Calendar
Over the last few weeks, police have murdered five Black men & women across the country:
Mike Brown: Ferguson, MO
Ezell Ford: South Los Angeles
Eric Garner: New York
Jacorey Calhoun: Oakland
Unidentified woman in San Jose who had a power drill
And of course, there have been thousands and thousands more murdered Black, Brown & poor people throughout the years.
Oscar Grant
Alan Blueford
Alex Nieto
Andy Lopez
Kimani Gray
Kendrec McDade
Amadou Diallo
Sean Bell
Ramarley Graham
We will take to the streets and tell the police: IT ENDS TODAY
We will gather at 5:00 pm in FOUR locations:
– Oscar Grant OG Plaza
– Oakland Main Library (659 14th Street, Oakland Ca 94612)
– African American History Museum (125 14th Street, Oakland CA 94612)
– Jack London Square (near Waterfont Hotel)
5:00 – 5:15: banner making, public education, speakers
5:15 – 5:30: music & chants
5:30: MARCH to 7th & Broadway
6:00 – 6:30: music, speakers, chants
6:30: MARCH to Oscar Grant Plaza
6:30 – 7:00: Community Speak Out and Action Planning for a Sustained Campaign Against Police Terrorism
Simultaneous Actions in Los Angeles & Mississippi
PLEASE choose a different location for you and your comrades to begin the action! It is important that we show the power of the people to a larger share of our city than just OG plaza.
Again the action will begin in FOUR locations at 5:00 pm:
– Oscar Grant Plaza
– Oakland Main Library (659 14th Street, Oakland Ca 94612)
– African American History Museum (125 14th Street, Oakland CA 94612)
– Jack London Square (near Waterfont Hotel)
Endorsing Organizations: ONYX, MXGM, Healthy Hoodz, Young Oakland, Inner Council of Murdered Children, Alan Blueford Center for Justice, Hip Hop Congress, Workers World
We are proud to host Dennis Banks, Native American leader and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to speak and present the documentary “A Good Day To Die.”
The folks who serve you your hot dogs and nachos at the Oakland Coliseum deserve respect! Many of them are longtime Oakland residents who’ve worked at the ballpark for 10, 20 or 30 years and count on their jobs for a stable income and health care.
But this year, a new company, Ovations, took over the food service operation. Instead of sitting down to negotiate a fair contract, Ovations is stalling, asking for take-aways, and offering unfair proposals.
*Seven months into bargaining, Ovations hasn’t even given us a proposal on health care.
*Ovations’ proposal on wages is a 25-cent raise over 3 years. That’s 8.3 cents a year.
*Ovations is also proposing to subcontract as many stands as they want, let managers do union workers’ jobs, and institute drug testing.
JOIN COLISEUM WORKERS for a march across the Coliseum parking lot to reach out to fans as they tailgate before a big game! Let Ovations know that they can’t come in from out of town and disrespect Oakland workers who’ve been on the job for years!
For questions or rides, contact Jessica Medina (jmedina@unitehere.org, 510-219-6358).
In solidarity,
UNITE HERE Local 2850
PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY YEARLY POTLUCK PICNIC .
Last week’s event was a big success, so we’re doing it again. Come hang out with the people Occupying outside of Staples, advocating the Staples boycott. Expect great music and great conversation, and postcards to US mail to Staples telling them why you are boycotting. Maybe food too!
The US Postal Service has contracted out Post Offices to Staples stores, replacing living wage Postal Union jobs with min wage non-union Staples employees.
Let’s keep the pressure on and make sure students back at UC Berkeley and buying supplies know why they shouldn’t be purchasing stuff at Staples.
Information, discussion & community! Monday Night Forum!!
Occupy Forum is an opportunity for open and respectful dialogue
on all sides of these critically important issues!
A film by Stephen Vittoria
Mumia Long Distance Revolutionary
A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal
Through prison interviews, archival footage, dramatic readings, as well as a potent chorus of voices, this riveting film explores Mumia’s life
before, during and after Death Row.
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an internationally celebrated writer and radio journalist who has devoted his life both inside and outside prison to resistance media.
He is the author of eight books and hundreds of columns, articles, and radio broadcasts; an organizer and inspiration for the prison lawyers movement where prisoners dedicate time to helping fellow prisoners; former member of the Black Panther Party, and supporter of Philadelphia’s MOVE organization of the 1970s which advocated green politics, expressed its opposition to technology and zoos, and supported animal rights. Mumia was framed for the death in 1981 of Philadelphia policeman, Daniel Faulkner, and has spent more than 30 years in prison, almost all of it in solitary confinement on Pennsylvania’s Death Row.
Mumia Long Distance Revolutionary is a powerful documentary that includes the story of the Philadelphia police crackdown of the MOVE organization in the late 70s. You can make your own connections between that event and more recent events in Ferguson, MO and elsewhere.
Frank Rizzo, Chief of Police, in Philadelphia at the time of the confrontations was quoted as saying, “The police department in Philadelphia could invade Cuba and win” and “What I’m saying is that we are now trained and equipped to fight wars.”
“He is Mumia Abu-Jamal on Death Row. No parole. Speaking from the depths of his soul, depths of his heart, depths of his mind of the sufferings of others, not even his own suffering, the sufferings of others.” –Cornel West
Discussion and Announcements will follow.
The Postal Service has put the Berkeley Post Office up for sale!!
The Postal Service outsourced Post Office services to Staples, replacing union jobs with low-paying, low benefit work.
And we’re fighting against both!
Come help us plan our next steps.
On July 29th, at our invite, Ralph Nader spoke on the steps of the Berkeley Post Office against privatization and corporatism. Watch and listen to his talk here.
We’ve began the “Don’t Shop at Staples” campaign with some awesome… what else? … postcards to send to Staples management! Here’s the front of the postcard. The campaign has been adopted by Postal Unions, the San Francisco Labor Council and has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, and has gone national!
All four Postal Unions have joined together to support maintaining full service, public Post Offices in every community, with expansion to include postal banking, and to oppose subcontracting and privatization of services. The California Federation of Teachers passed a resolution in support of opposition to Staples. Just recently the American Federation of Teachers, AFCSME and UNITE HERE did too.
Check out our correspondence with the President of the American Postal Workers Union, Mark Dimondstein. The APWU has been leading the charge against Staples.
For most of July the sidewalk in front of Staples was ‘occupied’ 24/7 by an intrepid band of San Francisco occupiers with solidarity and support from BPOD members distributing literature and convincing people not to shop at Staples. They’re back! Come hang out with them outside Staples at Durant & Shattuck.
And we need to be prepared if the Post Office announces a sale! The Advisory Commission on Historical Preservation came out with its report, recommending that sales of Historic Post offices be halted until the USPS conforms with historical preservation law. Here is our response. Also the Office of Inspector General’s report on the sale of Historic Post Offices came out recently – anything could happen now since Congress’ “request” that no historic Post Offices be sold until it had come out has been honored and no further Congressional request or mandate has come down. Come help us plan our response.
We have joined with other activists in Berkeley to put a ballot initiative on the ballot to rezone the Berkeley Post Office and other areas in the Historic District to prevent privatization, and also to insure a better Downtown Berkeley. We succeeded in getting the necessary signatures; it will be voted on in November, but Tom Bates and the City Council have nefarious plans to undermine our coalition.
Encouraging articles are still coming out about using Post Offices as banking facilities for the unbanked. The National Conference of Mayors recently endorsed Postal Banking. Pew Research held a day-long seminar on Postal Banking. The Postal unions and other groups have announced plans for a conference on postal banking in November.
We are planning our next event, ‘Jam the Sale.’ Spread the work and come help us out!
The Zoning Overlay Ordinance on Berkeley’s existing Historic Civic Center District, including our historic Post Office, has gained national attention. On August 27, 2014, the Planning Commission will vote on whether to forward the Ordinance to the City Council for consideration at the September 9, 2014 council meeting. The Zoning Overlay will save the Post Office, Old City Hall, and our historic Civic Center from commercial development.
The Mayor and Council have stated that they are ready to make the Zoning Overlay submitted by citizen initiative the law in Berkeley. The Commission must approve an Environmental statement and new use definitions before the Overlay can return to Council.
Show the Planning Commissioners That We Care.
Bring a Friend. Let’s Fill the Room!
Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District is our Public Commons. Let’s protect it with appropriate zoning.
Planning Commission agenda for the 8/27 meeting.
pdf of entire Planning Commission 8/27 packet (103 pages)
Green Downtown & Public Commons Initiative
Designated as “Measure R”
Measure R on the November ballot will guarantee that our historic Civic Center – including the Main Post Office and Old City Hall – are reserved for public-serving uses, and that our Downtown is developed in concert with Berkeley’s values of equity, access and support for the environment.
Under Measure R, new developments
- meet high green building standards
- include affordable housing on site
- offer generous bike parking
- include parking for the disabled, car-sharing and electric vehicle charging
- guarantee jobs for Berkeley residents and fair wages for construction, maintenance, security and hotel workers.
- provide funding for public transportation, improvements to streets, sidewalks, parks and open spaces and for loans to small businesses
Measure R protects Our Civic Center as a public commons � in perpeetuity � preserving traditional uses that serve the common good succh as museums, libraries, government, non-profits, arts, live performance venues and farmer’s markets. No future Council can vote to allow exclusively private uses – ever.
In November vote “YES” on R for a Green, Equitable and Civic Downtown.
Don’t Buy School Supplies at Staples!
- We cordially invite you to join us for the 35th Annual Xicana Moratorium Day: Displace Gentrification not OUR Hoods
Come and bring friends and family to enjoy a day at the park full of music, art, and community hosted by the youth of Xicana Moratorium Coaliton – CoatlNecalli. Dance and enjoy the beauty of Oakland while also finding out what is going on in our streets and how you could get involved in all the amazing movement work that is happening in our city.
5am – Sun Rise Ceremony
10-12pm – Aztect Danza Hosted by Danza Cuauhtonal
12-5pm – Festival
Ohlone Prayer, All Nation Drummers, Rey Lara, Ron San Miguel, Poor Magazine, Almas Fronterizas, 67 Suenos, Quebradita by Kreadores, Balet folklorico costa de Oro, La Ceiba Cumbia Band, Esai, Beats and Flows, Son Jarocho band – Tarimba, DJ Aztlan, and much more!
Kids Activities, Vendors, Free Food.
Why we continue holding Xicana Moratorium Day?
Displace Gentrification, Not Our Hoods
In 1970, over twenty-thousand Raza people filled the streets of LA to call for an end the War crimes in Vietnam that not only took a toll on Vietnamese lives, but also took the lives of Raza and other folks of color being disproportionately put on the front lines to die for this capitalist for profit country.� Chicana Moratorium Day called an end to the violence and crimes the U.S. government was committing abroad, but also called for an end to the violence, crime, and inhumane conditions that Raza and other communities of color were experiencing in barrios and ghettos all over the U.S. at the hands of police, the education system, the prison system and other arms of this capitalist system.� More than forty years later we gather to continue calling an end to the terrorist criminal acts of the U.S. Government over sees and here on our streets.
In 2014, U.S. military is no longer in Vietnam, but people of color continue to be heavily recruited into the military to take part in ongoing Western Expansion and its never ending greed for profit, power and land.� Today, U.S. military forcers play a lead role in the destruction of land, economy and lives of people in Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Philippines, Guam, Egypt, Syria, and the list can sadly continue for much too long.� While millions of people in the U.S. are homeless or have no access to quality affordable housing, food, health care, social services or quality education, all under the guise of lack of funding, an endless sources of wealth continues being poured on the daily into funding terrorist governments such as the Zionist killing machine of Israel, or into funding U.S. military operations to continue for profit wars around the world.�
Today, Western powers play a predominant role in carrying out the displacements of Third World people’s not only from their home countries, but also the displacement and separation of families that have taken refuge here within the U.S.� We could look at different places throughout the world and directly see the connection between displaced peoples and U.S. Involvement in this process.� We could look at the Philippines as one of those places where the U.S. government and military has had its hand in taking over land, resources and has controlled its government in the best interest of U.S. economic profit since 1898.� In 2014 the number one export from the Philippines is workers, particularly women, who often end up as low wage hotel workers, domestic workers and airport workers in the U.S. and in other nations across the globe.� Filipino people flee their homeland due to the continual violence at the hands of the U.S. trained and supported military, the U.S. funded and trained counterinsurgency to the Filipino resistance movements, and U.S. funded and controlled puppet governments that work to keep Filipinos landless and living in extreme poverty.�
When we move further west, we can see Palestine as another perfect example of displacement at the hands of this Government.� Mainstream media constantly justifies the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people at the hands of U.S. trained and funded Israeli military, but how could you justify 80% of the casualties at the hands of Israel being civilians, most of which are children and elders?� Let’s not forget the backyard of the U.S., Central America, where the U.S. has funded, trained and controlled both puppet governments and its military at many different junctures throughout the history of the United States.� The U.S. has caused so much instability and violence that today the violence in Honduras is comparable to the violence in Iraq during the peak time of the War.� This violence has caused thousands of children to flee their home countries and brave the dangerous trek up north just to have a chance at survival.
As Third World Survivors of Western capitalist expansion build roots in barrios and ghettos through out the U.S., this government continues to remind our people that our existence is a threat to the system that seeks to keep us as a disposable labor force.� When we try to build roots and create beauty in our communities, this system will always attempt to destabilize and uproot our people or dispose of them when they are in the way of economic profit. In the last decade we have seen this destabilization and uprooting come in the form of gentrification that with it brings racist laws and militarization of our communities that work to build fear amongst our people and criminalize our communities as a way to push us out.� San Francisco and Oakland are two prime examples of this gentrification.�
When you visit the San Francisco Mission today � one of San Francisco’s most highly gentrified neighborhoods � its as iif there was no semblance of a once predominantly Raza neighborhood with a rich culture.� The Mission today attempts to continue profiting off of the beautiful Raza culture, but the city has brought in gang injunctions that criminalize brown youth that once lived there, no loitering laws that specifically target homeless people, and condos that have made rents skyrocket and make housing no longer affordable for working class families.� Now white young professionals can enjoy the culture of the Mission, eat at fancy new restaurants, enjoy the fancy new clubs, and park their beamers at $5 an hour meters without having to fear that the people who once lived there will be roaming the streets.� � When you cross the bridge to Oakland, a very similar dynamic is taking place.� We have seen gang injunctions, no loitering laws, proposed youth curfews, proposed stop and frisk laws and increased budgets for the police department who we know are intended to push out people of color from the streets and neighborhoods of Oakland.� We have seen the condos and are seeing area specific plans like the West Oakland Specific Plan and the East Oakland Specific plan that attempt to “revitalize” and further develop areas to attract new residents that will bring with them more money and will attempt to displace working class communities of color from communities we have been long rooted in.
This long and ongoing history of displacement can cause anger and resistance towards this government, and for that reason, the U.S. has heavily funded their population control plan which takes the shape of prisons, detention centers, deportations, the heavy militarization of our streets, counter insurgency strategies here at home, and the heavy surveillance of its population.� In September, Oakland plans to host and support the funding of the 9th Annual Urban Shield conference, a training for SWAT and Police agencies that brings together local, national and global law enforcement agencies with defense industry contractors to provide training and introduce new weapons and suppression tactics to these agencies that will later be used to further militarize our streets.� Today prisons and detention centers have become for profit cages that force men, women and children to live in conditions that are so inhumane, that last year, 30,000 California prisoners engaged in sixty day hunger strike to demand basic human rights within these cages.� Today the U.S. Senate mocks the humanity of our people by supporting new legislation that would reverse federal law that protects Central American children from deportation if they face the threat of violence in their home country, and calling that bill the “HUMANE Act.”� This so called HUMANE Act would lead to the deportation of thousands of Central American children.
On the 35th annual Bay Area commemoration of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium Day we want to call attention to the displacement and gentrification we see in working class communities through out the country, but we also want to draw the connection of the different forms of displacement and terror that this country is causing through out the world.� We still call for a Moratorium on the war against indigenous people, third world people, against our land and against what every community should hold as their treasure � the Chhildren!� We ask that you all join us this year as we celebrate La Resistencia and we stand collectively to honor the struggle that we must continue upholding now more than ever!
Meeting with Program featuring Norman Solomon of Roots Action!
SF 99% Coalition
Free and open to the public
6 – 6:30 PM: Potluck Dinner
6:30 – 7:25: Meeting
Agenda:
Welcome & Intros
UU updates-Treasurer’s Report
Environmental News/Actions
Other Recent Actions Reportbacks
Sept 20 OccupySF Street Theatre Update
Sept 21 Climate March Update
Announcements
7:30 – 9:00 Program
Speakers:Norman Solomon, journalist and media critic
followed by
Janet Weil & Susan Harman on opposing Urban Shield (with brief powerpoint presentation);
Zaki Manian of Restore the 4th on state & natl legislation.
Q and A to follow.
Show up and learn about Sudo Room! Make friends. Have fun.
We encourage other collectives to host similar events for the community (and each other) to learn about us.
We meet, usually every two weeks, to discuss various readings in the theory and practice of debt, from personal to corporate to sovereign.
Readings for this meeting:
This: Out of thin air – Why banks must be allowed to create money.
And a reply to it: Sovereign-Money-in-Critical-Context-Huber
And a video: State Money Versus Bank Money.
Fighting for $15/hour and a union: when we stick together we are heard.
Join us this Thursday in Oakland!
It’s just wrong that so many fast food workers aren’t paid enough to afford our basic needs, like food, transportation and housing. We’re united for a $15/hour wage floor and the right to form a union without retaliation. Raising pay will lift up our families and our community.
Also a rally at 11 am at Oscar Grant Plaza
More on facebook: East Bay Fast Food Workers & Twitter: @fairfastfood
#StrikeFastFood: Join us as we ramp up efforts for $15 and the right to unionize without retaliation. For respect, fair treatment, and against extreme income inequality. WE DESERVE MORE!
PUBLIC FORUM:
SHOULD BERKELEY POLICE USE TASERS ON
THE PEOPLE OF BERKELEY?
Thursday September 4th at 7pm
1939 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704
(two blocks from BART)
Berkeley Police are asking the City Council for tasers. The City Council wants a study. Some critics believe that tasers are part of the militarization of our city. The Coalition for a Taser Free Berkeley is convening a diverse panel to discuss their experiences with tasers and to help Berkeley make an informed decision about whether to acquire the weapons. We invite members of the public, city employees and even police officers who are genuinely concerned about how tasers will affect the community to attend, ask questions and participate.
Panelists include:
- Aram James, Activist and former Public Defender Palo Alto
- Barbara Ann White, Berkeley NAACP Vice President and Community Mental Health Professional
- James Chanin. Founding member of the Police Review Commission, Civil Rights lawyer
- Jeremy Miller, Program Director, Idriss Stelley Foundation, Co-organizer of the successful campaign to stop San Francisco from getting tasers
This event is free and open to the public. It is wheelchair accessible.
Sponsored by Coalition for a Taser Free Berkeley
(510) 548-0425
PUBLIC FORUM:
SHOULD BERKELEY POLICE USE TASERS ON THE PEOPLE OF BERKELEY?
Berkeley Police are asking the City Council for tasers. The City Council wants a study. The Coalition for a Taser Free Berkeley is convening a diverse panel to discuss their experiences with tasers and to help Berkeley make an informed decision. We invite members of the public, city employees and police officers who are genuinely concerned about how tasers will affect the community. We will consider taser effects on various communities, mentally ill people, previous cities’ experience with tasers and how taser use would be monitored and police officers be held accountable?
Panelists include:
- Aram James, Activist and former Public Defender Palo Alto
- Barbara Ann White, Berkeley NAACP representative and Berkeley Mental Health
- James Chanin. Founding member of the Police Review Commission, Civil Rights lawyer
- Jeremy Miller, Program Director, Idriss Stelley Foundation, Co-organizer of the successful campaign to stop San Francisco from getting tasers
More speakers to be announced! Public discussion to follow.
This event is free and open to the public. It is wheelchair accessible.
Contact: CoalitionforTaserFreeBerkeley.org or taserfreeberkeley@gmail.com
COPWATCH AT UC BERKELEY
Berkeley Copwatch is working with UC students to offer Copwatch for Credit this Fall. This class is free and welcomes ALL members of the public. Fortunately, through the DeCal class at UCB, students can get up to 2 units of credit for reading, attending class and going on actual Copwatch shifts in the community. The first part of the class will focus on knowing your rights during police encounters and from there we will study community control, civilian review, specific cases including Eric Garner, Andy Lopez, Kayla Moore and more. Students will hear guest speakers on current topics in policing and the struggle for police accountability.
Contact: berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com
| SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: ELAINE BROWN. | |
| Please join in unity with the families, friends, and supporters of James Rivera Jr, Mario Romero, and Andy Lopez; Oakland California, September 5th, 2014.The people will gather for a free community BBQ and March for justice, starting at 11:30am @ Plaza Park. Come out and enjoy free food, hear the families and friends of these young men speak about the growing trend in police violence and how it effects ALL OF US.Around 3:30 we will march to the Marriott in downtown Oakland to join the protest rally against Urban Shield.
Join the call for California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to indict trigger happy killer cops Gregory Dunn, Eric Azarvand, John Nesbitt (cops who killed James Rivera Jr); Dustin Joseph, and Sean Kenny (killers of Mario Romero); and Erick Gelhaus (deputy who shot and killed 13 year old Andy Lopez); on Charges of Murder. The people say NO MORE!!! All three of these victims were unarmed and assassinated by officers in their home towns.James Rivera was 16 years old and killed when officers fired 48 shots at him from 9mm pistols and one AR-15 assault rife. Mario Romero, a father, brother, and friend to many, was murdered by Vallejo Police. Mario was not suspected of a crime and was sitting in his own car in front of his home when officers Dustin Joseph and Sean Kenny unloaded their guns on him, stealing him away from us for life. Andy Lopez was only 13 years old when Sonoma County Sheriff Deputy Erick Gelhaus shot him 7 times because he was playing with an airsoft rifle in a field near his home in Santa Rosa Ca.
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Join the Coalition against Urban Shield for a Press Conference at 4:00 PM and immediately afterwards a Rally. Tell the Marriott we don’t appreciate their holding the Urban Shield Conference, an event which glorifies the militarization of police. Let Oakland and Oakland’s politicians know that in light of events in Ferguson, there is absolutely no excuse to arm the police with the weapons of war.
Join us in commemorating the suspension of the largest hunger strike in U.S. history-begun on July 8, 2013 by over 30,000 people.
At great cost to their health, dozens of incarcerated people in CA fasted nonviolently for 60 days, ending on September 5, 2013.
The 2013 hunger strike-the third since 2011-aimed to win 5 demands and end CA’s arbitrary and inhumane policy of isolating individuals in solitary confinement indefinitely- based on mere association without regard to actual conduct.
Food at 1:00 PM.
RSVP: bit.ly/RSVPSept6
Carpooling arranged from:
Southern CA (714) 290-9077
Northern CA PeoplesARC@gmail.com / (707)442-7465
Santa Cruz tashnguyen@gmail.com / (408) 499-7912