Friday, November 4, 2011

A New World


What it is, the demand the 1% can’t comprehend, is us. It is the individuals and villages, the cities and peoples across the world who are seeing each other on the far side of appeals and petition. It is the world we are becoming.

Establishment polls confirm what everyone in the street already knows: a clear majority of New Yorkers, three of every four, support the occupation and get the “demand” in their gut. The epicenter of the October 15 international day of action was Times Square, barricaded by police insistent to demonstrate their control. But our town is only one center. The world is round.

In the south, thousands streamed onto the avenues of Buenos Aires and Santiago. In Brazil, Peru and Colombia, in more than 20 cities of Mexico and all through our Americas, people came out. There was noise. More like a song.

In the East, demonstrators supporting the occupation emerged on the streets of Hong Kong and Seoul, Manila and Jakarta, Auckland and Melbourne. Days earlier, astonishingly, a solidarity rally in Zhengzhou, China supported the “Great Wall Street Revolution.” China has rallied for our human rights. Imagine.

In Africa, protestors gathered in Nairobi and Johannesburg. The heroes of Tahrir Square in Cairo have returned to battle the military regime that did not follow Mubarak into infamy.

Germany and Greece, ruled by the same banks, rose up with Spain and a lost generation of Europeans to claim a future from the dust of faded empire. Everywhere the lack of demands let us see each other clearly. Across the world, as if for the first time.

And in our own backyard, in thousands of backyards, from Augusta and Jackson, Springfield and Sioux Falls, Vegas and Santa Rosa and Green Bay: Americans celebrated the occupation in its infancy. Jobs with dignity. Housing fit for families. Education. Health care. Pensions. The very air we breathe. What can those who want democracy demand from the king, except his crown? Regime change is in the air. America is looking at itself, it’s place in the world and who we are to be.

This is not a demonstration. It’s participation. Creation. This is a movement where we can be ourselves, together. In Liberty Square. In New York City. In America. A new world.

By Jed Brandt AND Michael Levitin
Originally printed in the Occupied Wall Street Journal

Riot police fire projectiles, arrest dozens of Occupy Oakland protesters
Riot police from a number of Bay Area departments fired tear gas and other projectiles and arrested dozens of demonstrators early Thursday to break up Occupy Oakland protests that had drawn thousands of participants.

RAW VIDEO: Chopper footage of 100,000+ Occupy Oakland Takes back Highway

Absolutely enormous crowd hit the street in Oakland in support of Oakland. They took over a highway; there's got to be a good 100,000 people there.
source/Credit - http://www.ktvu.com/

Photo gallery: Thousands demonstrate in Occupy Oakland general strike

How Occupy Oakland Is Stealing Occupy Wall Street's Mojo
The "Day of Mass Action" culminated with a shutdown of the port, where as many as 7,000 people gathered peacefully to stop trucks in their tracks — before things took a violent turn overnight for the second week in a row, with police using teargas after midnight, when a group of anarchists attempted to hijack the final hours of the protest.
But most of Wednesday provided further proof of how a small core of activists has managed to build a broader movement with substantial public sympathy — with an energy and a vibe, as well as hazards, that are eclipsing Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

TIME video: What Happens After the Standoff at Occupy Oakland

NYC ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protesters Seek Trials
About 78 people arrested during a Sept. 24 march to Union Square in Manhattan were scheduled to appear today before New York County Criminal Court Judge Neil Ross. More than 50 of those who appeared in court chose to go to trial rather than accept an offer from prosecutors to dismiss the charges after six months if they’re not arrested again over that period.

Rethinking #AcampadaBrighton
On 15th of May 2011, something almost unthinkable in Spain happened. A demonstration was called by a pro-mobilisation platform called Democracia Real Ya (Real Democracy Now). This platform is a mixture of different associations that seek to defend civil rights and have in the last few months become one of the fundamental pillars of Spanish civil society.

Anti-capitalist protesters descend on Cannes

http://www.euronews.net/
The Greek debt crisis may steal the show at the G20 summit but anti-capitalist protest voices are getting louder on the sidelines.
Thousands of demonstrators against corporate greed and tax havens have taken to the streets of the French seaside resort of Nice and other resorts along the coast.
The French Riviera is world famous for its rich and exclusive spots. Today much of it has been transformed into an exclusion zone by a massive ring of security, especially around the summit venue in Cannes.

"Robin Hood tax" gaining support at G20
Activists are pressuring global leaders meeting for the Group of 20 summit to impose higher taxes on financial transactions in order to raise millions of dollars to fight poverty and deprivation around the world.

G20: Protesters go on the march in France – in pictures
The summit of G20 leaders in Cannes is the target of demonstrators, especially those advocating for a financial transaction tax that could raise billions of dollars annually to help combat poverty

G20 protests in France
Anti-globalization members demonstrated in France, protesting against tax havens and the G20 summit currently being held in Cannes.

Occupy Wall Street - Lenny Kravitz "Stand" - Past meets Present meets the World.


Egyptians call for day of action to revive their 'stifled' revolution
Links between Cairo and Occupy movement strengthen as anger grows at actions of military junta

All we want is a global revolution
In a sea of makeshift placards held above the heads of their authors, one particular message etched a lasting impression in my mind as I waded through the crowd at Occupy Vancouver: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!” It is with this notion that I want to share what I’ve learned about the Occupy movement – an issue that didn’t end with the initial protests but rather grows, strengthens, transforms and perseveres.

The Times: Ex-trader Vlad Teichberg spearheads global video protests
Indeed, he worked on several himself. Mr Teichberg, 39, is one of the original members of the Occupy Wall Street encampment and a prime mover in efforts to spread the protest movement worldwide and initiate a discussion of potential objectives via a global television network.

4 Basic Steps to Starting a Global Revolution
Protesting and activism have been apparent throughout the world for centuries, but we are now entering an era of new possibilities with the advancement of technology and social media.
Causing a global uprising isn’t easy by any means, but with the proper tools and vision, anything is possible. While only four steps may appear insane for an entire global movement, it’s the idea and structure behind each step that will ultimately lead to change.

"Real Democracy" scares the tar out of them.
Imagine - "allowing" the people to have a vote in their own destiny!
Referendum - One can only wonder at how humanity would look today if populations had regular opportunity to shape their collective preference and actually be a stakeholder in their own affairs.

Viva La Revolution

http://www.fknnewz.com

The Global Revolution is At Hand

Submitted by ibrahim on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 2:06pm
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It has been one month since the Los Angeles General Assembly began occupying City Hall in Los Angeles, California.

The "Occupy Movement" as a whole, starting with Occupy Wall St, has already made considerable headway and have accomplished much: we have altered the dialectic of the mainstream media, we have applied pressure to all branches of government to reflect the will of the people, and has expanded rapidly. On November 5th, we will do everything we can to shut down all major investment banks with a nation-wide boycott. On November 11th, we will take to the streets en masse. The global revolution is at hand. We will keep growing until we have world-wide consensus.

Firstly, it must be said: Every locality must learn to rely on itself, just as every occupation has learned to rely on itself for direction and initiative. If any locality demands obedience from another locality, it should be seen as coercion and will inevitably lead to war. Just as Chicago can not mandate Tokyo, Washington DC cannot mandate Los Angeles. Any democracy imposed over such large area is illusory. This is coercion. This is empire. This is bureaucratic. This is nonsense. The 13 colonies were small localities that had rights to govern themselves. We must govern ourselves in a similar fashion. We must not elect leaders. We must be leaders. This we must all see, and this we must all agree.

Secondly, it must be said: we will never truly be free as long as we rely on the 1% for our food, water, energy, and transportation. This is slavery, and it has been induced by a century of rapid mechanization, centralization of wealth and ownership, and consumerism. All localities must work towards building their own economies of necessitity. Local Living Economies are the only known alternative to Imperialism; the import and export of staple food crops should be discourged except for extreme emergencies and humanitarian crises. One day, every locality should grow its own food and building materials, catch and distill its own water for irrigation and drinking, and generate its own energy, and create its own means of transportation. This we must all see, and this we must all agree.

Thirdly, it must be said: Land ownership is a scam, perpetuated by those who wish to demand obedience from other men, women, and the forces of nature themselves. As Planet Earth shall be seen as having the same rights as a human being, land ownership should be seen as slavery. It is wholly unnecessary to the well-being of Earth and the beings living thereon; it is divisive and can only lead to war.

We declare global peace and autonomy. We declare an initiative to work towards local living economies. We declare the land itself to be free as we The People are free.

Is world-wide consensus possible? Of course. Everybody (except for the mentally ill or clinically insane), wants and the same things: Healthy food. Clean Water. Clean air. Safe shelter. Safe Technology. Wealth and abundance. Meaningful work. Freedom to speak. Freedom to travel. Peace. The resources on this planet should be spent securing these things.

Instead, they are being spent to secure power for those who already have it. That is not democracy. Those who perpetuate this are psychotic and addicted to power. Those who stand by while this happens are mentally ill. They are brainwashed; have been fooled into selling their children and grandchildren as slaves or livestock to be herded and slaughtered.

The Los Angeles Occupation Government is evolving organically and democratically. As with other Peoples' Occupations, the "leaders" are anybody who is willing to get involved, get their hands dirty, and contribute their utmost efforts to the new Democratic Revolution and to assist the community. Occupy Los Angeles in specific has organized protests and marches to raise awareness about institutionalized inequities and injustices, established a free Peoples' University with classes ranging from Gardening to Economics to Direct Democracy, and has provided much-needed services to the public (even though originally it was not part of our mission to do so). Even these formidable accomplishments pale in comparison to a future aspiration shared by many of us: creating a model economy and decision-making body for the people, by the people. We have gathered to redress grievences. As we gather, we learn to represent ourselves. Each of us is learning how to govern, and govern wisely.

Occupy Los Angeles have some very different challenges than Occupy Wall Street. Wall Street, as many visitors or residents of New York know, is the heart of a large financial district. Homelessness, which has been criminalized as "Vagrancy", is heavily discouraged in this area and is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This is in stark contrast to Downtown Los Angeles, where homelessness is officially and unofficially sanctioned. It is the site of the only homeless shelters in Los Angeles. It is the site of a scandal involving the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's illegal discharge of an unknown number of uninsured patients from city hospitals--patients whose life's savings were insufficient to pay their bill. It was ground-zero for Ronald Reagan's budget cuts to California's public services in the 1980's, when many thousands of patients were released from mental health facilities onto the streets, where they still remain.

City Hall is located mere blocks from "Skid Row", which is home to thousands of homeless residents. To many, the homeless are seen as a nuisance. To us, they are allies, friends, and neighbors. Many of these residents have benefited from the occupation in one way or another, either through one of many food and water donations (we feed over 1000 people daily in spite of food shortages), through a safe place to camp without fear of an LAPD-chartered dump truck scooping up all their worldly possessions at 5:00 in the morning, through a chance to come forward and have their voice heard by the general public and streamed live over the internet to hundreds or thousands of viewers, or simply through much needed simple acts of love and brotherhood. Some of these residents have been very helpful to the Occupation and have even accepted leadership roles by working hard for the well-being of their community. Far too many others have suffered so badly that they may not be able to contribute their full potential until they have undergone a serious healing process. Others still have been so badly wounded by their institutional disenfranchisement and resulting personal and family traumas that they see disrupting us as a way to regain their power. This is low-hanging fruit for them, as we have been welcoming and receptive as a matter of principle (much more so than any other governing body, democratic or autocratic) and as a community have been far from vindictive against those who intentionally disrupt the activities that have brought us all together.

We began our occupation in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. We are one of many similar occupations across the United States of America and the world. We maintain this solidarity, but the scope of our Occuption has shifted as the needs of The People in Downtown Los Angeles have become more concrete.

We are in solidarity with the New York City General Assembly held in Zucotti Park and the Wall Street Occupation. We are in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Oakland who have fared far worse than we have and have also achieved great victories. We are in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Bahrain, which is suffering far worse violence than we, living on our sheltered North American continent, can imagine. Cincinnatti. Chicago. Portland. Washington DC. Tampa Bay. San Francisco. Puerto Rico. London. Paris. Barcelona. Berlin. Palestine. Islamabad. Beijing. Tokyo. Hong Kong. Everywhere. The world has spoken. Now It's time to take the bull by the horns. and acknowledge our planet as thoroughly occupied by The People.

On November 5th, we will chastise those who try to control us. On November 11th, We Will Occupy All Streets to let our neighbors know that freedom has come at last. Between now and then, we must prepare for this occupation. Let every ornamental tree in public be replaced by fruit trees. Let every roof catch water for irrigation or even drinking. Let corn, beans, and squash line every boulevard. Abundance is reality. Scarcity is a myth perpetuated by greed. This we must see, and this we must agree.

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