Calendar

SAVE THE DATE: we need court support on Tuesday, 11/13, when a federal judge will hear our case against the eviction regime of Mayor Libby Schaaf and her Homelessness Czar Joe DeVries.

This will be at 2 PM, at the Oakland Federal Courthouse, 1301 Clay St, Oakland CA 94612.

— The Village, Oakland (@VillageOakland) November 11, 2018

Thanks to community members holding it down we were able to resist our eviction this weekend, but we’re still fighting for a court order to keep #HousingandDignityVillagethriving. Pack the court TUESDAY @ 2pm (Courtroom 2 on the 4th floor at Clay Street) to show your support for autonomous community driven solutions to this crisis! #homesforall #solidarity

Please join us at Berkeley’s International Computer Science Institute (ICSI), where Serge Egelman will share his research on how game apps have been collecting kids data. Serge’s work has been covered by the New York Times and Washington Post.

Serge’s team examined more than 5000 of the most popular kids apps and more than 50% appear to be failing to protect kids privacy.

Serge Egelman is the Research Director of Usable Security and Privacy at ICSI and is a returning Privacy Lab speaker.

ICSI will host us at 1947 Center Street in Berkeley (6th floor). Doors will open by 6pm for networking and Serge’s presentation will start at 6:30pm.

If you arrive after 6pm, someone will be there to help with after hours admissions (the front doors and elevators require key cards after 6pm).

Based on frequent, first-hand reporting in Iran and the United States, The Iran Agenda Today explores the turbulent recent history between the two countries and reveals how it has led to a misguided showdown over nuclear technology. Foreign correspondent Reese Erlich notes that all the major U.S. intelligence agencies agree Iran has not had a nuclear weapons program since at least 2003. He explores why Washington nonetheless continues saber rattling, and he provides a detailed critique of mainstream media coverage of Iran. The book further details the popular protests that have rocked Tehran despite repression by the country’s own Deep State. Erlich offers insights on Iran’s domestic politics, popular culture, and diverse populations over this recent era. His analysis draws on past interviews with high-ranking Iranian officials, the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, and Iranian exiles in Los Angeles, as well as his trip to Tehran with actor Sean Penn.Erlich’s book Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn’t Tell You, co-authored  with Norman Solomon was a best seller in 2003. His fifth book, Inside Syria: the Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect (foreword by Noam Chomsky) was published in 2014. In a starred review of Inside Syria, Publisher’s Weekly wrote that Erlich’s “insights and conclusions are objective and valuable… essential reading for understanding the current turmoil in the Middle East.

Norman Solomon is the author of a dozen books including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, where he coordinates the ExposeFacts.org program for whistleblowers and press freedom, and co-founder of RootsAction.org.

Sabrina Jacobs is host and producer of the popular A Rude Awakening, aired on KPFA, Mondays 3:30 -4pm. She covers local breaking news as well as global events, informing listeners about the latest social injustices. Ms. Jacobs is also currently serving as staff representative/vice chair of Pacifica Radio’s National Board.

65 million people worldwide are fleeing war, ethnic cleansing, environmental catastrophe. Filmed in 23 countries over two years, the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei brings to life the immense human scale of the worldwide refugee crisis.

The film’s aerial photography shows the destruction of Mosul by the U.S. in Iraq, sub-Saharan Africa where 26 percent of the world’s refugees are located, the vast network of permanent camps in the Middle East, and the open-air prison of Gaza and the U.S.-Mexican border.

Ai Weiwei gives voice to the people living through this and to their hopes and their dignified determination to be treated as human beings.

A team of journalists from Liberation News traveled to Mexico in early Nov. to document the refugee caravan. Thousands of mainly Honduran families walking thousands of miles to the U.S. border are fleeing incredible violence and poverty in their home country as a direct result of decades of U.S. exploitation and intervention in the region. These increased hardships stem directly from the 2009 U.S.-backed coup in Honduras that ousted the democratically-elected progressive leader Manuel Zelaya installing a rightwing puppet government and unleashing widespread violence throughout the country.

Join us for an eyewitness report and video from PSL organizer Gloria La Riva documenting the stories of those on the caravan and the mass support they have received from the people of Mexico as they traveled to the border.

Refreshments provided. Wheelchair accessible.

Are you thinking about going solar – tapping the sun for your energy needs? But you have so many questions, you don’t know where to start? Solar Simplified will provide a strong foundation for your decision-making. Solar is more accessible and affordable than ever, and the industry is rapidly changing. Solar expert Doug McKenzie will discuss the latest solar products, rebates, and technologies, plus the factors that are advancing or limiting the future of solar in the US. Presentation followed by Q&A, so bring your questions!

Topics include:

Why: The environmental and financial benefits of solar
What: How a PV system works, and the latest technology
Solar Financing: Owning versus leasing, low-income options, rebates
Other Considerations: Contractors, home selling, policies, Community Choice energy
Getting Off Gas: Batteries, electric cars, electric appliances
Jobs: The growth of solar in CA, US, the world, and how to get a foot in the door

Doug McKenzie retired early from HP after almost 20 years in software development and customer support. Before HP, he received a degree in Applied Math from UC Berkeley. After HP, he is living his dreams as a solar educator and consultant and as a career coach helping people through career transitions. He’s the East Bay development manager for non-profit solar installer SunWork.org and is on the Board of NorCal Solar. Doug lives in Berkeley and drives an electric car powered by rooftop solar.

We are disappointed to relay that dangerous air quality in the Bay Area has compelled us to cancel the People Get Ready II Conference, which was scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday November 17th.#climatechange #californiafires pic.twitter.com/qUfeAkaskK

— CPE (@Center4PE) November 17, 2018

Align your money with your values– stop funding war and fossil fuels!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-workshop-on-divesting-from-weapons-fossil-fuels-tickets-49846056898

Free Workshop to help you align your money with your values, break up with your Wall Street bank (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citibank, Chase, etc.), and divest from investments in fossil fuels and weapons. Join the growing movement for a “Peace Economy” and withdraw financial support from the War Economy.

Optional: Bring your laptop or other wi-fi-enabled device for a hands-on experience.

Learn to:
Identify local banks and credit unions where you can move your money with confidence. Break up with your Wall Street bank and keep your money local and used for community needs.

Use tools such as the online “As You Sow” program to discover if you’re invested in weapons and fossil fuels, plus identify socially responsible funds that perform as well as funds invested in weapons and fossil fuels.

Form support groups for continued mutual assistance on how to move your money.

Presenters include Cynthia Papermaster of CODEPINK, Sandy Emerson of Fossil Free California, Dave Peattie and Steve Murphy of Indivisible Berkeley Economic Justice Team.

Handouts, refreshments, hands-on workshop.

Exploring the difficult conversations in our lives around race and power. How do we approach the challenging conversations, whether it’s about confederate flags, Donald Trump, cultural appropriation, Palestine/Israel, or even just racism and racial justice in general?

Members of the White Noise Collective will facilitate a workshop exploring the difficult conversations in our lives around race and power. How do we approach the challenging conversations, whether it’s about confederate flags, Donald Trump, cultural appropriation, Palestine/Israel, or even just racism and racial justice in general?

This workshop is an opportunity to dive in much deeper with structured time to practice a range of difficult conversations around highly-charged racial issues. We will be sharing some basic skill-building tools in how to approach conversations, and then explore scenarios relevant to the lives of participants. This will include examination of some of the ways that internalized sexism can impact our courageous speaking capacities.

Small group work, role-plays, and Theater of the Oppressed techniques will support seeing tough communication blocks in a new light. We’ll try out what feels challenging, in a relatively low-stakes and supportive environment, allowing ourselves time to debrief, reflect, and learn from each other.

Contact basebuilding@surjbayarea.org with ticket requests or questions.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION The space is wheelchair accessible. We ask that you do your best to arrive at the event scent/fragrance free to keep the space as low-scent as possible to support people with chemical and scent sensitivities – please see https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/ for helpful information.

Do you think internet should be a public commons rather than a corporate monopoly?

Following Aspiration Tech’s annual Nonprofit Software Development Summit, come on over to Omni Commons to learn about the history of the internet, how it works, and how to build your own. Meet and mingle with civic hackers and organizers behind PeoplesOpen.Net: an open, community-based, wireless network in the East Bay.

Join us for food, family-friendly activities, and conversation about the state of the internet today, the physical work that goes into stewarding an internet commons, and the possibilities you see in owning and operating a piece of a community wireless network.

* No experience building internets necessary! Experience living and speaking with neighbors in your communities desired! Curiosity recommended 🙂 *

– Print a t-shirt and make buttons!
– Crimp an internet cable!
– Learn about the sweet nothings computers whisper to each other when you aren’t looking!
– Map your neighborhood resources!
– Eat tasty foods!

Agenda:
2:00pm – Why/what/how of the internet
2:30pm – Snack, mingle, share and experiment
3:00pm – Hands-on workshop with a variety of learning stations
5:00pm – end.

Donations accepted to offset the cost of tasty food!

In 2017, Phillips 66 applied for an Air District permit to nearly triple the amount of oil it brings in by tanker to its Rodeo wharf.  This current proposal follows an unsuccessful attempt made by the refiner three years ago to bring in tar sands crude via oil trains to its Central Coast refinery in Santa Maria.  That refinery is joined by pipeline to the refinery in Rodeo; together they comprise what Phillips 66 calls the San Francisco Refinery.  The Santa Maria project was stopped by the tireless efforts of Northern California activists all along the rail lines, who ultimately persuaded the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to deny approval.  Now Phillips 66 is resuming its attempts to convert to tar sands refining.  The current status of its Rodeo “wharf expansion” proposal is unknown, however.  The Draft Environmental Project has not yet been released, and it’s unclear what action the Air District will ultimately take.

The November 19th meeting should expose the very real connections between Canadian tar sands mining, Indigenous rights, and the potentially serious impacts on Bay Area frontline communities and on the global climate.  Will the BAAQMD, a major local enforcer of California climate policy, take its role of climate protector seriously enough to erect a protective barrier around the Bay and ensure that extra-toxic tar sands are kept out of local refinery crude slates?  Bay Area climate justice activists are watching closely.

See you on the 19th!

RSVP on Facebook

Please pack the court for oral arguments in East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, a federal lawsuit challenging the new Trump proclamation, which bars people seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border if they attempt to enter outside a port of entry.

Monday lawyers with Center for Constituional Rights and our legal co-counsel, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, will argue that the ban is unlawful and ask the court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the asylum ban from going into effect. The argument will take place before Judge Jon S. Tigar.

Note: Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to go through security. ID may be required.

More Information:

This case was filed the day the Trump order went into effect by grassroots organizations fighting for the rights of immigrants and refugees, including the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles. Our clients filed this legal challenge because the Trump administration’s actions are contrary to basic asylum, reflect the administration’s contempt for Central and Latin Americans, and will have dangerous consequences to highly vulnerable populations fleeing unspeakable violence.

Find out more information about our legal challenge here.

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

REPORT FROM THE FRONTLINES:
A report-back on Palestine by the US Palestine Community Network

Join us for a report back on the recent delegation to Palestine organized by the U.S. Palestine Community Network (USPCN). USPCN members will share about conditions on the ground as they relate to political prisoners, refugees, health, land theft, and the right of return.

This event is free and welcome to all ages. Donations to support the speakers as they travel the country is greatly appreciated.

Hosted by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center.
For more questions contact info@araborganizing.org

Info/RSVP

Tell Barbara Lee to support immediate action for a Green New Deal! Join the Sunrise Movement to visit Barbara Lee in a national day of action calling on progressive legislators to support rapid national mobilization for an equitable clean-energy economy.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is sponsoring a resolution to create a Green New Deal , a 10-year economic mobilization to carbon-neutrality and drawdown. Her resolution includes the requirement that the plan promote “high income work, entrepreneurship and cooperative and public ownership” as well as “social, economic, racial, regional and gender-based justice and equality.”

It is essential that members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including Barbara Lee, get behind this resolution to make it happen.

Last week Ocasio-Cortez joined the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats in a sit-in in Nancy Pelosi’s office. They said now that Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives it’s time to take bold action on the climate.

The Sunrise Movement and Climate Mobilization are calling on everyone to call five leaders of the Progressive Caucus on Monday and join in the national day of visits to legislators Tuesday.

The recent UN report on climate change is sobering. Urgent action is required to avert environmental disaster. We need a bold vision of a good and livable future — and a political program to match. For starters, that means insisting on a publicly funded clean energy transition on a rapid timeline and a major green jobs program. The main obstacle to achieving this vision should be obvious. Corporations spent millions of dollars to defeat clean energy initiatives in the elections earlier this month.

Please join the Night School for a discussion on how democratic socialists can organize for climate justice and help build the mass movement that will be needed to take on the corporations.

Accessibility: East Bay Community Space has a wheelchair-accessible entrance and bathrooms.

Required Readings
See the readings that we’ll be discussing after a brief introduction from our members.

To RSVP to this event, or check other events organized by Counter Culture Labs, see our Meetup page: http://www.meetup.com/Counter-Culture-Labs/

Join us at this 19th year gathering at our ancient ceremonial and the largest funerary site of the Ohlone people of the East Bay. This is a family friendly event, we will be handing out information and educating the public about this sacred site. Bring Cookies or snacks to share and a good attitude. We will have prayers and songs offered and updates on current work and issues in our communities

On Nov. 20, 1969, after centuries of being killed, displaced and driven from their land, a group of Native Americans landed on Alcatraz Island and claimed it as their own.

For 19 months the media reported every move, the government tried to stop them, and thousands of supporters visited and sent supplies.

In this 2015 documentary, the story of the historic, audacious takeover of Alcatraz is told with passion, humor and heart by Adam Fortunate Eagle, the main organizer.