Occupy Norfolk Legal Fund Benefit
TONIGHT!!!
The trouble starts at 7:01p.m.
4416 Monarch Way, Norfolk VA – 45th Street, behind the Ted Constant Center
Featuring Dave Potvin, Jimmy Arnold and accomplices!
Suggested donation $4.99 (but please give what you can)
All donations to benefit the Occupy Norfolk Legal Offense/Defense Fund
Questions/Directions? Please call the OccuPhone 757-298-6787
Norfolk General District Court, room #6 (2nd Floor)
811 City Hall Avenue, Norfolk, VA
Please show up at 8:40a.m., meet OUTSIDE the court building for a discussion with Dave Potvin re: the day’s legal matters. Please wear all black.
You will receive a red scarf to wear.
Thank you!!
Occupy Norfolk COURT SUPPORT tomorrow, Tuesday 1/31/12:
For Angela, Carmen & Tess (charges from the 11/10/11 eviction).
Norfolk General District Court, room 6 (2nd Floor)
811 City Hall Avenue, Norfolk.
Please arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. and wear ALL BLACK.
We will meet outside and travel into the courtroom together.
Thank you!
Brainstorming #2 – 1/25/12
Introductions:
Dave Ferraro: general housekeeping & orientation with the facility, explanation of process & priorities, emphasis on not being co-opted;
Chris Butler: teambuilder & facilitator/mediator
Jon Koch: handshakes and introductions should be the standard at every Occupy function; review of hand signals; thank you to Portsmouth for giving up GA for this meeting; sketch out blueprints for future of Norfolk; throw out topics, hone energy of group; keep focus.
Through “brainstorming,” the following list of focus topics was developed:
*Tess objected to lack of female participation – discussion follows – issues or individuals – how to be inclusive.*
Jon: we need to concentrate on what is important, hear everyone’s voice, make sure everyone feels heard. I feel confident in this process here, can we stay with it or switch to focus on organization?
** consensus is reached with the group present to continue on established process, to use the list developed to help determine the reorganization**
** 9a.m. 1/26/12 court appearances for Angela Barnes.**
We have immediate issues that need to be addressed. But the world will not stop to wait while we organize. We need to address these issues and move on. Following through with tonights process as originally planned. We need to soul search…and decide what is most important and focus on that tonight…”
Votes then taken to determine top 4 focus issues.
Top 4 Issues:
The group then decided individually which groups to join/be the point person for. The results are as follows:
Organization: (point people: Mike Miner, Anita Cafiero & Tess Amoruso)
Ceasar, Jeremy, Dave F., Dave P., JP, Armando, Rafael, Cissy, Stu, Jimmy, Donna, Mary
Court Appearances: (point people: Joell & Donna)
Dave P., John L., & Jimmy
Local Engagement: (point people: Dave P., JP, Max, & Deb)
James M., Anita, Lisa, Corey, Cissy & Jeremy
Citizens United: (point people: Jules, Loraine)
Cissy, James M., Stu, Ann, Deb, John, Joell, & Susan
Each of these groups has been charged with the following:
“….should be about the issues, not the individuals…”
Thank you to everyone who attended this brainstorming.
Thank you to Donna for note taking!!
Thursday 1/26/12, 9:00a.m.
Norfolk General District Court, room 6 (2nd Floor)
811 City Hall Avenue
Angela deserves our support. Please be there.
Need directions? Questions?
Call Anita 757-215-8768
In solidarity, we share this press release from Occupy UMass Boston:
*EMBARGOED RELEASE UNTIL: Monday, January 23th, 2012, 8:00 AM*
Contacts: OccupyUMB@gmail.com
Students Occupy the University of Massachusetts – Boston in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street
*Monday, January 23rd, Students Occupy The Campus Center at The University of Massachusetts – Boston*
The movement that began on Wall Street on September 17 has continued for over 5 months to spread globally and brought people together to take part in direct democracy. Occupy UMass Boston moves to bring this conversation to the campus this spring semester. We seek to create an alternative to the prevailing corporate model of education that excludes students, faculty, and staff from the decision making process.
Occupy UMass Boston liberated the first floor atrium at the UMass Boston Campus Center in Boston, today Monday, January 23 at 7 a.m., to begin an ongoing protest to provide a forum where students, staff, faculty, and members of the community can come to a consensus on what concrete changes would provide quality, accessible education in Boston that is available to everyone in the 99%.
Occupy UMass Boston seizes this space in solidarity with #OccupyWallStreet, #OccupyBoston, Students Occupy Boston, as well as others across the globe, from Spain, to Egypt, Tunisia, the UK, and elsewhere, who stand in resistance against the attacks by the 1% on working people.
Occupy UMass Boston is the beginning of an ongoing discussion about the problems with America’s public higher education system and how it has become less and less accessible to communities of the poor and minorities while simultaneously increasing the dichotomy between the haves and have-nots. We recognize that this divide is destructive not just to our generation in this country but to the global community.
In UMass Boston’s original statement of purpose, presented by Chancellor John F. Ryan in 1966, it states “As urban problems mount, many of the city’s most able people flee to the suburbs and leave the oppressed (…) to struggle alone. The urban university must stand with the city, must serve and lead where the battle is.”
The problems that burden our working class are even greater today. According to UMass Boston’s October 2010 “Beginning College Survey”, 45% of UMass Boston freshmen respondents believe that “Paying for College” will be “Very Difficult”. And yet, tuition and fees are ever rising: since 2006, UMass Boston in-state tuition and fees have increased 38%, from $8,266 to $11,406, and the administration is proposing continued increases by a rate of 8% annually. This is a result of both state and federal government policies defunding public higher education and campus administration actions to convert UMass Boston into a privatized university.
During this indefinite occupation at the only public four-year university in Boston, Occupy UMass Boston will demand that our university runs on the principles of transparency, democratic decision-making, accessible public higher education, and protection for the rights of students, staff, and faculty.
“Education is a right, not a privilege.”
“Education for the 99%”
“UMass for the Working Class”
Official Website – http://occupyumb.tumblr.com/
Twitter – @OccupyUMB
Youtube – YouTube.com/OccupyUMassBoston
Ustream Live Video – http://www.ustream.tv/user/OccupyUMB
Meeting #1 focus: No Uranium Mining in Virginia:
(Fred Adams facilitating)
Hampton Roads Citizens Alliance (this is the first meeting)
Next three Tuesdays (1/24, 1/31, 2/07)
Key Issues: Budget (fed handling of deficit/debt) & Uranium mining & Chesapeake Bay (clean water)
Uranium Mining
(There are videos/information and reports available on http://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/public-utilities/Pages/Uranium-Mining.aspx)
(notes on the scientific reports & findings regarding the uranium mining phase 1 & 2 reports)
- In essence it has been recommended based on these studies that we not embrace uranium mining in Virginia.
- One of the major issues with uranium mining is the tailings created through the process, as these can be easily transported by wind/water, etc.
- The uranium (in the tailings) is actual the lessor contaminant to worry about – radium & thorium being the greatest.
- Norfolk’s water supply is heavily dependent on areas that could be most affected by the negative affects of uranium mining.
- Also, the actual negative affects of uranium mining in our climate (Virginia) are almost unknown, because it has not been done in a comparable environment.
- Certain weather conditions could lead to an atmospheric event called PMP (probable maximum precipitation), where the entire atmosphere, from ground level up, becomes saturated. This leads to massive rainfall, upwards of 5-6″ per hour for 6+ hours. An event like this could happen (and has happened in Virginia previously) and could carry & spread the tailings further into our water supply.
** if you would like to review more of the actual numbers, percentages, and scientific information from the meeting, please let me know. anonnita@gmail.com***
(also, please add to this with info you may have)
Wednesday 1/25/2012:
We welcome and appreciate everyones input and participation.
SOLIDARITY!!!
1 – proposal to change General Assembly schedule to Mondays & Fridays, 7p.m. at the Waterside Food Court was accepted by consensus.
2 – proposal to officially endorse the inaugural action of Occupy Hampton Roads – the #J21 Rally for Justice taking place in downtown Norfolk on 1/21/12 was accepted by consensus.
3 – a call for nominations from and for Occupy Norfolk, in order to select two (one male, one female) representatives to act as liaison between O.N. and Occupy Hampton Roads – please bring forth nominations at the General Assembly on Friday 1/20/12. With your nomination please have an explanation ready.
4 – space is needed to host a brainstorming/regrouping session to be held in the evening on Wednesday, January 25th. Please contact Jon Koch if you can help.
5 – rough draft of a resolution re: Citizens United to be presented to the Norfolk City Council for their consideration has been posted to the forums. Please read, comment/revise as you see fit. The G.A. agreed to aim for a final draft to be accepted by consensus by the 1/30/12 General Assembly.
6 – Occupy Congress. Everyone be safe. Everyone keep in touch. The OccuPhone is on – 757-298-6787
7- Upcoming court dates – we would like to Occupy the Courtroom for each. Please attend.
1/26 (will be continued to 2/07) – Angela (trespass);
1/31 – Angela, Carmen & Tess (obstruction);
2/07 – Angela, Anita & Maria (trespass/#D14)
3/08 – Tess, Soxx & Anna (injuring a monument)