Protesters Have the Right to Protest … and to Resist Unlawful Arrest

Top Military Commander and Courts Support Right to Protest

In response to comments from those supporting the police crackdowns on peaceful protesters exercising their constitutional rights but violating local ordinances (see comments here), reader Purplemuse writes:
The Constitution supersedes local ordinances that are being used to OBSTRUCT 1st Amendment Rights. The camping ITSELF is in order to MAKE A STATEMENT – a First Amendment Right. Protesters are not camping because it is fun to expose yourself to the elements and hardship and you want to roast wienies and marshmallows and drink beer while swapping ghost stories.www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/protesters-have-the-right-to-protest.html

Occupy Wall Street Gets Its Generators Back

Occupy Wall Street got its confiscated generators back on Tuesday after its legal team pressed the Fire Department of New York to release them.www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-gets-its-generators-back/44701/

Living Wage Campaign: The Answer to Occupy Wall Street

AUSTIN, TX, Nov 08, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- As Americans camp out in cities across the country to protest economic inequality, Richard Troxell, a National Coalition for the Homeless board member and author of "Looking Up at the Bottom Line," ( www.HouseTheHomeless.org ), offers a goal for Occupy Wall Street.

Get people to sign the petition at www.universallivingwage.org . www.marketwatch.com/story/living-wage-campaign-the-answer-to-occupy-wall-street-2011-11-08

US Sen. Whitehouse tapping into Occupy anger

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Rhode Island's junior senator is trying to harness Occupy Wall Street anger against big banks into a legislative effort to crack down on sky-high credit card interest rates he calls "grotesque."www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/11/08/us_sen_whitehouse_tries_to_channel_anger_at_banks/

ACORN heirs deny funneling cash to Occupy Wall Street

A top Republican today tried to link the defunct community organizing group ACORN to the Occupy Wall Street movement, demanding that one of Acorn’s successors be investigated for “fraud” for allegedly raising money for other causes and giving it to the protesters.www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67793.html

Occupy Wall Street May Be Moving To L.A. For Winter

Occupy Wall Street organizer and publisher of AmpedStatus David DeGraw told a crowded tent at Occupy L.A. on Sunday night that during the harsh winter months, Los Angeles' camp is going to become the central and crucial occupation. www.neontommy.com/news/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-coming-to-los-angeles-winter

Back to the future for Occupy Wall Street: Folk stars David Crosby and Graham Nash perform at Zuccotti

Occupy Wall Street was in retro mode Tuesday with a concert by 1960s folk superstars David Crosby and Graham Nash and plans for a march on Washington.

The two graying numembers of the legendary Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young played classic protest songs for twentysomethings whose parents weren’t yet born when the songs were new.www.nydailynews.com/new-york/back-future-occupy-wall-street-folk-stars-david-crosby-graham-nash-perform-zuccotti-article-1.974568?localLinksEnabled=false

'Occupy Oakland' protesters, police standoff

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Thousands of 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters peacefully marched in the streets of Oakland on Wednesday picketing banks and disrupting operations at the nation's fifth-busiest port. Around 10:30 p.m. a group of a couple hundred protesters went into the Travelers Aid building to occupy it. For a while the crowd danced in the streets outside the building and used large dumpsters to block the road leading to the building on Telegraph and 16th, near Frank Ogawa Plaza and hung a banner saying, "Occupy Everything."abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8415827

BART cops defend release of driver that hit protester

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- BART police are responding to criticism about how they handled an accident involving a car and protesters. What BART calls 'standard procedure' seemed like favoritism to the protesters.

Cellphone video from Wednesday night shows marchers passing down Broadway at 11th Street and a Mercedes Benz trying to cross through them. It shows a protester jumping in front of the car, banging on the hood and then the driver hitting his gas, knocking down the one protester in front and another in back. Both were taken to the hospital. abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8417185

Journalist arrested while covering Oakland protest

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Late Wednesday night, there were 101 people arrested and among them was freelance journalist Susie Cagle, whose father is a cartoonist for MSNBC. ABC7 caught up with her as she was released from jail.

Cagle said she thought she did everything she was supposed to. She stayed at Frank Ogawa Plaza, but she still ended up in jail. After being cited and released on Thursday afternoon, she now wants answers as to why she was arrested. abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8418546

California nurses march in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In San Francisco, the California Nurses Association joined the Occupy movement in a planned march. They are upset with Wall Street and are calling for a special tax.

About 200 nurses marched downtown to a major bank to push one specific issue - the transaction tax. It is basically a fee charge to anyone and everyone to anyone who makes a financial trade. People call it a tax on Wall Street. abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8417694

First Amendment violations hurt us all

The decision by Milwaukee police officers Wednesday to arrest a Journal Sentinel photographer who was simply doing her job is inexcusable. BEBETO MATTHEWS — Associated Press Police arrest Occupy Wall Street protesters Thursday as they staged a sit-down at Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York.
host.madison.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_f0175410-0673-11e1-ba6e-001cc4c002e0.html

JPMorgan CEO on protesters: In general, 'they're right'

"They're right. In general, these big institutions of America let them down," he said. "That's not the same thing as to say that every bank was bad, every politician was bad. That's where I would disagree."www.vancouversun.com/business/JPMorgan+protesters+general+they+right/5654124/story.html

Amid Wall Street Protests, Smaller Banks Gain Favor

Vince Siciliano — a Birkenstock-wearing, organic food-eating, public transportation-riding sympathizer of Occupy Wall Street who earns $240,000 a year — is far from a banking baron.
But as the chief executive of New Resource Bank in San Francisco, Mr. Siciliano has managed to pull off what his bigger rivals have not: turn a profit and stay out of the line of fire.dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/amid-wall-street-protests-smaller-banks-gain-favor/

Income Gap Becomes Politicians' Latest Battleground

There's been a shift in the economic discussion in American politics. For months, the debate was focused on government spending, regulations, debt and taxes. Now there's something new: income inequality.www.npr.org/2011/11/04/142002704/income-gap-becomes-politicians-latest-battleground

Financial-Oct29 Wall Street Protest Targets Bank Headquarters

Occupy Wall Street protesters turn their attention to the New York headquarters of JP Morgan Chase bank.

The demonstrators are demanding fairer distribution of wealth after the government bailout of banks during the U.S. financial crisis.

They delivered their message in letters addressed to JP Morgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon.  

Stephen Colbert calls Occupy Wall Street 'racist' but still wants to be its 'sugar-daddy'

Some men see political movements as they are and ask, “Why?” Others, like Stephen Colbert, see political movements as a shameless promotional opportunity and ask, “Why not?” The Comedy Central faux-con took to the streets to infiltrate the Occupy Wall Street movement and ultimately to co-opt it with his SuperPac money. popwatch.ew.com/2011/11/02/colbert-occupy-wall-street/

Occupy Wall Street Gearing Up For Winter With Clothing Donations

Firedog sent out the first shipment of #OccupySupply goods—500 pairs of UFCW union-made socks—to protesters today. The group laments the loss of American textile manufacturing companies and jobs on their site, and offer effusive praise for OWS and their struggle to remain in the park despite constant underlying threat of expulsion by the city.gothamist.com/2011/11/03/occupy_wall_street_gearing_up_for_w.php

Occupy protest heading to Silverton

Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Portland, Occupy Salem, Occupy Scio (sort of). Now it's Silverton's turn.
The movement has spread from New York to the Northwest and it will hit Silverton on Saturday in the form of a rally at Town Square Park.www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20111104/NEWS/111040354/Occupy-protest-heading-Silverton?odyssey=nav|head

Elizabeth Warren's anger

There’s a lot of chatter today about this video of an unemployed man and Tea Party heckler calling Elizabeth Warren a “socialist whore” at a campaign event, all because she embraced Occupy Wall Street. But the really interesting thing here is what she took away from the episode, after spending some time thinking about it: www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/elizabeth-warrens-anger/2011/03/03/gIQAdr7EjM_blog.html