Vigil and Memorial in Memory of Raymond Taavel

Vigil and Memorial in Memory of Raymond Taavel

Tues. April 24, 6-9pm, Harbourside Park

Raymond Taavel was beaten to death outside a gay bar in downtown Halifax last Tuesday morning. St. John's Pride will host a vigil for Raymond at Harbourside Park, Tuesday April 24, 6-9pm.

Occupy NL will assist in any way possible. This is a shared tragedy for the entire Nova Scotia LBGTQ community and for anyone who cherishes their rights and freedoms. Raymond was an activist, volunteer and editor of Wayves Magazine.

Occupy May Day -- May 1st, Harbourside Park

UPDATE: Click here for a RECAP of the day's events!

Occupy NL invites you to a day of events at Harbourside Park on May 1st as part of international May Day celebrations. From noon until midnight there will be music and entertainment from local artists and performers, a potluck picnic, discussion forums, and (potentially) a march in downtown St. John's. Wandering Brush will also be doing some face/body painting!

Soundtrack for a Revolution - #1 - Propagandhi: The State Lottery

While full length documentaries and walls of text are fine ways to convey information, sometimes there are songs that express similar sentiments in much shorter periods of time -- and they may also allow for more head-bobbing and finger tapping, which seems like a positive addition to me.

The first auditory (and perhaps philosophical) assault I'd like to put forth is Propagandhi's "The State Lottery." Released in 1996 on their ironically titled album Less Talk, More Rock (released on Fat Wreck Chords), "The State Lottery" offers succinct insight into the sort of anger that fuels movements that call for radical change.

A Message From Adbusters: Tactical Briefing #29 - Battle for the Soul of Occupy

Message from Adbusters:

First they silenced our uprising with a media blackout… then they smashed our encampments with midnight paramilitary raids… and now they’re threatening to neutralize our insurgency with an insidious campaign of donor money and co-optation. This counter-strategy worked to kill off the Tea Party’s outrage and turn it into a puppet of the Republican Party. Will the same happen with Occupy Wall Street? Will our insurgency turn into the Democrats’ Tea Party pet? ...

Will you allow Occupy to become a project of the old left, the same cabal of old world thinkers who have blunted the possibility of revolution for decades? Will you allow MoveOn, The Nation and Ben & Jerry to put the brakes on our Spring Offensive and turn our struggle into a “99% Spring” reelection campaign for President Obama? ...

Whatever you do, don’t allow our revolutionary struggle to fizzle out into another lefty whine and clicktivist campaign like has happened so many times in the past. Let’s Occupy the clicktivists and crash the MoveOn party. Let’s #DEFENDOCCUPY and stop the derailment of our movement that looms ahead.

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ

For the full tactical briefing and links to other tactical briefings, click here. (I recommend checking out Tactical Briefing #28 in particular!)

Chomsky and the American Spring/Pitching a Tent for Chomsky

While there will surely be more snow falling in Newfoundland this Spring, let's try to get some of the chill out of our bones with some warming words from Noam Chomsky as he endorses the 2012 leg of the Occupy Movement.

 

"They're counting on our silence and apathy, and we should not grant them that lethal gift...

"...We have the chance to take power back and rescue the country and the planet from a grim fate."

In his poem "The Wasteland," T.S. Eliot said that April was the cruellest month. If the Spring thaw and dead and rotting plants has got you down, come on down to Harbourside Park and hold a sign or pitch a tent, or drive past and scowl and tell everyone to get a job. 

 

...Whatever makes you feel better!

Do you notice symptoms of economic inequality? A call from Occupy NL

Occupy NL wants to hear from citizens of the province who are negatively impacted by foreclosures or evictions, unemployment, substandard living conditions, and other issues related to economic and social inequality. Come to an Occupy NL general assembly and share your story, or get in touch with us by email at outreach@occupynl.ca

The Occupy movement, from its inception, has been motivated to raise awareness of growing inequality in society. Economic inequality, and its symptoms of social injustice, has been growing in Newfoundland and Labrador as well. Regardless of the apparent "progress" in the province, there are many people being marginalized, silenced, and left behind. We must stand together to resist the injustice in society and voice our concerns. Add your voice to the chorus... we are the 99%

In Response to "De-Occupy NL"

On Saturday, March 31st, the Telegram received a letter from J.F. Martin, accusing the city of having "shirked responsibility" by not evicting the Harbourside Park camp sooner. The letter was read verbatim on the St. John's Morning Show today, followed by an interview with Deputy Mayor Shannie Duff, where she suggested that the movement was nothing more than an “informal camp,” rather than a part of a global movement.

We would like to address some of the confusion surrounding our organization. First of all, OccupyNL is not a camping expedition. OccupyNL is a local manifestation of the global Occupy movement. The encampment at Harbourside park is an important meeting place and symbol for our movement, but it is but a small part of the whole. We are a community of concerned Canadian citizens who are determined to change our society for the better. Our organization seeks to achieve this goal by way of its unique structure: completely horizontal consensus-based decision-making, where everyone has an equal say. Our specific goals are decided upon at our weekly General Assemblies, which are open to the public.

#Robogate protest 2 -- March 31, 2012

On March 31, 2012, as part of nation-wide protest against electoral fraud and voter suppression in the last election (the robocalls scandal), Occupy NL and concerned citizens congregated at Colonial Building in St. John's.

Check out our press release for more info. And download our Postcard to send to your MP.
Find your MP here.

People came out, despite a blizzard, to voice their concerns against questionable and potentially fraudulent tactics (#robocalls) during the last Canadian federal election, and to call for a full public inquiry. This is an issue that cuts to the core of Canadian democratic values. The attack on civil society must be stopped!

Get Fraud out of Parliament! -- Protest #2

When: Saturday March 31, 12-2pm (the rally is still happening despite the storm)

Where: Colonial Building, St. John's (and cities across Canada)

Why: Protest against fraud and voter suppression during the May 2011 Federal Election

Occupy NL has organized a second protest against questionable and potentially fraudulent tactics (#robocalls) during the last Canadian federal election. Come out and make your voice heard... Join in the call for a full public inquiry... This is an issue that cuts to the core of Canadian democratic values. The attack on civil society must be stopped!

For more information, and to see a recap of the last protest, check out our earlier post or the facebook event page.

Download our Postcard to send to your MP (printing instructions here)
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Film Screening of Gasland + discussion Tues. March 27

OccupyNL invites the general public to attend a film screening of Gasland this Tuesday, March 27th, at 8 PM at MUN (Science Building room 4068). Local journalist Justin Brake will lead a discussion following the screening and share what's he's found in researching the natural gas industry, including where we currently stand in terms of exploration and extraction on the island.

On Wednesday, March 28,  7:30 PM, the Harris Centre is hosting a public discussion on Natural Gas as a potential energy source in Newfoundland. We encourage everyone to attend this meeting with the information brought up during our workshop on natural gas extraction (specifically hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking”).