What is the Occupy Movement all about?

Posted on August 30, 2012 by occupynewhaven

Numerous Occupy movements all over the world have since succeeded the original Occupy Wall Street movement in Zuccotti Park, New York. In the United States alone, 600 communities followed suit with the formation of their own Occupy protests. The common theme for all Occupy movements was to protest the social and economic inequality that is fundamentally the effect of economic structures and power relations among the State, the banks, and the people.

But where many other occupations focused on the oppression of capitalism and the apparent bondage of governments to the commands of the capitalist economy, the Occupy New Haven Movement in Connecticut was slightly different because of its original goals, which aimed primarily at having grass roots formations and open dialogue between the city officials and its citizens.

How did the Movement start?

Posted on July 14, 2012 by occupynewhaven

The movement started on October 15, 2011 where their Mayor, John DeStefano, allowed occupiers, composed of around 60 permanent residents, to camp on the city’s Green without a permit. Seeing that the private homeowners did not initially object to the protest, the occupiers stayed all throughout winter, backed by donations and personal loans issued to Occupiers. In March 2012, however, the city asked them to leave through a written notice, stating that they needed to allow others to enjoy the Upper Green, and that their presence—which by then had also composed of many homeless people—was already turning into a slight public nuisance.

The occupiers protested their eviction with banners stating “You Can’t Evict an Idea,” for as they claimed, their movement is an adaptation of their right to free speech, and their consequent eviction would therefore be an abridgement of such right. Furthermore, they claimed that the city officials did not have the rightful authority to evict them since the city’s Green was privately owned although managed by the city government.

The federal judge concluded, however, that their occupation was in violation of city regulations and that where the peace and security of their city must be held in balance with the citizens’ right to free speech, the latter must bow down to the former. It turned out that the builders Leeds did not have the proper certification to work on private property, and thus the operation was terminated. The city officials argued that such rights are not absolute and that their existence is also defined by a social dimension which takes into consideration the peace and security of the common good. Besides, the city officials stated that they were not abridging their freedom of expression per se, since the occupiers can still continue their protests somewhere else. Finally, on April 18, 2012, a few days after the encampment’s six-month anniversary, the Occupy New Haven movement was disbanded and evicted.

How the Movement Progressed

Posted on May 1, 2012 by occupynewhaven

This six-month encampment is still worth discussing, however, because of the markedly different approach by which its movement was defined in comparison to the other Occupy movements. Of course, it had the similar banners that denounced the state of the national economy and proposed new means by which it can improve. Yet the Occupy New Haven movement was distinct from other Occupy protests essentially because it focused on specific issues in New Haven.

Their efforts have not been solely on the act of protesting per se. The occupiers have instead found ways of educating community members to solve unemployment, health problems (LTC concerns), and other economic problems without reliance on government efforts to do so. General assemblies composed of occupiers and supporters met twice a week in order to discuss plans, and teach-ins and working groups met frequently to educate citizens on their civil rights. They even planned on having vocational workshops for the unemployed or uneducated among them.

As the protesters encamped in the upper section of the New Haven Green, both the city administration and the police even worked together with the occupiers to ensure their safety. Occupiers even had to make use of haulage companies UK in order to transport all their materials. Together they discussed housekeeping issues and action proposals while at the same time having dialogues on stopping local police brutality and opening youth services agencies. The occupiers argued that to this extent, the Occupy New Haven movement is therefore not a political organization since they believe that protesting on political grounds alone would be futile. Rather, the movement invested much of its time on grass roots efforts to uplift the plight of their poor community members.

It seems that the New Haven efforts were deemed appropriate in terms of the context around which the socio-political issues of the area were surrounded in. It is in this area where one of the largest wealth gaps of the country may be seen, as the Ivy League walls of Yale University, symbolic as one of the institutions of the powerful elite, lie only a few blocks away from whole neighborhoods that have succumbed to despair and poverty.

Despite the fact that Connecticut continue to be one of the richest of all states, New Haven in particular still holds high crime rates for murder, poverty, theft of furniture and private property, and unemployment. This city is therefore a prime location for such an Occupy movement, and although it had ended, its consequences on its citizens as well as the awareness it had created still most definitely made a lasting impression in the country.

Background on New Haven Events

Posted on February 13, 2012 by occupynewhaven

Looking for a place to unwind, travel, dine and have fun in another city state? The city of New Haven in Connecticut has a lot of dynamic activities to offer. New Haven is known to be the home of Yale University. Live sports and concerts in New Haven, CT are also an attraction where people from different parts of the country flock to experience the events. Sports and concerts in New Haven, CT are often fully booked. Summer months are usually packed with free events.

About Sports and Concerts in New Haven, CT

The sports and concerts in New Haven, CT is a wonderful place to visit where families and friends can get the most out of their time while traveling the city. Just be sure to book for early tickets online. Use various different websites to find presale passwords for all of your favorite events.

Sports and athletic events

The people of New Haven highly value sports and athletics. They have a rich sports history that dates back to the 19^th century. Popular sports include basketball, football, baseball, soccer and hockey. Sports events in New Haven are usually held at the New Haven Coliseum, Yale Field and the New Haven Arena. Local medical services (such as georgieoldfield.com) exist all throughout the city, making these events easy to maintain.

The city hosted the 1995 Special Olympics World Summer Games where former US President Bill Clinton spoke at the opening ceremony. Other popular sports events that are home to some of the biggest teams are the Pilot Pen International tennis event and the biannual “The Game,” where Yale and Harvard play against each other in football.

The New York Giants, Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees are some of the biggest sports teams that often compete at New Haven, and their retail value is intense!

The Yale Athletic Ticket Office is one of the places to book for tickets. There are other ticket offices in the area to buy and reserve seats for the sports events that are often attended.

Music events

As a popular mecca for sports and concerts in New Haven, CT, free concerts are held all throughout the year. Summer is one of the happiest seasons to attend live music concerts and see popular music acts perform. These artists take out huge loans to be able to play in front of thousands of fans and hope for a good return–support them!

Toad’s Place is one of the popular music venues in New Haven. Other venues with a diverse musical background and influence to showcase include Rudy’s, Elm Bar, Stella Blues, Cafe Nine and Firehouse 12.

Music festivals such as the Jazz Festival, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and the Film Fest New Haven attract thousands of visitors each year. The Yale School of Music supports the music scene in the city by giving away numerous free concerts throughout the year. These are all photographed by local photographer, Brian Harte.