Occupy Sandy!

Daybreaker · Nov 5, 2012

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/11/5/after_sandy_occupy_movement_re_emerges

MIKE BURKE: Interestingly, one of the more active relief efforts that we came across in the Rockaways was done by a group calling themselves Occupy Sandy Relief. And this is a group ofpretty much of alumni from Occupy Wall Street who started organizing really in the hours after the storm, about ways that just, you know, regular members of the community could help. And we talked to one organizer named Catherine Yeager. She lives in the Rockaways, and we talked to her outside of thea restaurant called the Veggie Island, which had been transformed into a relief hub. And this is part of what she had to say.
CATHERINE YEAGER: My name is Catherine Yeager. I moved down to the Rockaway in March of this last year. I am good friends with Elizabeth Gilchrist, who owns Veggie Island. I have a bungalow down on 89th Street, and I was here for the entire hurricane. You know, its been a whirlwind. Weve been trying as much as possible to organize things. Weve been putting food out as much as possible. Lots of stuff has been coming in. And I just love Rockaway, and I want it back to where it was before the storm.

MIKE BURKE: So whats happening behind you right now?

CATHERINE YEAGER: Whats happening behind me right now is basically were working with Sandy Relief and OWS. The people are bringing by the car loads in clothes, food, cans goods, diapers, batteries, flashlights, everything under the sun, you know, that we kind of need right now. And so, people are able to come up and sort of pick through the different things they need, be handed the things. We have warm food that were making all the time for people. And so, its really, essentiallyI mean, we have cars that come in, and things are dropped off, and within 30 minutes its all gone. You know, I mean, its that desperate down here. People have literally lost everything.

Right now, the biggest issue that we need is generators, and we need pumps, because we cant get the electricity turned back on until all of the basements are pumped out. And theres stillif you walk Rockaway and you knock on any door, someoneevery single door, someone is going to need help.

The water that came in is toxic, OK? We had water from the beach. I watched the waves that morning. They were already incredibly dirty. The bay and the ocean met every single part of Rockaway during the storm. There was at least two feet of flooding everywhere, sometimes up to six or seven feet of flooding, depending on where you lived. Everyones been affected, doesnt matter who you are, doesnt matter where you are. Every single persons been affected. And so, a lot of right now is getting those basements pumped out, debris getting pulled out, you know, sweeping out huge chunks of just gunk and junk, and trying to figure out where it all goes. The boardwalk is destroyed. You know, I watched the boardwalk out my window come rushing down. The water level here got up to about five feet, and the winds were almost 20 miles per hour, so it looks like the ocean coming through this entire place. I watched cars rolling down the street. I mean, it wasit was scary. And out the window, you could see the fire. You could see this huge flame of fire coming from Breezy Point. And they reallyI mean, there were, I think, 80 homes lost over thereand just devastated.

So, the last couple days have been very inspiring, because weve had so many people coming. People are starting to realize that Rockaway was hit as bad as it was hit, and theyre coming to start helping and starting to think about us a little bit more. So, well see what happens. I dont know when were going to get electricity back. I dont know. A lot of the peoples homes are heated by baseboard heaters, and its justthis is salt water were talking about. So salt water is going to kill everything, you know? Anything, any kind of tools or cars or anything that runs on these different motors or electricity, when that salt water hits it, its destroyed, you know?

MIKE BURKE: Now, how are the relief efforts that are taking place here different from what were seeing with FEMA and the National Guard down the street?

CATHERINE YEAGER: FEMA down the street, from what I understand, is handing out pieces of paper that tell you to call a phone number to get help. Here, you come, and you get help immediately.

Were going to start organizing and having people come down with theirwere encouraging people who come down and want to do manpower help, bring your own cleaning supplies. Be your own self-sufficient cleaning person, so that we can start sending you to homes, and you just knock on the door, and you can go in, and you can start cleaning. You dont have to come here and grab cleaning supplies. Youve got your own to go out.

Were going to start trying to put signs up at the ends of streets and do red flags, so that people can put red flags out if they do need help, so that we have a better idea of whos doing things on their own, whos OK, whos not. You know what I mean? Because its hard. You walk around, and its just such devastation that you dont even quite know where to start. And sometimes when its that overwhelming, you dont quite know where to go.

FEMA is providing cellphone charging down there, but youve got to wait in lineI dont knowfor an hour to be able to get your cellphone plugged in, you know? Besides that, I dont know what theyre doing. You know? Ive seen some cleanup. There was definitely a lot of the boardwalk thats been moved. But, you know, nothing that I wouldIm sure is happening on Wall Street or cleanup thats happening in other parts of Manhattan, you know?

MIKE BURKE: Speaking of Wall Street, what is the connection with Occupy Wall Street and this relief effort?

CATHERINE YEAGER: Sandy Reliefbasically, you know, Occupy Wall Street were one of the main people who started immediately knowing that Rockaway was the one that was the hardest hit. I was contacted pretty much immediately from friends of mine who are in Occupy Wall Street, like Bobby and Olivia Katz, you know, who contacted me and were reaching out and saying, "We want to bring Occupy down there. We want to help with the relief effort," you know? And itstheyve been the only ones that Ithat have really helped, you know what I mean? And really been able to make real, tangible things that are going on right now.

Weve been open since 8:00 this morning. We have been giving things away all day long. People are walking away with smiles on their faces. People are able to, you know, for one night be able to not be in a totally dark room, because theyve gotten flashlights. You know, they have warm clothes for their children. They have clean diapers, you know. Theyre going to actually be able to eat tonight.

MIKE BURKE: Amy, that was Catherine Yeager. I spoke to her in the Rockaways on Friday outside Veggie Island, which had been transformed into this really impressive relief hub. While we were there, there were several cars that came by. They were able to ask for specific items, and then volunteers would search the building. In one case, someone asked for baby food, which is something thatFEMA and the National Guard did not have down the street. And they had a box of baby food. They were able to run it out to the car and give it to them, and they drove off with the baby food. Its interesting. There was an article in Slate yesterday titled "Is Occupy Wall Street Outperforming the Red Cross in Hurricane Relief?"
AMY GOODMAN: Well, thats an interesting question. Were going to go to break, and when we come back, were going to Staten Island, where the Staten Island borough president has said, stop supporting the Red Cross. Stay with us.
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Daybreaker · Nov 5, 2012

http://www.thenation.com/blog/171020/occupy-sandy-efforts-highlight-need-solidarity-not-charity#

Though numerous obituaries have been written about Occupy, the movement experienced a spike in activity in Sandy’s wake. Occupy Sandy, as the effort has been branded, arose quickly in the aftermath of the storm, setting up local community hubs to dispense water, food and aid, and form groups to help communities pump water from their houses and clean up the vast quantities of rubble left in Sandy’s wake.Distribution centers and volunteer hubs are now located in Sunset Park, Astoria, Brighton Beach, DUMBO, East Village, Lower East Side, Jersey City, Red Hook, Rockaway, and Staten Island. (photo of volunteer hub by Sarah Jaffe) ...

... While federal mobilization efforts can often take weeks—sometimes months—to reach citizens, Occupy was one of the only local groups capable of quickly mobilizing to help victims. Organizing volunteers and supplies is no small task, but Occupy Sandy has been able to generate a large amount of aid. On Sunday, Michael Premo, one of the volunteers, estimated the mobilization effort included 2,500 volunteers, 15,000 meals and 120 carloads of supplies sent to recovery sites.Understandably, residents were extremely grateful to receive any help they could get, but storm-ravaged communities weren’t the only recipients glad to see the sometimes-villainized occupiers. In a truly bizarre moment (especially to observers of the NYPD’s violent suppression of Occupy during its time at Zuccotti), FEMA and NYPD officers joined in chanting “We are unstoppable, another world is possible” with Occupy Sandy volunteers helping at Far Rockaway.

... Volunteer Sofía Gallisá Muriente has been working in the Rockaway relief effort throughout the week, and describes a world—like in pre-storm NYC —divided by class. Certain areas have been able to slowly recover by hiring companies to clean away rubbish and pump water from basements, but their poor neighbors have had to rely on charity and loaned equipment from aid groups like Occupy Sandy.
“There’s a clear division of wealth. There’s a real segregation of wealth between the big summer homes and the poorer areas with public housing projects,” said Muriente. “In the wealthier areas, people have been able to hire help to come pump out their basement, remove the debris, remove the trees from the streets and cut them up, whereas in the poorer areas, what you see is people trying to clean up their own homes, but without access to clean water and cleaning supplies. Some of them have lost a lot of things, especially in the basements, and the people living in the basements lost it all.”
Iwan Baan, a Dutch photograph who captured the now iconic photograph of a post-Sandy Manhattan for New York magazine, echoed these sentiments when describing the image.
“It was the only way to show that New York was two cities, almost,” Baan said. “One was almost like a third world country where everything was becoming scarce. Everything was complicated. And then another was a completely vibrant, alive New York.”
Baan continued:

“What really struck me, if you look at the image on the left, you see the Goldman Sachs building and new World Trade Center. These two buildings are brightly lit. And then the rest of New York looks literally kind of powerless. In a way, it shows also what’s wrong with the country in this moment.”

... Diego Ibanez, an Occupy Sandy volunteer, confirmed Muriente’s version of events.
“The National Guard came to us and said you guys are way more organized than we are. They’re giving us stuff to hand out. We got over six hubs or collectives. Every twenty blocks, we have a new spot that we’re trying to engage with the community at. We’re not the Red Cross. We’re not FEMA, so it’s different. It’s grassroots. It’s guerilla-style. It’s a different kind of struggle, but we’re trying,” said Ibanez.
Muriente also reported seeing Homeland Security patrolling neighborhoods, and told me she witnessed armed Homeland Security personnel in military gear, bulletproof vests and holding long rifles, pull over three young black men in the middle of the dark Rockaway as they walked down the street.
“They basically pulled a stop-and-frisk in the middle of blackout, made them put their hands up, started patting them down, pulling out flashlights from their pockets, and when we confronted them about it, [Homeland Security personnel] said there had been looting,” she said. “That’s the only time I’ve seen a government official outside of a vehicle that whole day.”
Muriente added that Doctors Without Borders went to city officials to volunteer their expertise, and they were told they weren’t needed, so then they came to Occupy Sandy, who connected them with the Rockaway Youth Task Force and connected them with on-the-ground volunteers so they could go door-to-door and offer their assistance. (photo by Gideon Oliver)
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Daybreaker · Nov 5, 2012

In Brooklyn, the Occupy Wall Street movement transformed itself into an impromptu disaster relief organization, online at recovers.org. By Friday afternoon, cars were lining up and parking at all angles outside St. Jacobi Church in Sunset Park, a distribution center, to drop off food, clothing, cleaning supplies and other necessities. Volunteers packed into cars to head out to distribution locations around the city and in New Jersey.One of the Occupy movement’s most critical outposts is in the Rockaways on Beach 113th Street, said Ms. Shapiro, an organizer. The group began working with a local organization, Yana, on Wednesday night to form a relief center, bringing blankets, fruit, pasta and burritos.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/n...size-and-form-spring-up-in-new-york-city.html

Daybreaker · Nov 5, 2012

All those nights camping in Zucotti Park appear to have paid off - big time - for Occupy activists who are possibly not only the most well-prepared, but also the most well-fed and cheerful New Yorkers in town following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.In a press release as of Nov. 1, MoRUS shared "The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is using one of its exhibits to provide the community with free cell phone charging. Working with environmental group Times Up, MoRUS has set up Occupy Wall Street bike generators on Avenue C between 9th and 10th Street. For the past two days, volunteer riders have been pedaling as crowds of people gather to charge up their cell phones.
For many people, this has been the first time they've been able to contact loved ones after Hurricane Sandy hit earlier this week. Meanwhile, C-Squat, the squat which houses MoRUS, has set up a street-side barbecue. They have been accepting donations and providing the community with free food.
The residents of C-Squat have set up two grills, are receiving food donations and are essentially feeding the neighborhood. After pumping out their own basement and rescuing the Occupy Wall Street bikes, the residents pumped out the water from the bar next door and the deli on the corner. As one C-Squat resident exclaimed: ""It's like a block party!"
A website has been set up in order to help people to find shelters, and also as a hub and a meeting place, where people can be directed to find those who need assistance and aide.
"Occupy Sandy is a coordinated relief effort to help distribute resources & volunteers to help neighborhoods and people affected by Hurricane Sandy. We are a coalition of people & organizations who are dedicated to implementing aid and establishing hubs for neighborhood resource distribution. Members of this coalition are from Occupy Wall Street, 350.org, recovers.org and interoccupy.net." Fromhttp://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/
Relief from government agencies has been slow to non-existent, according to one Facebook post:
"There continues to be mounting frustration from other residents here. The Red Cross is quickly becoming the villain because it has been invisible. It's a bad sign for the world that Occupy Wall Street and a Sikh group from Queens are doing a better job at distributing hot food than the largest international relief group in the world." -NY1 Blog: NY1's Bob Hardt Reports On Sandy From Rockaway Beach
https://www.facebook.com/OccupySandyReliefNyc?fref=ts
As another night fell upon the millions still without power, many families were beginning to suffer due to the constant cold, lack of hot food and water. The Occupiers are all too familiar with that scenario - exactly one year ago they were set up in Zuccotti Park, braving November winds without heat and fighting government eviction. Occupiers faced the most effective disaster-preparedness training ground imaginable and have emerged a year later as reluctant heroes with their resilience, positivity and community-mindedness shining the spotlight upon them once more.
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http://www.allvoices.com/contribute...ftermath-they-boldly-go-where-no-fema-dare-go

FreshAir · Nov 5, 2012

be nice to see both the Occupy Sandy group and a tea party group do something to help in these peoples time of need

ZippyThePinhead · Nov 5, 2012

Daybreaker,

I don't do well with "wall of text" stuff, so I haven't read your quotes, but I noticed that you've posted four times in this thread and, even though this is the Political Opinions & Beliefs forum, you've neglected to express your political beliefs or opinions on any of your posts.

So, I'm wondering if you expect anyone else to express their political opinions & beliefs?

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Occupy Sandy!

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