Tag Archives: occupy

Thanksgiving Feast in Rockaway during Hurricane Sandy Relief

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Yesterday, residents and volunteering occupants of Rockaway Park in Queens NYC gathered at hurricane relief hubs to share Thanksgiving dinner with one another. Here’s video of the afternoon feast, the solar arrays powering the event, and some speeches from organizers and residents:

Despite conditions that still feel alien—sand and dust and rubble under the brilliant sun—the community feasted away on turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes at a gathering powered by solar electricity and human determination. Continue reading →

PHOTOS: Bonfire on Rockaway Beach to Celebrate Ongoing Sandy Cleanup

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Josh from Greenpeace with Katie from Occupy in front of the original YANA building, which is being completely cleaned out.

Last night after the sun set, residents of Rockaway Park had a small celebration of all the hard work and progress that they have led with assistance from members of Occupy, Greenpeace and numerous dedicated volunteers.

Make no mistake, you will see no “Mission Accomplished” banner hanging above Beach 113th Street anytime soon–there are still many people in need of serious assistance and a massive amount of construction and cleanup needed before Far Rockaway looks anything like it did before Hurricane Sandy tore the area apart. Disturbingly, we’re hearing reports of body bags being quietly pulled from buildings where disabled and elderly folks have been left isolated.

But after two weeks of relentless hard work, there has been undeniable progress. There has been a reliable source of cooked food, water and supplies thanks to the work of rapid responders. For the last week we have seen the establishment of a stable clinic for doctors and medics to administer aid and organize outreach to ill residents stuck in their homes. The clinic is so successful that FEMA is referring residents to it. Continue reading →

You Are Not Alone – PHOTO ESSAY from Hurricane Sandy Relief

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Posted on behalf of Luan “Jonathan” Dong, who is attending graduate school at George Washington University and interning for Greenpeace in Washington, DC.

When you tell your family in China that you are going to the United States for a Master’s degree, or tell your friends that you are going to New York City, you would never imagine end up being here.

Here is Rockaway Park, Queens, New York City. Assumed by many people to be full of summer resorts, Rockaway in fact has a significant portion of impoverished or isolated, if not homeless, residents. More shocking is the scene that greeted us: a scene of total devastation.
This is nothing like the New York City that I knew of, nor does it resemble any part of the United States that I have ever been. Rockaway Beach has been mostly destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. And before Rockaway residents could even catch their breath, a Nor’easter was already here to add insult to injury. The storms have left many people dependent on incoming aid for food and provisions.

DUKE: DUMP ALEC!

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Written by Monica Embry, Greenpeace field organizer in Charlotte, NC.

Yesterday, members of Greenpeace, Energy Action Coalition, and other groups sent a message loud and clear to Duke Energy that we want them to dump ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) before the end of the Democratic National Convention.

Group Duke Dump ALEC

ALEC is a rightwing bill mill group that connects corporations with our elected officials
to draft model legislation in support of corporate profits over the welfare of people and our planet. ALEC has written legislation including Arizona’s racist immigration law SB1070, Stand Your Ground Laws relating to the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida, and many voter suppression laws such as Voter ID here in North Carolina. But that’s not all, ALEC also has an Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force which is working on legislation to stop regulation of coal fired power plants and to prevent laws from being passed that support renewable energy. Continue reading →