Occupy Portland began in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street on October 6th, 2011. With a united mission, almost 10,000 people took to the streets to speak out against decades of abuses of power and socioeconomic inequities. Since then, the national conversations concerning politics has been majorly impacted as people around the United States have become more informed on a number of issues.
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[read more] Occupy Portland began in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street on October 6th, 2011. With a united mission, almost 10,000 people took to the streets to speak out against decades of abuses of power and socioeconomic inequities. Since then, the national conversations concerning politics has been majorly impacted as people around the United States have become more informed on a number of issues.
On March 4th, 2012, we will gather in an effort to continue to drive positive changes in the nation, and even world wide.
The concept is simple. Each person picks an issue they are passionate about and want to see changed. Then each person will do some research and create one sign with a fact about that issue, for example:
Homelessness - "There are 24 empty houses for every 1 homeless person in the United States."
My hope is that people will stick to facts, and if so driven, will put one solution on the opposite side of their sign.
When we gather at 2pm on the 4th, everybody will unite with a group which is related to their issue where they will be able to speak to one another about their ideas, experiences, and why that issue is important to them. People should also feel free to travel between groups if they see something that interests them, after all, this event is about the free exchange of knowledge.
At approximately 3pm, each group will step off and march together to promote a better world.
We may encounter people who disagree with what we say. That's OK, in fact, I encourage people to engage those people in a calm and intelligent discussion. On many issues, we may be able to find a middle ground and even a solution to a problem that affects all of our lives. And in the end, if that person truly does not want to have a calm discussion, that is their choice and they don't have to join.
There will likely be police presence there. That's OK. My intent is that this march will have a number of contingency plans for a wide variety of situations. This will allow the march/parade to go on unimpeded and will make our action flexible, agile, and mobile. These plans will be discussed at the 2pm pre-march rally. We will avoid engaging the police to prevent the march from getting side-tracked.
This event is non-violent and peaceful. While certain officers may show up looking for a fight, it's my intent to deprive them of that. The same thing goes for provocateurs. They may wish to start a negative interaction with the police, it's my intent to deprive them of that as well. This serves to protect the overall message. It also serves to protect people who want to bring their children.
With that in mind, everybody is welcome. My goal is to attract at least 2,500 to 3,000 people to this event.
Things I'm specifically seeking for the event:
1.) Clowns - If you have a clown suit/make-up...I want to see you in it
2.) The Disco Trike and other mobile musical systems.
3.) Creativity - Dress up. Be artistic. Express your message uniquely
4.) Volunteers - An event like this is only as good as the people involved.
5.) A couple of megaphones - If the crowd is large enough, I'll have a hard time reaching people in the back without one.
6.) Livestream coverage
7.) A good time.
Can't think of an issue or having a moment of writer's block? Here, let me help you:
* Internet legislation and freedom of information
* Healthcare (Universal, Single-payer, Public Option, Privatized...)
* Foreign Policy and use of US Armed Forces
* Higher Education (College) and Public Education
* Corporate Personhood (Citizens United)
* Economy and National Debt
* Social Justice and Equality
* Police Brutality (Facts only. No "Fuck the Police" / "ACAB" signs)
* Campaign Finance Reform
* Climate Change / Environmental Issues
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