On Site Reporting

by Bryan

When Tsar Michael announced that Zuccotti Park would be cleared for cleaning [implying that the people in the park were DFH/slovenly pigs], Libby Liberal decided to go to the park and stand with the protestors.

She put up pair of posts at Corrente [Part 1 and Part 2] providing a first hand account of what was going on there.

It is worth the read for it’s own sake, but taken with Naomi Wolf’s article on her arrest, some things become very clear. One of them Naomi Wolf nails – permits are being used by the City to restrict free speech.

Libby Liberal talks about the lack of bathrooms in the area, and when she pursued it discovered that the City requires a separate permit to bring in Port-a-potties. In my area if you are building, you are required to have one on site. Actually, if you are doing almost anything that will bring together a lot of people, you have to have bathroom facilities available. The City refuses to give a permit to Occupy Wall Street. This is called ‘selective enforcement’, and it is not according to the rules.

As for hygiene, based on what Libby Liberal saw in Zuccotti Park and what Naomi Wolf saw in the NYPD holding cells, the NYPD has a lot of damn gall citing cleanliness as a problem. This is just harassment, plain and simple.

3 comments

1 Kryten42 { 10.19.11 at 11:44 pm }: I don’t have much time, so I’ll be brief.

You know what’s going to happen as well as I do. This isn’t the first time morons have tried this crap, b y far! ANyway, here’s what’s happening here FYI

Green Left Weekly, Australia’s leading socialist newspaper, reports that several thousand people mobilised across the country in solidarity with the Wall Street protests and to demonstrate against the “Aussie” “1%”. At 11 am about 750 people converged on City Square in Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD, which swelled to more than 2000 when it was joined by a previously organised demonstration in solidarity with Palestine. Tents and stalls have been set up for the indefinite occupation. Stalls have been set up by groups including: refugee support and campaign groups; equal marriage campaign groups; an Indigenous tent and a media tent for independent media groups. Trade unions, including the National Union of Workers, the Communications Workers Union Victoria and Unite with others likely to follow, have publicly supported the action.

Occupy Melbourne activist Phil Stallard addressed the assembly, explaining the significance of the movement: “We, the people, rallying in Occupy Together protests around the world are battling first and foremost for the right to life, in the face of elitist governments and corporations doing their best to depopulate this globe through machinations hardly known to the public. As one people, united, we the 99% acknowledge the reality. That the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members together with a system that protects our rights upon corruption of that system.

“A democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth. No true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come together at a time when corporations run our governments. They place profit over people, self-interest over justice and oppression over equality.

“Because our governments have failed in their responsibilities, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights and those of their neighbours.”

Socialist Alliance activist Sue Bolton told GLW: “Socialist Alliance is here because we think that it is really important that their be resistance against the control of society by the corporations. “We need to ensure that this movement continues indefinately and we need to braoden support from the trade unions.”

The Occupy Melbourne movement is set to continue to expand, so grab yourself a sleeping bag and make your way to the City Square in the CBD as soon as you can.

In Sydney, more than 1000 people gathered in Martin Place, near the Reserve Bank, Australia’s central bank. Those assembled decided to camp indefinitely. Occupy Sydney activists have been buoyed by motions of endorsement by the NSW State Council of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU)and the Canterbury-Bankstown Teachers Association, and support from a range of other progressive trade unionists, including the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). The CFMEU and MUA have each donated $1000 to assist the Occupy Sydney protest with food and other logistics.

As can be seen, even two of the largest Unions in Aus are officially supporting the movement and are helping financially and logistically. I hope this becomes a global trend. Of course, I’m sure the Unions have their own agenda’s, but for now, they coincide. 😉 Also, traditionally here, Unions tend not to rock the boat much at all when there is a Labor Gov in power. I guess they don’t think much of our Git-in-Charge either! Good. 😉 😀

There are also similar actions happening in other cities here. It’s growing quite quickly, with several groups who wouldn’t normally have much to say to each other joining forces. Nothing unites disparate groups faster than a *common enemy*, right Bryan? 😀

This is going to be a bumpy ride! Better hang on to your hat’s (as Granpa used to say. I wish he were still here, he’d be right in front waving his walking cane and calling down the wrath of the Gods!) Makes my day! 😉 😆

TTYL
2 Kryten42 { 10.19.11 at 11:50 pm }: Drats! Forgot this:

There is a vid from Occupy Sydney showing our Police are behaving *almost* as stupidly as yours:

Youtube: Police Provoke Conflict and Seize Property
3 Bryan { 10.20.11 at 12:29 am }: Good on ya – go Australian 99%

I have to stay away because of my anger issues. I won’t put up with this authoritarian crap. I had to keep my mouth shut in Spain under Franco and Greece under the Colonels, as well as several ‘less developed countries, but that phase is over.

I’ve done the job and know this bullshit isn’t necessary to control a large group. Of course, the methods I learned and used only work when your purpose is to maintain peace. When your bosses want you to terrorize the peasants for behaving independently, then you get into the aggressive stupidity. There will be backlash against harsh police tactics. The 99% will remember who supported them, and who didn’t.

Yeh, the ‘neo-liberal’ policies of Clinton, Blair et al. aren’t not as popular with real people as they are with corporations. Your Labor Party has missed a real opportunity to hold power for an extended period after Howard. They have really screwed up.