SEIU 1021 Port Workers are Going on Strike against Unfair Labor Practices engaged in by the Port of Oakland. The Port of Oakland has a $37 million surplus, yet refuses to give workers the proper information that they are required to by law. This is one of the richest Port’s in Oakland, the Federal Government has invested in the expansion of the Port to create good jobs in Oakland

SEIU was there at the General Strike on November 2nd, 2011. SEIU members walked with Occupy Oakland as we shut down the Port on December 12, 2011. Now they have asked for Occupy Oakland’s help!

COMMUNITY PICKET SHUTTLES COURTESY OF THE SEIU WILL BE LEAVING THE WEST OAKLAND BART STARTING AT 5:00 AM !!

From the SEIU LOCAL 1021 site:

TUESDAY:

— Shuttles will pick people up from West Oakland BART station from 5 AM to 8AM, 12 NOON and again from 4 PM to 6 PM.
— Buses will be picking up from the Union Hall at 100 OAK St. throughout the day.
— Shuttles will return people to West Oakland BART from 7-8 PM. and now the Port is refusing to Bargain.

Stop Unfair Labor Practices at the Port!
Support SEIU 1021 strike!

SEIU is asking for your support!
Please come out on Tuesday, November 21 at the Port of Oakland:
9 AM: SSA Terminal 1717 Middle Harbor, Berth 57-59
12 Noon: Terminal 1 Oakland Airport
5 PM: SSA Terminal 1717 Middle Harbor, Berth 57-59

It was both a sad and hopeful day. Sad for the obvious reasons yet hopeful because of the coalition we are building and the messages we are sending:

“This slaughter must end!”
“We are not going away!”

The sons and daughters of the parents who fear the most for their soon-to-be-grown sons and daughters took a special role in our march through West Oakland after the rally.

Click here to read the entire essay, including more photographs and video of the rally.

Alan Blueford of Oakland, CA, age 18, was shot and killed after being stopped for being, young, Black, male and “acting suspiciously.” His last words were “I didn’t do anything.”

Manual Diaz of Anaheim, CA, age 25, was shot in the back and killed as he ran away after officers decided to check him out because he was standing next to a car, talking to other young, Hispanic men inside it.

Derrick Gaines, age 15, was shot and killed in South San Francisco after officers stopped him and his friends for “acting suspiciously.”

Ramarley Graham, age 18, was shot and killed in his own bathroom after being chased there by a New York City police officer over a bit of marijuana.

There are far too many more.

Each case makes headlines. Each time the police announce that the officer thought that the deceased had a weapon. Usually no charges are brought, and in the cases when they are filed police officers are almost always acquitted — rarely if ever is an officer of the law convicted of murder for the execution of a young man of color — even if he was unarmed and shot from behind.

Eventually the case fades from memory, to be replaced by the next. As the cycle begins anew.

It’s way past time for this to end.

The Justice 4 Alan Blueford Coalition is attempting change this dynamic. On November 10th, 2012, in downtown Oakland, we will be staging a rally and march Against Police Brutality, to End Racial Profiling, and in Opposition to Stop & Frisk Policies which aid and abet such.

We have invited the families of the victims of police murders from around the Bay Area and Northern California, some going back as much as twenty years, to speak. We have reached out to local organized labor and have gotten endorsements for this action by local ILWU and SEIU chapters; their representatives will be speaking. Kristian Williams, author of Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America will also be lending his voice to ours.

Click here to read the entire essay, including our open letter to Judge Thelton Henderson about his decision on whether or not to put the Oakland Police into Federal Receivership in relation to their racist policies and behaviors.

Jodie Randolph is a small-business owner in Alameda.

Morgan Stanley’s earnings for the last three months were $7.6 billion dollars, or about $2.5 billion per month.

Jodie Randolph is a breast-cancer survivor.

Morgan Stanley is legally a person, but doesn’t have breasts. Instead, it has assets of $311 billion.

Jodie Randolph is in treatment for colon cancer.

Morgan Stanley doesn’t have a colon either. Instead, it takes care of its $311 billion in assets by shedding jobs — about 4500, or 7% of its work force, last
quarter.

Jodie Randolph on the porch of her small house in Alameda, CA

Jodie Randolph and her possessions are about to go out onto the street, because Morgan Stanley has something better to do with her home than let her live there.

Jodie has been fighting to stay in her home for years. Companies affiliated with Morgan Stanley shuttled the loan around from one subsidiary to the other until they foreclosed on her. Morgan Stanley’s tactics have included:

• pushing her into a predatory refinance.
• Moving her loan around from company to company so she couldn’t get a fix on who to negotiate with
• Removing the lawyer for Morgan Stanley who was actually negotiating with Jodie when they were close to reaching a mutually acceptable plan; and
• Stunningly, breaking in and changing the locks to her house WHILE SHE WAS AT A CHEMOTHERAPY SESSION

Since lawyers have failed her, Jodie is fighting back the people’s way.

Jodie talks about her fight with Morgan Stanley et al, spanning years and increasing in desperation.

On Monday, Jodie, supported by a delegation of her family, friends, neighbors, the Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, and other foreclosure activists went to the Bay Area offices of Morgan Stanley to present her demand letter: a reasonable repurchase plan, including principal reduction.

When the truck comes Tuesday morning (yes, Election Day morning!) to take away her furniture and leave her on the street people from all those groups will be on that street to stop that truck.

Here’s how you can help.

If you are in the area and want to participate in the eviction defense tomorrow or on subsequent days:

See below for directions to her house and more.

Also check out this page for updates and information on where to go, how to get there, or who to call.

If you aren’t in the area or want to help from home, please call

John Sheldon
Morgan Stanley Executive Director
San Francisco

415-576-2083

on Tuesday morning and tell him to stop the eviction of Jodie Randolph at
1624 Foley Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501.

Directions to Jodie’s house:

Directions to Jodie Randolph’s home @ 1624 Foley, Alameda, CA.

People can start showing up after 8:00 AM Tuesday, November 6th.

Via BART: Go to FruitVale BART. Walk west to Fruitvale Ave, South (towards Freeway & Bay) on Fruitvale, across the bridge. Street turns into Tilden Ave and bears right. Follow Tilden to Buena Vista Ave, turn right. Two short blocks to Foley. Turn left. 1624 is about half way down the street on your left. About 4/5ths of a mile total.

By bicycle: International towards Fruitvale, right on 29th Ave, across bridge. Street turns into Park St. Follow Park three or four blocks, turn left on Buena Vista Ave. Right on Foley. 1624 is about half way down the street on your left.

By car: Take I880 South to Fruitvale exit. Exit onto Elmwood Ave. Two blocks to the intersection of Fruitvale & Elmwood. Turn right onto Fruitvale, go across bridge. Road turns into Tilden & bears to the right. Follow Tilden a few blocks. Turn right on Buena Vista Ave. One short block, turn left on Foley. 1624 is about half way down the street on your left.

If you really need information, or you really need a ride, the hotline is 510-207-0182. (No ride guarantees, but we might be able to work something out).

If you want to get text alerts subscribe to the Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group’s emergency alert system:

Text ‘ooforeclosure’ to 69302.

The most important thing to do is to be there Tuesday to a) stop the eviction and b) organize to make sure the eviction continues to not happen.

No One Gets Put Out. Period.

One year ago to the day, in the wee hours of the morning of October 25th, 2011, armed thugs invaded the newly-named Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland. Bringing with them tear gas, batons and military style arms, they gassed, beat, dragged and kidnapped people who were doing nothing more or less threatening than sleeping in tents or sitting in the plaza keeping vigil. As one Occupier caught up in the gotterdammerung, Allie123, wrote

At around 4:30 AM the police came from everywhere… A line of police in full riot gear with huge guns pointed their weapons at us… the police tear gassed us… I heard huge explosions… I was the first person taken.

The intent of this action was clear: to strike enough fear into the hearts and minds of the Occupiers that they would vanish into the mist, departing to points unknown, never to bother the good burghers of Oakland again. This was the first attempt at mass violence used by the state against Occupiers. True, there had been kettling and mass arrests in New York, and a few police pepper-spraying a few protesters apparently at random. But there had been as yet no concerted, centrally directed attempt to eradicate by both physical and psychological violence an Occupy site and by projection an entire local movement.

But it didn’t work.

Click and read the entire essay here.

On October 25 of last year, the Oakland Commune at Oscar Grant Plaza was raided with enough brutal force to gain international attention. Since then, continuous state repression and police brutality have sought to divide Oakland and keep its residents from reclaiming public space in a time of local, national and global austerity.

The Oakland Commune served as a socio/political refuge for Oakland residents. It was open and free to all and provided a space where people could traverse race and class divides in order to share food, discussion and visions of a more just world. During this time, it was reported that crime within the beat that contained Oscar Grant Plaza went down 19 percent, which highlights the social efficacy of the community when allowed to come together and care for itself.

This Thursday October 25, Occupy Oakland will take back Oscar Grant Plaza with the intention of reclaiming the commons and the right of the people to organize in City Centers. This is a call out to all those who either experienced or were intrigued by the power of the Oakland Commune to come and contribute to the evening’s planned discussions on racism, patriarchy, state repression, and bridges to building a mass movement. A pot luck, community forum and general assembly are scheduled to begin at 4:00pm, followed by a march at 7:00pm. Films will be shown in the evening.

Come gather with us in the commons!

Anderson and the Occupy Oakland Media Collective claim to be on an “apology campaign” to defend  Occupy Oakland from the “Oakland Commune.”

First, the Oakland Commune is simply a nickname for the camp at Oscar Grant Plaza and the community that grew out of it, no more, no less. It is a term of endearment used by Occupy Oakland participants, not some separate shady organization.

More importantly, Anderson is a member of the “Occupy Oakland Media Collective” which publishes the HellaOccupyOakland.org web site, which is separate from OccupyOakland.org.

The Occupy Oakland Media Collective does not represent Occupy Oakland.

Far from it.

From January to March, the Occupy Oakland Media Collective–then known as the “OO Media” committee–met in secret while pretending to have a transparent committee open to all, eventually expelling members of the committee who did not agree with an article they published on their web site.  The article in question ridiculously and offensively accused an Arab-American activist in Occupy Oakland of being both a terrorist and a federal agent–based on “evidence” from a Department of Defense anti-terrorism document!–that was briefly published on hellaoccupyoakland.org.

The racist nature of this accusation was contradictory to everything the Occupy movement stands for. The Occupy Oakland General Assembly voted to distance itself from the group in March 2012.

That resolution is posted here:

1. Last Saturday, an offensive, irresponsible and dangerous article titled
“Occupational Awareness” was posted on the OO Media web site. Occupy
Oakland denounces the article. The article contains personal attacks on an
individual in Occupy Oakland that are untrue and unsubstantiated, and that
are extremely dangerous to him and to the movement.  The article appeals
and legitimates a fantasy of “terrorist threat” that has consistently been
used by the state to repress and silence protest, and to create false
“enemies,” and uses classic racist tactics of racial profiling to do so.
This article is not only a serious danger to the person attacked, it is a
danger to our movement and it  requires immediate action.

…

Rather than abide by this resolution, the Occupy Oakland Media Collective renounced the General Assembly–which passed this vote of over 140 people with 90% supporting–and decided to go its own way. They chose to leave Occupy Oakland rather than apologize for their offensive behavior and now have a highly restrictive membership policy which is an affront to the open-air organizing that took place in October and November of 2011 at Oscar Grant Plaza.

The Occupy Oakland Media Collective now claims to represent Occupy Oakland, speaking on behalf of the movement claiming that the tactics of the “Oakland Commune” turned people off. But these new “official” representatives played no serious role in organizing any of the mass actions. However,  they have done much to take credit for them and even, it seems, profit off of them.

Occupy Oakland does not have a position for or against vandalism and activists have varying attitudes toward this tactic. The Occupy Oakland Media Collective hopes to attract attention to themselves over this issue while doing nothing to clarify the distinction between a few broken windows compared to massive police repression, assault and arrests. The Occupy Oakland Media Collective  is playing directly into the hands of the opponents of the Occupy movement in the media, in City Hall and even vigilantes who call on Oaklanders to “beat the shit out of anarchists/vandals.”

The only true representative of the movement is the General Assembly. The General Assembly has spoken against the Occupy Oakland Media Collective. They do not represent Occupy Oakland, so please do not quote them as doing so.

The General Assembly no longer has large enough attendance to reach quorum–requiring at least 75 people–so it cannot speak for itself. The Occupy Oakland Media Collective, which is literally a handful of people, have attempted to fill the void. They can do what they wish, but claiming to be Occupy Oakland is utterly disingenuous.

Many of the activists who made up Occupy Oakland have continued organizing around school and library closures, prisoner solidarity, feminist marches, anti-police violence protests, labor solidarity and other actions while the Occupy Oakland Media Collective does what it only knows how–increase its web traffic by claiming to be something that it is not.

Press conference to highlight concerns including invasion of privacy, militarization of police forces, restriction of free speech and political expression

At a press conference to be held on the steps of Oakland City Hall on Thursday, October 18, at 11:00 a.m., Alameda County residents and legal advocacy organizations will announce their efforts to resist the Sheriff’s announced plans to deploy aerial surveillance “drones” for undisclosed law enforcement purposes.

“Community members intend to pursue city and county legislation to prohibit the use of drones to spy on Alameda County residents,” stated Mary Madden, an Oakland resident. “The Sheriff’s idea is a threat to our privacy, and a deterrent to those of us who participate in community and political activities.”

The ACLU of Northern California has sent County Sheriff Ahern a public records request, asking for basic information about why drones are needed, how much they would cost to acquire, operate and maintain, and how the drones would be used.  “Drones should not be used for indiscriminate mass surveillance,” said Linda Lye, staff attorney with the ACLU-NC.  “Transparency is key.  Right now, we don’t know what, if any, safeguards the Sheriff intends to follow before deploying unmanned surveillance aircraft into our skies.”

Critical Resistance, a national organization that has helped organize against the use of gang injunctions in Oakland, has also condemned Sheriff Ahern’s plans for drones. “The idea of using military equipment in policing is one more step in the militarization of Bay Area police activities,” stated Rachel Herzing, of Critical Resistance. “Extending police powers to monitor and surveil local residents within communities that already have a high level of distrust of the police can only generate more tension and resentment toward police forces, while further criminalizing our families and neighbors.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation originally sued the FAA under the Freedom of Information Act to get information on all public and private entities that have applied for drone authorizations and has since filed many public records requests to local law enforcement agencies to find out more about drone use. “Drones will give law enforcement an unprecedented ability to spy on Americans, and the law has not kept up with the technology,” said Trevor Timm, activist for EFF. “Before any law enforcement agency operates drones in American skies, we need binding privacy safeguards and transparency requirements that explain and control their use. Police should need a warrant to use drones for surveillance on any individual, and agencies need clear data use and retention standards that explain how and for what purpose surveillance footage and data are being used, with whom its being shared, and when it will be deleted.”

Some seem to have willfully forgotten that the Oakland Commune banner flew over the camp at Frank Ogawa / Oscar Grant Plaza during it’s hey day. Lest this amnesia spread, let’s remember what the Oakland Commune did.

Before it was known as such, and before the first tents were pitched in front of City Hall, the Oakland Commune came together in Mosswood Park because the winds were changing, the spirit of Occupy Wall Street (inspired, at least in part, by what had taken place in the Bay Area not more than two years previous) was spreading to towns across the country, and it was time for Oakland to take part.

At the height of its popularity, the Oakland Commune fed over 1,000 a day at pretty much any hour with no exceptions made. Basic First Aid, mental and emotional support were also provided to anyone who asked, all of these being extended to those abandoned by city, state and national policies that go back at least as far as Reagan.

The Oakland Commune sought to shatter the illusion that we are a wholly united 99%, an idea that weakened the movement with each racist, misogynist and homophobic remark. Instead, it sought, though often admittedly failed, to provide safe spaces for women, queers and people of color. Where it did fail, it tried to rectify through mediation and facilitation.

As much as the Oakland Commune looked to Occupy to bring people together, it also looked to the decades of hard work that the people of Oakland have put into fighting foreclosures, imperial wars, racist police violence and austerity measures that unravel the few remaining public services in this cash-strapped town.

When the first camp fell, the Oakland Commune rallied while the Oakland Unified School District decide to shutter five schools in underserved neighborhoods and Oakland Police shot tear gas into a crowd of thousands, nearly killing Scott Olsen and firing rubber bullets at the people who came to his assistance.

The Oakland Commune fretted over whether the port-a-potties could be serviced before, during and after the November 2nd General Strike. That same day, and also on December 12th, the Oakland Commune came together to shut down the Port of Oakland in protest of Goldman Sachs stranglehold on the city (a stranglehold that the City Council itself would attempt to loosen with a vote to end the debt swap months later).

When the camps were gone, the Oakland Commune dissolved in body and spread to new spaces.

The Oakland Commune traveled with a thousand others to San Quentin to support one of the most successful and least reported successes of Occupy Oakland’s tenure, Occupy for Prisoners, and joined the farmers, professional and otherwise, to Take Back the Tract. The Commune supported the sit-in that occupied one of the aforementioned shuttered schools and helped open the Biblioteca Popular (now run by the community it serves).

The Oakland Commune continues on not only in the form of raucous street parties, but in the form of campaigns against fare hikes that threaten the most precarious of communities, assemblies of workers and the unemployed, in solidarity marches with the victims of police violence from Oakland to Montreal to Anaheim to Lonmin.

For all of these actions to which it lent support, the Oakland Commune sought no credit or claim.

While Occupy Oakland wouldn’t have existed without the Oakland Commune, the Oakland Commune continues on in a new forms. So while a few seem to be fighting hard for the name and brand of Occupy, the Oakland Commune continues to fight for a life worth living.