First anniversary of Occupy Detroit

Today is the anniversary of Occupy Detroit's occupation of Campus Martius. Just as I marked the anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, I'm posting the links to my entries on the movement.

• Occupy Detroit begins today
• A video press release from Occupy Detroit
• The first day of Occupy Detroit
• The first week of Occupy Detroit
• Occupy Detroit in the Free Press yesterday
• An open letter to Occupy Detroit
• Occupy Detroit may have to move Monday
• This is why yesterday was Buy Nothing Day for me

As for what Occupy Detroit has been doing this year, the Detroit Free Press has this story from May.

Occupy Detroit has a home base for learning, organizing

With its comfy sofas, kitchen and sunlit windows, the brick building at 5900 Michigan Ave. in Detroit that opened this year could pass for a spacious café.

But a banner high on the wall that reads "We are the 99%" signifies this is a different type of place, one that's become the center for activists in metro Detroit. After leaving their encampment in Grand Circus Park in November, Occupy Detroit has found a new home in the heart of southwest Detroit.

Across the street from a grocery store, the two-floor 12,000-square-foot building with a tall ceiling was refurbished by activists and is a striking symbol of the movement's attempts to establish a solid base in the region for its activities. "OCCUPY," it reads on the windowpanes outside.

"We want to bring power back to the people," said Jessica Dawl, 26, a Hamtramck resident.

Also, the group still has an active website with a post about today's anniversary.

ANOTHER DETROIT IS POSSIBLE!

One year ago Occupy Detroit swept through downtown from the Spirit of Detroit to Grand Circus Park with over 1,000 attending through the day and evening. Speakers spoke and let us know a NEW WORLD IS POSSIBLE – what it would take is being engaged in the movement to bring it from spoken word to a life changing opportunity.

Last year on October 10 a host of people came to Spirit Of Hope Church to learn how to participate as the Occupy Movement came to Detroit. That first night our numbers exceeded the capacity of the church and the meeting moved outside.

ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 14, 2012

We celebrate, reflect, and discuss the evolving movement and how Version 2 of Occupy Detroit will launch. Lessons learned, issues fought and continuing at present will be discussed. Those engaged in action, making a difference in their lives and those they touch will share how a movement impacted their live over the past year and what the FUTURE holds in the PRESENT and beyond.

They may not be camping out, but they're still occupying.