Hey Elvis, I went down to Westlake tonight at 9pm. I would have gone earlier but I was tied up with a panel event. I looked in your place but it seemed dark and locked for the night. I have no idea what you look like, I wonder if we walked by each other a couple times. I'll pm you.
There were at least a hundred people there with around fifty camping out in tents. Word was the cops were planning to clear the park at 10pm, but last I heard they had not yet shown up for the task.
Got to do the human mic! Yay! Met a couple of nice women. The Sounders game let out while I was there and a good portion of the passing traffic honked at us.I am going to try to set aside one night a week to go camp, and I hope to spend an hour per day at the site.
I have to work on my nighttime photography, the rest did not turn out well.
Project Willow wrote:Hey Elvis, I went down to Westlake tonight at 9pm. I would have gone earlier but I was tied up with a panel event. I looked in your place but it seemed dark and locked for the night. I have no idea what you look like, I wonder if we walked by each other a couple times. I'll pm you.
There were at least a hundred people there with around fifty camping out in tents. Word was the cops were planning to clear the park at 10pm, but last I heard they had not yet shown up for the task.
Got to do the human mic! Yay! Met a couple of nice women. The Sounders game let out while I was there and a good portion of the passing traffic honked at us.I am going to try to set aside one night a week to go camp, and I hope to spend an hour per day at the site.
I have to work on my nighttime photography, the rest did not turn out well.
Thank you! How cool! I was wondering how it was going! (PS, 82 and I were downtown looking for everyone before they even showed up, I hope that counts somewhere... ) I have camping stuff for people, my kid is planning on participating and I'm hoping to be there this weekend.
Sorry the rest of the photos didn't come out, the ones you that came out are wonderful. My family loved the poster. I've found with natural lite/nite it helps me to carry a tripod to reduce hand shake. Ah the joys of age.
Here's to the revolution....
Last edited by Twyla LaSarc on Wed Oct 05, 2011 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
“The Radium Water Worked Fine until His Jaw Came Off”
^^ I'd love to meet up Twyla, I'll be there this weekend as well.
....
Still no word on whether the park will be cleared but here's a quote from our Mayor:
Mayor McGinn wrote: "We are facing unprecedented inequality in this country. It is always true that bad times are harder on the poor. But we have not seen income inequality this great since 1928, the year before the Great Depression started. The top 1 percent control 34 percent of the nation's wealth. The top 10 percent control two-thirds of the nation's wealth. It is an unprecedented grab by the most powerful to get a bigger share of a shrinking pie."
I wonder how this sentiment will play out with protest logistics.
Project Willow wrote:^^ I'd love to meet up Twyla, I'll be there this weekend as well.
....
Still no word on whether the park will be cleared but here's a quote from our Mayor:
Mayor McGinn wrote: "We are facing unprecedented inequality in this country. It is always true that bad times are harder on the poor. But we have not seen income inequality this great since 1928, the year before the Great Depression started. The top 1 percent control 34 percent of the nation's wealth. The top 10 percent control two-thirds of the nation's wealth. It is an unprecedented grab by the most powerful to get a bigger share of a shrinking pie."
I wonder how this sentiment will play out with protest logistics.
Yeah. As far as the mayor, We'll wait and see. Westlake shopping emporium BAAAAHed about it from day one and it's going on even so.
... I'll meet you this weekend. Please PM me so we can set it up.
“The Radium Water Worked Fine until His Jaw Came Off”
Just posted within the hour to Seattle Times (1AM PDT):
'Occupy Seattle' ordered to remove tents from Westlake Park or be arrested
The "Occupy Seattle" protest group was told by Seattle police on Tuesday that it must move its tents from Westlake Park by the end of the day or be arrested.
"The issue is the tents," Seattle Police Chief John Diaz told KING-TV. "This is a city that appreciates that people want to protest. The issue is that other people need to have the right to use the park also."
But by midnight, no police were to be seen and close to 100 protesters were still occupying the park.
Liam Wright, 24, of Seattle, said protesters received word about 10 p.m. there might be arrests.
"So we called people to defend the occupation," he said, "but the cops never showed up."
The protest began Saturday, and each night the number of people sleeping in tents has grown, Wright said. Other protesters head home at the end of the night.
"We decided that we are not going anywhere," Wright said at midnight. "We plan to keep this going indefinitely."
He said other protests had been broken up in the predawn hours.
A post on the protest group's website, occupyseattle.org, said the group had about 30 tents and 125 people at Westlake Park early Tuesday.
"We need people to come and occupy with us more than anything!" the post said. "Come whenever you can for as long as you can. ... "
Around midnight Tuesday, protesters were standing around talking in the rain. Some were playing music and singing. Some were holding signs such as: "Stand up against Corp. greed" and "We are the 99 percent. Corporations are not people."
Another sign said: "Honk for freedom," and vehicles passing by honked in acknowledgment of the protesters.
The protesters, who have been at Westlake Park since the weekend, are an offshoot of the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations.
"Occupy Wall Street is [a] leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions," the Seattle protest website says. "The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%."
Noelle Stoffl, 25, of Seattle, had been at the park since 6 p.m. Monday. She had a sign on her back saying "info" but said she wasn't a spokesperson because the group was leaderless.
The group has permission from the "parks service" to be at Westlake, she said.
A list of 30 people had volunteered to resist, and in the event police come to break up the camp, they will put themselves between the tents and the police, Stoffl said.
Other people, like herself, she said, are not willing to be arrested.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn issued a statement Tuesday night, in which he offered support for the protesters' cause, but concluded saying the demonstrators would be asked to remove their tents.
"I support the efforts of the protesters at Westlake Park to address this country's economic situation," the mayor's statement began. He then referenced his budget speech last week, quoting himself:
"We are facing unprecedented inequality in this country. It is always true that bad times are harder on the poor. But we have not seen income inequality this great since 1928, the year before the Great Depression started. The top 1 percent control 34 percent of the nation's wealth. The top 10 percent control two-thirds of the nation's wealth. It is an unprecedented grab by the most powerful to get a bigger piece of a shrinking pie."
The mayor's statement goes on to say that a number of other events and protest groups have permits to use the park in the coming days, and the presence of the tents "has the effect of displacing others who have a right to be here."
Stoffl said one of the groups the mayor cited had been in touch with protesters and was "in solidarity" with them.
"The middle class is disappearing," Stoffl said. "More and more, it seems that corporate interests take precedence over human interests."
Wright said the protest has a global context, citing recent demonstrations in Cairo, Madrid and Greece. "For every person," he said, "there is a different idea why they're here."
That's both a strength and a weakness of the protest, he said.
For Wright, his motivation is "a sense of the total unaccountability and unrepresentation" of government.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
I'm sure everyone caught Erin Burnett making fun of protestors on CNN yesterday, no? As venomous as attractive, she is. Corporate toady. I won't post the clip, you can pretty much assume the situation.
CNN's Erin Burnett, a 'money honey' tried to poo-poo and make fun of protestors on her show yesterday. MMoore responds when asked. Just another fat slob, i know, but listen to the clip...
Michael Moore's Fourth Visit to #OccupyWallStreet (Day 18, 10/4/11) CNN: "Will you go on Erin's [Erin Burnett] show and tell her that?"
Michael Moore: "I just said it in front of your camera."
CNN: "She wants you to go on live tomorrow night with her."
Michael Moore: "No. I think she should come down here and talk to the people here. I am not the voice of this thing. I am a citizen and a participant in this. I am an equal with everyone here and she should come down here and talk individually to different people and hear their stories -- hear their stories about what it's like to live with no health insurance. She has health insurance. She has a secure job. She's not facing foreclosure. It's very easy for her to sit there in Columbus Circle and come after innocent people who are struggling to survive. So she should come down here ... and spend some time and meet with people and talk to them.But I'm not the spokesperson for this movement. There are millions of spokespeople for this movement. They live in every neighborhood in America. ... And I am just one voice at this meeting and I'm proud to be one voice."
=== #OccupyWallStreet Union March From Foley Square on Wall Street Posted Oct. 4, 2011, 8:36 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
On October 05, 2011, at 3:00 in the afternoon the residents of Liberty Square will gather to join their union brothers and sisters in solidarity and march. At 4:30 in the afternoon the 99% will march in solidarity with #occupywallstreet from Foley Square to the Financial District, where their pensions have disappeared to, where their health has disappeared to. Together we will protest this great injustice. We stand in solidarity with the honest workers of:
AFL-CIO (AFSCME) United NY Strong Economy for All Coalition Working Families Party TWU Local 100 SEIU 1199 CWA 1109 RWDSU Communications Workers of America CWA Local 1180 United Auto Workers United Federation of Teachers Professional Staff Congress - CUNY National Nurses United Writers Guild East And:
VOCAL-NY Community Voices Heard Alliance for Quality Education New York Communities for Change Coalition for the Homeless Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP) The Job Party NYC Coalition for Educational Justice The Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center The New Deal for New York Campaign National People's Action ALIGN Human Services Council Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State Citizen Action of NY MoveOn.org Common Cause NY New Bottom Line 350.org Tenants & Neighbors Democracy for NYC Resource Generation Tenants PAC Teachers Unite Together we will voice our belief that the American dream will live again, that the American way is to help one another succeed. Our voice, our values, will be heard.
=== Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future Occupy Wall Street may make little impression in Washington, but like its 60s forebear, its real influence is on the zeitgeist Ana Marie Cox guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 Oct -- I suspect that the OWS has little hope of attracting sympathetic attention from the Obama administration. As relevant as their complaints are to the youthful voting bloc that elected Obama, the electorate is being pulled to the right, and Obama's best shot at a second term will be the Republicans nominating a conservative who is scarier than the unwashed agitators of OWS. Democratic lawmakers will be cautious, as well: I doubt we'll see an OWS caucus competing for airtime with the Tea Party caucus, or CNN co-sponsoring a debate.
Those hallmarks are dubious successes, at any rate. A movement propelled by money – as the Tea Party is, gifted with millions from conservative influencers – dies without it. OWS has something more important than money: a marketing plan. Adbusters, who put out the initial call for the occupation, has always been savvy about mixing a healthy amount of "ad" in with its "busting", borrowing the techniques and strategies of Madison Avenue even as it preaches abstinence from capitalism.
With franchises rolling out in LA, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and a growing list of celebrity endorsements, OWS has an advantage that even the most successful political campaigns lack: it isn't even trying to get someone elected. Like Nike, like Coke, like America itself, OWS has the potential to become the most powerful thing an idea can be: background noise.
Onyx_V Onyx V Kulystin @ @rocket_viking thanks for excellent coverage. Big kudos to you and everyone #occupyseattle 45 minutes ago
rocket_viking robin Signing off for tonight. I pulled enough all-nighters in college. See you all tomorrow #occupyseattle #occupyeverything 47 minutes ago
rocket_viking rf It's 4am, still no cops or arrests, #occupyseattle is here to stay 1 hour ago
Seattlest Seattlest No arrests yet! #OccupySeattle RT @SlogFirehose: Constant: Occupy Seattle Is Still Going Strong s.trn.gr/p03r8U 4 hours ago
pmocek Phil Mocek Sonya and I spent a couple hours at #occupyseattle tonight. Seems Parks Dept is "indulging" occupiers more. No requests to leave as of 11:15 5 hours ago
uncutseattle Uncut Seattle Report from downtown. Tents still up. NO POLICE PRESENCE. #occupySeattle still there. PPL R GUARDING encampment. We win! 5 hours ago
Asher_Wolf Asher Wolf RT @paulconstant 300 people at #OccupySeattle, no sign of the cops. Crowd became more energized as the 10pm deadline approached & passed. 6 hours ago
jseattle jseattle
Visiting with #occupyseattle Won't venture an estimate but crowd is robust. No obvious SPD presence twitpic.com/6vdamw 6 hours ago
chr15_eat0n chris eaton RT @OccupySeattle: RT @paulconstant 300 ppl at #OccupySeattle, no sign of the cops. Crowd more energized as 10pm deadline approached. passed 6 hours ago
pmocek Phil Mocek It's after 10:00 and no sign of police at #occupyseattle Westlake Park or surrounding block. Probably 300 people. Many cars honking support. 7 hours ago »
msofia7 msofia7 RT@OWSLosAngeles #OccupyLA #OccupySeattle is not experiencing police difficulty. All is well. Just a rumor. 300+ camped out. #solidarity 7 hours ago
cazlab will mockridge #Chicago Board of Trade responds to #OccupyChicago: i.imgur.com/bQm0u.jpg |heh. #99Percent #OccupyTogether #OccupyWallStreet #lol 1 minute ago
===
10/04/2011 The Case for Using Predator Drone Strikes Against Wall Street Executives: From a secret Justice Department memorandum obtained by the Rude Pundit: http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/
^^^^WOW! What cocksuckers (the "we are the 1%") shit. What company was this? That shit need go viral and soon.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
The media has been paying attention to Wednesday’s march in support of Occupy Wall Street, and for good reason – with our allies, we’ve already got thousands of RSVPs. The march will truly show the depth and breadth of support this movement has not only in New York but across the nation.
We’re looking forward to the opportunity to march alongside the tireless demonstrators who have been camped out for weeks in Zuccotti Park and join them in their call for a more just and equitable society.
Hope you can join us tomorrow. If you can’t make it, please take a moment to sign this petition in support.
We owe the Occupy Wall Street folks a debt (and we don’t mean a collateralized debt obligation). They have put their bodies on the line, in the rain and the cold, night after night to say: Enough is Enough.
As the demonstrators settle in for the long haul, they need all kinds of support. Most important is showing up. But if you can’t come out for Wednesday’s march or any other events, you can help in other ways. They need some basic supplies to continue their occupation: sleeping bags, food donations, and simple sanitation supplies like garbage bags.
Starting in Foley Square, at Duane St. and Center St. between Federal Plaza and the courthouses, at 4:30 pm, thousands of people will march down Wall Street to support the protesters and show the world the face of New Yorkers hit hardest by corporate greed. We hope you can join us there.
"Arrogance is experiential and environmental in cause. Human experience can make and unmake arrogance. Ours is about to get unmade."
City Hall is target of Occupy Philadelphia Thursday
BY MORGAN ZALOT
"THIS IS WHAT democracy looks like."
That was the thunderous chant of about 1,000 protesters who packed the Arch Street United Methodist Church last night as they voted to begin Occupy Philadelphia at City Hall at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
Supporters young and old turned out for the meeting to plan the next steps for Philadelphia's extension of New York City's Occupy Wall Street protests. Some said that they foresee the movement catching on across the nation.
"This is the first time in my adult life I feel there's some hope," said Carol Finkle, 69, of Philadelphia. "This will grow. Watch what's gonna happen, in [young people's] lifetime and in mine."
Like some of New York's protesters, many of Philadelphia's plan to occupy City Hall 24/7 for its duration, pitching tents and camping there.
Many voiced opinions favoring City Hall's high visibility factor and its access to government officials, and the majority voted by a show of hands to start the "occupation" there.
Zachary Hershman, 26, the West Philly teacher who helped run the meeting, had a message for politicians at all levels: "Look out," he said with a smirk.
As for Wall Street, Hershman said that he wants to see people there "return the money they stole from the American people and invest it in health care, education and jobs for working people and families."
Protesters left the meeting with plans to form committees, and were assured by a legal representative that legal observers would watch the occupation and support arrested protesters. The representative also distributed "Know Your Rights" pamphlets.
Hershman said that he foresees the movement achieving its goals, but only after a long fight.
"People who believe in human rights are the silent majority, and that's changing," he said. "We can't afford to lose. Millions of lives are at stake."
I dunno if this has been posted yet, but here's a smart young gent. His voice unfortunately is starting to crack, but he's passionate. I'll be attending the Vancouver one up here.
~don't let your mouth write a cheque your ass can't cash~
Peregrine wrote:I dunno if this has been posted yet, but here's a smart young gent. His voice unfortunately is starting to crack, but he's passionate. I'll be attending the Vancouver one up here.
Interesting. Such a passionate young man. I love to see that sort of passion. But he illustrates the messiness of true democracy. He makes a number of points I could not agree with more, like, end the fed, end the wars, decentralize political power, end the corporate influence on our political life... but then he wants to elect Ron Paul, and he wants to "defend our borders" and he seems to want to return to some sort of fabled status quo that existed three decades ago. He's sort of a reactionary in a way. America has to let go of the illusion that we can return to some past where life was fairer and easier. The truth is it was fairer and easier because lots of human beings around the globe were suffering to make it "fairer and easier" for us.
My point is.... somehow, someway, we have to embrace each other. This guy is my ally, my friend. He has to be, despite whatever differences we might have. We share enough that we can and should find common cause. We must find common cause. If we don't we're doomed. It's not that the differences should be ignored, but they should be set aside for a bit.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King Jr.
) I have camping stuff for people, my kid is planning on participating and I'm hoping to be there this weekend.
