Occupy Marines
Encyclopedia
Occupy Marines is a group of non-active duty
U.S. marines
who support the Occupy movement
. They established a Facebook
page, Twitter
feed, website and online petition shortly after Marine veteran Scott Olsen was injured by the police during an Occupy Oakland
protest. They were also motivated by an on-line video that showed Marine Sgt. Shamar Thomas speaking out to New York City police during an Occupy Wall Street
protest, telling them that they were shaming their uniforms by injuring unarmed protesters.
Members of the armed forces who are currently active duty are prohibited by US military law from joining the protests. For those who can join OccupyMarines asked that they do not wear military dress uniform if actively participating in group activities, but instead advised a dress code outlined on the OccupyMarines website.
A spokesperson for Occupy Marines was reported as saying: "As veterans we were led to believe [that] our service was to protect America’s way of life abroad...We did not want to believe that our presence in the Middle East was to ensure an oil supply, or to deepen the pockets of the financial elites. Many…lost their life out there, and the suggestion that their sacrifice was for profits, or oil, is unbearable." An Occupy Marines website interview goes on to say: "We Came Forward To Protect These Demonstrators Ability To Express Their Constitutional First Amendment Right And Witnessed Our Own Police Forces Being Deployed Against Americans For Exercising That Right. We Didn’t Serve For That, And We Will Not Stand For It Now. ... We Will Pursue Non-Violent Actions Against Any Agency That Looks To Harm American Citizens. These ESU Officers
, We Have Identified Them, We Have The ESU Sheriff That Is Responsible For Critically Injuring Veteran Scott Olsen; We Will Pursue Legal Action Against This Officer And The Department For Excessive Use Of Force. We Also Intend On Pursuing Legal Action Against The Leadership Who Seek To Protect The Unlawful Actions Of Police Officers".
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
U.S. marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who support the Occupy movement
Occupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...
. They established a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed, website and online petition shortly after Marine veteran Scott Olsen was injured by the police during an Occupy Oakland
Occupy Oakland
Occupy Oakland is a series of demonstrations including the occupation of public spaces that began in downtown Oakland at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall in Oakland, California on October 10, 2011. It is allied with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City and is one of...
protest. They were also motivated by an on-line video that showed Marine Sgt. Shamar Thomas speaking out to New York City police during an Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
protest, telling them that they were shaming their uniforms by injuring unarmed protesters.
Mission
The mission of Occupy Marines is to “support demonstrators with organization, direction, supply and logistics, and leadership.” Their Facebook page offers advice on how to maintain a peaceful protest, winter demonstrations, and legal rights for Americans brutalized by law enforcement during 'Occupy" protests. OccupyMARINES organized other military groups in support of the movement such as OccupyArmy, OccupyNavy, and OccupyAirforce. OccupyMARINES are dedicated to using “nonviolent means to convince law enforcement agencies to understand that brutality will only strengthen our resolve”. The organization and identification of an eclectic collection of regulations known as 'The OWS 8' was widely disseminated by the group to remind national demonstrations the essentialness of remaining peaceful.Members of the armed forces who are currently active duty are prohibited by US military law from joining the protests. For those who can join OccupyMarines asked that they do not wear military dress uniform if actively participating in group activities, but instead advised a dress code outlined on the OccupyMarines website.
A spokesperson for Occupy Marines was reported as saying: "As veterans we were led to believe [that] our service was to protect America’s way of life abroad...We did not want to believe that our presence in the Middle East was to ensure an oil supply, or to deepen the pockets of the financial elites. Many…lost their life out there, and the suggestion that their sacrifice was for profits, or oil, is unbearable." An Occupy Marines website interview goes on to say: "We Came Forward To Protect These Demonstrators Ability To Express Their Constitutional First Amendment Right And Witnessed Our Own Police Forces Being Deployed Against Americans For Exercising That Right. We Didn’t Serve For That, And We Will Not Stand For It Now. ... We Will Pursue Non-Violent Actions Against Any Agency That Looks To Harm American Citizens. These ESU Officers
Emergency Service Unit
The Emergency Service Unit is the multi-faceted and multi-talented element within municipal, county, or state authority law enforcement agency’s Special Operations command. ESU’s exist mainly in the regional New York City Area but includes several jurisdictions outside the region. ESU is also...
, We Have Identified Them, We Have The ESU Sheriff That Is Responsible For Critically Injuring Veteran Scott Olsen; We Will Pursue Legal Action Against This Officer And The Department For Excessive Use Of Force. We Also Intend On Pursuing Legal Action Against The Leadership Who Seek To Protect The Unlawful Actions Of Police Officers".
Other armed service Occupy groups
The U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force each have Occupy movements. There is also an Occupy Police organization.See also
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