Posted 12 hours ago on Jan. 15, 2012, 12:22 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Members of the African-American faith community have joined forces with Occupy Wall Street to launch a new campaign for economic justice inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faithful to its philosophical origin, the " Occupy the Dream" coalition has called for a National Day of Action to Occupy the Federal Reserve tomorrow to focus attention on the gross injustice visited upon the 99% by the financial elite. Clergy members and Occupiers in over 16 cities will come together in Austin, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, DC, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Francisco, St. Louis, Wilmington, and beyond. In Manhattan, we will gather tomorrow (Jan. 16th) from 10am to 1pm at 33 Liberty Street (NY, NY 10045).Afterward, join Occupiers in Sunset Park, Brooklyn for a 99% Unity Day celebration and community speak-out to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr! We will be gathering at Trinity Lutheran Church (4th Ave & 46th St in Sunset Park) at 3pm. There will be refreshments, childcare, English-Spanish translation, speakers, performances, an open mic, and a march to the court house!
Occupiers and the 99% movement across the country have found creative and diverse ways to honor the legacy of Dr. King by putting his vision into practice. Here are just a few examples:
- Boston: The Occupy Boston People of Color Working Group will host OB's weekly Community Gathering encourage participants to think about what Occupy Boston and the public can learn from the ideas, campaigns, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Attendees of this free event will listen to excerpts from King's speeches and hear from activists from the 1968 Tent City occupation of the National Mall. There will also be a teach-in about the failure of "3 strikes/habitual offender" legislation, open discussion about racism and the Occupy movement, slam poetry, hip-hop, and more.
- Philadelphia: Occupy Vacant Lots and the Housing and Economoic Empowerment Group will come together for an MLK Day of Service to help cleanup local lots for community use before marching in the Occupy the Dream March in Center City.
- Minneapolis: Occupy The Hood will be hosting an MLK Day March for Jobs, Housing, and Justice. From their statement: "On this King Day observation we will march in the spirit of Dr. King’s desire for justice for all. So in his honor we march to demand: jobs for all; a freeze on foreclosures; housing for all; workers rights and a livable wage; no more cuts to social programs; an end to racist mass incarceration; an end to scapegoating immigrants; an end to discrimination in all its forms."
- Chicago: Occupiers will kick off the Occupy the Dream Week of Action by going directly into the communities hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis and reclaiming a boarded up home to give it to a family in need. Also, after a discussion about Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1966 work and legacy in the housing struggle in Chicago (including the formation of tenant unions, rent strikes and eviction blockades that became central to the black struggle for housing justice), a coalition of Chicago community groups will begin a city-wide canvassing effort targeting homeowners facing foreclosure. Events and actions will follow all week.
- Baltimore: In honor of Martin Luther King and Occupy the Dream, protesters will begin a five-day occupation of the proposed site of a juvenile detention center. The youth jail will cost over $100 million, even as the city intends to close or privatize recreation centers because of "budget shortages." Schools Not Jails! seeks "to demand a change in how city and state funding is deployed; let’s confront the institutionalized social, political, and economic racism in this city head on. Let’s fight together for better jobs, better schools, a better Baltimore for everyone."
- Atlanta: Occupy Atlanta will continue to camp out in front of Higher Ground Empowerment Center, a beloved local church that has offered programs and resources for the area's under-resourced communities, which stands to be foreclosed on by BB&T.
Posted 1 day ago on Jan. 14, 2012, 2:59 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
This is a national day of action just one day before the second anniversary of the infamous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which held that corporations (as people entitled to the rights of the U.S. Constitution) can spend unregulated and undisclosed sums of money in order to influence elections. [There are] over 80 rallies at federal courthouses around the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
5 OR 5:30pm - March from Liberty Sq to Foley Sq
6pm - Rally across from Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
@ 40 Centre St.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, we will Occupy Wall Street West with a day of mass mobilization, nonviolent direct action, and civil disobedience centered around the SF Financial District:
"Wall St.", shorthand for corporate power, is not just in New York City. The San Francisco Financial District has long been nicknamed "Wall St. West" because it is also a major center of corporate power and wealth. We have named and mapped these financial institutions so that we can occupy them. Let's expose how Wall St. operates in our midst, attacking our communities, homes, education, environment, democracy, livelihood, and well being. Let's push back against corporate power, overthrow the rule of the 1% and its legal foundation of corporate personhood. Let's build a better world!
Occupiers there have asked people, groups, movements, and communities from San Francisco, the Bay Area, and across California to walk out of school or work, self-organize, and take action to disrupt business-as-usual. If you're interested in joining them, click here for more informationand resources!
Posted 5 days ago on Jan. 10, 2012, 5:40 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Wednesday, January 11th
3pm-4pm leafletting at 43rd St and 7th Ave
4pm March to the Nigerian Consulate at 44th St and 2nd Ave
5pm Rally at the Nigerian Consulate
On Facebook
Called by an affinity group of participants in the Occupy Movement in NYC working against the NDAA:
This upcoming Wednesday, January 11th is the 10 year anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay Prison. This day is a somber recognition of previous repressive state measures that violate not only people on individual levels, but our international agreements on Universal Human Rights. We will be protesting in solidarity with others all over the world.
The Nigerian people are striking that same day, after the Nigerian government cut oil subsidies for citizens January 1st 2012. In response, blocked the shipping routes and shut down petrol stations this past Tuesday. Though it was a peaceful protest, the state attacked the protesters with teargas and gunfire, killing 23 year old Mustapha Opobiyi. This mirrors the systemic state violence witnessed world-wide over the past year since the beginning of the Arab Spring -- but this ongoing repression builds resistance.
As we know in the United States, repression is on the rise. Between the continued use of inhumane prisons like Guantanamo Bay and the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2012, people in the US are becoming more and more aware of the injustices of this globalized corporate system. We stand in solidarity with the Nigerian people and all victims of this system. We also see the inconsistency of the US government's support of pro-democracy movements when it is actively derailing the very democracy it claims to protect.
We call on you to join us in fighting back against state repression!
Also, this Saturday, January 14th, Occupy Nigeria-New York will be marching on the United Nations. We encourage all to join them in solidarity:
United Nations, New York (1st Avenue between 45 St & 46 St)
Date: Saturday January 14th, 2012
Time: 12 noon - 3pm
Join R&B Superstar and activist Banky W, Fuji legend Adewale Ayuba and other prominent Nigerians in the rally for change. Tell one, tell all, bring your friends and family and stand united to protest the removal of the oil subsidy in Nigeria, the killing of protesters and activist, the gross mismanagement of our resources and economy by our corrupt, and inept leadership who have become pawns in the hands of the greedy IMF and World Bank. Speak up and let your voice be heard.
Posted 6 days ago on Jan. 9, 2012, 4:43 a.m. EST by OccupyWallStMartin Luther King, Jr.'s BirthdayJanuary 15th, 2012 @ 7:00pm in Each Time Zone Globally
Via J15global.com: On his birthday and in the spirit of Dr. King's vision for racial and economic equality, peace, and non-violence, we are holding candlelight vigils to unite our world in a global movement for systemic change.
Wherever we may be, whether in our homes, in city squares, online, Occupies, or at work, we lift a beautiful message high above the political dialogue. We light the dream of a more equitable world in our hearts. We can overcome!
Dr. King said "A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and say: 'This is not just.' "
Vigils are being organized around the world -- from California to Cairo, New York to New Orleans, Germany to Nova Scotia. Pete Seeger, K'naan, Ramy Essam, Sol Guy, Joan Baez, Steve Earle and many more have committed their support.
We gather to empower a great and global dream, a dream we have all dreamt of for thousands of years. We will sing, because freedom songs are the soul of the movement.. Together, we will make the dream a reality.
Help turn this moment into a world-wide wave of light:
- Like our Facebook page and share with your friends.
- Follow @J15global on Twitter.
- Call a friend and make a plan to light a candle together.
- Organize a vigil on your block or in your town.
- Return to Facebook to post your ideas and see what others are planning.
Posted 1 week ago on Jan. 7, 2012, 7:53 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
With the IMF and the Nigerian administration forcing more cuts on the people, especially an 8 billion dollars cut on fuel subsidies causing an inflation in the nigerian cost of life, occupations and protests across the country grew. They were met with heavy handed police repression last week, with three dead across the country.
The Nigerian Labor Congress, Africa's largest union, with 4 million members, is now calling for a general strike of all its affiliate unions in support of the country's also striking oil workers, starting on January 9th.
In solidarity with Occupy Nigeria, EIE and other Nigerian movements, the occupy movement in the US is calling for local protests.
OccupyDC will hold a solidarity rally monday at 11 am, starting at McPherson square.
Details coming soon for other solidarity actions.
Posted 1 week ago on Jan. 6, 2012, 6:12 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
"Occupy Portland calls for a day of non-violent direct action to reclaim our voices and challenge our society’s obsession with profit and greed by shutting down the corporations. We are rejecting a society that does not allow us control of our future. We will reclaim our ability to shape our world in a democratic, cooperative, just and sustainable direction.
We call on the Occupy Movement and everyone seeking freedom and justice to join us in this day of action.
There has been a theft by the 1% of our democratic ability to shape and form the society in which we live and our society is steered toward the destructive pursuit of consumption, profit and greed at the expense of all else.
We call on people to target corporations that are part of the American Legislative Exchange Council which is a prime example of the way corporations buy off legislators and craft legislation that serves the interests of corporations and not people. They used it to create the anti-labor legislation in Wisconsin and the racist bill SB 1070 in Arizona among so many others. They use ALEC to spread these corporate laws around the country.
In doing this we begin to recreate our democracy. In doing this we begin to create a society that is organized to meet human needs and sustain life.
On February 29th, we will reclaim our future from the 1%. We will shut down the corporations and recreate our democracy.
Join us! Leap into action! Reclaim our future! Shut down the corporations!
*This action received unanimous consensus from the Portland General Assembly on Sunday January 1st, 2012."
Posted 1 week ago on Jan. 3, 2012, 7:52 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
2011 will be remembered as a year of revolution, the beginning of the end for an unsustainable global system based on poverty, oppression, and violence. In dozens of countries across the Arab world, people rose up against broken economies and oppressive regimes, toppling dictators and inspiring the world to action. Popular rejection of austerity measures and attacks on worker's rights brought millions to the streets in Greece, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, Chile, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.
By midsummer, murmurs of "occupying Wall Street” were stirring online, and on July 14th, we registered the domain occupywallst.org and began organizing. The first New York City General Assembly was held August 2nd and the Occupation of Liberty Square began on September 17th. Fueled by anger at the growing disparities between rich and poor, frustrated by government policies that benefit a tiny elite at the expense of the majority, and tired of the establishment’s failure to address fundamental economic inequalities, OWS offered a new solution. We built a People’s Kitchen to feed thousands, opened a People’s Library, created safer spaces, and provided free shelter, bedding, medical care, and other necessities to anyone who needed them. While cynics demanded we elect leaders and make demands on politicians, we were busy creating alternatives to those very institutions. A revolution has been set in motion, and we cannot be stopped.As the mainstream media ignored us, we learned from other leaderless resistance movements in places like Tunisia, Egypt, and Iran to use social media and live video streaming to spread our message. We are part of a global movement that has radically democratized how information is created and shared, rendering centralized, corporate-funded mainstream media increasingly irrelevant. The rapid exchange of information allowed us to make collective decisions quickly, discuss information and ideas across the globe, mobilize effective direct actions, and document police brutality. Now more than ever, when we chant “The Whole World Is Watching!” it is not an idle threat.
Today, tens of thousands of everyday people are putting ideals like solidarity, mutual aid, anti-oppression, autonomy, and direct democracy into practice. Individuals are joining together in city-wide General Assemblies and autonomous affinity groups. Through consensual, non-hierarchical, and participatory self-governance, we are literally laying the framework for a new world by building it here and now -- and it works.
The rest is history. In honor of a new year, here is a run-down of what we accomplished since then. It would be impossible to list every action or mention every place an Occupation has occurred. But let us start a new year by celebrating a few highlights of our victories -- along with a sneak preview of what's to come!
Posted 1 week ago on Jan. 2, 2012, 1:33 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tuesday, Jan. 3rd 12PM - 5PM (EST)
New York Public Library, 455 5th Ave, Manhattan (5th Ave and 42nd St.)
(B/D/F/M to 42nd/Bryant Pk, 7 to 5th Ave, 4/5/6/S to Grand Central)
A call has been put out to let our government know the people will not tolerate any more attacks on our rights!
January 3rd will be a spontaneous show of people power in reaction to Obama’s treasonous signing of the National Defense Authorization Act. Not only does this act violate our first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth amendments, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but this Act was signed quietly this past New Years Eve violating what little trust remained between the people and their established government. We see what’s happening here, and we will not stand for it.
Tentative Schedule for Day of Action:
7:30AM (All Day) – OWS solidarity with the New York State Nurses Association Strike at St. Lukes (1111 Amsterdam Ave and 112th Street) and Roosevelt Hospital (1000 10th Ave and 59th Street.)
12PM – Press Conference at NYPL (Bryant Park)
2PM – Office Demonstration at Senator Gillibrand’s office (780 3rd Ave.)
3PM – Office Demonstration at Senator Schumer’s office (757 3rd Ave.)
4PM – Rally at Rockefeller Plaza
5PM – Flash check about NDAA in Grand Central for commuters.
After, we plan to march up 5th ave to do a demo tour of 1 percent homes.
(above subject to change at on short notice.)
Please Help Spread the Word and Please Help Fight Back.
Posted 2 weeks ago on Dec. 31, 2011, 4:02 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
MIDNIGHT UPDATE: Liberty Square has been retaken. New York, get down there now! See below for Live updates from the ground.
Tonight, expect a General Assembly in Liberty Square at 7pm, a noise demo in front of the Manhattan jail at 9pm, regrouping en masse at Liberty Square between 10pm and midnight, then partying in the streets as we go mobile. See here for full plans for the night! GAs, protests, and parties are also taking place at Occupations in Boston, Oakland, DC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tampa, Bloomington, Toronto, Amsterdam, Tahir Square in Cairo, and elsewhere across the world. Find your local Occupy and come out if you can! What better way to bring in the new year than making a New Year's REVOLUTION? Read More...
Posted 2 weeks ago on Dec. 31, 2011, 3:19 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
2011 was an amazing awakening. Let's start 2012 off right! Come celebrate with thousands of other members of the 99%, at our park and in the streets, as we make our special New Years Revolution together. Bring a drum! Bring your instrument! In the 2 hours before, we will reclaim our park and the area around it.
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Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.
This #ows movement empowers real people to create real change from the bottom up. We want to see a general assembly in every backyard, on every street corner because we don't need Wall Street and we don't need politicians to build a better society. the only solution isWorldRevolution
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