WHAT: Deep democracy training with Dr. Riki Ott entitled ‘’Rethinking Democracy and Organizing for Change’’ WHEN: A two-day strategic training retreat on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, from noon to 6:00 PM and Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM WHERE: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5212 South Claiborne Avenue, Sanctuary DEEP DEMOCRACY TRAINING: Participants learn how corporations captured our democracy; share and practice skills for campaign building and rights-based community organizing, and design campaigns for their community and state to reclaim (or create) local self-governance – rule by the people. As part of the local rights-based campaigns, Riki will introduce template municipal ordinances and resolutions for banning toxic chemicals, currently used in oil disaster response. WHY ATTEND: The presidential election is behind us, and it wasn’t very satisfying. Two corporate candidates split the vote, and neither discussed the crucial issues we face: environmental degradation, climate change, infrastructure decline, over-militarization, exorbitant imprisonment, corporate control of politics, and so many more. In some counts, the popular vote went to one candidate and the electoral vote to the other. The Gulf States People’s Convention took place October 27 and organized itself around the principle of people’s needs, not around political parties (http://www.occupythestage.net/1/category/gulf%20coast%20peoples%20convention736c147e23/1.html ). Dr. Ott’s ‘’Rethinking Democracy and Organizing for Change’’ is her surprise offering to South Louisiana on this same subject, particularly as it applies to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. At the end of Dr. Ott’s training, she will present a new film about the disaster, ‘’Dirty Energy’’, hopefully with its director, who is stopping in New Orleans on his way to Amsterdam Film Festival (http://www.dirtyenergymovie.com/about.html ). Dr. Ott’s presence and the screening of the film were offered only this past week, so its late announcement may preclude your participation, but if you are able to attend you are welcome. Light snacks and coffee will be served. We know the BP disaster isn’t over. BP has left a legacy of lies, leaking oil, injured workers, sick families, mounting debts, and collapsed fisheries. We would like to share information and skills so together, we can make it right. For real. Ourselves. You are invited – on very short notice! – to a deep democracy training and strategic retreat. As part of the training, Riki Ott will share templates for municipal ordinances and resolutions to ban toxic chemicals, including Corexit, as part of a national action. Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, from noon to 6:00 PM Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Dirty Energy movie screening Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 7:00 to 9:30 PM Overnight accommodations are available at the church for out-of-town guests. $40 per night, including kitchen facilities for cooking meals. Contact Deanna Vandiver, director@celsjr.org Cell: 504.333.2718 Office: 504.866.4170 For more information please contact Lisa Marie Jacobs at amend@rikiott.com
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
Presentation from forum The University, The Budget, and The Student Debt
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!
The People's Convention Organizing Committee will meet 4:30pm Saturday at Café Flora in the Marigny section of New Orleans. All who believe that there’s got to be a better way to organize a society than by putting the pursuit of profit ahead of human and environmental need are invited to attend. Additional information concerning the Peoples Convention project is presented below.This is what democracy looks like in 2012: THE PEOPLE'S CONVENTIONThe People's Convention will be held on October 27, 2012 from 1-5pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans 5212 South Claiborne Avenue. New OrleansThe People's Convention is where the 99%, not the 1%, sets the political agenda. We the people, as opposed to we the rich, have needs and interests that are in fundamental conflict with the 1%. We need, for example, low and moderate income housing, the right to organize ourselves into unions, living wage jobs, public education, an end to imperialist war, and an end to the rampant discrimination against and brutalization of African Americans. Given the 1%’s domination of the leaders of the Republicans and the Democrats the conventions of America’s two ruling parties cannot help but sacrifice the interests of the many to satisfy the seemingly boundless greed of the privileged few. To allow the Republicans and Democrats, in this time of economic crisis, to continue to monopolize the setting of the nation’s political agenda is a recipe for disaster for the 99 percent. So why hold a People's Convention before the November 4 Presidential Election? Because the Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by the standing U.S. Congress and signed into law by the current President, guarantees that draconian cuts in federal funding for public services that we need and regressive tax increases that we don’t need will be the focus of Congressional activity during the weeks and months following the November 4. The People's Convention and the organizing for it will put the people in strong position to give a 99 percent to an attempt to shove a 1 percent budget down our throats. What should the People's Agenda include?- A public works program open to all that pays a living wage?
- Democracy not oligarchy?
- Respecting the right of everyone to safe and decent housing?
- And end to brutalization of and discrimination against African Americans?
- Immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan?
- Selection rather than election?
- Environmental justice rather than pillage of the environment?
- And….?
Help Decide the People's Agenda: Come meet with us Saturday Sept 15 or RSVP to THE PEOPLE’S CONVENTION Facebook Event!
Join OTS & Occupy NOLA when Obama Visits NOLA to "Occupy The Vote"
On Wednesday President Obama will visit the French Quarter to attend a campaign fundraiser Reception For the Obama Victory Fund (OVF) at the House of Blues. The National Urban League Conference is billing Obama's visit as as “Occupy the Vote.” This suggests that the Occupy Movement is supporting a fundraiser for a holder of public office who has been the fervent supporter of a trillion dollar plus bailout of the banking giants at the expense of everyone else. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here is what Occupy NOLA will be requesting from the President on his July 25th visit to New Orleans. - Withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan now!
- Issue an executive order preventing LA Governor Jindal and company from gutting medicaid and public hospital funding
- Stop the demolition of The Iberville Housing Development
- Create jobs for All
- Mass, direct-government employment program, now!
- Put all New Orleans teachers fired after Katrina back to work now! No more scabs for America's teachers
- End government support of for-profit education.
- Institute a Federal Public Works Program paid for by big oil companies including Shell and BP to clean up the Gulf of Mexico and restore the infrastructure of the Gulf.
Give President Obama a 99% UnWelcome: Meet 2pm Wednesday. June 25th to Chalkupy The Amphitheater across from Jackson Square (near the corner of Decatur and St. Ann). Bring chalk, signs, pots and pans, chants, friends, and, most importantly, yourself. Image Gallery - Occupy These Flyers If You Need Inspiration To Make Signs!
Obama Wants to "Occupy The Vote" in NOLA!President Obama will be coming to New Orleans to "Occupy The Vote" for the 2012 National Urban League Conference and will be attending a Reception For the Obama Victory Fund (OVF) at the House of Blues.The reception is at 3:30 pm Wednesday, July 25! Although the notice "“Please join President Obama for a reception with supporters like you in New Orleans” is included with the invitation, many of the NOLA 99% will not be able to afford the 250 price of a ticket. | 2pm Chalkupy!
Since we can't afford to pay $250 to voice our concerns in person at House of Blues, we'll be Chalkupying the amphitheater across from Jackson Square in the French Quarter at 2pm. We hope you'll stop by the Amphitheater, grab some chalk, and write your message to Obama, or print it on an index card we'll provide. Or, you can submit your concern HERE and we'll chalkupy it for you! 3:30 Rally & Pots and Pans March Below are some but not all of the concerns we plan to address!National Concerns
Local Concerns
- Stop the demolition of The Iberville Housing Development
- Create jobs for All
- Mass, direct-government employment program, now!
- Put all New Orleans teachers fired after Katrina back to work now! No more scabs for America's teachers
- End government support of for-profit education.
- Institute a Federal Public Works Program paid for by big oil companies including Shell and BP to clean up the Gulf of Mexico and restore the infrastructure of the Gulf.
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Hi, this is small affair, and this was one of my favorite days with Occupy The Stage. On On March 31, Occupy The Roads was visiting New Orleans, and Occupy The Stage brought an enormous banner to the Police Brutality protest which hundreds of people attended. This march, organized by United New Orleans Front, was in response to the NOPD killings of Wendell Allen and Justin Sipp. That day was the first time my livestream was rebroadcast on Global Revolution TV. A brass band played "I'll fly away" as I caught up with the front of the march and Justin. "Please learn how to hold the camera," someone typed in the chat and I realized I'd been dancing. Nola Anarcha wrote a terrific article about this event here: 400 March Against Police Violence, Racial and Class Oppression During The Final Four Tournament Below is a clip of my interview with Justin where we discuss the March Against Police Violence and Occupy The Stage.
 Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters,
We the free peoples of the world stand before the crossroads of humanity's future. To continue down the same path would mean our certain annihilation. The only other paths seem as though they simply have yet to be blazed, and that's where we come in.
The knowledge that things are fundamentally wrong in our society is prevalent in almost every rational mind. What's lacking is a clear directive for a replacement to our very flawed system. This lack of direction, or perceived lack of direction, has been our greatest hinderance. The media has skewed the public perception of what The Occupy Movement represents.
I see this movement as the global adhesive by which all other groups of disgruntled citizens come together. We are the all inclusive. We are the 99%.
We have made great progress networking nationally and indeed globally. This progress must continue. We must be willing to overlook the internal strife as well as each other's small transgressions and understand that the job we have set out to do is of far greater importance than any of of us.
We are here to save the world, and only a fool would think that a quick or easy job.
If there are only seven degrees of separation between us, then all we have to do is networking and outreaching, and we will reach the entire world. Right now, people everywhere are turning off the news and are seeking alternatives for their information for this reason: when you can't trust everyone you know, you must put your faith in strangers.
Be that alternative source. When you hear someone griping about our social ills, get in on the conversation. You will find that you get a lot of positive feedback. You will also get a lot of new contacts. Our support base is everywhere; it's in the faces you see everyday. As I stated, there are but a few who don't realize shit has to change. We must be the ones who get everyone involved, and by involved, I mean start simple. All a preson really needs to back you is their John Hancock. That is the foot in the door. Once they see the light, they will at that point want to get physically involved, planning, working, networking.
Keep them busy. If someone has left this movement it's because they felt they were no longer useful.
Build community projects. Once your group has proprietary sense over physical space and projects, the momentum will grow exponentially.
Lastly, but of most importance, we must at this point give birth to the new global citizens party. Now is the time. We have the network. The people are ready.
Thank you and good luck.
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