Occupy Freedom LA @occupyfreedomla-blog - Tumblr Blog

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Shut Down the Corporations was an Occupy led action aimed to shut down Wal Mart's largest distribution center to both support workers rights and draw attention to ALEC . Full live stream coverage of #F29 action found at ustream.tv/Occupyfreedomla

Friends of Syrians: Modern Day Pen Pals

I've been following the daily news of Syrians fighting for freedom as they are massacred by their own government. It's gripping and horrifying and at times outright unbelievable. I've created a list on my Twitter account that anyone can subscribe to in order to access the latest breaking news. After seeing Syrian activist in Homs, @mulhamjundi , tweet that he was available to Skype at the moment, I jumped at the chance for a face to face report on what's going on in Syria. This video is of our first call.

Mulham explains that the solution in Syria is 3 fold and in this order:

1.Political-Convince the World to get rid of Assad

2.Humanitarian Aid

3.Connect with Media as much possible

With hopes dashed after a disappointing "Friends of Syria" Conference in Tunisa last Friday, we're looking for other ways to support Syria. A creative and organic brainstorm by myself and @pentagonista has resulted in an idea. "Friends of Syrians".The campaign calls for people around the world to make personal connections with Syrians inside the country. Through social media channels, having daily interaction with those on the ground in Syria, is a way to raise awareness , build personal connections, and inspire action. This can bring home a story that from a distance, seems somewhat unbelievable.

I caught up with Mulham again a couple days later, after learning he had been shot in the leg while protesting.We made this video to help circulate around to mainstream media and help get out the story about the on the ground horrors these people are falling victim to on a daily basis, for nearly a year now.

That night, I saw this tweet from Mulham "Ok... Ill do live streaming right now from #Homs ... F*** u media"

And then this:He showed up with a live stream from the street, counting explosions and dodging sniper fire.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mulhamjundi

Make sure you "Join the Crowd" on his ustream so you'll be alerted when he goes live.We'll have to wait and see if live streaming becomes truly viable in Syria

Now another idea emerges. Can we empower the people of Syria with the tools to tell their own story of the revolution? Can we support them from around the world, with the tools and the training,support and security measures to tell the world their own story? Perhaps Syria will be the newest opportunity to use citizen journalism to make meaningful change.

Some Occupy journalists have opted to make the treck to attempt to tell the story themselves. #oplivestreamsyria is on the ground around Syria doing just that.Stay tuned to @willyforeal and @jiraffa for updates on their work in the region.

I suspect it's going to take as many screaming voices and cameras and social media accounts as we can get, to shed some light on the atrocities against humanity that are occuring in Syria daily. Godspeed Syria.

So make friends in Syria today. Friend them on facebook, tweet at them. If connections are secure Skype with them,record and send it out into the twitterverse. Make it go viral. Just GET THE STORY OUT. Make Friend of Syrians, and make change.

Our hearts and prayers are with you. #SOLIDARITY

#Syria #sossyria #citizen journalism #mulham al-jundi #occupy

We were born into this existence to perfect the art of giving and receiving love. Today and everyday let our desires and actions to create a better world be motivated by LOVE.

Love conquers all. ~Virgil

#occupylove #occupyyourheart

#occupylove #love

Democrats = Republicans #F11 (Taken with instagram)

#f11

Occupy Oakland #J28 Report & Stream Thief Recap

I went to Oakland last weekend to cover The Rise Up Festival. Occupy Oakland planned to take an abandoned building and turn it into a community center. Mayor Quan announced her opposition to the plans and the march was subsequently met by hundreds of police, who used extreme force to stop the crowd from marching. I got my first taste of tear gas, and saw our own American streets turned into what felt like a war zone. I streamed as Oakland Police shot tear gas and threw flash bang grenades into the crowd, including into a crowd attempting to assist an unconscious person laying in the street. Have they learned nothing from the Scott Olsen incident?

Later that evening another march started and the police attempted a mass arrest by kettling the crowd of protesters in a park that was ironically, a monument to humanitarianism. Police sealed all four corners of the park and then ordered the crowd to disperse, shot tear gas into the crowd, beat people with batons, pointed weapons at protesters and wouldn't let anyone out. The crowd successfully escaped through a field after some protesters knocked down a fence and created an escape route. This is my view from the inside starting at about 21:00.

The march continued up Telegraph where a man smashed through me and my buddy to snatch my camera phone out of my hand and took off through the crowd, a bold move in a crowd full of protesters with cameras. Check out this video I captured of him seconds before he robbed me. Though I ran off after him as did a slew of bikes,the search for the assailant and my phone continues. Many are speculating about the indentity of the the man, with concerns that he could be undercover police, Black Bloc, or simply an opportunistic thief.

I'm not the only streamer that's been targeted. They're coming at us from all angles, as explained in this article. You can search #streamthief on Twitter to follow the story. I chased the man for blocks and sent some bikes out after him, but he was not caught and the camera has not been recovered. If you can donate to my equipment replacement fund it would be really appreciated. You can view my equipment wishlist here as well.

Soon afterwards over 300 people, including press, were kettled and arrested in front of a YMCA. Apparently the police cited the dispersal order from the previous location as justification for the mass arrests. Hundreds managed to escape by running through the back door of the YMCA after an occupier flashed her membership card and got them to open the door.

At that point I heard there were people inside City Hall so headed back to Oscar Grant Plaza. It was heavily guarded by police when I arrived, and inside the door I could see a mess of papers on the ground. That's where I saw one of the occupy medics collapse and be carted away in an ambulance as a result of a beating by officer #119.

There was yet another stand off (starts at 1:00) between on the heels of a FTP march as police in riot gear and occupiers back at Oscar Grant Plaza that night. The police far outnumbered the protesters and declared a unlawful assembly to a smattering of tiny cluster of occupiers in and around the intersection of 14th St. and Broadway. The stand off continued for over an hour and eventually dissolved. I just kept thinking about how much tax payer money was being poured down the drain with this ridiculous show of unwarented force. It was clear that if the police simply left at that point, the situation would have dissolved instantly.

Later that night at the police line guarding he YMCA arrests, we encountered some Oakland Police with rifles that had duct tape over their names. They refused to disclose them when asked respectfully, a clear violation of the California code.

This trip took my participation to a new level. I've now experience being shot at, tear gassed, kettled and chased through the streets by those who have sworn to protect and to serve me. All this for exercising my 1st amendment rights. This has resulted in a bunch more gray hairs and some mild PTSD. To anyone who thinks the scare tactics may intimidate or scare me away from either protesting or bringing the story to the people through my journalism, know that this has also galvanized my passion for this movement that I see now as our only hope to turn this world around.

#J28 #moveinday #occupy #occupy oakland #oo #ows #streamthief #oscar grant plaza

occupy-sandiego-blog

#occupySD would cordially like to invite you to #F11’s #Occupy SoCal Conference! 2/11/12

occupy-sandiego-blog

#occupySD is hosting the SoCal #InterOccupy Conference #F11! Join us and prepare to stay all day! Event on facebook.

Tales from the Front Lines of the (r)Evolution

OccupyFreedomLA in DC: Making History in our Nation's Capitol

It’s hard to believe how much was packed into one week in our nation’s Capitol. Washington DC is impressive with it’s grand mammoth stone buildings which are so large they appear almost as fortresses. All in all, the week was balanced with “in the streets actions” as well as rooms full of thoughtful discussion about strategy and building coalitions.

My tour started out on January 16th with a 10am call time with team “Occupy the Dream” for the launch of the campaign. Members of the African-American faith community have joined forces with Occupy Wall Street to launch a new campaign for economic justice inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At least 16 cities participated in the launch. We met up and moved to The Federal Building, on Constitution Avenue across from the Washington Monument. About 200 gathered and marched on the Federal Building chanting and signing. Organizers announced a call to action for another Bank Transfer Day on February 14th. Speakers included Sgt. Shamar Thomas and Dr. Jamal Bryant whose words inspired hope as he stood with the children and urged them to lead the march.

Afterwards I joined a group of occupiers from different cities to go tour the MLK memorial. We took a fun stroll through the park getting to know each other. Experiencing the MLK memorial with this group, on this day, was especially inspiring. We planned to go from there to meet up with the Amarillo 13 and give them a warm Occupy welcome to DC after being kicked off a Greyhound bus in Amarillo Texas for simply “being occupiers”. The group was 12 from Occupy San Diego and one woman from Occupy LA. Justice was served though as I heard that Greyhound bus driver ended up being fired.

Sadly we missed them at the bus station, so we headed to Freedom Plaza with Sgt. Thomas.The people at Freedom Plaza were friendly, the kitchen was sparkling, and the media tent was humming. It was heartwarming to see a camp thriving, tents and all. I picked up some full color copies of “The Occupied Washington Post”. Then a sing a long started and Sgt Thomas needed almost zero urging to jump in and join them. He is one of the most joyful people I’ve ever met. It’s hard to believe if you look at his famous youtube video telling off some NYPD, but he’s really a big teddy bear.

After a few hours at Freedom Plaza we attended a National GA at the foot of the Washington Monument. It felt like a real revolution being on that dark windy hill at night, with wind flapping the American flags while silhouettes of occupiers made plans for the next day. It felt like history in the making.

I walked and talked with occupiers until we landed at McPherson Square aka K Street, which is the other remaining camp in DC. That’s right, they have two thriving camps there. This one had about 150 tents and one teepee, and it was a beautiful site.

Next we headed to the basement of a nearby church for a streamers teach in. We got a small army of occupiers/citizen journalists coordinated and shared tips about how to best bring the story to the people.

The next morning was January 17th, the big day: Occupy Congress. We showed up to a rainy, wet hill with a few hundred people gathered and sounding off mic check after mic check from individuals about why they were there. I headed up the pavement to see more of the crowd and was instantly met with barricades in my ribs. Wordless police were stomping toward me pushing them into me. I repositioned myself on top of a wall that divided the pavement form the grassy area, which is apparently where out permit was valid. There was tension in the air, a real power struggle between the cops and the occupiers was at play. One guy climbed a tree and after being called out by police, walked away free. A group in orange jumpsuits protesting the recently signed NDAA stated their case.

Lots of great signs and people chanting their way to a better world ensued. I interviewed people from around the world and learned more about what inspired people to travel to be present as a witness to this moment in history. A common comment from people is that “They’ve been waiting their whole lives for this”. Check out my stream to see the interviews. I heard just a couple of people were arrested on the Capitol lawn that day.

Next there was a national GA, about 1000 people participated. We broke into groups focused on different topics. I chose the Visioning Group. People talked about building schools and gardens and a real sustainable society. People were talking about growing food, building schools , outreach and other ideas.I walked away from that heartened with hope for the future of this movement.

We then swarmed congress-literally. Protestors pushed through barricades on the steps of the Rayburn Building and swarmed the upper level, hanging banners and signs while cheering and chanting. The moment felt victorious, like the people claiming what is inherently theirs. I went inside and headed to Henry Waxman’s office to have a chat with him, my congressman, about the NDAA. Surprisingly he welcomed me into his office, asking how the protest was going etc etc. He said he could hear it through the windows. His welcoming demeanor instantly faded when he asked if I was filming, which I was. He tried to usher me to the door but I insisted on asking him about his vote on the NDAA. He was defensive and said he didn’t like that indefinite detention thing either, but the rest of it was important so he voted for it. We disagreed on the sanctions on Iran provision as well. He expressed concern over Iran getting a hold of nuclear weapons, and I expressed my concern over those sanctions backfiring and actually pushing us closer to a war. He then essentially pushed me out of his office as I tried to continue that conversation, and not before I made it clear to him that he lost my vote. He couldn’t have cared less.

The protesters then formed a spontaneous march in the streets that lasted about an hour and even had cops clearing a path for them. Energy was high and people were amped. Then at nightfall the group grew to about 3000 people and we marched out of the capitol lawn. The march went into the street and stopped traffic while intrigued drivers flashed peace fingers and filmed the march. When the group rounded the bend and spotted the Supreme Court, it was inevitable. All the occupiers flooded and filled the Supreme Court steps among chants of “Whose courts? Our courts!” It was a sight to behold with overwhelmed energy of victory and excitement. We the people were using one of our most powerful tools, our voices. We were laying claim to what is rightfully ours, and standing up to those corporations and bought off politicians who attempt to occupy OUR space. The protesters far outnumbered the police who were visibly feeling out of control.

I caught an arrest as a man was thrown to the ground and appeared to be beaten by the police. I saw elbows in the air as I approached, but sadly my footage is too shaky to determine what exactly happened. From there I had to run to find the march until I caught up with them on Pennsylvania Avenue. The march sprawled across the wide street and onto the sidewalks. The crowd swelled and chanted all the way past Freedom Plaza and onto the White House. Obama was reportedly out having a steak dinner with Michelle for her birthday. Regardless, we tied hearts containing our wishes on the White House fence, heard mic checks from a group of veterans and many other passionate occupiers. People expressed their solidarity to the movement, and the hope that was inspired by it. Amid rumors of tear gas and loads of cops heading our way, I turned to find an om circle. About 50 people were sitting outside the White House gate, grounding the space in a sound bath of love. “It’s a nice break from all the yelling” one occupier commented. I had hundreds of people from around the world watching on my stream at that point, commenting about how beautiful it was. It was one of the most powerful moments of my whole trip.

The next day I skipped to New York for a whirlwind visit to Occupy Wall Street. Their GA gave me a very warm welcome and I streamed and interviewed people there. I attended some meetings and gathered information that I’ll be sharing with Occupy LA. I’m pleased to report they are alive and thriving there at the “mother ship” that is OWS.

The next morning on January 20th back in DC it was time to Occupy the Courts. We showed up to the same steps we swarmed just a few night before, and it would be safe to say that they were expecting us. The Supreme Court Police, about 30 at first, looked like black-block on the massive white marble building that is the Supreme Court. They stood behind fancy barricades that blocked protestors from the steps.

I went to the Move to Amend rally across the street on the Capitol lawn and heard words of wisdom and encouragement from a host of people including Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin, Coffee Party founder Annabel Park and Move to Amend’s David Cobb.

After the speeches we returned to The Supreme Court across the street. The Supreme Court police were especially domineering in their head to toe black, face mask included, shades on, and many with no name tags or badge numbers showing. I asked repeatedly for names, and for the commanding officer and was continually ignored and disrespected by this motley crew. I became frustrated and disheartened by the level of disrespect these officers showed me. At one point I screamed, ”I want my country back!” which was echoed as a chant by the group there.

After some time of chanting and protesting, occupiers pushed down the barricades and flooded the steps. The police allowed it at the first. An officer, who may have been the commanding officer on site, though he never responded to my multiple requests for confirmation, announced through his bullhorn, from about 100 yards away, that people were now at risk of arrest. I pointed my camera at him and told him the chanting mob of occupiers up there couldn’t hear him. The arrests started soon afterwards. One man, Robert Cruz from Occupy Redding, had his skull fractured and a rotator cuff torn due to a violent arrest on the steps. Some were alleging that the plain-clothes police in the crowd were instigating the scuffle, and some video footage clearly shows one of them taking an occupier in a headlock. This undercover team was on task at the Supreme Court that day, which only became apparent after the brutal arrests when they were behind the police lines documenting. They were patted on the back by supervisor Elliott Rodriguez of the SCPD. One arrest of a senior citizen included some ankle twisting and another included laying of full body weight by SCPD on other peaceful protestors, some of who were simply meditating when arrested. I saw many faces, too many faces, hit the marble steps on this building that had “Equal Justice Under Law “ engraved on the top of it. Oh the irony. Some of the officers admittedly and deliberately blocked my camera and one even smacked it down. I demanded his name and was completely ignored. During this madness, two officers, including a Deputy Chief, touched my breast while pushing me back. I’m not talking about an “ooops”, it was intentional and with pressure.

After the police forced the protestors back down to the bottom of the steps, one more occupier, allegedly from OccupyLA, was dragged from the crowd for no apparent reason. He too was thrown face first into the marble and arrested. Supreme Court Police Department was extremely forceful, domineering and potentially unlawful with their behavior. The action resulted in a dozen arrests now referred to as the “DC Dozen”.

From there I attended the Move to Amend meeting happening in a church across the street. A coalition in the making, of occupiers and various people and organizations were in deep discussion about how, on the two-year anniversary of that decision by the Supreme Court, to achieve the goal of amending the constitution to reverse Citizen’s United,

The next day, January 21st, I planned to go cover a march to Bank of America with McPherson Square aka K Street camp, but it was snowing and I was carting around a suitcase, so I opted to meet up with fellow streamer @oakfoshow at a meeting. Change.org was hosting occupiers from various cities including Portland, Oakland, New York and DC, as well as some organizers from different organizations like “Green for All” and “Progressive Congress”. The “Occupy and Friends” summit was a productive discussion that resulted in solid networking and fresh ideas.

I come out of this week renewed, recharged and inspired. Revolution is in the air. A new day is dawning and a new world is emerging. For me Occupy comes as an obligation of consciousness to call out injustice and to take part in discussions about what a new and better world can look like. This leads me to call this time and this movement an “Evolution”. The world is finally evolving into it’s greater potential. I feel extraordinarily blessed to be a witness. It’s like all previous experiences have been practice and grooming me for this moment. There’s a momentum that comes from this kind of work, from being out in the streets, to sitting and having heartfelt, thoughtful discussions. Occupy is the movement of our time. It’s a call to create a better reality for all beings, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s go time. Go OCCUPY!

Videos of all these adventures and more can be found on my ustream channel ustream.tv/occupyfreedomLA and my website:occupyfreedomla.org