West

Run on the Banks in Vancouver

VANCOUVER-On Saturday, October 24, the people at Occupy Vancouver moved from the eternal process of the general assembly to the exciting world of direct action.

The "Run on the Banks" action marks an escalation on an occupation that's been busy building infrastructure. This was not an official Occupy Vancouver action but an offshoot, as stated on occupy Vancouver's twitter account.

About a thousand trouble makers made their way through the streets of Downtown Vancouver with the intention to occupy corporate banks and encourage folks to close their accounts.

And that they did. This Royal Bank of Canada was the first target, with about 50 people jamming the lobby while some withdraw their cash.

At the Bank of Montreal people shut down their account and moved to other options.

But the cherry on top was the Occupation of TD, or Toronto Dominion Bank, right next to the Occupy Vancouver camp at the Art Gallery. A home stereo was cranked to the max and the people rocked out on top of teller desks and furniture.

An idea was floated around to continue occupying through the night, but the group could not reach consensus, and the process ultimately disrupted the party.

The police quietly moved in and occupied the spots where tellers once stood to protect their corporate masters. Finally the group decided to move out en-masse and avoid arrest.

This piece was originally produced for the Vancouver Media Co-op. Franklin López is a Vancouver based filmmaker and creator of Submedia.tv.

Oil Gateway

Stop the Flows is the working title for subMedia.TV's next project. Over the next five years we will document resistance movements that are working towards stopping the flows of hydro carbons, mineral extraction, natural resources and capital, through grassroots and underground organizing. We will publish our dispatches as we complete them with the goal of compiling them into a feature length documentary to be released on 2016.

In this dispatch we look at how members of the Unis’toten nation are pre-empting the construction of 4 pipelines through their traditional territories

To help make these reports a reality, please visit STOPTHEFLOWS.com

For more background on BC's oil infrastructure visit the links below:

Aboriginal groups in Canada challenge tar sands projects

Grassroots Gathering to Resist Proposed Pipelines

In BC, Pipes Spell Double Trouble

This video report was originally published by the Vancouver Media Co-op

Vancouver Stands Against Child Apprehensions

On Tuesday August 3rd, dozens of Vancouverites, led by the DTES Power of Women Group, held a protest outside the office of the Ministry of Child and Family Development. Members of the Vancouver Media Co-op filed this report.

Camera: Juliet Belmas, Susan Neeves.

Editing: Dawn Paley.