Chomsky: Occupy Wall Street "Has Created Something That Didn’t Really Exist" in U.S. — Solidarity. Rolling Jubilee. City's ban on Occupy Austin ruled unconstitutional. Activist Austin Guest dances to music during a protest. (Reuters / Andrew Burton) A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the City of Austin violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution when it banned Occupy protesters from attending demonstrations in a public park last year.
Federal District Judge Lee Yeakel issued a decision on Thursday condemning the city’s handling of the Occupy Austin protests that began last autumn (. pdf ). Bulletins the city circulated among protesters last year that ordered them to vacate or face criminal charges were unconstitutional, Judge Yeakel wrote, arguing that the public plaza that was occupied during the demonstrations has always been intended to host open discussion and debate, and the city’s attempts to remove protesters by issuing warnings violated their First Amendment freedoms.
Judge Yeakel wrote this week. the judge writes. the judge adds. Occupy Wall Street. Violent Femmes' Brian Ritchie interviewed about #GlobalNOISE. IA goes experimental – after an introduction by artist and Occupy Melbourne activist Carl Scrase – with a Facebook interview between Scrase and Brian Ritchie, former bass player for the Violent Femmes and now Australian citizen. Here, they discuss the “potential for #GlobalNOISE to be the first worldwide sound art piece and the possibilities that creates for human cognition and evolution”. Art, empathy and direct democracy Before Occupy began, I had two ‘art’ projects I was working on. One was the Empathy Virus the other was the We Make Us Collective. Both were attempts to see how we may better sculpt social interactions and what role co-creation plays in the ability to empathise with others. I was attracted to Occupy because it looked a lot like what I imagined these art projects might one day manifest into.
There is a great paper, written in 2008 by Dr Malcolm Miles, entitled ‘Society As a Work of Art’. Brian Ritchie interviewed on Facebook. Austin police occupy Occupy | Focal Point. Home > Focal Point > Archives > 2012 > August > 31 > Entry By Tony Plohetski | Friday, August 31, 2012, 10:03 AM Soon after Occupy Austin protesters began their months-long demonstration at City Hall last fall, Austin police officials assigned at least three undercover officers to infiltrate the group to gather intelligence on any plan that might break the law. The officers camped with other participants in the movement, went to rallies and attended strategy meetings with Occupy Austin members. But police also may have crossed a fine line in undercover police work: They helped plan and manufacture devices — often called “lock boxes” — that allowed Occupy members to tie themselves together during a protest in Houston, according to interviews and court records.
The use of those devices later resulted in felony charges against seven protestors by police in Houston. The officers’ work has prompted a high-level review in the Austin Police Department. More in tomorrow’s Statesman. Dropping The Shield and Bridging the Gap - Join Us 8/28/2012-9/15/2012 - Occupy Police. Dropping the shield and bridging the gap – Occupy Police will be branching out and switching our focus heavily toward opening up lines of communication between police and their communities using a centralized international social networking website that will make use of various social media outlets, daily group chats/conversations by locality, forums and (hopefully) actual community events. This website will be built by various techs over the next 4-6 months.
In the meantime we have various expenses we need to cover before moving forward with the development of such a large central website, such as hosting, domain names, website developers who can build the plugins we need to make the website work, also, we need to buy the social networking software and 2 themes for testing. We don’t usually need financial support but when we need it, we ask. We’re setting an initial goal of $500 so we can cover some of the basics we’ve listed above and get started in early September. LIVE NOW: Watch the March on the RNC. Posted 1 year ago on Aug. 27, 2012, 12:22 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt Tags: rnc, tampa Updated, 8/28: Lots more photos and video added below.
As of noon eastern, the March on the RNC has begun. The corporate media won't report on it, so follow and find livestreams on Twitter: #resistRNC #marchontheRNC #OccupyTheRNC #frnc, @OccupyRNC and @OccupyTampa. Tomorrow at 5 pm, there will be a Rally and March Against Voter Suppression at Centennial Park (1800 E. 8th Ave, Tampa), and several other actions will be held at various times during the rest of the week, including a pro-labor rally, a rally in support of reproductive rights, and various autonomous/unpermitted marches against capitalism and police brutality. Activists including the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, organizers of the Romneyville encampment in Tampa, stopping a foreclosure on Saturday Video of the March on the RNC People at Occupy Tampa for the Food Not Bombs World Gathering The Earth First!
CodePink contingent. Manhattan DA Drops Charges Against 21 Occupy Wall Street Protesters. ‘Wild Old Women’ Close San Francisco Bank Of America Branch. SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – It was a slow-moving Occupy Wall Street protest, but it was an effective one. A dozen senior citizens calling themselves “the wild old women” succeeded in closing a Bank of America branch in Bernal Heights Thursday.
The women, aged 69 to 82, who live at the senior home up Mission street from the Bernal Heights Bank of America branch, decided to hold their own protest by doing what they called a “run on the bank.” Tita Caldwell, 80, who led the charge of women with walkers and wheelchairs, said that they’re demanding the bank lower fees, pay higher taxes, and stop foreclosing on, and evicting, homeowners.
KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports: ‘Wild Old Women’ Close San Francisco Bernal Heights Bank ”We’re upset about what the banks are doing, particularly in our neighborhood and neighboring areas, in evicting people and foreclosing on their homes,” said Caldwell. The Rumors About Bill Clinton Are True.