OccupyPortland (OR) begins tomorrow

[patrick t. cakes]

I'm working with the food committee and wanted to share this, it's from a fellow committee member...

Hi everyone- I got the below email from "corporate-world". I wanted
to hit reply all and straighten him out, but I held my tongue. I am
trying to "lay low" at work.


FWD:
Please see notice below received from the Portland Business Alliance
regarding the security threat in conjunction with an organized protest
for "Occupy Portland":
All:

Some of you may have read about protests occurring in other cities --
mostly NYC -- directed at Wall Street and financial institutions. The
protesters "occupy" areas of the city following a protest and march.

Organizers for "Occupy Portland" (an outgrowth of these other
protests) plan to gather at Waterfront Park sometime between Noon -
2:30 this Thursday and then march in protest along an unknown downtown
route before "occupying" areas of Portland (parks, a bridge, etc). If
there is an "occupation" it may last for a few days .

The organizers have not met with the city and refuse to get a permit
for this march, and so the city does not currently know the planned
route or activities. However, it could be a very large gathering/
march, and in other cities this has at times turned violent, caused
property damage and led to hundreds of arrests.

Banks and similar institutions may be targets, and there may be
traffic issues/congestion any time after noon on Thursday. The
Portland Police Bureau and its partners -- including Clean & Safe --
are monitoring the situation and continue to receive updates. There
are clear indications that the protest is highly organized and is
receiving lots of web traffic.

I picked up a kid today who called from his skateboard needing a ride to the co-op to purchase about 150 dollars worth of bulk goods.

We then drove it to Debs house (one of many drop and storage sites we have around town) where she had a cache of donated food building in a back room.

You think this isn't a revolution happening?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Yay! I can't be there

but I'll be watching and helping get out the message from the 'burbs.

Thank you for helping out!

jeez.. i really wanna be there :( but I'm stuck at home, so I'll monitor the twitter and police feeds and spread some link-love around.

[patrick t. cakes]

2. Thank you! link love or any love

is greatly appreciated!

Don't know what to expect but planning for a long duration.
Lots of love out in Rose City for this!

[patrick t. cakes]

3. WOOT!

[bigwillq]

4. K and R (nt)

[stevedeshazer]

5. +1

[Permanut]

6. Glad to know about this....

I'm in PDX, and scheduled to be downtown tomorrow night to serve soup and bread at the Bud Clark Commons - the new shelter. Thanks for the heads up, and I now hope to be able to participate after soup duty.

[patrick t. cakes]

8. No prob. meeting at the Waterfront at noon

Begins at 2:30. Where exactly is that shelter?

[Permanut]

12. Shelter is at NW Broadway and Hoyt n/t

[Lizzie Poppet]

7. See ya there!

I'm not really expecting any trouble (the P-Town cops are used to protesters, and while things are't always exactly cordial, most everyone knows the routine). If this can stay non-violent, it can go on long enough to need that food. This time it's for real, folks...

[patrick t. cakes]

9. It feels like it's going to be big

A lot of internet chatter, and the GAs have brought a lot of people out. It certainly feels for real.

See you tomorrow!

[Quantess]

10. I wish I could be there!

[ellisonz]

11. Don't try for any of the bridges.

Portland PD shut us down the night after the 2004 election - I witnessed about a hundred people being arrested in Waterfront Park as they went towards the Burnside Bridge after we were corralled and dispersed through downtown. They used horses and rows of riot police to cordon and hold protesters. This could be real pell-mell and ugly, especially if the PNW anarchist population gets involved.

[mdmc]

13. ..