Tuesday, November 1, 2011

: I thought the strike was for WED, NOV 2 !

It is.  I was in a hurry and realized my huge error as I got onto the freeway.  I just got back.
Apologies to all. 
Ed

From: hankidu@aol.com [mailto:hankidu@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2011 8:57 AM
To: epearlag@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: Occupy Oakland, city prepping for general strike TODAY (AP), Angela Davis at Occupy Wall Street

I thought the strike was for WED, NOV 2 !


-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Pearl <epearlag@earthlink.net>
To: Ed Pearl <epearlag@earthlink.net>
Sent: Tue, Nov 1, 2011 3:11 am
Subject: Occupy Oakland, city prepping for general strike TODAY (AP), Angela Davis at Occupy Wall Street

Angela Davis at Occupy Wall Street
From: Portside Moderator [mailto:moderator@PORTSIDE.ORG]
"Act as if it Were Possible to Build a Future Which Reflects our Dreams"
By Melissa Gira Grant
AlterNet: October 31, 2011

"Act as if it Were Possible to Build a Future Which Reflects our Dreams" Angela Davis Addresses Protesters

Angela Davis, professor, thinker, activist, famed revolutionary, visited New York's Occupy Wall Street movement on Sunday afternoon. She spoke first to a densely-packed crowd seated on cold concrete at Washington Square Park, her talk over the People's Mic sounding like a litany. 
"We say no to big banks. We say no to corporate executives making millions of dollars a year. We say no to student debt, we say no to evictions. We say no to global capitalism. We say no to the prison industrial complex. We say no to racism, we say no to class exploitation, we say no to homophobia, we say no to transphobia, we say no to ableism. We say no to military occupation. We say no to war."
But more than what we say no to, Davis and the crowd were interested in what we say yes to.  She called on the occupiers to answer the question, "How can we be together in a unity that is complex and emancipatory?" 
It is no surprise that as the Occupy movements have grown, questions of race and gender, of sexuality and of internal dynamics have come up, and police brutality and the prison system have been issues almost from the beginning, and so it was no surprise that many of the people who asked questions of Davis were interested in working through those issues. 
To the question of the language of "occupation," Davis counseled protesters to be aware that the U.S. is behind military occupations in other countries that are brutal and oppressive, but argued it was also possible to use the word differently. "We turn occupation into something that is beautiful, that brings community together."
Many in the audience seemed to want advice from Davis, but she encouraged the movement to find its own answers. "We stand behind calls for...the decommodification of education, healthcare," she said, and noted that the movement's language carries with it the implicit promise of more work: "If we say we are the 99%, we have to commit ourselves to organizing the 99%"
Repeatedly, Davis stressed the need for inclusion, urging protesters to insist on inclusiveness, to make space for the most marginalized people in society, to hear their voices. To questions about political process, she got a laugh from the crowd when she said, "I agree with you that capitalism sucks," but she urged the crowd not to let another Republican become president even as she said that the two-party system was broken and called for growing the movement until even conservatives wanted to join it. 
On a personal note--I saw Davis speak in 2007, during the early days of a long and messy presidential election, and though she urged the same commitment to struggle then, the smile on her face and her constant thank-yous to the crowd in Washington Square were miles away from her demeanor back then. I believed her when she called the movement "revolutionary"--which she did more than once, including in a mention of the general strike called for November 2 in her hometown of Oakland. 
"That it seems to me is what this movement is about: freedom and the redefinition of freedom," she said.
 
 
 
From: Karen Pomer [mailto:krpomer@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2011 3:44 AM
 
By LISA LEFF Associated Press
Posted: 10/31/2011 07:33:30 PM PDT
Updated: 10/31/2011 07:33:31 PM PDT

OAKLAND, Calif.—Anti-Wall Street demonstrators and Oakland city officials on Monday were preparing for a midweek strike by protesters that would include a possible shutdown of the Port of Oakland, the fifth busiest shipping container port in the U.S.
Organizers for Occupy Oakland said during an afternoon news conference that in addition to the port disruption on Wednesday, they also plan to march outside banks, corporations, foreclosed homes, schools and libraries in what they are calling a broad-based call to action.
According to its website, the local Service Employees International Union is encouraging members to seek time off work to stand in support of Occupy Oakland.
"Capitalism is pitting different people in different places. We all have really different experiences of how our lives are falling apart because of this system," said Louise Michel, an Occupy Oakland organizer. "The key is there is no one answer. We are looking for a lot of different things."
Another organizer, Boots Riley, said Oakland has become a flashpoint for the anti-Wall Street movement as he expects thousands to participate in the strike.
"All over the world people are marching in solidary with and looking to Oakland," Riley said. "People are looking at Oakland, California. You know why? It's become clear that some people in the United States have made a radical, militant connection between capitalism and labor.
"We want to show that for this one day,
we can take it back if we want to."
The port will be open for maritime operations on Wednesday, port spokeswoman Marilyn Sandifur said Monday.
"We understand there could be some disruption. We will be monitoring the situation closely," she said. "We support everyone's right to free speech. We hope for a peaceful and safe march for all involved."
The Port of Oakland was where more than 40 people were injured after police used less-lethal ammunition on crowds of anti-war protesters in 2003. Oakland officials later adopted new crowd control rules defining when and what types of less than lethal ammunition can be used.
Late Monday, Oakland city officials released a bulletin advising businesses and merchants that police will be on hand Wednesday in case demonstrations become unlawful.
"Oakland is open for business. We are not urging businesses to close on Wednesday. Instead, we advise that you use common sense precautions and convey a sense of calm to your employees and customers," the bulletin said. "This is a fluid situation with many organizations participating in various actions in different manners."
Also Monday, city officials returned medical supplies to Occupy Oakland's medical tent that were confiscated during last week's police raid of the encampment that led to more than 100 arrests and an Iraq war veteran hospitalized with a fractured skull after a clash with officers.
The medical supplies return came a day after an apparent notice from protesters threatening a sit-in outside at Mayor Jean Quan's office at City Hall if the materials weren't given back. Occupy organizers, however, deny any connection with that notice.
Protesters reclaimed their camp on the lawn outside Oakland's City Hall after police cleared the area in the raid and clash on Oct. 25. Nearly six dozen tents were at the site Monday. City officials reported that activities there were calm and peaceful.
———
Associated Press writer Terry Collins contributed from San Francisco.

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Posted by Ed Pearl at 9:18 AM

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