I've been operating under the persona of #OccupyViennaNow on Twitter for a while now, and though very little has been happening in Austria, I usually get plenty of news tweets from counterparts worldwide. So, I've decided to start this nice newsblast.
Nationwide: Occupy May Seem to be Receding, But Look Closer
For people who watch TV news or read newspapers, the Occupy movement might seem to be in hibernation.
Most of the encampments are gone, and diminished numbers take part in protests.
But there's a lot of ferment behind the scenes - at least at Occupy Wall Street.
Check the Occupy Wall Street website and you'll see at least 15 events every day: meetings by working groups on arts and culture, alternative banking, media, security. And there are actions. This week, it was anti-corporate.
"We're kind of going to occupy a Bank of America and turn it into a 'Food Bank of America,'" Occupy protester Luke Richardson said, describing an event on Wednesday.
Richardson stood behind a table with donated cans of food. Then, an hour later, 200 demonstrators braved the pouring cold rain and marched to the Bank of America headquarters, where they were stopped by police.
The following day, there were Occupy student debt rallies and marches by college students across the nation, including New York, protesting budget cuts and rising tuition.
Richardson describes these daily actions as pop-up occupations.
"We're going to different areas in the city and kind of just becoming a visible presence, letting people know we are still here and trying to get them interested again," said Richardson.
Full Story Here
In Culture: Artists of all kinds carry the torch for the Occupy movement
From composer Philip Glass to punk’s Joe Keithley, musicians have been on-side with Occupy, as have actors (Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon), filmmakers (Michael Moore, Paul Haggis) and other artists. But if Occupy feels so 2011, guess again: Creative types are among those keeping the spirit of the protest alive – including calls to action starting Friday.
Full Story Here
In California: "Occupy Education" Protests Held at College Campuses Statewide
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KTLA) -- "Occupy Education" protests were held at college campuses throughout the state on Thursday as part of a national day of action denouncing cuts in higher education.
The protests were a prelude to a a major "Occupy the Capitol" march and rally planned in Sacramento on Monday.
Marches, rallies, teach-ins and class cuts were scheduled at Cal State campuses in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Dominguez Hills and Fullerton. Similar events were planned at University of California campuses.
Full Story Here
In Elections: Anonymous joins forces with Occupy to declare war on lawmakers
Is one of the biggest digital rabble-rousers about to go legit?
Not quite, but Anonymous, the hacktivist collective that's been on a months-long rampage breaking into corporate and government networks, says it will partner with the Occupy movement to urge people to vote in the November elections.
The activist group today announced a new joint effort to hold politicians accountable to the people.
"Last year, many of our elected officials let us down by giving in to deep-pocketed lobbyists and passing laws meant to boost corporate profits at the expense of individual liberty," the groups said in an online flyer. "Our senators and representatives showed how little they cared about personal freedoms when they voted overwhelmingly to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)."
Full Story Here
Well, it looks like today has been a mixed bag for progress. Occupy has, unfortunately, been moving out of the public eye and towards the guerrilla activist form of organization. While I most certainly approve of guerrilla activism when one is faced with a lack of public attention, Occupy has the public eye right now and an immediate move to guerrilla activism is a good way to lose that eye. The most important thing right now is to drag media attention away from the constant arguments in Congress about the deficit and back to Occupy. Keeping media attention is keeping senatorial attention, which will remind them of their obligation to the people.
However, the formal alliance with Anonymous is certainly a good sign. The hacktivists will certainly add some formidable muscle to Occupy. After all, the threat of virtual assault will keep the Feds even more on their toes. Despite this, however, being involved with a powerful, decentralized terrorist group is certainly not the best move for Occupy to make. It takes away sympathy and makes us seem like we're the bad guys. It's unfortunate, really, but might be necessary for survival if the General Assemblies in the big cities decide to move to guerrilla action.
Anyway, it's nice to see that big-name personalities are supporting the Occupists (that's my term for it, hehe) in our aims. We need that support. As much as I'd like to say it, the common people can hardly carry out a peaceful revolution without support from some big guys. That education protest is also extremely good and important, getting that oh-so-important media coverage that we need. I only hope that there are more such things.
This has been your daily Occupy newblast.