Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Politics Occupy Nashville Threatens to Occupy Pilot Restrooms
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 9:21 AM
We stand in solidarity with our un-housed neighbors and other occupiers across the world who have been jailed, pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and beaten by police batons. We have proven that when you pass unjust regulations and use force, not only do we grow, but we get stronger. If you pass this bill to evict Occupy Nashville and criminalize our un-housed friends, then you have chosen to escalate the conversation. If you pass this bill, we will prevail in the courts and on the streets. If you pass this bill, you may expect actions like this:1) We will occupy the State Capitol,
2) We will occupy public property (abandoned and in-use),
3) We will take back foreclosed homes, and
4) We will occupy the restrooms of all Pilot Travel Centers.We will take these actions not in a spirit of hatred or hostility but in a spirit of love for our fellow citizens and un-housed friends. We hope you will choose to respect Occupy Nashville’s First Amendment rights on Legislative Plaza, the rights of Tennessee’s un-housed citizens, and the use of public property for public good. We stand in solidarity with all occupations from New York to Nigeria, Murfreesboro to Memphis, Oakland to D.C. We stand beside our un-housed sisters and brothers. We stand for the rights of the people. We stand for democracy. Which side are you on?
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Comments (20)
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If they follow through on these threats the squatters will be biting off much more than they can chew. Squatting on private property will trigger a quicker response than their backing down the spineless bureaucrats.
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When are these occupiers going to change their name to Occupy Tennessee? They've done nothing relative to Metro Nashville.
I once ate a couple of burritos I bought in a Pilot Travel Center and subsequently I occupied the restroom for quite a while.
All they want is attention. Nothing different than immature 2 year olds. I sympathize with many of their original complaints, but they have done nothing positive for the city since they started protesting. If the news would stop writing about them, they'd go away. Their "right" to protest doesn't allow for them to violate other's rights, which is what they threaten to do.
Is the Occupy movement moving to a purely property-based campaign? When is the last time they had anything to do with corporate malfeasance or inequality?
"I once ate a couple of burritos I bought in a Pilot Travel Center and subsequently I occupied the restroom for quite a while."
Sounds like an opportunity for a new movement: Evacuate Nashville.
huh huh huh i said both movement and evacuate like in poop huh huh huh
Why dilute the strong point at the Tennessee Legislative Plaza?
"In a spirit of love" like their fellow protesters in Oakland? Gandhi would really be proud of that bunch.
One does not need to use violence to be a terrorist. The threat to "occupy public property" is a bit ominous in light of their embrace of the 'Occupy' scum in Oakland. And if they are allowed to interfere with Pilot Oil's operations, what other businesses will they target?
And all over their myth that they are being denied 'free speech.' If not being allowed to camp out is 'speech' then why couldn't someone burn a small cross on the Plaza at midnight? Now I object to cross burning on public property but it is speech {as long as no one is calling for violence}. But the issue is why one needs to burn a cross to make a point or to camp out to make a point. Now if they want to take turns carrying signs and singing "Ho Ho Ho Chi Min will surely win" at 2:00 am, bless their little hearts and have fun. Camping isn't speech.
@Mark - Occupy Nashville, specifically, has been named a national example for the movement by several prominent news outlets, including msnbc. Since the inception in October, the group, which has no formal organizers, has clearly stated its core values (to remove corporate personhood and corporate influence in politics) and has expressed, in writing, opposition to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the Tennessee constitutional amendment to ban an income tax (SJR221), the National Defense Authorization Act, the private prison industry, cuts to academic programs at TSU, and the real estate/mortgage crisis and unjust foreclosures.
They have volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank, given free public educational workshops on everything from worker’s rights to constitutional law. And every event – every rally, march, press conference, street theatre, workshop, communication with lawmakers, even the four-time-a-week open forum general assemblies - has been documented with calendar updates, press releases, pictures, and videos. All this makes case that they are just “camping” pretty weak.
Instead, it suggests that the citizens involved in this sit-in are deeply committed to a cause that some lawmakers including Gov. Haslam, as a multi-millionaire, understandably do not like. But not being used to seeing the poor and the homeless express, in detail, their discontent with the status quo, does not mean they do not have the right. After all, homeless people take up “residence” on public property everyday, but until now have not joined forces with other members of society to organize until now, and that’s the defining difference.
Benefit one of occupying a Pilot station: easy access to microwave burritos. Mmm.
"the citizens involved in this sit-in are deeply committed to a cause that some lawmakers including Gov. Haslam, as a multi-millionaire, understandably do not like."
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is wealthy, too, and governs largely on behalf of Davidson Co's 1%. But these occupiers make no moves against influence peddling in Metro government. Nashville has never really had an occupation.
I hate to say this but if they want to occupy Pilot restrooms they are barking up the wrong tree. Bill Haslam is the governor of TN not the CEO of Pilot. Jim Haslam has no dog in this hunt and it would be unfair to put him in the middle.
This is the kind of people living on the plaza.
http://evil-unveiled.com/Wolfy1619
Also this is from a occupier of the problems going on.
http://occupiedfedoratales.blogspot.com/
I think they made their point a long time ago. Who ever they were trying to convince to see their side of the issue has been convined. By continuing this occupation all they are going to do is turn Everyone against them. They should pack up , clean up the area and leave. The only the thing they are helping is their detractors.
Karl Dean is wealthy Only because he married an airess. Can you imagine how many men were trying to marry her money? I feel sorry for her that she picked Dean. But...I bet she regrets the decision a lot more than I do. It's not too late. Dump Dean Darlin'... I'm available!
Can somebody tell me what it would mean to "end corporate personhood"? You do realize this means you could not then sue a corporation, correct? And the corporation basically couldn't enter into any contracts because it would not be a legal entity, just a group of people? And that it would make our system of business organizations (C corps, S corps, LLC's, LLP's, partnerships, etc.) completely obsolete in the world? You might as well wish for the man in the moon to give you a job (because no company would, since corporations wouldn't exist as separate legal entities, it would just be the owner giving you a job and paying you out of his own pocket). I would say to think about what you're saying, but I gave up hope that these people could think a looooong time ago.
@Mike Byrd: Mayor Dean has little to no influence over widespead income inequality or corporate personhood. Start your own little anti-Dean rally and have fun with that.
@OHD: Yes, I'm sure Ms. Dean would be glad to abandon her mayor husband and shack up with some illiterate who describes her as an "airess" [sic].
@DCNative: "Ending corporate personhood" means reversing the USSC ruling which allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money toward a candidate's political campaign. Politicians should answer to their constituents, not the companies which gave them the most money.
"Mayor Dean has little to no influence over widespead income inequality or corporate personhood."
Because everyone knows there's no income equality in Nashville. And Dean hasn't been doing corporate bidding in building a convention center w/the help of Goldman Sachs or privatizing public education with the help of local CEOs.
And anyone could afford to loan their own election campaign $350,000 in a local race:
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city…
@Mike Byrd:
So what? Dean has not publicly stated his support or opposition for Occupy Nashville. Nor does he have any influence over CEO compensation, the wages set by private industry, the laws of campaign finance, or the fundamental mechanics of the stock market. With the exception of the issue of privatizing public education with charter schools (which is an important issue, no doubt), I don't see what Occupy Nashville would gain by supporting your pet gripes on our mayor. Note that I said "widespread income inequality." There is a world outside of Nashville, Tennessee, you know. Start your own damn protest - or actually go to an Occupy Nashville General Assembly and make your grievances known; you have a better chance of generating support there than you do in here.
Ingleweird,
Save your electrons. Mr. Mike has been on a permanent jihad since the Mayor's first election because Dean was not the pawn of the extremist neighborhood groups that want all the equality that is possible without harming the quality of life in their communities. In other words, he went down with the good ship Briley instead of switching to the viable Gentry campaign and helping bring diversity to Nashville government.
ilovejeffwoods {for which, by the way, many are grateful because he always looks so unhappy that we worry for what remains of his sanity}.
Isn't that how things started in other places like Oakland? Believe me, I applaud the volunteerism and the passion of the Occupy protesters even if I disagree with their agenda. But how does camping out on the Plaza improve their efforts? What are they doing that requires sleeping on the Plaza?
I also wonder if their efforts at educating the people bother to include some objectivity. Otherwise it isn't really education, is it?
