Facebook: Occupy Transportation to OWS NW S17

Confirmed information as posted on the facebook page:

• Bus is not guaranteed.

If bus does happen…..

• Bus trip will a number of days, round trip estimated from previous experience with NU providing buses is around 5 days there 5 back, being at OWS for 4 to 5 days. NU will let us know after we secure the numbers going.
• We need to have a very accurate count of those than can surely attend because of the cost, paid for by the Nurses Union. Their concern is because Nato cost 100K and some seat were not filled from west coast.
• We all may have to help convince the Nurses union that we mean to go by giving a 5 dollar donation to secure a seat (If you can’t find 5 dollars to get a round trip ride across country then…) I will help anyone figure out how to raise money if need be.

So if you cannot go please let Jessica or me know and we will remove you from page, for a few days so we can have an accurate count, you can rejoin after we figure who is going and when, if we can convince NU that we know who is going and will not change their mind. Smile.
Also for those interested in going, OWS has created this handy guide:

http://s17nyc.org/support/join-us-in-nyc/

Here’s the link to the wepay account: https://www.wepay.com/donations/occupy-pdx-natgat-transportation
Here’s the link to the Nat Gat: http://www.occupynationalgathering.com/

 Because understanding NATO is first and foremost, please visit here: natoprotest.org to learn all about this incredibly corrupt alliance that continues to “intervene” in poor parts of the world only to take their resources, kill or depose leaders with integrity and replace them with corrupt leaders.

THIS INFORMATION IS FROM 99Solidarity.net -

99Solidarity has begun sending email updates to occupiers signing up for the Chicago Bus Trips. Please be sure to add info@99solidarity.net to your address book to ensure the updates do not get filed as spam.

99% solidarity is excited to participate in nonviolent direct actions in Chicago from May 18 to 22, 2012. We have secured buses to bring people to these actions from several U.S cities.

We are currently working on the travel schedule, agenda and other important details of this trip. We will be contacting you with updated information shortly. For now here are a few updates:

• The Bus trip is free
• 50 people from each city must sign up and board the bus for the trip take place. If a city has less then 50 sign ups, then we may have to cancel the bus for that city.
• Meals will be provided on board the bus to and from Chicago
• We are working on housing and meals while in Chicago

There are several direct actions and events that we will participate in while in Chicago including:

• May 18 – The People’s Summit
• May 19 – the 99% Solidarity People’s Convention
• May 20 – CANG8 rally and march.

Please visit 99solidarity.net often to get the most up to date information and be sure to invite your friends and fellow occupiers to join you on this exciting, historic trip.

In addition, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @99solidarity

Currently, a bus (or more) will be leaving from Portland in time to arrive in Chicago on May 17.

They’re also leaving from these cities:

• New York City
• Washington DC
• Boston, MA
• Providence, RI
• Burlington, VT
• Salem, NH
• Philadelphia, PA
• Atlanta, GA
• Oakland CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Francisco, CA

__________________________________________________

So tell your friends and get on the bus!

They do have a voluntary pledge of Non-violence and Mutual Respect and a voluntary Action Agreement. A word of warning, if you go to register for the bus, the action agreement loses its “voluntary-ness”.

There’s also the Chicago Principles which everyone in the movement should familiarize themselves with.

The Chicago Principals

• Our solidarity will be based on respect for a political diversity within the struggle for social, economic and environmental justice. As individuals and groups, we may choose to engage in a diversity of tactics and plans of action but are committed to treating each other with respect and working towards a common goal of peace and justice.
• As we plan our actions and tactics, we will take care to maintain appropriate separations of time and space between divergent tactics.
• We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption, limiting our action to “free speech zones,” and violence, or attempts to divide our movement through the conscious creation of divisions regarding tactics, organization, strategies, and alliances.
• Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.

Update: This event has been postponed. Please stay tuned for more information.

Due to yesterday’s excessive police force and brutality against protesters, an impromptu march has been called for by the Occupy Portland Action Committee. During General Strike March and the Dance Dance Revolution, protesters were beaten and arrested for jay-walking.  Please come out to show the Portland Police Bureau that such repressive violence against protesters is unacceptable and intolerable.

Check out one protester being knocked down in this still-frame shot: http://yfrog.com/z/nurzsyej

Twitter – FOLLOW: #M1PDX @LiberateMayDay

JOIN THE CEL.LY TEXT LOOP: Type @may1pdx in the body of a text and send that text to 23559

20 excuses to get out of work!

Not all of these events have the consensed support of the Occupy Portland General Assembly

Press Conference on May Day March and PLOC Action

PRE-MAY DAY

ON MAY DAY

7:30AM

STUDENT STRIKE
501 North Dixon Street (PPS Headquarters)

Students on Strike is the beginning of a student led campaign against budget cuts and the falling quality of our schools. Rally at PPS Headquarters and nonviolently shutdown work; this action is building towards the May 11th mass demonstration at Pioneer Square currently being organized by Teachers, Parents and Students.
facebook.com/events/409741142371139/

http://shutdownppsmay1st.wordpress.com/

9 AM

LAND LIBERATION & SPACE RECLAMATION
PORTLAND LIBERATION ORGANIZING COUNCIL (PLOC)
9 a.m. Woodlawn Park (at NE Dekum Street)
Land liberation with PLOC and friends! Show up ready to reclaim land as part of a community resistance event and have fun at a block party. Text @ploc-openrrn to 23559 to join our Rapid Response Network and stay up-to-date on further developments: www.liberatepdx.org

facebook.com/pages/Portland-Liberation-Organizing-Council/410268802335060

11:30AM

MAYDAY GENERAL STRIKE MARCH
An unpermitted event, “Friendly to otherwise unfriendly tactics”

Rally: 11:30-12:30
March: 12:30-?

Assemble under the Westside Burnside Bridge (Saturday market location)
facebook.com/events/408483545845941/

3:30 PM

PERMITTED MARCH AND RALLY
This will be the traditional large, ‘family-friendly’, permitted and legal event.

2PM Tabling begins for community groups
3:30 Permitted Rally begins.
4:30 Permitted March begins.
6PM March returns to South Park Blocks (estimated).

facebook.com/events/220604641373277/

6PM

CELEBRATORY DANCE PARTY

Gather at the South Park Blocks for a roaming dance party to celebrate the day’s events and revel in community.

http://www.facebook.com/events/277573998992695/

***CANCELLED***MAYDAY FREEDOM FESTIVAL
Celebrate May Day and liberate a building. Assemble in South Park Blocks immediately following the permitted march, stay in the South Park Blocks to eat together before marching to
liberate a space. Plans are still being discussed.

facebook.com/events/277573998992695/

Feel free to invite others that you know who might be planning May Day actions.

When: Saturday April 7, 11-1pm
Where: First Unitarian church, 1011 SW 13th Ave in the Buchanan Room

Note: this is a coordinating council for groups planning actions, not a meeting to plan an action. If you are interested in getting involved with the May Day march and rally please contact the May Day Coalition.

A National Day of Action in Defense of Public Transportation

“With fare hikes and cuts to service at TriMet looming on the horizon, Occupy Portland joins Occupy Boston’s call for a national day of action on April …4th in defense of public transportation. ‘Occupy TriMet’ will be a local day of action in support of reliable, affordable transit throughout our region.

On April 4th, 1967, Martin Luther King stated profoundly that “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” The 1% has wasted trillions of dollars fighting oil wars that should have gone towards building and funding the greatest public transportation system in the world. We shouldn’t have to be fighting each other for scraps to fund transit in the richest nation on the planet.

Amalgamated Transit Union International President Larry Hanley has endorsed A4, stating, “Public transportation is a human right and critical to our nation’s economic recovery. The ATU pledges our support for the Occupy National Day of Action for Public Transportation. It is so appropriate that these actions take place on the anniversary of Dr. King’s April 4th, 1967 speech ‘Beyond Vietnam’ because this crisis is about the toll and resources these wars have taken on working people and their families.”

We recognize that public transportation is absolutely essential for the 99% to get from home to work, to school, to doctors appointments, but we also realize that public transit is about more than moving from point A to point B. The streets used to be places where people gathered to engage one another. Unfortunately, 100 years of building for automobiles has seen rural road design replacing urban street design. The result is neighborhoods where people are forced to drive a car, and with millions of Americas barely able to afford housing, paying thousands of dollars a year for a vehicle simply isn’t an option.

Portland is a place worth caring about because of the positive ways that good planning and transit help define space. City centers should be places of social interaction, of festivities, of shopping, of performance, music, and art. We have made it easy to experience all those things and more in Portland by creating a strong network of public tranpsortation. Occupy TriMet plans to utilize many of those kind of activities on April 4th, to remind people that when you create modes of transit for people, the places in between become healthy, vibrant communities as well.

It is for all of these reasons that we will take action on A4, to engage and encourage the public to help solutions to take shape. We have a great variety of direct actions to deliver positive information, statistics, and proposed solutions that anyone can participate in. This is a day of empowerment for the people. Public transportation is the heartbeat of any major city. A4 will be a day to support our own livelihoods, and help it thrive. We invite everyone to come out and get involved.

‘Occupy TriMet’ demands public transit funding for all! Investments in rail must be matched by investment in buses to maintain a strong network. No more cuts to service. No more fare hikes. TriMet workers earning living wage with progressive benefits are no longer to be blamed. Degrading our public transit network will no longer be tolerated!”

• Date: April 4 2012
• Time: 4pm
• Location: Pioneer Courthouse Square (SW side)
  

…#OWS Stands in Solidarity with those engaged in the 53 Year Old Non-Violent Tsampa Revolution and call on all #Occupy friends, allies & supporters alike to join their local March 10th Tibetan Uprising Anniversary events to raise awareness about the marginalization of the Tibetan 99%. 

When:         Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time   :        11:00 AM
Where :       Portland City Hall Courtyard, 1221 SW 4th Avenue

                   
The event begins at 11am at City Hall, followed by protest march going west on Madison- north on Broadway- east on Burnside- south on 3rd avenue and loop back to City hall on Main. It will end in front of Nordstroms where we will hang out with flags and flyers to inform public of situation in Tibet until 4 or 5 pm

Speeches by:
City commissioner Randy Leonard
NWTCA president
RTYC
SFT
Kalon Tripa statement (in English)

Sign a petition by contacting your Senators to Support Resolution 356! This legislation calls on the Government of China to suspend religious control regulations, reassess religious and security policies in Tibet, and resume a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, in response to the recent self-immolations and intensifying security crackdowns. 

**This action was approved by the Occupy Portland General Assembly on March. 4, 2012** 
_______________________________________________
FROM OCCUPY WALL ST – Statement of solidarity:

Over the past 53 years, the world has watched silently as the Tibetan people non-violently struggled against China’s colonial rule.

In the past year alone, we have witnessed barbaric acts of repression by Chinese security forces in Tibet.

Since March 2011, over twenty Buddhist monks, nuns, and laypeople have set fire to themselves in protest.

Their demands were clear – Some form of Political Independence for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. We have heard their cries.

Determined to break this silence, we send our strongest solidarity and lasting support to the people of Tibet in their continued non-violent struggle for freedom.

The systematic destruction of Tibet’s unique culture, economic marginalization of Tibetans, destructive mining and environmental degradation, “patriotic re-education” of dissidents, and the indiscriminate shooting of peaceful protesters is unacceptable. These acts are cruel and shameful. We share the anger of the Tibetan people and their desires for freedom. Indeed, we share the same principles of freedom, equality, and self-determination in our movement.

We especially recognize the courageous actions of Tibetan youths who risk their lives protesting for freedom. Across the globe, from Tiananmen Square to Tahrir Square, from Syria to Wall Street, youth has been the backbone of revolutions.

The passion and courage of Tibet’s new is an inspiration to young people across the globe.

We stand united with this ongoing Tibetan resistance movement that is now being called the “Tsampa Revolution”, named after the staple food of Tibet.

We express our collective grief for more than twenty Buddhist monks, nuns, and laypeople that set themselves on fire demanding freedom.

Because we are aware that grief alone does not bring about revolutionary change, we recognize March 10th, 2012,
the “53rd Tibetan National Uprising Day” and stand with our Tibetan brothers and sisters fighting for the right to live in peace and freedom like every other human being.

PRINT THE FLYER (PDF)

On March 4th, 2012, we will gather at 2PM in an effort to continue to drive positive changes in the nation and worldwide.

The concept is simple. Each person picks an issue they are passionate about and want to see changed. Please research that issue and learn as much as you can before March 4th. Along with doing the research regarding factual information, I’m hoping that participants will be compelled to come up with at least one solution to their issue.

When we gather at 2pm on the 4th, everybody will unite with a group related to their issue where they will be able to speak to one another about their ideas, experiences, and why that issue is important to them. People should also feel free to travel between groups if they see something that interests them, after all, this event is about the free exchange of knowledge.

At approximately 3pm, each group will step off and march together to promote a better world.

Participants are encouraged to engage the public and each other with intelligent discussions. On many issues, we may be able to find a middle ground and even a viable solution to a problem that affects all of our lives. And in the end, if that person truly does not want to have a calm discussion, that is their choice and they don’t have to join.

We will avoid engaging the police to prevent the march from getting side-tracked.

This event is peaceful. While certain police officers may show up looking for a fight, it’s up to us to deprive them of that. The same thing goes for provocateurs. They may wish to start a negative interaction with us or the police. We will deprive them of that as well. This serves to protect the overall message. It also serves to protect people who want to bring their children.

With that in mind, everybody is welcome.

Remi
Event Organizer
Occupy Portland Medical Team

Occupy Portland announces mass mobilization & direct actions against the
American Legislative Exchange Council

WHAT: Rally and march in downtown Portland to protest the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conglomerate of corporations and legislators that writes and passes legislation to advance corporate interests. 
The march will visit some of the over 15 social justice, environmental, and anti-capitalist groups that will take non-violent direct actions at ALEC corporations with offices in Portland. Concerned citizens, students, and occupiers in over seventy cities across the nation have responded to a national call from Occupy Portland; this will be the Occupy movement’s largest coordinated action in 2012 to date.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 29th, Rally at 11:30am, March at 1pm

WHERE: March begins at Waterfront Park at SW Naito and SW Ankeny

F29 Breakdown: 

• Umbrellas, drums, and waves oh! my! Be more than a warm body at the march! See below for info
• F29 march details Rally: 11:30AM-1PM at the Waterfront on SW Nato & Ankeny (under the west side of Burnside Bridge), march starts at 1PM!
• Follow @f29pdx for updates on Twitter
• Notes from the legal team…Write down this number: 503-902-5340, National Lawyers Guild/ELK Law Collective Legal Hotline
• If possible, wear yellow and bring an umbrella!

F29 *Open Affinity Groups*  
Arrive promptly at 11:30AM to get involved in the crowd-sourced street theater! We need drummers for the bucket drum core. We need umbrella-holders for the umbrella dance (umbrellas provided!…or bring your own). We need wave participants to crush corporate power. Please come at 11:30AM and get plugged into these groups.

F29 march and action schedule!
Over 70 cities around the world will come together on F29 to shut down ALEC’s corporate members. Join us in Portland, home to dozens of ALEC corporate members, as we shut them down! Come promptly at 11:30 to join the open affinity groups of umbrella action, drum core, and tidal wave to crush corporate power! Wear yellow and bring an umbrella, if possible!

Wednesday February 29th
11:30AM – 1PM Rally at SW Naito and Ankeny
1PM March begins. The march will visit ALEC corporate members where affinity groups are taking direct action to shut them down!

follow #F29, #OPDX, #F29PDX or follow @f29pdx for Twitter updates

Facebook Event http://www.facebook.com/pages/F29-Shut-Down-the-Corporations/169049533194891#!/events/234399339984123/

Legal jargon     503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340  503-902-5340 503-902-5340   503-902-5340
Please arrive on Wednesday with this number written on your body. If you’re arrested/see someone getting arrested, yell your/ask them their full legal name. Report this info to the legal hotline above.

 WHY: The goal of the protest is to see an end to ALEC and the role big corporations have in corrupting our democracy. The American Legislative Exchange Council is seen by protesters as the chosen tool of the 1% and the wealthiest corporations in the world to craft legislation that serves their interests. According to ALEC’s figures, nearly 10% of state laws originate from their efforts, laws that protesters feel have damaged communities, workers, civil liberties, the environment and democracy. The protest represents an effort to focus on corporate power as the root cause of the deep inequalities that the Occupy movement has brought to the surface in recent months.

WHAT IS ALEC: Organizers chose to focus on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of its behind-the-scenes role in crafting pro-corporate legislation, partnering with state legislators to pass these laws, and then profiting directly from those laws – a cycle that exemplifies the dominate role of corporations in our democracy. ALEC is comprised of state and federal government legislators – 14 Oregon state legislators are members – and many of America’s biggest corporations. ALEC is responsible for some of the most contentious legislation at the state level in the last year, including Arizona’s widely criticized Racial Profiling bill (SB1070) and the anti-union Wisconsin Act 10, which stripped public employee unions of collective bargaining last year. Prison and criminal justice legislation from ALEC include mandatory minimum sentences and Three Strikes laws, giving repeat offenders 25 years to life in prison; and “truth-in-sentencing,” which requires inmates to serve most or all of their time without a chance for parole.

WHO: Occupy Portland under the umbrella of the newly formed Portland Action Lab has spearheaded the protests, with participation from the Animal Defense League, Bike Swarm, Cascadia Earth First!, Friends of Peace House, Jobs with Justice, Our School, Portland Central America Solidarity Committee, Rising Tide, We Are Oregon, and others. Over 70 cities and occupations around the country and around the world have signed on to participate.

More information at occupyportland.org/f29,  www.shutdownthecorporations.org and www.portlandactionlab.org

headline/2012/02/21

Get Smart About ALEC #29 (under 2 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4kWRH0xzk8&feature=related
ALEC workshop by Civil Liberties Defense Center executive director Lauren Regan (50 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5as5K5fcYs

* This action was endorsed by the Occupy Portland General Assembly. *