People’s Settlement: St. Louis

Laclede Gas Stinks

2010-03-26T19:29:00.003-05:00

Thank you FOX 2 for reporting on the Laclede Gas protest on Thursday March 25, 2010.

Demand Good Jobs, NOT War Jobs!

2010-03-26T15:00:00.003-05:00

We are going to demand that the Regional Commerce and Growth Association not affiliate with war making profit machines and that relying on war is not a sustainable economic business model! We want our jobs to be focused on people, NOT war! Come help us demand from Fleming banish WAR MONGERS from our city! They should be encourage our businesses to be working towards renewable energy, community development, and social responsibility!

See you soon!

Student Life Covers the People's Settlement!

2010-03-26T08:57:00.006-05:00

Dozens of students and local community members pitched tents and camped out in downtown St. Louis Wednesday night to kick off a series of demonstrations aimed at rallying the community to stand up against corporate power.

The People’s Settlement is a five-day event in which participants camp out at Poelker Park at night and participate in demonstrations during the day on issues ranging from LBGT rights to environmental ethics.

Read the full story here.

StudLife also interviewed a number of students and organizers at the event:

Leaked Peabody Memo!

2010-03-25T15:10:00.004-05:00

Remember to come out TOMORROW for the Peabody protest. If you would like to make posters tonight, camp out, or walk over with us in the morning (we will leave around 10:40), meet at the People's Settlement at the corner of Market and Tucker streets.

And if you need a reason, consider this: 1 out of 50 people living near coal fly ash storage sites have a high chance of CANCER. Missouri and Illinois combined have 20 power plants that store their toxic waste in fly ash ponds.

Come out tomorrow at 11!!!!

CWA Action Today!

2010-03-25T13:54:00.001-05:00

5-6:00 p.m CWA-Local Action against Macy's!
Meet at Kiener Plaza at 5 p.m.! Protest Macy's GIGANTIC tax credit for filing their taxes on time! Do the PEOPLE get a tax credit when they are on time??? Why is the city giving away money when we lack so many basic services?

Give Us Rights Not Just Gas

2010-03-25T11:02:00.001-05:00

Our action this morning at Laclede Group which owns Laclede Gas was a huge success! We had about 35 protesters brave the cold rainy St. Louis weather to stand outside 720 Olive Street. Our message was clear, "We Want Full Equality and Protection Mr. Yaeger!"

Today's action is finished but it is not forgotten. We are asking the community to call the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Yaeger's office, (314) 342-0500. Leave a message for Mr. Yaeger that his company needs to update it's Employee Policies to protect his LGBT workers.

It is that simple.

We are asking to meet with Mr. Yaeger and gave him notice today, we ask you do the same. The next time you send in your Laclede Gas Bill, please include a brief message that you are not happy with their anti-gay policies. Also remind them that if we had a choice, we cancel their gas services and go with less bigoted one.

But we can't, because Laclede Gas is our only choice!

Give us Rights Not Just Gas!

Bank of America Video

2010-03-25T10:43:00.003-05:00

Great video of yesterday's event thanks to Sean Collins!

The People's Settlement: Saint Louis, 24 March 2010 from Seán Collins on Vimeo.

Great News!

2010-03-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

Good news! Angie Lathrop, National Office of Community Affairs for Bank of America, contacted MORE and promised to come from Washington D.C. to St. Louis to meet with local housing counselings to discuss their servicing practices!

We got great coverage for the first day! We also have quite a few folks doing their own coverage! Pictures and YouTube videos are being posted on Facebook also, which is great! Thanks so much for everyone's work.

Great video from David May:

Here are a couple of links to stories:

http://www.peoplesworld.org/tired-of-bank-greed-missouri-protesters-say/

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=198690&catid=3

http://www.kmox.com/Protestors-demand-Bank-of-America-freeze-foreclosu/6651464

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/03/group_plans_corporate_and_government_protests_in_st_louis_this_week.php

2010-03-24T21:36:00.001-05:00

New photos from today's events have been added to the Facebook page.

We've Moved

2010-03-24T20:14:00.003-05:00

Hi, just got word that the campers are moving from City Garden to Poelker Park. Poelker is located at 13th and Market, across from City Hall. I think this will be the central staging area for the rest of the week, so please plan accordingly.

View Larger Map

Video from Bank of America Lobby

2010-03-24T18:21:00.005-05:00

Following up on the previous post, here's some video from inside the lobby of Bank of America. Protesters went inside and called for Jack Shackett, Bank of America's Credit Loss Mitigations Strategies Executive, to come out and speak to two people whose houses are being foreclosed. Bank of America, after the economic crises causes by banks, was bailed out with of billions of dollars of taxpayer money, yet is continuing to take peoples homes at a staggering rate. You'd think a company that received that much help from the taxpayers would show a little compassion.

Protesters occupied the lobby for nearly an hour before returning to the People's Settlement at the Citygarden.

Bank of America Action a Success!

2010-03-24T17:13:00.009-05:00

The People's Settlement Supporting Organizations

2010-03-24T02:52:00.008-05:00

Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment
www.organizemo.org

St. Louis Instead of War Coalition
www.insteadofwar.org

Catholic Action Network
www.catholicactionnetwork.org

Human Rights Action Service
www.humanrightsaction.net

Grass Roots Organizing
www.gromo.org

CWA-MSWU
cwa6355.org

Show Me No Hate
www.showmenohate.com

TransHaven Missouri
transhaven@transhaven.org

Washington University Co-Op
www.cfu-lc.com

Veterans for Peace-Chapter 61

Peace Economy Project
www.peaceeconomyproject.org

Climate Action St. Louis
climateactionstl.wordpress.com

Organization for Black Struggle
www.obs-onthemove.org

St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee
www.stl-psc.org

Literacy for Social Justice Teachers
www.umsl.edu/~lsjtrg

St. Louis Activist Hub
stlactivisthub.blogspot.com

Justice Institute

Workers International League

www.socialistappeal.org

MO/KS Communist Party
www.cpusa.org

Food Not Bombs

Direct Action March 24th - 29th 2010

2010-03-18T04:11:00.002-05:00

Join Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE), the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition (IOW), Show Me No Hate, Transhaven, Literacy for Social Justice Teachers, Catholic Action Network (CAN), and other social justice organizations for the People’s Settlement, a series of creative and peaceful direct action events buttressed by a five-night downtown encampment, designed to put our economy where it belongs—in the hands of the people.

The Settlement will build off the popular anger over the lack of change, rightly portraying corporations as the major source of the obstruction. Our goal is to combine political theatre, willful direct action, and popular education with community building, undergirded by the will to generate an inclusive progressive movement in Saint Louis. Direct Action Events Include: a “Break Up with Your Bank” day, an action at Bank of America demanding an end to unjust foreclosures, a Public Schools bake sale, guerrilla street theater to raise awareness about LGBTQ discrimination in the health insurance market, a Saint Louis labor history tour and many more. The encampment in downtown Saint Louis will rotate between different corners of the City Garden and other green spaces at 8th and Market, which is across the street from the Bank of America and the Peabody Energy Headquarters. Our core of 25-35 campers will hold our territory, recruit passersby to get involved, and participate in movement-building and direct action activities themselves.

We will kick-off the event on March 24th at 3pm with a “real economy” demonstration in Kiener Plaza. You will find a comprehensive schedule of events attached, including information for the final action, a march of the jobless through downtown Saint Louis.

We believe that this is the first step in building a genuine, broad-based anti-corporate movement in Saint Louis. From issues of local control to clean energy, to peace to jobs to healthcare, we all want an end to the injustice. And we have been working separately for too long—it's time that we stand up and stand together on a united front! Many of us have worked hard on political campaigns attempting to bend the ears of our legislators and it has been to no avail. Why? Because corporate power divides us on every issue and blocks us from effecting real change and legislative action. We hope our work can harness anger endemic in corporate control of our political and economic systems and serve as a rallying cry for similar actions across the nation. It is also noteworthy that for the first time, all of the major federal campaigns--Healthcare, Financial Reform and Immigration--are emphasizing the need for there to be significant, mass movement locally in order to achieve anything meaningful in DC. So join us to "break up with your bank", participate in guerrilla street theater, campout on downtown, demand clean energy and a real economy, or simply raise your voice.

How can you and/or your organization be involved?
Sign-up to coordinate an action!

Sign-up to recruit protesters, campers or both! We also need over night attendees. This will be a great time for relationship building and coalition building.
Donate your time, resources or tents!
Show up with your members, friends and family for the People’s Settlement!

Schedule of Events

2010-03-18T03:17:00.000-05:00

People’s Settlement

Downtown St. Louis, MO

March 24th-March 29th 2010

Wednesday, March 24
3:00- Kick Off Rally
3:30-Foreclosure action at Bank of America
6:00-Settle! Set up the Settlement

Thursday, March 25th
7 a.m. LGBQT Action against Laclede Gas Discrimination
2-3:00 p.m. Break Up with Your Bank!
5-6:00 p.m CWA-Revenue Action

Friday, March 26th
3:30-5:00 Anti-War Action

Saturday, March 27th
11-1:00 Literacy for Social Justice Teach In
1-3:00 Privatization of Education Bake Sale

Sunday, March 28th
1-3:00 p.m. Faith Based Action-Catholic Action Network
3:30-5:30 p.m. Labor History Tour
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=401545241423&ref=mf

Plus great stuff every evening! Come check us out!

What You Can Do: We need you to come for the kickoff! We need you to camp-out in the evening. We want you to invite your friends and family. Most importantly, this is a movement, we want your ideas on programming and actions.

Sign Up to camp:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BZ3XC2V

March of the Jobless

2010-03-18T02:49:00.000-05:00

Last year, over 2.8 million people lost their homes to foreclosure, 1 in 8 American families struggled to survive on food stamps, and 17 MILLION OF US LOST OUR JOBS OR WERE UNEMPLOYED. All while Wall Street--the people who got us into this mess in the first place--awarded itself over $20 billion in bonuses. Right now, we have a unique opportunity to act because for the first time, DC is listening to the people moving in the streets. So we’re putting together a movement in Saint Louis to let our leaders know that enough is enough. We’re starting with a march from Kiener Plaza to the hub of big business in Saint Louis, to demand that the fat cats of business stop sitting idly by while the rest of us struggle. We want good, living wage jobs for all! NOW!

Join us on Monday March 30th at 10am in Kiener Plaza for a March of the Jobless and all those working for a real economy—one with living wage jobs for all!