Via: OccupyWallSt.:

What is happening in Turkey with the #occupygezi protests? Why should we care? We should care because, above all else, our grievances are connected through the violence brought when people stand up to say no to the initiatives of big business, planned behind closed doors and without our consent. The story that follows is a first hand account of the current struggle on the street in Turkey.
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"Well, we are just filling light bulbs with paint," said my friend, a cafe owner in Cihangir, the SoHo of Istanbul. Speaking to me on the phone, she sounded as relaxed as if she was baking an apple pie. "You know," she continued, "the only way to stop a TOMA is to throw paint on its window so that the vehicle loses orientation."

My friend, who was completely uninterested in politics until six days ago, had never been in conflict with the police before. Now, like hundreds of thousands of others in Turkey, she has become a warrior with goggles around her neck, an oxygen mask on her face and an anti-acid solution bottle in her hand. As we have all learned, this the essential kit to fight the effects of tear gas. As for TOMA, that is the vehicle-mounted water cannon. To paralyze it, you either have to put a wet towel in its exhaust pipe or burn something under its engine or you and a dozen others can push it over. This kind of battle-info is circulating all over Turkey at the moment. It is like a civil war between the police and the people. Yet nobody expected this when, six days ago, a group of protesters organized a sit-in at Istanbul's Gezi Park to protect trees that were to be cut down for the government's urban redevelopment project.

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On June 1st, Occupy Wall Street is coming home.

Join us at Liberty Plaza for a celebration of all we've done on the first nice Saturday of summer, and recommit to all we still have left to do together!

occupyhomecoming.net.

This Occupy Homecoming is designed to help us reconnect with each other, as well as to the great work that lies still before us. The struggle has continued on, and we have continued to struggle – but social distance has drawn us apart from the shared community we once so intimately embraced. We want to re-engage with each other so that we can draw on each others’ strength and share support in our challenge against the powers that be.

Head to occupyhomecoming.net for the full schedule.

RSVP on Facebook, and find more details on NYCGA.net.

We the people are too big to fail! Come Re-Occupy with us.

-- from the ‘Your Inbox: Occupied’ team

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Into the Fire writes, "Into The Fire is a film with a difference. Besides being a hard hitting documentary which shows the plight of refugees and migrants amidst a collapsing Greek economy, it's also an experiment in new film production and distribution techniques. A year ago, we made a first, crowd-funded trip to Athens. We filmed shocking levels of racism, police brutality, and right-wing extremism - as well as the courageous and inspiring people who are organising against it.

"Into the Fire will be released on 21st April on the internet. We crowd-funded the film and crowd-sourced the subtitles: it's been translated into eight languages using the open subtitler Amara. We are also using crowd-sourcing as the release and distribution strategy for the documentary: anyone who signs up to participate will receive embedding details ahead of time, and the film will be released on various websites simultaneously. The audience becomes the distribution network."

Via OccupyWallStreet.net:

Date:
Sunday, March 24, 2013 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Address:
55th St. and Church Ave.
Brooklyn New York 11203
United States

People in New York: Support Kimani Gray's community and all communities of color besieged by police violence, by coming out for a MASS MARCH SUNDAY THE 24TH. 3 pm, from the site of Kiki's vigil at 55th and Church, marching to the 67th precinct.

WEDNESDAY the 20th, there is a Stop and Frisk Town Hall Meeting (Co-Sponsored by Council Member Williams) 5:30 PM-7:30 PM, 833 Marcy Ave (Concord Baptist Church)

Jose Lasalle of Stop Stop and Frisk has asked people to make this Town Hall about police brutality, not violence amongst kids. There may be a speak-out and planning meeting for the Sunday march as well (for location, check: goo.gl/XjveK).

You have also been invited to come every day at 7 pm to show your support for East Flatbush in its fight against police brutality (55th and Church). Check the WE WANT JUSTICE FOR KIMANI GRAY Facebook page for updates.

Keep in mind that people from outside the neighborhood should come as supporters and take a back seat.
Here are some tips on how to show respect when you arrive (these are tips from OWS, not asked of us by community members):

Do not mic check at these demonstrations. That's for East Flatbush residents and march Organizers to take the lead on. If you do so, and you are not a resident or long-time Organizer in the area, we will know you are not with Occupy Wall Street.

If you choose to take photographs, ask people's permission. Feel free to livestream or film police activity: http://www.livestream.com/userguide/index.php?title=Broadcast_live

When asked whether people from outside the neighborhood should be coming by, a longtime Organizer had this advice to give: "Come, yes. But don't come if you are not internally organized. Come. Come if you can take a back seat. Come if you plan to develop real relationships and maintain them over the long-haul."

In Oakland there will be a solidarity rally, March 21st at 5pm #OaklandProtest in #solidarity w/ #BrooklynProtest

#KimaniGray
#OaklandProtest
#jailkillercops
#Justice4KimaniGray
#Justice4AlanBlueford

A federal judge has approved a $1 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by demonstrators who were pepper-sprayed during a protest at the University of California, Davis in 2011.

Via:

Under the settlement, UC agreed to pay $30,000 to each of the 21 plaintiffs, $100,000 to be split among 15 other individuals and $250,000 for their attorneys.

The Nov. 18, 2011, incident prompted national outrage, angry campus protests and calls for the resignation of Chancellor Linda Katehi after online videos shot by witnesses went viral.

Images of a police officer casually spraying orange pepper-spray in the faces of nonviolent protesters became a rallying symbol for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The settlement also calls for the University of California to set aside $100,000 to pay other individuals who can prove they were arrested or pepper-sprayed during the protest of tuition hikes and police brutality. The university would also give the ACLU up to $20,000 for its work reviewing free speech and protest policies at UC Davis.

Occupy activist Scott Olsen, an Iraq War veteran critically injured during a heavy-handed eviction by Oakland police during last year's protests, speaks about his experiences with Occupy and where it stands today. The movement that swept the globe in 2011 has not seen as much success in 2012. What obstacles has it faced in its efforts to maintain momentum? And what can it do to bring people back into the streets?

On a side note, if you watched any of Occupy Oakland's anniversary march last week, you may have caught a glimpse of Scott either walking with a cane or being pushed in a wheel chair. It seems he was hit by a car recently as he was crossing a street. I don't have any other information on his injuries, but he seemed in good spirits during the march, and was able to attend all of the anniversary festivities at Oscar Grant Plaza.

Via Occupy Oakland:

On October 25 of last year, the Oakland Commune at Oscar Grant Plaza was raided with enough brutal force to gain international attention. Since then, continuous state repression and police brutality have sought to divide Oakland and keep its residents from reclaiming public space in a time of local, national and global austerity.

The Oakland Commune served as a socio/political refuge for Oakland residents. It was open and free to all and provided a space where people could traverse race and class divides in order to share food, discussion and visions of a more just world. During this time, it was reported that crime within the beat that contained Oscar Grant Plaza went down 19 percent, which highlights the social efficacy of the community when allowed to come together and care for itself.

This Thursday October 25, Occupy Oakland will take back Oscar Grant Plaza with the intention of reclaiming the commons and the right of the people to organize in City Centers. This is a call out to all those who either experienced or were intrigued by the power of the Oakland Commune to come and contribute to the evening’s planned discussions on racism, patriarchy, state repression, and bridges to building a mass movement. A pot luck, community forum and general assembly are scheduled to begin at 4:00pm, followed by a march at 7:00pm. Films will be shown in the evening.

Come gather with us in the commons!

Official trailer for the documentary film "Occupy the Bay."

“Occupy the Bay” is a documentary video project directed by Jonathan Riley and produced by Kevin Pina/Long Memory Productions. The one-hour documentary chronicles the local incarnation of the Occupy Movement, which officially started in September 2011 on Wall St., and then spread across the country and continues today. Rather than aiming to define the scope of the entire Occupy Movement, to create a one-sentence slogan articulating its goals, or to abstractly discuss its impact on the “national conversation,” this film focuses more specifically on events in the Bay Area and their impact. From Occupy Oakland’s port shutdowns and controversial decision to embrace a “diversity of tactics,” to police brutality that has attracted attention nationally and worldwide, this movie deals with the unique factors that have made the story of the Occupy Movement in the San Francisco Bay Area what it is today.

Occupy Oakland and the Art Beat Foundation recently held a successful fundraiser screening of "Occupy the Bay," so stayed tuned here for updates on public release locations and dates of the full documentary.

"Occupy the Bay" chronicles the Oakland incarnation of the Occupy Movement and focuses on events in the Bay Area and their impact. From Occupy Oakland's port shutdowns and controversial decision to embrace a "diversity of tactics," to police brutality that has attracted attention nationally and worldwide, this movie deals with the unique factors that have made the story of the Occupy Movement in the San Francisco Bay Area what it is today.

Occupy the Bay is a not-for profit documentary video project directed by Jonathan Riley and produced by Kevin Pina/Long Memory Productions.

Filmmakers: LongMemory Productions

Protests against the police continued through the weekend in Anaheim, California, with one protest on Saturday that was by all accounts nearly silent and completely peaceful, and Sunday's protest being the total opposite

The Youtube video above, courtesy of @timcast, (Caution viewing the video as it may not be suitable for work due to some language, and graphic images.) shows a few of the arrests as they happened in Anaheim on Sunday. Police on foot and on horseback have guns pointed everywhere, at protesters, and at journalists. Even Tim Pool was stopped by an armed officer in riot gear and forced to produce several different forms of identification.

The OC Register reports on some of the arrests Sunday:

Two protestors – Mark Dameron of San Diego and Corbin Sobrita of Escondido – were arrested in front of the Anaheim Police Department's headquarters on Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said, where a crowd of more than 200 was demonstrating Sunday afternoon.

A third protestor, Nathaniel Sierdsma of San Bernardino, was arrested a few blocks away, at Broadway and Clementine Street, Dunn said. All three were arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, failing to obey an order and being a pedestrian in a roadway.

Five others whose identities weren't immediately released were arrested later Sunday, Dunn said. The reasons for their arrests weren't immediately available.

On Twitter, these photos of arrests during the protest were making rounds, each is labeled, and please note that not all are from the protests.

Police again blame "outsiders" for arrests on Sunday, and the OC Register reports on some of the various groups that turned out for the protest. Iris Thomas, whose nephew Martin Angel Hernandez was killed earlier this year, participated in Sunday's march and had this to say, "I'm glad to see so many people can get together. It just grieves me it took so many lives being lost for people to pay attention." Then, looking around at the groups of unfamiliar people, she added: "There are a lot of agendas here. A few of us will still be here when everybody else is gone."

By all accounts, even on Sunday it seems that protesters were peaceful, however the police seemed to be conducting all-out urban warfare on the unarmed population, if the videos and photos I've seen thus far are any indication.

So what happened on Saturday? It seems that the protesters held their march, and went all the way to Disney, but the police in riot gear stayed home.

To prepare for Saturday's anti-police protests, Anaheim police filled water barricades and surrounded headquarters with them to keep protesters away. Photo credit: Occupy Ventura.