OYC - Homes Already Occupied Meeting 1

Homes Already Occupied is OccupYrCorner's answer to the enlarging mortgage crisis that is overtaking American neighborhoods. Shocking facts and terrifying statistics are the true effects that "trickle down" as money supersedes morality in the minds of certain corporate titans, bankers, policy makers, and mortgage brokers. The basic issues we have talked to people on corners about these last few months are the ones that started this slow avalanche across the states.

So we do what we do best: come up with a simple and straight-forward, low-impact way for anyone to help reach out and educate fellow Americans of this dilemma. A dilemma that may come to their neighborhood—or may already be—and take away their dreams and everyone else's. This time, we are employing easy-to-cut-and-create door hangers, three to a photocopyable page. These door hangers can say a variety of messages in a variety of languages, but our standard template to date seeks to grab attention with the following text, still in the works:

"FORECLOSED"
Thousands of families and home-owners nationwide are struggling to avoid hearing that word as mortgage companies and big banks are cashing in by turning over bad loans to consumers only to bet against them and reap rewards. They lure loyal customers into purposely failed refinancing schemes and “missing paperwork” loops while many politicians and regulators benefit from ignoring these made-to-fail deals. Have you had enough with this rampant greed destroying the American dream and ripping neighborhoods apart?
Educate Yourselves, Help Others.

Which then leads to homesalreadyoccupied.com, our quick online fact guide about some of the most shocking figures about the mortgage fiasco and what homeowners can do to help themselves and others. 

Here are the notes from our first meeting on Wednesday, December 28th:

Agenda

Overview and Review of Idea

• Occupier Josh: "What is the message? What are we doing? What is our goal?"
  
  Answer: Throughout the meeting we refined the solutions to these questions. OccupYrCorner has always made awareness and education the primary goal in our endeavors, and this practice is no different. By tagging areas that are chosen logically, we hope to inspire people to seek out information and talk about these issues, sign petitions available at sites we refer, attend or form groups and committees focused on keeping neighborhoods sound, and ultimately help others through action, careful voting, and offering support. Through "subtle seduction" we hope to "re-empower" homeowners who may feel they have no choice but to watch things crumble around them, in the world or in their own home. Also, it would be great for visitors of the site to download their own door hangers and tag their own neighborhoods.
• Some other goals we touched upon were inciting homes in danger to invite an "Occupy Our Homes"-style lawn occupation and intervention. Inspiring new 99%ers to come down to a GA meeting and take part in the process. Also, getting some media attention after we get a few outings done also was a topic discussed. A future goal could be to motivate groups of neighborhoods to help make motions and push actions in municipal and state political arenas to create legal limits, "moratoriums", and tax boundaries to help limit fraud-lined fast foreclosures.
• We talked about the technicalities of quantifying a goal. The hits can be tracked through the site, and we can expand the analytics to get an idea of downloads. But we also talked about the sensitivity of morale and how trying to measure this type of silent outreach could be couter-productive. The fact that we are doing it, and physically bringing this information into the community and out of the "Occu-encampments" is success in itself. 

Materials and Website

• We started the discussion of materials with a demonstration from Occupier Anoki of how the door hangers work. All were in agreement they were simple, and the language on the hangers was straight forward enough for our general template. But we all agreed everything was a work in progress.
• Occupier Mari surprised us with an amazing gift of hundreds of prints of not only Door Hangers, but Table Tents, Lost Lindas, and Flyers! Thanks Mari!
• We touched upon the concept of the site and it's contents. Everyone agreed to take a look through the site's content, especially the videos, and see if they have any edits or suggestions. But we all were in agreement that getting people to the site was our initial goal, as it focuses on having easy-to-digest information for the visitor to take and reflect upon.
• We had a small vote on whether the site should focus on sending visitors on to just one other site (Occupy Our Homes) or a variety of sites. With the vote in favor of multiple options, Occupier David suggested we split the selection by the viewers personal position: 1) In foreclosure and needs information and help; 2) In danger of foreclosure and needs information and help; 3) Interested in this and wants to know more and help. We all agreed to work over the Facebook group to try to find some links to lead to.
• We also voted that the Occupy Our Homes link should go directly to their Petition page, which we should specify.
• We discussed modifying the text to match the areas we outreach to. We agreed to have one standard template, but for certain outings in areas with one or more specific interests, demographics, or issues - we should specialize. Occupier Josh stressed the importance of handling the translated text comfortably and thoughtfully, as well as reaching out to already existing area Occupations. Terms and concepts such as "target discrimination" and "losing the wealth of the family home" are some of many culturally specific points we can be sensitive of.
   
• Occupier Holly brought up the idea of setting up a Google Voice number that we can put on door hangers that are going to low-income areas that has our message on the voicemail recording, in multiple languages. From there we can motivate people to act or we can gather voicemails.
• Occupier Susan, Mari, and Mike brought up the idea of creating a leave-behind map of the areas we reach out to showing neighbors how many local homes are in foreclosure and vacant.
• Occupier Mike and Occupier Dave brought up the idea of hooking up a donation button on the HAO site so, if at the very least, someone may feel the urge to pitch in a few dollars to the cause if they are too busy to tag a neighborhood. Mike discussed doing this through Activist San Diego.
• We talked about Occupier Martha's idea to repurpose the door hangers for her SD Clean Elections campaign, and the options and issues of printing on cardstock, laminated or not, recyclable or not. 

Planning and Outreach

• For planning we talked about the different ways to ascertain what areas to go to and how to go about it. Occupier Anoki mentioned Occupier Josephine was pitching in some zip code work she had pulled together, and that Occupier Linda offered to help us plot out a map using GIS, which Occupier Jonathan was impressed with.
• We agreed that specifying and targeting actual foreclosing homes was not our goal, but locating and going to areas with many foreclosures could be. Any neighborhood will do, really!
• Occupier Tammy, Occupier Holly, Occupier Susan, Occupier Mike and Occupier Dave all had input on areas we could grab data ranging from seeking info from Title companies, mortgage companies, public records, and ACCE.
• Occupier Josh discussed the importance of connecting with such neighborhood organizations and Occupations in areas like Barrio Sherman, etc. before we begin as to not step on anyone's toes and give a feel of co-optation.
• Occupier Mike brought up the importance of setting up some sort of media exposure, possibly through KPBS, so we have initial control of any publicity. Occupier Dave stressed the importance of keeping OYC ninja-like and subtle, but we all discussed the possibility of separating the two more if it came to that.
• Occupier Mari felt we should take advantage of lamp posts and poles to post Lost Lindas in neighborhoods we visit as well, which we were in agreement.
• Occupier Mike and Occupier Josh both touched upon ideas of bringing this to the GA to motivate more Occupiers to help out.
• Occupier Tammy offered her home for a materials day, Wednesday the 4th, where we can all get together and cut door hangers, review information we've been able to gather, and further refine everything in preparation for our first outing. 

Legality and Do's & Don'ts

• We talked about legality and best practices - to use logic, sensitivity, and mindfulness when going into someone else's yard.
• Avoid gated homes, homes with dogs, or homes that look to house disgruntled or unwell people.
   
• When going out, if in a team of four, break up into two and go down each side of the street, keeping the other Occupier in view at all times.
• If approached by a person, we voted to opt out and get out, but if you feel like engaging, use caution and common-sense. And always be polite - this is their home and neighborhood. And always preamble any suggestions with "I am not a legal advisor, I cannot offer legal advice".
• We discussed formulating a list of topics and references to share in case of approach, possibly a small card.
• Occupier Mike suggested we get matching "OCCUPY" T-shirts so we look like a team, and not like bill-collectors.
• We agreed to never touch the mailbox, as that can be construed as a Federal Offense.
• We agreed a lot will be revealed as we gather and do these outings.

Thank you so much for everyone for coming and helping make this idea a reality! We have a lot of ground work already completed, and in closing we all agreed to do our parts to gather information, links, and ideas to process over the week via Facebook prior to our next meeting on Wednesday.

WRAP-UP

• Finalize site contents, links
• Finalize translated text
• Research areas to Outreach, contact existing neighborhood orgs, map out
• Gather to create Door Hangers
• Go to areas and tag doors, hang Lost Lindas
• Repeat in new areas; and repurpose tags for events, initiatives.

2012 we are going to open some eyes and save some dreams! 

In other news, there have been a few Occupy Your Lunch sightings reported around town!

In a Chuck E. Cheese in National City! Shared by Occupier Carrie

And of course in Filter Coffee House! 

OccupYrCorner takes the streets with Occupy San Diego

I heard from @OccupySD99 that the Occupiers were over at the Federal Building so I made my way over there quickly after work. I heard the unmistakable sound of Fired Up Occupiers as I approached, and I saw that they were set in motion to march. Perfect timing! I quickly caught up to them, and started filming the activity for the People’s Stream. I had no idea where we were going but I quickly joined the rank and file and began chanting along with the crowd, feeling the drum beat that was keeping us all together in rhythm.

We passed through Horton Plaza as the rest of the 99% took a break from shopping to watch us. We then stopped at some intersections to take a lap or two around the crosswalks in OccupYrCorner-like fashion (with a little less attention to the traffic lights). Cars honked their horns in approval as we moved on (realistically also probably some alleviating their road rage). A few brave veterans and other occupiers stood by to ensure that traffic was stopped for the rest of us on the march. 24/7 Occupier Michael and others were up front directing the march smoothly as to keep us all together.

Somewhere along the way, I ran into my friend Anoki from OccupyYrCorner holding up one of his famous folding signs (print your own!) talking to the 99% passing by. Fortunately he had an extra sign that read “Did you know your rights are being fought for tonight?” and hooked a brotha' up!

Now that I was equipped with a sign, I started mixing it up with some of the 99% as we continued our march. I got a lot of thumbs up and high fives, especially after reassuring some people that we no we are not an angry mob and that we were in fact fighting for their rights and freedoms. One young man that we passed had a slightly different viewpoint on what were about.

He approached me as we were passing and said something along the lines of “Fuck Occupy! I fought in this country for you and you are all a bunch of ungrateful hippies.” I responded as calmly as I could, “We have all kinds of veterans down at Occupy and we are fighting for you as...“. He cut me off and got uncomfortably close to me and made it clear to me that I should refrain from “FUCKING TALK ABOUT THE VETERANS!!” It was then that I decided it was probably best to move on and so I thanked him for his service to our country and rejoined the crowd. That was probably my first semi-sketch moment in talking to people on the streets, but it was pretty easily diffused with a timely exit and a nice word to my potential assailant.

The highlight of my OYC March Mission was when we passed by a group of retired 99%ers I stopped and told them that we are fighting for more affordable medicine and health insurance for them. I talked to a few of them individually for a quick minute and I felt like in such a short interaction we had just gained just a little more support from the 99%.

Spirits were high as we re-entered Freedom Square, formally known as Civic Center. We let out a resounding yell throughout the plaza that this movement of the 99% isn’t going anywhere and we are gaining support from more of the 99% every day. We will continue until the entire 99% is marching along with us.

OccupYrCorner Meeting #5 - Eating Meeting

Occupier Anoki representing
OYC by Johnny Nguyen

As the holiday season approaches, we sought to avoid scheduling issues and traffic nightmares by condensing our Occupy A Corner Wednesday into an "Eating Meeting" at Filter Coffee House in Hillcrest. We pulled up chairs, pitched a "Occupied By The 99%" Table Tent and talked about all things Occupy, and especially things OYC past, present, and future.

Highlights:

Review of Past Corner Occupations

• Occupiers Tammy and Anoki reviewed the Market and 5th Corner Occupation (9 Occupiers, diagonal crossing!) We reviewed watching the newer Corner Occupiers get their feet wet as they talked to new people about important issues, and how fun diagonal crossing was! 
• Occupiers David and Anoki reviewed the University and 5th Corner Occupation (10 Occupiers, in support of the OSD Benefit Concert, two shifts.) We discussed tactics and presence, as well as the effects and conversations we had with passer-by. We all loved Mark's mask and flag! We also reviewed representing at the Concert (more "Occupied By The 99%" Table Tents!)
• Occupier Anoki discussed his experiences with walking and holding his sign

Review of Site and Materials

• We agreed tech web site, blog, Twitter, FB, Tumblr, and calendar are all doing well. 
• We discussed a new idea pitched by Anoki. Those who attended got a sneak preview. We discussed how to move the project forward and who could help. (Hint: it has to do with foreclosures!)
• We reviewed the designs for the folding business card, talked about content and timing. We have a few days; these are donated by Anoki's company, we get about 1500. 
• We discussed possibly selling 1" badges to raise funds
• We discussed possibly setting up a WePay account and tapping the Labor Council for photocopies, since that is our main expense and if we want Occupiers to use these materials, we will have to get them out to them.
• David discussed us using a program called "Twaitter" to automate our Tweets

Schedule and Outreach

• January 8th - Tammy brought information from Occupiers Benjamin and Melissa on the 100th Year Celebration of Free Speech in San Diego. They want to see if we will Occupy the Corners around a notorious area in the Free Speech revolt days. This coincides with Sam's OYC x 100 on Broadway day. We may be able to combine the two and get Occupiers and protesters from the celebration to join us on Broadway after the event.
• Sundays - We consensed for a bit more structure to our schedule as we agreed to ask that everyone try and be available ON FACEBOOK sometime each Sunday with a mindset to see what we are doing this week and how each might be able to take part. We could always use hosts for new areas, so Sunday would be a great day for everyone to check in remotely via Facebook to see what's going on and connect ideas. 
• Women Occupy - For the next few weeks Women Occupy will be caroling and they have invited us to join and be present with signs and flyers. At a distance, mind you, as we do not want to interfere with their schtick... it is working well for them. Ask Occupiers Susan and Tammy for more info. 
• 2012 - In keeping things fluid and fresh it was proposed we do themed Corner Occupations. We agreed the first theme we should adopt would be to promote the San Diego Move To Amend effort that Pete and Kimberly have been working on. We could all focus on that, gather signatures, and spread the word in a relevant area.
• OccupySD to Washington DC - We agreed to have OYC unofficially and secretly sponsor photographer Johnny N's trip in any way anyone can, be it money, donations, or mental/emotional/spiritual support. Support any Occupier going, obviously, but we agreed his camera and eye would be an asset to that cause.

Thanks for coming out and thank you so much to everyone who has made this an amazing few months! We have really made a statement for ourselves in this movement and hopefully will be just one of many ideas that roll out over the years as we fight off these unhealthy adversaries and their pushes for greed and ignorance! 

Happy Holidays and Occupy!

OccupYrCorner - 5th and University, San Diego

In support of the Occupy San Diego Benefit Concert at The Ruby Room in Hillcrest, San Diego on Wednesday the 14th, OccupYrCorner took the the intersections around The Ruby Room to talk to Hillcrest residents about things we were happy to know they were already talking about! From topics of NDAA to Banking Bailouts to moving to amend city and state constitutions banning corporate personhood, we had 7 occupiers and one chaperone covering the Corners and inviting all to the concert at 7:30pm.

We started the night at 6pm (we have found that an hour and a half is a good amount of time to get some action happening) and, like the mighty ninja, we each just appeared on the corners—silently—as each persons schedule allowed until we had the entire intersection occupied within minutes.

Some highlights of the evening:

• We have created a small science of the practice, quickly ascertaining which corners were "cold" and needed large, visible signs to incite honks and waves; while others were "hot" with a variety of medium and handheld signs doing the trick with stopped cars and pedestrians.
• After speaking with a pedestrian reading one of the "Ditch Your Bank, Join A Credit Union" signs, she told us she had been hemming and hawing but after our talk she was going to go and make the switch! Another said it was her New Years Resolution!
• Occupier Pete brought a sign that said "Honk if you can't afford your own Politician!" assuring us many honks from cars, trucks... and busses! 
• A great moment was seeing a very tall Occupier Mark walking up the street donning a Guy Fawlkes mask and waving a large Adbusters flag, giving peace signs and waves to cars as he began rounding the corners of the intersection.
• We were happy to have an impromptu chaperone join us. He was actually there in support of Occupier Mark, but we quickly convinced him to have his cameraphone on hand in case of any undesirable attention. We have been lucky to have a chaperone at each Corner Occupation thus far.
• Occupier Pete also brought along his own "Move To Amend" petition, doubling up OccupYrCorner's impact and maximizing reach! 
• Occupier Linda and Occupier Anoki discussed with a security guard inquiring about our little practice, and upon handing him a flyer and telling him what's up, he explained how he saw exactly what we were talking about and our ideas on how to start change were smart.
• Occupier Susan, Holly, and Johnny all used their Pocket Protester hand held signs like champs, not being afraid to go right up to cars and busses, talking to passengers and drivers at lights, flyering and inviting to the concert.
• Occupier Holly happily reported that she later saw some people she talked up about the concert at the Ruby Room, who quickly thanked her for the invite. 
• Occupier Dave and his friends followed our Corner Occupation with one of their own, taking up a second shift of occupying as we moved on to represent at the Ruby Room! 

An awesome experience watching every Occupier talking to people right now about things that are going on right now! At the concert later, everyone was happy to find our little Occupy Your Lunch table tents representing throughout the club! 

Another OYC-related news item: while attending a GA at Freedom Plaza in San Diego, Anoki was approached by the awesome Dante, who quickly helped him stage a Corner Occupation with Occupiers Ernie, Mike, and DT. We took to the Corners of 5th and Market as well as 5th and F St in the Gaslamp, taking on the night-time crowd and talking to San Diegans about how Occupy is doing, what are next steps are, and how everyone can help to fix everyone's future! 

Finally, we were thrilled to see that when the going got tough at the Occupy Port Shutdown on Monday, the Occupiers stood their ground... and occupied the intersection! Hooray!

Occupation of Corners - 5th and Market, San Diego

OccupYrCorner San Diego succeeded on Wednesday with an amazing—AMAZING!—Occupation of Corners event on December 8th in the Gaslamp. Nine Corner Occupiers with signs and smiles took over the very busy intersection of 5th and Market in SD to spread the news about current issues that effect everyday Americans like Bankster bailouts, Republican-run recessions, NDAA, SOPA, FEMA Camps, and more!

The intersection couldn't have been better: bright lighting and a festive atmosphere, shops and restaurants lining the street, crowds of pedestrians and diners walking casually and talking, and no parking near the corners for maximum visibility while cars wait out the light. The best part: DIAGONAL CROSSING! It's one of the only 4-way crosswalks in downtown San Diego and we took full advantage of it signing and dancing our way across the intersection for all to see!

It was amazing to just watch all of the Occupiers work their signs on those corners! Talking with passer-by about their topics; reaching out and informing citizens about their dwindling rights. Many Occupiers found themselves in deep conversations and missed many intersection crossings as they were busy awakening fellow 99%ers. Waving at cars as they honked, running up and handing out flyers before the light goes green, making sure someone Googles something about these topics after their dinner on the town. Many happy cheers of "OCCUPY!" would come from the peddie cab drivers as they whizzed by with their customers, and we even gave a down-on-his-luck guy named Dwayne a sign for a while as he took a break from panhandling!

Again and again, I would hear pedestrians read our signs out loud, confirm they they are in full support, give smiles and waves from cars, or—most interestingly— I would hear someone walking in a group lightly change their conversation with their friends about the horrible things they heard about banking, Wall Street, current politics, and the like. It is amazing to know that someone will be going home, seeing something related in the media relating to these topics, and begin to allow it all to sink in and connect.

Some notes from the night: 

• Any sign that has the word "Honk" on it works! 
• When doing a full-scale Corner Occupation like this (with 8 or more), a mixture of large and handheld signs works wonderfully: The larger signs get the attention of cars far away, but the handheld signs are small and un-intrusive enough to facilitate on-sidewalk approaches by pedestrians. Also, the smaller ones are fun to hold close to cars for passengers to see. 
• Night time photography, especially with all of the cars and lights, necessitates a professional photog. Our camera phones were to no avail. 
• It was fun when the police drove by because we were within our rights (in San Diego) to stand on the sidewalk and hold a sign. For extra safety, rotations and mindfully staying near the curb edge and out of the way of foot traffic solidified our right to do what we were doing. 
• We had two sign dancers on two corners and a homeless guy on the third. So what did we do? We avoided the sign dancers who eventually left and gave the homeless guy a sign to hold! (For his donation of his time, we all donated to his meal that night. Thank you, everyone!) 

And that was that! Ana amazing time, as promised! We all discussed while disbanding after an hour and a half Corner Occupation our next event: Wednesday, December 14th - Hillcrest. 5th and University in support of the Occupy San Diego benefit concert at the Ruby Room!

Also, we have been getting positive feedback and connections with Occupy Phoenix, Occupy Sante Fe, Occupy Vista, Occupy Philadelphia, and the big Occupy Wall Street group itself! We're spreading! 

Finally, check out some of the other stuff we've been up to...

OccupYrCorner Meeting #4

Another amazing and well stocked meeting this week for OccupYrCorner! We had 11 creative, passionate, and focused Occupiers all there to discuss their experiences, interests, and plans regarding Occupying Corners. We even were chased out of our first meeting place by a disgruntled comedian! But we made the most of it by re-occupying a block down, marching with signs across the intersection.

Agenda Items - November 30th

Past Occupations and Experiences

• We reviewed the Chula Vista and City Heights Corner Occupations, as well as Horton Plaza Walkthrough focusing on the attention we got from not only passerby, but shop owners, and police. When a police officer appeared standing at a corner at our City Heights Occupation, we quickly resolved to rotating corners at each light change and making sure to stay along the building edge or curb edge, away from foot traffic. Each time, the officer left.
• We reviewed some of the public feedback and responses we've received while out, as well as conversation topics (mortgages, unemployment, fraud) and oddities (conspiracies).
• We stressed the importance of matching your message with your location, and making sure your message is graspable at a human level, and not shocking or trying to shame. Anoki retold a story Susan shared about having a sign that read "Local Vendors Not Foreign Spenders" at an international arts festival and quickly having to swap signs! Linda found that her sign "Need Not Greed" may be too off-putting this holiday season, and thought to focus it more into "People In Need Not Corporate Greed." 
• We reviewed topics of legality, citing this article from the ACLU shared by Toby that talks about our rights on the sidewalks. 

Website

• We touched upon topics of having the entire site translated into Spanish, headed by Ken. He contacted Occupiers in Chula Vista to assist. 
• We also talked about instituting a global map that we can pinpoint Occupied Corners, with pics and notes. Dave has been sharing options on the main OYC Facebook Group page
• We also talked about expanding the site's capabilities beyond Facebook with Groupware a la Ken. 
• On the topic of Facebook - We had a lengthy discussion and vote on how to handle off-topic posts on the OYC Facebook Group page. We agreed that if the post obviously has no relevance, we would each do our best to bury the post with on-topic posts or by bumping up on-topic posts with thoughtful comments. It would also be best to try and find a way to relate the post, but if we can't please mention we are trying to focus the page for these reasons:

• As we are expanding this group nationally, having local items diffuses our reach by alienating out of San Diego County Area Corner Occupiers

• As it is an important topic, for sure, posting it solely on the main OSD page and not here allows for more focused conversation that everyone can partake in. An important driving comment on one page may be lost on another.

• Everyone is on both pages and will see it, most likely. The onus is on you to keep that puppy active with bumps, shares, and conversation in the main OSD/OWS pages to give it reach. We are only a division of 100 from that larger group.

• We also talked about setting up a group calendar (possibly through Google) to post on the site for us all to rally around actual dates. And co-ordinate it with Facebook Events. 
• We also discussed handing out admins for the blog, Twitter, and Tumblr

Materials

• A recurring topic that came up was the importance of refining the message on one's sign so that the message is almost completely all about the viewer. We agreed that signs that touched upon the banking industry had the most impact as many feel comfortable talking about those on-going scandals. Signs that referred to issues that everyone is dealing with, and are not coming from an accusatory stance, get results. Also, the more clever and easy to read the better. 
• Ideas were flowing throughout the evening, as we first talked about our newest outreach idea "Occupy Your Lunch". Everyone seemed to be a fan of the concept, and Tammy came up with a great idea regarding them - you can leave them behind! They don't need to taken with you each time, you can leave a message for the waiter or next person to take that table. We even discussed expanding the design to have one to keep and one to leave behind, with appropriate messages. 
• Linda came up with a great idea of us making those "Lost Dog" print outs with strips at the bottom leading to a website that discusses our most important topics. This may just be to OYC, OSD, OWS, or something else. It could say "Lost Your Voice?" or "Lost Rights" or "Lost Freedom" with a cute pic and concise info and be hung at laundromats, small shops, book stores, Whole Foods, etc. 
• Incompra Design is donating the edge of a sheet from a print job to us, meaning we can have a 3-fold business card sized mini-brochure that touche upon OYC on one side and says "OCCUPY" or something on the opposite side. Instant mini-protest sign! Amounts and more to come. 
• We discussed utilizing QR codes more; on flyers, table tents, etc.
• We also discussed ways of blowing up the signs (4 x 4, 9 x 9) and the interest in having a Materials Day at Kinko's one upcoming weekend soon.

Outreach

• USA - We were all very happy to report that we are now over 100 members on the Facebook Group, a goal set by Sam when the group started.
• NY - Dave shared a tale regarding his friends in New York hearing about OccupYrCorner and being interested
• SD - There has been a recent report of a Corner Occupation being planned in Vista.
• SD - Anoki shared that each time he goes up at GA, people recognize him more and more, and some refer to him as "the OccupYrCorner guy". 
• SD - We discussed using the Balboa and Genessee Ave event as a talking point with other Occupiers about how Corner Occupations work... they did it themselves! 
• SD - We also discussed staging Corner Occupations at the Civic Center about the power of Corner Occupation by covering every physical corner in and around the square one day, all holding the same sign. 
• USA - We also discussed planning staged posts to Occupy Facebook Groups, where a member posts an image and link to the OYC site, and then the other members take turns commenting and bumping to keep it up for a while. We should discuss time zones and areas.

Schedule

Regarding OccupYrCorners role in supporting the movements of the Movement: we reached consensus that we as OccupYrCorners must adopt a model that endorses first the interests of each individual, and then the Occupation. Thusly, we will always present events and options for future Corner Occupations as invitations, with someone acting as "Host". This role includes arranging the date, time, and choosing a good spot to Occupy, etc.  As with the Port Shutdown, the consensus showed that there was little about the shutdown pertaining specifically to OYC, but we in no way want to stunt the Occupiers going, nor diminish their want to Occupy Corners while there. It is an individual practice by a group. When a "Host" invites, it's up to the individual to decide if it fits their schedule and interests. 

December

• SD - December 14th: Port Shutdown -  Dave is hosting, check the Facebook Group page for details
• SD - December 7th: OccupYrCorner Wednesdays - We discussed aiming to get 8 Corner Occupiers to cover the intersection of 5th and Market, which has a diagonal crosswalk with which we could synchronize exciting and visible crossings
• SD - Materials Day  - Dave discussed us getting together on a weekend soon at a Kinko's to create materials

January

• SD  - January 8th: "OYC x 100" day - Sam is spearheading an Occupation of the Corners of Broadway all across the city of San Diego. Keep up to date on the Facebook Group.

Future

• SD - La Jolla and Genessee - Ken and Jimmy discussed taking OYC into La Jolla
• SD - El Cajon - Ken discussed taking OYC into El Cajon
• USA - Mall Walkthrus - The idea of doing orchestrated walkthrus at a Mall came up a lot. Doing this with Pocket Protestors signs proved useful to Linda and Anoki at their Mall Occupations. We had a short conversation on how the Pocket Protestor Signs allow one to quickly stash away your sign if needs be. At a Mall Walkthru, Occupiers should plan to show up then split up, so that mall go-ers will see the signs at different parts of the Mall. SD - options are Fashion Valley, UTC, Mission Valley, Horton Plaza; looking for Hosts and Dates.
• USA - Baseball Season - The baseball season would be a great time to Occupy Corners down by the Stadium
• USA - Airports/Cruise Ships - We discussed standing at Airports in suits with arrival signs that said "Occupy".
• SD - Sidewalk Walk - We discussed organizing walkers with signs to circulate down the Gaslamp, holding their signs high and walking calmly among the sidewalk goers. 

And that is that! I apologize for anything missed or needs correction/clarification, please add to the comments below. Thank you so much for everyone who took part in this amazing meeting and for all the Corner Occupiers that were supporting us in mind and heart! Thank you for your flexibility, drive, and belief in this concept and helping make it something tangible and recognizable! 

Occupy!

The Occupation of Corners

Are you unsure about the effect that you are presently having on society around you right now? Are you starting to feel weary and pessimistic about whether the effects that you are seeing and feeling are felt by others in your city? Are you starting to think that you are yelling and not one person is willing to listen?

Then take an hour, make yourself a sign, and go outside. Stand on a busy corner and smile. Depending on the size and content of your sign (the bigger and more pro-active, the better) something quite extraordinary will begin to happen. People will mostly at first just walk by, some will not notice or are trained to ignore, but there will begin to be "looks". Not particularly angry looks, not even ones at you yourself, but at your sign. At what it's saying.

You'll see a head turn. You'll see a smile. You'll see a concerned look. You'll see a mouth sounding out the words. You'll see a smirk. Then an eye will dart to yours, and you'll see a connection with a complete stranger. A thumbs-up here. A high-five there. Someone repeating the sign out loud as they pass.

People will begin to talk to you, all in passing. "I hear ya!" "Exactly!" "That's right!" as they go on about their day.

Then this one and singularly magical thing will occur: someone will stop and ask you "What's this all about?" Or "Is this involved with the Occupy thing? How's that going?" Or "How does this effect me so much that you are out here doing this?" Then communication takes hold.

You end up speaking one-on-one with the very people you are fighting for. You hear their tales of woe, their talks of support, their dreams of better society, for them and their loved ones. You even hear their  insecurity about the Occupy movement, opening up a chance to highlight shared views and concerns. A troubled mortgage for an eager worker without work. A mother alone, struggling. A college student wanting to understand; wanting an education that leads to a future. A worker trying to squeeze more hours into and out of the day. A pink slip on the way.

But, you also get the hear how on top of it they are in terms of banking misconduct, mortgage frauds, paid politics, fake news, and inequality.

You get a chance to talk to them on the sidewalk - not yell at them from the street - and let them know they don't have to hide this aggravation anymore. It is not something to be ashamed about! It can be voiced, and for your health and the health of society, it should! That this movement is working to create a space and forum that which average citizens have the opportunity to air their grievances and talk about their troubles without judgement or penalty. That, together, as a people, we no longer have to feel America is someone else's. That it can be reclaimed as everyone's, more equally, more compassionately, and more humanely.

And all you are doing is holding a sign on a corner.

I've rattled on enough about Occupying Corners—you all have Occupying to do—but I will leave you with this one final note: when no one is on the sidewalks and the lights turn from red to green, there is no rush like knowing those honking cars, those thumbs-ups and peace-fingers from behind windshields, those yells of "OCCUPY!" from passenger windows are because you actually really aren't alone on a corner. You're on the edge of the future, like everyone else.

The San Diego OccupYrCorner group will be meeting at the Libertalia Cafe in Hillcrest, San Diego at 7 tonight, November 3oth in solidarity with other Corner Occupyers nationwide. Please spread the word to help begin a OccupYrCorner group in your city or town! - visit or site www.occupyrcorner.com for materials and www.facebook.com/groups/occupyrcorner for connections and details!

My Thanksgiving: Occupied

Just a quick note on developments with the rest of the 99% through out America on Thanksgiving: they're with us. I purposefully didn't bring up anything last night at my friends family Thanksgiving Dinner about the OWS movement, as I wanted to see if it really has become a topic on the American dinner table. We didn't even get to the table. 

Turns out that one of the cousins at the dinner attends UC Davis, and the things that came out of her mouth were so fair, so on point, so "right there" when it all happened... with her finger directly on the pulse. The only sense she can give that encapsulates what the students, faculty, staff, as well as businesses and families of the entire town of Davis is "OUTRAGE". Outrage over the use of such needless and obvious violence against young adults and fellow members of their society. Especially stemming from kids wanting an education. From what I learned, the town of David LIVES for and off of that school, and this ridiculous, hate-filled stunt has put the entire town's financial solvency and future on the line due to the massive outpouring of students, support, and next-year's projected low prospective rate.

The activities that day galvanized Davis in such an extreme way: she said the Occupy/protest movement ballooned after that experience and that so many joined the protests on campus that local vendors and area shops were all out of camping gear. Scandals after scandals, she says, have been erupting in the aftermath about the Chancellor, the Police Officer, as well as other officials.

She illustrated that experience was a true eye-opener for her, her school, and for her family. By the end of the night, conversations of constructive civil disobedience, resisting unlawful arrest, and your rights as an American citizen floated freely about among the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Not overtaking the dinner, but becoming a welcome part of it.

It's working, OWS, we are making a change…one table at a time… 

See you out there today! We'll be Occupying Corners is San Diego to help bring people to light on topics that really effect them and their families! HAPPY BUY NOTHING FRIDAY!

OccupYrCorner Wednesday - City Heights, San Diego

We celebrated the first weekly OccupYrCorner Wednesday in solidarity with other Corner Occupiers around the world at the invitation of Occupier Gwen in City Heights, San Diego. Known as a rougher area in SD, City Heights is also very busy with foot and road traffic, so it proved to be a great area to reach out and connect with other 99%ers that may be feeling the grind beset America by the Bankster Plutocracy.

Thanks to Occupiers Kenyan, Susan, and Merton for coming out and representing the 99% far from the Civic Center! Check out some of the shots below, by Occupiers Anoki on his smartphone and Occupier Merton Gaudette, a professional photographer.

OCCUPY!

Week Events and More Pics!

As the week rolls on, we are going to be celebrating OccupYrCorner Wednesday in solidarity with other Corner Occupiers this time in City Heights, San Diego to try and raise some consciousness on what's going on with unwitting 99%ers jobs, finances, rights, and futures! We seem to have a solid group set to go!

Also, it's Buy Local or Nothing Friday, and we are planning to celebrate by taking to the Corners all around San Diego to remind people of the importance of shopping meaningfully, spending consciously, and voting everyday by paying attention to their banks, investments, and politicians!

Many thanks to the Star News for sending out a crew to cover the Chula Vista event! Below are some shots the Star News reporter took and shared on Twitter!

© StarNewsEditor

OCCUPY!

More Photos from OccupYrCorner Chula Vista, CA

Many thanks to Merton Gaudette for this amazing spread of shots from yesterday's OccupYrCorner in Chula Vista, wonderfully organized by Charlene Sabga Pennington and the rest of Occupy Chula Vista!

Solidarity through Saturation! Let America know what's going on and who's really on their side!

Occupy!

OccupYrCorner Chula Vista - They Came Prepared Rain or Shine!

OccupYrCorner Chula Vista went off today and as reports roll in: a resounding success! 
Many Occupiers took to the streets of Chula Vista, San Diego to spread the word of economic equality, Occupational politics, and the future of America for the young and old. They did it all in the rain and spent many days preparing clothing, immunity boosters, and a game plan to tackle the elements. A million thanks to both Charlene and Ken for getting the Chula Vista leg of OccupYrCorner up and running, and to Susan and Merton and all the rest who travelled down from San Diego to show support! There was even a local news crew present to record the event!

As we compile all of the information and photos together to share with the rest of the Corner Occupations that have sprung up over the last few days, here are some preliminary shots shared by Dave Millette on Facebook! Many thanks to Dave for his quick photojournalism!

More to come! 

Occupy!

Canvass for a Cause...

Two members of OccupYrCorner were present at the San Diego Civic Center Saturday the 19th to attend  Canvass for a Causes's "Knock for Occupation" teach-in which was extremely informative for our concept. The duo that ran the seminar were amazing and cool under pressure (the cops were trying to "legally confiscate" our bagels and hummus... obviously they were hungry) which the Canvass for a Cause Reps handled with precision and confidence. There were a ton of cameras on the cops as they were being informed of their legal jurisdiction by these two. The cops scattered. It was rad.

The training itself was very informative and gave a lot of points on things that we have discussed at meeting or out on Corners. I plan on go over a lot of that at our next meeting! Some things to consider:

• Making eye contact at farther distances
• About when to ask names when talking to people
• About having voting registration forms and other materials
• About connecting with Canvass for a Cause on more

Also...

It's Official: The OccupYrCorner concept is spreading!

We've been getting reports in from Santa Fe, NM; Chula Vista, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Florida; and City Heights CA! They've been talking about it in the OccupySD emailers for a while, but now some of the Corner camps are starting to make Wednesday the weekly day to Occupy Corners! Let's make it official in conjunction with the rest!

See!? Here's a Corner Occupyer found on the net! 

Hahaha!

Occupy!

11.17 - OWS = WINNING!

Yesterday was amazing... I mean really. Fucking incredible... the entire aware, concerned world stood up! I stayed part of the day in to work and volunteer time for non-profits and watch the global events unfold. Merton from across the county and thousands of other Occupiers from across the country, myself included, enjoyed spending the day off and on quietly tag teaming the Twitter/Facebook/G+ feeds with pro-99% information... at times we were flooding the internet with so much positive #ows material, it was unstoppable to just watch the RTs roll! I alone must've signed 30 petitions and forwarded important information all over the world...


I then took my Pocket Protester and walked carefully, casually all around Hillcrest for over an hour: on Corners, at stoplights, passing by restaurants and bars, being obvious to waiting cars... thumbs ups, car honks, and smiles all came my way as I suggested they "Ditch Your Bank - Join a Credit Union" for purely their own benefit. I even walked thru a few stores for supplies, holding my sign at my side very casually, making no big deal: just holding a piece of paper. But it was seen.


Upon return to my computer, I saw the most amazing things: bloody smiling faces of freedom, thousands of people flooding international streets, bridges turned into connections, calls for resignations and reconciliations, little girls screaming into streams of caustic chemicals, anti-OWS journalists denouncing the NYPD and thanking OWS, police videoed molesting women and pulling their hair and clothes off, NYPD attacking and handcuffing sick women to their wheelchairs, tents flying thru the sky, new occupations still springing up months later, police men giving up the ruse and joining their real sisters and brothers, and buildings avenging against their own masters upon the backdrop of a night urban sky.


But most importantly, I've heard speak of the Occupy Movement becoming it's own political party purely for and by the people. It's already generating it's own congressional runners, journalists, media outlets, vendors, unions, industry captains, financial leaders, religious figures, and entertainment icons. It's already making decisions in Congress and Financial Board rooms by pulling the wool from America's eyes day to day. And it's all happening spontaneously, independently, organically, so it begins from a ground that can start carefully – free of lobbying, influence, and greed. It can start, if done correctly, from the heart.


It was and is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever seen. I am so proud of you all... you have restored my faith and belief in what humanity can be, and not what it's become. You are each troopers, soldiers and agents... you each roll with the correct arrangement. You proved that from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands, this is a movement that is not like fire to the world... it is like water. No matter what you do, baby, once your wet your wet: and you just gotta deal with it. So cleanse...

Occupy.

Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood

OccupYrCorner Meeting 3: Amazing turnout, Amazing minds

To start off, I must send out a large "THANK YOU" to all who came out tonight... the turnout was amazing! We had 8 Occupiers from different areas, backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and interests all pulling together to try and grow new ways in which this movement can spread and inform others about what is going on with the government, the financial sector, and their lives.

A Review of the Agenda:

Review of 1st Corner Occupation:

• An overall success!
• Eye-contact is important.
• Once you get over the initial fear/discomfort, it's exhilarating to just be available to talk to strangers about important things.
• Make sure to feel every individual out before you even talk to them. "Where are they today?" "Do they want to talk?" "Are they healthy enough to have a conversation right now?"
• Work with cars as they are waiting at the light
• Safety - Work out hand signals; get dollar store whistles; arrange a special hollar and keep your eyes on your Corner mates for any trouble they may be in
• Safety - If confronted by an upset person, if they are yelling try lowering your voice a few levels. Their interest will make them quiet down to hear what you are saying. If they are mentally unwell and raving, try saying repetitive mantras and phrases to confuse them enough for you to exit. 
• Appearance is important. We want to look as approachable and accessible as possible; your mileage  may vary.

Review of OYC Materials

• Overall - we are all generally responsible for our own materials; signs should be personally relavant and heart-felt and friendly, not specifically condemning or naming. 
• Signs - I can help make individual Pocket Protester signs for every one; we did agree some individuality is good, just keep "-Occupy" as the sign-off. 
• Site - working well; everyone's happy; create a nav bar at top for downloads and info
• Blog - Collect emails and give accounts to Blog 
• Flyers - We have Spanish versions coming and other Spanish materials available
• Flyers - Google Keyword Sheet/Web Address Handout
• Flyers - We talked about "Arrest Cards" - a card to drop with your info to say you are arrested (heaven forbid) for your other Occupiers to collect and "Thai Flash Cards" - a hand card to flash waist-high at people that says "Occupy" or "Occupysd.org" when you make eye contact.

Review of OYC Outreach Ideas

• During marches: We agree to take it upon ourselves to take our signs to the sidewalks and down intersecting streets as the marches go down their route. The object is to inform people what all the ruckus is about. Let them know their rights are being fought for.
• We talked about creating a "Look for yourself, I don't want to slant your opinion" approach to getting people onboard 
• We talked about some colors for outreach materials, orange seemed popular
• Some slogans to use "Protest everyday, no need to stop!" "No Tent Required!" "Don't Stop Marching!"
• Talk about the amazing things that happen in one-on-one dialogue;  now that we have their attention, let's talk.
•  We talked about formulating an "elevator speech" to have on hand in mind for coherence and cohesiveness
• We reviewed new places to consider - Congressional districts: North Park, Hillcrest, etc.
• This can be done in your neighborhood, any time, any day. You can always carry a sign, even at your side! 
• OccupYrBumper Sticker

Review of OYC Schedule

• Thursday the 17th -  Bridge Occupation - 3 members going to represent, I may occupy a corner somewhere
• Saturday the 19th - "Knock for Occupation" teach-in at CC at 10am; good informational about talking to the public about this
• Sunday the 20th - OccupYrCorner Chula Vista is happening; we are arranging schedules and rides
• Black Friday - We Occupy Corners downtown, schedule forthcoming. Some talk about a Fashion Valley walkthru
• OccupYrCorner Day - we agreed a weekend day soon. More to come.

Review of Legality Issue

• Wanted to review any legal issues - so far none to be found
• We are going to tap a legal advisor
• Certain precedents and laws are already in place in California which protect protesting in public spaces
• Unlawful Assembly includes 3 or more people within a certain distance from each other (we will be far apart, one to a corner); causing a disturbance (no yelling, no provocative nature or signage); blocking of traffic or business (Please don't do that)
• Our Pocket Protester signs are within SDPD size limits
• "Stand Up or Stand Down" - The group agreed we should officially take a non-violent, escapist posture when confronted by authorities; "we can just move to another corner, or do a Walk." HOWEVER, it is highly impressed that this is purely a personal choice issue: if you want to stand up for your rights and possibly get arrested, that's up to you. We will do everything we can to peacefully film the incident from a distance and begin to get you out immediately.
• A general Good Neighbor Policy should always be employed.

Review of Stack Items

• We discussed that materials are a self-made experience, but to sign off with "-Occupy"; I can make personalized Pocket Protesters for anyone
• Discussed expanding out to a "Bodhisattva Day" of mediation, Occupying the corners of CC with meditators of different faiths
• Discussed Walk-thru Occupations of Horton Plaza, when eating lunch in restaurants (get a window seat), on trolleys

And finally, wonderfully, it was suggested that we repurpose Martin Niemöller's chilling "First they came. You can just hear the new stanzas write themselves out... 

First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

OccupYrCorner Meeting 3

We are going to have our 3rd OccupYrCorner meeting at Lestat's on Park, Wednesday, November 16th at 6pm debriefing our latest and first official Corner Occupation from last weekend. We'll be reviewing our individual thoughts and experiences from the day for future, and pull together some sort of official advice points. Also, we'll review translations, materials, and options for marketing and spreading OYC to other areas.

We'll also talk about Occupation plans for this week (there is a Bridge Occupation happening Thursday, OccupYrCorner Chula Vista on Sunday, etc.) and the future ("OccupYrCorner Day", upcoming events, single Corner Occupations). 

Beyond that, I've been staging my own Corner Occupations while walking to do errands. I've been trying to leave a little early and miss each stoplight on purpose, carrying my sign calmly with me as I walk, and proudly when at street corners. So far, and as before, I received a great response from cars passing by with horns honking, thumbs up through widows, as well as waves and smiles from passengers and drivers. I even got a high-five and a "That's Great!" from a fellow pedestrian today. 

Finally, I've been happy to find mentions and talk all over the internet about modifying and motivating the Occupy movement out of the big march int eh street mentality on to the sidewalks, bars, stores, TVs... everywhere! I am so into this movement and this particular concept especially as it all belongs to no one: it is fluid and free, and can be anywhere at all times, in as many ways as we can imagine...