Mon 10/21: “Your presence is requested…” Pick your resistance activity for this week.

People tell us that they sometimes feel overwhelmed by the news they hear every day, but that doing something, even a small action, helps. Writing postcards. Registering new voters. Learning about an issue. Supporting speakers at meetings. Being a part of a community that’s trying to make change. So, come join in. There’s a lot to do.

Monday, Oct. 21: Trip to Adelanto Detention Center led by Rev. Betty 

Does the work of the resistance have any effect? Yes, CA just passed a law to ban all private prisons when their contacts expire in 2020. However, in the meantime, immigrant detainees need to know they are not alone. Visits are meaningful to both detainees and visitors. To join the carpool, contact Rev. Betty at bstaple4d@gmail.com.

Mondays –  Volunteering with Al Otro Lado.

“What if we told you four days could make the difference in the life of an asylum seeker? There are currently over 15,000 asylum seekers stuck in Tijuana as a result of this administrations illegal and even deadly policies and we are currently the only on the ground org providing legal aid. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

To help asylum seekers fight for their right to international protection, Al Otro Lado hosts pro se legal clinics, know your rights clinics and provide free legal consultations. 

Tuesday, Oct. 22: TRUTH Act Community Forum

3:15pm Speeches outside
4:00pm, Board of Supervisors hearing room
Community members are needed to be present as witnesses when the Sheriff reports on his department’s relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Read the ACLU’s report on the original California Values Act here.) Board of Supervisors Hearing Room is in the Hall of Administration, County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria, Ventura. Facebook link here.

Tuesday, Oct. 22: Free Screening “Roll Red Roll” with local panel.

6-8:30 pm, Museum of Ventura County: “Roll Red Roll” follows the story of a pre-season football party in small-town Steubenville, Ohio and a heinous assault of a teenage girl by members of the beloved high school football team. What transpired garnered national attention as the town’s reaction illustrated the ingrained rape culture at the heart of the incident. Roll Red Roll acts as a cautionary tale about what can happen when social media bullying runs rampant and adults look the other way…Following the film, local advocates will discuss resources available in Ventura County and how we can come together to be better bystanders and citizens to end sexual assault. Co-Hosted by Ventura Film Society and The Acorn Project with support from The Museum of Ventura County, and Coalition for Family Harmony. For more information – Facebook event here.

Tuesday, Oct. 22: (Santa Barbara) Public meeting to protect our Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary.

6:00 – 8:00 pm
Faulkner Gallery at Santa Barbara Public Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(See Sierra Club’s Jim Hines’ letter about this issue here.)

Wednesday, Oct. 23: (Ventura) Public meeting to protect our Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary.

6:00 pm
Poinsettia Pavilion
3451 Foothill Rd
Ventura, CA 93003

(See Sierra Club’s Jim Hines’ letter about this issue here.)

Wednesday, Oct. 23: Mixteco/Indigenous Community Organizing Project – Event in support of Ventura Co. farmworkers.

Oct. 27th, 2:00-4:00 pm:  The Mixteco/Indigenous Community Organizing Project invites you to join them in support of the indigenous farmworkers of Ventura County. Come learn about the rich culture of the indigenous community and their contributions to oour local economy. Please RSVP by Oct. 23rd for location and instructions or for more information here: donna.foster@mixteco.org or call (805) 483-1166

Thursday Oct. 24: “Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights in an Uncertain America” – Free panel discussion

7 pm – 9 pm at the  Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley. The public is invited to attend a free panel discussion dealing with issues surrounding “Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights in an Uncertain America”. Our noted panelists consist of: Julie Mickelberry, Vice President of Community Engagement, Planned Parenthood CA Central Coast; Echo Zen, Ventura County Reproductive Rights; and Mary Jones, RNP, Coordinator of Health Services, Ventura College. The panel will be moderated by Diane Turcott-Birchman, AAUW TO Member. The focus of this discussion will be upon the recent impact of a multitude of court decisions on women’s health along with changes in access especially for college age women. Facebook event here

Friday Oct. 25: Bard Mansion Ghost Tour – REACH Fundraiser

5:30 pm – 10:00 pm: Inside the Port Hueneme Naval Base. Fundraiser to support Recreation, Education, Arts, and Culture in Hueneme. $50 ticket includes appetizers, no-host bar, dinner, raffle and a ghost tour, featuring paranormal investigators and ghost hunters, Richard and Debbie Senate. Purchase tickets a www.reachhueneme.org, more information at (805)986-6542. REACH provides full or partial financial support so that events like these can happen in the city: Senior Holiday Luncheon, Movies in the Park, Food Truck Tuesdays, Youth Involvement Fair, Holiday Tree Lighting,National Safety Night Out, and Cops for Tots. REACH also invites proposals from other community organizations to provide financial support for their events or activities.

Saturday. Oct. 26: Ventura Critical Mass “Solidarity Bike Ride” in Oxnard!

Critical Mass is an unorganized coincidence, a movement of bicycles in the streets, a monthly gathering to celebrate cycling and affirm the rights of cyclists in the streets. It is an idea and an event. It’s free. It is not a race. It’s just for fun. It happens when many cyclists meet in the same place, at the same time and decide to pedal the same route together for a while. The idea is for people to group together, making it safer for each other to ride bicycles through our streets. Saturday, October 26th. We meet at 1pm. The ride starts at 2pm. The route begins near Oxnard’s Downtown Main Library. More information on their Facebook page here.

Saturday, Oct. 26: Volunteer Orientation – Diversity Collective Ventura County.

12:00 noon to 1:00 pm: – Join us for this volunteer orientation at the Diversity Collective at 2471 Portola Road, Ventura! We will introduce you to all the volunteer opportunities here at the center and with the organization. Starting at 1:00 we will begin our monthly center volunteer event. We will be organizing our community closet project and storage areas. We will then have a rummage sale on Sunday the 27th to get rid of all the excess.
Left over excess will be donated to the ARC Foundation. You may attend just the orientation or both. More information at their Facebook event here.

Sunday, Oct. 27: “Swap Meet Justice” citizenship fair

8am-3pm, Oxnard College Community Market, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard 93033
Help Green Card holders complete their applications for naturalization and DACA recipients with their renewal applications. Volunteers needed – you do not have to speak Spanish!  New volunteers, please arrive by 8:30 for training. (We reserve the right to refuse services.) More at https://cluevc.org/swap-meet-justice

Sunday, Oct. 27: “Telling the Truth About California Missions” 

2:00-4:00 pm at the Ojai Library. In case you missed the Ventura screening, you have another chance to see this in Ojai! Santa Ynez filmmaker Gary Robinson will screen “Telling the Truth About California Missions” at two locations in Ventura County in October. The film reveals truths about Junipero Serra, California’s historic missions, their treatment of Native Americans, and the lies, myths, and falsehood that glorified these institutions while denigrating the people for whom they were supposedly built. Gary is an independent film maker and author (Tribal Eye Productions) and he is a descendent of the Choctaw and Cherokee nations. Gary’s newest film, “Hearing the Truth about Historical Trauma,” will be available to view at both events, if time and interest allow. The event is free, with donations accepted. More information on their Facebook page here.

Saturday, Nov. 2: Asylum Advocacy Conference

Sat., Nov. 2, 10am-5 pm: Ventura College of Law. Join us in Ventura as we explore asylum-related issues and connect attorneys, students, and community members with opportunities for practical engagement. Attorneys will also be eligible to earn 1.5 CLE credits for Ethics and 1.5 CLE credits for Elimination of Bias. More details here.
Community members register ($25) at (805) 650-7599 x210.

Sunday, Nov. 3: “Never Again Action” speaker Adam Schwartz

11:30am: Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, 5654 Ralston Ave., Ventura.
Never Again Action is a mass mobilization of Jews organizing to shut down ICE and stop the deportation machine that separates immigrant families across the United States. More details here.

Monday, Nov. 4: Mixteco Boy – Ojai Film Festival

7 pm – 8 pm, at Ojai ACT. Pablo, an indigenous Mixteco boy living in Oxnard, California dreams of being like his green-eyed fútbol hero, Chicharito, To achieve his dreams, Pablo must overcome prejudice, poverty, and his own conflicted feelings about his heritage. When Pablo turns his back on his past, he quickly learns that embracing his roots is the key to opening doors for others. More event information here and at www.mixtecoboy.com

Thursday, Nov. 7: “Mud and Dust – Climate Future at Oxnard College Live”

4 – 5:30 pm at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center. Hear the follow up program from our Ventura Sierra Club September speaker, Jim Danza, on climate change in Ventura County. He explains environmental science in easy to grasp terms with plenty of humor thrown in. Mr. Danza is a professor at Oxnard College, with a long career in urban planning, and chair of Friends of the Santa Clara River. Oxnard College Live is open to the public and free to attend. Facebook event here.