OCCUPY WALL STREET

[ruffryder]

[nowandthen]

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by nowandthen

Fixed your links:

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by ruffryder

I think that pic was ripped from an old incident in Oakland that happened in 2003.

[Cin]

Bruise: Occupy Oakland protester Shamus Collins claims he was shot with a rubber bullet as he went to the aid of injured Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen at a new encampment in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, California

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1cGar7n00


Here's someone whose been shot in the face by a rubber bullet at Occupy Oakland:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1...Rubber-Bullets

[Medusa]

I'm just catching up on this thread but have been watching the news and sending emails all over the place.

I'm beyond grossed out at what happened in Oakland and Denver and other cities where it seems that the right to gather and protest has now become a criminal action.

[Cin]

Phillip Becerra, was shot in the face with pepper bullets.

"They pepper sprayed me and I fell and then went to pour water on my face," says Becerra, "When I got back up, I was shot in the face. I had to go to the hospital to have the wound treated."
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword...ts_arrests.php

The arrests appeared to be a violation of First Amendment rights in the U.S. Constitution that allow for people to peacefully assemble, said attorney David Raybin, a former prosecutor.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml

[Cin]

Rudy Giuliani said the city should move the protesters out, citing public safety and health hazards.

"Enough is enough," the former mayor said. "We can't allow this to go on forever and ever. It sets a bad precedent ... [and] diverts police resources from public safety."


Yes, one could say police resources have become the antithesis of public safety.

[Soon]

"On Saturday over 1000 Americans laid their bodies down on a San Francisco beach to spell out “TAX THE 1%.” This protest was just the latest, and possibly most spectacular yet, in the wave of protests that have swept the nation since protesters occupied Wall Street, launching the “We are the 99%” movement." (Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

[Toughy]

Originally Posted by HowSoonIsNow

"On Saturday over 1000 Americans laid their bodies down on a San Francisco beach to spell out “TAX THE 1%.” This protest was just the latest, and possibly most spectacular yet, in the wave of protests that have swept the nation since protesters occupied Wall Street, launching the “We are the 99%” movement." (Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

This event has been going on for years......a different message each year. This year it is about the 1%

http://sfist.com/2011/10/28/tomorrow...ich_banner.php

if you search you can find all the human banners they have done....

[Toughy]

There has been conversation around the word 'occupy' and some of the goals of the many affinity groups involved in this coalition.

One of the things I learned, in my years as an activist, is coalition building is messy....much like democracy. There are always things individuals and the various affinity groups disagree about. When you seek to organize around a commonality....in this case the unfair distribution of wealth and how to rememdy that problem...you always HAVE TO build coalition with those you may disagree with about other issues.

My years taught me that WAR (a berkeley based anarchy group) will always show up. They are generally the ones who break store windows, set fire to dumpsters, throw rocks and bottles at police, and generally try to provoke police. What makes me sad is the po po take the bait. They don't have to do that. The po po, in all their protective gear, can simply not react. Actually they should be there to direct traffic and provide assistance to those who are involved in protest march/rally/gatherings. The police should be my friend........my nephew is a cop.........I can't imagine him with riot gear, tear gas and rubber bulletts........

Actually they can NOT wear all that gear and show up in their regular uniforms to aid and assist protesters in their right to free assembly and the right to occupy the streets. This is actually what happened in San Francisco in the very early years of the GRID/AIDS/ HIV protests. The po po WALKED with us when we marched. They were there to protect and serve protesters. SF got a new police chief and that all stopped and the violence began. Diane Feinstein (the new mayor) ordered the police to allow the White Night riots, however she neglected to control those police who came into the Castro for revenge.

The Health Department can engage in constructive dialogue on the health and safety issues involved in long term tent encampments. The Health Department (and the police) are there to help and serve the community. They should be doing that. If there are health issues, then the Health Department should act in concert with the encampment to insure the health of those people. Work with them around sanitation and food safety. Figure out how to have clean toliets and handwashing stations. Figure out how the police will deal with any violence that might occur within the encampment.

It is encumbant on EVERYONE, government and citizens, to work together so the experiment of democracy in the US can continue. Government IS the people.

If we are to build solid useful coalitions that will bring about equality for everyone and equitable distribution of wealth that creates a solid middle class....we MUST take the good with the bad. Coalitions are never easy, but organizing around those things we share in common is the only way to change the system.

I gots lots o issues with anarchists, communists, tea party folks and others. However I am willing to work with them where we agree.

I'm rambling now and will stop

[Toughy]

Aj..........you have done a good job of negative dissection of the socialist part of the coalition.

Do you have anything positive to say about the coalition? How about something constructive about how to build coalition in the face of serious differences within a common goal?

[ruffryder]

Oregon police arrest about 30.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world...t-1212991.html

[Toughy]

Are there conversations with the police, health department, politicians, sanitation department, every other aspect of city/county government appropriate to tent encampments and the appropriate Occupy contact folks? All the Occupy encampments that I have visited or heard about, on KPFA free radio and other media, have contact people for all these areas. Are both sides reaching out to reach equitable agreements?

I have heard and read of both sides (across the country) reaching out to each other in the last few days. Perhaps Oakland will serve as a catalyst for useful partnerships that re-enforce democracy and our Constitution.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Toughy

Are there conversations with the police, health department, politicians, sanitation department, every other aspect of city/county government appropriate to tent encampments and the appropriate Occupy contact folks? All the Occupy encampments that I have visited or heard about, on KPFA free radio and other media, have contact people for all these areas. Are both sides reaching out to reach equitable agreements?

I have heard and read of both sides (across the country) reaching out to each other in the last few days. Perhaps Oakland will serve as a catalyst for useful partnerships that re-enforce democracy and our Constitution.

That would be nice. Isn't that the whole point of this? There is going to be shit happening and unfortunately people get hurt. They want us to give up and we won't, no matter what.

And I'm so sick of the excuses about sanitation and yadda yadda- You can set up massive tent cities using tax payer money. Now use our money and get to work.

[Toughy]

I would remind folks that all those 'sit, lie' laws that are about homeless people and where they can be are being used against Occupy individuals and encampments.

Think about it the next time your local government wants to limit where, how and when homeless (and everyone) folks can be. It all sounds great when it comes to us not having to see homeless folks on the city streets, but not so great when applied to Occupy folks.

[Sachita]

I like the idea of the government making the banks/raping mortgaging institutions, take all the foreclosures and creating homes for the homeless but people bitched about property values, the government bitched about taxes and no one is fucking happy. So they can shut the fuck up about where they land or create housing or jobs for them.

It just goes a round and a round, a big wheel of lies, deception and excuses. Don't listen to them. Move forward, raise hell, don't stop talking and whenever possible make life difficult for them.

At some point larger statements will be made and it will cost "something". What are you willing to pay? What do you think the government will do if we all collectively stopped paying taxes? Can they throw us all in jail? If we shut down even a few of the largest corporations by boycotting we'll make a strong statement.

[persiphone]

i disagree with the premise that it's great when applied to homeless folks. we are all one step from homelessness and i've said that even before the housing bubble and burst. homelessness is a grim reality for many more that weren't homeless just a few years ago, hell just a few months ago. and many more will enter into homelessness before this is over. we are a very unfriendly nation when it comes to our homeless. we really need to gravely reconsider the state of our homeless situations. we make, via laws, homelessness a horrible void from which there is little escape. i think people don't realize how expensive it is to be poor, let alone homeless and not just for those that are trapped in it.

i really despise the idea that a homeless person is something "we shouldn't see". we actually should see it as a reminder that they are still people and they still should be entitled basic human rights and needs. it disgusts me the way we treat our homeless.

edited to add.....i dunno why everyone is so shocked and appalled by the protesters being subject to the same laws that the homeless are subject to. i don't consider myself better than anyone else. i find it appalling that people should think they are somehow above a lower class of human and therefore should be treated differently or better.

/mad as hell rant

[persiphone]

Originally Posted by ruffryder

Oregon police arrest about 30.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world...t-1212991.html

the park in question is in The Pearl District which is a posh neighborhood. of course they don't want protesters there lol! gawd forbid should they have to look at protesters. kind of like the homeless......how distasteful. *sarcasm*

[Toughy]

What do you think the government will do if we all collectively stopped paying taxes? Can they throw us all in jail? If we shut down even a few of the largest corporations by boycotting we'll make a strong statement.

2 entirely different things going on here...

don't pay taxes then government stops.......what does that look like...no police, no fire, no sewer, no toll roads, no maintenance of roads, no SSI or SSDI or State Disability or medicare or medicaid or military pay, no one guarding jails and prisons, the list goes on and on .........not a good idea in my mind.......

Shutting down corporations is not the same thing as shutting down the government.