Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Occupy Your Heart!! OE Candle Light Vigil
I attended my first candle light vigil last night called the "Occupy Your Heart" vigil and it was awesome!! It was during a city council meeting where they were deciding the fate of occupy Eugene. If and how long OE will be allowed to stay in the downtown park legally. They have postponed the decision to permit camping for what looks like a minimum of 45 days. There were speakers from the community that were against us (only 4) while hundreds spoke in support! There were some eloquent speakers in support while those against occupy were very misinformed and made themselves look silly. It looks as if we will be allowed the exstension to stay but people are tense as the decision is still under discussion. I wanted to share a facebook comment (From a fellow supporter) describing what it was like at the hearing.
Have to say..I love that the only people who could say anything negative about the Occupy Eugene movement during the public forum this evening, were people who were misinformed. They’re people advocating against the pertinence of an encampment with ignorant biases with absolutely no foundation in truth or fact...at least of any relevance.
And I will say, I do not believe the money that EPD has chosen to overspend policing and managing peaceful marches that obey all laws and that have not seen a single arrest is relevant. I do not believe that the 15 squad cop car responses to verbal altercations between two individuals are relevant. I understand that the "ugliness" and the "homelessness" of our dear city has been highlighted by the encampment being in the center of downtown, but do I think that the fact that it is not aesthetically pleasing is relevant? No, I do not.
I will also point out the absurdity of the prevalence of "I'm a tax payer and don't want to pay for this" hilarious line used as supposed justification to disband the camp. I cannot take people with this argument seriously when these same people, morally opposed to supporting our constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and express our free speech, are not speaking out against the 23.5 trillion dollars that has been reportedly loaned by the federal reserve at practically no interest to big banks on the tax payers dime! The more they look into the actual amount that was loaned, the more the amount becomes. These people aren't speaking up when the city council votes to increase their payroll while in the same meeting slashes funding for public schools. They aren't speaking to money allocated to golf courses and to the U of O while our social safety-net, retirement and medicare are slashed.
My issue is that when these people are turning out and finally speaking out against something and actually GO to a city council meeting for probably the first time in their lives, it's to advocate against something beautiful, all encompassing, true representation of democracy that is speaking out against government corruption, social inequality, illegal foreclosures etc...They are so shortsighted and misinformed that they do not see what is actually happening. They were content with people in their city..HUNDREDS of people in their city being illegally foreclosed on; they were fine with people with mental illnesses having no social safety net and being forced to sleep in bushes and be battered by police; they were content with fellow citizens graduating college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and absolutely no job prospects. Yet they come out to speak in opposition to a group of people that are not only highlighting these failings of our system, but actively working to make the world a better place and change them.
I wish that productive, civil conversations could truly take place with these poor, wrongfully opposed people but their hostility and fear about facing up to the realities of our current system and how it directly effects them and the lives of the children always seems to get in the way.
I guess I would just like to say to them, if they read our Facebook, I'm sorry you’re so misinformed, angry and scared. But do not worry, we will continue to advocate and stand up for your rights in the face of adversity and oppression even while you persecute and mock us. You may not live to thank us, but when we are successful, and your children and grandchildren inherit a world that is better than that of which you and I have...when they have a true democracy and still maintain their civil liberties..When they have new inalienable human rights such as the right to free education and healthcare and a HOME and can buy that home without fear of predatory lending...they will be thankful and that is what matters.
Have to say..I love that the only people who could say anything negative about the Occupy Eugene movement during the public forum this evening, were people who were misinformed. They’re people advocating against the pertinence of an encampment with ignorant biases with absolutely no foundation in truth or fact...at least of any relevance.
And I will say, I do not believe the money that EPD has chosen to overspend policing and managing peaceful marches that obey all laws and that have not seen a single arrest is relevant. I do not believe that the 15 squad cop car responses to verbal altercations between two individuals are relevant. I understand that the "ugliness" and the "homelessness" of our dear city has been highlighted by the encampment being in the center of downtown, but do I think that the fact that it is not aesthetically pleasing is relevant? No, I do not.
I will also point out the absurdity of the prevalence of "I'm a tax payer and don't want to pay for this" hilarious line used as supposed justification to disband the camp. I cannot take people with this argument seriously when these same people, morally opposed to supporting our constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and express our free speech, are not speaking out against the 23.5 trillion dollars that has been reportedly loaned by the federal reserve at practically no interest to big banks on the tax payers dime! The more they look into the actual amount that was loaned, the more the amount becomes. These people aren't speaking up when the city council votes to increase their payroll while in the same meeting slashes funding for public schools. They aren't speaking to money allocated to golf courses and to the U of O while our social safety-net, retirement and medicare are slashed.
My issue is that when these people are turning out and finally speaking out against something and actually GO to a city council meeting for probably the first time in their lives, it's to advocate against something beautiful, all encompassing, true representation of democracy that is speaking out against government corruption, social inequality, illegal foreclosures etc...They are so shortsighted and misinformed that they do not see what is actually happening. They were content with people in their city..HUNDREDS of people in their city being illegally foreclosed on; they were fine with people with mental illnesses having no social safety net and being forced to sleep in bushes and be battered by police; they were content with fellow citizens graduating college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and absolutely no job prospects. Yet they come out to speak in opposition to a group of people that are not only highlighting these failings of our system, but actively working to make the world a better place and change them.
I wish that productive, civil conversations could truly take place with these poor, wrongfully opposed people but their hostility and fear about facing up to the realities of our current system and how it directly effects them and the lives of the children always seems to get in the way.
I guess I would just like to say to them, if they read our Facebook, I'm sorry you’re so misinformed, angry and scared. But do not worry, we will continue to advocate and stand up for your rights in the face of adversity and oppression even while you persecute and mock us. You may not live to thank us, but when we are successful, and your children and grandchildren inherit a world that is better than that of which you and I have...when they have a true democracy and still maintain their civil liberties..When they have new inalienable human rights such as the right to free education and healthcare and a HOME and can buy that home without fear of predatory lending...they will be thankful and that is what matters.
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