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    • Archive: 2011

    Police Raid Occupy Oakland

    October 25th, 2011 · · News and Announcements 34 comments

    Today at 5 am, some 500 officers in full riot gear—drawn from police forces across central California—raided Occupy Oakland, clearing their camps in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza and Snow Park and arresting over 70 protestors. Police used tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets against the nonviolent protestors in a draconian show of force. Initial reports suggest that police also had a sound cannon on-scene. Members of the press were also assaulted by police, tear-gassed, and prevented from entering areas within sight of police activity. Pictures are available here, with video here and a first-hand account of a police assault on a member of the press here.

    Occupy Boston is deeply concerned about the actions of the various police departments that participated in the raid, as well as Oakland mayor Jean Quan’s decision to enforce minor city ordinances rather than respecting protestor’s First Amendment rights. We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in California. Stand strong. We are all the 99%, and we are all with you.

    Faith and Spirituality at Occupy Boston

    October 24th, 2011 · · Multimedia/Art 27 comments

    Spiritual communities have been active in Occupy Boston since day one, and we have a vibrant Faith and Spirituality Group that maintains a beautiful sacred space tent at our encampment. Here are some of the activities they and others have organized to date:

    Local Christian clergy—including Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and Rev. Charles Adams of Harvard Divinity School—have offered words of advice and encouragement, ecumenical prayers, and communion services.

    Members of Boston’s Jewish community have offered shabbat and Kol Nidre services, sounded the shoffer at our marches, and built a sukkot in Dewey Square.

    Members of local Buddhist sanghas have led occupiers in chanting and meditation, and members of Thich Nhat Hahn’s monastic community gave a talk and led a mindfulness march.

    The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard has offered discussion groups and secular meditations for atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, and skeptics.

    Local Unitarian-Universalist clergy have held interreligious prayer services, and the Harvard Divinity School Unitarian-Universalist Ministry to Students (HUUMS) have come to Dewey Square offering occupiers warm drinks and a listening ear.

    A local Sikh community performed a moving chant concert in Dewey Plaza.

    Occupiers and supporters from the Pagan, Muslim, Native American, yoga, New Age, and other traditions have all offered prayers, meditations, ceremonies, and workshops in Dewey Square.

     

     

    Marches for Week of October 24

    October 24th, 2011 · · Events 14 comments

    Join us! All marches begin at Dewey Square unless otherwise noted.

    Wednesday, October 26 at 1 pm (rally at Dewey at 12 pm) 

    The restoration of civil liberties is an essential part of bringing democracy back to America. On Wednesday afternoon we will march in protest of the Patriot Act and the expanding prison-industrial complex. We welcome people from across the political spectrum who can agree that this frightening trend must be reversed.

    Wednesday, October 26 at 5 pm 

    Wednesday’s march has been amended to include a major protest action in solidarity with Verizon workers! Despite reporting huge third quarter profits, Verizon refuses to do the right thing and negotiate a fair and equitable contract with union workers.  This is a perfect example of the corporate greed that the Occupy movement stands against.

    Saturday, October 29 at 1 pm 

    On Saturday, Occupy Boston will take to the streets in solidarity with occupations across the nation to show support for Occupy Oakland. After enduring several days of brutal police assaults that left the 24-year-old Scott Olsen — a former member of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines and a veteran of two tours in Iraq — hospitalized with brain swelling and a fractured scull, Occupy Oakland retook their camp with an incredible show of nonviolent resistance. It is essential that we seize this moment to demonstrate the national and international strength of the movement. When you shoot at us, injure our friends and put our heroes in the hospital, we will respond with an overwhelming display of coordinated nonviolence. We will be peaceful, powerful and clear. From Oakland to Boston, Portland to Melbourne, we will show the world what solidarity looks like.

    Van Jones at Occupy Boston This Thursday

    October 24th, 2011 · · Events, News and Announcements 20 comments

    Environmental advocate and civil rights activist Van Jones will be visiting us at 11 am on Thursday, October 27.  Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean energy economy, as well as a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the American Progress Action Fund. He holds a joint appointment at Princeton University as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and the Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. TIME magazine called him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2009. He is also the best-selling author of the definitive book on clean energy jobs, The Green Collar Economy. Check out the Facebook event here.

    Jones would like to offer Occupy Boston a few words of encouragement and support, and we are honored to have him join us. Here’s a video of him speaking at Occupy Wall Street:

     

    New General Assembly Schedule Consented To on Thursday, October 20

    October 23rd, 2011 · · Passed Resolutions 19 comments

    The following proposal was consented to by Occupy Boston’s General Assembly on Thursday, October 20:

    The Facilitators Working Group (FWG) proposes, starting on Sunday, October 23, that Occupy Boston move to a schedule of conducting General Assembly (GA) on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from 7 pm to 10 pm, as well as in the case of emergencies.

    The FWG proposes that all working groups hold at least one publicly accessible, weekly meeting (except Legal Working Group, whose meetings are necessarily confidential). The day, time, and place of the meeting is to be posted on the Occupy Boston website and made available to both the Info Tent and the Media Tent scheduling board. The meeting will be facilitated as a horizontal democracy using a consensus decision-making process. During the non-GA evenings, there will be facilitated discussions and debates starting at 7 pm on issues that interest the Occupy Boston community. Topics for these non-GA nights should be proposed in advance by individuals or working groups during General Assembly.

    The FWG offers its services to all working groups who wish to be trained in a consensus process, and, if needed, can help working groups with the facilitation of their first scheduled public meeting.

    Contact us

    Occupy Boston Media <Media@occupyboston.org> • <Info@occupyboston.org> • @Occupy_Boston