Friday, 1/20(the 2nd Anniversary of the “Citizens United” decision, Occupy Pittsburgh will hold a permitted protest Action against “Citizens United” and Corporate corruption of our government and body politick. We’ll have a permitted rally Friday, 1/20 at 4pm, in Market Square.Then we’ll got to nearby PPG and posting, ceremoniously and theatrically, a Peoples’ Bill of Indictment for environmental crimes(toxic pools)\Mdavis as well as a People’s Subpoena for their ” Certificate of Live Birth”, underscoring that they don’t have any, and so, should not have “free speech” rights to unlimited financial contributions, which corrupt our government and body politick.Then we can proceed to 625 Liberty Ave., location of gas-fracking, EQT’s Headquarters and do the same there…Then we can proceed up 6th Ave., to financial criminal BNY Mellon and posting, ceremoniously, a Peoples Bill of Indictment for their crimes against the people, as well as a People’s Subpoena for their “Certificate of Live Birth”.Then, we can proceed to the Federal Courthouse to rally for a “Move To Amend” the Constitution to undo the “Citizens United” decision. ….We’re going to be busy, with a dynamic, vociferous, rather than a static event , so folks are encouraged to arrive early, promptly, 4pm Market Square, Pittsburgh to protest against Corporate take-over of our government, Corporate corruption and pollution. And for an amendment to overturn the infamous “Citizens United” decision.Visit the OccupyPittsburgh.org web site.
Disability Blog Carnival # 79: Disability and Occupy
I’m delighted to be hosting the seventy-ninth Disability Blog Carnival. I chose the theme of Occupy (as in Occupy Wall Street/#ows) for this edition. I have to say that I’m proud of this post. It makes it abundantly clear what we have to teach each other and ourselves, and what we have to learn.
I posed a lot of questions for people to respond to for this carnival. However, the majority of the posts in this edition were written before my call for entries, indicating that Occupy is on the minds of many who blog about disability already. […]
I’m in twice!
Rocking (and Flapping) at a 1000 Revolutions a Minute is definitely one of my favorite posts on disability and Occupy. It is a must read! This incredibly powerful, liberating post by Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone of Cracked Mirror in Shalott includes a captioned video Savannah took of herself at an Occupy DC event, off by herself, rocking, and how doing that contradicts the harmful messages she’s been subject to based on others’ responses to her autism:
The week before I sat in the park and rocked, feeling my defiance, I spent several nights wishing I didn’t exist. I knew all the things I talk about here intellectually, but that base part of me is still filled with the remembered abuse of my past. The most prevalent are those that were excused at the time as treatment while speaking words describing me as a burden and my being as a barrier.
[…]
In her post, Decolonizing Our Voices, Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone of Cracked Mirror in Shalott describes the parallels she sees between the 99 percent movement and her activism against oppression of people with autism. In fact, she published this post on Autistics Speaking Day, an annual event to counteract the messages of pity and misinformation coming from certain autism organizations (which are run by people without autism).
After some thought, I’ve decided that there’s too much of a cross over for me in the work of Decolonizing Wall Street and of our voices as Autistics to not write this post today. While people in general are seeing their demands of their political representatives co-opted or diverted by corporations, Autistics routinely have our voices co-opted by our allies and diverted by large ‘non’-profits such as Autism Speaks.
I posted about how Autistics prefer not to do person first in the comments but the blog owner hasn’t corrected or un-moderated it yet? But I expect that they will, as I know them from Occupy at Home stuff.
A little discomfort that would morph into a blog post if I had spoons
I was checking my stats over at Cracked Mirror in Shalott and I noticed the following search term used to find my blog:
“occupy wall street developmentally disabled”
Intrigued, I googled it. Now, I don’t know what happens when y’all google it, but when I did, my blog was the first link.
“Cool,” I thought, “But I wonder what other people are saying too?”
So I scrolled down. There were a lot of news sites.
Most of the hits were local news sites writing about their local Protests, with “developmentally Disabled” or some variation thereof in one of the other stories in the side bar- usually about a young person or adult being abused by a care giver.
I scrolled a little more, and spotted an article where the blurb looked a little more promising. I clicked on it, and used the “find” option in my browser to find the term I had spotted.
To say I was frustrated by what it was is, perhaps, an understatement
[ReadIt say] No one is doing anything to help the 18-30s generation. This movement is bringing to light the things they don’t like
COMMENT
yes they are and hopefully they will become a force that leads to economic freedom and social justice for all…not just the top 1%…to another issue
you want to talk no one doing anything to help a specific community…have you heard anyone mention the developmentally disabled/autism community…weel;
they are mentioned when legs take the easy out and vote to cut their already under funded programs…eg,
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) so to grant tax breaks to the rich and corporations.
Not that any of the statements are false that I can tell, but it too is following the trend that the other results had demonstrated. That is, the news articles where our victimization, to the side, is the primary context in which we are seen.
We are too often used as an example of those who need rescuing, or as demonstrations of the abilities for goodness of others. That’s not to say It wasn’t a good thing that Mark Lindquist saved three people who happened to be developmentally disabled, or his insurance company’s reversal of the decision to deny him coverage for his injuries after being used as an example by protesters of Corporate greed. Those are certainly good things. But we are treated as objects or pawns in these instances, and that is in and of itself mega problematic.
Even one of the more well known images of a Person with a developmental disability in these protests- that of a young university student with Cerebral Palsy- doesn’t recognize DD. Instead it fixates on the fact that he is a Wheelchair user, and in most places that aren’t disability spaces it has been accompanied by pity talk. “How dare they fire tear gas at people in wheelchairs! look at how low they’ve sunken!” I regretfully doubt if he were a cane or walker user instead that his photo would have gotten quite as much attention outside of disability circles.
We are not, generally, seen as a real face in these protests. There has been some progress in having disability representation*, of course. I celebrate that progress. But the fact that we are used to describe another person- be it abusive care givers or selfless or victimized allies of PWDDs- is inherently problematic.
I just wish I had a better solution to solve it.
___
*Examples of efforts to Bring inclusion to OWS/Decolonize WS:
~ A Report Back from Krips Occupy Wall Street
~ The Facebook Group, Occupy Disability/Decolonize Disability
Disability and Deaf Decolonize/Occupy Groups
Here is a list of groups and pages with a disability or Deaf focus that support the 99 percent/#ows movement.
Some are cross-disability, and some are for specific types of disabilities. Please spread the word. A lot of solidarity and good ideas and activism is taking place at these groups. If you know of pages or groups not included here, please post in the comments, and I’ll add them.
Decolonizing Our Voices -- Cracked Mirror in Shalott
This year, Autistics Speaking Day is taking place at a time when we have people in the streets protesting economic disparity and corruption.
This is my post for Autistics Speaking Day this year. :)
Occupy Disability/Decolonize Disability!
For people with disabilities to share experiences, news, information, and resources on being a part of- and making more accessible- the Occupy/Decolonize Wall Street movement and those in solidarity.
I couldn’t believe no one had made one yet! So I did.
