(This document will be updated as new information is made available over the next week and beyond. This is an autonomous article and reflects only this Occupiers' perspective.)
FAIR USE CLAIM not for profit
This of course is not about art, or chalk, or free speech. It is about the art, chalk, and free speech which interferes directly with the plans and continuity of those in power.
"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." -Voltaire
MSM lies against Occupy have already begun hours before Artwalk can begin:
Police Brace For ‘Occupy’ Protests Near ArtWalk In Downtown LA
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/7596379-police-brace-for-occupy-protests-near-artwalk-in-downtown-la/
“It’ll be enough where people will see officers in uniform, so
that’ll deter any major incident that would happen or individual that
would cause problems,” said LAPD Officer Christopher No.
The last
ArtWalk on July 12 was
marred by violence after police fired non-lethal weapons at protesters
who were scrawling messages in chalk on sidewalks and buildings.
Event organizer Joe Moller said he expects things to return to normal
tonight after last month’s event was hijacked by demonstrators whom he
called “self-proclaimed artists” who contribute little to society at
large.
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Comments:
-Those who have eyes know LAPD are entirely responsible for last month's police riot they are hoping people will blame upon Occupy so CCA can get rid of Occupy throughout Los Angeles.
-If 20 Occupiers can "hijack" thousands of people by using a few sticks of chalk, then society is about to fall.
-Chalking is not a major incident. The city-wide alert last month even said so.
-Police fired upon Artwalkers and locals. This was long after the arrests and brutality against the chalkers. The arrests and brutality LED to Artwalkers and locals standing up and resisting it.
-Art is art. Free expression is free expression. How does that not contribute to society at large? Does he claim the beautiful 1st Amendment chalkupy at Pershing Square is not art, or that its creation does not contribute? What does then? Sales of art, hmmmm?
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Channel 4's facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151010633836028&set=a.394414651027.171020.90240021027&type=1&theater
Tonight,
a "chalkupy" event at Pershing Square is set to coincide with the
Downtown LA Art Walk. It comes after a chalking protest during the
monthly event turned into a melee in July.
"The Art Walk was co-opted by the agitators because they knew it would guarantee an audience," the walk's director said.
Lolita Lopez will have more on the NBC4 News at 6 p.m.
Click here to read the story >>> http://4.nbcla.com/MDQyPD
---
Comments:
-POLICE turned it into a melee after hundreds of artwalkers and locals stood up and resisted LAPD brutality in the form of over a dozen violent arrests over the use of water-soluble chalk, including of messages supportive of police. There were only 20 or so Occupiers present. This does not parse with the fact of hundreds resisting the LAPD. POLICE were the only aggressors. Unless you somehow imagine children's chalk to be a weapon. (It IS, but only to those it threatens, meaning the CCA who are attempting to fully own downtown and who have stated a desire to eliminate "intelligence-based grafitti", because it can obviously tell the truth about them and their plans and Fascist influence of city hall legislation. That and their planned "Neighborhood Prosecutors", whatever the hell that means...not sinister at all.)
-The walk's director is utterly overlooking the fact that LAPD fired upon hundreds of people in violation of the apparent (unconfirmed) rules of use regarding "less-lethal" weapons, which are never to be directly aimed at bodies or more especially, heads (one passer-by was shot in the face). "Less-lethal" weapons are still just that: weapons. They can definitely kill if misused. Nice concern there for your artwalk patrons...
-And if 20 people writing with children's chalk can "agitate" the entire area into a melee, then this city is utterly doomed. Imagine if 30 or 40 had shown up.
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LAPD Vows To Arrest Chalk-Wielding Protesters At Occupy L.A.'s 'Chalk Walk' Tonight
http://laist.com/2012/08/09/permit_for_occupy_denied.php
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The day after, August 10th.
Print edition title:
Party vibe wins out at Art Walk
Online edition title:
"visit clubs",
"eat at restaurants and food trucks",
"merchants watched warily and wondered if (police) violence would again tarnish the (profits)",
"clothing store on 5th St.",
"selling clothing on 5th St.",
"Coba Gallery, as a handful of patrons"
-The article says "turn the historic core (of downtown) into a colorful festival". Chalk is colorful.
-Does not mention the misuse of potentially deadly "less-lethal" weaponry, which is not to be aimed at the head. One passer-by took a hit in the face. One was shot four times with "foam batons". One man was shot in the chest at close range, then kicked in the head by police as they arrested him. That can kill and it is not mentioned at all.
-Does not mention that LAPD created the conflict from the beginning through shoving citizens around, aggressive arrests, intimidation, saying "chalk is illegal for now"...video clearly displays people calling out in amazement as police make violent arrests for water-soluble chalk. LAPD created outrage through outrageous behavior. They should not be surprised that Artwalkers and locals, watching from above, became outraged and resisted.
-Does not challenge the heinous proposition of a "free speech zone" for Occupy within Artwalk.
-"They also talked about what, exactly, the Occupy protest was all about." Is it just me or does this imply that Occupy itself does not know? Because the single quote they printed is highly important but is not expanded into its desperate details such as homelessness for the young who have degrees but cannot find work, and it also might imply there were no more "meaningful" answers given such as ending Citizens United to remove unlimited money from elections and politics, re-instating Glass-Steagall to reel in the banksters, etc. I know Ryan and he's always extremely well-spoken and articulate, so this one quote from him leads me to believe that more was said but was not printed.
And most especially the part about Citizens United, and money and corporations controlling/influencing the state. Because that's Fascism as defined by Benito Mussolini, and this is exactly what CCA are doing.
-Much of what is important is in the second half of this article. Do people these days read the first few paragraphs and believe they have the entire story, and does media take advantage of this?
-The stated heavy police presence and its stated negative effect upon business is obviously contradictory to the printed article's title: "Party vibe wins out at Artwalk". Quotes, if they do not appear in the online article:
"...Jacky Herrera complained that all the police had sucked the energy from the typically jovial event. 'I think it hinders a lot of folks from coming out,' she said of the police presence. 'It definitely slows the traffic down.'"
So the CCA and LAPD are responsible for this problem, not Occupy, not chalk. CHALK!
-There is something in there about Occupiers stealing shirts from a vendor. This is the first I've heard of it and I'm calling bullshit. Downtown is also home to thousands of homeless people too, in desperate need. And Occupy feeds them at Pershing Square.
-It is not stated that Occupy has attended Artwalk since Occupy began, and the the arrests and brutality and obvious targeting began shortly after Occupy began camping nightly on the doorstep of the CCA at 626 Wilshire.
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Last month after riot police attacked Artwalk over chalk, city "authorities" had this to say:
But now we have this:
-Last month far less than this justified riot police shooting passers-by in the face with "less-lethal" rounds?
-This month it's free speech and not "criminal behavior"?
-Does it have anything to do with it not directly interfering with CCA's financial investments/power structure/plans for owning more of downtown?
-Will they have the city spray-paint over it like they did the water-soluble chalk from last month's Artwalk (LA Times front page picture; see what they've done and what we have to do about it! The humanity!)
Owing to the CCA-sponsored "safer cities initiative" and other business-oriented influence over police numbers on Skid Row and their obvious influence over LA Times and DTLA "News", I also cannot believe LAPD are able to act independently of their influence and agenda. There likely can be no "peace" between those seeking an end to Fascism in our city, and those who are the Fascists (CCA). So long as those seeking this end are actively and even violently prevented from speaking this truth in various forms, it will not be peace. Peace will be the elimination of the so-called "shirts" who are private Corporate security roving OUR streets. Peace will be the elimination of Corporate influence in city hall. Peace will be the elimination of such obvious control where none is needed, where it interferes with the people of this city. All of them, regardless of income level or address or lack of address.When their policy against "intelligence-based graffiti" results in aggressive arrests and riot police, over water-soluble chalk, something must change, and it is not the chalk.
Again, the CCA obviously cannot tolerate whatsoever any threat to their establishment and plans. Part of the reason for Artwalk is to get money to change hands. This is all over the August 10th LA Times article. But freedom isn't about money; money can be the enemy of freedom when its interests are deemed to be more important. With CCA's plan against "intelligence-based graffiti" (and even the sinister "Neighborhood Prosecutors") and their corporate security patrols throughout downtown, and their direct and bragged-about influence of city hall in favor of corporate-friendly legislation, money is obviously more important than freedom.
LAPD may believe that they have allowed something better to occur. This is entirely countered by their exceeding presence at Artwalk, obviously intent as yesterday's article stated, vowing to make arrests, and obviously to escalate again into a police riot should they not get their way. Allowing would mean to allow "intelligence-based graffiti" at Artwalk without heavy police presence, arrests, intimidation, brutality, less-lethal weaponry...it means staying away and allowing. It's chalk. Water-soluble children's sidewalk chalk. A low-pressure garden hose obliterates it instantly. If chalkers get out of perceived hand, wash it off with a garden hose. There IS no problem, except to the CCA who cannot tolerate criticism. They need a serious time-out. There is a large difference between being free and knowing there are good public servants around to keep the peace should the need arise, and being allowed a crumb of the complete freedom righteously ours, under the dark cloud of "do what we say or else". It is as giving a prisoner a special treat; they still know they are prisoners. This is not the Stanford Experiment. A sea change is required. And is possible.
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Why are CCA afraid of children's chalk? Because of the messages it is
used to present. CCA actually call for the elimination of
"intelligence-based grafitti" in their future plans document:
http://ccala.org/downloads/DT2020legislativeprioritiesJan2012.pdf
They also talk about something they call "Neighborhood Prosecutors". Sounds Fascist.
And they always in the front rows hitting the cops with the red flag pole to intice agression and give them an excuse to charge its all staged by the cops.
So the police did start the agression.