OCCUPY WALL STREET

[AtLast]

A possible first victory of this movement is that Bank of America (and others) are now pulling back with attempting to collect extra ATM/debit card fees from customers. B of A is saying it "heard the people."

Guess we will have to see what the Oakland general strike does today. I'm off to check it out a little later.

[Cin]

Today, thousands of Oakland residents are participating in a general strike to protest last week’s police brutality and to draw attention to the economic inequality that the 99 Percent are protesting. Numerous local businesses have shuttered their doors in solidarity, and Mayor Jean Quan has even allowed most city employees to take part in the strike if they choose to.

As a part of a day of actions, hundreds of demonstrators shut down a local Citibank chapter. Not only did the demonstrators engage in mass demonstrations outside, but they unfurled a banner laying out some of the megabank’s misdeeds. Here’s some photos from the demonstration that forced the local Citibank to shut its doors:









Apparently Wells Fargo, Comerica, and a Chase bank were shut down as well.





Following several speakers, protesters took to the streets, marching to the state building and the local banks, chanting, "We are the 99 percent." Marching bands led the group, and a flash mob danced to "I Will Survive." Protesters stopped outside of the federal building, chanting and singing.

Due to the highly publicized nature of the strike, most of the downtown businesses had closed in preparation. However, Occupiers found Comerica Bank on 12 Street and Broadway open, and quickly surrounded the doors, forcing the branch to close. Protesters then moved on to a nearby Bank of America, forcing that branch to close, as well.

As of 12:30 p.m., the Oakland protest remained peaceful with no police in sight, while more and more demonstrators joined the marches. Organizers announced plans to march to the Port of Oakland at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. in an attempt to shut down the port and disrupt the flow of commerce. The organizers originally announced that the port had closed in solidarity with the strike on Wednesday morning, but those reports turned out to be false.

Thousands of protesters are expected to join the marches to the port on Wednesday night. At the daytime march, organizers read the phone number to the Occupy Oakland legal team over a loudspeaker, encouraging protesters to copy it in case of arrest.

[Toughy]

I was down there (Occupy Oakland) and it's more like thousands of people...not hundreds. I can't imagine how big it's gonna get after folks get off work. A very mixed crowd in terms of age and probably about 30-40% POC. It really had a festival/block party feel to it. 2 different stages for speakers......lots of music and drumming , some chanting and free food. The local small businesses in City Center that serve food were all busy as hell also. You couldn't find a cop if you needed one....they were blocks away and very few of them......tons of media folks.

I truly hope they are very very careful going to the Oakland Port........they will be fucking with Homeland Security, Customs, Coast Guard and those people do not play. OPD will be in full force down there also. The last time a protest went to the Port was 2003 (anti-war) and that ended up being truly ugly...way worse than last week.

[Cin]

Originally Posted by Toughy

I was down there (Occupy Oakland) and it's more like thousands of people...not hundreds. I can't imagine how big it's gonna get after folks get off work. A very mixed crowd in terms of age and probably about 30-40% POC. It really had a festival/block party feel to it. 2 different stages for speakers......lots of music and drumming , some chanting and free food. The local small businesses in City Center that serve food were all busy as hell also. You couldn't find a cop if you needed one....they were blocks away and very few of them......tons of media folks.

I truly hope they are very very careful going to the Oakland Port........they will be fucking with Homeland Security, Customs, Coast Guard and those people do not play. OPD will be in full force down there also. The last time a protest went to the Port was 2003 (anti-war) and that ended up being truly ugly...way worse than last week.

Yes, the articles I posted did say thousands. Twice. The only reference to hundreds was "hundreds of demonstrators shut down a local Citibank chapter." Not that the whole demonstration was only hundreds of people.

Sounds like it was awesome.

I hope there isn't any trouble at the Port.

[SoNotHer]

I like this line and ballot initiative:

"End Corporate Rule: Legalize Democracy"

http://movetoamend.org/news/boulder-...ate-personhood

Boulder, Colorado Occupies the Ballot Box and Calls for End to “Corporate Personhood”

Ground Breaking Ballot Measure Calls for Constitutional Amendment

BOULDER, CO – Last night Boulder became the second city in the nation to pass a ballot measure calling for an amendment to the US Constitution that would state that corporations are not people and reject the legal status of money as free speech. At midnight, with 93% of the ballots counted, the measure was handily winning with 74% of voters in support.

Boulder’s campaign is the latest grassroots effort by Move to Amend, a national coalition working to abolish corporate personhood. “From Occupy Wall Street to Boulder, Colorado and every town in between, Americans are fed up with corporate dominance of our political system,” said Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, a national spokesperson for Move to Amend. “Local resolution campaigns are an opportunity for citizens to speak up and let it be known that we won’t accept the corporate takeover of our government lying down. We urge communities across the country to join the Move to Amend campaign and raise your voices.”

Earlier this year voters in Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin overwhelmingly approved similar measures calling for an end to corporate personhood and the legal status of money as speech by 84% and 78% respectively. Next week voters in Missoula, Montana will have an opportunity to vote on a similar initiative in their community. Move to Amend volunteers in dozens of communities across the country are working to place similar measures on local ballots next year.

“Today’s ‘corporate personhood’ referendum in Boulder, Colorado is the latest message from the American people to state and federal legislators on the need for a Constitutional Amendment,” said Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD). “The Supreme Court’s misguided Citizens’ United ruling burst open the floodgates of corporate spending in our elections, but it also unleashed a wave of public outcry over the need to put individuals, not corporations, in control of our elections. The results from today are just one example that we must take action to protect our treasured democracy.”

Edwards introduced a bill last month for a Constitutional amendment that would overturn the controversial Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United case.

“Working on this campaign was electrifying,” said Scott Silber, a local Move to Amend organizer in Boulder. “We had such an outpouring of enthusiasm from our community. Folks were so thrilled to finally have an opportunity to have their voices heard and resoundingly call for an end to corporate corruption of our democracy. From here we’re taking the campaign to Denver, and then on to Washington, DC.”

Move to Amend’s strategy is to pass community resolutions across the nation through city councils and through direct vote by ballot initiative. “Our plan is build a movement that will drive this issue into Congress from the grassroots. The American people are behind us on this and our federal representatives will see that we mean business. Our very democracy is at stake,” stated Sopoci-Belknap.

For a complete list of all resolutions passed to date see: http://movetoamend.org/resolutions-map.

[Ebon]

[MissItalianDiva]

Occupy Oakland has just shut down the port of Oakland....the crowd is pretty impressive