Occupy Portland is a model within the Occupy Movement for how much can get done when there is cooperation with the city. As a political party we cannot advocate for illegal activity. But we approve of the city using discretion with the Occupy camp and not enforcing the no camping law in this case. Noting our limitations, we fully support Occupy Portland and encourage all our members to participate as this is a once in a lifetime force for change.
Greetings I’m Jorden Leonard, Executive Director of the Portland Green Party.
This last 28th we had our September member’s meeting and open meet and greet. See minutes here.
We meet the last Wednesday of every month at People’s Coop, enjoy the farmer’s market then come upstairs to the community room for our members meeting and meet and greet. 3029 SE 21st Avenue, 7-8 members meeting/8-9 work meeting. Proposed agenda is here. Anyone who is a member of the Coop and is thinking they can make it please let me know so we can get a discount.
This month I and a number of Green volunteers and friends have been heavily involved in Occupy Portland. Specifically we helped build a positive relationship between the City and the protest even before the October 6th march. And later in dealing with opening Main St. once the camp had been set up.
Things have settled down and the real work has begun. The City Charter Review Commission was stunned by the turnout of over twenty members of Occupy Portland’s Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) workgroup to their first IRV committee meeting. The volunteer commissioners were revitalized by the show of participation and support.
Occupy Portland has committed to supporting Ranked Choice Instant Runoff Voting, and the Portland Green Party stands with them. Over the weekend I believe the local movement will add a challenge to corporate personhood, a declaration and a promise that corporations not being people should not be given the rights of people.
I encourage everyone to come down and see the camp. I have never seen so many people work so hard for so long in such a way. This is a once in a lifetime chance to see the beginnings and be a part of a fundamental shift in how the world operates.
We have found new friends and strengthen old bounds at the camp. At my invitation city councilmember Amanda Fritz came to the Occupy camp and did an open forum for an hour that was very well received. We will be inviting her some time soon to our monthly meeting to talk about public financing of elections, which is how she got elected and one of our campaigns is to get that back.
I met who the Progressive Party is thinking of endorsing for Mayor at the camp, and I look forward to inviting him to our meeting so we can get a sense if he would work as well for us. Including him it looks like we’ll be active in three Portland election campaigns.
Please everyone go to the discussion page and show support for my two proposals for the General Assembly of Occupy Portland, or help me evolve them if you have concerns. One is challenging corporate personhood and the other is supporting community gardens.
Thank you for reading and please come to a meeting.
Some great vids from Occupy Portland:
- Crisis of Ignorance
- Occupy Portland Works with the City to Protect Our Parks
- Inside Occupied Portland – Bicycle Generator
- Occupy Portland – Sweeping the Streets (Day 8)
Some good vids from larger movement:
- Occupy Wall Street: Outing the Ringers, helps convince those still unsure about whether or not to support the movement.
- Cenk Uygur Announces Wolf-PAC.com at Occupy Wall Street, challenging corporate personhood.
- Tool Time: NPR Gets Radio Host Fired, NPR fails.
The Portland Green Party is established to work for sustainability and conservation, peace, social justice, and grassroots democracy through the electoral system.
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