Protest Reports
Veteran For Peace member, Scott Olsen, a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed to Iraq, is in hospital now in stable but serious condition with a fractured skull, struck by a police projectile fired into a crowd in downtown Oakland, California in the early morning hours of today. Other people were injured in the assault and many were arrested after Oakland police in riot gear were ordered to evict people encamped in the ongoing "Occupy Oakland" movement. Olsen is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
VFP members are involved with dozens of these local "occupy movement" encampments and we support them fully. In Boston, for example, our members, wearing VFP shirts and carrying VFP flags, stood between a line of police and the encampment, urging police to "join the 99%" and not evict the protesters. In that case, several of our members were banged and bruised when the police decided instead to carry out their eviction orders.
VFP members are involved with dozens of these local "occupy movement" encampments and we support them fully. In Boston, for example, our members, wearing VFP shirts and carrying VFP flags, stood between a line of police and the encampment, urging police to "join the 99%" and not evict the protesters. In that case, several of our members were banged and bruised when the police decided instead to carry out their eviction orders.
Tunisian trade unionist and activist Jamel Betaeb, winner of the 2011 Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy, spoke with the Columbus Free Press Sunday evening at Freedom Plaza, as a few Arab Spring revolutionaries visited about 70 American Autumn revolutionaries and activists gathered on Freedom Plaza, one of two Occupy DC sites.
Wary of being co opted by big unions and the Democratic Party, the Occupy Movement is nonetheless a progressive form of populism. Betaeb and others like him inspire us. They are our counterparts in a global movement for fairness and justice. Our concern about good jobs for our communities is not based on xenophobic anger and fear.
Occupy Columbus unanimous in support of union fight to repeal SB5
The Occupy Columbus General Assembly has voted unanimous support to the union fight to repeal SB5. This is the first specific issue the local group has formally endorsed. Occupy Columbus met for its weekly General Assembly at Bicentennial Park Amphitheater last night (October 18).
Other issues of concern but not yet formally adopted by the group include publicly funded elections, over-reaching corporate influence in politics, home foreclosures, extraordinary debt incurred by college students, and protecting social safety programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and programs for women, children, the elderly and the poor.
The group also authorized their legal team to continue talks with City officials to obtain a site for their occupation camp. So far the City has stonewalled requests. A request to City Council to intervene on the group’s behalf was denied on Monday night.
The Occupy Columbus General Assembly has voted unanimous support to the union fight to repeal SB5. This is the first specific issue the local group has formally endorsed. Occupy Columbus met for its weekly General Assembly at Bicentennial Park Amphitheater last night (October 18).
Other issues of concern but not yet formally adopted by the group include publicly funded elections, over-reaching corporate influence in politics, home foreclosures, extraordinary debt incurred by college students, and protecting social safety programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and programs for women, children, the elderly and the poor.
The group also authorized their legal team to continue talks with City officials to obtain a site for their occupation camp. So far the City has stonewalled requests. A request to City Council to intervene on the group’s behalf was denied on Monday night.
October2011.org movement denounces the pollution of money from concentrated wealth.
Washington, DC: The October2011.org Movement that is occupying Freedom Plaza, led an impromptu march of 250 people up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S.Supreme Court where Dr. Cornel West climbed on the steps of the Supreme Court and denounced court decisions that have produced money-based elections that empower corporations. Dr. West was holding a sign that said "Poverty is the Greatest Violence of All." He was arrested because holding political signs on the Supreme Court steps is illegal.
Dr. West spoke to more than 500 people on Freedom Plaza where he said that "if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he would be on Freedom Plaza." West described how the struggle against, poverty, war and injustice continues and confidence that the people will succeed. He applauded the occupation as "an inclusive social revolution for all of us" and a "leaderless-leader-filled movement" where people are "finding their own political voices rather than echoing others."
Washington, DC: The October2011.org Movement that is occupying Freedom Plaza, led an impromptu march of 250 people up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S.Supreme Court where Dr. Cornel West climbed on the steps of the Supreme Court and denounced court decisions that have produced money-based elections that empower corporations. Dr. West was holding a sign that said "Poverty is the Greatest Violence of All." He was arrested because holding political signs on the Supreme Court steps is illegal.
Dr. West spoke to more than 500 people on Freedom Plaza where he said that "if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he would be on Freedom Plaza." West described how the struggle against, poverty, war and injustice continues and confidence that the people will succeed. He applauded the occupation as "an inclusive social revolution for all of us" and a "leaderless-leader-filled movement" where people are "finding their own political voices rather than echoing others."
More music at our gatherings would help move the movement, as would bigger signs enable more people in passing autos to be able to read what we have to say. But on this blustery vivid fall afternoon, we at least had Steve Schoonover come down here from Michigan and sing something by Coner Oberst of Bright Eyes.
Schoonover said people are waking up, realizing the power of moral ideas.
“We need to have some moral respect for people in a way we haven’t in a long time.”
Schoonover said building a movement requires clarity about tactics, strategy, and specific goals, as well as set of values and attitudes on which to base that sort of planning.
Dozens of people who are part of Occupy DC, camping out in Freedom Plaza and McPhearson Square, packed the line to get into the House Armed Services Committee where Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was testifying. Only 15 people were allowed in and none were allowed to even quietly hold up signs—a clear violation of their free speech
One by one, seven people who managed to get inside got up to protest the wars. CODEPINK Alli McCracken, 22, held up a sign saying “Fund My Education, Not Your Wars.” “My generation only knows war and a bankrupt country. We deserve better,” she yelled, as she was yanked out and handcuffed by Capitol Police. Also arrested was 21-year-old Iraq veteran Michael Patterson, who was sent—at the age of 18—to be an interrogator in Iraq. “You are murdering people; I saw what you do to people in Iraq!” he shouted. “Then you refuse to even take care of our veterans when they return.” Nancy Brennan, 63, asked “How many lives will be sacrificed? How many lies will be told?” as she was arrested.
The protesters who were left in the hallway and not allowed inside chanted, “We are the 99 percent and we don’t support these wars.”
One by one, seven people who managed to get inside got up to protest the wars. CODEPINK Alli McCracken, 22, held up a sign saying “Fund My Education, Not Your Wars.” “My generation only knows war and a bankrupt country. We deserve better,” she yelled, as she was yanked out and handcuffed by Capitol Police. Also arrested was 21-year-old Iraq veteran Michael Patterson, who was sent—at the age of 18—to be an interrogator in Iraq. “You are murdering people; I saw what you do to people in Iraq!” he shouted. “Then you refuse to even take care of our veterans when they return.” Nancy Brennan, 63, asked “How many lives will be sacrificed? How many lies will be told?” as she was arrested.
The protesters who were left in the hallway and not allowed inside chanted, “We are the 99 percent and we don’t support these wars.”
Thanks in large part to the New York and national corporate media a massive campaign to shift power away from giant corporations and into the hands of the people is now afoot all across this continent. It was inspired by peoples' nonviolent uprisings in other countries and sparked by courageous nonviolence on Wall Street.
Can we keep it going and growing despite the unreliability of the corporate media? When the television networks created Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, for us -- following the courageous stand taken by Cindy Sheehan -- they later turned against the movement and against Cindy. Already they are working to depict our occupations as violent, misdirected, undirected, and impotent.
Can we keep it going and growing despite the unreliability of the corporate media? When the television networks created Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, for us -- following the courageous stand taken by Cindy Sheehan -- they later turned against the movement and against Cindy. Already they are working to depict our occupations as violent, misdirected, undirected, and impotent.
That's what we chanted, passing groups of male cops. Some of them appeared to respond or react by squinting and tightening their shoulders and jaws. Don't know who among the 60 of us marchers started the chant, but it seems to have been a playful, taste-of-your-own-medicine challenge to patriarchy. What role does feminism play in the occupations going on around the country ?
The majority of the organizers for the October 2011 occupation of Freedom Plaza are women. And women seem to have played a leading role in opposing our nation's militarism by way of--among other means--Code Pink, an organization named in defiance of post-9/11 color-coded terrorism threat levels.
We want everyone that is able to come down to the capital of our great state of Ohio to show unity in our efforts to eliminate corporate influence in our government. Bring copies of the original Occupy Wall Street grievances to pass, a sign, snacks, blankets, dedication, etc. to help contribute to our cause. No contribution is too small.
Please come down whenever you can to show support. This movement takes boots on the ground, not fingers on keyboards. If you come down and only see a few people, don't be discouraged -- every person who takes time out of their day, even if it's an hour, gives credibility to our cause. If you feel misrepresented, disenfranchised, or sold out by our government -- the government of the people -- then please give your time to the occupation.
WE ARE THE 99%
Occupy Columbus Occupy Columbus 10/10/11 Columbus Day at the Statehouse
Photos from Oct. 10 event
Oct 10 event
Please come down whenever you can to show support. This movement takes boots on the ground, not fingers on keyboards. If you come down and only see a few people, don't be discouraged -- every person who takes time out of their day, even if it's an hour, gives credibility to our cause. If you feel misrepresented, disenfranchised, or sold out by our government -- the government of the people -- then please give your time to the occupation.
WE ARE THE 99%
Occupy Columbus Occupy Columbus 10/10/11 Columbus Day at the Statehouse
Photos from Oct. 10 event
Oct 10 event