Tagged: occupy movement

Gov. Snyder vetoes election reform bills. Charges reopened against former Highland Park EM. Where are the Occupiers this summer?

Hear Michigan Radio's Rina Miller sit down with MR Political Commentator Jack Lessenberry to discuss state politics stories from the past week.

Occupy Grand Rapids is re-launching the movement after several months of lying low. The group doesn't have specific demands, “it’s not one thing, it’s everything,” the group’s facebook page says.

But several of its members say issues like income inequality, corporate influence, and housing security are important to them.

Anita Finch drove up from Kalamazoo to take part in the renewed effort. She says strong protest movements build over time; like the anti-war movement in the 1960s.

The Occupy movement promised more action this spring. "May Day" - today - is supposed to be one of those days.

The Detroit Free Press reports Occupy Detroit protestors are planning rallies in the city today:

They planned to begin at noon at Clark Park in southwest Detroit and then walk to schools, a bus station, and the McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit before ending at Grand Circus Park, the site of the group's encampment last year, at about 3:45 p.m., organizers said.

David Sands of the Detroit Huffington Post is live updating today's events. At 12:34 he reported:

A mixed crowd of about 150 people have gathered around the stage in Clark Park, where a huge banner hangs reading, "It's Not One Thing, It's Everything."

Martha Gervatt, 54 and a UAW Local 869 member, said she was there to support workers' rights.

"I'm here because it's important that we revive the spirit of May Day," she said.

Occupy Detroit protestors plan to hold events in Grand Circus Park through tomorrow.

On Saturday, May 5, they're planning an event at Eastern Market in Detroit.

Reuters reports Occupy Wall Street's protest in New York is off to a "slow start" with small gatherings at a handful of spots around the city:

At Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, about 100 activists gathered where the group had promised a "pop-up encampment" emblematic of the movement's early days in lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park near the Wall Street financial district.

The crowd soon dispersed to other locations to demonstrate, including directly across the street from Bryant Park at the Bank of America tower. About two dozen activists picketed in front of the building's main entrance. One person was arrested in the middle of 6th Avenue in front of the building.

The group said it expected greater participation in events planned for later in the day as it tries to breathe fresh life into the movement that sparked a wave of nationwide protests against economic injustice eight months ago.

But why take Reuters word for it?

You can watch a livestream of the Occupy Wall Street protest in NY. The "Guitarmy" is currently marching toward Union Square.

General Electric shareholders convened for their annual meeting at Detroit’s Renaissance Center Wednesday.

They were met by protesters who say GE and other big companies are not shouldering their fair share of the tax burden.

Thousands of people, calling themselves part of the “99% coalition,” shouted for GE to pay its “fair share.”

Earlier this year, we told you about The 99% Spring, the protest movement sponsored by a variety of political and labor groups including MoveOn.org, the United Auto Workers and the Teamsters Union.

It’s part of a fresh wave of protests that are taking place across the country, in the wake of the Occupy movement.

Starting next week, 99% Spring events will be kicking off across the United States, and especially in the Midwest.

Supporters are vowing to train 100,000 people to “to tell the story of what happened to our economy, learn the history of non-violent direct action, and use that knowledge to take action on our own campaigns to win change.”

Over the weekend, the UAW sent an email to its members, encouraging them to take part.

“We are at a crucial point in America where if we continue to ignore the opportunity to rebuild this great country, then we risk losing the very essence of what has made this country great,” the email said. 

Some 918 events have been scheduled thus far. MoveOn.org, which is associated with the Democratic Party, has a locator for events, where you can put in your zip code and find those closest to you.

Here are the ones for the Detroit area, Chicago and Milwaukee, and Cleveland. To be sure, the 99% Spring movement hasn’t said what will happen once people are trained, but given the training events, it’s pretty clear it will meet its goal of training 100,000 people.

Are you planning to take part in 99% Spring? Let us know where and when.

UAW President Bob King referred last week to a “new movement for social justice” this spring, and now we know what he’s talking about. The UAW’s Facebook page on Thursday features a big photo promoting the 99% Spring, sending its readers to a new Web site called The99Spring.com.