RE-OCCUPY YOUR PUBLIC SPACE ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.S HOLIDAY

From Food Not Bombs:

A Proposal for a coordinated
RE-OCCUPATION OF PUBLIC SPACE in honor of the goals of Martin Luther King Jr. January 13-16, 2012

"Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And
you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when
you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the
information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers
but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t
have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So
when storms come, they get washed away."

Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now by Naomi
Klein - October 7, 2011

The occupation movement is the most important movement of our lives. I
get calls everyday from average middle American asking how they can
help, calling to say they are so proud of everyone, some even coming to
tears expressing that we just had to succeed.

The corporate media is seeking to claim that the police have
successfully swept away or movement but as you know this is just the
beginning. Reporters claiming that we have "moved" to walking from town
to town or other valid actions that should be supported but the
occupations are the action that is applying pressure and providing a
space for innovation and community.

We have the corporations and their governments really freighted. They
have a coordinated media and police campaign to shut us down but their
logic while effective in the short run won't work for long if we
continue to reclaim public space. Even if this means we must survive a
wave of evictions at some point there will be another critical event,
news of a national default or major bank failure, U.S. government
failing to continue unemployment payments or government shut down. News
that points to the fact that we are sliding into a great depression and
harsh austerity policies are necessary to transfer more of our resources
to the one percent. Our continued presence will provide a visible place
for those not yet living at the occupations to join us as their personal
situation changes or revulsion at the bold disregard shown by the
corporate state is so strong they feel they must take action.

As has been the case in past years the media will start to announce
that holiday sales just weren't as good as first predicted in mid
January. The re-writing of Martin Luther King Jr's legacy will be in
full swing as usual, this year with special effort to ignore the fact
that he would have been one of the first to sleep at Occupy Wall Street.

If there is a link it will be an attempt by the Democratic Party to
strengthen the connection between King and Obama with their special
effort to ignore the impact of Wall Street on the policies adopted or
not adopted by the president over the past four years. It is time to
dust off our copies of King's last book "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos
or Community?" and remind America that King would most likely be
attending our General Assemblies and encouraging us to Re- Occupy Public
Space after each eviction.

What would be a more fitting way to celebrate the legacy of one of
America's most dedicated nonviolent advocates for the 99% then to
Re-Occupy Public Space during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday?

The hundreds of Occupations that have not been evicted or have returned
can remind our communities that news of our demise was premature. For
the other occupations that have been driven from public space we could
return with large card board paintings of our tents and spend the
holiday demonstrating the absurdity of clearing public space of our
message at a time when half our people are struggling to survive
according to the U.S. Census. America is not alone as we can see. The
Euro zone is collapsing as resistance to bank bailouts continues. The
Chinese and Indian economies are teetering and resistance is growing
there as well. People all over the world are resisting the austerity
measures proposed by the One Percent. Economic leaders announce daily
that the global economy is on the brink of disaster. If we don't shop
our way out of this crisis 2012 will be the big end we have been
promised. Or more likely the new beginning we know is necessary. What
is more important? Clean sidewalks and undisturbed lawns or the future
of our country and the world?

Our work is not finished. We have made it clear that we must take money
out of politics and replace it with democracy. We are the lobby of the
99% seeking a new economic and political system even as the current
crisis continues to force our friends and family into poverty.

January's economic news and reality will dramatize the continued need
for our occupations. Lets continue to talk and introduce some of these
ideas at the next General Assembly.

A. Organize a campaign of Re-Occupation during the Martin Luther King
Jr. holiday arriving first with paintings and other "images" of tents to
challenge the logic of restrictions against tents in addition to all
other types of culture jamming actions.

B. Continue the global dialog seeking a transition from the current
failed political and economic system to a post capitalist "real"
democratic future.

C. Strengthen inter occupation communication of ideas, solutions and
calls for global days of action.

D. Consider adopting some simple guidelines such as a dedication to
nonviolence, that the food is free for everyone without restriction,
that decisions will be make by consensus at the General Assembly and
that drugs and alcohol are not to be consumed at the occupation.

E. Encourage local officials to end their efforts to drive the
occupations and tents off of public space with petitions, meetings,
participation in public hearings and all other nonviolent actions.
Remind city officials that the UN and other international organizations
support our right to continue these very important occupations.

It is time for Obama Administration and city officials to stop their
efforts to evict our occupations. Clean pavement and healthy lawns are
not even close in importance as seeking solutions to the global crisis
and as we can see our presence occupying public space has been the
catalyst for this discussion. We know this from first hand experience.
Decades of marches, rallies, phone calls, letters, law suits and public
comment at hearings just didn't push the debate into public conscience.
The occupations did and will if we don't let ourselves be pushed out of
sight and out of mind. And I am sure your local Food Not Bombs group
will be happy to do what they can to support the kitchens so don't worry
about needing to eat. We aren't going any where.

Thanks for your consideration.
Keith McHenry

A modest proposal from Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry after
speaking with other activists about our transition and the corporate
media's attempt to clam our movement is history. Not an official idea
from a GA but hopefully one that will be discussed at your GA. I have
been a participant in GA's, kitchens and resident of at least 15
occupations so far with more to come.

ARTICLES TO SUPPORT THE SPIRIT OF THIS PROPOSAL

Why Tents (Still) Matter for the Occupy Movement by Jen Schradie
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/11/24-1

Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now by Naomi
Klien
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/10/07-0


Top GOP Strategist Admits He’s ‘Scared’ Of Occupy Wall Street Because
It’s ‘Having An Impact’ by Zaid Jilani
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/12/01-3#.TtfFTyYTztk

U.N. Envoy: U.S. Isn't Protecting Occupy Protesters' Rights
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/occupy-wall-street-un-envoy_n_1125860.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref

Today is a National Day of Action!!! Celebrate 2 Months of This Profound Social Movement for 99% of the World's People!!!

From Democracy Now!

National Day of Action Kicks Off Third Month of OWS

Protests are being held across the country today as part of a national day of action marking the two-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Here in New York, organizers have been distributing posters reading "Shut Down Wall Street! Occupy the Subways! Take the Square!" The massive day of action comes just two days after New York police raided the Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Square and tore down the encampment. On Wednesday, the Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy addressed Occupy Wall Street protesters at the Judson Memorial Church in Washington Square Park.

Arundhati Roy: "The Occupy movement has joined thousands of other resistance movements all over the world in which the poorest of people are standing up and stopping the richest corporations in their tracks. Few of us dreamed that we would see you, the people of the United States, on our side, trying to do this in the heart of empire."

95 Arrested at Bank of America in San Francisco

In San Francisco, 95 protesters were arrested on Wednesday after occupying a Bank of America branch in the financial district. The demonstrators pitched a tent inside the branch before they were detained. The action came as part of an Occupy march through downtown San Francisco to denounce tuition hikes and budget cuts at University of California schools.

This third headline is related of course, but somewhat detached from the OWS movements. However, it goes to shows that as unfortunate as it is, President Obama is just another face in the crowd of so called leaders of hegemony and empire. With so much happening on the ground at home, with so many of the poorest people, the 99%, those who need the most assistance calling for help at home right now, why is energy being placed on establishing a permanent military presence in Australia? Why? Because that's what empires do, especially when they're worried about an impending change in the guard that is inevitable, and arguably has already happened...

U.S. Establishes Permanent Military Presence in Australia

The Obama administration has unveiled plans for a permanent military presence in Australia. Starting next summer, the U.S. will deploy 250 marines for six-month tours, eventually reaching a force of 2,500 troops. Speaking before the Australian parliament, President Obama said the U.S. military presence in the Pacific is "here to stay."

President Obama: "So here’s what this region must know. As we end today’s wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and mission in the Asia Pacific a top priority. As a result, reductions in U.S. defense spending will not—I repeat, will not—come at the expense of the Asia Pacific. My guidance is clear, because we plan and budget for the future. We will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region. The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay."

How Can This Brutality Against Non-Violent Protesters Be Tolerated?

Courtesy of: rt.com



Almost forty University of California students were arrested and dozens of others suffered bruises and abrasions following a police crackdown on an attempted encampment at a local plaza on Wednesday.

“We had the tents set up for about a half an hour when the police decided they wanted to shut down the camp,” student protester Erick Uribe recalled in an interview with RT. “What the students did is they set up a human wall around the tents. Soon after that, the police approached with full force in riot gear, with batons. We had no intention to move, but they jabbed some of us repeatedly in the stomach, pulling people onto the floor and arresting them.”

Hundreds of protesters had gathered at the town’s Sproul Plaza to protest against tuition fee increases and public education funding cuts.

Following the line of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, they planned on setting up an encampment.

While the police had allowed them to use the Plaza as a gathering spot at any time, camping out was strictly prohibited.

University officials addressed the crowd offering a compromise, but were given a negative response. After that the police pushed their way through the human chain and took the tents down by force, prompting a reaction from the crowd.

Remove Dams from the Klamath River Now!

This is a clear example of a multifaceted land-use conflict that connects issues socially, economically, politically and environmentally. It also speaks to justice driven holistic sustainable land-use policy that ultimately promotes peace and well-being for all affected parties.

From EPIC:

Tell the Secretary of the Interior to Remove Dams on the Klamath River Now!

Comment Deadline: November 21, 2011

Dams on the Klamath River must come down to restore Coho and Chinook salmon runs to their historic spawning grounds. Right now, the federal government is considering a proposal to remove the dams beginning in 2020. It is critical that government officials hear from you now to advance the restoration of the Klamath River. Please take a moment to submit your comments before the deadline of November 21, 2011. We encourage you to be original, and consider EPIC’s key points to include in your comments.

Follow this link to Take Action Now!

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/action-alert-remove-dams-on-the-klamath-river-now/

EPIC encourages you to include the following points in your comments:

1. I support the immediate removal of all dams on the Klamath River and its tributaries.

2. I also support the restoration of all historic wetlands and marshes in the upper Klamath basin, including Lower Klamath Lake, Tule Lake and Upper Klamath Lake.

3. The restoration activities must also improve conditions for salmon on the Scott and Shasta Rivers.

4. In addition, I demand that an absolute minimum flow of 1,300 cubic feet per second at the Iron Gate gauge be established for the dry season. The National Marine Fisheries Service has required a minimum flow at Iron Gate pursuant to biological opinions to comply with the Endangered Species Act, and therefore the Secretary should include a minimum flow for fish.

5. Lastly, the Secretary of Interior should ensure that more water from the Trinity River stay within the watershed so that increased water flows in the dry season to assist salmon migration in the Lower Klamath River.

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and Occupy Everywhere (OE)

It's almost surreal. Massive grassroots movements have been sprouting up all over the U.S., even internationally, and the people's collective voice is being heard. It's about the 99%, not just the top 1% the capitalist system serves. People are pissed, and finally it seems the proletariat's are rising up against the bourgeoisie.

The movement has grown, starting in Wall Street, the center of the capitalist state, but they have spread far and wide. However, the police state continues to attack peaceful, nonviolent protesters. This link,

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/27/iraq_war_vet_hospitalized_with_fractured

will bring you to the story of Scott Olsen, a 24 year old Iraq war vet who was shot by police in Oakland and brought to the hospital with a fractured skull. He was protesting peacefully.

Ultimately this link, http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street

will get you up to speed on what's been happening, where/why, and how you can get involved. An economic system designed for the top 1% to thrive while it feeds off of the bottom 99% supporting everything else is completely unsustainable. It always has been and always will be. But to those with the wealth and power, who have benefited from the system for so long, why would they want to equalize and relinquish power? There are no safeguards from an environmental or social perspective when such a overarching system is in place to serve so little that wield such power. Read these links, learn, get educated, and whether you find yourself on the street tomorrow, or writing an opinion piece to your local paper later tonight, locate what moves you the most about this movement and act. There's a revolution brewing, and now more than ever, we need help from any and every direction!!!

In Solidarity,
PJS

This Day Never Was, And Will Never Be A Holiday: Why Columbus Day Celebrates Colonization and Genocide

I'm reposting this article, which I believe does a very good job of explaining why this day is not, and will never be a holiday.


From: http://www.dickshovel.com/colum.html

Why Autonomous AIM Opposes Columbus Day and Columbus Day Parades © by Glenn Morris and Russell Means

When Taino Indians saved Christopher Columbus from certain death on the fateful morning of Oct. 12, 1492, a glorious opportunity presented itself. The cultures Europe of and the Americas could have merged and the beauty of both races could have flourished.
Unfortunately, what occurred was neither beautiful nor heroic. Just as Columbus could not, and did not, "discover" a hemisphere that was already inhabited by nearly 100 million people, his arrival cannot, and will not, be recognized as a heroic and celebratory event by indigenous peoples.

Unlike the Western tradition, which presumes some absolute concept of objective truth, and consequently, one "factual" depiction of history, the indigenous view recognizes that there exist many truths in the world and many legitimate recollections of any given historical event, depending on one's perspective and experiences.

From an indigenous vantage point, Columbus' arrival was a disaster from the beginning. Although his own diaries indicated that he was greeted by the Taino Indians with the most generous hospitality he had ever known, he immediately began the enslavement and slaughter of the Indian peoples of the Caribbean islands. As the eminent Columbus biographer Samuel Eliot Morison admits in his book, Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Columbus was personally responsible for enslavement and murder of indigenous peoples. He was personally responsible for the design and operation of the encomienda system that tied Indians as slaves to the lands stolen from them by the European invaders.

As detailed in the American Heritage Magazine (October,1976), Columbus personally oversaw the genocide of the Taino Indian nation of what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Consequently, this murderer, despite his historical notoriety, deserves no recognition or accolades as a hero; he deserves no respect as a visionary; and he is not worthy of a state or national holiday in his honor.

Defenders of Columbus and his holiday argue that indigenous peoples unfairly judge Columbus, a 15th century actor, by the moral and legal standards of the late 20th century. Such a defense implies that no moral or legal constraints applied to individuals such as Columbus, or countries, in 1492. As Roger Williams details in his book, The American Indian in Western Legal Thought, not only were there European moral and legal principles in 1492, but they largely favored the rights of indigenous peoples to be free from unjustified invasion and pillage by Europeans.

Unfortunately, the issue of Columbus and Columbus Day is not easily resolvable with a disposition of Columbus, the man. Columbus Day as a national, and international, phenomenon reflects a much larger dynamic that promotes myriad myths and historical lies that have been used through the ages to dehumanize Indians, justifying the theft of our lands, the attempted destruction of our nations, and the genocide against our people. Since the 15th Century, the myth of Columbus' discovery has been used in the development of laws and policies that reek of Orwell's doublespeak: theft equals the righteous spread of civilization, genocide is God's deliverance of the wilderness from the savages, and the destruction of Indian societies implies the superiority of European values and institutions over indigenous ones.

Columbus Day is a perpetuation of racist assumptions that the Western Hemisphere was a wasteland cluttered with savages awaiting the blessings of Western "civilization." Throughout the hemisphere, educational systems perpetuate these myths - suggesting that indigenous peoples have contributed nothing to the world, and, consequently, should be grateful for their colonization and their microwave ovens.

As Alfred Crosby, Kirkpatrick Sale, and Jack Weatherford have illustrated in their books, not only was the Western Hemisphere a virtual ecological and health paradise prior to 1492, but the Indians of the Americas have been responsible for such revolutionary global contributions as the model for U.S. constitutional government, agricultural advances that currently provide 60 percent of the world's daily diet, and hundreds of medical and medicinal techniques still in use today.

If you find it difficult to believe that Indians had developed highly complex and sophisticated societies, then you have been victimized by an educational and social system that has given you a retarded, distorted view of history. The operation of this view has also enabled every country in this hemisphere, including the U.S., to continue its destruction of Indian peoples. From the jungles of Brazil to the highlands of Guatemala, from the Chaco of Paraguay to the Supreme Court of the United States, Indian people remain in a perpetual state of danger from the systems that Christopher Columbus began in 1492.

Throughout the Americas, Indian people remain at the bottom of every socioeconomic indicator, we are under continuing physical attack, and are afforded the least access to economic, political, or legal redress. Despite these constant and unbridled assaults, we have resisted, we have survived, and we refuse to surrender any more of our homeland or to disappear into the romantic sunset.

To dignify Columbus and his legacy with parades, holidays and other celebrations is intolerable to us. As the original peoples of this land, we cannot, and will not, countenance social and political festivities that celebrate our genocide. We are embarking on a two- pronged campaign in the quincentenary year to confront the continuing racism against Indian people.

First, we are advocating that the divisive Columbus Day holiday should be replaced by a celebration that is much more inclusive and more accurately reflective of the cultural and racial richness of the Americas. Such a holiday will provide respect and acknowledgement to every group and individual of the importance and value of their heritage, and will allow a more honest and accurate portrayal of the evolution of the hemisphere. It will also provide an opportunity for greater understanding and respect as our societies move ahead into the next 500 years. Opponents to this suggestion react as though this proposal is an attack on ancient time-honored holiday, but Columbus Day has been a national holiday only since 1971 - and in 1991, hopefully, we can correct the errors of the past, moving forward in an atmosphere of mutual respect and inclusiveness.

Second, and related to the first, is the advancement of an active militant campaign to demand that federal, state, and local authorities begin the removal of anti-Indian icons throughout the country. Beginning with Columbus, we are insisting on the removal of statues, street names, public parks, and any other public object that seeks to celebrate or honor devastators of Indian peoples. We will take an active role of opposition to public displays, parades, and celebrations that champion Indian haters. We encourage others, in every community in the land, to educate themselves and to take responsibility for the removal of anti-Indian vestiges among them.

For people of goodwill, there is no better time for the re-examination of the past, and a rectification of the historical record for future generations, than the 500th anniversary of Columbus' arrival. There is no better place for this re-examination to begin than in Colorado, the birthplace of the Columbus Day holiday.

Russell Means and Glenn Morris wrote this position statement
in 1991 on behalf of the American Indian Movement of Colorado,
1574 South Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO

Are You Going To Be In Phoenix This Wednesday, 9/21? | Manu Chao!!!!!

From The Alto AZ Campaign:

Join us in Phoenix, Arizona, for a historic "Festival de Resistencia."

On Wednesday, September 21st, Manu Chao will give a free benefit concert to celebrate the years of community resistance against anti-immigrant hate legislation in Arizona. The concert will also serve as a renewed national commitment to the Arizona Boycott - "La Huelga del Pueblo."

Resistance by the people of Arizona, led by the Comités de Defensa del Barrio (CDBs), has served to inspire and mobilize thousands of communities across the country. The CDBs are now looking to implement new boycott actions against the financial supporters of politicians and organizations who promote hate legislation. The power and determination of these resistance actions is demonstrated by the successful ballot initiative to recall State Senate President, Russell Pearce, set for November 8th. We're building our economic and political power and we plan to exercise it.

Manu Chao believes in the struggle for human dignity and has joined forces with the Comités de Defensa del Barrio and the AltoArizona campaign.

You can also be part of this resistance by helping us support community organizing in Arizona and by engaging in the ongoing efforts of the CDBs and other local groups.

Donate and Get Involved:

CAN YOU DONATE $10, $25, $50 OR MORE?

If you have already donated, Thank You. We have received over $1000 toward our goal and appreciate all that you've contributed.

If you haven't donated yet, please consider making one today to help cover the costs of production.

We make this request respectfully, knowing that these are challenging economic times. So we are reaching out to those who believe in our struggle, who stand for human rights and dignity, and who believe that love can conquer fear and bigotry. We call out to those who believe that no human being can ever be "illegal."

The Festival of Resistance is being organized as a family focused event and celebration for Civil Rights, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights and the Rights of Mother Earth. The event will be FREE of charge. There will be no drugs, alcohol or weapons allowed. It will be a peaceful celebration that will be remembered for a long time to come.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

Pablo Alvarado
Director of NDLON

P.S.

Please RSVP on Facebook and share with your friends here: http://on.fb.me/manu-az-concert