Join The Occupation: Occupy WALL STREET Is Spreading. Our Time Has Come!
Posted on September 29, 2011 by lex UPDATED RELEASE (4:12) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: OccupyBos@gmail.com “OCCUPY WALL STREET INSPIRES PROTESTS IN BOSTON” Friday, September 30th, Concerned Citizens Gather for the Kick-off of Occupy Boston The conversation that began on Wall Street on September 17 has swept northward to Boston, and inspired a powerful national movement. Joining with nearly 100 actions in cities from Los Angeles to Dallas, Chicago, and Washington D.C., concerned citizens have come to speak out for a more just society. Occupy Boston will gather at Dewey Square in Downtown Boston on Friday, September 30 at 6 p.m., to begin an ongoing protest, discuss the state of the union and offer specific changes in government to affect a positive social shift. This action in Boston began with a group of over 200 people who assembled on The Common Tuesday evening to voice their support for the movement. Paul Harris of the Guardian covered the meeting, saying,“[..] the people behind Occupy Boston showed a strong dose of media savvy and organizational skill on [Tuesday] night, as they drew a committed crowd of volunteers to their cause: to occupy a slice of the city.” The impetus for Occupy Boston is to challenge the status quo of an economic system that subverts our government and social fabric. The top 1% owns 50% of the nation’s wealth – and more importantly uses this wealth to undermine the founding principles of America’s democracy. The movement invites everyone who feels the current system is broken to join us in a discussion about how we might reform business and government, and restore the promise of America. Through the direct democratic process of general assembly, Occupy Boston is working define and solve the problems we face as a nation. 100% of the population deserve alternatives to: an opaque and exclusive government, a Wall Street without conscience, and a state struggling to guarantee basic human rights. We will persist in this action until we are joined by policy-makers, business leaders, the citizens of our Republic in building a just and inclusive community. We are the bottom 99% of America. We are speaking up. For more information about Occupy Boston visit http://occupyboston.com. A Report from the Frontlines: The Long Road to #OccupyWallStreet and the Origins of the 99% Movement New York Unions Vow To Support Wall Street Protesters http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/29/140937386/new-york-unions-vow-to-support-wall-street-protesters The group of young people who have set up camp in lower Manhattan in order to protest what they say is the corruption of Wall Street have been dismissed by some as being a disorganized movement with no real focus. New York Magazine reports that next week, the professionals have vowed to help "Occupy Wall Street" put some people on the street: Next week, the site will welcome members of New York's organized labor coalitions including the United Federation of Teachers, 32BJ SEIU, 1199 SEIU, Workers United, and Transport Workers Union Local 100, which voted unanimously last night to support the occupation. Other groups standing in solidarity include the Working Families party, the Coalition for the Homeless, and MoveOn.org. If you don't remember, the protesters in New York have taken inspiration from the protests in North Africa and the Middle East that make up the Arab Spring. They're camping out at Zucotti Park and, again in the spirit of the Arab Spring, "renamed it" Liberty Plaza. Crain's New York Business has some analysis of what support from labor means: Despite the common cause, the city's established left did not initially embrace the protest, which began Sept. 17 and has been made up mostly of young people angry about the widening income chasm in the country, the growing influence of money on politics and police brutality, among other issues. But as the action nears the start of its third week, unions and community groups are eager to jump on board. They are motivated perhaps by a sense of solidarity and a desire to tap into its growing success, but undoubtedly by something else too—embarrassment that a group of young people using Twitter and Facebook have been able to draw attention to progressive causes in a way they haven't been able to in years. The protestors have transformed the park into a village of sorts, complete with a community kitchen, a library, a concert stage, an arts and crafts center and a media hub. All of that has enabled them not just to sustain the action but to build momentum. And as celebrities like Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, Russell Simmons and Cornel West have joined in, the city's traditional activists have been forced to jump into the fray. "It's become too big to ignore," said one political consultant. That's also what the Village Voice heard from a TWU spokesman, who said the board voted unanimously to support the movement. "Well, actually, the protesters, it's pretty courageous what they're doing," Jim Gannon told the alternatively weekly. "And it's brought a new public focus in a different way to what we've been saying along. While Wall Street and the banks and the corporations are the ones that caused the mess that's flowed down into the states and cities, it seems there's no shared sacrifice. It's the workers having to sacrifice while the wealthy get away scot-free. It's kind of a natural alliance with the young people and the students — they're voicing our message, why not join them?" |
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