Calendar
Join the East Bay DSA’s Labor Committee for their regular Beer and Roses social. Hang out with other members who are interested in the labor movement, hear about what’s happening in EBDSA Labor Committee & learn how you can get involved.
For those tired of shouting across the table as they debate the future of the country and the planet, Revolutionary Love brings hope, respect, and love to today’s political divide. Michael Lerner offers concrete solutions for future development by identifying why the left and the right have been so pathetic in achieving any lasting change and discussing what it will take to actually heal and repair the world, both spiritually and physically.
“Michael Lerner is one of the most significant prophetic public intellectuals and spiritual leaders of our generation. Secular intellectuals and those who yearn for a major change in the direction of American society can learn a lot from reading this book.”—Cornel West, Harvard University
“This book not only puts forward a positive vision, drawing much from the wisdom of feminists and peace activists, but a coherent strategy of how to get there. It liberates readers to go beyond the “be realistic” command of our ruling elites and to embrace the beautiful and love-filled world that Michael Lerner proposes.” —Medea Benjamin, Code Pink
A daring book on an urgent topic, Revolutionary Love aims to reunite all sections of the population into a positive democratic force capable of reversing the downward trajectory of our world. It is about a fundamental transformation of collective thinking and acting that unites us for the greater good of all people. Lerner reminds us that ethical and spiritual qualities – respect, compassion, love, and a strong sense of community—can bring people together in a beneficial and constructive way that has the possibility of bringing about real change.
Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine, has written eleven books, including two national bestsellers, Jewish Renewal and The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right. He received Morehouse College’s King-Gandhi Award for his work for peace and non-violence.
Cat J. Zavis, Executive Director of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, is also an attorney, mediator, and trainer in conflict resolution and empathic communication. She has co-led trainings with Rabbi Lerner on integrating spirituality and activism and on communicating across differences between Israel and Palestine.
Join us for a public forum on why and how to advocate for limits on the use of facial recognition technology, as San Francisco and Oakland recently have done, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California. These issues will be discussed by Santa Cruz City Councilmember Justin Cummings, Lee Hepner, aide to San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the sponsor of that City’s ban on facial recognition technology, Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, and Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director of Media Alliance in Oakland, followed by questions from the audience. The panel will be moderated by Peter Gelblum, Chair of the Santa Cruz Chapter.
San Francisco March Website: ubimarch.com
Join San Francisco, New York, Amsterdam and cities around the world for this global movement!
Get involved. Get inspired. Together, we can make historic change.
#basicincome #incomemarch #weoweus #ubi #universalbasicincome
#allofus #nyc #yanggang #freedomdividend #yanggang2020 #humanityfirst @ubimarchsf
What will it take to truly address the systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and war economy plaguing our country today? The answer is presented in the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget, which lays out the policies and investments to address the widespread and systemic injustices we face.
We invite you to come together with other supporters of the Poor People’s Campaign to learn more about these solutions through our Moral Budget Reading Group. This will be a space for us to develop our collective understanding of the policies we’re working towards and how they will affect the lives of the people in our communities.
The next meeting will happen on Saturday, October 26th from 3-5pm. We’ll be discussing the chapter “Investments in Democracy & Equal Protection Under the Law” (pages 14-30).
You can view the Moral Budget on your computer here: http://ppcbayarea.org/moral-budget. We’ll also have printed copies available for purchase for $10 at the meeting.
We hope you’ll join us to be part of this reading group. Forward together, not one step back!
Five years ago, the Bay Area achieved one of the most successful BDS victories against apartheid Israel in US history! In 2014 we stopped the Israeli-owned ZIM shipping line from docking at the Port of Oakland for 3 consecutive months, and it hasn’t returned since!
Join us to celebrate the historic and decisive Block the Boat victory as a major contribution to all movements for social and economic justice!
Block the Boat was part of a sustained organizing effort to protest Israel’s ongoing occupation, war on Gaza, and settler-violence against Palestinians. The campaign was organized by Block the Boat (BTB), an AROC-led coalition made up of a diverse range of Bay Area community organizations and activists working in close partnership with members of ILWU Local 10, the union which represents dock workers at the Port of Oakland. The coalition built on the worldwide Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to isolate Israel politically, culturally, and economically.
In addition to being the 5th anniversary of Block the Boat, 2019 marks the first year that Urban Shield, the weapons expo and war games training, will not be taking place—because the Stop Urban Shield coalition successfully ended it! Urban Shield was the largest SWAT training in the world, with Israeli police units regularly participating in it. ZIM is the largest shipping company in Israel, and the 10th largest in the world. Our victories make clear to the world that our communities in the Bay Area will not welcome ZIM or any other business that supports apartheid, repression, anti-Arab and Muslim racism, or militarism.
Now more than ever we must be learning from lessons of the past, and looking to ongoing models of successful organizing and movement building. Come learn more about what made the success of Block the Boat possible, its impact, and ways we can build on it today.
Impeachment Now? Or Never?
This is being planned as a “Town Hall” style meeting, with full participation, with comments limited to 2-3 minutes. We may watch a short video to start discussion, like “ To Impeach or Not to Impeach? Chris Hedges & John Bonifaz Debate What Congress Should Do Next,” on Democracy Now, Oct 1, 2019, at
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/10/1/trump_impeachment_inquiry_debate
At Ecumenical Peace Institute’s annual dinner, Alicia Jrapko and Paul Larudee will speak on “American Exceptionalism – ‘the Doctrine of of ‘Humanitarian Intervention.’ ” They will focus on what’s driving U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and the Middle East.
PLEASE CALL 510-990-0374 and let us know you are coming.
Cosponsored by St. John’s Mission & Justice Commission.
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING
On October 29th, @SandraLeeFewer will be introducing new legislation to get our city started on a public bank. Come rally and celebrate with us 🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/909LDg4Zgi
— SF Public Bank Coalition (@sfpublicbank) October 19, 2019
It’s finally happening! Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 29 to celebrate the passage of Public Bank Bill #AB857 pic.twitter.com/UbK0Bl83Zs
— SF Public Bank Coalition (@sfpublicbank) October 16, 2019
The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists will present a film and panel discussion focused on the tragic situation of Palestinian children.
The film, “Imprisoning A Generation,” is presented under the auspices of Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East. A panel of experts will answer questions and provide additional information. Panel members include Zeiad Abbas of Middle East Children’s Alliance, Priscilla Wathington from Defense of Children International (who’s also in the film), and a representative from Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Each will give a brief statement on their organization’s position, and JVP will conduct the question period. Much of the discussion is expected to focus on H.B. 2047. This bill would make U.S. aid to Israel dependent on eliminating the military incarceration of Palestinian children.
The film is a production of Anemoia Projects.
Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Committee.

“Red n’ Blues” Benefit Concert for AIM-WEST
Annual AIM-West Red n’ Blues Benefit Concert featuring superb blues music. This year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz.
Blues bands to benefit American Indian Movement-West including:
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The Bobby Young Project
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Funkanuts
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The Firebirds Blues Band
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When:
Sat., Nov. 30, 6:30 (doors) – 10 pm
Where:
Mission Neighbor Center
362
Capp Street, San Francisco
Info and tickets: aim-west.org
“Taibbi is the best American journalism has to offer.” —The Washington Post
“Taibbi, a writer of striking intelligence and bold ideas, is as hilarious as he is scathing.”— Publishers Weekly
“Where other mainstream news sources fail, Matt Taibbi madly embraces his role as an honest political observer/writer/citizen in a democracy.” —Janeane Garofalo
In this characteristically turbocharged new book, celebrated Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi provides an insider’s guide to the variety of ways today’s mainstream media tells us lies.
Part tirade, part confessional, it reveals that what most people think of as “the news” is, in fact, a twisted wing of the entertainment business. In the Internet age, the press has mastered the art of monetizing anger, paranoia, and distrust. Taibbi, who has spent much of his career covering elections in which this kind of manipulative activity is most egregious, provides a rich taxonomic survey of American political journalism’s dirty tricks.
Heading into a 2020 election season that promises to be a Great Giza Pyramid Complex of invective and digital ugliness, Hate Inc. will be an invaluable antidote to the hidden poisons dished up by those we rely on to tell us what is happening in the world.
Matt Taibbi is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and winner of the 2008 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. His most recent book is I Can’t Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street, about the infamous killing of Eric Garner by the NY City police. He’s also the author of the New York Times’ bestsellers Insane Clown President, The Divide,Griftopia, and The Great Derangement.
Sasha Lilley is the editor of Capital and Its Discontents: Conversations with Radical Thinkers in a Time of Tumult. She is also a contributor to the Turbulence Collective’s What Would it Mean to Win?, and a co-founder and host of the Pacifica Radio program Against the Grain.
Our world is dying. We lose hundreds of species to extinction everyday. Lives and livelihoods are being lost with increasing frequency to extreme weather and climate-induced disasters. To be awake to these times is to experience the unfolding of a never-ending tragedy.
To move forward, we must acknowledge our grief. On the evening of Halloween, we will march together in a funeral procession to commiserate the ongoing death of our planet and the climate-induced loss to come.
As we respect and pay homage to the victims of the climate crisis, we welcome you to dress in funeral attire and bring flowers or a personalized message for the dead.
This action is open to anyone feeling concerned about the ecological crisis. Please, join us!
- Extinction Rebellion SF Bay
Please join us for our monthly potluck and free movie at Bobby Bowens Progressive Center. In October, we will be screening This Changes Everything (1hr 30min)
6:30pm Potluck / 7pm Screening
Less than 20% of the global population are responsible for 70% emissions. Those most affected by climate change and environmental injustice in developing countries have the least responsibility for creating this crisis in the first place.
A heads-up, no films are scheduled for November/December due to holidays. We are concluding the year with the most critical issue of our time – Climate Change vs. Capitalism in October. This Changes Everything (90 min) based on Naomi Klein’s book by the same title, which looks at seven communities around the world with the proposition that we can seize the crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.
And, don’t forget your Halloween costumes and treats!
Richmond Progressive Alliance
The Glass Room, is an exhibition that gives visitors hands-on experiences with unconventional artworks and tools that visualize abstract ideas about data and digital privacy. So far we’ve had successful exhibitions in Berlin, New York, and London, which drew over 30,000 visitors.
As part of the Talks Program at The Glass Room, there will be a panel discussion about what the facial recognition ‘ban’ in SF really means for its citizens. We are bringing together activists from EFF, ACLU, Oakland Privacy and others to discuss the topic.
he Racial Justice Action Group, as part of Psychologists for Social Responsibility along with the Wright Institute Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Justice Teams Network would like to invite you to an interdisciplinary conference at the intersections of psychology, mental health, and organizing to end mass incarceration. The conference will take place on Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd from 9:30am – 4:00pm on both days.
This is a working conference rooted in the principles of liberation psychology, decolonial praxis, and anti-racist organizing. The intent is to build community and movement among mental health professionals and psychologists to end mass incarceration. We would like to invite organizers, psychologists, mental health professionals, students, attorneys, journalists, and anyone interested in how to address the trauma of mass incarceration.
The conference will build on the call to action raised by Psychologists for Social Responsibility in their 2016 statement on Torture, Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment and Racial Injustice in the United States.
The conference will include panels, breakout working groups, large group discussions, workshops, and engagement in action. We will collaboratively explore many questions, including:
- What are the ethical responsibilities of psychologists working inside the system?
- How would crisis intervention look like without the police?
- What is the current state of the struggle against solitary confinement?
- How can psychologists and clinicians contribute their skills to the movement?
- How can communities protect one another in response to ICE raids?
- How can we address torture in US prisons and jails?
- How is trauma created and perpetuated by the system of mass incarceration?
- How can knowledge of trauma help in addressing the issue?
- How can we interrupt the school to prison pipeline?
- What is the role of white supremacy and colonialism in creating and upholding this system?
- What do we know about US political prisoners and how to support them?
We will provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks on both days with vegan and gluten free options.
In an effort to ensure that the conference is affordable for all, we are asking for a fee of $22 dollars for participation. However, we are committed to eliminating cost as a barrier to participation. As such, please email psysr.endmassincarceration@gmail.com if the cost is prohibitive in any way. Arrangements will be made for all who would like to attend.