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The aim of #OCCUPYWALLSTREET is to draw protesters to New York's financial district in a non-violent protest to spark a mass movement against corporate dominance. While the corporate media ignores the protest, Reader Supported News will continue to report on the latest developments.

A demonstrator holds a sign during an Occupy Wall Street protest in lower Manhattan. The protests moved into their third week on Monday. (photo: Reuters)
Occupy Wall Street logo illustration. (art: Drea Zlanabitnig/NYT)



Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Together, Occupy D.C., Occupy Oakland, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Boston, Occupy San Francisco , Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Live Streams

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Occupy Wall Street: Take the Bull by the Horns

Reader Supported News Special Coverage

10 October 11

 




 

Climate Change Fight Is Down to the 99%

By Naomi Klein, Guardian UK

10 October 11

If there is one thing I know, it's that the 1% loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate, that is the ideal time to push through their wishlist of pro-corporate policies: privatising education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.

There is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it's a very big thing: the 99%. And that 99% is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say: "No. We will not pay for your crisis." READ MORE

 

Occupy Wall Street Message Should Be Obvious to All

By The New York Times | Editorial

10 October 11

As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions. The message - and the solutions - should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention since the economy went into a recession that continues to sock the middle class while the rich have recovered and prospered. The problem is that no one in Washington has been listening. READ MORE

 

Michael Bloomberg: Wall Street Protesters Can Stay Indefinitely

By Mackenzie Weinger, Politico

10 October 11

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday the Occupy Wall Street protesters can camp out in Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan for as long as they want.

Zuccotti Park, the movement's unofficial headquarters located just blocks from Wall Street, is a privately owned, publicly accessible park where protesters have gathered for 24 days. Bloomberg said as long as demonstrators do not break the law, the city will permit them to stay, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The mayor told the WSJ he has "no idea" how long the protest will last, but added that he thinks "part of it has probably to do with the weather." Bloomberg has previously spoken out against Occupy Wall Street and slammed the protesters last week, saying their attack on banks could harm one of the city's major employers. READ MORE

 

Journalists Funded by 'Vulture Capitalist'
Paul Singer to Smear Wall Street Protests

By Lee Fang, ThinkProgress

10 October 11

The campaign to marginalize and destroy the growing 99 Percent Movement is in full swing, with many in the media attempting to smear the people participating in the "occupation" protests across the country. However, several of the so-called journalists deriding, and in some cases sabotaging the movement, have paychecks thanks to a billionaire whose business practices have been scorned as among the worst of the financial elite.

As the New York Times has documented, Paul Singer, a Republican activist and hedge fund manager worth over $900 million, has emerged as one of the most important power brokers within the GOP. Now, it appears that the reporters financed by Singer are at the forefront of efforts to tarnish the reputation of 99 Percent Movement demonstrators. READ MORE

 

Columbia University and Barnard College Faculty Support Occupy Wall Street Movement

By Contact: Professor Paige West, Columbia University

10 October 11

Today faculty from Columbia University released a petition signed by over 300 professors expressing their support for the Occupy Wall Street movement. Signatories to the petition come from across the faculty of Columbia University and Barnard College. In their petition, the professors join the Occupy Wall Street movement in condemning the growth of economic, social, and political inequalities. According to the petition, claims that the movement lacks focus are inaccurate and ignore the many important issues that the Occupy Wall Street movement has raised.

"I understand the message of the Occupy Wall Street movement clearly," said Columbia professor and former University provost, Jonathan R. Cole. "The movement speaks to the growing economic inequalities in our society: 1 percent of the population holds almost 40 percent of the nation's wealth; as inequality has increased taxes on the wealthy have plunged; often wealth rather than merit determines who receives educational opportunities; and millions of citizens have lost their homes while those on Wall Street, who are responsible for much of the economic crisis, are rewarded rather than punished." READ MORE

To read and sign the Petition click here.

 

"Occupy Wall Street" Now in 25 Cities

By Bigad Shaban, CBS News

10 October 11

The movement known as "Occupy Wall Street" has spread far beyond its starting point in lower Manhattan. CBS News correspondent Bigad Shaban reports that it now has offshoots in 25 cities nationwide, and political leaders from both sides are weighing in.

From D.C. to Alabama to Portland, demonstrators protest everything from corporate greed to joblessness to economic inequality. Back in N.Y., 39-year-old Jesse LaGreca is one of the more prominent voices.

"You've got people here being told they need to face a lower standard of living, that we can't pay the wages that we used to enjoy, that the promises that were made to our grandparents are going to be broken," LaGreca said. READ MORE

 

Panic of the Plutocrats

By Paul Krugman, The New York Times

10 October 11

It remains to be seen whether the Occupy Wall Street protests will change America's direction. Yet the protests have already elicited a remarkably hysterical reaction from Wall Street, the super-rich in general, and politicians and pundits who reliably serve the interests of the wealthiest hundredth of a percent. READ MORE

 

Why the Elites Are in Trouble

By Chris Hedges, Truthdig

10 October 11

Ketchup, a petite 22-year-old from Chicago with wavy red hair and glasses with bright red frames, arrived in Zuccotti Park in New York on Sept. 17. She had a tent, a rolling suitcase, 40 dollars' worth of food, the graphic version of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" and a sleeping bag. She had no return ticket, no idea what she was undertaking, and no acquaintances among the stragglers who joined her that afternoon to begin the Wall Street occupation. She decided to go to New York after reading the Canadian magazine Adbusters, which called for the occupation, although she noted that when she got to the park Adbusters had no discernible presence. READ MORE

 

 

Conversations With Revolutionaries

By Leslie Griffith, Reader Supported News

09 October 11

Thomas Jefferson wrote, "My wish was, to see both Houses of Congress cleaned of all persons interested in the bank or public stocks - cleansed, that is - of all corruption."

If only Jefferson could see what is happening today. Not only do stockholders own the banks and the rotten, stinkin' derivatives they sold us, they have the nerve to scream about socialism now ... after they have been the recipients of it.

The public stock owners of 1776, those Jefferson wanted cleansed of corruption, now own almost everything of influence in America. READ MORE

 

Pelosi Lashes Back at Cantor, Defends Protesters

By Jessica Desvarieux, ABC News

09 October 11

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she supports the growing nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, which began on the streets of downtown New York City in mid - September.

"I support the message to the establishment, whether it's Wall Street or the political establishment and the rest, that change has to happen," said Pelosi in an exclusive interview with ABC News "This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour. "We cannot continue in a way that is not relevant to their lives."

Pelosi sees the protestors' anger stemming from unemployment, which remains above 9 percent. READ MORE

 

The Left Declares Its Independence

By Todd Gitlin, The New York Times

09 October 11

If some aspects of the Occupy Wall Street protest feel predictable - the drum circles, the signs, including "Tax Wall Street Transactions" and "End the FED" - so does the right-wing response. Is it any surprise that Fox News and its allied bloggers consider the protesters "deluded" and "dirty smelly hippies"?

Then again, maybe it is surprising. As more than a few observers have noted, the Occupy Wall Street chant, "We Are the 99 Percent" - a shot across the bow of the wealthiest 1 percent of the country, which includes the financial predators and confidence gamers who crashed the global economy with impunity - seems synonymous with the Tea Party's "Take Back America" ethos. READ MORE

 

Local Police Forces Are Now Little Armies. Why?

By John Hanrahan, Nieman Watchdog

09 October 11

More and more, in dealing with nonviolent political protesters police across America show up in battlefield dress with intimidating military gear supplied by the Pentagon and Homeland Security. Writer John Hanrahan says reporters, instead of ignoring this ominous development, should ask local, regional and national leaders: Do we need this crap? READ MORE

 

Pepper-Sprayed for Peace

By David Swanson

08 October 11

I've been coughing and vomiting, and my head aches from pepper spray. I'll post videos and photos of why here.

We intended to hold signs and sing inside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, protesting its promotion of unmanned drones, missiles, and bombs, including its sponsorship by and promotion of weapons corporations. We don't have any museums promoting health coverage or education or retirement security.

We had marched from the Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square occupations, taking over the streets of DC. The museum knew we were coming. Some of our group got in and dropped a banner. Hundreds of us did not. Instead, we were greeted at the door with cans of pepper spray.

There were three sets of entrance doors. I was among the first to open the third set of doors. A guard shook a can of pepper spray in front of me and demanded that we back out. But a dozen feet away at the second set of doors, people were staggering out and collapsing in pain, having been pepper sprayed in the face. I started to go toward them, but began coughing and vomiting. A lot of people were effected, directly or - like me - indirectly by the pepper spray.

It is not true that we assaulted the police. Nobody was accused of or charged with that. I didn't hear about it until later from the media. A young woman named Thi Le was told she'd be charged with assaulting a police officer after she was pepper sprayed and handcuffed, but they switched the charge to disorderly conduct and released her a few hours later.

It is not true that they only pepper sprayed one person. Many people were pepper sprayed.

It is not true that the crowd dispersed. The guards locked the doors and closed the museum. We had not planned to close the museum but to demonstrate and leave. With the museum closed and one of our own in custody, we held a rally on the steps as more people made their way over from Freedom Plaza to join us. We were there for hours.

We will be here for as long as it takes.

Congress comes back to this town on Tuesday.

We're ready.

We're nonviolent.

We're not scared.

We're not discouraged.

We're not fooled.

We've got demands as clear as a blue sky:

Occupy Wall Street
Occupy K Street
Occupy Everything
And Never Give it Back!

 

Study: Wealthy Stockbrokers More Dangerous Than Psychopaths

By David Sirota, AlterNet

08 October 11

Like most people living through this jarring age of economic turbulence and political dysfunction, you can probably recall a moment in the last few months when you thought to yourself that our lawmakers and corporate leaders are all crazy. And not just run-of-the-mill crazy, a la George Costanza's parents, but the kind of crazy that makes films like "Silence of the Lambs" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" so frightening.

The good news for you is that you aren't insane for thinking this. The bad news for all of us, though, is that according to two new scientific analyses, you are more correct in your assessment than you may know. READ MORE

 

11 Facts About Biggest Banks

By Pat Garofalo, ThinkProgress

08 October 11

The Occupy Wall Street protests that began in New York City more than three weeks ago have now spread across the country. The choice of Wall Street as the focal point for the protests - as even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said - makes sense due to the big bank malfeasance that led to the Great Recession.

While the Dodd-Frank financial reform law did a lot to ensure that a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis won't occur - through regulation of derivatives, a new consumer protection agency, and new powers for the government to dismantle failing banks - the biggest banks still have a firm grip on the financial system, even more so than before the 2008 financial crisis. Here are eleven facts that you need to know about the nation's biggest banks: READ MORE

 

Naomi Klein | Occupy Wall Street

By Naomi Klein, NaomiKlein.org

08 October 11

I love you.

And I didn't just say that so that hundreds of you would shout "I love you" back, though that is obviously a bonus feature of the human microphone. Say unto others what you would have them say unto you, only way louder.

Yesterday, one of the speakers at the labor rally said: "We found each other." That sentiment captures the beauty of what is being created here. A wide-open space (as well as an idea so big it can’t be contained by any space) for all the people who want a better world to find each other. We are so grateful. READ MORE

 

Wall Street Protesters to 'Occupy' Washington Square, Cops Ready for Clash

By Rebecca Harshbarger, Georgett Roberts and Kevin Sheehan, New York Post

08 October 11

Bruner said he expected "hundreds, maybe thousands" to join the demonstrators this afternoon at Washington Square for its first - ever rally there at 3 p.m. Cops are already gearing up for what could be an invasion.

They're fencing off grassy areas in the park, and putting up 10 - foot high chain link fences around public bathrooms. Close to 30 cops, nine scooters and three - wheeled vehicles and a van were already stationed at Laguardia Place and West 3rd St., hours before the new protest.

One officer at Zuccotti Park told The Post: "I think they'll have to move, to find a new place to stay. They can do whatever they want until the sun goes down." READ MORE

 

Alan Grayson on Occupy Wall Street

 

FOCUS: GOP Blames Obama for Encouraging Anti-Wall Street "Mobs"

By Will Oremus, Slate

08 October 11

The debate over the Occupy Wall Street protests took on a harsh tenor Friday, with Republican leader Rep. Eric Cantor denouncing the demonstrators as "mobs" and slamming President Obama for allegedly encouraging them.

"This administration's failed policies have resulted in an assault on many of our nation's bedrock principles," he said. "If you read the newspapers today, I for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country. READ MORE

 

The Wall Street Occupiers and the Democratic Party

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

08 October 11

Will the Wall Street Occupiers morph into a movement that has as much impact on the Democratic Party as the Tea Party has had on the GOP? Maybe. But there are reasons for doubting it.

Tea Partiers have been a mixed blessing for the GOP establishment - a source of new ground troops and energy but also a pain in the assets with regard to attracting independent voters. As Rick Perry and Mitt Romney square off, that pain will become more evident.

So far the Wall Street Occupiers have helped the Democratic Party. Their inchoate demand that the rich pay their fair share is tailor-made for the Democrats' new plan for a 5.6 percent tax on millionaires, as well as the President's push to end the Bush tax cut for people with incomes over $250,000 and to limit deductions at the top. READ MORE

 

Why Occupy Wall Street Should Scare Republicans

By Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg

07 October 11

In Florida this week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was asked about the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. "I think it's dangerous, this class warfare," he said.

Romney’s right. It may be dangerous - to his chances of being elected.

Occupy Wall Street, now almost three weeks old, isn’t like the anti-globalization demonstrations that disrupted summits in the 1990s or even the street actions at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York, though some of the same characters are probably in attendance. With unemployed young protesters planning to camp out all winter in Zuccotti Park (with bathrooms available only at a nearby McDonald's), it's more like a cross between a Hooverville and Woodstock - the middle-class jobless of the 1930s and the hippie protesters of the 1960s. READ MORE

 

Occupy Wall Street Treks to Washington Square Park

By Chris Glorioso, NBC New York

08 October 2011

An expedition of protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement is scheduled to hold a meeting in Washington Square Park Saturday.

Organizers of the demonstration say they will hold a "general assembly" at 3 p.m, which they describe as an opportunity to recruit new supporters and share ideas.

"The Washington Square Park thing is a great way to bring us to the next level," said Michael Fix, an organizer of the demonstration. READ MORE

 

Occupy Wall Street: Is It Becoming Your Father's – Even Grandfather's – Movement?

By Gloria Goodale, Christian Science Monitor

08 October 2011

"More and more middle-age people are showing up all the time," says Robert Hockett, a professor at Cornell University Law School, who has a small apartment just around the corner from Zuccotti Park where the Wall Street protest began in New York. He attends the nightly general assembly meetings, he says with a laugh, adding, "They are my neighbors now."

A student of social protest, he says that "this is different from many earlier movements such as the antiwar actions, because the issues don't fall into partisan political or age divides." Rather, he says, "these economic issues are hitting old and young across political lines."

Veterans from earlier protest eras are putting in a good showing. Margaret Ratner Kunstler, widow of the iconic progressive attorney William Kuntsler, has been in the heart of the fray from early on and represents many of the protesters arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge two weeks ago.

"I'm a grandmother and these are my children," she says with a laugh, noting that the reach and organization she sees springing up around the movement "is giving me hope." READ MORE

 

Occupy Wall Street Expanding to Washington Square Park - Anti-Flag To Play Set In Solidarity at Liberty Square

By Occupy Wall Street

08 October 11

#ows is growing. We will be in a thousand cities in this country by the end of the month - hundreds of cities in other countries. We will see General Assemblies on six continents. Liberty Square has grown exponentially over the last three weeks. It is time to form a second General Assembly in Manhattan. We expect more to follow.

"On October eighth at three in the afternoon a General Assembly will convene in Washington Square Park. At the same time Anti-Flag will play an acoustic set in Liberty Square in solidarity with our movement's expansion. We are growing. Block by block – city by city. We will see change in this country, in this world. It will happen sooner than you can imagine."

 

Amy Goodman: "The Fourth Estate or For the State"

 

Parks and Demonstration

The Daily Show

05 October 11

 

Kelly: Protesters to Be 'Met With Force' If They Target Officers

By NewYorkDaily News

07 October 11

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly had some strong words for "Occupy Wall Street" protesters Thursday, blaming participants for starting skirmishes which led to more than 20 arrests on Wednesday.

"What they did is they counted. They actually had a countdown - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 - they grouped together, they joined arms and they charged the police. They attacked the police. They wanted to get into Wall Street, they wanted to occupy Wall Street," Kelly told reporters. READ MORE

 

Sojourners Among Those Occupying Wall Street

Tobin Grant, Christianity Today

07 October 11

Tim King, Sojourners communications director, joined the protests. He is sleeping in the park and blogging about his experiences. He said one of his goals is to look for God’s presence amidst the event. "I believe it’s often easier to find God on the streets than in a sanctuary," King said. "We serve a God who shows up for those in need, and for those who stand with them." He reported that there are Christians at the event and that many of the protesters are open to religion.

King said, "Many protesters here have had some bad experiences with religion, but it’s clear that they are genuinely open to seeing religion done differently." Also, like the early tea party protests, Occupy Wall Street is heavy on pointing out the problem (i.e., corporations) rather than articulating a set of policy proposals or goals. BreakPoint’s John Stonestreet said that the message of the protests is that "things are broken—Wall Street, the environment, society, the list of complaints goes on and on. Their solution? Well, none have been offered." He compared this to BreakPoint’s recent Do the Right Thing movement, which "identifies that the central problem is an ethical collapse."READ MORE

 

Wall Street Protests: A Good Place to Start

By Sen. Bernie Sanders, The Boston Globe

07 October 11

The protest movement called Occupy Wall Street has struck a nerve. The demonstrators’ goals may be vague, but their grievances are very real. If our country is to break out of this horrendous recession and create the millions of jobs we desperately need, if we are going to create a financially-stable future, we must take a hard look at Wall Street and demand fundamental reforms. I hope the protesters provide the spark that ignites that process.

The truth is that millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes and their life savings because of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior of Wall Street. Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke agreed when I questioned him this week at a Joint Economic Committee hearing that that there was "excessive risk taking" by Wall Street. Bernanke also said the protesters “with some justification" hold the financial sector responsible for "getting us into this mess" and added, "I can't blame them." READ MORE

 

Confronting the Malefactors

By Paul Krugman, The New York Times

06 October 11

There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear, but we may, at long last, be seeing the rise of a popular movement that, unlike the Tea Party, is angry at the right people.

When the Occupy Wall Street protests began three weeks ago, most news organizations were derisive if they deigned to mention the events at all. For example, nine days into the protests, National Public Radio had provided no coverage whatsoever.

It is, therefore, a testament to the passion of those involved that the protests not only continued but grew, eventually becoming too big to ignore. With unions and a growing number of Democrats now expressing at least qualified support for the protesters, Occupy Wall Street is starting to look like an important event that might even eventually be seen as a turning point. READ MORE

 

Thousands March in Portland as Part of Occupy Wall Street Movement

By Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press

06 October 11

ome wanted bank executives arrested. Others wanted Medicare extended to all citizens, an end to war or a halt on foreclosures. Their demands were disparate, but they were unified in a frustration with the status quo and a feeling that a fortunate few are enjoying all the prosperity at the expense of everyone else.

The Occupy Wall Street movement came to Portland on Thursday in a peaceful demonstration that began along the Willamette River, wended through the streets of Portland and concluded in Lownsdale Square, a park across the street from federal court.

"Everybody has different grievances, but we all feel the country is being lost," said Frank Bader, 44, an unemployed title examiner in the real estate industry. "I feel that my children's country is being robbed by greed, by special interests." READ MORE

 

Dallas Holds 'Occupy Wall Street' Style Protest

By Anna M. Tinsley, Dallas Star-Telegram

07 October 2011

In Dallas, where police estimated 400 to 500 protesters, organizers encouraged the swelling crowd to be orderly and peaceful, but to fully deliver their message of frustration.

Many of them grabbed donated bottles of water and oranges as they began their walk along roads that Dallas police had blocked off to safely let them pass.

As they chanted "Tell me what democracy looks like; this is what democracy looks like" and "Banks got bailed out; we got sold out," many protesters said they want to see change, from requiring bankers to pay fees on every transaction to asking the richest Americans to pay more taxes.

"People who are making millions can afford to pick up the slack and pay more taxes," Marrufo said.

David and Patty Broiles drove in from Fort Worth to support the protesters.

"We're lucky enough to be in the 1 percent, but we also recognize 99 percent of those who aren't as lucky are getting screwed," said David Broiles, a Fort Worth attorney who represented protesters who pitched tents near then-President George W. Bush's Crawford ranch during Cindy Sheehan's 2006 anti-war campaign. "We are here to support the 99 percent." READ MORE

 

Naomi Klein: 'Protesters Seek Change in the Streets Because It Won't Come From the Ballot Box'

 

Occupy Portland Is Born with Ten Thousand Strong

By Shamus Cooke, LA Progressive

06 October 11

On October 6th, in Portland, Oregon, ten thousand people assembled at noon at Waterfront Park on a workday in anticipation of the non-permitted march, which would make a pit stop before ending at its official, secret “Occupation” spot.

The buzz for the event had permeated all sectors of Portland society. People who had never shown a political urge in their lives were suddenly convulsing. Hundreds of people started showing up at the organizing meetings, many of them younger people unknown by the “usual suspects” of Portland activism. A refreshing sign, since new blood is a key ingredient to all social movements.

Although people were warned of police violence during the non-permitted march, nothing came of it. This isn’t surprising, given the close spotlight on Portland’s police (the Justice Department is investigating them for police brutality and having heavy trigger fingers). Also, Portland’s Mayor has a reputation for being Mr. Liberal, and cracking heads in broad daylight must not have sounded appealing to him. Most importantly, the march was large enough to defend itself, permits or not. READ MORE

 

Pelosi Gets Behind Occupy Wall Street

By Brian Fung, TalkingPointsMemo

06 October 11

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threw her weight behind the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations Thursday, showering praise on a movement that has so far spread to dozens of cities, including Washington, DC.

"The message of the protesters is a message for the establishment in every place," she told reporters in a Capitol press conference. "The message of the American people is that no longer will the recklessness of some on Wall Street cause massive joblessness on Main Street. READ MORE

 

Video of Cop Bragging 'My Nightstick's Gonna Get a Workout'

By Helen Kennedy, NYDaily News

06 October 2011

Anti-Wall Street protesters were rallying more public opinion to their cause Thursday by posting video of a cop saying he just couldn't wait to beat up demonstrators.

"My little nightstick's gonna get a workout tonight," the unidentified officer says jokingly to a fellow cop as they wait by a metal barricade.

The officer, burly and bald, seems unaware he is being videotaped. His female colleague says she hasn't used her baton yet, and he crows back with a grin, "I have. Several times." READ MORE

 

NY Police Attack Protesters: Scores Injured, Arrested

By The New York Daily News

05 October 11

Thousands of union workers joined protesters marching through the Financial District Wednesday for Occupy Wall Street's largest rally yet against "corporate greed."

The march was mostly peaceful - until after nightfall, when scuffles erupted and some of the younger demonstrators were arrested when they tried to storm barricades blocking them from Wall Street and the Stock Exchange.

A video posted on the Occupy Wall Street Twitter feed late Wednesday night showed police swinging at a protestor with a night stick. READ MORE

 

Democratic Lawmakers Embrace Occupy Wall Street Protesters

By Russell Berman and Alicia M. Cohn, The Hill

05 October 11

Democratic lawmakers have begun to embrace the Occupy Wall Street protests as they spread to Washington on Thursday, with some likening the movement to a Tea Party of the left.

Several liberal House lawmakers endorsed the protests Wednesday, and the leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said they had been inspired by demonstrators who have been arrested by the hundreds in New York City.

"We share the anger and frustration of so many Americans who have seen the enormous toll that an unchecked Wall Street has taken on the overwhelming majority of Americans while benefiting the super-wealthy," Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said in a joint statement. READ MORE

 

Police Beat Occupy Wall Street Protesters With Batons

 

 

 

Michael Moore: Occupy Everywhere!

 

Policing the Prophets of Wall Street

Amy Goodman, Truthdig

05 October 11

The Occupy Wall Street protest grows daily, spreading to cities across the United States. "We are the 99 percent," the protesters say, "that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 percent." The response by the New York Police Department has been brutal. Saturday, the police swept up more than 700 protesters in one of the largest mass arrests in US history. The week before, innocent protesters were pepper-sprayed in the face without warning or reason. That is why, after receiving a landmark settlement this week from the police departments of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as the US Secret Service, my colleagues and I went to Liberty Square, the heart of the Wall Street occupation, to announce the legal victory. READ MORE

 

Thousands March in Occupy Wall Street Protest

Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times

05 October 11

Thousands of people waving signs and chanting slogans marched Wednesday afternoon from Occupy Wall Street's encampment in Lower Manhattan's financial district to Foley Square in front of the courthouse to press their anti-greed message.

It was by far the biggest march yet in New York since the movement began Sept. 17 and was helped by the presence of people representing various labor groups, among them transportation union workers, nurses and teachers. READ MORE

 

Right Here All Over (Occupy Wall St.) from Alex Mallis on Vimeo.

 

Labor Unions Join Wall Street "Occupiers" for Mass Rally

Gregory J. Krieg, ABC News

05 October 11

The cavalry has arrived in Lower Manhattan. Representatives from no fewer than 15 of the country's largest labor unions will join the Occupy Wall Street protesters for a mass rally and march today in New York City.

The AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and Transit Workers' Union are among the groups expected to stand in solidarity with the hundreds of mostly young men and women who have spent the better part of three weeks sleeping, eating, and organizing from Zuccotti Square. READ MORE

 

#OccupyCollege Walkouts Show Support for #OccupyWallStreet

Jon Christian, Campus Progress

05 October 11

Students at a number of universities nationwide staged walkout demonstrations at noon on Wednesday to show support for the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City.

On most participating campuses, demonstrators walked out of class and marched to an administrative building to voice their complaints, which predominately focused on tuition hikes, the job market, and student debt. The protests were affiliated with Occupy Colleges, a hub for college organizers who want to get involved or express support for Occupy Wall Street.

"The reason we're doing this is because students are riddled with debt," Natalia Abrams, an Occupy Colleges organizer and University of California - Los Angeles alumna told Campus Progress. "We are the 99 percent, and we are in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street." READ MORE

 

 

Comments  

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

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+29 # longboarder 2011-10-06 10:24
I'm in full support. Anyone know how to donate pizzas?
 
 
+19 # michelle 2011-10-07 11:05
Liberato's pizza on Cedar Street, right next to Wall Street.Pizza goes for $12-$21 each. You can google it. They deliver. They have online ordering too.
 
 
+3 # Johnny 2011-10-07 08:27
I think it would be an unforgivable sin to miss this opportunity to educate young people and the progressive community on the connection of the collapse of the US economy, foreclosures, layoffs, education and Medicare cutbacks, bank bailouts, repression, and environmental degradation to the use of our tax money in endless wars for Israel. I strongly feel that the anti-imperialist and Palestinian liberation movement should join the Occupy City program. I would suggest further that the Occupy Wall Street and the rest of the Occupation movement is meaningless and futile if it does not address the reason for the destruction of the US economy and society, which is nothing more or less than the total Zionist control of the US government and media to fund and brainwash the masses to permit funding of, the Zionist Holocaust against the people of Palestine.
 
 
-4 # boudreaux 2011-10-08 06:38
Not ture Johnny,,,
 
 
+4 # Glen 2011-10-08 06:54
Partly true, Johnny. A lot of U.S. citizens don't realize the influence of the Zionist movement, and the Israeli government's influence on the U.S. They should check out the number of government representatives with dual citizenship with Israel as a start. Begin with Henry Kissinger and keep going.
 
 
+19 # Vardette 2011-10-07 08:39
Obama said on the news that if Europe goes belly up we will too. So this Global capitalism situation has clearly failed! Obama is telling us that his JOBS ACT is insurance if we go belly up except he knows damn well that this bill will NEVER pass. But when it comes to the military writing blank checks for billions is NEVER A PROBLEM - In the meantime our desperate young men and women are getting beaten and pepper sprayed while Obama and the senate are giving us false hopes once again. HOW DARE THEY AND I Have called THE OBAMA HOT LINE, AND MANY REPS HOWLING ABOUT THIS! HERE OUR PEOPLE ARE STURGGLING TO SURVIVE, GETTING BEATEN AND ABUSED WHILE OUR REPS ARE TAKING BRIBES THAT HURT US EVEN MORE, AND THEY HAVE BILLIONS FOR THESE GODDAMN WARS - NO PROBELEM!!!!!!! ! HOW DARE THEY! AND NOW WE ARE FACED WITH MR GUTLESS, GAME PLAYING FALSE HOPES OBAMA OR THE HORRIBLE TP WHO WANTS US TO GO BELLY UP! BUT BILLIONS FOR THE MILITARY AT ANT TIME NOW PROBLEM. TAX CUTS FOR THE 1% DURING A DEPRESSION, NO PROBELM AND IT MAKES ME SOOOO SAD TO SEE THESE DESPERATE KIDS GETTING BEATEN AND THE PEOPLE OF OUR NATION CRUSHED BY THE HANDS OF OUR CORRUPT AND RUTHLESS LEADERSHIP AND REPS WHILE THEY GET PENSIONS FOR LIFE NO MATTER HOW LONG THEY SERVE!!!!!
 
 
+4 # boudreaux 2011-10-08 06:33
Please Vardette, if you want to be heard then stop using all capital letters so we can read what you are saying, you make it so hard to read when you use all capital letters and we do want to read what you are saying....so please stop...
 
 
+23 # papabob 2011-10-07 14:37
The fact that protestors goals are not defined should be seen as an asset. When goals become specific, the critics will be given something positive they can push against. Please, no restrictions. Keep the goals as ill defined as they are!

Occupying Wall Street is just the beginning of a better government; one that serves the people and not the other way around.
 
 
+29 # Grandma H 2011-10-07 16:56
Why not have Occupy Congress and force the Party of No to get working to pass a jobs bill to get people working again? McConnell is happy to just stand in front of a podium, with his botoxed face, and keep repeating the same thing all the time. Cry baby Boehner is the same way. It's campaigning, it's this, it's that. I'm about ready to puke if I have to look at either one of them again. I am NOT Democrat & I know I sound like I am. I'm an Independent. I am just soooooooo FRUSTRATED with the Repubs. I have decided I will not vote for a Repub again for several years to give them a chance to get the crappy ones out of office who are now there. Besides, in my opinion, they are racist! And, tell me why they think I should pay the multi-millionaires share of taxes??? OCCUPY CONGRESS!
 
 
-41 # Joeconserve 2011-10-07 20:41
Grandma H, I'm surprised at you! I would have thought you would have observed over your years and realized that it takes individual effort to succeed. Not finding a way to get on the dole. I instead, you found the progressive play book and are spouting the rhetoric as directed. Can you not see that a person has to work for a living? That a youngster does not have enough of life in him/her to make such judgements as are foolishly being made on Wall Street? You should take your grandchildren home and explain the value of self improvement. That complaining because the state has failed to give them a handout is an act of dependancy not self reliance.
 
 
+14 # boudreaux 2011-10-08 06:30
Quoting
Grandma H, I'm surprised at you! I would have thought you would have observed over your years and realized that it takes individual effort to succeed. Not finding a way to get on the dole. I instead, you found the progressive play book and are spouting the rhetoric as directed. Can you not see that a person has to work for a living? That a youngster does not have enough of life in him/her to make such judgements as are foolishly being made on Wall Street? You should take your grandchildren home and explain the value of self improvement. That complaining because the state has failed to give them a handout is an act of dependancy not self reliance.

Oh Poor Joe Blow, I don't think that Grandma H. is trying to tell anyone that we don't have to work for a living, she is saying that we should be treated rightly and are not looking for a handout, we are looking for what is the right thing to do and that would be to compensate the people of this once great country for what they have put out...Declaring war is not what they are doing, they are claiming what should be rightfully theirs b/c of the BAILOUT!!!
 
 
+16 # Bill Clements 2011-10-08 09:07
It's all so simple for you conservatives. If someone can't find a job, it's their fault (as Herman Cain recently was quoted as saying), due to some moral failing of one kind or another. Pathetic that you actually believe these young people protesting down on Wall Street are there to ask for a handout (gee, if I recall, it was the banks who came crying for a taxpayer handout).

You're not very tuned in, are you? These kids worked their asses off in school, got into university, accrued a huge amount of debt as a result, believing it possible that a good job would be waiting on the other end. All of that seems impossibly out of reach now. Many unemployed for over two years and living with their parents.

Stop repeating, ad nauseum, these stupid Republican memes and open your eyes to the reality around you!
 
 
-27 # Joeconserve 2011-10-08 13:51
Recommend 4 books for you to read. Clarence Thomas's, Barack Obama's, The Animal Farm, and Coulter's book Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America.
 
 
+7 # Vardette 2011-10-08 19:56
BS we pay for allour entitlements A hole!
 
 
+10 # Vardette 2011-10-08 19:54
I agree! No jods so be it as Beohner said is simply not acceptable. He has a jobe with stellare govt benefits and a life long pension and millions in payoffs. What scum they are!
 
 
+27 # Regina 2011-10-07 18:31
The Congressional members of the Obstructionist Party have gotten no work done for nearly three years. They just oppose, oppose, oppose. Why are they receiving salaries and benefits beyond most of their constituents? If I sat down on my NO at my job, I'd be pink-slipped in a hurry. At the very least, those who are up for re-election next year should be pink-slipped then. It's time for them to work for us, not for their K Street puppeteers.
 
 
+23 # tswhiskers 2011-10-07 19:28
I'm so amazed and so happy that people are finally protesting the treatment we the people have been receiving from our govt. I AM a Democrat and I'm with Grandma H. I can only hope that now the Dems will find their courage and actively support the protesters around the country and call out the Reps. for their heartlessness and unabashed interest in big business and wealth at the expense of the rest of us. Thanks to all those protesting in NY, DC, Philly and all round the country for your sacrifice and courage. The longer these protests last, the more impact they will have on the politicians and the American public. Remember that when college kids first protested against the Vietnam War they were not taken seriously. But it was their continued involvement that changed the opinions of the media and the public and made the antiwar movement a majority movement.
 
 
+10 # Aunt Tom 2011-10-08 00:23
Marx, in his analysis of economic history and theory, asserted that the problem with capitalism is that it had no way of keeping all the money from gravitating into one place -- the top. FDR's New Deal managed to bat some of it back down from the banks and Wall Street, but now things have got much worse due to multinational companies, the computerized stock markets, and the weird operations of the financial sector. Anyway, it's true that under capitalism, the money gravitates into one place, which becomes "the top" because money's king. And then, he said, capitalism will collapse of its own weight. Which is what it looks like it's doing. So I look at these public gatherings as experiments in the new economic order.
 
 
+23 # Holyone 2011-10-08 04:43
Maomi Klein has really opened an area of dialogue on a TRUTH that has been totally ignored or twisted .

That truth is, we do not have a deficit of funds if you are the 1%. But we do have a deficit if you fall into the 99%.

Therefore, America and the rest of the world's 99% are suffering a distribution problem rather than a DEFICT problem

The 1% scream " Sociallism" when they are asked to pay their fair share.

The Religious Industry fears fair sharing because they want to be able to continue their power and money flow from the 99% just like the 1%.

There is no outcry of "socialism" when the Banks, Wall Street and the Religious Industry get money from the Government .

This has nothing to do with Socialism , but has everything to do with greed being passed off as capitalism which has caused the defisit for the 99%.

Tell Republicans and blue dog Democrats to reduce the defit for the 99% by passing the jobs billl, the Public option, and Real Wall Street and Tax reform>
 
 
+2 # Vardette 2011-10-09 10:37
I have and urged Obama on his comment line to enact and Executive order, which he is allowed to do, creating an EMERGENCY JOBS ACT. During a time of crisis he has the power to do this. The only problem is we have to make sure our dollars say here. But from what I am hearing on the news that jobs act will NVER PAS because the horrible GOP doesn't want Obama to succeed in any way. And If a Republican gets elected I can promise you there will be sero effort to create jobs and all efforts to suck our entitlements dry and corportize us evern more. Mitt has the entire Bush entourage behind him. Like a it was just said on MSNBC "it will be back to the future."
 
 
+7 # Vardette 2011-10-08 15:19
I am so pleased that people are finally demonstrating. But I think the fight will take a long,long time. I think the bottom line for protesters should be JOBS because without good paying jobs we can't survive. But because of our lousy free trade agreement all of our jobs will continue to be exported. There is no concept of making less to save our nation and pay us more. If Rommey becomes president, according to MSNBC he's being backed by the total Bush gang. And if you can recall when people protested back then they were called a focus group. He made fun of the protesters. He created the Patroit act, destroyed our FDA, FCC and EPA. now Mitt is leading in the polls - God Help US - Our only hope is to get the GOP and TP out! There will be no jobs bill because the GOP won't let it happen and Obama will not implement and executive order to create and EMERGENCY JOBS ACT which he can do and overrride congress. At some point the nation will collapse and then Mitt will surely go after our entitlements. A GOP president will make us wish we had Obama back! And as Boehner said NO JOBS SO BE IT- Our reps and leaders to have a prosperous nation and the will doesn't seem to be there. There is no guarentee that ending wars will translate into profits for Main St. But JOBS WILL.
 
 
+4 # Vardette 2011-10-08 20:01
I meant to say our reps and leaders Want to have a prosperous nation and that doesn't seem to be there. So we must make them!
 
 
-8 # DurangoKid 2011-10-08 15:30
The Democrats will court the OWS-er's only insofar as their interest translates to votes. Will there be prosecutons? A real progressive tax scheme? An end to corporate personhood? Not likely. The Democratic Party should be notified in no uncertain terms that these protests will not translate into votes. And if the Republicans should gain the executive and legislative, so what. We'll survive it.
 
 
+7 # Vardette 2011-10-08 20:02
It is better to fight and lose than never to fight at all.
 
 
+8 # giraffee2012 2011-10-08 15:34
Eric CANTOR, the turtle from KY, and most GOP are nothing more than KKK bigots without the white hoods but with the title of Rep or Sen in front of their names. Look at the GOP governors who have passed "RULES" to make it harder for Dems (minorities, old, etc) to vote now)

It is so clear to me but everyone is afraid to call it like it is. Mr. Cain will not be the GOP candidate bc he is black and could never get the WASP vote and is NOT funded by the Koch, Banks, and others who are buying our elections (thanks to the 2010 Supremes' decision for "person hood".

Watch when the Supremes decide on the Health Care Bill! And nobody will have the guts to call them on their connection to the Koch brothers (etc)

SHAME on the Supremes who are most responsible for the 2010 TP/GOP House and now for the foreign money + big $$ buying our elections.

VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA (go to all Dem neighborhoods = get them Registered and OUR ELECTIONS are free so getting their IDs for elections are FREE -- unlike Walker trying to charge $28 for an ID)

Michael Moore said "don't repeat 2010 where many Dems did not participate"

Sign the petition to "get $$ out of our elections"
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/09/dylan-ratigan-starts-campaign-to-get-money-out-of-politics/
 
 
+14 # Jonathan Back 2011-10-08 15:56
Republican leader Rep. Eric Cantor AKA "IDIOT IN CHIEF" and head of the Israeli Propaganda Machine is stark raving mad. For so long he craved power and now that he has the power he is totally out of control or is it that he is about to lose control. I will work hard to make sure he is not elected again. He really should be impeached.
 
 
+1 # Vardette 2011-10-09 14:40
He is all you say and he has the power to block and that is very dangerous. It stop Obama dead in his tracks to accomplish anything at all. There entire agenda is to defeat Obama and the Democrats from succeeding in anyway. We are literally fighting for our lives!
 
 
+4 # sandyboy 2011-10-09 00:26
I always thought they WERE psychopaths, since they fulfill the classic definition of lacking 'affect' or feelings for the welfare of others. The writer doesn't appear to have seen the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, though. The patient in thet film is sane, his fellow inmates harmless, while those in charge are evil. In fact, a perfect metaphor for our current global position. It's time the lunatics stopped running the asylum.
 
 
+6 # sandyboy 2011-10-09 01:47
JoeConserve says we should read books by Clarence Thomas (crook, sex offender), Obama (wimp, fraud), something calLed The Animal Farm (is it Orwell's Animal Farm you mean?) and some anti-liberal rant. Great reading list, Joe. One cult classic and a load of crap.
 
 
-7 # Joeconserve 2011-10-09 05:45
Regarding entitlements. You are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in these United States.
 
 
+4 # sandyboy 2011-10-09 10:41
Exactly, Joeconserve! A life with the liberty to protest without being beaten and maced, to protest that people want an even-handed world where tax dollars don't go to banks and warmongers but are used to make it possible for ordinary decent people to pursue happiness.
 
 
+2 # wwway 2011-10-09 13:36
Use the human megaphone to read aloud Bernie Sanders' The Speech over and over again! The Speech is the transcript of his fillibuster in the Senate and bears repeating over and over and over again. Load the e-book on our iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Droid and read it aloud, over and over again!
 
 
+1 # lazlos 2011-10-09 14:15
The Gathering is unnerving the folks. Except for the tear gas, knees on the heads, and other strong-arm tactics the gathering is growing. Maybe one other strategy which could really unnerve the folks would be for the Gathering to dress in suits, dresses, shave the beards, cut the hair, shine the shoes, and then join arm in arm and march on Wall Street. Who will the police arrest? They sure as hell will not gas anybody in a suit or dress or pants suit! The suits? Not hardly! How can they tell the difference? When the Gathering gets to Wall Street then the flash can take over.
 
 
+2 # Vardette 2011-10-09 14:46
MSNBC and Current TV 107 on comcast are giving Occupy Wall St a lot of coverage.
 
 
+1 # Peace Anonymous 2011-10-09 20:47
I am very happy to see that some politicians are supporting the movement. However, why does Joe Citizen have to lose his house, his life savings, and his kids in a war before any of you discover that doing the "Right" thing is the right thing to do? Or did you finally show up because the media spotlight was shining this way? I will stop being cynical when you start being sincere.
 
 
+1 # Vardette 2011-10-10 06:25
Naomi Klien got it right. They needed a crisis to change to rules against us and they did. But I am so outraged. We must keep up the resistance or perish! People are starving, 45,000 people die per yr from lack of health care. Our ravenous, parasitic military is spending 9 Billion per week on endless wars while giving nothing back and spending untold billions spying on us! There are not enough negative adjectives to describle how I feel about the horror show that those in charge are perpetrating on us! It is a catastrophy. There is no will on the part of our reps to stop our nation from failing!
 
 
0 # Holyone 2011-10-10 08:00
So true Jhonny.

We fear what Jews will do to us, because correction is met with ungodly reprisals(forge t freedom of speech in America and our constitution) if we agree to human rights for EVERYONE.

If you are a Jew in America, then you need to apply American constitutional standards to help Israel realize that they are "chosen" to manofest the word of Jehovah and to be "Keepers" of God's word.

Israel has never been about real estate but about teaching the world how to live out the Law as given to Moses and the Word of God as given by the Chosen Ones, Jesus and the Prophets.

Abraham was "Chosen" because of His unshakable FAITH, not his genes.Without Faith in God and Obeying God, no matter your pedigree, the Bible and the Torah says you are WRONG and no combination of genes has or ever will exempt one from God's standards.

It's not about Israel it's about God and His creation living as He told us to live.

Jews have always been in the forefront of sanctioning equality, fairness and justice.This is where I learned these things. What happened????
 
 
+2 # Holyone 2011-10-10 08:17
Nancy Pelosi has ALWAYS been there! She was hated REpublicans and wall street and the rest of the gang because she pushed through Bills like health care reform, Wall street reform and other legislation that would releive the Middle class of this mess.

But most of these bill sit in the Senate because of ten Democratic members who owe their souls to Wall Street the Oil Companies, Banks, and Corporations did like they are doing now on the jobs bill, voting with the Republicans

C-span hides Pelosi's weekly press conferences where you can see how sharp and "give'em hell Harry" she is.C-Span ALWAYS puts Bohners and other Republicans offerings, rebuttals and Press conferences in Blazing by-lines sometimes even before the Presidents news.

The Media doesn't want you to know what serious Democrats are doing and saying.

Nancy is no hypocritic like Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader and others who never saw a camera that they did'nt love.
 
 
+2 # azelb 2011-10-10 09:27
NYPD is using a method developed in past demonstrations: they have undercover cops identify the leaders then use a squad of special trained goons to beat them mercilessly.
 
 
+2 # giraffee2012 2011-10-10 09:47
These people cannot continue forever - but hopefully a "new" party will evolve -- where leaders are elected who can express the wishes of the 99%.

It may come to a write-in vote for the W.H. and for Senators/Representatives . We are a 2 party system but "changes have been made to the Constitution" - starting with the PEOPLE (the 99% such as lowering the voting age) --

I believe a "leader(s)" will come from this movement - it might even be a Bernie Sanders or a Michael Moore (although both have careers) -- but there are a few others in Congress who resonate with the "99 movement"

Never vote GOP/TP. Until another leader(s) come forward VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA. (unless, of course, you make a $Million a year)

Go to the minority, old, etc. neighborhoods and get them registered. Our elections are FREE and thus the newly demanded IDs for voting are also FREE (Walker of WI is trying to charge $28/ ID)

Everybody should get mail-in ballots (your polling place may close or move) -
VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA
 
 
0 # clammer 2011-10-12 12:30
Occupy WS is the losing side of Darwin's theory. Sorry, but you don't get to thrive just because you think it's only fair.
 

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