Occupy Calgary 6 Month Rally
Just a reminder that the 6 month rally is Sat! We meet at Bankers Hall 1 pm for an hour or so then march to OP for a picnic (Lets Hope it’s Nice) and our weekly GA ! Bring your signs noise makers and smiles!
Just a reminder that the 6 month rally is Sat! We meet at Bankers Hall 1 pm for an hour or so then march to OP for a picnic (Lets Hope it’s Nice) and our weekly GA ! Bring your signs noise makers and smiles!
Hey i would like to get envolved with yhe occupy movement can i just go to the ralleys? Or do i need to speak to someone? Thanks for your time hope to hear from you soon.
Crystal Crocket
wonderful site!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned.
I think I should draw attention to the fact that someone who claims to represent Occupy Calgary is involved with RIPPING OFF everyday people by the score. He is under investigation and involved in a real estate fraud ( rental) He personally ripped me off for $1800.00 and refuses to give my money back. Renting me a property that had actually been foreclosed months before signing my lease.
When accused, he denied everything but the audio tape proves he completely lied.
people like this really h urt good and just causes.
He left occupy a some time ago and has no ties with Occupy Calgary and hasn’t since Jan i think it is horrible what happened but what can we do about it?
Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this web site needs much more consideration. I’ll most likely be once more to read far more, thanks for that info.
Awesome writing style!
An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
Join us tomorrow noon at City Hall-new building for a protest, we where told that if we will came, we will be arrested. For more info call me at 403-6074434
Here is something I posted on Common Dreams in the US – I thought it appropriate to re-post it here?
Posted by Michael Desautels
Jan 22 2012 – 3:04pm
“All of a sudden, they were trapped in a nightmare that went quickly from bad to worse.” (Jennifer)
————————-
I don’t think incremental progress – or its contemplation – is good for a person or a society.
Proverbially:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
I was just reading the Jan/Feb issue of “The Humanist”, and OWS was the lead article. Apparently, humanists are not sure whether to support OCCUPY or not.
That figures – there’s not much there in secular humanism.
But I did note – and it shook me to the core, that in their report, they stressed the fact that the “General Assembly” is the principal organ of OCCUPY, everywhere in the world, and that this really is participatory democracy in action. I remember attending a “General Assembly” of Occupy Calgary some time ago, now that I think of it (slow learner), and OCCUPY really is what The Humanist claimed – participatory democracy in action!
The “General Assembly” is also the principal organ of the United Nations, which John Kennedy thought our only way forward – a strengthened and more active United Nations, which never happened following the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963 – the year after “Silent Spring” came out. Kennedy read Silent Spring, adopted its thesis, and the Environmental Protection Agency eventually came to be – now toothless – like the UN.
Reading that article on OWS – I was moved almost to tears.
That’s how I came to write this, for that tells me everything I need to know – that feeling – that instinct for survival.
======================
~ I am a global citizen – first ~
~ and a part of the sacred web of life – always ~
======================
In an unequal world, perhaps OCCUPY signifies the “Wordshift in Consciousness” that was imperfectly embodied in the United Nations General Assembly?
Perhaps OCCUPY proclaims with their now famous Mic Check:
~ Might for Right ~ and Justice for All ~
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With our shoulders to the wheel, the mighty and the weak, each according to talent and inclination, I think and believe OCCUPY is the way forward.
Manysummits, in Calgary
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PostScript: Jennifer – Manythanks for pulling all the threads together !!!
* reply
Posted by jbrowdy
Jan 22 2012 – 3:22pm
“~ I am a global citizen – first ~
~ and a part of the sacred web of life – always ~”
Beautifully put and I couldn’t agree more–
And I too have been thinking about the UN General Assembly and the Occupy General Assembly–the idea of which was unfortunately co-opted by the structure of the UN giving all power to the Security Council, a point I made recently to students at a Model UN conference–see my post on this on Transition Times, http://bethechange2012.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/a-new-generation-rises-and-with-them-our-hopes/
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/22-0
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Love your blog!
Thanks for your information!
Occupy round two. I think that is excellent-good to create awareness
one of the most important aspects of our and any society is conspicuous by it’s absence>
I speak of law
Law in it’s many forms, both legal AND lawful . . . and there is a difference
Positive law and the colour of law control us all in ways 97.3 % of the population haven’t a clue about
The corporate conglomerates that own our newspapers and broadcasters know what is best for me. I trust them to report fairly on this movement that formed to reduce corporate influence on government. Banks are supposed to regulate governments, we had it all wrong when it was the other way around. This is not something we can talk about, for the obvious reason that anyone who wants to talk about it is a dirty hippy or a communist. So, everything is fine.
Ok, so I’m not a moron, of course it’s not all fine.
Canadian banks have hit the government up for billions and tossed around millions in bonuses. That’s not right. But the newspapers save their outrage for a handful of cold protestors with an illegal extension cord! Oh my. What are we up against here? Look, I can see the writing on the wall. I know what side I’m on. Screw those dirty commie hippies, they deserve whatever they get!
NA NA NA NA! NA NA NA NA! HEY! HEY! HEY! GOODBYE!!!!
I’m not going anywhere.
Until you all join society and start contributing, you should be cut off any and all government services. Move to Greece, you will be welcomed with open arms and help wreck their economy as well.
I am a member of society and contributing wholeheartedly. Are you sure you grasp what we are doing? I will repeat for the umpteen millionth time: THIS IS NOT ABOUT A HANDOUT. Read this: http://occupiedcalgaryfreepress.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/questions-mandi-schrader/
THEN tell me what you think.
Thank you for sending me the link to your “explanation”. You are right, it opened my eyes to a fuller and wider knowledge of what you believe you are taking a stand against. You sound like a reasonable person, and even educated, so I am even more shocked at your short sighted views and your willingness to share thoughts that are built on half truths, media hyped inaccuracies, and complete disregard for the high standard of living and endless opportunities available in this great Country.
I will decline your invite to “support” your cause by continuing to comment on your blog. I will Chose other ways to ensure that I do everything I can to not support your cause, and your moronic ideologies. Please feel free to erase my comments, but understand that is considered censorship which would make you supporting something that is on your “Santa’s naughty list”.
The saddest thing to watch is 2 dogs fighting over a bone with no meat on it. Dear “Me” can you be so delusional to think that 100′s of thousands of people are all wrong and you are right! Pathetic…..See the lights?…See the lights?….too late you just got hit by a truck! Wake up!
good luck in court guys i hope things dont go to bad or nobody in the shadows ruins everything lmfao
Hey Mandi, it’s Mike again. Good job on keeping things a big more organized here. My only complaint is if your using an IPAD, you can’t always see what the latest updates are. Keep to a labtop or desktop I guess! Hey, wanted to see hear your opinion on two things. The first is the quotes from Kalle Lasn with regards to the difference between Occupy Canada and the US movement.
I think he’s been quoted as saying, with regards to the Vancouver movement,
“…. While the site attracted its share of energized, politically engaged youth who the Estonian-born Lasn describes as “the new left,” he also noted a stronger presence from fringe elements that has given left wing movements a bad name in the past, he said.
“I just had a feeling that there was a little bit too much of the loony left there,” Lasn said. ”
Can you comment on that as per the Calgary Occupy movement? I tend to agree with him. I think the message wasn’t hijacked by the loony left but perhaps the loudest voices and the voices that appeared in the media (whether with bias or without) tended to be those that were a little more far out but what was your take?
Also, to tie in with the above, I was reading the planning and discussion forum and there’s a post there that I would call borderline anti-Semitic. I mean, I’m a sympathizer to the Palestinian cause for sure and I think it’s easy to imagine why these people would be upset when the world basically just carved out land from them to create Israel. However, this paragraph really bothered me
“The German people resented the Zionist role in WW 1. They resented the Treaty of Versailles and the brutal reparations. The German economy was in ruins and the people elected Adolf Hitler in 1932. The Nazi party soon took control from the Zionists. (who had controlled the German media, banks and universities).”
Aren’t you basically with this paragraph endorsing that the Nazi’s were right and it was the Jews that were at fault for all the problems in Germany prior to WWII? My question is how come this hasn’t been censured from the forum? This is the type of “loony left” I think that really does more damage to this movement than any Cory Morgan can ever do.
Much respect, Mandi. I ask you these questions cause I know your not part of the “loony left” as Kalle Lasn has described above. And while I support the Occupy message, I can’t be part of a movement that can allow that to appear on an authorized site without any sort of outrage. Yet, with a leaderless movement, I don’t know what tools are available to stop this type of element from using the Occupy name or standing behind the Occupy flag. Your thoughts?
Hey Mike, thanks for stopping by.
Loony left? No kidding. I feel like this whole thing started out with a quite strong, clear message. That message for me was: runaway capitalism + human greed = bad things for everyone. So let’s rethink it.
That IS still what’s behind the multitude of confused messages. Some members of the group want to banish money! Some want to introduce Marxism. Some want to string up Stephen Harper from the highest tree. Some want the decolonization of Canada and increased first nations rights. Some haven’t the faintest clue, they just know their life sucks despite their best efforts to improve it and they are mad about that. Some of them, sad to say, are plain crazy and kind of assholes about it when you challenge their ideas.
I have a good friend who is part of Occupy Vancouver. You might have seen a list of demands in the news that was a draft by that group, not meant to be released. One of the demands on it was that all non violent inmates be released from prison. I asked my friend about this since non violent crime could include things like child pornography and also white collar crime which MOST of us think should be penalized a lot more heavily. He said, “Oh, that one was the anarchists.”
That is exactly the trouble with leaderlessness, though there again I think we are missing the point. I’ve noticed that in the Calgary group, “leaderless” means everyone has equal say, which means that major decisions have to be passed before the General Assembly in what I find a very tiresome and inefficient process. Everyone is afraid to act on their own initiative because “it has to go through the GA.”
My own take on the leaderless thing is that for all intents and purposes it means EACH PERSON is a leader. This would empower each person to act on their own knowing that the group trusts them to do so and they trust the group to back them. It’s what I do. When I wanted to write for FFWD paper, I approached the editor and the deal was done before the group heard a word about it. But they were all very glad to find that a respected publication was about to print a pro-Occupy article.
In terms of how to stop people from representing the movement as a whole with cockamamie ideas… I have no idea, and I really wish I did, because every time I accomplish something positive for the movement someone goes and does something idiotic that sets us way back. People always remember the bad things you did more than the good.
Now in terms of your Zionist question, I can’t seem to access the forum right now so I don’t know the context of that paragraph. It does seem that the author is endorsing the taking of control from the Zionists by the Nazi party. This sets us on pretty tricky ground because from a certain historical perspective the statement isn’t untrue, though it is incomplete. You can’t hold Zionist bankers entirely responsible for the treaty of Versailles, but my understanding is that some were involved. And that treaty REALLY screwed the German people. And because Hitler was insane and because anti-Jewish sentiment was pretty strong in Germany at the time, he was able to leverage that into a full-scale war on ALL Jewish people. My feeling is, wanting to get the country out of the situation it was in thanks to that treaty was not unreasonable. Genocide, horror and targeting the whole race were VERY unreasonable. <—–(massive understatement)
Someone was accused of antisemitism at the Oct 15 rally for holding a sign that said "Templars, Rockefellers, Rothschilds." The appearance of a Jewish name on the villain list was not, I feel, intended to directly target Jews. If all 3 names had been Jewish, sure, I would see a vendetta there. 1 out of 3, nope. I mean, most of us agree that Goldman Sachs is public enemy #1. For me that's not a race thing, it's because they rule the planet. And not benevolently. I don't care if you are Jewish, German, Canadian or Swahili. If you are ruining my planet, I'm going to have a problem with you. And I'm not going to NOT have a problem with you just because you belong to a persecuted race.
I guess what I'm getting at is there is a difference between the recognition that certain individuals, regardless of race, have been involved in damaging activities and the pinning of the blame on the entire race group those individuals belong to. I have a German last name, for example. You could hardly pin the holocaust on me personally though, could you? And you couldn't blame other German people for my actions.
Anyway, if the post in question IS actually intended as antisemitic I'd be the first to burn the guy down for it. One of my best friends is a rabbi and we have had long talks about this sort of thing. Unfortunately the whole forum seems to be down today so I can't tell. When you say "Aren’t you basically with this paragraph endorsing that the Nazi’s were right and it was the Jews that were at fault for all the problems in Germany prior to WWII?" I have to answer, no sir, I'M not. And you sure wouldn't see something like that on this blog, free speech or no free speech.
In the end, I'm with this movement for the reason I mentioned above. That continues to be the message for me, regardless of where others may try to take this, I'm gonna keep trying to steer it back to that.
I'd like to see the weirdos weed themselves out. I think if those of us with solid ideas keep pressing forward they eventually will. But that's the trouble. We let ANYONE into the club. What happens when the Aryan Guard want to play too?
That's when it's time to start making some rules, I think.
Thanks Mandi, your last paragraph is exactly what I get afraid off which is anytime you have a movement which begins with banking reform, your going to attract some type of element which will tie that to eventually some Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. And I think someone needs to stand up and say “hey, that’s not what this is about” but when you have an inherent movement where everyone’s say is, in theory, equal, then who really has the authority to do that? My hope is that the movement reorganizes and I’ve seen some of that from Vancouver where some have tried to take back the original message and I hope the same for Calgary. Personally, I think the whole physical occupation will be over tomorrow, I can’t see how the precedent rulings set by the courts in the other provinces wouldn’t apply to Alberta and then hopefully that’ll lead to
a) The more radical left and the anarchist moving on to there next thing.
b) The movement getting back to it’s roots because I truly believe the message can resonate with the average Calgarian.
Anyways, thanks for the reply as always. If nothing more, it’s made me think harder about the message and that’s a small victory. Originally, I, like a lot of people, was getting caught up in the Occupation but once I took a step back, you realize hey, keep a focus on the original message as opposed to the means in which it was trying to be delivered and all the other radical parts coming out of it and I agreed with it. This blog definitely helped for what it worth. My only hope is the more radical parts of the movement do the same thing, which is stick to the message as opposed to focusing on the means by which it was trying to be delivered. Keep up the fight, Mandi!
You know who has the authority Mike? ME! And you. And anyone who disagrees with turning this into persecution of a race instead of prosecution of guilty parties. Right now the loony left contingent is relatively harmless… to society in general. They are damaging the hell out of the movement but what can you do? Keep fighting. That’s what.
I’m pretty interested to see what happens in court tomorrow as well.
Did you know that one of the most active Occupations NEVER had a camp? Occupy Kelowna is actually making progress and getting all kinds of backing. We need to follow their lead.
I was taught in school that our Allied Armies defeated Germany in WW1 . However many veterans of the Kaisers army believed they had not been defeated in the field, but betrayed by civilians at home. .An uncommon alliance of financiers, intellectuals and leftists certainly were instumental in taking Germany out of the war. Widespread resentment of these groups only increased with the hardships of reparation payments in the 1920′s .
Jews paid the price
You’re not giving up because you’re stubborn and insist on continuing to waste everyone’s time, not because you are gaining support. And calling this a “movement,” particularly in Canada, is just kidding yourselves. This protest has absolutely no point and will exact approximately zero change for anyone anywhere. Six months from now, everyone will be looking back on this and laugh at what an embarassment this whole thing was.
Gosh we have a lot of seers around this place, eh?
I have a prediction for you… Call it a vision.
One day, maybe 6 months or 6 years from now, Canadians and human beings worldwide will realize that condoning child labour, environmental destruction, the death of independent business, mass poverty etc. are too expensive to continue. They will pull their collective head out of their collective ass, refuse to support companies like Wal-Mart, refuse to buy sweatshop goods, refuse to eat GMO products, refuse to live in overpriced homes that are much larger then any one family needs and refuse to be a dick to their fellow man.
They will demand accountability from their leaders and transparency from their government. They will rip the pointless grass out of their gardens and plant food. They will carpool with heir neighbors. They will shut off their TVs. They will live decent lives that don’t require the suffering of others to sustain.
Maybe some people will even begin now, today. Oh wait… some of us have.
Maybe in 6 months you’ll catch up.
Well Said!
anonymous sounds like hes going to have a bird over things he just cant quite understand
Free Sarah Scout? Wow, if Occupy Calgary ever had a chance, they just lost it. The Calgary Police did a tremendous job at dealing with her at a time when she was resisting. Best of luck at whatever you do Occupy, your time in the spotlight has dwindled and will be no more in a few weeks….
Ok people, go back to your lives and let this rediculousness die! Seriously, you are accepting donations to destroy a public park. Really? What you seem to be protesting (although it is really hard to decipher exactly what that is) seems to be the very industries that provide you with cell phones and laptops and social media and nylon tents and cozy sleeping bags. If you truly believe in your cause, toss all of your electronics and boycott the purchase of them and live in a cotton tent. You all need to be banned from entering any of the buildings downtown so that you can truly stand for your cause in the cold. It does your cause no good to sit in the buildings and plus 15 and coffee shops where it nice and warm.
Since you cant even figure out what our cause is, who are you to tell us how to enact our belief in it?
Time for all of you to leave and release your hostage, Olympic Plaza, this is ridiculous. What little support you may have had a couple of weeks ago is long gone.
That sure is what it says on the news. However yesterday when I visited OP here is what I saw:
A cop on a bike chating with folks at the info tent. As I approached he waved goodbye and said, “take care you guys. See ya later Brent.”
An older lady stopped by the info tent a few minutes later and said, “I just want to tell you that I think you guys are doing a good thing. Keep it up.”
A few school bus loads of teenagers looking curiously down at the camp. We waved to them and answered their questions about why we were here.
A lady who brought her small daughters to see the camp. She chatted with the occupiers while the girls ran around and played by the tents.
Multiple people in business dress stopped by and picked up copies of the Occupied Calgary Free Press newsletter! I also saw an older gentleman at Caffe Beano reading the newsletter.
If we didn’t have ANY support we might just have given up by now. But the real truth is we have lots… and it’s growing all the time.
Incidentally, the people who produce and write for this blog are mainly supporters, not campers. I’ve never spent a night in the camp but I do a LOT to keep the movement going.
u should gather more information anonymous your outlook on this is quite shallow u need some enlightenment before u can debate our cause which like others have said about u your facts are based on opinion if you were to go to court against us we would tear you to shreds u have to have some cold hard evidence before u have a verdict but you are sentencing us guilty with basically no information or evidence to suggest doing so which for me suggests that your are biased and very untruthful hows that sum you up?
ive had 2 months time but have gone on a break for awhile