Weekly Newsletter - January 8, 2018

Show Up Over the MLK Holiday Week-End!
Friday, January 12 - Monday, January 15
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96 Hours of Direct Action to Reclaim Martin Luther King Jr.’s Radical Legacy
Join SURJ and the coalition of groups under the leadership of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) that are planning activities from Friday, January 12 - Monday, January 15. For the 4th year in a row, APTP is calling on folks to to stand in solidarity and say no to white supremacy, no to state-sponsored violence, no to development over people, no to misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, no to the targeting of immigrants and Muslims. #96Hours  #WeWillNotComply
Scroll down to see some of the events planned over the #96Hours.
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Monday, January 8 • 5:00 - 7:00 pm PST
SURJ Faith Webinar for Community Safety for All Campaign
SURJ Faith and Soulforce are hosting this webinar, “The Snatch Back: When Christian Supremacy is Stealing Your God," which will explore the important role of the church in reclaiming the Divine from systems of power and violence. Topics of discussion include: How is God being co-opted by systems of power (like white supremacy and heteropatriarchy) that perpetuate violence and death, especially in policing? How have churches been complicit or coerced into participating in the policing system, and what is the role of churches to change this disturbing reality and to create a different future that is truly in line with our politics, ethics, and theology? Webinar is free but you must register.
Location: Online or via phone • More info/RSVP

Tuesday, January 9 • 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Deport ICE: The Resolution To End OPD Cooperation With ICE
Oakland's Public Safety Committee will debate a resolution from City Council members Desley Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan to end all Oakland Police Department cooperation with ICE, after OPD assistance in an August 16 raid violated the city's sanctuary policy. Come out to help get it through the full Council.
Location: Oakland City Hall, 14th & Broadway, Oakland • More info

Tuesday, January 9 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Restore the Vote: Overturning Voter Suppression Workshop
This workshop will provide the context for the Voting Restoration & Democracy Act of 2018, including essential understanding of voter suppression history in the United States and California. Learn concrete actions you can take over the next several months 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.
Location: Warehouse, 955 7th St., Oakland • More info/RSVP 

Wednesday, January 10 • 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. Featured Speaker: Troy Williams, editor of the monthly, San Francisco Bay View, a national Black newspaper which has been publishing since 1976.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Suite 1300, Oakland • More info

Thursday, January 11 • 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Mobilization to Sacramento to Repeal Costa-Hawkins
Come to the first hearing on AB1506, the bill to repeal state restrictions on rent control. Join the Housing Now! CA coalition (of which SURJ is a member) in Sacramento to tell our lawmakers we need REAL rent control to combat gentrification and displacement. RSVP below to join other SURJ members at the hearing. We'll be coordinating rides from the Bay Area. In the meantime, use this form to to email legislators with one easy click to tell them to repeal Costa-Hawkins!
Location: Sacramento State Capital, Room 4202, 1315 10th St, Sacramento • More info/RSVP

Thursday, January 11 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
We Have No Choice But to Resist: From DC to the Bay Area
Across the United States, J20 Resisters are facing charges stemming from protests on Inauguration Day 2017. In San Francisco, DA George Gascón has chosen not to drop charges against local activists arrested. Bay Area J20 resisters have organized to demand that local governments should dedicate their resources to protecting those most vulnerable under Trump , not squandering resources on criminalizing dissent. Sponsored by the Center for Political Education and National Lawyers Guild. Tickets $5-$20 sliding scale – no one turned away for lack of funds.
Location: First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St, Oakland • More info

Friday, January 12 - Monday, January 15 
96 Hours of Direct Action to Reclaim Martin Luther King Jr.’s Radical Legacy

SURJ Bay Area will be kicking off its participation in the #96Hours with a morning rally and human billboard:
Friday, January 12 • 7:00 - 10:00 am
MLK Morning Wake Up Call
Join SURJ at Rockridge BART where we’ll be holding up signs and banners and passing out flyers to morning commuters that lift up Dr. King's radical legacy and focus on the theme of the day - state-sponsored violence - by sharing some alternatives to calling the police. We'll also be encouraging people to show up for the Monday's MLK Day March. Come for a short shift or stay the whole time.
Location: Rockridge BART Station, 5660 College Ave., Oakland • More info/RSVP 

Sunday, January 14 • 2:00 - 4:00 pm
MLK Day Prayer at the West Berkeley Shellmound
The West Berkeley Shellmound - known to be the oldest Ohlone village, ceremonial center, and cemetery in the Bay Area - is under threat. Developers plan to build luxury condos and retail at this site despite its designation as a City of Berkeley Landmark and listing in the California State Registry of Historic Plans. Show up in solidarity with the Ohlone people.
Location: 1900 4th St, Berkeley • More info

Monday, January 15 • 9:00 - 11:00 am
Reclaim MLK Youth Teach-in
This Teach-In will be led by youth and youth workers for children of all ages and will be an opportunity for families to honor the histories of Black and Indigenous resistance and #NonCompliance against state-sponsored violence. Following the Teach-In, those who can and want to, will join the March to #ReclaimKingsRadicalLegacy through Oakland. Come to educate and empower our young activists and to be in community on this powerful weekend and day of action.
Location: Lincoln Square Park, 261 11th St, Oakland • More info/RSVP

Monday, January 15 • 1:00 - 4:00 pm
4th Annual March to Reclaim King's Radical Legacy
The week-end of activities will culminate in a mass mobilization through the streets of Oakland. This family-friendly march will focus on this year's theme of #NonCompliance with the Trump/Schaaf corporate agenda. SURJ will be organizing a contingent and all are welcome to march with us as we show up in solidarity with Black and Brown communities.
Location: Gather at Oscar Grant Plaza, 14th St. & Broadway, Oakland • More info

Thursday, January 18 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm 
The End of Policing
The Center for Political Education and Critical Resistance present internationally-renowned expert on alternatives to policing, Alex Vitale, who will discuss his new book, The End of Policing which shows how the expansion of police authority is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice—even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from across the world, Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the very problems it is supposed to solve.
Location: Mission Center, City College of San Francisco, 1125 Valencia St, San Francisco • More info

Wednesday, January 24 • 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Hear Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrice Cullors Speak
Los Angeles-based activist and civil rights leader, Patrisse Cullors, will speak on the occasion of her new book release, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, co-written with award-winning author and journalist asha bandele, who will also appear. The powerful and inspiring evening, to benefit KPFA, will be moderated by KPFA UpFront co-host and APTP co-founder Cat Brooks. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
Location: First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St, Oakland • More info/Tickets

Sunday, January 28 • 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
SURJ Difficult Dialogues Workshop
How do we approach the challenging conversations in our lives, whether it’s about confederate flags, Donald Trump, cultural appropriation, Palestine/Israel, or even just racism and racial justice in general? This workshop is an opportunity to dive in much deeper with structured time to practice a range of difficult conversations around highly-charged racial issues. We will be sharing some basic skill-building tools in how to approach conversations, and then explore scenarios relevant to the lives of participants. Tickets are sliding scale $15 - $25. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Oakland • More info

Sunday, February 11 • Two sessions: 10:15 am - 1:00 pm and 1:15 - 4:00 pm
SURJ Bystander Intervention Workshop 
We've all been there. Someone in a public place says or does something to another person that makes us feel uncomfortable or even scared for that other person. Learn how to intervene in those situations, including tactics from de-escalation strategies to some basic self-defense. This workshop will provide a baseline for reducing harm and acting in effective solidarity with people being harassed or assaulted. Tickets are sliding scale $10 - $20. No one turned away for lack of funds. For ticket requests or questions, contact basebuilding@surjbayarea.org.
Location: Suigetsukan Dojo, 103 International Blvd., Oakland • Info on 10:15 session  Info on 1:15 session

Let's Get REAL Rent Control in CA - Repeal Costa-Hawkins! 
Housing Now! CA (of which SURJ is a member) is leading an exciting campaign to pass AB1506, which would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. With a housing crisis of epic proportions, Costa-Hawkins prevents cities and towns from passing real rent control and protecting their communities against skyrocketing rent. Hundreds of tenants and allies will be mobilizing to Sacramento on January 11th for the bill's first hearing - can you join us? In the meantime, use this form to to email legislators with one easy click to tell them to repeal Costa-Hawkins!

Join the Campaign to Restore Voting Rights to 160,00 People in State Prisons and On Parole!
Sign up for a shift with SURJ to gather signatures to get the Voting Restoration and Democracy Act on the California ballot in November 2018. The VRDA, spearheaded by Initiate Justice, would restore the right to vote to approximately 160,000 people in state prisons and on parole in California. Once you sign up for a shift, we'll email you a few days beforehand with the name and contact info for your team lead, as well as an exact meet-up location. We'll provide a brief on-the-spot training, but you can also read the 2-page talking points and instructions here. Feel free to bring friends.

Justice for Kayla Moore
Kayla Moore, a Black trans woman with a mental health diagnosis, was killed by Berkeley police in 2013. Four years later, her family and community are still working to hold the City of Berkeley and Berkeley police accountable with a civil suit. Pack the court (check Facebook for updates) to support the Moore family and demand an end to the criminalization of and violence against Black, trans, and disabled people. You can also sign up for Text Alerts - text justice4kayla to 33222 to receive up to 8 updates a month. More info

Black Lives Matter Signs Available at Marcus Books
SURJ's Black Lives Matter window signs are now available at Marcus Books, an historic Black-owned independent bookstore that, since 1960, has specialized in titles by and about Black people. Pick up your window sign and shop for books for children, teens, and adults. Net proceeds from sign sales go to Black Lives Matter Bay Area. Marcus Bookstore is located at 3900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland. More info
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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 HERE or become a monthly sustainer HERE. Contributions are tax-deductible.