GVConsulting

The following piece was written by Matt Gonzalez, and discusses in detail how Fred Bekele won a parking garage contract in San Francisco, only to have it taken away.

In the summer of 2007, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) hired consultant Barbara Chance to address multiple issues concerning the city’s management and award of public contracts for city-owned parking facilities. The MTA was concerned that, among other things, the city was not maximizing the revenues it could derive from parking facilities, and that locally owned businesses were being denied entry into the competitive world of public parking contracts.

Also, concerns that parking garage contracts were being awarded amid charges of influence peddling were prevalent.

On June 19, 2007, Ms. Chance, a nationally recognized expert in parking, transportation and access management, presented her recommendations, which included a plan for revising the process for contract bidding to enable a more open and competitive process.

Read more here: Why Bother Bidding?

Young Protestor, Peace of the Action (POTA), Obomba Residence, July 4, 2010 from gregory vickrey on Vimeo.

“There is something abnormal here, and it sure as hell isn’t me.”

When I grabbed the bull horn to speak in the heat of Washington, DC, on the 4th of July, 2010, those were the first words out of my mouth.

Frustration made the oppressive heat and more oppressive city all the more so. When I first arrived near the White House, in Lafayette Park, a Secret Service blue-shirt shouted, then screamed, then shouted again, for me to “move back, move away!”, as I was apparently encroaching on sacred ground during the arrival of some esteemed BBQ guest. I meandered a bit amongst the tourists gawking at the gates to the hallowed halls of the presidential palace, smiling for the cameras, and standing oblivious to oblivion.

The circus continued and eventually I connected with colleagues and friends of POTA. There were so few of us, and I lamented in my head about the movements for peace, for civil justice, for health care. I muttered the Declaration of Independence preamble to myself, and thought of the Bill of Rights. I spoke aloud to a passing stranger, “Epic fail.”

Those of us who could ‘legally’ assemble on the White House walk grasped signs, recording equipment and the bull horn. We rose up for ourselves, for the movement, for the soldiers, for Afghanis, for Iraqis, for ecological systems, for you, for generations. We spoke to the obvious nature of corporate control and the obnoxious behavior of the powers that be. And we observed the people along the walk shunning us, posing instead for their most congenial photos with their best statist smiles.

The bomb threat came next; you did not hear about it through mainstream media because it was a fraud, perpetuated by your United States government.

First we were told we could not assemble – our bodies had to stay in motion. Mere minutes later a young man with a backpack and a guitar strolled through and as he spoke with rank authorities the message from the bull horn became righteous and powerful. The young man then moved to the edge of the walk, mumbled something, and immediately we were told to shut it down and get out of the park.

Amazing how that works, is it not? Read that last paragraph again.

The aggression from the agents in charge was directed towards us, not in dealing with a supposed bomb threat. As I moved slowly through the park I asked a relatively relaxed agent if, indeed, there was a bomb threat. He casually replied, “mmhmm.”

This was not an evacuation of any sort; it was a trampling of rights to assemble and to speak freely. You see, we were disturbing the BBQ and birthday celebration with the truth.

Just outside of the park, opposite the festivities at the Big House, we continued speaking and flyering and expressing other rights as provided in the Constitution; yet, again, we ruffled too many feathers and were forced to cross the street, and our “free speech zone” was officially a quarter mile away from the one man who needed to listen to us.

Oppression. Frustration. Epic fail.

Dripping with sweat, yet cold-hearted under the glares of people disgusted, ambivalent, or ignorant of our collective purpose, I took the mic and I roared. For several minutes I stormed and shouted and raved, and with each breath I listened for an echo from the masses walking by.

Only silence.

My stump-speech ended with a quote from the greatest truth-teller I know: “Turn on to politics, or politics will turn on you.” And I said it twice, because I swear by that statement.

Silence.

If it were not for POTA, no one would have heard. If it were not for POTA, my shoulders would have sunk. If it were not for POTA, I would have been alone in those words, and in that moment.

Where were you at 5pm on Sunday, 4th of July, 2010?

—–

Later that evening I returned to the White House. Of course, once POTA had dispersed for the day, the placated masses were allowed back in the park at Caesar’s door step. They had nothing to say, and only flash bulbs to burn.

A young girl, not yet three, walked with me. She was determined to protest.

“Protest! Protest! Fight the Power! Fight the Power!” she chanted along the walk.

“Yes, but what are you protesting?” I asked.

“Bad gas. BP. Bad people.” she stated matter-of-factly.

Fist-pump.

I had my echo.

The following piece appeared in OpEd News and was written by friend and colleague Kevin Zeese of Prosperity Agenda.

Independent Media, Independent Political Movements and Independent Electoral Activity is the Path to the Paradigm Shifting Change America Needs

If I had to pick one word for Americans who want real change, it would be independence.

Not only because the United States was founded on the idea of independence but because those of us who work to try and change the country for the better and have studied American history have learned this has always been the critical ingredient for real change.

First, we need independent media. Web based outlets like this one are a critical ingredient to the success of advocacy efforts. Like so many businesses in the United States, the media is controlled by concentrated group of corporations. A handful of companies own all the hundreds of television stations on your cable TV. The same is true of radio stations. More and more newspapers are part of syndicates. These conglomerates has resulted in homogenized that only reports a concentrated corporate perspective.

The media does not report on the incredible activism taking place all around the country. They don’t want America to have another Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Ralph Nader and so many others who in the past helped to move the United States in part because the media reported on their activities. Now we only hear about corporate CEO’s and elected officials elected due to corporate donations otherwise it is sports stars and entertainment. The truth is there is more activism and organizing going on than even those of us working for change realize. If you attended the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit this month you could see it at least 12,000 people attended, almost all were parts of organizations representing many more people, each working on a range of issues from housing and banking, to peace and criminal justice people working to transform the American economy and political system. Did the media report on this conference? Does the media report on the movements these people are part of?

This leads me to the second area of independence we need independent political movements. Throughout history it has been independent movements that made paradigm shifting change happen. Woodrow Wilson worked to prevent women from getting the right to vote. Leading suffragists were jailed and tortured during his presidency for protesting outside the White House. But in the end, woman got the right to vote while he was president. LBJ was a member of a political party dominated by southern segregationists. They opposed African American voting, ending Jim Crow, blacks and whites living together, going to school together, eating in the same restaurants but LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act because an organized, independent civil rights movement demanded it. Richard Nixon, a war hawk did not want to end the Vietnam War admitting defeat of the U.S. military. He was forced to by a persistent and independent anti-war movement that criticized both political parties for their support of the war. The peace movement and the people in Vietnam resisting U.S. aggression forced Nixon to end the war.

The Obama era has shown many Americans that advocacy groups that work hand in glove with the Democratic Party sell out their base and claim false victories. A prime example is the health care bill. This “reform” protected the status quo health care dominated by private insurance was the problem before reform and remains the problem. The bill will result in hundreds of billions of dollars going to the insurance industry every year in tax payer subsidies and Americans being forced to buy their flawed corporate products. The cost of health insurance was not controlled, tens of millions will be left without insurance ten years from now and every regulation of the insurance industry in the law contains a poison pill that protects the insurance industry. The coalition, Health Care for America Now, spent tens of millions of dollars, donated by donors allied with the Democratic Party, to support the Democratic leadership bill. It was a sell out of their constituents who needed real reform. Americans will not receive better health care, health care will devour more and more of the GDP, and deficit spending by government will continue because of a fraudulent “reform” that preserved market dominated health care. This is happening on issue after issue corporations win, the people lose, and organizations supposedly working for the peoples necessities claim victory while selling Americans out.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Americans need to declare their independence from two parties dominated by concentrated corporate power. Both parties take tens of millions from big business interests every year, elected officials, their staff members and sometimes their spouses profit going to work for corporations they “regulate” in the revolving door between government and concentrated corporate interests, receiving big checks for serving on their boards and feeding off the trough of crony capitalism.

This is not a new problem for America. Big business interests have always dominated government and the two parties have consistently represented status quo business interests, but throughout our history we have seen the people transform the government by creating independent political movements that challenged the two parties.

When the most valuable industry in the United States was slavery, the two parties the Democrats and the Whigs conspired to ensure that abolition of slavery would not be considered in Congress. The Democrats, dominated by slave holding plantation owners, and the Whigs, dominated by Northern industrialists who profited from cheap cotton, did not want to see slavery end. More than a hundred years of abolition advocacy was unsuccessful in breaking the grip of two parties whose political power came from slavery. Some of those who opposed slavery decided to challenge the two status quo parties. They formed abolition parties and ran to end slavery. They were called spoilers just as Ralph Nader is called a spoiler for challenging the corporate parties today but they ran and ran. They never won. But gradually the Whig Party weakened. Finally, the abolitionists evolved into the Republican Party and the most successful third party president in history, Abraham Lincoln, was elected president and slavery finally ended.

Looking back at this history would you have voted for either one of the slave parties? Or, would you have voted to end slavery even though your candidate had no chance of winning?

Look at many of the major paradigm shifts in history farmers fighting banks that were foreclosing on them, workers not allowed to unionize and forced to work long, unsafe hours, the creation of Social Security, health care for the poor, ending child labor the list goes on and on. All of these major changes in American history were first brought into the electoral arena by independent electoral efforts.

The government is dysfunctional today. It is unable to deal with pressing problems facing the country. People are losing their homes, declaring bankruptcy, dying from lack of health care, suffering from endless wars but elected officials are stuck in inaction or fake action that protects the status quo. Independent politics means recognizing we have two corporate dominated parties and that we need to have at least one party not dominated by concentrated corporate interests in order to make progress on the urgent necessities of the American people. Independent politics does not necessarily mean winning elections, at least not right away. It may mean that the greater evil gets elected an evil that will fund war and dole out taxpayer dollars to corporate interests much like the lesser evil will do. But the path to paradigm shifting change has always included people willing to fight in the electoral arena even if they lost the election. These parties lost the election, but won the argument and in the end won real reform.

It is becoming more and more evident to Americans that the issue of the day is concentrated corporate power. We are in the midst of a major paradigm shift that will end corporatism the combination of government and concentrated corporations working for their interest and not ours. Will you continue to vote for one of the corporatist parties? Or, will you do as our ancestors did and create the paradigm shift we need by challenging the powers that be.

So, on Independence Day remember the roots of the United States declaring independence from the most power imperial power of the day, remember Americans throughout history challenging two parties that protected the status quo and look at the lessons of the last year when the lack of independence has only led to change that corporations can believe in.

This weekend Declare Your Independence and work for the real change we need.

Kevin Zeese is director of ProsperityAgenda.US and VotersForPeace.US.

This comes to us from Peace of the Action:

SIZZLIN’ SUMMER – JULY PROTEST SCHEDULE
(Washington, DC – July 4th through July 17th, 2010)

INDEPENDENCE FROM OIL DAY!!!

No more wars for oil and natural resources! No more polluting our sea, air and landfills! BOYCOTT BP!!!

July 4th (Sunday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 1pm
– group to flyer, bullhorn in Lafayette Park and in front of the White House until dark
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

NO ILLEGAL/IMMORAL DRONES!!!

For this week, Peace of the Action will primarily be targeting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle display (educating the public about the horrific toll UAVs take) and drone manufacturers and lobbyists. (The Free Gaza/Free Palestine action has been inserted into this week because of the recent announcement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House.)

July 5th (Monday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to protest at White House against coming pre-emptive American/Israeli attack on Iran
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 6th (Tuesday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to (TBA) location for FREE PALESTINE! protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 7th (Wednesday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to Congress and protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 8th (Thursday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to General Atomics and protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 9th (Friday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and protest until 3pm
– possible special action TBA
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

WEEKEND:

July 10th (Saturday):
– ONE DC Block Party “ONE RIGHT TO LAND” (optional)

July 11th (Sunday):
– Day off! Rest and relaxation.

COUNTER-RECRUITMENT:

For this week, we will be targeting recruiting centers and defense contractors and lobbyists—and we will do some special “lobbying” of our own on Capitol Hill. (The POTA DC Trial has been inserted into this week because of the recent scheduling by the court.)

July 12th (Monday):
– Peace of the Action DC Trial
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 13th (Tuesday):
– Peace of the Action DC Trial
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

or (trial may be one day or two. so we have two options this day.)

– meet in Lafayette Park at 9am
– group to move together to Military Recruiting Station (TBA) and protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 14th (Wednesday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to Military Recruiting Station (TBA) and protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 15th (Thursday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to move together to War Profiteer (TBA) and protest until 3pm
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

July 16th (Friday):
– meet in Lafayette Park (North Side of White House) at 9am
– group to flyer, bullhorn in LaFayette Park and in front of the White House
– evening to post protest pics, videos and articles to Internet

WEEKEND:

July 17th (Saturday):
– POTA Retreat (location TBA 2pm to 5pm)

This will be an intense think tank session on the future of Peace of the Action and the future of anti-war protests in the U.S. With small numbers, where should our limited resources be focused? We have to dream up an entire movement based on very low numbers and very limited funds—bring your creative solutions and a positive attitude that a better world is possible!

– POTA Dinner/Rally (possible picnic Lafayette Park)

July 18th (Sunday):
– depart DC

(DAILY SCHEDULES OPEN TO CHANGE. STAY TUNED THROUGHOUT EVENT WEEKS FOR UPDATES.)

——————————————————————————————————————-

IMPORTANT INFO FOR SUMMER POTA

HOUSING (FLOOR SPACE & SHOWERS) WILL ONCE AGAIN BE PROVIDED AT ST. STEPHEN’S CHURCH (WIRELESS INTERNET IS AVAILABLE AT THE CHURCH)
1525 NEWTON ST, NW
(CORNER OF 16TH AND NEWTON)

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH ARE UP TO THE PARTICIPANT AND POTA WILL PROVIDE DINNER EACH NIGHT AT THE CHURCH (from FOOD NOT BOMBS!).

TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARK AND TO EVENTS IS UP TO EACH PARTICIPANT. BUSES AND/OR METRO (RAIL) STOPS ARE LOCATED CLOSE BY. WE WILL BE TRAVELING TO EVENTS AS A GROUP AND THE EVENTS SHOULD NOT BE TOO FAR FROM LAFAYETTE PARK.

POTA BELIEVES THAT CIVIL RESISTANCE IS THE CORE OF TRUE CHANGE, BUT ONLY IF THE NUMBERS ARE SUFFICIENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. SO, SINCE OUR NUMBERS ARE SMALL, CIVIL RESISTANCE WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT BE A PART OF SUMMER POTA—EDUCATION AND MOVEMENT BUILDING WILL BE OUR MAIN FOCUS.

LAFAYETTE PARK WILL BE OUR MAIN CONVERGENCE SPACE FOR THE TWO WEEKS

EVENINGS WILL BE RESERVED FOR THE POTA CORE TEAM TO BLOG AND POST VIDEO AND DO OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS—IF YOU ARE A VIDEOGRAPHER OR BLOGGER, WE COULD USE YOUR HELP—USING ONLINE TOOLS WILL BE THE KEY TO MOVEMENT BUILDING

DRINK LOTS OF WATER—JULY IN DC IS HOT, HOT, HOT!

We know that there are likely more, but these are ones Karyn Strickler and I have personally vetted. Please help them by any means necessary. This list is in no particular order.

PLEASE SHARE FAR AND WIDE. Help one, help all:

http://www.Peaceoftheaction.org

http://www.southernenvironment.org/about/top_10_2010

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gregory-Vickrey/40416433278?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=219721254423&ref=ts

http://climategroundzero.org/about-us/

http://www.ohvec.org/join/index.html#donate

http://www.climatestrategies.us/support.cfm

http://www.forestcouncil.org/join/

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/476/t/1173/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=761&track=w9home

https://secureusa.greenpeace.org/securedonate3/index.php?from=donatenav

http://www.commondreams.org/donate

http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/Donations.html

http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/n30-day-of-action/donate-support-funds/

https://secure.avaaz.org/act/?r=donate〈=en

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1312/t/6849/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=3630

http://gregoryvickrey.com/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=159256783275&ref=ts

http://www.singlepayeraction.org

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org

http://www.seashepherd.org

http:/www.tongassconservation.org

If there are any groups you should be added, please let us know. If there are groups you believe need to be more scrutinized, let us know that as well. Your wishes to add to this organic list to improve it is paramount as a source for change.

(and I will add more direct links later)

Thanks,

Karyn and Gregory

Enjoy our initial list of activities that will drive change in an ever increasing difficult environment to bring about justice and peace and prosperity for all. We will be adding references for these selections soon. Spread the word, friends; 2010 is upon us and time slows for no man or woman.

New year, stronger fronts. Here we begin a list of things to do in 2010 to bring monumental change to the systems that are holding down “we, the people”. Add your ideas. We will compile the one’s slated to have the most impact, and act accordingly. I, and others, can also add resources as we go along.

1. Refuse to pay your income taxes this – and every – year, until systemic change is realized.

2. Remove your money from the big banks that meddle in everything from investment scams to insurance fraud, and re-invest those dollars in community credit unions (nonprofits).

3. Compile a list of nonprofits you have donated to recently. Send that list to us at NAR. Here, we will analyze it, and send you notice back about where your money really goes.

4. If you invest, or consider investing in the new year, speak with Gregory Vickrey.

Greetings Friends,

While I had a productive and enjoyable time in DC thanks to colleagues and proactive friends ready to deal with the messes our country faces, alarm bells continued to ring from every block I walked, and every train I hopped.

First, drinking from a glass half full, I would like to thank my hosts in Columbia Heights who let me ramble on about leftism as well as sleep in their comfortable environs. You all at the Peace House are good people.

Further, it was a joy to be able to interact with Amy Belanger (she is on Facebook but I do not know how to tag her – feel free to search for her among my friends), as we are like-minded souls in search for measurable solutions to the goings on in this world with the express intent to improve the global condition.

Other visits to organizations and with the scattered individual were likewise inspiring.

But let there be no mistake: Washington DC is corporate occupied territory. The machine guns blocking entrances to parking zones next to congressional offices attest to the fear the government (OUR government) has for us “average citizens”. The culture of intimidation permeates nearly every street of import, and acknowledges that this is no longer America the Free.

We have a lot of work to do to bring the power brokers to heel and back in line with where we, the American public, would like to go. Unpopular wars, half-assed attempts at reforming healthcare, a tax code no one can understand except for the corporate attorneys looking for (and finding) loopholes, are just a few of the examples of the outright extortion of the American public one can view visiting with just a small segment of the DC community.

The beltway is corrupt, and that means our country is complicit in this corruptness.

It is time we all pay attention, and take action.

While my one man visit may make an impact for a day or two, we need to coalescence into thousands in DC and millions across the country, regardiess of partisanship, and take our country back from the rich, out-of touch cronies that propagate the White House, the Senate, the Congress, and the administrations that convolute laws and space and time to suit their greatest benefactors – those corporations that hold no vote, and are constitutionally prohibited from exerting any powers.

If we do not do it, who will?

Peace and strength and fortitude be with you in our collective march towards a just world.

This afternoon, GVC negotiated and closed its first major financial arrangement with a large investor.  The deal guarantees an initial nonprofit investment of 15%, with an additional 15% of profits generated going to nonprofits on a quarterly basis. The deal will utilize 75% as venture capital for socially responsible companies, further enabling commercial interests that put communities and global well-being first.

More details to come soon!

Greetings, and welcome to the website of GVConsulting, a pro-active consulting firm serving your needs in the nonprofit, small business, and political realms.

Please feel free to comment or seek advice by posting to our blog, or by contacting us directly via email.

We look forward to working with you to establish new paradigms in your focus area.

Take care – Gregory Vickrey