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    • The OB Media Rundown all Transportation Edition 4/5/12

    April 5th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown all Transportation Edition 4/5/12

    Boston Epicenter of Occupy Transit’s Day of Protest as MBTA Approves Fare Hike

    Boston’s MBTA Board just voted for a fare increase that takes effect July 1. Unluckily for that body, today’s board meeting coincides  with national protests (referred to as a National Day of Action for Mass Transit) proposed by Occupy Boston. It’s the date on which Martin Luther King Jr. – himself a transit activist – was assassinated.

    Occupy MBTA tweeted: “SHAME! Board member just said ‘we are transportation agency, not a social service agency.'” @AceEJ tweeted: “Disabled rider tells #MBTA bd: Someday you’re going to need THE RIDE & I hope it’s there 4 u! Transit is a right, not a privilege! Cheers!” And Boston Metro reporter Steven Annear wrote: “Second Board member interrupted by crowd chanting “Just Vote NO”

    http://tinyurl.com/d9g2pqv

    Protesters say MBTA isn’t listening to riders

    A larger than life “Charlie,” the MBTA’s mascot, joined the other 99 percent for a protest out front of the Mass. State House, a national day of action for public transportation, with a brass band tempering the disappointing news for these riders.

    The MBTA board’s decision to increase fares and cut service did not sit well for Greg Housh and family of Malden, Mass. “The MBTA is actually our school bus for the children. Up in Malden, we don’t have a busing system other than the MBTA,” Housh said.

    Inside, about a hundred strong joined unions in front of the Grand Staircase – with many of the same faces here as we saw at Occupy Boston this past fall in Dewey Square – rallying against what they say is the MBTA’s connection to the big banks.

    http://tinyurl.com/cmp8r5n

    Occupy Boston takes over State House steps

    Protesters outraged about the fare increases coming down the tracks are camping out on the State House steps.

    Calling their mini-occupation “Camp Charlie,” members of Occupy the MBTA, an off-shoot of Occupy Boston, announced they will be sleeping at Beacon Hill, calling on the state Legislature to intervene and stop fare hikes and service cuts to public transportation.

    The occupation is in direct response to the MassDOT Board of Director’s vote Wednesday to charge riders more to ride the T while cutting back on buses and Commuter Rail trains.

    http://tinyurl.com/c9bwqo8

    Continue reading »

    PRESS ADVISORY: Statehouse Steps Occupied

    April 4th, 2012 · · News and Announcements Comments Off on PRESS ADVISORY: Statehouse Steps Occupied

    PRESS ADVISORY – Statehouse Steps Occupied
    Contact: media@occupyboston.org – 410.960.0647

    On April 4th, Occupy the MBTA, a working group of Occupy Boston, launched Camp Charlie, a ten day occupation of the State House steps to protest fare-hikes and service cutbacks on the MBTA. Having survived the depths of the recession, the 99% now faces additional taxes in the form of escalating T fares and the loss of essential transport routes. This is a further transfer of public wealth to the banks. These are the same institutions that were bailed out by the American taxpayer after being rendered insolvent by their own, criminal recklessness. The only debt in need of servicing is their debt to us. In a country that lavishes four billion dollars in subsidies on the oil companies, the relentless assault on public transport could not make less sense – ethically, environmentally, or otherwise. Camp Charlie will be a place for public debate, conversation, and outreach – a living testament to the refusal of the people to be further abused by a clutch of corporate interests, multinational banking cartels and consolidated oil interests.

    #A4 – April 4 Day of Action for Public Transportation LIVE

    April 4th, 2012 · · Events, News and Announcements Comments Off on #A4 – April 4 Day of Action for Public Transportation LIVE

    Follow our liveblog for updates from today’s Day of Action for Public Transportation in Boston at the Massachusetts State House.

    3pm: People’s Hearing

    5pm: Rally to Save the T

    8pm: MLK Remembrance

     

    At various points throughout the day, we’ll be livestreaming:

    occupyboston on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

    Or, try one of these feeds from one of Occupy Boston’s frequent streamers:

    • jaykelly26
    • yellow_hat
    • caulkthewagon
    • joshuaeaton

    April 4th: Occupy Boston & Occupy MBTA Host People’s Assembly at State House

    April 4th, 2012 · · Events, Press Releases Comments Off on April 4th: Occupy Boston & Occupy MBTA Host People’s Assembly at State House

    On April 4th at 3:00 PM, Occupy Boston, Occupy MBTA, and other advocates for public transportation, environmental justice, and labor will converge on the State House for a People’s Assembly to demand “No Hikes! No Cuts! No Layoffs!” The Day of Action will include a People’s Hearing inside the State House at 3:00 PM, a rally outside at 5:00 PM, and at 8:00 PM a remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 44th anniversary of his assassination.

    “A good public transportation system works to reduce the effects of economic inequality by providing affordable access to work, school, and medical care,” said Ariel Oshinsky, an organizer for Occupy Boston.  “But the MBTA is attempting to do the opposite by balancing its books on the backs of those who can afford it the least. In the MBTA’s current proposal, four of the five biggest fare increases will fall on seniors and riders with disabilities, and communities that are already marginalized will be further isolated by the fare hikes and service cuts.”

    Occupy MBTA’s People’s Assembly will be a direct response to the 31 public hearings hosted by the MBTA on its proposals to slash service and raise fairs. The MBTA claims to incorporated feedback from those hearings into its most recent proposal, but the evidence suggests otherwise. For example, MBTA officials claim there is public support for raising fares, but only 2.5% of public meeting comments supported fare hikes.  In addition, MBTA officials have refused to explore many of the solutions that would have allowed the agency to balance its books without fare hikes or service cuts — including, but not limited to, canceling its interest rate swaps with Deutsche Bank, U.S. Bancorp (UBS), and JPMorgan Chase.

    “The MBTA’s austerity measures should be aimed at Wall Street banks, not the T-riding 99%,” said Tyson Hawk of Occupy Boston.  “We’re coming to the State House to make sure our voices are heard – to present our own solutions and to exercise a “people’s veto” over the MBTA’s disastrous plan.”

    With public transit under attack across the nation, the Occupy Boston General Assembly passed a Call to Action on March 3, 2012, which called on “occupations, general assemblies and people’s movements across the country and around the globe to mobilize on April 4th, 2012 to demand public transportation for the 99%.”  Events are planned on April 4th in more than twenty-five cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Portland, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle. The Amalgamated Transit Union, the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the US and Canada, has pledged its support for the April 4th National Day of Action for Public Transportation.

    “People across the country are participating in this Day of Action because our priorities are not reflected in the politicians’ budgets,” said Noah McKenna of Occupy JP. “We say ‘no’ to endless wars of choice and propping up Wall Street against the weight of its own fraud.  And ‘yes’ to comprehensive, affordable and sustainable transportation plans that work for the 99%.”

    At 8:00 PM on the steps of the State House, Occupy Boston’s People of Color Working Group will lead a vigil for Dr. King.  April 4this the anniversary of Dr. King’s historic 1967 speech linking poverty and war and then his assassination exactly one year later.  Dr. King was a staunch advocate of public transportation, who stood for prioritizing social needs ahead of corporate profit margins and militarism and once wrote:

    Urban transit systems in most American cities, for example, have become a genuine civil rights issue—and a valid one—because the layout of rapid-transit systems determines the accessibility of jobs to the Black community. If transportation systems in American cities could be laid out so as to provide an opportunity for poor people to get to meaningful employment, then they could begin to move into the mainstream of American life.

    Occupy Boston will be observing this day and remembering a great visionary by continuing Dr. King’s fight against economic inequality.

    National Day of Action for Public Transportation
    People’s Assembly – State House

    3pm: People’s Hearing
    5pm: Rally to Save the T
    8pm: MLK Remembrance

    For more information, visit http://occupymbta.org/a4/

    Twitter hashtag: #A4bos

    Occupy Boston Daily Digest for 4-4-12

    April 4th, 2012 · · Daily Digest 2 comments

    Good Morning from Occupy Boston!

    Stories of the Day: “Occupy lite?” They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but buyer beware: some things that sound like Occupy might be imitation.  “American Spring” is an Occupy term, but “99% Spring” is not. A coalition of groups including MoveOn.org are providing “99% Spring Trainings.” Some feel this is co-opting the ideas of the movement, and reportedly these trainings deliberately exclude the model of consensus-based, horizontal democracy. However, the newly-formed Occupy Arlington just passed a resolution to bring in a 99% Spring training for themselves. In Los Angeles on March 31, there was an art show called “All In for the 99%” with the participation of many celebrities; but the money raised went to the American Dream Foundation, also known as Rebuild the Dream, a Democratic organization – not Occupy. On the other hand, or so it seems, a new website called “Occupy.com” went live on April 3. Despite the .com domain name, it is a non-profit which describes itself as: “a new media channel that will amplify the voices of Occupy. We use media to call for social, economic and environmental justice. We seek to inspire resistance, engagement and the creation of the new world we imagine … [we are] independent and non-profit. We consist of a small but growing group of dedicated occupiers working in solidarity with the movement. We are supported by a combination of donations and volunteerism. There is no GA or Spokes Council overseeing us, but we are morally accountable to the movement as a whole.” [from the website] Co-opting, or demonstrating that Occupy is changing public discourse? You decide…

    Other Occupies/Protests:

    • On April 1, Occupy SF occupied a building that had been vacant for 5 years, with the intention of turning it into a center for health services and education, but they were raided today and 80 arrests were made.
    • Occupy Worcester will be joining in the National Day of Protest and Action in regards to public transportation on April 4th. At 3:00 PM, they will gather outside of Union Station with signs and flyers to protest the mishandling of public transportation in America, especially, on a local level, the underfunding of the WRTA and the proposed budget cuts and fare increases for the MBTA. They will have an open stack around 4:30 for people to share their thoughts and feelings about public transportation in America. (see below for Occupy Boston’s events planned for tomorrow).

    “In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” —Mark Twain

    Volunteer Opportunities/Announcements: 

    Have you entered the Occupier’s Haiku Contest yet? I did! Send submissions to submit@occupier.com by April 7, no more than 3 haikus per person. For rules, click here. Prizes!

    For a partial listing of Working Groups looking for volunteers, please click here!

    Upcoming Events:

    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)

    Wednesday, April 4, 2012

    Event Highlight:

    3pm-11:30pm Occupy Boston – National Day of Action for Public Transportation, Massachusetts State House

    1 p.m. – MassDOT Board Meeting (Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza):   After 31 public hearings and hearing the testimony of thousands of MBTA riders, the MBTA board’s final proposal — a 23% fare hike, plus cuts to bus lines  – is an unacceptable attempt to balance borrowed debt on the backs of seniors, students, and the unemployed.   Join allies and organizations from across Boston in saying “No!” to the most recent round of cuts and hikes.
    3-5 p.m. – People’s Assembly at the State House — Following that meeting, join us at the State House for a people’s hearing on the future of public transit!   Tell Deval Patrick and Speaker De Leo that we need a long-term funding solution for transit in Massachusetts.    We’ll take our demands to the halls of the State House, where the legislature has steadfastly refused to intervene in coming up with a state-wide transit solution that benefits ALL of the 99 percent.
    5-8 p.m. – Rally in Support of Public Transportation —   An evening of teach-ins, speak-outs, music, food, and celebration on the State House steps.   What’s next for the T?   What happened to get us into this mess?   Join us for an evening of public celebration to demand a comprehensive transit plan for the 99 percent!
    8-11:30 p.m. – Commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr.   April 4th is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s groundbreaking speech “Beyond Vietnam:  Breaking the Silence”  in which he explained his understanding that “America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continue to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube.”   Exactly one year after this speech, as he built momentum for a general strike, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.    We will end by observing this day and remembering a great visionary by continuing his fight for economic inequality and an end to war. 

    Watch this great video put together by Occupy Boston for this event and see how many of your friends you can spot! click here!

    Calendar for Wednesday, April 4, 2012

    3 pm – 4 pm Icarus Project WG Support Group. Note the new location at the Gazebo at the Common

    5 pm – 7 pm Boston Occupier WG Meeting at Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave., 5th Floor, Boston

    5:30 pm – 7 pm Info WG Meeting at United for a Fair Economy, 29 Winter St., 2nd Floor, Boston.

    6 pm – 8 pm Radio WG Meeting at Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave., 5th Floor, Boston

    7 pm – 9 pm Financial Accountability WG at City Place Food Court, in the Transportation Building

    7 pm – 9 pm Media WG Meeting at Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave., 5th Floor, Boston

    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.

    Contact us

    Occupy Boston Media <Media@occupyboston.org> • <Info@occupyboston.org> • @Occupy_Boston