Occupy Everywhere - Sept 17th - Day of Rage Against Wall Street and what it stands for!

[Peter Lemkin]

[Peter Lemkin]

New York, December 17 2001anny Schechter

Saturday marked the three-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. It was also Bradley Manning's Birthday. It was one of those days that confirmed the validity of the chant: "All Day, All Week, Occupy Wall Street".
OK, maybe, it wasn't a whole week but Saturday felt like a week in one day.
The plan for the day, as announced, was to gather at Duarte Park at 6th Avenue and Canal Street to attempt a RE-Occupation of vacant land owned by Trinity Church, more of a real estate company than a house of worship.
For a few weeks, the Occupy Movement had been demanding that the Church allow the movement to take "sanctuary" on that land. There were earlier protests and even a hunger strike that made page one of the New York Times.
Police in riot gear had ousted the occupiers the last time they tried to take over the space a few weeks back, and, since then, there has been a rancorous standoff between a Church that is supported by many fat cat one-percenters and OWS's volunteer non-violent army of outrage.
The Church has repeatedly turned the movement down, despite support for the OWS demands from many clergy in New York and the most famous Episcopal priest in the world, South Africa's Desmond Tutu,. (Tutu sent OWS a supportive message but, then later sent the Church a disclaimer of any attempt on his part to sanction violence.)
No doubt church lawyers were expressing worries about financial liability should there be any claims, but many of the their trustees had political objections. They are Wall Streeters, including, a Vice President of Brookfield Properties,the owner of the "public" Zuccotti Park that had been the Movement's home until they were unceremoniously and violently ejected by police in the dark of night.
Triniity Church may be there to serve God, but the defense of their real estate portfolio seems to come before their pretensions at social justice..
The gathering at Duarte Park was predictably surrounded by cops, some in riot gear, while what looked like a the Zuccotti Park alumni Association roamed around on a sliver of a City Park next to the unholy Trinity site.
At least half of the crowd, which grew as the day progressed, appeared to be covering the other half with still or video cameras and tape recorders. The press was out in force too, no doubt hoping for a bloody confrontation. Pacifica Radio outlet WBAI was broadcasting live and its programming was played back at the crown on boom boxes.
The librarians of the People's Library where on hand with a few boxes of newly donated books, but, despite the rhetoric, the scene seemed tired except for those who were dancing around or looking for action.
A few activists and clergy were arrested for climbing over the fence while others tried, but failed, to knock it down. (There were more than 50 arrests Sarurday)
I was pretty discouraged by the relatively small turnout and the focus on getting to occupy a new tiny land base in an area with no real pedestrian traffic nearby, instead of finding more ways to reach out to mainstream America.
Saturday was a big Xmas Shopping day. While tens of thousands of New Yorkers were flocking to stores in Times and Herald Square. I thought that if you want to hit at economic power, you should be Occupying Macy's or Toys R'Us.
All the stores were putting on new sales after Black Friday turned out to be relative bust. Why not a march by Occupy Santas?
It all seemed unpromising when announced concerts at the park by Lou Reed and others didn't seem to materialize, or at, least I missed them.
But I left too soon.
Unknown to me, the movement then launched a previously unscheduled march -but, at the last minute changed its direction and headed uptown, catching the police unaware,.
The Live Stream people went with them so what happened next was shown on the Internet. One of the live streamers was busted but kept his camera-computer going from inside a Police paddy wagon.)
At one point, I saw coverage by three cameras. One view, in ironic counter-point, covered several cops defending the statue of the Bull on an empty Wall Street traffic junction. No one there was bullish. Bullshit anyone?
The cops attacked as the activists marched up Seventh Avenue at 29th Street, arresting some for marching when they should be walking, a crime that may soon by punishable by the crazed new NDAA measure treating the homeland as a battlefield.
The crowd then broke into smaller guerilla-style groups, darting in and out of various streets, and ending up in a packed Times Square on a Saturday night at the height of the Christmas shopping season.
This march was spontaneous, powered by the power of surprise. The police actually chased some out of towners out of Times Square to try to cut them off at the pass, but failed.
Before the men in Blue, led by men in White, could reassert their version of Law and Order, and while shoppers and tourists watched, the occupiers began "mic-checking," with individual after individual shouting out "Why I Occupy," and offering personal statements and testimony that were repeated several times.
In this way, individual members of the movement, from every class, color and gender, spoke with eloquence about their reasons for protesting-personal reasons and social reasons, national reasons and global reasons, economic reasons and political reasons reached out to thousands.
They had to electrify whoever was watching, Their passion and sincerity was there for all to see.
I watched the Live Stream of the event on a computer in Harlem and was moved, at some points, to tears by how articulate and reasonable they were. They later left the square and returned to Zuccotti Park for a late-night General Assembly meeting.
Not only was this the best show on Broadway on the "Great White Way" for that hour, but it proved the correctness of a political claim, asserted in one of the OWS signs written after the police raided Zuccotti Park.
It reads: "It's So Not Over."

[Peter Lemkin]

AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to Occupy Wall Street. Hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday in New York to mark the three-month anniversary of the movement. Demonstrators spent the day trying to occupy a new space following their eviction last month from Zuccotti Park. Two attempts at occupying the space were stopped by police, and more than 50 people were arrested.

Among the people gathered Saturday was New York City Council Member Ydanis Rodríguez. He said the movement would continue.

COUNCIL MEMBER YDANIS RODRÍGUEZ: This movement has been built on the need of the working class and the middle class. This movement is not going anywhere, is not leaving this city, unless we take particular initiatives to close the gap between the 1 percent and the 99 percent.

AMY GOODMAN: Democracy Now! Jon Gerberg and Ryan Devereaux were at the demonstration Saturday and spoke to protesters. Here are some of the voices from the streets.

NELINI STAMP: Nelini Stamp. And I've been involved in Occupy since September 17th. The last three months have been really amazing, and in my view, I think that we have sparked a national narrative of economic inequality and economic justice. And it's really great to see that, you know, even though we don't have the physical space of occupation, we are still around and, you know, are making a difference and a change.

OCCUPY PROTESTER: This was essentially a confrontation on the 17th of December, the three-month anniversary, also the one-year anniversary of the self-immolation of Bouazizi in Tunisia. And this was meant to confront the police at allowing protesters to use this space. So I think that's why this happened on Saturday and why this was planned to happen on the three-month anniversary of the initial occupation.

LISA FITHIAN: Lisa Fithian. I'm here with Occupy Wall Street. I think real space is critical to this movement, because it's a place where we can establish the commons and show that in fact you can have a different set of economic and social relationships than what we're used to outside our spaces. So, when we had Liberty Park, just like every other occupation, we began the practice of setting up all the social systems needed to support us being fully human. And we don't have those spaces in many places. And space gives us a place where we can meet and engage in that exchange.

JESSE LAGRECA: Jesse LaGreca. I'm a New Yorker. I'm with Occupy Wall Street. Let's also celebrate the fact that we've really moved the conversation forward, because, you know, the reality is people are hurting. And three months ago, we were talking about austerity, about budget cuts, about what can we cut, taxes for the rich, and what can we cut, programs that working-class people need. And now the conversation has totally shifted. We're talking about income inequality. We're talking about campaign finance reform, reforming Wall Street, you know, a number of things. So, I think it's very important to be in public, talking to our neighbors, just having this basic conversation.

DWAYNE HENRY: Dwayne Henry, Occupy Wall Street. It's a global occupation. And wherever you are, your community is what you occupy. You go to your community. There's Occupy Brooklyn. There's Occupy Bushwick. There's Occupy Harlem, Occupy the Bronx. There's Occupy Fayetteville, North Carolina. Like, it's your community. You take your community, and you organize your community. And you get the ear of your representatives and your senators. It's not about occupying Wall Street. It's about occupying everything.

AMY GOODMAN: That piece by Democracy Now!'s Ryan Devereaux and Jon Gerberg, both reporters on the street covering the protest on Saturday, and both were roughed up by the New York police. Ryan Devereaux, Democracy Now! fellow and reporter, here with us now.

What happened, Ryan?

RYAN DEVEREAUX: Well, after the protesters had left the area of Duarte Square, they made a little loop around the area, to return to the area so they could enter the square. They set up ladders to enter the fence that had blocked Duarte, which they were attempting to occupy. I was right up at the front, along with Jon. We were watching the protesters enter the area. And a large police officer, who I've seen at multiple protests, grabbed me by the collar. I had rows and rows of people behind me. I couldn't move anywhere. He jammed his fist into my throat. He started yelling at me to get back. I repeatedly told him, "I'm press. I'm press. I'm a journalist." He put all of his

AMY GOODMAN: You were wearing your credentials around your neck.

RYAN DEVEREAUX: I was wearing my credentials. Jon was wearing his credentials, which are NYPD-issued credentials. I couldn't move anywhere. I told him I couldn't move anywhere. I told him I was press, but he continued to put all of his weight into his fist, which was pressed against my throat. And then, after he did that, he wouldn't let me go. Protesters tried to pull me away from him, saying, "He's peaceful. He's peaceful." The officer managed to pull me out of the crowd. I was certain I was going to be hurt or arrested, or both. For whatever reason, I started mentioning the names of detectives that I knew, and he decided to let me go.

Meanwhile, Jon, who was over to my left, was holding a monopod above his head, so he had both hands up, so he couldn't defend himself. And while he was doing this, a police officer apparently punched him three times in the kidneys. Jon was wearing NYPD credentials around his neck. So it goes to show you that it doesn't matter if you're wearing, you know, the credentials that Democracy Now! has or you're wearing the credentials that are supposed to protect you. The NYPD seems to think it's OK to treat you as a second-class citizen.

AMY GOODMAN: When I went up to the police officer who attacked Jon Gerberg to complain, he told me, if I didn't get back on the sidewalk, he would arrest me. The police officer next to him said, "I have nothing to do with this," responding to the abusiveness of this police officer that had attacked Jon. Are you seeing an increasing amount of this? And what has Mayor Bloomberg said about going after reporters in these cases?

RYAN DEVEREAUX: Well, it's hard to say if we're seeing more or we're just seeing more of the same. It's important to keep in mind that approximately one month ago, as we mentioned in the lede, occupiers tried to take this space owned by Trinity Church, and a number of journalists were arrested in the event trying to cover that. And this was right after a number of journalists were roughed up and arrested trying to cover the eviction of Zuccotti Park. Major news publications sent a letter to the NYPD, asking that they start treating reporters with respect, with the respect that they deserve when they're covering their job.

AMY GOODMAN: Including the New York Times.

RYAN DEVEREAUX: Including the New York Times, including the Associated Press. Ray Kelly, commissioner of the NYPD, then issued an internal memo to his police officers, reminding them that they need to respect reporters who are attempting to do their job. Since that time, more journalists have been hit, journalists have been arrested, and in the case of what happened to Jon and I on Saturday, we've been roughed up. And we're just there trying to do our jobs. We identify ourselves as journalists.

AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, we'll continue to cover these protests. Thank you, Ryan Devereaux.

[Peter Lemkin]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: postHeader, colspan: 2"]List of Active Occupy Encampments Across the Country Now at 61[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD] By: Jane Hamsher Tuesday December 20, 2011 10:14 am[/TD]
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Staying warm at Occupy Rochester

[URL="https://donate.firedoglake.com/weatherize/contribute"]
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Although the media has grown bored with the Occupy movement and are declaring it over, OccupySupply has verified the existence of 61 encampments across the country. We are listing them below, along with links to photos and videos that demonstrate what they look like today.
The FDL Membership Program now has 110 liaisons at over 70 occupations across the country who report back to us on the status of their occupations twice each week. That's how we determine which occupations OccupySupply will send cold weather gear to every day.
OccupySuply shipped more stuff out last week alone than we did in the entire first month, and the demand is only increasing.
So we thought we'd try to drive a stake through the heart of the "Occupy is Dead" narrative by publishing our working list, which is consistently more up-to-date than any I've seen. These are occupations with encampments only there are many, many more vibrant occupations that are doing tremendous community activism despite the lack of an encampment.


[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Anchorage[/TD]
[TD]Igloos! [ATTACH=CONFIG]3415[/ATTACH][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Atlanta[/TD]
[TD]Re-occupied Woodruff Park after the raid, stopped foreclosure this week.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Austin[/TD]
[TD]Nice story in Daily Texan about OccupySupply helping them prepare for winter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Berkeley[/TD]
[TD]90 tents[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Birmingham[/TD]
[TD]Marched with Alabama civic & religious leaders to protest state immigration law[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Bloomington[/TD]
[TD]Longest running occupation?[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Boise[/TD]
[TD]Highs in the 30s, lows in the teens, but hanging in there[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Boulder [/TD]
[TD]Working with city on permit[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Buffalo[/TD]
[TD]Just opened 2nd encampment[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Cedar Rapids[/TD]
[TD]Says they have a stable location through the winter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Chapel Hill[/TD]
[TD]Expanding, building bridges with local congregations[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Charlotte[/TD]
[TD]Growing, now 30 tents[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]13[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Claremont[/TD]
[TD]City council may intervene, but police say they're not breaking any laws[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Cleveland[/TD]
[TD]Recently worked with Youngstown & Ashtabula to encamp vs. foreclosure[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Columbia SC[/TD]
[TD]Won their court battle; judge says they can stay[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]16[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Dover DE[/TD]
[TD]Just celebrated their 1 month anniversary[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]17[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Kstreet[/TD]
[TD]Expanding to local black churches[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Lancaster PA[/TD]
[TD]Renewing the permit that expires January 1[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]19[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Delaware[/TD]
[TD]Won a ruling from a judge that recognized the tent city as a form of protected speech.[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]20[/TD]
[TD]Occupy DesMoines[/TD]
[TD]Launching Occupy the Caucus, urging people to vote "uncommitted"[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Erie[/TD]
[TD]Re-occupied the gazebo yesterday, looking good in OccupySupply[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]22[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Eugene[/TD]
[TD]City installed lights at request of campers, increasing budget to help homeless[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]23[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Fairbanks[/TD]
[TD]Yes, there's an Occupy Fairbanks. No shit.[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Freedom Plaza[/TD]
[TD]Feed 140 people each day[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]25[/TD]
[TD]Occupy FtWayne[/TD]
[TD]Flash mob at the Glenbrook Mall last weekend reminding people to shop local[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]26[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Gainesville[/TD]
[TD]Organizing Florida occupations for upcoming FL legislative session[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Harrisburg[/TD]
[TD]Organizing around state redistricting[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Houston[/TD]
[TD]Celebrated International Migrants Day by protesting prison industrial complex[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]29[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Huntsville AL[/TD]
[TD]City gave them a spot[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]30[/TD]
[TD]Occupy IowaCity[/TD]
[TD]Mic checked Newt Gingrich last week[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]31[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Lancaster PA[/TD]
[TD]Holding toy and book drive for children of the community[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Las Vegas[/TD]
[TD]Protesting at auctions of foreclosed homes seized without paperwork[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]33[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Lincoln[/TD]
[TD]Tent town in Centennial Mall going strong[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]34[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Little Rock[/TD]
[TD]Built a geodesic dome[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Madison[/TD]
[TD]Recently had its first marriage proposal[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Memphis[/TD]
[TD]Held Saturday march to mark 1 year since Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire in Tunisia[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Miami[/TD]
[TD]Just celebrated 2 month anniversary[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]38[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Milwaukee[/TD]
[TD]Immigration groups recently loaned them office space[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]39[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Monterey[/TD]
[TD]Holding a series of public community educational talks[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]40[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Nashville[/TD]
[TD]Getting tremendous community support[/TD]
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[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]Occupy New Haven[/TD]
[TD]On private property by agreement with managers[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Newark[/TD]
[TD]City recently lifted ban on overnight encampments[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]43[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Norman OK[/TD]
[TD]Just started this week[/TD]
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[TD]44[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Orange County[/TD]
[TD]Held a mock funeral for the Bill of Rights[/TD]
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[TD]45[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Palm Beach[/TD]
[TD]Protesting wealth inequality in rich neighborhoods[/TD]
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[TD]46[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Phoenix[/TD]
[TD]Demonstrating against Joe Arpaio's tasering of Latino Marine vet that left him brain dead[/TD]
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[TD]47[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Pittsburgh[/TD]
[TD]Protesting the bilking of millions of dollars from schools & local govt at US Steel Tower[/TD]
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[TD]48[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Providence[/TD]
[TD]Approx. 60 overnight sleepers in Burnside Park[/TD]
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[TD]49[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Raleigh[/TD]
[TD]Property owner & city say they can stay[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]50[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Sacramento[/TD]
[TD]Recently occupied Clear Channel[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]51[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Rochester[/TD]
[TD]Just received AFL-CIO Rochester Labor Council's Community Solidarity Award[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]Occupy San Jose[/TD]
[TD]Just re-occupied this week[/TD]
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[TD]53[/TD]
[TD]Occupy San Luis Obispo[/TD]
[TD]Denied the use of tents but still staying each night[/TD]
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[TD]54[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Syracuse[/TD]
[TD]Recently erected a triple-walled Army surplus tent and plan to stay for the winter[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]55[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Tacoma[/TD]
[TD]Mic check to OccupySupply on Dec 15![/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]56[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Talahassee[/TD]
[TD]Will present objectives of Florida occupations to state legislature on January 10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]57[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Tampa[/TD]
[TD]Set up last Saturday in Voice of Freedom Park[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]58[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Trenton[/TD]
[TD]Protesting Chris Christie's charter school plan in Dept. of Ed offices[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]59[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Tucson[/TD]
[TD]One of the largest occupations still going[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]60[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Walton OR[/TD]
[TD]Small Oregon town trying to save their post office[/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD]61[/TD]
[TD]Occupy Winnepeg[/TD]
[TD]Say they are "not going anywhere"[/TD]
[/TR]
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N.B. I'm aware of yet others not on this list, including those on college and university campuses. Many of the larger ones brutally attacked by the Police on behest of the DHS are planning re-occupations soon or in Spring.

Just a few missing from the list [I think the actual number is about double this one]:

Looks like Occupy Louisville is still up and running though their permit renewal says no tents

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dakine01December 20th, 2011 at 11:27 am
3

and Occupy Albany also looks to still be encamped (at least for a few more days)

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KrisAinTXDecember 20th, 2011 at 11:40 am
4

3 Occupy Austin Nice story in Daily Texan about OccupySupply helping them prepare for winter

I still think the photo with that article is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking photographs I've ever seen.

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Casual ObserverDecember 20th, 2011 at 11:44 am
5

I'd suggest keeping San Antonio on the list, mentioning their participation in the port action.

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mzchiefDecember 20th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
6

Occupy Everett, WA (Twitter: @Occupyeverett). Yesterday their live stream was broadcasting a video of Dorli Rainey giving an excellent presentation on community building.

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mzchiefDecember 20th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
7

You might recheck the links for your Occupy list.

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mzchiefDecember 20th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
8

In response to mzchief @ 6
I might be wrong that they've been #OccupySuppply-d but they are an encampment.

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atonemusicDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
9

Occupy Asheville (NC)
http://occupyasheville.org/

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Jane HamsherDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
10

In response to dakine01 @ 2
I didn't include occupations that were facing eviction Occupy Ashville, Louisville, San Antonio and Albany among them. Occupy Detroit and St. Louis have moved indoors and probably should be included, but for our purposes we keep them on a separate list because their needs are different.

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EdwardTellerDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
11

In response to Jane Hamsher @ 1
I'm in Albuquerque for Hanukkah. My sister-in-law says she thinks Occupy Albuquerque is active. Looking at their facebook page and home page, they've posted as recently as yesterday and have upcoming events planned, but no indication of an active event. I commented at their facebook page, asking them to get in touch with you if they are indeed active.
I re-posted this list at Progressive Alaska, with the cool igloo pic.
You are amazing, Jane. So are those occupiers in Fairbanks.

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Jane HamsherDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
12

In response to mzchief @ 6
Is there a photo or video of what the Occupy Everett encampment looks like? We'd love to include them if we can verify they have tents and are there overnight.

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curlydanDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
13

Last time I drove by, Occupy Kansas City (KC) was still there with tents up and trying to March in downtown KC on 12/30.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/12/16/332...waive.html

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karenbDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
14

What happened to Occupy Oakland (CA)?
ey ET, we've been in contact with the Occupy Albuquerque folks. They have meetings and have talked about a future encampment, but to date have not had one yet.
This is not meant to be dismissive of the activism that non-encamped occupy groups are doing. Many are doing amazing things. But our experience is that Occupy is spreading to small towns through encampments, which serve as a powerful symbol that galvanize local progressive groups (RF Shunt has a great diary on that). So we wanted to print that list.
We left off the ones that were threatened with eviction only if we were hearing that they were probably preparing to pull up stakes. Occupy Pittsburgh for example has been threatened, but they are fighting it all the way. Others don't have the resources and that's totally understandable. But we wanted this to be a list of encampments that currently plan to be there through the winter.

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Jane HamsherDecember 20th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
17

In response to karenb @ 14
Someone went down for us over the weekend to take a look and says it's a mud pit. I've been told that many moved to Occupy Berkeley, which may be why that occupation has grown so large.

[Peter Lemkin]

This might be a better indication of where OWS actions have been: [number of those attending the actions are in most cases low - often half of the actual number]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Occ..._locations

[Peter Lemkin]

Here is a fairly good, but incomplete, list of livestreams out of OWS groups http://www.occupystreams.org/

[Keith Millea]

[TABLE="class: cms_table"]
[TR]
[TD]Occupy Walton OR
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[TD]Small Oregon town trying to save their post office
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LOL....The "town" of Walton only consists of a small country store + gas station,and the post office.:lol:

[Peter Lemkin]

Democratic Socialists of America march on the first day of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City. DSA's membership has grown 60 percent since 2003. (Photo by David Shankbone)

Views » November 7, 2011

Let's Talk Democratic Socialism, Already

After 30 years of failed neoliberalism, we need a real alternative.
BY Maria Svart Unfettered capitalism is inherently undemocratic--but human action can significantly democratize our political system.

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." With all the right-wing hoopla about how President Barack Obama is waging class war, you might be surprised to learn that Warren Buffet said these words in 2006. The billionaire investor was acknowledging 30 years of a widening income gapbut I'll go a step further. I believe that unfettered capitalism is inherently undemocratic and that human action can significantly democratize our political system. That's why I'm a socialist.
Corporate America's assaults on working peopleseeking profits through offshoring jobs, busting unions, paying politicians to slash corporate taxes and deregulating the bankshave ruined our economy. Meanwhile, millions of workers have been thrown from their jobs while unions are scapegoated for manufactured budget crises at the state and local levels.
The accident of birth should not determine the course of a person's life. Government expenditures are an indication of a society's priorities, and it is both economically and morally imperative to provide a safety net for those who suffer the most in a downturn. Without massive public investment in healthcare, education, infrastructure and green jobswhich could be funded by progressive taxation of income along with a tax on financial transactionsour future is bleak. With high unemployment and anemic demand, the economy will continue to limp forward. Those lucky enough to have work will likely remain afraid to agitate for better conditions.
Right now, we need more jobs and better pay for less work. In the long term, ordinary people need more powerthrough unions, worker councils and seats on the board in the workplace, and in politics, through a public campaign finance system that provides sufficient exposure to all candidates. We need a political economy that allows everyone space and time for personal growth and thoughtful participation in the decisions that profoundly impact their lives.
I feel so strongly about these values that I recently quit my job as an organizer for SEIU to become the national director of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has its roots in both the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs, Norman Thomas and Michael Harrington and the New American Movement, a nonsectarian organization that grew out of the American New Left and whose founders were instrumental in establishing In These Times back in 1976.
DSA's strategy is to push American politics to the left by strengthening social movements such as Occupy Wall Street. Movements are the only force capable of making elites respond to popular demands. That doesn't mean we ignore elections. Among other races, the organization is looking forward to helping socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) win re-election.
I was raised in a union family that directly benefited from the kind of government programs that DSA fights to protect and expandlike the GI Bill. As a bi-racial woman, I experienced oppression and learned that the world isn't fair, despite what I was taught in school about the American Dream. When I attended a DSA youth section event at the University of Chicago, I realized that the patterns I had seen all my life signal structural problems. Capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacythey are linked structures of oppression that must be dismantled.
Analyzing these structures is critical to forging a political strategy to challenge corporate power. But doing so is not the only reason I decided to become DSA's national director. Some may argue that I should work in a more mainstream organization and "get more done," but without a clear alternative to the Tea Party narrative, national politics will continue to slide to the right. In the current climate, even the most moderate reforms are red-baited. We need a strong socialist organization in the United States to counter Republicans' (and often Democrats') dangerous buffoonery.
As 30 years of neoliberal economic destruction come home to roost, more and more people are beginning to question the wisdom of capitalism and becoming open to socialismDSA's membership has grown 60 percent since 2003. I believe that someday soon American politicians will stop fearing the s-word, and start enacting systemic change.

[Peter Lemkin]

[Peter Lemkin]

The corporations that occupy Congress

Dec 20, 2011 10:09 EST
By David Cay Johnston

Some of the biggest companies in the United States have been firing workers and in some cases lobbying for rules that depress wages at the very time that jobs are needed, pay is low, and the federal budget suffers from a lack of revenue.
Last month Citizens for Tax Justice and an affiliate issued "Corporate Taxpayers and Corporate Tax Dodgers 2008-10″. It showed that 30 brand-name companies paid a federal income tax rate of minus 6.7 percent on $160 billion of profit from 2008 through 2010 compared to a going corporate tax rate of 35 percent. All but one of those 30 companies reported lobbying expenses in Washington.
Another report, by Public Campaign, shows that 29 of those companies spent nearly half a billion dollars over those three years lobbying in Washington for laws and rules that favor their interests. Only Atmos Energy, the 30th company, reported no lobbying.
Public Campaign replaced Atmos with Federal Express, the package delivery company that paid a smidgen of tax $37 million, or less than one percent of the $4.2 billion in profit it reported in 2008 through 2010.
For the amount spent lobbying, the companies could have hired 3,100 people at $50,000 for wages and benefits to do productive work.
The report "For Hire: Lobbyists or the 99 percent" says that while shedding jobs, the 30 companies are "spending millions of dollars on Washington lobbyists to stave off higher taxes or regulations."
These and other companies have access to lawmakers and regulators that are unavailable to ordinary Americans.
CALL CONGRESS
Doubt that? Dial the Capitol switchboard at 1 (202) 224-3121, ask for your representative's office and request a five-minute audience, in person, at the lawmaker's convenience back in the home district.
In more than a decade of lectures recommending this, I have yet to have a single person email me (see address to the right) about having scored a private meeting with the representative called.
Corporations have vast resources to pour into ensuring access resources that expand when little or no taxes are paid on profits thanks to rules they previously lobbied into law.
Companies form nonprofit trade associations, hire former lawmakers and agency staffers, and have jobs to dole out to lawmakers after they leave office and to friends and family while they're in office. Thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, corporations can now pour unlimited sums into influencing elections. So can unions, but they are financial pipsqueaks compared to companies.
Then there are political action committees, or PACs, to finance campaigns as well as donations by executives and major shareholders.
Combine all this and you have a powerful formula for making rules that favor corporate interests over human interests, something that the framers of the U.S. Constitution understood more than two centuries ago.
James Madison wrote disapprovingly in 1792 of "a government operating by corrupt influence, substituting the motive of private interest in place of public duty" where eventually "the terror of the sword, may support a real domination of the few, under an apparent liberty of the many."
FEARS COME TRUE
The late U.S. president's fears have come to life. For swords, just substitute police with rubber bullets, batons and pepper spray at Occupy demonstrations, including perfectly peaceful ones.
Company reports to shareholders show that among the 30 companies in the Public Campaign report, the 10 firms that spent the most on lobbying during the same three-year period fired more than 93,000 American workers.
Those firings took place in an economy that had five million fewer people with any work in 2010 than in 2008.

All those firings mean higher costs to taxpayers to support those unable to find work, including the more than 4.2 million Americans who are now persevering by applying for jobs after more than a year. Millions more have given up and are no longer counted among the unemployed.
Federal Express spent $25 million lobbying to protect a rule that makes it virtually impossible for its express delivery workers to unionize. That's 67 percent of what it paid in taxes.
FedEx says it was "educating lawmakers" about a proposal "that would cripple competition in the express delivery industry and hinder our nation's future economic success."
The Teamsters, who represent drivers at United Parcel Service, say FedEx was protecting a special interest rule that shorts workers. UPS pays its unionized drivers 53 percent to 104 percent more per hour than FedEx does.
The United States already ranks second among modern nations, just behind South Korea, in the share of its workers in low-wage jobs while too many companies lobby for ever lower taxes, ever smaller wages and ever fewer worker rights to protect the mighty torrents of greenbacks flowing into their coffers. A better balance would make America better off.