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Insights from the Occupation Zone

Who are the Occupiers? It seems that people come out to the park for a number of different reasons, but the one thing that pervades is that people are looking for some kind of change. Be it regarding high unemployment rates, campaign finance reform, support for small businesses, environmental concerns, a better justice system, ending the federal reserve system, or corporate greed and incompetence, encompassing, of course, wall street. There are a lot of young people in the crowd. Contrary to some reports, though, the age range is great. From a few children with their parents, a number of middle aged occupiers, and some even older, people of all ages are agreeing that, well, something needs to change. One mans opinion was that Occupy Atlanta is full of young, underdeveloped politics. People who havent developed concrete political stances. That the core movements associated with the counterculture werent the most prevalent. He sees more reformists, liberals, and a tea party vibe. What youre doing is great, said one older black gentleman, a Sandy Springs resident, formerly of the Navy. He, and other folks as well, were of the opinion that Mayor Kasim Reed would not want to take hasty action against Occupy Atlanta, lest he alienate a voter base. After the arrests made in Boston on Wednesday night, some feel that the fallout from that is another reason the police are taking a hands off approach. One man sees the occupiers as having a lot of differences of opinion. The GA gives people an equal chance to speak. He sees a respectful, peaceful occupation as the key to having itself taken seriously. The folks involved in Occupy Atlanta are not all jobless hippies, though some of them might be. However, there have been a lot of people who are volunteering countless hours of their time coordinating logistics, Occupy Atlanta News 1 legal defence, making phone calls, running errands, holding committee meetings, preparing meals, and all the other tasks needed to keep an occupation of this sort going. Setting the scene Despite all the rain and chill temperatures, there were approximately 50 tents set up. Mid-week, there were approximately 35. The number of people that are at the park varies at any given time. When the general assemblies are in session, there is an influx. This evening, the General Assembly met together at 7 pm, as a light drizzle began. An American flag had been erected in the park, the occupiers gathering to one side of the makeshift flag pole. When asked, a few occupiers seemed unperturbed about the flag hanging over the General Assembly, and some found it a welcome addition. Local residents have expressed concern about the state of the park, some accounts even calling it unsanitary. To aid in maintaining the park, and to avoid a low point where water collects in the grass, a section of land was cordoned off. The grass has certainly been feeling the impact of all the tents and all the people walking around through days of rainy weather. There was a bag for recycling, a sign hung above it, placed a bit off to the side. A few people could be seen walking around with garbage bags, collecting loose refuse. Despite what some people may state, there was no visible indication of any drugs or alcohol being consumed in the park. All in all, the occupiers seemed to be respecting the park as best they could. In an effort to maintain sanitary conditions, the city even dropped off six portable toilets. A release issued on 10/14, signed by Candace Byrd, the mayors chief of staff, announced park cleaning, planned for Saturday 10/15, between 10 am and 4 pm. (See attached image of the release). It is stated in the communication that tents will need to be taken down, but that after the

park cleaning, can be put back in place. As for the homeless population around the park, some were intermingling with the occupiers, while others stayed further off, keeping to themselves. Many homeless have been fed, some clothed, by donations to the occupation. A man calling himself Doctor Love said that when he heard about a whole group of people sleeping in the park where he used to sleep, he had to check it out. I can feel the love, he said. If the whole world could be like this, it would be a better place. Donations are being made to the occupation from any number of individuals and groups. Yung Joc, a rapper local to Atlanta, dropped off a van full of supplies on 10/12. There have been massive food and water donations. The only injury reported has been an accidental self inflicted wound. There have been no issues with violence. The atmosphere seems fairly laid back. That is, until sirens are heard in the distance. The people in the park tense as the sound gets closer. A fire truck wails around the corner, and a lot of heads turn to follow it down the street, out of sight at the next block. Numbers are expected to increase over the weekend.

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Schedule
Saturday 10/15
11:00 AM March Oct15 2:00 PM Flash Mob Meditation 2:00 PM Group Teaching and Idea Exchange 7:00 PM ATL General Assembly 9:00 PM Film Screening of The Corporation

What is this thing, anyway?

Occupy Atlanta News is an independent newsletter attempting to chronicle reports, opinions, and observations from the occupation. All words are the opinion of whomever submitted them. Within reason, well try to print anything un-edited. All are welcome to participate. This is a work in progress and needs your help, your words and your hand drawn images (drawn, to save on ink, of course). Send submissions, questions, or requests for information to occupyatlnews@hushmail.com

Sunday 10/16
12:00 PM Meditation on Peace and Justice 1:00 PM Non Violence Training :00 PM Solemn March to the Tomb of Martin Luther King 9:00 PM ATL General Assembly

The up to date schedule can be found at http://occupyatlanta.org/schedule/ Occupy Atlanta News 1

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Occupation Needs
Office Needs (60 Walton Street) Rolodex Spatula Walkie talkies x 2 meal organization sheet large whiteboards lock box file cabinets, binders, notebooks, and file slots for inbox/outbox file folders for Media printing thumb drives Pin-style name tags in plastic holders Computers door mat sheets and fabric Park Needs (91 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA) Spatula Walkie talkies x 3 Tables meal organization sheet large whiteboards brooms and gloves for trash cleanup lock box emergency cones chairs clock with alarm Pin-style name tags in plastic holders. orange vests for marches General Needs fresh water (bottles of water, water containers, etc.) trash cans/ trash bags Gas cans (w/ gas is great) Blank stickers (for name tags) gazebos paints painting drop cloths painters tape waterproofing tarps / tarp lines / plastic sheeting duct tape plastic bins towels

The Necessity of Calling Out Names

Submitted by Courtney Cascadian

Call out a Banker a daya current banker, not as we typically do as Americans and reference those who either have already gotten caught or are no longer in office. Put a name with a face and start with the current Governors of the Federal Reserve both national and within each state. This also serves to give us something cohesive and concise as a signature response in interviews (and something to put on picket signs lol) as well as to remind the public who their real enemies are, at the same time. We use their media and vast audiences against themwe are talking mainstream media publicity and its free! For example, they may come down from some radio morning show to make fun of us (as occupiers) but we respond with something to the effect of, Anyway, this is a picture of Elizabeth Duke. She went from starting out as a bank teller to sitting on the Board of the Fed. She is currently working on their behalf Otherwise, they have no impetus to negotiate with the people as long they are allowed to hide their identities behind institutional cloaks. As long as Wall Street or The Federal Reserve looks bad while the people who lend their talents and abilities to these masters of greed arent called to light, people like Miss Duke can run their daily citizen errands as social pillars not as pariahs alas say Michael Vick at one point. While our very first step from here should be educating The Occupy Community, at home and on the ground, Im advocating moving forward simultaneously. In fact I think we need to address The Fed immediately while we are still relevant news. I am advocating starting to offer classes immediately to not only educate ourselves and the community on the ins and outs of this financial collapse so that we are not only learning as were moving but also to help us clarify our demands. This applies to those who already possess an understanding of Wall Street finance as well. For you the classes will only reinforce/make sharper those pathways in your mind. For those of you with an even more proficient understanding of the subject then you become our guides as we sort through conspiracy for facts. Im not claiming to be a financial wiz but off the top of

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my head there a couple of simple things the Fed can do: 1. Outlaw the policy of banks automatically running checks through two times and charging insufficient funds fees twice. 2. Allow mortgage payments to reflect substantial decreases in the original value of homes 3. Change their name; Federal in their name is misleading at best when they are a private financial institution with virtually nonexistent regulations to adhere to other those which they impose on themselves. At least you know Federal Express is a private sector company where as 90% of the population likely believes The Federal Reserve is, well, federal. Likewise their very name scares the shit out of people, making our job of bringing them in the fold with the conscious 99% that much harder. 4. etcOur demands will continue to evolve in direct correlation with our collective knowledge until at which point they are willing to sit down at the table with us. In summary, we need to make these folks uncomfortable. I cant think of a better way to do that than by calling names. We always call them out after they get caught (Bernie Madoff) or when they are no longer in power (Alan Greenspan). Lets call out the current bankers. Lets put names with faces and lets start with the Federal ReserveAnd we better do it while we still have some spotlight left. There is no logical excuse for protesting banking corruption, in earnest, and not addressing the The Federal Reserve, who sets banking policy nationallysome would argue globally. You may be protesting but you certainly couldnt be protesting banking corruption.

Tips for Dealing With the Police

Submitted by Sai

These are the 10 points about talking with the police that everyone in your group must know by heart. Make sure every single person knows and obeys these rules. 1. Shut up. Do not try to explain anything. The only words out of your mouth are from the points below. Dont try to convince them that theyre wrong about the law. Dont start talking about your rights. Be prepared for this to be very uncomfortable; ignoring someone is not pleasant. Many cops are perfectly nice people who should be joining your ranks but you are not interacting with them socially, youre interacting with them as a suspect. Just shut the fuck up. Seriously. 2. Dont snitch. Trust your buddies not to snitch. Snitching will not help you. They will play you against each other. Dont speak on anyone elses behalf, dont say anything about what someone else did or didnt do, even if you think it makes them look innocent. 3. Dont lie. Cops can and will lie to you (so dont trust em), but not vice versa. Lying alone will land your ass in jail. 4. Dont resist or be rude. Dont even passively resist, like by going limp. Never, ever, ever, ever physically resist the cops. At least in the US, youre not at risk of being randomly shot unless you resist. You will get better treatment if you cooperate. 5. Dont insist on Miranda warning. You dont have any right to it unless youre about to be interrogated anyway. By the time youre arrested they probably already have enough, so they dont need to ask you anything. Getting Mirandized is actually against your interest; if you arent then they might fuck up. So again,shut up. 6. Dont agree to any search. Say explicitly, if they make any move whatsoever to pat you down, search your stuff, look in your pockets, etc: I do not consent to a search. When asked why, dont answer. However,

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do not resist; if they search you anyway, let them. Itll get thrown out in court if you were right; youll go to jail if you resist no matter what. 7. Show ID when asked unless youre certain that you are in a state that doesnt require it. If in doubt, clearly tell the officer e.g. Im happy to comply with that if it is a lawful order and I am required to by law, but I will not do so voluntarily. If they say you have to, do. Youll get it thrown out later if they didnt have the right to insist. 8. Have your lawyers phone number written on your arm. All of your stuff will be taken away if you get booked, before you get your phone call. 9. Be patient. Itll take time; they might take you down for questioning (remember to *say nothing*); etc. Keep your cool. 10. Know your detainment status. The US police interactions you can have are: purely voluntary interaction (can walk away at any time; still get interviewed; might be seriously intimidating); Terry stop (patdown for weapons only); detainment (reasonable suspicion, temporarily not free to go, no right to search, possible handcuffs for officer safety), and arrest (probable cause, right to search everything on you and nearby, definite handcuffs, possible Miranda warning). Ask the officer am I being detained, or am I free to go?; if they say youre being detained, dont pester them about whether youre under arrest, because they just told you what your status is. If they dont answer or say youre free to go or just talking, tell them that as far as you know youre not being detained and start walking away. If they stop you, then they have de facto detained you, which you can use against them in court. Finally, if at all possible: 11. Videotape everything. Have two people who are not involved tape it from opposite angles, at least a few feet away. They are not to interact with or interfere with you or the police in any way; their job is strictly documentation, in case you need it in court or for your media campaign.

We the People Must Punish Big Banking

Submitted by Darlene Justice

Big Banking has done nothing less than put the economy into near depression, take taxpayer money to the tune of $1 trillion dollars, curtail credit and lending, foreclose on homes, and up interest rates and fees. Something must be done, but what? What can we do to change the current stacked system? For every dollar we use cash instead of plastic, Big Banking is deprived of 3.5 cents. Every dollar, every time. Doesnt sound like much, but it adds up and all we have to do is Use Cash. Big banks make $50 billion a year on merchant interchange fees from debit and credit cards. If you and I average $5,000 each in plastic purchases per year and, instead, do those transactions using cash, we just deprived the banks of $350 minimum. If one thousand of us do the same thats $350,000 minimum. If just one-million of us switched to cash, less than one percent of U.S. households, $350 Million minimum Big Banking is out. Want to do it? Step one: Carry some cash and use it. Go to the bank first and get the cash for larger purchases Step two: Make purchases with cash at merchants that offer a 5% Discount for Cash Step three: Talk to other people about Use Cash, Are you a merchant? Step one: Continue to accept plastic, but also offer a 5% discount for cash. (Wouldnt you rather have your money now? And wouldnt you rather give your customers 5% in lieu of giving Big Banking 3.5%?) Step two: Hang a 5% Discount for Cash sign in your store window. Step three: Talk to other merchants about Use Cash and 5% Discount for Cash Transaction by transaction, we can deprive Big Banking of their lifeblood: fees, penalties and interest. Join the movement. For more information: http://www.usecashmovement.org/

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