Welcome to the Omni Commons
What if one of the largest community centers and venue spaces in the Bay Area was run by a volunteer collective where everybody is a leader? We are trying to do just that, at the Omni Commons.
The Building
In North Oakland California, on Shattuck at 48th, there's a big building with a long history. Built by garbage workers during the Great Depression, it became one of the largest venue spaces in the Bay Area. In the 1980s it was famous as a rock club - they called it The Omni. Now, after 20 years of disuse, we are trying to re-open this building as the Omni Commons.
The People
We should have pictures and bios and stuff. Coming soon?
How does it work?
Members of our 8 collectives make decisions together using consensus, on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month - they're called "Delegate Meetings" because every group has to send at least one person - meetings are open to everybody.
The delegates do not function as any sort of governing body for the groups involved in any general sense. There are no senators. Their only and sole point is to reach consensus on the use of the space, how to pay bills, resolve any conflicts between the groups in the space, interface with the state, banks, authorities and map out the logistical dissemination of the collective work needed to maintain the space as a commons open to the surrounding community: That's it.
Getting Involved
We love new people! There are many ways to get involved:
- join a member collective
- join a working group
- come to an event on our calendar
- Use the space for your own event or meeting
- Help out with someobody else's event
- join a mailing list
- come to a general omni meeting (1st & 3rd thursdays, 7pm)
- buy us toilet paper or take out the trash. No,seriously.
- Help us work on the building to make it safer and more accessible
Quick tools:
(on the Archival Calendar)
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