[olympiaworkers] Occupy Olympia: A call for solidarity

Up to date info as of 12:45 P.M., Thursday, December 15th

Friends,

At about 8:30 A.M, Thursday, December 15th, . the Washington State Police
and Department of Enterprise Services delivered a "Notice to Cease and
Desist Camping" effective 12:01 A.M., January 16th., midnight tonight. The
notice stated they will come in and seize all property at Occupy Olympia.
In addition, they will not allow any future camping equipment at Heritage
Park. They reduced what is going on to an encampment although it is much
more than that, a site of protest and resistance, a movement for economic
equality and more.

A rally is being planned for today, Thursday, December 15th, beginning at
10 P.M.. There will be music and workshops. We invite you!

People will be at Media Island, today, 816 Adams, today, making signs and
cooking food. Help if you can.

We are asking people to show solidarity and support for those who have
been staying at Occupy Olympia by coming to Heritage Park tonight and
staying for the night if you can. Bring signs.

We are asking for solidarity and resistance to be non-violent.

The police may come at midnight, tonight, as they have threatened, but it
is also possible they will wait until dawn, Friday before they make their
raid. Raids are likely to be ongoing.

Legal and medical support and medical supplies in case there is a police
raid are urgently needed,

There will be a rally and march, Friday, December 16th at 4 P.M.,
beginning at Heritage Park.

Join us, invite others!

We hope that you can show up to support Occupy Olympia. Occupy Olympia is
just beginning.

Housing is still a need for the homeless in case Occupy is shut down.

We also need places where people can store their tents.

Peter

UPDATE: Impending Eviction at Heritage Park

December 15, 2011, 12:06 PM
UPDATE: Notice to vacate was served to occupiers of Heritage Park this
morning.

The notice said all structures and tents needed to be out of the park by
midnight tonight.

December 14, 2011, 9:42 PM
Impending Eviction – Meeting at 8AM, First Christian Church

There are a few sources indicating that State officials will be arriving
at Heritage Park to deliver a 20 hour notice to vacate to those camping at
Heritage Park. That puts time of eviction at around 5am Friday morning.

A meeting at First Christian church has been called for 8am Thursday
morning to discuss the impending eviction.

Letter to Gregoire

Governor Gregoire et al,

The Occupy Movement manifested as a direct response to the social and
economic injustices caused by a corrupt and heartless financial system. As
you know, the political encampment at Heritage Park, built by Occupy
Olympia, has quickly become home to a large number of people whose basic
needs have, for too long, gone unmet. As Occupy Olympia organizers
realized the magnitude of these needs, our focus shifted from simply
describing these injustices to actively mitigating them. For two months,
in addition to our other political actions, Occupy Olympia has run an
all-inclusive, all-volunteer social services agency in the mud- offering
heath care, drug & alcohol counseling, conflict mediation, food, shelter,
and weather-appropriate clothing to those in need. Our outrage against
bank bailouts, corporate personhood, government corruption, and unequal
distribution of wealth manifested itself not as violence or aggression,
but as 24/7 shifts in the wind and rain, working tirelessly with and for
the victims of corporate governmental policy. With the support of the
greater Olympia community, our success has been overwhelming and the
conversation has reached a fever pitch.

Repeated attempts to dismiss the political encampment at Heritage Park as
a "homeless camp" have failed; make no mistake, the encampment is a
political action. While people's basic needs go unmet, they cannot engage
in dialogue about social and economic justice. What we see emerging at
Heritage Park is a new wave of social and political activists– people who
care for each other and their community as it grows. Occupy Olympia didn't
create homelessness, or drug addiction, or poverty, or illness. We have
simply exposed these social problems by drawing them out and laying them
on the doorstep of our Capitol. As our elected officials and state
employees, yours is the burden of responsibility, while ours is a labor of
love.

Winter is here, and we are faced with a dilemma: wintering in tents
between two large bodies of water in the middle of a wind corridor does
not sound pleasant, and while many of us have houses to which we can
retreat if conditions become unbearable, some of us do not. There are at
least 1,000 homeless people in Thurston County, and close to 100 living in
Heritage Park. We know that you want us to leave, but it's not that
simple. Some of the most dedicated among us call Occupy Olympia at
Heritage Park their home. In addition to having our physical needs met,
many of us have found within this community a place to build
relationships, escape from long-term drug addictions, and reclaim some of
the inherent human dignity that the system had stolen from us. It would be
unconscionable and unwise for you to use the threat of violence to evict
us, as is happening in so many other places; Occupy Olympia denounces
violence and expects that the Washington State Patrol will hold true to
their recent promise of meeting non-violent protest without violence. We
can only hope that the Olympia Police department will follow this noble
example.

It is imperative that this blossoming community have a place to grow
roots, free from harassment, and that it have access to the training and
support necessary to creating a safe and sustainable self-governing
community. Occupy Olympia, in partnership with many local organizations,
is endeavoring to facilitate a situation in which the community
established at Heritage Park can be preserved indefinitely. We expect the
State of Washington to fulfill its responsibility to its citizens, by:

- working with the City of Olympia to provide an empty building for this
bourgeoning houseless community to spend the winter;
-bringing social service employees to this space to educate residents
about available resources;
-facilitating first aid, drug counseling, and conflict resolution
trainings for residents;
-refusing to support any budget cuts which further marginalize this
community; and
-creating new legislation which addresses, on a statewide level, the
issues outlined above

The location of this new space should be neither hidden nor distant; this
community will need quick access to main bus lines, grocery stores, and
free health clinics. This community will be recognized not as a fringe
minority, but as a group whose welfare is central to and indicative of the
health of our State as a whole.

In the spirit of the season, Occupy Olympia is giving the State of
Washington the opportunity to set a righteous and powerful example for the
rest of the nation by addressing the most basic needs of its people. Do
not let us down.

Sincerely,
Occupy Olympia

Occupy Olympia Receives Human Rights Award

Monday December 19th there will be a reception honoring Occupy Olympia as
the receiver of the 2011 Human Rights Award by the Thurston County
Diversity Council. Occupy Olympia is receiving this award for unique
achievement.

This reception is scheduled to occur in Building One, Room 152 of the
Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge DR SW. 6:30pm