St. Patrick’s Day Peace Parade bigger this year with addition of Occupy, other groups

The alternative parade was larger this year, with the addition of supporters of the Occupy movement, a faith group, and a labor group, said Cole Harrison, 58, a spokesman for Massachusetts Peace Action.

Steve Demetriou, 56, a member of Occupy Maine, came to the Peace Parade from Portland.

“[The Parade] is great,” said Demetriou. “A lot of solidarity and a lot of common issues is here. The establishment doesn’t want the boat rocked, and that’s what we’re here to do.”

ttp://tinyurl.com/73gbbld

Southie’s Green Day

Meanwhile, Occupy Boston occupied South Boston, marching in the alternative St. Patrick’s Day Peace Parade for the first time. A Veterans for Peace organizer said a judge has ordered that the Peace Parade must keep a mile between it and Boston’s “traditional” St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

http://tinyurl.com/7kblth9

Occupy Arlington kicks off with great weather, a good crowd, and many concerns for which to advocate

No tents. No rain and cold. But a lot of community enthusiasm, as 45 people stood in a circle in front of the Jefferson Cutter House on a gorgeous Sunday, March 18, and took turns at the mic to tell why they were part of Occupy Arlington.

The group, which marched from Town Hall to Arlington Center, was organized by Lynnette Culverhouse, a town resident who teaches math in Cambridge.

“I want have people talk to each other,” she said. “I would like to see people have a voice.”

http://tinyurl.com/6s46l98

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/19/12” »

OWS Is Not Over, Expect The American Spring

Occupy has been gathering steam for the American Spring. Just like our counterparts in other countries, we will continue to fight for our rights. We are not afraid to stand up to the corporate bullies and the politicians they’ve purchased. We will continue to demonstrate the power of non-violence in the face of unchecked violence; we will continue to work for healthy, self-sufficient communities; we will take a stand against injustice, inequality, and the oppressive forces that have slowly taken away our rights and stolen our government.

http://tinyurl.com/7tujp9r

Foreclosing on the commons

Call it feudalism, corporatism or the American way: the rich elite in the US have turned economic exploitation into something of an art. The top one per cent in the United States now control a quarter of the nation’s wealth, double the unhealthy share they held 25 years ago. But while their ability to control legislatures and presidents is impressive, the propertied elite may have let greed get the best of them. In their quest to redistribute wealth from the labouring classes to the idle ones, they have been a bit too successful: the exploited are waking up.

All it took for this stirring from slumber was the criminal collapse of the global economy and, for many in the US, the loss of the very roof over their heads – and the knowledge things weren’t going to be tangibly better anytime soon. Indeed, the foreclosure crisis is still sweeping the United States, with millions of people being thrown out of their homes every year. And yet, presented with a seemingly popular platform to political power – houses for working families, not bailed-out banks – the political class sides with its financiers, to the point that the fraud of electoral politics is now about as obvious as the fraud being perpetrated by the financial industry.

http://tinyurl.com/72h2gbr

Occupying Democracy: A Moral Revolution for Social Justice

The moral principle of revolutions is to instruct, not to destroy. -Thomas Paine, “First Principles of Government,” 1795.

Thomas Paine’s words, written 217 years ago, capture the core purpose of the Occupy movement.

The movement, at its heart, instructs us to honor one another and to ensure that government policy and our justice system reflect that ethic. It asks us to return to our founding principles.

http://tinyurl.com/72gktua

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/18/12” »

National Occupy expansion to smaller towns and cities grows with formation of Occupy Portsmouth [RI]

A group calling itself “Occupy Portsmouth” says it’s planning a meeting in town next month and intends to set up shop there as part of the national Occupy movement.

The Newport Daily News reports that the group announced this week that it will hold a “general assembly” April 3 at Patriot Park to plan what it calls “the future occupation of Portsmouth.” The group says it’s part of an expansion of the national movement into smaller towns.

The movement against corporate excess and economic inequality began six months ago with Occupy Wall Street and spread to cities worldwide, including Providence.

http://tinyurl.com/869yk5y

Boston Climate Activists Make Bank of America ATMs More Truthful

In another action targeting Bank of America for its financing of the coal industry, this one timed to coincide with Occupy Wall Street’s “Occupy Bank of America” March 15 day of action, RAN activists transformed over 70 ATMs into Automated Truth Machines, this time in and around Boston.

Activists used special non-adhesive stickers designed to look like BoA’s ATM interface. Instead of checking and savings accounts, customers are offered transaction options like investing in coal plants, foreclosing on homeowners, or bankrolling climate change.

Elite BoA executives like CEO Brian Moynihan reside in and around the city, making Boston an arena ripe for protests and ethical debate for the 99%. Targeted actions against BoA are expected to escalate between now and the company’s anticipated Annual General Meeting, where activists plan to gather en masse in May in Charlotte, North Carolina.

http://tinyurl.com/7yrrn6n

Wall Street firms face skeptical students

Wall Street firms have generated lots of controversy with their recruiting trips to universities.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has protested them energetically, and now the noisy resignation of Greg Smith, who was a key player in recruiting for the bank, has raised some related issues.

In his now famous op-ed piece, he wrote, “I knew it was time to leave when I realized I could no longer look students in the eye and tell them what a great place this was to work.”

http://tinyurl.com/82futm8

Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 3/17/12” »