Occupy SL website: http://occupysl.org/

I have set up a website for Occupy SL this weekend: http://occupysl.org/

That link will take you to the blog. Look there for a link to the Forums. In the Forums I have created categories for each of the working groups to talk and coordinate. This should be where the working groups can discuss and come to agreement on important issues, ideas, and actions.

I still need to add a lot of introductory content to the blog and the forums. And everyone needs to add content too. If you are a good writer and want to contribute, please let me know. Everybody, let me know what you think needs to be added to the site. Thanks! ~Merriam~

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OCCUPY SL WEBSITE/ forum!

New Occupy SL site HERE

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The 4th General Assembly for Occupy SL (OSL) happened last night.  It was a bit chaotic, but we got some important things started.

Three working groups (or "committees") were created.
1. Direct Action working group
2. Media Communications working group
3. Facilitation working group

These working groups, or committees, are open groups of ppl who are talking together to generate ideas, discuss and work out the details and feasibility, and then to present and make proposals in GA meetings.  A working group is simply a collection of ppl who are focused on one issue or aspect of OSL.  Anybody can be a part of a working group by just "showing up" i.e. presenting yourself to the group, listening to what is being said, and offering input.  You may be involved in as many working groups as you care to keep up with.

Working groups are not new SL groups.  They won't be posting their own groups notices.  Though they can use the OSL sl group to make Notices for meetups and solicit for ideas.  I'm looking into setting up online forums the working groups can use for asynchonous discussions.

The Direct Action working group's focus is to work on the overall Occupy SL campaign and specific protest actions or other kinds of direct action.  Contact any1 Gynoid to get involved with that group.

The Media working group is tasked with developing a media policy and discussing how we should talk and interact with the media in sl.  Primarily, this was in regard to non-OSL bloggers.  There were concerns about how OSL might get represented if we weren't careful.  Contact Flashing Merlin to get involved with that group

The Facilitation working group is to review and refine how we do meetings and how we communicate to work together in OSL.  This group would talk with other working groups and develope the agenda for the next GA.  Contact Merriam Galaxy to get involved with that group.

*these working group contacts are not meant to be leaders, but are just points of contact for now to get ppl connected.

There is still room for other working groups around the meat-and-potatos of what OSL can/should be doing:  specfic issues (unemployment, banking reform, electorial reform, foreclosures, student debt, public welfare and cuts to services, war, poverty, etc), how to do education in sl on these issues, teaching ppl in sl about what OWS is about, how to get involved in rl, activism in general, direct democracy and other models of political organization ...and whatever else ppl want to focus on.  People are encouraged to start working groups on their own and..Get Involved!

At the 4th GA meeting we also had announcements from ppl.  Miso Susanova told us about OccupyLEA (Linden Endowment for the Arts) and how they are protesting Linden Lab policies that are hurting the artist community in sl.  She said that A LOT of artists got onboard with that and also joined OSL.  OccupyLEA is losing its space at the LEA sandbox but has been offered and encouraged to setup on Caerleon Arts Collective sims, a big name in SL.  Caerleon is about to lose their sims because they can't meet the new tier (rent) schedule that LL has established.

From the letter Miso received from Caerleon Arts Collective:

OCCUPY SL!  Hi everyone. As you know, after building SL from the unpaid collective labor of thousands of artists and educators, LL is unceremoniously evicting us by doubling our tier. In the handful of months we have left, we invite you to OCCUPY SL by establishing a tent city of artists and others on the three Caerleon sims.

We want artworks, meetings, discussions, a General Assembly and, in general, joyous mayhem. Press are invited.

Having the arts community onboard with us in OSL is HUGE and great resource.  Many artists are already coming to us wanting to do projects.

Flashing Merlin contacted Rodrick Linden this last week asking him to donate space for a virtual Zucotti Park. Rodvik has yet to receive a response.  Flashing also contacted Hamlet Au, of New World Notes Blog.  Hamlet Au wants to write about OSL, but there was hesitation voiced from members at the meeting on whether Hamlet would present us well in his blog.  This in part lead to the formation of the Media working group.

Wara Ysabel from Bolivia shared this about what is happening in her country:

[2011-10-26 19:39:36]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): thanks .. Well, I am from Bolivia, last 9 weeks we have supporting an indigenous machs from low lands to La Paz, 600 Km long.
[2011-10-26 19:40:09]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): the reason for that, was the president, pretended to build a higwayt trhoug the National Park and Indigenous terrytry (TIPNIS)
[2011-10-26 19:40:28]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): well, what happend from the march start (1200 person aprox)
[2011-10-26 19:40:45]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): we was warking very hard in many aspects
[2011-10-26 19:41:15]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): 1) Sharing, educating and publishing news (when media stop informing, so walls start talking)
[2011-10-26 19:41:42]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): 2) Humanitty support to the marchers And we have aprooblem ehere
[2011-10-26 19:42:00]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): at day 35, police and ppl is close to Evo Morales (coca growers)
[2011-10-26 19:42:28]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): bloked the march, and close the ways to give them even water
[2011-10-26 19:42:42]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): note the march include 102 childs, womens, and olds
[2011-10-26 19:43:11]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): on september 25, police violente breake the march, it was very very sad
[2011-10-26 19:43:15]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): i will share with you some videos later
[2011-10-26 19:43:42]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): but that event, makes all the country join. Several ocuppys was made in cityes
[2011-10-26 19:44:12]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): and the ppol start supporting the march with everything. from water to clowns to make childs be better
[2011-10-26 19:44:23]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): ok, after 66 days and 600km
[2011-10-26 19:44:32]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): march reach La PAz

[2011-10-26 19:44:45]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): and finally, the goverment off the 480USD millons porject
[2011-10-26 19:44:59]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): so, for now, we won, and most important, we learned
[2011-10-26 19:45:30]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): the riught way to the union, is the difference betwean every one
[2011-10-26 19:45:44]  Wara Ysabel (vampi.zapatero): thanks, and congrast for ocuppySL


So, very cool...  :)

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a summary update...

Occupy SL is really taking off.  We're running our meetings on the same direct democracy, consensus driven method that OWS and other rl occupation groups are using.  One member has done training in rl and prepared a teach-in in sl presenting how the rl ows general assemblies work.  He's giving his presentation every Sunday at 6:30am from now on.  This is a really valuable contribution to sl and it's great that Occupy SL is able to host it.
   We're having our 4th GA meeting this week on Wednesday at 6:30pm slt.  Meetings are going great.  People have many ideas, a lot of energy, and want to contribute.  I've talked to several artists this weekend and our very own, Trill Zapatero is wanting to pull more artists in to do a lot of art supporting Occupy SL.  People have ideas for doing sculpture and machinima and I don't know what else.  Along with this we are working on having an entertainment event every weekend in order to draw more people in and to bolster any demos, art, or other events happening that weekend.  And of course, just to have fun ourselves.  We had the Virtual Live Band performing last weekend and we're having a corporate zombie and blood-sucking capitalist vampire Halloween party this coming weekend.
   We did a demonstration on a sim this weekend.  It was the SL Stock Exchange.  It was really just a good iconic image to demo at.  The owner didn't see it that way though and ejected and banded us from the sim in the first 10 minutes!  It was fast, but fun, and just what we expected.  We then followed Miso Susanova over to the LEA Self-Curated Gallery sandbox where she is setting up an ows occupation of tents and media booth modeled after rl occupations.  Here we all laughed and talked about what had just happened at the stock exchange place and about what to do next.  Miso blogged more about it here:  http://gomiso.blogspot.com/2011/10/occupysl-occupylea.html
   More ppl are blogging about us and we had a sl talk show host stop by looking for a story for a show.  I'm hoping at our Wednesday meeting we can focus on how to get the word out more deliberately and broadly about us...in sl and rl.
   I can feel a synergy building in the group......

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Fast and fun and just what we expected

The demonstration at CapEx went great today. Maybe a few more minutes to take more pictures would have been nice, but that's okay. The sim owner came (or was already there) when we arrived. We were very nice to him and tried hard to explain what we were about, but I'm afraid he took our presence there very personally and was upset from the very start. He kicked us all off within 10 minutes. :-)
As planned we all followed Miso over to the LEA Self-Curated Gallery (http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA5/86/14/23) where she is setting up an OccupyLEA tent camp and info board. This is something I'm hoping we can duplicate and setup up at sandboxes and anywhere we can rezz it all over SL. :)
At OccupyLEA we all laughed and talked about what had just happened at CapEx. How do we make the message clearer and spread it farther next time.  What more fun can we plan for SL?  Things look exciting ahead.

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JOIN SLLU ON FACEBOOK!

Click HERE

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Let's get this occupation going down, comrades!

from Merriam Galaxy

Can we do one a demonstration/occupatioin this weekend? ppl have been talking about where and how to do it. Let's get together and make definite plans. 

And after that, let's talk about whatever else comes up.

Let's meet at 7PM slt
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/221/64/94

If you can't come to a meeting, can you make your ideas and feelings known? either by dropping a notecard to the group or posting on our facebook page

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Occupy SL on Flickr

Dil Spitz have set up a flickr group to share images and dropped some snappies of the supporting VLB concert
If some like to (co-)moderate please give him a sign.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/occupysl/

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Occupy SL Featured in New World Notes

The Occupy SL in Solidarity movement is the subject of a post in New World Notes:

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-second-life.html#comments

This is a terrific opportunity to get the word out to a more general audience! Drop by and add your comments in support of anti-corporate activism in Second Life!

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Occupy SL has a Facebook page

Things are moving along...fast!
We had a great evening Friday night.  Many ppl came and hung out and talked...and argued (thanks Lev for keeping the convo going with your simpleminded opinions :)

We had a good talk in IM chat, and many ppl are coming forth volunteering time and skills and making things happen.  Thanks Calliope, mandy, Dax, Kel, any1, Tansy, caitlyn, and Trill...

Dax created a Facebook page for us.  Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/OccupySL

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A Love Letter to the SLLU and SLLUFN

It has been nearly three years since I first became involved with the SLLU and, soon after, the SLLUFN. At the time, I was still relatively new to Second Life, enjoying it for its social aspects, and still somewhat lost and amazed by the sheer novelty and magic of it all. It was a revelation to me that something that I probably still largely thought of as a “game” and as escapism might also serve as a platform for social justice, and political and social change. And indeed, as I became more intimately involved, the SLLU and SLLUFN came to seem much more even than that: they were my introductions to an extended community of the some of the brightest, most caring, and most passionately committed people it has ever been my privilege and pleasure to know.

Over time, my SL activist horizons expanded, with increasing involvement in Amnesty International-E, Four Bridges, and Stop Violence against Women; the latter in particular, founded by the astonishing Paty Amiot, supplemented my increasingly personal engagement with activism in-world and without. Always, however, the SLLU and SLLUFN felt most like “home.” It was here that my SLeducation in social justice, feminism, and activism received its greatest impetus. I don’t know that I’ve experienced, even in RL, an environment that was more intellectually stimulating, supportive, and positive. I don’t know where I’ve ever met such a group of caring and dynamic individuals. And I don’t know where I’ve ever learned so much as I have just talking and interacting with you all.

What have I learned from the SLLU and SLLUFN?

Well, I’ve learned that hope and a positive attitude towards change can make even the most indomitable challenges seem conquerable. I know this because I have watched you overcome such challenges.

I’ve learned that, as powerful a motivator as anger and outrage can be, the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of social change is love. I know this because I’ve experienced first-hand the compassion and love that motivate you all.

I’ve learned that one needn’t feel solitary in a world that sometimes seems overwhelmed by hate and injustice, and that there are others who do not merely care, but who are willing to step forward and make a difference. I know this because I was welcomed by you all from my first day in the SLLU.

I’ve learned that consensus is possible, and that no disagreements are ever so deeply rooted that civil discussion and mutual respect cannot bring about a resolution that acknowledges the views, aspirations, and concerns of all involved. I know this because the SLLU is “Left UNITY,” a place where all shades and degrees of progressive thought are welcomed and respected.

I’ve learned that one needn’t be a woman to care about what happens to women, gay to be appalled by homophobia, or an immigrant to be outraged at the injustices meted out to immigrants. One can step outside of oneself, and bring a passionate intensity to bear upon the injustices heaped upon others who are different than ourselves. And I know this because, more even than ideology, what motivates you all is empathy, compassion, and caring.

And most of all, I’ve learned from you all that Hope is not merely a glittering promise somewhere just out of reach, but rather a destination worth the journey.

I have come to understand over the last several months that my own time in Second Life is coming to an end. Commitments in that semi-mythical place, “real life,” have been increasingly taking their toll, and it has become more and more difficult to put the kind of commitment into my work with the SLLU and SLLUFN that I once did. I have felt, frankly, both guilty and depressed about this, but I have also come to realize that I can take what I have learned here, and apply it in new and, I think, exciting ways elsewhere. The SLLU and SLLUFN have been for me a kind a training ground, a university, and a caring family: you have equipped me to move on.

And for that, I owe you all more than I can say.

With much love,
Scylla Rhiadra

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Here is a quick update before I head off to work today.....

We are having a General Assembly meeting this Sunday at 7PM.  I've created a group called Occupy SL.  We want to have as many ppl as we can come together and talk about what we can do in sl.  Here is the group notice we have been sending out:

Subject:   Occupy SL, general assembly this Sunday


Now is the time for the 99% percent to have their voices heard

We are opening a General Assembly following the model used in NYC and elsewhere.  This will be an open forum and discussion with decisions by consensus.  We want to plan Actions and Strategies for bringing awareness and participation around these issues in SL.

Please make every effort to participate by coming this Sunday at 7AM slt.
The group, Occupy SL, has been created, please join.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/221/64/94


.....We've been talking to lots of ppl and I'm expecting a big turnout  :)

Also, I'm working on putting on a music event.  The Virtual Live Band (VLB) has just agreed to come perform on Oct.15th.  :))

More to come...........

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Occupy Wall Street at SLLU - update

Update from Merriam Galaxy.  Contact Merriam and Agnes Sharple inworld for more details.

Banks are burning at SLLU. Come on over! 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/213/70/95

We have set up a space around the SLLU Stage with Occupy Wall Street posters, freebies, and things, and a large TV with bookmarked youtube videos.  We're working on getting the OWS livestream video to work on it.

So we made a few notices and group IM announcements this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and had a few ppl come by.  We talked about ideas for getting more ppl.  We're still thinking about bigger actions.  And we are mostly thinking of doing one more music events soon.  I've contacted VLB and I've talked to Kookie who does the Dick Sandwich punk show and they are definitely up for it.

Agnes and I then did a search on occupy wall street and found several other groups in sl that have formed.  I left an offline IM with one group,  and we had a fruitful convo with a guy in another group.  He is doing a big art installation/competition around OWS.  We introduced him to SLLU, he liked what he saw and wants to put the winning art piece on SLLU land.  That group has a really good area set up promoting ows protests.

Anyway, that's the happenings so far.

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Occupy Wall Street Second Life Solidarity!

Hey! We're excited about the Occupy Wall Street protests and all the solidarity events starting up. (follow the occupations on twitter with the tag #OccupyWallStreet)

We've set up a space around the SLLU Stage for ppl to gather and talk about it...info, posters, links, and live video feed (if it will work), and maybe we'll have some music (wanna come perform or dj?).



Let's talk about why the poor and working have to pay for a crisis created by the rich, let's talk about how to fight back, let's talk about what comes after. And...what can we do in sl?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/221/64/94

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