Occupy Portland! Get Involved Now!

From OccupyPortland.org:

On Oct. 6th, 12:00 pm, thousands will gather at the Waterfront near SW Ankeny and Naito Parkway (http://tinyurl.com/44rl474) to march to Pioneer Courthouse Square. This is in support of Occupy Wall Street, where thousands have been staying near the Wall Street stock exchange to protest the corruption of Washington politicians, misdeeds of big banks, and the cancerous rein of corporate lobbyists. Bring friends, family, passion, and supplies for the night because we will be in this for the long haul. Once we are done for the day we will then march back to the Waterfront and set up for the night.

Get involved in planning for this occupation!
Discussions and logistics on the community page- http://www.facebook.com/OccupyPortland
A group page for sharing ideas and documents- http://www.facebook.com/groups/284344344909229/
And the event page, which seems to be mainly for inviting people to join in: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=232437856804769

If you don't have facebook, the website is now up and running, and very useful! http:/OccupyPortland.org
On the website, you can find flyers, the march route, the livestream, and a list of the needs of the occupiers. See how you can be useful!

The March Route:

We are the 99%!

"We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent."

 

"I was deployed to Iraq 4x

5 of my friends are dead
1 of my friends is missing his arm
1 of my friends killed himself
I've been blown up 2x by roadside bombs
hearing fireworks makes me nervous
I can't sleep at night

All so bankers and war profiteers could get richer
I am the 99%"

We are the 99%. OccupyPortland.org!

Human Needs, Not Corporate Greed!

For those of you in other states, go to OccupyTogether.org and see what is being planned near you!

In Solidarity with Occupy Wall St and October2011, WE OCCUPY TOGETHER!

So much is happening in NYC on Wall St right now, it is appalling that the media is barely covering it. It is appalling that so many people I have spoken to have not heard anything about it.  Here is a great article on Occupy Wall St. If you don't know much about it, please take the time to read this. On September 17, the occupation on Wall St began. Please also look at occupywallst.org where they post regularly every day about what is happening in Liberty Plaza in NYC.  Recently, police have been reacting violently toward peaceful protestors. Much of this can be found on youtube videos and live streaming. 80-100 protesters have been arrested today. Police have been asking people to move to certain areas, and as this is a peaceful protest, they complied. When they comply a net is thrown over them, they are arrested, and sometimes maced. This is all over the internet, but the mainstream media will not cover it. Five Tea Party members  protesting the protest make the news, but the thousands that have been on Wall St for seven days do not.

Here is the latest news from Occupy Wall Street:
This report came in half an hour ago from the chair of the NYC IWW chapter.
Protesters arrested today (including the NYC IWW chair) are being locked inside a police van outside the:
1st Precinct Police Station
16 Ericsson Pl.
New York, NY 10013
+1 (212) 334-0611
They've been there for over an hour. One has a very bad concussion, possibly life threatening.
Right now the NYC IWW chair he is calling on us to send people NOW for help out and to demand medical care for our comrades.
If you can't make it in person then please call these numbers:
1st Precinct - (212) 334-0611 - 16 Ericsson Place
6th Precinct - (212) 741-4811 - 233 West 10 Street
NYPD Switchboard: 1-646-610-5000

Follow 24 hour live stream to see what is really going on at http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution.

On October 6, 2011, an occupation has been planned in Washington D.C. Here is the website for organizing this, we have been working toward this for months: october2011.org. In Solidarity with the October 2011 "Stop the Machine! Create a New World!" movement and in Solidarity with the occupation on Wall St, cities all over the country are planning to join in and occupy together.

Occupy Wall Street has released a statement explaining what we are protesting: Ending Capital Punishment. Ending Wealth Inequality. Ending Police Intimidation. Ending Corporate Censorship. Ending the modern gilded age. Ending Political Corruption. Ending Joblessness. Ending Poverty. Ending Health-Profiteering. Ending American Imperialism. Ending War.

October2011.org has also released a statement: http://october2011.org/statement. "It is about courageously resisting and stopping the corporate state from destroying not only our inherent rights and freedoms, but also our children’s chance to live, breathe clean air, drink pure water, grow edible natural food and live in peace."

The occupation in Chicago, IL has begun. Follow their livestream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy-chicago. 

Here is a list SO FAR of cities we will occupy:
Washington D.C.
Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
Atlanta, GA
Portland, OR
Tulsa, OK
Minnesota (city to be determined)
Sacramento, CA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Salt Lake City, UT
Salem, OR
Seattle, WA
Los Angeles, CA
Austin, TX
Cleveland, OH
Tampa, FL and their facebook page
Phoenix, AZ
Boston, MA
Houston, TX
Philadelphia, PA
Omaha, NE
Lansing, MI
Columbus, OH
Denver, CO
Toronto Market Exchange
San Francisco, CA
Orlando FL
New Orleans, LA
Mississippi (city to be determined)
Kansas City, KS
Madison, WI
Las Vegas, NV
St Louis, MO
New Jersey (city to be determined)
Lexington, KY
Nashville, TN
Georgia (cities to be determined)
Indiana (cities to be determined)
Indianappolis, IN
Nebraska (city to be determined)

More occupations are being planned by the minute! Check out facebook and google+ to find out what is being organized near you! Also, check out http://occupytogether.org/.

The Poor, the Homeless, the Hungry: More Statistics!

If you're not outraged, you're NOT paying attention! Here are some more statistics and charts...this is a huge part of why we are occupying Wall St, why we will be occupying DC on October 6, 2011, and why more occupations are being planned all over the country!
These are some charts that I had meant to include in my previous post: Outraged Yet? The Poor, the Homeless, and the Hungry.

 Another post to come soon about Occupying Wall Street and the other Occupations being planned around the country!

Troy Davis Denied Clemency, to be Executed Tomorrow

It is easy to remain in a state of Outrage at the injustice of our country's government and "justice" system. It is not so easy to remain Hopeful. Especially on a day like today, with the news that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Troy Davis clemency and he is to be executed tomorrow, May 21, 2011. Here is my previous blog post about the Troy Davis case.


Click here to view the disheartening message I received from Amnesty International this morning.

If  you have not already done so, you can sign the petition to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

You can contact the Chatham County's District Attorney's office by phone or fax: Telephone: 912-652-7308 Fax: 912-652-7328.

Here is a new petition from NAACP to tell District Attorney Larry Chisolm to petition the judge to withdraw the death warrant against Troy Davis.

Today is a Day of Protest. Tomorrow is a Day of Vigil. You can organize events to have your voices heard, and send your prayers and hopes. There is power in Solidarity. Spiritual strength. I encourage everyone to do what you can to stand in solidarity with Troy Davis and his family.

Here is the event in Georgia:

Gather at the State Capitol at 7:00 pm to Demand that the State of Georgia halt their planned execution of Troy Davis!

Georgia State Capitol

206 Washington Street

Atlanta, GA 30334

United States

A few recent Acts of Solidarity:

(from cbsatlanta.com) An Atlanta pastor has chained himself to a flag pole in front of the building that houses the State Board of Pardons and Paroles in protest of the board's decision to deny clemency for death row inmate Troy Davis ... Rev. Marvin Morgan, of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, said he will remain chained to the post, fasting, as long as he can.

People Occupying Wall Street (which I can't believe I haven't blogged about yet!) are also showing solidarity with Troy Davis:

There is a huge protest in Atlanta right now, and others are protesting and organizing around the country:

Singing "we shall overcome"

About 500 marchers, led by Martin Luther King III, center, Larry Cox, Executive Director Amnesty International USA, right, and Georgia NAACP President Ed DuBose, second left, walk past Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in support of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 in Atlanta.

Amnesty International activists demonstrates outside the U.S. Embassy in support of death row inmate Troy Davis in Rome

Italy

Paris, France

 It is easy to be Outraged, it is so very hard to remain Hopeful. But if we don't have Hope, what do we have? 

URGENT: Execution Date Set for a Man NOT Proven Guilty!

Twenty years ago, a cop, defending a homeless man, was shot and killed. The investigation by the police department was of course emotionally charged and more than anything they wanted to find the killer. As soon as Sylvester Coles told the police that Troy Davis was the shooter, they had wanted posters all over Georgia. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to death. But that's not the end of the story, not in the least. There was no material evidence. There were only witnesses. 7 out of 9 of these witnesses later admitted that they had been coerced, threatened, and harassed by police to falsely testify against Troy Davis, and that their testimony was not true. Nine people have signed affidavits stating that Sylvester Coles was the killer. One of the two who have not come forward about their testimony being false is Sylvester Coles himself. Here are the affidavits admitting that the testimony was false, and the affidavits stating that Sylvester Cole was the actual murderer: http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/affadavits.pdf. Please read these. It is enough to throw out the case. I believe, based on what I have read, that Troy Davis is innocent. But the point is that he has not truly been proven guilty. Georgia is set to execute Troy Davis on September 21, 2011. Injustice, indeed! People all over the world are in solidarity with Troy Davis, and oppose the execution of an innocent man.

 

  
Watch the four-part series "Examining the Troy Davis Case" here. It is very informative, very worth watching.

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles will hold a clemency hearing for Troy Davis on Monday, September 19, two days before he is scheduled to be executed at 7 pm on September 21.

WHAT WE CAN DO:   
*This Friday, September 16, is the International Day of Solidarity for Troy Davis. This is 3 days before his Final Clemency Hearing, the last chance to stop his execution.
Here are some solidarity actions I have found information about so far:

• In Atlanta, GA there will be a march and rally at Ebeneezer Baptist Church.
• In Seattle, WA there will be a solidarity action 5-7pm at Westlake Park. http://amnestyseattle.org
• In New Orleans, LA there will be a rally and vigil from 7-8pm at the World Trade Center of New Orleans. Here is there Facebook Event page.
• In London, there will be an event outside of the US Embassy. Here is their Facebook Event page.
• In New Mexico, there will be a march and protest at UNM tomorrow 9/13. Facebook event page.
• On September 19, 2011, at the UCLA, they will have a booth set up with petitions and phone banking sessions at the Enormous Activities Fair from 10am to 2pm. More here at their facebook event page.

*Sign the Petition to oppose the death penalty (click here)

*Organize A Rally to Stop Troy Davis' Execution

*Make the weekend of the 17th-18th a time for reflection or prayer:  for the Davis family, for the MacPhail family, and for justice to prevail.

*AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Just, PLEASE, don't sit by and do NOTHING.