Join Dr. Benjamin Chavis, co-founder of Occupy the Dream; Allison Kilkenny, contributor for The Nation, In These Times and co-host of Citizen Radio; Malik Rhasaan, co-founder of Occupy the Hood; Rachel Schragis, designer of the Flow Chart of the Declaration of the Occupation of NYC, Steven Syrek of the Occupy Wall Street People’s Library and Ryan Devereaux reporter for The Guardian by way of Democracy Now! along with Julie Gueraseva and Andy Stepanian of The Sparrow Project as they discuss where Occupy has taken us, where it can bring us, and what to expect in 2012.

The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City 2nd ed. booklet is a collection of the official statements drafted by the New York City General Assembly, a Letter from the Occupiers at Tahrir Square to the Occupiers of Wall Street, and an expanded resource list for occupiers to organize and network with. Taking inspiration from the pamphlet that sparked the Mai 1968 uprisings in Paris, France, the crowd-funded, design-savvy Declaration has already received acclaim from Vanity Fair, Current Television, and other forward-thinking media outlets.

20,000 copies of The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City will be made available for free during the event. Attendees are encouraged to each take a bundle and help distribute them around the city.

To view the event page on the Housing Works website use  THIS LINK

To view & RSVP the facebook event page for the event use THIS LINK

The Guardian – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jan/17/occupy-dream-martin-luther-king-video

More After the Jump »

Bloomberg Business Week – http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-12/occupy-wall-street-plans-new-york-marches-over-weekend.html

The Daily News – http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/martin-luther-king-jr-dream-lives-holiday-eve-vigil-article-1.1006644?localLinksEnabled=false

The Wall Street Journal – http://online.wsj.com/article/APeca3b1a86194431aa3afb38506098b7d.html

PRN – http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/more-political-articles/2012/1/12/occupywallstreet-honors-spirit-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-w.html

WNYC – http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2012/jan/15/occupy-wall-street-plans-candlelight-vigil-mlk-day/

The Village Voice – http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/01/occupy_wall_str_43.php

Current TV, Countdown with Kieth Olbermann – http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/occupy-the-dream-russell-simmons-on-dr-martin-luther-king-jrs-legacy-in-action

MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/#46016100

KPFK Pacifica, Sojourner Truth – http://kpfk.org/programs/142-sojournertruth.html

NPR, Thom Hartmann Radio Show – bit.ly/waU9k

Politicker NY – http://www.politickerny.com/2012/01/11/occupy-wall-street-planning-mlk-day-rally/

Atlantic Wire (mention) – http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/01/fewer-are-donating-occupy-wall-streets-not-worried/47304/

The Nation – http://www.thenation.com/blog/165581/occupyusa-blog-wednesday-jan-11-frequent-updates

Boston Globe – http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/01/16/obamas-celebrate-king-birthday-worship-service/v6gbLHRMIwZbrnt7DqIOfK/story.html

ABC News 10 – http://www.news10.com/story/16524534/occupy-demonstrators-others-honor-king-with-march

Gothamist – http://gothamist.com/2012/01/15/patti_smith_to_perform_tonight_at_o.php

Gothamist (Recap) – http://gothamist.com/2012/01/16/photos_ows_vigil_for_mlk_at_riversi.php

Huffington Post (Recap) – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/occupy-wall-street-protester-martin-luther-king_n_1208975.html

Daily Beast (mention) - http://bit.ly/yRuRXm

Global Grind – http://globalgrind.com/news/dream-lives-thousands-gather-mlk-inside-riverside-church-photos

In These Times - http://bit.ly/zjFp09

Times Union – http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Occupy-Wall-Street-marks-MLK-day-in-NY-4-arrested-2573246.php

The Examiner – http://www.examiner.com/culture-events-in-philadelphia/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-service-at-riverside-church-new-york-city-photo

The Christian Post – http://m.christianpost.com/news/occupy-the-dream-movement-racism-a-major-factor-in-99-percents-woes-67312/

The Republic – http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/05c097e9882a4052b888e6ae5fdf2b24/NY–Occupy-Wall-Street-King-March/

Long Island Press (Mention) – http://www.longislandpress.com/2012/01/16/occupy-wall-street-marks-mlk-day-in-ny-4-arrested/

CNY Central – http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=707896#.TxVie82Gufo

Fars News Agency (Tehran) – http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9010171131

Buzz Feed – http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/occupy-wall-street-touts-years-largest-action

Death & Taxes – http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/173885/martin-luther-king-to-be-honored-on-his-birthday-by-occupy-wall-street-rally/

Daily Finance – http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/13/ows-prepares-to-occupy-martin-luther-king-jr-day/

The Huffington Post – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/occupy-wall-street-protest-martin-luther-king-day_n_1200400.html

CNBC – http://www.cnbc.com/id/46005728

NBC New York – http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Occupy-Wall-Street-Protesters-March-on-Martin-Luther-King-Day-137421133.html

Paramus Post – http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20120111183825308

Girly Girl Army – http://girliegirlarmy.com/lifestyle/20120112/riverside-church-occupy-wall-street-patti-smith-russell-simmons-to-hold-massive-candlelight-vigil-honoring-martin-luther-king/

Park Forest E-News – http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/latest-national/30073-occupy-wall-street-honors-the-spirit-of-dr-king-with-years-largest-action.html

New York Amsterdam News – http://www.amsterdamnews.com/news/local/martin-luther-king-jr-day-events-calendar/article_c64fa5e4-3ca4-11e1-9a2d-001871e3ce6c.html

Metro Latino News – http://metrolatinousa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=35&layout=blog&Itemid=11

PJ Media – http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2012/01/13/heat-death/

Black Star News – http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7896/2012-01-14.html

Common Dreams – http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/01/11-4

Harlem OneStop – http://www.harlemonestop.com/event.php?id=13676

Vlad TV – http://www.vladtv.com/blog/81877/celebs-activists-celebrate-mlk-day-at-riverside-church/

Manhattan About – http://manhattan.about.com/b/2012/01/15/new-york-city-procession-and-vigil-in-honor-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr.htm

Smart Power (Podcast) – bit.ly/vLoibJ

SOB Photography -

West Side Rag – http://www.westsiderag.com/2012/01/14/weekend-bulletin-spacefest-local-occupy-march-concert-mlk-inspired-events

Religious leaders, artists, and members of the Occupy movement will unite globally on January 15th, 2012 to honor the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  At 6:30 p.m. in New York City hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists will assemble on the steps of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Avenue) and at 7:00 p.m. begin a massive candlelight march to nearby Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive). The group will join additional feeder marches and members of the community at Riverside Church for a candlelight vigil and celebration renewing King’s message of peace, justice, and equality for all, regardless of race or economic class. The action will culminate in an assembly featuring performances and speak-outs from artists, celebrities, religious leaders, and activists. Performances by Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Stephan Said, and Kozza Olantunji, as well as many more, will complement the inspirational words of Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Yoko Ono, Russell Simmons, Reverend Stephen H. Phelps, Daisey Kahn, Norman Siegel, Sumumba Sobukwe and Malik Rhasaan of Occupy the Hood.

“Poverty, an issue to which King showed increased focus in the years just before his death, finds its way into the darkest chapters in American History. Dr. King sought to shine a light of justice against those dark chapters of war, repression and racism, our candles symbolize that light,” says Abigail Keegan of Occupy Wall Street.

“These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression and out of the wombs of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. ‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.’” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City

 Riverside Church has been an intersection of faith and social justice in the greater New York metropolitan area for over 80 years. At Riverside in 1967, Dr. King gave his historic “Beyond Vietnam” speech. On King’s birthday and in the spirit of his vision for racial and economic equality, peace, and non-violence, activists will return to Riverside in solidarity with others holding candlelight vigils from California to Cairo; New York to New Orleans; Germany to Nova Scotia, to unite our world in a global movement for systemic change. The Riverside Church (www.theriversidechurchny.org) is an interracial, interdenominational and international church built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1927. The 1,200-member Riverside Church in Morningside Heights has a rich tradition of providing a forum for important civic and spiritual leaders. Past speakers include: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President William J. Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Fidel Castro, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

This candlelight vigil kicks off more than 24 hours of Occupy Wall Street-organized events and actions including a march on Monday, Jan. 16th at 9am from the African Burial Ground to the Federal Reserve Bank for a rally for economic justice. For more information about the January 15th action visit http://j15global.org

→Bloomberg Business Week
→ PRN→ Politicker NY
→ Atlantic Wire (mention)
→ The Nation→ KPFK Pacifica, Sojourner Truth
→ Thom Hartmann Radio Show
→ Buzz Feed
→ Death & Taxes
→ Daily Finance
→ The Huffington Post
→ Paramus Post
→ Girlie Girl Army
→ Park Forest E-News
→ New York Amsterdam News
→ Metro Latino News
→ PJ Media

WNYC – TK
NPR Thom Hartmann Radio Show – TK
Pacifica Paleocrat – TK
The New Yorker – TK
The Progressive – TK
The Guardian – TK
Citizen Radio – TK
Democracy Now – TK
ABC TV – TK
Wire Image – TK
Getty Images – TK
Film Magic – TK
Pacifica “Living Room” – TK

LIFT UP – OFFICIAL TRAILER from PHiLLYK on Vimeo.

“Though this project started with a personal journey, it quickly took on greater significance as it grew to include the narratives of so many survivors,” said Co-Director Huguens Jean. “We’re thrilled their stories will finally be accessible worldwide.”

Poignant, beautiful and unflinchingly human, LIFT UP follows two brothers, Clifford Muse and Huguens Jean, as they return to their native Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to commemorate their grandfather’s passing. The disaster having prevented them from attending the funeral, Clifford and Huguens plan to create a traditional Haitian kite to celebrate the life of the man who molded their childhoods.

Upon arriving in Haiti, they are surprised to find a vibrant nation filled with people committed to sharing their stories. As Clifford and Huguens collect the materials for their kite, they begin to record the experiences of their countrymen, and the scope of their journey expands. Soon musicians, painters, politicians, educators, family and friends are adding their voices and even contributing to Clifford and Huguens’s kite.

Their kite becomes a tapestry, depicting the life of Haiti after the quake. The familiar image of a Haitian child, standing on a roof, his kite soaring above, becomes a metaphor for the people of Haiti: surrounded by danger and standing on shaky ground while their spirits fight the wind, seeking their place in the sky.

Their journey at an end, Clifford and Hugues return to the US and fly their memorial kite at the 44th Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival. Despite mild wind, the kite dances hundreds of feet above the ground as a nation’s soul soars.

“The new Guantanamo” is what New York Times – Washington Bureau Chief, Scott Shane, calls “an archipelago of federal prisons that stretches across the country, hidden away on back roads.”  From the ADX Florence, CO, to the “Communication Management Units,” facilities in Marion, IL, and Terre Haute, ID, to the “ADMAX Unit” at FMC Carswell, TX, (although the FBOP denies is a female CMU), all are political prison programs with glaring racial and ethnic disparity, and have an un-ignorable demographic of inmates who have politically charged cases.

The United States prides itself as a country that has no political prisoners.  Perhaps the inception of camp X-Ray at Guantanamo was an attempt to semantically side-step that argument.  The US, however, can no longer avoid that argument since it instituted the CMU programs within the US federal prison system.  In an effort to “manage communications” of men and women perceived as “terrorists” the CMUs and the ADMAX Unit at FMC Carswell, TX effectively strip its wards of their voices, by denying them access to the press, by vetting their correspondence, by denying or severely limiting access to phone calls, and by putting an end to contact visitation with their families.    Each case designated to these programs deserves a voice, deserves renewed access to due process, and privileged communications with their legal counsel.  Sparrow will continue to press for transparency and to hold those who have bypassed dude process rights accountable.

To read Scott Shane’s entire feature in The New York Times, click → HERE

»From our friends At The Hop Productions comes “That Which We Occupy“ a stunning short with an eerie echo of the spirit of OWS. 

“This is for you who have stood up. This is to acknowledge your cause.  We are trying to awaken a world that has sunken into a swamp of lies.  Occupy, protest & demand that there be real change.  There are no holds barred on freedom.  Let’s continue.”

Love,
At The Hop

»”Lunch at Zuccotti”  From his unwavering support of Project Palestine, to his work with The Harold Hunter Foundation, to documenting urban farming movements around the world, Paul Park’s boundless talent for making films has helped to beautifully document other creative projects in and around Occupy Wall Street.

»”Guerrilla Gardening at OWS”  Students from Sterling College in Vermont came down to Occupy Wall Street and showed us how to plant and sow seeds anywhere where there is soil. In this short film, they demonstrate how easy it is to grow winter greens and beets right in the parks flower beds, and then speak earnestly and passionately about the importance of farming, and understanding where our food comes from.

»”Permaculture at Zuccotti Park” Paul Park documents the mobile design lab at Zuccotti Park that would process the grey water from the OWS kitchen.

»Josh MacPhee’s artwork has become a cornerstone of Occupy’s graphic identity.  From his work with Just Seeds Collective on the Peoples History poster series to countless illustrations in contemporary revolutionary texts, Josh’s work continues to inspire and give vibrance to today’s social struggles.

(Photo by Kate Wadkins — http://katewadkins.com )

»Rachel Schragis illustrated The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City as this gorgeous typographic flow chart. This image was generated by a crowd-editing process in Zuccotti Park facilitated by Rachel Schragis.  It is endorsed by the Occupy Wall Street Arts and Culture working group, and is based on The Declaration of the Occupation of NYC,  as written by the Call to Action Working Group and adopted via concensus by the NYC General Assembly.

»Occuprint is an online depository of the creative poster art that has come to define Occupations everywhere.  The Occuprint Lab emerged out of a collaborative poster project with The Occupied Wall Street Journal, Sparrow is honored to help assist Occuprint with production of large print runs of their posters.

Do you know of a great project that should be highlighted in our OWS creative roundup?  Email us with details info@sparrowmedia.net

Exactly three days following the tenth anniversary of the Bush administration shutting down the largest Muslim charity in the United States, the Fifth Circuit Court dismissed the appeal for the Holy Land Foundation case, affirming the conviction of my father, the co-founder of the HLF who’s serving a 65-year sentence for his humanitarian work.

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the three-judge panel, based in New Orleans, filed their opinion, concluding that “the district court did not clearly err.”

Upon hearing this news, it initially all rushed back to me at once, nostalgia on overdrive. I saw the relentless accusations by pro-Israeli lobby groups, the pressure by pro-Israeli politicians and the defamatory news reports in the 1990’s. I saw the raid on the HLF in 2001, the pre-sunrise arrests and “material support” charges in 2004, the first trial and hung jury in 2007, the second trial and guilty verdicts in 2008, the sentencing in 2009. I saw the plethora of prison phone calls and visitations. And finally, I saw my father being transferred in 2010 to the Southern Illinois city of Marion’s Communications Management Unit—what The Nation has called “Gitmo in the Heartland”—and where my father’s significantly diminished phone calls and visitations are scheduled in advance and live-monitored from Washington D.C.

The case of the Holy Land Five comes down to this: American foreign policy has long been openly favorable towards Israel, and therefore, an American charity established primarily for easing the plight of the Palestinians became an ultimate target. As my father said during our 15-minute phone call on Thursday, “The politics of this country are not on our side. If we had been anywhere else, we would’ve been honored for our work.”

This month could have marked a milestone. The leaders of our country could have learned from our past. The day the towers fell could have been a time to stop fear from dominating reason instead of a basis to prosecute. The HLF would have continued to triumph, providing relief to Palestinians and other populations worldwide in the form of food, clothing, wheelchairs, ambulances, furniture for destroyed homes, back-to-school projects and orphan sponsorship programs. And more notably, my father would not have been incarcerated. My family and I would have been able to call him freely and embrace him without a plexiglass wall.

Yet my father was charged under the ambiguous Material Support Statute with sending humanitarian aid to Palestinian distribution centers known as zakat committees that prosecutors claimed were fronts for Hamas. He was prosecuted despite the fact that USAID—an American government agency—and many other NGO’s were providing charity to the very same zakat committees. Instead of the Fifth Circuit Court taking this fact into account and transcending the politics of our time, the language used in the opinion, drafted by Judge Carolyn King, echoed that of the prosecutors:

“The social wing is crucial to Hamas’s success because, through its operation of schools, hospitals, and sporting facilities, it helps Hamas win the ‘hearts and minds’ of Palestinians while promoting its anti-Israel agenda and indoctrinating the populace in its ideology.”

Even more disappointing is the Fifth Circuit Court’s opinion regarding one of the main issues in the appeal: The testimony of the prosecution’s expert witness, an Israeli intelligence officer who, for the first time in U.S. history, was permitted to testify under a pseudonym. The opinion states:

“When the national security and safety concerns are balanced against the defendants’ ability to conduct meaningful cross-examination, the scale tips in favor of maintaining the secrecy of the witnesses’ names.”

I refuse to let this language bring me down, especially knowing that the battle for justice continues. In the next few weeks, defense attorneys plan to ask the entire panel of appellate judges to re-hear the case, and if that petition is denied, they will take it to the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, my father waits in prison. This Thursday, when I spoke to him, it had been the first time in several weeks since he received a phone call ban for writing his name on a yoga mat, which prison officials saw as “destruction of government property.” I told him that during the tenth anniversary of the HLF shutting down, the name of the charity is still alive and that he will not be forgotten. My father is my pillar, whose high spirits transcend all barbed-wire-topped fences, whose time in prison did not stifle his passion for human rights. In fact, when I asked him about the first thing he’ll do when he’s released, my father said, “I would walk all the way to Richardson, Texas carrying a sign that says, ‘End the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.’ ”

» “My Father Will Not be Forgotten”, was first published on Counterpunch & was cross-posted by the Sparrow Project.

We need your help to reach our goal of printing and distributing 100,000 copies

In order to reach our printing goals we launched a fundraising campaign with Kickstarter.com to fund our publishing efforts. We need pledges from people LIKE YOU in order to reach our base goal of $10,000 in printing costs. If you don’t have money to donate, don’t worry, we also need everyone’s help in publicizing the kickstarter campaign on facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. We would like to ask everyone who is reading this and is able to pledge to pledge whatever they can, and that those who cannot afford to make a pledge to direct others to our Kickstarter page every day between now and our December 4th deadline.

♦

For those who will be pledging, we have pulled out all the stops when it comes to incentives for your pledges! From posters and twitter shout outs, to free copies of Green is the New Red by Will Potter, Muzzling a Movement by Dara Lovitz, and The lifelong Activist by Hillary Rettig, to free tickets to Daphne Cheng’s all-you-can-eat vegan sweets party, even free graphic design services from Julie Gueraseva (Def Jam, Time Inc, Vaute Couture, Harpers, WOW)  and boxes of your own t-shirts designed by us!

With all of those amazing prizes its heart warming to see that the most popular pledge prize choice is the “Publishing Partner” bracket. Donors in this bracket will get a package of 50 declarations, a 3′x3′ declaration poster and our undying love chatter on twitter! It is these donors who will be the legs in our distribution machine. We already have 30+ donors from all around the world in this bracket, we want to cast an even wider net and a DIY distribution network is central to making this happen.

♦

This project is for YOU and we want YOU to be part of it. The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City is a reflection of every voice amplified by the people’s mic at Liberty Square. Likewise, the effort to publish it is a reflection of everyone involved, from editing, to design, to production, distribution, and face to face conversations that ensue after someone is handed a copy, we are all playing a role in the life of this document. I take this document very seriously because not only is it the first ephemeral artifact from the epicenter of the Occupy Movement, but it also lay the framework for the fight of our lives, the fight for the lives of our neighbors, the fight for the lives of creatures we share this earth with, and for the future of the earth we all call home. I invite you in joining me in making this document a catalyst for comprehensive, global, change.

♦

You can help us print 100,000 copies of the 2nd edition of the People’s Declaration of the Occupation of Wall Street by donating to our Kickstarter campaign HERE.

Can capitalism survive another century of crises?

After so much technological progress, why do we have to work more than ever before? Why is the old labor movement powerless to stop the new assault on workers? Can capitalism survive another century of crises? And how do we get out of this mess? Please join us for a high-energy discussion of these questions and more. We’ll focus on the ways capitalism has changed over the past few decades, and scrutinize recent examples of resistance in the US and overseas to propose anti-capitalist strategies for the 21st century.

Tuesday, November 15, 7 pm at Book Thug Nation
100 North 3rd Street, Brooklyn, New York
(between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue)

Wednesday, November 16, 7 pm at ABC No Rio
156 Rivington Street New York, NY 10002http://abcnorio.org/  (212) 254-3697

With a generous outpouring of support from activists, artists, and occupiers The Sparrow Project was able to print the first 10,000 copies of The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City but we are going to need your help to reach our goal of printing and distributing 100,000 copies!  This document is the first and only declaration to come from the Occupation of Wall Street, it is a summation of the grievances expressed by the occupiers, its a call to action, but moreover it is the first edition in our Occupation Reader series chronicling this historic mile marker in the fight for social, environmental, and economic justice.  The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, as transcribed and edited by Ryan Hoffman, Lex Rendon, and the Call to Action Working Group, was accepted by the NYC General Assembly, on Steptember 29, 2011 and later amended on October 18th, 2011 to make its narrative even more inclusive.  You own this document. Everyone owns it.  The declaration is a reflection of every voice amplified by the people’s mic at the NYC General Assembly at Liberty Square, from September 17, 2011 to October 18, 2011. We encourage you to copy, reproduce, and distribute its contents.
♦
Our second edition is currently being laid out to include a solidarity letter from Tahir Square, as well as additional documentation from the NYC General Assembly.  Our goal is to print 100,000 copies of this second edition and distribute it to occupied cities coast to coast.  In order to distribute a print run of this size we need your help to reach out fundraising goals.  Please share this blog post widely, and encourage everyone you know to donate.  Any amount brings us closer to our goal of 100,000 copies.
♦
You can help us print 100,000 copies of the 2nd edition of the People’s Declaration of the Occupation of Wall Street by donating at THIS LINK
♦