Houston Port Action Conference Call

[Occupy Austin]

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Peace Love <occup...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Subject: Conference Call


Hey Everyone!

This is the website to registrar for the conference call today at 5pm central. Please pass it on. We would love for as many occupations to be able to participate. This call is to discuss and inform about the 12.12.11 march on the Port of Houston.

http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/94GGP7N2KIQ97I7V

[Occupy Austin]

Some more info:

As of right now, OccupyNow! and Houston have collaborated to push Port
Action on the 12th, here in Texas. We are asking all Texas Occupy's to
converge and push this mass action as it is now supported by both
Oakland and Wall Street, for Occupy the Gulf Coast.

We will be going to Occupy Houston a couple days early to coordinate
and we will be marching on the ports.
We will also be holding conference calls for planning.

http://twitter.com/occupytheport

http://www.facebook.com/pages/OccupyNow/302718846423919

> http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/94GGP7N2KI...

[Elizabeth Brossa]

This is a big action and it will take careful planning to pull it off. I think that the Port of Oakland shutdown was one of the most successful actions that the Occupy movement has seen thus far. That action happened less than a week after Occupy Oakland was raided and Scott Olsen was hospitalized and they had a city-wide strike fueled by indignation behind them. At least 40,000 people (and perhaps as many as 100,000) marched to the Port of Oakland during the shutdown. Also, and this is very important, Mayor Quan of Oakland and the OPD were facing backlash from the Occupy Oakland raids and as a result there was almost no police presence during this action. I make these points because there needs to be a degree of realism regarding the momentum needed to accomplish an action like this and the obstacles that will be faced.

Is there anyone with civil disobedience training that is helping to coordinate this action? I think that civil disobedience and disruption are very important tools for activists, but I also think that they should not be entered into lightly. Anyone participating needs to understand beforehand that they may be arrested and know how to comply peacefully with police officers while resisting non-violently. A certain amount of emotional fortitude is required as well.

Has anyone reached out to port workers? Most port workers are unionized under the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, but Texas workers are so rarely unionized that I'm not sure. As of right now, the ILWU is not supporting the West Coast Shutdown and some members have even gone on the record speaking out against it.

My understanding is that the West Coast Shutdown action is in response to the raids on Occupy camps and the police brutality. Would this action then be in solidarity with the camps that have been raided and/or protestors that have been brutalized? An action of this magnitude should have a clear message, IMO.

Please let me know when the next planning call will be and I will try to be on it.

In solidarity,
Elizabeth

[DB Coopa]

I feel this action should be in direct response to the degree of coordination employed the local governments of our cities towards our constitutionally backed demonstrations. Mayors of cities around the nation coordinated with one another to synchronize strikes on occupy camps. This level of coordination in response to an act of first amendment exercise is unlawful. Each city mayor had the authority to act on the behalf of their own jurisdiction, but did not have the right to coordinate raids with against a national movement with other mayors. This action indicates a de facto militaristic organizational structure was created via conference and decisions by one mayor may have impacted the citizens of another city. In my humble opinion, this is unlawful and betrays the restrictions of their jurisdiction.

This is getting out of control. CIty governments are engaging our movements with a disproportionate amount of police intervention. In some cities, such as LA and Oakland, the level of brutality has reached levels that require an immediate response by our movement on a national level. I urge everyone here to read this article I was passed earlier this evening. We must begin to emulate the response of our local governments. A violent attack on one of our groups is an attack on ALL of us. Please, read this personal account by one writer and tell me I am wrong in my assessment: http://myoccupylaarrest.blogspot.com/

DB Coopa.
Writer, Occupy Dallas.