Calendar

Democratic Socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib are raising the expectations of millions of people across the United States and bringing them into a political awakening. The membership of DSA, the largest socialist organization in the United States, is rapidly growing by the thousands. Millions of everyday people are calling for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal rent control, and more.

But what is democratic socialism? What does it mean to be a member of DSA? And how do socialists look at the crises of police brutality, economic recession, and COVID-19?

Let’s talk about it.

This event will be held on Zoom! Join here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83930797718?pwd=NVZzOUdVQzc4SmhTWnhoZGZaYmt0dz09
Passcode  MEC

Join us to discuss what our political moment calls for, meet new people, and get plugged into our fight for democratic control of the things that we need for all of us to live a dignified life.

We are asking folks to show up THURSDAY AT 8am to support homelsss residents of 38th & Manilla. The city is trying to evict them during a #pandemic and during the #CaliforniaWildFire !! https://t.co/CRvFy6GL1R pic.twitter.com/a8LaEBVOwX

— the United Front Against Displacement (@TheUfad) August 25, 2020

• To observe the meeting by video conference, please click on this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87198066230

at the noticed meeting time.

Selected agenda items:

• Update from Interim Police Chief
• Crowd Management After Action Report from Public Demonstrations
  OPD will provide a report on a crowd management that occurred during the recent public
  demonstrations and any updates to policy that will be made.
• Reimagining Public Safety Task Force Creation
• Pawlik Report from Federal Monitor
• Use of Force Ad Hoc Committee Public Engagement

You have a constitutional right to film the police as they perform their duties in public- but how?!

About this Event

This interactive training is meant as an introduction to your constitutional rights as they pertain to policing and strategies for filming and documenting the police, and is ideal for those looking to assert their rights on the streets! This is also meant to give you tools so you can better advocate for your rights and the rights of others. Sliding Scale donations start at $0.

The way that you choose to interact with the police is a very personal choice, carrying different risks based on your race, gender, class and more.

The information in this training is meant to empower you and offer you choices when confronted by the police. It is not meant to replace your lived experience or tell you what is right in every situation. Only you know that.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO FILM. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

1. Introduction and Principles of Copwatching
2. Legal Rights and how they play into filming the police
3. Three Types of Stops, Violations, and Police Misconduct
4. Copwatching Techniques
5. How to Film
6. Notes on Getting Arrested, COVID-19 and Curfews
7. How Can You Fight Back

Brought to you by Berkeley Copwatch (founded 1990). For more information on our history as an abolitionist and community-centered, all-volunteer organization, please visit our website.
DONATE NOW!

The nightmare situation of Covid-19 in US jails and prisons, and its disproportionate impact on Black people and POC confined there, has made the call for decarceration more urgent than ever. In recognition of Black August, we feel the need and desire to respond as SURJ and make a space where our broader community can show up together.

The SURJ Mobilization Committee is planning a physically distanced Human Billboard and Car Caravan: We hope you can join us!

In solidarity with those incarcerated in jails, prisons, youth detention, and ICE concentration camps, we will be amplifying the messages of our partners and demanding an end to these inhumane conditions and immediate decarceration. We will also have a small car caravan in support of the Human Billboard for those of us who, due to Covid-19, are not able to be part of the HB.

Our last Human Billboard was a great success and we plan the same for this one!

The Political Education Committee is proud to invite you to East Bay DSA’s Socialist Day School on Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30!

A lot has happened this year, from Bernie failing to win the nomination, to the economic and health disasters triggered by coronavirus, to the mass mobilization against the structural racism perpetuated by police violence. Discussion and debate of our strategies and tactics are crucial–now more than ever! The moment demands that we seriously engage with strategic debates and that we look critically at the theory which guides us.

We have designed a weekend-long event to ensure that we have the tools to do so. The weekend will focus on two topics: Electoral Politics and Mass Movements in America, and Socialist Anti-Racism & Mass Uprisings. Attendees will engage in free-form discussion on a set of readings that cover key debates, sharing and comparing their thoughts in an effort to develop a more solid understanding of strategy and theory, both as individuals and as a chapter.

It is evident that we now face a situation that requires rigorous analysis and critical understanding. So join us as we rise to the occasion!

Find the readings here: https://tinyurl.com/DaySchoolReadings

To register for this event please fill out this registration form.

Day 2 Sunday, August 30th: https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1427/2020-08-30-socialist-day-school-day-2/

Check here for connection info

Noted historian and criminologist Tony Platt will share his long research and insights into the carceral state known as the USA. Tony Platt has been involved since the 1960s in issues relating to criminal justice, race, inequality, and social justice in American history. He taught at the University of Chicago, Berkeley, and California state universities. He is currently a Distinguished Affiliated Scholar at the Center for the Study of Law & Society in Berkeley’s Law School. A founding member of the editorial board of Social Justice, Platt blogs on history and memory at http://GoodToGo.typepad.com. In addition to books and scholarly journals, he has published in a wide variety of popular sites, including National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, History News Network, Truthdig, Huntington Post, The Guardian, and San Francisco Chronicle.

   From teaching criminology with David Du Bois, editor of the Black Panther Party’s newspaper, and organizing California’s first major conference on prison activism in the 1970s, to more recently speaking out about the damaging social legacies of eugenics, Platt’s experience as a political activist and public intellectual informs his research and publications. In the 1970s, he was co-author of The Iron Fist and The Velvet Glove, a book that challenged prevailing conceptions of American policing. In his latest book, Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States (St. Martin’s Press, 2019,   https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250085115), Platt draws upon a lifetime of research and commitment to social justice to articulate

The Political Education Committee is proud to invite you to East Bay DSA’s Socialist Day School on Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30!

A lot has happened this year, from Bernie failing to win the nomination, to the economic and health disasters triggered by coronavirus, to the mass mobilization against the structural racism perpetuated by police violence. Discussion and debate of our strategies and tactics are crucial–now more than ever! The moment demands that we seriously engage with strategic debates and that we look critically at the theory which guides us.

We have designed a weekend-long event to ensure that we have the tools to do so. The weekend will focus on two topics: Electoral Politics and Mass Movements in America, and Socialist Anti-Racism & Mass Uprisings. Attendees will engage in free-form discussion on a set of readings that cover key debates, sharing and comparing their thoughts in an effort to develop a more solid understanding of strategy and theory, both as individuals and as a chapter.

It is evident that we now face a situation that requires rigorous analysis and critical understanding. So join us as we rise to the occasion!

Find the readings here: https://tinyurl.com/DaySchoolReadings

To register for this event please fill out this registration form.

Day 2 Sunday, August 30th: https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1427/2020-08-30-socialist-day-school-day-2/

THE OCCUPY OAKLAND POTLUCK BEFORE THE GA ON THE LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH HAS BEEN INOPERATIVE SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE INOPERATIVE FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE.

(Due to technical problems with the calendar events are nearly impossible to remove, hence this notice)

Anyone wishing to get notices about the GA, which is currently being held online every other Sunday, can email

occupyoakland@lists.riseup.net

and request to be put on the list.

NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:

occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)

On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.

OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.

At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.

General Assembly Standard Agenda

Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(Optional) Discussion Topic

Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.

Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area

San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv

Please join the Moms, @APTPaction @CURYJ @ellabakercenter @PeoplesStrike at 1225 Oak Street (Oakland) for a socially-distanced rally and action on Tuesday, September 1st at 1 pm.#HomesNotHarm #HousingIsAHumanRight #NoEvictionsOnStolenLand #CancelRent #DefundPolice pic.twitter.com/ue394AJqKi

— Moms 4 Housing (@moms4housing) August 28, 2020

We meet over Zoom. If you’d like to join us, and aren’t on our organizers’ list, drop us an email and we’ll send you an invitation.

The Friends of the Public Bank of Oakland was formed by members of Commonomics and Strike Debt Bay Area in August, 2016. By November 2018, we had persuaded the City of Oakland to fund — with contributions from Richmond, Berkeley, and the County of Alameda — a feasibility study for a public bank. The study deemed a public bank feasible, but city staff did not recommend moving forward. Notwithstanding that obstacle, the City Council voted unanimously in favor of examining next steps.

At that point, we decided to rename ourselves as Public Bank East Bay and work more directly with the County of Alameda, which we are doing now. Watch our Latest News for details.We are meeting regularly, have almost 1500 people on our mailing list in support of our goals (to join the mailing list, contact us). We are broadening our coalition by adding to our list of Oakland and East Bay organizations that support our efforts.

In 2018, we joined the California Public Banking Alliance. AB 857, the Alliance-sponsored bill enabling local public banks in California, has passed ALL of its legislative hurdles and was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Working Groups

Some of our working groups meet between organizers’ meetings, and others just confer by phone and email. You can come to our meetings and plug into any one of these:‍

• Search for Interim Board Members
  Help us find interim board members for the Public Bank of the East Bay. We are building an Interim Board to facilitate the transition to an approved, operating Board of Directors. Review the requirements for Board members.  If you would like to be on the Interim Board, or you know someone you think would be good, you can email us or use the contact page linked above.

• Outreach to Organizations & Individuals‍
  Help us with outreach (tabling at events, farmers’ markets, etc.) and spread the word about public banking! We also need help encouraging organization(s) to join us as supporters.

• Fundraising Operations
  Help us raise money from individuals and foundations, find major donors, donate to our efforts.

• Digital Outreach Advocacy

  Help us work with politicians to put public banking legislation on the table.

• Governance

  Join the larger California Public Banking Alliance (CPBA)

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82465546845

Agenda items:

4. Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – OPD – Forensic Logic Impact Report and proposed Use Policy –
review and take possible action.
5. Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – OPD – Exigent Circumstances Use Reports – review and take
possible action.
6. Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – OPD – Live Stream Use Reports – review and take possible
action.
7. Surveillance Equipment Ordinance Amendments – Hofer/Patterson/Gage – review and take
possible action.

a. Prohibition On Predictive Policing And Remote Biometric Surveillance Technology
b. Annual Report metrics and due dates
c. Additional cleanup language

8. Sanctuary Contracting Ordinance – CPO – Annual Report – review and take possible action.

In America, this report was met on the political Left by sustained calls for the abolition of capitalist exploitation of people and the planet. The rationale was that capitalism’s imperative for endless economic growth required massive amounts of energy, the vast majority of which is still produced through fossil fuels. Some of the specific responses were reinvigorated support for anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggles by Indigenous peoples, surges in attendance at climate strikes, and great support for proposals like the Green New Deal by elected officials.

East Bay DSA will explore this theme in a Socialist Night School mini-series, co-organized with our Green New Deal Committee. These 3 events will explore what it means to be an ecosocialist, the Red Deal and Indigenous struggle, and how to fight for a Green New Deal after Bernie.

In this first Night School, we’ll get an introduction to ecosocialism, its history, and how we can organize as ecosocialists today from the local to the national and international levels. Our readings will cover a broad swath of socialist history, and we’ll get started with 2 speakers:

Becca Miller has been a member of Boston DSA for two years and is a core member of the Take Back the Grid energy democracy campaign. She recently started her second term on DSA’s nationwide ecosocialism working group steering committee, where she’s been working on a new member onboarding process. Becca works as a campaign manager to increase state funding for a program that helps SNAP recipients afford more fruits and vegetables from local farmers.

Benny Zank is a member of the East Bay DSA Steering Committee and has previously served as co-chair of the chapter’s Green New Deal committee. He has organized as an ecosocialist for several years building strong coalitions with other organizations in the Bay Area and works professionally on addressing environmental issues, like supporting the California Energy Code. Follow him @bread_by_benny.

Priority Readings:

DSA Ecosocialist Working Group Principles

Care and Repair: Left Politics in the Age of Climate Change

Recommended Readings:

Karl Marx on the materials of production

An Ecosocialist Manifesto

We are asking OUR HOUSED neighbors to contribute hygiene supplies, canned food, bottled water, rain gear, tarps, garbage bags, $$ et al to be redistributed on Sunday Sept. 13th to encampments in North Oakland dealing with the COVID 19. We will sanitize and package your donations add a hot packaged meal and fresh fruit to the care kits to be distributed to North Oakland Encampments and surrounding encampments.

In order to properly sanitize and maintain social distancing we are collective the materials on Sept. 4th, 5th & 6th and aiming to distribute 500 hot meals and care kits on Sept. 13th. Overflow resources will be distributed by sister orgs throughout Oakland.