Archive for occupy wall street

When the Inclusive Occupy Oakland Movement Became the White Anarchist Movement

Posted in Appropriation with tags , , , on January 29, 2012 by aznheartthrob

It was happening for a while and this weekend was when the transition was 100%. The Occupy Oakland Movement was dwarfed by a handful of anarchists this weekend. Most of whom, as you can see in this photo-collage I made from the weekend’s protests photos, are WHITE. This is probably the biggest gathering of white people I’ve seen in Oakland ever. Why isn’t the media calling this out? If it was a similarly ratio’d number of Asian or Black folks, you can be sure they’d call it the BLACKS OCCUPY OAKLAND RIOT or the ASIANS TAKE OVER OAKLAND RIOT. Where are these white people coming from? Are they born and raised in Oakland? Did they go to Oakland High or Tech? Were they born at Kaiser or Highland? I don’t know, I’m not from Oakland, so I can’t say. But what I can say is that Oakland’s demographics are 26% White, 17% Asian, 27% Black and 25% Latino. And these photos make it look like the Occupy protestors rioters are 95% White to me.

This is Not the Occupy Oakland Movement

Posted in Appropriation with tags , , , on January 29, 2012 by aznheartthrob

This right here is when the Occupy Oakland protests stopped being anything about the Occupy movement and turned into the continuing F Oakland/FOPD movement. Why deface a Frank H. Ogawa bust or anything civic for that matter when there’s a goddamn Wells Fargo and Bank of America and Citibank right down the street to focus on? Do these people even remember why this movement was started? Why are these white anarchists appropriating the Occupy Movement and why can’t the media stop calling this splinter group OCCUPY?!

And this sh!t right here breaks my heart. why why why why??? Are you MFers coming in from your white bread/latte sipping single family tract homes from Walnut Creek and spreading your suburban teen angst in Oakland? Do you really live in Oakland? Are you even from the Bay Area? Why would you destroy a 100 year old model of the most historic building in Oakland? Why don’t you go to Fairyland and tear out all the rides while you’re at it? Or better yet, throw a ton of bleach into Lake Merritt. Cause Wells Fargo and Bank America will go nuts if you do that. They will. They might even stop the foreclosure process on your next door neighbors (you’ll be fine though cause your trust fund’s got you covered for the next 1000 years).

Can I PLEASE see some headshots of the people getting arrested? Oh wait, that’s a great idea. I’m gonna do that in my next post… call all you white anarchists out….

BcB 2011 Holiday Gift Giving Guide

Posted in Causes Worth Your Cash with tags , , , , , , , , , on December 23, 2011 by aznheartthrob

It’s the 2011 BcB Holiday Gift Guide! Cause we’re lazy-asses bleeding heart liberal non-profiteers (did I just offend everyone?) every year at BcB our Holiday Gift Guide provides you with a list of non-profits that do tireless work in Asian/Asian American communities and/or issue areas and are much respected by Cbruhs and AznHeartThrob. Without further ado, click on the links below to send over a dolla or $5000000+ to the following amazing orgs:

The Spot Oakland:

The mission of The Spot is to support the success of youth and young adults by fostering their emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual health through holistic, coordinated, youth-driven resources and opportunities. Our vision is for all youth and young adults to have: A safe and empowering environment to realize their full potential,  meaningful roles to experience and strengthen their communities and a culture of unity, diversity, and collaboration for social justice.

CAAAV:

CAAAV works to build grassroots community power across diverse poor and working class Asian immigrant and refugee communities in New York City. Through an organizing model constituted by five core elements: base-building, leadership development, campaigns, alliances, and organizational development- CAAAV organizes communities to fight for institutional change and participates in a broader movement towards racial, gender, and economic justice. This includes advocating for low-income tenants who are negatively impacted by the gentrification in NYC’s Chinatown (Chinatown Justice Project), and organizing Southeast Asian youth in the Bronx (Youth Leadership Project).

Legacies of War:

The mission of Legacies of War is to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos and advocate for the clearance of unexploded bombs, to provide space for healing the wounds of war, and to create greater hope for a future of peace. The organization uses art, culture, education, community organizing and dialogue to bring people together and create healing and transformation out of the wreckage of war.

Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)

Gaysians living with AIDS/HIV are challenged with a lack of visibility and services…luckily orgs like APICHA provide crucial preventative and primary care for our communities.

APICHA’s mission is to improve the health of our community and to increase access to comprehensive primary care, preventive health services, mental health and supportive services. We are committed to excellence and to providing culturally competent services that enhance the quality of life. APICHA advocates for and provides a welcoming environment for underserved and vulnerable people, especially Asians and Pacific Islanders, the LGBT Community and individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Asian Pacific Environmental Network:

APEN seeks to empower low-income API communities to achieve environmental and social justice. APEN believes that the environment includes everything around us: where we live, work and play. And we strive to build grassroots organizations that will improve the health, well-being and political strength of our communities.

Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF):

CACF believes that children of all backgrounds should have an equal opportunity to grow up healthy and safe and should live in a society free from discrimination and prejudice. CACF challenges stereotypes of Asian Pacific Americans as a “model minority” and advocates on behalf of under-served families in our community, especially immigrants struggling with poverty and limited English skills. CACF promotes better policies, funding, and services for East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander children, youth, and families.

Nomi Network:

Nomi Network seeks to increase the financial independence of women in Asia who are vulnerable to sex trafficking. Nomi uses a three-fold strategy that consists of developing talent and high-quality, profitable products, increasing capacity of employers to provide living wages and partnering with retailers and consumers to increase demand for their products.

Asian Community Leadership Foundation:

The Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) is a community-based, nonprofit organization that trains and supports the leadership of Asian Pacific Islanders with a commitment to social justice, community empowerment and public service. Our mission is to promote social, economic and political justice by training and supporting a strong, sustainable community of civically engaged leaders that reflects the diversity of local Asians & Pacific Islanders.

The Occupy Movement:

Despite the media hysteria that often attempts to discredit Occupy as a bunch of pot-smokin’, lazy, grungy hippies — the power of OWS to bring an economic justice agenda to the national stage and its potential to forge a broad-based, progressive, and long-term movement for change is undeniable. Support the NY arm or the local one in your city.

We Envision: [1] a truly free, democratic, and just society; [2] where we, the people, come together and solve our problems by consensus; [3] where people are encouraged to take personal and collective responsibility and participate in decision making; [4] where we learn to live in harmony and embrace principles of toleration and respect for diversity and the differing views of others; [5] where we secure the civil and human rights of all from violation by tyrannical forces and unjust governments; [6] where political and economic institutions work to benefit all, not just the privileged few; [7] where we provide full and free education to everyone, not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings; [8] where we value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible; [9] where we work together to protect the global environment to ensure that future generations will have safe and clean air, water and food supplies, and will be able to enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature that past generations have enjoyed.

I’m (un)Officially Renaming Frank Ogawa Plaza as Frank Ogawa Plaza

Posted in AUDACITY with tags , , , , , , , on November 2, 2011 by aznheartthrob

I support Occupy Oakland. I don’t know where its heading and I think there needs to be more clear asks and less violence, but how can you not support a movement that brings together the 99% to rally on a daily basis. It at least keeps our urban core relevant and keeps news away from the Republican presidential nomination clusterfuck going on (not to mention the latest Tea Party protest). What I don’t agree with is how the Occupy Oakland folks have decided to (un)officially rename Frank Ogawa Plaza as Oscar Grant Plaza. And I’m completely in the Fuck the OPD camp with the Oscar Grant protestors. But if you want to diversify your folks, maybe you shouldn’t step over the legacy of a Japanese American Oakland native from the Civil Rights Movement. It reaffirms all the criticism the OWS movement has been receiving over the disproportionate amount of white folks at the protests despite the fact that the people most affected by the banks have been people of color. So in the spirit of not talking shit and actually providing answers, I’d like to suggest the following name for the Occupy Oakland camp: Oscar Grant Occupies Oakland at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Is that a little too Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for you? I tried. Can’t please them all.

And for folks who need a little reminding, a brief bio on Frank H. Ogawa from his Congressional Tribute:

Frank Ogawa was a remarkable person because he could take personal
misfortune and turn it into a positive learning experience for himself
and others. When Frank and Grace Ogawa were forced to sell their
belongings and live in interment camps during World War II, they had to
sleep on straw mattresses in horse stalls for six months before being
shipped to a camp in Utah to spend another 3 1/2 years in confinement.
Despite this mistreatment and injustice, he never lost faith in the
United States. Just the opposite–he strived to prove his loyalty to
his country and became an internationally recognized champion of Asian-
Americans in the process.

After World War II, Frank Ogawa returned to Oakland and succeeded in
breaking a series of social and racial barriers. When local residents
objected to him moving into an exclusive neighborhood, he responded by
becoming an integral part of their community and joining a host of
previously all-white organizations like the Rotary Club.
Having served 5 years on the Oakland Parks Commission, Frank Ogawa
was elected to the city council in 1966, making him the first Japanese-
American to hold a council seat in a major city in the continental
United States. He held that position for 28 years until his passing–
the longest tenure in Oakland’s history.

From his council seat, he earned a reputation as an even-handed
leader who worked diligently to improve cultural awareness, enhance
Oakland’s economy, expand its port facilities, and establish relations
between Oakland and other countries, especially Japan. In fact, Frank
Ogawa was largely responsible for establishing a sister city
relationship between Oakland and Fukuoka, Japan.

OpieRadio Makes Fun of Asian Wall Street Protestors

Posted in AUDACITY, Douchebaggary, fucktards, white ppl booshit with tags , on October 13, 2011 by Cbruhs

While the Occupy Wall Street protests plod on, some are attempting to discredit the mobilizations by focusing on the “types” of folks that are protesting. OpieRadio (aka “shock jock” Gregg Hughes of the Opie & Anthony Show) decided to go down to Wall Street and interview some of the more inarticulate/blazed individuals, thus labeling the entire protest a “freak show”.

Apparently, included in this “freak show” are two Chinese immigrants, one who used to work for Morgan Stanley, Citibank, and other Wall Street firms — and his friend who is there to support him and the larger movement. When one man speaks in Chinese to answer Opie’s (over-enunciated) question: “Why. Are. You. Here?“, Opie cuts him off with: “I don’t know what he’s saying!” (1:45 mark). After the other man translates, Opie mocks them with several “Ah, soooo” (2:39).

Well Opie, understand this: FUCK YOU!! Why these two well-spoken men were included in a montage with a girl in a bear costume who couldn’t answer why she was protesting or a guy speaking through a puppet rat is totally ridiculous and offensive. Why are they “freaks”…because they’re Asian and have accents? Also, did he make oinking noises at the girl at 2:20? Class act.

Opie was likely focusing on the minority of protestors anyway, in a cheap effort to ridicule the whole movement for fiscal reform by seeking out the most grungy, high-as-shit, tatted-up individuals (I personally feel we should be more afraid of a shifty CEO in a suit that a guy with face tattoos)….oh, plus a couple of hardworking Asian immigrants. Nice try, dick.

As if a typical Conservative or Teabagger gathering isn’t chock full o’ misspelled signs (aka “Teabonics”) and folks with questionable hygiene and fashion sense who can’t string a coherent, non-racist sentence together…in other words, “freaks”.

via Buzzfeed

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