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Wheelchair Sports Camp On SXSW, Music Festival Accessibility, & Occupy
Kalyn of Wheelchair Sports Camp with the rest of her band. (Facebook / Wheelchair Sports Camp)
August 4, 2016
Kit
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Wheelchair Sports Camp On SXSW, Music Festival Accessibility, & Occupy

Posted in Austin, Journalism, Occupy Wall Street, and SXSW

Wheelchair Sports Camp is one of the better-known bands in the “krip hop” movement, led by Kalyn, a self-described “MC/beat-maker/activist/educator/shit-talker.” Their music combines electronic sounds and hip-hop beats with live jazz instrumentation, and, of course, Kalyn’s rapid-fire words. Sometimes funny, sometimes experimental, I’ve enjoyed every performance I’ve seen since I first caught them in 2012 at Occupy Austin’s ambitious “Occupy SXSW” mini-festival.

After seeing Kalyn perform again at this year’s SXSW, I asked her to answer a few questions by email.

I’m looking forward to their upcoming album, “No Big Deal,” which Kalyn mentions below.

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Third-Party, Independent Candidates Challenge Dems On Trans-Pacific Partnership Support
A surfboard standing by the beach reads "No TPP: Stop Secret Trade Deals." (Flickr / SumOfUs)
August 1, 2016
Kit
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Third-Party, Independent Candidates Challenge Dems On Trans-Pacific Partnership Support

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

The day after delegates inside the Democratic National Convention formally endorsed Hillary Clinton, activists gathered outside the convention site to express their opposition to a controversial trade deal that could be ratified later this year.

On Wednesday, about 150 people gathered under the trees of FDR Park, a public space just outside the massive security fence surrounding the Wells Fargo Center, to demand an end to U.S. support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade deal that critics warn will devastate democracy and the environment and send health care costs through the roof.

“There’s not a single person this doesn’t impact, but in terms of health care it’s going to raise the cost of health care for everyone,” Dr. Margaret Flowers told MintPress News.

Read moreThird-Party, Independent Candidates Challenge Dems On Trans-Pacific Partnership Support
Advice For Bernie’s ‘Revolution’ & Other New Activists After DNC 2016
An activist in an "Anonymous" mask marches with a candle during a rally of Bernie Sanders supporters on July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, near the Democratic National Convention. (Kit O'Connell)
August 1, 2016
Kit
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Advice For Bernie’s ‘Revolution’ & Other New Activists After DNC 2016

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

I just got back from Philadelphia, where I was covering protests at the Democratic National Convention for MintPress News, so I spent a lot of time observing the activists taking the streets in America.

I’m impressed by the passion and righteous anger so many people are feeling right now, especially those of you who feel betrayed by the Democratic Party. Many of you may be taking the streets, attending nonviolent direct action trainings, and feeling the joy of holding a public space for a cause for the first time in your lives.

I don’t want the post that follows to sound like an “old man yelling at clouds,” but I’ve been an activist for a while now. I don’t claim to be the world’s greatest expert in street protest tactics, but I saw a few things that concerned me in Philly.

Read moreAdvice For Bernie’s ‘Revolution’ & Other New Activists After DNC 2016
7 Arrested As Tensions Rise & Protesters Breach Security Fence At DNC 2016
An activist holds a "Still Sanders" sign during a candlelit vigil outside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, site of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016. (Kit O'Connell)
July 28, 2016
Kit
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7 Arrested As Tensions Rise & Protesters Breach Security Fence At DNC 2016

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

From passing gas to burning flags to breaching a massive security fence, activists expressed their outrage at the Democratic Party on Wednesday night.

Dozens of police crowded around the entrance to AT&T Station, the subway stop closest to the site of the Democratic National Convention, to prevent a “fart-in” protest to highlight corruption in the American democratic system.

“When it comes to the continued racial discrimination in this country, when it comes to being in a state spends more on prisons than on education, something is wrong with this picture,” Cheri Honkala, the event’s organizer, declared. “It’s an absolute farce, and quite frankly, this whole thing reminds me of the Hunger Games, except for the sad thing is this is the real Hunger Games.”

Read more7 Arrested As Tensions Rise & Protesters Breach Security Fence At DNC 2016
DNC 2016: Protesters React To ‘Shameful’ DNC Leaks, Voice Support For Jill Stein (VIDEO)
At the “March for Our Lives” event in Philadelphia at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, a man holds signs accusing the Clinton’s of being “superpredators.” July 25, 2016. (Kit O’Connell)
July 27, 2016
Kit
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DNC 2016: Protesters React To ‘Shameful’ DNC Leaks, Voice Support For Jill Stein (VIDEO)

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

A leak of thousands of internal party emails has cast a shadow over the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

On Friday, WikiLeaks released 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee, apparently hacked from internal servers, although claims that the Russian government was involved remain unproven. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been hired by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign following her resignation as party chairwoman in the wake of the leak.

MintPress News interviewed Bernie Sanders supporters at Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday evening about their reaction to the leaks. For many in the pro-Sanders camp, the emails confirm something many had long suspected: that the Democratic Party actively helped Clinton secure the party’s nomination.

Read moreDNC 2016: Protesters React To ‘Shameful’ DNC Leaks, Voice Support For Jill Stein (VIDEO)
Bernie Supporters, Green Party, & Peace Activists ‘March For Our Lives’ Against DNC 2016
In this July 25, 2016 photograph, activists hold a "Go Green Bernie" banner at Philadelphia City Hall during the "March For Our Lives" rally. (Kit O'Connell)
July 26, 2016
Kit
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Bernie Supporters, Green Party, & Peace Activists ‘March For Our Lives’ Against DNC 2016

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

The Democratic National Convention opened on Monday amid a heat wave, but soaring temperatures didn’t stop activists from heating up the City of Brotherly Love.

MintPress News was there as protesters gathered outside of Philadelphia City Hall to chant, carry signs, or cool off in the shade of the building’s stone arches as temperatures reached 96 degrees, tying a previous record and keeping medics and volunteers busy treating heat stroke and handing out bottled water.

In the early afternoon, one group marched in honor of Berta Cáceres, a Honduran environmental activist and indigenous leader who was assassinated in March. Carrying a giant puppet made in her likeness, they chanted: “Berta didn’t die, she multiplied!”

Read moreBernie Supporters, Green Party, & Peace Activists ‘March For Our Lives’ Against DNC 2016