Sunday, June 3: NYC Solidarity Summer Coordinating Meeting
Posted 12 years ago on June 2, 2012, 1:31 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
City-wide Coordinating Meeting for Solidarity with the Quebec Student Strike and Escalating Our Struggles
TIME: Sunday, June 3rd 6pm
LOCATION: 16 Beaver St., NYC
Every night for over a week, Occupy Wall Street activists have taken to the streets of New York to march for affordable education and against police repression, in solidarity with the massive, ongoing student uprising taking place in Quebec and now spreading across the world. As protesters have in Argentina, in Chile, in Spain and now in Canada, we bang pots and pans as we march — a practice called casseroles or caceroladas.
Now, we are calling for a SOLIDARITY SUMMER based on a diversity of tactics, a variety of actions, and a broad range of participants.
Quebec students are currently waging the biggest student strike in recent history, an unlimited general strike that has galvanized massive popular support. The provincial government seeks to destroy the movement and the students’ unions and associations through increased police repression. On Friday, May 18th, an emergency law (Law 78) was passed aimed at criminalizing their growing movement. But the movement shows no signs of faltering.
Students at CUNY as well as other schools are facing severe tuition hikes, budget cuts, police repression and surveillance on our campuses, and crippling student debt. We have common cause with our sisters and brothers in Quebec and seek to unite our struggles.
We are calling this meeting to discuss how to coordinate and escalate our movements, how to involve greater numbers of students and supporters in our movement, how to be in effective solidarity with Quebec’s students and how to organize against police repression everywhere. Please bring your ideas about increasing visibility, participation, and sustainability of this movement.
For tuition-free, quality public education for all
For the abolition of student debt
For universities run by students, faculty, and staff in accordance with our needs and desires
For the right to assembly, demonstration, and dissent without repression.
Long live the unlimited student strike!
NYC students have faced rising student debt for far too long. The strike in Quebec symbolizes a struggle for a system that provides everyone equal opportunity to achieve their full potential. Debt is slavery and education is the liberation that will help us win all our struggles. It is time to bring Quebec's infinite strike to the United States, starting in NYC.
We have created a Facebook page and Twitter to help us organize actions around NYC infinite strike Quebec solidarity marches, please like, follow, and share:
Tonight and every night, infinite student strike! Solidarity with students in Quebec and around the world. It is time to end debt. Washington Square Park at 8PM:
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/JDGC75
Twitter: http://bit.ly/ML0cM7
For those whom came to the march last week, I hope you guys had fun at our first Casseroles Night. The next one is on Wednesday, June 6th at 8PM, in Washington Square Park. Here is the link for the next Casseroles Night:
http://on.fb.me/M2h6qA
What makes this Casseroles Night any different? It will be bigger, louder, and rowdier. We will take more streets, we will back down in less confrontations, and we will produce the needed momentum for an American fight over student debt in the Fall. During this Casseroles Night we are trying to shift thinking about solidarity with the Quebec student strike and look at how a strike could be used to benefit students in NYC.
If you want to help outreach this event, please download and distribute this flyer: http://scr.bi/KLuCyJ
The same kind of thinking that got us in this mess is the same thinking that will cause our continued failure.
We never get anywhere in this country because we think too small when our problem are huge. Until we address the real problems we can forget about education, healthcare, greed, corruption and everything else that's wrong with this country.
FIGHT THE CAUSE - NOT THE SYMPTOM
U.S. Citizens Read “Common Sense 3.1” at ( http://revolution2.osixs.org )
Non U.S. Citizens Read “Common Sense 3.2” at ( http://SaveTheWorldNow.osixs.org )
An excellent video sharing the non violent approach to rid ourselves of the excesses of the plutocratic 1%.Solidarity.
Election Tuesday June 5th
recall Walker
Maybe free college education, broadly speaking, will be difficult to achieve, but free "public" college education is certainly realistic and achievable. However, public university systems in the United States need to be expanded to handle the capacity (as it stands now, systems like CUNY are over capacity, at least their undergraduate programs, and I'm sure many other cities and states are experiencing the same problem).
Frankly, I think the automatic presumption that parents (who's income is over a certain amount) will pay for their kids education, is problematic. These days, people can barely stay above water (in terms of paying their bills, mortgage, rent, food, transportation costs, etc.). So Pell Grants should be both increased & given to everyone (regardless of parents income), and it should be enough to cover tuition at a state university (and again, I can't emphasize this enough, our state universities should have adequate capacity to meet demand).
This is not too much to ask. Then we should go back, and forgive at least a portion of outstanding student loans. Obama did a good thing by limiting payments to I think 10% of discretionary income, and providing a mechanism to forgive loans after 20 years of making payments. Not adequate, but it was the best he could do unilaterally (without congress). So we need to pressure our law makers to step up to the plate, and provide for universal access to higher education, particularly given how technological the world has become (and how much more technological it will become in the future).
However, I will say this (which may tick off some, but such is life), we should not be paying for a bullshit education. No one should be given the distinction of a bachelors degree without some physics, calculus, at least one life science (for science majors, not bullshit like earth science) and computer science course. Even if your major is English, theater, music, philosophy, anthropology, etc., in today's world, everyone needs scientific acumen (oh yeah, added benefit, creationists won't be able to fool college graduates with their pseudo-gibberish :)).
People have different abilities and learning styles. Best not to demand that everyone conform to one standard or model of education. Yes, some science for everyone is a goal. But maybe some people, English majors, could take a course in nutrition or an intro anatomy course-- both courses with solid scientific information... Anyway, all for free public higher education.
An education should always leave an individual equipped to deal with the real world while they pursue their dreams.
Indeed, I'd even say everyone could benefit from a pre-med minor, but that's probably asking a bit too much. After calculus I, math becomes difficult (anyone who's taken calculus II and beyond, knows what I'm talking about), and it's just not for everyone. Also, once you get beyond basic biology and chemistry, and start hitting courses like organic chemistry, it also becomes pretty difficult (and the same for computer science and physics beyond the introductory level).
But someone who holds a bachelors degree and cannot define simple terms like kinematics or covalent bond or derivative or cosine, I mean, WTF?
Nothing wrong with taking at least 1st responders training in case of emergency. This stuff should begin in grade school and be expanded upon in progressive years. Stimulate awareness invite exploration cater to interests and talents but do not fail practical skills and knowledge. This is a highly technical world and is becoming more so with every passing day. We need to also teach how to learn and then how to apply knowledge. I have met some pretty book smart people who could not apply a band-aid let alone their knowledge.
I had the benefit of medical training while in the military, and yes I agree, not a bad thing to know (and people should probably also have basic survival skills).
I was fortunate to grow up with people who knew how to get along in the wilderness. I have had many teachers and have taken many 1st aid courses the last being a 1st responders course when I worked at CDC.
It is a good experience even if you never have to use the training as it gets you to consider possibilities. This I feel is part of growing to be aware.
I am sure there are many differing paths to becoming aware but things that make you stop and consider are essential.
Good Night.
Well said DK, Good Night, or good morning.
Good morning Odin.
Have a good day DK.
You as well.
I was a boyscout too!
Boy scouts are not only fun, they are useful!
I was also fortunate in that I was a scout and we had an active troop. The scouts can teach many good social skills as well as outdoors skills.
True. I remember having lots of fun learning how to tie knots. It's actually a great workout for the brain, like solving logic puzzles. We even went camping during winter and had to make our own tents from pine tree branches. Imagine, 20 kids sleeping outside in the Canadian winter without any gear except our knives and ropes. Our parents were scared, but they trusted our leader. Great times. I think I still have my shirt somewhere in the house. I feel like looking for it now.
I tell you, OWS Camps might have lasted longer had all OWS protesters been scouts in their youth!
Yet, ironically, even those who do know about covalent bonds and cosines have watched more Jerry Springer episodes than they have listened to music pieces by John Cage or George Antheil, two of Americas most important composers.
Your view of the problem is myopic at best. You seem to believe the problem is a lack of knowledge when in truth it's the lack of knowing how to properly process acquired knowledge.
We live in a time when knowledge is easily acquired. If I need to know what a cosine is, I can look it up in a library or on the Internet. Knowledge is easily accessible via an iPhone from anywhere in the world. If I get bite by a snake, I can look up what to do on the spot even if I'm in the middle of the Amazon.
What is missing is not knowledge, but critical thinking skills. You get these skills by studying philosophy and the arts, not by doing a minor in medicine.
There was a time when thinkers were respected, and only they had a chance to publish. Nowadays, things are more democratic and anyone can easily publish whatever they want. This is a major problem. The democratization of publishing possibilities is wonderful, but there is a responsibility that comes with this. People with private blogs should take the act of publishing much more seriously. They should do proper research. It's not because you have free speech that you should say everything that comes to your mind.
When you live in a country that gives as much credence to Alex Jones than Noam Chomsky, you have a problem. When you live in a country in which most citizens cannot distinguish between fact and fiction, between conspiracy theories and science, you have a problem. The fact that Creationism and Intelligent Design have had so much press in the last 20 years is a major problem. The fact that some people still believe Global Warming is a conspiracy theory even though hard science proves it to be real is a major problem. The fact that most users on this site get their news from Facebook, or this very website, instead of proper journalism outlets is a major problem.
No, the fact that someone with a bachelors degree might not know a cosine is the least of our concerns. When he needs to know, he will be able to if he knows how to look for information, and how to process information.
I don't blame Hollywood because most Americans rather watch America Pie 5 than David Lynch, Woody Allen, or a Fellini movie. And, I don't blame TV because people rather watch Jerry Springer reruns than an Opera by Verdi. Maybe 20 years ago, but nowadays anyone can download anything they want and watch it. With the Internet, you can live in a remote area like a tiny island near India and still have access to a film by Pasolini.
The problem is lack of critical thinking, not access to knowledge.
Fair points, but theologians study philosophy, and yet, they're still trying to sell us silly myths from our primitive past (so philosophy isn't all its cracked up to be, although you would think training in logic would make one more, well, logical) :)
But chemistry and physics is all about solving problems, versus memorization (and this does a good job of building critical thinking skills). But anyway, you may be able to look up a definition for cosine, but unless you learned trigonometry, you won't really understand what it means.
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Thinking is indeed the problem, the way we think about money for instance, as if using money as we wish, or even processing money somehow represents freedom. When of course freedom is a strong, compassionate effective and responsive government as much as it is about being able to buy car elevators with job creation money you saved on your taxes.
Tr@shy : Your vacuous, pompous and fatuous warblings on the matter of culture, clearly display all the narcissistic and self-agrandising traits of someone so full of himself as to be ignorant of the fact that he is wearing his own (x) as a hat !!!
nosce te ipsum ...
My lord! You really give this Thrasy character a lot of attention. You have him all over the best comments! You know what they say, obsession and hate are very close to love.
BTW - I used the forum's search function and could not find any postings under the name Thrasy. Are you sure you got it right?
trashy where did you come up with thrasy?
Old Man Dan the GeriTroll!
Since I signed up today I've been confused with a guy named Thrasy, trashy, trasy, thrassy, or some other variation. I looked them all up and none came up on the forum search.
I don't know, but that character seems like some kind of God on this forum. Almost all the Best Comments are about him. Strange, I thought OWS had no leaders.
No not a God just a determined pain in the ass. Kind of the forum hemorrhoid if you will.
Old Man Dan the GeriTroll!
My name is Bo Hamel. I just arrived on this site today. In another thread, you called me a shit head and a cunt because I pointed out that a website you linked to is a conspiracy theory hub. Now you are stalking me? WTF? You seem like an overly sensitive person. I hope you don't represent the people on this site. It's the first time I come to a forum and get called a shit head, a cunt, and get stalked after only a few posts. Man, I wanted to get informed about OWS, but IDK anymore.
I'm not sure who is being pompous. You're insulting me for no reason, and using lame latin phrases. WTF? I say relax and lay down with the conspiracy theories. They seem to be destroying your brain.
As my father used to say - "Congo conga wit da bongo bonga"
give it a fucking break
You think it's OK to call a new user foul names? How does that help get people interested in this website? Read the other thread. This user shadz66 was horribly offensive to me, and to women in general (he uses insults like cunt). Now he is stalking me.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/war-with-iran/#comment-752870
Bullying new users seems to be a psychological tactic used to discourage potential occupiers. You see, all peoples' thoughts are correlated with a mix of dominate emotions. Most occupiers will have a mix of empathy, compassion, etc. Those "Good" feelings that lead to a desire for equality. Most of the young men trolling this website will have a different mix. They feel the need to dominate, to control, to kill, and to win. They are controlled by anger, envy, hate, etc. They are threatened by their fellow man because of their own threatening nature. The game is to cause these feelings in you. If you ignore the trolls, the anger builds up in you. When you engage the trolls in a flame war, you are thinking with your anger. Whether you get the last word or not, they have successfully changed your way of thinking, and you will gradually lose interest in this movement. This I believe, is what happened to me. Therefore i will not reply to any comments on this post, or even return to read them. Never forget, that all people deserve love.
5/2/2012 ~ I dig that tactic ~ "As protesters have in Argentina, in Chile, in Spain and now in Canada, we bang pots and pans as we march — a practice called casseroles or caceroladas."
Greetings all our Brothers and Sisters! Considering all the #OWS Protestors I am surprised there are not more comments here now. Maybe others are out there doing the deal, not inside sitting on their but like I am now. It is a warm day here in Sacramento.
I think it is good to do local Political Education Classes too (for lack of a better term). At the same time, we always need to be conscious of our local situation and our survival needs.
Occupy Sacramento now is kind of dormant. At least as far as I know. I am about a half block from Cesar Chavez Plaza where we had an #Occupy location for awhile, before the pigs disallowed folks from camping out and stuff.
Then what is to be expected with a leaderless organization. I will see what I can stir up in the soup. I am interested in building up a local political party and am doing some other little things.
I am not #Anonymous, though love the radical group or matrix called anonymous. We need to function aboveground and put a face to our names.
Power to the Protestors! Power to Occupy Wall Street! Peter S. Lopez AKA @Peta_de_Aztlan Sacramento, California c/s.
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But if you don't block traffic like the student protesters in Montreal and repeatedly shut down the cities you will not get anyone to the negotiating table. If you do not block the economy from functioning you will simply be ignored just as you are now.
Some Guidelines For Non-violent Civil Disobedient Traffic Blocking.
Never plan where and at what time you will do an action. Create groups of ten to twenty or more activists and have each group elect a coordinator who will pick a time and location for an action and only announce the action moments before it occurs. While waiting for the coordinator to declare an action the group can choose a flash mob approach and receive a text of the time and location allowing the group to disperse locally before the action or the group can just picket on the side walk with the coordinator before the action is called. This approach prevents undercover police from knowing exactly where and when the action will take place. Once the action begins it will also take time for the police to arrive and get organized for the arrests allowing for the greatest impact on the traffic. The more time your are sitting on the pavement the more the traffic will be snarled.
Do not lock arms or go limp when the police begin the arrests. When police reach down to make the physical arrest give them your arms and let them help you up and walk with them to the paddy wagon. This approach allows less injuries to occur to the activists and the police. It is also important that the coordinator does not participate in the action so that he or she can let the police commander on the scene of the action know how the activists are physically prepared to be arrested. This will put the police at ease knowing they will not have risk injury in the arrests.
When doing an action do not step out into speeding traffic. Wait for a lull in the flow of traffic in the street and then walkout remaining in a standing position until the most immediate cars are halted by your action. Once the traffic has clearly stopped because of your blockage then and only then will the coordinator give the ok to sit down. Safety is of the utmost importance in all these type of actions.
Only activists that know and understand that they may be brought up on actual charges and may have to spend some time in jail should take part in these actions. Always give your name to the police so the legal team that will represent you can find you in the system after the arrest
When doing these actions always keep a smile on your face and good cheer in your heart so the police can see your not angry at them. Your traffic blocking is the general symbol of our collective anger but that does not have to translate to anger between you and the police.
Lloyd Hart 508-687-9153
This past Saturday when we had a protest march for Solidarity with Montreal in lower Manhattan, we zig-zagged our way through the streets going the opposite way on one-way streets so that the police in the car had a very difficult time folowing us. They eventually got wise to it, and sent a contingent of cops down to follow us on foot.
I agree that education should be free and people should get their needs met; however, this will not be done within this current system we live in, it is simply too expensive in monetary terms. However, there is more than enough resources to make that a reality.
What i advocate is a global resource based economy. I encourage everyone to watch a documentary film called 'Paradise or Oblivion' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KphWsnhZ4Ag if you agree with the film i ask that you study and research further what Resource Based Economy and the organization that advocates it, The Venus Project is all about. If you still agree after comprehensive studying of what RBE and TVP call for, then i ask that you get involved with the organization.
Warmest regards,
Risto Kantonen
TVPActivism National Team | Finland
The Venus Project
June 6th is not a Sunday. It's June 3rd.
we fixed that (typo); try updating the page. but yes, it is 6pm on June 3rd, NOT June 6th. :)
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