Occupy Spring ....

99 Report for Awopradio Show January 8th, 2012: Occupying Foreclosures, Homelessness, VET Issues and #FreeUniversity Due to Student Debt....

As Awopradio moves to it's new Home on USTREAM and it's new format, 99 Report will be expanding in the next month to a full half hour at the beginning of the show. As the Occupy Movement really starts focusing Actions on Problem Solving and Increased Attention on Issues affecting the 99 % I am grateful to Kim the Host for allowing more Coverage. My goal is to cover Occupy Actions, WHY these actions are happening, but also the Data and Background of Different 99% Agonies that are not getting News Coverage and Should be. I also will always try to include What Help is Available to ease Situations and What Occupy Sites are working on Which Issues. I am also covering these 99 Issues, because the Media and the GOP Debates are not talking about them at all......

This Week's 99 Report is focusing on 3 Areas ::
Vet Issues related to Foreclosure & Homelessness& Jobless
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(1) VET Issues : Homelessness and Foreclosure Issues ( and Help that they need to know about and needs to be shared). Many of the Occupy Sites are focusing on Homelessness and the Foreclosure Crisis. Some of the Sites are also looking at the Questionable Tactics being used against Homeowners in the Foreclosure Process. I am bringing up an Added Insterest to share with Occupy Sites that needs Closer Scrutiny, including Our Military Members Serving overseas facing Foreclosure and coming home to Lost Homes. One of the first Occupy Cleveland people I met was a Vet who had lost his home while serving Overseas. So tonight I am presenting some data on this issue, as it needs closer Examination and News Coverage.

According to the Data and Articles located the stats vary widely,but 25,000 Serving Vets lost their homes due to Foreclosure in 2010,and of that Number 5,000 while serving, meaning they came home to NO HOME. The past five years 10-25,000 lost homes per year. That means during the last 5 years of Battles being fought in 2 war zones, that anywhere from 90-120,000 Vets lost Homes during the Foreclosure Crisis. I have included the Links at end of this post about the Congressmen that have launched an Investigation into this situation. And I think it is fine that Congress should be aware and working on this situation, but I am clueless why the DOJ and Holder are not working on it. I encourage folks to write to BOTH for the sake of our Military serving and VETS, and their families.

Homelessness ( since it is Wintertime and is part of the Foreclosure Crisis and Why Occupy is taking Care of Thousands of Homeless....)
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(2) Homelessness
This This Crooks and Liars Article will take your breath away, but is a Must read.... 3.5 Million Homeless and 18.5 Million Vacant Homes in the US. ( And if the Homeless Stats are correct, that also does mean that the 600,000 to 900,000 Vets Homeless on the Streets at night may indeed be accurate.) Do read the Crooks&Liars article by Diane Sweet, it is sobering....And if OCCUPY in in your town is working on Foreclosure Issues, or Occupying Banks etc, give them a hand. Or also give help to your local Homeless Shelters....and Soup Kitchens. As my neighbor said, " This is like the 30's only there should be Soup Kitchens."

(3) Crushing Student Loan Debt
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I have included links to articles below about the Crushing Student Loan Debt, and as we have Default and Student Loan folks coming on the show later in the month, I think it helps to start reading up on it now. On another note many of the Occupy Sites are focusing on this issue and have started giving Teach Ins about the Debt and what to do. They also have acknowledged that many are not able to go to college right now due to the Loans Situation and The Student Loan Situation ( as well as Cuts in PELL Grants). So Different Occupy Sites including Berkley,Phoenix, and Philly and Others are adding Occupy #FreeUniversity to their Schedules, we need to support this effort and spread the word, and hopefully as it gets more organized we can invite them on the show.
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MORE INFO AND RESOURCES:::
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(1) Help for VETS is availabled at this site, National Coalition for the Homeless VETS, the stats on this site are not accurate, but there is help listed there, as well as workshops, job fairs etc.
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(2) More than 8% of all Homessless are Vets, and the stats may even be higher as the VETS are not known for accessing services, from food to shelter, and PTSD also may be limiting who is getting services and care. This PDF does have some worrisome numbers though.National Homeless Org is trying to track their numbers.
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(3) More from Think Progress on Homeless VET, again more analysis of the growing numbers needs to be examined.
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As of Saturday Night...will be adding more stats/links/articles......
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IMP ADD::::
(1) It's been One Year since Tuscon and Gabby Giffords Shooting, and 12,000 more dead.....Please see this site about Fixing our Gun Laws, Do Write and Call DC......and Honor Gabby....
(2) Oakfosho is headed to NYC 1/13 and DC do keep pestering the Young Turks Show and Keith and Current about his West Coast Reporting of Occupy...and huge shout out to him for his reporting last nite as well. On another note he is going to DC after NYC to Occupy Congress on the 17th.
(3) Please keep supporting the Fuller Family in KY with cards, prayers, money and hope....thank you. The Fuller Family are an amazing family who are coping with more challenges for AJ and even just a little extra money goes a long way to help with medical expenses and more trips to the hospital for AJ as they have to drive to Tennessee for care.

99 Report Nov.20: How to Explain OWS and Occupy To Relatives, The Stats

( Originally Posted For Thanksgiving Nov24th)
So this Thanksgiving I am going down to visit Occupy, take them some hot Turkey Sandwiches, and some winter goodies.( Many thanks to Bonni in Mass. who made incredible warm scarves for them...) and some mittens and gloves, cold medicine and I will be checking the medical bag. But it occurs to me that Thanksgiving is about families gathering and many won't get it, don't understand how many are damaged by this Economy and how it got this way.There is true economic pain that can be measured in Numbers. So here are some to share as you pass the gravy. ( If you follow me on Twitter you know I do this #WhyWeOccupy hashtag every couple of days to educate folks.) So here are some of the Facts.

The STATS ::: #WhyWeOccupy....in America :::
(1) 50 Million are still without Healthcare ( due to loss of jobs,States HighRisk Pools pricing folks out)
(2) 46 Million Living in Poverty ( this Number includes Working Poor)
(3) 49 Million On Food Stamps
(4) 22 Million Children living in Poverty
(5) One in four Children going to bed hungry every night
(6) 29 Million UnEmployed and UnderEmployed
(7) 14 Million of our Elderly Living in Poverty
(8) 47,000 Dying Without Healthcare per year
(9) 235,000 Vets returning from Warzones to NO Job
(10) Vet Unemployment rate consistantly at 29%
(11) 600,000 Vets Sleeping on the Streets each night
(12) 26,000 Vets Lost Homes 2010 ( some while serving overseas)
(13) 18 Vets commit suicide per day
(14) 8 Million Homes Lost In Foreclosure in past 3 years
(15) 62% of All Home Loss in Foreclosure due to Medical Debt

99 Report ( Thanksgiving) Focus on OWS Library, Police Brutality ( Info from 3 seperate Posts)

99 Report on November 13th Focus:::
(1) OWS Library
(2) Police Brutality and Dorli Rainey in Seattle Originally posted on Watergate Summer
(3) Medical Advice : Pepper Spray For Occupy Protesters

OWS Library and how to give back
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Zucotti Park Occupy Site had an amazing Library of more than 5000 books on so many subjects, from Peace Leaders and Non Violence Training and Economics and even health eating and childrens books and Pet Care. When the Camp was raided at 3:30 AM Very Late Monday Night ( early Tuesday Morning) Much of the camp was destroyed or scooped up and put into the trash dumpsters that came. Tents were slashes and pulled apart and belongings thrown away. It had been set up in a Tent donated by rocker Patti Smith.

There are some items that are still being searched for including the Bike Powered power generators and the Professional Drums and yes The Library.At first it was said it was destroyed in all the confusion this seemed likely, and the protesters were given less than 10minutes warning and were asleep, so there was not time to gather that many books. And then later yesterday the Mayors Office said that the books were moved to a storage area, but the photo showed only a few hundred books. So on Twitter the cry went up to Rebuild the Library and yes, you can ship them to NYC. Here is more about how to Ship them, So let's all give to the People's Library, here's the link, let's get busy sending them Zinn, Mandela, MLK etc etc... You can also go help retrieve the ones that Sanitation Dept stored.

The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
Attn: The People’s Library
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038
(via Occupy Wall Street Library Blog)

Here is the People's Library blog and they also explain that they need help rebuilding the Library and Retrieving the Books from the Sanitation Storage Locker. And if you are on Twitter you can follow here, @OWSLibrary (The People's Library). UPDATE :: Today People did go and try to retrieve the Library, and you can read their blogpost that the Mayor's Tweet that the library was "saved" is not true, only a little of it was saved and a good bit of it is gone forever and other books that were saved are damaged. They are still doing inventory at the Sanitation Garage as of 1PM.

*** Here is more from last Night when the Mayor's Office issued statement about the People's Library and that it was stored or part of it was stored, LA Times has more details about the Situation. If you can help them retrieve the books please contact the twitter address above.
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The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC also covered the Peoples's Library Tuesday Nov15th:
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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY UPDATE ON THE DESTROYED LIBARY SITUATON:::


So the day after the Raid of Zucotti Park, teams of people with vehicles went to the Sanitation Garage to retrieve the Library that the Mayor had claimed via a Tweet had been saved and taken to the Garage. These photos are what is left of the OWS Library. Gone are all the Shelves of books and materials, even the Reference Library and the Kids Library. 5500 Books, the Laptops that kept track of everything. These photos show only a few hundred books and a damaged chair. When Books are treated like Garbage we are indeed in Dark Times. I do ask that you read the attached websites and do find a way to give or send books. ( I personally think we should all mail copies of "1984" to the Mayor's Office). Books had been donated from all over and even autographed and sent, so we need to Rebuild what was truly a wonderful thing. Libraries have been closing all over, but that Librarians worked so hard to make this a REAL Library is beyond heroic. ( And the Librarians were even Jailed that night as well.) Please do what you can to Help this Noble Cause.

*** AS OF THURSDAY NIGHT NOW THE THUGS GUARDING ZUCOTTI WILL NOT ALLOW BOOKS IN OR MUSIC OR FOOD. IT IS TRULY BECOMING A WARSAW GHETTO.****