Critical Resistance (CR) and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) invite you to Freedom Friday!
When: 3-7pm on Friday August 27, 2021
Where: 4400 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
* FREE * BRING YOUR KIDS * YOUTH FRIENDLY *
featuring…
- Music by @ChungTech
- Food from @MamaLameesCatering (first come, first serve)
- Bandung Books tables and North Oakland Mutual Aid’s Free Store
Friday’s Program:
4pm – Abolitionist art-making and updates on CURB’s California prison closure campaign
5pm – Workshop led by PYM and CR with background on Palestinian liberation, why it’s essential today, the links between the PIC and imperialism, and how we can support this fight.
Accessibility: Masks required. Space is outdoors and ADA accessible. Hand sanitizers will be provided. Community support is requested for keeping ourselves collectively safe.
Over this past year, we have seen tremendous resistance to global forces of oppression. From Palestine to the Philippines to Venezuela, our people have shown resilience in the face of imperialism and colonization. But the fight rages on. Now more than ever, with vaccines so unequally distributed around the globe, economic impacts from the global pandemic affecting Third World nations and the Global South at much higher rates, and IMF and World Bank continuing their predatory capital policies, we must support our people across the world! Join us at this month’s Freedom Friday on August 27th from 3-7pm where we are partnering with the Palestinian Youth Movement(PYM)! Together we will uplift their Summer of Resistance and help raise the call to fight against militarization, imperialism, and the PIC.
What is “Freedom Fridays”?
Freedom Fridays is a socially-distanced series at 4400 Telegraph Ave (back lot on 44th) where we put abolition into practice through organizing and community engagement. The events are an opportunity to bridge the organizing work of movement partners and Critical Resistance to the Oakland community AND to people inside prisons. We are fighting to increase urgent anti-prison organizing in this time, create and strengthen our movement space, and fight with and for people on the inside and build our collective people power. See you there!
Photos from July’s Freedom Fridays by Stephen Flynn Photography!
CR Oakland Campaign Updates:
CURB Prison Closure #CloseCAPrisons
As part of the #CloseCAPrisons campaign, we are fighting to close prisons and keep our loved ones safe across the state. The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history. The folks imprisoned at California Correctional Center (CCC), High Desert State Prison (HDSP), and other sites of imprisonment are dangerously close to the Dixie Fire lines near Lassen County.
The Fire Safety Response Near Lassen County MUST Center Imprisoned People’s Health & Lives! Let’s demand an immediate fire safety response and an emergency evacuation plan from CDCR for people in cages at all sites of imprisonment, including CCC & HDSP prisons:
- Send an email to CDCR demanding our loved ones’ health and lives are centered. See our toolkit for email addresses and a letter template.
- Share your support and the call on social media and your networks! See our toolkit for text & graphics for Twitter, Instagram & Facebook.
- Stay In Touch with CURB #CloseCAPrisons Campaign! Fill out #CloseCAPrisons Contact Form.
- Share our toolkit widely! Also at bit.ly/DixieFireDanger
Defund OPD
After our successful push last year to get Oakland City Council voted to reallocate $18 million dollars from OPD to community programs, we’re getting ready for this next budget cycle. If you or your organization want to get involved with the Defund OPD Campaign let us know! We are working to adjust for the shifting conditions and landscape as Oakland has started to collaborate more with state-level policing with the California Highway Patrol. There was a beautiful rally to demonstrate our collective will to get CHP Out of Oakland! Stay tuned for more!
Decarcerate Alameda County
Decarcerate Alameda County coalition has been working along several avenues and is keeping their eyes on 2022 with the Sheriff seat contested, along with vacant seats in the District Attorney’s office and Board of Supervisors. We’ve also been recently organizing around:
- Getting American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Funds where we really need them most – to our people! Alameda County is receiving $324 million and at the August 17th listening session, DAC members and other community organizations emphasized the need to invest these funds into housing, community-based mental healthcare, and violence prevention services. Check out our statement for future public comment!
- Our Care First resolution passed in May, and now the County is developing a Task Force to implement the resolution and looking for folks to go on it. Please nominate yourself or others by August 22nd on our website. Specifically most-impacted folks who experience with imprisonment in Alameda County. Please share the form widely!
- And finally DAC is looking for more folks and organizations to join our work to push our abolitionist vision forward. We have important work coming, and we need our people on board to help make our vision a reality! Please reach out to us or cynthia@restoreoakland.com.