Our second Community Building gathering was a success =)

*We had a good mix of folk, ranging from long-time CDP supporters and members to brand newbies.

*We broke bread, shared personal stories, and learned about how the budget works.

*We talked about next steps-—including having a presence at upcoming community budget forums, making an awesome video, and doing street outreach this Sunday 3/17.

Jahmese Myres, of EBASE, gave an awesome presentation about how the Oakland budget works/doesn’t work. Folks brought thoughtful and crucial questions to the table, and everyone was generous with their insights. Wilson Riles chimed in with an informative perspective from the Coalition for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) on the Goldman Sachs/rate swap fiasco.

Here’s a particularly interesting tidbit I learned from Jahmese:
In survey of about 13,000 Oakland voters conducted by Oakland Rising, an overwhelming majority–about 70%–said that not only did they want to be more informed about the budget, but that they also wanted to have more involvement in the process. 

This jibes well with what we have observed in our street outreach around Oakland.

Steven Biko once said: “The greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” One weapon the 1% has consistently used against us is our fear and ignorance of one another. We cannot build solidarity and collective action if we do not take time to talk with one another about the issues that affect us all.

And so the organizing continues! We’re doing street outreach this Sunday 3/17 in the afternoon, at the Laney Flea Market. We will share food, do a brief training, and team up to talk with Oakland residents about their take on the city, the budget, and what CDP is doing. Join us!

As always, you’re welcome to participate in our weekly campaign meetings. Mondays at 7. Just RSVP to let us know you’re coming!

Thanks for your continued support!

–Shawn, and the rest of the CDP Team

Categories: Blog

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