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    • The OB Media Rundown for 3/29/12

    March 29th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown One comment

    Occupy Harvard Protesters Speak Out Against Layoffs

    Approximately 45 protesters gathered in front of the Science Center on Tuesday with signs and a megaphone for a “Speak-Out Against Layoffs at Harvard.” The event, which was organized by the No Layoffs Campaign, the Student Labor Action Movement, and Occupy Harvard, featured short speeches from workers, students, and faculty opposing the layoffs of Harvard Library workers.

    The speak-out is the latest in a series of protests and rallies regarding library layoffs following Harvard University Library Executive Director Helen Shenton’s Jan. 19 announcement that the library’s reorganization would include staff reductions.

    Library assistant Geoff P. Carens, who introduced many of the speakers, said that events like these have “definitely raised awareness” about the situation facing library workers. He called the “speak-out” format “more of an opportunity to reach out to the broader community in a more conversational way.”

    http://tinyurl.com/cl9s8hb

    Harvard Students Celebrate Occupy Art

    The alcohol was provided at Bring Your Own (BYO): Voices of the Contemporary’s discussion about the role of art in the Occupy movement at the Sert Seminar Space on Tuesday.

    More than fifty college and community members delved into the open bar and Thai food at the “Unstable Art” discussion as they were greeted by the event’s facilitators-a various collection of Graduate School of Design students and artists.

    “We really wanted to foster discussion about the involvement of art in the Occupy movement,” History of Art and Architecture graduate student Claire R. Grace said. “This evening is for open-form discussions, so that the conversation can form organically, much like the organizational structure of the Occupy movement.”

    http://tinyurl.com/bwmafjt

    Occupy Wall Street: Surviving the winter

    (video)

    Al Jazeera looks at how Occupy Wall Street continued to build itself through the winter months by following key organisers through planning meetings, days of action and assemblies – and how the movement must battle political co-optation in a US election year.

    http://tinyurl.com/cqpxa8p

    Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/29/12” »

    GA Agrees to FAWG Request for a Community Conversation

    March 28th, 2012 · · General Assembly, Passed Resolutions Comments Off on GA Agrees to FAWG Request for a Community Conversation

    The below proposal was agreed to at Occupy Boston’s General Assembly, on Tuesday, 3/27/12

    Occupy Boston’s Financial Accountability Working Group invites the OB community to hear FAWG’s story, to consider its history,  to feel its distress, to understand its observations and concerns, to think about OB’s relationship to FAWG and to money  – and to engage in a conversation.

    FAWG proposes to tell this story and to facilitate this conversation, at Occupy Boston’s General Assembly, for two hours, on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

    (Amendment)
    FAWG will take minutes of the conversation and capture key ideas, issues and concerns on easel pad paper, all of which will be made available for review on FAWG’s wiki page.

    FAWG will ask for evaluation and possible next steps, at the end of the meeting.

    The 99% Rejects the MBTA’s Austerity Measures

    March 28th, 2012 · · Events, Press Releases 4 comments

    The following is Occupy MBTA’s response to the MBTA’s latest  proposal for service cuts and fare hikes:

    Today’s proposal by MBTA does not go nearly far enough in addressing the concerns of the T-riding 99%. The MBTA claims to have listened to the thousands of riders who have flooded their meetings and demonstrated these past few months, but they seem to have missed our key message: “No Hikes! No cuts! No Layoffs!” Significant fare increases and service reductions will devastate students, seniors, low-income communities, people of color, workers, and everyone who must rely on the T. Any plan that will lead to more driving, more congestion, and more CO2 emissions is simply unacceptable. And, to make matters worse, the MBTA freely admits this is only a one-year stop-gap measure, and that we’ll be facing further austerity measures next year.

    The MBTA has been presented with many solutions that would have allowed the agency to balance its books without placing the financial burden on those who can afford it the least. The MBTA’s refusal to explore those solutions – including, but not limited to, the possibility of canceling its interest rate swaps with Deutsche Bank, U.S. Bancorp (USB), and JPMorgan Chase – speaks volumes about its priorities.

    We are neither placated nor discouraged by the MBTA’s latest proposal; the fight to save the T is only just beginning. On April 4, this fight will move to the State House when Occupy MBTA and our allies hold a People’s Assembly to demand a comprehensive state-wide plan for affordable and sustainable transportation that works for the 99%.  Join us!

    April 4 at the State House
    Hearing: 3-5pm
    Rally & Speak Out: 5pm until we’re done

    Join us as part of the National Day of Action on Transportation to demand:

    • No service cuts
    • No fare hikes
    • No layoffs
    • No privatization of our treasured public transit system.
    • A comprehensive state-wide plan for affordable and sustainable transportation that works for the 99%.

    For more information on #A4 or to get involved in Occupy MBTA, please visit http://occupymbta.org/.

    This Thursday: March for Opportuni(T)!

    March 28th, 2012 · · News and Announcements One comment

    March 29 at Park Street Station: March to Save the T!

    Organized by the Youth Affordabili(T) Coalition

    Opening Rally
    3:15pm
    Park Street Station

    Closing Rally
    5:00pm
    State House

    The MBTA has two proposals for fare increases and service cuts to cover its 2012 deficit. Both proposals attack youth, students, seniors, disabled and families. We demand the MBTA stop the fare increase and service cuts! Instead, we need a more affordable T. Create the Youth Pass now! We didn’t create the MBTA’s Big Dig Debt or the failed funding system. We shouldn’t have to pay for it either! The Governor and Legislators need to step up and fund the T!

    Youth Way on the MBTA is a campaign for youth transit justice, launched in June 2007. We have a right to public transit we can afford, quality service, safety and respect on the MBTA.

    Occupy Boston Daily Digest for 3-28-12

    March 28th, 2012 · · Daily Digest One comment

    Good Morning from Occupy Boston!

    #AmericanSpring is here, and the Daily Digest is back!

    Stories of the Day: Occupy DC couple gets (unofficially) married at GA (love the twinkle fingers in the photo!) City of Boston pays $170,000 to settle landmark case involving man arrested for filming police brutality with cell phone. Meet Professor Occupy:  with somewhere between 80 and 100 arrests under her belt (she’s lost count) over nearly four decades of rabble-rousing, Lisa Fithian may be the nation’s best-known protest consultant.

    Other Occupies: Occupy Arlington is just getting started! They will have their third GA Saturday, March 31, from 3 pm-5 pm, at the Arlington Senior Center, 27 Maple Street, Arlington (behind Town Hall), and perhaps Shadow the cat will join us again as an added bonus!

    Volunteer Opportunities/Announcements: 

    Did you know? InReach/Info/InterOccupy Working Groups have merged under the name Info WG. We meet on Wednesday nights (see below) and all are welcome to join.

    The Info WG is hosting an Open House this coming Monday, 6 pm-8:30 pm (doors open 5:30) at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 138 Tremont St., Boston. All WGs are welcome to attend, the idea is to make it like a job fair so that people can learn about what the working groups do. Please bring fliers/literature relevant to your group if you have it, and please make a sign with your group’s name on it. Please tell us in advance if your group plans to attend, you can contact me at AnnaC@occupyboston.org.

    Upcoming Events:

    A1 (April 1) “Take Back Dewey”

    12 noon-11 pm, Dewey Square, at South Station, Boston

    12:00pm – Lunch (Bring some to share).
    1:00pm – April’s Fools March – The theme is to sarcastically invoke the ideas and thoughts that Occupy Boston are fighting against.
    3:00pm – Livestream training (meet by Gandhi) 🙂
    3:00pm – Clothing Swap (Got stuff you don’t wear anymore? Bring your clothes, and trade with friends! Surplus clothes will be going to a worthy cause).
    4:30pm – Open Mic/Stack
    5:30pm – Occupy Boston’s General Assembly.

    Wednesday, March 28, 2012

    Event Highlight.  Direct Action WG Meeting

    Wed, March 28, 9pm – 11pm City Place Food Court (In the Transportation Building on Charles Street)
     After a long period of stagnation DA is back and trying to remodel our previous structure and revisit issues such as anti-oppression in order to rebuild relationships, remain inclusive, and work effectively. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a new and inclusive model of organizing not only for actions but for DA as a working group. Some of the topics we’ll be visiting: What is the role of DA at Occupy Boston? Challenging oppression How can we organize without endangering others? Creating a decentralized model(spokes, affinities, etc)

    There’s More: Check out our Daily Calendar for a list of all events at Occupy Boston.

    Calendar for Wednesday, March 28, 2012

    MAMLEO – Food Drive Drop Off

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

    5 pm – 9 pm Facilitation WG Long Meeting at City Place Food Court (In the Transportation Building on Charles Street)

    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 – 8:30 pm Writer’s Caucus Meeting, at South Station Mezzanine

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

    7 pm – 9 pm Fighting the MBTA Fare Hikes, Service Cuts and Layoffs, at Dorchester House,  1353 Dorchester Avenue  Dorchester

    Contact Us

    Want to subscribe to the Daily Digest? Click here to have it sent to your e-mail inbox every morning!

    All Working Groups or Occupy Boston events that need placement in the Daily Digest, please e-mail AnnaC@OccupyBoston.org

    Contact us

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