Dear Friends and Allies:
I write to invite you to join fellow Kentuckians at the Capitol in Frankfort this June 1 to demand the end of corporate interference in (what should be) OUR politics, especially the overwhelming influence of the coal industry. The time to demand a participatory society for all Kentuckians is NOW!
A broad-based group of citizens is organizing a mass convergence we are calling Kentucky Rising: Occupy the Capitol. By drawing upon the energy of the Kentucky Rising sit-in of February 2011 and the momentum of the nationwide Occupy movement, we intend to create a critical mass of citizens to form a People's Assembly to give voice to concerns about injustice and to work together to find creative and positive solutions to the problems we face. We will respectfully occupy public space and the occupation will also serve as a base for teach-ins, sit-ins, and other non-violent direct actions.
We wish to encourage Kentuckians of all political inclinations to attend. While we may not all agree with each other on some things, most people can agree that corporate domination of Kentucky politics has got to go. This event will be a space for Kentuckians of all backgrounds to come together to talk with each other and find common ground. However, oppressive behavior of any sort will not be tolerated, and there will be a process for dealing with it when it arises.
As a citizen activist or organizer, you are in a crucial position to assist the event organizers in mobilizing a large and diverse group of Kentuckians on June 1 and the following days of the occupation. Will you reach out to inform and invite people in your networks to rise up, united by our love for the land and people of Kentucky?
Over the next month, please make calls and send out emails letting people know and direct them to the event website Ketucky Rising for information and updates. They can also visit the the facebook event page: here
Finally, if you would like to be more involved in organizing this event, please send your contact info, skills, and capacity to help via this web form. We believe that we are all leaders, so the organizing will be decentralized and horizontal, rather than top-down. If you know someone who would like to help organize or reach out, please forward them this email.
More than anything, we want this convergence to be a fun and family-friendly experience as well as a learning opportunity. The problems we face are dire, but if we face them together in a spirit of love and comradeship, we can create the Kentucky we want to pass on to future generations.
In Solidarity,
The Organizers of Kentucky Rising
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