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 October marks the one year anniversary of the
Occupation of Freedom Plaza! For those of you who were there the first
weekend, you may remember the excitement and powerful emotions, the smiles,
tears, hugs and dancing.
This year, the month of October is packed with
actions across the nation and around the world. Occupy is part of a global
movement that is bigger than Occupy. We are working in solidarity to end war and
austerity and to create a peaceful, just and sustainable future as we learn to
work with dignity, compassion and cooperation.
 Many of us who organized the occupation of Freedom Plaza
marked the anniversary by holding a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in New York City. The memorial park is in the heart of
the financial district and after the arrest of veterans there as part of the May
Day protests, the park is being closed at 10 pm. This closure is offensive to
war veterans because they cannot ‘close’ their memories and with more soldiers
dying of suicide than in combat, the veterans protested. A moving ceremony was
held in the park and 25 people were arrested while reading the names of the dead
and placing flowers. You will find photos and videos at StopTheseWars.org.  And some who organized Freedom Plaza traveled to Pakistan as citizen diplomats to
stand with victims of our drone attacks.
October marks a month of actions in Europe against austerity. Our friends in Spain surrounded their
Congress starting on Sept 25 with demands that all legislators resign, and that
there be new elections in 6 months and a new Constitution. Many were arrested
and some were charged with treason. But the Spanish judge dismissed the charges s aying that it was a legitimate protest given the lack of
action by the government to address the people’s grievances.
There is a
call for a Global Day of Noise this
Saturday, Oct. 13th. Bring out your pots and pans and march with your
neighbors! Walmart workers are striking from
California to Maryland. Occupiers can join them, support them and boycott
Walmart.
People are taking action to stop the Keystone XL pipeline from
being built in Texas. This would mark a transformational victory if the Keystone can be stopped! And the plutocrats know that, which is why they are
doing whatever they can to stop the protests such as arresting media and using torture tactics on
protesters. We urge you to support the Keystone XL protesters in any way you
can.
Occupations celebrated their one year anniversary in Austin, TX by raising a tent city
for the homeless, in Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR with marches and
in Atlanta, GA by returning to their
park.
 And Occupy groups continue to support members of their
community such as defending activists who speak out
and keeping people in their homes. Occupy marches with workers who
are fighting for fair wages and worker rights!
There is a lot going on
and much still to do, but remember that Occupy is making a difference by
standing up and by joining in solidarity with others who stand up. We are all
connected and we are all connected to this global movement for
justice!
Please spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends
and family.
In solidarity,
October2011.org/Occupy Washington,
DC
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