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Gino Pepi was a member of the Occupy Oakland Labor Solidarity Committee, 2011 – 2013. Tribute to Gino Pepi by Jack Heyman and Richard Chen of the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee, October 11, 2015, Oakland, California Gino was born and raised in San Francisco. As a young man he became convinced of the need of an equal and just society, and dedicated his life to socialism and to the struggles of the working class internationally. He worked hard to enhance the living conditions of all Bay Area workers especially B.A.R.T … Continued

This weekend, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law what advocates describe as some of strongest privacy protections in the United States. Legislation which takes effect January 1st, 2016, known as CAL-EPCA, will prohibit police from searching electronic equipment and records such as email, including metadata, without a warrant. (Another bill which he vetoed wanted to put an RFID chip into every California driver’s license. ) A further bill, signed into law, requires most state and local agencies acquiring a Stingray Cellphone Surveillance Device or equivalent to both conduct a public hearing … Continued

October 10th, 2011 Hundreds of protesters poured into Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza late in the afternoon, joining a multi-city movement taking aim at Wall Street… Two hours into the protest, a dozen participants set up tents and said they planned to settle in for a long stay.Oakland bartender Dion Jardine, 27, said he would camp “until things change or they force us out.” A large number of police monitored the peaceful protest… Four years, many millions of dollars in lawsuits, and much social upheaval later, the forces created or magnified by … Continued

On September 1st, 2015, members of the Anti Police Terror Project led a speak-out against police terror and the execution of Yuvette Henderson by Emeryville Police at the Emeryville, City Council meeting. Powerful testimony was given by many, excerpts of which are provided below. Directly below is the video of an hour and twelve minutes of testimony. Speakers included Yuvette’s brother and Cat Brooks (both pictured at right), co-founder of APTP. Yvette Henderson was killed approximately eight months ago after exiting Home Depot over a dispute over shoplifting. At the … Continued

Whether it is nobler to send 50,000 volts slinging through human bodies, or take arms against a sea of autistic, mentally ill, drugged, drunk, deaf, pregnant, and/or homeless people who more often than statistically plausible tend to be minorities will be debated. The issue of whether it is better to (gasp) de-escalate the situation is not on the agenda, but might be brought up by some intrepid public speakers. On October 6th, at 5:30 PM, the Berkeley City Council will hold a special meeting to consider a report on the … Continued

“I Opened the Door… They’re Pointing Rifles at Me.” So related a thirteen year old girl, one of the speakers at this year’s Urban Shield protest in Oakland, describing an encounter with a local SWAT team. Urban Shield, sponsored by the the Alameda County Sheriff, is an annual police convention and tradeshow, glorifying the militarization of police and violence. It’s an excuse for wanna bes to cosplay “Special Forces” for a couple days, taking part in military-style “exercises” throughout Alameda County. To get more of a sense of the spirit … Continued

On September 10th, in response to an attack on September 3rd by an armed security guard on a man at the checkout counter – protesters converged at the Whole Foods at Harrison and Twenty-Seventh St in Oakland where the incident had taken place. This is how it came down. What’s Happening?   Happening now: PICKET WHOLE FOODS! STOP ANTI-BLACK VIOLENCE!! https://t.co/apCDfIWS7j — Miguel (@guelo) September 11, 2015 Why’s It Happening?   Black folks organized, took the #wholefoods and held them accountable #oakland #blacklivesmatter @drmcclain pic.twitter.com/yFSIqJBavo — Hella-Erby (@hella_erby) September 11, … Continued

Groups supporting the California Hunger Strikers and opposing Solitary Confinement today held a press conference at the Eliju Harris State Office Building in downtown Oakland, after the Center for Constitutional Rights announced a settlement in the case of Ashker v Brown, challenging the constitutionality of indefinite solitary confinement. The settlement effectively eliminates indefinite solitary confinement, allowing terms of up to five years (still far too long!) in solitary for offenses while in prison. It eliminates the practice of sending people into solitary “solely” for having some kind of gang affiliation. … Continued

A Letter to Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Oakland City Council From the Oakland Privacy Working Group.   American law enforcement uses a lethal amount of force against a citizen every eight hours, killing on average 3.2 people a day in 2015. In July, at least 121 citizens were reported as killed by police, putting us on pace to reach 1,100 by years end. These facts are relevant because the Oakland Police Department (OPD) will again participate in Urban Shield in September. We ask that OPD refrain from participation in … Continued