Another Occupy Martinez Action Scheduled For This Afternoon

A group of people from Occupy Martinez, Move On.org and various local labor unions will meet tomorrow in front of the post office on Alhambra Avenue to “show Congress that we just can’t take it any more,” according to a release from local union activist Cheryll Grover.

“We are declaring an economic emergency,” she said. “Our bridges and schools and infrastructure are crumbling around us while the Congress can’t pass simple jobs bills.”

The action comes two days after a handful of people calling themselves Occupy Martinez stood in front of the Shell Refinery on Pacheco Boulevard and held up signs railing against corporate greed.

The action comes at a delicate time for the Occupy movement, which has been evicted from parks and other outdoor venues over the past two days. It is not certain how the movement will respond to the evictions as yet.

Grover said that the middle class is in danger of disappearing as government workers, teachers and fire fighters continue to lose their jobs.

“For every job lost, there is another family hit so hard as to be forced into foreclosure or drastic measures to survive at home,” she said. “And with every foreclosure our economies are hit  yet again, by additional revenue failures whent hose taxes are not paid on the foreclosed properties to our county, and taxes on our wages to our federal government. The intention is to destroy our government so it can be open to privatization on all fronts.”

Grover pointed to Chevron Refinery in Richmond as an example of a corporation she said was not playing fair with society.

“After raking in $150 Billion in profits nationally in 2011, Chevron is filing tax appeals in Contra Costa County for the return of $100 million,” she said. “If Chevron wins its tax appeal, all of Contra Costa County-its cities, communities, schools, and public safety agencies-will suffer tremendous damage.”

She said eliminating government jobs was “a direct and intentional goal of corporate greed to thereby eliminate government’s ability to regulate corporations, especially as it relates to the environment and the surrounding community.”

So Grover and her fellow union workers and Occupy members will meet in front of the UFCW Union Hall at 4121 Alhambra Avenue today at 4 p.m., and in front of the post office across the street. They will attempt to get their message out to people leaving town for the day, and those people coming home.

Tell us what you think of this demonstration in the comments. Will you support this action?