OWS Updates for the Week of February 6th

“The Occupy Wall Street movement may have faded from the headlines in the aftermath of the eviction of Zuccotti Park more than a year ago, but the issues that originally sparked it and the activism it inspired remain very much alive.”

This was the opening to a blog post called Who Were the 99 Percent? from co-authors of the recent study Changing The Subject: A Bottom-Up Account of Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

Regrettably, as reported by Allison Kilkenny in the Nation, many in the media have twisted the study’s findings regarding the makeup of OWS by dismissing the movement in an entirely new and spurious way: “this was a damned if they do, damned if they don’t moment for Occupy--they’re either poor, dirty hippies or the sons and daughters of the wealthy elite, but never, ever Americans exercising their First Amendment rights”.

Fortunately, we don’t need outside justification to know that ‘We Are the 99%’, and as the study depicts, nothing will extinguish the flame compelling us to speak out and inspiring us to act.

-- from the ‘Your Inbox: Occupied’ team

Occupy in the News

In other news, Stacia Georgi at Brooklyn Ink wrote quite the positive story about the People’s Recovery Summit held this past weekend. Check out occupier and photo-journalist Jenna Pope’s album of the summit for the play by play.

Stopmotionsolo.tv provides comprehensive coverage of the recent Citizens United wedding, including a brief history of the ruling and a discussion of his concerns about pushing for a constitutional amendment.

Professor Marcuse discusses options in responding to disasters like Sandy, including the wryly titled “Banker’s Socialism”--the “deprivatization of disaster response”--the Private Market Approach and the Equity Approach, which is “using public assistance to ameliorate the damage caused by disaster.”

Featured Occu-Project: Flip the Debt

Check out how Occupy Unveils a New Debt Clock that Shows How Much the 1% Owe Us.

This campaign to ‘Flip the Debt’ aims to "flip the debate" over the national debt by shifting the focus to the global corporations and super wealthy actually responsible.

Your blood will boil as you watch the numbers tick up on their ingenious online 'Debt Clock' calculating the amount of taxes dodged by corporations every second. Moreover, each tick is reminder to the 1% that “It's time that you paid your damn taxes!”

Occupy These Actions & Events

Saturday, February 9th, 7-9pm
Discussion: Energy Extraction and the Keystone XL Pipeline
Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street
Leading mainstream scientist James Hansen has said if the Keystone XL pipeline proceeds it is “essentially game over for the climate.” Join us for a panel discussion about the Keystone XL pipeline and related energy extraction issues. We will skype in with activists down in Texas and Oklahoma, talk to an organizer who has been working at the Canadian Tar Sands oil extraction sight and with NYC Spectra Pipeline organizers. All proceeds from the night will go directly to the campaign to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. With a continued fundraiser after-party in Brooklyn. Featuring Gay Panic and Glittered and Mauled.

Saturday, February 9th, 4:30PM - 6:30PM
Strategic research workshop
Organization of Staff Analysts, 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 707
Join members of NYC Radical Reference for the second in a series of strategic research workshops sponsored by the OWS Labor Outreach Committee. The workshops are open to all. In this event, we will explore what’s behind the legislation and policies that affect our lives as workers, as activists, and as citizens. We will see how to get the goods on candidates, lobbying, and political activity.

Sunday, February 10th, 1:00-4:00pm
Occupy the Subways
57th and 7th Avenue F Train Subway
In support of the workers at Golden Farm Market in Kensington Brooklyn, we will be Occupying the Subways beginning at 1pm and meeting the Boycott/Picket of Golden Farm at 2pm and staying there until 4pm.

Monday, February 11th, 6:30pm
Movement Mondays
Two Moon Art House and Cafe, 315 4th Avenue, Brooklyn
There are so many people and groups in the Occupy Wall Street ecosystem that are doing fantastic work. We learn about many of these projects as they’re happening or the day after. Let’s find out WHO is doing WHAT actions and events — well ahead of time! We can also serve as a focused incubation chamber for NEW ideas, strategize for the long term, and reflect upon our successes and failures so we can keep building and growing.

Thursday, February 14th, 8:30am-5:30pm
Justice for Dennis Flores - Rally at the Court
Brooklyn Criminal Court, 120 Schermerhorn Street
Dennis is a long-standing member of Occupy Sunset Park, as well as community organizer. Dennis Flores was arrested for defending one of the Rent Strikers against an attack by the slumlord’s hired goon. Hard to believe, but he’s actually being taken to trial on utterly ridiculous charges. Show brother Dennis your support! Turn out for a rally the morning of his trial!

Thursday, February 14th, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Valentines Day Message to Megabanks: Time to Break Up
NY Public Library, 42nd st. and 5th ave.
Join us to give HSBC, Bank of America and other megabanks Valentine’s Day Break Up Cards. Rally to call for a break up of the megabanks who are Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail and simply Too Big.

Saturday, February 16th, 6:30p.m-11:00p.m
Hot & Crusty Workers Victory Party
Brecht Forum, 451 West Street
The Hot and Crusty Workers Association invites you to a celebration with food, drink. dancing, live music and great conversation. Bring friends, coworkers, classmates. A voluntary $10 donation is suggested. For more information, call Rosanna at 347-652-5724 or Sándor at 917-520-5368

Saturday, February 16th, 7:00pm-10:00pm
Sandy Storyline Fundraiser
Cafe Dancer 96 Orchard Street, New York NY (b/w Broome & Delancey)
Join us for a party and benefit to help raise funds for Sandy Storyline, a participatory documentary project about Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, told through the experiences of community members and volunteers. We are raising money to help support Sandy Storyline's projects, providing media education, community exhibitions and storytelling events for residents in Hurricane Sandy affected areas.

Sunday, February 17th, Noon Rally in DC. Buses Leave NYC at 7am.
Forward on Climate Rally
The National Mall, DC - to the White House
Join Occupy Sandy, Occupy the Pipeline, YANA, Rockaway residents and groups from around country for the largest climate rally in the nation's capital. In November, we came together in New York and New Jersey to provide disaster relief. Now we come together to call for real action on Climate Change. The very first step is for President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Sign up here for a bus ticket (reduced fairs and scholarships available). http://f17nycbusbrigade.wordpress.com

Friday February 22nd, 17:30-21:00
Tidal 4 Release
20 Cooper Square
Tidal 4 is being released this Friday evening. Come and pick up your own free copy! It will include original, commissioned contributions from many organizers of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Sandy and Strike Debt, Collective pieces from the Tidal Team and friends and a Student Movement piece from Free University folks.

Saturday, March 1st and Sunday March 2nd, 12-6pm
Occupy Data Hackathon
Cuny Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue
Data mining and visualization for the 99%. At the event, we’d like to focus on a few new data sets/projects. Occupy Sandy and Aaron Swartz’s work has come up, and generated a lot of interest. Any ideas, data resources you may know of or questions, please let us know: Occupy Data listserve or info@occupydata.nyc.

Sunday, March 10th, 2pm
Unorganized Workers Assembly
Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
Join the Occupy Your Workplace group for a discussion of strategy and tactics of workplace organizing. We'll have several folks present who have experience as workplace "salts" - workers who get jobs with the aim of organizing. Workers who are curious about organizing, experienced organizers and activists, union members, and all other workers and non workers welcome.