Category Archives: Global Occupy News
Solidarity Event against Island Timberlands
On Saturday February 25th, Occupy Nanaimo will be joining in Solidarity to protest against Island Timberlands plans to log Cortes Island. We are joining in this protest with Occupy Powell River and Occupy Vancouver, who will be holding 24 hour occupations against Island Timberlands plan to clear cut the Beautiful forests of Cortes Island. For those that aren’t aware, Island Timberlands is owned by Brookfield Asset Management. Brookfield Asset Management also owns Zuccotti Park, aptly renamed “Liberty Park” by Occupy Wall-St, the Heart of the Occupy Movement and the Location of their September 17th Occupation.
After members of Occupy Vancouver/Powell River went to New York to meet up with Occupy Wall St. to present a petition against the gross logging plans. This petition has since travelled across the sea to; London, England; Hong Kong, China; Down to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and also Toronto, Ontario and here at home in Nanaimo BC. The goal of this petition, which was presented to Brookfield Asset Management buildings directly, is to encourage them to cease their campaign to log the old growth forests on Cortes Island.
We, of Occupy Nanaimo, will meet at DKP at 11am and march to I.T. offices where a 24hour vigil will be held in honour of the old growth forest of Cortes. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to show up and support any time during the 24hours…This is our chance to stand up for our right as the people of British Columbia not to lose some of the last of the remaining percentage of old growth forest left in Canada. We demand respectful and responsible handling of our precious natural resources, so again we ask you to please join if you can!!
What: March and 24 hour Vigil in solidarity against Island Timberlands
When: Saturday February 25th 2012 @ 11:00 am-12:00pm Sunday February 26th
Where: Meet @ Diana Krall Plaza at 11:00 then March to Island Timberlands for 24 hr Vigil
Why: To exert our right as citizens of BC to demand the preservations of the old growth forests on Cortes Island
Don’t forget to vote on our new poll!
Do you believe Island Timberlands should halt their plans to log Cortes Island
- Yes (72%, 26 Votes)
- No (28%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 36
Loading ...
The Art of Revolution
The Occupy Movement has generated an extraordinary amount of creative output from filmmakers, writers, musicians and artists. Occuprint is an online gallery dedicated to collecting and sharing some of the best poster designs inspired by the movement.
Incite Insight
With the coordinated West Coast Port Blockade just days away, here’s some inspiration from Occupy Love featuring spoken word artist Drew Dellinger. This video was filmed during the Occupy Oakland General Strike on Nov. 2nd when tens of thousands gathered and successfully shutdown the Port of Oakland.
We came to incite insight,
unite and discuss this.
We came to hang, and to bang the drums of justice.
Let’s occupy with our love and our light.
The Face of Occupy Vancouver
“Love is what emerges when we give each other our face.”
- Michael Stone
No Demand is Big Enough
Occupy Nanaimo is going through interesting times. As I write this ON is the last physical occupation on Vancouver Island. Our local government is pressing for an end to the occupation, the mayor has requested a manifesto or statement of demands and refuses to schedule another negotiation meeting with ON until such a document is produced. Individuals are coming together to work on a vision statement. People are urged to call or write to the mayor and city council and express their support for Occupy Nanaimo.
This is a perfect moment to encourage everyone – supporters, non-supporters and those who just aren’t sure about this whole Occupy thing – to read Charles Eisenstein’s essay Occupy Wall Street: No Demand is Big Enough. Although written from the perspective of a U.S. citizen, the argument he lays out is profound and compelling nonetheless. It’s well worth contemplating as we compose our thoughts – to ourselves, amongst ourselves and to our local government.
Occupy Wall Street has been criticized for its lack of clear demands, but how do we issue demands, when what we really want is nothing less than the more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible? No demand is big enough. We could make lists of demands for new public policies: tax the wealthy, raise the minimum wage, protect the environment, end the wars, regulate the banks. While we know these are positive steps, they aren’t quite what motivated people to occupy Wall Street. What needs attention is something deeper: the power structures, ideologies, and institutions that prevented these steps from being taken years ago; indeed, that made these steps even necessary. Our leaders are beholden to impersonal forces, such as that of money, that compel them to do what no sane human being would choose. Disconnected from the actual effects of their policies, they live in a world of insincerity and pretense. It is time to bring a countervailing force to bear, and not just a force but a call. Our message is, “Stop pretending. You know what to do. Start doing it.” Occupy Wall Street is about exposing the truth. We can trust its power. When a policeman pepper sprays helpless women, we don’t beat him up and scare him into not doing it again; we show the world. Much worse than pepper spray is being perpetrated on our planet in service of money. Let us allow nothing happening on earth to be hidden.
Oppression Park
We are now the only Occupy Left on Vancouver Island with a Physical Occupation. This is a Video from Occupy Comox Valley when they were evicted from the Peace Park outside of the provincial Court House.
Vancouver and Victoria Injunctions.
Things are starting to hit close to home for Occupy Nanaimo, as both the Vancouver and Victoria Occupy court hearings have ended in injunction. Unlike Victoria, where the injunction does not have an enforcement clause, Vancouver is now faced with a weekend window to clear their structures and get off the VAG lawn. They have been given until 2PM Monday. The injunction calls for police “enforcement” of the decision if the protesters do not comply. As these dark days spread across the #OccupyMovement there has never been a greater time to stand up. Now, when our justice system so blatantly steps on our fundamental freedoms, as laid down in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This is what democracy looks like?
84-year-old Dorli Rainey, a life-long activist and member of Occupy Seattle, has emerged as an inspiring voice in the Occupy movement after being brutally pepper-sprayed by Seattle police on November 15th. In her interview on Current TV Rainey told host Keith Olbermann that as she made her way home by bus, the driver inquired if she was ok and something unexpected happened: “This bus full of people started talking about Occupy. They had never seen a real person, who they could identify with, who got pepper sprayed. It became a really wonderful educational opportunity for me.”
Photo by Joshua Trujillo/AP
OWS Protesters Have Not Lost Their Sense of Humor
OWS protester: “the cops have occupied Zuccotti Park, we’re just trying to figure out what their demands are …”
