WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Tuesday, September 25 • 6:00 pm
Speak Out Against BDP at Berkeley City Council Meeting
Come to the Berkeley City Council meeting on Tuesday 9/25 at 6pm to support an ordinance barring release of photos and personal information by Berkeley Police except in the case of an imminent threat to public safety. As recently exposed via FOIA filings by the Lucy Parsons Lab & Berkeley Copwatch, and reported by the East Bay Express & Guardian, BPD established a “Twitter protocol” that has targeted anti-racist and anti-fascist counter protestors opposing far-right rallies in order to “create a counter-narrative” validating the need for their militarized force.
BPD's social medial strategy - the “flow from jail to Twitter” - involves arresting protestors, posting mug shots and personal information to social media, and tracking re-tweets and likes. While these first amendment arrests regularly result in no formal charges or convictions, BPD’s actions have repeatedly subjected individuals to doxxing by the far-right & endangered their families. Show up and support the ordinance barring these practices!
Location: City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA

Wednesday, September 26 • 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
National Day of Action for Corporate Accountability
Across the country there will be actions calling on Chase and Wells Fargo to stop funding the construction of detention centers. Join a direct action at the Wells Fargo Headquarters in downtown San Francisco to deliver thousands of petition signatures gathered by MomsRising and others. This will be a kid-friendly event and we’re looking for parents with children to play a visible role. Sign up here to join in person or virtually as part of a social media team.
Location: Wells Fargo Headquarters, 420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA

Sunday, September 30 • 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Pups for Prop 10!
Join SURJ at Point Isabel Dog Park to get the word out about Prop 10 — the Affordable Housing Act. Help give local communities the power to adopt rent control by repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Accost a Paw-kins — not Costa Hawkins! (Four-legged friends and kids welcome.)
Location: Point Isabel Dog Park, 1 Isabel Street, Richmond, CA

Wednesday, October 3 • 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children 40th Anniversary Gala
Join us to celebrate 40 years of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) and 15 years of their project, All of Us or None. Drinks and appetizers will be followed by a conversation with civil rights attorney and legal scholar Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness; journalist, academic, author, and TV commentator Marc Lamont Hill; and advocate and attorney Vonya Quarles, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Starting Over Inc. More information and tickets available here.
Location:  Scottish Rites Center, 1st Floor, Grand Ballroom, 1547 Lakeside Dr. Oakland, CA

Saturday, October 6 • 1:00 - 6:00 pm
Blac Community Political Action Committee's East Oakland Community Gathering
Politics impacts many aspects of our lives including education, economics, housing, and healthcare. The Blac Community Political Action Committee is holding a community gathering for the East Oakland Community to ask questions and meet candidates in a family-friendly and fun atmosphere. There will be food, music, activities for children, and good conversation. The event is free and family friendly.
Location:  Ira Jinkins Community Center, 9175 Edes Avenue, Oakland, CA

Wednesday, October 10 & Tuesday, October 30 • 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Rise Up for Rent Control: Phonebank for Prop 10!
SURJ Bay Area has endorsed Prop 10 (the Affordable Housing Act), which will be on the ballot this November. Prop 10 will help stop displacement by making it easier for cities and towns to pass strong rent control laws.
Join us as we canvass and phonebank to tell our neighbors about the importance of voting Yes on Prop 10. RSVP here or email surjyesonprop10@gmail.com for location info.
Location: North Oakland, details provided upon RSVP

Sept  24 - 30 • Lunchtime calls to Governor Jerry Brown
Help Pass Vital Criminal Justice Reforms in CA
Six vital criminal justice reform bills have made it to the Governor's desk, but we need YOU to call Jerry Brown before September 30th to ask him to sign these bills into law.Click here for phone numbers, bill descriptions, and call scripts and let's get the Governor's phone ringing off the hook!

SURJ Faith: National Invitation to Prophetic Imagination
SURJ’s national campaign to involve faith communities in ending police terror is launching its second phase in September! We’ve revamped the structure so that you can now join even if you are the only person in your faith community who is thinking about divestment from policing. We’ll support you and others like you around the country with monthly coaching calls and provocative webinars as you build a small working group to bring this conversation to your faith community. Click here for more information and to sign up.

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