Dear Neighbors,

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming Garden Summer Speaker Series, a special event coming to West Oakland. This series aims to foster diverse perspectives among Oakland's neighbors and shed light on our post-partisan approach to building coalitions between neighbors and local businesses.

For our inaugural speaker event, titled "Uncovering Media's Failures in Local Political Discourse," we are honored to host two dynamic and fearless journalists who have made significant contributions to the field. Joining us will be Michael Shellenberger and Lee Fang, both Bay Area locals who work tirelessly on exposing our elected officials’ disastrous approaches to public safety, addiction, environmental policy, homelessness and how these intersecting crises are aided and abetted by media.

Michael Shellenberger is a renowned author, with notable works including "San Fransicko" (HarperCollins, 2021) and "Apocalypse Never" (HarperCollins, 2020). Recognized as a Time Magazine "Hero of the Environment" and a Green Book Award Winner, Shellenberger is also the Founder and President of Environmental Progress, an independent nonprofit research organization based in Berkeley, California.

Lee Fang is an esteemed journalist known for his extensive research on the influence of organized interest groups and financial contributions on public policy. He was the first to uncover and detail the role of billionaire Koch brothers in financing the Tea Party movement. Fang's interviews and research have been featured in HBO's "The Newsroom," as well as the documentaries "Merchants of Doubt" and "Citizen Koch," among other media outlets. He previously served as an investigative blogger for ThinkProgress (2009-2011) and later became a fellow at the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute, contributing writer for The Nation.

This enlightening discussion will be moderated by Seneca and towards the end of the event, we will have a limited Q&A session, providing an opportunity for the audience to engage with the speakers.

*We will have beer, wine and soft drinks

(Food generously provided by Arthur Mac's)

Space is limited, so we encourage you to RSVP promptly to secure your spot at this highly anticipated event! Priority given to NTO members!

Please chip in to support our ongoing work here. Contributions will help fund important and powerful events like these. We have many more planned, but they require the support of neighbors hungry for the safe, livable city we deserve! NTO is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible. 

Best,

Neighbors Together Oakland