[Caution: Strong language warning]

You really have to watch the video to believe how this Denver woman's eviction from her home of 24 years was handled. Never in my life have I seen anything like this. Grenade launchers to evict a 63-year-old woman?!?

Last week, a highly militarized police force arrived at the home of 63-year-old Sahara Donahue to evict her from her residence of 24 years.

Donahue was petitioning US Bank for an additional 60 days to remain in her home, so she could have some time to find a new place to live, secure her belongings and leave her home with dignity. She came to the Colorado Foreclosure Resistance Coalition and an Occupy Denver General Assembly to ask for our help.

She knew no one in Occupy Denver prior to reaching out. We immediately started mobilizing to try to get her the assistance she needed and a group went to her house for the first rumored eviction on October 25. When that eviction didn’t happen, we planned an in-town action at US Bank, hoping to compel a bank official to ease Sahara's situation. Then we sent carpools up to her house in time for the rescheduled eviction, on October 30.

Occupiers laid barricades from fallen trees to prevent moving trucks and workers from entering Sahara's property and were able to stave off the eviction for a few hours. At 2:45 p.m., 10 or more truckloads of police in full combat gear armed with live-ammo AR-15s and grenade launchers arrived on the scene and forced occupiers to the ground at gunpoint.

Police then made their way to the house, broke down the front door, threw Donohue to the ground in her own kitchen and pointed their guns at the heads of a mother and son who were in the house with Sahara, among others. Police continued to break items in the house as they searched it. They unplugged the modem - the home's only form of communication as there was no cell phone coverage in the area - in order to stop the livestream.

The Occupy Denver legal team spent the next harrowing hour in a communication blackout wondering if they would be receiving calls from the hospital or the jail. Meanwhile, one brave foreclosure defense activist jumped into the bucket of the bulldozer that was going to tear through the barricades, forcing the operator to stop for several minutes. Three arrests were made, two activists were assaulted and all have been released.

Many people on the ground outside Donahue's home had experienced riot cop violence against Occupy demonstrators before, but all agreed that this was the most surreal and violent state repression they have witnessed. There has been overwhelming community support as other activists and concerned people watched the militarized drama unfold online. The big question everyone is asking: “Seriously, why are they in military gear?”

[Via]

The Commission on Presidential Debates, a private corporation, restricts the ‘debates’ to the two corporate parties and the issues that they approve. The concerns of the people such as ending corporate influence over politics, ending militarization, and creating real jobs and access to health care and education will be discussed superficially or not at all.

How will you Occupy the Debates? You can do this in many ways and if you need them, we are here to provide resources to you.

Here are ways to get involved:

Take the online survey at OccupytheDebates.org.
Read about the issues.
Organize an event in your community.
Spread the word!

Occupy Denver has taken the lead on this and is organizing a variety of events around the first presidential debate to be held there October 3rd. Events include a People’s Forum with live entertainment and opportunities to share stories and a People’s Dialogue to discuss the top issues that are chosen in the survey. And Occupy NOLA is holding a People’s Convention on Octcober 27.

The results of the Occupy the Debates survey and events will be collected nationally and shared with presidential candidates for response and posted on the OccupytheDebates.org prior to Election Day.

Continue reading »

Occupy Denver activists carried out a solidarity protest over the weekend that was largely peaceful, however, there were four members of the group arrested.

You can see the chain of events leading to the final arrest as a Denver police officer officer grabs a protester, and then [the protester] says, via bullhorn, that "We don't negotiate with terrorists and DPD (Denver Police) is a terrorist organization." That didn't go over well, of course, at least not with the DPD.

Occupy Denver:

In solidarity with cities across The United States, Occupy Denver is calling for a solidarity march in response to the massive violence and repression of residents in Anaheim California. Time and time again the justice system turns a blind eye to the violence committed by the state, whether it is someone tortured in a jail cell, beaten on a sidewalk, or in this case; shot in the back. Many accept the fact that the men in badges who shake us down for traffic tickets, harass communities of color, and preserve the status quo of the ruling class are out there preserving some sort of moral order. This is not a moral order, for no moral order attacks people seeking to have their grievances redressed. It was not a moral order that attacked with batons, fired bean bag rounds and rubber bullets at children in Anaheim this week. We call on everyone in Denver who is fed up with police murders & state repression to take the streets with us. We will honor the souls that were lost in Anaheim, and remember those who have befallen the same fate in Denver.

Those who were arrested face obstruction charges, and have all been released on bail.

Wildfires in Colorado continue to rage. As of Wednesday morning, the 6,200-acre blaze had been only 5 percent contained, and 65 mph winds blew the fire through containment lines into northwest Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Officials say it is exhibiting “extreme fire behavior.” Roughly 32,000 residents have been evacuated from the area so far. Colorado Springs reached a record 101 degrees on Tuesday, and conditions are expected to be hot and dry until early next week. Gov. John Hickenlooper said, “It’s as serious as it gets,” while the Colorado Springs fire chief labeled it “a firestorm of epic proportions.”

Support Firefighters on the Frontline and Displaced Families of Colorado Springs

Wednesday, June 26th

Donations Accepted from 8:30-2:00 pm

Location: Walmart Parking Lot in Castle Rock...
Just east of I-25 off Front Street

What is Needed?

Individually Wrapped

Bottled Water
Gatorade or Similar Drinks
Cereal Bars
Power Bars
Trail Mix
Cookies
Candies

Blankets and Hand Sanitizer

Help support our neighbors to the south and those actively engaged
in supressing the blaze by donating much needed items.

All Donations will be delivered directly to Red Cross in Colorado Springs.

Other ways to help Firefighters and Families of the Waldo Canyon Fire: Bring Donations to Wal-mart in Castle Rock, to Volunteer contact 719-955-0742, to make a Cash Donation to the Red Cross contact Adriana Watson at 719-884-1047 or Pat Sisterson at 719-884-1047.

[Editor's note: This post has been edited to correct mention of an organizer who was mistakenly identified as a member of Occupy Denver. Apologies for the error.]

In what is anticipated to become the largest protest of the year so far for the Occupy movement, Occupy Wall Street organizers are preparing for a general strike on International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, and Occupy Denver is calling for protesters, businesses and laborers to stand in solidarity with this international day of protest.

According to its website, Occupy Denver will hold a rally on May 1st at Civic Center Park and a march around Denver. In the afternoon, protesters will meet back up at Civic Center Park for activities for both adults and children, live music, food and teach-ins to round off the day.

Occupy Denver issued this statement earlier this year about the importance of May Day:

Now is the time for community, neighborhood, school and work groups to organize autonomous and direct actions. As long as we are attacked and deprived of our basic rights, we will not allow for business as usual. We will support independent efforts of people to claim control over their workplaces, schools, and community as the beginning stages of our journey towards reclaiming our lives and taking the power back.

May Day will be the beginning of a new chapter of struggle for justice and equality. As we occupy our streets, workplaces, neighborhoods, and other common spaces, we start to build a new world within the shell of this old world of injustice and inequality. Let May 1st be the beginning of a new chapter that has yet to be written.

For more information on Occupy Denver's May Day plans, visit their website here.

At least three cities had violent ends to their Occupy protests on Saturday night and dozens were arrested.

In Salt Lake City, the city gave the order to vacate the park on Friday, hours after a homeless man was found dead in a tent. Those who resisted leaving faced arrest and 19 people had been arrested by 8 p.m. on Saturday. A bulldozer was actually brought in by the city to wipe out the encampment. Police Chief Chris Burbank went as far as to accuse the protesters of taking advantage of the city's homeless population in order to increase the Occupy movement's size.

Meanwhile, police in Denver faced similar challenges as they tried to get protesters out of Civic Center park, resulting in the arrest of 16 people. A police department spokesman said, “This isn’t safe and it’s not sanitary.”

At Occupy San Francisco, two policemen were injured in a clash with protesters. One officer was slashed with a razor blade, but no one has been arrested in conjunction with the injuries.