Occupy Bohemian Grove was joined by the Fukushima Mothers who
occupied Tokyo earlier this year and who spoke about the importance of
abolishing nuclear power. The recent Diet Commission report found that
the Fukushima disaster was entirely man-made and nuclear engineers/activists say it could happen in the US where we have 23 plants with the same faulty design. Last week, over 100,000 protesters marched against nuclear power in Tokyo.
This week marks the one year anniversary of the imprisonment of Salt
Lake City environmental activist, Tim DeChristopher, who helped organize
the Occupation of Freedom Plaza with others from his organization,
Peaceful Uprising. Tim was arrested for a civil resistance action
against the illegal leasing of land in Utah for oil and gas exploration.
ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), a corporate tool for
climate injustice, will be holding its conference in Salt Lake City and Peaceful Uprising is planning a week of actions there. This weekend activists will gather in Washington, DC for Stop the Frack Attack – rally and lobbying to end fracking, and OWS is organizing against a pipeline in New York and New Jersey. And there will be a week of actions led by RAMPS to shut down a coal mining operation in southern West Virginia.
Occupy Albany and
other Occupy’s from across the country are organizing around the
student strike in Quebec to highlight barriers to education, austerity
policies and the privatization of public universities. As they do in Montreal, they are wearing red and banging pots and pans. You can learn more about student protests at the InterOccupy.net student debt campaign hub.
And housing activists continue to organize. In Brooklyn, the renters’ strike continues with the support of OWS and in Portland, OR, a young man, Cameron Whitten, is in his eighth week of a hunger strike to pressure the city to do more about homelessness.
Organizing is underway for the next set of negotiations for the TransPacific Partnership,
known as “NAFTA on steroids” because it gives private corporations
greater power than governments. This next round of secret negotiations,
which will be held in Leesburg, VA this September, is a critical one for
those who oppose transnational corporate power to protest, prevent and
expose. You can read more about the TPP in the Occupy G8 Peoples’ Summit Report or here and here. If you are interested in participating in actions against the TPP, contact us at info@october2011.org.
And the six people arrested on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United are
asking for support for their upcoming trial. They purposefully
requested a jury trial in order to raise awareness of corporate
personhood. Visit their Facebook page.
Finally, the October2011.org/OccupyWashingtonDC.org
web site is constantly updating the events in Los Angeles where Occupy
activists are challenging a development corporation that is pushing
small businesses, minorities and homeless people out of a downtown area.
Activists have been brutalized by police and arrested for writing messages with sidewalk chalk. They now accuse the LA mayor of committing the same crime for handing out sidewalk chalk to young children and encouraging them to write messages in the street and they are filing complaints against the police.
There continues to be lots of Occupy actions across the United States.
We provide you with the updates since the corporate media does not
cover these activities. Indeed, many think that since the encampments
have disappeared Occupy is finished, despite constant activity. The
visibility of the encampments is missed by many. We have heard of many
tactics for visibility around the country, e.g. "Pop-Up Encampments" --
day long events where Occupy can show what it stands for and bring
people into the movement, roving encampments and neighborhood GA's. We
would like to hear reports on these so we can share them with others.
We hope others are trying short-term encampments of a few days to a
week, perhaps with a permit. We need to continuously find ways to build
the movement and being in public space is a tactic we should not leave
behind. Send your experiences to info@october2011.org and we will share them.
In solidarity,
October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC.org
P.S. Coming up soon, watch for Occupy election activities including
planning around the two major party political conventions and the four
presidential debates. Send us your ideas on how we can Occupy the
Elections. Send to info@october2011.org.
As
the summer heats up, so does Occupy. From coast to coast, Occupy is
truly creative in getting the message out! Let’s take a quick tour.
We will start in Seattle where last week #MicCheckWallStreet dropped
$5000 in small bills from a hotel window. The bills had the words
“Money as speech silences us all. End Citizen’s United.” stamped on
them. You can see the video here. To learn more and get involved in the work to end Citizen’s United, visit Move To Amend.
 In Los Angeles, over the past 3 weeks 11 Occupy LA activists have been arrested for
writing chalk messages on streets. One activist had bail set at
$75,000. This is happening despite the UN appeal to protect the rights
of protesters and despite the fact that chalk has been ruled by courts
in California not to count as graffiti and children routinely make chalk
art without consequence. On a brighter note in LA, the very talented
photographer, Annie Appel, who travelled the country documenting the
Occupy Movement, has an exhibit of her powerful black and white photos
on display in San Pedro until the end of August. Read about the exhibit here.
Occupy Denver, in addition to their twice weekly General  Assemblies and ongoing Social Forum, has started a monthly “Revenge of the Wage Slave” march against feudalism!
The first one took place during ArtWalk and was a great success. This
is a great action to emulate. They even included banging pots and pans
like the Casseroles of Canada!
On July 4th,
200 people at the Occupy National Gathering in Philly and more who
participated online developed a Vision Statement. The purpose of the
statement was to create a clearer idea of what kind of world people
would like to create. You can read the statement here.
And finally, there is so much happening in New York that we can’t include it all here. We recommend that you read the OWS Updates. We want to highlight an action in which Occupiers joined tenants to protest the dangerous conditions in their building –
power outages and electrical wiring that places them at risk of a
deadly fire – which are not being addressed by their landlord.
We share these with you in the hope that you may get ideas for your own
actions. It is important that we continue to reach out to our
communities and develop creative protests that expose the truth about
what is happening in this country. By shining the light of truth on
activities, sometimes we can decrease or stop them. At the very least,
more people will have greater awareness.
It is also important that we educate ourselves and work in our
communities to build alternative ways of meeting our human needs. Paul
Craig Roberts recently published an article that explains the collapsing US economy. We also want to share an article by Dmitry Orlov written in 2006 that questions how well the US will weather collapse of the American Empire.
In many ways, we are in a worse position than those who experienced the
crash of the Soviet Empire. These articles could serve as a call to
action for communities to make plans to care for each other.
Finally, we would like to invite all who are interested in building a
greater alliance between Occupy and Labor to contact us at info@october2011.org.
We are holding a conference call to discuss this alliance and to make
plans to protest the TransPacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP will
redefine globalization in ways that give transnational corporations
greater power and ability to exploit people and the planet. You can
learn more about the TPP at Global Trade Watch.
Please share what your Occupy is doing with us so that we can tell others.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011.org/OccupyWashingtonDC.org
We recently returned from the Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia and we have a lot to share with you.
The energy at the #NatGat was tremendous. The gathering was a huge
success due to the quality of the event. Hundreds of people came from
all across the country to share information, ideas and creativity.
The police presence in Philadelphia was high, with multiple law
enforcement branches and their dogs stationed near the camp area and
parks. Mayor Nutter ordered the fire department not to share water with the occupation despite their previous agreement to do so. But the Occupiers let nothing stop them.
There were numerous tents in Franklin Square Park offering information,
training, medical treatment and massage. There were marches and
workshops. The General Assemblies were well-attended and informative;
and sometimes entertaining with jugglers, dancers and a baseball game
between the Tax Dodgers and the 99%.
One of the goals of the gathering was to create a Vision Statement about
the world Occupiers want to create. We have not seen the final version
yet, but we will share it with you when it is available. In the
meantime, we urge you to read the newly-published “Occupy G8 Peoples’ Summit Report: And Economy for People and the Planet.”It
contains a history of the G8 as well as an inclusive economic
alternative, information on the new secret TransPacific Partnership
(TPP) and resources to learn more about models currently in use to build
a bottom-up and participatory solidarity economy.
We learned about the updated InterOccupy website.
The new website has more tools to assist Occupiers in connecting from
all over the country to collaborate and organize. We encourage you to
visit it and consider creating a ‘hub’ there.
We attended the first Veteran’s Peace Team (VPT) annual meeting where
the mission statement was adopted and committees were created. Members
of VPT will attend nonviolent protests when invited to provide a
nonviolent presence that can interface with law enforcement. They are
accepting applications and are allowing 20% of members to be civilians.
If you are interested, contact us at info@october2011.org.
Occupy events took place in other areas this past week too. Protesters
took action against drone warfare at Hancock Air Field in Syracuse, New
York. This video of the action is a useful guide to effective resistance. In Paonia, CO, a single person stood up to a tank owned by Bill Koch during a July 4th parade to protest the glorification of the military.
On a sad note, police shut down the 17-day-old occupy camp at Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland, CA.
Parents and teachers were protesting the closing of 5 public schools
(one is being converted to a private charter school) and had set up a
Peoples’ Summer School. The camp moved to a local park from which
protesters marched to the home of the School Superintendent. We
encourage you to read an article written by Terry Flowers on Facebook
about the new OECD findings on education and inequality in the US.
And here’s a new term to add to your vocabulary: Bill Moyers explains ‘plutonomy’ –
“an economic system where the privileged few make sure the rich get
richer with government on their side.” We like to call them the ‘Looting
Class.’
The Looting Class gained a major victory when Citizens United Chief
Justice John Roberts switched partisan sides and upheld the Obama
healthcare law. This law puts corporate power even more in charge of
health care and opens a new avenue to privatize Medicaid, Medicare and
Social Security as Margaret Flowers, Sam Smith and John Stauber explain.
We do have some good news. If you haven’t seen it yet, October2011
organizer Dennis Trainor, Jr. created a feature length documentary
explaining Occupy called “American Autumn.” You can watch it for free. It is an excellent tool for local movement building, outreach and education. Use it widely!
You can also see weekly programs on occupy actions across the nation and around the world at “Occupy Week.” We are excited to announce that the ‘Real Democracy Now’ movement in Spain has had a huge victory: their campaign called “@15MpaRato” has
succeeded in having the former head of Bankia, a Spanish bank that
engaged in foreclosures and evictions, Rodrigo Rato, brought before the
courts with charges of criminal conduct. Let's hope Occupy in the U.S.
can do the same for the CEO's of JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman
Sachs and others who crashed the economy with so far un-prosecuted
securities fraud.
And finally, if you need to buy books and want to both avoid Amazon and
support social justice organizations, we encourage you to check out OccuBooks.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011/OccupyWashington,DC
Thursday, June 28, the Supreme Court will announce their decision on the federal health law.
No matter what they decide, we will be there with signs that say “Medicare for all NOW!”
If the Supreme Court finds the individual
mandate, that part of the law that forces people to purchase private
insurance or pay a penalty, unconstitutional, then we say that the
fastest way to solve the health care crisis is to drop 2 words, “over 65,” from the Medicare law and expand Medicare to everyone. We can then take time to improve Medicare such as making it more comprehensive and removing out of pocket expenses.
The majority of people in the United States,
including doctors, support Medicare for all. We must no longer be the
“silenced majority.” If we want an end to Wall Street health care, we must be in the streets, loud and persistent in our demand!
 In the days
ahead, there will be groups from the left and the right using this
opportunity to advance their own political agendas. We believe in the
principles of I.C.U.
· that we focus on the issue Independent of political party,
· that we are Clear about what will or will not achieve universal health care
· and that we are Uncompromising in our position that every person in the country should have access to the same standard of high quality health care.
These goals
cannot be achieved until we get Wall Street private insurance out of our
health care system and create a single payer publicly-financed health
system, Medicare for all, in which most of our health care dollars are
used for, well, health care (not insurance company overhead and profit).
We urge you not to confuse Medicare for all with Medicare for some (the
Medicare buy-in supported by groups like MoveOn).
We have an opportunity to save lives in this
country and end suffering by immediately extending Medicare to every
person. We hope that you will stand in solidarity with us either in
front of the Supreme Court or in your community. Remember the simplicity of "drop 2 words!" Expand Medicare to every person NOW.
Because of the historic Supreme Court decision
on the federal health law, this week we have been devoted to the issue
of Medicare for all. We will provide more broad-based news next
week. We hope you remember the postal workers on hunger strike against postal service cutbacks. And we hope to see you in Philadelphia at the National Gathering next week!
In peace and solidarity,
October2011/Occupy Washington,DC
The US is being called out by the international community for its inhumane behavior. Two United Nations envoys have asked the US to respect the rights of Occupy protesters
and to protect them. In a four page letter, they describe specific
examples of abusive police behavior. The US has not responded. US government officials often admonish countries like China, Iran and Egypt for the way they treat protesters, yet American companies, in collusion with the US government, sells them tear gas and other weapons used against dissidents. So
far, rather than protecting our rights, federal officials secretly coordinated with law enforcement in the occupy crackdowns.
It appears that law enforcement in the US has been preying upon vulnerable people in the Occupy Movement and entrapping them. The Cleveland 5 are potentially facing multiple life sentences. A website has
been created to support them. Some of the Cleveland 5 are members of
Food Not Bombs, a group that will continue to be vital as the Senate
voted this week NOT to restore $4.5 billion for food stamps. We will follow the cases in Cleveland and Chicago on October2011.org.
The Occupy Movement will continue despite these challenges. We know
that facing the power of concentrated wealth, or the ‘Looting Class” as
we call them, will not be easy but is necessary. Recently the
corporate media have been claiming the Occupy Movement is dead. Chris Hedges explains why this obituary is premature and how the Occupy Movement can succeed.
In truth, the Occupy Movement is global and growing. Occupy Our Homes is saving families from eviction
across the country. They are bringing communities
together and empowering them to fight for their needs. This week,
Deborah Harris, who describes herself as usually being timid, found her
voice and used it to confront Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, when he attended a hearing with the Senate Banking Committee. Listen to this week's show on Clearing the FOG to hear more.
Jamie Dimon was confronted again yesterday by the coalition calling for a Financial Transactions Tax, known as the Robin Hood Tax.
Creative confrontations of this type are powerful tools used by
nonviolent movements to expose the truth and ostracize those who are
responsible for oppression.
Occupy members, students and their families are occupying a public school in Oakland, CA
to try and prevent the closure of five schools. Education is key to
building a strong movement and taking action to shift power. OWS is
holding a Summer Disobedience School. And Freedom Plaza occupant, Roya Brown, took the initiative to create an ongoing Social Forum in her home, Occupy Denver.
In New York, Occupy recently marched to end ‘Stop and Frisk’. The ACLU released a new cell phone app
that can be used to report Stop and Frisk police activity. Also in New
York, those who were arrested for trying to occupy First Trinity Church
property after Zuccotti Park was shut down went to court recently. Most
of those who were arrested received sentences of community service, but Mark Adams is serving 45 days in jail. You can show support for him through this Tumblr site. If you are interested in posting something on the site, contact poetjo@gmail.com.
In Washington, DC, we are preparing for the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the health care law,
the Affordable Care Act [sic]. At stake are the individual mandate, the
Medicaid expansion and possibly the fate of the entire ACA. No matter
what happens, we know that the ACA leaves tens of millions of people
without coverage and tens of millions more with inadequate coverage
while still allowing health care costs to skyrocket. The majority of people in the US favor nonprofit universal Medical Care for all.
When the decision is announced we will head to the Supreme Court steps
and will call for a simple solution: drop 2 words – “over 65” - from the
existing Medicare law and immediately expand de-privatized Medicare to
every person. This would provide a real foundation for a health system
that can be improved. We ask you to join us by holding a solidarity
action in your community.
And we ask you to speak out for Julian Assange.
Julian lost his appeal in the UK and is facing
extradition to Sweden where he will likely be jailed, although he hasn’t
been charged with a crime there, and then sent to the US to face
serious charges. Tuesday he went to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to
seek asylum. The London Police say that this means he has broken his
bail terms, but Assange had little choice
as his own nation, Australia, refuses to protect his rights. Call the
Ecuadorian Embassy and thank them for taking Assange in. Urge them to
grant asylum. The number is 202-234-7200. Please call now as a decision
may be imminent.
Upcoming events
June 26: Premiere of “The American Autumn” produced by Dennis Trainor, Jr. at 7 pm in New York. Details are on this Facebook page.
June 30 – July 4: The Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia.
Thank you for all that you do. Keep up the great work. And thank you
for supporting OccuCards. They raised $2,000 and so will produce ten new
cards. OccuCards
are a great tool for educating about issues. Let them know if you have a
subject they can address. We are urging them to create cards that
educate about solutions too.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC
“Ours
is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about
war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about
living." Gen. Omar Bradley
For this Memorial Day, we share two articles with you. “Memorial Day: Pick Your Perversion” was written by Leah Bolger, current President of Veterans for Peace. The other is a speech given by Jay Wenk, a WWII Veteran
and active member of Veterans for Peace. Both Leah and Jay were active
in organizing and participating in the occupation of Freedom Plaza.
Here is some music that you might appreciate as you read this report from Chicago - Tom Morello and other musicians playing at the Chicago NATO protest standing with the crowd after the sound system stopped working.
On Saturday, May 19, members of Veterans for Peace attempted to deliver
a letter to the NATO leaders in Chicago but were denied access. They
had to leave their powerful letter, folded in an American flag, in the
street outside McCormick Place. The veterans from wars dating back to
WWII were ignored by both the NATO leaders and the press.
The protest against NATO in Chicago on Sunday was a strong one. At least 15,000 people marched in a peaceful protest
that culminated in a powerful ceremony by Afghan and Iraq War
veterans. Nearly 50 veterans spoke about their war experience and then returned their medals by throwing them toward the NATO Summit. The vets were supported by veterans from Veterans for Peace and VVAW who served as their security. (Photos of the day here.)
The police presence was deep at the march and throughout the city. It would be fair to say that downtown Chicago was militarized in response to the protest. There were not a lot of arrests, but there was harassment of activists. Journalists were a particular focus of police
attention reminding us how important the citizen media is to getting
out our message – and how the authorities know that preventing the
message from getting out is important to protecting the status quo.
Indeed, the media situation is likely to worsen because the current National Defense Authorization Act contains provisions to legalize state department propaganda developed for use around the world to now be used within the US (repealing the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948).
The first use of the NDAA’s provisions for support of terrorism were used in Chicago. The three arrested have been held in solitary confinement in all white “observation” cells
where they are denied contact with each other or other prisoners and
denied any reading or writing material. This case deserves special
attention of the democratized citizen media because its implications are
important to all of us. The three youths are being prosecuted under
support for terrorism and other charges. The prosecution comes just
after a New York federal judge stopped the use of the indefinite
military detention provisions of the NDAA.
A police clash occurred after the medal ceremony when the protest
organized by a coalition of groups was officially over. There was a
group of protesters who wanted to remain behind to try to get closer to
the NATO meetings, which were about three blocks away. The police had
made it difficult for protesters to leave the area, funneling them
through a narrow exit. As a result some people who did not want
conflict with the police were stuck in the melee. From video tape of the event it seems that police were responsible for the escalation of the conflict, but there are mixed reports. The conflict has led to continued criticism of Black Bloc tactics
undermining the message of the day, making the day more about conflict
with the police than about the unjust and immoral wars as expressed by
the peaceful protest and the veterans who returned their medals.
We have submitted Freedom of Information Act requests with various
federal agencies about the terrorism arrests in Cleveland and Chicago
and whether this is part of a national strategy by the federal government.
Prior to the Chicago protest, we organized an Occupy G8 People’s Summit. At the summit we talked about issues like the Financial Transactions Tax on speculation by banks and investors. This was part of a week of activities around the world in support of the tax. The Summit also examined the illegitimacy of the G8 trying to make economic decisions for more than 190 nations and excluding the voice of civil society in the process. Speakers at the summit spoke about how to build the international economy
from the ground up so that it was a sustainable, clean-energy based
economy where people worked together to meet human needs within the
limits of the ecology of the Earth.
Click here to listen
to an interview with Jacob George, a veteran of the occupation of
Afghanistan who participated in the NATO Summit Medal Ceremony, and
Medea Benjamin who has a new and very thorough book out, “Drone Warfare:
Killing by Remote Control.” We will send out a report and videos from
the Occupy G8 Peoples’ Summit soon.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011.org/OccupyWashingtonDC
This is the week that world leaders, those who represent the Looting
Class, meet at Camp David and in Chicago to discuss more economic and
military policies that drive people and the planet into further decline.
The good news is – the people have awoken and we will be there to let
them know that we are watching and we do NOT agree with their policies.
The G8 leaders (without Putin who must stay home due to civil unrest) will meet in Camp David near Thurmont, Maryland.
On May 18th in nearby Frederick, ItsOurEconomy and OccupyFrederick will
hold our own Occupy G8 Peoples’ Summit to put forth real solutions to
the crises that we face. These solutions would end debt and poverty and
protect people and the planet. Many of the solutions to be discussed at
the Peoples’ Summit would set us on a path to meet the goals of the Occupy May Manifesto. You can see the full schedule of Occupy events in Frederick and Thurmont for the G8 here: People Organize to Protest G8, Present Alternative Economic View.
The NATO Summit begins in Chicago on Saturday, May 19th. That same day, representatives of Veterans for Peace, which has called for the end of NATO, will attempt to deliver their letter to NATO leaders calling for an end to war. We will march together on May 20th in
downtown Chicago. The march and protests are being organized to be
nonviolent events. If violence occurs, it will be coming from the
national security state as a way to undermine the protest movement.
On Sunday night, May 20th, independent mediamakers will speak at the World Indie Media Gathering.
This event is free and open to the public but they are asking that you
RSVP by midnight tonight (sorry for the short notice) because of limited
space. You can see who will be there and RSVP here.
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers will speak at the Gathering. They have a new radio show called “Clearing the FOG: Speaking truth to expose the Forces of Greed” every Monday on WeActRadio where truth is our product and our motto is “Do something.” You can listen live online each Monday morning or find archived shows here. Please visit the Facebook page of the Clearing the FOG radio show and "like" it. The term “FOG” comes from Jack Balkwill, editor of LUV News. The October 2011 movement was first announced on LUV News and we recommend that you join this free daily online journal.
There are a few articles from the past week that we want to highlight. David Lindorff has an excellent piece
showing the White House, Department of Homeland Security and other law
enforcement agencies coordinated the crackdown on Occupy -- and the
machinations they went through to try and hide it. Author Ernest
Callenbech, who died recently, left words of wisdom behind
for us providing a realistic assessment of where we are and what we
need to do. And Chris Hedges explores how the country is being cannibalized by corporations and what it will take to revolt against their power.
This was also a week of international protest against austerity.
Election after election is showing that the people oppose austerity and
people in the street are doing the same. In Spain, tens of thousands mobilized; in Britain even 30,000 off-duty police joined the
protest -- a critical sign of potential transition for our movement is
when enforcement authorities join us. In the U.S. the 99 percent
movement and Occupy have joined together for a series of protests at shareholder meetings. The big one in the last week was against Bank of America.
Please share with us what you are doing in your community. You can contact us at info@october2011.org.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011/Occupy Washington, DC |
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The G8 Economic Summit fled Chicago
to avoid protest, but organizers from multiple-Occupy’s and advocacy
groups have organized several events to make sure the people’s voices
are heard.
 October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC.org has organized an Occupy G8 People’s Summit that
will examine how to build a sustainable, democratized economy from the
bottom up; the impact of the wealth divide on people’s well-being and on
policy creation; and alternative economic structures that create a more
democratic, sustainable economy. The event, which will be held in the Frederick Public Library from 10 to 2 on Friday, May 18th will
feature the voices of the 99% along with experts on the Robin Hood Tax,
food, water and energy issues, trade agreements, the wealth divide and a
democratized economy. You can see the full schedule and details on the website of our partner organization, Its Our Economy.
The Frederick Occupy
is organizing events in Frederick, Maryland, fifteen minutes from Camp
David. After the Summit people will march through downtown Frederick and will hold a “Counter-G8 Community Bloc Party” on Saturday, May 19th from 11 AM to 9 PM in Baker Park (band shell side) near 2 nd and
N. Bentz. The event is inclusive of all ages for radicals and
residents alike and will include live music, workshops, speakers, face
painting and a truly free market. You can see the details here.
Occupy Baltimore is organizing legal, non-violent protests on the public sidewalks in Thurmont, MD on Friday and Saturday (May 18th and 19th) from 8 AM until sundown
on both days. People are urged to bring signs, banners, folding
chairs, food and drink. Overnight camping is available nearby.
Thurmont is located just a few minutes from Camp David off of Route
15. You can get details here.
Law enforcement has been very active in preparing for our
actions. Authorities took the uncommon step of closing Cunningham Falls
State Park at the request of the Secret Service. The Baltimore Sun described this as “highly
unusual and may be without precedent.” In addition, designated First
Amendment areas that had been open for previous summits at Camp David
have also been closed.
Please join us at these events. The whole world will be watching. We
need to show the G8 and the world that we want an economy for the
people, built from the bottom up not from the top down and that is
democratic, sustainable and fair.
In Solidarity
October2011.org/
OccupyWashington, DC
P.S. If you’d like to contribute to these efforts, donate here.
Here is a report on NOW DC from organizer and engineer Steve Chrismer:
“The content of the Social Forum provides much of the intellectual frame
work that we need to build upon in order to counter and influence the
existing, seemingly impenetrable machine that is aligned against us.
Already we are seeing cracks in the foundation of that machine and ways
to get inside.
“Did you know that it is possible to insert yourself between rocks that
are vibrating at just the right frequency? When looking for the
optimum vibration frequency at work (for tools inserted into rocks) by
shaking a barrel of rocks at various frequencies, I passed by it several
times using swept frequency mode and never noticed that it existed.
Then I went back and increased the frequency by single digits from 0
Hz. When resonance occurred (over a very narrow band centered at 35 Hz)
the situation changed dramatically and as the rocks became "fluid" I
was able to insert my hand and then my whole arm into the rocks which
just moved away. If you went slow enough the rocks flowed around you,
not noticing your presence, and did not resist: go too recklessly fast
and the rocks would resist.
“This is where Occupy is as a movement: only six months old and we are
already noticing the weakness of solid walls that we have been banging
our heads against. We must increase our numbers, and more will join,
but only as we continue to build and define the movement. Pointing to
the extent of the corruption is not enough and may only cause people to
despair. To weaken the pillars for power transfer requires that we
study these cracks so that we can provide the needed energy to open them
nonviolently and allow us all to pass through.”
To weaken the pillars that support the current power structure, we use both protest to expose the truth and education about building alternative models to create the world we want to see. Both are happening at NOW DC!
We protested at the Occupy EPA “Protect the planet for a sustainable future march and rally” which featured Dr. Helen Caldicott and live Alpacas on March 30th. Over the weekend, NOW DC participants trained in peacekeeping with the Veterans for Peace and direct action with the Backbone Campaign. An action was held on Monday that successfully prevented a family from being evicted.
Last Monday, we also spent the day at the “Controlling the Corporations Conference”
sponsored by Ralph Nader. The conference featured people who are
working to end corporate rule and to create food security, free and fair
elections, a democratized economy and more. The day was livestreamed
and is available on the NOW DC website.
The first week of the NOW DC Social Forum was rich in content and
conversation. Each workshop was scheduled for 90 minutes, but most
extended a full two hours and participants needed reminding to stop and
move to the next session. The second week starts on Tuesday, April 10th. It is free and open to the public. The schedule is visible here. Some sessions will be livestreamed.
On Thursday, we will join Leah Bolger, current President of Veterans for Peace, when she goes to court for her arrest in DC last November. Leah bravely stood alone in front of the members of the Super Committee and told them they were fraudulent and that we know how to fix the deficit. Leah will plead guilty for her action and so faces jail time. Of course, the real criminals will not be tried or be held accountable for their crimes against the people.
The OccuFest has been cancelled due to low turnout for
NOW DC. The common theme we hear is that occupiers are busy in their
local working groups and there is not energy for a mass mobilization in
DC. We are planning for the “Occupy the G8 Peoples’ Summit” in Frederick, Maryland on May 18th and hope that tens of thousands will turn out in Chicago for the NATO Summit. We will continue to move forward towards justice.
In peace and solidarity,
October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC
Below is a letter from the collective at Mt. Rainer. The people in this
collective were formerly staying on Freedom Plaza but are now occupying
a house in foreclosure, not only to protect it, but also to reach out
to communities outside of downtown DC. They are doing great work, as
they describe below, and deserve your financial support. Please donate
to their work today. You can donate now by clicking here.
In solidarity,
Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese
Dear Occupy Supporter:
As a direct offshoot of the determination, energy and idealism found
in the occupation of Freedom Plaza in DC in 2011, we have formed the
nucleus of a collective and occupied a house in foreclosure in Mt.
Rainier MD. From the ideas generated at October2011.org (in this case
by Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese and the others who organized the
Freedom Plaza occupation -- kudos!), we decided -- Sergei Kostin, Scott
Galindez, Leigh Tatum, Jonathan Nowland and Mike Sheffer -- that the
next step for us was to advance the message of practical, persistent
resistance to the Washington, DC power structure from Freedom Plaza into
the neighborhoods, all the while working to re-imagine and re-create
new forms of economy or economic exchange, new media and education
outlets. The mission of the house is simply to carry on the struggle
with the same drive, the same demands -- and the same solutions! -- of
the Occupy movement as a whole…
Unite! Organize! Educate! Resist! and re-create the World...
We will advance with three broad strategies in mind. First, to
establish a cooperative business in order to fully support the
collective financially and to create self-sufficiency and independence;
second, to establish independent news and education channels for the
free dissemination of information uncorrupted by Corporate Statism;
third, to commit ourselves to engaging in direct political actions of
protest and active non-violent resistance against foreclosures.
In the last five weeks, we have been to teach-ins by Nadine Bloch of
the Ruckus Society at the Institute for Policy Studies on affinity
groups and the need to vitalize small, organized, dedicated political
action-squads. We have been to organizing sessions held prior to the
formation of a new GA -- in this case Occupy Montgomery County. We've
made new connections at small meetings organized by folks determined to
create new economic cooperatives and new local currencies to spur local
business. We've sponsored a teach-in in Mt. Rainer by Andrew Bratcher
on nonviolent communication skills. We've been to the local
cable-access station, as well as the one in DC, and we've created a plan
for our first television show. And our very first shifts at GLUT, the
oldest food-collective in the DC area, begin this week.
Last Saturday we held our first meeting with members of the Mt.
Rainier community as a whole. Our primary intention was to introduce
ourselves, and then listen to what their concerns were. Twenty people
in all met for two hours identifying the concerns and needs of the
community. As a result, we decided the first steps were: 1) To
strengthen our efforts to reach out into the community. (Mt. Rainier is
a progressive working-and middle-class neighborhood of whites, Latinos
and African-Americans.); 2) To create local community gardens (and
perhaps engage in a little guerrilla gardening); 3) To focus on the
foreclosure crisis right here in Mt. Rainier and look for effective
actions to take in resistance. This Saturday is our next meeting -- the
second of many to come.
As many of you know, the Park Police decided to bar camping and
sleeping in Freedom Plaza, and to close down McPherson Square almost
entirely. The ensuing crises meant that our efforts turned to helping
meet the immediate needs of our comrades, and it's a large
responsibility we continue to face by taking people in out of the
weather, driving them to the doctors, bringing supplies, etc. As a
result we are late in getting out of the blocks on our primary
projects. We are now at the end of the month facing some bills we need
to pay. And we are asking for your help.
There is great energy in this house, great cohesion, and mutual
support -- we respect each other; we like each other. Great things will
be done here. But nothing more will be done without some immediate
assistance from our brothers and sisters. The collective now numbers
eight, including Javier Ocasio, Trish Carr and Tony Vanfossen. The
budget is $2,000/month. Ongoing donations would be really appreciated.
But right now we have three bills totaling about $950 that are due by
next Tuesday. These are bills in arrears that we assumed responsibility
to pay in the agreement with the owner, who is in foreclosure.
Visit our Facebook bage for more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/309179149129958/
Please donate today to support our work. You can donate now by clicking here.
One way or another we will find a way forward. Unite! Organize! Educate! Resist! and re-create the world...
Javier, Jonathan, Leigh, Mike, Scott, Sergei Tony, Trish
Copyright © 2011 October 2011, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
October 2011
PO Box 102011
Washington, DC 20001
We would like to begin with an expression of solidarity with Occupy
Oakland, whose actions and intent have been inaccurately reported in the
corporate media. Their attempt to occupy abandoned space to use it for
human needs on Saturday was met with intense police aggression
resulting in injuries to peaceful protesters and 400 arrests. Occupy Oakland needs our support and help with bail money. Please make a donation to them if you are able.
Following the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, we can
expect to see more repression of the Occupy Movement. In fact, the LAPD joined in military exercises in Los Angeles this past Saturday. And movement is being made to shut down the encampments in Washington at Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square. So far the occupations remain. You can follow events at OccupyFreedomPlaza.org.
Despite this, the Occupy Movement will live on. As we have heard, “You
can’t evict an idea” and the Occupy Movement is an idea whose time has
come. Plans to build the movement continue to more forward. This week,
there will be a Peoples Prayer Breakfast organized by Occupy Faith in response to the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Occupations from around the country are working together to plan the National Occupation of Washington, DC this spring. If your local occupation has not yet expressed solidarity, please bring the proposal
to your General Assembly for consensus. And occupiers are encouraged to
join in the planning. You can register for the conference calls are on InterOccupy.org every Sunday night at 9 pm eastern/6 pm pacific.
NOW DC which will run through the month of April includes a NOW DC
Social Forum from April 7 to 14. If you are interested in holding a
workshop, you can read more about it and submit a proposal to workshops@NOWDC.org. We will greet Congress when they return to DC on April 16th with 2 weeks of direct action.
Many of you who were on Freedom Plaza at the beginning remember the
tremendous positive energy that we shared as we took a visible stand
against corporatism and militarism and for the creation of a new world
that is peaceful, just and sustainable. This moment was captured in a painting by Herb Edwards and the painting is up for auction to support Freedom Plaza. It is currently on display at Bus Boys and Poets. If you would like to bid on it, please contact Dave Petrovich at NJSPOCH@aol.com for information. Bidding closes Feb. 15.
Or you can make a direct donation to help us continue to build this movement.
The second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Citizen’s United is tomorrow, Jan. 20th. Join OWDC for Occupy the Courts beginning at 11:45 on the steps of the Supreme Court for political theater created by the Backbone Campaign followed by a rally and protest. Actions are going on all over the country, so if you are not in DC, check the Move to Amend website to find an action near you.
As you may know, making clear corporations are not people, no longer
treating money as speech and giving constitutional rights only to people
are issues that are fundamental to the Occupy movement. We must build a
movement strong enough to shift power so that a constitutional
amendment ending corporate power can be enacted.
OWDC
has expanded to two houses where occupiers are focused on working
groups that are organizing specific projects. The NOW DC working group,
located in the Peace House, is actively helping to plan the National
Occupation of Washington, DC ( NOWDC.org). Occupiers from around the country are welcome to join in the planning. Visit InterOccupy.org
to join the Sunday night conference calls. Peace House occupiers are
also working on Outreach and Education, scheduling teach-ins and movie
nights. Check the Calendar to see the schedule.
Another OWDC house is in Mt. Rainier, Maryland where occupiers are
working on Occupy the Economy and Occupy Media. They are putting
together a proposal to create the first occupy co-operative business. If
you would like to make a donation to support these projects, please donate on the OWDC website.
A group of occupiers who are staying on Freedom Plaza have chosen to
stay there through the winter. If you would like to learn about their
events or make a donation to support them, please visit their website.
Watch the Revolution Truth website
for the podcast of a discussion with Michael Moore, Chris Hedges, Kevin
Zeese, Margaret Flowers, Birgitta Jonsdottir and Jimmy Holvat on the
Occupy Movement. Thank you all for your ongoing support. 2012 is going
to be an exciting year of Occupy Power!
When we called for the occupation of Freedom Plaza in early June, we
said this occupation would be “the beginning.” We saw the occupation of
Freedom Plaza as a tactic, much like a lunch counter sit-in or Freedom
Ride during the civil rights movement. The Occupation was designed to
educate and mobilize people for a much bigger and longer effort to end a
government dominated by money and militarism and shift power to the
American people. A few weeks before we began to occupy Freedom Plaza,
Occupy Wall Street erupted, and other occupations soon followed.
Occupation of public space was an idea whose historical time had come.
More than 1,200 Occupy camps sprang up quickly across the nation and the
world. The first months of this new movement profoundly shook the
foundation of the 1% – almost instantly creating a new form of political
power. This TIME “Person of the Year” protest movement, truly grown
from the grass roots, handed the 99% some REAL political capital for the
first time in decades and installed the Occupy Movement as a force to
be reckoned with.
Shifting power to the American people requires much more than an
occupation. The Occupy Movement needs to build on four strong
components – (1) non-violent protest and civil resistance, (2)
non-participation in the existing corporate finance-dominated economy,
(3) the development of concrete plans and policies to transform the
corporate economy into a people's economy and (4) ending government
dominated by money by shifting political power to the American people.
Occupy Washington, DC says: no oligarchy, no plutocracy we want
participatory democracy. As we transitioned to winter we had many
discussions on Freedom Plaza and among the web-community of Occupy
Washington, DC. We surveyed everyone on the Plaza to understand what
their interests were. These ideas and insights determined our next
steps, described here:
1. Continue to hold Freedom Plaza. We have achieved a great deal
through the occupation of Freedom Plaza. We’ve shown how persons from
different backgrounds, economic circumstances, races and political
interests can live and work together; and form a community. The
encampment on Pennsylvania Ave. between the Congress and the
Treasury/White House allowed us to reach thousands of people. Our
signs, newspaper – the Occupied Washington Post – and conversations with
many Americans have spread the Occupy message. We’ve carried out
multiple protest actions in Congress, as well as at banks, the Chamber
of Commerce and other locations. We’ve held our own occupied super
committee hearingand published a report to fix the economy, the “99%'s
Deficit Proposal.” This winter the number of people at the encampment
will shrink but it will be available to expand as needed for actions
like Witness Against Torture from January 11 to 20, the Occupy The
Dream’s plans for the Federal Reserve on January 16, MLK Day, Occupy
Congress scheduled for January 17 and Occupy the Courts protest against
the Citizen’s United decision on January 20. Freedom Plaza will
continue to be a flagship for the American people to see that the occupy
movement continues.
2. The Peace House and Organizing National Resistance.
Approximately a dozen occupiers will move into the Peace House to work
on organizing NOW DC (the National Occupation of Washington, DC) that
begins on March 30. They will organize to bring occupiers from
throughout the country to the nation’s capitol to show the breadth and
depth of the Occupy Movement. Peace House occupiers will work with
occupations and others from across the country to build NOW DC. The
creators of the Peace House, William Thomas and his wife Ellen Thomas,
maintained and supported a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year 30 year
protest of nuclear war on the north side of the White House. The
disarmament vigil, founded on June 3, 1981, is courageously maintained
by Concepcion Picciotto who joined Thomas a month after it began.
Picciotto will continue to use the Peace House when she takes breaks
with Freedom Plaza occupiers filling in to continue the vigil.
Volunteers at the Peace House will also work on local outreach and
education in the greater DC community.
3. Mt. Rainer House and Organizing Occupy the Economy and Occupy
Media. Another dozen occupiers will move into the Mt. Rainer House.
This house will focus on building democratic economic structures as
alternatives to the corporate-economy. This year is the United Nation’s
International Year of Co-operatives and we will focus on creating
worker-owned co-operatives that grow a co-operative sub-economy.
Business plans will be developed, start-up capital sought and initial
projects will be run out of the Mt. Rainer House. We will open the
development of democratized economic structures to our web community as
well. Already being examined are a political messaging business
involving bumper stickers, signs, buttons and tee shirts, a food service
providing occu-pie food and a housing redevelopment business. These
co-operatives will provide funding to the occupiers working on them and
revenues for the Occupy Movement. In addition, the Mt. Rainer House
will be developing an Occupy Television Show and other media projects
for public access, cable and web-outlets.
Both houses will be run as collectives that we intend to develop into
useful models for other Occupies around the country to emulate. Occupy
Washington, DC will be building on years of experience with collectives,
co-operatives and intentional communities to create Occupy Homes like
these that are productive and build the movement.
The fourth leg of our Occupy Washington, DC community is our web-based
community. Some web-occupiers have joined the encampment at Freedom
Plaza, others have supported it financially, others have organized to
bring people to Washington, DC and still others have provided ideas for
how we should shape our future. We appreciate everything that each of
you do.
With all of these new activities we are not leaving the old behind. The
non-violent civil resistance actions we have done against the 1%
political and economic elites will continue and escalate. We will also
continue to provide educational forums on a range of issues, invite
noted speakers to Occupy Washington, DC, organize protest actions in
Congress and to expose the monied interests that dominate the
government. We are working on curricula for outreach to youth from
elementary school through college so they can practice the principles of
participatory democracy and learn the General Assembly process.
The occupations are building a foundation for the long-term independent
movement needed to transform a greed-based government dominated by
concentrated wealth into a participatory democracy – a government of,
by, and for the American people – one that puts human necessities before
the profits of financial power brokers. This enormous transformation
will be achieved if we continue to stand in solidarity with persistence
and uncompromising confidence that the people can, and will, rule free
themselves from the mis-rule of the corporatists.
To help spread the word, please forward this email to your friends.
You will be able to visit the website for the National Occupation of
Washington, DC soon - look for NOWDC.org. You can start making plans to
join us starting March 30th now.
And your donations are always needed to keep the effort going. Thank you.
In peace and solidarity
Occupy Washington, DC/October2011
Copyright © 2011 October 2011, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
October 2011
PO Box 102011
Washington, DC 20001
Facebook
Twitter
hen we called for the occupation of Freedom Plaza in early June, we
said this occupation would be “the beginning.” We saw the occupation of
Freedom Plaza as a tactic, much like a lunch counter sit-in or Freedom
Ride during the civil rights movement. The Occupation was designed to
educate and mobilize people for a much bigger and longer effort to end a
government dominated by money and militarism and shift power to the
American people. A few weeks before we began to occupy Freedom Plaza,
Occupy Wall Street erupted, and other occupations soon followed.
Occupation of public space was an idea whose historical time had come.
More than 1,200 Occupy camps sprang up quickly across the nation and the
world. The first months of this new movement profoundly shook the
foundation of the 1% – almost instantly creating a new form of political
power. This TIME “Person of the Year” protest movement, truly grown
from the grass roots, handed the 99% some REAL political capital for the
first time in decades and installed the Occupy Movement as a force to
be reckoned with.
Shifting power to the American people requires much more than an
occupation. The Occupy Movement needs to build on four strong
components – (1) non-violent protest and civil resistance, (2)
non-participation in the existing corporate finance-dominated economy,
(3) the development of concrete plans and policies to transform the
corporate economy into a people's economy and (4) ending government
dominated by money by shifting political power to the American people.
Occupy Washington, DC says: no oligarchy, no plutocracy we want
participatory democracy. As we transitioned to winter we had many
discussions on Freedom Plaza and among the web-community of Occupy
Washington, DC. We surveyed everyone on the Plaza to understand what
their interests were. These ideas and insights determined our next
steps, described here:
1. Continue to hold Freedom Plaza. We have achieved a great deal
through the occupation of Freedom Plaza. We’ve shown how persons from
different backgrounds, economic circumstances, races and political
interests can live and work together; and form a community. The
encampment on Pennsylvania Ave. between the Congress and the
Treasury/White House allowed us to reach thousands of people. Our
signs, newspaper – the Occupied Washington Post – and conversations with
many Americans have spread the Occupy message. We’ve carried out
multiple protest actions in Congress, as well as at banks, the Chamber
of Commerce and other locations. We’ve held our own occupied super
committee hearingand published a report to fix the economy, the “99%'s
Deficit Proposal.” This winter the number of people at the encampment
will shrink but it will be available to expand as needed for actions
like Witness Against Torture from January 11 to 20, the Occupy The
Dream’s plans for the Federal Reserve on January 16, MLK Day, Occupy
Congress scheduled for January 17 and Occupy the Courts protest against
the Citizen’s United decision on January 20. Freedom Plaza will
continue to be a flagship for the American people to see that the occupy
movement continues.
2. The Peace House and Organizing National Resistance.
Approximately a dozen occupiers will move into the Peace House to work
on organizing NOW DC (the National Occupation of Washington, DC) that
begins on March 30. They will organize to bring occupiers from
throughout the country to the nation’s capitol to show the breadth and
depth of the Occupy Movement. Peace House occupiers will work with
occupations and others from across the country to build NOW DC. The
creators of the Peace House, William Thomas and his wife Ellen Thomas,
maintained and supported a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year 30 year
protest of nuclear war on the north side of the White House. The
disarmament vigil, founded on June 3, 1981, is courageously maintained
by Concepcion Picciotto who joined Thomas a month after it began.
Picciotto will continue to use the Peace House when she takes breaks
with Freedom Plaza occupiers filling in to continue the vigil.
Volunteers at the Peace House will also work on local outreach and
education in the greater DC community.
3. Mt. Rainer House and Organizing Occupy the Economy and Occupy
Media. Another dozen occupiers will move into the Mt. Rainer House.
This house will focus on building democratic economic structures as
alternatives to the corporate-economy. This year is the United Nation’s
International Year of Co-operatives and we will focus on creating
worker-owned co-operatives that grow a co-operative sub-economy.
Business plans will be developed, start-up capital sought and initial
projects will be run out of the Mt. Rainer House. We will open the
development of democratized economic structures to our web community as
well. Already being examined are a political messaging business
involving bumper stickers, signs, buttons and tee shirts, a food service
providing occu-pie food and a housing redevelopment business. These
co-operatives will provide funding to the occupiers working on them and
revenues for the Occupy Movement. In addition, the Mt. Rainer House
will be developing an Occupy Television Show and other media projects
for public access, cable and web-outlets.
Both houses will be run as collectives that we intend to develop into
useful models for other Occupies around the country to emulate. Occupy
Washington, DC will be building on years of experience with collectives,
co-operatives and intentional communities to create Occupy Homes like
these that are productive and build the movement.
The fourth leg of our Occupy Washington, DC community is our web-based
community. Some web-occupiers have joined the encampment at Freedom
Plaza, others have supported it financially, others have organized to
bring people to Washington, DC and still others have provided ideas for
how we should shape our future. We appreciate everything that each of
you do.
With all of these new activities we are not leaving the old behind. The
non-violent civil resistance actions we have done against the 1%
political and economic elites will continue and escalate. We will also
continue to provide educational forums on a range of issues, invite
noted speakers to Occupy Washington, DC, organize protest actions in
Congress and to expose the monied interests that dominate the
government. We are working on curricula for outreach to youth from
elementary school through college so they can practice the principles of
participatory democracy and learn the General Assembly process.
The occupations are building a foundation for the long-term independent
movement needed to transform a greed-based government dominated by
concentrated wealth into a participatory democracy – a government of,
by, and for the American people – one that puts human necessities before
the profits of financial power brokers. This enormous transformation
will be achieved if we continue to stand in solidarity with persistence
and uncompromising confidence that the people can, and will, rule free
themselves from the mis-rule of the corporatists.
To help spread the word, please forward this email to your friends.
You will be able to visit the website for the National Occupation of
Washington, DC soon - look for NOWDC.org. You can start making plans to
join us starting March 30th now.
And your donations are always needed to keep the effort going. Thank you.
In peace and solidarity
Occupy Washington, DC/October2011
Copyright © 2011 October 2011, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
October 2011
PO Box 102011
Washington, DC 20001
Facebook
Twitter
There is a war going on against dockworkers and
their families in Longview, Wash. Members of ILWU Local 21 have been
arrested, beaten and their homes raided. They are fighting to protect
their union jobs against EGT, which is trying to break the ILWU’s
coastwide contract, established after the 1934 San Francisco general
strike and West Coast Maritime strike.
EGT and its majority partner, Bunge NA, want to
bust the ILWU, one of the most militant, progressive unions in the U.S.
EGT has broken the union’s contract with the Port of Longview and is
using scab labor at its export grain terminal. On Sept. 8, hundreds of
angry Longshore workers charged through the gates, and EGT claims that
grain was dumped from a 107-car train and a cyclone fence was torn down.
This struggle is occurring at a time when
national union membership has dropped to a 70-year low of 11.9 percent,
with 6.9 percent of private sector workers in unions. EGT’s actions are
part of the ruling-class attack to drive us all to the bottom. Even with
low union membership rates, national median weekly wages for union
members are $917, compared to $717 for workers not in unions.
The 1% not only wants to take away that extra
$200 from the remaining 14.7 million unionized workers, but wants to
destroy all unions, especially the militant ILWU, to keep us from
organizing to take back what is rightfully ours.
Fighting Wall Street on the waterfront
EGT — a joint venture between U.S.-based Bunge
NA, Japanese-based Itochu and Korean-based STX Pan Ocean — is part of
the 1%. If EGT is successful in its attack on the ILWU in Longview, that
will have a ripple effect on all port workers on the West Coast.
The ILWU is a democratic, bottom-up union with
an activist rank and file. It has a strong history of support for
community issues — standing up against apartheid South Africa, against
the war in Iraq, and for the Wisconsin workers’ struggle against union
busting. Bay Area ILWU Local 10 backed community protests after the
police killing of Oscar Grant in 2009. They honored picket lines in
Occupy Oakland’s Nov. 2 general strike and the Dec. 12 West Coast port
shutdown.
Caravans and support actions are being
organized up and down the West Coast, nationally and internationally, to
greet the STX ship coming to be loaded with scab grain. ILWU Local 10
has pledged support for Local 21’s struggle against EGT and their
union-busting drive and has funded a bus to Longview. The San Francisco
Labor Council has endorsed the solidarity caravan.
Individuals and organizations are asked to
support this critical working-class struggle by joining the caravan or
other solidarity actions. Sign up at http://bailoutpeople.org to get
involved. As soon as official word of the ship’s pending arrival is
confirmed, supporters will be contacted by email and phone to let you
know it’s time to mobilize in Longview. If you have a car and are able
to take others, or if you would like to be a passenger in a rented bus
or van, please indicate that on the website form.
Bunge NA, one of EGT’s parent companies, is
headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., with offices in Washington, D.C. and
White Plains, N.Y. If you are in these areas, ask your local Occupy
group to organize solidarity actions in conjunction with the ship’s
arrival in Longview. EGT also has facilities in Chester and Kintyre
Flats, Mont. EGT is also building a high-capacity shuttle train loader
in Carter, Mont. Bunge has locations all over the Midwest and South. To
see if there is a location near you, go to
http://www.bungenorthamerica.com/locations/usa/index.shtml.
For updates and further information, visit
Occupy Oakland at www.Westcoastportshutdown.org; Defend ILWU at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/256313837734192/; or Occupy Longview at
www.facebook.com/OccupyLongview#!/OccupyLongview.
Plans being made for 2012, including NOW DC (the National Occupation of
Washington, DC) beginning on March 30th, are going to bring this
movement to another level. The voices of the American people are going
to drown out the election year voices of two Wall Street parties and
their big business funded candidates. The relevant conversation will
come from the people, not from the political consultants who write
speeches for corporate-approved candidates. If candidates want to be
relevant, they better start listening.
At Occupy Washington, DC at Freedom Plaza we will be making some
exciting announcements of our next steps. From the beginning, when we
went public last June we said we would leave Freedom Plaza when we
thought it was the right time to leave. We are still there, and we are
staying. But, as we prepare for winter we will be evolving in new
directions that will show the Occupy Movement is serious about
revolutionizing the economy and creating participatory democracy.
This has been an effort of tens of thousands. We really could not have
gotten this far without each of you. And, the next steps in the effort
to transform the country are going to require each of us to step up
again. Now, the profiteers from the status quo know the people are
angry and mobilized, they will resist and it is the people’s job to
break their resistance.
We’ve made great first steps – but there are many steps ahead. Thank you
for what you have done. You will be amazed at what we will all do –
together.
For some end-of-year reading and reflection, please see this excellent zine, “How the People Got Their Groove Back,” put together by Ashley Sanders, one of the initial organizers of the occupation of Freedom Plaza. We hope to see you next year!
In peace and solidarity,
Occupy Washington, DC/October2011 TeamWe Are The 99 Percent
www.wearethe99percent.us Free posters, signs, and stickers! Information to fuel the movement
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TeamDeclaration for
Washington DC
Consented to by
General Assembly November 30th, 2011 | PDF
We have been captives of
corrupt economic and political systems for far too long. The
concentration of wealth and the purchase of political power stifle
the voices of the increasingly disenfranchised 99 percent. Corporate
dominance subverts democracy, intentionally sows division, destroys
the environment, obstructs the just and equitable pursuit of
happiness, and violates the rights and dignity of all life.
Occupy D.C. is an open
community of diverse individuals, facing different forms of
oppression and impacted by economic exploitation to differing
degrees, but united by a shared vision of equality for the common
good. The harsh economic conditions that have plagued the poor,
working class, and communities of color for generations have begun to
affect the previously financially secure. This acute awareness of our
common fate has united us in our struggle for a better future. We
recognize that inequality and injustice systemically affect every
aspect of our society: our communities, homes, and hearts. To build
the world we envision, we commit ourselves to overcoming our personal
biases so we can successfully challenge systems of oppression in
solidarity.
We are peaceably
assembled at McPherson Square, practicing direct democracy on the
doorstep of K Street, the epicenter of destructive corporate and
governmental relationships. Recognizing that the term ‘occupy’ is
associated with exploitation, violence, and imperialism, we are
reclaiming it to mean the peaceful liberation of public space. In
this disenfranchised city, we are insisting that our economic and
political systems serve the people’s interests. Now is the time to
advance and complete the struggles of the many who came before us.
We are assembled
because…
-
It is absurd that
the 1 percent has taken 40 percent of the nation’s wealth through
exploiting labor, outsourcing jobs, and manipulating the tax code to
their benefit through special capital tax rates and loopholes. The
system is rigged in their favor, yet they cry foul when anyone even
dares to question their relentless class warfare.
-
Candidates in our
electoral system require huge sums of money to be competitive. These
contributions from multi-national corporations and wealthy
individuals destroy responsive representative governance. A system
of backroom deals, kickbacks, bribes, and dirty politics overrides
the will of the people. The rotation of decision makers between the
public and private sectors cultivates a network of public officials,
lobbyists, and executives whose aligned interests do not serve the
American people.
-
The entrenched
two-party system overlooks public interests by pursuing narrow
political goals. This climate encourages candidates to polarize
voters for individual power and personal gain. Citizens’
meaningful input has been compromised by gerrymandering, voter
disenfranchisement, and unresponsive politicians. Residents of
Washington, D.C., continue to lack autonomy and legislative
representation.
-
The 1 percent
benefits from economic, political, and legal structures that oppress
communities long targeted by displacement, denial of sovereignty,
slavery, and other injustices. These persecuted but resilient
communities continue to suffer through generations of
disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, poverty,
criminalization, and homelessness. Facets of the 1 percent campaign
to blame these groups for these problems while obstructing healing
and restoration.
-
Those with power
have divided us from working in solidarity by perpetuating
historical prejudices and discrimination based on perceived race,
religion, immigrant or indigenous status, income, age, gender,
gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, among other
things. These divisions have inhibited our ability to work in
solidarity, though today we recognize the power of uniting as the 99
percent.
-
Financial
institutions gambled with our savings, homes, and economy. They
collapsed the financial system and needed the public to bail them
out of their failures yet deny any responsibility and continue to
fight oversight. Corporations loot from those whose labor creates
society’s prosperity, while the government allows them to
privatize profits and socialize risk.
-
Corporate interests
threaten life on Earth by extracting and burning fossil fuels and
resisting the necessary transition to renewable energy. Their
drilling, mining, clear-cutting, overfishing, and factory farming
destroys the land, jeopardizes our food and water, and poisons the
soil with near impunity. They privilege polluters over people by
subsidizing fossil fuels, blocking investments in clean energy and
efficient transportation, and hiding environmental destruction from
public oversight.
-
Private
corporations, with the government’s support, use common resources
and infrastructure for short-term personal profit, while stifling
efforts to invest in public goods.
-
The U.S. government
engages in drawn-out, costly conflicts abroad. Numerous acts of
conquest have been, and continue to be, pursued to control
resources, overthrow foreign governments, and install subservient
regimes. These wars destroy the lives of innocent civilians and
American soldiers, many of whom suffer adverse effects throughout
life. These operations are a blank check to divert money from
domestic priorities.
-
Government
authorities cultivate a culture of fear to invade our privacy, limit
assembly, restrict speech, and deny due process. They have failed in
their duty to protect our rights. Exacerbated by profiteering
interests, the criminal justice system has unfairly targeted
underprivileged communities and outspoken groups for prosecution
rather than protection.
-
Corporatized
culture warps our perception of reality. It cheapens and mocks the
beauty of human thought and experience while promoting excessive
materialism as the path to happiness. The corporate news media
furthers the interests of the very wealthy, distorts and disregards
the truth, and confines our imagination of what is possible for
ourselves and society.
-
Leaders are trading
our access to basic needs in exchange for handouts to the
ultra-wealthy. Our rights to healthcare, education, food, water, and
housing are sacrificed to profit-driven market forces. They are
attacking unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social
Security, creating an uncertain future for us all.*
A better world is
possible.
To all people,
We, the Washington D.C.
General Assembly occupying K Street in McPherson Square, urge you to
assert your power.
Exercise your right to
peaceably assemble and reclaim the commons. Re-conceive ways to build
a democratic, just, and sustainable world.
To all who value
democracy, we encourage you to collaborate and share available
resources.
Join your voice with
ours and let it amplify until the heart of the movement booms with
our chorus of solidarity.
*These grievances are not all inclusive.
It is the meme that launched a thousand camps. The protests in Wall Street, London and Oakland may be its flagships, but the Occupy movement
is a global one, stretching across six continents, more than 60
countries, and sparking up to 2,600 demonstrations. There have been 10
camps in Britain alone.
It is hard to say who started it. Occupy Wall Street,
which began in September, was the first to popularise the term. But
#OWS was itself predated by camps in Madrid, Athens, Santiago – and even
Malaysia. The day most Occupy camps got going – 15 October – was first
proposed because it marked the five-month anniversary of the Spanish
occupation.
What unites them? A common rage at economic and social
injustice and the feeling that "the 99%" are being shafted by society's
richest 1%. But each protest
has been different. Some were no more than rallies, and their demands
differed from protest to protest – if they existed at all. Many
protesters propose tweaks to capitalism – a Robin Hood tax, perhaps.
Others want wholesale systemic change. Often, anger has a local twist.
At St Paul's Cathedral, occupiers have precise demands for the City of
London. In Chile, they attacked university fees; in Spain, youth
unemployment.
In almost all cases, though, the camps themselves
are a kind of demand – and a solution: the stab at an alternative
society that at least aims to operate without hierarchy, and with full,
participatory democracy. PK
More info: http://www.theportlandalliance.org/occupation
Wall Street
The
US's first occupation was eventually cleared from its New York base in
Zuccotti Park on 15 November, two days shy of its two-month anniversary.
The camp had swelled to around 200 tents before being cleared, and tens
of thousands showed their support by joining in protests two days
later, attempting (unsuccessfully) to shut down Wall Street and marching
(successfully) over Brooklyn Bridge. Occupy Wall Street events have
continued since, with students from the City University of New York
occupying a college, and a drum circle being set up outside Mayor Mike
Bloomberg's Upper West Side apartment. Lawyers for the occupation have
been given until 9 December to file a fresh lawsuit, which protesters
hope could yet allow them to re-occupy Zuccotti. AG
Vancouver
The
Vancouver-based group Adbusters was the first to suggest occupying Wall
Street, and, fittingly, Vancouver is also home to the largest Occupy
movement in Canada. Some 4,000 people joined a march on 15 October that
turned into the occupation of the lawn of a Vancouver art gallery.
Protesters were evicted on 18 November, moving to Robson Square, near
the city's court, but were moved on 22 November, leaving the occupation
without a camp for the first time in five weeks. A small group of 100
protesters occupied a construction site in central Vancouver on Tuesday
in a "non-GA backed action", but left after being ordered out by police
and remain without a base. Occupy Vancouver is also involved in the west
coast port shutdown. AG
Portland
The
occupation was removed by police on 13 November, but demonstrations in
Portland have regularly attracted thousands of people. During
demonstrations on 17 November, a protester was pepper-sprayed by police
at point-blank range. The moment was captured on camera, and until
events at UC Davis and Seattle – where 84-year-old Dorli Rainey was
pepper-sprayed by police – was set to become one of the most striking
images from the protests so far. Protesters are continuing to hold
general assemblies in Portland, and gather each Sunday to plan new
actions. Portland police have promised to limit their presence at
rallies held by the group, in part due to a lack of manpower. AG 
A tent belonging to a UC Davis protester makes its message plain. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Oakland
The occupation of Oakland's
Frank H Ogawa Plaza has been the scene of the most violent clashes
between police and protesters in north America. It first attracted
widespread attention when former marine Scott Olsen was seriously
injured as police cleared the camp on 25 October. Police have repeatedly
used tear gas, rubber bullets and other non-lethal projectiles to
suppress protests in Oakland, which have included a march that shut down
the the city's port, costing millions of dollars in lost revenues and
wages. The camp was finally shut down in a relatively peaceful operation
by police on 14 November. Protesters are looking for new sites to
occupy and are planning a "co-ordinated West Coast port blockade" for 12
December. AG
UC, Davis
Video
footage from University of California, Davis, quickly spread around the
world last week. A police officer is seen stepping over a line of
seated, silent university students, before flamboyantly waving a
pepper-spray canister aloft and then dousing each protester in an orange
mist. The demonstrators were given this treatment on 19 November after
refusing to dismantle their small camp, which had been erected the night
before. Two protesters were hospitalised and have since been
discharged, while UC Davis's police chief has since been suspended along
with two officers. Seizing on the increased interest the pepper-spray
incident has garnered, Occupy UC Davis staged a student strike on
Monday, in protest against tuition fees and the university's funding
practices. AG
Santiago
Led
by charismatic 23-year-old Camila Vallejo, 25,000 Chileans marched in
solidarity with Occupy on 15 October. But their own occupations started
much earlier: since May, students against university fees have occupied
more than 200 high schools. Unlike their European counterparts, the
Chileans see themselves as having clear demands – free higher education –
and their actions are having a demonstrable effect on politicians. Last
week, the government proposed raising education funding by hundreds of
millions of dollars. Even these concessions might not be enough for the
protesters, who plan to reoccupy their schools in March, the start of
Chile's academic year, if their demands for free education are not met. PK
Madrid and Barcelona
Spain's
indignados hit the streets as early as 15 May. Centred on Madrid's
Puerta del Sol and Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya, tens of thousands camped
out in up to 30 cities, protesting, in some cases, for almost a month
about the country's 43% youth unemployment rate. The success of the 15M
movement, as it became known, prompted some indignados to call for a
worldwide protest on 15 October, the date that sparked a wave of Occupy
protests. In Madrid and Barcelona, hundreds of thousands gathered under
the Occupy banner. No major occupations have since taken place, but many
indignados are occupying empty buildings and sheltering families
recently evicted from their homes. The day before Spain's general
election last week, won by the conservative Popular party, a few hundred
protesters gathered again in central Barcelona – but hardly any in
Madrid. PK
London
Immediately evicted from their first target, the London Stock Exchange, Occupy London
settled a few feet away on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. They were
initially welcomed by the church hierarchy – but after a drop in
cathedral revenue, the camp was asked to disband. This prompted the
resignation of both Canon Giles Fraser, who supported the protesters,
and the dean, who was felt to have mismanaged the situation. Criticised
for harming the church more than the City, the occupiers then released a
set of demands for financial and legal reform in the Corporation of
London. Along the way, they expanded to a second site in Finsbury
Square, and began squatting a building owned by financial services
company UBS. PK
Frankfurt
Occupy
camps have emerged across Germany – with more than 50 tents pitched
outside Frankfurt's European Central Bank. There are two sites in Berlin
alone, while 15 members of Occupy Hamburg recently disrupted a speech
given in the city by the CEO of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann. In early
November, nearly 10,000 marched in both Frankfurt and Berlin in support
of Occupy. PK
Rome
Thousands
of protesters gathered in Rome on 15 October in what was the largest
and most violent of the Occupy demonstrations in Europe that day. Riots
broke out after a bomb went off, and an occupation – known locally as an
accampata – later began outside a church in the centre of the city. The
camp is still going – but recently relocated to the site of the ruined
Roman Baths of Caracalla, a mile down the road. PK
Tel Aviv
On
15 October, 1,000 Israeli protesters held a dance party in an affluent
Tel Aviv street. It was called Occupy Rothschild Boulevard. But this was
less Israel's answer to Occupy Wall Street and more the rebranding of a
much larger campaign of civil disobedience that had mushroomed across
Israel throughout the summer. From July onwards, two months before
protests reached Wall Street, tent cities sprang up in protest at the
rising cost of living – first on Rothschild Blvd, and then throughout 25
other towns and cities. In early September, 430,000 Israelis took to
the streets in support, but by the end of the summer many had started to
leave their tents. Police evicted the last few campers in early
October. PK
Kuala Lumpur
Dozens
of protesters have peripatetically occupied Dataran Merdeka, a square
in Kuala Lumpur, since late July. Unlike many other occupations, Occupy
Dataran is not a continuous occupation, but meets every Saturday night
for a low-key "general assembly" – similar to those in London and New
York – that lasts until the small hours. PK
Hong Kong
Sited
underneath the HSBC bank, the 30-strong Occupy Hong Kong is not as
large as many western camps but, unlike its counterparts, it has avoided
upsetting authority. By limiting their activity to music and low-key
political discussion rather than more ambitious civil disobedience, the
protesters have remained untouched by police. PK
Melbourne
A
few thousand marched through Melbourne in October, and many stayed to
occupy a square in the city's business district. The camp has since had
numerous run-ins with police, with more than 100 occupiers arrested.
They have been moved on twice, and the remnants are still fighting
eviction from the city's Treasury Gardens, the camp's third significant
staging post. PK http://www.occupyoakland.org/
Events/ Actions
Tuesday, December 13
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Wednesday, December 14
7:00pm
General Assembly
Friday, December 16
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Saturday, December 17
12:00pm
OCCUPY SANTARCHY!
7:00pm
General Assembly
8:00pm
PDX Occupy benefit concert
Sunday, December 18
» 2:00am
PDX Occupy benefit concert
12:00pm
Occupy Portland Day of OccuPeace
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Monday, December 19
7:00pm
General Assembly
Tuesday, December 20
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Wednesday, December 21
7:00pm
General Assembly
Friday, December 23
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Saturday, December 24
7:00pm
General Assembly
Sunday, December 25
12:00pm
Occupy Portland Day of OccuPeace
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Monday, December 26
7:00pm
General Assembly
Tuesday, December 27
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Wednesday, December 28
7:00pm
General Assembly
Friday, December 30
7:00pm
Spokes Council
Showing events until 12/31
http://www.theportlandalliance.org/occupation
The “99%’s Deficit
Proposal” is gaining attention! Copies were delivered this week to all
of the members of the Super Committee. Keith Olbermann brought
economist, Jeff Madrick, on his show to review the proposal, and he
gave his approval saying he applauded its “comprehensiveness,
seriousness, sincerity and intelligence.” The Huffington Post also gave
a favorable review.
The Proposal was written as part of the OccupyWashingtonDC campaign to
expose the corruption and dysfunction of the Super Committee and the
further restriction of democracy in the US. The Super Committee yields
unprecedented control of the federal budget to twelve corporate
Congress members.
In early November, Tighe Barry and Leah Bolger of OccupyWashingtonDC
spoke out in a Super Committee hearing, and Leah was arrested after
bravely entering the 'well' to tell the members directly that they did
not represent the 99%. While they were inside the hearing, many others
were in the hall outside the hearing, chanting “How do we fix the
deficit? End the wars, tax the rich,” and still more people were
protesting outside the building.
The following week, the “Occupy Super Committee Deficit Hearing of the
99%” was held on Freedom Plaza. You can watch the hearing on C-SPAN.
And this past week, the “99%’s Deficit Proposal” was released.
In the following weeks, we will continue to build pressure on the Super
Committee and we invite you to join in. Please sign the petition and if
you are able, join us in DC for direct actions. Or you can plan
protests at your local member of Congress’ office. Tell Congress that
solutions exist to address the deficit, reduce military spending,
create jobs, end foreclosures and student debt and reduce the wealth
divide. Tell Congress to preserve and strengthen our social insurances:
Social Security and Medicare.
Now is the time to join us in Freedom Plaza if you are able. Our
excellent winterization team is busily building structures with heating
to house us for the winter. We would like to thank Jackson Browne for
donating 3 bike generators to power the heaters. We are looking for
bikes to run them. And we continue to need donations for construction
materials.
We are planning to stay and build towards the National Occupation of
Washington, DC (NOW DC) in the Spring. Look for more information soon
on theupcoming OccupyBusTour. Spread the word!
Last night,
Scott Olsen, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, was struck in the
head by a "nonlethal" projectile fired by the Oakland police. The round
fractured his skull, leaving him in critical condition.1
Olsen had joined with other members of Occupy Oakland to peacefully
protest the group's eviction that morning. When a group gathered to help
Olsen after he was hit, a police officer threw a flash bang grenade
into the group from a few feet away.
Deeply disturbing video of the incident was captured by a local news
crew and provides the clearest evidence yet of the lengths that
authorities will go to to stop Occupy protesters from voicing
uncomfortable truths about our economy.
Yesterday's eviction in the predawn hours2, and last night's
violence against protesters, are only the latest attempts to silence the
voices of those who are speaking up for the 99%. But members of Occupy
Oakland, who faced the most brutal crackdown yet, refuse to be
intimidated. They've called for another peaceful gathering tonight to
stand up for their First Amendment rights.3
To help defend their rights, we're scrambling to put together a
rapid response ad to run in Oakland urging the mayor and the police to
end their brutal tactics and respect the protesters' rights. We want to
make sure everyone in Oakland sees the footage of the crackdown for
themselves. Every dollar we raise will go to pay for the ad, and if
there's anything left over, we'll donate it to a group doing good work
helping our veterans as they come home from war.
Click here to chip in.
We're also supporting a petition by a local Oakland group—Causa
Justa :: Just Cause—to Oakland's mayor to stop the police repression of
Occupy Oakland.
Click here to sign the petition to Oakland's mayor.
Many MoveOn members experienced the police crackdown firsthand last night. Here's what some of them said:
The police were intimidating and I have been to many protests in
my life, but nothing quite like this. I have never seen such a police
presence with such force, especially for a calm crowd. The tear gas was
pretty brutal, it is still on my clothes and skin this morning. Anywhere
in downtown Oakland had the smell and sting of the gas all night.
—Gina W.
We talked to the police across the barricades about how we were also
fighting for them, for their children's shot to education without
lifelong debt, for the preservation of their collective bargaining
rights. We expressed this solidarity knowing that they might not be
listening, but we also know that the reasons for not listening are
deeply personal... —Julie K.
As a retired military man, I wanted to reiterate what [I heard] the
Marine Sgt espousing to the police: There is NO honor in brutalizing
your own people. The tear gas stung but I have been exposed to worse,
including Agent Orange. What I saw at Ogawa Plaza made me extremely
proud of those brave souls that were passionate about their causes. As
we say in the Marine Corp and Navy...BRAVO ZULU.—Pete H.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Marika, Anna, Laura, and the rest of the team
P.S. Many occupations are gathering at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT to stand
in solidarity with Occupy Oakland. To find an occupation near you and
see if they'll be gathering, go to http://www.occupytogether.org/
Sources:
1. "Occupy Oakland protests—live coverage," The Guardian, October 26, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=266171&id=32340-6548830-PqIQEyx&t=4
2. "Police tear gas Occupy Oakland protesters," San Francisco Chronicle, October 26, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=266172&id=32340-6548830-PqIQEyx&t=5
3. Occupy Oakland, accessed October 26, 2011
http://www.occupyoakland.org/
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About the occupation: http://www.theportlandalliance.org/occupation
One of the beautiful aspects of the occupation is that it has brought
people out into the open to talk about the issues. Everywhere we look
right now as we gaze out at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, people
are engaged in conversations. Some are standing in groups, and some
are sitting in circles in the assembly area or between the tents.
Throughout the day, people wander through Freedom Plaza to read the
signs scattered about "Human Needs not Corporate Greed,"
"We are the 99% and so are you," and " Money for people, not for wars."
This is the first step in this evolution to a more peaceful, just and
sustainable planet. For too long we have been focused on divisions.
Now we are finding what unites us.
Increasing numbers of people are becoming unemployed, uninsured,
losing their homes or pensions or dignity. Students are dropping out
of college due to cost or graduating with lifelong debt in a deteriorating
job market. The days of sitting in silence and blaming ourselves for not
working hard enough are over.
The first step in the process of change is awareness of the problem.
We are encouraging all people to come out of their homes. Join us in
the streets either through your local occupation or on the local playground.
Talk to those around you. Talk about the way things are with increasing
wealth disparity and poverty. Talk about the way you want things to be
- a society based on openness, acceptance, honesty, transparency and kindness.
We invite you to join us in Freedom Plaza each evening during the
General Assembly. It begins at 6:00 pm eastern time. You can join
us in person or via livestream on the website. We are going to devote
a portion of each meeting to a discussion of one of the fifteen issues
and the solutions we would like to see.
The schedule is below. Join us, talk about it and share what you learn
with your family, friends and colleagues. This is the first step in the
nonviolent transformation of our country.
Wednesday, Oct. 12: Corporatism
Thursday, Oct. 13: Militarism and War
Friday, Oct. 14: Human Rights
Saturday, Oct. 15:Worker Rights and Jobs
Sunday, Oct. 16: Government
Monday, Oct. 17: Elections
Tuesday, Oct. 18: Criminal Justice and Prisons
Wednesday, Oct. 19: Healthcare
Thursday, Oct. 20: Education
Friday, Oct. 21:Housing
Saturday, Oct. 22: Environment
Sunday, Oct. 23: Finance and the Economy
Monday, Oct. 24: Media
Tuesday, Oct. 25: Food and Water
Wednesday, Oct. 26: Transportation
Now that we have a four month permit, we need donations to help
sustain the community. Please see our wishlist online or make a donation
if you are able.
In peace and solidarity,
The October2011 Movement
| | | |
Students at Cooper Union in New York are taking bold actions
to stop the school from charging tuition for the first time ever. At
this time, 11 students are occupying the clock tower where they have
been since Monday. The students are fighting for those who come after them and recognize that their struggle is part of the global struggle for free higher education. They are using the color red as did the students in Quebec.
And
we are inspired by the new phase of the Spanish Revolution. They are
calling for economic disobedience and have produced a new guide, "No Pagamos"
(We Won't Pay). People are coming together in their local General
Assemblies to use their resources to meet their needs together. 
We wish a great big Happy Birthday to Occupy Our Homes
and congratulate them for their tremendous efforts to protect people
from fraudulent lenders and keep them in their homes! They are
celebrating with a national day of action.
This week, we are writing from Texas where we are supporting the brave and dedicated activists with the 
The new
Tar Sand Blockaders have escalated the action with a 
Protests are spreading! The First People of Canada called for a 
Students are standing up for their rights. This week, 
Riding on the tidal wave of 
Today is Black Friday, also called by some "Buy Nothing Day"
in an effort to fight consumerism. Last year we took our message to a
mall in Washington, DC with gifts for the workers, a mic check and
songs.
This year 
1. Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline -
this pipeline, being built by TransCanada to ship sludge from the
Alberta Tar Sands to the oil refineries for export, is a game changer
for the climate. James Hansen has written that if it is built, the
carbon and destruction from the Tar Sands will tip us into irreversible
climate chaos. 
4. End student debt - the student debt crisis is similar to the subprime mortgage crisis. And 
And please prepare now to 
It is modeled on the next steps of the 
On Saturday, Nov. 3rd, the Occupy Portland and the Portland Action Lab are calling for a 
The
most recent victory comes from the Criminal Injustice Movement that has
been targeting Wells Fargo for their investment in Geo Group, the
second largest private prison corporation. Today it was announced that 
Veterans
for Peace board member, Tarak Kauff, is facing time in jail for taking a
stand with the Veteran Peace Team in the Viet Nam Veteran Memorial
Plaza in NYC on May 1. He was arrested there again on Oct. 7, the 11th
anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan. He 
Last week, we wrote about 
Nonviolent anti-eviction activists are now facing police in 
Despite
the homeowners requesting to work with the banks in order to stay in
their homes and the banks' refusals to negotiate, the police are serving
and protecting the banks instead of people who live in their own
community.
More people are making the connections between the big banks and the lack of democracy in the US. These three brave 
And
nowhere is the inequality more evident than when it comes to health
care in the United States. Health professionals with Occupy Eugene in
Oregon are continuing to provide direct health services with their 
By Margaret Flowers - Oct. 10, 2012
Only
two candidates are allowed to participate in debates organized by the
National Corporation on Presidential Debates (they call themselves a
commission, but that is just to disguise the fact that they are a
private corporation created by the Democrats and Republicans and funded
by big business interests). Two other candidates, 
The
United States is awake and the movement to end corporate control of
government and end the resultant wealth divide is alive and well. From
the 
OccuCards are a great tool for education. Visit the 
We are collaborating with Occupy Denver to
Finally, on this Thursday, September 6th join actions across the country in support of Bradley Manning. For the latest blockbuster news in the Manning case read