Occupy the Banks: Financial Fridays
If there's one way to unite the 99 percent, it’s direct actions aimed at the big banks. People are angry, and it's not hard to see why: Massive bailouts; exorbitant executive salaries; huge bonuses; dishonest and illegal lending practices; fee and rate hikes; all adding to American outrage. "Too Big to Fail" is a moniker that should be applied to the American people, not a financial institution whose collapse threatens the global economy.
One of the keys to the early momentum of the Occupy Movement was the outright anger people have for big banks. For example, the statistics surrounding November 5th Move Your Money Day are amazing. Credit Unions added over 650,000 new members with over $4.5 billion in deposits. There were hundreds of actions across the nation bringing people together to close accounts, and in many cases, close banks for the day. Individuals, small businesses, nonprofits, and more, all came together to fight back against the big banks, and their bottom line.
Direct action against the big banks is not new to the Occupy Movement. In the Bay Area, Occupy Oakland has shut down banks with massive marches roaming around the city shutting down every bank in sight. Occupy SF has marched on, and even occupied a Bank of America, tents and all! Marching on, and closing banks, happens all over the country. Occupy Wall Street has marched on Goldman Sachs on more than one occasion.
One action aimed at big banks happens weekly in San Jose, California. They call it Financial Friday. Members of Occupy San Jose, and the surrounding communities (recently, members of Occupy Oakland have joined in), rally together to shut down banks in downtown. Sometimes all it takes is one person to shut down a bank. The surrounding community “shows mad love," as one local protester shared on twitter, and why wouldn’t they? There's no love lost between the 99 percent, and massive financial institutions seemingly bent on the destruction of anyone in the path of their quarterly bottom line. People want to take action, and given the opportunity, they will.
Why not use Financial Fridays to unite this effort around the country? Sporadic actions held all over the country make much bigger waves when united together. A weekly national action can be used as outreach to educate people on the benefits of moving their money, and the terrible practices of their specific bank. But that’s not all, Financial Fridays can be organized around specific foreclosure defense actions. Occupy Oakland is currently helping homeowners in foreclosure with groups like ACCE, and Causa Justa (Just Cause). Just this week, Occupy Oakland shut down a local Union Bank in a community wide effort to save the home of 77 year old great grandmother Katie Mitchell. Mrs Katie, as she is known, has been trying to refinance for years while getting the financial runaround from JP Morgan Chase and Union Bank. The direct action forced the branch manager to meet with Mrs Katie and review her case. Helping families like Mrs Katie’s is one of the surest ways to unite communities and recapture momentum.
Banks try everything they can to avoid doing the right thing, and it’s time they truly learned the consequences of doing business in a socially irresponsible, reprehensible, and often illegal manner. Today, Financial Friday will go off like clockwork in San Jose, and the banks will be shut down. Hopefully, we can say this about National Financial Fridays very soon.
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I will be reporting from this weeks Financial Friday Action in San Jose, you can watch Live here starting at 3PM.
Is it good to do this on Friday?
Since most all the commoners wait all week to get paid on Friday and maybe have a good time after work.
This could backfire? No?
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
I personally think the different events aimed at banks, investment corporations, and Wall St need to be coordinated for greater impact. Not that every Occupy has to do the same type of action, just that financial type actions, like occupying banks, helping those in foreclosure, etc, be held on the same day in a recurring fashion. I dont really care if it's a Friday personally. I hear you point for sure. I just want coordination for greater impact. Thanks for posting!
I don't see how being a nuisance furthers your vague cause.
So why do you keep coming here to post?
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
This is the real Occupy Oakland....community actions that actually help the real 99%.The juvenile vandals who trash Oakland on a recurring basis are NOT Occupy OakTown. Occupy the Foreclosure, the School closures and continuing to support legislation that seeks to alleviate income inequality. Saul Alinsky, during the 68 Dem Convention, advised that the "dissidents" put on a suit and infiltrate. Tom Hayden went on to an elected position in Santa Monica where I remember his good works such as rent control statutes back in the 70's.
It is not a bout street battles but the hard work of moving the system.
Happy Friday!
Occupy The Prisons target Wells Fargo, Bank of America and all the other financial institutions that invest in the Private Prison Industry ..
They didn't just crash the global economy.
They didn't just steal millions of Americans' homes.
They didn't just force millions of young people into lifelong college loan debt.
They ALSO invest in the ongoing criminal enterprise of capturing human beings and keeping them in cages for profit. They finance the corporations that lobby the legislatures to "get tough on crime" and lock up every "illegal alien" so they can suck down big dollars from the US Treasury. They oppose legislation legalising marijuana - so they can keep more people behind bars.
They are a criminal enterprise .. a disgusting racket ..
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
Thank you for the prison industry and what drives it comment
Do these nuts actually think having people not paying their mortgage is good?
A lot of the occupy people aren't nuts.
Don't piss down my back and tell me it is raining!
MORE VIDEO OF ME PROTESTING IN FRONT OF B OF A 1ST IS ABOUT 1WKS AGO LAST 2 FROM TODAY THE 17TH THEY INTERVIEW ME TODAY
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20273994 5 mn in me
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20516571 this one 6.15mn in interview
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20517131 whole video me yelling in back ground
great blog ... please sign to save my home donate if you like at paypal.com
to pgoeltz@yahoo.com...http://theinnercircle64.blogspot.com/
PAUL GOELTZ is a Local in the hectic San Jose music scene, SJSU grad, veteran USAF and much more. He also was small business-owner in northern California. From a cookie company to sound rentals/production, all with business accounts at the bank. When the economic downturn hit, I had to go back to my old line of work, now however due to back problems, divorce, disability and mortgage to high.
great blog ... please sign to save my home donate if you like at paypal.com
to pgoeltz@yahoo.com...http://theinnercircle64.blogspot.com/
The Inner Circle
I hope the folks who have started with me on our journey will continue to do so here...
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
For my friend Paul...
Its 10:45 am
Woke up to a mini-blizzard of snow this morning..which we weren't expected to get. The weather gurus here said it would just be sort of rainy but I guess they misfired.
I have often touched on my past in San Jose where I worked as a talent buyer at various clubs. One of the best things I can recall is how being a outsider to the music scene when I started at Marsugi's was how quickly I was accepted. As I started to learn about the history of San Jose's music legacy,I always heard of one name....Catflinger. I know,I did a double take when I heard that as well....because Catflinger doesn't exactly sound like a name of a very nice guy. My first couple of years I heard the name but never met the man.
Then I heard his real name was Paul Goeltz and that he used to book shows at the Pub at San Jose State. Now I had been to a couple of shows that a pal Brian had put on and I can tell you,the Pub was sort of smallish but the shows Paul did...well they still talk about them today,decades later. He booked bands like Primus and Faith No More when they were just cutting baby teeth as bands,before they became major players in the music business.
A new club opened up downtown called Toons,which was owned by a guy named Steve Hoey. Steve was a very funny guy and he liked the nightclub business as well. He thought a dueling piano bar would do well in downtown San Jose...and about 3-4 months later,he found it wouldn't. That happens in the club world,sometimes a format you think will work,will but you have to be ready if it bombs.
Toons soon changed it format,out went the pianos,in came the cover bands and cheap beer to draw the college crowds. Soon the club began to draw a good crowd and a couple of us ventured down to see how Steve was doing it. And it was on that night,I met Paul in person for the first time. I had always saw him as a older,heavier guy with a smoke in one hand and a beer in another wearing a old leather jacket. I could see him with a old Germs or Flesheaters t-shirt,talking Flipside or BAM magazine. But that wasn't the case at all...Paul looked he lived in the mountains,a throwback to Woodstock. He was doing the sound for Toons and it was a pretty easy gig since a cover band was set up,you really didn't have much to do.
Before I could introduce myself,Paul said "I know you,you're Eddie's new booker. You have done some great shows". Now I worked every show and attended the shows that I didn't work and I had never seen Paul downtown. But the guy knew what bands I had booked? I was pretty humbled because this was the guy everyone talked about...without him,there may not have been a SoFA area but because he proved there was a market for live original music....the club owners took a chance and soon Red Light district gave way to a little thriving club scene.
But what really surprised me about Paul was his music taste....it wasn't punk,alternative or even rock....Paul loved the Grateful Dead. And still does....as it turned out,it was the reason why we never really saw Paul downtown,he was a Deadhead. A Deadhead was a fan who traveled with the band while they toured. Since the Dead had several side bands as well,Paul went on though tours as well.
As we became friends,I asked him how he picked his bands and he said he couldn't explain how he knew only that he had a feeling when a band was hot. Remember,this was waaaaay before the internet and massive media that provides bands with mass exposure. Many times,you would get a cassette tape or a 7 inch record or perhaps read about a band in a little fan zine that you picked up in a record store.
Now I am not a Grateful Dead fan....but I would like to hear the stories Paul told about selling brownies or different oils to the throngs of fans who traveled with him. There would be long stretches when Paul was gone from Toons and Steve would doing sound. He would stand outside and say "I wish Paul would hurry the hell back home". Steve never replaced Paul,he knew he had a great guy and he trusted him like no other.
After my first rocky stint at the Club Oasis didn't go as plan,I felt pretty down....Paul had heard and looked me up and talked to me. Not every job is going to work,especially in the live music business is what he told me. You just have to stay focused,keep listening and be ready to go when the time comes to book again. Through Paul,I was able to do a few local shows at Toons before I moved to Mountain View.
I didn't see my friend for a long time since I wasn't downtown much anymore but I always held on to his words and when a local showcase I was doing at a local coffee shop went really well,I got a chance to work at the Agenda Lounge...I had taken his advice to heart and it paid off.
Flash forward to today....
How many of you know of someone affected by this recession...besides me? No job,poor health,lost a job,lost savings,a 401k or a house? I know of several people who have had this happen to them and it sucks.
Foreclosures in Michigan are just awful....just as they are everywhere and when you hear about folks who have lost theirs homes to banks which needed and cried so badly for a federal bailout,its even worse. Of all the people,those banks,like Bank of America or Chase should have the most compassion because they themselves were on the edge of losing it all.
I bring this up because I have discovered since reconnecting with my friend Paul on here that he has fallen on some very rough times. He has suffered a crippling back injury that has left him unable to really work. He is going through a divorce which in California,means you have to split your assets. Between the injury and this,he has lost his savings and now is looking at losing his home.
He has tried to contact Bank of America to get a re-fi but to no avail....the new government bail out plan will come online too late for him,by the time it does,the bank will have foreclosed on him.
I can understand his fear,being slowly squeezed dry with no where really to turn...all Paul wants is just a chance to sit down with a banker and see what he needs to do to save his home,that is all he or any of us wants. Just a fighting chance,just as they got when the Fed bailed out their asses.
Paul has started a petition on Change.org in which he is asking you to sign in support of him. I myself have signed it and I hope a few of you will also do so.
When Paul asked me to blog about this,I said I would be happy too,to give back in a small way to man who made a lot of bands,artists and lovers of good music...to help a raise a voice for him.
I wish I had 10,000 readers who I could have forward this entry all over but I don't. So I'm asking whoever reads this to reach and forward this entry among your own circles.
To sign Paul's petition....
http://www.change.org/petitions/another-one-b...
Thanks for reading.
http://theinnercircle64.blogspot.com/
The Inner Circle
theinnercircle64.blogspot.com
Great Job. Thanks For Writing It So Clearly :)
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