Occupy Shelter Project
I had an idea this week. I can hear my friends groaning. Some days I am just filled with ideas I need to discuss and get out of my head. But I think this one is a keeper.
The Occupy Shelter Project. Let's ask every city to identify an abandoned property. Let's organize Occupy workgroups to rehab the building, contact Habitat for Humanity, local unions. I have already reached out to Philadelphia Building Trade Council, they are in. No call back from Habitat Philadelphia, which is disappointing, but I'll be patient and wait until Monday before calling again. We can then gift these Occupy Shelter's to the people who need them.
And if the Philadelphia General Assembly is not ready to vote on this, I will do it on my own. As someone in our Messaging Working Group reminded me, "No leaders means we are ALL leaders. Just do it." Thanks Twelve.
We can change the world. Actually, we already have.
Civil Rights Complaint
Mr. Thomas Perez
Assistant Attorney General
Civil Rights Division
Department of Justice
Washington, DC
Via Fax: 202-514-0293
Mr. Perez,
On this10th day of November, 2011; It is formally submitted, a complaint of Civil Rights violations occurring all across the United States of America, by authorities sworn to protect and uphold our Constitution.. These Civil Rights include, but are not limited to; the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
It is our contention, that “we the people” have the right to Occupy public spaces, and to peaceably assemble, as we seek this redress. This symbolic vigil, is an expression of our First Amendment rights.. This expression is in the form of constant attendance by voluntary representatives of the people, maintaining this presence 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. This applies to each State, and Local government. It is clear to anyone, given the context offered herein; that this first amendment is being violated by state, and local governments, all across the United States of America, in relation to the Occupy Movement.
It has been witnessed, that actions of police brutality, meant to intimidate the attendees of these vigils, have been perpetrated. There are images arising in the media, and excessive shows of force can be researched by anyone with an internet connection. There has been use of force, non lethal weapons, bulldozers to drive crowds out of places of Occupation, and physical contact to peaceful voices of protest. These respective local governments have attempted to dismantle the petitioning of the government, in this symbolic expression of vigilance. The authorities have changed regulations, and are invoking curfews, and other obscure regulations in an attempt to force the Occupy movement to disband, or be arrested. These curfew regulations, were passed after the First Amendment, and therefore are subject to be overridden by the First Amendment.
This formal complaint is being made, in order to seek an immediate injunction to stop all police actions, and evictions until the Department of Justice can investigate every instance of police brutality, every arrest, and every act of intimidation; and infringement of civil rights.. Authorities when engaging with the Occupy movement should do so in an unarmed manner. They should be mandated to leave all weapons in their vehicles, before engaging the Occupy movement, to preempt further intimidation. It should also remain firmly implanted in the minds of all observers, that the intention of the Second Amendment, was to protect the First.
Signed: _________________________ Date: ___________
Print Name:_________________________
Optional Contact Information:
_________________________________________phone
_________________________________________ email
_________________________________________address
_________________________________________
The 99% of the 99%
I have been spending as much time as I can at Occupy Philly. Helping where, and when, I can, with Finance and Messaging, speaking at several General Assemblies, reading everything I can to get a sense of the movement. I speak for no one but myself, I am not a representative of the Occupy movement. We are all equal in this movement, and I will continue to put forth my proposals and ideas at the General Assembly, and if given the chance, to Regional and National Occupy General Assemblies.
I think the time has come for us to try to define the essence of the movement, and I have drafted a strategic statement. This is my understanding, from listening to many conversations, reading input online, chatting with others and attending the GA’s in Philly, here is my draft, and realize this is the beginning of the discussion:
We the 99%, in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, stand on our convictions that all Americans, and Humans everywhere, have the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that embedded within these rights are the right to education, safety & health.
Our movement was started in recognition of the gross inequality of wealth and services in this country. We will therefore advocate for the following:
- Affordable & Adequate Education for all, including elementary and secondary education
- Balanced and Fair Budget & Tax Policy
- Military & other Public Service Employee Pay Equity & Care
- Main Street Recovery Act
- Immigration Policy that provides for our security while ensuring the safety of those who are immigrating
- Health & Human Services policy that will provide affordable health care
- Protection for the environment and a halt to all mining, extraction and other processes that are for private profit on public land
- Prison Reform and action to resolve discrimination in criminal proceedings
- Human Rights Protection for LGBT community
- Campaign Finance Reform and definition of corporations as “not individuals”
We will no longer accept the unequal distribution of wealth, awarding millions to billionaires in tax welfare programs and corporate subsidies.
We the 99% do therefore intend to form a Community Forum Task Force & Working Groups, to meet with community members, local, state & national government representatives, to discuss and formulate proposals and policies and to petition our government for redress of these grievances even as we insist upon our right to peaceably assemble on our public land.
Our intent is to operate on the principle of Direct Democracy, with proposals and decisions discussed and voted upon at a General Assembly.
This statement is for the 99% of us who are part of the 99%, but not living at an Occupy camp, or attending General Assemblies on a daily, or even weekly basis. We have an opportunity here to change the political landscape, to draw our line in the sand and say enough, we now demand to be treated as equal and with equal rights to our governance.
The 1% has subverted, perverted and inverted our system of government for, by and of the people and we, the 99%, have sat by, mostly silently, as this happened.
I am currently working on a piece of legislation that I plan to send to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), the Balanced Budget Fairness Act. I am going to ask them to sponsor this bill, and find out how we form a citizen lobby group. I don’t believe that it is only money that talks in Washington, I think “we the people” can get pretty loud when we want to.
The Balanced Budget Fairness Act is simple, for every dollar given to a corporation as a subsidy, one dollar must be put into education funding. For every dollar put into the defense budget, one dollar to health, social security & welfare. This is not a perfect solution, but a place to start. Incremental actions lead to monumental changes, or so I believe.
Here is my message to the world: so happy to see you, now let’s Occupy the Polls and take back what is ours. Our money, our farms, our forests, our schools, our pride, our patriotism, and our politicians.
Visit your nearest Occupy camp, attend a General Assembly. Your support is welcomed, whether you bring coats & blankets or your own draft legislation and ideas for change, or both, this is the moment you have been waiting for, don’t let it pass by. Grab it, hang on to it. Occupy it.