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, Occupy Together, Occupy D.C., Occupy Oakland, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Boston, Occupy San Francisco , Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Live Streams
Use this address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Occupy Worldwide
27 October - 4 November 11
This page is an archive. Future OWS updates will go on the new page.
Oakland Occupiers, Officials Take Stock of Costs
04 November 11
Shake Anderson, a member of Occupy Oakland's media committee, said participants in the encampment had called the mayor's office to disavow the people who were causing damage, an action Quan later praised as helping prevent a bigger blowup between protesters and police, who arrested 103 people that night.
"We called the mayor's office the instant we understood what was taking place over there," Anderson said. "That was an anonymous action. That was nothing to do with Occupy Oakland." READ MORE
Occupy DC Protesters Block Streets Near Convention Center
03 November 11
Hundreds of Occupy DC protesters blocked streets Friday night around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where a conservative group was holding a dinner.
Three people were injured after apparently being struck by a car, authorities said. Lt. Christopher Micciche of the DC police told the Associated Press that the driver was not cited because he had a green light when his vehicle struck three people. READ MORE
Occupy Wall Street Builds Tent as 'Safe House' to Protect Female Protesters
04 November 11
The 16-square-foot military frame tent is designed to shelter up to 30 women from the predators lurking around the lower Manhattan encampment.
“It will be used to protect ourselves from people out there,” said Nan Terrie, 17, a protester from East Oakland Park, Fla. “I’m sick and tired of women getting taken advantage of, raped and murdered.
“We need to take charge. We can make it happen without men telling us what to do,” said Terrie, who heads a protester subcommittee called Strong Women Rules. READ MORE
Fears of Crackdown Spread at Occupy Wall Street
04 November 11
The OWS New York camp already survived one apparent attempt at eviction three weeks ago, when police and the owners of the small, mostly concrete park said they would enforce a cleaning operation, only to back off at the last hour.
Since then, Bloomberg has given mixed messages over his support for freedom of speech and his dislike for how protesters have established their noisy presence in the high-rent downtown neighborhood.
On Thursday, the mayor labeled the protesters "despicable" and "outrageous" for attempting to self-police incidents of reported sex assaults and other crimes, rather than go to the authorities. Protesters deny this is their practice. READ MORE
Part-Time Participants Help Fill 'Occupy' Ranks
04 November 11
The part-timers, often stopping by with food and encouragement, join the full-timers on their lunch breaks, after work, on weekends and during the gatherings that the groups call general assemblies. And while they may be less visible than their tent-dwelling, sign-toting compatriots, they say their concerns are strong enough to make the participation a priority. READ MORE
Second Veteran Injured in 'Occupy Oakland' Violence
05 November 11
There are fresh charges of police brutality against a war veteran arrested near an Occupy Oakland demonstration.
The veteran, 32-year-old Kayvan Sabeghi, underwent surgery on Friday for a ruptured spleen. Before he went into surgery, Sabeghi told his sister that he was walking to his home near Frank Ogawa Plaza when he was stopped by police, hit in the abdomen four times and then arrested and taken to jail where he could not receive medical treatment.
"I am absolutely furious," Sabeghi said. "I'm absolutely furious at the way they treated my little brother. I'm so mad. They hurt him and then they refused to help him." READ MORE
Mike Bloomberg's Marie Antoinette Moment
03 November 11
Last year I had a chance to see New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg up close at the Huffington Post's "Game Changers" event. I was standing right behind the guy when he was introduced by Nora Ephron, and watched as the would-be third party powerhouse wowed the liberal crowd with one zinger after another.
He started off with a crack about Ephron, saying he had agreed to say something nice about her book, which he blithely noted he hadn't read. Still, he knew the title, "I Remember Nothing," which he said he'd "heard is also the title of a new book by Charlie Sheen." (He pronounced Sheen like "Shine").
From there he cracked that he was honored to be a "Game Changer," although he was only the last-minute replacement for Snooki. (Zing!) Then he went into a riff about Halloween. READ MORE
We're Not Going Away
03 November 11
What you see now are moms and dads bringing kids. You see grandparents. You see bus drivers. You see all kinds of people. And you see people who are suffering just complete abject poverty. So it really is quite a quilt, if I may say, of what this country is. And on all kinds of levels, everybody has sort of come together on this one basic issue which is that our democracy doesn't exist when it comes to our economy. And average, every day people don't have a say anymore as to how this economy runs, how it functions, how it effects people's lives.... People's homes are underwater. They're facing foreclosure. They have been foreclosed. They have been thrown out. 50 million people - you know all the stats, I don't need to go through this again - who don't have healthcare. The horrible situation with our educational system. You go down the list and everybody has felt this on various levels and they've all come together now. And I'll tell you what, from what I've seen, there's no turning back. They are not going away. They have had it. They want that - as I just said over here at the Occupy Denver rally - they want that boot, that corporate boot, off of their necks."
-- Michael Moore on the Rachel Maddow Show, Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 READ MORE
Stunning Number: Big Banks Set to Lose 70,000 Accounts on Move Your Money Day
03 November 11
Just this week, Rebuild the Dream (an organization that I helped to found) launched a Move Your Money website, where people are pledging to close their accounts at Wall Street banks in protest of their outrageous behavior before, during, and after our nation's financial crash. I am stunned to report that as of this morning at 9am Pacific, people have pledged to close 69,127 accounts at big banks, and the number keeps climbing.
Tomorrow is a big day. Saturday, November 5 is a huge "Move Your Money" day. Tens of thousands of people all over the country will leave the big banks and move their money to community banks and credit unions -- where people remember things like customer service and loyalty.
For the past decade, our economy has been hijacked by Wall Street banks. Banks that knowingly made bad loans to homeowners and sold them as "can't miss" investments. Banks that took our tax money to bail themselves out, while handing out billions in bonuses to their executives. Banks that have so far escaped accountability for their role in our nation's economic crash.READ MORE
FOCUS: Anarchy v. Non-Violence, The Movement Is Tested
03 November 11
What started out as a triumph for local community organizers descended into anarchy last night in the streets of Oakland, California.
Yesterday's remarkably ambitious plan by Occupy Oakland organizers to coordinate a General Strike actually succeeded to a greater extent than anyone had predicted. Adhering strictly to non-violent civil resistance guidelines, a march into the heart of Oakland's port district resulted in the world's 5th largest port being shut down. A truly stunning achievement.
The focus of events then moved back to the city's center, the area surrounding Frank Ogawa Plaza(renamed Oscar Grant Plaza by Occupy Oakland participants), where police one week ago rousted the Occupy Oakland encampment. From there things turned ugly quickly. While details are still sketchy, it appears that small splinter factions broke away from the Occupy Oakland march and began to basically trash Downtown Oakland -- indiscriminately.READ MORE
Washington Pre-Occupied
04 November 11
The biggest question in America these days is how to revive the economy.
The biggest question among activists now occupying Wall Street and dozens of other cities is how to strike back against the nation's almost unprecedented concentration of income, wealth, and political power in the top 1 percent.
The two questions are related. With so much income and wealth concentrated at the top, the vast middle class no longer has the purchasing power to buy what the economy is capable of producing. (People could pretend otherwise as long as they could treat their homes as ATMs, but those days are now gone.) The result is prolonged stagnation and high unemployment as far as the eye can see.READ MORE
Chris Hedges Arrested in Front of Goldman Sachs
04 November 11
Goldman Sachs, which received more subsidies and bailout-related funds than any other investment bank because the Federal Reserve permitted it to become a bank holding company under its "emergency situation," has used billions in taxpayer money to enrich itself and reward its top executives. It handed its senior employees a staggering $18 billion in 2009, $16 billion in 2010 and $10 billion in 2011 in mega-bonuses. This massive transfer of wealth upwards by the Bush and Obama administrations, now estimated at $13 trillion to $14 trillion, went into the pockets of those who carried out fraud and criminal activity rather than the victims who lost their jobs, their savings and often their homes.
Goldman Sachs' commodities index is the most heavily traded in the world. Goldman Sachs hoards rice, wheat, corn, sugar and livestock and jacks up commodity prices around the globe so that poor families can no longer afford basic staples and literally starve. Goldman Sachs is able to carry out its malfeasance at home and in global markets because it has former officials filtered throughout the government and lavishly funds compliant politicians - including Barack Obama, who received $1 million from employees at Goldman Sachs in 2008 when he ran for president. These politicians, in return, permit Goldman Sachs to ignore security laws that under a functioning judiciary system would see the firm indicted for felony fraud. Or, as in the case of Bill Clinton, these politicians pass laws such as the 2000 Commodity Futures Modernization Act that effectively removed all oversight and outside control over the speculation in commodities, one of the major reasons food prices have soared. In 2008 and again in 2010 prices for crops such as rice, wheat and corn doubled and even tripled, making life precarious for hundreds of millions of people. And it was all done so a few corporate oligarchs, the 1 percent, could make personal fortunes in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite a damning 650-page Senate subcommittee investigation report, no individual at Goldman Sachs has been indicted, although the report accuses Goldman of defrauding its clients. READ MORE
Unions, Occupy Wall Street to Protest Outside Treasury for 'Robin Hood' Tax
03 November 11
Organizers estimate more than 1,500 union members from more than 20 labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA), will be outside the Treasury Department Thursday to call for what has become known as the "Robin Hood Tax." READ MORE
Majority of NYC Occupy Protesters Turn Down Deal
03 November 11
More than 50 Occupy Wall Street protesters are headed toward a trial on disorderly conduct charges after they refused prosecutors' offers to dismiss the charges if they stay out of trouble for six months.
They were among 79 demonstrators due in Manhattan criminal court Thursday on charges stemming from a Sept. 24 march to Union Square. READ MORE
Democrats to Embrace 'Occupy' Themes, if not Movement Itself
03 November 11
Occupy Wall Street is not likely to have the kind of impact on Democratic politics that the tea party movement has had in the GOP, a leading Democratic strategist said Thursday.
Still, you can expect to hear Democrats focusing on some of the issues that have driven the nationwide gatherings, at least in Senate races in 2012. READ MORE
Occupy Sacramento Protesters Plan to Flood Courts With Trials
03 November 11
Dozens of protesters taken into custody at Cesar Chavez Plaza for late-night demonstrations against national income disparities and other issues are working their way into the criminal justice system, and most if not all of them are expected to demand jury trials instead of paying fines and going home, according to Occupy Sacramento activists.
"I'm definitely not going to plead guilty or no contest," said Karen Bernal, a temporarily unemployed union organizer taken into custody last month and arraigned Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court. READ MORE
Police Use Teargas After Protesters Force Port to Close
03 November 11
Police used teargas and non-lethal weapons to control Occupy Oakland protesters overnight after a general strike had effectively shut down the city's port and downtown areas.
There were three separate instances of police using teargas, all near to the Occupy camp, as tensions erupted when protesters occupied a disused building.
Earlier a thousands-strong march had closed down Oakland's port after a day of striking had seen streets closed in downtown and some banks damaged. READ MORE
America Occupies Wall Street Because Wall Street Occupies America
03 November 11
I am honored to share this occasion with you. No one beyond your collegial inner circle appreciates more than I do what you have stood for over these 40 years, or is more aware of the battles you have fought, the victories you have won, and the passion for democracy that still courses through your veins. The great progressive of a century ago, Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin - a Republican, by the way - believed that "Democracy is a life; and involves constant struggle." Democracy has been your life for four decades now, and would have been even more imperiled today if you had not stayed the course.
I began my public journalism the same year you began your public advocacy, in 1971. Our paths often paralleled and sometimes crossed. Over these 40 years journalism for me has been a continuing course in adult education, and I came early on to consider the work you do as part of the curriculum - an open seminar on how government works - and for whom. Your muckraking investigations - into money and politics, corporate behavior, lobbying, regulatory oversight, public health and safety, openness in government, and consumer protection, among others - are models of accuracy and integrity. They drive home to journalists that while it is important to cover the news, it is more important to uncover the news. As one of my mentors said, "News is what people want to keep hidden; everything else is publicity." And when a student asked the journalist and historian Richard Reeves for his definition of " real news", he answered: "The news you and I need to keep our freedoms." You keep reminding us how crucial that news is to democracy. And when the watchdogs of the press have fallen silent, your vigilant growls have told us something's up. READ MORE
BREAKING: Oakland General Strike Paralyzes City, Port
02 November 11
Huge crowds gathering and marching in solidarity with Occupy Oakland's branch of the Occupy Worldwide Movement have shut down the port of Oakland as of 5:30:pm:pdt. Crowds and marchers gathered as the day progressed and are mounting and surging at this hour.
Oakland city officials including Mayor Jean Quan and Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan are addressing the local television media, speaking in conciliatory terms and appealing for calm.
Chanting "Our streets! Our port! Power to the people!" crowds are swirling through the port area and are scattered through the streets of downtown Oakland all the way back to the city's civic center where the controversy began nearly a week ago with a police raid on the Occupy Oakland encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza. READ MORE
Call of Duty: Veterans Join the 99%
02 November 11
11-11-11 is not a variant of Herman Cain's much-touted 9-9-9 tax plan, but rather the date of this year's Veterans Day. This is especially relevant, as the U.S. has now entered its second decade of war in Afghanistan, the longest war in the nation's history. US veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are appearing more and more on the front lines - the front lines of the Occupy Wall Street protests, that is.
Video from the Occupy Oakland march on Tuesday, Oct. 25, looks and sounds like a war zone. The sound of gunfire is nearly constant in the video. Tear-gas projectiles were being fired into the crowd when the cry of "Medic!" rang out. Civilians raced toward a fallen protester lying on his back on the pavement, mere steps from a throng of black-clad police in full riot gear, pointing guns as the civilians attempted to administer first aid.
The fallen protester was Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old former US Marine who had served two tours of duty in Iraq. The publicly available video shows Olsen standing calmly alongside a Navy veteran holding an upraised Veterans for Peace flag. Olsen was wearing a desert camouflage jacket and sun hat, and his Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) T-shirt. He was hit in the head by a police projectile, most likely a tear-gas canister, suffering a fractured skull. As the small group of people gathered around him to help, a police officer lobbed a flashbang grenade directly into the huddle, and it exploded. READ MORE
Which Comes First: The Constitution or No-Camping Rules?
02 November 11
Do many of our big-city mayors and police chiefs believe American citizens living in a democracy should have fewer rights than protesters in foreign lands do when they take to the streets to challenge their undemocratically-chosen governments? Do they believe that citizens living in this country with a Bill of Rights should be able to engage in continuing political protests, the same as citizens in non-democratic countries with no First Amendment guarantees? Do they believe that mere city ordinances, such as curfews and bans on sleeping in parks, should trump the U.S. Constitution? Do they believe that our Constitutionally-guaranteed rights of free speech, free assembly and to peaceably petition the government stop when the sun goes down and the curfew and no-camping rules kick in?
Would those mayors and police chiefs, who are carrying out eviction raids on protesters in various cities around the country, enlighten us, pray tell, as to how protesters can mount a continuing, effective protest – a la Tahrir Square in Egypt – if police regularly evict them from public parks and plazas? Do they think protesters here should be regarded as potential terrorists and criminals to be surrounded with police, as in Zuccotti Park in New York, rather than treated as citizens exercising their rights as a free people? And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, do you really believe, as you have said, that there should be a “balance” between the right of people to assemble, protest and peaceably petition their government – and a supposed right of other people not to have a vigorous protest in the Wall Street neighborhood? Are you really on the right side of history when you comment that “the Constitution doesn’t protect tents. It protects speech and assembly”? Last time I read the document, I saw no constitutionally-guaranteed right to be free from annoyances or inconveniences caused by First Amendment practitioners. READ MORE
Workers, Students Join Occupy Rally in Oakland
02 November 11
Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters marched in the streets of Oakland on Wednesday as they geared up with labor unions to picket banks, take over foreclosed homes and vacant buildings and disrupt operations at the nation's fifth-busiest port.
Demonstrators as well as city and business leaders expressed optimism that the widely anticipated "general strike" would be a peaceful event for a city that became a rallying point last week after an Iraq War veteran was injured in clashes between protesters and police.
Embattled Mayor Jean Quan, who has been criticized for her handling of the protests, said in a statement that she supported the goals of the protest movement that began in New York City a month ago and spread to dozens of cities across the country. READ MORE
Crowd Swells at Peaceful Occupy Oakland General Strike Rally
02 November 11
The Occupy Oakland camp got the rally going before 8:30 a.m., putting together signs and pumping music from speakers outfitted to a truck that will serve as a rolling platform. The first scheduled mass-gathering takes place at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 9 a.m. followed by a march on financial institutions.
Carey Dall, 35, a dockworker with the ILWU, was among the first to arrive at Frank Ogawa Plaza, which the Occupy camp has renamed Oscar Grant Plaza. He was standing next to a pile of about 100 signs "Stand with the 99 percent" ready to be distributed.
The strike is an important symbolic gesture, he said. "Economic impact is how you make change," Dall said. "It's going to take sustained activity like this if we are going to see changes in this country."READ MORE
Former Marine's Injury Spurs Vets to Join Occupy Movement
02 November 11
Today on Wall Street, the New York City chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and dozens of other uniformed veterans known as "Veterans of the 99%" began massing at 11:15 a.m. near Wall Street, where Occupy began Sept. 17. They marched through the financial district to the Occupy Wall Street encampment about a half mile away.
Several wearing their service uniforms, paused outside the New York Stock Exchange, chanting; "We are veterans. We are the 99%," and "corporate profits on the rise/soldiers have to bleed and die.READ MORE
The Future of #OCCUPY - What's Next for the Movement?
31 October 11
Of the many questions swirling around #OCCUPY, the most challenging is how to gel into a global movement without sacrificing the decentralized, leaderless model. There is a widespread acknowledgment that there are challenges that can only be dealt with on a global scale, such as a climate change accord and overturning international casino capitalism, and that we must therefore forge a globally united people's movement. READ MORE
US Bank President Richard Davis to Disillusioned Country: "Get Over It"
01 November 11
The banker began his speech to the assembled fat cats by introducing the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," and Minnesota's state motto, "Get prepared." That, Davis said on numerous occasions throughout the speech, was the key to making it through this recession. If it's raining, he counseled, "get an umbrella."
Davis commented on the economic woes facing the country, saying "fear," "loss of faith," and "uncertainty" were damaging American business. Davis called these feelings "really lame reasons to not get up in the morning.... Everybody's breaking the rules, blah blah blah," Davis said at one point, admonishing the assembled business leaders to "get over it." READ MORE
The People Versus the Police
02 November 11
America's politicians, it seems, have had their fill of democracy. Across the country, police, acting under orders from local officials, are breaking up protest encampments set up by supporters of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement - sometimes with shocking and utterly gratuitous violence.
In the worst incident so far, hundreds of police, dressed in riot gear, surrounded Occupy Oakland's encampment and fired rubber bullets (which can be fatal), flash grenades and tear-gas canisters - with some officers taking aim directly at demonstrators. The Occupy Oakland Twitter feed read like a report from Cairo's Tahrir Square: "they are surrounding us"; "hundreds and hundreds of police"; "there are armored vehicles and Hummers." There were 170 arrests. READ MORE
Occupy the World
01 November 11
It's a little hard to give a Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture at an Occupy meeting. There are mixed feelings that go along with it. First of all, regret that Howard is not here to take part and invigorate it in his particular way, something that would have been the dream of his life, and secondly, excitement that the dream is actually being fulfilled. It's a dream for which he laid a lot of the groundwork. It would have been the fulfillment of a dream for him to be here with you.
The Occupy movement really is an exciting development. In fact, it's spectacular. It's unprecedented; there's never been anything like it that I can think of. If the bonds and associations that are being established at these remarkable events can be sustained through a long, hard period ahead - because victories don't come quickly - this could turn out to be a very significant moment in American history.
The fact that the demonstrations are unprecedented is quite appropriate. It is an unprecedented era - not just this moment - but actually since the 1970s. The 1970s began a major turning point in American history. For centuries, since the country began, it had been a developing society with ups and downs. But the general progress was toward wealth and industrialization and development - even in dark and hope - there was a pretty constant expectation that it's going to go on like this. That was true even in very dark times. READ MORE
Police to Be Investigated Over Scott Olsen Injury
02 November 11
Oakland police are to be the subject of a formal investigation after Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull at an Occupy Oakland protest last week.
Oakland's Citizens' Police Review Board is launching the investigation after it received a complaint on Friday. Police in Oakland are bracing themselves for a general strike on Wednesday, which has been announced by the city's Occupy movement and is expected to cause disruption across the city.
Olsen, 24, was seriously injured after being hit on the head by a police projectile. He is still in hospital and unable to talk, communicating only through short written messages. READ MORE
The Corporatocracy Is the 1 Percent
01 November 11
In October of 2003 Steve Jobs first learned that he had pancreatic cancer. His doctors and family members urged, even pleaded with him to have surgery, but he opted instead to try alternative and natural remedies. It was a decision he would later regret. America is faced with a similar dilemma.
Recently, an article by Llewellyn Rockwell, a former Ron Paul chief of staff, antagonized the federal government elite as the "1 percent" that's wronged the other 99% of Americans. Rockwell eschews the "impoverishing ... taxes, regimentation" of the state while encouraging the Occupy movement to leave the other 1 percent alone - CEOs and bankers - as they are, "Some of the smartest, most innovative people in the country." READ MORE
Occupy Oakland: City Braces for General Strike
01 November 11
From schools and downtown stores to the nation's fifth busiest port, Oakland is bracing for Wednesday's citywide general strike, a hastily planned and ambitious action called by Occupy protesters a day after police forcibly removed their City Hall encampment last week.
Occupy Oakland has since returned to Frank Ogawa Plaza, but the leaderless group is still asking workers and students in the city to take the day off to come downtown and protest economic inequality and corporate greed. READ MORE
FOCUS: Bank of America Drops Plan for Debit Card Fee
01 November 11
Bank of America said Tuesday that it was abandoning its plan to charge its customers a $5 fee to use their debit cards, just a month after announcing the new fee.
The reversal follows a huge backlash from customers, one of whom collected more than 200,000 signatures urging the bank to rethink its plan.
The bank listened, but only after other large banks had indicated that they would not impose similar fees. Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, SunTrust and Regions Financial have all pulled back on their plans. READ MORE
Occupy Oakland Calls for Occupying Foreclosed and Abandoned Properties
01 November 11
Last night, the Oakland General Assembly - the democratic decision-making body of the various occupations around the country - passed a proposal calling on activists to occupy bank-owned, foreclosed, and abandoned properties across the city.
Cantor Meets Protesters in Michigan, Rips 'Occupy' for 'Ire and Hatred'
01 November 11
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), met by an organized protest before his planned speech on economics at the University of Michigan Monday, afterwards criticized demonstrators of the Occupy movement for showing "ire and hatred."
"To me if you've got a problem you ought to go about trying to fix it in a constructive manner," Cantor said at a press conference following his speech, according to local news site AnnArbor.com.
The protesters, many of whom were part of the local Occupy Ann Arbor movement, confronted Cantor prior to the speaking engagement hosted by the university's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The demonstration was staged as a "Funeral for the Middle Class," with many protesters holding signs shaped like tombstones. READ MORE
Iowa Protesters Call for National Help to 'Occupy' Presidential Campaign HQs
01 November 11
Iowa activists are inviting caravans of protesters from across the country to help them "occupy" all the presidential campaign headquarters in Iowa - and to shut the offices down if they feel their message about corporate greed is not being heard.
"You go inside or if they won't let you in, you shut 'em down. You sit in front of their doors," said Des Moines' Frank Cordaro, who came up with the idea that Occupy Iowa's "general assembly" approved at their 6 p.m. meeting tonight.
The Occupy Iowa protesters want to capitalize on the fact that Iowa hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Cordaro said. Non-violent protests could be waged throughout December and up until caucus day on Jan. 3, he said. READ MORE
OWS' Own Security Detail Sets Standards for Conduct in Zuccotti Park
01 November 11
Protesters in Zuccotti Park may be free spirits, but they’ve decided they need some rules all the same. And if you dare break them - you’re out.
The group has formed its own security detail to enforce a code of ethics mapped out during their general assembly meeting Monday. "If you want to be part of our group, you have to be civilized," said Paul Isaac, 45, who is part of Occupy Wall Street's security team. "Unfortunately, some people come to disrupt the peace."
The list includes rules against stealing, sexual harassment and hurting others - including their feelings. The group also put a ban on fuel, weapons or drugs in the park. READ MORE
Occupy Tuscaloosa
01 November 11
Media liaison John Earl gave the following report: Occupy Tuscaloosa has had five General Assemblies. We are a very democratic group with no leadership hierarchies. Our decisions are based on a vote of those attending the GA. I volunteered to be the media liaison. Other people have joined other various committees.
My opinions, like those of everyone else in Occupy Tuscaloosa, are my own. One goal of Occupy Tuscaloosa is to support other occupy groups by showing solidarity. I think that everyone agrees with the idea of communicating the facts about how the national financial sector has distorted real capitalism into a form of "crony capitalism." that has crippled our economy. People have lost their homes and jobs because of this. READ MORE
Occupy Wall Street Raises More Than $450,000
01 November 11
The Occupy Wall Street movement didn't set up to become a big fund-raising operation, but it has already spontaneously attracted $454,000 in cash from some 8,000 online donors and other supporters to finance the protest here in Zuccotti Park.
Many other contributors are providing food, clothes, blankets, and other items. So much has been flowing in that organizers have started to send money, goods, and financial advice to "Occupy" protesters in other ities. READ MORE
Michael Moore on 'Occupy Oakland'
01 November 11
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 25, the heavily armed Oakland Police Department in conjunction, with 16 other police departments from all over Northern and Central California, stormed the Occupy Oakland Encampment.
The police were fully dressed in helmets, and riot gear, and armed with shotguns, "nonlethal pellet guns," teargas and concussion grenades.
The first attack on Frank Ogawa Plaza, in downtown Oakland, where about 200 men, women and children were camped came at about 4:45 a.m. Helicopters were circling and crisscrossing their spotlights from above, and at least one armored personnel carrier was in the streets, turning downtown Oakland into an instant war zone. READ MORE
Tennessee Agrees to Stop Enforcing Curfew on Occupy Nashville
01 November 11
Tennessee officials agreed Monday to stop enforcing a new curfew used to dislodge Occupy Nashville protesters from the grounds around the Capitol.
The protesters went to federal court seeking a temporary restraining order against Gov. Bill Haslam, arguing the curfew and arrests of dozens of supporters violated their rights to free speech and freedom of assembly.
State Attorney General's Office Senior Counsel Bill Marett announced at the beginning of a hearing before Judge Aleta Trauger that the state would not fight efforts to halt the policy. READ MORE
The Occupiers' Responsive Chord
31 October 11
A combination of police crackdowns and bad weather are testing the young Occupy movement. But rumors of its demise are premature, to say the least. Although numbers are hard to come by, anecdotal evidence suggests the movement is growing.
As importantly, the movement has already changed the public debate in America.
Consider, for example, last week's Congressional Budget Office report on widening disparities of income in America. It was hardly news - it's already well known that the top 1 percent now gets 20 percent of the nation's income, up from 9 percent in the late 1970s. READ MORE
Lisa Simeone and NPR's Executive Cowardice
31 October 11
I am a fan of National Public Radio. Its news operation produces the best radio journalism in America, and some of the best journalism, period. I've been listening and donating to NPR stations for many years (not always each year, I must admit), and consider the network a national treasure.
That's why I'm disappointed by the latest example of clumsiness by NPR's senior management. This time, the network has decided to jettison distribution of a radio program devoted to opera because the host is involved with an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Had the move been announced on April 1, I'd have celebrated its cleverness as an April Fool's gag. Sadly, it was for real. READ MORE
Report: NYPD Steers Drunks to Occupy Wall Street
31 October 11
There's a bombshell allegation buried in this story from Sunday's Daily News: The NYPD is reportedly telling drunks to hang out in Zuccotti Park, apparently as a way to undermine the credibility of Occupy Wall Street.
Koch Industries is Target of Weekend Protests
31 October 11
About 100 protesters marched on Koch Industries' headquarters near 37th North and Oliver Saturday afternoon. They chanted "Main Street, not Wall Street" and "Pay your share" as they marched.
They also carried signs that explained why they were marching: "I Can't Afford to Buy My Own Politician. I'm part of the 99 percent," one sign said. "Let the Voice of the People Be Heard," said another. READ MORE
Occupy Denver Protesters Promote Peace After Clashes
31 October 11
After violent clashes with police Saturday, Occupy Denver demonstrators focused Sunday on getting arrested activists out of jail and promoting a peaceful message.
By late Sunday night, Occupy Denver organizers said all but one of the 20 protesters arrested Saturday had been bonded out of jail with donations from volunteers. They also said the National Lawyers Guild mobilized more than 45 attorneys willing to represent those arrested for free. READ MORE
Occupy Oakland: Scott Olsen Gives 'Thumbs-up' to Messages of Support
31 October 11
Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran injured during police attempts to clear Occupy Oakland on Tuesday, has given a sign of appreciation for the wave of goodwill shown by fellow protesters across the US.
Olsen's roommate, Keith Shannon, said the 24-year-old gave a "thumbs-up" after being told of the support he has received - which has included vigils across the US and marches against police brutality. READ MORE
Volunteer Attorneys Steer Occupy Protesters Through the Legal System
30 October 11
Some of the volunteer lawyers draft and file motions or simply monitor the protests as legal observers. Some advise the activists on how to negotiate with city leaders. Others show up in court - usually on short notice - to represent jailed protesters at their initial court appearances.
Just last week, Los Angeles police tried to disperse Occupy Los Angeles protesters who put up tents at a street corner along the motorcade route of President Barack Obama, who was in town for a series of fundraisers. After an observer called Sobel, she told the group to stay put, arguing that they were being singled out for unfair treatment since the street wasn't being shut down, no businesses were asked to close and other pedestrians weren't being searched or removed. READ MORE
Occupy Atlanta Moves Protest to Homeless Shelter
31 October 11
After being evicted from a city park last week, Occupy Atlanta says it's found a new home for its protest - at a shelter for the homeless.
Occupy Atlanta spokeswoman Sara Amis said Sunday several dozen protesters spent Saturday night on the fourth floor of a building used by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. She says it's possible more could join them. READ MORE
Pull Your Money Out of BofA
31 October 11
My good friend Nomi Prins has a great new piece out that I just caught on Zero Hedge, chronicling 10 reasons why depositors should pull out of Bank of America.
Obviously Goldman, Sachs has become the great symbol of investment banking corruption, and other companies like AIG and Countrywide have become poster children for problems with businesses like insurance and mortgage-lending. But when it comes to commercial banking, Bank of America is as bad as it gets. READ MORE
A Master Class in Occupation
31 October 11
Jon Friesen, 27, tall and lanky with a long, dirty-blond ponytail, a purple scarf and an old green fleece, is sitting on concrete at the edge of Zuccotti Park leading a coordination meeting, a gathering that takes place every morning with representatives of each of Occupy Wall Street's roughly 40 working groups.
"Our conversation is about what it means to be a movement and what it means to be an organization," he says to the circle. A heated discussion follows, including a debate over whether the movement should make specific demands. READ MORE
The Day to Say Bye-Bye to Big Banks
31 Octber 11
My sister will be 30 on November 5! Happy Birthday, Gal! I remember the day she was born. The school secretary paged the classroom my brother and I were in and said, "Mrs. So and So, please send Frida and Jerry Berrigan to the main office with their belongings. They will not be returning to class today."
When we got home, there she was, still covered in slime and yellow stuff. She was born at home. She was perfect. Our lives were never the same. Before my brother and I knew it, she was kicking our butts at checkers, running circles around us academically, and then climbing tall cranes and rappelling down others, holding corporations accountable to people. READ MORE
Police Break Up Occupy Wall St. Camp in Richmond
31 October 11
Police cleared out a downtown plaza early Monday that had been home to Occupy Wall Street protesters, ordering out dozens of people who had encamped there since Oct. 17 and arresting those who refused to leave. Officers began clearing the park around 1 a.m. and most of the protesters left when told to and around a dozen who stayed were arrested for trespassing, police spokesman Gene Lepley said.
The occupation, inspired by the anti-Wall Street protests in lower Manhattan, had blossomed into a tent city, with dozens scattered around Kanawha Plaza in the city's financial district. The site also included a library, a volleyball net and a large blue tarp strung up on three magnolia trees. READ MORE
Multi-City Arrests of #OWS Protesters
31 October 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9jeb8Hz1cY
Letters to Occupy Protesters Span Broad Spectrum
31 October 11
Bette Snyder is nourishing the Wall Street protesters from her kitchen in northwestern Ohio. For the past three weeks, the 69-year-old woman has sent the occupiers of Zuccotti Park tins of home-baked cookies and messages of support. "Here are some cookies for the demonstrators," she wrote in a note accompanying one of the tins. "I will keep sending them as long as you keep protesting."
The protests at a park in lower Manhattan that have been raging for about a month are inspiring people across the country and around the world to send letters of support — even if they are only a few words on a scrap of paper with a tin of cookies. The letters show how effectively protesters have delivered their scathing critiques that the vast majority of people struggle to make ends meet while a small percentage of people control most of the wealth. READ MORE
Nashville Protesters Defy Curfew a 3rd Time
30 October 11
Occupy Wall Street protesters chanted slogans, danced to stay warm and defiantly protested into the early hours Sunday near Tennessee's Capitol building, squaring off for the third consecutive night against state authorities.
The Capitol police sporadically made their rounds and a state trooper occasionally walked past the protest in the pre-dawn hours, but authorities signaled no immediate attempt to make arrests as law enforcement agents had done on the two previous nights. READ MORE
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's Office: 510-238-3141
Oakland Chief of Police Christopher Bolton: 510-238-3131
Oakland Mayor's Web Contact Page
Occupy Oakland Website: occupyoakland.org
Occupy Oakland Facebook Page: Occupy Oakland
Goldman Sachs and Occupy Wall Street's Bank: The Real Story
30 October 11
Mega-bank Goldman Sachs (assets $933 billion), has declared war on one of the smallest banks in New York (assets $30 million), the customer-owned community bank that happens to also be the banker for Friends of Liberty Plaza, Inc, also known as Occupy Wall Street. And you thought Goldman didn't care.
The trouble began three weeks ago when the occupiers suddenly found their donation buckets filling with thousands of dollars, way more than needed for their pizza dinners. Suddenly, the anti-bank protesters needed a bank. Citibank and Chase certainly wouldn't fit. READ MORE
The Question OWS Hears Most:"What's Your Agenda?"
30 October 11
One of the most frequently repeated, recycled, and dismissive questions about Occupy Wall Street is its supposed lack of an "agenda."
The "what do you people want" question has featured in media interviews almost to the exclusion of all others.
It's as if the movement won't be taken seriously by some unless and until it enunciates a list of "demands," and defines itself in a way that can allow others, especially a cynical media, to label and pigeonhole it. READ MORE
Many Arrests at Occupy Austin, Occupy Portland
30 October 11
The arrests occurred thousands of miles apart, but the scenes were similar in Oregon and Texas early Sunday: In the dark of night, police told Occupy demonstrators to leave protest sites. Those who refused were handcuffed and arrested.
Authorities in Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, say protesters were trespassing and violating city rules. Demonstrators say authorities were infringing on protesters' rights to assemble.
Police arrested more than two dozen people who refused to leave a park in northwest Portland, Oregon, after warnings that the park closed at midnight, police said. READ MORE
Scott Olsen's Example for the Occupy Movement
30 October 11
The web is abuzz with outrage over the 25 October attack by Oakland police on Occupy Oakland, the local manifestation of Occupy Wall Street. The outrage is justified: police overreacted badly, going after non-violent protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets and batons. At least 85 people were arrested. Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen was critically injured with a skull fracture after being hit in the face with a projectile.
The incident in Oakland is just the latest attack by police around the US on the nascent Occupation movement. This movement has brought people who have never protested before into the streets with a sense of empowerment READ MORE
Dozens of Occupy Protesters Arrested in Texas, Oregon
30 October 11
The arrests occurred thousands of miles apart, but the scenes were similar in Oregon and Texas early Sunday: In the dark of night, police told Occupy demonstrators to leave protest sites. Those who refused were handcuffed and arrested.
Authorities in Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, say protesters were trespassing and violating city rules. Demonstrators say authorities were infringing on protesters' rights to assemble. READ MORE
Occupy Denver Withstands Brutal Police Assault
30 October 11
At 7:30pm, Denver Riot Police begin to move in and request the remaining protesters clear Civic Center Park. The protesters remind officers that they have until 11pm to be there and hold their ground.
Protesters chant a reminder that they are non-violent and request that the DPD remain non-violent as well. Continue to hold their ground as garbage trucks roll off with the remnants of the camp. READ MORE
Police Disguise Protest Sabotage As Public Safety
30 October 11
The Occupy movements, in addition to being some of the most important activist movements to come along in the United States in several decades, have helped underscore several societal crises. For example, the failure of the establishment media and the rise of the beltway pundit class, the disappearance of public space, and also vanishing civil liberties, to name only a few.
Occupy has also served as a reminder of the ever-present police state, which rather than acting to "serve and protect," oftentimes crushes and suppresses freedom of expression. We've witnessed this in obvious, overt, batshit crazy behavior like police using horses to stampede into a Times Square crowd, and when Oakland police turned their city into a war zone. But there are subtler, far sneakier ways so-called public servants such as firefighters and the police, and by extension city officials, use the law as a weapon, or a convenient scapegoat, to control a rebellious faction of the population. READ MORE
Occupy Denver Attacked Again, Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas Used
29 October 11
We are receiving reports that the Occupy Denver encampment has again come under attack by police in para-military gear. Police are reportedly using both rubber bullets and tear gas. The mood in the camp seems quite desperate. One witness posted to the Occupy Denver website, "They just shot a kid in a tree." OccupyDenver.org
Remember What They Did in Oakland
29 October 11
It will take some time before what happened in Oakland, California, on October 25th, 2011, sinks in. It happened in the blink of an eye. I was there and I can tell you that no one really saw it coming. We should have. All the components were in place. Waiting. Ticking.
Civil unrest, civil resistance, a paranoid, uneducated - and far too heavily armed - police force, governmental officials with no experience in managing para-military forces under their control. It was all there, flame lit, waiting to boil over. READ MORE
NY 'Occupy' Demonstrators Battle Cold as Storm Moves In
29 October 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX0aZaJrOBM
Occupy Movement, After Legal Victories, Faces Weather
29 October 11
Continuing a week of crackdowns across the country, 26 Occupy Nashville protesters were arrested early Saturday, the second such roundup, for trespassing. And for the second night running, a judge dismissed the protesters’ arrest warrants, according to an official for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Magistrate Tom Nelson said he could “find no authority anywhere for anyone to authorize a curfew anywhere on Legislative Plaza,” according to The Tennessean. The protesters had been under a 10 p.m. curfew.
But a different set of challenges to the movement began to emerge on Saturday, namely, winter. In the Northeast, a storm bearing strong winds and wet snow rolled up north. This early storm promised to be a test that the protesters’ camps have vowed to endure. READ MORE
Michael Moore in Oakland: "No Turning Back"
29 October 11
Filmmaker and activist Michael Moore told about 500 "Occupy Oakland" protesters Friday that they are inspiring "Occupy Wall Street" activists across the country.
Speaking at Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of City Hall, where tents have again sprung up, Moore said people throughout the US were "disgusted" and "horrified" when police fired tear gas and bean bags and took other aggressive actions against protesters Tuesday night.
Although police cleared protesters and their tents from the plaza Tuesday morning, the protesters and their tents returned the next day. READ MORE
Nashville Judge Orders Arrested Occupy Protesters Released
29 October 11
When the arrested protesters went before the judge who was to sign their warrants, the judge sided with the protesters, ruling that the police had "no probable cause" to arrest them. He said that the city hadn't given the protesters enough notice before evicting them, adding "Fourteen hours is woefully inadequate time within which to allow the group an opportunity to comply with the newly enacted rules, regulations, curfew and permit requirements." All 29 protesters were released immediately.
Quan and Jordan Say They Don't Plan to Move #OccupyOakland Tents (For Now)
29 October 11
Occupy Oakland protesters are again pitching tents in the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall but Mayor Jean Quan and police Chief Howard Jordan said today that they don't have any plans to remove the tents or the protesters at this time.
Although hundreds of officers from the Oakland Police Department and other agencies went to great trouble to remove protesters and their tents from Frank Ogawa Plaza Tuesday morning, Jordan said police only have "a minimal presence" at the plaza now and "there are no plans for police action unless there are calls for service." READ MORE
Oakland Mayor Sorry for Clashes That Injured Scott Olsen
29 October 11
The mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, has apologised for the clashes between police and demonstrators that left Scott Olsen badly injured.
Quan, who has been roundly criticised for her handling of the Occupy protests against economic inequality, said she had met Scott Olsen and his parents and was concerned about his recovery.
Olsen, a 24-year-old ex-marine who served in Iraq, was struck in the head during Occupy Oakland protests on Tuesday night and his plight has galvanised the worldwide Occupy movement. READ MORE
Occupy Atlanta Occupies MLK Historic Site
29 October 11
After being kicked out of Woodruff Park just days ago, Occupy Atlanta settled near the MLK historic site Thursday night.
Protestors initially tried to occupy a football field near Irwin and Jackson streets, near Ebenezer Baptist Church on Thursday because they thought the jurisdiction of the field was federal property. A parks commissioner confirmed it was city property, and protestors were ordered to leave. READ MORE
Egyptians March From Tahrir Square to Support Occupy Oakland Protestors
29 October 11
As they vowed earlier this week to do, Egyptian pro-democracy protesters marched from Tahrir square to the US Embassy today to march in support of Occupy Oakland - and against police brutality witnessed in Oakland on Tuesday night, and commonly experienced in Egypt. READ MORE
Lawmaker Offers Help to Iraqi War Veteran Hurt in Oakland Fray
29 October 11
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) is in contact with the family of Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen, an Occupy Oakland protester who was injured Tuesday night, reportedly due to police action, and has offered assistance to Olsen, Lee's office said Friday. READ MORE
Scott Olsen and his sister. (photo: Kathy Pacconi)
Scott Olsen 'Cannot Talk' After Injury at Occupy Oakland Protest
29 October 11
Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who was seriously injured by a police projectile during a protest in Oakland, has regained consciousness but "cannot talk."
Olsen, 24, is communicating with friends and family at his bedside by writing notes, but his injury is believed to have damaged the speech centre of his brain, according to Keith Shannon, who served with Olsen in Iraq.
Olsen is believed to have been injured by a police projectile. He was hit in the forehead in downtown Oakland on Tuesday evening, after marching with fellow demonstrators to protest the closure of an Occupy Oakland camp in the city. READ MORE
Journalists Abandon the Fourth Estate
28 October 11
October 25th. 8:00 pm. Oakland: "Occupy Oakland" participants are taking a few rubber bullets to the butt at this very moment. One thing is clear, the people are mad and they are not going to take it anymore. This is not satire, this is real. And, when all is said and done ... we are in this mini- revolution in no small part because there are precious few reporters allowed to do their jobs.
The forces of accountability have failed.
So what exactly do the people want? What are they mad about? READ MORE
Elizabeth Warren Is Scary!
28 October 11
The Republicans are trying to sink Elizabeth Warren by linking her to the Occupy Wall Street protests. But the nation's top financial reformer is not backing down.
The furor started when Warren told the Daily Beast, “I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do. I support what they do.”
The Republicans jumped all over what they view as an exciting new weapon in the contentious Massachusetts Senate race. READ MORE
Wall Street Protesters Prepare for Winter Weather
28 October 11
all Street protesters around the country who are vowing to stand their ground against the police and politicians are also digging in against a different kind of adversary: cold weather.
With the temperature dropping, they are stockpiling donated coats, blankets and scarves, trying to secure cots and military-grade tents, and getting survival tips from the homeless people who have joined their encampments.
"Everyone's been calling it our Valley Forge moment," said Michael McCarthy, a former Navy medic in Providence. "Everybody thought that George Washington couldn't possibly survive in the Northeast." READ MORE
Hey G20, Here Comes #ROBINHOOD
28 October 11
Alright you rebels, redeemers and believers out there, At the height of the global uprisings in 1968, protesters confidently heralded "The Beginning of a New Epoch." To this bravado, Zbigniew Brzezinski, then the national security advisor to the president of the United States, retorted that the protests were nothing but "the death rattle of the historical irrelevants." And indeed the first global revolution the world had ever seen suddenly fizzled out. To this day no one quite knows why.
For the moment, #OCCUPY has the magic and the ear of the world, and anything seems possible. We could see a soft regime change in America and a resurgence of the political left worldwide. As winter approaches, many occupiers will dig in for the long haul. Others will decamp until spring and channel their energy into myriad projects. Many of the big ideas for rejuvenating and reenchanting the world that have been swirling around the left for the last 20 years will pick up steam. From revoking corporate personhood to de-commercializing the cultural commons, to separating money from politics, to the birth of a True Cost Party of America … we are entering a sustained period of boots-on-the-ground transformation. READ MORE
Police Crackdown on Occupy Nashville
28 October 11
Authorities in Tennessee made about 30 arrests early Friday at the site where a few dozen Wall Street protesters have been encamped for about three weeks in Nashville, protesters said. Authorities began moving in a little after 3 a.m. using a newly enacted state policy that set a curfew for the grounds near the state Capitol, including Legislative Plaza where the protesters had been staying in tents. The state's new rules specifically banned "overnight occupancy" at the public space and require permits and use fees for rallies.
Friday's arrests came after a week of police crackdowns around the country on Occupy Wall Street activists, who have been protesting economic inequality and what they call corporate greed. In Oakland, Calif., an Iraq War veteran was seriously injured during a protest clash with police Tuesday night. In Atlanta early Wednesday, helicopters hovered overhead as officers in riot gear arrested more than 50 protesters at a downtown park. READ MORE
50 Arrested at Occupy San Diego Camp
28 October 11
About 50 people were arrested Friday morning as San Diego police in riot gear moved to clear the civic plaza behind City Hall of both the Occupy San Diego protesters and their tents and other property. As the sweep began about 2 a.m., an officer using a bullhorn warned protesters "to disperse immediately or you will be arrested." The protesters presence in the plaza been declared "an illegal gathering," he said.
A message on the Occupy San Diego Facebook page said: "The Occupy movement is only growing stronger. Occupy SD will not be moved, we will not be dispersed, our voices will not be stifled by Chief Lansdowne and Mayor Sanders." READ MORE
Occupy Wall Street on the Move
28 October 11
The question confronting the Occupy Wall Street encampments and their offshoots in scores of cities and towns around the country is quo vadis? Where is it going? This decentralized, leaderless civic initiative has attracted the persistent attention of the mass media in the past five weeks. Television cameras from all over the world are parked down at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, two blocks from Wall Street.
But the mass media is a hungry beast. It needs to be fed regularly. Apart from the daily pressures of making sure the encampments are clean, that food and shelter are available, that relations with the police are quiet, that provocateurs are identified; the campers must anticipate possible police crackdowns, such as that which has just occurred in Oakland, and find ways to rebound. READ MORE
Iraq Veteran Shot in Head With Tear Gas Canister
26 October 11
IVAW Statement on Injuries Sustained by Marine Veteran Scott Olsen at the Siege of Occupy Oakland Encampment.
27 October 11
Late Tuesday night, Scott Olsen, a former Marine, two-time Iraq war veteran, and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, sustained a skull fracture after being shot in the head with a police projectile while peacefully participating in an Occupy Oakland march. The march began at a downtown library and headed towards City Hall in an effort to reclaim a site - recently cleared by police - that had previously served as an encampment for members of the 99% movement.
Scott joined the Marines in 2006, served two-tours in Iraq, and was discharged in 2010. Scott moved to California from Wisconsin and currently works as a systems network administrator in Daly, California.
Scott is one of an increasing number of war veterans who are participating in America's growing Occupy movement. Said Keith Shannon, who deployed with Scott to Iraq, "Scott was marching with the 99% because he felt corporations and banks had too much control over our government, and that they weren't being held accountable for their role in the economic downturn, which caused so many people to lose their jobs and their homes."
Scott is currently sedated at a local hospital awaiting examination by a neurosurgeon. Iraq Veterans Against the Wars sends their deepest condolences to Scott, his family, and his friends. IVAW also sends their thanks to the brave folks who risked bodily harm to provide care to Scott immediately following the incident.
Iraq Veterans Against the War is nonprofit 501(c)3 advocacy group of veterans and active-duty US military personnel who have served in the U.S. Military since September 11, 2001. IVAW currently has over 1,400 members in fifty states, as well as in Canada, Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thirty Years of Unleashed Greed
27 October 11
t is class warfare. But it was begun not by the tear-gassed, rain-soaked protesters asserting their constitutionally guaranteed right of peaceful assembly but rather the financial overlords who control all of the major levers of power in what passes for our democracy. It is they who subverted the American ideal of a nation of stakeholders in control of their economic and political destiny.
Between 1979 and 2007, as the Congressional Budget Office reported this week, the average real income of the top 1 percent grew by an astounding 275 percent. And that is after payment of the taxes that the superrich and their Republican apologists find so onerous.
Those three decades of rampant upper-crust greed unleashed by the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s will be well marked by future historians recording the death of the American dream. In that decisive historical period the middle class began to evaporate and the nation's income gap increased to alarming proportions. "As a result of that uneven growth," the CBO explained, "the distribution of after-tax household income in the United States was substantially more unequal in 2007 than in 1979: The share of income accruing to higher-income households increased, whereas the share accruing to other households declined.... The share of after-tax household income for the 1 percent of the population with the highest income more than doubled...." READ MORE
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's About-Face
27 October 11
This is rather incredible. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan released a statement late last night saying she now supports the Occupy Oakland protesters and will minimize police presence for the time being. The statement comes less than 48 hours after local police used excessive force against protesters, including rubber bullets, stun grenades, sound cannons, and tear gas. One protester, an Iraq war veteran named Scott Olsen, was shot with a projectile at close range, fracturing his skull and landing him in critical condition. [Update: Olsen's condition has since been upgraded to fair.] READ MORE
New TV Ad Rips Jean Quan: "Stop the Police Brutality"
27 October 11
The national heat continues to pour in on Oakland Mayor Jean Quan for her administration's tear-gas-firing reaction to the Occupy Oakland demonstrations. First, Current TV's Keith Olbermann called on her to resign. Then Jon Stewart mocked her.
And throughout Friday, the liberal online hub MoveOn.org will begin airing a minute-long ad on ABC, NBC and CBS in the Bay Area ripping Oakland's use of tear gas Tuesday to disperse the Occupiers.
"Mayor Quan," the ad's narrator says over the image of a smoke-filled Frank Ogawa Plaza "is this your city? Is this how we treat free speech in the United States of America?" READ MORE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss0MxiDfS6M
MoveOn.org will release an ad calling for an end to the police brutality at Occupy Oakland, and urging people to demand Mayor Quan take responsibility.
#OccupyOakland Plans Vigil for Marine Injured During Tuesday Protests
27 October 11
"Occupy Oakland" protest organizers are planning a vigil tonight for a Marine veteran who was critically injured during protests Tuesday.
Scott Olsen, who has served two tours in the Iraq War, remains at Highland Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained when law enforcement officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke grenades in an attempt to disperse an assembly that formed near 14th Street and Broadway. (You can watch video - warning, there is profanity - from KTVU of the march and crowd dispersal here, which a friend of the Appeal describes as "essential." - EB)
The protests Tuesday night were in response to the police removal of the protesters' encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Olsen, 24, of Daly City, was hit in the head with a police projectile, according to the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. READ MORE
Occupy Oakland: Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail
27 October 11
As two activists who have called Oakland home, we are appalled at the events of our city in the last 36 hours. Last night the country joined us to watch in anguish as the Oakland Police Department, with back up from a dozen law enforcement agencies from around the region, used excessive levels of force against hundreds of mostly peaceful Occupy Oakland protesters. In a city with a long and painful record of police violence, it is especially disturbing to witness scenes of women, children, the elderly, and the disabled under assault by rubber bullets and tear gas.
This kind of crackdown is bad for our democracy, and it's bad for public safety. Mayors and police chiefs at Occupy sites across the country should take note: this is the wrong way to respond to the Occupy movement.
Oakland, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation, is a true reflection of the 99%. For this reason, the Occupy movement stands directly for the people of Oakland - so many of whom have lost their homes, lost their jobs, and lost the services they rely on. Our city's unemployment rate is over 10%. People are angry. Let us not forget that this frustration and anger is real and justified. READ MORE
Cities Begin Cracking Down on 'Occupy' Protests
27 October 11
After weeks of cautiously accepting the teeming round-the-clock protests spawned by Occupy Wall Street, several cities have come to the end of their patience and others appear to be not far behind.
Here in Oakland, in a scene reminiscent of the antiwar protests of the 1960s, the police filled downtown streets with tear gas late Tuesday to stop throngs of protesters from re-entering a City Hall plaza that had been cleared of their encampment earlier in the day. And those protests, which resulted in more than 100 arrests and at least one life-threatening injury, appeared ready to ignite again on Wednesday night as supporters of the Occupy movement promised to retake the square. Early Wednesday evening, city officials were trying to defuse the situation, opening streets around City Hall, though the encampment site was still fenced off. READ MORE
Voters Back Wall Street Protesters, Millionaire's Tax
27 October 11
New York State voters agree 58 - 28 percent with the views of the Wall Street protesters, as 60 percent of voters understand the protesters' views "fairly well" or "very well," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters also back the "Millionaire's Tax" more than 2-1, as even Republicans back the measure.
Agreement with the protesters is 74-12 percent among Democrats and 57-30 percent among independent voters, while Republicans disagree 53-32 percent, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.
A total of 63 percent of New York City voters understand the protesters "very well" or "fairly well" and agreement is 66-22 percent. Understanding is 58 percent among suburban voters, with agreement at 50-36 percent. Understanding is 56 percent among upstate voters with agreement at 54 - 30 percent.
By an overwhelming 82-13 percent, New York State voters say it's "OK that they are protesting." Republicans support the right to protest 71-22 percent, with strong agreement among all groups in all regions. READ MORE
Occupy San Francisco: Tense Standoff Between Police, Protesters
27 October 11
A tense standoff continued Thursday morning between San Francisco police and Occupy San Francisco protesters. Police have called on the protesters to leave Justin Herman Plaza, saying the camps pose a threat to public health.
Earlier, protesters and police faced off along the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building as officers clad in riot gear chased people who had gathered in the area.
But as of 4:30 a.m., police had not moved in to arrest protesters, according to the San Jose Mercury News, which described a festive scene with people dancing and chanting at the camp. READ MORE
Oakland Police and Mayor Face Fresh Protest Over Critical Wounding of Veteran
27 October 11
Protesters have returned to downtown Oakland, California, to demand the resignation of the city's mayor and an investigation to explain how an Iraq war veteran, Scott Olsen, was hit in the head by a tear gas canister at close range, leaving him critically injured.
About 2,000 people - half as many as Tuesday night - massed in front of City Hall on Wednesday, tearing down a steel barricade intended to keep them off the grass in Frank Ogawa Plaza. When the city closed down a nearby underground station, preventing dispersing protesters going home, they organised a spontaneous march through the centre of the city, chanting: "Whose streets? Our streets!"
Police had been under orders to let them have the run of the plaza until 10pm. Officers stood guard at junctions in patrol cars and motorbikes to deter people from jumping up on to an overhead freeway. The police were more low key than on Tuesday, when they manned barricades around the plaza and fired volley after volley of teargas that filled the surrounding streets and smoked out businesses. READ MORE
OWS Protesters in NYC Proclaim Solidarity With Demonstrators in Oakland, Atlanta
27 October 11
Protesters stormed through downtown Manhattan on Wednesday night to proclaim solidarity with fellow demonstrators who were forced out of encampments in Oakland, Calif., and Atlanta, Ga.
The drama unfolded when about 400 Occupy Wall Street protesters marched from Zuccotti Park to City Hall only to be met by a swarm of cops about 9 p.m. The crowd quickly rerouted and began walking up Broadway towards Union Square only to be met by a police barricade near Reade St.
As organizers tried in vain to call off the march, scores of demonstrators splintered off and broke through a wall of cops - some of them even swiping a roll of orange netting used to kettle the large crowd. "We wanted to go to City Hall to show solidarity with Oakland," said Katama Rose, 22. "We wanted to come out and talk about how that wasn't okay." READ MORE
Occupy Protesters Rally Around Wounded Veteran
27 October 11
Veering around police barricades, anti-Wall Street protesters held a late-night march through Oakland streets, a day after one of their number - an Iraq War veteran - was left in critical condition with a fractured skull following a clash with police.
The show of force in Oakland along with SWAT arrests in Atlanta have sent chills among some anti-Wall Street demonstrators, and protesters elsewhere rallied in support around the injured veteran, Scott Olsen. READ MORE
MARINES TO OAKLAND POLICE: 'You Did This to My Brother'
27 October 11
Marines around the world are outraged by the injuries inflicted by police on Scott Olsen at Tuesday's Occupy Oakland protests. Olsen is in a medically-induced coma after getting hit in the head by a police projectile. READ MORE
St Paul's Cathedral Canon Resigns
27 October 11
The canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, has resigned in protest at plans to forcibly remove protesters from its steps, saying he could not support the possibility of "violence in the name of the church."
Speculation grew in the last 24 hours that Fraser, a leading leftwing voice in the Church of England, would resign because he could not sanction the use of police or bailiffs against the hundreds of activists who have set up camp in the grounds of the cathedral in the past fortnight.
Just after 9am on Thursday, Fraser tweeted: "It is with great regret and sadness that I have handed in my notice at St Paul's Cathedral." READ MORE
Protesters Rally Around Trading Tax
27 October 11
Known in Occupy movement parlance as the "Robin Hood tax," taxes on trades of stocks, bonds and derivatives are getting a fresh look on Capitol Hill and may draw thousands of protesters to Washington, D.C., next week. Helping lead the charge are an unlikely breed of tax activist: registered nurses.
At least 1,000 nurses are expected to rally in front of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's office on Nov. 3, on the eve of the G-20 finance ministers meeting in Cannes, France, where a European transaction tax will be on the agenda. That group is led by the AFL-CIO affiliate National Nurses United, which already organized two rallies in Manhattan and D.C. in June around the slogan: "Tax Wall Street and heal Main Street." The nurses are also helping organize protests in Europe. READ MORE
17 september - 02 October : 02 October - 06 October : 06 October - 10 October : 10 October - 21 October : 22 October - 26 October : 27 October - 4 November : 5 November - 16 November : 17 November - 22 November : 23 November - 30 November : 1 December - 8 December : 9 December - 31 December : 1 January - 31 January : 1 February - 29 February : 1 March - 31 March : 1 April - 30 April : 1 May - 31 May : 1 June - 30 June : 1 July - 31 July : 1 August - 31 August
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
