Women Occupy: a space to connect, share, learn, and build

Photo by Steve Rhodes

via New School Free Press

Statement by Cecily McMillan
March 21, 2012

I am going to make a brief statement about the events of Saturday night in Zuccotti Park. Since I have an open case, I can’t discuss specifics about the facts surrounding my arrest or my treatment in police custody.  However, I have every intention of fighting the charges against me. I am innocent of any wrongdoing, and confident I will be vindicated.

Most importantly, I want to reiterate my long-standing personal commitment to non-violence, and non-violent forms of civil disobedience. When police are ordered to move on us, it is easy to become scared, and to react fearfully. We need to rise above the tactics of some police: if we become violent, we are no better than them.  

It doesn’t need to be this way. In Madison, Wisconsin, a year ago, when we were protesting the governor’s attacks on unions, many of the police worked with us to help keep these protests peaceful. Going forward, I hope we can similarly work with local law enforcement officials in New York City, and that they receive training in de-escalation and the use of less violent tactics. And we as a movement also need to adhere to non-violent forms of protest.   

I believe our movement will endure – but we can only thrive if we have the sympathy and support of the public.

To read more click here

AlterNet / By Steven Rosenfeld

5 Freedom-Killing Tactics Police Will Use to Crack Down on Protests in 2012
Across America many cities and police forces are eyeing new ways to crack down on protesters.

March 16, 2012

The First Amendment right to assemble and protest is going to get a black eye in 2012—as it has every time there has been an upsurge in America’s social justice movements.

Already in city after city, protesters and civil rights lawyers are troubled by proposed and newly enacted anti-protest rules, many of which are likely to be found unconstitutional if they have their day in court. In the meantime mayors, police and in some cases federal agencies are making detailed plans to thwart protests at local and national events.

Click here to read more

by Beth Emmerling, OccupyBaltimore

We had a successful BofA “walk a mile in our shoes” event on International Women’s Day. We marched from the site of our original encampment, McKeldin Square, to the BofA – about two blocks. We had one TV station and two journalists, as well as our own videographer and camera-person. Once we reached the building – which is a Bank of America building (with offices, etc.) the security guard at the bank locked the doors (front doors only way in). 

I put the invitation I had for the manager (to walk a mile in our shoes and ask why they had $88 billion in foreclosures) in the door. We chanted for over an hour in front of the door. The employees inside took pictures of us.

One of our chants was “There was an old lady who lived in a shoe, her shoe got foreclosed it could happen to you, Now mother Hubbard has no place to go so now is the time for us to show that Bank of America has got to go.”

The police arrived after an hour. One person was arrested for trespassing. The bank stayed shut the rest of the day. One officer refused to show his entire name.Click here for news coverage of this action.

by Chris Nelson

International Women’s Day may be a time to lament about all that is not going right for women but I’ve found that in Chico it usually falls on a beautiful spring day and women want to celebrate our sisterhood through connection and good feelings.

Occupy Chico planned this event to coincide with suggestions of Women Occupy. The theme was Bust up the Banks and some of the Code Pink women in the Bay Area got roughly arrested for showing up topless or in pink bras but in Chico we leafleted and vigiled in our usual rowdy way with the messages– Break up into smaller, safer banks, pay the required 35% corporate income tax,  make a moratorium on foreclosures and invest in small businesses.

Nellie MacKay and her band had been at KZFR prior to their concert at Laxson Auditorium and when they heard about our action they wanted to come out, even though they had a long way to go that day to get to Santa Cruz. Nellie sang a song called Topeka about a harried mom talking to her man on the phone. Funny, and just right on for the conditions of so many women–reminding how important reproductive choice is to each and every woman.

As the Bank of America protest disbanded these good Occupy men were across the street protesting at a Rush Limbaugh sponsor’s. I went in to talk to the guy and we went round a round with his libertarian stuff about not wanting to pay for birth control and my bringing it back to the issue of hate speech. After my cranky self had been there awhile he said, “OK, I’ll let my wife decide.” You gotta wonder about politics in America but I’m grateful for my little place on the planet.

Pictures of this action at www.veggievoyagers.blogspot.com. Scroll down for the March 9, 2012 entry.