Reportback From The Long March Home

Tonight, Friday March 9th, a group of homeless and housed occupiers met in a cold, slowly flooding park, to kick off our campaign for women’s shelter in Austin, TX. Due to cold, cold, rain and soggy shoes, those of of that made it set up camp in front of the Austin Convention Center. With South By South West Interactive camping inside we demonstrated to “South By Shelter Women”, with an example of the city’s current solution to the housing crisis, an illegal tent in the rain.

Currently, the shortage of shelter beds hits women hard, with only a handful set aside for women without kids who are not escaping domestic violence. The rumor is that existing shelters started keeping track of the numbers of women they turn away only since our working group formed.

In our first meetings as a working group it became obvious to us that this was a deeply felt need as women in our group told their stories of the violence they had experienced while living on the streets. One told a story of being cut across her face with a knife while looking for a place to bed down overnight. She said she had never been afraid of being attacked when she had housing. Another told of the violence of being forced to sleep outside in bushes and parking garages. The demand for women’s shelter clearly is a life and death issue for people forced into the streets.

When there are 24 vacant houses for every homeless American, it is a crime to force people out in the cold.

We had planned a silent march through downtown, to set up camp and rally at some of the many institutions that manage the lives of the poor. We plan to march again! We plan to amplify voices of women and others experiencing life on the streets of Austin.

We demand women’s shelter, an end to the ordinances which police the poor, and an end to homelessness.

-Peter

City Divestment Update

We’re making progress! Next Thursday at the Austin City Council meeting, members will be discussing our resolution pushing the City to divest from Wall Street banks. Its a small step in the right direction. Occupy Austin is calling on all supporters to call AND email Council Members Riley, Martinez, Spelman and Mayor Leffingwell and tell them to support Council Member Morrison’s and Tovo’s “responsible banking resolution” next week. Council Member Cole is showing signs of support.

For a copy of the resolution, like our page “Occupy Austin Bank Action.”

Council Member Bill Spelman (512) 974-2256, Bill.Spelman@ci.austin.tx.us

Council Member Chris Riley (512) 974-2260, Chris.Riley@ci.austin.tx.us

Council Member Mike Martinez (512) 974-2264, Mike.Martinez@ci.austin.tx.us

Mayor Lee Leffingwell (512) 974-2250, Lee.Leffingwell@ci.austin.tx.us

Felony charge dropped against Occupier

Austin, TX – Febuary 10th 2012: Officer Whitehead has announced that the felony charge against Jordan W. during the February 3rd eviction has officially been dropped. Occupy Austin has maintained that the “attempted assault against a Peace Officer” was erroneous and completely inaccurate.

Occupy Austin demands that the remaining three misdemeanor charges against Jordan also be dismissed, along with the criminal trespass charges seven other Occupy Austin members have been cited with as well.

We would also like an official apology from the Austin Police Department for their absolutely unnecessary level of violence on display the night of the eviction, and for their efforts to follow and terrorize Occupy Austin members as they left City Hall on the night of the eviction, and the following night as well.

Finally, we would like the APD to also admit that they have paid informants actively infiltrating Occupy Austin, and we would like these people to be immediately removed from this duty.

Solidarity March & Rally, Wednesday, 6pm @ City Hall

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AND SOLIDARITY

COME TO AUSTIN CITY HALL AT 6 PM

Solidarity with Occupy Oakland! Defend Occupy Austin!

Last Tuesday, police brutally assaulted Occupy Oakland with tear gas, rubber bullets, batons and flash grenades, arresting dozens and critically wounding 24-year-old Iraq veteran Scott Olsen.

In response, Occupy Oakland has put out a call for a general strike on Wednesday, November 2. Several of Oakland’s largest unions have signed on and world-wide, occupiers and other activists are organizing solidarity actions.

Meanwhile, Occupy Austin is facing a increasing degree of police harassment and intimidation, with mass arrests of Occupiers during Halloween weekend and a growing and heavy-handed police presence at City Hall.

Across the country, we must take a stand. We are the 99%. We will not be silenced!

We need EVERYONE to come to City Hall this Wednesday. Plans for some big actions later in the evening are in the works too.

Occupy Austin’s Timeline of Events Week of Eviction

Austin, TX. February 6th, 2012 – Individual members of Occupy Austin met with staffers
from the offices of Council members Tovo and Morrison on the morning of Monday, Jan.
30th, 2012, regarding concerns about costs of police overtime. Monday afternoon these
individuals received a phone call from Assistant City Manager McDonald ordering the
immediate removal of the Occupy Austin Medical & Media tent, and our free library. A
deadline of Wednesday evening for the tent/library order was negotiated to allow
opportunity to communicate this order to our General Assembly. Afterwards, we requested
the order in writing and Mr. McDonald refused.

Tuesday, Jan. 31st, 2012, we continued our request for the written order and invited Mr.
McDonald to address the General Assembly in order to clarify and answer questions. He
refused. We contacted City Council offices to further relay our concerns and requests.

On the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 1st, 2012, we continued our outreach after Mr.
McDonald told one of the Occupiers to tell their “boss” that the tent had to go. We relayed
the message at 7pm to our General Assembly, and consensus was to continue our request
for a written order. The night passed without any enforcement of the order.

Thursday, Feb. 2nd, 2012, we contacted the offices of Asst. City Manager McDonald, Mayor
Lee Leffingwell, and every Councilmember asking for the written order. We were referred
to the City Manager’s office, and again we were refused a written order. Thursday passed
with no enforcement of the order.

Friday, Feb. 3rd, 2012, at about 8pm, Dave Cortez, a member of the Occupy Austin Bank
Action group that has helped organize the movement of $1.5 million out of big, bail-out
banks, asked both City Manager Marc Ott and Asst. City Manager McDonald in person to
clarify their order and issue in writing. Asst. City Manager McDonald replied, “The tent
has to go. Remove it.” He once again refused to issue any written statement.

At 9:30pm, Occupy Austin was issued a Notice of Change of City Hall Building Use policy
that was dated February 3rd, with changes scheduled to go into effect on February 2nd.

Any statement from the City of Austin claiming that Occupy Austin had notice of full
eviction since Monday is blatantly false and we have the records to prove it.