General Assembly, Oct. 4, 2011. (photo by Sam Hodgson of Voice of San Diego)
Originally posted Oct. 5, 2011
By Abel Thomas / Occupy San Diego / October 5, 2011
Standing in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street NYC, hundreds of San Diego citizens will peacefully occupy [a site downtown, after rallying at] the Civic Center Plaza in downtown San Diego, adjacent to San Diego City Hall (1200 3rd Ave), starting on October 7, 2011. This nonviolent occupation is in protest of the global financial corruption currently invading politics, media and corporations, exemplified by the recent financial industry meltdown and subsequent recession.
The occupation will continue indefinitely until a list of demands in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street NYC are met by all levels of government, including the City and County of San Diego, the state of California, the Federal Government, and by private and public banks and corporations.
The long term and overnight occupation will include marches, sit-ins, educational programs, practice of the democratic process, and General Assembly meetings wherein solutions to overlapping issues are identified, to name a few. This diversified group makes decisions via consensus.
Participants are requested to meet at Children’s Park (1st St & Island Ave) by 3:30 p.m. on Friday, October 7. At 4:00 p.m., the group will march to Civic Center Plaza. Children’s Park is adjacent to the Convention Center Trolley Station and is two blocks south of Nordstrom Horton Plaza.
“The Occupy Wall Street movement is sweeping across the country. People from all walks of life, political persuasions and occupations are joining together to demand that our economic system become more just,” said Ray Lutz of Occupy San Diego. “Join our movement. With you, we can bring about change.”
The top 1% of our nation control nearly half the wealth in this country, while the top 20% control a stunning 80% of it. This lopsided distribution of wealth, coupled with outsourcing of jobs, bailouts, secret loans, subsidies, and profiteering in the financial sector have resulted in massive foreclosures, retirement and investment fiduciary failure, job losses, and homelessness. We, the American citizens, must reclaim our country and put ourselves on the line for peace and justice. It is time for us to discover both who we — the other 99% — are and what we believe and want. Now is the time for us to act. Unless we do, we are nothing. When we do, our nation will be restored.
Occupy San Diego is reaching out to existing political groups, active military personnel, veterans, activist groups and labor unions in the San Diego community to participate in the occupation. The United Steelworkers Union (USW, 1.2 million members), the Laborers’ International Union of America (LIUA, 500,000 members), the Transport Workers Union (over 200,000 members), and National Nurses United (NNU, 170,000 members) – have already announced their support for the Occupy Wall Street protests.
About Occupy San Diego:
We are the 99%, and we will be quiet about this economic inequality no longer. We will take back for the people what already belongs to the people – our country. For more information, visit occupytogether.org & occupywallst.org.
Twitter: @OccupySD
Facebook: Occupy San Diego
Editor: Check this post out by Abel Thomas, one of the original organizers of this leader-less movement here in San Diego. Abel wrote this before the General Assembly meeting of Oct. 5th, during which the occupation site was temporarily changed to a different location. The site change came at the request of San Diego’s Jewish community which is holding its annual Yom Kippur celebrations at the Civic Center on Friday, the same day as the original occupation. Marchers from Occupy San Diego still plan on converging on the Civic Center Plaza at 4:30 pm Friday, Oct. 7th, but the actual occupation will be at a different site, to be determined.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Is there a formal list of demands the OWS people have settled on? I’d love to read them. Thanks.
I have to admit that Im interested. Mainly because this appeals to both political parties. This applies to 99% of us . What is the solution though? I see the problem… I just dont have a alternative plan… does occupy wallstreet?
Do they have a plan? Right now, as much a plan as you do. Come and be part of the planning!
Jos- I’m interested too. Maybe we should all come together and see where things go. The coming together is important.
I have no idea how to know if you show up tomorrow, but I would definitely smile and wave to you.
We’ll have the OB Rag banner, Jos, look for us there.
Jos, the OWS movement seems to be (correct me if I’m wrong, please!) a left-wing version of the Tea Party. This actually makes sense if you see the US as shifting towards Libertarianism, and away from Totalitarianism, as I do. Let me pose this chart as representative of my theory:
I’m correcting you. This movement definitely has wings but it is NOT a version of the tea party.
Hi Patty. I am not implying that the OWS movement is a part of the Tea Party. What I meant to imply (by my comment and the link the chart above) is that both movements seem to share a Libertarian leaning. As a Libertarian myself, I am excited by the prospect that youthful members of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are gravitating towards Liberty. Of course, I could be romanticizing what is going on, which is why I’d love to have feedback.
Gavin, I don’t think OWS has a libertarian leaning, or any kind of partisan leaning. We agree that there needs to be systemic changes to our economic system and the influence of that system upon politics.
Gavin- I’m sure you know the words in the pledge of allegiance- “With liberty and justice for all.” Libertarians talk liberty but justice… not so much. Our democracy is built upon both, it is an essential tension . With all due respect, I don’t think you are listening closely if you think justice is not an essential issue of OWS participants.
Annagrace, I hope my posts aren’t annoying you. I really wasn’t trying to stir things up. I am fascinated by social movements, and I was simply trying to put things into a context I can understand.
Also, I think you would be surprised to learn that Libertarianism does indeed seek to maximize justice:
http://mises.org/daily/2993
Regards.
Shhhh,
peace out man.
I looked at your little chart. Totalitarianism is not synonymous or congruent with Populism. Populism is a “belief in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populist)
Totalitarianism is” the political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totalitarianism)
You may not be able to discern a difference. I certainly can. Your theory includes false premises and does not withstand scrutiny.
Good evening, Ms. Golden. I get the feeling that I did something to offend, this was not my intention. I am sorry.
I agree with you, the term Populist doesn’t seem to fit in that location. There seems to be self-labelled Populists in just about every political spectrum. I think lately, the term Populist has been replaced on the Nolan Chart with something less ambiguous:
“David Nolan originally termed this philosophy populism, but many later renditions of the chart have used the label statism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, or fascism instead.”
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Chart
In any case, thanks for responding, and I hope you have a great weekend.
I hope you will call me Louisa. I thank you for your response. I was offended. My sense of offense was heightened by a public trend to mislabel progressive ideas as a way of discrediting them. End of life counseling becomes death panels. Medicare becomes some kind of private health plan which the government should “stay out of.” Populism becomes Totalitarianism.
I think charts and other visuals are often too simple to be helpful. These abstract social phenomena are so dynamic and complex, it seems difficult to put them into a two dimensional, static representation.
I regret being testy with you, though. I’m sorry about that and appreciate your civility in return.
Regards,
Louisa
Hey ! I’m in Sam’s photo, roughly around 1 o’clock.
Get your leadership skills together folks ——I am with you …MAKE AFFIRMATIVE-CONCRETE-RELEVANT Demands:
Z) 911 Investigation
Y) Abolish the Federal Reserve
X) Investigate ALL Political Players in
W) Widespread, geo and historical criminality
V) Indict those who have been found accessories or players under the American Justice system
U) Permit the Troops , and former troops, and military operatives to decide the Foreign Policy in an intellectual summit
T) Eliminate Lobbyists in the American Congress
S) Create infallible , triple redundant voting under constitutional guidance
R) Investigate and DETERMINE the constitutionality of the MEDIA and OWNERSHIP thereof pursuant to its use of socio-psychological programming
Q) Revert to the Gold and Silver standards as black letter law states in the US Constitution
A thru P is for the PATRIOTS who read this to begin to OFFER to WE THE REST OF THE PEOPLE to decide upon
If there is one demand and only one demand that Occupy any city should make it would be as follows:
CAP ALL PROFITS OF CORPORATIONS AT A CERTAIN PRE DETERMINED LEVEL. Let the economists determine if it be 10, 20, 30% and then make it mandatory. This would include profits on all stocks, commodities and any other financial dealings had by wall st. This would solve the shipment of jobs overseas quite easily. If there is a limited profit structure there is no need to ship jobs overseas. The limited profits can be made here at home. This would also solve the transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. It wouldnt take away from them but sure would make it so that the accumulation stopped. It would cool the economy and prevent the inflated spikes. THINK ABOUT IT.
Thats P ….PPPPASS it on
Bill- you have posted to a site about Occupy Wall Street and your link is to a Ron Paul Money Bomb????? Boo.
glad to see the link is gone. no free rides for paultard money bombs. (or obamanoids or santoriums, for that matter.)
Damn it, I think the Occupy movement is interesting, yet if your protesting, and a camera or mic is your face, speak to specific points. Most look and sound loopy. Get your sound bites down.
I feel it should even go further. Things like “big corporate greed is bad man! We are the 99%” is about as vague you can be. I saw this, while the guy held a Starbucks cup. Hmmmm…
I feel a movement needs talking points, steps to achieve both message and results, and clear exit plans. Unity come with greater clarity. In starting, know your allies and attract people based on being on the same page.
By using sound and solid points, you can attract social support. I have been hard pressed to find organized message for Occupy, in fact the leader from Occupy LA even stated on tv, “Its to soon to know our platform. We are having meetings everyday to figure that out.” Really? No ones figured that out?
Occupy could be powerful in its delivery to wake up people, yet I feel, and hear, the same question. “So what’s the point? Why are they protesting?”
I see the government being willing to enforce lots if laws, unless you have a lobby and or willing to politically donate, in which laws change, or are modified. Either party is guilty of this system of paying to play. Big corporations get it, and play the game.
The private bankers running the federal reserve are not part of the government. This country has zero control over how spending to done. Trillions are missing, and there is nothing in place to find it, or hold those in charge accountable. If I had a job, and was in charge of $10k, and “lost” it, I would be investigated, lose my job, go to jail or all. Right? These people (at the fed) have a job, lost trillions, go congress and say they can’t account for the missing money. These are non elected bankers!
The list of issues I feel Occupy could address could go on: GMO foods, investigation of pharmaceutical drugs killing people (pain meds, chemo and so on), justification of the military/industrial mess, oil and power issues, trade issues, the mortgage mess, insurance, freedom laws, homelessness, FEMA issues… This is the small list.
The Obama Hope message was crap. Dump hope. Choose to understand what you really feel is in the way, and choose a new choice. Take action to live well, question things, and connect with focus.
Occupy within!
The occupation IS the message.
Amen sister!
Well said Shawn.
Eventually the people raging against the machine will realize people will only take them seriously if they know what they are asking for. This is already happening, actually, from what I can see from this site (although how much it speaks for the protesters as a whole, I really don’t know):
http://coupmedia.org/occupy-vote.html
What makes me happy, is to see the influence of Dr. Paul very strong in the newly forming agenda.
We could do something simple, like kill this idea of corporate personhood. No corporate money in politics. Re-write all corporate charters to stress corporate citizenship. The bottom line should be what is good for society first,then the $ bottom will take care of itself. Make it a sanctionable offence to lie in any type of commericial or political advertisment.Treat the USA as if it’s on loan from the All-Mighty and leave it in better shape than when we got it.Unleash low power FM radio so we can get the real local scoop.Take charge of the public air waves and adopt some standards that promote the “Ideals” expressed in our founding documents. A constitutional amendment,if drafted correctly, should do the job.
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