Politics

Free Expression Forum//Occupy RVA//Double Rainbow

by Santos Ramos on November 13, 2011

Richmond, VA–I realized recently that for the past several weeks I’ve been in cahoots with the emcee from the Richmond-based band, Double Rainbow–whose album I reviewed over the summer before ever stepping foot in this city–as we have both been heavily involved with Occupy Richmond. It’s strange how life brings people together. It’s strange how the Occupy moment has pulled every aspect of my being (academic, creative, social, spiritual, etc.) into chaotic synchronization, dissonant harmony, or some other thing that doesn’t make any sense but makes perfect sense. The Occupy Richmond Education working group held a free expression forum on Saturday, which was really just an excuse to get to know one another on a more personal level, to play each other music, and to read each other poetry. Here’s my friend Isaac from Double Rainbow performing “Stop Lying to Us”:

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Occupy Richmond (Freedom Bound)

by Santos Ramos on November 9, 2011

Richmond, VA–Last night several faculty members from Virginia Commonwealth University held a forum called “Why Occupy?” It was meant to introduce newcomers to our methods of communication and also to explore some of the motives that drove the Occupy movement (or “moment,” as have suggested is a better term) into existence, such as economic inequality, the military industrial complex, and the exploitation of labor. We had a pretty nice turnout, packing a large lecture hall with about/over 250 hundred people. This video pretty much somes it up:

Tonight we begin re-occupying Richmond! We are headed to Monroe Park, but have some backup plans if the cops are there waiting for us. Please join us or at least send us some good energy if you can’t make it!

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Re-Occupy Richmond

by Santos Ramos on November 5, 2011

Richmond, VA–Back in March, before all the Occupy Wall Street craziness began, a small group of activists in Richmond were already in occupation. They were protesting a new city ordinance that would make it illegal to stay in public parks after sunset, which was to inevitably displace many members of the local homeless population. The occupied site was nestled in the middle of Virginia Commonwealth University’s main campus, in Monroe Park.

After the occupation was demolished, the homeless population who were living in the park were directed, by the city, to downtown’s Kanawha Plaza. Several occupiers were arrested and convicted of minor crimes. Now, three of those occupiers are appealing their verdicts, and if they win it would certainly bode well for Occupy Richmond. We support our them in their struggle, but we’re not waiting around for the city to tell us where we can and cannot go.

The past week has been spent re-grouping and re-organizing after our camp in Kanawha Plaza was raided on Halloween morning by the Richmond City Police Department, but now it is time for us to move forward. The General Assembly of Occupy Richmond decided tonight that we will begin occupying again this Wednesday night (11/9/11).

This time we will occupy Monroe Park, where the occupation earlier this year took place, and we’re making a fucking event out of it. At 7pm on Wednesday, there will be a screening of a film about Occupy Richmond, called All Night, All Day, at Gallery 5. After the film we will march to Monroe Park and set up our camp.

In addition, we have gained support from several faculty members at VCU, who are holding an educational forum on campus this Tuesday night to introduce Occupy Richmond to students and other faculty (and anyone else who shows up). It’s at the Commons Theatre from 7pm-9pm.

So, we’ve come full circle: Monroe Park was occupied in March; it was busted up and the homeless moved to Kanawha; Occupy Richmond came along and occupied Kanawha, got busted up, the homeless were again displaced, and now we’re moving to Monroe Park, but with a lot more people.

There is a lot of preparation to be done, but we are gettin’ busy. Please join us.

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Trans-Occupy Richmond

by Santos Ramos on November 4, 2011

Richmond, VA– I recently spent 16 days in occupation of Kanawha Plaza–a public park in the middle of Richmond, Virginia’s financial district–in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests. We were camped out in front of and on top of the Federal Reserve (two-thirds of that bitch is underground), and we were also next to several major banks and lobbying firms.

At about 1am on Halloween morning, the Richmond Police Department set up barricades at the major adjacent intersections and subsequently raided our camp, giving us less than an hour to clear out what had taken us over two weeks to bring in. They demolished the rest of our belongings with bulldozers. I don’t have an exact number of present police officers. I’ve heard as many as 175, and I would guess myself that it was definitely over 100.

As stated on the Occupy Richmond website, “Twelve occupiers were arrested. Five were denied bond in an unprecedented and needlessly punitive measure by the City of Richmond.”

The day after (or “of”) the raid was filled with energy. Occupiers poured into the main court of the local Virginia Commonwealth University with a barrage of info for students about what had happened earlier that morning. General Assemblies following the raid have been filled with new faces, as we have found a new source of momentum (as if we needed it).

The primary topics at the meetings have been on how to re-group, how to help the dozens of homeless people that the city has yet again displaced, and where we are going to occupy next.

I’ll leave you with another excerpt from Occupy Richmond’s official response to the raid:

“We wish to make plainly clear our desire to fully exercise our First Amendment right guaranteed by the United States Constitution to gather peacefully and to express ourselves, in spite of the police, in spite of the bulldozers, in spite of our fellow occupiers needlessly held without bond, and in spite of the broken promises made by the City of Richmond.”

More to come. Please stay tuned to ATF.

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Video: Keith Olbermann Ethers Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh for Sickening Haiti Comments

by Justin Andert on January 13, 2010

I wish all the sickness and hatred in the world to be directed to these two truly sick individuals. No paycheck could possibly be worth the soulless comments like the ones Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh made about Haiti today. Thank you Mr. Olbermann.

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Video: Al Franken Refuses to Give Joseph Lieberman ‘Extra Minute’ on Senate Floor

by Justin Andert on December 19, 2009

Senator Al Franken does the right thing to help pass a Health Care Reform that will actually make a difference by not giving Jospeh Lieberman an ‘extra moment’ to speak on the Senate floor. Senator John McCain claimed he had never seen anything like it, even though he himself did the same thing during the Iraq War negotiations in 2002.

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TV: President Obama on 60 Minutes [12.13.09]

by Justin Andert on December 14, 2009

President Obama answers questions about Afghanistan, Financial CEO bonuses, and Health Care Reform. Out of all of it, the most satisfying response was his disgust at the clout given to the Gatecrashers.