Occupy Wall Street

Eddie · Nov 9, 2011

Bodkin van Horn said: ↑

I mean, US citizens are in the 1% of freedom.
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That's debatable.

Bodkin van Horn · Nov 9, 2011

Eddie said: ↑

That's debatable.
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Seems like something an entitled whiner would say. You know, someone who doesn't appreciate what he has because he's too envious of people who have more (freedom).

Eddie · Nov 9, 2011

Bodkin van Horn said: ↑

Seems like something an entitled whiner would say. You know, someone who doesn't appreciate what he has because he's too envious of people who have more (freedom).
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You're right. Let me go grab a cardboard sign, write "Give me more freedom" on it and I'll wait around for it to happen.

Naw, I'd rather effect real change, so I'll do it at the voting booth.

the_jazz · Nov 9, 2011

-+-{Important TFP Staff Message}-+-
The one-liners and off-topic posts stop here. They'll be deleted.

roachboy · Nov 9, 2011

this link was circulating this afternoon via occupy boston, which is one of the more active in disseminating information. it gives a pretty good idea of the history of the present debacle.

pesky facts and an hour 45 minutes...

btw the neo-liberal follies continue:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/09/european-debt-crisis-eurozone-breakup

cynthetiq · Nov 15, 2011

Looks like the park got cleared out.early this morning. NYTimes reported it as being some leaving without confrontation and about 100 digging in and locking arms. The holdouts were arrested.

Derwood · Nov 15, 2011

cynthetiq said: ↑

The holdouts were arrested.
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On what grounds?

cynthetiq · Nov 15, 2011

Derwood said: ↑

On what grounds?
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Law enforcement officials said about 150 people were arrested, most of them in the park but some outside. Most were held on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
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November 15, 2011

Police Clear Zuccotti Park of Protesters

By JAMES BARRON and COLIN MOYNIHAN

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Tuesday defended his decision to clear the park in Lower Manhattan that was the birthplace of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, saying “health and safety conditions became intolerable” in the park where the protesters had camped out for nearly two months.

Mr. Bloomberg said the city had planned to reopen the park on Tuesday morning after the protesters’ tents and tarps had been removed and the stone steps had been cleaned. He said the police had already let about 50 protesters back in when officials received word of a temporary restraining order sought by lawyers for the protesters. He said the police had closed the park again until lawyers for the city could appear at a court hearing later in the morning.

“New York City is the city where you can come and express yourself,” the mayor said. “What was happening in Zuccotti Park was not that.” He said the protesters had taken over the park, “making it unavailable to anyone else.”

The mayor’s comments at a City Hall news conference came about seven hours after hundreds of police officers moved in to clear the park after warning that the nearly two-month-old camp would be “cleared and restored” but that demonstrators who did not leave would face arrest. The protesters, about 200 of whom have been staying in the park overnight, initially resisted with chants of “Whose park? Our park!”

Law enforcement officials said about 150 people were arrested, most of them in the park but some outside. Most were held on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Among those arrested was City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a Democrat who represents northern Manhattan. He was with a group near the intersection of Broadway and Vesey Street that was attempting to link up with protesters at Zuccotti Park. The group tried to push through a line of officers trying to prevent people from reaching the park. Mr. Rodriquez was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The operation in and around Zuccotti Park was intended to empty the birthplace of a protest movement that has inspired hundreds of tent cities from coast to coast. On Monday in Oakland, Calif., hundreds of police officers raided the main encampment there, arresting 33 people. Protesters returned later in the day. But the Oakland police said no one would be allowed to sleep there anymore, and promised to clear a second camp nearby.

The police action was quickly challenged as lawyers for the protesters obtained a temporary restraining order barring the city and the park’s private landlord from evicting protesters or removing their belongings. It was not immediately clear how the city would respond. The judge, Justice Lucy Billings of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, scheduled a hearing for Tuesday.

The mayor, at his news conference, read a statement he had issued around 6 a.m. explaining the reasoning behind the sweep. “The law that created Zuccotti Park required that it be open for the public to enjoy for passive recreation 24 hours a day,” the mayor said in the statement. “Every since the occupation began, that law has not been complied with” because the protesters had taken over the park, “making it unavailable to anyone else.”

“I have become increasingly concerned — as had the park’s owner, Brookfield Properties — that the occupation was coming to pose a health and fire safety hazard to the protesters and to the surrounding community,” Mr. Bloomberg said. He added that on Monday, Brookfield asked the city to assist in enforcing “the no sleeping and camping rules.

“But make no mistake,” the mayor said, “the final decision to act was mine and mine alone.”
Some of the displaced protesters regrouped a few blocks away at Foley Square, with the row of courthouses on Centre Street as a backdrop and police officers looking on. The protesters swapped stories of their confrontations with the police and talked about what to do next.

One protester at Foley Square, Nate Barchus, 23, said the eviction was likely to galvanize supporters, particularly because a series of gatherings had already been planned for Thursday, the protest’s two-month anniversary.

“This,” he said, referring to the early-morning sweep, “reminds everyone who was occupying exactly why they were occupying.”

At the park they had occupied since mid-September, workers using power washers blasted water over the stone that covers the ground. Soon the park caught the attention of people passing by on their way to work who had become accustomed to seeing the protesters’ tents and tarps.

The operation to clear the park had begun near the Brooklyn Bridge, where the police gathered before moving on to surround the park. The protesters rallied around an area known as the kitchen, near the middle of the park, and began putting up makeshift barricades with tables and pieces of scrap wood.

Over the next two hours, dozens of protesters left the park while a core group of about 100 dug in around the food area. Many locked arms and defied police orders to leave. By 3 a.m., dozens of officers in helmets, watched over by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, closed in on those who remained. The police pulled them out one by one and handcuffed them. Most were led out without incident.

The Police Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, told The Associated Press that 70 people had been arrested in the park, including some who had chained themselves together.
The officers had gathered between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges earlier and rode in vans to the one-square-block park. They entered about 1 a.m.

As they did, dozens of protesters linked arms and shouted “No retreat, no surrender,” “This is our home” and “Barricade!”

The mayor’s office sent out a message on Twitter at 1:19 a.m. saying: “Occupants of Zuccotti should temporarily leave and remove tents and tarps. Protesters can return after the park is cleared.” Fliers handed out by the police at the private park on behalf of the park’s owner, Brookfield Properties, and the city, spelled out the same message.

A number of other arrests were reported just outside the park, as police tried to move supporters of the protesters away from the park. Details were not immediately available. There were several additional arrests after the park was cleared when protesters who refused to leave a nearby street were taken into custody.

The police move came as organizers put out word on their Web site that they planned to “shut down Wall Street” with a demonstration on Thursday to commemorate the completion of two months of encampment, which has prompted similar demonstrations across the country.

The move also came hours after a small demonstration at City Hall on Monday by opponents of the protest, including local residents and merchants, some of whom urged the mayor to clear out the park.

Before the police moved in, they set up a battery of klieg lights and aimed them into the park. A police captain, wearing a helmet, walked down Liberty Street and announced: “The city has determined that the continued occupation of Zuccotti Park poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard.”

The captain ordered the protesters to “to immediately remove all private property” and said that if they interfered with the police operation, they would be arrested. Property that was not removed would be taken to a sanitation garage, the police said.

Some of the protesters grabbed their possessions. “They’re not getting our tents down,” one man shouted. People milled around, and some headed to the edges of the park.

By 1:45 a.m., dozens of officers moved through the park, some bearing plastic shields and wearing helmets. They removed tents and bedding materials, putting them on the sidewalk. Some protesters could be seen leaving the park with their belongings, but a core group of more than 100 hunkered down at the encampment’s kitchen area, linking arms, waving flags, and singing and chanting their refusal to leave the park.

They sang “We Shall Overcome” and chanted at the officers to “disobey your orders.”
“If they come in, we’re not going anywhere,” said Chris Johnson, 32, who sat with other remaining protesters near the food area. He said that the protest “has opened up a dialogue that hasn’t existed since I’ve been alive.”

About 2 a.m., police officers began using a vehicle equipped with a powerful speaker to issue their orders. City sanitation workers tossed protesters’ belongings into metal bins, while some protesters dug in at the center of the park by using heavy bicycle chains to bind themselves to park trees and to each other. Some donned gas masks and goggles.

But by 3 a.m., the police closed in on the remaining protesters and began arresting them.
About 200 supporters of the protesters arrived early Tuesday after hearing that the park was being cleared. They were prevented from getting within a block of the park by a police barricade. There were a number of arrests after some scuffles between the two sides, but no details were immediately available. After being forced up Broadway by the police, some of the supporters decided to march several blocks to Foley Square.

Several Occupy Wall Street protest encampments across the country have been cleared by police after problems have occurred, including ones in cities like Oakland, Salt Lake City and Portland, Ore.
A handful of protesters first unrolled sleeping bags and blankets in Zuccotti Park on the night of Sept. 17, but in the weeks that followed, the park became densely packed with tents and small tarp villages.

The protest spawned others and attracted celebrities and well-known performers. It became a tourist attraction, inspired more than $500,000 in donations and gained the support of labor unions and elected officials while creating division within City Hall and the Police Department.

Mr. Bloomberg had struggled with how to respond. He repeatedly made clear that he does not support the demonstrators’ arguments or their tactics, but he has also defended their right to protest and in recent days and weeks has sounded increasingly exasperated, especially in the wake of growing complaints from neighbors about how the protest has disrupted the neighborhood and hurt local businesses.

Mr. Bloomberg met daily with several deputies and commissioners, and as more business owners complained and editorials lampooned him as gutless, his patience wore thin.
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cynthetiq · Nov 15, 2011

Interesting to read all the stuff that got collected and the ensuing judicial responses heard today.

NY Times blog on the OWS

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/updates-on-the-clearing-of-zuccotti-park/?hp
4:53 P.M. Judge Upholds City Ban on Camping in Park
A state Supreme Court judge upheld the city's right to enforce rules that bar the Occupy Wall Street protesters from camping at Zuccotti Park.
The judge, Michael D. Stallman, wrote in his ruling Tuesday afternoon, "The court is mindful of movants' First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and peaceable assembly."
But he added, quoting from precedent, "Even protected speech is not equally permissible in all places and at all times."
He said that the protesters "had not demonstrated that the rules adopted by the owners of the property, concededly after the demonstrations began, are not reasonable time place and manner restrictions permitted under the First Amendment."
During a hearing that lasted about an hour and 20 minutes in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, lawyers for the protesters had told Justice Stallman that the actions of the city and the owner of Zuccotti Park impinged on their clients' First Amendment protections.
The lawyers took particular exception with the fact that Brookfield Office Properties implemented rules after the protests had already begun back in September.
"They issued these rules after the activity started in order to try to limit the activity," said Arthur Schwartz, a lawyer representing the Transport Workers Union, the Working Families Party and New York Communities for Change, organizations that have joined in the protesters' cause.
"There was no particular emergency this morning, there was no particular activity that was going on that created a public nuisance this morning that required the police to come in en masse," Mr. Schwartz added.
The protesters were represented at the hearing by five lawyers for the National Lawyers Guild, which has provided legal defense for the movement since it started.
A lawyer for Brookfield said that the company had no problem with people expressing their First Amendment rights in the park. But the protesters needed to be removed because their tents and other equipment created a safety risk and prevented other people from using the park, said the lawyer, Douglas H. Flaum. Brookfield would welcome the protesters back without the tents and other permanent structures in tow, Mr. Flaum said.
"It is not meant to be a tent city," Mr. Flaum said. "There are very specific health and safety concerns."
Still, he added, Brookfield is not beholden to some of the First Amendment restrictions because it is a private company.
Alan Levine, one of the civil rights lawyers representing the protesters, said that not allowing the protesters to return with their sleeping bags and tents was akin to stifling their message.
"The power of the symbolic speech resides in the fact that it is a 24-hour occupation," Mr. Levine said in court. "It an essential part of their speech that they are able to protect themselves from the weather."
Despite the protesters' constitutional protections, they were violating the parks' purpose for the public, said Sheryl Neufeld, a lawyer for the city.
"It requires them to maintain it in a manner that is accessible to all, all the time," Ms. Neufeld said. "The protesters took over the park for their own means."
The courtroom was packed with reporters and supporters of the Occupy movement. One of them, Jennifer Waller, sitting in the front row in a purple scarf and black knit cap, was the named plaintiff in the protesters' lawsuit against the city.
Before the hearing started, the Occupy lawyers blasted the way in which the city raided the encampment.
"Bloomberg, by going in like a little rodent in the middle of the night, caused us to reach out to get an emergency ruling," Daniel L. Alterman, one of the lawyers, said of the move to get a judge to restrain the city of blocking protesters from the park.
- John Eligon
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The court document
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72836239/Judge-s-Zuccotti-Park-Ruling-For-NYC

ring · Nov 15, 2011

Earlier today while the park was still closed and folks were waiting for the 3pm announcement,
I was fortunate to catch a lovely poignant exchange on one of the live streams.

The protesters were lining the outside of the park.
At that time, only the police officers & pigeons were occupying the park.

A young man called out to the police, "Hey, you guys want some drums?"
"what are your demands?"

I heard officers laughing.
Tiny yellow leaves began to fall from the trees.

Joniemack · Nov 15, 2011

The judge, Michael D. Stallman, wrote in his ruling Tuesday afternoon, "The court is mindful of movants' First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and peaceable assembly."
But he added, quoting from precedent, "Even protected speech is not equally permissible in all places and at all times."
He said that the protesters "had not demonstrated that the rules adopted by the owners of the property, concededly after the demonstrations began, are not reasonable time place and manner restrictions permitted under the First Amendment
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I see this as something the Tea Party and Ron Paul Libertarians should be getting behind. The idea that protected speech has time, place and manner restrictions is highly controversial - considered unconstitutional by a those who strictly interpret the Constitution as well as some who don't. Precedent may well indeed win out in this instance, as I highly doubt the legal team for the protesters would be willing to take this to the Fed level considering it's right wing bias and the fact that Justice Ginsberg is out recovering from surgery (pancreatic cancer, poor woman)

ASU2003 · Nov 15, 2011

Joniemack said: ↑

I see this as something the Tea Party and Ron Paul Libertarians should be getting behind. The idea that protected speech has time, place and manner restrictions is highly controversial - considered unconstitutional by a those who strictly interpret the Constitution as well as some who don't. Precedent may well indeed win out in this instance, as I highly doubt the legal team for the protesters would be willing to take this to the Fed level considering it's right wing bias and the fact that Justice Ginsberg is out recovering from surgery (pancreatic cancer, poor woman)
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They protest too, and have just as much to lose if the police state comes down on them.

The 1st amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

It would be an interesting case to see if local communities and city/state governments can limit that. Or if this great private property stuff we have here (when did cities start selling parks?), trumps the Constitution/Bill of Rights.

roachboy · Nov 15, 2011

that's the conservative way---private property uber alles. fear of the public. fear of dissent. fear in general.
this is how devolution of power operates. conspiracies amongst mayors. way more accountable in conservative imaginings.
perhaps this is a way to finally dispense with the lunacy of the paulbots about the relation between local power and political freedom.

Eddie · Nov 16, 2011

The police are clearing out the camps around the country. No more overnight stays. With no place to sleep I reckon a lot of the protesters will be forced to go back home. The next week or two should be the last gasp for this movement before it loses its steam going into the holidays. jmho.

Joniemack · Nov 16, 2011

I've heard something about empty warehouses coming available for protesters to use as a place to stay overnight. It might be an option, if it's true.

Sorry Eddie, but I don't think this is over yet. Even if it goes away for a while, the issues that created the response, have not.

Baraka_Guru · Nov 16, 2011

Perhaps tomorrow will be the litmus test: http://occupywallst.org/action/november-17th/

Perhaps all this will provide the opportunity to look ahead to other things: http://movetoamend.org/occupythecourts

roachboy · Nov 16, 2011

welcome to the world of political dissent in post-"patriot" act america.

http://wonkette.com/456282/surprise-homeland-security-coordinates-ows-crackdowns-nationwide

chase the links.

Baraka_Guru · Nov 16, 2011

Democracy, schemocracy!

At least they didn't pull a Tiananmen Square!

cynthetiq · Nov 16, 2011

In a video posted on YouTube after protesters were evicted from Zuccotti Park, a demonstrator in the crowd says “On the 17th, we’re going to burn New York City to the ground.”

“No more talking. They’ve got guns, we’ve got bottles. They’ve got bricks, we’ve got rocks…in a few days you’re going to see what a Molotov cocktail can do to Macy’s.”

real non-violent protest.. okay rhetoric, but still.

OWS Protesters Calling For ‘Day Of Action’ Following Loss Of Camp In Zuccotti Park

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The loss of their camp at Zuccotti Park doesn’t seem to be slowing down the Occupy Wall Street movement as protesters are calling for “a national day of direct action” on Thursday.

Photos: Police Raid Zuccotti Park

In an unusual briefing at City Hall on Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson made it abundantly clear that the Bloomberg administration is taking the planned day of action quite seriously.

“Everything that we have seen and heard suggests that we may have tens of thousands of people tomorrow protesting,” Wolfson said. “The protesters are calling for a massive event aimed at disrupting major parts of the city.”

Wolfson and Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said the city is prepared to strike a balance between allowing people to protest and ensuring the city continues to run.

According to their website, protesters are planning three major actions Thursday starting with a “shut down” of Wall Street.

It all starts with a rally in Liberty Square starting at 7 a.m. to “put an end to Wall Street’s reign of terror.”

Occupy Wall Street day of action poster (credit: occupywallst.org)

Then, protesters will fan out to all five boroughs of the city in what’s being called Occupy the Subway.

They plan on gathering at 16 subways stations around New York City to take their message to the trains.

Finally, they say tens of thousands of protesters will end the day in Foley Square followed by a march to the Brooklyn Bridge to mark the two month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
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Derwood · Nov 16, 2011

Eddie, why don't you support these protestors' Constitutional right to peaceful assembly?

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