Calendar

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

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]

Build elsewhere in Berkeley. Save our Greenspace. Save People’s Park.

If UCB gets their way, Berkeley will be covered with high-rises and hotels and the legal of Berkeley’s historic contributions to Free Speech, Anti War and Community Democracy will be reduced to a bronze plaque.

Oakland Marriott workers are in the second week of their strike for jobs that are enough to get by in the Bay Area. Marriott is the biggest and richest hotel company in the world and can afford to provide good jobs. That’s why nearly 8000 workers at 23 Marriott-operated hotels around the country, from Boston to Hawaii, are on strike for the principle that One Job Should Be Enough.

Join us for a rally to show Marriott that the whole East Bay stands behind the striking Marriott workers.

On October 23, more than 35,000 University of California workers across the state will be walking off the job!

Pickets will happen all day at Sproul Plaza on October 23 through 25. We are particularly encouraging people to show up for a rally at noon on Tuesday, October 23.

Patient care workers from AFSCME 3299 — backed up with a solidarity strike by other AFSCME service workers and UPTE technical workers — are demanding improvements on wages and working conditions, no cutbacks on benefits, and an end to management’s weaponization of inequalities of race, gender, and immigration status to exploit and intimidate workers.

Back in May, East Bay DSA showed up big to the AFSCME and UPTE strike, and we are going to do so again!

Please sign up for the Labor Committee’s Rapid Response system if you’d like to receive text messages that let you know about labor actions around the East Bay.

Accessibility: The UC campus is ADA-accessible. This will be a live picket line.

Update: Eviction action by City was called off today after people showed up. But:

#oakmtg We have received information the city WILL return tomorrow to evict. We anticipate more force, more aggression from the government, more cops.

If you can be here before 8am, please do. Historically they don’t come before 8am, but we are in new territory here.

— Jesse A.J. Smith 4 Oakland Mayor (@OakSmith2018) October 24, 2018

#Oakland! Unhoused activist Nino Parker, who lives here, is asking for as many people as possible to come down by 9am on 10/24 to help the fight. PLEASE come to offer support, supplies, documentation, & assistance.@CatsCommentary @EOakCollective @BlakeDontCrack @johnajonesIII https://t.co/546uEiQYvr

— jcat (@jcatjcatjcat) October 20, 2018

Update: Eviction action by City was called off today after people showed up. But:

#oakmtg We have received information the city WILL return tomorrow to evict. We anticipate more force, more aggression from the government, more cops.

If you can be here before 8am, please do. Historically they don’t come before 8am, but we are in new territory here.

— Jesse A.J. Smith 4 Oakland Mayor (@OakSmith2018) October 24, 2018

#Oakland! Unhoused activist Nino Parker, who lives here, is asking for as many people as possible to come down by 9am on 10/24 to help the fight. PLEASE come to offer support, supplies, documentation, & assistance.@CatsCommentary @EOakCollective @BlakeDontCrack @johnajonesIII https://t.co/546uEiQYvr

— jcat (@jcatjcatjcat) October 20, 2018

Waffles & Zapatismo is a free space for learning about and discussing the history, ideas, values and practices of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, EZLN or Zapatistas. We serve waffles at the start of the class to those who want them.

Join Yemeni Alliance Committee (YAC) and our partners in SF to protest the ongoing US involvement in the war in #Yemen.

Since March of 2015 Saudi Arabia and its coalition, which includes the Arab countries of: UAE, KUWAIT, BAHRAIN, QATAR, SUDAN, EGYPT, JORDAN, MOROCCO, backed and supported by the US AND THE UK-have been bombing Yemen. It has not been a civil war since then. The United States has provided the Saudis with weapons and logistical and intelligence support and helped refuel coalition jets (mid air) as they drop bombs on Yemeni civilians.

The U.S.-backed Saudi-led campaign has killed over 50 thousand Yemenis, destroyed the country’s infrastructure, has led to widespread disease and sparked a famine thats become one of the worst in living memory.

On top of this the Saudi blockade has restricted humanitarian aide, medical supplies and clean water to Yemen. According to the UN, Yemen is the worlds worst humanitarian crisis in decades. The war in Yemen has left more than 22 million people—75 % of the population in dire need of aide.

By now, we all know what the Saudi de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman and his regime are capable of, and its clear from the brutal murder of one of their own; when Washington Post journalist Jamal #Khashoogi was beheaded and dismembered earlier this month AND the atrocious attack on a school bus that killed at least 40 children by American-made bombs in August of this year-which is just a strike in a long string of attacks on the poorest nation in the Arab world. Only by Saudi Arabia could a crime like premeditated murder, or the mass killing of innocent Yemenis be called a mistake. Saudi warplanes target schools, hospitals and wedding halls in Yemen, and they shamelessly call such crimes “mistakes.

The Trump administration is allowing Saudi Arabia’s rivalry with Iran to dictate its policy in the region, and it comes at the cost of the innocent lives of Yemenis.

The only realistic check left is in Congress, where more voices are asking why the world’s most powerful country is helping to perpetuate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. We’ve been complicit in this war, But Its time to take action, especially during election season.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

Contact your Representatives: ASK them to sponsor #HConRes138 to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. CALL: 202-224-3121 or visit: https://callyourrep.co
Contact your Senators: ASK them to support #SJRES54, ending unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Yemen’s war. CALL: 202-224-3121 or visit: https://bit.ly/1ujDDoD
Take it to the streets, join a protest or organize one and use this hashtag: #YemenCantWait
Sign and share this petition by CREDO
Help YAC amplify next Saturday’s action on social media (using #YemenCantWait): http://bit.ly/2CLaTkn

In Solidarity,

-Yemeni Alliance Committee

To join the list of event hosts and add your organization’s name to this effort, complete this form: http://bit.ly/2yBTzvi

Doughnut Economics Reading Group starts Nov 10^th
Creating a world with neither human suffering nor planetary peril

Doughnut Economics: 7 ways to think like a 21^st century economist

By Kate Raworth Chelsea Green Publishing (2017)

The capitalist economic system defines every aspect of our lives: the schooling and medical care we get, where we live, and how we sustain ourselves. The system works for a lucky few and exploits everyone else. And it’s a real threat to the survival of our species (and many others) on this planet.

We know the system needs to change—but we can’t change what we don’t understand. We have to know what we’re talking about.

Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics lays out traditional economic theory—still taught as gospel at all the major temples of capitalism—with clarity, authority, lots of graphics, and quite a bit of humor. She exposes the flawed models and persistent myths that keep the system in place. Even more importantly, she presents seven big, basic ideas with which to begin creating the world we want to see. We can indeed build an economy in the “doughnut”—meeting the needs of all while maintaining the biospheres that support us.

All of us need to read this book. We’ve all grown up in this deeply unfair and absurd system; seeing it clearly and getting free of it require a group effort.

So we at Strike Debt Bay Area are sponsoring a group discussion of Doughnut Economics. We’re thinking of seven meetings so we can talk about one chapter per meeting. Please join us!

First meeting:

4:00 – 5:15pm, Saturday, November 10^th
Omni Commons, 4799 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland

Bring the book (available at your favorite online bookseller and in select local bookstores) and/or your thoughts on the first chapter (available online – http://tinyurl.com/ycysqtde ‘Look Inside’).

https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/

Tell UC: Hands Off Our Park!

Protect Our Green Space, Trees, Community, History, Free Speech, Social Justice, Civil Rights, Powe Gardens, Music, Art, Style, Freebox, Recreation, the

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.