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    Boston Activists to Occupy First Night

    December 30th, 2011 · · Events, News and Announcements, Press Releases 5 comments

    This Saturday, Occupy Boston is planning a series of festive and diverse activities at First Night Boston — the latest in a string of actions taken since being forcibly evicted from its home in Dewey Square on December 10, 2011. With approximately one million people expected to attend First Night, these actions will celebrate the Occupy movement’s successes in 2011, plans for continued dialog and engagement, and our hope for a better tomorrow in 2012.

    “Evict us, we’ll multiply.”

    A number of Occupy Boston Working Groups have exciting actions and events planned for First Night.  A partial listing is below. Not all activities are being publicized ahead of time to preserve the element of surprise, but rest assured: the 99% will be everywhere come First Night, Saturday, Dec 31, 2011.

    • From 1:00-5:00 PM, the Info Tent Working Group will be canvassing with mobile info tents, dispersing Occupy Boston buttons and literature; and engaging revelers and visitors about the Occupy movement. The canvassers will set out from the Community Church at 565 Boylston St at 1:00 PM.
    • From 1:00-2:00 PM, members of the Peace Action Working Group (PAWG) will join the weekly peace vigil at Park Street Station. At 3:00 PM, the group will table at Copley Square along with the Stop the Wars Coalition, the United National Antiwar Coalition, and United for Justice with Peace. After the tabling, PAWG will join the First Procession along with Palestine solidarity activists.
    • From 1:00-7:00 PM, Free School University will host a “roving soap box” around the city.
    • From 5:00-8:30 PM there will be an Occupy Boston Meet and Greet Social Event at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street.
    • At 8:00 PM, the Women’s Caucus is hosting a spectacular, not-to-be-missed art “event” at Copley Square.

    For the latest information on other Occupy Boston First Night activities, to watch a livestream of the various First Night events, or for upcoming Occupy Boston General Assembly meetings dates and locations, please visit https://www.occupyboston.org/.

    OCCUPY BOSTON VOLUNTARILY HAS COURT CASE DISMISSED

    December 22nd, 2011 · · News and Announcements, Press Releases 2 comments

    The four plaintiffs from Occupy Boston voluntarily dismissed their case against the City of Boston on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. The case, requesting a preliminary injunction to prohibit the City of Boston, Boston Police Department, and the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy, Inc. from removing the Dewey Square encampment was filed on November 15, 2011. Boston Judge Frances A. McIntyre granted the group a temporary restraining order preserving the Dewey Square encampment until Dec. 7, when she denied Occupy Boston’s request for a preliminary injunction. Without a court order to stop them, on December 10, 2011 the BPD and other city officials raided and cleared the Occupy Boston encampment.

    Since the raid, the Occupy Boston General Assembly, along with their legal aid, had been debating whether or not to file an appeal but after much deliberation ultimately decided not to. Without an encampment to fight for the “slow-moving long-term litigation” would ultimately be unnecessary.

    Attorney for the group, Howard Cooper, stated, “We should all admire the manner in which the protesters sought out and won helpful court intervention and then ultimately respected the Court’s decision when it went against them and peacefully left Dewey Square.”

    Occupy Boston continues to thrive with public general assemblies in different locations around Boston’s downtown area, over 57 working groups meeting, and continued marches and actions to raise awareness of the growing economic divide between the 1% and the 99%.

    VICTIMS OF OCTOBER 11 MASS ARREST APPEAR IN COURT TO FIGHT CHARGES

    December 15th, 2011 · · Events, Press Releases Comments Off on VICTIMS OF OCTOBER 11 MASS ARREST APPEAR IN COURT TO FIGHT CHARGES

    PRESS CONFERECE Friday, Decmeber 16, 2011, 8:15 a.m. Boston Municipal Court, 24 New Chardon St., Boston

    In the early hours of October 11, 2011, the Boston Police, acting on Mayor Menino’s orders to clear an Occupy Boston encampment from the Rose Kennedy Greenway, arrested and removed 142 peacefully assembled participants and supporters of the movement, plus one journalist and one National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Legal Observer. Those arrested were charged with the crimes of trespassing and unlawful assembly.

    At their arraignments, many arrestees chose to accept the District Attorney’s offer to convert their criminal charges to a civil infraction and to pay a fine. Twenty individuals rejected this offer and pled not guilty to the charges. Nineteen of them will be in court on Dec. 16th for a pretrial conference. Lawyers from the Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild are representing the group in their fight against these criminal charges.

    Those in court on Friday reject the contention that they committed any crimes, and maintain that the police raid and mass arrest on the morning of October 11th was a violation of their constitutional rights of free speech and peaceable assembly. The criminal charge of trespassing is untenable in light of the fact that the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy had allowed Occupy Boston to be present on the Greenway. Further, the 2008 legistlative act which authorizes the Conservancy—a private, non-profit organization formed under the aegis of and responsible to the public, taxpayer-funded, Massachusetts Department of Transportation—to oversee and manage the space where the arrests occurred, mandates that “the greenway shall be treated as a public park and a traditional open public forum without limiting free speech” (Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts 2008, Ch. 308, Sec. 3a). As such, the allegation that individuals gathering in support of a cause were, in fact, doing anything other than exactly what this city space was designed for, is unsupportable. The October 11th protest was a peaceable assembly of activists exercising their constitutional right of free speech. The fact that these rights were violated is intolerable. That these rights were violated in Boston, a city that prides itself on a longstanding rejection of tyranny in favor of liberty, is profoundly disconcerting. Arrests of those who legally assemble to exercise their First Amendment rights must not happen again.

    HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: OCCUPY BOSTON TO SPEAK AT PRESS CONFERENCE & MARCH WITH CITY LIFE/VIDA URBANA

    December 15th, 2011 · · Events, Press Releases 2 comments

    City Life / Vida Urbana and the Bank Tenants Association, with support from Occupy Boston, will hold a press conference and tenant speak out at 12 noon on Friday, December 16, 2011 at 40 Fowler Street in Dorchester, MA 02121. The press conference will introduce the St. Simon family who will move into 40 Fowler, as well as testimonials from families who have successfully gotten their homes back about foreclosure.

    Home foreclosures have dominated the American landscape since the start of the recession. Through no fault of their own, families have been losing their homes and livelihoods. This is far too commonplace in America and has a disproportionate effect on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.   City Life’s ongoing work demonstrates the willingness of families to remain in their homes despite the pressure of the banks and those in power.
    In addition to the press conference, Occupy Boston will join with City Life / Vida Urbana for an “Occupy our Homes” rally and march on Monday, December 19, 2011 at 12 noon at 10 Causeway St. in Boston, the Boston Regional Office of HUD. This rally is being called to bring visibility to the HUD eviction requirements.

    City Life / Vida Urbana, community activists, and local families oppose the HUD requirements that allow commercial banks to evict foreclosure victims who have FHA-insured mortgagers before the property is transferred to HUD.  This policy forces the foreclosing lender to evict in order to get their insurance, even when they could otherwise afford to stay in the property.

    Occupy Boston is encouraging community members, families, students, activists, and victims of the foreclosure crisis to join City Life / Vida Urbana, the Bank Tenants Association, and Occupy Boston at these two important events. For more information visit http://clvu.org/ or https://www.occupyboston.org/

     

    Press Release: Worcester General Assembly Consenses on Move of Occupation from Quinsigamond Lake Park to Worcester Common

    November 5th, 2011 · · Press Releases One comment

    Press Release: Worcester General Assembly consenses on Move of Occupation from Quinsigamond Lake Park to Worcester Common

    NOVEMBER 5, 2011

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact: Media Group of Occupy Worcester (media@occupyworcester.com)

    Worcester General Assembly Consenses on Move of Occupation from Quinsigamond Lake Park to Worcester Common

    Worcester, MA, November 5, 2011—Occupy Worcester first attempted to set up an occupation at Worcester Common on October 16 and were met by a large police presence who redirected the occupation to Quinsigamond State Park. The occupation has remained peacefully encamped despite snow, rain, and the difficult logistical challenges of being miles from the center of the city.

    A plan was approved by consensus today—November 5, 2011—to occupy Worcester’s Common, located behind City Hall. It was felt by the General Assembly that Quinsigamond Lake Park has been an excellent boot camp in preparation for taking the Common; however, the Lake Ave location has significant challenges of visibility and accessibility that have prevented more Worcesterites from joining the movement. Occupy Worcester feels that relocating to the historic Common will be better for outreach, organization, communication, and inter-Worcester solidarity.

    Mayor Joseph O’Brien was in attendance at today’s General Assembly, and he told the people that City Manager Michael V. O’Brien does not support occupation of the Common and that anyone who camps will be arrested.

    Gathering will start in Worcester Common at 7:30, with occupation officially set to commence at 8 pm.

    The people of Worcester requests the support of Occupy Boston, Occupy Providence, Occupy Hartford, Occupy Springfield, and all peoples of New England in this action.

    ###

    Occupy Worcester is an organization of Worcester-area residents in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. For more information, visit http://www.occupyworcester.com.

    [UPDATE: Please monitor Occupy Worcester’s Twitter feed and livestream for updates and live video throughout the night.]

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