occupied washington times: volume 2, issue 1

8/2/2019 Occupied Washington Times: Volume 2, Issue 1

1/8

Jan./Feb. 2012

The Alfalfa Club was founded in 1913 to honor thebirthday of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It didnot allow African-Americans until the 1970s or wom-en until the 1990s. For 99 years it has brought the

richest and most powerful people in the United Statestogether for an exclusive black-tie affair.

The president and the wealthiest people in Americagot together Saturday for the Clubs annual party in

Washington, so Occupy DC joined in. Denied entrance,occupiers held their own party in the street. The fes-tivities involved dancing, hurling glitter at a tuxedo-clad U.S. Senator, and tasteful nudity. It was likely themore lively party of the two.

Bill Wagner, protesting outside, was upset that theclub would hold this kind of party in the middle of arecession. I dont think the people in there are tuned

in enough to know anybody out here is having anyproblems, he said, and Obamas here because themoneys here. I think hes addicted.

From the start, police kept the elite well away from

the general public. Roadblocks of snowplows and met-al barricades gave attendees at least a blocks distancefrom any common people. But Occupy DC already hadpeople inside.

Five occupiers had spent the day posing as hotelguests. They took the opportunity to scatter envelopescontaining the Occupy DC declaration throughout thehotel, drop a banner reading WE ARE THE 99% /City by city, Block by block, and get out undetected.

Meanwhile, the crowd outside took over the mainroad entrance to the hotel on K St near 16th St.

By Andrew Breiner

NPS cracks downafter Issa hearing

In the small hours of the morning on February 4, po-lice raided the Occupy DC camp at McPherson Squaredays after a two-hour hearing by Darrell Issas (R-California) Oversight and Government Reform Com-mittee on January 23. The National Park Service is-sued an order to cease camping activities at all OccupyDC sites. The order took effect on January 30, andrequired the removal of all items at the Occupy DC

sites which could be construed as either being used forsleeping or for preparing to sleep. However, accordingto witnesses the police removed tents were in compli-ance with the announced regulations.

Eyewitnesses said that police entered the squarewearing riot gear and riding horses with an imme-diately combative attitude. They started by taggingtents and numbering the items removed, presumablyso their owners could reclaim them. About halfwaythrough the day, however, they began to destroy tentsindiscriminately and throw everything inside themaway. There were eight arrests, mostly for crossing apolice line or resisting police orders.

They raided us this weekend for two reasons, saidJavier Ocasi, an occupier at Freedom Plaza. The rstis that it is Super Bowl Sunday, and anything done tous isnt going to become front page news. The second

is that anyone arrested on a Saturday or Sunday has tobe held until Monday when they come before a judge.

The actions of the National Park Service seem tocontradict their testimony at the prior hearing and in

written form. On the afternoon of January 27, NPSpolice ofcers placed notications on tents in bothMcPherson Square and Freedom Plaza, stating thatpeople would be individually arrested or ned forsleeping in any temporary structure in either loca-tion. There seemed to be no indication of the mass re-moval of tents at one time that was seen on February4 in any of their documentation or public statements.

During questioning, NPS representatives testiedthat there was precedent for allowing 24-hour vig-ils, such as those being held in Freedom Plaza andMcPherson Square. Previous vigils include Resur-rection City, an encampment on the National Mallplanned by Martin Luther King, Jr. and a seven-weekconvergence of tractors in 1979 that drew 6,000 farm-ers to the city. Jarvis concluded that, barring anemergency situation, he saw no reason why OccupyDC should be evicted from McPherson Square.

On Tuesday, January 17, hundreds of people con-verged on the West Lawn of the Capitol building inWashington, D.C. for Occupy Congress. The morn-ing consisted of teach-ins, rain and mud, minor policescufes, a massive multi-occupation general assembly,and lots of mingling.

Three groups split off to actually occupy Congress,or at least the congressional ofce buildings. Coordi-nators waving color-coded ags led the groups to theCannon, Longworth, and Rayburn buildings, wheremembers of the House of Representatives have theirofces. The goal was for people to speak directly totheir own representatives.

People from all over the United States showed upto confront their representatives. Though most were

disappointed and had to content themselves with con-versations with congressional staffers, people still ex-pressed their belief in the importance of showing upand having a physical presence. A sampling of pro-testers told us who they wanted to talk to, what they

wanted to say, and how they felt about J17 (see full

story on page 6).Occupy Congress activities were just part of a busyweek of protests including Occupy the Dreammarches to the Federal Reserve Building to commem-orate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (see coverageon page 3). This was followed by two days of anti-cor-porate protests on Jan. 20 and 21 to mark the two-yearanniversary of the Citizens Uniteddecision by the Su-preme Court.

WashingtonTimes

THE OCCUPIED

99% crash 99th Alfalfa Club gala

(Coulter Loeb)

DC actions take national focus in 2012

By Michael Goldman and Alec Kerestesi

By Karina Stenquist

Continued on 3

Volume 2 Issue 1

Park police prepare to raid McPherson Square.

(Pablo.Raw)

Continued on 2


2/8


3/8

In at least 13 cities across the country on Jan. 16, lo-cal branches of Occupy the Dream marched on ofces ofthe Federal Reserve to honor the legacy of Martin LutherKing Jr.s campaign for economic justice. In Washington,D.C., a group of around 100 activists from a variety of Af-rican-American organizations as well as the black churchcommunity gathered in front of the Fed to demand amore humane national economic policy.

Instead of using the money for communities, theyre

spending it on themselves, said Samuel Washington,47, from Laurel, Md., criticizing the consistently largebonuses doled out by many nancial sector institutions.For many, the Federal Reserve symbolizes the control ofprivate nancial interests over the economy.

Like many others, Washington came with his church,The Church of the Lords Harvest. Though he had workedas a truck driver and done some organizing with his unionin the past, Washington said he was relatively new to po-litical action of this type.

Washingtons pastor, Bishop Ste-ven Smith, says hes been activelyinvolved since the beginning of theforeclosure crisis. The on-goingcrisis has hit the African Americancommunity particularly hard, forc-ing several black churches to face

foreclosures in recent years.Were going wherever we can to

get attention, said Smith, explain-ing why tapping into the energy ofthe Occupy movement is crucialin his view. We all have the sameconcern, the same issues.

Across the nation, the Occupymovement has been criticized forbeing predominantly white, eventhough non-white communitieshave suffered disproportionatelyfrom the economic crisis.

Heres the disconnect, said Dr.Jamal Bryant, pastor at the Empowerment Temple inBaltimore and main speaker at the days events, The is-sue Occupy is raising is not new to black people. So we

looked at Occupy and said What took you so long?He also pointed out a disconnect in terms of tactics.

The African American community is used to having avisible enemy, said Bryant. You know, we march untilthe Whites Only signs come down since Occupy re-fused to have a leader or spokesperson it was hard to un-derstand what theyre after.

Shamar Thomas, the marine sergeant whose rant di-rected at New York police ofcers went viral on YouTube,said a culture of police harassment also deterred African-

Americans.[Black] people feel that if they go to jail with their white

counterparts that they will bear the brunt of the brutality,explained Thomas. That theyll [end up with] the assaultcharges.

What Occupy the Dream is after was clearly dened. Atthe rally, organizers unveiled a concise list of demandsand a plan for moving forward.

The four demands were explained as follows:1. Campaign nance reform: We want politicians,

not puppets.

2. Absolute security on Pell grants to create a glob-ally competitive generation of educated youngpeople.

3. An immediate moratorium on home foreclosures.4. $100 billion fund to be used for job training, entre-

preneurial investment, and jobs rebuilding Ameri-can infrastructure.

Bryant also laid out a plan to have a series of rollingmonthly actions, starting with a Love your community

action on Feb. 14. Similar to Bank Transfer Day on Nov.5, organizers are asking people to close accounts withlarge banks and reinvest in community banks and creditunions.

In addition to a shared economic message, there is alsocommon tactical ground between Occupy the Dream andthe main Occupy movement. Occupying public space, acentral tactic used throughout the wave of recent eco-nomic justice protests, pays homage to Dr. King Jr.smethods of resistance.

One of his last acts was to occupy Washington, D.C.and to build tents on the Mall, said Smith, referring tothe Poor Peoples Campaign that King was working on atthe time of his assassination.

The campaign included a march on the capital and theerecting of a tent city on the national mall to commem-morate Kings Ressurection City from 44 years ago.Though Kings death struck a blow to the campaignsenergy, the campaign did go forward. Resurrection Citylasted nearly six weeks despite rain and mud, and calledfor an economic bill of rights.

Smith praised Kings legacy of confrontation, and saidhe wanted to bring young people out not just for a day ofservice but a day of activism.

Organizers repeatedly asserted that the days action infront of the Fed was merely the beginning.

This is just an awareness piece, said Farajii Muham-mad, 32, a community organizer from Baltimore. Thereal work, he said, would be done on the ground. And

while he agreed that the African American communityhas faced economic struggle before, he also found a silverlining in the crisis.

Sometimes tragedy plays a dual role it can hurt, butit can unite people.

Occupy the Dream takes up Kingsmission and demands action By Karina Stenquist

Alfalfa ClubContinued from 1

Kucinich talks shopwith protesters

The headline event of Occupy Congress on Janu-ary 17 was not so much direct action as direct con-

versation, and with the people who occupy theCapitol every day: congressmen and their staff. Agroup of protesters spoke to Rep. Dennis Kucinich(D-OH), one of the Occupy movements most vocalsupporters in Congress.The group, which included both Occupy DC mem-

bers and others from out-of-town, sat down withRep. Kucinich towards the end of J17 in his officeon Capitol Hill. The congressman offered words ofpraise for the movements accomplishments so far,

but argued a need for maturity going forward.The Tea Party didnt get any attention aroundhere until it had an agenda. You guys have got alot of attention even without one, Kucinich toldthe assembled protesters, but in the spring, come

back with specific demands.Cecilia, an Occupy Congress organizer, had been

looking forward to the Kucinich meeting. I agreewe need to make demands as part of a long termstrategy, she said after the conversation was over.

It will take more time than the Tea Party, becauseof how we operate, but I think we will get there.As winter has drawn in, the McPherson Squar ecamp has been less active than in the fall. This isespecially evident after dark, even when the nightlyGeneral Assembly convenes at 6:00pm. The holi-day season also brought a lull in visible actions, asmany occupiers returned to their homes from thisnotoriously non-native city.Despite the temporary drop in McPherson

Squares resident population, planning continuedfor the string of actions planned for the week ofJanuary 17. They included Martin Luther King Dayevents, the anniversary of the Supreme Courts Cit-izens United decision, and protests against corpo-rate personhood.

Kucinich suggested that a sincere regrouping ef-fort was needed to bolster the movement. No onesgoing fault you if you die down for the winter andcome back as strong in the spring as you were inthe fall, he said, referring to the early days of theOccupy movement, when warm weather and day-light facilitated well-attended and highly visibleoutdoor actions.The Ohio representative also offered advice for

those living in the park: You dont have to sleep inthe snow and wear yourselves out. This isnt ValleyForge. However, with D.C. public housing waitinglists extending into the years, and inadequate tem-porary shelter provisions, many protesters simplycannot pack up for the winter. The park was still

reasonably populated when Washington saw theyear s first snowfall on the weekend foll owing Ku-cinichs remarks.

With reporting by Natalie Camou

This isnt Valley Forge,

Kucinich said.

By Benjamin Daniels

Protesters messages echo the King demonstrations. (Rick Reinhard)

We were able to put our biggest group where weknew theyd be entering, said Drew Veysey, one of theorganizers of the action. We thought it was going to

be a car entrance, but it turned out they actually had towalk through that barricade.

It was a lucky break for occupiers, who brought wa-ter balloons and a bucket of glitter to the party. Oc-cupiers hurled both at the expensive-looking people in

tuxedos and gowns who waited for police to open themetal barricades and let them pass. Senator JosephLieberman drew a personal barrage, and emergedfrom the crowd with wet patches of glitter stuck to his

jacket and a look of outrage.With the Alfalfa Club all inside, the group outside

turned into its own party. The speaker system blastedPublic Enemy and a dance party broke out. About adozen men and women took the opportunity to go top-less, seeming to ignore the winter nights chill that hadothers in hats and gloves.

Tiffany, from Washington, stood on the outskirts of

the crowd taking photos. It seems like good energy.Im excited to be here, she said.

Soon after, hearing that there was another entranceletting cars into the hotel, the crowd marched up tothe intersection of 16th St and M St, nding police onhorses, but no barricades blocking their way. Occupi-ers made several attempts to rush through the policeline and on to the hotel, but were pushed back each

time.Then, mounted police charged on the occupiers,

using their horses to frighten and push people back,clearing the intersection. That done, the march re-turned to the original location, to await those leavingthe party.

Wagner was happy with the days events, he said.This is the way we apply pressure. This is the way wechange things.

by Mike Flugennock


4/8

You cant


5/8

vict an idea whose time has come.


6/8

At 2 a.m. on Jan. 17, 50 sleepy occupiers fromGreensboro & Winston-Salem, North Carolina, andI boarded a bus for the six-hour ride to Occupy Con-gress. Occupy Greensboro organizers had set up ap-pointments with Sen. Kay Hagan and Reps. RichardBurr and Howard Coble.

We rst headed to Hagans ofce, were told that shewas in North Carolina. We expressed our disappoint-ment since we thought the appointment was with her,personally.

We were, though, able to get our points across, andall three staffers took copious notes, which was en-

couraging. However. we got no answer to questionsabout who produced laws like SOPA and PIPA or whyHagan voted for the NDAA. In the end we felt the staff-ers had said nothing of substance.

Around 6:30 p.m., we started the march to the WhiteHouse, chanting, moving together, in the dark. Thepeople were old, young, children in strollers, anar-chists with face masks. I loved the banners: slowingus, leading the way to the Supreme Court.

I felt peaceful and protected. I loved seeing youngmasked people running along the sides like sheepdogs,protectors. I loved the sounds of voices bellowing,

Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!, The people,united, can never be defeated!, and Whose streets?Our streets!, I had a deep feeling of ownership in theprocess of freedom.

Swarming to the top of the steps of the SupremeCourt was powerful for all of us. Whose court? Ourcourt! We then walked to the facade of the Newseum

where the text of the First Amendment was carved andread it aloud. Occupiers at Freedom Plaza lined upalong the wall to take pictures, and cheer us on. It wasa full-on parade. Puppets joined us, weaving aroundand passing over us. Magic.

We arrived at the White House and people surged upto the fence. We watched and waited then the marchtook off back to the Capitol. I was grateful for the po-lice escort that permitted the organic ow and keptan outer ring of safety.

The next day I woke up realizing that had been oneof the most exciting, powerful times in my life. WhenI tell friends about it, they sense my excitement andthank me for being there representing them. I amgrateful for all of the participants and to Occupy DCfor amazing facilitators.

One of the most powerful weapons a human beingcan wield is their voice. The older generations will re-member the works of Dr. King and Malcolm X. Thehistory buffs will remember the writing of ThomasPaine and Benjamin Franklin. Those of us who occupylive this truth every day, using our weapon freely, toght against the injustices that surround us.

The year 2011 was one of revolution. From the springrevolutions that erupted across the Middle East, wherehundreds of thousands of people opposed regimes thathad been in power for decades, to the riots in Russiaafter a rigged presidential election, the spirit of changehas overcome us all.

What allowed for that spirit to spread so quickly?What made it possible for us to be inspired by eachother and coordinate to form what has become a na-tionwide movement? It was nothing less than our

freedom of speech. The ability to freely share ideasand information with each other allows us to not onlyorganize protests, but makes us aware of the most im-portant thing: the strength we possess as a group.

Think of what we have done because of our freedomof speech: We have already enjoyed a multi-occupa-tion General Assembly, which gathered in D.C. nearthe Washington Monument. On January 17th, we oc-cupied Congress, stormed the steps of the SupremeCourt, and climbed on the fence of the White House.

We did things that would have gotten a smaller groupof protestors arrested.

It was through the printing press that news aboutAmericas own revolution was spread to France, en-abling us to become an independent nation. Throughtelevised media, the civil rights movement spreadacross the country like wildre.

Today, we depend on the Internet for all of this.Everything from raising public awareness to sharinginformation with each other is done online. Even theoccupiers who have been evicted from their campshave continued to ght for social change because theyformed online communities and have used them to or-ganize GAs and protests.

That is why, when our Congress pushed the Stop On-line Piracy Act (SOPA) and the National Defense Au-thorization Act (NDAA), I was mortied. The NDAAsays that anyone suspected of belligerent acts againstthe U.S. can be held indenitely and without trial bythe military, crippling our right to protest. SOPA givesthe government the right to censor the Internet, re-stricting our ability to communicate and coordinate

with each other. It is nothing less that a two-prongedattack meant to break our movement by eradicating

the First Amendment.Be on your guard. Stand rm. Be full of courage and

be strong. As long as we are capable of remember thepower of our collective voice, no amount of censor-ship and no threat of imprisonment will be able tostop us. As long as we remember to keep making noiseand pushing for change, keep strong lines of commu-nication, and encourage each other, nothing they canthrow will stop us. We will overcome.

- Alec Kerestesi

About a month ago, I began to follow the Occupymovement. I began to learn about the ow of money

within our government and started to read about theerosion of our rights and democratic voice.

It was important to me to teach my twelve-year-olddaughter about these things. Initially my daughter wasa little scared - as you can imagine - surrounded byarmed police and seeing the rst arrest. Its okay, itsokay, I kept telling her.

We stayed on the West Lawn of the Capitol Buildingquite a while but left for a bite and to warm up. Wereturned and were taking in some thought-provokingpoetry, when my daughter said, Look, everyone is

walking toward the street.What I write next is what I want to say the most.We began to walk to the House Ofce buildings,

my daughter in front of me. People chanted: Whosestreets? Our streets! and, This is what democracy

looks like! The police brought bags of God-knows-what and started ling along the sidewalk - weapons inclear view. I felt so empowered to be there, yet still in-timidated. I glanced at my daughter who - smiling and

looking at everyone - said, Mom its okay, its okay.I wish more of the 99% from my demographic(30s, married with children) would get involved. Mydaughter shared her experience with her social studiesteacher, and her teacher was very interested in shar-ing with the class. The teacher, however, was told she

was not permitted (it was not clear by whom) to haveus simply share our experiences because it was not re-lated to the curriculum.

I repeat: not related to the curriculum.I plan on reading more, being more active in local

and national events, spreading the truth, and havingmy voice heard thanks to Occupy Congress. And I justattended my rst local general assembly today.

Amanda, Occupy Easton

Cindy, Occupy Greensboro

An open letterto occupierseverywhere

(Coulter Loeb)

Occupied: The Supreme Court steps have

been ofcially off-limits to protesters

since the Vietnam War. (W. L. Pierce)

On January 17, protestersrom around the countrytravelled to the nationscapital. They sought to

Occupy Congress on the

rst day o its new session.This is a sampling o their

stories and reactions.


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Cutting libraries in a recession is likecutting hospitals in a plague.

- Eleanor Crumblehulme

The DC Peoples Library began in the rst days ofOccupy DC as little more than a handful of radicalpamphlets on the back of bike trailer. A couple of oc-cupiers were stationed on a bench with a sign reading,ask an anarchist, a precursor to the radical referenceservice now available in-person and online throughthe library. Within the rst two weeks, a small shelf ofdonated books had appeared.

By the time Occupy DC was raided, the once-tiny li-brary had become one of the camps most vibrant andwell-established service tents. It had amassed nearly2000 donated books from contemporary politicsand history to classics, comics and a kids section as

well as numerous periodicals, pamphlets, and otherephemera, including the yer archive and activist-ori-

ented resources like the safer spaces binder.A sign at the entrance to the library reminds visitors

that knowledge = power. The loan policy assures thatbooks are available for any and all to borrow, or evenkeep. This ensures that the library avoids re-inscribingsocial patterns that deny traditionally marginalizedpeople access to educational resources, while oppos-ing promotion of private ownership. It does, however,keep reference copies of particularly popular booksand papers that are quick to be taken. It is also creat-ing a virtual catalogue for historical purposes throughLibrary Thing, an online cataloging tool.

The tent has also grown in more than just size sincethe early days. Initially maintained by one or two dedi-cated librarians, it now boasts a full committee. Theyare rmly committed to consensus decision-makingand equally dedicated to nding ways to providing

more than simply access to books, but an intentionalforum for dialogue, and promotion of self-empower-ment and collective liberation. In addition, the libraryfollows community guidelines established to preventhate speech or violence, which extends to the bookskept on hand and the discussions it helps to foster.

Aiming to provide educational opportunities forboth occupiers and the community at large, the librarysponsors book clubs, works closely with the sister li-

brary collection housed in the radical tent as well asthe newly formed DC Learning Collective, and hasplans for author events in the spring. Inspired by theOWS Peoples Library, it has also created two mobileunits for use during off-site actions.

According to a survey byLibrary Journal, 72 percentof surveyed libraries were forced to slash their budgetsin 2010 and nearly half reported having to cut staff-

ing. Yet the emergence of libraries at the occupationsthroughout the country, and the erce loyalty and lovefor them demonstrated by occupiers and allies alike,shows that there is cause for hope among library-lov-ers and education advocates, despite the bleak statis-tics. Indeed, libraries have become a central feature ofthe occupations. The national outrage expressed at thedestruction of the books during the eviction of Zuccot-ti Park in New York clearly points to this signicanceand what they symbolize for the movement.

On Saturday, over a hundred occupiers and support-ers stood their ground in deance of the National Park

Service, courageously putting their own safety at riskto protect the library. They were standing up for farmore than just a tent of books -- they were standing upfor the esprit de corps of the movement.

At a time when libraries are facing dramatic cutbacks

and access to education in America is under siege, itspeaks volumes that the last stand during the evic-tion of the OccupyDC encampment at McPhersonsquare was largely a defense of the community library.

The reclamation of public space is a tactic used byoccupiers with a multi-pronged purpose. Among themis the space it fosters for people to forge ties, in somecases, across previous divides, and engage in free ex-change of thought and collective visioning for a society

built along more just and equitable lines. Those whoprotected the DC Peoples Library in the face of egre-gious acts of violent oppression, were taking a standto say: another world is possible, and Occupy DC, itslibrary, the Occupy movement and all they representare here to stay.

Lets do the one thing someone shouted to thewet and ragged crowd. Lets do the one thing! wemic checked back. That will scare them the most /That will scare them the most!; Lets hold a generalassembly / Lets hold a general assembly!; Righthere, on K street / Right here, on K street!

Police ofcers stood like stone soldiers behind thebarricades that blocked the park, staring out at us inresolute silence. I watched the drizzle of rain in the

bright police oodlights which lit our frantic gatheringof the freshly displaced and downtrodden. We gath-ered in a tight circle. Live streamers and photographerspushed their way into the middle - shoving phones andcameras in the faces of everyone who spoke. As theGeneral Assembly began, the rain continued to fall. It

washed away any resentment and dejection we felt. Aspeople told their stories from the day and the occupa-tion, our anger was replaced with a new, warm feeling.

I thought back to my rst General Assembly. It was awarm October evening. There were close to a hundredpeople there, and the circumstances could not have

been more different. When Occupy DC was set up inthe fall, everyone was warm, dry, andcomfortable. As we faced eviction inFebruary, it was cold and wet. Ten-sions were high. Yet both nights werelled with an unmistakable feelingof hope and deance. In October, wehad been optimistic. Our movement

was brand new and everything washappening, all at once. We felt as if

we could do anything.By the time we left the park, on that

cold February night, our hopes hadevolved. Wed been pushed out of ourpark and the police had beaten ourfriends. But we were still standing.They took our park, but they couldnot take our spirit. Post-eviction,over the course of a couple of hours,

we drank and ate; sang songs and micchecked our views. We were boister-ous and excited. It was not the end.It was only the end of the beginning. If we had been

adolescents before, now we were growing stronger andstepping out on our own. It was the start of our life.The morning after our eviction night, I slunk into

a 24-hour McDonalds and threw myself down nextto two friends. After a few minutes of chatter aboutthe day and what was next, there was a long silence.I searched for words to stem the quiet. I found none,so I said nothing. The silence lingered, noticeable anddistinct. There was nothing left to say. Everything had

been said and the day was done. But we would be backtomorrow.

I occupy because I am concerned about climatechange. The science is settled and there is preciouslittle time for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We already have low-carbon technology, and enoughpopular support exists to make a rapid and orderlytransition to renewable energy. Standing in the way,however, is the most powerful lobbying industry in thehistory of humankind: oil.

Corporate power over the government and our liveswill doom us to a very difcult century full of the fe-rocious climate change-induced disasters. Indeed, theruinous effects long predicted by climate scientists arealready beginning to manifest. To counter this, we cre-ated a beautiful base to try to take on this corporatepower. But how does the phrase go? All good thingsmust come to an end?

With overwhelming force, Barack Obamas ParkPolice put an end to the rst occupation of McPher-son Square. Large tracts of the park were bulldozed,leaving a mixture of mud and horse shit in their wake.How Occupy DC will remake the space is still an open

question, at the moment. Tactically, the Occupy move-ment is about far more than just camping in a park.But setting up camp in symbolically important areas ofmajor cities is a very good tactic. We will keep stand-ing up to the 1%, and keep ghting corporate controlover the government. The Occupy movement will keepgoing until our grievances are addressed. I will keepprotesting because I believe we have no other choice

but to change our government and our economy in away to avert catastrophic climate change.

On February 3, 2012, the military regime in Syriamurdered two hundred people and protests eruptedaround the world outside Syrian embassies. The NewYork Times reported both events but they failed to re-

port that protests took place in Washington, D.C. aswell. On Friday evening, while bracing for an earlymorning raid, Occupy DC protesters came togetherwith Arab-Americans outside the Syrian embassy todenounce the atrocities of Syrian president Basharal-Assads regime against civilian protesters.

I am a university student, who spent two years of myundergraduate career studying abroad in Cairo, Egypt.However, my proudest title is Occupier. The end ofthis last semester coincided with my involvement inOccupying DC as pictures of a young Egyptian woman

being brutally beaten and sexually violated emergedon computer screens around the globe.

At the same time, I watched a young Syrian man be-ing kicked in the face by the giant boot of a soullesssoldier asking, You want freedom!? I felt grief, sor-row, and outrage to an extent unrecognizable in my

reservoir of emotional experience.The peaceful expression of such hu-

man emotion through speech is vital tohumanity. Or else, what have we beengiven voices for? However, in order tohave free speech one must be heard.There is no speech without a listener.

On a personal level, Occupy DChas been my listener. In a squareon K Street, I have met all types ofpeople: old, young, black, white, His-panic, Arab, Asian, men, women, gay,straight, students, professionals, retir-ees, homeless, unemployed, married,single, with faith and without. I havemet the people of this nation and theyhave listened to me. They have givenme back my free speech which has be-come a commodity in the mainstreammedia.

The day after the Sryia massacre, amid the chaos ofthe heart-wrenching eviction at McPherson Square on

Saturday, a Syrian ag emerged, showing support. Myheart rejoiced. It showed that reciprocity works andsolidarity across borders and perceived boundaries is

what will bring the people of the world and this nationtogether.

Lets begin to put our trust in people, in each other,and stop relying on corporate institutions to makechange and to bring us together. We must listen to eachother and listen to the voice within that demands that

we stand up for whats right. Let our causes unite us,because I know your struggle is bound up with mine.

Kathryn, Occupy DC

Drew, Occupy DC

Amal, Occupy DC

Hillary, Occupy DC

(Craig Hudson)

Refectionsrom

McPhersonSquare


8/8

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ACTA out!

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Occupy groups across the United States have joined the protest against the

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Yet few Americans are aware of another policy

proposal, also known by its four-lettered acronym, that threatens to increase

censorship of the internet on an international scale.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) treaty has already been signed

by the U.S., along with 22 European Union members. According to the Ofce of

the United States Trade Representative, ACTA is a response to the prolifera-

tion of counterfeit and pirated goods [posing] considerable challenges for

legitimate trade and the sustainable development of the world economy.

Critics of ACTA have outlined a number of provisions in the treaty that they

believe will damage citizens privacy and freedom of expression. The treaty

may require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to police their users and deny

service based on the downloading or uploading of copyrighted material.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an online digital rights advocacy

group, opposes the treaty on the basis that it was negotiated in secret. While

certain companies and organizations, including the Motion Picture Associationof America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),

were allowed to view copies of the treaty beforehand, it was not released into

the public domain. According to CNET.com, disclosure requests were denied by

both the Bush and Obama administrations, which both claimed it would damage

national security.

Yet according to CNNs Fortune Tech website, before Barack Obama used execu-

tive powers to approve U.S. participation in the voluntary treaty, over 75

law professors addressed a letter to the President, urging him not to sign it.

In Poland, thousands have taken to the streets to protest the treaty. Members

of the Ruch Palikota party even wore paper cut-outs of the iconic Guy Fawkes

mask during a parliamentary session to demonstrate their opposition to the

treaty. In the U.S. public response has been muted. Entertainment industry

lobbyists, however, have been pushing ACTA for months.

In 2011, Chris Dodd, a lobbyist for MPAA, which backed both SOPA and PIPA,

claimed that ACTA is an important step forward in strengthening interna-

tional cooperation and enforcement for intellectual property rights.

Dodd, a former senator from Connecticut, has fallen under intense scrutiny

recently following comments he made on Fox News. He stated that Hollywood is

watching very carefully whos going to stand up for them when their job is

at stake. He added, I would caution people dont make the assumption that

because the quote Hollywood community has been historically supportive of

Democrats, which they have, dont make the false assumptions this year that

because we did it in the past, we will do it again this year.

Dodd immediately faced backlash on the blogosphere, where he was accused ofblatantly blackmailing politicians. Many believe Dodds statements imply that

Hollywood money would only continue to be donated to Democratic candidates,

if they supported the copyright enforcement desired by the MPAA.

Now, a number of prominent internet companies are considering a boycott of

Hollywood for continuously lobbying on behalf of anti-piracy bills such as

SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA. OpenSecrets.org claim that the MPAA has already paid

$180,000 to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP lobbying rm, whose partners

and senior advisors are among the 30 most powerful lobbyists in Washington,

according to the First Street Research Group.

Online activists are also calling for a month-long protest of Hollywood in

March. They are asking Occupy movements to participate and publicize a boy-

cott of movies, music, and theatre tickets in response to Chris Dodds state-ments on Fox News. The event has been named Black March, and its impact will

rely on consumer action.

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by @DBCOOPA

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occupied washington times: volume 2, issue 1

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