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Cities evicting Occupy camps
Boston prosecutors offered about 20 protesters a deal Tuesday: Dropping resisting arrest charges in exchange for guilty pleas to trespassing with a penalty of a year’s probation, The Boston Globe said. Most took the deal, which usually included an order to stay away from Dewey Square.
Occupy Harvard to Remove Tents from Yard Occupy Harvard supporters passed a proposal Monday to remove the tents from the Yard next week. According to protesters, the decampment is the result of efforts to push the movement into “a new phase of activism,” according to Summer A. Shafer, an Occupy Harvard supporter. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/12/16/Occupy-Remove-Tents-Stage/ Occupy Recruiting: Targeting financial firms is exactly what Occupy Harvard should be doing I suppose I should have expected a backlash when I joined about twenty of my classmates in protesting Goldman Sachs’ summer internship info session on November 28th. Last year, more seniors who took jobs after graduation (16.5 percent) took them in finance than in any other sector of the economy; in 2010, the figure was 31 percent. Finance is popular (and at the salaries it pays, why wouldn’t it be?) and trying to make it more difficult-or at least more uncomfortable – to enter is sure to produce resentment. And once Goldman announced that it would cancel similar events here and at Brown due to the protest, the mumbled misgivings got louder. “Occupy alienated a large portion of the student body that might have been persuaded to be sympathetic to their causes,” tut-tutted Katie R. Zavadski ’13 in the Crimson on Wednesday. The idea here, I guess, is that if Occupiers would just abandon the cause of fighting finance recruiting, people would get on board. And maybe that’s so. But abandoning the recruiting fight would mean ignoring the single biggest way that Harvard is contributing to economic inequality. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/12/16/Harvard-Occupy-Goldman-Sachs-Immoral-Crimson/ Occupy group takes ‘golden calf’ to US Congress
Some 30 “Occupy DC” protesters took their anti-corporate demonstration to the corridors of the US Congress, toting a “golden calf” made from papier mache to symbolize lawmakers’ subservience to moneyed interests. The protest, according to group leader Jeremy John, aimed to call attention to “the worship of money” by the US legislature. “Our political process worships money instead of serving the people,” he said.Protesters later donned holiday hats and sang Christmas carols with satirical lyrics outside the US Chamber of Commerce, as it hosted a Christmas party for the Republican National Committee near the White House.http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/Occupy-groups-takes-golden-calf-to-US-Congress/Article1-783033.aspx
Movement to establish municipal banks: The way to occupy a bank is to own one
The San Francisco bank proposal is sponsored by city supervisor John Avalos, who has been thinking about a municipal bank for several years. Weidner calls the proposal “the boldest institutional stroke yet against banks targeted by the Occupy movement.” The campaign to “move your money” has gotten a groundswell of support, but move your money into what? Weidner repeats the complaint of critics that private credit unions have gotten too big and threaten commercial banking. Having greater impact would be to “move our money” — move our local government revenues out of Wall Street banks into our own publicly-owned banks, which could then generate credit for the local economy and public works. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-brown/occupy-protests-banks_b_1146629.html Occupy Portland Outsmarts Police, Creating Blueprint for Other Occupations The Portland Occupation stumbled upon a tactical innovation regarding occupying public spaces. This evolution in tactics was spontaneous, and went unreported in the media. On December 3rd, we took a park and were driven out of it by riot police; that much made the news. What the media didn’t report is that we re-took the park later that same evening, and the police realized that it would be senseless to attempt to clear it again, so they packed up their military weaponry and left. Occupy Portland has developed a tactic to keep a park when the police decide to enforce an eviction. The tactical evolution that evolved relies on two military tactics that are thousands of years old- the tactical superiority of light infantry over heavy infantry, and the tactical superiority of the retreat over the advance. The Occupy Movement: Queer Money Matters As the moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), with members in every state across this country, I hear personal stories every winter telling how our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families suffer. And with every layer of exclusion and oppression, survival is harder. Queer people, people of color, young people, homeless folks, women with children, and people who have been incarcerated all face layer after layer of tangible economic obstacles. Sometimes desperation lands them in prison. When I ministered in prisons in Michigan and California, I quickly discovered that there are many queer, poor people in prison. One of the saddest and most frustrating things I learned was how many people in prison found it hard to leave because it was safer and easier to survive than any place they lived on “the outside.” And it was not safe, or healthy, or easy, at all. With no hope, jobs or possibility for a decent life, they are in the growing ranks of the destitute. And destitution is around the corner for a growing number of people as food and fuel prices skyrocket and banks continue with unchecked greed and record profits. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-dr-nancy-wilson/the-occupy-movement-queer_b_1100239.html More immigration-Occupy synergy as ‘Occupy ICE’ comes to L.A. Last month, protesters in San Diego mounted an “Occupy ICE” rally organized by the local janitors’ union. The Service Employees International Union has joined with with other labor, civil and immigrant rights groups to do the same in Los Angeles today, with a march to the downtown federal building, which houses a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. http://multiamerican.scpr.org/2011/12/more-immigration-occupy-synergy-as-occupy-ice-comes-to-l-a/ Pastor describes beating at Occupy port demonstration A Christian clergyman who took part in an “Occupy” protest this week claims to have been severely beaten by out-of-control Seattle police officers. Reverend John Helmiere writes a harrowing account of his ordeal in the respected online Cascadian magazine, Crosscut. Even though it is mostly his side of the vivid story, Helmiere’s account of alleged police brutality, while wearing a clergy collar, adds up to an almost sickening example of just how terrifying it can be to take part in civil disobedience. http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/12/15/christian-pastor-describes-beating-at-occupy-demonstration/ Occupy Port protesters violent, officers say Seattle police say the level of open violence toward officers at Monday’s Occupy the Port protest hasn’t been seen since the World Trade Organization was here in 1999. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017026662_occupy16m.html Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans – nearly 1 in 2 – have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families. “Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too ‘rich’ to qualify,” said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty. “The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal. If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years.” http://finance.yahoo.com/news/census-shows-1-2-people-103940568.html Hunger Stalks US Cities as Poverty Rises: Study A growing number of families in the United States are struggling to put food on the table as poverty rises in major cities, a new survey showed on Thursday. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/12/15-2 A nation of populists and class warriors Pew Research has just released the most detailed polling I’ve seen yet on Occupy Wall Street, economic fairness, rising inequality, and the lack of Wall Street accountability. If these numbers don’t put an end to the nonsense about how Dems risk alienating the “middle of the country” by embracing a populist “class warfare” message, nothing will: Can Citizens United be Stopped? [The anniversary of the Citizens United decision is Jan. 21] In a year packed with populist uprisings, in which Time named “the protester” its person of the year, the fight against Citizens United is gaining momentum with battle fronts in Congress, statehouses, city halls, and the homes of hundreds of Americans. The decision, handed down in January 2010 by the court’s five conservative justices, effectively gave corporations the same free speech rights as people, gutted key provisions of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, and green-lighted unlimited spending by corporations and labor unions in American elections. Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a pro-reform campaign finance organization, called it “the most radical and destructive campaign finance decision in Supreme Court history.” http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/citizens-united-amendment-repeal-tom-udall State of Surveillance A German tech company is selling the ability to track “political opponents.” An Italian company promises to remotely seize control of smartphones and photograph their owners. A U.S. company allows security services to “see what they [the targets] see.” A South African company can store recordings of billions of phone calls, forever. Welcome to the new covert world of surveillance contractors. Shining a light on this $5 billion (and growing) industry, Wikileaks today released “Spy Files”: hundreds of secret sales brochures. The companies involved hand this promotional material only to key contacts — often government agencies and police forces — at trade shows that are closed to the public and the press. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15665 Indefinite detention: ‘Architecture of fascist state’ Terror suspects in America could be held in prison indefinitely ? without charge or trial. The military will be able to take custody of alleged terrorists virtually without question. Critics say this would be a stark violation of human rights. The controversial National Defense Authorization Act, which was met with criticism from human rights activists, faced a presidential veto, but since last month Obama has retracted his warning. http://rt.com/news/battlefield-america-veto-theater-857/ ‘Indefinite Detention’ Bill : Congress sucks, and ‘What rubbish coming from a president who taught constitutional law’ The defense authorization bill that Congress passed and President Obama had threatened to veto will soon become law, a fact that should be met with public outrage. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/there_goes_the_republic_20111214/ Latest US Congressional action inspires comparisons to Nero fiddling, Alice in Wonderland, drug experiences As the House prepared to pass the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act last week, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette must have imagined herself wearing a blue knee-length dress with a white pinafore overtop. “This entire session of Congress has felt to many of us like a trip into Alice’s Wonderland,” the eight-term Democrat from Colorado said. “While our nation struggles with a devastating economy – we do nothing about jobs or getting America back to work; instead we repeatedly fall down the rabbit hole of extreme legislation, and now with this so-called ‘Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act,’ it would seem we’re having tea with the Cheshire Cat. To paraphrase the Cheshire Cat, ‘We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad ? You must be mad or you wouldn’t have come here.'” “The truth is that the EPA doesn’t currently regulate farm dust. This bill would prevent a regulation that doesn’t actually exist, from overseeing something undefined,” DeGette told the House. “Sadly for the American people, H.R. 1633 simply underscores the ‘madness’ of this body right now.” http://coloradoindependent.com/107963/congresswoman-degette-farm-dust-bill-underscores-tea-party-madness-in-house Stop Online Piracy Act is China-style censorship say Google, Twitter, eBay Nine Internet godfathers have taken out full-page ads in the New York Times, saying SOPA is an offer they will refuse. Founders of giants like Yahoo, eBay, Google and Netscape claim the bill will “undermine the framework” of free expression. The bill is intended to crack down on websites operating outsidethe United States. If passed, the legislation would allow the US government to shut down any site illegally hosting copyrighted content. Lawmakers behind the Stop Online Piracy Act say it would deal a blow to online pirates and producers of counterfeit brand products like designer fashion items or medicine. But the signatories, who include top men and women from services like Wikipedia, PayPal, Flickr, LinkedIn and YouTube, believe that online services would be required to monitor what users link to and upload, which would have a “chilling effect on innovation.” http://rt.com/news/internet-giants-slam-sopa-915/ IMF: Global outlook is ‘gloomy’ IMF head Christine Lagarde has said the world economic outlook is “gloomy” and no country is immune from rising risks. She said all nations, starting with Europe, needed to head off a crisis with risks of a global depression. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16207880 Corruption: The puppet masters A new report by the World Bank called “The Puppet Masters” has investigated some 150 cases of what it calls “grand corruption”, with a total of $50 billion in illicit assets. Nearly all involved use of companies in which the real ownership was concealed, and of bank accounts, often in respectable countries (see chart). The United States is “by far the worst performer” of the countries reviewed. As a test, one of the authors set up a firm in Nevada with a nominee director based in Panama, complete with an American bank account. All he needed was an unnotarised copy of a driving licence (which showed an out-of-date address) and $3,695. In what for the World Bank is unusually strong language, the report lambasts national authorities for failing to take the issue seriously. Compliance with the international standards that countries have signed up for is “poor”, it states; the gap between the rules on paper and what happens in practice is “substantial”. The role of banks and companies that handle corporate registration comes in for stinging criticism: “In the majority of cases in which a corporate vehicle is misused, the intermediary is negligent, wilfully blind or actively complicit.” http://www.economist.com/node/21534761?fsrc=rss|int Putin mocks Russian protesters Putin repeatedly mocked the protesters on Thursday, by comparing the symbol of their discontent – a white ribbon – to condoms. “Regarding ‘colour revolutions’, everything is clear…this is a developed scheme to destabilise society that did not rise up on its own,” he said at the start of a televised Q&A that ran for more than four and a half hours. He said students had been paid to turn out on Bolotnaya Square last weekend, when an unprecedented 50,000 people gathered to protest against disputed elections and Putin’s rule. “Frankly, when I looked at the television screen and saw something hanging from someone’s chest, honestly, it’s indecent, but I decided that it was propaganda to fight Aids … that they were wearing, pardon me, a condom,” Putin said. Protesters have adopted the symbol to express their opposition to the parliamentary election, which saw Putin’s United Russia party gather nearly 50% of the vote despite widespread allegations of fraud. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/15/vladimir-putin-russian-protesters-tv |