1st ANNUAL S.C.O.O.P. (Solidarity, Community, Occupy, Outreach, Picnic)

Please join us for an evening of solidarity and fun. We all face a common problem and we the people must fix it. The health and wellbeing of our nation is being compromised for the benefit of the few. We want to meet you and hear your concerns and your solutions.

1st ANNUAL S.C.O.O.P. (Solidarity, Community, Occupy, Outreach, Picnic)

When:
Tuesday, May 1st 2012 from 5:30pm to 10:00pm

Where:
Kiwanis Park, Missoula, MT.

What:

• A “monster kickball” game: Revolutionaries VS Reformists.
• Free Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, and Coleslaw.
• A soapbox for all, and history lesson on the roots of May Day.
• Great conversation and networking.

Bring:
Snacks and soft drinks to share (no alcohol or glass containers, please).

Occupy Missoula  sincerely hopes to see you there. Together we can change the world

Please R.S.V.P. to: occupymissoula@gmail.com

Occupy Missoula GAs Monday 6pm, Caras Park Fish. Forums at 6pm, Tuesday, Union Hall.

Every Monday at 6pm starting May 1st, the Occupy Missoula GA meets at Caras Park by the fish scuptures. If the weather is bad, we will meet in the Union Hall, upstairs . If you are interested in helping with facilitation, or putting the meeting on, show up at 5:30pm.

Every Tuesday evening at 6pm Occupy Missoula hosts an open forum to talk about issues facing the movement. The forum is held in the Union Hall upstairs theatre. The topic varies from week to week, so just show up to see what is the topic.

Thanks!

Occupy Missoula Strategy Planning Weekend, March 24-25, Union Hall Theatre

Agenda
What is needed: coolers.  Everyone bring dinnerware.  Cleaning and Decorating parties needed!  Stay tuned for posts from the strategy weekend planning work group!

Saturday, March 24
9:00- 9:15   Coffee, tea and settling in.
9:15- 10:15   Why did you join Occupy?   A short paragraph about yourself.
10:15- 11:00   Language.  Find a common meaning for terms that came up in the brainstorming session, including: Strategy, Tactics, Affinity groups, Goals, Vision, Objectives.
11:00- 12:00   Discussion: SWOT.  Analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats for OM and Occupy as a whole.

—–10 min break ——————–

12:10-1:00   Discussion: OM Goals.  Discussion of what end we are working to achieve, at a local level and in the wider Occupy movement,

1:00- 3:00   Lunch Break.

3:00- 4:00            Continued Discussion: OM Strategy. At a local level and in the wider Occupy movement. Develop“Occ-topus.”
4:00p-5:00p  Speaker or Direct Action Training.  [A possible alternative is a continuation of the Goals & Strategy Discussions.]
5:00p- 5:30p   Evaluation.  Each person’s thoughts, feelings, or comments about Saturday’s activities, & summarize action items, what’s been decided, and what needs to be done.
5:30p- 7:00p   Potluck and socializing.  Instruments welcome!  There may also be a short film during dinner.

Sunday, March 25
9:00- 9:30   Check-in.  Input from each participant about the day’s events.
9:30 -11:00   Planning.  Identify specific Tactics and Actions for the coming months/year. 

——-10 min break ——————–

11:10 -12:00   Develop proposals for the GA.  Synthesis of discussions & identify actions for proposal.  Suggestion: develop a calendar for OM, including actions, celebrations, and events.
12:00- 2:00   Lunch break.
2:00- 4:30   Decision Making General Assembly.  Regular GA for discussion and adoption of proposals that come out of the strategy planning discussions.

Occupy Missoula Statement on Police Violence against Occupy Oakland

Occupy Missoula is and will remain a non-violent movement. The General Assembly of Occupy Missoula officially denounces the violence perpetrated by authorities and citizens in Oakland on Saturday as reported by the media. The details of Saturday’s events are still unfolding. What is happening there can be followed by going to OccupyOakland.org. There may be sensational coverage in the coming days and we encourage people to educate themselves rather than counting on the 1% that controls our media to shape the facts. Because as we stated in our declaration, which can be viewed at OccupyMissoula.org, “Many among the economic elite are using their control over politics and the media in the hope that we will dissolve into our constituent parts and melt back into the woodwork. But we will not compromise our futures. “ We continue to stand in solidarity with the non-violent protesters in Oakland, around the nation, and around the world.

Occupy Missoula General Assembly

January 29, 2012

Occupy Missoula GA, 2pm Sunday, Union Hall; Forum 6pm Tuesday, Union Hall

Howdy folks! After a rousing rally in front of the Federal Court building where well over 100 people attended the Move to Amend/Occupy the Courts event, Occupy Missoula is moving forward with its weekly GA, and now public forums. We invite everyone to attend these events and help OM plan its future in our community. The public forum on tuesday will feature the topic of money in politics. Come and let your voice be heard as the Occupy Movement continues on!

#03:09:06#

The Occupation of the Missoula County Courthouse lawn lasted roughly 3 months, 9 days, 6 hours. This is longer than many other Occupations across the United States, including New York City and Oakland, CA.

Throughout its life, The Occupation inspired compassion and exposed deep mistrust. It served to both unite and divide. Our Occupation was a paradox. Looking back, this seemed unavoidable.

So what now? What remains?

The open questions of our Civil Liberties remain: The Right to Freedom of Assembly; The Right to Free Speech; The Right to Petition for the Redress our Grievances.

The houseless remain also; not just the ones visible on the sidewalks and city streets or invisible in the back woods or nooks and crannies of our community, but the countless others who work by day and sleep in their vehicles at night. Unemployed. Under-employed. Facing Foreclosure. Collateral damage from a jobless recovery.

And the Greed remains. Is it getting better? Worse? Does this bother you?

And our Government is still broken. Unable to respond to a world where things on the ground are moving faster than the top.

So what remains is the Work. Much Work to be done. The hard Work for Real Change — not political rhetoric about Change.

You have now seen the Tents and heard each other’s Voices. This will happen again. How can it be any other way? There is nowhere left to go. We are the 99%.

Occupy the Courts: Move to Amend Call to Action January 20th

Money is not speech, and Corporations are not People!!! Join us for a lunchtime rally and March in support of a Nationwide Occupy the Courts Action

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th, 11:30-1 PM Move to Amend- Occupy the Courts!!! Rally

• 11:30 meet at the Caras Park Pavilion
• 11:45 march to the Federal Courthouse on Pattee and Broadway
• Rally@ Noon

We invite all participants to bring signs , noisemakers, drums, etc.

“I am a PERSON”, “Money is not speech, and Corporations are not People”

On January 20 Occupy Missoula will be holding a protest rally to commemorate the second anniversary of theCitizens United Supreme Court Decision that granted first amendment protection to unlimited contributions by corporations and individuals to political campaigns as a form free speech. This rally is part of a nationwide Occupy the Courts day of action called by the Move to Amend Coalition (not itself an occupy organization) to build momentum toward the passage of an amendment to the US Constitution to overturn this anti-democratic interpretation. Organizations in more than 100 cities throughout the nation will be engaging in similar actions that day.

The idea of a constitutional amendment was supported by the City of Missoula in a city-wide referendum –which passed with a 75% majority – on November 8 of last year. Recently the Montana Supreme court courageously defended the state’s own Corrupt Practices Act against the countervailing Citizens United ruling which held that even state laws that constrain election spending are constitutional.

Missoula’s Occupy the Courts rally will be held in front of the Russell E. Smith Federal District Court, 201 E. Broadway, during the noon hour on January 20. Participants are encouraged to gather at Caras Park at 11:30 with signs, banners, and noisemakers for an 11:45 march to the courthouse.

The noon-hour rally will feature a panel of speakers well-known to Missoulians: City Councilors Cynthia Wolken & Jason Wiener, State Representative Dick Barrett, Political Science professor Paul Haber, Labor Council Executive Officer Mark Anderlik, and Missoula small business owner Aimee McQuilkin.

OccupyCourtsPoster