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Past Events
Moment Loan -Look into Its Pros and Cons
see facebook and twitter for upcoming events
facebook.com/OccupyChicago Twitter.com/occupychicago
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March & Rally for Jobs Not Cuts!
Vital social services for the 99% like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security are on the budget chopping block!
Many of the options for cuts in Medicare and Medicaid that are being put on the table will threaten vital services, cost jobs, and have a negative impact on still recovering local, state, and national economies.
Join community allies as we march from Citigroup Center 500 W. Madison. Citigroup is one of the three largest donors of Sen. Dick Durbin. We will march to his office at Federal Plaza (Adams and Dearborn) demanding a public commitment to protect vital services!
Occupy Chicago General assembly has not voted on our involvement in this action. Stand Up Chicago is one of our key allies and always been there for us in the past. This action is in keeping with our mission statement.
Contact from Stand Up Chicago firstname.lastname@example.com
Fight Back! Senator Durbin, Don't Destroy Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid!
As part of the ongoing "fiscal cliff" discussions, Senator Durbin is negotiating behind our backs to gut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – cuts that could create depression-era conditions for millions of Americans who've paid for and earned support from these vital programs.
Come get free soup and bread every day in Federal Plaza from December 3rd - 6th!
Monday, December 3, noon: Soup and Bread line in Federal Plaza
Tuesday, December 4, noon: Soup and Bread line in Federal Plaza
Wednesday, December 5, noon: Soup and Bread line in Federal Plaza
Thursday, December 6, noon: Erect the "Durbinville" shantytown to show the world what these cuts really mean!
Join us on December 6th at noon to tell Senator Durbin that we won't go back! On December 6, we're building a Durbinville Shantytown encampment at the Federal Building to symbolize the dire consequences these cuts could have, and fight to preserve these essential programs. Join us! And bring a tent!
Enough is enough! It's time to stop unnecessary budget cuts and make corporations and the rich pay their fair share!
Demand that Senator Durbin:
Block the "debt ceiling sequester" cuts – say no to austerity!
Reject Simpson-Bowles or any other "Grand Bargain" that attempts to balance the budget on the backs of the poor, working people, the sick or the elderly – protect vital public programs, no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid!
Block the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for the top 2% – it's time for the rich to start paying their fair share!
Support and fight for progressive sources of revenue – impose a Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street financial speculation, tax capital gains as normal income and close corporate tax loopholes!
From Tents to Homes: Celebrating Eviction Resistance
On October 15, 2011, thousands marched from Jackson and LaSalle, to Congress Plaza, and attempted to establish an encampment, in solidarity with the larger Occupy movement. The City of Chicago responded by forcibly evicting Occupy Chicago from the park. Over the course of two weeks, the Chicago Police arrested 305 peaceful demonstrators. Members of Occupy Rogers Park, Occupy el Barrio, and Occupy Chicago will mark this important anniversary by holding a march on October 15th. The march will begin at Jackson and LaSalle, at 6pm, and will be followed by a rally, and an action, at Congress Plaza.
As we remember the repression Occupiers faced during the tent city evictions, and celebrate our recent court victory, we must remain mindful of the eviction and foreclosure crisis that is continuing to displace our neighbors, and damage the stability of our communities. Last year, Occupiers across the country locked arms, and resisted the destruction of the communities they had built together. This year, we will lock arms to resist the destruction of the communities we all Occupy. We will fight for the homes of our neighbors, and we will reclaim homes to help restore our damaged communities. Our efforts will not be singular or isolated.
This will be a year of resistance.
On #O15, we will highlight the work that Occupiers, and other allied groups, are already doing to support those who are bravely Occupying foreclosed homes, and resisting eviction. We will also discuss how members of Occupy Chicago, and the neighborhood Occupations, can become more engaged in this struggle.
Capital, Volume 1 Reading Group
Occupy Chicago Education Committee Presents a Reading Group Of. . . Capital: A Critique of Political Economy Volume 1 by Karl Marx
June 21, 2012
Dvorak Park (Weather Permitting) in Pilsen (Cermak and Racine)
7 p.m.
In August of 1867, a poor German emigre living in London put the finishing touches on his magnum opus which would change the course of human history. Marx's Capital Vol. 1 has been studied, analyzed, embraced, denounced, rethought and yet it is still recognized as a political, economical, philosophic, historical and revolutionary force brimming with insights for emancipatory policis. In this era of capitalist crises, neoliberal governance, and digitized globalization, how can Marx's text help us understand contemporary class struggle? How is Marx's critique of capitalism important to the diffuse variety of social justice movements today? Does Capital point us in a direction of stronger solidarity as revolutionaries? Can Marx assist us practically as we organize and discuss tactical questions of strategy and long-term goals for the future in and outside of Occupy Chicago?
In the spirit of these questions, the Occupy Chicago Education Committee invites all to join us in an introductory planning meeting where everyone in attendance will participate in collectively designing a long-term schedule and plan for a group reading of Capital Volume 1. We are interested in forming a group that can manage itself through consensus decision making to develop and follow a structure, direction, and schedule for the reading. Marx's Capital will be our starting point, but in our explorations the trajectory might change according to what direction the group decides it wants to go. As such, we would like to see this specific book as a springboard towards fluid and currently unpredictable directions of critical thought and critical action.
We will be using the Ben Fowkes translation published by the New Left Review as well as Penguin Books, which will be made available to all who are interested and in need of a copy. Please join us; all are welcome to attend!
-Occupy Chicago Education Committee
Education Committee Meeting
NATO5 Solidarity: (Phone) Call to Action
On June 20, a month will have passed since Mayor 1% Emanuel and his cronies brought NATO to Chicago and subsequently caged five of our peaceful comrades. Brent, Jay, Jacob, Mark and Sebastian are still incarcerated on informant-created charges in order to justify the abject waste of taxpayer dollars on security for that war machine. Now is our chance to tell them that we haven't forgotten. The case against the NATO5 is flimsy and only served to pattern a narrative to deter socially-conscious people from leaving their homes. We have seen this pattern of police repression and state intimidation in cases such as Cleveland5, RNC 8, FBI raids on activists in Chicago. This pattern will continue unless we do take action to stop it.
Now is our time to tell RAHM, ANITA & GARRY to DISMISS ALL CHARGES AGAINST THE NATO FIVE!
USE YOUR VOICE against Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel, the man who brought the NATO war machine to Chicago, and sicked his attack dog Garry McCarthy on the sea of peaceful protesters, singling out the NATO5 for rumored harassment, entrapment, and a frame-up.
Chicago Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel
4228 N Hermitage
Chicago, IL 60613
Office: (312) 744-3300
Facebook: facebook.com/rahmemanuel
Twitter: @MayorEmanuel
SPEAK OUT to Anita Alvarez, State's Attorney, mouthpiece of the law, whose office is prosecuting the NATO5 under untried post-9/11 laws. She has yet to produce any evidence that supports the NATO3 terrorist cases.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez
Home: (708) 771-8094
S1138 Park Ave
River Forest, IL 60305-1310
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Anita-Alvarez
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Her Assistant, Frank Host: 312-603-1837
Office: 773-674-6209
Email: email@example.com
DECLARE TO Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, whose department targeted our brothers Brent, Jacob, Brian, Mark and Sebastian. McCarthy's officers targeted them, harassed them, raided their home without a search warrant, disappeared them, and in one case, doesn't know the difference between home beer-brewing supplies and molotov cocktails.
Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy
Office: 312-745-6100
Twitter: @Chicago_Police
Email: email@example.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ChicagoPoliceDepartment
TELL RAHM, ANITA, AND GARRY through every possible method of communication as many times as you can on Wednesday to:
Occupy Chicago and our allies will be supporting the NATO5 in the 26th and California courtrooms as they face arraignment on Monday, July 2. For more information, see http://www.facebook.com/events/423783797662323/
Stand in solidarity with the NATO5 in the courtrooms, on your computer, or over your phone.
share widely. repost, retweet, share, invite friends.
Social Crisis Theory for Complex Societies Meeting
The financial collapse of 2008 has unleashed the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression. While people are losing their jobs, their homes and their public services, the 1 percent are seizing the opportunity to restructure Chicagoland for the needs of the big corporations. What will the region look like if they have their way? Bruce Katz, director of the Brookings Institution, put it like this: "We must move as quickly as possible to change the mental map of our nation from a constitutional union of 50 states to an economic network of highly connected, hyper-linked, and seamlessly integrated metropolitan areas."
Grassroots participation, sustainable development and a good life for everyone regardless of age, race, gender, class or physical ability are not on the corporate agenda — unless we the people can derail that agenda, and invent something better.
This meeting is a place to gather information and share observations, notes, analyses, perspectives and activist proposals. At issue are the plans themselves, the municipal and corporate rhetoric that supports them, and the concrete transformations of schools, health services, universities, transportation and energy infrastructure, policing and prisons, public/private finance schemes, etc.
We aim to map out the changes as they unfold. Above all, we want to offer a completely different vision of how life in this region can be sweeter for all its inhabitants.
NATO jSupport Working Group meeting
Join Occupy Chicago and our allies as we creatively determine how to support our jailed comrades. Eight of our brothers remain incarcerated. We will be determining fundraising, support and care, commissary funding, letter-writing, solidarity statements, and networking. Enjoy lively conversation and substanciative action Friday at 6 pm at 500 W Cermak, room 501. Snacks are always appreciated!
Occupy the NATO5 Courtroom for Brent, Jacob, and Jay
We have started a subdomain for Free the NATO 5: http://nato5.occupychi.org
Our friends remain locked away from this world because Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Gerry McCarthy needed to justify police harassment, intimidation, brutality, and repression leading up to the NATO Summit. That culture remains firmly entrenched to this day.
Our Occupy brothers Brian Church, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jared Chase, 27, of Keene, New Hampshire, and Brent Betterly, 24, who lives in Massachusetts, are each accused of "possession of incendiary or explosive device, conspiracy to commit terrorism & providing material support for terrorism." On June, 12 they will appear in court to learn if they will be indicted on the charges. As Occupy personifies, this movement is about building, growing, connecting, and supporting one another while we labor for a better world. By attending Brent, Jacob and Jay's indictment hearing on Tuesday, we are given an opportunity to demonstrate our greatest strength, our dedication and compassion for each other and the world. We will showcase how Occupy Chicago and our allies stand in solidarity with one another and the state cannot stop us with their lies, entrapment, brutality, and intimidation.
Jail support is an integral part of activist culture- a time when we struggle to accept and alleviate the burdens of imprisoned comrades. We should see the struggles of those less lucky than us, who fought the same battles, labored through the same long meetings, as our own. We march for them in our streets, fight for them in court, raise money to bail them out, visit them on their days, and work endlessly for their release or exoneration.
Take this opportunity to prove to the world that we are unstoppable. Join us Tuesday, 10 am 26th and California, branch 98. Bring colorful signs!
if you can't attend, demonstrate your support by exerting political pressure on RAHM, ANITA, & GERRY: http://www.facebook.com/events/314620671956411 by occupying their brains!
PLEASE REPOST, INVITE FRIENDS, AND TWEET this invite.
To support Mark and Sebastian on Wednesday, see http://www.facebook.com/events/475146735834854/
English priest who stood with Occupy London to teach, preach, visit protestors
Fraser, a media figure known both for his trenchant criticisms of and affection for the church, is now priest-in-charge at St. Mary's Newington in inner-city south London and a columnist for The Guardian. He plays a major role in Love Free or Die, the 2012 Sundance-award winning documentary film about Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay partnered bishop in the Anglican Communion.
"Giles is not only a gifted preacher and teacher, he is also a priest who has deep personal experience of the tension between the Gospel message and the institutional church," said the Very Rev. Joy Rogers, dean of St. James. "The Bible has a lot to say about money, about fear and about violence. So when those issues are in the news, as they are during the G-8 and NATO summits, the church must be part of the conversation. We have to look division, deprivation and inequality in the eye, and we have to respond. We're grateful to Giles for helping us do that."
On Sunday, May 20 after the 11 am service, Chicago Bishop Jeff Lee will walk with Fraser to Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. 26th Street, where NATO protestors will be encamped.
"As Christians, we follow a savior who spent much of his time among the poor, marginalized, and victims of injustice. As his disciples, we are called to do the same," said Lee. "Prophets often come to us in ways that we find disconcerting. Jeremiah wore a yoke. John the Baptist ate locusts. We might not be entirely comfortable with the ways that protestors and activists express themselves or the messages they send, but we need to pay attention."
During his visit to St. James, Fraser will:
- Hold a gathering of preachers at St. James on May 17 from 10 am-3 pm. Preachers will spend the day with Fraser discussing how to preach and proclaim economic justice in churches and communities that are home to people from all walks of life and all political persuasions. Cost $20; register at www.stjames.org
- Give a free public lecture, "The Call to Social Justice and the Constraints of Institutions," at the University of Chicago's Brent House, the Episcopal campus ministry, 5540 South Woodlawn Avenue on May 18 at 7 pm
- Preach at St. James Cathedral on Sunday, May 20 at the 8, 9 and 11 am service
- Visit the encampment of NATO protestors at Trinity Episcopal Church with Bishop Lee to on the afternoon of May 20
- Host an Occupy St. James community conversation about how faithful people can seek economic justice at 5:30 pm on May 21.
To learn more, visit www.saintjamescathedral.org.
St. James Cathedral, founded in 1834, serves the city of Chicago and all of Northern Illinois as the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. The congregation is passionate about the twin Episcopal traditions of service and advocacy for those in need and music and art that lift the soul to God. St. James' dean is the Very Rev. Joy E. Rogers. To learn more, please visit www.saintjamescathedral.org.
NATO Shadow Summit for Afghan Women's Rights
Afghan women's and girls' futures are at grave risk as the U.S. and allied forces make plans to withdraw in 2014. The NATO Summit taking place in Chicago on May 20 & 21 will focus on this transition but Afghan women will not be at the table for these critical discussions.
Please join Amnesty International USA for our Shadow Summit as we bring Afghan women's voices to the forefront on Sunday, May 20 from 11 am to 1 pm with registration and light brunch at 10 am.
It's a crucial time for President Karzai, President Obama, world leaders and the media to see that people care deeply about the fate of women's and girls' human rights in Afghanistan. Speakers and panelists include Afifa Azim, Executive Director, Afghan Women's Network; Manizha Naderi, Executive Director of Women for Afghan Women; and IL Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Jerome McDonnell, host of WBEZ's Worldview, will moderate the panel. After the Summit, please join us for a family-friendly action as we fly kites to demand Afghan women's rights.
This event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is strongly recommended. To register and for more information, please visit www.amnestyusa.org/afghanwomen.
We need you!
When: 11:00 – 1PM CDT on May 20th - the first day of the NATO Summit. Registration and light brunch begin at 10AM.
Where: Swissotel Hotel, Lucerne Ballroom, 323 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601
Note: After the Summit, please join us for an action as we fly kites to demand Afghan women's rights.
Let us know you're coming: www.amnestyusa.org/afghanwomen
Ask questions: firstname.lastname@example.com
Help spread the word!
• Forward this email
• Facebook: http://on.fb.me/L2qatE
• Tweet #Chicago2012 - every day in the lead up to the Summit
Why? With the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces from Afghanistan, Amnesty International is concerned that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are in grave jeopardy. Violence against women is rampant, and in areas under insurgent control, torture, beatings and other brutal punishments are common. Women candidates, politicians and human rights defenders increasingly are targeted, intimidated, threatened and attacked. In 2010, more than 74 schools, including 26 girls' schools and 35 mixed-gender schools, were destroyed or closed due to insurgent violence. At stake is the future of Afghanistan after billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives sacrificed. We believe if women's progress cannot be sustained, then Afghan society will fail. The U.S. government, Afghan government and other stakeholders must commit to clear, measurable steps to ensure that women's and girls' rights are protected and that positive momentum is maintained.
May Day Mass Organizing Meeting
Join immigrants rights, union, occupy, community activists and others to organize for MAY DAY 2012:
1. Origins of MAY DAY & Why We're Mobilizing
2. Hear about struggles Chicago activists are involved in:
- E-VERIFY, Detention Centers, Deportations, Day Laborer organizing
- Union & Workers Struggles in Chicago
- Defending Social Services
- Trayvon Martin, Rekia Boyd & the New Jim Crow
3. Discuss Mobilizing plans and goals for the MAY DAY MARCH AND RALLY in our unions, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and churches
What we Demand:
Contact us email@example.com
Or Visit the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/145321642262639/
MST Brazilian Landless Worker's Movement
Occupy Music? Crisis, Resistance and the Sound of Revolt
UPDATE: This event has rescheduled for April 21 .
It's no news to anyone involved in Occupy that the support among musicians of all stripes for our movement is high. In the months since Occupy Wall Street took off, we've had countless songs and statements released by artists in solidarity with this movement. Some of these artists are no surprise (Tom Morello, Ani DiFranco, Lupe, etc), some totally out of left field (Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, etc). All in all, this is the largest proportion of musicians who have openly allied with a social cause since the 1960s.
This session will seek to explain why. In doing so it will briefly examine what music's social role has been historically and anthropologically. It will look at the reality of the modern music industry as a hindrance on free speech and artistic expression and ask what might be needed to overcome the strictures that said industry has imposed on music. Finally, it will look briefly at both modern and historical examples of what it looks like when movements provide the breathing room for new, rebellious forms of art to gain more traction.
This meeting will be hosted by Alex Billet, a Chicago-based music journalist and member of the Occupy Chicago Arts & Rec Committee. He has had articles published in Z Magazine, TheNation.com, New Politics, SocialistWorker.org, and others. He can be found online at http://rebelfrequencies.blogspot.com/
Sponsored by the Occupy Chicago Arts & Recreation Committee.
Meeting for NATO/Chicago Spring protestor housing
A new working group is forming to address issues of providing housing opportunities for protestors coming here for NATO and the Chicago Spring.
If you have ideas or are interested in this topic please come to the meeting.
RSVP Link, you can post here also if you can't make it but want to express interest and get involved.
Chicago 2012 LGBTQIA Civil Rights March 4/21
Occupy Chicago will join numerous other cities in a march for equal civil rights for the LGBTQIA community worldwide on April 21st. The overall goal for these marches is to have the community and its allies come together to demand and acquire full civil rights that all other sectors of society enjoy.
The Chicago march shares the same goal along with having more visibility from the rest of the LGBTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, and pansexual) family. We also intend to start dialogue around issues that face the community, which include youth homelessness, physical and nonphysical violence, and employment equality, to name a few, as well as LGBT affirming education.
The Chicago branch of the 2012 Worldwide LGBTQIA Civil Rights March will be held downtown and kick off at noon on Saturday, April 21st. The march will start at Pritzker Park, located on the corner of State Street and Van Buren Avenue, and move north on State Street to Washington Avenue and continue east to Michigan Avenue, where it will turn north onto its final stretch to Oak Street. The event will also feature a speak-out where attendees are welcome to share their experiences.
Everyone is encouraged to participate in this historic event regardless of identity, orientation, or age. There will be an all ages afterparty at Oak Street Beach afterward, weather permitting.
This event is sponsored by Marriage Equality USA, Gay Liberation Network, and Occupy Chicago.
More information about the 2012 Worldwide LGBTQIA Civil Rights March can be found at http://www.letsreachonemillionpeople.com/civil_rights_march_12.html.
More information about the Chicago march can be found at http://www.letsreachonemillionpeople.com/page_29.html.
Defend Our Libraries!
Defend Our Libraries!
Do You Want to Meet with Your Neighbors to Co-Create a Vision of What Chicagoans Want our Libraries to Be?
Join Us to Celebrate National Library Week April 14-18
Attend one of the nine meetings happening at libraries across the city. See below for details.
HERE'S What's Happened Since January's Library Cuts:
ñ FEWER WORKERS AND LIBRARY STAFF
ñ SHORTER HOURS
ñ LONGER LINES
ñ CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS & BOOKS
- Do You Use the Libraries to Find Employment, Do Homework, Apply for College/ Scholarships/ Loans/ Social Security Benefits, or to Read, Speak and Listen to Others in our Community?
- Do You Want the City to Rehire All 100 Pages Laid Off in January 2012 so Libraries can Reopen All Day on Mondays and Bring Back our Children's Programs?
- Do You Want our Libraries to Reopen Monday through Thursday 9 am-9 pm, Friday & Saturday like they were until 2010, and Sundays Too?
- Do You Want more Library Staff and Resources Like Books, Computers, Educational Materials, Employment Info, Social Service Workshops, and CD/DVDs, etc. and in the neighborhood languages?
Saturday, April 14th, 2012
10:00 am – noon @ Bezazian Library 1226 West Ainslie
10:00 am – noon @ Little Village Library 2311 S. Kedzie
12:00 pm – 1:30 @ McKinley Park Library 1915 West 35th Street
12:00 pm – 1:30 @ Kelly Library 6151 S. Normal in Englewood
1:30 pm – 3:30 @ Daley Library 3400 S. Halsted Street
1:30 pm – 3:30 @ Toman Library 2708 S. Pulaski
2:00 pm – 4:00 @ Albany Park Library 5150 N. Kimball
2:00 pm – 4:00 @ Rudy Lozano Library 1805 South Loomis Street
3:00 pm – 5:00 @ Logan Square Library 3030 W. Fullerton
Tell Your Story & Share Ideas!
Chicago People's Library Movement: http://cplm1.org e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
99% Spring Non-Violent Direct Action Training Saturday April 14th
99% Spring Non-Violent Direct Action Training
Saturday, 14 Apr 2012, 10:00 AM - 5PM
The 99% Spring is a broad activist Coalition with one goal: to train 100,000 people in Non-Violent Direct Action in one week, culimating to 6 weeks of concentrated actions against the ruling class across the country.
I am hosting and training one of the larger 7 hour trainings on Saturday April 14th. The curriculum covers a brief history of non-violent direct action and the financial crisis, the tactics of 1%, and what we can do to cultivate collective power to fight back including campaign strategy building and tactical planning. This is a free training.
If you are interested in attending this training, please register here.
Attendence is limited, so if you want to attend, please register ASAP.
Also, I am aware there may be some that are concerned about working with a coalition that includes organizations like Moveon. I recommend checking out this article that explores some of those concerns:
The "99% Spring" Movement to Train 100,000 Activists: Co-Opting Occupy or Helping Spread its Message?
Also, enclosed below is a complete list of the organizations in the 99% Spring Coalition:
If you have any questions about the training, please feel free to contact me.
Jobs With Justice
United Auto Workers
National Peoples Action
National Domestic Workers Alliance
New Organizing Institute
Movement Strategy Center
The Other 98%
Service Employees International Union
Rebuild the Dream
Color of Change
Institute for Policy Studies
PICO National Network
New Bottom Line
Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement
SNCC Legacy Project
United Steel Workers
National Education Association
Working Families Party
Communications Workers of America
United States Student Association
Rainforest Action Network
American Federation of Teachers
Leadership Center for the Common Good
National Guestworker Alliance
The Ruckus Society
Citizen Engagement Lab
smartMeme Strategy & Training Project
Right to the City Alliance
Pushback Network
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
Progressive Democrats of America
Change to Win
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
Campaign for America's Future
Public Campaign Action Fund
Fuse Washington
Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment
Citizen Action of New York
United Electrical Workers Union
National Day Laborers Organizing Network
Alliance for a Just Society
The Partnership for Working Families
United Students Against Sweatshops
Get Equal
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
Corporate Accountability International
American Federation of Government Employees
Mobilize the Immigrant Vote
Training for Change
People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER)
Student Labor Action Project
Colorado Progressive Coalition
Green for All
DC Jobs with Justice
Connecticut Citizen Action Group
Vermont Workers' Center
Midwest Academy
Community Voices Heard
The Coffee Party
International Forum on Globalization
UFCW International Union
Sunflower Community Action
Illinois People's Action
Lakeview Action Coalition
Global Exchange
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Poor Peooples Economic Human Rights Campaign
International Brotherhood of the Teamsters
Resource Generation
Highlander Research and Education Center
TakeAction Minnesota
Energy Action Coalition
Oil Change International
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation
CODEPINK: Women for Peace
United for a Fair Economy
Health Care for America Now
Occupy Chicago Rebel Arts Collective at Uri-Eichen Gallery 4/13
Artwork that inspires, informs and furthers dialogue. Curated by Uri-Eichen and members of the collective, with pieces from artists in the local movement as well as radical art from before OWS began. From scenes of a world where billboards are reclaimed to expressionist portrayals of our hometown police department, this work embodies the spirit of Occupy Chicago.
Members of the collective will be present to talk to anyone who wants to collaborate, join or just learn more
Crisis Theory for Complex Societies
**Note: this event has been re-scheduled from April 1 to April 8th**
How do societies change? It has long been observed that capitalism develops in forty-to-sixty year cycles, bookended by great crashes and periods of stagnation. Technologies and relations of production are transformed along with modes of government and social reproduction. New patterns of trade and nternational relations emerge on the geopolitical level. Ten or fifteen years later, people look back and realize: "That was a turning point. The world is totally different now."
Such a change has been experienced in living memory, with the crisis of the late sixties/early seventies that ushered in neoliberalism. What will happen now? By bringing together various strands of Marxist crisis-theory (the technological innovation school, the regulation approach, world-systems theory) it's possible to show how a distinctly neoliberal society emerged from the political upheaval, long recession and monetary chaos of the sixties-seventies. Once we have identified the full range of neoliberal institutions, we can generate an analytical picture of the status quo around, say, 2005. And on that basis we can see what's changing right now, in many different arenas. Who are the agents of social change? Could we intervene in some of those arenas while everything is still in flux? Why wait fifteen years to discover the solutions that the elites will have arranged for us? The idea of this lecture/workshop is to lay the groundwork for a strategic observatory of the still-unfolding crisis.
Brian Holmes is an activist researcher and cultural critic. This proposal grows out of a collective seminar carried out last year at Mess Hall in Chicago, under the title "Three Crises: 30s-70s-Today." Archive at
Here is the link to the wildly-titled text, "Do Containers Dream of Electric People"?
I AM A MOM: An Action To Support The Closure Of The Tamms Supermax Prison
Please hold in your hearts the moms, sisters, dads, nieces and other family members trying to end the nightmare of having their loved ones in cold storage isolation for years at a time. They need us right now!
They are holding an "I AM A MOM" press action on April 4 in Chicago. We appeal to you and all the good people of Chicago to join them in solidarity.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 4 at 11:45am (Press event starts at noon so don't be late. We need numbers.)
WHERE: Meet at the James R. Thompson Center plaza at 100 W. Randolph for a press conference and speak-out and then we walk to AFSCME, Council 31 headquarters at 205 N. Michigan Avenue.
WHAT: We will march peacefully from the IDOC headquarters and governor's office at the James R. Thompson Center over to AFSCME. We will be lead by the moms, dads, sisters, and other loved-ones of men at Tamms.
WHY: To remind the governor, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the public that closing Tamms supermax is not about jobs, but about human dignity. Our march will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 44th anniversary of his assassination in Memphis, and commemorate his collaboration with AFSCME in their common effort to win rights for striking sanitation workers.
Our marchers will carry signs that read "I AM A MAN" just like those carried in Memphis, but here signifying that men at Tamms, and prisoners everywhere have fundamental human rights. Other signs will read "I AM A MOM" and "I AM A SON" to indicate that the families of men at Tamms are also devastated by the prison's soul destroying regime of solitary confinement and sensory deprivation.
Budgets and Bombs: The U.S. Role in NATO and G8 and How It Affects All of Us
The goal of the workshop is to strengthen participants' understanding of the role of the U.S. in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Group of 8 (G8)—two international bodies that are meeting simultaneously over the weekend of May 18-20, with NATO meeting in Chicago and G8 meeting at Camp David—which make decisions that affect all of our lives.
Participants will also come out of the workshop with a clear breakdown of the connections between the U.S. economy and U.S. militarism globally, as well as a strengthened understanding of how to deepen their work for economic and social justice in the U.S. through an antimilitarist lens. They will also learn about the current status of the U.S.-NATO war in Afghanistan as well as Afghan resistance to occupation.
Participants will engage in an array of exercises and activities that draw upon popular education tools and methods.
LIBYAN REVOLUTION™ by NATO
Marco Rossi, experienced Chicago anti-imperialist and solidarity activist, will present "Libya, the West, and the Legitimacy of Humanitarian Intervention: A Critical Examination of Foreign Military Intervention in the Battle for Libya":
The military intervention into Libya has received a tremendous amount of celebration and controversy. For those supportive of the military strike the United Nations has changed its inaction towards crises. Those opposed have accused the intervention of being another attempt to take over an Arab nation. There is a manner to systematically address these concerns. The UN Secretary General's report A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility outlines the moral parameters for humanitarian interventions. While the ability to use force in the NATO strike on Libya is legal, according to the criteria accepted by the authors of A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility, it is not legitimate.
Alan Maass, editor of Socialist Worker and author of The Case for Socialism, will present "NATO's Mission Creep and the War in Libya":
When it was formed in the aftermath of the Second World War, the NATO military alliance was supposed to have a defensive mandate--a coalition of countries led by the U.S. to oppose the former USSR during the Cold War. This was never true--the alliance had an offensive character from the beginning. This aspect of NATO became more pronounced falling the collapse of the Eastern European satellites of Russia, and then the USSR itself. First in Europe, and then beyond, NATO has played the role of aggressor, representing the interests of the most powerful governments involved, above all, the U.S.
This was the role that NATO played in Libya. The national rebellion against the Qaddafi regime was entirely legitimate, but after an initial hands-off attitude, the West, led by the U.S., intervened in Libya with the aim of shaping anti-Qaddafi forces into a new political and economic structure that would by to its interests. The result has been a set-up in post-Qaddafi Libya that has been dominated, though not without sympathetic challenges, by pro-Western forces nurtured during the NATO intervention.
FINAL rally to FREE HOWARD MORGAN!
The last rally to free police brutality victim Howard Morgan before his April 5th sentencing will be this Friday at The Church of the Living God P.G.O.T. (1738 W. Marquette Rd. Chicago, IL 60636).
Doors open at 6pm and the program begins some time after with different speakers committed to the cause--not just of Howard Morgan, but of all victimized and brutalized people.
Howard Morgan, a former Chicago Police Officer before spending 13 years as a Railroad Police Officer for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, pulled over on his way home the morning of February 21, 2005, because he saw a police car behind him and was letting it pass. To Mr. Morgan's surprise, he discovered that the police had stopped him for an alleged traffic violation. Though identifying himself as a police officer, Howard Morgan was forced from his vehicle and shot 28 times by four white police officers.
After being left for dead, he survived and was then charged with attempted murder of the four white officers who brutalized him. In a trial he was found not guilty of three counts including discharging his weapon. However, the jury did not decide the remaining charges of attempted murder, and Judge Clayton Crane declared a mistrial and got a new jury to hear the remaining counts. The new jury was not allowed to hear that Morgan had been found innocent of discahrging his weapon. With no other possible weapon suggested, Mr. Morgan was found guilty of attempted murder of the men who tried to kill him.
On February 21st his sentencing was delayed until April 5th because supporters packed the courtroom and the cowardly Judge Crane wanted to wait to make his unpopular sentence after the elections Today.
Occupy Chicago is invited to have speakers at the rally. Come lend your support and speak out against this egregious injustice--this legal lynching.
The Occupy Chicago General Assembly passed the following proposal after two days of discussion with it being posted on the forums:
that "Occupy Chicago joins with Occupy the SouthSide on the Jericho Walk's campaign to Free Howard Morgan.
-Occupy Chicago affirms the innocence of Mr. Morgan;
-and demands his freedom;
-as well as accountability for the four officers who shot him 28 times by prosecuting them for attempted murder."
Come out to the rally, and be sure to pack the court on April 5th, in courtoom 600 at 2650 S. California at 9am.
Sign the petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/please-help-us-free-howard-morgan) and ask your friends and relatives to do the same.
Download and print the flyer, and share it on your networks (http://www.freehowardmorgan.com/uploads/free_howard_morgan_flyer2.jpg).
And check out their website (http://www.freehowardmorgan.com/Home_Page.php), and their facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/freehowardmorgan).
Occupy the Bike Lane
To kick off Occupy Chicago's spring training, we are going to occupy the bike lane!
Bring your bells, horns, and loud voices, and get ready to tour some of Chicago's neighborhoods. Skateboards and rollerblades are more than welcome.
And because it's hard to carry signs while biking, be sure to wear any Occupy gear you might have.
Meet at Jackson and Lasalle at 7PM on Sunday and bring your bike friends.
Anti-Semitism vs. Opposition to Zionism
"Salt of the Earth" film screening
Salt of the Earth was made by blacklisted Hollywood filmmakers in the early fifties who wanted to make the kind of movie that the studio system would never let them make. They found a miners' strike in New Mexico where a Taft-Hartley injunction prevented striking miners from picketing. The women of the community took over the picket line and consciousness and relationships changed. The movie is a triumph in many ways and works as a labor and a womens' movie (both rare).
6 months of Occupy Chicago - Celebrate with OC's Rebel Arts Collective!
Rally with the Free Howard Morgan Campaign
On Friday, March 23rd the campaign to Free Howard Morgan is having a rally at the Church of the Living God (1738 W. Marquette Rd. Chicago, IL 60636) at 6:30pm. Come lend your support and speak out against this egregious injustice--this legal lynching.
Howard Morgan, a former Chicago Police Officer before spending 13 years as a Railroad Police Officer for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, pulled over on his way home the morning of February 21, 2005, because he saw a police car behind him and was letting it pass. To Mr. Morgan's surprise, he discovered that the police had stopped him for an alleged traffic violation. Though identifying himself as a police officer, Howard Morgan was forced from his vehicle and shot 28 times by four white police officers.
After being left for dead, he survived and was then charged with attempted murder of the four white officers who brutalized him. In a trial he was found not guilty of three counts including discharging his weapon. However, the jury did not decide the remaining charges of attempted murder, and Judge Clayton Crane declared a mistrial and got a new jury to hear the remaining counts. The new jury was not allowed to hear that Morgan had been found innocent of discahrging his weapon. With no other possible weapon suggested, Mr. Morgan was found guilty of attempted murder of the men who tried to kill him.
On February 21st his sentencing was delayed until April 5th because supporters packed the courtroom and the cowardly Judge Crane wanted to wait to make his unpopular sentence after the elections Today.
The Occupy Chicago General Assembly passed the following proposal after two days of discussion with it being posted on the forums:
that "Occupy Chicago joins with Occupy the SouthSide on the Jericho Walk's campaign to Free Howard Morgan.
-Occupy Chicago affirms the innocence of Mr. Morgan;
-and demands his freedom;
-as well as accountability for the four officers who shot him 28 times by prosecuting them for attempted murder."
Come out to the rally, and be sure to pack the court on April 5th, in courtoom 600 at 2650 S. California at 9am.
Be sure to sign the petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/please-help-us-free-howard-morgan) and ask your friends and relatives to do the same.
And check out their website (http://www.freehowardmorgan.com/Home_Page.php), and their facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/freehowardmorgan).
An Evening with Luther Castillo, MD
Dr. Castillo is a Honduran graduate of Cuba's free international medical school, built hospital in Afro-Honduran community. He believes in health care as a right. He will speak on his experiences starting grassroots clinics in Honduras, the medical needs and responses in Haiti, and on Cuba's preventative approach to public health and the role of Cuban doctors abroad. Castillo will lead a discussion on the possibilities of implementing people's medicine.
Dinner 6pm (donation), Program 7pm
Stop Police Brutality Solidarity March for Occupy the Midwest and OWS
Sunday, March 18th, 8PM
Stop Police Brutality Solidarity March for Occupy the Midwest and OWS
Federal Reserve at Jackson & LaSalle, Chicago
Police brutality has been running rampant against peaceful Occupy protesters across the US this week. In response, Occupy Chicago will be holding a rally against police brutality, and in solidarity with all groups in the Occupy movement which this brutality seeks to suppress.
On March 17th, the six month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, about 800 protesters held a celebratory party at Zuccotti Park, the birthplace of the American Occupy movement. At 11:30pm, police announced that they were closing the park, in direct violation of laws allowing access to the park 24 hours a day. Scores of police cleared the park with brutal tactics. A large group of protesters refused to leave, citing the accessibility laws, and police created a human chain around the protesters and proceeded with a mass arrest.
Protesters did not plan to sleep at the park, but were committed to spending the night there. Police smashed one man's head into a window so hard that the window was shattered. One woman, while in zip ties, had a seizure as protesters shouted for the zip ties to be removed in order to provide medical attention. The medical status of these protesters is unknown at this time. As of this writing, the Huffington Post reported that police didn't have a full count of arrests, but some reports indicate between 25-100 arrests were made. Police blocked the park with metal barricades and it is unknown when they will re-open the park.
This is not the first incident this week of using police brutality to suppress the Occupy movement. In St. Louis, the four-day regional Occupy the Midwest conference was in full swing, with over 600 Occupy protesters coming from at least 18 states to participate beginning March 15. Occupy protesters participated in rallies, marches, and workshops.
Participants in Occupy the Midwest attempted to occupy a city park that night. The park closed at 10pm, and at 10:30pm Eddie Roth, the city's director of public safety, announced that the protesters were not allowed to use the park due to lack of permit. As protesters were leaving the park and marching in the street, police violently assaulted multiple protesters using batons to their faces and pepper spray. Also, the tires of the Occupy media van were slashed. 15 protesters were arrested, with two sent to the hospital. All have since been released after bail was posted by donations solicited online.
"In one move, the St. Louis police, effectively, assaulted at least 18 cities at once," said Sugar Russell, Occupy Chicago member.
Video of police misconduct: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/18/police-cops-medic-smash-window-glass-occupy-ows/
Press releases from Occupy the Midwest: http://www.facebook.com/OccupytheMidwestPress?sk=notes
Take Back Your School
This is an emergency event. Your programs are being threatened with cuts and closure. Your tuition is being raised. Your teachers' jobs are insecure. This is not 'just another meeting,' it is not a 'speak out,' (since your administration has declined to listen), it is a chance for YOU to help make the decisions which impact your education and your future. BE THERE. (share widely. bring a friend.)
CrimethInc. Presents: Capitalism and Resistance in the 21st Century
After so much technological progress, why do we have to work more than ever before? Why does the old labor movement seem to be powerless to stop the new assault on workers? Can capitalism survive another century of crises? And how do we get out of this mess?
Please join us for a high-energy discussion of these questions and more. We'll focus on the ways capitalism has changed over the past few decades, and scrutinize recent examples of resistance in the US and overseas to propose anti-capitalist strategies for the 21st century.
About the speakers: The CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective (CWC) is a decentralized anarchist collective composed of many cells which act independently in pursuit of a freer and more joyous world. Visit them online @ http://crimethinc.com
Facilitator training March 11, 5:00 pm
The GA empowerment proposal passed by GA on Friday means good facilitation will be even more necessary for smooth, happy and productive GA's. Secretariat will be holding a training this Sunday at 5 pm after our normal meeting. We especially encourage all regulaf facilitators to attend, but all are welcome.
Free Improv Class
#OccupyImprov for #ChicagoSpring
Free Improv Class
Sundays 2pm - 4pm . 500 W Cermak . Room 700
March 11, 18, 25 . (more dates tba)
Did you know Chicago has a secret? That secret is IMPROV. With a rich history rooted in Viola Spolin, the University of Chicago, and up through the Second City, no place on earth has so many vibrant improv theaters under one area code.
Local Chicago Improv Veterans help facilitate this two hour class that will include scenes, characters, bits, and group games. This class is ideal for anyone interested in having fun with others, heightening their confidence, and or exploring their creativity. Come practice some Chicago Style Improv with us every Sunday from 2 - 4 pm in Room 700.
This event is part of a series of events leading up to the April 7 Chicago Spring Event.
Email any questions or to sign up early.
email firstname.lastname@example.com (or firstname.lastname@example.com)
subject : "sunday improv class"
for occupyimprov class updates via twitter :
and don't forget to follow :
Underground Politics: Belarus
This teach-in will explore the effects of state repression on contemporary political practice in Belarus. When "traditional" methods for free speech and civil disobedience aren't available, how does one adapt? The facilitator, a young anarchist philosopher from Minsk, will discuss some of the noncommercial and alternative spaces in his hometown that have thrived under the blanket of neoliberalism. A short video about recent crackdowns will be shown, as well as a film about the Masterskaya squat that existed in Minsk from May to October of 2008. We'll also hear about Rebel Studies Library, an educational project he began with friends.
Monday March 5th GA about the G8 Moving to Maryland
It has been announced that the global economic elite will not be meeting in Chicago this May for the G8 summit as planned.
Occupy Chicago has been planning around this event for months and now it is not happening (although NATO will still be meeting here). We need to talk about what this means for Occupy Chicago. Tonight at GA the Secretariat will ask for consent to waive the normal order and focus on this discussion. For those who cannot attend a stream will probably be available at http://www.facebook.com/OccupieChicago/app_196506863720166
Victory Party for G8 move to Camp David
The White House announced today that it plans to hold the G-8 Summit Camp David in Maryland instead of Chicago. They have heard the cries for peaceful protest and are running scared.
Whose City? Chicago & Global Capital: Occupy Chicago Education Committee Conference
Here's our conference schedule at a glance. Please look here for more detailed information for the sessions, panels, and speakers, and join and share our facebook event here. To help shape the panel discussions, please contribute your questions here. For information on accessibility, please click here.
Saturday, March 3
Panel Discussion 1: "Analysis and Reflections on the Occupy Movement": Noon - 2 p.m.
- Room 700, facilitated by Marissa Brown (Occupy the South Side), Brit Schulte (Occupy Chicago), Stephen Eisenman (Northwestern University) and Joe Macaré (writer and editor)
Teach-in Series "Whose City?" Session 1: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
"A Short and Irreverent History of the G8 and NATO"
- Room 700, facilitated by Eric Ruder
"Immigrant Justice, Chicago & Global Capitalism"
- Room 501, facilitated by Mario Cardenas
Teach-in Series "Whose City?" Session 2: 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
"Health Disparities in Chicago"
- Room 700, facilitated by Professor Dorothy Roberts (Northwestern University)
"Walmart: Big Retail Employment and the 99%"
- Room 501, facilitated by Janel Bailey
Sunday, March 4
Teach-In Series "Whose City?" Session 3: Noon - 1:30 p.m.
"Chicago and the Human Right to Housing"
- Room 700, facilitated by Janet L. Smith (UIC) and Loren Taylor (Occupy Our Homes)
"Environmental Justice, Chicago & Global Capitalism"
- Room 501, facilitated by Jerry Mead-Lucero (P.E.R.R.O)
- Room 501, facilitated by Brian Holmes (European Graduate School)
Teach-In Series "Whose City?" Session 4: 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
"Corporations Declare War Against Public Education"
- Room 700, facilitated by Bill Watkins (UIC) and Jackson Potter (CTU staff coordinator)
"Utility Profiteering and How to Fight It"
- Room 501, facilitated by Virginia Miller (Midwest Workers Association)
Panel Discussion 2: "Our City: Occupying, Decolonizing, Mobilizing": 4 - 6 p.m.
- Room 700, facilitated by Todd Freeman, Brian Holmes, Crystal Vance Guerra (Occupa El Barrio, Occupy Chicago) and Toby Chow (Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation)
Occupy DePaul - Day 3: Rally before the Board of Trustees Meeting
13 Students are currently occupying the DePaul student center at 2550 N. Sheffield and will spend the night in the building; supporters are gathered outside in solidarity. They ask all who are opposed to a tuition hike to join them at 7:30am on Saturday, March 3 to rally before the Board of Trustees meets at 9am to vote on a tuition increase.
Occupy DePaul - Day 2: Call-in & Rally
Occupy DePaul has called for a second day of action with a speak out rally to be held at the Statue of Fr. Egan in front of DePaul Student Center, at Sheffield and Belden in Lincoln Park, at 10pm. Come join to protest the proposed tuition hikes that will be voted on the NEXT DAY by the Board of Trustees.
They are also requesting a call in campaign to the Main University number at 312-362-8000, President Rev. Holtschneider at 312-362-8890, the Vice President of Student Affairs at 312-362-8854, the Administrative Chancellor at 312/362-8711, the Provost at 312-362-7560 and the Vice President at 312-362-6695.
Presented Demands of the DePaul Students:
1. IMMEDIATE tuition freeze for all current and incoming students.
2. That Fr. Holtschneider retract his approval of the proposed 2012-2013 budget and tuition increase.
3. That we are granted a meeting with the Board of Trustees, and the SRAC BEFORE the vote on the proposed budget.
4. That the vote this Saturday be post-poned until this meeting is held.
Online Petition Against the Proposed 2012-2013 Tuition Increase: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-administration-of-de-paul-university-freeze-de-paul-universitys-tuition
"Against Equality, from Left and Right" - A Talk by Alberto Toscano
This talk will survey conservative arguments against social levelling, from Edmund Burke onwards, alongside and in contrast to communist critiques of equality (above all Marx's Critique of the Gotha Programme and Lenin's State and Revolution) which link our customary conceptions of equality and redistribution to bourgeois conceptions of rights and capitalist forms of value. The aim will be to try and think through what is at stake in contemporary movements for social justice beyond demands for rights and redistribution.
Alberto Toscano is a professor of Sociology at Goldsmith's in England. His most recent book is: Fanaticism - On the Uses of an Idea. A recent interview with him discussing the book can be found here, an interview with him in the Guardian is here, and a video of a talk here.
STOP the Suppression of the Occupy Movement!
The suppression of the Occupy Movement cannot stand any longer. No more being "penned in" figuratively and literally. No more of the tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. Come join us on Feb 28, in a rally and demonstration to say NO MORE!
STOP the Suppression of the Occupy Movement!
Rally at Jackson and LaSalle at 4 pm, March at 5 pm
Stand with the Occupy Movement!
No Rubber Bullets—No Beatings—No Tear Gas—No Mass Arrests
Drop All the Charges Against Occupiers
Overturn Rahm Emmanuel's "sit down & shut up" ordinances
Occupy Chicago GA voted unanimously to endorse this Call and action, which has been endorsed by Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Cleveland, Occupy Houston, and Occupy St. Paul and Occupy Minneapolis in their first-ever joint action. You can read and sign the full Call, along with 1000s of others, at dontsuppressows.org.
What you can do:
1. Organize your school, your classes, community groups, legal organizations, artists and musicians, churches, and unions to endorse and be in the house on February 28 to stand up with the Occupy movement. Come with signs, banners, drums, energy! Please, let us know your plans.
2. Widely distribute "A Call for Mass Action Against the Suppression of the Occupy Movement" on the Internet and by leaflet (download at dontsuppressows.org).
3. Join the OC Feb 28 working group. Write us at firstname.lastname@example.com with your plans and ideas and to find out when we're meeting next.
Unanimous endorsers:
Midwest Anti-war Mobilization
Occupy Chicago
National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Chicago Chapter
Chicago Area CodePINK
Chicago WCW
"Out of the Closets into the Occupation: Queer Struggle Against the 1%"
Join us for a lively discussion of the queer struggle at the heart of Occupy Everything. We'll begin with the experiences of lived oppression in terms of class. The range of class issues that disproportionately affect the LGBTQ community are legal and social. These challenges include employment discrimination, marriage equality, police violence, healthcare, homelessness, and feelings of isolation or rejection. We will then discuss how prejudice is a weapon of the 1%. The occupy movement is a part of the queer struggle, and all occupiers can stand in solidarity with their queer comrades. In the face of a homo/transphobic culture and the gendered dichotomy enforced by corporate capitalism, the 99% must be an inclusive challenge to those institutions.
Occupy Chicago Rebel Arts Collective LAUNCH
Do you enjoy, make, or want to make revolutionary art? Then JOIN US for the launch of the Rebel Arts Collective and discover the possibilities throughout this incredible art-packed night!
For an $8 cover, you support Occupy Chicago, enjoy a cash bar and...
Homegrown rebel music acts including:
Captain Captain
Snake Oil Salesmen (https://www.facebook.com/SnakeOilSalesPeople)
The Kuhls (https://www.facebook.com/thekuhls)
When Flying Feels like Falling (https://www.facebook.com/whenflyingfeelslikefalling)
Kris De La Rash (https://www.facebook.com/KrisDeLaRash)
DJ Catnip
Theatrical performances from:
20% Theater Company (https://www.facebook.com/pages/20-Theatre-Company-Chicago/26450919339)
Theatre of the Oppressed (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theatre-of-the-Oppressed/111330542228271?ref=ts)
Cutting Edge Art and Poetry
Interactive Art Installations
Silk Screen Revolutionary Imagery
...plus plenty more that gives Rahm Emanuel nightmares!
Connect with other politically motivated artists, find the resources you need to get your ideas off the ground, and collaborate with other artists to make the most world-changing art you've never imagined!
Another world is possible -- let's make it!
FB Event listing: https://www.facebook.com/events/228952727191418/?ref=ts
"The goal of the revolutionary artist is to make the revolution irresistible."
Occupy 4 Prisoners National Day of Action!
Join together with activists from all over the country to demand an end to mass incarceration!
This action is part of a national call--initiated by California death row prisoner Kevin Cooper. This demonstration is in
solidarity with those behind prison walls, their loved ones, and formerly incarcerated people. Prisoners are part of the
99% and we stand together!
We will meet up at 5pm at the Chicago Board of Trade to call out the racist system that puts profits over people and
prioritizes prisons over education, quality mental healthcare, drug treatment, after school programs, and other services
that could help prevent violent crime!
At 5:15 we will march to the Metropolitan Correctional Center to show solidarity with those who are behind bars. We
will let the 1% know that we have not forgotten about the 2.3 million people who they aim to make invisible. Those
people are our friends and loved ones and we stand with them.
Check out www.occupy4prisoners.org for information about the amazing events being planned all over the country
and for a full list of demands.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/108536135937759/
Flier: http://tinypic.com/r/zlw4u0/5
Whose Schools? Our Schools!: Repairing The State of Disunion in Higher Ed, Round 2
Two weeks ago, we began a conversation about troubles that The Coalition Against Corporate Higher Education (CACHE) has framed well: "Corporate warriors and their policy-makers in state and federal government are steadily undermining higher education, turning what was once a public good into yet another means of private gain." Administrations are looking to corporate consultants to help them navigate austerity, the majority of classrooms are staffed by the academic equivalent of day labor, and tuition skyrockets alongside student debt. This is a crisis that cannot continue. This panel will continue the discussion and tactical planning session to emphasize solidarity between all people affected by the corporatization of our education system and empower us all to make positive changes in our own schools.
Sponsored by Occupy Columbia.
Solidarity with Greece Rally! STOP AUSTERITY MEASURES!
Occupy Chicago stands in solidarity with the People of Greece in saying NO to austerity Measures.
Education Committee Meeting
Democracy Burlesque and WakeUpAndDream Productions present:
Occupy Mary's Attic!
A Political Salon & Cabaret
Improv, Poetry, Music, Comedy, Dialogue… and much more!
Tuesday January 31st & February 7th
@ 7:30pm
Mary's Attic (above Hamburger Mary's)
5400 N Clark Street - Andersonville
"A Salon is a gathering of people held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation."
"Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy song, dance, theatre, introduced by an MC and distinguished by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub."
Hosted by Andrew Ritter
Featuring the interactive political performance ensemble: The Dynamising Wills
Also Featuring:
Micah Philbrook as Chester Q. Goodsbee, III, robber baron.
A Mayoral Tutorial by Don Washington
Music by El Colectivo Musical
Stand Up Comedy by Cynthia Levin
Poetry by Eva Pilch
A sneak preview of Stage Left's upcoming World Premiere: The Fisherman
A Special Announcement by W.C. Turck
And much much more!
Join us for an interactive evening of artistic expression and spirited conversation as we examine and explore The Occupy Movement.
Occupy The Arts!
Reserve your $12 tickets now by emailing email@example.com or purchase $15 tickets at the door. Cash only!
People's Summit Working Group: RESCHEDULED
"Whose Schools? Our Schools!" Repairing The State of Disunion in Higher Ed
The Coalition Against Corporate Higher Education has framed our troubles well: "Corporate warriors and their policy-makers in state and federal government are steadily undermining higher education, turning what was once a public good into yet another means of private gain." Administrations are looking to corporate consultants to help them navigate austerity, the majority of classrooms are staffed by the academic equivalent of day labor, and tuition skyrockets alongside student debt. This is a crisis that cannot continue. This panel will begin with a discussion of the current state of affairs in higher education and steer into a tactical planning session that will emphasize solidarity between all people affected by our education system and empower us all to make positive changes in our own schools.
You Can't Make Half a Revolution: Women's Liberation is Central to Occupy
This talk will examine the economic, physical, and sexual violence that is part of the woman experience under Capitalism, and the ways in which we can unite and fight these injustices.
A Series of SouthSide Teach-Ins Kicks Off with a Panel Discussion on School Closings
The Education committee is partnering with Occupy the SouthSide to bring a series of bi-weekly teach-ins to the southside of Chicago where the effects of many 1% policies, from austerity to the prison-industrial complex, are strongest.
The teach-ins will all take place at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago, (5650 s Woodlawn) on Thursday evenings after 7pm. The Social Justice Council of the church has officially endorsed Occupy Chicago, and now hosts bi-weekly general assemblies for Occupy the SouthSide at the time time and location on weeks when there is not a teach-in.
The first teach-in will be Thursday, Feb. 2nd at 7:30pm on the topic of School Closings and their impact on the community.
There will be a panel of academic and activist speakers each given a short time to present before the format opens up to allow participants to discuss and ask further questions of the panelists.
Confirmed speakers are: Dr. Kenneth Saltman, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Research at Depaul and author of "The Failure of Corporate School Reform."
Nathan Goldbaum, Co-Chair of CORE, Caucus Of Rank-and-file Educators.
Rico Gutstein, representing Teachers for Social Justice.
We have invited KOCO but their participation is unconfirmed.
Future SouthSide teach-in topics include the prison-industrial complex, and other issues important to that community.
Democracy Burlesque and WakeUpAndDream Productions present:
Occupy Mary's Attic!
A Political Salon & Cabaret
Improv, Poetry, Music, Comedy, Dialogue… and much more!
Tuesday January 31st & February 7th
@ 7:30pm
Mary's Attic (above Hamburger Mary's)
5400 N Clark Street - Andersonville
"A Salon is a gathering of people held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation."
"Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy song, dance, theatre, introduced by an MC and distinguished by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub."
Hosted by Andrew Ritter
Featuring the interactive political performance ensemble: The Dynamising Wills
Also Featuring:
Micah Philbrook as Chester Q. Goodsbee, III, robber baron.
A Mayoral Tutorial by Don Washington
Music by El Colectivo Musical
Stand Up Comedy by Cynthia Levin
Poetry by Eva Pilch
A sneak preview of Stage Left's upcoming World Premiere: The Fisherman
A Special Announcement by W.C. Turck
And much much more!
Join us for an interactive evening of artistic expression and spirited conversation as we examine and explore The Occupy Movement.
Occupy The Arts!
Reserve your $12 tickets now by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com or purchase $15 tickets at the door. Cash only!
Solidarity March for Occupy Oakland
Due to the violence that took place in Oakland tonight, a solidarity march will be held at Jackson and LaSalle at 7pm, Sunday January 29th. Come show your support for our brothers and Sisters in Oakland.
#oaklandlove #onemarch #00 #J29
[this has not been endorsed or sanctioned by the OccupyChicago GA. this is an emergency action being put forth by some members of OccupyChicago in response to the violent police repression seen in Oakland on J28.]
Facilitation Workshop
The Secretariat will be presenting a Facilitation Workshop this Sunday from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at Unit 701, 500 W. Cermak. The intention of this workshop is to enable individuals to guide groups towards cooperation and effective discussion. The horizontal structure of the occupations comes from a long tradition of "peoples' movements," which harnesses the power of populism when respected properly. This discussion will prepare individuals for moderating the General Assembly and other organizational meetings. Please come if you're interested in helping facilitate General Assemblies or just want to learn more about effective meeting facilitation!
Workers' Power: Labor Solidarity Workshop
The Occupy Movement is part of an international struggle against the richest 1% who are attempting to solve the economic crisis they created by drastically cutting the living standards of working people.
Here in Chicago this has meant, closing down public schools, shuttering mental heath clinics, reducing health care for the uninsured, decreased public transportation, cuts in library hours - all while cutting taxes for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. All 50 Aldermen have united behind Mayor Emanuel in these attacks, and Preckwinkle and Quinn are taking similar measures at the County and State levels.
This conference aims to bring together those who are fighting back, to not only network and learn from one another, but chart a way forward with common goals in mind. We welcome the participation of all.
People can register here. The facebook annoucement is here. Fliers can be found at facebook link.
Onsite childcare will be provided.
The conference is wheelchair accessible - enter through the 1645 W Jackson building and use elevator and skyway to access 300 S Jackson building.
This event has been endorsed by AFSCME, Chicago Teachers Union, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, National Association of Letter Carriers, National Nurses United, SEIU, CMRJB, Workers United, Teamsters 743, Jobs with Justice, Illinois Single Payer Coalition
For more info email: email@example.com
Doors open at 9:00 am with continental breakfast
Opening Plenary: 9:30-10:30
Workshops I 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Privatization of Everything
Immigration As a Matter of Civil Rights
Labor, Occupy and Politics
Organizing the Unorganized
Workshops II 1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Race and Class in Rahm's Chicago
Fighting Back Against War and Austerity: Why Occupy and Labor should oppose NATO/G8
Labor, Occupy and Community Struggles
Workshops III 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
What Your Boss Doesn't Want You to Know – Unions 101
Labor History
Who Stole Your Future?
From an Occupy Comeback for Unions?
Closing plenary 4:45 pm - 6:00 pm
Ties & Tassels Presents, Mr. Hawk's *OCCU-PIE* Come get a piece!
Friday, Jan. 27th - Showtime 10pm-1am
Underground Lounge - 952 W. Newport Ave.
21+, no underage. Material may not be suitable for all... RISQUE!
Burlesque performers from around the city of Chicago, along with the Dolls of Doom (coming from SF), are supporting the efforts of Occupy Chicago by doing what they do best *wink wink*! Here's a chance to give a little by coming to this $7 show and buying some raffle tickets (fantastic prizes btw!). Come help us raise some much needed funds so Occupy Chicago can continue their efforts. 3 Hours of talent, including a performance by NLG's very own! Not one you will want to miss!!!
Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/249721815090448/ and come early! This show will SELL OUT!!!
Education Town Hall
This might be an interesting way to send a message via chat. A chat protest? Why not?
Also, are people planning to attend the event, or get in close proximity?
Teach-in / Discussion: "Precarity Movements in Europe"
This educational event will examine the notions of "precarity" and "precarious labor" by analyzing three approaches to the political mobilization of precarious workers--the unemployed, the undcocumented, the underpaid, those whose labor is fragmented, informal, and/or invisible--in Europe. Is precarity a new identity around which we must organize and unionize? Is it a set of conditions not linked to a particular working condition, but rather to an affective bio-political terrain of struggle? Or is it an indication of the need for new methods of struggle that combine direct action with the appropriation of the means of social reproduction?
"A Short and Irreverent History of the G8 and NATO"
With the upcoming NATO/G8 summit looming over Chicago, it's time to present the historical background and context for both of these organizations and why they are meeting in Chicago this spring. As two of the central bodies pursuing the interests of the global 1 percent, understanding how and when they were formed and for what purpose is essential to making sense of why the Occupy movement should resist them. It's also essential to understanding why Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city officials are willing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars, shred essential civil liberties and lock down the city center to accommodate the 10,000 or so diplomats, policymakers and media teams that will descend on the city. This teach-in will cover a short history of both NATO and G8, what they've done and do in the world, and how their decisions—made by largely unaccountable and unelected people at big summits—shape the lives of the global 99 percent. The immense resources they've commanded throughout the last several decades have largely created the world we now inhabit, and understanding these processes—both economic and political—is the main objective of this meeting.
J21: Global Day to Support Egyptian Revolution
J21: Global Day to Support Egyptian Revolution
The group Egyptians in the US, and specifically the Egyptians in Chicago chapter, have requested the support and participation of Occupy Chicago at their event commemorating the one year anniversary of the start of the Egyptian Revolution, on Saturday, January 21, 2012, from 12:30pm to 3:00pm.
January 25, 2012, will mark one year since the beginning of the Egyptian Revolution. Until now many of the revolution demands have not been met. The Egyptian people have suffered extreme brutality, and many fatalities in their struggle for freedom. Please go out and show your solidarity and support for the Egyptian Revolution. Remind everyone that the revolution, in Egypt and other places around the world, is still alive and we will not stop until the world is a better place.
Event Plan:
12:30 pm - Gather at the "Horse statue", 500 S. Michigan Ave., the corner of Michigan and Congress.
1:00 pm - Leave the "Horse Statue", 500 S. Michigan Ave. and march north towards the Egyptian consulate.
1:30 pm - Arrive at the Egyptian consulate, 500 N. Michigan Ave.
1:35 am - 3:00 pm Rally, speakers, and theatrical protest at Egyptian consulate.
We will learn Egyptian revolution chants and songs that they are singing in Tahrir Square. Please come out and show solidarity for the catalyst of the Occupy Movement. Events are taking place all across the U.S. and the world. You can spread the word using the following twitter and facebook releases, and keep track of events on twitter with the hashtags #Jan21 and/or #Jan21Egypt.
First General Assembly at Our New Indoor Base of Operations!
We have access to our winter home! Time to use it.
On Friday, January 20th, we will hold our GA in our new indoor space located at 500 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616. Here's a map: http://g.co/maps/4r7rv. We will meet up at Jackson and LaSalle at 7 PM and go to the new space as a group at 7:10 or you can come on your own. To get there by public transportation you can get off of the redline at the Cermak stop and either walk or take Bus 21 towards North Riverside Mall and get off at Cermak and Lumber. The door is on Lumber past the door for the UHaul space, 2147 S Lumber St. The meeting room is on the 7th floor, room # 700, and there will be someone at the door to direct you to the right room if don't come with the group from Jackson and LaSalle.
Come out for this historic day! See the new space!
We request that press and media refrain from bringing recording equipment at this time. We will hold a press conference to introduce press and media to our new space sometime during the coming week. The date and time for that press conference will be announced this Saturday, January 21st.
Funeral for the Bill of Rights
Occupy Chicago and the general public are welcomed to gather and mourn the loss of our dear friend, Bill of Rights at LaSalle and Jackson Plaza on January 17, a National Day of Action.
Bill of Rights was brutally beaten to death by a gang of thugs, eventually succumbing to wounds of massive hemorrhaging and blunt force trauma. Those claiming responsibility are National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Protect the IP Act (PIPA), and 'Mayor 1%' Emanuel for his permanent limitations of free speech and assembly beginning at the NATO/G8 summits on May 15-22.
Please attend, dressed in your funeral best to hear our accusations against its murderers, share our dearest Bill of Rights memories, and finally, lay to rest our beloved friend.
Schedule of Events:
430-5 pm: Visitation
5-530 pm: Ceremony
530-630: Funeral Procession around Loop
630-7: Internment and Final Goodbye at Jackson and LaSalle
In sympathy,
Occupy Chicago
Rights, Bill of
The Bill of Rights, age 220, at rest Jan 1st, 2012. Child of The United States Constitution; loving parent of modern Freedom, Democracy
and Civil Liberties; devoted friend and defender to all who loved liberty. Included in this untimely passing are First Amendment: The Freedom of Speech, Press and Right to Peaceably Assemble, Second Amendment: Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Third Amendment: Protection from Quartering of Troops, Fourth Amendment: Protection from Unreasonable Search and Seizure, Fifth Amendment: Due Process, Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, and Eminent Domain, Sixth Amendment: Trial by Jury and Rights of the Accused with Speedy and Public Trial given Right to Counsel, Seventh Amendment: Civil Trial by Jury, Eighth Amendment: Prohibition of Excessive Bail, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Ninth Amendment: Protection of Rights not specifically stated in Constitution, Tenth Amendment: Powers of People and States. The Bill of Rights devoted its life to all Americans who chose to fight for a better future without worry of government reprisal. It worked tirelessly to help those who hope for a future where all people can truly be considered equal. The Bill of Rights loved all unconditionally and inspired generations of legislation to protect the liberty of all Americans. A public visitation and memorial services will be held at Jackson and Lasalle Street on January 17th at 4 pm. Service information: www.occupychi.org
Occupy The Dream January 16th Events!
3:00 - 4:30 PM Join the Metropolitan Chicago area African-American Faith Community, Trinity UCC, and Occupy Chicago to protest fraudulent foreclosures and astronomical student debt.
Occupy the Dream! MLK Day Celebration and Public Meeting
IIRON's Martin Luther King Day Celebration and Public Meeting
Sunday, January 15 at 2:30pm at the People's Church (941 W. Lawrence)
11:30am Occupy Chicago Event including brunch, sign making, and teachin-learnin on civil rights (Location TBA--keep an eye out on the website for updates).
1:30pm Leave our gathering to head to the Main event. If you can't make it to brunch but would like to meet us there at 1:30 to travel with us, please do so! Just let us know on your RSVP so we can plan accordingly.
2:30-4:30pm--Occupy the dream rally--we'll meet up with 1000s from across the city at The People's Church located at 941 W. Lawrence Avenue.
Come together with 1200 other people from across the Chicago are to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and to continue his work of justice by holding Wall Street banks and corporations accountable!
Elected officials from across the Chicago area will be there, including aldermen, state legislators, and federal officials. We will be asking them to commit in front of hundreds of their constituents to hold banks and other big corporations accountable. We need you to participate in this event so that our elected officials know they're being watched!
Occupy Chicago is gathering at 11:30 that morning for brunch and a teachin-learnin to get ourselves energized before moving as a group to the event. (Location TBA-Keep an eye on the website for updates). Let us know if you plan on attending the brunch so we can get an approximate headcount for food. Additionally, if you cannot make it to brunch but will be meeting us to travel together, let us know that as well so we can account for you in possible bus plans.
Hosted by: IIRON - Indiana Illinois Regional Organizing Network, SOUL - Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, Northside POWER, The Northwest Indiana Federation and Occupy Chicago!
PLEASE RSVP as soon as you are confirmed to go! Numbers are important for transportation and food! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRIUXEtRzVZSFc2MVI3R2FpNmJudUE6MQ#gid=0
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/245098605555240/
"Martin Luther King Jr and The Housing Struggle in Chicago, Then and Now"
This teach-in will focus on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's 1966 campaign against slums in Chicago and the tenant and Black homeowners movement that was spawned in its aftermath. Between 1966 and 1969 the Chicago Tribune reported on more than 100 rent strikes and tenant actions in Chicago alone and much of this began with King and the SCLC who initiated Unions to End Slums that arose in several West Side neighborhoods. The formation of tenant unions, rent strikes and eviction blockades that became central to the black struggle for housing justice in the 1960's are all lessons we can learn from in today's fight against evictions and foreclosure.
This event is part of Occupy Chicago's MLK Day events. For full details, see here:
Occupy the AEA! - Saturday
Saturday, 4:30. Michigan and Wacker: Mock Awards Ceremony
Outside the AEA awards ceremony, the Coalition Against Corporate Higher Education (CACHE) will present its own set of parody awards commemorating those who contributed the most towards our economic collapse while personally profiting.
On Friday and Saturday, Roosevelt University will host the People's Economic Conference, a series of workshops highlighting divergent and alternative views which offer concrete solutions to the country's economic problems.
Saturday 1/7 12-3pm at Roosevelt University (430 S Michigan 3rd floor)
12-12:45pm - "Economics, Economists, and the Matter of Harm" George DeMartino, Professor of International Economics at the University of Denver.
12:45-1:45 - "More Jobs, Better Jobs: Can we have both? Can we have either?" Chris Tilly, Professor in the Urban Planning department and director of UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.
2-3pm - "Rethinking Economics" Stephen Marglin, Professor of Economics at Harvard University holding the Walter S. Barker Chair in the Department.
These events are sponsored by Occupy Chicago, the direct action committee, CACHE, the URPE and the CPEG. We welcome participation and involvement from all individuals as well as: Occupy El Barrio, Ocupy the South Side, Occupy Roger's Park, the Occupy Chicago Labor Committee, The Iraq Veterans Against the War, Jobs With Justice and Stand Up! Chicago.
Flier: http://tinypic.com/r/2pyxfk8/5
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/326608820696632/?ref=ts
Statement from URPE supporting the Occupy movement: http://tinyurl.com/6mwxxws
WFFLF Benefit Concert for OC!
Come help WFFLF support the Occupy Chicago Movement by attending this benefit show at The Empty Bottle (1035 N Western Ave, Chicago)!
Ephemeral Sunrise- 12:00pm-12:25pm
Give Back- 12:35pm-1pm
The Bajas- 1:10pm-1:35pm
Going Backwards- 1:45pm-2:10pm
Waste- 2:20pm-2:45pm
THE CATHY SANTONIES- 2:55pm-3:25pm
WHEN FLYING FEELS LIKE FALLING- 3:35pm- 4:15pm
A Big thanks to the School Of Rock for providing the back-line!
Occupy the AEA! - Friday
Friday, 12:30 at Michigan and Wacker: Rally and political theater event.
As AEA members head to lunch with colleagues in fancy downtown restaurants, Occupy the AEA will invite them to step down from their ivory and share a meal with a member of the 99% Affected by their neo-liberal economic policies instead. We will be offering them RAHM-en noodles as our treat.
Then the 99% spokespeople will deliver their personal stories of how their lives have been harmed by the economic policies of the 1%.
Friday, 2:30/3:00 March from Palmer House (17 E Monroe) to Rally at Michigan and Wacker.
Members of the URPE leaving their luncheon conference will march to the rally where economic speakers outside the narrow mainstream carved by the AEA will provide alternative economic theories and real solutions to the problems we face that are exacerbated and in some cases caused by the AEA.
On Friday and Saturday, Roosevelt University will host the People's Economic Conference, a series of workshops highlighting divergent and alternative views which offer concrete solutions to the country's economic problems.
Friday 1/6 3:30-5:30 at Roosevelt University (430 S Michigan 3rd floor)
3:30-4:30 - "The Political Economy of Human Capital" with Nancy Folbre, Professor of Economics at UMass-Amherst who also works with the Center for Popular Economics.
4:30-5:30 - "Monetary Reform" with Steve Zarlenga, Director American Monetary Institute Monetary.org, author "The Lost Science of Money", author of the "American Monetary Act" that is now before Congress as the National Emergency Employment Defense Act (NEED) sponsored by Dennis Kucinich and John Conyers that calls for the nationalization of the Federal Reserve under the Department of Treasury, and the elimination of fractional reserve lending.
These events are sponsored by Occupy Chicago, the direct action committee, CACHE, the URPE and the CPEG. We welcome participation and involvement from all individuals as well as: Occupy El Barrio, Ocupy the South Side, Occupy Roger's Park, the Occupy Chicago Labor Committee, The Iraq Veterans Against the War, Jobs With Justice and Stand Up! Chicago.
Flier: http://tinypic.com/r/2pyxfk8/5
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/326608820696632/?ref=ts
Statement from URPE supporting the Occupy movement: http://tinyurl.com/6mwxxws
"I'm giving you a choice: either put on these glasses or start eatin' that trash can:" Occupy Chicago Education Committee's Film Series Continues With John Carpenter's "They Live" (1988)
A science fiction/horror film that combines dark comedy with an astute ideological critique of how our culture and daily life habits are mediated by the forces of the 1%, who instill in us the desire to consume rather than think.Nada, a homeless construction worker struggling to survive in a desperately low income area of Los Angeles, stumbles across a boxes of sunglasses hidden in a local church. Once he puts on the glasses his perception of the world around him changes. Along with the new ability to discern alien bodies ruling amongst the humans, Nada now becomes aware of how advertisements and billboards, that once appeared as harmless backdrops, contain implicit orders (OBEY, STAY ALSEEP, NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT, SUBMIT...), compelling him (us) to behave in ways that encourage individuals to participate in their own exploitation, obscuring class conflicts and economic injustices. As the now famous scene between Nada and his friend Frank fighting over the glasses suggests, the act of liberation is not an easy path. The addition of critical glasses in a strange twist reveals the need for great endurance and strength in the face of sense of a loss. As Slavoj Žižek describes, "when one looks for too long at reality through the critico-ideological glasses one gets a strong headache. It is very painful to be deprived of the ideological surplus-enjoyment. Please join us for a post-film discussion on how our experience of and within the Occupy movements are affecting our perceptions and interpretations.
Help us determine what questions the film raises, based on our contemporary experience
*For those interested in Slavoj Zizek's discussion of Carpenter's film, see two similarly-named yet different articles on the topic:
Occupy My Heart: A Revolutionary Christmas Carol
Based upon the Dickens classic, "Occupy My Heart" tells the story of Josh, an ambitious Chicago banker, who one cold and snowy Christmas Eve loses his job and girlfriend. Josh happens upon Kay, an old love, protesting with the Occupy movement. Where they once found cause to change the world, Josh is now lost to the greed of Wall Street. Where once he fought for the cause and dignity of every man, Josh's heart is now indifferent to the suffering around him. But on that frosty Christmas Eve night Josh will be visited by three spirits that will show him that other world, the one that might have been with Kay, a world of hope and decency and dignity for all.
Can a cynical heart be changed in a single night, enough to ask or beg forgiveness and a second chance with Kay? Can the changing of one heart be enough to change the world? Set against the backdrop of the Occupy movement, Occupy My Heart is an hour long play written as a celebration of the movement, to bring the spirit and message of the Occupation to a broader audience. There is romance and comedy, politics and regret, heartbreak and hope. Above all this is a story of the 99%, for the 99% and by the 99%. Occupy My Heart, A Revolutionary Christmas Carol is the story of us.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-My-Heart-A-revolutionary-Christmas...
"U.S.-Held Political Prisoners & The Occupy Movement"
Today there are close to 100 Political Prisoners still being held in the aftermath of COINTELPRO. Driven by a set of standards and values rooted in genuine brotherhood and sisterhood, these men and women were dedicated to the task of ushering in a social order of genuine peace and prosperity for all children, women and men transcending all class, cultural, ethnic and racial distinctions. Likewise, they were motivated by a desire for an equitable distribution of wealth and a fair economic, political and social system; not, at all, unlike the one envisioned by those who are part of today's 'Occupy Movement'. Subsequently, they set-off on a course of action to secure the same rights of food, clothing, shelter, education and health that are at the core of the grievances of 'Occupy Wall Street'. For no reason other than the fact that their activities, associations and political views were not conducive to the scheme of, nor looked upon favorably by, those at the helm of the U.S. government they were targeted to be neutralized and/or terminated. The majority of them were convicted as a result of gross judicial and/or prosecutorial misconduct as well as innumerable instances of false evidence, false testimony and 'frame-ups'. Many of them have been unjustly languishing in prison for 30 - 40+ years. There is a great need to bring dialogue to the Occupy movement that focuses on the struggle waged by those brave men and women and the reasons behind it as a prelude to launching an unrelenting campaign to win their freedom and release from imprisonment. Please, join us in this noble cause!
Free em all!!!
Occupy My Heart: A Revolutionary Christmas Carol
Based upon the Dickens classic, "Occupy My Heart" tells the story of Josh, an ambitious Chicago banker, who one cold and snowy Christmas Eve loses his job and girlfriend. Josh happens upon Kay, an old love, protesting with the Occupy movement. Where they once found cause to change the world, Josh is now lost to the greed of Wall Street. Where once he fought for the cause and dignity of every man, Josh's heart is now indifferent to the suffering around him. But on that frosty Christmas Eve night Josh will be visited by three spirits that will show him that other world, the one that might have been with Kay, a world of hope and decency and dignity for all.
Can a cynical heart be changed in a single night, enough to ask or beg forgiveness and a second chance with Kay? Can the changing of one heart be enough to change the world? Set against the backdrop of the Occupy movement, Occupy My Heart is an hour long play written as a celebration of the movement, to bring the spirit and message of the Occupation to a broader audience. There is romance and comedy, politics and regret, heartbreak and hope. Above all this is a story of the 99%, for the 99% and by the 99%. Occupy My Heart, A Revolutionary Christmas Carol is the story of us.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-My-Heart-A-revolutionary-Christmas...
Occupy My Heart: A Revolutionary Christmas Carol
Based upon the Dickens classic, "Occupy My Heart" tells the story of Josh, an ambitious Chicago banker, who one cold and snowy Christmas Eve loses his job and girlfriend. Josh happens upon Kay, an old love, protesting with the Occupy movement. Where they once found cause to change the world, Josh is now lost to the greed of Wall Street. Where once he fought for the cause and dignity of every man, Josh's heart is now indifferent to the suffering around him. But on that frosty Christmas Eve night Josh will be visited by three spirits that will show him that other world, the one that might have been with Kay, a world of hope and decency and dignity for all.
Can a cynical heart be changed in a single night, enough to ask or beg forgiveness and a second chance with Kay? Can the changing of one heart be enough to change the world? Set against the backdrop of the Occupy movement, Occupy My Heart is an hour long play written as a celebration of the movement, to bring the spirit and message of the Occupation to a broader audience. There is romance and comedy, politics and regret, heartbreak and hope. Above all this is a story of the 99%, for the 99% and by the 99%. Occupy My Heart, A Revolutionary Christmas Carol is the story of us.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-My-Heart-A-revolutionary-Christmas...
"Utility Profiteering and How to Fight It"
Occupy My Heart: A revolutionary Christmas Carol, March to the Play
On Friday, December 23rd, join us for a march to the Lincoln Memorial in Grant Park, at Columbus and Congress as members of Occupy Chicago perform OCCUPY MY HEART: A revolutionary Christmas Carol, as we Occupy the Arts. The march will commence from LaSalle and Jackson at 2pm. The free hour long performance will begin at 3pm.
Based upon the Dickens classic, Occupy My Heart tells the story of Josh, an ambitious Chicago banker, who one cold and snowy Christmas Eve loses his job and girlfriend. Josh happens upon Kay, an old love, protesting with the Occupy movement. Where they once found cause to change the world, Josh is now lost to the greed of Wall Street. Where once he fought for the cause and dignity of every man, Josh's heart is now indifferent to the suffering around him. But on that frosty Christmas Eve night Josh will be visited by of the three Occupy spirits that will show him that other world, the one that might have been with Kay, a world of hope and decency and dignity for all. But can a cynical heart be changed in a single night? Can that heart be changed enough to ask or beg forgiveness and a second chance with Kay? And can the changing of one heart be enough to change the world?
Set against the backdrop of the Occupy movement, Occupy My Heart is an hour long play written as a celebration of the movement, to bring the spirit and message of this historic moment to a broader audience. There is romance and comedy, politics and regret, heartbreak and hope. Above all this is a story of the 99%, for the 99% and by the 99%. Occupy My Heart, A Revolutionary Christmas Carol is the story of us.
Directed by K. Hannah Friedman, and brought to life by a talented and amazing cast, this family friendly one hour play is a bold, fresh and innovative realization of a holiday icon. Come with friends and family. Come out and march, or just come for the show as we Occupy the Arts!
March in Solidarity with Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine
March in Solidarity with Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine - Approved at Wednesday 21, 2011 GA: unanimous
We have drawn direct inspiration from the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic. In light of recent events, we must now express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters. Similar to Occupy Wall Street's solidarity action on Nov.22 in which hundreds marched to the Egyptian consulate in NYC, we will march upon the Egyptian consulate Friday, Dec. 23rd.
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
11:00 am - Leave "the Horse", 500 S. Michigan Ave., march north
11:25 am - Arrive at the Egyptian consulate, 500 N. Michigan Ave.
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Rally, speakers, and theatrical protest at Egyptian consulate
We will be making signs the night before at 8:00 pm at Grace Place: 637 South Dearborn Street. Join us!
Hearing on the motion to consolidate dismissal motions
Over 70 members of Occupy Chicago have filed motions to dismiss the charges brought against them. Wednesday, December 21st, there will be a hearing at 9:00 AM on an important motion related to the case.
Come show support for those who have been arrested and are involved in a legal battle with the City of Chicago!
Occupy Rogers Park Screening and Discussion of "Workers Republic"
This event is put on by Occupy Rogers Park.
'Workers' Republic' is a 60-minute documentary that chronicles one of the most important labor victories in recent memory. The film won the John MIchaels Human Rights Film Award at the 32nd annual Big Muddy Film Festival in Feb. 2010. Three weeks before Christmas 2008, in the depths of the economic crisis, Chicago company Republic Windows and Doors announced the factory's closure. They informed their work force that they would not be paid for their final week or receive their accrued vacation pay. Insurance benefits were cut immediately, and the workers were denied the 60-day severance guaranteed under the federal WARN Act. What those ordinary people did next reminded the working class it possesses a power long forgotten. In a move that harkened back to the sit-down strikes of the 1930s, they occupied the doomed factory day and night for nearly a week, declaring they would not leave until they were given what their employer owed them. The workers won over the public to their cause and the story made headlines all over the world. 'Workers' Republic' conveys the courage, the creativity, and the solidarity of those window-builders who vowed to stand up for their rights. From the opening moments to the eventual victory, and culminating in the surprise fate of the Chicago factory, the film shows radical action can be a solution to exploitation. Filmmaker Andrew Friend has assembled the accounts of several of the main fighters in the Republic struggle, including front line workers, the organizers of their small union, and a few of the thousand people that supported them through small acts of solidarity. In our turbulent times of economic strife, 'Workers' Republic' is an anthem of future possibility and opportunity. http://workersrepublic.tv/
Prior to the film showing, Rogers Park Occupy is joining with Food Not Bombs to distribute food at the Morse El Stop at 2 PM (Food Not Bombs' regular food distribution place and time).
Following the film and discussion, beginning at 7 PM, Rogers Park Occupy will host a joint General Assembly of Occupiers and supporters from around the city. Everyone is welcome!!!
For those coming by public transit, Living Water Community Church is 4 blocks from the Morse Red Line stop and on the 155 bus route.
Occupy Rogers Park is hosting joint GA on Sunday December 18
This Sunday, December 18th, Occupy Rogers Park will be hosting a joint GA, and welcoming Occupiers from around the city to join us for a day of action, education, and unity. At 2pm, a group of Rogers Park Occupiers will be joining Food Not Bombs as they distribute food in front of the Morse El Stop, in Rogers Park. All Occupiers are welcome. At 4pm, Occupy Rogers Park will be hosting a screening and discussion of the film "Workers Republic" at the Living Water Church, at 6808 N. Ashland. At 7pm, we will be holding a joint GA, at the Living Water Church, in the hopes that Occupiers from downtown, and throughout the city, will join us to share ideas, and vote on some very important issues. Local educational events, joint ventures, and service actions will be discussed.
We are looking forward to hearing your ideas and opinions.
Special GA to Discuss Housing/HQ
Occupy Chicago will soon have an indoor home. It sits on the horizon with new opportunities and challenges for our movement. Without a doubt, this new beginning is on all of our minds. The celebration that started the week has given way to conversations shaped by both fresh ideas and fresh concerns. This Saturday, December 17th, is the time to bring these ideas and concerns to the table and discuss them as a movement at the 7:00PM General Assembly.
All committees are encouraged to meet over the course of this week in preparation for this discussion. Preparatory consideration should include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. What effects, including new opportunities and new challenges, can the movement expect to arise from moving indoors?
2. What can your committee do to address these effects?
3. What other committees may be helpful to your committee in addressing these effects?
4. How will this effect the current HQ at Jackson and LaSalle?
The goal of this meeting is for the committees and individuals of Occupy Chicago to determine and take-on the tasks we need accomplish before we move in to our new home.
Keep Your Kids Occupied! - THIS SATURDAY!
We invite the parents and children of the Chicago community to come and enjoy a day of education and fun. Join us as we strive for a better future for ourselves and our children.
We've got; crafts, activities, and music for kids, a bake sale, and education is working to get us a teach-in for the parents!
We've even got a coloring book occupy parody of the Grinch story.
A better world is possible!
SOLIDARITY! and love to all.
Peace Circle training
Join us for futher training on Peace Circles and mediation techniques. Our two professional mediators will be facilitating!
Saturday 12/17 3-6 p.m. At the DePaul Center (Jackson & State) rm. 8011
Celebrate 3-Month Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street & Demand Justice for Bradley Manning, Alleged Wikileaker
Midwest Anti-War Mobilization // www.chicagomassaction.org
Celebrate 3-Month Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street & Demand Justice for Bradley Manning, Alleged Wikileaker
Sat 12/17
12pm, Federal Plaza (Adams and Dearborn)
DECEMBER 17th is the 3-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. OWS was inspired not only by the rip-offs of the 99% by the 1%, but by the lack of transparency in government and the private sector that facilitated these rip-offs.
DECEMBER 17th is also the birthday of alleged Wikileaker Bradley Manning. It is also the day after Manning begins his first pre-trial hearing after more than a year and half in prison. If the allegations against him are true, then rather than being incarcerated, Bradley Manning should be celebrated as a true hero for forcing transparency on the war crimes committed by the United States, and exposing the dirty dealings of the Bush and Obama administrations with brutal dictators around the world.
DECEMBER 17th is also the 1-year anniversary of the immolation of the Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, who sparked the Arab Spring and inspired activism around the globe. Many see the Wikileaks revelations about U.S. dealings with North African dictators as having helped spread the Spring.
To commemorate this important date, the Midwest Anti-War Mobilization, of which the Gay Liberation Network is a part, will hold a State Street march among the holiday shoppers on Saturday, December 17th, carrying signs, banners and passing out handbills to spread the word about these important issues.
We will meet at 12 noon on that day at Federal Plaza, corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets, and then shortly afterward proceed over to State Street.
RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/313614381990228
Bradley Manning: www.BradleyManning.org
UK Guardian article on Manning's role in allegedly helping force the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq:
Short video by "anonymous" highlighting the date's significance:
Saturday G.A. discussion over preparing to move indoors.
Occupy Chicago will soon have an indoor home. It sits on the horizon with new
opportunities and challenges for our movement. Without a doubt, this new
beginning is on all of our minds. The celebration that started the week has
given way to conversations shaped by both fresh ideas and fresh concerns. This
Saturday, December 17th, is the time to bring these ideas and concerns to the
table and discuss them as a movement at the 7:00PM General Assembly.
All committees are encouraged to meet over the course of this week in
preparation for this discussion. Preparatory consideration should include, but
not be limited to, the following:
1. What effects, including new opportunities and new challenges, can the
movement expect to arise from moving indoors?
2. What can your committee do to address these effects?
3. What other committees may be helpful to your committee in addressing these
The goal of this meeting is for the committees and individuals of Occupy
Chicago to determine and take-on the tasks we need to accomplish before we move
in to our new home.
Tech committee meeting
Come join us for our tech meeting. We ask that you bring a computer.
We welcome suggestions on the website layout!
Speak Up Now Or Be On The Wrong Side of History: "The People Speak" Film Screening and Discussion
Kicking off our documentary series, "The People Speak" tells the dramatic stories of those who both believed and manifested the notion that democracy is not a spectator sport. The film stems from Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History of the United States and A People's History of the United States, texts compiled from primary-source material. Because the Occupy Movement is, above all, about reclaiming human rights, we'll begin our series with the voices of the people themselves. We'll draw inspiration and gather power from their words and actions to incite our own. Join us for a post-screening discussion to let your own voice be heard.
Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hUQ657XR7Y
Conflict Resolution drop-in
Have conflicts? Bring them to the Peace Cricle! We will be having drop in on Thursday from 6-8; come in if you want to talk or if you need a conflicte mediated.
We will be in a study room at the library on the 5th floor. Look for the sign!
Protest against Hyatt's Threats to Cancel Chicago Workers' Health Benefits!
IC meeting
Weekly IC meeting
Big Retail and the 99%
This event will be an interactive workshop that provides historical background about some of Chicago's largest and worst employers. It will detail the way in which the current retail model affects workers & taxpayers. We will examine what the aggressive expansion of big retail in Chicago means for young job seekers in the 99% who are likely to work for these employers, and how it serves the young people in the 1%. This event will explore how corporate welfare works, incorporating the use of interactive games. We will learn the hard statistics on wealth disparities created through the retail industry, and how we can organize to change it.
Turnaround The Mayor's Office
Wed. 12/14
"Because we agree with his focus on accountability, we are requesting that "Mayor 1%" Emanuel schedule a meeting with us to address our concerns about his failing the 99% in Chicago," says Joshua Kaunert, an Occupy Chicago committee member. "We understand that this meeting would be out of the Mayor's comfort zone, as we can't bring any millionaire campaign donors to the table. If he doesn't agree to a meeting so that we can voice these concerns, we will have no choice but to "Turnaround" the Mayor's Office."
If the request for a meeting is ignored, an Occupy Chicago Direct Action Committee flying squad will begin the Mayor's Office Turnaround at 3pm on Wednesday, December 14th on the 5th Floor of City Hall, just outside of Mayor Emanuel's office. All Chicagoans are encouraged to attend.
"Acting in the best interest of Chicagoans means making difficult decisions and taking a tough stance against those who have used their wealth to manipulate our political system," says Craig Pelkey, an Occupy Chicago flying squad member. "After the 'Turnaround' of the Mayor's Office, we will be accepting applications to fill those positions left vacant by the termination of Emanuel and his staff."
The application will consist of the following questions:
1) Why should charter schools continue to be such a large part of the education reform plan, despite several recent studies that suggest that they don't out-perform public schools?
2) Small class size and access to a diverse curriculum are among the benefits children receive at the University of Chicago Lab Schools, where Mayor Emanuel's children attend classes. Why shouldn't these same features be a priority for the students in CPS?
3) Please explain how closing and limiting the hours of Chicago Public Libraries helps create an effective education reform plan?
4) Please explain how closing and privatizing the mental and physical health clinics contributes to increasing student achievement?
5) Children affected by the stress of foreclosure often exhibit lower academic performance as a result. Why shouldn't a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions be part of any plan for education reform?
"Our elected officials must be held accountable to the people who elected them, not the campaign donors who lined their coffers." says Micah Philbrook of Occupy Chicago. "December 14th provides the 99% an opportunity to measure Mayor Emanuel's performance using the same standard that is used to gauge the performance of Chicago Public School's teachers and administrators."
CTU Vigil and Board of Education Speak Out
IC meeting
Weekly IC meeting
The Occupy Movement: What Does Democracy Look Like?
Occupy Chicago is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this jam-packed multifacited event on the Occupy Movement.
Featured Panelists
Adam Green (moderator), historian and author of Selling the Race: Culture and Community in Black Chicago
Vijay Prashad, author of The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World and commentator on world affairs
Bernardine Dohrn, immediate past director and founder of the Children and Family Justice Center
Nathan Brown, professor and activist at UC Davis
Amisha Patel, community organizer and executive director of Grassroots Collaborative
EVEN MORE! Featured performances by poets Kevin Coval and FM Supreme. We will also hear perspectives on the Occupy movement from local respondents including representatives from the Immigrant Youth Justice League, Occupy the Hood and Occupy Chicago, and a "Mic-Check"via Skype to organizers with Occupy Wall Street.
Cupcakes and Hot-Chocolate will be served.
Co-Sponsored by The Public Square and In These Times.
Full details on this event can be found here: http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/_programsevents/_upcomingevents/_2011/_JaneAddamsDay/Dec10.html
Health Disparities in the Chicago Area
City-Wide Day of Action Against Coal
The air we breathe is being destroyed by the corporate greed of Midwest Generation, owner and operator of the Fisk and Crawford coal fire power plants.
We are tired of our health and environment being sold in the profit market. We are tired of 40+ premature deaths per ...year, 2800 asthma attacks per year,
500 emergency room visits per year. And we are not sorry for letting public health disrupt the private profit of Midwest Generation. If you are also not sorry, join us in our city-wide day of action against coal.
We will have several actions to target the main culprits; Midwest Generation and it's investor Bank of America.
10:00 AM Teach-in about climate change by Rising Tide at Rudy Lozano Public Library 18th and Loomis.
11:00 AM Bank of America Customers pull their money out at 18th Street Branch - with rally outside.
12:00 PM Rally at Plaza Tenochtitlan 18th Street and Loomis Ave.
12:30 PM Press Conference
1:00 PM March begins
2:00 PM We arrive at LaSalle and Jackson and join Occupy Chicago then march to Midwest Generations Corporate HQ at 440 S. La Salle St.
List of endorsing organizations:
Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization
Occupy Chicago
Ocupa el Barrio
Climate Justice Teach-in
Location: Lazona Library (1805 South Loomis Street)
Time: 10:15am to 11:15am
This teach-in will be on climate change basics (What is climate change?
What is causing it? What are current effects and what will future effects
be? What is climate justice (solutions, what is does not support, etc.).
This will be a standard educational committee style teach-in, starting
with me presenting the above info, following questions and open space
communication. This teach-in will also take place with Occupy Chicago at
Columbia College on Fri, Dec. 9th, 4:30pm, room TBA.
Rainforest Action Network Bank Action
Location: Pilsen area Bank of America
Time: 11:15am to 11:45am
This will be a non-violent RAN action against Bank of America. It will be
scheduled to align with the teach-in timing. When the teach-in is done,
participants will be march over to the bank location, to show support for
RAN and dissent for Bank of America's support of coal.
PERRO Rally and March
Location: Tenochtitlan Plaza, 18th and Loomis
Time: noon to 4pm
This will be a rally with a following march to Jackson and LaSalle, then
to Midwest Generations Corporate HQ at 440 S. La Salle St. This action
will be against Crawford and Fisk coal plants and their owners, Midwest
Climate Justice
The impacts of climate change are affecting our planet and its inhabitants in drastic ways. If we refuse make necessary changes it will get far, far worse. The biggest impacts will be on the lives and livelihoods of poor and developing countries, especially small island states. The biggest culprits are the 1% and the developed countries. Progress for solutions has been made, but they are being enacted too slow to prevent future environmental catastrophes. Climate justice proposes ways to solve this by pushing for social and economic equity, a just transition to renewable energy sources, confronting corporate power, and other effective strategies. Come learn about why climate change is occurring, what the effects of it are, how you can fight for climate justice in Chicago, and how we can work together to slow climate change.
Occupy/Decolonize: Marx, Fanon, and the Dialectic of Primitive Accumulation and Real Subsumption
This workshop examines the relation between calls to "Occupy" and calls to "Decolonize." What is at stake in the tension between these slogans and the strategies, tactics, and historical situations to which they refer? How can we think through the relation between "occupation" and "decolonization" by considering this in terms of the different theoretical approaches offered by Karl Marx and Frantz Fanon? In particular, we will approach this problem by juxtaposing Fanon's description of the "colonial situation" with Marx's categories of primitive accumulation and real subsumption. How can we account for the real subsumption of our work and our social relations by capital as we struggle against the expropriation of land, resources, and community itself? And how can foregrounding struggles concerning race, gender, and marginalized communities help us to do so?
Public Forum hosted by Occupy Columbia College
The whole world has watched as police have pepper-sprayed, beaten and arrested non-violent protesters from California to New York.
This coordinated assault hasn't broken our spirits but it does raise critical questions:
Why are politicians unleashing such brutal repression?
Join us for a discussion on the politics we need to win the fight for our future.
Facebook Event Page
Discussion to Set Protocol for Addressing Violence
Following the request to extend the Wednesday night General Assembly's discussion regarding how to address individuals who violate the nonviolence of our movement, there was a motion to continue the conversation on Thursday (12/8) night at 7pm. The discussion will consist of three sections as follows:
- Reviewing Precedent
- Formulating a Future Proposal of Procedure
- How to immediately deal with the current situation
30 Years Too Long: The Case of Mumia Abu Jamal
December 9 marks 30 years that Mumia Abu Jamal has spent behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Over these 30 years, many people have become aware of the injustices in our prison system through Mumia's case, his writings, and protests organized for his freedom.
Around the country, activists are organizing rallies and educational events in solidarity with Mumia on December 9. Mark Clements of The Campaign to End the Death Penalty will be introducing Mumia's case. Mark has seen the horrors of the criminal justice system as he was a victim of police torture here in Chicago. He spent 28 years of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit. Since his release, he has been a tireless fighter for justice. After Mark speaks for a few moments, we would like to hear the words of Mumia himself. Mumia is an incredible journalist who has written several books, many articles, and hosts a radio show all from his cell. We will be playing one of his recordings at the teach-in as we think his voice is so powerful and should be broadcast. Mumia speaks on a wide range of topics (including the Occupy movement!), so his voice is relevant to our current situation. This will be followed by an open discussion of the prison industrial complex, the politics of criminality, and the fight to free political prisoners.
Save Christmas For the Unemployed!
Federal Plaza, Dearborn and Adams
December 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Renew the Federal Unemployment Insurance Programs Before they Expire December 31st!
Unless Congress acts swiftly, federal undemployment insurance programs will expire December 31st, cutting off benefits to nearly 2 million jobless Americans in January alone, with more than 6 million cut off during the coming year.
That would be devastating for millions of struggling job-seekers and their families, and a major negative shock to the economy as well. Economists estimate that if unemployment insurance is allowed to expire, the nation will lose another half a million jobs.
Federal unemployment insurance has helped more than 17 million Americans in the past three years. Recent Census data shows that federal unemployment benefits helped keep more than 3 million Americans from falling into povery in 2010 alone.
Congress has never cut back on extensions of unemployment insurance when the jobless rate has been anywhere near this high for so long. It would be conscionable for them to do so now.
*language from Chicago Jobs with Justice flyer
Los Immigrants y el 99% / Immigrants and the 99%
A bilingual teach-in presented by Occupy El Barrio and the Education Committee at Occupy Chicago.
Five years ago, millions of people in America occupied the streets of every major city, their demands were equal working rights for everybody and legalization for the undocumented. Where are these all of these people now? Where is the movement today? And how can the occupation movement help immigrants? From the anti-immigrant state bills to the militarization of the border and the police harassment in our communities; the 1% has launched a war against immigrant communities to divide and conquer the 99%. Join us in a discussion to rebuild the fight against the 1%, which profits from the separation of families, the detention of workers, and the low wages of the undocumented.
Hace cinco años, millones ocuparon las calles en las ciudades más importantes de los Estados Unidos, sus demandas eran el derecho a trabajar y la legalización de los indocumentados. ¿Dónde está toda esta gente ahora? ¿Dónde está el movimiento pro- inmigrante hoy? ¿Y cómo puede el movimiento de ocupaciónes ayudar a los inmigrantes? Las leyes anti-inmigrantes, la militarización de la frontera y el acoso de la policía en nuestras comunidades son las herramientas preferidas del 1% para dividir y conquistar al 99%. Participe en una discusión para reconstruir la lucha contra el 1%, que se beneficia de la separación de familias, la detención de los trabajadores, y los bajos salarios de los indocumentados.
General Committee Meeting
The general committee meeting is set up to address the specific committee problems and concerns and to explore possible solutions through the resources that the other committees can offer.
Internal Coordination is asking that there be at least one representative from each committee present. Each representative doesn't hold any special title but merely acts as a mediator for their committee to communicate and express committee accomplishments and concers, and to bring back valuable information to their committee.
Since this meeting does not take place under official GA procedure there will be no proposals and no votes on setting up Occupy Chicago events. This is simply a time where we can brainstorm how to solve committee issues and collaborate with each other and use each other's resources as best as possible.
Contact Internal Coordination at email@example.com for an agenda for the meeting as it will be expected that committee representatives bring ideas ready for the meeting to run smoothly
Labor Working Group Meeting
Occupy Columbia College!
Occupy Your Future!
Occupy Your Future is an invitation for every occupation STATE WIDE to join us at Jackson and LaSalle to share ideas, best practices, tactics and information and establish a strong line of communication with one another in addition to the formation of an EXTERNAL COMMITTEE designated to maintain this connection. There will be break out groups to discuss each occupations' techniques as well as discuss what each occupation envisions the future of the movement to be and how it can happen.
Concrete Alternatives to Capitalist Health Care: Cuba, Venezuela, and Kerala (India)
Drawing from the book Revolutionary Doctors, by Steve Brouer, Dressden will present a teach-in on socialist healthcare in Cuba, Venezuela, and Kerala (India), and in particular, on the community clinics run by the Cuban medical brigades in Venezuela. This teach-in will illustrate concrete alternatives to capitalism, while contrasting the egalitarian model of health care in these parts of the world with the for-profit system here in the U.S.
Perception of Crisis, Marketing of Foreclosures
In the Chicagoland area, there are over 120,000 foreclosed homes and 50% of mortgages in Chicago are under water. With hundreds of thousands of people experiencing the effects of bank malfeasance, the banks themselves still construct the dialogue surrounding the foreclosure crisis- a dialogue that they have managed to keep positive throughout the years of the foreclosure crisis. In an examination of the marketing used by banking industries, this discussion will examine the utilization of the American Dream and how this dream has profited banks and hurt individuals. We will discuss the impact of meritocracy and personal responsibility as it pertains to finances and the banks' manipulation to profit off of being both the problem and the solution to the foreclosure crisis.
Facilitation Workshop
The Secretariat will be presenting a Facilitation Workshop on Saturday afternoon. The intention of this workshop is to enable individuals to guide groups towards cooperation and effective discussion. The horizontal structure of the Occupations comes from a long tradition of "peoples' movements," which harnesses the power of populism when respected properly. This discussion will prepare individuals for moderating the General Assembly and other organizational meetings.
March for Marriage Eqaulity - Sydney Solidarity
The LGBT community around the globe has faced oppression long enough. It is unacceptable that people and couples are denied rights, simply because of their sexual orientation. Currently Australian citizens are fighting against such repression. The Australian national ALP Platform has yet to pass legislation allowing equal rights for same sex couples. On December 3rd thousands will join together in Sydney, Australia to let their voices be heard and battle against this discrimination.
Occupy Chicago will join Sydney in their action, through a solidarity march. The march will begin at headquarters and end at the Office of the City Clerk. Speakers will be present to show vocal support for the fair and equal rights of the LGBT community not in just Sydney, but globally. This will be an international solidarity action day, with similar solidarity coming from The UK and Germany.
Find out more information on Sydney's Rally here:
If you wish to distribute fliers for this event, you may find them here:
CTU School Closure Workshop
Conflict Resolution Teach in
John C. from Oak Park, a professional mediator, will present some basic mediation techniques, then our own Lynette D. will present on deescalation techniques. Meet at HQ and go someplace warm.
Occupy This! Multi Kulti - Live Music! Poets! DJs! A Fundraiser Show for Occupy Chicago Arrestees!
The constitution guarantees the right to Freedom of Assembly. In the city of Chicago alone, hundreds of people have been arrested for exercising that right. This show is a fundraiser for legal fees incurred by activists with Occupy Chicago.
Event begins @ 6:00 PM.
Suggested donations are strongly encouraged.
- Jamila A. Woods
- Al DeGenova
- Kevin Coval
- Organic Flow
- Cole DeGenova & the Peoples Republic
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Jungle of Cities
- Live body painting
- On-site personalized sketches
- A sustainable fashion show
Video as a Political Tool
This teach-in looks at ways in which video has been used as a tool for political and social means throughout history. Beyond normative video forms, how else can video be utilized as a tool for self-reflection, activism, and artistic means, Gregg Bordowitz, film and video maker, will talk about 1970s and 80s activist video collectives and the different strategies and techniques they employed. Afterwards, there will be a facilitated discussion and brainstorming session with people interested in working with this medium.
Weekly Meeting of Community Organizers
A weekly meeting of members, leaders, and organizers from various community-based organizations to better facilitate communication and cooperation efforts with Occupy Chicago.
Political Disobedience vs. Revolution: An Exchange and Debate on the Significance and Implications of the Occupy Movement.
Bernard Harcourt, writing in the Opiniator blog of the New York Times, described the Occupy Movement as marking a "political paradigm shift": a new form of "political disobedience" involving a "leaderless" organization refusing to embrace "old ideologies"—whether of free markets or communism. In the editorial, Harcourt specifically engaged Raymond Lotta, an advocate of Bob Avakian's new synthesis of communism, who had recently spoken at Occupy Wall Street. Lotta responded: the question is not whether there will be ideology or leadership, these are in play one way or another, but what kind of ideology and what kind of leadership are needed to overcome oppression and exploitation. The recent police attacks on the Occupy Movement underscore the importance of these questions.
Now the debate continues: come ask questions and participate in this debate / exchange on the Occupy Movement.
Bernard Harcourt is Chairman of the Political Science department and professor of law at the University of Chicago. He is the author of The Illusion of Free Markets. Raymond Lotta is a political economist and regular contributor to Revolution newspaper. He is an advocate of Bob Avakian's new synthesis of communism.
Occupy the Hood Chicago Anti-Eviction Press Conference
Occupy The Hood Chicago & The Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign Begin Their
"Warm-Up" For "Home For The Holidays" Actions Against Bank Foreclosures & Illegal Evictions
When: Friday, December 2, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.
What: Press conference by Occupy The Hood Chicago & the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign regarding recent take-over of bank-foreclosure home and details of next week's actions to reclaim abandoned homes.
Where: 11651 S. Artesian Avenue (near Western Avenue), Chicago IL.
Info: http://occupychi.org/2011/12/01/friday-122-1pm-occupy-hood-chicago-anti-...
UIC Victory Rally / Unwelcome John Tolva
Rahm Running Scared: Mayor 1% Cancels Friday UIC Appearance
From Occupy UIC:
Despite the mayor's cancellation we are still protesting.
The speaking event sponsored by UIC is still happening. The cowardly Mayor, unable to face the 99%, is sending one of his corporate cronies, former IBM executive and current City Chief of Technology John Tolva, to speak in his place.
We see it as a victory that the Mayor refuses to show his face on campus.
Now lets all turn out for a victory rally and continue to build the movement against corporate greed and for human needs!
Cancellation email to UIC Students:
Dear Honors College Students:
I am passing along this message from the Department of Political Science. Please note that the Honors College will still have reserved seating at the front of the room, and that you are very much encouraged to bring your questions along to pose to Mr. Tolva. I look forward to seeing you there.
Due to schedule changes, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will not be able to make remarks on campus on December 2nd for the "Future of Chicago" lecture series. John Tolva, Chief Technology Officer for the City of Chicago, will represent the Emanuel administration as the new guest speaker. He will address the administration's vision for the city's future, beginning at noon in the Illinois Room, Student Center East.
As chief technology officer, Tolva has been appointed by Mayor Emanuel to leverage technology to ensure that the city delivers better services at a lower cost to taxpayers. Before joining the city, Tolva worked at IBM for over 13 years. In his most recent capacity, he served as the director of citizenship and technology for IBM where he was responsible for developing new social, educational, environmental, and cultural heritage projects that use innovative technologies in partnership with nonprofit institutions and governmental entities. His team developed programs that performed tasks ranging from contributing idle processing power to the search for a cure to HIV to matching employees with community volunteer opportunities. All of these initiatives align with the goals and interests of Honors College students and faculty.
Mayor Emanuel has agreed to reschedule his appearance for next semester. Both Mr. Tolva's and Mayor Emanuel's appearances are part of the Future of Chicago Lecture Series, co-sponsored by the UIC Honors College Leadership Series (funded through the Caterpillar Foundation), the Department of Political Science, the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, the Great Cities Institute and the Office of Social Science Research.
Best wishes,
Dean Hall
World AIDS Day: Race and Poverty
This teach-in will bring voices of women and men living with HIV to Occupy Chicago to discuss why HIV is so concentrated in low income communities.
NNU Soldarity Rally for British Nurses, Public Workers
This event is planned by the National Nurses United as Solidarity Rally for UK nurses and public sector workers. A link to the flyer is below.
Occupy Chicago Labor Working Group
The Occupy Chicago Labor Working Group meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church (637 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois).
In a world filled with cut backs, this is one of the places where we can begin the fight back.
Occupy Chicago Labor Working Group Flyer
Neighborhood Reclamation Strategies and Land Liberation Tactics
A severe housing crisis is gripping families and communities across the United States. Since the fall of 2008, the US Government purchased millions of foreclosed properties from banks through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The concrete result has been the transfer of $1.5 trillion in public wealth into the hands of private institutions and individuals to preserve their fortunes. While taking money from everyday workers and handing it over to huge, too big to fail, financial institutions helped forestall the collapse of the world's financial markets, it has not prevented the displacement and dispossession of millions of ordinary families. The banks have been saved, but the people have been abandoned. Because billions of dollars in public funds were used to buy these homes, we assert those homes are now public housing and must be used to solve the housing crisis by providing homes to millions of families and individuals. The Take Back the Land Movement has directly challenged those laws which allow banks to reap record profits while millions of families face eviction and homelessness. Challenging unjust laws requires a protracted direct action campaign of civil disobedience designed to prioritize people over profits in a tangible way. As such, the Movement focuses on defending families against eviction and "liberating" vacant government owned and foreclosed homes, moving homeless people into people-less homes. Learn the strategies and tactics that have been successfully utilized in the struggle to reclaim for the 99% the open spaces withheld from them by the 1%.
A flier for the event is here.
Community Teach In and Training on Reclaiming Community Land and Properties
Training will include
- Tour of Chicago Anti Eviction Campaign reclaimed spaces
- How to canvass
- How to create a rap sheet or script (universal rap sheet will be provided)
- How to talk with neighbors/community to get them to support and get involved in defense when necessary
- How to identify properties and assess damage
- How to support homeowners going thru foreclosures
Occupy Presents: Rally at Reggies with Chicago Afrobeat Project & GUWTGD
The time is now. Occupy Chicago will be hosting a Rally at Reggie's with Chicago Afrobeat Project and James Brown tribute Get Up With The Get Downs on Friday, November 25. Doors are 8 PM, and show begins at 9 PM.
Tickets to the event include bus transportation to/from four locations throughout Chicago as well as free beer provided by Half Acre brewery while on the bus.
** Bus Pick-Up Schedule **
7:45 p.m. Bus pick-up at Panchos in Logan Square (2200 N. California)
8:00 p.m. Bus pick-up at Big Star in Wicker Park (1531 N. Damen Ave)
8:15 p.m. Bus pick-up at Occupy Chicago General Assembly in Loop (Michigan Ave and Congress)
8:30 p.m. Bus pick-up at Maria's in Pilsen; M (960 W. 31st St)
Return Trip: Bus departs to original destinations 15 minutes after the music ends
Date: November 25, 2011
Venue: Reggie's Rock Club
Address: 2109 S. State St.
Phone: 312.949.0121
Doors: 8 p.m.
Showtime: 9 p.m.
Ages: 17+
Admission: $10 advance, $12 day of show
Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/occupychiday63
For more information, see http://www.facebook.com/events/263776280327627/
Reading & Manifesting Guy Debord's "Theory of the Dérive"
- dérive: "a mode of experimental behavior linked to the conditions of urban society: a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances"
- détournement: "to turn expressions of the capitalist system against itself"
To further the discussion of how the Situationists' slogans and ideas of the dérive and détournement can apply to the Occupy Movement, we will discuss Guy Debord's "Theory of the Dérive" text while embarking on our own dérive. We will begin on the Magnificent Mile, the heart of downtown Chicago's shopping districts, on Black Friday, at 430pm. We will let discussion and ideology determine our adventure, and our own explorations will counteract the streamlined movements of the shoppers in the mad dash of purchasing and commodity acquisition.
The text "Theory of the Dérive" can be found here: https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/download/attachments/18022830/DebordDerive.pdf?version=1
Police Harassment
Every morning, the CPD comes and helps solve childhood obesity and heart disease by making the Occupiers walk around in circles while chanting slogans such as "Whom do you protect, whom do you serve?".
(This event is only a test of the new committee event system, and the content is meant to be taken as a joke)
What Does it Mean to 'Occupy' a Public Space? Or, How Chicago's Design Frustrates Participatory Democracy
In the late 60's and early 70's, French philosopher Henri Lefebvre examined the rhetoric of space. He outlined in his research how space is constructed, maintained, and interpreted. Lefebvre's work was inspired by the political struggles of his own time, including the May 68 General Strike in Paris. Following this event, he became particularly interested in supposedly "public spaces" and the rights of ordinary people to the physical environment in which they live. These issues are relevant to the Occupy movement as a whole, but are especially salient for Occupy Chicago. Where are our public spaces in Chicago? How were they created? How are they maintained? What do they signify? Which ones might be of greatest use to the Occupy Chicago movement as it proceeds? What must be done to take back Chicago from the corporate powers that are buying it one piece at a time and taking away our "droit à la ville" or right to the city?
Immigrant Rights and the 99%: No one is illegal [UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED]
Jose is a local activist that was crucial to the immigrant right marches of 2007 and 2008, the work against deportations, and the continuing fight for justice in the immigrant community, especially fighting the polimigra in Cook and surrounding counties. Rigo has been central to the radicalization and organization of young immigrant students here in Chicago and as a participant in the DREAM movement nationally. His own case against deportation was an important victory not only locally but nationally against the criminalization of immigrants. Both will tell of their experiences and the immigrant rights movement and lead a discussion on immigrants and the 99%.
The Failure of Corporate School Reform: Towards a New Common School Movement
The talk will explore the way that corporate school reforms have failed, not only on their own terms, but also in terms of public democratic values. It is time to imagine a new kind of public school -- one that works to remake the society through the values of common labor for common benefit. This event will be an opportunity for Occupy Chicago to reflect more broadly on the meaning of education in our movement, the possibilities of free schools, and on the possibility of collectively-run education more generally in Chicago and beyond.
Concepts of Ideology and the Occupy Movement
Ideology is a term frequently used in conversations about/within political movements. It has been a recurrent concept in previous teach-ins, with many ideas forming and circulating regarding what exactly we understand ideology to be. Using some of philosopher Slavoj Žižek's analysis of ideology we will focus on unpacking some of this term's complexity. Our explorative mapping will range from: critiques of ideology as a matrix that generates notions of what is considered, permanent, changeable, necessary, contingent to the notion of a 'lying in the guise of truth' to an idea of ideology forming around a series of moments; doctrine, belief and ritual. As we discuss some of these facets and dimensions, we will look to some of our experiences we have had thus far at Occupy Chicago to explore how we might reflect on our past and ongoing actions and ideas.
Concepts of Democracy and the Occupy Movement 101
This teach-in will serve as the kick-off to a series that examines the varied and sometimes conflicting concepts of democracy and its multi-faceted process of awakening, becoming and renewal. This week we will be considering the ideas of Hannah Arendt and Ranciere, including some provocations via the work of Lefort and Zizek. We will begin by exploring Arendt's concept of direct democracy via the council system and the idea of democracy as a process, not an institution. Throughout the series, we will also examine what issues these ideas raise for the Occupy Movement and critically reflect upon how we might apply the process of democracy to our own movement.
The Situationists, Society of the Spectacle, and Urban Consciousness in a Revolutionary Context
In 1957, a group of artists and intellectuals who called themselves The Situationists formes in a small town in Italy. This teach in is an examination of this group's rhetoric, art, and most importantly their influence in the May 1968 student protests in Paris. First, we will go over key terms: Baudelaire's 'flaneur', Debord's idea of 'derive', as well as some of the key notions behind The Society of the Spectacle. Lastly, we will look at some common graffitti slogans used in Paris in May '68 (http://www.bopsecrets.org/CF/graffiti.htm).
Debord's work The Society of the Spectacle can be found online here
Critical Theory, Critical Practice
Whenever a society reaches a moment of political-economic crisis, the question arises, "what is to be done?" Answering this question requires more than just action; it also compels us to engage in a careful analysis of social, political, and economic structures. Twentieth century German philosopher Theodor Adorno made this intimate relation between knowledge and action - often referred to as the problem of theory and practice - a constant theme of his work. Drawing upon Adorno and other practitioners of critical social theory at the Frankfurt School for Social Research, we will discuss the significance of critical reflection and theoretical investigation in efforts to create positive social, political and economic transformation.
Resisting Military Recruitment into U.S. Wars for the 1% - On Veterans Day & Everyday
A veteran and a representative of We are Not Your Soldiers will speak for 10-15 minutes. We Are Not Your Soldiers is a project of World Can't Wait that visits high schools and colleges to talk with young people about why they should resist being recruited into fighting and dying in U.S. imperialist wars. Veterans give first hand accounts of their experiences in the military life and war, and a representative of We Are Not Your Soldiers gives an overall picture of what these U.S. wars are about and why young people have a responsibility to resist fighting in immoral and illegitimate wars. We will then open it up for question and comments. More information on We Are Not Your Soldiers can be found here: http://www.wearenotyoursoldiers.org/
This discussion will also provide an opportunity for Occupy Chicago to discuss the intimate relationship between the economic crisis and contemporary forms of imperialist warfare, to link the so-called 'civilizing mission' of American interventions abroad to their underlying initiative, which is the control over new markets and the accumulation of capital.
Health Care is a Human Right for All
Over 50 million people in the United States are uninsured. 45,000 people die every year because they lack access to health care.
The health insurance and pharmaceutical industries are among the most profitable and greedy corporations on the planet. They are responsible for the crisis in health care.
Only a single-payer health care system financed by the government and the abolition of the private insurance industry can end the crisis. Everybody in, nobody out!
Marx's Critique of Capital and How it Relates to our Current Situation
TIFs 101 with Ben Joravsky - Chicago's Budget for the 1%
Part 1 of a multi-part series: "The Rule of the 1% in Chicago"
They can't run the city without taking our money. TIFs, or "tax increment financing" subsidies, are the device the 1% of Chicago have concocted to steal over $500 million a year from schools and communities to pour into pet development projects to pad profit margins for contractors and corporations.
Chicago's TIF-centric shadow budget is deliberately obscure; Chicago Reader reporter Ben Joravsky has been doing in-depth reporting on TIFs for years, shedding light where the 1% would rather there be darkness.
Ben will kick off the teach-in with a presentation on TIFs to be followed by a discussion.
Public Housing and the Plan for Transformation: Ideology in Chicago and in the Nation.
Chicago has demolished nearly all of its public housing through the Plan for Transformation, which began in 1999. While new housing is being built in mixed income communities, overall, Chicago will lose 14,000 units of public housing through the Plan in a moment when the country is experiencing a housing crisis. We will discuss the ideology behind the Plan in Chicago and nationally, its execution, and current debates surrounding ongoing redevelopment.
Work, Profit, and Exploitation
Hedge funds and investment banks would have us believe in a sort of miracle: that invested capital reproduces itself, that money creates more money. In this discussion, we will examine that claim critically. Where do profits come from? What determines the value of goods and services? How does the investor class manage to get rich while the working class struggles to get by? Our ultimate goal will be to understand the mechanisms driving inequality and the radical changes necessary to build a society of shared prosperity.
Occupy the Gender Binary! Towards a Gender Inclusive Movement: How to Be an Ally to Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People Within Occupy Chicago
This workshop will explore how Occupy Chicago can become a more inclusive movement and a safer space for transgender and gender non-conforming folks. We plan to explore this topic with the group by doing a trans* 101, a deconstruction of the gender binary, and discussing strategies on how to be a gender affirming ally to trans* and gender non-conforming people interested in contributing their voices and talents to the movement. We will also connect how capitalism and corporate hegemony have a vested interest in reinforcing the gender binary. Similarly, we will discuss how being trans* or gender non-conforming can affect your labor opportunities and job security.
Interactive Model: We hope to break the group down into smaller discussion circles of people, each with a discussion facilitator present from Feminist Front. We believe that smaller groups help to facilitate more egalitarian practices of communication with regard to who is speaking and whose ideas are being put forth on behalf of the movement. We hope that this format will cause the attendees to consider the power dynamics of speech within the Occupy Chicago movement and how that relates to identity politics and gender.
Medic Training
Interested in learning to be a medic? Come on down!
How Are Prisoners Part of the 99%?
In this interactive workshop participants will:
- Explore the reach of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) into our everyday lives. Critical Resistance has defined the PIC as a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to what are, in actuality, economic, social, and political problems.
- Examine currently and formerly incarcerated peoples' movements including the recent prisoner hunger strikes in California and Palestine as well as the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples Movement (FICPM) National Platform.
- Articulate the relationship between currently and formerly incarcerated people to the Occupy/Decolonize movement and how the 99% can stand in solidarity with communities most affected by the PIC.
Chicago Police Torture
Hear from a former prisoner and a victim of police torture in Chicago. More than 100 African American men were tortured and abused into confessing to crimes they did not commit from the 1970s to 1990s. Jon Burge was fired in the early 1990s after the use of electroshock, suffocations, and severe beatings came to public view. After a decades-long movement and fight of activists, prisoners, their families, lawyers, media, etc. Jon Burge is now in prison. This discussion will contextualize the current police repression of the Occupy movement within a longer history of struggles with law enforcement, and raise important questions for its significance in the future.
A Chicago Reader archive of articles on the issue can be found here: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/police-torture-in-chicago-jon-burge-scandal-articles-by-john-conroy/Content?oid=1210030&/
From 1968 to 2011: John Carlos and Dave Zirin Teach-in at Occupy Chicago
Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement.
Come hear the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist, John Carlos, who will appear along with the co-author of his recent autobiography, Nation sports editor Dave Zirin.
What Makes for Democracy? What makes for Justice?
The roots of the US revolution reside in a dream that all are created equal, and yet we see growing inequality, the denial of human economic freedom, and the loss of basic civil rights in the war on Terror. How have we come to this place?
We should look back to the era of Nixon and then Ronald Reagan when the government trends and social and political policies which shaped the on-going corporatization of the State, and the increased dependence on finance capital to return quick profits at the expense of the multitude first began to appear.
The Occupy movement, in fact is the first real attempt to push back against this on a mass scale, which is why not having specific goals and strategies may actually be a good thing. Prior resistance has been focused on one issue or another, but, this is the first real movement in 40 years to draw directly from the basic problem of growing inequality of wealth, income, and power with the understood corruption of democracy as the downfall of us all.
On the Politics of Student Debt and the Need for a Radical Debt Movement
It is no secret that student loan debt in the US has ballooned over the past 20 years, recently surpassing credit card debt. This bubble has increased in lockstep with spiraling school costs and a worsening job market. It is no coincidence that in addition to being the most lucrative, student debt is also the most punishable of all forms of debt. This teach-in has three aims: first, to highlight the political and economic modalities of the student debt bubble; second, to discuss the lived consequences students (current and former) face, and third, to open up a dialogue about building a citywide radical campaign to mobilize against the escalating immiseration that faces anyone who wishes to educate themselves in an increasingly privatized, neoliberal system of university education.
Note: DePaul Students will be meeting at 4:30 PM sharp in the Quad to head down together to the Occupy Chicago site for this event. All are welcome to join.
The Powers of Finance and the Geography of Anger
In this discussion, professor Kelly will delve into an often forgotten history of financial power, from the colonial rise of corporate power to different kinds of successful fights against it. That another new deal is coming is a certainty. But it is not certain what will be in it, how soon it comes, and how much of our country and our world will be wrecked in financial catastrophes before it arrives. That depends in large part on us, on how well we organize and to what ends.
Teach-In: Non-Violent Direct Action
Occupy Chicago is hosting a teach in about non-violent direct action at our HQ (in front of the Federal Reseve Bank at Jackson and LaSalle).
Racism in Chicago
Capitalism depends on racism both as a source of profit and as a means to divide and rule the 99%, who otherwise have everything in common and reason to organize and fight together in virtue of performing the labor that is the source of the 1%'s wealth. For this reason, anti-racists must take up a critique of capitalism and put forward a credible strategy for ending it– and in turn any credible strategy for the 99% must take up the anti-racist struggle, which US history has proven be a motor capable of driving forward the level of consciousness and struggle of the entire working class. Chicago has a long and storied history of anti-racism, but remains one of the most segregated cities in the US. Activist and journalist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, frequent author on the subject of race and class and on the struggle for housing justice, will kick off a discussion of this history and the shape of racism and the fight against it in Chicago today.
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther.
Jeffrey Haas, author of The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther, will give a historical teach-in at OccupyChicago. On December 4th, 1969, Chicago police raided Fred Hampton's apartment and shot and killed him in his bed. He was just twenty-one years old. Black Panther leader Mark Clark was also killed in the raid. While authorities claimed the Panthers had opened fire on the police who were there to serve a search warrant for weapons, evidence later emerged that told a very different story: that the FBI, the Cook County state's attorney's office and the Chicago police conspired to assassinate Fred Hampton.
Greed and Capitalism
Among the most persistent ideological obstacles to understanding and transforming our current (and really messed-up) economic system are the beliefs that humans are unalterably greedy and that capitalism, because it is grounded in greed, will exist as long as greed exists. The purpose of this teach-in is to challenge those belief. In doing so, we'll talk about human nature and the nature of capitalism. There will be brief references to vampires and Frankenstein's monster. A printable flier for the above events is here.
Teach-in On the History of the Occupy Movement At University of Chicago
This Friday, 3-4:30pm there will be a History of the Occupy Movement teach-in organized by a University of Chicago student, Larissa. Members of OccChi people will be speaking on the origins and development of this movement, as well as ideas for the future of OccupyChi. Afterward, Larrisa will be leading those interested up north to headquarters at Lasalle and Jackson (to be there around 5pm).
'Communist Manifesto' Discussion Group
This will be a discussion of the most famous document of working class struggle of all time by Marx and Engels. What is class struggle? What is an internationalist framework? What misconceptions have surrounded this document, and its school of thought? How can its ideas help inform the movement of the 99% today? The Communist Manifesto can be downloaded for free here: English Spanish
Does Marxism Matter?
In the mid-19th century, Marx and Engels famously observed in the Communist Manifesto that a 'specter' was haunting Europe— the specter of Communism. 160 years later, it is 'Marxism' itself that haunts us.
In the 21st century, it seems that the Left abandoned Marxism as a path to freedom. But Marx critically intervened in his own moment and emboldened leftists to challenge society; is the Left not tasked with this today? Has the Left resolved the problems posed by Marx, and thus moved on?
Does Marxism even matter?
The Illusion of Free Markets and the Rise of the Police State
There is no such thing as a "free market" and there never has been. Laissez-faire is an illusion. But it's an illusion that has masked a massive regulatory framework that daily redistributes wealth to the top 1% of society. It has also facilitated the growth of a police state that is characterized by mass incarceration and pervasive stops-and-frisks of minorities. In this discussion, we will explore the relationship between laissez-faire and mass incarceration, looking not only at the Chicago Board of Trade and our current carceral state, but as well at the birth of the penitentiary in the early 19th century during a period now known as "the Market Revolution."
Teach-in On the History of the Occupy Movement At University of Chicago
This Friday, 3-4:30pm there will be a History of the Occupy Movement teach-in organized by a University of Chicago student, Larissa. Members of OccChi people will be speaking on the origins and development of this movement, as well as ideas for the future of OccupyChi. Afterward, Larrisa will be leading those interested up north to headquarters at Lasalle and Jackson (to be there around 5pm).