The Occupation of the Birmingham Financial District begins November 7th at 7AM on the corner of 5th Avenue North and 20th Street North.  The occupiers will stand all day and night to express the will of the 99% that we will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.

Support and stand beside them in the morning, afternoon, evening or overnight.  Stop by for a chat and bring a thermos of coffee.  Print out some flyers so the occupiers can hand out information.  Honk your horn when you drive by.  Encouragement comes in many forms, but the best one is when you stand next to them on 5th and 20th.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November…

Here’s video of Fox 6′s coverage of today’s march and activites held at Wells Fargo.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/15974431/occupy-birmingham-protesters

Great work Birmingham!  Let’s take that energy into the 24/7 occupation of the financial district!

• Do you think it is fair that 1% of Americans receive 25% of all income and control 40% of all wealth?
• Do think it is right that CEO pay has increased by 298% in the last twenty years, while workers pay has only grown by 4%?
• Are you worried about who is funding our elections and influencing our government?
• Do you feel like your voice is being heard in our political system?
• Are you tired of corruption running rampant and rarely stopped or punished?
• Does it bother you that decisions are based more on financial gain than the good of the America as a whole?
• Are you worried about the lack of choices and competition in the market place and ever larger corporations that are “too big to fail”?
• Did you or someone you know take out a mortgage they couldn’t afford and didn’t understand, and are now losing their home?
• Are you bothered that essential Jefferson County services are being axed and sewer rates are climbing, while Wall Street banks raked in as much as $100 million from us in excessive fees on disastrous credit deals?
• What if Alabama’ new immigration law (HB-56) doesn’t save or create jobs, but instead strains education, police and foster care services that are already stretched thin, and costs us millions in legal fees and lost conventions, business and trade?
• Do you live paycheck-to-paycheck and worry that the typical payday loan borrower pays back $793 in fees and interest to the lender, all for the privilege of receiving $325 in cash?
• Are you a student or know a young person who will graduate with massive student loan debt and face diminished job prospects?
• Do you care about the Constitution?
• Are you sick of feeling pessimistic and helpless?
• Are you ready to take a stand and exercise your right to free speech to effect some real change?

4 Things You can do NOW

Join OccupyBirmingham and Its Activities

1. Occupy the Financial District – Daily protest, Monday-Friday, 7am – 6 pm at the corner of 20th St. N. and 5th Ave. S.
2. Marches and Protests – Short demonstrations to support the international occupation movement or specific actions such as National Bank Transfer Day.
3. General Assemblies -  Weekly discussions of issues, plans and actions.
4. Teach-Ins and Film Screenings – Informal discussions or viewing of documentaries on key issues of the occupation movement.

All Events are listed on the Calendar and upcoming events thread of the Forum at. www.occcupybirmingham.org.  Individuals can receive email notices from [email protected] upon request.

Take Individual Action

1. Support local businesses rather than big corporations.  OccupyBirmingham is developing and will periodically publish a “reverse boycott” list of local business that practice the values of the occupy movement.
2. Move your money from a “too big to fail bank” to a credit union or locally-owned bank.
3. Get rid of all your credit cards but one – the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.
4. Pay in cash when using local merchants to save them bank processing fees and use your credit card with national chains.
5. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills.
6. Call and write your government representatives to express your concerns and petition them to address occupy grievances such as wealth inequality, democracy for sale, and criminal corporate greed.
7. Spread the word to your friends, family members and co-workers about the occupy movement and its concerns.

Educate Yourself

1. Learn more about the issues through the teach-ins and film sreenings.
2. Visit occupybirminghameducation.tumblr.com – a changing array of articles and videos.
3. Visit national, on-line occupy news and education sites.

Follow OccupyBirmingham At

1. Website:  www.occcupybirmingham.org
2. Facebook:  facebook.com/occupy.birmingham
3. Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/occupybham or @OccupyBham
4. Education Site:  occupybirminghameducation.tumblr.com
5. Mailing List:  Send an email to [email protected]m with “Subscribe” in the subject line.