Members of Occupy Houston are attending tomorrow’s [TODAY ! Tuesday 10/25/11} City Council meeting at 2:00pm to address our issues in sustaining our occupation. We want the right to keep tents and covering for us and our belongings and reliable utilities to keep our site up and running. A few of us are on the docket to speak, and we welcome the public at large to attend this meeting to support us and our cause!
If you are going to rally with us at City Hall there are a few rules you must follow. We’re going to be on camera with government officials. We’ll not just be repesenting ourselves, but occupy movements worldwide. Regarding the the city ordinances concerning city council meetings please:
- bring signs and banners, but don’t use them to block aisles, others’ view of the meeting, or otherwise disturb the meeting
- only let one person speak at a time
- bring any paper bags, plastic bags, handbags, briefcases, purses, satchel boxes, envelopes, tape recorders, or containers of any sort to the speaker’s podium. They’ll provide a drawer for those.
- don’t clap, boo, yell, applaud, or otherwise audibly express your approval or disapproval of what happens at the meeting. Let’s use our general assembly hand signals!
- don’t engage in disorderly conduct while addressing the council
Violating these ordinances isn’t a municipal offense, but they do have police officers on hand who will escort you out of the meeting for breaking the rules.
Remember that we’re addressing politicians. They want to get re-elected. They may not necessarily take a stand on our issues. A cool, collected, and constant initiative will help us out.
There’s a planning meeting at 12:00 noon in Tranquility Park to organize before we head to city hall. Come to the park and come with us to city hall. We can’t stress how important it is that you come with us and that we make a good showing in front of the city council. This our big chance to make our voices heard!
10 Responses to “Come with us to City Hall! today noon, meet @ Camp Tranquility!”
Serious question. Who will be paying for your utilities? The city, in a time where money is tight? Not a troll question, asking for a sincere, honest answer. Because I don’t want to pay for your utilities, I already pay for mine.
We use solar energy.. nice huh? Pls understand we dont waste anyones tax dollars. We reuse, recycle, clean up the area and are not only appreciative but considerate of the park we use.
If you are using solar energy, then why does it say that in the city council meeting “reliable utilities to keep our site up and running”. If you have your energy, why are you asking the council for utilities?
Will sustaining the occupation be the only subject addressed? While everyone listing their ideas on what changes in local government would address the occupy movement’s concerns could easily get out of hand, raising a few (1-3) ideas agreed upon during the planing meeting could be addressed.
My personal idea would be implementing the alternative vote in local elections. a small change that would go a long way towards improving local government.
I think that’s a great idea. For now, though, it’s hard to address issues like that while we have to fight ordinances regarding the viability of our shelters! Once we accomplish this, we can move forward boldly!
on October 25th, 2011 at 12:30 am #
[...] Come with us to City Hall! October 24th, 2011 · Kevin · Announcements3 comments – Tags: city hall, occupyhouston [...]
With you in spirit! and watching (waiting!) the live feed here: http://houstontx.city.swagit.com/Live/
RDC… If you are somehow incapable of comprehending our reasoning for addressing those issues at this current point in our movement, allow me to guide you. The tents topic is a point of interest concerning our right to freedom of speech as we will be using them as signs. They are also to keep us and our equipment dry in the rain. Thirdly we have been very civil and law abiding thus far and other than tent cities being unsightly we don’t feel it’s that much to ask. The homeless issue has to deal with a serious problem that many occupiers have learned the true seriousness of through spending time on the streets and talking with many of these individuals. People are homeless for many reasons; illness (mental or physical) injury, inability to work, addiction, etc. These people are often criminalized and outcast in large by society. There are many problems and many people who’s lives can’t be positively influenced just by yelling “get a F’n JOB bum!”. Since that community has produced many INVALUABLE volunteers to our cause and through interaction with them we have realized just how MANY there really are, and how inadequately supplied/funded the system is to help them. “What are we protesting?” lulz. We aren’t yelling about problems, we are creating solutions, not asking permission, or waiting for someone else to do it, or criticizing how it’s being done, or expecting someone to delegate it to us. That day is gone. We see a problem, we find a solution. Simply, we “just do it”. And you know what we are finding out? People help us and thing’s get done. These are my individual words and thoughts and opinions. I in no way speak for the rest of the #occupy movement, occupiers.
smile ppl. It’s a beautiful day.
You may not like how stuff is, and it might be wrong, but we are a democracy. There are ways to get things done, camping out downtown for mesquitos to eat you isnt the way to get it addresssed.
THEREALDEAL… if you have a better idea of how to change this fundamentally flawed system I urge you to take action. Or at least share your plan. Just don’t say vote… lulz. Been there done that. They make their own rules. We’re done playing that game. Wanna see REAL democracy? Come to GA. 7pm tranquility park.
have a nice day.