They get to stay I hope.

I just saw this too.....
 

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



http://front.moveon.org/breaking%2Do...0932-ANx%3Dyux

Apparently Brookfield Asset Management is a Canadian Company that owns Zuccotti Park. They have backed down for now, but they're still threatening to stop the protestors from camping.

You can send them a message from this website if you care to.
http://www.leadnow.ca/stop-occupy-wall-street-eviction

In Solidarity
 

I so love the clips of protesters in NY clening up the park last night. Some great ones of people shining up trash recepticles. We do need to take responsibility for sanitation and public health measures at these kinds of things and it reinforces that Occupy Wall Street is about accountability! Now, if the banks and public corporations would catch on to their part in taking responsibility!!!!

The this Faux News and outlets- this is not a bunch of free-loading hippy types out there that need baths!!

Saw the prior Faux clips too with the pert young announcers crinkling their perfect noses at the 99% too!!

OMG Fox News online article gets it right!
 

LINK: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/...y-wall-street/

"According to polls, most Americans support the 99% movement, even if they’re not taking to the streets. In fact, support for the Occupy Wall Street protests is not only higher than for either political party in Washington but greater than support for the Tea Party. And unlike the Tea Party which was fueled by national conservative donors and institutions, the Occupy Wall Street Movement is spreading organically from Idaho to Indiana..."

Yup. :-)

If you want to sign the statement here is a link:
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/act...ction_KEY=4882

CONTACT: RootsAction
The 1st Amendment is Our Permit

WASHINGTON - October 14 - This is an emergency appeal. Spread it widely.

Our permit to occupy is called “The First Amendment.”

This morning, Occupy Wall Street protesters celebrated when New York authorities beat a last-minute retreat from clearing Liberty Plaza – as hundreds of labor and other activists rushed to defend the square.

But at the same time this morning, dozens of state troopers in riot gear cleared out Occupy Denver protests. In cities across the country, Occupy protesters have faced police violence and arrests. Some occupations have been forcibly removed while others have stood their ground successfully.

The authorities say we don’t have the proper permits to occupy public spaces. Our permit to occupy is The First Amendment.

Quickly sign the following statement which will be delivered to mayors, police chiefs and major media across the country:

Our permit to occupy public squares and parks is in The First Amendment, which affirms “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

When people across the Middle East occupied public squares, leaders in Washington mostly cheered those protesters and warned Middle Eastern governments not to use force to clear them. Those other societies don’t have a First Amendment. Yet Washington affirmed the universal right to assembly and protest.

We do have a First Amendment. The force being used to clear nonviolent protesters from public squares in our country is unacceptable. It must stop.

Occupy Wall Street goes global. Arrests in Rome as people fight with the police. hmmm. . I am wondering if people are just using all this Occupy protesting as a way to show their anger on everything they are upset about and cause violence. no bueno.

http://www.businessinsider.com/occup...hering-2011-10

Plans for a coordinated national gathering.

LOVE IT!!!

I'm staying apart from this, seeing how it's going to pan out. There are some reports of anti-Semitism sneaking in, i.e. "the Jews control Wall Street" and the old saw of Jews=greedy and cheap. I don't know enough about exactly who is demonstrating or if they represent my beliefs.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews...treet-movement

The New American website is a right-wing news source. I looked at some of their other articles and they are all skewed heavily to the right.

I'm gonna post the list of plans from your link:

I joined a credit union on Friday (yeah!). Looking forward to checking out Chicago protests tomorrow.

Warren Buffet's son has sided with the OWS protestors -

From -
http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...s-happen-.html

Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Howard Buffett, the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. director and son of Chairman Warren Buffett, said Wall Street protesters were provoked by abuses from corporations amid a widening disparity between rich and poor.

“I think it takes that to make things happen sometimes,” Howard Buffett, 56, said of the demonstrations in an interview yesterday in Des Moines, Iowa. Over the past 15 years, “we saw large corporations really screw people.”

Occupy Wall Street has drawn out protesters from New York to Seattle and gained empathizers among the top executives at Citigroup Inc. and BlackRock Inc. Warren Buffett, the world’s third-richest person, has said he is concerned about inequity in the U.S. The younger Buffett, a farmer and philanthropist, said obtaining enough food has become more difficult for more people.

“There has never been a larger gap between earnings in this country,” said Howard Buffett, who was in Des Moines to deliver a speech at the World Food Prize conference. “There has never been a time in my lifetime when the government is going to cut an incredible amount of programs that support poor people and feed them.”

Protesters criticized the government for propping up financial firms including Citigroup and Bank of America Corp. in 2008 while individuals struggled with unemployment, depressed wages, foreclosures and reduced retirement savings. Republican lawmakers oppose raising taxes to reduce the U.S. deficit and have pushed for cuts to government programs.

‘Get Some Balance’

“We’ve had protesting in the name of the Tea Party on the right side, and now we’re having protesting from the left side,” BlackRock Chief Executive Officer Laurence D. Fink, head of the world’s biggest asset manager, said today at a conference in New York. “Maybe we’re going to get some balance this way. But I do believe that we should not turn our backs to this protesting.”

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, said protesters are targeting “a scapegoat” and are wrong to divide the country. President Barack Obama, who joined Warren Buffett in a push to raise taxes on the wealthy, is guilty of “class warfare,” Romney has said.

“There has been class warfare going on,” Buffett, 81, said in a Sept. 30 interview with Charlie Rose on PBS. “It’s just that my class is winning. And my class isn’t just winning, I mean we’re killing them.”

Howard Buffett, a Berkshire director since 1993, said hunger is rising in the U.S. as well as in poorer nations. A record 45.3 million Americans received food stamps in July and almost one in six live in poverty, the government said. Buffett is president of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which advances agriculture in developing nations.

Buffett’s Wagers

Warren Buffett has backed some of the biggest financial firms while chiding bankers for excesses in risk-taking and compensation. Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire invested $700 million in Salomon Inc. in 1987, $5 billion in Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in 2008 and $5 billion in Bank of America this year. Buffett, the father, has compared Wall Street to “a church that’s running raffles on the weekend.”

Wall Street “does a lot of good things and then it has this casino,” Buffett said in October 2010. “One of the problems we still have is we have unbalanced incentives for managers of huge financial institutions.”

Jim Chanos of hedge fund Kynikos Associates said this month he understands the anger directed at financial companies. Bill Gross, who runs the biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., said in a Twitter post that wage earners are fighting back after three decades of class warfare in which they were “being shot at.” Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit said yesterday he’d be happy to talk with protesters.

--With assistance from Beth Jinks in New York. Editors: Dan Reichl, Peter Eichenbaum.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andrew Frye in New York at afrye@bloomberg.net; Alan Bjerga in Des Moines, Iowa, at abjerga@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net; Dan Kraut at dkraut2@bloomberg.net.

Wondering if anyone has seen the docu "the 1 percent" by jamie johnson?

"We are the 99%. Now, let's get to work"
 

"To the average low-information voter, these all seem like common sense solutions....course when you dig a little deeper, you realize these policies are only designed to benefit the one percent."

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I figure it’s important to keep abreast of the tactics being used by the right to undermine the OWS movement.


http://www.alternet.org/story/152745...upy_wall_st._/

http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst...tive_ideology/

http://www.observer.com/2011/10/reut...ore-and-after/

http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst...nd_the_country

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2011/10/14-3

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/10/oc...ia/#more-38265

On October 7th Keith Olbermann inverviewed Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West on the Occupy Wall Street movement and it's relationship to the issues of people of color. It's really interesting to see their take on the subject.

I love Dr. West I want to be him when I grow up.

I was talking to the CVS lady today about the OWS and she was pissed off. She thinks something big will happen soon. She quoted Ghandi...“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” But she said he forgot one.
They get scared then they fight you, I think right now they are scared and trying to fight so hopefully we are almost there.

Alot of those angry and poor Italians realize that a CEO's world works much like the Mafia. For example, how does a recent college grad become a VP in a major corporation when all the others have worked just as hard to qualify? It's because her/his family or friend of the family knew the Don who started the corporation, and greased the skids for that kid to go sliding. I think MOST people who are in the 1% make it from the inside through CONNECTIONS not qualifications. One kid spent 1.5 mil on a Bugatti after the Corp. gets 20mil. in funding, and the VP or Don looks the other way because her/his father is on the board. Then a few innocent programers have to get fired because of mismanagement which is never admitted. This is how their world works sometimes.
So, anyone on the outside should be pissed, because if your not on the inside, you may get left out in the cold. If anything, I think the poor should be angrier.

This would actually be funny if it wasn't so fucking sad!

VIDEO: 24 Arrested at Citibank for Attempting to Move Their Money?

As part of Saturday's global day of action against Wall Street and corporate power, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, protesters in New York and elsewhere organized groups to go to the major banks to withdraw their money.

The day started off smoothly, with a group of people organized by the Labor Outreach working group from Occupy Wall Street arriving at a Chase bank to withdraw their money. Chase went off without a hitch, but by the time the protesters made it to a Citibank branch there was trouble.

The video below shows people being locked inside a Citi branch, and then forcibly arrested. The charge, reportedly, is "criminal trespass." For trying to withdraw your own money from a bank?

They might have temporarily been halted from removing their money, but one would have to think that as soon as they get out, they'll return even angrier than before. Not a good customer retention strategy, Citibank

Oh dear lord... that is bullshit. I hope they go to court and that tape is used as evidence.

wow, thanks for posting that video Miss Tick!

I've been sleeping on and off all day today - I've come down sick and I'm doing what I can to rest and be able to function physically and mentally for the up and coming week... but I penned a poem this afternoon and would like to leave it here in this forum thread. Also, I have a few hours tomorrow early in the morning before I report for work, so I'm going downtown to participate in the OWS/Portland and spend time talking with folks who are still holding the line in support of this social movement.

The House of the 99%

~ LDS © October 16th, 2011

And it came to pass, in the fall of the year of 2011,
People of every color, creed,
Religious affiliation, social class status,
Politically held beliefs, gender and sexual orientation gathered
As a people in mass numbers, seemingly not found on a periodic table.

We gather in public spaces to lift up our voice
In concern for a greater social need,
Asking for redress of inequitable treatment,
We seek to be more than just heard:
We seek remedy for that which has enslaved us since time immemorial.

We, the House of the 99%, occupy every corner of the Earth
Where members of a socio-cultural fabric suffer the choke-chained elitist cocktail of corrupt power: We protest Elitist dogma that squanders communally held resources of
Water, food, and the ability to earn a respectable living;
We protest for the reasonable expectation that we deserve more than 1% by the 1%.

We, the House of the 99%, will occupy and represent whether rain, snow or wind:
Because no wind, no rain, no snow or other catastrophic condition will silence our effort to take the 1% to task and hold that 1% accountable under the same conditions
We have endured for far too long. Our voice is a concentration of rational acuity that is collectively held within the House of the 99%.

We, the House of the 99%, will not take a back seat to the 1%:
Our seat of power resides within the commonwealth of the 99%
And we actively tap that seat of power in the name of all that represents
The House of the 99%: Equitable, active social remedy that supports and provides for a quality of life to sustain 100% of humanity - locally and worldwide.

Another interview. This guy is awesome.

educate the masses and you will create revolution

I've gotten some ?? from people wondering wth I'm talking about here's a link to the trailer... it's available on netflix... possibly other streaming sites like hulu? [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV34oF2EEvA"]The One Percent - YouTube[/nomedia]

Sorry bout that... shoulda posted a link in the first place. Anyway... I thought it waas interesting and relevant to the occupy movement.

Fixed your link.

Occupy Chicago
 

Great spirit and moments at OWS Chicago today. My camera battery died on the first shot, so here are a few vignettes -

Woman my age with a sign that read "Suburban Mom for OWS"

Another sign that read "Stop the Greedy A-holes"

Fox news and Telemundo were videotaping. One guy followed Fox around with a sign that read, "Fox news lies." He'd point at the cameraman and then the sign. People laughed.

Great drum circle - mostly overturned barrels.

Another sign read, "Koch brothers, keep your dirty hands of my democracy."

Another sign read, "For the people - the real people, not the really rich people."

A lot of horns honking in camaraderie. One city bus driver cracked us all up when she danced behind the wheel as she tapped her horn.

Another sign read, "Now that we've bailed out the banksters, is it the people's time?"

Cab and tour bus drivers honked as well as cars. The trash collection trucked honked and the guys on back gave us a "power to the people" fist. And even a limo driver honked several times. Some folks were just ecstatic to show support.

One sign next to me brought me to immediate tears. There were a number of children in the crowd, but this little one was four. Her sign read - "I had an undiagnosed lung disease for two years because I didn't have the right health insurance. I am the 99%."

It was a great scene, and there was someone with food for everyone and another person with a lot of placards and materials for making signs.

This is what democracy looks like. :-) Good night all, SNH

thanks! :) it won't let me embed video. :/

The video is available but I can't put it here with my limited skills.

Dr. Cornel West and 14 others Arrested Protesting Corporate Power at U.S. Supreme Court


By Margaret Flowers - Posted on 16 October 2011
October2011.org Movement Denounces the Pollution of
Money from Concentrated Wealth

Washington, DC: The October2011.org Movement that is occupying Freedom Plaza, led an impromptu march of 250 people up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S.Supreme Court where Dr. Cornel West climbed on the steps of the Supreme Court and denounced court decisions that have produced money-based elections that empower corporations. Dr. West was holding a sign that said "Poverty is the Greatest Violence of All." He was arrested because holding political signs on the Supreme Court steps is illegal.

Dr. West spoke to more than 500 people on Freedom Plaza where he said that "if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he would be on Freedom Plaza." West described how the struggle against, poverty, war and injustice continues and confidence that the people will succeed. He applauded the occupation as "an inclusive social revolution for all of us" and a "leaderless-leader-filled movement" where people are "finding their own political voices rather than echoing others."

Kevin Zeese, an organizer of October2011.org said: "It is a fitting tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Dr. West and the others to risk arrest protesting the unfair wealth divide and the Supreme Court empowering money over voters. In the battle for a real, participatory democracy getting money out of politics is a critical step."

October2011.org seeks to end corporate rule and shift power to the people. The occupation of Freedom Plaza began on October 6th, the beginning of the 11th year of the Afghanistan War and a new federal fiscal year that promises austerity for everything except militarism and war. Among those arrested with Dr. West were Tarak Kauff of Veterans for Peace, Ellen Davidson of the Indypendent newspaper, filmmaker Dennis Trainor, Jr. and Maria Allwine an independent political activist.

Video will be available on http://october2011.org later this evening.

UPDATE! Dr Cornel West, rapper Raheem deVaughn and 17 others were arrested today at the Supreme Court, following a march from Freedom Plaza after Dr West's inspiring talk. Still updating status, but at least some will be held overnight. Charge is title 40 demonstration.

This is disgusting, thank god there were enough viewer complaints for an apology to be issued after the show

http://www.eatthestate.org/wp-conten...ations-Out.jpg

what an idiot. He honestly should be fired. I am certain his popularity will be effected by this. He quickly tried to change his tune tho. No doubt his teleprompter was going crazy from producers lol

bad bad move O'leary

Yeah that whole low budget thing about the protests like need corporate sponsors. Sometimes I feel like these people aren't really conservative but they play one on TV.