Weekly Newsletter - February 26, 2018

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What to Do if ICE Operations Target Local Immigrant Communities

The threat of ICE and immigration raids create fear. Don't spread panic, spread knowledge. Here's how:
• Add these rapid response hotline numbers to your phone: 510-241-4011 (Alameda County) and 415-200-1548 (San Francisco).
• Here are 5 ways to respond with power, not panic.
• If large-scale raids do happen, a coalition of local groups plans to hold an emergency action in San Francisco. Visit this Facebook event page where details will be posted.
• Sign up to receive Bay Resistance action alerts by texting RESIST to 41411.
• Find more resources at the SURJ website here.
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Tuesday, February 27 • 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Take Action to Stop Urban Shield
The Stop Urban Shield Coalition will rally at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting where a presentation on Urban Shield is anticipated. We’re calling on Alameda County to stop sponsoring the racist, xenophobic, and lethal strategies, tactics, and technologies being spread by Urban Shield.
Location: Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak St. Oakland

Tuesday, February 27 • 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Ericka Huggins - Black Panther Party & Its Significance Today
A conversation with Ericka Huggins, human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther Party leader and former political prisoner. She discusses the challenges and successes of the Black Panther Party and its significance today.
Location: Samuel Merritt University Health Education Center, 400 Hawthorne Ave. Oakland

Wednesday, February 28 • 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Justice for Jesús: Rally and Hearing Support
After ICE arrested Jesús Medrano Segura, the judge refused to hear witnesses in Jesús’ first hearing. With community pressure, his attorneys have now secured a second hearing. Join Immigration Liberation Movement for a rally to pack the courtroom to support Jesús.
Location: 630 Sansome St. San Francisco

Sunday March 4, 2018 • 5:00 - 7:00 pm
SURJ Restore Voting Rights Fundraiser
Come out for this fundraising party to celebrate, learn about, and support the work of Initiate Justice and their campaign to restore voting rights to people who are incarcerated or on parole in California. The party will include homemade appetizers, beverages, and a silent auction of artwork by incarcerated artists and others.
Location: Panorama Framing, 3350 Grand Ave. Oakland

Monday, March 5 • 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Stop Deportations: Rally and March to Defend Immigrants
Join Bay Resistance and other local groups to defend our immigrant communities, stop deportations, defend DACA, and protect TPS. Through community organizing and legal advocacy, we can make a difference.
Location: S.F. Federal Building, Mission and 7th St. San Francisco

Tuesday, March 6 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Insurgent Voices: Striving to End Racism in America
This benefit for the S. F. Women’s Building's efforts to end violence against women features theatrical excerpts and conversation with three innovative trailblazers who have changed America's social justice landscape: Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza, playwright and actor Anna Deavere Smith, and Akonadi Foundation President Lateefah Simon.
Location: Marines' Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St. San Francisco

Wednesday, March 7 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Restore the Vote: Overturning Voter Suppression Workshop
This engaging SURJ workshop will provide the context for the Voting Restoration and Democracy Act of 2018, including essential understanding of voter suppression history in the United States and California. Learn concrete actions you can take to help restore voting rights to 162,000 incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals in California. This effort is led by Initiate Justice. Free but please RSVP. ASL Interpretation provided by Terps for Bay Area Resistance (TBAR).
Location: Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave. Piedmont

Sunday, March 11 • 2:00 - 5:00 pm
International Working Women's Day March & Celebration
Join members of GABRIELA Oakland, Causa Justa : Just Cause, and other groups for a march and celebration to commemorate the 110th anniversary of International Women's Day, in honor of the first women strikers in 1908. We’ll take to the streets to say NO to violence against women and Trans people, resist militarization and state violence, and build our collective resistance here and abroad!
Location: Fruitvale Village, 34th and International, Oakland

SAVE THE DATE - Wednesday, March 21 • 6:45 - 8:45 pm
Introduction to SURJ Meeting
Want to get involved with SURJ Bay Area? Come learn about our current work and activities! You'll also hear about SURJ's new pathways for entering the work, including Study and Action groups as well as committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice.
Location and more details: Coming soon!

Campaign to Restore Voting Rights to People in State Prisons and On Parole
SURJ is supporting the work of Initiate Justice and their Voting Restoration and Democracy Act (VRDA) campaign. The VRDA would restore the right to vote to approximately 160,000 people in state prisons and on parole in California. Sign up to help gather signatures, make a donation to support this critical work, come to a workshop and training. Read the 2-page talking points and signature-gathering instructions here.

Sign the Petition to End Berkeley's Participation in Urban Shield
The Berkeley City Council will vote on whether or not to pull out of Urban Shield in February or March. Help us increase the pressure on the Mayor and City Council to hold them accountable to pulling out and voting against police militarization, racism and xenophobia. Sign the petition and share widely with Berkeley residents!

Join the National Movement to End Money Bail and Pretrial Detention
Everyday some 700,000 people are condemned to local jails and separated from their families. A majority of them are there simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. As part of national efforts, download Until Freedom Comes: A Comprehensive Bail Out Toolkit, co-created by over a dozen groups involved in the National Bail Out movement. The toolkit provides step-by-step instructions on how to plan, fundraise for, and execute a bail out action as well as tips for using bail outs to support or catalyze local end money bail campaigns.

Support the #BlackPride4!
Letters of support are needed for the #BlackPride4, four Black and queer activists arrested while peacefully protesting during the Columbus OH Pride Parade last June to draw attention to the disproportionate number of trans women of color being killed and the non-indictment of Philando Castile’s police murderer. Three of the BlackPride4 have been found guilty of charges ranging from disorderly conduct to resisting arrest and now the judge will have the final say in their sentencing. Supporters are asking that letters be sent to the judge on their behalf. Learn more here.

SURJ Bay Area Chapter - Join us! Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. Learn more at www.surjbayarea.org. SURJ Bay Area is one of 150 chapters and affiliates nationwide. Learn about SURJ National and our mission, vision, and values HERE.
Want to support our work? You can make a donation for SURJ's organizing and educational efforts with over half of what we raise going to Black and people of color-led partner organizations. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly sustainer HERE.Contributions are tax-deductible.
Follow SURJ Bay Area on Social Media: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area c/o PO Box 22748, Oakland CA 94609