When the Occupiers were forced from Heritage Park they thought they could take over the old abandoned health building. While setting up their community center and "not breaking in to an unlocked place" by removing a chain, they took it upon themselves to steal my employer's dumpster and garbage cans. That was just thievery, plain and simple. Certainly not a smart way for them to endear themselve to non-occupiers - many who need to be clued in on what the issues leading up to the OWS movement are in the first place (and why it applies to them whether they want to admit it or not.)

At about 9 AM Friday morning, over 50 state patrol troopers in full riot gear began slowly marching through Heritage Park. As they inched forward at 30-40 feet every few minutes, they inspected each remaining tent they passed to ensure no one remained.

Olympia Power & Light has the story

there's a live stream from occupy olympia here.

Facing a 12 midnight eviction threat tonight, Occupy Olympia held a party with a few hundred supporters to defend the camp in Heritage Park. Live local hip hop artists played music and people spoke over the sound system.

Soon the idea of occupying one of the many vacant buildings in the area spread and people marched down 5th Ave towards an unoccupied building. The one at the base of the 4th Ave bridge with the boarded up windows and until yesterday had a bunch of street art on it. People gathered in the parking lot and Mic checked about the bold new step they were taking. Then with no theatrics of a broken window or nothing someone opened the door that was already unlocked. Many people hesitated about crossing the line of the door at first. Once it was deemed safe most people took a look inside. Food, water and first aid supplies were quickly organized. People amassed a pallet and dumpster barricade out front. It was later announced that the building was now the Rachael Corrie Community Center, named after slain Olympia peace activist Rachael Corrie.

Olympia Waldorf School seventh grade students will perform their own adaptations of three popular winter stories:  The Tailor of Gloucester, The Tomten, and The Mitten at Traditions Cafe in downtown Olympia at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, December 16.  The students handcrafted all of their own puppets, and their work is delightful!  

All performances are free, fairly brief, and suitable for young children.  A jar will be available for donations for those who would like to support their eighth grade trip to Yosemite.In addition, Gnome's World, featuring Waldorf toys and books and located in a section of Traditions Fair Trade shop, will stay open during the performances.  Beginning at 4:30 p.m., 20% of all proceeds from Gnome's World will be donated to Olympia Waldorf School. 

 

Earlier from Peter G Bohmer’s FB page:

“We are asking people to show solidarity and support for those who have been staying at Occupy Olympia by coming to Heritage Park tonight and staying for the night if you can. Bring signs.

We are asking for solidarity and resistance to be non-violent."

Up to date info as of 12:45 P.M., Thursday, December 15th

Friends,

At about 8:30 A.M, Thursday, December 15th, . the Washington State Police and Department of Enterprise Services delivered a "Notice to Cease and Desist Camping" effective 12:01 A.M., January 16th., midnight tonight. The notice stated they will come in and seize all property at Occupy Olympia. In addition, they will not allow any future camping equipment at Heritage Park. They reduced what is going on to an encampment although it is much more than that, a site of protest and resistance, a movement for economic equality and more.

A rally is being planned for today, Thursday, December 15th, beginning at 10 P.M.. There will be music and workshops. We invite you!

People will be at Media Island, today, 816 Adams, today, making signs and cooking food. Help if you can.

We are asking people to show solidarity and support for those who have been staying at Occupy Olympia by coming to Heritage Park tonight and staying for the night if you can. Bring signs.

We are asking for solidarity and resistance to be non-violent.

The police may come at midnight, tonight, as they have threatened, but it is also possible they will wait until dawn, Friday before they make their raid. Raids are likely to be ongoing.

Legal and medical support and medical supplies in case there is a police raid are urgently needed,

There will be a rally and march, Friday, December 16th at 4 P.M., beginning at Heritage Park.

Join us, invite others!

From today's inbox:

In October we came together for Come to the Table: Food Summit South Puget Sound.  The Food Summit marked the first step in our effort to create a plan for a sustainable local food system.  In November we held a community debriefing at The Evergreen State College to talk about what we learned at the Food Summit and continue the discussions.  Now, we are ready to take the next steps.
 
On January 14th and 21st we will be holding follow-up meetings to review the work that has happened since the Food Summit and finalize our draft goals and actions for each of the 6 Whole Measures areas (Healthy People, Strong Communities, Justice and Fairness, Vibrant Farms, Sustainable Ecosystems, Thriving Local Economies).  The students in the TESC Ecological Agriculture program who have been organizing the notes from the Food Summit will present their work, which will be followed by participatory discussions designed to finalize the goals and actions and begin discussing implementation strategies.
 
The follow-up meetings will be held in the Community Room at the Tumwater Timberland Regional Library, 7023 New Market St.  Each day will focus on three of the 6 Whole Measures topics:
 
January 14th
10:15am-12:15pm – Healthy People
12:30-2:30pm – Strong Communities
2:45-4:45pm – Justice and Fairness
 
January 21st
10:15am-12:15pm – Vibrant Farms
12:30-2:30pm – Sustainable Ecosystems
2:45-4:45pm – Thriving Local Economies
 
Plan to attend the session or sessions that you are most interested in continuing to be a part of.  Additional information about the meetings, including agendas and background material, will be sent out in early January.
 

Portland poet James Yeary and visual artist Nate Orton go on local walks, and then publish zines about their experience with text by Yeary and sketches by Orton. They've done a dozen or so, including a series of three about walking all the way across Portland, and a new one about walking in the Portland Grotto, the park that was the destination for a recent trip by Olympia's own Rebels by Bus. (The zines are still mostly available from the my day website, although the Grotto zine isn't there yet...)

Come learn about the amazing properties of fungi! Members of the newly formed Olympia Mycelial Network will be holding a presentation on the power and benefits of fungus. Topics will cover basic fungal biology and ecology, ethnomycology, simple culivation techniques, and an overview of the concepts behind remediation.

Presented as part of the Olympia Free Skool, this workshop is free and open to all members of the public.

 

Friday, December 16, 2011

5-7PM

Media Island (816 Adams Street SE, Olympia)

 

The Olympia Mycelial Network works to share knowledge and skills related to the use of fungi for environmental and personal betterment. The OMN is non-discriminatory and open to people of all backgrounds and levels of engagement with fungi. We seek to destigmatize and simplify work with fungi to create greater access for all to the benefits they provide. Our current work plans to focus on small-scale, low-tech, home cultivation; community outreach via free/cheap workshops and community mushroom plots, developing our own mushroom medicinals, and working to implement remediation projects to clean up polluted areas locally.

 

radmycology@gmail.com

The Olympia Film Society presents a one-time screening of "Israel vs. Israel," Swedish filmmaker Terje Carlsson’s documentary about the current status of the Israeli peace movement.

The film is 58 minutes in length and will be followed by a Skype conversation with filmmaker Terje Carlsson. 

Savvina Chowdhury, member of the faculty at The Evergreen State College, will then moderate a panel discussion about the film featuring Amal Eqeiq, Ron J. Smith, and Craig Corrie.

Amal Eqeiq is a native Palestinian born in the city of Al-Taybeh. A Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Literature at the University of Washington, she is currently writing her dissertation on indigenous minority literature and conducting a comparative study of contemporary Mayan Literature in Chiapas, Mexico, and Palestinian Literature in Israel. Amal's latest publication is “Louder than the Blue I.D: Palestinian Hip Hop in Israel”. She is the 2011-2012 recipient of the American Association of University Women International Doctoral Fellowship.

Ron J. Smith recently completed his doctoral studies in the department of Geography at the University of Washington, where he currently teaches. He has extensive research experience in the West Bank and Gaza. He was most recently in Gaza in December of 2010. He is a filmmaker and independent journalist who has filed reports and completed documentaries in North, Central and South America and beyond.