"Nobody had talked about income inequality in America for decades – apart from John Edwards – but no one was listening. But now you have Newt Gingrich talking about ‘vulture capitalism’ – Newt Gingrich! – that would not have happened without Occupy Wall Street."
(Source: soupsoup)
Lobbyist money + propaganda + opposition to populist movements = American Democracy
![thedailywhat:
Occupy Movement News Update of the Day: Occupy protesters took to the streets today across the country for a day of “mass non-violent direct action” to mark the movement’s two-month anniversary.
“Morning, campers,” tweeted the official Occupy Wall Street feed at 6:35 AM, “It’s a beautiful day for revolution.” 25 minutes later, OWS officially launched the day’s first volley: An attempt to disrupt business at the New York Stock Exchange, and prevent the Opening Bell from ringing on time.
They did not succeed.
NYPD officers arrested dozens of demonstrators and scuffled with dozens more as protesters were pushed around by police officers, allegedly for blocking traffic. Long Range Acoustic Devices were reportedly used by the NYPD to disperse the crowd (see report below).
Among those arrested was retired Philadelphia Police captain Ray Lewis, who joined the protesters yesterday outside Zuccotti Park, and was participating in today’s Day of Action.
Lauren Thorpe snapped this incredible photo of a uniformed Lewis immediately after being handcuffed by NYPD officers:
Another instantly iconic photo to emerge from the early-morning event is this snapshot of NYPD officers attempting to arrest a wheelchair-bound woman. According to The Guardian’s Paul Harris, they eventually gave up and ticketed her instead.
By 11 AM, the majority of protesters made their way to Zuccotti Park, where barricades around the occupation’s former homebase were removed, allowing hundreds of people to spill in.
Additional clashes ensued and many more people were arrested as police attempted to control the crowd and restore the barricades.
An hour and a half later, the barricades were back up, and protesters returned to the streets, marching and chanting up an down Broadway.
Police nearly lost control of protesters in Zuccotti Park for a second time a short while later, when a protester named Brandon Watts had his head bashed against the ground by several officers after he reportedly stole a policeman’s hat. (He was later charged with attempted assault and larceny.)
A New York Daily News report filed around the time of fracas referred to the scene at Zuccotti Park as “full blown mayhem.” Matters were not helped when, twenty minutes later, a protester cut an officer’s hand with a piece of glass.
By 3 PM nearly 200 people had been arrested in all, and at least 7 police offers were injured.
Protesters then launched their next offensive: Occupy The Subways. Despite initial reports, the plan was not to shut down the transit system, but merely use it to “spread stories” with the help of the People’s Mic.
“The real story for tomorrow morning’s paper was there were just not that many people out here,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at an afternoon presser.
But the figures swelled significantly as protesters were joined by union members on their way to “take” Foley Square ahead of the day’s final action: A march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
64 protesters, including city councilman Jumaane Williams, were arrested at the base of the bridge before the march even began. All told, some 300 people were arrested during the day’s demonstrations.
Shortly after 6:30, thousands of protesters — possibly as many as 20,000 — began to stream across the bridge carrying candles. Unlike previous events throughout the day, the BK Bridge march was notable for its peaceful nature.
Livestream below, courtesy of TheOther99:
Timelines: Occupy Wall Street; NYT; NYDN; The Atlantic; The Guardian;
Elsewhere:
— Dozens of Occupy LA protesters arrested after marching through downtown, taking over Bank of America Plaza.
— In Portland, clashes between police and Occupy protesters demonstrating in support of N17.
— Occupy Detroit protesters, joined by union members, rallied outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal building.
— Hundreds of Occupy D.C. protesters marched across Key Bridge with little incident.
Further Reading/Viewing:
— 1 percenter Anne Hathaway was spotted among the protesters, holding up a sign that said “blackboards not bullets”:
— Occupy Wall Street message occupies Verizon Building; now with 100% more video.
— 26 Arrested Reporters and What They Do; related photo: journalist with visible press badge being arrest.
— What’s a protest without a counter-protest?; see also: More on these guys.
— Classism at Occupy Wall Street? The Daily Show investigates.
[image: ows.]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luu2s0BfHT1qzpwi0o1_1280.jpg)
Occupy Movement News Update of the Day: Occupy protesters took to the streets today across the country for a day of “mass non-violent direct action” to mark the movement’s two-month anniversary.
“Morning, campers,” tweeted the official Occupy Wall Street feed at 6:35 AM, “It’s a beautiful day for revolution.” 25 minutes later, OWS officially launched the day’s first volley: An attempt to disrupt business at the New York Stock Exchange, and prevent the Opening Bell from ringing on time.
NYPD officers arrested dozens of demonstrators and scuffled with dozens more as protesters were pushed around by police officers, allegedly for blocking traffic. Long Range Acoustic Devices were reportedly used by the NYPD to disperse the crowd (see report below).
Among those arrested was retired Philadelphia Police captain Ray Lewis, who joined the protesters yesterday outside Zuccotti Park, and was participating in today’s Day of Action.
Lauren Thorpe snapped this incredible photo of a uniformed Lewis immediately after being handcuffed by NYPD officers:
Another instantly iconic photo to emerge from the early-morning event is this snapshot of NYPD officers attempting to arrest a wheelchair-bound woman. According to The Guardian’s Paul Harris, they eventually gave up and ticketed her instead.
By 11 AM, the majority of protesters made their way to Zuccotti Park, where barricades around the occupation’s former homebase were removed, allowing hundreds of people to spill in.
Additional clashes ensued and many more people were arrested as police attempted to control the crowd and restore the barricades.
An hour and a half later, the barricades were back up, and protesters returned to the streets, marching and chanting up an down Broadway.
Police nearly lost control of protesters in Zuccotti Park for a second time a short while later, when a protester named Brandon Watts had his head bashed against the ground by several officers after he reportedly stole a policeman’s hat. (He was later charged with attempted assault and larceny.)
A New York Daily News report filed around the time of fracas referred to the scene at Zuccotti Park as “full blown mayhem.” Matters were not helped when, twenty minutes later, a protester cut an officer’s hand with a piece of glass.
By 3 PM nearly 200 people had been arrested in all, and at least 7 police offers were injured.
Protesters then launched their next offensive: Occupy The Subways. Despite initial reports, the plan was not to shut down the transit system, but merely use it to “spread stories” with the help of the People’s Mic.
“The real story for tomorrow morning’s paper was there were just not that many people out here,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at an afternoon presser.
But the figures swelled significantly as protesters were joined by union members on their way to “take” Foley Square ahead of the day’s final action: A march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
64 protesters, including city councilman Jumaane Williams, were arrested at the base of the bridge before the march even began. All told, some 300 people were arrested during the day’s demonstrations.
Shortly after 6:30, thousands of protesters — possibly as many as 20,000 — began to stream across the bridge carrying candles. Unlike previous events throughout the day, the BK Bridge march was notable for its peaceful nature.
Livestream below, courtesy of TheOther99:
Timelines: Occupy Wall Street; NYT; NYDN; The Atlantic; The Guardian;
Elsewhere:
— Dozens of Occupy LA protesters arrested after marching through downtown, taking over Bank of America Plaza.
— In Portland, clashes between police and Occupy protesters demonstrating in support of N17.
— Occupy Detroit protesters, joined by union members, rallied outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal building.
— Hundreds of Occupy D.C. protesters marched across Key Bridge with little incident.
Further Reading/Viewing:
— 1 percenter Anne Hathaway was spotted among the protesters, holding up a sign that said “blackboards not bullets”:
— Occupy Wall Street message occupies Verizon Building; now with 100% more video.
— 26 Arrested Reporters and What They Do; related photo: journalist with visible press badge being arrest.
— What’s a protest without a counter-protest?; see also: More on these guys.
— Classism at Occupy Wall Street? The Daily Show investigates.
[image: ows.]
via boingboing
Income inequality is on the forefront of the collective America brain. With economists ringing alarm bells, protestors occupying available slivers of public land, and families feeling the squeeze on a daily basis, the American status quo hasn’t been so vocally scrutinized in decades. With so much coverage, it’s easy to get lost in the details—statistics and scandals, history and histrionics. Leave it to Annie Leonard, the activist and cartoonist behind the popular series “The Story of Stuff,” to clear up a how the richest nation on earth can’t afford to pay its bills.
This is, by the way, exactly why Scott Walker must go. He claims we’re broke and then sacrifices education and health care, while subsidizing corporations of the dinosaur economy.
(Source: utnereader)
So perfect …
An Irishman Abroad offers a thoughtful yet succinct explanation of why so people are so mad at Wall Street, which, naturally, requires the employment of myriad swear words.
(Source: thedailywhat)
Caught On Camera of the Day: A reporter for the Tennessean alt-weekly Nashville Scene was arrested Friday night at the Occupy Nashville protests on Legislative Plaza, and managed to catch the entire sorry affair on camera.
In the mostly audio-only video, Jonathan Meador can be heard properly identifying himself to police as a member of the press before being shoved unapologetically to the ground and handcuffed.
A trooper is heard instructing a fellow officer to charge Meador with resisting arrest. Meador was later charged with public intoxication, despite several witnesses saying he was not drinking or drunk.
A judge promptly ordered the release of all arrested protesters, saying police did not provide Occupy Nashville with sufficient forewarning that overnight occupation of the plaza was banned. A Tennessee Highway Patrol spokeswoman told the Tennessean they plan to review the video and “will respond appropriately.”
Similar arrests were made in Oregon and Texas during a weekend of major crackdown on Occupy movement protesters. Get up-to-date info on the latest raids/arrests via @OccupyArrests.
[scene / tennessean / latimes.]
A very clear-eyed explanation of wealth inequality in America in 2011 from utnereader:
Immunity and Impunity in Elite America:
As intense protests spawned by Occupy Wall Street continue to grow, it is worth asking: Why now? The answer is not obvious. After all, severe income and wealth inequality have long plagued the United States. In fact, it could reasonably be claimed that this form of inequality is part of the design of the American founding—indeed, an integral part of it.
Income inequality has worsened over the past several years and is at its highest level since the Great Depression. This is not, however, a new trend. Income inequality has been growing at rapid rates for three decades.
Hmm. What do you think? I like the way this guy presents his proposal; I like the idea of forcing some dialogue. When our voices are ignored, the only recourse is to speak louder. But I can understand some of the concerns about postage fees being passed on to customers and increased mail load contributing to carbon emissions. On the other hand, if enough people show their dissatisfaction, it might (might, I know) cause some reform of both the preying on customers and the junk mail problem.
(Source: youtube.com)
"
The point being: we have a massive police force in America that outside of lower Manhattan prosecutes crime and imprisons citizens with record-setting, factory-level efficiency, eclipsing the incarceration rates of most of history’s more notorious police states and communist countries.
But the bankers on Wall Street don’t live in that heavily-policed country. There are maybe 1000 SEC agents policing that sector of the economy, plus a handful of FBI agents. There are nearly that many police officers stationed around the polite crowd at Zucotti park.
These inequities are what drive the OWS protests. People don’t want handouts. It’s not a class uprising and they don’t want civil war — they want just the opposite. They want everyone to live in the same country, and live by the same rules. It’s amazing that some people think that that’s asking a lot.
"OWS’s Beef: Wall Street Isn’t Winning It’s Cheating | Matt Taibbi | Rolling Stone (via ronmarks)
(via utnereader)
By Lemony Snicket
