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On Saturday, November 28th, FDL’s greenwarrior, cbl, Casual Observer, and I visited Occupy Austin at the Austin City Hall plaza.
Photo credit: Casual Observer
The Occupation, about 70 ‘sleepers’ strong, has been there since October 6th. Some sleepers are currently being forced to Occupy the Island in the intersection of Cesar Chavez St. and S. 1st St. This is directly across the street from the Occupation. These Occupiers, or ‘Exiles’, are stuck on the Island due to a 1 year ban from City Hall property levied by the City after their arrests on October 30th. The National Lawyers Guild is working with the Exiles to contest this ban. The solidarity they’ve shown by continuing to Occupy the Island is amazing.
This was our 2nd trip in our capacity as Occupy Supply liaisons and the goal was to drop off our first large shipment for distribution. Armed with hats, socks, long johns, sweaters, face masks and more, we waited for the arrival of our primary contact, who we’ll call Kate.
Kate had done a huge amount of footwork in establishing the needs of individual sleepers and assembling a list of supplies for our order. She kept detailed notes on who needed what and acted as the distributor on the ground when we arrived with our delivery.
When Kate returned to the Occupation from running a couple personal errands she immediately began comparing notes with Greenwarrior. They were quickly able to establish what was ordered vs. what was received and who would be getting supplies that day.
Greenwarrior and Kate comparing notes
Kate gathered up the folks on hand who were in need of the various items and proceeded to hand them out.
Kate and greenwarrior handing out hats
The reaction from the Occupiers was wonderful. Their gratitude was heartwarming.
More supplies being given out
We even found a couple of enthusiastic models in the crowd.
Occupy Austin loves Occupy Supply!
The remaining items were loaded into Kate’s car for distribution later that night at the Texas State Capitol Building. There, beginning Saturday night, Occupiers were going to attempt to set up a new encampment and expand the local Occupation presence. Unbeknownst to us at the time, there is a State Preservation Board regulation that limits protests without permits to 3 hours maximum during any 24 hour period. This regulation was drafted and instituted within the last 30 days. Gov. Perry was expecting us and wanted to prevent an Occupation from forming.
The Occupation of the Capitol will continue, just between 3-6pm most days. Permit applications are in the works.
It was a wonderful trip Saturday. Getting a group of Firedogs together to do good work and mingle with Occupiers was a blast.
Phrog with his new base layer - Photo credit: Casual Observer
On a personal note, I’ve been involved with FDL now for 4 years. I have participated in uncounted comment threads where regulars and lurkers alike have lamented the absence of direct action by progressive organizations. This program, right here, is the most direct action I’ve seen. Even the great Glennzilla endorsed our efforts. FDL has built a beautiful outreach program that puts its readers in direct contact with our future Founding Mothers and Fathers. These Occupiers are out there fighting for the future of our country. Not everyone can Occupy, but everyone can help in some way.
If you, dear reader, would like to get involved and volunteer, please contact occupysupply@firedoglake.com .
If you would like to donate to the Occupy Supply fund, you can do so here.
If you would like to own any of the snazzy gear featured above, you can purchase it here. Every item purchased will result in an identical item being donated to Occupations nationwide. With the holidays around the corner, wouldn’t your progressive friends just love their own pair of Occupy Supply socks? Think about it.
Please remember that all of these items are union made in the USA at shops that provide fair living wages and benefits. It doesn’t get much better than this, folks.
Thanks to greenwarrior for her tireless efforts as a liaison and as an activist, with Occupy Austin and elsewhere. Thanks cbl for her help with deliveries. BIG thanks to Casual Observer for the use of photos and for his help on Saturday.
To all of you who have donated and contributed to this effort in any way, the Occupiers in ATX wanted to convey their gratitude. They are all touched that we’ve thought of them and made an effort to meet their needs for the upcoming winter months. Our activism means a lot.
The photos from our trip on Saturday that aren’t embedded in this post can be found here.
31 Comments
It got down to 28 degrees in the Austin area early this morning. These supplies arrived just in time.
Good stuff, man…thanks to you all for doing what you do!
There was SO much warm weather gear in the box. It felt like Christmas when I got it and opened it to look at everything. That’s also how “Kate” and the occupiers felt too! What a joy.
“Kate” especially wanted to be sure everyone who was going on the trip to DC for the reconvening of Congress on December 6th was outfitted for the cold.
She volunteered and was emphatic about her three priorities for how she decided whom to give things to, in this order:
1. People who were doing work for the occupation.
2. People who needed the warm gear.
3. People who couldn’t afford to buy gear for themselves.
The top photo shows people’s blankets drying on the railings from the rain the previous night.
Many of the folks who have been occupying had gone to the capitol to expand the occupation to include that site as well.
Again, thank you for all your coordination. You’ve really done the greater share of work for this and deserve the recognition :) It’s been a pleasure working with you and all the other firedogs who have gotten involved here at the local level.
Well done to pups and everybody for a team effort. You do great work!
From Kris’s piece: “there is a State Preservation Board regulation that limits protests without permits to 3 hours maximum during any 24 hour period.”
This sounds highly dubious on preservation board’s part, and the NLG might want to look into it, if they and #OA feel like contesting. Here’s their governing board, by the way…
http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/spb/spb/BoardMem/BoardMem.htm
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This is awesome, Kris. Thanks to you, cbl, greenwarrior and casual observer for all your efforts.
Great diary. Thanks for sharing Kris and thanks to you,greenwarrior, casual observer and CBL for coordinating and making the delivery.
Jane,
It can’t be said often or load enough, spectacular work.
I didn’t do anything . . . but beam with pride at what ALL of you have done with this program – I have never been more proud to call myself Firedog
please, if you haven’t been to your local Occupy, get there as quick as your circumstances will allow – donations are indeed welcomed everywhere, but try to attend the GA, participate in some way – real live democracy – yours for the taking !
x2. None of this would be possible without the hard work that Jane’s done over the years. Ryan, Brian, Suz, and all the other folks working behind the scenes. Kevin has been incredible as well.
And all of the people who’ve donated time and money. Believe me when I say that seeing the look on these peoples’ faces when they got their hats, shirts, etc., was one of the most uplifting experiences of my young life.
Jane’s created something here that’s lead me to an experience I’ll never forget. I’m really grateful for that.
The GA is my favorite part! It’s painful, beautiful, earnest, and democratic.
I’ve learned that real democracy is ugly. It’s a drawn out affair. But the results are wonderful and the process itself contains a lot of beauty and truth.
Thank you Jane for the opportunity. It’s been a blast. As I said above, greenwarrior deserves most of the credit. She’s been the coordinator directly with the Occupiers. I just provided the muscle.
The heroes of #OWS have made a successful beachhead in the MSM and the American consciousness. Even Bob Schieffer has acknowledged its existence.
Can it ramp up the movement? I mean, it can’t be a stationary target in parks and plazas forever.
Maybe its protest can take the form of a picket line, honored by unions and labor and allies? Maybe.
Just wondering about the next stages of this movement/protest against the oligarchs/plutocrats who bought our government.
Ultimately, it will be a fight between the inside vs. the outside. The inside 1% won’t budge; in fact, it wants more! So the contest is on. It is a death-match.
I think it’s up to all of us to decide the next stage. Right now is the information phase. We’re trying to wake people up. Once that’s accomplished and the majority of Americans are ready, we can discuss what we want this country to be and how to accomplish it.
What are your thoughts? I like the picket line ideas. The General Strike on November 2nd in Oakland proved the workability of this when they shut down the port.
Kris – this is a great fun diary – love that it includes so many pups and pics
Part of the strike, or focus, should be at the shame, bloat, and excesses of the defense industry…mistaken priorities that rob from everything else. I think alot of voices could mobilize around that.
I think direct picket actions against defense contractors could be effective.
I can’t help but think that mass boycotts must also be in our future. We have to hit these folks where it hurts, like we did on Move Your Money Day.
COMPLETELY O/T, but there’s a woman on my local Fox affiliate’s nightly news claiming she’s had a 14 year affair with Herman Cain.
Is this new news or did I just miss it over the last few days?
She’s got cell phone records with a LOT of conversations with Cain. The reporter for the story texted the number and Herman Cain called back…
Kris,
The mobile picket line, a moving strike, is something I read somewhere, and it seemed like an interesting idea if there’s buy-in from labor and others. (Might reinvigorate labor actually, and help move it away from the labor merchandise mart the unions are today.)
Also, I hope the #OWS movement has a big imprint on the upcoming elections. Protesting both parties! (It’s easy to loathe Republicans, but Obama especially needs to be publically shamed and shunned.)
Didn’t you know Herman Cain Has Sexed Up Every Woman In America Including Your Mom
Her picture was on the aol home page….she’s certainly talking. Today was the first I had heard….
TBogg is hilarious as always. That’s the exact news report I saw. 13 years, not 14. I heard wrong.
I think a mobile picket line is a great idea. I know local Occupies have held direct actions like this against bank branches.
As for the 2012 elections, I’m really hoping for a reset before then. I’m hoping that all of the current actors are irrelevant by this time next year. I know that’s a lot to wish for in 11 months, but I think that when the American people rediscover that this is THEIR democracy and THEIR responsibility as citizens, they will insist on a new start.
KrisAinTx,
Thanks for all this. I had a few questions for you, perhaps you’ve addressed them elsewhere.
1. Have occupations begun up Congress at the State Capitol?
2. Are there any significant actions taking place on and with UT or the other universities? What about any of the local high schools? Surely tuition and debt must be on everyone’s mind there as well?
3. How close is occupy Austin to taking some form of direct disruptive action, something that actually shuts down commerce? I would think that building the kind of large scale solidarity required for a general strike, like what we witnessed in Oakland, is more difficult in places like Austin.
4. Has there been any talk of shutting down I-35, that’s certainly a major commercial choke point if there ever was one, being a major NAFTA corridor and all.
5. Check this out!
http://www.english.rfi.fr/environment/20111124-france-halts-nuclear-train-german-border-amid-protests
Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Amen, Kris. …a reset before then! And great diary, great work, all of you.
Good work, guys! I hope to catch you all next time…
1 – They are occupying there for 3 hours a day. See above for the story about the State Preservation Board regulations limiting protest hours at the capitol.
2 – A contingent of UT students visits the Occupation almost daily. When cbl, greenwarrior and I were there 2 weeks ago the UT Daily Texan was there doing a big write-up on the Occupation. You can check their archives, they’ve covered OA extensively.
3 – OA has a relationship with Austin police right now that’s very peacefully and hands-off. I think there may be concern that aggressive direct action could compromise their cooperation with the PD.
4 – I haven’t heard anything about I-35. If that were to happen, Governor Perry’s DPS would descend on us like wolves. The numbers (protestors) just aren’t present yet for something that big.
5 – This is the type of direct action we’ll start seeing more of. The November 2nd General Strike in Oakland was another great example. There are local Occupations all over the country staging sit-ins, stopping traffic, Occupying foreclosed homes and office buildings, and generally disrupting the status quo. It will continue, and all indications are that it will grow.
Thanks KrisAinTX.
I had seen some of the reporting in the DT. And I also remember seeing something from the UT American Studies blog, though their interest, if politically sympathetic, was research.
All the best,
Towner
Kris,
On the SPB 3 hour rule at the capitol, it looks like that rule was made back in 2000, so has been on the books for some time. The specific wording is here:
“(3) An event of the grounds of the Capitol should not exceed 3 hours in length.”
Link here: http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=13&pt=7&ch=111&rl=20
But note that the rule specifies “should” rather than “shall”. There is a big difference between the two when it comes to state rules and statutes.