The Occupations Report: February 1, 2012

ENCAMPMENTS

Judge Rules Occupy DC Can Contest Eviction

A judge said the federal government must notify the Occupy DC if it intends to shut down the encampment, according to the Associated Press. Representatives from the movement filed a motion in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to ban the National Park service from evicting the protesters off public land. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the protesters will be able to contest any eviction plans, according to the Associated Press. http://bit.ly/yISi2u

 

On Tuesday morning, at about 10:15 the morning, Sgt. Reid and other members of the National Park Service arrived at McPherson Square to tell Occupy DC that they wanted the Tent of Dreams to be taken down from around the General McPherson statue, and that they wanted Occupy DC to comply with the new regulations against bedding material. The police said that we would still be able to perform a symbolic protest without bedding – ignoring the fact that, beyond symbolism, many people depend on Occupy DC at McPherson Square for shelter, sustenance and a cause. Occupy DC delivered a SaveOccupyDC.org petition with over 23,000 signatures to McPherson Square.

 

Occupy Charlotte Camp Pulled Down
[Your Activist News Source] – Jeff Estes had given Occupy Charlotte members “one final warning” to take down their tents and comply with the new ordinance, which prohibits living in tents on city property. Read more: http://bit.ly/ywSuFA.

 

Occupy Charlotte Taking Battle To Court After Police Arrest 7
[WBTV] – News Members of Occupy Charlotte have been put on deadline and have until Monday afternoon to clear out from uptown Charlotte. Read more: http://bit.ly/yfm6aD.

 

After Occupy Norfolk, City Weighs Ban On Camping at Public Sites
[The Virginian-Pilot] – Occupy Norfolk protesters spent a month camped in a downtown park. Norfolk’s powers that be want make sure that never happens again. Read more: http://bit.ly/zcfrK0.

 

Metro Government Considers Temporary Occupy Permit to Allow Camping

Louisville Metro Government will likely approve a new permit that continues to allow Occupy Louisville demonstrators to remain at Founder’s Square for another three months. The city is working out the details this week, said Jim Mims, director of Codes and Regulations. Occupy Louisville was previously told that any new permit for overnight camping would not be approved. Demonstrators filed suit against the city claiming the ban on camping restricts their First Amendment Rights. Read more: http://bit.ly/xxTuea.

 

Expired Permit and Harsh Winter Threaten the Occupy Buffalo Encampment

[Buffalo News] – The effects of winter and the march of time have taken a toll on 4 1/2-month-old Occupy Buffalo.

The 45 tents once dotting Niagara Square now number 19, with 10 to 15 people in sleeping bags on a given weekday. Subfreezing temperatures make the site look like a ghost town. There are occasional problems with theft, and a splinter group has accused the Occupiers of selling out. Yet the Occupiers are also hailed by many for keeping the anti-Wall Street message and movement alive, and for braving a winter that — while mild by Buffalo standards — has seen a 75-degree temperature shift since the protest began Oct. 8. The immediate future for Occupy Buffalo could be determined by Wednesday, when an agreement with the city allowing the encampment expires. Mayor Byron W. Brown has defended their right to be at Niagara Square, and spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said preliminary discussions are being held on whether to extend the permit. Read more: http://bit.ly/yBRsM2

 

Occupy Miami Evicted from Tent City by police in Riot Gear; Three Arrested

[Huffington Post] – Lines of Miami-Dade police in riot gear moved through Occupy Miami’s “Peace City” encampment at Government Center Tuesday night, banging batons, ripping tents, and forcing protestors blocks away from the site. At least three people were arrested. Photographer Carlos Miller, 43, was charged with resisting arrest without violence and was being held on $1,000 bond. Occupy member Juan Sanchez, 23, was charged with inciting a riot; his bond is set at $5,000 according to online corrections records. A third person arrested was not immediately located in inmate records.

The surreal scene unfolded several hours after Miami-Dade County’s sunset deadline to vacate the west lawn of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center passed. While many occupiers packed up and left, six occupiers determined to hold the ground settled in the middle of the lawn, linking arms to prepare for arrest while other demonstrators formed a circle around them and police forces massed at the site. Read more: http://huff.to/zleJXw.

 

 

NDAA DAY OF ACTION: FEBRUARY 3

Nationwide Day Of Action protesting the National Defense Authorization Act

This Friday, February 3^rd, Occupations and concerned citizens across America are planning several actions to oppose the National Defense Authorization Act. In Long Beach, OLB’s day of action includes a focus on supporting Bradley Manning.  Manning, a 23-year-old Army intelligence analyst, is accused of leaking a video [http://huff.to/baDcXy] showing the killing of civilians, including two Reuters journalists, by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. He is also charged with sharing the documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and embarrassing US diplomatic cables, with the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. According to bradleymanning.org reports, although Bradley has not yet been tried, he was held in solitary confinement for the first 10 months of his incarceration. During this time he was denied meaningful exercise, social interaction, sunlight, and has occasionally been kept completely naked. These conditions were unique to Bradley and are illegal even under US military law as they amount to extreme pre-trial punishment. Occupy Long Beach sees this Nation Day of Action as a chance to help people make the connection between Bradley Manning, Occupy and the NDAA.  For more information, e-mail .

 

 

GLOBAL GENERAL STRIKE: MAY 1

Occupy Calls for a Global People’s General Strike
Occupy LA calls for a global general strike – one day without work, school, banking or purchases of any kind. In addition to celebrating and marching in support of immigrant rights, the May 1^st action is a protest against the corruption of the worldwide marketplace, which has led to illegal foreclosures, mass unemployment, low wages, high taxes and a penalization of all those who do not own the ‘1%’ of the world’s resources. Instead of calling upon unionized Labor to make a specific demand (illegal under Taft-Hartley), OLA is calling upon the people of Los Angeles and the United States of America to take this day away from school and the workplace. Start planning now to participate in May, you have plenty of time! Check out this video on May Day: http://www.occupymay1st.org/

 

 

ELDERS OCCUPY FOR HEALTHCARE

Retirees Occupy Century Aluminum
[AlterNet Blogs] – On Dec. 18, a dozen retirees, men and women in their 60s, 70s, even 80s, began occupying a median strip along Route 33 in front of the closed Century Aluminum smelter in Ravenswood, W.Va. In tents and under tarps, a small group stays overnight, despite hypertension, arthritis and other old age ailments. One has suffered a stroke. These vulnerable people expose themselves to weather extremes although some have no health insurance at all. Century cancelled it. That’s why they’re occupying Century. Read more: http://bit.ly/A4UydR

 

 

OCCUPY BANNED BOOKS

In response to Arizona’s decision to ban ethnic studies and expunge associated texts from school shelves, the Occupy Wall Street Library is planning to flood Tucson with copies of the blacklisted books. “Acting in solidarity with Occupy Tucson and the students, parents, and teachers of the Tucson Unified School District we are going to send copies of the banned texts to Tucson for distribution. Lots of copies. As many copies as we can find and buy.”

 

 

FOOD JUSTICE

Farmers Unite with RAN to Fight Cargill

[Understory] – Last week, over 40 Minnesota residents made a citizens’ arrest of Cargill, Inc. in front of the company’s downtown Minneapolis office at the Grain Exchange. I walked away from the event struck with inspiration and hope. Why? In addition to being amazed that so many enthusiastic people braved below-freezing weather to hold Cargill accountable for its crimes against nature, I thought that this event was particularly significant in that it demonstrated the growing unity of voices in opposition to Cargill’s destructive power. Read more at http://bit.ly/zlosP9.

 

 

OWS BUS TOUR

Occupy Wall Street Tour in Albany This Weekend

The Occupy Wall Street Bus will be traveling around the North East. Connecting, sharing, and learning from other Occupations in the area. To follow the tour, check out the Facebook event page at http://www.facebook.com/events/336848396348342/

 

POLICE CRACKDOWNS

Police Clash in Oakland Inspires Debate in Community, Occupy Movement

 

On Saturday, a protest which started peacefully ended with the arrest of more than 400 Occupy Oakland protesters and journalists. All week various internet and community forums throughout the city of Oakland have been enlivened by heated debate about the Oakland Police Department’s tactics, Mayor Quan’s comments, Occupy Oakland’s relationship with the community and the recent damage to City Hall. According to Huffington Post reports, Saturday’s protests were “punctuated by rock and bottle throwing by protesters and volleys of tear gas from police, and a City Hall break-in that left glass cases smashed, graffiti spray-painted on walls and an American flag burned.”

 

On Sunday, Oakland officials vowed to be ready if Occupy protesters try to mount another large-scale demonstration. Protesters, meanwhile, decried Saturday’s police tactics as illegal and threatened to sue.

 

Yvonne Yen Liu, policy researcher at a nonprofit think tank and member of the Occupy Oakland Research Working Group, says the concerns about vandalism are misplaced.

 

“What we should be concerned about, as a progressive community, is the acts of violence perpetrated against Occupy organizers by the Oakland police.” Liu continued, “I witnessed police firing tear gas, flash bang grenades, bean bag projectiles, and rubber bullets [fired] at a peaceful crowd.  That level of force is completely unnecessary and costing the city quite a bit of money.  What we should be asking is how the Oakland police held accountable for their brutal actions towards the people?  What steps have been made to reform the OPD, under threat of being placed under federal receivership come March.  Why is funding for policing prioritized at a time when social services and the safety net across the city is being slashed?  Let’s not be distracted by allegations of vandalism, the real issue is police accountability and where our city’s priorities are at.  Right now, the city is not prioritizing the care of the residents.  The Occupy Oakland movement has stepped up, to provide that safety net for people, as we have documented in our fact sheet, Occupy Oakland Serves the People.”

 

You can read that fact sheet at: http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=node/7373

 

There has also been some buzz on local neighborhood forums hinting that all things may not be exactly as they appear. Members of one East Oakland neighborhood digest this week debated the possibility that Occupy Oakland, like many social justice movements of the past, may have been infiltrated by the OPD or other agencies to discredit the group.

Some anonymous Occupy Oakland protesters say police infiltration of Occupy Oakland is more than speculation – it is documented fact acknowledged by the OPD. “What remains unknown is whether the police, or any other groups, have made an organized effort to act as agent provocateurs in any capacity,” one protester told The Occupations Report on Tuesday.

What is certain is that the actions of police departments against Occupy protesters across the nation have come under suspicion of human rights violations by the UN.

The United Nations envoy for freedom of expression is drafting an official communication to the U.S. government demanding to know why federal officials are not protecting the rights of Occupy demonstrators whose protests are being disbanded – sometimes violently — by local authorities.

Frank La Rue, who serves as the U.N. “special rapporteur” for the protection of free expression, told HuffPost in an interview that the crackdowns against Occupy protesters appear to be violating their human and constitutional rights.

Mayor Jean Quan told the Oakland Tribune on Monday, in the wake of vandalism and burning of American flags, that the city would seek orders forbidding some protesters from entering Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, and possibly all of downtown Oakland.

Quan also said there has been talk of a counter-demonstration to show public frustration with the movement.

 

OCCUPY NEWS BRIEFS

Some Occupy Sympathizers Criticize Oakland Vandalism – Latimes.Com
By Victoria Kim
[LA Times] – After Occupy protests in Oakland culminated with some activists vandalizing City Hall and burning American flags, some sympathetic to the movement from across the nation took to Twitter Monday to voice criticism of the weekend’s events. Read more at http://bit.ly/AjsYNn.

 

Occupy DC Protesters Make ‘Citizens’ Arrest’ of Fox News Van
By Aubrey Whelan
It’s no secret that Occupy DC protesters aren’t exactly fans of Fox News. So when the protesters noticed a Fox van illegally parked on K Street Monday, they took advantage of the situation. Read more: http://bit.ly/A7runs.

 

Occupy the Toybox

By Anne Laurie
[Balloon Juice] – Police in the Siberian city of Barnaul have asked prosecutors to investigate the legality of a recent protest that saw dozens of small dolls – teddy bears, Lego men, South Park figurines – arranged to mimic a protest… Read more:

 

 

http://bit.ly/x9IaBn

 

Occupy Protesters Show Tolerance
By Bryan Preston
[The PJ Tatler] – About two-dozen members of Occupy Providence hiked from Burnside Park to the 39th Annual Pro-Life State House Rally organized by the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee on Thursday. Read more: http://bit.ly/yYFgwM.

 

Occupy Supply: Voting Now Open for Outstanding Local Activism
By Jane Hamsher
[Firedoglake] – These are the nominations for Outstanding Local Activism by an Occupation. Read more: http://bit.ly/zWuov8

 

Occupy Buffalo – How Long?
By Alex Ferreras

[Loan Safe] – The effects of winter and the march of time have taken a toll on 4 1/2-month-old Occupy Buffalo. Read more: http://bit.ly/wU0jbD

 

Police Assault on Occupy London
By admin
[Prison Planet.com] – Police in London have been accused of excessive force in their efforts to clear out Occupy demonstrators. Protesters stood together last night as officers broke down the doors to their camps. Read more: http://inagist.com/Anarchymous/164019766800027648/

 

Two Occupy Tampa Protesters Arrested Sunday
By Allison Mondell
[CBS Tampa] – Two Occupy Tampa protesters were arrested Sunday night at the intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Kennedy Boulevard. Read more: http://bit.ly/xwsCrG

 

Occupy Movement in C.O. Still Going Strong
[KTVZ.com] – It’s been almost three months since the Occupy Bend movement was forced out of the vacant lot across from Pioneer Park. But the group continues to meet every week. Read more: http://bit.ly/x3sR0E

 

‘Occupy’ Protesters Attempt to Arrest San Diego Mayor
By Ian
[CBS Los Angeles] – Members of Occupy San Diego attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of the city’s mayor over alleged charges of embezzlement. Read more: http://bit.ly/zhG5kV

 

Detroit: A City That Needs the Occupy Movement
By Kevin Gosztola
[Firedoglake] – The city of Detroit used to have two million people. Today, the population is around 900000.Read more: http://bit.ly/AhFoJb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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