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Occupy Wall Street

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 07:55 AM

Are you protesting? Are you being protested? Is this going anywhere? Are you getting the message? Are you writing the message? Can we stand up to the excesses of capitalism and poetically mourn the Steve Jobs at the same time?

metirish Oct 07 2011 08:03 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The lazy bastards need to get jobs.....oh right, there are none.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 07 2011 08:06 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I'm not sure what they're doing, but I like that they're doing it.

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 08:14 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

This happened with the World Bank protests. Folks around the office scratching their heads wondering how can there be a populist movement when Democrats already have the White House, as if that's the point of all populist movements.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 07 2011 08:15 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I'm not sure if they have the answers and/or are getting anywhere but I'm sorta with them on how f'ed up the economic scales have gotten. I hope they all vote.

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 08:21 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Will there be enough air left in the statement when the scenesters get bored and move on to another scene? Can the unions throw their weight behind this and behind Obama's re-election at the same time? Will the 2012 election come down to two major parties each trying to tap into the energy of a grass roots movement without it getting away from them and dragging them down?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 07 2011 08:27 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I think some traditional dems are afraid that this could be seen as "Left Tea Party" i.e.: laughingstock

Frayed Knot Oct 07 2011 10:08 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Listening to some of the protesters trying to explain what they were against and what they were for in its place was down-right hilarious.

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 10:09 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Link? Transcription? Summary?

Frayed Knot Oct 07 2011 10:20 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Oh there were just a couple of quickie TV interviews I saw in passing. And while the ones I saw certainly can't be passed off as being totally representative, not one expressed anything that was within two drives and a 5-iron of resembling a coherent thought in either causes or solutions.

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 10:27 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Folks keep posting photos of this lady at Facebook. I keep wanting to move the tiles of her sign around like magnetic poetry. LIBRARIANS KNOW WHEN YOU ARE MARCHING THINGS ARE MESSED UP or KNOW WHEN ARE YOU MARCHING LIBRARIANS ARE MESSED UP THINGS or THINGS MARCHING LIBRARIANS KNOW WHEN YOU ARE MESSED UP

metsguyinmichigan Oct 07 2011 11:48 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I don't think they have a clue about what they are protesting about, nor do they have any solutions.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 07 2011 11:54 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

They're protesting about the shrinking middle class. They may be coming at it from all different kinds of perspectives, but I'd say that's what they have in common. You're right in that they don't seem to be offering solutions; they seem more to be about expressing their discontent.

metirish Oct 07 2011 12:45 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Are our elected officials offering solutions?

Edgy MD Oct 07 2011 12:51 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Well, that depends on whether we agree about the problem.

sharpie Oct 07 2011 12:55 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

My son, the erstwhile poster Lenny Harris, has been at these protests for most of the last few weeks. He did leave yesterday to go back to Massachusetts. I went down there a week ago to check out the scene. I have to say I was impressed. It was a large and very diverse group in terms of race and age. While as a parent I was concerned (and, yes, he was briefly arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge) I came away thinking that if I were 19 in this screwed-up society, I would probably want to be there as well. They are protesting against several things: the imbalance between rich and poor, the lack of regulations on the banking and financial industries and, to a certain extent, the money spent on the war. To say that they don't have a clue about what they are protesting about is so very wrong. They're an organized and committed group of people. One guy had a "Nazi Jew Banker" sign which was taken away from him, the protesters saying that that is the opposite of what they are trying to say. Yes, there are Ron Paul supporters (which makes no sense at all) but since they aren't hurting anybody they can walk along with their Ron Paul signs. Does that muddle the message? Sure, I guess, but this is supposed to be a big tent. They don't offer solutions because they aren't economists and what protest ever does offer solutions? These are complex issues and a ten point manifesto would end up being negotiated and watered down to nothing or would be co-opted by the craziest elements. Thousands marched all over the world a couple of years ago to protest the war in Iraq. Massive turnouts. Streets blocked. Nothing happened because it was a one day event which inconvenienced nobody. This is something that hasn't been done before.

metsguyinmichigan Oct 07 2011 12:59 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: Well, that depends on whether we agree about the problem. Spelling seems to be an issue.

sharpie Oct 07 2011 01:03 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

There's some kids there making signs all day and putting them in a pile. You can pick one from that pile or make your own if you want a sign. No big deal. There's a well-organized food area, a medical facility, a library and lawyers on site.

Ashie62 Oct 07 2011 07:39 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

It's a fucking clown show...

Ashie62 Oct 07 2011 07:47 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Benjamin Grimm wrote: They're protesting about the shrinking middle class. They may be coming at it from all different kinds of perspectives, but I'd say that's what they have in common. You're right in that they don't seem to be offering solutions; they seem more to be about expressing their discontent. They may need to look in the mirror. I work in an industry they don't care for and nothing was handed to me, nothing.

metirish Oct 07 2011 07:52 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Lenny Harris rocks, good for him.

Edgy MD Oct 08 2011 03:21 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The internet is a goofy place.

metirish Oct 09 2011 09:06 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

it's spreading Occupy Dame Street

Frayed Knot Oct 09 2011 09:34 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Yes, there are Ron Paul supporters (which makes no sense at all) but since they aren't hurting anybody they can walk along with their Ron Paul signs. Does that muddle the message? Sure, I guess, but this is supposed to be a big tent. Not sure that the existence of Ron Paul supporters there is all that weird if indeed part of the anger is over the bailouts and the too-cozy connections between business & gov't.

sharpie Oct 09 2011 11:04 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Yeah, but one of the other messages is that big business has to much power and Ron Paul wants to strip away controls on business.

Edgy MD Oct 09 2011 12:38 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

In DC, they weren't not sure where to occupy. If they went after the Treasury Department, theyd last about eleven seconds, so McPherson Square seemed like a nice alternative. It wasn't having the impact they wanted, so they went after the Air and Space Museum, which will soon become the Museum of Pepper-Spraying Protesters.

Frayed Knot Oct 09 2011 01:11 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

sharpie wrote: Yeah, but one of the other messages is that big business has to much power and Ron Paul wants to strip away controls on business. Understood. It's just with admittedly varied and sometimes vague complaints and even more vague goals I just don't find it so weird that some of his supporters would find their way there. It wasn't having the impact they wanted, so they went after the Air and Space Museum, which will soon become the Museum of Pepper-Spraying Protesters. Closed it down for a time too I understand. -- No Justice, No LEM !!

metsmarathon Oct 10 2011 07:33 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

the marathons and marathon-in-laws had been at the air and space museum earlier in the day. we made it out with an amazed and very cranky toddler clutching his cheaply made plastic space shuttle, and no pepper spray. nice of the protesters to wait for us to make our way through. we had no idea there was any trouble at the museum until later in the day when we flashed by a report on the local news. we were well gone by noon or shortly thereafter, so they surely hadn't gotten there yet.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 10 2011 09:00 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OCCUPY-WALL-STR ... 3cbd1998cb

Ashie62 Oct 11 2011 12:26 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I try to keep my mouth shut when I leave work.. The sales assistants are not going out for lunch much.

Ceetar Oct 11 2011 12:51 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Yawn. I just assumed these people were Tea Partiers that didn't like Tea.

Edgy MD Oct 11 2011 01:00 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I just appreciate a protest a lot more with a specific agenda --- "Free Mumia!"; "Stop Abortion NOW!"; "Keep Abortion Legal!"; "Stop the War"; "Down with the Czar!"; "We Want Jobs!" Otherwise it's just expended energy without direction that's bound to get co-opted by the wealthier more organized interests. If you've got people power, then use it. Don't just exercise it to feel empowered.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 11 2011 02:24 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: I just appreciate a protest a lot more with a specific agenda --- "Free Mumia!"; "Stop Abortion NOW!"; "Keep Abortion Legal!"; "Stop the War"; "Down with the Czar!"; "We Want Jobs!" Otherwise it's just expended energy without direction that's bound to get co-opted by the wealthier more organized interests. If you've got people power, then use it. Don't just exercise it to feel empowered. Not specifying an agenda and not having direction are two different things. In fact, not specifying an agenda- not boiling the concerns of the oppressed down to a pithy sound bite or talking point that can be commodified and sandwiched between luxury car commercials on the corporate-owned infotainment systems seems, to me, to be a pretty effective strategy of resistance to co-option. By refusing to speak in corporate terms, you can keep your message out of corporate hands. If you want legislative action, you speak in corporate terms. Corporations speak in monologues along vertical lines of communication. If you want transformative action, you communicate in dialogues along horizontal lines of communication.

Edgy MD Oct 11 2011 02:35 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I don't think stating a demand is speaking in corporate terms. I think ambiguous sloganeering like "Eat the Rich" is a lot more coopt-able.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 11 2011 02:57 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

If that demand can be used as a commodity (i.e. "Free Mumia!"; "Stop Abortion NOW!"; etc) yes it is. That demand becomes a script for the news channels. The corporations get their content and can use that content to sell ads. The demand made by the protesters is pretty clear. It's on the website, it's in the Occupied Wall Street Journal, its on their signs and in their chants. They want revolution. The news people are furious because they don't understand that demand. It's not in corporate speak. They don't know how to sell it yet. And at this point, there's no need for the protesters to speak to General Electric or Disney or Time Warner. They need to be talking to each other. The time to talk to the media is when they're willing to give up speaking in corporate terms.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 11 2011 02:58 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: I don't think stating a demand is speaking in corporate terms. I think ambiguous sloganeering like "Eat the Rich" is a lot more coopt-able. I'd agree with that. But if it's amidst a crowd of voices, its pretty tough to sell as representative.

Edgy MD Oct 11 2011 03:02 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

They want revolution. John Lennon wrote a song about that. Beyond that, I'm more confused now. I guess that makes me the problem.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 11 2011 03:13 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

If everyone's got an EAT THE RICH sign, you've branded yourself. If ten people have EAT THE RICH signs and ten people have, oh, let's say monocle-wearing pig signs and fifteen people have signs about fracking, etc, the message becomes too diverse to be boiled down to ad copy. That's what they have now, and I think it's to their benefit. The political power of the movement, if it's not going to be co-opted, has to come from the size of the crowd itself. Once the crowd aligns itself within our society's corporate narratives, it becomes redundant and will break up without achieving its goals. If it resists co-option for long enough while growing through horizontal means of communication, it could grow large enough to effect the change it seeks. I don't think that's going to happen, mind you, but I think their refusal to play by the news media's rules is a saavy choice.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 11 2011 03:18 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I think what they want is the occupation itself, at least now.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 11 2011 03:19 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think what they want is the occupation itself, at least now. Ed Zachary.

sharpie Oct 11 2011 03:34 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

What Vince said. The "Free Mumia" rallies did not free Mumia. The "Stop Abortion NOW" rallies did not stop abortion. For one day, like minded people gathered around an issue that was galvanizing them. Then they went home and all pressure dissipated. On the other hand, the gatherings in Tahrir Square did end up amounting to something pretty big. Not that anything like that is likely to happen here but I do think there is power in sticking around.

Ashie62 Oct 11 2011 05:22 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The Dead Kennedy's "Eat the Poor."

Edgy MD Oct 11 2011 05:46 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The "Free Mumia" rallies did not free Mumia. The "Stop Abortion NOW" rallies did not stop abortion. But "End the War" rallies have led to the end of wars. "Down with the Tyrants" rallies have helped bring tyrants down. Let's be fair. Persistence and righteousness and momentum better be on your side. They've got all the momentum, but behind what? I don't get how unclear messages protect you from exploitation. It happens just the opposite to me. I saw a generally harmless but inarticulate skinhead movement among my peers get infiltrated and taken over by white supremacists. The peace movement of the Vietnam era got so caught up in the sex, drugs, and empowerment of it all, they grew inarticulate and didn't see the militant anarchists in their midst. I saw the fun, hip, ironic, unapologetically decadent nightclub culture of the Weimar Republic get infiltrated by National Socialists and used for Nazi propaganda. That last one was in a movie. But I'm sticking to it. That headline in The Onion when Steve Jobs died --- "Last American Who Knows What the Fuck He's Doing Dies" --- really struck a chord with me. I get this sense that there's all this passion and desire to be part of something, but no real up front leadership. In government, media, church, and business, nobody has their hand on the stick. because nobody really wants to be alone and holding it when something goes wrong. So we become part of something, get our piece, but hope to get ourselves lost amid the redundancy of it all. I think of it every time I pass some cop who has pulled over a drunk college girl but won't make an arrest without four other units called in for backup. Or more. Just fucking bust her. And the only ones left with the courage to step up and lead are assholes, crazies, and exploiters. I expect that'll happen here. And reasonable people will walk away. Anyhow, I guess I'm wandering far away from the point. I'd be more impressed by this movement if they'd say something concrete I could hang my hat on. Until then, I'm not for you or against you. But my friend Claire's skeezy political operative husband is plotting about how to leverage social media to corral the power of the movement and use it to the Democrats' advantage in 2012.

metsguyinmichigan Oct 11 2011 09:20 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

"The news people are furious because they don't understand that demand. It's not in corporate speak. They don't know how to sell it yet." I disagree. I don't know of anyone who is furious. We deal with protesters all the time. We had some occupy people here. We tend to see the same people protesting all the time, whatever the cause of the day is.

Edgy MD Oct 11 2011 09:58 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Come on. Let your fury breathe. Don't hold it in.

Vic Sage Oct 12 2011 02:25 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I think their refusal to play by the news media's rules is a saavy choice i don't think its a choice at all, savvy or otherwise... merely the consequence of alot of different agendas, free-floating disquiet and a lack of leadership. but i think the message is pretty clear: "we're the 99% and we're pissed." that they don't offer a solution isn't a flaw to their message. It just puts them with everybody else who isn't offering any solutions. But its important in dramatizing the PROBLEM. Sometimes its just important to stick your head out the window and yell "im as mad as hell, and i'm not gonna take it any more!"

Edgy MD Oct 12 2011 02:49 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Then "We're pissed!" doesn't do much for me. I'm pissed, too. Are we pissed at the same people? Do we demand the same thing? Is my anger or yours reasonable or well-placed? Here's some simple demands, some more specific than others. > Politicians, forgo campaign contributions from banks and other financial institutions. > Tax corporations, not workers. > End corporate welfare. The clearest thing I've heard is that the president appoint a commission charged with ending corporate influence in politics. The trouble is that we took a few steps in that direction with McCain/Feingold and it got gutted by the courts. So maybe what they should be demanding is a Constitutional amendment.

TheOldMole Oct 12 2011 06:30 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

We tend to see the same people protesting all the time, whatever the cause of the day is. Well, that's good, although "cause of the day" is a little belittling. It's good to know that there's a core of people who'll stand up and be counted. But perhaps not the case here, in that there are so many more people joining the demonstrations.

Edgy MD Oct 14 2011 09:06 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I ask who the quotes belong to and the first two responses were: [list][*]We the people! [/*:m] [*]Quotes belong to the people! [/*:m][/list:u] Okeeyay.

Ceetar Oct 14 2011 09:22 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I saw somewhere that the "99%" thing is including people making less than $350000? I don't think the people making 300,000 are in the same class as the single parent families making 40k and have vastly different desires and goals..

Frayed Knot Oct 14 2011 10:26 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Ashie62 Oct 14 2011 02:18 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Citifield with fans..

Ashie62 Oct 14 2011 02:20 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Ceetar wrote: I saw somewhere that the "99%" thing is including people making less than $350000? I don't think the people making 300,000 are in the same class as the single parent families making 40k and have vastly different desires and goals.. Maybe they can go after the 20 percent.

Vic Sage Oct 18 2011 03:22 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Neil Gaiman as "Lemony Snicket": -------------- Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance 1. If you work hard, and become successful, it does not necessarily mean you are successful because you worked hard, just as if you are tall with long hair it doesn’t mean you would be a midget if you were bald. 2. “Fortune” is a word for having a lot of money and for having a lot of luck, but that does not mean the word has two definitions. 3. Money is like a child—rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there. 4. People who say money doesn’t matter are like people who say cake doesn’t matter—it’s probably because they’ve already had a few slices. 5. There may not be a reason to share your cake. It is, after all, yours. You probably baked it yourself, in an oven of your own construction with ingredients you harvested yourself. It may be possible to keep your entire cake while explaining to any nearby hungry people just how reasonable you are. 6. Nobody wants to fall into a safety net, because it means the structure in which they’ve been living is in a state of collapse and they have no choice but to tumble downwards. However, it beats the alternative. 7. Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. Don’t tell them they aren’t. Sit with them and have a drink. 8. Don’t ask yourself if something is fair. Ask someone else—a stranger in the street, for example. 9. People gathering in the streets feeling wronged tend to be loud, as it is difficult to make oneself heard on the other side of an impressive edifice. 10. It is not always the job of people shouting outside impressive buildings to solve problems. It is often the job of the people inside, who have paper, pens, desks, and an impressive view. 11. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending. 12. If you have a large crowd shouting outside your building, there might not be room for a safety net if you’re the one tumbling down when it collapses. 13. 99 percent is a very large percentage. For instance, easily 99 percent of people want a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and the occasional slice of cake for dessert. Surely an arrangement can be made with that niggling 1 percent who disagree.

seawolf17 Oct 18 2011 04:02 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy MD Oct 18 2011 05:03 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Lemony Snicket isn't exactly clarifying anything for me.

Ceetar Oct 18 2011 05:13 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: Lemony Snicket isn't exactly clarifying anything for me. that's because there is nothing to clarify. but at least they're providing people like Snicket fresh material of which to make jokes about.

Vic Sage Oct 18 2011 08:53 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

snicket's comments aren't jokes; they're rye observations, leavened with enough distance to provide context. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending. ...and if you don't see the insight, you're not looking very hard.

Edgy MD Oct 18 2011 08:59 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Mmmm.... Rye comments.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 18 2011 09:09 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Like the per-Snickety remarks. Minor point of fact, though: Gaiman ain't Snicket.

Edgy MD Oct 18 2011 09:24 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Isn't there something there that unsettles you at all? The way it all just lends an air of clever drollery to the idea of class warfare? And makes it more fashionable and attractive? I guess that the fight doesn't need a cause because the fight is the cause.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 18 2011 09:30 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The recast might be nettlesome in another world, maybe, but for the four or five thousand other, more unsettling takes on the whole shebang I've already seen (beginning with the "Get a load of this sh*t" treatment it initially received from virtually every news organization with accreditation).

Edgy MD Oct 18 2011 09:50 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I don't know. When folks can encourage class war from a droll and safe distance, there's an ugliness that's not hard to see. I may never get a straight answer about the intended aims of this movement, but the entitlement isn't just limited to the alleged enemy camp.

Ceetar Oct 18 2011 09:53 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Gaiman is inside the walls, but thinks he's safe because he's able to eat all the cake he wants, but he didn't bake it and doesn't own it. or something.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 19 2011 04:40 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Vic Sage wrote: snicket's comments aren't jokes; they're rye observations, leavened with enough distance to provide context. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending. ...and if you don't see the insight, you're not looking very hard. That line that Vic quoted above was the one that most stood out for me.

Edgy MD Oct 19 2011 05:43 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I guess I'm the only one.

Edgy MD Oct 20 2011 02:44 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

And... Alec Baldwin jumps in.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 20 2011 02:58 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The spokesman for Capital One?

Edgy MD Oct 20 2011 03:06 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Also the lobbyist for New York to give corporate tax breaks to the film and television industry, stating that if (googling) "...tax breaks are not reinstated into the budget, film production in this town is going to collapse and television production is going to collapse and it's all going to go to California." Go corporate welfare!

metirish Oct 20 2011 03:09 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Russell Brand was down there, looking all wet and trying to look like he fits in. what a twat he is, his wife all over twitter letting people know.

Frayed Knot Oct 20 2011 03:23 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Also the lobbyist for New York to give corporate tax breaks to the film and television industry, stating that if (googling) "...tax breaks are not reinstated into the budget, film production in this town is going to collapse and television production is going to collapse and it's all going to go to California." Go corporate welfare! Don't you know that corporate welfare is when someone else's industry gets breaks? When yours does it's simply good business practice. See also: - 'these damn ballplayers make too much money ... but I want MY ownership to "do whatever it takes" to get ________ signed to a long-term deal' and/or - 'I want the American people to vote all the bums in Congress out ... but MY guy brings back lots of federal dollars so I hope he gets re-elected'

Benjamin Grimm Oct 20 2011 03:34 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Russell Brand's wife is tweeting that her husband is a twat?

metirish Oct 20 2011 03:46 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Russell Brand's wife is tweeting that her husband is a twat? Ha http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... -York.html

seawolf17 Oct 20 2011 04:04 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Katy Perry is definitely in my Top 5. (Like the old "Friends" episode.)

Edgy MD Nov 15 2011 07:16 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Bloomberg News reports on Bloomberg going to town. New York Police Evict Occupy Wall Street Protesters By Alison Vekshin and Esmé E. Deprez - Nov 15, 2011 8:43 AM ET New York City police in riot gear swept into a Lower Manhattan park early today to remove hundreds of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators who had been camping there for more than eight weeks to protest income inequality. The action followed similar moves that shut camps in Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon. New York police and the park’s owners told protesters at 1 a.m. local time to remove items including tents and sleeping bags, after which city workers cleared remaining belongings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The park will remain closed until the city can review a judge’s restraining order seeking to allow protesters to return with their belongings, the mayor said. “The First Amendment protects speech,” the mayor said in a press conference at City Hall. “It doesn’t protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over public space.” Protesters will be allowed to return without tents, sleeping bags or tarps, and must follow park rules, he said. New York police have avoided a confrontation with demonstrators camped in a public park that’s privately owned near the World Trade Center site since the owner postponed clearing sections for cleaning in mid-October. In cities across the country, crime combined with poor sanitary conditions and complaints of losses at local businesses have eroded tolerance for the camps as expressions of free speech. Birthplace of Movement Hundreds of protesters have slept in tents and under tarps since Sept. 17 in Zuccotti Park, which is both the birthplace of the protests and the physical symbol of what has grown into a global movement. The park is a public space owned by a real estate company, Brookfield Office Properties Inc. Demonstrators outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London held a press conference today to express support for Occupy Wall Street and called for a protest outside the U.S. embassy. The New York police operation came after organizers announced they would mark the two-month anniversary of the movement this week with plans to “shut down Wall Street” and “occupy the subways.” “Some politicians may physically remove us from public spaces -- our spaces,” activists said in a statement released at 2:25 a.m. local time. “You cannot evict an idea whose time has come.” About 200 people were in the park when police using loudspeakers told protesters to leave or face arrest, said Chris Porter, 26, a welder from Indiana who joined the protest in the park about a month ago. ‘Destroyed Everything’ Police broke down tents and “destroyed everything” while forcibly removing protesters who had locked arms, he said. The Associated Press said about 70 people were arrested, citing Paul Browne, a police spokesman. “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,” the mayor said in the release. “We have been in constant contact with Brookfield and yesterday they requested that the city assist it in enforcing the no sleeping and camping rules in the park,” Bloomberg said. “But make no mistake -- the final decision to act was mine.” The mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP. Camp Facilities The one-square block space hosted a medical tent, kitchen area serving three meals a day, library, comfort station doling out underwear, sweaters, pants and blankets, and tables offering media outreach and legal guidance. Protesters at Zuccotti have evaded eviction and confrontation with New York police before. Thousands of people convened in the early morning hours of Oct. 14, leading Brookfield to postpone a scheduled cleaning. Hundreds of protesters arrested last month during a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge are scheduled to start appearing in court today to face disorderly conduct charges. More than 900 people have been charged in connection with the protests since mid-September, including about 700 arrested during the Oct. 1 bridge demonstration, according to police. The demonstrators refer to themselves on signs and in slogans as “the 99 percent,” a reference to Nobel Prize- winning economist Joseph Stiglitz’s study showing the richest 1 percent control 40 percent of U.S. wealth. Oakland Police Oakland police cleared a downtown encampment yesterday after a slaying on Nov. 10. Police in Portland evicted campers at Chapman and Lownsdale squares on Nov. 13 after two people suffered drug overdoses. Salt Lake City banned protesters from staying overnight at Pioneer Park on Nov. 11 after a person was found dead at the camp that morning. “The people who originally founded the encampments are either no longer there or no longer in control,” Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said yesterday in a telephone interview. “In part of clearing the camp, we moved a lot of the homeless -- they were about half of the residents.” Deaths, sexual assaults, drug dealing and theft in the tent cities threaten public safety, officials said. The camps have drawn the homeless, street youths and a criminal element, some officials said. “In the past few days, the balance has tipped,” Portland Mayor Sam Adams said in a Nov. 10 statement. “We have experienced two very serious drug overdoses, where individuals required immediate resuscitation in the camp.” Homeless Population When protesters began camping in Portland on Oct. 6, “the groups that day were people who have been committed to the movement,” Sergeant Pete Simpson, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said yesterday in a telephone interview. “Then those people started leaving and the homeless population and street youth began moving in.” The camps have cropped up in cities nationwide to protest economic disparity. Demonstrators decry high foreclosures and unemployment rates that plague average Americans while large bonuses were issued by U.S. banks after they accepted a taxpayer-funded bailout. In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter said on Nov. 13 that the city “must re-evaluate” its dealings with Occupy Philly after numerous reports of thefts and assaults at the group’s tent city on Dilworth Plaza outside City Hall. Since Oct. 6, emergency medical services have made 15 runs to the camp and a woman reported a rape Nov. 12, he said at a news briefing. Nutter said he’s asked for additional police in the area. Many of the initial leaders that the city dealt with have since left and the group is fractured, Nutter said. The mayor said he wants to avoid confrontation with the movement and agrees with them on issues such as unemployment, poverty and bank lending. “Now we’re at a critical point where we must re-evaluate our entire relationship with this very changed group,” he said. To contact the reporters on this story: Alison Vekshin in San Francisco at avekshin@bloomberg.net; Esme E. Deprez in New York at edeprez@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at mtannen@bloomberg.net.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 15 2011 07:23 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

F bloomy

seawolf17 Nov 15 2011 07:39 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I woke up at 4:00 am to loud Latin music coming from the room next door (I'm in a hotel in Windsor Locks, CT), so thanks to a Twip, I watched some of the live-streaming from Tim Pool (@TheOther99), who was apparently one of the only folks doing any on-the-ground live broadcast. Watched him get into a scuffle with some protestors who didn't like him taking video of them letting the air out police car tires, but other than that, most of the good stuff had already happened.

Ceetar Nov 15 2011 07:44 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

seawolf17 wrote: Watched him get into a scuffle with some protestors who didn't like him taking video of them letting the air out police car tires, but other than that, most of the good stuff had already happened. Geeze. Sounds like the eviction was long overdue.

Gwreck Nov 15 2011 07:51 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

So they evict people in the middle of the night while trying to keep the media at bay? (They even "closed the airspace") so news helicopters couldn't cover what was happening. Yes, that has "legitimate action" written all over it. I may not love the protestors but compared to Bloomberg and Ray Kelly they're saints.

seawolf17 Nov 15 2011 08:02 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

If they can protest in the middle of the night, then Bloomberg can evict them in the middle of the night.

Ceetar Nov 15 2011 08:03 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

seawolf17 wrote: If they can protest in the middle of the night, then Bloomberg can evict them in the middle of the night. are there different laws about sleeping/camping in public space overnight versus mid-day? Might be. Also, the traffic and congestion angle.

Gwreck Nov 15 2011 08:05 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The point is public accountability.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 15 2011 08:15 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

They should have waiting until it was 3 a.m. and done it from the West Coast.

seawolf17 Nov 15 2011 08:20 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Ceetar wrote: If they can protest in the middle of the night, then Bloomberg can evict them in the middle of the night. are there different laws about sleeping/camping in public space overnight versus mid-day? Might be. Also, the traffic and congestion angle. Bloomberg said as much: they have the right to protest, but not the right to turn anyplace they want into a permanent campground. And realistically, it is probably easier to round up police and sanitation overnight, when they'd otherwise not be doing as much.

Gwreck Nov 15 2011 08:31 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

seawolf17 wrote: Bloomberg said as much: they have the right to protest, but not the right to turn anyplace they want into a permanent campground. Parroting Bloomberg isn't a particularly compelling argument. Things are obviously much more nuanced, including that the park in question is legally mandated to be open 24 hours. Tellingly, a temporary restraining order was already issued against the City pending a further Court hearing on their actions.

sharpie Nov 15 2011 08:33 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

They did it the cowardly way because the announcing-it-beforehand way didn't work. I would expect an eventful next few weeks.

Jazz Radio DJ Nov 15 2011 10:35 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

seawolf17 wrote: Bloomberg said as much: they have the right to protest, but not the right to turn anyplace they want into a permanent campground. "Hey, you have the right to protest but you don't have the right to occupy those lunch counter seats all day, especially if your skin is brown, so get the fuck out before we beat you senseless." "Hey, you have the right to protest, but that factory belongs to GM, so get off your asses before we beat the shit out of you." "Hey, you have the right to protest, but your blocking the road from Selma to Montgomery with your march. Get off the road or we'll have to club you."

Edgy MD Nov 15 2011 10:38 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Things have been nuanced THINGS HAVE BEEEN NUANCED to the point TO THE POINT of incoherence. OF INCOHERENCE.

Vic Sage Nov 15 2011 10:49 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

A protest that isn't inconveniencing the govt (or fellow citizens generally) is a protest that sucks ass... And a governmental response to that protest that takes place in the middle of the night to avoid public scrutiny lacks credibility and speaks for itself >>> SPEAKS FOR ITSELF <<<

metirish Nov 15 2011 01:24 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Jay-Z should fuck off http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/no ... CMP=twt_gu let's se$$ shirts and make a mint out of this, geez

Frayed Knot Nov 15 2011 02:39 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

metirish wrote: let's se$$ shirts and make a mint out of this, geez The revolution will be merchandized

Ashie62 Nov 15 2011 03:48 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Can you turn a private park into a permanent public home?

seawolf17 Nov 15 2011 04:33 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Pretty sure Jay-Z is part of the 1%.

Frayed Knot Nov 15 2011 04:36 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

OCCUPY [crossout]W[/crossout]ALL STREETS OK Mr. Z, how 'bout we start with the one you live on?

Ceetar Nov 15 2011 04:55 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

seawolf17 wrote: Pretty sure Jay-Z is part of the 1%. Depends on how you define the 1% of course.

metsguyinmichigan Nov 15 2011 06:13 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Jazz Radio DJ wrote: Bloomberg said as much: they have the right to protest, but not the right to turn anyplace they want into a permanent campground. "Hey, you have the right to protest but you don't have the right to occupy those lunch counter seats all day, especially if your skin is brown, so get the fuck out before we beat you senseless." "Hey, you have the right to protest, but that factory belongs to GM, so get off your asses before we beat the shit out of you." "Hey, you have the right to protest, but your blocking the road from Selma to Montgomery with your march. Get off the road or we'll have to club you." I don't remember those folks pooping on the lunch counter or the factory floor. Very different protests.

Edgy MD Nov 15 2011 06:18 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Nor is New York claiming the right to beat anybody senseless. The idea of those protests, of course, is frequently to provoke an official response, and therefore use the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the injustice that is being perpetrated. And I hope the point of these protests isn't just going to come down to right to protest. It all seems like it's going to turn out to be a colossal waste of time and energy.

Number 6 Nov 16 2011 01:22 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I don't remember those folks pooping on the lunch counter or the factory floor. Very different protests. Why not talk about the groups of protestors who regularly cleaned the park? Painting the movement as a whole by the actions of a few... aren't you a journalist?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Nov 16 2011 01:34 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The Leiterfamilia stopped by to gawk-n'-chat after a visit to the 9/11 Memorial Monday afternoon. It was packed, but nowhere near as filthy as Bloomy would have you believe; the logistical/service system they'd set up on the tent city's outskirts was something to see.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 16 2011 01:47 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I was thinking that you'd gone and moved there.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Nov 16 2011 01:59 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Naw. We summer at Zucotti, but we winter in the Columbia Law Library bathrooms.

sharpie Nov 16 2011 02:23 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Many NYC parks are filthier than Zuccotti Park was at its worst. They should send in SWAT teams to clean them up as well.

Edgy MD Dec 06 2011 10:32 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

HahnSolo Dec 06 2011 12:25 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Damn. He got old looking.

metirish Dec 06 2011 12:37 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Are there still people down there?, apart of Jackson Browne.

sharpie Dec 06 2011 12:45 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

That isn't Zuccoti Park that Browne is in.

Frayed Knot Dec 06 2011 01:00 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

HahnSolo wrote: Damn. He got old looking. Yeah, but that's only because he's old. That isn't Zuccoti Park that Browne is in. It's D.C.

metirish Dec 06 2011 01:04 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I guess that building in the background should have clued me in.

Edgy MD Dec 06 2011 01:13 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Supposedly, he played for a crowd of 120, 40 of them media. Movement losing steam. He was always one who didn't seem to show his age. That's part of what makes his appearance here so jarring. That and the fact that he still has his signature boyish hairstyle.

sharpie Dec 06 2011 01:33 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Movement accomplished what it set out to do: get the notion of historic rates of income inequality and government fealty to the business sector at the expense of the "99%" into the national discussion, something which wasn't happening before.

HahnSolo Dec 06 2011 02:54 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: He was always one who didn't seem to show his age. That's part of what makes his appearance here so jarring. That and the fact that he still his signature boyish hairstyle. Yup.

Frayed Knot Dec 06 2011 03:29 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: Supposedly, he played for a crowd of 120, 40 of them media. Movement losing steam. He was always one who didn't seem to show his age. That's part of what makes his appearance here so jarring. That and the fact that he still his signature boyish hairstyle. I liked the reports - quite possibly exaggerated - that many of the youthful 'Occupy' kids were saying; 'who is that old fart?' after J.B. showed up while other middle-aged women were rushing from nearby office buildings to do everything short of tossing their undies at him.

Mets – Willets Point Dec 07 2011 08:32 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Edgy DC wrote: Movement losing steam. That's a nice euphemism for "getting pepper-sprayed, beaten and arrested while the corporate-owned mainstream media pulls out all the stops to demonize and discredit the movement."

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 07 2011 08:35 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Obama's speech yesterday expressed a lotta OWSish sentiment, so yeah I think it's part of the national consciousness in a way it probably wasn't before.

Edgy MD Dec 07 2011 08:56 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Movement losing steam. That's a nice euphemism for "getting pepper-sprayed, beaten and arrested while the corporate-owned mainstream media pulls out all the stops to demonize and discredit the movement." No, it's completely not.

Vic Sage Dec 07 2011 10:36 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

yeah, it completely is.

Edgy MD Dec 07 2011 11:21 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Really? You really think you know my thoughts and the hidden meannig in my words? It's my opinion based on my observation of the encampments which I've been walking by and through every day, and by the general population in the encampments nationally. If you don't see the size mattering, that's fine, but that's not on me. If you think the current waning turnout is a result of the media and the police, fine. But neither is that on me. It's just an observation. It is in no way a qualitative judgement on the crediblity of the aims of the movement itself, so get the chip off your shoulder and give me a fucking break. You have your radical opinions. Fine. Pick a fight with somebody that actually opposes you. Please don't ask me to stand in.

Mets – Willets Point Dec 07 2011 12:23 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

"Movement losing steam" implies that you believe that people are giving up on Occupy of their own accord rather than as a result of coordinated suppression. And please, you've looked down on Occupy with disdain through this entire thread while repeating the whole BS mantra of "it's so unclear what they stand for" when anyone with half-a-brain cell knows what this movement is about. I don't see you as someone who opposes me but I'm disappointed that someone I know to be smart, empathetic, and passionate as you is simply parroting anti-Occupy rhetoric when this movement is fighting for you and things you believe in.

Edgy MD Dec 07 2011 12:39 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Jesus, stop. If you want to fight, pick a real enemy. I did not use a "nice euphemism" for anything.

Vic Sage Dec 07 2011 01:19 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Really? You really think you know my thoughts and the hidden meannig in my words? no, i really don't. While i'm clearly not speaking for WP, i was speaking in a general sense about the phrase as i've heard it generally, and how I construe it, not about your intentions in using it. sorry for the confusion on that point. i do think your observation, without context, implies that the movement is losing energy due to its own inherent factors, rather than having been battered into submission by outside forces. it certainly can be read that way. so i thought WP's response offered a necessary countervaling view, giving some context to your observation.

metsguyinmichigan Dec 08 2011 08:05 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I like the reference to the corporate-owned mainstream media. As a member of said group, I tell you that there are no such missives handed down from above.

Edgy MD Dec 08 2011 08:27 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

I apparently lack half a brain cell.

Edgy MD Dec 08 2011 08:35 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Oh, and I parrot.

metsmarathon Dec 08 2011 09:39 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I like the reference to the corporate-owned mainstream media. As a member of said group, I tell you that there are no such missives handed down from above. as a member of the mainstream media, you're so owned by the corporations that you do their bidding unknowingly, unwittingly, and subconsiously, without prior instruction. it's really quite frightening.

metsguyinmichigan Dec 08 2011 10:08 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

metsmarathon wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: I like the reference to the corporate-owned mainstream media. As a member of said group, I tell you that there are no such missives handed down from above. as a member of the mainstream media, you're so owned by the corporations that you do their bidding unknowingly, unwittingly, and subconsiously, without prior instruction. it's really quite frightening. Oh hell. NOW you tell me!

Mets – Willets Point Dec 08 2011 11:20 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Boston was given orders to clear out tonight or else. On the one hand it may be a good thing since winter is coming and it's unclear how well the protest would handle cold weather safely. There's a new effort to help people in foreclosed homes that could use help too. Still it pisses me off that the police will once again be well-armored and armed and march in to forcibly prevent people from their constitutional right to assemble. Some of you may disagree with the encampments but I think they were genius. In the 50s & 60s and earlier, mass protests and marches were very effective at influencing opinion and bringing about positive social change. In my lifetime however there are countless marches on Washington (almost weekly events) that just seem to be par for the course, easily ignored by politicians and the news media (unless organized by a media figure like Glenn Beck or Jon Stewart). In 2004 I walked around Boston during the Democratic National Convention and was horrified that demonstrators were contained in a "free-speech zone" which was a pen under an elevated railway and surrounded by a 12-foot chainlink fence, completely invisible to the delegates and news media. How then can anyone assemble peacefully for protest when the powers that be have made it so easy to contain and sweep under the rug? The Occupy movement's genius is bringing the protests to the doorsteps of corporations who have gained an unfair level of power in our nation's government. The camps were not just a one day "March on [Insert Corporation Here]" that could be easily contained and ignored. You'll remember that Occupy Wall Street was in place for more than two weeks before the mainstream media gave it any attention at all. And they were able to get their message out. For the first time in my life, topics that were verboten in political discourse in the US were being discussed widely - wealth inequality, corporate personhood, corporate welfare, workers' rights and holding to the true ideals of democracy among them. And no, they did not come preaching solutions to all the problems but worked instead to allow many voices to be heard and discuss the options. In a way OWS may have already succeeded by getting the message out and with the public discourse reoriented I feel more optimistic about the political state of our nation than I have in years. Still, the fascistic responses of police armed like soldiers coming down to brutalize peaceful demonstrators terrifies me and makes me fear for the future as well.

Vic Sage Dec 08 2011 11:40 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

yeah.

Ceetar Dec 08 2011 01:26 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Supposedly, he played for a crowd of 120, 40 of them media. Movement losing steam. He was always one who didn't seem to show his age. That's part of what makes his appearance here so jarring. That and the fact that he still his signature boyish hairstyle. I liked the reports - quite possibly exaggerated - that many of the youthful 'Occupy' kids were saying; 'who is that old fart?' after J.B. showed up while other middle-aged women were rushing from nearby office buildings to do everything short of tossing their undies at him. That'd have been me. In fact, I don't know who he is, even after looking at the picture URL to figure out his name. But I'm weird too, so that doesn't necessarily reflect on other 'youthful' people.

Frayed Knot Dec 08 2011 02:09 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

The thing about Jackson Browne was that he's always been high on the socially active type stuff so showing up to something like this is right up his alley. On the other, he's probably pushing 60 and isn't exactly cranking out hits these days. And so while a sizable pct women now about age 50 remember him not only as the sensitive singer-songwriter from their youth but also the good-looking guy of their dreams, most of the crowd who would be populating the 'Occupy' camps think of him as neither even if they think of him at all.

Mets – Willets Point Dec 08 2011 07:22 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 08 2011 08:10 PM

I apologize to Edgy for saying that you have less than half-a-brain cell, you parrot, for not finding a more polite way to comment that Occupy is losing numbers due to outside repression, and for otherwise making you feel like I was picking a fight. I am a douchebag and I suck at engaging people in political discourse.

Edgy MD Dec 08 2011 07:47 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Thank you. I do want a more equitable tax code. I do want a government that is less answerable to big dollars and more answerable to people. I do oppose corporate welfare.

Mets – Willets Point Jan 11 2012 07:55 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Zuccotti Park reoccupied.

Ceetar Jan 11 2012 08:04 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Zuccotti Park reoccupied. putting an awful lot of emphasis on the location, that shouldn't even really matter. Will it get any real coverage with the primary stuff going on?

Mets – Willets Point Jan 11 2012 10:10 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Well, if they really wanted an emphasis on location they would occupy Wall Street, the actual street, right in front of the exchange. Of course, that would most likely meet with a Kent State style response. I expect this is more a symbolic demonstration that the park cannot be legally cordoned off.

Nymr83 Jan 11 2012 12:29 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

My bus went by there last night about 1130, there were maybe 50 people gathered in the corner of the park nearest broadway. This is fine, as long as they aren't allowed to set up tents and become a menace to local businesses and residents again.

Vic Sage Jan 13 2012 02:17 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

A "menace"? Really? an inconvience for some, i'm sure, but a "menace"? Occupation of the park resulted in a significant uptick in crimes against the surrounding community, did it? I guess it's possible, given the range of folks the occupation attracted (including the paroled cons, sent there by corrections dept, looking for a meal), but i'd need to see some data on that before accepting that characterization as anything but your typical conservative hyperbole.

Ashie62 Jan 13 2012 06:42 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Or your liberal hyperbole.

Edgy MD Jan 13 2012 06:59 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Well, let's be fair. While Vic generally positions himself to the left of a stack of Burl Ives records, he's not actually making an assertion there. But if we agree that hyperbole in political discourse is a bad thing, that's cool.

Nymr83 Jan 15 2012 09:43 AM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Theese OWS folks belong in jail (the ones involved in this incident): [url]http://m.nypost.com/f/mobile/news/local/brooklyn/ows_home_invasion_z9ApqDP6Q0boFviq8CjvAL As for being a menace, they've caused at least one local eatery to shut down becasue they scared away his business, they also previouusly took over a public space for their own exclusive use, I'd call that a menace

Mets – Willets Point Feb 07 2012 02:14 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Zucotti Park occupied again. "The crowd of peaceful, if slightly-scruffy demonstrators have no unified message..."

Ceetar Feb 07 2012 02:18 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Zucotti Park occupied again. "The crowd of peaceful, if slightly-scruffy demonstrators have no unified message..." I love that the first two comments are talking about the Bay Area teams.

Ashie62 Feb 08 2012 06:54 PM Re: Occupy Wall Street

Mets Occupy World Series