OOM(Occupy Oakland Movement) and the OGM( Oscar Grant Movement)

Dear Friends,

This coming October 9 is the eve of the 5th anniversary of the brave decision made by Oakland activists to say enough is enough by taking over the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall in solidarity with the national Occupy Wall Street movement. On October 10, 2011, they renamed the plaza “Oscar Grant Plaza” and Occupy Oakland was born by calling the world’s attention to the profound link between income equality, racism and police violence. The movement grew to challenge the status quo by marshaling the traditional progressive forces of the left including Oakland’s historical movements by uniting peace, labor and civil rights activists. Oakland’s unique history including the early struggles of the Black Panther’s against police violence in the black community, was the backdrop to the more contemporaneous movement that sought justice following the murder of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer on January 1, 2009. Many of the same activists from the Oscar Grant movement took up the banner of the Occupy Wall Street movement helping to give rise to Occupy Oakland. As a result, Occupy Oakland , foreshadowed the Black Lives Matter movement through its unflinching linkage of income equality with police brutality in the black community, not only in Oakland, but in cities across the United States. The documentary #OO (Occupy Oakland) represents my continuing efforts to retell this history in video and to preserve it for generations to come.

Through my explorations of Occupy Oakland I have made many new and rewarding friendships, among them is Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson, Oscar Grant’s uncle who has joined me many times on various radio segments I’ve produced at KPFA about issues concerning social justice in black communities facing state violence. Uncle Bobby has stayed the course in Oscar’s memory most recently founding the Love Not Blood Campaign to End Police Terrorism, Mass Incarceration and Community Violence. As such, I would like to honor his work and the seminal role of the Oscar Grant movement within Occupy Oakland by using this screening to help raise funds for his organization and its important community work.

Love Not Blood Campaign – A Campaign to…

Many of you are also aware of my work in Haiti and the documentaries I produced about the struggle for justice by the Haitian people. While reviewing footage from the spectacle of violence created by the Oakland Police Department against Occupy Oakland protesters, I was often reminded of experiences in Haiti where I saw US Marines, and later UN military forces, draw their guns on those protesting against the 2004 coup. Many times a brutal Haitian police blatantly gunned people down in broad daylight in their neighborhoods in joint operations with US Marines and UN forces. This was almost always followed by mass arrests in those same neighborhoods and a campaign to demonize the victims in order to justify state violence against those who would dare to resist and continue to fight. For me the parallels with Occupy Oakland are undeniable and as such, I would also like to share proceeds from this screening of #OO (Occupy Oakland) to support the work of the Haiti Action Committee as they continue to work in solidarity with the historic movement of the Haitian people for real democracy and change. As fate would have it, October 9, the date of this screening, is also the day of presidential elections in Haiti where the possibility for real change exists in the spirit of the Lavalas movement and the candidacy of Dr. Maryse Narcisse. She carries a heavy burden of history upon her shoulders especially as the elections are being threatened with violence by those who oppose real change in Haiti as well as those would buy votes and use corruption to forestall change. This event offers an opportunity to also support her and the Fanmi Lavalas movement against the forces of violence and repression.

Haiti Action Committee : Index

So please join us on Sunday, October 9, 2016 at the Omni Commons, 4799 Shattuck Ave, Oakland at 7pm for this benefit screening which I hope brings together a community of activists and supporters of Occupy Oakland, the Oscar Grant movement and those fighting alongside our Haitian sisters and brothers. Please consider forwarding this invitation to your personal and organizational e-mail lists along with the attached event flyer.

Join us to share and work together to support these causes we hold dear as only our communities can.

Alone we are weak, together we are strong!

Sincerely,

Kevin Pina
Producer/Director
#OO (Occupy Oakland)

Senior Producer
Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio
www.Flashpoints.net