Activism

Successful 1-Day Strike Was Only First Step, Activists Say

Hundreds of longshore worker and school activists in a variety of organizations who participated in the one-day strike on Friday, April 29 are developing plans to build their movement by expanding outreach in the community and increasing pressure on the politicians and billionaires who speak with the authority of big money.

Published

3 years ago

May 13, 2022

Oakland Post

Timothy “Akaamka” Killings. Photo courtesy of Mr. Killings.

By Ken Epstein

Following a historic one-day strike of teachers and Port workers at the end of April, a coalition of labor and community activists continues to gather steam against the billionaire takeover of public Port of Oakland property and the giveaway of public school property to corporate interests.

Walter Riley. Photo courtesy of Mr. Riley.

Divya Farias, a special education teacher in Oakland and member of the steering committee of the new coalition, Schools and Labor Against Privatization (S.L.A.P.), says she looks forward to building on the results of the strike.

“It was really successful; we shut all the schools and the Port,” she said. “It was historic to have this united action between teachers, the ILWU, and parents,’’ she added, emphasizing the participation of parents and the “solidarity among different unions that came together at the S.L.A.P. rally against privatization (at City Hall).”

Some activists are hopeful that the Oakland City Council will listen to the outcry from constituents who are demanding that the Council place a measure on the ballot that allows voters to decide whether they want to spend over $1 billion in public money for John Fisher’s new A’s stadium and massive real estate development.

Parents, teachers and school advocates are working with schools that are facing school closures this year and next year to enhance community wide understanding that neighborhood schools, even ones that are not large, are necessary to the survival of working-class Black and Latinx neighborhoods.

Others are focusing on a statewide campaign to pressure political leaders who talk liberal but whose actions instead create a commitment to austerity, the sell-off of public assets and backing the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), which is a state-funded unaccountable agency that is going around California closing schools and cutting public school funding.

Farias said she saw amazing examples of solidarity in the strike: school workers in AFSCME and SEIU 1021 joined teachers to picket at schools. “Some principals joined teachers on the picket lines, including the president of the administrators’ union.”

“Longshore workers heading to work respected the (community) picket lines (on Friday evening), and for hours we were able to shut down the Port, the economic engine of the Bay Area,” she said.

“It was (also) exciting that parents supported the strike. We really need to grow that solidarity,” Farias said, adding that more and more students are getting involved.

The strength of the movement is the “public alliance between teachers and longshore workers,” she said.

Next steps are to broaden and deepen the movement: “There has to be a greater understanding that the agenda of privatization is the driving force behind the school closures,” she continued.

Farias also emphasized that the fight ahead will not be easy. Though the movement is stronger and has had some victories, she said, “I don’t think school closures are going to go away anytime soon. We’re trying to slow or stop a train that has been on the tracks for a long time now.”

Timothy “Akaamka” Killings, a school employee and S.L.A.P. steering committee member, also viewed the strike as a major step forward for the anti-privatization movement.

“We’ve connected the two struggles: the longshore workers against privatization of the Port of Oakland and the teachers and community against school closures and consolidations,” he said. “In terms of teachers pushing back against the district, and the community being involved in the struggle and being able to get the word out about what’s going on, it’s been a success.”

Killings said there is still much to be done to educate people to understand pro-corporate talking points that are spread by corporate media, that there are too many schools, that the district is broke, that school closures are the way to support higher quality education for Oakland’s under-served students.

Next steps include more outreach and education, actions to get more people involved and finding school board candidates who will fight against school closures to run in the November election, he said.

“The billionaires and the politicians are learning that this is not going to be as easy as they thought it would be. There is going to be a fight,” Killings said.

Civil rights attorney Walter Riley, a community activist and longtime political leader in Oakland, chaired a S.L.A.P. forum on April 30 where local candidates were interviewed about where they stood on school closings and the stadium/real estate project at the Port of Oakland.

“Our job is outreach. I see it as my job to do more outreach, to get greater community participation, to work with people to mobilize to fight these powerful interests that are operating in Oakland,” said Riley.

He said the focus of the candidate forum was to inform the candidates about the positions of the movement and learn from the candidates what they think. “We put them on notice that there is a movement and that we’re organizing.”

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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Activism

City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org