Mary DeCamp

Occupy Tucson

Tucson: It’s Time to Stop Ignoring the Homeless & Help Them (video)

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Occupy Tucson
Public Lands protest on the sidewalk in downtown Tucson during Occupy Tucson. (There is a person in that pile.)

For decades, Tucson has waffled between ignoring the homeless living on our streets and under bridges to over-policing them.

When I moved here in 1981, the politically correct term for Tucson’s homeless was “transient”.

The attitude was: They’re not ‘homeless’, and they’re not ‘bums’. They’re just passing through… transient. Ignore them, and they’ll go away.

Transients were seen by the populace and the local government as another inconvenient byproduct of warm winter weather. They’re like snowbirds and college students but without money, but our capitalistic society has no use for people without money.

By labeling the homeless “transients”, Tucson was able to turn a blind eye toward them. Over the years, Tucson tried to make itself more inhospitable by passing laws prohibiting aggressive panhandling and ending street corner sales of newspapers. Really… we just wanted them to go away, so we wouldn’t have to feel guilty about inaction. With the rise of Safe Park homeless encampment downtown, I fear another round of over-policing is coming, since the city is appealing a court order protecting Safe Park as a free speech protest. For the back story and ideas for the future, keep reading.

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Local Tucson Activists complete Great March for Climate Action

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Press release from Tucsonans John Jorgensen and Mary DeCamp:

Two local environmental activists just completed an eight month walk across America to raise awareness and to encourage action on our changing climate.  The trek of over 3,000 miles brought together young and old walkers, with ages ranging from 3 to 83 years old.  Tucsonans  John Jorgensen, a retired science teacher, and Mary DeCamp, Tucson’s 2011 Green Party Mayoral candidate, walked with the group.

The Great March for Climate Action set out amid torrential downpours in Los Angeles, CA on March 1, 2014 on their path to Washington, DC, walking and camping along the route.  The group typically numbered around 40, though 350 different individuals registered to walk at various times along the way and thousands followed the progress online as virtual Marchers.

The traveling band averaged about 15 miles a day, following a path that took them through the drought-stricken southwest, along the route of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, and through the heart of fracking operations in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  They met with citizens in the communities they crossed where the locals hosted rallies, pot-lucks, discussion groups, presentations, and parties.

Many nights were spent camping in tents, especially in the west where national parks are common.  In more populous areas, churches, schools, and community centers opened their doors to house the sleepy Marchers.   Waterless, chemical-free eco-commodes were towed along to service Marchers needing restroom breaks.  A large truck carried the tents, camping gear, and clothing for the walkers, and another smaller truck was outfitted with a refrigerator, water tanks, camp stoves, food, and cooking utensils to serve as a kitchen.  A solar generator provided the electricity needed to power the refrigerator, phones, computers, and other electronics used on the Climate March.

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Former Mayoral candidate Mary DeCamp to march to Washington, D.C. for climate action

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Carolyn’s note: I did publish this earlier on Feb. 26 in the previous Blog for Arizona site (but it disappeared into cyberspace when we switched to this new platform, so I’m re-posting.)

The Great March for Climate Action starts TODAY on March 1, 2014, in Los Angeles.
From http://climatemarch.org/:

climateaction.
“The goal of the Great March for Climate Action is to change the heart and mind of the American people, our elected leaders and people across the world to act now to address the climate crisis.
On March 1, 2014, hundreds of climate patriots will set out from Los Angeles, CA, walking 3,000 miles across America to Washington, DC, inspiring action to resolve the climate crisis. This will be one of the largest coast-to-coast marches in American history.
Marchers will be expected to adhere to a strict code of non-violence according to the principles employed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. An addendum that explains this in greater detail will be provided before the march starts next year. Also, we will provide mandatory non-violence training at the start of the March.
The March seeks to build the broadest possible public consensus and is focused strictly on the climate crisis. Marchers will, of course, have their own personal stories and perspectives. However, it is important that we stick to the core message, in unison, with our words, signs and public presentations.
We plan to govern the March through a “city council” of marchers elected by marchers. At times, we will employ a “town meeting” style of governance involving the entire marcher community, with a simple majority vote to make a decision”.

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‘Ray Theon, where are you?’: Tucson bride seeks corporate master for domination

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Tucson bride051by Pamela Powers Hannley

In tough times, even the most independent woman may find herself turning to traditional feminine tactics to secure her financial future– like marrying a sugar daddy.

And what better sugar daddy could a woman find than a corporate person? As reported earlier by this blogger, seven New York City brides married and pledged allegiance to seven corporate masters… er… grooms on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, January 19, the third anniversary of the Citizens United decision by the US Supreme Court.

Occupy Tucson activist and former mayoral candidate Mary DeCamp had hoped to find her corporate master– Ray Theon— at the federal building in downtown Tucson on Friday, but alas the lovely bride and her "father" (pictured here) were disappointed when the groom didn't show. (Did "Ray" think he was not worthy of Mary when he saw her "father" holding the "Corporations are not people" sign?)

According to DeCamp, she searched around the federal building and the Bank of America building for "Ray" but couldn't find him. 

"Excuse me sir, you look very corporate, are you a corporation?  I hear corporations are 'persons' now, and they have free speech," DeCamp asked passersby.  "I want to find one, hopefully Ray Theon, who will marry me and make me a rich bride. Yoo Hoo, Raaaay!  Ray Theon!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!  I want to get married now." 

Approximately 24 activists from Move to Amend, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILF), Occupy All Streets, Code Pink, Raging Grannies, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson were on hand to help DeCamp find a corporate person to own and dominate her for the rest of her life. More photos after the jump.