[Street] Occupy the 'T' Campaign--healthcare focus?

Joseph Ramsey jgramsey at gmail.com
Fri Jan 13 17:06:43 EST 2012


Did you read my leaflet draft (attached to a previous email)?  A number of
(non-exclusionary) approaches are suggested there.

In the spirit of Occupy, I don't think it is necessary for us to just pick
one angle of attack.  Nor do I think we can or should present ourselves as
technocrats who have all the solutions ready to go.

That said: some talking points regarding solutions:

1)  Force the bailed out banks to eat the debt.  These institutions are
profiting off of and helping to create a public "crisis."

2)  Force the state to take back the ($3.8 billion in) debt that it foisted
on the MBTA in 2000.  As has been pointed out the T was re-"born broke" and
has been starved of funds, thus forced to go begging for private capital,
since then

3)  Insist the 1% and the corporations be made to pay for whatever
additional funds are necessary to fund T operations.  Fund it through
progressive taxation, not the notoriously regressive sales tax.

4)  Point out--over and over--that there is plenty of social wealth--in the
govt. and not--than is available to be allotted to this urgent social (and
environmental) need.  Starting with the war and the prison budgets....
(Slash them to nothing as far as I am concerned.)

Those four for starters.  But again, I think our primary first task is to
organize a massive "None of the Above" to the MBTA's two option non-choice.

-Joe Ramsey



On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:36 PM, Aria Littlhous <aria at littlhous.net> wrote:

> So, are we protesting the banks charging so much interest that the T can't
> pay their debt? That people don't buy enough stuff so that there's not
> enough sales tax revenue? What *solution* are we proposing? (Or that
> paying the healthcare industry and the banks is just too much for one
> subway fare?)
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:23 PM, Joseph Ramsey <jgramsey at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> +1 to Ben as well.
>>
>> We should keep focused on what it primary here, while still finding ways
>> to work in other creative approaches, and other content that relates (and
>> so much of it does when you keep that 99%/1% frame in mind.
>>
>> -Joe
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:21 PM, Eli Cohen <elcoh002 at mail.goucher.edu>wrote:
>>
>>> +1 to Ben's comment. Street theatre in T stations about health care is
>>> awesome, and I'd definitely encourage you to pursue it. Calling it "Occupy
>>> the T" may confuse people, though.
>>>
>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:16 PM, Ben Janos <ben at occupyboston.org>wrote:
>>>
>>>>  Hey y'all,
>>>>
>>>> Personally, I do not agree with having this campaign be about more than
>>>> the T cuts. This is already going to be a really huge project. We will have
>>>> to make fliers that catch the eyes, organize amongst all the occupations
>>>> and like-minded organizations where the T runs, including the commuter
>>>> rail, set up mic checks and informational campaigns at community meetings,
>>>> create art that reflects our views, and think about alternatives to what
>>>> the MBTA is proposing. *And*, we have to do this before the budget is
>>>> decided on in April. That's already gonna be a lot to take on, and to make
>>>> this about more than the T is going to be hard.
>>>>
>>>> With that being said, having street theatre and other actions unrelated
>>>> to the T in T stations or public transportation vehicles, where you have a
>>>> large captive audience is a great idea, and should be pursued. I just don't
>>>> want to see us make a manageable project fail at the expense of making it
>>>> too broad in scope.
>>>>
>>>> In Solidarity,
>>>> Ben
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 3:59 PM, Joseph Ramsey <jgramsey at gmail.com>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Love the idea of making "Occupy the T" more than an anti-T cuts
>>>>> campaign.
>>>>>
>>>>> Seizing the public space for various sorts of politically inflected
>>>>> theater and speech...awesome!
>>>>>
>>>>> Join "Occupy the T" on facebook, please!
>>>>>
>>>>> -Joe
>>>>>
>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 3:45 PM, Aria Littlhous <aria at littlhous.net>wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>  ...I guess I was wondering about "our story"...and I think this
>>>>>> would be a great moment to push for single payer health insurance! I have a
>>>>>> great guerilla theatre skit called, "The Waiting Room" where all the
>>>>>> industrialized countries are represented by patients who get seen before
>>>>>> the very sick US. I'll google share it with Ridgley...T stations are great
>>>>>> stages...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 3:38 PM, Ben Janos <ben at occupyboston.org>wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> this can also be found here:
>>>>>>> http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/?id=23567
>>>>>>> BJ
>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 3:16 PM, Patricia Downer <
>>>>>>> patricia.downer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I got this from some MBTA folks this morning.
>>>>>>>> http://bit.ly/OccupyMBTA
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Some one else sent something they put together after one of the
>>>>>>>> MBTA meetings. It was a few emails back.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Patricia Downer
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 3:14 PM, Aria Littlhous <aria at littlhous.net
>>>>>>>> > wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Does OB have a MBTA fact sheet? Can someone send it to me?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 2:42 PM, Ravi Mishra <
>>>>>>>>> ravi at occupyboston.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> IRC is internal relay chat -
>>>>>>>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>  basically a chatroom
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>> Ravi
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 2:31 PM, Patricia Downer <
>>>>>>>>>> patricia.downer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  I don't know. I was hoping that I was just clueless and
>>>>>>>>>>> someone else would know. I just assumed it was another WG. :[
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Patricia Downer
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 1:06 PM, Ben Janos <
>>>>>>>>>>> ben at occupyboston.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> What is IRC?
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 12:29 PM, Patricia Downer <
>>>>>>>>>>>> patricia.downer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Was talking in OB Radio chat about Occupy MBTA. Someone from
>>>>>>>>>>>>> IRC said they're working on that stuff too. Wants some one to coordinate
>>>>>>>>>>>>> with them. I honestly don't have time. :( Can some one please reach out to
>>>>>>>>>>>>> him/her(not sure) to coordinate: smant at occupyboston.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Patricia Downer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:54 AM, Patricia Downer <
>>>>>>>>>>>>> patricia.downer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well, where is the Sunday Action Summit? (I forget where our
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sunday meetings usually are) Preferably somewhere within walking distance
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from there.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Patricia Downer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:49 AM, Ben Janos <
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ben at occupyboston.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  yeah, let's have a street meeting sunday at 4 to work out
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what we will talk about at the Action summit on Sunday! I'd love to get as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> many people involved as possible! OB has been really buzzing about this,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> let's get some people to start working on it and make this campaign really
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> happen!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Location suggestion anyone?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ben
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:09 AM, Ridgely Fuller <
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ridgelyfuller at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Hi Folks..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> .I thought the T riders U mtg last night was really good (
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> though left at 7:30) and it doesn't seem to me, at least up until I left
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that OB would be stepping on anyon orgs. toes by initiating Free Charlie
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> strategy...i am wondering whether 'street' should offer that up as an
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> initial Action idea at this Sunday's Action Summit..that way we might get
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all workgroups working on the campaign in their own way..eg we wouldn't
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> have to have our few members go to CASA ..we could get CASA right there on
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sunday night and ask them to consider our ideas but come up their own..same
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for media..etc etc..'street' might then have more of a coordinating role
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> among groups on the Free Charlie Strategy rather than have to round up all
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the resources and do all the wrok ourselves..seems like an easy way to get
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all of OB involved in this really exciting idea..one of the things I liked
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> best about the TRU mtg was the incredible
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> diversity..age,ethnicity,city/suburb......etc
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> if you all like the idea of it being part of OB action
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> summit this Sunday at 5, maybe we should get together at 4 to see what
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> components it might have and how we would help organiize it..i really want
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> these Action Sunday's to work!!!!!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Ridgely
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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