Open Mic

It began with a crazy idea more than two years ago. A bunch of Occupy Wall Streeter’s decided to try to raise $50K and then try to buy some defaulted-on medical debt at pennies on the dollar on the shady debt-trading exchanges, then forgive it. They called the scheme the Rolling Jubilee. They failed miserably. So badly, in fact, that they ended up raising more than $700K, got worldwide attention and, over the next two years had to buy up and forgive over $14,000,000 in both medical and student loan … Continued

Such is the mythology the US Postal Service would have us believe about the Berkeley Post Office. You see, Postal Service lawyers were caught lying to a Federal judge in a hearing on December 11th about the City of Berkeley’s lawsuit against the sale of its downtown Post Office. I was there in the courtroom. I heard them lie. They argued to the judge that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the downtown Berkeley Post Office was “no longer for sale.” But a quick check immediately after the hearing showed … Continued

At least 300 protesters filled the BART Board’s hearing room, plus an overflow room, and the lobby outside on Thursday, January 21st, demanding that the BART Board tell District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to drop the charges against the Black Friday 14 and not to ask for restitution payments. What they got after three hours of testimony by Black Friday shutdown participants and supporters – ranging from mention of slave patrols to the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Oscar Grant and to Nubia Bowe – was a promise by Rebecca Saltzman, one … Continued

The inaugural meeting of the new Oakland Livable Wage Assembly will take place this Tuesday, January 27th, at 6:30 PM. It is being hosted at SEIU 1000, 1433 Webster Street Oakland,CA 94612. The Oakland Livable Wage Assembly builds community and power among those who seek higher wages and better work life conditions for area workers. It will meet every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the SEIU Local 1000, 2nd Floor in downtown Oakland. The meetings will run from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The work of this new assembly … Continued

The Omni Commons, a collective of collectives and open space for all Oakland, set itself a challenging goal of raising $80,000. With almost $33,000 raised online at this writing, they’re almost there because… “Thanks to some generous anonymous donors and Oaklandish, who are sending us checks directly, we have actually raised $40,000 MORE than the total shown here!” That leaves just $7000 or so to raise; not an easy task, but one well within the bounds of possibility. If you or your group use the Omni for meeting space, or … Continued

San Leandro, like other cities in the Bay Area, wants to acquire a tank.  Well, not a tank exactly; more like (actually, exactly like) an armored personnel carrier. The kind you see in war movies and Iraq footage. On January 8th a rally against the tank, followed by a San Leandro City Council meeting in which much opposition  to the acquisition of this vehicle was voiced, was held.  (The City Council plans to hold a vote sometime in February).  Most of the voices opposed were San Leandro residents, and a few members of … Continued