THE 99% MARCH: A DAY OF ACTION FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Saturday, Dec. 17: Occupy for Memphis

We are Occupy Memphis, and stand proudly alongside the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Youth for Youth, Comunidades Unidas en 1 Voz, and First Congregational Church. On December 17, we will hold a nonviolent rally and peaceful march in protest of Wells Fargo, the homeless crisis in Memphis, and for fiscal responsibility of our city and county government.

December 17 marks the one-year anniversary since Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire in Tunisia, which started the Arab Spring. It also marks three months since Occupy Wall Street began in New York City. While we stand in solidarity with the global and national movements for freedom and reform, we know we must address the many issues our communities face here in Memphis to be most effective. In this spirit, we call for a major convergence on December 17 in order to draw attention to and protest against the financial fraudulence that plagues our country and our city. For too long, we stood idly by as human lives have been diverted from the realms of moral and ethical concern into the columns of mere profit and loss.

We, the 99%, will not stand for this any longer.

Three rallies have been organized for December 17:

Occupy the Banks, to protest Wells Fargo for its racist, predatory lending practices and its financing of the private prison industry. We ask Wells Fargo: is it ethical for a business to profit from the inhumane and wrongful incarcerations of people?

Occupy the Streets, to protest for affordable housing and homelessness services. With 1 in 4 Memphians living in poverty, including approximately 1,500 students of the Memphis City School system, we demand our city government to reverse its negligence on the homeless crisis in Memphis.

Occupy for Memphis, to demand good jobs and living wages, equity in public transit and education, quality health care, effective public services, an end to wars, and supporting our veterans.

The three rallies will occur simultaneously: Occupy the Banks at Wells Fargo Bank, located at 42 S Claybrook Street; Occupy the Streets at Morris Park on Poplar Avenue, between Alabama Avenue and N Manassas; Occupy for Memphis at Forrest Park, located at Union Ave and Manassas. Each rally will begin at noon. Occupy the Banks and Occupy the Streets will meet Occupy for Memphis at Forrest Park at 1 p.m.

The convergence of all three actions will lead to a march from Forrest Park to Civic Center Plaza, where Occupy Memphis has been camped out in protest for 60 days. The day of action will end with a special General Assembly at 2 p.m.

Members of the press can easily report on the collective march in action at Forrest Park at 1 p.m., Union Avenue and Main Street thereafter, and finally, at Civic Center Plaza at 2 p.m. for speeches and interviews.

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Occupy Memphis has been camped out in Civic Center Plaza, located in downtown Memphis, for 60 days. It stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street ongoing protests.

http://www.occupymemphis.org

Corporate Shenanigans. If I were to offer a title for my corner of the blogosphere, that's what I would call it.

They say good things come in threes, but I have had three recent instances of corporate shenanigans that I could have done without.