DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... People Should Occupy Wall Street 2

Never thought this would happen. (starting part 2 of this thread)

@columbus

I'm sorry. I misread your eye roll. I was tired and thought you were attacking me personally. The article did in fact alk about taxes, but it also talked about the 59% of Americans supporting the OWS movement poll. That poll was why I posted it. So again, sorry I snapped.

I don't care who gets taxed or who gets tax cuts as long as they get this economy moving again. I won't pretend to understand the effect that these taxes will have one way or the other, but I do understand my own bank account and the lack of customers calling.

One law governing Business Reply Mail.
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm#wp1044635

9.4.6 Intentions of the Permit Holder
BRM may not be used for any purpose other than that intended by the permit holder, even when postage is affixed. In cases where a BRM card or letter is used improperly as a label, the USPS treats the item as waste.

If someone wanted to protest junk mail, for example, a more sensible (and potentially legal) method would be to simply drop the envelope in the mailbox with the offer enclosed marked "customer declines offer". That would be a legitimate use of the envelope, and would force the company to pay the postage, as well as forcing them to process the enclosed form(s).. That or leave the entire package intact and "return to sender", forcing the company to have to deal with each piece on an individual basis.

However ..... if people create more stupid work that forces additional expense on certain banks, it will probably carry over to other banks .... and rates and fees will have to go up ..... thus causing the very thing being protested.

This is some pretty funny satire:

Libyan Government Warns NYPD to Exercise Restraint
Urges NATO Action to Protect American Dissidents


TRIPOLI (The Borowitz Report) – As arrests mounted in the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City, Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) issued a stern statement today warning the NYPD to exercise restraint.

“The Libyan transitional government regards any attempt to infringe upon the American protesters’ right to express themselves as a violation of international standards of free speech and liberty,” the Libyan statement read. “We will not sit idly by and watch this happen.”

Libyan government officials also hinted that if the arrests continue, it would consider forming a NATO coalition “to ensure the safety and security of the American people.”

While it did not state it as an explicit goal, insiders believe that if the arrests continue Libya may seek the ouster of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Perhaps in response to the Libyan statement, the U.S. State Department today responded with a statement of its own: “The United States is one hundred percent opposed to the suppression of popular uprisings as long as they aren’t happening here.”

So adding to the package would be illegal but returning a blank or declined form would not... good to know. Thanks Ytown.

That is funny!

General reply:

I happened on this little article today. I apologize if someone already pointed this out.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/31/news/economy/occupy_wall_street_trademark/?source=cnn_bin


Does anyone else find this hilarious?

Rather ironic, actually.

Maybe they can wind up suing their OWS "brothers".

The Occupations Report: 10/31
October 31st, 2011

We’ve recently seen this report posted and shared through social media, but we thought it might be helpful to have another place on the web it can be published and accessed daily. We’ll be posting the archives of this report soon. This Occupation Report is compiled by Rebuild the Dream.

This report includes updates from Occupy sites and related efforts across the country and the globe. It includes big wins, local organizing efforts, protests/events and calls to action where additional support from allies/general public may be needed. Where applicable, I have included reports on police activity and legal battles which have been separated into two categories: Category 1 [police crackdowns including city code violations] and Category 2 [civil disobedience arrests]

For more updates from occupations around the country, listen to the Occupation America podcast at http://soundcloud.com/occupation-america

BIG WIN: Diane Sawyer announced on ABC Nightly News Friday night that big banks are backing off debit card fees after 300,000 people signed Molly Katchpole’s Change.org petition against Bank of America’s $5 debit card fee. Not only is Bank of America revising its $5 debit card fee, but big banks like Chase and Wells Fargo are publicly canceling their plans to charge their customers for debit cards.

NATIONWIDE: Several Occupy sites across the country are organizing Halloween-themed rallies, marches and events. Check out these Occupy Zombies marching in Boston http://yfrog.com/esknksj. This week: Occupy sites across the country are gearing up for nationwide actions including a general strike on November 2nd and Move Your Money Day of Action on November 5th.

Occupy Wall Street: Author and activist Angela Davis spoke at Occupy Wall St. in Washington Square Park on Sunday. Thanking the OWS movement for transforming politics in the universe, she spoke to the brutal police crack-down on the Occupy encampment in her home town of Oakland and supported the call for a national strike on November 2 in response to that violence. ****In other news… Raw Story reported yesterday that OWS protesters who were left without power after their gas-fueled generators were confiscated by New York City authorities on Friday may have found the idea solution in the form of a stationary bicycle hooked up to charge batteries. Stephan Keegan of the non-profit environmental group Time’s Up showed off one of the bikes toThe Daily News, explaining that OWS’s General Assembly has already authorized payment for additional bikes and that “soon we’ll have ten of these set up and we’ll be powering the whole park with batteries.” **** Over the weekend Occupy Wall Street, in solidarity with Occupy the Hood, took action against “the homelessness forced upon innocent Americans through criminal foreclosure practices. On Sunday OWS held a rally and screenings of “Sing Your Own Song” followed by a discussion with actor and activist, Harry Belafonte. Speakers at the Rally already included Terrence Melvin of CBTU, Sonia Ivany of LCLAA, Pres. Sid Ryan of Ontario Federation of Labor, Anthony Harmon of APRI, Chris Provost – Chair of Univ Student Senate, CUNY, members of Transit Workers Union Local 100 and SEIU Local 1199. Earlier this week the NAACP put out a statement saying they are in support of the Occupy Wall Street / 99% movement.

******CALL TO ACTION******OWS called an emergency meeting this afternoon to discuss, among other things, the use of funds to help the group survive the winter. Right now OWS is in desperate need of winter gear. Go to http://occupywallst.org/article/urgent-winter-donation-needs/ to see a full list of needs.



Occupy Arrests: The @OccupyArrests Project is looking for funds to continue the work of documenting Occupy arrests. The project seeks to document and publish an ongoing online record of those arrested in the Occupy Movement around the globe. They report that so far over 2,500 arrests have been made. The project would involve the creation of an online portal for those active in the movement and those that want to learn more in a understandable and useful way. Elements of the portal would include searchable totals categorized by different factors, on the spot updates, legal resources, and profiles of protestors actually arrested. For more information contact occupy.arrests@gmail.com or visit www.twiter.com/occupyarrests.

Occupy Austin: [CBS local news report] A pair of pre-dawn confrontations between Austin police and Occupy Austin protesters led to 38 arrests Sunday. Most were charged with criminal trespass, Police Chief Art Acevedo said. No injuries were reported. The first confrontation came about 12:30 a.m. Sunday when officers moved to enforce a new rule banning food tables in the City Hall plaza between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Some protesters surrounded the tables with arms linked. Protesters had been advised of the food table ban on Friday, Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald said. “We want to facilitate their activities,” he said of the Occupy Austin protesters, “but we can’t allow this to be a permanent campsite.”

Occupy Boston: The Occupy Boston Students dressed like zombies organized a city-wide walkout, rally, and march on Monday. Each campus organized to walk out of class in time to all convene at the gazebo in Boston Commons at 1 pm. The rally in the Commons was followed by a march to the Occupy Boston site at Dewey Square. The walkout was called in solidarity with the wider Occupy Boston movement and specifically to highlight student’s main concerns: Fair and affordable higher education, student loans, and the corporatization of universities. These issues are at the forefront of the student’s agenda, since students are not unaffected by the wider issues highlighted at Occupy Boston, such as inequality, unemployment, and financial corruption.

Occupy Cleveland: Issue 2 / SB-5 Teach-in. Monday, Stephanie Herrig from Working America held a noon teach-in about overturning SB-5 by voting No on Issue 2. Occupy Cleveland says overturning SB-5 is necessary in order to help unions. In the evening Occupy Cleveland will join Occupy the Hood for a Job Readiness and Training event.

Occupy Dallas: The Hare Krishna took food and candy to Occupy Dallas for Halloween today. Earlier in the day, Occupy Dallas twitter feed reported: “We #occupied the #CityHall Halloween party in a costumed silent presence, bearing messages.”

Occupy Denver: [Democracy Now report] In Denver, riot police fired pepper balls and mace into a crowd of protesters after they attempted to move onto the State Capitol grounds. Some 20 people were arrested, including 13 who tried to erect a tent in an adjacent park. The arrests followed a peaceful march that drew thousands of people into the streets of Denver. Last night the group gathered in solidarity to hold a Sunset Peace Vigil. This candlelight served as a “collective stand against violence by individuals and police, and to refocus collective perspective on their primary goals of socioeconomic justice and peace.”

Occupy Maine: [USM Free Press report] The Occupy Maine camp in Lincoln Park saw their resolve tested this weekend as temperatures plunged and a rare October Nor’easter dumped about five inches of wet snow on Portland Saturday night. The camp suffered some damage overnight from wind and falling branches. Occupy Maine member Denny Junkins, 21, said a communal tent had partially collapsed and some tarps had been blown off tents. But Junkins said campers are remaining positive and trying to rebuild. “It didn’t look too bad,” he said. “It looked like a big storm had come through, which is what happened.” Mike Oregan has been in camp for over two weeks, and he said on Saturday he is here to stay, come snow and cold weather.

Occupy Myrtle Beach: [McClatchy report] Even though smaller group assembled Saturday in Myrtle Beach for their second Occupy Myrtle Beach, they had hopes for expansion to get their messages out in the community. Following a similar format to the inaugural meeting, which was held last week, people signed up and spoke to the group for five minutes about their thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street movement, changing government and demonstrating locally. “It takes us all wanting to come together and make change happen,” said Terry Mason Hendricks. “We have to get organized.”

Occupy Nashville: Over the weekend, 67 members of Occupy Nashville, faced freezing overnight temperatures at Legislative Plaza in Nashville, TN. The third night of the re-occupation began with the arrival of 152 people volunteering to be arrested if Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Highway Patrol continued to violate their first amendment rights of free speech. The community expressed its support throughout the night by sending donations of pizza, soup, and drinks. Hundreds of others joined them via livestream, facebook, and twitter. At 6am Sunday morning, as church bells rang in downtown Nashville, the occupiers triumphantly greeted the day with singing and chants of “Our plaza! Our plaza!” The THP did not raid the plaza and no arrests were made during the night. In other news, a night court magistrate has refused to sign off on an arrest warrant targeting demonstrators because, he argued, state officials have no authority to set the curfew.

Occupy Oakland: Protesters in Oakland are reportedly planning to occupy the office of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan today. And in other news, Oakland North reports: Heated confrontations between Oakland police and over 500 Occupy Oakland demonstrators during a march against police brutality on Saturday night threatened to turn into a repeat of Tuesday night’s violence, but the tension dissipated as the march moved away from OPD headquarters and into West Oakland. The night ended peacefully and without arrests. The march left Frank Ogawa plaza at around 8:30 pm and headed down Broadway. Many demonstrators held five-foot-tall wooden black “shields” showing the words “Stop Police Brutality” and images of skeletons. Some wore black hooded sweatshirts and black bandanas over their faces, while others were dressed in their Halloween best.

VIDEO: Yesterday Occupy Oakland released what they call video proof that Oakland PD infiltrated their group and posed as protesters over the weekend. You can check out the video here: http://markcrispinmiller.com/2011/10/pro...om+Underground)

Occupy Omnibus: BrainPicking.org lists 10 Essential Cross-Disciplinary Books About Protest. Check out the list here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/10/31/10-essential-books-about-protest/

Occupy Philadelphia: Occupy Philadelphia hopes the movement will bring more attention and help to the homeless population who have joined the group. The group is asking for donations of hats, scarves, coats and socks to help them maintain their presence through the winter. There is a concern, however, among members that donations to Occupy may take away from donations to organizations that give to the needy. “We do have a very large homeless population on grounds here with us,” one protestor said. “We consider them our brothers in arms, we embrace them with open arms, we do everything we can to help them, and they do everything they can to help us. We’re in this together.”

Occupy Portland: Early Sunday morning, after warnings from the Mayor’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau, 25-30 protesters associated with Occupy Portland were arrested for breaking a park curfew at Jamison Square during the course of a peaceful protest. Protesters were charged with criminal trespassing, interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct.

Occupy Raleigh: Occupy Raleigh sent out several twitters today urging people to join the National Day of Action to *Move Your Money* from big banks like Bank of America, Chase and Citibank. The action will take place on November 5th.

Occupy San Francisco: [Mission Local report] Hundreds of fat cats, corporate bigwigs, the top 1 percent and at least one *puppet* Barack Obama marched around downtown San Francisco on Saturday… While some dressed in traditional Halloween garb, most, like Connie Jeung-Mills, had some fun making political statements out of their getups. Hers was a pink alien outfit with a badge that read “(Alien) Nation 99%.” See pics here: http://missionlocal.org/2011/10/occupy-sf-gets-a-halloween-makeover/. You may also want to check out this SF Gate article on how Occupy SF has breathed life into a park that lay dormant for nearly a decade: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/30/BAI31LO36M.DTL&tsp=1

Occupy USC: [Daily Trojan report] The Occupy USC General Assembly said it plans to focus on advocacy and creating open forum, after the group held its second meeting Friday at Tommy Trojan. Occupy USC, which began Oct. 25 as an offshoot of the national Occupy Wall Street movement, aims to increase its presence on campus. “The main thing we wanted to work on as a movement was advocacy and getting people aware of what’s going on,” said Julia ..., an occupy USC participant



WORLDWIDE:

Occupy Africa: [African Country report] Until recently, the global Occupy Movement has been mostly restricted to South Africa (according to OWS’s own data collection) and to small protests by mostly white, middle class South Africans. But now they’re joined by Senegalese musician Baaba Maal. See video of Maal talking about 99% with Okayafrica’s Allison Swank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FnCV2tlsDqU

Occupy Berlin: New York-based Susan Bernofsky attends Occupy Berlin and compares the atmospheres and strategies of the movement in both cities… http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/2011/10/31/occupy-berlin/

Occupy Frankfurt: Thousands of people marched in the financial district of the German city of Frankfurt this weekend.

Occupy LSX: In London, a coalition of Christian protesters has made plans to form a prayer ring around demonstrators encamped outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Efforts to evict the protesters have led to a storm of controversy, with both St. Paul’s canon chancellor and a chaplain stepping down over the decision to pursue legal action against the camp. **** In related news… Occupy London celebrated their first week in occupation by taking a second site at Finsbury Square (about 5 minutes walk from the first site). The second site is still growing, and they need equipment and people. They’ve put out a special call looking for drivers to haul items they’ve collected from the old site to the new site.

Occupy Montreal: During the recent Indignez-Vous! conference in Montreal, Council of Canadians chapter activists, Board directors, and staff visited Occupons/ Occupy Montreal to demonstrate their solidarity with the group. To see a 2-minute video by activist-filmmaker Paul Manly on this, please watch here or go to http://www.youtube.com/v/EiQ6CTtJDSM.

Occupy Toronto: According to Credit Union Times, organizers with Occupy Toronto are seeking out a credit union to park the more than $40,000 in donations they’ve received. The group, which consists of roughly 250 protesters, said it has been getting a steady stream of funds from supporters over the past two weeks. Of the $40,000 received so far, less than $1,000 has been spent, according to a Toronto Star article.

Speaking of donations… Occupy Toronto received yurts this weekend as they were attempting to winterize their camp. The large, wood-framed tents are a type of shelter popular on the steppes of central Asia, where it can get pretty chilly in winter. According to CP24, the yurts were paid for by anonymous unions, they’re being provided by a Canadian company called Groovy Yurts. See pics here: webpage

Occupy Vancouver: A group of Occupy Vancouver protesters – “Occupy the Vatican” – marched to the steps of Holy Rosary Cathedral to disrupt the Sunday mass service yesterday. The group had planned on marching into the church to protest during the Sunday services but police officers prevented them from entering the cathedral. About a dozen protesters stood on the steps of the Holy Rosary Cathedral demanding to be let in, but were turned away by church volunteers.“I’m not asking you to renounce your religion,” the crowd chanted in unison. “I’m asking you to stand with Jesus, and stand for what he stood for: justice, brotherhood, sisterhood and righting the wrongs of the past.” Parishioners say people have the right to protest, but churchgoers also have the right to worship in peace.



The Daily Occupation Report is compiled by Rebuild the Dream using information gathered from online news sites, Twitter, blogs and other sources of occupation-related updates. You are welcome to share this report and can find it at web page .

If you have any questions, feedback or would like to contribute a report from your Occupy site, please send them along with your contact information to monique@rebuildthedream.com or lizbutlerdc@gmail.com.

Yep. I guess Occupy the hood is focused on foreclosures.

Phil

I'm not sure, but I think they might be trying to change the form of democracy we practice all together. It's REALLY a stretch, but several (including Michael Moore) are pushing this General Assembly type interaction as the way government should work.

Their 'General Assembly' rules allow thing to pass with a 90% consensus not counting voters who abstain. I don't see how this could be applied on a national level at all, But they keep talking about it.

I've also seen talk about breaking up companies that are too big to fail. If they're to be too fail then they're too big to exist is the logic behind that.

As far as who cleans up the mess, I think they want the government to do that with regulations.

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In trademark law, if two entities request the same thing, filed on the same date, it goes to the lower serial number.

Not sure what that has to do with fairness in financial markets.

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It doesn't have to be relevant, it's just not fair. It doesn't matter what the law says, these two people both want it so for one of them not to get it isn't fair. That other guy is trying to run a small business, feed his family, compete with the big guys, if they won't let him do that, it's not fair.

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Wall Street and banking institutions have thrived as a direct result of socialism, and of wanting and getting something for nothing. They extended themselves credit and credit amnesty they didn't qualify for, and when they failed, they turned to the U.S. government and got their losses covered, in many cases paying little to no taxes.

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I'm well aware of that. Two groups tend to do very well in socialism, those that have a lot because they flatten out the work force and nobody threatens their position of power because upward mobility is severely limited.. and the poor who are raised to a status of the group above them... everybody in the middle suffers and eventually decides it's not worth working hard for no reward.

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People are quick to say they didn't like these institutions getting money from the government, but seem to have no problem with their corruption and ineptitude,

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Their corruption and ineptitude is exactly why folks like me didn't want them to get money from the government in the first place. If not for the government bail outs, their corruption and ineptitude would have been exposed for all to see, instead the government bought them a trillion dollar blanket to cover it up.. so your comment makes no sense.

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to the point of painting a narrative that insists it was the government who twisted the arm of these businesses into making the poor choices (when more often than not they wrote their own legislation in collusion with the government).

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I have no ideas were made behind closed doors but yes, the government did attempt to influence them by signing legislation which removed the vast majority of the banks risk. If you are looking for me to defend one and blame the other its not going to happen, I think that if the government would get out of it and let the banks judge their own level of risk and succeed or fail based on that judgement, then we would be taking a big step in the right direction.

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Now, one valid criticism/question of the OWS movement is - so who do you want to clean up the mess? The government? You want the financial institutions to be punished and monitored by their most influential business partners?

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Yes, that is exactly what they want to happen.

I think this fits nicely here...leadership and "fairness" Obama-style:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/...ie-mac-bonuses/

Careful now ... around here the idea of denying a CEO's bonus amounts to totalitarianism.

On the topic of an earlier discussion here, a good article about the current failings of the college system. It seems to disagree with my guess that STEM degrees have been going up in the last 20 years or so (interesting):

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2011/11/college-has-been-oversold.html

The graph alone shows a lot - good story as well. I am really trying to get my son interested in the "working" side of technology (he's 8) so that he ends up in one of the STEM fields. He has started a programming book for kids that he seems to like (uses Python), he just can't type really fast so it takes him forever to do the projects. We are now working on typing instead of programming - I really wish they would teach typing instead of cursive writing in schools as it would be a lot more useful.

Is it because most kids aren't getting the fundamental education they should in middle and high school, so taking courses toward a degree that actually requires basic fundamental education is too challenging?

I am opposed to giving bonuses to anyone until the taxpayers are paid back if the board members, CEO, and so on receive a salary.

Once the taxpayers have their money back from a company, pay out a trillion in bonuses if you want .. I don't care.

I was more on the side of trying to attract great people to companies might require them paying bonuses, and in fact, some CEOs took no salary at all, preferring to take bonuses based on performance instead. I'm fine with that, as long as the performance is one that should warrant a bonus. Minimal improvement is not what I would consider bonus worthy.

However, I bet that there are a bunch of egotists like me out there who believe that they can turn around any mess, and would do so for a reasonable salary, and the challenge of it all. (until all of the TARP money was repaid) Once the company was back on solid footing, then the CEO could make whatever bonuses he negotiates with the board.

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Were you in favor of denying bonuses to bailed out companies? I'm honestly asking, I don't recall.

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Yes, and I was honestly in favor of them not having lavish executive events until it was paid back also.. there can be a need for company retreats and functions but there was no need to have $25K a head weekend functions just for top executives... no need at all. My problem was, how should the government enforce that? Will somebody from the government get to determine what is necessary and what is not? See my dilemma? Oh wait, I had no dilemma because I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE THEM THE MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

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Verizon gets $1.57 billion from the federal government to help them with the high costs of doing business, and then turns around and gives their CEO $18.1 million. You want to give your CEO $18.1 million, that's your business ... but it appears disingenuous when you've got your hand out for taxpayer money because the cost of your tech advances are 'too high'.

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I completely agree. People get up in arms because GE paid no taxes.. Verizon pays a couple billion in taxes and gets it all back in corporate welfare and nobody says a word... I wish we had a separation of business and state.

Look, I have to say that in general I would be strongly opposed to subsidies but I don't know what each subsidy is for so if you ask me a general question, I'm opposed to them.. if you have more specifics that I'm not aware of, I suppose there is a chance I might be able to find rationale for some..

60 Minutes did a piece on corruption in government last night, this is the kind of thing we need to fix.

Watch it here.

I have to admit, I will be sort of sad when this Occupy thing fizzles into a small piece of history... because it's just too much fun.

Occupy Oakland votes to open Wells Fargo account

By George Avalos
Oakland Tribune
By George Avalos
Posted: Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
Modified: Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. Occupy Oakland has voted to deposit $20,000 with Wells Fargo & Co. - just days after Occupy protesters shattered windows of one of the bank's downtown Oakland branches during the group's attempt to stage a general strike in the city.

The decision was posted at Occupy Oakland's website for its general assembly. According to the link, the group made the decision to deposit the $20,000 with Wells at a meeting Monday night.

Wells Fargo quickly trumpeted the decision.

"If this report is true, it demonstrates that even Occupy Oakland understands - first-hand - the value and service that Wells Fargo provides its customers," Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido said in an email to the Oakland Tribune.

The general assembly voted 162-8 to place the money with San Francisco-based Wells Fargo. The assembly minutes indicate that placement with Wells Fargo, which the group has referred to as a "bankster," might be only temporary.

Occupy Oakland intends to eventually place the funds with a credit union. The money, the minutes indicate, was donated by Occupy Wall Street, a protest effort that sprouted in Lower Manhattan.

The cash is to be used to assist in helping individuals who might have been jailed in connection with Occupy Oakland actions, the minutes of the general assembly stated.

Occupy Oakland has delayed placing the funds into a credit union because the group is maneuvering to be considered a specialized type of organization. It wants to become an "unincorporated association," according to the Occupy Oakland minutes.

Some members of the assembly raised concerns about using Wells Fargo for the group's bank.

"I understand that people aren't comfortable with that, but this is a time-sensitive issue," one of the leaders of the general assembly stated, according to the minutes.

Occupy Oakland has pilloried Chase Bank, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank and other major American financial companies for triggering some of the nation's economic ailments.

"It takes time to transfer funds to a credit union," one of the general assembly members stated, according to the minutes posted on the website. "We need to help people in jail now."

Charlotte Observer

j/c

At some point, Kent State II is going to happen. I'm personally sick of these folks. You made your point. Now go get a life.


http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/11/protesters_hope_to_shut_down_n.html

NEW YORK -- Protesters hope to shut down Wall Street Thursday -- home to the New York Stock Exchange -- by holding a street carnival to mark the two-month anniversary of their campaign against economic inequality.

Protest organizers acknowledged that the ``day of action'' could be the group's most provocative yet, and could lead to mass arrests and further strain relations with city authorities.
Related Plain Dealer coverage

Occupy Cleveland attempt to prevent foreclosure at West Side home

``I think we're certainly going into this with our eyes wide open, but (the march is) to provoke ideas and discussion, not to provoke any violent reactions,'' said Occupy Wall Street spokesman Ed Needham.

``I think it is very difficult to do a day of action and not expect some sort of reaction from the (authorities),'' he said.

The protesters plan to march to Wall Street from their camp headquarters in a park two blocks away and then spread out across the city's subway system to tell the stories of disenfranchised Americans. They will reconvene later on Thursday for a march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Last month, more than 700 people were arrested during a similar march across the bridge, after some protesters sat on the pedestrian walkway and refused to move, while others strayed into car lanes.

``We will shut down Wall Street,'' a post on the movement's Facebook page said. ``We will ring the People's Bell, and initiate a street carnival in which we rebuild and celebrate the neighborhoods that the Wall Street economy has destroyed.''

The group promises a ``a block party the 1 percent will never forget.''

A spokesman for the stock exchange declined to comment. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office and the New York Police Department did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Protesters set up camp in Zuccotti park in New York City's financial district on Sept. 17 to protest a financial system they believe mostly benefits corporations and the wealthy.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has sparked similar protests against economic inequality across the country, and in some cases have led to violent clashes with police.

Police Monday moved into an anti-Wall Street protester encampment in Oakland, California, clearing out occupants and and taking down tents. And police confronted an estimated 1,000 anti-corporate protesters in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday.

In recent weeks, New York protesters have conducted peaceful marches along city sidewalks for a variety of causes ranging from veterans rights and alleged police brutality to big bank greed and labor union issues.

At times the police presence has outnumbered the protesters and city officials have shown their patience is wearing thin with the encamped protest. But Thursday's march could attract up to 10,000 people, protest spokesman Needham said.
-- REUTERS

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``We will shut down Wall Street,'' a post on the movement's Facebook page said.

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Good think Mark Zuckerberg isn't part of that 1%...

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The group promises a ``a block party the 1 percent will never forget.''

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Unless it turns violent, they will forget it by this weekend. As will I.

This kind of concerns me.... I can understand why things might have needed clean (although most reports seem to say that the park was kept in good order over the last month), but restricting the media from covering your police action is a HUGE slippery slope:

Zuccotti Park’s OWS cleared out while the media is blacked out

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Zuccotti Park was cleared of Occupy Wall Street protesters overnight by the order of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

While there are plenty of livestream videos and reports on the scene now (see Melissa Bell’s liveblog here), that wasn’t the case a few hours ago. Continuous firsthand media accounts of the process during the park’s clear out were largely lacking. If you read carefully, you can see a 3 1/2 hour gap in the timeline from the AP’s report otherwise fully fleshed out report:

“At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, New York City police handed out notices from Brookfield Office Properties, owner of Zuccotti Park, and the city saying that the park had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous.

Paul Browne, a spokesman for the New York Police Department, said the park had been cleared by 4:30 a.m. and that about 70 people who’d been inside it had been arrested, including a group who chained themselves together. One person was taken to a hospital for evaluation because of breathing problems.”

That gap is the result of a de facto media blackout conducted by the city government. There is no mention of the media policy in the early morning official release from the mayor’s office, but in response to questioning during his 8 a.m. press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said: “The NYPD routinely keeps some members of the press off to the side during police actions.”

He added that it was done to “provide protection” to the press.

Most reporter’s felt stifled, not protected. Media members started lighting up twitter last night with their observations on being forced out of the Zuccotti park area and their reactions to the blackout.

Mother Jones’s Josh Harkinson recounted being shoved out of the park by police. Reuters’ Anthony DeRosa reported that the CBS newsdesk was told to have its helicopter leave the airspace above the park. The Village Voice’s Rosie Gray related the following curt exchange as she was denied access to the park: “Me: ‘I’m press,’ Lady cop, ‘not tonight.’”

Two reporters were arrested. Matthew Lysiak tersely blogged on the New York Daily News Web site, “I’ve been arrested.” Julie Walker, a freelance reporter for NPR tweeted her arrest after she was released from custody.

A Connecticut college junior, Ben Doernberg, rounded up a collection of reporter reactions on Twitter into a fairly comprehensive storify, embedded below.

Bloomberg’s actions overnight are the latest in a wave of actions taken by municipalities across the country to start scattering various “Occupy” encampments. But this appears to be the first one with such an orchestrated media strategy.

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And similarly concerning:

Quote:

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"The individuals who linked arms and actively resisted, that in itself is an act of violence," UC police Capt. Margo Bennett said. "I understand that many students may not think that, but linking arms in a human chain when ordered to step aside is not a nonviolent protest."

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/10/MNH21LTC4D.DTL#ixzz1doQ4n83L

The video itself is pretty terrible, it's pretty clear the protestors were entirely non-violent (for several minutes before the fight) and then the assault just starts, first baton went to a the rib cage of some small girl - and with the protestors arms still linked, they could really do nothing to resist it.

It's a video worth watching (I assume some language somewhere in it means I can't post it directly)

The city itself brought a lot of this on itself by not wanting to upset those poor protesters ...........

Bloomberg is an idiot. He should have enforced the law from the start, and this would have been far easier to handle. Instead he waffled and wavered, and when he finally said enough was enough, no one believed him.