Occupy Halloween: How to participate

Occupy Wall St. has been invited to join the largest public halloween parade in the nation!

They are going to give us a great spot and support our participation in the parade. Occupation Accomplished!

Last year over 60,000 people showed up and it was widely covered in the media, both in NYC and globally. So it's up to us to show the world what our movement is about. The whole world is watching!

TIME:  5:00 pm Meet-up. Parade begins 6:30. 

LOCATION: Parade begins at Spring St. and 6th Ave. We will meet up nearby to gather our forces before we march. Check back soon for the exact location.

MARCH ORGANIZATION:

In line with our movement's principles, we are asking people to step forward and self-organize their own costume blocs. If you are more than 30 people or so, consider having your own banner. We will all march together in our own #OccupyHalloween section of the parade.

BLOCS

We encourage you to find others doing similar themes and connect, so you can work together as a bloc. You can also contact us at occupyhalloween@gmail.com so we can help support you in this. 

Themed Blocs may include...

Wall St. Zombie Bloc

Corporate Vampire Bloc

Superhero Bloc

V-mask Bloc

Music Blocs (Marching bands, drummers, etcs)

Or whatever you want to do!

FREE FOR ALL SECTION

For those of us who do not have a bloc, we will all be marching together in the giant "Free for All' section. That will probably be most of us. Let's make it huge!

A NOTE ON MESSAGING

This is not only a chance to celebrate (which we deserve!) but also an amazing opportunity to express our message to the larger public, both in NYC and the entire world. So consider taking the following costuming tips in order to maximize your message. 

PARTICIPATE

We still need help building puppets and costumes, as well as with materials and supplies. To join in, go here.

 

For much more information, please visit the Occupy Halloween website

OCCUPY MUSEUMS!

The game is up: we see through the pyramid schemes of the temples of cultural elitism controlled by the 1%. No longer will we, the artists of the 99%, allow ourselves to be tricked into accepting a corrupt hierarchical system based on false scarcity and propaganda concerning absurd elevation of one individual genius over another human being for the monetary gain of the elitest of elite. For the past decade and more, artists and art lovers have been the victims of the intense commercialization and co-optation or art. We recognize that art is for everyone, across all classes and cultures and communities. We believe that the Occupy Wall Street Movement will awaken a consciousness that art can bring people together rather than divide them apart as the art world does in our current time…

Let’s be clear. Recently, we have witnessed the absolute equation of art with capital. The members of museum boards mount shows by living or dead artists whom they collect like bundles of packaged debt. Shows mounted by museums are meant to inflate these markets. They are playing with the fire of the art historical cannon while seeing only dancing dollar signs. The wide acceptance of cultural authority of leading museums have made these beloved institutions into corrupt ratings agencies or investment banking houses- stamping their authority and approval on flimsy corporate art and fraudulent deals.

For the last few decades, voices of dissent have been silenced by a fearful survivalist atmosphere and the hush hush of BIG money. To really critique institutions, to raise one’s voice about the disgusting excessive parties and spectacularly out of touch auctions of the art world while the rest of the country suffers and tightens its belt was widely considered to be bitter, angry, uncool. Such a critic was a sore loser. It is time to end that silence not in bitterness, but in strength and love! Because the occupation has already begun and the creativity and power of the people has awoken! The Occupywallstreet Movement will bring forth an era of new art, true experimentation outside the narrow parameters set by the market. Museums, open your mind and your heart! Art is for everyone! The people are at your door!

Dear Occupiers,

Since I posted Occupy Museums yesterday on FB, it's going quite viral on the internet. There is lots of discussion about what it means, whether it's a good idea what museums are doing for the 99% and the 1%.

These discussions, I feel, are really good ones to be having in the context of Occupy Wall Street, because this movement is about changing how we do things in this country from finance to culture- moving away from a culture that mainly benefits the 1%

I'll need help in planning this action tomorrow. Since it was supported by the A & C, I'd like to make sure that this action comes from the heart of our movement. Who would like to be a part of the historic first Occupation of MoMA of 2011?

My idea is that artist and everyone occupies museums together, bringing your artworks as well as OWS signs in protest. I'll bring my coin mask for example. We meet at 3:00 at 60 wall street for a short teach-in, then head over to touch base with the park, maybe doing a people's mic to get more peopleto join us.  Once at the Museums, we'll have a short GA with an opening statement, then people can get on stack and speak out their mind using people's mic.

Here are things we'll need:

-a one page info sheet about how museums generally and the ones we are going to specifically are pyramid schemes of the 1%  Paul- you wrote an email that has lots of info..I have turned it into a shared google Doc called Occupy Museums-someone to handle the twitter feed-OWS press -everyone bring a piece of their art to proudly display

Day 1: Revised  Schedule:

3:00 Meet at Liberty Park

Teach-in about the museums we are going to occupy

4:30 Livestream- read document in front of 5000 viewers.

Occupy the 4 train

5:00 Occupy MoMA

hours: 10:30-5:30

11 W 53^rd street New York, NY

Occupy the M3 Bus

6:00 Occupy Frick Collection

hours: 10:00-6 PM       

1 East 70th Street, New York, NY

Occupy the 6 train

7:00 Occupy New Museum

Thursdays 6-8 free 

235 bowery



Performance Opportunity for Monday, October 10

[From Chris]

Monday Morning Perp Walk

People are needed for a street theater performance & march on Monday morning. I am hoping to get people who could pass for bankers.

*If you can't pass for a banker it will not be as effective* although everyone is welcome, men, women, people of color, LBGT, non-gender identified, etc.

Hopefully you have a dress shirt that is either blue or white and a tie of any color. The point is to march a group of Wall Street types around like they have been arrested. Please contact me for details as this performance is meant to address VERY SPECIFIC issues about our lack of clear messages.

 

chris cobb

413-652-8250