Nonviolent Occupation

Winter Carnival: Better than Pepper Spray

2011-11-23T05:31:00.000-08:00

Winter Carnival Proposal 2: Better than Pepper Spray!

This idea was presented to the UK National Occupation Conference General Assembly on 19 November 2011 and was the subject of a break-out discussion that night. It looks like it will be going forward. Unlikely allies, revolutionaries and Christians, but look - if we do not make these unlikely alliances, we are doomed.

Whereas Occupy London has accomplished the beginning of a great moral awakening in Britain;

Whereas the Church of England, the Church Universal, people of many other faiths and people of no faith share the goals of a more moral marketplace and a more moral government put forth by the Occupation;

Whereas a public forum throughout all of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, is greatly to be desired by everyone who seeks to understand, decide and support the reforms necessary;

Whereas the spirit of the movement must spread beyond the camps or be in danger of diminishing;

AND FINALLY, whereas this is a land with a rich history of festivals:

THERE IS PROPOSED a Winter Carnival

There is proposed a great Winter Carnival, to roll through all of Britain from Cathedral to Cathedral. These Cathedrals are our commonwealth and they and the national Church of England should be pressed into service in this time of injustice and moral crisis.

Winter Carnival could have multiple components.

Candlelight Walk: A symbolic candelit walk beginning at St. Paul’s could start the Carnival – a victory march that recognizes the triumph of awakening the Occupation has started. The walk could go through London to St. Albans, Southwark, Westminster and beyond. In each city, the Occupiers could arrive at the train station and be met by local supporters, local activists, people of faith and people in need. They could then walk, holding candles, to the Cathedrals. A spreading of light.

Putney Debates: As in 1647, the Cathedrals could host debates or town meetings where the governmental and economic reform we seek could be refined, discussed, considered and our different options learned. Occupy would invite Ken Costa in his position at St. Paul’s Institute to hold public meetings about the need for financial reform. A constitution could be drafted by a travelling working group.

Occupation Tour: Instead of camping in one location, the camps could go from town to town, following the Putney Debates and opening the Carnivals in each town.

Open Forums: at the carnival, all interested parties, including people of the churches, synagogues, mosques, the Occupy movements, people from political parties and interest groups and grass roots organizations, would come and talk about how to make change for the better.

Reclaiming of Government: A walk from the Cathedral to the government buildings – the town halls – where people could hold a General Assembly, airing their grievances in this winter of our discontent.

Heritage: Open the Cathedrals to the Occupiers and children and have history teachers explain the martyrs, and the historical role of the Church in securing greater liberty for the people. Let us hear the stories of the martyrs and progress and reform. Let us remember our own past together.

Wine, Feasting and Song: Local amateur bands could play, local suppliers could offer food, mittens and mulled wine and fairy lights, a celebration to raise our spirits and by raising our spirits raising our humanity.

Practical Help: The touring Occupation could assist at local foodbanks, homeless shelters and elder care centres to bring attention to local cuts issues.

One idea about the Winter being floated in the UK

2011-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Winter Carnival

General Proposal

13 November 2011–

Whereas Occupy London has accomplished the beginning of a great moral awakening in our land;

Whereas the Church has declared itself an ally of the people in the people’s quest to make their land more just;

Whereas the people of the camp are weary and need not face the long winter alone;

Whereas this movement is in its tender infancy and may be the work of decades;

Whereas this movement must next be strengthened by all who would lend their strength, whether those people are willing to camp or not;

Whereas the voice of all of the people of Great Britain must be heard in our great moral reform;

Whereas spirits are low and times are hard and the raising of our spirits and of our joy in our families and our relationships is a necessary step on this journey;

Whereas we have much to learn from each other and our history and heritage;

Whereas the people of Great Britain in order to go forward should stand proud in their heritage and their grand history of reformers;

Whereas a public forum throughout all of Great Britain, throughout all of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, is greatly to be desired by everyone who seeks to support this change;

AND FINALLY, whereas this is a land with a rich history of festivals:

THERE IS PROPOSED a Winter Carnival

There is proposed a great Winter Carnival, where we recognize the incredible victory of the camp in awakening our very souls and stirring passion and debate. After a New Year’s Celebration in London to rival all New Year’s, the vision is that some part of the camps would disperse, retaining a presence in St. Paul’s as they see fit. But those who would could travel the length and breadth of Great Britain, sleeping in the Cathedrals, meeting with local supporters, marching through the dark streets in candelight, spreading the word, speaking and listening about how the people can work together to bring about a better life for our children.

I propose that such a Winter Carnival can be created by each Cathedral or place as they see fit. I propose that it be financed by the Church. I propose that at the carnival, all interested parties, including people of the churches and the Occupy movements, people from political parties and interest groups and grass roots organizations, would come and talk about how to make change for the better the first priority of everyone in Great Britain.

Winter Carnival could have multiple components.

Let’s start with something very fun and uplifting. Let’s open the Cathedrals to the camp and children and have history teachers explain the martyrs, and the historical role of the Church in securing greater liberty for the people. Let us hear the stories of the wars. Let us remember our own past together.

Let the Occupation march with the Church and all who would from the Cathedrals to the buildings of the government, and stand together in support of each other in our mutual quest to reform a government out of control. Let us march by candlelight to our public buildings and reclaim them as our own.

Let’s have a carnival of ideas and public forums. Let us meet and inspire each other. And gently and with great love the Occupation can survive the winter. Even the bankers need to learn they have nothing to fear from us.

Winter Carnival Component Ideas

Some proportion of the camp tour the UK, going Cathedral to Cathedral, starting in the New Year being part of local Winter Carnivals, creating a touring Occupation where they could stay in each Cathedral and meet with people of the churches and local people. I see this as marching forth after a great initial victory. We must be mindful of how we unfold, and I think it would be useful to stand back and ponder these things in our hearts and with our neighbours. This serves the need I see for the UK Occupation to have the time and space and rest to take the next step. This also would serve the need of strengthening support for the Occupation through people of faith – essentially relying on the Church for financial support for the tour. (It would make sense for Ken Costa and St. Paul’s Institute to join this tour, at least for selected dates, for town hall meetings about Costa’s mandate)

Winter Carnival itself would take shape as an organically local event, organized by whomever stepped forward to do so, but hosted by the Church. It could be a conference, a festival, or a party. It could be all three. Some places may have many Christians. Some places may have many activists. Some places like Cambridge have think tanks and societies and groups. Local political parties would be welcome. There could be music and food and debate and lectures.

Debate: I do not think that it needs to be debated that our government is dysfunctional or our economic policies immoral. I think a useful debate to have at everyone’s Winter Carnival is what the moral principles of a just government and economic system should be. Let the church and the Occupation support each other thinking about that this winter.

This is a victory celebration, a party thrown by our allies, a beginning of a true grass roots building of a transformation of our society. This is a chance to reclaim back our own lives and our own land and to give ourselves the voice we should have in our government that seems to have been taken away.

Although this proposal makes use of the Church as an ally, it is not meant in any way to contradict Point Two of the initial statement: “We are of all ethnicities, backgrounds, genders, generations, sexualities dis/abilities and faiths.” This is not about making people Christian or not Christian, this is about atheists and theists both working together here on earth to curb a government filled with injustice.

This proposal does assume that in order to fulfill Point 7 of the Initial Statement (“We want structural change towards authentic global equality.”), we must first take the logs out of our own eyes before we take the speck out of our neighbour’s. We must make structural changes toward authentic equality here in our own land first before the change can be global.

Occupy is not a protest, more a murmuration

2011-11-11T01:17:00.000-08:00

As long as we are a protest, we are defined by what we protest against. We need not limit our imagination and boundaries in that way. We need not let our anger sap our energy and cloud our judgment. The General Assembly has agreed we are a movement, not a protest. Yes, of course, anger at injustice brought us to the camp. Watching the livestream of the students and the intimidation by the police, believe me, I felt it too. But rage is not enough. Rage cannot sustain us. Rage might be in the DNA of this movement, but it is just that, DNA, the motivating blueprint, but not the plan. The embodiment, the literal making a body from this DNA requires love and patience, love and patience to the person sitting next to you, to your co-worker, to your mailman, to yourself.

We are more like a murmuration of starlings, sweeping through the sky in arcs of unimaginable beauty, not planned by any one person, but acting and reacting not to any leader or any direction, but simply flying with the starlings around us.

http://vimeo.com/31158841

Starlings move based on what the starling next to them is doing, and humans do the same thing. We must be moved by one another for something good to happen. We cannot keep doing what we have always been doing and expect these other people at the camp to fix things. We must be moved.

We are not anticapitalist, we are pro justice. We are pro earth. We are pro human. We are asking questions and looking for answers. We know where we see injustice and we know where we see suffering, but we do not know everything. Nor need we know everything to stand up for goodness. We do not have to understand derivative transactions to count ourselves in the Occupation. We are transparent, accountable and democratic and we believe the system we have is broken. How on earth could anyone disagree with that? The majority of criticism I read in the press simply ignores these fundamental tenets and instead chooses ad hominem attacks really so infantile that they do not merit a response.

How I see it, no one is in or out of the Occupy movement because they buy a latte from Starbucks, or because they have a job, or because they don't have a job. They are not in or out because they sleep in a tent in London, or they don't sleep in a tent. We are radically inclusive. I am sitting downstairs in my pyjamas while my two kids sleep in their rooms. Yes, middle class. And in Cambridge. Smug central! Yet I am in.

And all are welcome, all people. No institution is trustworthy, no way of thinking is sacrosanct, no person should be excluded We want everyone - landowners, conservatives, stakeholders in the financial system, shareholders, directors. At least, I want everyone and I think we should want everyone. We want ideas and we don't really care where they come from. An idea, as Anonymous shows us, should be judged on its merit, not on the speaker.

We need everyone because we need all ideas. We don't know exactly what this is yet and what it is becoming and what will happen next. People ask me every day how it is going and I have to say that this is not a product launch. It is not a jury trial. It is not a movie premiere or an IPO. It is not something that has happened before, there is not really a metric for phenomenal social change in the technology age. So I don't know how it's going. We probably won't have a clear answer on that for twenty years. Yes, the women of Greenham common, the indignatos, the anti-nuke protesters, these are in our DNA too, but make no mistake, they don't have all the answers either, and they/we don't have a plan. I am not saying that these people are not brave and heroic. I am saying that this is bigger than Greenham common. It's bigger than Windscale. It's bigger than Selma, already, and we have just begun. It is history being made.

And you are my nearby starlings.

Vinay Gupta - the wisest man you've never met

2011-11-10T02:04:00.000-08:00

Of interest for the fundaments of this blog is everything that this guys says. Remember that from a global perspective, if you make more than $34,000 - YOU are in the 1%. A fascinating worldview very foreign to what I am used to but deeply worth considering if the global elements of the Occupation interest you. http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/about

Everybody Knows - Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

A great video from my friend Jeff Campagna

Wherever you are, please support the Occupations' right to protest

2011-10-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2011/10/occupy-solidarity/

Please consider signing this online petition in support of the Occupiers' right to protest. Even if anti-capitalism bums you out, if the State - any state - America or the UK or Australia - can shut down a non violent protest, then things become considerably more frightening for the rest of us. That is some police state stuff, and then we get into some real problems. My brother started this blog with me to emphasize two things about the Occupations: they are (1) nonviolent and they are (2) global. Let's keep them that way, and whether or not you want to camp, at least put your name down to let them continue to fight for a better world.

A Message to the City of London and all the Humans in the World

2011-10-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Please consider reading this. It is relevant to you only if you are human and seek justice on this earth. Justice is an idea we have all forgotten, an idea that we are too cynical to believe will ever be a word applicable to any reality we encounter. And yet. And yet it is this cry that comes from all of our hearts, it is the highest and best truth in action that makes humanity wonderful. It is something we have forsaken. We have forsaken justice for money, we humans, and it is the oldest story in the book but here we are once again. I ask all of you: what does justice mean to you? Where is it? Do you see it in the government? Do you find it in your church? Do you see it in the marketplace? Does the ordering of the powers of the earth sit well with your soul? Or are things dark and in fact immoral? They are dark and immoral for me.

I personally am too tired, it is making me exhausted, watching all this immoral activity within our governments and banks. We were not vigilant in protecting our liberty which give voice to justice (all liberty lusts for justice). We were distracted by the price of our houses and the comparative advantage we had against our neighbo(u)rs in all the things money can buy. Consumerism, the constant getting and spending, it lulled us - its part in our lives is too bloated and too big and it has dulled us all. While it dulled us, the government has taken our young for unjust wars. And a few get ever richer to the ruination of the rest of us. And the survival of the very Earth looms in the horizon, we have been such poor stewards, we have been such poor stewards of the earth. The health of our bodies and the planet is in peril.

But these are wrongs that can be righted. Justice is possible.

And justice - truth - has gathered as the idea that unites this leaderless, disparate collection of people dedicated to bringing about a better world known as the Occupation. A nice clean church meeting, shareholder meeting or electoral candidate - that is not what cam to you seeking justice. This is what came. And you would do well to open your eyes and open your ears and listen to the Occupation.

Our governments do not aid justice. Our churches do not aid justice (feel free to prove me wrong). Our employers do not aid justice. Our banks do not aid justice, nor can they ever without a true, strong reformation. If you want them to aid justice and thus to give your children a much greater world than the one we have lived in, then you need to support this Occupation. I know you don't like the tents. The tents are a distraction. I know you don't like the anarchism - that is not a given. What is to like is much more important than our differences - what is to like is the commonality between us. The spirit is awoken. Let your spirit awaken to the justice you want in your heart and in your life and in your country.

Let justice sweep over you, you who now in your lives and jobs do not believe justice is possible. Believe. It is possible. It is possible for the good people of England, of London, of Britain, of every place, to take the goodness of life back for themselves, even after being trod upon for decades. It is possible to be Robin Hood. And like Robin Hood, we rise and rise again until the lambs become lions and we take back our cities and our lands, without violence, with unity, with hope. The people of England can live through anything. And they could live through the terrible dark ages of capitalism that will come if we do nothing. Or they fcould rise up and not only live but thrive. No one else is coming to make the world you know you long for in your heart. These guys have come. They deserve our support. They need our assistance. We need our assistance. Help them and you help yourself.

People excoriated me for bringing my children to St. Paul's during Occupy Half Term. And while I don't think my 7 year old really absorbed many of the finer points of anarchy, he did see people standing up for what their hearts told them. And people like that are good to be around. They liberate you to speak from your own heart and to be who you truly are, because there is this nice unity in their spirit. This kind of unity you don't see in the average high street shopping specimen. They give me hope. People ask why now, why did you start now and the answer is, because the Occupation gives me hope. No one else gives me hope. No one else has an agenda I can respect and hope to give my children. I am a mum with a mortgage who shops at Boden online. I buy lattes from Starbucks and I eat Subway sandwiches sometimes. I am a reformist not a revolutionary. But I believe justice is possible if only we come together and support those standing up for justice, in their weird contingent way, in their joyful way.

Everyone should look at their local Occupation and be like Mary. Be like Mary. Go away and ponder these things in your hearts.

7XVRDZNF7DZM

Forms of Nonviolent Protest & Persuasion

2011-10-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

When people think of nonviolent protest, most of us think about civil disobedience and specifically, the direct actions of the civil rights movement of the sixties. This is a crucial piece of nonviolent action, but it is far from the only one. Many of the Occupy Movements are re-discovering several different types of non-violent protest and persuasion. Occupy movements in London and DC are establishing their own newspapers as a way to spread the message. Occupy Wall Street and many other Occupy sites have used Guerrilla Theatre to get their point across. Occupy Wall Street is also encouraging folks to transfer their personal bank accounts from banks to credit unions. All of these are useful tools, and, in act, sometimes the unexpected tactics can have the biggest impact. To get you thinking about the many ways you can take non-violent action, keep reading...

In The Methods of Nonviolent Action (Boston 1973), author Gene Sharp documents 198 methods of nonviolent protest and persuasion. Check out the complete list. Perhaps it will spark some ideas in your mind.

FORMAL STATEMENTS
Public speeches
Letters of opposition or support
Declarations by organizations and institutions
Signed public declarations
Declarations of indictment and intention
Group or mass petitions

COMMUNICATIONS WITH A WIDER AUDIENCE
Slogans, caricatures, and symbols
Banners, posters, and displayed communications
Leaflets, pamphlets, and books
Newspapers and journals
Records, radio, and television
Skywriting and earthwriting

GROUP REPRESENTATIONS
Deputations
Mock awards
Group lobbying
Picketing
Mock elections

SYMBOLIC PUBLIC ACTS
Displays of flags and symbolic colours
Wearing of symbols
Prayer and worship
Delivering symbolic objects
Protest disrobings
Destruction of own property
Symbolic lights
Displays of portraits
Paint as protest
New signs and names
Symbolic sounds
Symbolic reclamations
Rude gestures

PRESSURES ON INDIVIDUALS
“Haunting” officials
Taunting officials
Fraternization
Vigils

DRAMA AND MUSIC
Humourous skits and pranks
Performances of plays and music
Singing

PROCESSIONS
Marches
Parades
Religious processions
Pilgrimages
Motorcades

HONOURING THE DEAD
Political mourning
Mock funerals
Demonstrative funerals
Homage at burial places

PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES
Assemblies of protest or support
Protest meetings
Camouflaged meetings of protest
Teach-ins

WITHDRAWAL AND RENUNCIATION
Walk-outs
Silence
Renouncing honours
Turning one’s back

THE METHODS OF SOCIAL NONCOOPERATION

OSTRACISM OF PERSONS
Social boycott
Selective social boycott
Lysistratic nonaction
Excommunication
Interdict

NONCOOPERATION WITH SOCIAL EVENTS, CUSTOMS, AND INSTITUTIONS
Suspension of social and sports activities
Boycott of social affairs
Student strike
Social disobedience
Withdrawal from social institutions

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
Stay-at-home
Total personal noncooperation
“Flight” of workers
Sanctuary
Collective disappearance
Protest emigration (hijrat)

THE METHODS OF ECONOMIC NONCOOPERATION: ECONOMIC BOYCOTTS
ACTION BY CONSUMERS
Consumers’ boycott
Nonconsumption of boycotted goods
Policy of austerity
Rent withholding
Refusal to rent
National consumers’ boycott
International consumers’ boycott

ACTION BY WORKERS AND PRODUCERS
Workers’ boycott
Producers’ boycott

ACTION BY MIDDLEMEN
Suppliers’ and handlers’ boycott

ACTION BY OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
Traders’ boycott
Refusal to let or sell property
Lockout
Refusal of industrial assistance
Merchants’ “general strike”

ACTION BY HOLDERS OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Withdrawal of bank deposits
Refusal to pay fees, dues, and assessments
Refusal to pay debts or interest
Severance of funds and credit
Revenue refusal
Refusal of a government’s money

ACTION BY GOVERNMENTS
Domestic embargo
Blacklisting of traders
International sellers’ embargo
International buyers’ embargo
International trade embargo

THE METHODS OF ECONOMIC NONCOOOPERATION: THE STRIKE

SYMBOLIC STRIKES
Protest strike
Quickie walkout (lightning strike)

AGRICULTURAL STRIKES
Peasant strike
Farm workers’ strike

STRIKES BY SPECIAL GROUPS
Refusal of impressed labour
Prisoners’ strike
Craft strike
Professional strike

ORDINARY INDUSTRIAL STRIKES
Establishment strike
Industry strike
Sympathy strike

RESTRICTED STRIKES
Detailed strike
Bumper strike
Slowdown strike
Working-to-rule strike
Reporting “sick” (sick-in)
Strike by resignation
Limited strike
Selective strike

MULTI-INDUSTRY STRIKES
Generalised strike
General strike

COMBINATION OF STRIKES AND ECONOMIC CLOSURES
Hartal
Economic shutdown

THE METHODS OF POLITICAL NONCOOPERATION

REJECTION OF AUTHORITY
Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance
Refusal of public support
Literature and speeches advocating resistance

CITIZENS’ NONCOOPERATION WITH GOVERNMENT
Boycott of legislative bodies
Boycott of elections
Boycott of government employment and positions
Boycott of government departments, agencies, and other bodies
Withdrawal from governmental educational institutions
Boycott of government-supported institutions
Refusal of assistance to enforcement agents
Removal of own signs and placemarks
Refusal to accept appointed officials
Refusal to dissolve existing institutions

CITIZENS’ ALTERNATIVES TO OBEDIENCE
Reluctant and slow compliance
Nonobedience in absence of direct supervision
Popular nonobedience
Disguised disobedience
Refusal of an assemblage or meeting to disperse
Sitdown
Noncooperation with conscription and deportation
Hiding, escape, and false identities
Civil disobedience of “illegitimate” laws

ACTION BY GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL
Selective refusal of assistance by government aides
Blocking of lines of command and information
Stalling and obstruction
General administrative noncooperation
Judicial noncooperation
Deliberate inefficiency and selective noncooperation by enforcement agents
Mutiny

DOMESTIC GOVERNMENTAL ACTION
Quasi-legal evasions and delays
Noncooperation by constituent governmental units

INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTAL ACTION
Changes in diplomatic and other representation
Delay and cancellation of diplomatic events
Withholding of diplomatic recognition
Severance of diplomatic relations
Withdrawal from international organisations
Refusal of membership in international bodies
Expulsion from international organisations

THE METHODS OF NONVIOLENT INTERVENTION

PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTION
Self-exposure to the elements
The fast
Fast of moral pressure
Hunger strike
Satyagrahic fast
Reverse trial
Nonviolent harassment

PHYSICAL INTERVENTION
Sit-in
Stand-in
Ride-in
Wade-in
Mill-in
Pray-in
Nonviolent raids
Nonviolent air raids
Nonviolent invasion
Nonviolent interjection
Nonviolent obstruction
Nonviolent occupation

SOCIAL INTERVENTION
Establishing new social patterns
Overloading of facilities
Stall-in
Speak-in
Guerrilla theatre
Alternative social institutions
Alternative communication system

ECONOMIC INTERVENTION
Reverse strike
Stay-in strike
Nonviolent land seizure
Defiance of blockades
Politically motivated counterfeiting
Preclusive purchasing
Seizure of assets
Dumping
Selective patronage
Alternative markets
Alternative transportation systems
Alternative economic institutions

POLITICAL INTERVENTION
Overloading of administrative systems
Disclosing identities of secret agents
Seeking imprisonment
Civil disobedience of “neutral” laws
Work-on without collaboration
Dual sovereignty and parallel governmen

De-Escalation Guide

2011-10-27T21:46:00.002-07:00

Occupy DC offers the following tips for de-escalating situations with the police. When confronted by law enforcement or security, it is absolutely critical to remain calm, and to not escalate tense situations. Sometimes, that’s not as easy as it looks. This handy guidebook thing is here to help you. Read it, memorize it, love it. This is your bible for when things get tense.

Back off! Literally. Take at least one to two steps back, to show you are not being aggressive.

Take a deep breath. This is not for screaming. This is to make you pause before saying something in anger.

Do take your hands out, in clear view, in front of you, showing you are not holding a weapon. Not in your pockets.

Do not point, shake your finger, make fists. These are aggressive and threatening. Bad idea.

Do not turn your back at any time. This makes it look like you are ignoring them. Not cool, bro.

Do apologize. Even if you aren’t in the wrong, apologize. This can go a long way to de-escalating the situation.

Do not be defensive or judgmental. Nobody is automatically in the wrong.

Do not accuse or threaten. If you do this, rest assured, you are in for a world of trouble.

Do not yell or scream. Raise your voice CALMLY if you need to do so to be heard.

Do respond calmly to questions, no matter how rude the other person is.

Do empathize with feelings even if you disagree with the behavior. Cops have it rough too.

Do not argue or try to sway them to your side. We’re de-escalating here, it’s not the Oslo Accords.

Do listen to what the other person is saying. Don’t just dismiss it or tune it out. Seriously. Listen.

Do acknowledge the other person’s concerns. You’d expect them to acknowledge yours – so you better do the same.

Occupy George

2011-10-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

In the United States, Just 400 Americans control as much wealth as the bottom half of the entire country. It hasn't always been this way in the past, and it doesn't have to be this way in the future.

The folks at www.occupygeorge.com have found a unique way to get this message out. They've created several simple graphs that get this poing across on dollar bills.

They've also taken it one step further. You can go to the website, download templates, and print out your own Occupy George dollars on your home printer to circulate in your community. Visit www.occupygeorge.com for more info.

Does it have to be anticapitalist?

2011-10-23T02:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/new-anticapitalist-camp-opens-as-the-st-pauls-protesters-defy-dean-2374813.html

For all the Mums and Moms Watching the Occupation

2011-10-23T01:20:00.001-07:00

Rachel Mariner, a Harvard educated lawyer and mum of two, addressed the general assembly at St Paul's today about occupy half term, which is planned for Wednesday 26 October 2011. Watch the Video at:
http://vimeo.com/groups/occupy/videos/30960823

Nonviolent In Deed

2011-10-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

MTV Casting Call for Occupy Wall St.

2011-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Part of Occupy Wall Street? Real World 27 Wants You! (Battery Park)

MTV’s Real World is seeking cast members to tell their unique stories on our show. If you are over the age of 20 and appear to be between the ages of 20-24, and the description below sounds like you, we want to hear from you!

Are you a part of the OCCUPY WALL STREET movement?

If so, please contact realworldcasting@bunim-murray.com. Your subject heading should be YOUR NAME and WALL STREET.

Please attach 3 RECENT PHOTOS and a brief BIO, including your full NAME, DATE OF BIRTH (for ID purposes only) as well as your CONTACT INFORMATION including PHONE #.

If you Were or are a Christian, Please Read

2011-10-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Today the Church of England issued a statement requesting that the protesters leave the camp. It is super polite, of course, this is England, and it is indirect, but the bottom line is that someone is telling them that they have to shut this down, or at least cease all aid to the Occupation. They asked Occupy London to get out.
Read more »

Non-violence and humor: this should be the plan

2011-10-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Occupy Love

2011-10-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn’t popular to talk about it in some circles today. And I’m not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I’m talking about a strong, demanding love.

For I have seen too much hate. I’ve seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I’ve seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. - MLK Jr.

Official Statement: Occupy LSX

2011-10-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

The following initial statement was adopted on October 16th by over 500 people who gathered for the assembly on the steps of St. Pauls. #OccupyLSX collectively agreed the initial statement below. Please note, however, like all forms of direct democracy, the statement will always be a work in progress.

1 The current system is unsustainable. It is undemocratic and unjust. We need alternatives; this is where we work towards them.

2 We are of all ethnicities, backgrounds, genders, generations, sexualities dis/abilities and faiths. We stand together with occupations all over the world.

3 We refuse to pay for the banks’ crisis.

4 We do not accept the cuts as either necessary or inevitable. We demand an end to global tax injustice and our democracy representing corporations instead of the people.

5 We want regulators to be genuinely independent of the industries they regulate.

6 We support the strike on the 30th November and the student action on the 9th November, and actions to defend our health services, welfare, education and employment, and to stop wars and arms dealing.

7 We want structural change towards authentic global equality. The world’s resources must go towards caring for people and the planet, not the military, corporate profits or the rich.

8 We stand in solidarity with the global oppressed and we call for an end to the actions of our government and others in causing this oppression.

9 This is what democracy looks like. Come and join us!

Occupy DC Grows

2011-10-19T20:04:00.001-07:00

Occupy DC is a peaceful grassroots movement that is fed up with the current political and economical system in this nation. We are an independent branch from occupytogether.org and occupywallst.org but carry the same terminology and philosophy. Occupy DC focuses on spreading the idea of Occupy Together and Occupy Wall Street to our nations capital, Washington DC.

Occupy DC is a people’s movement inspired and based on Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together. We would also like to make it clear that we are not party nor we have a spokesperson. This is an peoples movement let by a democratic system, for more information read our statement to the media.

We are here every day at McPherson Square 24/7/364. We have two daily General Assembly, one at 12PM and one at 6:30PM. We also have two marches a day at 9AM and 5PM. These times may be a bit different but if that is the case we will make sure to post that on the website and on our social media platforms.

Find out more at www.occupydc.org.