Monday, Sept 3, 2012 - Labor Day Picnic at Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY

Occupiers will be out in force!!!

http://www.tcworkerscenter.org/2012/07/29th-annual-labor-day-picnic-stewart-park/

The Tompkins County Workers’ Center and the Midstate Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will hold the 29th annual Labor Day Picnic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, September 3rd, in Ithaca’s Stewart Park. 

This year’s picnic theme is “We Are the 99%” to send the message that all our families – working and unemployed, organized and unorganized – need jobs and the vital public programs that support communities, not tax breaks for the rich.

The Workers’ Center and and Labor Council invite the community to join them and enjoy free picnic fare, music, and presentations of awards.

For twenty-seven years, this Labor Day event has brought hundreds of workers, their families, and community members together to celebrate solidarity and to recognize the contributions workers make to our community every day. 

The picnic is free and everyone is invited. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share and to enjoy the free burgers (meat and veggie), hot dogs, beverages, and ice cream.

The annual awards have become a highlight of the Labor Day Picnic over the years, and this year will be no different. The Mother Jones and Joe Hill awards are presented to people for their activism, organizing, and sacrifice at work. The Friend of Labor award is presented to a member of the community who has spoken out publicly or taken action in support of working people. The notorious Goat of Labor goes to an especially egregious offender of workers’ rights and/or the value of labor to our common good.

Local human service agencies, Living Wage Employers, and other organizations are welcome to have organizing tables at the event (however, please contact in advance). For more information, contact the Workers’ Center via our website at www.TCWorkersCenter.org, or by calling 607-269-0409.

"Moment by Moment", A Seriously Inspiring Documentary - The Occupied New York Times - August 31, 2012

                                 Occupied

                                                             ^

Moment by Moment is a documentary film made by Dorothy Fadiman about the story of Molly Hale's survival and recovery from a brutal car crash that the doctors thought would leave her paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of her life. 
 
I met Molly Hale at the Women's Martial Arts Conference in Oberlin, Ohio in July 2012.   She is an Aikido master who had a very serious car accident a few years ago and experienced a very serious spinal cord injury.  She is currently practicing and teaching Aikido again. 

Please check out the three minute trailer at  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-KunjNnaE

And, if you have an hour for a real treat, please watch the whole documentary at http://vimeo.com/24965713

Even if you can't see it, listening to it is worth your while.  I promise that you will be blown away!
                  





Myra Kovary
Editor-In-Chief of the Occupied New York Times

American Fascism

 GETTING THE MESSAGE??? 

 THEY are "programming" YOU! 

Click HERE to learn more. 

      Did you know:

• The US imprisons more of its own population than 
   ANY other nation on the planet.  

• The Prison-Industrial-Complex is one of our nation's largest private sectors.

•  1 in 100 Adult Americans are currently incarcerated. 

 PLEASE CHECK THESE FACTS! 

Save ITHACA COMMUNITY GARDENS from a Destructive City Administration

       How many essential parts of Ithaca's Historic Culture will we allow this childish City Administration to sell away to the highest bidder? How far do we let them go? 

They have DESTROYED our local music industry with only talk of 'budgets' and 'contracts' and other meaningless financial nonsense. Pyramid Sound Studios have effectively been DESTROYED by this City Administration with no regard to the greater cost of the CULTURE that has now been lost. With eyes so focused on only the financials of any given matter - WHO IS YOUR GOVERNMENT WORKING FOR?!

 Will We Allow Them To Destroy Our Gardens? 
                                  Damn Right, We Won't! 

JOIN US TOMORROW:

Save Ithaca's Community Gardens NOW 

                                        [click to RSVP]

Public Event · By Urgent: Save Ithaca's Community Gardens

• • 
    Wednesday
  • 5:30pm

• Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850

• Come to the City Administration Committee's meeting and show your support for the gardens. The resolution before the committee to sell the gardens to a developer must be stopped.

 If YOU don't Stand Up for YOUR city? 
                                            WHO WILL? 

BREAKING NEWS: UK Police Advancing on Ecuadorian Embassy An Affront to Any Nation's Sovereignty

UPDATE [17:14 EST] 8-18-12: Ecuador to announce at 1pm London Time (Sunday 8-19-12) official offer of Asylum to Julian Assange - himself to Speak TOMORROW at 2pm London Time.

Wikileaks

4 minutes ago via Twitter

• Former UK Ambassador: UK threatened Ecuador after "immense pressure" from Whitehouse http://t.co/i11pnbuPhttp://t.co/z9zLyZft

Though the Ecuadorian Embassy has granted WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Diplomatic Immunity - the UK is stripping ECUADOR of theirs, in order to physically force Julian Assange back to Sweden. This is a very abnormal move for any nation to make. The UK's interest in silencing Assange is the same as that of the United States. He's exposed a lot of their embarrassing secrets. In particular, the fact that the United States government has been lying about and covering up WAR CRIMES and atrocities around the world - both corporate and military. 

The kind of forced extradition that disavows the sovereignty of an Nation's Embassy within your borders in nothing to ignore. That the UK would be going to such lengths over this particular extradition case, only further clarifies the real objectives of the authoritarian regimes carrying out this such charade.

 STOP SHOOTING THE MESSENGER. 
 WE DESERVE PEACE NOW. 
 FREE ASSANGE. 

BLESS ECUADOR for their bravery in this!

THIS JUST IN from WikiLeaks: 

Wikileaks

BREAKING: UK police besieging embassy front door ordered to demand ID of all persons entering and leaving.

 ·  · Share · 10135 · @wikileaks on Twitter · 7 minutes agovia Twitter · 

A pro-Julian Assange protest outside the embassy of Ecuador, 
in Knightsbridge, central London. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Click Here for More on This Story [VIDEO]

 - SOLIDARITY!!! 

#ONYS
occupyNYstate.org

BREAKING NEWS : UK Threatens Ecuador Over Protection of WikiLeaks' Assange [VIDEO]

ANY ACT of AGGRESSION by the UK and 
the EMPIRE against the ECUADORIAN EMBASSY is an 
ACT of AGGRESSION against ECUADORIAN SOVERGEINGTY. 
 - SOLIDARITY!!! 

Julian Assange, Wikileaks figurehead has been fighting extradition from the UK on trumped up charges of an alleged sexual assault - though the accuser herself admits the sex was consensual and only became upset with Assange days later - after realizing she had contracted an STD. After speaking with another woman who also claims Assange gave her the same STD, both women decided to press charges. Assange has agreed to meet with any Swedish officials for the purpose of their investigation - in England, while under the protection of British Law. Sweden has continually turned down his offer and insists that he be physically imprisoned and forced back to Sweden. Whether the STD came from Assange or not, these local charges (stemming from an encounter in Sweden during one of Assanges speaking tours) have somehow become an international extradition case, leading no one to wonder why. 

Assange has upset very many of the World's Elite in the Military-Industrial Complex, Global Central Banking Schemes, and Corporate Communications & Information Systems ownership and control. He is the one willing to take the fall for exposing the lies of our governments - and our government's corporate-masters. 

Knowing that they would be taking on the weight of the world, Ecuador offered the safety of asylum to Julian Assange and the Ecuadorian Embassy is currently in a STAND-OFF with British officials who are threatening to invade the Embassy - effectively invading Ecuadorian Sovereignty. 

The only question - as is always the case - is whether the UK believes they can get away with their aggression toward other countries by selling it to their own people with a clever enough PR campaign. There is NO possible case that the UK, the US, or any of their corporate-profiteers can make, that would justify their invasion of the Ecuadorian Embassy - which only exists in the UK under the promise that such a thing could NEVER happen. 

This would be an enormous act of international aggression on the part of the UK. No PR campaign that they wage on their own people, could protect them from the ire of the World, should they act with such aggression.

While the Assange extradition has been playing out for about a year - this story of the Ecuadorian Embassy standing up to the Empire in order to do what's right - is just BREAKING.

The Empire is currently threatening to forcefully remove the Ecuadorian Embassy in order to forcefully remove Assange from Ecuador's protection. However this turns out - Ecuador is the Hero in this. Bless Ecuador for taking this Brave and very necessary stand!

Solidarity!
#ONYS

Assange continually has the support of The People in every country whose governments and corporations keep trying to silence him. 

His WikiLeaks.org has relentlessly 
exposed governmental, political, &

 corporate secrets - in particular, the secrets of 

the  Military-Industrial-Complex 
 ...the secrets Eisenhower warned us about. 

A truly FREE NATION, has no secrets.  

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaking to demonstrators from the steps of Saint Paul's Cathedral in London on Saturday (Leon Neal, AFP / Getty Images)

       Whether you know it or not, 

       your government is  waging a secret war   

           against Whistle-Blowers who are      

          exposing their War-Mongering LIES!!! heir war-mongering LIES.

Other sourced coverage complete with 

LINK to LIVE-FEED outside the Embassy
(feed just went down for battery conservation) continues HERE:

- Bank of America Calls COPS on Reverend - City of Ithaca Obstructs Public/PRESS Inquiry [Parts 1 & 2]

Reverend Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church - Ithaca, NY - holds the
 Police Report filed, detailing BoA's false accusations of "Harassment" against the Reverend.

- Ithaca, NY (6-13-12) - written by Theodore Scheriff

Two months ago, the Bank of America branch office on the Ithaca Commons added a gun to the uniform of its outdoor security guard. The presence of a guard, who was initially unarmed, began last fall during a social movement to rally citizens against Wall Street and the banks that support it. The recent addition of the gun was a step too far for one local minister.

Rev. Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church of Ithaca entered the bank shortly after noticing the weapon. He recalls telling the bank manager, “I’m really concerned about this armed gunman you’ve got out there. I’m deeply concerned that there’s a guy—a security guard employed by Bank of America—with a gun out there on The Commons, in public space. There’s a playground just a few feet from there—my children play on that playground, other children play on the playground. It’s a very public, high-traffic area.” He said that after leaving the bank, he felt the conversation had been both cordial and productive.

Rose says he went to the bank to ask the manager specifically, “What is the issue that has warranted this presence, of this guy with a gun?” Rose says he was shocked by the bank manager’s response. “Without even hesitating, he said protesters,” Rose recalls. This response led Rose to speak at the June 6 Ithaca Common Council meeting. He spoke as a member of the community, as a local reverend and as a local protester. He told the Common Council that he felt the gun was a threat to the public in general. He went on to say, "if a gun is being used to intimidate protesters, then it is an infringement on the right to protest."

Rev. Rich Rose holds BoA's false claim against him. Ithaca 
Police Department still refuses to answer ANY questions on 

their involvement - contacting Rose on the Bank's behalf.

The City still refuses to comment on IPD's involvement, 
belligerence with this reporter, and 
lack of accountability 
to the Public/Press. 

Two days after his initial visit to the bank, Rose was contacted by the Ithaca Police Department. He says that Officer Pape called to follow up on a complaint of harassment made against him by the bank, which is located two blocks from his church. According to Rose, the officer contacted him to warn him about “harassing” anyone at the bank. He said that the officer admitted that no charges could be filed for his encounter at the bank.

Inquiry to Ithaca PD, 
Mayor Svante Myrick, 
& City Officials

An inquiry at the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) was made to confirm their involvement in this incident. That press inquiry was met with overt resistance. The IPD, like the bank, refused to answer any questions regarding the incident - though they were involved. First, Sgt. Young refused to answer any questions at all, but suggested contacting the day shift supervisor who was on duty at the time of Officer Pape’s phone call to Rose. The press inquiry was then directed, following Sgt. Young’s instruction, to Supervisor – Sgt. Lawrence.

Sgt. Lawrence refused to answer any questions, only repeating, “I don’t understand what your interest is in this.” She was told no less than 3 times that the purpose of the call was a press inquiry into a matter of public interest between a public business and a public figure. When her verbal bullying did not have any effect on the questions being posed to her, she finally revealed her intent by saying only, “If you want to know anything—FOIL it!” This term refers to the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) - a law designed to help keep public institutions from hiding or otherwise obscuring information from the public.

An official FOIL request was made, but not before contact was made with Ithaca Mayor Myrick, Police Chief Vallely and all members of the Ithaca Common Council for review of the manner in which the IPD and Sgt. Lawrence dealt with public/press inquiry on this story. The mayor requested more information on the matter and Chief Vallely offered a meeting.

After several days and more than one e-mail detailing the issue, Vallely met with this reporter on June 5. He had not yet reviewed the department’s record of the conversation in question - with Sgt. Lawrence. The chief confirmed that the record exists within the department and he agreed to review it and follow up. He said that such behavior involving an officer on his force is outside of the department’s standard operating procedure and that the press and the public have a right to ask questions of their public institutions. The chief has not yet, however, followed through on handling of this incident.

The New York Department of State’s Committee on Open Government provides information on FOIL. The committee’s website (www.dos.ny.gov/coog) cites the New York State Public Officers Law (Article 6) - specifically declaring “that a free society is maintained when government is responsive and responsible to the public, and when the public is aware of governmental actions. The more open a government is with its citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the public in government.”

The legislation also states, “The legislature therefore declares that government is the public's business and that the public, individually and collectively and represented by a free press, should have access to the records of government in accordance with the provisions of this article.”

Thus far, only the initial police report regarding Rose’s visit to the bank—just a small part of the current FOIL request—has been released by the City. The FOIL request includes all records regarding the City’s handling of press/public inquiry into the initial story. Neither the mayor nor any members of the Common Council have commented on the specifics of this story, though initial request for comment was made on May 30. Followup communications have also been ignored.

THIS IS YOUR COMMUNITY. 
Stand Up - Fight Back!!!

TELL YOUR City Officials, their old world Secrecy and Paranoia is 

NOT O.K. in YOUR COMMUNITY:

Mayor Svante L. Myrick

607-274-6501

mayormyrick@cityofithaca.org

Term expires: December 31, 2015

Cynthia Brock, First Ward 607-398-0883 cbrock@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013	Jennifer Dotson, Acting Mayor  First Ward 607-351-5458 jdotson@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013
Joseph "Seph" Murtagh,  Second Ward 585-703-2582 jmurtagh@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013	J.R. Clairborne,  Second Ward 607-272-4905 jclairbo@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013
Donna Fleming,  Third Ward 607-319-0809  dfleming@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013	Ellen McCollister, Alternate Acting Mayor Third Ward 607-272-5936 emccollister@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013
Graham Kerslick,  Fourth Ward 607-273-4620 gkerslick@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013	Eddie Rooker,  Fourth Ward 315-406-0990 erooker@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013
Chris Proulx,  Fifth Ward 607-216-8725  cproulx@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013	Deborah Mohlenhoff,  Fifth Ward 607-351-0047 dmohlenhoff@cityofithaca.org Term expires: December 31, 2013

To mail correspondence to the full Common Council: council@cityofithaca.org

 Meetings: Common Council: Meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.

Government Performance and Accountability Committee:

Deb Mohlenhoff, Chair, Seph Murtagh, Ellen McCollister, Eddie Rooker, Chris Proulx
Meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m at City Hall.

___________________________________________________

TELL YOUR Police Department  that 

this kind of behavior is UNACCEPTABLE 

in regard to PUBLIC/PRESS Inquiry.

Remind them that they work 

 for YOUR Public Institution!  

 

CLICK HERE to E-MAIL  Police Chief Edward Vallely
(Chief) CLICK HERE to E-MAIL  Deputy Police Chief John Barber (Patrol)
CLICK HERE to E-MAIL  Deputy Police Chief Peter Tyler (Administration)

__________________________________________________ 

 TELL the City's Attorney's Office to  STOP  

 OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE  - and to RELEASE THE REST 

of the DOCUMENTS, now officially requested via F.O.I.L. 

City Attorney, Fourth Floor, City Hall, 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, NY 14850

City Attorney: Aaron (Ari) Lavine
Executive Assistant to City Attorney: Jody Andrew

Assistant City Attorney: 
Krin Flaherty

Phone: (607) 274-6504

Fax: (607) 274-6507
e-mail: attorney@cityofithaca.org

__________________________________________________ 

  [ Click HERE for PART 2 of this story ]  

 CONTACT YOUR CITY OFFICIALS 
 remind them who they work for 

 -TAKE YOUR CITY BACK - 

initial story first reported in Tompkins Weekly