mort@)
Christen Smith (UT Austin)
Tina Sacks, Leigh Raiford & john a. powell (UC Berkeley)
Camila de Moraes and more throughout this three-day symposium!
In 2019, a U.S. congressional session begins with more women and non-white members than ever before amid a contentious executive branch, and Brazil’s far-right president-elect begins his first term despite anti-Black, -LGBTQ, and -woman rhetoric. The symposium on “Anti-Black State Violence in the Americas” will facilitate transnational coalitions, engagement, and learning. Taking place over three days, scholars, scholar-activists, and organizers will discuss the intersecting challenges of addressing anti-black state violence through workshops on topics including: policing and democracy; historical foundations of Black struggle; wellness and healing; sustainability and social movements; cultural media production; education in today’s socio-cultural contexts; pathways to contesting racialized forms of violence, and, many others.
Join us during this dynamic multi-disciplinary symposium as we illuminate cross-cultural understanding, bringing forward the sharp contrast and commonality between South and North America and generating anti-oppression community building across the Americas. All community members welcome!
RSVP for individuals events and workshops: https://goo.gl/forms/par3FykAT2mJtRCe2
All events are wheelchair accessible. Please fill out our Event Registration form so we can accommodate any additional access needs.
We can’t wait for you to join us for this dynamic event!!!
UC Berkeley is hosting influential scholars and social movement leaders from Brazil and the United States—homes to the two largest Black populations outside the continent of Africa.
Guest Speakers include:
Cat Brooks (Anti Police-Terror Project)
Ericka Huggins (Black Panther Party)
Vilma Reis (Movimento de Mulheres Negras)
Alicia Garza (Black Lives Matter)
Asha Ransby-Sporn (Black Youth Project 100)
Djamila Ribeiro (Movimento de Feministas Negras)
Andreia Beatriz & Hamilton Borges dos Santos (Reaja ou Será Mort@)
Christen Smith (UT Austin)
Tina Sacks, Leigh Raiford & john a. powell (UC Berkeley)
Camila de Moraes and more throughout this three-day symposium!
In 2019, a U.S. congressional session begins with more women and non-white members than ever before amid a contentious executive branch, and Brazil’s far-right president-elect begins his first term despite anti-Black, -LGBTQ, and -woman rhetoric. The symposium on “Anti-Black State Violence in the Americas” will facilitate transnational coalitions, engagement, and learning. Taking place over three days, scholars, scholar-activists, and organizers will discuss the intersecting challenges of addressing anti-black state violence through workshops on topics including: policing and democracy; historical foundations of Black struggle; wellness and healing; sustainability and social movements; cultural media production; education in today’s socio-cultural contexts; pathways to contesting racialized forms of violence, and, many others.
Join us during this dynamic multi-disciplinary symposium as we illuminate cross-cultural understanding, bringing forward the sharp contrast and commonality between South and North America and generating anti-oppression community building across the Americas. All community members welcome!
RSVP for individuals events and workshops: https://goo.gl/forms/par3FykAT2mJtRCe2
All events are wheelchair accessible. Please fill out our Event Registration form so we can accommodate any additional access needs.
We can’t wait for you to join us for this dynamic event!!!
UC Berkeley is hosting influential scholars and social movement leaders from Brazil and the United States—homes to the two largest Black populations outside the continent of Africa.
Guest Speakers include:
Cat Brooks (Anti Police-Terror Project)
Ericka Huggins (Black Panther Party)
Vilma Reis (Movimento de Mulheres Negras)
Alicia Garza (Black Lives Matter)
Asha Ransby-Sporn (Black Youth Project 100)
Djamila Ribeiro (Movimento de Feministas Negras)
Andreia Beatriz & Hamilton Borges dos Santos (Reaja ou Será Mort@)
Christen Smith (UT Austin)
Tina Sacks, Leigh Raiford & john a. powell (UC Berkeley)
Camila de Moraes and more throughout this three-day symposium!
In 2019, a U.S. congressional session begins with more women and non-white members than ever before amid a contentious executive branch, and Brazil’s far-right president-elect begins his first term despite anti-Black, -LGBTQ, and -woman rhetoric. The symposium on “Anti-Black State Violence in the Americas” will facilitate transnational coalitions, engagement, and learning. Taking place over three days, scholars, scholar-activists, and organizers will discuss the intersecting challenges of addressing anti-black state violence through workshops on topics including: policing and democracy; historical foundations of Black struggle; wellness and healing; sustainability and social movements; cultural media production; education in today’s socio-cultural contexts; pathways to contesting racialized forms of violence, and, many others.
Join us during this dynamic multi-disciplinary symposium as we illuminate cross-cultural understanding, bringing forward the sharp contrast and commonality between South and North America and generating anti-oppression community building across the Americas. All community members welcome!
RSVP for individuals events and workshops: https://goo.gl/forms/par3FykAT2mJtRCe2
All events are wheelchair accessible. Please fill out our Event Registration form so we can accommodate any additional access needs.
We can’t wait for you to join us for this dynamic event!!!
Waffles & Zapatismo is a free space for learning about and discussing the history, ideas, values and practices of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, EZLN or Zapatistas. We serve waffles at the start of the class to those who want them.
This training is in preparation for a nonviolent direct action March 18 in San Francisco but everyone is welcome, even if you can’t participate that day. With wildfires and weather disasters all around us, and just 12 years left to address the climate crisis (per IPCC report), we’ll have many opportunities to stand up for future generations and a sustainable world. We especially encourage anyone willing to serve in support roles (not risking arrest) to join us.
The action will occur during our March for Fossil Fuel Freedom culminating rally, noontime Monday Mar 18 at “Oily Wells” Fargo headquarters, to spotlight the bank’s role as a leading funder of climate chaos. Participants need to attend one of two mandatory training sessions. Click link to RSVP and learn more:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexjCjWP46xrrXUuDqKj5Dn3OaQRhHDprcp8UbvMmF3WJxAuQ/viewform
March for Fossil Fuel Freedom details and registration: https://oilywells.com/
East Bay Community Energy’s Local Development Business Plan is the Green New Deal for the East Bay. While our National leaders are scrambling to get a policy together, we have the opportunity to build energy solutions that center justice at home, in the East Bay.
On Monday, April 1 at 7pm (details tbd by EBCE), East Bay Community Energy’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be having a special study session on the Early Actions for Local Development. Join us at this study session to speak to the Community Advisory Committee about our priorities.
You might recall that Local Clean Energy Alliance hosted two in-depth workshops in 2018. In July, we created curriculum on the Local Development Business Plan and in November we created and presented curriculum on the Early Actions for Local Development highlighted in the business plan. The format at the Community Advisory Committee will not be like ours, but much of the material might be familiar. This will be both an opportunity to review the material and advocate for the pieces that most benefit our most vulnerable communities, including:
Energy Efficiency
Community Innovation Grant
Community Net Energy Metering
Community Shared Solar
Now is the time to show the rest of the country what a green new deal looks like — how it can be done, who is at the table, and who sees the benefits – . But it will take your voices and your advocacy to make it happen for real.
Will you join us on April 1?
What skills, tools and approaches are useful in encouraging white people to sustain balanced engagement with anti-racism/racial justice education and work? How can we cultivate resilience (as opposed to white fragility) in ourselves, our communities, and our movements?
White Fragility is defined by Robin DiAngelo as “A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation (2011).” What skills, tools and approaches are useful in encouraging white people to sustain balanced engagement with anti-racism/racial justice education and work? How can we cultivate resilience (as opposed to white fragility) in ourselves, our communities, and our movements? Resilience is, in part, defined as:
1. Staying with the conversation
2. Giving and receiving information and feedback from facilitators and peers without becoming highly defensive, reactive, or shut down/dissociated for long period of time
3. Managing the guilt and shame that can arise in learning about the history and current reality of race and racism in the US.
This workshop will explore the role of the body, community, spirituality, intellectual knowledge and other themes that you bring from your experience. We will cover basic information about how the brain and body responds to perceived threats, and explore how to work with this toward greater resilience in moments of challenge.
This workshop is for all experience levels. Participants will be invited to discuss in small groups, move around the space, and hold their bodies in different shapes for 1-2 minutes if available. Content will be presented in both verbal and written formats.
Join Safe Return Project and Haas Institute to discuss bold solutions to end legal bias against formerly incarcerated people. ‘This convening brings together formerly incarcerated community leaders, legal experts, organizers and others to critically explore paths to liberation.’ Register here.
In partnership with the BART Office of the Independent Police Auditor and the Berkeley Police Review Commission, NACOLE is excited to announce that it will be holding one of the 2019 Regional Training and Networking events in the Bay Area. We hope that you will be able to join us in Oakland, California on May 3, 2019 at the Kaiser Center.
This event is geared toward a variety of audiences, including but not limited to community members, oversight practitioners, justice system stakeholders, and academics. It will seek to address many issues important to those who support, are interested in, or work in the field of civilian oversight of law enforcement. In particular, this training opportunity will take on topics such as civilian oversight of county jails, California’s new transparency laws, and information on the strengths and limitations of the different models of civilian oversight of law enforcement.
Please note that this event is open to all those wishing to attend. The registration fee for this event is $75 and includes training, continental breakfast, and lunch. Please note that no one will be turned away from this event for lack of funds. Registration fees will be waived or a donation accepted for those who find that paying the full registration fee would prohibit their ability to attend and who are not seeking CPO credits.
Lunch will be provided along with a continental breakfast. We also invite all registered attendees to join us for a networking reception that will be held at the end of the day from 5:00pm – 10:00 pm at Oakland’s Lake Chalet on the waterfront. The reception will be an opportunity for attendees to further discuss the topics of the day and will feature DJ Davey D (Hard Knock Radio/Co-founder of the Bay Area Hip Hop Coalition) and live music with performances by a number of Bay Area standouts including Troy Lampkins (Bass), Sanford Barnett (Guitar), Alcide Marshall (Drums), Mic Blake (Vocals), Cat Brooks (Spoken Word), Sistah Imina (Spoken Word) and Chris Burger’s Alphabet Soup & Luv Phenomena.
Should you need to cancel your registration you may do so by April 26, 2019. Registration fees will be refunded minus a $15 processing fee. We will not be able to issue refunds under any circumstances after this date.
Sunrise is building a movement of young people to make climate change an urgent political priority and support the #GreenNewDeal to safeguard our generation’s future, create good jobs and transform our economy.
Check out more at www.sunrisemovement.org. Register here: https://forms.gle/LC7Ho9JGugEvq8eh9.
> WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE TRAINING <
1. A deep dive into the Sunrise strategy, story, and structure that make up the movement’s 4-year plan (This is a 9 hour training, with breakfast and lunch provided. We ask people to attend the whole training to get the full experience, and it’s a ton of fun! We promise!)
2. Lots of time to have fun and get to know other young people from around the Bay Area.
3. Hands-on practice and skill building to strengthen your climate organizing skills.
4. Time to dig into the Sunrise Bay Area strategy for making the #GreenNewDeal a political priority and join a team/sub-committee to help make it happen.
> WHO IS THIS FOR? <
It’s for YOU! Whether you’ve come to Sunrise Bay Area events and meetings before or whether you’re just finding out about Sunrise and the Green New Deal and are inspired to learn more, you are welcome!
This is a movement of young people – that means we have members of our hub who are high school students, college students, non-students, working young people, and more (generally between 16-35). People of all identities and backgrounds are welcomed and supported in this space. We are stronger when we join together, and we believe we need all of us to win. Join us.
What if the internet wasn’t about connecting to Comcast, AT&T, Google, or Facebook? What if it meant connecting directly with your friends, neighbors, and community…? Come over to the Oakland Public Library West Branch’s auditorium for the Build Your Own Internet (BYOI) workshop. Let’s discuss how the internet works, and how you can be part of the People’s Open Network, an open, community-owned mesh network.
* No technical expertise needed. Technical curiosity very necessary. *
Fri, Jun 14, 2019, 6:30 PM – Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 6:00 PM PDT
It’s time to have a family meeting.
The objective of this event is to provide a space for people of color and white allies–including activists, policy-makers, business leaders, employees, community organizers, or other residents or community members –to have an explicit conversation about dismantling systemic white supremacy (and the many discussions that come up around white supremacy) in a community-led forum.
This event is critically important because we believe that naming, disrupting, and dismantling white supremacy is a necessary precondition to creating an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
This event will be an Unconference.
An Unconference empowers the attendees to drive the conversation. There will be no keynote speakers or pre-set “content tracks.” The people who show up for the Unconference are the ones who decide what topics and sessions they want to organize.
Please note that we will have security for this event. See our conference page for more details about our approach to safety.
Who are the organizers?
The Dismantle Collective (a fiscally sponsored project of Community Ventures, a 501c3 non-profit) is a person of color-led group of Certified B Corps, including:
- Diana Marie Lee, Sweet Livity
- Samuel Gonzales, Sweet Livity
- Vanice Dunn, Provoc
- Lynn Johnson, Spotlight: Girls
- Ryan Honeyman, LIFT Economy
- David Jackson, Impact Hub Oakland
- Avery Ebron, Dismantle Collective
- Olayinka Credle, Melanin Essentials
- Dean Barduka, Element Five
- Marie Koesnodihardjo, Mangrove Web Development
- Flip Brown, Business Culture Consultants
Members of the Dismantle Collective have experience in running successful social enterprises, all while being deeply involved in activism, grassroots organizing, community engagement, facilitating difficult conversations, and supporting movement work.
We hope to help elevate the conversation around dismantling white supremacy in partnership with socially responsible business leaders and social justice allies.
Overview / FAQ / Contact
For more details, including information on donations, sponsorships, security, event agenda and more, please click here to view our full Overview and FAQ about this event. Folks who would like to apply for scholarships can do so here. If you still have questions, you can contact us at 12@dismantlecollective.org.
Fri, Jun 14, 2019, 6:30 PM – Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 6:00 PM PDT
It’s time to have a family meeting.
The objective of this event is to provide a space for people of color and white allies–including activists, policy-makers, business leaders, employees, community organizers, or other residents or community members –to have an explicit conversation about dismantling systemic white supremacy (and the many discussions that come up around white supremacy) in a community-led forum.
This event is critically important because we believe that naming, disrupting, and dismantling white supremacy is a necessary precondition to creating an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
This event will be an Unconference.
An Unconference empowers the attendees to drive the conversation. There will be no keynote speakers or pre-set “content tracks.” The people who show up for the Unconference are the ones who decide what topics and sessions they want to organize.
Please note that we will have security for this event. See our conference page for more details about our approach to safety.
Who are the organizers?
The Dismantle Collective (a fiscally sponsored project of Community Ventures, a 501c3 non-profit) is a person of color-led group of Certified B Corps, including:
- Diana Marie Lee, Sweet Livity
- Samuel Gonzales, Sweet Livity
- Vanice Dunn, Provoc
- Lynn Johnson, Spotlight: Girls
- Ryan Honeyman, LIFT Economy
- David Jackson, Impact Hub Oakland
- Avery Ebron, Dismantle Collective
- Olayinka Credle, Melanin Essentials
- Dean Barduka, Element Five
- Marie Koesnodihardjo, Mangrove Web Development
- Flip Brown, Business Culture Consultants
Members of the Dismantle Collective have experience in running successful social enterprises, all while being deeply involved in activism, grassroots organizing, community engagement, facilitating difficult conversations, and supporting movement work.
We hope to help elevate the conversation around dismantling white supremacy in partnership with socially responsible business leaders and social justice allies.
Overview / FAQ / Contact
For more details, including information on donations, sponsorships, security, event agenda and more, please click here to view our full Overview and FAQ about this event. Folks who would like to apply for scholarships can do so here. If you still have questions, you can contact us at 12@dismantlecollective.org.
Join Berkeley Copwatch for a training.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
– On the street
– When observing/recording
– Safely assert your rights
– What/how to document
– Respond to police misconduct
– Effectively observe the police in your community
This is a free event; snacks will be included! Bring your bodies and your buddies, as well as questions, concerns, stories, resources.
Check out the Berkeley Copwatch Know Your Rights Pocket Card here: http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/resources/pocketguide05.pdf
In recent years, Oakland, San Francisco, and cities across the country have been drastically reshaped by gentrification: new development causes rents in formerly affordable neighborhoods to skyrocket, pricing working people out of their neighborhoods — often where their families have lived for generations — and leaving many people without homes altogether.
Who or what is driving gentrification? How has gentrification played out in Oakland in particular? And what can be done to address the crises of displacement and homelessness caused by gentrification? Join East Bay DSA’s Socialist Night School on Tuesday, July 2 to discuss these questions and more.
Accessibility: The venue and restrooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Required Readings
See the readings that we’ll be discussing after a brief introduction from our members.
There is a growing network of rapid response volunteers forming to help our neighbors in the face of Trump’s threatened ICE raids. And you can be part of it!
Join a training this Wednesday to learn how to document and film ICE raids, and help ensure that the law is being followed. Note that the role of legal observers is not to stop ICE activity, but to help lawyers in the court process by documenting any possibly illegal detentions.
At Wednesday’s training, participants will:
- Learn how to be a legal observer
- Learn how to verify ICE activity
- Obtain training on what your rights are when interacting with law enforcement
Participants will then be able to join a network of volunteers that is forming across the Bay Area and beyond to provide real-time assistance both to those facing deportation and family members left behind.