Calendar
There will be an RPA membership meeting from 2-3:15 pm. Right after that, we will move into party mode and have our winter holiday party & fundraiser from 3:30 – 5:30. As usual, the meeting is for RPA members. But the party is open to all! Please invite friends, family and neighbors and help support the RPA in 2019.
About the party: Desserts and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided free of charge with donations accepted for beer and wine.
Our silent auction will provide an opportunity for you to bid on exciting gifts for others or for yourself, including: art work, art tour, piano tuning, dance lessons, Sushi and Cal-Mediterranean dinners, Cuban Rum and a 3 night stay in Cuba.
This event is open to the public and a great chance to get to know the RPA, build community, contribute to a great cause and pick up some wonderful gifts.
After you register spread the free ticket link here, and spread the word via Facebook here
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 3 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 3:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months, once Daylight Savings Time springs forward we tend to assemble at 4 PM).
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 2 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over five years! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
- Welcome & Introductions
- Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
- Announcements
- (Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
We’re featuring the best films from FILMS TO THE PEOPLE Short Film Festival. Because of the smoke caused by the fires, a lot of you were bummed that you weren’t able to attend. So we’re hosting a Best of the Fest at our next film night. You won’t want to miss this last chance to watch this slate of films that shows social justice can be touching, hard-hitting, and even funny.
A Pair Of Horns On A Female Homo Sapiens by Saleh Kashefi
Con o Sin Papeles by Aria Zapata
Cycles by Latajh Weaver
Guardian Movie by Nicolas Jara
Snow Mountain by Ed Ntiri
The Salmon Will Run by Survival Media Agency
ZOO by Andrew Schrader
Doors Open @ 4:30pm
$5 NOTAFLOF
A Valve Turner In Person!
Leonard Higgins and four other Valve Turners decided to turn off the valves that regulate the pipeline flow of Canadian crude oil into the US. They were following the honored tradition of civil disobedience – take the bold action, have it documented for all the world to see, then wait to be arrested. At their trials, they sought to use the Necessity Defense to challenge the nation’s energy policy.
Higgins is the only UU in the group of three men and two women. By their actions at the US borders, they demonstrated strong commitment to Environmental Justice.
Sponsored by the BFUU SJC.
Kick-off meeting to create Slingshot issue #128. (Note – issue #128 was supposed to come out in the fall but we postponed it to improve the articles and revive the collective.) Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
* Brainstorm articles for next issue
* Orientation on how you can submit articles, art, photographs
* Help us discuss our audience and themes for the next issue
* Discuss fundraising and distribution
* Your chance to comment on Slingshot
Everyone is welcome.
Issue #128 is due out on February 1, 2019
Deadline for Issue #128 is January 19, 2019
Our last meeting of 2018.
Agenda forthcoming.
Working Group Meetings:
The Advocacy Working Group meets with public officials, government staff and other stakeholders to learn what they can teach us about integrating a public bank into existing systems, and to convince them to support our bank. Drop us a note (contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org) if you want to participate.
The Outreach Working Group needs organizers, and people to staff tables and talk to folks about public banking. Send us a note at contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org if you can help.
The ad hoc Governance Working Group is working on updating our governance plan in light of new information. Drop us a note at contact@friendsofpublicbankofoakland.org if you want to be part of this effort.
For those of you who would like to be more involved in the planning of the Audit the Sheriff campaign organized by the Ella Baker center, meetings are held every other Monday from 6-7:30 at the EBC office.
SCHEDULE
8:20 Coffee & Bagels
8:30 Gathering & Opening Circle
8:45 Press Conference
9:00 Sgt. Russell’s Courtdate
Recently, it was revealed that Alameda County Sergeant James Russell and Lieutenant Timothy Schellenberg were caught on video admitting to the illegal recording of youth defendants in confidential conversations with their own attorneys.
This is a Constitutional Rights violation and our concern is that it points to a much larger systemic problem.
Recording a defendant and their lawyer is a violation of the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments, as well as CA Penal Code 632, which is a felony offense punishable by up to 3 years in prison.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) have spied on a defendant as they spoke with their lawyer. It also happened back in 2012.
This is NOT an issue of “one bad apple.” We have a rotten tree that must be dealt with.
THE ENTIRE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AS NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
Felony charges have been filed against one sergeant, which is a good start but certainly not enough. This is just the tip of the iceberg for a department riddled with problems and constant allegations of the violation of people’s rights.
We call on Alameda County’s District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to conduct a thorough investigation of this matter and pursue the appropriate criminal charges against the Sheriff’s Deputies who have broken the law.
SIGN THE PETITION: bit.ly/NotAboveLaw
We demand that the District Attorney Nancy O’Malley do the following:
1. PROSECUTE Sergeant James Russell on the four counts of felony eavesdropping to the fullest extent of the law. No slap on the wrist.
2. INVESTIGATE the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to determine the extent of this egregious violation of the United States Constitution, make public the results of the investigation, and file felony charges against Lt. Tim Schellenberg for his complicity, as well as all other officers involved in the recording of these constitutionally protected conversations.
Three antifascist activists are facing serious charges for defending our city against neo-Nazis two and a half years ago. We’re calling on our community to come out to their 2nd pretrial hearing and show support for these brave individuals. It’s up to us to make it clear that we stand with them!
We will be meeting at the courthouse and attending their court appearance. Come in casual, formal, or semi-formal attire and be prepared to go through a metal detector. Avoid arriving or leaving alone, and leave the area as soon as the court appearance is over. The court date will begin at 9 am and continue until 5 pm or until the hearing has concluded, whichever comes first. This is a critical way to show your solidarity and be a presence for activists being unfairly targeted by the state.
About the court case:
On June 26th, 2016, members of the neo-Nazi gang the Golden State Skinheads attempted to rally at the State Capitol here in Sacramento. Hundreds of counter-protesters mobilized and successfully shut down the Nazi rally. After the rally was canceled, the neo-Nazis attacked demonstrators with knives and clubs, stabbing and critically injuring several. Since then, one neo-Nazi has been arrested and three anti-racist activists are facing charges. After several cancellations and continuations, this is the final court date before our comrades are put on trial. So far, our community has come out to each court date to support them. This is their most important court appearance until the trial, so it’s urgent that we show up in numbers and make our support known!
Celebrating the publication of Human Rights and Wrongs and Plan Colombia
Authors Adrianne Aron and John Lindsay-Poland discuss their new books, Human Rights and Wrongs (Sunshot Press) and Plan Colombia: U.S. Ally Atrocities and Community Activism (Duke University Press), respectively. Both books recount stories of individuals and communities – especially in Latin America – resisting U.S. and state violence, often at great cost, and the power of human solidarity. Aron’s vignettes in the style of Eduardo Galeano draw from her experience as a psychologist and work with Central American refugees.
Lindsay-Poland narrates a Colombian peace community and a massacre, as well as the policy of training and equipping Colombian forces that serves as a template for U.S. intervention globally.
Books will be available for sale and signing.
www.sunshots.org/human-rights-and-wrongs
www.dukeupress.edu/plan-colombia (Preface and Introduction free online)
Sponsored by the BFUU SJC.
JOINT WALK‐IN CLINICS with Public Defender and EBCLC
*Please bring your statewide CA DOJ RAP sheet
if you have it or we can give information at clinic*
We may be able to help with:
Dismissal of Conviction – PC 1203.4
Felony Reduction / Prop 47 and 64 Relief
Early Termination of Probation
Certificate of Rehabilitation
Sealing Arrest Record – Factual Innocence
Juvenile Record Sealing
Post-Conviction Relief for Immigrants and
Survivors of Human Trafficking
Employment denials due to criminal background
reports
Occupational Licensing Denials(DSS, Security
Guard)
Voting Rights, Jury Service Rights
Tomorrow @ 12 pm, the Landless People’s Alliance is holding a press conference @ Alameda County Admin Building 1221 Oak St. to speak out against the mistreatment of unhoused folks in the Bay Area. Please show up to support their demands for justice&dignity https://t.co/oOZsFJl7U0
— The Village, Oakland (@VillageOakland) December 20, 2018
A presentation, The True Cost of Healthcare, by David Belk, MD
Have you ever wanted to build a socialist utopia out of gingerbread houses? Want to learn more about what East Bay DSA is doing around housing? Wondering what exactly is “social housing?” Join the East Bay DSA Housing Committee for a fun evening of making gingerbread houses and socializing with comrades. This is open to the general public. Bring your friends! Hot chocolate included.
Mycologist Alan Rockefeller will give a lecture on the identification of psilocybin mushrooms. It will include an overview of all North American species, focusing on the species which occur in the San Francisco Bay area. The audience will learn important characteristics for accurate identification and how to spot poisonous lookalikes. Participants are invited to bring legal mushrooms for a hands-on discussion of how to identify mushrooms you encounter.
Alan Rockefeller is a mycologist living in Oakland. He spends half the year hunting mushrooms in Mexico where he documents a wide variety of fungal species. His experience in the field has focuses on mushroom identification, DNA analysis, microscopy and photography.
In the lab Alan sequences the DNA of mushrooms from all over the world, gaining new insights into existing species, discovering new ones and eliminating duplicates in the taxonomic record.
$10 Suggested Donation – RSVP Below
http://psychedelicsocietysf.org/event/alan-rockefeller-psychedelic-mushrooms-of-california-talk-and-presentation/
By donating to this event you will help Alan do his work in the field as an independent mycologist, the SF Psychedelic Society, and The Omni Commons, a trifecta of open source, community-centered people and organizations. Thank you for your support this Holiday Season.
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 3 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 3:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months, once Daylight Savings Time springs forward we tend to assemble at 4 PM).
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 2 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over five years! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
- Welcome & Introductions
- Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
- Announcements
- (Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
2019 is shaping up for an upswing of direct action, movement building and new thought against ecological collapse, wealth inequality, and for social justice.
This film has worthwhile history and some inspiration for folks just plugging in. Interviews plus archival footage. (1990 Documentary Directed by Mark Kitchell -117 minutes)
The 10th Annual Oscar Grant Vigil will be held on Tuesday, January 1, 2019 from Noon till 4pm at the Fruitvale BART station. You are invited to join the Justice4Pedie and Justice4Terry Amons Jr. march, which will meet at 12:30 outside the Guadalajara restaurant (1001 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland) and march to join the vigil at 1pm.
Hope to see you there!
JOINT WALK‐IN CLINICS with Public Defender and EBCLC
*Please bring your statewide CA DOJ RAP sheet
if you have it or we can give information at clinic*
We may be able to help with:
Dismissal of Conviction – PC 1203.4
Felony Reduction / Prop 47 and 64 Relief
Early Termination of Probation
Certificate of Rehabilitation
Sealing Arrest Record – Factual Innocence
Juvenile Record Sealing
Post-Conviction Relief for Immigrants and
Survivors of Human Trafficking
Employment denials due to criminal background
reports
Occupational Licensing Denials(DSS, Security
Guard)
Voting Rights, Jury Service Rights