Occupy Tampa’s Official Statement Regarding the RNC

Preparations have included: 1) Securing sleeping arrangements for as many occupiers as we can fit in our current encampment. In order to maximize available space to accommodate as many people as possible, we will (2) remove individual tents and replace them with large canopies to offer shade and protection from the weather. (3) Our liaison with Fire Dog Lake, Sonja Ebron, continues to work with Occupy Tampa by securing items such as sunscreen, bug spray, bandanas, portable water containers, sleeping bags and mats, UV protective shirts a
nd other useful items.

Occupy Tampa has formed a Regional General Assembly to coordinate Occupy groups throughout the bay area, including: Occupy Lakeland, Occupy St. Petersburg, Occupy Bradenton, Occupy USF, Occupy New Port Richey, and Occupy Sarasota. We have tried to plan as much as possible ahead of time, but we want to leave space open to spontaneously produce additional actions by harnessing the number of people that arrive.

Food not Bombs has called a World Gathering and plans to run feeding operations throughout the duration of the RNC. A week before the Republican National Convention, chapters of Food Not Bombs from every corner of the globe will convene in order to prepare to feed the thousands of protesters flooding into the city. FNB will serve brunch everyday at 10 am, at Voice of Freedom Park, and will also serve dinner before the General Assemblies. We will offer warm-ups at 9 am, including yoga & other light exercises.

We invite everyone to come and take advantage of the preparations we have made, to help ensure that all occupiers and other supporting groups can use this moment of national attention to confront the political status-quo.

We currently occupy a privately-owned, publicly accessible park (fittingly named “Voice of Freedom). The owner has donated the space for use by the Occupy Movement.Facilities include: running water, two port-a-potties, parking, Internet access, and electricity.

Our address is 2101 W. Main St. Tampa, Fl. You can contact us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/occupytampa or through our website www.occupytampa.org.

Peace, Love, & Solidarity,
Occupy Tampa

(Passed by consensus by the General Assembly)

Also:

Please spread the word:

Occupy Tampa and the Tampa Bay Regional General Assembly passed through consensus a resolution to send a national call to action, on the day Mitt Romney accepts the nomination, to shut down Bain Capital.

Mitt Romney co-founded Bain Capital. The corporation took part in many “hostile takeovers,” a practice that involves buying a company in order to simply lay off the workers, close the company and sell it for spare parts.

Bain Capital Companies:

Outback Steakhouse
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Bonefish Grill
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
Burlington Coat Factory
Clear Channel Communications
Dunkin’ Donuts
Baskin Robbins
Gymboree
Hospital Corporation of America
Michael’s Craft Store
Toys’R’Us
Staples
The Princeton Review
Work ‘N Gear

Please spread the word to other Occupy and activist groups near and far. On Sundays @ 8 PM, InterOccupy will host a conference call to finish drafting the national call to action and share ideas about how to shut down Bain Capital.

Register for the call

Facebook event page

shutdownbaincapital.org