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We are the 99 percent

Students, Undocumented Youth Lead Global Movement for Education

Posted 12 years ago on June 7, 2012, 8:11 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Occupy Chicago marching with banner reading student strike to social strike
Chicago

Last night saw protests erupt around 130 cities across the world in during the second Casseroles Night in Canada. Protesters banged pots and pans in solidarity with the Quebec student movement and their on-going student strike, the longest in Canadian history, that is redefining what is possible for social movements in an age of austerity. The unlimited general strike (grève générale illimitée in French) continues to astound politicians and the media; the State's attempt to destroy the movement by declaring it illegal merely produced the largest act of civil disobedience ever in Canada and helped carry the spark of revolt across the globe.

Students, Occupiers, indignad@s, and social movements across the world have taken to the streets to show our support not only for our comrades in Quebec, but for a free, libertatory education system for all. We are rising up to resist a debt-based society and an economy built on exploitation. More than ever, our diverse and local movements are connecting in a massive network of global solidarity. And we are just getting started.

Occupy Oakland marching with Quebec
Oakland

Migrant Youth Occupy Obama Campaign HQ in Denver to Demand Education, Not Deportation!

The Campaign for an American Dream, a group of migrant students on a 3,000 mile trek from the Golden Gate Bridge to Washington, D.C. demanding the DREAM Act, stopped this week in Denver to occupy the Obama for America Campaign Headquarters at 77 W 9th Ave., Denver, CO. Around 5:30pm on June 5, protesters entered the campaign headquarters and stayed there over night, causing campaign staff to sleep with them inside, rather than risk a confrontation with the police. Some of the youth could face deportation if arrested. At least two protestors inside are in the middle of a hunger strike, urging President Obama to sign an executive order that will stop deporting persons that would qualify for protection under the DREAM Act. Hundreds more, including members of Occupy Denver, rallied outside the office. The occupation prevented campaigning-as-usual and forced the office to go on lock-down. (More info available via Occupy Denver)

UPDATE: via @OccupyDenver: Show your opposition to deportations of undocumented immigrants! Thur. June 7th @ 5 pm, Obama's campaign office 77 W. 9th Ave

Two young Latin@s sit back to back with arms locked inside the Obama campaign HQ

Oregon Students Hold Sit-In Against Tuition Increase

In response to the recent approval of a of 6.1% tuition increase at the University of Oregon, the Tuition is Too Damn High Coalition marched on Johnson Hall, chanting “no cuts, no fees, education must be free!” and demanding a meeting with school president, Robert Berdahl. Berdahl agreed to meet today (June 7) with a closed group of around a dozen students.

Oregon students fighting carry sounds and chant

Several dozen people hold signs inside UofO office

On June 11th, Occupiers in Portland and Eugene will also be demonstrating in solidarity with the Quebec students.

Occupiers in Chicago, New York, and More March Against Debt In Solidarité with Quebec

As Occupy Chicago led a noisy, but completely nonviolent, march in support of the infinite general strike in Quebec, Chicago Police turned out in huge numbers and pursued to march in a cat-and-mouse game through the city. Police tried to force students onto sidewalks before brutally attacking protesters around Michigan and Ohio streets. According to Occupy Chicago activists, women were dragged across the pavement and many others were struck with metal batons. 12 people, mostly core organizers who appear to have been targeted, were arrested.

One of the largest demos outside Quebec took place in Toronto, where around 2000 marched. Other demos were also held last night in Berlin, Frankfurt, San Francisco, Phoenix, Vancouver, Zagreb, and Seattle. Around 10 people were arrested at the march in New York.

students in Chicago holding a banner reading Squarely In the Red

Last Wednesday, May 30th, solidarity demos erupted during the first Casseroles Night in Canada in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Berlin, London and many other cities. Other cities in the U.S., including Washington, DC, Atlanta, Oakland, Denver, and Little Rock have also marched in solidarity.

Casseroles raised in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance
Paris

More resources on protests in Quebec and Canada:

31 Comments

31 Comments


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[-] 0 points by umfnyc (2) 12 years ago

We've got a piece that looks at some of the earlier pieces of the student movement in New York that emerged out of occupy. Check it out here:

https://umfnyc.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/umf-3-weve-found-love-in-a-hopeless-place-december-2011/

UMFNYC

[-] 0 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

what

I got to buy a red marker now

[-] 0 points by ShowRealHist (60) 12 years ago

“The public be suckered” is the status quo. http://homepage.mac.com/ttsmyf/RHandRD.html

Venal journalism panders. http://occupywallst.org/forum/condemn-venal-journalism-for-severely-fooling-the-/

Higher education panders. http://homepage.mac.com/ttsmyf/citaa.html

The younger you are, the more riled you should be. The recent debt/GDP jump is well above half of that for WW2. See here: http://homepage.mac.com/ttsmyf/debtGDP_whys.gif

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[-] 0 points by RealWorld2 (-114) 12 years ago

Sounds like ICE should've been there. Every nation is entitled to a border, ours too. It isn't new or complicated. We don't need any more people on our social services tit. Go home!

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

"Go home" would include Americans "going home" from occupied Mexico, no, gringo?

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[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

I'd love to see what midtown Manhattan would look like if all the "illegals" stayed home for one day. Panic.

[-] 0 points by RealWorld2 (-114) 12 years ago

Panic? Why? I'd love too see how much easier it would be to fund the schools and hospitals.

Face it, the country doesn't need any more 6th grade drops outs. We're a modern country that needs education and skills, not more toilet cleaning peasants.

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

Panic because of the work the illegals do. Start with who will bring the lunches to the desks? Who will prepare these lunches? Who will clean the offices?

http://www.workingimmigrants.com/2006/03/new_march_2006_report_from_the.html

Types of work done by illegal immigrants and other data from the Pew Hispanic Center

The Center released today a report which updates its findings from 2005. I have listed below some of the more interesting findings:

  1. The total undocumented population now is 11.5 – 12 million. The population continues to grow at 500,000 per year. There are in total about 37 million immigrants in the United States.

  2. The number of undocumented workers as of 3/05 was 7.2 million. (I extrapolate that to a March 2006 estimate of 7.6 million ) This is equal to about 5% of the American workforce.

  3. Some 55-60% of these undocumented workers are in formal employment and are paying social security taxes, which go into a Social Security suspense file when the Soc Sec # is unverifiable.

  4. About 3 million of the 7.2 million workers are in occupations in which undocumented workers account for at least 15% of total employment in that occupation. These include construction labor (25%), cooks (20%). Maids and housecleaners (22%), and grounds maintenance (25%). among roofers, 29% of the total workforce is estimated to be undocumented workers.

  5. One half of undocumented working men here are single. But a phenomenal 94% of undocumented men work compared to 83% for native Americans. Undocumented women participate much less than native women in the workforce (54% vs. 72%) This explains th image of a very large single male workforce as the tpyical undocumented immigrant.

[-] 0 points by RealWorld2 (-114) 12 years ago

Shocker: Government doesn't funtion on a show of hands as to how MANY people pay taxes, it's functions on how MUCH. And on that count, you lose. For the ones not completely cheating on taxes, actually taxes paid are peanuts. Smarten up.

Say this out loud and watch how people look at you like you're a mental patient: It's a national problem that we have too FEW uneducated unskilled people. LOL. We don't need any more drop outs. We need engineers, not toilet cleaners or valets. We're a modern country. Drop outs are already enough of a social problem.

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

Still when the office closes someone has to clean the toilet. Someone has to prepare and deliver those late suppers. And who the heck do you think picks the crops and milks the cows?

[-] -3 points by RealWorld2 (-114) 12 years ago

That makes no sense. Labor demand changes with price. It does. If the price went up, we'd make all sorts of changes to work out a new healthier equilibrium. And if toilet cleaning is stickier, valet parking isn't. The hours would simply come out of a substitute. Crops are the same thing. If farmers aid for the social damage of their labor, prices would rise and maybe we'd import more tomatoes. Imported tomatos don't drop anchor babies.

The country needs engineers, not drop outs. We're awash in unskilled labor and it hurts the country. Say no to imported social problems. It's spreading poverty, draining social services, and leading to social tensions with income distribution.

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[-] 1 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

I'm not the one telling people to go back to whence they came.

[-] 0 points by bears101 (-37) 12 years ago

you use the word gringo, that doesn't sound nice. and if someone comes into the U.S. illegally, saying go home is quit legitimate. Especially if they are demanding social benefits that even some U.S. citizens don't get.

[-] 0 points by 99oneofus99 (20) 12 years ago

Why would OWS complain about lack of jobs, yet support illegals who would be fighting for the same jobs?

[-] 0 points by aaronparr (597) 12 years ago

You probably won't find a satisfactory answer to your question because the question makes no sense.

[-] 1 points by justiceforzim (-17) 12 years ago

no sense indeed!!!! Like an occupier would lower him/her self to pick veggies and fruits!

[-] 1 points by aaronparr (597) 12 years ago

There is nothing demeaning in harvesting food. I am sorry that you feel that way.

[-] 1 points by justiceforzim (-17) 12 years ago

Oh, am afraid you misunderstood me. I don't find it demeaning in the least. But I guaran-ass-tee you the occupiers do!

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[-] -1 points by sufinaga (513) 12 years ago

radiation containment alert Indiana Michigan!

[-] -1 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

There is no doubt in my mind that the youth will continue to lead this revolution. They have the energy, and the intelligence, and they also have the most to lose if this ship isn't righted.

[-] 1 points by Bighead1883 (285) 12 years ago

This is certainly correct and as it should be.Solidarity.

[-] -2 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

Solidarity to you too my friend, and to all your great Aussie countrymen.

[-] -1 points by Bighead1883 (285) 12 years ago

Thank you Odin.Though continents apart we are side by side in this revolution of which it`s time has surely arrived.Change will not come easy,but as the movement grows so too does the aspirations of humanity.

[-] -2 points by treasure (-81) 12 years ago

It's great that OWS is finally talking about this, but I have to wonder why it waited 3 months and after Bill 78 was passed. It's as if OWS cared more about the problematic Bill 78 that infringes upon protesting rights, than about the original message of the protest. For 3 months, when we were in the streets, sometimes 200,000 marchers, marching for the stop in tuition increases, OWS was no where in sight.

The true heroes working for a better world are the student unions who started this, not OWS who just tagged along 3 months later because people were fighting against the cops.

As far as I'm concerned, OWS anarchists are using this to fuel the US vs The Cops rhetoric they have been working so hard to establish. In the article we read:

As Occupy Chicago led a noisy, but completely nonviolent, march in support of the infinite general strike in Quebec, Chicago Police turned out in huge numbers and pursued to march in a cat-and-mouse game through the city. Police tried to force students onto sidewalks before brutally attacking protesters around Michigan and Ohio streets.

The dream of OWS is to create a civil war between the people and the police. It's not to deal with issues such as the increase in tuition fees. OWS just wants an all out revolution. It does not believe in discussing issues with the government. Sad.

This is why OWS no longer concentrates on Wall Street and the economic problems of America. It's just about fighting the cops now.

Have you signed in to the disobedience school yet?

[-] 2 points by jph (2652) 12 years ago

You seem to be having a lot of difficulty keeping up with actual world events, is this why you just make up your own narrative that has little, if any, resemblance to reality? You are also projecting your dreams on others., that is a dangerous error.

[-] -1 points by treasure (-81) 12 years ago

My dreams?

[-] 1 points by sufinaga (513) 12 years ago

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AunAbr8k46twKGQ2f6.mgSjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120611043726AAvNbjq http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuZ0NSlgNPAqctpQyiTblMjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20120611075407AAgqiQA please read my answers as Rodney A! there is a civil war with the police! it is their doing! we want our democracy back. that is all we want. revolution to end this evil tyranny! obviously you are not on our side.

[-] 1 points by Bighead1883 (285) 12 years ago

How dare you say that the dream of OWS is to start a civil war between the people and the police.This is not the reality and never has been.The protest has always been peaceful by those participating.All the ugliness and provocation has come from the police yet the protesters remain peaceful and will no doubt continue to do so no matter how many agents provocateur are employed by the authorities.Your comment is weird to say the least.treasure.

[-] 0 points by stevebol (1269) from Milwaukee, WI 12 years ago

OWS chose an issue- the banks. They couldn't decide on a second issue so they got co-opted. OWS still is/was a unique phenomena and a good thing. Old socialists have a thing about minimum wage and I wish OWS had taken it on but they didn't want to. You have to let the young do their thing.

[-] 0 points by treasure (-81) 12 years ago

Your analysis might be correct. Last spring it was about the economy, this summer it's about how pride parades are corrupted by the 1% and how transgendered folks are not properly included in the LGTB community. The talk of the town is that next spring OWS will be about saving wolves and polar bears.

[-] 0 points by stevebol (1269) from Milwaukee, WI 12 years ago

LOL. OWS is doing Polar bears?

[-] 0 points by treasure (-81) 12 years ago

I was just projecting, but I wouldn't be surprised.