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    • The OB Media Rundown for 2/1/12

    February 1st, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown for 2/1/12

    MBTA fare hikes are just a Band-Aid

    Occupy Boston has spawned a related movement called Occupy MBTA with the goal of pressuring government officials to back off the proposed changes to public transit. Their view echoes the view of many Boston area residents – that neither cutting transit lines nor raising rates is an acceptable solution to the MBTA’s budget shortfall.

    http://tinyurl.com/74s729j

    Menino, Advocates Urge Alternatives To MBTA Cuts

    “Riders should not be forced to shoulder the entire weight of this debt,” said Mayor Menino in a letter to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey, as quoted in this article in the Boston Globe.

    The Mayor also came out in favor of a gas tax or “another levy” to close the T’s revenue gaps, and recommended that the Big Dig debt that the T is carrying be forgiven, a stance that is also popular with some members of the Occupy Boston group, Occupy The T.

    In an article from the Boston Occupier, writer Doug Greene says that several present at a recent Occupy The T meeting, “argued that the banks should cancel the T’s debt.”

    http://tinyurl.com/8a2go6a

    Activism in 2012: SDS founder discusses Occupy movement

    The man credited with founding the Students for a Democratic Society, the movement that came to symbolize the radicalism that swept the 1960s, hasn’t thrown down the gauntlet [sic]. Alan Haber, now 75 and living in Ann Arbor, continues to fight the fight, from Occupy Ann Arbor and Wall Street to lobbying for development of an urban park on the downtown Library Lot on Fifth Avenue where an underground parking structure is being built.

    Ultimately, the couple said, Occupy Ann Arbor fell victim of splintering groups. Haber summed it up: “There was difficult interfacing between activists and homeless.” Things grew petty with who would clean and straighten the tents, he said. These kinds of “human relations/cross classness” issues will be discussed at Crazy Wisdom Thursday night, Haber said.

    Occupy Ann Arbor was never a big event, not compared with those in Boston and New York City, which Haber attended. “Here we had a little park and a few tents and a not-very-together general assembly,” Haber said. “But I was blown away at Occupy Boston. There were hundreds of tents and a library and a spiritual tent.”

    http://tinyurl.com/7o9mrh2

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    Logistics Will Rent New Storage Space

    January 31st, 2012 · · Passed Resolutions Comments Off on Logistics Will Rent New Storage Space

    The following proposal was passed by Occupy Boston at the General Assembly on January 31, 2012:

    Logistics proposes a budget not to exceed $450/month (plus fees) for storage. The cost of a 10X25 unit at the storage unit in mind is about $260/month. It is possible that we can get a much smaller unit but we’re still in the process of downsizing our inventory so it may still take some time before we can do that. We hope to downsize significantly before we move.

    Once a storage location is decided, we will return to the GA to announce the location, accessibility and final dollar amount for the unit.

    Reasons for choosing this location: Cheap for the size. T accessible. This means that more than just K*** and J*****, the people in Logistics with a car, will be able to go get whatever supplies we need at any given moment.

    Friendly Amendment: A one-time $200 for moving costs.

    Friendly Amendment: Payment will be made with the Occupy Boston Debit Card.

    Tactical Task Force Proposal Consented To . . .

    January 31st, 2012 · · News and Announcements 8 comments

    The below proposal was agreed to by the OB General Assembly, on 1/28/2012.

    We propose, as a working group, to begin open and announced meetings to discuss our next actions in anticipation of the American Spring. The Tactical… is a super working group made up of the Direct Action WG, Logistics WG and Signs WG.

    We propose that $14,000 of the general fund be earmarked for Occupy Boston’s future occupation. None of this amount can be disbursed until March 1, with the consent of the GA.

    Setting aside $14,000 will give Tactical a budget to work from. It will allow us to plan properly for supplies needed and know that the funds exist when the time comes. It will be an investment in the future of Occupy Boston.

    The Tactical… will set up a WePay account as soon as possible in order to raise funds.

    Any money that comes into the WePay account can be spent autonomously by The Tactical Task Force.

    If more than $14,000 is raised by the autonomous WePay account, the earmarked funds will then be released back into the open General Fund. The Tactical… will work closely with FAWG to provide receipts for accountability and transparency while maintaining good security culture.

    OccuNation: Occupy Boston’s Homegrown Documentary

    January 31st, 2012 · · Events, Multimedia/Art Comments Off on OccuNation: Occupy Boston’s Homegrown Documentary

    Two of our very own occupiers, Mike Hipson and David Lehnert, have been working on a feature-length documentary film about the Occupy Movement. Mike, a member of our community wellness team, and David, a member of our media team, have both lived at the Dewey Square Encampment and have been great assets to our community.

    The movie is called OccuNation, and principal photography will be going on until the Summer. Mike and David will be travelling the country filming local occupations across the United States, from big cities like Boston and New York to small town America, exploring themes like localism and social justice activism.

    It’s a huge project to undertake, and the OccuNation team just launched their project on Kickstarter, the same fundraising site that the Boston Occupier received its financing from. If you would like to learn more about OccuNation visit the website here, and if you would like to contribute to the project, click here.

    We would greatly appreciate it if you could contribute to this amazing project, but if not, that’s okay! We’d love it if you followed us onTwitter, liked us on Facebook, and check out our website every now and then!

    The OB Media Rundown for 1/31/12

    January 31st, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown for 1/31/12
    Occupy the Super Bowl: Now more than just a sloganThe Super Bowl is perennially the Woodstock for the 1%: a Romney-esque cavalcade of private planes, private parties, and private security. Combine that with this proposed legislation, and the people of Indiana will not let this orgy of excess go unoccupied. Just as the parties start a week in advance, so have the protests.  Over 150 people – listed as 75 in USA Today, but I’ll go with eyewitness accounts – marched through last Saturday’s Super Bowl street fair in downtown Indianapolis with signs that read, “Occupy the Super Bowl” “Fight the Lie” and “Workers United Will Prevail.” Occupy the Super Bowl has also become a T-shirt, posted for the world to see on the NBC Sports Blog.

    The protests also promise to shed light on the reality of life for working families in the city of Indianapolis. Unemployment is at 13.3%, with unemployment for African American families at 21%. Two of every five African American families with a child under 5 live below the anemic poverty line. Such pain amidst the gloss of the Super Bowl and the prospect of Right to Work legislation is, for many, a catalyst to just do something.

    http://tinyurl.com/79v64d6

    ‘Police used flashbang grenades in Oakland’

    On Sunday, Occupy Boston marched in solidarity with Occupy Oakland where 300 people were arrested on January 28, “including a number of journalists”, Daniel Schneider, editor of The Occupy Boston Globe told Press TV’s U.S. Desk in an interview on Monday.

    Occupy Boston marched in solidarity with Occupy Oakland “with a little over 150 people marching to downtown,” Schneider added.

    http://tinyurl.com/6nb2bqt

    Oops! Conservancy Exec’s E-mail to PR Advisor – Sent to Reporter in Error

    How many times have NPQ Newswire readers sent errant e-mails to the wrong person? The CEO of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy meant to ask her PR advisor about how to dodge a reporter’s request for public information on Greenway salaries, including her own, but she accidentally sent it to the Boston Herald reporter. In Rick Perry’s words, “Oops!”
    . . .

    The Conservancy might not have been known to NPQ Newswire readers if not for Occupy Boston protesters who camped out on property managed by the Greenway. Last fall, the Greenway asked Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to get Occupy off-and out-of the Greenway. The message for the Conservancy and Brennan in light of this e-mail imbroglio? Occupy transparency.

    http://tinyurl.com/85yqmzs

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