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Posts Tagged 'National Revolution News':
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We begin to move toward freedom: a conversation with Cecily McMillan (News)
On May 8th I conducted an interview with Cecily McMillan. I had some questions prepared in advance by myself and a handful of the collective but the interview went where it went the way a river might. We first covered basic biographical information; Cecily grew up mainly in Southeast Texas and Georgia between her mother's home and her father's. She ran away at 14 and even though they were poor it was well hidden from her. She recalls donating canned goods for her school's canned food drive unaware at the time that was where her family was getting some of their food from.
Oakland City Attorney issues non-apology apology for Occupy police beating (News)
by rfo | Thursday Jan 30th, 2014 The Oakland City Attorney and community college professor Robert Ovetz, Ph.D. reached a settlement in November 2013 for the January 28, 2012 Oakland police beating and unconstitutional arrest of Ovetz outside the Okaland YMCA during an Occupy march and event.
Occupy Madison Houses Homeless Couple for Christmas—Plans to House More in 'Tiny Houses' (News)
Innovative group builds tiny homes that cost just $3,000, paid for by donations. By Scott Keyes | December 27, 2013 | Photo: nbc15.com For many couples, the thought of living together in a 96-square-foot house sounds awful. But for Chris Derrick and Betty Ybarra, it's a Christmas miracle. That's because Derrick and Ybarra have spent the better part of a year braving Madison, Wisconsin's often-harsh climate without a roof over their head.
Oakland agrees to pay Occupy protesters in brutality cases (News)
by Henry K. Lee | Wednesday, December 11, 2013 (12-11) 12:26 PST OAKLAND -- The Oakland City Council agreed Tuesday to pay more than $693,000 to settle two lawsuits filed by Occupy Oakland protesters who alleged they were the victims of police brutality. The payouts, for the videotaped beatings of two apparently peaceful protesters, come less than six months after the city approved a separate $2 million payout to resolve lawsuits accusing police of mistreating protesters at Occupy and BART demonstrations.
High Flying Protest Puts Message Before TPP Negotiators (News)
By Backbone Campaign, www.popularresistance.org | November 21st, 2013 SALT LAKE CITY – Protestors outside the Trans-Pacific Partnership meetings in Salt Lake took to the skies to get their message to negotiators this morning. At approximately 10:00 AM organizers with the Backbone Campaign used weather balloons to lift a 75-foot banner reading "TPP: What Are You Hiding?" up the exterior of the Grand American Hotel where negotiations are taking place.
Seattle City Councilmember-elect advocates occupation to Boeing workers (News)
By Gary Horcher | Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013 Seattle City Councilmember-elect Kshama Sawant spoke to supporters of Boeing's machinists during a rally in Seattle.
Protesters Bring Million Mask March to D.C. (News)
By Allison Prang | November 5, 2013, 5:59 PM Protesters taking part in the day-long Million Mask March made their way around Washington Tuesday, at one point chanting "Whose Street? Our Street!" Many wore the Guy Fawkes mask from "V for Vendetta" and carried the yellow "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden Flag popular with tea party activists.
Occupy Oakland 2-Year Anniversary Marked with Downtown Rally (News)
By Bay City News | Thursday, Oct 10, 2013 | Updated 2:22 PM PDT
Fight for the Future announces "Stop Watching Us" action on DC Oct 26 (News)
via the FFTF mailing list... Friend, This is big. Over the weekend, the New York Times editorial board published an astounding op-ed that roundly condemns the NSA's practice of undermining encryption standards, and calls for sweeping reforms to rein in out-of-control government surveillance.
CMD Launches OutsourcingAmericaExposed.org to "Expose the Private Companies Behind the Corporate Takeover of Public Services" (News)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2013 CONTACT: Rebekah Wilce, email@example.com, (608) 260-9713 CMD Launches OutsourcingAmericaExposed.org to "Expose the Private Companies Behind the Corporate Takeover of Public Services" - Center for Media and Democracy site will feature corporate profiles, local privatization deals gone bad, and "fine print follies" spotlighting outrageous contract giveaways
Kucinich leads pledge to vote against attack on Syria (News)
I received this email from a friend this morning: Hi All, You're probably aware that the U.S. is in "sequester" because of Congress's inability last February to come to an agreement about how to deal with the impending debt ceiling. Sequester creates across-the-board budget cuts to simply everything, equally, except for a few items such as social security that have specifically been designated immune to sequester.
Portland Suit: Police used excessive force in Occupy march (News)
The Associated Press | Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013 | 12:32 a.m. A photograph of an Occupy Portland demonstrator blasted with pepper spray as she opened her mouth to shout at a police officer became a defining image of the monthlong encampment. Now, the woman in the photograph is in court to seek $155,000 in damages from the city of Portland, the officer who sprayed her and another she said put a baton to her throat.
Portland City Hall Occupy camp dispersed (News)
- The Associated Press | Tuesday, July 23, 2013 | 1:31 p.m. The last visible remnants of the 2011 Occupy Portland movement held court in front of City Hall for nearly two years. A community of sign-holding, slogan-chanting, pot-banging protesters brought noise and attention to the city's acute homeless problem. The mostly homeless protesters set up camp after police ordered the removal of tents and other structures from the 300-person Occupy Portland encampment in late 2011.
Pepper-spray lieutenant appeals for worker's comp (News)
By Cory Golden | YOLO COUNTY NEWS | Friday, July 26, 2013
Greenpeace activists occupy French nuclear plant (News)
The Associated Press | Friday, July 19, 2013 | 12:04 a.m. Greenpeace activists occupied a French nuclear power plant site before dawn Monday _ a media stunt deeply embarrassing to the government which is intent on demonstrating that France's reliance on nuclear power is safe.
Press Release: Camp Cascadia to Defy Curfew (News)
Posted on July 15, 2013 by Jess What: Camp Cascadia to Defy Curfew When: July 15th, midnight Where: Mt. Tabor Park, reservoir 6 As of 2PM, Portland City leaders have failed to reach out to Camp Cascadia regarding the decision to quit on the fight to seek an LT2 waiver from the EPA's reservoir rules.
City of Portland Prepares for the Occupation of Mount Tabor Park (News)
July 11th, 2013 By AARON MESH The City of Portland is preparing for the occupation of Mount Tabor, which is scheduled to start at 5 pm Friday, by closing all roads into the park. Portland Parks & Recreation regularly closes the gates that give cars access to Mount Tabor Park on Wednesdays for maintenance. But this morning, those gates remained closed—as the parks department steels itself for Camp Cascadia, a camping protest organized by Occupy Portland veterans and water purity activists to fight the closing of the Mount Tabor reservoirs.
PRESS RELEASE FOR THE Occupy Wall Street (Inter) National Gathering: decolonize the 99% (News)
MEDIA ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 12, 2013 PRESS RELEASE FOR THE Occupy Wall Street (Inter) National Gathering: decolonize the 99% AUGUST 21-25 KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN Who/WhatOccupy Wall Street (Inter) National Gathering: decolonize the 99%
Occupy Oakland protesters awarded $1m over police violence during arrests (News)
12 activists to split compensation, including $500,000 for one woman who suffered permanent hearing loss during protests by Eoin Reynolds in San Francisco | guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 3 July 2013 14.03 EDT Victims of excessive police force at one of the most violent flashpoints of the Occupy protests have received a $1m compensation settlement.
New York City settles Occupy 'sucker punch' case (News)
By JOHN RILEY | June 27, 2013 6:09 PM New York City agreed Thursday to pay a $55,000 settlement to an Occupy Wall Street demonstrator who claimed he was "sucker punched" by an NYPD inspector in an incident that became an Internet video sensation. In his complaint in federal court in Manhattan, demonstrator Felix Rivera-Pitre charged that Deputy Inspector Johnny Cardona punched him in the head and knocked him out without provocation. [source]
California man faces 13 years in jail for scribbling anti-bank messages in chalk (News)
June 26, 2013 04:07 Jeff Olson, the 40-year-old man who is being prosecuted for scrawling anti-megabank messages on sidewalks in water-soluble chalk last year now faces a 13-year jail sentence. A judge has barred his attorney from mentioning freedom of speech during trial.
Oakland, Alameda County to pay protesters $1 million (News)
by Henry K. Lee | Monday, June 24, 2013 Oakland and Alameda County have agreed to pay more than $1 million and reform their crowd-control policies to settle a lawsuit filed by 150 people who were arrested together - and then held for hours - while protesting the sentence given to the BART police officer who fatally shot Oscar Grant in 2009.
Eisenhower Chapter Gives HERO OF PEACE Award to Bradley Manning (News)
At the Monday morning vigil outside of Fort Meade, just prior to the beginning of the historic court martial, the Eisenhower Chapter of Veterans For Peace (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina) presented a Hero For Peace award, in the form of a beautiful plaque, to Bradley Manning. Eisenhower Chapter president John Heuer who serves on VFP's Board of Directors, presented the award to Jeff Paterson of the Bradley Manning Support Network. The award will be passed on to Bradley through his lawyer, David Coombs. The plaque reads as follows:
Occupy (Inter)National Gathering 2013 coming to Kalamazoo, Michigan (News)
You are invited to attend the Occupy (Inter)National Gathering 2013 being held Aug. 21-25 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We look forward to seeing you there! Please Share with your Networks! NGWG2013 Occupy (Inter)National Gathering 2013 Press Release MEDIA ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2013
The Eviction of Occupy Portland, Ore.: A Supremely Political Affair (News)
New Docs Show More Detail into Boston Law Enforcement Focus on Peaceful Protests May 21, 2013 The latest trove of documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service adds new detail to the spying work of federal law enforcement agencies coordinating with local law enforcement and city governments to act against Occupy encampments.
Occupy Oakland protesters return to Stockton (News)
by Tim Daly | 7:57 PM, May 31, 2013 STOCKTON, CA - For the third time, protesters from the group Occupy Oakland have marched, carried signs, and shouted while blocking many downtown Stockton streets. Once again, members of the group are angry over deaths of suspects that took place in confrontations with Stockton police. Protesters remained peaceful Friday but did stop to shout and swear at police officers, who ironically, made sure the marchers were safe by blocking all intersections.
Cooper Union Occupation Continues Without Media Fanfare (News)
by Allison Kilkenny on May 28, 2013 - 10:40 AM ET
Scott Olsen Brings Antiwar Message to NATO Summit (News)
We're joined at the NATO summit in Chicago by Scott Olsen, who survived two tours in Iraq but almost died when he was hit with a police projectile at an Occupy Oakland protest last year. Olsen returned four of his medals at Sunday's antiwar march. When asked why he's joined the Occupy movement and is protesting against the heavily policed NATO summit, Olsen says, "I'm going to make every effort I can to show them that we're doing the right thing, we're in the right, and no matter what they do to any of us, we've got each other's backs, and we're going forward."
No Arrests on Wall Street, But Over 7,700 Americans Have Been Arrested Protesting Big Banks (News)
by Zaid Jilani | May 22, 2013 As Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has said, the nation's biggest banks have essentially gained "too big for trial" status, and the federal government has failed to prosecute any executive at a Big Bank for financial fraud. While Wall Street has escaped prosecutions, thousands of Americans have been arrested in the course of protests against the banks. As of May 2013, that number is 7,736 — according to the website Occupy Arrests, which tracks arrests.
FBI Sued For Allegedly Targeting Antiwar Website (News)
By Martin Michaels | May 23, 2013
Free Cooper Union: Students Take President's Office (News)
By andrea On May 17, 2013 For Immediate Release:
New App Lets You Boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart (News)
by Clare O'Connor, Forbes Staff | 5/14/2013 The app itself is the work of one Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer, Ivan Pardo, who has devoted the last 16 months to Buycott. "It's been completely bootstrapped up to this point," he said. Martinez and another friend have pitched in to promote the app.
Occupy Wall Street Protester Wins $25K From City After Suing Over Arrest (News)
By James Fanelli on May 15, 2013 3:29pm FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A dancer-turned-Occupy Wall Street-protester received a $25,000 settlement from the city after accusing beefy cops of bloodying her shin with batons during a 2011 march. Sade Adona, 27, will receive the payout, believed to be the first to an OWS protestor alleging police misconduct. She sued the city last fall, claiming three 200-pound, 6-foot-tall officers roughed her up and wrongfully arrested her after she yelled at them to leave a fellow protester alone.
Occupy APA Reveals Utter Nonsense Of The DSM-5 (News)
by Anonymous | May 12, 2013 The latest Occupy the APA protest will take place May 19, 2013 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Speakers will include prominent members of the Psychiatric Survivors' movement and an attorney who has won significant cases against mental health institutions and big pharma.
Elizabeth Warren's first stand-alone bill as Senator is awesome and provocative (News)
Senator Warren announced today that she's proposing a bill that will make it so students going to college can borrow at the same rate that Wall Street does. "In other words, the federal government's going to charge interest rates nine times higher than the rates they charge the biggest banks—the same banks that destroyed millions of jobs and nearly broke the economy," Senator Warren said in the bill's introduction.
IMF chief Lagarde heckled by students in Amsterdam (News)
by Jerome Roos on May 7, 2013 Dutch, Greek and Spanish members of the Occupy movement interrupted a lecture by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the University of Amsterdam.
Italy's Grillo calls for march on parliament over "coup d'etat" (News)
By Naomi O'Leary | ROME | Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:41pm EDT (Reuters) - The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement's leader Beppe Grillo called on Italians to join him in protest outside parliament after President Giorgio Napolitano stood for a second term on Saturday in what Grillo called a "coup d'etat".
Judges Begin to Nix 'No-Fault' Wall Street Settlements (News)
By KAJA WHITEHOUSE | 2:57 PM, April 3, 2013 They're like stealth bombers. A growing number of federal judges have had about as much as they can take with Wall Street firms paying hefty fines to settle probes into serious wrongdoing — without admitting any guilt or any executive taking the fall. So at least four judges, in New York and Washington, are not going to take it any more. The mostly quiet attack by these judges on a long-standing business practice could mushroom into one of the most serious threats to bad corporate culture in many years.
Port of Oakland documents show more questionable spending of public funds (News)
- KTVU | Sunday, March 31, 2013 The top public relations man for the beleaguered Port of Oakland has spent thousands of dollars on phony websites apparently meant to stymie the port's perceived political enemies, as well as drink and eat at luxury Hong Kong bars and restaurants, according to documents obtained by KTVU. The findings come as the Port spends thousands more on expensive public relations consultants and splashy new announcements about reform, following a string of scandals KTVU first unearthed last October.
Fargo 14 Occupy Philly Protesters found Not Guilty! (News)
By jackiews On March 5, 2013 In the matter of The People V. Wells Fargo the jury has found us, the 12 Occupy Philly protesters arrested in November 2011 for a sit-in against the banks' predatory lending practices and mafia-like policies, NOT GUILTY. We would all ask for you to please share this story with your networks and local press. Free speech just triumphed over property rights, even as the DA talked shit on twitter. Thank you to everyone for the support! It got us through that anxious time. Please share. This is history.
Occupy Wells Fargo Defendants Await Verdict as Jury Deliberates (News)
by LaInteligentsia on Mon, 03/04/2013
Maine Quietly Mounting Massive Support for Historic GMO Labeling Bill (News)
By Fritz Kreiss | OccupyMonsanto | February 28, 2013 For many months legislators and community leaders in the State of Maine have been quietly building broad and unprecented support for passing a historic first-in-the-nation Right-To-Know GMO Labeling law. This week the bill, LD 718, jointly sponsored by the bi-partisan team of Representative Lance Harvell (R-Farmington) and Senator Chris Johnson (D-Lincoln), was introduced to Maine citizens and legislators.
Occupy the SEC Sues Federal Reserve, SEC, CFTC, OCC, FDIC and U.S. Treasury Over Volcker Rule Delays (News)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, NY February 27th, 2013 Occupy the SEC (OSEC) has filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York against six federal agencies, over those agencies' delay in promulgating a Final Rulemaking in connection with the "Volcker Rule" (Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010).
The Deficit Is Actually Shrinking, Despite Beltway Propaganda (News)
94 percent of Americans don't know the deficit is falling. by Dave Johnson | AlterNet | February 26, 2013 There is no deficit problem. The deficit is down 50 percent as a share of gross domestic product just since President Bush's fiscal year 2009 deficit and is falling at the fastest rate since the end of World War II. Yet the Washington debate is about how and where to cut us back into recession. Why?
Jury Finds Occupy Wall Street Protester Innocent After Video Contradicts Police Testimony (News)
By Nick Pinto Fri., Mar. 1 2013 at 2:53 AM In the first jury trial stemming from an Occupy Wall Street protest, Michael Premo was found innocent of all charges yesterday after his lawyers presented video evidence directly contradicting the version of events offered by police and prosecutors. Premo, an activist and community organizer who has in recent months been a central figure in the efforts of Occupy Sandy, was one of many hundred people who took part in a demonstration in Lower Manhattan on December 17 of 2011, when some protesters broke into a vacant lot in Duarte Square in an attempt to start a new occupation. After police broke up the action in Duarte Square, hundreds of protesters marched north,
An Idea to Emulate: Candlelight Vigil for Trayvon Martin on February 26 (News)
By Kevin Zeese - 22 February 2013 Candlelight Vigil in New York to Mark the Anniversary of the Death of Trayvon Martin February 26, 2013 will mark the one year anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin. We will join his mother and father in New York City for a candlelight vigil in his honor. Please join us. Please bring a candle, as we will have a special moment at 7:17PM Please spread the word about this event by SHARING this flyer with your friends. Our work is not done! Justice for Trayvon! [source]
Environmental Civil Disobedience (News)
48 Environmental, civil rights, and community leaders engage in historic act of civil disobedience to stop Keystone XL pipeline February 13, 2013 JULIAN BOND, BILL MCKIBBEN, MICHAEL BRUNE, AND OTHERS ARRESTED IN FRONT OF WHITE HOUSE IN CALL FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE WASHINGTON, D.C. — This morning, 48 environmental, civil rights, and community leaders from across the country joined together for a historic display of civil disobedience at the White House where they demanded that President Obama deny the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and address the climate crisis.
Charges against Occupy Boston have been dropped. So why aren't we celebrating? (News)
- Occupy Boston Five activists from Occupy Boston were scheduled to begin trial this Monday. But today, without warning, the Suffolk County District Attorney dropped the charges against them and 22 others who refused to take the deals offered by prosecutors.
Occupy the SEC: Questions for Mary Jo White (News)
February 1, 2013 Occupy the SEC (OSEC) has submitted a letter to the members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in anticipation of the upcoming confirmation hearing of Mary Jo White. The letter requests that the Committee submit a series of questions to Ms. White regarding her intentions as Chairman of the SEC. Read the Letter here. Read the Press Release here.
Occupy Oakland Members Sue City and County Over Detainment (News)
By: DSWright Thursday January 17, 2013 7:32 am Let's talk about theory. In theory, when an arm of state power – for an example the police – arrests someone a certain set of conditions must be met. This typically involves the person being arrested facing charges for a crime or being cited for a violation. But as many Americans learned for the first time watching the police respond to the Occupy protests, sometimes arresting people is just a tactic with no clear crime or violation occurring. That's bad enough but for the members of Occupy Oakland arrest was not only a tactic to stop a protest but the beginning of an hours long detainment:
Hacktivist group "Anonymous" plans Occupy event in Steubenville Ohio (News)
First Coast News | Dec 26, 2012 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Just a few days after hacktivist group "Anonymous" took over a website dedicated to the Steubenville High School football team, the group called for "Occupy" events in the same small Ohio town. Occupy events are scheduled to take place in Steubenville on December 29 and January 5 at City Hall, the hacked version of rollredroll.com detailed. The site also stated, "masks are legal to wear, if asked to remove mask, turn it around and take notice of badge number. We will report them to the ACLU."
Released FBI documents reveal plans to assassinate OWS activists (News)
ISH/KK | December 23, 2012 Jason Leopold, an investigative journalist for Truth-Out, has obtained FBI documents - through the Freedom of Information Act - relating to Occupy Wall Street. Most of the pages in the documents are redacted, and show concerns of cyber threats against the financial sector. However, there are questions of assassination plots against Occupy activists in Houston, Texas. Because the documents have redactions, it is not clear who or what group was planning the assassinations.
Court rules peace activists can sue the U.S. military for infiltration [National Lawyers Guild Press Release] (News)
For immediate release: December 18, 2012 Nathan Tempey Communications Coordinator email@example.com (212) 679-5100, ext. 15 New York Guild lawyer hails historic decision In a potentially precedent-setting decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a Guild lawyer's challenge to military spying on peace activists can proceed. The ruling marks the first time a court has affirmed people's ability to sue the military for violating their First and Fourth Amendment rights.
Occupy the SEC Files Amicus Brief in the Supreme Court Case, Gabelli v. SEC (News)
Posted on December 11, 2012 by occupythesec This term, the Supreme Court will consider an important question relating to when government enforcement agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) can no longer file civil fraud actions due to the statute of limitations. Gabelli v. SEC relates to allegedly fraudulent market-timing activities by Marc Gabelli, a former portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds LLC, and Bruce Alpert, a chief operating officer for the firm.
Oakland Cops Ran Wild, Academic Says (News)
By JONNY BONNER | Courthouse News SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Oakland Police beat a political scientist as he tried to secure his bicycle during an Occupy Oakland march, then falsely charged him with an assaulting an officer, the man claims in court. Video of the attack was posted on YouTube. Robert Ovetz sued Oakland, its Police Department, Police Chief Howard Jordan, three named officers and 20 Doe officers, in Federal Court. Ovetz claims police beat him with a baton and "slammed" his head into the ground, then falsely charged him with assault and battery of an officer.
3 Occupy Wall Street Protesters Win $50K Settlement Over "Thought Crime" Arrest (News)
The Gothamist | Monday, November 12, 2012
Best of Enemies: Why Occupy Activists Are Working with New York City's Government (News)
By Jared Malsin | New York City | Nov. 13, 2012 Brooklyn resident Theresa Goddard is overwhelmed while discussing her living conditions on Nov. 8, 2012 Two hundred people were lined up at a hurricane relief center in a park in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood on Sunday morning when three volunteers hoisted the banners of two enemy camps that had come together in an uneasy collaboration: the Occupy movement and the office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Rolling Jubilee - The People's Bailout (News)
For every $1 donated, we are able to buy and abolish $20 worth of debt. Rolling Jubilee is a Strike Debt project that buys debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, abolishes it. Together we can liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal. Debt resistance is just the beginning. Join us as we imagine and create a new world based on the common good, not Wall Street profits. Learn more or contribute.
Occupy Sandy: Onetime protesters find new cause (News)
Associated Press | November 10, 2012 NEW YORK (AP) — The social media savvy that helped Occupy Wall Street protesters create a grass-roots global movement last year is proving to be a strength in the wake of Superstorm Sandy as members and organizers of the group fan out across New York to deliver aid including hot meals, medicine and blankets. They're the ones who took food and water to Glenn Nisall, a 53-year-old resident of Queens' hard-hit and isolated Rockaway section who lost power and lives alone, with no family nearby. "I said: 'Occupy? You mean Occupy Wall Street?'" he said. "I said: 'Awesome, man. I'm one of the 99 percent, you know?'"
Is Occupy Wall Street Outperforming the Red Cross in Hurricane Relief? (News)
By jackiews On November 4, 2012 Volunteers inside St. Jacobis Church working with Occupy Sandy's relief efforts. Photo by Katherine Goldstein
Police use pepper spray during Portland protest (News)
Several hundred people marched in Northeast Portland in a protest rally that led to a clash with police who used pepper spray. - The Associated Press Several hundred people marched in Northeast Portland in a protest rally that led to a clash with police who used pepper spray. The Oregonian reports that Saturday afternoon's protest by a coalition of groups that grew out of last year's Occupy Portland movement was mostly peaceful. But police say they responded with pepper spray after a few of the demonstrators used wooden shields to confront officers.
Occupy Oakland Anniversary March Peaceful (News)
by Andrew Stelzer | October 26, 2012 — 7:33 PM Downtown Oakland was quiet and intact Friday morning after a peaceful protest marking one year since police clashed with Occupy demonstrators. About 200 people took part in a series of anniversary events, including Scott Olsen, an Iraq War veteran. Olsen was badly hurt last year when a non-lethal police projectile hit him in the head. "I think Occupy has been a success overall" Olsen says. "For one, it's radicalized a generation who I don't think is going to give up until we create a world that we want to live in."
Chief Howard decides to punish cops for Occupy incident (News)
by Dawn Edwards | October 13, 2012 It is rare when you hear of a police chief coming down hard on his or her officers, and even rarer if you are referring to the Oakland Police department. But that in fact is what is happening because of the treatment the Occupy Oakland protesters received, particularly because of the negative attention it drew worldwide.
San Francisco: 20 arrested in housing protest (News)
by Kevin Fagan Justin Berton and Marisa Lagos Updated 8:51 a.m., Thursday, October 11, 2012 A group protesting the lack of housing for thousands of San Franciscans briefly took over a vacant building in the heart of the Castro district on Wednesday evening as part of a worldwide day of action aimed at drawing attention to the plight of homeless people. About 50 protesters gathered at Dolores Park at 5 p.m. and listened to music for an hour before marching down 18th Street, chanting "Homes not jails." Shortly after 6 p.m., protesters wearing black masks broke into an empty building at 535 Castro St. and hung a sign reading, "Gentrification Equals Assimilation."
Oct 9 FAX DAY in Support of Seattle Anarchists (News)
Dear CAPR supporter: Leah-Lynn Plante, the last of the 3 anarchists subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury in Seattle, will have her contempt of court hearing this Wednesday, Oct 10th at 9 am. It seems most likely that she will be held in contempt and taken into custody like Matt Duran and Katherine "KteeO" Olejnik in September. On Tuesday, October 9th, we are asking all supports to fax and call the US attorney, Jenny A Durkan, to demand an end to the grand jury and the release of all those subpoenaed. Below you will find a Fax Petition demanding that she end this witch-hunt. To join the petition effort, please follow these simple steps: 1) Go to http://faxzero.com/ . 2) Fill out the form with your name and email address under Sender information.
Oakland police Occupy response criticized (News)
- Associated Press | Posted: 10/04/2012 05:29:30 AM PDT | Updated: 10/04/2012 05:29:31 AM PDT OAKLAND, Calif.—A court-appointed federal monitor is critical of the Oakland police response to the fall Occupy protests. A report released earlier concluded a lack of officers and poor planning led to flawed responses during the Oct. 25 confrontation with Occupy Oakland demonstrators who tried to reoccupy a City Hall encampment. Monitor Robert Warshaw said Wednesday that he found the Frazier Group report troubling. The San Francisco Chronicle (bit.ly/UgNRXx) says it raises questions about the Oakland Police Department's compliance with a federal consent decree.
Judge Tosses Grant Park Arrests Of Occupy Protestors As Unconstitutional (News)
September 27, 2012 1:14 PM CHICAGO (CBS) – A Cook County judge has dismissed charges against dozens of Occupy Chicago protesters who were arrested in Grant Park last October, ruling the curfew they were charged with violating is unconstitutional. WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports Cook County Associate Judge Thomas More Donnelly ruled the curfew, on its face, violates the First Amendment right to free assembly. He also ruled the protesters' arrest was a violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Portugal finally stands up and protests (News)
'My generation had never seen protests on such an overwhelming scale' … Protesters outside the state council meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. Photograph: Jose Sena Goulao/EPA Marches across a country unaccustomed to protest have forced a government U-turn as anti-austerity attitudes harden by Joana Gorjão Henriques | guardian.co.uk | Monday 24 September 2012
Riot police clash with anti-austerity protesters in Madrid (News)
by Graeme Wearden and Ben Quinn | guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 September 2012 Photos from AP and other sources. Here's a quick summary of the events of the day first: Clashes between police and protesters erupted after tens of thousands of people took part in protests in Madrid. The demonstrations, organised by the Spanish indignados group, were called to protest at the country's austerity measures and to call for new elections in Spain.
Attorney for Occupy OKC group seeks settlement (News)
Associated Press | September 19, 2012 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An attorney for 10 Occupy OKC protesters who were arrested last year for chanting at a Del City department store said Wednesday that she is nearing an agreement with city officials.
Free University NYC: S18-S22 (News)
Posted on Sept. 18, 2012, 12:03 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt To mark the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, a coalition of students, educators, and community groups will host the Free University Week—creating education that is democratic, critical, and accessible to all. This event will be held in Madison Square Park from Tuesday through Friday, September 18 - 21, from 2pm to 7pm, and on Saturday, September 22, from 10am to 2pm. Participants will gather in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street's one year anniversary, as well as with education movements in Chicago, Quebec, Chile, and beyond.
Thousands Have Retaken Zuccotti Park Ahead of Occupy Wall Street's One-year Anniversary (News)
Ahead of tomorrow's highly anticipated marches set for the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, thousands of activists have retaken Zuccotti Park. by The Troubadour | DailyKOS | Sep 16 2012 The crowds occupying Zuccotti Park are an eclectic mix. Some of those who have retaken the park streamed in on buses from all across the country. There is also a large contingency of activist Jews (many of whom have been inspired by Occupy Judaism) who are holding Rosh Hashanah services in Zuccotti to celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Thousands March on Wall Street South, Bank of America (News)
by Todd Zimmer | Rainforest Action Network | Sep 4 2012 Just days before DNC delegates descended on Charlotte, the streets here were filled with throngs of the 99%. Nearly 2,000 protestors marched through the heart of Wall Street South, stopping to demand social, economic and environmental justice outside the headquarters of Bank of America and Duke Energy. In 92 degree heat, the pervasive mood was one of solidarity and unity in our demand for a better world.
Bakery Workers Occupy Hot & Crusty When Owner Closes It Down Rather Than Allow Union (News)
The scene outside Hot & Crusty Friday afternoon. By Nick Pinto Sat., Sep. 1 2012 at 10:42 PM Photo: Lauren @JailhouseTapes, maepoe.blogspot.com Friday was the last day that the Hot & Crusty bakery on 63rd and 2nd Avenue was scheduled to be open. Instead, employees and their supporters took the store over briefly Friday afternoon before police moved in, emptying the shop and arresting six people.
Sheila Bair Visits Occupy Wall Street (News)
by Yves Smith | Monday, September 10, 2012 Sheila Bair, the former FDIC chairman who heads the Systemic Risk Council, and Ricardo Delfina, a fellow Systemic Risk Council member, met on Sunday with members of several Occupy Wall Street working groups: Occupy Bank, Alternative Banking, and Occupy the SEC. I've watched presentations by Bair twice previously: once when she was at the FDIC, another not long after she had left government service. Even though she had been pretty direct in those discussions, she was surprisingly specific in this meeting about some of the impediments she faced during the crisis. Some of the topics:
Undercover Austin police officers aided Houston Occupy protesters (News)
by James Pinkerton | Wednesday, September 5, 2012 A state judge Wednesday lectured a pair of prosecutors for not disclosing that an undercover Austin detective purchased and assembled components of an arm-locking device, turning it over to Occupy protestors facing felony charges for using it while blocking a Port of Houston entrance. State District Judge Joan Campbell told the prosecutors she was "floored" that the role of an Austin police detective has not been disclosed in the December protest, noting the trial was set for next week. She reminded prosecutors that they were relying on the arm-locking device to prove felony charges against the protestors - including one who has been in jail since December.
Neighbors organize an outdoor library in the Fruitvale (News)
by Stephen Fisher | Aug 30 Over the past two weeks an impromptu library has sprung up on the location of the former Latin American Library in the Fruitvale district. A group of nearly fifteen people, including a few Occupy Oakland protesters and several community members, have been loaning out books, constructing planters for gardening and holding community meetings. Photo: Alex Lujano browses a book at the "People's Library" in the Fruitvale district.
Scared of Anonymous: Tampa police prepare for mass arrests during Republican convention (News)
by Reuters / Brian Blanco | 24 August, 2012, 00:34 Are computer hackers, political activists and an underground army of anarchists preparing to overthrow next week's Republican National Convention in Tampa? Police in Florida seem to think so, and are taking every precaution to prepare for violence. Acting on the assumption that hacktivists with the loose-knit, international Anonymous collective will wage a war next week on Tampa with the help of weapon yielding anarchists angry at the Republican Party and American establishment all together, law enforcement agencies in Florida are in a hurry to secure the Sunshine State in the event that a mass orchestrated action disrupts the GOP's national convention.
A week after police crack down, People's Library still operating in East Oakland (News)
Reading in the Biblioteca Popular Victor Martinez before it was re-shuttered by police Monday PHOTO BY ANDREW KENOWER by Yael Chanoff | 08.17.12 | 5:26 pm The building where activists, some from Occupy Oakland, created a free library and garden August 13 was raided by police that night. But that was Monday, this is Friday-- and the Biblioteca Popular Victor Martinez, or People's Library, is still in full form.
Oakland police shut down 'people's library' installed in vacant building (News)
By Sean Maher and Katy Murphy | Oakland Tribune | 08/14/2012 OAKLAND -- Books were still available for checkout Tuesday but from the sidewalk outside the vacant city building that briefly had been occupied as a "people's library" before police shut it down. Ten to 15 people left the property at 1449 Miller Ave., near International Boulevard, shortly after officers entered the building about 11 p.m. Monday and told activists they were trespassing, said Officer Johnna Watson, a police department spokeswoman.
New York Acts Quickly Amid Sharp Rise in Homelessness (News)
by Aaron Edwards | New York Times | August 10, 2012 The homeless population in New York City has jumped sharply over the last year, causing a record number of people to enter the shelter system. The increase has forced the Bloomberg administration to open nine more shelters in just the last two months — sometimes with only a few weeks' notice to surrounding neighborhoods. The administration said the increase stemmed in part from the end of the city's main rent-subsidy program for homeless families. But the new shelters — five in the Bronx, two in Manhattan and two in Brooklyn — have provoked criticism from local officials who say they were blindsided by the decisions to open them.
Occupy Kindness: Community Saves Single Mom's Home (News)
by Patience Salgado | Kindnessgirl.com | 08/03/2012 It seems we all know someone struggling these days. It's the middle aged man with three kids who just lost his job, a single mom picking up a second shift to make ends meet, a grandfather trying to figure out how he will cover prescription costs, or a kid that has eaten more than his fair share of Ramen noodles.
Portland Vigil Shut Down by PD (News)
Our friends in Portland had a rude awakening today... Portland Police Clear City Hall Sidewalk of Protesters City Hall protester Cameron Whitten declared victory and ended his 55-day hunger strike last week. Today, the city kicked his fellow protesters out. About a dozen Portland Police officers performed a sweep of the sidewalk in front of City Hall late this morning to force protesters to move across Southwest 4th Street and take their belongings. The sweep lasted about 30 minutes and resulted in one arrest and a couple written citations to those who refused to clear their belongings from the middle of the sidewalk.
UC Davis pepper-spray cop finally off the force (News)
01 August, 2012, 20:30 Lieutenant John Pike's long reign of burning, eye-watering terror is over. The University of California, Davis, cop that made headlines for blasting peaceful protesters with military-grade pepper-spray last year is no longer employed by the school.
Stand with Portlanders Resisting Political Repression (News)
Last week, Dennison Williams and Leah-Lynne Plante were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury investigating anarchists in the Pacific Northwest. The subpoenas were accompanied by a set of FBI raids, in which black clothing, flags, and anarchist literature was seized. They have been ordered to appear in closed-door hearings on August 2. The Committee Against Political Repression urges everyone to support Dennison and Leah in their resistance. Here are five ways you can show your solidarity... 1) Attend our press conference. Time: Wednesday, August 1st at 8 am Place: Gazebo at Peninsula Park in North Portland
President Obama campaigning in Oakland amid protests (News)
By Matthew Artz | Oakland Tribune | 07/23/2012 OAKLAND -- As President Obama began pressing the flesh in Oakland, hundreds of medical cannabis supporters took to the streets, marching past equally thick crowds of Obama supporters who stood in line for hours to see the president during an evening fundraiser at the Fox Theater. While most of the cannabis protesters have dispersed, by 5:30 p.m. more than 100 demonstrators with Occupy Oakland and various anti-war groups, several with bandannas covering their faces, had amassed at the corner of 19th Street and Broadway, blocking westbound traffic along the thoroughfare. The protesters were remaining behind police barricades, one block from the theater.
LAPD officers, Occupy L.A. protesters clash during ArtWalk downtown (News)
By Melissa Leu and Stephen CeasaR | Los Angeles Times | July 13, 2012 A confrontation in downtown Los Angeles late Thursday between police and Occupy L.A.protesters appeared to have stemmed from a sidewalk chalk-drawing demonstration, witnesses said. At least two officers were injured and several arrests had been made. A woman who identified herself as part of Occupy L.A. said protesters attended the monthly L.A. ArtWalk on Thursday night with the intention of showing support for people previously arrested for chalking on the sidewalk. A Facebook event advertised the planned demonstration. Some of the messages written at the intersection of Spring and 5th streets included, "May the youth rise" and "End the Fed."
March of the Unemployed Kicks Off Two Projects in Oakland (News)
Friday, 13 July 2012 00:00 By JA Myerson, Truthout [...] "In the 1930s, there were unemployed councils," David Welsh, a retired letter carrier and organizer of the Union project, tells me. "When people got kicked out of their apartments, the unemployed councils would move their possessions back in. They also organized wide-scale demonstrations that scared the government into implementing the New Deal." At this rally, the group's "shot across the capitalist bow," as Welsh calls it, are the demands "Jobs or Income Now," "Extend unemployment benefits" and "Bail out the unemployed." But in the long term, what Welsh is after is a new New Deal, complete with jobs creation projects like Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Rush to Sensationalize "Occupy Murder Link" Leads to Major Media Mistakes; Where are Retractions? (News)
Despite dubious, anonymous sourcing and the total lack of evidence to implicate Occupy Wall Street protesters, the media jumped on the would-be scandal. by John Knefel | AlterNet | July 12, 2012
Major Rent Strike Against Millionaire Slumlord Catches Fire in Brooklyn (News)
Tenant Sara Lopez marches on Thursday Photo Credit: Diego Ibanez As foreclosures continue to put historic pressure on the nation's rental market, slumlords now have more opportunity than ever to prey on the most vulnerable of tenants. By Laura Gottesdiener | AlterNet | July 6, 2012
Active-Duty Troops, Vets launch Campaign to Help GIs Resist Afghanistan War (News)
'Our Lives, Our Rights' campaign asserts the right to refuse to fight June 29, 2012 Originally posted on the March Forward! website. In response to the catastrophic, immoral war in Afghanistan and the ceaseless epidemic of military suicides, active-duty U.S. troops along with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have launched a nation-wide campaign to educate and assist service members in their right to refuse to fight. The founders of the campaign are war resisters and active-duty service members who are currently refusing to participate in the war any longer.
1000s of Occupiers to brave brutal heat at National Gathering this weekend (News)
by Deborah Dupre | Human Right Examiner | June 27 2012 Human rights defender Occupiers alive and well but call for water
Cameron Whitten's Hunger Strike Continues: July 1 Slumber Party at Portland City Hall (News)
By Haze | OccupyPortland.org | June 25, 2012 Proud activist of Occupy Portland, and former mayoral candidate, Cameron Whitten is now entering his 25th day of a hunger strike to bring attention to housing justice issues. On the 30th day anniversary of his hunger strike, Sunday July 1st, community members from all around Portland will join Whitten for a Slumber Party at City Hall. Encircling Portland City Hall with sleeping people will show city officials, and Portlanders coming to work in the morning, how fining individuals for sleeping is unacceptable. Sleep and shelter are human rights and everyone deserves a safe place to rest. From Whitten's letter to Portland city commissioners:
When 'Occupy' movement becomes a way of life (News)
Reuters | Sunday 17 June 2012 Seven months after Occupy Wall Street's eviction from Zuccotti Park, the round-the-clock encampment in lower Manhattan that was once the movement's center, one protester has created his own version of the communal living experiment in Brooklyn. The spacious apartment in Crown Heights where Austin Guest, a 31-year-old Harvard University graduate, lives with another seasoned protester is a far cry from the crowded, chaotic Zuccotti Park of last fall, where hundreds of protesters camped out each night. Nevertheless, inspired by Zuccotti, with its free meals and free books, Guest said he and his friends are pursuing an Occupy-like experiment in mutual aid.
Disgruntled Oakland Parents Occupy Local Elementary School (News)
Tents set up near a playground at Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland, CA. Photo credit: Daniel Arauz By Andrew Dalton | June 18, 2012 12:25 PM Last Friday, a group of concerned parents marked the end of their children's school year by kicking off summer and protesting school closures with a campout at Lakeview Elementary School — just one of five Oakland schools closed by the Unified School District at the end of this most recent school year. Aided by veterans from Occupy Oakland, the group of parents, teachers, and community activists rallied for the schools, which they say were sacrificed while schools in more affluent neighborhoods are kept open.
Police Raid Anti-Fracking Encampment in Pennsylvania (News)
by Sara Jerving — June 15, 2012 - 10:23am
Oakland police faulted for handling of Occupy (News)
by Dan Levine | Reuters | 9:05 p.m. CDT, June 14, 2012 OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Longstanding problems in the Oakland Police Department led to a botched response to Occupy Wall Street protests last year, according to the findings of an independent review of the events conducted at the city's request and released on Thursday.
Trials Begin for Occupy Wall Street D17 Arrestees, NATO 3 (News)
Allison Kilkenny on June 12, 2012 - 10:59 AM ET Nearly six months after their arrests during a December 17 Occupy Wall Street protest at Duarte Square, eight activists accused of trespassing finally went on trial Monday. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Duarte Square back in December to mark the three-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. Those present included the OWS hunger strikers, who at the time, were in their fifteenth day of fasting. On Monday, the Guardian's Ryan Devereaux described a packed courthouse, filled with Occupy supporters who spilled out into the hallway, as they awaited to hear the testimonies of the New York City police officers responsible for arresting the protesters in a vacant lot owned by Trinity Church.
Victory for Minneapolis mom over Citibank's foreclosure effort (News)
By Matt Browner Hamlin | 6/12/2012 John wrote the other day about Nick Espinosa's mom. She was behind on her mortgage, finally was able to get the money together, but Citibank said "no" - they refused to accept her mortgage payment, and instead were going to sell her house tomorrow. That is, until Nick and a lot of his friends stepped up and saved the day.
Occupy National Gathering Responds to Bill Maher (News)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dustin Slaughter 213-999-5118; Nathan Kleinman 215-264-0446 firstname.lastname@example.com http://occupynationalgathering.com Occupy National Gathering Responds to Bill Maher - June 11th, 2012 This statement from the Occupy National Gathering Working Group - a collection of activists from across the country organizing the National Gathering in Philadelphia - does not speak for the entirety of the movement. Note: Mr. Maher's producer, Mary Knowles, repeatedly rejected email requests to have former congressional candidate Nathan Kleinman - known as "the Occupy candidate" in numerous news stories written about his candidacy - on Real Time with Bill Maher.
OWS presents a 'fracture of good order' for Trinity Church (News)
by Max Braverman | June 8, 2012 Jesuit priest and war resister Daniel Berrigan, soft-spoken but still eloquent at 91, and journalist Chris Hedges joined members of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Faith at Zuccotti Park on Thursday morning. They gathered to sing, pray and denounce the continued determination of Trinity Church, an Episcopal parish, to cooperate with the prosecution of OWS protesters.
From Tiananmen to Occupy: Shen Tong's life of protest (News)
Source: See video interview 6 June 2012 Last updated at 19:12 ET This week the world marked 23 years since the Chinese crackdown in Tiananmen Square. On Monday, China detained political activists and placed others under increased surveillance in cities around the country to prevent them from marking the anniversary. Hundreds died when the Communist Party used the army to crush pro-democracy protests in 1989. After the graphic scenes were beamed around the globe, an undisclosed number of people were rounded up and arrested.
Occupy Detroit has a home base for learning, organizing (News)
By Niraj Warikoo | Detroit Free Press | May 5, 2012 Jessica Dawl helps prepare a meal at the Occupy Detroit center in April. "We want to bring power back to the people," she said. / JARRAD HENDERSON/Detroit Free Press With its comfy sofas, kitchen and sunlit windows, the brick building at 5900 Michigan Ave. in Detroit that opened this year could pass for a spacious café. But a banner high on the wall that reads "We are the 99%" signifies this is a different type of place, one that's become the center for activists in metro Detroit. After leaving their encampment in Grand Circus Park in November, Occupy Detroit has found a new home in the heart of southwest Detroit.
Oakland residents ask Goldman Sachs CEO for a way out of rate swap deal (News)
Oakland residents hold up signs criticizing the city's bond debt deal with Goldman Sachs during a February city council meeting. For months, some Oakland residents and policy makers have seethed about what they consider an unfair interest rate swap between the city and the investment bank Goldman Sachs. Last Thursday, three people from Oakland flew across the country to attend Goldman Sachs' annual shareholders' meeting and see what CEO Lloyd Blankfein had to say about the deal.
Scientists insist GM wheat is safe as protesters vow to tear up crop (News)
Scientists have reacted with scorn as protesters gather near a scientific research centre where a genetically modified wheat crop is being grown. 3:18PM BST 27 May 2012 Security around the site in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, has been increased in preparation for the demonstration. Members of the anti-GM movement Take The Flour Back said they planned to rip up the crops which they fear could "contaminate" nearby fields, prompting St Albans City and District to apply to the Home Secretary for greater police powers.
Federal judge blocks National Defense Authorization Act provision (News)
In this May 25, 2011 photo, protesters demonstrate outside Britain's Houses of Parliament in central London, where President Obama was to give an address. On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that provisions of a defense authorization act signed by Obama are unconstitutional because they could subject activists to military detention. (Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press) By Dean Kuipers | LA Times | May 18, 2012, 6:47 p.m.
Occupy Boston: Rally in solidarity with Janitors TODAY!! (News)
You just can't get more absurd and utterly petty than this. 20 billion dollars in wealth and as if that isn't enough, they cut a few meager, virtually inconsequential dollars out of their bottom line by throwing 20 people under the bus. http://www.occupyboston.org/2012/05/24/rally-solidarity-janitors-today/
Disabled and Facing Eviction: An Elderly Californian Woman's Struggle (News)
Surreal: A disabled woman in California facing eviction - and offering a good-faith mortgage payment to prevent it - was arrested after she and 80 mostly union protesters demonstrated outside the luxurious home of Wells Fargo Chief Financial Officer Tim Sloan, thus violating a city ordinance aimed at keeping just such rabble-rousers away.
Local Governments Have the Power to Restrict Drone Surveillance in the US (News)
By Trevor Timm | Electronic Frontier Foundation | May 18, 2012 A series of events in the last two weeks have set the stage for how surveillance drones will be operated by local law enforcement in the United States and how citizens can demand privacy protections as domestic use escalates.
Occupy Wall Street Alternative Banking Group Files Amicus Brief on Side of Judge Rakoff in SEC v. Citigroup (News)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Below you'll find the amicus brief filed by the Alternative Banking Group on May 21 in support of Judge Jed Rakoff's ruling questioning a proposed $285 million settlement in the SEC v. Citigroup Capital Markets (ruing here, summary and discussion here). Judge Rakoff ordered the parties to trial, which resulted in both Citi and the SEC filing appeals.
Oakland panel weighs ban on protesters' 'tools' (News)
by Matthai Kuruvila | SFGate.com | Saturday, May 19, 2012 The Oakland City Council's public safety committee will consider an ordinance Tuesday banning protesters from having "tools of violence" at demonstrations, including shields, poles and hammers. Though the proposal from City Attorney Barbara Parker never refers to Occupy Oakland explicitly, it refers to dates on which the movement had several of its largest demonstrations. Among a host of incidents, Parker says vandals used a hammer to smash a window at a Whole Foods store Nov. 2, sprayed graffiti throughout Frank Ogawa Plaza on Jan. 28 and used fire accelerant on a police car on May 1.
National Lawyers Guild Decries Terrorism Charges Against Occupy Activists protesting NATO Summit (News)
For Immediate Release: May 19, 2012 Preemptive raids, terrorism and conspiracy charges are common characteristics of National Special Security Events Chicago, IL -- After holding NATO protesters for up to 48 hours, and releasing 6 out of 9 arrestees without any charges, the City of Chicago filed state charges last night against 3 Occupy activists from Florida, including possession of explosives or incendiary devices, material support for terrorism, and conspiracy. On Wednesday night at approximately 11:30pm, police raided a house in the Bridgeport neighborhood, detained several people in multiple apartments, and arrested 9 activists. Police broke down doors with guns drawn and searched residences without a warrant or consent.
NATO protesters occupy Chicago streets (News)
By Mira Oberman | AFP – May 18 2012 @ 2:10PM Thousands of NATO protesters took to the streets of Chicago Friday chanting "tax Wall Street!" and calling for an end to costly wars so governments can focus on providing social services. The protesters blocked traffic in the heart of Chicago's financial district as the city's highways were being shut down to make way for the first motorcades bearing the leaders of 50 countries gathering for a NATO summit on Sunday and Monday. "Whose streets? Our streets!" hundreds of protesters chanted as they marched past police mounted on horses and bicycles, while onlookers took pictures from the sidewalks and through the windows of shops and offices.
Why Ben & Jerry's founder thinks small businesses should ally with the Occupy movement (News)
By Garret Ellison | firstname.lastname@example.com | May 18, 2012, 9:15 AM GRAND RAPIDS, MI — To Ben Cohen, the sustainable small business community and the Occupy Movement are a "match made in heaven." "These are two organizations that, as far as I'm concerned, should be working together," said Cohen, co-founder of Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company. "Each organization would be stronger if they were doing that." Cohen was in Grand Rapids on Thursday for a discussion about wealth inequality and economic justice during the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) conference wrapping up Friday after several days worth of tours, "visioning sessions" and interactive workshops.
Occupy Oakland Announces "Occupy AC Transit" Campaign (News)
by Dave Id | Indybay | Thursday May 17th, 2012 9:17 AM
Hundreds of activists gather for 'People's Summit' a week before NATO summit (News)
Associated Press | 1:34 p.m. CDT, May 13, 2012 CHICAGO (AP) — Activists planning demonstrations a week ahead of the NATO summit say their goal is to keep things peaceful. Advocates from outside Chicago have already started arriving. They attended a two-day event ending Sunday dubbed "The People's Summit." The activists include anti-war protesters and immigrant rights advocates. Workshop topics range from protest tactics to ways U.S. activists can help oppose the presence of American and NATO bases around the world. Economic and social issues like joblessness, racial inequality and health care are also being discussed.
Occupy the Farm Protesters End Encampment (News)
by Nanette Asimov | SFGate | Sunday, May 13, 2012 [...] The regents had said they would drop their suit if the protesters quit trespassing and joined in a discussion Saturday about how to use the land for both urban farming and for the plant research faculty members are planning for the site. "It's a brass-tacks meeting," Mogulof said. But what might seem a no-brainer to the public was regarded by protesters as a cynical move on UC Berkeley's part. Protesters said they have tried for years to work out a compromise with the university over the Gill Tract but have always been disappointed.
It's not just the Red Cross preparing for an evacuation of Chicago during NATO summit (News)
By Madison Ruppert | Editor, End the Lie It has now emerged that it was not just the Red Cross and hospitals that were told to prepare for various emergency scenarios surrounding the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago. To get some background on what is going on and the potential outcomes, watch the short video below: This topic was also discussed in detail with Drew Lamb on episode 14 of End the Lie Radio which you can see below as well: The local Chicago CBS affiliate recently reported that Benedictine University has been contacted by the American Red Cross chapter in DuPage County to set up emergency shelters.
Critique - The Media's (Non-) Coverage of Occupy (News)
Media grows bored of Occupy By Natasha Lennard And that means, according to a new report, that Americans can expect to hear a lot less about income inequality
N.Y., JPMorgan Sued by Council Members in Occupy Lawsuit (News)
By David Voreacos - Apr 30, 2012 4:02 PM PT Four New York City Council members sued the city over the handling of Occupy Wall Street protesters, claiming the police used excessive force and should be subject to an outside monitor. The Police Department made false arrests and violated free- speech rights of protesters and journalists last year, according to a complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court by the council members and 11 others. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Brookfield Office Properties and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are among the defendants. [continue reading]
Occupy Wall Street stages day of US protests (News)
1 May 2012 Last updated at 18:46 ET Occupy Wall Street protesters have staged rallies across the US as they called for a nationwide general strike to mark International Workers' Day. There were arrests as small groups of activists took to New York's streets and marched towards Wall Street. In Oakland, California protesters clashed with police as flash-bang grenades and tear gas were used. A demonstration was also under way at San Francisco and another was planned for Washington DC. Occupy Cleveland cancelled its own events "out of respect for the city" after five self-described anarchists were arrested in the area on suspicion of plotting to blow up a four-lane highway bridge over a national park.
Occupy artists take message to streets (News)
This is a video story about @OWS arts. It is really great to see the imagination that continues the message in powerful, peaceful, non-violent ways. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17903474 OLV has done some of the same things.
Kids March Busted, Mothers Brutalized (Occupy Eugene) (News)
by IO JR on Apr 28, 2012 Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com (or Lauren Regan, Director, Civil Liberties Defense Center, 541-687-9180). occupyeugenemedia.org, @OccupyEugene Eugene Police Harass and Brutalize Parents at Children's Occupy The Trees Event In a disturbing display of police brutality and abuse of power, two local mothers were arrested after being pepper sprayed by Eugene police officers. The events began on Wednesday, April 25, in the Park Blocks around 5:30 p.m. during the Occupy The Trees event. The 6-day event included a children's march and a scavenger hunt for nature items, and featured speeches from children about the environment.
Banks Share Info From Robots, Security Officers, Video Surveillance As Occupy Protests Loom (News)
The Huffington Post | By Bonnie Kavoussi Posted: 04/26/2012 In a real-life situation reminiscent of many an Arnold Schwarzenegger flick, banks are using information gleaned from robots to fend off the Occupy movement. Big banks are giving each other information they got from robots, security officers, and video surveillance as they brace for Occupy Wall Street's planned protests at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Chicago in May, Bloomberg reports. Starting May 1, about 50,000 demonstrators plan to camp out in Chicago for a month to protest the NATO meeting, according to Adbusters Magazine, which first coined the phrase "Occupy Wall Street."
Chained AIDS protesters block Wall St area traffic (News)
NEW YORK — AIDS and Occupy protesters wearing Robin Hood costumes have chained themselves together and blocked traffic in the Wall Street area. About 10 chanting and sign-waving protesters conducted the action on Wednesday on Broadway in lower Manhattan. Police appeared and called for backup. Traffic was stopped cold for blocks. The protest was a prelude to a larger march. Members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power and other groups were gathering at City Hall. They'll walk down Broadway ending at Trinity Church near Wall Street with a tribute to loved ones lost to AIDS. ACT UP was formed in New York in March 1987 amid the growing AIDS crisis. The organization now has worldwide chapters.
No warrant needed, no privacy: Judge rules even deleted tweets can be used in court (News)
By Ms. Smith on Tue, 04/24/12 - 2:08pm.
While We Watch: A New Documentary on #OWS Media. Streaming Live, April 26th, 8PM (News)
Posted on April 24, 2012, 6:07 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt #whilewewatch - Trailer from #whilewewatch on Vimeo. The full length #whilewewatch, a new documentary about Occupy media, will be going live globally at 8pm ET on April 26th. Pass it on! #A26 [source]
Occupy To Shut Down Golden Gate Bridge - UPDATED (News)
By Brock Keeling | SFist | April 19, 2012 3:40 PM Occupy just stopped being polite, and started getting real: Tuesday, May 1st a general strike has been called for the Golden Gate Bridge in an effort to "show the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District that fair wages and benefits can not be ignored." The plan is to shut down the bridge. Occupy Golden Gate Bridge's Facebook page reports: This action has been called for by the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition and endorsed by Occupy Oakland, Occupy SF, Jobs with Justice, and the Occupy SF Action Council.
ALEC's PR Counter-Offensive: SOS Sent Out To Right-Wing Blogosphere (News)
by Rebekah Wilce | PRWatch.org | April 18, 2012 - 7:52am
Wall Street Flees Wall Street (News)
by Scott Parkin | Rainforest Action Network | via The Guardian Wall Street is scared shitless. They'd never admit it, but the way the big Wall Street banks are rapidly relocating their annual shareholder meetings from the concrete canyons of Midtown and lower Manhattan this shareholder season to points south, north and west means that fear is not only visible, you can smell it on them like retched dead sea life. JPMorgan Chase moved to Tampa, Florida, home of a new burgeoning police state preparing for rowdy anti-Republican National Convention protests in August.
ALEC Accountability Act set for introduction in Arizona (News)
Posted by Axel Caballero 130pc on January 12, 2012 Arizona Representative Steve Farley (D-Tucson) has announced that he will introduce a bill, the "ALEC Accountability Act of 2012," aimed to make the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) more transparent. As many of you know, ALEC is a mastermind organization that works to advance legislation authored by corporate interests at the state level. [...] ALEC, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit that insists it does not engage in lobbying activity, refuses to publicly disclose the identities of its donor/member corporations. There currently is no requirement– in Arizona or in any other state– for either organizational or lawmaker disclosure of "scholarship fund" donor identities.
John Nichols: It's time for all lawmakers to exit ALEC (News)
by JOHN NICHOLS | Cap Times associate editor | Wednesday, April 11, 2012 4:15 am Dozens of protesters participate in a hoodie march and rally for Trayvon Martin on April 6 in Benton Harbor, Mich. The killing of 17-year-old Trayvon on Feb. 25 in Sanford, Fla., has prompted protests across the country against kill-at-will laws, which ALEC has championed. (Photo by DON CAMPBELL, Associated Press) Pressured by a coalition of civil rights, clean government and religious groups to quit their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council, multinational corporations are indeed exiting ALEC. Now it's time to demand that the 2,000 legislators who have joined ALEC do the same.
ColorOfChange.org calls on AT&T to stop funding ALEC (News)
GateHouse News Service | Posted Apr 10, 2012 @ 10:40 AM Donaldsonville, La. — ColorOfChange.org members began making phone calls to AT&T headquarters to demand that the company stop funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of the group's role in the spread of discriminatory voter ID laws, and "stand your ground" laws like the one that has prevented justice for Trayvon Martin in Florida. News broke last week that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, and Intuit have ended their relationship with ALEC. Today ColorOfChange.org called on AT&T to follow suit.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Withdraws Support From ALEC (News)
By Faiz Shakir on Apr 9, 2012 at 6:33 pm Following Kraft, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Intuit, another influential sponsor of ALEC has withdrawn its support from the right-wing corporate front group. Roll Call reports: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today became the latest backer to withdraw financial support for the American Legislative Exchange Council. A foundation spokesman told Roll Call that it does not plan to make future grants to the conservative nonprofit, which has come under fire from progressive activists for its support of voter identification laws and other contentious measures.
Unions celebrated an 'Occupy Transit' Day of Action but not in D.C. (News)
By John Hendel (Twitter @TBDOnFoot) | April 9, 2012 - 09:27 AM On March 13, transit unions from around the country gathered at Farragut Square to proclaim transit a human right and declare allegiance with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Prominent at the rally was Jackie Jeter, president of WMATA's ATU 689. Among their messages was a proclamation that April 4, 2012 would be Occupy National Day of Action for Public Transportation. This rally, they said then, was just the start in a call for more transportation funding. Well, April 4 was last week. Did anything happen?
Intuit Becomes 4th Corporation to Drop ALEC (News)
By Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress | 06 April 12 Software company Intuit, the makers of programs such as Turbo Tax and Quicken, announced today that they will join Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Kraft as the fourth company to end their partnership with the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council this week. The Center for Media & Democracy, which launched ALECexposed.com last year, broke the news:
Kraft Foods and Pespi abandon ALEC (News)
Source Kraft abandons conservative group By: Robin Bravender April 5, 2012 08:34 PM EDT Kraft Foods, Inc. has become the third corporate titan to abandon a conservative group that supports the type of "Stand Your Ground" gun law at the center of the Trayvon Martin controversy in Florida. Kraft — one of many corporation members of the American Legislative Exchange Council — won't renew its membership when it expires this spring, Kraft Corporate Affairs Director Susan Davison told POLITICO.
Coca-Cola Pulls out of ALEC (News)
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/04/458591/progressive-movement-compels-coca-cola-to-pull-support-from-alec-over-voter-suppression-efforts/?mobile=nc BREAKING: Progressive Movement Compels Coca-Cola To Pull Support From ALEC Over Voter Suppression Efforts By Faiz Shakir on Apr 4, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Occupy's Disrupt Dirty Power Earth Month (News)
by Shepherd Bliss / March 23rd, 2012 From New York to St. Louis to Los Angeles, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) buzzes with the awakening of spring activities throughout the United States. One of its many pending actions is to join forces with the environmental movement to launch Earth Month on March 24.
Successful Fare Strike on New York Subways (News)
Submitted by Hieronymous on Mar 29 2012 05:16 This morning tens of thousands rode the New York City subways for free in a Fare Strike organized by Occupy Wall Street in coordination with rank-and-file transit workers.
Less Visible Occupy Movement Looks for Staying Power (News)
Source article March 31, 2012 Less Visible Occupy Movement Looks for Staying Power By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT WASHINGTON — Six months after the Occupy movement first used protests and encampments to turn the nation's attention to economic inequality, the movement needs to find new ways to gain attention or it will most likely fade to the edges of the political discourse, according to supporters and critics.
Police Transcripts, Police Review Raise New Questions about Berkeley Police Response to Victim's Call for Help (News)
By Ted Friedman | Berkeley Daily Planet | Friday March 30, 2012 - 01:36:00 PM Could Berkeley's Feb. 18 Park Hills murder have been prevented? Yes, no, possibly. Peter Cukor was attacked at 9:01 p.m., according to BPD timelines, while protestors were just leaving Oakland for Berkeley. Yet police priority changes in ranking calls—tied to Occupy—were in place before they were necessary, according to timelines. Recently released police transcripts (Planet, Tues). and questions posed by the Berkeley Police Review Commission on Wednesday raise questionss about Berkeley police response. The accused killer, Daniel Dewitt , has been declared unable to stand trial.
We win when we live here: occupying homes in Detroit and beyond (News)
by Laura Gottesdiener | March 28, 2012, 7:14 am Photo by Stephen Boyle, via Occupy-Detroit.us. A truck pulling an enormous construction dumpster came rumbling down Pierson Street in northwest Detroit on January 31. It was a cold Michigan morning, and the whole street was slick with ice. The 20 activists standing on Bertha and William Garrett's front lawn had been there for over an hour. One Teamster had been waiting since 4:30 a.m. because he was afraid the dumpster would come early; as a driver he knew that his co-workers often worked before the rest of the world woke.
Trayvon Martin killing: Sanford police chief steps down (News)
A Florida police chief has stood down in the face national outrage over his department's decision not to arrest a neighbourhood watch captain who shot dead an unarmed black teenager. by Raf Sanchez | The Telegraph UK | 10:39PM GMT 22 Mar 2012 [...] thousands of protesters took to the streets across the country and black members of Congress accused the Sanford Police Department of a "blatant disregard for justice".
Truthout FOIA Reveals Widespread Confusion on DHS Involvement in Surveillance, Crackdown on Occupy (News)
Thursday, 22 March 2012 16:33 By Yana Kunichoff, Truthout | Report What kind of Occupy activity is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allowed to place surveillance on? Was the agency part of the November 2011 crackdown on Occupy movement? Does it ever help local law enforcement police Occupy camps? DHS's answer to these questions: We're not sure. Hundreds of pages of documents Truthout obtained from DHS under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show a lack of clarity about DHS's role in the surveillance and eviction of Occupy movements - within the agency itself.
50 states and no winners (News)
By Caitlin Ginley | State Integrity Investigation The tales are sadly familiar to even the most casual observer of state politics. In Georgia, more than 650 government employees accepted gifts from vendors doing business with the state in 2007 and 2008, clearly violating state ethics law. The last time the state issued a penalty on a vendor was 1999.
Occupy Austin Takes Action Against Monsanto (News)
Occupy takes its message from the park to the gallery (News)
by Adam Toobin and Katherine Long | Senior Staff Writers | The Brown Daily Herald | Friday, March 16, 2012 {Photo Courtesy of James Sawyer} Occupy Providence members are displaying the movement's goals through art. Occupy Providence may have left Burnside Park more than a month ago, but members of the group gathered in Olneyville Thursday night for an art exhibit in the Yellow Peril Gallery featuring political artwork of Occupy artists. Most of the artists had been active members of the Burnside Park Occupation and said they wanted to represent the Occupy movement's goals through art.
Parts of UC pepper-spray report to remain sealed (News)
Parts of a report on the pepper-spraying of student demonstrators by University of California, Davis police will remain under seal while a judge decides whether releasing the material would impact the privacy of officers, according to a ruling on Friday. The Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — Parts of a report on the pepper-spraying of student demonstrators by University of California, Davis police will remain under seal while a judge decides whether releasing the material would impact the privacy of officers, according to a ruling on Friday. Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo said Friday that university officials can release most of their report on the incident, The Oakland Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/A4NnP4)
Iraq War veteran injured during Occupy protest will sue city (News)
By Paul T. Rosynsky | Oakland Tribune | Posted: 03/16/2012 05:02:48 PM PDT OAKLAND -- An attorney representing an Iraq War veteran who was hit in the head with a police projectile during an Occupy Oakland protest last year said he will file a claim against the city Monday seeking monetary damages for injuries suffered by his client. The claim is a mandatory first step in the eventual filing of a lawsuit against Oakland for injuries Scott Olsen suffered after being shot in the head with a nonlethal projectile during a clash with police.
Inquiries into Police Violence at Occupy Protests Moving Slowly (News)
At least nine separate investigations into events in Oakland, Davis and Berkeley remain unresolved By Zoe Corneli on March 15, 2012 - 4:33 p.m. PDT More than four months after an Occupy demonstration shut down the Port of Oakland and devolved into violence, at least nine separate investigations into the ways police officers dealt with the protests in Oakland and on University of California campuses in Davis and Berkeley remain unresolved. Many of the investigations have been delayed for reasons that range from a court challenge to the difficulty of scheduling meetings with college students. And while people on both sides of the Occupy issue applaud the efforts, experts said the sheer number of investigations could be counterproductive...
What Has Occupy Been Up To? 6 Great Actions You Can't Miss This Spring (News)
By Manissa McCleave Maharawal | Alternet | March 13, 2012 Photo Credit: Sarah Jaffe Occupy changed over the winter from outdoor camps to internal work and debates. But that laid the groundwork for a very big spring. Here's what to expect.
Shocking No One, NYPD Surveillance Extends To Occupy Wall Street (News)
By Christopher Robbins | Cothamist | March 12, 2012 10:31 AM
Facing Global Protest, G8 Retreats (News)
Posted on March 6, 2012, 4:48 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt The Group of 8 Summit, a meeting of the governments of the world's eight largest economies, was supposed to convene in Chicago this May. For months, Occupy Chicago, international anti-war groups, Anonymous, and hundreds of allies have publicly planned to shut it down. Now, only two months before the meeting is scheduled to begin, U.S. President Barack Obama is moving the assembly of over 7,000 leaders from the world's wealthiest governments to the Camp David presidential compound, located in rural Maryland near Washington, DC, one of the most secure facilities in the world. The Chicago Tribune reports that summit organizers are "stunned" by the news.
'Occupy' Protesters Break into Foreclosed North Hollywood Home of Woman Who Was Deported (News)
Occupy L.A. demonstrators angered that a mother of two was deported to Mexico after protesting the foreclosure of her North Hollywood home broke into that home Monday during a demonstration, according to KTLA. The rally was intended to be a peaceful candlelight vigil, but the break-in led to a standoff with Los Angeles police, according to the report, which said the standoff ended peacefully with no arrests.
Occupy Museums Will Open Its Own 'Art Market' Outside the Armory Show (News)
Occupy Museums, one of the art world offshoots of Occupy Wall Street, has posted on their Facebook page an open call to participate in a free art exchange. This will coincide with the Armory Show, the giant art fair that, uh, occupies Piers 92 and 94 along the Hudson this week. According to the message: Occupy Museums invites all artists and non-artists to join a mobile exchange art fair on the sidewalk outside of this year's Armory Show in New York City. Participants are encouraged to bring items such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, conceptual art, crafts, food, and other objects to exchange with Armory attendees and each other. We particularly welcome modes of exchange are not based on profit [sic].
Occupy Cleveland disrupts sheriff's sale of foreclosed properties (News)
Five members of Occupy Cleveland were arrested Monday after they protested property foreclosures by interrupting a sheriff's sale. The sale, to auction off foreclosed homes, began about 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Justice Center. The protesters quickly stood up, and one began to shout: "We are calling on the judicial system to institute an immediate moratorium on all foreclosures until a fair system of home loans is put into place," said Peter Schanz of Cleveland, an organizer of the group's foreclosure committee. Before protesters could finish a prepared statement, sheriff's deputies carted them away and charged them with disorderly conduct, a minor misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $100 fine. Some of the demonstrators left singing a song:
Infiltration to Disrupt, Divide and Mis-direct are Widespread in Occupy (News)
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | February 25, 2012 This is Part I of a two part series on infiltration of Occupy and what the movement can do about limiting the damage of those who seek to destroy us from within. This first article describes public reports of infiltration as well as results of a survey and discussions with occupiers about this important issue. The second article will examine the history of political infiltration and steps we can take to address it. Survey and Interviews of Occupiers Shows Common Tactics, Common Infiltrators [...]
International Women's Day 2012: Call to Action (News)
http://www.womenoccupy.org/2012/02/international-womens-day-2012-call-to-action/ Posted on February 24, 2012 by NancyMancias Thursday, March 8, 2012 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY A call to rise up and occupy Bank of America! "Someday the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit!" – Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Read the full Women Occupy Call to Action for International Women's Day and join us! Background Since its inception in the early twentieth century, International Women's Day has been rooted in the struggle for economic justice, growing out of local demonstrations by women workers demanding shorter hours, better pay, voting rights, and an end to discrimination.
7 arrests in Occupy Portland F29 protest (News)
PORTLAND – Occupy Portland protesters marched from Waterfront Park through downtown Wednesday in driving rain under a sea of yellow umbrellas for a day of demonstrations called "F29." The goal, said organizers, was to disrupt targeted businesses with a march and civil disobedience. It began with a couple hundred people gathering at Waterfront Park at 11:30 a.m., under the west side of the Burnside Bridge. Then, at 1 p.m., they began marching, winding through several downtown streets, including Broadway and Salmon. The marchers were, at times, disrupting traffic.
Occupy Wall Street planning major protest on Wednesday (News)
Photo credit: Dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered in Union Square on Tuesday evening (John Roca) Occupy Wall Street protesters plan to demonstrate in the city and across the country Wednesday to oppose powerful corporations even as demonstrators decide whether to accept donations from those that have offered support. Protesters will gather Wednesday morning at Bryant Park, and afternoon demonstrations will be held outside Bank of America and Koch Industries offices nearby. Demonstrations are also planned in Oakland, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev., and nearly 70 cities nationwide.
Occupy Central (News)
The Portland movement is instigating the next global protest against corporate power. February 29th, 2012 HANNAH HOFFMAN Occupy Las Vegas is on the line. On Feb. 29, its members will join a national day of protest against corporations, and Occupy Las Vegas leaders are reporting in: They're going to target the offices of NV Energy, one of that city's biggest companies. Occupy Louisville is on the conference call, too. It's going after KFC. Occupy leaders from other cities—Dayton, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Erie—chime in with their plans. In a friend's Northeast Portland house, Kari Koch of Occupy Portland listens in. She monitors a computer screen and can see how many Occupy groups have joined the discussion.
Portland police are preparing for F29 demonstration (News)
PORTLAND, Ore. - Hundreds of local protesters are planning to rally and march in downtown Portland on Wednesday as part of a national Shut Down the Corporations Day of Action. Corporations that are part of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are the target of the Feb. 29, 2012 national call to action (dubbed F29). Here in Portland, a rally is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Southwest Naito Parkway and Ankeny Street, under the west side of the Burnside Bridge. A march is then planned at 1 p.m. According to the Portland Police Bureau, a permit has not been obtained for the march and the route information has not been released.
#F29: Occupy Wall Street back in action (News)
Occupy Wall Street is leaping back into the spotlight with a new day of action scheduled for tomorrow, Feb. 29. A coordinated effort across 70 cities, Occupy Wall Street will target corporations involved with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Occupiers say that mega-companies like ExxonMobil, Bank of America, BP, Monsanto, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart use ALEC to buy off legislators and craft legislation that puts corporate profit over the well-being of ordinary people. Beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Occupiers will hold a teach-in at Bryant Park with Matt Taibbi, an award-winning journalist and author.
NY Fed & AIG: Conspiracy Exposed (News)
This isn't a new story. In fact it's 2 years old. But it's an example of an actual conspiracy - yes Virgina, they do happen - and it has a lot to do with how we all got into this economic mess. From Bloomberg.com... Secret Banking Cabal Emerges From AIG Shadows By David Reilly - Jan 28, 2010 6:00 PM PT - Bloomberg Opinion The idea of secret banking cabals that control the country and global economy are a given among conspiracy theorists who stockpile ammo, bottled water and peanut butter. After this week's congressional hearing into the bailout of American International Group Inc., you have to wonder if those folks are crazy after all.
Occupy Movement Targets Corporate Interest Group with Ties to Legislators (News)
Published on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by Common Dreams American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will face ire of the 99% - Common Dreams staff
Occupy Wall Street Doesn't Endorse Philly Conference (News)
Occupy Wall Street tells The Associated Press that a national conference being planned in Philadelphia this summer was not approved by its General Assembly, meaning the group does not endorse it. On Tuesday, we reported that the "The 99% Declaration," an Occupy Wall Street working group, was planning a meeting of a "National General Assembly," made up of 876 delegates — a man and woman from each Congressional district. On July 4 in Philadelphia, the group would draft and ratify a set of grievances, which would then be sent to the three branches of the U.S. government. The group was backed by Michael S. Pollock, an attorney who advised Occupy protesters in New York, but Occupy members from across the country have said the group is simply co-opting the Occupy name.
Occupy protests worth teaching (News)
The Occupy movement is a part of history, and deserves a place in the educational curriculum. Professors already get to teach about social revolutions whether students agree with their politics or not. The Occupy movement is no different. According to USA Today, the Occupy movement is beginning to appear in universities with "new course offerings and a new focus in older ones." The Occupy movement has been criticized for its lack of a clear agenda, but it has made a huge impact on American society. After beginning in New York City in September 2011, the Occupy movement spread across the nation. People continue to protest during a time of economic struggle and class polarization.
Climate peaceful at 'Occupy Koch Town' protest (News)
About 150 protesters marched through downtown Wichita on Saturday afternoon as activists from across the country gathered for the weekend "Occupy Koch Town" rally. Although the block-long line of protesters temporarily blocked several major intersections, the march was peaceful, and police made no arrests and issued no citations. The rally, which was organized by the Sierra Clubs of Kansas and Missouri and area Occupy movements, began about 2 p.m. at the Grand Chapel, 828 N. Broadway. Throughout the day, speakers addressed a variety of issues dealing with energy, environmental, climate policies and the controversial Keystone pipeline. Among those attending was Nick Brothers of St. Joseph, Mo., who said he had attended several other Occupy rallies, all of them peaceful.
Occupy Oakland anti-police march heads to Berkeley to join Occupy Cal conference (News)
OAKLAND, Calif. — The weekly Occupy Oakland anti-police march headed to Berkeley Saturday night to meet with other Occupy demonstrators holding a conference at the University of California at Berkeley campus this weekend. Around 100 protesters gathered in Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza at around 9 p.m. and headed to Berkeley via Telegraph Avenue, according to protesters streaming video of the march over the Internet. There was minimal police presence around the march, and protesters blocked traffic freely on their way to Berkeley. No incidents of violence or vandalism were reported, despite a few arguments with bystanders along the way up Telegraph Avenue. Once arriving in Berkeley, protesters stopped briefly by the university's Sproul Hall to confront UC police there.
Will Occupy Spring Forward or Meltdown (News)
http://www.portlandoccupier.org/2012/02/19/will-occupy-spring-forward-or-meltdown/ A healthy debate has finally gripped the Occupy Movement: there is now a discussion over strategy. Most Occupiers have learned that raw enthusiasm alone cannot bring victory to a social movement; ideas matter too. Action divorced from strategy equals wasted energy, divisiveness, diversions and unnecessary mistakes. Not all tactics push the movement forward.
Occupy Protesters Sue New York City Over Pepper Spray Incident (News)
By Joseph Ax NEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Two women caught on camera being doused with pepper spray by a New York police officer during an Occupy Wall Street march in September have sued the city, saying it failed to train police officers properly. In a viral online video, Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna was shown pepper-spraying several protesters involved in a march in September, about a week after the Occupy Wall Street movement set up camp in a park in the city's financial district. The video helped draw attention to the Occupy protests, which spread throughout the country last fall with calls for greater economic equality before the movement lost some ground as many U.S. cities evicted them from tent camp footholds.
Longshore workers name Occupy movement as crucial in EGT settlement (News)
by Steven Argue & Occupy EGT | Tuesday Feb 14th, 2012 11:23 PM The fight at Longview was a make-or-break struggle against union busting for the longshore workers of the ILWU. If EGT was able to break the union's jurisdiction there, other grain shippers would have moved to do the same. But the workers fought, the union held fast, the Occupy movement and ILWU stood-up together against union busting and police repression, the ruling class feared the unrest on the docks could spread, and the workers won on the question of jurisdiction. This was a significant victory.
Berkeley looks at their mutual aid response (News)
by Alan Wang | ABC 7 News | Tuesday, February 14, 2012 BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- For the next major Occupy demonstration, city leaders may not be able to count on their neighbor. At Tuesday night's Berkeley City Council meeting, city leaders decided to take a stand. The town known for tolerance has done it again. Berkeley police may not respond for calls for help with protesters if authorities in another city are cracking down with force. This move could have other cities examining the way they respond to calls for mutual aid. The city of Berkeley passed a standard mutual aid agreement, but it still wants to set parameters around its decision to help other police departments.
12 Occupy Atlanta followers arrested in AT&T protest (News)
Police arrested a dozen protesters affiliated with Occupy Atlanta on Monday after they invaded the lobby of the AT&T Midtown Center to protest recently announced layoffs by the telecommunications giant Despite the arrests, Occupy Atlanta spokesman Tim Franzen said the group, joined by members of the Communications Workers of America, plans to maintain a presence outside the building, where they've set up camp on the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and West Peachtree Street. The campsite is public property, according to AT&T spokesman Joe Chandler. "We are working with the authorities, as we were earlier today," Chandler said. An Atlanta police spokesman said the 12 demonstrators arrested Monday were charged with criminal trespass and taken to Fulton County Jail.
Santorum calls Occupy movement intolerant as protestors interrupt him (News)
TACOMA, Wash. - Rick Santorum said on Monday that the Occupy movement represents "true intolerance" after he was faced with a handful of angry protestors who shouted through his entire event, ultimately resulting in the arrest of three of them. "I think it's really important for you to understand what this radical element represents. Because what they represent is true intolerance," the former Pennsylvania senator said after two protestors were handcuffed and dragged away.
Occupy Shares Love with Police, Small Businesses (News)
Courtesy of Occupy Redwood City - February 12, 2012 Occupiers will be making Valentine's Day cards in Courthouse Square. Today is the last day Occupy Redwood City will gather at Courthouse Square to "Share the Love" by doing arts and crafts and rallying peacefully with our friends and neighbors. We will make and send Valentine's Day and "Thank You" cards from noon to 8 p.m. to express our love and gratitude to individuals, small businesses, and institutions who have been supportive of our cause or have at least shown evidence of practices or viewpoints that align with our ideals.
Three and Counting. Colorado Counties Rejecting NDAA (News)
Posted by TAC Daily Updates Colorado – taking a stand against the NDAA. Fremont, El Paso, now Weld County say NO to Indefinite Detention. Some people argue that principles of state sovereignty would be a pointless strategy in their state. They argue that their statehouse is even more corrupt than the Feds and in some cases, they may have a point. Fortunately there is much that can be done at the county level. Sources are telling Tenth Amendment Center that there are a high number of counties in Colorado alone that are ready to turn back the NDAA.
Occupy Medford & Tea Party Join Forces against NDAA Feb 13 (News)
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE From: Occupy Medford Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 11:34 PM Subject: Press Release: Occupy & Tea Party Join Together EVENT DATE: Monday, 13 February 2012, Noon-1pm PST PLACE: Vogel Plaza, Central Ave & Main St, Medford OR Southern Oregon Conservatives and Liberals Join to Protest NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2012) MEDFORD, OREGON - On Monday 13 February 2012 at Noon in Vogel Plaza there will be a demonstration against the passing of the NDAA, including Wake Up America Southern Oregon, and Occupy Coalition of Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass, as well as concerned individuals across the political spectrum.
The Top 12 Reasons Why You Should Hate the Mortgage Settlement (News)
by Yves Smith | Huffington Post | 02/9/2012 8:46 am As readers likely know by now, 49 of 50 states have agreed to join the so-called mortgage settlement, with Oklahoma the lone refusenik. Although the fine points are still being hammered out, various news outlets (New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal) have details, with Dave Dayen's overview at Firedoglake the best thus far [...] Here are the top twelve reasons why this deal stinks:
Democrats to continue Internet coup with new cyber bill (News)
By Josh Peterson | Daily Caller | Published: 10:54 PM 02/06/2012 | Updated: 6:31 PM 02/07/2012 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, following a recent anti-piracy legislative debacle with SOPA and PIPA, will lead his second effort of 2012 to push Internet-regulating legislation, this time in the form of a new cybersecurity bill. The expected bill is the latest attempt by the Democrats to broadly expand the authority of executive branch agencies over the Internet.
Protesters Find Common Ground: Tea Party, Occupy March In Worcester (News)
By Lee Hammel TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF | February 4, 2012 | Photo by T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA WORCESTER - More than 100 people who don't agree on much agreed yesterday that a Congress that passes a law permitting the indefinite detention of Americans without charge diminishes the country.
Today the City of Oakland Officially Went Insane. (News)
by jpmassar | DailyKOS | Mon Feb 06, 2012 at 05:02 PM PST At 11:45 today, on the steps of the Oakland City Hall, Mayor Quan and about thirty supporters (plus press and Occupy Oaklanders on the periphery) held a rally against Occupy Oakland. About twenty five minutes later, the Occupy Oakland anti-repression rally, slated for noon (and scheduled days in advance of Quan's rally) began. There were some two hundred Occupy Oaklander supporters scattered around the amphiteatre in front of City Hall, and the number continued to grow to perhaps three hundred as events unfolded.
Occupy Oakland getting blowback (News)
Oakland's City Council tonight will consider beefing up enforcement of protest-related laws as a response to escalating Occupy demonstrations. The council is expected to vote on a resolution that would direct the city administrator, mayor and police to crack down on protesters blocking streets and holding rallies without a permit. "We have not been aggressively enforcing these rules, which is the reason we're in the place we're in now," said Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente. "The fact is we cannot allow these protests to continue to drain our resources. We should have been doing this a long time ago." The resolution focuses on Port of Oakland shutdowns but would apply to any protest.
Occupy Tucson is back (News)
Occupy Activists Take On Wells Fargo Over Foreclosures (News)
In a First-of-its-Kind meeting Occupiers and Bank Executives Meet to Discuss American Foreclosure Crisis LOS ANGELES – In an unprecedented meeting, members of the Occupy Movement in LA on Monday afternoon will meet with Wells Fargo Executives to have a serious discussion about possible remedial measures the bank can take in the foreclosure-fraud crisis. Wells Fargo is America's largest residential-mortgage originator. They originate 1 in 4 U.S. mortgages and service 1 in 6. Wells Fargo has agreed to have at least six Senior Executives meet with seven foreclosure-focused activists.
DC Police Raid Occupy Encampment in Washington (News)
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/02/04 AP reports: Under the rules, protesters are allowed to conduct a 24 -hour vigil in the federal park but not camp out overnight. Regulations allow protesters to remain onsite at all hours with tents, though they are not allowed to camp out on blankets or other bedding materials. Police said tents that broke the rules would be seized and their owners threatened with arrest. So, tents which don't have walls so it is shown that no one is sleeping? Tents with walls? Tents have walls. Canopies don't have walls. Sleep in chairs? Camp? Toilets? Fires? Food? Camping=Sleeping Dozing=? Park Service has dictionary of terms? Find the opportunity in each problem!
Big News on Bank Transfers (News)
The Occupy effect? In the last 3 months, Americans switched banks at three times the normal rate. In the last 90 days, Americans changed banking providers at three times the normal rate, with 5.6 million people moving their money to a different bank http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/brooke-jarvis/big-news-on-bank-transfers
Occupy Oakland steps up after city cancels police forum (News)
By Matthew Artz | Oakland Tribune | Posted: 02/03/2012 11:01:08 AM PST | Updated: 02/03/2012 11:01:09 AM PST OAKLAND -- After city officials canceled a forum this week on the police department's response to Occupy Oakland protests, the Occupy movement has decided to hold a forum of its own. The forum, originally organized by Oakland's Citizens' Police Review Board, and slated to take place at City Hall with police officials and attorney James Chanin in attendance, will now be held by Occupy supporters at 6:15 p.m. Thursday at the Grand Lake Theater, a theater manager confirmed late Thursday.
Hudson Valley: Occupy Orange Movement Formed (News)
The spreading "Occupy" movement found a foothold in Orange County Thursday evening, with veterans from Zuccotti Park and other movements staging an informational rally at the Mulberry House senior center in Middletown. Hundreds gathered – perhaps some motivated by the free buffet – to listen to the same guiding philosophies that drew hundreds to hold vigil on Wall Street last year. While no such similar feats are being planned for Orange County at the moment, the session served to brainstorm on smaller scale ideas. With the movement already in action in Poughkeepsie, Kingston and New Paltz, Bennett Weiss, an organizer who gained fame in Zuccotti Park for making buttons, says "Occupy" has been conspicuously absent in Orange County.
Tactical Briefing #25: Showdown in Chicago (News)
Adbusters Blog | January 25 2012 Hey you redeemers, rebels and radicals out there, Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world's military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there. And so will we. On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we'll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.
Will Organic Farmers Finally Receive Justice Over Monsanto? (News)
Friday, February 3, 2012 | ActivistPost Say no to chemically-grown GMO foods New York, New York - It was standing room only as family farmers from around North America filled Federal Court Judge Naomi Buchwald's courtroom in Manhattan on Tuesday, January 31. The topic was the landmark organic community lawsuit OSGATA et al v. Monsanto and the Oral Argument Monsanto's pre-trial motion to dismiss which it filed last July. Plaintiffs from at least 21 States and Provinces were in the courtroom including Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Saskatchewan, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
Occupy, tea party on same side: Defense act protested (News)
By Lee Hammel | TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF | Friday, February 3, 2012 WORCESTER — Politics makes strange sidewalk fellows. Both Occupy Worcester and the Worcester Tea Party will participate in a demonstration against the National Defense Authorization Act from 3 to 7 p.m. today in front of the Harold D. Donohue Federal Building, 595 Main St. Both groups are urging members to attend the event, which is part of a national day of protest. While members of the two organizations do not usually support the same political candidates, the two anti-establishment groups have found common ground on this issue. Occupy Worcester will be there beginning at 3 p.m. The Worcester Tea Party urges its members to attend from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Occupy's Influence on Obama's State of the Union Address (News)
http://inthesetimes.com/uprising/entry/12619/occupys_influence_on_obamas_state_of_the_union_address Income inequality was a major theme in President Obama's State Of The Union address last night. As I wrote yesterday, the fact that politicians are now openly talking about class in America, a country almost absurdly proud of the fact that its citizens don't discuss class relations, is a major triumph of Occupy Wall Street and other economic disparity-focused groups.
Occupy Honolulu Protesters Evicted [allegedly - admin] (News)
Campsite At Ward, Beretania Has Been Up Since Nov. 5 by Jodi Leong | KITV4 News POSTED: 5:10 pm HST February 2, 2012 HONOLULU -- City crews descended on the Occupy Honolulu campsite at the corner of Ward Avenue and Beretania Street just after 1 p.m. Thursday. Armed with the new sidewalk property law, a backhoe, storage disposal notices and plastic storage bins, city crews went in to dismantle the sidewalk campsite. They matched the property that remained with snapshots of items that were tagged with warning notices more than 24 hours before.
Occupy Oakland protesters denied medication in jail (News)
The Alameda County Sheriff's Department in California has earned itself a reputation for heavy-handed responses to Occupy Oakland. Since Tuesday, allegations of abusive treatment by officers have escalated as arrestees detained during Saturday's mass Occupy actions in Oakland were released after up to three-day stints in holding cells at the department's Santa Rita Jail. Salon has received three firsthand accounts, corroborated by reports from Occupy Oakland's media team and the National Lawyers Guild, that ill and injured inmates were denied medication including anti-retroviral treatments for HIV-positive detainees.
Expired Permit and Harsh Winter Threaten the Occupy Buffalo Encampment (News)
[Buffalo News] – The effects of winter and the march of time have taken a toll on 4 1/2-month-old Occupy Buffalo.
OCCUPY COLLEGES ORGANIZES SOLIDARITY WEDNESDAY (News)
For Immediate Release: OCCUPY COLLEGES ORGANIZES SOLIDARITY WEDNESDAY Colleges and Universities denounce police violence and abuse of power at Occupy Oakland, Occupy UC Riverside and other Occupies that have encountered recent police aggression.
DC: Park Service enforcing camping ban against Occupy (News)
By: Aubrey Whelan | washingtonexaminer.com | 01/28/12 8:05 PM The National Park Service will begin enforcing a camping ban against Occupy DC protesters in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza Monday, but it's still not clear what that could mean for the demonstrators who have been camped there since October. A Park Service notice posted at both camps Friday warned protesters that anyone caught sleeping or preparing to sleep in the parks could face arrest starting at noon Monday. It instructs protesters to remove all camping material -- like sleeping bags and air mattresses -- from their tents to comply with the camping ban.
Exiting Occupy Home (News)
Irresponsible point-person or agent saboteurs? You decide. From the NY Post... Exiting Occupy Home By CANDICE M. GIOVE and KENNETH GARGER Last Updated: 3:16 AM, January 29, 2012 Posted: 2:33 AM, January 29, 2012 Don't let the door hit you in the collective butt on the way out. Occupy Wall Street squatters have finally begun moving out of an East New York home after their bungled takeover of the vacant property became a major embarrassment for the movement. "I told them that if I see anybody there, I'm going to call the cops," said the home's rightful owner, Wise Ahadzi, 27, a struggling single father of two.
26 Reportedly Arrested At Occupy Wall Street Foreclosure Auction Blockade (News)
As Yogi Berra might say, it's deja vu all over again: over 25 Occupy Wall Street protesters have been arrested today at a foreclosure auction protest in Brooklyn this afternoon. According to John Knefel, over 80 people crammed into Brooklyn Supreme Court to sing songs and blockade the foreclosure sales, and it seemingly worked: "4 cops just said the auction was cancelled. #ows now being forced to leave. could it be a ruse? #blockade." Check out a video of protesters singing in the courthouse, below: [video]
Has Ex Goldman Sachs Staff turned Democrat Campaigner Infiltrated Occupy? (News)
By Liam Fox | NEWS JUNKIE POST | Jan 22, 2012 at 4:47 pm Through the revolving door from Goldman Sachs to the Democrat Party, an experienced campaigner has maneuvered themselves into a position of influence with the Occupation Movement in the nations capitol. Connections with MoveOn.org, and Van Jones' Rebuild the Dream, seem to be only the tip of the iceberg. For a movement that considers itself not only non-partisan, but anti-partisan, and entirely anathema to the corporate owned political institutions that exist, this should come as a serious blow.
Occupy Nashville Participates in National Day of Action Against Holders of Private Prison Equity (News)
Jan. 23, 2012 Media Advisory Wells Fargo: Dump Prison Stock; Occupy Nashville to Participate in National Day of Action Against Holders of Private Prison Equity NASHVILLE — Occupy Nashville on Tuesday will protest Wells Fargo & Co., at the bank's downtown location for its extensive holdings in two private prison companies as part of the National Prison Divestment Campaign happening simultaneously in at least 15 cities. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), a recipient of billions of bailout dollars, is a major contributor to politicians who have championed tougher penalties for crimes and detention of non-criminal immigrants.
Occupy Providence Reaches Deal with City (News)
Posted Jan 24 on the OccupyProvidence site... A Victory for Occupy Providence! We the people of Occupy Providence have successfully occupied Burnside Park since the 15th of October, 2011. After maintaining a 24-hour-a day-protest, 7 days a week, for more than 100 days, we proclaim that the park is truly the people's park. Today we celebrate another victory; Occupy Providence has reached an agreement with the City of Providence to open and fund a day center at Emmanuel House for Rhode Islanders who are currently without housing for the duration of winter; in exchange for Occupy Providence agreeing to temporarily suspend the overnight tent occupation in Burnside Park.
Aaron Barr, Cybersecurity Analyst Who Was Hacked By Anonymous And Infiltrated Occupy Wall Street, Gets Fired (News)
by Matt Sledge | Huffington Post | First Posted: 01/20/2012 2:57 pm Updated: 01/21/2012 4:48 pm NEW YORK -- Just last week Aaron Barr, the former HBGary Federal CEO whose email was hacked by Anonymous in February, was "schooling" the FBI on security and social media. Now he's been let go from his new job at another federal contractor, Sayres and Associates. His former boss at Sayres told HuffPost it was because Barr was acting like a "cowboy" on the company dime.
San Fran: Seven arrested in protests blocking banks in Financial District (News)
By: Bay City News | 01/20/12 10:25 AM Seven people have been arrested this morning in connection with Occupy demonstrations that are blocking two banks in San Francisco's Financial District as part of a daylong protest in The City, a police spokesman said. The protesters, who had chained themselves to the Sacramento Street side of Wells Fargo's corporate headquarters at 420 Montgomery St., were arrested on suspicion of creating a public safety hazard, police spokesman Sgt. Daryl Fong said.
PRESS RELEASE: Occupy Caravan to Longview (News)
* Note: This is the first in a series of releases over the next two weeks explaining the role of the Occupy Movement in the struggle against EGT Development and their parent company Bunge Ltd that is developing into a large-scale action in Longview, Washington. All releases will be posted at www.OccupyTheEGT.org * For immediate release - Jan 18, 2012 Contact: Kari Koch or Jess Kincaid - (503) 567-8694 West Coast Occupiers will travel to Longview to stop grain shipment Caravan and protest planned in response to the labor struggle, food justice issues, and environmentally destructive practices of EGT and Bunge corporations
Occupy Wall Street looms over wins vs. SOPA bill, oil pipeline and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (News)
by Juan Gonzalez | NYDailyNews | Thursday, January 19 2012, 9:23 PM Astonishing trifecta for nation's populist movement against corporate greed This nation's fast-growing populist movement against unbridled corporate power scored an astonishing trifecta this week. In the span of just a few hours on Wednesday, three vastly different protest movements all achieved startling success the same way: by mobilizing the fury of tens of thousands of ordinary citizens.
Occupy Syracuse Camp Evicted (News)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Just after 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Syracuse police swiftly enforced the eviction notice given to Occupy Syracuse protesters on Tuesday. "We had seven people that chose to be peacefully arrested this morning. We had absolutely no resistance at all from anyone. Everybody went peacefully," said Sgt. Tom Connellan, Syracuse Police Department. The seven individuals are being charged with violating a city ordinance for illegally erecting tents on city property. The raid came as no surprise to the protesters, who have been staying on site since October. "We are far beyond the 24 hour warning the mayor has given us and we were expecting activity around this time," said Zach Ott, Occupy Syracuse protester.
'Occupy' Group Sues Over Planned Rally at New York Court (Occupy the Courts) (News)
Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- "Occupy the Courts," a group planning to rally outside a New York federal courthouse tomorrow, sued after the U.S. denied it a permit. The rally, intended to coincide with similar protests outside 120 U.S. courthouses in 46 states, was planned for the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in lower Manhattan. Organizers said they want to call attention to a 2010 Supreme Court decision that made it easier for corporations to spend money in election campaigns. "The purpose of the day of action is to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in elections," Occupy the Courts said in its complaint, filed last night.
Money Low, Occupy Wall St. Tightens Budget (News)
By AIDAN GARDINER | The New York Times | January 17, 2012, 12:14 pm With donations to Occupy Wall Street falling significantly and money starting to run low, the movement has imposed a partial spending freeze to make sure enough money is available for crucial functions like bailing protesters out of jail. "We need to stop all new nonessential spending until we get our budgetary committee together," Haywood Carey of Occupy Wall Street's accounting working group said Tuesday.
"Occupy" is the 2011 Word of the Year (News)
January 6th, 2012 | American Dialect HILTON PORTLAND-JAN. 6 — In its 22nd annual words of the year vote, with record attendance, the American Dialect Society voted "occupy" (verb, noun, and combining form referring to the Occupy protest movement) as the word of the year for 2011. Presiding at the Jan. 6 voting session were ADS Executive Secretary Allan Metcalf of MacMurray College, and Ben Zimmer, chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society and executive producer of the Visual Thesaurus and Vocabulary.com. Zimmer is also a language columnist for the Boston Globe.
TSA Air Marshal Arrested in Mugging of Boston Occupier (News)
What was a TSA air marshal doing at an Occupy camp at 3:40 on a Saturday morning, just an hour before protestors were evicted by Boston police? Stealing the iPhone of one of the camp's prominent voices, then slapping her, apparently. TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupy's organizers and main tweeters in the face, grabbed her iPhone and then fled.
Occupy SF occupies the roof of Wells Fargo Bank (News)
Posted by Steve Rhodes to Demotix.com 14th January 2012. David Solnit waves a 'Make banks pay' flag on the roof of Wells Fargo Bank. Six activists were later removed from the roof and arrested. David Solnit and five other activists occupied the roof of the Wells Fargo Bank roof at 16th and Mission. The Occupy SF Housing was the latest in a series of actions leading up to Occupy Wall Street West which will attempt to shut down banks in the financial district on Friday, January 20th, 2012.
Web Chat Brings Tea Party and Occupy Movement Together (News)
Alex Fitzpatrick | mashable.com | Jan 11 2012 Can members of the Tea Party find common ground with Occupy Wall Street protesters? That's what NBCpolitics.com will try to find out through an online-only web chat. The hour-long web chat, to be held on Wednesday afternoon, will include three Occupiers: A graduate student at UCLA, an unemployed international development worker from New York and an undergraduate student studying Christian ethics at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Their counterparts on the Tea Party side are a 36-year-old college secretary from Indiana, a retired airline captain from Missouri and a 74-year-old Tea Party organizer from Michigan.
Occupy Atlanta Helps Save Historic Black Church (News)
A historic black church in northwest Atlanta was saved by the help of the Occupy Atlanta movement. Higher Ground Empowerment Center, a church opened in 1903, is part of Atlanta's Vine City, which has been economically battered over the last few years. The church, which not only gives out food and clothing to those in need but also runs tutoring programs, took out a substantial loan in 2008 to cover damage from a tornado that struck the area. HGEC struggled so much in the last few years, with dwindling membership the main culprit, that it was unable to make the payments. It attempted to refinance with BB&T, but the bank refused and threatened to evict the church in less than seven days last week if it didn't come up with the money.
'Occupy Congress' heading for Washington (News)
The Occupy movement is moving from Main Street to the halls of Congress. Hundreds of protesters are expected to descend on Washington Tuesday for its "Occupy Congress" effort. But this time, they don't want to just rail against the system — they plan to work within it. Occupiers are setting up meetings with lawmakers and their staff to push for their set of legislative priorities — the kind of lobbying typical of established causes and interest groups. "We're helping people from all over the country set up meetings with their representatives if they want to go that route," Caty McClure of Occupy D.C. told POLITICO. It's unclear how many meetings occupy protesters from across the country will be successful in setting up.
Coast Guard Called to Protect Ship from Occupy Protest (News)
The U.S. Coast Guard will escort the first ship coming to the EGT grain terminal at the Port of Longview this month, and the Occupy movement and local labor groups say they are planning to greet the vessel with a massive protest. EGT officials say they have not scheduled a date for the ship's arrival. The freighter is expected to haul thousands of tons of grain to Asia, but opposition groups are already marshaling their forces to support the lengthy protest by union dock workers at the grain terminal. "We just want to swell the population of the city to show there are people behind us," said Jeff Washburn, president of the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Central Labor Council, which passed a resolution calling for a protest this week.
Occupy protesters have charges thrown out (News)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A judge in upstate New York threw out trespassing charges Thursday against 26 Occupy Wall Street supporters for staging late-night protests last fall in a Rochester park. The demonstrators were among 48 arrested on successive weekends in October and November for violating an 11 p.m. curfew at Washington Square Park. Days later, Mayor Tom Richards shifted direction to let Occupy Rochester protest there round the clock. About 15 tents now fill up one half of Washington Square, a downtown park about the size of a city block with a Civil War monument at its center. At a City Court hearing, Judge Teresa Johnson said factual allegations brought by the city's police chief do not sufficiently establish "every element of trespass," which is a misdemeanor.
Judge rules in favor of OWS protesters retaking Zuccotti Park (News)
Zuccotti is no longer surrounded by barricades and last night Occupy Wall Street protesters returned to Zuccotti Park. The OWS protesters were kicked out of the park back in mid November due to health concerns, but now after the courts ruled in the protesters favor they have slowly being making their way back to the epicenter of the protest. Goldie, an OWS activist, joins us and gives us the latest from the reoccupation. Uploaded by RTAmerica on Jan 11, 2012 peace
Occupy protesters spread message in NH (News)
By Bill Rappleye | Turn to 10.com | Published: January 09, 2012 MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The New Hampshire primary can be counted on to bring out voters who believe the process can work for the people -- or who feel it's not working for them.
How Cities and States are Sticking It to Citizens United (News)
From courthouses to statehouses, the pro-corporate ruling is under pressure. by Brooke Jarvis | Published on Friday, January 6, 2012 by YES! Magazine The Supreme Court may have declared in Citizens United v. the FEC that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, but that doesn't mean cities and states have to be happy about it. They're expressing their disagreement on an increasing number of battlegrounds, with Citizens United under challenge in courts, in city council meetings, in state legislatures, on ballots, and in the streets. Dissension in the Courts
Disgruntled Cowboys Fans Launch Occupy Valley Ranch (News)
By Vertex News | Updated: January 6, 2012 The Occupy movement is taking over the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys fans, angry over owner Jerry Jones' decision to not hire a general manager, have launched OccupyValleyRanch.com. The website calls on Cowboys fans to boycott the team and not show up to Cowboys Stadium in hopes of getting Jones to change his mind. The group also calls on Occupiers to not picket or march on team facilities, saying police have "plenty to do already" and getting arrested "won't make a difference." The Cowboys finished 8-8 on the season and missed the playoffs, despite starting the season 7-4. [source]
Occupy Tampa Occupies Working-Class West Tampa (News)
by Steve Newborn | TAMPA (2012-1-4) While many of the Occupy Wall Street protestors nationwide have retreated from their tent cities due to police pressure or the cold, the protest continues in Tampa. We take a look at the new, less-upscale location for Occupy Tampa. The new year has brought new changes for Occupy Tampa. They've moved away from their encampment next to the tony high-rises of downtown, and are now largely in the decidedly more working-class environs of West Tampa. There, in a postage-stamp-size park owned by strip club magnate Joe Redner, more than a dozen tents have popped up.
#OccupyOakland vigil dismantled, 12 arrested (News)
Cops Raid Vigil; Protest at 2 pm called by members of Interfaith Tent Vigil from AnonOps Communications: After several nights of threats, the OccupyOakland vigil at 14th and Broadway was dismantled last night by police, and this latest incident in a series of aggressive arrests has prompted the Interfaith Alliance to pledge to return today at 2 pm to protest at the spot. Eleven people were arrested throughout the incident. Seven have been charged with obstruction of justice. Bail has been set at $5,000. Others have additional misdemeanor and felony charges, and are being held in lieu of between $10,000 and $30,000 in bail.
Americans' Incomes Have Dropped 6.7 Percent During the 'Recovery' (News)
by JEFFREY H. ANDERSON | weeklystandard.com | Nov 1, 2011 New evidence suggests there's a reason why this economic "recovery" hasn't felt much like a recovery. Figures from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, compiled by Sentier Research, show that the "recovery" has actually been harder on most Americans than the recession from which they've allegedly been recovering.
Occupy New Year's Day Summit and Occupy the Rose Parade: Recap of What You May Have Missed (News)
by nowman | OccupyLosAngeles | Tue, 01/03/2012 While a lot of attention is often placed upon the pomp and circumstances of an already planned huge media event with a theme of 'Just Imagine,' the real overall message can also be missed.
LV Occupier JeniferD on Progressive Blend Radio (News)
http://www.progressiveblendradio.com/site/ I'm going to be a guest on this awesome talk show of HUGE liberal proportions around 7:00 P.M. tonight with Eddie Herradura and DJ Downtown. The Iowa caucauses will be the main topic of discussion. Feel free to tune in. Jen
OWS Activists Retake Zuccotti Park for New Years Eve (News)
by Jason Cherkis | Huffington Post Posted: 01/ 1/12 12:52 AM ET Updated: 01/ 1/12 12:13 PM ET "All week! All year! We'll still be here!" "Whose park? Our park!" The chants went up 10, 20, maybe 100 deep shortly before midnight at Zuccotti Park as Occupy Wall Street activists surprised the New York Police Department and retook the space that was once the homebase for their movement. The barricades surrounding the park went down. They have since been removed. Protesters were allowed to come and go through the park.
Deputies arrest two Occupy protesters in Kokomo (News)
by Daniel Human For the Pharos-Tribune | December 30, 2011 KOKOMO — Howard County sheriff's deputies arrested two protesters this morning after one walked into the courthouse with a dollar bill taped over his mouth. Members of Occupy Kokomo and similar movements around the state were protesting in front of the building this morning. The Howard County commissioners gave permission Thursday for the group to protest on the courthouse's east steps and lawn. Occupiers received approval to enter the building if there was inclement weather — a decision left to the discretion of the deputy in charge of security.
Occupy Iowa: We aren't trying to disrupt caucuses (News)
By Brian Montopoli | CBSNews | December 30, 2011 10:04 AM DES MOINES, Iowa -- The headquarters for the Occupy Iowa Caucuses movement is a spacious, coffee-shop like warehouse on one of the main streets of downtown Des Moines, where laid-back protesters mingle amid signs reading "Mitt - get bank $ out of elections" and "Give us liberty from corporate greed!"
The War at Home: Militarized Local Police Tap Post-9/11 Grants to Stockpile Combat Gear, Use Drones (News)
DemocracyNow.org | December 27, 2011 A new report by the Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that since 9/11, local law enforcement agencies have used $34 billion in federal grants to acquire military equipment such as bomb-detection robots, digital communications equipment and Kevlar helmets.
Police arrest 4 protesters, clear Occupy Bellingham camp (News)
Photogallery: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/12/28/2327838/occupy-bellingham-evicted.html#http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2011/12/28/15/24/1a61gh.St.39.JPG BELLINGHAM — Police dressed in riot gear cleared the Occupy Bellingham camp at Maritime Heritage Park, arresting four protesters who refused to leave Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 28.Shortly after 1 p.m. police moved the last of the protesters from the park, where they had been camping since late October.No weapons were used and there were no injuries. Protesters gathered on the sidewalk, then marched to City Hall where they met to discuss their next move.
Occupy DC planning major January demonstration (News)
by Aubrey Whelan | Washington Examiner | 12/27/11 8:05 PM As the Occupy movement heads into its fourth month in the District, protesters are preparing for a major demonstration on Capitol Hill in mid-January. Dubbed "Occupy Congress," the planned Jan. 17 protest bears some similarities to Take Back the Capital, a labor union-backed protest that included a camp out on the National Mall in early December. But this protest has been embraced by Occupy DC, which has taken the lead in organizing it and plans to host thousands of protesters who they said would converge on D.C. on the day Congress returns to work. [full article]
FBI Says Activists Who Investigate Factory Farms Can Be Prosecuted as Terrorists (News)
by Will Potter on December 20, 2011 The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has kept files on activists who expose animal welfare abuses on factory farms and recommended prosecuting them as terrorists, according to a new document uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act.
Occupy Our Homes Victory in Atlanta (News)
Posted Dec 20, 2011, 1:53 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt [...]
Albany occupation violently evicted (News)
[via interOccupy] posted on Dec 24 2011 Today at around 2 PM, in cowardly fashion, Albany Mayor Jennings sent his storm troopers to evict Occupy Albany. For the past several days representative of the occupation met with city staff and were lead to believe that this would not happen. The police handed those present an order to leave. They were given 10 minutes then trucks entered the park and people?s tents, personal belongings and other property of Occupy Albany was loaded into trucks and taken away. ** ** Calls went out and hundreds of people started arriving. The large 20 person info tent was surrounded by occupiers to try and stop the cops from taking it. The cops left that one for last and when they came to get it in
Voters leaving Republican, Democratic parties in droves (News)
By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY WASHINGTON – More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow. A USA TODAY analysis of state voter registration statistics shows registered Democrats declined in 25 of the 28 states that register voters by party. Republicans dipped in 21 states, while independents increased in 18 states. The trend is acute in states that are key to next year's presidential race. In the eight swing states that register voters by party, Democrats' registration is down by 800,000 and Republicans' by 350,000. Independents have gained 325,000.
Cities That Raided #OWS Camps Now Facing Lawsuits (News)
Associated Press: Most major Occupy encampments have been dispersed, but they live on in a flurry of lawsuits in which protesters are asserting their constitutional rights to free speech and assembly and challenging authorities' mass arrests and use of force to break up tent cities. Lawyers representing protesters have filed lawsuits — or are planning them — in state and federal courts from coast to coast, challenging eviction orders and what they call heavy-handed police tactics and the banning of demonstrators from public properties. Some say the fundamental right of protest has been criminalized in places, with protesters facing arrest and charges while doing nothing more than exercising protected rights to demonstrate. [....]
Occupy: What Now, What Next? Commonwealth Club forum with Oakland Mayor Quan (News)
by Dave Id | Thursday Dec 22nd, 2011 5:14 PM Considering the history of violent police raids and hundreds of arrests at Occupy Oakland, the Commonwealth Club forum featuring Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Occupy "leaders" was sure to be contentious. The forum was titled "Occupy: What Now, What Next?" but probably would have better been billed as a debate rather than a panel discussion on the "what, why and future of Occupy's mission." Disingenuously -- considering that Jean Quan used virtually every speaking opportunity she had to criticize the Occupy movement and to thereby justify her own anti-Occupy actions -- Quan told the corporate media later that "I thought this was a chance to be positive, I tried to talk and they wouldn't let me." [Full audio below]
Occupy's Next Target: The Iowa Caucus (News)
By Gavin Aronsen | Mother Jones Online | 21 Dec 2011
MIC CHECK!!! – OCCUPY Des Moines gets vocal with Newt Gingrich; website OCCUPIED as well. (News)
Occupy Cyberspace | 21 Dec 2011 MIC CHECK!!! Occupy Des Moines mic checked Newt Gingrich while he was receiving a key endorsement from Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulson. Although small in number, Occupy Des Moines did a great job disrupting Gingrich's acceptance speech. A bad day all around for Newt Gingrich because he not only got heckled and embarrassed, but his campaign website got OCCUPIED as well. In a clever bit of IP redirection, when you try to go to NewtGingrich.com, you will be redirected to various sites across the internet with negative stories regarding Gingrich himself. I tried to access NewtGingrich.com's site 5 separate times and ended up in 5 different places, from The Atlantic, Washington Post, Youtube, etc.
Mystery predators may have contributed to fiscal collapse in 2007 (News)
December 19, 2011 Market activity for Citigroup over a two-year period starting January 1, 2007. Top panel shows vertical bars for the daily high and low stock price. Lower panel shows total short interest (yellow), trading volume (gray), and daily change in short interest (red). Arrows indicate November 1, 2007. Image: arXiv:1112.3095v1 [q-fin.GN]
SEC sues former Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs (News)
Lawsuits allege that six former officials of the mortgage finance giants misled investors about subprime risk. By Jim Puzzanghera and Nathaniel Popper, Los Angeles Times | December 17, 2011 Reporting from Washington and New York— More than three years ago, the government rescued the nation's housing finance giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from collapse in the wake of the mortgage market meltdown. On Friday, federal officials went after the executives who led the companies to the brink. In twin lawsuits, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused six former Fannie and Freddie officials of misleading investors and the public about how much money they had sunk into risky subprime mortgages.
Occupy activists set up camp outside Obama re-election office in Des Moines (News)
- Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Occupy Des Moines activists on Saturday vowed to shut down President Barack Obama's campaign offices and set up a camp outside they plan to maintain around the clock. "We have every intention to keep this place closed down until we are satisfied," said Frank Cordaro, an activist and founder of the Catholic Worker group in Des Moines.
50 arrested in Occupy Wall Street demonstration (News)
By Dominique Debucquoy Dodley and Jesse Solomon, CNN updated 12:11 AM EST, Sun December 18, 2011 New York (CNN) -- New York police arrested 50 protesters Saturday on what organizers from Occupy Wall Street were dubbing a day to "re-occupy," coinciding with the movement's three-month anniversary. Those arrested were charged with trespassing after they attempted to scale a fence belonging to a church in lower Manhattan, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said. Browne added that the arrests "may have stymied plans to cut through the fence on multiple sides."
Three myths about the detention bill (News)
By Glenn Greenwald | salon.com | Friday, Dec 16, 2011 3:56 AM
OWS Nevada County Responds to Local Eviction – Eviction Postponed (News)
By Joseph Crain | Occupy Nevada County | December 15, 2011 NEVADA CITY, Calif. December 15, 2011 – On the night of Wednesday, Dec 14th at 10pm, members of Occupy Nevada County's Foreclosure Work Group responded to a distress call from homeowner Stephen Merryweather who was facing imminent eviction at 6am the next morning. Well before the sun came up on Thursday, with snow falling lightly, the Occupy group arrived to meet the owner of the Nevada City property. The occupiers, not knowing entirely what to expect – not even that there was a renting family involved– arrived to meet the people they had come to comfort and assist, and hear their stories.
Occupy Orlando demonstrator arrested for sidewalk chalking (News)
By Jon Busdeker, Orlando Sentinel 5:57 p.m. EST, December 15, 2011 Police arrested an Occupy Orlando demonstrator outside City Hall today for writing on a sidewalk with chalk. Officers arrested Timothy Osmar, of South Carolina, at 4:15 p.m. today as he began to write "The revolution will not be televised" on a sidewalk with pink chalk. Police records show that Osmar, 25, was charged with violating an ordinance that restricts writing or painting on a sidewalk or paved street in the city. The chalk was placed into evidence. Demonstrator James Hill said the group had been writing slogans on the sidewalk, such as "We are the 99 percent" and "Justice equals liberty" for most of the afternoon.
Hollywood Gets Occupied in Opposition to the NDAA [VIDEO] (News)
David Romanski | OccupyLosAngeles.org | December 15, 2011 - 1:50pm Last Saturday, a contingent of Occupy LA posted up at the busy tourist intersection of Hollywood & Highland to inform passersby of what may be the most significant eradication of an individual's constitutional rights in my lifetime. Hollywood March Against The NDAA from David Romanski on Vimeo.
Occupy Fresno: Significant Victory vs Fresno County Permit Laws (News)
Press Release 12/16/11 December 15th, 2011 OCCUPY FRESNO FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 16, 2011 Fresno County Ordered to Stop Enforcing Permit Law, Arresting Protesters for Holding a Sign Occupy Fresno won a significant legal victory in its pending suit against the County of Fresno Tuesday, when the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ordered the County and Sheriff Margaret Mimms to stop enforcing two permit laws regarding public assembly. The court, the Hon. Charles R. Breyer presiding, found the local regulations unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
Maricopa County (Phoenix) Sheriff Arpio gets a whacking (News)
. . . Follow the link at the bottom to see effective protestors. "Indifference to personal liberty is but the precursor of the State's hostility to it." -- United States v. Penn, 647 F.2d 876 (9th Circuit, 1980), Judge Kennedy dissenting PHOENIX — A scathing U.S. Justice Department report released Thursday found that Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office carried out a blatant pattern of discrimination against Latinos and held a "systematic disregard" for the Constitution amid a series of immigration crackdowns that have turned the lawman into a prominent national political figure. Here's THE LINK.
It's Time to "Occupy the Dream:" African-American Faith Community Joins Forces with Occupy Wall Street (News)
It's Time to "Occupy the Dream:" African-American Faith Community Joins Forces with Occupy Wall Street – First Day of Action on MLK Day, Jan 16 at Federal Reserve Banks Posted at OWSnews.org | December 15, 2011
NDAA Passes the House: Full Spectrum Dominance (News)
NDAA Full Spectrum Dominance: Kucinich battles empire's permanent global war Deborah Dupre | Human Rights Examiner | December 15, 2011 Kucinich stands against NDAA 2012's DoD Full Spectrum Dominance
Mass: Suburban Occupy sees opportunity to reenergize (News)
By James O'Brien and Dan Adams Boston Globe Correspondents / December 15, 2011 [The Peace Abbey's general assembly] wants Massachusetts residents who supported Occupy Boston to put tents on their front lawns as a symbol, said founding director Lewis Randa. "The goal is to have as many tents in front yards as the number of tents that have come down" in Dewey Square, Randa said. "A reminder of this important movement." Suburban activists stress, though, that Occupy's message goes beyond camping out. Organizers in Needham, Natick, Newton, and Lexington say the eviction of Boston's protesters may come as a kind of bittersweet boon, a reenergizing moment for the out-of-city Occupy.
Tulsa Occupiers chain themselves to City Hall (News)
Posted: 12/14/2011 TULSA - Three Occupy Tulsa protesters made a scene at City Hall Wednesday with the help of a few chains. The protesters chained themselves to a fence in front of City Hall around 8:15 a.m. They say they want Mayor Dewey Bartlett to meet with them. Since the beginning of the Occupy Tulsa demonstrations in September, protesters have been arrested on a number of occasions for violating curfews. Organizers have asked the City Council for a permit to gather at Centennial park near 5th and Boston. That request has been repeatedly denied... [full story]
Occupy Houston scores legal victory in court (News)
by Deborah Wrigley, KTRK Channel 13 Houston HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Whether you support it or not, the Occupy Houston movement Wednesday scored a legal victory in court, but that victory may be short-lived. On Monday afternoon, Occupy protestors blocked traffic outside the gates to the Port of Houston. They were said to be showing their support for union longshoremen on the West Coast. Some joined hands, others were joined by PVC pipe that locked their arms which the Houston Fire Department had to saw off beneath a tent.
Federal judge: Occupy Columbia protestors can stay (News)
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A federal judge ruled in favor of Occupy Columbia protestors on Wednesday. In granting the temporary restraining order against Governor Nikki Haley, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said the protestors can stay on the State House grounds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with tents and sleeping bags. Outside the courthouse one of the protestors said "I think it's a great day in South Carolina," seemingly mocking Haley's mandated phone greeting for state workers. 7 of 19 protesters arrested Nov. 16 for trespassing sued Haley and public safety officials, arguing their First Amendment rights were trampled when they were arrested for demonstrating on public property.
Occupy Newt? Gingrich event in Iowa disrupted by protest (News)
By Paul West | LA Times | December 14, 2011, 2:18 p.m. Reporting from Iowa City, Iowa — In a forerunner of what some Republicans expected to be a recurring event over the next 20 days, about a dozen protesters from the Occupy movement disrupted the start of a campaign appearance by Newt Gingrich at the University of Iowa on Wednesday. The candidate had just begun to speak, at an event designed to highlight his support for additional research on Alzheimer's and brain science, when the protesters began chanting in unison. The group, who said they were part of the Occupy movement in Iowa City and nearby Cedar Rapids, continued as several members were escorted from the room by plainclothed security officers. There were no arrests.
Occupy Wall Street's center shows some cracks (News)
By AMY WESTFELDT | AP – 3:38PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Before the housing, sanitation and nonviolent communication groups had their say, the Occupy Wall Street facilitator began the night meeting with guided meditation. Someone stood up to object, saying all that controlled, deep breathing was oppressive. In the disorganized democracy that Occupy prides itself on, everything — even the right way to breathe — is up for debate. The moment exposed the new, more scattered leadership that has crept into the movement since its largest encampments shut down.
Occupy 2.0? Church Leaders Join Movement (News)
By David Ariosto, CNN updated 6:53 PM EST, Wed December 14, 2011 (CNN) -- A group of African-American church leaders announced Wednesday their intention to join ranks with the Occupy movement in the nation's capital, bolstering what some consider a mutual message of condemning income inequality and social injustice. The move comes against the backdrop of evictions of Occupy protesters encamped in city parks and squares across the United States, raising questions about whether the two groups can capitalize on momentum gained by the months-long movement. "We are occupying until poverty is eradicated," pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington, near where a core group of activists remains encamped.
Leak blamed for canceled Occupy-Dem confab (News)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus axed a meeting with Occupy activists, a move observers say shows growing tension between Democrats and the movement. The meeting with Occupy Wall Street leaders was canceled late Tuesday after the Washington newspaper Roll Call said it asked about it. Democrats may be adopting the Occupy movement's language, but they have been backing away from the protesters and their anti-capitalist chants, with some in the party considering the activists a potential liability in next year's elections, observers said in a Roll Call article published Wednesday.
Police remove Occupy Baltimore protesters (News)
By SARAH BRUMFIELD | AP – 9:07PM PST BALTIMORE (AP) — Occupy Baltimore demonstrators who spent 10 weeks protesting economic disparity were removed peacefully from a downtown plaza near the Inner Harbor tourist district during a pre-dawn raid Tuesday. Baltimore City police in full riot gear moved into McKeldin Square about 3:30 a.m. to remove the protesters, who had been camped out at the site since Oct. 4. City police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said there was no resistance from the people staying at the site. "The whole event was orchestrated well, which speaks to our relationship with Occupy," Guglielmi said. "Everything was done very peacefully."
Occupy Delaware Occupies Sheriff Sale (News)
by Danielle Bouchat-Friedman | communitypub.com Wilmington, Del. — Occupy Delaware occupied the monthly New Castle County Sheriff Sale on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the City/County Building in downtown Wilmington. The purpose of the movement's action is to emphasize how major banks abandoned their financial responsibilities to borrowers and precipitated a worldwide economic meltdown. Occupy Delaware's method of action was to slowly fill the Council Chambers of the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, where the Sheriff Sale takes place with two or three members at a time. By the time the sale began, Occupy Delaware filled Council Chambers with approximately 15 members.
Occupy SLC targets local Walmart operations (News)
by Lisa Christensen | tooeletranscript.com | Dec 13, 2011 The Occupy Salt Lake movement ventured west into the Tooele Valley on Monday as part of a global effort to disrupt operations by some of the world's largest corporations as a protest against corporate greed and wealth inequality. A score of protesters staged a demonstration inside Tooele's Walmart early Monday morning, and again in front of Grantsville's Walmart Distribution Center shortly after 11 a.m.
Port truck drivers thank 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters (News)
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/12/port-truck-drivers-thank-occupy-wall-street-protesters/#.TubKvh4PnGk.facebook By Agence France-Presse Monday, December 12, 2011 A group of port truck drivers thanked the "99 Percenters" on Monday for bringing attention to their profession, which they claim is rife with labor abuses. "Occupy" protesters disrupted traffic at ports along the U.S. west coast on Monday, as a small number were arrested for seeking to shut down the major trade cargo hub, officials said. The port truck drivers, who were affiliated with the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports, stopped short of supporting the effort to shut down the ports. But they were "humbled and overwhelmed" by the attention the action brought. "Normally we are invisible," they said.
Protesters halt operations at some western ports (News)
By TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press – Dec 12 2010 @ 10:10PM PST OAKLAND, California (AP) — More than 1,000 Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked cargo trucks at busy West Coast ports, forcing some shipping terminals in Oakland, California, Portland, Oregon, and Washington state to halt operations. While Monday's protests attracted far fewer people than the 10,000 who turned out Nov. 2 to shut down Oakland's port, organizers declared victory and promised more demonstrations to come. "The truckers are still here, but there's nobody here to unload their stuff," protest organizer Boots Riley said. "We shut down the Port of Oakland for the daytime shift and we're coming back in the evening. Mission accomplished."
Occupy disrupts Pacific ports; arrests in Seattle, NYC, Houston (News)
by Jim Seida / msnbc.com Updated at 11:45 p.m. ET: In Seattle, Wash., police used "flash bang" percussion grenades to disperse Occupy protesters at Port of Seattle after the crowd effectively shut down one of the terminals on Monday and then started to block off a second terminal. An estimated 700 protesters in Seattle formed a blockade at the port after marching from the retail area of the city. [...] Updated at 5:55 p.m. ET: Some 20 activists in solidarity with Occupy groups along the West Coast were taken into custody near the Port of Houston, KPRC TV reported. Updated at 3:05 p.m. ET:
Denver: Occupy Activists Arrested Blocking Trucks At Walmart Center (News)
by Alan Gathright | ABC 7NEWS | 3:00 pm MST December 12, 2011 LOVELAND, Colo. -- Thirteen "Occupy Walmart" protesters were arrested in Loveland on Monday afternoon when they sat in the street blocking trucks from entering a Walmart distribution center. About 50 Occupy activists said they were conducting the Walmart demonstration in solidarity with the Occupy movement's campaign to block ports on the West Coast on Monday. [full article]
Occupy LA's Daybreak Protest Blocks Port Of Long Beach (News)
by Catherine Green | NeonTommy.com | December 12, 2011 In an effort to stay relevant post-eviction, Occupiers from Los Angeles rallied at the Port of Long Beach Monday in an initiative stretching along the coast to block the economic hubs. Occupy The Ports mobilized encampments in 14 coastal cities, including Portland, Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver. Bleary-eyed supporters gathered at 5 a.m. in Long Beach's Harry Bridges Park for the "day of action," which organizers said would likely only last until 11 a.m. The movement's website said Monday's boycott was in protest of SSA Marine, a shipper owned by Goldman Sachs. From Occupy Los Angeles:
Occupy Santa Cruz: Camp demolished, 6 arrested (News)
December 8th, 2011 · OccupySantaCruz.org 100+ law enforcement officers, most in riot gear, surrounded Occupy Santa Cruz's encampment early this morning. Five Occupiers were arrested for resisting "evacuation", plus one arrest on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Scores of county workers stuffed tents, bicycles and other personal property into a garbage truck. The public was blocked from getting close enough to the activity to take pictures. One Occupier said, "I lost my tent because I was trying to help that old lady over there. They were going to gas her because she couldn't get out of her tent fast enough."
Police Remove 'Occupy Phoenix' Protesters (News)
KSAZ Fox News Phoenix Updated: Friday, 09 Dec 2011, 5:24 AM MST Published : Friday, 09 Dec 2011, 5:10 AM MST PHOENIX - Protesters have been in downtown Phoenix at Cesar Chavez Memorial Park for the last 54 days, protesting big businesses and Wall Street. But on Thursday night, their occupation came to an end. Phoenix police arrested several people and took down their tents early Friday morning. The protesters said it was unwarranted. "They can take all this stuff away, but they can't take our ideas. They can impound the canopies, but they can't impound ideas," said protester Jeff Moses. Police said urban camping in the area is illegal, and that's why they removed the canopies. But the protesters said they're not camping -- they're protesting.
Occupy Boston prepares for Eviction (News)
By Martin Finucane, Martine Powers, John M. Guilfoil and and Akilah Johnson | Boston Globe | 12/08/2011 10:11 PM Occupy Boston protesters decided not to hold a dance party tonight as a unique way to end their monthslong protest encampment in a downtown square. Hours from a midnight deadline set by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, a general assembly voted down a proposal by protester John Ford to clean up the camp and hold the party, setting the stage for possible mass arrests if police move to evict them tonight. The defeat of the proposal came at the end of a meeting that lasted more than 2 1/2 hours that was attended by several hundred protesters.
Port of Oakland goes on offensive with upcoming Occupy action (News)
by Jennifer Inez Ward | Oakland Local | Monday, December 5, 2011 As one of the main targets of an upcoming Occupy action against West Coast ports, the Port of Oakland has launched a high profile marketing and communication campaign to discourage action. The port is bracing itself for the upcoming Occupy Oakland shutdown - scheduled for Dec. 12 - by fanning out staff, commissioners, executives abroad and even locally to explain why its administration believes a shut down would seriously impact the port. Yesterday, the port also rolled out a series of ads in major Bay Area media outlets and around the world.
Occupy NOLA ousted, later reinstated in hectic day (News)
By Times-Picayune Staff Updated: Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 7:43 AM Roughly 12 hours after they were evicted from Duncan Plaza, Occupy NOLA protesters won a surprising victory in federal court Tuesday afternoon and began rolling their stashed belongings back to the park for at least another week. In what might be the only such victory for an Occupy group in America, U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey granted the New Orleans group a temporary restraining order allowing it to move back into the park across the street from City Hall where it had been encamped for about two months. Zainey's ruling came toward the end of an eventful day for the protest movement, which has been relatively quiet since its arrival in the park in early October.
At least 85 taken into custody as SF camp cleared (News)
by SUDHIN THANAWALA | AP – 5:07PM SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — At least 85 people were arrested as police cleared San Francisco's Occupy encampment early Wednesday, police said. Officials had not compiled exact numbers by Wednesday afternoon, but most of the approximately 85 people were cited and released after the daybreak raid, said Officer Albie Esparza. About 15 people who were arrested on a variety of charges, ranging from resisting arrest to assault with a deadly weapon, were still in custody, Esparza said.
Occupy DC Protesters Take Over K Street, Dozens Arrested (News)
by Tyler Kingkade | Huffington Post | Posted: 12/ 7/11 05:34 PM ET WASHINGTON -- At least 60 protesters were arrested on K Street NW, the historical lobbying hub of the nation's capital, as they blocked four key intersections, shutting down the street for much of the afternoon Wednesday. Lasting more than an hour, a standoff between Occupy Wall Street protesters and D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department resulted in at least three dozen arrests near Franklin Square at 14th and K Streets NW. Police used horses for crowd control, and picked apart protesters who linked arms and went limp with their bodies.
'Occupied' LA City Council Agrees Unanimously: Corporations Are Not People (News)
CBS News Los Angeles | December 6, 2011 3:03 PM LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A resolution declaring that corporations are not people and not entitled to the same constitutional protections passed unanimously in the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. The council's 11-0 vote drew a standing ovation from a packed chamber of Occupy L.A. members and other activists. Pending the resolution's approval by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the city would be on record in support of federal legislation that would ensure corporations are not entitled to the same rights as people, especially when it comes to spending money to influence elections.
Take Back the Capitol (which is not OccupyDC) (News)
NPR - December 6, 2011 Host Michel Martin continues the conversation about the 'Take Back the Capitol' protests with Elisabeth Jacobs of the Brookings Institution. They discuss how progressive groups and unions are making these demonstrations different from the 'Occupy' movement. MARTIN: What's the difference between these two groups?
Occupy DC Protests the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (News)
by Jerry Nelson | huffingtonpost.com | 12/6/11 09:52 AM ET Right around 5 p.m. Thursday night, people started gathering in McPherson Square. The gathering of activists and allies was to prepare for a march a couple of blocks downtown, towards the White House, to 729 15th St. There, the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hosted a fundraiser with tickets going from $5000 and $75,000.
Occupy DC distances from Democrats. Or does it? (News)
By Paul Quinlan | Salon.com | Friday, Dec 2, 2011 2:28 PM UTC A high-dollar fundraiser, a rowdy crowd of demonstrators, and Rep. Donna Edwards [...] Occupy DC's Action Committee had been at odds lately, he said, deciding two nights earlier to reverse a previous decision to join former Obama green jobs czar Van Jones' group Rebuild the Dream, MoveOn.org, and SEIU in protests on the Mall. Occupy, the committee concluded, would run separate events.
December 6th, Occupy Wall Street Goes Home – Occupy Our Homes! (News)
By OccupyWallSt.org On December 6th Occupy Wall Street will join in solidarity with a Brooklyn community to re-occupy a foreclosed home. The day of action marks a national kick-off for a new frontier for the occupy movement: the liberation of vacant bank-owned homes for those in need. The banks got bailed out, but our families are getting kicked out. The fight to reclaim democracy from the banks is growing from Wall Street to Main Street.
Boston Protesters May Stay for Now While Occupy SF Fears Ouster (News)
By Janelle Lawrence and Karen Gullo | Businessweek | December 05, 2011, 9:49 AM EST Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Occupy Boston protesters were allowed by a state court judge to remain in the city's Dewey Square while she considers whether to lift an order that bars their eviction. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frances McIntyre in Boston yesterday said the order will remain in place until she issues her decision on or before Dec. 15. The judge heard testimony from the city's fire marshal warning that the square is a firetrap plagued by cigarette smoking, close quarters and flammable materials.
Occupy arrests in D.C., Ore., Tenn. (News)
(CBS/AP) Last Updated 12:33 a.m. ET WASHINGTON - Police in Washington have arrested more than 30 Occupy D.C. protesters who refused to dismantle an unfinished wooden structure they built in a park overnight. [...] Nashville, Tenn.: Police arrested four Occupy Nashville protesters and briefly detained a journalist who was trying to cover their activities. The protesters were cited for disorderly conduct because police said they refused to leave the middle of the road and protest on the sidewalk, according to The Tennessean. [...]
Occupy Buffalo builds protective dome (News)
by Rachel Kingston | WIVB New York Updated: Sunday, 04 Dec 2011, 7:46 PM EST Published : Sunday, 04 Dec 2011, 5:40 PM EST BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Occupy Buffalo wants people to know, the weather won't stop them from their mission. Protestors put up a little protection from the elements. You may already have driven through Niagara Square and thought to yourself, "What the heck is that big dome thing?" It's a geodesic dome, to be precise. And it's essentially a little warming house for the Occupy Buffalo protesters . It's a dome and it has three main components. At the base is a wooden platform, that sort of serves as a foundation.
Occupy Portland: Protesters march against national defense spending bill (News)
By Owen R. Smith, The Oregonian Published: Sunday, December 04, 2011, 1:35 PM Updated: Sunday, December 04, 2011, 10:14 PM More than 30 Occupy Portland protesters gathered at Salmon Street Springs Fountain late this morning for a rally and march in protest of the National Defense Authorization Act. Protesters took issue with the $662 billion defense spending bill, singling out language in the U.S. Senate version that says U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism can be detained indefinitely.
#OccupyPortland Re-Occupies (News)
Occupy Portland has reoccupied a new home. Marchers arrived at Shemanski Park at the corner of SW Park & Salmon around 5pm PST today and began setting up tents, canopies, and other infrastructure. Two police with batons arrived and threatened the crowd, but were shouted down by the jubilant Occupiers and eventually left. There is an open kitchen and live music on stage. There will be a General Assembly at 7pm PST. Occupy Portland is anticipating an eviction and encourages all supporters in the area to join them in peaceful, nonviolent solidarity tonight! You can also follow @OccupyPdx and @OccupyOregon on Twitter.
Mayor Bloomberg: 'I Have My Own Army' (News)
By Hunter Walker | Politickerny.com | 11/30 10:06am In a speech at MIT last night to discuss the packed sweepstakes to build a tech campus in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg said he prefers City Hall to the White House. Almost immediately after Mayor Bloomberg dampened recent speculation he's eyeing a White House bid, he added fuel to the fire by explaining why a mayor would be the best person for the job. Mayor Bloomberg's recent criticism of President Obama for allowing the debt reduction Supercommittee to fail led many political tea leaf watchers to believe he's eyeing a potential White House bid. To the dismay of those who hope he'll mount presidential campaign, Mayor Bloomberg began his speech last night by discussing why City Hall is just fine by him.
Rise like Lions – OWS and the Seeds of Revolution (News)
Posted by Jinger Dixon to OWSnews.org - December 3, 2011 Powerful New Documentary Film - "Rise Like Lions" This is a non-profit film and has been released free online. Watch it here.
A Banker Speaks, With Regret (News)
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF | New York Times | November 30, 2011 If you want to understand why the Occupy movement has found such traction, it helps to listen to a former banker like James Theckston. He fully acknowledges that he and other bankers are mostly responsible for the country's housing mess. As a regional vice president for Chase Home Finance in southern Florida, Theckston shoveled money at home borrowers. In 2007, his team wrote $2 billion in mortgages, he says. Sometimes those were "no documentation" mortgages. "On the application, you don't put down a job; you don't show income; you don't show assets," he said. "But you still got a nod."
Farmers Join Occupy Wall Street, Calling for Food Justice (News)
Dec. 2, 2011, 6:21 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt As Wall Street's corrupt influence on the economy has grown, the corporate ownership of our food system has hurt the health and livelihood's of some of our most vulnerable communities. This Sunday, December 4th food justice activists and occupiers will be traveling from as far as Colorado, Iowa, Maine and Upstate New York to join together for the Occupy Wall Street FARMERS' MARCH.Through a day of dialogue, musical performances, and a march, farmers and their urban allies working for food justice in their communities will form alliances to fight and expose corporate control of the food supply.
Free speech is getting expensive in Wisconsin (News)
Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/02/walker-looks-to-charge-citizens-fee-to-protest/ By David Edwards // 02 Dec 2011 Following demonstrations earlier this year which drew up to 100,000 people to the Wisconsin Capitol, Republican Gov. Scott Walker has proposed new policies that would require future protesters to pay in advance to stage an event, at a cost of $50 per hour, per Capitol Police officer. Police may also require a liability insurance or a bond, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. Demonstrators will also be on the hook for any damage and cleanup following protests. Walker's administration had claimed that the pro-union protests earlier this year had costs as much as $7.5 million, but later admitted that the actual costs were far less.
Banks find extra money to hire lobbyists (News)
by Andrew Dunn | Chicago Tribune | November 29, 2011 CHARLOTTE, N.C. —— The money banks spend on lobbying is on pace to reach a record high again this year as the industry battles to weaken or repeal hundreds of rules being crafted by federal regulators. Lobbying outlays by the five biggest spenders in the commercial banking sector increased 12 percent in the first three quarters of 2011 over the same period last year, a McClatchy/Tribune analysis of federal lobbying disclosure records shows. Wells Fargo & Co., in particular, is turning into a major player in Washington. The San Francisco-based bank's spending on lobbying is up 80 percent in the first three quarters of the year, compared with the same period in 2010.
Score A Big One For #OccupyRochester (News)
by Phillip Anderson | The Albany Project | Mon Nov 28, 2011 at 10:25:59 AM EST Here's a great story from Rochester to start your week. Victory for the Steidel Family: Wells Fargo and Freddie Mac Call Off Eviction!
The Occupy Movement Is Entering Its Dangerous Second Phase (News)
AP | Dec. 1, 2011, 5:50 AM NEW YORK (AP) — The overnight police raids in Philadelphia and Los Angeles that dismantled two of the nation's biggest Occupy Wall Street encampments leave just a few major "occupations" still going on around the U.S. But activists are already changing tactics and warning of a winter of discontent, with rallies and marches every week. The camps may bloom again in the spring, organizers said, and next summer could bring huge demonstrations at the Republican and Democratic conventions, when the whole world is watching. But for now they are promoting dozens of smaller actions, such as picketing the president in New York and staging sit-ins at homes marked for foreclosure.
Occupy LA Arrestees to be Arraigned Today (News)
from Occupylosangeles.org - Dec 1 @ 10:06AM Occupy LA arrestees will begin being arraigned today at 1:30pm @ 429 Bauchet Street, #210, Los Angeles CA 90012. Some people who have already been released are claiming that arrestees are being held in less than stellar conditions. Occupy LA has learned that there were more instances of police brutality than the media is reporting. In addition, people who left City Hall were trapped and kettled blocks from City Hall and arrested. We had 120 planned arrests. 292 people were arrested.
61 Senators Betrayed You Today ! (Forum)
National Defense Authorization Act, also know as Battlefield America Act. The 1% is going to use this act to "disappear" the people in the Occupy movement. http://wearechangetv.us/2011/11/61-senators-betrayed-you-today-they-authorized-the-indefinite-suspension-of-habeus-corpus/#ixzz1fDOeH9Wg http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/senate-votes-to-let-military-detain-americans-indefinitely_n_1119473.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false Then they will use SOPA to erase the Occupy websites and block all foreign news sites. Internet in the USA will become as stupid as TV. They are always one step ahead of you.
Occupy Boston May be Next to Face Eviction (News)
By Ashley Portero | International Business Times | November 30, 2011 3:27 PM EST The city of Boston is taking steps to evict Occupy Boston protesters from their encampment in Dewey Square, less than a month after the demonstrators won a court order stating they could camp out in the park until Dec. 1.
Churches help Occupy movement survive crackdowns, winter (News)
By Josef Kuhn | Washinton Post | Religion News Service WASHINGTON — As Occupy camps nationwide deal with police crackdowns and the inevitable onset of winter temperatures, religious communities of all stripes are stepping in with offers of shelter and solidarity. Soon after police forcibly evicted the original Occupy Wall Street camp in New York's Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15, many of the protesters began sleeping and gathering in local congregations, including Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village.
Cops Shut Down Occupy Los Angeles, Philadelphia (News)
by The Associated Press | November 30, 2011, 05:04 am ET LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police in Los Angeles and Philadelphia stormed Occupy Wall Street encampments in both cities Wednesday, demanding protestors leave demonstration sites that had become two of the movement's largest after evictions upended others across the country. Dozens of officers in riot gear flooded down the steps of City Hall just after midnight and started dismantling the two-month-old camp two days after a deadline passed for campers to leave the City Hall lawn. The raid had a military precision and officers in helmets and wielding batons moved in and began making arrests after several orders were given to leave the small park.
Police are Mobilizing against Occupy L.A. Tonight (News)
November 29, 2011 - 9:41pm Hundreds of police are currently being mobilized to raid the Occupy Los Angeles camp. Like last night, the turn-out at G.A. is enormous! Come occupy this liberated space and show LAPD what is meant by "public land". We urge all participants and resistors to maintain non-violence. Anybody engaging in violent activity is not part of Occupy L.A. There will be several ustream channels broadcasting the activity. If you can't be on site, check back periodically. We will try to maintain the most reliable live feeds so that you can witness our struggle for democracy and free speech as it occurs. [source]
More Occupy Camps Face Shutdown Orders As Others Return (News)
by Paresh Dave | Neon Tommy | November 29, 2011 Occupy Oakland demonstrators returned to Frank Ogawa Plaza on Tuesday afternoon with a plan to remain there around-the-clock without any tents. They are the latest group of protestors to re-establish a public presence after being evicted earlier this month by local officials from camps that had been set up in early October. Oakland police officers forcibly removed demonstrators from the park on Nov. 14, which led to several injuries and arrests. The city said tents won't be welcomed back, so protestors plan to keep up a constant vigil.
Occupy Wall Street's Making It Harder for Banks to Recruit (News)
by Erik Hayden | Atlantic Wire | Nov 29, 2011 Today in academia: an Ivy league recruiting conundrum, professors are worried like the rest of us, another counterpoint to those liberal student papers, and a few necessary things to do to graduate.
OccupyOakland - Re-occupying Oscar Grant Plaza Today (News)
from occupyoakland.org | November 28, 2011 On Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at noon, Occupy Oakland activists will retake Frank Ogawa a.k.a. Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland with a 24-hour, 7 day-a-week vigil. Occupiers hope to create a model for a new wave of "Occupation" protest throughout the United States. With the vigil, Occupiers will continue asserting rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution to assemble, speak, and petition government for redress of grievances. The vigil is not the product of a bargain with Mayor Quan, nor is it negotiated with law enforcement–permission from the city is not required to exercise these constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Occupy LA targets Port of L.A. (News)
FOG-OF-WAR NOTE: WE ARE GETTING CONFLICTING REPORTS ON THE STATE OF OCCUPYLOSANGELES THIS MORNING. SOME SAY EVERYTHING PEACEFUL, SOME SAY FEW ARRESTS, SOME SAY MAYOR HAS GRANTED 2 MORE DAYS, AND SOME SAY... Occupy LA targets Port of L.A. From wire service reports Posted: 11/28/2011 06:03:01 AM PST Updated: 11/28/2011 06:18:34 AM PST Occupy LA has responded to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's eviction notice by declaring that the occupiers and their allies will occupy the Ports of Los Angeles on Dec. 12.
Police Delay Eviction of Occupy Los Angeles Camp (News)
Mary Slosson, Reuters November 29, 2011, 2:19 am LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police in riot gear began closing in early on Monday on some 2,000 anti-Wall Street activists who defied a midnight deadline to vacate an eight-week-old encampment outside Los Angeles City Hall as some protesters blocked traffic. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had given Occupy LA protesters until midnight local time to dismantle their tents, pack up their belongings and clear out of the City Hall park, or face a forcible removal. But Jim Lafferty, a National Lawyers Guild attorney and leading advocate for protesters in talks with the city, said two hours after the eviction deadline that police had assured him "there will be no move against this occupation tonight."
Calm prevails as Occupy deadlines pass in 2 cities (News)
By ANDREW DALTON and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) - Deadlines for Wall Street protesters to leave their encampments came and went in two cities with no arrests in Philadelphia and a festive, party-like atmosphere as protesters in Los Angeles defied the order clear out early Monday. Protesters defied the mayor's deadline to vacate their encampment near City Hall in Los Angeles, with about 1,000 flooding into the area as hundreds of tents remained standing as they have for nearly two months. A celebratory atmosphere filled the night with protesters milling about the park and streets by City Hall in seeming good spirits. A group on bicycles circled the block, one of them in a cow suit. Organizers led chants with a bull horn.
The shocking truth about the crackdown on Occupy (News)
Naomi Wolf | guardian.co.uk | Friday 25 November 2011 12.25 EST The violent police assaults across the US are no coincidence. Occupy has touched the third rail of our political class' venality
NOFX to Rock Occupy LA Before Eviction Block Party (News)
laist.com - 5:32PM Nov 26 2011 Occupy L.A. has been ordered by the City of Los Angeles to decamp by 12:01am on Monday. To support the occupation during the eviction, the "$%#& It! I'll Do It Myself" Affinity group is hosting an "Occupy L.A. Eviction Block Party." The group "invites you to come and celebrate our first amendment rights to gather..." [full article]
Morning Report from Occupy Los Angeles (News)
Submitted by occupationblog on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:33pm Mayor Villaraigosa served notice on Friday that Occupy Los Angeles is no longer welcome, the occupiers asked to leave by 12:01 AM Monday morning. This of course, caused angst and consternation amongst the occupiers, but it was by no means a surprise to anyone who has been following the news. LOS ANGELES (CBS) — "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is evicting the Occupy L.A. protesters from the City Hall lawn, ordering them to move by Monday." http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/11/25/mayor-orders-occupy-la-protesters-to-leave-by-monday/ "The goal is to do this as peacefully as possible," Beck said.
3 states make it illegal to film police. (News)
google fascism... Are Cameras the New Guns? By Wendy McElroy Jun 2, 2010 5:00 PM In response to a flood of Facebook and YouTube videos that depict police abuse, a new trend in law enforcement is gaining popularity. In at least three states, it is now illegal to record any on-duty police officer. Even if the encounter involves you and may be necessary to your defense, and even if the recording is on a public street where no expectation of privacy exists.
Occupy Columbia Returns to Camp, Victorious (News)
We're Back!! November 23rd, 2011 Breaking News: Occupy Columbia won a resounding victory in court today, in gaining a temporary restraining order (TRO) that allows Occupy Columbia to maintain a 24-hour occupation. This includes the use of sleeping bags and tents. Again, to reiterate: Occupy Columbia South Carolina is now allowed to reoccupy as well as protest 24-hours a day at the State House.
Villaraigosa announces impending shutdown of Occupy L.A. camp (News)
>big>The mayor says the City Hall park will close at 12:01 a.m. Monday but that police might not immediately begin removing protesters who linger. Occupy L.A. has issued a statement vowing to stay. By Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2011 The City Hall park where Occupy Los Angeles protesters are camped will be closed at 12:01 a.m. Monday, according to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, triggering what officials hope will be an end to the nation's largest remaining Occupy camp.
Occupy protests discourage Black Friday shopping (News)
By Beth Duff-Brown and Juliet Williams | Associated Press | November 26, 2011 SAN FRANCISCO — Anti-Wall Street protesters took their message about corporate greed to Black Friday shoppers, staging demonstrations in commercial areas around California on one of the busiest days of the year for retailers and bargain-hunters. In San Francisco, protesters demonstrated in the streets near San Francisco's tony and touristy Union Square during the annual Macy's Christmas tree lighting ceremony Friday evening, disrupting traffic but otherwise causing few other problems. Lines of police officers in riot gear faced off with dozens of demonstrators who were trying to discourage shoppers from shopping at Macy's and other stores in the popular tourist area.
Counter-Offer from Occupy Los Angeles G.A. to Mayor's Office, LAPD (News)
Occupy Los Angeles - November 24, 2011 - 6:15am THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S RESPONSE TO THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES Para Todos Todo, Para Nosotros Nada: For Everyone, Everything, For Us, Nothing History: passed with full consensus at GA on Wednesday 11/23/2011. The language, ideas and grievances contained herein were culled from the minutes of 2 special City Liaison Committee Meetings, 2 General Assemblies devoted to the issue, one meeting with the Demands & Objectives Committee, consultation with Media and PR, and widely circulated and amended by the online community of occupiers, and adapted into its current form by the General Assembly on 11/23/2011.
Morning Report: Day of Rage (News)
Occupy Los Angeles - 9:10AM Nov 25 2011 "Black Friday Violence Reported at Stores Across the Country" Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/25/black-friday-violence-reported-at-stores-across-country/#ixzz1ejawbXYm "The annual tradition, when many stores open early with cut-price sales on the day after Thanksgiving, has become a source of controversy amid frequent scenes of near-rioting and injuries as mobs of people crowd into big-name shops." http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/25/black-friday-sales-pepper-spray-stampede?newsfeed=true "'This was customer-versus-customer 'shopping rage,' said Los Angeles Police Lt. Abel Parga. "'She was competitive shopping,' he said."
South Central Farmers Declare Solidarity with Occupy Los Angeles (News)
Occupy Los Angeles - 7:12PM Nov 25 2011 When causes reach out and band together, true movements for economic and social change begin and coalesce. In standing in support of the South Central Farmers, Occupy Los Angeles stands with our occupation of the South Central Farm five years ago, our struggle for healthy food and community rights, and with Los Angelenos' long history of resistance to our city leaders' oppression of those among our friends and neighbors who are least advantaged.
Occupy Oakland Calls for TOTAL WEST COAST PORT SHUTDOWN ON 12/12 (News)
Posted Nov. 19, 2011, 8:35 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt West Coast Port Shutdown Proposal for a Coordinated West Coast Port Shutdown, Passed With Unanimous Consensus by vote of the Occupy Oakland General Assembly 11/18/2012: In response to coordinated attacks on the occupations and attacks on workers across the nation:
Democrats see minefield in Occupy protests (News)
By BETH FOUHY | BusinessWeek.com | November 17, 2011 "The Republican Party and the tea party seemed to be a natural political pairing. But what may have seemed like another politically beneficial alliance -- Democrats and Occupy Wall Street -- hasn't happened." [...] The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has gone a step further, posting a petition, "100,000 Strong Standing With Occupy Wall Street," that blames Republican policies for the nation's economic discontent.
How the Occupy Wall Street 'Bat Signal' Was Made (News)
By Joe Coscarelli | NYMag.com As Occupy Wall Street protesters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge last night, after an occasionally volatile day of protests, many gasped and cheered at an unexpected surprise: Their message was being projected back at them. Displayed prominently on the building at 375 Pearl Street, beneath a giant Verizon logo, was a scrolling chant in light: "99? / MIC CHECK! / LOOK AROUND / YOU ARE PART / OF A GLOBAL UPRISING" and so on. Its creator, Mark Read, says the "bat signal" was conceived of as a "celebration of the birthday of Occupy Wall Street." But how they pulled it off is the best part.
You Can't Evict an Idea - FoxNews.com (!) (News)
By Sally Kohn | Published November 15, 2011 | FoxNews.com The "occupy" camps were just a tactic. The 99% is a growing movement whose time has come. In the middle of the night, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hundreds of police in full riot gear crept up on peacefully sleeping American citizens early Tuesday morning and evicted them from Occupy Wall Street, reportedly using pepper spray and aggressive force.
Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement Persevere (News)
- Published on OccupyWallSt.org | Nov.15, 2011, 8:40 pm EST This Is What Democracy Looks Like: Huge General Assembly in Progress at Liberty Square The feeling here at Liberty Square tonight is the feeling of a movement that is rising, building, and making headway. Following the 1am eviction of Liberty Square early this morning and a long day of legal wrangling, the park was reoccupied late this afternoon. This evening, just after 7pm, the first General Assembly at the reoccupied park began. Using our 'people's mic', we declared together: "They showed us their power. And we're showing them ours." We are here because we believe a better world is possible. We are willing to endure mistreatment, if by doing so we can help re-enfranchise the 99% and reclaim our democracy from the stranglehold of Wall Street and the top one percent.
Court order: City can't keep Occupy Wall Street protesters and their stuff out of Zuccotti Park (News)
Judge who signed injunction a former civil liberties lawyer by Joe Kemp , Kerry Burke , Kerry Wills , Tina Moore & Tracy Connor | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Originally Published: Tuesday, November 15 2011, 8:29 AM Updated: Tuesday, November 15 2011, 8:29 AM Hours after baton-wielding cops cleared Occupy Wall Street protesters and their tents out of Zuccotti Park, a judge signed a order Tuesday saying the demonstrators can return with their stuff. Mayor Bloomberg said the city was trying to clarify the restraining order signed by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lucy Billings, a former civil liberties lawyer. UPDATE NOV 15 2:15PM: We are receiving reports that the NYPD is ignoring the judge's order: forum topic here
Did Bloomberg do Occupy Wall Street a favor? (News)
by Ezra Klein | Washington Post | 08:47 AM ET, 11/15/2011 (EMMANUEL DUNAND - AFP/GETTY IMAGES) At about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, hundreds of New York City police officers raided Zucotti Park. Police tore down tents and, according to witnesses, used tear gas, pepper spray, and at about 3 a.m., a sound cannon. Some of the protesters left immediately, quietly. Some of them joined together in the middle of the park, chanting, "Whose park? Our park!" Police ultimately made 70 arrests and cleared the area. Their park. In a statement released a few hours ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg* explained the raid. "I have become increasingly concerned – as had the park's owner, Brookfield Properties – that the occupation was coming to pose a health and fire safety hazard to the protestors and to the surrounding community. We have been in constant contact with Brookfield and yesterday they requested that the City assist it in enforcing the no sleeping and camping rules in the park. But make no mistake – the final decision to act was mine." Members of Occupy Wall Street are furious. Protests are being planned at various sites throughout the day. But the truth is, Bloomberg might have just done Occupy Wall Street a favor.
It's Not the Dems. It's Not the GOP. It's Both. (News)
60 Minutes Investigates Preferential Favorable Stock Deals Benefiting Congress by Colby Hall | 8:01 pm, November 13th, 2011
Hawaiian Singer Surprises Obama Summit with 'Occupy' Song (News)
HONOLULU, Hawaii — A popular Hawaiian recording artist turned a top-security dinner of Pacific Rim leaders hosted by President Barack Obama into a subtle protest with a song in support of the "Occupy" movement. Makana, who goes by one name, was enlisted to play a luau, or Hawaiian feast, Saturday night for leaders assembled in Obama's birthplace Honolulu for an annual summit that is formulating plans for a Pacific free-trade pact.
Occupy Homes: New Coalition Links Homeowners, Activists in Direct Action to Halt Foreclosures (News)
from DemocracyNow.org A loose-knit coalition of activists known as "Occupy Homes" is working to stave off pending evictions by occupying homes at risk of foreclosure when tenants enlist its support. The movement has recently enjoyed a number of successes. We speak with Monique White, a Minneapolis resident who is facing foreclosure and recently requested the help of Occupy Minneapolis. Now two dozen of its members are occupying her home in order to stave off eviction. We are also joined by Nick Espinosa, an organizer with Occupy Minneapolis, and Max Rameau, a key organizer with Take Back the Land, who for the past five years has worked on direct actions that reclaim and occupy homes at risk of foreclosure. "The banks are actually occupying our homes," Rameau says. "This sets up for an incredible movement, where we have a one-two punch. On the one hand, we're occupying them on their turf, and on the other, we're liberating our own turf so that human beings can have access to housing, rather than them sitting vacant so that corporations can benefit from them sometime in the future." [source & transcript]
Occupy Wall Street teach-in with Douglas Rushkoff (News)
"They say the Occupy movement has no leaders. They are wrong. YOU are the leaders! The rest of us are your followers! What you do here shows us what we can do out there." A history lesson about a 500-year old operating program that's cramping our style in the 21st century delivered at Zuccotti Park today in downtown Manhattan by media theorist Douglas Rushkoff.
The Occupations Report: 11/04 (News)
This Occupation Report is compiled by Rebuild the Dream · OccupyTogether.org REQUEST FOR UPDATES FROM READERS: The Daily Occupations Report needs your help! We are currently putting together a list of cities that have been supportive of local Occupy groups and those that have been less than supportive (i.e.: police crackdowns and evictions). Please send your stories and updates to firstname.lastname@example.com or email@example.com. Occupy Atlanta This afternoon, Occupy Atlanta held a press conference announcing that will be standing in solidarity with citizens being foreclosed upon who are seeking a restraining order on the banks attempting to foreclose their houses. In other news, Occupy Atlanta's Arts and Literature Committee will host a benefit concert tonight at 7 Stages Theatre at 1105 Euclid Ave. Doors open at 9pm. Proceeds will go to the Occupy Atlanta legal fund. The group is also looking for Artists and Videographers who can do work both remotely and/or on the ground. Contact the Media Team for details. firstname.lastname@example.com Occupy Boston World-famous radical feminist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz spoke at Occupy Boston at 1:30 pm. Yesterday Occupy Boston passed a resolution banning two members – Paul Carnes and Sydney Sherrell – from representing Occupy Boston. The resolution was passed by consensus by the General Assembly of and was distributed along with a list of grievances against Paul Carnes and copies of receipts from various transactions he paid for with Occupy Boston funds. Carnes and Sherrell had previously been banned from the Financial Accountability Working Group (FAWG) for inappropriate handling of funds and unsavory behavior. The grievances claim Carnes went to Occupy Cleveland, claiming to have been sent from Occupy Boston, and to be a representative of the National Lawyers' Guild, and attempted to claim vertical leadership there. The group also says both Carnes and Sherrell set up a series of fundraising sites purporting to be for Occupy Boston among other occupations but are not part of FAWG.
The People of Zuccotti Park Are Preparing for Their Eviction (News)
by J.A. Myerson | OCSnews.org | November 4, 2011 For the last week or so, the 1%-owned media have been doing everything possible to give their fellow 1%-er and good friend Mayor Bloomberg the political cover necessary to seize Zuccotti Park. They have made an example of a restaurant whose business is suffering because of barricades – but who put up the barricades? They have made an example of the unsanitary conditions arising among a community deprived of facilities – but who deprives it of facilities? They have made an example of the homeless people and drug addicts who populate the park – but who has denied them anywhere better to go? And now that they have cultivated the image of a failed project (after themselves erecting the barriers to its success), they appear to be gearing up to demolish it. The people of Zuccotti Park are preparing for their eviction. That will mean that a milti-billionaire media mogul, on behalf of his long-time live-in girlfriend's asset-managing corporation, will use the army in his command to abridge the freedom of speech and of the press and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition their government for a redress of grievances. Let us affirm now what we know from every story we are told as children. The people who accumulate wealth and power and remain callous to the suffering of those whose misery creates that wealth and power – those are the villains. What they do is greedy and bad and wrong. The people who stand up for the sick and the poor and the uneducated and the wrongly imprisoned – those are the heroes. What they do is generous and good and right. The 1% are the villains of America, and the Wall Street occupiers are American heroes.
Occupy Oakland: second Iraq war veteran injured after police clashes (The Guardian UK) (News)
Kayvan Sabehgi in intensive care with a lacerated spleen after protests in Oakland, a week after Scott Olsen was hurt. He says police beat him with batons. by Adam Gabbatt | guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 November 2011 15.26 EDT A second Iraq war veteran has suffered serious injuries after clashes between police and Occupy movement protesters in Oakland. Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later. Sabehgi, 32, is the second Iraq war veteran to be hospitalised following involvement in Oakland protests. Another protester, Scott Olsen, suffered a fractured skull on 25 October. On Wednesday night, police used teargas and non-lethal projectiles to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland. Sabehgi told the Guardian from hospital he was walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland – away from the main area of clashes – when he was injured. "There was a group of police in front of me," he told the Guardian from his hospital bed. "They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move. "Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying 'Why are you doing this?' when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me."