Digest – Mar 12 & 13 – Generosity

Cleveland, Events, General Assembly, Home, Local, Needs, Occupy Everywhere, People

Mar 122012

Digest for Mar. 12 & 13 (Monday & Tuesday)

Legal fund proposal * Occupy Cleveland poetry anthology * Occupy Cleveland made national news again * Give tent regulars a night off! * Call to shut down Monsanto with solidarity march in Ohio * Research for Theater Piece: Please Share Your Thoughts * Current needs * Petition Roundup * International, national, state news * Upcoming events * Today’s quote * GA recap links * On Super Tuesday, Ohio residents highlight foreclosures and income inequality * National Women’s Month * Marchers ticketed for jaywalking * Monday’s march re foreclosures – recap * Invite to participate in Dance for Peace project June 24 * Preparing for a huge spring – various national calls for organization and assembly * More upcoming events * More reading / links

Weekday Schedule: Today and Tomorrow’s Special Events; 6-7 PM GA M-W-F, OPEN FORUM T-Th; 7 PM Community Chat; 8-10 PM Entertainment; 10 PM-2 AM Night Shift #1; 2-6 AM Night Shift #2; Upcoming Events; We are continuously in the NW Quadrant of Public Square 24/7 at the Info Tent

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Legal fund proposal

Please check out the March 9 proposal for a legal fund. It is important to consider this as some have undertaken personal difficulties in order to support the causes we believe in.

Occupy Cleveland poetry anthology

We’re putting together a poetry anthology and would like to get this published in time for HeartFest. Please send submissions to stevens.connor23 [at symbol] yahoo.com.

Occupy Cleveland made national news again

A reporter from ABC News gives us a shout out for Occupy HeartFest…

Give tent regulars a night off!

On the night of March 23rd, we’re trying to give everyone a night off from the tent. So, how about it, guys? Can we cover shifts like we did back in December?
Say, 8-2, 1-7, 6-11? Or even all night? Katie is keeping track so please contact her if you’re interested.

Call to shut down Monsanto with solidarity march in Ohio

OccupyMarines has asked us to perform a solidarity event regarding shutting town Monsanto March 16 and March 17. The issue with Monsanto is that they’ve been very aggressive in their business practices and have promoted unhealthy ways of farming and living. Some feel that the high rate of suicides among Indian farmers is because of the way Monsanto has imposed genetical modified seeds there, and the high cost of the seeds. They are also one of the companies responsible for the notorious chemical “Agent Orange.”

Research for Theater Piece: Please Share Your Thoughts

For a theater work that we’re putting together (current working title: the Occuplay), we’re asking Occupiers and people connected, however tenuously, to the Occupy Movement, to answer four questions:

1. Who are you? (in a more significant sense than, say, name and age).

2. How did you hear about and come to Occupy?

3. What has your experience with and in Occupy been?

4. What is your vision of the future?

We intend to collect as many sets of responses as we can by March 5th. After that, we’ll be weaving these into performance scripts.

People will be collecting interviews at the tent and elsewhere. You can also email text responses or links to audio or video responses to occupycleveland.occuplay@gmail .com

Current needs & haves

Peace, endurance, mutual respect, healthy environment, kindness, community
Practically speaking: Furniture–if you see anything left out for garbage pickup that looks like it can be useful, perhaps grab it?
Call for bike donations! Have an old bike in danger of rusting away in your garage? We’re looking for bike donations!
Looking for items such as a fridge, stove, basically anything and everything for our new warehouse space.
Still need consistent food donations of prepared meals at the tent along with healthy nibbles for energy throughout the cold days
Donations

Petition Roundup

Petition: Walmart: Please Do Not Build a Walmart Super Center at Oakwood Commons
Petition to tax billionaires more
Petition to request immediate hearings regarding fracking in Ohio
Petition to request transitioning to clean, renewable energy in Ohio
Petition to submit ACTA to the Senate for Ratification (so that the Senate will kill the bill)
Petition to ask Senators to reject the tentative Keystone XL
Petition to ask Governor Kasich to stop the death penalty in Ohio
This comes on the heels of the release of Joe D’Ambrosio, who had spent twenty years on death row for the death of someone he did not kill. Info | Petition

International, National, State News & Opinion

International:

The Guardian – The itinerant US left has found its home in the Occupy movement
This American Life – Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory - Podcast on the conditions of workers who make Apple products

National:

Ohio & Cleveland:

Upcoming events

In addition to our regularly scheduled weekday events, here are some special events that are happening today! Lots to do! Unless otherwise noted, events are in NW Quadrant (Tom Johnson/Free Speech Quadrant) of Public Square or nearby in the white tent area. More upcoming events after today are here…

Special Events Through Sunday

Tues., Mar. 13 – National call to action addressing Chase Bank’s predatory lending practices
Tues., Mar. 13 – ESOP press conference on mortgage situation
Tues., Mar. 13 @ noon through Wed., Mar. 14 at 11:30 PM – Occupy the Ohio Statehouse (Occupy the Rust Belt Regional Action) – http://www.facebook.com/events/104924389636895/
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Drum Circle at Info Tent
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Womens meeting
Fri. Mar. 16 @ noon – Financial Friday – demonstration and passing out fliers on the benefits of credit unions as opposed to some of the banks that have been harmful.
Sat., Mar 17 – St. Patrick’s Day Parade – please come join us at the Info tent and help hand out flyers! The parade steps off at 1:04 PM at East 18th and Superior and takes about two hours and fifteen minutes to move along Superior to Public Square. We plan to be at Public Square at the Info tent.
Sat. Mar 17 @ 6 - Occupy Cleveland Boot Camp – presumably at Fortress
More Events

Upcoming GA Votes - see Proposals section

Regular Daily Events

6 PM General Assembly on M-W-F, Open Forum T-Th- GAs are formal assemblies at the NW corner of Public Square or in white info tent west of this area. At this assembly, proposals and announcements are made. This is where consensus items are decided. Please review stances/thoughts at viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1003 for discussion in today’s GA. Recent GA recaps
Community Chat Following GA Today & Tomorrow – Informal assembly
Today & Tomorrow – 10 PM – 2 AM and 2 AM – 6 AM Evening Shifts – Please sign up at the white tent for an evening shift so that we can maintain effective occupancy overnight and relieve people who are overburdened. Dress extremely warmly with lots of layers and bring appropriate gear to keep yourself warm.

Working Group Meetings

Check for Meetings Here

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“Giving material goods is one form of generosity, but one can extend an attitude of generosity into all one’s behavior. Being kind, attentive, and honest in dealing with others, offering praise where it is due, giving comfort and advice where they are needed, and simply sharing one’s time with someone – all these are forms of generosity, and they do not require any particular level of material wealth.”

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Please send poetry submissions/thoughts/quotes to occupyclevelandpoetry (_at symbol_) gmail.com. If you agree, let’s work on keeping things positive and promoting positive perspectives in this space…

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GA recap links

Thanks to all who help with the movement, and thanks to notekeepers and videographers! Please post written GA minutes in the GA portion of forums in written format: http://unju.st/forum.

Wed. Mar. 7 Minutes | Friday Mar. 2 Minutes | Archived Minutes and Videos

Recent Concensus Items

3-2 CONCENSUS Emergency Proposal to hold GA at a special location on Monday, March 5. 100% consensus. Email occupyclevelandoutreach [at symbol] gmail [dot] com or ask at tent for more details.
2-29 CONCENSUS to have a test GA at city hall steps Friday March 2
2-22 CONCENSUS to hold Occupy the Heart Street Festival, tentatively starting May 1.
2-10 CONCENSUS on proposal to rent 2,400 sq. ft. warehouse space
HAVE BEEN MISSING SOME CONCENSUS ITEMS. PLEASE POST NOTES IF YOU HAVE TIME & IT’S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE.
2-7 CONSENSUS-PROPOSAL PASSED: Proposal for Occupy Cleveland to sign on to a call for mass action in response to what seems to have been an attempt to suppress the movement, and to do a march in solidarity with a related national day of action on Feb. 28. This might involve some flyers and notification of the media.
2-7 CONCENSUS-PROPOSAL PASSED: Proposal for the person who rented a storage unit to be reimbursed for the expenses so far and the monthly rent. He’s already paid $91.59 plus a $25 initial fee.
1-6 CONCENSUS REACHED to modify 10% blocking to 5% blocking with granularity of 1 additional person supporting the person who is blocking for it to be a block per each 20 people in attendence at GA
1-6 CONCENSUS REACHED to do remembrance ceremony for Nick Christie & peaceful community involvement. Date TBD.

Recent proposals

3-9 PROPOSAL – Legal fund
2-22 PROPOSAL – Making friendly amendments friendly
2-20 PROPOSAL – Occupy the Heart fest
2-15 PROPOSAL – funding/reimbursements on various items to be voted on Friday, 2/17.
2-15 PROPOSAL – Partnership with “One Mad Mother Against Vaccinations”
2-12 PROPOSAL – Remote GA Participation capability
2-10 PROPOSAL to order “We are the 99%” stickers.
2-7 PROPOSAL in Facebook Open Forum for Warehouse unit rental – proposal will be introduced 2-8
2-7 PROPOSAL in forums – “Buy stock in the banks and companies we want to change”
1-9 INFORMAL PROPOSAL announced to help the poor with programs
1-6 UPCOMING PROPOSAL re “Prommunity”
1-2 PROPOSAL for consideration Wednesday, Jan. 4 for event of remembrance of Nick Christie (Ohio man who was pepper-sprayed to death)

On Super Tuesday, Ohio residents highlight foreclosures and income inequality

Free Speech Radio News has interviewed Occupy Cleveland regarding Tuesday’s foreclosure auction consciousness raising: http://fsrn.org/audio/super-tuesday-ohio-residents-highlight-foreclosures-and-income-inequality/9949

A recap is also posted here…

National Women’s Month

March is National Women’s Month and we’ve got a call to empower women of the Occupy movement…

Marchers ticketed for jaywalking

Four cruisers stopped people on a march celebrating the advent of Occupy Cleveland’s five month anniversary March 6 in Cleveland. Four of the people were ticketed for jaywalking. “You can go back to hugging trees now,” said one person who is a police officer as he ticketed one of the marchers.

I am hoping and working towards a society where all people show respect to one another. And the environmental movement is part of this–it appears some of these people who are police have yet to realize that people who are activists are working on addressing problems which have affected all of us–it is especially important to work in halting the degradation of the environment. Come on, people, let’s work together and fix some of the problems in society rather than pick on people who are actually trying to help and aren’t even being paid for it.

Monday’s march re foreclosures – recap

Monday, March 5 some of us participated in a march regarding the foreclosure crisis which has affected Cleveland so severely. We gathered together at the Info tent with instruments such as tambourines, homemade drums, pennies in jars… and marched to the Justice Center where an auction on foreclosed properties was taking place.

Some activists had attended the foreclosure auction and to raise consciousness and awareness of the other participants at the auction, they started to do a “people’s mic” where a memorized speech was spoken to the people at the auction. The issue is that there has been so much misery and economic degradation and families and individuals have been suffering in Cleveland by the loss of their homes. Also, technically some of the foreclosures are illegal as the banks have not been able to produce the proper paperwork to foreclose.

Although we don’t really know the solution to this situation, it has to be addressed. Shelter is a basic human right, both innately and as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 25. As a society and civilization, it is our duty to work together to address why this basic right has not been adequately met by the elected representatives who have been making decisions that affect us and our world.

The activists who raised awareness (and hopefully this awareness will lead to more compassionate actions by the auctioneer and bidders) at the auction were ticketed for disorderly conduct.

Invite to participate in Dance for Peace project June 24

This in from Kalamazoo…

June 24th 2012.. we ask you to help us create a collaborated 24 hour dance marathon together for peace. Asking each area that wishes to partake, to adopt a certain amount of time on June 24th, To hold a public dance event, promoting some kind way to make your community more peaceful. Make music, make dancing!

We would love to coordinate action, to create a media coverage of some sort.

and would love to work with as many other occupies in not only action, but in creative input.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::Who should participate?:::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::

Anyone who loves music, who loves art, and who wants to see a more peaceful tomorrow.. We call this a dance event but would love support of any artistic or supportive voice out there

:::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::Intended Outcomes/ Accomplishments?::::::::::: :::::::

To successfully create a social event Which will be fun and educational,

that can be a good event for the local community to celebrate for a free event.

to promote peaceful change in local communities

To provide a project that Occupy, can strengthen our networking, communication, and team work skills with other occupies, activist groups, community

http://www.facebook.com/events/245803445490851/

Preparing for a huge spring – various national calls for organization and assembly

Call to Occupy DC Starting March 30

NOW DC invites any occupiers who are interested and dedicated to the NOW DC mission to join in organizing NOW DC. NOW DC organizing calls are on Sundays at 9 pm eastern/6 pm pacific. Register for the organizing calls on InterOccupy.org: http://interoccupy.org/nowdccall/ if you are interested in joining a working group. Info

Peoples Movement Assemblies Gear-Up for 2012

Movement organizers across the US are gearing-up for Peoples Movement Assemblies in 2012. Twenty-six PMA organizers joined a call at the end of 2011 and shared updates and visions for how Peoples Movement Assemblies will be used to build movement power in the year ahead. PMA events include assemblies on queer and LGBT issues, incarcerated people, ending poverty, Palestine solidarity, education, elders, Occupy groups, and many local issues around the country. Click below and read more about these events and find something happening in your area! Info

More upcoming events through March

Events are in the NW Quadrant (Tom Johnson Quadrant) of Public Square unless otherwise noted.

Tues., Mar. 13 – National call to action addressing Chase Bank’s predatory lending practices
Tues., Mar. 13 – ESOP press conference on mortgage situation
Tues., Mar. 13 @ noon through Wed., Mar. 14 at 11:30 PM – Occupy the Ohio Statehouse (Occupy the Rust Belt Regional Action) – http://www.facebook.com/events/104924389636895/
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Drum Circle at Info Tent
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Womens meeting
Fri. Mar. 16 @ noon – Financial Friday – demonstration and passing out fliers on the benefits of credit unions as opposed to some of the banks that have been harmful.
Sat., Mar 17 – St. Patrick’s Day Parade – please come join us at the Info tent and help hand out flyers! The parade steps off at 1:04 PM at East 18th and Superior and takes about two hours and fifteen minutes to move along Superior to Public Square. We plan to be at Public Square at the Info tent.
Sat. Mar 17 @ 6 - Occupy Cleveland Boot Camp – presumably at Fortress
Sun., Mar 18 @ 2 PM – Trinity Meeting – John Holian (former professor and Fullbright Scholar) will be joining us and showing Inside Job. There will be a discussion afterward. 2230 Euclid Avenue.
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Drum Circle at Info Tent
Wednesdays @ 8 PM – Womens meeting
Thurs., Mar. 15 @ 7 PM – Occupy the Midwest Regional Conference (St. Louis) – http://www.facebook.com/events/264828373580309/
Fri., Mar. 16 – We have been invited to participate in a global day of action regarding Monsanto – http://www.facebook.com/events/162378010539412/
Sun. Mar 18 @ 2-4 PM – Meeting at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave. Tentatively, the discussion could be on “Occupy the Heart.”
Sat., Mar. 31 in Detroit – National Conference for a Moratorium on Foreclosures & Evictions – United Methodist Church - http://nationalmoratorium.org/
Sat., Mar. 31 @ 7 PM – 1 AM – Occupy Benefit II: Another World is Possible – The 5 O’Clock Lounge, 11904 Detroit Ave., Lakewood. http://www.facebook.com/events/230612580354632/
May 21 & 22 (Sat. & Sun.) – Hessler Street Fair - Occupy Cleveland will have a table at this year’s fair. http://www.hesslerstreetfair.org/

Events for next month and the future can now be found on the Events page of the Occupy Site.

Interesting Links

Occutrip.com – a chronicle of the travels of a person surveying the Occupy movement in Europe to report back to the U.S.
The Occupied Wall Street Journal
Occupy First, Inc. – Banking for the 99%
OCCUPY CLEVELAND T-shirts

Recurring info

Weekend Schedule: Today and Tomorrow’s Special Events; 10 PM-2 AM Night Shift #1; 2-6 AM Night Shift #2; Upcoming Events; We are continuously in the NW Quadrant of Public Square 24/7 at the Info Tent

Info Tent #: (216) 202-4999 | Phone Rules

Wiki: http://wiki.occupycleveland.com