Call to action: #OCCUPYWALLSTREET

In the past 2 days, #occupywallstreet has been tweeted over 1.3 million times! But this is all over the world, not just in New York. Get the word out to the people that can join the cause, right in Zuccotti Park!

General Assembly Minutes 9/17/11
Posted on September 17, 2011 by NYCGA

Summery:

After meeting in Zuccotti park there were mini break out assembly leading up to a the main General Assembly.
There was a discusstion about the process of the General Assembly....

Operation "Break Media Silence" (self.occupywallstreet)

submitted 4 hours ago by veganeggs

Alright people, we need to act fast to break the USA media silence about #OCCUPYWALLSTREET.

Here is what we do:

1. Research list of phone numbers for every newspaper, radio and television news in the USA

2. Post list on this thread as we collect it (start with your own city and state)

3. We CALL these people and ask them to report on #OWS

Let's get started!

EDIT: After you call, come back here and tell us you did so. Then we can keep track of how many calls it takes to get a single news report.

EDIT2: GREAT List of media outlets is here: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=111

Monday, September 19, 2011

Police have stolen the Gas for the Generator!

The Police in New York have taken the gas that was for the generator. They took it right from the Media team , located in Zuccotti Park.

http://anonymous-worldwide.blogspot.com/2011/09/police-have-stolen-gas-f...

A report from day three of #occupywallstreet

submitted 11 hours ago by lawrence1912

I just got home from #occupywallstreet (would have camped out but I gotta work early in the mornin'), and thought reddit might appreciate my observations on the much discussed protest.

When I arrived today a general assembly was going on. I was at the protest on the first day too, and must say the consensus process, which seemed slow and incapable of achieving much (to me at least) on the first day, was working beautifully. Decisions were being made quickly enough for the assembly to be effective, but everyone who wanted a chance to talk was still having their voice heard. No opinions were ignored by the tyranny of majority! Within the few hours I sat the assembly formed some sub-comitties, agreed upon tomorrow's schedule (which is hopefully already online), laid ground-rules for the occupiers like no drinking, cleaning up after ourselves, etc, as well as guidelines for marches, heard a nice speech about squashing oppressive hierarchical forms within the movement (like racism, sexism, ableism), and cheered over announcements about internet support (reddit was mentioned!) and media attention. The people's microphone (if you haven't heard, this is the occupation's impromptu sound system- one person speaks in short bits which the people around repeat as loud as they can) was a wonder to hear. After a while most of the assembly was swept away by a march, which was fucking awesome. Chants like "tax the rich feed the poor," "whose street, our street," and "we are the 99%, and so are you" rang out over the sound of music. Someone had a trumpet, someone else a clarinet, and some had real drums as well as pots and pans. At one point they were playing Bad Romance, lol. The energy was a nice mix of righteous indignation and joyous fun. Most people on the street seemed to like the message, and even some of the cops seemed to be having a good time. When the march arrived back at the plaza there was a bit of dance/chant/screaming, at which point i had to head out to catch my train.

Now a little IMHO analysis.

First off, the positive. The protesters have a lot of energy, especially considering how many of them have been sleeping not-so-peacefully outside in the cold, on the ground, in loud-ass NYC. They are clearly camped out for the long haul, and will remain until reinforcements arrive, if reinforcements arrive. Head to New york now and they'll be waiting to welcome you to the cause. They've got a good infrastructure laid out, which will only grow stronger as time goes on. And, although the police arrested a few people, the protests are 100% peaceful and orderly.

Frankly, I don't think the whole "wats ur 1fucking demand tell me right now" criticism is super legit. It's pretty obvious what the general fuel of the protest is: anger over the fact that the greed of huge banking corporations has turned the global economy to horseshit. Plus anger that those same corporations poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of almost all major politicians, who in turn let the crisis happen and then used tax money to bail the banks out, while people around the country and the world lost their homes and livelihoods. We the people were offered no bailout, but rather budget cuts and austerity measures. The demands are being discussed at the general assembly and in smaller working groups, but because they are the most important part of the movement, no one wants to rush them, just so the media can have a nice pat and dry story to report on. Complex problems require well thought out solutions, and those take more time than 3 days, sorry.

But I do have criticisms, albeit constructive. One is that they should prolly stop chanting about being the 99% when they don't make up even 1% of New York's population, let alone the country. You can't wage class warfare unless you have the whole class on your side. Get the numbers up, then up the rhetoric. Which brings me to my next point. The occupiers have only scratched the surface of trying to raise support from the marginalised groups of New York city. Marching around the financial district is great, but none of those rich people care. Go march in the South Bronx, or in the not gentrified areas of Harlem. This would not only swell their ranks, but could attract much needed racial diversity. I'm always suspicious of a bunch of white people sitting around talking about oppression. Another big criticism is that the occupants are hydrating themselves with donated Poland Springs and Nestle water bottles. Besides the fact that all water bottles are wasted plastic filled with stolen water, it seems ironic that a movement angry with large capitalist corporations is asking people to donate large amounts of goods purchased from said corporations. And, while donated pizza is delicious and filling, people will only donate for so long. If they plan to keep up the occupation, the general assembly needs to figure out how to supply their own water (in reusable containers) and prepare their own food.

TL;DR In fact, don't read any more about #occupywallstreet. Just head down and see for yourself. Feel the love, and the indignation. Hop on board the #globalrevolution.

Day 4: At least five arrested, one may be in critical condition

Published 2011-09-20 05:01:04 UTC by OccupyWallSt

Early this morning at least five protesters were arrested by NYPD.

The first arrest was a protester who objected to the police removing a tarp that was protecting our media equipment from the rain. The police said that the tarp constituted a tent, in spite of it not being a habitat in any way. Police continued pressuring protesters with extralegal tactics, saying that a protester on a bullhorn was breaking a law. The protester refused to cease exercising his first amendment rights and was also arrested. Then the police began to indiscriminately attempt to arrest protesters, many of them unsheathed their batons, in spite of the fact that the protest remained peaceful. One of the protesters received a large gash on their leg, another lost a tooth. Multiple police tackled a protester and sat on him as he continually warned them that he was experiencing an asthma attack. One of the medics on site informed the police that they needed to call an ambulance because this was a potentially fatal circumstance. They ignored him. We have no current information on this protester, but we hope that he hasn't been murdered by the police.

We are determined to remain a peaceful protest, in spite of the brutality we have witnessed. (see video)

bec

..i'm in vancouver. i'm just trying to pass on info.

..as far as i'm concerned the occupiers have already succeeded. this may not have hit they msm but it has gone global. the longer they are out there the more it will inspire others to take action in other places. 1st there was the arab spring then europe. now into the heart of us capital. and all practising direct democracy. this is a movement in it's infancy but it is powerful.

..the police are begining to get more aggressive which means they are getting pressure to end it. because the protesters are peaceful they are finding it difficult to justify doing that. at some point they probably will go in and bust it all up. even that will be a victory for the movement.

..it would be in their best interest if individuals supported this action or actions like these but be aware this is going forward with or without it. young people are on the move and as happened with previous generations they upset the traditional ways of organizing. the broader left has been failing for a long time now. the leadership has become divided or compromised. there is a new path called direct democracy. get used to it.

Yahoo! has apologised for blocking emails that contained content about the protests currently underway in Wall Street. As reports emerged on Twitter that several Yahoo! users had difficulty sending emails as soon as they included a link to the protesters’ website occupywallstreet.org, members of the Storyful team attempted the same thing. The result? “Your message was not sent. Suspicious activity has been detected on your account.”

http://storyful.com/stories/1000008269

organized discussion forum

Posted 6 hours ago by lampfall (New York, NY)

Thanks to all at occupywallst.org!

In an effort to generate more sustained and organized online discussion we have set up a forum organized around topics at http://occupywallst.proboards.com/

Forum topics are:

*General

*Tactical Strategy and Outreach (incl. fliers for distribution)

*Occupier Needs (current needs of #libertyplaza occupiers)

*News (for conglomerating online media reports, vids, etc.)

*Spontaneous Art (ideas for art projects @ #libertyplaza)

*Technology (technical assistance, ideas, discussion)

*Global Support (messages of support from followers around the world)

*Music (volunteer to play at the plaza or post revolutionary music)

*Democracy Theory (theoretical discussions)

We advocate continued use of this forum as well, but the larger and deeper our online presence the greater reach #occupywallst will have globally and more people will find their way into the movement. Thanks!

PEACE

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Five)

Published 2011-09-22 07:51:42 UTC by OccupyWallSt

This is the fifth communiqué from the 99 percent. We are occupying Wall Street.

On September 21st, 2011, Troy Davis, an innocent man, was murdered by the state of Georgia. Troy Davis was one of the 99 percent.

Ending capital punishment is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, four of our members were arrested on baseless charges.

Ending police intimidation is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, the richest 400 Americans owned more than half of the country's population.

Ending wealth inequality is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, we determined that Yahoo lied about occupywallst.org being in spam filters.

Ending corporate censorship is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly eighty percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track.

Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing.

Ending political corruption is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of Americans did not have work.

Ending joblessness is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of America lived in poverty.

Ending poverty is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly fifty million Americans were without health insurance.

Ending health-profiteering is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, America had military bases in around one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and sixty-five countries.

Ending American imperialism is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, America was at war with the world.

Ending war is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, we stood in solidarity with Madrid, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Madison, Toronto, London, Athens, Sydney, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Milan, Amsterdam, Algiers, Tel Aviv, Portland and Chicago. Soon we will stand with Phoenix, Montreal, Cleveland and Atlanta. We're still here. We are growing. We intend to stay until we see movements toward real change in our country and the world.

You have fought all the wars. You have worked for all the bosses. You have wandered over all the countries. Have you harvested the fruits of your labors, the price of your victories? Does the past comfort you? Does the present smile on you? Does the future promise you anything? Have you found a piece of land where you can live like a human being and die like a human being? On these questions, on this argument, and on this theme, the struggle for existence, the people will speak. Join us.

We speak as one. All of our decisions, from our choice to march on Wall Street to our decision to continue occupying Liberty Square, were decided through a consensus based process by the group, for the group.

From the Show
Will Bunch, author of ‘The Backlash,’ on mainstream media’s failure to cover Wall Street protests

http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/will-bunch-author-of-the-backl...

Occupy Wall Street: the protesters speak

The anti-capitalist protesters who have set up camp in lower Manhattan are becoming a fixture of the area

Casey O'Neill had no regrets. He had travelled thousands of miles across the country – and gave up a well-paying job as a data manager in California – to sleep rough in a downtown Manhattan public square, enduring rain and increasingly chilly nights. Police keep a close eye on him every day....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/sep/21/occupy-wall-street-prot...