Ongoing coverage of Occupy Wall Street protest — demonstration is into its second week


This series has been updated. Please visit the latest ongoing report on the demonstration.

Despite reported police brutality to protesters at the marches in New York this weekend, the Occupy Wall Street demonstration continues and is now into its second week.  The peaceful protest, which began on September 17 as the “Day of Rage,” is a demonstration against corporate influence in government and it has grown in size.

Initially, there appeared to be a mainstream media blackout of the ongoing protest, despite the reports of mass arrests and civil violations on Saturday, September 24.  This appears to be changing.

Independent coverage is also available from the protestors themselves. Live steamed video available 24 hours a day are a source of up-to-date information.  The stream is embedded at the end of this article for your viewing convenience.

This article provides updated coverage of significant events, as reported by social media.

Saturday, September 24 – 12:04 p.m. CDT – Live Stream shows thousands of people marching to Union Square, including older people, children holding their parent's hand, college students, union people protesting for jobs, against Georgia’s execution of Troy Davis, and Wall Street. The police looked like they were corralling people, shoving them forcefully somewhere and arresting as many as them could… for what? It is unclear why police arrested them.

Saturday, September 24 – 12:15 p.m. CDT – The buzz on the Live Stream chat is that members of the Live Stream crew were some of the people arrested. There are reports that an officer punched a photographer in the face when he was trying to take pictures. This was allegedly seen on Live Stream, but the live feed is down at this time except the ticker tape below the video.

The ticker tape below the video at this time said police made 60+ arrests, including the Live Stream Media crew, at Union Square.

Saturday, September 24 – 12:33 p.m. CDT – The chat on Live Stream went wild, confirming that police arrested 60+ people. The ticker tape gives the number 212-617-8000 concerning the mass arrest.

Saturday, September 24 – 12:46 p.m. CDT – Protesters in Liberty Park got another Live Stream up. A person named Vlad is reporting from Liberty Park, saying that the police did corral 60 or more people, gassed them, and made a mass arrest of people.

Saturday, September 24 – 12:51 p.m. CDT – The police arrive at Liberty Park, telling demonstrators to take down umbrellas because "they are safety hazards." One of the protesters said demonstrators are told that they are not allowed to hold them when it is raining even. Feed went down again.

Saturday, September 24 – 5:04 p.m. CDT – Police corralled about 2000 people in Liberty Park. Someone is instructing protesters what to do if the police use tear gas for any reason. They are asking people to call 1-888-692-7233 and demand justice. At this time, they are saying the police arrested 100+ people. Pleas asking the viewers to call even President Obama, concerning what the NYPD are doing to protesters. Other numbers concerning those arrested are two different precincts: 718-520-9311 and 212-477-7411. They are trying to find where police took the various people they arrested. 1st precinct’s number is 1-888-692-7233. Some of those arrested supposedly need medical care.  Numbers can also be found on Occupy Wall Street's website.

Saturday, September 24 – 5:15 p.m. CDT – Rumour has it that an officer was receiving instructions to wait until nightfall before they make their next move on the approximately 2000 protesters they corralled in Liberty Park.

Saturday, September 24 – 6 p.m. CDT – Police surround protesters in Liberty Park, yet protesters are making plans to march on police station and demand the release of those who were arrested.  At this time, Occupy Wall Street's website states that one person arrested could possibly have a life threatening concussion.  With a request to stand with the 100 prisoners on one of their Facebook pages.

Saturday, September 24 – 7:40 p.m. CDT – Subgroup is about to march on 1st precinct, despite police surrounding Liberty Park.

Saturday, September 24 – 8:05 p.m. CDT –  A petition has been started on the White House Website asking Obama to recognize the men and women participating in Occupy Wall Street.  They need 3,015 more signatures by October 23, 2011 to reach the goal of 5000.

Here is part of what was seen on Live Stream before it went down:

Saturday September 24 – 11:04 p.m. CDT – All appears "normal" at Liberty Park so far tonight and no further reports concerning subgroup marching on 1st precinct. Some protesters who were arrested make their way back to Liberty Park to give personal reports. New York Times reports that 80 arrests today "as Financial protest moves north".

The police made scores of arrests on Saturday as hundreds of people, many of whom had been encamped in the financial district as part of a lengthy protest, marched north to Union Square. As darkness fell, large numbers of officers were deployed on streets near the encampment in Zuccotti Park, at Broadway and Liberty Street, where hundreds more people had gathered.

According to the Police Department spokes chief, they arrested the 80 protesters for "disorderly conduct by blocking vehicular and pedestrian traffic, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and, in one instance, for assault on a police officer."

Protesters stated 85 were arrested and five were sprayed with pepper spray.

Among those was Chelsea Elliott, 25, who said that she was sprayed after shouting “Why are you doing that?” as an officer arrested a protester at East 12th Street.

“I was on the ground sobbing and couldn’t breathe,” she said.

Protesters state that the financial system favours the rich and powerful.

Orange nets were set up on 12th street to box protesters in between University Plaza and Fifth Avenue. Those cuffed by police sat lined up on the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue.

Nearby, two other protesters standing handcuffed on Fifth Avenue told a reporter that they had both been arrested on sidewalks and were not aware of having broken any law.

“They put up orange nets and tried to kettle us and we started running and they started tackling random people and handcuffing them,” said Kelly Brannon, 27, of Ridgewood, Queens. “They were herding us like cattle.”

Many made their way back to Liberty Park and Patrick Bruner,a spokesman for the protesters said, “Right now we are more determined than ever that what we are doing is necessary and correct.”

New rules posted in the park now ban bike riding, sleeping bags, and camping gear.

The overwhelming size of the crowd can be seen in this video. There are at least two groups, if not more in this crowd.

September 25, 11:20 a.m. CDT – Police apparently left the protesters in Liberty Park alone overnight. The night was quiet with various people interviewed on Live Stream.

Early this morning, while some protesters were still sleeping, Mary, a mother of one of the arrested protesters, came down to encourage parents to come down and stand beside their sons and daughters. She was upset with how the police were treating our children, adding that no matter how old they get, they will still be our children.

Other people came down to give people encouragement. Chris Hedges, a writer, arrived shortly before 11 a.m. CDT. He discussed how our government and economic system is becoming totalitarian and are slowly chipping away our rights.

A spokes person for Code Pink talked to viewers on Live Stream also. Supposedly, Code Pink members have been part of Occupy Wall Street since day one.

September 25, 4:30 p.m. CDT – The Raging Grannies dropped in to sing for everyone and encourage the protesters.  According to the Grannies, who dropped by, the Raging Grannies started in Canada in 1987 and they now have groups in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia.  They are an activist group for the environment, Social Security, Bill of Rights, peace, and justice, to name only a few.  They are against corporate welfare and want good government.

The Grannies stated that some of their friends were arrested in the protest yesterday and were upset about how the police treated everyone.

From their website on the history page:

The Raging Grannies began in 1987 in Victoria, British Columbia, and quickly spread across the country. White, middle-class, educated, between the age of 52 and 67, they were anthropologist, teachers, businesswoman, counsellor, artists, homemakers, and librarian. Initially they were reacting to the threat to health and environment posed by the visit of US Navy warships and submarines in the waters surrounding Victoria, vessels that could be powered by nuclear reactors and/or equipped with nuclear arms.

They have imaginative protests that even included crashing parties and receptions.

September 25, 6:00 p.m. CDT – Occupy Wall Street makes front page of ABC news.  "Occupy Wall Street Turn Violent" reported that police used tasers and mace to control the crowd, which the protesters say makes them more determined to keep the occupation going in Lower Manhattan.

Supposedly, one person was arrested for assaulting a cop, as well as others arrested for disorderly conduct.

According to the article protesters did march on the precinct.

Last night, a group of protesters marched from Zuccotti Park to One Police Plaza and then to the 5th Precinct in Chinatown, in search of their friends who had been arrested earlier on Saturday.

“You can still leave without being arrested. Leave this corner,” police told demonstrators. But several were arrested.

Cristina Gonzalez, 25, was among those arrested last night. She spoke to ABC station WABC-TV when she called her sister from the back of a police van.

“We haven’t been charged, we don’t know what happened,” Gonzalez said. “We are at One Police Plaza, there’s 16 of us in the back of a van and we’re sweating. And there’s a man back here in who needs medical attention. He’s bleeding from his head and his handcuffs are too tight.”

The article stated that Occupy Wall Street's website claimed that the arrested protesters were locked in a van early Saturday morning, with one of them possibly having a life threatening concussion.  Supposedly, the officers were not targeting anyone with cameras, but the group claims the police arrested one for taking photographs.

Posts on the website compare the group’s efforts to those used in pro-democracy movements across the Middle East, dubbed the Arab Spring.

“On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months,” one statement says. “Like our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Iceland, we plan to use the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants.”

As has become the norm of such protests, this movement has been fueled by social media fire, with supporters taking to Twitter under the hash tag #occupywallstreet. The major hacking group Anonymous has also thrown in its support, live streaming the day’s events.

Supposedly, the group is on Fox news also.

September 25, 10:19 p.m. CDT – Just announced on Live Stream at Occupy Wall Street- Chicago is occupying the Federal Reserve at midnight tonight. Some protesters have been at the Federal Reserve in Chicago since this morning.  See video below.

Live Streaming and Images.

We will continue to report as more news, videos, and updates occur (refresh your browser for new entries to this ongoing article). You can view the Live Stream below and view pictures here.

This series has been updated. Please visit the latest ongoing report on the demonstration.

Mriana

Mriana is a humanist and the author of "A Source of Misery". She has two grown sons and raises cats. She enjoys writing, reading, science, philosophy, psychology, and other subjects. Mriana is also an animal lover, who cares for their welfare as living beings, who are part of the earth. She is a huge Star Trek fan in a little body.

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  • http://ironboltbruce.com ironboltbruce

    My Pledge of Allegiance to the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America

    I hereby openly and before God and the Kleptocracy endorse and stand ready to support the "Occupy Wall Street" event:

    https://occupywallst.org

    I also hereby reverse my previous position and guidance, and reinstate my support for the "Stop the Machine" event:

    http://october2011.org

    I recognize that in so doing I am allying myself with people who do not share all of my political beliefs, that I will be standing side-by-side in protest with those of the Far Left – including Communists, Socialists and Anarchists – as well as those of the Far Right – including Libertarians, Tea Partyists and Ron Paulists – and that their race, ethnicity and name for the Almighty may differ from mine. But politics makes for strange bedfellows, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all who join this protest agree that our Ruling Omnipotent Fascist Kleptocracy is the enemy of all Mankind.

    I ask those more closely associated with these events to consider me at their disposal to support to the limits of my resources and abilities any and all actions – including non-violent civil disobedience – aimed at toppling the Kleptocracy, exposing the truth about 9/11, repealing the Patriot Act, reversing Citizens United v. FEC, ending our perpetual wars for oil and profit, retrieving the trillions of dollars stolen from or made burden of the taxpayers, and restoring Jeffersonian Democracy and the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America.

    Lastly, I recognize that making this pledge public may have ramifications including and not limited to being placed on no-fly or other surveillance lists, and for that I say Big Brother be damned: I do this for my grandchildren, in hopes they can grow up as free citizens rather than indentured slaves.

    WILL YOU JOIN ME?

    https://occupywallst.org/signup/

  • http://www.bankreviews.org/best-savings-account-rates/ Ruth

    Isn't it the right of every citizen to let their voice be heard? Why did they have to resort to such violence.

    • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

      I don't know. If I knew the answer, maybe I wouldn't find it so disturbing. I think what the police are doing to protesters is wrong because these are not violent protesters. It gets worse, because some of those protesters were Troy Davis protesters too.

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    A few minutes ago (9:30 PST), the Live Stream had some interviews of people who went to jail.

    One, who was apparently not arrested, suggested that there were agitators in the Occupy Wall Street crowd who were violent to the police, and the police retaliated. He said about a thousand people were running down the street but once they got to Union Square, there was no leadership and the crowd disbursed, at which point the problems with the police began.

    Another was amongst a group of about 40 who were arrested, and he said once at the jail, they were treated well. Food was served and it was made clear that it would be easy to get released. He said that amongst the 40 or so that he was arrested with, a number of them were not even protesters. They happened to be on the street and were rounded up.

    • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

      As I just reported, there were several groups protesting today. However, the agitators were not Troy Davis Group either. I don't know which group was the agitators or if they were undercover officers. The live stream reported there were undercovers also.

    • http://whyweprotest.net Katie

      I saw video put out by the protesters that actually showed a big group of people charging the cops en masse, some waving stick like objects.

      This may be what is being talked about. There are many groups involved in the park, and then many groups/random people that joined the march on the way to Union Square.

  • http://www.signsforyourlife.com Jackm

    A prior comment said the following "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". This is wrong, if you ally yourself with some group based upon only their relationship with another group you don't agree with, you will also be helping to promote the ideas of other people you probably don't agree with. You need to always stand with your principles and never compromise on them. Many people have been deceived by this thought process only to be take out by that temporary ally.

  • http://whyweprotest.net Katie

    Lawyers from the park's owner just served protesters with eviction notices.

    • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

      I didn't hear that on live stream, but I did step out for a bit. What are the protesters going to do? Is it possible they could rent out a building to meet, like King and his people did? It could still be live streamed and they wouldn't have to shout themselves hoarse every day. IMHO, if they suggested to people to boycott Walmart, Bank America and other large corporation, taking their money to smaller corporations that are not worldwide and small businesses, that would be good too. They could do more than just sit-ins and marches. Using some of the the techniques of MLK Jr could be useful. If they focused on specifics, taking it one step at a time, instead of a broad agenda, it could be better and more effective. Just a thought.

      • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

        "If they focused on specifics, taking it one step at a time, instead of a broad agenda, it could be better and more effective. Just a thought."

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        I agree, Mriana. I understand broadly what the protest is about and agree with a lot of it. I am having trouble understanding what they hope to accomplish via a long demonstration in NYC. It seems to me that donations could be put to a better use by sponsoring tours across the country, with well-publicized rallies. The meetings could specifically address the wars, the Citizens United case, the Patriot Act, rigged elections and so forth, coupled with an agenda on what to do about it. A get out the vote campaign would help, too.

        • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

          I emailed me them, after Yahoo stopped the ban of emailing anything with Occupy Wall Street in it, and suggested 6 demands, for a start:

          First off, you guys ROCK! You're all doing a great job and I commend you down here in Missouri.

          I suggest these 6 demands to the protesters to request of the Fat Cats and our government officials:

          1. Tax the top 1%. Tax every penny and property of the rich with no more loopholes for the top 1% to get out of paying taxes.

          2. Unions and Jobs for the people. Unions help to get us 40 hour work weeks with better working conditions, and together with unions we can get better pay and more. Jobs, along with health care and education, will help everyone acquire their basic needs.

          3. No more war. End the war in the Middle East and the War on Drugs. Use that money to fund health care for everyone, education, and other public programs.

          4. Health care for everyone, with the health care only being between doctor and patient, including women's health care, with options for any condition with no one interfering with that option made between doctor and patient.

          5. Leave Social Security alone. We must care for our aged and infirm.

          6. Public Eduction for everyone and all loans forgiven.

          I have yet to see them put even one of those suggestions to work. Number 6 is a minor one, that could wait until the more major ones are done, but the major ones- taxing rich, unions/jobs, medical, Soc. Sec., ending wars and use that money for medical and Soc. Sec. could be a starting goal now. Those five are immediate goals needed now and would be a good start. The boycott, which I suggested in a chat, was returned with a comment of, "Mriana, it must be for the good of the people." I found that a very confusing statement, because the goal of that is for the good of the people, esp if they were to think it through.

      • http://whyweprotest.net Katie

        I just got a picture of the notice that was handed out to the protesters by lawyers for the owner. It's not exactly an eviction notice as I had been told, but it basically says that everything that is being done by the protesters is prohibited.

        Protesters have not mentioned this notice on Livestream as far as I know. I'm getting on the ground info, not just Livestream.

        http://tinypic.com/r/2egd8oh/7

        I think the problem of coming together on particular points to push is because there are multiple groups with different agendas in the park. But without specific points as Mriana points out, it makes it harder for people to understand what you are saying and to take you seriously.

        • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

          Each would need to come up with something, but I can see if they do that, there wouldn't be a show of unity. However, as you said, if they don't do that eventually, it would be harder for Wall Street or the gov to take them seriously.

          • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

            Antiwar would be one of the best places to start, as there would be support from the young and older people. The Obama and Ron Paul's supporters were generally wanting the Iraq war to end. Can you imagine if we used all the war dollars for our own infrastructure repair and maybe something like the old CCC program to clean up our forests? Tours, rallies, ongoing social media and networking, plus making politicians accountable, would be powerful.

            Deborah

        • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

          Great info, Katie…Thank you! The park probably has legitimate concerns about liability in case of accidents and people getting hurt.

          Deborah

          • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

            I heard a fragment of something about the park also being a city park, so they are still there?

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    Good for Chris Hedges! I really like him and am glad to see he showed up and gave a talk.

    Deborah

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    The singing grandmas they just showed were awesome.

    • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

      I know. It wasn't a major report, but I just could not pass up reporting on that. Those gals were great!

  • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

    Occupying the Federal Reserve could be a bold and gutsy move, more so than Wall Street.

    • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

      I heard something about that. Isn't there a lot of security there?

      • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

        Not from looking at the video above, but then again it is closed currently and locked up like Fort Knox. I'd be very surprised if they try to occupy it on the inside. Security and the police would be dragging them out in a New York minute if they tried that.

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    Appears that NBC will be there in the early morning — It's looking more and more that the media blackout is over.

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    3:15 a.m. Pacific (6:15 a.m. Eastern) on Monday, Sept. 26 – They are saying that they are surrounded by media. Also, the first incident of theft, where someone stole wallets, was reported and they are not sure how to deal with this because they do not want to throw people out. Theft may have been done by a homeless person. There are also 17 medics "on staff" now.

    • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

      Thanks I heard about that theft, but I was asleep at 5:15. I'm trying to catch up on the news about this since I went to bed last night and did what I needed to do this morning. Thinking about starting new thread since I have videos of Hedges and a visit from Immortal Technique. Not sure how many videos a page can deal with.

      • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

        You might want to start a new page, but contact me before publishing. I've set this up so that people can find what you've written.

        Deborah

        • http://www.houseofbetazed.com Mriana

          Done and it is waiting for you. That was one of the reasons I mentioned the possibility of another thread. Another reason I want a new thread is because it appears the MSM is no longer blocking out the news about it.

  • http://www.goddiscussion.com admin

    It's amazing how such a large group of strangers has organized, created a structure, etc.