Thursday, October 20, 2011

To the Media: Occupy and Embed!


(This blog post is an act of personal autonomy, written in a spirit of solidarity with Occupy Pittsburgh.)

(That is the kind of thing you have to say and show that you're thinking about a lot in Occupy Pittsburgh.)

To all members of the media:

Great job covering our marches, rallies, and day-to-day camp living!

This is, for the most part. Yet even then, attempts at due journalistic diligence on behalf of the reading public are greatly respected.

Media brothers and sisters: you are all cordially invited to stick around after dark, covering nighttime at the camp -- a time of conspicuous energy and ferment!

General Assemblies pertaining to the "movement" issues start at 7:00 PM every night. General Assemblies pertaining to "camp" issues start at 10:00 PM nightly. The street corner outreach, art and hospitality crews are relentless and creative through 11:00 PM. There is always tent space available for you, just go to the Media / Hospitality / Camp Nexus of Tents. Morning at the camp is a time for calm reflection and "magic hour" sunlight.

One stipulation: if you work for the corporate media, it would be best to keep a press pass dangling from your neck or poking up from your fedora at all times. It just keeps things more harmonious. Believe me, you'll get great, important stories, without going all Harriet the Spy.

We are at Mellon Green, on the corner of Grant St. and 6th Ave. in Downtown Pittsburgh.

9 comments:

  1. Uh, How is going dahn'ere Brambo? Yinz still protesting en'at?

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  2. There is plenty of noise needed for the PPS district and its sell off of valued properties that still have use: Schenley and Reizenstein.

    See my blog for 3 letters written by others on the topic.

    http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com

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  3. Bram, I have a question? How does Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Pittsburgh declare victory (assuming they might "win")? What is the end game? Have we traded endless occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq for endless occupation of Wall Street and BNY Mellon's lawn?

    Not that I am not totally in sympathy with OWS/OP's message, in fact, I am surprised it took this long for something to happen. I very much want for something to be done about the unemployed and our crumbling infrastructure/future. I just wish the future of OWS/OP was more clear to me.

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  4. TT - It's going well. Right now we're still holding these two (2) night time meetings, and I think morale would improve if we took care of business than wrapping up at like midnight or later.

    We had some folks in camp last night who allegedly may have violated OWS's and the camp's Good Neighbor policy, and I think at least one of them had to be removed. But it was settled very peaceably with some help.

    Ed Heath -Uh, speaking only for myself, I think we should declare victory if national policy starts moving and builds some momentum in a direction most would consider "Left": more wise regulation, more regard for domestic tranquility and the social welfare, and less overarching zeal comparably for economic growth that is higher, not wider. And this whole idea of "progress" and capitalism not as a system but a religion.

    A recognition of the difference between capitalism and Capitalistism.

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  5. Well, Bram, those goals sound perfectly reasonable to me. I have trouble believing the Republican House and Senate republicans will be enthusiastic about suddenly helping people who can't give them lots of money for campaigns. Maybe we will get somewhere where a Republican leader starts co-opting a stimulus plan by calling it direct investment in capital for small business or something. Kind like how Nixon stole some of the thunder of the environmental movement by creating the EPA.

    Maybe.

    I just hope y'all don't get too cold while you are waiting.

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  6. Good news, everyone! Camp GA's have been moved to 10:00 AM!!

    We can usually get done with our business by 10:00 PM or earler!

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  7. Oh, and a special shout out to the Steelworkers (I believe?) who are responsible for the new regime of state-of-the-art, flushable portable toilets. And some awesome sign-waving. And a special shout out to the William Penn Hotel which is exceedingly cool. They understand civics, intuitively.

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  8. Bram, I'm grateful for the well behaved and peaceful protest going on here in Pittsburgh. They're an example to the rest of the cities!

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  9. Thanks Rich, I'll pass that along.

    http://www.politicspa.com/romney-meets-with-allegheny-republicans/29037/

    I'm sad that some people got the wrong impression from this event, or that there was room to have the wrong impression of this event. Another observer might have written "protested" or "jeered" instead of "verbally harassed". (Another observer might also have counted to 40, not 20). But it's true that some Occupy members got a little emotional in the direction of some attendees. It helps a bit to realize that some occupiers have personal, immediate reasons for feeling hurt by the megawealthy's agenda.

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