Occupy demonstrators in Oakland shield themselves from an exploding teargas grenade.

Yesterday, Occupy Oakland moved to convert a vacant building into a community center to provide education, medical, and housing services for the 99%. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbag rounds and mass arrests. The state has compounded its policy of callous indifference with a ruthless display of violent repression. The Occupy movement will respond, as we have always reponded: with an overwhelming show of collective resistance. Today, we take to the streets. Across the country, we will demonstrate our resolve to overcome repression and continue to build a better world grounded in love and solidarity for one another. All eyes on all Occupies.

SOLIDARITY SUNDAY starts at 7 p.m. EST, Sunday, January 29. Check your local Occupation for convergence points.

Be there.

NEW YORK
Washington Square Park 7PM

BOSTON
Copley Square 7PM

PHILADELPHIA
Love Park 7PM

WASHINGTON D.C.
McPherson Square 7PM

CHICAGO
HQ – Jackson & LaSalle 7PM

LOS ANGELES
Macarthur Park 5PM PST

DALLAS, TX
JFK Memorial 6PM CT

PORTLAND, OR
Justice Center 4PM PST

TAMPA
Voice of Freedom Park 7PM

INDIANAPOLIS
Superbowl Village 6PM

Organizing initiatives are underway in

HOUSTON
PITTSBURGH
NEW HAVEN, CT
ALBANY, NY
BUFFALO, NY
BALTIMORE, MD
AMARILLO, TX

If your city would like to organize & join in this call to action, email directaction@nycga.net

Helicopter feed of police blocking Laney College off.

January 27, 2012

5:00 PM

Please join Occupy Museums this evening as we re-assemble inside the Museum of Modern Art. Two weeks have passed since our January 13th action, in which we stood in solidarity with Teamsters Local 814 Art Handler’s Union in its struggle to end the lockout of the union by the billion-dollar auction-house Sotheby's. In light of the numerous ties between MoMA and Sotheby's, we demanded that the museum call for an end to the lockout by its corporate affiliate.

As part of our action on the 13th, a banner was dropped in the second-floor atrium calling for an end to the lockout. The head of Security at MoMA coercively confiscated this now-historic banner. In a public letter sent to the museum one week ago, we called it a “unilateral acquisition” and stipulated that the museum accede to our conditions of publically calling for an end to the lockout to complete the acquisition. In turn, the museum called for us to retrieve the banner, stating that it was "left" on the premises, as if by accident. We know and they know that this is untrue; a rather disgraceful attempt to ignore an uneven acquisition policy, and the larger issues about concentrations of money and power in the art world we are raising.

The fact that public-money-receiving “non-profit” MoMA shares two board members with Sotheby’s— a speculative, for profit auction house whose business benefits greatly from the approval major museums give artist’s work— could possibly be purely coincidental.

It is not coincidental that Occupy Museums and the Teamsters local choose a Target Free Friday to re-claim their artwork.  As working artists and locked out union members—it is the only day, we can afford to enter the museum.  As it turns out, this free day was initiated not by the mega-retailer, but rather by pressure from a group of artists/activists called the Art Workers Coalition in the 1970’s. Their struggle then, and our shared struggle today is to put culture into the hands of the 99%- the artists, art lovers and workers who are largely invisible to the museum. 

Today we will present MoMA a second chance to stand up for the rights of Sotheby's art handlers- the workers behind the scenes of the glamorous 1% auctions.  We invite the museum directors and staff to join our assembly and respond to the conditions we have made public. This show of solidarity from a major institution will be an invaluable support as the 99% prepare to stand for equality and justice for all workers on May 1st and beyond. Expect Us.

-Occupy Museums

Approximately 35 people arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience, singing in courtroom: “Mr. Auctioneer, all the people here are asking you to stop all the sales right now.”

Brooklyn, NY — This afternoon approximately one hundred people peacefully and powerfully disrupted a foreclosure auction by bursting into song. At 3pm the foreclosure auctioneer attempted to start bidding on homes that had been foreclosed upon. When the bidding started, the courtroom burst into song:

“Mr. Auctioneer
All the people here
Are asking you to stop all the sales right now
We’re going to survive, but we don’t know how”

More video from inside the courtroom coming soon.

The National Lawyers Guild estimated that approximately 35 people were arrested. Those arrested continued to sing as they were handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.

In advance of the proceedings, Occupied Real Estate agents distributed brochures that profiled the properties up for auction with photos of protesters out front.

“If speculators want to bid on these listings they should know that they come with eviction defense activists from Occupy Wall Street,” said Danielle Moeser of Occupied Real Estate, a “realty agency” that lists properties available for occupation or in need of eviction defense.

Today’s action is part of a growing national movement committed to stopping foreclosures and keeping all Americans in their homes. Last month over 50 actions were carried out across the country, including foreclosure disruptions, eviction defense actions, and home reoccupations. Occupy Wall Street participants and other occupations across the country have been highly involved in these actions.

“We bailed out the big banks, and then they went on to foreclose on millions of families. That’s just heartless,” said Michael Premo, an organizer with Organizing for Occupation and Occupy Wall Street. “We’re committed to keeping homes occupied by people who need homes.”

For more information on action to stop foreclosures:
Organizing for Occupation
Occupy Homes

Defend Brooklyn homes from foreclosure today by stopping the auctions!

Date/Time Date(s) - Thu. Jan 26 2012 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Location Brooklyn Supreme Court 360 Adams Street Brooklyn, NY

1-2pm - Meet first at FUREE, 81 Willoughby Street, Room 701, Downtown Brooklyn

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