Every day is a new day and with that, a new opportunity.
EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
|
Introduction by JPMassar:
In the wee hours of the morning of October 25th, 2011, the City of Oakland sent its police force thugs to beat and tear gas people sleeping in tents, violently removing Occupiers from Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland.
Later that morning the call went out for anyone and everyone to congregate at the Oakland Public Library at 4:00 PM to march and rally in protest. By early evening the crowd, which had grown to a thousand people or more, had marched from the Library to near the Plaza, blocked from entering it by hundreds of Oakland Police and out-of-town officers called in as emergency backup. The crowd ebbed and flowed along Broadway near the plaza, with one foray attempting to reach the Plaza being repulsed, then another.
Joshua Shepard and Scott Olsen
(before being shot)
Finally the crowd occupied the intersection of 14th & Broadway (just off the plaza) with Iraq Veterans Against the War holding down the front line. One, Joshua Shepard, was holding a flag and wearing his Navy uniform; next to him was Scott Olsen in a Marine vest. Neither carried anything resembling a weapon or a projectile.
Scott Olsen bleeding,
being carried out on stretcher
Amidst the noise and smoke, people suddenly noticed that Scott was down on the ground, bleeding. (Only months later did we learn that he had been struck by a beanbag round, not a tear gas cannister as most people thought at the time.) People rushed out to help him, gathered round him, and then an Oakland Police officer fired a flash bang grenade into the middle of the group. The group momentarily dispersed, came back to Scott, got him onto a stretcher and carried him out of the war zone. These actions were memorialized in some of the most famous photography and video footage taken in the context of the Occupy Movement.
Kossacks were both participating in and attentively following events as they unfolded in Oakland during those late October and early November days. When what had happened to Scott -- nearly killed by a projectile, having to have brain surgery, and finally slowly recovering -- sunk in, suggestions began pouring in to Sara R to make one of her famous quilts for Mr. Olsen.
On the 12th of November Sara R published a diary requesting donations to support the making of the quilt and asking for messages to Scott which would become part of its fabric.
The quilt was made by mid winter. It was shipped down to navajo in the Bay Area by Sara R, and I was charged with contacting Scott to arrange a meetup. But, unassuming person that Scott is, it was not until a week ago that I was finally able to get him to name a time (Thursday, August 23rd), a place (his house) and an event (his cooking us dinner) where we could bequeath him his quilt. navajo, allie123 (who was deeply involved in the events of October 25th (C.f. Kossacks Have Another Hero Amongst Them), and I were to go, but Alyssa was unable to make it. I picked navajo up at the Ashby BART, and off we went to Scott's house.
navajo will take it from here...
We arrive to find Scott making us fish tacos. He says he loves to cook. It was delicious, I was very impressed.
During dinner, I ask him how he is now and if he still struggles with any residual brain trauma.
He said the projectile injured the part of his brain that controls speech and he still struggles forming words and sentences. He was speaking very well but with just a bit of pausing and sometimes he mixed up some syllables but corrected them. He has trouble sleeping and has occasional headaches. He described the long weeks in speech rehab where he had to learn how to talk again.
Scott opens the gift wrap and finds the hand written card from Sara R and her sister winglion:
He's very touched by the contents of the gift box:
Scott can't believe all the handwritten messages:
He is wrapped in YOUR community quilt:
You can see all the photos in a slide show here. I took photos of each quilt message, so if you commissioned one you can see a photo of it at the links above.
Here are two as examples:
It was a pleasure and an honor to deliver the
Daily Kos Community Quilt to Scott Olsen.
~~~
JPMassar's SCOTT OLSEN DIARIES IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
Here are thirteen diaries that concern Scott Olsen and events he participated in subsequent to his being wounded on October 25th, from his first appearance at Oscar Grant Plaza after leaving the hospital to his latest foray just a week ago to Occupy the Obama campaign office in downtown Oakland in support of Bradley Manning.
• Scott Olsen & the Iraq Vets Against the War Stage Sit-in For Bradley Manning At Obama Office in Oakland
• Now We Know (Officially) Scott Olsen Was Shot by OPD, in "An Overwhelming Military-Style Response."
• Now We Know Who Beat Kayvan Sabeghi Almost to Death.
• Now We Know What Scott Olsen Was Shot With.
• Do We Finally Know Who Tossed the Flash-Bang Grenade At Scott Olsen and His Rescuers?
• Scott Olsen: "I Don't Think Mayor Quan Has The Guts To Face Me."
• Heroic Occupiers Close BoA, Hold Off Police for 10 Hours.
• Mayor Quan to Scott Olsen: Justice Can Wait.
• It Was... Glorious. With Shutdown Updates.
• Occupy It All: Military Vets Will March with Scott Olsen to Shut Down the Ports.
• Scott Olsen will Stand Tall in Support of the West Coast Port Shutdown on 12/12.
• Scott Olsen Returns.
• Occupy Oakland. Kent State. A Few Millimeters Difference. 40 Years Apart.
TODAY'S COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FEATURE:
What's on your agenda today? Do you have recreation planned?
Or are you working, like me?
|
~~~
|
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the Fold
COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES:
Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meat-space community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
~
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
:: New Regions Organizing! ::
These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks
Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks
Organizers:
Clytemnestra (Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island)
Common Sense Mainer (Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont)
• Houston Area Kossacks
Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India
Organizer: chandu
~~~
ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005, More than 80 members
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011, More than 54 members
• New York City Founded by Eddie C, More than 58 members
• Baja Arizona Kossacks Founded by buddabelly, Formed: Feb. 13. 2011, 90 members
• Nashville KosKats Founded by ZenTrainer, Formed: Jan 30, 2012, 28 members
:: Current Diaries in Planning Mode ::
•
Baltimore area kossack meetup suggestion by
sreeizzle2012
• Colorado Kossack Meetup by ColoTim
~~~
:: Events Currently on the Books for ALL Kossacks ::
ATTENTION!
IMPORTANT BUMP TO THE TOP!
SteelerGrrl has a Charlotte DNC roll call diary up for anyone going to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC starting September 2nd.
Send SteelerGrrl a kosmail to connect.
KOSSACKS REPRESENT!
~~~
Saturday, September 8th
Hawk Talk and Banding Demonstration by lineatus in the Marin Headlands!
TIME: Noon for Hawk Talk, 1:00 PM for banding talk with one of the recently banded birds and release it to continue its migration. After that watch the migration from the platform for a while if it's nice, and then head down for a walk around the valley for a few hours. TIME YET TO BE DETERMINED: Meet at the Presidio Yacht Club at Fort Baker in Sausalito for food and drink.
LOCATION: Hawk Hill, map, part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. More about the Docent Programs and What to Wear.
HOST: lineatus
RSVPs:
1. lineatus
2. navajo
3. side pocket
4. kimoconnor
5. Sally Cat
6. Mr. Cat
7. Dharmasyd (Maybe)
8. Ebby
9. Bustergirl (Maybe)
10. dsb
11. Glen the Plumber
12. remembrance
13. The Little One
14. boatsie
~~~
Saturday, September 15th
Central Valley Kossacks Lunch!
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Ket Mo Ree Thai Restaurant & Bar
238 G St.
Davis, CA
530-759-2255
HOST: tgypsy
RSVPs So Far:
1. tgypsy
2. cooper888
3. gotmooned (Mr cooper888)
4. SallyCat
5. Mr. Cat
6. mrsgoo
7. Kestrel - tentative (Maybe)
Latest diary about this event: Central Valley Kossacks: Let's Meet Up
~~~
DailyKos readers who live and/or work in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
Saturday, September 15th
New England Kossak Meet Up!
TIME: Noon - 3pm
LOCATION: Bangkok Cafe
369 Central Street
Foxborough, MA 02035
508-543-THAI (8424)
map
HOST: Clytemnestra
Affirmative RSVPs thus far:
1. Clytemnestra
2. Rick DeVille (husband of SadieSue)
3. SadieSue (they will be coming from Western Mass willing to carpool)
4. GreyHawk
5. Hawkwife
6. thankgodforairamerica (coming from central, CT willing to carpool)
7. 8. 9. Moody Loner, mommyp00ka, and the Little
10. jarbyus
11. bjedward
12. msdobie
Maybes:
litho
paulitics
brillig
northerntier (will be coming from central VT, willing to carpool. )
The Poet Deploreate (will be coming from the North Shore, willing to carpool.)
Common Sense Mainer
Phil S 33
Samantha Clemens (progressive radio talk show host)
rougegorge
annieli
TrueBlueMajority
Latest diary about this event, including activities to do in the area.
~~~
Saturday, October 13th
Cheers & Jeers Meet-Up
TIME: 1:00 - 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Margaritas Mexican Restaurant
775 Lafayette Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
HOSTS: Common Sense Mainer and Bill in Portland Maine
Send Common Sense Mainer a Kosmail to RSVP.
EVERYONE is welcome!
~~~
Friday, October 19th
SFKossack Red Carpet Rollout for Dave in Northridge
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Yank Sing
Rincon Center
101 Spear St.
San Francisco
Send navajo a Kosmail to RSVP.
RSVP LIST:
1. Dave in Northridge
2. navajo
3. Lorikeet
4. Steveningen
5. jpmassar
6. kimoconnor
7. norm (Maybe)
8. MrNavajo
9. remembrance
10. Glen the Plumber
11. Dharmasyd
12. boatsie
Send
navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
This diary is an example of what SFKossacks do year-round to build our community.
Personal bonds are strengthened and more are feeling comfortable
creating events on their own.
SFKossacks has been organizing since 2005.
~~~
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?