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    • Archive: January, 2012

    Occupy Boston to Join Occupy NH and Occupy Maine on Converging on NH GOP Primary Elections!

    January 6th, 2012 · · Events, News and Announcements, Press Releases 4 comments

    Occupy NH invites you to “Occupy the Presidential Primary”

    Events are starting in Manchester, NH @ 889 Elm Street, Veterans Park on January 5, 2012 @ 5pm and Ending on January 10, 2012 @ 9pm

    Occupy Boston is here to show solidarity with Occupy New Hampshire and Occupy Maine in demonstrating against the politicians who bail out large scale banks without any accommodation to people who have lost their homes. We are occupying because politicians assist companies who move jobs offshore and are protesting against special rights for businesses and the ultra-rich who in turn are allowed to give unlimited campaign contributions to politicians as though corporate money were representative of public speech.

    We are here because there is a rich few that control most of the wealth and means to create wealth, and we will not be idle while the top 1% of Americans have more money and assets than the bottom 40% of this country. We are here to demonstrate for our own domestic issues and are in solidarity with all of our sisters and brothers occupying in over 110 countries in over 3,000 cities and recognize that this is a global movement that transcends the borders of nations.

    We are against politicians of any party who deny people whether for their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, or class equal access to resources or their rights to work. We are against racial profiling, discriminatory firings, deportations and detentions.

    We are against the fact that in 36 states you can be fired from your job for being perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and most of the politicians running this election would like to increase that number. We are in solidarity with immigrant workers and families who look to improve their lives in this country and are against fear and hate mongering and the people who wish to malign immigrants for the pitfalls of our economy.

    We are against the idea that money equals speech. We are united against a political system where corporate lobbyists who represent only the interest of the business or industry they are in. We are against politicians who only serve their financiers. We are against political bribery. Money does not equal speech, corporations are not human beings and all human beings are equal! We are here to promote a democracy that is truly by, of and for the people and to advance a new era of economic and social equality! We are the 99%

    There will be non-stop events, debates, street theater, music and entertainment, teach-ins, workshops, events for children and young adults and dialogue among all people.

    This weekend, Occupy Boston will join dozens of Northeast Occupy groups in Manchester, NH to show the national and international media that we are part of the American political debate.  Republican presidential candidates will debate in a room at St. Anselm College on Saturday night, Jan. 7, but our voices will be heard loud and clear outside.   Occupy Boston will provide an embodiment of the “elephant in the room,” displaying the questions and statements that the politicians and media are trying to avoid.

    On Friday, January 6, Occupy Boston will bring a life-sized plywood, media-equipped, livestreaming elephant, which we’ll decorate with all the questions and statements that the candidates should address.  This elephant has gotten too large to ignore!    We’ll decorate it on Friday night, as part of Occupy New Hampshire’s kickoff celebration, and then we’ll bring it along to the debates the next day.  (We’re assuming they won’t actually let us bring the elephant *into* the room with the candidates, so we’ll park it outside with everyone else to welcome the candidates to St. Anselm College.)

    On Saturday, the elephant will join Operation Pride, marching to Victory Park as a response to hateful speech and campaigning of many of the Presidential candidates.

    On Tuesday, January 10, from 3-6 p.m., we’ll follow it up with a Love Police flash mob, to drive the message home.

    Come to Manchester Friday evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to launch the elephant, or Saturday through Tuesday to help create this celebration and statement of our determination to change the complacence of politics as usual.  Carpooling and bus-sharing can be arranged on the Discussion tab of http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/Occupy_NH_Primary,_OB.   The current schedule is available at http://occupynh.org/primary/ andhttp://www.facebook.com/events/124596234321440/

    Occupy Boston Hosts Forum on Campaign Finance Reform

    January 5th, 2012 · · Events 3 comments

    The CUWG addresses a packed house/ Photo by Kendra Moyer

    On January 2nd, 2012,  over 100 Occupy Boston activists and supporters met for a vibrant discussion and strategy session about the role of money in politics.  The Community Gathering, organized and hosted by the Citizens United Working Group of Occupy Boston, was an exciting kickoff to the group’s month-long education campaign about corporate influence on public policy.

    Group members gave brief presentations on PACs, Lobbying and the Revolving Door, and the Citizens United decision, which critics charge has opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate and special interest spending in federal elections.  Guest speaker Arthur Macewan of Dollars and Sense presented on corporate personhood — the extension, through misguided court decisions,   of rights and protections to corporations that the Founders intended only for people.  State Senator Jamie Elderidge discussed legislative possibilities for campaign finance reform, including proposals currently under consideration in the State House.  One resolution introduced by Senator Elderidge, S772 , would demand that Congress ratify and send to the states a constitutional amendment overturning Citizen’s United to “to restore the First Amendment and fair elections to the people.”

    After the presentations, attendees participated in open discussions aimed at developing solutions.  Proposals discussed included: public financing of elections; consumer strategies that would support local economies instead of the  worst corporate offenders; an initiative to get all 351 town meetings to pass resolutions; creating an independent coalition of small businesses; and an Article 5 Constitutional Convention.  Participants also brainstormed ideas for breaking through corporate media outlets that are reluctant to focus on the need for reform (and have a significant financial stake in a system that allows unlimited spending on campaign ads).

    Overall, it was great start to the Work Group’s month-long campaign, which will culminate in a two-day summit on January 20 and 21. It was great to see how engaged people were in open discussions and how committed Occupy Boston activists are to changing our current broken system of campaign finance.

    The OB Media Rundown for 1/5/12

    January 5th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown for 1/5/12

    Boston Occupiers join with legal advocates in effort to pry open vast, error-prone homeland security bureaucracy

    As of December 1, no one seems to be winning. The BPD responded to the lawsuit with a handful of unrevealing documents, requests for extensions, stalling tactics and a promise to produce videos that they say will resolve the case. David Kelston, the lawyer representing the Guild, is skeptical. He anticipates having to go to court to force disclosure of the information about who is watching the watchers and to move forward on the public scrutiny and open debate the plaintiffs seek.

    R-tolo, who was born in Argentina and came to the United States as a young child, points to a photo she has pinned above her desk showing Jorge Rafaél Videla, the general who ruled Argentina during its “dirty war” against left-wing activists. “It just reminds me of why we do the work that we do: so that this never happens again anywhere else,” she says. “I didn’t think that I would be facing the same kind of stuff here in the United States, but here we are. We always do this ‘othering’ and don’t think it can ever happen to us. But of course it can.”

    http://tinyurl.com/84d6a4b

    Romney’s First NH Event Post-Iowa Throws Cold Water On Celebratory Mood

    The tone of the event was a sharp break from the joyful mood that had accompanied the former Massachusetts governor onto a charter plane from Iowa earlier that morning, along with a swarm of press befitting a presidential frontrunner.

    The first question for Romney came from Mark Provost, who identified himself as a participant in Occupy Boston and Occupy Manchester. Provost, 31, asked Romney if he would revise his statement that “corporations are people” to “corporations are abusive people.”

    Romney went at Provost, asking him what he thought happened to corporations’ profits. Provost — who later told The Huffington Post that he is an “economic journalist” who traded stocks for several years on his own — answered in detail, arguing that corporate profits go “to the 1 percent of Americans who own 90 percent of the stocks.”

    Romney and Provost traded comments back and forth for a moment, before Romney cut him off and dove into a lengthy monologue declaring that corporate profits often affect the retirement accounts of middle-class Americans and, more broadly, that financial success creates jobs (read a transcript of the exchange here). Provost afterward said he thought Romney dodged his questions about income inequality and excessive CEO bonuses.

    http://tinyurl.com/6r7vsto

    [There are many more media reports or references to the exchange between Occupy Boston protester Mark Provost and Mitt Romney – 53 at the time of this writing]

    Occupy First Night – New year, same Occupy

    Authorities could have found any number of suspicious activities underway – the peace vigil could have been easily mistaken for a satanic séance, and who knows what was in those holiday brownies? Still, the Occupy New Year’s scene in the Hub was far from what transpired in Manhattan, where more than 60 were arrested trying to reclaim Zuccotti Park. Occupy Wall Street’s Boston counterparts went for a decidedly different kind of spectacle, planning weeks ahead of time to make a positive first impression on visiting suburban crowds.

    http://tinyurl.com/8yendl8

    The Morning Crawl. There are 55 stories in today’s crawl, a shorter-than-usual compilation of Occupy-related-only links. Go here for the crawl or click the “continue reading” link below to continue reading the digest, which has fewer links but may include more articles from smaller sources and commentators that publish less frequently.

    Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 1/5/12” »

    Occupy Boston joins Grand Procession

    January 4th, 2012 · · Events Comments Off on Occupy Boston joins Grand Procession

    Members of Occupy Boston before the march

    On December 31, 2011, several Occupy Boston participants, including members of Peace Action Working Group and Veterans For Peace, decided to join First Night’s Grand Procession from Copley Square to Boston Common. They jumped in before the end of the procession, with sirens blaring behind them. They started chanting  “Out of the Sidewalks, Into the Streets!” which was responded by with great reception from onlookers all the way down to the end. Some of them even decided to jump into the procession as well. Even the Boston Police Commissioner, whom seemed to recognize the marchers, is noted for waving at the Occupy Boston participants as they made their way to the Common.

    Occupys Boston hosts Social Meet and Greet

    January 4th, 2012 · · Events Comments Off on Occupys Boston hosts Social Meet and Greet

    On December 31, 2011, at 5:30pm, about 100 Occupy Boston protesters, supporters, and participants gathered at the Community Church of Boston on 565 Boylston Street. This event showcased the Screen Print Working Group’s brand new screen prints, complete with fabrics and even pins with glitter.

    Prints hanging to dry / Photo by Matthew J Shochat

    There was much cheer and laughter amongst the crowd, who came to celebrate the victories of the Occupy movement, concerns, and ideas of where we will be headed down the road in 2012.

    The Screen Print Working Group had been working some time to acquire the resources necessary for this event, including retrieving one screen print by donation from Occupy Wall St. The fabrics were purchased at Winmill Fabrics in Chinatown, located on Chauncy Street. All shirts were donated for use on the screen prints. Also, many screen print members taught others how to use them properly, who then, in turn, helped others get the prints of their desire.

    Food was provided by donation by Occupy Boston participants and Firedoglake, who have donated to Occupy Boston events in the past.

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