An Open Letter from America’s Port Truck Drivers on Occupy the Ports

We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day. We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York and New Jersey to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the hearts and minds of so many working people. Today’s demonstrations will impact us. We love being behind the wheel. There is so much at stake in our industry. We desperately want to drive clean and safe vehicles. Poverty and pollution are like a plague at the ports. You, the public, have paid a severe price along with us. Why? There are no restrooms for drivers. The companies demand we cut corners to compete. Thank you. In solidarity,

Statement on Academic Freedom and Teachers’ Professional Judgment The following is a message as we received it—verbatim—from Portland Public School (PPS) faculty in response to a panel from Occupy Portland being removed from Astor School. I’ve circulated a statement drafted by Portland teachers today during my lunch hour. The more I think of it, the more ridiculous this is and I’m using PPS email now to send out this statement. Time Magazine has selected the Protestor as the person of the year. Here is our letter. We, the undersigned educators, are dismayed by the recent incident at Astor School where members of the Occupy Portland Panel, an educational branch of the Occupy Portland movement, were thrown out of a classroom of sixth and seventh graders after they began talking to students about U.S. foreign wars and house foreclosures. We reject the idea that teachers would need to notify parents or obtain principal approval before bringing Occupy speakers to their classrooms. Lastly, the school district must live up to its commitment to equity. Signed,

We are the 99% We are the 99% is a political slogan widely used by the Occupy movement.[1] It was originally the name of a Tumblr blog page launched in late August 2011 by a 28-year-old New York activist going by the name of "Chris". It is a variation on the phrase "We The 99%" from an August 2011 flyer for the NYC General Assembly.[2][3][4] The phrase directly refers to the concentration of income and wealth among the top earning 1%,[5] and reflects an opinion that the "99%" are paying the price for the mistakes of a tiny minority within the upper class.[6][7][8] The phrase was picked up as a unifying slogan[9] by the Occupy movement.[10] According to IRS reports, as of 2009 all individuals with incomes less than $343,927 belong to the lower 99% of the United States' income distribution.[11] Origin[edit] Mainstream accounts[edit] Joseph Stiglitz Graph showing changes in real US incomes in top 1%, middle 60%, and bottom 20% from 1979 through 2007.[15] Non-mainstream accounts[edit] Economic context[edit]

Occupy Portland protesters plan to stay in Shemanski Park Sunday night Brent Wojahn/The OregonianOne tent and sixteen people were at Southwest Main Street and Southwest Park Avenue at 10:30 a.m. Sunday following a night of activity by Occupy Portland supporters. Occupy Portland protesters returned Sunday night to Shemanski Park in Southwest Portland one night after 19 people were arrested in the park. At about 9 p.m. Police reportedly told protesters that they could stay there as long as no structures were put up. Police then returned about 10:15 p.m. At 11 p.m. Portland Police Chief Mike Reese says in a written statement that he won't run for mayor View full sizeBruce Ely/The OregonianChief Mike Reese has chosen not to run for mayor, just two-and-a-half weeks after he sat in his chief's office saying he was strongly considering a run. Portland police Chief Mike Reese announced by press release this afternoon that he's not going to run for mayor – less than two days after he issued an apology for blaming Occupy Portland on live TV last week for a police delay to a rape victim's call. "After careful consideration, I've decided that I can best serve the community and the Portland Police Bureau by remaining the Chief of Police. I will not be a candidate for Mayor," the statement said. " I appreciate the kind words of support and encouragement that have been offered to me these past few weeks. Running for political office is a time-consuming and daunting task. On Nov. 2, Reese called it a unique opportunity considering there's no incumbent. "Some people who I really respect asked me to run. -- Maxine Bernstein

Eugene verdict clarifies legal protections for protesters who turn video cameras on police View full sizeBeth Nakamura/The Oregonian Occupy Portland protesters, whose revolution has been heavily recorded, keep watch on Nov. 17 as police move in on protesters occupying a Wells Fargo branch at the downtown Standard Insurance Center. Hundreds of people demonstrated during the protest dubbed N17. More than two dozen were arrested. Camcorders, smart phones and live-streaming gizmos bob atop seas of demonstrators these days in Oregon, often capturing hostilities between police and demonstrators from various angles. State law permits protesters to record police in public places. The rules of engagement became clearer in Eugene's U.S. The eight-person panel determined that Sgt. That's the electronic equivalent of police walking off with several file cabinets of private papers without benefit of a judge's signature, said Lauren Regan, Schlossberg's lawyer. U.S. Outdated laws Oregon's law on intercepting communications was enacted in 1973, decades before the digital age. Then came Sgt.

Spirit and Stardust - speech by Dennis Kucinich The Co-Intelligence Institute CII home // CIPolitics home Spirit and Stardust The Dubrovnik Conference on the Alchemy of Peacebuilding June 4-11, 2002 Sunday, June 9, 2002, 8:45 pm Special Keynote Address by U.S. (thanks to Adin Rogovin adin@trimtab.net for the transcript) "Spirit and Stardust" (excerpts) We need to remember where we came from; to know that we are one. Our leaders think the unthinkable and speak of the unspeakable inevitability of nuclear war; of a nuclear attack on New York City, of terrorist attacks throughout our nation; of war against Iraq using nuclear weapons; of biological and chemical weapon attacks on civilian populations; of catastrophic global climate change; of war in outer space. Our vision of interconnectedness resonates with new networks of world citizens in nongovernmental organizations linking from numberless centers of energy, expressing the emergence of a new organic whole, seeking unity within and across national lines. Spirit and Stardust Thank You. Rep.