Bank Transfer Day: Philly to Raise Awareness Nov. 1
As we reported earlier this week, November 5th is Bank Transfer Day. Thousands of people from all over the country have vowed to opt out of the major commercial bank in which they currently store their cash, and move their money into an account with a local credit union as a message to the big banks. As Occupy Philly protester Christian told us on Wednesday of...
Continue ReadingShould Occupy Philly Prepare for Oakland-Style Police Violence? (Updated with Police Response)
During an effort to expel Occupy Oakland protesters from Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, California, police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades to get rid of the protesters. Scott Olsen, 24, a Marine veteran and member of Iraq Veterans For Peace, was critically injured, suffering a fractured skull and swollen brain. When protesters went to help him,...
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Occupy Philly Protester Encourages ‘November 5th: Bank Transfer Day’
Christian strolls through Dilworth Plaza’s Occupy Philly mashup sporting an ungroomed beard, shaggy hair and a small sign reading, ‘November 5th: Bank Transfer Day.’ He’s by himself, but come the aforementioned date, Christian, who did not provide a last name, plans to be one of thousands. “I’ve been encouraging people to go to local credit unions,”...
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Occupiers Question City’s Dilworth Plaza Plans
By Nicole Finkbiner After taking their protest to Penn on Friday evening, Occupy Philly protesters returned to City Hall just in time for “Transforming Dilworth Plaza,” a panel discussion and opening reception hosted by the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy as part of DesignPhiladelphia. Despite the intended focus of the event, only...
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Report From Inside ‘Occupy Eric Cantor’
It was 1pm on Friday (10/21), and word was GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor had cancelled the speech he was set to give at the University of Pennsylvania, about income inequality in the United States. But Occupy Philly’s march from Dilworth Plaza to UPenn, protesting it and him, would go on. A media email sent by the group called it a “March for Integrity.” By...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Report Will Call for More Than 1,250 new Liquor Stores
There’s a draft of the Corbett report on private liquor stores and it calls for—surprise!—more than the proposed 1,250 new private stores throughout the state. Turzai’s liquor bill, says Corbett’s report, will net the state almost $2 billion up front and $186 million to $230 million annually. The catch: Over 3,000 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board employees...
Continue ReadingBREAKING: Eric Cantor Cancels Wharton Speech; Occupy to Blame?
After more than a week of organizing and promoting an “Occupy Eric Cantor” rally during his scheduled speech at UPenn today, House GOP Majority Leader Eric Cantor has cancelled his Wharton speech. There’s no reason for the cancellation, just this: I am very sorry but we just learned from US House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s office that he has canceled...
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Occupy Philly, Day 15: Peace Grannies Move In
More than two weeks in, and it’s getting cold. The all-day rallies and sign-wielding protesters running back and forth on 15th Street, egging on traffic to honk for the 99 Percent, have come to a standstill. The City Hall construction coming on November 15 looms. But Occupy Philly presses on. Organizers estimate 300 tents set up at Dilworth Plaza. And small...
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Occupy Philly Takes City Council on Curfew Vote
Occupy Philly at City Council. The spectator section beyond City Council floor was filled today with people from Occupy Philly and others who spoke out against extending Mayor Nutter’s flash-mob curfew. Sitting quietly through the stultifying dullness (unless you’re a civics freak) of the day-to-day business of Council–street lamps, signposts, permits—the...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Temple Faculty Release Letter of Solidarity with Occupy Philadelphia
Temple University faculty have written a letter of solidarity with the Occupy Philadelphia movement. “Students are increasingly forced to finance their education through extraordinary levels of personal debt,” the letter reads. “Thus, we support the Occupy Wall Street movement, in part, because only by restoring progressive taxation at the federal and state...
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