Occupy Torrance

06/23/2023

We lost our gentle friend Steve Varalyay this week. For over 30 years, he was a constant presence in social justice efforts in LA. He was a foot soldier, and foot soldiers don't get statues. He worked as an adult ed teacher, and in recent years, was in a writers' group, writing short stories about ordinary people. Some of his stories were published, and so were his letters to the LA Times and the local papers.

The medical treatment of his recent lung condition was utterly negligent for months. (He had never smoked.) They never gave him a diagnosis or attempted to monitor his condition. Every six weeks or so, they drained liters of fluid from his lungs in a hospital outpatient or ER setting. Finally, his heart gave out. It is a bitter irony that he had been a Single Payer Healthcare advocate for over 30 years. (That's the context in which I met him.). His death is Exhibit A against a corporatist "healthcare" system. Not only does death come closer to home, but also the injustice that we rail against was inflicted on one of our own.

I'll keep you posted if there are plans for a remembrance gathering.

In reflection about Steve, and all of us
Toni

05/20/2021

With deep sadness we post the death of our member John Fortier. He died of cancer this week; he was 87. A Korean War veteran, John spent much of his life opposing wars. He stood on Hawthorne with us and had his own vigil on PCH in Redondo since before 9-11 in 2001. He taught both math and journalism in middle school and taught reading and math in adult school. In recent years volunteered to give adult reading classes at local libraries. John was at home with his wife of 68 years, Michele Fortier, and their sons and daughter. John was his own person, jocular, but always supportive and hopeful. We had much to learn from him and will miss him very much. Here he was at his vigil in Redondo.

10/14/2020

Here are a few links to get info about the voting process.

Most of us will probably want to vote by mail, but here is the link to find Vote Center locations:
https://locator.lavote.net/locations/vc?id=4193&culture=en
Enter your zip code for home or work. You can vote anywhere in LA Cty that is convenient for you.

Vote-by-mail ballot drop boxes
https://locator.lavote.net/locations/vbm?id=4193&culture=en
Enter your zip code or home address for home or work. In view of the false ballot drop-boxes placed by Repug saboteurs, I recommend you check this list first. The addresses of half a dozen closest options are provided when you enter the zip code.

Vote-by-mail status with ballot tracking:
https://www.lavote.net/av_inquiry
If you have already set up vote-by mail, you can enter your info and then submit. That gives you your status, for example "ballot sent to voter but not yet counted". You can then got to
https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/
and register to get updates on the counting of your ballot. It is a bit tricky entering all the info exactly like they want it; their birth date and phone number formats are different on different web pages. Don't panic if you have trouble proving you are not a robot. After a couple of tries, you will be allowed in. After you get registered to receive email and or text notifications, don't forget to log out in the upper right corner of the screen. I don't know if this registration is permanent or only for the current election. They provide this help if you have trouble with BallotTrax:

If you have any problems using BallotTrax, or with the information provided, please contact California by phone at (800) 345-8683 or by email at [email protected]

10/14/2020

Hi, you may know that the Women's March has organized rallies to defeat Trump, and change the disastrous course the nation has taken. You can find many events by entering your zip code here:
https://womensmarch.com/
Some events are:
Saturday, Oct 17 12:00pm -- In person:
Pershing Square. 532 S Olive St Los Angeles CA 90013
Torrance City Hall Campus, Torrance Blvd & Madrona Av

Several of us in Occupy Torrance feel it is helpful for us to be visible here in the right-leaning South Bay.

Also note virtual events:
Saturday, Oct 17 -- Virtual:
10:am downtown LA Zoom link to RSVP:
https://act.womensmarch.com/event/join-oct-17-march/18/?source=taf&referring_akid=.2078514.cGzgQH

Women across the country are responding to COVID-19. We are taking care of each other but we know our healing is also political.

08/25/2020

Hi again,
We have been joining other groups to support US Postal Workers and save our country from a voting shutdown by Trump. In an hour, at 11 am we will be at the Torrance Main Post Office, Go to:
https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/save-the-postal-service-aug-25-day-of-action?akid=1269.812632.uADk3H&amounts=5%2C20%2C50%2C100%2C250%2C500%2C1000&rd=1&source=em20200822-1269&t=1
to find a location nearest you.

On Tuesday, August 25, thousands of people will take action across America with one clear message – . The movement for our public Postal Service has three immediate demands of our elected officials and of Postmaster General DeJoy: Provide at least $25 billion in immediate support...

08/03/2020

Torrance has been notorious for its racism. An incident last weak came to national attention:
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/couple-arrested-on-suspicion-of-hate-crime-vandalism-after-video-captured-racist-confrontation-in-torrance/
The same images were also reported in the New York Daily News, which also provided the Torrance Police Department's twitter feed of this incident. Torrance PD seems to have improved its efforts against racism, but Torrance has a long way to go. In the 3 years prior to 2020, our PD caused the death of 6 people of color. Asian people in Torrance also worry about being blamed by local racists for the COVID catastrophe in our country. I hope we can hold racists accountable, yet still seek a path toward restorative justice and a new economic paradigm for all our people.

At this time, we are still keeping our vigil on hiatus.

A married couple was taken into custody Friday after a racist rant and act of vandalism in Torrance last week was caught on cellphone video. Gregory Howell, a 29-year-old from Carson, and Rachel Ho…

07/08/2020

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the usual day of our vigil. Again, it is best to cancel because of COVID risks. Newcomers to the vigil and passers-by may fail to wear masks, and this could cause problems for us. The incident a few weeks ago (involving a woman passer-by who fell into the street) may have been caused by a no-mask-issue. The 3 teachers in our group cannot afford the risk, as they need to interface with students and parents over the summer.

06/30/2020

Hi again, We needed to cancel tomorrow's vigil because of COVID risks. Several of our members must avoid risk of exposure because they interact with sensitive individuals who might become seriously ill. We'll update this page every Tuesday to let you know our status.

06/17/2020

Join the virtual Washington Poor People's Campaign this Saturday, June 20 at https://www.june2020.org/

While hundreds of millions of dollars have been sent to federal, state and local law enforcement during the pandemic, 20 million people still have not received their stimulus checks, 30 million people remain uninsured, 40 million people are unemployed, 50 million people will face hunger in the weeks ahead and 60 million people do not have living wages. We need transformative change now. Join us on June 20: June2020.org

Join us on June 20, 2020 for the Mass Poor People's Assembly & Moral March on Washington!