Just so y’all know, we’ve answered some questions. This has been a work in progress by a number of people who have been discussing and debating for days, but, of course, commentary and edits are welcomed.

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News!

UPDATED RELEASE (7:12 am, 9/30)

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 30th, 2011*

Contacts: OccupyBostonMedia@gmail.com

“OCCUPY WALL STREET” INSPIRES PROTESTS IN BOSTON

*Friday, September 30th, Concerned Citizens Gather for the Kick-off of
Occupy Boston*

The conversation that began on Wall Street on September 17 has swept
northward to Boston, and inspired a powerful national movement. Joining
with nearly 100 actions in cities from Los Angeles to Dallas, Chicago,
and Washington D.C., concerned citizens have come to speak out for
greater economic equality.

Occupy Boston will gather at Dewey Square in Downtown Boston today Friday,
September 30 at 6 p.m., to begin an ongoing protest, discuss the state of
the union and develop out of that discussion a list of specific changes
to ensure our government actually works for the benefit of all citizens.

Planning this event began with a group of over 200 people from all walks
of life who assembled on Boston Common Tuesday evening to discuss taking
action.  Paul Harris of the Guardian covered the meeting, saying,“[..]
the people behind Occupy Boston showed a strong dose of media savvy and
organizational skill on [Tuesday] night, as they drew a committed crowd
of volunteers to their cause: to occupy a slice of the city.”

Occupy Boston is the beginning of an ongoing discussion about the problems
with America’s economic system and how it has damaged government and the
fabric of society as a whole. The top 1% owns 50% of the nation’s wealth –
and more importantly, how that wealth is used undermines the founding
principles of America’s democracy.

Through the use of direct democracy, Occupy Boston is working to define
and solve the problems of: an opaque and exclusive government, a Wall
Street without conscience, and a state struggling to guarantee basic
human rights.  Everyone is invited to join this conversation about
reforming how business and government operate.

In the coming days and weeks, Occupy Boston will persist in advocating
the need for change, defining the change we need, and reaching out to
policy-makers, business leaders, and the citizens of our Republic in
this mission.

“Our country is owned by the top 1%.  We are the 99%.
Join the conversation!”

occupybostonmedia@gmail.com

Here is a brief recap of last night’s General Assembly
We opened with a presentation from a member of the legal team.  She stressed that we all make use of our 5th amendment right to remain silent if/or when detained by the police. She explained the relationship between Occupy Boston and the National Lawyers Guild. If you are detained, call 617-227-7335, the National Lawyers Guild protester hotline. They have volunteered several pro-bono attorneys who will help us out if we get detained. There will also be trained legal observers (who will be wearing green hats) to observe the proceedings and take notes as neutral observers.  They will remain neutral, but if you see illegal things happening (i.e. police brutality), look for a green hat and call them over.  She stressed that we must remain calm if taunted and to be as respectful as possible to everyone involved.  The police are part of the 99% too.
We then had a presentation from the health/preparation team. The main points of their presentation were as follows, and can also be seen here, on the medical page.

• Don’t wear contact lenses – they can trap pepper spray in your eye, causing permanent damage
• If you take prescription drugs, bring your medication in its original pill bottle (with the prescription written on the bottle) and bring enough to last you 2-3 days (in case you are detained for a longer period of time)
• Asthmatics: bring inhalers
• If you see a group of people being pepper sprayed, the people who are screaming are going to be fine – people who are silent after being pepper sprayed are most likely having an asthmatic reaction and need to receive immediate medical attention.
• If you are not asthmatic and you are pepper sprayed, don’t freak out! Call for a medic and you’ll feel better in a few minutes.
• There will also be a fully staffed clinic that will run continuously during the occupation – please look on the website to find a list of things they need and try to help them out in any way you can. (Coming soon)

We then split into smaller groups to discuss what the “message” should be when handing out flyers and speaking with interested people. Each group sent a representative to share what their group had come up with to the entire GA. Speakers were held to a two-minute time.  All the proposed ideas for message were written on the white board and most of them were fairly similar. The concensus seems to be: to keep it vague, focus on economics and the voice of the people in democracy, anti-corporate, emphasizing the unity of the 99%.  Most people want our manifesto message to be a fluid, living document that changes throughout the movement.

We discussed the route the protest tomorrow night would take, stressing the need to respect Take Back the City and not interfere with their protest and message with Occupy Boston flyers and media.

Occupy Boston will begin at 6 p.m. (but get there earlier) with a march from Bank of America to Dewey Sq, where construction of the site will begin. 

We also talked about whether or not to talk to police as a group.
Points made were that individuals have the right to talk to who they
want as long as they are not talking on the group’s behalf and
although we can vote and not allow the group to talk to police, we
cannot stop individuals from doing so. People who have had different
experiences with authorities had opinions that ranged from both sides
of the spectrum. In the end, we voted to “table” the decision and the
vote until our General Assembly on Friday, September 30.

We heard from the logistics team and they told us about items to
bring to the occupation. First and foremost, we need to stay warm and
dry. Bring layers, scarves, gloves, mittens, hats, and extra items of
clothing for those around you if possible. Also bring a few days worth of food,
hand sanitizer, and sleeping bags that do not contain goose feathers
as stuffing (when it gets wet, it stays wet).

Bivy sacks were made by various members of different groups to help
keep our sleeping bags dry.

We also talked about having designated smoking areas and common
courtesy from smokers to non-smokers.

We briefly spoke about getting a generator for the media tent to
power our live stream, laptops, cell phones, and other electronics.

After talking about the issue of tents being allowed or not, we
decided we would bring tents at our own risk. Meaning, we
know the authorities or the property owners may make us take them down
at any time. Yet, we believe it is very important for the media team and the medical unit to
have tents in case of weather.