Organizer on KUGN Morning News

EPD officer and protester clasp hands

EPD officer and protester clasp hands. Photo by Tracy Sydor.

Here is a transcript with Occupy Eugene organizer Samuel Rutledge on KUGN Morning News with Storm and Grant on November 14 (download .mp3):

Storm: Why this all started and what are you actually protesting?

Sam: The Occupy movement started back in September in New York City and a group of people came together to start camping out at Wall Street to protest basically rampant corporate greed and a financial system that’s gotten completely out of hand and that benefits one percent of the people in this country at the expense of the other 99 percent. And I think most of the folks listening here today are members of the 99 percent, and that’s the reason that we’re all out there.

Back in October you may remember we had a huge march in Eugene of 2,000 people that was part of a nationwide, even a global day of action that brought folks out in solidarity with that Wall Street protest.

Storm: What made you decide to come together and find a camp out?

Sam: Well the occupation in a certain sense is part of the message. The group in New York City feels this way as well, that politics is so dominated by big money, as is the media. Most of the radio stations that folks listen to, most of the television stations that folks watch today are owned by just a small handful of companies and part of the result of that is that our civic dialogue is limited to just a few issues. And we may have robust disagreements about those issues, but things like corporate money, things like the role of corporations in public life (and I mean large corporations, not small businesses, but these huge, mega corporations in public life) just aren’t discussed in as robust a way as we’d like to see happening. And so by occupying a public space with our bodies, we’re able to also bring that discussion into the public dialogue, and that’s an essential part of how this protest is working.

Grant: So you’re occupying the Washington/Jefferson Bridge Park right now. Who all is camped out with you right now?

Sam: Well there’s, and I don’t have good head counts, frankly, because it’s kind of up and down depending on the day, but there are a lot of activists, people who are taking time off of work who are coming down there one or two nights a week to camp out and there’s also a lot of folks who are able in their lives either because they’ve been laid off or because they have some kind of, they are able to be there seven days a week and they’re living there full-time and we also have a large number of the homeless population who have been in Eugene and have been in the streets here for years and years and years and who have found that this is a safe place to camp and that they resonate with our issues as well and we welcome them in as well.

Storm: So how is that going? We’ve heard reports of it being a little trying between the Occupy Wall Street protesters and the homeless coming in.

Sam: You know there are challenges I think in every place in the country where we are occupying public space. There are challenges because there are huge problems associated with homelessness: problems of addiction, problems of untreated mental health issues, and these are problems that have not been adequately addressed by the larger society. By being physically in public space, we’re compelled to address those issues. They’re right there with us and we’re doing everything we can around the country to try and find humane ways to address those issues that don’t dehumanize and that don’t marginalize people who are already at the edges of society.

Grant: Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns is very impressed with the behavior that has been executed by the Occupy Eugene protesters. How has that relationship been for you guys in regards to the police and with the city?

Sam: It’s been really, really positive. One of my favorite images that’s come out of Occupy Eugene is a photograph that was taken on the day of our march and it’s just two hands, it’s just a police officer who’s obviously in uniform and wearing a police-issue bicycle glove giving a high-five to somebody who’s got sort of bracelets and looks like a citizen’s hand, and I think that image is emblematic of everything that we’ve done in the entire sense of cooperation between the police and the city and Occupy Eugene. We’re hoping to be a model, frankly, for the rest of the country in ways to have cooperation rather than conflict between the powers that be and the folks who are wanting to change the system to be better for everyone.

Storm: Speaking of conflict, I’m sure you’ve heard of the conflict they’re having in Oakland with Occupy Wall Street also in Portland, Oregon, just to the north of us. Any problems that you see here happening?

Sam: I would hope that the sorts of things that have happened in Oakland and Portland, I think it’s actually been very different. Oakland’s police department cracked down with incredible brutality on protesters recently and then I haven’t heard the details of what’s happening right now, that they’re clearing it out again but the last time that they tried to clear out, I’m not sure if y’all are aware but Scott Olsen, a United States Marine I believe who served in Afghanistan was critically injured during that action by a police I think it’s a tear gas canister that was tossed into the crowd and so that kind of thing I would desperately hope that we avoid. Portland – I hear that the police officers by and large were remarkably peaceful. I wish that Mayor Adams had decided to spend those resources trying to help the organizers deal with the very real problems that were causing unsafe situations in the camp rather than just spending all of those resources on overtime for police officers to shut the camp down, and I would hope that in Eugene, the same thing can happen, that to the extent that we have any unsafe situations arising I’d hope that the city continues to cooperate with us and help us with resources to deal with those situations.

Storm: Volunteer organizer Samuel Rutledge, thank you so much for joining us and we hope to keep in touch.

Sam: Well thank you, Storm, I hope to keep in touch as well.

Download .mp3 of Sam’s interview.

“We are the Many” – Makana

“We’ll occupy the streets, we’ll occupy the courts, we’ll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, artist Makana, wearing an “Occupy with Aloha” T-shirt performed his song “We are the Many” at a dinner with leaders from 21 economies.

The guest list included Chinese President Hu Jinato, Russian President Dmitry Medvedec and the Obamas.

New Forums


Our forum upgrade was completed today and the new forum is located at http://occupyeugenemedia.org/discussion/

The new forum offers our users many new features and enhanced capabilities. We switched to a new forum platform, so we were unable to transfer our forum users. We apologize for the unavoidable extra step, but everyone is required to re-register (preferably with the same user name), prior to participating.

Effective immediately, the old forums will be closed to new posts, but will be kept available in a Read Only format.

Please contact forum@occupyeugenemedia.org with any questions.

—————————————————————————————

phpBB is the most widely used open source bulletin board system in the world. A full list of the new features is available at the phpBB site, here are a few of the highlights:

  • Enhanced security / Data Management
  • Robust searching
  • Trending / Hot topics
  • Bookmarking and Private messaging
  • Signatures and Online listing
  • Forum display and organization
  • Improved and simplified moderation and administration

 

Candlelight Vigil for Occupy Portland

Occupy EugeneIn support of Occupy Portland: Candlelight Vigil TONIGHT @ Occupy Eugene. Occupy Portland has been ordered an eviction notice from their site as of midnight tonight. Come peacefully protest in support of the global Occupation. Bring extra candles/candleholders, signs in support of Portland. Let’s hold our vigil along the sidewalk on 7th (Big Red side of camp). We’ll start lighting candles at dusk. Let’s hold the space through midnight.

Facebook invite.

Today at 6:00pm – Tomorrow at 7:00am

Location
Occupy Eugene!

Washington Jefferson Park, between 6th and 7th
Eugene, Oregon

We stand in solidarity with the students and teachers at Occupy Cal

As shown in this video, U.C. Berkeley students trying to set up an Occupy encampment faced a violent altercation with campus police, who arrested seven protesters and tore down tents along the campus’ Sproul Plaza Wednesday afternoon.

The police, wearing riot gear, clashed with students again Wednesday evening as they attempted to reestablish their camp.

The Berkeley students were gathering as part of a statewide ‘Occupy’ effort to unite against the cost of California’s higher education system. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau sent a letter to members of the campus Monday warning against engaging in such demonstrations.

Support Bank Transfer Day

Bank Transfer Day

Remember, remember the 5th of November! Occupy Eugene encourages everyone to close your account in a corporate bank by November 5th and deposit your money in a local credit union or community bank.

Join us this Saturday for a rally at 11:00am in the Free Speech Plaza (8th & Oak) and then for a March at 12:00pm visiting the local large corporate financial institutions.

Local Credit Unions have already reported a surge in new accounts as a result of the anti-corporate bank movement associated with Occupy Wall Street movements around the country. Occupy Eugene and other groups such as SEIU Local 503 and ESSN have been holding regular protests at corporate banks in Eugene, such as Bank of America, Chase, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

“People are fed up with the excessive fees these banks are charging, and their unethical practices and profiteering,” said one local Occupy Eugene activist. “If you leave your money and your business in these banks, your money is telling them their practices are acceptable. They are not.”

The ten largest banks in the U.S. now own 80% of banking assets. Community banks and credit unions own the remainder of these assets and generally provide small business loans, home mortgages, and other similar accounts.

Bank of America, in addition to other corporate banks is now charging its customers a $5.00 per month fee on debit cards if an account has less than $20,000 on deposit, disproportionately impacting lower-income customers. Given the million-dollar bonuses paid to big bank executives after taxpayers bailed them out in 2008, the high rate of home foreclosures resulting from predatory loan practices, the admissions that many of these banks lied to investors to increase their gigantic profits, it isn’t difficult to figure out that ‘we the people’ should not be rewarding these unscrupulous business practices.

You can use this contact sheet to find options for Oregon credit unions or better yet, start a discussion with friends and family by asking them if they know of any local credit unions.

Local Credit Unions & Community Banks | Fact Sheet on Why You Should Move Your Money | Flyer

 

Occupy Eugene moves to the University of Oregon

Late Wednesday night, in an exercise of consensus process and direct democracy, the community known as Occupy Eugene elected to relocate to the University of Oregon campus. After hours of negotiations on Thursday between the University and representatives of Occupy Eugene, it was decided that the occupation would move to the Millrace Park on East 11th Avenue and Franklin. The University has generously supplied the occupation with generators, electricity, and rides from Public Safety to the Park.

Occupy Eugene acknowledges the University for matching the City of Eugene in its openness to communicating with OE and facilitating our ongoing commitment to maintaining a vital, visible, educational community presence.

Many have seen a memo from a Lorraine Davis, Acting Provost of U of O, which enunciates that camping is not permitted at the U of O campus, but that “free speech and active exchange of ideas…are at the foundation of higher education.” We agree. The concepts of free speech and the exchange of ideas are fundamental to higher education. We consider this particular expression of free speech and exchange of ideas to be completely consistent with the University’s mission of teaching and research.

It bears clarification: Occupy Eugene is not a campground. We occupy public space because the occupation is the message. We believe that regular citizens have been disenfranchised in our current political climate, where corporations and wealthy individuals are able to unduly influence our political process. Because of this influence, regular citizens have been deprived of our ability to have an effect on the workings of our government. As a last resort, we are exercising our First Amendment rights to assemble peaceably and petition our government for redress of grievances. By placing our bodies in public space, we are able to make our voices heard. We feel there is no other option available – the occupation is the message.

Therefore, we feel that our presence on or near a public university campus is absolutely in keeping with our message and with the university’s mission. If the “core mission” of the university is teaching and research, we can add to that mission. We would love to learn from the members of the university. We would be happy to teach others about our movement and teach about our own personal stories and struggles. We as citizens have a lot to learn from each other. Exposing students to democracy in action and the exercise of the right to free assembly and free speech is educational.

The underfunding of public higher education in this country means that a university education is, more and more, out of reach for the average family. The UO’s tuition and fees more than doubled in the 10 years between 2001 and 2011, from $4,071 in 2001 to $8,883 this year. Students and families are assuming more debt, just to gain an education which should be available to all. After graduation, this debt (on average, $24,000 per student) becomes a severe burden. Overall student loan debt in the US is set to exceed $1 trillion dollars this year.  Instead of working to keep tuition low, governments have drastically cut funding to public universities and other sources of public education, while giving away billions of dollars to Wall Street banks. Much of the $1 trillion dollars in student debt is held by private banks. Therefore, a substantial part of Wall Street’s profit derives from the chronic underfunding of public education. As one of the principal goals of Occupy Wall Street is to bring attention to these issues, it is appropriate for Occupy Eugene, in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, be present on this public university campus.

Many of our members are UO students, staff, and alumni. We welcome all members of the University community to join our movement and work for change in our society. We hope that Lorraine Davis will visit us and help support the core educational mission of the UO, to teach and to learn from us.

-Occupy Eugene Communications Committee

Occupy the University March and Temporary Occupation

Occupy Eugene will stage an “Occupy the University” rally at 12:00 p.m. this afternoon from the current occupation site at Alton Baker Park to call attention to the rising cost of education, predatory student loans, the lack of employment options for college graduates, and the crippling amounts of debt students must take on for access to the increasingly elusive “American Dream”. A rally will begin at 12:00 p.m. and the march commences at 1:00 p.m. The march will conclude at the University of Oregon, where supporters of Occupy Eugene at the University of Oregon will rally and discuss issues relevant to the Occupy movement and the University community. Details of the new location site will be announced at the staging of the march. Please spread the word about this event, and we hope to see you there.

While Occupy Eugene remains grateful for the City Council’s gracious decision to exempt the organization from the city camping ordinance, the General Assembly voted on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning to make the move based on a combination of organizational, logistical, safety, and visibility concerns. In the days since moving to the occupation site at Alton Baker Park, it has become increasingly clear that the site is not conducive to the sense of community, solidarity, and security that was present at the Park Blocks (8th and Oak Street). It should also be noted that the site at Alton Baker Park was considered, from the start, to be a temporary solution, specifically to avoid displacing the Saturday Market’s local vendors, until a site appropriate for an indefinite occupation could be chosen by the General Assembly. That discussion is ongoing and Occupy Eugene invites community members down to the new occupation site to help choose a location.
Also, please see our editorial in October 27’s Eugene Weekly.

Eugene City Council votes 5-3 in favor of exemption

City of Eugene LogoThe Eugene City Council on Monday evening voted 5-3 in favor of granting Occupy Eugene formal permission to camp at Alton Baker Park through December 15. In all, 22 different speakers stood before the council to present their opinions on exempting Occupy Eugene from the city ordinance that prohibits camping within the city limits. Though there were some in opposition, the majority who spoke voiced their support for the waiver. Citizens expressing their support of the waiver cited everything from the impressive organization of the movement and the profound dialogue the movement has sparked within the broader community, to the invaluable service and sense of purpose the movement has provided to Eugene’s homeless population. Afterwards, Councilor Betty Taylor remarked at how inspirational the public forum had been to her.

City Manager Jon Ruiz and Chief of Police Pete Kerns both recommended the ordinance change to the council. The exemption is based on a provision which states that the City Council may move to exempt a “special event” from the camping ordinance. The majority of the council voting in favor of designating the occupation as a “special event” expressed that they were basing their support on their observations of Occupy Eugene being a healthy, positive force—one that has remained well-organized, crime-free, and respectful to the community. Councilor Alan Zelenka remarked that protest and civil disobedience has only made our country stronger, before adding that he was particularly impressed with how clean Occupy Eugene had left the Park Blocks after making way for the Saturday Market.

Occupy Eugene has been humbled by the incredible outpouring of community support for the Occupy movement. As Councilor George Brown put it, “Yes it is a public park [Alton Baker], it is a public space, and the public is using it. They’re using it as a laboratory for democracy and community dialogue.” It cannot be emphasized too strongly how important this “laboratory for democracy” is at this moment in time. To the extent that Occupy Eugene can help nourish and develop this space, we hope that by continuing and deepening the dialogue, we will not only place a spotlight on the glaring inequalities that exist in the United States and around the world, but develop new, more solidaristic and creative solutions. Only through this dialogue can we begin systematically to address and dismantle the economic injustices so deeply entrenched in a system that has failed so many.

See video of testimony about the exemption from members of the public, and Council’s discussion on this issue.