The Worldwide #WaveOfAction is a turning point for the worldwide community behind the Occupy movement. Today marks the beginning of a three-month-long campaign – so get ready for the ride.
The #WaveOfAction is a decentralized, digital campaign that will shine a global spotlight on progressive and revolutionary grassroots direct actions from today, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., until the 4th of July.
Much like Occupy Wall Street, #WaveOfAction has many committed people bottom lining it, but no clear leadership, aims or goals – at least not yet. The Worldwide Wave will become whatever We The People decide to make it, and this is why it has attracted the participation of so many organizers, activists and movements across the globe. Put simply, it's an opportunity for individuals and grassroots people everywhere to bring attention and build momentum around a variety of struggles.
As one facet of this Wave, a newly formed campaign called the Green Rush is taking the opportunity to show how we can create a new economy by and for the 99% through monetary reform and marijuana legalization.
Linking these two seemingly separate campaigns, the Green Rush calls for nationalization of the Federal Reserve through the NEED Act and, simultaneously, marijuana legalization in New York State through the Compassionate Care Act (#CCA), the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (#MRTA) and Industrial Hemp Farming Bills S059578 and A08297.
There is consensus among Occupy organizers working with FedUp, OccupyTheNeedAct and OccupyReeferMadness coalitions that it is time to begin organizing around specific demands – a deliberate and hopefully controversial departure from standard Occupy procedure. If you recall, there were specific tactical reasons for the collective decision within the Occupy movement not to officially adopt formal demands in the fall of 2011.
The Democratic Party, big unions and pundits are no longer interested in telling us what our demands should be, however, now that we are no longer the subject of media attention. And this provides a new opening. The situation has changed since 2011-12, and the strategies and tactics of the Occupy movement must evolve if we are to create institutional change that can affect people's everyday lives – let alone further radicalize the global conversation.
The objective of the Green Rush is to propel grassroots demand for congressional sponsorship of the NEED Act – a bill initially pushed by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, which seeks to nationalize the Federal Reserve by bringing it under the U.S. Treasury. It is also to inspire decisive action on the New York State Medical and Recreation Cannabis and Industrial Hemp bills.
We want to welcome rather than ostracize politicians and candidates who share our values and invite them into the Green Rush coalition. The NEED Act is the official monetary plank of the U.S. Green Party. Many party members also support cannabis and hemp reform, and several supported the People's First Grassroots Conference on Monetary Policy which was held in Washington, DC in late March.
This coalition is building and it will continue to define the links between the Green Rush and the Green Party as we force politicians and their bankrollers to talk about radical legislative reform that will begin to redistribute wealth back to the 99%.
We recognize that the Green Rush is in no way a solution to the world's problems – though we feel it is a necessary first step, much like the effort to get corporate money out of the political process. Among the many groups and organizers committing to the three-month #WaveOfAction, the Green Rush is just one campaign, but it offers people a concrete opportunity to tell their representatives where their votes should be if they want to stay in office.
Follow this #WaveOfAction campaign on the Twitter handle @GreenRushNYC and learn more about how to get involved here. You can also check out the new YouTube Channel Just Activism for video and blog updates on the Green Rush. Additionally, educational resources toward efforts to nationalize the Federal Reserve through the NEED Act can be found on FedUp. Visit Occupy Reefer Madness for specific information about the push to legalize medical and recreational cannabis and industrial hemp. For all of the above follow @FedUpNewYork, @OccupyTheNEEDAct and @OccupyReefer.
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