On October 15th, people from all over the world will take to the streets and squares.

From America to Asia, from Africa to Europe, people are rising up to claim their rights and demand a true democracy. Now it is time for all of us to join in a global non violent protest.

The ruling powers work for the benefit of just a few, ignoring the will of the vast majority and the human and environmental price we all have to pay. This intolerable situation must end.

United in one voice, we will let politicians, and the financial elites they serve, know it is up to us, the people, to decide our future. We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us.

On October 15th, we will meet on the streets to initiate the global change we want. We will peacefully demonstrate, talk and organize until we make it happen.

It’s time for us to unite. It’s time for them to listen.

-http://15october.net/

October 15 Michigan Events:

Grand Rapids – Rally/Meet & Greet

Supporters will be occupying Monument Park by day, and Fountain Street Church parking lot by night.  A rally will be held at 11:00PM and meetings will be held at 12:00PM and 6:00PM with a march at 4:30PM.

Lansing – Assembly & Occupation

A General Assembly Meeting and the official start of the Lansing occupation will begin 10:00AM, located at the Michigan State Capitol Building.

Ann Arbor – Transportation

To show their solidarity, Occupy Ann Arbor will be organizing transportation to Detroit, Lansing, and other Occupy movements around the state.

(This list will be continuously updated, so check back or follow @occupymi on Twitter for updates. If your city is not listed, please contact occupymi@gmail.com with details. Thanks!)

Today, Occupy Detroit will be meeting at the Spirit of Detroit Statue located on Woodward and Jefferson at 4:00PM.  At 6:00PM, we will be marching to Grand Circus Park, where permanent occupation will begin.  For more information, please visit the Facebook event page here.

All across Michigan, Occupy activist groups are in various stages of occupation–from general assembly meetings to full-on occupations.

Like all the occupations inspired by Occupy Wall Street, each group emphasizes peaceful, non-violent protests against the uneven distribution of wealth in the US, have varied agendas, and seek positive social, political, and economic change.

Here are some of the actions taking place throughout the state:

Hundreds Galvanize Grand Rapids Activists to Occupy Park

Occupy Grand Rapids activists have laid claim to Ah-Nab-Awen Park (303 Pearl Street, Grand Rapids) and are now in full occupation mode.

After hundreds gathered at Calder Plaza on Saturday and marched through the streets of the city, Occupy Grand Rapids relocated to the park yesterday afternoon to discuss goals, rules, and further actions.

The group intends to march daily. Today, they will gather at 4pm and then step off for their first march at 4:30pm. For more information about the march, check out the event invitation on Facebook.

Also, Occupy Grand Rapids General Assembly will hold meetings at the park on a regular basis. A meeting was held at noon today and another will be held at 6pm tonight.

The Occupy Grand Rapids Facebook page has amassed over 2,000 supporters and the group is growing. For more information on the Grand Rapids occupation, visit their Wiki page.

Lansing Activists Occupy Capital City

In Lansing, some activists are camping out and occupying Reutters Park (at W. Kalamazoo St and S. Capitol Ave.), getting a head start on Occupy Lansing’s rally and general assembly meeting.

As reported in a previous article, Occupy Lansing will gather on the steps of the capitol building (100 N Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI 48933) to hold a rally on Saturday, October 15. After the rally, Occupy Lansing’s general assembly will meet to plan the occupation.

Activists from all over the state are coordinating car pools to attend the events on Saturday, which are estimated to draw over 1,300 people.

A planning meeting for the rally and general assembly meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 13 at North Star Center (106 Lathrop St., Lansing, MI 48912) at 7pm.

For more information, email OccupyMichigan@gmail.com or check out the event invitation on Facebook.

Occupy Detroit Meets for First General Assembly

Tonight at 7pm, Occupy Detroit will hold its first General Assembly meeting at Spirit of Hope (1519 Martin Luther King Blvd, Detroit, Michigan 48208).

The press release describes the Occupy Detroit movement as “inspired by and in solidarity with protests for liberation and against oppression and exploitation that are occurring all over the world.”

Hundreds are estimated to attend the General Assembly meeting as over 400 people have responded positively to the Facebook invitation. Nearly a week of advanced planning has gone into this first meeting, during which participants will finalize the date and the location of where Occupy Detroit will take place.

According to the press release, committees related to Occupy Detroit will be formed, and topics of discussion include the logistics of the main event as well as “the specific issues facing oppressed people in Detroit such as home foreclosures, homelessness, school closures, poverty, and food assistance cut-offs.”

For more information about the general assembly meeting tonight, contact Michael Shallal at m3h.shallal@gmail.com or Ife Johari Uhuru at ife.johari@gmail.com. And be sure to check out the discussion forum at Occupy Detroit’s website.

Flint Prepares for Occupation

Occupy Flint is gearing up for an occupation of the city on Friday, October 14.

The Flint occupation will begin with a demonstration at noon in front of the downtown branch of Bank of America (503 Saginaw, Flint, MI 48502). The group will be collecting food for the homeless, and over 200 people are estimated to attend the event.

According to one reader, the group was interviewed yesterday by WNEM TV5, and the occupation was reported by the television station as well as by Fox66.

For more information, check out the event invitation on Facebook.

Occupy Kalamazoo Protests Big Banks and Assembles

#Occupy Kalamazoo is planning a bank protest, scheduled for Wednesday, October 12 at 11am. Organizers will meet downtown at Michigan and Burdick streets.

The Facebook event invitation asserts that the protest will “let the public know who the 1% are…and let the 1% know, we know who they are.”

Also, #Occupy Kalamazoo’s second general assembly meeting will be held at the Kalamazoo Peace Center on Tuesday, October 11 at 5:30pm. At this meeting, participants will discuss goals, grievances, and actions. In addition, they will establish meeting guidelines and prepare for the bank protest.

The group’s Facebook page has garnered almost 600 supporters.

For more information, check out #Occupy Kalamazoo on Facebook.

Occupy Saulte Saint Marie Holds General Assembly

Occupy Saulte Saint Marie will hold a general assembly meeting tonight at 8pm at Lake Superior State University.  The meeting will take place in the Peacock Cove, which is located in the basement of the Cisler Center.

According to the event invitation on Facebook, the meeting is for “northern MI and Canada folks interested in being a part of the occupation.” The general assembly intends to discuss any and all ideas related to occupying the city.

For more information, visit Occupy Saulte Saint Marie on Facebook.

All the groups welcome everyone to their events.

Photo submitted by Mary Novello of Grand Rapids

Note: OccupyMI.org does its best to provide accurate information. If you see a mistake in the reporting, please leave a comment or contact occupymi@gmail.com.

Join the Movement!

We are the 99%!

On October 15th, people from around the state of Michigan will gather in Lansing on the Capitol building steps for an occupation in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.

The occupation begins with a rally at 10am, featuring Tony Trupiano of The Tony Show as the Master of Ceremonies. Other tentatively scheduled speakers are:  Sara Feldman from Move Your Money Project, Monica Ross Williams from Reach Out Job Search, KAT who is a participant of Occupy Wall Street in NYC, and Mona Holland.

After the rally, the Occupy Lansing General Assembly will form to discuss future actions in the city, and those who wish to do so will stay for the occupation.

The press release reads:

This is a peaceful movement. Like Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Michigan is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that we are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the top 1%. We plan to use the revolutionary tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants.

We are a grassroots, leaderless movement. We are not hierarchical. We are a horizontal movement. Everyone is equal. Everyone is a leader. We are the 99%.

A planning meeting will be held on October 12 at 7:30pm and will take place at The North Star Center (106 Lathrop St., Lansing, MI 48912).

Everyone is invited to attend all of the events.

For more information, email: occupymichigan@gmail.com

Latest news and updates:

The General Assembly for Occupy the UP will meet October 7th at 6pm at Presque Isle Park (Peter White Dr, Marquette, MI 49855)

Occupy Grand Rapids is holding a General Assembly meeting on October 8th at noon at Calder Plaza (300 Ottawa NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503).

Occupy Sault Sainte Marie is the latest addition to our Facebook Groups linkroll.

Join the Movement

We are the 99%

Graphic design courtesy of Amanda Kat Shaw.

Groups throughout the state are preparing for a massive movement to support Occupy Wall Street and to voice their own concerns as Michiganders.

Here are some breaking developments:

Occupy Ann Arbor

Occupy Ann Arbor is holding their first General Assembly meeting on Thursday, October 6th at 6pm on the University of Michigan’s Diag.

Everyone is invited to the Ann Arbor meeting. According to the Facebook invitation, its aim is to “organize the resources of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti locals, (students and residents alike,) spread information, and show solidarity for the Occupation of Wall St and other Occupy groups in Michigan.”

Whitney Jasmine Miller explains why she’s getting involved in the movement:

I am a 24-year-old woman with a terminal disease. I cannot get preventative healthcare or insurance. My friends, my family, and I come from a wide spectrum of race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic backgrounds. We all work hard, our families worked hard, yet few of us are able to achive the “American Dream.”

I am involved in the Occupy movement because I see it as a unifying cause, connecting several different groups of people in search of social and financial justice. Everyone has fallen victim to the crimes of corporations, and it is inspiring to see my peers find agency, stand up, and fight.

Feel free to download their flyers here and here for this event and distribute widely.  Other flyers for general use at all events can be found here.

For more info on Occupy Ann Arbor General Assembly meeting, email: whitneyjasminemiller@gmail.com.

Occupy Detroit

Occupy Detroit is holding its first General Assembly meeting on Monday, October 10th at 7pm. The event will be held at Spirit of Hope, located at 1519 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard in Detroit. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Also, Occupy Detroit’s website went live today: www.occupydetroit.us. Be sure to check out its forum.

Occupy Lansing

Occupy Lansing will hold a rally on October 15th on the Capitol Building steps at 10am. Tomorrow, we’ll publish a feature article on this event.

Also, Occupy Lansing has a website in the works, which we’ll link as soon as it goes live.

Occupy the UP

The folks up north are showing their support for the occupy movements around the country. Check out their Facebook page, Occupy the UP.

Supply the Occupiers

Want to help with those who occupying around the U.S.? Then check out Supply the Occupiers on Facebook. This group is gathering donations and says, “We will ensure that every occupied city has what it needs to stay in the street.”

National Student Walk Out Day

Wednesday, October 5th is National Student Walk Out Day. Students from around the country are walking out of classes to protest unforgivable student debt and soaring tuition rates.

For more info, you can check these sites:

nystudentsrising.org

studentsunitedforafreecuny.wordpress.com

takebackbrooklyn.wordpress.com

resistandmultiply.wordpress.com

OccupyMI.org

Finally, OccupyMI.org is receiving hundreds of visitors a day. We are dedicated to bringing you information about the various events around Michigan. We’re working as fast as we can to get this site up and running to speed. So, bear with us, keep coming back, and spread our link!

Join the Movement!

We are the 99%!