URGENT SOLIDARITY APPEAL FOR #OCCUPYSEATTLE

On Saturday, October 15, the Wall Street protest in Seattle reached its largest demonstration of support to date with upwards of 5,000 demonstrators, coinciding with a stunning retaking of Westlake Park in the heart of downtown in defiance of the Mayor's ban on tents.

This Saturday, October 29 marks a new development for the local Occupy movement with the bold moving of the occupation to Seattle Central Community College.

However, the president of Seattle Central Community College, Paul Killpatrick, has been anything but welcoming thus far to the movement even though the protesters are highlighting their opposition to education budget cuts which have devastated the college.

In the face of growing police repression of Occupy Wall Street protests across the country, and not that Occupy Seattle faces a critical juncture, we are urgently appealing for support from activists, workers and students in Seattle, around the U.S. and internationally.

Call and/or email Seattle Central Community College President Paul Kilpatrick to tell him:
Do not allow police harassment of students, staff, or other Wall Street protesters camping in front of Seattle Central Community College!
Do not punish students or staff supporting protests against education budget cuts!
Phone: (206) 934-4144
Email: pkillpatrick@sccd.ctc.edu

Copy and use the model letter below to email the college president.

On Saturday, October 15 hundreds of protesters succeeded in retaking Westlake Park in defiance of the Mayor's attempt to ban tents. However, since then, the number of protesters occupying Westlake has decreased, and the police started enforcing the ban on tents again and arresting and harassing protesters. That is why, after extensive discussion, 81% of protesters at the October 24th General Assembly voted to move our occupation to Seattle Central Community College this Saturday, October 29.

Important support has already been demonstrated by previous student walkouts originating from Seattle Central Community College in support of the national Occupy Wall Street protests, in addition to support from student government, campus publications, as well as staff members and faculty.

The lesson of the October 15 “Night of 500 Tents” was that we can push back the efforts of the city government and police to repress our movement when we mobilize large enough numbers in struggle. That is why it is vital we get the largest possible turnout this Saturday, October 29 as well as flooding the Seattle Central Community College President with phone calls and emails from supporters around the country and the world.

MODEL LETTER TO SEATTLE CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT

Please copy and email this letter to pkillpatrick@sccd.ctc.edu ASAP. It's OK if they receive identical letters. The key thing is that they the see lots of people are taking action. Also, please call his office at (206) 934-4144.

Dear President Killpatrick,

I support the Wall Street protest movement, and I urge you not to allow police to violate citizens' Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. The city government wasted tens of thousands of dollars paying police overtime to arrest, harass, and evict peaceful protesters from Westlake, leaving protesters no option but to relocate elsewhere. You, on the other hand, can avoid wasteful expenditures, huge headaches, and terrible publicity by simply providing protesters a space outside your college to demonstrate peacefully.

This is in your interest because a central issue protesters are highlighting is the need for more government investment in education, rather than bank bailouts, subsidies, and tax breaks for the richest 1% of the population and Wall street firms. Seattle Central Community College and other colleges are being absolutely devastated by budget cuts. The only way to begin to reverse these catastrophic budget cuts, which are aggravating the economic crisis, is increasing taxes on those who can afford them most - millionaires and corporations - and investing in jobs programs to stimulate the economy. Wall Street protests in Seattle and across the country also are pressuring the government to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates have cost U.S. taxpayers $3 trillion.

Protesters have pledged to continue cleaning up after themselves, not to damage any property, and not to interfere with the Farmers' Market. The Farmers' Market has informed the protesters that they they have no problem with the protesters' presence.

The protesters and the ML King County Labor Council is mobilizing thousands of union members and supporters to participate in the protest. We are all urging you, specifically:

1. Not to allow police harassment of students, staff, or other community members camping in front of Seattle Central Community College

2. Not to retaliate against students or staff who support these protests against education budget cuts

Support for relocating the protest to your college has already been demonstrated by a student walkout of 300 Seattle Central Community College students, by the the faculty union, student government, campus publications, staff members, and Student Leadership. To guard against possible restrictions on citizens' Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly, students and faculty are organizing emergency meetings to plan student walk-outs and high profile protests if necessary that would only bring further headaches and negative media coverage, which we hope you will avoid.

Thank you.