NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–February 26, 2012. Supporters of the Occupy Movement, including the Rev. Stephen Phelps, Senior Minister at Riverside Church, civil liberties attorney Norman Siegel and musician Peter Yarrow will join Wall Street occupiers Tuesday in Union Square in response to a call for “mass action against the suppression of the Occupy Movement.” The Bloomberg administration directed the NYPD to forcibly evict Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park in November. Coordinated evictions of Occupy encampments in most U.S. cities followed.
A Parks permit has been granted for Union Square, but the 13th Precinct of the NYPD has not yet given a permit for sound at the rally.
The Call for Mass Action against the Suppression of the Occupy Movement, says, “The state planned and unleashed naked and systematic violence and repression against people attempting to exercise rights that are supposed to be legally guaranteed. This response by those who wield power in this society is utterly shameful from a moral standpoint, and thoroughly illegitimate from a legal and political one.”
1000 have joined in calling for, including Cornel West, who led Occupy Wall Street to protest the NYPD “stop and frisk” policy; Scott Olsen, the Iraq veteran who was shot in the head by the Oakland police in October; Boots Riley of The Coup; former poet laureate of the United States and U.C. Berkeley professor Robert Hass;, writers Chris Hedges and Rebecca Solnit; attorneys Michael Ratner and Gideon Oliver.
Travis Morales, an organizer of the rally, said today, “Now, after these evictions and mass arrests, we’re seeing in the press lies about violence, drugs, filth and crime in the Occupy movement used to justify police brutality and destroy Occupy’s widespread public support. On February 28 we are calling on thousands to come out publicly say “We Stand with Occupy” and oppose this suppression. We have seen historically that movements grow, and can only grow, by answering repression with even greater and more powerful mobilization.”
General Assemblies of the Occupy movement reached consensus to support the Call for Mass Action on February 28 in NYCGA (Occupy Wall Street), Occupy Chicago, Occupy Cleveland, Occupy Houston, Occupy Lincoln, Occupy Minneapolis, Occupy San Francisco, Occupy St. Paul. More information at dontsuppressows.org.
What: Rally & March
When Tuesday February 28 4:00 pm 6:00 march
Where: Union Square, New York City (north plaza)
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xMxzGEDQh4
Source: dontsuppressows.org.
