#OccupyLosAngeles: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S RESPONSE TO THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

[Fire Walk With Me]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=313987741947350&set=a.284516954894429.82182.282370021775789&type=1&theater

Para Todos Todo, Nada Para Nosotros: For Everyone, Everything, For Us, Nothing
(This group-authored response to be read tonight at General Assembly by The Occupiers. Once consented upon, this response is to be disseminated as a press release, and ‘mic-checked’, in person, by the Occupiers themselves, on Monday 28th November 2011 in the City Council Meeting of that date)

As a collective, Occupy Los Angeles would like to express their rejection of the City of Los Angeles’ alleged proposal that we leave City Hall by November 28th, 2011, in exchange for an apparently now rescinded offer of a 10,000 square foot building, farmland and 100 SRO beds for the homeless.

Occupy Los Angeles believes that as part of a global movement advocating direct, participatory democracy, and challenging economic and social injustices, our position is such that we cannot, in all good faith, accept material benefit at the taxpayer’s expense without seriously compromising our beliefs, our desire for global change, and our commitment to our First Amendment Rights.

In the spirit of inclusivity and transparency which is so dear to our movement, Occupy Los Angeles would like to extend an invitation to Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Council to attend our General Assemblies at the City Hall Occupation in order to discuss these and other matters in a direct, democratic, horizontal way. Mayor Villaraigosa must speak out against the violent actions towards our brothers and sisters, declare the actions of other cities to be unjust, and stand before us equally at a General Assembly. Occupy Los Angeles believes that until this happens, we should have no more closed-door discussions regarding our continuing occupation of City Hall.

The City Council - in line with government in general - is an undemocratic authority which is more accountable to corporations than the public. The very act of the Los Angeles City Council requesting the physical removal of Los Angeles Occupiers by way of bribery, is in effect publicly supporting the removal of all Occupations from public space by any means. We cannot negotiate with such an institution without undermining our sister occupations across the globe who are suffering from oppressive force and attacks upon their inherent human rights to free speech and assembly, protected in this country under the First Amendment. We refer here to episodes in Oakland, Boston, New York, Portland, UC Davis and San Francisco, to name but a few. We refer to those further afield, in Tahrir Square in Egypt, in Madrid, Greece, London and more. Teargas, beatings, jail, suppression and intimidation have been used as a coercive method of silencing our movement and our desire for global change.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Goddam screwball radicals.

Jeez, how I love them!

[rhett o rick]

8. Me F'in too. nm

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. Very well constructed.

In solidarity with all of those sacrificing for the greater good :thumbsup:

[Kaleko]

6. Hear hear.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. "Well constructed/" Impossible, they have no leaders,

they have no organization. They are the rabble.


The media & pundits in this country are like a bunch of dinosaurs jeering at the little mammals.

[JDPriestly]

3. They express their values more clearly each day.

Clearly they are not asking for hand-outs or special favors.

Probably wise.

A building would bring a lot of responsibility and distractions from their purpose.

I fear though, that the City of LA will not understand why they are rejecting this offer.

It is interesting that the area around the City Hall where Occupy LA is situated is very near the park areas between other public buildings. Those park areas begin at the park adjacent to the Civil Court. Last time I was downtown, some big corporation had closed off access to the other areas of that parkland in order to build commercial spaces.

It kind of illustrates the point. The corporations building for-profit rental spaces, sort of a mall as I understand it, in a heretofore public space, are welcomed. But the people sitting, sleeping and meeting in what is essential a similarly public space are not welcome.

I wonder whether there was some sort of pay-off arrangement behind the corporation's getting a permit to build in what had been a public more or less open space.

[msongs]

4. You can't spell deceit without LA. nt

[coalition_unwilling]

18. JD (and all others reading thsi thread), when members of the

Occupy Los Angeles City Liaison Committee went to meet with representatives from the Mayor's office yesterday, they were told that the offer was not valid any longer.

Thus, Villaraigosa made an offer through back channels, let it be widley publicized in the media, caused OLA to spend time deliberating a response, and then rescinded the offer.

Tranlsation: Villaraigosa and his cohort negotiate in bad faith.

[hootinholler]

28. That would appear to be the case.

What is the mayor's background?

[nc4bo]

5. K&R for principles first. nt

[Fantastic Anarchist]

7. Word!

[Magoo48]

19. Double word!

[daleanime]

23. Love that image...

hope you don't mind if I steal it.:fistbump:

[Fantastic Anarchist]

26. Not mine, but I'm sure Banksy wouldn't mind!

:toast:

Feel free to use. ;)

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. Nov. 23: Mayor's office says Occupy L.A. encampment will end next week

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2373136

[PETRUS]

10. Thanks for posting.

I told my (81 year old) mother about the city's attempt to negotiate and their offer of office space, etc. in exchange for vacating. Her immediate reply "hmm... out of sight, out of mind, eh?"

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. That, and the sudden responsibility for an entire building. Codes, permits, evictions...

[Jackpine Radical]

15. The Ploy of the Pale Pachyderm.

Wow, they're trying about the oldest trick in the book here.

Wikipedia:

A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth. The term derives from the story that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) were accustomed to make a present of one of these animals to courtiers who had rendered themselves obnoxious, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its maintenance. In modern usage, it is an object, scheme, business venture, facility, etc., considered to be without use or value.<1>

[coalition_unwilling]

22. Jackpine, you also shold know that the city rescinded its offer after

it was widely publicized in the lcoal media. Villaraigosa and his Junta operate and negotiate in bad faith.

[Jackpine Radical]

24. It takes an occupation to make our supposedly "liberal" politicians

show their true colors.

[coalition_unwilling]

20. An offer the city rescinded when OLA came to discuss it yesterday. Everyone

on this discussion board needs to understand that Villaraigosa may be a Democrat but he and his Junta offer bribes and negotiate in bad faith.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. And this will only grow.

And get more radical.

[XemaSab]

12. .

:thumbsup:

[bertman]

16. Very eloquently stated and totally on target. Our Occupy has discussed

wintering over in a building (for lots of good reasons) but it always comes back to what the 81 year old Mom said: Out of sight. Out of mind. The presence of tents and occupiers is our strongest statement that we will not go away.

And just wait until spring when our flowers will blossom. You best believe the PTB are sweating bullets over that possibility.

REC.

[coalition_unwilling]

17. Second paragraph had and has me in tears still. Translation:

Occupy Los Angeles does not and will not take bribes at the expense of the 99%.

[lonestarnot]

21. +10,000!

Now K & R!

[bottom line]

25. The FLAGPARK is GONE?

The first time I went to occupy la, recently, after OWS had been evicted, took the minutes to downtown, $1.50, subway, Civic Center stop, temple street stairs "The Flags park is GONE?" The Flag Park that when doing jury duty, you could take a break. The Flag Park with all these many flagpoles, with different historical American Flags, like Civil War regiment... & cool little plates explaining each one.
In the top ten of all my memories was jury duty, to park, kids playing around the flag poles... It truly was one of the most MAGICAL moments I've ever seen.
The Flags park is GONE?
The when doing jury duty LIGHTBULB is GONE?
In all fairness, I don't know what's being built there. I keep my cool.

[Zorra]

27. Does anyone know where we meet up before we shut down the

the Los Angeles/west coast ports on 12/12?