Occupy Portland, OR

[Ele'ill]

I figure since we're the second largest camp it's about time to create a thread specifically for the Occupy Portland branch of this Occupy Together movement. I've been fairly vocal about the happenings here so I'll just start with what's going on last night.

Lock down of the federal plaza which is the third section of the park. The first two sections have been occupied (for all intents and purposes) since day one- this one has been some what of a battle front since it is federal property. There have been previous arrests made here for camping.



http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/411923.shtml



Also- I can't wait till a certain user sees the picture of them locked down. (Yeah I fucking know- I guess they had a change of heart :laugh:)

[Ele'ill]

Also this- regarding the undemocratic self appointed finance committee that made 20k in donations disappear.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/411925.shtml

[ellipsis]

'bout time y'all had your own thread. From what you have been saying, I am really impressed, particularly with the general strike solidarity march. maybe move that post from the Oakland thread?

[Ele'ill]

Which post from which Oakland thread?




Also here are some 'Anarchists' crying about the solidarity march here in Portland. I find several of their points to be factually incorrect regarding the march but I've already cleared this up in other posts I've made elsewhere on this forum. I am having a hard time with their defeatism as well. The main issue with the Portland camp has nothing to do with 'liberals or radicals or drugs or violence' it has to do with the fact that 110% of everyone's physical and emotional effort is going into living really close to one another and keeping that type of 'village' up and running. We need to break off and start doing stuff already- the camp worked as a sounding board for working class anger but it's gotta turn into something more than just that. It has to evolve into other projects because simply having a camp and going on weekend adventures isn't going to do anything at all and over the long run here it's going to self-destruct.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/411893.shtml?discuss


Nevermind. I'm going to use this thread specifically for updates.

[Ele'ill]

http://occupyportland.org/

The 'Late Night Safety Meeting etc...' bit disturbs me and is an excellent example of what I just said in my above post.

[Ele'ill]

On the 5th in solidarity with the bank account closure action

http://www.anarchistnews.org/node/16951

[Ele'ill]

Updates from greycoast:

http://greycoast.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/other-real-occupy-portland-embezzles-money-loves-police/

Something about the camp shutting down at 4pm in an attempt to get rid of drug users. Food Not Bombs should continue to serve food. This is the invisible committee that's been much talked about. Here they are on youtube btw meeting with the police-

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/411955.shtml

[Ele'ill]

Lots and lots of stuff happening. Police attacking the camp periodically making arrests in ones and two's usually at night (from what it looks like) for drinking in public etc.. The greycoast anarchists news site has info. Two Gresham squad cars were smashed with a hammer. The person was caught.

This here is breaking: Molotov used against World Trade building (which is like a block or two away from the camp)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/molotov_cocktail_set_off_at_wo.html


Police have been investigating reports since Oct. 31 that a person or group of people at the downtown Occupy Portland encampment has been making or storing Molotov cocktails, King said. Detectives didn't release the information to protect their investigation.

But preliminary information received tonight suggested there was a link between the camp and the makeshift bomb thrown at the World Trade Center, King said.

[Ele'ill]

Eviction- (from pIMC posting so I don't know how legit)

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/412156.shtml



Eviction sometime after midnight Saturday!

author: Bakunin
They're coming! Portland Mayor Sam Adams just announced the police will evict Occupy Portland this Saturday at midnight!

Confirmed Eviction

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/occupy_portland_portland_mayor.html


Mayor Sam Adams this morning gave the Occupy Portland encampment an eviction notice of 12:01 a.m Sunday.

At a press conference at City Hall, Adams, standing with Chief Mike Reese and City Commissioner Nick Fish, cited the rise in crime around the encampments in ordering demonstrators out of the squares.

He said Terry Schrunk Plaza, a federal park, will be cleared as well

[Ele'ill]

Tonight's the night. If I thought I could get away with it I'd change this thread title to 'The Battle Of Portland'. I don't know if you've all been following the news headlines (national headlines as well) but this should be exciting. Much of these statements is tactical PR posturing of course but we'll see.

http://www.kptv.com/story/16019613/police-occupy-portland-calling-for-re-enforcements

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/occupy-portland-stocking-gas-masks-homemade-weapons-police-warn-article-1.976661

There should be a streaming news section going up at some point here http://portland.indymedia.org/
The eviction isn't going to take place until sometime between midnight and 4-5am although anything (preemptive raids) is possible





Solidarity Forever

[Code]

Here's the livestream: http://www.livestream.com/occupyptown

also: Go to this webpage and vote no on the survey on the side: http://www.kgw.com/news/Occupy-Portland-133567753.html

[Martin Blank]

GlobalRevolution has a live stream of the GA going on right now here:

http://www.occupystreams.org/index.php?Itemid=103&option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=1

[PhoenixAsh]

agitate! radicalise! fight!

Try to stay safe...

[Leftsolidarity]

What's wrong with safty meetings? haha

[BootOnFace]

The $20,000 was stolen by a guy who set up the Paypal without anyone's knowledge, then convinced several people it was cool, then booked it. BTW, even though I'm in California right now, I stand in solidarity. Watching the livestream now.

[coda]

watching the live stream... amazing display in Portland -- now an hour after "eviction".

[Veovis]

Best of luck everyone! If I didn't have to report to my job tomorrow I'd be there with you.

[Sasha]

good luck, stay strong!

[RedZero]

Police tighten security on Occupy Portland, remove tarps and tents (live updates) -- http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/police_tighten_security_on_occ.html

[RedZero]

Good video: "Occupy Portland Prepares for Eviction Deadline:

GLHF1ZvLA6I

[RedZero]

Just saw this comment on an Occupy Portland video:

the occupy thing is stupid if there so worried about america then get a job and contribute to society instead of wasting peoples space air and money
hesrightbehindeyou (http://www.youtube.com/user/hesrightbehindeyou) 4 minutes ago

Are people really this dumb? Rhetorical question, but it truly frustrates me...

[RedZero]

Police attempt to remove Occupy Portland protesters:

-F5hgPqc7no

[RedZero]

"Thousands of Portlanders Protect Occupy Portland"

UmRahREQSvI

[coda]

does anyone have an update as where it stands now?

[Paulappaul]

Camps were raided and taken around 10am today after the militant block of people went home to get sleep. Going to the GA now.

[RedZero]

Camps were raided and taken around 10am today after the militant block of people went home to get sleep. Going to the GA now.

Since you're actually going to an Occupy protest, maybe you'll find this site useful: http://occupiedstories.com/

You can submit your own or read stories from people that go to these protests. Spread the link around, I think it was just recently started.

[RedZero]

"Riot police are moving in on an encampment by 'Occupy Portland' in Oregon. Watch live." -- http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=8430357#&cmp=fb-kgo-livevideo-8430357
Another live stream: http://www.emergencystream.com/video_streams/OR/Portland6.html

[Ele'ill]

FUCK


We won. We held them off all-fucking-night-morning-long-period. Then of course we actually have to work and go to school and eat and PISS and everything falls apart. I woke up that morning at 6am did stuff all day till around 9pm- started marching and standing off with the police and was there till 3:30ishAM in which I turned around and went to work from 4am-2pm and here I am about to go back down there if a comrade hadn't told me the chances are slim at this point. Manic right now.

Also I want to know officially what happened to that cop in the riot gear who collapsed/fell off a horse/was shot/hit with a rock/hit with a firework(s) I'm hearing all kinds of wild stuff. I think he had a seizure.

Hey- the cops up front in the riot line were really young and really scared. They wouldn't make eye contact with me even if I tried to stare through them to get them a little pissed. Nothing. Except for this one fucker with beady little shrew eyes who was walking behind the line with the 'less lethal rubberrounds' who stopped, pointed at me and babbled something about me to the two people in front of him (something like 'once they start hitting you fucking hit back' or something along those lines) then he looked me up and down and pointed the gun right at me. :lol:

[Ele'ill]

Some excellent perspective on what was the first charge in- especially the 2nd video that was pretty much from where I was at.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111113040310-portoland-occupy-story-top.jpg


c8PPVwz8z9o

76prV6rv66g

[Ele'ill]

Shit's going down now still even after the park's been 'cleared'.

http://www.kgw.com/live-stream

[Paulappaul]

Here is a report on Occupy Portland the our "Radical Caucus" (if any are unfamiliar with the term the radical caucus are individuals from all Radical Backgrounds who work in a bloc to try and influence GA decisions.)

The Radical Caucus is about 50 individuals right now - the radical movement in Portland is much larger then this however, probably in the thousands. The Radical Caucus is basically just the most active and experienced organizers. We have an office space and house which we work out of.

The Occupation in recent weeks has become a reflection of Capitalism's worst elements. Because the occupation provides a safe shelter and food for these elements they are reoccurring. The continuing drug overdose, assault and destruction of public property in and around the occupation encouraged the mayor who formally took a pacifistic position (and in some cases "supportive") to an aggressive position. In conjugation with a number of mayors particularly around the Northwest, but also nationwide and Internationally, the deadline for the occupation was set and eviction became inevitable.

The Pacifist elements within the movement called for a potluck and a party in the hopes that it would scare the police away from taking apart the camp. Knowing that it wouldn't they tore down key structures - kitchen, medical, info, etc.- leaving camp morale low and the possibility of us keeping the camp lower.

The radical elements organized specifically around the Radical Caucus and the existing affinity groups of Anarchists and our Anarchists comrades from the Northwest prepared for a fight. The radical Caucus assembled three spontaneous affinity groups that would be in charge of escalating the crowd, providing morale and vanguarding the groups - in the military sense of the word mind you. An Anarchist GA meet the day of eviction. A Black Bloc proposal came with mixed responses during the GA following previous Black Bloc experiences within the Occupy Portland movement. Women overwhemlying supported a Black Bloc, men did not. Socialist groups did very little. The ISO had no recognizable presence, most working on School Occupations and Freedom Socialists sold newspapers/handed out flyers.

The Radical Caucus coordinated these three affinity groups consisting of about 25 members each around the party/potluck mentioned earlier. We drummed, sung and chanted raising the morale of the crowd. Each group was assigned a long banner (the longest being about 20 feet, which got the cover of the Oregonian - the main city newspaper).

When 12pm came rolling around the crowd inside the camps numbered at about 5000, with about 2000 surrounding the camps across the street peacefully watching in solidarity. Riot cops did not invade when the Camp was supposed to be empty. By 2am bike patrol and police on foot were replaced with Riot Cops. Very quickly they escalated and pushed us back onto sidewalks from the positions we were in, i.e. the middle of the street. Horses stormed in, I was there on the front line when this happened. One of the horses freaked out and the cop riding fell off. Someone attacked an officer and was tasered. Riot Cops escalted breaking human chains, one hit me in the fucking ear. We stood our ground and pushed harder pushing the cops into tighter and tighter formations till they retreated.

We fought for about an hour till we captured two streets over them at which point they stopped retreating and solidified their lines. A party ensued.

[Welshy]

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/e63e9b


ALERT! A man named Justin James Bridges, musician & ASL translator for Occupy Portland General Assembly, was assaulted by @PortlandPolice today during camp clean out.

He was beaten repeatedly in the back and has now lost use of his right arm. Though Justin was lying on the ground in compliance, Portland Police continuously beat him in the back with clubs until his eyes rolled back in his head. Fellow protesters thought he was dead. He is now in critical care.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, DO NOT HESITATE TO COME FORWARD.
National Lawyers' Guild # 503-902-5340. Protect rights, protect the truth.

Can our Portland comrades confirm this, or have extra information?

[Ele'ill]

This was from yesterday morning (I think) when the police finally took the camp.

0BtLxuh88ck

[Ele'ill]

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/e63e9b



Can our Portland comrades confirm this, or have extra information?

I'm going to try and get some more info on this.


http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/412267.shtml

http://occupyportland.org/
http://occupyportland.org/2011/11/14/missed/



Police said no officers or people arrested were injured during the park clearance. What the police didn’t publicize is that they trashed Occupy Portland’s American Sign Language interpreter, Justin, unconscious. After his beating, he was hauled off by the clothing around his neck, where he gasped and pleaded for air until he passed out. Justin was not arrested, so the police statement remains true.
After a conversation with Justin, over the phone, one occupier reports that our ASL interpreter (and groovy guitarist) has no feeling in his right leg and cannot use his arm, which allows Occupy Portland interpret for those in our community who communicate by signing
The following video includes footage of a beating, shot from the crowd. What appears to be Justin can be seen around 8:40.6ZPlYmz4dIU

[Ele'ill]

Also, some more info on the cop 'falling off horse'. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2297228&mesg_id=2297290

[Paulappaul]

Hell yeah
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/382910_10150393191164837_575874836_8054361_1132996 246_n.jpg

[Ele'ill]

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/-eaf5eeb61487c3d0.JPG

[Ele'ill]

You know, in a lot of these pictures I see my lost flag floating around...

[Ele'ill]

This whole page from Oregonlive has some really awesome pictures- http://photos.oregonlive.com/photo-essay/2011/11/occupy_portland_faces_eviction.html

[Paulappaul]

Some Banners I made for some comrades within the RC:
They read "All Power to the PEOPLE! OCCUPY TOGETHER!" and "END CORPORATE CAPITALISM, ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY NOW!"http://portland.indymedia.org/media/images/2011/11/412325.jpg

[Lobotomy]

The main issue with the Portland camp has nothing to do with 'liberals or radicals or drugs or violence' it has to do with the fact that 110% of everyone's physical and emotional effort is going into living really close to one another and keeping that type of 'village' up and running. We need to break off and start doing stuff already- the camp worked as a sounding board for working class anger but it's gotta turn into something more than just that. It has to evolve into other projects because simply having a camp and going on weekend adventures isn't going to do anything at all and over the long run here it's going to self-destruct.

This is basically all that is going on in Occupy Olympia. pretty disappointing.

[ComradeGrant]

Gonna have to wait for Mariel for real news, but I've heard that pepper spray has already been used and a there was a brief squabble with the police. Wish I could be out there, solidarity!

[RedZero]

Woman hit today with pepper spray at Occupy Portland: http://oregonian.posterous.com/80659837
http://s3.amazonaws.com/files.posterous.com/oregonian/owaznzCeuxzxDEgJCJAJfnmHEhfuzGjBEErkfxfeJcjyyoirGv haJjjzgzki/Pepperspray.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJFZAE65UYRT34AO Q&Expires=1321581941&Signature=rb7ACKrl0nxY61N878MJXZaHsQo%3D

[Ele'ill]

Pepper spray.

Big photograph btw

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/occupy-portland-n17-496cd5b90fe2b00f.jpg

[Ele'ill]

I had a 9 hour shift that I couldn't really get out of which took up the majority of the day. Afterwards I didn't want to head down into the thick of all that without knowing what exactly was going on. The Portland imc text updates were off sync with their 'breaking news' ticker on their website and I couldn't get a hold of anyone who I knew might be down there, aside from the people I was with later that evening who agreed to take a break from the Occupy actions for a period of time for health reasons.

There were several bank lockdowns and the Steel bridge was shut down for a while.

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/10268399-standard.jpg

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/occupy_portland_police_protest.html

[Ele'ill]

Here is our spokes council model btw http://occupyportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Spokes-Proposal-PDF-FINAL.pdf

I'm going to be posting a big update on the next step for Occupy Portland within the day/tomorrow pending what's decided. I think we need to continue actions. My opinion right now on tactics (and I'm feeling rushed as the library computer is flashing at me angrily telling me that I only have 2 minutes left) Small actions all week and big ones on the weekend and for fuck's sake stop the noon marches/actions on weekdays. People who work morning shifts are still at work and those who work afternoon/evening shifts are gonna be getting ready for work and can't invest the next four hours to stuff beforehand.

[Paulappaul]

The woman pepper sprayed I am pretty sure is a Wobbly, or she is surrounded by Wobblies. The guy in the 2nd, pinned against a horse, is a socialist. He is rep. to the spokes council for the radical caucus. Just so you all know.

[The Douche]

The woman pepper sprayed I am pretty sure is a Wobbly, or she is surrounded by Wobblies. The guy in the 2nd, pinned against a horse, is a socialist. He is rep. to the spokes council for the radical caucus. Just so you all know.

Of course, the media, the state, and the liberals would have us believe that the anarchists and radicals are "outside agitators", hoodlums, and not organic to the movement.:rolleyes:

For instance, one of the GA facilitators and the person who runs the amplified sound for occupy oakland is an anarchist, and obviously was one of the organizers for the occupation. And they were assaulted and told they were "not part of the 99%" and told not to "show their face around the occupation", for confronting one of the peace police.

[Ele'ill]

Reoccupation NOW

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/412479.shtml

http://occupyportland.org/2011/11/19/portland-occuparkparkupation-2-0/

The text I received:

@portlandimc: New Occupation Now!: People have reoccupied! SW Park and Jefferson! 10am Saturday, the 19th

And This from http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/412480.shtml


People have reoccuppied! SW Park and Jefferson!
10am Saturday, the 19th
Come down.
Bring people, tents and supplies.

Occupation 2.0! Come show your support!

Live Stream at http://portland.indymedia.org/img/extlink.gif http://occupyportland.org/livestreammedia/

[Ele'ill]

The woman pepper sprayed I am pretty sure is a Wobbly, or she is surrounded by Wobblies. The guy in the 2nd, pinned against a horse, is a socialist. He is rep. to the spokes council for the radical caucus. Just so you all know.
Edit- that isn't who I was thinking of. I don't think she's a wob. Not that it matters or anything HOWEVER...

fw0OhRjPqKs

[RedZero]

About the woman a few posts back, the picture of her being pepper-sprayed:


The woman in the photo is 20-year-old Elizabeth Nichols, her mother wrote in to say. Check below for more.

Elizabeth Nichols, a 20-year-old originally from Arkansas who moved to the West Coast about six months ago and made her way from Seattle to Portland a month later. Her mother, Annie Nichols, said after the photo was taken, police threw Elizabeth to the ground and arrested her. Annie, who is housebound with multiple sclerosis, said Elizabeth joined Occupy Wall Street because of her parents' dire situation.

full story: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/11/dramatic-portland-pepper-spray-photo-was-total-accident/45186/

[RedZero]

[October 31] Homeland Security detain Occupy Portland Photographer -- http://www.demotix.com/news/906244/homeland-security-detain-occupy-portland-photographer

[Ele'ill]

So I can't actually watch this right now but I think it's a newer video put together by B-Media collective on the past eviction defense here in Portland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bGxF0ZxZyio

[Ele'ill]

Not an update but a collection of videos surrounding the past eviction.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/11/412532.shtml

[Ele'ill]

http://greycoast.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/police-use-battering-ram-to-evict-bank-owned-occupy-squat-in-northeast/



Members of Occupy Portland move into foreclosed house but police soon roust them

About 15 members of Occupy Portland moved into a vacant house in Northeast Portland two days after being evicted from the encampment in downtown Portland as part of an effort to continue the movement.

About a dozen Portland officers and a deputy district attorney showed up around 1:30 p.m. Friday and used a battering ram to enter the house at 1303 N.E. Roselawn St. and clear out the squatters.

[Ele'ill]

http://www.kgw.com/news/Police-raid-Portland-homes-taken-over-by-anarchists-134591538.html

[Welshy]

http://www.kgw.com/news/Police-raid-Portland-homes-taken-over-by-anarchists-134591538.html

Seems to me that the police are trying to start a mini-red scare (well maybe black scare as they were only talking about anarchists) with lines like this:


“The sad thing is they’re trying to associate themselves with the Occupy movement, which has basically been peaceful,” he said. “But this clearly shows that [the anarchists] truly want to come down there and cause problems.”

Also I bet the peace police are going to have a fun day with this.

[Ele'ill]

*Update

Reoccupation of Shemanski park

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/12/10320511-standard.jpg

More photos here

http://photos.oregonlive.com/4450/gallery/occupy_portland_gathers_to_try_to_occupy_another_p ark/index-2.html


From what I heard and saw- two broken noses, internal injuries and a woman whose hand was so broken that I'm still getting sympathy pains right now as I write this.

Og8npnypneI

[Ele'ill]

The evening started off with a 2pm rally and supposedly 3pm (more like 4pm) unpermitted march to the new 'undisclosed' location (Shemanski Park). It was a street march and it had no police presence. I don't remember how many people were marching but it was pretty big. 1k? 2k? I'm bad at judging numbers and I didn't take note. We get to the park and people immediately start setting up banners, tables and tents etc.. - Three bike cops come over and the one was getting confrontational. People surrounded them and especially surrounded the one cop who was getting shitty with people and the other cops started to get worried and they all left. There was a non-liberal militant presence within the group who had surrounded the police. A group of about 5-10 bike cops hung out on the street corner away from the new camp.

People continued to set up tents and the GA started with people talking to one another- typical camp stuff. Around 8:30ish myself and the super badass affinity group that walks everywhere did a little recon on the police who were closing streets and mobilizing and by the time we got back up to the camp the riot squads had moved in from the other side. Dispersal announcement given over and over and over declaring an emergency order to close the park early (park closes at 9pm not 8:30). Well, we linked arms, got speared with giant batons.

So we all get pushed out of the park and then we marched to City Hall. People climbed up on top of the balcony (a 25foot climb) and hoisted tents up. Then we marched in the street for like two hours and forty five minutes and ended up back at the camp. The riot police remoblized briefly and then left.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/occupy_portland_protesters_mar_1.html

[Ele'ill]

Interview with the woman who had her hand broken.

s-G4cZyLkJQ

[Ele'ill]

This is when the three cops came in originally to tear down the tents and issue citations or whatever- video just went up

2efRls0fz60

[Paulappaul]

Damn, that's badass

[Ele'ill]

We shut down 4, 5 and 6 with mixed reception.

[Ele'ill]

Here's another video mashup of the Occupy Portland saga.

4FuYoRtaY7w

[Ele'ill]

http://occupyportland.org/2012/02/03/this-sunday-park-liberation-party/


The fences around Chapman and Lownsdale Squares have finally been removed! Join Occupy Portland in celebrating the return of the parks to the people.

What: Potluck Picnic in Our Park! Bring food to share, musical instruments, art material and signs reminding the city of your freedom of speech and assembly.

When: This Sunday, Feb 5 at 12 Noon.

Where: Chapman Square at SW 4th and Main st.

Why: Most people agree that there’s a lot wrong with our world. We share your of frustration towards its many injustices and our politicians who don’t work towards the people’s interests. The time has come to say enough, to change this by organizing together, sharing resources, knowledge and ideas.






CITY FINALLY REMOVES FENCES FROM CHAPMAN AND LOWNSDALE SQUARES
February 3, 2012


This is a press release from the PR committee.

Occupy Portland refutes the city’s damage claims and celebrates the parks’ return to the public.

PORTLAND, OR- After months of having Chapman and Lownsdale squares closed off to the public, the city of Portland has finally decided to remove the surrounding fences. The parks have been fenced off to the public for more than two months, since Novemnber 13, after the forced eviction of Occupy Portland protesters by the Portland Police Bureau, which resulted in several injuries including that of the still-recovering Justin James Bridges. The two parks have a long history of being used for political protest and citizens were disappointed that fences rendered them inaccessible for more than two months this winter.

http://occupyportland.org/2012/02/03/city-finally-removes-fences-from-chapman-and-lownsdale-squares/

[Ele'ill]

Upcoming


OCCUPY PORTLAND CALLS FOR NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON #F29

AUUrVzL6eEE

http://occupyportland.org/2012/02/03/video-occupy-portland-calls-for-national-day-of-action-on-f29/

[Ele'ill]

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/413750.jpg


Occupy Portland is planning an anti-war rally/march entitled

"No War On Iran, Stop the War of the 1%"

3:00 PM Rally

4:00 PM March

at SW Salmom & SW Park

Music, Food & Speakers!

Come one, come all!

Wear your peace swag!


This rally/march is being planned as safe for families and will be
coordinated with the Portland Police.

The Iranian community is expected to participate.

[Ele'ill]

Breaking:

Anti Police/brutality and Oakland solidarity march in Portland earlier- 9 arrested

live streams (replaying now obviously)

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20275624

http://www.livestream.com/newchannel/popoutplayer?channel=occupyportlandcollective

News blip

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/02/occupy_portland_supporters_mar.html




100-200 marchers present at peak of march- HEAVY police presence. Six horses, multiple riot squads, bike cops, helicopters etc.. It was an inner SE Portland march instead of an inner city west side march. It was a non-occupy portland march with a tolerance for diversity of tactics.

Ariel news footage of the march leaving a side street onto another street

http://kptv.images.worldnow.com/images/643367_G.jpg

Police making arrests/pooping their pants

http://kptv.images.worldnow.com/images/643369_G.jpg

[Ele'ill]

Edit- this had so much potential and ended as an absolute fucking mess




As always solidarity to everyone who marched.

[Ele'ill]

Here is a communique released today

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/02/413810.shtml

Here's the main thing I question from it


Unethically Produced, Ethically Destroyed

Here is a description of the things which were vandalized or smashed during the march, listed chronologically. These are detailed as a result of public outcry against the nature of the actions, though may it be known that they were carried out not as a form of public outreach, but in solidarity as retaliatory actions in light of police brutality locally, nationally, and internationally, including the recent murder of Brad Lee Morgan by Portland Police, as well as the ongoing violence and arrests in Oakland, and all comrades imprisoned by our unjust system! Also, it should be mentioned that the final three acts were committed with a black and red flag, and proudly so! Actions included:

--- A Honda Element SUV driving through the march was spray painted with a circle-'A', the symbol of anarchism. Anyone privileged enough to afford to drive any car does not hold precedent over the countless thousands of people who die in the name of the oil which propels it, nor is their comfort and convenience worthy of the environmental destruction these vehicles put forth. And how much better that it be in motion while being tagged, a symbol of capitalism in progress, of our hard earned oil in use, exhaust spewing on the perpetrator in action. We will not simply allow you to cruise through our march without thinking twice about the brutality you blindly perpetuate. Fuck your cars, fuck your wars, and fuck the police flying overhead who watched helplessly as anarchists destroyed property that they were being paid to protect. There was an Iron Cross decal on the window which was vandalized, a blatant symbol of oppression heavily used in Nazi Germany, and an image that deserves to be vandalized regardless of the surface it's attached to. Honda is a major capitalist corporation which has been strengthened as a result of purchasing this vehicle, regardless of the buyer's social position, and thus capitalist oppression continues to devastate all it touches. Surely, the person's life was equally devastated after having to rub the graffiti off with a cheap rag and solvent - a mere aesthetic and non-permanent offense (perhaps next time the window should just be smashed!).

--- The front window of a local business, 'Genoa Restaurant', one of, if not the only, five-star restaurants in Portland. This is not a business for the working class, this is strictly a business for the wealthy and privileged, literally spending over $100 a person to consume delicacies such as Foie Gras, a notoriously cruel and unethically produced serving of duck. Money flies out of pockets as disgusting rates as an indulgence indoors while others live houseless and without property, exposed to the elements and hiding in fear from police aggressors.

--- A classic Alfa Romeo convertible's windshield was smashed through in two places and the side scuffed up. This car was not a humble, working-class minivan with a child's seat, but an extravagant European collectible sports car denoting material privilege. Furthermore, Alfa Romeo has designed cars specifically for the Italian police since the 60's, and have been used as the automobile of choice by several departments of the Italian police force to this day. May this action be in solidarity with our comrades in Italy, facing similar police brutality and oppression!

--- And lastly, a new BMW sports coupe. Similarly, the sides were scuffed up and the front windshield busted through twice. This is a luxury car, and surely the owner will survive a night or two while their car which costs more than the average person or household makes in an entire year sits in the shop. Beyond the bourgeois status of the car, BMW has a dark history of fascist oppression which has propelled them into their current status as a wealthy capitalist enterprise. In fact, the Quandts, founding family and subsequent errs to the BMW fortune (eight of which are among the hundred wealthiest Germans today) utilized approximately 50,000 slave laborers from concentration camps, many of whom died in extreme work conditions or were executed. Openly important members of the Nazi party, the Quandts played major roles in the Holocaust and the forced 'aryanization' of Jewish businesses. Fuck those who have profited from the brutal and systematic slavery and genocide of people, fuck BMW, and fuck your windshield - of which I'm sure you can afford plenty more - so pardon the marginal inconvenience from your privileged life.

FUCK YOUR COMMODITIES, FUCK YOUR PROPERTY, FUCK YOUR FALSE SENSE OF MATURITY BASED ON CAPITALIST LUXURY AND PRIVILEGE.

SOLIDARITY TO COMRADES IN OAKLAND, GREECE, SYRIA, EGYPT, PALESTINE, AND ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE PEOPLE FACE POLICE-OPPRESSION.

ONLY ANARCHY IS JUST AND ONLY ANARCHY WILL PREVAIL!

[Veovis]

Here is a communique released today

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/02/413810.shtml

Here's the main thing I question from it

What was the point of all that?

Thoughtless violence without regard to strategy or tactics, even if it's only against property, is probably the stupidest thing a radical can do.

I was at that march. It was like watching a trainwreck.

[Ele'ill]

What was the point of all that?

Thoughtless violence without regard to strategy or tactics, even if it's only against property, is probably the stupidest thing a radical can do.

I was at that march. It was like watching a trainwreck.

Good deal. I first want to say that I stand in solidarity with those who marched but I'm critical of how some tactics were used. I was there too at the front of the march while it lasted. I remember coming around the corner and hearing all the glass breaking and kinda looking around wondering what was being broken cause we weren't really in an area where genuine targets would have been. It's not that I'm opposed to these tactics of course but I see these marches from a tactical perspective and weigh the pros and cons of various activity in them. I think the purpose of this march was to march in the street for a long time, defy any orders to disperse and get the message out. The march was awesome when it first started. We were expecting 30 people tops and it started with about 100 when it hit the street. Reports later say that it swelled to 200. With that number we could have gone anywhere. We could have gone to the busier areas of the SE. The tactics didn't have to be used at the time they were used and they didn't have to be used from within the march. The timing and specifics of these actions were partly responsible for the fragmentation of the march. To clear up the media message from local news, there was a heavy police presence. Six horses, police in their riot gear on their tanks driving around, and bike cops. How do we use that to our advantage at this type of an event? I think we do it by getting somewhere other than where we were. Some place where a lot of people are at, outside of their cars, not in their houses or on their porches. Some place that would make the standoff surreal.

[Ele'ill]

KDOu90m8vDs


6rHXmyD-AJQ

[Ele'ill]

:lol:


rIKZgn3gVws

[Ele'ill]

Just got word that the windows of Red and Black Cafe (anarchist cafe) have been smashed and a hammer was left behind saying 'fuck the black bloc'

[citizen of industry]

Good deal. I first want to say that I stand in solidarity with those who marched but I'm critical of how some tactics were used. I was there too at the front of the march while it lasted. I remember coming around the corner and hearing all the glass breaking and kinda looking around wondering what was being broken cause we weren't really in an area where genuine targets would have been. It's not that I'm opposed to these tactics of course but I see these marches from a tactical perspective and weigh the pros and cons of various activity in them. I think the purpose of this march was to march in the street for a long time, defy any orders to disperse and get the message out. The march was awesome when it first started. We were expecting 30 people tops and it started with about 100 when it hit the street. Reports later say that it swelled to 200. With that number we could have gone anywhere. We could have gone to the busier areas of the SE. The tactics didn't have to be used at the time they were used and they didn't have to be used from within the march. The timing and specifics of these actions were partly responsible for the fragmentation of the march. To clear up the media message from local news, there was a heavy police presence. Six horses, police in their riot gear on their tanks driving around, and bike cops. How do we use that to our advantage at this type of an event? I think we do it by getting somewhere other than where we were. Some place where a lot of people are at, outside of their cars, not in their houses or on their porches. Some place that would make the standoff surreal.

But you'd like to see 1,000 someday, or 10,000, right? I went to a march once with 60,000 people, and there were some confrontations with the police, but much less confrontation than some smaller marches I went to. If you are using these kinds of "tactics," how do you expect to make your movement attractive to the majority of people? If people don't like what is going on in this world, but they have a job they need to keep, kids they have to feed, and everytime a march goes down, shit gets busted up, a bunch of people are arrested, won't that turn them off? "I'd like to go to this march, but I have to work tomorrow and take the kids to school. If I get arrested and spend the night in the slammer, my wife will kill me, I might get fired, etc. etc."

I'm not a pacifist. For example, in countries where people get a bullet in the head for trying to organize a trade union, and there is no democracy at all, I understand why people go up in the hills and form guerrilla bands. If there were a million people and some police decided to start shooting at them, I think some violence would be justified. I'm sure in a revolutionary period, there would be some acts of retribution, because of the rage that poverty creates. But then again, if the balance of power is about to shift, is obviously going to shift, I'm sure the police/soldiers would be a little wary of being too brutal, because they could expect the same treatment in return.

But if you are organizing only a few people, and then taking on the state in open, violent confrontation, how do you expect your movement to attract people? This thought that acts of violence by a few people will inspire the masses to rise-up is faulty. And we aren't talking barricade fighting here. It's like, windows...Maybe the police and media would be a little wary if instead of people in ski-masks at the head of the march it was families, and students, and working people.

[Os Cangaceiros]

A Honda Element SUV driving through the march was spray painted with a circle-'A', the symbol of anarchism. Anyone privileged enough to afford to drive any car does not hold precedent over the countless thousands of people who die in the name of the oil which propels it, nor is their comfort and convenience worthy of the environmental destruction these vehicles put forth. And how much better that it be in motion while being tagged, a symbol of capitalism in progress, of our hard earned oil in use, exhaust spewing on the perpetrator in action.

lol they vandalized a Honda Element? :lol:

Loved the explanation, too: anyone who drives a car is privileged! And cars harm the environment! Good lord...

[citizen of industry]

lol they vandalized a Honda Element? :lol:

Loved the explanation, too: anyone who drives a car is privileged! And cars harm the environment! Good lord...

It's like Maoist third worldism, or a super-super vanguard party. No cars, must wear ski mask...

[Ele'ill]

But you'd like to see 1,000 someday, or 10,000, right? I went to a march once with 60,000 people, and there were some confrontations with the police, but much less confrontation than some smaller marches I went to. If you are using these kinds of "tactics," how do you expect to make your movement attractive to the majority of people? If people don't like what is going on in this world, but they have a job they need to keep, kids they have to feed, and everytime a march goes down, shit gets busted up, a bunch of people are arrested, won't that turn them off? "I'd like to go to this march, but I have to work tomorrow and take the kids to school. If I get arrested and spend the night in the slammer, my wife will kill me, I might get fired, etc. etc."

I'm not opposed to property destruction. I'm opposed to people being so bad at it that it fucks up a march with 200 people in it. I'm opposed to people who are saying that the small bougie restaurant got smashed cause they sell Foie gras and the 'flesh of sentient creatures'. That's not a revolutionary socialist talking point.


But if you are organizing only a few people, and then taking on the state in open, violent confrontation, how do you expect your movement to attract people?

Cause those discontented with the world they've been force into like seeing those oppressive institutions get fucked up and the armed thugs lose control. This is specific to street marches and nothing else.




This thought that acts of violence by a few people will inspire the masses to rise-up is faulty. And we aren't talking barricade fighting here. It's like, windows...Maybe the police and media would be a little wary if instead of people in ski-masks at the head of the march it was families, and students, and working people.

No the police wouldn't care and would pepper spray them too if necessary. The problem is that those 'peaceful' people whoever they are always back down completely and rarely have to be detained, beaten or arrested. Giving up the fight isn't winning cause your'e peaceful it's losing cause you've been successfully intimidated.

[citizen of industry]

Workplace struggles are far more costly and terrifying to those in power. Do you really think the small amount of property damage that gets fixed the next day is a good trade for keeping people from engaging in the movement? Numbers actually mean something, and mass social movements come out of organizing and patience. If all you are doing is busting shit up at every event and getting locked up, you must have very few obligations in life and must have quite a different lifestyle than basically everyone. Not that I'm accusing you of anything, its just that seeing stuff like this rubs me the wrong way. If you are shooting homemade rockets into a military base that don't do any damage because you think you are fighting imperialism, and think your actions are going to inspire people, I'd say you are wrong. If you are organizing demonstrations in front of the base that don't end in a cluster fuck and grow every year and result in closer ties between more and more groups and individuals, and the events are something people aren't afraid to bring their kids to I'd say you were more productive. And I'd say your marchers get a bit more courage the larger the group is and they see how on edge and agitated the cops are. And the more experience they have, the more time and energy they've put into it, the more likely they are to stand their ground.

[Ele'ill]

I want to say that I find your last post to be using this example of a march where unfortunate things happened as a way to generalize against certain tactics. I'm not a huge fan of seeing that. There are several threads regarding the property destruction debate and there are several areas of the forum more appropriate for discussing this issue outside of the specific situation and angle I've addressed here. I am not interested in having this thread turn into a lengthy debate on property destruction so after this if you want to create another thread somewhere or bump one of the other threads I'll happily oblige.



Workplace struggles are far more costly and terrifying to those in power. Do you really think the small amount of property damage that gets fixed the next day is a good trade for keeping people from engaging in the movement?

I don't disagree with this entirely but within the situation of this type of march work place organizing isn't on the plate. What happens with property destruction is a breaking of spell. It's not (better not be) about economic damage. There were non-anarchist occupy people present chanting things such as 'pick the right target' and comments such as 'banks, corporations, cops'. This is a bit of a shift from the usual 'no violence' and 'can't touch windows cause you'll hurt them' rubbish. That momentum and rallying point wasn't capitalized on. Instead it became ultra-muddled by choosing to smash cars and a small restaurant that if appropriate would require a bit of explaining and we don't have that after-the-fact luxury. The message that's delivered has to be as clear as possible, through action, the first time around.


Numbers actually mean something, and mass social movements come out of organizing and patience. If all you are doing is busting shit up at every event and getting locked up, you must have very few obligations in life and must have quite a different lifestyle than basically everyone.

This is a pretty big strawman. It's not all that's being done in any way at all.




Not that I'm accusing you of anything, its just that seeing stuff like this rubs me the wrong way. If you are shooting homemade rockets into a military base that don't do any damage because you think you are fighting imperialism, and think your actions are going to inspire people, I'd say you are wrong.

I don't know about your example here but regarding what we were talking about it's an out-pour of anger. It's a step above a banner or militant chant.




If you are organizing demonstrations in front of the base that don't end in a cluster fuck and grow every year and result in closer ties between more and more groups and individuals, and the events are something people aren't afraid to bring their kids to I'd say you were more productive. And I'd say your marchers get a bit more courage the larger the group is and they see how on edge and agitated the cops are. And the more experience they have, the more time and energy they've put into it, the more likely they are to stand their ground.

lol no, sorry. Of course the goal is to gain momentum and get people involved. That's happened. My question to you is at what happens when your example here takes that next step, after all that organizing and time put in, and everyone stands their ground? Do you think the police will be like 'ah well, look at all these shining faces peacefully defying us. Guess we can't do nothin.' I beg to differ. The intensity of actions has increased around the world. It is often seemingly spontaneous in nature.

[Paulappaul]

Workplace struggles are far more costly and terrifying to those in power.

I was once in a workplace struggle at a local pizza hut. Oh man, the Capitalist Class was sure as hell shaking in their boots in terror. Don't be idealistic, workplace struggles don't mean a damn unless they prove their contempt for revolutionary violent action.


Numbers actually mean something, and mass social movements come out of organizing and patience.

Numbers don't mean shit when the character of those numbers are petty bourgeois or liberal. Its Quality Vs. Quantity and fact of the matter is, I'd rather roll with some comrades who are politically like minded influencing and encouraging class wide autonomy then a 60,000 person march where everyone is singing peace, love and microdot.

[citizen of industry]

I want to say that I find your last post to be using this example of a march where unfortunate things happened as a way to generalize against certain tactics. I'm not a huge fan of seeing that. There are several threads regarding the property destruction debate and there are several areas of the forum more appropriate for discussing this issue outside of the specific situation and angle I've addressed here. I am not interested in having this thread turn into a lengthy debate on property destruction so after this if you want to create another thread somewhere or bump one of the other threads I'll happily oblige.

Fair enough. I wont derail the thread any further (after this reply, you have to let me rebuttle)


lol no, sorry. Of course the goal is to gain momentum and get people involved. That's happened. My question to you is at what happens when your example here takes that next step, after all that organizing and time put in, and everyone stands their ground? Do you think the police will be like 'ah well, look at all these shining faces peacefully defying us. Guess we can't do nothin.' I beg to differ. The intensity of actions has increased around the world. It is often seemingly spontaneous in nature.

I think stuff like this happens:

http://shrineodreams.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/bruno20barbey20-20left-wing20riot20protesting20the20building20of20narito2 0airport20tokyo201972.jpg

But I think it takes lots of this to get there:

http://asiancorrespondent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Japan-Earthquake-protest.jpg


And much less of this:
http://imgs.sfgate.com/g/pictures/2005/07/20/mn_protest01.jpg



I was once in a workplace struggle at a local pizza hut. Oh man, the Capitalist Class was sure as hell shaking in their boots in terror. Don't be idealistic, workplace struggles don't mean a damn unless they prove their contempt for revolutionary violent action.Did you win your pizza hut struggle, or did PH come down on you with firings, lawsuits, hire "labor-management consultants", resort to intimidation and slander, and spend a million bucks just to avoid paying a 25cent wage increase to a handful of minimum wage workers?

[Ele'ill]

Did you read my earlier posts in this thread about this march.

[citizen of industry]

Did you read my earlier posts in this thread about this march.

Yes, this is the one that got me all in a huff:


Good deal. I first want to say that I stand in solidarity with those who marched but I'm critical of how some tactics were used. I was there too at the front of the march while it lasted. I remember coming around the corner and hearing all the glass breaking and kinda looking around wondering what was being broken cause we weren't really in an area where genuine targets would have been. It's not that I'm opposed to these tactics of course but I see these marches from a tactical perspective and weigh the pros and cons of various activity in them. I think the purpose of this march was to march in the street for a long time, defy any orders to disperse and get the message out. The march was awesome when it first started. We were expecting 30 people tops and it started with about 100 when it hit the street. Reports later say that it swelled to 200. With that number we could have gone anywhere. We could have gone to the busier areas of the SE. The tactics didn't have to be used at the time they were used and they didn't have to be used from within the march. The timing and specifics of these actions were partly responsible for the fragmentation of the march. To clear up the media message from local news, there was a heavy police presence. Six horses, police in their riot gear on their tanks driving around, and bike cops. How do we use that to our advantage at this type of an event? I think we do it by getting somewhere other than where we were. Some place where a lot of people are at, outside of their cars, not in their houses or on their porches. Some place that would make the standoff surreal.

[Ele'ill]

Yes, this is the one that got me all in a huff:

From a local perspective, there would have been quite a bit of support had the targets been easier to understand.

[Ele'ill]

And I challenge the pigs to hit 60,000 angry but grudgingly peaceful demonstrators in the center of the city a few kilometers away from parliament with water cannons and tear gas.

Every major demonstration ever. The rest of your post was incoherently irrelevant. This is the last post on the topic of property destruction not related to the specifics of that march and in fact I don't see a reason to continue the discussion about the march since that's taking place elsewhere. Consider this thread an archived news resource. Create a thread in the appropriate area of the forum for further discussion on the tension between peace fetishization and militant action. Thanks.

[Ele'ill]

Not breaking news or anything but I just saw this photo of us all on an abc news site and thought I'd post it here.

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/gty_occupy_portland_dawn_cc_111113_wg.jpg

[Ele'ill]

News- Foreclosed house squats in Portland being raided and arrests have been made.

[Ele'ill]

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lve74xZj5I1qj90dro1_500.jpg

[Ele'ill]

F29 day of action today in Portland and the action being a Portland call out. Well, it started last night.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/02/414143.shtml


http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/02/414144.shtml


and of course the finale being a statement from Occupy Portland moaning about it and asking that their march on the 29th (today) be as ineffective and boring as humanly possible.

http://occupyportland.org/2012/02/29/in-response-to-autonomous-property-destruction-on-228/

[ellipsis]

News- Foreclosed house squats in Portland being raided and arrests have been made.

Belated squat solidarity.

Also shields in PDX?

[Ele'ill]

I'm very happy with this march as more things went right than wrong. Some of the pictures I'm seeing of it don't do it justice and I'll have to wait until better ones get published to the net. A big thank you to the IWW and all the anti-authoritarians that came out for this. There was a fairly large bloc (that I was in) up at the front the entire time, wooden banner/shields at the front and other banners or people with signs to the sides. At multiple points throughout the march there were confrontations with bike cops and the banners were used to do what the bike cops were trying to do with their bikes (control the march). At one point, a cop in his stupid car wanted to drive into the march from his parked location and was blocked repeatedly, he got out and attempted to make an arrest, got scared and got back into his car and sat there. They brought four or five horses into the middle of the march to rescue him and we all held our ground. One of the banner/signs got partially consumed, yes eaten, by a horse (lol).

We had peace police, peace activists, generally people who I recognized as having annoyed me in the past trying to work with us during the march and letting us march up front (in black, with banners) and I and some others returned the favor and made friendly small talk with them. On numerous occasions the liberals thanked us for keeping the front and sides of the march in a tight protective formation. This march was about 1500 strong by my guess. My only initial complaint is the lack of direct action out of a march this size. I have not heard of the specifics of any other direct actions taking place in the city aside from the two or three people who locked themselves down inside of a wells fargo HQ building.

The front of the march had banners/shields like this about 10-15 feet back on either side of the march for most of the march. In fact, this first photo below isn't nearly wide enough to capture the entire front of the march, there was at least another banner on each side.

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/02/10627251-standard.jpg

http://media.katu.com/images/120229_protest32.jpg

http://media.portlandpulp.com/images/occupy+F29+%2840%29.jpg

http://media.katu.com/images/120129_protest1.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6796390110_9b1644639a_z.jpg

[Ele'ill]

Their valiant horse mounted rescue mission fails. Also something I didn't notice before seeing this picture (cause I'm short and can't see over everyone) is that while we saw riot police 'around' they actually DID respond to this situation here- but let their unarmored panicky bikecop fucking losers go in first.

http://media.kgw.com/images/kyle-mountedpatrol-twitter.jpg

[Veovis]

Worst. Weather. Ever.

I think it might have been the coldest day this winter so far. And it was raining on top of it all!

But the march itself went very well. The pigs got sent off and we got out our message.

[ellipsis]

Sounds awesome. Proud that somebodies is holding it down besides OO.

[Ele'ill]

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/414174.jpg

White overalls

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/414171.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/414187.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/414188.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/02/414190.jpg

[Paulappaul]

A Photo-essay of my experience:


http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/02/-73ba0b0561b00426.JPG
http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/02/-5ac32bb1a4d51461.JPG

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/02/10628013-essay.jpg

[Ele'ill]

EyKUcknI1Zw

[Ele'ill]

In regards to demonstration tactics, I did like how certain people were designated to act as a stall/shield- working together so that other elements of the march wouldn't get overstressed dealing with everything. The clowns were constantly around the riot cops/horses, people were blocking the horses from getting to the march most of the time, the militant group up front pushed through police lines and deterred any police assault from the front. I know this is supposed to happen at every march but this was the first march where everyone wanted to keep marching really really bad so everyone worked together.

[Leftsolidarity]

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lve74xZj5I1qj90dro1_500.jpg

btw, I set this as the background on the school computer I'm on right now

[Paulappaul]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6798421860_4ef112653a_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6944596101_e3f1d57f84_o.jpg

[Ele'ill]

http://occupyportland.org/2012/03/06/sat-march-10th-2-4pm-police-and-the-99/



SAT. MARCH 10TH 2-4PM: POLICE AND THE 99%
March 6, 2012
By opdxmycelium
Kristian Williams, author of Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America will discuss the cop’s role in preserving social inequality, and the implications for social movements. Public discussion to follow.

I wonder what the reaction is going to be.

[Binh]

Would love to have Portland comrades posting these reports at thenorthstar.info. Email [email protected] and the invites will go out ASAP.

[Paulappaul]

emailed you

[Ele'ill]

So when are we going out drinking, Portland?

[Veovis]

When I have monies. :(

[Ele'ill]

I mean, we don't have to get *completely* blasted but..

[Paulappaul]

More like when we gonna get stoned, Portland?

[Ele'ill]

More like when aren't we stoned, Portland?

[Ele'ill]

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20120317112843105


Saturday, March 17 2012 @ 11:28 AM CDT
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 71


Parasol Climate Collective, which initiated a clown picket for the scheduled March 19th Republican Debate to be held in Portland, claimed victory when the debate was cancelled on the morning of March 15th. The first candidate to pull out of the debate was Mitt Romney, initially stating the he “didn’t feel like going.” When pressed, Romney admitted he was “too shaky in the polls to risk going to Portland to be embarrassed by a bunch of clowns.” This left the other three candidates, and led to the scrambling of local Republicans in the face of mounting opposition.

[Ele'ill]

So, going back to Kristian Williams the author of 'Our Enemies In Blue' coming to Portland, Oregon - here's the video of it.

http://vimeo.com/38896898

[Paulappaul]

Reportback from the "End the Camping Ban" Rally and March (http://autonomousworkers.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/reportback-from-the-end-the-camping-ban-rally-and-march/)

[Ele'ill]

nevermind

[Ele'ill]

http://www.portlandgeneralassembly.org/events/occupy-trimet-a-national-day-of-action/


With fare hikes and cuts to service at TriMet looming on the horizon, Occupy Portland joins Occupy Boston’s call for a national day of action on April 4th in defense of public transportation. ‘Occupy TriMet’ will be a local day of action in support of reliable, affordable transit throughout our region.

[ellipsis]

check it. also stickied.


Liberate Space on May Day
The Portland Liberation Organizing Council (PLOC) would like to invite all members of the community join us on May 1st, 2012 in the Liberate.MayDay project where a neighborhood will be liberating a currently unused building in the City of Portland and transforming it into a vibrant people-powered community center. Liberate.MayDay intends to demonstrate and begin to address the vast contradictions that we face each day – that buildings sit empty while our neighborhoods lack free, accessible indoor spaces, that banks continue tearing people out of their homes while 1 in 7 houses in the country sit vacant, that basic healthcare is unaffordable for many while corporations reap incredible profits from the industry.

We have seen that the systems creating these problems are not capable of providing real solutions. We are done waiting! Solutions come from our minds, our hands, our relationships, and our irrepressible creative capacity to build a community (and a society) that works for us. On May Day PLOC will enact one solution – to reclaim property and put it to use with the community.

Portland needs a space where communities can grow together and nurture a healthy political system — where gardens grow food and sow the seeds of resistance; where classrooms are based on popular education; where there is free space to celebrate and organize. We will no longer stand for developers holding land and buildings hostage for maximum profit. Community control and self-determination are more important than profit and endless growth.

We are inspired by those that took over a church-owned abandoned building in San Francisco in March, by foreclosure defenders in Minneapolis, by the Landless Peasant Movement in Brazil [MST], by the Space Liberated community in Madrid, and many more. We follow in the footsteps of those that have reclaimed buildings from greedy developers in order to keep community control of our neighborhoods. We stand on the shoulders of those that take direct action to elevate the rights of people above the right to keep property vacant. These social movements show us that liberation of land is not only possible, it is happening!

The broad anger against the banks that the Occupy movement has revealed demonstrates a profound willingness among ordinary people to act for our collective well-being regardless of the formalities of the law. The whirlwind of movement in the past year has renewed our belief that when we act together – we are powerful.
The community center PLOC will be founding is rooted in a collaborative community effort, building relationships and partnerships that we hope live far beyond May 1st. Supporters are encouraged to come join the reclamation effort with a mind toward the collective rather than the autonomous individual. Alerts will be blasted out over email and social media on the morning of May 1st with a meetup location.

Gather round! Liberate.MayDay!

PLOC is a collaboration of radical organizations who believe that the current economic system and its systems of oppression are fundamental problems that create the disparity of wealth and resources that we see in our neighborhoods today. We work to organize and mobilize to dismantle these exploitative systems while creating alternatives with our communities. Capitalism is not broken, it is built for someone else.
[email protected]
@LiberateMayDay
#LiberateMayDay
www.liberatepdx.org (http://www.liberatepdx.org/)

[Ele'ill]

May - 1st - Portland

http://greycoast.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/overview-of-may-day-activities-in-portland/

Two marches one permitted one unpermitted sandwiched in between building occupations which will be occurring in the AM and PM.

[Ele'ill]

also since occupy portland has like 30498394873984739874 different websites now there's info here about what's going on into the future

http://www.portlandgeneralassembly.org/groups/may-2012-the-beginning-is-near/home/

[Stadtsmasher]

I would simply like to offer my best wishes for all our brothers and sisters involved in the occupy movement, both in portland and elsewhere.

I also believe effort is necessary to put gentle pressure on Occupy to keep it as "leftward" as possible, so it doesn't become a watered-down arm of the Democrat party...:)

[Ele'ill]

Supposedly there was a very small park occupation last night to early morning of today the 22nd I think but the details aren't here yet. The police broke it up and there was one arrest.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/04/415168.shtml

[Paulappaul]

an arrest of a 16 year old anarchist..... fuck duh popo

[Ele'ill]

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/04/415179.shtml


The Radical Caucus of Occupy Portland Rejects the Legitimacy of Upcoming Elections


With state primaries on the horizon, some groups within Occupy Portland reject the legitimacy of this year's elections, among them the Radical/Anti-Capitalist Caucus of Occupy Portland. We believe city problems are inadequately addressed by local elected officials. These problems can only be addressed by a politics of popular liberation and direct community empowerment. Regardless of who wins this year's elections, these problems will continue to grow until the system of capitalism is destroyed.
The May 15th Oregon primary elections will soon be upon us. As voters consider the decisions which are presently put before them, we, the Radical/Anti-Capitalist Caucus of Occupy Portland, ask occupants of the city of Portland, the state of Oregon and the United States to consider something of a more fundamental import. What does real democracy look like? In a world without political action committees, in a world without campaign donations or lobbyists, in a world without bureaucratic chicanery or corporate guile, what could a truly democratic society actually look like? In response to this inquiry, we find it necessary to reject the legitimacy of the upcoming city elections.

Problems faced every day by working class Portlanders cannot be adequately addressed by local elected officials. The city government has, time and again, proven itself to be unreliable when it comes to promoting the common interest of the people of Portland. It has proven this through an inability to adequately provide for the employment of its citizens. It has proven this through an inability to defend its children from attacks against their education. It has proven this through and inability to protect those presently housed from predatory practices of banks and financial institutions and to protect the unhoused from the indignities of a concrete & cardboard subsistence. The city government has proven incompetent when it comes to holding its terrorist wing, the Portland Police Bureau, accountable for its abuses. In point of fact, it is likely beyond the scope of the city government to address these issues. It is our position that if a government is unable to stand guard against extant threats to the lives of those whom it governs, that body of government is illegitimate. Subsequently, the processes through which the official power is transferred are equally illegitimate.

The solutions to our problems are not beyond our reach, and it is only through the politics of popular liberation and direct community empowerment that we will solve them. If we are to build a truly democratic Portland, we must vote with actions which promote such liberatory empowerment within our communities. To this end, we affirm the following: We must liberate our work places! We must liberate our schools! We must liberate our homes and churches! We must liberate our communities from repression at the hands of those who would fight to stop us!

We recognize that this fight is part of a larger fight against the socio-economic ideology of greed which is at the heart of the American political system. Until the system of capitalism is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, we must continue our collective struggle for human dignity and freedom. So long as power is relegated to people in proportion to the amount of capital they control, our dignity and freedom will continue to be under constant attack. All power to the people, with no dinner scraps for corporations!

[Ele'ill]

This person here talking about surrounding the police to be peaceful, 'just surround them and dance around them and they'll leave' was just last year maimed by the police paralyzed/ and literally almost killed while surrounding the police to be peaceful and dance or what ever the fuck else he thought was a great idea. He was snatched and severely beaten while defending the camp. Here he is again this year stating that it is a good idea for people to approach police and dance around them (nothing gonna happen cept spleen trauma). This is the last thing I wanted to see posted. What terrible advice. He should be explaining how 'when you film cops they really really don't like it and they'll probably try to put you in a wheel chair like they did with me'. I'm glad he's not totally in love with the police any more if he ever was but still...

5r7LbDeyoYk

[Ele'ill]

This happened a while ago but I just found the video of it. I can't possibly stress enough how much I dislike several of the people sitting down at the table here. :lol:

Basically the former CEO of New Seasons market, a Mayoral candidate and members of the Green Party of Portland (I think) decided it would be a good idea to go to Red and Black cafe to have a meeting. This video is an hour long and I haven't watched the entire thing but the fun begins around 49:35 as does the explanation as to why it was all so asinine. New Seasons engaging in union busting at the time of the meeting while in an IWW worker owned/run/operated cafe literally sitting under an IWW banner while taking up a lot of physical space and having not told any of the workers at the cafe that they were gonna be holding the meeting. The reason this is in the Occupy Portland thread is because, well I'll let the other portlanders see if they recognize any really irritating people in that video sitting at the table.

BR1nZs4Jnxw

[Ele'ill]

Just heard about this now - here's the link and quote from indymedia

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/04/415251.shtml


Large rock and molotov cocktail thrown at Wells Fargo in NE Portland
author: May Day [email protected]
A large rock and subsequent molotov cocktail were tossed at a Wells Fargo window late last night (April 25) in Northeast Portland.
A large rock and subsequent molotov cocktail were tossed at a Wells Fargo window late last night (April 25) in Northeast Portland, Oregon.

Wells Fargo displays a blatant disregard for any sort of social or environmental concerns, so may the flames from the molotov burn long and do their work! Hopefully next time (and with a larger rock) the whole building will go down with it (and maybe a newspaper box will be pushed into the street for good measure ;P)..

Solidarity to the recent Mars Hill Church smashing here in Portland, done in memory of Mark Aguhar, an artist and trans/queer femme of color who recently killed herself, and other trans women and queers tormented within today's cissexist, femmephobic, racist, and transmisogynistic society and in the name of an intangible god.

Solidarity to all those queers, people of color, and other folks who are marginalized, imprisoned and policed in the interest of vile financial institutions such as Wells Fargo.

WE QUEERS MAKE TOTAL DESTROY! Fuck all of the institutions which systematically subject us, churches and banks alike!

Heating things up for May Day!!!

(A)

and here is the link and quoted post from a similar action in Seattle

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2012/04/columbia-city-bank-damaged-by-molotov-cocktail/


Columbia City bank damaged by Molotov cocktail
Posted by John de Leon on April 26, 2012 at 1:54 PM



A Columbia City bank was damaged overnight when someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the side of the building, according to Seattle police.

When employees arrived this morning around 9:45 they discovered a broken window and burn marks on the side of the building at Rainier Avenue South and South Edmunds Street.

A police account of the incident says it appears that the gasoline-filled bottle struck and scorched the side of the bank, but did not cause significant damage.

The account did not name the bank.

In early January, someone left an incendiary device at a Chase Bank branch at 7100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. The device, which was described as two bottles wrapped in tape in a box with wires, failed to ignite.

[Leftsolidarity]

What's been the reaction in Portland to those actions?

[Ele'ill]

What's been the reaction in Portland to those actions?

In the PNW it seems that things get smashed or burned weekly (I'm not really exaggerating when I say that). It might not be supported but it's accepted as being a normal occurrence. Portland isn't a big city but it's divided up into quite a bit of area and just by browsing people's blogs you can see that people acknowledge the anarchist presence.

[Ele'ill]

Some important updates here

http://greycoast.wordpress.com/

[Ele'ill]

Student walkout/strike attempting to shut down PPS


http://p.twimg.com/Ar0YVVdCIAEVDSI.jpg

http://maydaypdx.blogspot.com/

I see the piggly wigglies are there already.

[Ele'ill]

Students are now in a street march after confronting police and they're heading to one of the public schools facing the most cuts (I think)

Here's the live blog feed that will cover everything that's going down today in the Portland area.

http://maydaypdx.blogspot.com/





Now I have to go sleep through May Day because I'm sick. Oh well.

[Ele'ill]

This morning there was a foreclosure resistance/house take-back/move-in event for the family of the home that was successful. There was a student strike/walkout for Portland Public Schools that was a success. As for the first march there were some arrests, cops being violent, people throwing smoke 'bomb-fireworks' (have to put that in quotations to cover my ass) liberals screaming and panicking because they think it's tear gas, 15 minutes later some guy is still talking about how the tear gas is useless and it didn't do anything to him (it was purple smoke, twice, and it was from the bloc not from the cops) smaller unpermitted march than what I'm used to for Portland. The permitted march I think started but I dunno cause we're drying off for now.


Oh yeah and I hear there's a dance party tonight.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/545992_10150762108714404_827684403_8986176_1975201 060_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/581610_347451445318955_100001623066825_984541_1385 894250_n.jpg

[Ele'ill]

k so here's some photos, I'm too tired/unthrilled to comment right now about the day

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415369.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415374.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415375.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415381.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415378.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415391.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415392.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415393.jpg

[Ele'ill]

There was, technically, a dumpster fire. It still counts.

[Ele'ill]

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/KOIN-follows-Portlands-May-Day-arrests/GxRJWkPHNEeNhY_fCpM_FQ.cspx


PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Police Bureau has made numerous arrests Tuesday in connection with a variety of “May Day” demonstrations.

"Officers have taken projectiles throughout the afternoon and evening, including bottles and unlit road flares," the Portland Police Bureau reported Tuesday night.

Police said the incidences happened as part of un-permitted May Day marches, and that the "permitted march Tuesday afternoon was largely uneventful, with the demonstrators being cooperative."

This un-permitted event continued as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, with demonstrators chanting and walking through downtown Portland. Follow our tweet thread on Portland May Day incidences.

The Portland Police Bureau contends that "during the demonstrations, several participants were very combative with officers and fought with officers during arrests." It also contends that during the demonstrations, "there were some reports of vandalism and graffiti. In one case, citizens took pictures of a vandalism suspect and gave them to police, which assisted in making an arrest."

A Tuesday evening dumpster fire in a parking garage on Southwest Main Street, between Broadway and 6th, required a response by Portland Fire & Rescue. Portland Police believe the fire was started by demonstrators.


This article states 'largely uneventful' and it's right. Also here's the dumpster fire. About 200-300 of us were standing in the street at a parking garage while undocumented workers dropped banners and people spoke through a megaphone. The bike cops went into the garage and people were arrested and then all of a sudden there's this horrible hissing/spitting noise from the garage and flames shooting out everywhere. The sprinkler system went on or someone brought a hose over to put it out but they had to call the fire trucks out. The cops didn't care.

http://media.oregonlive.com/portland_impact/photo/dumpsterjpg-cc786bcac13105d4.jpg

[Paulappaul]

Unpermitted student strike and march aganist budget cuts take over bridge, shutdown two schools and speak with Mayor and district Superintendent. GENERAL STRIKE FO REALZ

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WQT72b7yOro/T6CF5eWMOGI/AAAAAAAAAK8/CSZLvz4ciW4/s720/_MG_1894.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zXKNTJlmUec/T6CGvKWsCCI/AAAAAAAAALc/Pyikrqqe3kQ/s720/_MG_1903.JPGhttp://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/535686_10151003328538975_746603974_13020714_269512 200_n.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9P9IHQbt3hM/T6CMgR1uSTI/AAAAAAAAAQM/KV5OpW9iU9U/s720/_MG_1966.JPGhttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZiLCgMjxXfg/T6CNn8zEblI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/hoKvcWaAlvI/s720/_MG_1972.JPG

oh yeah. These are high school students btw.

[Ele'ill]

6 ATMs fucked up in Memphis Tennessee in solidarity with recent raids here in Portland. The raid being on a house where phones and computers were seized and we have a comrade being hit with 72 felony charges. The better news is that they have support from their community and from what I heard 64 of the charges were dropped yesterday/today.

http://greycoast.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/6-atms-vandalized-in-memphis-in-solidarity-with-portland/

[Paulappaul]

A mass march of students struggling aganist austerity measures happened today... 5000+ attendants. Here is a picture of the bloc that formed the front:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/581789_413943841960090_100000334333409_1365665_380 84204_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/540230_413947495293058_100000334333409_1365727_273 149708_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/534277_10150819575483090_749863089_9672048_1236823 405_n.jpg

[Paulappaul]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7179564480_0f88d5dc30_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5155/7179578682_cb8d772029_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/7179567886_9ed378584c_o.jpg

[Ele'ill]

By the way for reference, those streets and that bridge were taken and not given. I remember sitting at the computer watching the twitter feed at like 7am and allegedly the police were scrambling pretty good

[X5N]

Wait...this is still going on?

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

Wait...this is still going on?

Mate, the Occupy movements have shaken up the world! There were tens of thousands of protesters two days ago in Frankfurt at the European Central Bank although they were banned, Berlin, Madrid, London etc. protesters are protesting inequality still and this most likely won't stop until something is done about it and will most likely get a huge portion of demonstrators to readicalise as the state gets ore violent and the material proletarian reality gets worse while the ruling class depicts a sound world.

[Ele'ill]

I think that particular struggle locally is intensifying although Paulappaul would probably be able to answer that better. Those pictures however I believe were from May Day.

[Paulappaul]

Wait...this is still going on?


I think that particular struggle locally is intensifying although Paulappaul would probably be able to answer that better. Those pictures however I believe were from May Day.

A set of pictures was from May Day where students spontaneously and unpermitted took a bridge and marched around town/spoke to the mayor . Another set was from May 11th where ironically a permitted march did basically the same thing but was alot less cool with alot more people. Yes it is intensifying, as two schools districts remain on strike and as the austerity measures were passed.

[Ele'ill]

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/05/415925.shtml


Over 1 dozen arrested at Occupy Post Office last night in PDX
author: Ben Waiting
Over a dozen citizens / activists were taken to jail for occupying the Post office in SW Portland (University Station)on Thursday 5/24/12
Video coming soon ((( i )))

Police arrested over a dozen peaceful citizens when they refused to leave the Post Office after 6PM
They wanted to speak about the Post office cuts, with the Post Master general, and were denied.

Many were released by 10pm

Livestream was there filming

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415926.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2012/05/415928.jpg

[Ele'ill]

Student solidarity demo tonight

http://occupyportland.org/2012/06/11/7pm-today-bring-your-pots-and-pans-to-pioneer-square/


Increases in tuition and student debt are out of control. At 7pm this evening at Pioneer Square stand up for affordable education and in solidarity with the people of Quebec who have joined students striking for more than 100 days, and in the past weeks have held some of the largest demonstrations ever to take place in Canada.

Bring your pots and pans and be prepared to make some noise!


*the facebook comments are really pretty awful calling for a completely non-confrontational atmosphere to represent student and community outrage- meanwhile in Canada from those people/communities Portland is standing in solidarity with...

IZBzWqp6mRQ

86H6k3C6I-w

http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/montreal-riot-3.jpg

http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/montreal-riot-5.jpg

[Ele'ill]

Report Back on the Quebec Student Solidarity Demo that took place here

ugh

[Ele'ill]

Found this picture from May Day

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/6999956442_cbc4e60b40_c.jpg