FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 3, 2011 [Updated October 4 at 3:25 pm]
Contacts: OccupyBostonMedia@gmail.com
@occupyBOS_media
(857) 2468-BOS
OCCUPY BOSTON ENTRENCHES AFTER STRONG WEEKEND
Three days of mud and weather haven’t deterred approximately 100 demonstrators camped in Dewey Square from staying put indefinitely. Occupy Boston, which started on Friday evening, September 30, is part of a national occupation movement to that is sweeping the country’s major cities (including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), attempting to bring attention to the fact that 99% of American citizens do not feel their views are being represented by their government.
The occupation began Friday evening when over 1,000 people rallied at Dewey Square and marched in a peaceful protest on the Boston Federal Reserve Building. Saturday and Sunday continued peacefully as the number of occupiers grew following marches on CollegeFest at the Hynes Convention Center and on the HONK! Festival. Evening General Assembly meetings have drawn representatives from local business and labor unions—including representatives from both the Taxi Drivers Union and the Greater Boston Labor Council, which addressed the assembly, expressing full solidarity and support to our cause—as well as concerned participants opting to join the ongoing encampment.
On Sunday the Boston Herald referred to the Occupy movement, saying, “Something’s happening here and across the country, despite repeated dismissals of these protesters.”
On Monday, October 3 Occupy Boston delivered a simple, symbolic letter to the Massachusetts Statehouse and Bank of America:
To: The 1%
Wall St.
All Cities, USAGet out of our government. We want our country back.
Sincerely,
The 99%
Because there have been conflicting accounts in the press, we’d like to clarify our reason for occupying downtown Boston. There is no one single issue or demand that summarizes Occupy Boston or the Occupy movement. Occupiers facilitate conversation, discussion, and debate around the issue of corporate influence on politics in an attempt to overcome the cynicism and corruption running rampant in this country.
We invite everyone—left, right, and center—to join us and join the conversation. Inside Dewey Square is real democracy. It’s a horizontal, leaderless operation that empowers all individuals to participate equally in decision-making, as opposed to the circus of special-interest lobbyists or legislators with big-business ties in Washington and State Houses across the nation. Come see what democracy looks like and take part in Occupy Boston.
[This release was updated to reflect changes made by members of Occupy Boston. We are a horizontal democracy. Every voice matters. Every voice is heard.]
107 Responses to “[UPDATED] To the Press: For Immediate Release”
Let me know how I can participate
Perhaps there is at least 1 person in the 99 percent of you who can string together a grammatically correct press release. I don’t want you representing me with yshoddy, disorganized communication processes (i.e. a vague and embarrassing letter to Bank of America). Visit whichever tent the proofreader sits in. You’re an embarrassment to those of us liberals who actually take ourselves seriously.
shoddy*
We are not all liberals. Just so you know.
Agreed. Aren’t there college students there? Or is this a subtle comment on our education system, crafting a press release that lacks flow and proper grammar?
They’re not all liberals. Wow. And the Missing the Point Award goes to…
Perhaps we can learn from movements that worked–sit-ins for integration, civil disobedience led by Gandhi in India. Movements that haven’t worked? Disorganized nonsense from wannabe “anarchists” who don’t like capitalism and want to throw trash cans through Starbucks’ windows, or chant in a park that “this is what democracy looks like.”
I’ve been a part of many protest movements, as an organizer and a participant. We spent a LOT of time discussing strategy–permits, how to respond to police and counter-protesters, how to dress, what types of signs to carry, etc. People who disagreed with us at least had respect for our tactics. And we accomplished at least some of our goals.
This movement? It’s about feeling good about standing up to the man, which isn’t changing anything.
They are doing the same thing. I agree though, the letter could have been better. Or the could have executed it better.
@Nickolo I live in New York, and I’ve been seeing the Occupy Wall Street protesters from day one. They’re horrendously disorganized. If they’re actively meeting to get themselves in order, they’re doing a terrible job.
I was reffering to occupy boston
Damn it hell! The whole movement is ruined! Might as well give up and start ending all our sentences with prepositions and give up on split infinitives!
Pack it up, tent city! You’re not taking yourself seriously enough!!!
Sarcasm aside, it’s not even a week and it’s in a tent city. Last time I checked, they aren’t getting paid to write press releases or anything else for that matter. Plus a conscious effort to have a non-hierarchical structure…could have seen it coming. Things are fomenting.
To Secretary of Shenanigans: Perhaps you could pop down to the square and offer some volunteer time to the group? This would be a very helpful and constructive thing to do.
I require a much more constructive explanation as to what the desired outcomes of this protest are. Any good protest has an end goal in mind. When you can tell me your (FEASIBLE) end goal, I’ll tell you if myself and my views are aligned with it, and if they are I will help. As for now, the vagueness is a slap in the face of liberalism. I don’t need to help people living in tents… I have to be at work so I can pay my rent.
They are not all liberals. And they hope to meet many goals, not just one. Their end goal is to make our government work for us, not for themselves.
From what I saw last night, horizontal democracy is an agreed upon value. Now they just need to agree on a few Paths (demands) that will get the rest of the nation there.
@ Arialittlhous: show me the specific list of demands and we’ll talk. If somone finds a tangible way to get something accomplished here, I’m all about it. Until then I think it’s a lot of boredom curing and bandwagons.
To Secretary of Shenanigans: I think we all know what the end goal for us is. We want the power of the decisions in this country, and that of every other country’s for that matter, in the hands of the people that actually know what people need. Not the 1% that is out of touch with our reality and that is only looking out for itself. Only the people (the 99%) know exactly what the people need. Only the people know what we need to do to make everything better. I believe deep inside you feel that as well and you can see that is the end goal.
@ San Fran….
Listen…. Verizon was also striking downtown for the better part of the summer… but they had a very specific end goal. Tangible. Thought out. Appropriate. And I supported them 120 percent. I loved that they could strike for their right. But it is not your RIGHT to set up a tent town in downtown boston and ask people to bring you food and do your laundry just because you had nothing better to do all day. We get it… you hate people who make a lot of money. I share MANY of your ideals, but I am respectful of my community and I am not going to go about it in a disorganized, entitled and overly idealistic way. Especially not if I don’t even know what I’m asking my government to do for me besides “butt out” of the decision making process. It’s a friggen government… are you trying to make every politician in the United States of America step down from their position? Sounds a lot like anarchy to me.
The reason I am attending is it is the first time I have had an opportunity to participate in a true democracy. I think that is reason enough. We don’t need another reform movement, they always fail. How about we just decide to govern ourselves with direct democracy?
The problem is the “1%” using their money to influence elections and public policy. I could offer an easy solution. Have a constitutional amendment that would reverse the Citizen’s United decision (worst decision since Dred Scott) also a good idea would be to require candidates to forfeit to the treasury any money left in their campaign’s war chest after the election. Mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years for bribery. Also non human entities should be strictly forbidden from donating any money to any candidate. Cap all donations at $1,000 per individual per election cycle (they can allocate it between candidates or party how ever they choose. Ban all campaign media buys. Instead give all canidates 60 minutes of network television airtime, with only the candidate allowed to speak. Also all candidates on the ballot should be required to participate in all debates. No vote tallies should be released until all polls have closed on election day
I also personally feel we should have two election days A primary 30 days prior to the November election (there is no reason all 50 states cannot have their primaries on the same day, to hell with New Hampshire’s ego) with all candidates for office on the same ballot that all voters receive (think of the cost savings there) without any mention of party affiliation. The top two candidates move on to the November election (which could potentially cause two candidates from the same party to run against each other). All vacated Senate seats should be filled by a special election say 90 days from the date of vacancy (this is needed because of Blagojevich selling Obama’s vacant seat as well as the shenanigans here where a democrat controlled legislature took the appointment power away in 2004 when Romney would have been able to replace Kerry if he had won the Presidency and then tried to change it back when Kennedy died so that Patrick could have the appointment power. The electoral college either needs to be eliminated or require states to allocate their electoral votes by the results (say a state has 10 electoral votes and one candidate gets 60% of the votes he would get 6 electoral votes) honestly, why should anyone in Massachusetts even bother to vote for president? I can tell you right now the only way Obama does not win Mass is if he dies, then it’s an automatic win for Biden (conversely why should anyone vote in Wyoming? The electoral votes are already pledged to the Republican candidate. Because of this over half th country already has their presidential vote decided for them long before the election is even held.
Also the structure of the Supreme Court needs to be changed. We need to eliminate the chief justice position and expand the court to 12 justices and each case is decided by a randomly selected panel of 4 justices (the even number would eliminate the shameful 5-4 decisions). Also rather than lifetime appointments it should be a fixed term say 20 years. And if a seat is vacated before the fixed term has expired leave it vacated until after the following presidential election. This would prevent justice from retiring when there is a president in office who would appoint a justice the retiring justice would approve of.
We also need to apply term limits to legislators. This would encourage lame duck legislators to make decisions in the best interest of the country without worrying about how it would effect their reelection chances. It would also eliminate entrenched career politicians who are the easiest for the lobbyists to influence. It would encourage a Citizen’s legislature with high turn ove that is more in touch with those they were elected to represent. Also all redistricting should be done by a computer algorithm that would draw the districts. This will prevent gerrymandering. If a state loses a seat due to population loss, then the first choice would be to eliminate a district with a representative retiring due to term limits if possible.
We also need a constitutional amendment banning any and all subsidies and bailouts unless there is a clear and present national security concern. We need to enforce anti trust laws. It’s no coincidence that when oil industry consolidated to the Super-Majors (Exxon-Mobil, Connoco-Phillips, Texico-Chevron) that the price of gas jumped from a relatively stable price of close to a dollar a gallon to well over $2 a gallon with huge price swings every couple of months (and it’s no coincidence the price of gas went from $4.20 a gallon in July of 2008 to $1.50 in October, right before the election). If McDonalds tried to buy out Burger King the Justice Dept would block the merger, should be the same for Exxon and Mobil merging. No single financial institution should ever be allowed to be big enough that if they failed they would cause a financial melt down. In a true free market economy a poorly run investment firm would disappear into the dustbin of history, and the slack would be picked up by the others and new firms. And Bank of America didn’t become too big to fail by running a good business (if you do business with Bank of America you’re a fucking moron). They became that big by buying up other banks.
5 Paths to Horizontal Democracy and Economic Equality
Proportional Representation
Direct Democracy Referendum on every provision of the Tax Code
End to Personhood for Corporations
Forgiveness of Interest on All Debts incurred after 1/1/11
Single Payer Healthcare
….error, debts incurred before 1/1/12.
To Secretary of Shenanigans:
First of all, I never said anything about asking politicians to “butt out” so don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t appreciate it. I simply said that the power of the decision making for this world should be in the hands of the people and I believe we can reach an agreement with the 1% where, unified, we can all make the best decisions best for us (including both the 99% and the 1%).
Secondly, I don’t hate people that make a lot of money. Hate can never overcome evil and I am a firm believer. It isn’t about who makes the most money or who has the most power and it never has been. It is about standing up for us, the people. Isn’t that a good enough reason? Or do you not love yourself and your brothers and sisters enough to stand up for our rights and welfare even if we don’t have a goal that is “feasible” enough for your demands. Love, my sister. Love yourself and love us all as one people. We’re all in this together and I include you whether you like it or not. When I stand up for the rights of the people I’m standing up for your rights as well. Even if you don’t fully believe in what we are doing.
To San Fran:
If you’re trying to be a respectful person who is a part of a respectful movement, please do not refer to my self love, my love for my community, my love for my family, etc. You know absolutely nothing about my personal capacity for love. I find that wildly inappropriate. Especially when followed by some patronizing promise to “include me and fight for my rights.” Thanks, “sister.” You have the freedom to do as you please but do not ever tell me that I don’t “love myself enough.” Who do you think you are?
I understand the overarching goal, Nickolo, but what a ginormous waste of resources to just all sit around brainstorming about how the hell you’re going to get the government to do something. Get a degree in political science and do something about it, then. Don’t set up a shanty town that I have to walk by every morning on my way to work for a lovely humanitarian non-profit that is doing good in this world.
With all due respect, and as someone who is in training to be a social worker and wants to work for “lovely humanitarian non-profit that is doing good in this world,” I have to insist that you do not understand what it is about. Occupy boston is not a reform movement, nor is it a meant to tell government to do something. I don’t speak for everyone, but what I’ve found there is a process of actual democracy that everyone should be able to participate in. It is a new, alternative political process, not a group that petitions the old process. It is revolutionary to sit in a park with a group of people and to govern yourself completely democratically. The reason we have no specific demand is because there is no one who can decide what that is! All conversations about what we want have been amazing dialogues which have been more empowering and important than being a part of a group where a few people have decided what the goals are. No one has power over anyone else! We are creating a real community in that park, and I hope that you come by for a general assembly and see for yourself what its all about.
Bring horizontal democracy to the world via proportional representation, an end to corporate personhood, and a digital referendum on every provision of the tax code.
We already have tons of people with BAs in political science running this country. Generally they run for office, get elected and when they lose, become lobbyists. Career politicians with a permanent campaign. Some become part of the problem. Any change that’s ever happened in this country comes from populist movements. Could this catch on? I think so. It seems to be pretty clear that the middle class in this country is slip sliding away. For the first time it looks like your not going to be in better shape than your Dad. Why? If this movement is simply having a dialogue among themselves about the condition of this democracy and its inability to function then they just might prevent the rest of this place from becoming a banana republic. Hey this could be a new party, the horizontalists.
I don’t think its a real word.
I think you should remove the reference to 1% and Wall Street. Just because someone works on Wall St., or is considered a top 1% wage earner, does not mean they are making efforts to control the government and screw others. Hell, Warren Buffet wants to pay more taxes and he is in the 1%. When you yell “rich” and Wall St.” as broad terms to describe those you think are out to get you, you’re inviting criticism for being “hippies”. Is that not a fair term? To lump all protesters into one word? Exactly.
Absolutely, Joe. Absolutely. Invoking criticism by using blanket statements. Get organized and get a well-defined message. And, not for nothing, but the founders of all of this social media you so desperately need for your “movement” are in that one percent, too.
i love a movement with no “end goal” — we’ve had all those already and look at where we are today.
time for something new
I disagree, a general goal like “horizontal democracy and economic justice” are necessary to bring people in.
Secretary of Shenanigans: Perhap a refresher in correct grammatical usage (not to mention careless spelling errors) may be in order for you. Witness: “I don’t want you representing me with yshoddy, disorganized communication processes (i.e. a vague and embarrassing letter to Bank of America).” and “I’ll tell you if myself and my views are aligned with it,” Correct usage would disavow the word ‘myself’ here and instead use “I” – HMMMMMM.
The point here is that undue criticism tends to confuse the issues. Not all participants are liberal. There are conservative and libertarian, as well as unaligned, people in the group. That, my friend, is the attractive feature of this brand new movement. This group has been in existence for just about one week. Jumping on people for their spelling and grammatical errors (include yourself here) is counter productive. The important and most compelling point is that finally a group of concerned people have stepped forward and decided to take a chance on fomenting change. A Change that is direly needed in this country if it is to survive. Rather than focus on the form, why not concentrate on the content? Economic greed and corruption, both in our government and on Wall St. is an excellent starting point, wouldn’t you agree?
Mary B, I put an asterisk next to shoddy in a follow up comment. It was a typo that I immediately recognized, so grow up on that front. Maybe you can skip over to the media tent and help them crisp up that press release, then. Or did you write it? My comment wasn’t going out to the media it was a quickly-typed comment on an already disheveled blog. I have a journalism degree, so believe me nothing ever got PUBLISHED with typos. I’m just saying, if you want to be taken seriously, particularly by an already skeptical media, have someone edit your makeshift press releases. If poking back at me makes you feel better, so be it, but remember my comment was not nearly in the same playing field as you putting out press releases on Word Press.
And you throw the word change around like you’re going to actively try to make one… you’re not going to by sitting in a tent at South Station, trust me.
Secretary of Shenanigans, I note you skipped over your horrendous use of “myself” mentioned by Mary B. That was not a typo, nor was your incorrect usage in “…not nearly the same playing field as you(sic) putting out press releases.” I agree with your sentiment, that press releases should be checked for grammatical errors, but maybe you need a little refresher course in grammar yourself. You might have helpfully pointed out that Occupy Boston needed to correct “…there has(sic) been conflicting accounts…” instead of starting a flame war. But maybe you don’t consider the hour you’ve spent here when you’re supposed to be helping the world with your lovely humanitarian nonprofit a “ginormous waste of resources” —- maybe you’re doing exactly what you came here to do.
To Secretary of Shenanigans: I think we all know what the end goal for us is. We want the power of the decisions in this country, and that of every other country’s for that matter, in the hands of the people that actually know what people need. Not the 1% that is out of touch with our reality and that is only looking out for itself. Only the people (the 99%) know exactly what the people need. Only the people know what we need to do to make everything better. I believe deep inside you feel that as well and you can see that is the end goal.
If I were going to bring some stuff down for you guys( like bottles of water, for example), where do I park/pull over, etc? I know the place is crawling with cops, and I don’t want hassle with them about it.
oops, sorry, I replied below, but will also rely here in case you subscribed to follow-up comments by email!
Heidi, I’ve made a couple of drops. Try to come on off hours (ie, no am or pm rush hours).
Get in the left lane alongside the protesters and stop toward the far end instead of stopping right away. Put on your blinkers and roll down your window to ask people to take the donations. There are always people ready to help unload your car, so everything goes quickly. It’s not that bad because ahead of you is a red light, and sometimes the traffic has to stop, anyway. Also, on the other side of the intersection by South Station, just before Dewey Square, the left lane must turn left, so it takes a while for the left lane to fill up again.
And don’t worry about the police. They are very mellow. Boston police officers are nothing like NYC cops.
Okay, thanks a lot. I will try to make it down there in the next couple days. : )
If you have any way to contact someone at the camp, it’s a good idea to give them a couple minutes warning so that they can inform the police that you’ll be unloading momentarily and get a couple people over to unload. Obviously if you don’t have any contact numbers that’s not practical, but it’s just a thought.
We have friends in Spain who can help!
https://www.facebook.com/democraciarealya?sk=events
they have over 400,000 ‘likes’ of their page
Spain is home to the HUGE ’15M’ occupy movement since spring. They probably have some great tips and strategies to share with us. Check out their facebook page. They are already blogging supportive things about Occupy Wallstreet and Occupy Boston.
Great find, Jobie!
What are their demands?
I will gladly offer proofreading/copyediting services for any docs that Occupy Boston puts out (internally and externally!). I’ll be at Dewey tonight and will try to get together with the right folks to arrange it. I’m sorry that some overlooked copy errors caused so much upset. I hope that we can all remember that there are many who are working tirelessly at the encampment arranging things such as press releases and that errors are to be expected! Luckily, some support, solidarity, and cooperation can help out with that. I’m sure that we can all agree, that a couple sets of eyes can help out any document! Hope to see you all tonight!
That is a great offer April! I hope you are able to connect with the folks you need to in order to have your generous offer put to good use. Way to go!
Heidi, I’ve made a couple of drops. Try to come on off hours (ie, no am or pm rush hours).
Get in the left lane alongside the protesters and stop toward the far end instead of stopping right away. Put on your blinkers and roll down your window to ask people to take the donations. There are always people ready to help unload your car, so everything goes quickly. It’s not that bad because ahead of you is a red light, and sometimes the traffic has to stop, anyway. Also, on the other side of the intersection by South Station, just before Dewey Square, the left lane must turn left, so it takes a while for the left lane to fill up again.
And don’t worry about the police. They are very mellow. Boston police officers are nothing like NYC cops.
Organizers – are you able to get hot water somehow? You’re going to be wanting tea and cocoa as the temp drops, and I think you still need a coffee maker – do you have a place to plug it in? I’m looking to help.
What about gift cards to nearby coffee places like Dunkin Donuts, Panera Bread or Au Bon Pain, all a short walk away?
What locations do you plan on marching to for the 6pm march and rally?
Kudos to everyone who is working on being part of the democracy process. We learn by doing it and with a good deal of practice we become skilled in it. Thanks to all who are getting involved. estcrone
Would love this or an excerpt from one of the critiques (http://disoccupy.wordpress.com/) to be posted to the front page as a blog post for discussion:
Hi Occupy Boston,
I’ve been participating since Day 1, and love this movement’s horizontal structure, the general assemblies, the ruckus being made in the financial district! So with tons of love I suggest a good, open-minded read of the critiques on disoccupy.wordpress.com because we are a movement in infancy that can be self-reflective, flexible, and accountable.
Some major critiques I’m hearing is that
–“Occupy” is taking place on already occupied indigenous lands and we should acknowledge this
–Capitalism is a process that needs colonialism to survive– the stealing of wealth and resources and especially land to make profits for elite powerful groups. We can’t confront the financial barons without also confronting US imperialism at home & abroad.
–When we ignore race and other differences between us and pretend to be in monolithic unity, we recreate power structures and oppressions from the bigger society. We don’t need to do this! We can examine how we structure our assemblies, our message and demands, and how we ally with or integrate into the already existing and super vibrant Boston-area movements for survival and against capitalist, colonial oppression led by indigenous folks, people of color, renters, LGBT and queer people, immigrants, etc etc. This struggle ain’t new, but we have some new faces and a different tactic. Let’s build, not recreate or alienate.
Suggestion for “the 1 demand”: NO monolithic demand, but solidarity with all those in struggles against oppression.
What do you think??
Just to show one way these cirtiques apply to Occupy Boston:
A lot of the press has been misreporting that the huge march against Bank of America with its lockdowns and arrests on Friday was the kickoff to OccupyBoston. It wasn’t– it was a separate action resulting from massive organizing by the Take Back Boston coalition (http://www.takebackboston.org/). There was lots of overlap and solidarity for both actions, but to neglect to correct the press on this one is to have an elementary student take credit for a PhD’s work. Poor analogy but ya get what I mean.
Occupy Boston folks should be working with and outreaching to these massive, organized, and effactive local groups who have been doing awesome work on similar issues. I hope a lot of these organizers are coming to OccupyBostons GAs and feeling invested and heard in this movement’s process. If these organizers and groups are NOT present at OccupyBoston, that is indicative of a huge failure for us; it is showing that Occupy Boston is repping only a small portion of the 99% it claims to reach, and that’s the portion nearest to the 1% we claim to oppose.
Jane- Thank you for posting this. I think the “take back our country” language is particularly problematic, and something that has been thoroughly critiqued. I understand peoples’ desire to reach out to the general public, but doing this with nationalistic rhetoric comes at the expense of marginalizing the people who are the most oppressed.
I don’t think anyone is ignoring race, or colonialism, or recreating oppressive structures of any kind. Rather dwelling on the past and trying not to offend anyone is means not being FOR anything specific. In other words, your expressions of solidarity are “pretty but useless.” I think once you start talking to folks from progressive organizations in Boston, you’ll hear more brass tacks than nice sentiments. Have you been down to Encuentro 5? They’re in Chinatown: http://www.encuentro5.org/home/
But it is our country, isn’t it? I’m serious- I’m trying to understand what you mean. Don’t we want it back?
This is so far removed from what my understanding of Occupy is about- I’m confused. I don’t think that the above is applicable to many of us in the 99%.
Colonialism & indigenous peoples? Occupied indigenous lands? I have no interest in any of that. Sorry, it’s just not on my list. All respect for it being on yours though.
I do not want to abolish capitalism. I want thieves held accountable. I want an even playing field. I want my government to represent my interests equally with everyone else’s. I want a political structure in which money, corporations and the “Good Old Boy” network have a stronger voice than mine (or yours). Capitalism though, is fine with me. I like my right to start a business and make a living. I like my right to pay another capitalist to make me a meal or care for my pets.
Monolithic Unity- I’m not even sure what that means. I do feel a little alienated though.
I do agree that Occupy is moving into the phase where goals/demands whatever need to be identified and established. What do we want?
I totally respect your commitment to your ideals and your passion is clear. I just don’t think that they have broad enough resonance with the larger 99% community.
Oops- late night, fatigued typo above. I want a political structure in which money, corporations and the “Good Old Boy” network DON’T have a stronger voice than mine (or yours).
Quick, call the grammar police! Must be time for bed. 🙂
Well said Bumpkin. I am a pretty successful small business owner, work hard, pay my taxes, play by the rules and appreciate being allowed to do so though it continues to get more difficult. I do not understand why others seem above the rules. I can no longer differentiate between many of the big corporations, many of the big Wall Street Investment Bankers and our Federal Government. I do not understand how very same fraud can be committed over and over again on a bigger scale each time with “We The People” left holding the bag with no accountability for the perpetrators of the fraud. I do not understand why Henry Paulson forced AIG to pay Goldman Sachs 100 cents on the dollar of our bailout dollars to the same ones who designed and committed the fraud. Could it be because of his close ties to GS? Why hasn’t he and his cronies been called to account., (not that he is the only one that should) I feel our Gov’t bureaucracy is so bloated it now feeds itself instead of serving we the people. I could go on and on which is why I think this event, movement whatever it is has a difficult time defining itself. There is much to address and many problems to solve, so many systemic wrongs to right. I think our Constitution has the tools to bring the nation back on course we just need to actually follow it, insist that our Government follow it and also follow reason/logic/empathy as the final backstops. I live in the US Virgin Islands, but will be in Boston at the end of the month. I hope the Occupiers are still there as I will stop by to listen, learn and perhaps lend support. This will be a first for me, but it seems so much is these days.
The most dangerous thing that could happen to this movement is endless lefty squabbling about identity politics. I understand racism and sexism and many other -isms are still real, but can we get together with the utopian goal (and indisputable truth) that WE ARE all human beings and that is all that really matters? How are we recreating power structures from bigger society by ignoring the self-constructed barriers to unity that the society at large loves us to have? They want us to fight about race and gender and sexuality so we distract ourselves from the fact that we really are all in this together and the real injustice that separates us is economic in nature.
Nicely put Dan.
*Occupation is not the same as Protest.*
Imagine!
Unhappy/Pissed/Disenfranchised people who want to amass together in the name of civil discontent have no idea what they’re doing!
Because they’ve been beaten down by the Rule of Fear, by the Choke-Collar of Debt, by Oppressive Authority!
Because US protests/demonstrations/occupations on a large, nation-changing scale only seem to happen once or twice a century! As opposed to those European-folk who riot at the drop of a hat and have the governments fearing them and not the other way around!
Comic relief -> “OMG, these protesters have NO idea what they’re doing! I can protest SO much better!”
I think the press release got the point across. To quibble about the proper use of sentence structure etc displays the level of indoctrination of the critical person. You are part of the problem.
Let the free flow of genuine ideas emanate from the feral heart of the movement. It may not get a great grade from the professor, but the truth shall set us free. We are the 99%. Go your ass back to class and prepare for a “career.”
Just to clarify… my masters degree in communication was completely FREE… because I WORKED at the university I got it at…. if you’re savvy enough to work around the system you can get ahead in this world, and you don’t need a tent to do it. That’s all I’m saying. Learn how to sell yourself. You can steer your own ship without trying to overturn the government.
A respect for well written language is not evidence of indoctrination into anything except for being an intelligent citizen of the world. The 99% would like to have a career, that’s the whole point of this action as far as I can tell. Ideas are not more genuine when they are poorly articulated.
It can definiitely start with the replacement of politicians with people that are qualified to do the work in the best interest of the people. Remove some of the amendments (the 16th for example-federal income tax). Make the banks, wall street and wealthy pay back what they have taken and distribute it to where it has been taken from. Put those who are thought to have taken from the people and give them a fair trial. Things have to be settled out, the people don’t get angry for no reason, obviously their rights have been violated and this is what we have now.
I’m a bit concerned by some of the critiques:
“–”Occupy” is taking place on already occupied indigenous lands and we should acknowledge this”
…seriously? OK, yes, this land was colonized almost 400 years ago, and it was a tragic time. At the same time, that cause has flown. People have migrated from one place to the other for millenia. You can’t expect the immigrants to a new country to leave – not in Israel, not in Europe, and not here. Work with who’s here to make it a better place, rather than rehashing tragedies of the past.
“–Capitalism is a process that needs colonialism to survive– the stealing of wealth and resources and especially land to make profits for elite powerful groups. We can’t confront the financial barons without also confronting US imperialism at home & abroad.”
Yes, we can. In fact, I’d argue the opposite – we can’t confront US imperialism abroad before we confront the financial barons at home. We need to get our own house in order before we confront the broader picture, especially as now we have entrenched ourselves in enough locations where the local power structures depend on US involvement in order to maintain stability. Also, the accusatory words thrown in (such as “stealing”) don’t help the cause.
“–When we ignore race and other differences between us and pretend to be in monolithic unity, we recreate power structures and oppressions from the bigger society. We don’t need to do this! We can examine how we structure our assemblies, our message and demands, and how we ally with or integrate into the already existing and super vibrant Boston-area movements for survival and against capitalist, colonial oppression led by indigenous folks, people of color, renters, LGBT and queer people, immigrants, etc etc. This struggle ain’t new, but we have some new faces and a different tactic. Let’s build, not recreate or alienate.”
I disagree completely. We are people, not our racial, gender, or cultural identities. Part of the reason the Tea Party (and right-wing organizations in general) tend to thrive more than left-wing organizations is that they don’t yield to each individuals need to express their individuality – they have a driving point (which I often find reprehensible). Clear thoughts, clear points, and clear actions – that’s how the cause will be won, not with watering down the cause with a hundred different viewpoints.
Also, do not be fooled – this should not be about liberals or conservatives. We can renew that struggle at a later point. In this movement, Koch and Soros should be viewed with equal suspicion and animosity. Buffet is not your friend – he wants to sacrifice a little now, so that he does not have to sacrifice more
I would propose a law – perhaps even a constitutional amendment – which restricts the total amount which an individual person and which a group of people may possess.
“No citizen of the United States of America shall, in money, assets, or investments, possess in excess of one one-thousandth of one percent of the gross domestic product of the United States of America. No organization, company, or family (as defined through marriage, brotherhood or sisterhood, or parental relation) shall possess in excess of one one-hundredth of one percent of the gross domestic product of the United States of America. Money, assets, or investments in excess of this amount shall be given to the legislative branch of the federal government who shall then enact legislation to empower the executive branch to distribute such money, assets, or investments to the poorest one percent of the citizens of the United States of America in order to help diversify the economy of the United States of America.”
If you like that proposal, suggest it to others – not through forum spam, as others have a right to stay on topic for their forums and I would feel chagrined to see this posted on a gaming site or a music lovers site or something. Propose it with respect for others’ opinions, as it is through engaging others, not antagonizing others, that we have a chance to succeed in reinventing this nation.
For those who wonder what the actual numbers for the above would be, the GDP was $14.5 trillion in 2010. My proposal would restrict individuals to possession of $145 million and companies, non-profits, or families to $1.45 billion. Those who favor capitalism should be able to accept this cap because there is still plenty of room for people to excel before they hit the cap, and the overage should then help fund new ventures by the lower classes.
No. Redistribution of wealth by decree won’t fly. Movement DOA.
Money, assets, or investments in excess of this amount shall be given to the legislative branch of the federal government who shall then enact legislation to empower the executive branch to distribute such money, assets, or investments to the poorest one percent of the citizens of the United States of America in order to help diversify the economy of the United States of America.”
Yikes.
Amen Steve O.
So what’s this movement about, then? I thought it was about recognizing the disparity between uber-wealthy and poor and fixing it. There’s a few people in control of the majority of the resources and wealth of the country. They won’t just give it up. Trickle-down failed and will always fail, because when dips in economies occur the wealthy will hold onto their money rather than spend it. That’s what’s happening right now.
I think you answered your own question.
That’s a cop-out argument.
To ignore the fact that “the %99” is made up of an intersecting mix of sex, gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, ability, etc. is to ignore power structures that exist which oppress, alienate, and undermine consensus and unifying thought.
It’s not about expressing one’s individuality, it’s about making sure everyone is heard and is a part of the process, not mere bystanders in a system that they have no say in.
It’s not “watering down” the cause to have multiple viewpoints (and solutions) for 1) a movement in its infancy and 2) an occupation/protest that is confronting a complex, multifaceted situation that has taken months and years to grow into a 100-headed monster that is resonating across the U.S. and abroad.
And who exactly wrote the rule book on systematic change and shifting paradigms anyway?
I don’t think that “to ignore the fact that the 99% is made up of an intersecting mix…” is an accurate (or fair) reflection of the point folks are trying to make. The point is that ALL of us are being alienated and undermined. Let’s every race, color, gender, sexual orientation, class (insert etc here) stand up and tell them to knock it off!
You are absoloutely right, there is a 100 headed monster. Let’s go knock it down together. Then we can go sit down and talk about what makes us different.
@Bumpkin
I was directly responding to Level Thinker’s comments, particularly, “We are people, not our racial, gender, or cultural identities.” Which is a contradictory statement; yes, we ARE people AND we also happen to have gender, racial, cultural, sexual, etc., identities.
Expressly why we have to be cognizant of our differences is because we have to acknowledge the power and privileges some people have (because of their differences) that others do not (and conversely, the oppression and prejudice that some people face that others do not), ESPECIALLY IF we say the General Assemblies are operated w/ people’s mic/consensus/non-hierachical structure; we must hold OURSELVES accountable.
If we truly represent the %99 then we can’t just paint everyone the same color. That would be a disservice to the power and beauty of this movement and of the people who are/want to be a part of it.
We can be unified over Wall Street/Corporate Greed AND acknowledge the various reasons why people are occupying.
“I think the press release got the point across. To quibble about the proper use of sentence structure etc displays the level of indoctrination of the critical person. You are part of the problem.”
This is incorrect. A well-written, well-though statement would display that the cause contains people who are considered, learned people who can work with and learn from criticism. I believe that a better statement can be written. Don’t underestimate the need for intelligent, reasoned communication – such as the literature which formed the foundation for the Enlightenment.
“It can definiitely start with the replacement of politicians with people that are qualified to do the work in the best interest of the people. Remove some of the amendments (the 16th for example-federal income tax). Make the banks, wall street and wealthy pay back what they have taken and distribute it to where it has been taken from. Put those who are thought to have taken from the people and give them a fair trial. Things have to be settled out, the people don’t get angry for no reason, obviously their rights have been violated and this is what we have now.”
Why would you advocate removing the income tax in order to decrease the gap between the wealthy and the poor? A graduated income tax, if properly used and not full of holes, is the strongest weapon that the people have against the wealthy. The problem with the income tax right now is complexity.
Also, be careful throwing around the “fair trial” suggestion. History has proven that when the populace demands a fair trial, they want anything but a fair trial and often prove incapable of providing one.
Yes, the problem with the tax code is complexity! An electric referendum on all the provisions would be a great first run for direct democracy.
Dry Vibes to You All.
Reply ↓
Great thoughts, Level Thinker.
Yes, the problem with the tax code is complexity! An electric referendum on all the provisions would be a great first run for direct democracy.
Dry Vibes to You All.
I love this morning’s letter at the top of the page! Simple, succinct- excellent.
FACILITATORS OF OCCUPY BOSTON, PLEASE HEAR ME OUT!
I mentioned this to some of you friday night, and i know a few of you were more or less in favor of this. Boston and its inhabitants live a different lifestyle than New York, it is a very different culture. I SPEAK FOR MANY WHEN I SAY A LOT OF US CAN NOT MAKE THE SACRIFICE TO CAMP OUT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, BUT WE WANT TO DO OUR PART TO PROTEST! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE focus your efforts throughout the week on having a select CORE group of organizers, protestors, cooks, etc. camping out, and focus our efforts on SPREADING WORD OF THE MOVEMENT! People are just finding out about this, and a lot of us are telling everyone we possibly can. WE SHOULD FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON HAVING MASSES OF PEOPLE ORGANIZE WEEKEND AFTER WEEKEND TO MAKE SOME NOISE AND TO STAND UP! THIS WILL KEEP THE EXPENSES SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AND OUR RESOURCES WILL LAST MUCH LONGER, AND THE NUMBERS WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY! GET EVERYONE TO BRING AT LEAST 1-2 MORE PEOPLE WEEKEND AFTER WEEKEND, AND I CAN GUARANTEE WE WILL HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD IN BOSTON LIKE WE’RE BEING HEARD IN NEW YORK! i am a patriot and i love and care for the american people… i am the 99 %, and this is the only way i see the movement growing!. Please hear me out… this plan is obviously open to change and should NOT be set in stone.
P.S. if you are having trouble getting rid of bread before it all goes bad, make a lot of egg, potato, or chicken salad sandwiches! just a thought.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Thanks, Riley! What about it facilitators? Can we maybe have a meeting after one of the GA’s this weekend about all of us “weekend warriors”- what we can contribute, how we can keep our voices heard, how we can spread the message? I’d be glad to do anything I can to assist in that.
Any other weekenders have any thoughts on that?
I’m interested in bringing by several kids for at least a few minutes, around noon on Wednesday. I want my daughter and her friends to see this.
Searching on the web for some feedback and felt this person clearly explains why your protest is causing more trouble than good:
http://www.defendingthetruth.com/topic/20902-occupy-boston-expanding-protest/
I’m a little unclear on what the point of the protests are. I’m excited to see people standing up for what they believe in and voicing their anger, but I’d love some more direction. October2011 launched with a huge statement of principles, for example.
A few events that I’d love to see in Boston:
-A protest in front of any U.S. Congressman’s (i.e. – John Kerry) Boston office that voted for TARP, thus bailing out the banks. John Kerry is also on the ‘super’ committee for the debt reduction, which stinks of secrecy in general.
-A protest regarding crony capitalism in front of the MA statehouse. Just last week a local Rep tried to pass an amendment to the Casino law that forbade Reps from taking jobs with Casinos within 5 years. The Dems freaked out and argued it down to 1 year. Something is inherently wrong with that. It’s a local issue and it’s definitely relevant to corruption and our being sold out to big business.
-A protest in front of the Boston Federal Reserve for destroying the dollar.
If you guys start doing events like that, I’d definitely show up.
We’re actually camped out right in front of the federal reserve building! We even got to yell at them on Friday night. Field trips over to Kerry’s office and the statehouse sound like great ideas, too. I’ll see what I can do to pass those on to the Direct Action group, who organizes the daily marches. Are there any days/times you think we should aim for?
Hey, I have to work, but wish I could help. I take the train to South Station every day and would love to drop off some food or whatever is needed. Make a post about what you need.
https://sites.google.com/site/occupyrevolution/what-we-have
We try to keep this list up to date, so if you could check it before stopping by that would be helpful. At the moment, I believe food is doing okay. They’re a little short on fresh fruit since some of the stuff from earlier is starting to turn, but the farmer’s market will be right there tomorrow anyway.
Love the movement and a more clarified direction will transpire, but keep up the good work. Check out this article on it. http://coffeewithcaesar.com/2011/10/03/beyond-left-and-right-occupy-wall-street/
Did y’all see this?
“It’s hard to imagine a pair of people you would less want to hand a giant welfare check to — yet that’s exactly what the Fed did. Just two months before the Macks bought their fancy carriage house in Manhattan, Christy and her pal Susan launched their investment initiative called Waterfall TALF. Neither seems to have any experience whatsoever in finance, beyond Susan’s penchant for dabbling in thoroughbred racehorses. But with an upfront investment of $15 million, they quickly received $220 million in cash from the Fed, most of which they used to purchase student loans and commercial mortgages. The loans were set up so that Christy and Susan would keep 100 percent of any gains on the deals, while the Fed and the Treasury (read: the taxpayer) would eat 90 percent of the losses. Given out as part of a bailout program ostensibly designed to help ordinary people by kick-starting consumer lending, the deals were a classic heads-I-win, tails-you-lose investment.”
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-real-housewives-of-wall-street-look-whos-cashing-in-on-the-bailout-20110411?print=true
Thanks Anthony.
Matt Taibbi is one of the few reporters who’ve been sounding the tocsin about financial fraud and chicanery. I highly recommend Griftopia for those who haven’t read it.
Lodger there are many reporters and authors that have been reporting even in the mainstream media and I can’t recall one that has been nailed for slander or libel. They’ve been writing jaw dropping, I can’t believe they do this… kind of stories. Sometimes they are attacked as liberals or class warriors but the stories are not refuted. My point is that when Michael Lewis writes a best seller and points out that no one has gone to jail from the CDO debacle or that GE pays 0 taxes , no one seems to care. But if you are public school teacher in a union, it is somehow unfair that you are doing a little better than the average Joe? I think as the wheels continue to come off the cart these kind of stories might garner more attention than Pippa’s last date. I think your message should have something to do with common sense.
Oh Anthony here’s one of those guys
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/on-wall-street-a-protest-matures/
John M
We NEED you down at Dewey Square saying this, not on the website. We need your voice and your ideas with the General Assembly.
With all due respect, Ms. Shenanigans, you seem to be taking this interaction, and yourself, a little too seroiusly. I’m not suggesting that the original discussion is not serious, but somehow, it appears to have become personal for you, and perhaps the original points which were being made are getting lost in the shuffle. In making this observation, I ASSURE you, no offense is intended.
Fair play, Heidi,but tell me how not to take this comment “personally.” It’s about me as a PERSON….
“It isn’t about who makes the most money or who has the most power and it never has been. It is about standing up for us, the people. Isn’t that a good enough reason? Or do you not love yourself and your brothers and sisters enough to stand up for our rights and welfare even if we don’t have a goal that is “feasible” enough for your demands. Love, my sister. Love yourself and love us all as one people. We’re all in this together and I include you whether you like it or not. When I stand up for the rights of the people I’m standing up for your rights as well. Even if you don’t fully believe in what we are doing.”
Standing up for yourself and others means standing up to those who have power.
Why do some people think we must have solutions to these problems in order to s
Secratary of Shenanigans.
You will never get change by doing nothing. The system has failed pure and simple.
I also have a job….but unlike you I’ll be joining these people a soon as I can because I’m finally seeing something that I’m proud off in this country. The people are FINALLY standing up.
No they aren’t overly organized. The problem is that it’s not one issue. It’s systemic. It’s the way we employ capitalism…and not capitalism itself. It’s the very fact that our government…both sides have been bought by corporations.
Tell me this. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? If you really care about this country and your ideals then I implore you to support this movement. Remember it’s not one issue. It’s a LOT of issues.
Hope and Change. We really did need it. We got nothing. It’s time for the peoples voice to be heard…and I say this as someone that is 10 years out of college and by all normal standards doing pretty well. It’s not about me though. It’s about this world and legacy we are leaving behind. It’s about gaining control and accountability in our government. It’s about the freedom our forefathers fought and died for.
Please Stand and help and don’t just sit and criticize….I think we’re all tired of the laptop side line coaching most americans do. Get up. Stand up. Do something. Be a part of the change.
Peace
Why do some people think we must have solutions to these problems in order to speak out against them? Isn’t it enough, first, to stand together in solidarity and let others know that they are not alone? That we have voices and they need to be heard? And isn’t it enough, at least for now, to have a goal of this movement be simply spreading the message? It’s a movement. We’re in motion, moving towards something better. Why is it necessary to have an “end goal”?
I don’t know much about politics. I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m not an English major and I don’t plan to correct your grammar. I don’t have solutions. But I’m a person, just like the rest of you, and I think it’s about time for us to walk away from our televisions, billboards, and weekly celeb gossip magazines to start doing something that matters. And if that something means pitching a tent in downtown Boston with other folks who want to make a difference but don’t yet know how and don’t claim to have all the answers… then I’m all fucking for it.
*Oops to my partial post earlier.
With regards to “…at least for now…” Yes, it was ok for a minute, now is the time to educate yourself on the issues an take a stand.
Very Important to read. This holds alot of helpful information we can use and things to look out for.
http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/kyjo2/an_open_letter_and_warning_from_a_former_tea/
Castro claims Cuba is socialist… why don’t you all go there.
99% how did this number come about? How can you just claim representation of “the people”? I really think you should find a better way to represent “your” views because you do not represent me!!! I come from a poor single parent household, my mother worked 2 jobs she now lives in Texas 3 bedroom home with a pool in the back yard. She put me through school with all these struggles of being a single black woman parent and created a better life for herself and family. You guys scream fair democracy when it hits home, but guess what this fight has never stopped. This isn’t new, over the past few days u have accomplished a tent city and begged for donations and change whilst up the street people who have been homeless for years struggle to find suitable housing. Instead of whining about this and that go home and volunteer to organizations that actually make an impact on communities and society as a whole.
You want change? Start with the way you think, take a look in the mirror 1st b4 you start pointing fingers!!!
@The IronHelmet
I completely agree with you. It sucks that it takes something like an economic collapse brought on by Wall Street where more people are directly affected by poverty for people to want to do something.
But here’s the rub: even while Wall Street looked like it was going to collapse and then was subsequently bailed by the government – which means us, as taxpayers – Wall Street actually *profited* from the economic collapse. They whined that they needed money, got the money, and then made even more money off of it. People finally see how privilege works, and they don’t like it.
IronHelmet, i’ve visited Dewey Sq. twice and nobody begged me for anything.
I have nothing but respect for your mom. I am not one for patriotic hyperbole but her story is one that makes me proud to live in the USA. And hardworking people like her deserve better political representation. Right now she and you and I do not have our interests represented by our political leaders.
Why not take the time to actually understand what these people are doing instead of throwing around useless words like socialists?
BTW. Your mom is exactly what these people support. But we want a level fair playing field.
Can you honestly argue that the playing field is level today? Honestly.
At this point any protest, of any type, is appreciated.
This thread has so much noise. The internet is over the years old, and no one can create a way for more than two people to have a discussion at the same time. There are a couple of trolls on this thread, and you know who you are. Go away. Any one making any comments about spelling, or grammar, go away.
I like having the idea of having the Right of Revolution https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Right_of_revolution from the Declaration_of_Independence https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence as the objective.
IF YOU WANT TO DO YOUR PART BUT AM NOT ABLE TO STAY DAY AFTER DAY TO PROTEST, READ MY POST ABOVE AND TRY TO SPREAD THE IDEA TO THE FACILITATORS! thank you all
are not able*
coming with blankets and icepacks on thursday afternoon. What about food?
I will park on the outskirts of chinatown and walk in. Can I get a cell phone of someone who can help me carry stuff?
Stay strong and thank you for caring about the 99%!
Letter to the Ruling Class
You control our world.
You’ve poisoned the air we breathe, contaminated the water we drink, and copyrighted the food we eat.
We fight in your wars, die for your causes, and sacrifice our freedoms to protect you.
You’ve liquidated our savings, destroyed our middle class, and used our tax dollars to bailout your unending greed.
We are slaves to your corporations, zombies to your airwaves, servants to your decadence.
You’ve stolen our elections, assassinated our leaders, and abolished our basic rights as human beings.
You own our property, shipped away our jobs, and shredded our unions.
You’ve profited off of disaster, destabilized our currencies, and raised our cost of living.
You’ve monopolized our freedom, stripped away our education, and have almost extinguished our flame.
We are hit … we are bleeding … but we ain’t got time to bleed.
We will bring the giants to their knees and you will witness our revolution!
Sincerely,
The Serfs
http://weaintgottimetobleed.com/