Urgent - Occupy The Hood Boston message to Occupy Boston
Occupy The Hood
Since Occupy Boston released a
statement of solidarity with Occupy The Hood Boston we now seek to formalize
and further define OB’s relationship with Occupy The Hood.
Resolution passed by the Dewey Square General Assembly 10/20/11:
"Occupy Boston stands in solidarity with the Occupy the Hood rally taking
place Friday, October 21 at 6pm in Dudley Square Plaza.
Occupy Boston will activate our solidarity by sending volunteers to
appropriately assist and support the initiative with excitement, RESPECT, and
HUMILITY.
We hope to see Occupy the Hood grow into an inclusive and democratic step
towards unifying ALL the 99%.
We recognize that our support for initiatives like this one is part of a
process of listening to, learning from, and deepening our connections to many
more local community members, groups, and organizations."
Occupy The Hood Boston is working in conjunction with Occupy
The Hood National organizers - Ife (Detroit) & Malik (NYC) and Occupy The
Hood is active in the following Cities:
Pittsburgh, Seattle, Philly, Atlanta, Tacoma, Dallas, Nola, Cincinnati, Twin
Cities, Kalamazoo, Portland, Detroit, St. Louis, NY, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington
DC and Boston
Since adopting the mantle of Occupy The Hood Boston (comprised
of various organizations and activists) We have continued the work and actions
which we have been doing prior to the Occupy movement.
Several
successful actions have taken place:
Occupy The Hood – Community Speak Out & Rally 10/21
National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality 10/22
Move Your Money Bank Transfer Day 11/5
Occupy The Polls - Get Out The Vote 11/8
No to 3 Strikes Law S.2054 in MA 11/10
Occupy The Hood Feed The Hood Community Food Drive 11/11
Occupy
The Hood Boston has also supported several other efforts in addition to
pre-existing organizational efforts:
Ocupemos El Barrio 11/4 & 11/11
To Tell The Truth: Boys & Men Sexual Abuse Conference 11/5
42 Annual Tufts Black Solidarity Day 11/7
POC (People Of Color) Working Group (Every Sunday)
Occupy The Hood Boston has articulately delivered a clear and
consistent message highlighting the issues of People of Color who are disproportionately
affected by the pre-existing conditions now raised by the Occupy movement.
OTH Boston has been featured widely in local media BNN, NECN, WGBH,
Boston Herald, Boston Globe, NY Times, etc. and has pushed to diversify the 99%
by bringing new issues to the forefront: Incarceration, Police Brutality,
Educational Disparities, Problems of Guns & Drugs, Violence, Immigration
issues, etc. OTH Boston has hit the
streets in areas that Occupy Boston has not gone and in many cases are not from
or familiar with (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, etc.)
Occupy The Hood Boston Demands to Occupy Boston
1. Establish a day dedicated to People
of Color and the Issues of People of Color.
This will serve to combat the lack of diversity and provide people of color
with a dedicated space to voice their issues and organize. It can also help to
curb the tide of racism, sexism, white privilege and white supremacy that
exists.
2. Occupy Boston must clean itself up
and establish order. (Racism, Sexism, Drugs, Violence)
Members of Occupy The Hood Boston have visited the Dewey Sq. site and witnessed
chaos and confusion, threats, violence and attacks on women, drug use and sales and even
the suggestion of sex (unclear whether free sex or for a fee). Occupy The
Hood Boston highlights issues like Drug Abuse/Sales and Recovery and it is
problematic to be linked to a group who has been either unwilling or unable to curtail
the dangerous behaviors we witness every day and are organizing against. Occupy The Hood Boston is also comprised of
men who will not tolerate violence and abuse or marginalizing of women, in fact
many of us work on issues of domestic violence and sexism and there is no way
that this can be tolerated or ignored. It has been extremely difficult to
defend publicly or associate ourselves with OB which lacks a formal structure,
adequate security, discipline and experience. The
spirit of many of the OB’ers is beautiful and much needed but OB will not
survive if it does not work out its internal issues and every problem only
distracts from the overall goal, poisons the process and discredits Occupy Boston. Occupy The Hood Boston has much to lose as
all of us are from here and have pre-existing relationships with our community
and families who live here which supersede the Occupy agenda. We cannot risk
decades of work based on a non-thoroughly defined and new movement because
should this movement subside or fail. We will still be here whether called
Occupy The Hood Boston or returning to our various organizations working in
coalition and continuing the work. Racism and White Privilege have also been hindrances to forward progress and this has marginalized People of Color from fully participating in and benefiting from the process.
3. We need to establish a clear line of
communication
There have been several miscommunications and missed opportunities to
collaborate which have impeded forward movement. OB should provide OTHB with
all current contacts and pertinent cmte./working groups name, email, phone if
available. Occupy The Hood Boston has also offered to help out several times
with Web, Media and the Newspaper all of which we are proficient in to no response.
OTHB needs full support of and access to the internet capabilities of OB (Twitter,
Facebook, www, etc) All of OTHB public blasts
and events must go thru OB network as well.
4. We need the financial support of
Occupy Boston
- Currently Occupy Boston Globe has generated $9,355 in donations for the
purpose of printing a newspaper. Occupy The Hood Boston who has been printing
the Blackstonian Newspaper since 2002 provided many in OB media and Occupy
Boston Globe with the information for a printer; GDI Graphic Developments Inc. (781)
878-2222 which we have paid approx. $1200 for 10,000 16 page papers color cover
& centerfold and yet even with more funds necessary the paper has not been
produced.
- At last published count weeks ago, Occupy Boston had generated over $12,000
in donations. There have been questions of transparency, accusations of theft
and a much publicized removal of finance cmte. members. Still no one seems to
know who is controlling the money and the process by which to access funds is
cloudy and cumbersome.
- As a “Majority-Minority” city (Occupy The Hood Boston rejects the term
minority; using here for convenience) Boston is now 53% People of Color (Black@22%,
Latino @16%, Asian @7.5% and others) when deciding how to distribute funds
these factors should be considered.
- While the Occupy mvmt. has highlighted the 99% as a symbolic unifying term we
must not ignore the disparities that exist within the 99% and recognize various
People of Color who are disproportionately affected across the board on every
issue raised by the Occupy mvmt.
Occupy The Hood Boston is seeking funds
in 2 manners:
A. An initial $2000 donation from Occupy Boston to Occupy The Hood Boston which
will expand the reach of OTH Boston and produce a newspaper to inform and
engage communities of color. This newspaper will be mass produced and delivered
within 7 days of receipt of the donation. Occupy Boston and OWS will be
provided space within that paper for OB specific messaging.
A portion of the money (roughly $8-900) will also go to purchasing high quality food at a low cost for distribution to needy families as part of our Feed The Hood community food drive.
B. Occupy Boston supports Occupy The Hood Boston fundraising
efforts by sponsoring a fund drive, similar to Occupy Boston Globe, encouraging
the general public to contribute into a pool. If Occupy The Hood Boston
fundraising goal of $10,000 is met OTH Boston will contribute $1000 back into
Occupy Boston.
WEB: www.blackstonian.com/occupythehood
EMAIL: occupythe...@gmail.com
PHONE: 617-297-7721
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/OTHBoston
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/occupythehoodboston
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/occupythehoodboston
GOOGLE GROUP / MAILING LIST: http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-the-hood-boston | occupy-the-...@googlegroups.com
HASHTAGS / @S: #occupythehoodboston | #OTHB | #blackupyboston | #blackstonian| @OccupyTheHood | #occupythehood | #POCcupy | @POCworkinggroup