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    • Women’s Caucus hosts Community Gathering at St. Paul’s Cathedral

    February 11th, 2012 · · Events Comments Off on Women’s Caucus hosts Community Gathering at St. Paul’s Cathedral

    The panel of women /Photo by Matthew J Shochat

    On February 6th, 2012, at 6pm, several Occupy Boston protesters and supporters met at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 138 Tremont Street for a Community Gathering hosted by the Women’s Caucus. The first portion of the night was introducing a panel of guest speakers and the work they have accomplished within a male-dominated society. After this, members of the audience asked questions of those on the panel. The next part of the event was a Fishbowl of Occupiers in which 8 individuals discussed their past experiences as women facing gender oppression, including within the home as transportation objects, exclusion of women in different parts of society, and sexism in sports. The final portion of the night was breaking up into small groups between the Fishbowl of Occupiers and the protesters and supporters due to the high emotion these experiences can invoke. By 8:30pm, the night had ended for the gathering and the crowd dispersed.

    The OB Media Rundown for 2/11/12

    February 10th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown for 2/11/12
    Occupy movement spreads to Dorchester

    The Occupy movement, which has already spread to Jamaica Plain, Allston and out to suburban communities, now has taken root in Dorchester.

    “We need to use the momentum of Occupy Boston to work on progress here,” said Akunna Eneh, a 29-year-old Dorchester resident and one of Occupy Dorchester’s organizers.

    The group of residents and activists held its first “General Assembly” Wednesday night at the Dorchester House Health Center in Fields Corner to discuss how they could use the message and tactics of the Occupy movement to bring change to Dorchester.

    http://tinyurl.com/7mt8ymj

    ‘Occupy Boston’ Holds On As Other Camps Close

    (radio)

    It’s been almost six months since the Occupy Wall Street movement started in New York City. In most cities, the encampments have been shut down and street protests have dwindled. But in Boston, the movement’s organizers are trying out new tactics and strategies to keep their message alive.

    http://tinyurl.com/794lldy

    Climate Referees in Boston (1st Stop of Country Tour)

    Over 60 people dressed in referee outfits protested outside Sen. Scott Brown’s district office in Boston this afternoon to “blow the whistle” on the unseemly reality that Sen. Brown has taken over $1.9 million from fossil fuel interests since being elected and now supports moves in Congress to revive the Keystone XL pipeline, expand offshore drilling, gut the Clean Air Act, and to put taxpayer money towards subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.

    The action is part of an evolving strategy on the part of pipeline protesters, who are looking at new ways to take the pipeline fight off of Capitol Hill and back into districts across the country.

    http://tinyurl.com/7h4jawj

    Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 2/11/12” »

    This Monday: Ride the Rails & Rally At Copley to Save the T!

    February 10th, 2012 · · Events, Press Releases 5 comments

    On Monday, February 13, 2012, activists from Occupy Boston and other local Occupations will ride their respective train lines and converge on Copley Square for a mass rally at 4:30 PM to Save the T.  At the rally, Occupiers and advocates for Boston’s working-class, seniors, students and  environmental justice will demand “No Service Cuts!” and “No Fare Hikes!” After the rally, demonstrators will attend a public hearing sponsored by the MBTA and voice their concerns directly to agency representatives.

    The public transit system that the 99% relies on has been underfunded by the Massachusetts Legislature for years, and is now threatened with staggering debt – much of it transferred to the MBTA from Big Dig projects. Currently, every penny of our fares is spent paying off this debt – not on the maintenance we need to keep an aging system in working order.  Meanwhile, the big bailed-out banks have exploited the MBTA’s financial situation, raking in untold millions of dollars by underwriting the MTBA’s bonds and profiting off of interest rate swaps with the agency.  Despite the dire situation, the MBTA’s two proposals would do nothing to shore up the long-term sustainability of the T while devastating local communities by raising fares and slashing services.

    “The proposed MBTA service cuts and fare hikes are the perfect way to appease elected officials and their corporate partners by draining the remaining resources of the 99%,” said Brett West, an organizer for Occupy Boston. “For us, affordable and accessible public transit is a necessity, not a luxury.  We say ‘none of the above’ to the MBTA’s so-called solutions and demand a permanent funding solution that does not attack the resources of Boston’s elderly, students or working-class people.”

    Monday’s Day of Action will offer activists a number of ways to have their voices heard.  Several local Occupations and community groups will ride their respective trains and buses to the rally and engage other riders about the cuts and hikes through live streaming, flyering, mic-checking, singing, and conversation.  Confirmed meeting times are as follows:

    • Occupy Boston will meet at Downtown Crossing at 3:00 PM (contact brett@occupyboston.org for more info.)
    • Occupy Somerville will ride the rails in from Davis Square at both 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM (occupysomerville@yahoo.com).
    • Occupy Dorchester will meet at Fields Corner at 3:45 PM.
    • Occupy Quincy will be leaving at the Quincy Center T station at 3:30 PM (brykoulouris@gmail.com).
    •  Occupy JP and Occupemos El Barrio are planning similar actions; check back here or contact your local Occupy for meeting times and locations.
    • Students Against the T Cuts will meet at the Boylston T Stop at 4:00 PM (media@studentsagainsttcuts.org).

    At Copley, the Occupiers will join the T Riders Union and a coalition of dozens of community, student, senior and environmental groups for a rally to say “No!” to the MBTA’s draconian proposals of service cuts and fare increases and demand that the Legislature fund a transit system that benefits everyone.  At 6:00 PM, the rally moves indoors for the MBTA’s public hearing.

    Whether you can make one or all of the above actions, we need you on Monday. The T is a lifeline for our communities and vital for building a strong, sustainable economy. A strong public transit system is a linchpin of a society that prioritizes the needs of all before the profits of a few. Join us!

    The OB Media Rundown for 2/10/12

    February 10th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown One comment

    Obama omnibus mortgage settlement sets cost of doing business at $2,000 per loan – if the business is fraud, forgery, looting, bailouts and worthless ‘legal’ contracts

    [Note: Before the advent of modern contract law, justification of contractual obligation was derived from appraisal of “the inherent justice or fairness of the exchange”, (http://tinyurl.com/79hnxkw) so if business and government are going to enable by inaction and ‘moral hazard’ widespread conduct that undermines contract law as the foundation of the US legal system, then we should adopt new standards:http://tinyurl.com/833c5sh]

    We’ve now set a price for forgeries and fabricating documents. It’s $2000 per loan. This is a rounding error compared to the chain of title problem these systematic practices were designed to circumvent. The cost is also trivial in comparison to the average loan, which is roughly $180k, so the settlement represents about 1% of loan balances. It is less than the price of the title insurance that banks failed to get when they transferred the loans to the trust. It is a fraction of the cost of the legal expenses when foreclosures are challenged. It’s a great deal for the banks because no one is at any of the servicers going to jail for forgery and the banks have set the upper bound of the cost of riding roughshod over 300 years of real estate law.

    http://tinyurl.com/79spced

    Mortgage settlement is too little, too late for many

    To underwater homeowners such as Samuel Guzman, whose three-bedroom Westminster home was foreclosed in August, it’s all “too little too late.”

    “It’s not going to solve the problem,” said the hairdresser, who along with four family members is trying to avoid eviction. “It’s not going to make things right.”

    The sentiment was echoed outside a downtown Los Angeles building where California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris announced the state’s role in the settlement. About 100 Occupy L.A. activists assembled to deride the deal, calling the government a “sell-out” that lets banks “off the hook.”

    http://tinyurl.com/83zvtlu

    Occupy Seattle vows counter-protest against Westboro Baptist church followers who will picket funeral for murdered children

    A notoriously anti-gay church plans to picket Saturday’s funeral for Charlie and Braden Powell and will be counterprotested by Occupy Seattle.

    Margie Phelps, daughter of the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church’s founder, tweeted Wednesday night that the church will attend the boys’ memorial service. The protest is to “remind” Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire “they died because of her rebellion,” a reference to her support of same-sex marriages.

    Charlie Powell, 7, and Braden Powell, 5, were killed Sunday after their father, Josh Powell, blew up his house when they were dropped off for a supervised visit.

    Word of Westboro’s plans spread quickly online and Occupy Seattle sounded a call for its members to counterprotest the church. The group’s Facebook page said the church “has decided to capitalize on these sad events by bringing their unique brand of hate to Washington.”

    Occupy Seattle said its members don’t intend to disrupt the funeral, but want to “protect it from Westboro’s abhorrent message.”

    http://tinyurl.com/6wdjpgt

    Continue reading “The OB Media Rundown for 2/10/12” »

    This Sunday: The Occupy Boston Student Summit

    February 9th, 2012 · · Events, Press Releases 5 comments

    On Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM, students from more than twenty campuses across  New England will gather at Harvard University for the first Occupy Boston Student Summit.  The Summit, which will be held at Emerson 105 in Harvard Yard, will bring together a diverse array of students to strengthen relationships and exchange ideas among those who have been or want to be involved with the Occupy movement.  All students, whether officially enrolled anywhere or not, are encouraged to attend.

    Occupy Boston has provided student activists from varying backgrounds the opportunity to meet and work with others who wish to unite to reform both our political and economic systems.  The Student Summit will offer participants a chance to delve deeper into issues that affect student occupiers, including systemic oppression within the occupy movement, the roots of education inequality, the history of radical student movements, and the organizational future of Occupy Boston Students.  The summit will also include a session on how student loan debt is used to enrich banks and needed systemic changes — including forgiveness — to the student loan structure.

    Whether you’re a seasoned Occupy veteran or just curious about the movement, please join us at the summit on Sunday!

    For more information, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/events/374522779228867/.  The agenda for the summit is available here.  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2722240691032&set=o.159369867486219&type=1&theater

     

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