Occupy Charlotte Facebook
Saturday, March 31st — March, Rally, and General Assembly
Meet at 12pm on The People’s Lawn (600 E Trade St) to march with members of Occupy Charlotte to the Duke Energy building where we will join activists from other organizations for a rally and press conference. After this event, please return with us to The People’s Lawn for the Occupy Charlotte General Assembly.
Greenpeace, the organizer of the Duke event named “Occupy Duke,” says this: “We will be having a rally and press conference to call on Duke Energy to quit coal and supply NC with clean, affordable and safe energy now! Speakers representing different interests including environmental, public health and economic justice will call out Duke Energy for their dirty rate hike and demand more for NC.
Speakers include:
Rev Kojo Nantambu, Charlotte NAACP
Hector Vaca, Action NC
June Blotnick, Clean Air Carolina
Monica Embrey, Greenpeace NC
Craig Glisson, Occupy Charlotte
Ken Davies, Green Party – Charlotte Chapter
Saturday, March 31st
1pm: Rally!
2pm: Press Conference
Duke Energy Headquarters (550 S Tryon, Charlotte, NC 28202)
Showing posts with label economic justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economic justice. Show all posts
Oppose Transit Fare Hikes, Occupy Government Center Plaza
Occupy Charlotte Press Release, March 26, 2012
The Occupation of Government Center Plaza
The Occupation of Government Center Plaza
Members of Occupy Charlotte will be bringing attention to the Public Hearing on transit fare increases by Occupying Government Center Plaza on Wednesday, March 28th beginning at 6am.
Occupy Charlotte, which is part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, is a community group fighting for political and economic justice at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Public transit should be fully funded. But raising fares for riders is not the answer. CATS expects a 3% drop in ridership if fares are increased, which will lead to more traffic congestion and carbon emissions in Charlotte, a city which already has the 10th worst air quality in the United States. As part of our Occupation of Government Center Plaza, Occupy Charlotte members will host a discussion at 4:30pm to talk about alternatives to raising fares. We will also be encouraging community members to speak at the Public Hearing at 5:30pm.
Please join us anytime Wednesday, March 28th at Government Center Plaza (600 E. 4th St.)
For more information, please see our website: www.OccupyClt.net
Media contact for this event: Scottie Wingfield, 484-941-4722
April 14: Protest DNC - National Organizing Meeting in Charlotte
National Organizing Meeting of the Coalition to Protest at the DNC
Saturday, April 14 @ 9am
Charlotte School of Law
(2145 Suttle Avenue, Charlotte, NC)
On April 14, the Coalition to Protest at the DNC will be holding a national organizing meeting in Charlotte, NC.
This will be an opportunity for organizations from across the country to come together to discuss what struggles will be bringing them to the streets of Charlotte in September, to discuss what kinds of action we want to organize in the build up to and during the convention, and how to plug in more to the work to build for the demonstrations.
We’ll also be joined by organizers from the Coalition to March on the RNC in Tampa, FL who will be sharing plans and preparations for protests when the Republicans meet there one week prior to the DNC.
Even if you or your organization is not yet a part of the Coalition to Protest at the DNC, we invite you to come out to this meeting to learn more and find out how you can get involved.
For more information, please send us an email at info@protestdnc.org, find the event on Facebook.
Join the Coalition To Protest At The DNC
Nov. 17: Occupy Charlotte March on Bank Of America HQ
In solidarity with Occupy Wall Street's call for a Day of Action to close down Wall Street we will march to Bank of America.
Thurs., Nov. 17
5:00 pm
Meet at Occupy Charlotte encampment
5:00 pm
Meet at Occupy Charlotte encampment
600 E. Trade St
March to Bank Of America
100 N. Tryon St
Charlotte NC
Occupy Charlotte General Assembly meetings daily
Daily
Occupy Charlotte General Assembly
lawn of Old City Hall
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
NEW TIMES:
Sunday - Friday 7:00 pm
M/W/F 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Saturday - 3:00 pm
Click here for more Occupy Charlotte events
Join the Occupy Charlotte movement and get involved!
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Occupy Charlotte General Assembly
lawn of Old City Hall
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
NEW TIMES:
Sunday - Friday 7:00 pm
M/W/F 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Saturday - 3:00 pm
Click here for more Occupy Charlotte events
Join the Occupy Charlotte movement and get involved!
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Every Saturday: Occupy Charlotte Rally & Protest March followed by General Assembly
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Occupy Charlotte Rally & Protest March
followed by General Assembly
3:00pm
Old City Hall lawn
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
Some chants from the Oct. 15 Occupy Charlotte march:
WE are the 99%!
YOU are the 99%!
The banks got bailed out - we got SOLD OUT!
How do we fix the deficit?
End the Wars & Tax The Rich!
This is what democracy looks like!
The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Join us at Occupy Charlotte & get involved!
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Occupy Charlotte Rally & Protest March
followed by General Assembly
3:00pm
Old City Hall lawn
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
Some chants from the Oct. 15 Occupy Charlotte march:
WE are the 99%!
YOU are the 99%!
The banks got bailed out - we got SOLD OUT!
How do we fix the deficit?
End the Wars & Tax The Rich!
This is what democracy looks like!
The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Join us at Occupy Charlotte & get involved!
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Community Rally "No to UNJUST evictions! REOCCUPY OUR HOMES!"
No to UNJUST evictions!
October 31, 2011
Stonewall Jackson Homes
5751 Airport Rd
Charlotte, NC 28208
In June 2011, the company TriTex bought the Stonewall Jackson Homes Community. Now they are trying to evict us all, to sell the property. At the same time, when they bought the property, they stopped giving tenants 12 month leases. If they knew at this time that they were going to sell the community, why didn’t they let us know? They waited until the beginning of October to tell us we had 30 days to leave. Included in this mass evictions are families with leases that have not expired. This is a violation of the law. Now they are kicking everyone out with no options on where to go. This is a violation of our human rights! REOCCUPY OUR HOMES!
Enough with the attacks on poor families!
Enough with the attacks against immigrant families!
Let us say NO to the abuses & YES to our dignity!
Let us say NO to the abuses & YES to our children!
They will not evict my family nor my neighbors’ families!
UPDATE: We've decided to cancel the protest. The tenants will be able to stay. Thanks to everyone who put in hard work to help these renters. Thanks to everyone who supports them. Thank you Creative Loafing for such a great article. This definitely helped.
In 2 weeks, we will hold a party to celebrate this great victory and to acknowledge the hard work that these tenants put in and their development as great leaders for their community.
For more information:
704.244.1100
October 31, 2011
Stonewall Jackson Homes
5751 Airport Rd
Charlotte, NC 28208
In June 2011, the company TriTex bought the Stonewall Jackson Homes Community. Now they are trying to evict us all, to sell the property. At the same time, when they bought the property, they stopped giving tenants 12 month leases. If they knew at this time that they were going to sell the community, why didn’t they let us know? They waited until the beginning of October to tell us we had 30 days to leave. Included in this mass evictions are families with leases that have not expired. This is a violation of the law. Now they are kicking everyone out with no options on where to go. This is a violation of our human rights! REOCCUPY OUR HOMES!
Enough with the attacks on poor families!
Enough with the attacks against immigrant families!
Let us say NO to the abuses & YES to our dignity!
Let us say NO to the abuses & YES to our children!
They will not evict my family nor my neighbors’ families!
UPDATE: We've decided to cancel the protest. The tenants will be able to stay. Thanks to everyone who put in hard work to help these renters. Thanks to everyone who supports them. Thank you Creative Loafing for such a great article. This definitely helped.
In 2 weeks, we will hold a party to celebrate this great victory and to acknowledge the hard work that these tenants put in and their development as great leaders for their community.
For more information:
704.244.1100
#OWS VICTORY: The people have prevailed, gear up for global day of action
Posted Oct. 14, 2011, 8:51 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
People power triumphs over Wall Street’s bid to end the protests mayor bloomberg and Brookfield Inc. back down on eviction world prepares for day of action Saturday October 15 in 950+ cities in 82 countries. We Are Winning!
NEW YORK, NY – Over 3,000 people gathered at Liberty Plaza in the pre-dawn hours this morning to defend the peaceful Occupation near Wall Street. The crowd cheered at the news that multinational real estate firm Brookfield Properties will postpone its so-called “cleanup” of the park and that Mayor Bloomberg has told the NYPD to stand down on orders to remove protesters. On the eve of the October 15 global day of action against Wall Street greed, this development has emboldened the movement and sent a clear message that the power of the people has prevailed against Wall Street.
“We are winning and Wall Street is afraid,” said Kira Moyer-Sims, a protester from Portland, Oregon. “This movement is gaining momentum and is too big to fail.”
“Brookfield Properties is the 1%. They have invested $24 billion in mortgage-backed securities, so as millions face foreclosure and eviction due to predatory lending and the burst of the housing bubble that Wall Street created, its not surprising they threatened to evict Occupy Wall Street,” said Patrick Burner, an organizer with Occupy Wall Street from the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. “But Brookfield and Bloomberg have backed down and our movement is only growing as the 99% take to the streets world wide to call for economic justice.”
The early morning announcement from the Mayor’s office in New York came after 300,000+ Americans signed petitions to stop the eviction, and flooded the 311 phone network in solidarity with those in Liberty Square. At 6 AM this morning, 3,000+ New Yorkers, unions, students, and others joined the occupiers in the square to send a clear message to the 1% who want to silence this peaceful assembly of the 99%. Donations poured into the protesters from Italy, England, Mexico and many other countries by everyday people hoping to help the movement grow.
“For too long the 99% have been ignored as our economic system has collapsed. The banks got bailouts and we’ve been sold out, ” said Harrison Schultz, business analyst from Brooklyn . “Wall Street’s greed has corrupted our country and is killing our planet. But today we celebrate victory and vow to keep fighting for justice and change on Wall Street, and in over 100 cities in the US and over 950 cities globally.”
On October 15th, Occupy Wall Street will demonstrate in concert over 951 cities in 82 countries and counting as people around the globe protest in an international day of solidarity against the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Occupy Wall Street is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations on the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy and are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality.
People power triumphs over Wall Street’s bid to end the protests mayor bloomberg and Brookfield Inc. back down on eviction world prepares for day of action Saturday October 15 in 950+ cities in 82 countries. We Are Winning!
NEW YORK, NY – Over 3,000 people gathered at Liberty Plaza in the pre-dawn hours this morning to defend the peaceful Occupation near Wall Street. The crowd cheered at the news that multinational real estate firm Brookfield Properties will postpone its so-called “cleanup” of the park and that Mayor Bloomberg has told the NYPD to stand down on orders to remove protesters. On the eve of the October 15 global day of action against Wall Street greed, this development has emboldened the movement and sent a clear message that the power of the people has prevailed against Wall Street.
“We are winning and Wall Street is afraid,” said Kira Moyer-Sims, a protester from Portland, Oregon. “This movement is gaining momentum and is too big to fail.”
“Brookfield Properties is the 1%. They have invested $24 billion in mortgage-backed securities, so as millions face foreclosure and eviction due to predatory lending and the burst of the housing bubble that Wall Street created, its not surprising they threatened to evict Occupy Wall Street,” said Patrick Burner, an organizer with Occupy Wall Street from the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. “But Brookfield and Bloomberg have backed down and our movement is only growing as the 99% take to the streets world wide to call for economic justice.”
The early morning announcement from the Mayor’s office in New York came after 300,000+ Americans signed petitions to stop the eviction, and flooded the 311 phone network in solidarity with those in Liberty Square. At 6 AM this morning, 3,000+ New Yorkers, unions, students, and others joined the occupiers in the square to send a clear message to the 1% who want to silence this peaceful assembly of the 99%. Donations poured into the protesters from Italy, England, Mexico and many other countries by everyday people hoping to help the movement grow.
“For too long the 99% have been ignored as our economic system has collapsed. The banks got bailouts and we’ve been sold out, ” said Harrison Schultz, business analyst from Brooklyn . “Wall Street’s greed has corrupted our country and is killing our planet. But today we celebrate victory and vow to keep fighting for justice and change on Wall Street, and in over 100 cities in the US and over 950 cities globally.”
On October 15th, Occupy Wall Street will demonstrate in concert over 951 cities in 82 countries and counting as people around the globe protest in an international day of solidarity against the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Occupy Wall Street is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations on the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy and are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality.
October 15th Call to Action
Posted Oct. 14, 2011, 1:07 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system - neoliberalism - that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. Neoliberalism is worldwide - it is the reason you no longer have a job, it is the reason you cannot afford healthcare, education, food, your mortgage.
Neoliberalism is your future stolen.
Neoliberalism is everywhere, gutting labor standards, living wages, social contracts, and environmental protections. It is "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It is a system that ravages the global south and creates global financial crisis - crisis in Spain, in Greece, in the United States. It is a system built on greed and thrives on destablizing shocks.
It allows the 1% to enrich themselves by impoverishing humanity.
This has to stop!
We must usher in an era of democratic and economic justice.
We must change, we must evolve.
On October 15th the world will rise up as one and say, "We have had enough! We are a new beginning, a global fight on on all fronts that will usher in an era of shared prosperity, respect, mutual aid, and dignity."
Actions in NYC
October 15th: Occupy Banks from Mary Matthews on Vimeo.
Actions worldwide
Take The Square
Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system - neoliberalism - that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. Neoliberalism is worldwide - it is the reason you no longer have a job, it is the reason you cannot afford healthcare, education, food, your mortgage.
Neoliberalism is your future stolen.
Neoliberalism is everywhere, gutting labor standards, living wages, social contracts, and environmental protections. It is "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It is a system that ravages the global south and creates global financial crisis - crisis in Spain, in Greece, in the United States. It is a system built on greed and thrives on destablizing shocks.
It allows the 1% to enrich themselves by impoverishing humanity.
This has to stop!
We must usher in an era of democratic and economic justice.
We must change, we must evolve.
On October 15th the world will rise up as one and say, "We have had enough! We are a new beginning, a global fight on on all fronts that will usher in an era of shared prosperity, respect, mutual aid, and dignity."
Actions in NYC
October 15th: Occupy Banks from Mary Matthews on Vimeo.
Actions worldwide
Take The Square
EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: Prevent the forcible closure of Occupy Wall Street!
Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:14 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
EMERGENCY #OWS EVICTION DEFENSE:
Prevent the forcible closure of Occupy Wall Street
Tell Bloomberg: Don't Foreclose the Occupation.
NEED MASS TURN-OUT, SHOW UP NO LATER THAN 6 A.M.
This is an emergency situation. Please take a minute to read this, and please take action and spread the word far and wide.
Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum, with occupation actions now happening in cities across the world.
But last night Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD notified Occupy Wall Street participants about plans to “clean the park”—the site of the Wall Street protests—tomorrow starting at 7am. "Cleaning" was used as a pretext to shut down “Bloombergville” a few months back, and to shut down peaceful occupations elsewhere.
Bloomberg says that the park will be open for public usage following the cleaning, but with a notable caveat: Occupy Wall Street participants must follow the “rules”.
NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that they will move in to clear us and we will not be allowed to take sleeping bags, tarps, personal items or gear back into the park.
This is it—this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION
1) Call 311 (or +1 (212) NEW-YORK if you're out of town) and tell Bloomberg to support our right to assemble and to not interfere with #OWS.
2) Come to #OWS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT to defend the occupation from eviction.
For those of you who plan to help us hold our ground—which we hope will be all of you—make sure you understand the possible consequences. Be prepared to not get much sleep. Be prepared for possible arrest. Make sure your items are together and ready to go (or already out of the park.) We are pursuing all possible strategies; this is a message of solidarity.
Click here to learn nonviolent tactics for holding ground.
Occupy Wall Street is committed to keeping the park clean and safe—we even have a Sanitation Working Group whose purpose this is. We are organizing major cleaning operations today and will do so regularly.
If Bloomberg truly cares about sanitation here he should support the installation of portopans and dumpsters. #OWS allies have been working to secure these things to support our efforts.
We know where the real dirt is: on Wall Street. Billionaire Bloomberg is beholden to bankers.
We won't allow Bloomberg and the NYPD to foreclose our occupation. This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic.
Occupy Wall St
EMERGENCY #OWS EVICTION DEFENSE:
Prevent the forcible closure of Occupy Wall Street
Tell Bloomberg: Don't Foreclose the Occupation.
NEED MASS TURN-OUT, SHOW UP NO LATER THAN 6 A.M.
This is an emergency situation. Please take a minute to read this, and please take action and spread the word far and wide.
Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum, with occupation actions now happening in cities across the world.
But last night Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD notified Occupy Wall Street participants about plans to “clean the park”—the site of the Wall Street protests—tomorrow starting at 7am. "Cleaning" was used as a pretext to shut down “Bloombergville” a few months back, and to shut down peaceful occupations elsewhere.
Bloomberg says that the park will be open for public usage following the cleaning, but with a notable caveat: Occupy Wall Street participants must follow the “rules”.
NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that they will move in to clear us and we will not be allowed to take sleeping bags, tarps, personal items or gear back into the park.
This is it—this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION
1) Call 311 (or +1 (212) NEW-YORK if you're out of town) and tell Bloomberg to support our right to assemble and to not interfere with #OWS.
2) Come to #OWS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT to defend the occupation from eviction.
For those of you who plan to help us hold our ground—which we hope will be all of you—make sure you understand the possible consequences. Be prepared to not get much sleep. Be prepared for possible arrest. Make sure your items are together and ready to go (or already out of the park.) We are pursuing all possible strategies; this is a message of solidarity.
Click here to learn nonviolent tactics for holding ground.
Occupy Wall Street is committed to keeping the park clean and safe—we even have a Sanitation Working Group whose purpose this is. We are organizing major cleaning operations today and will do so regularly.
If Bloomberg truly cares about sanitation here he should support the installation of portopans and dumpsters. #OWS allies have been working to secure these things to support our efforts.
We know where the real dirt is: on Wall Street. Billionaire Bloomberg is beholden to bankers.
We won't allow Bloomberg and the NYPD to foreclose our occupation. This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic.
Occupy Wall St
Oct. 15: Protest for Jobs, Housing, Education & Healthcare Not Corporate Bail Outs, Cut Backs, & Wars!
National Day of Coordinated Actions
On the 10th Anniversary of the U.S. war on Afghanistan:
Protest for Jobs, Housing, Education & Healthcare
Not Corporate Bail Outs, Cut Backs, & Wars!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Noon Gather at Charlotte Board Of Education
701 E Martin Luther King Blvd, Charlotte, NC
(next to Marshall Park)
March on Bank Of America
When the U.S. government began its attack on Afghanistan 10 years ago, President Bush called it a “war on terror.” It was followed by 8 years of U.S. war in Iraq and now war in Libya and drone wars on Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan under President Obama. These are all wars for oil, resources and markets in the interests of corporate power.
At the same time, the U.S. government is carrying out attacks on working people within the U.S., cutting back on health care, education and vital services while bailing out the Wall St. banks and insurance companies. Every time people call for money for social services, we are told there is no money, but the government always finds money for its wars & corporate bail outs.
Join us in a march to demand an end to U.S. wars in Afghanistan & Iraq, an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, and an end to U.S. bombing and destruction in Libya and an end to the growing repression at home.
We will protest home foreclosures, corporate greed, and the billions spent on war that could be used for peoples' needs here at home instead. Each U.S. cruise missile being used to bomb Libya could pay ten teachers for a year here in the United States.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have the cost the U.S. more than $3.7 trillion according to the Cost Of War report issued by Watson Institute for International Studies.
In addition, over 5,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands wounded. It is estimated that over 1,000,000 Iraqi civilans and at least 10,000, but possibly up to 30,000, Afghan civilians have been killed as a results of the wars.
We will gather at noon at the Charlotte Board Of Education and rally to save our public schools and teachers.
From there we will march through uptown to the square and rally in front of Bank Of America. This will be followed by a march to join our sisters and brothers at the Occupy Charlotte protest encampment (similar to the action planned for NYC).
This is a day of nationally coordinated antiwar actions in cities across the U.S. called by the United National Antiwar Coalition. Protests are scheduled across the country including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte, NC, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Sacramento, CA.
This will be a peaceful, nonviolent protest and it is legal and all necessary permits have been obtained. Bring signs, friends and family.
For more information on the Charlotte protest
see the International Action Center of Charlotte's website at
http://www.charlotteaction.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113705242071600
On the 10th Anniversary of the U.S. war on Afghanistan:
Protest for Jobs, Housing, Education & Healthcare
Not Corporate Bail Outs, Cut Backs, & Wars!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Noon Gather at Charlotte Board Of Education
701 E Martin Luther King Blvd, Charlotte, NC
(next to Marshall Park)
March on Bank Of America
When the U.S. government began its attack on Afghanistan 10 years ago, President Bush called it a “war on terror.” It was followed by 8 years of U.S. war in Iraq and now war in Libya and drone wars on Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan under President Obama. These are all wars for oil, resources and markets in the interests of corporate power.
At the same time, the U.S. government is carrying out attacks on working people within the U.S., cutting back on health care, education and vital services while bailing out the Wall St. banks and insurance companies. Every time people call for money for social services, we are told there is no money, but the government always finds money for its wars & corporate bail outs.
Join us in a march to demand an end to U.S. wars in Afghanistan & Iraq, an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, and an end to U.S. bombing and destruction in Libya and an end to the growing repression at home.
We will protest home foreclosures, corporate greed, and the billions spent on war that could be used for peoples' needs here at home instead. Each U.S. cruise missile being used to bomb Libya could pay ten teachers for a year here in the United States.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have the cost the U.S. more than $3.7 trillion according to the Cost Of War report issued by Watson Institute for International Studies.
In addition, over 5,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands wounded. It is estimated that over 1,000,000 Iraqi civilans and at least 10,000, but possibly up to 30,000, Afghan civilians have been killed as a results of the wars.
We will gather at noon at the Charlotte Board Of Education and rally to save our public schools and teachers.
From there we will march through uptown to the square and rally in front of Bank Of America. This will be followed by a march to join our sisters and brothers at the Occupy Charlotte protest encampment (similar to the action planned for NYC).
This is a day of nationally coordinated antiwar actions in cities across the U.S. called by the United National Antiwar Coalition. Protests are scheduled across the country including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte, NC, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Sacramento, CA.
This will be a peaceful, nonviolent protest and it is legal and all necessary permits have been obtained. Bring signs, friends and family.
For more information on the Charlotte protest
see the International Action Center of Charlotte's website at
http://www.charlotteaction.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113705242071600
Over 500 join Occupy Charlotte Oct. 8 March on Bank of America HQ
On Saturday, October 8, over 500 people of all ages and races joined together at Old City Hall and marched on Bank of America's HQ in uptown Charlotte, NC. The group Occupy Charlotte, part of the nationwide Occupy Wall St Movement, protested and spoke out against corporate greed.
Participants then marched back to Old City Hall for a General Assembly to form working groups and begin setting up the permanent Occupy Charlotte encampment.
Another Assembly of occupation participants was held at 7:00 pm where the working groups gave reports.
About three dozen protesters stayed at the encampment overnight and plan to stay as long as it takes to achieve economic justice. They have vowed to stay for at least a year and will be a major presence during the Democratic National Convention.
Press Reports, Video & Photos:
Protesters set up 'tent city,' start weighing options for what's next
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/09/2677860/protesters-set-up-tent-city-plan.html
Protesters gather for 'Occupy Charlotte'
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/09/2676392/protesters-gather-for-occupy-charlotte.html
"Occupy Charlotte" protestors plan march to city council meeting
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/29428409/detail.html
"Occupy Charlotte" protests Bank of America
http://www.wcnc.com/news/131404033.html
WCNC Photo Gallery
http://www.wcnc.com/news/131404033.html?gallery=y&c=y
Occupy Charlotte Protesters March in Uptown (video)
http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/local/Occupy-Charlotte-Protesters-March-in-Uptown-131401468.html
Several hundred people "Occupy Charlotte" uptown Saturday (w/ videos)
http://www.wbtv.com/story/15616216/occupy-charlotte-plans-bofa-protest
Spreading protests reach in No. 2 US banking city
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/49645--spreading-protests-reach-in-no-2-us-banking-city
Protests Emerge Around the U.S.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203476804576619440086145216.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
-----------------------
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Oct. 15: Occupy Charlotte General Assembly Meeting
Occupy Charlotte General Assembly Meeting
Sat., October 15, 2011
3:00 PM
Old City Hall lawn
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Sat., October 15, 2011
3:00 PM
Old City Hall lawn
600 E. Trade St.
Charlotte, NC
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Oct. 11: Duke Energy Public Hearing on Rate Increase
Charlotte: Oct. 11, 2011, at 7 p.m.,
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,
Francis Auditorium, 310 N. Tryon St.
More info:
Duke Energy looks to justify rate increase to public, utility commission
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,
Francis Auditorium, 310 N. Tryon St.
More info:
Duke Energy looks to justify rate increase to public, utility commission
Oct. 10: Picket Rep. Sue Myrick to Save Postal Workers Jobs
What: Picket Congresswoman Sue Myrick
When: Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm.
Where: Sue Myrick's district offices, (6525 Morrison Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28211)
Who: Charlotte-area postal employees, AFL-CIO, and progressive allies
Why: While Sue Myrick frets about deficits and protecting herself and her big-money backers in the 1% from having to pay their fair share, the other 99% of us are tired of waiting for her to focus on what matters. We have a JOBS CRISIS, and Sue Myrick needs to get to work putting Americans back to work.
Contact: Tim Rorie, NALC, 704-905-9406
Note: Some signs will be provided. Bring your Save America's Postal Service signs, too.
RSVP: http://bit.ly/AWTWcharlotte
When: Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm.
Where: Sue Myrick's district offices, (6525 Morrison Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28211)
Who: Charlotte-area postal employees, AFL-CIO, and progressive allies
Why: While Sue Myrick frets about deficits and protecting herself and her big-money backers in the 1% from having to pay their fair share, the other 99% of us are tired of waiting for her to focus on what matters. We have a JOBS CRISIS, and Sue Myrick needs to get to work putting Americans back to work.
Contact: Tim Rorie, NALC, 704-905-9406
Note: Some signs will be provided. Bring your Save America's Postal Service signs, too.
RSVP: http://bit.ly/AWTWcharlotte
Oct. 8: Today is the Day! Occupy Charlotte, Old City Hall @ 3pm
Today is the Day! Occupy Charlotte, Old City Hall @ 3pm
600 E. Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Saturday, October 8, 2011
FaceBook Event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.
Today at 3:00pm
Gather at 600 E.Trade Street and OCCUPY!
Get your small tents, sleeping bags, food, signs, camera, courage etc. ready and let's set up camp :3
IMPORTANT: Take these numbers with you! Do it.
National Lawyers Guild: (888) 654 - 3265
North Carolina National Lawyers Guild: (919) 967 1967
BATHROOM/NECESSITIES INFO:
Many public restaurants/bars/businesses are available for bathroom/food/drinks. Also there are grocery stores in the near area: Follow Trade St. east towards Kings Dr, make a right, the shopping strip will be on your right.
PARKING/TRANSPORTATION INFO:
Some free parking is available around Marshall Park, but very limited. If you get there early enough, you may be able to park for free. Also see time restraints at the said parking place.
If you are local, you can take the Lynx: http://www.charmeck.org/city/
or you can take the bus:
http://www.charmeck.org/city/
ALSO PARKING GARAGES:
Central Parking System
700 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC
Central Parking System
531 West 4th Street, Charlotte, NC
E-Z Parking
312 W Trade St # 301, Charlotte, NC
Standard Parking
227 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC
Stephanie Parking
123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC
If these do not suffice, or fail, you can always use: http://maps.google.com/ to find information on parking and the surrounding area :)
!-----------------------------
If you are not able to attend, please support us by donating food, water, medical/hygiene stuff and clean clothes!
------------------------------
Also, please lurk:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
http://www.facebook.com/occupy
------------------------------
Who: The 99% in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street
When: 3PM, Oct. 8th 2011
We are union members, students, teachers, veterans, families, the unemployed and underemployed. We are all races, sexes and creeds. We are the young and the old. We are the majority! We are the 99 percent. And we will no longer be silent.
As members of the 99 percent, we will occupy Trade Street, Charlotte NC (Banking district) as a symbolic gesture of our discontent with the current economic and political climate and as an example of a better world to come. Therefore we invite the public, our fellow 99 percent, to join us in this peaceful protest.
This is a call for individuals and families, community and advocacy groups to stand in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.
_______________
From OccupyCharlotte website:
In preparation for our gathering we would like to share some information. Since we are a leaderless peaceful gathering, you have the ultimate say. We can only help organize the day. While chaos is wonderful part of the creative process some people just can’t cope with it.
Our tentative schedule has changed a bit and probably will again and again since we all need to decide. Providing you with a tentative schedule will help a bit.
3pm Announcements General Assembly
3:30pm Safety and Twitter escorts
4pm March to Bank of America
5pm Volunteer Working Groups
5:30pm Open forum
Let’s not forget we are will be together regardless of our differences. Take care of each other! Also, remember we are practicing peace and we ask that there be no violence or destruction. Acquaint yourself with the guide to General Assembly.
Important Announcements!
Did you start a Occupation Charlotte Facebook page to help organize the protest against corporate America ? The planning committee would like you to join the internet committee. The community needs people who are driven and motivated to help us. We want everyone in the process and are asking you to join the team ! Please contact us http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Charlotte/180107322067252
We need Twitter escorts , We have est…ablished twitter accounts to aid in the street protesting to avoid some of the incidents that happened in New York. If we can communicate we can take care of each other. A twitter escort will be linked by an twitter account so the group can communicate in mass. They will be responsible for maintaining safe passage at pedestrians cross walks and relaying information to the protesters as information develops. If you would like to volunteer please bring some comfortable shoes and sox and a cell phone that can access Twitter.
For more information and to stay informed visit:
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
600 E. Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Saturday, October 8, 2011
FaceBook Event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.
Today at 3:00pm
Gather at 600 E.Trade Street and OCCUPY!
Get your small tents, sleeping bags, food, signs, camera, courage etc. ready and let's set up camp :3
IMPORTANT: Take these numbers with you! Do it.
National Lawyers Guild: (888) 654 - 3265
North Carolina National Lawyers Guild: (919) 967 1967
BATHROOM/NECESSITIES INFO:
Many public restaurants/bars/businesses are available for bathroom/food/drinks. Also there are grocery stores in the near area: Follow Trade St. east towards Kings Dr, make a right, the shopping strip will be on your right.
PARKING/TRANSPORTATION INFO:
Some free parking is available around Marshall Park, but very limited. If you get there early enough, you may be able to park for free. Also see time restraints at the said parking place.
If you are local, you can take the Lynx: http://www.charmeck.org/city/
or you can take the bus:
http://www.charmeck.org/city/
ALSO PARKING GARAGES:
Central Parking System
700 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC
Central Parking System
531 West 4th Street, Charlotte, NC
E-Z Parking
312 W Trade St # 301, Charlotte, NC
Standard Parking
227 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC
Stephanie Parking
123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC
If these do not suffice, or fail, you can always use: http://maps.google.com/ to find information on parking and the surrounding area :)
!-----------------------------
If you are not able to attend, please support us by donating food, water, medical/hygiene stuff and clean clothes!
------------------------------
Also, please lurk:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
http://www.facebook.com/occupy
------------------------------
Who: The 99% in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street
When: 3PM, Oct. 8th 2011
We are union members, students, teachers, veterans, families, the unemployed and underemployed. We are all races, sexes and creeds. We are the young and the old. We are the majority! We are the 99 percent. And we will no longer be silent.
As members of the 99 percent, we will occupy Trade Street, Charlotte NC (Banking district) as a symbolic gesture of our discontent with the current economic and political climate and as an example of a better world to come. Therefore we invite the public, our fellow 99 percent, to join us in this peaceful protest.
This is a call for individuals and families, community and advocacy groups to stand in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.
_______________
From OccupyCharlotte website:
In preparation for our gathering we would like to share some information. Since we are a leaderless peaceful gathering, you have the ultimate say. We can only help organize the day. While chaos is wonderful part of the creative process some people just can’t cope with it.
Our tentative schedule has changed a bit and probably will again and again since we all need to decide. Providing you with a tentative schedule will help a bit.
3pm Announcements General Assembly
3:30pm Safety and Twitter escorts
4pm March to Bank of America
5pm Volunteer Working Groups
5:30pm Open forum
Let’s not forget we are will be together regardless of our differences. Take care of each other! Also, remember we are practicing peace and we ask that there be no violence or destruction. Acquaint yourself with the guide to General Assembly.
Important Announcements!
Did you start a Occupation Charlotte Facebook page to help organize the protest against corporate America ? The planning committee would like you to join the internet committee. The community needs people who are driven and motivated to help us. We want everyone in the process and are asking you to join the team ! Please contact us http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Charlotte/180107322067252
We need Twitter escorts , We have est…ablished twitter accounts to aid in the street protesting to avoid some of the incidents that happened in New York. If we can communicate we can take care of each other. A twitter escort will be linked by an twitter account so the group can communicate in mass. They will be responsible for maintaining safe passage at pedestrians cross walks and relaying information to the protesters as information develops. If you would like to volunteer please bring some comfortable shoes and sox and a cell phone that can access Twitter.
For more information and to stay informed visit:
Occupy Charlotte Facebook page
Feb 26: Charlotte Protest for Workers & Against Corporate Tax Dodgers
"Since 2009, America’s most profitable companies such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Bank of America and Citigroup all paid a grand total of $0 in federal income taxes to Uncle Sam."
Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Peaceful Protest of Corporate Tax Evader Bank of America
Bank of America, 8551 US Highway 29 North, Charlotte, NC 28262
We pay our taxes. Why don’t they?
U.S. Uncut is a new progressive, people-powered advocacy organization whose aims include ensuring corporations pay their fair share of income tax on the revenue they make instead of hiding it offshore.
On February 26, demonstrations across the United States and the United Kingdom are taking place to bring awareness to the practices of these huge companies, including demonstrations at Bank of America, Target, Amazon, and Comcast:
You read that right. Charlotte-based Bank of America has paid ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH in federal income taxes since 2009, despite having received $45 billion in tax-payer supported income. Instead of paying taxes, BofA funneled its income to 115 separate offshore bank accounts while it lavished bank executives with bonuses.
Answer the call to Action in Charlotte on Saturday (2/26)
What: Peaceful Protest of Corporate Tax Evader Bank of America
When: Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Where: Bank of America, 8551 US Highway 29 North, Charlotte, NC 28262
We pay taxes on the money we make in our state and in our nation. That money pays for our common defense, paves our streets and highways, affords police, fire, and other emergency responders, protects our air and water from pollution, and pays our teachers and builds our schools to educate our children. Ask yourself:
* Why are these corporate tax dodgers not also paying their fair share?
* How many more public sector workers will lose their jobs because of our state and federal budget deficits?
* How much more should you have to pay so the rich can get richer?
Click here to RSVP for this event on Facebook.
Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Peaceful Protest of Corporate Tax Evader Bank of America
Bank of America, 8551 US Highway 29 North, Charlotte, NC 28262
We pay our taxes. Why don’t they?
U.S. Uncut is a new progressive, people-powered advocacy organization whose aims include ensuring corporations pay their fair share of income tax on the revenue they make instead of hiding it offshore.
On February 26, demonstrations across the United States and the United Kingdom are taking place to bring awareness to the practices of these huge companies, including demonstrations at Bank of America, Target, Amazon, and Comcast:
Enjoying record profits and taxpayer-funded bailouts as the economy slowly recovers from a financial crisis, nearly two-thirds of US corporations don’t pay any income taxes, instead opting to abuse tax loopholes and offshore tax havens. According to this study from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, 83 of the top 100 publicly traded corporations that operate in the US exploit corporate tax havens. Since 2009, America’s most profitable companies such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Bank of America and Citigroup all paid a grand total of $0 in federal income taxes to Uncle Sam. Tax havens alone account for up to $1 trillion in tax revenue lost every decade, money that could be invested in K-12 education, colleges, public health, job creation and hundreds of other worthy public programs.
You read that right. Charlotte-based Bank of America has paid ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH in federal income taxes since 2009, despite having received $45 billion in tax-payer supported income. Instead of paying taxes, BofA funneled its income to 115 separate offshore bank accounts while it lavished bank executives with bonuses.
Answer the call to Action in Charlotte on Saturday (2/26)
What: Peaceful Protest of Corporate Tax Evader Bank of America
When: Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Where: Bank of America, 8551 US Highway 29 North, Charlotte, NC 28262
We pay taxes on the money we make in our state and in our nation. That money pays for our common defense, paves our streets and highways, affords police, fire, and other emergency responders, protects our air and water from pollution, and pays our teachers and builds our schools to educate our children. Ask yourself:
* Why are these corporate tax dodgers not also paying their fair share?
* How many more public sector workers will lose their jobs because of our state and federal budget deficits?
* How much more should you have to pay so the rich can get richer?
Click here to RSVP for this event on Facebook.
5,000 march in downtown Detroit, urge rebuilding nation
BY NAOMI R. PATTON, Detroit Free Press, Aug. 29, 2010
Thousands of people in downtown Detroit made their way from Jefferson Avenue to Grand Circus Park in what was billed as a march to rebuild America for jobs, justice and peace.
On the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, the event brought out many of state's Democratic politicians -- many of whom were attending the party's convention at Cobo Center. The march and rally were organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the UAW.
Along the way, the march grew as convention goers and others joined in. Among the marchers were the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Bob King, UAW president; Detroit Mayor Dave Bing; U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D- Mich.; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; state Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and his running mate, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence.
Workers from the UAW, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Michigan Council 25, American Federation of Teachers and Detroit Public Schools filled Washington Boulevard and Grand Circus Park, advocating for jobs.
"We're not here to tear anybody down ... to divide anybody. ... We care about all the unemployed in America," King said.
He also asked the crowd to return for the city's annual Labor Day march next week and to vote in the November elections.
"We have to put Americans to work," he said.
"I care about jobs," said Tanya Ball, 44, who works at the Ford Wayne Assembly Plant. She attended the march with her sister, Betty Ball, 55. Both are Inkster residents.
"I just came in the spirit of what was happening to our people 47 years ago. ... There's hardly any change," Betty Ball said.
Tom Hopp, 52, of Lake Orion said he has always been a fan of Jackson and came to the march to support the call for jobs. He has worked for General Motors Lake Orion for 32 years.
"It's never a waste of a day coming out to an event like this," he said.
Though political speeches and slogans nearly dominated the day's event, it was Conyers who reminded the crowd of about 5,000 of the historic significance of the day. It was Martin Luther King's march down Woodward Avenue with then-UAW President Walter Reuther that served as the precursor to the March on Washington, during which King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
"We're celebrating jobs, foreclosure moratoriums, universal health care -- cheer for that," Conyers said.
"Today's march commemorates one of the most important days in our history," Bing said after the march. "Our greatest challenge is creating jobs, and that's something I will continue to fight to bring to Detroit."
Contact NAOMI R. PATTON: 313-223-4485 or npatton@freepress.com
Thousands of people in downtown Detroit made their way from Jefferson Avenue to Grand Circus Park in what was billed as a march to rebuild America for jobs, justice and peace.On the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, the event brought out many of state's Democratic politicians -- many of whom were attending the party's convention at Cobo Center. The march and rally were organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the UAW.
Along the way, the march grew as convention goers and others joined in. Among the marchers were the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Bob King, UAW president; Detroit Mayor Dave Bing; U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D- Mich.; U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; state Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and his running mate, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence.
Workers from the UAW, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Michigan Council 25, American Federation of Teachers and Detroit Public Schools filled Washington Boulevard and Grand Circus Park, advocating for jobs.
"We're not here to tear anybody down ... to divide anybody. ... We care about all the unemployed in America," King said.
He also asked the crowd to return for the city's annual Labor Day march next week and to vote in the November elections.
"We have to put Americans to work," he said.
"I care about jobs," said Tanya Ball, 44, who works at the Ford Wayne Assembly Plant. She attended the march with her sister, Betty Ball, 55. Both are Inkster residents.
"I just came in the spirit of what was happening to our people 47 years ago. ... There's hardly any change," Betty Ball said.
Tom Hopp, 52, of Lake Orion said he has always been a fan of Jackson and came to the march to support the call for jobs. He has worked for General Motors Lake Orion for 32 years.
"It's never a waste of a day coming out to an event like this," he said.
Though political speeches and slogans nearly dominated the day's event, it was Conyers who reminded the crowd of about 5,000 of the historic significance of the day. It was Martin Luther King's march down Woodward Avenue with then-UAW President Walter Reuther that served as the precursor to the March on Washington, during which King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
"We're celebrating jobs, foreclosure moratoriums, universal health care -- cheer for that," Conyers said.
"Today's march commemorates one of the most important days in our history," Bing said after the march. "Our greatest challenge is creating jobs, and that's something I will continue to fight to bring to Detroit."
Contact NAOMI R. PATTON: 313-223-4485 or npatton@freepress.com
Oct 2: National March for Jobs & Justice in Washington DC
One Nation Working Together Coalition
DEMAND THE CHANGE WE VOTED FOR
WE BELIEVE everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education. ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all.
March with us in Washington, DC on 10-2-10 to create millions of good jobs, repair our immigration system, and reform Wall Street! Your voice is essential to demanding the change we voted for.
Sign up & get more info at http://onenationworkingtogether.org
The leadership for this coalition comes from 1199, the New York based hospital workers union, and the national NAACP. Other unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU are already involved. A growing list of community organizations is on board.
DEMAND THE CHANGE WE VOTED FOR
WE BELIEVE everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education. ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all.
March with us in Washington, DC on 10-2-10 to create millions of good jobs, repair our immigration system, and reform Wall Street! Your voice is essential to demanding the change we voted for.
Sign up & get more info at http://onenationworkingtogether.org
The leadership for this coalition comes from 1199, the New York based hospital workers union, and the national NAACP. Other unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU are already involved. A growing list of community organizations is on board.
Who Decides if a BP Spill Claim Is Legitimate?
By Bryan Walsh, TIME, June 11, 2010
Legitimate. It's the word that could come to define the extremely expensive, extremely litigious aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Almost from the beginning, BP has promised to pay what it calls all "legitimate" claims by people and businesses affected by the spill. But legitimate, when it's contained in a print ad as part of BP's new multimillion-dollar campaign or poshly pronounced by CEO Tony Hayward in one of the accompanying TV commercials, sounds very different from the way it sounds coming out of the mouth of a bayou shrimper in Venice, La. What constitutes legitimate is still an open question.
At the very least though, it looks like BP won't be the only one who gets to decide. A day after demanding that the company turn over data about its financial-claim payment process, the Coast Guard reported that BP had pledged to expedite payment to affected businesses in the Gulf. "BP recognized that its previous approach of waiting until after the books have closed for each month to calculate losses will not work," Tracy Wareing of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said at a news conference Thursday. "It won't get dollars quickly enough to the businesses that are struggling on the ground." (See pictures of people protesting against BP.)
And reports are filtering back from Louisiana that BP's lost oil seems to be flowing a lot faster than its cash. David Camardelle, the mayor of Grand Isle in southeastern Louisiana, told a hearing of a subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that he knew of 37 applications from his community still waiting for their $5,000 claims check from BP. "Every day, I have a mom that comes in front of me and asks me, 'Mr. David, how am I going to get food for my kids,'" Camardelle said. "Please, please send us some help." (See photos of victims of the BP oil spill.)
BP has said that it has already paid over $80 million in claims to more than 10,000 individuals in Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, with more coming soon. The company also says that it has opened scores of claims centers around the affected coastline, and that it is trying to process claims in a few days at most. "We'll do this until it's finished," said Darryl Willis, vice president of resources for BP America, in a teleconference with reporters over the weekend.
To aid the company in speeding the payment process, Alabama is considering assigning National Guard troops to work at claims centers — a uniquely effective lever only the government can use. But the very nature of how many people work on the Gulf Coast is going to trump the number that will be answering phones and processing documents. And the very nature of the fishing industry won't help either. Fishing can bring in a lot of money in a very short period of time during the right season, but fishermen might be hard-pressed to provide evidence — bank statements, pay stubs — that can back that up. The same goes for many other businesses: if receipts are dwindling at a restaurant, or guests are cancelling at a resort, how is it possible to prove that the spill alone is responsible? "We're stuck in the middle," says Chris Camardelle, whose seafood restaurant in Grand Isle has been badly hurt by the oil spill. "So it's a tricky situation." (See a brief history of BP.)
The government has insisted repeatedly that BP will pay all the costs of the cleanup and all damages as well — and Washington seems willing to push the oil company as far as it can. But there will surely be limits. President Obama has said that he will push BP to compensate rig workers who have been laid off because of the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling he instituted to fix the industry's safety standards, but there's skepticism that claim could hold. As BP comes under greater pressure politically in Washington, a backlash is beginning to build in Britain, especially over the question of whether BP will be able to make billions in expected dividend payments to shareholders even as the spill is continuing. "I do think it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on international airwaves," London Mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC Thursday.
As the spill worsens, though, the pressure will only increase — and a new scientific estimate of the leak rate shows that Gulf catastrophe could be even worse than we ever imagined. After reviewing better video from the underwater leak, the government's Flow Rate Technical Group estimated on Thursday that the oil was escaping at a rate between 20,000 bbl. and 40,000 bbl. a day, and that was before robots severed the broken riser at the wellhead a week ago, which may have increased the flow by as much as another 20%. That's up from an earlier estimate of between 12,000 bbl. and 19,000 bbl., and an initial number of about 5,000 bbl. a day, though some independent scientists were arguing weeks ago that the flow was far higher than that. And it's still not certain. "Our scientific analysis is still a work in progress," said U.S. geological-survey director Marcia McNutt, the head of the flow-rate team. "In coming days we'll be refining our estimates further. (Read a Q&A on who's liable for the Gulf oil spill.)
The total amount of oil spilled into the Gulf will have an impact on the kind of damages claims the government — and private individuals — can bring against BP. But while it's important to get a fix on the leak, it won't be the final determination of the damage. "Even if we can't be precise about the amount of oil spilled, we can make conservative estimates of the losses suffered here, and they'll be huge," says David Uhlmann, the director of the environmental law and policy program at the University of Michigan Law School and a former prosecutor for the EPA. "But the easy part is going to involve the financial penalties and the civil penalties — the hard part will be restoring the region and making the victims whole."
Indeed, although BP's ubiquitous ads have said repeatedly that the company will "make things right," given the scale of the damages, that might prove impossible. And like with legitimate, the definition of the word right will be up for grabs. It will be defined, ultimately, by the courts; there have already been countless suits filed against BP by private individuals and businesses, and the government is pursuing an investigation of the spill too. "It's gearing up to be the most heavily fought legal battle in history," says Jody Freeman, founding director of the environmental law and policy program at Harvard Law School. So we know that one group will end up better off than when the spill started: the lawyers.
Legitimate. It's the word that could come to define the extremely expensive, extremely litigious aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Almost from the beginning, BP has promised to pay what it calls all "legitimate" claims by people and businesses affected by the spill. But legitimate, when it's contained in a print ad as part of BP's new multimillion-dollar campaign or poshly pronounced by CEO Tony Hayward in one of the accompanying TV commercials, sounds very different from the way it sounds coming out of the mouth of a bayou shrimper in Venice, La. What constitutes legitimate is still an open question.At the very least though, it looks like BP won't be the only one who gets to decide. A day after demanding that the company turn over data about its financial-claim payment process, the Coast Guard reported that BP had pledged to expedite payment to affected businesses in the Gulf. "BP recognized that its previous approach of waiting until after the books have closed for each month to calculate losses will not work," Tracy Wareing of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said at a news conference Thursday. "It won't get dollars quickly enough to the businesses that are struggling on the ground." (See pictures of people protesting against BP.)
And reports are filtering back from Louisiana that BP's lost oil seems to be flowing a lot faster than its cash. David Camardelle, the mayor of Grand Isle in southeastern Louisiana, told a hearing of a subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that he knew of 37 applications from his community still waiting for their $5,000 claims check from BP. "Every day, I have a mom that comes in front of me and asks me, 'Mr. David, how am I going to get food for my kids,'" Camardelle said. "Please, please send us some help." (See photos of victims of the BP oil spill.)
BP has said that it has already paid over $80 million in claims to more than 10,000 individuals in Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, with more coming soon. The company also says that it has opened scores of claims centers around the affected coastline, and that it is trying to process claims in a few days at most. "We'll do this until it's finished," said Darryl Willis, vice president of resources for BP America, in a teleconference with reporters over the weekend.
To aid the company in speeding the payment process, Alabama is considering assigning National Guard troops to work at claims centers — a uniquely effective lever only the government can use. But the very nature of how many people work on the Gulf Coast is going to trump the number that will be answering phones and processing documents. And the very nature of the fishing industry won't help either. Fishing can bring in a lot of money in a very short period of time during the right season, but fishermen might be hard-pressed to provide evidence — bank statements, pay stubs — that can back that up. The same goes for many other businesses: if receipts are dwindling at a restaurant, or guests are cancelling at a resort, how is it possible to prove that the spill alone is responsible? "We're stuck in the middle," says Chris Camardelle, whose seafood restaurant in Grand Isle has been badly hurt by the oil spill. "So it's a tricky situation." (See a brief history of BP.)
The government has insisted repeatedly that BP will pay all the costs of the cleanup and all damages as well — and Washington seems willing to push the oil company as far as it can. But there will surely be limits. President Obama has said that he will push BP to compensate rig workers who have been laid off because of the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling he instituted to fix the industry's safety standards, but there's skepticism that claim could hold. As BP comes under greater pressure politically in Washington, a backlash is beginning to build in Britain, especially over the question of whether BP will be able to make billions in expected dividend payments to shareholders even as the spill is continuing. "I do think it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on international airwaves," London Mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC Thursday.
As the spill worsens, though, the pressure will only increase — and a new scientific estimate of the leak rate shows that Gulf catastrophe could be even worse than we ever imagined. After reviewing better video from the underwater leak, the government's Flow Rate Technical Group estimated on Thursday that the oil was escaping at a rate between 20,000 bbl. and 40,000 bbl. a day, and that was before robots severed the broken riser at the wellhead a week ago, which may have increased the flow by as much as another 20%. That's up from an earlier estimate of between 12,000 bbl. and 19,000 bbl., and an initial number of about 5,000 bbl. a day, though some independent scientists were arguing weeks ago that the flow was far higher than that. And it's still not certain. "Our scientific analysis is still a work in progress," said U.S. geological-survey director Marcia McNutt, the head of the flow-rate team. "In coming days we'll be refining our estimates further. (Read a Q&A on who's liable for the Gulf oil spill.)
The total amount of oil spilled into the Gulf will have an impact on the kind of damages claims the government — and private individuals — can bring against BP. But while it's important to get a fix on the leak, it won't be the final determination of the damage. "Even if we can't be precise about the amount of oil spilled, we can make conservative estimates of the losses suffered here, and they'll be huge," says David Uhlmann, the director of the environmental law and policy program at the University of Michigan Law School and a former prosecutor for the EPA. "But the easy part is going to involve the financial penalties and the civil penalties — the hard part will be restoring the region and making the victims whole."
Indeed, although BP's ubiquitous ads have said repeatedly that the company will "make things right," given the scale of the damages, that might prove impossible. And like with legitimate, the definition of the word right will be up for grabs. It will be defined, ultimately, by the courts; there have already been countless suits filed against BP by private individuals and businesses, and the government is pursuing an investigation of the spill too. "It's gearing up to be the most heavily fought legal battle in history," says Jody Freeman, founding director of the environmental law and policy program at Harvard Law School. So we know that one group will end up better off than when the spill started: the lawyers.
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