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A film by Abigail E. Disney and Gini Reticker

The untold story of the everyday women who brought a warring nation to its senses, armed only with the courage of their convictions is an uplifting and inspiring as well as enraging story of a group of Muslim and Christian women, rich and poor, urban and rural, who bring peace to their beloved but war-torn Liberia. This unsung achievement is gripping suspenseful and ultimately incredibly satisfying. Touching and even funny this film will stay with you for years. In the words of Archbishop Tutu it “captures the power each of us innately has within our souls to make the world a far better, safer, more peaceful place.” A wonderful way for our congregation to bring in the New Year.

Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Cmte as part of our Conscientious Projector series.
Wheelchair accessible.

“This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism”  -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Spokescouncil Meetings are scheduled to take place:

January 5th @ 7pm at the OMNI

January 9th @ 7 pm @ the OMNI

January 12th @ 7pm @ the OMNI

January 14th @ 7pm @ the OMNI

The MLK weekend will once again culminate in a King Day march that embodies the true spirit of King’s resistance to capitalism, imperialism and racism.

Over the last year, in the Bay Area alone, there have been dozens of police murders.  In San Francisco, we have most recently seen the brutal execution of Mario Woods, in addition to police beating a disabled man in front of the Twitter building and racist text messages exchanged between SFPD on-duty officers.

In Oakland, we have seen 8 Black men murdered by police since only June of 2015. In fact, a recent graphic by Mapping Police Violence shows that in 2015, Oakland ranks third in police killings per million people in 60 of America’s largest cities.

Police are the shock troops of gentrification.  Mayors give them a mandate: make this city appealing to developers by any means necessary.  City Councils fund police and constantly seek to expand their numbers and their powers. As a result, people of color are being pushed out of cities at unprecedented rates, by an out of control rental market, increased police occupation and terrorism against communities of color, as well as crackdowns on those who dare protest these unjust policies.

A year ago, people across the country began taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers; storming shopping centers, blocking streets and highways, interrupting cultural events and public transit.  And the people SHUT IT DOWN. We SHUT IT DOWN because there is a state-sponsored war on Black, Brown, and other marginalized peoples in the United States.  WE SHUT DOWN BUSINESS-AS-USUAL because business-as-usual is an out-of-control epidemic of police terror.

Last year, in partnership with comrades and allies, APTP launched 96 Hours of Direct Action in the Bay Area, and answered a national call to Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy which we did through a march that brought over 7,000 people into the streets of Oakland.  We believe it is important for our movement to draw on King’s legacy to ground ourselves, to reinforce our conviction and confidence in the tactics and strategy of disruptive direct action.

A year later, while we are starting to have an impact, we also see that we have a long long way to go. So this Martin Luther King Day weekend, Oakland’s Anti Police-Terror Project* is calling on you to help us SHUT IT DOWN – again.  Together, we will unleash the vast creativity and organizing capacity of our communities to produce a spectrum of disruptive and creative activity. In the spirit of MLK, we want these to actions to meaningfully interrupt business as usual whether that be with direct action, teach-ins, concerts or prayer vigils and to do so with action logic that links our resistance to fighting racism, economic injustice, and imperialism.  We want you to plan these actions independently, but together we will coordinate collective support for these actions through a spokescouncil so that they have maximal support and impact.

Please visit the facebook event page: Updates, meeting agendas, calendar, and other info will be posted.
https://www.facebook.com/events/632827553487864/

Invite your friends!

Check out the web site for more about APTP’s vision: http://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/new-events/

WE DEMAND:

• The resignation of Mayor Libby Schaaf
• The immediate termination of Chief Sean Whent
• The immediate termination of Chief Greg Suhr
• The immediate termination of the officers involved in the murders of Richard Perkins, Mario Woods, Yuvette Henderson, Amilcar Lopez, Alex Nieto, Demoriah Hogg and Richard Linyard
• The immediate reallocation of city budgets: reduce police budgets and reallocate those funds to provide for affordable housing that allows Black, Brown and other people of color to remain in San Francisco and Oakland.

This year, we shut it down in the names of:

Yuvette Henderson

Nate Wilks

Richard Perkins

Richard Linyard

Demoriah Hogg

Yonas Alehegne

Amilcar Lopez

Mario Woods

Alex Nieto

#mlkshutitdown

#96hours

#reclaimMLK

Reminder this is a call out for affinity groups to organize autonomous solidarity actions in line withAPTP’s Principles.
Questions, ideas, comments, or to get involved
Email aptpspokescouncil@gmail.com

Come protest the new Sprouts “Farmers Market,” a racist, sexist, corporate, big box grocery store chain that has just moved into Oakland. Sprouts is NOT a farmers’ market, but in fact imports food from around the world and doesn’t treat their workers well. Stand against the gentrification of Oakland, in solidarity with Occupy the Farm and the Gill Tract Community Farm, and in support of local food economies and the real farmers markets and local markets owned and operated by the people of Oakland.

The newly emerging “Interfaith Committee in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter–Bay Area” is hosting a vigil and candle-lit funeral procession on the Friday afternoon preceding Martin Luther King Day weekend.

This solemn action will call on Oakland city officials and residents alike to see, connect with, and mourn the Black and Brown lives lost to police violence as well as the losses born by communities of color in Oakland as a result of over-policing, displacement, and gentrification. It will also put City Hall on notice that they can expect continued pressure from Oakland’s faith community to prioritize Black and Brown lives by reallocating money toward affordable housing and alternatives to over-policing.

If you can, please bring a small candle in a clear cup or glass to carry in the procession.

We will walk approximately 3/4 mile together.

*** This action is a response to the callout for 96 Hours of Direct Action to Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy.

Meet in the Dimond district Safeway parking lot. Organized by SURJ

PUBLIC PANEL DISCUSSION DANGERS OF TASERS

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE

Jeremy Miller, anti-Taser activist, Idriss Stelley Foundation
(moderator)

Aram James, activist and former Palo Alto Public Defender,
and expert on nation-wide dangers of Tasers

La Mesha Stelley, Idriss Stelley Foundation

Marion Jackson, founder Officers for Justice,
retired Inspector, San Francisco Police Department

Jennifer Friedenbach Executive Director,
Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco

Steve Zeltzer, United Public Workers For Action

Sponsored by
Idriss Stelley Foundation

TODAY: 10:45 meet @ Walgreen's, 51st&Tel to join us for Fast food worker action! #96Hours #RECLAIMMLK

— Bay Solidarity (@BaySolidarity) January 16, 2016

Sponsored by: COMMUNITY DEMOCRACY PROJECT

Street Convos for Racial Justice in Oakland

We will reach out and talk to people about racial justice, MLK, policing, and the city budget.

Carnival de Resistance happening at 30th & Broadway gentrifying Sprouts 'Farmers Market' 11:30am-1pm drums, costumes, stilts #FreeTheLand

— Occupy Oakland (@OccupyOakland) January 16, 2016

“Oakland is being touted as a #1 tourist destination spot. Under the Mayorship of Libby Schaaf, a mandate has been issued to make the City pretty for tourists and developers. This has meant an upsurge in police terror and murders in Oakland. In what we have dubbed Libby’s Bloody Era, string of Black men were murdered in Oakland in 2015. All of them declared “justifiable”.

As part of the 96 Hours of Direct Action, Join APTP at Terminal One of Oakland Airport where we will welcome people to Oakland – the nations third leading city it police murders – by reading a list of names of Black, Brown and Indigenous Peoples murdered at the hands of law enforcement in Oakland – and across the country.

Meet inside Terminal One.

Ride Sharing is highly encouraged. Please see the Facebook page.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1958174034406838/

Venezuela: Eyewitness Report

What happened in Venezuela’s parliamentary elections on December 6? This report will convey the impressions and first observations from two recent trips to Venezuela by Rick Sterling.  What were the gains of the Bolivarian Revolution over 17 years? Why and how was it under attack?What are the prospects in the coming year?

Our Oakland airport action was very successful! The police were a no show and we had the run of the airport, and there were no arrests. Saturday is a light travel day and Oakland is a smaller airport….

So we’re going to try it again at SFO on a very busy travel day! Please bring signs this time! Lets make this even bigger.
We’ll meet at the International terminal, at the BART fare gates. Try to be on time, we may move around the airport.

BART goes right to the international terminal of the airport, but is relatively expensive. and there is parking if you want to carpool, and also other transit options: http://www.flysfo.com/to-from/public-transit.

Announcement for SFO #SayTheirNames tomorrow at 6pm, on day set for SF actions. Stay tuned to @APTPaction for exact location and details.

— Dave Id (@DaveId) January 17, 2016

#SayTheirNames #ReclaimMLK #96Hours @APTPaction tomorrow at #SFO is at 6pm Check Facebook for updates

— Terri Kay (@TKOakWWP) January 17, 2016

The Community Democracy Project is your connection to direct democracy in Oakland! Convened out of Occupy Oakland in Fall 2011, we’re gathering steam on a campaign to bring the people back in touch with the city’s resources through participatory budgeting.

Picture this: Across Oakland, Neighborhood Assemblies are regularly held in every community. People come together to tackle the important issues of their neighborhoods and of the city. At these assemblies, people don’t just have discussions–they learn from one another, from city staff, and they make fundamental decisions about how the city should run. They decide the city budget.

Democratic, community budgeting is a powerful step toward building strong communities, real democracy, and economic justice–and it’s being done all over the world.

The budget of the City Oakland totals more than $1 billion per year. Although part of the budget must be used for specific purposes, still over half of the budget–over $500 million per year–consists of general purpose funds paid by the taxes, fees, and fines of the people of Oakland. The Mayor and the City Council decide the city budget, with minimal input from the community.

Working together, we will not only get a seat at the table–we will REBUILD the table itself. Participatory democracy is real democracy–join us to say: Local People, Local Resources, Local Power!

A facilitated group discussion about racial justice, MLK, policing, and the city budget.

Liberated Lens is a digital filmmaking collective dedicated to social change, based in Oakland, California. We share resources, skills and knowledge to help each other tell stories that might otherwise remain untold. We make films in a spirit of collaboration and solidarity, share a lending library of film equipment for creative projects, and organize free, at cost or donation-based workshops.

Join us for our weekly meeting and a workshop!

We usually meet in our editing suite (2nd floor in the ballroom, to the left of the stage) and then work on projects. It’s open to all!

Planting Justice is teaming up with Community Check Cashing right outside of CCC in Fruitvale Plaza
Monday, Jan 18th,  9:30 AM as part of the #ReclaimMLK 96 Hours of Action Weekend:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1678077069118027/

Join us as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision around ending poverty in America.

The brothers and sisters of Moving Forward (an association of Planting Justice Staff) are teaming up with Community Check Cashing to create space on this sacred day around economic justice and empowerment in our community.

Join us as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision around ending poverty in America.

The brothers and sisters of Moving Forward (an association of Planting Justice Staff) are teaming up with Community Check Cashing to create space on this sacred day around economic justice and empowerment in our community.

Meet us at Community Check Cashing

We will read excerpts of Dr. King’s speeches around poverty eradication,
enjoy a brief meditation and hear from members of the community around their journey to regaining control of their finances and economic resources.

Refreshments including
green smoothies and healing herbal teas provided by Planting Justice urban gardens and students of Planting Justice.

Generous support provided by Community Check Cashing, America’s only not-for-profit check cashing spot designed to help move low income individuals and families out of poverty.

Pre-march protest in solidarity with the fighting people of Haiti:

Black Lives Matter from Haiti to the Bay

· Drummers

· Report from Haiti – By Pierre Labossiere

A part of the 96 Hours of Direct Action to Reclaim the Radical Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!” We will march to join the 11AM rally and march at Oscar Grant Plaza

Haiti is in the streets almost every day – as tens of thousands turn out to demand that the stolen 2015 election be thrown out. The mass movement is telling the U.S./U.N. occupiers: “Don’t Steal Our Votes!” It is demanding “Reclaim Haiti’s sovereignty!” from foreign occupation.

Haiti’s struggle is our struggle. It’s now 50 years since the U.S. Voting Rights Act, but it’s been rolled back to systematically deny Black people the right to vote – again. In Haiti the 2015 elections were plagued by endless and well-documented ballot stuffing, vote buying, armed coercion, naked vote rigging – yet the U.S. ambassador gave his “OK” to the faked election results. In effect, whether it’s here or in Haiti, the U.S. rulers are deliberately interfering with the people’s right to freely choose the representatives that they want.

Haiti’s fight is our fight. Just as we in the Bay Area are fighting against police murder of Black people, so it is in Haiti. The State Dept wants to suppress the surging popular movement – using police terror against the people. During the 2015 elections, special US-financed police units sprayed machine gun fire into working-class neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and Arcahaie to suppress the vote, killing scores of people.

The U.S. State Department is the main actor trying to push through the fraudulent elections – maneuvering to exclude Haiti’s most popular political party – Fanmi Lavalas – from any role in the next government. The U.S. wants to keep in power corrupt puppets who are willing to give away Haiti’s abundant mineral resources … privatize the mines and the electric company … and keep factory wages at US$3/day – continuing a long tradition of the U.S. and France stealing the wealth and the labor of the Haitian people.

Lighting the fires of struggle – Many have commented that the Haitian people, in their vast majority, are very aware of their history – proud inheritors of the Revolution of 1791-1804, when Haiti defeated the army of Napoleon, ended plantation slavery and declared independence from France. “It’s on every lip,” said one Lavalas activist. “People are saying that in rejecting this stolen election, we are lighting the fires of struggle, continuing the fight for equality and sovereignty that our ancestors fought for 200 years ago.”
****After the protest we will walk 2 blocks to join the 11:00 AM rally and march at Oscar Grant Plaza (14th & Broadway) to Reclaim the Radical Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. ****

For more information, connect with the Haiti Action Committee: www.haitisolidarity.net @HaitiAction1 and on Facebook