a voice box

Group Poetry Reading - Oscar Grant Plaza - 11.6.11

Introduction, David Brazil, Chris Daniels MP3 [11:45]

Sara Larsen + etc + anonymous [46:56]

Each Sunday there is an open mic poetry reading at Oscar Grant Plaza.

Angela Davis - Oakland General Strike - 11.2.11

Angela Davis MP3 [9:36]

Angela Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party. Prisoner rights have been among her continuing interests; she is the founder of "Critical Resistance", an organization working to abolish the "prison-industrial complex". She is a retired professor with the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz and is the former director of the university's Feminist Studies department. Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, Marxism, popular music and social consciousness, and the philosophy and history of punishment and prisons.

History of General Strikes in Oakland

Oakland Strike History MP3

Here is a short history of the last two general strikes in Oakland in 1934 and 1946. Occupy Oakland has called for a general strike on Wednesday November 2nd.

Ken Knabb - Oscar Grant Plaza - 10.21.11

Ken Knabb MP3

Ken Knabb is an American writer, translator, and radical theorist, best known for his translations of Guy Debord and the Situationist International.

The Plaza Call - "I am here because" - occupysf 10.26.11

After the crackdown at occupyoakland on On Wednesday it was assumed that occupysf was going to be raided by the police. At about 3am a group of people spontaneously used the human mic to give short accounts of why they were there.

Disconcerting Videos MP3

Flash bangs. Trying to help each other. The police are lying.

Fabulous world MP3

I want this world to be fabulous! I'm here because I'm fucking queer. Are you with me?

Squandered their talents MP3

A lot of friends who went into finance. They do not understand what is going on.

I'm also old MP3

I had a good education. They do not understand how it could have been free. You are beautiful.

I hate my job MP3

I'm told to be grateful to work a job that has no future in sight. Faith that things can change.

Group Poetry Reading - Oscar Grant Plaza - 10.16.11

Variuos Poets MP3

The Plaza Call 5

The Plaza Call 5 MP3

Living in a blood neighborhood taking care of the projects. In memory of those killed by the state. It's my birthday. 32k abandoned units and 10k homeless people. Hugging grandmas. Occupy everything. 

More on The Plaza Call

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, Josh Fattal - Oscar Grant Plaza - 10.17.11

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, Josh Fattal MP3

More info at: http://freethehikers.org/

The Plaza Call: A Collective Audio Diary for the Occupation

For too long our voices have been stifled, scattered and alone. We were told to call our congressman but they haven't called us back. Instead they return our pleas with form letters filled with spineless platitudes and empty promises. Here in the plaza we are doing a lot of talking: creating the dialogue for where to go next and where we are currently going wrong. The cynical outside and among us deride these efforts as mere feedback loops without wider consequence. They are wrong. We are planning.

In the last 8 days I have been at occupations in Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles. On day 1 in Oakland I hatched the idea of creating a collective diary of the struggle, in order to allow further dialogue and representation of the multitude of voices in circulation. But I was too scared and nervous. Yet after a week of General Assemblies, group meetings, and simply meeting so many people I have said "goodbye to all that." Today I began recording conversations with friends, recent acquaintances, strangers and the formerly strange.

For too long our media has privileged the experts and ideologues who bloviate their trivial differences, their false dichotomies while everything else burns. While my conversations should not be seen as journalism they seek to create another outlet for the voices that have been waiting to speak to a wider audience but have not had the chance to do so and hopefully those not ready to address the assembly directly. It's high time that we honor the messy process that is required to resolve in shared understanding. By presenting the conversations in full (with some compromises in sound quality in deference to expediency) we honor that shared goal. 

Also, I say "like" and "right" and "um" and "yeah" too much. I also finish people's sentences whoops. Come find me at the occupation <3

The Plaza Call 1 MP3

on security. internal tension. mediation. we are pioneers.

The Plaza Call 2 MP3

protesting is fun. the commons. collective joy.

The Plaza Call 3 MP3

questions about proposals. manic energy. reaching out.

The Plaza Call 4 MP3

ogp gazette. this is just the beginning. uncomfortable things.

Graham Foust - Studio One - 11.8.08

Graham Foust MP3 [17:52]

Graham Foust's latest book is A Mouth in California (Flood Editions, 2009). He teaches literature and writing at Saint Mary's College of California, and, with Samuel Frederick, is translating the late work of Ernst Meister, the first volume of which will be published in 2012.