Occupy Minneapolis: Space Liberation Edition

Prognosticating the Politics of 2012

After living through a volatile 2011 (the Arab Spring, the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown, Libya, the Occupy Movement, economic uncertainty, etc.) the world might see a 2012 that's just as chaotic and harrowing.  Yet there's much to be thankful for as we begin another year, with the potential for more outbursts of democratic revolution.

via Los Angeles Times

Syria Moving Toward Peace?  
The political will of the people is becoming centralized of late, deciding to go it alone by not allowing a foreign military intervention (ala Libya).  It's exciting to not only see this unity of opposing factions but also the clarity of their purpose, unwilling to be compromised by external forces in pursuing the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.  Who knows if the military will continue their sniper attacks, continuing their assault on the citizens of Syria that's raged since last March or if the Arab League will be able to diplomatically influence what's happening on the ground.  In time, the only ways I see a peaceful resolution to this bloody turmoil is either an overthrow of the Assad regime or long-term economic isolation to the point of Assad conceding.  Neither outcome looks to be on the immediate horizon.

The latest news in Syria, reported just this morning, is that the government has withdrawn their tanks out of the cities and released "3,500 detainees" as a result of "regional initiative" following reports from Arab League observers on the ground who recently withdrew as well.  The evident goal is cease-fire, which has not as of this morning been achieved, yet every positive step in the process is welcome at this point.

   Scary to see how linked our growth is to Europe's...          via American Progress

The Global Economy
In the US, the economy is finally starting to show signs of life with increased growth and lower unemployment of late.  The problem now?  The shoe is on the other foot with economic foreign powers slumping (China, Europe) while we're just starting to get back on our feet.  If the EU debt crisis continues to damage the European markets and/or China's growth continues to slow, it could spell a longer economic recession for everybody and cast further uncertainty on who leads America going forward.  In 2012, I see an increase in American output, a slower yet steady continuance of Chinese growth and a mediocre or even no recovery for the Euro-zone, potentially similar to the slow 2011 recovery here in the US.  ABC News put something out this morning on their projections for the US economy.

via theaustralian.com.au

China and North Korea 
Will they become further destabilized or instead continue their partnership of citizen oppression, censorship and famine?  If North Korea or China are ever going to trend toward the Democratic changes we've seen in the past year in the Arab states, it'll happen in the next five years.  Though what's been most evident during Kim Jung Un's transition to power is just how strong their Stalinist system is, with those in power enjoying the fruits of their work. Historically, the most successful attempts at toppling a regime have been undertaken during times of transition and in North Korea I see no such weakness.  While the people of China are are gathering and protesting more than they have in recent years, there is no doubting the power their leaders have in suppressing the voices of the people via censorship, jailing human rights lawyers, continued suppression of religion and human rights, with no evidence of their leadership crumbling at this point.


The Occupy Movement
While most of the occupy encampments have been forcibly removed and the cold weather may have frozen out the original notion of a constant physical presence (though there are exceptions), there continues to be a plethora of activity in many of the originally occupying cities.  The most exciting recent actions have included the West Coast port shutdown, the Minnesota house occupations and just this morning, the march that concluded the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.  I don't see the Occupy Movement abating anytime soon, expecting it to only gather more steam as the weather gets better this Spring.

via CBS News

The Caucuses and Primaries  
Romney will most likely capture a majority of the state-by-state contests, with Paul and Gingrich possibly picking up a couple and Perry potentially snagging one or two himself.  It's pretty tough to project considering the volatility of the electorate, as evidenced by their mad Fall campaigns, the diversity of the states and the huge fluctuations in polling.  I see Romney winning a long battle (reminiscent of the long primary season between Clinton and Obama in '08), ultimately ending with Romney losing by a greater margin in the general election than McCain did to Obama in 2008.  Below is the most recent poll of polls from Real Clear Politics:

People get so wrapped up in polling and the excitement the traditional horse race handicapping of candidates that they often miss the simplicity of how determining a projected winner can be.  Please take a look at Allan Lichtman's Keys to the White House method of prediction.  He's accurately predicted 7 of the last 7 presidential elections based on his thirteen criteria. He had a great debate earlier last year with Nate Silver and this year he's predicting a victory for President Obama.  I see no reason to doubt his method at this point, unless the economy takes a drastic turn for the worse.

For more political and cultural commentary, stop by Auspicious Scuttlebutt, as I'll be covering the coming primaries and caucuses, plus in-depth looks at each of the remaining candidates.

Hope your 2012 is filled with joy and prosperity!

Occupy Minneapolis Protesters Arbitrarily Evicted From Hennepin County Property

As city and county officials act across the country as part of a coordinated nationwide attack on the Occupy Movement, Occupy Minneapolis has also been experiencing the effects.

Since the Occupation of The People's Plaza (formerly the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza) began on October 7, people occupying the Plaza have periodically been "trespassed" by Plaza Security, under the authority of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. Being "trespassed" means that the individual given the ticket is not allowed on the property for a determined number of days-- typically 365. Occupiers have been trespassed for a variety of incidents including fighting and public sex -- although some of those charges are currently being contested. Recently, however, the incidents leading to many Occupiers' trespass citations are of a increasingly questionable and arbitrary nature.

The night of November 19th, two Occupiers were issued trespass citations allegedly for fighting-- while the Occupiers in question were arguably not guilty of the stated offense. At least one of the Occupiers' involvement in the incident appears to have been peaceful in nature, in an attempt to break up an occurring altercation. After repeatedly avoiding answering clarifying questions regarding the reason for the trespass notice, one Plaza Security officer finally -- and seemingly reluctantly -- delivered the official cause: "We went and reviewed video, and clearly identified you as an aggressor on the tape." However, a few minutes later, the same officer told Jennifer that she was not acting aggressively when he explained, "I don't have to, but I'm going to tell you anyway, you were the only one out of all of these ones that were trespassed that was not being aggressive. You were actually trying to disengage the situation... and thank you for that. "

As is clear in the footage of the security guard attempting to explain the arbitrary and arguably unnecessary trespass notice that Jennifer was issued, the orders to find any and all reasons to evict protesters from occupations are clearly coming from a larger institutional force. While our local law enforcement has been generally respectful and non-violent toward our movement, it's become apparent that having them on our side doesn't mean that forces beyond our jurisdiction are equally as willing to protect our First Amendment rights. The fight to defend our own Constitutional Right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances remains one we must continue to fight vigilantly.

Minneapolis Police Officer Drives Into Unarmed Non-Violent Protester

From OccupyMN.org: Today as 100+ members of Occupy Minneapolis met at Sa'ra Kaiser's house to help protect her from foreclosure, the mortgage company who owns the home called the Minneapolis Police Department to report trespassing.  As police arrived to see the house occupied by protesters protecting the home for Sa'ra, they asked protesters to leave, citing that because they could not verify the official ownership of the home, they could not allow protesters to remain.  One individual, Michael, was arrested by Minneapolis Police on charges of burglary. Another protester, Devin, was arrested shortly after on charges of obstructing justice-- following a Minneapolis police officer pushing an unarmed and non-violent Devin -- down the street with his vehicle:

Devin and Michael remain in the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center, where, given the nature of the charges they must wait at least 36 hours before bail is considered. 
UPDATE: It was eventually determined by City attorneys that, given the uncertain ownership of the home, police are not able to prevent protesters from occupying the home at this time.

Defending the Plaza, Sleep-In Style

It worked!




Well, except that we don't have electricity anymore (again).  But for the time being, all's... all right?  Oh, we're also going to occupy an addition foreclosed home:

Rally to Defend The People's Plaza

Me in my awesome handmade donated
OccupyMN hat. It's warm.

They're trying to effectively kick us out:

A countdown is on to this evening, when Hennepin County officials have set the deadline for disallowing sleeping, signs, and portable toilets in Government Plaza, effectively ending the "occupation" part of the Occupy MN movement. 

But the protesters aren't going without a fight. Two fights, actually -- one in court and one on the plaza. 

"We're trying to get as many people out as possible to achieve a critical mass to make sure we keep sleeping there if we choose to," says spokeswoman April Lukes-Streich. 

She says the group has a rally planned for 5 p.m. and that the occupiers will not follow any of the county's new rules. She says they hope to keep as many people as possible as late as they can, to monitor any attempt at enforcement on the part of the county.

Take a look at some of the photos I took today of the rally and march.

OccupyMN Occupies a Foreclosed Home

From The Uptake:

Monique White was on the verge of being evicted from her North Minneapolis home after U.S. Bank moved to foreclose. Occupy MN activists camping out in front of Minneapolis City Hall for over a month faced a showdown with Hennepin County, which wanted to evict them. So these two strange bedfellows teamed up. Occupy MN is now sleeping in White’s house, and in tents in her front lawn, at 3310 N. 6th St. in the city’s downtrodden North Minneapolis neighborhood.

In doing so, Occupy Minneapolis instantly made itself more diverse, and more relevant. The largely white and college-educated demonstrators now stand with White and north-side African American activists, who have been hit harder by the home foreclosure crisis than other Twin Cities neighborhoods. In the eyes of north-side activist Anthony Newby, Occupy MN’s movement just gained more credibility. 

Minneapolis City Council Supports Goals of the Occupy Movement

Minneapolis City Hall

Since OccupyWallStreet began in New York City on September 17th, it has spread throughout the country and world. To date, many occupations have been met with resistance and hostility from law enforcement along with city, county, and state officials.  We have seen brutal police attacks on peaceful protesters in Oakland, New York, Denver, and elsewhere; we have had arbitrary restrictions placed on our occupations, limiting our First Amendment rights; and we have heard a CEO of a large national bank mock protesters.  In Minneapolis, however, we do have the official support of our City Council.

On Friday, October 21, 2011, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members voted to adopt Resolution 2011R-549: Supporting Peaceable Calls for Reforms to the Income Tax, Financial, and Electoral Systems [PDF]. The adopted resolution acknowledges current political, economic, and social struggles, and it also pledges support for citizens currently engaged in peacefully protesting the causes of such struggles. Among those issues acknowledged are the effectively disenfranchising effects upon individual Americans as a result of the 2010 Citizens United ruling; the vast income disparity between the richest 1% of Americans and the remaining 99%; widespread unemployment, particularly among racial minorities; and the injustice of the fact that the burden of the economic crisis is being shouldered predominantly by the victims of the crisis, rather than by the perpetrators.  As the Resolution summarized:

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by The City Council of The City of Minneapolis:

That in order to create a shared dialogue through which to address the problems and generate solutions for 99% of Americans the City stands in support of peaceful calls for serious reforms to the income tax, financial, and electoral systems, and of education efforts in furtherance of those goals.

The Los Angeles City Council has also voted to pass a similar resolution, and the Seattle City Council is currently considering their own.

The Occupy Movement is already looked upon favorably by a growing number of ordinary Americans; our biggest challenge thus far has been earning the support of our elected leaders and those with the power to effectively end our ongoing occupation.  The fact that the Minneapolis City Council voted to pass this resolution is a significant and positive development for not only the Minneapolis occupation, but also for other occupations across the country. Together, we work in solidarity to fight for the voice of the 99%.  In addition to the official support of the Minneapolis City Council, the Minneapolis occupation has not seen violence or overt intimidation tactics used by local law enforcement, despite ongoing disputes between the two parties about outdoor shelter and continued occupation.  While the inclination to specifically praise law enforcement for a lack of such objectively unethical behavior against  law-abiding citizens is troublesome, indeed, it must be acknowledged that the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Minneapolis Police Department and other involved law enforcement outfits, have generally shown respect and restraint when interacting with peaceful occupiers.  We are fighting for the voices of the 99%, and we realize that our local law enforcement and local city representatives are part of the 99%, and that they should therefore have our support, as well.  The Occupy Movement is, for better or worse, partially dependent on the support of our local elected officials and law enforcement.  In Minneapolis, we have begun to earn that support, and are grateful for it.  True to our reputation as "Minnesota Nice," both occupiers and authority figures alike have shown respect and understanding toward one another. As this trend continues, it is important to note that all parties involved will benefit.

OccupyMN appreciates and thanks the Minneapolis City Council for their public show of support for our collective movement, and we intend to maintain our respectful and cooperative relationship with the city and county as we continue to exercise our First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and redress our grievances with our government and political system.

Originally posted at OccupyMN.org.

We got hacked, and other OccupyMN news

It happened this weekend, then again Tuesday.  It's all right now, after a couple late-night fixes and a redesign.  Take a look at the website-- I made the header!  More rotating headers to come... you know how I like rotating headers.

Other relevant OccupyMN news:
OccupyMN defies county's orders; ACLU threatens lawsuit.US Bank CEO Richard Davis mocked occupiers, so occupiers put up a tent in US Bank Plaza.  Again.
And stuff.  I feel half asleep every day and must edit a press release now, so I will leave it at that.
Someday I will stop inundating the blog with local news coverage of our occupation and maybe write a real blog post.
Oh, don't forget to watch the livestream!  It's on the website's front page, or you can watch it here, on Livestream.com.

Video of the Day - OccupyMN helps a woman renegotiate the terms of her foreclosure

Check out the City Pages article about this action:

​Ruth Murman needed two extra weeks to pack up her and her elderly father's things and get them out of the home she is losing to foreclosure. Her mortgage lender, US Bank, said no dice. The eviction was set for October 31.

That was before an Occupy MN protester came walking up her driveway. Hours after the occupiers got her story up on YouTube in preparation for a protest at US Bank, Murman says, she got a call from the bank. She could have her two weeks.

"I would probably have been in the hospital if I had to be out of here on Monday," says Murman. "Occupy MN was so fabulous."

In light of this success, Occupy MN is now actively recruiting foreclosure families like Murman's.

So, tell your foreclosed-upon Minnesotan friends!

OccupyMN Tumblr!

We have one!  OccupyMN.tumblr.com.

I'll be working on it quite a bit in the next few days with some other folks.  You should bookmark it!

The latest from OccupyMN

Not the most sympathetic report ever, but here's what's going on.  Tomorrow at 11:30, several folks involved with OccupyMN are planning to put up tents at the US Bank Plaza across the street.  That plaza is owned by Minneapolis, and we've applied for a permit.  I am not sure yet if that application was approved or denied, but I'm not terribly optimistic.  Frankly, I just don't think we'll be permitted to use tents anywhere in the city.  We'll see what happens.  

Occupy Minnesota Costing Hennepin County $152,295: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Transparency and tents at OccupyMN

Here's what happened yesterday:







and then:





And for another's station's coverage:

Arrest Made at Occupy MN Rally: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Whether or not to make a "direct action" over the tent issue was hotly debated. Many people are still very upset about the fact that it was done, and as a result, the Sheriff's department isn't very thrilled with us anymore. Law enforcement relations, I'm afraid, have been negatively affected by this action.

Oh, in other news, we got a mention on CNN today, as well, as a result of the tent issue.

If those videos never load properly, or are about a mess instead of the tents, click here to watch from the website.

A sloppy collection of my own photos from the first few days of OccupyMN

Not my photo, but a good introduction

OccupyMN: More Later, But First:

Brother Gonzo says why he occupies the People's Plaza:




I agree with everything he said.

I did an interview with Utne Reader just before the occupation started. I'm pretty pleased with it, although since the occupation started 5 days ago, my reasons for being there have become a little modified, and more solidified. I'll expand later when I don't have to go to bed like, now. But here's the interview in it's entirety:

 

It’s true: We’re covering the Occupy Wall Street movement to death over here (and yes, there’s more to come), perhaps because it was granted so little coverage in the first days of its contentious life. Need a primer-cum-rallying-cry? Read Tom Engelhardt’s essay on the movement’s importance. Pointing to a counter argument by political activist and cartoonist Ted Rall, our editor-in-chief David Schimke asks us to consider if Occupy Wall Street is pushing hard enough. Also, we’re trying keeping you up to date on our Twitter and Tumblr feeds.

Occupy Wall Street is straight up the most vocal, progressively populist demonstration in years—yet from the get-go has suffered from poor media portrayal and position articulation issues. OccupyMN’s April Lukes-Streich, answering via e-mail, tries to clear up a few things before the protest occupies the Minneapolis Government Center Plaza on Friday, October 7, and turns it into the People’s Plaza. 

Utne Reader: The participants in the Occupy movement often come from either a background in local activism or a background in Anonymous, the hacktivist group. What is your activism background? 

  

April Lukes-Streich: I’m unaffiliated with any activist group or organization, but have been a longtime political activist and blogger.

UR :What personally draws you to the Occupy movement? What are your personal motivations?

ALS: I was inspired by the recent occupation of the Madison, Wisc., Capitol building, and realized at that point that with the erosion of our voting rights by way of gerrymandering congressional districts, changing electoral college procedures, and voter ID laws—not to mention the corporate and moneyed influence in politics on both sides of the political aisle—that being present together is really the only chance we have to reclaim our voices to ensure meaningful participation in our political and economic system and the democratic process. I am continually personally inspired by a desire to reform our economic system in a way that ensures fairness for all participants. I cannot speak for all participants and know many to disagree with me, as we come from varied political philosophies, but I am strongly critical of the capitalist economic system and wish to see reform.

UR : The media has portrayed the Occupy Wall Street movement as somewhat directionless, lacking a central message. In your words, what is the central message of Occupy Wall Street? 

ALS: That our movement is seen as directionless or lacking a central message is something that confuses a lot of participants, and I believe rightly so. As many have noted, if it’s unclear to anyone why we’re protesting, they’re not paying attention. Our economic system is in shambles, people are out of work and deep in debt with no discernible solution in the foreseeable future. The unified message of OccupyMN is “People Before Profits,” and we are continually working on lists of common goals. But because we wish to give voice to the 99 percent of Americans who do not currently have a meaningful voice in politics and economics in America, we are unable to present a list of cohesive demands in the way that many people seem to think we should. Ordinary people of all political persuasions are part of the 99 percent; what we want is not to all agree on policy or legislative issues, but to bring voice to the people to engage in meaningful, constructive debate about these issues without moneyed interests influencing the process and manipulating ordinary citizens.     

This is a different kind of movement than any other we’ve seen.  The process is new to everyone, participants and observers alike.

UR : Another criticism of the Occupy movement is that it has largely been the pursuit of well-educated, middle-class, white people. Has OccupyMN reached out to groups with cause for concern—minority, unemployed, disabled, etc.—to engage them with the movement/issues?

ALS: OccupyMN is very aware of these issues that are all too often present in activism and of the criticism. We are making every effort to reach out to all minority communities and ensure that folks from privileged backgrounds—namely white, middle-class men—are not dominating the conversation and direction of the movement. Our group is unified in this attempt and we expect to achieve the goal of making sure that everyone has a chance to speak and be a part of the decision-making process through our daily General Assemblies that we will have on the Plaza.

UR : What are some specific reforms that you’d like to see come about as a result of the Occupy movement?

ALS: I can’t speak for the entire group, but I would personally like to see election financing reform, an end to corporate personhood, and an overhaul of our tax system, including fairly taxing capital gains and instituting a nationwide corporate income tax. I would also like to see an honest conversation about the effectiveness and fairness of the capitalist system.

UR : Downtown Minneapolis is home to many corporate headquarters and business campuses of large banks—Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, etc.—as well as a Federal Reserve building. Why is OccupyMN demonstrating in Government Plaza with all of these symbolic institutions around?

ALS: Our group voted during our first public forum at Stevens Square Park to move the occupation from the Federal Reserve to the Government Center Plaza for mainly logistical reasons. While occupying the area surrounding the Federal Reserve would be appropriately symbolic, we do not expect that we would have been allowed to remain there. The Government Center Plaza is public property, does not require a permit, and is in the heart of the financial district.  We are not protesting at a bank because, beside being private property that we’d surely be arrested for occupying, rendering the movement effectively worthless, we are not protesting any one bank. We’re protesting the entire system, which leaves us without a meaningful voice. We believe that public, taxpayer-funded property is the most realistic place to achieve this goal.

UR : Is non-violent protesting the only course of action that OccupyMN is taking in the movement, or are there any plans for behind-scenes-work like lobbying and community outreach?

  

ALS: Many members of our organizational team, as well as countless other participants, are individually involved in lobbying and community outreach, but as a group/movement, we have not yet made plans for behind-the-scenes action. We are compelled to occupy primarily because our exhaustive efforts to lobby and outreach are not working.  We need to be heard before we are able to change policies.

UR : What does success—either immediate or long-term—look like for you?

ALS: I will see success when I see meaningful reform to our economic and political structure.  How this will happen, we have yet to know. First, we simply demand to be heard.  I believe that, because of this widespread movement, we will be.

 You can also check out the livefeed.  It's very addicting, like the weirdest reality TV show you can't stop watching:

Watch live streaming video from occupymn at livestream.com

Seriously watch the livestream.

"April wants peaceful protest."

I'm only on for like, half a second, but whatev. Where you see people writing on cardboard and all that is our final meeting tonight to go over logistics and explain the General Assembly process.  I don't have time to go into it now, but I will later.  Look up the General Assembly process, though, in the meantime; it is absolutely essential to our movement.  It's true democracy in action.




Then I did a spontaneous Fox 9 interview:

It's been determined, by me, that after my initial anxiety about saying the wrong thing, that I sure do like being on the news.  Hey, you need someone to talk in front of a camera?  Pick me, pick me!

I was on the teevee.

I'm starting to believe I may never sleep again.

Here I am talking to KARE11 News during a spontaneous lunchtime interview about OccupyMN:

I was so nervous.  I've never been interviewed before, or on television before (aside from this one weather experiment thing in 6th grade), so I was just a bundle of nerves.  I didn't even get to see it for 7 hours after it aired, because I was at a planning meeting until 11:00.  I thought it went all right, although I sounded like a broken record at the end.

Funny how I keep getting into local news at the Government Center Plaza People's Plaza.

Yes, I did make sure to email our Google Group to inform them of Hennepin County's non-smoking policy.

Facebook photo memes are really on a roll lately

My Facebook news feed has been just chock full of great photo memes lately.  Here are some of my favorites [click to enlarge images]:

I just fucking love this.

This makes me so unbelievably sad.