Bottles Thrown at Oakland Police, No Rationale for Tear Gas or Police Grenade Fired At Rescuers

Video interview between protestor and MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell includes the claim that protestors, on Tuesday, October 25, had thrown bottles and rocks at the Oakland Police.
Acts of violence against the police are unacceptable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHlHiNEZ1wA&feature=player_embedded

However, it is unconscionable that the Oakland Police have fired tear gas at protestors. One protestor, Marine Corps veteran or two Iraq tours, Scott Olsen, was struck in the forehead with a tear gas canister fired by Oakland Police.

And it is further unconscionable that the police fired a live grenade at protestors that rushed to the aid of Olson after the attack by the police.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLyUK0t0vQ

Authors: New Technology is Crowding Out Jobs for Real Humans

Two authors say yes, definitely, to this question about jobs for people and new technology:

Are American workers in a race against the machine?
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/american-workers-race-against-machine-165318939.html

A Love Story: Pepper-Sprayed OWS Woman with Rescuer

See this Daily News story for heart-warming news on how romance blossomed for the woman pepper-sprayed last month by Inspector Anthony Bologna in Union Square, with an assisting protester-medic:

Occupy Wall Street protester who was pepper-sprayed finds romance with fellow demonstrator:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/10/26/2011-10-26_occupy_wall_street_protester_who_was_peppersprayed_finds_romance_with_fellow_dem.html

NYC's Mayor Bloomberg Outlawing Free Speech By Coming Cracking Down on Occupy Wall Street Speech

SPEECH WITH A PERMIT IS NO FREE SPEECH AT ALL.
As this blog says, if permits are required to speak and assemble in public,
then there is no free speech.

We see this in action with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's second declaration of war against the Occupy Wall Street protestors at Zuccotti Park (aka Liberty Plaza).

In These Times, an independent left magazine publishing out of Chicago reported Friday afternoon,
Bloomberg Promises Crackdown on Occupy Wall Street"

The Mayor has declared himself "The State," akin to Louis XIV, with an entrenched commitment to the city's tradition of requiring permits for marches of more than 20 people.

The permit "must" --according to these monopolizers of power-- be obtained from the police department.
Here is the New York Police Department page on the rules of assembled free speech (permit application process).
Here is the actual application for collective free speech in motion (or a parade application).

SPEECH HAS A $25 FEE
If there is an assembly in a park, then there a $25 fee. There is precedence for this mayor's denying park assemblage even after an application. In 2004, on the occasion of the Republican National Convention, Mayor Bloomberg denied rally organizers' application.

ARRESTS ARE ON THE WAY
As In These Times noted:

The problem with these permits, of course, is that they can be denied or revoked for any reason, at any time. It makes the "disobedience" part of "civil disobedience" impossible by preempting any action.

"We will start enforcing that more," the mayor ominously stated when referring to the permits. The Post interpreted that as more arrests looming on the horizon.

MORE REPORTS IN THe NEWS:
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2011/10/21/live-blog-for-ows-day-35-bloomberg-says-occupiers-should-expect-crackdown/
COURT SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZED FREE SPEECH A THING OF THE PAST
As a commenter to the In These Times article added,

When we had rule of law and a functioning Republic, these permit processes and arbitrary denials were held to be unconstitutional. In Shuttlesworth versus Birmingham, the principle of rules for all or none was upheld. City officials can’t limit the rights of some and not others. They cannot arbitrarily set standards using “public safety” as a reason to limit our rights to gather.

The problem is that our courts, including the Supreme Court, are bought and paid for by the same plutocrats that control the Republican Democrat duopoly. Our public spaces are being privatized at alarming rates through gentrification. Privately controlled parks eliminate our Constitutional amendments/rights in one move.

Videos: 10/15 NYPD White Shirt Punching Protestor Only the Latest; List of Abuse Videos

A New York City Police Department (NYPD) upper level ("white shirt") was publicized, in video shown on television news, punching a protestor, in the October 15, 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, with the highest number of protestors in Times Square.
(I do not associate with comments by the video posters or comment contributors.)

Yet a search produces several instances of police officers punching people.

Here is a list, chronological, from oldest, to newest:
Dates in parentheses are (UPLOAD DATES).

NYPD cops punch girl in face on 9.24.2011 (aftermath of punching, purported victim is held and carried by her arms by arresting officers, while she pleads, "please take his badge"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIM6p8aEgLA

NYPD Caught On Camera Punching #OccupyWallStreet Protestor In The Face (9/28/11):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzke07SiwFs

NYPD Cop [white shirrt] punches [female] protester in the face during occupy wall street - 14 Oct: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZrv6FkoSbM

NYPD Cop [white shirt] Punches [female] Protester at Occupy Wall Street, 10/14/11 (3 min version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcJ31g0ScQ

#OWS Police Punch Protestors - March On Times Square (10/15/11):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa3f8-otGwY

HORSES USED AS WEAPONS!-Protesters document NYPD horses ramming in Times Sq. (10/15/11):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2x7T926Z4

* * *
The most blatant of these police assaults is not yet available as a stand-alone video. This is a video currently being shown on the locally broadcast Times Warner cable channel NY1 (Video available!):

Updated 10/15/2011 05:16 PM
Two Dozen Arrests Made During "Occupy Wall Street" Protest, By: Erica Ferrari

Confrontations occurred between the police and protesters Friday. Violence was captured on video, as a high-ranking police officer could be seen punching a protester in the face. Another protester allegedly had his foot run over by an officer.

As such, police were out in full force Saturday, as protesters planned to march up to Times Square after gathering in Washington Square Park.

"We are going to enforce the law when it's violated," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Bloomberg, NYPD Set 10/14 Showdown w/ Occupy Wall St. (OWS) When 10/14, 7 AM Deadline Comes?

CALL TO CLEAN PARK, 10/13; CALL TO MASS AT PARK AT 6:00 AM TO DEFEND THE PARK
NYC MAYOR SETS FRI., 7:00 AM EVICTION TIME
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to evict the protestors at 7:00 AM on October 14, 2011 from Zuccotti Park (nee & renamed Liberty Plaza). The ruse for this anticipated showdown between the New York City Police (NYPD) and the Occupy Wall Street protestors is to clean the park.

Occupy Wall Street has resolved to clean up the park in the night of Thursday, October 13. This afternoon it has begun carrying out its plan to beat the 7:00 AM deadline to encounter the NYPD's eviction of protestors.

It will be interesting to see whether the cleaning committees beat the deadlines and yet still see the aggressive police eviction of the protestors. Peer elsewhere on this blog's posts this month and you will see a Soylent Green still of protestors being scooped up.
We see the following so far:
New York Times: "Facing Eviction, Protesters Begin Park Cleanup" http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/told-to-leave-protesters-talk-pre-emptive-strategy/

From the Associated Press:
Publicity of a public call to defend the park at 6:00 AM:

The protesters' response was to plan a demonstration for an hour before they are supposed to evacuate Zuccotti Park while it is cleaned with power washers Friday morning. They believe the effort is an attempt to end the protest, which triggered a movement against unequal distribution of wealth that has spread across the globe.

Protest spokesman Patrick Bruner sent an email to supporters Thursday asking them to join the protesters at 6 a.m. Friday to "defend the occupation from eviction."

It this a Gulf of Tonkin type of Resolution ruse to provoke a confrontation with protestors and provoke a token violent response from a small number of protestors, and then to cast them in the media as violent, so as to set up semi-military police actions against the protestors

ARE THE NATION'S MAYORS COORDINATING?
In the same general week of Bloomberg's NYPD eviction of park
comes news (from "The Nation:" "The OccupyUSA Blog for Thursday, With Frequent Updates" blog by Greg Mitchell) of a Denver plan to forcibly evict its protestors:

3:40 Denver campers to be evicted, state governor states. “The governor made the announcement at a press conference with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who read out the law that forbids overnight camping. The three alluded that police action was imminent but provided no details. ‘We’ve been talking to the group every day since Monday,’ Hickenlooper said this morning. ‘And every time we’ve talked to them, we’ve told them it is illegal and unsafe to camp in the park.’ But the protesters, along with some homeless people who have sheltered in the park, have said they’re not going anywhere. ‘This is beyond the governor and the city,’ said James H. Andresen, 58, from New York City.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg Planning "Sweeping [OWS] Park" -Soylent Green Days of Occ Wall Street Battle?

Image of police scooping protestors in the 1970s futurist, dystopian film, "Soylent Green."

Will Mew York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg engineer a Soylent Green showdown, or a back-handed approach to sweeping free speech protestors from Zuccotti Park [Liberty Plaza]?"

The peoples' cleanup, already begun.


Bloomberg Announces Zuccotti Park Cleanup While Meeting Protestors: Demonstrators Say Mayor Pulled A Fast One And Is Trying For A Clear Out

October 12, 2011 11:59 PM

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Wall Street protestors are being told they will have to pack up and leave — at least temporarily. However, some activists are now accusing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who personally stopped by Zuccotti Park on Wednesday, of dirty politics.

Greeted by a mix of cheers and jeers, Bloomberg ordered the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators to get out of of the plaza long enough for the area to be sanitized on Friday morning by Brookfield Properties.

However, protestors say the cleanup sounds more like a clear out.

After 26 days of food, trash and other debris piling up high for pickup or recycling, Bloomberg’s office said while protesters “have a right continue to protest…the last three weeks have created unsanitary conditions and considerable wear and tear on the park.”

“Like wear and tear on what? On marble and concrete? Like how do we wear and tear that?” asked Will Schneider.

Schneider is not alone in his skepticism of the mayor’s cleanup plan. Other occupants are also none too pleased about the his announcement and told CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis that they were keeping the area clean by themselves.

“We are working 24/7; we do not rest. We encourage cleanliness. We encourage everyone to take care of their belongings and pack it up neatly,” said Lauren DiGoria of Clifton, N.J.

Protesters said the city has been trying to get them to leave for weeks, and with this plan to clean the park in stages on Friday, many say there’s now a clever excuse.

But the owner of the park, Brookfield Office Management, claims the area has not been maintained. It wrote to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, saying “conditions at the Park have deteriorated to unsanitary and unsafe levels.”

For video and more of the article, see the WCBS-TV site.

Echoes of Tompkins Square Park battles between police and squatters and protestors, in 1988, 1989, 1995.

See: Radio journalist Paul DeRienzo's site: http://pdr.autono.net/tapecat.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/03/nyregion/protest-in-tompkins-square-park-draws-300-officers-and-16-arrests.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/31/nyregion/riot-police-remove-31-squatters-from-two-east-village-buildings.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
The last reference: "Using a tanklike armored vehicle and carrying riot gear, hundreds of officers moved in . . ." --on squatters in city-owned buildings. Shades of Soylent Green?

Occupy Wall Street to Millionaires March to Tycoons

PolitikerNY: "Occupy Wall Street Protesters Plan March on Mansions"

Occupy Chicago: Thousands Projected to Protest in Chicago, Much Reacting to Financial Conferences

Today, Monday, October 10, 2011, thousands of protestors are projected to descend on downtown Chicago. It is anticipated to be one of the largest protests to date. Will it exceed the estimated 20,000 marching in New York City last Wednesday?

Reuters' report: Thousands expected at Chicago Financial Conference Protests

The official schedule of the protests, differing rally locations, according to the official Occupy Chicago website.

The Chicago Teachers Union is among organized labor that will be at the protest.

Day 17 Monday (10/10/2011) Schedule of Events:

10/10/2011
9am-12pm – Peacekeeper/Civil Disobedience Training (37 S. Ashland @Monroe/Ashland)
1:30pm – General Assembly (Jackson/Lasalle)
3:30pm – Student/Activist march departs for Balbo/Michigan (Jackson/Lasalle)
4:00pm – Meeting time for Take Back Chicago marches (See below)
4:45pm – Marches depart for the Art Institute (See below)
5:20pm – Marches converge (Art Institute of Chicago)
6:00pm – Take Back Chicago Rally finishes (Art Institute of Chicago)
7:00pm – General Assembly (Congress/Michigan in front of Horse Statue)
9:00pm – Occupation/Police Legal Training (Congress/Michigan Horse Statue)
10/11/2011
9:45am – March departs from Jackson and Lasalle (Destination to be determined)

see the original Occupy Chicago site for details on what these actions involve.

Occupy Wall Street September 30 General Assembly's Declaration and Resolution

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.

Update 10/1/11 – Minor updates to some wording in the facts.

BREAKING: Washington Square Park Occupied; NYPD Midnight Showdown over 12 AM Curfew

Occupy Wall Street Protestors have taken Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, NY.
The area is adjacent to New York University and is near Cooper Union and the New School, so the area is an attractive magnet for college students.
As NY1 and other minor news outlets point out, a potential showdown looms, as the park is closed for a midnight to 6:00 AM curfew.
Correction: Gothamist gives the curfew as 1:00 AM.
Will the New York City Police Department (NYPD) make this a scene of police brutality against protestors? Make your call: was the violence by night-stick batons, pepper-spray mace, tossing protestors head-first over a metal fence or scaffolding, or charging demonstrators with motorbikes, as shown on the videos on this page? Does the conduct of the officers evince the NYPD's motto of Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect?

Gothamist has live stream video from the protest. As one can see from the Gothamist site, the NYPD wagons are ready.
Excerpt from Gawker.com posting:

Occupy Wall Street Expands to Washington Square Park

Occupy Wall Street is growing! The demonstration, entering its fourth week, has gotten a little too big for Zuccotti Park downtown; today, at around 3 p.m., it founded another encampment in Washington Square Park (they're holding a General Assembly right now).

In most senses it's a smart move: Washington Square Park is a lot bigger than Zuccotti, and it's in a neighborhood dominated by NYU, so they'll have a steady supply of college kids. And the food is much better in the Village, too. (Also: chess boards!) But, as with everything Occupy Wall Street, it's unclear exactly what the plan is; Washington Square Park is a public park (Zuccotti is privately owned but publicly accessible), and theoretically protesters won't be allowed to stay past sunset. One representative told the Post that the group didn't plan on testing the curfew, but another says they "plan to stay... and form a second permanent occupation."

The Whole World is Uploading!: Masked NYPD Charge OWSers with Motorbikes

The Whole World is Uploading!

The revolution began; the NYPD began the counter-revolution!
Police brutality by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

See the Youtube video, embedding, uploaded at right:
Posted, Thursday, October 6, 2011, by TrutherTube2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9IK-hSbbi4&feature=related

Al Arabiya: Wall Street protesters fed up with both parties

Al Arabiya, October 7, 2011, which picked up story from AP and photo from Reuters

Wall Street protesters fed up with both parties

Despite plans by U.S. President Barack Obama to push for a $443 billion jobs plan that would be paid partly through a tax on the wealthy, Americans are protesting the growing disparity between the rich and poor in the country. (Photo by Reuters)
By AP
New York

Their chief target is Wall Street, but many of the demonstrators in New York and across the U.S. also are thoroughly disgusted with Washington, blaming politicians of both major parties for policies they say protect corporate America at the expense of the middle class.

The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began last month with a small number of young people pitching a tent in front of the New York Stock Exchange, has expanded nationally and drawn a wide variety of activists, including union members and laid-off workers. Demonstrators marched Thursday in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Anchorage, Alaska, carrying signs with slogans such as “Get money out of politics” and “I can’t afford a lobbyist.”

“At this point I don’t see any difference between George Bush and Obama. The middle class is a lot worse than when Obama was elected,” said John Penley, an unemployed legal worker from Brooklyn.

The protests are in some ways the liberal flip side of the conservative, anti-tax tea party movement, which was launched in 2009 in a populist reaction against the bank and auto bailouts and the $787 billion economic stimulus plan.

But while tea party activists eventually became a crucial part of the Republican coalition, the Occupy Wall Street protesters are cutting President Barack Obama little slack. They say Obama failed to crack down on the banks after the 2008 mortgage meltdown and financial crisis.

“He could have taken a much more populist, aggressive stance at the beginning against Wall Street bonuses, and exacting certain change from bailing out the banks,” said Michael Kazin, a Georgetown University history professor and author of “American Dreamers,” a history of the left. “But ultimately, the economy has not gotten much better, and that's underscored the frustration on both the right and the left.”

Obama on Thursday acknowledged the economic insecurities fueling the nearly 3-week-old Wall Street protests. But he pinned responsibility on the financial industry and on congressional Republicans he says have blocked his efforts to kick-start job growth.

“I think people are frustrated and the protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works,” he said at a nationally televised news conference. “The American people understand that not everybody has been following the rules, that Wall Street is an example of that ... and that's going to express itself politically in 2012 and beyond.”

The president has been pushing for a $443 billion jobs plan to be paid for in part through a tax on the wealthy. Republicans have resisted such tax increases.

Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Herman Cain have criticized the anti-Wall Street protests. All the Republican contenders have also pushed back against the demonization of Wall Street. They accuse the Obama administration of setting regulatory policies that have stifled job creation and say his health care overhaul will prevent many businesses from hiring new workers.

In Zuccotti Park, the center of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, activists expressed deep frustration with the political gridlock in Washington. While some blamed Republicans for blocking reform, others singled out Obama.

“His message is that he’s sticking to the party line, which is “we are taking care of the situation’ But he’s not proposing any solutions,” said Thorin Caristo, an antiques store owner from Connecticut.

But Robert Arnow, a retired real estate worker, said the Republicans need to tell their congressional leaders, “You’re standing in the way of change.”

Quayzy Cayusso, a Web designer, didn’t watch Obama’s news conference even though it was broadcast on TV monitors at the protest site in New York.

“He’s a cool president, but he was given a hard task,” Cayusso said. “He should get some gratitude for what he’s done so far, but he’s been overlooking jobs and not putting much effort into that until now.”

Al Arabiya, October 7, 2011, which picked up story from AP and photo from Reuters

OWS Pop-Up Art Show Set for Sat. 10/8/11, 3-9, at 23 Wall Street, NYC

From an email:

I am writing to invite you to a remarkable moment. Protest artists from all over the city - and the world - have converged onto #LibertyPlaza. You've seen their vast collage of signs, tshirts, video projections and more. Now it's time to take them to Wall Street:

On Saturday, Oct. 8, for 6 hours only, Wall Street will be occupied with art. Not profiteering or credit default swaps. Not disenfranchising The 99% to prop up an unaccountable elite that peddles in influence over our schools, neighborhoods and public spaces. Just art. #OccupyArt.

The site of this magnificent exhibit couldn't be more symbolic: the historic JP Morgan House, gutted and left for years to decay as our financial system collapsed. Inside 23 Wall Street, steps from the world's largest stock exchange, another exchange is happening. A peaceful, non-destructive exchange of creative ideas.

Please come join us from 3-9pm at 23 Wall St. as we, the occupiers of Wall Street, exhibit #NoComment: a pop-up art show inspired by the #OccupyWallStreet movement.

See also these links:
http://www.nocommentartshow.com/
An art show will appear at 23 Wall Street, opposite the New York Stock Exchange:
http://occupywallst.org/article/no-comment-art-exhibit-inspired-occupy-wall-street/
excerpt from the above:

A fledgling arts community has sprung up in the niche world of Occupy Wall Street, showcasing musicians, dancers, visual artists and spoken word performers, not to mention the thousands of words and pictures that have emerged from the weeks of protest.

“It’s really only a matter of time before a New York Times culture reporter comes down here,” protester Paolo Mastrangelo told Raw Story about the virtual artist’s colony the protest has become. “People show their art, the whole park is a stage, there’s a library, people play music and recite poetry. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a feature on the front page of the Times art section.”

Indeed, a pop-up gallery hosting art inspired by Occupy Wall Street, called “No Comment,” will open across the street from the New York Stock Exchange. Twelve removable, graffiti-covered walls will surround the gallery and then will be displayed near the protest’s heart at Zuccotti Park.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/06/occupy-wall-street-fights-vampire-squid-bankers-with-art/

Occupy Wall Street Spreads to Nationally (Other Cities): Over 850 Cities

Occupy Wall Street movement spreads, to 847 cities: Democracy Now: U.S. "Occupy" Movement Grows as Protests Reported in 847 Cities; Obama Notes "Frustration": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEVxmTfoLU4

Alternet placed the movement in 853 cities: "99% vs. 1% -- The Latest on Occupy Wall St. Movement: 853 Cities Across the World Shoring Up for the Long Haul": http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/676648/99_vs._1_--_the_latest_on_occupy_wall_st._movement:_853_cities,_report_from_the_ground_in_nyc,_occupy_providence_plans_set/

Comprehensive list follows: NOTE scheduled for for upcoming protests.

Occupy Ashland, OR continues: http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111007/NEWS/110070314/-1/NEWSMAP

Ongoing Occupy Portland, OR continues, (Friday, 10/7 report) through weekend, with protestors camping in Lownsdale Park; apparent schedule conflicts with Portland marathon being worked out: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/occupy-wall-street-hartford-protest-131346368.html
Thousands marched on Thursday, 10/6, photos and video: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_portland_holds_massive.html

Occupy Seattle, WA, marched Friday, 10/7, despite mayor's directive: http://www.kirotv.com/news/29418238/detail.html
police violence video: Police Turn Violent At Occupy Seattle Protest!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfnVgK5Q4_o&feature=related

Occupy San Francisco, CA, protest march: Wednesday, 10/5, drew 800: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/06/MN121LDU5B.DTL
camp broken up in midnight hours, very early Thursday, 10/6: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/07/BAFA1LECD5.DTL
video of force used by police: Police Brutality at Occupy SF encampment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g-XMxKTiww

Occupy Los Angeles, CA, ongoing, growing, This weekend, Occupy Los Angeles could gain even more traction. A music festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday at noon at City Hall, and additional actions are expected., scheduled for Saturday, 10/8: http://santamonica.patch.com/articles/smc-students-helping-occupy-los-angeles

Occupy San Diego, CA, marched Friday, 10/7: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/131294549.html

Occupy Tucson, AZ, scheduled for Saturday, 10/15: http://www.kvoa.com/news/occupy-tucson-rally-scheduled/

Occupy Denver, CO, Friday, 10/7, rapper Lupe Fiasco stopped Occ Denver: http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/10/lupe_fiasco_occupy_denver.php

Occupy Dallas, TX (10/6): Occupy Dallas Day One Part 1 of 2 - UNN Newsroom with Alex Ansary:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq225MN7uvU&feature=related

Occupy Houston, TX (10/6): Civil Rights era protestor leads spiritual song: Occupy Houston spiritual: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UufJlQZTqz4

Occupy Chicago, IL (10/7): Two weeks in, Occupy Chicago Is Gaining Momentum: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-williams/two-weeks-in-occupy-chica_b_1000574.html
Occupy Chicago protest march scheduled for Saturday 10/8: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/143f1ee3c080446a963411da09a47431/IL--Occupy-Chicago-Anti-War-Rally/

Occupy Detroit: organizational meeting scheduled for Monday, 10/10, occupation to begin, 10/21: http://www.heritage.com/articles/2011/10/07/ann_arbor_journal/news/doc4e8f557205c1c526554023.txt

Occupy Cincinatti, scheduled for Saturday, 10/8, to rally at 11:00 AM at Lytle Park and march to Fountain Square: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20111007/NEWS0108/110080321/At-least-500-expected-Occupy-Cincinnati-?odyssey=nav|head

Occupy Cleveland, OH Friday, 10/7: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_cleveland_supporters_se.html

Occupy DC (Washington, DC), Thursday, 10/6: rally at Freedom Plaza: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/occupy-dc-protesters-rally-in-freedom-plaza/2011/10/06/gIQATeeLQL_story.html

Occupy Nashville, TN, Friday, 10/7, with VIDEO: http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/18045
Occupy Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Wednesday, 10/5: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/oct/05/occupy-wall-street-spinoffs-coming-knoxville-nashv/

Occupy Atlanta, GA: Woodruff Park, Friday, 10/7: http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/occupy-atlanta-draws-newcomers-1196718.html

Occupy Miami, FL: protest scheduled for Saturday, 10/8, at the Torch of Friendship, in Downtown Miami's Bayfront Park, at 1:30 p.m: http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21005570127679/occupy-wall-street-movement-expands-to-so-fla/

Occupy Ft. Meyers, FL, organizational meeting scheduled for Saturday, 10/9: http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2011-10-07/Occupy-Ft-Myers-Holds-Meeting-Sat-Night

Occupy Boca Raton, FL and Occupy Lake Worth, FL: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/occupy-groups-emerge-on-south-floridas-political-left-1897449.html

Occupy Philadelphia, PA, scheduled for Saturday, 10/8: "The "Let Freedom Ring" march will start off from Dilworth Plaza, next to city hall, at 2:30 p.m. and end at the Liberty Bell site on historic Independence Mall.": http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/Occupy_Philly_Plans_March_To_Liberty_Bell_100711

Occupy Atlantic City, NJ, at the Bank of America branch on New Road and Bethel Road in Somers Point, scheduled for Sunday, 10/9, 3 PM: http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/news-and-views/Occupy-Wall-Street-Comes-to-South-Jersey-131350508.html Contact: 609 442 2407 or 609-675 6322, occupysouthjersey@yahoo.com

Occupy Hartford, CT, Friday, 10/7: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/occupy-wall-street-hartford-protest-131346368.html

Occupy Boston, MA and Occupy Wall Street, New York, NY, Friday 10/7: Ivy League professors speak to anti-Wall Street protesters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/07/us-usa-wallstreet-protests-idUSTRE7966BO20111007

Occupy Maine (Portland): in two different location bases: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_portland_holds_massive.html

"The New York Times" began its reportage with a series of derisive articles. It is beginning to tone down the contempt: Occupy Anytown, U.S.A., Thursday, 10/6: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/occupy-anytown-u-s-a/

Contrary to what some in the corporate media are saying (illustrated by Noami Klein on Democracy Now, 10/6, regarding debut of Erin Burnett's glib dismissal of the movement), the protests do have objectives, see this post at the Washington Post: What Occupy DC wants: Less corporate money in politics: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/what-occupy-dc-wants-less-corporate-money-in-politics/2011/10/03/gIQAgUj4IL_blog.html

New Videos: 10/5, 9/24 NYPD Violence vs. Protestors

At right I have posted some of the best (? --maybe, most blatant) examples of New York Police Department violence against protestors in the Wall Street area on the evening of October 5 and Union Square on September 24.

Many of these videos were from a late October 5, 2011 post by Jason Cherkis, "Occupy Wall Street: Video Allegedly Shows NYPD Officer Striking Protesters With Baton (Photos)"

MEDIA CROWD ESTIMATES GROSSLY UNDERESTIMATED
I was at this demonstration/ march. Media estimates Wednesday (10/5) night put the crowd size at 5,000 people. I would say that 20,000 was more likely the number of protestors on the march route from Foley Square to Zuccotti Park (renamed Liberty Plaza). The march sponsored by several New York City unions (ATU, CWA, SEIU, TWU, NNU and at late, the UFT) was scheduled for 4:30 from Tweed Courthouse (the City Education Department headquarters). It actually began moving south from the Square at about 5:30. Crowds did not finish reaching Zuccotti Park until around 8:00 PM.

Here is the link for an excellent report by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez at Democracy Now, "Occupy Wall Street March Gets Massive Turnout; 28 Arrested in Police Crackdown"

The lede to the story includes reports of protests across the United States, including Seattle and San Francisco.

Occupy Wall Street actions beyond NYC

Occupy SF, 10/1.

Occupy Chicago --Fed Reserve, 10/2.

Los Angeles City Hall, 10/2.

Occupy Albuqerque, 10/1.

Occupy Miami, Bayfront Park, 10/1.

Occupy Boston, Dewey Square, 10/2. and http://www.tuftsdaily.com/occupy-boston-gathers-crowd-pushes-for-grassroots-social-change-1.2642350

Arrests of 700 Occupy Wall Streeters on Bridge; NYC Mayor Bloomberg Says Protestors Victimize Bankers; Implies Protest Will End Soon

(Soylent Green days coming? See bottom half of this post.)
The Guardian of Manchester, of the United Kingdom, Saturday night (10/1/11) wrote of the arrest that day of more than 700 protestors in New York City. They were arrested while blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge is about six-tenths of a mile north of the Occupy Wall Street staging ground of Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza.
"Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested on Brooklyn Bridge
Hundreds held by NYPD – including New York Times journalist – after attempted march across bridge ends in chaos"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/occupy-wall-street-protesters-brooklyn-bridge?newsfeed=true
OWS protester gave an account of the arrest procedure . . . ENTRAPMENT INVOLVED? DAILY KOS VIDEO LINK FOLLOWS THIS OWS PROTESTER ACCOUNT.
{First hand account of this blogger speaking with OWS protester: the white shirt New York City Police Department (NYPD) higher officials were the main ones doing the arresting. [UPDATE: New York Times report on White Shirts' role.] The protester said that the many of the blue shirt police officers, particularly at the Manhattan side of the protest, were in support of the protesters . . . . The arrest was accomplished by closing off the crowd from both the Manhattan and the Brooklyn ends of the bridge. Then the enclosed or detained protesters were place under arrest. The arresting officers walked the line to arrest all of the protesters detained. Did the NYPD entrap the protesters? There were reports that some NYPD officers split the crowd that was approaching the bridge from the Manhattan end. By this account, the NYPD steered some protesters onto the main pedestrian walk, and they steered some others onto the traffic causeway. If this is so, the protesters' walk-on-the-causeway action was a case of entrapment.}
Daily Kos on October 2 offered this video, making case for entrapment interpretation of Brooklyn Bridge 700 arrest: "Best Video Yet: Brooklyn Bridge NYPD Entrapment!"

Think Progress: "Mayor Bloomberg Claims ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protesters Are Targeting Bankers Who ‘Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet’" http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/30/333038/mayor-bloomberg-wall-street-make-ends-meet/

Bloomberg Implies Occupy Wall Street Protest's Days Are Numbered
http://gothamist.com/2011/09/30/bloomberg_implies_wall_street_prote.php

Mayor Bloomberg made some ominous comments today about the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests that have been going on for nearly two weeks in Zuccotti Park. When he was asked on his weekly radio show whether he'll let the anti-corporate protesters stay as long as they want, he responded cryptically: "We'll see. People have a right to protest, but we also have to make sure that people who don't want to protest can go down the streets unmolested."
"We have to make sure that while you have the right to say what you want to say, people who want to say something very different have a right to say that as well," the mayor told WOR radio host John Gambling. Zuccotti Park is privately owned, but Bloomberg said the park must remain open to the public because of an agreement the owners struck with the city years ago to win zoning code changes. And there's also sanitation to worry about: "The right to protest is part of our culture. It's also true that there are other societal concerns. You're worried about sanitation and you're worried about lots of different laws on the books."
In general, Bloomberg has not had much sympathy for the protesters since they took over the square, despite the fact he predicted something like this would happen. The billionaire criticized them today for a lack of nuance in their arguments, and accused them of targeting the wrong people: "The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000, $50,000 year and are struggling to make ends meet." He also added, "Those are the people that work on Wall Street in the finance sector...If the banks don't go out and make loans, we will not come out of our economic problems. We will not have jobs."

===============================================

Here we have a clip from the 1970s film "Soylent Green." Protestors are being scooped to be put in the body of a dumpster garbage truck. Is that the plan New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has for the Occupy Wall Street protestors at Zuccotti Park?

Wall Street protests spread to other cities - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Wall Street protests spread to other cities - Americas - Al Jazeera English --Saturday, October 1, 2011.


Friday, September 30, 2011:
And here is yesterday's Al Jazeera English story "U.S. anti-corporate movement expands: The Occupy Wall Street protest movement spreads to other cities and gains big-name supporters" on the spread of the protests to other United States cities. Article includes photos and video of other personalities, such as Cornell West, to have joined the protests.

Unions Rally to Wall Street Occupation | Labor Notes

Unions Rally to Wall Street Occupation | Labor Notes.
It is great to see that labor is supporting the Occupy Wall Street protestors. The struggles are one.