Protesters Arrested: 6000 Arrest Count January 2012 Bankers Arrested: 0 OCCUPIED THE THACA OURNAL FREE I J Donations Welcome #Occupy Upstate

Occupy Albany Arrests every night because local DA won’t prose- cute. So they line up every night after curfew to get their citations as a regu- lar rebuke to Governor. Cuomo. On Dec. 5th, held their General Assembly in State Capital Building in the ‘war room.’ Total, nonnegotiable eviction is set for 12/22. Occupy Binghamton “A Hal- liburton Truck crew came to Bing- hamton to party last night. They parked in a no parking zone, never got a ticket and they were there for like 5 hours? They ripped up one of our signs. The best part was when one of the guys handed me a $100 bill to go away. I ripped it up in his face! I told him that his money can’t buy me or my environment and to go away.” OBGM raising funds for a yurt to house winter-time operations. Occupy Phillip Price Binghamton evicted on Jan 13 under the pretense of public safety concerns and winter weather. world and what it’s given us. We must face our fears. Occupy Poughkeepsie Facing When we deal with others we are confronting all eviction night after night as police Thought and Action those things about themselves (and their parents, and seemed to be waiting for the masses to countless generations before them) they have chosen dwindle; the best time to strike. Dec It is all too easy to relax into our socialization with- not to confront and we, as thinking people, must try 8. After several nights of waiting, City out caring or understanding their origins or ramifi- to ease the burden on those who must deal with us. police went into the park at about 3:30 cations. To perpetuate lies by not questioning them. For our our sake, for the sake of those around us and a.m. and asked roughly eight protest- Because there are some things we feel we cannot deal for the sake of future generations. ers with the movement to leave, ac- with: some of the trials in our lives, some of the We cannot relax. We must recognize that every- cording to city Mayor John Tkazyik. deeply ingrained beliefs we logically know not to be- thing is the result of a system. Nothing is free of Department of Public Works person- lieve, some of the burdens others have thrust on us socio-political meaning. What we think of art, lan- nel then removed tents and other items and we have thrust on ourselves. It is hard to find our guage, relationships, politics, resources, cultures, from the park, he said. “We cannot se- own ways when their ways have been laid out. The technology, economy, food, gender, race, class. It all lectively enforce the law,” he said illusion of truth maintained through shear numbers. comes from somewhere and if we do not know Wednesday morning. Tried and true. But really only tried. And tried again. where, we cannot trust what we think. Occupy Buffalo claims the cozi- Until it becomes The Way. But there are an infinite We must communicate our frustrations, our expe- est relationship with a city and occupy number of ways to think and act. And that is what riences, our conclusions, our hopes, our fantasies, our protest in the country. Historic agree- this is about. Thought and Action. Breaking through stories, be it through images, languages, motions, ment between the City and the occupy ALL the conventions and customs, right or wrong, sounds. This is how we will all learn where our camp signed on December 12 and finding what really is, what really matters, what thoughts and actions originate, why we are us and we can really start to believe and how best to think how to overcome those things we know we should. Occupy Ithaca Permit applica- and act, for ourselves without the weight of society’s Nothing is insignificant if it is real to you. No one tion with city denied on December expectations on our backs. can understand unless we communicate. This is our 9th. Read more at www.occu- Every prejudicial tendency our parents have not contribution to this effort, to the need for Under- pyithaca.org December 7th, over 50 overcome, we must overcome instead. Every lie they standing. Not only for us to be understood, but for protesters, some dressed in orange prison jump-suits and black hoods, believe is every lie their parents gave them and every everyone to understand each other. marched to Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s lie we must not accept. We must try to overcome the Sounds are fleeting but meaning remains. office from Shawn Greenwood/ De- witt Park in opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act and provi- sions which would allow Americans to Antifracktivists be detained indefinitely in military prisons and allow the military to label Occupy DEC the US homeland as a battlefield. This bill has already passed the Senate 91- Hearings Statewide 7 and an amendment which stripped this provision failed 39-60. Many be- The DEC recently held a series of lieve this spells the beginning of Mar- hearings across the state to collect com- tial Law in America. ments on the Supplemental Generic En- vironmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) Occupy Syra- cuse evicted after on Hydrolic fracturing, or Fracking. The 109 days for not First on December 16, held in Dansville, having a permit. was well attended by Fracktivists. Speaker Mayor Miner re- Jane Russell, Town Supervisor Elect from fuses meetings at the Town of Pulteney, said, “In 2009, the time of the evic- Chesapeake Energy thought the people of tion and any time in Pulteney were too poor and too stupid to the future with Oc- Ed Dittenhoffer cupy Syracuse. continued on page 6 Two days after he was slain, it snowed for three days Drone Protesters Shawn Greenwood White glistening angel dust covered everything in sight It was if the heavens themselves had been punctured and bled Tried in Syracuse all over this town 31 Protesters were found guilty of two Somehow we were all responsible for such a disturbing accumulation of events counts of disorderly conduct; 4 were That god was offended and sent death to touch down and remove a soul given jail time. The protest, which oc- curred on Good Friday 2011, was in- Not a day goes by that I do not contemplate the rapid expansion of prisons, tended to temporally blockade Hancock life and death of Shawn Greenwood. February 23, and inmate population, Air Force base outside Syracuse in order 2012 will mark the second anniversary of his death, which is a result of the con- to draw attention to the illegal Drone at the hands of Ithaca Police vergence of interests on the War being conducted by the US. Han- Officer Bryan Bangs. This part of government and in- cock AFB is utilized by the US Military tragic event shook me more dustry that uses surveillance, to repair MQ-9 Reaper Drones. than any loss I have ever expe- policing and imprisonment Among those sentenced were Ithaca rienced, even that of my own as solutions to economic, so- residents Danny Burns who said after father, and great Aunt Beverly cial, and political problems. being sentenced to 4 days in Jail, “My J. Martin. It unraveled my life The prison industrial disproportionately targets children, aged 9, 6 and 7 months, will be and Ithaca as I had come to Black males, as one-third of all young Black males fine (because he is married and has a know it, and all that remained are incarnated or directly under the influence of large extended family),” Burns said. “It’s were depths of sadness and de- criminal justice surveillance. the children of Iraq and Afghanistan spair. The place I had consid- The State of New York operates 67 prisons and that won’t be fine.” Ellen Grady, also of ered home for my entire life one drug treatment campus; in addition New York Ithaca, demanded the maximum sen- became a stranger and I was State has 61 County jails. According to the Sen- tence and Judge Gideon complied. He trapped within, all of our inno- tencing Project, there are 87,990 people incarcer- explained to the court that he personally cence lost. I came to realize, it ated in Prison and Jail in New York State and had learned a lot about the issue as a re- wasn’t innocence at all, but ig- 49,950 people on parole. For every one white per- sult of the protest action, and that it norance. For a city that is considered to be educated son incarcerated, there are 9.4 Black people and would be even more effective if jail time and≠ liberal, the acceptance of violence and death 4.5 Latino people incarcerated. These dispropor- was given the Protesters. came exceptionally well. tionate statistics are due to the fact that areas where Occupy Ithaca activists Clare Grady What made Shawn’s death unbearable was not Black and Latino people live are heavily surveil- and James Ricks were fined and given only losing a friend, and witnessing his loved ones lanced by police, leading to more arrests, and thus community service but received no jail suffer, but a great portion of the community’s re- prison sentences. Black and Latino people do not time. sponse to a course of events that should not have commit more crimes then white people, instead been dismissed so easily. With this response came they are they targeted by an entire system, and on the denial of the larger issues that impacted ground level by police officers. Shawn’s life and death, such as police brutality and In the middle of seven of these prisons, in the Contact Occupied Ithaca Journal profiling, recidivism, poverty, racism and how these Elmira hub, lies Ithaca, New York. On September [email protected] factors work together to keep people oppressed. 15th, 2010 Shawn Greenwood reentered the Ithaca twitter@OccupiedIthacaJ The separation and tension in the community community after spending approximately 4 years occupiedithacajournal.wordpress.com became apparent, as people voiced their concerns and 8 months incarcerated in Oneida State prison, & on facebook and took sides. Inevitably the “color-line” became and was home for roughly 5 months before his We welcome comments, letters, visible as most white community members sided death. In the short time that Shawn was home, it submissions and donations with the law, while most people concerned with was evident to his family and friends that he had Read more stories, opinion pieces and Shawn’s death were those who knew him person- decided to change his life. He had a unique excite- other submissions at ally, the majority of them Black. The media, such ment for life, that most people seem to loose in the as the Ithaca Journal and other news sources added monotony of day-to-day activities. He was proud occupiedithacajournal.wordpress.com to this by constantly repeating Shawn’s previous of what his friends and family had accomplished in charges and the fact that he was on parole. They his absence, and always showed interest in their also kept using his nickname, which made it sound lives. as though he was a gang member. This contributed He began working the night shift at Tops Bak- to the appalling sentiment that Shawn deserved ery, from 12-7am, six to seven days a week. On the what he got, as if being a “criminal” meant that he weekdays immediately following work, he would re- was useless or forfeited his human rights. turn home and help his fiancé get her kids ready It is impossible to comprehend Shawn’s death for school and then drop them off. According to without having an understanding of the Prison In- Shawn’s fiancé Cassie Landes, Shawn didn’t speak dustrial Complex. Shawn spent approximately 7 about prison much. He did say was that he made years of his life incarcerated in New York State pris- some good friends, received his G.E.D. and some ons, and lived within the stigma that being a “crim- college credits in addition to taking some parenting inal” creates. The United States has developed a Prison Industrial Complex, which refers to the continued on page 3 Occupied Ithaca Journal Submission Guidelines • OIJ accepts letters to the edi- Support Local Businesses that tor no longer than 250 words • Opinion pieces should be no Support the Occupation! longer than 500 words • News stories should be 250-1000 words Upcoming Themes February: Radical Ithaca History Submit your articles: The Bookery would like to [email protected] thank Occupy Ithaca for working to bring positive Editors change to our community. Nydia Blas Linda Holzbaur Josh Dolan Phillip Price Contributors: Al Fair (NYC) Autumn Leaves Tides of Flame (Seattle) THE Used Books OUR APOLOGIES TO CALEB THOMAS, 115 MLK St/ The Commons whose photographs appeared in 2 PIGGERY in Ithaca Occupied Ithaca Journal Issue 1 uncredited. Local Shawn Greenwood public comment period is over. Almost everyone agrees that public regulatory continued from page 2 involvement and oversight is necessary to protect the public, vital natural resources, and wildlife, as classes. Eager to continue his education, he well as the natural gas industry itself from unjus- registered at Tompkins Cortland Commu- tified allegations of mis-and/or malfeasance with nity College, but soon found out he was de- gas extraction activities. The point PEF wishes nied because of a previous violent charge. to make loud and clear today is that the 25% re- Upset, but not deterred, he registered at duction in existing staff at DEC has crippled our Elmira Business Institute and was set to ability to carry out all existing regulatory and begin on June 17th 2010. Shawn had de- statutory responsibilities assigned to our agency. cided to use education to better his situa- There is NO FRACKING WAY we can tion and work towards a future he presently, honestly, and adequately add any new envisioned. responsibility as labor-intensive as regulating, After all the steps Shawn took to be in a monitoring and inspection activities related to better position, he somehow did return to high volume hydraulic fracturing of natural gas. selling drugs. Landes cites his low paying DEC would also be hard pressed to adequately job, the frustration it led to, and his inabil- provide emergency remedial response in cleanup ity to support his family. He was also anx- assistance for a major accident of any kind. Until ious about the arrival of his son and wanted there are adequate staffing resources available, the to save money before his birth. In an effort moratorium should be extended." to do so, he turned to what he had previ- Jane Russell, Pulteney, was elected Town Supervisor on an Anti-fracking platform. At a local hearing on November 30th in En- ously done to make money. There is no ar- field, residents and stakeholders weighed in on a gument that he was participating in proposed moratorium or ban in that small com- alternative economies, but what is being munity. James Ricks of Enfield said, “I came overlooked are the reasons why people turn DEC Hearings tonight to get more information about fracking, to selling drugs, especially Black men. In continued from front page it seemed at first It sounded at first like a crap this way, Shawn’s life and death should be shoot, but after listening to some very evolved looked at in an attempt to address the prob- care about siting a waste injection well less than fracking resistors, it now seems more like a game lems in our community, and to question the half a mile from Keuka Lake. We were not.” of russian roulette.” He then walked up to the use of police force against our community Chesapeake Energy withdrew its application town board to show a picture to them of his members. Police officers are civil servants, after 500 angry residents turned out on Super grandson. “I hear ‘too big to fail’ before and I did- who are here to serve the people, and I for Bowl Sunday to work together to stop the de- n’t like it. It’s money versus life.” one, do not want them to target and kill “in struction. Now the governor of this state thinks I was able to speak at the Enfield Hearing on a my name.” that NY citizens of the Southern Tier and Finger potential ban on fracking on November 30 and On November 21, 2011 a group of peo- Lakes are too poor and too stupid to stop hydro- Tompkins County Organization of Governments ple involved in the Occupy Ithaca move- fracking. We are not. (TCOG) hearing at the State Theater on De- ment decided to set up camp and occupy On Thursday, November 17, DEC held the cember 1. My message at both of these events what they renamed Shawn Greenwood SGEIS public hearing in Binghamton. Outside, was that rather than allow hydrofracking in NY, Park (formally Dewitt Park). The renaming permitted rallies were held by proponents of the we should be investing in maple syrup production. of the park reopens conversations regard- natural gas industry and "anti-fracktivists" who The turnout at both of these events and the wide ing Shawn’s life and death and the larger oppose fracking. Several hundred turned out on range of issues that were raised by the average cit- structures that contributed. It works to ac- each side. For more than three hours, the crowd izens of our community, their knowledge and knowledge and include those who have listened to more than seventy three-minute sub- emotion with which they made their cases, was been marginalized in our community and missions from New York residents on a variety of impressive. in the United States at large. These include, issues related to hydrofracking. During the fifty- It’s beginning to look like Governor. Cuomo but are not limited to, People of Color, peo- ninth public comment, a takeover of the event has a revolt on his hand coming from many an- ple from low socioeconomic backgrounds, was created by members of Occupy Binghamton, gles, from hardened Fracktivists willing to put life and those who have been incarcerated and Occupy Ithaca, Occupy Cortland, Occupy Syra- and limb on the line, to occupy protesters pester- criminalized. We must recognize Shawn as cuse, Frack Action, Shale Shock, and New York. ing him from buffalo to Albany to NYC, and now a community member, and consider the A speaker invoked the Occupy Movement by uti- over half of the DEC staff itself who are unwill- ways in which we failed him, specifically in lizing the people’s mic. A youtube video of the ing to play a shell game with him any longer. regards to employment and education. If speaker shows at least half the crowd on their feet we do this, we can begin to address the con- and pro-frackers hastily making for the exists. cerns of all residents through dialogue, ed- Two out of every 3 speakers at the Binghamton ucation, and actions on behalf of members hearing pointed out the vast flaws contained in by JOSH DOLAN of the Ithaca community. the SGEIS. The death of Shawn Greenwood ignited The Delaware River Basin Council (DRBC) something deep within me that lay dor- meeting scheduled for November 21 was post- mant for too long. Through anger, despair, poned indefinitely as a result of public pressure Take Action! and confusion I stand today, a person ready and the commission’s admission that science was Shaleshock to fight for the issues that have become im- inadequate to deem fracking safe. Anti-Frack- www.shaleshock.com portant to me through personal experience tivists gathered in Trenton even after the meeting and education. I am not concerned with was canceled to conduct direct action trainings No Frack Almanac those "who are watching us" or gaining sup- and strategy sessions. nofrackalmanac.wordpress.com port from anyone. For me, this movement The Final DEC hearing was held in Lower is about education, uplifting the people, and Manhattan, with over 1000 people attending. NYRAD creating spaces for dialogue the ultimately The highlight of the evening was when a woman, www.nyrad.org leads to action. Stephanie Low, stood up to speak. She said, “I’m So please, come down to Shawn Green- here to deliver a statement from an employee of Catskill Mt. Keeper wood park and participate. Let your voices the DEC, Environmental Program Specialist and www.catskillmountainkeeper.org be heard, or enter in a conversation where Executive Board member of the DEC’s union, there us opportunity for your views to be the Public Employees Federation (PEF). His Finger Lakes Clean Water challenged and expanded, by the stories name is Wayne Bayer and he speaks for the 1774 www.fingerlakescleanwaters.org and realities of peoples lives. The Ithaca oc- members of the professional, technical and sci- cupation of Shawn Greenwood Park has entific staff of the DEC, those on the ground who Gas Free Seneca presented our community with an oppor- may be assumed to know the issues of fracking tunity to step away from ignorance and ad- and the rdSGEIS best. His statement follows: www.gasfreeseneca.com dress some of our problems. What are you Call Governor Cuomo going to do? What are we going to do? Three minutes is not an adequate amount of Say No to fracking! time to fully convey the concerns of Division 169 of the New York State PEF who represent the (518) 474-8390 or mail: rapidly declining professional, technical and sci- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo entific staff of DEC. NYS State Capitol Building Therefore, we will be submitting more exten- Albany, NY 12224 by NYDIA BLAS sive comments for the public record before the 3 Opinion Shawn Greenwood We Want It All Declaration nd so here we are, well on our way officials responsible for handling our case Ratified by Ithaca General into the new year. 2012 threatens to came to a resolution, asking that the deci- Assembly December 11, 2011 Abe the most explosive year America sion to approve, deny, or to overturn denial has ever witnessed. Why? It’s a political of a permit (by the way, what’s a permit?) The renaming of the Dewitt Park to Shawn Green- year. It’s the year when the so-called politi- be returned to the executive office of the wood Park works to acknowledge people who have cians will be back in the community mayor and common council. The mayor been marginalized in our community and in the United jonesing you and me for some votes. The had clearly misused the city’s own legal States at large. Specifically, we acknowledge the ways year when all of the political crooks will be process to avoid making an unpopular de- People of Color, people from low socioeconomic back- right back in our community with their cision with mere days left of the adminis- grounds, and those who have been incarcerated and false promises, building up our hopes, then tration. After all, who would want a criminalized delivering another letdown, with their blemish at the end of one’s resume, having are extra-vul- trickery and their treachery, with the prom- peaceful Protesters arrested for raising a lit- nerable to op- ises they don’t intend to keep. The dissatis- tle good clean ruckus in a park? pression. We faction they nourish can only lead to one Having had quite enough of the he- are opening a thing, an explosion. And now we have the said/she said and the blah-blah-blah of conversation type of people on the scene in America these painfully slow and overly male popu- lated theatrics (read: old white guys begging with the com- today—who just don’t intend to sit on the fence any longer. for attention), Occupy Ithaca scaled back munity that Before Occupy Ithaca was barely able to the encampment known as Shawn Green- provides an op- lift its wings we became entangled in the wood Park and moved to a sympathetic portunity to ed- City of Ithaca’s web of bureaucratic doom. neighboring church property. ucate, grow and Should we have trusted the seemingly good We learned a great deal about the lack work toward intentions of the now former mayor when of efficiency within our very own munici- change. she hand delivered a permit application to pal government during this very simple, but When we talk Shawn Greenwood Park asking us to file in unique participatory process. Even whilst a about the life so-called good faith? In filing that permit handful of city officials expressed support and death of did we betray the moral order of the move- towards our cause (some even showed up Shawn Green- ment, that laws regarding the sacred law of for General Assembly!), most shamefully wood, we are addressing multiple issues, most impor- private property should not exist? admitted a preference for the old beaten tantly human rights. When someone breaks the law, it Today, after centuries of brutal warfare, path of running off to the ballot box again with fingers crossed for things like hope and should not mean that they forfeit their human rights. land has been transformed into property. It is bought and sold, excavated, blown-up, change and working within the confines of Being considered a “criminal” does not make someone built-upon, paved and irrigated. A few their law. useless, or deserving of death as punishment. Shawn square feet over here is more expensive In general, one must pay for the space Greenwood was a product of the Ithaca community, than an acre over there. Some of it is called one inhabits. Most exceptions to this rule and as a community we should be responsible for each “Super Fund Site,” some is “nature pre- are illegal and precarious. All liberated or other. We should look at the ways in which the com- serve,” other parcels are called malls, reclaimed space, be it urban or rural, is munity is failing some of our members, specifically in schools, roads, farms, houses. It's all called hemmed in on all sides by private property. regards to employment and education. property. Some of it is called “public prop- The people who occupy these free spaces We aim to create spaces for testimonials and dialogue erty” but people are not really free to use it are under constant threat of violent evic- in order to identify and address the concerns of resi- however they’d like. tion and imprisonment by the faithful ser- dents about problems that are prevalent in our com- The legal linguistics of the city’s Board vants of the owning class: the guardians of munity. These include, but are not limited to, police of Public Works even attempted to defend private property, the police and military brutality and profiling, recidivism, poverty, racism and this precious, contemplative, peaceful park forces. Yet land struggles, slum rebellions, and housing occupations erupt and persist how these factors work together to keep people op- (known as “Dewitt” for the white slave- owning founder and surveyor of Ithaca) every day across the world. They persist be- pressed. The issues in our communities will not be from our presence under the guidelines of cause people’s freedom and dignity depend solved by increasing police presence, but rather through New York State’s ‘Public Trust Doctrine.’ on their unrestricted access to their most larger structural transformation. This transformation This insisted that “parkland continuously basic means of survival: our home, the is dependent upon the dialogue, education, and the ac- ‘occupied’ by a certain group (or physical earth. tion of members of the Ithaca community. structures), for non-recreational purposes The dust has settled a bit. We avoided a Police officers work as public servants to ensure safety and for weeks, prevents or interferes with pointless eviction by taking up the First for all people, but this contact varies dependent upon its use by the public at large.” Baptist Church’s offer to occupy their front ones race, gender, class. Without casting doubt on the Make no mistake. We chose to occupy a lawn adjacent to the park. Our strategic motives or character of many good women and men park, inspired by the example from the planning for action and education for em- who wear a uniform to work, we believe that it is irre- heart of the movement, Occupy Wall powerment continues. Our outreach to the sponsible for citizens to ignore the historic relationship Street. OWS took its notes from the Arab local community will hit the refresh button between police forces and communities of color. We Spring and the global uprising of 2011. In even while weathering the brutal upstate New York cold season. A new mayor, a believe that it is irresponsible to allow the police to be retrospect, applying for a permit can be perceived as “arbitrary and capricious.” youthful man of color, has been sworn into the only ones to investigate themselves in cases of We were forced to defend ourselves to the the city’s primary spokes-position. wrongful death or any other abuses. superintendent overseeing the process on Is it possible for this growing resistance We believe that it is the work of we, the people to ques- the grounds that, as we are the public at to channel the city of Ithaca towards real tion, investigate, and hold police accountable for mur- large, we should not need permission to oc- action, rather than for the local elected of- der or any other criminal acts when they happen in our cupy public space. The action itself is a ficials to drag down the charge towards so- community. To accept less, is to be complacent with, very minor form of civil disobedience but it cial change? Our fight is not meant to be and supportive of the systematic and structural racism is crucial to discern the difference between divisive. We’re simply ready to tackle the that exists. It also sends a clear message to communities a commitment to answer only to a moral issues of justice that can admittedly be dif- of color, especially youth that their lives do not matter. order, and to resist the so-called legitimate ficult for some to swallow. We know that authority of a legal one. the city of Ithaca IS in fact one of the By addressing police misconduct, exposing the lies and “Public property” is really “state prop- ninety-nine percent, according to New demanding justice, and equality we have occasion to erty” and the laws of the state dictate its York State. see the structural inequality and to organize for change use. Sometimes this means: no camping, And all of the so-called “progress” for with greater respect for and participation with the most singing, sleeping, blowing bubbles, writing social justice in protest-friendly tiny town essential community members, those who are most with chalk, sitting on the ground, garden- will mean nothing if there is resistance to marginalized and targeted. As residents of Ithaca, New ing, panhandling, smoking or drinking al- the resistance. It’s all or nothing. We York we ask the Ithaca Police Department to not kill cohol. What is and is not allowed can weren’t kidding. We want it all. Keep your on our behalf. change on a whim and is generally influ- eyes open. –The Shawn Greenwood Working Group enced by the desires of the wealthiest busi- nesses and residents nearby. 4 By the end of the year, the city of Ithaca by PHILLIP PRICE National foot was injured when police on horseback #OWS Headlines charged the crown while others say protesters charged the horses. The media covering both Occupy LA and Occupy Philly both describe pro- National Day of Action Against testers belongings left behind after the evictions Foreclosures #D6 as “trash” and went to great lengths to get the Occupy Protesters across the Country from exact tonnage; 54 and 27 in LA and Philadelphia Oakland to East NY take back homes. Occupy respectively. Wall Street and O4O (Organizing for Occupa- Occupy San Francisco, tion) launch a campaign called Occupy Our Occupy New Orleans evicted on Homes, a public showdown against the big banks and housing authorities. Actions across the coun- December 6-7 try sought to disrupt foreclosure auctions, unveil After being evicted one night, Occupy NOLA squats, defend foreclosed-upon homeowners from moves back in to Duncan Plaza the next after a eviction and other illegal or immoral action by Pepper Spray incidents at UC stunning legal victory. A federal court judge gave Corporate Banking Industry. occupiers a temporary restraining order, allowing Davis and Seattle shock and them to temporarily rebuild their camp. Occupy Nationwide Evictions sicken the world Lawyer Bill Quigley said he believes this is the first coordinated by Department of At UC Davis at least a dozen students involved such victory within the Occupy Movement. After Homeland Security in a sit down protest who were not resisting arrest weeks of rumor and speculation, San Francisco Mayor Jean Quan let slip that she was on a in any way were casually pepper sprayed by po- Police finally moved to evict OccupySF from Scott conference call with other mayors before the sec- lice. Some had their hands removed from pro- Olson aka. Justin Herman Plaza on Market and ond eviction of Occcupy Oakland. What fol- tecting their eyes and mouths, one being sprayed Embarcedero in a late night raid. Police made lowed this revelation was a disturbing series of down the throat. One victim was still vomiting over 70 arrests and destroyed $1000’s of personal blog articles about the coordinated effort to shut blood 45 minutes after the incident. In Seattle, property. After living in the Plaza for over 2 down #OWS by Department of Homeland Se- an 85 year old woman and one claiming to be months, occupiers were given 5 minutes to clear curity and a private police organization called the pregnant were both pepper sprayed by SPD. out their things before arrests began. Police Executive Research Forum, an in- Occupy LA and Occupy Philly Occupy Boston Evicted ternational non-governmental organization with evicted on 11/28 Police swept into Occupy Boston’s campsite ties to law enforcement and the U.S. Department LA Mayor calls the eviction peaceful though early Dec. 10, bringing one of the country’s of Homeland Security. PERF has been coordi- cops pushed a woman down some stairs and fired largest continuous demonstrations inspired by nating conference calls with major metropolitan rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at protesters #OWS to an end. BPD said 46 people had been mayors and police chiefs to advise them on polic- defending a tree sit. Over 300 arrests were re- arrested including medics, indy media and legal ing matters and response to the Occupy move- ported and many abuses were witnessed after the observers from the National Lawyers Guild. Po- ment. The group has distributed a recently park was cleared. At least one bus load of ar- lice officers arrived shortly before 5 a.m., drag- published guide on policing political events. restees was forced to sit handcuffed for over 7 ging tents out of the camp and warning the Zuccotti encampment evicted hours before being unloaded. Others complained roughly 75 protesters who had stayed the night Nov. 15: protesters were beaten and jailed, of loss of feeling and circulation in their hands there that they would be arrested if they did not computers and personal property smashed and due to the tightness of zip-cuffs but were denied leave. A group linked arms and awaited arrest as destroyed and 4000 of 5000 books from the Peo- any attention, even though these cuffs have been police officers backed vans into the camp. Police ple’s Library were tossed in garbage trucks, all known to cause nerve damage. Others were de- strategically moved the media out, then blocked while NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly stood by nied access to food, water and medial attention. the view by surrounding the park with police ve- and watched. On Nov 17, a massive day of ac- Bail was set at unprecedented high levels com- hicles and police badges were covered. tion nearly succeeded in shutting down Wall St. pared to previous non-violent protests and at least Occupy Congress #J17 4-5 intersections blocked by people sitting in the 240 protesters were still locked up days after the Occupiers from across the country gathered in streets and telling stories of the negative affect eviction. Washington, DC to protest and raise awareness Wall St. has had on their lives. protest- on the fact that Congress has been occu- ers believe that the NYPD actually pied with the needs and desires of the helped them slow down the morning 1% for too long and the 99% have been opening of business on Wall St by neglected and undermined at every turn. blocking off streets. Mid-day at Zuc- SOPA Protest #J18 cotti park was punctuated by spikes of Largest Internet protest in History police violence. One protester on a Us- against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) tream channel, theother99 filmed by sees the voluntary shutdown of one of now famous indy journalist Tim Poole, the world's most visited sites Wikipedia, was seen kicking barricades out. Mere and many others respond with self-cen- minutes latter, images of that same pro- sorship to demonstrate what the net tester brutally tackled by police flooded might look like if SOPA was passed. the net. Apparently he knocked a po- Occupy The Courts lice officers hat off, a big no-no. Police responded with excessive force, knock- Occupy protesters staged actions at ing out a few teeth and giving him a courthouses across the country on the head wound. Afternoon saw a march 2nd anniversary of the Citizens United move from Zuccotti to Union Square to decision which allows corporations and meet up with students protesting loan debt and Controversy swirls in the aftermath of the evic- individuals to donate unlimited amounts anony- tuition hikes. The march moved to Foley Square tion in Philadelphia as to the nature and extent mously to political campaigns, opening the door linking with Unions and on to the Brooklyn of police brutality. Protesters claim that horses for the 2012 election, which promises to be the Bridge. Police estimate 36000 protesters. were used as weapons and one woman claims her most expensive election cycle in history.

Learn to both share, and to actively 5. Familiarize yourself with 9. Volunteer to help someone. Occupy Winter listen. your local politics. #Occupy is famous for having wel- We came across a piece by Lind- 3. Occupy Wall Street from 6. Keep a consumer journal. comed the mentally ill, the homeless, say Curren from Transition Voice, who your kitchen. 7. Talk to an elder. Those who and others on the so-called “fringe.” offers some suggestions for winter You can do it. Purchasing and eating have come before you have skills, in- Keep up that devotion by putting in occupiers in this excerpt. “first source” food will really stick it sights, wisdom and experience that volunteer hours at local shelters, Ten Ways to #Occupy Winter to the man! are the lifeblood of a culture. Hear food kitchens, libraries, clinics and 1. Make a Plan. 4. Give up five key things. their views on society, government, other areas of need. Use this time to set your sites on To send a message to big corpora- culture. Listen. Don’t talk, don’t 10. Renew yourself. something. Build your energy and tions, give up: • Processed packaged argue, just listen. Activism is hard. Take time to step then…strike! foods. • Single serving drinks. • Dis- 8. Read a book. back. Return to your efforts, but only 2. Hold conversation circles. posable paper except toilet paper. A very incomplete suggested reading after nurturing other aspects Invite folks over, or use public spaces, •Optional car trips. •New con- list can be found at occupiedithaca- of yourself first. to promote the lost art of dialogue. sumer goods. journal.wordpress.com. 5 Tourists and commentators flowed through with Goodbye cameras and live satellite feeds. A high school class was singing on the City Hall steps and a Oscar Grant white Rasta was filming his “Occupy” video in front of a myriad of homemade signs. After all, Plaza: that’s what this movement is all about. Participa- tion and Empowerment. Everyone exploring the My Visit to edges of possibility, a thousand simultaneous au- tonomous actions, tied together by the process, by Occupy the horizontal democracy sprouting and growing at the heart of this camp, the heartbeat of a lib- Oakland erated space; the key ingredient for true freedom. And now it’s gone. Just one night after I was up until 2:30am patrolling the perimeter of the plaza with the late night security, a man was murdered on the next block. Mayor Jean Quan used this as a pretext to level the camp for a second time. This I recently traveled to Oakland time there would be no bloodshed and no tear- and San Francisco for the annual gas. The city was already facing potential lawsuits Community Food Security Con- for breaking their own rules about crowd control ference and was fortunately able to spend a good mode. It was a drastic change from the last week the week previous. The Mayor ordered a disper- chunk of my time exploring Occupy Oakland for me. I had been glued to the Internet, follow- sal and of course, since the cops were not being and Occupy SF. I arrived late on a Friday night, ing the #Occupy movement and the seemingly violent, the event was peaceful. 2 days after the historic November 2nd General nightly evictions. Occupy Boston was one of the The Faith Community was plucked one by one Strike called by Occupy Oakland, which success- first, and then a cascade of others followed and a from their prayer circle of candles. Three medi- fully shut down pattern began to emerge. Sitting at home late at tators were cuffed one by one with smiles on their the Port of Oak- night, I felt I was right there in the thick of it. I land, the fifth started a twitter account and the world blew up largest port in the in front of me, bombarded by words and images US. I missed the flying by at lightning speed. I was having trouble last BART train resting with shallow sleep punctuated by night- into the city from mares of black clad police lines, concussion SFO so I rode grenades, and even the rapid fire of live rounds. the bus to Down- I went back every day, to see what was hap- town SF and pening. Listened to a General Assembly for a bit, found a cold slab but was mostly there to see the faces. What were of concrete to people doing? Of course, there is the constant di- unroll my sleep- alog; the debate between youngsters and oldsters, ing bag and man- between the have’s and have not’s, between black aged to catch a and white, between friends and between few hours of strangers. History was being discussed and the sleep. future. Political theory and tactics. The Black First thing in Panthers, the Free Speech movement; the history the morning, I of labor and the history of music. caught a train There was the constant drumming coming over to Oakland from 14th St., benches being converted into tarp Josh Dolan and stopped at huts. A music room in one blasted folk, funk, and Josh Dolan Oscar Grant Plaza (aka Frank Ogawa Plaza) in Nirvana, while the drum hut next door was an ec- faces. Only Running Wolf, a Native American ac- front of City Hall, the home of Occupy Oakland. static blast in your ears, a viral kinetic rhythm for tivist known for his constant running and flag People were working on boiling water over a small the wild and untamed ones. burning, was left to hold his tree sit. Yes, the camp kettle grill. I was offered some sheep yogurt and Work was happening all around. It was like a is gone now, as is the #OWS encampment, but water. It was all very friendly, although there was city within a city. It had rained on November 5th, the liberation continues. The movement grows as an edge of paranoia amongst the campers. My so when I returned on Monday afternoon, an im- more violent crackdowns erupt and the outrage arrival was little more than a week since their ini- promptu landscaping crew was hauling mulch. grows. The corporations have seen that they must tial eviction, that fateful Tuesday night when all This was something I knew. I jumped in. There stop this thing from spreading now before it’s to hell broke loose. A night that left Scott Olsen, a were people building things like a space ship, the late. What they don’t realize is this thing, this 24 year-old Iraq war veteran, with brain damage library, media teams, street medics, security, the movement, is already well beyond their grasp. from a gas canister projectile fired upon him by archive, the people’s kitchen, the amphitheater, the Oakland Police paramilitary riot squad. and the street corner. It was all-alive with activ- Later, I checked in at the Marriott a few blocks ity. People creating the new world, debating the down Broadway and went into full on conference old one, some just surviving, some just arriving. by JOSH DOLAN

6 for every worker West Coast Port Shutdown: #D12 who shares our occupation, we can use this op- Occupy movements in every major Other blockades were less successful portunity to re- West coast port city including Oc- as local police took immediate action veal what it's cupy LA, Occupy San Diego, Oc- to remove protestors from blocking like to walk a cupy Portland, Occupy Tacoma, the roadways. In Seattle and Port- day in our shoes Occupy Seattle, Bellingham, Oc- land, tear gas and flash bang for the 110,000 cupy Anchorage, and Occupy Van- grenades were used to disrupt the of us in Amer- couver have joined Occupy Oakland picket lines. In Bellingham and ica whose job it to take direct action to shut down Houston, protestors used u-locks is to be a port and blockade all major West coast and PVC piping to link arms and truck driver. It ports. The action in solidarity with necks to successfully block a railroad may be tempt- port workers, especially port truck- and a major highway. ing for media to ers, aimed to disrupt business as Solidarity actions took place in other ask questions usual and attack the corporations cities. The New York Times re- about whether such as Goldman Sachs who have ported that 17 people were arrested we support a been reaping record profits on the after entering the World Financial shutdown, but there are no easy an- That’s the nice way to put it. We backs of some of Americas most ex- Center – a Brookfield properties swers. Instead, we ask you, are you have all heard the words “modern- ploited workers. building. Brookfield owns Zuccotti willing to listen and learn why a one- day slaves” at the lunch stops.” Many ports have direct connections Park where Occupy Wall Street was word response is impossible?” The longshoreman’s union did to major Wall Street firms such as based until last month. Demonstra- “We love being behind the wheel. not officially endorse the blockade. Goldman Sachs, earning them the tors in Salt Lake City and Denver We are proud of the work we do to Rank and file members of this union title Wall Street on the Waterfront. disrupted operations at Walmart dis- keep America’s economy moving. are forbidden to strike except under The ongoing battle between tribution facilities as well. But we feel humiliated when we re- very specific circumstances, however, Longview port terminal owners True to their vow to continue the ceive paychecks that suggest we work many individual union members ex- EGT and the International Long- blockade if police responded with vi- part time at a fast-food counter. Es- pressed support for the action. An shore Workers Union is the one of olence, many cities went back to pecially when we work an average of official endorsement of the strike the main reasons why Occupy pro- close down other shifts. Occupy 60 or more hours a week, away from would put union leaders and shop testers targeted ports. Demonstra- Oakland Port Shutdown attempted our families. stewards at risk of arrest and possi- tors hoped the rallies would cut into to orchestrate the largest General Just like Wall Street doesn’t have ble jail time. the profits of the corporations that Assembly yet with an estimated to abide by rules, our industry isn’t The Port Shutdown reveals the run the docks. 8000. bound to regulation. So the market current trajectory of the Occupy Occupy groups called the day a suc- An open letter from port truckers re- is run by con artists. The companies movement to continue to escalate cess. Ports were officially closed in vealed the inequities that affect men we work for call us independent con- with more militant actions. The Oakland, Portland and Seattle and and women of their profession. “We tractors, as if we were our own main stream media has recently others faced delays of several hours. are inspired that a non-violent dem- bosses, but they boss us around. We claimed that since the big city en- ocratic movement that insists on receive Third World wages and drive campments have been evicted, the basic economic fairness is capturing sweatshops on wheels. We cannot movement has effectively ended. the hearts and minds of so many negotiate our rates. (Usually we are Anyone tuning in on December 12th working people. Thank you "99 Per- not allowed to even see them.) We could see for themselves that is centers" for hearing our call for jus- are paid by the load, not by the hour. patently false; the movement is alive tice. We are humbled and So when we sit in those long lines at and well and continues to grow. overwhelmed by recent attention. the terminals, or if we are stuck in Normally we are invisible. traffic, we become volunteers who “Today's demonstrations will impact basically donate our time to the us. While we cannot officially speak trucking and shipping companies. by JOSH DOLAN

forces police to transfer a large cate- Patriot Act Turns Ten gory of ‘terrorism’ suspects to the military, even if counterterrorism of- Just when we thought it ficials advise otherwise and in disre- gard to the military’s staunch couldn’t get worse, along comes NDAA opposition. Further, the NDAA im- poses restrictions on transfer of Imagine the conversation in the cretly procure ‘private information cleared Guantanamo prisoners. smarmy pubs of Washington DC about people who have no link to a The McCain Levin clauses consider habituated by the Congressional terrorism or espionage cases’ (NY- US land part of a battlefield, open- types: how should we celebrate the Times) mainly in drug and fraud ing the door to the assassination of tenth anniversary of the Patriot Act? cases. The gathering of Internet and US citizens without trial based on ar- that clink-clink-clink? That’s the While most of us weren’t looking cell phone records for citizens with bitrary designation of US citizens as sound of our rights being chipped (and the national media looked the no ties to terrorist organizations has terrorists. Welcome to the beginning away. other way), the US Senate grabbed risen 400% since 2009 alone. of Drone Warfare here in America. Pride in The Constitution was some of the constitutional rights the The FBI can gain access to all OWS has already been classified by rammed down our throats when we Patriot Act had overlooked. Hey, kinds of personal information with- Department of Homeland Security were pipsqueaks, inspiring glory in what about declaring all of the US a out court orders. A ‘sneak and peek’ as low-level terrorism. our history, our civil rights, the daz- ‘battleground’ so that our military allows enforcement to enter your McCain and Levin’s addition was zling brilliance of Our Founding Fa- can detain anyone on no charges, house while you’re gone, go through added to the Defense Authorization thers and the uniqueness of our with no trial, forever? your stuff and not inform you. The bill in a closed-door committee governing document. In fact, when After decades of declining social Patriot Act, billed as ‘temporary,’ is meeting without a single hearing. Congress (and presidents) are sworn engagement, the stunned masses, being used primarily against average Although 93 voted in favor of the in, they vow to defend not the peo- overwhelmed by rampant unem- Americans. bill, 38 Senators later voted to sup- ple, nor the farms, nor cities of the ployment, reduction in social pro- And so, shortly after that ten year port the Udall amendment, intended US, but the Constitution. The Sena- grams and the everyday reality of an anniversary, 93 of our duly elected to strike the most egregious passages tor’s vow is: economy based on endless war Senators voted ‘yea’ to Senate Bill of the bill. And by the way, opposi- I solemnly swear that I will support and across the globe, slipped even further 1867, the National Defense Author- tion to 1867 crosses political lines: defend the Constitution of the United States into political apathy. ization Act (NDAA). those who are awake are outraged at against all enemies, foreign and domestic; It appears that the Patriot Act did- Each fiscal year, Congress votes the threat to our rights. that I will bear true faith and allegiance to n’t chip away enough of our rights on appropriations to the military in a Sent back to the House, NDAA the same; that I take this obligation freely, to satisfy some politicians. The Pa- bill called the National Defense Au- was rubber stamped and sent up- without any mental reservation or purpose triot Act, passed merely 45 days after thorization Act (NDAA). This year stairs, where Mr. Obama added his of evasion; and that I will well and faith- the September 11 attack, widely ex- the cozy bipartisan couple, Senators John Hancock. In an attempt to sal- fully discharge the duties of the office on panded presidential powers, allowed Carl Levin and John McCain vage his image, Obama added a which I am about to enter. So help me God. secret surveillance without evidence drafted additional paragraphs, pas- signing statement which promises Seems they’ve forgotten their oath. and cracked down on libraries and sages which authorize the military to that Americans will not be affected by Brothers and sisters, now is librarians. The government is using indefinitely detain citizens without NDAA. (BTW, signing statements the time to wake up. provisions in the Patriot Act to se- trial or charge. Another section 7 have no Constitutional basis.) Hear by LINDA HOLZBAUR Self Preservation Inquiring Photographer:

THIS IS AMBITION: as ugly as it right here at home. Why do you occupy? gets. We weren’t joking when we said Ithaca: we’re not occupying a park it’s now or never. Please, do believe in December just for the hell of it. the hype. We know that DIRECT ACTION gets I can remember when some presi- the goods. A community of people dent somewhere told some people to who know each other’s histories and Rosario Williams, 6 “Take off your bedroom slippers and understand each other’s needs can I like Occupy Wall Street put on your marching shoes.” We did work through conflicts without desire and I think the stuff they do that. Only, that president, along with for interference from uniformed everyone else who talks a good game strangers with guns. is really cool. I march and hold up the sign against didn’t show up. And guess what? THIS IS NOT AN OCCUPATION: We’re not complaining. We’re not occupation is participation. You’ve banks. Because I am the grumbling. We’re not crying. WE got to show up in order to do that. 99%. ARE pressing on! WE ARE working. Even your new young and brown So if we’re working, that means we mayor-elect did. Will he live up to the need you working with us. This is not challenge? More importantly, will just a communiqué to the fired hearts. you? We’re engaging others from the A place like our humble home in community in conversation. Every Ithaca thrives on the complacent night we share harrowing tales from cushion that “it’s all good.” This is a the front lines of our resistance the message to the grassroots–not so world over. We’ve opened an incred- James Ricks, 62 much like an annual festival of so- ible dialogue about the namesake of I am involved in Occupy be- called good vibes or your yearly duti- our new people’s park. And we’ve cause the economic, educa- ful visit to the ballot box. We’re also been offered somewhat lackluster tional, social and racial calling out the oppressed and the dis- ideas for what we “should” name our injustice championed by cor- possessed. YOU. And if you’re read- park. Remember, it’s your park too. porations, lobbyists or their ing this right now, you can be for We simply liberated it for you. Some legislative lackeys, can only damned sure that means you too. of us work in kitchens, and some of be exposed and dismantled THIS IS MOTIVATION: free of con- us are students. We tap maple trees by a coordinated mass grass- tempt. You feel it. And so do we. for syrup, and we nurture our chil- roots movement. Something’s up. In order to ensure dren. We’ve all learned to become our survival as humans we must work teachers, and we all learn something collectively to make this a transcen- new about our REAL selves every day. dent people’s movement. Standing A few of us have fought in wars, Joy Hines, 28 on that proverbial fence is not an op- but some of us have literally laid Because our oligarchy is not tion anymore. Either way you fall off down our bodies to prevent them. Al- representing the people, the is going to come with strife, whether though fighting is discouraged, when 99%. As a result of the cor- you’re fighting off submission to ille- we do fight, we all realize that what porations controlling our gitimate authority, or domination by we’re fighting for is our lives. Face it, government our social safety the vote you cast in favor of your own Ithaca is occupied. It has been before. net is disappearing. What defeat. Self determination begins It is today. should be human rights, such as healthcare and education, are instead for profit indus- Occupy Ithaca Events tries. February 1: Ithaca Freeskool February 8–11: OWS Road Trip Tour in Ithaca February 10: Eric Lovett, 52 Shawn Greenwood Working Group Workshop Because I am unemployed March 16–18: right now and looking for a NEAN Strategy Assembly job. I can see that the rich get And, as always, ongoing Occupy Ithaca GA meetings richer. Poor get poorer, and I *Find updates @ am going nowhere. http://www.occupyithaca.org or Occupy Ithaca bulletin board in the Tomp- kins County Workers’ Center (115 E. Martin Luther King St./The Commons, Ithaca)

Things You Can Do Right Now! Lucas Bonnet, 23 Attend your local GA in Ithaca on Tuesdays at 12:30pm, Thurs- Because I’ve witnessed the in- 1 day nights at 6pm, Sundays at 2pm. www.ithacaga.org justices across the world as well as the spreading revolu- Occupy the Alternative Economy Use alternative cur- tion in response to said injus- 2 rency, timeshares, swidget, freecycle. Start or convert your business to a tices. I was inspired by the cooperative, volunteer for local organizations working on justice issues, Arab Spring and other revo- boycott big business, especially those known to have poor environmental track lutionary movements to stand records, human and workers rights records profiteer off of predatory lending. up for social and economic Occupy Local Government show up at city or town meetings justice here and across the 3 and ask your elected officials to reinvest our money in credit unions and world. ethical investments. Tell them to support local occupations. They won’t listen? Support a candidate who will. Run for office yourself! Occupy Education Organize a teach-in about Occupy Wall Street 4 and the issues that have driven us to the streets. Educate yourself, utilize the internet to find the truth, educate your friends, family and children. Phillip Price, 23 Follow the occupation start twitter acount I don’t have a choice: I’ve been waiting for a movement 5 www.occupywallst.org www.occupytogether.org like this my whole life. I never wearetheother99.ustream.com www.occupyithaca.org felt like I could actually be a Occupy Ithaca Get down to the park! Get Inspired! Engage in polit- part of anything to make a 6 ical discourse with your fellow Americans, practice your 1st Amendment real change in this world, Rights, embrace the cold and help grow our local movement until now.