National Week of Action for Consideration By GAs Across the Country
“We’ll occupy the streets.  We’ll occupy the courts.  We’ll occupy the offices of you.  Until you do the bidding of the many, not the few.” - Makana

WHAT
Occupy Congress at Home, an action in which the 99% introduces ourselves to members of Congress in their district offices and welcomes them home for the holidays
Funny tagline:  ”Hello, Congress, welcome home for the holidays.  We’d like to introduce ourselves.  We’re the 99%, you know, the people you’re supposed to represent.”
Copy for bumper sticker or flyer:  ”This holiday season, show Congress you care.  OCCUPY CONGRESS AT HOME Coming to a district office near you”

WHEN
POSTPONED.  STAY TUNE FOR NEW DATES.

WHY 
1)  To bring the Occupy movement to the next level.  This is Occupy 2.0  where we expand our movement from one center of power, Wall Street, to another equally important if not more important center, Congress.  After all, the banks just did what Congress allowed them to do. In this venue, occupiers with specific legislative demands will be able to directly lobby the people who can make them happen.  As the Occupy movement is grassroots and locally based, starting with the district offices is important.  Plus, not every occupier can get to DC.
2)  To counter the paid lobbyists for the 1%.  Up until this point, progressives have lobbied their representatives primarily by writing letters, making phone calls and signing petitions.  But rarely do we show up in person.  The only people who physically show up at the offices of elected officials are lobbyists.  The power of the Occupy movement is that we physically show up.  So now we are taking that power to Congress.
3)  To challenge the stereotype of the movement by the mainstream media and to garner more support from the general public.  This action will show that Occupy movement is extends beyond camping in parks, taking over bank buildings, blocking bridges and highways and preventing people from getting to work.  This can garner us more favorable coverage in the press and gain us new members.  If we can get at least one person to each office at the same time – there are between 600-700 offices across the country – it would be huge.
.
HOW
Each GA will determine the specifics of their own action.  But the general idea is that Occupiers and people who find out about this action through supportive progressive groups will have a constant and hopefully large presence in front of their Congress person’s office during business hours from Monday through Friday.  People will be encouraged to bring their handmade signs with the issues of concern to them as well as letters explaining their positions in more detail that can be handed directly to Congress people.
There will be a website for this action that we will promote to GAs and to the general public through a press release.  The site will have a tool where people can put in their address and find the district office closest to them.  There will also be a form for people to write letters if they are physically unable to attend the action.  The letters will be downloaded and handed to the Congress person at the action.  Finally, there will be a place where people can upload photos and videos from the event.
GA’s could try to schedule a meeting with the Congress person inside his or her office.   But they will have to figure out who could be spokespeople for the group, as it is not feasible for a Congress person to meet with more than 10-15 people inside their office.  It is advisable to try set up this meeting in advance.
If people would like to Occupy the member’s office, not leave when told to and get arrested, that is up to the individual GAs and individual people.  It is not something the working group organizing this action is encouraging.
.

PROMOTION
The working group will release a general press release to the national press on 12/12, a week before the action.  It will be clear that it is coming from only the Occupied cities who have ratified the action and plan to participate by the time of the release.
The action will be brought to the attention of 120 progressive groups who are expected to promote this action to their millions of members.
Individual GAs should write their own press releases and get them out to their local media in advance of the action.
Watch Ralph Nader Talk Occupy Congress

NEXT STEPS
If you have a direct action committee that this has to go to first, please propose it ASAP and then take it to the GA.  If not, go straight to the GA.  We need as many cities and towns as possible signed up by 12/12 when the national press release is issued.
When your action has been ratified, please contact Lauren Steiner at  so you can be included in the national press release.
Then just plan your action and promote it to your members and to the community at large.