Today in Occupy: December 2, 2011

• Occupy Portland announces plans for a new, two-week cycle of reoccupation that starts Saturday, December 3. Jordan LeDoux, point of contact for Occupy Portland’s public relations committee, addressed local media in a 10 am press conference at the Salmon Springs Fountain. The location remains undecided and undisclosed for tactical reasons, but organizers say they’ve planned for occupations that focus on safety and sustainability. Contact: press@occupyportland.org
• Occupy Portland’s Bike Swarm affinity group travels through Eastside neighborhoods to Swarm The Banks. More information: http://www.pdxbikeswarm.org/
• Various people affiliated with Occupy Portland continue to work on legal injunctions, including a temporary restraining order, to prevent another eviction of an occupation on public lands. Contact: press@occupyportland.org
• Various people affiliated with Occupy Portland continue to work on securing an indoor, private space for daily office work of committees and volunteers. The most pressing need is a legal entity willing to assist with the first two months of liability for this plan. Contact: michaelwitheyjr@gmail.com

Yesterday

• Occupy Portland’s Media Coalition started a fundraising campaign to display “Enough is Enough,” a 30-second pre-roll advertisement, on YouTube. Contact: occupyportland.mediacoalition@gmail.com
• The Occupy Portland public relations committee contacted The Oregonian’s Anne Saker about important information missing from her article, “Parks bureau says it needs at least $85,000 to revive Chapman, Lownsdale squares.” She has agreed to follow up with other aspects of the story. Of particular concern, the article lacked any information about maintenance backlogs, damage from people not aligned with Occupy Portland, and a continued pattern of unfair attribution of anything loosely related to Occupy demonstrations. Contact: press@occupyportland.org
• Demonstrators started the End the Camping Ban! 24/7 Daily Vigil. They vow to maintain a round-the-clock presence near the East Portico of City Hall until the city takes action. Contact: kernelloosenut@yahoo.com
• People met for December 12 port demonstrations planning at 7 pm in the Saint Francis Dining Hall. This public meeting provided a 10-year background of West Coast labor strikes. The four working groups for the demonstration are logistics, outreach, media, and finance. The people in attendance had many conversations about the subtleties of the Port of Portland, including significant political and economic implications that differ between import and export terminals. Organizers from the Hella 503 affinity group said that union leaders will not be publicly supporting this action, for legal and financial reasons, and that this is a picket line that, “Occupy is doing as Occupy—not on behalf of unions.” Upcoming meetings include tactical training at 1 pm on December 4th and 11th at 316 NW 4th. More information: http://shutdowntheport.com/

—Reid Parham, reid.parham@gmail.com

Today in Occupy is a quick, broad look at the day-to-day happenings of anything related to Occupy Portland. Please send your tips to Reid Parham, media volunteer, and include who, what, where, when, and why, plus links for more information. Your feedback is welcomed.

Many of the events covered by Today in Occupy are listed on the Occupy Portland Calendar. To add your event, contact submission@occupyportlandcalendar.org.