Bloomberg to evict #ows Please sign petition #occupy #occupywallstreet

Dear Friends, I am writing to you from Zuccotti Park where for over a month Occupy Wall Street has courageously called attention to an economic system that does not work for 99% of us. I just received an emergency message from MoveOn.org. Mayor Bloomberg wants to shut it down Occupy Wall Street at 7:00 am tomorrow morning and we have to take action right now to stop him. Please sign the petition to Mayor Bloomberg in support of the Occupy protesters. Amy Miller and the Greater NYC for Change Team From: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Civic Action Date: Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 11:40 AM Subject: Bloomberg to evict Occupy Wall Street? Dear MoveOn member, Urgent news: New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg just said he's going to use the police to effectively end the occupation of Wall Street tomorrow morning. In a transparent ploy, new rules were passed out this morning prohibiting tarps, sleeping bags and "lying down"—even as temperatures plummet. We need to show a national groundswell of support for the brave occupiers who are peacefully exercising their first amendment rights and highlighting our broken economy that's left 99% of us behind. Can you sign our emergency petition to Mayor Bloomberg telling him not to interfere with Occupy Wall Street? We'll deliver the petition TONIGHT, first to the occupation, and then to City Hall. Sign the petition now. The petition says, "Mayor Bloomberg: Respect the protesters' 1st Amendment rights. Don't try to evict Occupy Wall Street." The only way we'll get Mayor Bloomberg to change his plan is massive public pressure. So we need to spread the word far and wide today. After you've signed the petition, you'll be asked to share it with your friends and to call the City of New York to let the mayor know that you oppose his plan. Both steps are critical if we're going to stop him. Please sign the petition to Mayor Bloomberg now so we can deliver tens of thousands of signatures this evening. http://civ.moveon.org/defend_ows/?id=0-3697424-bI7Fk4x&tester=daniel@moveon.org&t=3 Thanks for all you do. –Justin, Laura, Carrie, Joan, and the rest of the team    ©2011 Greater NYC for Change | New York, NY 10001

Why is Iran locking up its students? ~ @amnesty #humanrights

	Visit Amnesty's virtual Azadi Square - where we're taking a stand for all Iran's peaceful student protesters.
	Dear Ray, It's called Azadi Square - literally "Freedom Square" in Persian. For decades, it has been the central point of human rights activism in Iran. Two years ago, when the disputed results of a presidential election compelled many to take to the streets, Azadi Square was the backdrop of countless student protests. Although the protests began as peaceful, protesters were met with violence once riot police were dispersed. Two students who were swept up in the resulting wave of government crackdowns that followed were Behareh Hedayat and Majid Tavakkoli. Behareh - an economics student turned women's rights advocate is now serving 10 years in prison sentence for her activism. Majid - a shipbuilding student turned prominent student leader is now serving nine years in prison for his activism. We can't think of a better place to take a stand for their rights and the rights of all Iran's peaceful student protesters than in Azadi Square. Demand the release of all Iran's peaceful student protesters! Starting today, we're opening up a virtual Azadi Square to supporters worldwide. In the virtual Azadi Square, all human rights are protected - including freedom of expression, assembly and association. That is why we're inviting you to join us in sending a powerful message to the Iranian government. Even if students are imprisoned for their activism, their calls for human rights can never be silenced! For every 10,000 signatures gathered on our petition for protecting student's rights in Iran, Amnesty representatives will publicly present your signatures in a new and powerful way. But you'll have to keep checking back to find out what we'll do next! Visit Amnesty's Azadi Square and stand up for the rights of student protesters in Iran! Behareh Hedayat and Majid Tavakkoli, like many others, were simply students who spoke publicly about their political opinions. They do not deserve this injustice. Take action now and give them hope. Demonstrate the power of standing together for human rights! Thank You, Elise Auerbach Country Specialist, Iran Amnesty International USA		Iran's Azadi Square In the virtual Azadi Square, the human rights of all peaceful activists are protected - including freedom of expression, assembly and association.
© 2011 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

Fair Food Festival rocks Trader Joe's in NYC ~ @ciw #socialjustice #humanrights #farmworkers

Fair Food Festival rocks Trader Joe's in NYC! Day long protest sends message that consumers ready to "break up" with Joe over hypocrisy, refusal to work with CIW... New York City's Community/Farmworker Alliance put on a creative, fun, and powerful day-long event this past weekend, ratcheting up the pressure in the Trader Joe's campaign and setting off a series of Trader Joe's actions to follow in the month ahead. Go to the CIW website today for a full photo report! A city news blog described the proceedings ("Farmworker's Rights Activists Protest at Trader Joe's," 9/26/11): "... Troupes of locals and representatives from the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) took to the streets to raise awareness about the decade-old campaign. The colorful, peaceful processions were part of a day long Fair Food Festival organized by the internationally recognized CIW and a partner organization based in New York, the Community/Farmworker Alliance. The Commons on Atlantic Avenue served as a hub of educational activities for kids and adults, workshops and home base for rally participants throughout the day. 'We’re very happy to be in New York,' said farm worker Gerardo Chavez, 34, to a crowd at the Commons. 'This is a moment when history is being written for farm workers.'" read more The protest clearly had an impact: "... E. Harris from Crown Heights was waiting for her bus home as the ralliers passed. She admitted she did shop at Trader Joe’s, but expressed concern for the farmworkers and frustration with a long-trusted company. 'I’m disappointed that Trader Joe’s would do that to people who are working so hard. That’s sad that such a well-known company would do that. That’s not even minimum wage – I mean, what is that?'” read more The United Church of Christ also covered the action with an excellent photo report. But if you're going to want to see our photo report, you'll have to click here! Thanks - Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Coalition of Immokalee Workers • PO Box 603, Immokalee, FL 34143 • (239) 657-8311 • workers@ciw-online.org

Trader Joe's & Slavery ~ @change #trafficking #humanrights #farmworkers #traderjoes

Trader Joe’s: Sell slave-free tomatoes Dear Ray, A remarkable number of major supermarkets, restaurants and food service companies have joined farm workers to fight wage theft, widespread sexual harassment -- even slavery -- in Florida's tomato fields. But not Trader Joe's. Burger King, Subway and others are on board, paying $0.01 more per pound of tomatoes to the farm workers who pick them and guaranteeing their tomatoes are slave-free. But Trader Joe’s, despite their progressive image, refuses to follow suit. The Student Farmworker Alliance has started a petition on Change.org calling on Trader Joe's to sell only slave-free tomatoes. The Florida tomato season starts in October, so getting an agreement from Trader Joe’s in the next few weeks would be a huge victory. Will you sign the petition to get Trader Joe's to join the Campaign for Fair Food and sell slave-free tomatoes now? More than, 1,000 cases of real-life slavery in Florida’s tomato fields have been investigated by the Department of Labor in the past 10 years. In these cases, workers were housed in overcrowded shacks on the fields, paid poverty-level wages, had their identification documents taken away and were robbed of their wages by employers who fabricated debts to keep them working. Trader Joe's works hard on its image and prides itself on responding to customers' preferences. If enough customers (and potential customers) tell Trader Joe's they'll only buy slave-free tomatoes guaranteed through the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Campaign for Fair Food, it will have to join. Sign the Student Farmworker Alliance's petition to get Trader Joe's to make sure its tomatoes are slave- and abuse-free by joining CIW's Campaign for Fair Food now: http://www.change.org/petitions/ask-trader-joes-to-sell-slave-free-food Thanks for being a change-maker, Amanda and the Change.org team

Court temporarily stops Oregon wolf killing ~ @CenterForBioDiv

Help save Oregon wolves’ First Family. I was going to write you today with a final fundraising appeal for our Pesticide Action Fund. But a wolf-killing emergency just came up in Oregon, and I desperately need your help to stop it. Though only 14 wolves remain in the state, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has ordered the killing of the alpha male and young male in the Imnaha pack. That's half the pack. If they're killed, the remaining female and her pup will be left to survive the winter on their own, with no pack to support them. With state agents already in the mountains, ready to kill the wolves, Center for Biological Diversity lawyers rushed to the Oregon Court of Appeals in Portland last week with an 11th-hour emergency request to stop the killing. We won! But it's only a temporary reprieve. It will last just long enough for us to make our full case to end the killing. If we lose the wolves will be killed, and in all likelihood the female and her pup will die or disperse, forever destroying the pack. Please help us win this emergency lawsuit by making a generous donation today to our Emergency Wolf Protection Fund. Oregon’s wolf population has dropped from 21 to 14 since Congress stripped away the animals' federal protection. Oregon's wolves are at very real risk of extinction. Every remaining wolf is essential to keeping the hope of a healthy Oregon wolf population alive. The Imnaha pack was the first to bring pups into the world in Oregon since the extermination of wolves there 60 years ago. It is one of only three packs in the state, which already killed two of its other pack members in May. We can't let the Imnaha pack be wiped out to satisfy the greed and ignorance of a state agency controlled by the livestock industry. Help us stop the killing by donating as much as you can afford to the Emergency Wolf Protection Fund right now. We'll use it to prepare emergency briefs on a fast timetable to win permanent protection for the legendary Imnaha pack. For the wolves, Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity P.S. This isn’t the first time we’ve gone to court to save the Imnaha Pack. In 2010 we filed suit and stopped the killing. We can do it again, but only with your help -- please donate today and tell as many as your friends as possible to help as well. Photo of the Imnaha pack alpha male courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Center for Biological Diversity P.O. Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 1-866-357-3349 www.BiologicalDiversity.org