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UPDATE: We did it! With your help we’ve now raised over $104,000 $105,000 to purchase and distribute supplies to the occupations! Thanks to everyone who has supported the fund – this was all you.
Donna, James and Tyson sporting #OccupySupply gear at Occupy Memphis
Hey every one, we’ve almost raised $100,000 for the Occupy Supply fund! This is absolutely incredible and we could not have done it without you.
So far we’ve spent $81,835.71 on a whole panoply of cold weather gear — hats, long underwear, heavy jackets, food, generators, sleeping bags and so much more — and we’re just getting started.
Help us keep the momentum going — chip in $20 to help us buy Tiny Tiny Homes, USA-Made 0-degree sleeping bags and other shelter materials!
PS: If you haven’t seen it already, check out Glenn Greenwald’s take on the OccupySupply fund over at Salon today.
59 Comments
Fantastic work, Brian. This one really has been a 24/7 team effort.
Hi, Brian
Thanks for the update and all your hard work.
Got Jane’s email this morning about sleeping bags and potential shelters, which is great news.
But how do we (FDL) plan to deal with the reality that so many police forces are basically stealing and destroying Occupiers’ gear? One of our members wrote a diary about donating good-quality camping gear to OWS, only to have it most likely end up in a landfill a few days later.
Has there been any discussion of how to deal with that possibility?
I still plan to donate again, and I think Occupy Supply is doing necessary and important work regardless. Just wondering.
FunnyDiva
Hard to say. There’s not much we can do about raids, and we certainly aren’t going to roll over and stop sending things because of them. Liaisons should be able to get a feel from the occupations as to their relationship with local authorities and whether the threat of raids is imminent, and should report that back to us. If there’s concern, we can work with you to figure out the best and safest way to make sure the supplies go down the whole. Do you have any thoughts in mind? Would love to hear if so.
I’m concerned about this too. I hate to think that the great stuff I pay for is being stolen and destroyed by the police. Nevertheless, I just donated again, for the Tiny Tiny Homes, sleeping bags, etc.
Maybe it’s time for the homeless people who have joined Occupy to ask the churches for protection from the police who steal and destroy the cold-weather gear they need to stay alive. Seriously. I think such a move would open up the discussion we need in this country, and the church-goers would have to actually think about what it is that their faith demands of them.
Wow – over $100k! W00t!
As regards concerns, I keep pointing out that the majority of the supplies is actually about winterizing the actual human – CLOTHES!
Those will tend to be on actual bodies in cases of eviction, or very threatened eviction.
There’s a shrewd genius in the choice of the items, plus having live local intelligence that minimizes potential risk to the community donors.
Given the power of the States/Municipalities vs that of the Occupiers, doing nothing insures the odds are stacked against the occupiers; doing something like this in this very clever way keeps putting support back on the Occupy side with least risk exposure.
As Kelly says below, et’s not forget that shelter is just a small part of what we’re doing here. Your money is also going to help us provide winter gear and clothing for protesters, too.
$104,000. Wow! I’m amazed. A lot of people have to be supporting this movement in a big way to collect that much so fast.
Awesome work, folks. We need to have a huge party to celebrate once the overlords go under!
I wish I had any specific thoughts. I’ll be sure to share anything constructive I come up with.
And I think the NOT rolling over is the right approach. And the Liaison program for ongoing communication. Pure genius.
Didn’t mean to be negatively critical or concern troll. Just wondered what the thinking was.
That was one of my points last night on LN, before I got the news about sleeping bags and tents. It’s sheer genius that the first winterization push has been with warm _clothes_.
ITA that doing nothing is NOT an option.
ETA:
and even as I was asking, I was sure the FDL approach would be both thoughtful and smart. Thanks for proving me right.
Will donate again tonight when I get home. I’m really proud to support this.
Hearty THANK YOU to everyone who donated. God bless the OWS protesters, and those who donated. May we finally break free of the amoral big money interests that have this country by the throat.
That would be me.
Wondering if by befriending reporters, police, or otherwise detective work Occupies can get the camping supplies that are not clothing into safe places before the raid.
In addition to more camping gear, like ground mats, I have some clothes to donate, but they are really winter gear (fancy schmancy ski outfits, with matching hats, neck gaiters, gloves). They would be worn in only the coldest conditions. So it the raid occurred at other times, they would also end up in landfill.
Having had that happen once, not sure I could handle it a second time.
See my comment about clothes above.
Having received no responses, will look for some other worthy donees for my winter gear.
Salvation army maybe.
I’m trying to throw in some dust every week. Keep up the outstanding work.
Screw the Salvation Army. They spent donated money for a big fancy headquarters and large salaries for their mucky mucks. Bound to be a group that helps the homeless in the area. Give it to them.
I can add a bit to the pile, as well. I’ll be sure to use the correct 4-digit code, this time *g*
Salvation Army is also homophobic and insist on proselytizing if you want their assistance.
Long standing practice for me is skipping those bell ringer buckets and, like this year, since turkeys are BOGO at my grocers we’ll take the second turkey directly to Volunteers Of America.
Can you repeat the question? I didn’t realize you asked me anything, I’m sorry.
After I posted my comment I wished I had used the epithet Utah Phillips used for the Salvation Army: Starvation Army.
haha oh please you weren’t trolling – very valid question.
Thanks SD! You coming on the call tonight?
Don’t think there are too many homeless right nearby. And SA donation booths are convenient. Will ask around about more worthy donees to see if I can find them. There are migrant seasonal fruit pickers but they are long gone before harsh weather sets in.
OTOH, I should know more about them. Two decades ago I used to see them in the supermarket on Friday night. Their carts were full of white rice, dried beans, cheap pork. Very black skins, from Caribbean. I’m no longer in supermarket at those times, so I don’t know how the apple picker pop has changed, if at all. I should check it out. Will consider the best way to do that.
I frequent and am known at local orchards, so can’t reveal my agenda there. I have sympathy for them too. They are not wealthy either, and rightfully suspicious of anyone who questions them. They work very hard and are NOT rich.
I have some new friends who are more tied into the ethic, so perhaps we can figure it out together.
Thanks!
Left you a comment with links in EPUland this morning. If you didn’t catch it, I’ll find it and link it again.
No, since I can’t do liaison I’d not like to take up a spot. I’ll hear what transpired through the threads.
Hoooooo, been a long time since I’ve seen anybody refer to EPUland.
Please do, definitely didn’t see it. Shoot it to me at brian@firedoglake.com
Any response to my query at 4:09 above?
Oops. Comment was to OmAli. These embedded links will be the death of me yet. Sorry.
Methinks that was for OmAli. eCAHN left her a comment at Swim.
eCAHN, with these nested comments I can’t tell for whom that was intended. In any case, what is EPUland?
Oh, yes! I loved the links!! We need to continue that conversation! Thank you.
But, what is EPUland??
Years ago there was a commenter by the name of Evil Parallel Universe who managed to come in at the tail end of threads, lots of times long after everybody had moved on. End of threads came to be known as EPUland.
LOL! Sounds like me!
Nature, after all, abhors a vacuum.
Heh, your links to tunes at Swim are usually in EPUland. LOL
OmAli responded. Just left her another comment if she’s around. http://firedoglake.com/2011/11/17/early-morning-swim-471/#comment-2453633
Someone needs to turn out the light and make sure the coffee cups are washed.
You guys are really playin’ in EPUland. That’s funny.
OmAli, if you want to continue that conversation, of which I have as many volumes to type as Britannica, I’ll keep that window open.
Hey, it’s now Late Night Swim. What in the world could be wrong with that?? *g*
Yes, please. My first taste of old house was the pre-civil war farmhouse my grandparents restored when my dad was in high school. I’ll see if I can scan some photos. Maple Hill Farm. I counted the days every year until summer vacation. Truly, I still sometimes dream about it.
OMG, we are even old fogies in FDL. Surely that deserves some kind of recognition, prolly negative not positive.
We are not old! And we even have a title: the Wild and Tasty Bunch.
From DW and demi.
Thank you, kind elves.
They have a fabulous dumpster though. Better than the store!
Clothes are still a little easier, I think–if anything seems imminent, folks can always do a Heidi and just put everything on.
Good idea about building a local network. I’m envisioning a sort of “bucket brigade” except with occupation gear and going away from the heat of the action. Or somebody having a van/truck/SUV as close as possible when things seem imminent and a contingent of occupiers tasked with getting certain gear to safety.
Random thoughts. And it was you I was thinking of when I posted this morning.
But, oh, the pictures if there was an Occupy: Snow Bunny Brigade at the head of a march. I think I’d chip in for ridiculous long, blonde wigs to complete the picture.
But that’s just me getting silly.
Just my .02, all kidding aside. I dive their dumpster. And this goes for other main charities. Unfortunately, odds are the stuff will be thrown away. They simply cannot handle all of it.
One charity that does less of this and that is willing to give things away, is St. Vincent de Paul. I once asked them about getting books into prisons…and they said they would give anything that was needed.
Other charities though, I mean it is mind-bending what they throw away. I swear to God. Check it out sometime. You will never shop again. This is the truth.
I fell like giving money to protect the protesters from the cold is the least I can do, if the police do another raid , I give more money the next time to help send more clothes for the protesters. The protesters are the ones that putting the most on the line, I think. I just proud of what all FDL members or readers are doing…….
Fuckin A !
my, my, my Ms Hamsher
Bless All who continue to work so hard on this – I am so very proud to call myself Firedog
Good job, everyone making this happen! I am thrilled with the Tiny Tiny Homes!
I dropped the supplies off at Occupy Phila today and despite the order to leave the people were upbeat..and I spoke with safety team and medical team both were very thankful for the help.
I am very proud to a be a part of a movement and to be a member of FDL! JAne for President! Ryan and Brian gets the Nobel Peace Prize!
test
Why aren’t these products and the companies that make them being advertised here on FDL. I’m sure many would like to buy them for themselves as well as donate them to the Movement.
When Maude Gonne was helping Irish rebels, she noted that a man on the run needed two pair of socks: one to wash out each night & have dry by the second morning.
Very practical of Occupy Supply to start with socks, I thought.