June 2012 - Occupy Toronto

Round Table was live

Thu, 28 June, 7:40 – 10:00pm Where379 Victoria St Kerr Hall Gymnasium, Ryerson University, Toronto Description Speakers include Trey Winney from Occupy Toronto and Ryan Dyment from the Zeitgeist Movement! Roundtable Live is a discussion platform for a wide spectrum of socially conscious people: activists, academics, artists, educators, public officials and everyday citizens. It’s where we all sit around the table as equals and look for how to build a more just, healthy and sustainable society. The first part of the event features a media panel with 6-7 guest speakers. Every speaker presents his or her point of view and relates it to the other opinions around the table. The audience actively participates by contributing questions and comments to the discussion. In the second part, the audience continues the forum in guided discussion groups of 8-10 participants. All Roundtable Live events are broadcast live on the Internet. We wish for speakers and participants to speak from their hearts. Everyone has an opinion and is encouraged to share it, while the others listen, reflect, and respond; the result is a new, family atmosphere of public discourse. The groups were to reflect on 2 values and making commitments towards some action!...

European band aid solution

European band aid solution for Global capitalism though the markets are up after 20 European summits since the 2008 Economic collapse brought on by the massive fraud and declining Amerikan housing. Germany is slowly taking control through banking with out going to war. Though it is Spain OR Italy NOT Greece that will bring down the Euro http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1219076–europe-s-debt-crisis-eu-leaders-reach-surprise-deal-at-summit...

Occupy Homes Minneapolis’ on-going neighbourhood non-compliance civil disobedience

Occupy Toronto 24 June 2012 by Michael Holloway UptakeVideo covers Minneapolis Occupy Homes on-going action at the Cruz family home in South Minneapolis. Occupy Homes occupied the house to prevent the families eviction after they fell into foreclosure due to a bank error. Minneapolis Police are now occupying the house – so Occupy members in carefully planned actions, are volunteering to cross the police lines and be arrested for tresspass. This in an on-going protest. Good tactic in my opinion – one that focuses global economic issues through a local lens – illustrating the effect that the hair-brained, G20 Austerity Policy is having on neighbourhoods. UptakeVideo‘s post under the video : (video embed below) 125 community members gathered at the home of the Cruz family in South Minneapolis and 13, including hip-hop artist Brother Ali, were arrested when they crossed the police line to protest PNC Bank?s reversal of their commitment to work with the family after the family fell into foreclosure due to a bank error. Brother Ali, who grew up in north Minneapolis, has been an outspoken supporter of Occupy Homes anti-foreclosures protests for about a year. In front of the crowd of supporters, each of the 13 spoke as to why they were willing to cross the police line before asking the officers to allow them to step onto the property and be arrested, bringing the total arrest count at the home to 39 within the past month. Despite Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak?s statement that the city was not in the foreclosure business, nearly two dozen Minneapolis police officers stood guard on the Cruz home to protect it for mortgage holder Freddie Mac. The arrests they made were for trespass. Cruz family tries again in Pittsburgh The Cruz family was not at their former home for Thursday?s arrests. Instead they had traveled to Pittsburgh, PNC Bank?s national headquarters. They came because the bank promised it would try to work something out, but had refused to discuss the loan with Occupy Pittsburgh activists who were demonstrating outside the bank on the family?s behalf. The family tried to meet with PNC Bank CEO Jim Rohr on Thursday and Friday to demand a good faith negotiation. But both times the bank refused to allow them to talk to Rohr. ?PNC did not give us the meeting we requested. Instead of sitting down for a good faith negotiation with someone who had the power to fix the bank?s error, they sat us down with low-level PR executives who had no intention or authority to negotiate with us,? said Alejandra Cruz. ?We came here to resolve this issue, and we?re not leaving without some answers.? The Cruz family drove 800 miles to hand deliver their loan modification documents in person, along with more than 40,000 petition signatures.The bank turnaround incited outrage and disgust among the family?s supporters. The rally at the Cruz family home concluded a nationwide day of action in which 18 cities rallied to demand PNC negotiate with the family. “Hip-Hop Artist Brother Ali Arrested At Evicted Minneapolis Family’s Home” UpTakeVideo on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/UpTakeVideo Occupy Our Homes: http://occupyourhomes.org/...

Summer Forward

with the recent Masquerade March through the downtown it is important to keep drawing attention to issues like Tuition and the Right to Protest. Earlier in the week the Provincial gov’t passed the Budget which had a lot of cuts that will affect residents. There was a surtax on those making over $500,000.00 which would be 23,000 Ontarians of 13,600,000 people OR 0.001691 NOT QUITE the 1% We are the 99%! We should continue the conversation…...

Another Occupy Is Possible — and Necessary

By Chris Maisano of Democratic Socialists of America and the Jacobin editorial board At the height of Occupy Wall Street’s efflorescence, when the enragés who took up residence in Zuccotti Park succeeded in raising the battle standard of the 99% for the entire world to see, I sat down for an interview with Frances Fox Piven to help make sense of what was unfolding before us. Although I thought I knew more than my fair share about the theory and practice of social movements in the U.S., as a child of the End of History, I had never really been part of one. I was born in the early 1980s, during the dreadful dawn of “Morning in America,” so aside from my days as an undergraduate global trade summit-hopper I learned almost everything I know about this stuff from books. The occupation of Zuccotti Park went on for days, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. It looked as if an honest-to-goodness social movement was breaking out in this country for the first time in my life. To be sure, I was elated. But to my surprise, that elation was often overcome by a sense of foreboding. I looked at all of the silliness that accompanied the encampments and feared that the movement (I still hesitate to use that phrase) would self-destruct before it made even a small dent in the power of the 1%. As is her wont, Piven was effusive in her praise for the protests. But she also reminded me and anyone who read the interview that when it comes to assessing the strength and development of social movements, it’s best to not get caught up in the exigencies of the moment and to take the long view instead. All the great movements in history, she reminded us, do not progress in a linear fashion, ever onward and upward until the final battle has been won. They grow and develop unevenly, moving by fits and starts, hitting peaks and valleys along the way. They may produce moments of collective euphoria, as in those first few weeks in Zuccotti Park, but they also inevitably bring with them periods of discouragement and demobilization. Full article at: http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=935...

The 7th G20 meets in Los Cabos,Mexico June 18-19

given the World is still reeling from the crisis caused by the Wall Street Elite since 2008. The agreements made in the Toronto G20 look doubtful as the blame will go to Europe see Greece, Spain?! for their purchase of toxic assets from Amerika. The G20 countries include the G8 plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the rotating European Union President. Not to mention the representatives from the World Banksters and the International Mugging Fraternity(imf) The group accounts for about 80 per cent of world trade and two-thirds of the world’s population. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/06/17/g20-setup.html...

Anti-austerity Casseroles spreading to Toronto neighbourhoods

Occupy Toronto 15 June 2012 by Michael Holloway Leslieville is an East end Toronto neighbourhood that was formerly a small village on the outskirts of Old Toronto. It is centred by Leslie Grove Park at Jones Avenue and Queen Street East – two blocks West of Leslie Street. Leslie Grove Park is the site of the former tree nurseries of Scottish horticulturalist entrepreneur, and village founder, George Leslie. ”Leslieville Pots and Pans: Solidarity With Quebec“ casseroles, started small on May 30th (30 people) and it has held it own over the weeks. Each week about 30 people participate (a core of about 20 plus about 10 ‘random’ (as the kids say) casserolers present each time). On week II (Wednesday, June 6th) the group ventured away from the Park and onto the neighbourhood streets. Week III (J13) this increasingly united and organized group handed out postcard-sized info fliers and about 100 Red Patches with safety pins to neighbours sitting on their front porches, or to people out for evening strolls. The casseroles walks have received a very warm response from almost everyone in the neighbourhood – (two people who live adjacent to the park complained about noise this week – and in a meeting afterwards we decided to spend much less time casseroling right on that corner – more walking casseroles – less rallying). Leslieville Pots and Pans – J13 (via classrageca) As posted earlier here in OccupyToronto (http://occupyto.org/2012/06/casseroles-night-in-toronto/), Casseroles evening walks are taking on the same neighbourhood quality that emerged spontaniously in Montreal’s neighbourhoods after the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 78 – the anti-civil-liberties law – on May 18th, 2012. Other neighbourhoods have started organizing on a hyper-local level. The Parkdale Feeder march to Dufferin Grove Casseroles – aka: “manif casserole toronto” – was amoungst the innovator events that is helping to spread this anti-repression, anti-austerity, progressive-economic-policy-movement into Toronto’s neighbourhoods — mirroring the Spanish Indignados tactics from spring 2011. The “manif casserole toronto” itself was an outcome of an OccupyToronto casseroles rally at Dundas Square on Friday May 25th 2012 [edit- 06/15/12] (OccupyToronto Market Exchange – posted May 25,2012 – http://www.facebook.com/OccupyToronto/posts/363075573755575?comment_id=3485563&offset=0&total_comments=6) .. after which participants decided to take the protest out of the core, and into the neighbourhoods. Toronto ‘casseroles’ in solidarity with Quebec – Pots & Pans protest (RAW) – May 30, 2012 (via Sophie Tread – who cycles while recording this – sweet.) Also one of the first neighbourhoods to organize was the “Harbord and Huron Poets“, which the next week became perhaps the best Event title yet, “Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions” – which like Parkdale Feeder was a local neighbourhood gathering that fed into the ”manif casserole toronto“, the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood Casseroles gathering. Since the first week more neighbourhoods have joined the movement – here’s a list I put together as part of my Map Admin duties at Casseroles Night’s in Canada (#CNIC): Manif Casseroles Toronto – Dufferin Grove Parkhttps://www.facebook.com/events/391104920936260/ Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions http://www.facebook.com/events/246342602138531/ Casserole Night in Christie Pits – for Kids & Adults http://www.facebook.com/events/361611753892660/ Leslieville Pots and Pans http://www.facebook.com/events/222955611155104/ Toronto East Downtown http://www.facebook.com/events/260307904077087/ Seaton Village http://www.facebook.com/events/425457310820641/ Casseroles Night at Withrow Park https://www.facebook.com/events/473497809334193/ Toronto Labor Lyceum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbYvJ92f0fE Check out the Casseroles Night’s in Canada Global Casseroles Map – (Toronto, Ontario, Canada – ALL open) – http://goo.gl/maps/ChU1 Next Friday, June 22, 2012 Quebec is organizing a Grand Manifestation – beginning at 2pm in front of the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec City – https://www.facebook.com/events/228211827281364/. For those who cannot get to Quebec City, a Montreal event is also planned – http://www.facebook.com/events/100800863395179/ Canada-wide support rallies are being organized, there is something happening here in Toronto but as I publish this, I can’t find a link. Found it! Or one anyway – Courtesy of Peaceworks Canada who is postering around the casseroles movement on Facebook – ”Masquerade Solidarité: Ontario Students United Against Tuition Fees!” – via Ontario Students’ Mobilization Coalition (OSMC) Poster from left to right: Masquerade Solidarité (Toronto), Manifestation nationale le 22 juin à Québec(Quebec City), Global Resistance 06.24(Global). After a handfull of cities joined June 6th, today I note that the Casseroles Movement is continuing to expand in Europe and now South America is networking too. The call is out for next weekend: “June 24 : worldwide resistance day in solidarity with the Quebeckers” (poster on the right) – http://www.facebook.com/events/394006377312364/. This Casseroles tactic marks the first time that a global anti-austerity movement tactic has traveled back across the Atlantic to Europe since the “Indignados” movement migrated West to North America – a movement that became known as #OccupyWallStreet. 🙂 mh...

The Class Question

was raised 8 months ago when citizens marched on to the Financial District and assembled in St. James Park to Occupy Toronto. Discuss…...

“I am a revolutionary” FREE political conferance

When: Saturday, 1:30pm to 7:00pm Where: O.I.S.E. – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (Just above St George subway station) What does it mean to be a revolutionary today? Can you be a revolutionary without a revolution? What exactly does a revolutionary do? ‘I am a revolutionary’ is a one-day conference that aims to discuss these and other questions about being an effective anti-capitalist activist. Organized by the International Socialists, the conference features four workshops that will discuss how to be a revolutionary in your workplace, on your campus, in your neighbourhood, and in the social movements. Discussion will include what practical steps you can take on a daily basis as well as organizing over the long term. Everyone is welcome to participate and share their experiences. Schedule: 1:30 pm Registration 1:45 pm Arming ourselves for the battle of ideas What do we mean by the ‘battle of ideas’? How do we challenge mainstream ideas about capitalism, the possibility of resistance, and human nature? How do ideas affect our ability to organize and resist capitalism? 3:00 pm Being a socialist at work What do you do at work if you’re a socialist? What if you don’t have a union, is it still possible to fight the boss? What if you have a union, but your leadership won’t fight concessions? How can you build the confidence of your co-workers to fight back? 4:15 pm Being a socialist in the classroom What should socialists do if they’re students? How should you relate to your student union or to the Canadian Federation of Students? Is it possible to organize a strike on campus? Why is it important to connect students to workers’ struggles? 5:30 pm Building resistance in your community How can you be an effective socialist in your neighbourhood? How can you build support for local community struggles? Is it important to organize resistance geographically, or should you focus on your workplace? All workshops include a 15-minute introduction followed by an hour of discussion. Readings are posted online. If you have time before the conference, please check them out:http://iamrev.wordpress.com/readings/ Registration: http://iamrev.wordpress.com/register/ Organized by the International Socialists...

The Young and the Wealthless

Read over the weekend that the official unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.3% even though 7,700 jobs were created because you really need 15,000 jobs to keep up with population growth. The REAL unemployment rate would be closer to 11% if you add in the people off benefits, layoff, loosely looking for work. When the Conservatives first came to power in 2006, the official rate was 6.4% Youth unemployment is almost double the nation rate at 13.3% With the University/College students facing competition from High Schoolers later this month we could see something closer to 20% given the slowing economy!...

Casseroles Night in Toronto

A small contingent from Parkdale marches to join the mass convergence at Dufferin Grove park in solidarity with the nightly casseroles demonstrations in Montreal. In general the issues are: against government criminalization of protest, debt relief for students, the right to affordable if not free education, and anti-austerity....

ONTARIO MOBILIZES TO TAKE BACK EDUCATION

The Quebec Student “Maple Spring Movement” has shown formidable success in putting the international spotlight upon the demand for affordable and accessible education in Canada; after four months of continuous strikes, observers have remarked that the strikes could be reaching numbers of people on the streets as high as half a million, rivalling the American Anti-War movement of the 60s and 70s. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) Ontario, officially endorsed the movement in an open letter, signed by a growing signatory of students and professionals who have recognized Montrealers for setting a “heroic example.” CommonDreams.org, a long time progressive alternative US news agency, recently commended the movement for engaging in the “biggest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history,” and emphasized the importance of the strikes, calling the struggle now a “constitutional challenge,” in defiance of the anti-protest 78 law. Labour unions and public interest groups have now been called upon, internationally to show their support, with a sense of urgency, as a solidarity response in wake of sweeping mass arrests, reported to be approaching of as many as 3,000 Montrealers. Last week, Occupy Toronto led a demonstration and march of 500 in sympathy and solidarity with the Quebec Student protesters. They aimed, also, to send a message that Ontarians call on the repeal of bill 78 and stated that they would accept the challenge of pressuring the provincial government to make post secondary education in Quebec and all of Canada affordable and accessible for everyone. In Toronto a small but building mobilization and outreach effort is currently under way through a series of nightly “pots and pans protests” that could continue throughout the summer and culminating in a general strike in the fall. Analogous to the strike, Quebec student groups have asked for supporters to boycott Quebecor Sun Media and other unsympathetic news organizations including the National Post, for what can only be seen as a politically motivated media blackout intended to weaken and isolate the strikers even in the face of violent police action and the government’s unreasonable and undemocratic legislation. Statement by the Ontario Student Mobilization Committee (OSMC): “Post-secondary education in Canada is in crisis. Students in Canada collectively owe the federal government more than $14.5 billion. Ontario’s tuition fees are 23% higher than the national average. Decades of cuts by both the provincial and federal governments have resulted in tuition fees increasing at more than twice the rate of inflation. High fees and debts impose a heavy burden on students and their families. Communities impoverished by social oppressions are unable to access education. Indigenous and undocumented people are completely shut out. As curriculum are standardized and specialized to fit the corporate agenda, class sizes continue to rise with debt. Our system is increasingly corporate-minded, placing profit ahead of education; ironically, however, most of us now graduate to a jobless future. This is not just the plight of students, but symptoms of a broken economic system. It is through well-funded higher education that our society grows and improves. Education is not a luxury, or an expense: it is an investment in the future. For the past few months, as Quebec students have been turning a simple issue of fees into a wider criticism of the neoliberal agenda, in Ontario we have seen our media rejoice at every opportunity to ridicule and discredit a generation saying they want a better world for tomorrow. On June 5th, we will march together in solidarity with the inspiring struggle of the students of Quebec, and to demand accessible education for the people of Ontario! Bring your friends, your voice, your instruments, your flags, your banners, your red squares, and most importantly, your spirit. The time for us to stand up and be heard is now. We must ride the momentum of this historic moment. This is more than a hike, more than a strike, more than Quebec; this is the beginning of a new way of seeing education, not just for now but for generations to follow.” This article was originally published by wearechangetoronto.org http://wearechangetoronto.org/2012/05/27/ontario-mobilizes-to-take-back-education/...

Book review: Occupy This

Review of Judy Rebick, Occupy This! (Penguin, 2012). By Donya Ziaee Reading long-time activist Judy Rebick’s new e-book Occupy This! re-awakened memories of my experience at the Occupy Toronto encampment in its very early days. The optimism, excitement and hope with which Rebick pens her latest book is quite reminiscent of the sentiments that drew me, and perhaps many others, to the camp in the initial period. Yet, while Rebick’s contribution captures quite well the initial sense of optimism and reinvigoration that the Occupy movement had seemed to unleash, it says much less about the complex practical, organizational and strategic questions that grew in significance as the occupation wore on. Occupy This! traces the origins and characteristics of the Occupy movement to earlier social justice movements based around the principles of non-hierarchy and participatory democracy, and celebrates the strengths and successes of this new politics in providing an alternative to the current neoliberal order. Rebick argues that, within the US, this politics originally emerged with the anti-globalization movement of the 1990s and the heralding of a bottom-up, collective, and compassionate approach to social change. Comparisons are subsequently drawn between the democratic forms emerging from the Occupy movement and earlier experiments with participatory democracy, such as the participatory budget in Porto Alegre, the horizontalidad movement of worker takeovers of closed-down factories in Argentina and the Movement for Socialism led by Evo Morales in Bolivia. full article: http://newsocialist.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=631...

HOW do you get the Bank of Canada to lend money at no interest

HOW do you get the Bank of Canada to lend money at no interest for Public projects when the governor is a Goldman Sachs alumni; Mark Carney? (I posed this question to many an occupier who talked about the money system OR fractional banking) Discuss…...