Occupy Movement Widespread In California

Occupy Movement Widespread In California

Dec 21, 2011 Mark Muckenfuss

Related Stories Etta James' Husband Retains Control of Funds Google Buys Solar Stake In Elk Grove, Galt Projects California Remains Most Populous State at 37.7 Million Lexus To Unveil Sporty Coupe LF-LC at NAIAS Aircraft Will Have Eyes on Mexico Advertisement A UC Riverside researcher says the Occupy Wall Street movement has expanded to nearly 30 percent of the state's municipalities in the past few months, based on a survey of Facebook pages. Sociology professor Christopher Chase-Dunn said he and graduate student Michaela Curran-Strange reviewed Occupy pages on Facebook between Dec. 1 and 8 and found that out of the state's 482 municipalities, 143 had such pages affiliated with them, including Occupy organizations in Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands and other Inland cities. Chase-Dunn, who has studied other sociological issues in the state and the dynamic between its northern and southern sections, said he was most intrigued by how evenly split interest in the Occupy movement seemed to be. Since the northern part of the state is often perceived as more progressive, he anticipated greater activity there. "For this movement, that doesn't seem to be the case," Chase-Dunn said. "It was about the same number (70 in the north, 73 in the south), which surprised me." What also caught his attention was the rapidity with which the movement spread and the places in which it grabbed a foothold. "This thing is in places you would never expect, quite frankly," he said, noting that Coachella Valley established an Occupy page on Oct. 2, a little more than two weeks after the Wall Street organizers began camping out in Zuccotti Park in New York. Of course, some Occupy groups were more significant than others. Occupy Yreka consisted of a single individual. The groups often evolved, and Chase-Dunn said he hopes to examine more. "What we don't have is a change over time," he said. "That would be interesting. The only time element we (looked at) was when was the thing established and how much traffic there was on the Facebook site and how many 'likes' there are." He did notice that, while many sites shared the primary concern of economic inequality when they were established, they often began incorporating other local issues onto their pages. He also noted changes in attitudes toward the groups, particularly Occupy Riverside, in which he participated for awhile. "There's been a lot of support for this movement," he said. "But people get tired of their downtown being disrupted and the pressure is on to do something about it. In Riverside, the City Council was originally friendly to it and relations with the police were good. Later, when (the police) got orders from above to move everybody out, it got nasty." Chase-Dunn sees the Occupy movement as an outgrowth of the Arab Spring. "It has its own unique qualities but some of those qualities were taken from what happened this summer in Greece and Spain. The European summer got it from the Arab Spring. The causes are a little different but they're also similar. It's basically (concerned with) growing inequality and austerity measures." But he thinks the movement is relevant. "It's changed the discourse in American politics," he said. In the coming presidential election, he added, "this could make a big difference."

Source: (c)2011 The Press-Enterprise

Teachers to occupy Riverside.

Published: Monday, December 12, 2011 1:57 PM CST

California Teachers Association Board of Directors member and Moreno Valley teacher Jose Alcala will join representatives from a broad coalition of area organizations concerned about possible mid-year state budget cuts at a vigil and march in Riverside on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Starting from in front of Riverside Community Hospital, Magnolia Avenue at 14th Street, the march will proceed down Magnolia to downtown Riverside, with stops at the Mission Inn and at Occupy Riverside.

The event will protest any additional cuts that could be “triggered” on Dec. 15, resulting from the state not meeting revenue projections put forth in this year’s state budget. If the state’s revenue target is not being met, California’s health, human services and education budgets could see an additional $2.5 million in deep cuts on top of huge cuts in these vital services during the past several years.

“Our students’ education should not be shortchanged because of an economic downturn, especially when California has the eighth largest economy in the world,” said Alcala, one of the vigil’s featured speakers. “There’s plenty of money in California to provide a quality education, but because of an unfair tax structure and corporate tax breaks, our state doesn’t take in the revenue it needs to take care of its citizens. It’s time to put a fair and equitable tax system in place so that our students and the most vulnerable Californians don’t have to continue to do without.”

In addition to the California Teachers Association, other organizations sponsoring and participating in the vigil include California Partnership, Inland Action Coalition, United Domestic Workers, SEIU 721 ULTCW, Pueblo de Fe, All of Us or None, Inland Empire Feminists and the California Alliance for Retired Americans.

Occupy Riverside - Invites Officials, Public to Thanksgiving Dinner

Occupy Riverside invites city officials, public to outdoor Thanksgiving dinner

Nov. 24, 2011 | Steven Cuevas | KPCC

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Steven Cuevas/KPCC

Occupy Riverside protestors defy police orders, returning to the downtown plaza by City Hall one day after Riverside Police Department's raid.

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Members of Occupy Riverside are inviting city officials and the public to share a Thanksgiving potluck dinner Thursday evening. It’s at the Occupy encampment in the city’s downtown area that’s become a source of tension between authorities and activists.

The Occupy encampment near city hall and directly in front of UC Riverside’s Culver Center of the Arts was cleared out by police a couple of weeks ago. But the tents are back.

About two dozen people are camped there. The encampment also has its own kitchen — the People’s Kitchen, run by a couple of Occupy supporters.

Russell Haynes is an Occupy regular in his early 20s; he’s unemployed and can’t afford to get treatment for a medical condition. Haynes says he sleeps and eats here so he’s not a burden on his parents. He says they’re just scraping by themselves.

“It’s a time for thanks and a time for giving right?" Haynes said. "So we invite everybody to come out, engage in dialogue and eat a bunch a great food. I mean, that’s my take on it!"

Haynes runs down the menu. "Turkey, of course, corn, potatoes. It’s a potluck kind of situation, so a couple churches in the area have volunteered to donate a bunch of food. They said upwards of like 200 plates. And then different Occupiers and people from the community are going to be bringing their choice dishes.”

The city and the Occupiers have a chilly relationship that Haynes hopes can be improved. The activists extended a Thanksgiving potluck invite to city leaders during a council meeting earlier this month. Haynes says there was no response.

“We would like our relationship with the city to be on great terms," Haynes said. "We’ve extended the invitation. It’s up to them know to, you know, the ball is in their court, as they say.”

Haynes says Occupiers are working harder to accommodate local merchants affected by the encampment. Activists are also encouraging shoppers to visit downtown Riverside stores and restaurants on Black Friday and throughout the holiday season.

“Some people were discussing possibly going to the Tyler Mall and marching there," said Haynes, "but I would prefer seeing people support local businesses, especially in downtown Riverside, because its my community."

"We have a list of small businesses that is going up on the website where you can buy things like crafts, things of that nature," Haynes said, "as opposed to going to Walmart and all these big corporate stores."

The Occupy Riverside Thanksgiving Day meal begins at 4 o’clock Thursday afternoon.

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