• Occupy Syracuse

    by Published on February 28th, 2012 04:00 PM

    UPDATED: F29 VIDEO POSTED AT END OF THIS ARTICLE




    70 Cities Nationwide Stand up to Corporate Greed and ALEC
    National Day of Action to Resist the Selling Out of the 99%




    On February 29th, concerned citizens, students, and occupiers in over seventy cities across the nation, including Occupy Wall Street (NYC), are standing up to the corporations and legislators involved in American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The biggest corporations in America, including ExxonMobil, Bank of America, BP, Monsanto, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart use ALEC to buy off legislators and craft legislation that puts corporate profit over the well-being of ordinary people. Responding to a national call from Occupy Portland, this will be the Occupy Movement’s largest coordinated action this year and will confront ALEC corporations in the cities in which they do business throughout the nation.

    “ALEC, a registered nonprofit with a board of trustees that reads like a Fortune 500 list, allows 1%ers to push legislation representing corporate interests,”said Dana Balicki of Occupy Wall Street. “This is legislation laundering."

    ALEC is comprised of state and federal government legislators and many of America’s biggest corporations. In ALEC task-forces and committees, lobbyists work directly with legislators to draft and advance cookie-cutter “model” bills that serve the interests of the corporations rather than people. ALEC is responsible for some of the most anti-democratic, repressive, and discriminatory legislation to pass through the halls of government.Wisconsin Act 10, attacking public employee unions, mirrors ALEC’s anti-union agenda and was introduced by Governor Scott Walker, an ALEC member from 1993-2002. Arizona’s widely criticized Racial Profiling bill (SB1070) also has roots in ALEC model legislation.

    “The public is never informed that a group representing the most privileged people in America are drafting the legislation that disempowers the most vulnerable. The decisions affecting our communities should be made democratically, not through a corrupt system that hides the influence of the very corporations that benefit at our expense. ALEC is representative of a failed system in which profit and greed are dominant over everything else,” said David Osborn of Occupy Portland.

    For a full list of the cities responding to Occupy Portland’s call to Shut Down ALEC Corporations visit Coordinated Actions


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    Published on January 30th, 2012 02:34 PM



    SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- City officials are preparing a new rule to prohibit after-hours access to certain public properties, a move that city councilors say is designed to further restrict the downtown Occupy Syracuse protests.
    The Syracuse Urban Renewal Agency, which owns the downtown parcel that has been home to the Occupy protesters, has scheduled a special session for 3 p.m. Tuesday to consider changing its regulations to prohibit loitering between dusk and dawn, according to council Majority Leader Lance Denno. The new rule could make violators subject to arrest, Denno said.
    SURA is a public benefit corporation set up to help the city sell or redevelop underused or tax delinquent properties. Mayor Stephanie Miner chairs the SURA board.
    Miner had police and public works employees remove the Occupy encampment earlier this month because fire officials found propane tanks and related equipment, in violation of safety conditions Miner had set. Before that, the protesters had occupied the site, known as Perseverance Park, for 108 days.
    The proposed SURA restriction on after-hours assembly comes days after Occupy Syracuse members protested outside the mayor’s State of the City speech and her fund-raising ball. Jean Kessner, a city councilor, said she was concerned that the city was “changing the rules” on the protesters.
    Besides Miner, the SURA board includes council President Van Robinson and two members of Miner’s administration.
    The SURA meeting will be held in the mayor’s conference room on the second floor of city hall.

    By: Tim Knauss
    This article first appeared here
    by Published on January 21st, 2012 09:18 AM

    “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” starts our constitution, a document written by and for people—living, breathing, human people. In the bill of rights and subsequent amendments, rights are extended ...
    by Published on January 19th, 2012 12:42 AM

    On Wednesday, January 18 fire officials resumed inspections of Occupy Syracuse every 2 hours. At a 9:00 pm inspection Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Cavuto confirmed that there is no immediate safety concern at Occupy Syracuse and no evidence of ...
    by Published on January 17th, 2012 09:58 PM

    On Tuesday January 17th Mayor Stephanie Miner and Fire Chief Mark McLees greeted Occupy Syracuse at 8:00 AM with a verbal warning to leave Perseverance Park within 24 hours. On day 108 of Occupy Syracuse Miner decided that the occupiers’ first ...
    Published on January 17th, 2012 07:42 AM

    8:00am, Perseverance Park, Syracuse, New York

    Mayor Miner comes to Occupy Syracuse camp to give notice of 24 hours until camp eviction.




    Friday, January 20th 12:00pm (noon) until 5:00 pm
    James F. Hanley Federal Court Building
    100 South Clinton St, Syracuse, NY



    On Friday January 20th, members of the Syracuse community will join with hundreds of cities across the country to Occupy the Courts. We do this to fight corporate personhood and mark the two year anniversary of the destructive Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

    Beginning at noon we will be handing out flyers and spreading information outside of the James F. Hanley federal court building at 100 South Clinton St. At 1 PM a press conference will be held. Bring a sign or make one when you arrive, we’ll have the materials.

    Over the last 150 years, the Supreme Court has interpreted the word “PERSON” in the constitution to also apply to corporations. This has conferred upon corporations some constitutional rights which were intended for human beings. As a result of the Citizens United decision, corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money on independent broadcasts to influence OUR elections.

    This is a fundamental attack on our democracy and electoral process. Hundreds of state, local and federal laws that attempt to protect our elections, safety and environment have been overturned as a result of corporate personhood.

    It is time for the people to take back the power. We call for a constitutional amendment declaring that corporations are not people. We ask our Common Council to pass a resolution calling for such an amendment as Los Angeles, New York City and many other municipalities have done.

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