Last Night's Toll: 150 Protesters, 80 Police, 10 Arrested, One Very Jubilant Santa

Last night's events at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle marked an emotional evening of arrests, outrage, and support for the peaceful demonstrators that camped in the park.

I was on-scene with the rest of the #OccupySeattle demonstrators and actually lent my laptop and reporting to the Livestream effort to document the events that occurred.  At the peak of our viewership, 2500 people from around the world were watching our Livestream.

Much like the night before, the Transit Station closed at 10:00 PM and 20 minutes later the police moved in to make arrests.  Their target was a Sukkah (a Jewish religious structure in observance of Sukkot) that had been erected in defiance of direction from City Hall and the SPD.  Circling the tent with linked arms were 10 protesters attempting to prevent police from removing their Sukkah, while inside the structure 5 people were also circled, linking their arms.

The crowd erupted into chants of "This is what oppression looks like!" as the police erected a barricade of bicycles and bodies between the main group of protesters and the Sukkah.  The outer ring of linked protesters were removed and arrested by the SPD while the Park Rangers tore down the Sukkot tent with demonstrators still inside.  


The crowd waited for another half an hour for the police to decide whether they were arresting the interior occupants of the tent, and in the video below (which is somewhat dark), you can see the five protesters remaining in the center of a ring of police officers, linked tight, smiling and laughing.  One was wearing a Santa cap (I believe his name is Santos?  Not sure).  You can hear me in the background narrating for the Livestream.


Thanks to Sven Straatveit for video.  

Finally, the police gave up, at approximately 11:30 PM.  They left without arresting the remaining five, and Protester Santa led the crowd in jubilant shouts of triumph as #OccupySeattle declared victory.

Last night's media effort on the part of the Livestream crew and citizen journalists was hampered by difficulties related to limited power sources (the police turn off the power in the square before beginning their raid) and spotty internet coverage.  There will likely be more actions tonight, and anyone with a Wi-Fi Hotspot or other resources that can help our documentation of events is much appreciated.

This Fool Just Doesn't Know When To Stop

Because he hasn't taken enough of a beating from the LGBT community over his anti-gay ridiculousness, failed Senator and Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum suggested Tuesday that gays were at fault for the destruction of the US economy.

In remarks during Tuesday's Bloomberg debate on the economy, Santorum said the economy suffers when the family is in trouble. 

“[T]he biggest problem with poverty in America, and we don't talk about here, because it's an economic discussion – and that is the breakdown of the American family,” said Santorum. 

“You want to look at the poverty rate among families that have two – that have a husband and wife working in them? It's 5 percent today. A family that's headed by one person? It's 30 percent today. We need to do something, we need to talk about economics. The home – the word 'home' in Greek is the basis of the word 'economy.' It is the foundation of our country. We need to have a policy that supports families, that encourages marriage.” 

In the spin room after the debate, Santorum told a small scrum of reporters: “As I said, economy … starts at the home, starts with the family, it is the first economy, and if that economy breaks down the overall economy can't succeed.”

I'm headed down to talk with the 99% at Westlake Park in a few.  I'm sure they'll be VERY interested to hear that my love of manflesh is what is preventing them from getting a job and having a quality, affordable education.  

Also:  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

Occupy Wall Street To Go Global

Saturday has events planned that, should they be successful, will catapult the #OccupyWallStreet and similar movements onto the global stage in a worldwide show of solidarity for the working class.

The #GlobalChange event is scheduled to take place in over 650 cities worldwide and has been explicitly endorsed by the organizers of #OccupyWallStreet, signaling a rush of similar events to take place on October 15th.

Its goal is stated to be a clear message to the powerful minority of wealthy people that fouling the environment and bankrupting our nations is no longer a tenable option to the people of the world:

From America to Asia, from Africa to Europe, people are rising up to claim their rights and demand a true democracy. Now it is time for all of us to join in a global non violent protest. 

The ruling powers work for the benefit of just a few, ignoring the will of the vast majority and the human and environmental price we all have to pay. This intolerable situation must end. 

United in one voice, we will let politicians, and the financial elites they serve, know it is up to us, the people, to decide our future. We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us.

#OccupySeattle is joining the worldwide event with a rally scheduled at 12 PM.  The day's agenda will continue well into the evening, with the occupiers of Westlake defiantly calling for a "Night of 500 Tents," an event clearly planned to assert the demonstrator's right to camp in Seattle's financial district.  Until now, arrests have been infrequent and this appears to have bolstered protesters' confidence in their right to demonstrate at the park, even though the Mayor and the SPD have been adamant that protesters cannot camp overnight in the busiest shopping district in the city.

No word has reportedly come from City Hall commenting on Saturday's planned events.  More updates as they come.  

"I'm Getting Arrested!" App Hits Digital Shelves

Apropos to recent events, one enterprising and social-justice minded app creator has whipped up an app, available to Android phones, that informs a preset list of contacts that you have been slapped in the clink:

Enter I'm Getting Arrested, a creative Android app that, according to developer Quadrant 2, was inspired by a similar incident. It lets you quickly notify your family, friends, and crack legal team (if you have one) of your situation with a single tap of your finger. Just initially enter a custom message and some SMS-ready numbers to contact in the event of your arrest. Then, as you're about to be corralled into the back of a squad car, fire the app up and long-press the bull's-eye for 2 seconds. From there, you can rest assured that your message will be sent to the appropriate contacts.

I think it's funny that police are still using radio-based police scanners and handcuffs, while protesters and civilians are running circles around them with the available cell and computer technologies.  Who's Big Brother now?  I vote for the 99%.  

Openly Gay Soldier Runs For Colorado House

Since Don't Ask, Don't Tell's repeal, thousands have gay soldiers and veterans have come out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.  It was only a matter of time until one ran for office, and one Colorado veteran has announced a bid for a seat in Colorado House District 28.

Carroll served two tours in Afghanistan and one Iraq with Army Special Forces Information Management Division, Special Operations Command and was openly gay despite Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Carroll returned to Colorado after completing 6 years of active duty, joined the Colorado Army National Guard, 19th Special Forces Group, and served as a Veterans Affairs Specialist for Senator Mark Udall, assisting military and veteran constituents with cases pertaining to healthcare, housing, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal.

“This is an historic day,” Carroll explained, “as far as I know I am the first out Veteran and active National Guardsman in the country to officially run for office since the Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Brian continued, “I am proud of the work that I did fighting alongside Mark Udall and the thousands of Service Members nationwide to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I will continue to fight for equality, serving my country and our great state of Colorado in the Army National Guard while exercising my right to run for public office. I look forward to a robust and energetic campaign where I will have the opportunity to engage the voters and constituents of House District 28 to hear their concerns and hopes for a better future.”

Good luck to Carroll.

Two Arrests At Westlake, Police Appear To Have Backed Down For Now

The #OccupyWallStreet movement reached a fever pitch tonight in Seattle, as an increased presence at Westlake due to an influx of Seattle Central, University of Washington, and other students swelled the crowd to over 500 during the day's events and speeches.

Over the past week campus organizers affiliated with Occupy Seattle, the Socialist Alternative and other political organizations pooled their efforts to coordinate a city-wide school walkout, with participants not just from colleges but Nathan Hill high school joining in this populist movement attempting represent the interests of the 99% of Americans disenfranchised by economic collapse.

Students cheered and chanted slogans as they marched from Seattle Central down to Westlake Park, an enthusiasm that ran high well into the night as debate erupted whether or not the protest should stay in Westlake.

Mayor McGinn's office, while stating its support for the protest, had previously encouraged demonstrators to decamp from Westlake and move to City Hall.  While some supported this action, the gathering's General Assembly, buoyed by sentiments derived from student enthusiasm earlier in the day, rejected the Mayor's offer and decided to camp in Westlake indefinitely.

At 10:00 PM last night, the Seattle Police Department closed the Westlake Transit Station in order, as reported by citizen journalists on-scene, to prevent protesters from using the buses.  By 11:20 PM, the tunnel was announced reopened by Sound Transit via e-mail.

At approximately 10:20, two confirmed arrests had been reported, one notably being a man who erected a tent in the plaza in celebration of Sukkot.  By 11:00 PM, the police had apparently left the scene entirely once they were certain that people were merely gathered, not camping.

I will continue to have updates on OneAngryQueer and on the New City Collegian, Seattle Central's online student publication.

Why Sleeping At Westlake Is Important

The sleeping situation at Westlake Park for the 99% has come to a pivotal moment in the shape of the Occupy movement in the Emerald City, with roughly eighty percent of the protesters electing to take City Hall up on its offer for relocation to a more legal venue for camping, namely outside City Hall.  As a caveat to that accession to the authorities, Occupy Seattle has demanded that the first floor of the building remain open for restrooms and that a dedicated parking spot be made available to the protesters.

A courageous few have decided to stay in Westlake, and these few are, by all reports, urging others to join them.  The authorities have made it plain that anybody left in the park at 10pm will be arrested, and those choosing to stay will almost certainly spend the night not in the park, but in a jail cell.

Debate has been furious on the topic, with certain writers (Dominic Holden) taking to certain publications (the ever more milquetoast Slog) to make their assertion that people who knowingly flout the law in pursuit of social justice are not attempting to get their demands met, but are instead simply seeking arrest.  If you can stomach it, read his missive in which he calls stalwart activists "loons":

But a few folks have been pushing to stay at Westlake. These were the "fight the power" loons who mucked up the larger group's earlier decision to move. They seem to be saying that the point isn't longevity, maintaining a presence, or keeping this issue in the media—it's just getting arrested. 

If there are arrests tonight, chattering media yakkers will be tempted to say that those people are the Occupy Seattle movement. But by all indications, they're not. They're the slim minority. If a handful of outliers want to get arrested, great. They should just be civil in their civil disobedience. But if that handful of people break off from the group—that is, if over 100 people people decide to move to City Hall and just a few rabble stay behind—let's not tell ourselves that those few people are Occupy Seattle. Those are just the people who want to get arrested.

Mr. Holden and other naysayers would do well to examine the underlying reasons for breaking the law to prove a point.  In this case, City Hall has attempted to divide and undermine the protesters' position by forcing them to do what City Hall wants.  Those who object to this are not crazy, they are stubborn, and it is only through the stubborn repetition and reiteration of their position will they achieve victory.

Those seeking to stay in Westlake are not just loons who are out seeking arrest, they are people who are saying "I have no fear of arrest and you cannot control my message with handcuffs."

So, Dominic Holden of the Slog, please, just can it.  You may not feel that your convictions are worth getting arrested for, but these people do, and leave them to it.  They will be busy making history.  You're just making bad commentary.

UPDATE:

Occupy Seattle has rejected City Hall's offer and will be continuing to camp in Westlake Park.  The Tweet and my reaction:

If you live in Seattle and want to show your solidarity, reports of a police sweep of the park at 9:30 PM is lighting up Twitter.  If you choose to not get in the way of police, Occupy Seattle is recommending that you stand on the sidewalk and not in the park.  Take pictures.  The only way to fight police brutality is to document it.

ANOTHER, LESS IMPORTANT UPDATE:  The Slog, yet again, thinks staying in Westlake is silly blah blah blah.

Newt: Arrest Barney Frank! Frank: Oh No You Didn't!

In the face of the popular uprising known as #OccupyWallStreet, various legislators and political leaders are attempting to either cast their lot with the demonstrators or demonize the movement, with Nancy Pelosi and Eric Cantor notably coming to verbal blows over what the Occupation means for the political landscape in America.  Republican candidates for president are no exception, with Newt Gingrich making plain his viewpoint on the matter.

In last night's Republican debate, Newt wasted no time in trashing leftist activists as vandals and then went further, suggesting that Wall Street isn't the problem, but legislators guilty of financial malfeasance.  He lays the blame squarely on Fed Chairman Bernanke, former Senator Chris Dodd, and Congressman Barney Frank.  Then he went on to suggest that they should be jailed for their actions.  Watch:



 Now, you wouldn't expect Barney Frank, a firebrand by any definition of the word, to take this lying down, and he didn't.  He responds today:

Frank said Gingrich’s anger over his and Dodd’s role in the financial meltdown was absurd given that Republicans were in charge of the House and — excerpt for a brief period — Senate, from 1995 to 2007.He noted that he worked on reform legislation on mortgage in his first year as chair in 2007. 

 Barney ain't havin' it.

“It’s interesting, the charge is failure to stop Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay from deregulating,” he said. “This notion we caused the problem that started while they were in charge even by Gingrich’s standards is very odd.” 

Added Frank: “I wish I knew that he was willing to listen to my advice, I would have given him some: I would have told him not to impeach Clinton, I would have told his successors not to go to war with Iraq, and I would have told DeLay not to go on the dance show.”

Frank went on to speculate as to why Gingrich would make such a ridiculous suggestion:

“He’s been having a bad year, you know — this self-styled intellectual leader of the free world struggling to stay ahead of Michele Bachmann in the polls is unsettling him so he talks even sillier than he sometimes does,” he said.

Republican leadership slowly appears to be realizing that their asses are in hot water, and they're quick to make baseless and outrageous allegations regarding blame in the economic collapse of recent years to punt their culpability.  America isn't particularly fooled; the majority of Americans now support tax hikes for the richest 1%, to include 53% of Republican voters.

Gingrich and his cronies have been protecting Wall Street interests for decades, is it any surprise that he desperately wants you to be angry at someone else?

Elizabeth Warren's Bid For The US Senate

It's fake, but still only slightly less awesome than her original video taking the super-rich to task for not contributing to society.

Setbacks For Dan Choi: Judge Denies Use Of Selective Prosecution

A new development has sprung up in the ongoing case related to Dan Choi's arrest in the November 15th, 2010 demonstration at the White House fence, as Judge Lamberth today ruled on the government's attempt to block his legal counsel's proposed defense of selective or vindictive prosecution.  Prosecutor Angela George had previously filed a writ of mandamus barring the defense's use in this case, which Lamberth today acceded to and disallowed the defense in court.

Oh yeah, and I was there too.

From the National Law Journal (via Legal Times):

U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth, in issuing a writ of mandamus (PDF) to the presiding magistrate judge in Choi's case, ruled that such a defense theory should have been brought up pre-trial. Lamberth also clarified for the first time that a district judge can issue such a writ to a magistrate in the same court, in the same way an appellate court can issue a writ to a district court. 

Choi, a former Army lieutenant who was discharged in 2009 after publicly announcing he was gay, was arrested with 12 other demonstrators outside the White House in November 2010. Choi has been a vocal opponent of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the military’s former policy barring openly gay servicemembers.
The other protestors resolved their cases through a deferred-sentencing agreement with the government. Choi declined the offer. 

U.S. District Magistrate Judge John Facciola has been presiding over Choi’s trial, which began on Aug. 29. It was halted, however, after prosecutors objected to Choi and his attorneys presenting a defense of selective or vindictive prosecution. 

According to the petition (PDF), Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela George learned shortly before the trial that Choi’s legal team planned to present a selective or vindictive prosecution defense. Such a defense theory, according to briefs, would point out disparities in how Choi’s case was handled compared with his previous arrests for protesting, and also how protestors who had gathered outside the White House were treated in the past.

This ruling represents a significant need for restructuring of the defense's strategy and I can't help but think that Judge Lamberth has acted in collusion with the government to hamstring an important court case with far-reaching implications on issues of free speech.  It is seemingly clear to many that he (and the rest of the protesters present by association with him) were victims of selective prosecution, and Lamberth's ruling provides a disturbing precedent for the government to prosecute demonstrators with extreme prejudice.

Occupy Movement Beset With Overnight Intimidation, Arrests

The #Occupy movement saw some action last night, with threats of arrest in Seattle and actual arrests in Boston taking place late last night, leading movement leaders unsure of how to proceed today.

Seattle had ongoing drama last night, with the Mayor urging protesters to decamp from highly visible Westlake Park and move to City Hall.  This has been ongoing news this week, with city government initially urging protesters to move as other groups had legally obtained permits in order to demonstrate at the park.  Thus far, those groups have not objected to the 99%'s occupation, and instead stood with those demonstrators in solidarity.

That didn't stop City Hall and the SPD from issuing threats of arrest, this time in order to get protesters to move in order to clean the park.

Occupy Seattle is, at this time, refusing to move.  I'm looking forward to seeing if the Westlake campers come up with their own cleaning plan (hint to Westlake campers: come up with your own cleaning plan).

Occupy Boston actually saw arrests last night, with 100 protesters being hauled off in handcuffs and the Mayor's office stating that they agreed with the protesters' aims, but that they can't be allowed to "tie up the city."

Wonkette's Garrett Quinn, who was present at the time of the arrests, writes:

As darkness fell and tension rose the protesters made their defensive preparations. All the tents were moved into a tight circle while a ring of people locking arms lined it. Midnight came and went but there was a growing public safety presence in the area. Multiple ambulances were parked along with a triage setup off of Pearl Street, not exactly a sign of good things to come. Police blocked the on and off ramps to 93 near Seaport Ave and there were rumors flying about riot police here and uniformed police there. 

Then at approximately 1:20 am a large column of riot police marched from outside South Station up Atlantic Avenue ….

Video was taken on-scene which shows the chaotic proceedings, to include what appears to be an attack on Veterans For Peace.  The police reportedly tore down and trampled their flags, to include the American flag.



 Things are starting to come to a head for the 99%.  The question is, will these attempts to control the situation on the part of police and city governments succeed, or will the Occupy movement continue to gain momentum?

Eric Cantor Is Real Worried About The 99%

Cantor wants you to believe that it's the protesters that are dividing America.  I say the protesters ARE America and he'd better start jotting down some demands. 

Eric Cantor, last week, made waves attempting to paint the #Occupy Wall Street movement as unruly mobs who are threatening society and condemned the protesters as "pitting Americans against Americans."  Now Nancy Pelosi responded in kind, asking where Cantor was when Americans were spitting on Americans, IE, the Tea Party demonstrations on Capitol Hill where gun-toting Teabaggers spit on Congresspeople coming to work:

“I didn't hear him say anything when the Tea Party was out demonstrating, actually spitting on members of Congress right here in the Capitol. And he and his colleagues were putting signs in the windows encouraging them.”

You go, Nancy!

Here's the thing, though.  I'm kind of tickled that Cantor, the number two House Republican, has started to quake in his boots.  Isn't that the purpose of a popular uprising, even a peaceful one such as the #Occupy movement?

Inspired by the recent protests and some of the costuming used by some of the marchers, I found myself watching V for Vendetta the other day.  It contains one of my favorite lines of any movie ever, one which has repeated often and is, I'm sure, a quote from elsewhere:

People should not be afraid of their governments.  Governments should be afraid of their people.

I think we're beginning to see that.  Human rights abuses at the hands of police in New York aren't stopping people from demonstrating.  Americans are showing that they are tired, they are poor, and they just aren't scared anymore.  They're standing up and saying "something isn't right, and you have to make it right, because there's a hell of a lot more of us than there are of you."

So good job, Eric Cantor, for demonstrating that people who are pissed off are scary.  In order to make them not be so scary, I suggest going down to the General Assembly of #Occupy Wall Street and find out what their demands are, and doing what you can to meet them.  This is the American people, and it's your duty to ensure that the government is meeting their needs.

Because in the end, it's not the banks that are too big to fail, Cantor.  It's us.  

Santorum: Gay Is Not Black Or Something... Uh, Napkins

Ol' Frothy Mix, in his last presidential debate, got his ass handed to him for his remarks stating that the military should not be conducting social experiments-- by uh, not firing gay people-- so you would think that he would have a statement prepared when a similar quote stemming from the era of desegregation was tossed in his face:


But no. Santorum is still busy telling us what gay rights are or are not.  He should probably be thinking up a new strategy-- like, oh, not opening his mouth-- since his "moral values" platform is bombing in the polls.

I've Been In Boca! Sunning Myself!

Sorry I've been out. I wish I could say that I have been sunning in Mexico while being doted on by cabana boys, but it just hasn't been the case. School started and I had a nasty breakup (that's the last you'll ever hear about Adam on here. GRADE-A JERK. Uh, except for that) so I've been couchsurfing (bleh!) while re-learning how to be a student. Blogging every day ain't exactly easy when you're not sure where you can find a wireless connection...

So that's been eating up my time, but I've managed to keep up with various activist-y things. Notably, I and a hero of the movement, Miriam Ben-Shalom, have elected to vacate our guilty pleas in the matter of our arrests with Dan Choi in light of allegations that have come up in his trial, which was written about by the Blade.

You can't walk two steps in college without tripping over a protest or activist event, and Seattle Central Community College is no exception. The Occupy Seattle protest happening currently in front of Westlake Mall is gripping the Emerald City's attention, and I joined a march on Friday that trooped from SCCC down Pine to join the "99%". It was a lot of fun. I love a good march.

So I'm going to try to delve back into blogging. Thanks so much for your patience, guys, it's been a long couple of weeks.