Good Morning from Occupy Boston!
Stories of the Day: Camp Charlie was evicted by the Secret Service last night because of a visit by the president of Brazil, reportedly protesters can return this afternoon, but check the website and Facebook page for updates… Here’s some information that’s useful for living in a police state. On Jan. 25, prompted by citizen protests, the Egyptian government cut off approximately 88 percent of the country’s internet access. Just in case, Wired magazine has created a wiki called “How to Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet.” And here are some tips on how to film the police: an article called “7 Rules for Recording Police,” and a video called If You See Something, Film Something.“And check out this musical and educational homage to NWA’s “F- tha Police” called “Film The Police” by B. Dolan, Jasiri X and various other rappers – “we the people are the only real media we got.”
Other Occupies/Protests: Occupy Toronto saw some of its tensest moments over the weekend, clashing repeatedly with police after one transgender woman alleged officers brutalized her. Ms. Turvey told reporters police had broken her nose and orbital bone. Her face was puffy, covered in black and blue bruises and her eyebrow was closed with stitches. For more on the story, see article here and television news report here.
“All oppression creates a state of war.” Simone de Beauvoir
Volunteer Opportunities/Announcements:
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. Everyone is welcome to attend today’s working group meeting (see below)!
For a partial listing of Working Groups looking for volunteers, please click here!
Upcoming Events:
-
Justice for Farmworkers! Picket, Delegation and Theater at Stop & Shop Headquarters, Thursday, April 12 at 12pm, Stop & Shop Corporate Office Headquarters, 1385 Hancock St., Quincy.
Just days before the Ahold (parent company of Stop & Shop) Shareholder Meeting, please join farmworkers and Fair Food allies in calling on Stop and Shop to join the Fair Food Program!
For decades, Florida’s farmworkers faced poverty wages and daily violations of their basic rights — including physical abuse, sexual harassment, and in the most extreme cases, modern-day slavery — in order to harvest the food on our plates. Today, however, a new day is dawning in the fields. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) — an internationally-recognized farmworker organization — has reached groundbreaking agreements with ten of the world’s leading food retailers, including McDonald’s, Subway and Trader Joe’s. Hailed by the New York Times as “possibly the most successful labor action in the US in twenty years,” the Fair Food Program establishes a worker-designed code of conduct in the fields and requires retailers to pay one more penny per pound for the tomatoes they buy to go directly to the workers who picked them—all of which is monitored and enforced by the independent Fair Food Standards Council. Supermarkets like Ahold leverage their high-volume purchasing power to demand the ever-lower prices that result in farmworker exploitation. By refusing to partner with the CIW, the steps the company has taken fall far short of the substantive, verifiable and enforceable standards that the situation requires, consumers expect, and others within the industry have embraced.
- 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 the bandstand in the Commons. Things to bring: yourself (most important), signs, noise-making stuff (pots, pans, kazoos, whatever)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Event Highlights:
Will MBTA hikes, cuts, and layoffs affect you? Come help Occupy Boston rebuild Camp Charlie at the State House at 5 pm!
Ride the Rails in Teams from Camp Charlie
4pm – 7pm, Starting from Camp Charlie (by the Statehouse). Come ride the rails and spread the word to Boston’s subway riders about Camp Charlie, the Occupy MBTA campaign, and the broader Occupy Boston movement. We’ll set out from Camp Charlie in Occupy the T teams, to speak to, leaflet, distribute Occupier newspapers, connect with and recruit Boston’s rush-hour commuters for the movement. Let’s seize the unique opportunity to engage thousands of Boston T-commuters about both the issues that are immediately impacting them–the cuts, hikes, and layoffs–and about the deeper issues that the recent T cuts raise for us all. See you there!
Please note that events are subject to change; check https://www.occupyboston.org for the latest information!
- General Assembly – OB Community Conversation about its Money, 7pm – 10:30pm, Arlington Street Church, 351 Boylston Street (corner of Arlington & Boylston).Community conversation hosted by the Financial Accountability Working Group (FAWG) on Occupy Boston’s relationship to FAWG and to money (following announcements, to last about 2 hours).
Calendar for Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Please note! Due to the increasingly warm weather, meeting locations may change. We encourage you to check the Occupy Boston Calendar for the most up-to-date information.
1pm – 2pm Occupy Harvard Think Tank, Dudley House Cafe (no ID required), Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Cafeteria entrance is at the TOP of the stairs.
3pm – 4pm Signs WG Meeting, Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Avenue, 5th Flo0r, Boston
5:00pm – 6:45pm, Facilitation WG Meeting, City Place Food Court in the Transportation Building, Boylston, Charles and Stuart Streets
These are just some of the many events at Occupy Boston. Check out our Daily Calendar for more information.
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.
