OE General Assembly Responds to City Council Proposal

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Multiracial Hands Making a CircleThe Eugene City council will decide tomorrow at noon (Dec 14th) whether or not to extend the camping exemption to allow the occupation to continue at Washington / Jefferson Park. If you would like to attend, please be at 777 Pearl Street – 12:00pm, the meeting will be held in the McNutt Room. Please see our discussion of the current proposal as far as we understand it. Essentially, Occupy Eugene would be given 45 days past the original deadline of Dec 15th and then would be asked to “de-camp” by  the City.
If the camping ban exemption is not extended, Occupy Eugene will have 72 hours to vacate the camp. Should this happen, there will be an emergency GA tomorrow at 7pm (at the occupation site), to discuss our options.

In the late evening hours of December 13th, 2011, Occupy Eugene General Assembly reached consensus on the following proposal to City Council.

Proposal

A: Occupy Eugene requests City Council to extend the camping ban exemption, and to postpone the City Council’s vote  on the motion before them until January 9th , so that Occupy Eugene, social services, and the City can draft  a more concrete proposal.

B: If the City Council declines to postpone its vote on the motion before them until January 9th, Occupy Eugene requests at least 90 days to remain onsite until a better solution is revisited, as per our agreement as consensed on by the GA.

Consent was reached on 12/13/11 by Occupy Eugene with 1 stand aside.

12.16 Winter Feast Friday!!

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On Friday December 16th, In the Spirit of Winter Solstice, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Festivus, and every other Holiday Tradition, we heartily welcome one and all to the Geodesic Dome at Washington/Jefferson Park to help us celebrate Occupy Eugene’s December Birthdays with a very special Winter Feast!

Music will start at 4:00pm and will feature “Scotty and Friends” (of the Sugar Beets) and a community potluck will begin at 5:00pm. Egg nog will be provided! (vegan and non-vegan)

After the General Assembly at 7:00pm, the celebration will continue with bellydancers and firedancing into the night!

Eugene Occupy Camp: To Be Or Not To Be

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Two of the most experienced, effective and respected community leaders working with the homeless population, Chuck Gerard of the White Bird Clinic and the Rev. Dan Bryant of First Christian Church in Eugene provide interesting observations about the surprising impact of the Eugene Occupy Camp and how its unprecedented work with the homeless is helping them in their work and the entire Eugene community.

“It makes no sense to me to try and dismantle the camp unless the city comes up with an alternative that is at least viable or better, in the middle of winter it seems ridiculous to take this thing apart right now…Unless there is a better resource, I think that Occupy Should not only be left wehre it is but be supported in doing what it is trying to acomplish”

-Chuck Gerard of the White Bird Clinic

Check out video link here.

 

Also available in : Spanish

12. 14 Occupy the Speakeasy: A Benefit for Occupy Eugene and the Eugene Seventeen

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When: Wed December 14, 9:30pm-2:00am

Where: Oak Street Speakeasy

915 Oak St, Eugene, OR 97401

What: Join with us and help Occupy the Oak Street Speakeasy! Occupy Eugene has organized a benefit for the Eugene Seventeen – the seventeen demonstrators of civil disobedience who were arrested outside Chase and Bank of America on November 17th. Featuring music from Almond Davis and Aeon Now, among others, as well as spoken word, performance art, dance, slam poetry, and speakers. Suggested donations of $5-$5,000 go to help with legal fees and fines incurred, as well as toward the Occupy Eugene general fund to improve outreach programs and occupation site needs. Please spread the word and come if you can; no one will be turned away for lack of funds, but it is 21+. Come in from the cold for some delicious beverages, fantastic music, encouraging words, and radical persuasions. More events to come…

Check out the event on Facebook!

Occupy Eugene Member Hurt in Hit and Run

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Dusk Winston, one of the 17 Occupy Eugene members arrested on November 17th actions was hit by a car yesterday in Portland, OR while participating in the actions to shutdown Portland commercial ports.

Seen in the nearly 1 minute video above, protestors were gathered nonviolently in the street when a car approaches and without stopping continues to drive through the crowd.

This is a 2,000 pound vehicle violently being used to hit peaceful, nonviolent protestors.

Dusk Winston has a badly hurt knee, though exact details are unknown.

Witnesses at the scene said police observed the hit and run and did nothing to apprehend the driver.

Dusk commented today,

“Unfortunately this has happened at a lot of the occupy movements and complaints go unnoticed. I am calling PPD today to file a complaint.”

A legal observer attached to Occupy Eugene wrote down the driver’s license plate: 329LHB.

This Wednesday, is a benefit for Occupy Eugene and the 17 people who were arrested during the November 17th actions. Considering the arrest and now being hit by a car, let’s get as many attendees as we can to show our support for Dusk and the others’ who have made many sacrifices.

Wednesday, Dec 14th, 9pm – 2am
Oak Street Speakeasy
915 Oak St, Eugene, OR 97401

Facebook Event Page
For those not on Facebook, here is the event description:

Join with us and help Occupy the Oak Street Speakeasy! Occupy Eugene has organized a benefit for the Eugene Seventeen – the seventeen demonstrators of civil disobedience who were arrested outside Chase and Bank of America on November 17th. Featuring music from Almond Davis and Aeon Now, among others, as well as spoken word, performance art, dance, slam poetry, and speakers. Suggested donations of $5-$5,000 go to help with legal fees and fines incurred, as well as toward the Occupy Eugene general fund to improve outreach programs and occupation site needs. Please spread the word and come if you can; no one will be turned away for lack of funds, but it is 21+. Come in from the cold for some delicious beverages, fantastic music, encouraging words, and radical persuasions. More events to come…

Eugene City Council Decides on Camping Exemption…Sort Of

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The City Council Chamber was packed out the door on Monday evening as supporters (and a few opponents) of Occupy Eugene turned out to discuss the planned vote on whether to extend OE’s camping ban exemption.  Because of the limited time, and due to the large numbers of respondents, Mayor Piercy decided to limit each respondent’s time to 2 minutes rather than the usual 3 so that the most voices could be heard.

After lengthy discussion, in a surprise 7-1 decision, the Eugene City Council agreed to postpone judgement on whether to extend the exemption on camping within city limits that has been offered to Occupy Eugene in Washington Jefferson Park, set to expire on December 15.  All the members apart from Councilman Mike Clark (Ward 5) voted to:

  1. Delay the final vote until December 14 (Wednesday).
  2. Send City Manager Jon Ruiz to the OE site to discuss with representative of OE concerning the conditions of the motion to be taken up on December 14.
  3. Contingent on whether a general agreement on the outline of the plan to be put before the City Council, Manager Ruiz will make a recommendation to the Council about whether or not he considers the plan to be likely to succeed in good faith.

The motion in question is still in flux, but it represents a “modified option 3” from City Manager Ruiz’s presentation to the City Council at Monday’s workgroup session, which lays out:

  1. A 45-day timeline for the establishment of a task force for transition to “alternate services” (other, existing human services providers);
  2. Recruitment of a local human services provider (likely Saint Vincent de Paul, who have expressed support in this role) to offer coordination support and oversight of a transition away from exclusively camp-provided services;
  3. Regular updates to the City Council or City Manager on the progress of these initiatives.

On Wednesday, if Manager Ruiz finds that OE is supportive of this plan of action, he will recommend that it be adopted by the City Council and it will be put to a vote.  The timeline for the transition could be in flux, as could a number of other elements of the plan, which was adjusted and adopted  in an impromptu manner during the City Council session tonight when no second could be found for Councilwoman Betty Taylor’s (Ward 2) motion to extend the exemption unconditionally until May 15, 2012.

Several main concerns were raised by council members during the meeting.  Councilman Pat Farr (Ward 6) reiterated his ongoing concern for health and safety issues and suggested that these were his primary points of opposition to extending the exemption.  He has pledged to visit the camp to see whether these issues are being addressed in advance of Wednesday’s meeting.  Councilman Mike Clark indicated his largely unwavering opposition to the plan primarily on financial grounds, and asked Manager Ruiz to provide an estimate of how many OE supporters would be likely to resist “decampment” if the extension vote does not go in OE’s favor on Wednesday.

Please note: Since the motion was developed during the meeting, no full text of it is currently available, and the minutes for City Council meetings are only available through October 31 at present.  We will provide the full text of the motion once we have it.

OCCUPY EUGENE VILLAGE COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS

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On Friday, December 9th, the villagers of the Occupy Eugene camp created a voluntary set of agreements to live by on site in order to set a community standard . In two days over 160 villagers have signed.

Villagers have come together to paint a picture of what their ideal community would like like and to support each other in making a commitment to creating that community.

Take a look…

I am a member of the Occupy Eugene Village Community and promise, to the best of my ability, to be a positive member of the community and to contribute toward making this a safe, clean and pleasant place to live and bring my family and friends.  I want to help build a community that is united and strong enough to thrive in even the worst of circumstances.  I will try to attend Village Meetings and GAs or, if I miss meetings, I will be responsible for finding out what happened at them that affects me.  I know that Occupy Eugene Village is part of a protest movement and I promise to welcome and act respectfully to all people who come to the village to participate in Occupy Eugene’s activist and other programs. I expect that everyone will also welcome and respect me and that they will also honor these agreements and try to make this a good community.

 I will try to resolve all my personal, neighborhood and community problems in a non-violent, respectful way.   I will help make Occupy Village a place where everyone feels safe and respected.  I know that the village is home to many diverse people and I promise to honor differences and to never degrade anyone in racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, or other prejudiced ways, including whether someone lives in a house or not.  I will honor quiet hours from 11PM to 8AM so others can stay healthy and rested.

I know that weapons and substance use can make my community dangerous.  I agree not to have a gun at Occupy Village. I may choose to have a knife as a tool, but I agree not to brandish or use a knife or any other item as a weapon.  Because substance use can make my community an unsafe and unpleasant place to live and because it is against park laws and can cause the city to evict us from our site, thus endangering our homes, I agree not to abuse drugs or alcohol in the village. I agree not to use drugs or alcohol in communal areas (everywhere but private areas) and not to go into communal areas when others observe that my behavior is negatively affected by drugs or alcohol.  I know that many community members are trying to kick drugs and alcohol and I promise to respect and support those who are trying to be straight.  I promise not to deal drugs at the village.  I will smoke only in areas designated by posted signs and will have only village approved fires or flames.

I will help with the duties necessary to make Occupy Village a safe, clean and pleasant place to live. This includes volunteering or responding to requests to help with kitchen duties, working on building, maintenance and cleanup crews, serving on security teams, participating in village work groups, helping plan village activities and entertainment and on other jobs that need be to shared by community members.  I will keep the area in and around where I live clean and orderly.

I promise to keep all of these agreements, as well as other agreements when approved by the GA, and to help my friends and neighbors keep them.  I agree that if I am not faithful to these agreements the community can reduce my privileges or ask me to leave for a short time or, in serious or repeat cases, to leave permanently.  If I am asked to leave, I promise to leave peacefully and not to return until I am accepted back into the community.  I agree that a Village Council, made up of neighbors we have chosen, plus medics, peacekeepers/security, kitchen and legal will make the decisions about reduced privileges or being asked to leave and they will also decide about reinstating privileges or returning.

I know that Occupy Village is a place where people value community and support each other.  I will try to think of ways to make our community a better place to be.  When new people arrive, I will try to make them feel at home and safe and encourage them to protect our community.  When I am concerned about or unhappy or upset with situations in the village, I will bring these problems to the Village Council so that we can work together to figure things out.  I willingly sign these agreements which are a voluntary contract between me and the Occupy Eugene Village Community.

___________________________      ___________________________        _________

Name You Choose to Use    (printed)          Name You Choose to Use   (signature)         Date

 

12. 12 West Coast Ports Shutdown

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UPDATE: If you are looking for a ride to the below event, tonight, Saturday, December 10th at 6:30pm is a meeting at Growers Market at 454 Willamette St. to organize rides.

Since the Occupy movement has swept across the US from coast to coast, you’ve been itching for something to do, haven’t you? Shutting down the west coast economic ports could have a huge impact and make history.

Description: Oakland has called for all West Coast ports to be shutdown.

When: Monday, Dec 12, 2011

Where: Kelley Point Park (map)

There are two shifts organizing to shut down the two port shifts:

  • Morning shift: 6AM Rally, 7AM Blockade begins, 8AM Port Worker Shift Starts
  • Afternoon shift: 4PM Rally, 5PM Blockade begins, 6PM Port Worker Shift Starts

For more info call 503.567.8213 or text: @december12 to 23559!

Check our Facebook Event Page

Information Flyer http://i43.tinypic.com/6sdpis.jpg

If you would like to offer or look for a carpool ride share please visit our Discussion Forums.

 

Letter from Berkeley Veteran to Occupy Eugene

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The following came via Facebook:
“Sue and I were out for a little run this morning, and we ran, as we usually do, down to the site. Most folks were asleep (trying to stay warm, we assumed) but we met a gentleman our age who said he was a veteran of Berkeley in the 60’s, and had come to give us this letter. It was typed, not word-processed, so I re-typed it in a document that I can send folks who want a copy. I also have the 3 typed copies he gave us–where should they go?”

I thought on this website would be a great place for the letter, it follows below.

Honorable and Intrepid Occupiers:

I am speaking to you across nearly three generations to advise you that you are doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.

We who have gone before, urge you to remain strong and committed to our common cause.

We who were at the Athens of the West back in the day (CA 1965-70) also had a lot on our plate: stopping the obscene war in Viet Nam; pushing the Civil Rights Movement; promoting the Women’s Movement and fighting for Freedom of Speech on our own campus.

These struggles were, most often, tedious and thankless since a majority of our fellow citizens seemed not to care or even approve of our efforts. It usually felt as if nothing was happening or changing, and it seemed to many of us, at the time, that “this isn’t working.”

The “Establishment” seemed to control everything: all the levers of power, all important institutions and, of course, the lamestream press which was just as lame then as now.

When push came to shove violence was routinely used to discourage and frighten us, i.e. when we were literally surrounded by bayonet wielding National Guard troops the Governor of CA threatened a “blood bath.”

On one occasion, a helicopter was used to spray military strength teargas (really vomiting gas) over the campus plazas to disperse a peaceful sit-in.

We had only a few weapons: the truth, the goodwill of the best people, and an unshakeable, stubborn commitment to justice.

Sounds hopeless. And yet…
Look around you now. The horror of Viet Nam is now just a shameful memory and a permanent stain on the honor of this country.

Not only is Jim Crow gone forever, even in its most ignorant strongholds, but millions of people who could not vote or go to a public university now barely remember their routine humiliation. Indeed some of these people are professors in those universities.

As for the women’s issues, today the majority of university students in this country are women, and in the workplace have reached near parity with their brothers.

All in all, not bad results from what seemed then to be a struggle against hopeless odds.

We will never know for certain how much our efforts contributed to this progress, but I am certain that we mattered a lot.

When you are making history it is not possible to actually see or feel “history being made.” You can’t ascertain how effective your efforts are (or are not). But, the super-wealthy oligarchs of this nation and their political puppets are working 24 hours a day 7 days a week for total control of our future. And if they succeed, greed, corruption and poverty will sink us all.

As far as we know, each of us has just one human lifespan on this planet.

Lets make our lives matter.

L. W. Jones

P.S. I am amazed that the talking heads of major media keep asking, “What do the occupiers want?” Tell them what we told them: We want Justice.