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I like this, and I'd like to think I've started my own personal revolution some time ago in a number of ways and for a number of reasons.
The one thing I've seen at OWS protest is some conflation of issues. I saw signs, for instance, protesting fluoride in water. I don't happen to agree that flourish belongs in water. But putting up a sign about it at an OWS protest is a little off topic and makes the movement look fractured and unfocused. Quote:
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Occupy Wall Street turns to pedal power
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/wp-conten...-screencap.jpg The Occupy Wall Street protesters who were left without power after their gas-fueled generators were confiscated by New York City authorities on Friday may have found the idea solution in the [IMG][/IMG]form of a stationary bicycle hooked up to charge batteries. Stephan Keegan of the non-profit environmental group Time’s Up showed off one of the bikes to The Daily News, explaining that OWS’s General Assembly has already authorized payment for additional bikes and that “soon we’ll have ten of these set up and we’ll be powering the whole park with batteries.” Protester Lauren Minis told CBS New York, “We’ve got five bike-powered generator systems that are coming from Boston and we’ve got five more plus other ones that are going to supplement as well so we’re completely, completely off the grid.” According to CBS, “Insiders at Occupy Wall Street say they expect to have their media center and the food service area fully powered and illuminated by Monday.” “We need some exercise,” Keegan explained enthusiastically, “and we’ve got a lot of volunteers, so we should be able to power these, no problem. … We did an energy survey of the whole park, found out how much energy we were using. …. Ten will give us twice as much power.” Keegan also boasted that the system is “very clean” and is environmentally superior not only to fossil fuel but even to solar panels, because it uses almost entirely recycled materials. |
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I just want to say thank you to everyone who is participating in this thread. You all inspire me and help me to keep up with the latest goings on. It's great that we all share this common passion for equality and justice. :)
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lol I hear you. I started my revolution well over 10 years ago. Hell call me a rebel- save the whales, seals, planet, fuck the system. But we are heading towards critical times and many people saw this coming long long ago. People are responsible for not only allowing it to happen but supporting the very venues that made it this way. Misinformed? Not always because we all have the right to research, investigate and not take things at face value. You're crazy to rely on agencies outside of yourself to protect every little thing. There is also good information amongst bullshit propaganda and its up to us to filter it, evaluate it and make choices. We've placed too faith outside of ourselves becoming lazy and overdependent. As a universe we are full force in evolution and planetary change. If ever you were to become proactive and self sufficient, now is the time. |
Colbert
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#17N - Call to Action
Thursday, November 17 · 10:00am - 11:30pm
Occupy Wall St. On November 17th, Join the 99% Resist austerity. Reclaim the economy. Recreate our democracy. Occupy Wall Street, in solidarity with organized labor and the 99% around the world, will mobilize for a day of peaceful direct action to reject the economy that divides us and rebuild an economy that works for all. We will resist the banks and the government they control, reclaim our democracy, and recreate the society we want to see. We call upon the 99% to join us in fighting austerity in the US and around the world. Resist the 1% economy that drowns us in debt, forecloses on our homes, eliminates our jobs and closes our schools and hospitals. Reclaim the economy for the 99%. Everyone deserves the opportunity to find honest work, live with dignity, and pursue a better future. Recreate our democracy. We will start to create a society that is organized to meet human needs, not maximize corporate profit. On November 17th, the 99% will reclaim our destiny from the 1% and fight back against their plans for austerity. Join us. Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Everywhere occupywallst.org nycga.net http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241419422582978 |
He's so good at injecting humor into anything. Thank you for posting this.
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Sign this petition to send the Wall Street bankers and corporations to prison for their crimes against humanity.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-ca...b_1035295.html
The Food Movement Must Fight a "Secret Farm Bill" "The farm subsidy lobby and a handful of their powerful Congressional allies are working overtime to skirt normal democratic processes, write a farm bill behind closed doors and slip it into law through the congressional Super Committee. But their plan to write a secret farm bill is finally showing up on the political radar. The San Francisco Chronicle's intrepid Carolyn Lochhead put it this way on the paper's politics blog yesterday: Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are attempting a breathtaking end-run around the democratic process. They are hatching their own farm bill in private and plan by Nov. 1 take it to the new deficit Super Committee to be enacted whole, without votes in their own committees or in Congress. Lochhead went on to predict that a secret farm bill, written by politicians from subsidy-heavy states, is certain to short-change California's diverse agriculture yet again. Add to the list of likely losers: conservation interests, local and organic food advocates, defenders of down-and-out Americans who depend on food stamps and just about anyone else who'd like the farm bill to do more than bankroll industrial-scale commodity farming -- GMOs, pesticides and all." This is only part of the article. |
The most interesting Occupier in the world...
Just a bit of Occupy humor for the day. Hehe. |
Report: NYPD steers drunks to Occupy Wall Street
Those found drinking in city parks are told by officers to "take it to Zuccotti," the Daily News reports There’s a bombshell allegation buried in this story from Sunday’s Daily News: The NYPD is reportedly telling drunks to hang out in Zuccotti Park, apparently as a way to undermine the credibility of Occupy Wall Street. Harry Siegel reports: But while officers may be in a no-win situation, at the mercy of orders carried on shifting political winds and locked into conflict with a so-far almost entirely non-violent protest movement eager to frame the force as a symbol of the oppressive system they’re fighting, the NYPD seems to have crossed a line in recent days, as the park has taken on a darker tone with unsteady and unstable types suddenly seeming to emerge from the woodwork. Two different drunks I spoke with last week told me they’d been encouraged to “take it to Zuccotti” by officers who’d found them drinking in other parks, and members of the community affairs working group related several similar stories they’d heard while talking with intoxicated or aggressive new arrivals. … “He’s got a right to express himself, you’ve got a right to express yourself,” I heard three cops repeat in recent days, using nearly identical language, when asked to intervene with troublemakers inside the park, including a clearly disturbed man screaming and singing wildly at 3 a.m. for the second straight night. Emphasis mine. Siegel added on Twitter that he has sourcing for the story beyond the two drunks cited above, though he did not elaborate. The NYPD did not comment to the Daily News. I’ve asked them for a response to the allegations and I will update this post if I hear back. In other NYPD-related news, hundreds of off-duty officers turned out in the Bronx over the weekend to protest corruption indictments against several of their fellow officers. The scene turned ugly, with the off-duty cops reportedly shoving a cameraman and taunting nearby welfare recipients. |
Maybe they could donate some money to the Occupy Movement.
"We Are the 1 Percent. We Stand with the 99 Percent."
Resource Generation and Wealth for Common Good today announced a new website for wealthy people to show their support for the Occupy movement. Already over 100 members of “the 1 percent,” including young entrepreneurs, business owners and wealthy individuals, have posted their support on the new website “We are the 1 percent. We stand with the 99 percent.” “Those of us with more than we need and who believe in a more just distribution of resources can stand up and tell the truth about how the deck has been stacked in our favor. We need to say that we think it’s wrong too,” said Elspeth Gilmore, co-director of Resource Generation. “Just as the 99 percent has been a powerful rallying cry, the 1 percent has come to represent those who hold the majority of this country’s resources and have created—and benefited from—the financial and economic crises we now face. One hundred percent of us need a different world.” http://www.commondreams.org/sites/co...o1_500_0_0.jpg "College graduate by 19. Masters degree by 22. I own 2 companies, 3 cars and make a quarter million a year on my own, with zero assistance. I have a negligible amount of debt, excellent health insurance and my son has never felt what it’s like to “need” anything. I am the 1%, and I don’t mind paying more in taxes. I stand with the 99%."] "College graduate by 19. Masters degree by 22. I own 2 companies, 3 cars and make a quarter million a year on my own, with zero assistance. I have a negligible amount of debt, excellent health insurance and my son has never felt what it’s like to “need” anything. I am the 1%, and I don’t mind paying more in taxes. I stand with the 99%." http://resourcegeneration.org/ |
Bank of America backs down on Debit Fees
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Too little, too late. |
Does any of this sound familiar?
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Core Democratic Characteristics • Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives. • Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible. • Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society. • Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age. • Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms. • Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit." It's really sad, but looking at these one after the other, I can honestly say I see a real fascist bend to our so called democracy. |
Well, that's it; I'll either be screamed off the board or banned for this.
I've been reading along this thread, as it is a current event, and I wanted to hear all sides. Some points I agree with, others, maybe not. I do hear and understand that there is fear and fed-upness about the economy, banking, and foreign wars, as well as a host of other issues. I understand that. I totally agree that there is a lot of apathy out there, and a lot more that all of us can do to effect change, whether it's OWS or through other means. Gandhi said "Be the change you want to see in the world". What I need to put out here on the table is that some (if not several) of us on this board came from, know someone who came from, or had family living under fascist or communist systems, or farther back, equally repressive royalty. Some of my family lies under Poland for being the "wrong" religion. Others on the other side of my family came from grinding poverty only to find "No Irish Need Apply" signs. I have a friend who can never go back to her country of origin, as it dissolved into civil war that still periodically breaks out. Make that two, in fact, but different countries of origin. Another friend's parents were exiled thousands of miles out of their homeland to central Asia. Many of my friends are still in the country they were born, or at least the land, but there was a revolution in seemingly five minutes that turned their lives and families upside down. All of them at one time or another have told me about thoughts of going to America. I surely believe we have large problems and inequalities. I have to believe that we have the solutions, both individually and as a group. I'd be hypocritical if I didn't say that I've considered emigrating out of here. But, compared to a lot of other places, we're a lot freer with more opportunity for women and POC than in the not so distant past. I also want to say I like and respect all of those on this board and in this thread. With all that said, there's something that gnaws in my gut when we're compared to the Jews (and many other groups) under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, the Yugoslavs under Tito, or the North Koreans today. It just hits me wrong. I just ask out of respect for all of those peoples, and many more, please not to call us "fascist". If you're angry with me, so be it. I stand by my words. |
I don't think all of us are fascists. But from what Drew posted I find that in the US all 14 of the points of fascism are in fact a part of the way the US is being run. Socially as well as politically. Are all of us fascists? No, then again there are some who fit fascist to a tee.
My father fought against fascists, then he became a bigot, then his eyes got opened, and he changed his mind before he died. Change is inevitable, I just hope that we don't change for the worst. No flame from me, and yes we in the US used to live very privileged lives, I really can't say that any longer. |
I appreciate the distinction you're trying to make.
However, I do think we need to a call a thing what it is. And wherever we want to start with this, we are living in a country that increasingly resembles fascism. I can point to examples to support this, not the least of which include the brutal police response to OWS protestors, the nightmare that is Guantanamo, voting (machines, records and access), a large share of the tax dollar pie in support of endless military moves, the legalization of profiling (new anti-immigration laws), the privatization (and exponential growth) of prisons and much, much more. My background is Polish, Turkish, Romanian, and a few other countries that have seen despots and systemic oppression. But I believe we can still have fascism in America in 2011 and call it that. And God help us if in our denial of that, it only grows. Quote:
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From a friends FB page. The Guardian UK.
Occupy Oakland: police to be investigated over Scott Olsen injury Citizens' Police Review Board to launch formal investigation as Oakland prepares for general strike on Wednesday Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen is seen lying on the ground after he was apparently hit by a projectile at a protest. Photograph: screengrab via YouTube Oakland police are to be the subject of a formal investigation after Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull at an Occupy Oakland protest last week. Oakland's Citizens' Police Review Board is launching the investigation after it received a complaint on Friday. Police in Oakland are bracing themselves for a general strike on Wednesday, which has been announced by the city's Occupy movement and is expected to cause disruption across the city. Olsen, 24, was seriously injured after being hit on the head by a police projectile. He is still in hospital and unable to talk, communicating only through short written messages. A source at the review board said the investigation will begin in the next few days, and is expected to last "several months". "We're reviewing the information we have at the moment," the source told the Guardian. The board received the complaint from a member of the public. The complaint "relates specifically to Scott Olsen", and was not filed by a member of Olsen's family. An investigator has yet to be assigned to the case, but will be "within the next few days", the source said. "I think it's a wonderful thing," said Alan Brill, who acts as a spokesman for Occupy Oakland. "Just like every once in a while people do things that are wrong from our side, there is a small percentage of police that are out of control, and I'm glad they're being investigated." Olsen, a former marine who served two tours of Iraq, was injured on Tuesday 25 October as police cleared the Occupy Oakland camp from its base at Frank Ogawa plaza, outside Oakland city hall. Police used teargas and "less lethal" weapons to clear the plaza. Olsen was apparently struck in the forehead, knocking him to the ground. Video footage shows a police officer throwing an explosive towards a group of protesters who went to Olsen's aid. More than 15 police agencies were involved in the operation that day, including San Francisco sheriffs. There has been speculation on social media sites that it was a San Francisco sheriff who injured Olsen, with some Twitter and Facebook accounts naming an officer. However, sheriff spokeswoman Eileen Hirst said that while a platoon of 35 sheriffs did attend the Oakland operation, none of them were carrying teargas or less lethal weapons. Hirst said the San Francisco sheriffs' involvement in the operation in Oakland was being reviewed internally, but none of the 35 officers who attended on 25 October had been suspended. Thousands of Occupy protesters are expected to gather in Oakland for the general strike and mass day of action on Wednesday. The strike aims to "shut down" the city, culminating with a march to the Port of Oakland to prevent the transit of cargo. "Oakland was the site of the last general strike in the US," said protester Tim Simons, at a press conference on Monday. "On Wednesday, we're going to make history once again. We're going to make Oakland proud." |
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The boiled frog syndrome comes to mind as a reason. And while I don't think the boiled frog syndrome holds much water when it comes to actual boiled frogs, people, citizens, well they might not notice how hot the water is getting until it's too late. We can get used to things and not notice until the opportunity to stop it has gone by. We have accepted as necessary the loss of a percentage of our rights in the name of perceived safety already. I don't think things are going to get better any time soon. |
I forget who said it. CRS
The only way fascism get s a foothold is if good men do nothing. [sic] I think it applies today. |
Edmund Burke said
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
and he said a few other things that are relevant and timely: "Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident security." "No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." and finally - "Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises; for never intending to go beyond promises; it costs nothing." Quote:
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when I hear this it makes me cry. I think about my granddaughter and the kind of world she will live in or if she'll get to live to be my age and have a grandchild of her own.
You can't fight enough for this. |
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Noam Chomsky on Occupy:
Noam Chomsky is my hero!!
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I would not look to Oakland's Police Citizen's Review Board for jack shit....but that is just me.....they have been entirely ineffectual at curbing problems with OPD in the past and I don't think that will change.
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For clarity I will explain how I am using certain terminology. When I say middle class or working class or poor I am talking about economic ability, earning power. I know in the past blue collar worker and working class were used synonymously as were white collar worker and middle class. However, someone who is considered a blue collar worker can easily fall into the middle class financially speaking, just as some white collar office worker can financially be defined as working class. I think unskilled, skilled and professional are a more financially relevant way of understanding the various economic classes as opposed to using old fashioned jargon that really speaks to social class differences. (For the record my use of these terms are in no way an endorsement of them. It pisses me off to even say unskilled laborer. Who the hell decides what work has value anyway? But that’s really another argument for another time.) Logically unskilled laborers make up the largest portion of the working class when speaking about earning potential. Skilled and professional would make up most of the middle and upper middle class. I imagine they would also make up the 1%. The poor include the unemployed who, while a significant portion come from the unskilled laborer class, can include any and all categories of worker. More and more skilled and professional people can count themselves among the unemployed. And as time without an income passes they edge ever closer to poor. Poverty no longer respects social status. If that continues and more and more of the middle and upper middle class experience a diminished capacity for economic advancement and begin to suffer fear of poverty then it will no longer make sense for a decimated middle class to be at odds with the poor. But as it stands most of the divide still remains strong. What that means to me is that there are still a significant number of people left who are financially secure enough to believe that working slowly for change within the system will be enough. A tweak here and there and see how it works. No need to rush. No need to make too many changes too fast. They still believe the system at its core works and any change needed is merely aesthetic. A bit of cosmetic work on a program or two, a mere surface adjustment here and there and we are good to go. That belief may change as time does not heal the gaping wounds in our economic system. For now there are still any number of people who are, at the moment, economically safe enough to make judgments about the poor and the working class. These advantaged believe that if the disadvantaged had taken more personal responsibility, made good use of the opportunities afforded them in a free society they wouldn’t be in the mess they are in. They judge because they believe it is some personal characteristic or some inherent superiority that defines them and separates them from those who are poor. It is something about them intrinsically and not some accident of birth that has allowed them to acquire what they have. It is this natural superiority born of brains or talent or simple initiative, but never just plain luck, that assures these advantaged will never have to work at low paying, soul crushing jobs. They will never be at the mercy of employment that leaves them physically and emotionally drained without supplying adequate compensation to allow for a life in an environment that is relatively safe and clean. They will continue to believe this until it is no longer economically feasible for them to do so. There are still a good number of people who are financially advantaged enough to believe that while you shouldn’t have to starve or live in the street braving the elements, you needn’t have an opportunity to actually live comfortably. It’s enough to be warm and to have something to eat. You don’t deserve the right to choose healthy food or a clean, safe environment. To earn that right you need to have taken personal responsibility. I’m not sure how going to work every day doing a job that exists, therefore must need doing, even though this is not reflected in the ridiculous hourly wage earned, is not taking personal responsibility. Or how losing a job and not being able to find another in a devolving economy can speak to one’s ability to take or not take personal responsibility. I wish I could live in a society where simply doing the best job you can at whatever work you can get entitles you to live a decent life. A society where all workers have value and all work is important. Not equal of course. Human beings can’t handle that. But of enough value that you get a decent wage so that you can support a family if you have one and live a life that allows for security, personal growth and a few toys. But right now there still exists plenty of people who are economically advantaged enough to imagine they have the right to judge who is or is not choosing to work. They fancy themselves able to discern another’s motives or reasons behind their unemployment. They believe if you want to work but there are no jobs or you are disabled and can’t work then you should be allowed the bare minimum that would allow your survival, but if you choose not to work too bad for you. The scary part of this is who gets to decide if a human being is purposely choosing not to work? I doubt anyone is announcing a preference for sitting on their ass all day. Although allow me the opportunity at this time to point out that there is a large segment of society, most especially those with large, and I mean really large, excruciatingly large paychecks, who actually do sit on their ass all day. They are performing that all important and extremely meaningful professional labor we hear about. The kind of labor that those willing to take personal responsibility, those who take the initiative and have motivation and drive have earned the right to do simply by their own strong character, ambition and personal achievement (money to pay for education and powerful connections might help a tad). So when they sit on their ass all day it is a virtue. The thing is that this belief that one has earned one’s right to excessive financial superiority over others doesn’t end well for anybody. Except possibly the 1%. Because as resources dwindle those of you who believe your positions are secure, your superiority is evident and your value as a integral part of this society unquestionable may be in for a rude awakening. The 1% sees no connection between what the rest of society has accomplished and the riches they have amassed. When you see the world like that no one is of any value. If things continue to deteriorate then more people will be forcibly torn from their positions of financial superiority. We will hear less and less about taking personal responsibility and choosing or not choosing to be unemployed. We are likely to hear more about an equal distribution of the wealth. We will probably hear less about giving the poor a warm place to lay their heads and a little food and a free clinic here and there and more about needing decent paying jobs and healthcare for all. We may start to hear more mainstream conversations about constructing a government that works for the people not just for a small number of rich. I don’t think we get what we want by asking politely for the 1% to make room for us at the table. They are not likely to just get a conscience. I haven’t noticed history books filled with stories of the rich and powerful relinquishing their control over the masses just because they were asked nicely. Or even admonished gruffly. You have to make them let go. There are non-revolutionary ways to do this. But in the end it’s not just up to the 99% to decide how this is going to go down. And perhaps there is not a universal narrative but if there were it might be simply that we want to live our lives in a fair and just society that allows for equity of treatment for all members, the right to be financially secure, to always have access to healthcare and to be ruled by a government of the people and for the people, that has the interests of all the people and the future of our world at the forefront of all its decisions. |
If I think about the school bully who wanted not only his lunch but my lunch as well, then I understand how and why this changes.
The thing about bullies is that they are actually really quite scared inside, which makes their footing at the momentary top of the heap and uneasy and precarious. So yes, we need to confront the bully, and that is already happening. But let's not just confront the bully. Let's level the heap. There are countries with far more social justice and economic stability than our own. It's time to be something other than an decaying empire full run by bullies with clubs. It's time for us to transition to a country that understands the wealth, importance and unique contributions of ALL its people and acts on that understanding. Quote:
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A possible first victory of this movement is that Bank of America (and others) are now pulling back with attempting to collect extra ATM/debit card fees from customers. B of A is saying it "heard the people."
Guess we will have to see what the Oakland general strike does today. I'm off to check it out a little later. |
Check out Occupy Oakland's strike
Today, thousands of Oakland residents are participating in a general strike to protest last week’s police brutality and to draw attention to the economic inequality that the 99 Percent are protesting. Numerous local businesses have shuttered their doors in solidarity, and Mayor Jean Quan has even allowed most city employees to take part in the strike if they choose to.
As a part of a day of actions, hundreds of demonstrators shut down a local Citibank chapter. Not only did the demonstrators engage in mass demonstrations outside, but they unfurled a banner laying out some of the megabank’s misdeeds. Here’s some photos from the demonstration that forced the local Citibank to shut its doors: http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/...citicrimes.jpg http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/...citicrime2.jpg http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/...citicrime3.jpg http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/...ut-300x224.jpg Apparently Wells Fargo, Comerica, and a Chase bank were shut down as well. http://i.huffpost.com/gen/393202/OAK...ERALSTRIKE.jpg Following several speakers, protesters took to the streets, marching to the state building and the local banks, chanting, "We are the 99 percent." Marching bands led the group, and a flash mob danced to "I Will Survive." Protesters stopped outside of the federal building, chanting and singing. Due to the highly publicized nature of the strike, most of the downtown businesses had closed in preparation. However, Occupiers found Comerica Bank on 12 Street and Broadway open, and quickly surrounded the doors, forcing the branch to close. Protesters then moved on to a nearby Bank of America, forcing that branch to close, as well. As of 12:30 p.m., the Oakland protest remained peaceful with no police in sight, while more and more demonstrators joined the marches. Organizers announced plans to march to the Port of Oakland at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. in an attempt to shut down the port and disrupt the flow of commerce. The organizers originally announced that the port had closed in solidarity with the strike on Wednesday morning, but those reports turned out to be false. Thousands of protesters are expected to join the marches to the port on Wednesday night. At the daytime march, organizers read the phone number to the Occupy Oakland legal team over a loudspeaker, encouraging protesters to copy it in case of arrest. http://i.huffpost.com/gen/393221/OCC...AND-STRIKE.jpg |
I was down there (Occupy Oakland) and it's more like thousands of people...not hundreds. I can't imagine how big it's gonna get after folks get off work. A very mixed crowd in terms of age and probably about 30-40% POC. It really had a festival/block party feel to it. 2 different stages for speakers......lots of music and drumming , some chanting and free food. The local small businesses in City Center that serve food were all busy as hell also. You couldn't find a cop if you needed one....they were blocks away and very few of them......tons of media folks.
I truly hope they are very very careful going to the Oakland Port........they will be fucking with Homeland Security, Customs, Coast Guard and those people do not play. OPD will be in full force down there also. The last time a protest went to the Port was 2003 (anti-war) and that ended up being truly ugly...way worse than last week. |
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Sounds like it was awesome. I hope there isn't any trouble at the Port. |
I like this line and ballot initiative:
"End Corporate Rule: Legalize Democracy" http://movetoamend.org/news/boulder-...ate-personhood Boulder, Colorado Occupies the Ballot Box and Calls for End to “Corporate Personhood” Ground Breaking Ballot Measure Calls for Constitutional Amendment BOULDER, CO – Last night Boulder became the second city in the nation to pass a ballot measure calling for an amendment to the US Constitution that would state that corporations are not people and reject the legal status of money as free speech. At midnight, with 93% of the ballots counted, the measure was handily winning with 74% of voters in support. Boulder’s campaign is the latest grassroots effort by Move to Amend, a national coalition working to abolish corporate personhood. “From Occupy Wall Street to Boulder, Colorado and every town in between, Americans are fed up with corporate dominance of our political system,” said Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, a national spokesperson for Move to Amend. “Local resolution campaigns are an opportunity for citizens to speak up and let it be known that we won’t accept the corporate takeover of our government lying down. We urge communities across the country to join the Move to Amend campaign and raise your voices.” Earlier this year voters in Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin overwhelmingly approved similar measures calling for an end to corporate personhood and the legal status of money as speech by 84% and 78% respectively. Next week voters in Missoula, Montana will have an opportunity to vote on a similar initiative in their community. Move to Amend volunteers in dozens of communities across the country are working to place similar measures on local ballots next year. “Today’s ‘corporate personhood’ referendum in Boulder, Colorado is the latest message from the American people to state and federal legislators on the need for a Constitutional Amendment,” said Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD). “The Supreme Court’s misguided Citizens’ United ruling burst open the floodgates of corporate spending in our elections, but it also unleashed a wave of public outcry over the need to put individuals, not corporations, in control of our elections. The results from today are just one example that we must take action to protect our treasured democracy.” Edwards introduced a bill last month for a Constitutional amendment that would overturn the controversial Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United case. “Working on this campaign was electrifying,” said Scott Silber, a local Move to Amend organizer in Boulder. “We had such an outpouring of enthusiasm from our community. Folks were so thrilled to finally have an opportunity to have their voices heard and resoundingly call for an end to corporate corruption of our democracy. From here we’re taking the campaign to Denver, and then on to Washington, DC.” Move to Amend’s strategy is to pass community resolutions across the nation through city councils and through direct vote by ballot initiative. “Our plan is build a movement that will drive this issue into Congress from the grassroots. The American people are behind us on this and our federal representatives will see that we mean business. Our very democracy is at stake,” stated Sopoci-Belknap. For a complete list of all resolutions passed to date see: http://movetoamend.org/resolutions-map. |
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Occupy Oakland has just shut down the port of Oakland....the crowd is pretty impressive
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Wow! That's something!
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