M4BL Week of Action: Demand Community Control

Some of us at EB PREC were out on the streets after 8:00PM tonight and last night - past curfew - because it’s the right thing to do. Some of us were holding it down at home with our loved ones keeping our ears and eyes alert because we’ve agreed to bail our comrades out if they get arrested for doing what’s right. All of us at EB PREC are grieving and scared and outraged and hopeful and… still working because we promised our community that we’ll help y’all plan through every scenario. 

This week, the Movement for Black Lives has called for a week of action in defense of Black lives. Thursday's call to action is to demand COMMUNITY CONTROL.

That’s why we’re co-hosting a Community Control Planning Hour to plan community control of real estate, of the Oakland budget, of healthcare, and of the workplace! Join us and a bunch of good folks from the Community Democracy Project, People’s Community Medics, Repaired Nations, Sustainable Economies Law Center, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Alchemy Collective Cafe! RSVP here to join us this Thursday at 6pm or just join us via Zoom.

If you can't make it with such short notice, that's OK! We're still scenario planning for land liberation, reparations, and permanent affordable housing in the time of covid, martial law, and civil unrest. That means we will continue to organize our Scenario Planning Series every other Thursday. Join us next week (even if you’ve never been before!) to help us plan our part in the uprising. RSVP here.

A Love Note to the Uprising

People are out here talking about riots and looting and anarchy like "OMG Becky, what has this country come to" and we’re feeling some joy today because what we’re seeing is a well-organized and youth-led effort to mobilize tens of thousands of people at a moment's notice to rise up against the state-sanctioned murders of Black, Brown, Indigenous people. We’re seeing calls to action and people RESPONDING. We’re seeing people leaving their houses with their first aid kits and makeshift medic gear searching for wounded protesters in the spray of rubber bullets and tear gas. 
 
We’re seeing complete strangers coordinating on-the-fly efforts to get water, food, first aid, rides, protection to the BIPOC young people leading these actions. We’re seeing people offering at-home jail support for people they don't even know. We’re seeing people conjuring up protest art that lives in their imagination one day and shows up on thousand-strong car caravans the next. 
 
You gotta be kidding if you think this is somehow people's baser instincts coming to the fore. We know we’re not seeing everything but what we do see is some of the best that people have to offer in crushing times and it is beautiful.

#justiceforgeorgefloyd #justiceforbreonnataylor #justiceforahmaudarbery #justicefortonymcdade #blacklivesmatter #nojusticenopeace

Stay safe,
EB PREC