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Police Raid Occupy Wall Street Protesters

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

 

 

Over 70 arrests were made in the wee morning hours today in an ambushed attack on the Wall Street Protesters. At approximately 1am, police in raid gear insisted the protesters evacuate Zuccotti Park, where they have been stationed for weeks. The Constitution of the United States dictates the public’s Right to Assemble. Yes, it’s a privately owned park but available for public use. This protest consists of the general public, for the public.

Sterling Silver Peace Sign Cufflinks

Sterling Silver Peace Sign Cufflinks

Ironically this comes during the week of the largest Student Week of Action scheduled for November 17th.

After passively “supporting ” the OWS movement, billionaire mayor Bloomberg seems to have recanted his position. To make matters worse, it seems there was a “media blackout,” according to the Huffington Post:

“Reporter after reporter — many using the hashtag “#mediablackout” — tweeted through the night, saying that police had either blocked them from seeing what was happening or had acted violently towards them. Some correspondents were also among the scores of people arrested by police.

At his press conference about the raid on Tuesday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said journalists were barred from covering the raid “to protect members of the press,” and “to prevent a situation from getting worse.”

Blue Peace Sign, Onyx and Mother of Pearl Tie Bars

Blue Peace Sign, Onyx and Mother of Pearl Tie Bars

Why should democracy be covered up, in blackness, kept under guards from the general media? The protesters were given notice that occupation of the park “poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard to those camped in the park, the city’s first responders and the surrounding community.”

LA Times reports that over 5,000 books were thrown out in the raid. “More than 5,000 books in the Occupy Wall Street library were reportedly thrown away when police moved in to remove protesters from Zuccotti Park in New York early Tuesday.

NYPD raiding Zuccotti Park on Nov 15th 2011

NYPD raiding Zuccotti Park on Nov 15th 2011

During the police raid, Occupy Wall Street librarians tweeted, “NYPD destroying american cultural history, they’re destroying the documents, the books, the artwork of an event in our nation’s history,” Galleycat reports. “Right now, the NYPD are throwing over 5,000 books from our library into a dumpster. Will they burn them? … Call 311 or 212-639-9675 now and ask why Mayor Bloomberg is throwing the 5,554 books from our library into a dumpster.””

WWhat happened to non-violence? Fight Police Brutality! Shown: MLK JR Cufflinks

What happened to non-violence? Fight Police Brutality! Shown: MLK JR Cufflinks

The Village Voice has asked city officials what happened to the library books, but has not yet received a response.

Currently a judge has signed an order allowing protesters to return to Zuccotti Park with their belongings; further court action is expected Tuesday.

 

Where is OWS today?

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

 

 

What is the recent news for OWS?

From every conservative, large corporate angle, OWS protesters receive negative criticism. But that doesn’t mean they are going to stop any time soon. Fox 5, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and other conservative tycoons, uninformed as they may be, are chumming the movement up to a bunch of yuppie kids without a definitive cause. Maybe they failed to read all the detailed initiatives and collective ideas from the OWS website. Maybe they only follow their own news. Whatever the case, take a look at this protester’s surprisingly elegant response to a Fox 5 News reporter’s questions:

Today, November 3rd, 2011, The Port of Oakland was shut down by protesters, almost paralyzing the busy port with activity. All eyes have been on Oakland since the former US Marine was injured by the Oakland police during a protest.

INDIAN HEAD PENNY CUFFLINKS

INDIAN HEAD PENNY CUFFLINKS

The Guardian.com reports the following:

“Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so,” the port said in a statement. A port spokesman said officials hoped to reopen the facility on Thursday morning. Protesters, who streamed across an overpass to gather in front of the port gates, stood on top of tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the street. Others climbed on to scaffolding over rail tracks as a band played a version of the Led Zeppelin song Whole Lotta Love, using amplifiers powered by stationary bike generators.

Occupy Oakland protesters effectively shut down the US's fifth busiest port during a day of protest in the city. Photograph: Kent Porter/AP

Occupy Oakland protesters effectively shut down the US’s fifth busiest port during a day of protest in the city. Photograph: Kent Porter/AP

“The reason I’m here is I’m sick and tired of trying to figure out where I should put my vote between the lesser of two evils,” student Sarah Daniel, 28, said at the port. The anti-Wall Street activists, who complain bitterly about a financial system they believe benefits mainly corporations and the wealthy, aim to disrupt commerce with a special focus on banks and other symbols of corporate America.

Oakland Raiders Cufflinks

Oakland Raiders Cufflinks

Protesters, prior to marching on the port, also blocked the downtown intersection of 14th street and Broadway, where ex-marine Scott Olsen was seriously wounded with a head injury during a clash with police on 25 October.”

TOMORROW IN NYC, Meeting at CUNY’s The Graduate Center at 34th and 5th ave for a general assembly. 6pm, November 4th on the 8th floor. This is in an effort to plan for the student week of actions Nov 14th-21st (http://studentweekofaction.wordpress.com/), the city-wide day of actions on the 17th and the student mobilization around tuition hikes on the 21st. Every small organization counts! Let education be the first milestone.

Wall Street Cufflinks

Wall Street Cufflinks