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We are the 99 percent

In Spite of Elections and "Camping Bans," Revolutionary Wave Grows

Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 4, 2012, 8:41 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

“corporate media puts the masses to sleep” banner at early occupy oakland circa october
A look back at Occupy Oakland before it was razed.

In a world devastated by poverty, austerity cuts, and bank foreclosures, community action like Occupy Oakland’s recent attempt to turn a derelict building into a vibrant social center for the needs of the 99% should be applauded. Instead, the agents of the 1%, in this case the Oakland police – already under investigation for excessive force – once again attacked. Using flash bang grenades, projectiles, batons, tear-gas, and other weapons, police arrested over 400, bringing total US Occupy-related arrests to over 6,300. As the Occupy Oakland Media Committee said:

“With all the problems in our city, should preventing activists from putting a vacant building to better use be their highest priority? Was it worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars they spent?”

Earlier this month, we celebrated 2011 and declared 2012 would be even bigger. One month in, we’re keeping our word, but the corporate media increasingly dismiss Occupy Wall Street as a dying movement. Covering events in Oakland (“Police use teargas on Occupy Oakland protesters”), the Guardian described OWS as “largely dormant lately.” The Washington Post stated that the Oakland protest had broken the “lull” in OWS.

But we aren’t dormant; we're escalating. The only lull has been in the media coverage of our continuing struggle to create a more just world for all. While the corporate media have shifted focus to the U.S. Republican primaries and Presidential election, government agents of the 1% continue their assault on Occupy camps - inventing new PR-friendly excuses like the "no camping" rule used to rip apart Occupy DC - to dismantle not only our rights, but our homes.

The corporate-funded political status quo, including corporate-funded news coverage, benefits the 1% at the expense of the 99%. This is exactly why the corporate media would rather run speeches by Presidential candidates (all millionaires) than stories of members of the 99% taking direct action to create economic justice, like our comrades in Oakland and DC who are peacefully fighting for their beliefs only to be attacked by police, or the many OWS supporters in cities across the country who are taking direct action to help keep low-income families in their homes by resisting unfair evictions and foreclosures. Our movement to create real democracy and and economic fairness is far more newsworthy than the tired rhetoric and false hope of the Republicans or Democrats.

Bank-beholden politicians created this economic crisis. No matter who wins the U.S. Presidential election circus, only direct action - not the same politics-as-usual - can rebuild democracy and justice. And make no mistake: such transformative revolutionary action is continuing to unfold in every corner of the United States, and across the globe, and no amount of "camping bans" can stop us. Let’s take a closer look by examining a few of the major Occupy stories and actions of the past month that the corporate media would rather dismiss than cover by debunking their myths about OWS...

de-occupy honolulu
Occupy protests have reached across the globe. Here is (Un)Occupy Honolulu.

Misinformation #1: “OWS’s numbers are dwindling.”

Last fall, we helped bring the revolutionary wave to the U.S. Tens of thousands came to the streets. But revolutions aren’t just mass demonstration. Our success cannot be counted by the number of people at a rally or park at any given moment.

It’s great to have 30,000 marchers, but that isn’t how we changed the world. We changed the world through the millions of individual lives and minds we've reached. Millions who have witnessed or experienced Occupy camps and events, seen self-government and consensus in practice, and been exposed to new ideas and conversations through OWS have been changed forever. We each take those new ways of thinking back to our everyday lives and communities.

And we’re still in the streets, too. Thousands from New Hampshire to Los Angeles Occupied Congress on Jan. 17th. The same day saw over 80 solidarity actions from New Mexico to New Zealand, a funeral for the Bill of Rights in Chicago, and a glitter-march to celebrate our 4-month anniversary in New York City. A few days later, Occupiers shut down parts of the San Francisco financial district (including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America) before taking over an abandoned hotel and declaring it housing for the 99%, while over 130 cities held protests against Citizen’s United.

Occupy Congress
Occupy Congress marches through Washington, DC

After the violent attack on Occupy Oakland by police, Occupations in dozens of cities around the world organized near-immediate responses by getting thousands into the streets the very next day. Police violently arrested more at Oakland solidarity rallies in Tampa, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and beyond. From Boston to Oslo, Occupiers expressed their outrage with state repression of the 99% Movement. Days later when Occupy DC, the largest and longest-standing encampment, was first threatened with eviction, thousands came to support.

Our tactics and rhetoric have proven so useful and effective that they continue to inspire protest movements across the world, who then share their experiences and tactics with us. This year already, we have seen massive uprisings across Nigeria, largely sparked by Occupy Nigeria’s response to the theft of oil subsidies from the people by the government. In Japan, anti-nuclear protesters set up tents in front of the Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry and refused eviction notices. In Brazil, after 6,000 were forcibly evicted from their homes by police using teargas and projectile weapons, residents of impoverished Pinheirinho occupied their neighborhood and resisted the violent police action. On the one year anniversary of the start of the Egyptian revolution - which heavily and directly inspired OWS - more people than ever gathered in Tahir Square to finish what they started and oppose military rule; OWS supporters across the US rallied in solidarity. The revolutionary wave is bigger than the U.S. election cycle. And from Bahrain to the streets of Brooklyn, the 99% remain active.

tahir square
Tahir Square on the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution

With this many people braving the winter cold here, just wait until spring! We started as one occupation in NYC and held huge marches in a few cities. Now, OWS-inspired actions, camps, events, and meetings occur in thousands of cities, each networked with similar horizontal, directly democratic uprisings across the world. New camps continue to appear from cities like Frederick, MD to college campuses like Penn University and the University of Massachusetts, and international trade centers like the Dame Street financial district in Ireland. OWS protesters even dug igloos out of the snow in Davos, Switzerland to Occupy the World Economic Forum, where the transnational capitalist ultra-elite meets each year.

Misinformation #2: “OWS was weakened by the eviction of our camps.”

If anything, the evictions emboldened us and forced us to dig deeper into our communities, building even broader networks of support, mutual aid, and solidarity. The show of militarized force, violent police over-reaction, and totalitarian security measures like the indefinite detention provisions in the NDAA invigorated resistance.

The first ever Occupy Town Square on Jan. 29th in Washington Square Park.

The government’s assault on our movement never ended. Already just in the U.S. this year:

In the past month, Occupations from U.S. cities like Charlotte, Boise, Miami, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, DC, Portland Maine, and elsewhere are contending with evictions and “camping bans.” Members of Occupy Austin are still in jail after police evicted their camp; Occupy Austin is marching on city hall today in solidarity with the homeless. Abroad, cities like Melbourne, Auckland, The Hague, Toronto, and London have been attacked by courts and violent police raids yet again.

However, in virtually every U.S. city - including those that have faced major evictions - like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Baltimore, Chapel Hill, Austin, Roanoke, Santa Cruz, and Portland, Occupiers continue to hold public events and open meetings. Occupy Honolulu has maintained a park for 91 days, in spite of 5 eviction attempts and four attempts by police to dismantle their homes. Meanwhile, without central camps, General Assemblies have become even further entrenched into communities. In larger cities, we've seen the proliferation of new neighborhood-based General Assemblies like Occupy the Southside and Occupy Rogers Park in Chicago and across the boroughs in New York. Numerous Occupations have conducted door-to-door outreach and groups like Occupy the Hood and Occupy El Barrio are still growing across the country.

buffalo eviction
Police arrived to evict Occupy Buffalo just days ago.

These actions, begun under Obama and sure to continue even if a Republican were elected, have been carried out by Democrats and by Republicans. An election will not stop the assault on OWS. But the repression itself is another sign we’re winning. The 1%’ers who call the shots behind these government decisions are afraid of us. And – from the Philadelphia March Against Police Terror, to the anti-repression marches in Oakland and Seattle, to Chicago’s protest of Mayor Rahm’s draconian anti-protester ordinanceswe aren’t backing down.

chapel hill
Free Speech rally at Occupy Chapel Hill/Carboro, NC

Misinformation #3: “OWS has lost its purpose and focus.”

We began protesting bank bailouts, but we’ve always fought for total social and economic justice – from the right to form unions to the need for accessible education and affordable housing. Our focus has never changed: ending economic inequality, injustice, and oppression in all forms against all marginalized communities. Here are just a few examples from the first month of 2012:

uc-riverside
Students confront riot police at UC-Riverside

Imgur
Occupy the Hood marches in the Los Angeles MLK, Jr Day Parade

schools not jails
Baltimore's "Schools Not Jails" asks why we're building prisons instead of investing in education during an economic crisis.

Our primary target is still the corrupt bankers on Wall Street. Occupy San Francisco occupied a Wells Fargo branch in the Mission on Jan. 14th, and a Bank of America on the 20th. OWS supporters in other cities, including Philly, New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit also continue to protest against Bank of America even in the face of arrest for civil disobedience. In Austin, Occupiers held a street theater trial of Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase Manhattan.

In Los Angeles, Tampa, and Brooklyn, we have continued the on-going tactic of disrupting foreclosure auctions that began last year. In Brooklyn, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, and Nashville, we continue to help homeless and displaced families remain in homes after being evicted by banks. Unlike politicians, we are taking actual action to rebuild true democracy and provide for people’s immediate needs like housing, food, and education.

Once again, this is but a small sampling of the actions taken by OWS supporters in the past months alone. The common denominator: We take action to improve the lives of the 99% and fight oppression in all forms, wherever it occurs. Sadly, oppression exists in nearly every facet of society, under a seemingly endless number of disguises. Our expanding scope shows we’re growing, maturing, making connections with diverse communities and movements, and broadening our perspectives. We don’t need centralized decisions or “party line” platforms – our diversity of tactics, range of causes, and spectrum of equally-empowered voices are among our most powerful strengths.

Misinformation #4: “The 2012 U.S. elections are eroding OWS’s relevance.”

Every major U.S. presidential candidate and most of Congress are millionaires. The system is stacked against those without money – until we change the system, until corporations no longer buy politicians through campaign finance or high-powered lobbying, elections will never be “free.” We are anti-partisan -- we oppose all of them. We’ve mic checked every major Presidential candidate and picketed outside campaign rallies and disrupted caucuses on both sides. Just this week, Occupy Minneapolis glitter-bombed Mitt Romney and Occupy Las Vegas was removed by police while trying to ask him “tough questions” at an event. Change comes from below. The goal of OWS is social change. Political change, including reforms, as a result of this uprising and critique from the least enfranchised.

chicago
Occupy Chicago confronts Obama.

This is already happening. This year already, we have seen the cancellation of the Keystone Oil Pipeline; many city governments have passed resolutions against corporate personhood; popular dissent stopped the internet privacy bill SOPA; and millions recalled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his drastic anti-worker agenda. In Britain, the executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland turned down his bonus after public outcry. In the U.S., commentators from CNN to the Daily Show are referencing OWS slogans like the 99% and openly discussing income inequality in ways that were unheard of before we began Occupying Wall Street. We are influencing U.S. mainstream politics in more subtle ways: President Obama co-opted Occupy’s language in his State of the Union address, and even the Republican candidates attack one another for being “vulture capitalists” in hopes of tapping into popular anger at the 1%.

We are bigger than the U.S. presidential election. We already have the power to solve our problems if we take direct action and occupy together for revolutionary systemic change – just as Occupy Oakland tried to do last month. The government, rather than helping alleviate problems like homelessness and poverty caused by the greed of the 1%, has acted in the interest of the wealthy. First, they cut vital social services for the poor and middle class and used our tax money to bail out the banks. Now, when we take action to solve the crisis the banks created with their predatory lending and greedy money-making schemes, the government intervenes to stop us by using violence.

Politics-as-usual won’t fix our problems. If we lobby against every unsustainable pipeline or unjust eviction, we’ll be stuck begging and waiting forever while our communities continue to suffer. We are fighting for deeper changes than any politician can bring, so that someday there are no more unsustainable pipelines or evictions at all. We support communities trying to improve their present living conditions and fight back against corporate control and economic injustice, no matter how they chose to. But we do not endorse any politician(s) because no candidate will bring change. Only the people, united together with the common goal of building a truly free society, can do that. This is exactly why we are even more relevant during the election season than ever.

72 Comments

72 Comments


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[-] 7 points by ohmygoodness (158) 12 years ago

You have set up a WW platform for educative eye-opening exposures

In the light of adversity OWS has shone!

You are the watershed for what is true and honorable.

You are a credit to the human spirit.

You have come a long victorious way and armored with peace, perseverance and the will to set right wrongs, there are still so many more victories which lie ahead.

[-] 7 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Look, you can't evict an idea.  Despite all the noise to the contrary (some of it the product of an organized paid effort) people in the U.S. know exactly what Occupy Movement stands for:  getting the money out of politics and correcting the dramatic and widening the enormous income disparity in this nation.   Just like in South Africa with Mandela, just like India with Gandhi and just like the U.S. with Martin Luther King, Jr., this house of cards with the few ruling over the many can't stand.  The smart among the 1% know this all too well and are preparing to / offering to give up some of their wealth in the name of economic fairness.

You can't evict an idea, especially an idea whose time has come.  As someone who used to work on Capitol Hill and has recently spent time with half a dozen members of congress, I am well aware of the reality that is setting in in DC:   This situation where Citizens United supreme court decision allows corporations to buy elections WILL NOT STAND.   Make no mistake:  a constitutional amendment effectively overturning Citizens United supreme court decision will be passed.

DC officials are making an enormous tactical error giving into weak but vocal republican whining about people camping in the park.  For every protester they push out, ten or a hundred more will take their place this spring.   If they wish to poke at the hornets nest, they can.  But they should look to the history of the civil rights movement and Gandhi's success in India to understand the sting this beautiful collective of nonviolent bees will have.  

So, to those controlling the decision-making here, I say "Go ahead and piss members of the movement off more.  It only makes us stronger.  The more middle America sees its kids being pushed around for nonviolently demanding the government be accountable to its people instead of corporations, the stronger the movement gets.  The nonviolent direct action this spring will overwhelm you with its power and force.  We know you have no idea what to do with non-violence and that is why we will most certainly prevail."

This isn't about overthrowing a government.   Occupiers love this country.  This is about restoring this country by removing the corporate terrorists who have hijacked our government.  Make no mistake.  We will remain nonviolent.  And we will restore the power of one person one vote.  We are the 99% and we're not going anywhere.  The 1% will be treated with love and respect but they also will no longer be permitted to rule selfishly.  This house of cards is about to come down as a result of nonviolent tactical actions.

Occupy DC, stay strong as an organization.  The nonviolent cavalry is coming.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. Said so eloquently, "Truth crushed to earth rises up."

Corpopolitical contractors.  Do what you will.  Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.  Nothing.   As Breyton Breytonbach said before being sentenced to prison for his nonviolent protest activities: "Whether we win or whether we die, freedom will rise like the sun through the morning clouds."

[-] 3 points by Mrrotten (18) 12 years ago

People in the US DON'T know what OWS stands for. that's a big part of the problem. or if they do know how quickly they for get, or are unable or unwilling to take some (any) form of concrete action. I think it's a very small minority of people who actually understand the depth of Corporate Influence on Gov.

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[-] 2 points by Toynbee (656) from Savannah, GA 12 years ago
  • Completely agree.

  • Actually, I would argue that Occupiers love America more than many Wall Streeters, well-heeled, and corporate interests. Not all, but many.

  • If these "Smartest Guys in the Room" actually loved America as much as OWS protestors, they wouldn't have driven the housing market off the cliff in pursuit of one extra nickel, they wouldn't have shipped jobs and whole industries overseas when there are skilled people here in America, they wouldn't have used sharp business practices to squeeze an extra penny out of some poor, naive and unsophisticated schmuck.

  • Stop the greed. Restore the patriotism and pride in the public commons, public infrastructure, . . . .

[-] 1 points by russman (8) 12 years ago

Be realistic. They are not evicting your idea. They are evicting you physically. If you don't get it right, what remains of OWS will be only this website.

[-] 2 points by sufinaga (513) 12 years ago

CORPORATE RELIGION is the opium of the people! we must expose their inhumanity and destroy their BS.

[-] 0 points by monjon22 (508) 12 years ago

But other movements will continue on. That is the "idea" part of not being able to evict an idea. I, for one, am no longer certain OWS is the movement for the job.

[-] 0 points by headlesscross (67) 12 years ago

Drama Queen.

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[-] 2 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

That's because you're not paying attention.

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[-] 2 points by GarnetMoon (424) 12 years ago

OWS is about politics. What they don't want is to work with politicians. The labor movement and women's suffrage movement to name only two, did not rely on talking with politicians. Also, don't forget the massive workers strikes in response to inhumane working conditions and the hunger strikes staged by suffragists in jail. Change comes from the bottom up...

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[-] 0 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

You can say it as many times as you want. It doesn't make it true.

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[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

You're relaying your interpretation of the words on computer screen from a website. The website is not the movement. The movement is huge and multifaceted but its mission is clear: Get the money out of politics. This will result eventually in a constitutional amendment that revoked corporate personhood status and effectively overturns Citizens United supreme court decision. It starts there and keeps going, all with nonviolent direct action. Fasten your seatbelt. It's going to be a beautiful and momentous springtime in America.

[-] 0 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

Yes I look forward to spring and all the hope that it symbolizes, and I expect this summer is going to be very, very hot.

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[-] 5 points by DonQuixot (231) 12 years ago

Good article. Keep on, it is only a matter of time before brainwashed average Americans wake up. The worst of the winter will soon be over. Get ready for the spring. My donations for warm clothes and my support and prayers are with you. God is with you too. We cannot change the world without changing America first. Francisco, 9 year old Spaniard in Alicante Spain.

[-] 3 points by GarnetMoon (424) 12 years ago

Gracias Francisco, muy bien dicho. Eres una persona muy especial. Tambien eres la esperanza de vuestra generacion. Ojala que otros jovenes como tu se deciden a dedicarse a nuestra causa tan importante. Solidaridad! Una Uruguaya viviendo en EEUU.

[-] 1 points by DonQuixot (231) 12 years ago

Gracias uruguaya guay. Tengo 69 años, fue un error al escribir, pero me siento como si tuviera 9.

[-] 1 points by GarnetMoon (424) 12 years ago

;-)

[-] 2 points by russman (8) 12 years ago

"We cannot change the world without changing America first."

Well said. And may I add, you cannot change America without violent protests.

Gandhi and Martin Luther King have often been cited here as examples of how change can be achieved through peaceful means. Nothing can be further from the truth. Examine the circumstances under which they operate.

Consider the circumstances under which India was granted independence. Britain had just come out of a war of which it almost ended up as a colony of Germany. The Brits then had learned to be sympathetic towards the victims of imperialism. Moreover, the hero of the War, Churchill, who was staunchly against India's independence, was defeated in the election after the war. Britain was under a socialist government which was principlely against colonialism. That's how India got its independence. Not because of Gandhi and his peaceful protests.

In the case of Martin Luther King, it was during the time of the Cold War. The US was fighting openly in Vietnam. It could not afford to have enemies within its own territorty. They were beginning to show up, such as the Black Panther group. The whites of the day knew that either they treat the blacks as equal or they (the whites) will have to face a formidable force from within.

Be very clear about this. In the case of the Independence of India and the victory of the Blacks Civil Rights Movement, it was not the individual that change the circumstance but the circumstance that help the individual.

Let's get back to the present. Circumstances around the world today show that to bring about change in the regime or system, protests have to be violent. Look at Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria. The violent protests there gets unwavering support from outside forces, especially US and Europe, which are prepared get involve militarily on the side of the protesters. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the US military will support violent protests within its own home ground. So, OWS, what are you guys waiting for?

[-] 3 points by monjon22 (508) 12 years ago

Protestors need not instigate violence; however, they will need to be willing to place themselves in the path of violence from the oppositions. This is how Ghandi's non-violent protests worked. If you are not in their face, they have no reason to listen to you.

[-] 2 points by DonQuixot (231) 12 years ago

Thanks Russman. You are only partly right. Ghandi was inspired by Swami Vivekananda, the spiritual father of India, and by Paramahansa Yogananda, who became his guru. Ghandi could do what he did because India is the spiritual mother of the world, it takes that special people. Ghandi would not have succeeded in militarist Japan or Germany, and Hitler would not have succeeded in India. Yoga favours peaceful action whenever possible, but in extremely unjust circumstances also justifies violence as a means of self defence, otherwise we would all become slaves of evil people. Yogananda said that in some complicated cases it may be difficult to know how to act, and in this case one should seek advice from an advanced yogi or wiseman. Yogananda said the US is a God-blessed country, in the times the US saved the world from militarist Japan and nazis, but nowadays in my almost humble opinion he would support the Occupy peaceful movements. Of course, popular peaceful movements only have a chance when enough people participate to change the brainwashing that the majority suffer due to Bilderberg controlled media, which I reckon as around 96 % in the US. Read the book by Daniel Estulin available in http://www.danielestulin.com/en/ and you will understand. I am 69 years old, 9 was a mistake :-) Congratulations to the webmaster, you are really a master, this is the only forum I have seen so far where you can edit a post.

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[-] 4 points by BradB (2693) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

one of the BEST news articles on the site

[-] 3 points by jimevanhoe1 (55) 12 years ago

Obama’s ties to corruption = Goldman-Sachs
Goldman-Sachs the company that has put the USA into Recession for 13 yrs out of the last 30 yrs. 1988,89,90,91 & 92; 2000, 2001 & 2002; 2008,09,10, 11 & 2012. * Documented by Matt Taibbi author and writer for the Rollingstone Magazine & Noni Prins, former executive at Goldman-Sachs and myself James P. Evanhoe And all of you out there that have been financially destroyed or affected by Goldman-Sachs’ Economic Terrorism, that put on to all of the Middle Class and the Poor…… 13 yrs out of 30!
OBAMA IS REALLY ONE OF THEM! Obama’s once Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel – contract employee to Goldman-Sachs. Obama’s Under Secretary of State, Robert Hormats, Goldman-Sachs International, Vice Chairman. Obama’s COO of the SEC Enforcement, Adam Storch, Goldman-Sachs Vice President of Business Intelligence. Obama’s Chief of Staff for the Treasury, Mark Patterson, Goldman-Sachs Lobbyist. Obama’s Department Director of the NEC, Diana Farrell, Goldman-Sachs Financial Analyst. Obama’s Chairman of the FIAB, Stephen Friedman, Co-COO, Chairman of Goldman-Sachs.
Obama’s Ambassador to Germany, Phillip Murphy, a Director at Goldman-Sachs. Obama’s Chairman of the CFTC, Gary Gensler, Co-Head of Finance at Goldman-Sachs. Obama’s White House Counsel, Sonal Shah, Vice President Environmental Policy at Goldman-Sachs. Obama’s White House Staff, Alexander Lasry, Government Affairs Analyst for Goldman-Sachs Did you get a job from OBAMA or did he give us all a con-job!

[-] 1 points by Spade2 (478) 12 years ago

And yet this article did not have any words or malice for him specifically

[-] 3 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

"You can crush the flowers, but you can't stop the spring." Alexander Dubchek from the Prague Spring

[-] 3 points by 44mag (28) from Coventry, RI 12 years ago

we are on the threshold of a major breakthrough we must persevere. No matter how much they beat us, lock us up, the oppressor's will never break the peoples will. It will only strengthen our resolve to fight against the injustices that are tearing our nation to shreds.

I know for a fact when the warm weather hits the people will come in droves to form new and bigger occupy's and strengthen what is left from the attacks of the powers at be.

[-] 3 points by ThunderclapNewman (1083) from Nanty Glo, PA 12 years ago

Can't wait until March - and beyond! This is going to be GREAT!!

[-] 3 points by ZenDogTroll (13032) from South Burlington, VT 12 years ago

nice rebuttal to the nitwits who insist the Occupy Movement is irrelevant and < hahaha! > . . . over

[-] 3 points by PetadeAztlan (113) from Sacramento, CA 12 years ago

Great article above. People need to understand what is going on, need to have stuff explained to them and need to continue to raise consciousness in the process of building a Mass Global Liberation Movement to eventually topple the Amerikan Empire.

At the same time we need to do basic local community organizing and community education on the local level. Have not doubt, keep the faith. Together we are sure to win. @Peta_de_Aztlan

[-] 2 points by merrill (2) 12 years ago

Voters take control!!

It is time for taxpaying voters to own our politicians instead of Koch industries and Wal-Mart.

Politicians will only talk about term limits as they do about campaign finance reform. It is up to the people to take the matter in our own hands.

The job growth rhetoric attached to tax breaks/incentives is bogus through and through.

Finance reform can happen by way of citizens voting down the big spenders. It's not hard to tell who the big spenders are. Vote them down and out.

WE do not need congress. WE need to do it all on our own. It is time for taxpaying voters to own our politicians.

Want term limits?

Go to the voting booth without fail and vote in the low spending candidates. Apply this to national,state and local elections.

[-] 1 points by jomojo (562) 12 years ago

The party system: Vote with us. (Because you know you don't know the names on the ballot.) How easy. No wonder it's such a mess. People voting for names and faces they like, or because they've heard of them.

Will more political junkies help? A larger number of people sympathetic to the protest, will draw politicians wanting their votes. Voting for anything without knowledge is bad. I believe that mostly we want candidates to prove they are worth believing in, that have a history and future built upon transparency.

[-] 2 points by SuzannahBeTroy (28) 12 years ago

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/11/police-movers-refuse-to-evict-103-year-old-woman/ Deutsche Bank evil scum and in concert with Amanda the People's Burden they are continuing to violet their agreement to keep the toilets open 60 Wall Street. http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2012/02/amanda-burden-nyc-gov-deutsche-bank.html Amanda Burden socialite mega-millionaire city planner that as usual would not give us protective zoning for a hospital St. Vincent's. She only rules for her mega rich pals.

[-] 2 points by DeeCee (1) 12 years ago

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” ― Howard Zinn Greetings from Australia, I put together this clip and hope you enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXlxcKYkxPc

[-] 2 points by SuzannahBeTroy (28) 12 years ago

Hey this is from NYC OWS LGBT protest against HRC Goldman Sachs at Waldorf Astoria and the LGBT NYPD liason was honorable allowing us to have a moving protest but the chief over rode him and violated our 1st Amendment rights so rich stupid people paying 650 a plate didn't have to walk past protestors.
I filmed and posted http://youtu.be/CDaLSMsT-Kw pre protest -- Mike checks TIF and Justin

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/ posted photos as well

series of youtube and they are on my YouTube channel Suzannahartist

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/2012/02/waldorf-ows-lgbt-forced-across-st.html

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/2012/02/victoria-hrc-is-in-bed-with-sachs.html

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/2012/02/hrc-help-get-lgbt-ows-equality-2014.html

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/2012/02/bloomberg-come-out-ows-lgbt-waldorf.html

Bloomberg come out! We have a lot to talk about!

http://lgbtrightsnycpeacefuleasterprotest.blogspot.com/2012/02/hrc-goldman-sachs-waldorf-astoria.html

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[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 12 years ago

Yes!

[-] 1 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

Remember GF, "You can crush the flowers, but you can't stop the spring." Alexander Dubchek Can I call you Tulip this week, or would I then catch your well-known wrath?! heeee

[-] -1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 12 years ago

Sure. :D

My wrath is reserved for .......nincompoops.

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[-] 2 points by antiglobb (47) 12 years ago

The more they are violent, the more the resistance of the protesters increase. One thousand bankers can't push their feet on the heads of 250 million people. Obama has forgotten that there are the presidential elections in november? You can manage the policy of the Country. The world is waiting you'll spend well your vote.

[-] 1 points by Puzzlin (2898) 12 years ago

It would be a mistake for anyone to believe what OWS already did was just an aberration. We haven't gone anywhere. We're ready and willing. Ideas, the good ones, are timeless, they only need to be discovered once.

[-] 1 points by jimevanhoe1 (55) 12 years ago

OCCUPY....................New York, DC, Oakland, Portland.............

     Stop the Misinformation > let the 1% know 

IT IS TIME...................to let the PGA, the Professional Golfers Association and Arnold Palmer know:

GW Bush is a war criminal, with crimes against Humanity, torture, killing thousands of Children.

Let the PGA know that their association with G. W. Bush is a bad one. G.W.BUSH showed up at Pebble Beach Pro Am Golf Tournament last weekend with Arnold Palmer in support of a youth charity....forgetting the thousands of children G.W. BUSH and G.H. BUSH have needlessly killed during there created Wars, that lead this Country nowhere. However those wars did Profit: Halliburton & Dick Cheney, Exxon & BP, arms suppliers such as Boeing & Locked-Martin, while killing, wounding and take limbs off of thousands, 10's of thousands of Children, in Panama, 4,000 civilians dead, December 1989, two Iraq wars estimated 100,000 children dead at least and over all one million men, women and children, Afghanistan thousands and is on go under Obama.

This does not count the Heroin Trade built up under Hamid Karzai, his relatives & Bush now directed by Petraeus at the CIA, as Bush did at the CIA for the South American Drug Cartels, and now Obama. Infecting young people globally with Heroin, destroying Our neighborhoods and families. With Drug Cartel monies laundered by HSBC globally (under the direction from the very beginning by G.H. Bush Sr. and the CIA).

Let Arnold Palmer & the PGA know that The Bush Family are > global terrorists < of their crimes against humanity and the youth of the world. Over the last 30 plus years have created needless wars and chaos worldwide all the while profiting from the death of children, their mothers and fathers. The Bush Family needs to be painted RED representing the blood of those they have killed needlessly.
BLOOD RED

The PGA Address: PGA TOUR 100 PGA TOUR Boulevard Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 (904) 285-3700 Charitable Outreach Courtney Davis (904) 273-3484 New York Office PGA TOUR 126 East 56th Street Suite 1600 New York, NY 10022

Arnold Palmer’s Address:
"Let Him Know the Bush Family are killers of Children World Wide!" Mr. Arnold Palmer 9000 Bay Hill Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819 or Arnold Palmer Enterprises, IMG Center, 1360 East 9th Street, Suite 100, Cleveland OH 44114

Stop the Corruption of OUR Government by the Bush Family and their Criminal Cronies.

James P. Evanhoe

[-] 1 points by Lois68 (7) 12 years ago

A high school diploma and college degree will get you a $15.00/hr job. All that expense for education and the employer gets value added labor subsidized by taxpayers and an impoverished slave-like employee. We need a minimum wage based on education so these employers stop robbing college educated people.

[-] 1 points by futureofficer (1) 12 years ago

My honest opinion is all of you are idiots. No one understands what you are fighting for. You scream police brutality but really you antagonize the police and get to a point to where the police have to use force or you all will get some one seriously hurt. So do all of us 99%'s a favor and stop. You will never be anyone's hero. The police are the real heroes and all your doing is trying to make them look bad. In my opinion you are worse than the 1%'s at least they treat people with more respect than you do.

[-] 1 points by richardkentgates (3269) 12 years ago

If you type of people had your way, america would never have been. You sir are the idiot and an ass kisser.

[-] 1 points by kfreed (19) 12 years ago

Never fear, Occupy... not only are the people aware that Occupy is alive and well, your courage has given others the courage to fight injustices at every opportunity and on a variety of fronts.

You woke us up and we are forever grateful. Keep up the good fight. We're with you.

[-] 1 points by AllOverIt (100) 12 years ago

Let's work out our social changes based on these facts;

What Population can the Earth Sustain?

"1. Everyone at the current U.S. standard of living and with all the health, nutrition, personal dignity and freedom that most Americans currently enjoy [Pimentel, 1999]. = 2 billion." http://www­.ecofuture­.org/pop/r­pts/mcclun­ey_maxpop.­html

China alone has a 1.3 billion population and all are seeking the current American standard of living. When the world population reaches 7 billion this year there will be then 7 billion people vying for the resources that can sustain only 2 billion. So of course we will need to buy a skilled and violent police or military force to insist that those 5 billion losers don't include US.

Or, we can work out a solution that creates a high quality of life for all of us while protecting resources.

Or we can continue to grow our population so that there are 20 billion of us living the standard of life of the average person in Mexico with the resultant violence.

Our solution involves a higher quality of life for all while conserving resources and is expressed here at http://www.the-co­mmunal-sol­ution.us We need help to create a model of such a community so that the world can be shown that a healthy, non exploitive­, non violent life of more, not less, individual freedom can be had. Care to help?

[-] 1 points by Filozofx (3) 12 years ago

I dont have time to read all this posts, but I want to tell you, in Europe we have to much informations from Siria, Iran but we dont get informations about protests from America, someone wont to hide it . Im glad to see that real Americans wake uap and opend eyes- can you see what your country do in the world- simply I cant believe. World dont need American help and army but your government sent it, world dont like democracy like you have, we have right for difference, but for american corporation that is not interest- they want to take everything in other countries and fuel special .

[-] 1 points by antiglobb (47) 12 years ago

Brave occupiers, the Italians admire your determination and your titanic will to reach your obiectives. In this moment the world is sure that we'll have a really free society. I've written a post on my blog about this theme.

http://spectre2012.wordpress.com/

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

and no amount of "camping bans" can stop us.

lol

[-] 1 points by Spade2 (478) 12 years ago

How about legalizing pot? That's important

[-] 1 points by neizuc (52) 12 years ago

Also sounding tired: this site.

I don't think the above essay will convince anyone that OWS has focus. There are a list of causes and ideas that are all over the map, and the usual overstatement of numbers.

People liked OWS because they want more honest and accountability - yet there is never any admission when mistakes are made or any honesty in accounting or numbers (fyi there where no where close to 30000 people at the event in question).

How about you try fighting the lack of honesty and accountability in our system by, say, being honest and accountable?

[-] 1 points by beaks022 (4) 12 years ago

causes and ideas are all over the map because the problems that need to be fixed are all over the map. And one by one we will get them fixed, no matter how long. The world is changing for the good, so embrace it.

[-] 1 points by jwe (16) 12 years ago

Totally agreed, and not only that but this is our only chance to survive.

[-] 1 points by wingedspur (1) 12 years ago

The Civil RIghts movement gained traction because people were united under one cause that resonated across the country, the oppression of black people (which expanded to all people). This article reiterates OWS has not lost its focus, yet here are the issues that apparently the entire movement is in agreement on:

  1. Access for Public Transportation
  2. LGBTQ rights
  3. The dismantling of food monopolies
  4. Accesible education
  5. Legalization of abortion
  6. The ability to unionize
  7. Racial equality
  8. Pollution
  9. The misuse of public funding

The justification for all these issues is that there is oppression in various forms and that all forms of oppression need addressed. The problem that the movement currently faces is that not everyone agrees with the various offshoots of the main issue (which is government/corporate greed). A number of people would feel that abortion is oppression at its highest form against the most vulnerable of people...the unborn.

This movement strikes to the heart of the current issue in our country, which is the domination of the rich over the poor. This issue needs to be refined into a laser focus, and the leaders of this movement must tap into the collective heartbeat surrounding this one issue. Martin Luther King and the leaders of the civil rights movement were effective at uniting the entire black community to the point where everyone's heart beat as one and the protestors were willing to die for what they believed in. The flood of protest was unstoppable.

The scattered nature of the OWS movement is understandable as the movement gains momentum. There are many Americans who resonate deeply with the core issue of corporate/government greed and who would join the movement if the focus became clearer.

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[-] 1 points by UnityCoalition (3) 12 years ago

James Ogle for President, here. I'm asking that people please consider obtaining a Libertarian Party ballot in Missouri on Tuesday, and please consider writing in Roseanne Barr #1 and my name as #2 for US President.

Read story here:

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/02/02/libertarian-primary-choice-describes-self-outsider-own-party/

[-] 1 points by DonQuixot (231) 12 years ago

I read in the website of Russia Today that 69 % Americans support OWS and 31 % is against. But we do not see 69 % of the media even mentioning OWS. I don't know where these figures come from. Does anyone know of any poll on this? Considering the figures Russians give of their own protests, they are just as unreliable as mainstream media. In any case our main enemy, winter, is soon over and then comes loooong spring and a loooong summer. I expect to see big masses on the streets of the US soon, not camping, of course, but what is important is big numbers in street demonstrations. Third World War has been started by the 1 % and the battlefield is the street and internet. The 1 % owes everything else, and that is what the 99 % has left. Cheer up, a thing begun is a thing half finished. Francisco, 69, Spain

[-] 1 points by rutgers797 (37) from Wall, NJ 12 years ago

When is the march? I want to go...

[-] 1 points by orias12 (24) 12 years ago

It is time to implement Eisensteins free money system from his book, Sacred Economy! Make it undesirable to hold on to money, but instead circulate the money freely to stimulate growth and prosperity for all. Restore our communities ties and save our environment from over production. Implement the negative Interest rate!

[-] 1 points by Odin (583) 12 years ago

Our political and financial systems cannot be fixed from with-in. They can only be fixed from the outside. Gandhi and King both knew that in their struggles. We know it too at OWS. Besides, I would much rather be out in the streets with all of you courageous people, than to be in the gutter with them!!

[-] 1 points by Joeboy32 (72) 12 years ago

we need to find leadership in ourselves and not put our dependency in politics for the basic needs that everyone is entitled to. It's one thing to work hard and establish yourself, but to make most of the population struggle for the basic necessities and make a profit from it, is utter ridiculous.

And I think it's pointless to keep busting up the protests, because soon, America is going to see how many homeless people there really are in the country. Literally, see people tented up everywhere because of the system that's failed them and I guess, the ignorant will say it's there fault for not being responsible.

Fact is, the policy makers are irresponsible and need to be replaced by leaders, who actually come from the bottom and worked their way to the top, without connections to bankers, corporations or the wealthy-upper class.

We need more realistic people in our government, not people who just want to keep us divided to get rich.

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[-] 1 points by DonQuixot (231) 12 years ago

Rockefeller is already very old. Perhaps his last words to his son will be: “Only now I understand how crazy I was to dream of controlling the world through the Bilderberg Club when I cannot even control my own breath, which will abandon me in a few seconds, and all my money and power cannt change that. Don’t follow my steps, my son”. And perhaps after that the Bilderbergers will start thinking. Or perhaps he/ they will die as crazy as he/they lived.

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[-] 1 points by TheirLyingPropaganda (54) 12 years ago

"In a world devastated by poverty, austerity cuts ...."

beginnings of a recovery in early 2010 were stymied ....

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/politics/improved-job-picture-poses-risks-to-obama-and-romney.html

This was when the One Per Center funded election campaigns took over the House of Representatives. Tea Potty types, nutty cutters - - cut Social Security, cut Medicare, of the 99 Per Centers and cut taxes for the One Per Centers - - did everything they could except provide for growth of jobs and the economy. Their answer? Cut regulation so we can have another BP type oil spill [kill off some employees, get the lawyers in to get waivers] jkill off 29 miners at upper big branch for operating outside of regulations -- HEY! 29 more jobs!

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[-] 0 points by pinapple (7) 12 years ago

ha ha, man, I love watching those police put unimportant people in their rightful place

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[-] 0 points by marga (82) 12 years ago

If we keep trying to manipulate nature its gonna bite us in the butt. Scientists are still trying to figure out how nature works whole others try to manipulate it and slap laws on us, telling us what is good for us and what isn't. Its like one size fits all. Our government is having way to much control because we allow it. People need more choices. We had our freedom but lost it when we invaded and occupied other countries. Those who take the freedom away from other's will lose their own in the process. That's just how it works. There must be balance in nature or it will tilt. Common sense should tell any one that nature will always have the upper hand. Man by nature is a fragile, curious, pattern seeking being who is looking for his identity, a place where he can feel safe and fit in. But there are always those trouble maker's who cant stand peace and harmony and will destroy everything in his path. They usually send warning signal's but we fail to see them because we are to involved with our own life's. We create criminals because we let God and money get in our way, both of them just another man's idea we have followed and its was not a very smart idea but it got us where we are today, at the end of no return. We just have to figure out a better way of doing things using our Constitution as the corner stone to build a new and healthier society. America will not survive to keep going the way we been going trying to manipulate nature in the name of money or God. Nature gives freely to every one and still has a lot to give, we just haven't looked everywhere because the government and religion keeps getting in the way. It isn't science that makes the laws its the government who obviously is ignorant to nature. We banned everything that nature provides that heals people and makes them intelligent. Heaven forbid a society that can think for itself.

[-] -1 points by daveindenver (36) 12 years ago

What Planet Do You People Live On!!!!!

You have so little support at this point that you are completely meaningless. I read your forums and I just laugh. What a bunch of maroons, to quote Bugs Bunny, which I know is above the comprehension level of most of the participants here. Do the numbers, how many people participate here and how many people are there in the country. You are not the 99%, you are the .0001%.

[-] -1 points by zygarch (83) 12 years ago

Misinformation #5: Occupy Wall Street is a VIOLENT MOVEMENT.

Even though there has only been a tiny number of violent or vandalistic actions perpetrated by (ostensibly) Occupy protestors, the media seizes upon each and every one of these incidents as opportunities to "showcase violence" as a primary element of Occupy's modus operandi.

Nothing is more important than maintaining a policy of NON-VIOLENCE as we move into a new phase of maturity with the movement.

This includes ANY kind of self-sabotaging hate speech (e.g. "Obama is a Nazi" or "Gingrich is a Nazi").

I would like to remind all Occupy councils EVERYWHERE to read, review, and discuss Gene Sharp's publication: 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action. For those unfamiliar, this single publication lists 198 ways to assert oneself through non-violent methods: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations/org/198_methods-1.pdf (either individually or as a group). So if people are feeling bereft of ways to continue this movement without devolving into a disorganized clump of random anarchy, then I would suggest it may be time to review this material again.

We can't (and won't be able to--) continue with any momentum i.e. public support if protestors are going to throw chairs through the window of a Starbucks.The general public supports protest against tyranny and unjust legislation/systems/methods of government. They do NOT support indiscriminate destruction of property, or vandalism, as they are wont to imagine "what if that were MY house/business/property?"

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

MSM keeping the public in the dark. Here is another bald faced but supported lie.

http://occupywallst.org/forum/falling-unemployment-rate-another-continuing-main-/

[-] -1 points by jomojo (562) 12 years ago

I hope cities promote policemen who will protect and serve. I hope they get the attention they deserve, the ones who are peace makers.

[-] 1 points by zygarch (83) 12 years ago

Follow Occupy_Police on twitter; check out www.occupypolice.org Show YOUR support for those who support us!

[-] 2 points by jomojo (562) 12 years ago

Much thanks zygarch. I found the link one I will return to.

The letters there are what I look for here. Being able to understand the ones who are not your allies is as important as listening to your own circle of advocates. (if you're lucky enough to be in a group)

Like educators, police work is only important when it's time for politicians to make a speech about their plans to improve the quality of life in this country. When those in the trenches have something to say it must be cleared by their superior officers who work with the winning politicians.

The professionals who are from or work with the poverty stricken, need forums to teach those who only see the poor as a problem, that they don't want to see.

Freedom of speech is freedom to be persecuted by those who have created the lack of that freedom. Their efforts are focused upon anyone forming groups.

[-] -2 points by russman (8) 12 years ago

I find that Gandhi and Martin Luther King have often been cited here as examples of how change can be achieved through peaceful means. Nothing can be further from the truth. Examine the circumstances under which they operate.

Consider the circumstances under which India was granted independence. Britain had just come out of a war of which it almost ended up as a colony of Germany. The Brits then had learned to be sympathetic towards the victims of imperialism. Moreover, the hero of the War, Churchill, who was staunchly against India's independence, was defeated in the election after the war. Britain was under a socialist government which was, in principle, against colonialism. That's how India got its independence.

In the case of Martin Luther King, it was during the time of the Cold War. The US was fighting openly in Vietnam. It could not afford to have enemies within its own territory. They were beginning to show up, such as the Black Panther group. The whites of the day knew that either they treat the blacks as equal or they (the whites) will have to face a formidable force from within.

Be very clear about this. In the case of the Independence of India and the victory of the Blacks Civil Rights Movement, it was not the individual that change the circumstance but the circumstance that help the individual.

Let's get back to the present. Circumstances around the world today show that to bring about change in the regime or system, protests have to be violent. Look at Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria. The violent protests there gets unwavering support from outside forces, especially US and Europe, which are prepared get involve militarily. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the US military will support violent protests within its own home ground. So, OWS, what are you guys waiting for?

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