Like millions of people in this country, Occupy Oakland has no home.

On January 28, Move-in Day, we’re going to change that. We’re going to occupy a large, vacant building and convert it into a social center.

Come join us for the initial occupation. There will be a festival all that weekend to celebrate our new home.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

Occupy Oakland is about people providing for themselves and for others, since it is clear that the system can no longer provide for them. It is a place where people who are fed up can come together and develop new forms of struggle.

Since November, the city of Oakland and its police force have made it impossible for us to meet, to serve food, and to provide a place for people to stay, in our original home at Oscar Grant Plaza.

At the same time, all over the city, thousands of buildings sit empty for the simple reason that they exist to enrich the 1% rather than meet people’s needs for space and shelter.

Occupy Oakland has a demonstrated need for such a space. We have served tens of thousands of meals without charge, provided a place for thousands of people to sleep free from police repression, planned and carried out actions in which tens of thousands of people have participated. Most importantly, unlike a charity, Occupy Oakland provides people with the opportunity to get involved and determine the direction of the movement. It is open to the initiative of everyone.

HOW WILL THE OCCUPATION WORK?

The full shape of the activities that happen in the building is yet to be determined. We need you to come help us do that. For now, there are plans for a kitchen, sleeping quarters, meeting space for committees and working groups, a space for kids, a library, and media room. The possibilities are endless!

We have learned from the experience at Oscar Grant Plaza that we can do much more to make this space safe for everyone, especially women and queer people. We will continue to develop our capacity to take care of each other and keep each other safe without involving the police.

The Occupy movement is largely based on direct action outside the law. Like the encampment at Oscar Grant Plaza, the building move-in is not legal. As with the plaza, however, there is safety in numbers – that is, the more of us there are the less chance there is of a police attack. We believe that the best way to protect each other is to set up a free, open space in which people can come and go. We hope that eventually our presence in the building will become normalized and we can keep it long term. To that end, we intend to have a large festival during the move-in weekend, which will invite people from all over the city to come and celebrate the new space with us. During those two days, we will hold assemblies to further define and organize the use of the building.