Nonviolence for Social Change Workshop

Wednesday, November 2 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm


The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center

1155 North State Street. #308 - Conference Room

Bellingham, WA

Nick Mele, a local nonviolent activist who helped create the Nonviolent Peaceforce and developed training material for Pax Christi USA, will offer a one-hour workshop on Nonviolence as a path to social change.

"

Nick received training from one of the co-creators of the Pace e Bene Center's nonviolence training curriculum, From Violence to Wholeness. He has facilitated nonviolence training use this program and other material for groups across the United States and has participated in nonviolent actions at home and abroad, most recently in protests against U.S. military bases on Okinawa. He also speaks and writes about nonviolence, foreign affairs and immigration justice.


We will explore successful nonviolent campaigns that changed society in this and other countries, and identify the factors that lead to successful nonviolent social change, as well as the risks that such efforts encounter.


office@whatcompjc.org
360-734-0217

Free and Open to the Public"

New General Assembly Schedule

We are now occupying permanently! Pack a tent and join us at Maritime Heritage Park in Bellingham. 

From this point forward, GA will be held everyday at 5:30pm so everyone can be involved in the community and have their voices heard! 

Pumpkin Carving!

Launch of the Occupy Bellingham Forum

Hey everyone! The Internet WG just made the forum live at www.occupy-bellingham.org/forum! Come visit and share with all your friends! The more people participate, the better it gets!

G20 Summit Teach-In Oct 29

G-20 Summit Teach-In

Maritime Heritage Park
Saturday, Oct. 29
Noon to 3 pm – Bring the Kids!

On Saturday there will be protests all over the world against the G-20 meeting of the 20 governments controlled by the super rich. Operation Bellingham will emphasize educational Focus Groups, with a General Assembly afterward to adopt resolutions on solutions and strategies for economic and environmental
problems.

Issue Focus Group sessions:
Noon - 2 pm
Come together and discuss
Issues such as [but not limited to]:
- Food Sovereignty
- Global Warming
- Financial Crises
- Corporate Media around the world
- Universal Consciousness
Focus Groups will be repeated so you can attend more than one.

General Assembly 2 pm:
To bring our ideas together and address the question:
How can the 99% take back control of the global economy and environment?

For more information:
Call 671-0248 or e-mail erikandgo@gmail.com

National March Tonight, in Solidarity with Oakland

Last night in Oakland:

The march will start at 6pm tonight at the Federal Building, marching to City Hall.

Details from 10/25 Coordination Meeting

A few quick details from tonight's meeting:

- There will be a truck parked downtown at 4pm Friday. If you're bringing a tent or other supplies but don't want to carry them during the march, put them in the back of the truck and they'll be driven down to the park.

- Posters from the Communication group should be ready tomorrow. Each person should try to print off 5 and post them everywhere you can think of around town.

- March route and time will be the same as last week.

- Upon arriving at the Park, there will be a short intro, followed by breaking up to set up camp for about 30 minutes, followed by the actual GA.

- Lots of supplies are still needed!! Check this post.

If you're interested in watching the entire meeting, it's on our Ustream.

Whatcom County Council Meeting

For those interested, a Whatcom County Council meeting will be held on October 24th at 7pm at Council Chambers. Each citizen who wishes to speak will be allotted 3 minutes during Open Session (before official Council business begins) to do so. This would allow the Occupy Bellingham movement free and legal media coverage without requiring a permit.

Resources for Permanent Occupation

The most pertinent information for the Permanent Occupation webpage is that Encampment will commence Friday, 10/28 at 5pm in Maritime Heritage Park. The encampment needs:

Occupy Bellingham Resource list:

Material resources may be brought to Terra Organica on Cornwall ave.
For other questions or volunteer info please call (360)393-0415

High Priority:

• large tents with walls
• smaller pop up tents
• generator or two
• wood stove
• electric hot water pots
• firewood
• mulch called ‘Hog Fuel’
• trash/food compost receptacles
• tables
• flood lights

other needs:

• sleeping bags
• sleeping pads
• personal tents
• blankets
• extra clothes, jackets, boots, etc
• tarps (better if they are flame retardant)
• rope
• extension cords
• space blankets
• herbal medicine
• utensils, plates, bowls, etc
• chairs
• flashlights
• books, library material
• white board
• 5 gallon buckets
• concrete (quickcrete)
• PVC pipe (6+ inch diameter)

Volunteers:

• medical, those with ems, RN, doctors, wilderness responders, street medics, etc
• Food, those with food handler's permits, willing to pursue donations, and talk to local farms and stores
• legal, we need lawyers
• education, those with a passion about alternative means of education, teachers, etc

Occupy Bellingham WWU Rally

Friday, October 21 - 3pm
WWU PAC


There will be a WWU rally in support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement this Friday. The group will meet at the PAC Plaza (next to the VU) at 3pm, march around the campus at 3:20pm, depart down Indian St. at around 3:30pm, and meet up with the rest of the Occupy Bellingham group downtown. Grand Assembly to follow at the Maritime Heritage Park at 5pm. All are welcome.

Internet Working Group Meeting Minutes

These are the minutes for the Internet Working Group minutes (10/20/11)

Livestream

Hey everyone, we are now LIVESTREAMING our Media/Internet/Communication meeting! Join in!

Schedule Change Update

The Internet/Communications/Media Working Groups meeting has been switched from Wednesday to Thursday.

Enjoy this video!

Working Groups!!

We are trying to get ahold of everyone's contact information! A database of contacts is a key to networking. If you are an organizer or a working group member, please contact us with your information. You can send it to us at occupy.bellingham.wa@gmail.com. Please include your group and/or role so we can make sure information gets to the right people.

GA Coordination Meeting - All Welcome

GA Coordination Meeting
Wednesday, October 19th - 7:00pm 
 C2C (203 W. Holly St., #317)


Facilitators, working groups reps, and any other interested persons will meet and coordinate plans for the General Assembly set for 5 pm Friday, 10/21/11. All are welcome

Tabling in Red Square

WWU's American Campaign Transparency (ACT) Club has invited #OB to participate in a tabling opportunity in Red Square this Friday, Oct. 21 from 10am-2pm. Please feel free to participate in this event if you so choose. The national #Occupy movement has only two principles (that I'm aware of) when it comes to communicating our message 1) non-violence and 2) there is no one leader, no one spokesperson. Thank you for honoring these principles and have fun expressing yourself and #OB!

ACT contact info:

Andrew Dyer
dyera@students.wwu.edu
Chief Operating Officer
WWU American Campaign Transparency club
http://wwuact.org

Permanent Occupation Logistics Working Group Meeting Minutes

These are the minutes for the Permanent Occupation Logistics Working Group meeting (10/18/11)

Introduction to Nonviolence Workshop on Thursday

This workshop could be very helpful to anyone planning on protesting and occupying in the future.

Introduction to Nonviolence Workshop
via Facebook

Thursday, October 20 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Bellingham Herald Conference Room (1155 North State St. 3rd Floor)

"Nick Mele, a local nonviolent activist who helped create the Nonviolent Peaceforce and developed training material for Pax Christi USA, will offer a free one-hour introduction to nonviolence to all on Thursday, October 20. 

Nick received training from one of the co-creators of the Pace e Bene Center's nonviolence training curriculum, From Violence to Wholeness. He has facilitated nonviolence training use this program and other material for groups across the United States and has participated in nonviolent actions at home and abroad, most recently in protests against U.S. military bases on Okinawa. He also speaks and writes about nonviolence, foreign affairs and immigration justice.

The evening will include some vocabulary, basic philosophy and history of nonviolent action. Participants will explore their individual perception and understanding of nonviolence through discussion and one or two exercises designed to foster understanding of what nonviolence is.

office@whatcompjc.org
360-734-0217

Free and Open to the Public"

Internet, Communications, and Media Working Group Meeting on Wednesday

The Internet and Media Working Groups will be meeting Thursday the 20th at 5pm at Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Avenue, B'ham).

Media/Internet Working Groups Meeting Minutes

These are the minutes for the Media and Internet Working Groups meeting (10/16/11)

Herald Article

I'm sorry this is such a late addition to the blog, but here it is! 


Occupy Bellingham protesters rally and march against corporate greed
Via the Bellingham Herald.


They state that there was a "crowd of more than 300", but that seems like an underestimation. Hopefully, our numbers will just keep growing!

A stunning view of last Friday's GA

Image courtesy of Casey J Scalf @ www.communetohumanity.com/

Media Working Group Meeting tonight!

The Media Working Group and (hopefully) the Internet Working Group will be meeting tonight at 5pm at Boundary Bay Brewery (1107 Railroad Avenue, B'ham). 


They will be discussing potential projects for the groups, better ways to network with other groups and individuals, as well as taking stock of what tools group members have that can be utilized in making media. We ask that those with cameras, microphones, smartphones, etc. bring them so we can plan the best way to use these tools at upcoming events.

Welcome to OccupyBellingham!

This blog is the home of the Bellingham edition of the OccupyWallstreet movement. This will be used to organize, report, motivate, inspire, and cheer on those who are participating in OccupyBellingham and to educate and encourage those who want to know more about what we're doing.


For this blog to be starting on October 15th, 2011, the Day of Global Action, seems perfect, perhaps even meaningful. Or maybe it's just happy coincidence, but anyway you want to look at it, we're here! And we're ready to make a difference. Are you?


The problem:
Studies released in 2010 and 2011 gave a gut-wrenching fact: 20% of the richest people possess 85% of the world's privately held wealth. If you'd like to read more, check out this article. Meanwhile the rest of us get to enjoy deep budget cuts to OUR schools, libraries, public transportation, social services and other public services, layoffs and cuts in employee benefits, a scarcity in the availability in jobs, lack of affordable housing, exorbitant banking fees, and a growing rift between we the 99% and the "American Dream". At the same time, we are witnessing social and economical inequality, greed, and the growing influence of lobbyists and corporate funding on OUR government. This is merely a synopsis of the issues at hand, but it, hopefully, serves to give you an idea of our protest.


What we want:
There are many sources and voices in the media and, subsequently, on the streets who are saying that are saying we have no clear demands or solutions. While we may not have a formal manifesto listing our demands and individuals, while speaking in the spirit of the movement, do not speak for the group, what we are asking for is straightforward. Some of these demands include: corporate accountability and eliminating the "personhood" legal status for corporations, raising taxes on the wealthiest citizens and companies, focus and funding for alternative energy sources, and universal health care. In short, what we want is that which we believe will benefit the people as a whole. That which we feel has been taken from us systematically.


What we are doing about it:
We are utilizing our rights to assemble and speak to send a message to those holding the country's reins. We are non-violent, communicative, joyous, and determined. Those who are opposed to our protest have shown themselves to be capable of violence, but this is something we are willing to endure in order to have our voices heard. There is no time-frame given on how long our protest will last, but we will continue until changes are made. There is a growing number of supporters to our cause. We will not be ignored! 


Where to now?:
OccupyBellingham has General Assembly on Friday afternoons at 4:00pm. The last one was held in Maritime Heritage Park on Holly St. in Bellingham. If the location changes, we'll let you know!
Yesterday's General Assembly voted on whether we'd begin our occupation immediately or wait on it, with the majority of the voters deciding to wait in favor of sending people down to Seattle to participate in the Night of 500 Tents. News on the occupation of Bellingham will follow once available!


If you have any questions at all, let us know. You can comment here or drop us a line at occupy.bellingham.wa@gmail.com.


And remember, 99% is too big to fail...as long as we work together.