Letter to my Neighborhood Group about Oakland's Domain Awareness Center Hi there folksThanks for the response, I should have

updated this earlier. What happened at the 18th's meeting was nothing short of incredi le. The !it" !ouncil's financial appropriation vote for #hase II of the $omain %wareness !enter was viewed as a foregone conclusion, even within leadership of opposed communit" groups. There has een a months-long effort to uild a coalition of &aklanders willing to emphasi'e the pressing priorities of the cit" and offer an alternative vision for &akland. Well those folks reall" came through that Tuesda", with () communit" mem ers speaking efore !it" !ouncil, not one in favor of the '$%!'. The" effectivel" uilt a more holistic dialogue and changed the nature of the conversation. The !ouncil did not vote down the $%! ut the" were forced to postpone the vote until a *arch +th meeting. The uilding opposition to the pro,ect was felt, and a "es vote " !ouncil mem ers was impossi le. It isn't over. The e-tra two weeks has een used " the cit" to patch holes in their case for the $%!. If &akland folks don't force a no vote, we can flush an additional .1./ million annuall" from &akland cit" coffers to provide /+0( staffing for the center. 1I elieve there tends to e a ha it of underestimation of such cost estimates ut I digress.2 I am feeling so much more optimistic now that people across &akland are ecoming aware of this plan and I'm heartened " people's clarit" of vision for an &akland without a surveillance center. %n"how, I'll e at this meeting *arch +th. It is estimated this action item will not hit the docket until at least 3456pm. 7or ongoing updates on the $omain %wareness !enter, there is lots of info at &akland #rivac" Working 8roup's we site or the" can e followed on twitter at 9&akland#rivac". To gain a more detailed grasp of the igger picture, read the :ast ;a" :-press' article, The Hidden Costs of Oakland's Surveillance Center. e got a se!ond !han!e. <et's use it. !heers, =oshua >hepherd ?% societ" grows great when old men plant trees whose shade the" know the" will never sit in.? -8reek #rover