First 50 people through the door get 50 free copies of the American Autumn DVD and a free copy of Lee Camp's new comedy CD "PEPPER SPRAY THE TEARS AWAY."
See Lee Camp perform, watch the World Premiere of American Autumn, and stick around for the opening night party.
Worldwide, May 1st is traditionally a ‘Workers’ day – a day of Labor Solidarity, and a public holiday. It’s a day to celebrate and march in support of im/migrant rights. In protest against the corruption of the worldwide marketplace, which has led to illegal foreclosures, mass unemployment, low wages, high taxes and a penalization of all those who do not own the ‘99%’ of the world’s resources, and in solidarity with the im/migrant movements of May 1st, we decided to declare May 1st, 2012 a People’s General Strike. Instead of calling upon unionized Labor to make a specific demand (illegal under Taft-Hartley), we are calling upon the people of the world to take this day away from school and the workplace, so that their absence makes their displeasure with this corrupt system be known.
On December 19th, 2011, Occupy Los Angeles General Assembly consented upon the following statement:
“Occupy LA supports in principle a General Strike on May 1, 2012, for migrant rights, jobs for all, a moratorium on foreclosures, and peace – and to recognize housing, education and health care as human rights, and calls for the building of a broad coalition to make that a reality.”
Occupations across the world have made similar calls for a General Strike, or day of economic disruption, in direct response to Occupy Los Angeles, or through a synchronicity of thought, a buzzing hive mind that feels the need to express solidarity with movements and people throughout the world who honor May Day and see this years expression of that as our next major step.
How can I participate?
If you are part of unionized labor, and your contract is up for negotiation, you can officially strike on May 1st. If you are not – call in sick. Take a holiday. Don’t show up to school. March with us, or join in one of the many events that will be taking place on May 1st, either in the day or in the evening. Block parties, rallies, protests, marches, family BBQ’s – this is a day when we take a stand against the way the system has enslaved us and burdened us with unmanageable debt, incredibly long working weeks, unfeasibly expensive healthcare — by taking a day for ourselves, being human again, spending time with our families and friends. Our bosses dictate everything to us — but not our holiday. The holiday of the working class, the 99%.
If you can’t participate on #M1GS, you can contribute in other ways. Spread the word. Poster your neighborhood. Help form Strike Committees in the workplace. Agitate. Tweet. Like. Donate here (Occupy Los Angeles) to help us get the word out, for logistics — and for TENTS.
STRIKE for:
IM/MIGRANT RIGHTS
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE and LABOR RIGHTS
PEACE WITH JUSTICE
CIVIL LIBERTIES — END THE POLICE STATE
HOUSING, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AS HUMAN RIGHTS
Public transportation is a right and must be accessible to all. Service cuts and fare hikes will have a devastating and disproportionate impact on low-income communities, communities of color, students, workers, seniors and the environment. We say NO TO PRIVATIZATION of our common resources and NO MORE EXCUSES! We will not accept any funding strategies that attempt to divide the 99% against each other or shift the burden onto the backs of the 99%: the poor and working classes. End the wars and tax the rich! On April 4th, we will stand together to demand public transportation for the 99%. If our call is not answered and the necessary funds redirected, it will only add to the growing body of evidence that our government no longer represents us.
People arrested during the NYPD crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street encampment last fall have asked a judge to dismiss trespassing charges, on the grounds that the demonstrators had a legal right to be in the privately owned plaza.
Fracking Hell: Williams Lathrop Compressor Station in Springville, Pa., Susquehanna County. Explosion before noon , 3-29-12, shook nearby homes, and fire and black smoke billowing out for two hours until pressure came down and emergency personnel could go in. This is a new Compressor Station since 9-11 and the biggest one in our county. More Here.
Fire-fighting ships monitor huge gas leak: France's Total sent fire-fighting ships close to the scene of a gas leak from its North Sea Elgin platform early today (NZ time) as a large gas cloud led to fears of an explosion.
The company said the gas originated thousands of metres below the seabed, which engineers said might mean that a relief well - one possible option to stop the leak - could take months to drill.
Total has not yet found a way to stop the gas leak.
Tim DeChristopher, considered a folk hero in the environmental community, is serving two years for fraudulently bidding on drilling leases near Utah’s national parks in an effort to keep the parcels undeveloped.
DeChristopher's time in isolation was the result of a complaint lodged by an "anonymous" congressman.
Overhaul the Banks?: A convocation of bankers, lawyers, financial leaders and academics met on March 27 to discuss the creation of new global regulatory authorities, according to the conference's event page. Try to tell me again that the Occupy movement isn't making a difference.
They're Back: It's been a year since the Occupy Wall Street movements taking over the country were one-by-one taken down by local police but in Dallas a group of occupy protesters have returned to send a message. "we've never really been gone."
Support for Arrested Journalists: 70 journalists have been arrested while covering Occupy protests in 12 cities around the country. In an annual survey of worldwide freedom of the press released Jan. 23 by Reporters without Borders.
Demonstrators shut down the entrance of the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City where Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney held a fundraising dinner on March 26th. Several protest groups coordinated to produce a show of anger aimed at the presidential hopeful and wealthy attendees of the event. One group erected a giant Etch A Sketch outside the hotel entrance, making light of a recent Romney aide's gaffe; others mocked billionaire supporters of his campaign by wearing faux fur and pearls and lifting glasses of champagne.
Occupy Redwood City, Occupy San Jose, and Occupy San Francisco members joined labor groups on the sidewalk with drums and other musical instruments to augment loud chants. Occupy Oakland members came from the east side of the Bay to the peninsula event and shouted as the fundraiser guests arrived, "Dinner is over! Go home!
You just can't make some things up, and the story behind this video is one of those things.
What was a TSA air marshal doing at an Occupy camp at 3:40 on a Saturday morning, just an hour before protestors were evicted by Boston police?
Stealing the iPhone of one of the camp’s prominent voices, then slapping her, apparently.
TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupy’s organizers and main tweeters in the face, grabbed her iPhone and then fled.
Marshall was pursued by some 25 occupiers, according to witnesses, ditching the phone as he ran, and then was arrested by Boston police who were preparing to evict the camp.
On December 10, 2011 at 5 am Occupy Boston’s Dewey Square encampment was raided by the Boston Police Department and other officials. Police arrested 46 peaceful protesters on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway just two days after Mayor Thomas Menino issued a notice of eviction. Throughout the two-hour period during which the arrests occurred, Occupy Boston members remained resolute and nonviolent in the face of a disproportionately large police presence. At least 100 officers were counted inside Dewey Square at 5:30 am, while some estimates place the count at greater than 200.
Tents and other personal belongings of Occupy Boston members were gathered by police. Tents were slashed with knives, and all items loaded into garbage trucks and destroyed by compacting.
A statement received via email from members of Occupy Boston:
"Credentialed press, citizen journalists, academic researchers, and Occupy Boston media members were repeatedly corralled and moved to surrounding areas 50 feet away or more, prohibiting many from thoroughly covering the raid. From pointing lights in photographers’ lenses to targeting the two official Occupy Boston USTREAM live videographers for removal, officials went to great lengths to block media access."
"You cannot evict an idea whose time has come. Boston’s Occupiers will persist in rejecting a world created by and for the 1%. We might have been evicted, but we shall not be moved. We remain invested in the future of our movement. We will continue to challenge Wall Street’s occupation of our government."
The midnight deadline for Occupy Boston protesters to leave Dewey Square has passed.
A judge lifted a restraining order on Wednesday that could have prevented the city of Boston from evicting Occupy Boston members from their encampment.
There was a festive atmosphere as the deadline passed, with protesters chanting, “We are the 99 percent”. They even held a dance with a live band.
At about 12:45 a.m. protesters sat down in the middle of Atlantic Ave forcing traffic to come to a halt.
Some of the protesters began cleaning up their campsites and moving out Thursday, but the crowd just kept growing as midnight approached.
The protesters were prepared for police action, and many were wearing gas masks, protective goggles and practiced forming a human chain.
Although the protesters were planning for a raid, the Boston Police were not. Shortly after 1 a.m. Boston Police Superintendent William Evans walked through the camp telling protesters that police would not clear Dewey Square.
No one seems to be guessing what's next for Occupy Boston, as they seem quite content at the moment to enjoy the party and the relief that they aren't facing possible violent arrests. One thing is certain, what Boston's mayor saw as a relatively small 'problem' in Dewey Square has now grown substantially. They also have their own brass band, and they are quite good, actually.
Yesterday morning, an Occupy Boston member told me a city official said they had to have a proper way to clean their dishes. So, a donor gave them a sink. Great, right? Well, last night, the Boston Police - in riot gear - showed up and forcibly removed the kitchen sink, much to the dismay and over protests from the occupiers. This also seems to be in violation of a restraining order issued to protect the protesters. Three protesters were arrested, and one reportedly taken away on a stretcher with injuries.
Boston Mayor Menino was furious this morning. How can he say the Occupiers are dirty hippies and evict them if they go all sanitary on him?
“I’m not going to allow them to put up a kitchen sink and occupy (that) area of the city of Boston. (We’ve) allowed them to stay for the last two months. I am mayor of all the people, not just 200 people who live on a little piece of dirt in the city of Boston. I want to make sure we’re putting the rules and regulations of the city of Boston in place at this time,” Menino told reporters Friday.
“This is beyond their rights. We’re letting them stay there, we’re not going to have them build a new town in there.”
“At this time we have no plans for eviction, but I have public safety issues. If they break the public safety rules, we’re going to go after them,” he said.
Police have previously blocked efforts of the Occupiers to bring in supplies to the camp, like winterized tents and insulation...anything that might help keep them from freezing to death in the winter. The mayor certainly can't have the protesters safe if he isn't going to be able to make the filthy dirty hippies case.
