UPDATE: Here's some video from the scene this morning at around 2am. The location is about one block north of Zuccotti Park. Fair warning, some of the language may not be completely safe for work.
Producer Mike Yarvitz recently moved downtown to the Financial District and sent this dispatch from Zuccotti Park and the Occupy Wall Street raid at 2:32 am this morning:
As a new resident of the neighborhood, I just ran down there to check it out. It's a pretty wild scene. HUGE NYPD presence everywhere in the area. Every single block surrounding the stock exchange-- and Wall Street Itself-- is barricaded off right now with at least a dozen cops standing guard at each street corner, many of them mounted on police horses. When I tried to leave my now gated-community, I was told I probably wouldn't be allowed to return. After saying, "but I live here", the response was, "Doesn't matter." As I was getting up to liberty park-- or, as close as I could get-- the crowd was being forcefully driven back by the police. One protester appeared to be getting billy-clubbed on the ground while the crowd chanted, "Shame! Shame!" at the cops. From where I stood, it seemed like the cops were being pretty aggressive with their suppression tactics, at a few different points, the crowd tried yelling things at them like "you're us!", but to no avail. The protesters were trying to stay as organized as they could, at one point they seemed to attempt an iran protest-style act of non-violence by sitting down on the ground and being silent as the NYPD tried to move them north up broadway, but this tactic was abandoned pretty quickly. It's hard to overstate the amount of police in the area, broadway-- north and south of zucotti park-- was lined with dozens and dozens of paddy wagons and squad cars, and they have the entire area on complete lockdown, probably 4 blocks in every direction around the park. I left as the police were announcing-- via bullhorn-- that everyone in the area would be arrested if they didn't continue moving north. I shot some video of the scene that we can post on the blog, but given that nearly everyone there was armed with a cell phone camera, I'm sure all of that footage is about to pour in. Also, I can report that I did manage to regain entrance into my now-police state neighborhood by sneaking through a 24-hour duane reade. signing off.
Mike Yarvitz
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This sux.
BTW for those who may not know a "Duane Reade" is a pharmacy.
Thanks - that threw me.
well see some of that 4 million dollars they got from chase is working out well.
The broken and corrupt system has finally cracked down on the people highlighting their sins. What else did we expect from a city and a mayor wholly owned by Wall Street interests? There was a propaganda campaign from the start by corporate elitists and Republicans to smear Occupy as some sort of crazy movement. What about the Tea Party? Where was this sense of moral outrage at public protest when the right-wing Tea Party was doing it, and things far worse? I never saw an Occupy protester with loaded guns, or threatening public officials. http://www.sunstateactivist.org
It was less an order and more a forced eviction.
Most of the campers left before the raid, so it was only forced to the ones who stayed behind and chained themselves to trees and other moments. Similar raids have shut down camps with little confrontation in Oakland and Oregon.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think conservatives are always compelled to do the worst possible thing at the worst possible time every time the opportunity presents itself?
These images look just like book burning that took place in Germany a few years after their economy collapsed.
Peaceful Hoovervilles developed in the US at about the same time because we had no unemployment insurance at that time.
Burning books? Peaceful camps?
Which one is the right thing to let people do when the economy collapses?
The constitution provides a clue in the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
So ... who else thinks civil rights were trampled by Bloomberg?
You would almost think this kind of thing has happened often enough in the past that the constitutional framers thought people needed rules about this kind of thing.
They still have their First Amendment rights to assemble to petition. All they need to do is hire a hall to do it in, or even better get together a few hundred million bucks to hire lobbyists. The Roberts Court has been very clear that the Assembly Clause means that lobbying is Constitutionally untouchable.
It may be a while before the Court gets a chance to apply the "money is speech" doctrine to direct payments to legislators and other officials, but I'm sure that we won't have to wait all that long.
When Bloomberg and other elected leaders send in the police to clean out, arrest and prosecute banksters who brought the US and European economies to the brink of disaster...then and only then will we know that "no one is above the law"
Wall Street bankers banking on the wrong people being arrested and prosecuted by the people they own
TUE NOV 15, 2011 AT 07:28 AM PST
A media blackout on Michael Bloomberg's raid on Zuccotti Park+*
byBarbara MorrillFollow
so much for our 1st amendment rights. that`s a headline from dailyKos
This is disgusting! I think it is time for President Obama to call out the United States Military to defend those who are performing their First Amendment rights, from local governments, Police obstructionists, outside militias and any other organization that attempts to curtail our rights under the Constitution.
I'm e-mailing the President. I hope all of you will do the same with this call to action.
Yes perhaps President Obama might launch strategic air strikes or withhold federal funds against the regime as he did in Libya. Giving democracy a chance to grow in a corrupt country..
E-mailing the pres now...
Oh for God's sake - grow up.
Obama is part of the 1%. His top fundraiser, Jon Corzine bankrupted MF Global and former Goldman Sachs head is of the 1%. The occupy group should be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
@Hank, the limitless infusion of corporate money into politics has made it nearly impossible for a serious candidate to operate a competitive campaign without and against it. Even the best of them know this.
But you are correct, in that it would be constructive if occupiers would consider mass support of recent citizen actions that align with their demands, like say... a united effort for campaign finance reform.
I absolutely agree in campaign reform, congressional term limits. Latest revelation is that members of congress are immune from prosecution from insider trading and low and behold their portfolios significantly outperform the market. Average net worth of House members - $4 million, Senate $14 million. So not only are all members of congress not part of the 99% and are indeed part of the 1%. If they were not part of the 1% when they first went to DC, they lined their pockets from special interests donors - corporate money for both parties as well as union money for the dems.
This raid was inevitable. Wall Street and the locals wanted it to end but for different reasons. The local businesses were losing business and the residents were fearful of the potential for crime. All of the aforementioned wanted the eviction because the old saying "out of sight, out mind" applies. Wall Street and the banks are hoping this all goes away because they are afraid of the influence this will have on Congress. The supercommittee is watching these demonstrations and public opinion and even Republicans know that they are going to have to do tax increases. Their worst fears are that OWS and what it stands for will affect the upcoming elections. If OWS starts demonstrations at political events, it will make politicians uncomfortable as well as encourage people to voice their opinions that are similar to OWS.
I see where cantor is getting a audience of protesters every where he goes to speak, at lease the ones he dont back out of.
It will be interesting to see if OWS will interrupt republican town hall meetings like the tea party did to Democrats during health care debates.But one thing for sure the Kock machine wont be hiring busses to take them to and from the repub town halls as they did for the tea party.
I would like to see OWS, unions and senior citizens at townhalls, Republican and Dems as well as the presidential campaigns. Most everywhere Nixon went, he was greeted with demonstrations. The daily news of these demonstrations will have a powerful effect Washington.
Living in McCain (and worse yet, Quayle) country, I can tell you that getting in to their "town hall" meetings is not quite invitation-only, but you have to do some serious digging to find out in advance where they are, much less get admitted.
Just call the congressman's office to find out where the town halls are being held. It doesn't make a difference if you get inside if you have enough people outside demonstrating. The politicians can run but they can't hide; they still have to go by the demonstrators. And the worse would be a lot of old people on SS and Medicare. Who is going to call security or cops to push old people around?
Who is going to call security or cops to push old people around?
The Republicans will
What I find interesting is that bloggers on this board feel that OWS are for democrats and against republicans. They are not and OWS points out that dems are equally bought and paid for by corporations and wall street. They actually resent the infiltration of their movement by labor and the dems.
a statement from Occupy Portland OR.
Addressing government authorities, one occupy spokeswoman used the police aggression as an opportunity to refocus on the larger message of the movement:
Not for nothing, but the police do know which side of the bread is buttered. I am sure they are enjoying the overtime the OWS movement is creating no matter what their political views are. As they are fighting back the crowds they are really deciding where to go on vacation next year, and what a wonderful Christmas their families are going to have. I am pretty sure most of them don't give a rat's @ss about this movement, just racking up the OT.
I sent this e-mail to President Obama:
After the innumerable attacks by police and local governments on the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Oakland and many other sites where citizens are partaking of their Constitution Right of Peaceful Protest, I am calling on you to move our military forces in to protect these protestors from harrassment and the brutal actions taken against them.
Obviously, these officials are doing everything in their power to close down these protests. As this is a right granted to us by the Constitution of the United States, it is incumbent on our Federal Armed Forces to protect those who choose to protest the state of our country today. (I would imagine that a line of true military men would inhibit any mayor or local official from trying to physically force the protestors to leave.)
We proclaim this to be the "Land of the Free" but to be honest, these actions are more indicative of despotic regimes. As the world is watching I suggest we put our money where our mouths are. Protect the Constitutional Rights of our citizens. Immediately.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your consideration.
I hope more will join me in writing to the President in defense of our compatriots.
Dear Mr. President,
Now is not the time to try something... questionable.
With all respect,
Grandma - don't you understand that OWS is protesting against the political corruptness of wall street money on political candidates and thus Obama himself?
Obama has been the biggest recipient of wall street money in the 08 election and he will likely surpass his own record take from wall street in this upcoming election. He is not going to send in the marines to battle NYPD.
Mayor Bloomberg sent the police to arrest and prosecute the wrong people. Wall Street is just a few blocks away
I'm not sure what to make of this story, but it makes sense that this evictions are being coordinated on a national level:
http://www.examiner.com/top-news-in-minneapolis/were-occupy-crackdowns-aided-by-federal-law-enforcement-agencies
It's about time Bloomberg stood up for the peoples safety and property rights, these socialist thugs of OWS should all be arrested then forced to clean up their garbage and filth they left behind while wearing big bright orange jumpsuits with the letters OWS on their backs...that will teach them all a lesson is civil pride and not to abuse their First Amendment Rights.
Maybe the police can start beating and shooting protesters because that worked out so well during the Vietnam war protests.
Dug, you do realize that the words "use" and "abuse" have slightly different meanings, even if they have some of the same letters in them, don't you?
You can use your right to assemble and protest actions by the government. However, you cannot abuse those rights by infringing on the rights of others. The financial district in downtown Manhattan employs thousands of workers, all confined to crowded offices during working hours. Their limited time away subjects them to crowded, narrow streets with noisy truck traffic. Because of all the high risers, the sun is barely visible.
The park allowed these workers a quiet, sunny location to enjoy some peaceful time and eat their lunch, read a paper, or just sit. The protesters infringed on their right to quiet time. That is ABUSING the right to free speach
Well then, what possible significance could free speech have in the wake of the sacred right to quiet time. Even our founding fathers saw this vicious transgression occurring someday, as Jefferson defined our rights as, "life, liberty and the pursuit of nappy time."
Free speech has a value of it's own. We're free to debate its comparable value, but historically, we've found few values equal to or more significant than our right to free speech.
Shout fire in a crowded theater. There are limits. The issue is when you infringe on the rights of others. By the way, the recent court decision concurs
The "fire in a theater" limit is a reference to the specific incidents where the sanctity of life comes in conflict with the right to speak freely. It doesn't give free speech opponents the right to place any arbitrary limits on free speech, such as quiet time in the park. The right to free speech is more than the ability to say whatever people want, it's the distinguishing characteristic of human dignity, the indispensable point at the core of the individual moral agent. In situations like this, it is the annoyances and inconveniences of the speech, which force people to listen, rather than shrug off the ideas as ignorant opposition and more useless rhetoric. Behind the arguments of the protesters is a more powerful statement. During a time when real people's lives have been destroyed by the corruption of too big to be wrong banks, there are real people, flesh and blood, human beings who are are too small to succeed.
While the message may be inconvenient, if spoken by one voice it is too quiet to be heard. If written by one writer, it's too small to be seen. At the end of the day, a message like that is worth losing some quiet time.
Tom: Whose right to time in the park is more important? Or, is this another case of "money talks?
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Corporations of America,.. LOVE IT, OR LEAVE IT!
This was good enough for for Vietnam protesters!
Is there some reason that the people that lost personal property (tents, stoves, generators, etc.) that was seized by the city of New York (police department) can't file a lawsuit to recover for the loss of that property? Or, does the city of New York have some immunity? If the police can rip up your tent and cut up the tent poles on the orders of the Mayor what prevents them from coming into your home and smashing your TV because you are watching a non-approved channel? Did that have a court order that permitted the destruction of private property? Not to mention seize about 5000 books!