From: Monifa, MomsRising.org [mailto:info@momsrising.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011
To: Xxxxxxx
Subject: OWS Raided While Protesters Sleep
Mayors across the country are attempting to shut down OWS protests.
Add your voice to the call for mayors to protect the constitutional right to assemble!
Take Action
Dear Xxxxxxx,
The time is now. There is an URGENT need for you to add your voice to the thousands of Momsrising members who want mayors to know that the right to peaceably assemble is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy. [1]
Two months ago, on Wall Street in New York, hundreds of people gathered to generate critical and much-needed coverage about the economic issues ordinary families are facing when they try to feed, clothe, and educate their children. Every day, MomsRising members fight for leaders to prioritize Main Street, not only Wall Street--and the Occupy Wall Street movement is bringing more attention to these issues and must not be shut down.
We need your help in getting more letters to mayors in cities, like Chicago, Oakland, Atlanta, and New York, where attempts have been made to shut down protests. Tuesday, the mayor of New York used thousands of police in riot gear to temporarily dismantle the Occupy Wall Street camp in the middle of the night, while many protesters were asleep. [2]
Please take a moment to sign on to our open letter to mayors across the country--urging them to allow the Occupy Wall Street participants to peaceably assemble as is their constitutional right:
In contrast to New York’s mayor, the mayors of Santa Fe and Albany, NY have worked with protesters [3]. These collaborations have made protest sites safe, while still allowing a platform for freedom of speech and assembly.
More than 100 cities across the country have joined the Occupy Wall Street movement in a call for better banking and government economic polices and practices. And as crowds of dynamic, energetic, and peaceful people gather in city centers, some local officials are getting antsy. At 1:30 Tuesday morning, without warning, thousands of police officers descended on New York’s Occupy Wall Street and evicted protesters who'd been peacefully occupying Liberty Park for months.
Don't forget to sign on to our open letter to mayors across the country urging them to allow the Occupy Wall Street participants to peaceably assemble:
Your message to mayors underscores that there are vast numbers of people, beyond those who are able to participate in-person, who are deeply concerned about the growing economic inequality and poverty, and declining median incomes in our country. So please take a moment now, after you click the link above and take action, to forward this email to friends and family--and also to post the action link on your Facebook page--so others can show their support too.
It's particularly important that mothers and families speak up in support because the Occupy Wall Street movement is an important wake up call that ALL leaders need to hear: Our leaders can't keep balancing budgets on the already overburdened backs of children, families, and regular people--the 99%--while giving Wall Street a free ride.
What, and who, are the 99% anyway?
As the New York Times recently wrote: "When the protesters say they represent 99 percent of Americans, they are referring to the concentration of income in today's deeply unequal society. Before the recession, the share of income held by those in the top 1 percent of households was 23.5 percent, the highest since 1928 and more than double the 10 percent level of the late 1970s. That share declined slightly as financial markets tanked in 2008, and updated data is not yet available, but inequality is most certainly on the rise. In the last few years, for instance, corporate profits (which flow largely to the wealthy) have reached their highest level as a share of the economy since 1950, while worker pay as a share of the economy is at its lowest point since the mid-1950s." [4]
*Don't forget to sign on to our open letter to mayors across the country urging them to allow the Occupy Wall Street participants to peaceably assemble:
Thank you for taking a moment to support getting this message out loud and clear all over the country! (And don't forget to forward this email and post the action link on Facebook too!)
- Monifa and the whole MomsRising Team
P.S. Share why you would like leaders and Congress to prioritize families on Main Street instead of Wall Street here.
[1] First Amendment of the Unites States Constitution
[2] Associated Press – November 15, 2011 and New York Times, November 15, 2011
[3] NewMexican.com, November 4, 2011
[4] New York Times , October 10, 2011
Like what we're doing? Donate: We're a bootstrap, low overhead, mom run organization. Your donations make the work of MomsRising.org possible--and we deeply appreciate your support. Every little bit counts.
No comments:
Post a Comment