The seed planted on September 17th in New York City has grown into a national and international movement. Occupy Wall Street has branched out into hundreds of groups organizing in their own communities. Reader Supported News will highlight some of the more significant actions from around the country here. Share this page with your friends and associates and come back often for the latest developments.
Occupiers say they are protesting the influence of corporate money in politics, and will show the House of Representatives what real democracy looks like. (photo: Scott Thuman/ABC7/WJLA)
Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Together, Occupy D.C., Occupy Oakland, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Boston, Occupy San Francisco , Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Live Streams
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Occupy Worldwide
07 February 12
Why the Volcker Rule Is Crucial to the 99%
22 February 12
The United States aspires to democracy, but no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. Accordingly, Occupy the SEC is delighted to participate in the public comment process for the implementation of Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act by the SEC, Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC ("the Agencies"). This country's governing principles of transparency and due process mandate that any rules implemented by our regulators comport with the democratically-elected legislature's intention to protect the people from the widespread banking abuses and excesses of the recent past.
We believe the Volcker Rule is important to the future of the banking industry and, if strongly enforced, will help move our financial system in a more fair, transparent, and sustainable direction. Prohibiting banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading and banning their sponsorship of covered funds are key elements to regulating the financial system and giving force to the Dodd-Frank Act.
At its core, the Volcker Rule seeks to make sure that if a banking entity fails, it does not bring down the whole system with it. We appreciate the momentous challenges that the agencies continue to face in effectively implementing the rule, and we present these comments to assist them in their task. […]
Occupy Movement Targets ALEC, Corporate-Interest Group With Ties to Legislators
22 February 12
Co-ordinated protests are planned in some 60 cities later this month against a right-wing group which activists say has an unfair hand in writing state legislation that favours corporate interests.
Working under the banner Shut Down the Corporations, activists plan to target corporate members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) with nationwide protests on 29 February.
Organisers say ALEC, a nonprofit free-market policy group whose membership includes some 2,000 state legislators, wields undue influence by drafting legislation beneficial to its corporate members, which in some cases is then used as a model for legislation in states across America.
UK Court Rejects Occupy London Eviction Challenge
22 February 12
A British court on Wednesday rejected a bid by Occupy London protesters to challenge an order evicting them from their camp outside St. Paul's Cathedral.
Local authorities said they would now enforce an order to remove the dozens of tents - though it did not say when the eviction would start.
"I would call on protesters to comply with the decision of the courts and remove their tents and equipment voluntarily right away," said Stuart Fraser, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation.
Occupy Movement Stages Day of Protests at US Prisons
21 February 12
Occupy demonstrators participated in a nationwide day of action to protest against the US prison system on Monday, with demonstrations carried out at over a dozen sites across the country, including prisons in California, Chicago, Denver and New York.
The call to protest was issued by activists with the Occupy Oakland movement and was co-ordinated to coincide with waves of prison hunger strikes that began at California's Pelican Bay prison in July. Demonstrators denounced the use of restrictive isolation units as infringement upon fundamental human rights. The hunger strikes followed a US supreme court ruling in May which stated that overcrowding in the California prison system had led to "needless suffering and death." The court ordered the state to reduce its overall prison population from 140,000 to 110,000, which still well-exceeds the state's maximum prison capacity.v
Occupy Asked to Leave the New Haven Green
20 February
If City Hall has its way, Occupy New Haven may soon leave its home on the New Haven Green.
Two meetings were held at City Hall on Feb. 8 and Feb. 15 to discuss the future of Occupy New Haven, the anti-economic inequality protest that has been encamped on the Green since mid-October. Members of the municipal government have argued that the presence of the protesters on the Green is limiting others' right to use the public place and has offered several proposals it finds acceptable to both parties. But leaders of Occupy New Haven have said the group will decline the city's offer and that the protest will not leave the Green until major social and political changes are brought about.
Occupy Maine Group Puts Out TV Show
20 February
Portland, Maine - Occupy Maine's tent city in Portland has come down, but the group is still trying to get its message out with a new TV show episode on the movement.
Occupy Maine has finished producing its latest show, which is nearly 30 minutes long and focuses on Occupy after the Lincoln Park encampment came to end earlier this month.
The show is produced at the community access television studio in Portland and can be viewed on the Occupy Maine television show website, http://www.occupymetv.org/
Occupy the SEC: Moving From the Campsite to the Weeds of Regulatory Reform
20 February
The surest way to rankle a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement is to repeat the common claim that the movement has no defined goals, a criticism that has dogged the group since it's inception. But last week an offshoot of the movement, called "Occupy the SEC," undermined that characterization when it submitted a 325-page letter to federal regulators filled with concrete criticisms and proposals for the final implementation of the so-called 'Volcker Rule.'
Occupy Wall Street calls for May Day general strike
17 February
At the General Assembly meeting last night, Occupy Wall Street’s dreamer contingent got a very special valentine: the GA endorsed the Direct Action Working Group’s proposal to call for a general strike on May Day—May 1, 2012. Occupiers celebrated with cheers and Valentine’s Day balloons.
The text approved by the GA is as follows:.
Economic Elite Vs. The People: #99% Movement Call to Action Two Year Anniversary Book Release
16 February
History should record that the birth of the 99% Movement was on September 17, 2011. That was when the movement became a household name known to the masses. However, the 99% Movement was conceived exactly two years ago, with the release of an online report and call to action titled "The Economic Elite Vs. The People of the United States of America." The report was originally released as a six-part series. The first part was published on February 15, 2010 and the last part was published on February 27, 2010.
To celebrate the two year anniversary, we are reissuing the report with a new introduction recapping the history and evolution of the movement, from the experience of researching and writing the original call to action, to building up the movement online and organizing occupations worldwide. At the end of the book, we feature statements from occupiers, organizers and supporters of the 99%.
'Global Square': #Wikileaks -Backed Activist Platform Launching in March With #Tribler Peer-to-Peer Technology
16 February
WikiLeaks Central announced a "Call to Coders" Tuesday as they prepare for the March launch of the "first massive decentralized social network in the history of the Internet."
"The goal of the Global Square is to perpetuate and spread the creative and cooperative spirit of the occupations and transform this into lasting forms of social organization, at the global as well as the local level."
Occupy's Amazing Volcker Rule Letter
16 February
One of the saddest aspects of the financialization of the US economy is the way in which America's best and brightest found themselves working on Wall Street, rather than in jobs which improved the state of the world. Proof of this comes from the absolutely astonishing 325-page comment letter on the Volcker Rule which has been put together by Occupy the SEC; it's pretty clear, from reading the letter, that the people who wrote it are whip-smart and extremely talented.
Occupy the SEC is the wonky finreg arm of Occupy Wall Street, and its main authors are worth naming and celebrating: Akshat Tewary, Alexis Goldstein, Corley Miller, George Bailey, Caitlin Kline, Elizabeth Friedrich, and Eric Taylor. If you can't read the whole thing, at least read the introductory comments, on pages 3-6, both for their substance and for the panache of their delivery. A taster:
Occupy Prisons: Injustice Behind Bars
15 February
"Manhandled, arrested, cuffed, searched, and locked away in the Tombs" is how AlterNet described the story of protester Barbara Schneider Reilly, who spent 30 hours in jail after being arrested at an Occupy Wall Street-related protest in October 2011.
Reilly reported: "During the long, cold night in the Tombs, at some point we asked a female officer if we could have some blankets. 'We have no blankets.' Some mattresses since we were 12 or so people? 'We have no more mattresses.' Some change in exchange for dollar bills so we could call parents and loved ones? (The one public telephone in the cell would only take coins.) 'It's against regulations.' Some soap? 'Maybe we'll come up with some soap.' After no, no, no to every reasonable request, we wound up with a small jar of soap. Distressing is hardly the word for a culture of willful neglect and the exercise of what power those officers held over us for those 30 hours."
Ex-President Carter Says Occupy Movement Successful in Putting Wealth Disparity on Agenda
15 February
ATLANTA - Former President Jimmy Carter said on Wednesday that Occupy organizers have created a "relatively successful" movement because they focused national discussion on wealth disparity despite lacking leadership and a unifying set of goals.
The Georgia Democrat said at an event in Atlanta that Occupy organizers have succeeded in forcing the media and Congress to realize the "chasm is getting greater than leaps and bounds" between the rich and the poor.
"It's been relatively successful even acknowledging there's no leadership, there's no coherence and there's no single list of issues they want to succeed," the former president said of the movement started late last year in lower Manhattan to decry corporate influence in government and wealth inequality.
"That issue was basically ignored by the Congress and the news media a year ago," he said. "I believe they've achieved putting that back on the agenda."
Uniting the 99%: Part Two
15 February
hat can happen in 2012 to further the objective of uniting the 99%? Or, as I wrote in my first “Uniting the 99%” column, how do we bring together the 70-75% that “potentially, could come together in support of a broadly-based, independent, progressive popular movement?”
Let’s start with how we will NOT, absolutely not, further that objective:
Occupy Protesters Sue New York City Over Pepper Spray Incident
15 February
Two women caught on camera being doused with pepper spray by a New York police officer during an Occupy Wall Street march in September have sued the city, saying it failed to train police officers properly..
Protesters Shout Down Santorum As He Speaks Against Marriage Equality in Washington State
15 February
Occupy Wall Street protesters nearly drowned out Rick Santorum for 44 minutes as he tried to deliver remarks at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, Washington on Monday night. Speaking from a balcony, Santorum sought to condemn the state’s newly-enacted same-sex marriage law and the Ninth Circuit's ruling against Proposition 8, but was repeatedly interrupted by protesters yelling, "we are the 99 percent." Santorum told the protesters to "go out and get a job."
Some Occupy Nashville Protesters Remove Tents
15 February
About half of the Occupy Nashville protesters that were encamped on the Capitol complex for nearly five months have removed their tents. Tennessee Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the protesters informed a state trooper patrolling the area that they planned to leave sometime Tuesday night.
Police Evict Occupy Newark Protesters
15 February
Authorities swept in shortly after midnight Wednesday and ended what appeared to be a relatively harmonious co-existence between the city of Newark and its occupiers.
Retired Philadelphia Police Officer Wears Uniform at Occupy Philly Event
14 February
Retired Philadelphia Police Capt. Ray Lewis, who gained national attention with his defiant, in-uniform protest and subsequent arrest at Occupy Wall Street, made his first appearance with Occupy Philly on Monday afternoon. Lewis, 60, had been chastised in letters from Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and the Fraternal Order of Police after he was arrested in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on Nov. 17, wearing his old uniform.
Again donning his uniform Monday on Independence Mall, Lewis asserted his right to free speech, calling his choice of clothing a "visual symbol" of the 24 years he devoted to police work.
"I will not idly stand by while law enforcement is administered only to the poor and disenfranchised while the rich flaunt their immunity," Lewis told a crowd of 40 occupiers and reporters gathered near a stone engraved with the First Amendment.
Save Jobs, Occupy AT&T in Atlanta!
14 February
Earlier Today, Occupy Atlanta, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, Communication Workers of America, and AFSC began occupying the AT&T Headquarters in Atlanta "and are refusing to leave until every single job cut is rescinded." Simultaneously, an occupation with tents is being set up outside of the building. A General Assembly will be held at 7pm EST at 675 West Peachtree St!
Inequality? We Need a New Word
14 February
When inequality and social injustice reach the extreme forms we increasingly see today, we need new language to describe it. Yes, we have growing inequality, racism and social exclusion. But we also have something else that represents the current stage of global capitalism: expulsions.
From 2005 to 2010, some 9.3 million mortgage foreclosure notices were sent to households in the U.S., amounting to about 35 million people losing their homes.
Cops Block Occupy Oakland From Creating a Community Center
13 February 12
Hundreds gathered Jan. 28 for the start of Occupy Oakland's "Move in Day" at renamed Oscar Grant Plaza, site of its original encampment. Occupiers and community activists spoke of the need to occupy one of the many buildings left vacant by the economic crisis of 2008-09 and the resulting massive cuts to social services, in order to create a community space to further the growth of the movement.
Occupy Demonstrators Target Romney With Protest of CPAC Speech
13 February 12
Reporting from Washington - A small group of demonstrators staged a silent protest during Mitt Romney's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. Security guards for the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, where the annual gathering of conservatives is being held, quickly threw the protesters out.
Video of the 'Occupy CPAC' Protests
13 February 12
Protesters rallied outside the hotel hosting the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) during Mitt Romney's speech on Friday. Private security guards responded, and at times even threatened to arrest attendees who were observing the protest.
Stacking the Shelves With Peace
13 February 12
Scholars and students in peace and nonviolent studies find their bookshelves teeming with new and intriguing works on violence, conflict, and social change. In the past year, a number of very important books - not all without controversy - have appeared, and are widely available, that have taken seriously the inquiry of what will it take for peace and a world without war. Two scholars in particular, Steven Pinker in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined and Joshua S. Goldstein in Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide, argue that humanity is actually becoming less violent. In fact, Goldstein and Pinker penned a piece for The New York Times Sunday Review that was published at the end of December 2011 titled: "War Really is Going Out of Style."
Money and Morals
10 February 12
Lately inequality has re-entered the national conversation. Occupy Wall Street gave the issue visibility, while the Congressional Budget Office supplied hard data on the widening income gap. And the myth of a classless society has been exposed: Among rich countries, America stands out as the place where economic and social status is most likely to be inherited.
So you knew what was going to happen next. Suddenly, conservatives are telling us that it’s not really about money; it’s about morals. Never mind wage stagnation and all that, the real problem is the collapse of working-class family values, which is somehow the fault of liberals.
But is it really all about morals? No, it’s mainly about money..
Why Chicago Is Occupy Ground Zero
09 February 12
The year was 1999, and the world came to Seattle. A loose-knit coalition of direct-action groups, labor, and faith-based activists delayed the start of a meeting of the World Trade Organization, and forced it to end early without any agreements. The potential is there once again to build that kind of coalition, this time to disrupt a meeting of NATO and the G8.
Imagine 50,000 people from all around the world taking to the streets of Chicago, using various non-violent, direct-action tactics designed to disrupt the most powerful nations on earth from meeting. Imagine people from all over the world coming together in the Windy City to say enough is enough; economic inequality must go.
Imagine Rahm Emanuel showing that he is the new Richard Daily, ordering Chicago's finest to crush the protests. Imagine the labor movement coming together and marching as one, the way they did in Seattle, then joining the youth in the street to defend them from over-zealous police.
California Occupiers Camp Outside Former Marine’s Home To Prevent Foreclosure
07 February 12
About 20 California activists surrounded a local home this weekend to prevent Freddie Mac and Chase Bank from foreclosing on the property, even amid rumors that sheriff’s deputies were coming to seize it. The Riverside, California home belongs to Arturo de los Santos, a former Marine who told Riverside’s City News Service that he fell behind on his payments when business plummeted at the factory where he’s employed.
Newark NJ to Evict Occupy Protesters from City Park
09 February 12
NEWARK -- Occupy Newark protesters have been notified that they must leave a city park where they have been allowed to camp for the past two and a half months.
The Associated Press obtained a letter sent by city clerk Robert Marasco that says the group's permit ran out at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The dozens of protesters who have occupied Military Park in downtown Newark since mid-November will be given until 9 p.m. Thursday to leave the area.
Occupy Protesters Outnumber Albany Legislators 8-to-1 at Tax Hearing
07 February 12
About 20 Occupy-affiliated protesters crashed a New York state legislative budget meeting Monday morning, but it doesn't sound as if they had much of an audience.
2nd Wave of Evictions Is Sweeping Away Occupiers
07 February 12
A tent city that's among the longest-lived Occupy protest encampments is coming down as part of a new wave of eviction orders against demonstrators aligned with the movement in communities including Miami, Washington and Pittsburgh. Occupy Maine demonstrators removed several large tents over the weekend, and the city on Monday gave them additional time to remove the rest.
Demonstrators who established the encampment just two weeks after the Occupy Wall Street encampment set up shop in New York City vowed to continue their work to call attention to corporate excess and economic inequality.
"Just because the occupation is changing form doesn't mean it's going away."
Breaking: Park Police Raid Occupy DC at McPherson Square
04 February 12
5:00 am: Around 100 members of the United States Park Police surrounded the Occupy DC camp on McPherson Square. At approximately 5:30 am the police moved into the park and set up metal barricades, moving the press and Occupiers to a section of the park that was free of tents. The deployment of officers includes horses, a forklift and a large dump truck.
Many of the Occupiers were under the "Tent of Dreams," a large blue tarp that was placed over General McPherson's statue in the center of the park. Many tents were also under the "Tent of Dreams." Those protesters remained inside the barricades.
6:00 am: A Park Police Captain announced that they would be going through the park and all who were in compliance with the camping regulation would be allowed to continue their vigil. The Captain also told the media that the tents would be looked in with an observer present, not clear if that would be a National Lawyers Guild legal observer or someone else.
6:30 am: The Tent of Dreams was taken down by the Occupiers who were under it. The tents that were around the statue remained but no arrests have been made. Barricades surround the park now with at least two entrances manned by the police.
7:00 am: Media are now allowed inside the barricades with escorts. Orange armbands are now being issued to those who will be designated as observers.
7:22 am: The police are letting Occupiers come inside the barricades to get their property out of their tents before they go through to inspect the tents for compliance. They have also agreed to let people get their property before confiscation during the inspection.
7:35 am: A Park Police Captain addressed the press telling us that they are hopeful that there will be no arrests and the camp will come into compliance. He said the tents can remain but no sleeping gear can be inside. They will go through and check each tent and allow time for any property in violation to be removed before confiscating it.
8:00 am: The Park Police have set up large white tents that they plan to use for "processing." A large bus is also here presumably to transport any arrested.
8:15 am: Five Occupiers are refusing to leave the base of the statue. They issued a statement saying they that the people haven given up their rights little by little and they are not giving up one more inch.
8:23 am: The Occupiers still at the statue just received their third warning to disperse and are about to get arrested.
8:29 am: Four arrests for refusing to leave the area around the statue. There are also officers wearing yellow hazmat suits, the officers in the suits are the ones who are searching the tents and gear that were left in the area around the statue.
11:51 am: I lost internet access, over the last few hours the police have moved through the park confiscating any tents that had personal belongings in them. Originally they stated that any tents with sleeping gear inside would be confiscated but according to the observers walking with the police only empty tents have been allowed to remain.
The scene has been ominous all morning, helicopters overhead while police in hazmat suits or riot gear moved through the park bagging up peoples property and throwing it in the back of large dump trucks. The Occupiers are behind barricades and not allowed to be at their tents to take any property that the police find in violation as was originally promised. There were two small skirmishes with police over items confiscated resulting in two arrests bringing the total arrests to six.
1:17 pm: Tensions are rising. Occupiers are calling today's actions an eviction, most tents are being removed despite statements by the Park Service and the police the police that the tents would be allowed to remain. Occupiers are chanting "The Park Police lie ..." One section of the park only has three tents remaining. One Occupier inside was reading a book and was forcibly removed.
2:19 pm: The Occupiers have surrounded the Library and are negotiating with the police. Many tents that were removed were empty so they are not trusting the police with the Library. The crowd in the park is growing, a block away there was a demonstration at noon against a war with Iran. As more and more tents are removed the odds of a confrontation with the police is increasing, the Occupiers who cooperated with the police in the morning are feeling betrayed.
The situation is much calmer at the other DC camp, Freedom Plaza. The DC Government is not pressuring the National Park Service to do anything about that camp. It is quieter and not in an area that has many residents or local businesses. McPherson Square is in an area that has many local businesses and is on the K Street corridor which houses many powerful lobbyists.
5:00 pm: A major confrontation is under way over the Library, Occupiers are surrounding the Library and are surrounded by dozens of police officers. One demonstrator was just arrested roughly and there were shouts of "Medic, medic!" Another dozen protesters are sitting with arms locked just outside of the current standoff. Tempers are wearing thin for all, 12 hours into the days events.
5:30 pm: Following a skirmish with the police over the Library, it has been declared in compliance and calm has been restored. Barricades once again separate the police and protesters. 12 hours and counting, the police are still inspecting tents. General Assembly has just been called.
6:15 pm: The General Assembly is discussing the days events and focusing on lessons learned before planning the next steps. On the other side of the park Occupiers are chanting "Police go home!"
In the Middle of Negotiating New Agreement, City Raids Occupy Buffalo
02 February 12
"Now there's pollution where there once was something beautiful." - @BootsofSolidarity, Buffalo occupier
The city had police move on Occupy Buffalo early in the morning after it decided not to renew the occupation's permit for Niagara Square. At least ten were arrested and tents and personal property were bulldozed. Occupiers had been offered an agreement which they turned down. After midnight, they were in Niagara Square without a permit but the city could have continued to negotiate with Occupy Buffalo and chose to carry out an eviction instead.
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Comments
You are right, but those who have been asleep and are now waking up, need to be made aware of how they have been brainwashed by the media.
The media (even Brooks of PBS) are so accustomed to lying they have apparently lost their memories ...The latest Repugnican they are touting for President is old (nasty) Newt Gingrich. Has EVERYONE forgotten that this blue-eyed poster boy for 'family values' served his (last?) wife with DIVORCE PAPERS just as she was emerging from anesthesia after having a MASTECTOMY?????
I am so impressed with the protesters.
I know I was critical of us for not having enough will to stick with it. I stand corrected. I eat my words and I apologize. The protesters are AVESOME.
http://current.com/shows/countdown/providers/the-venue
Great point but there is a reason...follow the money.
They have no intetion to show how angry we are. The demostrations need to be MUCH, MUCH bigger.
There are so many people out of work, they could demonstrate during the week, when ihe rest is at work.
We need our own Tahrir Square,.....NOW
But they are hamstrung by the corporate owners.
Then there are the "big" journalists who, I am afraid, have been blinded by politicians and celebrities and do not want to risk access, by writing anything unflattering, or asking in dept questions.
One in particular puzzle me: Woodward, he seems downright conservative, while Bernstein stayed feisty and liberal.
What is your take on Woodward, Capn??
they have blocked out Japanese protest and the crime of their Nukes in Japan failing as in other places....Boycott GE
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Woodward gave up "critical reporting" as he became more and more a tool of the Establishment. He has lost what critical edge he once had.
Bernstein on the other hand hasn't let up a bit. Maybe it's because of his radical pedigree.
i know it sounds strange, but it could be a good idea to work with the TParty on this. i think there is a large segment of them who do not just protect the rich and are furious about the bailouts. they at least seem better able to generate involvement than the left. fixing wall st investment companies is an issue that has support on the L and the R
Time to get creative to find a way to show how much support there is of this protest by those who cannot be there.
Want to make an initiative Boycott and show the TeaParty you are doing what they do not do...because they are in bed with everyone. Tea Party, an insult to every American
BE SURE to boycott the many companies that are actually the Koch brothers; lots of grocery store items.
It really pains me, because I love the arts, but Koch has put their ugly stamp on the arts in NYC; it's time for avid audience members to say NO to the NO sayers. It really pains me, because sports is so much worse, but what do the arts stand for?
As far as "generating involvement," that is because there is a LOT of money funding the TP demonstrations, and the media covers them if 2 show up. (Remember the article that stated we should say it is a TParty rally?) There are more of us than them, and more of us demonstrating.
But lastly, if I say anything too strong, I will be censored. Remember what the college kids used to do in the late 1960s and early 1970s? They would occupy buildings, not streets, and I'm not suggesting it, but in this case... that would be the big media companies that are an EQUAL overpaid and underserving problem as the stock market and banks.
How many people do you know with a million dollar salaries (i.e., in the pocket of big business); now think of all those well-heeled "news" anchors.
In the precious wind they rot
While paupers change possessions
Each one wishing for what the other has got
And the princess and the prince
Discuss what’s real and what is not
It doesn’t matter inside the Gates of Eden''
Bob Dylan/Gates of eden
News stop watching TV...they thrive on ratings. Watch only Letterman, Kimmel etc...let them loseratings therefore advertising. Get people to call advertisers esp out of Country to pull ads with Stations until Media starts remembering this is America not Hitlers Germany.
Just one word TAHRIR SQUARE, no that was two.
It CERTAINLY was EFFECTIVE. But it would seem the Egyptians want democracy MORE than we do
They sure had the WILL and the PATIENCE to stick it out till they won.
I am afraid that in this INSTANT AGE we Americans lack STICKTUITIVENES S.
If it doesn't happen FAST we loose interest........or will.
ANYTHING WORTH HAVING, IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
Y'all should watch Dylan Rattigan at one o'clock (pacific time) on MSNBC. He is certainly fired up. Hi makes a lot of sense. I just wish he would TALK instead of yelling. He was interviewing some of the protesters.
Things are beginning to move the right way for us
Boycotts can be very effective as well. An unorganized push on Netflix may not have yielded any results for consumers but look at the damage inflicted on the company. Netflix was trading for $304/share a couple of months ago and now it is $153/share. This was a spontaneous, I'm not gonna take it anymore, response to outrageous rate hikes. Imagine if it was coordinated.
I remember many years ago, in the 60's, attending the Delano Grape Pickers event in Cucamonga, Ca. The Farm workers were advocating a boycott, surely one that would harm them in the short term. Their position was they would win in the long term and that is just what they did. Eventually farmers settled with them, recognized farm workers and wages improved. It cleared the way for the birth of United Farm Workers. Farm workers still have a long way to go but the boycott won some changes. Nothing will happen over night. Both approaches, boycott and protest marches, will move the goals forward. Both approaches allow people to participate when and where they can.
Excellent post! I agree!
A good idea,, 50 years too late to be effective here. The infestation is too widespread and integral to too many vital structures. Killing the disease would kill us all. It has to be destroyed using the same type of tactics that developed it: plain view, accepted deception.
It IS huge and it can be over whelming. But don't 'belly-Up'! That's exactly what they WANT us to do. Great strides HAVE been made. If you can't be active, at least be positive for those who ARE out there in the front lines trying to make a better way for all of us. Hang in there, and stay tuned!
In theory you are correct, one or two days is all it would take but in reality it can't happen because all Americans were willing conspirators in the growth of this cancer and the small economic quake we've recently experienced while generating some noise and discomfort, has not harmed enough of us to motivate widespread consideration of such drastic measures. For example the military and police structure was virtually unharmed and remains completely loyal to the enemy. Its business as usual and those losers who fell under the wheels served nicely as lubricant. One can only hope for a miracle disruption of mega proportions and seriously organize massive events on a relentless basis following that bit of luck. A week long national power blackout of mysterious origin for example.
They got together the nastiest reactionary wing of the republicans. I am sure that some independants and democrats are angry too, but they are not as stupid and backwards as the T-bags
Who are you asking to do this tax thing? Lawmakers and virtually all major federal agencies (FDA, EPA etc.) work only for Wall Street and its related business partners (Monsanto, Big Pharmas etc.), not for us,, so why would they want to bite their own butt? In reality, they likely already have in place, laws that compensate them with tax dollars whenever they make an oops and suffer direct losses,, oh wait.....they actually do have that don't they!! And you want to ask them to play nice? Ha!
I would but I haven't got a hundred bucks,, will you lend it to me?
Enough of the suck. Game over. A new day dawns.
The "pot calling the kettle black". Republicans may have designed and facilitated this mess but they couldn't have accomplished it without the greedy, shameless participation of all of us. Proud of yourself? If Americans will accept their own complicity in the creation of this ugly monster that has already killed millions and if there is any conscience remaining among us AND enough are willing to accept extreme hardship and sacrifice for a long time, then maybe a well organized effort could begin to turn things around. Personally I don't believe Americans will ever become desperate enough in large enough numbers to be able to achieve such greatness and maybe thats a good thing.
Years ago they began buying up Newspapers, radio and TV stations, so now THEY OWN PRACTICALLY ALL MEDIA.........Guess what? ....only THEIR message is heard. They are poisoning the airwaves with their right-wing crap. And what can we do??.............diddly squat.
We need to have wealthy democrats buy, and or start news outlets, so we can be heard, or we wil basically be out of the game......If you are never heard.......YOU DON'T EXIST
I remember Letterman and GE...now Letterman is one who will have this on tonite, he has been speaking out and in favor of tax on rich...he is one of them
"...any target can always say, 'Why do you center on me when there are others to blame as well?' When your 'freeze the target,' you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments.... Then, as you zero in and freeze your target and carry out your attack, all the 'others' come out of the woodwork very soon. They become visible by their support of the target...'
Or in this case by their LACK of support for the protesters. The silent media must be really really scared.
Blind.
"I brake for Trolls, Zombies and the Brain Dead"
This has been an interesting and sometimes cloudy back-and-forth but I have to interject here. The fact that you consider the "Fragmented States" to be a "Demockracy" (is that a new spelling for a mockery of "democracy?" -in that case, right on!), demonstrates y'r insouciance and please don't give me any patronizing or flippant claptrap in return. -Just what you base these specious assumptions and mockeries on.
Macing a non-violent bystander OR a protester and cuffing same is not democracy. These are NOT spoiled trust-fund brats but people of all ages who see their future and past (like me ) being shredded by the greed-mongers and their shills in congress. They are occupying public and semi-public spaces as is their right.
The bloody cops should be out there WITH them! -They are just as much at threat as the Wisconsin example shows.
I'm an old activist from way back, physical and conceptual, and I applaud ALL attempts by ALL people from ALL walks of life to get out and say "Enough!".
If you don't like it, get outa the way! I'd be there with them if wasn't one of the "New Poor", caused by -well guess who?
Now git real or git off!
Thank you Coffeewriter!
Time to take it back. ALL of it.
Good morning sleepy,, now you know what your news media is all about. What you see happening here is the norm and can be extrapolated to include all "news" in this country. We call Palestinians "terrorists",, start reading foreign news broadcasts to learn who the real "terrorists" are. This is just one of many glaring examples demonstrating that every word or action, spoken or perpetrated by Republicans is a lie or a deceitful tactic bent on personal gain regardless of cost to others or national consequence. Have a nice day.
The first step in Revolution is to Pull the Plug. Use TV to watch DVDs from the Library; be selective. Listen to one or two remaining radio shows. Ignore the broadcast media. Pull the plug on GE/NBC, Disney/ABC, CBS, Koch, Fox. They are your enemies and your consumerism pays their dividends. Pull the Plug. Take the first step. No cop will bop you if you just Pull the Plug.
put out as well as the way you go about it. I experience a
certain Soul quality which I am not able to explain in words.
Thank You.
These PD are acting like "brown shirts" of yester-year!
Other than ONLINE - has anyone seen these protests in local newspapers?
I wrote and asked them if they were waiting for the blood to flow in the streets before they would bother to inform their readers about what is going on.
Germany and Italy in the 1930´s
is just around the corner.
DEAR POLICEMAN
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU ALSO
SO PLEASE BE NICE TO US
However, by far, the largest number of readers' comments, responding to those articles, articulated that these protests are valid, relevant and intelligently motivated. Despite biased reporting, people are watching and understanding all too well that the 99% are us and that Wall St controls K St and K St controls 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and 1st St.
A few times I have watched. It nearly made me sick. Sadly too many people's brains have been poisoned, and turned into mush by the venom spewed by fix.
I am afraid they are now a lost cause.
212-788-0010
get out your guns and talk ignorant gibberish? i think you crashed the wrong party. u sd have taken a hard right back at the T party exit. sorry, but you'll just have to lick the bankers' ferragamo moccasins [$2,300] with all the other t party toadies.
GUNS DO NOT SOLVE PROBLEMS THEY CREATE THEM. BRAINS SOLVE PROBLEMS.
But, hey, they earn the most and protect it through all the tax breaks they're given by our Congress. What breaks do the middle class have? Unless you own a home, just your mortgage interest, but the wealthy incorporate themselves and buy their cars, vacation homes, etc, through the corporations. The corporation pays at a corporate rate, but since the car is used to haul the CEO around and the vacation home might be used to reward junior execs for a job well done, they become complete write-offs. It's a racket but they get away with it. Jefferson said a little blood needs to be shed every now and then. In recent years, with the two Bush wars, the only blood that's being shed is by working class stiffs. I still think a 2nd Amendment solution sounds pretty good.
I'd rather be locked up for a REAL cause than be sent to die for a phony one!
If corporations are what your after then
Occupy the FED (Federal Reserve Bank) They are a corporate monopoly protected by government with the 'exclusive' power to print money at will.
By the way - the Democratic party, like the Republican party and the US government are corporations as well - legal fictions that have no brain no belly no life and no right to vote.
America allows right wing theocratic zealots to appear at demonstrations supporting the corporate oligarchy and armed with assault rifles and takes no action, but arrests peaceful demonstrators against the corporate power structure. The police who are union members should be ashamed for allowing this to happen (though it appears the police manager scabs are the ones leading the arrests).
These demonstrations need to spread across the country - they cannot be centralized in one location. The arms of Wall St spread through out the country, they must be fought everywhere.
"Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters."
I don't really care, but if that was the cause, the big players are getting really scared.
They have the power to isolate me, but change my mind and stop me from spreading the word never.
So, some other tactic needs to be invented whereby the media are compelled by public interest to give attention to opinions at variance with the self-serving interests of the plutocracy.
Michael " How can I live in a nation where 100's of peaceful protesters get arrested but not one banker that robbed us and the nation are arrested.
O'Donnell - " We have to protest this." who says protests don't work?
Thak you Lawrence!
I guess Beohner is keeping his word. "No jobs so be it!
This state of affairs is a threat to the health, safety and welfare of ten's of millions of people. The Pew Foundation just reported that those without jobs will live shorter lives. And it made me sick to see the wall street gang standing above the crowd laughing and sipping wine! How dare they!
OWS
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/warren_thankyou/index2.html
Of course they did. This is the nation we have become. The theives are paying their private police. This is why we are out there becasue of abuse of power.
JP Morgan Chase reported over $100 billion in revenue last year. Donating $4.6 million is like a person who made $50,000/year donating a little over $2. Despite JP Morgan Chase’s role in destroying police jobs and pensions, this pitiful ‘tip’ – to “let [NYPD] know how much we value their hard work” – apparently bought them police brutality on their behalf.
you can be proud of this movement - go for it! We from the outside are looking in on what is going on in NY.
This is like Libya, like Egypt - a bottom-up movement against the plutocrats.
They are all of one kind: But Mubarak fell, Gadaffi fell - Wall Street and its filthy thugs will fall too for the better of the people.
I just wished we could get NATO to support you in your march to Wall Street ;-))
You are not living in a democracy yet, but hopefully you will be soon.
Best wishes and good luck
The Sheepole demand a new dictator!
VT is now a progressive state. Gee how did that happen? They VOTED FOR ALL PROGRESSIVES! So whatever it takes vote for Obama and a Progressive congress and senate!
Hay Hay B of A
How many homeowners did you Bankrupt today!
700 arrested, thousands beaten, women groped, peaceful protesters maced, yet the media won't report it!
http://occupywallstreetnow.blogspot.com
Occupy Albuquerque !
New Mexico supports Occupy Wall Street !
Restore 95% federal personal income tax rates on Americans who NET $1 million or more a year.
Close all USA corporate federal income tax loopholes.
Use these new tax revenues to create at least 14 million new jobs !
We care because so many ordinary, ok people are led astray by the media to think these are just the un-washed fringe of young protestors. They remain ignorant because they are fed this interminable hogwash. A good example: there's a repeating disgusting Rove TV ad featuring a woman with a little girl at her door being told by a HIDDEN figure that she owes the govt. $70,000 to be paid out immediately or over 20 years etc.so as to cover'public expenditures like pensions.' When she protests she does not have that money and can not pay, the hiding figure says, 'I wasn't talking to YOU,...." and the ad implies that our children will have to foot the bill for e.g., public pensions and other 'entitlements'. Very CLEVER ad, but a total lie ...public pensions (for e.g.nurses, college teachers, teachers, cops, firemen) etc. were PAID FOR BY THESE PEOPLE! AND IT IS JUST THAT THE GOVERNORS AND LEGISLATURES HAVE BEEN UNDERFUNDING THE PENSIONS BY STEALING FROM THEM TO PAY THEIR BILLS/BUDGETS!!!! The real 'ENTITLEMENTS' (don't you just love that term??) are for unpaid, underpaid taxes by the corporations, and those super-medical plans for legislators including the Repugnican loudmouths in congress!, not the piddling pensions for public workers!!
http://occupywallstreetnow.blogspot.com
I think, for greatest effect, it may be time to take the protest to cyberspace. And summon the will and strength of tens of millions.
ALL OF THEM had references to "class warfare", or "occupy wall street" in the subject heading.
I'm sure it's just another one of those "bugs" they're trying to fix.
Wall Street has bought our government - and ... VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA in 2012 -- the most important election ever.
Carl Rove already has 350 Million in his "super pack" thanks to the Supremes' decision to give "person hood" to big $$$ (the motion was put before the Supremes by the Koch Brothers - after they wined/dined Scalia/Thomas - that was in the news)
Go to your Dem headquarters to go with others to minority, old people etc. neighborhoods so these people get registered and get MAIL-IN ballots. Our elections in USA are "still" free so those "required" IDs in some states FOR VOTING are also free. Walker of WI is trying to charge $28 for an ID - and there are other crazy laws being put in to limit Dems from voting.
This advice is from Michael Moore & others.
Do not sit home as in 2010 or we'll have more GOP/TP supported by the Koch + GE + ???.
And if you CAN take the day off - volunteer to COUNT VOTES -- so Dems votes do not end up in trunks of cars, garbage cans etc (as they found in OH in 2004 after John Kerry conceded.
Thank You --- VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA -- "trust me I'm Jewish" (old saying) and old (truth)
==================
No, Mr Obama. the frustration is not with how "the system" works, as if "the system" were the product of some kind of natural economic laws. The frustration is over DECISIONS that have thrown millions out of work, out of their homes, out of what passes in the USA for insured medical care, in order to serve the interests of Wall Street billionaires who produce no goods and no services for the community with their own hands and brains. The decisions are ones they buy through their lobbyists with the wealth they accumulate. The decisions in large measure are those made by you and by your largely chosen administration, Mr Obama, and by the venal pollies predominating in the chambers of Congress. Yes your predecessors did the main damage, but Mr Obama you are following with essentially the same decisions.
They have published articles very critical of Occupy, one after another, editorials as well.
I've had similar responses to them in my head many times.
A word of caution, there are members of the FED, corporate monkeys, some government moles amongst you with an agenda to thwart the cause or to misdirect it. You are vulnerable because you are not yet well organized and that is when you are weakest and most likely to have a breach in leadership. Be careful of whom you follow and what road they will lead you down. Dont get infatuated with a dynamic leader who may have been coached on how to create a following and steer you down the wrong path.
Keep up the great work!
Big Business is trying to rig the justice system.
Multibillion-dollar banks, cell phone companies, cable providers and other industries are slipping forced arbitration clauses into the fine print of their contracts.
These clauses strip the signer’s right to take the company to court. Instead, consumers and employees who have been hurt or ripped off are forced into a private, secretive tribunal that favors corporations.
Tell Congress: Stop the corporate attack on our rights and end forced arbitration.
No one should have to sign away their rights in order to buy a product or get a job.
Last April, the Supreme Court made this bad situation worse. It ruled that corporations can use forced arbitration clauses to deny people the right to band together in class actions.
There is virtually no way for the customers to hold the company accountable for stealing $100 million.
.
This is corporate mugging on a grand scale.
The Arbitration Fairness Act (S. 987, H.R. 1873) would fix this injustice. The Consumer Mobile Fairness Act (S. 1652) would specifically fix the problem Don’t let Big Business rig the justice system.
Thanks for all you do,
Public Citizen’s Online Action Team
action@citizen.org
Subject: Wages
Salary of retired US Presidents .............$180,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of House/Senate .........................
$174,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of Speaker of the House ............$223,500 FOR LIFE
Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders ...... $193,400 FOR Life
These are unfair compared to the above salaries...
Average Salary of Soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN $38,000.00
Average income for SOCIAL SECURITY seniors $12,000
I think we found where the cuts should be made!
If you agree... Pass it on!
How can we get them Porta- Toilets Services and Porta- Shower Services?
You gets just dont sem to get it!
anybody with smarts knows that the MOVEMENT is not about voting, but changing system.
Start with shutting MILITARISM - $1.3 trillion/year
Your inability to uphold the rule of law and justice and your willingness to destroy equal rights for American citizens and protect criminals at our expense does not make us want to vote for you.
How many people did Bush and company kill and torture in Iraq? A war that was based on lies.
How many innocent men women and children have we murdered in Afghanistan.
I cannot believe this is who you really are in you heart.
How can you face your children when you support such horrific crimes?
What is your objection to respecting the rule of law?
Why do you support immunity for criminals and use the law to protect crime?
We are no longer a nation that lives by the rule of law and we fly a hollow flag of Democracy that has lost all meaning.
Desperate Americans, faced with a dire economy, fighting for their lives as the gluttonous military, blithely spends 9 billion per week for the so called war in Afghanistan one of the world's poorest nations, corporations and the 1% are sucking our economy dry, as you stand impotent to protect the people who elected you and now support the abuse they are receiving while practicing their right to assemble. How can we cast our vote for you in light of all this?
OCCUPY THE CONSTITUTION https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-the-Constitution/254037607976976
continuation of the movement???
A circle of people holding hands
(or tents!) around the White House
as long as it takes.
We need framers for our new revolution.
We need our great minds to get together and create a new view of the kind of goverment we want and a way to achieve it.
Bill Moyers: "Our Politicians Are Money Launderers in the Trafficking of Power and Policy"
John Boehner calls on the bankers, holds out his cup, and offers them total obeisance from the House majority if only they fill it.
That’s now the norm, and they get away with it.
Barack Obama criticizes bankers as “fat cats”, then invites them to dine at a pricey New York restaurant where the tasting menu runs to $195 a person.
That’s now the norm, and they get away with it. The President has raised more money from banks, hedge funds, and private equity managers than any Republican candidate.
Our politicians are little more than money launderers in the trafficking of power and policy – fewer than six degrees of separation from the spirit and tactics of Tony Soprano.
Why New York’s Zuccotti Park is filled with people is no mystery. Reporters keep scratching their heads and asking: “Why are you here?” But it’s clear they are occupying Wall Street because Wall Street has occupied the country.
This is why why need to protest and vote and organize hard cause these SOB's are destroying us and they do not care! They are getting rich as we become impoverished!!! !!!
see more
I call for OWS to bring forth the ghost of USMC Smedley butler to bring fear into the ranks of Wall street.
Want links to verify this?
http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/butler01-by_schmidt.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mav69K2zkgw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8Kv0h6OvE
I have just been doing some googling!
Barrery-driven heating blankets and clothes do exist!
Please tell us from where and how we can
get this stuff so we can support our friends during wintertime!
http://occupyamericamovement.com/video/occupy-wall-street-protest-uc-davis-berkeley
If OWS is successful, it will wake up to a world that is lorded over by federal bureaucrats and jack-booted enforcement thugs. The entire world will be run like the Post Office, the TSA, the IRS, and the Customs Bureau. This has nothing to do with freedom and nothing to do with human rights.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Government is US. The problem is that it is currently owned and operated by the capitalist powers-that-be. We The People need to take it back and make it work for US!
The 'ruthless and cruel elements' come from the capitalists that control what is supposed to be "OUR" government.
Just my take on all of this.
It's what I feared would happen when OWS began. These wealthy SOBs are not going to give up without a fight and their troops are in the training camps of Blackwater.....or whatever it is now called.
And why are the police being fortified with military gear, tanks with bunker buster capability, assault weapons, etc.
IT IS TO KEEP US DOWN. TO MAKE US FEARFUL TO DEMONSTRATE.
I don't think most people in this country realize that we are already living in a police state. And the head of this state is most likely the wealthy who are seizing control of......everything they can get their greedy little hands on.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.html
The Movement Action Plan:
A Strategic Framework Describing The
Eight Stages of Successful Social Movements
By Bill Moyer, Spring 1987
to congress:
"The liberty of a democracy is in danger
if the people tolerate the growth of
private powers (corporations/Adelson)
to a point where it becomes stronger than
the democratic state itself.
That, in it´s essence is fascism"
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