Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

05 Nov 2011 15:06

tags

U.S.: Green Party candidate in Tucson mayoral race lives in Occupy tent

Mary DeCamp is about to have her house foreclosed upon, but she’s decided to walk away from it and run her Green Party campaign from a tent. She certainly has the right name for such a move. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 21:51

tags

U.S.: Oakland demonstrator questions violence and vandalism

  • I didn’t destroy any property yesterday, but destruction of property is not violent.
  • Derek Winslow • A demonstrator with the “Occupy Oakland” movement who was arrested early Thursday morning after overtaking a building in downtown Oakland. Winslow admitted that the occupation of the building, along with the ensuing fires that were set around the property to deter police, “wasn’t the best reaction, but we are frustrated.” More than 80 people were arrested after police deployed tear gas in the area.  source
Posted by Matthew Keys • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 14:28

tags

Politics: Occupy Oakland to discuss chaos from last night’s protests

  • It’s not us, it’s a bunch of guys who wear black masks. It’s messing with our movement. They leech off our numbers — they only show up when there’s a rally.
  • Oakland Occupier Michael Porter • Talking about the chaotic elements of last night’s protests, which culminated in the early morning break-in of a vacant building, eliciting teargas and flash grenades from the OPD. Porter’s comment on this is interesting — there have been reports of graffiti sprayed throughout the city bearing conflicting messages, such as “kill cops” versus “non-violence works better.” The protest’s General Assembly is expected to address this today. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Oct 2011 10:38

tags

U.S.: Occupy Wall Street: Protesters lose generators, generate backup plan

  • bad Claiming a fire hazard, yesterday FDNY officials showed up at Zucotti Park and took the generators Occupy Wall Street was using.
  • worse To put salt in the wounds of the protesters, it’s expected to snow tonight (in freaking October!),  with 2-4 inches hitting NYC tonight.
  • betterHowever, the Occupy folk aren’t getting too down — they plan to set up bike generators, which will be ready early next week. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2011 10:41

tags

U.S.: Occupy Oakland: Protesters arrested en masse, tear gassed

  • We weren’t there but a minute before they started giving the dispersal order. The first time they said five minutes, this time they said ‘now.’ They shot off the flash grenades and people scattered.
  • Occupy Oakland activist Kat Brooks • Discussing the method in which the police booted them out of Frank Ogawa Plaza last night, arresting over 100 people and destroying their camp in the process. It was the second time in two days such an order was offered. “From the way they came into the camp [Tuesday] morning to the way they acted tonight, they have gone beyond what was necessary,” Brooks said. For their part, Oakland police claim that the tear gas was partly defensive in nature. “We were in a position where we had to deploy gas in order to stop the crowd and people from pelting us with bottles and rocks,” said interim police chief, Howard Jordan. Officers on the ground reported getting hit with paint, beer and eggs. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Oct 2011 23:16

tags

Politics: People like Occupy Wall Street…for now

  • +16% Occupy Wall Street’s net favorability. 43% approve of the movement, while just 27% disapprove.
  • 30% of people are still undecided on Occupy Wall Street, according to the same CBS/NYT poll.  source
  • » What this means: While the movement does enjoy a plurality of support (in this poll, at this moment in time), a huge percentage of people haven’t yet made up their minds about it. This means there’s a lot of room for public opinion to swing either way, so decisions on the part of OWS’s still-emerging leadership over the next couple of months will be crucial in solidifying public support or rejection of the movement. This, in turn, will help determine whether or not OWS’s message actually ends up affecting legislation that comes out of Washington. Will Occupy Wall Street become the next Tea Party, which has had a huge impact on national politicians, or is it just a passing fad? According to this poll, the answer to that question is “to be determined.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Oct 2011 00:04

tags

U.S.: Occupy Chicago: Nurses union protests controversial Grant Park arrests

  • cause Early Sunday, police arrested two members of National Nurses United who cared for protesters at Occupy Chicago, in the process ignoring Grant Park’s closing time of 11 pm. They were among 100 people arrested.
  • reaction After getting out of jail on Monday morning, the nurses were joined by more than two dozen fellow union members outside of Mayor Emanuel’s office on the fifth floor of Chicago’s City Hall, causing a bit of an emotional scene. source
  • » Hiding a story from the media? The nurses arrested suggest that police were trying to hide an awkward scene from the cameras. “We were among the last protesters released, for no good reason that we can tell, except for they clearly knew when the media cameras had left,” said Jan Rodolfo, the Midwest director for NNU. “We were tearful and exhausted and shell shocked.” Rodolfo was among those arrested; her court date has been set for November 15.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Oct 2011 11:31

tags

U.S.: Occupy Chicago protesters kicked out of Grant Park, arrested

  • 130 Occupy Chicago protesters arrested for trespassing source
  • » An attempt to move the show: This is the second weekend in a row that protests have been squashed at the park. Why’s that? Well, a group of protesters are attempting to move the protests outside of the city’s financial district. However, they haven’t gotten permits. “We are going to hold this space, and that’s what we are going to do,” said organizer Brit Schulte. “Our ability to invoke our civil rights to protest shouldn’t be limited, and we shouldn’t be censored.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2011 10:25

tags

U.S.: Pepper-spraying NYPD cop Anthony Bologna disciplined

  • 10 days of vacation time lost for his pepper-spraying conduct source
  • But does it go far enough?While Bologna’s actions in the infamous YouTube video drew massive scorn, some of the victims weren’t impressed with the punishment. “He needs a lot of vacation. He needs to go to a place very quiet, far away, for a very long time,” Ron Kuby, the lawyer for one of the victims, said. “He’s supposed to be there in an advisory capacity, to ensure that the young patrol officers aren’t doing what in fact the deputy inspectors are doing.”
  • Presented in the right context?Meanwhile, Bologna’s union, the NYPD Captains Endowment Association, is standing behind the cop, despite the claim he violated the department’s rules on pepper spray use: “Deputy Inspector Bologna is disappointed at the results of the Department investigation. His actions prevented further injury and escalation of tumultuous conduct. To date, this conduct has not been portrayed in its true context.” Bologna can still challenge the ruling.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Oct 2011 14:14

tags

World: Italian officials separate peaceful Occupy protesters from violent groups

  • Those who are carrying out what is nothing less than urban guerrilla warfare are hurting the cause of people around the world who are trying to freely express their discontent with the world economic situation.
  • Italian Democratic Party leader Pierluigi Bersani • Separating the violent protesters in Rome from the overall occupy movement, while noting the damage they’re causing to the larger, nonviolent movement. Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno made a similar distinction, noting that “There are groups of violent people that need to be isolated.” It’s a good sign that Italian officials can see the difference between a peaceful movement and the violent elements attempting to co-opt it for their own reasons. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>