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***Update***
The following press release went out at approximately 2 pm PST today to address several issues that have occurred in the past 48 hours. Since it’s release, the individual mentioned that had taken over the occupyportland.org domain name has graciously returned it to the control of the Occupy Portland Web Team. We thank him for his cooperation. There may be some web disruptions as the DNS re-propagates, but we hope all web and email traffic will be back to normal shortly. The other issues remain valid.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTLAND, ORE. — Individuals on the Finance Committee at Occupy Portland were able to take control the protest’s domain name and and associate email addresses late Tuesday evening. Additionally, in a somewhat ironic twist, these individuals formed a (non-profit) corporation to which they transferred all of the money which had been collected for the movement through kind donations from our community.
The emails that were being used maintain contact the with the press, organize our online group discussions, and control the technical means of organization were all taken over by a handful of individuals that were able to get the passwords to these systems then lock everyone else out.
Unless restored immediately, OccupyPortland.org is no longer affiliated with our protest or our movement. The Finance Committee members that have acted on their own will need to account for their own actions. We cannot state with certainty the amount of the donations that were taken in through the internet. We will use all means at our disposable to account for every dollar and make this transparent as soon as possible.
We have restored the website at the backup address, OccupyPDX.org, and have full control over this domain and all of its email addresses. Nothing originating from OccupyPortland.org should be trusted to represent the Occupy Portland protest or the people of the Portland General Assembly. No emails originating from this address are affiliated any longer with any part of Occupy Portland.
If anything, this incident illustrates the very reason we are protesting. Our protest against corporate power and control is now colored by people who have used this very structure we are protesting against to deprive us of donations and resources that the community as a whole helped establish for our protest.
The ways in which these things happened is a perfect illustration of the corruption and secrecy that are problematic at every level of our society.
We have attempted to reach out to these individuals, but they have assured us that they have no intention of changing their course of action. In light of this, the public should understand that they are willfully and falsely representing themselves as speaking for the Occupy Portland General Assembly.
None of these actions were approved by the General Assembly. None of these actions were even explained to the General Assembly. These two things are facts which are impossible to dispute.
Occupy Portland will continue our protest in deference to the General Assembly, and will not let this distract us or slow us down. It is a shame a few people act in interests against the will of the movement, but in the greater scheme of things it will not matter. It is a minor bump in a road that is laden with mines on the path to achieve Accountability, Transparency and Justice.
Over the next week we will be participating in marches on our own and in conjunction with the AFL-CIO, we will be participating in a free concert and super rally with Pink Martini at noon Friday at Pioneer Courthouse Square, and we will be welcoming Michael Moore during his trip to Portland for his book tour.
This statement has not been approved by the Occupy Portland General Assembly
“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism – ownership of government by an individual, by a group,”
Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes (American 32nd US President (1933-45),
“The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it.”
Edward Dowling quote
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
TO all the brave patriots of the Occupy movement: My name is Dave. I am 58 years old. I love my country. I have lived through the good times of government to the very bad times of today. I saw a President challenge us to ask not what my counry could to for me ,but what I could do for my country. I saw a time where it was hoped that poverty itself might be eliminated from our vocabulary to a time where a President asked us to look away from the isues of the day and to “go shopping”. The rich own our government. Both political parties. It’s time that we the people take our government back. Hopefully, we can do it peacefully. I will no longer sit back and let this corrupt goverment be passed down to my children and grandchildren. Brave patriots of the Occupy Movement, YOU are our one hope for a democrcy of , by and for the people. We are with you.
don’t you find it ironic that you are sending out press releases and making grand statements to the media without getting approval of the GA? (the same thing you were all up in arms about?) whats that but this is about media and you are the media team… ooh well then the finance team (who have been with OPDX since before OCT 6th)certainly would have no business doing finacial… oh wait…
issues should be handled in the GA NOT with going to the media and taking up the front page of the webpage with the only counter being the comments…
This is the press release that was sent out at 2 pm. The same release was read at the GA last night as well. As with all things that are not GA approved, the disclaimer was added.
The release was also updated to reflect the changes since it was sent out.
Transparency. It’s a good thing.
What I find funny is you are fighting corporations and now you become one..Sounds like the dude that took the money is just trying to scam the rest of the people and make some money..Wow we gave you enough rope and you pot smoking fricking hippies hung yourselves…You failed to understand that this is so important to so many people..So leave our town you are all so drugged up and stupid..Poeople are fighting for their rights and you people cannot find your way out of your drug cloud..And at least we know who to sue for the park damage now..
I DID make a mental connection between people running out of personal pot/meth money at the end of the month, and the sudden attack on the finance committee. The proposal to make committee heads, who are now out of drug money until the first, as newbies on the finance committee is pretty TRANSPARENT TO ME. JUST PLAIN WRONG – PEOPLE ON COMMITTEES HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED TRUST AND MATURITY THE WAY SOBER PEOPLE HAVE. THEY HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO UNTIL THEY EARN ANY TRUST.
i do not see the harm in a media statement that states on its face that it has not been approved by the general assembly. the alternative would seem to be silence for several days on a matter of considerable public interest. i do see harm in individuals from the finance committee sequestering money that was offered to the community, without approval of the general assembly. apples and oranges, as they sometimes say.
I appreciate that with the release of Anne Saker’s article tonight on OregonLive website there is a statement of clarification of the matter here. It is timely and well written. Yes, perhaps the author could have begun with the fact that the GA had not approved the statement however, I have seen this same ‘not approved by the GA’ announcement on other posts within the website.
Regardless, divisiveness is an interesting and devolving energy to have about and my thoughts tend to the examination of this fact over all the others. Surely other Occupy encampments are experiencing these same forces at work.
I have always found that remembering the aim, calling up original intention for review and reflection are helpful and stabilizing strategies when directions become fractured.
We need full accounting of this in front of the GA from everyone involved…the finance committee, the media committee…everybody involved! Full disclosure. And then we need to fix whatever needs fixing. We have no business marching anywhere or demanding anything until we clean up our own mess. This is no “minor bump the road”.
Thanks to whomever proofread this, after it was posted.
More info from Anonymous:
The original #OccupyPortland release: http://pastebin.com/aH9Vegzt
Another one: http://pastebin.com/0hX0YzWV
The $ is where it has always been-(this is not being reported!) We complain that MSM does not fact check etc… and then we use transparency as our cover-all for lack of fact finding on our media’s end? The finance team announced at the GA on the 21st that they were going to file BUT NO $ was ever moved- the same media/web that posted this also spoke to MSM . Could finance team had been clearer etc… sure? But going on the messages boards (as moderators) talking to the Oregonian and making press releases when not enough information is known is pretty poor on the movement’s behalf- I am asking that the same thing that people are upset about finance over was Worse from media/web side but since $ was not invloved (and it ACTUALLY was not in the case of finance either…)people did not stop and think they just reacted-as if it were against the 1% not fellow 99% who have been working very hard from the start with the movement…
Lets learn from this
This is a storm in a teapot. We will get beyond this spat in a couple of days, as it is the result of rumors, paranoia, and poor communication among busy volunteers who have jobs, families, and lives to maintain in addition to doing the work of Occupy.
The GA decided weeks ago not to “micro-manage” every little thing that committees need to do for food, safety, sanitation, media, etc. Committees were empowered to make decisions using their best judgment, with major issues affecting the whole movement and/or camp reserved for the GA process. The finance committee did err on this, but it was an error of judgment between what they felt needed to be done and what the GA should decide instead.
The GA has been vigilant, called for an intervention, voted in a new Spending Committee structure; and the finance committee individuals have already issued an apology and explanation.
This could be clarified and debated and resolved within two GA meetings. Let’s trust the process and move on to those bigger national and international issues we’re here to confront.
So if committee members and committee ‘heads’ still had their own beer money and pot money, and everything stolen in the camp hadn’t already been traded for drugs, would the idea of ravaging the finance committee even come up?
I’ve seen enough committee members and so-called heads WASTED OUT OF THEIR MINDS since day ONE that I am confused where the idea OF TRUST AND FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY is coming from?
Disgusted. The donated monies from good people in the community is NOT THERE for drug runs in the middle of the night, when committees have run out of their own drug money at the end of the month. Why not wait a few days until after NOVEMBER FIRST and watch the issue melt away? People just want money for pot etc, so make them wait until they get their own checks – the communal money is NOT FOR YOUR AND YOUR FRIENDS’ DRUG ABUSE.
Hi. As a committee member, I do not appreciate your lies. The community has donated money to the occupation and that money has only been used for things like gas to run generators and garbage bags. There are absolutely no drugs or alcohol being bought with donated funds. The drugs and alcohol are being purchased by those not participating in the Occupation but simply filtering through and taking advantage of the free food and tent space. We’re doing our best to educate these people and some have actually stopped using drugs and started participating. Please get your facts straight.
Why was a bunch of anonymous innuendo posted as a “Press Release”?
I’m not seeing much transparency on these posts.
For one thing, posters should state their real full names.
I declare shenanigans on this whole side-trip distraction.