“Anarchism is the idea that everyone is entitled to complete self-determination,” To Change Everything asserts. In place of state and corporate power, anarchists seek to create horizontal, voluntary networks as the basis of all social organization. The 21st century has seen a resurgence of this philosophy, ranging from peer-to-peer networks to globally linked protest movements. Anarchists erupted onto the world stage at the turn of the century, famously participating in the demonstrations against the 1999 summit of the World Trade Organization in Seattle. Over the past seven years, anarchists have played a leading role in revolts from Greece to the Arab spring, gaining further prominence in the US through Occupy and #blacklivesmatter. “As successive waves of dispossession and disillusionment sweep new demographics into social movements, interest in anarchist ideas and practices is growing,” explains CrimethInc. spokesperson Cesar Dmitri. “To Change Everything is a harbinger of things to come.”

Promotional events for the project have already taken place in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Drawing on a Kickstarter campaign that raised tens of thousands of dollars, CrimethInc. has printed 185,000 copies to distribute in North America, including 25,000 in Spanish. Three thousand copies are earmarked for prisoner support groups to send to some of the 2.5 million people behind bars in the US.

CrimethInc. is a publishing group that functions as the hub of an international network of anarchists and aspiring revolutionaries. For 20 years, CrimethInc. has produced books, magazines, posters, and other resources by and for participants in social movements: all copyright free, composed collectively and anonymously. In 2002, CrimethInc. published an anarchist primer entitled Fighting for Our Lives, ultimately distributing 650,000 copies. “Many activists I’ve encountered credit Fighting for Our Lives with introducing them to anarchist ideas and changing the course of their lives,” says Rae Valentine of Agency, an anarchist PR project. “With faith in government and capitalism at an all-time low, the time is ripe for a meaningful vision of social change. To Change Everything steps into the breach.”

The video calls against the reckless prosecution of Bradley Manning by the Obama administration, as well as the importance of whistleblower protections. Manning’s trial, expected to last several more weeks, could open other whistleblowers like Edward Snowden to the death penalty if the government is successful in their prosecution.

This video was created by volunteer producers around the country for the grassroots #IamBradleyManning campaign, where thousands of supporters have already shared photos of themselves in support at iam.bradleymanning.org.

THE VIDEO CAN BE VIEWED AT  IAM.BRADLEYMANNING.ORG

To schedule interviews with contributors, please contact Logan Price at logan@riseup.net or 206.234.2060 or Ana Nogueira at ana@riseup.net or 917.445.4619

Conceived and Designed by Perry, WAW doubles as both a free exhibition space and community free space for life-long art making.  WAW is a revolutionary new concept in the way an art space interacts with the community.  Eschewing a typical NYC gallery opening process Perry began with a concept that everything had to be community-oriented and free …free entry, free refreshments, free classes, free workshops, free concerts, and all of it had to be available to people of all ages and abilities.  After several months of preparation WAW opened on September 15th with over 500 people in attendance.  Several successful community workshops followed the opening of the space and their second full exhibit titled Happy Accidents will be opening this Saturday, October 6th at 6pm.   A full list of WAW events is attached below* For a folder of print-quality images from wondering around wandering click HERE*

A celebrated graphic artist, illustrator and maker, Mike Perry is known for his big ideas.   With his finger on the pulse of the design world and a keen sense of Brooklyn’s ever-changing socio-economic geography, Perry quickly recognized that if a space like WAW were to succeed in Crown Heights then the Crown Heights community had to be part of the process.  Perry began his process by bringing his ideas to the local community board, and inviting them to become part of the journey.  Using the popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, Perry raised the start-up capital he needed to procure a discarded industrial building and with the help of local labor transformed it into a sprawling, brightly lit creative space.  Perry built bridges with local shops and artisans in the community and worked with them to create a “Handy Neighborhood Guide” that would be published along side event promotions as a way to encourage WAW visitors to patronize local businesses.

When Mike Perry moved his studio to Crown Heights 7 years ago he immediately fell in love with the community.  Wondering Around Wandering is a thank-you letter to the Crown Heights community that Mike adores and the start of a dialogue regarding art’s role in helping to transform Brooklyn’s abandoned industrial spaces.

for a photostream documenting WAW workshops & salons click HERE

About Mike Perry
Mike Perry (www.mikeperrystudio.com) is a designer and interdisciplinary artist. He draws, paints, illustrates, and animates. He creates sculpture projects and limited-edition silkscreen posters. He curates books and paints portraits. He writes children’s books and contributes to literary magazines. He teaches. His appetite for collaboration and creation is insatiable; the possibilities are endless. He works regularly for a number of editorial and commercial clients including Apple, The New York Times, Dwell, Target, Urban Outfitters, Aldo, and Nike. In addition to his commercial, nonprofit, and personal artwork, he has also published extensively. His work has been exhibited around the world, including at two solo shows in Tokyo: We Are the Infinity of Each Other at B Gallery and Color, Shapes and Infinity at Public Image 3D Gallery. His 2012 monograph published by Rizzoli, Wondering Around Wandering, is an anthology that is at turns humorous, mystical, poetic, warm, sexy, and charming.  Mike Perry is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Now 31, he is seduced by a contemporary visual culture and the experience of life itself. His art forms and installations can be meditative and/or hyperactively sublime.

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS:
All events are free and open to the public, but space is limited, so your RSVP is required. RSVP links and more events will be added to the calendar soon. Check back often! Or joing the mailing list.

Thursday, October, 4
Open Drawing Night
(Sponsored by Duvel)
Must be 21+ to participate.
Thursday, October 4, 8:00–10:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVP HERE!
We opened up a few more slots!

Saturday, October 6
Happy Accidents Zine Workshop
(Hosted by Dr.Me)
Saturday, October 6, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVP HERE!
Scroll down to register for a future workshop.This workshop marks the opening day of Happy Accidents, WAW’s second group show. Led by the Manchester-based duo DR.ME — Ryan Doyle (DR) and Mark Edwards (ME) — this workshop celebrates the collision of the unexpected. Mix cut-outs, collage and hand drawing to create strange and amazing mini art-zines. We’ll have supplies on hand, but feel free to bring any old books or magazines you want to tear up and transform.

Happy Accidents — Opening Reception
(Curated by DR.ME)
Saturday, October 6, 6:00–11:00pm – RSVP HERE!
Essentially silliness crossed with the unexpected, this group show curated by DR.ME features a nonaccidental international group of multidisciplinary artists: Linus Bill, Rhys Coren, Ryan Doyle, Daniel Eatock, Mark Edwards, Jonathan Flanders, Sebastian Haslauer, Steve Hockett, Hannan Jones, and John P. Come to the opening party or see it anytime at WAW from Oct. 7 through Oct. 31.

Thursday, October 11
Goodbye Brooklyn: A one night performance byAndy Byers
Must be 21+ to participate.
Thursday, October 11, 8:00–10:00pm
Limited to 100 people – RSVP HERE!
Goodbye Brooklyn is a film-based performance that explores the greatest influences and tragedies the artist has faced during his 7 year stay in New York City. The performance will include three dances choreographed by Jennifer Mellor, musical performances by the artist as well as special guests Hospital Ships and sets designed with the spirit of what Wandering Around Wondering is trying to achieve in its vision to make art happen.
“I moved here to fall in love with the movies. And that’s exactly what happened. Now I’m leaving to make them.” – Andy Byers

Saturday, October 13
Ghost Notes: Understanding the Elements of Popular Drum Beats
(Hosted by Homer Steinweiss)
Saturday, October 13, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 15 people – RSVP HERE!
Brooklyn-based drummer and songwriter Homer Steinweiss talks about the various elements that go into playing and creating rhythms for the drumset, and will attempt to perform a song with the help of the audience and special guests.

Greetings from Brooklyn
(Hosted by Santtu Mustonen)
Saturday, October 13, 1:00 – 3:00pm
Limited to 24 people – RSVP HERE!
Explore the impact of writing and drawing at breakneck speed. With pencil, ink, and paint we’ll craft spontaneous messages onto postcards, spending 1-2 minutes on each piece. In the end, we’ll pin the postcards to a wall and discuss the meaning of both their individual and communal presence. Each postcard will be mailed to a random address with recipients encouraged to send in pictures of their unexpected gift to be cataloged online for ongoing dialogue and sharing.

Thursday, October 18
Open Drawing Night
Must be 21+ to participate.
Thursday, October 18, 8:00–10:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVP HERE!
We opened up a few more slots!

Saturday, October 20
IMAG(in)ING the CITY
(Hosted by Jim Datz)
Saturday, October 20, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVP HERE!
Scroll down to register for a future workshop.
Let’s create a large-scale modular drawing of an imaginary city! Participants will be provided with all materials needed for this active drawing session, during which everyone will draw individual pieces of urban space: a house, a park, a subway station, a bodega, a high-rise, a library, a farmer’s market…or anything else that comes to mind (a dirigible launch pad, a hot dog factory?). The size and complexity are limited only by our imaginations. At the end of the session, we’ll “build” the city on the wall of the gallery.

Thursday, October 25
Vehicle – a Dance Performance
(Choreographed by Lindy Schmedt & GREYZONE)
Thursday, October 25, 8:00–10:00pm
Limited to 100 people – RSVP HERE!
Vehicle is a dance created by choreographer Lindy Schmedt with her company GREYZONE. Inspired by the WAW space, the project involves five dancers as they create a dynamic landscape executing architectural forms. The work will be a special visual collaboration between GREYZONE and Mike Perry.

Saturday, October 27
Never Nude!
(Hosted by Josh Cochran)
Saturday, October 27, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – WORKSHOP CLOSED.
Scroll down to register for a future workshop.
For this workshop we will draw from a costumed model in a unique and amazing setting! Music and stories will be played to enhance the mood while we draw. Please bring your own drawing materials. All ages are welcome.

Saturday, November 3
Still Life
(Hosted by Playlab Inc.)
Saturday, November 3, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVP HERE!
This workshop will mark the opening day of Artypes’ Salon No. 4, called ‘Still Life.’ You will be given a tote bag full of materials, and prompted to make a collaged Still Life from those materials. You will have the entire premises of “Wondering Around Wandering” to use as subject for your piece. Your piece will be framed, and hung on the wall for the duration of the ‘Still Life’ Salon. Artists will be present to provide critiques and encouragement.

Artypes: Salon No. 4 “Still Lifes”
Opening Reception
(Curated by Playlab Inc.)
Saturday, November 3, 6:00–11:00pm
RSVPs open on 10/8

Saturday, November 10
Create Repeating Patterns
(Hosted by Dan Funderburgh)
Saturday, November 10, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVPs open on 10/8
Make your art follow itself into infinity. Imagine your tiny drawing multiplying seamlessly across all surfaces out into space. Create patterns for wallpaper! Textiles! Camouflage! Curtains! Wrapping paper! Dan Funderburgh will show you how.

Saturday, November 17
Mega Zine
(Hosted by Joel Speasmaker and Mike Perry)
Saturday, November 17, 10:00am–12:00pm
Limited to 30 people – RSVPs open on 10/8
Joel and Mike share their favorites from their respective zine collections, explaining why they are so passionate about both the collection and creation of them, as well as walking through their personal working process. A collaborative zine will certainly be made!

Tuesday, November 20
Closing Party
Tuesday, November 20, 6:00–11:00pm
RSVPs open on 11/5

Vegucated features three meat and cheese lovers who agree to accept the challenge to abandon their old eating habits and become vegan for six weeks. Hopeful the change will result in a healthier lifestyle and trimmer waistline, these volunteers  —Ellen, Tesla & Brian— are surprised to discover that much more than steak at stake and that the fate of the planet may well fall on their plates.

Thought-provoking and always entertaining, Vegucated takes viewers on an eye-opening journey of transformation far beyond a few tofu food substitutions as three daring people share one common adventure and ultimately find their own paths in creating a greener, cleaner world, one bite at a time.  To celebrate the growing global awareness of veganism, Vegucated debuts a new, international edition DVD this Autumn. The new edition features subtitles in Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish and Traditional Chinese. The DVD is available in select Whole Food Markets and other retailers around the country as well as through the Vegucated website HERE.

One year after its world premiere and first award, Vegucated received its Caribbean premiere in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as a selection of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival. This is the eighth film festival and the fifth environmental film festival that has selected the film.

Closing out the annual NYC Climate Week (September 24th -30th), Vegucated  joins up with award-winning short “What’s For Dinner?” (shot in China) for a double-feature free screening sponsored by VegFund. Tickets are free and first come, first serve to the public with general admission. Remaining tickets are available at vegucatedbrightergreen.eventbrite.com. This free screening is Saturday, September 29th, 1 to 4 pm at Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue. Executive Producer Mia McDonald (“Dinner”) and writer–director Marisa Miller Wolfson (“Vegucated”) will do a Q&A post-screening.

On Monday, October 1, Yippie Museum & Cafe asks “Are You Vegucated?”. To celebrate World Vegetarian Day along with Meatless Mondays, YMC screens locally-made Vegucated and serves dinner beforehand. Sweets will be provided afterwards along with a filmmakers Q&A. Dinner will be cooked by local vegan chef–caterer David Lee Hall of Harmony Kitchen NYC.

For more information about Vegucated, visit http://getvegucated.com Press kits are available in .pdf format HERE.  Screeners and cast/crew interviews are available upon request.

The Occuprint event was an energizing experience. The posters hanging on the walls represented a wide range of ideas, slogans and executions. It was exciting and affecting to see just how many artists and designers had been impacted by the Occupy movement. The passion in their work was evident. During the discussion, the politics and implications of the images in the posters were hashed out and debated; opinions were exchanged on the importance and problems of text, slogans and general aesthetics. Ultimately, the discussion transcended its original original aim of reviewing the posters, and progressed into a wonderfully inspiring brainstorm on how Occupy art could become as impactful and unforgettable as possible.

The posters reviewed during the Occuprint event elicited a variety of reactions and contrasting opinions, which made for a dynamic discussion. One example of this was the “Occupy Everything” poster.  Some saw tremendous power in its blankness and argued that the message of the movement was effectively crystalized in the simple graphic. Others noted that the poster’s starkness made it lack emotional resonance, and that it was unclear who the protagonist was.

A poster with the slogan “You Are On Our Watch” hit a nerve. Unwarranted police brutality and attacks on peaceful OWS protesters during the past 6 months have uncovered the ugly reality of a police state. The shout “The whole world is watching!” had become a ubiquitous presence on videos of police assaulting innocent people. The poster reminded protestors of the power of their recording devices. While everyone agreed that the message was essential, some disliked the cubist style of the poster and wondered why the images of riot police were not made more realistic. Others were unclear about the ultimate destination of the poster and where it would be most effective: amongst protestors, or on the wall of a police precinct.

The poster for Occupy Oakland has in many ways become synonymous with the Occupy movement. The image of the protestor waving an Occupy flag, while facing down a riot gear army, evoked feelings of courage and triumph. However, some at the event disliked that protestors were (inaccurately) represented by a single figure; and that the enemy was defined solely by police, boiling the movement down to an “Us against Them” sentiment.

The Monopoly Tower poster was singled out for its creative execution. The object of the beloved board game (also a popular event at McDonalds—a massive & corrupt corporation) is to accumulate the most money; inarguably, the game taught children the concept of wealth and big business. With this in mind, the Monopoly Man becomes a potent symbol of universal greed, as effectively shown on the poster.  To view the entire collection of over 250 posters, please visit http://occuprint.org/Posters

Being originally from Russia, I see parallels between the Occupy Wall Street movement and Perestroika—a period of reform in the former Soviet Union in the mid to late 80’s, initiated by then-head-of-state Mikhail Gorbachev. One of the movement’s main policies—Glasnost— was designed to usher in a new era of greater freedom of information and governmental transparency. These government-intiated policies (imagine if OWS was an initiative of the US government…) ultimately took on a life of their own, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and an end to the Cold War. In reflecting on all that movement accomplished, it is impossible to ignore the artwork that emerged during that time. In hindsight, it is clear that it had a huge impact on the mind set of the population. “Artists had rediscovered the power of their weapon, and crowds of people would gather in front of their works.” (from “The Russian Poster”, published by the Russian State Library) What also made the political art of that era particularly interesting was that, contrary to prior Russian art like Constructivism and Socialist Realism, it was beautifully non-conformist and free from the constraints of one unifying aesthetic. Here are a few unique examples:

The writing on the plate reads, “The one who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat”– a popular Communist slogan. The shattered plate, its fractures are the hammer and sickle symbol, is a powerful metaphor for the crumbling Soviet regime.

The movement reinergized the consciousness of the country in many ways, including bringing about a new environmental awareness. “The fate of the planet—is your fate.”

“Don’t wait for orders!” implores this poster, intended to encourage autonomy and initiative amongst the people.

The artist humorously yet poignantly depicted the great men of Communist ideology-Marx, Engels and Lenin as inflated with ideals of little practical value. The words “The great are only great because we are on our knees. Let us rise!” surround the image— the motto of the newspaper “Les Révolutions de Paris,” a paper which appeared from July 12, 1789 to February 28, 1794.

The radical changes born out of Perestroika once seemed unfathomable, almost fantastical. And yet they occurred, largely thanks to the persistent, unified action of the people. So what kind of changes and improvements in the United States right now seem so radical as to feel impossible?.. The dismantling of the military-industrial complex?.. And end to factory farming?.. Quality education and healthcare made accessible to every child?.. If they feel impossible, then they are worth striving for.

Towards the end of the Occuprint discussion, Rodrigo Dorfman—a Chilean filmmaker who was in attendance— shared a few stories from his youth. He described how in the mid-80’s, young activists would defy the nightly curfew imposed by the Chilean dictatorship, and put up giant posters under the cover of darkness. “WE ARE NOT AFRAID” and “JUSTICE FOR THE DISAPPEARED” were some of the slogans on the posters, painted in huge block letters. Rodrigo recalled how he went out to film one of these actions with the full knowledge that he could get shot on the spot. This was the kind of risk activists faced in order to bring these posters to the public, to inspire and motivate people, to give them hope; and to stand up to the tyranny of the authorities.

And this was the question we were left with: What kind of poster is worth getting arrested for?.. or even worth getting shot at for? This poster must be of tremendous urgency and relevance; it must agitate and disturb; it must stop you dead in your tracks; it must enlighten and inspire you to act. This poster must be so compelling that distributing it becomes essential. This poster requires courage.

Art is indeed a weapon, and an especially powerful one in the midst of a peaceful movement.

In 2012 Occuprint will be producing thousands of posters and printed materials for Occupations around the country.  If you would like to support Occuprint’s efforts you can contribute to their Kickstarter fundraising campaign → HERE

LIFT UP – OFFICIAL TRAILER from PHiLLYK on Vimeo.

“Though this project started with a personal journey, it quickly took on greater significance as it grew to include the narratives of so many survivors,” said Co-Director Huguens Jean. “We’re thrilled their stories will finally be accessible worldwide.”

Poignant, beautiful and unflinchingly human, LIFT UP follows two brothers, Clifford Muse and Huguens Jean, as they return to their native Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to commemorate their grandfather’s passing. The disaster having prevented them from attending the funeral, Clifford and Huguens plan to create a traditional Haitian kite to celebrate the life of the man who molded their childhoods.

Upon arriving in Haiti, they are surprised to find a vibrant nation filled with people committed to sharing their stories. As Clifford and Huguens collect the materials for their kite, they begin to record the experiences of their countrymen, and the scope of their journey expands. Soon musicians, painters, politicians, educators, family and friends are adding their voices and even contributing to Clifford and Huguens’s kite.

Their kite becomes a tapestry, depicting the life of Haiti after the quake. The familiar image of a Haitian child, standing on a roof, his kite soaring above, becomes a metaphor for the people of Haiti: surrounded by danger and standing on shaky ground while their spirits fight the wind, seeking their place in the sky.

Their journey at an end, Clifford and Hugues return to the US and fly their memorial kite at the 44th Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival. Despite mild wind, the kite dances hundreds of feet above the ground as a nation’s soul soars.

From our friends At The Hop Productions comes “That Which We Occupy” (above) a stunning short with an eerie echo of the spirit of OWS.

“This is for you who have stood up. This is to acknowledge your cause.  We are trying to awaken a world that has sunken into a swamp of lies.  Occupy, protest & demand that there be real change.  There are no holds barred on freedom.  Let’s continue.”

»”Lunch at Zuccotti”  From his unwavering support of Project Palestine, to his work with The Harold Hunter Foundation, to documenting urban farming movements around the world, Paul Park’s boundless talent for making films has helped to beautifully document other creative projects in and around Occupy Wall Street.

»”Guerrilla Gardening at OWS”  Students from Sterling College in Vermont came down to Occupy Wall Street and showed us how to plant and sow seeds anywhere where there is soil. In this short film, they demonstrate how easy it is to grow winter greens and beets right in the parks flower beds, and then speak earnestly and passionately about the importance of farming, and understanding where our food comes from.

»”Permaculture at Zuccotti Park” Paul Park documents the mobile design lab at Zuccotti Park that would process the grey water from the OWS kitchen.

»Josh MacPhee’s artwork has become a cornerstone of Occupy’s graphic identity.  From his work with Just Seeds Collective on the Peoples History poster series to countless illustrations in contemporary revolutionary texts, Josh’s work continues to inspire and give vibrance to today’s social struggles.

»Rachel Schragis illustrated The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City as this gorgeous typographic flow chart. This image was generated by a crowd-editing process in Zuccotti Park facilitated by Rachel Schragis.  It is endorsed by the Occupy Wall Street Arts and Culture working group, and is based on The Declaration of the Occupation of NYC,  as written by the Call to Action Working Group and adopted via concensus by the NYC General Assembly.

»Occuprint is an online depository of the creative poster art that has come to define Occupations everywhere.  The Occuprint Lab emerged out of a collaborative poster project with The Occupied Wall Street Journal, Sparrow is honored to help assist Occuprint with production of large print runs of their posters.

Do you know of a great project that should be highlighted in our OWS creative roundup?  Email us with details info@sparrowmedia.net

We need your help to reach our goal of printing and distributing 100,000 copies

In order to reach our printing goals we launched a fundraising campaign with Kickstarter.com to fund our publishing efforts. We need pledges from people LIKE YOU in order to reach our base goal of $10,000 in printing costs. If you don’t have money to donate, don’t worry, we also need everyone’s help in publicizing the kickstarter campaign on facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. We would like to ask everyone who is reading this and is able to pledge to pledge whatever they can, and that those who cannot afford to make a pledge to direct others to our Kickstarter page every day between now and our December 4th deadline.

For those who will be pledging, we have pulled out all the stops when it comes to incentives for your pledges! From posters and twitter shout outs, to free copies of Green is the New Red by Will Potter, Muzzling a Movement by Dara Lovitz, and The lifelong Activist by Hillary Rettig, to free tickets to Daphne Cheng’s all-you-can-eat vegan sweets party, even free graphic design services from Julie Gueraseva (Def Jam, Time Inc, Vaute Couture, Harpers, WOW)  and boxes of your own t-shirts designed by us!

With all of those amazing prizes its heart warming to see that the most popular pledge prize choice is the “Publishing Partner” bracket. Donors in this bracket will get a package of 50 declarations, a 3’x3′ declaration poster and our undying love chatter on twitter! It is these donors who will be the legs in our distribution machine. We already have 30+ donors from all around the world in this bracket, we want to cast an even wider net and a DIY distribution network is central to making this happen.

This project is for YOU and we want YOU to be part of it. The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City is a reflection of every voice amplified by the people’s mic at Liberty Square. Likewise, the effort to publish it is a reflection of everyone involved, from editing, to design, to production, distribution, and face to face conversations that ensue after someone is handed a copy, we are all playing a role in the life of this document. I take this document very seriously because not only is it the first ephemeral artifact from the epicenter of the Occupy Movement, but it also lay the framework for the fight of our lives, the fight for the lives of our neighbors, the fight for the lives of creatures we share this earth with, and for the future of the earth we all call home. I invite you in joining me in making this document a catalyst for comprehensive, global, change.

You can help us print 100,000 copies of the 2nd edition of the People’s Declaration of the Occupation of Wall Street by donating to our Kickstarter campaign HERE.

With a generous outpouring of support from activists, artists, and occupiers The Sparrow Project was able to print the first 10,000 copies of The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City but we are going to need your help to reach our goal of printing and distributing 100,000 copies!  This document is the first and only declaration to come from the Occupation of Wall Street, it is a summation of the grievances expressed by the occupiers, its a call to action, but moreover it is the first edition in our Occupation Reader series chronicling this historic mile marker in the fight for social, environmental, and economic justice.  The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, as transcribed and edited by Ryan Hoffman, Lex Rendon, and the Call to Action Working Group, was accepted by the NYC General Assembly, on Steptember 29, 2011 and later amended on October 18th, 2011 to make its narrative even more inclusive.  You own this document. Everyone owns it.  The declaration is a reflection of every voice amplified by the people’s mic at the NYC General Assembly at Liberty Square, from September 17, 2011 to October 18, 2011. We encourage you to copy, reproduce, and distribute its contents.

Our second edition is currently being laid out to include a solidarity letter from Tahir Square, as well as additional documentation from the NYC General Assembly.  Our goal is to print 100,000 copies of this second edition and distribute it to occupied cities coast to coast.  In order to distribute a print run of this size we need your help to reach out fundraising goals.  Please share this blog post widely, and encourage everyone you know to donate.  Any amount brings us closer to our goal of 100,000 copies.

You can help us print 100,000 copies of the 2nd edition of the People’s Declaration of the Occupation of Wall Street by donating at THIS LINK

Please help The Sparrow Project print tens of thousands of pocket-sized booklets of the first declaration of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  We have access to a terrific offset printer, recycled paper, and soy inks, but we need donations from people like you in order to make this happen!  Please consider donating whatever you can by clicking the donate button below.  If you cannot afford to donate please consider sharing this post with others.   We will print and distribute the declaration to the cities nationwide that are participating in the campaign.  The following is the first (rough draft) declaration of the People’s General Assembly at Liberty Square in it’s entirety as transcribed and edited by Ryan Hoffman, Lex Rendon and the Call to Action Working Group.  Let us dispel the notion that the Occupy Wall Street movement is one without a message.

Please donate to the printing costs via Pay Pal at   THIS LINK

 THE DECLARATION OF THE OCCUPATION OF NEW YORK CITY

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage. They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses. They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.  They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.  They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.  They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.  They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.  They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.  They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.  They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.  They have sold our privacy as a commodity.  They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.  They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.  They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.  They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.  They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.  They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty book keeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit. They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.  They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.  They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.  They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.