Calendar
Join us for this important way to show solidarity with our incarcerated LGBTQ+ and HIV+ community members! Every month on the 3rd Monday, we’ll have mail processing/data entry, birthday cards to our LGBTQ members in nearby Norcal prisons AND penpal info, so join us for whatever your pleasure is (and invite your friends)!
Please join with or without a laptop – there is work for everyone! If you’d like, we’ll train you to respond to letters or to enter and update penpal request forms in our database. Getting these forms into our database helps get our inside folks matched to penpals, so this is an essential part of our work (and we have so much mail!).
If you want to start a penpal relationship, we will also have info on folks to send letters to, all the supplies, and ways to get more involved in the movement to abolish prisons. Letterwriting is one incredible way we have to overcome the isolation intended by the PIC.
Some food and beverages are available for purchase from the cafe. And please bring some dollars and change toward postage, if you can. Any money raised beyond the cost of supplies will be used to support both local & national Black & Pink projects.
Wheelchair accessible, though outlets for laptops are on the 2nd floor only.
RALLY at the San Francisco Federal Courthouse while the four CA Prisoner Hunger Strike and Ashker Class Representatives ‘Meet and Confer’ with CDCr to address the continuing solitary conditions that violate the Ashker lawsuit settlement agreement. The four prisoner hunger strike representatives will be present in the courtroom, an historic presence!
Help create a strong show of solidarity with prisoners fighting for human rights!
What’s going on? The prisoner class-led movement and the Ashker class action lawsuit resulted in the release of over 1400 people from solitary confinement Security Housing Units (SHUs) to what the CA Department of Corrections (CDCr) calls “General Population.” However, many of those people continue to be subjected to conditions of extreme isolation. With little to no out-of-cell time and no chance for social interaction, they are still in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
On July 3, 2018, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled:
- “The Settlement Agreement was intended to remove Plaintiffs from detention in the SHU, where they were isolated in a cell for 22 ½ to 24 hours a day.� many Plaintiffs [now] spend an average of less than an hourr of out-of-cell time each day, which is similar to the conditions they endured in the SHU.� … This demonstrates a violation of the Settlement Agreement.” FULL RULING HERE
- and “…a substantial percentage of Plaintiffs in Restricted Custody General Population (RCGP) are …not permitted to exercise in small group yards or engage in group leisure activities. This does not comply with the terms of the Settlement Agreement.” FULL RULING HERE
The Ashker Plaintiff class reps and legal team were ordered to meet and confer* with CDCr lawyers to explore a resolution of these two issues. The four prisoner hunger strike representatives will be inside the courtroom. Please join us outside, and bring a friend, in a strong show of solidarity.
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IS TORTURE
UNITY INSIDE, UNITY OUTSIDE
IMPORTANT NOTE: August 21, 2018 is the 47 year memorial anniversary of revered prison activist, George Jackson, who was assassinated by CA guards in San Quentin prison. It is also the first day of the 2018 National Prison Strike for humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform, and the end of modern day slavery.
*Meet and confers are usually private with no judge present. This one will be in the presence of Magistrate Robert Illman and not open to the public.
prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com
Organized by Cheryl Davila Vice Mayor.
Agenda: Closure of homeless shelter at 9th and University, which houses 95 people per evening.
Join the Thrive Street Choir (Oakland) and the Peace Poets (Brooklyn) for a dynamic song leading workshop, a week before RISE for Climate Jobs & Justice 9/8.
The Peace Poets are LEGENDS, coming to Oakland for a short time and will grace us with a performance and workshop!
We will gearing up for a 50k person Choral Flashmob, the largest singing climate mobilization in history! Come learn and practice the movement songs that we will be singing together in the streets of San Francisco (in harmony!).
We will be teaching techniques for being an effective song leader for this mobilization and beyond, and teaching some legendary and fresh new funky songs for (climate) justice – our present day movements need more songs!
This event is the second in a two-part mini-series on race, class, and the socialist struggle against racial oppression. This class will build on the concepts of the first class, focusing on socialism and the struggle against racial oppression via a discussion of the US police state. We’ll discuss how democratic socialists can put theory into practice to most effectively combat police violence and mass incarceration.
Aside from a short opening lecture, the bulk of class time will be spent in small, group-facilitated discussions. We’ll provide a short set of readings here beforehand, and we encourage all participants to read them before class. Members and non-members of any experience and knowledge level on this issue are warmly invited.
Required Readings
See the readings that we’ll be discussing after a brief introduction from our members.
Last month, community pressure led to the cancellation of a contract to detain hundreds of immigrants for ICE in Contra Costa County, and community groups called for the release of all immigrants incarcerated there. Instead, in an arbitrary abuse of power, ICE transferred our community members from the West County Detention Facility to for-profit immigration jails in Denver, Colorado, and Tacoma, Washington. Thus, separating individuals further away from their families, lawyers, and social services.
Please join community members and faith leaders to pack the court for Hugo and Misael who’s bond hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, August 22, 2018 (times for each hearing underneath). RSVP to both Lourdes at lbarraza@im4humanintegrity.org & Sarah at slee@im4humanintegrity.org if you plan on attending any of these events.
8:30 AM – Pack the Court for Hugo Aguilar*
Hugo has lived in the U.S. for over 24 years and is a proud father of 3 U.S. citizen children who miss their father dearly. For almost 17 months, Hugo’s children have been without their father and Hulissa, his 12-year-old daughter, has been very outspoken about how much she needs her dad home. For the past six months, Hugo’s attorney has worked tirelessly to get a bond hearing for Hugo and thankfully, the family was just notified that the hearing was granted. Hugo is 1 out 6 people left at the WCDF. Support Hugo and his family at his bond hearing!
11:00 to 11:30 AM – Press Conference Highlighting Families with Loved Ones Transferred from WCDF
12:30 PM – Pack the Court for Misael Quezada Flores*
Misael is a loving father and husband who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years. He was one of the community members transferred to Colorado last week, even though he had a hearing scheduled in SF. His wife, Fatima, is 6.5 months pregnant and has suffered physical stress because of Misael’s detention. This Wednesday is his last hearing on his asylum case and will determine whether he’s released. Misael will be on a video call from Colorado. Fatima asks for community presence at this important hearing – let’s show up for Misael!
*If you are attending a bond hearing – bring a valid form of ID, no signs or clothing with words relating to the hearing. If you have clergy attire please wear.
West Oakland Punks with Lunch is a guerilla not-for-profit Harm reduction outreach organization providing food and other necessities to people experiencing homelessness.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to volunteer with us! We just ask a few simple guidelines to keep PWL running smoothly.
Please come wearing closed toed shoes and dressed appropriately for the weather. We ask that you show up with a non-judgemental, come as you are attitude. Be ready to work hard and have fun!
Wednesday: Mobile Outreach
Meet at: 36th and MLK Hours: 6pm-8pm
We do mobile outreach from 56th St. and MLK all the way down to 30th and MLK.
We provide snacks, water, hygiene and harm reduction supplies.
If you are interested in volunteering Wednesdays, please email us at:
oaklandpunkswithlunch@gmail.com
Sunday: Fixed Sites
Meet at: 2630 Union St. Hours: Prep 1pm-3pm, Distribution: 3pm-6pm
We have two fixed sites on Sundays. One at 35th and Peralta St. from 3:30pm-4:15pm and the other at 4:30pm-5:15pm. Ideally we stay on time, but we don’t beat ourselves up if we are a little late. You have the option of staying for only prep, only distribution, or BOTH! Sundays are the perfect day to get to know our organization for the day, or continue working with us to grow as on organization.
Surveillance Camera Plan Under Consideration
The El Cerrito Police Department will be holding a public meeting for the expansion of the surveillance camera project. The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers (10890 San Pablo Ave.) If you would like to read more information about the surveillance camera project, please click on “additional info.”
Join Oakland Privacy to organize against the surveillance state, police militarization and ICE, and to advocate for surveillance regulation around the Bay.
We fight against “pre-crime” and “thought-crime,” spy drones, facial recognition, police body cameras and requirements for “backdoors” to cellphones, to list just a few invasions of our privacy by all levels of Government.
We draft and push for privacy legislation for City Councils, at the County level, and in Sacramento. We advocate in op-eds and in the streets. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and believe no one is illegal.
Oakland Privacy originally came together in 2013 to fight against the Domain Awareness Center, Oakland’s citywide networked mass surveillance hub. OP was instrumental in stopping the DAC from becoming a city-wide spying network.
Our major projects currently include local legislation to regulate state surveillance (we got the strongest surveillance regulation ordinance in the country passed in Oakland!), opposing Urban Shield (now gone!) and pushing back against ICE with local legislation.
If you are interested in joining the Oakland Privacy email listserv, coming to a meeting, or have questions, send an email to:
Check out our website: http://oaklandprivacy.org/ Follow us on twitter: @oaklandprivacy
Check out our sister site DeportICE.
“WATCHING YOU WATCHING US”
Oakland Privacy works regionally to defend the right to privacy and enhance public transparency and oversight regarding the use of surveillance techniques and equipment. Oakland Privacy drove the passage of surveillance regulation and transparency ordinances in Oakland and Berkeley and is kicking off new processes in Richmond and Alameda County. To help slow down the encroaching police state all over the Bay Area, join us at the Omni.
Anti-eviction Press Conference
Oakland City Hall
Thurs, Aug 23
1pm
w/ @CalOrganize member Franki Velez & @poormagazineAn entire building of working-class tenants of color, veterans, children and an infant evicted by a wealthy foreign investor now face homelessness or removal. pic.twitter.com/RM7KoqvxfG
— julian francis park (@jfpark3) August 21, 2018
KPFA Radio 94.1FM & St. John’s Presbyterian Church present
Advance tickets: $12 : brownpapertickets.com :: T: 800-838-3006 Books Inc/Berkeley, Pegasus Books (3 sites), Moe’s, Walden Pond Bookstore, Mrs. Dalloway’s, East Bay Books , $15 door, wheelchair access
“One of the world’s most honored philosophers provides a candid examination of the current political crisis.”
For decades Martha C. Nussbaum has been an acclaimed scholar and humanist, earning dozens of honors for her books and essays. In The Monarchy of Fear she turns her full attention to the terrible political standoff tha has polarized America since the Trump election. Although today’s atmosphere is heavily marked by partisanship, divisive rhetoric, and the seeming total inability of two halves of the country to communicate with one another, Nussbaum focuses on what so many pollsters, journalists and pundits have overlooked. She sees a simple truth at the heart of the problem: the political is always emotional. Globalizatiojn, automation and the high costs of high education have produced feelings of utter powerlessness in millions of people in the U.S.Similar issues trouble European unity.
That sense of powerlessness and a pervasive underlying fear bubble into resentment and blame: blame of immigrants, blame of Muslims, blame of other races, blame of cultural elites. While this politics of blame played a hefty role in the elction of Trump – and the vote for Brexit, Nussbaum argues that it can in fact be found on all sides of the political spectrum—confusingly intertwined, however, with reasonable arguments aiming at greater justice. She insists that retribution is always a bad response to fear, and she articulates a clear politics of constructive work and hope.
“Nussbaum is an elegant and lyrical writer, and she movingly describes the pain of recognizing1 one’s vulnerability.” — THE NEW YORKER
“Like any clearheaded thinker, Nussbaum was unsettled by Trump’s election, but she’s also troubled by the way people of all political persuasions have succombed to fear and mindless fear-slinging. She tries to keep Trump at arm’s length and focus instead on what philosophers and psychologists going back to antiquity have had to say about fear…its role in stoking anger, disgust, and envy, and how those emotions in turn perpetuate divisive politics (sexism and misogyny especially)” —Kirkus Reviews
Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, appointed in the Philosophy Department and the Law School of the University of Chicago. She gave the 2016 Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities and won the 2016 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy. She has written more than twenty books.
KPFA benefit
7th Street Cafe (aka Rev Cafe) is an important space for our West Oakland community. It is where we come together to play music, share ideas, and learn, and it’s home to OneFam, our grassroots community organization that empowers us to fight for our neighborhood.
Now the 7th Street Cafe is under threat of eviction from a hostile landlord, and we need to fight back!
Come to our Save the Cafe Fundraiser. Here’s what’s happening:
6:00 Arts and Crafts (family friendly)
Tile painting for a community mosaic
8:00 Jam Session
Bring an instrument, or your voice, or play one of ours
9:00 Live Music
Local musicians
Food and drinks for purchase inside the Cafe.
Restorative Justice for Oakland and the North Oakland Restorative Justice Council is offering free restorative justice trainings for community members wh want to help creae a restorative North Oakland.
If you are interested in attending one of the trainings, please email us your name, your desired training date and we will reply.
rjoytrainings@rjoyoakland.org
The Bay Area National Prison Strike Solidarity Committee, stands in solidarity with the people who have declared a Nationwide Prison Strike beginning on August 21st (This date commemorates the assassination of Black Panther Party, Field Marshall, and prison activist, George Jackson, by San Quentin prison guards) and extending to September 9th, 2018. The National Prison Strike is in response to the “riot” in the Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in South Carolina on April 15, 2018. . Seven prisoners lost their lives during an instigated melee that could have been avoided had the prison not been overcrowded from the greed wrought by mass incarceration and a lack of respect for human life that is embedded in this country’s penal ideology. We support these captives behind enemy lines, demand for humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern day slavery.
The Bay Area National Prison Strike Solidarity Committee, is organizing a Mobilization and Call to Action, on August 25, 2018, at San Quentin State Prison, with the objective of raising awareness of the inhumane conditions, treatment and policies that afflict those held in these gulags throughout amerikkka. We are also mobilizing to let these sisters and brothers being held behind enemy lines know that we on the outside have their backs and that we support their Demands and the ongoing historic prison movement led and organized by those being held captive in amerikkka’s gulags.
Our Call to Action / Mobilization will rally at the West Oakland, Bart Station at 11:00 AM, from there we will Car Pool and Bus to San Quentin State Prison.
These are the National Demands of the men and women in federal, immigration, and state prisons:
1. Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.
2. An immediate end to prison slavery. All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.
3. The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.
4. The Truth in Sentencing Act and the Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole. No human shall be sentenced to Death by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.
5. An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.
6. An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.
7. No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.
8. State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.
9. Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.
10. The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count.
Endorsers:
ENDORSERS BAY AREA NATIONAL PRISON STRIKE SOLDIDARITY COMMITTEE
Black August Organizing Committee – Oakland
Poor Magazine – Oakland
IWOC (Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee) – Oakland
California Prison Focus – Oakland
Worker World Party – Oakland
Idriss Stelly Foundation – San Francisco
Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) – San Francisco
National Brown Berets
MILLIONS4PRISONERS – San Jose
Aztlan Press – San Jose
The Mothers On The March Against Police Murders – San Francisco
Anti-Police Terror Project (APTP) – Oakland
Black & Brown for Justice, Peace and Equality – San Francisco
MLK Coalition For Jobs, Justice and Peace/ MLK Coalition of Greater LA
Puerto Rican Alliance – Los Angeles
Aztlan Realism Conecta – San Jose
ANSWER – San Francisco
Jericho Movement – Oakland
Committee to Free Jalil Abdul Muntaqim – Oakland
SUPPORT THE NATIONAL PRISON STRIKE!
JOIN THE BAY AREA NATIONAL PRISON STRIKE SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE!
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!
Lunch = Speakers = Art = Nonviolence Training
On Saturday, September 8th thousands of people will be arriving to San Francisco from all over the world for the largest climate march on the West Coast: Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice
Afterward there will be events and actions demanding real solutions to the climate crisis. This is all in response to the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco Sept 12-14, where Gov. Jerry Brown, UN Officials and World Leaders will meet to discuss the climate crisis.
California Indians will lead the march followed by the Indigenous Bloc. Join us to learn what’s happening and why, and what you can do about it!
More info: www.idlenomoresfbay.org/events
Memorial services for Elbert “Big Man” Howard, an original Black Panther Party founding member, will be held at Defemery Park.
Memorial services for Elbert “Big Man” Howard, an original Black Panther Party founding member, will be held at Defemery Park.
** This is not an official EBDSA event. It is hosted by the Refoudnation caucus of the DSA***
Cat Brooks, a long-time community organizer is running for Mayor of Oakland. She is by far the most radical candidate in the race, considered by many to be the successor to Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party.
As an organizer, Cat has served as the Exective Director of various organizations including the National Lawyers Guild SF, Justice Teams Networks, and Youth Together. As the co-founder of Anti-Police Terror Project, Cat is a staunch advocate of community-led solutions to public safety that divest funds away from OPD.
This forum is a chance for the public to ask Cat directly about her policy positions, and how she plans to move Oakland closer to socialism.
Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
Against Assad: Anarchist and Marxist-Humanist Voices
As Anarchists, it is our job to organize independent of the self-appointed anti-war leadership, and to work to build an alternative. An anarchist alternative would be ruthlessly single-standard in is opposition to war—which means sayng no to Assad and Putin as well as Trump, and offering solidarity to the anti-authoritarian currents in the Syrian Revolution. Not betraying them by acquiescing with their oppressors. ICSS members Lew Finzel and Ron Kelch, will make the case
Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.
FREE – but hat will be passed for donations to NPML
About Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
A weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.
For our full schedule, go to icssmarx.org
I scream, you scream, we all scream…to #StopKavanaugh! Come to Indivisible East Bay’s monthly All Member Meeting (yes, homemade ice cream will be provided–bring your favorite toppings!). This event is part of MoveOn’s Unite for Justice national day of action against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Linh Nguyen, co-lead of the IEB Judiciary Team(https://indivisibleeb.org/judiciary/) will give an updated version of her presentation made at a recent community meeting(https://bit.ly/2wffnuz) about Kavanaugh. She and other members of the Judiciary team can answer questions about Kavanaugh and how we can all fight his confirmation.
Then we will take direct action, including writing postcards and leaving phone or email messages for our senators, asking them to keep up the pressure to stop this nomination, and we’ll mobilize our friends to do the same. Getting the word out is critical – we’ve learned firsthand (https://bit.ly/2PkbBJb) from Senator Feinstein’s staff that despite Kavanaugh’s extremely low approval ratings, they haven’t been hearing from many Californians. Even members of Congress that share our positions need to hear from constituents to justify taking action and putting pressure on their colleagues. This fight is winnable…if we act like it!
For more information about Indivisible East Bay, visit https://indivisibleeb.org
Ready to do more before the meeting? Give us a shout!
- Volunteer with IEB or find out how we work: andrea@indivisibleeb.org
- Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
- IEB uses Slack, a chat system for talking about important issues, planning events, and team discussions. Want an invite to join Slack? Please drop us a line at info@indivisibleeb.org
Please join us for our regular biweekly meeting of the Sunflower Alliance. We’ll discuss ongoing campaigns and plans for the future. Newcomers and old friends welcome — we need your participation and your voice.