Join members of Occupy Austin and other activist groups in sharing food, cigarettes, and mobile phone minutes with people who are currently homeless and/or hungry. We will also encourage them to share their stories, particularly their experiences with the Austin Police Department, in solidarity with the Peaceful Streets Project (http://peacefulstreets.com/)

When:
Thursday, May 17, 6:30 PM, meet up at Wooldridge Park

Please Bring:
Peanut butter
Jelly
Bread
Napkins
Knives for spreading pb&j
Recording equipment
Cigarettes
Mobile phones that can be loaned

Is this what everyone wants? Photo by epsos.de

Our first two meetings have seen lively discussions about a variety of topics. We agreed at the first gathering to have themes for future nights. Our second meeting was about Assumptions — the assumptions our culture makes about what a relationship should look like versus what we do in practice or what we really desire. Here are some types of assumptions we identified:

• Commitment / fidelity – What is commitment? Are only monogamous or “conventional” relationships serious?
• Bisexuals all want 3somes
• Amount of time & attention – are you required to spend a certain amount of time with a loved one or lover?
• “Cute” – When minorities or disabled people date it’s not taken seriously
• Other assumptions about disabled – i.e. they don’t want sexual relationships, they can’t date normally, etc
• Assumptions based on age  – older people want to “settle down,” younger people are always looking for casual sex.
• Assumptions about Success – what makes a relationship successful?
• Failure – When a polyamorous (or otherwise unconventional relationship) fails, its always blamed on the polyamory, not any other problems they might have had.
• Everyone wants marriage.
• Everyone wants children.
• Everyone is looking for their “one” true love.
• Assumptions about queerness – what a LGBTQ person looks like, acts like, or wants

Obviously, this only begins to reveal the many ways we are taught to make assumptions about what “normal” relationships look like.

The next OccuQueers meeting is Wednesday, 5/16, 6pm at the Q, 3408 West Ave.

The next Conscious Relationships discussion is Wednesday, 5/16, 9pm at Dominican Joe, 515 S. Congress. The topic will be Gender Roles.

“Man up”
“You’re not as _______ as you used to be.” (compliment veiled in criticism or vice versa)
“Why can’t you be more like ________.”
Differing expectations of different genders
Grouping siblings together
“dysfunctional family” (define dysfunction.)
Comparative dysfunction
Cycle of abuse
“Boys can’t be princesses.”
Invalidating fears/”irrational” fears
Infantilizing/fear of independence of children
Control issues
Power dynamics
“Pray away the gay”
“Why are you doing this to me!”
Emotional=effeminate
Stigma of free range kids
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Boundaries vs. natural/logical consequences
“goody two shoes”
Birth order (oldest=more discipline, youngest=neglected)
Pressure to have children
“I was a fucking stubborn bastard.” -Carey Neal Dunn

***

In summary, as the crowd was mostly people who didn’t have children, we discussed how our relationships with our parents were and were not oppressive. The takeaway for me, as a parent, was that kids end up ok either way, so they might as well be free (easy to say, less easy to practice – especially when your 15 year old isn’t doing his homework and is sleeping all day.)

The ultimate takeaway was “All that shit we talked about that your parents did that was oppressive? Don’t do that shit to your kids.”

♥

Next week’s teach-in (5/20 at 5 PM) will be on the topic of Environmental Racism at Pease Park (near the volleyball courts.) Facebook event link  /Google Calendar event link

The following week is Harvey Milk Day, and we will not have a teach-in. I will be working on the June/July/possibly August calendar this week. Thanks so much for all who have participated in these discussions.

The Occupy Austin Welcome Wagon has planned a series of anti-oppression teach-ins and community potlucks. The following is a schedule of dates, times, and locations for planned events:

Sunday, May 13, 2012 (Mother’s Day) 5 PM at Austin Java – City Hall

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Occupy Austin’s Lainie Duro. Let’s drink mimosas and discuss anti-oppressive parenting tactics.

Summary of Discussion Points:

-What can we do to teach children about oppression and how it plays out in their relationships with others?

-How does oppression play into the parent-child relationship?

-Should we place limits on the freedom of children? If so, when and how? If not, how do we ensure our children do not exercise their freedom at the expense of others?

-How can non-parents help?

Sunday, May 20, 2012 1 PM at Pease Park – Near the volleyball courts

Occupy Austin Community Potluck

Join us for food, fun, and discussion about the NATO protests, among other things.

Bring something to eat and share, games to play, art supplies, great ideas, laughter, and friends.

Stick around afterwards for a teach-in on Environmental racism at 5 PM.

We should be posted up somewhere near the volleyball courts, so bring a volleyball, too! ♥ ♥ ♥

Sunday, May 20, 2012 5 PM at Pease Park – Near the volleyball courts

Occupy Austin Sunday Anti-Oppression Teach-in Series – Environmental Racism

***This Teach-in will be facilitated by Adrian Boutureira and Dave Cortez***

The definition of environmental racism is inequality — in the form of racism linked with environmental factors and practices — that causes disproportionate distress on minority communities. It is a heavily debated phenomenon incorporating a hybrid of environmental concerns and human welfare. Environmental racism is often used to describe specific policies, events, and outcomes in which minority communities are targeted for the placement of polluting industries and factories. Environmental racism can also be connected to the exclusion of minority groups from the decision-making process in their communities.

The environmental justice movement aims in part to combat environmental racism; environmental justice is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, colour, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

Please join us for lively discussion and fun! Invite your friends! <3

OccuQueers educating commuters and Plaza Saltillo. Photo by Kit O'Connell.

Today the Occupy Austin OccuQueers visited the Obama for America headquarters in Austin, Texas for our second #WeCantWait action. Our first action was a silent protest with Get Equal Texas where we delivered pens and a letter about our cause.

The 5 of us in attendance at this action took the streets in an impromptu march from Plaza Saltillo to the Obama or America office, chanting “We Can’t Wait! Take the Streets!” As you can see in the video below, we were met respectfully by Megan Klein, the Central Texas Regional Field Director, who promised to share our concern with her boss, Texas director Hector Nieto.

In addition to the direct action, OccuQueers members also educated commuters at the Plaza by holding signs and handing out fliers.

Kit O’Connell will follow up with Megan Klein to make sure she gets the information requested. If possible, he will also follow up with her boss Hector Nieto.

This is just the latest in a series of actions to support what the media calls the “Executive Nondiscrimination Order,” which is an executive order Barack Obama promised to sign in 2008, protecting federal contractors from work place discrimination due to sexual orientation and gender identity. More actions are planne in this campaign until the order is signed and the Executive Nondiscrimination Act passes.

Video by Lainie Duro, Occupy Austin Welcome Wagon

PRESS RELEASE

OCCUPY AUSTIN ’S LGBTQ COMMUNITY CAN’T WAIT

President Obama should sign promised non-discrimination order now!

Austin, TX – May 10^th, 2012:  The Occupy Austin OccuQueers Working Group will be joining with allies from GetEqualTX, today at 4:30 pm at Plaza Saltillo for the second installment of a series of actions targeting the Executive Non-Discrimination Order. This is the executive order that (if signed by President Obama) would grant protection from workplace discrimination for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or transgender workers in federal jobs, at corporations which have federal contracts, and in some federal housing situations. The Act would protect 25% of workers who work in federal jobs from discrimination based on LGBTQ identity or orientation.

OccuQueers working group organizer, Kit O’Connell states, “President Barack Obama needs to keep his promise and sign the Executive Nondiscrimination Order. It’s so basic and even less controversial than same-sex marriage. Over 70 US representatives and over 20 faith based groups have signed a letter urging Obama to sign. We’re glad Obama publically supports same-sex marriages and families but it’s time to back up words with action. We can’t wait any longer.”

###

About the OccuQueers Working Group: Occupy Austin OccuQueers is a group for gay, bi, trans, queer, asexual, pansexual, sapiosexual, polyamorous, straight allies — humans of any orientation and gender-identity — who want to discuss why queer people occupy. We meet regularly to share our experiences & plan actions.

About Occupy Austin: Occupy Austin is a standing protest against the unjust and harmful power of large corporations over the world’s economic and political systems and against threats to civil liberties and democracy at home and abroad. Our Occupation began on October 6, 2011.

If you would like more information on this topic or would like to schedule an interview, please contact: media@occupyaustin.org

Mod Amanda

99% Spring action at BoA on Wednesday May 9th

I’m here Monday nights, with water and snacks and friendship for anyone in need.

Dave-

TPP rally and march on the 12th

Bus leaving from AFL/CIO, you can park there. Sign up online for the free bus ride.

About 30 occupiers on the bus, the rest filled by CWA

I’ve printed up What Is Occupy? fliers for distribution on the bus and at the event.

If you can go please do.

Public has been excluded from the TPP negotiations.

tppdallas.org

If you’re not going, send Dave an email (david.cortez@sierraclub.org) to give up your seat.

Mike-

They’re discussing a “Preservation of life” statement for APD. Several things going on.

White man with adopted black son who is autistic. His son has already been put in cuffs, and is terrified of cops. The father is afraid his son will run and get shot.

Autism training is available to police, but it is optional.

Claimed the police is not becoming militarized. Debbie Russell made the case that they should return to being a peace force

Dawnielle-

Viva Streets. May 20th, from 6AM to 4PM.

6th Street will be shut down to cars. Occupy it.

Lainie-

Anti-oppressive parenting teach-in. This Sunday at 5PM, Austin Java, with mimosas.

Following Sunday pot luck in the park (probably Pease park).

Paco-

Peaceful Streets Projects is moving from Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30 to noon. They’re collecting stories of people at the courthouse.

Rob-

A group of us went to McAllen to visit their GA, and were referred to many other surrounding Occupy groups. A rep from McAllen offered to contact those groups about #J4.

Carey-

Safer Spaces-We’ve special topics for our meetings, where we talk about issues that have affected them.

Doc is underway please help.

Paco-Bank Action

BoA action. A MoveOn/99% Spring action to try to learn to fuck shit up for banks, the way Occupy does it.

POI-In solidarity with the occupation of the shareholders meeting in NC on the same day.

POI-The city council has passed an ordinance making it illegal to take magic markers into the building.

POI-Zach, he’s just raising money to get out of town, but is fine.

Lainie-Yesterday Nolan and Sarah did a teach-in on ableism. It was awesome and on ustream. They’ll be doing a series of those teach-ins.

If you want to do a teach-in on oppression, or want to learn about a topic, let me know.

We are short of quorum (19), and so no proposals.

Special Topics

Claire-What drew people to Occupy movement. I’ve been asking people.

Amanda-Idea for working group-focused GAs.

Called to order at 7:16

Check-ins/introductions

Announcements

Steve-Two cases Eviction, still needs videos at law office

CTs, and people being prevented from participating by CT

Pictures needed at: 1405 Montopolis Drive Austin, TX 78741-3436 Call them thursday between 1 and 4 512 474 5073 Texas Civil Rights Project

Ken- March on Bank of America on May 9 99% Spring Will gather at Capitol at 4:30 march at 5 POI-Dave:Ken’s a righteous dude. Q:Need any help? Sign making 4PM Far West Blvd. May 6th

Paco-New Jail Release initiative Peaceful streets project We’ll be there in the mornings to greet people coming out of court to document their stories. 9 to 1230 Tuesday mornings. And we’ll be there at night to greet people coming out of the jail to provide jail support. Bank Action-Restructuring the team, we need more people to step up. May switch to biweekly meetings. Need new folks to step up. Meetings Tuesdays at 7-9.

Carey- Meeting of Democrat Party LGBT advisor big wigs at Four Seasons in the morning. Some people are considering holding signs and giving testimony about ENDA. ENDA is an executive order to extend legal protection to LGBT people. 11-2, May 6th. Q:Where did you get the information, and have you reached out to Activate about the picnic? Equality Texas and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Dave- Bus for Dallas leaves Saturday for TPP protest. Leaves from AFL/CIO office at 8:30 (be there by 8, you can park there). 11th and Lavaca. Food in Dallas. 1000 people at rally. tppdallas.org May Day went really well, thanks for your support. We had some interesting issues with stopping in front of BoA, and chewing them out with 300 people. A rough discussion is happening between Activate Austin and ISO; we’re hoping we can find a way to reach out to the folks who participated, and to bring back many occupiers from the past. I’m trying to reestablish my role as a non-magnet, support role occupier. I’m hoping we can find a new way to organize. I’ll be back in town May 13th.

Dan- Electoral news from the Justice party Rocky Anderson ballot access petitions are available. voterocky.org Americans Elect. First online round of caucuses. Americans Elect will be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Claire- I went to see my lawyer along with Chicago. He told us, we had a choice. Probably all of the CTs will be dismissed…because they are nothing more than what is written on this peace of paper, which is not enough to do anything with. DA will simply let it go away. But, civil disobedience…we were, our civil rights were tromped on here. And though others don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I want a trial date, now. If you do that, they may find you guilty. I want a trial jury. This is what we do. Everyone who was arrested should do this. If you haven’t been arrested, go with Dave, and get arrested. facebook…I just popped on, I really am a dinosaur. I wanted a question answered, so I asked one person one question, it was taken the wrong way by the individual, and was insulted by my tone. Many people piled on and called me names. It’s not a place to do anything. It was misunderstood by everybody. POI-Lainie: If you’d like training I can help. No, I want out!

Lainie- Tomorrow at 5PM Nolan and Sarah are doing a teach-in on Ableism. Second in a series of anti-oppression workshops. Next Sunday, anti-oppressive parenting. Following Sunday 20th at noon at Pease park, Dave and Adrian are doing an environmental racism teach-in at pot luck. Also planning a discussion on all areas of oppression and how oppression effects our life. Welcome wagon meetings every Sunday at 6PM at City Hall to help plan teach-ins and pot lucks.

Paco-From Kit We’re concentrating our efforts on next week for ENDA. Meeting this Monday at 7PM at the Q.

Joe-Facilitation teach-in Sunday at 7:30ish after Interfaith.

Bishop- Away Team met with Occupy McAllen and they’re having margaritas.

Dave- We have a foreclosure attorney and a friend from new bottom line offering to do trainings for us. I want them to come and would love that, but I may not be able to attend. I made a post looking for someone to be point person, and we need a consistent flow of people. We’ll announce the training. Please come to Bank Action Tuesday to help determine that time.

Special topics

Joe-Non-violent communication discussion.

Paco-About the article in the Nation.

Corey-The new Open Mic facebook group.

First, I am not a member of the Occupy Austin General Assembly. I communicate with its members via e-mail and social media. That disclosure should lead any reporter—even Katha Pollitt—to the conclusion that I’m incapable of speaking on behalf of any member of Occupy Austin. I’ll do you one better: I’m a contributing writer for Occupy Austin and the Occupied Washington Times and I occupied a tent behind Dallas, not Austin’s City Hall.

I recently read a blog posted on OccupyAustin.org titled What Occupy Is and Is Not. It was obvious to me after reading the blog that the writer (a member of the Language of Unity Working Group) must have began their editorial with the intention of relaying some relatively unknown demographic information: There are republican occupiers. Okay. Proving this is often the defensive response to FOX News’ claims that Occupy is the brainchild of the Obama 2012 campaign or far-left liberals. Fair enough. I’ve met Republican occupiers, and even members of the Tea Party, that frequently join Occupy demonstrations. Lets move on to the differences between the 99% and the Occupy movement itself.

I was once at a protest in downtown Dallas. We positioned ourselves between a Chase bank and a community owned credit union. With groups of protesters on all four corners chanting and banging drums, we were an unavoidable spectacle. One of the buildings adjacent to Chase had apartments above the ground level shops and from one of the fifth story windows a paper air plane was thrown. Almost magically, the airplane landed at our feet and we opened it up. It read: “I love your cause, but please stop drumming. The rest of the 99%.” We obliged.

The reason I tell that story is to show an important contrast between members of the Occupy movement and the so-called 99%. The term 99% is an economic distinction. The number 99 wasn’t derived from a mathematical study of wealth in America. 99 percent is meant to show just how many of Them there are compared to Us; the uber-wealthy and the rest of us, respectively. Many economists (who seem oblivious to the point) have even come out to say it’s really the .01 percent. So, once again, Charles Manson, Joe the Plumber and Antoine Dodson are all members of the demographic, symbolically identified as the 99%, whether they agree with the objectives of the Occupy movement or not.

The blogger also made a false statement that Occupy had thus far intentionally removed itself from abortion related conversations. I say false because I remember a number of large protests both defending Woman’s rights and attacking groups that attempted to pull resources away from healthcare organizations such as Planned Parenthood. In Dallas, Occupy protesters (after establishing consent in a General Assembly) joined with demonstrators from MoveOn.org, CREDO Action and UltraViolet to shame Susan G. Komen for the Cure after they attempted to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

After informing readers that Occupy was not a leftist organization and told them Occupy kept Women’s issues at arms length, the aforementioned blog, What Occupy Is and Is Not, deteriorated with a number of uncouth and presumptuous remarks about women and abortion. A writer at The Nation quickly picked up on these remarks and incorporated them into an article titled, Women: Occupy the Left. Pollitt, who authored the editorial, obviously took offense to chauvinistic comments that labeling middle aged female demonstrators as, “soccer moms in need of a cause”. You know what? I do too.

I’m an occasional reader of The Nation. Specifically, I am a fan of contributing writer Ari Berman, whom I believe is one of the few great progressive journalists in a dying breed. I’d like to label Pollitt’s mention of Occupy Austin’s blog as feeble. When describing the grievances declared by the General Assembly of New York City, she chose animal rights and colonialism as the two ends of the spectrum. She could have just as easily chosen illegal foreclosures, exorbitant CEO bonuses or job outsourcing to describe OWS’s cause.

Occupy Wall St. didn’t begin their list with animal rights nor did it end with colonialism. Pollitt’s sly attempt to show how OWS singled out animals more than women is laughable. When Pollitt says, “women’s rights… tend to get set aside whenever economics or ‘class” is the focus,” and then later says, “women’s rights are economic rights, too“, she obnoxiously and perhaps intentionally contradicts herself. The first two OWS grievances (not mentioned or linked to by Pollitt) are references to economic injustice. Pollitt seems to infer that while economic rights are women’s rights, it’s necessary for any writer to point out they are including women when referring to said rights or we can’t be sure they are.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that the “Language of Unity Working Group” stated that Occupy has no clearly defined demands and that is also false. We clearly desire the Supreme Court to reverse ‘United vs FEC’  and to outlaw large corporate donations for political means. It’s also evident that the Occupy movement demands equality for women (and men), in the workplace and any other place they choose to be. To suggest otherwise is ignorant when thousands have marched to petition for a redress of those grievances specifically.

When it comes to women, the 99% or the Occupy movement itself, my advise to Katha Pollitt and the Language of Unity Working Group is: Speak for yourself.

- @DBCOOPA
subversivepress@gmail.com
 

 

 

 

My opinions are just that, mine.

 

images are ableist

Ableism (pronounced ey-buh-liz-uhm) is a form of discrimination or social prejudice against people with disabilities.

Sunday May 6th, 5-6pm
Sunday anti-oppression teach-in series: 
Introduction to Ableism by Sarah Watkins, Nolan Darileck
1. What is ableism?
2. How does ableism manifest in interpersonal and structural ways?
3. How do we recognize and interrupt ableism, both as disabled and non-disabled people?

Goal of Discussion: To raise consciousness around the negative impacts of ableism, to identify tools for recognizing and interrupting ableism, and to foster discussion about ways to reduce ableism in the Occupy movement.

Call(s) to Action: Learn how to be a better ally to people with disabilities.

http://www.facebook.com/events/300631353347614/