The International Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil was held at City Hall on November 20, 2011. The event remembers people who have been murdered due to anti-transgender prejudice. The event honors those who have been killed and raises public awareness of hate crimes. More information about the event can be found at transgenderdor.org and through the Transgender Education Network of Texas at transtexas.org.

Photo: The Theraphy Sisters perform "Color Esperanza/Color of Hope" by Lopez/Sorokin/Torres

On the first of December, a march issued forth from McPherson Square, bound for a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The fundriaser was a dinner with a minimum "donation" of $5,000 and a maximum of $75,000.

The Washington Post give credit for an estimate of 100 protesters, and the front door of the 15th st office building where the fundraiser was in progress was essentially blocked off by a crescent of protesters for about 1/2 hour, maybe a bit more. During this protest, one person managed to get up to a third floor window with a sign reading "Housing is a Human Right."

Read More & Photos | Video | Audio: Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD)

From occupyphillymedia.org: This report includes updates from Occupy sites and related efforts across the country and the globe. It includes big wins, local organizing efforts, protests/events, police activity reports and calls to action where additional support from allies/general public may be needed. Read More | Give Feedback

Related from OccupyPhillyMedia: David Harvey Speaking at Occupy Philly Jail Solidarity | Occupy Philly Post-Dilworth Plaza | City leaders show their true colors: The suppression of the First Amendment its goal | Occupy Philly: "Eviction - What the Mainstream Media Failed to Show the World"

Related from Indymedia: Interview with Cindy Milstein from Indymedia On Air | Let Your Demands Be Your Leader: Perspectives from Tahrir Square | The occupation movement in the US is here to stay

On Thursday, December 1st, 2011, Human Rights Activist Martina Davis-Correia lost her hard faught battle with breast cancer.  She was 44.  Martina was the sister of death row inmate Troy Davis, for whom she waged a twenty year battle to save his life and exonerate him from prison.  Troy was executed by the state of Georgia on September 21st.  Martina was able to turn a local issue into a global movement to save her brother's life and focus the worlds attention on the Death Penalty in America.  Both Troy and Martina mantained their claim of Troys innocence to the end, both with resolve and grace.  VIDEO | READ MORE

‘We will not allow corporations to profit off the brutality against our people in the US or abroad! Egyptian revolutionaries have asked for the movements in the US to shutdown the manufacturing and shipment of weapons and we heed their call in solidarity. We are calling for a targeted campaign against the corporations that profit off the use of these chemical weapons.’

Medford, Oregon 12/5/11 — Occupation of the Second Congressional District in Oregon was a smashing success today. On a foggy frozen day, the sun broke mid-morning in Medford and even though the temperature stayed in the thirties 99 percent folk like you and me gathered. We occupied downtown Vogel Plaza and we occupied our Congressional District office, too. We all showed up to ask one unified question: W H E R E ' S * W A L D E N ?

The photos were all shot at Monday's Where's Walden? Occupation Rally downtown in Vogel plaza, or 1/2 block away at Representative Greg Walden's Medford field office. Occupation of the office landed six arrests for trespass. Pictures show support activities on the sidewalk out front, while other shots are inside Walden's office where occupiers sat-in from 11am until after 6pm refusing to leave unless Congressman Walden agreed to start having regular public town hall meetings around the district, something that he refuses to do. The sit-in act of civil disobedience ended with the six arrests by by the Medford City police [...] Keep on reading to learn about other Walden Occupiers around Oregon's Second Congressional District. Eight were arrested in Bend about the very same time as were the Medford Six. Read More & Photos | Previous Feature: Occupy Greg Walden -- D2 on D5!

On the 7th of December, Occupy DC and union protesters under the "OurDC" banner both swarmed onto downtown K st, with Occupy DC setting barricades at 15th st, Vermont Ave, and 14th st. K st was shut down for over three hours, and a total of 62 people were arrested, some of them roughly. Meanwhile, there was a report that one occupier had to be take to GW hospital for treatment after a police horse stepped on her foot. Read More & Picx | Video of Occupy DC on K st and the police reaction | WSQT Radio coverage

On Tuesday, December 6, participants in Occupations across the country joined forces for a National day of Action to Resist Foreclosure.

In the Inland Valley near Los Angeles, a coalition including Occupy LA, Occupy Riverside, Alliance of California for Community Empowerment, Refund California, and SEIU teamed up to defend two families who are facing eviction by sheriffs who protect the profits of JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. [ Photo: Moving Art's furniture back into his house | Read Report]

In Portland,OR, speakers include two homeowners whose families are facing eviction; a representative from Occupy Portland; a Catholic priest from a neighborhood church; and a neighbor of the family where the Conference was being held. [Read Report]

In Atlanta, some Occupiers disrupted the auctioning of foreclosed homes using drums, whistles, harmonicas, bullhorn, clapping hands, and shouting. For most of the auction the protestors were so loud that firms representing banks were unable to effectively do business. [Report & Video] Occupiers also set up tents and held a press conference at a home facing foreclosure that has been owned by the same family since 1953.  O.A. plans to stay on the premises as the family fights to save their home. [Report & Video]

More: All I Want For Christmas Is My Home | occupyourhomes.org

The mood was both celebratory and angry among a 1000-plus overflow audience packed into the balcony space of the Constitution Center in Philadelphia on the evening of Dec. 9. The crowd, surely the largest to attend an event in support of Abu-Jamal in years, had thus come both to celebrate the end to the death threat facing the veteran journalist and world-renowned symbol of America’s obsession with state murder, and also to demand that he not instead be “left to rot” in a regular prison for the rest of his life. Read More by Dave Lindorf

Related Coverage: Dr. Johanna Fernandez of Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal Speaks on the Latest Developments in the Mumia Abu Jamal Case by ontheblockradio | From Troy Davis to Mumia: Have we turned a corner on the death penalty? by David A. Love | Why freedom for Abu-Jamal makes even more sense now by Mark Lewis Taylor | Over 1000, Cornel West, Immortal Technique and Others Pack the Philly Constitution Center by freemumia.com

Heeding the call of Occupy Oakland, which called for a shutdown of west coast ports in response to the brutal eviction of occupy encampments nationwide, and in solidarity with exploited port workers and truckers, activists across the coast shutdown various port terminals.

Oakland: Occupy Oakland called for the December 12th West Coast Port Shutdown, "because we believe it is time the occupation movement begins to work together to carry through coordinated, pinpointed actions. We want to disrupt the profits of the 1% and show solidarity with those in the 99% who are under direct attack by corporate tyranny." In particular, the demonstrations were in solidarity with longshoremen, port workers and truck drivers.

Since there were attacks by police on demonstrators in other cities, including Seattle, San Diego and Houston, Occupy Oakland made good on its promise of solidarity, and extended the port shut down into the next shift at 3am. Occupy Oakland successfully shut down the Port of Oakland for three consecutive shifts. Port of Oakland Shut Down by Occupy Oakland | Port Shutdown Morning Shift (includes audio) | Oakland Port Closure (many pictures)

Portland: Hundreds of Occupy Portland protestors, activists and workers blocked entrances to shut down Terminals 5 & 6 around 6 AM today. Shortly before 8 AM, protestors cheered when they learned that Port of Portland officials had already shut down the terminals, and that the ports in Oakland had been closed. However, according to Mike Gardner, ILWU Local 8 in Portland, ILWU workers had been sent home without pay by Port officials. Photos of Shut down West Coast Ports/Occupy Action | Video 1: Port Blockade at 6:15 PM Occupy Portland | Video 2. Occupy Portland Port Blockade West Coast on 12.12.11 - Gate 5 | Bellingham Successfully Blockade Railway in Solidarity with West Coast Port Actions

Los Angeles: In solidarity with expolited port workers and truckers, about 500 militant occupiers and their friends shut down Terminal J of the Port of Long Beach, the home of SSA Marine, an investment of the criminal enterprise Goldman Sachs and the main stakeholder of the US government. The marchers were eventually split off from each other by the Los Angeles Port Police. However a group of 300 to 500 people successfully blocked a road that led to one of the SSA piers for a few hours causing traffic snarls and the like. Occupy the Ports - A Day without Goldman Sachs | Occupiers Close Port of Long Beach Terminal | Occupy The Ports Long Beach, part 1 by Robert Stuart Lowden | Occupy The Ports Long Beach, part 2

Related: An Open Letter From America's Port Truck Drivers On Occupy the Ports | cleanandsafeports.org | occupytheports.com

The November 2011 episode of From The Trenches features presentations from Media Democracy Day 2011, held in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, featuring presentations on the history of Chicago's media, the leading media democracy stories of 2011, and a depiction of community media involvement. Plus headlines from the worldwide Indymedia network.

Download November 2011 episode | Chicago Indymedia's radio page | CIMC / FTT Radio podcast feed | From The Trenches on iTunes

In El Barrio, NYC, a convergence of struggles against the inhuman system of capitalism and politics.

On December 4, 2011, Movement for Justice in El Barrio, a grassroots, immigrant-led organization that fights against gentrification and displacement in East Harlem—fights for social justice—hosted the “New York Encuentro for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism” with community organizations, activists, and Occupy Wall St. participants.

Eighteen months after he was first detained on accusations of revealing information to WikiLeaks, PFC Bradley Manning appeared before an Article 32 investigating officer for a pre-trial hearing on December 16th at Fort Meade in Maryland. Supporters gathered outside the gates of Fort Meade to call for Manning's freedom and denounce the proceedings as unjust. Supporters have long argued that PFC Manning could not receive a fair hearing due to unlawful command influence from President Obama, who publicly declared in April that the former Army intelligence analyst "broke the law."

On the evening of December 14, GOP Presidential candidate and former one-term Massachusetts governor Mitt Romeny had a fundraiser, plates from $100 to $10,000. The event was foolishly held at the Lincoln restaurant, just three blocks from Occupy DC's campsite at McPherson Square. Read More & Photos | Video | Edited Audio (for broadcast)

Carolers greeted shoppers for the fifth consecutive year with favorites including “We Wish You a Loss of Business” (We Wish You a Merry Christmas), “Boycott, Boycott, Boycott” (Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel), & “Lev We All Can see the Folly” (Deck the Halls).

Sixty New Yorkers sang parody holiday carols calling for a boycott of Israeli settlement-developer and diamond magnate Lev Leviev this afternoon outside Leviev’s Madison Avenue jewelry store. Twenty-five protesters continued on to the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) where they sang, chanted and distributed flyers in front of Daphne Guinness’ clothing exhibition there, which is sponsored by “Leviev Extraordinary Diamonds.”

From Los Angeles: The days of the immigrant rights movement's maintaining a safe distance from the Occupy movement are long gone as throughout Southern California, "Occupy ICE" actions have brought the movements much closer together in honor of International Migrants Day. In Los Angeles, mainline labor and immigrant rights leaders spoke alongside mic-checking occupiers as marchers the downtown federal building, which contains an ICE detention facility. Eastward, Occupy Riverside's Latino Forum held a "Latino Day," designed to celebrate the struggle of the immigrant and highlight Latino issues in the Inland Empire. Read More

From Portland:: We reject the scapegoating of immigrants in the same way we refuse to blame Muslims, the poor, public sector workers, women, and other victims of this recession. We blame the recession on those who caused it, the most wealthy 1%. The 1% want immigrants to have zero rights so that they are easily exploitable and can be paid slave wages, thus lowering the wages of all working people. Read More

From NYC: Immigrants are part of the 99% and on December 18th the Immigrant Rights movement joined forces with the Occupy Wall Street movement to demand immigrant justice including putting an end to wage theft, and stopping detentions and deportations of our beloved community members. As the Occupy Wall Street movement highlights corporate profiteering we would like to shed light on those that profit off our labor, exploit workers and refuse to pay dignified wages. We also march against the corporations who support racist anti-immigrant legislation that allows them to make billions of dollars by detaining immigrants in private detention centers and deporting nearly 400,000 people per year. Read More

On December 17, approximately 75-100 community members protesting the desecration of Rattlesnake Island, the spiritual center of the Elem Pomo community, marched to the Piedmont mansion of John Nady, the owner of Nady Systems, who has been one of those pushing for the development of the island as the location of two luxury-style vacation homes. Community members first circled up and held a rally near the Lakeview library branch in Oakland, then proceeded to march two miles up and into the hills of Piedmont where Nady owns a large home, and a short demonstration was held that featured speeches as well a spirited singing of the AIM song.

Vermont Workers’ Tour give hope for universal coverage in Oregon.

One on five Oregonians do not have health insurance. Among those living without insurance, some are able to establish relationships with health clinics such as the Community Health Centers in Jackson County and get rudimentary care on a sliding scale basis, but many are forced to use emergency rooms for medical care. Recently Southern Oregon Jobs With Justice brought Sarah Weintraub and Kate Kanelstein, two organizers from the Vermont Workers Center to the Unitarian Church in Ashland to discuss how Vermont won a single payer health care system for their state and learn what Oregonians can do to organize a similar campaign. The event was facilitated by Debbie Herzog, a retired school teacher and local activist.

The Vermont Center workers outlined five key elements in building a campaign for universal health coverage. Read More

Related: Single Payer Health Insurance Would Give Everyone A Very Merry Christmas | Medical Self Defense & the Black Panther Party -- An interview w/ Alondra Nelson

[On] December 19, 2011, Bradley Manning Support Network sent a representative into the courtroom to take notes for the public on what happened at Bradley Manning’s hearing. No recording devices (like cell phones or audio recorders) were allowed, so all these notes are hand-written and as accurate as written notes and memory allow. Notes were taken by Rainey Reitman, any omissions or inaccuracies are entirely her fault and not reflective of the Support Network positions. Please send corrections to rainey@bradleymanning.org

For updates see bradleymanning.org

On December 8th, the California Coastal Commission voted 10-1 to approve the controversial $5 million Arana Gulch Master Plan. The vote was expected to resolve a fifteen year long battle between cycling advocacy groups and environmental groups that oppose a bike path through the Santa Cruz greenbelt. But in a move that has some long time Sierra Club members crying foul, cycling advocacy groups are running a slate of three candidates for the board of the Santa Cruz County Group of the Sierra Club in the December election. This would be the second cyclist-sponsored candidate slate in two years, and is expected to decide control of the Santa Cruz Group Executive Committee.

An ongoing protest in Newark, NJ is building focus and numbers.

On December 6, the People's Organization for Progress (POP) held a spirited rally and march calling for "jobs, peace, equality and justice." The protest marked their 163rd consecutive day of protest in front of the Essex County Courthouse in downtown Newark, NJ. POP plans to protest for at least 381 consecutive days, because this is how long the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted.

Read More & Pics | POP is inviting the public to join the "Daily People's Campaign" again on Sunday, January 15th in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | More Coverage: Newark Unemployment Protest in 6th Month is a Model for the Nation by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg

This year's version of the National Defense Authorization Act, in addition to allocating massive amounts of tax dollars to war, contains provisions that will allow the president to indefinitely detain anybody he determines is part of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, an "associated group," or has committed "belligerent acts" against the United States until such a time as he declares an "end to hostilities." The wording of the bill is vague enough to create the potential for the detention of peaceful activists for positive change, and eliminate the rights of due process and trial by jury.

From the LA newswire: Banner Drops Urge Veto of NDAA and Occupy Riverside Challenges Indefinite Military Detention by Rockero | | Is The Passed Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (retroactive) To Detain Americans? by Sue Riley | | Obama Year Three: Continuing His Rogue Agenda by Stephen Lendman

Alondra Nelson, the author of 'Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination,' writes that "the Party's focus on health care was both practical and ideological." On a practical level, the BPP provided free community health care services, including preventative education. Simultaneously, the BPP railed against the medical-industrial complex, declaring that health care was "a right and not a privilege."

One of the lessons that the BPP offers today's activists is that they should be more loyal to the desired outcome than to the tactic. The sit-in came to be associated with the southern civil rights movement just as the mic check is now emblematic of the Occupy movement. But these groups also used other tactics: marching, occupying, sermons, etc. Social movements are dynamic phenomena; circumstances are constantly changing. So too should tactics. Full Report & Interview | www.angola3news.com

In a call-out for a march from 14th Street & Broadway to a rally at the Fruitvale BART station on January 1st, 2012, organizers write: "The movement that touched ground in January 2009 — the organizing to address police terrorism — laid the ground work for the movement against the 1% here in Oakland. The polarizing disparity of wealth and the numerous police killings in our communities are inextricably linked. To unravel a system that forecloses homes, pushes our families into poverty and criminalizes our youth while gentrifying our neighborhoods, we need to not only address a system based on greed but a system that needs police brutality to survive and thrive through state terror. On this 3rd anniversary of Oscar's murder, lets take to the streets to show that Oscar Grant is gone but not forgotten. Oscar lives on in the memories of his family and friends and in our resistance to the police." Read More

Related: Sean Bell Case is Not Over | Remembering Mohamed Bouazizi