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National Call to Action

Stay Mobilized Until Kavanaugh is Defeated: No “Business As Usual”

Everyone Who Can Possibly Go to Washington, DC Between Now and When Kavanaugh is Defeated—Get There NOW

No Reliance on the Politicians
The Hands of the FBI Must Not Be Tied, the FBI Must Be Free to Conduct a Full Investigation of All the Charges Against Kavanaugh
Mass Direct Action Now to Defend Democracy and Defend Women’s Rights

Confirming Kavanaugh sends a message to women across the country that victims of sexual assault should stay silent. Defeating Kavanaugh sends a message that victims should speak out, stand up, and fight.

Resist. Confront. Disrupt. Fight to win (AND WE CAN WIN)!

Over the past week, the protests and confrontations in Washington, DC, by the Resistance, the mass movement against Trump, have been pivotal in reversing the impending catastrophe of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. Above all, the courageous determination and action of women who are survivors of sexual assault and abuse have been decisive in making it possible to defeat Trump and the Republicans’ rush to put a sexual abuser on the US Supreme Court. The indelible courage of Christine Blasey Ford’s disclosure of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual assault and her testimony last Thursday showed the nation a real hero. Other women have answered her call, and have since come forward with their own searing accounts of Kavanaugh’s sexual assaults: Deborah Ramirez, Julie Swetnick, and Elizabeth Rasor. Our support for Dr. Ford and all these women is unequivocal and categorical. The stand they have taken has dragged this nation from the precipice of a national and international disgrace to the genuine possibility of saving American democracy.

Despite Professor Blasey Ford’s courageous and obviously true testimony Thursday, afterwards, on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, the Republican politicians were still attempting to jam Kavanaugh’s nomination through the US Senate Judiciary Committee, filling the Senate hearing room with the gross male rage of a bunch of crude sexist bullies, repeating one after the other the long-discredited arguments misogynists have used to silence women trying to fight against sexual assault. The Democratic politicians on the other side who supposedly opposed Kavanaugh and rightly claimed to support Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, behaved far too much as if they had been abused into passivity themselves by the Republicans’ abusive ranting and raving, rather than finding the courage to really defend Blasey Ford’s heroic stand and actually fight to win.

Under these circumstances, two young women, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher had to join Blasey Ford and the other Kavanaugh accusers as the real heroes of this struggle. On Friday morning, after the supposed open-minded Republican Senator Jeff Flake announced that he would actually vote with the other Republicans to send the Kavanaugh nomination to the full Senate for a vote for confirmation, these two women caught the cowardly Senator Flake in an elevator. They genuinely and passionately spoke truth to power. They expressed the indignation and determination of millions of women across the nation and the Resistance fighting for the future of democracy in America to break the suffocating silence imposed on the victims of sexual assault and abuse by American society for far too long. Their confrontation with the timid Senator Flake communicated the reality that for the rest of his life, wherever he goes, he will be held accountable for his role in accepting or rejecting sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh on the US Supreme Court. They demanded, “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” when Flake tried to avoid hearing their own declarations of their histories of sexual assault. Their bold and decisive action, not the passive, boring, and half-stepping speeches of politicians inside the committee, forced Flake, after the elevator confrontation, to change his position and demand an independent FBI investigation of the sexual abuse charges against Kavanaugh before a vote could take place in the full Senate. The audacity of Archila and Gallagher is a model for how our movement can and must carry through on the fight we need to make now.

With MORE of this kind of bold and determined direct action in DC between now and the final vote on Kavanaugh, our movement can win. We must make the most of this opportunity. With the Senate confirmation vote officially postponed only by a week, we must act and we must act fast. Hundreds of people have been protesting inside and outside of the Capitol. Throughout the course of this entire process, fresh Resistance forces need to flood the capital. We need a mass confrontation of the movement with the politicians, especially the ever-so-timid waverers Jeff Flake (R), Susan Collins (R), Lisa Murkowski (R), Paul Manchin (D), and Heidi Heitkamp (D), and demand that they oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. This entire fight over Kavanaugh’s nomination makes clear Rule #1 of the movement: do NOT rely on the politicians to fight; rely on ourselves and each other to win.

“Never again” begins now. It is obvious the confirmation of Kavanaugh will send a message that in America, people who are sexually assaulted or abused should keep silent. That message must be defeated, and the message sent by Christine Blasey Ford and the other heroic survivors who have been speaking out must prevail. Kavanaugh has also clearly, throughout his career, been an enemy of the legal and political gains of the women’s movement, in particular an enemy of the right of women to control over their own bodies secured in 1973 in the Roe v Wade decision. Despite the statements to the contrary of certain cowardly waverers, it is obvious that Kavanaugh will take advantage of the first opportunity he could get to overturn Roe all together, and until he can accomplish that, vote to render Roe v Wade a dead letter in practice as much as possible. Trump would not have nominated him if that were not the case.

In addition to the message aimed at silencing the struggle against sexual abuse and the attack on the fundamental rights of women, the threat of Kavanaugh’s confirmation places democracy at stake in yet another way, which is completely bound up with Donald Trump’s aspiration to create an authoritarian presidency. Even among Trump’s short list of reactionary candidates to nominate to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh stood out as holding absolutely extreme positions in favor of presidential power and against presidential accountability. In particular, Kavanaugh has publicly argued repeatedly that presidents should not be subject at all to investigations like the Mueller investigation. For the past year, the Mueller investigation has been the only governmental process aimed at determining the role the Trump campaign may have played in conspiring with Putin’s attempt to distort and determine the results of the 2016 presidential elections. Only the Mueller investigation can make possible holding Trump accountable for his numerous efforts to obstruct justice and turn the FBI, the Justice Dept. as a whole, and the nation’s intelligence agencies into his own personal state police. Given that there are already four judges on the Court ready to uphold a very expansive view of presidential power, Kavanaugh’s confirmation would create a long-term majority prepared to uphold the emergence of a reactionary, authoritarian presidential dictatorship over the next period of American history, beginning with an imminent set of decisions pertaining to the Mueller investigation.

The future of democracy is at stake. We are being called by history to meet the challenge of this extraordinary moment.

To all supporters of the movement to defeat Kavanaugh and Trump: get to DC this week, however you can. Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the US Supreme Court must be defeated. While Dr. Ford’s forthright courage was celebrated across the nation, anyone watching last Thursday’s performance by Brett Kavanaugh shuddered in disgust at his debauched rage. His performance was, from the beginning to end, the behavior of a guilty man. His testimony left no doubt that he is a dangerous misogynist and sexual predator. He presented an appalling display of exactly the kind of judge who should never receive a lifetime appointment to the most powerful court in the world. His testimony made utterly clear that Kavanaugh on the Court would be the closest equivalent to giving Donald Trump a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

Until Dr. Ford came forward, Kavanaugh’s nomination seemed all but secured. Today, the opposite is true. Today, Kavanaugh’s nomination presents a test of the #Metoo movement that has come forward against Trump’s misogyny, his promotion and defense of sexual assault that has been central to his political platform. As long as Donald Trump, as Abuser-in-Chief, remains in office, misogynist men like Kavanaugh will feel they have a greenlight to attack, harass, objectify and abuse women. By defeating the nomination of Kavanaugh we will be dealing a blow to Trump’s attacks on democracy and his movement of reactionary supporters who have been emboldened to carry out misogynist, immigrant-bashing, and racist attacks.

Now more than ever, as our nation stands at a crossroads, the Resistance must rise to our historic challenge. This is no time for “business as usual” or to rely on the promises and maneuvers of cynical politicians or the FBI. BAMN calls on all anti-Trump and pro-democracy Resistance fighters to join us in action to defeat the nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, and to force Trump to resign or be removed. The future of freedom and democracy is in our hands.

Vigil in solidarity with all who have suffered sexual violence and to call on all senators to vote no on Kavanaugh

Meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’  Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Area Security Initiative.

Agenda:

Revised Meeting Schedule and Meeting Protocols
Learning Goals and Data Needs
Urban Shield Guidelines, Adopted by Board of Supervisors and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
UASI Overview and 2019 Plan
Alameda County Emergency Management
Discussion on Criteria to Weigh Recommendations
Public Comment

Hear from @CatherineNCrump discussing the recent SCOTUS Carpenter ruling, and from Darlene Flynn – Dept. of Race & Equity, on how to measure (and mitigate) disparate impact.

Agenda:

4. 5:15pm: Election of vice-chair

5. 5:20pm: Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – discussion with Director Darlene Flynn – Dept. of Race & Equity about measuring and mitigating disparate impact; take action on Surveillance Technology Acquisition Questionnaire (STAQ)

6. 5:50pm: Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – discussion with staff and take action to adopt sequence of impact analysis and use policy writing for existing equipment7. 6:00pm: Special presentation and Q&A with UC Berkeley Law Professor Catherine Crump: Carpenter v. United States (2018)’

In the now extremely likely event that Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court, we will gather at 5pm on the day of the vote to show that #WeDoNotConsent to the appointment of yet another sexual predator into a position of power in the US govt. Join us to express our collective outrage and to continue the process of healing for survivors of the ‘justice’ system.

Bring silver duct tape and chapstick if you are able. We will continue to update on this page as details about the vote are released.

FROM DETENTION TO FREEDOM-REUNITED FAMILIES SPEAK! Join us for a community celebration of the past 7+ years of Interfaith Prayer Vigils at WCDF with people who have been freed and come home, and the Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers, a nonprofit community choir dedicated to social justice and human rights. www.joyfulnoisegospelsingers.org

The Contra Costa Racial Justice Coalition will host Aaron Zisser, a civil rights lawyer who served as Independent Police Auditor in San Jose.

As IPA, Zisser reviewed internal investigations of alleged officer misconduct and issued policy recommendations. He served in this role for about a year before an intense political campaign, waged by the police union, forced him out. South Bay police accountability activists believe that the campaign against Zisser was the police union’s way to trying to put the brakes on efforts to give the Auditor more powers to hold the agency to account. (As the Mercury News put it, a “veiled opposition to community demands for expanded reach for the IPA, including increased access to internal misconduct investigations – and officer-involved shooting probes.”)

Now that the CCC Racial Justice Task Force is trying to increase accountability over the CCC Sheriff’s office, Zisser will be attending the next CCRJC meeting to help thr group understand various models of independent oversight for law enforcement. Some of these models are described in “Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Bodies,” a report which describes the pro’s and con’s of different ways that cities oversee their police departments. Options range from civilian police commissions (such as we have here in Richmond) to Independent Auditor models, like the one in San Jose. To find out more or get involved, please attend the meeting on the 10th!

Editors Mateo Hoke (’14) & Taylor Pendergrass discuss their new oral history collection, SIX BY TEN: STORIES FROM SOLITARY, with narrator Mohammed “Mike” Ali. Featuring a reading and Q&A with Mateo, Taylor, and Mohammed, as well as a journalistic reversal in which Mohammed will interview the editors. This event is hosted by the Berkeley Oral History Center and is co-sponsored by Voice of Witness, Haymarket Books and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

About the book
Six by ten feet. That’s the average size of the cell in which tens of thousands of people incarcerated in the United States linger for weeks, months, and even decades in solitary confinement. With little stimulation and no meaningful human contact, these individuals struggle to preserve their identity, sanity, and even their lives.

In thirteen intimate narratives, Six by Ten explores the mental, physical, and spiritual impacts of America’s widespread embrace of solitary confinement. Through stories from those subjected to solitary confinement, family members on the outside, and corrections officers, Six by Ten examines the darkest hidden corners of America’s mass incarceration culture and illustrates how solitary confinement inflicts lasting consequences on families and communities far beyond prison walls. [MORE]

Six by Ten: Stories from Solitary is published by Haymarket Books.  Click here to purchase the book before the event.

RSVP: https://goo.gl/KSYYeU

We’re so excited to have Mutual Aid Disaster Relief stop in Oakland during their West Coast tour!

Come hear about MADR’s work including their formation during Hurricane Katrina, solidarity efforts in Puerto Rico, and all the way to their current training program.

This evening will be an introductory presentation: “Protectors v. Profiteers: Communities in Resistance to Disaster Capitalism.”

Free admission – all are welcome!
This event is in OMNI’s Ballroom which has wheelchair accessibility.

Posters from Beehive Collective and other merch will be on sale as a fundraiser for the tour. Please bring cash and support this impactful tour!
If you have any questions contact Susan: susanpark13@gmail.com

THEN, join them on Sunday in SF for a deeper, participatory workshop for affinity groups and individuals who are ready to get involved, “Giving Our Best, Ready For The Worst: Community Organizing as Disaster Preparedness.”

https://www.facebook.com/events/2584142935057711/

*********************************************************
The Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADRelief) Training Team is visiting our community. Currently MADRelief is on a national capacity-building and educational tour. They will explain how natural storms turn into unnatural disasters through dangerous new forms of “disaster capitalism” and “extreme resource extraction,” and train diverse affinity groups on principles of grassroots direct action humanitarian aid and crisis response, covering a wide range of topics such as “Principles of ‘Solidarity, Not Charity,’” “Using Privilege to Break Down Barriers,” “Building Power in Collaboration,” and “Overcoming Trauma Together.”

Our Unite HERE 2850 brothers and sisters are on strike against the
Oakland Marriot City Center as part of their national strike along with
more than 8,000 Marriott workers from San Francisco, San Jose, Boston
and Seattle.   Local 2850 represents East Bay’s hotel and restaurant
workers union who is saying, _“One job should be enough”_ — enough
for workers at the richest and biggest hotel company in the world.
Wei-Ling Huber, President Local 2850 says, _”Our workers have been
uplifted and empowered by the amazing support of IATSE 107, IOUE
Stationary Engineers Local 39 and others who have reached out.”_   IN
SUPPORT OF THEIR STRIKE, PLEASE JOIN US ON THE PICKET LINE THIS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11TH STARTING AT 6AM AT OAKLAND MARRIOTT CITY CENTER,
1001 BROADWAY, OAKLAND, CA.  Bring snacks, food and water to donate to
the workers as they will continue to picket every day from 5am to
midnight.

Donate to the “Strike Fund” by sending your check made out to ALC
Community Services Hardship Fund with “Strike Fund” in the memo line and
send to the Alameda Labor Council at 7750 Pardee Lane, Ste 110, Oakland,
CA 94621.

*****CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREAT PHOTOS OF THE STRIKING WORKERS BY
PHOTOGRAPHER, DAVID BACON:
HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/56646659@N05/SETS/72157698901870202 [1]

Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB) is a decent(ralised) secure gossip platform. Imagine if Facebook or Twitter was run by its users, could be extended by anyone, offered cryptographic security, and required no centralized infrastructure!

Come by and learn more about SSB, ask questions, get set up on one of the several client programs, and be free from oppressive centralized social networks.

Read more at https://www.scuttlebutt.nz

advance tickets: $12 : Books Inc (Berkeley), Pegasus Books (3 sites), Moes, Walden Pond Bookstore, Mrs. Dalloways. East Bay Books,    $15 door, KPFA benefit.

Cary McClelland is a writer, filmmaker, lawyer, and rights advocate.  His book is an eye-opening portrait of San Francisco transformed by the tech boom. Famously home to artists and activists, the birthplace of the Beats, the Black Panthers, and the LGBTQ movementin recent decades the Bay Area has been reshaped by Silicon Valley, the engine of the new American economy. The richer the region gets, the more unequal and less diverse it becomes. Cracks in the citys facaderapid gentrification, an epidemic of evictions, rising crime, atrophied public institutionshave started to appear. Cary McClelland spent several years interviewing people at the epicenter of the recent change, from venture capitalists and coders to politicians and protesters, from native sons and daughters to the citys newest arrivals. We hear from people who have passed through Apple, Google, eBay, Intel, and the other big tech companies of our time. We meet those who are experiencing changes at the grassroots level: a homeless advocate in Haight-Ashbury, an Oakland rapper, a pawnbroker in the Mission, a man who helped dismantle and rebuild the Bay Bridge, and many fascinating others.

Richard A. Walker is professor emeritus of geography at the University of California, Berkeley where he taught from 1975 to 2012. He has written on a diverse range of topics in economic, urban, and environmental geography, with scores of published articles to his credit. He is co-author of The Capitalist Imperative (1989) and The New Social Economy (1992) and has written extensively on California, including The Conquest of Bread (2004), The Country in the City (2007) and The Atlas of California (2013). Walker is currently director of the Living New Deal Project, whose purpose is to inventory all New Deal public works sites in the U.S. and recover the lost memory of government investment for the good of all.

Sasha Lilley is a writer and radio broadcaster. Shes the host of KPFAs critically acclaimed program of radical ideas, Against the Grain, and the series editor of PM Press political economy imprint Spectre. Her books include Capital and Its Discontents and Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Political Collapse and Rebirth.