Woman Dies After Being Dragged From Hospital.

Posted on March 26, 2012 on STLtoday.com
 

Anna Brown, 29, died on the floor of a jail cell within an hour of being dragged from St. Mary’s Hospital.   As blood clots spread from her legs to her lungs the hospital staff was busy refusing her further treatment.  She was arrested because she refused to leave, she said she was in to much pain to stand.  So she was carried to a squad car and driven to the Richmond Heights Police Department where officers carried her into a cell and laid her on the floor.  She was found dead only minutes later.

Join the Facebook group Justice for Anna Brown

Originally visiting the hospital due to a sprained ankle, she was unaware that the real problem was that her sprained ankle had caused blood clots.  A doctor at St. Mary’s told police that she was okay to go, unwilling to properly treat the woman.  At 7:33 in the video below, you can hear an officer in the cell after she died say, “we thought she was drug sick” but the autopsy revealed that she had not taken any drugs.

Why The CIA Funds Nonviolence Training.

from dissidentvoice.org

 by Stuart Jeanne Bramhall / March 13th, 2012

One important aspect of the debate over “diversity of tactics” (i.e. the decision whether to be exclusively nonviolent) in the Occupy movement relates to mounting evidence of the role CIA and Pentagon-funded foundations and think tanks play in funding and promoting nonviolent resistance training.

The two major US foundations promoting nonviolence, both overseas and domestically, are the Albert Einstein Institution (AEI) and the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). Both receive major corporate and/or government funding, mostly via CIA “pass through” foundations. While the ICNC is funded mainly by the private fortune of hedge fund billionaire (junk bond king Michael Milken’s second in command) Peter Ackerman, the AEI has received funding from the Rand Corporation and the Department of Defense, as well as various “pass-through” foundations, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the International Republican Institute (IRI), the US Institute of Peace and the Ford Foundation (see The Ford Foundation and the CIA),which all have a long history of collaborating with the Pentagon, the State Department and the CIA in destabilizing governments unfriendly to US interests.

This is a strategy Frances Stonor Saunders outlines in her pivotal Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters. According to Sanders, right wing corporate-backed foundations and the CIA have been funding the non-communist left since the late sixties, in the hope of drowning out and marginalizing the voice of more militant leftists. It’s also noteworthy that the governing and advisory board of both AEI and ICNC have been consistently dominated by individuals with either a military/intelligence background or a history of prior involvement with CIA “pass-through” foundations, such as NED and USAID.

Gene Sharp, the Fervent Anticommunist
Much of this debate focuses around America’s godfather of nonviolent resistance, Gene Sharp, the founder and director of the Albert Einstein Institution. Sharp’s handbooks on nonviolent protest were widely disseminated in the Eastern Europe color revolutions, in the Arab spring revolutions and in the Occupy movement in the US (see Nonviolence in the Service of Imperialism).

Unfortunately Sharp has become a decoy in this debate, deflecting attention from the larger question of whether the US government is actively financing and promoting the work of the AEI, the ICIC and other high profile organizations that promote nonviolent civil disobedience. The question is extremely important, in my view, because it possibly explains the rigid and dogmatic attitude in the US progressive movement regarding nonviolent civil disobedience. In other words, I think it explains the knee-jerk rejection of more militant tactics, such as smashing windows and other property damage that don’t involve physical violence towards human beings.

Is Military-Intelligence Funding Compatible with Progressive Politics?
The institutional nonviolence clique has cleverly refocused the debate on whether Sharp, who is 83, is a CIA agent and whether he actively participated in US-funded destabilization efforts in Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Iran and elsewhere that resulted in so-called “Arab Spring” revolutions. The obvious answer to both questions is no. For me the more important question is why the alternative media and “official” progressive movement embrace Sharp unconditionally as a fellow progressive without a careful look at his past or his ideological beliefs. Sharp has never made any secret of his fervent anticommunist (and antisocialist – he shares the US State Department’s animosity towards Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez) views.

Sharp makes no secret of the funding he has received from the Defense Department; the Rand Corporation; CIA-linked foundations, such as NED, the IRI and the US Institute of Peace; and George Soros’s Open Society Institute. All this information is readily available from the AEI website. Sharp himself states, “I have been arguing for years that governments and defense departments – as well as other groups – should finance and conduct research into alternatives to violence in politics and especially as a possible basis for a defense policy by prepared nonviolent resistance as a substitute for war.” (See The living library: some theoretical approaches to a strategy for activating human rights and peace, George Garbutt, 2008, Southern Cross University).

Less well known is the role military and intelligence figures have played in helping Sharp set up and run the AEI. I think most progressives would be extremely disturbed by the major role played by the military-intelligence establishment in funding and running the AEI. I think they would find it even more troubling that progressives who refer to any of this on so called “independent” or “alternative” media websites and blogs have their posts removed.

To be continued.

The Sanford police chief says department 'did a good job' in not arresting Zimmerman.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trayvon Martin's mother on Wednesday told hundreds of protesters demanding an arrest in the shooting death of the unarmed Florida teen by a neighborhood watch captain that "this is not about a black and white thing. This is about a wrong and right thing."

Sybrina Fulton spoke to demonstrators at what organizers called "A Million Hoodies March" at a New York park about her son's slaying last month by watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the gated community of Sanford, Florida. Martin was wearing a hoodie at the time of his death.

"Our son is your son," Fulton told the crowd that waved signs decorated with Skittles, the candy the 17-year-old African American was carrying back from a convenience store when he was followed by Zimmerman, 28, who carried a gun.

"This is not about a black and white thing. This is about a wrong and right thing," said Fulton, her voice quivering with emotion.

Chants of "Prosecute Zimmerman! Prosecute Zimmerman!" suddenly fell silent as Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, spoke to kick off the march to another park less than a mile away.

"Zimmerman took Trayvon's life profiling him. My son did not deserve to die," Tracy Martin said. "There is nothing we can say to bring him back but I'm here to ensure that justice is served so that no parents have to go through this again."

The incident has drawn national attention and sparked debate over Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law since Zimmerman has claimed self-defense in the fatal shooting. The police have thus far declined to arrest him.
One demonstrator, Shawn Smith, 32, listened to the speeches with his daughter, 8, son, 9, and nephew, 10, who held signs decorated with Martin's photograph and glued-on Skittles in the shape of a sad face.
Smith, a music producer, noted his nephew resembles the slain teen and asked rhetorically, "I've got to be concerned when I send my kids to a store?"
Organizer Daniel Maree said the rally was intended to "put pressure on whoever it takes to charge George Zimmerman and prosecute him."
"Everyone who attends this rally is conscious of an epidemic in our society of young African-American people being targeted," Maree said.

On February 26, Trayvon Martin was walking back to the gated community in Sanford when he was seen by Zimmerman. Zimmerman called Sanford Police to report a suspicious person in the neighborhood and then, while armed with a handgun, followed the teen despite the police dispatcher telling him not to.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI said on Monday they had opened an investigation into the shooting. A state grand jury was also being convened.

Police have turned the case over to prosecutors, citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, enacted in 2006 and now in effect in about 20 other states. The law provides a shooter with wide latitude to claim a killing was in self-defense.

More than 818,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for Zimmerman's arrest.

In the hours before the rally, Tracy Martin recalled one of the last conversations he had with his son, a discussion about love.

"I told him just think about the letters that are in the word love," recalled Martin. "I told him L stands for love. O stands for over. The V stands for violence, and the E stands for evil. And I just said love over violence and evil. My son was a good kid and he didn't deserve to die this evil way."

The Sanford police chief has said the department did a good job in not arresting Zimmerman, and the father of the neighborhood watch volunteer, Robert Zimmerman, said accusations against his son are false and misleading.

(Additional reporting by Barbara Liston; editing By Barbara Goldberg, Paul Thomasch and Todd Eastham)

Did Obama sign a martial law executive order? Yep.

In yer face, b------s!

from rt.com

As folks headed out to happy hour last Friday evening, President Obama signed an executive order that could potentially give him the power to institute martial law in the United States in times of peace or during a national threat.

The National Defense Resources Preparedness Executive Order will give Obama power over “resources and services needed to support such plans and programs.”

Many Americans were shocked to find out that this order gives the president practically unlimited power over US citizens and their property. All  in the name of national security, of course.

In the order it states, “in the event of a potential threat to the security of the United States actions are necessary to ensure the availability of adequate resources and production capability, including services and critical technology, for national defense requirements.”

According to a White House press release, the US “must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment.”

In the order the Secretary of Agriculture can allocate material such as “food resources, livestock resources, and the distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer.”

The same goes for all forms of energy, health resources, transportation, and even water resources.
According to the White House press release the purpose is to “delegate authorities and addresses national defense resource policies and programs under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the "Act").”

The sneaky tactics couldn’t have come at a worst time, especially after the newly signed HR 347 or the “Trespass bill” and even more terrifying the National Defense Authorization Act that allows the president to detain and torture American citizens without due process.

Although many see this as another power grab by the Obama administration this isn’t the first time that a US president has signed an executive order such as this.
His new motion is just an update to executive orders signed in 1994 by President Clinton, which invoke similar powers in a time of crisis.

Even Clinton’s EO 12919 was an amendment to EO 10789 which was issued by the Eisenhower administration back in 1958.

Therefore lawyers claim that this Executive Order wouldn't grant the president authority he didn't have before signing it.

William A. Jacobson, an associate clinical professor at Cornell Law School said to WND.com, “If someone wants to make the argument that this is an expansion of presidential powers, then do so based on actual language.”

“There is enough that Obama actually does wrong without creating claims which do not hold up to scrutiny,” Jacobson added.

But that's exactly the language of this order that terrified too many of those who bothered to read it in full.

Even if the president never uses this power, the fact that he has such unlimited authority over Americans and their property doesn't sound comforting to people assuming they live in the land of free.

The Global Minimum Wage: A Comparison.

Reposted from the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist Movement.

Support the official/unofficial radio show of Occupy/Decolonize Seattle!

Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for listening and spreading the word. It is super appreciated.

Quick question: Have you considered the advantages of sponsoring All Power To The Positive!...?
Actually, the real question is, "Why All Power To The Positive! and what impact does it have on people’s lives?”

Since December 2010, we have been 'doing our part' by playing an important role in the development of a revolutionary anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist/anti-globalization/anti-oppression movement on the internet and on the air in amerikkka consisting of those whose opposition to oppression around the world and the specific and distinct role the United States plays in oppression around the world, including within its own borders, is genuine and uncompromising.

The youth, particularly in Seattle, are beginning to respond. This has begun to happen more quickly, specifically due to the Occupy movement, and our involvement in it [since day one].

Despite our criticisms of a movement that we helped build and some of the political forces involved in it (and, believe me, we talk about all of that on the show, all the time), we support and aggressively defend the Occupy movement in amerikkka and around the world; in particular the most genuinely, openly revolutionary forces of anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist/anti-globalization/anti-oppression within the movement, regardless of the specifics of political line of the group or person within that ideological milieu.

In addition to the usual expected hip hop, r&b, reggae, and more mixed with news and commentary from both activist ‘superstars’ and ‘ordinary’ community people from all over the world, we have also exposed plots from within Occupy, tied to forces in and amongst the Democratic Party, who are out to destroy the openly revolutionary culture of real talk and direct action; a culture that All Power To The Positive! helps foster along side other forces of real resistance to the two-party ‘democratic’ dictatorship of the 1% and their allies.

Imagine this show being bumped in car stereos, nightclubs, and ipods; quoted, posted, and re-posted widely on social media.Think about people from all walks of life, especially the ‘young, dark, and targeted’, interacting with this show every week, seeing beyond the two party 'democratic' dictatorship, and gaining a scientific understanding of what it would take to mash on those who mash on them (and us) and build a far better world, while staying connected to others who also doing their part 'to make it happen in their lifetime'.


· $1000 would allow a national tour of All Power To The Positive!, visiting and broadcasting from every Occupy in amerikkka.

· $500 would allow All Power To The Positive! on mainstream AM radio in the Greater Seattle area for an hour, four times a month.

· $400 would allow for the services of a supportive publicist who has offered his services at a deeply discounted rate.

· $300 would allow for a large roll of vinyl, full-color stickers bearing the logo and url to be sent to street teams anywhere in the world.

· $300 pays for Search Engine Optimization, making All Power To The Positive! easier to find on search engines.

· $200 would allow for production of full-color 11x17 posters and a street team to put them up.

· $200 would allow for hardware and software upgrades to make the show that much better.

· $100 would allow for site upgrades to make your listening experience that much better.

· $100 would allow for you and/or your organization to receive an honorable mention on the future episode of your choice and a link on the blog.

· $50 would allow for one month of site hosting.


Consider all of this and help make it happen by making a generous financial contribution right now.
If you run a blog, please add this link, http://www.allpowertothepositive.info, and we'll do the same for you.


Thank you.  And..."WAKE UP, GOD DAMMIT!" Lol.

Free The MOVE 9!

Teen dies in custody of juvenile authorities.

From KCTV5.com

The heartbroken family of Kathia Casseus is seeking answers about how she was allowed to die while in the care of Jackson County juvenile facility officials.

The 16-year-old girl died at Children's Mercy Hospital after collapsing inside the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center. She had repeatedly and vocally complained of feeling unwell and was left alone for up to two hours before she was discovered as being unresponsive, according to authorities.

Kathia's brother said the family is devastated and wants to know, "Why didn't anyone call us?" Attorneys for Kathia's mother say she found out essential details from news reports and that she is upset she wasn't called by detention officials when her daughter first needed medical attention.

"She's in custody," said Lexington attorney Daniel T. DeFeo. "She doesn't have the ability to dial 911. She's relying on those who are charged with her care to do those things for her."

The Jackson County Family Courts, which oversees the juvenile detention center, is declining to answer additional questions from KCTV5. Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders was not at Monday's meeting of the Jackson County Legislature and the issue did not come up during the meeting.

The 16-year-old girl was admitted to the juvenile facility earlier this month. She reported feeling poorly Saturday morning. Detention officials said they checked on the girl six times over an hour period.
A Kansas City police report doesn't describe that. Instead, police say the girl was left alone for two hours before she was found unresponsive.

Before that, the girl vocally complained of feeling dizzy to the point that she could not walk, according to the police report. 

A jail supervisor said Kathia fell to the ground in an open area.

"The (teen) began rolling around on the ground and screaming, 'I can't breathe' several times," according to the police report. "She observed (the teen) to be hyperventilating and visibly upset."

Two male staff members helped the supervisor carry Kathia to a room. Eventually, the girl was able to walk to a water fountain and sip some water, according to the police report.

Once inside a cell, the girl continued to say she felt hot and removed her shirt.

"After being in the room, the (teen) continued shouting at staff members stating that she was not feeling well," according to the report.

The supervisor tried to reach the on-duty nurse but was unable to do so. Instead, she had to leave a voice mail.

About 90 minutes after the supervisor first heard Kathia complained about feeling unwell, she found her lying on her side on the bed. The supervisor entered the room and discovered Kathia wasn't breathing.
Another staff member assisted the supervisor in performing CPR while paramedics rushed to the scene, according to the police report. The supervisor told police that Kathia had acted normally earlier Saturday morning and had not been involved in any disputes or physical confrontations.

Neither the jail nor Kathia's family know of any medical issues. The results of an autopsy by the Jackson County Medical Examiner Office are pending.

DeFeo believes other teens witnessed what happened to Kathia. Because they are juveniles, their identities are cloaked. DeFeo is making a public plea for information.

"If friends and family of juveniles are out there that may have witnessed what happened to her, they certainly have the right to reach out and help this family get answers," DeFeo said.

If you have any details about Kathia's death, you are asked to call the DeFeo Law firm at 660-259-9806.

The Missouri Attorney General's Office is now investigating how Kathia died while in the care of Jackson County Juvenile Detention officials.

The Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy Tuesday, but determining a cause of death could take up to six weeks.

Justice For Trayvon Martin: Unarmed black teen killed by crime watch captain.

Undated photo of Tayvon Martin. Courtesy of Family.

From miamiherald.com

Trayvon Martin traveled to Sanford on a trip with his father. The teen returned to his Miami home in a body bag. Martin, 17, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by a neighborhood crime watch captain.

The circumstances of the shooting are still unknown, but the 26-year-old man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman, gave a statement to police that he shot in 'self-defense'.

Martin’s grieving family said the teen went out around 7:30 on that Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game halftime to get snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store. He purchased Skittles candies and an Arizona iced tea for his stepbrother.

Somehow, on the way back to the Central Florida townhouse where Martin was staying, he ran into Zimmerman, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, reports said.

Martin was shot once in the chest.

“He had a gun, and Trayvon had Skittles," said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney. “We want justice.”
Bill Lee, Sanford’s police chief, said the case is still under investigation and that he was waiting to finalize it before sending it on to the Seminole County state attorney’s office.

“We need to get all the facts and circumstances straight so that we can determine what truly happened,” Lee said.

“We need answers,” Crump said. “The neighborhood watch was supposed to protect him, not kill him.”
Here’s what happened, according to the Sanford police report:

Martin, who was staying at The Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome community, was walking home from the store when he caught the attention of Zimmerman, who began following the teen in his car. At one point, Zimmerman called 911, telling the operator about a "suspicious person in the area."

Soon after the 911 call, Zimmerman and the teen got into an altercation. Police declined to comment on who confronted whom first or what the altercation was about.

Several persons called 911 when they heard shots. It was unclear how many shots were fired. It’s also unclear whether Zimmerman shot him from inside or if he stepped out of the car.
Police found Martin’s body lying on the grass about 70 yards from his family’s home.
He had $22, candy and iced tea in his pockets.

Tracy Martin is demanding answers from police about his son’s death.

“Why isn’t this guy in jail? He said my son was a threat. How was he a threat? I don’t know what he could’ve done to generate that reaction; a 140-pound kid.”

The family’s attorney has asked for the 911 recordings, but police say the case is still under investigation.
The Seminole County state attorney’s office has not yet received the case from police, spokeswoman Lynn Bumpus-Hooper said.

Not much is known about Zimmerman. A listed phone number has been disconnected. Martin’s family members said police told them Zimmerman was a college graduate with no criminal background.

In the community’s most recent newsletter, he is listed as the contact for those wanting more information the crime watch group.

Laura Mills, the private community’s property manager, declined to comment on Zimmerman’s whereabouts or his status on the watch team.

"When I asked the police why there’s been no arrest, they told me they respected the guy’s background, that he had a four-year degree; that he was clean," Tracy Martin said. “But did they check my unarmed son’s record? No.”

Martin, who lived with his mother in South Florida, was a junior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in North Miami-Dade, just south of the Broward County line. He was out of school because he had gotten suspended for a week. Tracy Martin would not give details about the suspension, but said he took his son to the Central Florida town, best known as the auto train stop closest to Orlando, “to disconnect and get his priorities straight.”

His cousin Stephen Martin, 20, described him as detail-oriented and a “mastermind with his hands.”
“He would break down a dirt bike and put it back together; then ride it all over the neighborhood,’’ Stephen Martin said.

Lee, Sanford’s police chief, said the neighborhood watch started after the community was hit with several property crimes. The group works directly with police.

India's Red Tide: Documentary on The Naxalite Movement.

International 'Socialist' Organization: "They represent that top section of workers who have been bribed by the bourgeoisie."

Here is a living, breathing 1st world example of this in action: The ISO essentially defending the right-wing of the ILWU in its opposition to Occupy shutting down the ports along side left-leaning ILWU folks.

Here's what I posted on their site on this. I also echoed a similar message to them on their opposition to Occupy calling for and supporting a general strike on May 1st, in solidarity with the rest of the anti-imperialist/genuinely proletarian world. http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/29/strike-call-that-wont-call-a-strike
 
If the quote fits, use it; especially when opportunists publicly claim the legacy of Lenin.
 

“They [Social-Democrats] are just as much traitors to socialism… They represent that top section of workers who have been bribed by the bourgeoisie… for in all the civilized, advanced countries the bourgeoisie rob—either by colonial oppression or by financially extracting ‘gain’ from formally independent weak countries—they rob a population many times larger than that of ‘their own’ country. This is the economic factor that enables the imperialist bourgeoisie to obtain super-profits, part of which is used to bribe the top section of the proletariat and convert it into a reformist, opportunist petty bourgeoisie that fears revolution.”  - V.I. Lenin, “Letter to the Workers of Europe and America,” Pravda; No. 16, January 24, 1919.

Yours is the party of the "[amerikkkan] reformist, opportunist, petty bourgeoisie that fears revolution." If Lenin were alive, he would move against you for your right-opportunism and pandering to pro-amerikkkan, labor aristokkkrats.

Obama Has Teenager and His Friends Killed at Dinner.

How did this part of this extra-judicial killing get missed. Can you say 'cover up'?

Posted By Jason Ditz On October 18, 2011.

The extra-legal assassination of New Mexico cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was certainly controversial in its own right, but reports about the assassination targeting some sort of terrorist convoy seem to be crumbling under evidence and the number of children killed in the attack.

Among the slain was also Abdel-Rahman Awlaki, Anwar’s 16-year-old son, one of his cousins Ahmed Abdelrahman Awlaki, and several of their friends, who were all teenage boys.

And despite the stereotype, the teenage boys weren’t out “doing terrorism” in some vague non-specific manner in the Shabwa Province. According to a statement from relatives, they were out to dinner, eating “under the moon light” when US missiles landed.

Though the Obama Administration seems pretty comfortable with assassinating the elder Awlaki, even though he was a US citizen and not charged with any crimes, the killing of the assorted other people, including several teenagers, seems considerably more suspect. Killing children with missiles isn’t exactly new to the president, of course, but Abdel-Rahman’s status as a natural-born US citizen who was never even suspected of a crime is likely to make it difficult to sweep his assassination under the rug.

Defend Occupy activists arrested during West Coast Shutdown action!

Pack The Courtroom! Regime change ain't a muthaf--kin' game!
Facing legal challenges is part of the cost of doing business. Lol. No, seriously.

Friday, March 9th. 2pm (pst). Seattle Justice Center, Room 302; 600 5th Ave.

Please show your solidarity and support by attending Friday's arraignment for the arrested community members.  Let our friends know that we stand by their sides and support their bravery, strength and commitment to the movement, and let the judge know that our community is demanding that all the charges be dropped! 

** Please forward widely ** 

Outlawing the Occupy Movement: H.R. 347 Makes Free Speech A Felony.

 

Salem-News.com

(WASHINGTON DC) - Once signed, HR 347 will empower federal agents to arrest and bring felony criminal charges against citizens engaged in political protests anywhere in the USA.

OUTLAWING THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: HR 347 MAKES FREE SPEECH A FELONY...

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America reads as follows:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

At 7:03pm ET on Tuesday, 28 February 2012, our 112th Congress violated this covenant with the American people by voting 399 to 3 in favor of H.R. 347, a bill which breezed through the Senate with unanimous consent and now lacks only corporate fascist puppet President Barack Obama's signature to become law. The three patriots who voted Nay were Paul Broun (R-GA-10), Justin Amash (R-MI-3) and Ron Paul (R-TX-14). 

The traitors who voted Yea are listed here:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-149

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Euphemistically titled the "Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act" and referred to by our corporate-controlled mainstream media as a "non-controversial bill", a more truthful moniker for HR 347 would be the "First Amendment Rights Eradication Act". 

As Representative Amash lamented on his Facebook page:

"Current law makes it illegal to enter or remain in an area where certain government officials (more particularly, those with Secret Service protection) will be visiting temporarily if and only if the person knows it's illegal to enter the restricted area but does so anyway. [H.R. 347] expands current law to make it a crime to enter or remain in an area where an official is visiting even if the person does not know it's illegal to be in that area and has no reason to suspect it's illegal... [And to] show you the extent to which the public is misled and misinformed about the legislation we are voting on, read one prominent media outlet's coverage of the same bill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/212873-house-approves-white-house-trespass-bill-sends-to-obama The report mischaracterizes not only current law but also the changes proposed by the bill."

The full text of H.R. 347 is available here:

www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-347

Obviously aimed at the Occupy Movement, these modifications to U.S. Code Title 18 Section 1752 will seriously diminish the right of American citizens to petition their Government for a redress of grievances by outlawing protests where key government officials or other VIP's may be nearby. Federal law enforcement agents will be empowered to bring these charges against Americans engaged in political protests anywhere in the country, and violators will face criminal penalties that include imprisonment for up to 10 years.

The Occupy Seattle General Assembly passed the following proposal (italics) by a vote of 110 to 10 on Sunday 02/26/2012:

Occupy Seattle stands in solidarity with and endorses the call for a General Strike – A day without the 99%!

On May Day, wherever you are, we are calling for:
*No Work
*No School
*No Housework
*No Shopping
*No Banking

--TAKE THE STREETS!

 
Community Planning Meeting March 10th, 2-5pm, at the Convention Center.
(http://occupyseattle.org/blog/2012-02-27/may-day-2012-general-strike)
Also for more info see: http://www.occupymay1st.org/; http://www.may1stseattle.org/

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whatever your particular struggle(s), situation, or concerns with society, May 1st 2012 will be a day for you to take time from the usual routine and assemble with thousands of other people in spaces created directly by the people order to better organize and communicate for our mutual benefit and self-determination

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[On January 27th, 2012 (Decolonize/)Occupy Seattle marched in solidarity with United Farm Workers and workers from Ruby Ridge Dairy to hand deliver a petition with over 20,000 signatures to Darigold headquarters (see UFW's report of the action). The following is a narrative of the organizing process and context of J27 2011 put together by a group of folks with Decolonize/Occupy Seattle who were intimately involved in preparing for that day (the initial proposal for the J27 action can be seen here).]

Decolonize Los Campos: Desde Abajo Hacia la Izquierda

We are a group of people of many genders, races, abilities and political viewpoints that came together though Decolonize/Occupy Seattle (DOS) and are interested in organizing around a whole-systems approach to worker liberation. Many of us initially met at Westlake, worked together at Seattle Central Community College and united to organize the D12 Port Shutdown. As we work together to create community, we consistently engage in movement building through critical dialogues and acts of resistance. We understand that the struggle of farm workers is one aspect of a larger pattern of resistance, which is a response to the dispossession that capitalism and globalization inflicts on our global community. We were approached by the United Farm Workers (UFW) to work in solidarity with them in their current campaign against the outrageous labor practices of Ruby Ridge Dairy.  Workers at Ruby Ridge are forced to work long hours without breaks or lunch, have had their wages stolen, and are denied clean drinking water as they are told to drink from the same place where the cows drink. Their efforts to unionize have been met with threats of violence and most of the workers who led the unionizing effort were fired. Darigold, the company who purchases milk from Ruby Ridge, has neglected to hold Ruby Ridge accountable for its exploitative actions, and in their failure to respond to the needs of the workers, have condoned such unjust working conditions.

In honor of the ongoing struggle of these workers, we began our organizing with the commitment to work in solidarity with farm workers, as opposed to taking action for them. We understand that our accountability to the workers themselves is a necessary piece of our intentions for solidarity; it is vital that those on the front lines of their workplace struggles remain central to the decision- making process. This accountability is a major principle we utilized to organize as a collective. In order to make sure this principle was followed, we met directly with workers twice- once in Seattle and once again in Pasco. In these meetings we shared our backgrounds, reasons for organizing and talked about the current struggles we are engaging in. The meetings were multilingual; we spoke in Espanol, English, and Spanglish. Traveling together to Pasco, and hearing stories of the worker’s struggles from the workers themselves, had a strong impact that we carried with us through the organizing process.  We were mobilized and energized by our meeting with the workers; forming these relationships was a tangible way to actualize our goals of solidarity, community-building and to provide vision and inspiration for our work within the movement. We also planned the day of action and talked about logical next steps during the meeting. Meeting with workers and leaders from the UFW was an important step in keeping us accountable to the principle outlined above and was also a way to connect our communities.

Elemental to this action was arte -- the ways in which we created together and how our co-creativity influenced the march. There were two banner making parties leading up to January 27th, 2011. During these parties, food and music were abundant as we expressed our rage, hope and solidarity with paint, projecting nuestra voz onto the void spaces and transforming them into meaning. For many of us, this arte was as much a healing process as it was a symbol used to convey a message. Again, this demonstrates how an action is not just the event itself but also the way that we make it happen. Arte is the heart.

In line with our efforts to build community, we began the day of action with a breakfast that we cooked together to welcome the workers to Seattle and to further integrate the wider DOS community into the day of action. We put thought into aligning our food choices with the intentions of the campaign, keeping in mind that we are all connected to waste, worker and animal exploitation and ecological collapse via our food sourcing choices. We continuously work hard to maintain a full systems perspective within our organizing work. The community breakfast was held in the basement of a local church decorated with colorful, creative banners, and picket signs. As we shared food we continued to build community.

After sitting for breakfast with some of the workers and their families, we all headed to Westlake Plaza to rally. The rally began as two-high school students from Seattle, who are the children of farm workers, spoke about their families’ experiences and their own feelings around their struggles. We also heard from workers at Ruby Ridge and one of the organizers from the UFW. We then took to the streets in a high-energy march filled with arte and enthusiasm. One of the main goals of the day was to deliver a petition with 20,000 signatures to the Darigold Headquarters. Previous attempts to reach the administration had been unsuccessful; when workers and their allies showed up the doors were closed and guarded. When we arrived at the headquarters, we were greeted by a security guard who stated that only one person would be allowed inside and only one door would be open. However, the crowd did not find this to be acceptable and they opened the other door to allow the voices of the farm workers’ to travel into the offices and the ears of the corporate staff.

As a group we requested that the President and CEO of Darigold, Jim Wegner, come out of his office to answer to the demands of the workers and their allies. However, he declined to show his face. Despite his failure to listen to his workers and customers the petitions were delivered by one of the farm worker’s sons, whose path to the office was cleared by protesters. We proceeded with a second rally outside the Darigold headquarters. Speakers included farm workers revealing the truth about their unjust working conditions, two longshoremen speaking out in solidarity, a member of the UW custodian’s union and voices from Decolonize/Occupy Seattle. We ended the day of action with a march around the building and a promise that we will continue to organize until the farm workers’ demands are heard and working conditions at Ruby Ridge improve and meet basic standards of dignity and respect.

For many of us, what defined this action as “successful” was the building of relationships with each other, with workers, and with UFW representatives. From this base we aspire to move forward together as we continue to create, organize and overcome. While we consider the action on January 27th to be a success, we also recognize that it is only one step in the struggle for workers’ liberation. We completed the goal of delivering petitions to Darigold and through this process we were strengthened and inspired by the feelings of community, solidarity and accountability that had been our intentions.  Our commitment to these principles has given us insight into the next stages of this struggle.  We acknowledge that this petition is one step in the battle to hold Darigold accountable for its abuses, and is therefore one aspect in the struggle against the oppressive and exploitative practices of the dairy industry.  We also acknowledge that these fights are embedded within the greater, global struggle to reclaim sovereignty of our food and labor.

The abuse of farm workers in Darigold feeder farms is not an isolated issue; it is one instance of the way our capitalist food system, which puts power in the hands of wealthy corporations (profiteering off of thousands of wage laborers), continues to perpetuate injustice. The exploitation of farm workers runs parallel to the abuse of other laborers throughout the food system. From the fields to the fine dining room, the exploitation of these workers is tied to their powerlessness within capitalist and racist institutions.  In a similar way, consumers of this food are bound to the system.  We are forced to make unjust choices as the oppressed roots of our food are veiled from us by a false abundance at the store. Friday’s action was part of the inspiration for a research project to explore these connections between labor abuses, the way our food is produced, and the structure of power in the food system.  This project will continue as this struggle builds, both informing and learning from it.


Additionally, as we push our organizing efforts forward we recognize that the complexities of all struggles toward liberation require multiple approaches. This applies to the workers’ struggle at Ruby Ridge; thus, our organizing includes a variety of tactics from a diverse group of workers, allies, consumers and union members. Most importantly, we must always acknowledge that workers will continue to organize themselves and lead the course of solidarity. As consumers, we want to reach out to other consumers and continue to educate each other and our communities about the crimes of Ruby Ridge and Darigold. This could look like students addressing the milk purchased by their schools or creating human billboards stationed outside of supermarkets to inform shoppers about the suffering they contribute to when they drink milk. We encourage affinity groups and individuals to think of their own methods of supporting the effort to change the ways of Ruby Ridge Dairy and Darigold. The UFW is not officially calling for any of these actions; these are suggested ideas coming from people independent of any official affiliation to the UFW.

A vital next step is to continue traveling to Pasco and Eastern Washington to meet directly with workers and strengthen our solidarity through further relationship building. We also support workers from other dairies, orchards and farms that experience abuses similar to those of Ruby Ridge Dairy, because we know oppression is not isolated.

As mentioned, this action was part of a greater web tied in with international worker solidarity, class struggle, Northwest based alliances, and immigrant/economic refugee justicia y libertad. From the onset we knew this action was one aspect of a long-term vision, which could help us unite in building for May Day 2012.

A key component of our movement/solidarity bridging was recognizing the historical significance of May Day 2006, an international worker’s day led by the people for the people. This event awoke like a sleeping giant prior to the Decolonize/Occupy Movement. There are many lessons we can learn about the general strike that led millions of economic refugees to take to the streets, walk out of los campos, schools, and divest from the capitalist empire. International Workers Day reminds us that through unity, and through bridging struggles that transcend traditionalist labor movement building, we as a people can create the communities we want to live in. From Food Sovereignty and Workers Rights, from the fields to the cities, we can dismantle the capitalistic empire and its nation-states, and plant, cultivate and nurture a new system. From planting community gardens in our neighborhoods, to painting murals on urban canvasses we will move our struggles forward. By building community with economic refugees/migrants, farm workers, people of color, queer/trans folk and wombyn, we will dismantle all systems! A movement led by the people for people. May Day 2012 we unite with the world!

Will you be there?

For more information contact UFWsolidarity@gmail.com