David Swanson's Blog, page 202
October 10, 2011
Freedom Plaza Is Now Ours
And we're never giving it back. Our permit for Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., expired, we refused to leave, and the Park Police has just proposed to let us stay for four more months.
We've agreed. We have not said that when the four months are over and the American Spring is here we will leave.
Dancing on Our Occupation Permit
Sunday night, our permit expired for occupying Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. So, we threw a dance party, and when we could dance no more, we went to sleep in Freedom Plaza.
We have until 2 p.m. today to remove our possessions. We do not intend to do so. We suspect that if the police want to remove us by force they will wait until evening. So we're throwing a dinner party, and 99% of the country is invited.
Our permit is now the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
October 9, 2011
October 8, 2011
Pepper-Sprayed for Peace
By David Swanson
http://warisacrime.org/pepper
I've been coughing and vomiting, and my head aches from pepper spray. I'll post videos and photos of why at the link above.
We intended to hold signs and sing inside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, protesting its promotion of unmanned drones, missiles, and bombs, including its sponsorship by and promotion of weapons corporations. We don't have any museums promoting health coverage or education or retirement security.
October 7, 2011
Mic Check! Freedom Plaza Day 2
Friday was a good day for waking up in Freedom Plaza and for occupying the headquarters of the drone manufacturers. Fast forward to minute 44 on this video http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17729809 Their intelligence about which way we were coming from was no better at keeping us out of their building than the CIA's intelligence is at making sure the "right" people are murdered with the drones.
Friday was a good day for marching to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and talking about his opposition to militarism, racism, and consumerism.
October 6, 2011
Can Resurrection City Be Reborn?
Thursday morning, thousands of people moved into Freedom Plaza, Washington, D.C., site of the 1968 Poor People's Campaign's Resurrection city.
Can a movement of the 99% of us who are living off the plutocrats' crumbs pick up the cause of social justice?
Day 1 was largely speeches and music, but energized by the sense that something new is building. We went over to the Chamber of Commerce and shut that criminal operation down for a while, and as we marched through the streets, including K Street, cars honked not in complaint at the traffic jam but in support of what we were doing.
Everyone I talk to supports what we are doing. Everyone wants our corrupt government to represent people. Everyone wants the rich taxed, the wars ended, and the money moved from militarism to human needs.
And a few more people are beginning to realize that we're all having the same problems, and that we are much more numerous than those who are profiting from our impoverishment. The Romans didn't want slaves marked as slaves, because then they might recognize their numbers. This is that kind of moment.
But we're not here just to give speeches, sing songs, or carry posters through the streets. We're here to nonviolently shut down the operation of a government that will literally ruin the world if we don't stage an intervention.
October 4, 2011
What's Missing: Non-Electoral Politics
Lately, the phrase "public servants" has struck me as ironic, not because government officials fail to serve the public, but because much of the public serves them. The public is the servants. Activist groups and individuals devote themselves to bettering the fortunes of political parties or politicians, at the expense of pressuring government officials to represent public demands.
Nobody favors eliminating elections, and nobody favors eliminating activism. But there are those who cannot see how prioritizing money-marinated, gerrymandered, cable-news-controlled, unverifiable elections will reverse the train wreck in progress. And there are those who cannot see what it would mean to engage in activism that wasn't aimed at promoting electoral victories.
October 3, 2011
Rebuild the Dream in the Streets
Remarks at Take Back the Dream conference, October 3, 2011.
For videos of this speech and of remarks by Derrick Crowe and Jo Comerford click here: http://warisacrime.org/content/rebuild-dream-streets
Back around May or June a bunch of us announced plans for this coming Thursday, October 6th, to occupy Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., not for a march or a rally, and not for a day or a weekend, but to create a central space for an ongoing occupation from which we would engage in nonviolent resistance.
