FORECLOSURE ACTIONS
Occupiers, Allies Fight to Save Former Marine’s Home from Foreclosure
[ThinkProgress.org] About 20 California activists surrounded a local home this weekend to prevent Freddie Mac and Chase Bank from foreclosing on the property, even amid rumors that sheriff’s deputies were coming to seize it. The Riverside, California home belongs to Arturo de los Santos, a former Marine who told Riverside’s City News Service that he fell behind on his payments when business plummeted at the factory where he’s employed. Across the country, Occupy Our Homes has drawn attention to these problems by placing homeless families in vacant homes, disrupting foreclosure auctions, and forcing banks to renegotiate mortgage terms on properties in foreclosure.
This week various partners, piled onto the effort to pressure Charles E. Haldeman (Freddie Mac CEO) and Peter K. Barker (CA Chariman of JP Morgan Chase) into modifying Arturo’s loan. Join the fight to save Arturo’s home. Sign the petition at: http://bit.ly/AdEyV6
VIDEO: Occupy LA & Wells Fargo Meet to Discuss Foreclosure Crisis
[Huffington Post] – Seven activists met with six Wells Fargo executives Monday at the Center of Non-profit Management at the California Endowment Building in downtown LA to present eight foreclosure-focused challenges to the bank. As laid out in Occupy LA’s press release, the priority requests were an extended moratorium on foreclosures, more immediate and long-term relief to borrowers, and the elimination of discriminatory lending based on age, gender and race. One of the challenges called upon Wells Fargo to approve loan modifications for twenty individuals listed by name. Watch the video: http://huff.to/xvLFhc
OCCUPY CPAC
Occupy DC to Occupy the Conservative Political Action Conference: Feb 9-11
Occupy DC will be joining in solidarity with the AFL-CIO, SEIU, National Nurses United, Metro Labor Council, OurDC, and more to march and protest at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), starting Thursday. Occupy DC calls the conference speakers “a who’s who of dastardly politicians” in an announcement posted Tuesday on its website. According to the announcement, the group is organizing protests to take place at noon and 5 p.m., which will coincide with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s speech. The group also plans a march from Malcolm X Park to the conference location, at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Northwest Washington.
OCCUPY ACTION AWARDS
OccupySupply Announces Winners for Outstanding Local Occupy Action
[Firedoglake.com]- The Firedoglake.com community voted to award five occupations with a command post tent from Occupy Supply for their outstanding community activism. Among the winners was OWS which was nominated for occupying homes in Easy NY, organizing the Brooklyn bridge protest, holding solidarity march on Foley Square and organizing a labor union solidarity march. Occupy Atlanta was among the awardees as well, nominated for saving an Iraq war veteran from being evicted, stopping eviction of the Pittman family and saving a historic black church from eviction. Check out all the winners at: http://bit.ly/wnb2Es
DAY OF ACTION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
Occupy Oakland Day of Action Meets Local Resistance
[Huffington Post] – On Monday, about 200 Occupy Oakland protesters clashed with counter protesters and police on the steps of Oakland City Hall. Occupy Oakland gathered for a day of action to protest the arrests at the January 28 protest, the most charged Occupy Oakland police clash since November. But across the plaza, a group of about 50 counter protesters formed opposing the occupiers, wearing armbands and signs reading, “I stand with Oakland.” The group called itself Stand For Oakland. Read more: http://huff.to/yqW1OO
Chicago Police Officer Pushes Occupy Chicago Protester
[Occupy Chicago] – On Sunday, Occupy Chicago took to the streets in response to the violent treatment of Occupy Oakland protesters at the hands of the Oakland Police the night before, gathering at LaSalle and Jackson before setting off on a fast-moving march around the Loop. Keilah Becker, a member of Occupy Chicago Social Media Team, says she was subjected to extremely aggressive treatment at the hands of an unidentified CPD officer. Read more: http://bit.ly/Apz81m
OCCUPY 101
Roosevelt University to Offer Course on Occupy Movement
[CBS] – Roosevelt University is set to offer a course all about the Occupy movement. The new course, Political Science 390: Occupy Everywhere, is being held for the first time this semester. Associate professor and social movement expert Jeff Edwards will teach the course. In a news release on the Roosevelt Web site, Edwards said he got the idea for the class after observing the ongoing debate in political science circles about the effect that economic inequality is having on democracy in America. Read more: http://cbsloc.al/yKEmaV
UNOCCUPY PRISIONS
Occupy Rochester: Unoccupy the Prisons Protest in Pittsford
Occupy Rochester joined Band of Rebels and the Occupy Wall Street bus tour on Monday for a protest outside the Wells Fargo building in Pittsford. The protest, “Unoccupy the Prisons,” featured “activists exposing the private prison industry, survivors of the prison system sharing their testimonials, and our vision for prioritizing education, not incarceration.” Wells Fargo was chosen for the protest, according to the press release, because it is a “key funder to the prison industry.”
UNIONS
Indiana Passes Union-Busting Law
[http://occupiedmedia.us] Indiana became the first state in the Rust Belt and the 23rd state overall to enact a union-busting right-to-work law, which prohibits employment contracts requiring all workers to pay mandatory union dues, essentially starving unions of funding. Union members shouted “Shame on you!” and “See you at the Super Bowl!” at the statehouse in Indianapolis when the 28-22 vote was announced, referring to the fortuitously-timed Super Bowl XVI, set to take place in Indianapolis that weekend. Read more: http://politi.co/xIFDPi
Belgium Trade Unions Strike Disrupt Travel
[CNN] – Strikes by trade unions in Belgium disrupted travel Monday on the Eurostar and Thalys international train lines, the companies announced, as European leaders gathered in the capital Brussels for an informal summit.
Eurostar passengers trying to get to Brussels from London had to change from trains to buses in Lille, France, on Sunday night and Monday, the company announced. Eurostar “strongly advised” passengers to rebook travel for another day. Read more: http://bit.ly/zb88Ej
ENCAMPMENT UPDATES
Eviction Deadlines Passes, Occupy Pittsburgh Remains
[Occupy Pittsburgh Media Team] – Two days after the third deadline for eviction, Occupy Pittsburgh remains at People’s Park. Multiple skycam teams in local hotels overlooking People’s Park–and over 12 video livestreamers on the ground–have streamed live video feeds of the park from multiple angles, making our commitment to accountability clear, and successfully protecting our family and friends at the camp. This afternoon at 5:30 pm, Occupy Pittsburgh will rally and make statements for the press at People’s Park. Afterward, they will march away from the encampment site. Read more: http://bit.ly/ygb4HL
Occupy Evictions across the Country
[OccupiedMedia.us reports] – Under threat of a January 30 eviction deadline, Occupy DC refused to vacate its McPherson Square encampment. With two days to go, occupiers demonstrated outside the 99th annual Alfalfa Club dinner thrown for high-level dignitaries, including President Obama. Twenty-four hours after the deadline passed, a federal judge ruled that the police had to give the encampment prior notice before an eviction is attempted. Though police publicly stated that they had no plans to evict anyone, on February 4 they entered the square in riot gear – without prior notice – and randomly searched and dismantled tents before confiscating possessions and dispersing the camp. A planned class action lawsuit is moving forward, which will include members of the occupation who “own or possess tents in McPherson Square which have been or will be taken and/or destroyed” by the National Park Service. Get more eviction updates at: http://bit.ly/AlheNY
Journalist Arrested Covering Occupy Miami Eviction Recovers Arrest Video Deleted by Police
[Boing Boing] – Carlos Miller, an accredited photojournalist covering the Occupy Miami eviction, was arrested by Miami-Dade police, who deleted several videos from his camera before they returned it to him. Miller recovered some of the deleted files and has posted them to YouTube. They support his version of the events of that night, in which he was subject to arbitrary arrest. The deletion of a journalist’s arrest-video seems a move calculated to obscure guilt on the part of the police. Watch the video: http://bit.ly/wzxT3s
Occupy News Briefs
Occupy Protesters Interrupt State Budget Hearing – NYTimes.com
Lawmakers did not try to stop the protesters, and one legislator, Assemblywoman Aileen M. Gunther, a Democrat of Sullivan County, even took out her smartphone to capture the moment.
How the Occupy Movement Changed Urban Government – Politics …
In an increasingly globalized world, Occupy Wall Street reinforced the primacy of place.
Occupy Vermont Mic Checks Board of Trustees
Occupy Burlington/UVM Mic Checks UVM’s Board of Trustees over Bill Ruprecht being on the board. After hearing about there being a protest, Ruprecht cancelled plans to be at the Board of Trustees Meeting.
Homeless Camp Shut Down, Occupy KC Camp Remains | fox4kc …
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Homeless men and women who were forced out of a Kansas City homeless camp are on their own again. Some people are asking how come Occupy KC supporters are able to stay in their camp, but the homeless camp …
Occupy, Economic Inequality and Business Initiatives: Insights from …
Occupy movements highlighting economic inequality have quickly spread around the world. But they have also excluded several countries.
Video from Occupy Boston and Berlin “No War on Iran” Rally | Take …
On Saturday, February 4th Occupy Boston’s Action for Peace Work Group joined communities across the nation, with over 60 endorsing organizations, to alert people to the ominous drumbeat, that unimpeded, will lead to war on Iran.
Occupy Wall Street to Visit Occupy Syracuse | NCC News
Around 20-30 members of Occupy Wall Street will meet at Perseverance Park at 2:30 p.m. to visit with members of Occupy Syraucse. At 3:15 p.m. the combined group is schedule to march to Columbus …
Out in the Cold- Occupy Montreal and the Homelessness Question …
Part of the worldwide infamy Occupy Wall Street gained was because of its quasi-primitivist communal organization. Occupy Montreal followed suit. Soon, the kitchen got up and running, along with the first aid station and the media centre.
The Occupations Report is compiled by Rebuild the Dream using information gathered from online news sites, Twitter, blogs and other sources of occupation-related updates. You are welcome to share this report and can download the Word document version at http://rebuildthedream.com/occupy-update.
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