Calendar

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.

If you would like to join the meeting early and get an introduction to the concepts of public banking, or more locally to who we are and what we do, please email us and we’ll see you online at 6:30.

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THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN CANCELLED

As socialists, we condemn US militarism and interference in foreign affairs, including in Afghanistan. We call for an end to the War on Terror, and acceptance of all war refugees.

This Sat, 8/28 at 2:00 p.m. at UN Plaza, we will show our solidarity with the Afghan people. pic.twitter.com/Q7zOrEkId0

— DSA San Francisco (@DSA_SF) August 26, 2021

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Amongst ourselves we often talk over the lack of accountability within our community “family business”, which like the country seems to be only getting worse. The premise is that the identifying label of Polyamory brings an patriarchal hierarchy image to mind. Also that misogyny is not the only deep dive that needs to be addressed. Racism, One penis policy translating into a heterosexual norm that is actually a negative.

Join us at this donation based event with our normal cast and special guests. Interactive deep dives on deep topics.

We are really reaching outside the comfort zone box.
Why are POC not represented in the BDSM/Kink community?

Is there acceptance of the LGBTQ community within the Polyamory community?

How does racism/sexism effect all of these communities? We want to hear your ideas. The Oakland Greens Virtual Townhalls are designed to hear your ideas & thoughts. At these events we want to listen to you, not talk at you. Join us in ZOOM Sunday August 29 room opens at 5:45 PM PST, discussion at 6:15 PM PST, with unique topics & unique discussions.

These are donation only events and as always

NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS.

In partnership with Freedom Archives, the NLG-SFBA will host a series of outdoor film screenings and discussions on Saturday, August 28 and Saturday, September 11. Topics will include COINTELPRO, the life of George Jackson, the Attica uprising, and “We Know Our Rights,” a multimedia toolkit produced by the chapter for people dealing with law enforcement.

August 28th – Screening of COINTELPRO 101 and George Jackson Commemoration
September 11th – Screening of Attica (1974) and We Know Our Rights

These events commemorate the 50th anniversary of George Jackson’s assassination in San Quentin State Prison, the 50th anniversary of the Attica Uprising, and the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and ongoing resistance against state targetting in the wake of 9/11.

Tickets for both in-person and virtual attendance will be available. The panels, guided discussions, and films will be livestreamed. While we are optimistic about hosting this event outdoors and in-person, we are prepared to fully transition this event as virtual-only in case of circumstances beyond our control.

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library

Is the US Global Empire Actually in Decline?

It is almost taken for granted, if not an article of faith, in the progressive milieu that the US empire is in decline. Does this hold up or is it comfort food for the frustrated hoping for the revolution? In the 40-year period between 1917 and 1959, socialist revolutions occurred in Russia, China, Korea, Vietnam, eleven countries across Eastern Europe, and Cuba. Yet during this era, thought to be a period of US ascendency, the US had to confront the former world Communist bloc, its associated parties in capitalist countries, and Third World national liberation movements.  Now, in the period of alleged US decline, it has been socialist revolution that experiences catastrophic defeats.

In the last 30 years, the US and its subordinates have not only blocked successful revolutions but have overturned socialism in most of the former Communist sphere. The socialist countries that continue have all had to backtrack. True, China is an economic powerhouse today, with the US empire unable thwart its continued rise. Yet the US imperial system still maintains decisive economic, political, and ideological hegemony, backed by tremendous military muscle. It can still impose crippling sanctions and blockades on most any country, and the world can do little in response.  The US media still shapes how most people view contemporary events. What would a world look like if the US lost the ability to be world cop?

Our speaker, Stan Smith, will explore these questions based on a manuscript that he and Roger Harris have been researching, followed by a Q&A in which both will participate.

Stan Smith last spoke at the Marxist Library in November on “How the US Dominates the World Economy.” His writings include: Inadequacy of Modern Monetary Theory and the Power of the US Dollar in the World Economy and Why the US Can Keep Increasing its Debt and not Suffer Inflation. Roger Harris on the Library’s program committee.

LOGIN INFORMATION

We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible, but the Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for informal discussion.

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
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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

Children and families in California frontline communities are sick and dying because the agencies that should be protecting them are in bed with corporate polluters and developers.

Join Sunflower Alliance and 22 other sponsoring groups to demand that CalEPA and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) take immediate action to protect environmental justice communities across California.

For Bay Area carpool info, email action@sunflower-alliance.org.

EJ communities from Laytonville to LA will converge on the CalEPA Building in downtown Sacramento to speak out and act up against these agencies’ refusal to follow science and protect the health of vulnerable communities.

A full bedroom set will be brought to the protest, with volunteers representing CalEPA, DTSC, lobbyists, corporate developers and polluters in bed, drinking champagne and smoking cigars.

Following the hour-long protest, we will gather at Cesar Chavez Plaza across the street for an optional EJ training by California Environmental Justice Coalition. We’ll be on our way home by 3 p.m.

You can learn more on the CA-EJ protest website, which includes information about the groups involved and the demands they’ll present to CalEPA and DTSC.

Masks and social distancing are required!  Let’s be smart and safe.

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This fire season we’ve seen the largest known wildfire ever in California, bringing the climate crisis literally to our front doors. This is not an isolated event. Climate scientists have been warning that extreme weather would be coming if we continued to burn fossil fuels, and yet, because of capitalism, we’ve only seen the use of those fuels skyrocket. In the past month reports about this crisis have come out with dire warnings, letting us know that tipping points that mean an unavoidable cascade of the irreversible climate crisis, are approaching rapidly if they haven’t had already been reached. All of this means that our task is enormous and urgent. Climate change is a direct result of the capitalist system, and we will not be able to address the climate crisis without getting rid of it altogether.

Join the East Bay DSA Political Education Committee and Green New Deal Committee as we look at why capitalism is incapable of addressing the climate crisis, and why the fight for socialism is our only way out.

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Reading List

Part 1: THE CURRENT CLIMATE CRISIS
(very brief articles about the current state of the climate crisis)

‘Nobody’s Safe’: 10 Takeaways from New International Climate Change Report

Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse: Article from The Guardian

Part 2: CAPITALISM AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(Don’t mourn organize! These are the main readings, start with the first one, or chose whichever you would prefer!)

What it Will Take: Ch.27 Beyond Capitalism by Carol Dansereau 

A good place to start: a general introduction to why socialism is the only answer to the climate crisis

Introduction and First Chapter of Red Green Revolution by Victor Wallis

A deeper dive into the concepts of ecosocialism

Part 3: ON THE GREEN NEW DEAL

Climate Change Is Class Struggle by Matt Huber

A review of On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein that highlights the need for class struggle in the fight for the Green New Deal

2021 DSA Convention: Decade of the Green New Deal: Planetary Crisis and Socialist Power

Register Here

What role does the immigration system have in upholding the prison industrial complex? What is a “direct transfer” & how have direct transfers impacted our communities? What is the Vision Act and how can you get involved? Learn this and more as we speak with directly impacted community members around these topics. General member meetings take place every 1st Wednesday of the month and are open to everyone!

*Due to concerns over the spread of COVD-19 variants, our monthly member meetings will remain virtual for the remainder of the calendar year.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85817209915

Interesting Agenda Items

4. Surveillance Equipment Ordinance – OPD – Body Worn Camera impact report and proposed use policy – review and take possible action

Join CCWP (CA Coalition for Women Prisoners) for a special event this coming Thursday featuring four amazing storytellers, two of which are formerly incarcerated CCWP members who will be sharing about Life Without Parole. You can read more about the Stories in Living Color series here.

*This event is free and will stream on YouTube, but you must register here to receive the link.

Register or audit

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYwKCKZvC270piELHNDhnJ5zaxQ1-SoVcIlGihiAZF1f53gQ/viewform

The Struggle for People’s Park is a 2-unit student-led class offered to UC Berkeley Students during the Fall 2021 semester under the Democratic Education at Cal (DeCal) program.

You may apply by clicking the “take my class” button above.

Note: Grading will be based on a pass/fail framework depending on the participation and development designs regarding People’s Park.

For more information and updates, please contact our student facilitator, Aidan Hill at hillae@berkeley.edu