Suds, Snacks, & Socialism at the Starry Plough

The Peace and Freedom Party presents

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

In 1850, in an essay on Chinese Socialism, Karl Marx wrote:
It may well be that Chinese socialism is related to European socialism just as Chinese philosophy is related to Hegelian philosophy. But it is an amusing fact that the oldest and most unshattered Empire on this earth has been pushed, in eight years, by the cotton ball of the English bourgeois toward the brink of a social upheaval that must have most profound consequences for civilisation.
When our European reactionaries, on their next fight through Asia, will have finally reached the Chinese Wall, the gates that lead to the seat of primeval reaction and conservatism, who knows, perhaps they will read the following inscription on the Wall:
République Chinoise
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

We are putting together a group of knowledgeable comrades to discuss the contemporary relevance of Marx’s words, including David Ewing, US-China People Friendship Association;, Al Sargis, founder of the Friedrich Engels Institute of Marxist War and Military Analysis (FEIMWAMA); and Gerald Smith, Oscar Grant Committee.

This is part of our on-going Socialist Forum Series on the first Saturday of every month. Doors open at 2 pm and the program will start promptly at 2:30 pm. The forum will end by 4:30 pm, but folks can stay and talk afterwards. The opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not reflect official views of the Peace and Freedom Party.

The Peace and Freedom Party, born from the civil rights and 
anti-war movements of the 1960s, is committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism, racial equality, and internationalism.

Zahra Billoo on Racisim, Islamophobia and Empire. She is a civil rights attorney and the ED of the SF Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Food Not Bombs will prepare a delicious vegetarian dinner.

Donations for the 13 people directly impacted by the encampment fire @ e12th & 23rd can be dropped at Omni Commons on Saturday and Sunday, 11/3 and 4, from 10 am-3 pm.

Contact T (512) 663-8871 if you have stuff to drop but need to find another time. https://t.co/TdhBWtOklV

— ellie hwa (@spectralsex) November 2, 2018

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library

How the US Left Can Resist the New Forms of US Imperialism

What is common to LBJ’s “Falling Dominoes,” Carter’s “Humanitarian intervention,” Reagan’s “Shining City,” G. H. W. Bush’s “What We Say Goes,” G. W. Bush’s “God’s Mission,” Obama’s “Indispensable Country,” and Trump’s contradictory statements? It is imperialism in different garbs, adopted to the decaying capitalism over the past 40 years.
ICSS Members Raj Sahai, Rick Sterling, and Roger Harris will speak, Charles Andrews will be our moderator.

Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.

About Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
A weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.

Come on out to learn more about democratic socialism and get involved in our local activities here in the East Bay. New members and not-yet-members are welcome!

If you like, stick around for the canvassing event launching nearby! These back-to-back events are the perfect opportunity to jump into East Bay DSA!

Join the Ecology Center for a theatre screening of the new documentary film Abundant Land, followed by a rich discussion and Q&A about traditional Hawaiian land management practices with the film’s director, Natasha Florentino, and Makena Silva, Native Hawaiian, social worker, and advocate.

Abundant Land is a one-hour documentary about the Hawaiian community on Moloka’i opposing the biotech industry’s use of the island’s land, water, and other resources to test genetically engineered seeds. The film shows the rich legacy of traditional Hawaiian land management and farming self-sufficiency– as well as the vital forces of resistance upheld by indigenous communities. Abundant Land also offers a historical look at the intrusion and political underpinnings of chemical-intensive farming in Hawaii while portraying the power of the heritage and traditional ecological knowledge in the fight for clean and safe air, water, and land.

Protest the towing and impoundment of otherwise homeless people’s RVs from the streets of Oakland.

Sponsored by United Front Against Displacement, the Landless People’s Alliance, and the Here and Now Collective

Decades Long Oakland Residents had the RVs they live in towed in mass on Tuesday, October 23. At least 15 were seized at the time from the area bordering Raimondi Park. In the last two weeks many have been forced to live on the street. Join them in demanding the city return the RVs.

As police towed the RVs last week, they told several residents “Don’t Let Us See You in Oakland Again.”

The residents are demanding a return of RV-Homes, an apology from Mayor, and a freeze on the city’s offensive against unhoused people.

Given minutes to leave their RVs and vans, residents tried to grab what they could before the vehicles were towed. Like refugees fleeing for safety, the RV owners were forced to throw possessions out of their doors and windows onto piles on the sidewalk. Many did not have time to secure key material, including at least one resident, who lost his identity papers in the towing.

Following the towing, residents camped out in the surrounding park were warned that OPD would be coming for them in subsequent weeks.

For a video of the tows in progress see: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qBIz8vory3g

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/541837129562482/permalink/561249587621236/

Co-Sponsored by the United Front Against Displacement, The Landless
People’s Alliance, and the Here and There Collective

In front of Oakland City Hall, 14th Street between Washington and Broadway

Who: Residents living in at least 15 RVs in West Oakland, many of whom have lived and worked in the surrounding community for decades, saw their vehicles impounded by the police last Tuesday. Others are being threatened by police to leave encampments in the area. Together they have formed a group “United Front Against Displacement.”

Decades Long Oakland Residents now forced to live in RVs because of skyrocketing housing prices were told last Tuesday by Oakland PD “Don’t Let Us See You in Oakland Again” as the cops towed their vehicles.

Given minutes to leave their RVs and vans, residents tried to grab what they could before the vehicles were towed. Like refugees fleeing for safety, the RV owners were forced to throw possessions out of their doors and windows onto piles on the sidewalk. Many did not have time to secure key material, including at least one resident, who lost his identity papers in the towing.

On the previous Friday, city workers had placed stickers on the RVs demanding that they be moved by the following Tuesday. This presented a problem for many vehicles which did not have working motors.

So the residents came up with a plan. Those without working motors would get a tow Tuesday morning out of the site by a neighbor with a working RV and with a fifth wheel hitch on the back.

However, police prevented this from happening by targeting and towing away the working vehicle first. They justified doing so on the grounds that the driver did not match the person on the vehicle’s registration. The message then to crestfallen residents was clear—OPD was intent on seizing their effective life lines, rendering them homeless in the process.

Following the towing, residents camped out in the surrounding park were warned that OPD would be coming for them in subsequent weeks.

The residents are demanding a return of RV-Homes, an apology from Mayor, and a freeze on the city’s offensive against unhoused people.

At a smaller protest last week on Monday, mayoral spokesman Michael J.
Hunt told protesters he would try to release the RVs. Without concrete
results however, residents pledged to be back the following afternoon.

This incident is the latest in a new trend of stepped up attacks on the city’s unhoused and homeless in the area by city authorities. On Friday, October 20, prompted by complaints by the owner of neighboring Soundwave Studio (two blocks from the site of the RV towing), eight police officers arrived at the Wood Street homeless encampment. Several residents in the encampment demanded to see legal notices from police, and then chanted at them “Hell No We Won’t Go.” The cops left that time.
“They’ll be back” several residents remarked however.

For more information, contact: Kelly at 925-413-5244

email: WeWontGo@riseup.net

Join us to watch the election returns, discuss local, state, and national politics, and otherwise have a great time!  We’ve done a lot of work this year, and now it’s time to party.  So come and join in the fun!  And if you’re able to, potluck snacks and drinks are encouraged.  See you on Tuesday evening!

Express your green ideas and “like” us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenpartyofalamedacounty/

Regardless of whether you voted…
No matter who wins…
Come November 7, the day after the midterms, Trump/Pence remain at the helm
of a fascist program of white supremacy, misogyny, and xenophobia

Help wake and mobilize the one force that can stop a fascist America —millions of people in the streets saying NO! to The Trump/Pence Regime.

Investing in Sanctuary:
Freedom to Stay, Freedom to Move, Freedom to Return

In a post-9/11 world, more than 70 border walls have been erected across the globe. The rights of migration, mobility, and movement are under attack and we must defend the freedom to stay, freedom to move, and freedom to return. Come learn about border walls, those who are profiting from them, and celebrate international resistance taking place around the world to defend human dignity and resistance to walls in their many forms. The event will include speakers live music and photo exhibitions..

Speakers:
Nellie Jo David organizes for indigenous human rights and autonomy on the imposed U.S./Mexico borderlands intersecting the Tohono O’odham Nation. Nellie is from Ajo, Arizona, traditionally Hia-Ced O’odham territory. Nellie was inspired to raise awareness on border issues upon witnessing the increased militarization of her community. She dedicates her work to migrant justice issues and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and wildlife along the border. Nellie obtained her J.D. with a certificate in indigenous law and policy from Michigan State University in 2014.

Lara Kiswani is the executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), a grassroots organization working to address economic, social, and political impacts of anti-Arab racism by organizing Arab and Muslim communities around principles of justice and self-determination for all. A Palestinian born in the Bay Area, Lara completed her undergraduate studies at UC Davis, where she helped establish the Middle East/South Asia minor. She earned an MA in Education at San Francisco State University where she is a lecturer in the department of Ethnic Studies.

And more…

Moderator:
Rev. Deborah Lee: Deborah Lee serves as the Executive Director of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, an organization that connects people of faith to the work of social justice. IM4Human Integrity builds faith-rooted solidarity, direct actions and advocacy in partnership with frontline communities dedicated to immigrant justice and ending the criminalization of people of color. They currently support and foster a Northern California Sanctuary Network of over 50 congregations who are responding to the wave of migrant youth and families and the detention and deportation crisis.

This event is one of several hundred international events promoting a World Without Walls this November. Co-sponsors include:
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
Oakland Community Organizations
Bay Area Sanctuary Network
East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
Skyline Community Church – United Church of Christ
Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church
Ecumenical Peace Institute
First Congregational Church of Oakland Prophetic Public Witness Team
O’odham Anti-Border Collective
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
NorCal Friends of Sabeel
American Friends Service Committee
CAIR – San Francisco Bay Area,
Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM),
AROC: Arab Resource & Organizing Center
Jewish Voice for Peace – Bay Area
Middle East Children’s Alliance

You can also support this event and donate at:
www.im4humanintegrity.org/worldwithoutwalls-donations

About the Town Hall

Alameda County’s Town Hall on Public Charge will bring together more than 125 local service providers and community members from across Alameda County. The Town Hall, which will be held in Oakland’s Preservation Park, will provide participants with the opportunity to:

• Learn about a proposed rule change to the federal “public charge” definition and how this change undermines efforts to economically empower families and promote public health.
• Ask questions about how the rule change would apply to families; how the rule change would impact the flow of federal funds for programs like Medi-Cal (Medicaid & CHIP), CalFresh (SNAP), Medicare Part D, and Section 8 Housing Vouchers to Alameda County and California; and what Alameda County and its partners are doing to respond to the proposed rule.
• Take action by submitting public comment and connecting with local, state, and national efforts to weigh in on the proposed rule.

Translation and light refreshments will be provided. During registration, please be sure to complete the SurveyMonkey link to let us know if you have a specific language and/or childcare need.

RSVP: Click on Image!

Mark your calendars! We're hosting TWO Public Banking 101 sessions in November–one at Alley Cat Books, and one @DSA_SF. We hope to see you there 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/8Sg3u7g293

— SF Public Bank (@sfpublicbank) October 25, 2018

On September 8th, over 250,000 people on all (!) 7 continents stepped up to demand tangible action on climate change from their elected officials. Hundreds of frontline communities led the way, building momentum and urgency for this fight. So we’re asking: What do we do now? Where do we direct this precious and palpable strength and energy?

After RISE, the Global Climate Action Summit, Sol2Sol Summit, and the hundreds of other events, we’ve taken a beat and are ready to pick up the reins again. On November 8th, join the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition’s Fall Convening to find out how to best use your limited time and energy. We will also share an array tangible projects that your talents could boost. Join us as we vision and move towards a new world, starting right here in our own communities!

Register here.

Please join us for a discussion on this topic with veteran socialist organizer and founding member of PSOL in Brazil, Pedro Fuentes. We’ll talk about the factors leading to Bolsonaro’s rise, the threat his movement poses, and how socialists can fight back. We’ll also discuss the connection between Bolsonaro and the resurgence of the far-right in the US and elsewhere.

About Pedro Fuentes

Pedro Fuentes was born in Pergamino, Argentina, and began his activism there as a teenager, when he and his brother joined a high-school student movement to reform the schools called Movimiento de Accion Reformista. Later, in the 1960s, he joined Palabro Obrera, led by the Argentine Trotskyist Nahuel Moreno, and organized in the factories in his city. In 1971, his older brother, Luis Enrique Pujals, was one of the first to be “disappeared” by Argentina’s dictatorship for his activity in the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (PRT). Soon after, Pedro was forced to flee Argentina and lived in exile for the duration of the dictatorship and beyond, traveling across Latin America and Europe and embedding himself in socialist movements wherever he went.

Eventually he moved to Brazil and in 2000 began organizing with Movimento Esquerda Socialista (MES), then a tendency in the Workers Party (PT). In 2003, the PT introduced anti-worker pension reforms supported by Brazil’s right wing parties. A number of dissenting PT deputies, including MES leader Luciana Genro, voted against the reforms and were subsequently expelled from the PT. Pedro joined these expelled leaders in founding PSOL as a left alternative to the PT. For many years he served as PSOL’s secretary of international relations, though he has recently stepped back.

Recommended Readings

See the recommended readings for this special event

Films to The People (FTP) short film festival gives a platform to independent filmmakers whose work might not find a place in larger, mainstream festivals. We like to showcase filmmakers of various ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds, and subject matter that is pertinent to our times. We prefer to work with local filmmakers, but we have made exceptions. Films are selected for quality and diversity of perspectives.

We will screen 19 politically relevant films and discuss local shorts with the directors.

Doors open at 3pm, program starts at 4pm

There will be food, raffle and awards!

To attend the festival for free, contact liberatedlens [at] omnicommons.org for volunteer opportunities.