Occupy

Is This An Uprising?

February 14, 2016 David Swanson, www.davidswanson.org Strategize! Nonviolent Action, Occupy, Peace, Revolution, Wars and Militarism

By David Swanson for Let's Try Democracy. The new book This Is An Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century by Mark Engler and Paul Engler is a terrific survey of direct action strategies, bringing out many of the strengths and weaknesses of activist efforts to effect major change in the United States and around the world since well before the twenty-first century. It should be taught in every level of our schools. This book makes the case that disruptive mass movements are responsible for more positive social change than is the ordinary legislative "endgame" that follows. The authors examine the problem of well-meaning activist institutions becoming too well established and shying away from the most effective tools available.

A Message Of Hope For The New Year

January 6, 2016 Jack Balkwill, www.dissidentvoice.org Strategize! #BlackLiveMatter, Antarctica, Banks, Bolivia, BXE, Capitalism, China, Climate Change, Cooperatives, Democracy, Ecuador, Elections, Empire, Energy, Environment, Finance and the Economy, Greece, Kurds, Marijuana, Media, militarism, Occupy, Portugal, Russia, sHellNo!, Spain, TPP, Ukraine, Venezuela, Wall Street, Zapatistas

By Jack Balkwill for Dissident Voice. There have been many victories and we need to celebrate them. Among the victories was stopping the northern portion of the KXL pipeline, various new laws in 24 states to prevent police violence and an increase inprosecutions of police who commit violence, and the increase in wages across the country and winning the critically important battle for net neutrality. These were people-powered victories that showed when we act together we have the power to defeat corporate interests. Another ongoing series of victories is seeing local people, who have not been involved in activism, working along with experienced, often young, energy activists, taking on big energy companies in an aggressive way. This is a victory.

Occupy London May Regroup If Britain Decides To Bomb Syria

November 29, 2015 Katie Grant, www.independent.co.uk Resist! London, Occupy, Syria

By Katie Grant for the Independent. One of Britain’s most iconic buildings, St Paul’s Cathedral, attracts swathes of tourists every year. But in October 2011, thousands of people descended on the site as part of a peaceful protest, organised by Occupy London, to take a stand against corporategreed. The protesters transformed the area into a sea of tents. Almost four years on, the Occupy network is still going strong. “We’re still alive and kicking. There are upwards of 100 of us involved.” They campaign on issues such as climate change, fracking, the NHS and housing. In 2013, the group’s occupation of a London library saved it from closure. “The more connection we can make with ordinary folk to show activism can work for the benefit of the community, the better,” said Ms Beech. She is also concerned about the prospect of UK air strikes on Syria. “There’s nothing to say people wouldn’t regroup if something happened,” she said.

Anniversary: Remembering The Occupation Of Alcatraz

November 22, 2015 Unknown, www.nativevillage.org Resist! Alcatraz, Indigenous Rights, Native Americans, Occupy

From NativeVillage.org. California - From November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971, Native Americans took over and held Alcatraz Island as Indian Land. The Occupation of Alcatraz Island" was led by the Native American group, Indians of All Tribes (IAT). The take-over lasted 14-months and ended when the Indians were forcibly removed by the federal government. Indians of All Tribes claimed the island by citing the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) between the U.S. and the Sioux. The treaty returned to Native peoples all retired, abandoned and out-of use federal lands. When Alcatraz penitentiary closed in 1963, the U.S. declared the island as surplus federal property. So Red Power activists reclaimed it. On March 9, 1964, Richard McKenzie and other Sioux occupied Alcatraz for four hours.

Newsletter: Youth Recognize Their Power & Build It

November 15, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Black Lives Matter (BLM), Climate Change, Democracy, Fight for 15, Immigration, Occupy, Paris, Peace, Plutocracy, Racism, Student Activism, Student Debt, Student Protests, Terrorism, Tuition, Wages, Youth

By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers for Popular Resistance. Youth are rising up. They have been showing leadership on multiple fronts of struggle. They see a broken system dysfunctional government that is corrupted by money. It is unable to respond to the crisis of climate change; the reality of systemic racism; students graduating with massive debt in a poor job market and so many other issues. Politicians aren’t the only voices with power. We have power, too. And we have more power when we act together. Young people don’t live single-issue lives. We live at the intersection of the most pressing problems today. Our movements are connected and our purpose is huge. Martin Luther King described the civil rights movement as a time when the “people moved their leaders, not the leaders who moved the people.” If enough of us push together toward a new vision, the world will begin to move. That is a message we should all take to heart. We should continue to exercise our power, continue to fight injustices and as we do so, our power will grow.

Occupy Class Action Suit Against Zuccotti Eviction Can Move Forward

October 29, 2015 Sheila Anne Feeney, www.amny.com Resist! Lawsuit, Occupy, Protestors Arrested

By Sheila Anne Feeney for AM New York - A class-action lawsuit alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and free speech infringement for evicting Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park almost four years ago can move forward, a judge has ruled. U.S. Southern District Court Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. ruled that the lawsuit -- which names the city, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and other police officers -- "adequately alleges the elements of a First Amendment retaliation claim." "On the facts currently alleged, the officers lacked probable cause to arrest for trespass, disorderly conduct, or obstruction of governmental administration," he wrote in his 30-page ruling on Tuesday night.

BAMN Hosts Tribunal, Talks Ongoing Trial Over Occupy Cal Protests

October 2, 2015 Harini Shyamsundar, www.dailycal.org/ Resist! Lawsuit, Occupy, Protest

By Harini Shyamsundar for The Daily Californian - On Monday, the UC Berkeley chapter of BAMN held a public tribunal in Wheeler Hall during which it discussed its ongoing lawsuit regarding the 2011 Occupy Cal movement and encouraged campus and community members to join its cause. The lawsuit — which names the campus and district police as well as the administration — accuses certain individuals of alleged “first amendment violations and use of excessive force.” It was first filed Nov. 29 of that year, a few weeks after the demonstrations. The two parties are waiting on a final decision from the court. According to Shanta Driver, BAMN national chair and one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys on the case, the case has been ongoing because such polarized court cases “tend to get dragged out.”

Message Of Occupy Still Occupies The Public Dialogue

September 21, 2015 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Economic inequality, Income inequality, Occupy, Occupy Wall Street, Wealth Ineqaulity

Staff for Popular Resistance - Anya Parampil of RT America covers the Occupy encampments history and legacy on the 4th anniversary of the movement. She describes how occupy grew from a small part in New York to a national and international movement. She describes how the Occupy raised long festering issues of the unfair economy and put them on the national agenda – and how the media reported on the spectacle of the encampments but missed the message of the movement. The impact of the movement was to have income inequality mentioned in political discussions more than ever before and the national dialogue being restricted around the corruption of Wall Street and the unfair economy. The Occupy opened the door to discussion of these issues in politics and it is hard to imagine the Bernie Sanders Campaign without Occupy having occurred. While the encampments are long gone the message of the movement occupies the United States today.

Newsletter: Transformation – Elections & Movements

September 20, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Black Lives Matter (BLM), Bolivia, Democracy, Ecuador, Elections, Great Britain, Greece, Honduras, Jeremy Corbyn, NED, Occupy, Podemos, Scotland, Spain, Syriza, United Kingdom (UK), USAID, Venezuela

By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers for Popular Resistance - The United States has unusual challenges for movements working in the electoral system. The two party system is deeply embedded in law and political consciousness so it is very hard for a party challenging Wall Street to be successful. Wall Street and big business are the dominant funders of both parties, the corporate media echoes their message and debates managed by the two parties through a phony “debate commission” keep out alternative views. People challenging that system have little opportunity to get their message out and be viable in the rigged US democracy. The relationship between movements and elections is complicated to navigate but to succeed we will need both an electoral and non-electoral movement that are independent of the corporate duopoly.

On 4th Anniversary OWS Takes To The Streets

September 20, 2015 Ashoka Jegroo, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Gentrification, Housing, Occupy, Police violence, Racism

By Ashoka Jegroo for Waging Nonviolence - Hundreds of protesters in New York City took to the streets on September 17 in a variety of actions against racism, gentrification and police brutality. The day marked the fourth anniversary of Occupy Wall Street with actions taking place in at least three boroughs. “We had a day of action that was around racism, police brutality and anti-gentrification specifically because we needed to have a way to be very intersectional about all of what’s happening in our communities,” said Imani Henry, an organizer with Equality For Flatbush. “Gentrification is about landlords, corporations, the de Blasio administration, [Brooklyn Borough President] Eric Adams, and every borough president who is allowing developers into our neighborhood. It’s about community boards, re-zoning issues and struggles that we never ask for. And it’s also about the cops occupying our neighborhoods.”

Occupy LA Attorneys Get $668,000 In Fees

September 19, 2015 Elizabeth Warmerdam, www.courthousenews.com Educate! Criminal Justice, Law, Los Angeles, Occupy

By Elizabeth Warmerdam in Courthouse News - Attorneys who secured Occupy L.A. protesters a $2.6 million settlement for mass detentions and "militaristic" police tactics were awarded $668,000 in fees by a federal judge. Cheryl Aichele and five other Occupy Los Angeles demonstrators filed a class action in 2012, claiming police used a "shock and awe" campaign to oust hundreds of protesters from the City Hall lawn on Nov. 30, 2011. Officers tightly handcuffed protesters and kept them on buses for 7 hours with no restrooms or water, the protesters said. "In response to requests to use bathroom facilities, they were told to urinate and defecate on themselves, which some were forced to do," according to the protesters, who had camped out around the clock for eight days to protest economic inequality and bank bailouts. Most of the nearly 300 arrested were kept in custody for more than 60 hours. Others had to post the maximum cash bail for a misdemeanor offense.

Celebration Of 4th Anniversary Of Occupy, A Free Movie

September 17, 2015 Dennis Trainor, Jr, www.acronymtv.com Educate! Occupy, Occupy Movement, Occupy wall street documentary

By Dennis Trainor, Jr, for Acroynm TV - The first feature length documentary on the Occupy movement with a theatrical release is also a critically acclaimed work (reviews below). It is available on iTunes - but you can stream it for free right here or download it for free by going to this vimeo file & clicking the download button right below the media player. Reviews: (American Autumn) is calm and smart, offsetting its stridency with discussion, music, even humor, while issuing a call to arms.-The New York Times American Autumn impresses most where many docs disappoint, expanding its scope without short-changing the wider subjects it covers.-Variety This is not amateur hour. This is a movie as well made as any Hollywood blockbuster.-MichaelMoore.com

Occupy Providence Returns To Confront Harassment Of Homeless

September 1, 2015 Steve Alhquist, www.rifuture.org Resist! Homelessness, Occupy

By Steve Alhquist in Rhode Island Future - In response to the alleged harassment of the homeless population in and around Kennedy Plaza by Providence Police, Occupy Providence met in the People’s Park (akaBurnside Park) with members of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project (RIHAP) to discuss what could be done going forward to stop the criminalization of homelessness going forward. Organizer and Occupier Susan Walker pointed out that in the winter of 2012, Occupy Providence broke their occupation of Burnside Park after negotiating with City Hall for a Day Center for the homeless. “Where is the Day Center today?” she asked. Occupy Providence has long concerned itself with homelessness, so this event marked a return to the group’s roots. John Freitas of RIHAP spoke about the harassment of the homeless downtown by theProvidence Police Department.

D.C.’s Public-Camping Ban Dooms Occupy Suit

August 29, 2015 Jack Bouboushian, www.courthousenews.com Resist! D.C., Occupy, Washington

By Jack Bouboushian in Courthouse News - Two Occupy protesters arrested for pitching their tent outside the offices of Merrill Lynch cannot sue the District of Columbia, the D.C. Circuit ruled. Samuel Dukore and Kelly Canavan were members of the Occupy movement in Washington, D.C. In February 2012, they were part of a group of about four dozen protesters who set up tents outside Merrill Lynch's office to "occupy" public space outside the wealth-management firm as a protest against financial inequality in the United States. D.C. law requires the mayor's permission, however, to "set up, maintain, or establish any camp or any temporary place of abode in any tent" on public property. Most of the protesters disassembled their tents when police threatened to arrest them, but Dukore and Canavan defied the officers' orders, reassembled their tent and continued their protest.

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