Tea Leaves LA

Graphic designer Vahram Muratyan has turned his online travel journal into a book that celebrates the culture of two of the most exciting cities on Earth, New York and Paris. He uses basic graphics and clever taglines to compare and contrast the differences between the cities.

Click here to see more prints.

OCCUPY LA IS OCCUPYING MY TIME

Hello all! Sorry for the recent lack of updates. I have spent the past two weeks planning and organizing with some of the most determined, loving and inspiring people I’ve ever met. Together, we began the Occupation of Los Angeles on Saturday, October 1 at City Hall. Thousands came out the first day, and 300 camped on the lawn and sidewalks the first night. We occupy in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.

People I haven’t spoken to in years are covertly sending me Facebook messages, asking what the movement is about. What are the demands? What do the Occupiers want from the government? Are you sure this isn’t a bunch of hippie anarchists who want idealistic, unattainable goals like “Peace, Love and Money for All”? 

Instead of defending the Occupy movements occurring across the country, I only ask that you stop and think about the following points. 

The movement is difficult to explain in one sentence. There are no savvy sound bites I could parrot to you. I  I can’t point you toward a Wikipedia page that will summarize everything. The need to be able to sum it all up in 20 seconds or less is a negative side effect of our crumbling society. Life isn’t a sound bite, the media just wants you to think it is. Ideas and movements that can actually reach and touch thousands of people don’t come with press kits and heavily-edited news clips.  

I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I had no idea so many Americans have been blinded and brainwashed by billion-dollar corporations and reckless consumerism. I have seen plenty of detractors who want to negatively point out this movement’s lack of goals, demands, policies and political affiliates. These people don’t understand the movement, and they do not understand how broken our current system is. They believe in the illusion that Congress and the government has their best interest in mind.

Consider this: there is a 4% chance that you will become a millionaire in your lifetime. There is a 50% chance that your Congressman already is. If one out of every 2 member of Congress is a millionaire, that isn’t an accurate representation of the people of America. People who know nothing about the daily struggles of the working class do not have the working man’s best interests in mind when voting on policy.

The Occupy movements weren’t started by hippies, anarchists and societal dropouts. They were started by college-educated, underpaid and unemployed Americans who have been forced from their jobs and homes. They are people who have tried to use the current democratic voting system to better our government. They are people who can’t pay their bills, people who must choose between food or rent. They are people who are struggling to survive in what was once the wealthiest country in the world. 

These people are promoting large scale change. We have tried and failed to have our voices heard within the confines of the current democratic system. Major changes must occur for us to move forward as a country. This is the beginning. Yes, it is small and it may seem confusing to outsiders. Do not let that fear work against you. Come out anyway. Stand with the people who want to make America better, not with the people who want to hoard all of America’s money for themselves. 

Join us.

THE WORLD SHOULD BE WATCHING - THE MOVEMENT TO OCCUPY WALL STREET

On September 17, close to 5,000 American citizens descended on New York City’s Financial District to express their dissent for our capitalist-driven economy. The event, called OccupyWallStreet, was organized by many different activist groups including CodePink, Adbusters, and the hacker collective Anonymous.

This incident has received little media attention, but this hasn’t stopped protesters from continuing their fifth day of Wall Street ‘occupation’. Yesterday brought the first arrests, and several videos surfaced on the Internet of police brutality toward the peaceful activists. 

Despite the media’s attempts to downplay and discredit the movement, the Internet support is massive. Last night, a Twitter fundraiser garnered enough donations to purchase a generator for the protesters, who have set up camp in Zuccotti Park.

Occupywallstreet.org publishes frequent updates and provides a live feed of the protesters. On Day 4, they published this statement:

This is the fourth communiqué from the 99 percent. We are occupying Wall Street.

On September 20th, 2011, we were awoken by police bullhorns around seven in the morning, they objected to us protecting ourselves from the rain. They told us that the tarps suspended above us had to be taken down. We held a General Assembly to determine how to respond. We decided that we would hold the tarps over ourselves and our possessions. The police ripped the plastic away from us. We then scrambled to protect our possessions, primarily the media equipment streaming our occupation to the world. 

Before we say more about what happened to us it seems important to point this out: we do not think the police are our enemy. They have jobs, how could we fault them for that, when one sixth of America lives in poverty? when one sixth of America can’t find work? The police are part of the 99 per cent.

The occupiers aren’t simply voicing their dissent and anger with cute signs and V for Vendetta masks. They are organized. They are active. In addition to their usual community outreach activities, today they have planned meetings with the IWW and Teamsters as well as discussions on political prisoners and social media training workshops. A “Patriarchy Teach In” will close out the day.

If you don’t live in NYC and can’t physically go out to support the movement, there are thousands of ways to spread the word across the Internet. Watch the live feed, post updates and footage of the protests on your social network of choice, donate, educate, spread the word. 

If you’re reading this, you are part of the 99%. Even if you feel helpless, you can lend a hand to this cause. Express your opinions, express your anger. Above all, remember there are thousands of people just like you who are dissatisfied with our government. 

Join us.

(Edit: you can view photos of Occupy Wall Street here)