OCCUPY RALEIGH TO MARCH AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE

Posted on May 11, 2012 by stacie

Calling all Citizens and Organizations to Join Equality March

On Monday, May 14, Occupy Raleigh will join a citizen initiative called 14th Amendment Equality Projects to march in protest of the passage of Amendment One. Marchers will meet at 5:30 pm in Nash Square in downtown Raleigh, rallying to march at 6 pm.

The Occupy Raleigh General Assembly passed its own resolution against Amendment One on Feb. 22, saying the group is “actively opposed” to the Amendment, which bars recognition of all civil unions in

North Carolina, gay or straight. From the resolution:

“We, at Occupy Raleigh, hold the belief that constitutions, at the federal or state level, are written to guarantee the rights of any human. We will oppose any amendments to either the federal or state constitutions that seeks to discriminate against any individual human on the basis of ethnicity, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, income, living situation, or age.”

Many members participated in demonstrations and outreach against the amendment, and will continue to support efforts to repeal it as part of their ongoing fight for social justice and equality.

All individuals, citizen groups, religious groups, and others who stand in opposition to Amendment One are invited to participate in this march, share information on this and other equality issues, and form networks for action.

14th Amendment Equality Projects is a citizen initiative designed to host a community outreach march on the 14th of every month. Locations will vary. All community groups are welcome to join this initiative in an effort to unite progressive causes on the platform of working for equality. The group plans marches through neighborhoods, in effort to engage citizens, learn about their struggles, and empower them with a network of support and tools for action.

Contact: Emily Galvin

Phone: 828-808-0098

Email: emilymgalvin AT gmail DOT com

OccupyRaleigh on Facebook- @OccupyRaleigh on Twitter

14th Amendment Equality Projects: http://www.facebook.com/groups/330136653723829/

May 14 March event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/250811461680804

ON TRAC NC Fair to Inform & Engage New Activists

Posted on May 7, 2012 by stacie

The First On TRAC NC community engagement fair will be held Saturday, June 2 from 11-3pm in downtown Raleigh at Jones and Wilmington Streets. The entire community is invited to browse and participate in the community consciousness raising fair.

The fair aims to:
1) Inform the community on causes related to social and economic justice for the 99%, and to engage new members.
2) Unite a diverse range of community groups and organizations in one outreach and education event, and to strengthen alliances among 99% groups.

This is an inclusive event and all groups are welcome to participate if their work somehow ties in with social or economic justice for the 99%. Features of the event will include informational tables, teach-ins, soap-boxing and art display. Groups that have confirmed participation are:

NC AFL-CIO
The Green Party
Progress NC
Democracy NC
Interplay
Occupy Raleigh Outreach
Raleigh-Wake Move On Council
Croatan Earth First

We invite community members to use the fair as a way to plug in and help get NC back ON TRAC by participating in the call for economic justice, social equality, environmental protection, civic engagement and workers’ rights.

There is still space available to organizations that would like to participate in this unique opportunity to engage with the community alongside other activist and advocacy groups. Write to OnTRACNC AT gmail DOT com or call 919-996-9208 by Fri., May 25 to register at no cost. Please email us your organization’s logo, if you have one, and plan to bring your own outreach materials (table, signs, fliers, etc.).

INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING MEETING MAY 19

There will be an inter-organizational planning meeting on Saturday, May 19 at 11:00 am at the State Archives Park at the corner of Wilmington and Lane Streets. Bring a picnic if you like, and stay afterward for the anti-fracking demonstration at the Legislative building. http://www.facebook.com/events/353364818060141/

The fair is a collaborative event; the TRAC group is a facilitator that is encouraging other area groups and organizations to take ownership of this event and help to promote it within your reach.

Keep updated in The Raleigh Action Collective Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/197004653749452/206358806147370/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TRAC_NC

OnTRACNC AT gmail.com

Point of information: This community event has been rescheduled from the original date of May 19.

Occupy Raleigh Turns Page, ‘Springs’ Into the Future

Posted on May 7, 2012 by stacie

Occupy is Morphing, Not Ending

On Sunday May 6th, members of Occupy Raleigh removed the last tents from the Occupation at Edenton and West Streets. Members have occupied the space since last November, where they moved after a continuous 45-day demonstration on the sidewalk at the Old State Capitol.

On May 12th at 10am, members will bid ‘adieu’ to their Occupation at 11 N. West St. with reseeding and beautification work to celebrate the turning of this page, the coming of Spring, and the promise of a new future for Occupy Raleigh.

After more than six months of a 24/7 occupation, demonstrators say it’s time to renew their efforts to overcome economic justice, without the service of a physical encampment. Members will engage in a series of creative gatherings starting in May to transition the Occupy Raleigh movement effectively and focus on recruiting new people and re-engaging people who participated in actions last Fall.

Active members of the local Occupy movement have long been branching out to champion justice in several areas – and they invite your participation in ongoing actions, including:

Protesting at the May 9 Bank of America Shareholders’ meeting.
Gathering support to pass a resolution against corporate personhood/Citizens United through the Raleigh City Council & NCGA. Sign/share the online petition here. Email OnTRACNC@gmail.com or attend a weekly TRAC meeting to volunteer your time for this cause.
Revitalizing the Direct Action and Outreach workgroups with new weekly meeting times.
Raising awareness about the foreclosure crisis and the malfeasance of big banks.
Organizing a May 19 inter-organizational community engagement fair.
Opposing fracking.
Planning monthly 14th amendment marchesto unite all activists on the cause of equality.

Ride Free Bus to Protest Bank of America May 9 in Charlotte

Posted on May 7, 2012 by stacie

From the NC AFL-CIO:

On May 9th, thousands will unite in Charlotte to put Bank of America — and the executives behind them — on notice.

We’re coming to the shareholder meeting to call them out for being among the worst of the worst in:
* Stripping wealth from communities of color due to targeting of sub-prime loans to predominantly African-American and Latino families.
* Funding big lobbying pro-business organizations & politicians who deny workers fundamental HUMAN RIGHTS to organize and collectively bargain.
* Destroying our environment by being the largest financier of coal.
* Investing in private prisons and immigrant detention centers.

So, come be part of actions against BoA for their role in: taxpayer abuses, the foreclosure crisis, predatory lending, buying politicians and killing jobs.The marches, speak-outs, and actions commence at 9 am at Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte. Three groups of protestors will gather at other locations at 8 am and feed into one march on Trade and Tryon — and then on to the shareholder meeting!

Free buses have been organized to transport Triangle protestors to Charlotte:

From Raleigh:
Where: Teamsters LU 391 Hall – 6317 Angus Dr., Raleigh, NC 27613
When: Wednesday, May 9
Departure Time: 5am
Return Time (anticipated): 5pm (leaving Charlotte at 2pm)
Contact: Nick Wood of Jobs with Justice at (919) 616-0889 or nickwood1979@gmail.com or Adam Orlovich of the NC AFL-CIO at adam@aflcionc.org or (919) 833-6678 to reserve your seat on the Raleigh bus.

From Durham:
The Durham Bus will be leaving from the Main Durham Public library (300 N. Roxboro) at 4:30 a.m. Contact Dante Strobino at dantestrobino@gmail.com or (919) 539-2051 to reserve your spot.

From Chapel Hill:
The van from Chapel Hill will be leaving at 5:30 a.m. from the Post Office on Franklin St. 7 seats are already filled, so we need 8 more folks. A volunteer driver is also needed. Please contact Tait Chandler at tait.chandler@gmail.com or Nick Wood (see above) to reserve your spot on the van.

From Greensboro:
Where: Teamsters LU 391 Hall – 3910 Teamsters Place, Colfax, NC 27235
When: Wednesday, May 9
Departure Time: 6am
Return Time (anticipated): 4pm (leaving Charlotte at 2pm)

If you are on Facebook, click here for more information on the event page.
For more info: http://www.ncagainstcorporatepower.org/calendar/
To RSVP: http://www.ncagainstcorporatepower.org/rsvp/

This action is being organized by a broad coalition of concerned citizens of both North Carolina and beyond! Join us!
Invite everyone!

Local Coalition against Citizens United Gains Traction

Posted on May 5, 2012 by stacie

Corporations are not people, and money is not free speech. This is why we’re working with community members and groups aligned with our cause to fight against the hugely unpopular Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision.

The Raleigh Action Collective (TRAC) co-hosted an April 25 Community Forum on Repealing Citizens United with the NC Voters for Clean Elections (NCVCE) to build a coalition of local people and organizations supporting action against the disastrous Supreme Court decision that broke down all barriers to corporate-owned elections. (Private spending in the current campaign cycle now tops $90 million, more than double historical amounts.)

We gather because we know that Corporations are not People, and that allowing them to use their wealth to control election outcomes is not democracy

About two dozen people participated in the April 25 forum, bringing new avenues of collaboration, ideas and action plans to the table. Representatives from 350.org, the Green Party, NC Peace Action, and Triangle Move to Amend attended, along with others supporting fair and transparent elections.

The coalition’s key goal is to ask the Raleigh City Council and the NC General Assembly to pass resolutions against corporate personhood. A draft resolution can be found here. This resolution asks city councilors and legislators to defend democracy by calling for an end to corporate “personhood” and anonymous and unlimited campaign contributions.

Volunteers have collected more than 300 signatures from the community, between the online and the pen and paper petition. Please sign and share: http://www.change.org/petitions/raleigh-city-council-don-t-stand-for-corporate-control-of-our-elections.

Highlights of the Community Forum included:

Hearing from the broad community base that supports overturning Citizens United and increasing coordination.
Organizing attendees to lobby city councilors in their districts.
Discussing the draft resolution and ways to continue building support in the community.
Reviewing the work that other cities and town in North Carolina have done to pass resolutions opposing corporate personhood.
Introducing a “lobby day” on May 23 to coordinate support for the anti-corporate personhood bill that will be introduced soon in the NC General Assembly.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this productive Community Forum. We will continue to work together to reduce corporate influence over politics until our goals are achieved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay in touch with The Raleigh Action Collective on Facebook and Twitter.

To volunteer for this effort or sign on to the Raleigh coalition against Citizens United, join a regular TRAC meeting, or contact us: OnTracNC AT gmail.com, 919-996-9208.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE: The Durham anti-corporate personhood organizers will be petitioning the Durham city council on Thursday, May 10 at 1 pm at Durham City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701, in the Council’s Committee room on the second floor. Attend if you can and bring your friends. A strong showing will tell the council that this is an important issue for Durham. The presentation will be brief; it likely will be over by 1:15pm.

Earth Day Picnic at Fletcher Park

Posted on April 19, 2012 by stacie

***THIS EVENT WILL BE RESCHEDULED DUE TO THE NON-PICNIC FRIENDLY WEATHER.

“When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.” John Muir

Perhaps nowhere is the degradation brought on by corporate rule more obvious than in the manner that all of nature, including ourselves, can be wasted in the name of profit. Join Occupy Raleigh as we celebrate John Muir’s 174 birthday on April 22. We will gather at Fletcher Park (802 Clay St.) in downtown Raleigh at 4 pm for a potluck picnic, with drumming, speeches, and entertainment. Earth Day is a time to consider how the many strands of our movement all coalesce around the goal to occupy our planet in a mindful, just, and peaceful way.

Many of us are aware of the different paths we now follow leading to ecocide–climate change, soil erosion, genetically modified organisms, loss of aquifers, the sixth wave of species extinction. We must not let this complex web of destruction stun us into silence or immobilize us with terror. Our collective wisdom and strength enables us to confront the dangers we face. On Earth Day let us celebrate all we have accomplished this year and strategize how we might continue our struggle to green the planet.

After the festivities at the park, we will carry out another large scale occupation. Details provided at the picnic.

By: Jeff L.

RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/events/309535952451730/

You Cannot Evict an Idea whose Time Has Come

Posted on April 16, 2012 by stacie

Starting on April 15, Occupy Raleigh community members return to the Capitol Sidewalk for regular demonstrations against economic injustice

Speech delivered by Josh Harris at #A15 “Take Back the Sidewalk” Action

“You cannot evict an idea whose time has come.”

Solidarity brothers and sisters! Today we gather in solidarity with those now Occupying the Sidewalks of Wall Street and many other cities across the country. Day and night they bravely remind those who ruthlessly pursue profit of the human costs of greed. Those who, according to Greg Smith – former executive of Goldman Sachs – in his resignation letter published in the NY Times, refer to their own hedge fund clients as “muppets.”

Muppets!

We have also gathered to commemorate the history of Occupy Raleigh’s demonstration for political and economic justice.

Six months ago, nearly a thousand of our friends and neighbors gathered on a beautiful day on this public square to voice a collective frustration with failed leadership and failing institutions. Bank bailouts, Citizens United, and endless lip service from politicians led many to declare no confidence in the party system.

Afterward, Occupy Raleigh organized a round-the-clock demonstration on this sidewalk lasting for over a month. Many citizens donated pizza and doughnuts, blankets gloves and jackets, and even time spent watching over our sleeping demonstrators. Our chants and marches engaged the public in a once-taboo dialogue about economic inequality that continues to this day.

But six months later, our fight far from over.

Ninety three percent of all new income gains during our so-called “recovery” STILL went to the top 1%. The 99% STILL earn $44 LESS in yearly wages than before the recovery began.

We STILL proudly proclaim that ours is the richest nation on Earth. But a small town could easily house most of its wealth. Four hundred American families STILL control more wealth than one hundred fifty million others.

Most Americans STILL paid more taxes – both in dollars and percent – than billion dollar corporations like GE, Verizon, and Boeing over the past three years.

Medical debt is STILL a major factor in more than half of all consumer bankruptcy cases and half of all residential foreclosures in America.

Even here, in my native City of Raleigh, we STILL have the 42nd widest gap between rich and poor according to PBS.

So here today, I personally invite the 99% of Raleigh, of Durham, of Chapel Hill and all surrounding areas who have been abandoned by our leaders, to join us on this sidewalk where our peaceful demonstration shall continue indefinitely.

From our public space we will send a persistent message to those in power that we have had enough. While injustice continues, so shall resistance. When leaders ignore, the people organize. When profits are priority, the People will rise.

So spread the word to all who feel unrepresented by their officials, by their managers, by their parties, by any who disguise their service of the rich as leadership of the poor…tell them about the People’s Sidewalk. Tell them that here their voice will be heard. Tell them that here people have hearts, and not shareholders.

Here we are restoring justice for all.

Josh Harris
April 15th, 2012 North Carolina State Capitol

nickwood1979@gmail.com

I’m Innocent! And no one is really surprised by the verdict.

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Kat

Many of the people pictured here were arrested on 10/27 for NOT blocking a public sidewalk, but occupying one half of it. One of those demonstrators (a disabled woman) had her case dismissed and another, Katina, was found NOT GUILTY by jury.

I’m Innocent! And no one is really surprised by the verdict because the others arrested and myself were, in fact, not trespassing on a public sidewalk at the State Capitol building that day. We had every right to be there on October 27th protesting economic injustice, corporate greed, and the influence of corporate money in politics, and we have every right to be there any day doing the same.

The trial was held on this past Tuesday, April 10th, and took several hours. I apologize to everyone who had their court date postponed because of it. After video, photos, testimony from the arresting officers, Margaret, and myself, hours of arguments for constitutional rights, and a wild goose chase for a responsible agent who was no where to be found, I was found innocent. The main reason for the verdict of innocence was determined through a video made that day of the State Capitol police chief saying that we could stay, and that they were not trying to remove people, they only wanted to remove property. Having us arrested for trespassing because we would not stand up in obedience with a non-existent regulation was a mistake, it is our constitutional right to be there.

The fact that I was seated in a chair on the sidewalk did not make me any different than my fellow protestors standing two feet beside me who were not arrested, it did not make me any different than Margaret seated next to me who was wearing legal identification declaring her disability around her neck, and it didn’t make me any different than the people who were sitting on the sidewalk that day either. (Marget’s case has since been dismissed, read the article here).

We will not be deterred from our purpose in raising North Carolinian’s awareness of global injustices committed by the 1%. We will continue to Occupy Raleigh every night and day maintaining a healthy disregard for all made up rules and regulations, or other efforts made to limit our freedom of speech and expression.

Thank you very much to Mr. Steven Edelstein of Edelstein & Payne for representing me and to Mr. Scott Holmes for assisting with legal counsel. We greatly appreciate the help and hard work you guys have put in to protecting civil liberties and standing up for our rights.

The remaining 10/27/11 arrests to be tried return to court on May 8th and I will be there with them that day, please join us in solidarity at the Wake County Courthouse at 9am.

We will continue to Occupy The North Carolina State Capitol until…

WHOSE CAPITOL??? OUR CAPITOL!!!

- Katina

CAPITOL SIDEWALK RE-OCCUPIED: Demonstration for Economic Justice Resumes

Posted on April 14, 2012 by stacie

The First Amendment is Our Permit

On Sunday, April 15 at 11:00 am, members of Occupy Raleigh will march from their encampment at Edenton and West St. to the Old State Capitol Sidewalk at Fayetteville and Morgan St. to resume their continuous, peaceful demonstration for economic justice begun last Fall. Frustrated by stagnant wages, unemployment and underemployment, and an economic system that favors corporations and the rich, many will gather to hold signs, stage marches, and chant to passersby to raise awareness about economic injustice.

The event marks six months since a large rally on October 15th attracted nearly a thousand supporters to the Capitol, including Representative Brad Miller, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, and North Carolina Candidate for Governor Bill Faison. Members intend to re-open the sidewalk, where supporters demonstrated for forty-five consecutive days last Fall, as a permanent space for public engagement.

The New York Times reported Thursday that similar sidewalk demonstrations began earlier in April, and continue outside bank branches in New York City and the New York Stock Exchange.

By: Josh Harris

Contact:

411OccupyRaleigh@gmail.com

Why Choose to Get Arrested for Trespassing? Find out here.

Posted on April 13, 2012 by stacie

Which side are you on?

Wonder why you see so many empty homes around town? Statistically, some of those houses must be foreclosures (currently 822 active foreclosures in Wake County alone). The unethical and sometimes criminal practices of mortgage brokers and banks continue to reverberate through our communities.

On Monday, April 9, a coalition of local grassroots groups sought to bring attention to the rampant predatory loans and woefully inadequate loan modification efforts that have wrought havoc on our economy and housing market and resulted in millions of foreclosures (look below for a first-hand account of this act of civil disobedience).

For those who are not fully aware of the extent of the foreclosure crisis, let’s crunch some numbers. A recent International Monetary Fund report called nationwide foreclosure numbers “staggering,” with 2.5 million properties in foreclosure and another 1.5 million households delinquent. In total, nearly 8 million Americans have faced foreclosure since the housing bubble burst in late 2006, the IMF reported. To make matters worse, fewer than 1 million mortgages have been modified under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), far fewer than the goal of helping 3 to 4 million struggling families.

Molly Shannon of 'Save our Homes' talks with Nikki Shelton, who sought 'home defense' help to fight her foreclosure (April 9, 2012)

North Carolina currently has nearly 3,700 properties at some stage in the foreclosure process, a jump from 2,992 in February and 2,541 in January. Foreclosures lower the value of surrounding homes, reducing homeowners’ equity, meaning that your assets have diminished due to the foreclosure crisis even if you’ve never missed a payment.

It is not hard to find evidence of wrong doing by the large banks that started this latest financial crisis. In addition to robo-signing scandals and subsequent punitive actions (the most recent involving Morgan Stanley), news broke last week that Wells Fargo has been ordered to pay $3.1 million in punitive damages for what a Louisiana judge calls “highly reprehensible” behavior. Elizabeth Magner, a federal bankruptcy judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana who heard the Wells Fargo case, wrote:

Wells Fargo has taken advantage of borrowers who rely on it to accurately apply payments and calculate the amounts owed. But perhaps more disturbing is Wells Fargo’s refusal to voluntarily correct its errors. It prefers to rely on the ignorance of borrowers or their inability to fund a challenge to its demands, rather than voluntarily relinquish gains obtained through improper accounting methods.

It is also not hard to understand why the big banks have gotten just a slap on the wrist after wrecking the worldwide economy and throwing everyone (but themselves) into austerity. Corporations fund the campaigns of elected representatives, and those politicians are beholden to do corporate bidding. (There is an awakening in Raleigh led by a coalition of local groups who aim to restore fair elections, sign the petition here.)

The Home Defenders, taken shortly before the arrests

Pebble Meadow Lane Home Defense

Margaret Schucker, an Occupy Raleigh participant, was on the scene on Monday, April 9, 2012 for North Carolina’s first home defense action, which joined groups including Occupy Greensboro, Save our Homes, Occupy Raleigh, MortgageFraud NC, and Take Back the Land. Margaret was one of seven demonstrators arrested for refusing police orders to leave the front of the foreclosed home.

Margaret described the day as follows:

When I got to Pebble Meadow Lane, April 9 at about 10:30a, the street was closed to vehicular traffic, but I was allowed to park elsewhere and walk in on the sidewalk. There was already a police presence, which was maintained throughout the day; there were at least three police cars present at all times, plus a few men who looked like detectives. There was a man dressed in a suit and tie who we thought was a representative of the lender. A few people were walking around in bullet-proof vests. There was even a helicopter hovering over the site. People who know about such things told me that the helicopter was unmarked — so not a police or news helicopter. There has been speculation that it was a DHS helicopter.

Who do you Serve? Who do you Protect?

Just before our arrest, sixteen police officers marched down the street in tight military formation. The police approached the five of us who were sitting in front of the house and asked us to leave. When we refused, we were arrested and taken downtown. The rest of this occurred after I was arrested and loaded in the paddy wagon, but it shows up clearly in the video (see related videos here and here).

Eight SWAT (or SEU, Selective Enforcement Unit) members came from around the back of the house. Their arrival brought the total police presence to at least 30 police officers.

Show of Steely Might - M5 submachine guns to remove 2 peaceful protestors from the home. Credit: Shawn Rocco, N&O

The two people who were in the house were arrested by the SEU team, some of whom were carrying weapons later identified as M5 submachine guns. The protestors were given the choice to leave peacefully and be charged with second degree trespass (that’s what the rest of us were charged with) or with felony breaking and entering (plus the cost of the door if the police had to break it down to gain entry). They made the choice to comply and be arrested for the (much) lower trespass charge for many reasons – our point had already been made, there was no reason for them to have to defend themselves against a felony charge, and they might have been seriously hurt.

I was told that the police tried to prevent people who were standing on the neighbor’s lawn from videotaping or photographing the SEU, but video exists, thanks to our intrepid videographer.

My son and I did some rough extrapolations and we calculated that roughly 15% percent of the police shift was breaking up our peaceful demonstration. This is what a police state looks like.

-Margaret Schucker