News
Occupy Jacksonville Announces the End of the 24-7 Occupation
Occupy Jacksonville, a grassroots, local organization formed in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement announced today the end of the Occupation in front of City Hall that had been held 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously, since November 5, 2011. The decision was reached at the General Assembly held on Saturday, March 3rd, as an overwhelming majority of Occupy Jacksonville members felt that it was time for Occupy Jacksonville to evolve to a new stage in our struggle for political, social and economic justice.
The Occupation of Jacksonville was one of the longest lasting, continuous occupations in the US. Despite not being able to set up tents or sleep on site (without being arrested) members of Occupy Jacksonville occupied the right of way in front of City Hall for four months. During this time we brought to the forefront of public discourse a variety of issues centered around our commitment to fight for economic and social justice for all, and for the end of corporate personhood and money in politics. We have protested the increase in social and economic inequalities, we organized events to educate members of our movement and our communities, we engaged in the political discourse with local authorities.
Some of the more important accomplishments and activities of Occupy Jacksonville so far include:
• Demonstrations against the infamous 2010 U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizen’s United v. Federal Election Commission, against the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's increase on fares for bus riders, against Publix Supermarket’s treatment of the Immokalee Farm Workers, against police brutality, and in support of Human Rights.
• We made our views visible during the GOP Presidential Candidates Debate, and the Herman Caine, Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich campaign stops in Jacksonville.
• We engaged in the political dialogue about providing subsidies to JP Morgan through our active participation at the City Council meetings, direct contact with local representatives, protests on the streets of Jacksonville as well as by educating local communities on corporate welfare by the way of teach-in.
• Held a vigil in Hemming Plaza in celebration of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
• Hosted teach-ins on topics such as homelessness, social movements, corporate welfare, the JEDC audit, Reagonomics, the history of America’s financial system, the political philosophy of Zizek and Occupy movement as well as on Organic Gardening and Composting Techniques
• Sent representatives to the People’s Convention of Florida in Orlando in December to discuss state issues, and to the State Capitol on the first day of the 2012 Florida Legislative Session to provide the Legislature with Occupy’s Expectations of the Legislature and to demonstrate in favor of various reforms in state government.
• Our continuous presence in downtown also had unintended consequences: we were able to assist some of the homeless citizens of Jacksonville in their daily lives. Participation in this progressive social movement empowered some of them to the point of not only obtaining assistance from other agencies, but finding jobs and homes.
• Most importantly, various activities of Occupy Jacksonville so far provided an amazing opportunity to thousands of young people to engage in direct democracy and transformation of public space. This is an experience that they will carry forever and will hopefully lead to a development of a new, engaged, politically aware generation.
Occupy Jacksonville will continue to meet and make decision through the General Assembly, every Wednesday at 7PM and Saturday at 4PM as we did in the past. Our working groups will continue their activities as scheduled and we plan many more events in the near future. We are cosponsoring a Foreclosure Information Teach-In on the “Earn the Learn,” with JALA, featuring April Charney - a nationally recognized expert on foreclosures. We are currently collecting signatures to petition the City Council to Pass a Resolution taking a stand against the Citizens United ruling and the idea of “corporate personhood” that allows money to be considered free speech and be protected under the 1st Amendment. We are partnering with the Lakeshore Preservation Society to start a Community Garden at Bayview Elementary School.
We are proud of what we accomplished so far and we are looking forward to achieving more and contributing to creating a better world for all.
We thank the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for the professionalism displayed by the officers throughout the Occupation and are gracious for the generosity of the downtown merchants who supported our movement.
Occupy Jacksonville States Its Objectives
By Guy Falks & Bill Guerrant
The Occupy Jacksonville movement, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests, passed the “Declaration of OccupyJAX” at the general assembly meeting on November 23rd 2011.
The group had looked at adopting declarations from other occupy movements, but ultimately decided to draft their own.
The document was collaboratively crafted and revised both online, and through a series of public meetings, and the approved version reads as follows:
We, the people of Jacksonville, stand in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and its global counterparts.
We believe that our government no longer represents the will of the people. Because of this, we have assembled to voice our grievances.
We stand together to take back control of our government from those who use their wealth to obstruct the democratic process.
We believe that the growing disparity between the poor and the rich must be dealt with immediately.
We believe those responsible for economic injustices should be held accountable.
We come together to revive the expectation that our government exists to serve the people.
We aim to educate, unite and empower the people.
Through democracy, we believe a true consensus can be reached— one that endeavors to rectify the wrongs within our country, regain our rights as human beings, and promote prosperity and peace over our nation and around the world.
We are the 99%.
One of the complaints commonly expressed from people who don’t understand what OccupyJAX or Occupy Wall Street is about can be summed up as, “We don’t know what they stand for”. This declaration is the first step to clarify the goals and objectives of the group.
The Occupy Jacksonville group has been active for more than 2 months, and has been staging a 24/7 peaceful protest on the steps of City Hall across from Hemming Plaza since November 6th.
General Assemblies that deal with the policies and purpose of the group are held on Wednesdays at 7PM, and Saturdays at 4PM at City Hall. Anyone interested in learning more about the movement is encouraged to attend.
You can read more about the Occupy Jacksonville movement online at the web site http://occupy-jax.org, the interactive forum http://comeoccupyjax.org or on Facebook http://facebook.com/occupyjax.
Occupy Jacksonville Food Drive
UPDATED: It is illegal for us to collected donations directly so we ask that you drop your donations off at Chamblin's Uptown which is 2 minutes walking distance from the City Hall Occupation. Feel free to look around their shop as well! They have great coffee and a great selection of books to choose from.
Any donations collected to will go to the different food banks around Jacksonville. Please keep in mind, our food banks in the city feed not only the homeless, but also those who are struggling to make ends meet at the moment. Their shelves have been bare and they need as much help as possible.
Thank you all for your continued support
OccupyJax Daily General Assembly
Occupy Jacksonville is pleased to announce that we are now having daily General Assemblies at Hemming Plaza!
Weekdays : 7PM
Weekends : 4PM
If you don't know what this is all about, now you can come find out any day of the week.
If you would like to directly participate with the movement, please visit http://comeoccupyjax.org
Don't forget that we are Occupying in front of City Hall 24 hours a day.
Please come down and show your support or get more information!
Solidarity!
Occupy Jacksonville- When's the Next Meeting? Answers
By: Guy Falks
Next Important Meeting:
Nov 12, 2011 4PM at Hemming Plaza
Where Can I learn More?
If you're unclear or unsure about what the OccupyJAX or Occupy Wall Street movement stands for, drop by Hemming Plaza / City Hall whenever you're downtown. Talk to the people, and learn about the movement. Dissenters are welcome also, and are encouraged to discuss their views as long as they can agree to have mutually respectful dialog.
Details:
As reported earlier this week, Jacksonville is officially occupied on a full-time basis. This is a great step forward because it means Jacksonville is now occupied 24/7 or 168 hours per week, instead of being occupied for only 4 hours at a Saturday meeting. This does change the logistics, so let's talk about what happens next, and where people who want to learn more about the movement need to be soon.
Full time occupation means there will be a more consistent location to meet up with OccupyJAX representatives whenever anyone happens to be downtown. This does have an impact on our typical meeting schedule which everyone should be aware of. The group is trying to follow the meeting schedule of other Occupy movements This should help us to link OccupyJAX's GA with other GA's at other cities in the near future to hold a virtual GA across cities, regions, and the world soon. If that doesn't get you excited, check your pulse.
The new regular meeting schedule is: Weekday GA's (M-F) will be held at 7PM: Meet at Hemming Plaza / City Hall steps until further notice. Watch online at livestream.com/occupyjax Weekend GA's (Sat - Sun) will be held at 4PM: In Hemming Plaza until further notice.
Watch online via the Live Stream link above.
Major GA's are Wed & Sat:
Some daily GA discussion deals with basic logistics of occupying like food, water, administration, etc. and may not be that interesting. Wed & Sat GA's deal with more significant decisions around the group's mission, issues to be presented to our elected representatives, and strategic planning. It still needs to be voted on, but the intent is that any major policy decisions postponed for discussion until the Saturday GA when more people have an opportunity to express their opinions before a vote. This is to ensure that everyone has a chance to get their voice heard before important decisions are made.
Note:
This is the expected direction, but is still pending a passing vote at a future GA meeting.
Upcoming Teach-In:
Saturday Nov 19th at 2PM prior to GA. Evey is working on finalizing the speakers which usually include doctors and professors from regional universities talking about topics that are relevant to the OccupyJAX / #OWS movement.
News Updates
We need you!!
Please come down to Jacksonville City Hall and show your support by being there!
Our overnighters need rest and we need fresh minds there to answer questions and have discussions.
Come down even if you can't stay long. Don't feel like you have to stay for days if you do come down.
Daily General Assembly
We will be having a Daily General Assembly every day at 7PM at Hemming Plaza.
There will be a more involved General Assembly on the weekends at 4PM.
Occupy Jacksonville Ride Share
Please use the OccupyJax RideShare if you can carry an extra person or two.
Events
11.11.11 Jacksonville Unity Circle - Friday, November 11 · 7:00pm - 11:30pm
Teach In Saturday, November 19th, 2011 · 2:00pm at Occupation site.
JSO Releases Rules of Occupation
Today Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released a guide that states what is and isn't allowed to take place at the Occupation in front of City Hall.
JSO and OccupyJax have had a mutual cooperation so far. JSO says that as long as we remain peaceful and abide by the following rules, we shouldn't have any problems.
The guide was compiled with the assistance of Jacksonville General Counsel and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office:
MO 614.138 Urban Core Enhancement Area and MO 614.143 Accosting or Intimidating Another.
- No tents, tarps or structures of any type can be erected
- No sleeping, camping, lodging or lying on any sidewalk, street, building entryway or other public or semi- public areas
- Nothing can be affixed to City property (i.e., trees, poles, railings etc.) including umbrellas, tarps, signs etc.
- No cooking on an open flame
- No soliciting or panhandling for food, water, clothes, money, etc. of vehicles or pedestrians passing by. This includes no putting out a change jar to collect meter money
- Tables and chairs and coolers/water jugs are permissible as long as they do not impede the walkway around City Hall, including the sidewalk area directly in front of City Hall
- Yelling/chanting ok as long as voice in not amplified in any manner - Sidewalk chalk on sidewalk is ok
- No littering, but they can hand out literature
Please be aware of the rules and follow them so we can maintain a good working relationship with Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Jacksonville Florida is Occupied!
By Guy Falks
The general assembly of Occupy Jacksonville voted on Saturday Nov 5th, 2011 to occupy the city on a 24 hour basis. The group is using Hemming Plaza as its home base, but is shifting to the sidewalks in front of City Hall during the evening to respect and comply with local laws and maintain its commitment to peaceful civil disobedience. The team is still working on a full-time location to occupy.
WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS: Can you spare an hour to stand with the 99%?
Even if you don’t understand what the Occupy Wall Street movement stands for, come be a visible presence while you interact with the occupiers and learn about it. You’ll meet a wide range of people with a wide variety of perspectives, but will always be safe and welcomed.
Come by at lunch, swing over after work, or pop-in after grabbing a bite downtown. Don’t let mainstream media define what the Occupy movement means to you. Come meet the people that are actively participating, and decide if it’s worth getting involved. General Assembly (GA is the Occupy business meeting) is held every night at 7PM at or near Hemming Plaza.
OccupyJAX representatives will be around to guide you to the meeting.
List of immediate needs that you can bring or drop off if you can't stay: * Hot beverages 24/7: Coffee w/ packets of cream & sugar, hot chocolate, etc. * Hot soup or sandwiches * Golf umbrellas for rain protection. Tents or tarps are not allowed at this point. * Plastic ponchos or any wearable rain gear * Small Folding Tables * Big, but not huge Tupperware-like storage containers * Folding chairs
A more complete list of supplies can be found here.
Time to Actually Occupy Jacksonville?
Occupy Jacksonville General Assembly will vote on Nov. 5th on whether to Occupy Hemming Plaza after that day's GA or wait until Nov. 15th or 19th to begin occupying full time.
Please be prepared to Occupy in the event the vote goes through to begin the Occupation that day.
A list of needed supplies is available if you'd like to contribute to the occupation.
OccupyJax Votes to Create it's Own Declaration
Today at the OccupyJax General Assembly participants started the assembly with a moment of silence for Scott Olsen, 24, who was critically injured on Tuesday, October 25th, 2011, when he was hit in the head with a projectile thrown or shot by law enforcement officers combating protesters trying to re-enter a downtown plaza that had been cleared of an encampment earlier in the day.
Mr. Olsen, who served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine, suffered a fractured skull. Organizers created a card for Scott that everyone in attendance had a chance to sign and it will be sent to him on Monday.
Later the Occupy Jacksonville Assembly voted to create their own Declaration that is better suited to the Jacksonville Community instead of adopting the proposed Declaration from the Occupy Wall Street - 99 Declaration Group.
Anyone interested in reviewing and contributing to Jacksonville's proposed Declaration is encouraged to join us Sunday, October 30th at 1 pm at the Panera on Roosevelt Ave. 4403 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL
If you can't make this review, there will be another review soon and will be posted here when that will take place.
