An overview of OWS “All Roads Lead to Wall Street” Sept. 15-17th
(Please check s17nyc.org for schedule changes and updates)
S#15 Saturday: Education
Occupy Wall Street Anniversary Convergence: Washington Square Park, 5th Ave and Waverly
10:30 am – 12:30pm Welcome and Orientation Activities, Lunch
12:30pm – 4pm Inaugural Assembly and Thematic Breakout Groups
4pm – 6:30pm Open Space*
4pm – 6:30pm S17 Action Trainings
*4pm – 6:30pm Big Apple Coffee Party “Don’t Do Koch” Campaign has a table and will be speaking to inform people about the Koch brothers and distributing flyers advising people how to shop to avoid Koch Industries products and offer alternatives. All are invited to participate and/or stop by and see us at Washington Square Park. Call Chuck for further info and updates: 917-693-9427.
6:30pm – 7pm Closing Assembly
7:30pm – 9pm Debt Resistors’ Operation Manual Book Launch
8:00pm – 10:00pm S17 Affinity Group Spokescouncil in Washington Square Park
S#16 Sunday: Celebration
10am-1pm Spectra Frack Pipeline Blast Zone March with the Occupy Guitarmy @ Spectra Energy Pipeline Construction Site (Gansevoort and Hudson River Greenway)
12pm-7pm Occupy Town Square @ Thomas Paine Park on Worth St. between Lafayette & Centre
1pm-6pm Concert @ Foley Square (north end of Paine Park)
6:30pm – 7:30pm Direct Action and Know Your Rights Trainings @ Foley Square
7:30pm Occupy Rosh Hashanah Services @ Liberty Plaza
8:00pm – 10:00pm S17 Affinity Group Spokescouncil TBD
S#17 Monday: Resistance
All Roads Lead to Wall Street (Assemble at Zuccotti Park at 7:00am or at the Red Cube sculpture across the street.)
7am: The People’s Wall: A non-violent civil disobedience at the Stock Exchange
7am: 99 Revolutions: a swirl of mobile intersection occupations throughout the Financial District
10am: Storm Wall Street: A ‘People’s Hurricane’ for a sustainable future @ Bowling Green
12pm - 5pm: Imagine a World Without Wall Street Assembly @ Foley Square
6pm - 8pm: Emma Goldman Popular Assembly @ Veterans Memorial Park, 55 Water Street
6pm - 10pm: The 99% Returns to Wall Street @ Liberty Plaza
DFA New York City Organizing Meeting 9/12/12 Notes and Important Information
Another great meeting last night filled with energy and enthusiasm with up-to-the minute reports from activists throughout the area. Here are the highlights:
Justin Wedes, OWS activist and organizer gave an overview and update of #S17NYC and an inside look into what’s happening and will continue to happen in the OWS movement. It is alive and well, and although not as visible in the parks, OWS activists are organizing out of offices and in our communities. Justin gave updates on #S17 which are listed below. Justin says you don’t want to miss: the “Occupy” Anniversary Concert with Tom Morrello and other artists starting at 1:00 pm on Sunday.
For more details, Justin can be contacted at jwedes@gmail.com
Russell Mendell from Water Defense and New Yorkers Against Fracking explained why now is a crucial time for fracking. Gov. Cuomo was going to approve sacrifice zones, but his tune has changed, and Cuomo has slowed it down, largely thanks to the work of the groups united to end fracking. However, fracking infrastructure is being built to accommodate the oil and gas companies desire to drill. We can participate in the global day of action against fracking — Global Frackdown — on September 22, at St. John the Divine. RSVP here. We can’t slow down our protests!
Email Russell at russell@waterdefense.org
John Reynolds from Shut Down Indian Point Now spoke of the dangers and poor conditions at Indian Point. There will be three days of action 9/20–9/22 in DC and Rockville, MD. Transportation and more info is available at www.coalitionagainstnukes.org Actions will be focused on the NRC from 2pm – 5pm on 9/21 with many speakers including Jill Stein and Dennis Kucinich.
Email John at Shutdownindianpointnow@gmail.com
Max Stahl, DFA Northeast Regional Organizer, talked about Democracy for America. Max helps organize from Maine to West Virginia, offering resources to groups to be successful with email support, issue campaign, and candidate support. DFA is closely aligned with DFA New York City in our mutual desire to get money out of politics and overturn Citizens United. DFA is in the process of launching college outreach programs working with 350.org.
Max can be contacted at mstahl@democracyforamerica.com
DFA Northeast Regional Organizer will join DFA New York City at our OWS S17 Organizing Meeting, Wed., Sept. 12
Where: Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, 263 W 86th St., NYC (at West End Ave.)
When: Wednesday, September 12, 7:00 pm
Plans are finalizing for #S17NYC events around environment and money in politics, and we can discuss our participation. Justin Wedes, OWS organizer and activist, will be with us to give an update on plans, and why we need to be there.
DFA New York City has officially endorsed #S17NYC and submitted the following statement: OWS has inspired the new organization, DFA New York City in both our mission and how we organize. We are with you on #S17NYC to fight corporatism and save our environment.
Organizers from Don’t Frack NY, Shut Down Indian Point, and Spectra Pipeline protests, have been invited, and members can share their experience at the anti-fracking event in Albany (See the Status on NY Fracking Decision here), and the civil disobedience at the NY Spectra Pipeline site on September 6.
Max Stahl, DFA Northeast Regional Organizer, will talk about Democracy for America, the organization of which DFA New York City is a local coalition group.
Please join us tomorrow night. RSVP at our FB event page, or email dfanewyorkcity@gmail.com and let us know you’re coming.
9/11 Anniversary
DFA New York City and the world remembers and reflects upon the tragedy of September 11, 2001, on its eleventh anniversary. The aftermath of that event has seen a profound erosion of our civil liberties—in effect criminalizing dissent. As we mourn our losses, we can consider ways we can actively fight to restore those rights.
Chicago Teachers Strike—NYC Rallies in Support
New York City teachers, unions, and the community rallied yesterday in support of the Chicago striking teachers at Union Square at 5:00 pm, organized by MORE (Movement of Rank-and-File Educators) and OWS Labor Outreach Committee. After brief remarks, the hundreds of supporters marched to the office of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), a PAC run by hedge fund managers and charter network execs. This fight by Chicago teachers is truly a fight for all teachers, students, workers, unions, and the future of public school education. The outcome will affect us all. (You can stay informed and contribute to the Chicago Teachers Union Solidarity Fund here.)
DFA New York City OWS S17 Organizing Meeting, Wed., Sept. 12
Where: Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, 263 W 86th St., NYC (at West End Ave.)
When: Wednesday, September 12, 7:00 pm
Events are coming together for OWS S17. “All Roads Lead to Wall Street,” the theme for the first year anniversary of OWS, targets corporate politics, debt, and the environmental crisis. DFA New York City has declared these as our major concerns. This is an opportunity to come together as the 99% in support of our issues.
Come to our meeting on September 12, and help organize around our issues and where we want to be on S15, S16, and S17. Justin Wedes, OWS organizer and activist, will bring us up to date on what’s being planned.
Please rsvp on our DFA New York City OWS S17 Organizing Meeting FB page, or reply to dfanewyorkcity@gmail.com with your thoughts.
We’ll also discuss what’s next after the successful Pledge to Resist Fracking in New York, Don’t Frack NY rally at the Sheraton and trip to Albany to tell Gov. Cuomo in no uncertain terms: Don’t Frack With NY!
DFA New York City OWS Meeting, Wed., Sept. 12
Where: Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, 263 W 86th St., NYC (at West End Ave.)
When: Wednesday, September 12, 7:00 pm
After our amazing August 1st meeting of DFA New York City, we want to be sure to keep our momentum.
We are suggesting our September meeting center around the Occupy Wall Street anniversary actions with discussion of if and how we want to participate.
The OWS theme for S15-S17 is “All Roads Lead to Wall Street,” and the emphasis is on corporate politics, debt, and the environmental crisis. DFA New York City has already defined our goals pretty much as such. This is an opportunity to come together as the 99% in support of our issues.
Three days of education, celebration and resistance to economic injustice are being planned for September 15, 16, and 17 with permitted convergences and assemblies, concerts, and mass civil disobedience.
The weekend will consist of temporary occupations of parks with free university, assemblies, flying, direct action training, culminating with an afternoon concert on Sunday in Foley Square. Monday will be a call to surround Wall Street with sit-ins (with support and safe retreats to Foley Square for those not able to participate in the direct actions) with groups targeting various institutions.
Organizing meetings are still being held and plans are still in development. We can be a part of this planning. It is an opportunity to voice our issues and join others who are also engaged in our fight.
Do we want to do this together? If you do, please let us know you want to make this the main activity at our September meeting. It will really help to know how to plan. Please rsvp on our DFA New York City OWS S17 Organizing Meeting FB page, or reply to dfanewyorkcity@gmail.com with your thoughts.
(We will not be able to supply refreshments again, but you are free to bring snacks.)
Don’t Frack NY—Albany Action, Mon., Aug. 27
The movement to protect New York is heating up.
Last week, in an open letter to Governor Cuomo, scientists, medical professionals, and elected officials expressed their “complete loss of faith in the Department of Environmental Conservation” because of the gas industry’s toxic influence. And this past Saturday, over 150 New Yorkers courageously used their bodies to stop the fracking industry at the Schlumberger facility in Horseheads, NY- shutting down operations for nearly 6 hours.
And on August 27th, hundreds of New Yorkers will gather together and pledge to resist fracking using all appropriate nonviolent means.
Here are the event details:
What/When: Major demonstration on Monday, 8/27, at 11 AM
March begins at Hudson Riverfront Park, Albany, New York
Movement building sessions and trainings on August 25th and 26th.
Where: Albany, NY
Register: Click here to sign up and receive updates
Transportation/Housing: Click here for the Ride & Housing Board.
Now Governor Cuomo could soon be approving fracking in New York, perhaps by Labor Day. Time is absolutely of the essence. We must impress on Gov. Cuomo all of the risks he would take — ecological, economic and political - by giving in to Big Oil.
Spread the word about the action on Facebook and click here to share on Twitter!
We need a big turnout in Albany on the 27th to keep this pressure on. (Note! the New York City event is cancelled - we’re going to focus on making sure our event in Albany is awesome instead) To forward this email to members, supporters, friends or family, please click here.
Governor Cuomo: Don’t frack New York! Rally outside the Governor’s policy summit
Next week, on Wednesday, August 22, Governor Cuomo will host a policy summit in New York City. The summit, which will feature veterans of the Clinton Administration, appears to be as step forward as Cuomo explores a possible 2016 presidential run.
This policy summit is an important opportunity to publicly confront the Governor, and let him know as he considers a run for President, that if he moves forward with his plan to frack New York, that he simply can not count on the support of New Yorkers who care about their environment and the safety of the water they drink.
Details are still being sorted out, so please RSVP if you might be able to attend, so we can keep you updated on new developments.
Don’t Frack New York - Pledge to Resist
Pledge
Together, we will take a pledge of resistance to hydrofracking in the state.
The Pledge to Resist Fracking in New York
I believe:
- that high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracking is an accident-prone, inherently dangerous industrial process with risks that include catastrophic and irremediable environmental damage;
- that these risks cannot be properly resolved, nor can they be mitigated through regulation by any government agency, let alone one that has colluded with the gas industry over the last four years in creating rules that attempt to regulate fracking;
- that Governor Cuomo and this agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation, have repeatedly turned a deaf ear to the petitions of New York’s scientists, economists, medical professionals, and ordinary citizens who have tried again and again, for four years and to little avail, to alert the agency and Governor Cuomo to the many dangers that hydraulic fracking poses to our health, safety, property values, peace of mind and to the climate itself;
- that it is wrong to shatter the bedrock of New York State and inject it with toxic chemicals.
Hence,
If Governor Cuomo permits high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracking in any part of New York State, I pledge to join with others to engage in non-violent acts of protest, including demonstrations and other non-violent actions, as my conscience leads me.
I make this pledge in order to prevent the destruction and poisoning of New York’s water, air, and food systems, on which life, health, and economic prosperity all depend–including that of future generations.
Signed on this day, ___________,
Click here to join the pledge to resist hydrofracking in New York state.
Important News from Our August 1st Meeting
If you missed our last meeting of DFA New York City, you didn’t get to hear from David Braun, Co-founder of United for Action; Laurie Wen, Executive Director Physicians for a National Healthcare Program; Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, NY; Alex Beauchamp, North East Director, Food and Water Watch; Tom Siracuse, Chair of the NY County Green Party Organization, and Mike Emperor, Green Party organizer from Brooklyn.
But, don’t worry, we have already forged an ongoing relationship with these and other organizations so we can work directly with them and they with us.
The meeting began with a discussion about future meetings: do we want to continue having large meetings, perhaps with break out groups; small groups in different neighborhoods or issue oriented? For now, we’ll probably meet again in the same location in early September. (Time and place TBA) After introductions around the room, we revisited our list of issues culled from our first meeting. We have many overlapping areas on which we want to work. Major areas are: “corporate personhood,” healthcare, environment, electoral politics, education, civil liberties—with many specifics in each area.
We heard about actions in the works like: a concert against fracking on August 26-27, civil disobedience planned on fracking, actions against pipeline in Manhattan, efforts to pass single-payer legislation in NYS, influencing state electoral campaigns with a focus on candidates’ single-payer positions, campaign for NYC Council resolution to shut down Indian Point (scroll down), Fukushima event on August 14 (click on ourcalendar) Food and Water Watch office warming party on August 16, in Brooklyn (click on our calendar), and ways in which election reform could lead to a transition away from the “two party system.”
We’ll keep you informed of important events and actions in these areas by posting them to our calendar, this site, and emails.
And, just a note about why these meetings are so important. Laurie Wen spoke about the importance of influencing candidates early about our issues and using our votes for those who best represent them. Tom Siracuse shared how aligned the Green Party’s platform is with what our group expressed. We had the opportunity (and took it!) to discuss how the news brought by our guest organizers aligned with our aims — and how we could be most effective on the issues. Two local candidates for City Council, Marc Landis and Helen Rosenthal, were at our meeting, unannounced, as activists and concerned members of our community. They heard what we care passionately about. At some point, we may invite them and others to tell us how their visions will further our causes. We need them and others to be a part of our work.
See you at our next meeting. Remember to invite friends and representatives from other groups so we can continue bringing them to us and us to them. It is clear how powerful we can be working together.
Take Action on Fracking, Healthcare, Nuclear Power
Below are links to the organizations we heard from at the August 1 meeting and some of the actions they suggested.
United for Action and New Yorkers Against Fracking
Actions
- Save the date: August 27, Don’t Frack New York concert in NYC
- Pledge to engage in civil disobedience to stop fracking
- Outreach to faith leaders
Contact Info: organizers -at- nyagainstfracking.org
Physicians for a National Health Program
Actions
- Call your legislators to co-sponsor Assembly Bill A.7860-A and Senate Bill S.5425-A
(find your legislator on our resources page)
Action
- Call your city council member in support of a city council resolution to shut down Indian Point
Action
- Call Governor Cuomo (866-961-3208) every Monday and ask him to ban fracking
- Attend the Food and Water Watch Open House on August 16
