Occupy Together - updated 12:13am EST, 10/19/11
What is it?
Occupy Together is the name under which dozens of protests are starting up across the United States. These movements are solidarity movements for an ongoing protest, Occupy Wall St, which is occurring primarily around the iconic Wall Street of Manhattan New York, NY.
Each of these protests seeks to present a unified front across a diverse geography, with locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco already up and running.
Who are they? (incomplete)
Occupy Wall St started relatively small, with a mixed backing of people from various economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. It has quickly picked up prominent support, featuring some of the following supporters:
United Steel Workers - the largest union in North America, featuring over 800,000 members
The Transit Workers Union - A national union featuring over 200,000 transit workers
The United Federation of Teachers - A union of over 200,000 teachers, nurses, and other professionals working in New York, New York
Industrial Workers of the World - An international union with branches across the globe
SEIUs 32BJ union - A union featuring over 120,000 property service workers
Airline Pilot Unions - Over 700 unionized pilots
The Amalgamated Transit Union - A national transportation union with over 190,000 members.
American Federation of Teachers Local 1839
AFL-CIO (AFSCME) - A massive federation of labor organizations
Several celebrities and cultural icons have backed or supported the movement, including:
Slavoj Zizek - Critically acclaimed contemporary philosopher, professor, and author
Professor Cornel West - Public intellectual and Princeton professor
Noam Chomsky - MIT Professor and noted author, philosopher, and social critic
Michael Moore - Film maker and activist
Susan Sarandon - Academy Award winning US actress
Immortal Technique - Rapper and activist
Lupe Fiasco - US rapper, record producer, and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment.
Russell Simmons - co-founder of hip-hop label Def Jam
Murs - US rapper
Tom Morello - guitarist for Rage Against the Machine
Roseanne Barr - Emmy award-winning actress and comedienne
The Yes Men - "Culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men)
In addition, many national and local organizations have thrown their weight and support behind the Occupy movement, including:
Adbusters - Original group who called for Occupy Wall St to occur
MoveOn
The Working Families Party
Make the Road New York
Coalition for the Homeless
Alliance for Quality Education
Community Voices Heard
United New York
Strong Economy for All Coalition
New York Communities for Change
+ many more
What are they protesting?
Occupy Wall St began as a somewhat nebulous protest generally aimed at protesting corporate involvement with the government, unpunished corporate culpability in the United States' recent economic crisis, and an unfair economic system in which a small minority of the population controls a large majority of the wealth. As more people have gotten involved and the movement has spread, specific goals and messages have begun to firm up.
On September 29th, 2011, around 8pm, Occupy Wall St released their first official release, stating their declaration of occupation and a list of grievances, and noting that the document is a living document subject to change as the movement evolves. The document has since been pulled from its original host at http://www.reddit.com, with the author stating that "I have removed the text of the document from this page, because this is a living document, and after the huge wave of the input from the last 24 hours, the text I originally posted is largely out of date." (http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/kwk2d/first_official_release_from_occupy_wall_street/).
The Occupy movement is purposefully avoiding the release of any official statements or documents as of right now.
Proposed goals and demands are being given by the Occupy community, and are being considered by General Assembly of New York. A popular example of such demands/goals can be seen here. Other suggestions have been made for consideration in implementing official documentation, but again, no official documentation is currently being endorsed.
In response to the critique that the movement's goals and message are not clear, concise, or obvious, Salon.coms Glenn Greenwald has posed the following response:
Or, as Jeff Madrick said in his article for the New York Review of Books:
How can I be involved?
Visit Occupy Together. It is information heavy, with links to region protests and protest planning, photographs, videos, news, banners, and more. Joining a local area Occupy movement is as simple as finding the closest one to you.
Occupy Together also recommends the following:
Donations can be made to the Occupy Wall St movement here; link is taken directly from https://occupywallst.org.
Send a message to Bloomberg, NY City Council, NYPD, and a number of other recipients saying that charges should be dropped for the 700+ arrests on Oct. 1
Join the Occupy Their Mailboxes movement
If you wish to send resources to the Occupy Wall St movement, please send them to
The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038
As far as what supplies and resources to send, please read this article published on 10/5/11 from the NYC General Assembly. It details needed provisions.
Some excerpts here:
Here is a compiled list of potentially helpful resources if you are going to be involved with an Occupy movement.
Carpool to Occupy - A helpful way to organize carpooling to your local Occupy movement. Requires Facebook.
How to Start a Revolution - by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp
Quick guide on group dynamics in peoples assemblies - Thanks to A Human Becoming for the link
Interesting advice from a "former Tea Partier"
ACLU's article entitled "Know Your Rights: What To Do If You Are Stopped By Police, Immigrant Agents Or The FBI" (terrible caps theirs)
How to Get Out of Being Arrested forum post - A bit controversial, but potentially effective; I post this with the disclaimer that I do not recommend or have any knowledge of its efficacy. You'll want to research this before you go for it. Just thought it was interesting . . .
The Occupy Portland Model - Very useful for organizing and establishing an Occupy movement
An Open Letter from Two White Men to Occupy Wall St 1 of 2 mandatory reading articles about racial dynamics and the Occupy Wall St movement - Thanks to Bloodbeard for the link
So Real It Hurts: Notes on Occupy Wall Street 2 of 2 mandatory reading articles about racial dynamics and the Occupy Wall St movement - Thanks to Bloodbeard for the link
Your mailing needs (of packages, money orders, etc.) can be taken care of through here:
The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038
Use this address to receive stuff and ship stuff. The Occupy Wall St web site goes on to say "Money orders only please, cannot cash checks yet. Non-perishable goods only. We can accept packages of any size. We're currently low on food."
Here's the layout of the occupied park:
Coming Soon
Education Corner:
empty vessel and a few others have been providing fantastic research, statistics, charts, and history on various topics related to the Occupy movement . . . I will be gathering those and placing links here for quick access. There will be links supporting and opposing OWS, but these can all be used as resources for learning more about our political, social, and economic environment. Useful if you want to have an informed conversation about an Occupy movement, especially if you are in one . . .
Occupy-GAF
Here is an ongoing list of gaffers involved with the Occupy Together movement. If you are, or are planning on taking part in an Occupy movement, please send me a PM and include what Occupy movement you will be at. We will expect pictures and reports!
magicstop - Occupy Durham - Occupy Raleigh - Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro
A Human Becoming - Occupy New Hampshire (Requires Facebook)
TrounceX - Occupy Minnesota
ErasureAcer - Occupy Minnesota
cooljeanius - Occupy DC
FlightOfHeaven - Occupy Miami (Requires Facebook)
theBishop - Occupy Philly
Darkshier - Occupy Walnut Creek - Requires Facebook
lednerg - Occupy New Jersey
pj - Occupy Wall Street
Chichikov - Occupy Seattle
PS3GamerKyle - Occupy Philly
reneledarker - Occupy Tijuana - Requires Facebook
What is it?
Occupy Together is the name under which dozens of protests are starting up across the United States. These movements are solidarity movements for an ongoing protest, Occupy Wall St, which is occurring primarily around the iconic Wall Street of Manhattan New York, NY.
Each of these protests seeks to present a unified front across a diverse geography, with locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco already up and running.
Who are they? (incomplete)
Occupy Wall St started relatively small, with a mixed backing of people from various economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. It has quickly picked up prominent support, featuring some of the following supporters:
United Steel Workers - the largest union in North America, featuring over 800,000 members
The Transit Workers Union - A national union featuring over 200,000 transit workers
The United Federation of Teachers - A union of over 200,000 teachers, nurses, and other professionals working in New York, New York
Industrial Workers of the World - An international union with branches across the globe
SEIUs 32BJ union - A union featuring over 120,000 property service workers
Airline Pilot Unions - Over 700 unionized pilots
The Amalgamated Transit Union - A national transportation union with over 190,000 members.
American Federation of Teachers Local 1839
AFL-CIO (AFSCME) - A massive federation of labor organizations
Several celebrities and cultural icons have backed or supported the movement, including:
Slavoj Zizek - Critically acclaimed contemporary philosopher, professor, and author
Professor Cornel West - Public intellectual and Princeton professor
Noam Chomsky - MIT Professor and noted author, philosopher, and social critic
Michael Moore - Film maker and activist
Susan Sarandon - Academy Award winning US actress
Immortal Technique - Rapper and activist
Lupe Fiasco - US rapper, record producer, and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment.
Russell Simmons - co-founder of hip-hop label Def Jam
Murs - US rapper
Tom Morello - guitarist for Rage Against the Machine
Roseanne Barr - Emmy award-winning actress and comedienne
The Yes Men - "Culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men)
In addition, many national and local organizations have thrown their weight and support behind the Occupy movement, including:
Adbusters - Original group who called for Occupy Wall St to occur
MoveOn
The Working Families Party
Make the Road New York
Coalition for the Homeless
Alliance for Quality Education
Community Voices Heard
United New York
Strong Economy for All Coalition
New York Communities for Change
+ many more
What are they protesting?
Occupy Wall St began as a somewhat nebulous protest generally aimed at protesting corporate involvement with the government, unpunished corporate culpability in the United States' recent economic crisis, and an unfair economic system in which a small minority of the population controls a large majority of the wealth. As more people have gotten involved and the movement has spread, specific goals and messages have begun to firm up.
On September 29th, 2011, around 8pm, Occupy Wall St released their first official release, stating their declaration of occupation and a list of grievances, and noting that the document is a living document subject to change as the movement evolves. The document has since been pulled from its original host at http://www.reddit.com, with the author stating that "I have removed the text of the document from this page, because this is a living document, and after the huge wave of the input from the last 24 hours, the text I originally posted is largely out of date." (http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/kwk2d/first_official_release_from_occupy_wall_street/).
The Occupy movement is purposefully avoiding the release of any official statements or documents as of right now.
Proposed goals and demands are being given by the Occupy community, and are being considered by General Assembly of New York. A popular example of such demands/goals can be seen here. Other suggestions have been made for consideration in implementing official documentation, but again, no official documentation is currently being endorsed.
In response to the critique that the movement's goals and message are not clear, concise, or obvious, Salon.coms Glenn Greenwald has posed the following response:
http://politics.salon.com/2011/09/28/protests_21/
Or, as Jeff Madrick said in his article for the New York Review of Books:
How can I be involved?
Visit Occupy Together. It is information heavy, with links to region protests and protest planning, photographs, videos, news, banners, and more. Joining a local area Occupy movement is as simple as finding the closest one to you.
Occupy Together also recommends the following:
Donations can be made to the Occupy Wall St movement here; link is taken directly from https://occupywallst.org.
Send a message to Bloomberg, NY City Council, NYPD, and a number of other recipients saying that charges should be dropped for the 700+ arrests on Oct. 1
Join the Occupy Their Mailboxes movement
If you wish to send resources to the Occupy Wall St movement, please send them to
The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038
As far as what supplies and resources to send, please read this article published on 10/5/11 from the NYC General Assembly. It details needed provisions.
Some excerpts here:
Resources for those involved
Here is a compiled list of potentially helpful resources if you are going to be involved with an Occupy movement.
Carpool to Occupy - A helpful way to organize carpooling to your local Occupy movement. Requires Facebook.
How to Start a Revolution - by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp
Quick guide on group dynamics in peoples assemblies - Thanks to A Human Becoming for the link
Interesting advice from a "former Tea Partier"
ACLU's article entitled "Know Your Rights: What To Do If You Are Stopped By Police, Immigrant Agents Or The FBI" (terrible caps theirs)
How to Get Out of Being Arrested forum post - A bit controversial, but potentially effective; I post this with the disclaimer that I do not recommend or have any knowledge of its efficacy. You'll want to research this before you go for it. Just thought it was interesting . . .
The Occupy Portland Model - Very useful for organizing and establishing an Occupy movement
An Open Letter from Two White Men to Occupy Wall St 1 of 2 mandatory reading articles about racial dynamics and the Occupy Wall St movement - Thanks to Bloodbeard for the link
So Real It Hurts: Notes on Occupy Wall Street 2 of 2 mandatory reading articles about racial dynamics and the Occupy Wall St movement - Thanks to Bloodbeard for the link
Your mailing needs (of packages, money orders, etc.) can be taken care of through here:
The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038
Use this address to receive stuff and ship stuff. The Occupy Wall St web site goes on to say "Money orders only please, cannot cash checks yet. Non-perishable goods only. We can accept packages of any size. We're currently low on food."
Here's the layout of the occupied park:
Coming Soon
Education Corner:
empty vessel and a few others have been providing fantastic research, statistics, charts, and history on various topics related to the Occupy movement . . . I will be gathering those and placing links here for quick access. There will be links supporting and opposing OWS, but these can all be used as resources for learning more about our political, social, and economic environment. Useful if you want to have an informed conversation about an Occupy movement, especially if you are in one . . .
Occupy-GAF
Here is an ongoing list of gaffers involved with the Occupy Together movement. If you are, or are planning on taking part in an Occupy movement, please send me a PM and include what Occupy movement you will be at. We will expect pictures and reports!
magicstop - Occupy Durham - Occupy Raleigh - Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro
A Human Becoming - Occupy New Hampshire (Requires Facebook)
TrounceX - Occupy Minnesota
ErasureAcer - Occupy Minnesota
cooljeanius - Occupy DC
FlightOfHeaven - Occupy Miami (Requires Facebook)
theBishop - Occupy Philly
Darkshier - Occupy Walnut Creek - Requires Facebook
lednerg - Occupy New Jersey
pj - Occupy Wall Street
Chichikov - Occupy Seattle
PS3GamerKyle - Occupy Philly
reneledarker - Occupy Tijuana - Requires Facebook
