Intro: "'We're being evicted!' the message went out around 1 am. 'The park has been cleared,' the text message read a few hours later, as bedragged, pepper-sprayed protesters, having lost their home in the park, reconvened for a General Assembly in Foley Square and vowed to keep the occupation going. Over 70 had been arrested."
Occupy Wall Street activists are forcibly removed by New York City Police from Liberty Plaza, 11/15/11. (photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
BREAKING: Massive Police Raid Clears Zuccotti Park
15 November 11
UPDATE: 5:00:pm:est - It now looks like earlier reports today that protesters would be allowed to bring tents and sleeping bags back to Liberty Plaza were unconfirmed. OccupyNYC's last text reads, "Confirmed: Court decision has NOT been made yet. Please spread the word and mic." The Guardian reports, "The New York state supreme court has ruled that the Occupy Wall Street protesters have lost their bid to restore a full encampment at Zuccotti Park, where the protests began two months ago.
Earlier today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to re-open the park and allow the protesters to return, but without camping equipment. It now remains to be seen whether he fulfills his promise." -- CW/RSN
11:00:am:est -A massive early morning police raid has cleared the Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan, New York City. Police formed a 4-block perimeter around the park refusing to allow anyone in. While New York media outlets are currently reporting the raid was 'non-violent,' reports and video from the park paint a far more violent picture. Occupy Wall Street organizers are mounting legal challenges, and regrouping at this hour. -- ma/RSN 
e're being evicted!" the message went out around 1 am.
"The park has been cleared," the text message read a few hours later, as bedragged, pepper-sprayed protesters, having lost their home in the park, reconvened for a GA in Foley Square and vowed to keep the occupation going. Over 200 had been arrested, including city council member Ydanis Rodriguez. Blocks away, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference at which he declared that police would be now able to search people entering the park.
There is a planned post-raid gathering at 9 am at Canal and 6th Street for supporters to regroup and rally. Meanwhile, the National Lawyer's Guild has obtained a temporary restraining order "directing that occupiers be allowed back on the premises with their belongings." Reportedly, this will hold for several hours until a new hearing. However, after some members of the public re-entered the park, they were asked to leave again.
Twitter pictures later in the morning showed Zuccotti Park was bare and stripped--ugly and undamaged, as it was before, after cleaning crews move through. Before that, however, police had heaped protesters' belongings together.
According to Twitter and the Occupy movement's texts as well as press releases from both the movement and the Mayor's office, the early morning raid cleared the protests' two-month-long "model society" of its infrastructure, including spaces and structures like the women's safe space tent, the medical tent, and thousands of books from the "People's Library" - which were seen in the back of a dumpster.
Cops reportedly told people these confiscated items would be available at the Department of Sanitation.
Almost all of downtown Manhattan was blocked off in various ways, and protesters were beaten for being both on the sidewalk and the street.
Watch this amateur video of the beatings:
According to reports on Twitter, an OWS press release, and emails over internal OWS listservs, downtown subways and the Brooklyn Bridge were shut down, airspace was blocked off, and a barricade was erected to prevent supporters who were alerted by text from entering.
Several bystanders who arrived to help were pepper-sprayed or beaten. Read this dispatch from Anna Lekas Miller for one such story. "The police came towards us. I was live tweeting when I realized there was a funny smell and something in my eyes that was making them burn ... I was shoved against a wall by a cop with a riot shield telling me to, 'Keep it moving.' ... Their batons were out. It was violence."
Below are a series of tweets from AlterNet's Kristen Gwynne, who arrived on the scene after 1 am:
- Riot police won't anybody in ows. Looking for alternate route in..ahh hang in there guys
- Cops everywhere. At least 1 pepper sprayed cops pushing us
- Holy shit this us crazy pepper spray, pushing us, beating and arresting peaceful protestors#ows
- They're literally pushing us down cortlandt. Violent cops #ows
These brutal tactics were used on supporters who were in the park and others who were trying to get in to protect the space, as well as some members of the press. LRADs (sound cannons) were seen and some say used, but as of yet but there have been no confirmed reports of them being used.
Perhaps worst of all, there was a media blackout that specifically disallowed press from entering while the space was cleared. Many newspeople on Twitter have expressed anger and frustration about being prevented from reporting on the scene; some were apparently told by the NYPD, "You're not press tonight."
At In These Times, Alison Kilkenny had this report from Twitter: "Some protesters chained themselves to trees in Liberty, and some early reports indicate the NYPD cut down the trees in order to remove the demonstrators."
Around 7 am, the following things were trending on Twitter in New York City:
Here is a timeline of the raid from OWS. Note that some reports in this timeline are unconfirmed:
Timeline of Violent NYPD Raid on Occupy Wall Street
3:36 a.m. Kitchen tent reported teargassed. Police moving in with zip cuffs.
3:33 a.m. Bulldozers moving in
3:16 a.m. Occupiers linking arms around riot police
3:15 a.m. NYPD destroying personal items. Occupiers prevented from leaving with their possessions.
3:13 a.m. NYPD deploying sound cannon
3:08 a.m. heard on livestream: "they're bringing in the hoses."
3:05 a.m. NYPD cutting down trees in Liberty Square
2:55 a.m. NYC council-member Ydanis Rodriguez arrested and bleeding from head.
2:44 a.m. Defiant occupiers barricaded Liberty Square kitchen
2:44 a.m. NYPD destroys OWS Library. 5,000 donated books in dumpster.
2:42 a.m. Brooklyn Bridge confirmed closed
2:38 a.m. 400-500 marching north to Foley Square
2:32 a.m. All subways but R shut down
2:29 a.m. Press helicopters evicted from airspace. NYTimes reporter arrested.
2:22 a.m. Frontpage coverage from New York Times
2:15 a.m. Occupiers who have been dispersed are regrouping at Foley Square
2:10 a.m. Press barred from entering Liberty Square
2:07 a.m. Pepper spray deployed -- reports of at least one reporter sprayed
2:03 a.m. Massive Police Presence at Canal and Broadway
1:43 a.m. Helicopters overhead.
1:38 a.m. Unconfirmed reports of snipers on rooftops.
1:34 a.m. CBS News Helicopter Livestream
1:27 a.m. Unconfirmed reports that police are planning to sweep everyone.
1:20 a.m. Subway stops are closed.
1:20 a.m. Brooklyn bridge is closed.
1:20 a.m. Occupiers chanting "This is what a police state looks like."
1:20 a.m. Police are in riot gear.
1:20 a.m. Police are bringing in bulldozers.
At Pandagon, Amanda Marcotte had this to offer on the destruction of the library:
Media Bistro is reporting that the NYPD destroyed over 5,000 books that have been amassed in the OWS library over the past two months. The young protesters who were volunteering as librarians tweeted the ordeal of watching what has come to be, historically speaking, the symbol of authoritarian governments oppressing its citizens.
"OWSLibrary The People's Library NYPD destroying american cultural history, they're destroying the documents, the books, the artwork of an event in our nation's history.
Right now, the NYPD are throwing over 5,000 books from our library into a dumpster. Will they burn them?
Protesters locked arms and tried to keep the dumpsters full of books and tents from leaving, but obviously to no avail. Personally, I donated about a dozen books to OWS, mostly about feminism in response to requests for more feminist discourse and history. Some of them weren't exactly books you can just saunter into a local library branch or Barnes & Noble to find, either, such as the radical feminism reader. So this image of the books being tossed into the trash is just adding to the emotional distress of this situation.
So don't believe the lies. If this was just about a clean park, there would have been no need to go over the fucking top in the assaults on speech and press that included threatening journalists (and arresting one), squelching witnesses, and destroying over 5,000 books that were provided, free of charge, by supporters who want to assist protesters' desire to educate themselves and, frankly, give them something to do during their downtime.
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Comments
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It is time for humans to shake off the corporate dictatorship, and enact just, sane, and healthy laws/policy which will serve humans, and the planet, before the money and power are everything myopic ignorance destroys us all.
Then you have a court system that has become almost completely corrupted over the years by the powers to be, to the point where they are more protective of the govt than they are of the American people. A good example is the lawsuit that was brought against our govt to block the Twitter & Google info demanded by Obama's DOJ in the Wikileaks case. So far, we're losing.
And, if by chance, NYC loses a case, or if a bank loses a case, they can simply appeal to a higher court. The higher you go in today's court system, the more corrupt that court is. Eventually, they will have their case dismissed.
The only true way of stopping police abuse of peaceful protesters is to be able to sue & win against the individual police officers who have committed crimes against the citizenry as if they were normal citizens, to be able to destroy them completely financially. Then and only then will this abuse stop. They can't be protected by a shield of immunity.
It's pretty obvious why the "eviction" was at 1am.
Remember all those videos of cops sicking attack dogs on people for protesting segregation in the 50s and early 60s? Some things never change.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ENFORCED SEGREGATION, by the way?
WE WON. THEY LOST.
We've already won this too. It will take several years for the political ramifications and re-alignment to become apparent, however.
This isn't about us vs. a few stupid cops. This is about (to borrow a misused phrase of the pentagon) the HEARTS AND MINDS of the American people.
WE ARE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
People who ordinarily wouldn't give their preconceived "conservative" notions a second thought, are starting to stop and take notice.
Being on the side of right is good strategy. The only affective strategy the bad guys have left is 1am evictions by paid dumbasses who's own secret opinions are beginning to be challenged.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Let's give faux news something worth fearing.
Are we now living in Nazi Germany?
Stay focused on the moral high ground, persistent nonviolent action, and developing the kind of new message that will filter down into the consciousness of millions and billions worldwide.
There's a reason they're cracking down on us so hard. They never gave the Tea Party such treatment in part because the Tea Party conservative mentality is easier to co-opt and corral into castration by corporate forces than OWS is. While I respect the impulses behind what many of the Tea Partiers were trying to do to better our country, in many ways that movement is already done as far as effecting useful positive change is concerned.
OWS is a response to that which the Tea Party cannot do. And because of that it will suffer behavior from the forces of institutional power that are losing their iron grip on power. We see this manifested in Oakland, and now in Zuccotti Park.
Stay the course. This organic, fluid movement is only the start.
Search Youtube for 'I am not moving'
The shame of the U.S. is out there more than ever, and international judgement has rendered the word of the U.S. government and law enforcement dead. We have entered another era, but have not cleaned up the debris of the past, as the city cleaning up Zuccotti Park.
We don't need to compare the OWS with the TeaParty. The TeaParty was a brain child of the 1%. Of course they got the royal treatment. In the end OWS will make real changes for the 99%. The fat lady hasn't sung yet.
"...following a midnight police raid evicting protesters from Zuccotti Park, Justice Lucy Billings issued an order requiring the protesters to be readmitted... During his 8 a.m. press conference, Mayor Bloomberg seemed to acknowledge he was familiar with the temporary restraining order, but claimed he had not been served and was keeping the park closed. As of this writing, Zuccotti Park remains closed to protesters in direct contradiction of Justice Billing’s order."
The outrageous thing is that Bloomberg should be brought up on charges and even serve jail time for disregarding a court order, as you or I would, but the national narrative is so adapted to the prevalence of privileged status, that this will likely never be pursued.
Now there can be no denying that we live in a fascist state.
The Patriot Act trumps the Bill of Rights.
Thanks, George.
Imagine if OCCUPY broke into "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND ... FROM CALIFORNIA ... "
It would look REALLY BAD kicking the Shit out of a bunch of people singing Woody Guthrie Anthem.
"If you wanna end the War ... you gotta Sing Loud" ... Arlo told us that.
"Come back Woody Guthrie to US now ..." we need you
On Facebook there is a page called Americans Against Occupy Wall Street. It has 30, thirty people liking it. We have millions..... Is there anything else a democracy needs other than a majority????
The Christian Right needs to realize that if Christ were here today he would have been in Zuccotti Park with the rest of the "hippies" committed to doing the right, but (Mr. Bloomberg)PEACE FUL thing.
Hosni Bloomberg.
I'm sure the other 10 people there who are constantly complaining about "big government" will be willing to listen.
York came to realize that Bloonberg was a very small man... in more ways than just his physique.
I say we make a clean sweep, get rid of the mini-mayor, get rid of his Imperial Guard (bye bye Mr. Kelly) and find out who thought it was a good idea for the NYPD to buy LRADs!!!!!
I'm sitting here just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'
And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don't believe
We're on the eve
of destruction.
These protest videos reminded me of this song and another era of protesters. God be with us!
Violence was inevitable and it means the capitalists will lose in the long term.Confiscati ng books is a crime against humanity. Lots of book burning before and during WW2.
The Mayors actions are a declaration of defeat
Once again the bitter truth of our time: vote for a Democrat, get not just a closet Republican but a backdoor fascist.
Don't we have a wonderful Democracy here in this country when our government can pick and choose which court orders they're willing to comply with? I wonder who's going to enforce this judge's order?
This is how wars begin.
Security Issues
November 15, 2011
Dear Sir:
You are a coward. And you are a liar, for you took an oath to uphold the Constitution, which you have disgraced.
Yes, sir, I called you a coward. And if you want to meet in person, I shall do so to your face.
Oh, but your preferred method is to strike in the dead of night. Oh, correction, your preferred method is to have others follow your orders to do so.
Hey, Mr. Law Man, are you going to obey the Judge's order to allow the people back in the park? Or do you actually believe being a billionaire places you above mere mortals?
Those of us who have served in the Armed Forces took an oath to uphold the Constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Rest assured, this old soldier considers you to be in the latter catergory. And, tough guy, we were serious when we said, "So help me God."
If there is one shred of decency in you, resign. If there are two shreds, apologize. For it would not be wise to live the lyrics of that song by One Republic.
Yours truly,
Marvin D. Jones
Veteran,
United States Army
http://yfrog.com/nzdr7ndj
Keep to the facts!
It's good to see you still contributing so much to the dialogue this many years after your own death. Say "hi" to J. Edgar for us, while you're down there.
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