OWS Health Action Assembly

I hope Everyone attended this over the weekend!

A protest by the OWS Health Action General Assembly will take place at St. Vincent’s hospital this Saturday to demonstrate the growing frustration with a system that values luxury condominiums over care for the sick. The OWS Health Action General Assembly is composed of patients, nurses, social workers, physicians, and regular citizens coming together to seek alternatives to the present healthcare system.

We realize that the present healthcare, housing, and food crisis can no longer be solved by the ‘experts’ and ‘professionals’ only. It requires a much broader participation of citizens in order to succeed with any long-lasting alternatives. We are living in an era of created scarcity despite the abundance of technology, resources, and production at our disposal. This inequality present in our current healthcare system serves the interest of the few while leaving millions suffering.

While Wall Street got bailed out, 6 million homes have been foreclosed since 2007, 1.6 million teenagers must live on the streets, and 50 million Americans must exist with no access to healthcare.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has unleashed a wave of protests and assemblies confronting the failures of the present financial system; the gross inequalities which exist within the US healthcare system are a direct result of a structure that values the profits of the 1% over the financial and physical well-being of the 99%.


Occupy Wall Street is part of an international people powered movement fighting for economic justice in the face of neoliberal economic practices, the crimes of Wall Street, and a government controlled by monied interests. #OWS is the 99% organizing to end the tyranny of the 1%. 
For more info www.occupywallst.org

Nearly Half of Americans Below Poverty Line or Low-Income

New figures show hunger, poverty and economic decline are increasing at record levels across the United States. The Census Bureau reports nearly half of Americans have either fallen below the poverty line or are classified under the category of "low income." The number of low-income residents is at 97.3 million, coupled with 49.1 million in poverty, for a total of 146.4 million. The figure marks an increase of four million over 2009. Meanwhile, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reports all but four of 29 major cities saw an increase in requests for emergency food assistance between September 2010 and August 2011.

Defend the Bill of Rights for All of Us.

Posted 19 hours ago on Dec. 15, 2011, 2 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On Bill of Rights Day, Thursday, Dec 15 there will be a Press Conference on Federal Court Steps, 40 Centre St., Manhattan, 11am. A coffin of the Bill of Rights will be brought to Federal Court Foley Square, NY, NY

The Bill of rights was ratified 220 years ago, on December 15, 1791. It is shameful that today, in the United States, we are forced to come together in defense of the Bill of Rights and our civil liberties, as the representatives of the 1% who rule this country continue to take our rights away.

Congress is attempting to bury the Bill of Rights. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) includes language proposed by Democratic Sen. Carl Levin and Republican Sen. John McCain that allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the military, on U.S. soil and without the right of trial. This is an egregious violation of our first amendment rights and comes at a time when we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on our civil liberties.
Some of these attacks include:

Massive spying on the Muslim community, including the recent revelations of the spying by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the CIA on mosques, Muslim businesses, and Muslim student groups;

The continuation of the policy of sending agents into mosques with phony plots designed to entrap Muslims for so called “preemptive prosecution”;
The recent raids on homes of antiwar activists by federal agents, who have carted away personal computers, cell phones, books, and other possessions and handed the activists subpoenas to appear before federal grand juries;

The recent, often violent evictions of anti-Wall Street occupations around the country; The refusal of the Chicago city government and the federal government to allow for peaceful protests when NATO and the G8 countries come to Chicago in May, 2012 to hold summit meetings.

The potential impact of the NDAA's provisions to expand military detention without trial could render the other issues we all address seemingly trivial; any activist stands at risk of designation as a potential terrorist, especially if their interests include either foreign policy or enterprises that impact the environment.

On December 15, Bill of Rights Day actions and press conferences are planned in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco and other areas of the country. Several national coalitions -- including the Muslim Peace Coalition, United National Antiwar Coalition, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Committee to Stop FBI Repression and others are co-promoting this call to action.

In New York, representatives from civil liberties, religious, social justice, and peace organizations will come together to voice opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act and other recent attacks on our civil liberties. We will discuss our plans to fight for the rights of all people and to defeat this repressive legislation.

For information on actions around the country, go to: http://bordc.org/.

Re-Occupy #D17

Saturday, December 17th, noon

An all day performance event at Duarte Square, 6th and Canal

On Saturday, December 17th Occupy Wall Street — with support from more than 1400 faith leaders, elders of the civil rights movement, prominent artists and community members — will gather at noon in Duarte Square, downtown Manhattan, for an all day performance event. This event is part of a call to re-occupy in the wake of the coordinated attacks and subsequent evictions of occupations across the nation and around the world.

OWS has sparked a national movement that has exposed the moral bankruptcy of an economy of homeless families and vacant homes, crowded classrooms and empty schools, Wall Street bonuses and endless unemployment lines. This weekend, in a vacant lot at the heart of lower Manhattan, we will continue to occupy the nation’s imagination with art, culture, and our vibrant cry for freedom--as we call out for justice and equality for the 99% through the exercise of our first amendment rights.

Canal and 6th Ave is the site of a vacant lot owned by Trinity Real Estate, the corporate arm of Trinity on Wall Street. Over the past month, since the eviction of Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park) on November 14th, members of the Occupy Wall Street movement with interfaith leaders, elders of the civil rights movement and artists have asked Trinity on Wall Street to do the right thing, and offer sanctuary to the movement in this vacant lot. As Occupy Wall Street supporter Bishop George E. Packard cautions, “I have this great worry that this venerable parish will be on the wrong side of history...Think of it as offering hospitality to travelers from our future who bring the message of "no injustice, no more." If we really saw OWS for who they are rather than putting up roadblocks in their path we'd truly delight in their coming!” In the spirit of Advent, we urge Trinity Church to do the right thing and stand with us on December 17 as we mark the three-month anniversary of the Occupy movement and the one-year anniversary of the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, which sparked the Arab Spring and a global movement for social justice.

Speakers, live music and performances will begin at noon and continue into the night. All activities will be broadcast live on WBAI. Listeners and vistors are invited to tune in and participate in the celebration and expansion of this movement for social and economic justice.

Occupy 2.0 #D17

     

Join artists, musicians, and local community members for an all-day performance event in support of Occupy Wall Street and the occupation of space and reclaiming of the commons.

Freedom of expression and the right to assemble are sacred human freedoms. Through bold, courageous actions, Occupy Wall Street has renewed a sense of hope, revived a belief in community and awakened a revolutionary spirit too long silenced. To Occupy is to embody the spirit of liberation that we wish to manifest in our society.

On Saturday, December 17th – the 3 month anniversary of the birth of this movement, we will gather to celebrate Occupy Wall Street and to occupy space together.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17th at 12PM
DUARTE SQ. PARK, 6th AVE & CANAL,
PROTECT & CELEBRATE THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT
FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
OCCUPY

2011 Vegetarian and Vegan Stats

The results are in for the Vegetarian Resource Group's poll of the number of vegetarians in the United States. The results are promising, with approximately 5 percent of poll respondents saying that they never eat meat, including fish, seafood, or poultry. Even better? About half of these vegetarians are also vegan!


If you're having a hard time picturing what 2.5 percent of the U.S. looks like, there are almost as many vegans as there are people in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the country.


If you're still having trouble imagining what 2.5 percent looks like, this should clear up all confusion:


That's right folks, the vegetarian and vegan community is gaining steam—and we're a growing force to be reckoned with!

Can ONE Person Make a Difference?

The short answer? Hell, yes!
Next time you're in the hallway gathering petitions or handing out leaflets and someone so snidely tells you that "one person can't possibly make a difference" or that "you're wasting your time," don't let it get you down!

One person CAN make a difference—and it's important to remember that all social-justice movements were led at some point by "just one person" (or just a couple of people) who realized that a societal norm was cruel, unethical, and unjust. Just think: Everyone didn't stand up at the same time and fight racism and slavery—it was just a few people at first who held demonstrations, fought back, and led a revolution. These people were game-changers—dedicated, passionate, and willing to stand out from a crowd that clung to cruelty and racism just because they were what people were used to. Sound familiar?

The same goes for women's rights and gay rights—it has always been the brave, dedicated few who turn the tide.

It's also important to remember that you are leading a mini-revolution near you!

Revolutions aren't easy. They're not quick. And they're definitely not painless—but they happen, and we will win.

Occupy Broadway

This Saturday, creative artists, performers occupy Broadway and commence an all-night performance in an undisclosed bonus plaza.


EVENT: Occupy Broadway (theatre/shopping district) with a 24-hour performance.
WHEN: From December 2nd starting at 6pm until December 3rd at 6pm
WHERE: Times Square by the red stairs, between 46th and 47th streets, along 7th Ave, NY, NY
SHHH!: location released at 6pm day of: @OccupyWallStNYC #OccupyBroadway

NEW YORK, NY (December, 2011) – On December 2, 2011 New York artists will introduce tourists and New Yorkers going to Broadway shows or shopping themselves into debt to the idea of occupation as CREATIVE resistance with non-stop free performances... will be setting up in a privately owned public space (POPS) near Times Square, turning once blandified space into a space for cultural production.

“The city created privately owned public spaces for the people, in exchange for bonus height and bulk in these spaces,” notes Benjamin Shepard, co-author of The Beach Beneath the Streets. “As State Judge Stallman made clear last week, the people have a right to be in these spaces 24 hours a day.”

In recent weeks, we have seen a push to tramp on our rights to public assembly, public space and by extension democracy itself. In response, we join a global struggle using occupation as a form of creative resistance. Occupations are spreading around the world and around New York City, even UPTOWN! Bloomberg Beware, you take our park, Now Liberty Park is everywhere! In a time when downtown theaters are rapidly losing their spaces, being turned into high-end fashion stores, Occupy Broadway is a symbolic attempt to regain the space of theatre as an accessible, popular art form, bringing it back to where it all started - in a public space, for the common citizen. We are using public space to create a more colorful image of what our streets could look like, with public performances, art, and music. Through this movement, New York re-imagines itself as a work of art, rather than a retail shopping mall. With capitalism gone mad, foreclosures increasing, and bank crises consuming whole communities, we are signaling through the flames that there is another way of living. Join us.
Occupy public space. Reclaim democracy. Enjoy the show. We're all part of the show! Get off the sidelines and break through the fourth wall.
With Over 70 Acts! including: The Working Groups of OWS, Mike Daisey, The Civilians, HERE Arts Center, Jenny Romaine and Great Small Works, The Foundry Theatre, The Church of Stop Shopping, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, NY Labor Chorus, The Yes Men, Ayo Jackson, April Yvette Thompson, The Living Theater, Bread and Puppet Theater, Tony Torn, Carlo Alban, Urban Research Theatre, Yolanda Kay, The Big Bank- A Musical, Rocha Dance Theater, Reno and Penny Arcade

Sign the Manifesto online here: http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-bloomberg-and-the-citizens-of-new-york-city-join-the-creative-resistance-occupy-broadway