Using Halloween to mock those they have just made homeless. What comment is needed?
The picture at the right tells it all.
A major “foreclosure mill” law firm held a Halloween celebration with a theme that mocked the suffering of those they forced from their homes.
The party was held last Halloween, but the exposure happens this year. What is an occupation of Wall Street good for?
Among other things, the discussion of society has turned to the worldview and parasitism of the ruling strata — and all kinds of info, insights and pix are shaking loose.
On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party. The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a “foreclosure mill” firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes. Steven J. Baum is, in fact, the largest such firm in New York; it represents virtually all the giant mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
We have often reported on bandhs here on Kasama — the highly politicized work-stoppages of South Asia where diverse political forces demonstrate their street-level strength.
Now our own explosive and radical non-electoral movement is expressing its reach — and its outrage over the brutality of Oakland’s police.
We urge strong support for this — and we urge everyone to learn everything there is to learn from the experiences we are now passing through together.
Occupy Oakland: Picket and Occupy Warning to Employers etc
Agreed upon in Occupy Oakland Strike Assembly 10.29.11
The Occupy Oakland Strike Assembly vows to picket and or occupy any business or school which disciplines employees or students in ANY way for participating in the November 2nd strike and day of action.
The Occupy Oakland Strike Assembly would like this warning to be known in the general community.
Any worker who thinks they have been disciplined for participating in the General Strike may come to the Strike Assembly to ask for picket support against their employer.
The Occupy Oakland Strike Assembly will keep meeting after the strike in case of delayed disciplinary measures by employers and will maintain an email list to mobilize for any measures after that. If workers cannot make the general strike committee they may email OccupyOaklandLaborSolidarity@gmail.com
If any such disciplined workers are represented by a union, we will call on that union to join us in picketing.
PN’s application for membership in the Kasama project is now available in a printable pdf. The pdf itself is black and white — and the expectation is that it should be printed on yellow paper and then folded for full effect.
“Kasama is an organization which seems as much open to influence and engagement as it is itself capable of influencing and engaging with movements such as our Occupation.”
“I feel that we must resist at all cost any efforts to make our vision overly concrete.
“This does not mean that you do not offer concrete solutions or easily communicated practical means of action. We should develop immediate strategy using all resources available.
“But overall, I like to point out how capitalism, in its own formation, never had any plan, any manifesto, or any vision of what it wanted to become.”
Exciting news from Aotearoa (New Zealand): Distant participants in our Kasama discussions are excitedly diving into new experiences within the Occupy Wellington movement — and want to proudly share a new newspaper. It was printed in 1,000 copies and quickly went out hand-to-hand. Congrats and a salute of solidarity!
I spoke last night with someone in our Kasama project about a pro-Occupy meeting with many local union officials. One thing jumped out at me.
An emerging truth is now being spoken out loud:
That Occupy Wall Street is not some progressive “constituency” that unions and others need to “relate to.”
Things have gone far beyond that. This is now a historical moment, a true tear in previous politics, alignments, possibilities and silence. It is a rupture and an opening where everyone needs to act, based on their understandings and political concerns.
And the implication of this is profound: This is no longer just about “go down to the occupations and hook up with what they have created.” The opening is there for many kinds of people to speak — from where they sit in society, about what they see — and to be part of something new erupting within the power relations of society.
The occupations remain (symbolically, politically, visually) the core of this. Their growth, spread, survival, maturation and defense is an important part of this moment.But (again) this is not JUST an occupation event — it has become a large, open flapping tear in fabric of deadly normal/official politics, in its language, allignment and assumptions.
“The whole world is watching Oakland. Let’s show them what is possible.”
Below is the proposal passed by the Occupy Oakland General Assembly on Wednesday October 26, 2011 in reclaimed Oscar Grant Plaza. 1607 people voted. 1484 voted in favor of the resolution, 77 abstained and 46 voted against it, passing the proposal at 96.9%. The General Assembly operates on a modified consensus process that passes proposals with 90% in favor and with abstaining votes removed from the final count.
PROPOSAL:
We as fellow occupiers of Oscar Grant Plaza propose that on Wednesday November 2, 2011, we liberate Oakland and shut down the 1%.
“Kasama is an organization which seems as much open to influence and engagement as it is itself capable of influencing and engaging with movements such as our Occupation.”
“I feel that we must resist at all cost any efforts to make our vision overly concrete.
“This does not mean that you do not offer concrete solutions or easily communicated practical means of action. We should develop immediate strategy using all resources available.
“But overall, I like to point out how capitalism, in its own formation, never had any plan, any manifesto, or any vision of what it wanted to become.”
Many of you know Kasama as a space for broad discussion among revolutionary people. Over the last three years, there has also formed a national communist network that calls itself the Kasama project. It has a unity around the final goals of ending oppression and class society, but seeks to approach philosophical and strategic ideas afresh.
The Kasama project has grown as collectives have formed in various cities, and as individuals have found their various ways to participate in its national work.
Here is a recent letter applying for membership in the Kasama project.
Remind us again how the U.S. is different from Mubarak’s Egypt, or from Syria, or from the crumbling Troika running Greece? And how, after all is it the same?
Police are firing into the unarmed crowds — aiming their projectiles at the people.
None of us can say we don’t know. So the question becomes:
What are you doing? What are you saying? Where do you stand?
The following Occupy Wall Street statement was reported by common dreams. Thanks to Nat for pointing it out.
It is unconscionable that American government officials would sanction the use of such extreme force against peaceful citizens.
Occupy Oakland has been a public forum, set up on public land, concerned with critical public issues about the nation’s financial crisis, consolidation of wealth and power, and the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate in the democratic process.
This brutality carried out on the orders of city government, sends a chilling message to those who want to engage in civic processes to work for social change.
Over a month ago, we went to the doorstep of Wall Street to say “enough!” That message has resonated across the country and around the world. Occupy Wall Street continues to build, and a national movement of peaceful occupations and civic engagement has sprung up in every corner.
One eyewitness says Scott was hit by a police projectile. Others report that as people tried to help him, they were targeted with rubber bullets and flash bang grenades.
Occupy Oakland: Iraq war veteran in critical condition after police clashes
Scott Olsen, 24, in hospital with fractured skull and brain swelling after allegedly being hit by a police projectile in Oakland
An Iraq war veteran has a fractured skull and brain swelling after allegedly being hit by a police projectile.
Scott Olsen is in a “critical condition” in Highland hospital in Oakland, a hospital spokesman confirmed.
Olsen, 24, suffered the head injury during protests in Oakland on Tuesday evening. More than 15 people were arrested after a crowd gathered to demonstrate against the police operation to clear two Occupy Oakland camps in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Expressions of support and outrage are needed. And we all need to watch closely: How do we, how should we respond to decisions to just wipe the Occupations away? What is the role of Oakland’s “progressive” politicians (some of whom were leftists before they were Democrats)? And what does that show? What is the role of the police (here in the occupations and in the larger society)? Who rises to defend the people? Who falls silent? Who now steps up the attacks and demonization of the occupations (as violent, as crazy, as unreasonable)?
When your enemy throws down, it is important to respond — to hold the high moral ground, to articulate clearly both your purposes and theirs, to mobilize your core and your allies, to identify creative responses that retake the initiative, to expose and isolate those attacking, to help all those watching to understand the issues and the sides taken…. to grow under fire, and turn their attacks into new strength and clarity.
The following appeared on RT. The Orwellian content of this is obvious and chilling — and this practice (by Google/YouTube/Orkut and oppressive governments like the U.S.) represents an assault on the ability of people to communicate with each other about oppression, and their ability to understand their world.
US cops tried to erase online evidence of brutality
Google has been asked by a US law enforcement agency to remove several videos exposing police brutality from the video sharing service YouTube, the company has revealed in its latest update to an online transparency report.
Another request filed by a different agency required Google to remove videos allegedly defaming law enforcement officials. The two requests were among 92 submissions for content removal by various authorities in the US filed between January and June 2011. Both were rejected by Google along with 27 per cent of the submissions.
The IT giant says the overall number of requests for content removal it receives from governmental agencies has risen, and so has the number of requests to disclose the private data of Google users.
The following statement from anonymous Egyptian comrades appeared on Mondoweiss.net.
“If we do not resist, actively, when they come to take what we have won back, then we will surely lose.
“Do not confuse the tactics that we used when we shouted “peaceful” with fetishizing nonviolence; if the state had given up immediately we would have been overjoyed, but as they sought to abuse us, beat us, kill us, we knew that there was no other option than to fight back. Had we laid down and allowed ourselves to be arrested, tortured, and martyred to “make a point”, we would be no less bloodied, beaten and dead. Be prepared to defend these things you have occupied, that you are building, because, after everything else has been taken from us, these reclaimed spaces are so very precious.
“By way of concluding then, our only real advice to you is to continue, keep going and do not stop. Occupy more, find each other, build larger and larger networks and keep discovering new ways to experiment with social life, consensus, and democracy. Discover new ways to use these spaces, discover new ways to hold on to them and never give them up again. Resist fiercely when you are under attack, but otherwise take pleasure in what you are doing, let it be easy, fun even. We are all watching one another now, and from Cairo we want to say that we are in solidarity with you, and we love you all for what you are doing.
Comrades in Cairo send solidarity, and advice, to Occupy Wall Street
To all those in the United States currently occupying parks, squares and other spaces, your comrades in Cairo are watching you in solidarity. Having received so much advice from you about transitioning to democracy, we thought it’s our turn to pass on some advice. Read the rest of this entry »
This essay appeared in the new blog Occupy Media. And note that this promises to be an importance source you will want to check out.
Around 2am word spread that riot police were massing in around the area where Occupy Oakland has been for more than two weeks. Hundreds of people gathered and began to make non-violent barricades at all the entrances to the plaza.At about 4:30am, riot police appeared on all corners of the encampment. There were roughly 500 to 700 riot police in total.
The entire plaza was completely barricaded on all sides, with palates, trash cans, chairs, a gigantic christmas wreath, police barricades from a neighboring street
Occupiers began chanting ‘go home’ as they always do when police show up at Occupy Oakland, but it quickly became clear that there was an overwhelming number of police from at least four different jurisdictions.
“The whole world is watching Oakland. Let’s show them what is possible.”
