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We are the 99 percent

Occupy San Francisco Creates Social Center in Vacant Church Building

Posted 11 years ago on April 2, 2012, 4:59 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

the new sf commune
The re-birth of the SF Commune

In another sign of the Occupy movement's diversifying tactics and growing spring momentum, yesterday Occupy San Francisco liberated a vacant building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco and announced plans to establish a permanent occupation -- including a social center, shelter, and food bank -- on the site. The April 1st action began with a lively march from Union Square before arriving at the building just before 6pm. When they arrived, Occupiers who had already secured the building greeted the marchers with open doors.

The two-story building, located at 888 Turk St., soon filled with hundreds of exuberant Occupiers. Preliminary reports indicate that the Archdiocese has asked police not to take any action until the morning. However, the Occupiers are requesting help and numbers in case of any eviction attempt. If you are in the Bay Area and are able, please get down to the San Francisco Commune as soon as possible! Most recently (as of 1am Pacific time), police had surrounded the building with barricades to prevent supplies from getting inside. Occupiers have announced they will serve breakfast at 9am and are inviting everyone to join them! Update: #SFCommune marches today at noon & 5pm, leaving Civic Center for #888Turk .

Local media described the action as a ¨well-organized takeover.¨ Speaking to local press, a representative of Occupy SF stated, "There is no reason why any building should be vacant when people have no housing. We ask that the archdiocese do the right thing and allow these services in these buildings." In part directing their message at Church officials, Occupy SF hung a large banner quoting from the Bible: "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses."

The following is a press release from Occupy SF just before the building takeover:

On Sunday, April 1st, in solidarity with the Western Regional Advocacy Project’s “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” National Day of Action for the rights of the un-housed, Occupy SF working groups & affinity groups are liberating a vacant building and converting it into a social center, shelter and food bank for the people. We have already demonstrated, for 82 days, what is possible when a space is liberated and reclaimed. The encampments at 101 Market St and Justin Herman / B. Manning Plaza were successful experiments in non-hierarchical organizing where resources were shared in a gift economy and collective decisions made through consensus, while food, shelter and medical care were provided to the greater community.

This action on Sunday is not a temporary protest, but a permanent occupation intended to establish a social center. We will transform this vacant building into a productive and vibrant space, just as we did in the plaza occupation, and we wish others to take similar actions and more.

Wealth inequality is increasing, the environment is being destroyed, the police state and drug war are devastating our communities and social movements, while our foreign wars enrich the 1% at the expense of our troops and innocent civilians. In San Francisco alone, thousands sleep on the street while thousands of houses and apartments lay empty. From Chapel Hill to Seattle, from New York to Oakland, people are rising up to directly change the social and economic system by liberating vacant buildings and reclaiming them for the people.

We are taking this action to bring immediate relief and housing to homeless youth in our community, and to provide a space for assembling, sharing food and healing for all people.

osf fight back

18 Comments

18 Comments


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[-] 7 points by publicpowers (7) 11 years ago

Mayor Parker, in Houston, has put forth an ordinance that has banned the uncoordinated feeding of the homeless and plans to criminalize the charitable sharing of food.

"Food Not Bombs - Houston" has been sharing free healthy vegetarian food for about 18 years. However, if this amendment to the city’s codes passes home made food will be illegal. Unlicensed organizations will be illegal. Serving in public space that hasn’t been pre-approved will be illegal.

Bless you Occupy SF I can not go to help occupy but my heart is with you

[-] 4 points by AllOverIt (100) 11 years ago

We should have free, shared resources eco communities all over the country for any American that needs to use them. With organic gardens and farming, modest housing, clinics, shared kitchen, dining halls and laundry facilities, schools for kids, a small business center and etc. all built and run by the occupants. This existing government takes away the bootstraps that we need to take care of ourselves.

[-] 2 points by jrhirsch (4714) from Sun City, CA 11 years ago

So if Jesus returned and fed 5000 people fish and barley loaves in Houston, he would be arrested.

[-] 1 points by OccNoVi (415) 11 years ago

Meanwhile, you have to find The Guardian and read Aditya Chakrabortty to see what horrors the bankers are inflicting on ordinary people (to cover up their own excesses.) Goldman, Sachs bribery was critical to each part of this mess:

-- All that's missing is a grassy knoll or a wandering band of illuminati. There are, however, two crucial differences: these events are still unfolding – and they're more worrying than any who-killed-JFK fantasy I've ever heard.

-- Cast your mind back to the euro crisis talks last year, when the future of Greece was being decided. How much Athens should pay its bailiffs in the banks, on what terms, and the hardship that ordinary Greeks would have to endure as a result.

-- There were times when the whole of 2011 seemed to be one long European summit, when you heard more about Papandreou and Merkozy than was strictly necessary. Yet you probably didn't catch many references to Charles Dallara and Josef Ackermann. .....

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/02/bankers-decide-pay-mess-europe

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[-] 2 points by OccNoVi (415) 11 years ago

"Guns Not Food !!"

[-] 3 points by AllOverIt (100) 11 years ago

We need to do all over the country what the Occupiers are doing here; share land, share resources and food, give basic medical care - these are the basics of human life that should be our birthright.

[-] 2 points by blaurent (2) 11 years ago

There's something wrong with a Citicard ad before the livestream starts!

[-] 2 points by riethc (1149) 11 years ago

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

[-] 1 points by TruthSeekerCA (2) 11 years ago

Apparently on Monday the Occupy SF was evicted from the building and 80 people were arrested by the Police by the Archdiocese request. The building was planned to be rented to help offset the Sacred Heart Scholarship students for low income families. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/03/BARI1NTM3V.DTL

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[-] 2 points by riethc (1149) 11 years ago

"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace - business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.

They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs.

We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob." - Frankin Delano Roosevelt

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[-] 1 points by jimevanhoe1 (55) 11 years ago

To Solve A Problem is to know its beginnings, that means the failures of the System have to be corrected from the Top. In San Francisco, one has to know the entire Bay Area has had two failed leaders for decades: Feinstein and Pelosi. With them out and new energy in We the People can move forward. Without solving the problem from the Top the Head = Pelosi and Feinstein infect the Body, Our Society, Our Lives, Our Families with their failures. While Pelosi and Feinstein and their families live large, fat and are in tact. Need shelter, Need food, Need jobs, Need an education? Where has Feinstein and Pelosi been for the last 20 plus years.

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[-] 1 points by Khashayarmahmoudi (1) from Tehran, Tehran 11 years ago

IRAN annuanced that this church was empty in advance but the SFPD blocked the supplies to go inside the building . But I heard something from Aruz Sheva 7 ( the Israel National News ) that made me shocked ... it said the occupiers has attacked the fathers and the nuns .... having assaults with them .... Aruz Sheva 7 declared that the fathers and nuns are now in central hospital of SF .... I dont believe that ... is it true ??

[-] 1 points by epa1nter (4650) from Rutherford, NJ 11 years ago

It is absolutely untrue. The building was empty and going unused. That is why it was occupied. There was no clergy around at all, let alone any who could be attacked.

OWS is non-violent. It is based on principles of passive resistance and non-violent civil disobedience, much along the lines of Gandhi. Its people don't go around attacking Nuns and priests. Do you remember the demonstrations last year in Israel for better opportunities, lower food prices and rents? Occupy is very much along those same lines. In fact, the Israeli protests were your version of Occupy, weren't they? People slept in tents, there was inclusiveness of everyone, and there was no political party involved.

Aruz Sheva 7 lied to you.

[-] 1 points by Bighead1883 (285) 11 years ago

Google in Australian court,ACCC wins case over misleading Google links Posted April 03, 2012 16:37:03

PHOTO: Consumers who searched for companies were presented with ads that led to rival websites. (Reuters) RELATED STORY: Google wins against ACCC in advert case MAP: Australia The Federal Court has ruled Google breached the law by displaying misleading sponsored links at the top of its search results.

Consumers who used Google to search for Honda, Harvey World Travel, Alpha Dog Training and Just 4X4 Magazine were presented with ads that led to rival websites.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) appealed last year after a judge ruled Google's conduct had not been in breach of the Trade Practices Act.

Justice Antony Nicholas found that although a number of the advertisements were misleading or deceptive, Google had not made those representations.

But the full bench of the Federal Court has now overturned that decision, concluding the search engine's conduct did breach the law.

"The enquiry is made of Google and it is Google's response which is misleading," the full court said.

"Although the key words are selected by the advertiser, perhaps with input by Google, what is critical to the process is the triggering of the link by Google using its algorithms."

ACCC chairman Rod Sims says the case raises important issues on the role of search engines as publishers of paid content.

"Google's conduct involved the use by an advertiser of a competitor's name as a keyword triggering an advertisement for the advertiser with a matching headline," he said.

"As the full court said, this was likely to mislead or deceive a consumer searching for information on the competitor.

"This is an important outcome because it makes it clear that Google and other search engine providers which use similar technology to Google will be directly accountable for misleading or deceptive paid search results."

The court has ordered Google to pay the ACCC's costs and implement a compliance program.

Google says it is considering its options.

"We are disappointed by the Federal Court's decision that Google should be responsible for the content of four particular ads on its platform," Google said in a statement.

"Google AdWords is an ads hosting platform and we believe that advertisers should be responsible for the ads they create on the AdWords platform.

"We are currently reviewing our options in light of the court's decision."

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[-] 1 points by francismjenkins (3713) 11 years ago

It will be interesting to see how the church responds to this move.

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[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

Thanks Occupy SF....:)

Let's keep up the relatively positive press.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2012/04/02/MNP11NTE3K.DTL

[-] 1 points by OccNoVi (415) 11 years ago
  1. Make sure that your occupiers understand the underlying principles for nonviolence. You can find copies of "Nine Principles" on this web site as adapted from Gandhi and Dr. King.

  2. Defense! Pay close attention to infiltrators and provos. SF police can be expected to have undercover officers quietly in place to observe and report your activities.

-- www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.324978800889980.82051.324698400918020&type=1

Where violence erupts at Occupy events, assume provo sabotage to kick it off.

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