Occupy Midwest Conference Will Gather Regional Movements In St. Louis Next Month

Occupy Chicago organizers may have migrated indoors for the winter, but they'll join protest groups from across the midwest at a regional conference to be hosted in St. Louis in March.

First announced by the General Assembly of St. Louis on their website in December, the conference will commemorate the six-month mark of the movement that began on Wall Street in September, and seeks to connect regional occupations to "share best practices and learn from each other on how we can be more effective in our individual occupations," according to InterOccupy.

The conference kicks off on March 15 at the Gateway Arch, and runs through March 18, according to the group's Facebook event page. The four-day occupation will be hosted at a different location that hasn't been disclosed.

The St. Louis occupation says on InterOccupy that the arch was chosen as the central meeting place for very specific reasons:

We have chosen this site as our first meeting spot as it symbolizes much of what we are fighting for. The site on which it now stands used to be low income and working family housing. It was taken from these families in order to build this monument. We would like to meet there and propose that we rename this monument as the Gateway to Freedom!

Occupy St. Louis says up to 3,000 protesters from at least seven states are expected, the Associated Press reports.

 

 

Comments

[itruth]

11:42 AM on 02/16/2012

every great leap toward fairness begins with a WTF moment,there is a time when a person has nothing left to lose and at that time they are the most free...

i think i will be there,good luck all

[Npn Npn]

12:17 PM on 02/15/2012

We love your spirit Occupiers.

Never be dismayed by the few impotent naysayers who snark behind their computers, do nothing and know less.

[Capstone 1]

08:24 AM on 02/15/2012

Hey occupy one of your own just got a big payout: Moore claimed in his lawsuit that he was owed a minimum of $2.7 million in connection with “Fahrenheit 9/11.” In denying Moore’s claim, the Weinsteins branded their former collaborator as greedy, noting that the filmmaker has pocketed more than $20 million from the 2004 film. I bet he gives it all to charity or for paying down the debt.

[Andrew Nutra]

02:55 AM on 02/15/2012

OWS enjoys their theater. It relieves them of boredom and white middle class guilt playing 60s radicals on the fly. It doesn't matter that the rest of the 99% don't care for their looting and flag burning. This is all about them and all the attention they garner. As Keith Richards said "I don't have a drug problem, I have a cop problem."

[jamesvjj]

05:20 AM on 02/15/2012

There are people from all races, ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. In any movement there are going to be people that go too far or do bad things on both sides. We're certainly seeing that with the Occupy movement.

[bigjakeIII]

11:41 AM on 02/15/2012

we are seeing lots of mediocrity with the occupy movement. - "give us a job playing video games at home but pay us big bucks"

[rr4real]

05:58 PM on 02/14/2012

If you have never been UP close the the Gateway arch,, its really something to come and see!
http://www.occupythemidwest.org
Meet up in St Louis. March 15 - 18

[CipherWise]

12:08 AM on 02/15/2012

Thank you for the recommendation to see the "Gateway" up close.

Will have to study why the memorial/monument was built in the first place. Was always
under the impression the "Gateway" meant gateway to the west. St. Louis historically was the starting "gate" for not only "Freedom", but "Exploration", "Adventure" and "Opportunity".

[Andrew Nutra]

04:40 PM on 02/14/2012

What's with the masks? If it's that shameful is it still worth doing?

[Roelvdwegen]

06:48 PM on 02/14/2012

I really am at a loss for words here.... Are you really that low on arguments?

[Npn Npn]

12:11 PM on 02/15/2012

lol!

[Kevin Rayburn]

12:42 AM on 02/16/2012

the masks are OWS's version of the tea parties pointy hats.

[hackerant]

02:32 PM on 02/14/2012

Problem with the Occupy Movement is that by definition of insanity; they expect the very same people who broke and continue to break the system, to somehow fix it? Epic fail.

[Philip DeVon]

02:44 PM on 02/14/2012

Uhh, the opposite actually dude. Have you engaged anyone at an occupy event? Here in Chicago, we want ALL new politicians. We think they all should be kicked out, and once we hold them and corrupt bankers etc accountable, we elect people that represent the people, without being swayed by corporate sponsorship. MONEY OUT OF POLITICS!

[Mac Donald]

08:17 PM on 02/14/2012

So what happens if Americans don't vote the current politicians out of office? What is Occupys Plan B?

[Capstone 1]

08:30 AM on 02/15/2012

I bet you do want all new politicians because most of them from Chicago are in prison and where do you think you would find an honest one anyway not in Chicago. Here is a headline for you: A former Chicago alderman turned political science professor/corruption fighter has found that Chicago is the most corrupt city in the country. We have the most corrupt administration in history and bingo they are mostly from ....wait for it......from Chicago.

[Roelvdwegen]

03:03 PM on 02/14/2012

Exactly and that's why they want term limits for congress. Oh wait....