Occupy Pittsburgh to the 99%: ‘Don’t Just Vote, Take Action’

Pitssburgh, PA–(ENEWSPF)–November 8, 2011.  After polls close at 8pm on Tuesday November 8th, Occupy Pittsburgh will lead a march from Schenley Plaza through the streets of Oakland.  The march will bring attention to the corruption of the electoral process by corporations and other financial interests. 

Occupy Pittsburgh’s Action Working Group states:

“As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments.”

In protest, some voters will occupy their ballots and write-in the names of individuals outside of the electoral arena, but representative of outstanding issues. 

Some ideas are:

• In the Allegheny County District Attorney election, some voters concerned with the issue of police brutality plan to write in Jordan Miles; a victim of brutality by three plainclothes Pittsburgh City Policemen.
• In the Allegheny County Executive election, where both candidates on the ballot are bed fellows of the gas drilling industry, some voters concerned with the effects of “fracking” in the Marcellus Shale plan to write in Dana Dolney; an outspoken, local, anti-drilling activist.