6 Ways to Get Ready for the May 1st GENERAL STRIKE Yesterday, 60,000 marched on Madison to mark the one-year anniversary of the passage of Governor Scott Walker's drastic dismantling of collective bargaining rights for public employees. Last year, Walker's attacks on labor rights sparked massive protests that saw hundreds of thousands occupy the Wisconsin capital building. Their actions prefigured Occupy Wall Street and inspired countless others to take a stand against economic inequality, political injustice, and the tyranny of the 1% enforced through politicians and banksters alike. This is just one example that people across the globe are actively resisting attacks on the 99%. This winter, we refocused our energies on fostering ties with local communities, saving homes from corrupt banks and jobs from greedy corporations, and building and expanding our horizontal infrastructure. We are getting ready. 8am-4pm: Midtown action staging zone in Bryant Park.Disruptive actions in midtown all day! And this is just the beginning.
Occupy Research | Technology Operations Group | facilitating communication within the occupy movement since 2011 Occupy May Seem To Be Receding, But Look Closer hide captionOccupy Wall Street protesters shout during a "Shut Down the Corporations" demonstration in New York on Wednesday. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Occupy Wall Street protesters shout during a "Shut Down the Corporations" demonstration in New York on Wednesday. For people who watch TV news or read newspapers, the Occupy movement might seem to be in hibernation. Most of the encampments are gone, and diminished numbers take part in protests. But there's a lot of ferment behind the scenes — at least at Occupy Wall Street. Check the Occupy Wall Street website and you'll see at least 15 events every day: meetings by working groups on arts and culture, alternative banking, media, security. 'Pop-Up' Protests And there are actions. "We're kind of going to occupy a Bank of America and turn it into a 'Food Bank of America,'" Occupy protester Luke Richardson says, describing an event on Wednesday. Richardson stood behind a table with donated cans of food. Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
So what the fuck has occupy done so far? Hey President Obama ... Dear patriots, rabble-rousers, revolutionaries, On Saturday thousands of us will occupy Wall Street. We will wave our signs, unfurl our banners, beat our drums, chant our slogans … and then we'll get down to business and hold several people's assemblies to decide what our "one demand" will be. Shall we demand that President Obama reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act; outlaw flash trading; impose a 1% tax on all financial transactions? These are good ideas but not very energizing. How about we demand the revocation of corporate personhood? Feels a bit too abstract. We could demand Obama set up an American Democracy Reform Commission tasked with ending the monied corruption in Washington? Most Americans know that Washington is awash with corporate money and undue influence and would like to see democracy vibrant again. What if, try as we might, we just can't come up with only one demand? On Saturday, our Tahrir moment begins … strength, courage, nonviolence! for the wild,Culture Jammers HQ
Can Occupy survive its representation? | Protest Camps Can the Occupy movement survive its representation? This was one of the questions asked of us during the McGill Occupy workshop. The question essentially sought to open a discussion around Slavoj Žižek’s speech at Occupy Wall Street warned activists not to fall in love with themselves (which was also published as a Guardian Comment Is Free article). This question is an important one but immediately raises the question, representation by whom? Also when considering if the Occupy movement can survive its own representation, we need to consider the constant commodification of dissent. At present there is a television ad doing the rounds by Maple Leaf Foods which uses the guitar riff from Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth’ (which some people may know as ‘There’s something Happening Here’). It is also challenge the Occupy movement continues faces. The Occupy movement was never about occupying a lawn or a sidewalk, but about occupying an idea. The beginning is near. Like this:
DRAW OCCUPY WALL STREET | Boulet's creation of an Occupy Wall Street art book The Occupy Movement: Rising Anarchy April 03, 2012 By: Ian Oxnevad The Occupy movement presents a challenge to police and policymakers both in the United States and abroad. Occupy, the now-worldwide movement spawned by Occupy Wall Street, serves as a 21st century anarchist movement the likes of which has not been seen since WWI. So far, Occupy protests in the United States exhibit a mostly peaceful nature. Modern anarchism traces back to mid-19th century leftist groups in Europe. Immediately after it’s formation as an ideology, historical anarchists targeted a number of individuals and organizations both in the Americas and Europe. The most significant anarchist attack occurred in 1914 when the anarchist group, the Black Hand, murdered Archduke Ferdinand of the Austrian Empire. Today’s Occupy, with Occupy Wall Street as the informal flagship of the overall movement, has its intellectual origins in small groups of left-leaning academics and publications.
Occupy Wall Street Screenprinters Cooperative It’s our two-year anniversary and we are announcing our new nonprofit status! We are planning to launch an educational program which will bring screenprinting to classrooms citywide and beyond. Come celebrate with us and be among the first to preview our new designs for Spring 2014. We’re proud to have a lineup of special guest artists, including Molly Crabapple! We will (of course) be live printing, so feel free to bring your own clothing items to upcycle. All proceeds go to upcoming community projects which will encourage direct action screenprinting. Check back often for updates — we will be adding artists, performances & contributors regularly. After party to follow at the The Brass Bottle - drinks & dancing to celebrate. If you are unable to attend, we would be humbled by your donations.
America’s last hope: A strong labor movement The fate of the labor movement is the fate of American democracy. Without a strong countervailing force like organized labor, corporations and wealthy elites advancing their own interests are able to exert undue influence over the political system, as we’ve seen in every major policy debate of recent years. Yet the American labor movement is in crisis and is the weakest it’s been in 100 years. The urgency is striking. Over the past 30 years, American employers have become even more aggressive at violating their workers’ rights to organize under a toothless and outdated labor law regime. As worker power has eroded in the workplace, the labor movement’s political clout has also declined. With a labor-friendly White House and a Democratic Congress, organized labor began strategizing about how and when to push for its No. 1 priority, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). But the move to pass EFCA failed, revealing just how weak organized labor has become.