Updates 4/7/12

Hello everyone.


I'm a little late today. Sorry.



News!




-- Occupy Philly celebrated their six month anniversary yesterday, with signs, cheers, and clear messages. While the group was evicted from their Occupation quite some time ago, they never stopped meeting and protesting. Dozens gathered at the Rittenhouse Square to paint signs and discuss ongoing and new events. They then marched to Independence Hall, where some Occupiers planned to stay for the weekend in a short-term Occupation.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120407_Occupy_Philadelphia_reemerges_with_Rittenhouse_Square_rally.html



-- In a bit of "what were they thinking" news, two men allowed a news channel to film them placing stickers on subway cars that read "Priority Seating for the 1%." While their message was clear, the men were arrested soon after someone complained about the stickers. One of the men has been released on bail, while the other is being held for unrelated charges. They've been charged with making graffiti, unlawfully posting ads, and violating transit rules.

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP99129697216a41108976518f07bef8f1.html



-- Occupy Puerto Rico may be getting in trouble if they don't clean up their act. Officials in Puerto Rico have threatened legal action against the group, unless they come out and clean up the public park they recently abandoned. The officials say at least five trucks will be needed to haul away the left-behind items, and that a playground set was also damaged. If the Occupiers do not clean up and pay for damages, the city will do so and charge them for it.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-04/D9TVEODO1.htm



-- The University of Pittsburgh has made activists very angry. The administrators have rejected a plan recommended by the Anti-Discriminatory Policies Committee that would have allowed students to use a restroom based on their gender identity. As of now, transgender students have no comfortable place to use the restroom, unless they trek to Starbucks every time. Pittsburgh law forbids discrimination by gender identity or expression, but the administrators are sticking to their guns with gender-segregated restrooms. University of Pennsylvania has their own way of rectifying the issue, in which they are adding more and more gender neutral restrooms. (Go Penn! That's awesome.)

http://www.queerty.com/u-of-pitt-flushes-plan-to-allow-trans-students-to-use-bathroom-of-choice-20120406/



-- Occupy UC Berkeley moved into the school's administrative building, in order to demand an end to Berkeley's discriminatory admissions policies. According to the group, roughly 50% of the state's high school graduates are minorities, but they make up only 18% of the school's freshmen. This article has a lot of information in it concerning anti-affirmative action laws passed at the UC colleges.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Police-Monitor-Building-Takeover-at-UC-Berkeley-146488905.html



-- This might make you upset, so I'm simply going to post the link. A protester with Autism is attacked by police back in March.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/06/18710899.php




***Solidarity***

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