By ERIKA NIEDOWSKI and MEGHAN BARR, The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- While more U.S. cities are resorting to force to break up the Wall Street protests, many others - Philadelphia, New York, Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., among them - are content to let the demonstrations go on for now.
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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for example, said Friday that the several hundred protesters sleeping in Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September, can stay as long as they obey the law.
"I can't talk about other cities," he said. "Our responsibilities are protect your rights and your safety. And I think we're trying to do that. We're trying to act responsibly and safely."
Still, the city made life a lot harder for the demonstrators: Fire authorities seized a dozen cans of gasoline and six generators that powered lights, cooking equipment and computers, saying they were safety hazards.
In the span of three days this week, police broke up protest encampments in Oakland, Calif., Atlanta and, early Friday, San Diego and Nashville, Tenn.
Nashville police cracked down after authorities imposed a curfew on the protest. Twenty-nine people were arrested and later released after a judge said the demonstrators were not given enough time to comply with the brand-new rule. They received citations for trespassing instead.
Fifty-one people were arrested in San Diego, where authorities descended on a three-week-old encampment at the Civic Center Plaza and Children's Park and removed tents, canopies, tables and other furniture.
Officials there cited numerous complaints about human and animal feces, urination, drug use and littering, as well as damage to city property - the same problems reported in many other cities. Police said the San Diego demonstrators can return without their tents and other belongings after the park is cleaned up.
Earlier this week, in the most serious clashes of the movement so far, more than 100 people were arrested and a 24-year-old Iraq War veteran suffered a skull fracture after Oakland police armed with tear gas and bean bag rounds broke up a 15-day encampment and repulsed an effort by demonstrators to retake the site.
But other cities have rejected aggressive tactics, at least so far, some of them because they want to avoid the violence seen in Oakland or, as some have speculated, because they are expecting the protests to wither anyway with the onset of cold weather.
Officials are watching the encampments for health and safety problems but say that protesters exercising their rights to free speech and assembly will be allowed to stay as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding.
"We're accommodating a free speech event as part of normal business and we're going to continue to enforce city rules," said Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for the mayor of Seattle, where about 40 protesters are camping at City Hall. "They have the right to peacefully assemble. Ultimately what the mayor is doing is strike a balance."
Authorities have similarly taken a largely hands-off approach in Portland, Ore., where about 300 demonstrators are occupying two parks downtown; Memphis, Tenn., where the number of protesters near City Hall has ranged from about a dozen to about 100; and in Salt Lake City, where activists actually held a vigil outside police headquarters this week to thank the department for not using force against them.
In the nation's capital, U.S. Park Police distributed fliers this week at two encampments totaling more than 150 tents near the White House. And while the fliers listed the park service regulations that protesters were violating, including a ban on camping, a park police spokesman said the notices should not be considered warnings.
In Providence, R.I., Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said the protesters will not be forcibly removed even after the Sunday afternoon deadline he set for them. He said he intends to seek their ouster by way of court action, something that could take several weeks.
"When you see police having to quell disturbances with tear gas or other means, it's not what the police want and it's not what we want to see in our society," Pare said.
Similarly, in London, church and local government authorities are going to court to evict protesters camped outside St. Paul's Cathedral - though officials acknowledged Friday it could take weeks or months to get an order to remove the tent city.
Several hundred protesters against economic inequality and corporate excesses have been camped outside the building since Oct. 15. On Oct. 21 cathedral officials shut the building, saying the campsite represented a health and safety hazard.
It was the first time the 300-year-old church, one of London's best-known buildings, had closed since German planes bombed the city during World War II.
In Minneapolis, where dozens have been sleeping overnight on a government plaza between a county building and City Hall, the three-week-old occupation has been far tamer than those in other cities, with only a few arrests.
Sheriff Rich Stanek has made it a practice to meet with protesters daily to talk about their issues and the day ahead, and he has refused to engage what he called "the 1 percent" who want to cause trouble.
"We decided that's not the tactic we want to take. Doing that sometimes requires biting your tongue," he said. He added: "Some people have said that's `Minnesota nice.' It's a balance."
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Niedowski reported from Providence, R.I.
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Associated Press Writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis; Lucas L. Johnson II in Nashville, Tenn.; Samantha Gross in New York; Terry Collins in Oakland, Calif.; Jonathan J. Cooper in Portland, Ore.; Josh Loftin in Salt Lake City; Julie Watson in San Diego; Chris Grygiel in Seattle; Ben Nuckols in Washington; and Laura Crimaldi in Providence, R.I., contributed to this story.
HuffPost's Craig Kanalley reports:
Spokes Council approved by Zuccotti Park General Assembly tonight 284-17. People hug, high-five in celebration. It's been discussed at five GA's and tabled multiple times, including a week ago after five hours of discussion. The council will begin meeting next week.
Reports Of Police Tension In San Diego| @ OccupySD : #occupysandiego Reports of police walking thru the civic center forcing occupiers out of their way. At least one detained in a paddy wagon. |
| @ OccupyNashville : #OWSNashville occupiers are back out on the plaza tonight and in GREAT spirits. Waiting to see if they will be arrested again tonight #OWS |
From Lexington, SC Patch:
While images of unrest and violence among anti-riot police and protesters in Oakland, Calif., and arrests in Atlanta have grabbed headlines this week, the scene surrounding Occupy Columbia is downright bucolic in comparison.Granted, Columbia is hardly a hotbed of radicalism, either on the right or the left. And it could hardly be confused with Oakland, Atlanta, or any number of other cities nationwide that are holding similar -- and much larger -- occupations to protest the corporatism that protesters allege has stripped political and economic power from average citizens.
Still, it might be cities such as Columbia that prove illustrative of how to handle and sustain a form of protest not seen since the Great Depression, when legions of unemployed men, the homeless and veterans erected tent cities and shanty towns known as "Hoovervilles."
Many protesters tell Patch they have managed to create what is, for the most part, a respectful and cooperative relationship with local law enforcement, not to mention the city, residents, and the authorities who oversee the State House grounds, where Occupy Columbia holds court.
"The cops have been nothing but kind," noted a protester who only gave his name as "Brandon," who along with a couple of other protesters spoke with Lexington Patch late one night and into the wee hours of the morning earlier this week as their fellow protesters slept around them.
Full story here.
Occupy Minnesota: Staying PutWhile other Occupy groups fend off mass arrests and mayors wielding arcane permit rules, Occupy Minnesota has taken root without fuss from the fuzz. The Star Tribune reports:
Despite violent confrontations between police and protesters in Oakland, Calf. and Nashville this week, things remain placid on "People's Plaza" outside Hennepin County Government Center. It?s been three weeks since Occupy Minnesota began, and though numbers on many days are small, there is no indication they are about to depart anytime soon."We are planning to continue as long as we possibly can, indefinitely, no matter how cold it is going to get," said Osha Karow, one of the original organizers of the occupation.
Local authorities do not appear to be anxious to imitate some other cities where the protesters have been unceremoniously driven off public property, with police confrontations that have created unfavorable publicity for local governments.
Full story here.
Anything For Occupy Melbourne| @ AGirlCalledKill : On my way to #OccupyMelbourne again, broken rib be damned! |
Organizers try to regroup after mass arrests. Watch the live stream here.
'Then They Fight You'From Truthout:
The national standoff between authorities and protesters in the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has reached a new and dangerous level of tension and violence.At first glance, it looked like something out of Pink Floyd's film 'The Wall': menacing images of creatures in gas masks swarming toward the camera under a dark and forbidding sky. This was no dystopian fantasy, however; these were members of the Oakland police department charging into a group of protesters behind a wall of tear gas, flash-bang bombs, rubber bullets and bean-bag projectiles. The police bull-rushed these unarmed protesters with the intention to do violence, and violence is exactly what they did.
As of this writing, one woman is known to have been seriously injured when a flash-bang grenade went off right by her head. She was seen being carried away unconscious from the scene of the police riot by other protesters. Anther known injured protester has a name, and a face, and a record of service to his country. Scott Olsen, a Marine veteran of two Iraq tours, was participating in the Occupy Oakland protest when he was shot in the head by a ?less-than-lethal? police projectile, suffered a fractured skull, and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. His condition has since been upgraded to fair.
Full story here.
Michael Moore Visits Occupy OaklandHuffPost's Robin Wilkey reports:
Famed activist and documentarian Michael Moore visited Occupy Oakland to speak to the crowd today. He laughed and joked with the crowd, but the tone turned somber when he called for 30 seconds of silence for Scott Olsen. "We are all Scott Olsen," he said.
"This movement has killed apathy. They've turned off Dancing with the Stars!" He continued. "Something good will come out of this movement. And this weekend in Oakland will stand out as a watershed moment."
Before he left the podium, Moore thanked the crowd. "Millions are inspired by you because you didn't go away. The next night, you came back."
Occupy Oakland Plans Go Beyond General Strike| @ occupyoakland : The #GeneralStrike isnt a 1 day event. Its beginning of a multi-tiered plan. We are initiating events Those who cant participate: next time! |
HuffPost's Amanda Fairbank reports:
Since graduating from Ithaca College in May, Nathan Grant has searched high and low for steady work.After spending the summer renting kayaks at a local campground, Grant moved back in with his parents in Little Egg Harbor, N.J.
In mid-September, Grant first read about Occupy Wall Street online. He said he felt a deep connection to the movement early on, motivated to join it not only because of his struggle to find a job, but also because of the $90,000 in student loan debt that now hangs like an albatross around his neck.
A little over a week ago, Grant, 22, moved into lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. He has yet to return home.
Read the whole thing here.
Midwest Occupy Wall Street Protesters Seek To Highlight Foreclosure MessAs the Occupy Wall Street movement enters its seventh week of protest against income inequality, some Midwestern Occupiers are zeroing in on housing issues affecting their communities.Occupy Minneapolis successfully pressured U.S. Bank this week to postpone a Twin Cities woman's eviction. Now they're planning "Operation F," a campaign pushing for a foreclosure moratorium by occupying foreclosed homes.
"What we started to do was to make preparations, digging in and taking the occupations to peoples' homes," said Ben Egerman, a protester at Occupy Minneapolis. The protesters will go to houses where the homeowners face eviction and 'occupy' the homes to highlight the ongoing mortgage mess.
And in Iowa, Occupy activists met Thursday with state Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading a nationwide investigation of bad faith foreclosure dealings by big banks, to voice their concerns.
Homeowner advocates fear the attorneys general will reach a settlement that is not tough enough on banks, despite the potential for it being the largest multi-state settlement since the agreement with tobacco companies in 1998. "I'm still not sure if the settlement committee is going to require the banks pay anywhere near as much as they should, but that's a hard number to get your arm around," Ed Fallon said after he left the meeting with Miller and his staff.
Read the whole story here.
Occupy Movement In Santa BarbaraMichael Clear sent OfftheBus this report from Santa Barbara, California on Oct. 28, 2011.
The largest rally was two weeks ago with nearly 500 attending. Each weekend there is a meeting in De La Guerra Plaza followed by a march down State Street, the town?s main thoroughfare. The march is monitored by city police on bicycles, motor cycles, and cars. The police have apparently been instructed to re-direct traffic on this busy street to accommodate the marchers. We chant ?We are the 99%; Banks got bailed out, we got left out; often to thumbs up and other gestures of support from on-lookers and passersby on the busy shopping sidewalks.
The marchers routinely stop in front of the Bank of America and Chase Bank and chant for a few minutes. The banks lock their doors for this and last week there was a heavy police presence in front of both banks. On a few occasions demonstrators have attempted to enter the banks to close their accounts accompanied by the chant ?Close your accounts? by the marchers; no demonstrator has been able to enter any bank due to locked doors despite the march being held during open banking hours.
This week, the Occupy encampment at De La Guerra plaza was raided in the early morning by police, and the campers were ejected from the park. There is a substantial police presence each day at the park to ensure that there is no further camping.
We have been fortunate to avoid direct confrontation with the police for the most part, though I suspect that it would not take a great deal to ignite a more aggressive confrontation either by police or by protestors.
To add your own images or first-hand reports from OWS events near you, email offthebus@huffingtonpost.com. See more citizen journalism from Occupy Wall Street events here.
The Inevitable Occupy Rap Is HereOccupy Boston's Miles Disney proposes a solution to the global economic crisis. He wants to "tap that asset." Also, Paul Krugman has mad flow. Who knew? Watch below:
Oakland Mayor Booed During Occupy VigilHuffPost's Robin Wilkey reports
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who has been aggressively trying to regain the city's trust since the incident on Tuesday, was also scheduled to speak, but, according to a statement from Quan, her 6 p.m. address was cancelled. "I had hoped to speak directly to you tonight," she wrote. "I was told that I could speak at the Speak Out at 6 p.m., but that was cancelled. So I apologize for providing these remarks in written form." She continued, explaining the she was "deeply saddened" by the incident. "When there's violence, there are no winners -- it polarizes us and opens old wounds rather than brings us together, which is the aim of Occupy Wall Street and uniting the 99 percent."Later, Quan visited the plaza, but was booed upon arrival, and was mobbed by protesters chanting "go home," calling her a killer and screaming for her to step down. KTVU captured raw footage the protesters mobbing her as she arrived.
Full story and video here.:
How To Get Laid By The 99 Percent: A ManifestoCourtesy of HuffPost SF partner SF Weekly:
We learned a couple days ago that the Occupy protesters are a horny crew, advertising their plaints for love and sex on Craigslist.Well, perhaps those services can be rendered, also thanks to Craigslist. A dude calling himself Barry McCockiner -- who is also seen spanking his stuffed monkey on YouTube (definitely someone with good advice) -- has posted the Holy Grail on how to get some tail at the protest of our generation in Craigslist's "Rants and Raves" section.
A few highlights include his advice on posing as a single dad or an interested reporter to break the ice at these events. Better yet, why not say you are an art major? We're rather entertained by McCockiner's wit, especially his attempt to "out-hipster the hipsters."
Read the full story here.
Rundown Of Police ConfrontationsRaw Story does the broad sweep from San Diego to Raleigh.
Occupy DC Protesters Apologize For Removing Flag Of Disenfranchised Capital CityIn an email to DCist, Occupy DC protesters apologized for removing the District of Columbia flag from the front of the Wilson Building, the seat of the D.C. government, earlier this week:
"...[T]here was much discussion of the removal of the dc flag upon return to McPherson square and many occupiers shared this concern. Expect a dc voting rights and equality march to take place soon and we hope that these folks who have expressed this grievance will join us. Dc is not represented and should be with a population larger than that of some states and this disenfranchisement is an often discussed and important issue to our movement. We apologize to all that were offended and please pass onto them their concerns are heard and we stand with the citizens of dc is solidarity against the institutional disenfranchisement of its population, among which most of us are included."Occupy Nashville Issues Press Release On Arrests
Organizers compile a timeline of events. And conclude:
Occupy Nashville supporters believe that these arbitrary rule changes are intended to stifle political speech and are in direct violation of their 1st amendment rights, and rights also affirmed under the Tennessee State Constitution.Occupy Oakland Releases Details On General StrikeSays Occupy Nashville supporter Buck Gorrell:
?We have a legitimate complaint that is supported by a majority of the American people that there is too much corruption in government. We have a right to assemble to address those complaints. What more appropriate public space is there in Tennessee for that purpose than Legislative Plaza? The state government is imposing arbitrary barriers to our rights under the Constitution.?
According to legal council for Occupy Nashville, the imposition of fees or costs in order to assemble in a public place for the purpose of political speech is a clear violation of Constitutional rights.
Says Occupier Tristan Call:
?We are not camping here for fun. We are not just here to be here. We are doing exactly what is described in the 1st Amendment: peacefully assembling to petition the government.?
The general strike is to take place on Nov. 2. There will be mass gatherings at 14th and Broadway. Info can be found here
General Strike Flyer Bilingual
General Strike Poster Bilingual
Demonstrators Occupy Brazil DamHundreds of activists angry over dam's impact. According to one news account:
More than 400 activists occupied the site of Brazil's $11bn Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, demanding that construction be halted on the controversial project in the heart of the Amazon.Times Reports On Lack Of Diversity At Zuccotti Park"Everything was peaceful - there were no guards or workers," said a spokesperson for the Indigenous Missionary Council, a group linked to the Catholic Church.
The indigenous people and environmentalists at the site of what would be the third biggest dam in the world - after China's Three Gorges dam and the Itaipu dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay - say they will stay indefinitely.
They are demanding a total halt to work on the project in western Para state, or at least a suspension of construction until local residents can be consulted, the representative said.
The New York Times' Alice Speri reports:
Two weeks into Occupy Wall Street?s takeover of Zuccotti Park, a group of Bronx community organizers and friends rode the subway down to Lower Manhattan to check out a movement they supported in principle.When they got there, they recalled, they found what they had suspected: a largely white and middle-class crowd that claimed to represent ?the 99 percent? but bore little resemblance to most of the people in the group?s own community. That community, the South Bronx, is one of the poorest areas of the country and home almost exclusively to blacks and Hispanics.
Read the whole thing here.
The Guardian: The Occupy Movement Has Staying PowerDespite the flurry of Occupy arrests, which now number in the thousands, The Guardian suggests that the movement has roots:
So what can give the Occupiers deep roots to weather the storms coming their way and make this vital movement sustainable? For one, the Occupy movements are setting the agenda: rather than being reactive at summits where the powerful determine the terrain, they are occupying in their own neighbourhoods at times of their choosing. And they are staying. With the encampments comes a higher level of public engagement that encourages people to look beyond lazy cliches of protesters, creating what has the potential to be a truly democratic, plural, open space.Post Mass-Arrests, Occupy Nashville To Hold General Assembly Tonight
Occupy Nashville writes on its Facebook page:
Update: This evening's General Assembly will be at 7pm on the steps of Legislative Plaza. Those not planning to risk arrest should gather with one of our lawyers on the sidewalk. If this spot is not acceptable to officials, he will lead them to a safe spot. Please come and bring new signs! (The old ones have been confiscated.) We have important decisions to make about how to continue Occupy Nashville, and the media will be present to monitor the situation.Occupy Wall Street: Protests Spread to Islamabad, If Only For A Day
HuffPost's Joshua Hersh reports:
According to CNN, some 75 people gathered in front of the local headquarters of the World Bank on Wednesday, chanting anti-capitalist and pro-labor slogans like "Should we eat dust or stones?" or "Where should we go? What should we eat? Inflation has reached its peak."A pamphlet handed out by the group more closely echoed the rhetoric of Occupy protesters in the United States, where the movement has spread to dozens of cities, saying, "We are the 99%. We will drive out the international 1%."
Read the full story here.
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