Press Release: Poling Protests Organized by Independently Empowered Affinity Group

It has come to the attention of Occupy Eugene that Councilor George Poling and others are upset about recent actions at Councilor Poling’s home that are perceived to be a part of Occupy Eugene.

The actions at George Poling’s residence were made up of participants of Occupy Eugene who acted on their own free will as part of an affinity group affiliated with the Occupy Eugene Actions committee.

Occupy Eugene does not require consensus from the General Assembly for independent actions, and our members are empowered to act independently as long as their goals and methods align with Occupy Eugene’s principles. Last night’s action was a symbolic expression of protest on the part of the women involved.

“We were individuals engaged in an independent action with open minds and a shared purpose. This action was not discussed with nor consensed upon by Occupy Eugene,” said one participant in last night’s protest action.

Individual participants of Occupy Eugene may either agree or disagree with the content or message of the demonstrations that have occurred at George Poling’s residence. Demonstrating at the residence of a public official is a longstanding tradition in this country and such demonstrations are a time-honored and essential exercise of our constitutional rights.

As a community, we are actively and currently engaged in robust discussion regarding the issues presented before us after these actions. We hope this Occupy Eugene Action can further the discussion centered on the issues of homelessness, community building, and freedom to protest.

This press release is from the Communications Committee of Occupy Eugene that has been empowered to speak on behalf of the larger Occupy Eugene body.

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Eugene’s Homeless Back on the Streets for Christmas

For 75 days, in one of the longest running occupations in the US, Occupy Eugene provided a legal place to sleep, three meals daily, professional medical assistance, job skills trainings, and most importantly, a community for hundreds of homeless folks in Eugene. Simultaneously, we have explored with the city how Eugene might better serve homeless people.

This week, the city of Eugene unilaterally shut down the site at Washington Jefferson Park, and after two nights of the Wheeler Pavilion being open to provide beds for those coming from the Occupation, folks are back on the street again, just in time for Christmas.

Occupy Eugene appreciates that the city has put forth additional funds, created a task force with seats for homeless people, and expanded the car camping program by adding sites and allowing tents. However, these efforts do not add up to the far greater support that was available at the Occupy Eugene site, and none of the city’s efforts are happening on a community basis among equals, which was more respectful than a government handout.

The alarming number of people who are homeless is a consequence of our deeply unjust economic and political systems, systems which Occupy Eugene is dedicated to changing. In the meantime, we are proud to have taken on the task of helping some of the people most affected – entirely with volunteered time, and as a community.

Occupy Eugene remains strong, renting an office in the Grower’s Market Building and making use of a donated warehouse on 7th and Polk. Plans to participate in the national Occupy the Courts protest are underway, and the unfair foreclosure of many Eugene homes presents another opportunity for Occupy Eugene to support people impacted by unjust systems.

We invite the community to join in our efforts to address systemic injustice while we continue to occupy the minds of Eugene.

This Press Release was approved by the general assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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Occupy Eugene, Community Saddened by Death of Rick Adam Youngblood

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Contact:press@occupyeugenemedia.org
occupyeugenemedia.org, @OccupyEugene

Occupy Eugene, Community Saddened by Death of Rick Adam Youngblood

Occupy Eugene is extremely saddened by the news of the death of Rick Adam Youngblood, who was involved in a fight at the Occupy Eugene site late Monday night.

Life on the streets is rarely easy.  The unfortunate and hidden truth about homelessness is that it can be violent and dangerous, as we saw in the microcosm of street life that sprung up at Occupy Eugene.  As a society, we condone and promote this state of affairs when we push the unhoused into the shadows on the periphery of our community and limit the resources available to them.  The fight which ended Rick Adam Youngblood’s life was an unsettlingly common event; of a type generally dismissed by society.

One aspect of the Occupy Eugene camp at Washington-Jefferson park often overlooked by media and the police is the sense of community and place that it provided to the unhoused who lived there.  Many of the unhoused individuals and families residing at the camp testified to the dramatic increase in safety and security that the location provided. It is unfortunate that this aspect of the camp’s function will not be replicated or replaced by the “transitional services” the city is attempting to coordinate for the camp’s residents.

In Younglood’s situation, the Occupy Eugene volunteer medics on site were able to respond more quickly than other emergency medical personnel would have been able to, and worked with police personnel to assist Rick when they arrived. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances and location of the fight and the severity of his injuries, they were not able to provide assistance in time.

We thank members of our community, and Eugene police who did their best to tend to his injuries, and we send our condolences to Mr. Youngblood’s relatives and friends.

Occupy Eugene is holding a candlelight vigil in memory of Rick Adam Youngblood and other victims of street violence at 6:30pm today, December 23, at the Morse Free Speech Plaza.

This press release has been approved by the General Assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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Occupy Eugene Responds to Eviction by City Council

Occupy Eugene is saddened by the City Council’s decision to evict protestors from Washington-Jefferson Park only 5 days before Christmas. The emergency meeting and decision to evict represents a clear betrayal of the collaborative relationship established between OE and the City.

This decision will serve as further motivation to protesters here in Eugene and around the country to continue to struggle against unjust laws and regulations that propagate social and economic injustice.

Occupy Eugene is grateful that some attempt was made to accommodate the immediate need for a safe place for homeless folks currently living at Washington Jefferson park by expanding car camping. However, this limited action will have little long-term impact on the problem of homelessness in Eugene and does nothing to replace the ability of the community to come together to solve its own problems.

Over the course of the occupation in Washington Jefferson Park, the citizens of Eugene, homeless and not, have created a community to address immediate problems and root causes of homelessness.

For the first time, many of Eugene’s homeless population have had a consistent safe place to sleep, three meals a day, medical care, job skills training, and a community to engage with based around mutual respect and equality. We invite the City of Eugene to take up a similar strategy in their attempts to address homelessness.

As was reiterated in the City Council meeting by Mayor Kitty Piercy, we hope that the eviction will happen peacefully without any force or violence. The official Occupy Eugene response to an eviction by the City of Eugene will be nonviolent.

The Occupation will continue with or without camp.

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Press Release: OE Medics Help Save Another Life

OE medics help to save another life at W/J Park despite generator noise hampering efforts;
25 OE organizers arrive within minutes to help keep site calm for Eugene Police and Medics
On December 19th at approximately midnight a brief altercation occurred at the Occupy Eugene site. An extremely drunk individual with a heart condition came onto the OE site and started a fight with an OE occupant. Peacekeeper calls for de-escalation assistance went unheard because of the noise made by the four generators which now surround the site since high-powered security light towers were installed last Friday. Apparently Eugene Police were on site; the unconscious and injured instigator required CPR which the OE medic administered as EPD arrived on the scene. The man is in stable condition.

This is the 5th time that OE first responders have helped to save a life.

More than two dozen Occupy organizers and supporters arrived within minutes of notification. After establishing facts regarding the situation, they coordinated a peaceful vigil at the crime scene. Members of OE involved in the incident were given full community support. OE police liaisons provided relevant information to EPD officers. Police Chief Kerns, Lieutenant Kamkar, and City Councilor Ortiz were also on site. Lieutenant Kamkar did not expect any arrests as of 1:30am.

This press release has been approved by the General Assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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Occupy Eugene responds to Police Expenditure

Occupy Eugene applauds the city council for recognizing that homelessness is an issue requiring more significant attention, and for allocating greater funding for Eugene’s houseless population.

However, Occupy Eugene did not request funds for an increased police presence at the site, and maintains that the site has been running adequately with the help of volunteer peace keepers and calling the EPD if necessary. On many occasions, the systems in place at the site have demonstrated their effectiveness by providing emergency medical resources, and the community in camp has increasingly begun removing individuals who are unable or unwilling to abide by the rules regarding peaceful and lawful co-existence adopted by the General Assembly.

The extra expense of police presence to tax payers is not at the request of Occupy Eugene.

 

Occupy Eugene Celebrates Milestone, Will Continue Protest

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Contact:press@occupyeugenemedia.org

occupyeugenemedia.org, @OccupyEugene

Occupy Eugene Celebrates Milestone, Will Continue Protest

On December 14th, Occupy Eugene reached a milestone in its ongoing protest after the City Council offered another extension of the municipal camping ban exemption, which has afforded the movement a legal occupation site since late October. In contrast to the fate of many Occupies in other cities, Occupy Eugene continues to actively engage with city officials, seeking partnership in addressing both acute and systemic social and economic issues.

Occupy Eugene presented the City Council with a proposal formulated in its consensus-based General Assembly, requesting an extension of the camping ban exemption to afford it more time to continue to develop its innovative community-centered social justice project. In response, the city agreed to extend the exemption until January 11, 2012. The city also committed an estimated $300,000 to fund various programs targeting issues highlighted by Occupy Eugene, but not directly to the movement itself, including $100,000 earmarked for expanded “wet-bed” facilities and areas modeled after the existing Egan Warming Centers to protect the city’s unhoused population from exposure on particularly cold nights.

Although this expenditure marks an increase in the city’s overall social service funding, and opens the possibility of reversing a years-long trend of cutting such expenditures, the city-proposed plan is far from perfect. “Many of us are encouraged by the City Council’s obvious commitment to addressing issues of obvious injustice in the community,” said Occupy Eugene member Shaun Haskins. “But the heavy emphasis on police costs as part of the overall package is disheartening because so much more good could be done with that hundred thousand or so dollars.” Councilor Chris Pryor (Ward8) seems to agree, at least in principle: “I’d rather spend money on helping folks…I think it is a good thing that we are talking about something that we really haven’t managed to focus on before. I do not want to support a position that moves everybody back into the bushes and back under the bridges.”

For Occupy Eugene, the city’s decision signals the beginning of a new phase of engagement with both the city government and the community. “The gains we made today with the City Council show exactly how our model of protest combined with service can be effective in shaping both the priorities of our elected officials and the public conversation in directions that more expressly serve the acute needs of our community,” explained OE member Jamil Jonna. “At the same time, it highlights the fact that our movement’s goal is a more fundamental, systemic change, targeting the root causes of which homelessness and chronic poverty are only symptoms.”

This press release has been approved by the General Assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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Occupy Eugene Education Alliance Occupies UO Senate Meeting

November 30, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE press [at] occupyeugenemedia.org

The Occupy Eugene Education Alliance and Action Committee facilitated a student walkout at the University of Oregon today, which began with a rally at the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater at 12:15 p.m. The walkout was titled “WTF – Why Tuition Fees?” and brought attention to the rising costs of higher education. Occupiers encouraged students to list their student loan debt on a poster. The highest debt recorded was $100,000, reported by a PhD student.

Rally speakers included Associated Students of the University of Oregon Senator Jeremy Hedlund, UO sociology instructor Chuck Hunt and SEIU local 085 chair James Jacobson (SEIU represents classified staff at the UO).

Approximately 100 students, staff, faculty and members of the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, the graduate student workers’ union, were also present.

During the walkout, which followed the rally, Occupy Eugene occupied Johnson Hall, which houses UO administration; Oregon Hall, which houses the Financial Aid office; and Lillis Hall, which houses the UO Lundquist College of Business.

Members of Occupy Eugene “mic checked” the UO Senate meeting, which was held at 3 p.m. at Mac Court to discuss the Oregon University System board’s decision to remove UO President Richard Lariviere.

Occupier Scotty Perey said, “The bulk of what we said was taken directly from (the UO’s) mission statement.”

During the mic check, UO Senate President Robert Kyr repeatedly knocked his gavel, shouting, “order!”

The mic checking occupiers said in unison: “We are here to present the university’s own mission statement as the criteria in selecting the new president of this institution. These principles include a continuing commitment to affordable public higher education as well as a conviction that freedom of thought and expression is the bedrock principle on which university activity is based; and finally the acceptance of the challenge of an evolving social, political, and technological environment by welcoming and guiding change rather than reacting to it. Thank you very much.”

During the senate meeting, UO student Cims Gillespie testified before Kyr and OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner that Lariviere’s “firing made as little sense as his hiring,” outlining the president’s attempt to in effect privatize the UO and become more reliant on corporate donors such as Phil Knight, billionaire Nike co-founder and board chairman.

At the walkout rally earlier in the day, ASUO Senator Hedlund noted that Knight, a major UO donor, had withdrawn a donation from the UO in 2000 because the institution had signed on with factory monitoring organization Workers Rights Consortium. UO’s involvement in the WRC was brought about by student activism, and because of Knight’s donation withdrawal, the UO left the consortium. Since then, student activism had died down. “We are the agitators in this country,” said Hedlund during the rally, encouraging students to rise up again. “The student movement is back. No good social movement has been won without students.”

At this evening’s Occupy Eugene General Assembly, occupier Sweet reported that the Education Alliance had held a teach-in at the UO on Tuesday night, which featured updates from occupations worldwide. He said it had been very informative, and had been followed by an open discussion. “It’s only a matter of time before we have a satellite occupation there at the university,” he said. “Props to everybody who have helped with this committee.”

The next Education Alliance meeting is on Friday, December 2nd, at 3 p.m. in the EMU Ben Linder room. The next Action Committee meeting is tomorrow, December 1st, at 4 p.m. on the Occupy Eugene site at Washington/Jefferson Park.

This press release has been approved by the general assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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Why Occupy Eugene? Conversation Draws Over 300 Community Members

“There are many reasons I volunteer with Occupy Eugene … I am deeply concerned with humans who are less able to advocate for themselves,” said Occupy Eugene member and civil rights attorney Lauren Regan at the Why Occupy Eugene? panel discussion at Cozmic Pizza on November 28. “The brunt of the financial crisis has been shouldered by the average citizen.”

An estimated 300 members of the community came out to the City Club of Eugene and the Downtown Neighborhood Association panel discussion and forum on Occupy Eugene yesterday evening. The panel, moderated by First Christian Church pastor Dan Bryant, consisted of three Occupy Eugene panelists (Jamil Jonna, Lauren Regan and Silver Mogart) and three respondents (Jean Tate, Rick Karr and Ed Whitelaw), as well as questions from the audience. The event brought about interesting and pertinent discussion on topics and issues around the Occupy movement and our very own Occupation in Eugene. Over $470 was received in donations to the Occupy Eugene fund.

“When these folks are through with their presentations we hope you’ll get into a conversation with other folks,” said Downtown Neighborhood Association chair David Mandelblatt, in his introduction. “That way we’ve got the broadest possible exchange of ideas and the most learning possible.”

“The occupation itself is crucial to pushing the collective discussion of issues like the economic crisis further,” said Occupy Eugene member and University of Oregon PhD sociology student Jamil Jonna. “I know this precisely because I am one of many occupiers that isn’t satisfied merely with chanting slogans. We are quite aware of the fact that on a wide range of political issues we barely scratch the surface in our typical discussions—especially as they are presented in the mass media.”

Silver Mogart, a community organizer at Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) and a member of Occupy Eugene’s Facilitation Committee, commented: “I do believe in democracy and I do believe in the democratic process but when I look out into this group, there are a number of us who are highly disappointed with the direction that our country’s going and highly disappointed with the feeling that democracy has not been working for us. The process that we have looks like it might be broken.”

Bill McConochie, a member of the audience, praised the Occupy Movement: “I see them as a reflection of the 90 percent of us who would prefer government that serves us not as members of special interest groups but as members of the community overall … I think you’re forming a terrific community. And the one thing that I’m very impressed with tonight is how much wisdom there is in this panel and in the room that can contribute to creating a society and a government that serves us as members of the community overall.”

The forum was video recorded and can be found at: www.ustream.tv/recorded/18812189. In addition, the forum will be broadcast on KLCC 89.7 FM on Wednesday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m.

This press release has been approved by the general assembly of Occupy Eugene.

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OE Protests Black Friday

November 25, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   press [at] occupyeugenemedia.org

Occupy Eugene Protests Black Friday

Eugene, OR-Approximately 100 Occupy Eugene protestors converged in a flash mob at the Valley River Center mall at 12:30 a.m. on Black Friday to protest corporate greed and mass consumerism. The group peacefully sang political carols with lyrics that exposed their message, encouraging people to spend time with their families rather than spending money on material objects often produced in sweatshops overseas.

After peacefully dispersing from Valley River Center when asked, protesters moved to the Wal-Mart store in Delta Oaks. When protesters were asked to leave the store, they did so peacefully and promptly.

Protesters then converged at Wal-Mart on W. 11th and were not clearly asked to leave, but did so in a matter of 15 minutes. Protesters then gathered in the parking lot for an end of the night closure where Occupy Eugene protester John Monroe spoke out, saying “We have reached out here tonight. We saw in the faces what an extended hand can do for the rest of the 99% and my personal request is that we continue to learn how to reach out.”

As the group was about to disperse, the Eugene Police Department arrested one protester without warning. Police stated that the protester was being arrested due to not leaving when asked.

“It was not clear that we were being asked to leave, but we were in the process of dispersing when one of us was arrested,” said Katie Dee, an Occupy Eugene protester. “We believe he may have been singled out because he was holding a megaphone.”

Like Occupy Eugene’s November 17 action against banks, this protest was peaceful. In each location tonight where occupiers protested and were asked to leave, they did so promptly and peacefully.

This press release has been approved by the general assembly of Occupy Eugene.

www.occupyeugenemedia.org

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