We are the ones we have been waiting for.

My neighborhood is struggling for something most folks take for granted: a place to buy food.

West Oakland has no grocery store. But not because grocery stores don’t want to be here. There’s actually an Oakland Food Justice collective called Mandela Foods that wants to start an organic, affordable, community cooperative grocery store. But like most cities undergoing gentrification, the folks who hold the purse strings want to lease spaces to the junk stores and chains that will eventually give way to fancier establishments and lofts.

Currently a space is up for lease - it’s a space called the Mandela Gateway and is funded by our tax dollars. The Oakland Housing Authority, which ultimately says whether the landlord can lease or not, wants to allow a chain 99 Cent junk store in its place. All we have in West Oakland is Liquor Stores and 99 cent junk stores…we only need one: the one legitimate, community owned and controlled Marcus Garvey Dollar store, which everyone wants to support.

My neighbors and community organizers have been getting together to challenge and pressure the Oakland Housing Authority to say NO, and allow the community food cooperative a chance to let West Oakland develop in a way that is self sustaining and autonomous - one that will give our community good sustainable jobs, local pride, healthy food, and invest its money back in the community.

The above and below photos were from an Oakland Housing Authority meeting we went to about a month ago. We went to another one tonight. Aint no no power like the power of a community cuz the power of a community don’t stop….

Youtube Video Here:
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJJq9lXdCU

The sun hadn’t risen yet. After circling once under the cover of darkness, our van and truck pulled up to Chevron’s world headquarters. Our affinity group (Bay Rising Affinity Group aka BRAG!), burst out of the van and deployed our barrels, lock boxes, and bodies. The cops were waiting for us, but for some reason when we hopped out of the van, they ran the opposite direction. We locked our arms into place.

Our barricade and occupation of Chevron’s entrance was in place in less than 60 seconds. We completely shut down the main entrance to Chevron’s International HQ. Initially we were worried that we wouldn’t have enough bodies to cross the whole 6 lanes of the entrance - but lucky for us, even though we didn’t reach the other side (at first!), the cops completely shut down the rest of it for us!

Police accumulated and we were told that a call had been made to the special unit that had the saws to cut us out of the barrels. As we wondered how long we would be able to hold the space, people started arriving.

First it was our friends with bright banners and puppet heads. Then it was the Tug-of-Oil-War affinity group, complete with costumes for subsequent street theater. Then people from local communities that have been devastated by Chevron’s refineries in Richmond. Soon we had over 100+ people with bright signs and loud voices. Groups representin’ included Bay Rising affinity group, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), Communities for a Better Environment, AmazonWatch, US Labor Against the War, Bay Area Labor Comittee for Peace & Justice, Oil Change International, Global Exchange, West County Toxics Coalition, Tug of Oil War, Failure to Disperse, and Rainforest Action Network (RAN).

We chose Chevron for a lot of reasons. We wanted to step it up with nonviolent direct action and begin to target war profiteering corporations, as they are a strategic pillar along with recruitment centers and other direct military targets. We wanted to help draw the link for the public between CLIMATE CHANGE and WAR, with OIL at the center. We also wanted to highlight (one of the) the real reasons we are at war: the Iraqi Oil Law is being rammed through Iraq’s parliament as I write this. It’s a law that was drafted by the Bush administration in English, and it would literally give the oil underneath Iraq to American corporations. Companies like Chevron would outright OWN 2/3 of the oil underneath Iraq for the next generation if this goes through. The Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions and a coalition of Iraqi Parliamentarians have asked for international solidarity and support. They want us to resist these companies and this law in our own countries, where we have the most power to do so. So we’re leveraging our own power and privilege as American citizens to jam up the gears of the War Machine to give Iraqis a little bit more breathing space to organize.

We were working with local affected communities and organizers who have been campaigning against Chevron for a long time now. Leila Salazar-Lopez, a new RAN campaigner, longtime Bay Area activist, and former organizer with AmazonWatch, said that after years of going after Chevron she knew their PR guy pretty well. Usually at demonstrations he is calm, collected, and professional. At this action, he was going bonkers. Dude was pacing back and forth, getting all bent out of shape and freaking out; Chevron knew we had clear and concise messaging, and roughly a gazillion (maybe even two gazillion) TV cameras on us. See the bottom of this post for media links.

So they decided that it would make them look WAY worse if they let the cops arrest us. So to all our surprise, we held the entire space and shut down their entrance for the whole time. And at the end of the day we walked away without going to jail.

A SWAT team cop told Matt “you know, you guys are really well organized. You run a tight ship. I can respect that!”

It was fun: a bunch of kids who had gotten trained in nonviolent direct action (NVDA) at the demonstration the day prior came and locked down with us, extending our barricade all the way to the second entrance. A group of folks held a funeral procession for “the last ice cube on earth”, and Larry the clown hammed it up as a fabulous preacher. There was a tug-of-oil-war with “the people” dressed in Robbin Hood costumes, and “Chevron Execs” dressed as…Chevron Execs (guess who won). The Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane folks came, and danced dressed as the Bush admin. People sang beautiful songs. Amazing local folks spoke passionately about the Environmental destruction happening right next to us. Amazing women from the Philippines spoke about Chevron destroying their communities. I got force-fed chocolate by Jodie. I also got to wear a diaper. It was a good day.

(tug of oil war)

(Jessica Tovar, organizer with Communities for a Better Environment)

We got tons of media and feedback. This is my favorite message we got:

Dear peace organization,

We have analyzed your group’s activity and deeply respect the bravely rendered dramatizations regarding criminal and exploitative business practices, but it may not be in the best interest and full effectivity of your communications to make corporate executives and Chevron employees look so sexy. We may have available some mechanical slimy toads in our production studio warehouses, should you need to represent Chevron employees in the future, please feel free to contact us.

This action is part of the trajectory of people stepping it up with NVDA and civil disobedience against the war. SDS alone has had dozens of coordinated actions across the country in the last week, resulting in arrests, media, and base building for a rejuvenated anti-imperialist anti-war movement. Over 5,000 students across the country participated in actions over the last 4 days. Across the country we’re connecting this war to the other imperial wars for Empire that our country is engaging in - including the wars inside our own borders against women, people of color, poor people, and queer folks. We’re connecting the mad drive for oil with the impending climate chaos that is looming over our heads across the planet. We’re seeing that people dying as the result of Hurricane Katrina are directly connected to the same system that is murdering children in Iraq.

Here are some more photos of the action:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37274909@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockrebel/sets/72157600011850193/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/losinghand/sets/72157600009879574/
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/03/19/18379360.php

The best TV and print coverage isn’t available online, but here is a smattering of the media coverage we got:

TV:

CBS
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_078113411.html

ABC
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=5133091

NBC
http://www.nbc11.com/news/11294275/detail.html

The Contra-Costa Times made a slideshow with audio!
http://bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/cct/multimedia/flash/chevronprotest/index.html

PRINT:

Contra-Costa Times
(the actual print version is totally different and much more extensive. Not sure why the e-version is like this… )
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16934674.htm

SF Bay Guardian
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?page=2&entry_id=3159&catid=&volume_id=254&issue_id=287&volume_num=41&issue_num=25

SFBG again
http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/2007/03/protesting_chevron.html

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/us/20vigils.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

SF Chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/19/BAG2EONS7L4.DTL

NBC Print
http://www.nbc11.com/news/11294275/detail.html

Inside Bay Area
http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_5477544

Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topics/San+Ramon

INTERNET:

Indymedia
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/03/20/18379716.php

It’s Getting Hot in Here
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/1226

Rising Tide
http://risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/

The Argus / MediaNews
www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_5472028

Aid and Abet blog
http://jenangel.wordpress.com/

RADIO:

KPFA NEWS
(Beautiful live recording includes interviews with Jessica Tovar of Communities for a Better Environment, Michael Eisenscher of US Labor Against the War. It starts about 16 minutes into the news)
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=19261

FLASHPOINTS:
(Live interviews with Sam, Antonia and an in depth in-studio interview with Leila Salazar. It comes about 2/3 of the way through the show, so you can forward to it).
http://aud1.kpfa.org/data/20070319-Mon1700.mp3

(labor against the war)

(herb)

(funeral)

(extending the barricade)

(after unlocking)

(leila doing media)

(david solnit rocks the mic)

(adrienne)

For more info on the Iraqi Oil Theft Law, Labor, and Environmental Justice check these links:

Are U.S. Oil Companies Going to “Win” the Iraq War?

Iraqi unions attack plans for foreign company control of oil

The Price of Oil

The Bush Agenda

Iraqi journalists union demands apology for raid on headquarters in Baghdad; U.S. military denies involvement
The Associated Press, February 24, 2007

Official Statement on American raids on the General Federation of Iraqi Workers headquarters in Baghdad
February 28, 2007

UK Hands Off Iraqi Oil Coalition

General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, Iraq

Communities for a Better Environment

US Labor Against the War

Please Circulate Widely:

4 Years of War for Oil — Enough! Basta!

End Chevron’s Oil Crimes from Richmond to Iraq

STOP THE IRAQ OIL THEFT LAW!

1. NO BLOOD OR OIL!
2. CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW!
3. TO STOP WAR, END EMPIRE!

MON MARCH 19, 7-11am

Protest, Rally, & Nonviolent Direct Action
Chevron World Headquarters
San Ramon, CA

6001 Bollinger Canyon Road at Sunset, just east of Hwy 680
(From Walnut Creek BART: a short ride on County Connection shuttle 121, or flat 12 mile bike ride: we’re also working on providing transportation.)

We encourage you to wear Red.

For nonviolent direct action preparation, transportation, to get involved and for more info:
www.MySpace.com/ProtestChevron

1: OIL

EXPOSE THE OIL AGENDA BEHIND THE WAR

It’s simple: Before the war U.S. and British oil companies were all but shut out of Iraq’s oil. Now, they’re getting ready to take control of it and Chevron’s at the front of the pack. Within a year of the invasion, Chevron’s profits nearly doubled, and each year since then, Chevron has set new record profits, with 2006 the company’s most profitable year ever. Those profits have been driven by Iraqi oil, which Chevron refines in Richmond.

HANDS OFF IRAQI OIL!

We join activists from across Europe and the U.S. who, on March 18 & 19, will demand that Big Oil and our governments get their “Hands Off Iraqi Oil!” We will expose the Iraqi Oil Theft Law that would turn Iraq’s oil over to foreign oil companies including Chevron.

WHAT IS “THE IRAQ OIL THEFT LAW”?

The brainchild of the Bush administration and U.S. oil companies, a new oil law nearing passage in Iraq would radically transform Iraq from a nationalized oil system all but closed to U.S. oil companies, to a commercialized system, all-but-privatized, and open to private foreign corporate control.

Iraqi Trade Unions Unite to Oppose Undemocratic Oil Law

In a joint statement Iraq’s five trade union federations rejected “the handing of control over oil to foreign companies, whose aim is to make big profits at the expense of the Iraqi people, and to rob the national wealth, according to long-term, unfair contracts, that undermine the sovereignty of the state and the dignity of the Iraqi people”.

“The Iraqi people refuse to allow the future of oil to be decided behind closed doors.”

Support real democracy in Iraq. End the US occupation of Iraq.

Defeat the oil theft law. Hands off Iraqi oil.

2: CLIMATE

WE DEMAND CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW!

With just 4% of the world’s population, we in the US release 25% of all global carbon emissions. Oil and oil-driven consumption are a primary cause of greenhouse gas pollutants which fuel climate crisis. Chevron is the 2nd largest oil company in the U.S. and the 5th largest in the world.

Chevron sabotages domestic efforts to transition to a green economy and refuses to invest in any significant way in alternative forms of green energy.

WE DEMAND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE NOW!

Chevron poisons local communities from Richmond, to Ecuador and Nigeria. The Chevron refinery in Richmond spews a deadly array of toxins into the air, water, and land, including cancer-causing dioxins, on the largely African American, South East Asian, and Latino communities. The refinery and plant have had hundreds of accidents, including fires, spills, leaks, explosions, toxic gas releases, flaring, and air contaminations causing severe illness, including asthma and deadly cancers, for the people of Richmond. The people of Richmond are fighting back and demanding that Chevron clean up or get out.

We need to imagine a world without Chevron, its oil, and its climate chaos.

3: EMPIRE

WE RECOGNIZE THAT TO STOP WAR, WE MUST END EMPIRE.

To end current and future U.S. wars and occupations, to stop climate chaos, to increase democracy and human rights at home, to redirect resources to urgent human and environmental needs, to take apart a global economic and political system that benefits mega corporations at the expense of the planet, we must change the underlying U.S. government policies of empire.

“Empire” is now used by both critics and advocates to describe the unparalleled U.S. system of economic, political, cultural, and military domination. We pay a high price to live in an Empire, including $441 billion a year on a military of over 2 1/2 million soldiers with more than 700 bases spread across 130 countries fighting ever-increasing wars to feed the Empire and expand its control.

To Stop Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, etc. etc. etc., we must end Empire!

PLEASE JOIN US!
http://www.myspace.com/protestchevron

I spent the last weekend in Dripping Springs Texas at the 9th Radical Encuentro Camp (REC). This year Rainforest Action Network cosponsored it with some amazing anti-authoritarian Texans and community groups. It was a meeting of about 200 activists around the state to share skills and ideas. The theme this year was “climate justice.” We saw panels of amazing women fighting coal companies from native reservations in the Four Corners, to mountain families in Kentucky. Workshops were led by community groups resisting environmental racism, by spiritual leaders about staying spiritually grounded in the struggle, about skills such as media and legal defense, presentations by Rising Tide (radical roadshow on tour educating about climate change), and lots of other fun stuff.

The location was a ranchy type place near Jacob’s Well, one of the deepest underwater caves known - no one has found the end!

The trainings, workshops, and panels were accompanied by a three act Emma Goldman play, and the Afro-Cuban hip hop group Krudas.

see some videos of Krudas here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snk9KYKEwqQ
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31P6ie047b4
or
http://www.myspace.com/3krudas

I met lots of amazing and inspiring folks, and learned a whole lot about the logistical considerations in putting together an Action Camp. As SDS gears up to do our Action Camps this summer, we sure will need a whole lot of people workin. Events like this seem to be the focal point of the development of vision, strategy, and skillsharing on regional or statewide levels. Once SDS develops a template for Action Campin’ we really should have them as regularly as we have capacity for.

After a weekend of learning about climate change and coal, folks did an action against the coal plants and TXU.

It reaffirms my thinking that the organized, radical Left really really really needs to seriously take on the implications of Climate Change as a major issue. The rest of the country is getting organized around it, and most of us are dragging our feet. In a few days I’ll post up a proposal for more cooperation between the antiwar and climate change movements, the uniting piece of the puzzle being oil…