The following proposal passed during Occupy Boston’s General Assembly of December 26, 2011:

All proposals must be fully written or typed and presented to the stack monitor before they will be put on the agenda for the night’s GA. The facilitation WG will make available proposal forms, pens, and a wireless printer/copier at every GA. In the case of emergencies, exceptions will be made. Facilitation will, to the best of their ability, help any proposers in overcoming any barriers, language, technological, or otherwise.

The General Assembly of Occupy Boston consented to the following proposal December 22, 2011:

In preparation for actions during Boston’s annual First Night events, the Info Working Group received approval to spend $1200 from Occupy Boston’s General Fund purchasing 3,000 “We Are the 99%” buttons and a button machine for future needs. This money will also be spent on supplies needed to make the buttons. Combined with the 1,000 buttons already in stock and the 1,000 buttons donated by the American Friends Service Committee, the Info Working Group will be able to put buttons on the jackets, sweaters and backpacks of 5,000 new occupiers!

The following proposal was passed at the General Assembly of December 20, 2011:

Urgent Appeal to Occupy and All Social Justice Movements:
Mobilize to Defend the Egyptian Revolution
December 19, 2011

In recent days, protesters demanding civilian rule in Egypt have again been murdered, maimed and tortured by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Security Forces (ISF).

The conspiracy, being brutally implemented in Egypt, is part of a global conspiracy to suffocate mass movements for socio-economic justice and is being done with direct assistance of the American government and the private interests which direct that government. We have word from friends in Egypt that SCAF, ISF and their hired thugs — armed by ongoing shipments of $1.3 billion in weapons from the U.S. government — plan to execute one by one all the leaders of the revolution, and as many activists as they can.

Accordingly, we need to ensure that people and organizers in the US and internationally are involved in closely monitoring the events unraveling in Egypt. By keeping track of the atrocities committed by SCAF and ISF, keeping track of those detained, tortured or targeted, and continuously contacting officials in Egypt and the US to demand accountability, cessation of the atrocities and justice, we can add pressure on SCAF, ISF and the forces they represent. In this way we may be able to play a role in helping save the lives of our Egyptian brothers and sisters.

Evidence of the conspiracy to execute the leaders and participants of Egyptian freedom movement, includes in very small part the following:

• Sheikh Emad of Al Azhar was killed by a bullet entering his right side from short range. This was seen at first hand by witnesses known to members of our coalition. Sheikh Emad was one of a small number of Azhar Imams issuing decrees in support of the revolution. His murder was no accident.
• Sally Tooma, Mona Seif, Ahdaf Soueif, and Sanaa Seif, all female friends and relatives of imprisoned blogger and activist Alaa abd El Fattah, and all known internationally for their political and/or literary work, were detained, and beaten in the Cabinet building.
• A woman protesting against General Tantawi, head of SCAF, was detained and then tortured by having the letter “T” in English carved into her scalp with knives.
• Detainees are being tortured while in courtroom holding pens. Two men (Mohammad Muhiy Hussein is one of them) were killed in those pens.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.

In every way, Egypt’s fight is our fight. Just like us, Egyptians are the 99%, fighting for social, political and economic justice.

The same 1% that arms the Egyptian dictatorship commits systematic violence in this country against the Occupy movement; antiwar and solidarity activists; and Arabs, Muslims, and other communities of color.

As the US Palestinian Community Network recently observed, “the same US-made tear gas rains down on us in the streets of Oakland, Cairo and Bil`in.”

Because of Egypt’s key strategic location, the fate of its revolution echoes across the world. Its success will bring us all closer to achieving economic and social justice. But its defeat would be a major blow to social justice movements everywhere, including Occupy.

In short, Egypt is key to the continued success of the Arab Revolution, and movements she has inspired.

For all these reasons, we ask Occupy and all U.S. social justice activists to join us in mobilizing to defend our Egyptian brothers and sisters by immediately organizing mass convergences on Egyptian embassies, missions, consulates, and at U.S. government offices, to demand:

• Cancel all US aid and shipment of military and police materiel to Egypt!
• Stop the murders, tortures and detentions!
• Release all detainees and political prisoners!
• Immediate end to military rule in Egypt!

Continue reading “OB Supports Groups Asking for Mobilization in Support of Egyptian Protesters” »

The General Assembly of Occupy Boston passed the following resolution on December 3, 2011:

Occupy Boston supports the Millenium Daycare workers, and all workers like them, who are among the most disenfranchised of the 99%.

In March 2011, the Millenium Daycare Center in Chinatown closed when the owner filed for bankruptcy. The day it closed, twenty workers showed up for their shift to find the door locked and a note telling them not to come back. Last year, workers were paid once a month, but each time their paychecks bounced and they were left to pay bank penalties. They have still not been compensated for bounced checks and overtime fees. Now the owner has filed bankruptcy to absolve herself of all responsibility.

Wage theft affects the least visible and most vulnerable among us. The experience of the Millenium daycare workers reflects a common problem experienced by immigrant workers, many of whom work at-will or are otherwise unprotected by existing bankruptcy legislation. Immigrant workers in Chinatown, the Boston area, and the country have a long history of organizing for justice. After almost half a year of waiting for their pay, these workers are now planning to take public action with help from the Chinese Progressive Association, which has worked tirelessly to advocate for their right to fair compensation.

We join these workers and their allies in solidarity to speak out against wage theft as a symptom of a broken political and economic system.

The General Assembly of Occupy Boston passed the following proposal on the evening of November 29, 2011:

Declaration of Occupation

We, the people of Occupy Boston, have occupied Dewey Square in the heart of the financial district, in order to express dissent over the state of our political and financial systems. We are practicing a form of horizontal participatory democracy in the shadows of anti-democratic institutions that dominate our government and our lives. Through our occupation, we are creating an exemplar society in which no one’s human needs go unmet.

The Occupy Movement has started a nationwide conversation about the realities of economic inequality and the meaning of Constitutional rights.  We are committed to living the values of transparency, equality, accountability, awareness, sustainability, and compassion as we struggle against corporate predation, injustice, and oppression. We are actively seeking to include the diverse voices of the 99%. Together, we set a precedent and provide a foothold for people to demand a truer, more horizontal democracy, in which greed has no influence.

Regardless of media spin, police brutality, or sub-zero temperatures, we will continue to peacefully exercise our first amendment rights by occupying, holding general assemblies, and planning for the American Spring. Our goal is a society that prioritizes the needs of all before the profits of the few. We are the 99%.