Dedicated to the Occupiers whose tent cities were sacked and pillaged, who were violently evicted from public spaces in cities across this nation by the authorities.
Long live Freedom.
Bella Ciao
The world is waking outside my window Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao It drags my senses into the sunlight For there are things that I must do So wish me luck now, I have to leave you Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao Up to the city with my friends here We're going to shake the Gates of Hell And we will show them - we will show them Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao That their fences can be broken And they cannot escape our power And we will tell them - we will tell them Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao That our sunlight is not for franchise Then may those bastards drop down dead So wish me luck now, I have to leave you Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao Up to the city with my friends here We're going to shake the Gates of Hell Next time you see me I may be smiling Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao I'll be in prison or on the TV I'll say, "the sunlight dragged me here!" So wish me luck now, I have to leave you Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao To the city with my comrades We're going to shake the Gates of Hell We're going to shake the Gates of Hell.
"Bella Ciao" is an adaptation of a left-wing anti-fascist resistance song by Chumbawumba, sung by Mark Gunnery of Riotfolk.
Originally a song sung by Italian anarchists, communists, socialists and militant anti-fascist partisans during WWII.
Starring Pinetree Sungsoo Larkworthy Antfarm
Filmed at the Club Flashman in Second Life.
I really love this song. It celebrates resistance. Like the brave the Occupiers in every city who stood fast in every city where they were roused in the night to face eviction by police with batons and pepper spray, the song reminds me of the heroic determination of those who resist fascists everyday and everywhere. This is my interpretation. With a Chiroco twist.
We came in peace and were met with violence. In New York City, Boston, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta. And many other cities and towns.
Occupy America.
music: "We Shall Overcome," Joan Baez. creative commons.
I found Joan Baez's public domain version of the song and it just seemed right for the ugly images I have been seeing the past few weeks. So many brave voices lifted. So many menacing weapons aimed at us from our own government, fired by the men in blue who choose to weld weapons of war against their own citizens.
Mostly my photos and a few others. Please click through and give this video thumbs up! The folks in Tacoma APPRECIATE your support! We have been at it for almost a month now.
One of our unemployed tech guys, set up the DVD player for us, connected us to audio, and we passed out blankets, popcorn and wore our masks. When we got too cold we all got up and jumped up and down until we got our blood moving again.
Warm regards from Occupation Park (we actually got our first mail delivery yesterday). Occupy Tacoma, area code 253, South 21st and Pacific Avenue. The screen is a monument commemorating the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad to the west coast. The end of the trail.
Last night Crooks and Liars readers sent pizza to Occupy Tacoma. We had about 20 pizzas. That was incredibly cool.
I was thinking if Democrats wanted to do outreach to the occupations, this might be a good way to start. It's been raining like crazy at Occupation Park, in Tacoma, Washington with brief sun breaks.
Our community has been very supportive. Including the men and women in blue. We have had a large nightly crowd as the homeless stop for a bowl of soup donated by kindhearted souls in our community. People drop by to leave tents and sleeping bags, tarps and coffee. One night a wedding party dropped off the extra food from their reception. Tacoma is a blue collar town. Our unions have come down to stand with us. Our churches. Other occupations have sent people. Oakland. Seattle. We have left politics out of it. We are all in this thing together.
Here's the pizzeria across the street from our campsite. We are on Pacific Standard time. After 6 is when we start to get cold and hungry. If you are so inclined, lend a hand and tell them where it came from. The pizza people will write that on the box. http://harmonbrewingco.com/brewery_menus.h...
If you can't afford to send a pizza, send your good vibes. Those will also keep us warm!
The DUers at Occupy Tacoma send our warmest regards to all!
Here's a few pictures:
A graffiti artist lends us his talents!
Determined expressions at the General Assembly as we discuss possibility of arrests
A recent study of the global economy by three complex systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich "combines the mathematics long used to model natural systems with comprehensive corporate data to map ownership among the world's transnational corporations," New Scientist reported.<1> -- It confirms that "a few bankers control a large chunk of the global economy," Andy Coghlan and Debora MacKenzie said. -- The study is based on "Orbis 2007, a database listing 37 million companies and investors worldwide, they pulled out all 43,060 TNCs and the share ownerships linking them" -- It "revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships" with "ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. . . . he 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world's large blue chip and manufacturing firms -- the 'real' economy -- representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues." -- In addition, it revealed "a 'super-entity' of 147 even more tightly knit companies -- all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity -- that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. 'In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,' says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group." --
1. Barclays plc 2. Capital Group Companies Inc 3. FMR Corporation 4. AXA 5. State Street Corporation 6. JP Morgan Chase & Co 7. Legal & General Group plc 8. Vanguard Group Inc 9. UBS AG 10. Merrill Lynch & Co Inc 11. Wellington Management Co LLP 12. Deutsche Bank AG 13. Franklin Resources Inc 14. Credit Suisse Group 15. Walton Enterprises LLC 16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp 17. Natixis 18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc 19. T Rowe Price Group Inc 20. Legg Mason Inc 21. Morgan Stanley 22. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc 23. Northern Trust Corporation 24. Société Générale 25. Bank of America Corporation 26. Lloyds TSB Group plc 27. Invesco plc 28. Allianz SE 29. TIAA 30. Old Mutual Public Limited Company 31. Aviva plc 32. Schroders plc 33. Dodge & Cox 34. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc* 35. Sun Life Financial Inc 36. Standard Life plc 37. CNCE 38. Nomura Holdings Inc 39. The Depository Trust Company 40. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance 41. ING Groep NV 42. Brandes Investment Partners LP 43. Unicredito Italiano SPA 44. Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan 45. Vereniging Aegon 46. BNP Paribas 47. Affiliated Managers Group Inc 48. Resona Holdings Inc 49. Capital Group International Inc 50. China Petrochemical Group Company
Occupy Tacoma marches from People's Park to Tollefson Plaza. 600+ young and old turned out to support Occupy Wall Street and Tacoma's own occupation Day 1.
Filmed by Larkworthy Antfarm
As you can see, we are a diverse group: Young , old, disabled, vets, students, unions. The 99% turned out in full force. Click through to the Youtube video and give us a thumbs up. It was a perfect day to stand up for democracy!
200+ marched from the totem pole at Fireman's Park to Tollefson Park stopping to deliver a loud message at the banks on the way: "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!"
"Boom Went the Boom" performed by Joe Glazer and Bill Friedland. "Songs of the Wobblies" (1954).
Main Street joins in SOLIDARITY with Wall Street. Organized on Facebook and Twitter, cities across the country are bringing the occupation home. Posters taken from grassroots Occupy Facebook groups.
Footage of Tacoma Teacher Strike, September 16, 2011. In defiance of a court order, teachers picket the Central Administration Building in Tacoma, Washington. "We Teach Tacoma!" the strikers chant.
Students, parents, families, musicians, representatives from other teachers' unions, longshoremen, Veterans for Peace, local churches and assorted pets join in support of the teachers of their community.
The students picket the superintendent and school board.
The word from our Democratic governor (note the difference in tone from Gov. Walker or Christie):
Gov. Chris Gregoire talked to both sides of Tacoma teacher contract negotiations today.
The governor is trying to nudge a deal along. She has passed ideas between the school district and teachers' union and provided some of her own, said spokesman Cory Curtis:
She said to all of them that her primary focus is, she wants kids in the classroom on Monday morning, and this is an issue that needs to be resolved at the bargaining table, not in the courts. They need to sit down and work it out.
