*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
June 18, 2012
OccupyNOLA
Occupy The Stage
From Tuesday, June 19 to Thursday, June 21, Occupy New Orleans (Occupy NOLA) will be hosting Occupy groups from across the nation in preparation for the Occupy National Gathering.
The Occupy movement will convene at the Occupy National Gathering in the vicinity of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall from June 30th to July 4th for a week of direct actions, movement building and the creation of a vision for a democratic future. Members of Occupy NOLA will be attending.
Activists from Occupy groups across the country are traveling to this first Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia as the Occupy Caravan sweeps America with its "This Land is Our Land" road tour. The Occupy Caravan will be stopping in New Orleans on June 19 - 21 en route.
The Occupy NOLA General Assembly endorsed The Occupy National Gathering on May 12, 2012, and formed a working group to coordinate with the Occupy Caravan on May 15.
The Central and Southern Occupy Caravan routes have met up and are expected to arrive in New Orleans on Tuesday, June 19. This journey will carry the economic message of the 99% through the Heartland to the nation’s seats of power, educating and entertaining communities in the spirit of justice, fairness and accountability. Speakers, musicians and entertainers will perform in this immersive, economic civil rights action for friends and families in cities everywhere.
Occupy The Stage, a working group of Occupy NOLA, will be hosting the Caravan travelers. A film crew from City Projects will be documenting Occupy NOLA and the Occupy Caravan as part of Race 2012, a PBS election special about race and politics in the 2012 election and beyond.
Events of interest include:
June 19: Occupy NOLA General Assembly meets at 7:00 pm at Occupy The Stage - 2735C Toulouse Street. The Playback Theatre Troupe will lead off the GA with an interactive performance.
June 20: Occupy NOLA and Occupy Caravan travelers will celebrate with an afternoon of performances and a "Rebel Without A Cause" march at 2pm (exact location to be announced). This march will encompass the diverse issues of social and economic justice Occupy NOLA members have supported since the 99% Occupy Wall Street Movement began including:
· Irresponsible financial practices by corporations and banks
· The student the student debt burden
· The housing foreclosure crisis
· The right to assemble
· Funding cuts to education
· The New Orleans Downtown Development District's plans to radically reduce the presence of African-Americans on Canal Street and the need for a secure place for Canal Street vendors to operate
· Police brutality and the deaths of Wendell Allen and Justin Sipp at the hands of NOPD and dismissal of NOPD Chief Serpas
· Human and marine losses suffered as a result of the BP oil disaster
· Full disclosure by the U.S. government, BP and NALCO, the company that manufactures Corexit, as to how much Corexit has actually been in the Gulf of Mexico
· Fair and affordable housing for working class people
At 10pm, Occupy The Stage will host Midsummer Night's Burlesque a night of performances at 2735 C Toulouse Street. Acts will include Ben Joseph and The Lay-Lows and burlesque troupe Rv. Spooky LeStrange and Her Billion Dollar Baby Dolls.
All are invited to attend in a spirit of cooperation and democracy for the common good as we advocate for economic justice.
The Caravan will leave on the morning of the 21st. One of their purposes is to gather up local riders and drivers as they head East, so all members of the 99% are encouraged to gather friends and a vehicle and jump on board!
Occupy NOLA New Orleans, LA
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Occupy NOLA
New Orleans, LA
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