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Today's Top News
‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests Spread Across the Country
The Occupy Wall Street movement, growing to more than 1,500 people in its second week, called for a march in lower Manhattan today at 3 p.m. to “show that it is time that the 99% are heard.”
An elderly group leads a march up Broadway towards Police Headquarters, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, in New York. (Louis Lanzano/AP Photo) “We are unions, students, teachers, veterans, first responders, families, the unemployed and underemployed. We are all races, sexes and creeds. We are the majority. We are the 99 percent. And we will no longer be silent,” read a post on the Occupy Wall Street website.
The protests started on Sept. 17. On Friday, about 1,500 demonstrators took their protest to the New York Police Department headquarters.
The demonstrators, who are speaking out against corporate greed and social inequality, say they have been unnecessarily roughed up by police.
The turnout may have been so high because a rumor circulated that the band Radiohead would perform at the event. The band did not appear at event.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the demonstrations on the WOR 710 radio show Friday, according to multiple media reports.
“The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 to $50,000 a year who are struggling to make ends meet. That’s the bottom line,” Bloomberg said.
When asked how the NYPD would handle protests, Bloomberg said that while people have the right to protest, others also have the right “to walk down the street unmolested.”
The protests have spread across the country, with events popping up in Boston and Chicago in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.
A march and rally was held in Boston Friday called “Take Back Boston” run by the Right to the City alliance, a national organization that “seeks to create regional and national impacts in the fields of housing, human rights, urban land, community development, civic engagement, criminal justice, environmental justice, and more,” according to its website.
Police estimated about 3,000 people attended the events Friday.
“We are targeting Wall Street, in particular the big banks and corporations,” Rachel Laforest, the executive director of the Right to the City Alliance told ABC News. “The goal is to create a national narrative and have it be known how the states are taking state revenues that are being funneled to banks and corporations and then you layer on top of that the fact that they’re not obligated to pay their fair share of taxes, and so that’s billions and billions of dollars that could be put toward job creation and creating solutions to the housing crisis.”
Today’s events in Boston will continue with a “Take Back the Block” festival. At least 1,500 have registered for the festival.
Along with New York and Boston, an Occupy Chicago movement has emerged, with nearly 100 people gathering in front of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. The protests have been peaceful and no arrests have been reported.
Occupy Los Angeles protests which have also been small in numbers, has called for a march today at 10 a.m. from Pershing Square downtown to City Hall.
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100 Comments so far
Show AllIt's time for Michael Bloomberg to step down.
For sure - if he thinks the wall street banksters and hedge fund casino operators are struggling along on only 40 to 50 thousand dollars per year he's delusional. And if he thinks the protests are about reigning in the salary of teachers and public employees or busting unions, he's delusional (that's the Wall St/Koch Bros. agenda). Either way, Bloomberg is delusional, and ABC is negligent for not explicitly pointing out that Bloomberg is delusional or at least asking him to explain his delusions...
I went back and reread this. I believe Bloomberg was directing his comments at the protestors at the police station on Friday. Yeah, he's an asshat, anyway, but I think it was the cops that he was referring to, not the Wall Streeters. A guy like Bloomberg has to know that people in the financial sector are making way more than that.
exactly. What an asshat
Yeah, what a jerk. Earlier he had faulted the protesters for wrongly villifying the banks. Mr. Bloomberg is either clueless or else a financial sector shill.
He's not just a shill, he's ACTUALLY IS one of the plutocratic oligarchs!
Exactly a multi billionaire plutocrat of the lowest order.
And why exactly, did the band Radiohead NOT turn up? Didn't they pretty much stake their careers and ultimate musical message on the messed up nature of capitalistic society? Well, did they? And where are the other so-called 'liberal' entertainers, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Michael Moore, Jon Stewart....hellooo? Seriously, is this not what you have been waiting for? Is this not, as they say, 'the real deal'? Why not step out of your $1200 a month apartments and come on down! Why isn't Mr. Moore down there now with a cheap camera filming everything, interviewing everyone....Mike...Mike...you were practically screaming for this type of event to occur back in 2002 when you came to visit my alma matter the University of North Texas to promote your book "Stupid White Men". You YELLED at the audience to "Take to the streets! Take it back! Take all of it back!" I was in the audience Mike. I saw you. Well?
MM actually did go down there the other day to rally the crowd and has been voicing support on Democracy Now as well. Just saying.
Tina Fey is an upper-class multi-millionaire defender of the neo-liberal DLC rotten Democratic Party. She's a cunning cookie on the make. Had she gone into politics she'd have been a female version of Emanuel Rahm who would've used underlings to deliver live fire instead of using profanity herself.
When Greece started to hit the fan last year she did two cameos on Saturday Night Live devoted to basically bashing ALL the Greek people for the non-tax-paying & gambling habits of their super-rich and banking class. She's a rich DLC apologist like Rachel Maddow who likes her low tax rates under neo-lib sellouts like Obama. I've never once seen Tina Fey speak out against the endless proliferating, terrorism increasing, Bush/Obama wars.
Alec Baldwin has basically the same mindset as Fey, although he has occasionally tossed off some mild criticisms of aspects of the Bush/Obama wars. He played comic cutsie footsie with war criminal Condileeza Rice during her cameo appearance on an episode of NBC's sitcom 30 Rock. I almost threw a granite ash tray through my TV set when I saw this infotainment vampire excrement.
John Stewart likes to strike a pose as saying "A pox on all their houses" when it comes to the Republicans, Tea Partiers and more unctuous Dems, but he's basically a DLC Dim soother/coddler.
I was referring to Michael Moore but, umm, okay.
Michael Moore was there, for two days, I believe. He was interviewed live on the Lawrence O'Donnell show on MSNBC, one of the only pundits who has been consistently reporting on the Wall Street protests. Moore was excellent, and called out Obama for his role in protecting the banksters and hiring the Wall Street thugs to complete his economic team. O'Donnell gave him a good part of the hour show, probably about 30 minutes. So yeah, Alan, he was there and doing what he called on you all to do at your university.
Gotta echo the others.
Moore showed up, he should get credit.
One of the things that might be happening here with this "Occupy Everywhere" movement is that our cynical or pessimistic expectations -built from the last several decades of failure- as to how things will go are beginning to be subverted by a growing popular momentum.
I thought on 9-17 that this was going to surely fizzle by the middle of the next week.
Now its 10-1 and this thing is spreading -both to other cities and into the MSM.
Things seem a little ephemeral or vaporware-ish just now. But certainly they will gain some solidity between now and 10-16 in D.C.. And that action should hopefully get a major boost from all this -even if just in confidence of participants and not number.
The history of Revolutions demonstrates that if enough people believe this is the Revolution, than this is the Revolution.
It may succeed or fail, but it becomes the Revolution.
Is this the Revolution?
Dunno.
But whatever it is, it is Something.
Someone commented elsewhere that it's "the prologue to the beginning" (of a revolution of sorts) That sounds about right, I think. We've started reading the Book of Revolution now, there'll probably be a prologue, an introduction, a dedication and sundry other pages before we get to chapter one, and on..... (Hope springs!)
I like that metaphor. :)
That I can agree with.
Yay! :)
Honest skeptics and constructive critics are an essential part of this process -or any potentially Revolutionary process, really.
If they do not make the Movement stronger, they can kill the Movement.
But if the Movement can be killed by them, then it was not strong enough to survive and succeed in any case.
I believe in ecology it is called Adaptive Fitness?
I am beginning to find it impossible to wear my Honest Skeptic hat anymore, though.
This thing is just getting too exciting.
My Constructive Critic hat, however , is sewn on and cannot be removed. ;)
I think maybe you meant to add a zero to that Manhattan rent number. $1200 can get you a 10' x 10' studio, if you're lucky.
I used to live in Santa Cruz, CA, and a 1200 dollar a month studio apartment was in slumsville, with bars on the door and windows. But I agree with your post entirely that it is time for rock bands, etc, to step up and help out.
“The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 to $50,000 a year who are struggling to make ends meet. That’s the bottom line,” Bloomberg said.: Bull Shit Mayor Billionaire, the folks are protesting your ilk. But then we are familiar with the deliberate mendacity of the rich who refer to the revolution in Egypt as nothing more than a "riot".
Bloomberg and his corporate cronies have refined the art of blaming the victims, dividing ,and conquering the victims. For too many years, too many Americans have fallen for this strategy.
Its time for Americans to shake off their denial syndrome and stop being victimized by Bloomberg and his corporate cronies.
When someone like Bloomberg -who is both famous and mayor essentially because of his immense wealth- is having to make such obviously B.S. statements, we may be getting near the point where such divide-and-conquer tactics stop working.
The rebellion has started on Wall St and will spread all over our nation. Oct. 6th is the ten year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan and a perfect time for you to join the rebellion against our corrupt government. On that day go to a federal building near you and DEMAND that our government END THE WARS, TAX THE RICH, CARE FOR THE PEOPLE and PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.
Follow that up by making a resolution to never again vote for a Democrat or a Republican. There is no lesser evil. Both major political parties have been purchased by the corporations to work for the greater profits of the rich. Drop your pointless hope of reforming them from within. They like the big bucks the corporations 'donate' to them, as if these are not just simple bribes.
The Democratic Party and GOP are ADDICTED to corporate money. Their sole mission is to get more corporate cash than the other party gets.
"Follow that up by making a resolution to never again vote for a Democrat or a Republican."
Isn't that the Republican's strategy?
Ive read many of your posts, and although I agree with you on many occasions, it is this accusation you make against others on this forum that is not only unfair, but in light of everything that has transpired, ironic.
The current leadership, and the current power center of the Democratic Party has been completely sold out to the very same powerful elite that own the Republican Party. You would have us vote for Barrack Obama, a president that is FAR to the right of Ronald Reagan, and in many instances relative to his assertions of plenary executive powers through his DOJ, he is to the right of George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney.
So in the spirit of your comment, but recognizing the irony of such, I would ask you rhetorically, "why do you align yourself with oligarchs and war criminals?".
If one doesn't align oneself with progressives, most of whom are in the majority party, one aligns himself with oligarchs and war criminals by default.
Not in a free society.
Matti, something strange just happened. I replied to ezflyer,but noticed that your reply to ezflyer ended up not in line with mine, but as if you were replying to me. Now a forum bug like that could get very messy very quickly.
I can't tell who is replying to who half the time anyway! ;)
I wonder...if we donate double to CD will they make a real forum interface instead of this whatever-it-is?
hue_sir_name, Matti
Hi brother! That is the way this software being setup and I do not like it, I always addresses to the writer(s) my comment with "name" of the writer.
Now going back to the topic, we are armchairs’ critics. I do understand we all have obligations to ourselves and love ones, keeping above the water and above all stay alive. I have given serious thought and decided to be with the people, at the nearest cities where nonviolence protest and not necessary Wall St. or DC. Will remains as long as I need to be there. That is the least I could do. Meanwhile, I am preparing warm clothing, sleeping bags, food and et. al for a l-o-n-g haul.
Further, anyone lives in cities where there are protests, please go even for half a day or a few days. Keep doing it and see how long can this standoff continue. Eventually it will break either us or them.
Americans’ Winter will soon be here and looking forward to “America Spring.”
You completely refuse to acknowledge the FACT the the current Democratic Party is completely owned by those oligarchs and war criminals.
"Isn't that the Republican's strategy?"
No, believe it or not the Republican party strategy is to get people to vote for their candidates, not to not vote for them.
Republicans have long and successfully stifled the black vote for example, knowing that blacks will vote for the other party. Their little game now is re-districting to achieve the same goals. Why would one help them by not voting?
This is B.S.!
Refusal to vote for the Blue or Red Party is hardly the same as not voting!
Your choosing the mosquito on the elephant route is of dubious value. Instead we must force the democratic party to fight for our goals (various as they are, unfortunately). Gays have successfully forced the democrats to move left. Progressives can do the same if they are willing to make the effort in substantial numbers. These Occupy Wall Streeters are the best thing to happen so far during the Obama Administration from the point of view of a hopeful shift to the left. We can try to keep the momentum going, or we can bitterly cry 'uncle.'
How did Oily Bomber work out for ya? Does worse than even Bush ring a bell? Yo la Basta! Enough, time to tear down the whole rotten state capitalist edifice and start rebuilding our communities on the basis of local accountable credit like credit unions, co-ops, family farms, community, gardens, etc, stick a fork in BOTH corporate finance capitalism and the Federal government than are done!
It would seem that Mayor Bloomberg is doing his best in becoming New York's equivalent to Chicago's former mayor, Richard Daley, who attempted to justify the crackdown of police against protesters during the infamous Democratic convention which took place in Chicago in 1968. Bloomberg, like Daley, seems to take great joy in seeing the police crack a few heads open when people dare to exercise their First Amendment rights which are supposed to be guaranteed to them in the U.S. Constitution.
it should be interesting when the police pension funds are wiped out by the oligarchs. Perhaps they'll figure out then their batons need to be on the heads of bankers, instead of the victims of the financial crime syndicate on wall street that are protesting.
EXACTLY!
One of two things will happen on this issue. Either the Wall Street/Koch-Bagger/DLC/Rethug powers that be will try to pull an Ohio and strip collective bargaining rights away from all public sector workers including cops, firefighters and other first responders--ensuring cops' rapid refusal to brutally crack down on Occupy Wall Street protests, OR the powers that be will try to strip collective bargaining rights away from every public sector worker except cops or except cops and fire fighters, which will shame fire fighters and, gradually, more and more cops who will gradually realize how they are being pitted against other public sector workers who used to be their union brothers and sisters.
Either way, the predominantly white, male, rich, neo-liberal/neo-conservative, over 50 powers that be are mopping themselves into a demographic and electoral corner in a country that is rapidly becoming poorer and more racially diverse.
Post your comments with ABC: /abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-across-the-country-bloomberg-calls-them-misguided/
"When asked how the NYPD would handle protests, Bloomberg said that while people have the right to protest, others also have the right “to walk down the street unmolested.”: Mayor Billionaire, WHO the hell is "molesting" the "others"?? This forked tongue speech reminds me of the nonesense of "right-to-work-" laws, the "job creators", "government takeover of health care" and on, and on.
Something is dying here
among the shuttered strip malls
and vacant houses lawns
reclaimed by wildflowers and ragweed
The smell of the earth burning not so far away
permeates the torpid misery of summer
between depressions tropical
and economic as
thunderheads of anger build
Something is being born here
overdue but stirring
in the dense disillusionment
and desperation of the unemployed
and soon to be --
A rumbling in the distance
becoming louder
a storm gathering --
the yet fragile promise of
a new season.
-- Al Markowitz
from the Blue Collar Review
Please consider signing and sharing the draft of a new constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics, at www.getmoneyout.com/.
P.S. Speaking of banking and corporate 'influences', did you know that insider trading is legal in Congress? http://www.cnbc.com/id/43471561/Congressional_Trading_on_Advance_Info_Not_Illegal_SEC
Keep up the courageous, non-violent work in the fight for our lives and future generations who have a right to a bright future.
[ Bloomberg said that while people have the right to protest, others also have the right “to walk down the street unmolested.” ]
But you can forget about engaging in peaceful protest unmolested. I guess it's one or the other.
“The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 to $50,000 a year who are struggling to make ends meet. That’s the bottom line,” Bloomberg said.
So this clown cannot tell the difference between Tea Party protesters and the Occupy Wall Street protesters? And he made billions of dollars as a capitalist? So I guess getting rich in the USA does just take mendacity, aggression, a total lack of morals, and luck, and does not require brains at all. Thanks for clearing that up, mayor!
So this clown cannot tell the difference between Tea Party protesters and the Occupy Wall Street protesters?--kivals
yes! we are the consumer class. we all look alike to them.
Mayor Bloomberg is a paradigmatic example of the rich and powerful (a) buying their positions of leadership, and (b) being clueless. He proclaims that the protesters are against those making 40,000 or 50,000 dollars a year. No, Mayor Bloomberg is against those making 40 of 50 thousand a year. And he is among those who are stealing the rest of us blind. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but we're on to you and your phony messages.
Lets all check our local listings for a demonstration near us! It is time.
Checking the points on the big red America covered by those little white dots up in the corner of the page is amazing to see what's going on in all those little dots. This is as good or better than when the teabaggers started showing up all over the country.
Looks like it's occuring in the big cities first, but I'm sure it'll end up moving into the small towns. It gives me goosebumps seeing all the participation in this movement.