When: Feb 23rd 12-3:30pm
Where: State Capitol 200 East Colfax
Join the facebook event!

Exposing war crimes is a duty, not a crime!
Feb 23rd marks 1000 days that Bradley Manning has been in prison without a trial for doing the right thing and exposing war crimes against innocent civiliansCome together with us in downtown Denver to show that “We the people” will not stand for this extreme injustice. This will be a fun informative family friendly event. All inclusive, open to everyone who believes in peace and truth.

Visit bradleymanning.org to see the event page and learn more about this heroic whistle-blower and click here to see the infamous “Collateral Murder” video that he exposed.

Show support by adding your photosignature to the i am bradley manning project iam.bradleymanning.org

In Fort Collins, CO the Poudre Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club, with support of other chapters and members across the nation, has officially asked Michael Brune, the national director of Sierra Club, to call for a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” is an oil & gas extraction technique that is toxic and potentially lethal to all life within miles of the extraction well pad.

While Occupy Denver and the Sierra Club operate on radically different organizing principles, it is crucial to America’s future that mainstream environmental organizations like Sierra Club take strong stances against toxic oil and gas extraction methods such as hydraulic fracturing. We support any effort to hold environmental NGOs to their commitments to ecological protection, and also recognize that due to political inertia, pressure will need to be applied to these groups, both from within and from without.

It is known that the leadership of the Sierra Club is wary to call for a fracking ban, and may formally reprimand those calling for this ban, expel them from Sierra Club, or pursue litigation against them. Occupy Denver stands in solidarity with the call issued by the Poudre Canyon Sierra Club in Fort Collins, and calls on the national Sierra Club to do the right thing, enact their mission statement, and call for a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing. Anything short of a complete rejection of fracking would demonstrate that Sierra Club is an environmentalist group only on paper, willing to trade away their ecological principles for political convenience.

Ways you can help!
Sign this petition asking Sierra Club Director Michael Brune to lead a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing:

Share this letter – Poudre Canyon Group (Fort Collins) letter to Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune (In addition to being a good call to arms, this letter is a comprehensive collection of diverse research data proving the many dangers of fracking):

Call Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune at his office, (415) 977-5500 and ask him to call for a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing.

Fax Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune at his office, (415) 977-5797 with the message:
“If your child’s life was in danger, would you pause to ask a politician if it is OK to save their life? What would John Muir do? It is time for Sierra Club to call for a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing.” Or another message of your choosing.

Occupy Denver calls on all Occupy networks to circulate this petition & letter from the Poudre Canyon Sierra Club group, and to participate in the call-in & fax-in actions listed above.

Solidarity to everyone everywhere fighting the toxic extraction industry

When: Friday January 11th, from 6:00-7:00pm
Where: The State Capitol building in Denver, CO

Occupy Denver stands in solidarity with the indigenous Idle No More movement. We call on all to stand in solidarity and join the January 11th Idle No More day of action. Stand up for Indigenous sovereignty, and the protection of our land and water!

Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth.

On December 10th, Indigenous people and allies stood in solidarity across Canada to assert Indigenous sovereignty and begin the work towards sustainable, renewable development. All people will be affected by the continued damage to the land and water and we welcome Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies to join in creating healthy sustainable communities. We encourage youth to become engaged in this movement as you are the leaders of our future. There have always been individuals and groups who have been working towards these goals – Idle No More seeks to create solidarity and further support these goals. We recognize that there may be backlash, and encourage people to stay strong and united in spirit.

Video: Idle No More flash mob in Broomfield. January 2, 2012.

When: Saturday & Sunday, January 5th & 6th
Where: 27 Social Center (2727 W 27th Ave Denver, CO)

In response to the Tar Sands Blockade call out for Solidarity on January 7th, radical groups and organizations from across the Colorado Front Range are joining forces on January 5th and 6th to raise donations and material support in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, and other local groups are collaborating to organize Extraction Resistance: Solidarity with the Tar Sands Blockade & Unis’tot’en Camp.

In addition to collecting funds and supplies for both the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp, the two-day event will include workshops and teach-ins at the 27 Social Center (2727 W 27th Ave Denver, CO) on radical resistance to extraction across Colorado & North America.

With the aim of providing a space for education and discussion around a wide range of topics, the organizers hope to foster further discussion and facilitate new relationships that will cultivate resistance against industrial extraction in Colorado and solidarity with those fighting it elsewhere.

Workshops–which will cover a variety of topics including radical environmentalism, social justice, anti-extraction and direct action–will be hosted by Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, indigenous organizer & NVDA trainer Robert Chanate, the Beehive Collective, Glenn Morris of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, and more. Updates on the program and more information on the workshops will be published on our site here: deepgreenresistancecolorado.wordpress.com

Besides building local capacity and networks, the event also aims to directly support those who are on the front lines in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. The event will serve as a fundraiser, with a requested donation at the door of $5-20, with all proceeds going to the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Lunch will be provided for those attending, including vegan and gluten-free options.

We will also be collecting donations of materials for these groups, so please bring any camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), bicycles (working or not), warm winter clothes, climbing gear, rain gear, non-perishable food, rope, medical supplies, and tools (shovels, saws, drills, etc.). For a complete list, see the Tar Sands Blockade’s ‘Wish List’: http://tarsandsblockade.org/donate-3/wishlist/

The Facebook event can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/events/533775263301257/

For more information, contact DGR Colorado at deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net

Anarchism: From Theory to Practice by Danuel Guerin: a Reading Group of Occupy and Educate Denver

When: Begining Tuesday, January 8th, 5:30-6:45pm
Where: @ the Deer Pile (13th and Sharman – above City O City – 206 East 13th Avenue )

“One of the ablest leaders and writers of the French New Left describes the two realms of ‘anarchism’—its intellectual substance, and its actual practice through the Bolshevik Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, the Italian Factory Councils, and finally the role in workers’ self-management in Yugoslavia and Algeria… An important contemporary definition of New Left aims and their possible directions in the future.” – Noam Chomsky

This reading group will begin January 7th and continue every Tuesday for four or more weeks. Anarchism: From Theory to Practice is an accessible text, delving into issues of authority, freedom, power, and mutural aid. This reading group will open up a valuable dicussion of anarchism for people of all political leanings. We hope you will join us!

The full text of the book can be found here:
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/daniel-guerin-anarchism-from-theory-to-practice

Contact educate@occupydenver.org for more information.

When: Saturday, January 19th @ 9am
Where: Kirk of Bonnie Brae, 1201 S. Steele Street, Denver, CO 80210

The purpose of Social Forum is to organize, educate and empower people on critical issues; sharing knowledge; and teaching skills to build alternative and sustainable systems that better meet our human needs. Through the Social Forum model, individuals reflect on their own purpose and how to make a difference, and hopefully we can create the consciousness that we have the knowledge and skills and the power to create the change we desire.

Workshops: 9am to 12:30pm

Worker Cooperatives – This workshop will discuss the Worker Cooperatives (employee-ownership model) which are business entities that are owned and operated by their employees. It creates a sustainable economy, stable, and non-competitive jobs that can’t be sold out, and that build community. Bill Kirton & Dick Peterson http://www.rmeoc.org/

Alternative Currency – In this workshop, we will explore Denver’s brand new local currency.  This becomes a self-financing revolution to create a bottom-up economy with self-sufficiency, and self-government. No waiting, voting, or asking permission from the corrupt.  You can learn how you can benefit from Hours as an individual, or business. We have set up 5 local, currency systems in 8 months. Each can trade with one another, and none support big-box stores. “The People are the gold, and can create a more abundant future immediately!” Wayne Walton  http://www.milehighhours.com/

Money, Public Banking, and Global Transformation –
In this workshop, we will examine the following: Money is ubiquitous, but few people understand what it really is and how control over its creation and availability affects global, local, and individual conditions. Clarity, regarding what money is, enables us to transform the monetary system so that it serves people, rather than the other way around, which is currently the case. The transformation process requires, at a minimum, three initiatives: public banking; verifiable voting and public-only campaign financing; and decentralized media ownership. Robert Bows  http://publicbankinginstitute.org/

Open Forum: 12:30pm

Time to brainstorm and choose the next step for our community.

Please bring a healthy dish to share, if unable, please come anyway

An Occupy Denver Teach-In by Peter Hudis

Time: Tuesday, Dec. 18, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location: The Deer Pile, upstairs from City O’ City, 206 East 13th Avenue (Sherman and 13th), Denver

From the Arab Spring to the protests against austerity in Greece and Spain, and from the Occupy Movement to discussions within the global justice movement, people are increasingly asking whether there is a viable alternative to capitalism. This is connected to a resurgence of interest in heretofore neglected aspects of Marx’s work. Join us for a discussion of whether Marx’s critique of capital points to an alternative to both “free market” capitalism and the totalitarian regimes that called themselves “communist” in the twentieth century.

Peter Hudis is Professor of Humanities and Philosophy at Oakton Community College. He is author of Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism and is General Editor of The Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg. He is a member of the International Marxist-Humanist Organization.

Passed by the General Assembly on November 20, 2012

Occupy Denver acknowledges oppression exists and is not here to argue for the status quo. We are creating a new culture within our own community and fighting to undermine the structures of oppression beyond it. Our goal is to be a community characterized by mutual respect and support where everyone feels safe participating in the work that emerges from our direct democratic practices.

Occupy Denver strives to empower all people to actively and collectively challenge the histories and structures of oppression that marginalize some, and divide us all. These include ableism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, racism, religious discrimination, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia, among others.

In the struggle for justice and equality for all, we are committed to listening and learning from all who are oppressed.

We will:

• fight to dismantle all forms of oppression in our communities and our society at large.
• do our best to provide physical and language access to Occupy Denver spaces, and make resources equally available to all.
• not use physical violence or threats.
• not use language that has traditionally been employed to target marginalized groups with systematic persecution for their race, sexual orientation, gender, abilities, poverty, religion etc.
• ask permission before making physical contact with someone we don’t know, or if we don’t know their preferences and comfort levels.
• respect each person’s expressed name and identity and their choice of whether to share that information; and do our best not to make assumptions about others’ identities based on abilities, age, class, housing status, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexuality, or appearance.
• be aware of how prejudice and structures of oppression affect our speech and actions, including the ways power and privilege are related to race, gender, gender identity, physical ability, immigration status, wealth, and/or sexuality, among other identities.
• show compassion and respect to each other, especially in relation to trauma, abuse and oppression.
• agree that it’s an act of solidarity to listen and not reply right away when a person, or group of people, expresses that they feel oppressed by our words or actions.
• acknowledge that each person comes to our space with different experiences. So while we may not intend to hurt other people by our words or actions, this can still happen.
• not dismiss oppression.
• encourage people to respectfully speak out against situations of oppression if they feel safe doing so. Or if they do not feel comfortable speaking up in the moment, encourage them to let someone else know, or come to our General Assembly so we can discuss as a group.
• hold ourselves accountable as a group and ask members of our community to take responsibility for actions or words they have used that, intentionally or unintentionally, have reinforced these oppressive structures we are fighting to break down.

Occupy Denver has an official Conflict Resolution process that we encourage people to use in response to experiences of oppression they would like to resolve through mediation.

Statement to be read before each Occupy Denver action

Occupy Denver strives to empower all people to collectively challenge the structures of oppression that marginalize some, and divide us all. These include ableism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, racism, religious discrimination, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia, among others.

If you are using language or actions that have traditionally been used to target, oppress or hurt specific marginalized groups, you will be called out. We do not tolerate further oppression as we fight to dismantle the current structures.

We encourage people to respectfully speak up in situations of oppression if they feel safe doing so. Or if you don’t feel comfortable confronting someone in the moment, please make sure others here are made aware. Also our weekly General Assembly is always open to discuss any circumstances that take away from our events being a safe space for all.