Friday, November 18, 2011

Occupy Portland / Occupy Wall Street / Occupy Together: A proposal for the next phase

From 2011-11-17 (Occupy Portland - N17)

Found by David Finn, originally posted by Rob Solomon on 11-17-11...

OK, Occupy Wall Street protesters, you have the world listening, it's time to stop wandering around and act with a plan. Since you can't seem to figure out one, I’ll help you out.
You want to make real changes, then do it the right way. Hold a real meeting without any protesting or threat of violence and invite all the legislators in your district to attend. Present them with a concrete plan. Tell them if they want our vote then support our cause. Ask them who is willing to stand up and carry the banner for the 99%.
Politicians want to get elected and tell them this is what we want for our vote:
1) It's time to create laws that financial institutions are accountable to their customers before one penny is paid out to executives salaries. They should be paid a bonus only after showing growth and profit for their investors (that’s us folks) and NOT guaranteed a penny otherwise.

2) No more bank bail outs - period. 
3) We need to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act that separated insurance companies, investment banking, and commercial banks.While this was in effect not one bank went under in America. This will put us the consumer back as the main concern, and force them to monitor their own business for risk when using our money. No more passing bad paper off to someone else, then taking the money and running.
4) Put the bite back in the SEC and monitor them. The SEC had information about Goldman Sachs, Bernie Madoff, AIG, and others well before they tanked, and did nothing. The people who were suppose to protect us just turned their backs. 
5) We need to take back our elections from being controlled by lobbyist and the money of wall street. We need to create new federal legislation that would allow a reversal of the Supreme Court decision declaring that corporations have the same first amendment rights of individuals. This has allowed corporate domination of our elections. John Q. Public has no way of going up against the bank rolls of corporations to present fair and balanced information on legislative issues.

If you think it’s about Republicans vs. Democrats, you’ve been sucked in by the biased media you’ve chosen to listen to and watch. This is about the total decay of Americas financial stability perpetrated by a system that’s run amuck. Wall Street is corrupt and unaccountable. Want to blame the Clinton Administration and the Banking Reform Act or the Bush Administration and the total failure to monitor the SEC?  Go ahead. Sure I’d like to round up everyone involved in the corruption of the mortgage markets and put them in jail, but that’s not going to happen.  
So, Occupy Wall Street people, if you want to make change and create an economy that’s accountable to the people, it's time to get rid of your camps and refocus on new and responsible legislation for the financial institutions of America.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

N17 - PDX Occupy the Banks - Shut them Down!

UPDATE - 11/17/11 - 6:40 AM
Anyone can join the PUBLIC march - no one need risk arrest at this event! 

The rally action starts @ 8am on the East Side of Steel Bridge with a labor action with We Are Oregon. 



Then join us for a second, 10am Rally at Waterfront Park @ SW Ankeny

At 11am we march to visit civil disobedience actions in progress!

Steel Bridge Closed!
'N17' group plans bank shutdowns Thursday | kgw.com Portland:

The Steel Bridge was closed Thursday morning to all but TriMet, Amtrak and commercial rail traffic.

Police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson told KGW Thursday morning that the move was made primarily to make certain that mass transit was not affected by a protest. Pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers must choose another bridge, he said.

Protesters may also walk cross any other bridge by using the sidewalks, he said.

"We will not allow them to take a bridge and shut it down. It will not happen today," he said. 
'via Blog this'
Get On The Bridge: We Declare a State of Economic Emergency for the 99% | We Are Oregon
On Nov. 17th, we will declare an economic emergency for the 99%:
  • 25 million Americans are looking for workbut Congress wont pass a jobs bill
  • Super-Committee budget cuts could kill millions of more jobs
  • This economy works for the richest 1%not the 99%
The Steel Bridge is structurally deficient and in need of repair. This is work that needs doing, even while thousands in Portland are unemployed!
Bridges like this one are symbols of politicians failure to pass a jobs bill or do anything to help the 99%, while the richest 1% keep getting richer.
On Nov. 17th, we say enough is enough, we cant wait any longer.
'via Blog this' 
______________________________________________________________________________





Well, I kind of wish they were not calling it N17...  I am still a bit shell shocked from N30.  But I could go for some good, old fashioned non-violent civil disobedience against the banks.

#N17 Portland – Occupy the Banks » Resist austerity. Reclaim the economy. Recreate our democracy.:
Occupy Portland’s Action Committee has issued a call for decentralized-yet-coordinated nonviolent civil disobedience against big banks. Let’s shut them down!


This is a call to form “affinity group” action teams, take on support roles, or join in a public march visiting action locations. An action “spokescouncil” for communication between and support of affinity group has been formed by the Occupy Portland Action Committee and seeks your participation.


If you have an affinity group wanting to organize an action for N17, or want to offer support to others, email join@n17pdx.org TODAY!"

'via Blog this'

Related Posts

(more..) 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Occupy Portland Eviction: Photos

I haven't made it through them all yet, but here is the first batch...

I feel that the stories, photos, and videos that the people took that night tell the story in a much clearer way than the story we've been hearing through the media about the city's intentions and actions that night and the next day.


These shots were taken from the evening of November 12 through to the apparent victory at 6 AM on November 13.

It was a short lived win but, for a few hours, the occupation successfully defended the parks. Those remaining in the early hours of the 13th started the day feeling victorious.



2011-11 Occupy Portland Eviction - Photo

Monday, November 14, 2011

Occupy Portland Eviction: Video of police clubbing occupiers as park is cleared



Not my video.  I was asleep when this happened.  Found here: http://occupyportland.org/2011/11/14/missed/

This was the peaceful transfer of the park from the occupation to the city that we heard so much about on the news yesterday.

More...



Rubble: Photo of the Day by A. F. Litt: November 13, 2011, Guy Fawkes Mask at Occupy Portland Eviction


From 000-FB Photo of the Day


Photo of the Day, November 13, 2011. Taken November 12, 2011. Guy Fawkes mask at Chapman Square, Occupy Portland Eviction. Portland, Oregon.

Cross-posted from Rubble.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Occupy Portland Eviction: 12:01 AM, Police Deployment & Injury, Sunday Morning Victory





KGW video:



Sunday morning's victory. While later in the day the occupation would, inevitably, lose the parks, they were held, against all expectations, for the night.











Related Posts

Occupy Portland: Uncertain situation after early victory

7:47 PM - "Official" Live Stream - http://www.livestream.com/occupyptown

4:22 PM - Woke up and it is on again...  Just got a text calling for everyone to come down and support the movement.  I wish I could but I am very stuck here in Gresham tonight.

Channel 8 running live with it right now...

Will be posting notable updates on Twitter @A_F_Litt and Facebook A. F. Litt


10:13 - New Text - We can salvage tents for next occupation.

Stick a fork in it...  But, no tear gas and no arrests (except for the one guy who needed to be arrested).

Current live stream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mpapaya

Live updates: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/police_tighten_security_on_occ.html

Crappy live stream. http://www.kgw.com/live-stream

They are still, as of right now, calling for people to come down and support them.


As I wrote on Facebook 40 minutes ago:

Sat down to write about how amazing it was at 6AM this morning when the police conceeded Chapman Square to the Occupation. Unfortunately I just got a text that police in riot gear are now clearing the camp.
 ·  ·  · 39 minutes ago

    • Aaron F. Litt Flipping through the news looking for coverage. Funny. Everyone moved on before this happened. (PS- Most of what I saw on TV when I got home resembled the truth in some ways. Take it or leave it at that. I am looking at you channel 8.)
      35 minutes ago · 

    • Aaron F. Litt I feel a bit dirty. We got played this morning and, being tired and hungry and wanting to go to bed, I fell for it... They let us think we won, waited for us to go home, waited for the media to wrap up their coverage, and are now aggressively clearing the Occupation with police in riot gear.
      25 minutes ago · 


Some tweets:


From : No one is being arrested. Cleanup is happening. We still need bodies on the ground. -  

 OccupyPortland 

No one is being arrested. Cleanup is happening. We still need bodies on the ground.

 Mayor Sam Adams 

RT  Informing people that parks closed & helping remove debris. Not forcibly 
29 minutes ago

Anyway, I need sleep.  I have lots of pictures and videos from last night and this morning's "victory" to post later.