You're invited! Calling all musicians, buskers, artists, circus clowns, flag corps, mimes, puppeteers, regular folks, irregular folks, cats, dogs, baboons, dancers, lovers of music, Every-Damned-Body! Sunday, May 5th at 6pm, we will show our support for all the good folks that make New Orleans great! The Free The Music parade will bring free music to the streets of the Jazz Fest neighborhood to raise awareness about the city's ridiculous crackdown on live music venues and musicians. You don't need to buy a ticket. You don't need a corporate sponsor. Just come out Sunday, May 5, 6pm and be ready to play music and dance in the streets. Costumes encouraged. The Bywater Rising Protest/ Second Line in support of live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, DJs was great. We decided we wouldn't stop there. RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/ NOTE: This has nothing to do with Jon Bon Jovi. The second week of Justice Fest will last from Thursday, May 2 - Sunday, May 5.
2013 Celebrate justice and music at the location formerly known as the Sacred Shrine of Jon Bon Jovi.
Justice is not dead. Lady Justice has merely been taken hostage. And when there is no justice, there will be no peace.
We do not support the fact that Shell Oil is a corporate sponsor of Jazz Fest. We love NOLA music and culture but not Shell Oil.
We do not support Mayor Landrieu’s crackdown on live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, and performers. We will resist the ridiculous citations residents living near Jazz Fest have received for having Yard Sales or "transient vending."
We do not forget Guadalupe.
And we hate Clean Zones!
We welcome you to bring info related to Social Justice Issues to this location during Jazz Fest.
In addition to Free Aqua Net Hairspray, the shrine will offer information about different Social Justice issues in New Orleans.
Please feel free to stop by during festival hours and be ready for some creative demonstrations.
EVENTS!
Justice Fest Events - You can RSVP on the individual Facebook event pages if you like! We might add more events or have spontaneous events. Some activities are ongoing, so stop by any time during Jazz Fest. ___________________________________________________________________ Friday May 3 DIY Stencil Party 2:00pm until 8:00pm https://www.facebook.com/events/374830725968708/ Let's stencil! We have some great stencils and spray paint and will stencil anything you bring! Or, bring your own stencils and we can swap designs. Want to learn how to make stencils? Have stencil skills to share? The more the merrier! We have spray paint! If you can, bring your own exacto blade! ___________________________________________________________________ Saturday May 4 9:00 to 11 pm Let’s send 100 postcards to political prisoners - Mail to the Jail https://www.facebook.com/events/158326777669320/ Let's get 100 postcards to send to political prisoners. Bring an original handmade postcard (handmade is ideal, but if you want to bring one you didn't make, that's okay), or come and make a postcard at Justice Fest. We'd love to get a photo gallery of all the postcards and then mail them to political prisoners. We'll have addresses and info on political prisoners so you can learn about their different circumstances, but check out Op Pen Pal http://oppenpal.wordpress.com/mailing-list/ and Mail to the Jail if you have a specific political prisoner you know you'd like to write to. http://mailtothejail.org/ We'll also have fun prizes for original hand made postcards! You can just drop off your postcard on the way to Jazz Fest, or spend some time making postcards and learning about different political prisoners! We'll be showing short films about various prisoners on the porch! ____________________________________________________________________________ May 4 - May 5 Chalk Party https://www.facebook.com/events/543195785731834/ Let's make the sidewalks and streets around the Jazz Fest area beautiful before Sunday's Free The Music Parade! Feel free to stop by Justice Fest for chalk ideas and some chalk, or just get out there and CHALK THE WORLD! __________________________________________________________________________ May 5 Sunday - Face Painting Party 2pm - 5:30pm https://www.facebook.com/events/118444485020416/ Come get your face painted in time to march in the Free The Music Parade! HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/ We have face paint, and if you have your own face painting kit and skills, feel free to come by, set up, and accept donations. _________________________________________________________________________ Free The Music Parade 6- 8pm May 5 https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/ Calling all musicians, buskers, artists, circus clowns, flag corps, dancers, lovers of music! Free The Music parade will bring free music to the streets of the Jazz Fest neighborhood. You don't need to buy a ticket. You don't need a corporate sponsor. Just come out Sunday, May 5, 6pm and be ready to play music and dance in the streets. Costumes encouraged. The Bywater Rising Protest/ Second Line in support of live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, DJs was great. We decided we wouldn't stop there. DISCLAIMER NOTE: These events are not sponsored by Shell Oil or Jon Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi, or in any way connected to them except some of them will be taking place at a location that holds the remnants of a Shrine devoted to Jon Bon Jovi that small affair made years ago.
 Gulf Restoration Network: United for a healthy Gulf of Mexico is holding a BP Disaster 3 year Memorial Demonstration on April 20 at 1pm. Come on out to the Amphitheater at Washington Artillery Park across from Jackson Square! On April 20, 2010, 11 people lost their lives and the biggest environmental disaster in our nation's history began. Three years later, BP's oil is still here, and it continues to impact the people, places, and wildlife of the Gulf. Please join us on April 20, 2013, to mark 3 years of BP's ongoing disaster, memorialize all that has been lost, and join the call for justice for the Gulf. The event will include simple visual demonstrations, using our people power, of the ongoing disaster and its impacts on the Gulf, which will be made into a short video and distributed on the internet to raise awareness about the urgent need for restoration and to hold BP accountable for the damages incurred. Please wear black. The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free t-shirt designed for the event, which you can wear during the filming. What: 3 year memorial of the BP disaster, visual demonstration When: Saturday, April 20th at 1pm Where: Amphitheater at Washington Artillery Park (across from Jackson Square in the French Quarter) ***Please wear black*** Contact Amanda at 504-273-4838 or Moorea@nwf.org with any questions. It will likely be hot! Bring a water bottle, we'll have cool water available for refills Supported by National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, Gulf Restoration Network, NRDC, National Wildlife Federation, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, LEAN, Build a Better Planet, Epoca Verde, Green Living, Thomas Strategies & Waltzer Wiygul & Garside Law Firm
Legalize Louisiana Picnic and Rally 4pm till dusk!
 We'll be participating in Tent City United Day of Action April 1, 2013 in solidarity with Occupy Austin, Occupy Wall Street NY, Occupy Oakland, and all homeless people, occupiers, and people who value public space. Working groups will meet TBA to plan creative, strategic actions. Since this is a solidarity event, we are sharing the link to the Tent City United Facebook Event and encourage people to follow Twitter hashtag #TentCity and account @TentCityUnitedPlans can include: - March of the Tentmonsters
- Make and place Tiny Tents in strategic places.
- Pitch tents in strategic public spaces
- Parade with tents in front of surveillance cameras
Details TBA! NOTE: The Occupy NOLA GA reached unanimous consensus to participate in this action when it convened on February 19.
It's been a busy Mardi Gras season at Occupy The Stage. On January 19, Occupy The Stage rolled in krewedelusion - the parade that follows Krewe du Vieux, which kicks of Mardi Gras. Our Krewe "Guise of Fawkes" made a "You can't jail an idea" float to show solidarity with imprisoned hactivists and Free Anons.We were thrilled to receive donations of flags and stickers from Hammond Support Network and Blastedrat to use as throws during the parade. Along with our own handmade throws (voodoo dolls, chalk with Chalkupy instructions, and buttons we made with our button machine), these stickers made our parade great, and we hope to have raised awareness about Jeremy Hammond's unfair bail denial and the prison sentence he is facing. Check out our full write-up and the photo set below! Guise of Fawkes "Go Fawkes Yourself" in krewedelusion 2013 #OpSuperBowl #OpSuperBowl Info! Full text from slide show is available here! Interview with Local Artist Interview with NOLA Cab Driver unable to get inspected despite fact that he upgraded to meet city standards.
ResistSB47 Action:
The Super Bowl Should Not Be NOLA's Cross to Bear
Occupy The Stage met at 3pm in Jackson Square on Super Bowl Sunday and held a creative procession to celebrate our First Amendment right to free speech show solidarity with local artists, vendors, and workers. A female Jesus led a procession of monks who chanted while holding wooden hand-painted signs bearing slogans that included "Thou Shalt Not Create a Police State" and "Honor The Small Businesses." Our slideshow and video are below.
Mardi Gras and #OpValentine
Occupy The Stage's Mardi Gras Krewe - Guise of Fawkes - rolled with the Society of Saint Anne on Mardi Gras Day (February 12). Our Free Anons float included paper hearts people could use to write Valentines to mail to political prisoners as part of #OpValentine! We've collected and addressed the Valentines and will be sending Mardi Gras love to political prisoners. See our Mardi Gras Day slideshow below! It's been a busy few weeks, and we are really grateful to all of our online and on ground supporters.
Happy Valentine's Day!
~ OTS
2 Words for Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the National Football League: Our Streets
"Money is not more important than constitutional rights, despite what Clean Zone would indicate.”
“Your Tax Dollars Working to Help the Rich Get Richer”
“Super Bowl XLVII – Sponsored by Corporate Greed”
Under the Clean Zone Ordinance and Guide established by the City of New Orleans, holding banners and signs with the above slogans in the Clean Zone during Super Bowl week would have been prohibited and punishable by a $500 fine and 6 months in jail.
Because no members of Occupy The Stage (or Occupy NOLA) are official NFL sponsors, and none of our proposed signs, flags, or banners contain any NFL branding, one of us asked the Court to intervene preenforcement and protect the First Amendment Rights of the citizens of New Orleans.
Occupy The Stage refused to stand by and watch this violation of citizens' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Moreover, the Clean Zone, which included most of the CBD, all of the French Quarter, most of the Marigny and many of the surrounding neighborhoods is traditionally a public forum. The streets, along Mayor Mitch Landrieu's imaginary "Verizon Super Bowl Boulevard," belong to the people of New Orleans. The City, through the Clean Zone Ordinance and Guide, had effectively established two classes of speech: permitted NFL-branded speech and excluded non-NFL-branded speech. This censorship was simply unacceptable. Moreover, the Supreme Court has noted, “the loss of First Amendment freedoms, even for minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.” Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 373 (1976). The National Football League's attempt to control the content of signs and other public media in the Clean Zone is not in the public interest, despite Mayor Landrieu's claim that Clean Zone Ordinances will enhance the quality of life.
Members of OTS discussed the Clean Zone's obvious violation of our First Amendment rights at an Occupy NOLA General Assembly; we proposed outreach and action, including making our own mobile signs in the form of T-shirts since mobile signage attached to one's person is prohibited in the Clean Zone. We stenciled, cut, painted, and wore our "This Shirt Is Illegal" T-shirts, spreading awareness about the Clean Zone regulations.
After attending a community meeting about zoning, one of our members got in contact with the ACLU, eager to discuss this obvious violation of the right to free speech.
A PRAYER FOR RELIEF
Thanks to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana behalf of an Occupy activist and a street preacher, on January 24, U.S. District Court Judge Kurt Engelhardt granted in part a temporary restraining order.
The Clean Zone just got smaller.
The TRO limits the Clean Zone to an area near the Superdome, where the game will be played Feb. 3. Banners, flags and signs without NFL branding are permitted in the French Quarter, the Marigny, and the whole CBD south of Loyola.
"Even the Super Bowl isn’t an excuse to suspend the First Amendment," said ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Marjorie R. Esman in a statement. "The founders of our country didn’t intend our rights to be suspended for a football game" The Gambit reporter Charles Maldonado quotes in ACLU sues city over Super Bowl "Clean Zone" UPDATE: Judge grants temporary restraining order, city can only enforce signage bans directly around Superdome.
Below is the press release from the ACLU regarding the plaintiffs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2012
NEW ORLEANS — On behalf of Tara Ciccarone and Pastor Troy Bohn, today the ACLU of Louisiana sought an order to block enforcement of the "Clean Zone" enacted as part of the preparations for the Super Bowl. The plaintiffs seek to engage in constitutionally protected speech that is barred by this ordinance, adopted by the City of New Orleans at the behest of the NFL.
The "Clean Zone" establishes an area of New Orleans, specifically the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny, and the Central Business District, where between January 28th and February 3rd the following prohibitions apply:
Inflatables, cold air balloons, banners, pennants, flags, building wraps, A-frame signs, projected image signs, electronic variable message signs, and light emitting diode signs of any kind shall be prohibited except for those sanctioned or authorized by the City,
General and mobile advertising (including, but not limited to, signs on or attached to a vehicle, portable device or person) shall be prohibited except for promotional displays sanctioned or authorized by the City (consisting of at least 60% Super Bowl/NFL branding, look and feel, and no more than 40% third party commercial identification) and by the National Football League (NFL), including, but not limited to, those placed on existing public utility poles.
Anyone – business or individual – who wishes to display such signs, flags, banners or other items must apply for a permit, and only official NFL sponsors may apply. Additionally, any such sign, banner or flag must "consist of at least 60% Super Bowl/NFL branding, look and feel, and no more than 40% third party commercial identification."
In other words, within the "Clean Zone" nobody can fly a flag of any kind - Mardi Gras, American flag, Louisiana flag, LSU flag - and simple signs such as "Restrooms for Customers Only", "Buy your King Cake here," or "Roger Goodell will not be served here" are forbidden unless the speaker is an NFL sponsor; the NFL and the City approve the message; and the content is at least 60% NFL branding.
Tara Ciccarone, a member of the Occupy group, plans to display signs and billboards with political messages in the French Quarter and the CBD during the Super Bowl. Among them are signs saying "Money is not more important than constitutional rights, despite what Clean Zone would indicate," and "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech..." Pastor Bohn, of Raven Ministries, regularly preaches on Bourbon Street. He and his congregation wear t-shirts and carry signs that read "I Love Jesus," "Ask Me How Jesus Changed My Life," or similar messages, and carry a large cross emblazoned with the words "Raven Street Church." All of these messages are prohibited by the "Clean Zone" ordinance.
"Even the Super Bowl isn’t an excuse to suspend the First Amendment," said ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Marjorie R. Esman. "The founders of our country didn’t intend our rights to be suspended for a football game."
While the ACLU’s immediate lawsuit concerns only noncommercial speech, the organization is concerned about the Clean Zone’s commercial implications as well. The "Clean Zone" forbids real estate "for sale" signs, and temporary advertisements on vehicles such as taxi cabs and food delivery cars. Esman continued: "Businesses have the right to promote themselves. If our local businesses are to benefit from the many visitors we expect, they must be able to inform customers of their offerings. Prohibiting stores from telling people they sell king cakes, or posting 'for sale' signs at properties, will hurt New Orleans businesses and deprive our visitors of the many options we have for them."
The ACLU of Louisiana’s suit against the City of New Orleans was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. Copies of the Complaint and related documents are linked below.
Ciccarone et al v. New Orleans – Complaint
https://www.laaclu.org/resources/2013/012413Ciccarone-Complaint.pdf
Ciccarone et al v. New Orleans – Memorandum for TRO
https://www.laaclu.org/resources/2013/012413Ciccarone-TROMemo.pdf
Ciccarone et al v. New Orleans – Exhibit 1 – Ordinance
https://www.laaclu.org/resources/2013/012413Ciccarone-ExP-1.pdf
Ciccarone et al v. New Orleans – Exhibit 2 – Guide
https://www.laaclu.org/resources/2013/012413Ciccarone-ExP-2.pdf
This is a big victory, but not a complete one.
There is more at stake, including:
Mayor Mitch Landrieu's Unfair Restrictions on Taxi Drivers
Mardi Gras Krewes Losing Money Due to Super Bowl!
The thousands of dollars some Mardi Gras krewes are losing because Mayor Landrieu has “asked” them to parade a week early so that “the focus stays on football", and the $300 million renovation Michael Patrick Welch describes in "How the Super Bowl Screws New Orleans"
6 Million Tax Dollars at Work!
Even more disturbing is the 6 Million Louisiana tax dollars that were spent by the Super Bowl Host Committee to divert attention away from New Orleans' problems and make sure the world sees NFL branding. "In order to fulfill all of the obligations of the bid, the Host Committee needs to raise $12 Million through public and private sources; $6 Million publicly from the State of Louisiana, and $6 Million through private corporation sponsorship." ~ New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee
The Host Committee explains that a portion of this money will be spend on "Recruiting and managing 8500 volunteers [UNPAID WORKERS] for Super Bowl week" Call the here: 504-525-5678
NFL's non-profit status
Despite the fact that it is a $9Billion/Year Industry, the NFL Commissioner and Owners continue to enjoy status as a non-profit organization.
Petitioning Congress Congress: Revoke the Tax-Exempt Status of the National Football League
Please Contact Us if you are interested in raising awareness about these issues!
~ Occupy The Stage
The Occupy Puppet Theater has really taken off, and today Occupy The Stage participated in a Charivari against Austerity. The Puppet Theater was involved along with our latest "banker" puppet who printed his own money and denied several bystanders the opportunity to open an account. Creative Props included a birdcage stuffed with spray-painted orange dolls that represented the prison-industrial complex and over-crowded jails and some "Evict the Rich" punching balloons, along with creative signs and hand-made instruments. This action was part of "Solidarity Against Austerity" planned in conjunction with The Gulf Coast People's Convention. Many of us were "arrested" by one of our own, who was dressed as Federal Reserve Security and blew a whistle. 
Below is some footage of our creative expression. In this clip, small affair avoids being "arrested" in an encounter with the "Federal Reserve security" officer who deemed her guilty of "resisting" everything. 
Here is the footage of the banker puppet refusing to allow someone to open an account at our own Federal Reserve where we printed "money." 
We thank everyone who came out today and contributed to such an exciting demonstration. Occupy The Stage members look forward to performing more street theater and puppet shows.
Expect Us.
 We had the pleasure of spending a few days with Radical Resistance Tour when they stopped in New Orleans over the summer. The Radical Resistance Tour is an autonomous project by a group of Occupy Wall Street organizers.
Learn more about them HERE! We thank them for the lovely job they did editing their footage of Occupy The Stage! Please consider supporting their work!
Four People were arrested today, in New Orleans, for protesting a meeting of the American Petroleum Institute. They are being charged with criminal trespassing, despite there being no signs stating that they were not allowed, the meeting was public, when asked to leave they complied. A Louisiana state police officer manhandled several people inside and blocked their vehicle outside, keeping them from leaving, before finally identifying himself as a police officer. Donations for bond and legal fees can be made through: https://www.wepay.com/donations/ots-jail-support Livestreams of the arrests can be found here: http://bambuser.com/v/3150179 http://bambuser.com/v/3150191 http://bambuser.com/v/3150220
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!
Occupy NOLA is delighted that so many people attended the First People’s Convention in New Orleans on Saturday, October 27. Groups and individuals from across the Gulf Coast met and formed a network of activists to focus on our united grievances and the many issues our Gulf Coast faces.
The Gulf Coast People’s Convention tentatively approved the following motions with no objections from those in attendance:
1. To change the name of this group to The Gulf Coast People’s Convention.
2. Acceptance of the all the below stated reports, objectives, meetings and actions of all the listed groups
3. To sponsor and organize action in protest of the budget austerity measures slated for 2013 in December- December 15 Fiscal Cliff Austerity Protest (Jan 2 is when they are meeting).
4. Gulf Coast People’s Conventions to take place quarterly (that means the next one will be in February, which is when Mardi Gras (Feb 12) and the Superbowl (Feb 3) are in New Orleans, so that could be an issue).
Here is the link to the livestream recording of the Convention. We heard from a few speakers about the following immediate concerns: - Mike Howells discussed the Budget Act of 2011 and the Fiscal Cliff.
- Mental Healthcare Activist Shana Sears discussed crisis regarding the lack of Mental Health resources in New Orleans She can be reached at 504-344-4010
- Speaker discussed Tar Sands Blockade and educational teach-in scheduled for Nov. 11 at The Fairgrinds Coffee shop in New Orleans
- Convention organizer spoke about the need for volunteers to work together on any digital media (email lists, newsletters, announcements from groups, websites, social-networking sites, updating of contact information and actions) needs that arise after the October 27 Convention in New Orleans. Occupy NOLA digital media has not volunteered for this.
We then broke into working groups focusing on the following issues: - Healthcare
- Student Debt
- Corexit toxic dispersants used in the Gulf of Mexico
- Military Industrial Complex
- Political Reform
- Housing
- Workers’ Rights
- Tar Sands Event
See the schedule for details about how this was arranged. Groups each filled out two copies of a worksheet with the group’s theme, the potential group rep, member contact info, future meeting times and locations, objectives and demands, and potential dates for a protest. Not all possible groups had a leader to chair the group. Here are the groups and their chairs from The October 27 First People’s Convention (FPC) in NOLA.
Political Reform Working Group Rep: Andy Washington Objectives/Demands: Reform of voting law(s) and others To Be Announced Meetings : 1st and 3rd Mondays of month at 2735 c Toulouse New Orleans, LA 70119 Actions : setting aside January 2013 for an action
Housing Working Group Rep: Eloise Objectives/Demands: 1.Stop demolition of Iberville Housing Development 2.Government(HUD) must use section 8 to place people in housing 3.Government (HUD) must provide section 8 vouchers to everyone currently on section 8 waiting list 4.HUD replace public housing (unit for unit) demolished since Hurricane Katrina by constructing an equal number of public housing units in the same areas. 5.No cuts, fiscal cliff or otherwise, to the current HUD budget. Instead we demand that Congress raise the HUD budget HUD by 50% over the current one (2011-2012). Meetings: Third Thursday of every month at 7pm. St Jude Center, New Orleans Actions: Nov. 30th – Action planned! Press conference and protest at office of David Gilmore, 4100 Touro St. NOLA
BP Disaster Aftermath Concerns Working Group Group Rep: Kimberly Objectives/Demands: 1. True longintudal studies on chemicals to detect toxins. 2. No use of dispersants if they are toxic 3. Transparent communication about what is being used 4. Cease spraying of toxic dispersants (TDs) 5. Cleaning up oil/tarballs/tarmats (that now contain high levels of Vibrio vulnificus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrio_vulnificus) Meetings: TBA (in January) Actions: Planning another summit to stop TDs to take place in January in Mississippi PAST flyering public places on threat of touching tarballs CURRENT promoting (signing petition) HR 3562 moratorium on use COREXIT Student Debt Working Group Reps: Tara Jill and Mark (since group members live along the coast there is a AL rep. and a LA rep). Objectives/Demands: 1. Student Debt Forgiveness 2. Free well-funded quality “emancipatory” public education 3. Repeal bankruptcy law which prevents those with student loans from declaring legal bankruptcy Meetings: TBA – group will join InterOcc and International Student Movement debt conference calls Actions: TBA after conference call meetings show the best strategies to take but also to likely coincide with global action days. Since there are members from Alabama and Louisiana in this group, there could be actions with state-specific demands Tar Sands Event Working Group Objectives/Demands: In seeking to shut down the KXL pipeline to work with other groups against it (i.e. Sierra Club, etc.) and promote alternative energy and energy saving devices. Meeting: Teach-in Nov. 11th 5 pm Fair Grinds Coffee shop Actions: to take part in demonstrations such as are occurring in Texas. Health Care Working Group Rep: Brad Ott He is allied with Committee to Save Southeast Louisiana Hospital http://www.saveselh.org and Advocates for Louisiana Public Health Care Objectives/Demands: 1.Single Payer health care 2.restore recent health care funding cuts 3.address defunding of public health care 4.fight privatizations 5.support special legislative session to reverse budget Meetings: Post-Election round table; Gillespie Breakfast 2nd Sat. of Nov. 10-12 noon Actions : Demonstration Nov. 1st at South East LA hospital in Mandeville 4:30 Workers’ Rights Working Group Rep - Needs a rep! (Mike Chenier has agreed to be a rep). Could not agree to objectives and which actions to sponsor/take part in. Our table comprised two people from Socialist Alternative, one person promoting workers’ cooperatives, an unaffiliated restaurant worker looking for work, an unemployed worker still retaining his Teamster membership and myself a civil servant also a member of SEIU. The varying narratives each brought to the table needed more time for each to put it out on the table in order to craft a broader point of departure for the Convention and thus we could find little consensus in order to choose actions. Mike has declined to chair this group out of the People’s Convention as he already is obliged to work with the Socialist Alternative group. This group still needs a rep. Objectives/demands: (We had to start with a declarative statement): 1. All gains for workers have come/come through struggle and the struggle must be organized 2.Organization must occur independent of the current establishments (i. e. established unions, employers, etc.) 3.The Workers Rights group of the People’s Convention respects the initiative(s) and integrity of all workers
Military Industrial Complex Working Group Rep: Ben Gordon Pax Christi New Orleans meets monthly. Details at http://www.paxchristino.org/ for details. Phone: Pax Christi 504-522-3757 Objectives: 1.Defund SOA/WHINSEC 2.End wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan with ongoing peace vigil in NOLA 3. Avoid war in Iran Current Action already planned: Close SOA (School of the Americas) protest Fort Benning, Columbus GA Nov. 16th – 18th Meetings: Usually monthly but will not be held in Nov due to SOA protest. Next meeting is December 13 6:30 pm 7750 Walmsley NOLA Actions: TBD post SOA protest We are excited to unite over so many issues and support one another in solidarity.
Finally, if you and your group would like to host one of the quarterly conventions, please let us all know! Occupy NOLA would be happy to travel to future conventions!
If you would like to contact any of the group reps or convention organizers, please get in touch with us a info@occupyneworleans.us or contact Mike Howells at howellnow@bellsouth.net 504-587-0800 OR Justin and Occupy The Stage at occupythestagenola@gmail.com 504-400-2284
Thank you so much!
~ Occupy NOLA and Occupy The Stage
|
RSS Feed