[sudo-discuss] Shut down the PanOAKticon! - Litigation Fund

[eddan.com]

Are you looking for something you can do that is meaningful on this TheDayWeFightBack? Please donate to our Spy Center Litigation Fund.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spy-center-litigation

In the spirit of thinking globally and acting locally, the Oakland Privacy Working Group would be most grateful for your help in shutting down the Oakland Domain Awareness Center. We need a show of support - small ($3-10) donations - in order to proceed with our lawsuit against the City of Oakland to stop the National Surveillance State from building a Fusion Center in our own backyard (on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way!). 

We have successfully pushed back on the City Council's awarding of the Department of Homeland Security grant contract for months. And while we've narrowed the time period in which the contractor would have to complete the job significantly (they have until the end of May), the City Council may very well vote to go with the proposed contractor at the Feb. 18 City Council meeting, despite the evidence we've brought that Schneider Electric is in violation of Oakland Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance. The latest word is that the City Council will waive this stop-gap feature of our city's laws despite knowing all that we know about the NSA, the OPD, and surveillance backdoors in our neighborhood. There may be nothing left to stop this runaway surveillance train other than suing our city government to cease and desist from building their PanOAKticon - the Nuclear option.

It is much more important that you give than how much - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spy-center-litigation.

There are several other ways in which the Oakland Privacy Group is going all out to stop this thing before it's too late. You can find out more at http://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com/. Join the activist planning and discussion on our listserv at oaklandprivacyworkinggroup-subscribe at lists.riseup.net. Retweet a message from https://twitter.com/OaklandPrivacy to help #StopTheDAC. Come to the Feb. 18 City Council meeting to show our politicians that we're not joking around when we fight back. Sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/the-mayor-and-city-council-of-oakland-ca-don-t-sell-out-the-people-of-oakland-to-the-department-of-homeland-security-don-t-vote-to-fund-the-domain-awareness-center. Encourage your friends and colleagues to write letters to the editor and blog posts about how mass surveillance will effect all of our overlapping communities.

Thanks for your attention. The text from the IndieGoGo page is below.

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http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spy-center-litigation
“We are the last free people.  We are the people that have the last chance to act.” – Julian Assange.

While we are immensely grateful for larger donations, IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT that we have MANY small donations, $3, $5, $10 from thousands of grassroots activists, in order to show broad support.  

The Impact

THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US.  If you believe in freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of the right to be anonymous in speech, freedom of thought, if you believe that we should be free from warrantless searches and seizures, that all are entitled to due process, that we are innocent until proven guilty, that probable cause is needed, if you value the hard fought freedoms won in the American Revolution, the Civil Rights and Free Speech Movements, and all those who lost their lives defending these rights, please help us.  This fight is not only about the residents of Oakland, California as it will directly impact all of us, allowing further spying on US citizens.

The proposed Oakland spy center at issue in this litigation will conduct massive full-time surveillance and share information broadly, linking to various NSA and FBI intelligence centers and even private contractors.  Data sharing platforms are being incorporated and further developed per project documents.  The Dept. of Homeland Security has funded 78 of these 'fusion centers' around the country. 

We Are Fighting Back

The Oakland Privacy Working Group, a coalition of civil liberties minded individuals, in concert with other civil liberties groups, seeks through litigation to prevent the awarding of a contract for Phase 2 implementation of a Dept. of Homeland Security funded spy center within the city limits of Oakland known as the Domain Awareness Center.  Because of the expiring nature of the federal grants funding the spy center, there is a strong likelihood that disqualification of the remaining bidders will halt the entire project due to loss of funding.

What We Need

We are asking you, the larger community, for $10,000 for the first phase of litigation, an injunction and lawsuit against the City of Oakland to prevent the award of the Phase 2 contract, and dismantling of the work completed under the Phase 1 contract.  

We are anticipating a protracted battle not only on the Phase 2 contract itself, but the larger overall battle of civil liberties infringement inherent in this project.  We have a real chance at turning back the military-industrial-intelligence complex from daily intrusion and spying into our lives.  With just a $5 donation, it only takes 2,000 people to make a loud statement that spying on citizens will not be tolerated!  The Snowden revelations make clear that unless the intelligence community is forced to comply with the law, it surely will not.

Other Ways You Can Help

Whether you donate or not, please sign this petition: http://tinyurl.com/kdod9wt 

If your are part of a civil liberties group and interested in helping spread the word and participating, please contact us at oaklandprivacy at gmail.com

If you're an experienced litigator and licensed to practice in California, we can use your help on our trial team.  Please contact us at oaklandprivacy at gmail.com.

For additional info: 
http://tinyurl.com/p7wbrqk 
http://oaklandwiki.org/Domain_Awareness_Center 
https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com/ 
https://twitter.com/OaklandPrivacy 

https://www.facebook.com/oakprivacy 
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