#S17 #OccupyCityHall @OccupyLosAngeles 10am City Council Chambers #GlobalPoliceStateStanddown #ConstitutionDay what are you doing for #S17?

Sadly, working for at least part of it. Hoping to get to Liberty Plaza, formerly Zuccotti. Meetings at my UU society.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014:
Imagine people around the world, hugging all at the same moment!
The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.

https://www.facebook.com/events/521507667980025/

In Conjunction with:
Million Mask Marches world wide https://www.facebook.com/events/505027169551591/
www.millionmaskmovement.com
Project Love https://www.facebook.com/groups/114766715273926/
http://1lovetogether.blogspot.com/
Project Unity https://www.facebook.com/groups/anonprojectunity/
Op Human Angels
http://vimeo.com/68354696
https://www.facebook.com/OpHumanAngels
#FreeHugs #grouphug #MMM2014 #OpUnity #paradigmshift #OneLove

Wednesday, November 5, 2014:
Imagine people around the world, hugging all at the same moment!
The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.

https://www.facebook.com/events/521507667980025/

In Conjunction with:
Million Mask Marches world wide https://www.facebook.com/events/505027169551591/
www.millionmaskmovement.com
Project Love https://www.facebook.com/groups/114766715273926/
http://1lovetogether.blogspot.com/
Project Unity https://www.facebook.com/groups/anonprojectunity/
Op Human Angels
http://vimeo.com/68354696
https://www.facebook.com/OpHumanAngels
#FreeHugs #grouphug #MMM2014 #OpUnity #paradigmshift #OneLove

Anything new for 2015?

I think everyone is watching Baltimore right now. I have been working to set up a meeting with residents of most-affected Sandy areas in Bergen County with NJ Future and Rebuild by Design, with the intent of ensuring that the NJ Dep’t. of Environmental Protection plan takes needs of current residents and those outside the immediate area into account, NOT just desires of developers for gentrification.
No plans for a national event, at least nothing of which I am aware.

I’m in support of all these actions. Even “Deep Throat” told Woodward & Bernstein to ‘follow the money.’ The NHRebellion is making strides for campaign finance reform for these reasons. Hopefully, it will evolve to be nationwide movement. http://www.nhrebellion.org/ ☮
http://www.stampstampede.org/pages/nh

Keep in mind, it’s the money and various grant programs which finance police malfeasance, too. It can be a dangerous journey to expose these abuses, and only a few have the courage to answer that call and take those risks. It’s not an easy path to follow,...
https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police-practices/police-corruption

☮ July 4th 2015 https://walk.nhrebellion.org/ #GetMoneyOut #NHRebellion

Please note that there is NO obligation to contribute anything in order to participate!! Your ardent support to #GetMoneyOut of politics in spirit and soul is greatly appreciated!!

You may be able to watch the NHRebellion walk pass by these two destinations points on via live web cam along the Seacoast Walk Route as their march continues by "The Wall" on July 4th here:
http://cinnamonrainbows.com/surf-cam-report

And also here:
http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/hampton-new-england_5131/
...depending upon the camera angle, compliments of every committed hardcore surfer still riding that #WaveOfAction
http://www.riverasun.com/riding-the-wave-of-action/

It's a beautiful walk along the beach with a magnificent view of the ocean,...
http://hamptonbeach.org/webcam.cfm

I'm so grateful by everyone's work in the streets right now!

C'mon People, "Find Your Adventure"!
That's the theme for the Rose Parade this year. ;)

All i'm saying is ... COME AND JOIN US! IT'S A NATIONAL INVITATION TO COME OCCUPY WALL STREET WEST. We're going to be there anyway, so the invitation stands. We have hundreds there every year, probably more than were at the whole National Gathering last year ... AND ... Southern California has such nice weather this time of year, even if we are going to have the worst El Nino this year, apparently. ;(

Also, it's my birthday on New Year's Eve, and i'm planning a little party later in the week ... oh, wait ... did i say "party"? i meant ... "occupation." Yes, i really think everyone should be here for this. We are creating something amazing here and i think you'll like it. FYI ... people here have been planning for a long time, so there's no need to fret about details if you're coming. Like i said ... come early, stay late ... visit the West Coast Occupy groups that are still so active ... we're going to be here anyway ... so we are just inviting EVERYONE. HOPE YOU CAN COME. LOVE YOU! <3

http://www.tournamentofroses.com/news/2016-rose-parade-theme-find-your-adventure

NOTES on ACCOMMODATIONS:

In Los Angeles we can sleep in cars on the street, so that is one option, and we also have events in Solidarity with Skid Row, so we can sleep with the homeless there, too. Someone has suggested some parks, but we did fine last year and we will do fine this year, because we are Occupiers and that's what we do ... we figure out a way to make it happen. ;)

By the way, "Find Your Adventure" seems to me like a theme perhaps chosen because it doesn't lend itself to being "Occupied" ... like "Dreams Come True" turned into "Dreams Come True if you WAKE UP" by Occupy the Rose Parade. One year the theme was "IMAGINE" .. so my sign said "IMAGINE ... living life in Peace" ... and it was WAY too "Occupy"-friendly.

"Find Your Adventure" could be "FUND Your Adventure," for instance, whereby we can bring light to how the 1% have financed corruption globally.

"OUR ADVENTURE IS OCCUPYing WALL STREET" could be another.

There are possibilities. i am usually my own "float." See photo from one year, via Popular Resistance:

"just imagine ... "

WE ALREADY HAVE MORE OCCUPIERS COMING TO THIS THAN THE LAST NATIONAL GATHERING. It just makes sense to make THIS EVENT the National Gathering. It will get National attention, and that is exactly what we need to do to combat the “Occupy is Dead” narrative perpetuated by our non-allies,

AND i just found this picture for the first time! i lost this sign that day, and was so bummed. Now i have it back … it’s a “sign”! hahaha

https://www.google.com/search?q=popular+resistance,+occupy+the+rose+parade&rlz=1C1KMZB_enUS588US588&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPk9eIy7rJAhXVWogKHVmoB7QQ_AUICSgD&biw=1366&bih=656&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=occupy+the+rose+parade&imgrc=_

"Don't FUND Your Adventure With a Bank" is another idea we can use to continue the "Bank Transfer Day" idea from the November 5 2011 Action that is showed just how powerful Occupy Wall Street actually was ... 600,000 people moved their money from banks into Credit Unions on that day, and the 1% realized the power of The People. Then they started crushing us ... Zuccotti was overrun on November 15, only 10 days later. We HAD it ... then many people got scared. Well we are still Occupying Wall Street here, and if the "founders" themselves are not, it only shows that they had NO IDEA what they had created, had no vision for where it could go in the future, and certainly did not possess the ability to hunker down for the long run. It is my opinion that many of the so-called "i started Occupy Wall Street" people who are now claiming "Occupy is dead" never really understood what they were doing, or more nefariously, KNEW what they were doing. i don't follow those narcissistic book-writing self-aggrandizing media whores. i came to Occupy Wall Street, and the way we conquer the banks is to never give up. Occupy Wall Street is an IDEA, and as such, can never "die." So any claims as such are obvious attempts to minimize our efforts and write off the influence of this movement, which has literally created a Paradigm Shift in thinking on a global scale. Don't let anyone tell you that this is over, or that we are not making a difference. i was in Zuccotti for S17 and they haven't given up.

i am not "feeling the Bern" for any candidate, because i do not believe we are actually voting. That being said, we had a HUGE discussion at S17 this year regarding the endorsement of candidates by a group (OWS) that has a statement of political autonomy. Most OWS activists that day were vehemently against this new "development" in our movement. This is divisive, and we did not come to Occupy the White House. We are Occupying the financial crimes of the Wall Street Banks and Corporations. The only intersection between what we are Occupying and politics is "Money in Politics," which i can see is involved in the Bernie discussion, but this is missing the forest for the trees, in my opinion, the only option for our continued attempt by The People to regain control of "our" government is to stop voting for party politicians, and to find a way to elect PEOPLE, not politicians and lawyers, to represent The People. We can do this in many ways, one of which i presented at S17 this year, and will be presenting at this years National Gathering 2015 at some point.. It is a project i am working on with several Hollywood filmmakers, tv people, and is an option for getting us back on track for electing representatives that are actually "Of the People, By the People, and For the people. This proposal is currently being evaluated by the techie people for viability. More later ...

Justin, what do you mean by "Not enough Local OWS Buy in"?

Don't you think individuals can rally around a common theme in a MONTH and get themselves where they need to be? When Ferguson rose up, we were all in the streets immediately. When Baltimore rose up, we were already ready, and massive Solidarity actions happened within HOURS. What there is NOT enough time to do is SABOTAGE on a large scale, which is why our preferred method of Action now is "last minute," pop-up Actions that cannot be derailed or co-opted. As we know from last year's event, most of what we tried to plan was impossible to enact because of the severe disruption of the controlling hierarchy, who continuously tried to keep us from being effective. Many things i worked on for 11 months did not come to fruition because there was too much time to sabotage these things and that is what happened:

• i spent 3 days preparing a two-lane banner for the march after much discussion during 11 months on the conference calls. When i arrived in Sacramento, "all of a sudden" we are informed by the local group that we cannot take two lanes in the street ... so the banner could not be used.

• An attempt to showcase "Occupy - the Musical" was derailed at every opportunity, and in spite of statements that there was already a group working on this task, OTHER people were suggested who "already wrote something like that ... you should collaborate" and there was no space made for this. It didn't seem to register that the "Musical" was already created and pretty much ready to go ... it was just being infiltrated by those who wanted to ruin it, most likely. Regardless, it was most likely too ambitious.

• When i came prepared to organize "Occupy Guitarmy West," a musical action that accompanies the marches or acts as a musical performance group, it was obvious that there was a least one infiltrator assigned to "ruin" this action. This person lied to me repeatedly, subjected me to continual verbal abuse during a Road Trip to do outreach for last year's event. His behavior became so extreme that i literally had to get him out of my vehicle to stop what was then a 12-hour long stretch of crazy, psychotic babble that seemed to be straight out of the Cointelpro handbook on "How to Fuck With Protesters' Minds." Hours after abandoning this individual, i was harassed by helicopters hovering immediately above my tiny Smart Car on the way back down the California coast from San Francisco, and the helicopters continued to "stake me out" along the way down. i have this ON FILM. The person whose Cointelpro-trained ass that i left in Santa Cruz was former military, and i have NO idea how it even came about that he "decided" he was coming with me for outreach down the coast. When he showed up at the National Gathering with a guitar, which he was playing constantly probably because he hadn't for a while and needed to either "learn how to play it better," or "practice," i assumed he was there to be part of the "Occupy Guitarmy West action." Since i knew he was only there to sabotage it, i never engaged others in this action. i am not about to give saboteurs the outcomes they desire. This person showed up to the Gathering and then started on a rhetoric of "Donna is Crazy," which is EXACTLY what another person did to me during the last week leading up to the event, even though i had dropped everything to help that second person, and in the middle of a conference call, because the person was coming across the country and was having troubles and need immediate help. i then continued to be a connection for that person, until they flipped one day and started calling me "Crazy" for no reason, and telling me i needed psychological help. So it's clear that my adversaries are going for that line of attack in dealing with me, and it seems like that would be easy ... i am eccentric, creative, unpredictable, and truly FREE. But i do not want to give you the impression that i am, as one Sacramento "Occupier" claimed of me in an organizing thread "Overly impressed by" my "own abilites" (her was the original word.) Gee, thanks, bitch. And no ... i don't have an EGO, i have no pride, i have a VOICE, and it's LOUD, and i'm not shutting up.

• The biggest sabotage was when the Hierarchy that took control of the running of the event did not make space to read "The Principles of Solidarity," and "The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City," our two FOUNDING DOCUMENTS, and the reading of which was to set the tone for our gathering and to bring our common work back into the roots of Occupy Wall Street. We had all agreed at some point during the conference calls that this should be done at the "Opening Ceremony" for the event. When this did not happen on Day One, or Day Two, or Day Three, and when all the General Assemblies became shit storms - especially the one where "the Patriarch Who Must Not Be Named" sent in his buddy to fuck up the moderation and NEVER call on my raised hand - it became pretty obvious that our Founding Documents were too powerful to be read to UNITE us at the start of the gathering, and in a rash move that even now is unbelievable to me, i felt compelled to commandeer the last GA on Sunday, when i saw that the "Hierarchy" was set to take control of even the last day, thinking only of themselves, and what "THEY" had planned, secretly, away from the main Organizing group, on conference calls and emails that were not shared with the whole group. THAT WAS NOT TRANSPARENCY. THAT WAS NOT LEADERLESS. AND THAT WAS NOT NON-HIERARCHICAL. i was shaking when i stood with the Occupy flag and just started reading the Principles ... loudly, and never-stopping for the stream of people trying to stop me. When it became apparent that i would not stop my LOUD recitation of the Principles, ON THE LAST DAY OF THE EVENT, many true Occupiers came up front to stand in Solidarity with what i was doing ... what i had to insist upon doing because of sabotage ... and we took turns reading our founding documents of OWS. Please Note: i do not like the GA because it IS obviously constructed in a manner that lends itself to easy manipulation by obstructionist non-Activists, such as "the Patriarch Who Must Not Be Named." During the time i was beginning this reading, i remember my voice was loud ... my heart beating fast. One lady yelled: "Why are you so hostile?!" because i literally had to commandeer the GA .... JUST SO THE FOUNDING DOCUMENTS COULD BE SHARED FOR OUR ALIGNMENT. In a million years, if someone had told me i would ever do this, i would never have believed it. i hate the GA. i saw the weakness of the consensus process, and more so, its ability to be controlled and manipulated, which it WAS. To this day, Matt Ready has never answered my email asking him to provide transparency regarding the many conversations he was seen having with "The Patriarch Who Must Not Be Named," since he was obviously "sent in" in lieu of the misogynist Patriarch who got off on attempting to "control" everything about our event.

• The saddest part for me was the lack of support by the organizing group when it was obvious that i was the target of a misogynist Patriarch who was just trying to fuck with me. His abuse caused me to gain 20 pounds, and for the months and months on the calls, there were many people who tried to address this but for the most part, the ONE thing that should have happened never did: WHY DID WE HAVE A SELF-PROCLAIMED NON-ACTIVIST AT THE HELM OF THE PLANNING OF AN OCCUPY NATIONAL GATHERING? DID NO ONE NOTICE HE WAS JUST ON A HUGE POWER TRIP, ABUSING THOSE WHO DID NOT ALLOW HIM TO TAKE THEIR POWER? He worked several women to the bone ... i wonder if they even realize they were being abused. It is so sad to me ... how people cannot see this obvious behavior. Abusive men should never be allowed at the helm of anything ... "I surround myself with powerful women!" he claimed once on a call. This is classic ... and what did he DO to those women. They were exhausted, and overworked, probably doing a lot of busy work to keep them from wanting to every go through the process again. It was SICK. i will always remember those who saw what was happening and attempted to address it, most did NOT, and who actually took the side of a psychological abuser. i will never forget how much i suffered during that planning process, as plan after plan was sabotaged, and we had to sit back and listen to a control freak steering our conversations and moods any way he wanted it to go for his own amusement. If any of you think i am exaggerating, recall that there are 2 scholars i know working on these topics. It could be years before their reports are published, i am told, because Academia is it's own nightmare right now.

There are many more examples of the sabotage that occurred in all those months, and the social and psychological processes that were involved, some of these topics are becoming papers in major journals, and although the names will be changed, you will be able to see what trained professionals have analyzed about the sabotage we are experiencing. My only wish is that they would hurry up because we all could be very enlightened about this from an outside, professional perspective. The one comment i have heard from those studying this National Gathering process is that they don't know how we can get anything done with so much obstruction going on. Since most everyone i know is underground now ... i just laughed ... because this is UNSTOPPABLE. Whatever we do, we are moving energy and creating energy where it is needed.

i love you all. Even the haters. You teach us how NOT to be. ONE LOVE <3

I'm curious for a "block" and how real that is. Justin, are you ready to walk away from occupy because of organizational logistics for ... Occupy? Really? Wow. There is plenty of on the ground people, OWS, Occupy Venice Beach, Occupy LA most likely, committed to doing the Rose Parade, Bernie Sanders or not, this is just an enlargement of that planned event is how I see it. I say we support Donna enlarging it to make sure OWS message is heard through all the Bernie noise.

The block is quite real & based on the facts at hand:

A proposal from a single person to have Nat Gat happen in less than three months in a state who has hosted the event before.

I fully support Donna (she’s one of the fav organizers + people) but I can’t support things that do not align with our community values and established practices.

A group in #OWS once had to have at least active 5 members, 3 of which who were willing to be frontliners be be identified in a transparent way through meeting minutes.

If the proposal was made by any of the groups you mentioned and had been arrived at through consensus decision making processes then I would fully support.

From what you & Donna have detailed it would be more appropriate to be asking for a solidarity statement from Nat Gat Organizers.

(Her dark responses confusing disagreement with hating, infiltrators & sabotage suggests to me she needs more support from local groups instead of being the only person putting herself out there for the movement)

The Rose Parade is less than 3 months away & it wouldn’t be fair to the wider community if a small group of stakeholders tried to make it into Nat Gat.

People need to time to organize & fund-raise to participate.

At this point there isn't much outreach going on regarding Rose Parade actions, maybe we can focus on helping with that by creating a solidarity statement which will help enlarge the event without abusing what little movement/ social capital Nat Gat as a brand has left.

Let's not forget we were unable to get things together for Nat Gat 2015.

New York City was slated to host the 5th anniversary on #S17 back in the day... Maybe we can look at that idea again?

I hear you and agree with you, yet why are you blocking Donna's idea? As if Occupy Venice Beach doesn't really need national help right now, seriously! (Can we get anymore women hatred going?) I think it would be good for us to support Donna's idea as best we can and see what comes together for the Rose Parade. I hope you change your block to an abstain and allow the grass roots to grow.

I was pretty clear above. I'm blocking the idea, not Donna.

It's an idea from one person to mobilize a Nat Gat in a state who already hosted it.

Please stop over personalizing people's statements and take take a look at your projection about 'women hated'.

Small reminder this group's work isn't about amplifying a single organizer's work but to create a safe space for the movement as a whole to gather.

I hope you can tell the difference between disagreement & misogyny and that you abstain from feeding her extreme yet justified paranoia.

Getting targeted is a real thing in the movement. Just ask me about the stop & frisk targeting going on with #PeoplesMonday sometime..

Again, I block the idea, not Donna.

I adore her.

No, you don't know about Occupy Venice Beach and their recent issue with the house, the police, the locking out and drama, then? Making women and newborn homeless? Ok, it's personal because there is an innocent child, and yes, that makes it personal to me. A lot of healing needs to be done there, and OVB really needs some help to continue to being Occupy.

You may adore Donna, yet you do not respect her equally. If you did, you would support her idea, even if it's not the best one, because she's clearly done a lot of work on it. That's what occupiers do for one another ... empowerment. That's one of our principles of solidarity. Even the worst idea may be supported because we just love the person. Supporting her idea hurts nor harms anyone, especially not Occupy.

PS, does it really matter where we have a NatGat or does it matter we have one?

So exactly 15 hours ago, when i posted this proposal, this person posted on FB:

Vadim Stepanov
15 hrs ·
Is this a LRAD Sound Cannon pointed right at Occupy LA protesters? I took this photo at Pasadena City Hall-Rose Parade

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004923191157

YEAH, after 4 years, FEAR doesn't really work on us anymore. hahaha ... the games have begun. Can someone please hack that account and find out who that is? Thanks! :)

Your last comments speak volumes.

Yes it does matter. It was the whole idea that gave rise to Nat Gat.

Please stop trying to pit people vs one another & maybe go re-read our founding documents.

I helped create them & blindly supporting someone just because they have breasts wasn’t something that was addressed by #OWS.

Nice try tho.

Don’t be that guy or girl. Quit trolling & stick to the ideas.

So anyone into creating a solidarity statement we as a community can support?

Fear is working great if you are asking people to 'hack'.

Geez. Thought we were talking about the next Nat Gat, not Donna.

Since you do not answer the issues of substance, I will assume your block means you are willing to walk away from this group that is supporting this idea. I wish you well along in your journey. I'm here to support this idea as best as I can because what I know is happening on the ground with OWS, Occupy Venice Beach here. It's a great idea to help with it all. Hugs and good luck.

OK ... hey People ... didn't mean to start a big fuss, but there are many people helping with this. i just happen to be the one on Loomio. And besides, i thought it was agreed last year that anyone could call a National Gathering; at one point we had three groups hoping to plan one for this year. Nothing has happened yet.

i understand what you are saying, Justin, but why would you not be excited that something might happen that would be good for the group? In fact the original date we set last year, which would have turned out to be the perfect week, was sabotaged and a week was chosen that is traditionally the hottest week. Michael Buell almost died of renal failure. This ONLY occurred because ONE COUPLE insisted that the dates were bad, so everyone for some reason had to "vote" on another date, and then that couple never even came. So the point is, if you can come ... great. If not ... hold Solidarity actions where you are. When we have an "emergency," we mobilize quickly in the streets. We don't need 11 months to plan a NatGat. And this is more of a symbolic Nat Gat so we, as a group, can preserve a National presence. i think it's very important.

i don't think anyone would agree that inviting EVERYONE for a NATIONAL GATHERING to Occupy the Rose Parade is cause for any alarm. i am also not sure why you're objecting. Is it because we just realized that NO ONE has stepped up to do this, and this is very last minute? Why is the voice of one person on LOOMIO not enough? Do you need EVERYONE who is in agreement in Southern California to come here to Loomio? i don't think that's possible. And i apologize for the "dark commentary," as you put it, but as an Occupier pointed out, the abuse i had to endure planning last year's event made me gain 20 pounds ... the process that was being used was corrupted. And so, i block using those means - Maestro Conference - especially. There is no set format for calling for a National Gathering, or am i wrong?

In the Declaration, it says: " ... we came together as INDIVIDUALS ... " (emphasis added) ... NOT "groups of five or more."

There is absolutely NO WAY i am EVER going to participate in the same kind of process we had last year, which was obviously construed by someone to drive us all away from each other. There was an abuser in that group, and just like abusers, they don't abuse everyone, and most people did not understand or care about what was happening. Most people in the group either supported the abuser, or remained silent. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO ME. i suffered greatly, and that issue is now out of my hands, and in the hands of professionals. When the abuser actually stood up at the last GA at the NatGat last year and said "I'm not an Activist" (We have that on film) i just thought "WHY DID WE HAVE HIM AT THE HELM OF OUR CALLS, THEN?" One egomaniac comes to destroy our party and hardly anyone notices that all our calls are derailed by hours of answering his silly questions designed to gleen information and analyze our personalities. If no one noticed that we were being played psychologically by a patriarchal misogynist, then by all means, wait until the papers come out. This is not my "opinion."

So i have EVERY RIGHT as an Occupy Wall Street activist - since Sept 24 2011 - to start an idea. This is my idea: to very simply combine an already-existing event that gets NATIONAL attention and that several hundred Occupiers will already attend, and invite EVERYONE, making it a NATIONAL GATHERING. It's not a National "Conference", it a "GATHERING." We're gonna be gathering anyway ... so honestly, i don't understand why it would be anything other than ACCEPTED.

Justin, i love you. But i respectfully disagree with your statements.

A month is plenty of time to prepare to come. i got to S17 this year in NYC with less than a week's notice and $150 loan. And that is another point ... most Occupiers on the West Coast can't get to NYC. It seems only fair that we are represented Coast-to-Coast, and having a NatGat on the West Coast was very popular last year. By the time the actual event occurred, though, with the date change, which caused many groups not to be able to come (coincidence?) and also the hottest week of the year in Sacramento ... OBviously there was a low turnout.

On my first trip to Sacramento it was obvious there were going to be HUGE logistical concerns, not the least of which was PEOPLE DRAMA. Since there is still a very vested interest in NOT having Occupy continue, of course a very visible presence with hundreds of people at a Nationally broadcast parade is going to start some ripples. BRING IT. Let's see who is really in Solidarity! We are STILL Occupying Wall Street, are we not?

Any person or group could have stepped up before this. No one did. It is important to this movement to retain a national presence. i was in NYC ... all those people still there with their hearts beating after four years of Occupying Wall Street. i LOVE them. We haven't stopped Occupying, not in Zuccotti, not in Los Angeles, not in San Diego, because OCCUPY is an idea that cannot be stopped.

As for "diversity of tactics," many of us have adopted the tactic of "last minute Actions" because there is less a chance of sabotage. This last minute call for Action is an example of that diversity, and an attempt to have a National Gathering in 2015 that does not damage humans in the planning process. This is really a no-brainer, in my opinion. We're already there. We have hundreds coming. It's our FIFTH year doing this. People are actually WAKING UP to the OWS message. Why stop now? LET'S MAKE IT THE BIGGEST ONE EVER :D

In Summary:
i do not see any reason not to make this into a
"National Gathering 2015" <3

Sally that makes me very sad. You never "saw" psychological abuse? Are you trained to do so? Wouldn't a more compassionate response be to find out why i was a target who experienced abuse, but you did not? You and the others who were blind to this and defending an abuser were just fooled. There were many many people who "saw" what was happening, and stood up for me. You "object" to the fact that i felt abused? Do you have any idea what you are saying? If you are in denial, please re-listen to all the sessions of last year. Psychological manipulators choose their victims ... you were not chosen, because you were obedient to the abuser. You clearly have no idea how abuse works. If you would like to talk to a professional about what occurred and which you are choosing to ignore, i can refer your request to someone who can explain Patriarchal, misogynistic abuse. Targets are usually people who do NOT patronize the Patriarch. That would be ME. As if these comments were not enough, it should prove it to you from the simple fact that our 2-hour "De-Brief CALL" ended up talking about 5 or 6 hours, and then went into ANOTHER call of extraordinary length, and after the second call, which was to be the last, the abusive Patriarch would not keep asking, incessantly, to address the "issue with Donna" and even tried to get us to have MORE de-brief calls! Do you "object" to the fact that i was obviously suffering during the calls? Did you think, perhaps, that i was merely being "difficult"? Making too much out of nothing? Should've shut up and be seen and not heard? Again, this makes me very sad.

OVB is not "the host" of this event, so i don't know why you are worried about them. Also, are you abstaining because you can't go? Are you not in favor of a last-minute, OCCUPY NATIONAL GATHERING 2015 at a NATIONALLY BROADCAST event that would bring wide exposure to the LIFE and continued efforts of Occupy Wall Street? This attitude is curious, and makes no sense to me.

This weekend, we will collaborate on further logistics, and i will let all of you know how SIMPLE this will be. The ways people can help without being there is to 1) Be in Solidarity; 2) Help with outreach on Social Media; 3) Help with funding Occupiers to come on an individual basis as needed; 4) UNTOLD OTHER WAYS

See i have this feeling that some of you just don't like me because i have to be brash and fully transparent to combat all these negative attitudes. i am an extremely positive person, who is constantly attacked for being exuberant. My good spirit has been subjected to so much abuse since Occupy because i DON'T give up, and i DON'T care what petty haters say about me. i came to OCCUPY WALL STREET. And anyone trying to stop me, or anyone else, from doing that is no true Occupier. i have proved my dedication to this movement for over 4 years, and LIVE IN A SMART CAR TO PROTEST PAYING WALL STREET BANKS, despite being permanently disabled with a spinal injury. If anyone in this group doubts my sincerity then i doubt YOU.

Sorry, Sally, but you sound like a mother in denial that her child is being abused by her husband. That is the mentality you are displaying right now. OF COURSE "you" didn't "see" any abuse! Why did others see it? Are you trying to say i am making it up? i already feel SICK just having to relive those memories ... do you get sick, Sally? Maybe YOU weren't the one abused, then?

i feel very attacked, again. Almost everything i try to do is sabotaged. WHY? Why is there any reason not to just say, "HEY! GREAT IDEA!" Everyone here likes it, and as i said, we don't need permission from anyone to have a National Gathering. WE ARE AUTONOMOUS. i honestly thought people would be really happy about this, and most of all supportive. EVEN IF THEY CAN'T COME. Reminder that a couple from Chicago made us change the dates last year and they didn't even come. It caused a lot of groups not to come and was too hot and affected the whole event. So anyone strongly objecting to something that is going to be a VERY VISIBLE, VERY NECESSARY Occupation of the Rose Parade that lets the world know that OCCUPY WALL STREET is still around, frankly, doesn't make any sense, if you are in Solidarity with the Occupy Movement.

Autonomous. Non-Hierarchical. Leaderless.
And still alive in 2015! :)
<3

ps. Less than an hour after posting that proposal, i was contacted by MaestroConference? Who did THAT, i wonder? Because we do not need to use a surveillance device to plan our conferences.

I will share info, surely. I just am standing aside from the decision. If I am not actively participating, I don’t feel that I have a right to have an influence. My concern for OVB probably should not have been put in my decision post; it was sparked by Nikki’s comments. There does not seem to be a way to reply to a post out of sequence, so I did not make a not a direct reply.

Sally, the problems at OVB are disturbing and I've only heard one side and after this last weekend, I am being excluded from the "other side", pretty typical for the occupy cores I have found, this huge disconnect has happened as the result of a personal couple's breakup and a new infant. The anger and meanness was remarkable to me, and its likely substance related too. yet because it's in that group's core group, it seems to just be ugly and mean. I need to go to a GA, because I think both sides are equal in their contributions to the mess, yet, how the group treated any "mother and child" needs to be addressed just on general humanity terms.

Donna, I think your right, I'll be there with those I support from occupy. Justin seems to want to use occupy for something specifically, which is great, yet his concerns have nothing (I see yet) to do with your proposal, which I support along with what other occupiers are planning. Hugs.

I responded to your inflammatory accusations already & am ignoring your projections about what you think I want to do with Occupy.

"Speak with us" not for us is a key community value.

My work speaks for itself including the 3 #OWS related projects still alive & kicking. Weekly.

The proposal is to make Donna's Rose Parade Direct Actions & Events into Nat Gat.

I block that idea & propose a solidarity statement.

The statement 'PS, does it really matter where we have a NatGat or does it matter we have one?' speaks volumes to who is paying attention to how things work in Occupy.

Yes it does matter.

We are just a small group of self appointed stakeholders.

Ask anyone outside of this group- You'll be surprised.

Make sure to tell them when you want to have it.

So can we quit the personal dramatics & stories of persecution and get back to our mission:

Helping make a Nat Gat happen for the entire movement- not just people in and around Rose Parade.

California hosting another NatGat, one stemming from one person's passion to have it is not a good idea at all.

Justin, i am not accusing you of anything. The Patriarchal misogynist i am referring to is not you. i am NOTHING against you and am a GREAT fan of you and your work with the Detroit Water Brigade. i don't even know what accusations you are referring to. i write in general statements and have a problem writing "you" when i should write "one" and maybe that's what's happened here? i don't remember accusing you of anything.

But why "California hosting another NatGat, one stemming from one person’s passion to have it is not a good idea at all."? Why is one person's idea not good enough to start a seed? There are many of us here and i am just the messenger. They should have sent someone stronger ... :(

Justin, one woman's idea turned into "Bank Transfer Day," the first successful massive action that Occupy was in Solidarity with. Kristen Christian was not even an Occupier, but because of her idea, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of closed bank accounts, she was attacked by (most likely infiltrator) Occupiers from Los Angeles. There was no Solidarity statement needed: An idea was presented and the actions occurred. After that they ran our camps down. So please excuse me if i am protective of idea that i know will catapult the idea of Occupying Wall Street back into public consciousness. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. i don't even know why you are angry with me ... what did i do?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Transfer_Day

Um, you proposed to make Nat Gat happen as apart of Rose Parade protest.

Unclear where you got anger from.

Occupy is in the public consciousness daily.

Look to #Ferguson, #BlackLivesMatter & the #ShutItDown Tactic.

So putting personal work aside can we get back to what you proposed & if this group wants to piggy back Nat Gat on Rose Bowl.

That'd be awesome.

Sounds great! What are plans for housing, meals, etc? And what is planned for the other 2 weeks?

Carolyn, we are working on logistics this weekend, and as you know, all the food for last year's Nat Gat was gathered by a few of our Organic farmers who are working with farms here locally. Exact dates will vary, as right now, our only idea is to get everyone to the Occupy the Rose Parade event on January 1, 2016. For housing we have some people looking into parks, but there is no problem sleeping in vehicles in Los Angeles, and the 40,000 homeless in the city are allowed to set up tents, so we can hard ground it, as well. We would need to have people arrive at least by the day before, or earlier if people want to create or assemble their signs, floats or attire here. The event starts very early in the morning, and there is public transportation from Los Angeles, but we will look into places to camp/stay near the parade route, where many,many people - a million? - will be camped out for the parade the next day. i will keep people posted after meetings in LA this week. Thanks for your positive reply! :)

Umm. I'm not Justin Wedes & actually Detroit Water Brigade turned out to be a bit of a false flag created by Wedes.. The crisis was not a severe as he portrayed it to be. He had a personal vision of creating Occupy Sandy style Hubs in Detroit that he would be the lead stakeholder of.

He had three up & running before locals realized he was fundraising & soliciting unneeded donations.

So you know- He was eventually exiled for the exact kind of solo organizing you are suggesting using a Group's branding he didn't have consent or consensus from.

I'm actually based in NYC & work with NYC Lite Brigade when they need a hand.. Never worked with DWB & like most of #OWS have distanced myself from Wedes, Grim, Tunney & Micah White due to their weird interpretations of how we organize as a community and habit of soliciting donations for personal expenses.

The projects I'm involved with (like the rest of the #OWS projects still running) shed the Occupy branding to avoid the targeted harassment you've experienced.

Occupy is very much in the public consciousness.

You can see some of our work via the hashtags #OpSafeWinter, #ShutItDown, #SpectraPipeline, #TPP, #BlackLivesMatter, #MAM, #FightFor15 just to list a few off the top of my head..

Occupy is a movement of movements & groups made up of individuals.

3 people supporting + one front line visionary does not a Nat Gat make...

I'd like to suggest folks take a look at Tidal Magazine to understand where the movement is at. It's always been the intellectual heart of the movement & where we as a community coordinate our next steps.

http://tidalmag.org/

There's a reason we don't Occupy Wall Street anymore.

So I stand by my block.

Not a good idea having one person create another California based Nat Gat in this manner wo any consensus building going on.

Our movement is bigger than the 6 people having this convo on Loomio.

I cannot comment on DWB—I do not shed the Occupy brand and resent folks who do; I think Occupy Sandy showed how we can present Occupy in a manner that weakens the pushback. However, I was wondering about how to get a larger discussion of this going; there does seem to be good energy and some organizing already happening in Southern California, and the “NatGat Organizing Group” disbanded after the closing of the 2014 Gathering, so how do we broaden this discussion? How do we start to build the consensus to make this a valid NATIONAL, rather than REGIONAL, event?

In my view, the time put into organizing last year was valuable in that we had people from the east, south, north and west and overseas. It wasn't large but it was national and even international. Occupying the Rose Bowl is a great photo op and action and place to have an Occupy Gathering, but it's not going to a Nat Gat.

This group could be useful. I think we could compose a great solidarity statement and conduct outreach and, if possible, show up.

Thank-you to all of you for your input. i hear and understand what each of you is saying. And i am very upset with the whole "i started Occupy Wall Street' group. They may have "started" OWS, but clearly they have no follow through, because the best way to fight the Wall Street Banks, at this point, is the word "OCCUPY." As long as we, even symbolically, "Occupy Wall Street," the 1% cannot hide. In my opinion, keeping the words "Occupy Wall Street" alive is our very best peaceful, non-violent tool to fight the banksters.

Again, there have been MANY of us talking about a National Gathering in Southern California for almost a year and a half, it's not just me. i am just "the one on Loomio." Many people just don't want to deal with what they feel was a corrupted process from the start. There is so much drama, and that might be funny coming from me, but i am just a mirror. Coming here to Loomio made my hands shake, because i was psychologically attacked by an insidiously pervasive person during the organizing of the last one, and i know i over-reacted setting up a WALL against this person at the start - NOT YOU, Justin, and i'm sorry i thought you were the other Justin. Are you "Justin from Info?" :)

A potential NatGat in San Diego that was proposed by other OSD people at the first NatGat in Philly was struck down by Occupy San Diego. i was one of the ones who blocked that gathering, because it was to be held on 12-12-12 at the USA/Mexico border in conjunction with Occupy Tijuana and during a time when families are coming back and forth for the holidays to be with their families. i blocked a NatGat in my home town, because i felt it would endanger the families during their holidays, and i did not want to bring a high profile event to increase security and possibly cause problem for these people who need to go back and forth over the border. We are 25 miles from the International Border here, and many of our jointly planned international actions got sabotaged. That is another reason i waited until the last minute to propose this. It seems the longer ahead we plan, the more drama. i was trying to spare the group but i am obviously not very good at it. i am too emotional. :(

FYI: We are setting up a major occupation here. If all goes as planned, we hope it will create a domino effect throughout the country.Please remember this, when and if you hear about what we do. i apologize for the Security Culture here, but i was hoping that we could have a NatGat here, also, because we are planning this major move. We need more Occupiers to "hold down the fort," ... hopefully we can find them somewhere else, then.

i love you all, so much, even if you don't like me, you are my greatest teachers. i did not mean to appear to be acting alone - "the LONE NatGat Organizer Hypothesis - but many fear coming forward. Do you blame them?

It was just an idea. And ideas are bullet proof. It seems silly that 6 people could decide that a whole nation of people cannot come to create a NatGat here. i wonder what would have happened if OWS asked for permission first? At the heart of our documents, it says that we came together as INDIVIDUALS, in Solidarity. i am still in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, so i wonder Justin, if you say, "we no longer Occupy Wall Street," are you still a part of this group? If you no longer believe in what we are doing, why do you object?

Much LOVE, ONE LOVE, and i'll see those of you who can come at the Occupy the Rose Parade on January 1.

Donna can you help draft a Solidarity Statement & Call to Action we move through the consensus process on here so we can as a group lend our support and shake the Occupy network into heading to the Jan actions in & around the Rose Parade.

Yes I am Justin from Info.

Just slightly defensive about the often made confusion between we & Wedes.

<3 Justin

Thank-you Justin from Info. i do not care to draft a proposal, and would defer that to someone with more experience drafting Occupy documents.

i understand your defensiveness. ComPLETEly. Keep on truckin, Justin ... you do what you do.

Solidarity means that you stand with whatever from where ever you are located. i will always be in Solidarity with the message of Occupy Wall Street. i personally believe that keeping a focus on Wall Street is of utmost importance to our multitudinous causes. We all have our own ideas and driving forces. i am an Occupier of Wall Street. Just so you all know. i will stay here at the core of our mutual experience, and hold a root to our connection deep in my heart. We are all creating massive energy right now, as the System implodes. Good Activism to all of you, and again, always, much love ... especially to the haters. (Not YOU, Justin from Info) :D

There is no defensiveness actually, that I think is a little projection on your part.

Just trying to share established proven effective community tools & practices..

You already have the makings of a great solidarity statement and to be honest as it is something you are very passionate about you are best suited to help with the first draft.

If you start a Solidarity Statement proposal here I'd be more than happy to help refine into a shape Occupiers of all types will embrace & pass on to their communities.

Here are a couple examples I moved through the consensus process back when we still held GAs.

Tsampa Revolution Solidarity Statement: http://www.nycga.net/2012/03/proposal-for-tsampa-revolution-non-violent-solidarity-statement/

#TrinitySleeps Encampment Solidarity Statement: http://www.nycga.net/2012/07/occupy-union-square-encampment-trinity-sleeps-solidarity-statement/

<3 Justin "Not Wedes" Stone-Diaz