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bookmark_borderOccupy Philadelphia Events for the Week

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PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Occupy Philly movement posts their calender for November 2 – 9, 2012:

Sunday December 2nd, 3pm – Strike Debt Philly! Meeting – Wooden Shoe Books – 704 South St – Strike Debt Philly is a local chapter of a growing movement to confront and resist all forms of debt. For more information on Strike Debt and to download a copy of the Debt Resistors’ Operations Manual, visit: StrikeDebt.org You can join our email list at https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/strikedebtphilly-announce and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StrikeDebtPhilly. Please join us at one of our weekly meetings, and be on the lookout for upcoming teach-ins, debtors assemblies and other street actions!

Please join us for our second, monthly Interfaith Working Group support group and potluck supper in West Philly (191434) from 6-8 PM. Contact Amy at aokietzman@aol.com for full details. Please bring some good, simple vegetarian food to share. We will be meeting regularly on the first Sunday of the month to share a simple meal, to share whats on our hearts, as well as any projects we are doing. Prayers, songs and short scripture readings may also be shared as the spirit moves. We remain open to the possibility that projects may arise in the future that we may all want to collaborate on.

Monday December 3rd, 6:30pm – Friends Center – 1501 Cherry St – Movie Mondays hosted by the Envision Peace Museum. Movies will the first Monday of Each month from October – December. The last film in the series will the short film “The Story of Stuff”, followed by the feature film “Affluenza”. This feature length documentary explores the high social costs of materialism and overconsumption

It’s on! The DEBATE is on! Mon., 12/3, 6 pm Temple University Gladfelter Hall (11th & Berks), Room 107. Free Admission to a debate between Dr. Anthony Monteiro and Attorney Michael Coard on the topics of “President Obama: Sell-Out, Savior, Neither, or Both?” and “Real Social Change: Through Revolution or Reform?” Check out the Radio Courtroom show on Wednesday AND Sunday at noon on WURD 900-AM for details. www.900amwurd.com. (Sponsored by ATAC 215-552-8751)

Tuesday, December 4th: Tools and Analytics for Understanding Usage of Your Website – As 2012 comes to a close, why not take stock of who’s visiting your website, and learn to track — and respond to — your website usage in 2013? Our next Philly Net Tuesday will focus on helping you do just that. We’ll gather at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, on Net Tuesday, December 4. Join us for light refreshments and networking at 6:00P, and the program will begin at 6:20. Can’t make it to downtown Philly? Watch the live Internet stream at http://phillynetsquared.org/live, and share your comments and questions via Twitter with the hashtag #phlnet2. Your website and Google are the first stop your stakeholders make to find out about, contribute to, or get involved with your organization or cause. Learn how to understand what drives visitors to your website, what keeps them there, how much you’re drawing from social media, and what inspires them to transform their involvement from “passive bystander” to volunteer, donor, or outspoken advocate.
Nathan Gasser and Andrew Sather will lead a discussion and hands-on demonstration of Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools — two free, complimentary services that help organizations learn more about their visitors, boost their online visibility, and gain insights about how they can improve the user experience. We’ll dig into what both tools have to offer your nonprofit, how you can start using them right away, and what to do with the data once you’ve collected it. (We’ll also touch upon some tools from non-Google sources.) This session will respond to the needs of the group. Whether you’re coming from a marketing/outreach angle or a technical perspective, and whether you’ve never heard of these tools before or have been using them for years. Important: We’re looking for websites for special attention. If you have a website with Google Analytics installed for more than a year, we want your help (and to help you!). We’re seeking a volunteer willing to open up their Google Analytics account to the crowd and to our presenters during Net Tuesday. We’ll analyze how visitors use your site and suggest ideas to improve usability, accomplish your online goals, and get to know your users a little better. If interested, please fill in this form. RSVP’s via Meetup or Facebook are appreciated for planning purposes, but not required. Thanks to the American Friends Service Committee for sponsorship.

Thursday December 6th, 7pm – Wooden Shoe Books – 704 South St – At its core, Spit and Passion is about the transformative moment when music crashes into a stifling adolescent bedroom and saves you. Suddenly, you belong. At twelve years old, Cristy C. Road is struggling to balance tradition in a Cuban Catholic family with her newfound queer identity, and begins a chronic obsession with the punk band Green Day. In this stunning graphic biography, Road renders the clash between her rich inner world of fantasy and the numbing suburban conformity she is surrounded by. She finds solace in the closet—where she lets her deep excitement about punk rock foment, and finds in that angst and euphoria a path to self-acceptance. -Cristy C. Road is a young Cuban American artist and writer from Miami; she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has reached cult status for work that captures the beauty of the imperfect.

Friday December 7th, 7pm – Wooden Shoe Books – 704 South St – How do we develop and evaluate effective tactics and sound strategies? Effective tactics are essential to any organizing effort. As part of sound strategies, they make goals attainable. During this presentation, we’ll explore how effectics tactics and sound strategies are formed systematically. We’ll also explore the importance of context in forming theories and plans. The presentation will conclude with the introduction of a project that is likely to change the way organizing is done in Philly and perhaps beyond. Presented by local autonomist organizer Lucid Strike.

Events listed here include Occupy Philly related events as well as other social justice events. For more updates be sure to check the Occupy Philadelphia Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OccupyPhiladelphia. Your support is greatly appreciated!

bookmark_borderScheme to Steal Public Assistance Benefits

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HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — Agents from the Attorney General’s Public Corruption Unit have arrested a former employee from a Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) office in Philadelphia who is accused of orchestrating a scheme to steal more than $330,000 in public assistance payments.

Attorney General Linda Kelly identified the defendant as Kyshima D. Montgomery, 23, of 2934 North Judson St., Philadelphia.

Kelly said that evidence and testimony concerning the theft of state welfare benefits was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the charges that were filed today. Kelly also noted this is an active and ongoing investigation and additional arrests are anticipated.

“This is a disturbing scheme to corrupt the public assistance system for personal gain by diverting massive amounts of taxpayer funds from their intended purpose, aiding Pennsylvania residents who are struggling to feed and support their families,” Kelly said.

According to the grand jury, Montgomery used her position as a clerk at the DPW’s Philadelphia County West District Office to place tens-of-thousands of dollars in additional cash benefits into the accounts of numerous friends, associates and other individuals, without proper authorization.

Kelly said that most of the extra payments were in the form of “One Time Issuances,” which are intended to assist recipients with additional expenses, such as job training, books or fees. Montgomery allegedly transferred these additional funds into the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts of the targeted individuals, allowing the money to be withdrawn with an EBT card, which functions much like a bank debit card.

The grand jury found that Montgomery withdrew the majority of the extra funds for her own use before turning the EBT cards over to the other participants in this scheme. Many of the co-conspirators understood they were receiving additional benefits, often improperly – typically several hundred dollars in extra funds – but most were not aware that Montgomery was allegedly using their accounts to funnel thousands of dollars to herself.

Kelly said that between December 2010 and May 2011, Montgomery allegedly made $235,648 in unauthorized payments to various EBT accounts, much of which was withdrawn as cash using various ATM’s and bank branches in Philadelphia.

Additionally, Montgomery is accused of transferring an additional $104,310 to other EBT accounts, but those funds were frozen by the Department of Public Welfare before the money could be withdrawn.

Montgomery is charged with 17 counts of theft by deception, one count of criminal attempted theft by deception, 18 counts of criminal use of a communications facility, 18 counts of unlawful use of a computer and 14 counts of criminal conspiracy, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

Montgomery is also charged with one count of theft by deception and one count of criminal conspiracy, both first-degree misdemeanors which are each punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 fines.

Montgomery will be prosecuted in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo of the Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Section.

Kelly noted this arrest involving the theft of DPW benefits in Philadelphia comes only weeks after agents from the Attorney General’s Office arrested two former caseworkers from Delaware County who were charged with stealing nearly $300,000 in a similar public assistance fraud scheme.

Kelly thanked the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General for their cooperation and assistance with these continuing investigations.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)