Join us on May 1 at 12:30 p.m.

Strike May 1st - Everywhere (Photo credit: cloud2013)

NEWS: Due to possible traffic issues near and in downtown area, this gathering will start sometime shortly after 12:30 p.m., instead of at noon.  Thanks.

In a very diversified movement such as Occupy, there is just about something for everyone.  On this May Day, which is most likely to be the biggest and greatest May Day in recent history, the Interfaith Guild of Chaplains (IGC) is also holding an intentional time and space on May 1.

May 1 is the International Workers' Day in remembrance of the Haymarket massacre, and also is the festival of Beltane and in the Catholicism, the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.  Additionally, in Filianism, it is the day of Flori-Maia, the feast of flowers.  May Day is situated between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

As the Occupy movements have called for a general strike on this day, we would also like to honor the strike in solidarity.

Gather at the Wallace Park in Northwest Portland (NW 25th Avenue & Pettygrove Street, on TriMet line 77; wheelchair accessible) near or under the picnic shelter (this is the same place as our Occupy Thanksgiving back in November), at noon.

The intentions for this event are as follows:

• A brief and simple Beltane/Flori-Maia ritual with some allusions also to St. Joseph the Worker.
• Send out prayers/positive intentions/etc for all the varied causes this May Day stands for (worker rights, economic justice, housing, immigrant human rights, gender equity, education, etc.) as well as for the success and safety of all the actions planned and spontaneously occurring in that afternoon and evening.
• An ecumenical, faith-based/spirituality-based conversation on what the May Day means to our lives at the nexus of spirituality and action, and of beliefs and praxis.
• A potluck lunch picnic and various forms of resource sharing.
• and finally, this event also hopes to provide a safer/family-friendly/immigrant-friendly alternative activity to the concurrently occurring "unpermitted action that is friendly to unfriendly tactics" at a location that is reasonably insulated from the same.

This event should conclude around 1:45 p.m. to allow for ample time for people to ride the bus and/or streetcar, or bicycle, to the Shemanski Park for the May Day Coalition rally and march.

No feeder march is scheduled from Wallace Park, since it would be a fairly long walk.

This gathering is intended to be a safe, nonviolent and civil time/space.  Keep violent, aggressive or confrontational behaviors for other actions; and since this is a city park, no illicit drugs or alcohol is permitted.  Refer to the IGC safety protocols on this site.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/417872468242669/

The Interfaith Guild of Chaplains (IGC) is an autonomous interfaith/ecumenical organization in solidarity with Occupy Portland, Occupy Gresham, Occupy Vancouver, Portland Action Lab, Portland Liberation Organizing Council, Decolonize Portland, and any other similar causes in the Greater Portland/Vancouver region.  This event is not sanctioned by or endorsed by any of the above entities.


For more information, contact Sarah at (503) 427-8269 or email sarah "at" occupy.tk.

Related articles

• Indignados Join Calls for Global Solidarity on May Day (occupywallst.org)
• Beltane - May Day - May 1 (spiritmattersvirtual.wordpress.com)

If you are not paying attention...

Occupy Portland has seen a level of activities unseen since mid-November.  During this month of April, there have been at least six different demonstrations in Portland, Gresham and Beaverton, as well as the attempted re-occupation of the Chapman Square which has now turned into a nightly gathering and "eviction theatre."  In addition, the 24/7 city hall vigil to end camping ban has been still continuing through the winter and spring, making it the longest physical occupation anywhere in the world.  While we have never regained the level of visibility and publicity generated during the encampment of the downtown Portland parks, it is becoming very active and busy, it is indeed quite difficult to keep track of everything that is happening in Occupy Portland!

May Day events information

Astronomical Clock (Photo credit: astronomy_blog)

This information is gathered from a variety of sources.  Listings imply neither endorsement nor objection by the IGC.
Last updated with corrections and even more information on May 1, 11:10 a.m.

Morning 6:30 a.m.: PDX Bike Swarm converging in front of the Clinton Street Theatre (SE 26th Avenue & Clinton Street) for a group ride to the Portland Public Schools Headquarters.  New: The Swarm is planning on blockading the intersection of 26th/Clinton with tents "to obstruct traffic."

Morning 7:30 a.m.: Portland Public Schools Headquarters, 501 N Dixon St.  Student strike in response to budget cuts and school closures.

Morning 9 a.m.: Woodlawn Park, NE 9th Avenue & Dekum Street.
Liberate May Day with the Portland Liberation Organizing Council (PLOC); "reclaiming" of land and block party to follow a march from the park.  NEWS: The house at the corner of NE 6th Avenue and Bryant Street is liberated; block party is now occurring.

Morning 11:30 a.m.: Under west end of the Burnside Bridge at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Unpermitted (with "unfriendly tactics") General Strike Rally (11:30 a.m.) and March (12:30 p.m.).

Noon: Wallace Park, NW 25th Avenue & NW Pettygrove Street, noon-12:30-1:45 p.m.
Occupy Beltane with the Interfaith Guild of Chaplains!  An interfaith/ecumenical gathering to mark the festival of Beltane and to discuss the nexus between spirituality and social justice. NEWS: Due to possible traffic issues the start time has moved to sometime shortly after 12:30 p.m. Please get the word out.

Afternoon 1:30 p.m.: Portland State University - Smith Memorial Student Union/South Park Blocks - feeder rally and march organized by PSU student groups starting at/around 1:30 p.m.

Afternoon 2 p.m.: Shemansky Park (South Park Blocks), SW Salmon Street & SW Park Avenue, 2 p.m.  Permitted rally and march (4:30-6 p.m.) organized by the May Day Coalition.

Evening 6 p.m.: Oregon State Capitol, Salem, 6 p.m.
Causa and PCUN's "The Light of Hope" march and rally with featured speaker Gov. John Kitzhaber, M.D., with announcements on the drivers' license restoration.  Chartered bus from Portland provided by Causa.(It does not appear that there will be a chartered bus after all. Probably is the best bet to catch a ride is through the Facebook event page.)  The governor's speech will be livecast on OregonMayDay.com.

Evening 6 p.m.:  Food Not Bombs will be at Shemansky around 6 p.m., in addition to their regular Tuesday serving at Col. Summers Park in Southeast Portland at 5:30 p.m.

Evening 6:30 p.m.: CELEBRATORY DANCE PARTY at the South Park Blocks for a roaming dance party throughout downtown with possible stops at the Pioneer Courthouse Square and the City Hall among others, to celebrate the day’s events and revel in community.

Evening 6 p.m.: Red & Black Cafe (SE 12th Avenue & SE Oak Street) will be having a post-march music and celebration.

Also: Occupy Gresham has endorsed the May Day General Strike and an action is being planned.  See http://www.occupygresham.org for any new development.

Hashtags: #M1GS and #M1PDX, in addition to #OPDX, #OPDXalert, etc.

Cannot make it to any of these? Watch Livestream channels on http://OPDXlive.org.

In memoriam: Jim Ferguson, M.D. (NOT)

CORRECTION: We regret that we did not verify this story very well.  I saw him at the May Day march, still alive and well!




One of the original and most active members of the Occupy Portland medics team, Dr. Jim Ferguson, passed away yesterday.  He was active with the Occupy movement until the very end of his life, last seen on Tuesday, April 24 on the Free Bradley Manning #A24 action as a medic on duty.  Dr. Ferguson also was regularly representing the medics team in the Spokes Council every week.


A brief memorial service will be held tonight at St. Francis of Assisi (1131 SE Oak St) parish ground following the Spokes Council, around 10 p.m.

Occupy Tokelau!

We are the 99 percent and that includes the people of Tokelau!

Anyway, Sarah was surprised to learn that no one has registered the occupy.tk domain, whereas there has been indymedia.tk for many years.  So she registered the domain, and for the time being, it is a shortcut to our group page on PDXGA.org.

If anyone is actually occupying Tokelau, contact Sarah and you will get the domain.

Tokelau mo te Atua!

Occupy Portland hits the big 6-month mark!

On Thursday, October 6, 2011, a large group of people from all over Portland converged upon downtown Portland's Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, pitched tents everywhere, and there began one of the largest and most successful Occupations on earth for the following 39 days.

The Interfaith Guild of Chaplains is still recruiting!

If you haven't been paying attention, Occupy Portland is back in full swing.  Unlike past autumn, however, all these activities are geographically scattered.  In April alone, there are A4, A15, A17 and more scheduled as we commemorate the six-month milestone of this movement, leading up to the big May Day coordinated actions and general strike.

This means we need more chaplains to be able to provide presence in all these events and actions.  Some of our original members have moved out of town, taken on other responsibilities, or otherwise no longer able to commit as much time as they once did.

It is time for new members to join us and bring some new life to this group as the Occupy movement rises again from the winter slump.

Get in touch with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/chaplainsoccupypdx/ or on PDXGA.org at http://www.portlandgeneralassembly.org/groups/interfaith-guild-of-chaplains

Save our public transit TriMet for equity, economy, and environment!

As a representative for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, representing TriMet and C-TRAN employees, states, public transit is a human right.  It connects people to jobs, resources and social life by providing mobility.  In this time of "austerity," however, public transit systems everywhere are suffering from both significant service cuts and ridiculous fare increases.

Locally, TriMet has been proposing a series of drastic changes in how it operates.  Among them are an elimination of the Free Rail Zone, increase of fares to $2.50 flat-rate, an elimination of scratch 7-day passes, and consolidation of various routes, as well as a significant cut to the LIFT paratransit services.

In this occasion, we must unite to defend our public transit as one of key infrastructures that unite our communities and make Portland what it is.  Equity, economy, and environment -- in short our values and urban planning philosophy -- depend on accessible, affordable public transit.

Here are a series of sign-on letters for people to sign:

• To TriMet: Preserve the Free Rail Zone (this goes to the public comments; due Friday, April 6, 5 p.m.)
• To the City of Portland: Save Portland's Free Rail Zone from its demise
• To Metro: Open public discussion on annexing TriMet into Metro (ORS 267.020)
• To the Governor and Legislature: Create a more stable and robust funding option for Oregon's public transportation

Come celebrate the six-months milestone of OccupyPortland!

What's on this Friday!? It has been long, long, and eventful six months of Occupy Portland! Let's get together and celebrate in some ways, whether you call it a flash mob or pilgrimage. Get out for lunch break, come down to our holy lands of revolution's birth, the weather forecast says it will be sunny and in the higher-60s! Nothing really structured or organized, with all the other stuff going on (yes, Occupy is doing something and lots of things lately!), just creating an opportunity to celebrate this occasion and meet some new and old friends. [note: If for some reason it is not feasible to converge at the Chapman Square/Alpha Camp, move to the Lownsdale Square/Beta Camp.]

Friday, April 6, 2012, noon at Chapman Square (aka Alpha Camp) in downtown.

Also: Celebrate even more at Colonel Summers Park in Southeast Portland (SE 17th Avenue & Taylor Street) later this Friday, starting at 5:30 p.m., with BBQ and speakers.