Gather your friends and family. Reach out to your schools, unions, churches and other organizations. We're riding from the Port of Oakland to Eastmont Mall for the 7th Annual Reclaim MLK's Radical Legacy Day of Action to #RefundRestoreReimagine & #DefundOPD
WHAT: 7th Annual Day of Action to Reclaim MLK’s Radical Legacy — Car Caravan Edition
WHEN: Monday, January 18, 2021 at 12 pm PST
WHERE: We will meet at the Port of Oakland near Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (2777 Middle Harbor Rd, Oakland, CA 94607) and ride together to East Oakland
For seven years running, the APTP Reclaim MLK event has been the only MLK March in the city of Oakland and brings together thousands of people across race, class and political ideology with a commitment to build a just and equitable Oakland that Dr. King would be proud of.
For decades, MLK’s legacy has been whitewashed. Often portrayed as a passive figure, in truth he was a radical leader demanding rational change: an end to capitalism, to war, to empire, to poverty, and to white supremacy. Communities in Oakland and across the country take this opportunity every year to celebrate the true spirit of this revolutionary. We intend to follow in his legacy through our campaign to defund the police and refund the community.
This year’s theme is Re-Imagine. Reimagine and remember King’s unrealized dream.
The work to Refund. Restore. Reimagine our communities is a modern day reflection of King’s work, legacy and unfulfilled dream. He said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” That’s Oakland’s budget every year. As we reimagine what public safety means in Oakland — violence interruption, housing as a human right, living-wage jobs with dignity, good schools, clean streets and parks, mental health care and crisis support, and thriving communities — we are making King’s Dream a reality.
We acknowledge that the pandemic is still raging through our communities. We will take this seriously. But we also acknowledge the essential work of defunding OPD in order to eradicate police terror. Police terror, like the pandemic, is a public health emergency.
And that’s why we still plan to hit the streets on MLK Day and Weekend but will do so in a car caravan that envelopes our whole city as we ride from the Port to Eastmont Mall.
On Monday, January 18, we will take action to demand:
Cut OPD’s allocation from the General Fund by 50% (roughly $150 Million);
Redirect funds to invest in housing, jobs, youth programs, restorative justice, mental health workers and other services that actually keep us safe.
Discontinue unauthorized overtime by OPD;
An immediate response to the violence in our streets that is NOT rooted in the carceral state.
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:
Kid & family friendly!
If you can't join us in person, you can join us virtually in the following ways:
For audio only: protestsound.com or 88.3 FM (note: the online option will likely have more consistent sound quality than radio)
For video with CC & ASL, but limited music due to copyright issues: Facebook live
For video with CC & ASL plus comrades: Join our friends at Senior & Disability Action for a watch party!
Check the Facebook event page for updates as we firm up plans. Email us if you have any questions: aptpinfo@gmail.com.