 DECEMBER 14th: STAND IN SOLIDARITY AGAINST AUSTERITY 12 pm. Solidarity Against Austerity Charivari with the Occupy Puppet Theater! Austerity is a crime against humanity. Join Occupy The Stage in solidarity with the Gulf Coast People’s Convention in a Charivari to resist austerity attacks on public services and increased privatization. The motive of those implementing austerity is to create a transfer of wealth by squeezing the 99%, and we should not have to pay for the mistakes of the rich! We are not alone; austerity is a consequence of a failed economic system and people around the world are rising up. We act in solidarity and take inspiration from the peoples of Greece, South Africa, Quebec, Chile, and beyond who are fighting austerity and the destruction of their communities. #COMMUNITY #RESISTCUTS #STRIKEDEBT #STOPAUSTERITYCRIMES Bring signs and make noise to protest Austerity Crimes.Friday, December 14 12pm Bring signs, instruments, costumes, and be ready to make some noise to say NO to Austerity. Where? Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans @ 525 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA #ExpectUs
Occupy This Flyer!
Austerity Brochure - Print it on both sides!
Four activists including two citizen journalists were arrested at a Climate Solidarity Rally in New Orleans on November 15. These Gulf Coast advocates (some from Occupy The Stage) attended a protest against Big Oil in solidarity with the Tar Sands Blockade.
This protest evolved from a workshop at The First People’s Convention in New Orleans that led to a Teach-In about the Tar Sands at a local coffee shop. Those who signed up at the Teach-In received emails alerting them to a rally outside the Roosevelt Hotel. The livestreamer who often records Occupy actions and uses the Twitter handle @small_affair attended this action as a citizen journalist with a press pass and was arrested while staying in front of the hotel to record another citizen journalist being detained. This was not an event organized by “Occupy NOLA” or “Occupy The Stage.” Some members attended in solidarity.
On Thursday, November 15 around 11 am, a group of about ten activists met in in front of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. They received cold glares from the “doorman” who would not identify himself to the livestreamer when she asked him if he was hotel security. After holding banners and chanting outside the Roosevelt Hotel, the group marched to 1 Shell Square and The Federal Building, passing BP headquarters. The activists then returned to the Roosevelt Hotel while the Joint Energy Industry Association Luncheon was taking place. None of the four arrestees were aware that any instructions not to enter the hotel had been issued by NOPD, the “doorman,” hotel security, or The Louisiana State Police.
The group walked nonchalantly in through the back entrance and passed hotel staff who did not try to stop them and did not ask them for identification. They were given no indication that they were not allowed in the hotel and continued straight up the escalator into the Crescent City Ballroom where a few hundred people were eating lunch. Activists stood in the back of the ballroom and held up signs protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline for about five minutes. One of them was given cheesecake from a guest at the luncheon.
 Photo Credit Laura Borealis - Tarsands Blockade Flickr set The “doorman” entered the room with hotel security. A member of hotel security asked the activists to leave.
The activists began chanting loudly “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! The Tarsand Pipeline’s got to go” while they exited the ballroom. They descended the escalator and some were manhandled by the “doorman.” It was difficult to all descend the narrow escalator at once while the hotel security and “doorman” were shoving some of the activists, but they did begin leaving the hotel when told to. The livestreamer repeatedly displayed her press pass and asked if the press were allowed. Finally the “doorman” told her the press were not allowed in the Roosevelt Hotel. She filmed the “doorman” directing someone to call 9-11 to report “criminal trespassing.”
Since they had been told to leave, the activists exited the building and congregated on the sidewalk, beginning to disperse. On the sidewalk, where they were no longer “trespassing,” the livestreamer noticed the other citizen journalist who was also displaying a press pass being stopped by a plainclothes Louisiana State Police Officer. The livestreamer asked if the citizen journalist was being detained. No response was given. The plainclothes State Police Officer yelled “Stop” but did not clarify to whom he was issuing the order. The livestreamer asked if they were being detained, but did not get a response.
Two of the remaining activists crossed the street. The livestreamer began to follow them after waiting for traffic. As the livestreamer and two activists crossed the street to the car, the “doorman” yelled, “That guy is a State police officer and he told you to stop.”
“You’re a hotel employee,” one of the two activists with the livestreamer yelled. “You’re out of your jurisdiction.”
At that point, none of the three had been told they were being detained so decided to leave The Roosevelt as they had been instructed. The three got in the livestreamer’s car.
As the livestreamer attempted to drive away, the “doorman” ran in front of the car and displayed a Louisiana State Police badge and shouted that he was an officer and if the livestreamer hit him with her car, it would be a felony. The livestreamer immediately stopped the car and turned it off. A police car pulled up and the livestreamer and two activists were told to get out of the car. They complied willingly and stood on the sidewalk asking if they were being detained several times. Finally the plainclothes police officer said they were being detained.
Citizen Journalists Arrested
Several NOPD officers arrived and told the livestreamer, citizen journalist, and activist to stay on the sidewalk. They then spoke with the “doorman” and one activist noted that the NOPD were not eager to arrest the group since they were not trespassing anymore and had obviously left the building when they were told to. The “doorman” insisted the four renaming people be arrested for Criminal Trespassing. The authorities asked the two activists without press passes who had organized the action, and they honestly responded that they did not know.
A friend arrived at the scene and was allowed to take down the names and birthdays of the arrestees and secure some of their valuables.
The four arrestees were booked extremely quickly when taken to Orleans Parish Prison. The livestreamer was asked to approach the Sheriff to spell the name of one of the arrestees correctly. The livestreamer overheard the Sheriff telling the Orleans Parish Prison Employee who takes the mug shots that the four arrestees needed to be photographed quickly because there was a request to send their photographs to the FBI. When she asked the Sheriff to confirm this, he said their photographs were being sent to the FBI. He said he was not joking.Bond was set at $165 per person. Members of Occupy The Stage and a mutual friend posted bond for all four arrestees. Some of the bond was the livestreamer’s rent money which she had left in a safe location.
On November 16, the charges were dropped against all four activists when they agreed to forfeit bond. They are eager to stare their story, so don't hesitate to Contact Us with questions! Any donations to repay members of Occupy The Stage for covering bond costs will be greatly appreciated. With love and solidarity,
~ Occupy The Stage Livestream Links: Activists entering The Roosevelthttp://bambuser.com/v/3150179
Activists descending the escalator and leaving The Roosevelthttp://bambuser.com/v/3150191 After jumping in front of car, “doorman” identifies himself as a police officer for the first time and arrests are made.http://bambuser.com/v/3150220
The Second Arrest small affair ever livestreamed was her own.
Learn More about The Tar Sands Blockade!
99% Voting Booth and Occupy Puppet Theater - Nov 6
Why? Because our two party political system can not produce candidates who represent the people! Where? On the neutral ground on Orleans Avenue between N. Alexander and N. Murat. This is near the polling location at Dilbert Elementary School
but is 600 feet away (see RS 18:1462 and 600 feet law regarding polling locations here) All people who live in Louisiana are welcome to vote at the 99% Election Booth including: • those under the age of 18 • those serving felony sentences • non-citizens • those judicially declared mentally incompetent • people who do not have the required mailing address (i.e. homeless people) Unlike the State of Louisiana, The 99% Voting Booth welcomes write-in candidates!
A series of free classes on crafting things for the holidays.
Because we all need to stop buying mass-made Walmart crap!  Want to learn to make these? Pop into the Operation Holiday class on November 25th! | 
| Weekly Schedule
Nov 4th – Knitting a simple scarf on straight needles (intro to knitting)
Nov 11th – Knitting simple fingerless gloves on double pointed needles
Nov 18th – Mixed media bamboo tile accessories & pendants
Nov 25th – Faux quilted holiday ornaments
Dec 2nd – Simple jewelry-making with beads and charms!
Dec 9th – Open workshop day/ Anti-Austerity theme encouraged. The Walmart Elves will be attending as well.
Dec 16th – Help with last minute crafts/catchup/recap
No prior knowledge necessary – classes are aimed at beginners!
All ages welcome but minors must be supervised by an adult.
Tools, needles and yarn are provided but you are welcome to bring your own.
Donations of money or supplies are warmly welcomed and appreciated (but not necessary).
To sign up contact us!
Find Craftivist Workshop online at: craftivistworkshop.wordpress.com
Occupy This Flyer!
Sign Student Debt Petitions
Student Debt Outreach October 18th
Occupy NOLA set up an info booth on the neutral ground between City Park and Delgado Community college as part of the Global Day of Action. We encouraged people to share information about debt and petition for free public education for all, zero interest on loans at private schools, fair salaries for full-time instructors, more jobs for instructors, that the Federal Government eliminate student debt with a single act of relief.Details on the General Education Strike and its call to action are available at http://ism-global.net/global_education_strike and http://ism-global.net/call2action_GES , respectively. Livestream from #O18 #1world1struggle
Student Debt Resources
Strike Debt emerged from a series of Occupy Wall Street/Occupy Theory open assemblies that began in May 2012 in NYC. Strike Debt is spreading the word that debt is a global system of domination and exploitation of the 99% by the 1%. Strike Debt links diverse individuals and communities to resist the debt system.
from The Debt Resistors' Operations Manual
“We gave the banks the power to create money because they promised to use it to help us live healthier and more prosperous lives—not to turn us into frightened peons. They broke that promise. We are under no moral obligation to keep our promises to liars and thieves. In fact, we are morally obligated to find a way to stop this system rather than continuing to perpetuate it.
This collective act of resistance may be the only way of salvaging democracy because the campaign to plunge the world into debt is a calculated attack on the very possibility of democracy. It is an assault on our homes, our families, our communities and on the planet’s fragile ecosystems—all of which are being destroyed by endless production to pay back creditors who have done nothing to earn the wealth they demand we make for them.
To the financial establishment of the world, we have only one thing to say: We owe you nothing. To our friends, our families, our communities, to humanity and to the natural world that makes our lives possible, we owe you everything. Every dollar we take from a fraudulent subprime mortgage speculator, every dollar we withhold from the collection agency is a tiny piece of our own lives and freedom that we can give back to our communities, to those we love and we respect. These are acts of debt resistance, which come in many other forms as well: fighting for free education and healthcare, defending a foreclosed home, demanding higher wages and providing mutual aid.”
Spoken into a megaphone on October 18th.
Amount of loan: $111,892.53
This is not an attempt to collect a debt.
The total student debt now totals over 1 trillion dollars. The average price of tuition has increased over 900%. In 2011, the Department of Education spent over 1.4 billion to hire collection agencies. These agencies earned about 1 billion in commissions.
My generation is busy quoting philosophers artists and thinkers while we are shackled by debt.
The 1% will continue to cut budgets and eliminate humanities courses that foster the critical thinking skills needed to reflect upon and understand the power structures surrounding us. As you have with all aspects of our lives, you have turned education into a commodity. I come from a generation that believed our devotion to the humanities justified earning degrees in Philosophy, Writing, Art, and Education.
I applied to a state university and earned a MFA believing these were healthy pursuits. They are healthy in every way except financially. Because of Governor Jindal's budget cuts, I am unable to work full-time as a college professor in Louisiana. The adjunct rate is not a living wage. I've been told to publish in order to get a full-time job teaching college students, and I've self-published a book and have written as much as I've had time to while teaching Freshmen Composition for online universities where I do not teach critical thinking. I am teaching students who have taken loans to attend a for profit university. I am not using my degree. Some of my friends from graduate school are able to write, but many are wage slaves to the global work machine.
Obama, I reject your token gesture of debt reform. Income based repayments are not the answer. The more I work, the more I pay, and I will be paying Sallie Mae accumulated interest. All my payments have gone towards interest.
As long as I participate in the global work machine, I deny myself the chance to use my degree to contribute to a body of ideas because there are no jobs. I will not feed you my time and dreams to pay interest.
I will not vote for any candidate who represents corporations. The system does not represent me.
The last thing the 1% wants is to give up one of their most powerful weapons - the idea that decent people always pay debts.
The Federal Reserve has been printing money for the banks who govern it. The government, which can declare student loan debt unenforceable, along with banking cartels, uses debt to funnel money from the 99% to the 1%.
This ends now.
I will save every dollar from collection agencies.
I will give nothing to banks. They are hoarding enough of it.
I will not produce what you consider goods, and refuse to perpetuate the burden of working harder only to consume more. Instead, I will produce ideas that challenge your global capitalism.
There is no place for me in your capitalistic machine. Mainstream media has indoctrinated us to accept debt. Budget cuts over higher education have turned universities into places that produce human capital, commodities, and competitors.
To the collection agencies hired by ACS, as long as you earn commission, I will not answer the phone.
To the government, as long as you are legally entitled to garnish my wages, I will not work.
To the bankers broke their promise, as long as you hoard money printed by The Federal Reserve, I will not feed you.
To the politicians who refuse to repeal bankruptcy laws, until you forgive all student debt, I will not vote for you and legitimize a system that perpetuates the illusion that you represent me or my peers.
To the Department of Education - as long as you are collecting $1.22 for every dollar, I will not pay you.
I was three years old when the Bankruptcy Reform Act passed in 1978. I was two years old in 1977 when the American Bankers Association joined the conference of bankruptcy judges in lobbying - formally, anyway - against the cruel and unusual punishment of making student debt non-dischargeable. I didn't have a say.
I am personally answering the call from Occupy / Real Democracy Now / 15M movement for public and private debt resistance and refusal
To the financial institutions of the world, we have only one thing to say: we owe you NOTHING!
To our friends, families, our communities, to humanity and to the natural world that makes our lives possible, we owe you everything.
To the people of the world, we say: join the resistance, you have nothing to lose but your debts.
Letter to Send to Creditors
Slideshow on Student Debt
Spoken into a megaphone on October 18th and livestreamed here. Amount of loan: $111,892.53 This is not an attempt to collect a debt. The total student debt now totals over 1 trillion dollars. The average price of tuition has increased over 900%. In 2011, the Department of Education spent over 1.4 billion to hire collection agencies. These agencies earned about 1 billion in commissions. My generation is busy quoting philosophers artists and thinkers while we are shackled by debt. The 1% will continue to cut budgets and eliminate humanities courses that foster the critical thinking skills needed to reflect upon and understand the power structures surrounding us. As you have with all aspects of our lives, you have turned education into a commodity. I come from a generation that believed our devotion to the humanities justified earning degrees in Philosophy, Writing, Art, and Education. I applied to a state university and earned a MFA believing these were healthy pursuits. They are healthy in every way except financially. Because of Governor Jindal's budget cuts, I am unable to work full-time as a college professor in Louisiana. The adjunct rate is not a living wage. I've been told to publish in order to get a full-time job teaching college students, and I've self-published a book and have written as much as I've had time to while teaching Freshmen Composition for online universities where I do not teach critical thinking. I am teaching students who have taken loans to attend a for profit university. I am not using my degree. Some of my friends from graduate school are able to write, but many are wage slaves to the global work machine. Obama, I reject your token gesture of debt reform. Income based repayments are not the answer. The more I work, the more I pay, and I will be paying Sallie Mae accumulated interest. All my payments have gone towards interest. As long as I participate in the global work machine, I deny myself the chance to use my degree to contribute to a body of ideas because there are no jobs. I will not feed you my time and dreams to pay interest. I will not vote for any candidate who represents corporations. The system does not represent me. The last thing the 1% wants is to give up one of their most powerful weapons - the idea that decent people always pay debts. The Federal Reserve has been printing money for the banks who govern it. The government, which can declare student loan debt unenforceable, along with banking cartels, uses debt to funnel money from the 99% to the 1%. This ends now. I will save every dollar from collection agencies. I will give nothing to banks. They are hoarding enough of it. I will not produce what you consider goods, and refuse to perpetuate the burden of working harder only to consume more. Instead, I will produce ideas that challenge your global capitalism. There is no place for me in your capitalistic machine. Mainstream media has indoctrinated us to accept debt. Budget cuts over higher education have turned universities into places that produce human capital, commodities, and competitors. To the collection agencies hired by ACS, as long as you earn commission, I will not answer the phone. To the government, as long as you are legally entitled to garnish my wages, I will not work. To the bankers broke their promise, as long as you hoard money printed by The Federal Reserve, I will not feed you. To the politicians who refuse to repeal bankruptcy laws, until you forgive all student debt, I will not vote for you and legitimize a system that perpetuates the illusion that you represent me or my peers. To the Department of Education - as long as you are collecting $1.22 for every dollar, I will not pay you. I was three years old when the Bankruptcy Reform Act passed in 1978. I was two years old in 1977 when the American Bankers Association joined the conference of bankruptcy judges in lobbying - formally, anyway - against the cruel and unusual punishment of making student debt non-dischargeable. I didn't have a say. I am personally answering the call from Occupy / Real Democracy Now / 15M movement for public and private debt resistance and refusal "To the financial institutions of the world, we have only one thing to say: we owe you NOTHING!
To our friends, families, our communities, to humanity and to the natural world that makes our lives possible, we owe you everything.
To the people of the world, we say: join the resistance, you have nothing to lose but your debts."
Are you drowning in debt?
 Occupy NOLA Global day of action to reclaim education: Direct democracy now! In Solidarity with the International Student Movement Global day of action to reclaim education - direct democracy now! Rally to Reclaim Education and Speak Out Against Student Debt Thursday, October 1811 am – 2pm Meet on Neutral Ground between Delgado & City Park (Marconi & City Park) Because Everyone must have access to education no matter their monetary or social status! PROTEST - Increasing tuition fees
- Budget cuts
- Outsourcing
- School closures
- Increased class sizes
- Student Debt
We are all struggling against cuts in education. Only by uniting globally will we be able to overcome these and enable free emancipatory education for all.
Occupy These Flyers! - Printable Flyers
October 18 11 am - Join Us for A Global Day of Action To Reclaim Education
Join Occupy NOLA, Students and Workers! Thursday, October 18 11 am - 2pm New Orleans Meet on Neutral Ground between Delgado & City Park (Marconi & City Park) http://goo.gl/maps/NtqI9 Unite in solidarity with students and workers of the word! We are all struggling against cuts in education. Only by uniting globally will we be able to overcome these and enable free emancipatory education for all. Because everyone must have access to education no matter their monetary or social status!See the Facebook Event for the Global Day of Action! How to Get Involved!- RSVP to our Facebook Event.
- Visit http://ism-global.net/call2action_GES for details about the Global Day of Action.
- Contact info@occupyneworleans.us to see how you can get involved in the local action.
- Organize! Learn more at the forum "The Budget, The University and The Student Debt" Tuesday, October 9 at 4pm University of New Orleans Room 129 Kirschman Hall RSVP to Facebook Event for October 9 forum
- Come to the Occupy NOLA GA - Tuesdays at 7 pm Occupy The Stage 2735c Toulouse and Saturdays Cafe Flora 4:30 pm
The Occupy NOLA GA endorsed The International Student Movement at the Tuesday September 18, 2012 G.A. “The International Student Movement (ISM) is an independent communication platform for groups and activists around the world to exchange information, network and coordinate activities in our struggle against the increasing commercialisation of education and for free emancipatory education for all!” Moreover Occupy NOLA will be conducting Outreach on local campuses. This Outreach will include (but will not be limited to) information about the following Events: GLOBAL EDUCATION STRIKE Oct.18th & Nov.14-22nd 2012We invited many members of Occupy NOLA to the Facebook event to the Global Education Strike. Please like the ISM Facebook page to stay updated. Also, here are some great links to All In The Red and other organizations that help students organize. Squarely In The Red The Project on Student Debt EDU Debtors Union Occupy Education Occupy This Flyer!
Student Debt Kills Dreams
The average student loan debt in Louisiana is $ 24,548 per student.
Join us Tuesday, October 9, to discuss cuts to the University of New Orleans budget, tuition costs, student debt, and payment difficulties. Everybody is invited - current, former and future students, parents, professors! Tell your story about how decisions surrounding your education and career were influenced by your finances. Share your vision for expanding access to and the quality of education.
Tuesday October 9 4-6pm
University of New Orleans Room 129 Kirschman Hall
What would you like higher education to look like in Louisiana?
RSVP on Facebook! Resources:
The Occupy Student Debt Campaign was launched at Zuccotti Park in November 2011 with the goal of building a student debt abolition movement. The campaign is based on the following principles:
1) Free public education, through federal coverage of tuition fees.
2) Zero-interest student loans, so that no one can profit from them.
3) Fiscal transparency at all universities, public as well as private.
4) The elimination of current student debt, through a single act of relief. Occupy This Flyer!
When I first went to Duncan Plaza in mid-November of 2011, it was as a citizen journalist and supporter. I'd spent October and early November staying in a hotel in Baton Rouge where my boyfriend at the time was working on location as an electrician for the movies. I'd been watching dogs there, walking them in the parking lot of the hotel, working online, and watching friends of mine upload photographs from October 6 - the first day of Occupy NOLA - on Facebook.
As October bled into November, I started watching livestream from Occupy LA and Occupy San Fransisco but couldn't find much about Occupy NOLA online. So my introduction to the national Occupy movement was through livestream, but I had to go to Duncan Plaza in real life to find Occupy NOLA, which I did when I returned to New Orleans in November (I first went to Duncan Plaza on November 18).
Sometimes I'm sad that I missed the beginning (almost all) of the encampment. Today I've been finding videos of Occupy NOLA on YouTube and sharing them here.
On October 6, 2012 it will have been one year since the beginning of Occupy NOLA. Here is what it was like the first day:
Yesterday, two writers interviewed me and Robert about Occupy NOLA, and as I tried to show them the encampment on Google maps, Robert noticed that the satellite of Duncan shows the encampment.
In my quest to learn more about Occupy NOLA and to create some type of archive of its history, I've even found YouTube footage of the square dancing that occurred in Duncan.
I'll try to post a more cohesive history after I interview some people who were there before I was.
With love and solidarity,
~ small affair
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