FRIDAY 8
Z Room 304, Redstone Building, 2940 16th St, SF. 7pm, $5-10 suggested donation. “Concurrently, the military banned long hair on males; mini-skirts; Sophocles; Tolstoy; Euripedes; smashing glasses after drinking toasts; labor strikes; Aristophanes; Ionesco; Sartre; Albee; Pinter; freedom of the press; sociology; Beckett; Dostoyevsky; modern music; popular music; the new mathematics; and the letter “Z“, which in ancient Greek means “He is alive!“ This is the world of Z, a political thriller about corruption and violence that‘s a thinly veiled take on the events surrounding the assassination of Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. The film is French and was nominated for the Oscar for both best film and best foreign language film back when in 1969, but it‘s still relevant, shedding light on the volatile Greece of today.
SATURDAY 9
From police brutality to hate crimes, Humanist Hall, 390 27th St, Oak; www.norcalsocialism.org. 7pm, free. Alan Blueford, and 18-year-old African American man, was killed by police May 6 in Oakland. Just weeks before, Brandy Martell was brutally killed, a victim of anti-transgender and racist violence. Outrage moved thousands to protest after Oscar Grant was killed by BART police, and it was thanks to them that his killer served any prison time, though he was out in mere months. The loved ones of these departed will form a panel to discuss these tragedies and “how to build a movement that can unite the people of Oakland to win justice.” Panelists will include Alan Blueford’s parents, Adam and Jeralynn Blueford; Brandy Martell’s sister, Talishia Massey; and Oscar Grant’s family and friend and outspoken anti-police brutality activist Jack Bryson
World Spring, a Mutiny Radio benefit, In the Works, 3265 17th St, SF; Facebook: World Spring. 6pm, $5-10 suggested donation. Since Pirate Cat Radio got shut down (the FCC won’t let me be) the collective that put out some of San Francisco’s best community radio went legit. Mutiny Radio has been broadcasting for a year now- come celebrate, and donate, at a benefit for the station Saturday. The night of entertainment will include music from Torfi and The Garden Band, The Naked Sun Band, Teresa Topaz, The Real Star Movement, The Naked Sun Band, Bryce Druzin and John Rodogno, and poetry from Val Ibarra, Dee Allen, James Zealous, and of course the beloved soul of Mutiny Radio, Diamond Dave Whitaker.
SUNDAY 10
Occupy U, Modern Times bookstore, 2919 24th St, SF; www.mtbs.com. 6-8pm, free. The University of the Commons just launched its summer session last weekend, and the classes are free, participatory, and relatable for your radical, everyday life. This week, Professor Stardust’s five-Sunday course begins. Entitled “Occupy U: present day strategies for change and their effectiveness,” the “participatory Occupy workshop” will look at past and present movements for social change to figure out what’s working. Other courses from the University of the Commons collective this summer include science literacy, responsive cinema, intro to western music: from Mahler to the music video, the question concerning realism, and history in digital culture.
MONDAY 11
London Breed campaign kick-off, The Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF; www.londonforsupervisor.com. 5:30-7:30pm, $20-500. This fundraiser launches London Breed’s campaign for District 5 supervisor. California Attorney General Kamala Harris will be there endorsing Breed, who is executive director of the African American Arts & Culture Complex. The event will feature, “DJ Sake One, local bands, live painting, cuisine from local restaurants, and creative vendors,” and will be at the Independent—the live music venue owned by Michael O’Connor, a listed host who ran for D5 supervisor in 2003 and was rumored to be mulling another run this year.
Building Groups of Equals, Audre Lourde room, Women’s Building, 3543 18th St, SF; www.occupyforumsf.org. 6pm, free. Award-winning author and activist Starhawk joins the Occupy Forum in their second week of workshops, meant to provide education and discussion for those interested and invested in the equality and justice goals of the Occupy movement. This week, the theme is working together, or “how to move from individualism to collaboration and from hierarchy to affinity-based group.” It’s certainly ironic how egos tend to destroy groups set up to work without hierarchy, so come talk with Starhawk and other like-minded people about how to change that.