Displaying 421 To 450 Of 3,333 Comments Good morning, Planeteers! It’s very early here, 6am on the east coast and I can’t go back to sleep. I signed up to receive updates from protesters who are writing a kind of diary and received this yesterday. It gives us a little more perspective about what happened in Oakland. ” Wednesday, October 26th Chants of “Whose streets? Our Streets!” ring out from nearly a thousand My morning started by witnessing a man attempt to retrieve his tent from Now, the crowd marches back to the plaza. Fueled by stories of injured “I hereby declare this an unlawful assembly,” one police officer with a But we are the people of California? Isn’t it our duty to protest insane And then, flash-bang grenades. Tear gas. Confusion and panic. What was a After three hours, the police finally clear most of the square with this With resolved hope, Jackson Raders ————————————- From what I hear this morning on the news, the police are really taking the heat for the way they escalated the violence. They are claiming that people were throwing rocks and bottles at them…awwwww! Cops in full riot gear should be able to handle that, don’t you think? At least, there is a great video showing the cop throwing the flash-bang device when protesters were trying to rescue Scott Olson from the street. Let’s hope the OPD does something to get officers like this off their force! Shame on them! Meanwhile, an Iraqi vet lies in critical condition in the hospital, the victim of police brutality! WOW! Only in the Corporate States of America! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 27, 2011 @ 3:23 am Cher, how did you get Oakland? Mine would not load. What stream are you watching? » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 7:16 pm I’ve been checking around the live-streaming sites to see what was happening in Oakland. I happened to find the New York City OWS! WOW! It is a huge demonstration! The largest I think I’ve personally seen so far! Here’s the link to NYC: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shaman-rawb-tv#utm_campaign=t.co&utm_source=7656805&utm_medium=social » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 7:03 pm Thanks, Kalima! I hope and pray you are right! This could be a turning point for the movement, and I just want it to turn in the right direction! No violence! Secretly, I’m a bad anarchist and would love to see some bashed-in windows and burning bank buildings. But I know that this would accomplish nothing good. I don’t want to see anyone else hurt! Violence would only damage the public opinion of the movement which has pretty high approval here in the States. You are totally correct about those corporate whores! They are so transparent! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 6:46 pm Just FYI… Ed Schultz is reporting the “riots” and is sympathetic to the protesters. He just played a statement by the mayor…pretty pathetic! Big Eddie is raising hell about this! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 5:11 pm Kalima, how ironic that the press in the UK prints this story, but there has been nothing here in the US. At this point, 8pm on the east coast of the US, Ed Schultz on MSNBC is reporting about the young man who was hurt. They are showing video of him being carried by his friends and other protesters. He has obviously been hurt very badly! The riots are continuing tonight! I am fearful that this will change the atmosphere of all the protests! Just a few out-of-control cops can do a lot of damage! MSNBC is also reporting on arrests in Atlanta, Georgia. The protests there were peaceful, but the police moved in and started arresting people for no apparent reason. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 5:04 pm KT, they’re probably all just FBI-wannabe’s, like a lot of the red-neck cops in this area! They love to show off in front of their buddies and be the tough guy! They thrive on this stuff! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:35 pm Thanks, Bito! I have just sent a rather scathing email to Dylan Ratigan for that coverage today. Nobody has mentioned Scott Olson! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:33 pm Khirad, I’m sure Bill Ayers had something to do with it too! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:10 pm Cher, did you notice the headline below the picture? “Wearing out their welcome”??? I didn’t know you had to have an invitation or permission to protest and exercise your free speech in this country!!! I have a feeling that this is about to get very ugly! I certainly hope not, but it looks that way to me. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:06 pm Cher, I hope so! This young man may be permanently disabled by this injury! What a great way to treat a vet!! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:03 pm Bito, you’re exactly right! That’s exactly what the insurgents have been doing in Iraq all these years. When our guys get hit, they lay in wait until someone comes to help and then set off another IED! I see no difference here! I am so angry!!! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:02 pm Sue, the City of Oakland is going to owe him a lot more than an apology and payment of his hospital bill! There are so many videos of the protesters and the onset of the violence by the police that they are going to have a hard time defending their actions against the demonstrators. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 4:00 pm KT, I’m worried about the same thing. Once this kind of thing starts, it will only take a little spark in another Occupy site for it to happen again. As you say, the protesters need to be wearing helmets, at least a bike helmet that would afford a little protection. The Oakland mayor and the police department had better be careful! The whole world is watching and will be quick to pass judgement on them! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 3:58 pm Bito, I have had MSNBC on all day in the background. I heard Ratigan’s little snide crap about the PR for the 99% movement! That p*ssed me off…but this story has my hair on fire! This has not been reported on the news! I wonder if anyone will pick up the story tonight! This is outrageous! How can this be happening in the United States of America??? It takes quite a blow to the head to cause a skull fracture! Rubber bullets?? I have doubts about that. Sounds more like an out of control cop with a billy-club!! B*stards!! I am so angry right now! Thanks for posting this. If you get any further information about the young man’s condition, please be sure to post it for us. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 3:30 pm Adlib, spot on! You know I’ve supported his petition drive to get the money out of Congress in spite of some of his positions with some interviews as you and I have discussed. But today, Ratigan went over the line, IMO! He really p*ssed me off with that comment! He is definitely on the wrong side of this issue. I intend to email his show to let them them know how I feel about it! When the police showed up in full riot gear with their clubs out and in the ready position and started announcing that “chemical agents” would be used, I could not see any protesters doing anything to warrant being fired upon. “Taunting” the police should not be a reason for them to use tear gas. That’s ridiculous! They should be ashamed of themselves! As for Ratigan, what an asshat!! Grrrr! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 3:24 pm Khirad, god, they hate that ACORN! It’s almost comical to see FUX come out against an organization that has been completely disbanded. The fact that the people in ACORN have been participating in other causes should come as no surprise to anyone. What were they supposed to do after Congress cut off funds to ACORN…just disappear into the woodwork?? Thanks for posting! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 9:32 am Kes, that’s terrible! Burglary and theft? I’m trying to figure out exactly what they WILL respond to. Oh, I forgot…peaceful demonstrators present such an awful threat to the community! What a crock! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 9:27 am Adlib, a “coordinated attack”??? WTF??? That’s absolutely horrible! I am appalled! If there was any question about our freedom of speech being under attack, this should clear it up! And just when corporations are given theirs!! Snark!! I am encouraged that so many videos of the attack were made as it was happening. This is something that the corporate-controlled media cannot deny! I’m sure they will try. The police have not gotten the memo…they will be filmed! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 9:20 am Good morning, Adlib! I am sorry to see this happening. One of the things that has made the NYC protests so popular has been the non-violence. People in general respect that. If one thinks about the Oakland OWS, why would the protesters suddenly, after all this time, begin to “riot” if not provoked? Especially in the middle of the night? The New York City OWS was just an after-thought in the media until that police detective pepper-sprayed those women. That once incident did as much to stoke up the protests as anything else did, and it insured media coverage. This police brutality in Oakland is only going to have the same effect, IMO. Their crackdown is only going to galvanize the protesters! I don’t want to see anyone hurt, but if this is needed to show police brutality, then so be it. The mayor has definitely taken the low road! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 26, 2011 @ 7:16 am Cher, but…but…but what about those nasty swastika/hashtags??? 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 10:25 am Cher, EXCELLENT!! Thanks for posting this! I’d love to see this on the front page of every newspaper and every blog in the country! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 10:23 am Hi truth! Thanks so much for posting this article! Very interesting! “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.” Funny how those same names keep cropping up! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 10:10 am Hi javaz! I watched this interview yesterday morning, along with the customary nausea and vomiting! I think it’s ironic that Roemer changed his party affiliation and now, the repugs won’t even let him into the debates. Nice way to treat a colleague! I would, however, have to agree with him about the corruption. He just won’t get much traction from his friends who benefit so much from it. He treads on some pretty thin ice with the corporate pawns. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 10:01 am Hi Kes! I’ve wondered about the same thing. Of course, he was like Walker in Wisconsin. He talked a good game but never said he was going to bust the unions. Remember, too, that the Dems sat on their comfy sofas last time and didn’t turn out at the polls. We can all see how great that turned out all over the country! 🙁 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 10:40 pm Javaz, thanks for posting this. I went to the “We are the 99%” site and read many of the stories there. One of the over-riding themes of these stories was student debt. The numbers were staggering! Some of these kids will never get their debt paid off. BTW, I heard several days ago of a plan being proposed to forgive student debt nationally. This would certainly be a stimulus to the economy, but I would think it wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance of passing. I don’t know where I read it, but perhaps others here have more information about it. Just FYI… » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 5:12 am You tell ’em, CL! This is great news! I just wish they could recall Kasich like Wisconsin is doing to Walker! Oh well, I guess we can’t have everything! But this should put a big crimp in Kasich’s style! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 5:06 am Thanks, Adlib! I knew that we were really on the same page. Ratigan is not important in the grand scheme of things! Now, I’ve got to go. Have an appt. for brain scan to find out why I have had a headache for over a month without stopping! It’s been pretty bad. Keep your fingers crossed for me! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 18, 2011 @ 8:59 am Bito, I am so glad you posted this! I saw it on TV last night and was amazed! This man is the hero, for sure! The faces of the cops were priceless…they all looked like deer in the headlights! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 18, 2011 @ 8:39 am Hi e’cat! As I told Adlib below, I could really care less about Ratigan. It’s the issue that is most important. Anything that will bring it into the spotlight is fine by me. When I posted this petition, I really was most interested in the history of Constitutional admendments. I thought that others might like the history lesson too. Whether I agree with Ratigan or not on his personal politics is irrelevant. IMO there is no harm in supporting the issue of getting dirty money out of Congress. If this petition can start the process, then it serves a good purpose. I really wouldn’t care if Godzilla’s mother sponsored the petition…I still support the idea! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 18, 2011 @ 8:27 amComments Posted By Emerald1943
Oakland, CA
protesters outside City Hall in Downtown Oakland. Standing on the street
corner, I see a peaceful but angry crowd. Tensions were already high
after police executed early morning raids; firing beanbag rounds and
tear gas at sleeping #OccupyWallStreet activists before finally
arresting nearly a hundred people.
the remains of the campground. Four police officers picked him up and
slammed him face first into the concrete right in front of my office
building. Busted and bleeding, he was cuffed and tossed into the back of
a van.
family and friends, the objective is clear. We cannot be intimidated, by
police brutality or any other means.
bullhorn says. “In the name of the people of California, I order you to
disperse. If you do not do so, you will be arrested, subjected to force,
chemical agents and possible serious injury.”
campaign finance laws? To demand concrete financial reform? To refuse to
allow our taxpayer dollars to prop up an unethical system of corporate
welfare? While all of these ideas are certainly present, in this moment,
the shouting from the crowd is more reflective of a pure, basic emotion.
The furious frustration that not only is no one listening but now they
are trying to forcibly shut us up too.
peaceful protest one second earlier now resembles a warzone. People
trip, fall, help one another up, and duct flying flash-bang grenades and
tear gas canisters that seem to be fired directly at them.
type of force. What they can’t seem to understand is that this was never
about the square. It was never about this one night. It is about a
collective effort the change the narrative to something more reflective
of what people are actually experiencing in their daily lives. It is
about cultivating the space to allow an expression to gradually and
organically develop into a movement. We aren’t there yet. But we are
going back tonight.
Downtown Oakland”
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