Good Morning from Occupy Boston!
Stories of the Day: On April 15, about 60 activists – including many from or affiliated with Occupy Boston’s Queer/Trans Direct Action Working Group and Boston Antifa – interrupted the Mass Tea Party Coalition’s Tax Day rally at the Boston Common Gazebo. At one point, a participant in the Tea Party rally physically assaulted a counter-protester. During the heated exchange that followed a police officer shoved the counter-protester out of the way, and appeared to aggressively grab them by the neck. Read more of the Boston Occupier’s coverage here. See coverage by Daily Kos here. And Big Brother is watching you: here are the search terms the Department of Homeland Security is using to look through your Facebook page and Twitter account. And here is info on how the CIA Operates Through Non-Governmental Agencies: all of this taxpayer money (your money) that is being spent to further geopolitical and corporate goals is not just money spent to overthrow foreign governments…a good amount of that money is being spent to influence the hearts and minds in America too. And according to one attendee, Yes, the 99% Spring is a Fraud: read a first-hand account.
Other Occupies/Protests: In another example of the power of popular resistance, Papua New Guineans this week appear to have successfully stopped the government from delaying elections and implementing a controversial Judicial Conduct Law that would allow the legislature to remove judges. In front of a massive crowd organized by labor unions, churches, social media groups, and civil society organizations, PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill promised to hold elections on time. The protests were organized in part by student activists and bloggers affiliated with Occupy Waigani, a group that formed last month to occupy Parliament in protest of the Judicial Conduct Law.
The protests were organized in part by student activists and bloggers affiliated with Occupy Waigani, a group that formed last month to occupy Parliament in protest of the Judicial Conduct Law.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Abraham Lincoln
Upcoming Events:
- A public hearing on the third and latest risk assessment for the NEIDL (the Boston University bioweapons lab) has been scheduled for Thursday, April 19, 2012, from 6:30-9:30 PM at Roxbury Community College, Media Arts Building, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Boston. The closest T stop is Roxbury Crossing. For almost 10 years, the Safety Net (a Roxbury-based community group) and the Stop the BU Bioterror Lab Coalition have successfully fought to prevent this dangerous high containment biological laboratory from being opened in the densely populated Roxbury/South End neighborhood. High-level containment laboratories do research on pathogens that can cause severe illness and death. The highest level (BSL-4) labs study lethal diseases that can be transmitted by air and for which there are no vaccines or treatments. The lab is located in an Environmental Justice neighborhood which already faces significant health and environmental hazards. Two previous risk assessments have been severely criticized by the courts and by a National Research Council panel of experts. This latest 1700-page effort can be viewed at http://nihblueribbonpanel-bumc-neidl.od.nih.gov/, The National Institutes of Health have scheduled the April 19th hearing because they are required to offer community members and other concerned citizens an opportunity to comment on the risk assessment. We must make it clear to BU, NIH, and the political establishment that this lab is not acceptable to us. It is essential that we turn out in large numbers. Please plan to attend! A large turn-out could have an impact on the final disposition of the research done in this lab. For more information, please contact Ridgely Fuller, ridgelyfuller@gmail.com.
- What is Occupy Wall Street? A film screening. Occupy HCC (Holyoke Community College) is hosting a film screening of short films produced by Occupy Wall Street in the Forum at HCC, April 27, 3pm-5pm. Come and find out about the Occupy Movement that started on Wall St. and has spread across the globe! There will be a Q&A session following the films with activists from different Occupy groups across the Northeast. This event is sponsored by the Holyoke Community College Student Senate.
- MA Unite Against the War on Women Rally, April 28, 10am-2pm, at City Hall Plaza. Help defend women’s rights and pursuit of equality. Join Americans all across the United States as we come together as one to tell members of Congress in Washington DC and legislators in all 50 states, “Enough is enough!” All Americans have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, including contraception, without interference from government, business or religious institutions. Please join us as we gather together and show both state and federal legislative bodies that we won’t stand silently by as they propose and pass laws that will impact women’s choices, health, and wellbeing. We need everyone’s voice! These decisions affect all genders, races, and socio-economic statuses!
- May 1 General Strike! A Day Without the 99%. NO WORK – NO SCHOOL – NO SHOPPING – NO BANKING – NO TRADING. GENERAL STRIKE AND BOYCOTT CALLED! 7am-11am: Financial District Block Party! (corner of Federal and Franklin Streets). Bring a friend and let’s party! Bring whistles, drums, noise makers. Bring street theater ! 12:00pm: Boston City Hall Rally. Can’t make it to Boston City Hall at Noon? Well how about: The Chelsea City Hall? – Gather at Noon – March at 2pm (For More information please contact La Colaborativa (617) 889-6097). 2pm: LoPresti Park Rally/March (Blue Line: Maverick Square) (For more information contact [redacted]. 4pm: Everett – Glendale Park (For more information please contact La Comunidad (617) 387-9996). 7pm: Death of Capitalism Boston Funeral March (Copley Square). We invite people to participate in this piece of street theater which includes puppets, a marching band, and other creative surprises. People will begin gathering at 7pm at Copley Square Park (by the steps of Trinity Church) to put on costumes, puppets and face-paint and get info on their respective role in the funeral procession. We ask that people participate as: mourners (dressed in black), celebrators (wearing neon/bright colors/glow stuff), skeleton block (bring your own skeleton costume). The funeral procession will leave Copley Square Park at 8pm and will travel through areas of wealth and commerce.
- Occupy New England – M12 Day of Action and Regional Gathering. May 12: Come join Occupy groups from all around New England as we converge in Worcester for a day of action and networking! At Worcester City Hall and Common. More information to be announced.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Please note events are subject to change; check https://www.occupyboston.org for the latest information!
Event Highlights:
- Emergency Day of Action to Stop a Deportation: Family to be broken up by ICE on Wednesday!
Lessy Noelia Ramos was one of the 361 victims of the horrific New Bedford raid over five years ago. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) invaded a factory where workers like Lessy were making backpacks for U.S. troops. The workers were chained and shipped all over the country away from their families and their communities. Hundreds of U.S. citizen children were left without parents, and at least one baby suffered from pneumonia after being separated from a breastfeeding mother. Five years later, the Obama administration still has dozens of immigrants from the New Bedford raid in deportation proceedings. Noelia Ramos is one of those workers. Noelia has two U.S citizen children, a four year old and a five month old. Her last pregnancy brought her a beautiful son, Steven , but also left her with postpartum depression, which gets worse as thoughts of being separated from her family come to her. Deporting her to Honduras means breaking apart a family and causing psychological damage to Noelia and her children. Unless we do something, this Wednesday Noelia Ramos will be taken away from her two children and her husband and sent to Honduras. We are the only ones who can stop her deportation and we need everyone to take action for Noelia now!
On Tuesday 4/17 one day before Noelia is supposed to be deported we will be making our last stand with a rally in front of City Hall.
Rally to Stop Noelia’s Deportation!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 – 12:00pm
Boston City Hall
Boston, MAPlease share/invite others using Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/276473439107385/
We need you to be there and to publicize this action as much as possible. If we can’t show that Noelia has the support of the community then Noelia will be deported the next day!
Even if you can’t make it to the rally on Tuesday, please help to spread the word by forwarding this message or inviting people on the above facebook event. We also need to show support by making phone calls to departments and decision-makers, to let them know that Noelia has our support!
Rally organized by Student Immigrant Movement, contact for more info http://www.simforus.com/contact_us
- Raise Taxes on the 1% Tax Day Rally and March, Tuesday, April 17, 5:30PM, Dewey Square (South Station). Occupy JP and Occupy Boston will participate, along with many other groups, in a protest against the unfairness of the current tax regime, where people such as Mitt Romney pay at rates far lower than those earning far less, and Warren Buffet’s now-famous secretary pays at a higher rate than Warren Buffet. The Rally and March will begin at 5:30pm at Dewey Square (South Station) and the march will begin at 6pm and proceed through the city streets, pass by several notorious corporate tax dodgers, and end at Post Office Square. Things to bring: yourself (most important), signs, noise-making stuff (pots, pans, kazoos, whatever). For a list of co-sponsoring organizations visit http://www.taxdayboston.org.
- Growth Busters: Hooked on Growth (film and discussion), 6:45pm – 9:00pm, Morse Institute Library, 14 East Central Street, Natick MA. Join us for a movie and discussion about the impact of our growth economy on all aspects of our lives. See www.occupynatick.org for more info
Calendar for Tuesday, April 17, 2012
1pm – 2pm Occupy Harvard Think Tank, Dudley House Cafe (no ID required), Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Cafeteria entrance is at the TOP of the stairs.
Please note! Meetings and their locations are subject to change. We encourage you to check the Occupy Boston Calendar for the most up-to-date information.
These are just some of the many events at Occupy Boston. Check out our Daily Calendar for more information.
Volunteer Opportunities/Announcements:
Info WG needs you! Interested in helping facilitate communication between working groups, and helping put on Open Houses? Please join us! Several people who were involved have stepped back for various reasons, and we need more people! Meetings are 5:30pm at United for a Fair Economy, 29 Winter Street, Second Floor, Boston.
Occupy Boston’s newspaper, The Boston Occupier, is looking for new staff members, including writers, editors, photographers, and those willing to help with fund-raising and distribution of the newspaper.
For a partial listing of Working Groups looking for volunteers, please click here! For a list of Working Groups with contact info, click here!
For more information on Occupy Boston’s General Assembly, including passed resolutions, click here!
And if you’re interested in learning more about Occupy Boston and how you can participate, click here!
Contact Us: Want to subscribe to the Daily Digest? Click here to have it sent to your email inbox every morning! All Working Groups or Occupy Boston events that need placement in the Daily Digest, please email AnnaC@OccupyBoston.org. And subscribe to the Occupy Boston Media Rundown, a daily listing of Occupy-related news, by contacting JohnM@OccupyBoston.org.