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Occupy movement

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The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality.

A quote from Glenn Greenwald in Salon.com on September 28, 2011 is revealing: "Does anyone really not know what the basic message is of this protest: that Wall Street is oozing corruption and criminality and its unrestrained political power — in the form of crony capitalism and ownership of political institutions — is destroying financial security for everyone else?"

Contents

[edit] Coordinated crackdown

Wonkette and Washingtonsblog.com reported that the Mayor of Oakland acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security had participated in an 18-city mayor conference call advising mayors on "how to suppress" Occupy protests.

[edit] Tactics

After a number of high profile evictions the Occupy movement is now promoting dozens of smaller actions, such as picketing the president in New York and staging sit-ins at homes marked for foreclosure.

[edit] National Defense Authorization Act

[edit] Evolution of the Occupy Movement in 2012

Here are some ways the Occupy movement is trying to evolve:

[edit] OCCUPY THE ELECTION

Many in the Occupy movement specifically reject electoral politics. Relationships with labor unions have been a mixed bag.

New Hampshire campaign events have been a target of small groups of protesters.

[edit] OCCUPY THE ECONOMY

Occupy ran a campaign urging consumers to move their money from the commercial banks to not-for-profit credit unions.

Occupy San Francisco is planning a big demonstration in that city's Financial District on Jan 20.

Some groups of protesters are trying to come up with alternative banking systems.

Others are pushing for legislation:

  • Glass-Steagall Act
  • Volcker Rule

On the West Coast, demonstrators have twice picketed at ports.

In January of 2012 George Soros predicted riots on the streets of America that will lead to a brutal clampdown that will dramatically curtail civil liberties.

[edit] OCCUPY HOUSING

In December protesters launched Occupy Our Homes.

Occupy Atlanta says it forced JPMorgan Chase to offer more generous terms.

Just before New Year's Eve, police arrested squatters in an Oakland home they were holding.

[edit] OCCUPY CYBERSPACE

The Occupy movement has been driven by social media.

The group rolled out StudioOccupy.org.

Occupydream.org aims to collect a million "statements of dreams" in advance of a march on Washington timed for Martin Luther King's birthday on January 16.

Some protesters have also begun to use "Vibe"

The use of such technology enables the movement to mobilize and organize efficiently without a top-down hierarchy.

[edit] OCCUPY REAL SPACE

Police have raided the big metropolitan camps.

Occupy DC camp in Washington's McPherson Square

Occupy Wall Street is renting office space in lower Manhattan.

Occupy Atlanta is in the top floor of a homeless shelter.

Questions about physical space have stimulated a debate within the movement.

Zuccotti Park

[edit] OCCUPY CULTURE

Protester slogans:

  • "We are the 99 percent"
  • "Whose streets? Our streets"
  • "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out"

By welcoming everyone, eschewing hierarchy, and allowing a voice to whoever shows up, the Occupy movement hopes to set an example for the rest of society.

[edit] Resources


[edit] The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund

FBI documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) reveal that from its inception, the FBI treated the Occupy movement as a potential criminal and terrorist threat [1].

[edit] Related

[edit] Related Web Sites

[edit] References