6000 in Times Square for OWS

And it grows.  Ironically, this report is from Bloomberg News:

Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York City today culminated with a Times Square rally that drew thousands opposed to economic inequality, echoed by protests from London to Tokyo.

Participants in the month-old movement marched past a JPMorgan Chase & Co. branch early in the day to urge clients to close accounts. Twenty-four were arrested later at a Citigroup Inc. office, the police said, and about 6,000 gathered in Times Square, the organizers estimated.

Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto and other cities also saw protests, which turned violent in Rome, in what organizers called a “global day of action against Wall Street greed.” Backers say they represent “the 99 percent,” a nod to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz’s study showing the top 1 percent of Americans control 40 percent of U.S. wealth.

I did not realize that this was from a Stiglitz study. Read the rest of this post...

Times Square is now occupied

Via ThinkProgress we learn that the OccupyWallStreet folks have sent a contingent to Times Square.  You can watch a live stream here. Read the rest of this post...

Video: The people vs the regime — "I am not moving"

A very powerful short film by Corey Ogilvie (h/t an email correspondent).

Cairo comes to lower Manhattan via brilliant cross-cuts and statements by Our Betters. Beautifully edited; a signature, moving piece.

Here's a preview. Click the "Read More" link below to watch, and for more comment.

Signs of oppression when performed abroad. Rules of engagement when done at home.



The first rule of cops — they have permission (and explicit training) that allows them to do anything to acquire control, when in their sole judgement the situation warrants.

That's a lot of permission to use and abuse. Witness what everyone sees and fails to oppose, when done to the Undeserving Other. Guess what, bro; the 99% has joined the Undeserving.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but like the man said, "We are the change we have been waiting for."

Amen to that.

GP Read the rest of this post...

Pelosi cut out of key Super Committee meeting

Well, they boys all cut her out of the deficit talks earlier this year - I still don't understand how all the Democratic and Republican, congressional and White House, men got away with that one - and it seems they're doing it again. Read the rest of this post...

More video of cop clocking, bloodying, HIV positive OWS protester for no apparent reason

Reason magazine has a video from another perspective of the HIV positive Occupy Wall Street protester who was punched in the face, with no apparent provocation, by the NYPD.  The cop ended up ripping the man's earring off of his ear, with a good amount of blood everywhere - the man has subsequently come public to say that the officer should get an HIV test.  Below are screen captures from the new Reason video. It's not at all apparent why the police officer needed to punch this protester in the face. The protester doesn't appear to be putting up a fight, he's not doing anything at all.  How is this necessary force?  This photo could have been taken in Russia, the violence appears so gratuitous.  Can all these videos be wrong?

Read the rest of this post...