Occupy Your Own Front Lawn

@OccupyYourLawn

Occupy Your Own Front Lawn

War on Error  has a great idea:

put a tent on your own front lawn and then we can start seeing hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of our own front lawns….Occupied!!! 

Thank you Daily Kos   @dailykos it’s excellent.

What would Mayors and Police Departments and City Councils and Bureaucrats do?

Will they start raiding my own front lawn? Throwing tear gas canisters into my pup tent?  Whack my dog with a baton?  Pull my grandmother out of her sleeping bag?  Turn over my cookstove?  Tear down my sign?

You don’t even have to sleep in your tent (some people can’t).

Holidays come, throw a string of lights on it & put on your Santa suit!

Hell, in some cities they probably would, but it’s not like they can say there is a curfew.  Or the property owner did not give you permission?

The more I think on this and write about it the more I like it and want to see it done.

“Imagine how this could garner news.  We can get quite creative, actually.

We can each make an Occupy Statement on our front lawns if we have one.  Imagine the kids in the neighborhoods asking:

“Mom, why does that lady (whoever) on the corner have a tent in her yard?  And what does Occupy Wall Street mean?“

The Call To Action—November 17th

A Call To Action

November 17, 2011

10 am- 11:30 am

Resist austerity. Reclaim the economy. Recreate our democracy.

New York City Schedule of events–

—Check Back at the link, It Will Be Updated!!!

• Wall Street-  7:00 am: Resist austerity!                                        SHUT DOWN WALL STREET
• All Five Boroughs-  2:30 pm: Reclaim our democracy!          OCCUPY THE SUBWAYS
• Foley square- 5 pm-: Rebuild our economy!                                TAKE THE SQUARE

November 17th:

Don’t believe the media hype trying to sell you on the idea that the protestors are bad people doing bad things–living in their own feces and crap like that repeated on your TV over & over.

November 17th was an Historic Day of Action Nationwide

—check this article out

On November 17th, during this Call to Action, among the arrested are:

Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis

City Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito

City Council Member Jumaane Williams

Workers United International Vice President Wilfredo Larancuent

SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry

SEIU 1199 President George Gresham

CWA Vice President Chris Shelton

CWA Vice President , Fr. Luis Barrios of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization-IFCO

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been supportive of the Occupy movement, was among those arrested outside of the park. Police Commission(er) Ray Kelly said Rodriguez was trying to get through police lines to reach the protesters.

“All the cops are just workers for the one percent, and they don’t even realize they’re being exploited,” retired Police Captain Ray Lewis said. “As soon as I’m let out of jail, I’ll be right back here and they’ll have to arrest me again.”

“The law that created Zuccotti Park required that it be open for the public to enjoy for passive recreation 24 hours a day,” Bloomberg said. “Ever since the occupation began, that law has not been complied with, as the park has been taken over by protesters, making it unavailable to anyone else.”

The Wall Street march today in NYC:

From Shen Tong:  Police barricade park now – won’t allow people to leave. un-confirmed report: beating of people in zuccotti park by police

A number of folks have been reporting the same activities this morning.

And not just in NYC as this Day of… has reached nationwide.

And there are an awful lot of cops in NYC:

These officers are watching over the tents???

The NYC Subway system will be occupied today!!!

• 3:00 pm: OCCUPY THE SUBWAYS RECLAIM our democracy! Throughout the boroughs, we will gather at 7 central subway hubs, to listen to a singular story from one of our hardest-hit and most inspirational neighbors. Bronx: Fordham Rd, and 3rd Ave/138th Brooklyn: Broadway Junction, and Borough Hall Queens: Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave, and Jamaica Center Parsons Archer Manhattan: 125th st, and Union Square Staten Island: St George/Staten Island Ferry
• Bronx: Fordham Rd, and 3rd Ave/138th
• Brooklyn: Broadway Junction, and Borough Hall
• Queens: Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave, and Jamaica Center Parsons Archer
• Manhattan: 125th st, and Union Square
• Staten Island: St George/Staten Island Ferry
• Then we will take our own stories to the trains, using the “People’s Mic”. We will rise up from the underground to join thousands of others gathered in the light of day, at Foley Square.

Then we will take our own stories to the trains, using the “People’s Mic”. We will rise up from the underground to join thousands of others gathered in the light of day, at Foley Square.

From: https://www.facebook.com/events/241419422582978/

Reporters from the Daily Caller have been beten by police during actions today.  The Daily Caller is a right-wing news organization and website.

Above is Meichelle Fields, a reporter for the Daily Caller who was beaten by NYC police and helped by the protestors on Nov 17th.

Meichelle states that “Direna had a camera in her hand and I had a microphone, and we were being hit,” she said. “When I fell to the ground I said at one point, ‘I’m just covering this! I’m covering this!’  And the officer just said, ‘Come on, get up, get up,’ before pulling me up by my jacket.’” “The protesters came up to me right away and asked if I needed any medical assistance. They were actually very kind and helpful. It was the police officers who were very aggressive,” Fields added.”

The bold is from the article, and you can read more at the link above the photo.

A group also marched to Union Square in NYC.

Sign this petition and help shame NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who seems to be shameless.

  On this Day of Action, while the Brooklyn Bridge is an Occupied in NYC and some 276 people have been arrested in New York by 4 pm PT.

Earlier today a Restraining Order was filed in San Diego by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) against both the City and the San Diego Police Department.  The NLG has said:

“The SDPD are currently arbitrarily telling people who walk through the Civic Center that if they set down anything—their purse, their bag, a chair, or in one case even a tomato plant—, they will be arrested,” said attorney Bryan Pease.

“The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech and the right to peacefully assemble—municipal code section 54.010 and how it is being enforced by the SDPD is unconstitutional… Even if the court does not grant the TRO because they want to allow the city time to prep their arguments, this is a text book case of unconstitutional enforcement of a municipal code and I believe we will be successful at the preliminary injunction hearing.”

More at the above link.

At 8:15 pm ET there are helicopters, NYPD & news, overhead.

The Brooklyn Bridge is now home to a marching band, a People’s Library and a projector!!  Someone adds “Let’s set up a kitchen!”.  Great idea.

Before the march began from Foley Square, the NYPD could be seen futzing with their kettleing nets.

Demonstrations, protests and March in NYC, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Sacramento and so many cities in between.

And we in America care about the protestors in Syria who yearn to be free enough to protest without fear of arrest or injury. 

The photo below is from a protest in @OccupySeattle today:

Because some people, like Dennis Gartman in Forbes Magazine, actually celebrates income inequality.  How can you celebrate that shit and look your mother in the eye?  How can you celebrate that shit and kiss your children in the morning??  I do not understand…

“We celebrate income disparity and we applaud the growing margins between the bottom 20% of American society and the upper 20% for it is evidence of what has made America a great country. It is the chance to have a huge income… to make something of one’s self; to begin a business and become a millionaire legally and on one’s own that separates the US from most other nations of the world. Do we feel bad for the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the US? Of course not; we celebrate it…”

Thoughts About Oakland On October 25, 2011

These are just my thoughts about what happened in Oakland California on the night of October 25, 2011.

The activities stemmed from @OccupyWallStreet as @OccupyOakland grew in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement which has spread worldwide as part of the middle-class and poorer classes response to the global recession and the view that the recent economic crisis has been at least partly a result of big banks and big corporations greed.

The people can see that these large entitites have feasted while the rest of us have gone hungry.

And so the @OccupyTheWorld groups have started and they have grown in spite of various attempts by politicians and even local law enforcement to put out the fires.

But the fire cannot be extinguished in that way because at it’s root it is not criminal activity.  No matter what laws an individual country or local area has, the people have a basic “unalienable right” to freedom.

Politicians & police do not understand that major actions like last night in Oakland and in Atlanta actually strengthen a movement.  Managers think they are giving directions to line police officers that will result in “crushing” an acvtivity.  But this is not a criminal activity.

It is not a crime wave or even a street gang.

Even military action would only strengthen the movement because folks that sympathize with the protestors now decide to join them or offer other support they otherwise would not have considered.

We only have to look at the most recent activities in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Iran….someday North Korea, Iraq, African countries and evcentually China.

What is to the politicians and some police a simple attempt to stop a group from doing something like “camping” in the park or on the Plaza becomes something much larger and on television or on the internet it looks like they are stifling freedom.  It looks like ‘the people’ who are asking for just a little bit of freedom are being hammered by a giant fist.

Which is actually exactly what is going on.  Exactly.

And so more people join and more people support…and it becomes emboldened and strengthened.  Day by day.

If you saw this video on television, on the nightly news, or on the internet what would be your response?  What about your friends or your neighbors?

Would it cause some new people to join the cause?

This photo shows an Iraq veteran injured on a street in Oakland, California on the night of October 25th:

Check out his “Veterans For Peace” T-shirt.

The group has offered support in many U.S. cities that are “Occupied” including Oakland.

So here we have a brave young man.  An American who has served us well in Iraq, seen and done things we would not understand but can appreciate.

And he returns from serving from our war in Iraq only to lay injured in an American street.  For protesting.

Listen, this is important:  he was not robbing a bank.  He was not assaulting anyone.  He was not dealing drugs to schoolchildren.

He was protesting.  This Iraq war veteran was significantly injured solely because he protested.

Below is an empty shell and an actual rubber slug shot from from a 12 gauge shotgun:

And here is the same type of shell with as rubber bullet before firing:

And I definitely recommend that you sign this petition to Mayor Jean Quan and the Oakland Police Chief and let them know that firing tear gas cannisters, rubber bullets and wooden dowels at our citizens is wrong.

The site allows you to submit your completed form.

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Why is any of this important?

The protests, the occupations, the marches, the violence, the politicians deciding to evict the protestors, the police telling the TV news people to turn their “cameras off”, the rubber bullets & tear gas cannisters?

Why is any of it important at all?

Because of this.  The report that rich people and corporations do NOT want you to see:

 

New Report Shows the inequality of income distribution in the U.S.

You have heard the term “We are the 99%” and you have heard the news reporters laugh at the idea that the Top 1% owns most of the money.

Well now there is proof that is true.  This is a  report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Look how dramatic this is in the graph below.

The Top 1% (really rich people) is the light blue line, this is the THEM

The other colors are US, broken down into three groups.  All together they do not equal the Top 1%.

Related articles

• Occupy Wall Street & Decolonize Wall Street Posters (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Cities With Occupy Wall Street Protests (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Occupy Cities Outside of New York City and Wall Street (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Not Occupy – Decolonize Wall Street (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Occupy Sacramento, California (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Religious And Spiritual Events At Occupy Wall Street (huffingtonpost.com)
• Occupy Wall Street: Video of legal observer run over by NYPD scooter (dailykos.com)
• Occupy Wall Street Face Off with Police [Photos] (wcbsfm.radio.com)
• Indians Counter Occupy Wall Street Movement With Decolonize Wall Street (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Occupy Wall Street: Video of legal observer run over by NYPD scooter (dailykos.com)
• Occupy Wall Street Face Off with Police [Photos] (wcbsfm.radio.com)
• Indians Counter Occupy Wall Street Movement With Decolonize Wall Street (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)

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Sacramento Residents: How To Determine Your City Council Member and Contact The Council and Mayor

Sacramento Residents:

Call your City Councilmember and the Mayor.  Let them know that you support the rights of all Sacramentans.

We do have the Constitutional Right to our Freedom of Speech under the 1st Amendment.

Even if you do not agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement you can let the politicians who run the City of Sacramento know how strongly you believe in our Constitution.

All of us have the same rights.  Our veterans fight for us every day to support those rights and those of us at home have a duty to do what we can to make sure that politicians do not trample on those rights.

Need help to figure out who your Councilmember is?  Things have changed recently so it can get confusing for residents.

Go HERE to the Council District map.

Once you know what District you are in you can  Go HERE and get the phone numbers and fax numbers

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Occupy Wall Street Cartoons

****I update  this post, so check back

This is a post about cartoons about Occupy Wall Street and other Occupied sites.

The cartoons I choose will be ones that I find funny or otherwise interesting.  I’m just not grabbing everything out there and posting it.  This blog is mostly for me so if you can’t find what you like….look elsewhere.

This is not a subject that I find particularly funny but there are funny circumstances and I always find the humor within a subject.

The ability to laugh at ourselves keeps us sane.  Sometimes.  Mebbe.

The very first cartoon I saw with Occupy Wall Street as its inspiration is this one:

And the latest is this one on the recent cover of the October New Yorker magazine showing us what a protest by the Wall Street fat-cats would look like.  Cartoonists brains amaze me.

In between we have had these cartoons among others:

Some just play off the “Wall Street” title like this one about Wal-Mart.

Others are much more serious and show that the cartoonist “gets it” like these that remind us that while protestors are getting arrested the bankers that threw our economy into the toilet are still not in jail!

Other cartoonists have tried to draw the differences (and not the similarities) between the Occupy Wall Street protestors and the Tea Party even though they may be completely wrong:

Some cartoonists have used well-known cartoon characters to make very strong points.

This is a cartoon that I like.  It draws an important difference, and by so doing, makes a vivid point:

Think Progress has a list of their Top Ten Occupy Wall Street cartoons HERE.

November 8th:

Cartoonist Susie Cagle was arrested while covering the Occupy Wall Street actions at @OccupyOakland!!

“According   to Susie, she had her press pass in full view when she was arrested,  and  one of the Oakland Police Department officers even recognized her  and  knew her comics.”

Check the article at Daryl Cagle’s Cartoon Blog (chock full of political cartoons) at the link above, along with a video of Susie at the link above and Twitter Susie Cagle at @susie_c

Here is a site with the “Best of” Occupy political cartoons.  Check the link!

And check out Frugal Cafe directly for a ton of Occupy cartoons.

I will add attributions for the cartoonist and the original magazine, newspaper or internet site as soon as possible.

Do you have any cartoons that you have seen?  I will be happy to add them here.

Please leave a comment here or you can Twitter me @zenDR and I’ll give you the email address.  Thanks!!

Lists Of Cities With Occupy Wall Street Protests

A lot of people try to find a list of cities that have Occupy Wall Street Protests.

Of course, the protests started in the home of Wall Street—New York City.  But it quickly spread to other cities all the way to the West coast, and new cities get added every day.

I have found two different attempts to keep track of all of the various cities hosting protests and I will provide you with the two best websites.

Note:  These are not my sites and I do not maintain them.  if you want to know more about an individual site, visit them and contact their webmaster.

If you want to provide updated information on a particular city or have a site add a new city, contact them with your information.  I am sure they will update their tool as soon as they can.

From Occupy Together, the beginnings of a directory of Occupy locations.  This will be linked and updated by the good folks at Occupy Together.

This is a good chart, formatted well and easy to follow.  You have to bump it up to like 200% to see it well, but that is because there is so much useful information.

This site lists by date, name, working group/committee, City/State, e-mail adress, contact phone # and website.

The Occupy Together website is at:

http://www.occupytogether.org/

e-mail:  info@occupytogether.org

meetup.com/occupytogether

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There are also sites outside of the U.S.  people are suffering everywhere.

A list of Occupy sites worldwide, called We All Occupy,  can be found HERE.  It lists U.S., International, colleges,  and “Other” groups.

This list is also very complete  and gives you a Facebook page and/or website if it is available.

To submit information to be added to this #occupy list, please send e-mail to: wealloccupy@gmail.com or @ tweet them  at www.twitter.com/WeAllOccupy

Hip Hop Music Video–An Anthem For The Occupy Wall Street Movement

The Hip-Hop Music Video, An Anthem for The Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Share this video & help it go viral!!!

The Grounded TV Network teamed up with  Hon. George Martinez of Ground Zero and The Global Block Collective to produce this music video.

 

http://www.globalblock.org/

The  Global Block harnesses the spirit of innovation, creativity and  activism at the core of the Hip-Hop movement to empower youth and  transform communities across the globe. Through its leadership,  expertise and financial support it aims to inspire individuals to become  agents of change in their communities.

Alan Grayson (D) Explains The Occupy Wall Street Movement To The 1%

The Occupy Wall Street Movement gets explained to the 1% in less than 60 seconds.

Priceless

Former Congressman Alan Grayson, (D) was a guest on the Bill Maher show (I don’t watch it myself), explained like this on Politic USA:

“The latest edition of Real Time featured one of Bill Maher’s patented balance things out with three Republicans and a Democrat panels, but the Democrat was Alan Grayson. While P.J. fellow panelist P.J. O’Rourke broke out his bathing and hippie jokes, former Rep. Grayson schooled him on Occupy Wall Street.”

“O’Rourke claimed that the Occupy Wall Street people flunked econ, and Grayson said, “No, listen Bill, I have no trouble understanding what they are talking about.” O’Rourke asked Grayson, “You passed econ?” Grayson answered, “I was an economist for more than three years, so I think so…Now let me tell you about what they’re talking about. They’re complaining that Wall Street wrecked the economy three years ago and nobody’s held responsible for that. Not a single person’s been indicted or convicted for destroying twenty percent of our national net worth accumulated over two centuries. They’re upset about the fact that Wall Street has iron control over the economic policies of this country, and that one party is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street, and the other party caters to them as well.”

Watch the video:

 

Occupy Cities Other Than New York City and Wall Street

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1326407570.html

Live update “Occupy” info HERE

Includes regions of country, cities and links including any available LiveStream

Twitter them at @OccupyInfo

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November 1st:

Check out this great video from The Young Turks:

October 3rd:

We did it. 35,000 people on the marches alone. Some stayed at the plaza. Some strikers stayed home. Beautiful pic:

And……….”a moment of tension at the Oakland Port”

Watch the vimeo vid from TurnstyleNews

From Politicus USA,  the Heritage Foundation,  advocating for the health insurance mandate in the early 1990s stated “The conservatives are masters at creating a problem, then blaming the other guy for the mess. Look at our debt, it was doubled by Ronald Reagan, fixed by Clinton, and then the Clinton surplus was squandered by the Republicans and George W Bush.”

October 4th:

@OccupyDCAction  @OccupyKStreet  @OccupyWashingtonDC 

All of those occupiers in our nations capitol!!!  Right on baby.

Sitting down and controlling the Koch Brothers!

They control six intersections in our great district.

Just occupying the SHIT outta the Convention Center and the Koch Brothers Conference and those rich ass kissing politicians that they control.

November 5th:

You have had HUGE successes this week:

• you shut down the 5th busiest port in the United States of America (Oakland, California)
• you shut down a full six busy city intersections in Washington DC as part of the Occupy the City Center of our nations Capitoil
• One million people moved their money OUT of the biggest banks in the nation DESPITE the banks attempts to keep you there, charging you ten dollars to close your account, harassing you and arresting you just because you wanted to close your bank account

Congratulations to the American people for having the grit and determination to get the job done!!!

November 6th:

@OccupyOrlando had Teach-in today at their Beth Johnson Park.  It was on the 1st Ammendment.  Great huh??  I thought so.  Until I heard that 13 people were arrested.

People get arrested during a class about the 1st Ammendment.  They were out there in a chilly Florida rain and it was broadcast via Livestream.

And, of course, they got arrested for expressing their First Ammendment rights to Free Speech and Freedom of Assembly.

If I go to a class about how to make money on the stock market do I get arrested for making money?

***Call To Action***   November 17th

10 am- 11:30 am

Resist austerity. Reclaim the economy. Recreate our democracy.

New York City Schedule of events–Check Back at the link, It Will Be Updated!!!

• Wall Street-  7:00 am: Resist austerity! SHUT DOWN WALL STREET
•  All Five Boroughs-  2:30 pm: Reclaim our democracy!  OCCUPY THE SUBWAYS
•  Foley square- 5 pm-: Rebuild our economy! TAKE THE SQUARE

Someone in this video says something like “It doesn’t make a difference if you only hurt their pocketbook one day.”  I say, hell yeh.  It makes a difference, but you have too do it one day after one day after one day.  Check the @OccupyDallas video above.

People arrested in @OccupyDallas are being “Held without Bail”  What???

They are being held “under investigation for attempting to start a riot.”

And the Dallas PD are refusing to issue any information about the arrests beyond that little statement.

@OccupyRiverside was raided today.  The brave brothgers & sisters who were arrested will be held overnight.  The tents and canopies that were there were removed during the raid.

BUT—new tents and canopies have been constructed AND the People’s Kitchen is back up and running!!  And soup is being served!!!

November 7th:

@OccupyAtlanta suffered a number of police actions yesterday with at least 20 people arrested.  @OccupyAtlanta’s response to the arrests is at the link.

“The arrests made over the last few days have brought national attention to the City of Atlanta and to Occupy Atlanta. There have been several attempts to silence our voice and deny our First Amendment rights. Excessive police presence and the waste of tax payer’s money shines a light on the the government’s distorted priorities and failures to act in the best interests of the people.”

Read more from the @OccupyAtlanta folks at the link.

@OccupyPhiladelphia discusses the Atlanta arrests.  Philadelpjia and all of the other cities stand with the brave people of Atlanta!!

A new ABC Poll shows that 66% of Americans want the Obama Administration to stand up to big business MORE!!!  At the link you will find the raw data plus some breakdowns showing the population that was questioned.  Pretty representative group in this survey and the results are pretty representative too.

I hope the President listens and we begin to hear and see that he and his administration are taking a stronger stance when it comes to issues such as corporate greed.

Kick their asses!!

November 9th:

And beware:

Many Credit Unions rival large banks in their size.  And if you are concerned about the pay of CEOs or bonuses for Executives, do some research before you select a CU.  high salaries on their own may not be a no-go for you, but make sure you don’t get surprised later.

In California many Executives of Credit Unions make annual salaries of more than $600,000 per year.  God knows what (or if) the taxes paid by some turn out to be.

Check at the link for California CU CEO salaries.

The March on Washington started today with a small group of occupiers walking from New York City into Washington DC.  At some 20 miles each day they should arrive about November 23rd in time for the Congressional Super Committee meeting about our nations debt ceiling.

You remember the debt ceiling?  A long long time ago (like in July 2011) the Republicans decided to hold our nation hostage because they did not want the debt ceiling raised.

And so we got right down to the final final last minute.

And then our nations credit worthiness was downgraded.

And then the price of money went up and the price of every goods and service went up, and we may never in our lifetime regain our stellar credit rating.

And because the Republicans so much want to regain the Whitehouse in 2012, they refused to increase the debt ceiling through the end of 2012, which would have  removed it from the discussions that either party has during the Presidential election cycle.

Instead, here we are beginning to talk about it again.

And I know the Occupy groups want to remain apolitical, but this is my blog.

And I say the Republicans and any Democrat who stood with them during the summer on the issue of the debt ceiling are utter assholes.  You sold my great-grandchildren, who are yet to be born, down the fucking proverbial river.

@OccupyCal @OccupyUCBerkeley Occupy University of California at Berkeley California  big things going on.

Livestream is HERE

Police raids continue with constant efforts by the group to maintain security.

Huge numbers of police around the hall plus check out this you tube video below from earlier today.  It is so scary it almost looks like a movie:

Earlier today, about 3 pm, an UC Berkeley administrator came to the GA (first of Berkeley) and told the occupiers that he was proud to let them stay “24/7″ on the campus.  But he would not allow “tents, sleeping bags or cooking” so you can stay but no cover, warmth or food.  “Thank you guests”.

Police then raided (attempted to raid?) the encampment.

The occupiers held a vote which passed by some 93% basically saying:

• we vote “bullshit” on UC and the visiting administrator
• we will protect the encampment to the last person
• we will be non-violent to the end (I always had trouble with that one)

9:15 pm the police are moving in with helmets, batons and tear gas canisters.

I stand with you in Berkeley!!

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@OccupyArrests  A running total of arrests during the Occupy Movement

The @OccupyArrests Project website is HERE

Follow them at Twitter and the website

November 9 arrests:   71

Total arrests:          3,516

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November 10th:

Hours after the police beatdown inflicted at @OccupyCal in Berkeley California there are at least 600 people standing in front of Sproul Hall where the police action took place.   Take the Hall over and Sit-In.

The LIVE ABC Channel 7 helicopter view over the top of this crowd is HERE

At one point, there was a HUGE crowd on the Berkeley campus facing a smaller but significant line of police.  I am not a non-violent person, I must admit, as a student of the 50s and 60s.  All it seems to do is allow you to get your ass kicked.

But I am glad to see this new, young crowd of protestors hold onto their values even in the face of these constant police raids and beatings simply for exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and protest.

Later @californiabeat states 39 were arrested in the Berkeley demonstrations.

@Occupy_Harvard  HERE is a current pic of the encampment on the Harvard yard.

@OccupyMiani needs people to be at the encampment at Noon today (Thursday).  The police will attempt to close down the camp at that time.

With all of the Occupy activity nationwide including “Move Your Money” day, the banks have increased their foreclosure activity during October with a 7% increase over September!!.

Read at the link.

Remember back in my original post about occupied cities other than NYC & Sacramento and the big day of violence in Sacramento.  Or, maybe you read or saw it elsewhere, I had an entry where folks had “outed” a cop or two who showed up in civilian clothes at an Occup

ww land event.

It was a bit of a “gotcha” moment showing “provacatuers on youtube and suggesting that occupiers be more careful, as they should be.

Here is one of those Oakland cops talking about the video and what he thought he was doing.

Watch them and judge for yourself.

Last night after watching the interview with the outed cop, I tweeted that I could like this cop.  He could be my friend.  Or my brother.  Some people responded about how stupid I must be and how easily tricked I was.

No, not at all folks.  I don’t need to give my protestor bio here, but people know me.  Even peeps in Oakland know me.

It is what it is and I accept this guys words as honest.

@OccupySC South Carolina crowd heckles down Republican Presidential candidate Michelle Bachman.

“Occupy Wall Street protesters on Thursday disrupted a foreign policy speech by Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann in which she said she would make Iraq pay back billions of dollars the U.S. spent to liberate the country and never let Iran get its hands on a nuclear weapon.”

She is such an ass.

This article on Oakland asks “Why Is The Oakland PD Hiding The Truth…?”.  it seems to be a very childish question and assumes that there is a “truth” hidden somewhere.  Reality is probably much more complex.

But it is as if Fox News or some other news show asked “Why Is The Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Oakland Movement Hiding The Truth…?”  I would have to say, Oh really????

November 11th:

Happy Veteran’s Day!!

And to all of our brave U.S. Veteran’s—I cherish your service.

For those overseas today—I pray for your safe and quick return.

 @OccupyOakland  and @northoaklandnow  protestors are taking turns addressing the policement who are guarding the doors. The marchers are heading back  to Frank Ogawa Plaza.

the @OccupyOakland folks received notice from the city of Oakland California masquerading as a “Notice of Violations and Order to Cease Violations“.

I spent most of my working life in local government.  I understand such notices. It then depends on who sent the notice, who can back their play.  Obviously, someone in the City wants to enforce the code that promted them to produce the notice.

The question is does the City (May and Council) have the Cojones to raid the camp and be on television again.

And how many conversations have/will they have with our Governor, a previous Mayor of the great City of Oakland.  A man who has lived his entire political life with a politicians desire to avoid negative ink.

The notice is at the link above, take a look.

And watch your backs people.

A few minutes later it appears the Police Department issued the notice.  The police department also confirmed the man injured near the Occupy camp has, unfortunately, died.

Today seems to be Oakland day:  The City of Oakland Police Union calls for an end to the Occupy movement, saying the movement has “achieved it’s aims”.  The article is HERE

Really?  How many bankers are in prison for stealing our money?  How many mortgage brokers are paying people back for their fake paper resulting in so many Americans forfeiting their property?

Let’s see, there was one police officer ‘outed’ for also being undercover in an Occupy march.  And then he made a video where he said that he is both a cop AND a member of the 99%.  That is the truest statement I have heard for months.  Of course, the question is about tone—sincerity.

Anyway, I do not speak for @OccupyOakland, but it does not seem to me their aims have been met.

Earlier in the Occupation protestors were hit by a vehicle.  According to ABC Channel 7 the accident report does not list the name of the driver or the name of witnesses.  Protestors, of course, are pushing for the arrest of the driver who struck people.  There is actually a viceo at the link.

“The two protesters struck by a car during the Occupy Oakland strike nine days ago now have lawyers. They want to know why police haven’t arrested the driver of the car for attempted murder.  

  Attempted murder is a serious charge, but the protesters and their lawyers believe this was a serious crime.”

Also, an Oakland Police Department vehicle struck a pedestrian when responding to a shooting last night which was near the Plaza.  The pedestrian was not seriously injured.

Note:  According to @californiabeat the police claim the suspect in this shooting had been staying in the Frank Ogawa Plaza encampment.

Here is a nice article detailing the arrests of journalists who have been arrested and/or assaulted while covering various Occupy events, marches, occupations etc.

“As the Occupy movement has spread beyond Wall Street, at least seven U.S. journalists have been detained and one television crew attacked by U.S. law enforcement officers during turbulent encounters between police and protesters. Occupy demonstrators have attacked journalists in two other instances, including an assault this week in Oakland, Calif., that left a cameraman with a concussion.”

The arrests and assaults have taken place from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area to New york, south to Tennessee and north to Wisconsin.  In other words…nearly everywhere.

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@OccupyYourLawn Someone has a great idea—  put a tent on your front lawn and start seeing hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of our own front lawns….Occupied!!! 

Thank you Daily Kos, it’s excellent.  What would Mayors and Police Departments and City Councils and Bureaucrats do?  Start raiding my own front lawn?

Hell, in some cities they probably would, but it’s not like they can say there is a curfew.  Or the property owner did not give you permission?

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This study says that Most Jurisdictions Working Well With Occupy Protestors:

Just like peeps complain that we only hear the “bad news” it seems that only Occupy protestors who bump up against their local police or politicians land in the paper or on the news.  But it appears they are really not in the majority and most localities actually form good working relationships with their “occupied” movement.

“A new ICMA survey finds that the vast majority of local governments have developed successful, collaborative relationships with local Occupy movement protestors and have found the protests in their jurisdiction manageable, with relatively few reports of disruption or turmoil. “

The actual survey is HERE  and Occupy populations may be well served providing copies of the survey results and suggestions to their local City Councils/County Boards of Supervisors, Mayors & Police Chiefs, City Managers, News Agencies, etc and their members.

November 12th:

Have you been part of the @OccupyOakland movement, attended a march or sent them food or a blanket?  If so you can share your stories, photos or?? at http://iamoccupyoakland.tumblr.com/submit

Marine Veteran and Occupier  Scott Olsen (Happy Veteran’sDay Scott!) who was assaulted by police during the large Oakland skirmish, is out of the hospital but still having probs speaking. Wish him well @OccupyOakland and read the Reuters article at the link above.

Food warfare?  I thought this was class warfare??

Great article in the Occupy Los Angeles Blog explaining the “Bureaucratic Diversity of Tactics” when it comes to food being provided at the encampment.

Even when that food is created and served by professionals.  The County Health Department seems obsessed with food at the Occupation.  Somewhat understandable:  It is Los Angeles, lots of media attention and the Health Department does have a role.  But it seems to have goner overboard, check out the article at the link above.

“Chef E, who works as both a private chef for celebrities and for a catering company that provides craft services for major movies and television shows, put it this way: “Who’s mad you guys?” Under the latest restriction, the OLA food tent cannot serve any unwrapped hot or cold food that was not prepared in a certified kitchen, though it can continue to distribute commercially prepackaged food.”

@OccupyDenver has had rumors about police actions all day long and now (5:30 pm MT) it seems the encampment is being raided.  No video yet.

75 Denver Police Department officers pushed their way thru the Civic Center park with tear gas and structures are being torn down.

Denver Livestream is HERE  No picture just sound right now.

One Tweeter has said Denver Police officers have “removed their badge numbers”.  Not sure what he is saying, badge numbers covered up or badges removed?

At 5:56 pm MT bullhorn telling people they are subject to arrest if they are in the city street.

Cops are saying “The citizens gave us the order” an occupier said “We are the citizens”.  And a few obscenities which the cop nearly arrested him for.

One officer is loudly refusing to give or show his badge and number.  And his partner says “you have mine, that is all you need.”

Really?  As if that is legal???

U-Stream is HERE

@OccupySLC Salt Lake City, Utah is being raided NOW by police with bulldozers ready to destroy the encampment after the arrests are completed.  At least eight  arrests at this point.

Local Fox news showing the Pioneer Park actions in Salt Lake City HERE

After the City announced a “compromise” BOOM a large police presence hit the camp.

“contact the mayor of Salt Lake City Ralph Becker tell him to uphold the 1st amendment mayor@slcgov.com 801-535-7976 “

This is a rough Saturday across the middle of the U.S.A.

Earlier today @OccupyStL suffered another police action.

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November 13th:

Everyday is Veterans Day

We must never forget.  We must always cherish.

You and I might see a Veteran like Shorty on the streets of Orange County or another Main Street in America and walk by, never expecting that the man we just passed is a Medal of Honor winner.

There are only some 85 members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society awardees still living.

There are so few, but there are so many men and women who fought and served with honor, just as Shorty did.

Read his story and watch the video and say even just a silent…..

….. “Thank you“.

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@OccupyPortland erupts again as City leaders saw smaller crowds and felt they would have less resistance.  They believe they were boxed in a corner by protestors.  That they had publicly said they were coming in, they had to delay because the crowds were too large and too “unruly” overnight, and now was the time.

My question is why only some jurisdictions attack the encampment in their city?  And most, according to the study above, do not attack?

This is not the first day @OccupyPortland has been threatened with order to leave their camp.  Nor will this be the last day.

The Livestream continues at 2:30 pm PT.

The photo below is Veterans Day in Portland Oregon, the article at the above link covers activities on both sides of the protest through this morning:

There are Police Departments across the country that will have to take this opportunity to rid themselves of a few folks who just should not be serving the public.

Check the videos of officers in Berkeley and Oakland California (two of my favorite cities, both with a long history of difficult relationships with some police officers.  Why watch?  Why care?

Berkeley officer actually says that “Minorities should not complain about the tuition hikes because they do not pay
anything to the university.”

His view is that non-whites just live off of grants and aid programs.  Welfare for college students??

The Oakland officer in the second video explains why baton blows are “non-violent.”  The department may train their officers that way, and they would be right as far as gun vs baton, but ask the man or the woman on the other end of that baton what they believe.

Watch the video, complain to the Mayor and the Chief of Police in these cities.  Ask your local TV station news director why they are not showing these videos on your local news.  Tell your Mayor and Police Chief that you do not want your officers to carry these views.

4:15 pm PT, the people of Portland are standing strong, but the City seems ready and determined to move in soon.  Theymay wait until dark, some cities want the cover of darkness and they want to miss the 5 o’clock news.  We will see how Portland handles it today very soon.

@OccupyRedding  California  KGW livestream  of Portland.

At 4:42 PT, the KGW station lets their viewers know they will “cut away for the football game” in a few minutes (???).  Priorities I guess.

It does look like the police are waiting for dark before they move in and start arresting protestors as the Occupiers continue to discuss next steps.

Occupiers @OccupyChapelHill North Carolina stormed a building occupied by protestors.  The difference in this and so many other assaults?

The police were armed with assault rifles during this event and arrests.  Take a look at the weapons these officers are wielding:

This looks like a military action from the weapons and tactics these officers are using, but remember:  this is a municipal police force, not the U.S. Army!!

“…the 10,000 square foot building, the former University Chrysler-Plymouth dealership at 419 W. Franklin St., on Saturday afternoon. Banners reading “Occupy Everything” and “Capitalism left this building for dead, we brought it back to life” were displayed in the windows and roof.”  More at the link above.

@OccupyOakland is holding an “Occupacolypse” after their GA tonight.  Party like there’s no tomorrow  :-)

Ain’t no party like a West Coast party!!  DJs, music and friends.  LiveStream a party peeps.  ‘Nuff of livestreaming cops and crap.

Gee, what a surprise….sounds like ( from @BootsRiley)  the City of Oakland County of Alameda  State of California U.S. of A now plans to raid the @OccupyOakland camp tonight.

So party down like you are representing the West Coast people!   cuz…

there just ain’t no Occupation like a West Coast Occupation!

and “if cops raid the camp, there will be a reconvergence at 4pm at the main branch of the oakland public library.”

In the meantime, party down.

TIME Magazine Person of the Year for 2011:  Looks like the winner will be….drum roll please…the 99%.  Check it out at the link and good job TIME.  What TIME is it??  It’s the 99% TIME!!

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Not to drag you peeps back to my “protest” time:  but we need marches with 150,000 people like in the Student Strike of 1970 (google it) in San Francisco and another 100,000 in New York all in ONE day.  We need dramatic involvement, more people with passion.

I love you guys for stepping forward and getting arrested.  It is hard and some of you step up time after time.  I love those who many the trenches and can’t afford an arrest.  But we need thousands of people arrested in one day, not 50 or 10.

The biggest impact was 700 on the Brooklyn Bridge.  The public screamed when they saw that.  Those brothers & sisters made a statement!!

How do we do that? How do we get a march with so many people you cannot fit the front and the bag of the line into a frame of the camera.  Then the TV asswipes will pay attention.  Then the politicians will begin to back our play.

We have a beautiful march from NYC to Washington DC with what, 50 people??  google the MLK March on Washington.  how many peep, 100,000 or something?  It was fucking HUGE.  It scared the hell out of the politicians to see so many black people all in one place.  Plus there were whites and Natives and now we would have everybody.  How do we get those BIG numbers?

In the 1970s it took major police beatings on TV.  Fire hoses, dogs, church bombings.  ugly stuff.

In 1970 it too the killing of students at Kent State and Jackson State Universities.  Ugly for sure when the National Guard had orders to shoot students to kill.

I hope it doesn’t take that now.  We have issues the public supports.  They know we are right.  How do we mobilize big numbers?

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@OccupyAlbany in New York  had 25 protestors arrested for “tresspassing” yesterday but the District Attorney has decided NOT to prosecute them.

“The charges against those taken out of Lafayette Park and arrested by State  Police will be dismissed when the activists show up for their appearance  tickets in Albany City Court on Nov. 21 and 22, Cecilia  Logue, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, told the Times  Union Sunday.

The decision holds in line with Albany County District Attorney David  Soares‘ assertion soon after the protest began 24 days ago that as long as  the demonstrators remain peaceful, they will not be prosecuted. “

Read more atthe link above.

@OccupyTulsa Oklahoma is facing eviction now.  Livestream is here

Sounds like another big raid of the @OccupyOakland encampment again.  They are asking folks to get to the Frank Ogawa Plaza by 2 or 3 am PT at the latest to defend the camp once AGAIN!

Below is “The Wall” at 14th & Broadway in Oakland California:

Below is an email sent to parents of students in a school near the Plaza and posted on a number of Oakland related websites:

“A highly coordinated law enforcement raid to clear out OO is planned to take place Monday morning early. Significant public safety mutual aid is being called in from neighboring jurisdictions. The goal is to permanently clear out the OO encampment of illegal activities. Expect to see overwhelming use of force by police directed to occupiers who refuse to comply.

Peaceful protesters are advised by police to stand down until the situation stabilizes. The general public is advised to stay away from the area during the action to avoid potential personal injury from incidental contact with conflicts.”

The City is already bracing for the backlash that they know will come after any strong effort to attack the protestors in Oakland again.

“The Oakland Police Department is planning an enormous operation to evict hundreds of Occupy Oakland protesters from their encampment near City Hall early Monday morning, according to police and city offcials with direct knowledge of the plans.”

Read more at the link above.

This does not sound good so stay safe and watch your brothers & sisters.

November 14th:

Drudge Reports states @OccupyOakland under sieze by police once again.  Arrests made, encampment being dismantled by police.

LiveStream here  the City says they are “just enforcing a warning” that they issued.

For people in Oakland if you need help you can contact the national lawyers guild (415) 285-1011

12 or 13 different police agencies have systematicly locked down Oakland one intersection at a time, locking down the Plaza.  Protestors have been primarily at 14th & Broadway while police dismantled the camp.

Note RUMOR:  Mayor Jean Quan’s legal assistant, Dan Siegel,  has resigned over this “tragically unnecessary” police action.

Police have deemed the Plaza a “crime scene”.

@OccupyPhiladelphia reminds us that Oakland is “not afraid” of their tents being taken away.  Oakland is still Occupied territory.

@OccupyDenver:  DABC found out that the man hit by the police motorcycle was also charged with assault after being hospitalized.

@OccupyEureka    @OccupyHumboldt in Northern California reports that So far we have three Marines and two sailors heading to eureka tonight. We don’t call it resisting arrest when police hit unarmed protestors.

November 15th:

@OccupyLA  Los  Angeles stands in solidarity with our brothers & sisters in NYC.

Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza 3 am cleanup:

@OccupyToronto has received eviction notices and is on high “red alert”.

The Ottawa Citizen newspaper states that Totonto has received a “reprieve” and that @OccupyCalgary is tick-tocking toward a deadline.

It is not just US protestors that are facing tough bureaucratic decisions.

” A Toronto judge has postponed the eviction of Occupy Toronto protesters while  he rules on constitutional issues raised by applicants for an injunction against  city bylaw officers…

…A meeting by protesters to discuss how to respond to the city’s move to evict  them degenerated into a chaotic shouting match Tuesday, with protesters  disagreeing on whether their campsite should be dismantled.

Some members suggested disassembling and moving tents to another location,  while others demanded that the group stand firm in St. James Park.

In the end, occupiers decided not only to stay put, but to invite more  supporters to come down and help them “defend” the camp from possible police  intervention.”

Read more about Toronto and Calgary and Canada standing tall, at the above link.

The ACLU and the NLG (National Lawyers Guild) have filed suit to protect the rights of people in the @OccupyBoston encampment at Dewey Square.

” The ACLU of Massachusetts and the National Lawyers Guild, together with cooperating attorney Howard Cooper from the law firm Todd & Weld, have filed suit to preemptively prevent the kind of police raid that we’ve witnessed in Portland, OR, Oakland, CA, and New York City this week from happening at Occupy Boston in Dewey Square….

I…n light of the news that Mayors from 18 cities spoke on a conference call last week about destroying the encampments, the organizations are taking the position that a preemptive action is necessary in order to protect the peaceful assembly at Dewey. The Mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, has not stated publicly whether or not he was on that conference call. But the ACLUm isn’t waiting to find out the hard way.”

Read more on this suit at the link above.

I appreciate the ACLUm and the NLG working together on this preemptive lawsuit, but last week I wrote here that it seemed as if there was coordination between cities on how to handle the occupations, and here we have verification that  there was a conference call between 18 Mayors across the country where the Mayors spoke about  a decision to “destroy the encampments“.

I can understand localities and local governments sharing information and even strategies about what is occuring in their city or county.  What scares the hell out of me is that it seems the Mayors from these unknown cities made a group decision to destroy encampments, and now have moved ahead to do so and the public did not know that this conference call of coordination occured.

And Mayors, like the Mayor of Boston, won’t even answer the simple question “Were you on the conference call” when they are asked.

I sincertely hope, that as this situation moves foward, ordinary citizens such as you and I, with the help of the ACLU, NLG and concerned private lawyers continue to dig up information about what seems to be a

November 17th:

Watching CNN, it seems alsmost as if reporters and announcers are completely disconnected from this story.

The police, however, are not.

They know that today is the Day of Action across the country.

Some 60-70 arrests and the Day gets started in NYC.  Some police officers were removed from the scene when an “unknown liquid” was thrown “onto the ground”.

The effort two days ago to remove protestors and file “rules” that people,citizens, can stay in the park but not in tents or sleeping bags etc etc seems to have been given birth during a conference call between Mayors in 18 cities with some level of coordinated response to “Occupied” movements across the country.

The ACLU in Massachussets and the National Lawyers Guild have information about this and hav e filed suit.

November 17th:

Don’t believe the media hype trying to sell you on the idea that the protestors are bad people doing bad things–living in their own feces and crap like that repeated on your TV over & over.

November 17th was an Historic Day of Action Nationwide

—check this article out

On November 17th, during this Call to Action, among the arrested are:

Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis

City Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito

City Council Member Jumaane Williams

Workers United International Vice President Wilfredo Larancuent

SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry

SEIU 1199 President George Gresham

CWA Vice President Chris Shelton

CWA Vice President , Fr. Luis Barrios of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization-IFCO

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been supportive of the Occupy movement, was among those arrested outside of the park. Police Commission(er) Ray Kelly said Rodriguez was trying to get through police lines to reach the protesters.

“All the cops are just workers for the one percent, and they don’t even realize they’re being exploited,” retired Police Captain Ray Lewis said. “As soon as I’m let out of jail, I’ll be right back here and they’ll have to arrest me again.”

On this Day of Action, while the Brooklyn Bridge is an Occupied in NYC and some 276 people have been arrested in New York by t pm PT:

Earlier today a Restraining Order was filed in San Diego by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) against both the City and the San Diego Police Department.  The NLG has said:

“The SDPD are currently arbitrarily telling people who walk through the Civic Center that if they set down anything—their purse, their bag, a chair, or in one case even a tomato plant—, they will be arrested,” said attorney Bryan Pease.

“The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech and the right to peacefully assemble—municipal code section 54.010 and how it is being enforced by the SDPD is unconstitutional… Even if the court does not grant the TRO because they want to allow the city time to prep their arguments, this is a text book case of unconstitutional enforcement of a municipal code and I believe we will be successful at the preliminary injunction hearing.”

More at the link.

The photo below is from a protest in @OccupySeattle today:

November 18th:

@OccupyUCLA Univeristy of California at Los Angeles  14 Occupiers were arrested during protests on campus.  25 tents were raided on Wilson Plaza at 5:15 am today.

Many protestors left the scene as the arrests began.  The arrests were completed by 6 am.

“Shame on You Shame on You” one of my Alma Maters @OccupyUCD University of California at Davis the video below shows Brave police officers who pepper spray seated protestors.  While the protestors remain seated on the ground, offer no resistance and pose no threat to the officers…one officer steps over them and sprays the pepperspray directly into the faces andf eyes of those seated protestors.

I cannot believe how blatant this is and I hope this officer AND his superiors get fired and sued.  This is assault plain and simple.

The internet has been awash with salary details for a UCD Lt. said to be the police officer in the above video.  I am not publishing it here because I do not see his salary as important to his actions in the video and I think discussion about his alary just muddy the water as far as the real issue.

This LINK takes you to an Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi who ordered the police in the above video to clear the campus quad of these peaceful students.

The letter, from Assistant Professor Nathan Brown calls for the chancellors resignation.

The Chancellor is responsible for the actions of these police officers who were carrying out her instructions and must resign her post.

I support Professor Brown and stand with these students who have been so wronged by the University, the Davis Police/University Police, City of Davis, University of California system and Chancellor Katehi.

“When students covered their eyes with their clothing, police forced open their mouths and pepper-sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood.”

@OccupyOakland Yet another Iraq veteran attacked by the police in Oakland.

The veteran in this video, beaten savagely by police is till hospitalized with a damaged spleen.

Protester and three-tour American veteran Kayvan Sabehgi was beaten, injured and arrested in Oakland during the General Strike on November 14th.

“Unjustifiable force” as Olberman says.  Watch this (yet another) disturbing video.

Why do the police in Oakland (not the same as the Oakland Police as so many different agencies re “protecting” Oakland) make choices to behave so badly on camera?

November 18th:

@OccupySF San Francisco was raided by police around noon PT today.

“10 press cameramen attacked or  shot at with rubber bullets. At least 2 arrested. “

If you read this statement today your first thought might be that they were covering an Occupy protest in the U.S.A.

These reporters were attacked and arrested while covering protests in Tahrir Square in Egypt.

First:  The fact that similar circumstances are happening in our own country and a country in the Middle East that we may not think has the same level of freedoms that we do should cause each of us to pause.

Second:  The tear gas and the rubber bullets used on the protestors in Tahrir Square were supplied to the Egyptian military by the same U.S. firm that supplies the same “non-lethal” weaponry to the U.S. military and to many local U.S. police departments.

The weapons used:  the gas, the guns, the bullets, may be supplied by “…Defense Technology, a Casper, Wyoming based arms firm that claims to “specialize in less lethal technology” and other “crowd management products.”   This company supplies the same weaponry to the Israeli Defense Forces.

Today I found this statement and the photo with an attachment via Twitter.

“After 2 months of reading articles and seeing pictures of police brutality against peaceful (and non-peaceful), I am fed up.  I have decided to go to the United Nation’s website and e-mail them a plea to intervene with the intolerable brutality that the US is allowing to happen to its own citizens.

This picture is what really sent me over the edge. (Thanks to @diplomatsun for posting it).http://twitpic.com/7g0icy

Whether this will work or not, I do not know.  But if enough of us send these pleas, the United Nations may feel obligated to do something.  The US and UN can interfere with countries such as Egypt and Lybia, but the UN turns a blind eye to the current atrocities in the US.”

http://www.un.org/en/contactus/

You can read information about non-lethal weapons, their use in the Occupy protests and exportation as well as my thoughts about the weaponry HERE

According to the Drudge Report found in the New York Times, the U.S. Census was shocked to find out how many “near poor” households exist in America.

America’s “near poor” are increasingly older, suburban and struggling.

“They drive cars, but seldom new ones. They earn paychecks, but not big ones. Many own homes. Most pay taxes. Half are married, and nearly half live in the suburbs. None are poor, but many describe themselves as barely scraping by…. When the Census Bureau this month released a new measure of poverty, meant to better count disposable income, it began altering the portrait of national need. Perhaps the most startling differences between the old measure and the new involves data the government has not yet published, showing 51 million people with incomes less than 50 percent above the poverty line. That number of Americans is 76 percent higher than the official account, published in September. All told, that places 100 million people — one in three Americans — either in poverty or in the fretful zone just above it.”

More at the link above.

November 20th:

The day of the UC Davis

The first video shows one of the peppersprayed students from UC Davis explaining what they will do.  Basically, they will sit in silence as the chancellor is led along, walking past the students to her car.

This video shows the UCD Chancellor walking past 1,000 silent students sitting on the ground, as were the students who wer pepper sprayed.

It must have been so hard to walk past these silent kids.

What a great job by the @OccupyUCD and the students of the university!!

Shamer on you Chancellor, shame on you.

video-uc-davis-chancellor-kotehi-walks-to-her-car-1000-students-stand-aside-in-silent-protest-pepper-sprayed-student-leads-peaceful-shaming

We live just some 15-20 minutes by Interstate 80 from the City of Davis.  I have taken undergraduate classes there from the time I was still in High School and they had us enrolled in Saturday classes, thru the 70s and on until 2006 when  I took a certificate course in Leadership.

I have always felt like I was a part of the school.Now, I feel I am a part of the students, but not of the school.  What happened to thoe Leadership lessons I learned?  They are not on display today.

Read this article from our local newspaper in Sacramento, about the school, the students & chancellor, what happened just three days ago, the video of the pepperspraying of the students and the Chancellors poor response to the demands for her resignation.

Al Jazeera reports that two UCD officers involved in the pepper-spraying have been placed on Leave while the 30 day Task Force will get under way.

“The identities of the two officers were not revealed, but the campus police chief told the Associated Press news agency that one was a veteran of the school’s police force, while the other was “fairly” new to the department.

“We really wanted to be diligent in our research, and during our viewing of multiple videos we discovered the second officer,” said Annette Spicuzza, the police chief.”

November 22nd:

President Obama got met with a mic check during his speech today.  The President was also handed a note which read:

“Mr. President:

Over 4000 peaceful protesters have been arrested. While banksters continue to destroy the economy with impunity. You must stop the assault on our 1st ammendment rights. Your silence sends a message that police brutality is acceptable. Banks got bailed out. We got sold out“

Read more about Day 66 of the Occupation here.

November 24th:

I am not sure exactly what is going on in this video, I cannot determine what sets these cops off about some of the folks that get taken down.

It is titled the “Potty Wars” and happened in @OccupyOakland California during a Thanksgiving dinner, check it out:

An interview of an Egyptian protestor, such great information about the brave fighters in Egypt.  Her information gsave many of us a heads-up about what is now occuring in Egypt.  Watch  it:

November 25th:

In NYC there are thousands of folks camped out in front of Macys on 34th Street wrapped up in blankets.  Happy Black Friday!!!

In San Francisco @OccupySF successfully shut down the Apple store.  “If you want out we will let you out, but no one else is allowed to come in.”  Most excellent!!

The San Francisco LiveStream  from @piunkboyinsf

Excellent day in San Francisco as folks disrupted corporate shopping today educating shoppers but there have been tear gas incidents and may be more as the occupiers continue their Black Friday struggle.

Blockade of intersections near one of the main San Francisco shopping areas, Union Square which has shops like Macys, Neiman Marcus etc….the big boys!!

It was a Union Square face off with riot police.

It’s not about preventing people from shopping.  It’s about educating people to shop locally.  Buy from the smaller mom & pop stores in your city and avoid the corporate giants like Wal-Mart this year.

November 27th:

@OccupyPhilly Philadelphia is under threat of eviction tonight.  LiveStream is here.

@OccupyLA Los Angeles is under threat of eviction tonight and needs people to swarm down to downtown NOW.  If thousands show up the police will NOT ber able to act.  LiveStreaming is here

@OccupyTampa  Tampa Basy Florida police are certainly ready for any contingency in case their citizens decide to protest.  They will use their newest toy:

Meanwhile, a Florida Federal District Judge in Fort Meyers, rules that the people can occupy under their 1st Ammendment Rights as long as “they don’t cause trouble”.

“…last week. “The court finds that in the context of this case the tenting and sleeping in the park as described by plaintiffs’ counsel is symbolic conduct which is protected by the First Amendment,” (U.S. District Judge John) Steele wrote. “The conduct of tenting and sleeping in the park 24 hours a day to simulate an ‘occupation’ is intended to be communicative and in context is reasonably understood by the viewer to be communicative. This expressive conduct relates to matters of public concern because it can be fairly considered as relating to matters of political, social, or other concern to the community and is a subject of general interest and of value and concern to the public.”

So these protestors had done everything possible to comply with the city’s “anti-casmping” ordinance by “rotating” demonstrators so that those in the park this morning are not the same folks as those in the park tonight.

Read more about the ruling HERE

At least Fort Meyers didn’t borrow the tank from Tampa!!

November 28th:

The crowds have been building in downtown Los Angeles all night long and now it seems the police have (once again) decided toi tske action.

Here is the LiveStream @OccupyLA  with significant audio problems.  @punkboyinsf is usually prettty professional so I am hoping the problem can/will get repaired soon.

November 29th:

@OccupyOKC Oklahoma City Oklahoma is facing eviction tonight.  LiveStream is here

Oklahoma City officials say they have decided that the protestors are no mlonger allowed to stay in Kerr Park, and the city has declined to accept an additional payment for permits allowing protestors to stay overnight in the park

“The group has been allowed to stay in the park overnight for the past two  months, and Oklahoma City so far has avoided violence and confrontations between  police and protesters that have occurred in some other cities including Tulsa.

Police  Capt. Dexter Nelson said the group had been getting a permit that costs $55  a day.

“The permit will not be renewed this time…”

@OccupyOlympia Washington is being evicted from the capitol grounds with arrests occuring now (8 pm PT).  LiveStream is here.

November 30th:

UC Davis professors & staff meet, agree on the need to reduce the massive tuition hikes but not on policing and violence.

UC Regents meanwhile, approve pay raises for several executives.

The California State University Board cancels their meeting (a different group than the University of California Regents)

Two hundred were arrested at @OccupyLA Los Angeles, while

more than fifty were arrested at  @OccupyPhilly Philadelphia

You can read an article coverring both cities at this link.

Busy day in California as the @OccupySF San Francisco group rejects attempts and the city’s ultimatum, to move them.

“The decision came at a general assembly meeting held by the group on Tuesday  night. The city earlier in the day gave protesters an ultimatum to move their  encampment in the financial district to an empty lot in the Mission district by  Thursday or risk a raid.

Protesters against moving said the camp’s visibility at Justin Herman Plaza  was a powerful asset and being forced to move would violate their freedom to  assemble. ”  

Read more at link above.

December 9th:

The Wild Women shut down the San Francisco Bank of America!

“A group calling themselves ‘Wild Old Women’ protest outside the Bank of America Bernal Heights branch in San Francisco, January 5, 2012. (CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – It was a slow-moving Occupy Wall Street protest, but it was an effective one. A dozen senior citizens calling themselves “the wild old women” succeeded in closing a Bank of America branch in Bernal Heights Thursday.

The women, aged 69 to 82, who live at the senior home up Mission street from the Bernal Heights Bank of America branch, decided to hold their own protest by doing what they called a “run on the bank.”

More at the link above.

January 22, 2012

In more than 100 U.S. cities the Occupy the Courts protestors asked that the Citizens United decisionby the Supreme court  be reversed.  Citizens United has allowed unregulated dollars into our voting and political efforts hidden from public view and scrutiny.  Dr Cornel West joiuned the protest in @OccupyGainesville:

January 29th:

Quite a scene in the @OccupyOakland efforts last night ending with 300+ arrests in what appeared to be a very peaceful crowd.  Maybe off screen from the Live stream some peeps threw bottles (that was the charge), dunno…

The cops corraled everyone and the arrests went down until everyone possible was in jail.

Tear gas is illegal in Oakland did you know that?  Maybe that is the positive to come out of this whole thing.  There are hostage incidents which may call for a tool like gas, but on a public street against Americans who’s primary law breaking is to protest?  Oh, wait, you mean protesting is NOT against the law??

Then why have some thousands of people been arrested WORLDWIDE in these Occupy movements?

“An exasperated Mayor Jean Quan, who faced heavy criticism for the police action last fall, called on the Occupy movement to “stop using Oakland as its playground.”

Oh!!  That’s their crime!!!  Thank you Mayor.

Further, said Quan, the Occupiers “burned flags” and they “broke an art object created by children”.  What?  No respect for flags and children?  They are so bad!  So did 300+ people do that?  Or ere there a couple of people who should have been arrested and the rest were trying to express their displeasure with things?

January 30th:

I am still wondering why the good people of Oakland have not ousted Mayor Quan.  Even if you want the Occupiers to go away and don’t agree with anything they are trying to accomplish, the Mayor has shown herself to be unable to manage her city.

And with this weekends protests she is now asking for the power to ban some Americans from Oakland.

She actually believes a Mayor should have the right to tell people they are not allowed to come to her city.  OK, so ban murderers.  Ban child molesters.  Ban spouse abusers.  Ban city managers who misappropriate funds.  But ban a protestor?

Excellent video of the January 28th Oakland protest and over-reaction by OPD.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s e-mails leading up to her first raid of the @OccupyOakland protests.  Quan’s debacle #1 (she has had others since then and apparently is intent on having more).

January 31st:

Sign the Call For Mass Action against suppression of the Occupy Movement.

AP advises that “A federal judge in California has ruled that an Oakland police officer who covered his nameplate during a November Occupy protest seriously violated court-approved conduct standards for the city’s police department.”

If you have ever watched any of the LiveStream feeds from Oakland or many other Occupied cities, you have seen Police Officers with their badge numbers and/or names covered with tape or their badges turned backwards, or missing from their uniform completely (in a pocket maybe?).

Perhaps the OPD understands that the Feds have (once again, as in the 60s) put the department on formal notice about their illegal behavior.

Unfortunately this is one officer and I have seen hundreds on internet feeds and in photographs with their badges covered or missing.

“U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson issued the ruling against officer John Hargraves and Oakland police Lt. Clifford Wong. Wong was accused of failing to report Hargraves’ actions to the department’s internal affairs unit.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Judge in this case has not yet decided whether to hold the two officers in contempt.

“…U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said Hargraves and Wong had engaged in  “the most serious level of misconduct” classified by a 2003 court  settlement.

In that settlement, Oakland paid $10.5 million to resolve claims by more than  100 plaintiffs who accused a group of veteran officers, known as the Riders, of  beating them and planting drugs. The agreement also required the Police  Department to make structural improvements and authorized Henderson to hold  officers in contempt of court, with possible fines or jail time, for serious  misconduct.”

This report says that @OccupyOakland protestors arrested January 28th and held in the Santa Rita jail have been subjected to a number of abuses such as denial of medications, beatings with batons, verbal abuse and more.  It sounds like some pretty normal complaints and I am sure that for many of the arrestees this is their first jail experience.

“Daily Kos quotes an anonymous source who reports that “prisoners from the Oakland Commune were being denied medications (some had seizures) while the guards said they didnt care if they died. Some people were brutally beaten. The put tear gas in the vents of my cell twice.”

February 2nd:

With backing of NFL players, groups are planning an “Occupy the Super Bowl” protest for this Sunday’s game.

“In the days since more than 10,000 protesters marched through downtown Indianapolis, union officials and other organizers have grappled with how, and if, they should make their voices heard during Super Bowl festivities. Daniels has warned opponents of the new law that disrupting the Super Bowl would give the state a “black eye.” Nevertheless, with the National Football League’s Players Association officially opposing the law, labor leaders and organizers affiliated with local Occupy groups have vowed to press on…According to a UNITE release, DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, will participate in the protest. Smith has issued a statement and written an editorial against the right-to-work law, and several NFL players, including Indiana native and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, have also spoken out.”

Read more at the link and plan your first Annual Super Bowl Occupation Party for this Sunday!  Stay sober and have fun.

Go Giants (unless you live in Massachussetts).

February 9th:

Watch “The Battle of Oakland” video about the January 28th @OccupyOakland events were hundreds were arrested for expressing their right to assemble and protest.

Check it out here

February 24th:

Occupy Wall Street group plans a National Convention in Philadelphia in July.  Read about it at the link above.

Occupy Sacramento, California

Image via Wikipedia

This post will be limited to information about the Occupy Sacramento protest @OccupySacto

________________________

Lists of “Occupy” Sites

From Occupy Together, the beginnings of a directory of Occupy locations.  This will be linked and updated by the good folks at Occupy Together.

And a list of Occupy sites worldwide can be found HERE

___________________________________________________________________

Website information—

Live update “Occupy” info HERE

Includes regions of country, cities and links including any available LiveStream

Twitter them at @OccupyInfo

___________________________________________________________________

My original Occupy Wall Street post remains HERE.

The Decolonize Wall Street post is HERE.

The new post covering Occupy movements in cities other than NYC and Sacramento is HERE.

And, finally the Unite and Act Globally post is HERE.

“We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us“

We Are The 99%—Allow Us To Introduce Ourselves:  Info at the link

“I Won’t Back Down“–video here.

“I sincerely believe…that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies” — Thomas Jefferson, 1816

The BEST explanation of the @OccupyWallStreet movement and in less than one minute, Former Congressman Alan Grayson (D)     see the video HERE.

In the 1970s it was said that “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by my favorite poet, revolutionary and OG rapper Gil Scott-Heron.  If he was before you time go to Amazon or iTunes and check him out and check out Scott-Heron’s group The Last Poets.    Anyway, that is probably still true as the machine will try their damndest to keep a lid on things.

Sacramento:

The actual Occupy Sacramento protest bagan on October 6th following on the original Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City.  As with other cities, the protest, which started with occupation of a downtown park, immediately bumped up against local anti-camping ordinances which were originally put into place to deal with the cities homeless spending significant numbers of nights in city parks and “camping”.

The police have already used this ordinance to arrest protestors who have attempted to stay in the park past the legal 11 p.m. curfew.

In Sacramento you can show support @OccupySacto and their website here.

Occupy Sacramento continues to seek items that can help the cause (and of course more people):  blankets, tents, tarps, food, clothing, rides for people, etc  If you can help please Twitter them @OccupySacto or visit their website above.  Thank you.

@OccupySacto will be on local Channel 13 (KOVR) with the 10 pm news.  Check them out!!

Occupy Sacramento will host an event on Thursday, October 6th:  The group is seeking locals to meet them at Ceasars Chavez Park at 10 am.  Occupy Sacramento will hold the park until at least October 15th.

The park is located at 910 I Street in downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento–there is a link to Occupy Sacramento above.  Today (October 6th) this from the group:  Apparantly the group has heard that the local police department has set up several “riot teams” to be ready for the event planned this week.

Do not be afraid.  This is a normal response for a Police Department to take in their planning.  Having a plan does not mean they expect a riot and does not mean they will treat normal, nonviolent, courteous protestors as “rioters”.  As a resident, I am glad we are having the event and I am glad that SPD is planning their own “what if” response.

News Talk KFBK Interview with Occupy Sacramento.  Click the link

The big banks, corporations and Republican politicians are trying to convince you that you are too small to succeed.

Truth?  You are too BIG to fail!

Protestors hit the street in Sacramento this morning, October 6th.

“Protests that started weeks ago in New York came arrived in Sacramento today, as hundreds gathered this morning at Cesar  Chavez Park across from City Hall

The protestors are an eclectic collection of union supporters, anti-war and  anti-corporate activists and unaffiliated individuals with their own issues.  There are retirees, students, small business owners and single parents. All age  groups are represented.

More than a dozen SacramentoCity Police officers are in the area, though not  in the park itself. Most are

watching from across 8th or 9th streets and some on  motorcycles have been cruising the area.”

Read more at the link.

The Sacramento Police Department reports:  “Peaceful protest at Chavez park. “Occupy Sacramento”

October 7th:

Protestors were arrested in Sacramento last night.  Officials used the city “anti-camping” ordinance to arrest people and attempt to break up the protest.  Fortunately there are some hearty folks out there as it also got a bit cold for California.  End result, some people still have not been cut loose from the jail and more people are needed at 10 am-ish to march for their release.

Occupy Sacramento on local news, CBS Channel 13.  Video at the link.

Local workers join nationwide movement in Occupy Sacramento.

The Occupy Sacramento protest today:

Sign the petition to protect the protestors rights to peacefully assemble.

Sacramento:  Looks like the livestream is finally work well, HERE.

As well as UStreamer HERE.  And their nice website with a forum and all to communicate the info and generate members.

October 8th:

Another Ustream in Sacramento

Nice.  Folks are calling it “Wallfare”.

Paul Krugman tells the truth “we may be seeing the rise of a popular movement that, unlike Tea Party, is angry at the right people”.

Ain’t that the fucking truth??  Read more from the New York Times article at the link.

The Sacramento Bee reports that police are expecting a busy night with the Occupy Sacramento protestors.

The 99% can meet the 1% HERE.  Nice eight part video at the link.

October 9th:

The working draft of   The Declaration of the Occupation of Sacramento

Review the draft at the link and make your comments or suggestions at the site.

More protestors arrested in Sacramento after ordered to disperse and leave Ceasar Chavez Park.  Half the crowd left, the other half were carted off to jail.  It seems to be the practice to keep the protestors in jail all night and half the next day.

More than 200 people have joined the Occupy Sacramento movement in the park today.

October 10th:

Occupy Sacramento webstream up again.  Check it out!

Everyone has a camera (a cell phone), photos & videos bring the protest alive real-time. 

“Everybody’s got a cell phone. Anytime the cops move in any direction, they’re being taped,” O’Donnell said. “[The NYPD is] trying to have a record so they can respond to assertions that there’s been improper handling of the demonstrators.”  This is true in every city.

And Herm Cain continues to attack the movement.  This weekend that the Values Voters conference (who are those people?) he stated that the protestors “just want to take someone else’s Cadillac.”  What?

And CNN now has one of their iReports pages dedicated to Occupy Wall Street.  Check it out, or contribute, HERE.

Have you seen the “white shirt” NYPD officers?  In some videos they have pepper sprayed and nighsticked protestors on camera.  Newspeople have suggested they are NYPD managers/supervisors.  The article at the link suggests that the large banks controlling Wall Street have hired NYPD officers and they are wearing white shirts (on their time off) and acting as security guards/hired guns.  Read the article.

The Hip-Hop Anthem for Occupy Wall Street.  Share this video & help it go viral!!!

Sacramento U-Stream:  Looking for peeps to:

1. be trained on the U-Stream recording devices & processes
2. Attend the City Council meeting Tuesday October 11th at 5 pm

Watch the U-Stream and join in the conversation.

How do we connect people like Christopher Lane in Bed-Stuy to the Occupy Wall Street movement?

Lane is a single parent with a 14 year old son and says “I’m a single parent, it’s just me and him, I can’t afford to get locked up” .  Lane isn’t rich and supports Obama’s desire to spread the wealth around but “he (Lane) maintains that the Wall Street protesters don’t represent his people. “When you’re trying to survive on a day-to-day basis, you ain’t thinking about Wall Street.”

Read the article and consider the position.  There are many folks across the country that SHOULD join in on this movement because it does represent them, but do not necessarily see themselves in the protest.  Folks have to look at the protest and see themselves represented there, believe that they can benefit from the movement, and then they will support what is going on.

Lane (and many others) needs out help to connect to the movement.  Read the article (at the link above), there is some excellent reporting and good stories.

Occupy Wall Street prepares to stay thru the winter.    “We might have fewer people stopping by in the winter months but we’ll plan, mobilize, organize, maybe get some permits during the winter,” said Ed Needham, part of Occupy Wall Street’s press team.”

Come to Occupy Sacramento City Hall

When:  Tuesday, October 11th

5 pm to 8 pm

Where:  Sacramento City Hall, 915 I Street

Purpose: get an exemption in order to lawfully occupy Cesar Chavez Park.

City Council Agenda is HERE

October 11th:

City Councilmember Steve Cohn visits Occupy Sacramento:

Top 5 Facts You Should Know About The 1%:

• Top 1% own 40% of America’s wealth
• Top 1% take home 24% of the nations income
• The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Own Half Of The Country’s Stocks, Bonds, And Mutual Funds
• The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Have Only 5 Percent Of The Nation’s Personal Debt
• The Top 1 Percent Are Taking In More Of The Nation’s Income Than At Any Other Time Since The 1920s

This is important information so read the article at the link.  Plus there are great graphs and charts for those of us who do well with pictures!!

Have you heard the people in the call and repeat refrains on the news, or as you have been in the area of your local protest?  This article explains the “human mic”.  Protestors are not allowed to use a microphone or amplifier of any type, so they use human voices to iucrease the volume of the one voice.  Together we are strong!  More at the link.

Hip Hop video One True Act of Patriotism:

Fox News took a poll on views of Occupy Wall Street.  Bet they didn’t expect it to turn out like this!

Sacramento’s Mayor Johnson promises arrests of protestors here will continue.  Gaining the Mayor’s support at tonights City Council meeting may be challenging.  Read more in the Sacramento Bee article at the link.

Occupy Wall Street protests are being held throughout Northern California, including Oakland, Berkeley, Chico, San Francisco, and San Jose as well as Los Angeles and San Diego among the Southern California cities.  More at the link.

October 12th:

No decision from City Council yet.  As a former government official it is always difficult to judge what the council may or may not do.

Article in the Sacramento Bee today discusses the challenges Occupy Sacramento has to getting an exemption to the City’s “anti-camping” ordinance which is in place to prevent the continuous camping by homeless.

Here, from the article,  is the buearacrats dream:  “A decision won’t be made until next week – perhaps after the Occupy movement  comes to an end.”

NYC Millionaires/Billionaires March:  photos at the link

I am not re-posting pics fro flickr, they are restricted and I honor that (even though I could get around their pathetic attempts to block copying) and I always tell you where photos came from if they are not mine.

There are many great photos out there of important events, but somewhere in the last two days they have gone on extreme lockdown.

Most seem to be using Flickr, which does not allow sharing of photos posted there or copying or downloading.  No problem, folks make that choice.

However, it severely limits the publics ability to see what is going on.  So, that said…

Zombie Lobbyists Occupy Washington: 

“They come creeping from the K Street salons, money dripping from their lips. They skulk the halls of power, bemoan the pain of regulation on the steps of Capitol Hill. Their shrill howls for the brains of our elected representatives cut the D.C. night.”  They are lobbyists!! And more at the link…..

Here is the City Council video:

A great little poll here:  Who do you think is right about the economy?

The 12 Most Absurd Laws used to stifle the Occupy Wall Street movement & protestors across the country:

“As Occupy Wall Street protests spring up in cities across the country, authorities are thinking up creative ways to contain this peaceful and inspiring uprising. Although laws and municipal ordinances vary from city to city, there is a consistency in the tactics being used to stifle the movement. More importantly, as demonstrated by the protesters at Zuccotti Park who kept strong in the face of a looming eviction that never came to fruition, these maneuvers are not working.

Read more at the link above and find out about absurd laws such as:

*  No snoozing in public

*No unbrellas, and

*No private belongings are allowed in a public space

Say what??  Really??

11:53 pm:  For the first night during this protest the park sprinklers have been turned on at Ceasar Chavez Park.

Related articles

• Occupy Wall Street & Decolonize Wall Street Posters (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Not Occupy – Decolonize Wall Street (voodoodr06.wordpress.com)
• Occupy Sacramento! (wmbriggs.com)
• Cop Tries To Swipe Camera From Occupy Sacramento Activist (pixiq.com)

Occupy Sacramento is marching to the steps of the State Capitol at 3 pm today. Be there!

Video of Sacramento march to State Capitol at the link.

October 16th:

1,000 cities were occupied on October 15th.

Activist Cindy Sheehan addressed the Sacramento occupiers.  Read about it at the link.

@OccupySacramento reminds folks that law enforcement probably monitors their Facebook page and asks commenters to be respectful and think about what they may say.  More at the link.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A National General Assembly shall convene in the city of Philadelphia on July 4, 2012.

Delegates shall be elected by the 99% 2 from each of the 435 Congressional Districts and represent the People.

Read it at the link.

Mike Taibbi’s Five Demands of Wall Street bankers from the Rolling Stone magazine:

“…the time is rapidly approaching when the movement is going to have to offer concrete solutions to the problems posed by Wall Street. To do that, it will need a short but powerful list of demands. There are thousands one could make, but I’d suggest focusing on five:”

1. Break up the monopolies

2. Pay for your own bailouts

3. No public money for private lobbying

4. Tax hedge-fund gamblers

5. Change the way bankers get paid

Details are at the link and Taibbi’s bio is HERE.

October 18th:

The question has been asked by @SueBluesWilson:“@ OccupyLA : city supports, no incidents, little media.

@OccupySacramento : City opposes, 58 arrested, tons of media.

Which more effective?”

Occupy Sacramento is on the City Council Agenda today (Tuesday, October 18th).Join in and support the cause!!City Hall, 915 I Street

October 19th:

@OccupySacto worked hard to gain the City’s approval to allow the group to remain in Ceasar Chavez Park past the 11 pm curfew.  The City Council turned down the request last night.

After the meeting some 50+ protestors decided to stay in the park and resist arrest.  When the police showed up at curfew time and announced for folks to leave or be arrested, only 8 protestors (including one in a wheelchair) decided to stay and then be arrested.

There is a Sacramento Bee newspaper article at the link.

October 20th:

Four occupiers were arrested for violating curfew last night.  Four stayed in jail and 9 people occupied the sidewalk outside!!  The public needs to file more complaints about these arrests.  Other cities are allowing protestors to use their freedom of speech in public places without arrests.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Sacramento Residents:

Call your City Councilmember and the Mayor.  Let them know that you support the rights of all Sacramentans.

We do have the Constitutional Right to our Freedom of Speech under the 1st Ammendment.

Even if you do not agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement you can let the politicians who run the City of Sacramento know how strongly you believe in our Constitution.

All of us have the same rights.  Our veterans fight for us every day to support those rights and those of us at home have a duty to do what we can to ensure that politicians do not trample on those rights.

Need help to figure out who your Councilmember is?  Things have changed recently so it can get confusing for residents.

Go HERE to the Council District map.

Once you know what District you are in you can  Go HERE and get the phone numbers and fax numbers

______________________________________________________________________________________________

There are now 231 public places now occupied by the people across the U.S.A.

Now nearly 6 Million Californians live in poverty.  This is an increase in the California poverty rates between 2009 and 2010.

“Californians living in poverty increased from 5.1 million in 2009 to 5.8 million  in 2010, and the state’s poverty rate jumped from 14.2 percent to 15.8 percent  during the one-year period, virtually mirroring national trends. That means that  California was almost exactly in the middle of the states, whose poverty rates  last year ranged from a high of 22.4 percent in Mississippi (not counting Puerto Rico) to a low of 8.3 percent in New  Hampshire.“

A number of communities in the San Joaquin valley are included in the report’s list of Census Bureau’s 10-region list of those with the highest poverty rates including:

• Bakersfield,
• Stockton,
• Modesto
• and Fresno

Read more from the article and access the new census report where the data lives at ther link above.

October 23rd:

Willie Nelson supports the Occupy Wall Street movement and offers a poem with his wife at the link.

At 4 pm today @OccupySacramento will host a workshop on the General Assembly (GA) process and facilitation.  Be there and learn!!

On Wednesday, October 26th there will be an important RALLY for the @OccupySacramento protestors who have been arrested during the occupation.

Where:  Sacramento Superior Court, 9th & G/H Street in the Sacramento County Courthouse

When:   October 26th, 8 am

Be there!  These folks have been representing US and need our support!

Another musical anthem for @OccupyWallStreet and all of our other cities.

The New Chambers Brothers:  Make a Stand.  Watch the video

There are many fliers @OccupySacramento and the folks there offer them for you to copy, print, distribute and/or add to you blog or website.  Thank you!  Go to the link and check them out.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

October 24th:

BREAKING NEWS!!!

SACRAMENTO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JAN SCULLY REFUSES TO PROSECUTE FOLKS ARRESTED IN @OCCUPYSACRAMENTO ACTIONS.

The DA released a statement today explasining that people arrested for breaking the city curfew at Ceasar Chavez Park each night during the occupation will not be prosecuted.

“The statement said that the peaceful assemblies did not constitute an  unlawful gathering. The protesters could however be cited for loitering in the  park after prohibited hours.

“In order for a violation to occur, there must be an unlawful assembly,”  reads the statement sent to The Bee.”

See the Sacramento Bee newspaper article at the link for more.

October 25th:

@OccupySacto: EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION in support of OccupyOakland & against
state repression! 4pm Main Library 14th & Madison. THIS IS NOT OVER!

The Christian Science Monitor, not a progressive reporter says today that “Occupy Wall Street arrests increase. Have mayors reached their tipping point?”.

The Monitor details political and police actions in Oakland California, Atlanta, New York City. Washington State University, San Francisco, San Diego. Cincinnati and Chicago as they state “Such scenes are likely to become more commonplace as mayors and police chiefs attempt to force protesters to go home while avoiding all-out violence.”

Read the Monitor article at the link above.

@OccupyColleges gives us this great idea:  “For two days beginning November 2, Occupy Colleges, a grassroots organization bringing awareness to the Occupy Wall Street movement within the college sphere, will stage a National Solidarity Teach-In for colleges and universities across the country. To date, more than 100 campsues have events planned. The Teach-ins will serve to open and continue dialogue around the Occupy Wall Street movement in an environment where experts in various fields can liberally address questions or concerns.”

Read the article from The Nation at the link.

October 26th:

Well, what can I say about what happened in Oakland California last night?

You can read today’s post on my thoughts about those actions HERE OR

My minute to minute writings from last night as it occured HERE.

I recommend you look at both.

And I definitely recommend that you sign this petition to Mayor Jean Quan and the Oakland Police Chief and let them know that firing tear gas cannisters, rubber bullets and wooden dowels at our citizens is wrong.

The site allows you to submit your completed form.

You can email Mayor Quan at officeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com

Below is a video and a few photos about the weapons and the tactics used by policde last night and a bit about their outcome.

Politicians & police do not understand that major actions like last night in Oakland and in Atlanta actually strengthen a movement.  Managers think they are giving directions to line police officers that will result in “crushing” an acvtivity.  But this is not a criminal activity.

It is not a crime wave or even a street gang.

Even military action would only strengthen the movement because folks that sympathize with the protestors now decide to join them or offer other support they otherwise would not have considered.

We only have to look at the most recent activities in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Iran….someday North Korea, Iraq, African countries and evcentually China.

What is to the politicians and some police a simple attempt to stop a group from doing something like “camping” in the park or on the Plaza becomes something much larger and on television or on the internet it looks like they are stifling freedom.  It looks like ‘the people’ who are asking for just a little bit of freedom are being hammered by a giant fist.

Which is actually exactly what is going on.  Exactly.

And so more people join and more people support…and it becomes emboldened and strengthened.  Day by day.

Below is an empty shell and an actual rubber slug shot from from a 12 gauge shotgun:

And here is the same type of shell with as rubber bullet before firing:

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New Report Shows the inequality of income distribution in the U.S.

You have heard the term “We are the 99%” and you have heard the news reporters laugh at the idea that the Top 1% owns most of the money.

Well now there is proof that is true.  This is a  report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Look how dramatic this is in the graph below.

The Top 1% (really rich people) is the light blue line, this is the THEM

The other colors are US, broken down into three groups.  All together they do not equal the Top 1%.

Sacramento Occupiers went to court today.  They face fines for staying in Ceasar Chasvez Park afterr the posted closing hour of 11 pm.

Todays court appearance was for folks arrested on October 6th.  Two of the protestors were ordered out of the courtroom after clapping in sign language as the charges were read.

The City Attorney offered plea deals to those in court today.  “The city attorney’s office also suggested some of these cases may be dismissed.

“I can’t say concretely that every single person will be prosecuted,”  supervising City Attorney Gus Martinez said.

So far, none of the defendants has accepted the city’s plea offer.”

The County DA has refused to file charges against the protestors.

Read more at the Channel 3 KCRA link above.

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A Google report on transparency states:  “We received a request from a local law enforcement agency to remove YouTube videos of police brutality, which we did not remove. Separately, we received requests from a different local law enforcement agency for removal of videos allegedly defaming law enforcement officials. “

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October 27th:

A reporter for the “Current” magazine spent a full day with the @OccupySacto Occupy Sacramento folks and files an interesting report, saying:

“Our country is sick. America has become the very institution that our forefathers felt it necessary to declare their independence from. Our politicians seem not to care about the people, but only how deep our pockets are to fund their grandstanding and inane policies that work for no one…As I talked to hundreds of different people with hundreds of different opinions, one thing became clear to me: A new community was being formed. “

How to identify an agent in  your midst:  Never know when your group may be compromised.

October 29th:

Many cities are leaving protestors alone which is almost hard to believe after I write about so many raids and arrests and injuries.

@OccupySacto  Occupy Sacramento protestors and their attorney are considering filing a suit against the City of Sacramento.

“Occupy Sacramento protesters and attorney Mark Merin are considering legal action against the city of Sacramento for violations of their First Amendment rights if arrests of protesters for ignoring the park curfew are not stopped.

“It’s not a question of whether we will pursue legal action – that decision has been made,” Merin, a Sacramento civil rights attorney, said Thursday. “It’s just a matter of when.”  More, of course, at the link.

Many jurisdictions have removed generators from occupied encampments leaving folks with no way to power items.  Some of the camps have learned how to create their own electricity with bicycle-powered generators.

That is so cool!!  I owned a radio that had a hand-crank on it and generated and stored enough power to operate for a few hours.  So this is the same principle.

October 30th:

Code of Conduct, Media Team Posting Proecdures:  A working draft is HERE for you to review and weigh in.

Sacramento Press discusses the consideration of a lawsuit against the City of Sacramento with “the main thrust of any potential suit is that the city ordinance that regulates park hours is unconstitutional because it gives the parks director and the chief of police discretion to grant or deny exceptions to the law.”

Read more at the link.

October 31st:

1,000 occupiers spelled it out in this Human Surf Banner on a beach in San Francisco:

                                            Tax The 1%

CONTACT:
Brad Newsham, 415-305-8294 newsham@mac.com
Chuck Collins, 617/308-4433  chuckcollins7@mac.com
Andrew Boyd, 347-228-7416  andrewontheroad@gmail.com

November 1st:

Check out this great video from The Young Turks:

November 3rd:

I have been a bit quiet later due to a personal emergency.  I’ll try to offer a bit more…

Today we have this for your consideration.  I know the folks at @OccupySacto have suggested a few times that members & readers be careful about their postings on the Occupy Facebook page and on Twitter.

This Associated Press article includes some details on why it may be a good idea to be a careful poster.

“The (CIA) agency’s Open Source Center sometimes looks at 5 million tweets a day. The analysts are also checking out TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms – anything overseas that people can access and contribute to openly.

The Associated Press got an apparently unprecedented view of the center’s operations, including a tour of the main facility. The AP agreed not to reveal its exact location and to withhold the identities of some who work there because much of the center’s work is secret.”

Check out the article HERE

I cannot imagine having the AP get this kind of access in 1968 and the Black Panthers.  Or even in 1973 and the white boy revolutionaries.  Heck, I can’t even imagine having Twitter back then.  We would have organized much tighter and been so much more successful.

It makes me very optomistic about the chances these young people in this Occupy movement have.

I salute you folks and support you folks every single day.  Even my 82 year old mother supports what you are doing.  And now the AP gives you information that can help you control your message in positive ways.  Very cool!!

November 5th:

You have had HUGE successes this week:

• you shut down the 5th busiest port in the United States of America (Oakland, California)
• you shut down a full six busy city intersections in Washington DC as part of the Occupy the City Center of our nations Capitoil
• One million people moved their money OUT of the biggest banks in the nation DESPITE the banks attempts to keep you there, charging you ten dollars to close your account, harassing you and arresting you just because you wanted to close your bank account

Congratulations to the American people for having the grit and determination to get the job done!!!

November 6th:

Important Reminder for those arrested on October 18, 19 & 20 (released on the 21st):  You MUST Monday or Tuesday, November 7th or 8th.

Check the link above and meet at the Courthouse on the 9th Street side by the fountain (790 9th Street, 9th and G Streets.)

Lawyers will be there to help you!  YOU MUST BE THERE!

If you know people who were arrested but may not have access to a computer or to the internet—PLEASE remind them to be there.

Help your brother and sister.

November 8th:

A Livestream from @OccupySacramento on a cold and overcast day in the California capitol.

November 9th:

And beware:

Many Credit Unions rival large banks in their size.  And if you are concerned about the pay of CEOs or bonuses for Executives, do some research before you select a CU.  high salaries on their own may not be a no-go for you, but make sure you don’t get surprised later.

In California many Executives of Credit Unions make annual salaries of more than $600,000 per year.  God knows what (or if) the taxes paid by some turn out to be.

Check at the link for California CU CEO salaries.

The March on Washington started today with a small group of occupiers walking from New York City into Washington DC.  At some 20 miles each day they should arrive about November 23rd in time for the Congressional Super Committee meeting about our nations debt ceiling.

You remember the debt ceiling?  A long long time ago (like in July 2011) the Republicans decided to hold our nation hostage because they did not want the debt ceiling raised.

And so we got right down to the final final last minute.

And then our nations credit worthiness was downgraded.

And then the price of money went up and the price of every goods and service went up, and we may never in our lifetime regain our stellar credit rating.

And because the Republicans so much want to regain the Whitehouse in 2012, they refused to increase the debt ceiling through the end of 2012, which would have  removed it from the discussions that either party has during the Presidential election cycle.

Instead, here we are beginning to talk about it again.

And I know the Occupy groups want to remain apolitical, but this is my blog.

And I say the Republicans and any Democrat who stood with them during the summer on the issue of the debt ceiling are utter assholes.  You sold my great-grandchildren, who are yet to be born, down the fucking proverbial river.

___________________________________________________________________

@OccupyArrests  A running total of arrests during the Occupy Movement

The @OccupyArrests Project website is HERE

Follow them at Twitter and the website

November 9 arrests:   71

Total arrests:          3,516

November 11th:

To all of our U.S. Veterans:  I salute you for your service each and every day.  And to our men and women overseas today, please keep yourselves safe and come home to your families.  We love you.

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@OccupyYourLawn Someone has a great idea:  put a tent on your front lawn and start seeing hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of our own front lawns….Occupied!!! 

Thank you Daily Kos, it’s excellent.  What would Mayors and Police Departments and City Councils and Bureaucrats do?  Start raiding my own front lawn?

Hell, in some cities they probably would, but it’s not like they can say there is a curfew.  Or the property ownder did not give you permission?

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Not to drag you peeps back to my “protest” time:  but we need marches with 150,000 people like in the Student Strike of 1970 (google it) in San Francisco and another 100,000 in New York all in ONE day.  We need dramatic involvement, more people with passion.

I love you guys for stepping forward and getting arrested.  It is hard and some of you step up time after time.  I love those who many the trenches and can’t afford an arrest.  But we need thousands of people arrested in one day, not 50 or 10.

The biggest impact was 700 on the Brooklyn Bridge.  The public screamed when they saw that.  Those brothers & sisters made a statement!!

How do we do that? How do we get a march with so many people you cannot fit the front and the bag of the line into a frame of the camera.  Then the TV asswipes will pay attention.  Then the politicians will begin to back our play.

We have a beautiful march from NYC to Washington DC with what, 50 people??  google the MLK March on Washington.  how many peep, 100,000 or something?  It was fucking HUGE.  It scared the hell out of the politicians to see so many black people all in one place.  Plus there were whites and Natives and now we would have everybody.  How do we get those BIG numbers?

In the 1970s it took major police beatings on TV.  Fire hoses, dogs, church bombings.  ugly stuff.

In 1970 it too the killing of students at Kent State and Jackson State Universities.  Ugly for sure when the National Guard had orders to shoot students to kill.

I hope it doesn’t take that now.  We have issues the public supports.  They know we are right.  How do we mobilize big numbers?

Don’t believe the media hype trying to sell you on the idea that the protestors are bad people doing bad things–living in their own feces and crap like that repeated on your TV over & over.

November 17th was an Historic Day of Action Nationwide

—check this article out

On November 17th, during this Call to Action, among the arrested are:

Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis

City Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito

City Council Member Jumaane Williams

Workers United International Vice President Wilfredo Larancuent

SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry

SEIU 1199 President George Gresham

CWA Vice President Chris Shelton

CWA Vice President , Fr. Luis Barrios of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization-IFCO

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been supportive of the Occupy movement, was among those arrested outside of the park. Police Commission(er) Ray Kelly said Rodriguez was trying to get through police lines to reach the protesters.

“All the cops are just workers for the one percent, and they don’t even realize they’re being exploited,” retired Police Captain Ray Lewis said. “As soon as I’m let out of jail, I’ll be right back here and they’ll have to arrest me again.”

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Sacramento continued to work hard thru the Call to Action day and on into today.

Today @OccupySacramento protested outside of California Governor Jerry Brown’s loft in Downtown Sacramento, even though everyone is aware that the Governor is rarely in Sacramento spending most of his off time at his home in Oakland California.

.”Occupy Sacramento said in a release that protesters and labor advocates will  rally at Cesar Chavez Park before leading a “noisy march right to the  front door of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Sacramento home.”

Brown has kept quiet about the Occupy Wall Street movement and recent student protests in California.“

It has been so disconcerting for long-time Californians as we expected that we elected the old-time Liberal Jerry Brown.  But his policies and politics seem more and more conservative.  I am surprised he has not switched over to the Republican party.

I can accept fiscal conservatism especially in tough times, but Brown has gone far to the right in his politics as he has aged.

Read more at the link above.

And the University of California Board of Regents has rescheduled their November meeting to November 28th.

The Board had cancelled their meeting due to “threats of violence”.  I can’t imagine that is a new thing for the board.

For the meeting on the 28th the Board has decided to hold the meeting at four seperate University campuses (in San  Francisco, Los Angeles, Davis and Merced)  and connect them via teleconferencing.

“Regents have expanded the time available for public comment, from 20 minutes to  one hour. Members of the public can attend the meeting at any of the four  locations.”
Read more at the link above.

November 22nd:

President Obama got met with a mic check during his speech today.  The President was also handed a note which read:

“Mr. President:

Over 4000 peaceful protesters have been arrested. While banksters continue to destroy the economy with impunity. You must stop the assault on our 1st ammendment rights. Your silence sends a message that police brutality is acceptable. Banks got bailed out. We got sold out“

Read more about Day 66 of the Occupation here.

November 25th:

Today we have a Black Friday March!

The March starts at 10:30 am PT from Ceasar Chavez Park.  Stand up for small local businesses, not the corporate 1% giants!

February 23, 2012:

Carmichael ‘Occupy’ supporter plans to challenge GOP Dan Lungren for the 7th Congressional District.

Mario Galvan, 64 is registered as “Decline to State” and says he was inspired to run for office by the Occupy Sacramento movement.

Galvan told The Bee in an interview that a central theme of his campaign will be his commitment to representing the views of districtresidents of all political leanings, promoting a “democracy that’s inclusive rather than adversarial.”

“Our politics has become like a war, so polarized,” he said. “My candidacy offers an alternative in the form of direct democracy that invites everyone to part in the political decisions on an ongoing basis.”

 February 27th:

@OccupySacramento confronts a pro-white group at the California State Capitol.

”    A teenage girl was detained Monday outside the Capitol after police separated Occupy protesters from a group opposing black-on-white violence in South Africa….Activists with the Occupy group cursed at peace officers and about 40 mostly white men who were at the Capitol to draw attention to what they say is white genocide.Organizers for the South Africa Project said similar demonstrations were planned in other states and elsewhere in California.

“There is white genocide going on in South Africa. It’s a government-backed genocide,” said Kyle Krieger, a spokesman for the South Africa Project.”

We are not the only country with our share of racist assholes.  Good job @OccupySacramento

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