I went down to Occupy Toledo this morning. I was told a couple of years ago to count police officers and not protestors, with the general rule being one police officer for every twenty protestors. If that holds true, there were about 200 protestors there.
This police officer was not actually protesting, although I appreciate how he joined right in for the picture-taking.
This girl did not want her face revealed, because she is looking for work and is afraid public protesting will harm her chances with an employer. When she’s not covering her face with this sign, she wore a bandanna pulled up over the lower half of her face, which made her look a little dangerous and mysterious.
The No On Issue Two folks were there, and the voting rights people, and lots of cheerful and stoic union members (including Justice For Janitors), and two Ron Paul supporters. Every Ron Paul supporter I have ever met is young, male and has tools snapped to his belt: knife sheaves, chains, lariats, big bunches of jangly keys. You can hear a Ron Paul supporter approaching behind you, if you remain alert. Just put your hand out to receive the Repeal the Fed leaflet, because it’s coming.
I couldn’t stay for the general assembly, but the protest itself was just great. A real positive feeling. There were lots and lots of local media trucks there.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
That’s not just a police officer. He’s a major and a swat team member. Highly trained and motivated I’d say. Nice pic.
Cat Lady
Still not seeing any misspelled signs – Not Serious!
geg6
That lovely lady in the last pic could be me. She has to be a student aid officer. Only people like us are even aware of how deadly private educational loans are and how they are treated exactly like the federal student loans in bankruptcy. It’s like she’s channeling me…the sign I’m planning for the Occupy Pittsburgh event on Saturday is going to be about exactly that–student debt and the shackles that the current bankruptcy laws put on young grads.
Kay
@Cat Lady:
Some of the signs had apostrophes!
TooManyJens
@Kay: And they weren’t using them to make plurals? Doubly Not Serious!
Yutsano
@geg6: I don’t think so. Not enough spiky hair. :) I get your sentiment though.
@Kay:
We’ll get OO right on that.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
And elsewhere in Ohio
Linda Featheringill
Very nice! It’s good to see that Toledo [pop 313,000] can produce a couple of hundred people on a week day.
I also like the pic of the cop with the protester. :-)
BGinCHI
As soon as we get the cops marching with the protesters it’s all over but the tar & feathering.
Yutsano
@Linda Featheringill: For a few of us (Feds) it’s a holiday. But I understand that’s becoming less and less common.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Yutsano: My wife is off here in Georgia. State employees but the schools are all in?
artem1s
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
Hope Marcy Kaptur eats him alive.
Yutsano
@Raven (formerly stuckinred): It is a Federal holiday, which is why I’m still at the ranch rather than in Seattle. I’m waiting for my brother and SIL to stop wasting time so we can get food. If they don’t pick something fast I’m ditching them, I got stuff to do still.
Certified Mutant Enemy
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
Not Joe the not a plumber is going to become not a congressman.
Cat Lady
@ BGinCHI:
Why do you think JP Morgan/Chase “donated” $4.6 mill to the NYPD? Expect a LOT more of that, and it’s been really troubling me. We can’t survive having city police be secretly private enforcers. That’s going to be a huge challenge as budgets get cut more and more.
slag
Went to a couple Occupy events in my fair city in the last couple of weeks. The general assembly I was at had promise even with the rare contentious back-and-forths that took place. The rally I attended wasn’t bad (I counted about 20 or so cops) and there was a lot of drive-by support.
The pros: People rallying together against economic disparity; general peacefulness and respect.
The cons: Too many protestors counting solely on the restorative properties of mass destruction. Really bad speakers (in both the conventional sense and the ideological sense).
All in all, I know I’ll keep showing up from time to time. And more often if the organization improves and if the rallies move toward the more inspiring end of the spectrum. Skeptical but hopeful.
J. Michael Neal
I’m hoping OWS keeps growing. I think some of the protestors have lunatic ideas about monetary policy (for God’s sake people, STOP LISTENING TO RON PAUL), but this at least has the potential to turn some of the tide. THIS is what Obama was talking about when he asked people to make him do things, not lob criticism from the intertubes. It has to be organic, not connected to him and not really connected to the Democratic Party to work.
However, having praised them, I’m going to be crass and advertise my writing, which is at least somewhat pertinent to this question. If someone ever gives me a 9-5 job I can stop pimping a career that so far has netted me $2.50.
I am hoping to have another piece posted this week.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Yutsano: It’s raining here for the first time in almost 2 months so we’re going to see that Clooney flick.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
From the Chronicle for all you haters
beltane
There are reports that James O’Keefe is at the NYC protest dressed as a hippie and wearing an “I Hate Freedom” T-Shirt. What an assclown.
Yutsano
@beltane: Breitbart just can’t help himself can he? Of course his little parolee should have his skinny ass in a jail cell right about now, but AB waved some sweet cash around to keep that from happening.
Comrade Mary
Beauty! Although I would suggest that the belt has a single large tool attached to it, instead.
trollhattan
That jingling emanating from the Paulites isn’t all their hardware, it’s their pocketsful of gold doubloons!
Agoraphobic Kleptomaniac
The Leatherman Company would be bigger than apple if they made a line of multi-tools named “Libertarian”, complete with a binary ruler (“Imperial” units? More like Imperialism!), bitcoin conversion calcualtor, and Gutsy Gibbon bootable USB.
Seriously, the Jangly tool Ron Paul supporter line nearly killed me.
Roger Moore
@beltane:
I guess he decided to tell the truth for a change.
amk
@slag:
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
beltane
@Roger Moore: Very much like that other jackass at the DC protest who chose to wear a brown shirt. They really do believe all the “Liberals are commie fascists” propaganda they were raised with. So young yet so brain damaged.
Roger Moore
@beltane:
I meant that he really does hate freedom, and it’s nice to see him admit it for a change.
askew
I am still not getting the point of these OWS protests. Their manfesto has zero achievable goals and if they are concerned about jobs and income disparity, they should be occupying Congress and registering voters not protesting banks. At least the tea party was smart enough to target the right people. These OWS seem to think just hanging around banks and chanting will change a damn thing. It won’t.
Jim
This dialogue from “Friday” best describes the Village’s attitude towards OWS…
Redd:: If it was yall i woulda helpped yall….
Craig:: what about the time he tried to choke me and smoke backyard….
Redd:: …………O! That was different..
Of course, Wall Street is played by Deebo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU_Npoz4AAk
(from aboout 1:10 to 2:40 of the video)
amk
@askew: Yup.
Right goal. Wrong target.
Now the congress critters, the very enablers & $hill$ of ws bankstas, have been given a complete pass.
Mnemosyne
@askew:
Actually, it’s the other way around — they’re targeting the one group that still has major pull with Congress, namely Wall Street. Congress doesn’t listen to anyone as lowly as a voter anymore.
Wall Street is the root of the problem — our current Congress is just the symptom.
Chuck Butcher
@askew:
To vote for whom? You certainly don’t mean the GOP but exactly how many Democrats do you seem to think are something other than a slower road to the same place? Sometimes the whole point is to make it clear that enough people are seriously pissed to make the pols afraid. Not spouting horseshit they don’t mean, but scared for their whole system’s survival. This isn’t even close to enough yet… we’ll see if it hits the point of fury with enough people.
amk
@Mnemosyne: So you expect that these fatcats will ?
kay
Askew, if I could just say that I have been hearing the stories I heard today since 2008, in the law office.
They want to be heard. They’ve been isolated and apart carrying all this alone, and they’re not alone and it’s shameful that they were marginalized for this long.
“WE” is a powerful thing.
cat48
Pat Bukkkanan was on msnbc & he’s really excited about OWS b/c he says this will sink Obama b/c his policies are so bad that people had to take to the streets. He says that there will be a lot of violence and it can all be put on Obama.
This sounds about right since Naomi Klein was just on talking about how some were “disappointed Obama supporters” and they haven’t seen enough change. So the left agrees with “Uncle Pat.” Michael Moore spouts this too.
Unfortunately, the Villagers will be spouting this soon and we’ll be truly screwed then, the entire Dem Party. This worked very well in the 60’s for the Wingnuts to attain & hold power. We’ll just have to wait and see.
amk
@cat48: Heh, you can always enjoy romney II or better yet, perry II, no ?
Somewhere in UK, the daily mail is dusting up its old front page photo.
El Cid
@cat48: What happened in the 1960s?
[Also, if someone were a “disappointed Obama supporter,” what would that mean? Does this exclusively include, what, people who will not vote, or vote 3rd party, or what? I mean, I’m a “disappointed Obama supporter,” because those are pretty broad terms. I guess that since Naomi Klein said it, it refers to firebaggers who will soon doom the Democrats’ hopes.]
amk
@El Cid: So, how are ya enjoying the 2010 ‘shellacking’ ?
It took forty fucking years for the rw before they imploded. The left managed to do it within 2 years and handed over the reins right back to the right. So congrats.
Chuck Butcher
@amk:
The Left???
Ahahahaha
staci
@amp and @askew – I’ve been saying the same thing for three weeks and people look at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
kay
Amk, Toledo is a traditional Democratic town. I had ordinary, non-enraged chats with people about Sherrod Brown and Obama.
Pat Buchanan is a loathsome scumbag who yearns to beat the shit ut of someone smaller than him, which is why he’s hoping for violence and division.
Don’t give him what he wants.
askew
@kay:
But no one at the banks/wall street who has power gives a shit what these people have to say. If you want to be heard, you need to focus your voice on the politicians who can be forced to listen and if they won’t listen, register people to vote and vote them out.
The OWS seem to think just wandering around and shouting crap while carrying anti-capitalist signs is going to do something. It won’t. It is a complete waste of time and energy.
@staci:
You are not alone. I’ve been talking with friends/family all along the political spectrum and we’ve all been saying the same thing. OWS just seems rudderless and not focused on any practical solutions at all. And they are targeting the wrong people. It’s frustrating to see so many people wasting their time.
Linda Featheringill
The mayor of NYC addressed one of my concerns and made this statement today. He said the occupiers could stay in that park indefinitely [as long as they obey the law].
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/10/10/bloomberg-occupy-wall-street-can-stay-indefinitely/
kay
askew, this just feels right.
You’re going to have to trust me :)
And, for anyone who is fretting over Democrats, get off your ass on Issue Two.
There will be some disappointed Democrats in Ohio if we don’t repeal that law.
No on Two. That’s the issue for Democrats in Ohio.
OWS aren’t responsible for that. Democrats are.
tkogrumpy
@Cat Lady: This, police will be the last thrown under the bus.
Linda Featheringill
@askew: #43
I disagree. I’m not so sure that they are targeting the wrong people. I do believe that the upper crust [making up whatever percentage of the population] and their sycophants are the cause of many of our problems.
This is not meant to diminish the labor struggles at all.
Cat Lady
@askew:
They’ve already accomplished more than I thought they would – they’re getting a lot of attention because they’ve identified the problem – class warfare of the 1% against the 99% – and identified the target – Wall Street, who disproportionately affect the quality of life and democracy in this country. It’s resonating, because it’s undeniable and irrefutable. Yes, there’s no goal, but OWS is acting like a lens. We’re just not sure what we’re looking at yet.
Calouste
@Linda Featheringill:
Or you could interpret that as Bloomberg saying that the protesters can stay indefinitely until he has found a law that can be used to throw them out and a judge willing to look at it the right way…
gbear
How come that lady isn’t hitting the policeman on the head with her sign? I don’t think she’s committed enough.
amk
@Linda Featheringill: how very kind of bloomie to throw that bit of crumb ?
tkogrumpy
@Comrade Mary: I was just barely able to see what you did there.
Cat Lady
@tkogrumpy:
Generalissimo Walker tried that in Wisconsin, and it gave me enormous relief to see that it didn’t work out the way he hoped. That doesn’t mean it won’t in other cities.
eemom
oh joy — I see a fresh crop of concern trolls has sullied this positive post with their collective slime.
“Rudderless.” What vacuous, moronic Hamsher-speak.
Hey trollz! Bonus points if you can find the “veal pen” in the above pictures.
tkogrumpy
@amk: I think you two may be surprised. the connection between congress and the banks is already crystal clear, but the banks behavior must be de-legitimized first.
Cat Lady
@eemom:
“Rudderless” = not Jane or her Janebots. Take great pleasure in imagining her impotent rage that she has nothing to contribute.
harlana
There should be a national coordinated movement to help states like mine with helping voters who have been disenfranchised by the new i.d. laws to register and vote!
Ok, i’m slapping that on my OWS Demands poster!
tkogrumpy
@Chuck Butcher: The left? hahahahahahaha. Is there an echo in here?
Maude
On WBT news in NC this a.m. they were talking about an Occupy group and said a guy told them he had to go to work, but he’d be back in the evening. There wasn’t any snide remark by the host.
On righty radio in NYC, the host was Horrified that two kids peed, that’s right, THEY PEED IN THE STREET.
Also it was the gubmint’s fault, not the bankers.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
We’ve got overnighters down here, with citations to be issued after official park closing, but no arrests. I’m assured the dialogue with the police division was quite civilized. I’m going to offer pro bono assistance with charges, though I suppose I should advise the Board of Directors of the small NAMI affiliate I run before I do so. It is a small community in a very red county, and I would then have a choice to make if the board believes that such work would embarrass the affiliate.
tkogrumpy
@staci: Why do you suppose that is?
SiubhanDuinne
Heard on local drop-in news on ATC tonight that the Occupy Atlanta group is having second thoughts about trying to get consensus for everything. I guess it takes too long, or something. Anyhow, they have apologized to Congressman John Lewis and invited him to come back and address them.
Mnemosyne
@amk:
That’s how FDR got the New Deal — not because Congress or the government was afraid, but because Wall Street was afraid and urged the government to take action.
Of course, in those days Wall Street had a very rational fear that a communist or fascist state could take the place of the US government if things got too bad and had several examples in front of them (Russia, Italy, etc.) of how awful that would be for them and their interests. Not quite so potent a threat these days.
boss bitch
@Mnemosyne:
Wall Street doesn’t give a shit about what you have to say, ever.
boss bitch
@Linda Featheringill:
There are already one percenters (sort of) IN Congress running this country. Remember, half of Congress is filled with millionaires. Several are worth hundreds of millions. That would be an excellent thing for the protesters to go there and point out. A lot of Americans don’t know this.
tkogrumpy
@boss bitch: I think you are wrong. there is a reason banks are also called trusts. they operate on trust.Now, I am aware that the organization currently called BofA is and has been for at least 40 years a successful criminal enterprise, but the average consumer just looks for the best banking deal for themselves. Getting the rest of the 99% on board, taking their money out of BofA, will ,I gaurantee get their attention. It is all about trust. That goes, the bank goes.
boss bitch
@SiubhanDuinne:
That’s really good. They could learn from him. I’m actually surprised this incident spread the way it did. LOL…I guess Occupy Atlanta was too.
amk
@Mnemosyne: Different era. Different set of politics. And totally different type of economy.
You want to throw these bums on to the street? Then focus on their enablers, congress critters and the media.
tkogrumpy
I also believe that a large chunk of the people who identify with the tea party are not racist, are not inherently right wing are not religious zealots, but are sympathetic to some elements of OCW. My hope is that they can finally be peeled off and start lobbying for their own interests for a change.
SiubhanDuinne
@boss bitch:
Yeah, the spokesperson for OA indicated that they are learning a lot, every day. Sounds as though it’s a steep curve, but it’s all good.
Jay C
@El Cid:
Oh, just that little thing called the “Anti-War Movement”. Which, even 40+ years on, the wingnuts are still trying to wring the last drops of resentment out for political gain (see one Kerry, John F., 2004). I suppose the projected dynamic is still the same: the hope that the OWS marches will grow and grow (and in wingnuts’ “minds”, inevitably lead to violence), and thus, all REAL AMERICANS will get so disgusted at the dirty, radical hippie neo-commie scumbag rabble, that they will all flock to vote in a REAL AMERICAN (i.e. Republican) President out of patriotic fervor (or righteous disdain, whatever gets the votes). With President Obama stuck (a la Hubert Humphrey) with either the disdain of the DFH mob (which suits the GOP just fine); or their support (which enables them to tar him with Commie-DFH cooties either way).
Don;t know if this crap will work in 2012, though: but I’m sure there are enough GOP ratfuckers out there willing to give it a try…
JCT
@cat48: Oh yes, good old Uncle Pat — a real driver and predictor of social and political movements.
I think he’s freaked that these folks have yanked back the curtain on our Galtian Wizards of Oz.
El Cid
@Jay C: Is this that crazy thing where people blame the hippies for Humphrey’s loss and thus at fault for bringing in Nixon & the Republicans, the convenient version of history which replaces all that time consuming understanding of the events? That thing? Where people think that Nixonland said that, so it’s what happened?
BruinKid
One question about the Ron Paul supporters there. Did they look like they were at least middle class, perhaps upper middle class? It seems like all my friends and acquaintances who are BIG Ron Paul fans all seem to have enough money to get by, and aren’t “struggling” to make ends meet in the least.
I’m thinking that makes it easier for them to think it’s perfectly OK to dismantle the social safety net, because they made it fine (thanks to their parents being well-off to begin with), so why can’t everyone else make it as well?
I called one of them out because he’s pro-choice, while Paul is very much pro-life, and he rationalized it away by saying that if Roe v. Wade is repealed, and it goes back to the states, it won’t matter to him because he lives in California, and we’ll still be protected. I asked him about all those women living in right-wing states, and his response? “They can just move to another state.”
I mean, why didn’t I think of that simple solution before? /sarcasm
cruz
i guess it’s too late for re-branding, but at least 9% of this 99% belong to the same economic group of 1% (i’m being generous)
SuzieC
I don’t think that the woman’s sign, at the top of the thread, sends the right message. Constantly in my mind, as I try to think about left strategies, is my right wing, intelligent sister. She would say that it is ridiculous to claim that corporations do not pay taxes. I believe that our message should be that they do not pay their fair share of taxes. And that message should always be backed up by hard data.
The police officer standing with the protester is ground-changing.
Admiral_Komack
I haven’t been following OWS; call me cynical, but I see it as the media’s latest shiny little bauble.
OCCUPY THE VOTING BOOTH.
REGISTER TO VOTE.
kay
@BruinKid:
They did look middle class. I was kidding describing them. I don’t have any problem with them.
It’s easy to be in any “coalition” I’m in, because the one and only qualification is “show up” :)
For whatever reason, I ended up sort of “grouped” with libertarians in law school, and I really did learn the ideology. It’s not that I don’t understand it. I deliberately rejected it, after listening to them for three years. Libertarians pretend there are no “classes” in this country. It’s sort of central to the whole thing. They would never accept it if I put them in a “class”, anyway, so I don’t bother.
To libertarians, there are two sides, the individual and the state. That’s why they focus on the Fed at these things. There has to be a state actor, or they have nothing to oppose. They will tie themselves into knots to find a state actor, and to grant complete amnesty to the private entity. If the private entity is wrong, it’s only because the state actor intervened and corrupted the private entity. It never works the other way around, either, so that’s out.