[OccupyCU] Wall Street to Wal-Mart: National Occupy Black Friday Event

Fri Nov 16 16:57:22 UTC 2012

Hello!

I am new here.  Signed onto the listserve yesterday.

I am wondering two things ...

1) are the people on this listserve te same group of people who are found
on the Facebook Group?  For those of you who are interested and do the
whole "Facebook thing" here is the link to the Occupy C-U group page.

https://www.facebook.com/OccupyChampaignUrbana?fref=ts

2)  I realize that my timing with joining the group is not good, I can tell
this by the amount, and tone of many of the messages that are filling my
inbox.  This is fine, as I am not a part of whatever happened, and I do not
want to get in the middle, and I have no  intentions to do such.

The entire reason I signed up onto this list serve is so that I could try
to mobilize interested parties in something that falls near a dear to my
heart, and hopefully your hearts as well ... an Occupy Wal-Mart Black
Friday movement that is trying to gain momentum across our country.  This
is a stand with the striking WalMart workers, across the country during
their Black Friday Strike.

http://occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/support-walmart-black-friday-strikers

Through Social Media, I have alerted various Occupy groups across the US of
this (including Occupy Berkeley (aka - Berserk-eley).  I will be in
Columbus, Ohio over this holiday, and plan of taking part of their Occupy
Walmart movement.  Even though I will not be here, I still would like to
see this mobilize and take place here, if possible.

Our small town has 3 Wal-Marts!  5 if you include Rantoul and Danville.

Berkley put out some stats (dont know where they come from, but)
"WalMart Policies increase employees reliance on public assistance with --
80% of workers on food stamps -- employees rely on 2.66 billion in
government help every year which is approx. $420,000 per store -- store
employees in state [of California?] are top recipients of Medicaid...."

1.2 Billion in corporate tax break and subsidies ... employees paid 2.66
billion in government help to survive on below poverty wages ... boycott
WalMart in Black Friday, The People's Strike  ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caV-m1wq6Vc&feature=share&list=UUTlbskr8TIHHwGnjYWLnXNw

I realize that there are some serious tensions going on in the group, my
intentions are NOT to minimize them AT ALL ...  I also realize that
personally, my world is crumbling as Hostess Brands announced their closing
... but can I suggest that we step back, losen the knots of tension, and
re-direct our focus to something constructive?  I have never seen local
news coverage of the Occupy C-U events (and we know why that is), BUT, with
over 1000 followers of the group on Facebook, WHAT IF a majority of people
COULD be mobilized locally to stand with those WalMart Strikers? We would
be joining (hopefully) vast amounts of others nationwide.  acting local,
affects global.

Are we too knotted up to be in the mood for some motion on Occupy Wal Mart?
 I certainly hope not.  This is what the Occupy Movement is about, right?

Below I have attached the copied test from the 'Wall Street to Wal-Mart:
 Occupy Black Friday Event" that is on  Facebook (the link above) for
people who are not interested in getting on Facebook.

thank you for your time
Kelli Weaver-Miner

-------------
*Wall Street to Wal-Mart:  Occupy Black Friday Event*

In solidarity with 99 pickets, we are calling for solidarity actions across
the United States for the Black Friday Walmart Strike:

In the wake of a series of unprecedented Walmart retail and warehouse
strikes, Walmart workers, labor allies and community supporters have put
Walmart on notice for Black Friday: End retaliation and attempts to silence
workers or face nationwide strikes and direct action.

If you would like to organize a strike in your area, we recommend that you
find a local planning group fro
m these sources:
http://www.corporateactionnetwork.org/campaigns/black-friday/events
http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/communities-stand-up/

If you are in the tri-state NY area, please join us in NJ.

On Black Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year -- Occupy Wall
Street, 99 Pickets, ALIGN, Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, and
allies will occupy a Walmart store in North Jersey in solidarity with these
courageous workers. Join us as we clog the checkout lines, take over the
store with shopping carts, sing songs, picket the store, and disrupt
Walmart’s business.

Sign up for updates: http://99pickets.org/picket/wall-street-to-walmart/
#signup

*N22 THANKSGIVING DAY 4PM*: On Thursday we’ll have THANKSGIVING DINNER in
Liberty Square, with hot meals also provided to Occupy Trinity, Union
Square and Occupy Sandy relief efforts throughout the boroughs. This will
be a time to come together as a community and reflect on the struggles of
workers and indigenous communities.

*N23 BLACK FRIDAY*
5AM: We will kick the day off at an early morning “Walmart sales event” and
put Walmart on notice that this year, they won’t be able to conduct
business as usual.

12 NOON: The main event. Hundreds of us will be gathering at a NJ Walmart
store (unannounced, for now) and staying all afternoon to disrupt commerce
and stand in solidarity with workers across the country who are fighting
for their rights.

--
TRANSPORTATION
--
*Have a car?* We need help with carpooling and we have a fun, safe “Occupy
the Parking Spaces” action planned at Walmart all day.

*Don’t have a car?* Buses are leaving NYC at 11:30AM.

If you want to take the bus or are able to drive, fill out this form with
both your email and phone so we can follow up with you.
http://99pickets.org/picket/wall-street-to-walmart/#signup<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F99pickets.org%2Fpicket%2Fwall-street-to-walmart%2F%23signup&h=3AQFd_Ts2&s=1>

Otherwise, there’s easy mass transit to the store location -- just twenty
minutes from NYC. We’ll post directions soon.

--
ABOUT THE WALMART STRIKES
--
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/walmart-black-friday-strike
-organized-online-video_n_2094698.html<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2012%2F11%2F08%2Fwalmart-black-friday-strike-organized-online-video_n_2094698.html&h=AAQGEcGNU&s=1>
http://changewalmart.tumblr.com/<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fchangewalmart.tumblr.com%2F&h=4AQEPGxYc&s=1>
http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/stocks/articles/
Labor-Economist253A-Why-Wal-mart-May/10/19/2012/id/45167?page=full<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.minyanville.com%2Ftrading-and-investing%2Fstocks%2Farticles%2FLabor-Economist253A-Why-Wal-mart-May%2F10%2F19%2F2012%2Fid%2F45167%3Fpage%3Dfull&h=8AQGNg9Jr&s=1>
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/1023/Walmart-legal-troubles-moun
t-as-Black-Friday-walkout-looms<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.csmonitor.com%2FBusiness%2F2012%2F1023%2FWalmart-legal-troubles-mount-as-Black-Friday-walkout-looms&h=zAQHvaoR2&s=1>

--
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
--
Sign up for updates here:
http://99pickets.org/picket/wall-street-to-walmart/#signup<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F99pickets.org%2Fpicket%2Fwall-street-to-walmart%2F%23signup&h=sAQE8UB4z&s=1>

We'll send you info about logistics for the day-of, Black Friday
action planning meetings and the planning email discussion list.

--
SPONSOR A WALMART STRIKER
--
https://www.wepay.com/donations/dont-let-walmart-silence-wo
rkers-support-worker-leaders-who-are-calling-for-change

To view the original event: https://www.facebook.com/events/291565284287460/

and the international call: https://www.facebook.com/events/436392286418592/

Richmond, VA: https://www.facebook.com/events/290448721074188/

Naples, FL:
Naples, FL: https://www.facebook.com/events/576313512382333/
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