Friday, March 23, 2012

Cops are poking around my posts and photostream

I can sense it like a ninja. Hello! Welcome! We are not a gang! We are not terrorists! We are your brothers and sisters so please stop hurting and profiling us! Leave us alone so we can keep working to fix the world!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

M22, Occupy Long Beach occupies a foreclosure

Occupy Long Beach and members of Occupy Los Angeles and Occupy Skid Row have occupied a fraudulent foreclosure care of our good friends Wells Fargo. There is a media table, livestreaming, food and supplies, and several beautiful tents.

A detail has been discovered which may turn the tide on this foreclosure. Tomorrow is a court date...

Update, March 26:

"Rachel lost at court today, the cops can come any minute now and kick her out. We need AS MANY people here as possible! Please come out and help us save this home!"

Update, April 10:

OLB Rachel's home sheriffs

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.409008875793765.105046.281643208530333&type=1

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=410675168960469&set=a.409008875793765.105046.281643208530333&type=1&theater




The view across the smoggy basin shows a snow-capped mountain:

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Livestream:

http://www.youstream.com/occupylbc

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DIY cellphone charger:

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Los Angeles City Hall, so very small:

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

M19: Cops brutalize OLA for protesting police brutality

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An open letter to police

You already have been, and will increasingly be given, draconian and predatory orders against Occupy. You have been told to use our strengths against us. You have been told we are a gang of some sort. You have been told we are low-level terrorists. It is a classic move, to dehumanize targeted people into The Other, someone not as human as you, in order for you to brutalize without pangs of conscience. This in and of itself should be a warning sign.

Occupy fights corruption and unfairness.

The only people afraid of Occupy are the corrupt and unfair. Please worry if you sense that your orders only benefit the corrupt and unfair. Please consider that in following increasingly draconian orders against a peaceful movement fighting corruption and unfairness, that you may be helping the corrupt and unfair to not only get away with it, but to increase this downward spiral to their benefit.

Look down the line at the effect of systematic assault upon those who seek to correct the terrible problems in this country. Does attacking Occupy reduce the chances of these problems being corrected? Why would you wish to increase the chance that the problems in the world may not be corrected? Ask your children about their fears, about the lack of jobs and the jobless rate for those in and just out of college. Ask about their increasing tuition fees (monies going into the pockets of the school's top staff), about the depth of their debt and lack of opportunity to pay it off. Ask about the foreclosure fraud issues:

San Francisco Recorder Claims 99% of LOANs contain irregularities and 84% contain VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW
http://infotofightforeclosure.com/?p=691

Short link to multiple stories:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/76vamff

And this:

"..from the WSJ on Monday:
Some of the biggest names on Wall Street are lining up to become landlords to cash-strapped Americans by bidding on pools of foreclosed properties being sold by Fannie Mae..."

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/03/20-5


Demand an Audit if you are being foreclosed upon, and tell that to anyone you know who is.

Ask your friends and neighbors if they are one paycheck away from homelessness or financial disaster.


2010: “The top 1% captured 93% of the income gains in the first year of recovery.”

http://www.truth-out.org/welcome-1-percent-recovery/1331396893


Are these problems affecting your friends and extended family?

Above all, please watch the films "Inside Job" about the banking fraud debacle and Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story". You'll see airline pilots having to go on food stamps to get by; corporations taking out life insurance policies on employees and then not paying their families; a bank's discussion of Plutocracy (kings and queens) and unfortunately, much, much more.

Here is the link to "Capitalism: A Love Story". A $2.00 charge, and you have a 30 day window in which to view it, you don't have to immediately after paying:

http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=8JRAQcTRpa4&ob=av1n&feature=mv_sr


"'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China."


Inside Job, Narrated by Matt Damon (Full Length HD) from jwrock on Vimeo.



There are cops who crave violent confrontations, and use them as badges of honor, to instill a sense of "we are more than them", of personal superiority through force and belonging to a group (read: gang) of similar others. I love you as fellow humans and hope to one day show you that you are as everyone else, and that hurting one hurts everyone, including yourself. Do your actions improve the world? Are they honorable? Is it how you would wish to be treated? Honor and esteem come from honorable and esteemable actions. What are you turning yourself into? Does anyone you love, fear you?

Occupy are fighting these problems, both directly and in actions drawing attention to them. How much worse can it become, if there is no one willing to brave a police baton or arrest, to make positive change? Why else would orders come down to stop us, if not to benefit those causing the problems?

So we're marching in the street. To call attention to the problems, and to call everyone to us in unified action against the problems, to build a better world. Please let us through. 

"You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul." -M.K. Gandhi


(I speak here only for and from myself, not for Occupy Los Angeles or the Occupy movement in general. This is an autonomous perspective/action. And I haven't even touched upon Glass-Steagall and Citizens United and ALEC and the NDAA and HR347...)


Saturday, March 17, 2012

M17, Occupy Anniversary, Cop Harassment

This is what they did to a chili-eating party. It was not a protest.

"LAPD Bruce Borihanh said, '[We] wouldn't even call them protesters. Police arrested one guy for trying to jump over the fence, three others for other things.' He said he didn't have any more details on the arrests.
'There were no help calls, no field forces were required,' said Borihanh. 'From a police department standpoint, this was nothing big.'"

http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/03/17/31676/surprise-occupy-protest-slaps-downtown-la-possible/

M17 Bullying Occupy Los Angeles jpg

Here is Mr. Bates' superb recollection and photojournal of the entire day:

http://batesimaging.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/occupy-los-angeles-m17-anniversary-festivalqueer-themed-gahrc-action/

They're using brutality on Occupy everywhere to goad us into a response which will justify them using gang initiatives against us. Which makes them the gang.

Edit: Do not miss the follow-up two days later when OLA are again brutalized by LAPD. Currently in placeholder mode as more and more is assembled. Cops screwed up AGAIN:

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/03/m19-cops-brutalize-ola-for-protesting.html

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Los Angeles. Today the cops did all the wrong things so I'm going to focus upon that. What was planned to be a short, joyous, peaceful event (12N to 4PM) was pretty much from the beginning turned into the sort of situation police seem to not be able to stop craving. They created a negative, destructive situation by being negative and destructive.

Our event page said we were leaving at 4PM. Hello? WTF? There was zero need for either police presence or interference. Let us do what we do and that's the end of it. No problems, no difficulties.

Note that just six days earlier, OLA hosted this month's Inter-Occupy event, with guests from multiple SoCal Occupations, and even some rock stars. Completely peaceful, zero problems, dozens and upon dozens of Occupiers. The big difference between Inter-Occupy and M17? Inter-Occupy was held in a public park where there were hundreds of non-Occupiers. People who would SEE the police brutality and tell their friends and families.

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/03/m11-southern-california-inter-occupy.html

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"All four men arrested today got felony charges. At least one for lynching"

"
 

One of our arrestees has a fractured arm and needs to be bailed out ASAP. Please donate!
Police were there early. We were polite and friendly and cracked jokes, at first to decent response. Does the one on the right have Captain's bars? Pretty impressive for a chili party.

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They came through and talked with us. The policeman with thick black eyeglasses on...those were a spycamera with a lens in the nosepiece, the "bridge" between lenses. Someone pointed this out to me so I got a good look up close, then asked him lightly if that was a camera... So they were covertly recording us from the first moment they showed up. While smiling and joking with us. Build that trust.

March 17 Officer Spyglasses

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And they recorded us again and again. Must have wanted us to grab for the visible camera while the "hidden" spyglass camera would capture anyone who took the bait. In other words, cops were ONLY there to cause trouble. Terrorists hate our freedom.



This officer intentionally pushed past one of us, to the point where I called out was that necessary...attempting to heat us up over injustice, unfairness...well, who then is unjust and unfair? Who is looking for trouble? If you somehow imagine we are a gang or low-level terrorists, why are YOU the ones showing up actively picking a fight? YOU are the gang. YOU are the problem. (See other cops in the distance, where they were grouping.)

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Terribly dangerous looking bunch, us. Cop with spyglasses on the far right in front of the white police van.

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And they had us remove the American flags planted in the flowerpots, saying they can't be at City Hall.

I do not overlook the obvious irony of American flags not being allowed at City Hall. 



They did walk-throughs. First photo by Ulises.

M17 Walkthrough by Ulises

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They had us take down the three or so tents we had. Even though it was obviously inclement weather. I believe the laughably-named "Safer Cities Initiative" allows tents to stay up in obviously inclement weather?

They had us clear the locked gate not used on weekends.

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And stood there, and recorded us.

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And stood there and recorded us (officer spyglasses):

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This was pretty much the mood of the thing, no problems:



There was absolutely no need for police, there was absolutely no need to come and pick a fight.

They needed us to take down the tents, we didn't like it but did. That's an awful lot of cops for a tent or two, know what I mean? And officer Spyglasses had his hand on his pistol. There is something terribly wrong in this country.





Arrests: Please note police are blocking the very gates they'd earlier demanded we clear.
Video by

3:07 One Occupier, who was simply grabbed, being rushed into the street by multiple cops.

4:44, "That guy (cop)  right there (above, with the plastic-covered hat and camera) was pushing people from the very beginning..." I certainly saw him shove into and past Anthony! 



And here are more arrests and ugliness. .
At 0:17 and 0:31, are they hitting him? Bet that doesn't show up in any police reports!
1:45, more police arrive.
2:40, one of us is violently arrested.
4:56 police shove a young lady.
6:32, view of the long, long line of cops. That's a lot of cops, for what? Flags and tents? Or was the vegan chili the terrorist you were after? We genuinely offered you some...



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Ulises' photo of a green "less-lethal" shotgun. Same sort of weapon which nearly killed Scott Olsen in Oakland. You brought a shotgun to a chili-eating party. And standing much closer to us than the cop who nearly killed Scott Olsen. Batesimaging.wordpress.com has a few pics of the gunner smiling a twisted grin.

M17 Ulises good shotgun pic

Occupy LA - M17 - After violence, member of media says to cops: 'This is bad, you guys blew it' 
(from OccupyFreedomLA's livestream)




Via Sam Slovick:

"LAPD’s Bruce Borihanh’s unfortunate tone on KPCC’s web page is a window into the sentiment of LA law enforcement with regard to young citizens who take their First Amendment rights to the streets; '[We] wouldn’t even call them protesters. Police arrested one guy for trying to jump over the fence, three others for other things.' He said he didn’t have any more details on the arrests. 'There were no help calls, no field forces were required,' said Borihanh. 'From a police department standpoint, this was nothing big.'"

Oh, there WERE calls for help. From us, to be free of you!

(Thanks always to Food Not Bombs for the great stuff! Keep up the excellent work!)

We then tore down and marched to the police station where our friends were being held.

When we got to the police station at 5th and Hall, several local folk had joined us. Cops were lined up in riot gear.

That march ended up at the planned Queer Affinity Group march against the Human Rights Coalition dinner honoring a Goldman Sachs executive...!

Photos by Damon, link to the collection at the end:

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After the police station, the march paused momentarily.




On to the HRC protest!

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Cop taking photos of the HRC action:

M17 Taking photos of the HRC action


HRC Dump Goldman Sachs! 3/17/12 ACTION with Occupy Los Angeles Queer Affinity Group, GetEQUAL and OUT and Occupy from John Waiblinger on Vimeo.



Brian's pics:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2864956665765.2120428.1315217726&type=3

Allan's huge collection of pics through the entire day, including the police station standoff:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3116076498928.2135467.1174925630&type=3

Damon's photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/sets/72157629617053243/

Here is Jeff Kloy's livestream of the HRC event, starts at 1 hour 38 minutes or so, you can move the marker there and play.



Video streaming by Ustream



Jeff Kloy and OccupyFreedomLA did livestreams!

LAPD – POLICE VIOLENCE AT OCCUPY LA: M-17 (VIDEO)

Warning: This site may temporarily have a virus!

http://samslovick.com/occupy-la/lapd-police-violence-at-occupy-la-m-17-video/ 

Arrests made at Occupy event downtown

http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/03/17/31676/surprise-occupy-protest-slaps-downtown-la-possible/ 

 

 

Tags: Villaraigosa Trutanich LAPD Police Brutality

 



Monday, March 12, 2012

M11 Southern California Inter-Occupy Gathering

Welcome to all SoCal Occupations! Here's hoping you had a blast; looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!

Video of a walk-through of the event and all there was to see:



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There was a silk-screening station:

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Self-serve:

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And plenty of great Vegan food:

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Was it good? YES!

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Livestream Teach-in:

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Thank you for the rock and roll!

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Video by Tony McGrath:



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Unobstructed view:

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GEDC0786 For Alex

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Patti's collection:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150569954422093.368745.697717092&type=3

Brian's photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2836808122069.2119818.1315217726&type=1

Occupy General Strike's photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.250222995069627.58418.185807734844487&type=1

Allan's photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3085506614700.2134807.1174925630&type=3