Category Archives: Press Release

For immediate release
Occupy Atlanta Media Committee

The Release of the First 52
Today (10/26) Occupy Atlanta will hold a press conference at 5pm at The City of Atlanta Jail to celebrate the release of the First 52 and the continuation of the movement.

For Immediate Release
Occupy Atlanta Media Committee

Mayor Reed Ignores Clergy to Raid Occupy Atlanta

Today (10/26) Occupy Atlanta will hold a press conference at 11am on the sidewalk of City Hall. After a meeting between Occupy Atlanta and a group of clergy was arranged for Thursday at noon at the mayor’s request, the Atlanta Police Department went ahead with what was apparently a planned raid on Occupy Atlanta Tuesday night. Arrests were made with no resistance, and included Joe Beasley, Derrick Bozeman, and State Sen. Vincent Fort. All of those arrested will go before a judge at 8 am. There will be a march to the jail from the park starting at 7:20am. From the jail we will assemble at the Atlanta Municipal Court. Occupy Atlanta will continue to peacefully protest with an anti-war march today at 5 pm.

Statement:

The evidence shows that despite the fact that Mayor Reed claimed that he was sending clergy to speak with Occupy Atlanta in order to find a “peaceful solution,” the outcome was already predetermined. Representatives from the group of clergy arrived at the park and requested a meeting for 5 pm. That time was not available because of a planned march which was posted in the schedule on Occupy Atlanta’s website. Participants in Occupy Atlanta and the representatives of the group of clergy agreed on a meeting time of Thursday at noon at Big Bethel AME Church. However, Atlanta police did not wait for this meeting to take place.

We reiterate that the mayor has misrepresented our peaceful protest. There was no violence on Saturday as he claimed. The Hip Hop Day festival promoters had a permit which was pulled by the city at the last minute. The mayor has misrepresented both Occupy Atlanta and the facts at every possible turn. Nor did he appear to have the full confidence of the clergy sent to negotiate with us; Rev. Darrell D. Elligan commented “We heard the mayor, but just because we heard the mayor doesn’t mean we believe the mayor.”
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today (10/25) Occupy Atlanta will hold a press conference at 3pm. Every town has its villains and Atlanta is certainly no exception. Over the last few news cycles it would appear that Occupy Atlanta’s archenemy is Mayor Kasim Reed. We never anticipated having such strong beef with Mayor Reed, as many of the Occupiers actually campaigned for the man.

Today we expose two of our city’s real villains, the Koch brothers. Koch industries have operations in 45 states and 60 countries. They operate primarily out of the Georgia Pacific Building located in Atlanta, GA.

The Koch Brothers spend vast amounts of money influencing policy decisions to benefit their corporate interests. Some of the issues on their agenda include repealing the health care law, denying climate change, fighting Wall St. reform, dismantling collective bargaining rights, fighting reductions in carbon emissions, keeping corporate money in elections, and fighting against net neutrality. They finance many think tanks and right wing organizations, including Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute, Citizens for a Sound Economy, FreedomWorks, The Heritage Foundation, The Federalist Society, The Mercatus Center, and hundreds more. Since the late 1990s they have spent over $100 million on right wing think tanks and advocacy groups. They also spend money donating directly to politicians and campaigns. The Koch brothers and their employees are the largest single oil and gas donors to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. They donated money to 62 of the 87 freshman members of the House of Representatives. Americans for Prosperity is the main bankroller of the Tea Party and assist in most of their major organizing functions. They also spend money on local state elections. They have spent $5.2 million on state elections since 2003, including $500,355 in the state of Georgia, $15,600 of which went to Governor Nathan Deal. They also keep a close relationship with Supreme Court Justices, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas. This is just a small example of the amount of money that the Koch brothers spend influencing decisions in Washington.
We demand that the Koch brothers withdraw all of their money from politics by 5:30pm on Tuesday October 25th. If they do not capitulate we will levitate the Georgia Pacific building where they do their business. Capitulation or levitation? The choice is theirs.
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The press conference will respond to the accusations made by the Mayor earlier today with regard to the safety and intentions of this peaceful occupation.

Statement:
Occupy Atlanta is in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and other Occupations world-wide. The corruption of our political system by modern-day robber barons is the real clear and present danger. People are literally dying in the streets while the Mayor’s primary concern seems to be trying to end our attempt to shine a light on these problems.

On October 20, the Atlanta Occupation was given a letter stating that the city would turn power off in the park; the letter claimed that coat hangers and plain wires had been inserted into electrical outlets.  Occupy Atlanta participants conducted their own investigation of the outlets in the park and found no coat hangers or plain wires. On October 21, Occupiers received a letter from the fire marshal forbidding the use of heaters
fueled by propane or “any other flammable material.”

Statement:

In the face of oncoming winter, we believe that the city has chosen a deliberate strategy of passive harassment by removing all of our current sources of heat. We know that thousands without shelter in this city endure the elements every year without benefit of the outpouring of support that we have received. We can endure what we must.

We have already received donations of blankets, fleece jackets, hats, and gloves within 24 hours of the original notice. More is needed, and we will give away what we don’t
use ourselves. We appreciate any and all support granted us by the larger Atlanta community.