International Student Forum, A Huge Success!

Posted on October 2, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

The International Student Forum held at CCSF on Sept. 29, 2012 was a huge success!  Co-hosted by CCSF Associated Students and Occupy Education Northern California, the forum brought together local and international student activists.  Giovanni Roberto from the University of Puerto Rico as well as Alain xxx from the University of Quebec spoke to their experiences in student struggle.  Yo Soy 132 was represented by Bay Area based activists.

A local student activist panel kicked off the event, followed by a delicious catered lunch.  After lunch, entertainment was provided by local hip hop artist, Fly Benzo.  The international panel began with Giovanni, followed by a Yo Soy 132 video and then by Alain.  Afterwards, a GA formed to discuss the future of student activism in the Bay Area.

Be sure to attend the Student Union Conference on October 20 at UC Berkeley!  Keep your eye on this site for details.


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GA Minutes, Sunday Sept 30 Meeting @ UAW Offices

Posted on October 1, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

Minutes of 9-30 NorCal Occupy Ed meeting in Berkeley

The agenda was limited to a discussion of the upcoming October 20 student union conference.

1. Proposed conference agenda. An agenda needs to be finalized by our next meeting. We discussed this and suggest the following, encouraging others to weigh in with improvements:

9:00-10:00 Light breakfast, such as bagels, coffee, and juice (we note the current room(s) is reserved starting at noon – this is addressed later below – we agreed the conference needs to be all-day)

10:00-10:10 Introductory speech going over the results of the previous SoCal conference. This is to frame the discussion as a follow-up building on what was agreed earlier in the year.

10:10-10:30 Introductions – go around the room and each person state just their name and school. Continue reading →


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GA Summary 9/8/2012

Posted on September 10, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment
Here in summary are the proposals that passed at the Sat Sept 8 meeting in SF:
PROPOSAL – Sept 29 Forum – CCSF Diego Rivera, Ocean Campus – 4-5 hours, 1pm to 6pm – Sat 9/29

Working groups:  outreach, media, logistics-fundraising-agenda

PROPOSAL – meet weekly, back to UAW in Berkeley next week, Sept 15, Sat PASSED

PROPOSAL City College of San Francisco – PASSED
  • Oppose the special trusteeship
  • Stop the accreditation takeover, and expand the shared governance system
  • Ensure transparency
  • Defend the Master Plan, including accessible, affordable and quality education
  • Fully fund City College at $250M per year by taxing billionaires and corporations, for example SF has 16 billionaires, and CA has 94 billionaires



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GA Minutes 8/25/2012

Posted on September 2, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

At our 8/25 meeting, we reached several major decisions about the dates and locations for two upcoming events:

  • September 29: Bay Area Student Union Forum @ CCSF
  • October 20: Statewide Student Union Conference @ UC Berkeley

We would love to get SoCal folks involved as soon as possible in shaping these events, partcularly the conference in October. We have yet to form working groups for the confence, but it would be great for folks to start talking about ideas for the agenda/how this conference might be used to build the union project. Please feel free to send any ideas, large or small, along to me ([email protected]), and I’ll start collecting them for discussion after the September meeting. Continue reading →


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M5 Sacramento Action

Posted on May 5, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

M5 March in Sacramento

UPDATED INFORMATION

The plan for Monday is that when our march and rally ends at 12:30 pm,
thousands of us will remain here at the Capitol. Politicians and the
state assembly have failed to stand with us, the 99%. So many of us
will go inside the Capitol Building for a People’s Assembly to
ourselves decide how to make the 1% refund education, jobs, essential
services, and a better future.

Here is the schedule:
10 am – March begins at Southside Park
11 am – Student association sponsored Rally to Fund Our Future
1 pm – People’s Assembly Inside the Capitol Building
4:30 pm – Nonviolent Direct Action Training inside the Capitol Building
5:30 pm – Afterwork rally in solidarity with Occupy the Capitol

Occupy Education and Refund California adopted the following
nonviolence statement for the action that we ask everyone who comes to
respect:

“The Occupy the Capitol action will be a mass nonviolent action.
Those involved in its organization will not engage in acts of property
damage either inside or outside the capitol and do not condone such
acts. Decisions about tactics will be made democratically.”

If you don’t see your departure location listed here, and you are a
student or employee at an educational institution, contact your
student government to see if there is a bus leaving your school for
March 5.

If you can’t find a ride on a bus from your school, want help
organizing a carpool, or have other questions about getting to
Sacramento on March 5, contact [email protected]

BUS REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. WE DO EXPECT EXTRA SPOTS ON THE BUSES AND RIDESHARES TO BE AVAILABLE AT DEPARTURE LOCATIONS ON A FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVED BASIS

Departure Times

UC Santa Cruz: UCSC East Remote Parking Lot, 6am, March 5
UC Davis: ARC Parking Lot, 8am or 9am, March 5
City College of San Francisco: 50 Phelan Avenue (Upper Parking Lot, Near Riordan High School 7:30am
SF Civic Center: Larkin @Fulton 7:45am
Fresno State University: Student Recreation Center at Woodrow and Shaw Ave, 6am, March 5
Berkeley: Bancroft & Telegraph, 7:30am, March 5
UCR: University Avenue adjacent to Parking Lot 24, 12:30am, March 5
UCM: Kolligian Library Traffic Loop, 7:30am, March 5

Return Info for Monday, March 5 at 7pm: All buses leave Sacramento from 15th Street between L and M

UC Santa Cruz: UCSC East Remote Parking Lot
UC Davis: ARC Parking Lot
SF (One return points only): Civic Center BART station
Fresno State University: Student Recreation Center at Woodrow and Shaw Ave
Berkeley/Oakland: MacArthur BART
UCR: Contact Associated student
UCM: Kolligian Library Traffic Loop

Return Info: Tuesday, March 6 at 12pm: All buses leave Sacramento from 15th Street between L and M

If you reserve a spot for departure on Tuesday, housing will be provided in Sacramento

UC Santa Cruz: UCSC East Remote Parking Lot
Berkeley/Oakland: MacArthur BART
SF (One return points only): Civic Center BART station

PARKING: You can park at centennial church and get a shuttle ride to south side park where the march begins at 10 am.

A reminder on logistics: If you plan to stay overnight on Monday at the Capitol or at Centennial United Methodist Church, please bring your own sleeping bag or bedding. You will be able to drop them off at Southside Park when your bus arrives, and volunteers will deliver them to where you stay.

The plan for Monday is that when our march and rally ends at 12:30 pm, thousands of us will remain here at the Capitol. Politicians and the state assembly have failed to stand with us, the 99%. So many of us will go inside the Capitol Building for a People’s Assembly to ourselves decide how to make the 1% refund education, jobs, essential services, and a better future.

Here is the schedule:

10 am – March begins at Southside Park
11 am – Student association sponsored Rally to Fund Our Future
1 pm – People’s Assembly Inside the Capitol Building
4:30 pm – Nonviolent Direct Action Training inside the Capitol Building
5:30 pm – Afterwork rally in solidarity with Occupy the Capitol

Occupy Education and Refund California adopted the following nonviolence statement for the action that we ask everyone who comes to respect:

“The Occupy the Capitol action will be a mass nonviolent action. Those involved in its organization will not engage in acts of property damage either inside or outside the capitol and do not condone such acts. Decisions about tactics will be made democratically.”

If you don’t see your departure location listed here, and you are a student or employee at an educational institution, contact your student government to see if there is a bus leaving your school for March 5.

If you can’t find a ride on a bus from your school, want help organizing a carpool, or have other questions about getting to Sacramento on March 5, contact [email protected]

If you don’t see a departure location listed here, and you are a student or employee at an educational institution, contact your student government to see if there is a bus leaving your school for March 5.

If you can’t find a ride on a bus from your school, want help organizing a carpool, or have other questions about getting to Sacramento on March 5, contact [email protected]. We will work with you on rideshares and/or direct you to public transportation to make sure that everyone is able to get to and from the action.

Call 510.549.3863 or email [email protected] with questions about scheduling buses

OCCUPY THE CAPITOL!

Links: Postcard
Sign up for the March 5, 2012, action here.


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Resolution to Stand by the Millionaires Tax

Posted on March 17, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

The Occupy Education Northern California General Assembly voted on Saturday, March 17 to stand by the Millionaires Tax and keep gathering signatures to put the tax initiative on the November ballot.

 

The fight to pass the Millionaires Tax this November continues.



Occupy Education — the coalition responsible for the March 1 Day of Action, the 99 Mile March, and the March 5 Occupy the Capitol action — stands by the Millionaires Tax and calls on the California Federation of Teachers and the Restoring California coalition to stick by the most popular — and most winnable — initiative for refunding California.
The Millionaires Tax remains the only proposal that would take steps to permanently fund public education and services — and it would do this without regressive sales taxes. We reject the notion of “shared sacrifice” — we have already sacrificed more than our share. The 99% should not be asked to pay for the crisis caused by the 1%.


The so-called “compromise” pushed by Governor Brown is a ploy to prevent the Millionaires Tax from getting on the ballot. There is no guarantee that the signatures for the “compromise” can be collected in time. Jerry Brown continues to collect signatures for his original proposal. We too must continue our campaign.

The Millionaires Tax has galvanized thousands of students, teachers, workers, and community members to build a historic mass movement capable of transforming our state. The 1% are on the defensive, now is not the time to back down!

We are committed to continuing signature gathering and fundraising to ensure that the Millionaires Tax gets on the ballot and wins in November.


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Posted in general-assembly, resolution

Tagged Millionaires tax, resolution

Occupy Education Walk from Oakland to Sacramento, March 1–4, 2012

Posted on March 7, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

By Russell Kilday-Hicks, VP for Representation, California State University Employees Union

A rag-tag band of approximately 50 to 60 people started out from Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland on Thursday afternoon, March 1, for a 99-mile stroll for the 99% to Sacramento. Our ranks were formed out of Occupy Education, a coalition group made up of concerned citizens who work in, with, at, or around public education. The common thread among us was the belief that California’s public education system isn’t working for the working class. We marched behind a large, yellow hand-painted banner and a one-person, hand-sewn, multicolored 99% banner. (I joked with the 99% banner maker that this movement isn’t old enough to have banners made in China just yet, but next year we will have T-shirts with Che saying, “Occupy!”) Our controversial upside down American flag read in words of tape: “Education is in distress.” (BTW—an upside-down flag is an internationally recognized sign of distress, like opening the hood of a car when broken down at the side of the road. The walkers held a GA to discus the pros and cons of the flag. There is no doubt that it garnered attention, some of it misunderstood as disrespect, but it was a powerful statement and not enough to divide the group over.)

Along the way we were mostly cheered and occasionally jeered, hosted and fed by churches, welcomed and honored by Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, and even provided breakfast by the CSU Maritime Academy, arranged by supporters in the CSU’s California Faculty Association. We were heading to Sacramento in time for the annual student association rally and lobby day. We planned to hold a GA in the capital rotunda at the heart of California’s government—the idea of bringing the Occupy Movement’s direct democracy model to Sacramento being a powerful one. There were others who wanted to support the civil disobedience action afterward by staying beyond closing time.

You may have heard on the news coverage of the march how a “group of university students” were doing this, and that was mostly true. They came from a sprinkling of SF Bay Area schools, including SF City College, SF State, CSU East Bay, and UC Berkeley and Santa Cruz. But we also had a Concord high school teacher with us, and others who attended college and never made it to degrees. We even had a child care teacher, to encompass all learning from diapers to PhD. We had along some graduates, from UCB and even from private schools like Stamford, who were still looking for meaningful jobs aligned with their studies. We had local Occupy activists and even some who came from afar, like the man from Occupy Boston. Along the way we were joined for parts of the march by others, like when a group at Solano Community College hosted us for lunch we left with more walking pairs of feet than what we had arrived with, and others who joined along the road.

I joined along not only because I share the discontent in the state of public education funding but to represent the union workers who support education. I was also a bridge from past social movements to the present. Many of my friends who could not be on the march because of its physical demands were overjoyed that I was representing older generations of activists disturbed by the shrinking support of the public sector.

On foot from Thursday through Sunday is a long journey, not just walking but eating, sleeping and taking care of other human needs (like entertainment) together. The operating principle was clearly “from each according to ability, to each according to need” but it also offered us the opportunity to really get to know each other. With all the various disciplines and life experience represented, it felt like an open university on the road. And that is just the thing. We do have much to teach and learn from each other if this movement is to grow into something that will bring on real change. Join us next time, and don’t worry, there will be a next time.

For more information, see: http://occupyeducationca.org and http://99milemarch.tumblr.com


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Posted in action, event, march-to-sacramento

March 5 Update!

Posted on March 5, 2012 by admin | 1 Comment

Video streams: Sacramento, CA    Albany, NY

Final arrest count is 76 Occupiers arrested and released by the police at the Occupy the Capitol action in Sacramento.

8:32pm PST Protestors request that supporters call the CHP Academy (3500 Reed Ave West, Sacramento, CA 95605, 916-322-3337) in support of those arrested at Occupy the Capitol since the police are apparently processing arrestees there and then probably moving them to the Sacramento County Jail.

8:12pm PST Police complete arrests of all 50+ Occupiers in the hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento. The last Occupiers chant “No cuts, no fees, education must be free” and “When education is under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” as the police take them into custody.

8:03pm PST Occupiers read their demands as they are arrested in the hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento: 1) Pass the Millionaire Tax, 2) Cancel all student debt, 3) Democratize the UC Board of Regents and the CSU Board of Directors and Trustees, 4) Fully fund all education, and 5) Amend Prop 13 to move to a split roll tax, commercial vs residential.

7:51pm PST Police start arresting 50+ Occupiers in hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Sacramento. They decided not to link arms to avoid a charge of resisting arrest. They are chanting “Whose education? Our education. Whose schools? Our schools” and “We’re doing this for your kids”.

7:48pm PST Protestors chant “Educate, not incarcerate” in hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Sacramento.

7:41pm PST Police entering hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento to arrest more than 50 Occupiers engaged in civil disobedience there.

7:34pm PST Large number of riot cops arrive from west side of Capitol into Rotunda with zip ties in hand for arresting Occupiers who are chanting “No cuts, no fees, education must be free”, “the students united can never be divided”, and “si se puede”.

7:27pm PST Occupiers rallying outside are chanting “Politicians lie, we Occupy!”

7:17pm PST Police issue fourth dispersal order to crowd of at least 50 clapping and chanting Occupiers in hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento: “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white.”

7:14pm PST At least 50 Occupiers in a hallway off the Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento are high-fiving and hugging after stating their commitment to face arrest in their civil disobedience action. They chanted, “Teachers rock!”

6:33pm PST Seargent Stone of California Highway Patrol issues a dispersal order to the hundreds of Occupiers still in the Capitol building in Sacramento. In response, the Occupiers chant “Education is a right, we are here to Occupy!”, “Whose Capitol? Our Capitol!”, “No cuts, no fees, education must be free”, and
“They got bailed out, we got sold out”.

6:24pm PST Police read order to disperse from Capitol building in Sacramento. They warn those that get arrested that they may be transported, not just cited and released.

6:13pm PST Hundreds of Occupiers outside the Capitol building in Sacramento chanting “We are the 99%” and “Let Them Eat”, trying to bring pizza to protestors inside the building.

6:00pm PST Capitol building in Sacramento, California, normally would be closed at this time. 500+ Occupiers still inside with several hundred rallying outside.

5:58pm PST Occupiers mike checked the riot cops to read out the section of California law that requires police officers to identify themselves or face a misdemeanor charge. Police in Oakland who didn’t wear identification badges received fines and demotions.

5:54pm PST Nonviolent direct action training taking place in Rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

5:41pm PST The General Assembly of the Occupiers at the Capitol building in calls on the State government to heed the following demands: 1) Pass the Millionaire Tax, 2) Cancel all student debt, 3) Democratize the UC Board of Regents and the CSU Board of Directors and Trustees, 4) Fully fund all education, and 5) Amend Prop 13 to move to a split roll tax, commercial vs residential.

5:12pm PST Police deliver dispersal order to Occupiers in the Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

5:06pm PST Hundreds of Occupiers chanting “No hikes, no fees, education must be free” in the Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

4:59pm PST Hundreds of Occupiers chanting “This is what democracy looks like”, “Whose Capitol? Our Capitol!”, and “We got sold out, banks got bailed out” in the Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

4:40pm PST General Assembly debating whether to remain in Capitol once police issue order to disperse from the Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

4:33pm PST Confirmed that at least dozens of riot cops are staged outside the Capitol building in Sacramento, California. They are in bullet-proof jackets with no badge numbers or names visible. Some are on horses.

4:13pm PST Apparently, 200 riot cops are staging outside the Capitol building in Sacramento, California, and occupiers are letting protestors know that they should leave if they don’t want to risk arrest.

4:09pm PST General Assembly facilitators mic checking list of proposed next steps in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Sacramento, California.

4:01pm PST Police apparently arrest a person named Orlando in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Sacramento, California.

3:53pm PST California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom visited and left the Rotunda at the Capitol Building in Sacramento.

6:33pm EST Police citing and releasing the 30 occupiers arrested in the Capitol building in Albany, New York, although those who could not provide identification are apparently being moved for processing elsewhere.

3:17pm PST General Assembly picking top 5 demands in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Sacramento, California. Nonviolent direct action training to follow GA.

3:08pm PST About 100 people having a General Assembly in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Sacramento, California. Police have blocked Rotunda and are refusing bathroom access with about 500 more occupiers in the Rotunda balconies and the halls outside the Rotunda. Building scheduled to close at 5pm. Rally outside scheduled for 5:30pm.

5:54pm EST Hundreds occupied the building with 30 arrests total at Occupy the Capitol action at the Governor Cuomo’s Office in Albany.

5:44pm EST 24 arrests so far at Occupy the Capitol action at the Governor Cuomo’s Office in Albany, 6 remaining in this civil disobedience action, chanting “Everywhere we go, people want to know, so we tell them: We are the students, the mighty, mighty students, fighting for justice and an education.”

5:39pm EST 22 arrests so far at Occupy the Capitol action at the Governor’s Office in Albany, 8 remaining in this civil disobedience action, chanting “Cuomo beware, the movement is everywhere.”

5:35pm EST 20 arrests so far at Occupy the Capitol action at the Governor’s Office in Albany, chanting “1. We are the students. 2. We are united. 3. The student body is not leaving.”

5:28pm EST 17 arrests so far at Occupy the Capitol action at the Governor’s Office in Albany.

5:21pm EST Now up 13 arrests at the Governor’s Office in the Capitol Building in Albany chanting “The students united will never be defeated”.

5:09pm EST Sit-in at the Governor’s Office in the Capitol Building to protest tuition hikes. Arrest count up to 11 at the Occupy the Capitol action in Albany. Chanting “Resist, stand up” and “Our demands are fair, we’re not going anywhere.”

2:08pm Banner drop in Rotunda of Capitol building in Sacramento halted by police.

5:06pm EST Arrest count up to 8 at the Occupy the Capitol action in Albany.

12:15pm PST A line of protestors is waiting to enter the Capitol building in Sacramento. They must pass through metal detectors. They are chanting “Whose state? Our state!”

Videostreams of March 5 Occupy the Capitol protest in Albany:


occupymusician: Albany, NY


occugle: Albany, NY

Videostreams of March 5 Occupy the Capitol protest in Sacramento:


punkboysf in Sacramento, California (in Capitol building)


pixplz in Sacramento, California (in Capitol building)


sacmedia in Sacramento, California (outside Capitol building)


pfailblog in Sacramento, California (outside Capitol building)

Check out the latest info on the March 5 in Sacramento, including bus departures. Occupy the Capitol!


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Posted in action

70 Arrested by CHP at Capitol, Released

Posted on March 5, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

“SACRAMENTO, CA – State troopers arrested nearly 70 protesters who refused to leave the California Capitol after repeated warnings. The arrests capped a day of protests over cuts to higher education that saw thousands descend upon Sacramento”, 70 Arrested by CHP at Capitol, Released, ABC News 10 and Associated Press, March 6, 2012.


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Posted in action, media-coverage, photos, videos

SACRAMENTO: Dozens Arrested at Capitol Protest

Posted on March 5, 2012 by admin | Leave a comment

“California Highway Patrol officers arrested dozens of protesters who refused to leave the state Capitol Monday night after repeated warnings, capping off a day of protests over cuts to higher education that saw thousands descend upon Sacramento”, SACRAMENTO: Dozens Arrested at Capitol Protest, KTVU, March 5, 2012.


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Posted in action, media-coverage, videos