At the plaza

By Akasha Orr, ACRJ

Wednesday, October 26, 2011, I sat in the Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza amphitheater with almost a thousand of my fellow Occupy Oakland activists. My head lowered and eyes heavy with the weight of tears I tried to choke back, I beheld the power of the human spirit. Just the night before we stood as a united body, marching to take back the plaza following the heinous raid and eviction of the commune that had lived there for two weeks. Arms linked, fists and voices raised, we were tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets. An experience that left me shaken and angry, yet determined to remain aligned with a movement that continues to spread across the nation and the world community.

Wear a costume, not a culture

By Amanda Wake, ACRJ

Halloween is on it’s way here and I’m bracing myself as I always do during this time of year to be offended and disgusted. Not by the fake blood, the scary masks and the spooky costumes, but the blatantly racist costumes that I know I’m going to see.

Like the “Sake Sweetie” costume with an Obi, ready with 3 shot glasses for your drinking pleasure. Or the “Chinese Emperor” costume equipped with buck teeth, thick glasses and long braid. There's also the black face costumes that send us backwards 100 years. I could go on, but I'm sure your blood pressure is escalating by now so I will spare you.

Yesterday we did a workshop with the young women of SAFIRE around Halloween costumes. We compared pictures of real people with a Halloween costume representation of them. The SAFIRE youth agreed that the costumes were offensive and disrespectful. “They are misrepresenting their culture and enforcing stereotypes!” said one of the SAFIRE young women. Another youth is now seriously re-thinking her Pocahontas costume and is going to return it if she can. Another SAFIRE youth asked, "But would it be offensive if I dressed in a Police or Firefighter costume?" As a group we agreed that it's different to wear a misrepresentation of a uniform than to misrepresent a deep rooted culture that has been historically exploited, exotified and stereotyped.

So when you dress up for Halloween this weekend, don’t forget to not dress up as a racist.

Thank you STARS: Students Teaching Against Racism – at Ohio University for inspiring this workshop and our youth! If you haven’t seen their campaign yet, you have to check them out!

Zach, lies and videotape

By Lisa Russ

When I picked up my son Zach from school on Tuesday he asked me, “Mom, what were all those helicopters doing here today? Was there a robber?”

I sighed. All of these important conversations of course happen in the car, while I am rushing around and probably not at my best. “No, not a robber,” I said. “Remember I told you about the people camping out by my office?” He didn’t but I reminded him. “Well, the mayor decided it was time for them to leave, and so the helicopters were there to make sure everyone packed up and left safely.”

LIE. A big lie. I hated telling it, and I still feel mixed about it. I realized two things right as I said it.

First, I am not ready to tell Zach that the government and the police attacked our people.

Second, many kids Zach’s age (six years old) already know about that, because it happens in their neighborhoods and to people they know on a regular basis.

Evicted.

Photograph: Darryl Bush/AP

We watched with horror yesterday as the Occupy Oakland encampment was destroyed and the residents evicted with flash grenades, tear gas and batons. We watched as Occupiers and allies from all over the world responded with outrage and organized to return last evening, ending in a violent confrontation with the police.

One of the most inspiring parts of the Occupy movement is how it engages folks across age, race and class. At Occupy Oakland, there were folks with walkers and wheelchairs, parents with small children, elders and youth, unemployed people and professionals, and people with nowhere else to go. There were Buddhists meditating, artists silk-screening, and homeless people and working folks together envisioning and creating something new.

Occupy Oakland forcibly removed

By Shanelle Matthews, Communications Manager

This morning at 4:30 am Oakland Mayor Jean Quan gave the green light to the Oakland Police Department to dismantle the occupation at Frank Ogawa/OscarGrant Plaza under the pretext of sanitation and public safety stating,  "over the last week it was apparent that neither the demonstrators nor the City could maintain safe or sanitary conditions, or control the ongoing vandalism … We want to thank the police, fire, public works and other employees who worked over the last week to peacefully close the encampment."

Taking back our power: SAFIRE talks about street harassment

Image from www.stopstreetharassment.org

By Mai Doan, SAFIRE Youth Organizer

“Psssssssssst.” “Hey Girl…” “Beautiful!” “Nice Rack!” “Hey Sexy.” “Let me get your number!”

Some days, I want to jump out of my body. It can take only one bike ride on a warm day, a short walk from BART to the office, one bus ride where I have chosen to sit with an empty seat next to me. It takes only minute for me to shrink up inside myself in shame and embarrassment, sexualized in a way I never asked for because someone felt entitled to my space and my body.

Even though I had understood how deep-seated racism and sexism, upheld by our media, institutions, and even our own families, create and perpetuate types of interpersonal oppression and violence such as street harassment, I never knew what to do in these situations. Whether I walked away or talked back, I always felt like a victim because I was the one left carrying the wound.

The young women that come into SAFIRE are no different. In our Street Harassment workshop this past Wednesday, 100% of the women in the room raised their hands when asked if they have ever been harassed in a public space. 100% of them have either been followed, yelled after, honked at or physically touched. 100% of them have felt objectified, sexualized, fetishized, upset, embarrassed, unsafe.

The importance of a second chance

Lorna and her children.

At ACRJ we have had the good fortune of collaborating with and learning alongside the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.  They do immensely important work led by women, largely mothers, who have been incarcerated. They have made incredible policy strides, including limiting the use of shackles on pregnant women in federal prisons, as well as providing leadership tools for women with hard life experience and much to give and teach. 

One of the programs many of their members depend on is in jeopardy.  A program started under George W. Bush, the Second Chance Act provides resources to men and women on their way out of prison, and greatly reduces the rate of recidivism.  The program is now under threat. The House has appropriated money for it, but the Senate is threatening to zero it out.

Coming out about not being out

As we shared with you last week, Basic Rights Oregon (BRO) launched their Our Families Campaign with three videos that highlight the unique experiences of queer families of color. BRO's board member, Nancy Haque, shared her story about her relationship with her identity, her family and herself. With her permission we have reposed it below.

I’m on the board of Basic Rights Oregon, previously I’ve been involved with Pride at Work and other LGBTQ organizations. I’ve spoken on panels at national conferences about being queer and have ridden on a float in the Pride parade. I have pictures of me and my female partner all over my Facebook page. In other words, I have an out queer life. There is one glaring exception though, and it happens to be featured in my segment in the new Our Families video.

I’m not out to my parents - the gold standard of being out. I haven’t done it and don’t actually plan on doing it. The truth is I have a very complicated relationship with my parents. I’m not particularly close to them and haven’t been since early childhood. I’m the youngest of four and was raised by my sister and two brothers as much as I was by my parents. I came out to my siblings 14 years ago and have always been supported by them. I love and respect my parents, but beyond my sexuality, they don’t understand the work I do, don’t know my hopes and dreams, don’t know the majority of my friends, and have never visited the home I purchased three years ago.

Photoblog: Occupy Oakland

The Oakland community launched Occupy Oakland on Monday in celebration of Indigenous People's Day.

The Ohlone People of Oakland gave permission to occupiers to use the land and opened the occupation with a traditional Ohlone song. To learn more about the Ohlone People visit here.

Occupiers agreed that Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall would be renamed Oscar Grant Plaza during occupation. The City of Oakland has agreed to work with the occupiers as long as they're respectful to city property.

Despite the rain, over 1000 Oaklanders came to the opening general assembly. Check out some pics our Communications Manager, Shanelle snapped during the first week of Occupy Oakland.

Occupy San Francisco

by Vanessa Coe, Lead Organizer, API Equality- Northern California

All week prior to the rally, I kept telling myself to come up with something clever for a poster. Suddenly, it was 6:30 AM on Wednesday, and it was time to “Foreclose on Wall Street West!” Two of my close friends agreed to join me at the rally, but as I texted to see if either was ready to leave, one replied, “Not going. Too tired. Gonna occupy my bed.” The other felt too sick. With no cute poster or friends, I got on the BART and prepared myself to awkwardly stand alone at the rally. As I climbed out of the tunnel to Market St and saw many familiar faces, I remembered that rallies are mini-reunions. We’re surrounded by the people who we have built movements and community with, the people we were politicized with, and the people who have become our mentors and friends. They are the ones who reaffirm the values we share with their continued political presence in our lives.