Calendar

Demands:

• Public apology from Suhr to Mario’s mother
• SF pay for Mario’s funeral
• SF pay for Federal Investigation
• Identify all officers who fired weapons
• Fire all officers who discharged weapons
• Fire Police Chief Suhr

This Wednesday at 5 pm @ San Francisco City Hall: Demand Justice for #MarioWoods, murdered by #SFPD. pic.twitter.com/2bYKIzuP2K

— CRC Media Corps (@CRCMediaCorps) December 7, 2015

URGENT. All hands on deck:
Police Commission Meets on Mario Woods
NEED HUGE TURNOUT — Bring your groups.

Justice 4 Mario Woods, 26, assassinated by SF Bayview Police, 12-2-15
SF Bayview Police (5 cops, 25 bullets) were captured on video slaying Mario Woods 12-2-15. Citizens are keeping up rolling actions to ensure the firing of Police Chief Greg Suhr and to  indict and jail the five cops for first degree murder in the execution of Mario Woods.

The SF Police Commission meets to review the case at 5:00 PM.

We are ALL planning to show up at the Police Commission hearing with signs demanding resignation of Chief Greg Suhr, and the indictment of the five cops who killed Mario Woods. We need a Ferguson response. Don’t be pacified.

Come out for our sisters and brothers in the Bayview and for every one of us.

Bring signs:

STOP POLICE MURDERS

JUSTICE FOR MARIO

FIRE SUHR NOW

JAIL THE KILLER COPS

INDICT, CONVICT, JAIL

STAND UP, RESIST! SEND THOSE KILLER COPS TO JAIL
THE WHOLE DAMN SYSTEM IS GUILTY AS HELL

STOP MILITARIZATION OF POLICE

Bring pictures of Mario Woods

http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2015/12/07/police-to-reconsider-use-of-force-policy-after-killing-of-mario-woods
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2015/12/05/outraged-community-calls-for-sfpd-chiefs-resignation-over-killing-of-mario-woods
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/12/07/mayor-lee-calls-bayview-shooting-very-upsetting-after-viewing-video/

San Francisco will review and potentially revise the police department’s “Use of Force” policy following the fatal police shooting of Mario Woods in the Bayview last Wednesday, Dec. 2. Video of the shooting, showing at least ten police officers surrounding Woods – who was allegedly armed with a knife – before five officers opened fire, has prompted widespread outrage and calls for SFPD Chief Suhr’s resignation.

Long descriptions of taser abuse by police: taser-stories

The San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network will be hosting our annual International Migrant’s Day. This year’s theme is “Human Rights and Migrant Rights Across Borders”. This is a day of celebration and cultural sharing as well as raising awareness in our community about important issues and engaging in dialogue.

Our two presenters for the night will be covering the Syrian Refugee Crisis as well as Black Lives Matter Movement.  We will be having a variety of performances including, Chinese Lion Dancers, Peruvian Folklorico, and Migrante Musical Group.

Please help spread the word and join us for an evening of food, performances, cultural sharing, and dialogue.

The event is free and open to the public. Translation in Spanish. Arabic, Tagalog, and Chinese will be provided.

Join the Oakland Privacy Working Group to organize against Stingrays being acquired by law enforcement agencies, against Urban Shield, for various privacy ordinances to be passed by Alameda County and the Oakland City Council, against the Domain Awareness Center (DAC), Oakland’s citywide networked mass surveillance hub, and against other invasions of privacy by our benighted City, County, State and Federal Governments. We are also engaged in the fight against Predictive Policing and other “pre-crime” and “thought-crime” abominations.

OPWG was instrumental in stopping the DAC from becoming a city-wide spying network, and its members helped draft the Privacy Policy that puts further restrictions on the now Port-restricted DAC.

We were also the lead in having Alameda County pass the most comprehensive privacy and usage policy in the country for deployment of “Stingray” technology (cell phone interceptors).

Stop by and learn how you can help guard Oakland’s right not to be spied on by the government & if you are interested in joining the Oakland Privacy Working Group email listserv, send an email to:

oaklandprivacyworkinggroup-subscribe AT lists.riseup.net

For more information on the DAC check out

• DAC FAQ
• Oakland Wiki Domain Awareness Page
• Oakland Privacy WordPress

The Conscientious Projector Film Series for the 99% presents:
Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune. Plus! We will open with the Debut Screening of the New 2015 (30 Min) Vic Sadot Video:
“Phil Ochs May 1973 Interview: Nixon, Watergate, & S. America” on December 10, 2015 7 PM.

We will screen the 2015 Vic Sadot video made from the 1973 reel-to-real audio “Phil Ochs May 1973 Interview by Vic Sadot & Rich Lang” (30:10). The main feature will follow: “Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune”, a film by Kenneth Bowser released on First Run Features. (97 minutes, documentary, color, English, 2010)www.philochsthemovie.com

Synopsis: As our country continues to embroil itself in foreign wars, PHIL OCHS: THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE is a timely and relevant tribute to an unlikely American hero. Over the course of a meteoric music career that spanned two turbulent decades, Phil Ochs sought the bright lights of fame and social justice in equal measure – a contradiction that eventually tore him apart. From youthful idealism to rage to pessimism, the arc of Ochs’ life paralleled that of the times, and the anger, satire and righteous indignation that drove his music also drove him to dark despair. In this brilliantly constructed film, interview and performance footage of Ochs is illuminated by the ruminations of Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Peter Yarrow, Christopher Hitchens and others. Trailer: Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune (Documentary) HD http://youtu.be/zbS4ruKw2OQ

This location is wheelchair accessible via the ramp on the Bonita Avenue side of the building.

Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Committee
www.bfuu.org/events

#ShutItDown #JusticeForMarioWoods #SanFranciscoWalkoutForMario pic.twitter.com/1AIKvvplu9

— Michael McBride (@pastormykmac) December 11, 2015

We are back at our favorite homestead- Penelope- and we want to do it big for the holidays by bringing folks to eat, drink and be merry AND support a good cause.

That’s right folks– proceeds of our profit will be going to support the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, a kick ass organization empowering Arab communities in the Bay to fight for social justice and self-determination.

Tis the season for giving, but why not fill your belly and enjoy the warmth of Arab hospitality while you’re at it?

Mark your calendars. You don’t want to miss this holiday pop up.

The ReSisters: An evening of music, satire, hope, and three-part harmony with the Divas of
Dissent.

The ReSisters are Pat Wynne, Liliana Herrera, and Hali Hammer, three accomplished performers and songwriters, who mix topical commentary with the age-old pleasures of melody, close harmony, and rhythm.
There’s a rumor that Bernard Gilbert (sometimes known as the ReMister) will take a rare turn at the microphone for a guest set.

There will be a meeting, followed by a party!

The meeting focus will be on the effort to get Rent Control and Just Cause for Eviction on the ballot for a public vote. Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin and others from the coalition working on the issue will give an update on how the measure is shaping up thus far, and RPA members will have the opportunity to ask questions and give input.

Here’s a statement the coalition issued earlier this month:

“We remain committed to rent control in Richmond to protect residents from unfair rent hikes and no cause evictions. We expect the City Council to put rent control/just cause on the ballot in the coming weeks. Now that the real estate lobby has forced the issue to the ballot, the voters will have the opportunity to adopt these basic protections for our residents. The industry will regret their gamesmanship here. We expect voters to have little patience for huge rent hikes, unfair evictions, and profiteering through displacement.”

As noted by Randy Shaw in The New Rent Control Wars, “The biggest challenge for rent control campaigns is the organized political opposition of the real estate industry.” In September, San Francisco Supervisors unanimously voted to strengthen their city’s protections against tenant evictions.. Meanwhile, in Richmond, the California Apartment Association managed to block the implementation of Richmond’s Rent Control with Just Cause Ordinance. At least, as Councilmember Eduardo Martinez was quoted in an East Bay Express article earlier this month, “It gives us more time to create a better ordinance that we can put on the ballot.” Please plan to be at the meeting December 12th to learn about the progress being made and think about how you can help make the ballot measure succeed.

Come and help us draw awareness to and fight unjust debt!

Presentation: 4-6pm
Party + Potluck: 6-9pm

For the last 3 months, Joelci Dannacea, an economist and leader of the Landless Worker’s Movement of Brazil (MST) has been visiting the Bay Area to learn more about U.S. social movements, and to share about her work with the MST, one of the world’s largest, most successful social movements.

As the exchange comes to a close, Joelci, the Bay Area Friends of the MST, PLACE for Sustainable Living, Occupy the Farm, and the Sustainable Economies Law Center invite you to Joelci’s last public event before she heads back to Brazil. Joelci will share reflections and insights on the current political moment, the MST’s ongoing work, and how together we must “Globalize the Struggle, Globalize Hope”.

A point of focus during the presentation will be “The Social Movement Economy”. Joelci will explain how she helps establish agricultural co-operatives on land recently won through occupation, and how those co-ops quite literally feed, house, and otherwise support their militancy. For the latter half of the discussion, Joelci will be joined by Chris Tittle from the Sustainable Economies Law Center, to discuss how co-operatives are (and aren’t) supporting social movements here in the U.S.

There will be time for Q+A following the discussion, and a party to send Joelci off!

Donations at the door appreciated, no one turned away for lack of funds.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition will be hosting LYRICAL REVOLT, a political-artistic space to express oneself through any vocal medium. Join us as we use the power of our words and art to battle the injustices that face the world today.This open mic is dedicated to the liberation of the Palestinian people and the demand to immediately release Mumia Abu Jamal and all political prisoners in the United States. The violently racist doctrines of Zionism and white supremacy have terrorized and imprisoned Palestinians on their own land while leaders of the liberation struggles of oppressed people have either been murdered or locked up in U.S. prisons. The growing movements and rebellions confronting state terror remind us that Existence is Resistance! Free Mumia! Free Palestine!
———————–

The program will start at 7pm sharp, sign ups will start at 6pm.

On Saturday, December 12th, Paul Z. Simmons will speak on their series of recent dispatches from the liberated territories of Rojava in Northern Syria, a region besieged by war yet is also in the midst of one of the most far reaching social experiments of the 21st Century: the ‘Rojava Revolution.’ The liberated territories of Rojava are a thriving example of stateless democracy and of a people who are overturning traditional institutions such as patriarchy and social hierarchies. All events will be by donation and free copies of Paul’s dispatches will be on hand along with other revolutionary anarchist publications.

Simons talks about his experiences including crossing international boundaries under false pretenses, attending commune meetings in Kobane, high-velocity detours around ISIS sympathetic villages, and the camaraderie of the YPG militias. Simons had full access to the various revolutionary organizations and militias and will discuss their mandates and implementation issues associated with realizing a stateless society. Weaving together ideas of anti-authoritarianism, feminism, ecology, and a rejection of the state, Paul Z. Simons’ report, which is part adventure and part political journalism on the the Rojava Revolution, is not to be missed by anyone working for sweeping social transformation in the current age.

Check out the whole tour:

Sunday, December 6th, 7pm, Santa Cruz
SubRosa Infoshop, 703 Pacific Ave

Monday, December 7th, 7pm, Monterey
Old Capitol Books, 559 Tyler St

Tuesday, December 8th, 7pm, Cupertino
De Anza College, Campus Center, Conference Room A&B, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. $3 parking permit required for campus parking.

Saturday, December 12th, 7pm, Oakland
OMNI Commons, 4799 Shattuck Ave

Sunday, December 13th, San Francisco
Station 40, 16th Street 4040 B (Near Mission Street). Note, Station 40 is up two flights of stairs.

Sponsored by: Modern Slavery, FireWorks, Ruins of Capital Distro, Industrial Workers of the World/Solidarity Network San Jose, Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN), SubRosa Infoshop, OMNI Commons, and Station 40.

Monthly interfaith prayer meeting, held on second Sundays, dedicated to survivors and victims of violence and police terror in Oakland.

The Baha’i community of Oakland is organizing this gathering for the community to connect, share prayers, writings and poems from all spiritual traditions, reflect and recharge and build coalitions interested in healing.

In April, it was two years since we started holding these prayer meetings at the Baha’i Center. Come share prayers, quotes, poems, and favorite passages from your scriptures with us. We will serve a simple breakfast.

Oakland: Bill of Rights Day Celebration

bill of rights day
Tickets are limited. Please purchase yours below by Friday, Dec. 11, 2015.

It’s been an amazing year, full of victories for all Californians!

Come celebrate with us at our annual Bill of Rights Day. This year, we’ll be in Oakland at the Impact Hub, a coworking space for change-makers!

After the program, enjoy appetizers and an open bar at the reception, honoring:

Dorsey Nunn for his commitment to racial justice, especially in voting rights and for catalyzing the nation’s “ban the box” movement. His work empowering formerly incarcerated people is an inspiration.

Dr. Milton Estes for his leadership and decades of service to the ACLU both in Northern California and nationally. Milton has served as an advisor in the areas of reproductive justice, public health, and HIV/AIDS policy, as well as providing exemplary service as a Board leader.

Let’s honor these bold leaders together and celebrate a year of legislative successes for civil rights and civil liberties!

This public forum will examine the militarization of local police departments and the implications for public safety, inspired by the murder of Yuvette Henderson by the Emeryville Police Department. Yuvette was gunned down on February 2nd after being confronted by a security guard at Home Depot for alleged shoplifting. She died in a hail of gunfire by Emeryville police armed with AR-15 military-grade machine guns.

Since that day, many in our community have asked – why does a small police department, patrolling a community of less than 11,000, need military-grade assault weapons? Are the people of Emeryville any safer because of it?

We’ll also explore the ways that agencies like the Pentagon have played a role in accelerating the militarization of local police departments, as well as the direct connection between the Oakland Police Department and the Israeli Defense Force. Policy experts and local activists will examine the impact of coordination between police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Latino communities.

The day will also feature spoken word and music performances highlighting the damage done by police violence. This forum is the launch of a broader campaign to end militarization of the Emeryville Police Department, and will include opportunities to get involved.

Casey was arrested protesting at Old Berkeley City Hall on Monday, 12/7, for “lodging.”
He had a hearing on Thursday at which the judge set bail at $2500, because
he does not have a fixed place of residence and is therefore not “reliable enough”
to be let out without bail.

He has another hearing on Monday, 12/14, at 9:00 AM at Wiley Manuel, Rm 104.

Casey’s attorney has written:

Casey’s court date is Monday. Honestly, if there are folks willing to
support him by coming to court, I know that makes a difference for people on
the inside. Do you think there would be any support for that?

So if you can make it, please mark your calendar and show up!!

You can read more about the homeless Occupation of Old Berkeley City Hall on the
First They Came for the Homeless Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/First-they-came-for-the-homeless-253882908111999/

and the first several days of the Occupation (before they were evicted) were summarized here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/28/1454718/-Homeless-Not-Helpless-Diary-of-an-Occupation

First They Came for the Homeless joined the fight against the sale of the Berkeley Post Office
and the privatization of the Commons more than a year and a half ago, and is still Occupying
the downtown Berkeley Post Office, and has organized the protest against anti-homelessness
ordinances that have been passed by the City Council of Berkeley, continuing with the protest
at Old City Hall.

                  Movie Night: “Where the Spirit Lives” A film about aboriginal life in Canadian residential schools

Where the Spirit Lives (1989) is a drama about aboriginal children in Canada being taken from their tribes to attend residential schools for assimilation into majority culture. The Aboriginal Residential Schools were a network of “residential” (boarding) schools for Indigenous Canadians (First Nations or “Indians”; Métis and Inuit). Funded by the Canadian government they were administered by Christian churches and operated for most of the 20th Century. The policy was to remove children from the influence of their families and culture, and assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture.^[2] Over the course of the system’s existence, about 30% of native children, or roughly 150,000, were placed in residential schools nationally.

A consensus emerged in the early 21st century that residential schools did significant harm to Aboriginal children who attended them by removing them from their families, depriving them of their ancestral languages, through sterilization, and by exposing many of them to physical and sexual abuse by staff members, and other students. Many native and non-native people are calling for reparations to be made by the Canadian government to the survivors of the system.

The lead character of the film is a young girl taken from her reservation to one of the schools but whois particularly resistant to efforts to westernize her.

It may be interesting to discuss the film’s story in light of the election of the new Canadian Prime Minister who has said one of his top priorities will be to honour treaties with aboriginal people and to address long-standing issues such as poverty and racism towards them.

Time will be allotted for Q&A, discussion and announcements.

Come learn about continuing developments in the battle to save the Berkeley Post Office, other Post Offices in the area, and the Postal Service from privatization. Support our Occupiers and help us plan our next steps in opposition to the theft of our public commons.

Since Federal Judge William Alsup’s ruling in April, 2015 after the Postal Service told the judge it is not currently selling the building, the Postal Service has remained silent and no further attempts at a sale have been attempted. But we’re not fooled. They could “find” a buyer at any moment (although the Judge ordered the Postal Service to provide 42 days notice before any sale, so that the City of Berkeley’s lawsuit could be refiled).

Check out the Community Garden at the Post Office.

In recent developments, Berkeley has Declared War on Its Homeless, and an ordinance criminalizing the homeless came before the City Council on June 30th (see here and here) but was tabled. Then the City Council majority brought a version back and it passed on a first reading 6-3 on November 17th, 2015.  The 2nd reading will have been December 1st.

November 1st was the one year anniversary of First They Came for the Homeless’ occupation of the downtown Post Office’s grounds. FTCftH put together a sit/lie protest in San Francisco on Black Friday.

BPOD is supporting FTCftH in its efforts to protest the criminalization of the homeless and to support the provision of services for those without an indoors place to live.

Check out our website and the Save the Berkeley Post Office website, and First they Came for the Homeless Facebook for updates.

BPOD is an offshoot of Strike Debt Bay Area, which itself is an offshoot of Occupy Oakland and a chapter of the national Strike Debt movement, which is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street.