Although the United States has traditionally been a two parties system, there are other forces such as the Libertarian Party and the Green Party who try to add their voices and represent the interests of millions of US citizens. However, these parties work with some handicap in the strictly divided US political system, one being the amount of money that the two bigger parties have at their disposal and the other focusing on the air time that media gives to alternative voices.

There have been third parties candidates in the past who were able to face these problems and gain a significant number of votes at elections. Examples of politicians who challenged the Democratic and Republican hegemony are right wing Ross Perot who in 1992 received 19% of the voters trust, or activist Ralph Nadar who obtained an important number of votes specially in the 2000 election, gaining 2,7% of the American vote.

One of the parties working on the edge of the political system is the Green Party, which on July 14 chose Jill Stein as their candidate for the Presidential elections. The decision was made at their national convention that took place during the weekend of July 14-15 in Baltimore, Maryland. Physician Jill Stein was picked over the other candidate, actress Roseanne Barr, who did not attend the convention. During the convention weekend, where approximately 290 delegates from 34 states participated, the party confirmed that they will campaign in at least 45 of the 50 states.

During the weekend in July, Stein attacked both the Democratic and Republican party, accusing them of following lobbyists’ guidelines instead of listening to citizens’ demands: “We need real public servants who listen to the people, not to the corporate lobbyists that funnel campaign checks into the big war chests.”

“That’s what brought me to the Green Party, the only national party that is not bought and paid for by corporate money,” Stein told their supporters in Baltimore.

The Green Party electoral program proposed policy ideas which they admit may seem unreachable. They are however convinced that it is possible to offer a universal health care system, free tuition for college access and debt forgiveness for students, and a moratorium on all housing foreclosure.

Jill Stein’s vice president candidate will be Cheri Honkala, a single mother, age 49, who was homeless at one point in her life and is now the coordinator of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights national movement.

The Green Party is hoping to get an important amount of votes, especially due to the Occupy Movement boom which favors some of the political ideas that the party advocates.

Image Courtesy of   Jill Stein

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Princeton, U.S.A. — A recent ORC International survey of American adults has found that awareness of the Occupy Wall Street movement is unchanged since the intense media coverage of the movement’s events through fall and winter of 2011 but that support for the movement has declined.

ORC International updated a series of questions about Occupy Wall Street asked in late 2011 and found that seventy-one percent of Americans remain aware of the movement, even while media coverage has significantly declined. Protesters have largely dispersed from the parks and fronts steps of the world’s financial capitals.

The continued awareness is in part to the ongoing social dialogue that continues by both supporters and protesters of the movement. According to ORC’s social analytics product, Social Buzz, Occupy Wall Street conversations continue to steadily appear with an average of 156,000 posts daily in the social universe since mid-December. This is mostly driven by specifically timed events including the six month anniversary to re-occupy Zuccotti Park in New York City on March 17-18, mass arrests on March 22, and a May Day Protest.

Overall agreement with the movement’s position regarding the financial inequities continues to hold steady at thirty percent since the fall, however, those who disagree has risen seven percentage points to twenty-eight percent over the past six months.

While levels of coverage in both social media and traditional media have varied, the combination has continued to keep this movement in front of the American public. Long-term sustainability of the movement, however, remains a question.

The poll was conducted using ORC International’s CARAVAN service from June 9-11, 2012. The poll interviewed 1005 US Adults by telephone.

ORC International is a leading global research firm with offices across the U.S.A., Europe and Asia Pacific. The company has been a partner of CNN on the CNN/ORC International poll since 2006 and is a founding member of the CASRO.

Image Courtesy of  Atomische • Tom Giebel

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A little over a week ago, Greg Smith, an executive director at Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s largest investment banking and securities firm, resigned from his position after publishing a letter in the New York Times Opinions section.

The letter, entitled “Why I am Leaving Goldman Sachs,” details Smith’s observations of the current state of the company.

Smith, who joined Goldman fresh out of college and has worked at the firm for twelve years since, describes the main problem as the culture of the company, that is, “the interests of the client continue to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making money.”

He outlines three quick ways to rise to the top in the company, two of which involve tricking the client into making moves that will benefit Goldman the most, with no concern for how they will—if at all—profit the client.  Using Goldman jargon, these are executing on the firm’s “axes,” which consists of having someone invest in stocks that Goldman is trying to get rid of. “Hunt Elephants” is another code, for getting clients to make a trade that will bring in the biggest profit for Goldman.

The third secret is to get lucky and find yourself dealing with and trading gas. Keeping in line with this blatant disregard for clients, many employees refer to their own clients as “muppets.”  Although Smith said he did not know of any illegal activities happening at the company, he lamented the eroding moral fiber of the company, stating, “I knew it was time to leave when I realized I could no longer look students in the eye and tell them what a great place this was to work.”

Although Smith is not the only Wall Street banker to recently resign, he is the most high profile one, and the only one to leave in such a spectacular and outspoken manner.  Goldman’s stock has not gone up or down much since his resignation, making many believe the situation would blow over and be forgotten.

Others, however, believe that these insiders fail to think about the long term effects.  Matt Taibbi, the journalist who christened Goldman a “Vampire Squid,” thinks this marks the beginning of something bigger than any of the movements currently in the United States—and that includes Occupy Wall Street.  Taibbi optimistically writes, “this incident may turn Goldman into such a pariah that the best young bankers won’t want to work there anymore.”

At this point Goldman’s future is unclear, but there is no denying need for reform within Wall Street.  And with Smith’s explosive words, it may well start there.

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Twenty years before the Occupy movement began, author, musician, activist, visionary, spiritual leader, and co-founder of one of the world’s largest EcoVillages, Gabriel of Urantia, started teaching civil disobedience against evil and injustice, encouraging people to quit “wrong jobs” with companies based on greed – particularly working for banks, nuclear plants, and weapons factories – to find like-minded individuals, form communities, grow your food, have a good water source, and trust the Creator to provide a job in service to humanity or a career within the community you joined or founded.

In 1996 Gabriel of Urantia developed his concept of  ”Spiritualution (SM) – Justice to the People,” a spiritual revolution for and by the earth’s citizens – not the raising of arms but the raising of consciousness and each individual’s commitment and willingness to change, to quit “wrong jobs” or go on strike.

To Gabriel, true spirituality involves action and being your brother’s/sister’s keeper – not necessarily belonging to a church but actively fighting evil, wherever it exists. His teachings on unity without uniformity challenge dogmatic, antiquated religious thinking and concepts.

Many who follow Gabriel of Urantia’s teachings believe they’re the inspiration for the Occupy/99% movement sweeping the world. “Gabriel of Urantia’s wisdom and fidelity to teaching truth have placed him into a distinct position as a leader among people hungry for change,” said Zarath Giannangelo, a protester at New York’s Occupy Wall Street in Zucotti Park, one of thousands taking part in the Spiritualution.

“I have great respect for him because his activism is not tokenism; he lives and breathes it. His actions are clear indications of his lifelong struggle to bring positive and lasting global change.”

Susan Sarandon, actress, activist, and participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement, when asked her thoughts on Gabriel of Urantia’s Spiritualution message and the need for radical unity among people, said, “There’s not much choice other than looking at it that way, and if we can’t start to blend in a positive way, the earth will get rid of us just like a little pus ball and regenerate itself in a better way. ‘Radical unity,’ that’s good!”

Chris Hedges, journalist for truthdig.com and also a participant in the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, when interviewed in New York by Amadon DellErba of Global Change Television, said this about Spiritualution, “When you stand up against injustice, and you are willing to put your life on the line to see that justice is done, that for me embodies true spirituality.”

In 1989 Gabriel of Urantia co-founded Global Community Communications Alliance and Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage, currently with 100 international change agents. Gabriel encourages people to come to the Creator and follow His voice over institutionalized churches or religions. Worldwide people need to escape the stronghold religions and corporations have upon them. They can only do this with a faith in the Creator.

For more information: http://spiritualution.org or contact BenDameean Steinhardt, (520) 576-2890,info@spiritualution.org.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomische/

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Coinciding with the SOPA Blackout date, in which encyclopedia giant Wikipedia blacked out its webpage, the NY and NJ Tech groups met up in Midtown Manhattan to peacefully protest against SOPA and PIPA.

Held at the small plaza at the door step of Senator’s Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, several hundred members of New York City’s thriving technology community arrived to show support against the passing of SOPA, PIPA and to encourage Occupy Wall Street sentiments.

The Meetup, which lasted a little more than an hour, was held despite cold windy weather community leaders as well as executives from Reddit and Tumblr were on hand to speak out against this outrage. Billed as the death of creativity and the end of the internet as the modern world knows it, members of the Meetup are saying the ambiguous nature of the PIPA and SOPA acts leaves plenty of loopholes for governments to over extend their jurisdiction over the content that Domestic U.S citizens see.

Despite a somewhat slow build up of people at the beginning, the Meetup was in full swing with protesters inside and outside the cordoned area’s of 780 Third Avenue. The NYPD were on hand to keep the peace as well as clear the walkways despite the large amount of people who filled the sidewalks.

People from all over the tri-state area arrived to find that the police parade barricades did not help contain all of the protesters and some people needed to stand away from the demonstration itself. As opposed to Occupy Wall Street, which had a starting march that arrived to the protesting location, the NY Tech Meetup today was designated to start and finish in one location. Protesters brought homemade signs and, despite chilly temperatures, held them up proudly for the entire time of the protest itself.

Protesters stood in front of the restaurants, on street furniture and in large crowds to hear the words of the speakers that would confirm their hopes and fears. Early on in the meeting, it was plainly put by Andrew Rasiej, chairman of New York Tech Meetup and protest leader, that as a group they opposed any and all kinds of piracy, but that the government was misguided in their attempts to end internet piracy.

His fears were expressed in his plea of words to congress regarding free speech and the end of innovation. Among speakers attending was Executive Vice President Andrew Mclaughlin of Tumblr, who was one of the designated speakers of the event. He was quite vocal about the power of the internet which is certainly no surprise given the meteoric rise of Tumblr in the last few years. Mclaughlin went on to say this to protesters:

“The internet works because it’s a democracy, the internet works because its voluntary people working together to make the internet flow.” He went on to say that the internet and the New York Tech scene in particular is a vital part of our economy, providing jobs and empowering people all over the world.

Similar sentiments were echoed by other speakers expressing the rise of entrepreneurship due to the internet as a valuable reason not to pass SOPA and PIPA. Another one of these notable speakers is co-founder of Reddit.com, Alexis Ohanian. He passionately decried the passing of these acts, saying:

“We are here fighting the wholesale destruction of one of the healthiest parts of America’s economy.”

He went on to ask the crowd, most of who was working in the tech industry today, which of their current companies was still hiring. By a large scale, almost everyone attending the Meetup raised their hands, giving credence to Ohanian’s belief that SOPA and PIPA would further stagger the American economy.

Ohanian also lamented the U.S governments’ loss of focus, citing more serious issues such as the budget deficit and unemployment as a better use of the currently allotted resources for the SOPA and PIPA funding. Though not in attendance, there was mention of several senators and political figures who are currently against the passing of SOPA and PIPA.

Chief among them is Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas and Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas. With arriving support from Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Republican Representative Lee Terry of Nebraska and Republican Representative Ben Quayle of Arizona support seems to finally be swinging in favor of the Tech Industry and the NY Tech Protesters.

Despite varying proposals for how to better reshape the SOPA and PIPA acts, there remains a firm interest from the MPAA and RIAA to continually convince Congress to keep things in favor of the entertainment industry. In the face of such odds, the protesters at this NY Tech Meetup have hope that SOPA and PIPA will not pass.

There is a faith in democracy that remains unshakable and as sure as there are people working in the Tech Industry, there will be voices challenging the wisdom of bills such as SOPA and PIPA.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillipstearns/

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R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor and futurist, has become a major influence in the Occupy Movement. Represented by his book, “Grunch of Giants”, and by his geodesic dome, Fuller’s spirit is infusing the hearts and minds of humanitarians working to implement global change through sustainable design science. The time for change is now, and synergy can save the world.

Fuller coined the term, “synergy”, to demonstrate how the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the individuals. Through the synergy of the inventive mind and generous hearts of humanity “Spaceship Earth” can be turned around. He understood that we have all the technology and resources necessary to foster Earth as an integrated regenerative system.

In his cautionary tale, “Grunch of Giants”, Fuller warns of the immediate dangers posed by the “invisible, abstract, and completely ruthless empire of corporations that control the world’s finances.”  It is time to create a true economy, a sustainable economy, that recognizes the proper resources and technology that will nurture and support all life.

Through design science, Fuller envisioned our entire planet operating with a higher standard of living. The Buckminster Fuller Institute is promoting design science through The BFI Challenge which awards $100,000 to support the development of strategies to solve world problems.

Buckminster Fuller’s most famous invention, the geodesic dome, is the strongest structure known to man. Pacific Domes has helped to supply the Occupy Movement with their portable domes in four key locations: Occupy UC Davis, Occupy Buffalo NY, Occupy Eugene, and Occupy Harvard University.

Following Fuller’s lead, Pacific Domes has been working to create sustainable solutions for humanity for 30 years and is now actively supporting the Occupy Movement as well as many sustainable Earth projects, including Bee Restoration, Bio-Energy, Aquaponics, Mycological Restoration, and Eco-Living. Pacific Domes has plans to support a further vision “Occupy Earth”.

Occupy Earth will be a global organizational tool to help educate and create sustainable villages all over the globe. Pacific Domes is currently working with The Global Eco-Village Network to create a database that will support the birth of a new world.

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The Occupy Wall Street movement tapped into anger about bank bailouts, crony capitalism and corporate welfare, but it turns out that most Americans are mad at the federal government and not their banks. A new Reason-Rupe Poll finds 76 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of their banks and just 15 percent view them unfavorably.

In contrast, only 32 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the federal government. Sixty-two percent of voters rate the federal government unfavorably.

Forty-nine percent of Americans approve of the job President Obama is doing, with 47 percent disapproving. Only 13 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, 80 percent disapprove.

Fifty-four percent of Americans also say they are more worried that the federal government will do something to make the economy worse, while 40 percent are more worried that the government will fail to take action on the economy.

State governments are more popular than the feds, but only half of all Americans view them positively. As you get closer to home, 58 percent of Americans have positive views of their local governments, and the same number look upon their local school districts favorably.

The survey finds people feel a lot better about private businesses. For example, 88 percent of Americans have a positive view of their grocery stores; 73 percent look favorably upon their cell phone makers; and 69 percent say they view their Internet service providers favorably.

If Ron Paul does not win the Republican presidential nomination, he is the best positioned candidate to make a third-party or independent run, according to the Reason-Rupe poll. Thirty-four percent of Americans say they would consider voting for Paul if he ran as an independent or third-party presidential candidate.

A similar number, 31 percent, say they would consider voting for New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, if he made an independent run for the White House in 2012.

Sarah Palin said it is “not too late for folks to jump in” to the presidential race. If Palin left the Republican Party and ran as an independent, 27 percent of voters say they might vote for her. The problem for Palin: 67 percent of Americans would not consider voting for her in that scenario.

It has been reported that former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is considering running as the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate. Twenty-one percent of voters say they’d consider voting for Johnson, while 29 percent say they do not know enough about him yet.

In terms of the 2012 presidential election, 29 percent of Americans say they will definitely vote for President Obama next November and 44 percent say they will not vote for him.

In a memorable Republican presidential debate moment last month, Texas Governor Rick Perry could not remember the third government agency he would eliminate if elected president.  And another GOP candidate, Ron Paul, says if he is elected he will get rid of five federal agencies: Commerce, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Interior.

So which federal agencies are the American people most willing to eliminate or consolidate? Forty-five percent of Americans are ready to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development and 41 percent would eliminate the Department of Energy.

The Department of Education was on both Paul’s and Perry’s lists to cut, but 61 percent of Americans want to keep the Department of Education and just 34 percent say eliminate it.

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Control Risks, one of the world’s leading business risk consultancies, have launched the RiskMap 2012, its annual review and forecast of business risk for the year ahead, including regional outlooks, and a rating of political and security risk in 173 countries. International business faces intensifying volatility in 2012, driven from above by political instability and economic uncertainty, and from below by social protest and increasing scrutiny of corporate practices.

Many governments appear ill-equipped to manage severe economic challenges in 2012. Global growth prospects remain hostage to debt and political crises in the European Union and the US, and fast-growing emerging markets are not immune to potential recession. High, volatile food and fuel prices, meanwhile, will continue to aggravate social and economic tensions — especially in developing countries.

The global wave of social protest that erupted in 2011 is unlikely to subside, and may intensify. Global economic travails will continue to exacerbate the disparities in wealth, opportunity and political influence that provoked social protest worldwide in 2011.

In particular, rising income inequality – in both developed countries such as the US and emerging markets like China – has emerged as a point of significant social tension. Social media – instrumental in demonstrations from the Arab spring to Occupy Wall Street – will continue to grow and mature as a platform for social and political action, including for targeting companies.

Richard Fenning, CEO of Control Risks, said: “The criticism of both states and markets by people across the world is posing the first major challenge to globalization in the 21^st century. ”Companies will need to distinguish between malicious and hostile acts versus popular expressions of legitimate protest against authentic inequalities.

This requires a greater understanding and interaction with stakeholders beyond shareholders, from local communities to governments; grasping the intense scrutiny they face through social media and its ‘game changing powers’; and the potential for cyber-security and online attacks.

“The one indisputable lesson from 2011 is that planning for low-probability but high-impact events must be part of any strategic forecast. Organizations must develop ever more robust strategies to assess and mitigate exposure to changing security, political, social, operational and reputational risks.”

The combination of economic uncertainty and social protest presents companies with a range of potential security, political and operational risks. These include:

• The growing significance of cyber and information security threats, arising from both criminal and ‘hacktivist’ groups, as well as the security and integrity challenges presented by pervasive online social media, which include data theft, fraud and reputational damage

• Rising prospects of government intervention in business through changes in regulation, tax policy or contracts, driven by mounting public hostility towards companies and investors as well as fiscal pressures

• Increased labor unrest stemming from trade unions battling wage and benefit cuts, as well as low-income workers – especially in emerging markets – pressing for better conditions, labor rights and personal dignity

In response to these issues, companies should focus attention on:

• Greater monitoring of the evolving public sphere, including through social media to provide a real-time barometer of public sentiment, as well as potential early warning of political, reputational or security threats

• Being more accountable to local communities and governments, as well as shareholders, customers and employees, through listening closely to their needs and concerns

• Recognizing that there are no easy solutions to systemic problems. The problems of global capitalism are more complex than merely higher wages or more benefits.  They are also about personal dignity, fairness and legitimacy.  These issues demand steady, long-term engagement, rather than a short-term approach

In this highly challenging environment, Control Risks has identified five key states for investors to watch in 2012:

Colombia: Although security concerns persist, leftist guerrillas are on the back foot and security gains continue to open up new areas for extractive development. In 2011 the country won back its investment grade rating, while a long-delayed free trade agreement with the US will come into force in 2012, and President Santos continues to enjoy an overwhelming legislative majority.

Sri Lanka: Despite international criticism of the civil war against the LTTE, the Sri Lankan government’s tight control of the security situation has made the island much safer. With recent offshore gas finds there will be renewed interest from foreign companies in licenses of oil and gas concessions in the Mannar Basin, expected in early 2012.

Long term opportunities in delivering hydro power exist though the possibilities of other nations’ firms contributing in the thermal power sector is limited by India and China’s presence on the island.

Mozambique: Mozambique’s stable political environment has encouraged a boom in offshore petroleum exploration where investors have been rewarded by significant discoveries of natural gas reserves. The development of a transport corridor to South Africa has also facilitated the development of the country’s nascent mining sector and existing infrastructure shortfalls – a legacy of years of civil conflict – present ample opportunities for investors.

Libya: Over the coming years Libya will be able to finance wide-ranging reconstruction through sovereign wealth and oil revenues, providing substantial commercial opportunities across a range of sectors. While conducting business will undoubtedly remain complex with a legacy of corruption and inefficient bureaucracy complicated by emerging political risks, there is nonetheless significant potential for investors.

Bulgaria: Against the backdrop of financial uncertainty in more profligate EU member states, Bulgaria, with an expected 2011 budget deficit at 2.5% of GDP and public debt at 17.5%, clearly stands out. Although companies will need to take adequate measures to protect against risks stemming from pervasive corruption and organized crime, the country’s relative fiscal and political stability, coupled with strong links to the EU, Russia, and Turkey, make it an attractive, albeit understated, investment destination in 2012.

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It’s another day at Occupy Wall Street, as the DA (Direct Action) group tackles the issue of police brutality. One member of the group stated that the Municipal Labor Community, which is a bargaining committee that negotiates all municipal contracts together, was going to raise $25,000 for OWS. However, they were unable to, because it was blocked by the police and firemen’s union.

They did not allow them to raise the money, which called for another breakout session to discuss the matter more in depth. The DA’s direction is about finding your allies and becoming more solidarity. During this breakout session, another member proposed discussing a need for expansion whether it is in physical spaces, open spaces or indoor spaces.

He says it’s a big city and he feels like a lot could be done long term. They will be conducting a 4 hour strategy discussion for expansion on Sunday. Following December 6th’s Occupy foreclosed homes day, which will take place in 50 cities across the country is, Occupy Ports on December 12. The occupations in Oakland and Los Angeles have called for a west coast port shutdown. It does not mean to occupy the actual ports one said jokingly, although he said he would have no objection to it.

He claims that it would be the biggest thing to a west coast general strike. According to the New York Occupy movement, if they don’t seize the opportunity to be in solidarity with the other movements, then New York movement will fall behind. People out in the west have really been pushing forth, shutting things down and causing disruption for the 1%, which is what the message for Occupy Ports is about.

The occupiers are growing tired after their victory that took place on their 2 month anniversary of OWS, but New York occupiers will continue to push themselves in order to shut the 1% down. One man from Chile said to another that, “What we did on November 17 was something we did for 7 years” referring to a struggle against dictatorship in Chile, which was said as encouragement to boost morale.

One New York Occupier also suggested that being more proactive was in order, saying that more is necessary of the DA and that New York rather than just being reactive to just working on projects brought to them, they should establish affinity groups that would create major action, having them take it on piece by piece.

More is expected to come from the 99% as they continue to fight against the 1%. To learn more about what is on their agenda visit http://occupywallst.org/

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnylawyer/

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Occupy demonstrations have been a somewhat peaceful trend. However, students protesting at the University of California, Davis were doused with pepper spray by campus officers. According to Linda Katehi, UC Davis’ chancellor, Thursday night, the protestors were asked to leave the Quad area. This space, central to the campus, would be closed over the weekend.

“Driven by our concern for the safety and health of the students involved in the protest, as well as other students on our campus, I made the decision not to allow encampments on the Quad during the weekend, when the general campus facilities are locked and the university staff is not widely available to provide support,” Katehi said in her letter.

However, many of the protestors did not leave the area. By afternoon, campus police had arrived. In order to disperse the students gathered on the Quad, police used pepper spray, said the letter. Since the events on Friday, Katehi has assigned a “task force” of faculty, students and staff to “review the events and provide to me a thorough report within 90 days,” said the letter.

Two campus police officers have been placed on administrative leave, according to a statement released by Katehi. The names of the two individuals have not been released. “Through this letter, I express my sadness for the events of past Friday and my commitment to redouble our efforts to improve our campus and the environment for our students,” as Katehi ended the note.

As the New York Times reported, students were able to broadcast the events of the protests through Internet sites. Students shared pictures over social media sites and videos over sites such as YouTube.

Some of the sites feature documents for visitors to sign to show their support of the protestors. Believers in the cause could also donate money and tents, according to the New York Times article. Occupy protests began on New York City’s Wall Street in September. The group stressed the “99 percent,” a reference to the growing gap between the rich and poor in the country.

Since then, many other branches of Occupy protests have sprung up along the nation, even inspiring some countries and cities within them to model similar protests. Occupy initiatives have also been in England, Chile and Jordan, among many other countries.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/therealmichaelmoore/

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Early today, November 15, New York Police evicted the protesters of the Occupy Wall Street movement who have been camping in the Lower Manhattan park since September 17. Bloomberg.com reports that some 200 people were told at 1AM local time pack their belongings and leave the premises or face arrest.

The eviction has come after protest organizers announced plans to move the ‘occupation’ to the subways and effectively shut down Wall Street to mark the two-month anniversary of their cause. The notice served to the protesters read: “The city has determined that the continued occupation of Zuccotti Park poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard.

“We also require that you immediately leave the park on a temporary basis so it can be cleared and restored for its intended use,” the letter declared, according to Foxnews. ”You will be allowed to return to the park in several hours, when this work is complete. If you decide to return, you will not be permitted to bring tents, sleeping bags, tarps and similar materials with you.”

The raid lasted over night and left the park empty by 7AM. NYdailynews.com reported the arrest of 100 people, including Manhattan City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez. Reports through Twitter alleged that Rodriguez had been beaten and was bleeding when he was arrested.

Other protesters spoke out about their anger over the handling of the eviction to several media sources; they believe the measures were excessive and maintained that they had not broken the law. “When the cops closed in, people tried to hold on to one another,” said Jose Mediaville, 29, to reporters. “I tried to avoid them, but they got me.

They smashed people in the hands and broke the human chain. They lifted me up and threw me out like a rag doll.” “They don’t even obey their own rules,” Frank Olivo, 21, said according to NYdailynews.com. “What they’re doing is against the law.” Jason Lee of Brooklyn concurred; “They took oaths to protect and serve. They broke that oath tonight. They destroyed what we built.

That’s tyranny by any definition.” Similar moves have been made in Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon where camps have been cleared — some of them due to deaths in the camp.

“The people who originally founded the encampments are either no longer there or no longer in control,” Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said yesterday to Bloomberg.com. “In part of clearing the camp, we moved a lot of the homeless — they were about half of the residents.”

The total number of arrest related to the New York protest has past 900 people.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielmuenster/

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Occupy Wall Street, which has been going strong for well over a month, is beginning to be a new topic of discussion among the GOP presidential hopefuls. During the GOP debate in Las Vegas, the candidates were asked: “How do you explain the Occupy Wall Street movement happening across the country and how does it relate to your movement?”

Herman Cain has voiced his opinions previously about Occupy Wall Street in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself,” he said at the time.

Herman Cain clarified his earlier comments by making it clear that he thought the protesters are directing their anger at the wrong place. He believes that protesters shouldn’t be at Wall Street targeting the banks, but in front of the White House instead. Cain has also spoken out about how he thinks the protests have been a way to distract the public from Obama’s failed policies in hopes to get re-elected.

Congressman Ron Paul differed in his reaction to the movement. “I think Mr. Cain has blamed the victims,” he said. Paul has voiced his empathy for the middle class and blames the banks and the Federal Reserve for the current economic crisis. He also stated, “If you had to give money out, you should have given it to people who were losing their mortgages, not to the banks.”

In the previous debate held at Dartmouth, Newt Gingrich talked about the protesters on Wall Street. He stated, “I think the people who are protesting on Wall Street break into two groups. One is left-wing agitators who would be happy to show up next week on any other topic, and the other is sincere middle-class people who, frankly, are very close to the Tea Party people and actually care.”

He went on to say that the solution to the protests was to fire Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and that the protestors should be directing their anger toward the federal government.

Rick Perry discussed his stance on the regulations in Wall Street, and what he thought about the protesters in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood. He states, “I hope what they will see is that America’s a fabulous country and it gives them the opportunity to go say your peace, go protest on the street.”

At an appearance in Florida, Mitt Romney talked of the protest by stating, “I think it’s dangerous, this class warfare.” With the protest showing no signs of slowing down any time soon, it seems as if Occupy Wall Street is beginning to be a legitimate topic that the Republican GOP candidates will have to face in the future.

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“Money is like a child— rarely unaccompanied.” explains children’s author Daniel Handler, more commonly known as Lemony Snicket. “When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there.”

Handler, who authored the popular Series of Unfortunate Events, is one among 1,300 names who have joined the Occupy Writers online petition this October. His co-signers include Neil Gaiman, Salaman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ursula Le Guin, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael Cunningham.

The Occupy Writers website, founded by journalists Jeff Sharlet and Kiera Feldmen, went live earlier this month, and has since received support from undersigned writers of nearly every genre. Some are radical voices, while others are authors that, as Sharlet put it, Mayor Bloomberg might “take with him on a vacation to the beach.”

The overarching goal of this diverse crowd of artists is not absolute, yet they have all banded together under a single slogan:

“We, the undersigned writers and all who will join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world.”

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Sharlet was quick to assert that like the rest of the Occupy movement, the project has no designated leader, and the direction it takes in the future depends on the protesters themselves. Authors who are interested in having their names added to the page need only email their name and work, then wait for verification.

The only form of organization is alphabetical- there is no distinction between the famous and the obscure. Caleb Cain, a tentative convert to the Occupy movement, rationalizes his decision to sign the petition in The New Yorker:

“Whenever a writer considers endorsing a cause—whenever this writer considers it, at any rate—he worries: Do I know what I’m talking about? Am I distracting myself from my real work? Who cares what I think? Aren’t I just indulging a romantic sense of my own world-historical importance? Shouldn’t the cobbler stick to his last?

Maybe. And maybe the movement will disappoint me by taking a nasty turn. I didn’t marry Occupy Wall Street; I just signed a petition supporting it.”

The entirety of Snicket’s observations on the Wall Street protests, along with those of other authors, are posted a http://occupywriters.com/

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A new poll suggests that over a third of Americans support the Occupy Wall Street protests while 58 per cent are enraged by the protests. In Albuquerque, a 48-year old man was arrested for throwing a knife at protesters near the University of New Mexico on Friday 21. The attack was directly related to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The poll, conducted by Associated Press-GFK, revealed that 37 per cent of Americans support that the protests have spread from New York to numerous cities across the country and globe. Occupy Wall Street which originally began as a lower manhattan protest consisting of a few hundred marchers, has rapidly expanded across the nation and soon all over the globe.

Influenced by ‘Occupy Wall Street’, protesters have taken a stand in nearly 30 cities in the U.S as well as parts of Asia and Europe. Over five thousand people marched through the streets of Los Angeles and congregated peacefully outside City Hall on October 15. Marchers also travelled from Wall Street to the West Village and settled in Times Square on October 15.

Times Square is a notorious tourist spot and having these marchers crowd the streets affected store owners, businesses, tourists and shoppers. A tourist travelling from south Florida with his family, Mark Bryan, said “This is really unfair of those who came all the way to New York to see the city.

It is intimidating and my children are scared of the marchers. I don’t understand why the can’t protest outside governmental buildings instead.” The protesters chanted, “We got sold out, banks got bailed out” and “All day, all week, occupy Wall Street.” The protest continued last weekend and took place on the Upper West Side and travelled to Columbus Circle Friday 21.

The marchers were joined once again by a celebrity in favour of the protests; this time Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie. Seeger, 92, is a famous and hugely popular American folk singer marched and sang and performed with the protesters all night. The protesters, who come from all walks of life, are settled in Zuccotti Park, Manhattan.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has told protesters to leave the park as tourists who do not want to pay for hotel rooms, may camp in the park as an alternative. He also claimed they were damaging the park with their trash. School teacher, Shawn Johns, responded to this statement saying “We are not causing an damage to this park.

Each person cleans up after themselves and we have volunteers who are circling the park with trash bags to ensure the park is not left in an undesirable way.” The clean up after the weekends protest has taken place all this week in Manhattan, amongst other cities and although the damage may be at large, so was the message prevailed.

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Rage against the politicians and capitalists who have driven the global financial system into the ground is being aired today from one end of the world to the other in a massive coordination of support protests to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Under the banner #GlobalChange, today has seen people from Sydney to Manila, to Rome and London, take to the streets to claim justice in their financial and political system.

In London, UK, up to 300 people gathered in front of St Paul’s Cathedral for the Occupy the London Stock Exchange. Organizers had garnered support through social media sites and were hoping to occupy Paternoster Square in a tribute to the original Occupy movement which is occupying Zuccotti Park in New York City.

The demonstration walked peacefully to the square where they chanted “We are the 99%,” according to Lisa O’Carroll from The Guardian, who was at the scene. The 99% refers to the so-called percentage of society who had to suffer for the profit of the last 1%. The 1% represents the wealthiest people who benefitted, and still do, from the financial crash and bailout of the banks.

Around 2PM GMT, the mood of the protest, which had been conducted fairly cheerful and calm, changed and The Guardian could report that apparently Julian Assange had joined the proceedings in London. The international day of action, October 15, was marked in other cities through marches and gatherings.

In Manila, the Philippines, demonstrators held up outside the U.S. embassy with banners, denouncing “U.S.-led wars and aggression,” according to the Associated Press and Reuters. Hundreds of people gathered in the main street of Auckland, New Zealand, banging drums and chanting against corporate greed.

Around 2000 protesters gathered outside the central Reserve Bank of Australia in Sydney and a spokesman for OccupyMelbourne.Org told Reuters about the Melbourne event: “I think people want real democracy.” In Tokyo, Japan, the demonstration included anti-nuclear protesters.

Both Greece and Italy also joined in the global rally, with students in Milan opening up early for pandora’s box on Friday, vandalizing Goldman Sachs’ offices and headquarters of the bank UniCredit. In Rome, organizers were expecting the biggest show-up of around 100,000 people.

One participant told Reuters “At the global level, we can’t carry on any more with public debt that wasn’t created by us but by thieving governments, corrupt banks and speculators who don’t give a damn about us.” Back in London, the Metropolitan Police informed the media that they’ve only made one arrest today.

The demonstration failed to occupy Paternoster Square and have moved back to St Paul’s Cathedral. The sudden arrival of the notorious Wikileaks founder brought a bit of grassroots celebrity star power to the event. Mark Townsend of The Guardian said that Assange made his way to the crowd and “began attacking a greedy and corrupt system that had united individuals from Cairo to London.”

He also argued that the movement is about the construction of law and not its destruction. As participants hit the streets in cities around the US, the movement will see the circle completed this October 15. Click here to watch pictures from the events around the world.

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On October 15th people from all over the world will take to the streets and squares” announces 15october.net, the website in charge of mobilizing tomorrow’s event. “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 nonviolent protest” they add.

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On October 15th people from all over the world will take to the streets and squares” announces 15october.net, the website in charge of mobilizing tomorrow’s event. “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 nonviolent protest” they add.

And apparently people have heard the call because at this moment, 951 cities in 82 different countries have already sign up for the global change. The last ones to join have been Tirana, Albany and Madeira, Portugal, but the long list includes several cities worldwide such as Tijuana in Mexico, Jerusalem in Israel, Brisbane in Australia and Bamako in Mali.

Take The Square, the “informative platform in English that aims to support the ongoing pro-democracy protests throughout Europe” explains on its website that this social movement was born with the objective of making a civil response to the global crisis of society through a global, but peaceful, protest: “The key of 15 Oct should not be just mobilizing people, and doing some actions simultaneously, but being conscious that the world is acting together, and therefore starting to build a network between all of us, for deciding all together […] We know that the powers are global, that we live in a globalized world, and therefore our answer should be global too.”

All the evidence points to October 15th not being an isolated event but the result of individuals and collectives coming together in unity to protest. It is part of a movement for social change that has spread to the world in incredible time. Everything started in Egypt and Tunisia, then protests moved to Spain with the 15M and now Occupy Wall Street, the latest example of people’s thirst for change.

The manifesto, which has been translated into 18 languages, explains that the aim of this mass protest is to send a clear message to politicians and the financial elite: “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.” It also defies the deep sense of unease and the weariness of the world’s population due to financial crisis: “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.”

If you still have doubts about what October 15th means and what will happen all over the world tomorrow, the answer to these questions might help you:

What? “People from all over the world will take to the streets and squares”.

When? October 15th 2011.

Where? All over the world, 951 cities in 82 different countries have already sign up for the #globalchange.

Why? “It’s time for us to unite. It’s time for them to listen.”

How? “We will meet on the streets to initiate the global change we want. We will peacefully demonstrate, talk and organize until we make it happen.”

If you want to report about the happenings in your city tomorrow, use the hashtag #event15oct on Twitter.com

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After the local unions and celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Kanye West have shown their support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement, Ben & Jerry’s, the world famous ice cream company, has become the first big company to join the cause as of last weekend.

“To those who Occupy: We Stand with you” is the slogan chosen by the ice cream maker to show its sympathy and “deepest admiration” to all the people “who have initiated the non-violent Occupy Wall Street Movement and to those around the country who have joined in solidarity”, as is stated on the Ben & Jerry’s website.

In the solidarity statement written by the company Board of Directors, they make it clear that according to the company’s values “the issues raised are of fundamental importance to all of us”, and for that reason they decided to “support this call to action and are honoured to join you in this call to take back our nation and democracy”.

These “issues” are no other than inequity, unemployment, education and political corruption. In their press release, the Board cited the following ground for their support:

The inequity that exists between classes in our country is simply immoral.

We are in an unemployment crisis. Almost 14 million people are unemployed. Nearly 20% of African American men are unemployed. Over 25% of our nation’s youth are unemployed. Many workers who have jobs have to work 2 or 3 of them just to scrape by.

Higher education is almost impossible to obtain without going deeply in debt.

Corporations are permitted to spend unlimited resources to influence elections while stockpiling a trillion dollars rather than hiring people.

They also took this opportunity to remind the American society about their compromises towards the environment, human rights and fair trade, among others: “We have provided support to citizens’ efforts to reincorporate money in politics, we pay a liveable wage to our employees, we directly support family farms and we are working to source fairly traded ingredients for all our products.”

The Occupy Wall Street movement that started nearly a month ago has quietly but steadily grown a following that has inspired similar demonstrations in over 70 other cities, including some in Canada, Great Britain, Greece and Australia.

For the full statement visit their website.

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The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests are still continuing and have now expanded to a second park in New York City, Washington Square Park. Roughly 1,000 protesters marched away from the financial district and headed into the park. After the commotion of the impact the protesters had in Central Park, there are worries the same problems will occur in the Greenwich Village park.

The protesters were blamed for causing environmental damage to Central Park and as a result the park was left in an ‘unsanitized’ condition for over a week. The protests began over three weeks ago and have been going strong ever since, extending out of the island of Manhattan. The protests that originally began in the lower east side of manhattan has now led to 25 cities nationwide.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has criticized the Occupy Wall Street protesters for unfairly blaming ‘hard-working’ people for problems facing America. Bloomberg said ‘I don’t appreciate the bashing of all the hard working people who live and work here and pay the taxes that support our city.’

But there has been some support from Washington for the protesters cause, House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi said “I support the message to the establishment, whether it’s Wall Street or the political establishment and the rest, that change has to happen.”

While there has been support from diplomats for the protesters there has undoubtedly been criticism. Herman Cain, Republican presidential contender spoke about the expansion of ‘Occupy wall Street’ and called the protesters “jealous’ Americans who “play the victim card” and want to “take somebody else’s” Cadillac.

Protester Katie White told Toonari Post “All we are looking for is for union workers and college graduates to have equal employment opportunities and for those who have become very wealthy in America to give their fair share back.” When asked about how the media is portraying the protesters she replied;

“All those accusations are false, we are engaged in a peaceful protest and are causing no harm. We are teachers, fire-fighters, plumbers etc not drug-using bums.” Tuesday 11th marched peacefully protested outside Rupert Murdoch’s Manhattan home as part of a ‘Millionaires March’. They chanted outside his home on 59th street ‘enough is enough!’, and ‘Mr.Murdoch pay your fair share!’.

The protest later moved on towards other millionaires homes, including JP Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon and David Koch and Howard Mileston. The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests have become a symbolic protest of union workers and college graduates fighting for the inequalities of the U.S. These 26 day protests has been captured daily by national and international media.

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More organizations and politicians have begun to speak out about Occupy Wall Street, either in support or to distance themselves from the growing movement. Massive protests raged all over the country on Thursday as more and more cities support the New York City movement.

American Crossroads, the Karl Rove funded PAC, sent out an email to supporters about the protests. “The anti-Wall Street folks just paraded near our building, and we captured some video in case you weren’t able to partake in that joy.

One observation: I counted at least a dozen different causes – anti-Wall Street, pro-gay, pro-Palestinian, anti Afghanistan war, anti-Iraq war, Code Pink, something about farming, unions, generals-lying-and-people-dying, and so on. Some fun signs: “Wake up America we are in CLASS WAR” “Jail Obama” “Voting is a Hoax – Wake Up” A “war crimes” banner with both Bush and Obama mugshots “The military budget is KILLING Washington State!” “Free Bradley” “Stop Cheating Movie Goers” (I’m not kidding – though I assume they were) It reminded me of those World Bank/IMF protests from about ten years ago, where the exact cause was nebulous, and the protests were instead a cornucopia of disparate left wing causes from veganism to anarchy. Like today. Just your generic left wing protest,” the email read.

On Thursday, nearly 500 protesters marched in Washington, DC. At one point, the protesters spelled out a giant 99% with their bodies. Hundreds of protesters turned out in cities like Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The mayor of San Francisco Ed Lee issued a statement about the Occupy Wall Street movement growing in his city.

I understand and sympathize with the anxiety and frustration felt by so many in our country caused by a lingering recession and joblessness. That’s why I am doing everything I can to create jobs, get people back to work and make our families stronger here in San Francisco.

I support the spirit of the Occupy Wall Street movement that calls for peacefully assembling to protest and bring national attention to disparity issues in our country.

In San Francisco, protesters are acting within their First Amendment right to free speech and freedom to assemble. While allowing for peaceful protests, we also must ensure that our streets and sidewalks remain safe and accessible for everyone. I will continue to work closely with our Police Chief to ensure San Francisco responds appropriately to these demonstrations.

San Francisco is a city that embraces free speech and freedom to assemble like no other city.
levradin / Shutterstock.com

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Police brutality occurring throughout the Occupy Wall Street protests has largely been ignored. Police officers are not likely to be disciplined as their use of pepper spray and baton beating on protesters has increased.

Although the New York Police Department, has not commented on the most recent events, several videos and dozens of reports of police brutality have surfaced after the massive protests on Wednesday.

According to Mother Jones, even the media was beaten by the NYPD. In one video clip, Lieutenant Brian Connolly can be seen beating protesters with a baton.Connolly, who was awarded the Medal for Valor in 2007, struck local Fox Reporter, Dick Brennan, with his baton. Another officer sprayed a crowd with pepper spray for no justifiable reason.

Police also sprayed Fox Photographer, Roy Isen, in the eyes with pepper spray. Another journalist, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange.org, posted videos of himself being beaten. Dozens of arrests were recorded Wednesday, but the exact amount is unknown.

A video recently surfaced of two police officers talking to one another in a crude manner. In the conversation one police officer is heard talking about how he anticipates that things will get violent saying, “my little nightstick’s gonna get a workout tonight.” The officers did not realize they were being recorded. Once they discovered that they were, the officers tried to arrest the camera operator.

According to Mother Jones Magazine, police officers on motorcycles purposely drove into crowds of protesters. Many violent arrests were witnessed by media covering the event.

Also in many videos, protesters that are not resisting arrest at all are being dragged and beaten by police officers.

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As many organizations and politicians begin to back the Occupy Wall Street movement, the protesters are concerned about being gobbled up by an outdated political system. Much like the Tea Party was hijacked by the Republican Party, some Democrats, unions and other groups seek to capitalize on the organized protest.

Despite the fear, protesters are pleased to some some supporters. “We’re very excited to have our union brothers and sisters march on the heart of greed,” Spokesman Patrick Bruner told the Huffington Post on Wednesday before the march. “We don’t necessarily think that the way they’re structured is the best,” Bruner said, referring to unions’ top-down organizational style, “But we believe the 99% needs a voice, and they’re one of the few remaining.”

Others are a little more skeptical of the growing support, especially from politicians. “Obviously we welcome support from anyone,” David Graeber, an anarchist anthropologist, who has been involved in the protests since the beginning in mid-September. “But yes, [being co-opted is] a serious concern because a huge part of our message is our own internal democracy.

The moment you even have a funding base it seriously limits what people feel they can say and do. And a top-down organization will always try to co-opt you. So we have to be very careful and insist people come on our terms or not at all,” Graeber said. Occupy Wall Street operates differently than what Democrats or unions may be comfortable with.

Unions rely on elections, shop stewards, and rigid grievance procedures to correct problems. The General Assemblies in New York’s Zuccotti Park use a consensus model, with decisions emerging from a “progressive stack” speaking order that seeks to ensure “women and traditionally marginalized groups speak before men, especially white men.”

However, unions are excited to back the cause. TWU Local 100 President, John Samuelsen, whose union made headlines after it was forced to bus protesters from the Brooklyn Bridge to prison, said he was happy to lend his union’s support.”Wall Street got bailed out after the recession. American working families didn’t get bailed out,” Samuelsen said at the Wednesday rally.

Samuelsen has been extremely critical of the NYPD’s orders to bus drivers to transport the prisoners. Still, he continued, “these aren’t rallies about police brutality. These are peaceful rallies with working families coming out here to say enough’s enough, we need jobs, we needs jobs for us and for our kids.”

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Occupy Wall Street gained some new members on Wednesday as some key significant groups backed their cause. Union workers from Chinatown Tenants Union and the Transit Workers Union joined in, lending some credibility to the movement, which began with some frustrated college students and long-term unemployed individuals.

The liberal group MoveOn.org, and community organizations like the Working Families Party and United NY also showed support and joined Occupy Wall Street. The protests began on September 17 as growing frustration over the state of the economy and spending cuts became too much for some people.

College students flocked to Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan where they have camped out and plan to stay until they see real change. What is being termed the American Autumn is now spreading across the country and enjoying global support. On the west coast, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco are having similar protests.

“We’re really excited that labor is part of the protest,” said Sara Niccoli, spokeswoman for the Labor-Religion Coalition, an Albany, N.Y.-based organization that aims to “do justice” for workers. United NY applied for a permit for the rally on Wednesday so that they could use microphones.

“I think they’re capturing a feel of disempowerment, feeling like nobody is listening to them,” said Camille Rivera, executive director of United NY. “What do you do when no one is listening to you? You speak up, you take action.”

MoveOn.org is planning a “virtual march” on its website by encouraging people to post photos of themselves with the caption: “I’m the 99 percent” – a reference to those people not among the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and the debate over whether they should be taxed more.

The group’s executive director, Justin Ruben, called the protesters “brave young people” who have successfully inspired others to join them. “From our perspective, we’re protesting kind of the greed that led to the collapse of our economy,” Ruben said. “The fact that these banks aren’t paying their fair share.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/matmcdermott/

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Occupy Wall Street demonstrations attracted thousands of protesters on Wednesday in the largest day of protests seen yet during the two and a half week occupation of lower Manhattan. Although major media outlets were quiet on Wednesday night, the occupation boosted 15,000 people of all ages, including celebrities such as Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann.

Even though the media initially chose to ignore the growing discontent, Twitter was buzzing with firsthand accounts of the protests. Many protesters reported that police were on in full force, using their pepper spray and zip tie handcuffs on people of all ages, including a 12 year-old girl.

Demonstrators were able to shut down Broadway before the police officers placed barricades up, prohibiting people from entering the street.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich from Ohio released a statement and video on Wednesday offering his support for the movement, one of the first politicians to speak about the growing occupation.

“To the men and women, young and old who are now occupying Wall Street and Main Streets across the country you are the beginnings of a new America. You are in the streets and you are not alone. Millions support your efforts. We know the present system has taken the wealth of our nation and put it into the hands of the few.

Fourteen million Americans out of work. Fifty million without health care. Millions denied a college education because they cannot afford it. Millions losing their homes. Millions of pensions threatened. Dreams crushed by a system will be dreams rescued by your efforts, your commitment, your dedication to a new America,” Kucinich said during his statement. His speech was inspiring to many.

During a Washington Ideas Forum in Washington, D.C. reporters asked Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner if he had any sympathy for the Occupy Wall Street movement. His response was a little too middle of the road, not answering the question.

“No, I feel a lot of sympathy for what you might describe as a general sense among Americans as to whether we’ve lost the sense of possibility — and whether after a pretty bad lost decade … followed by a devastating crisis [and a] huge loss of faith in public institutions, people do wonder whether we have the ability to do things that can help the average sense of opportunity in the country. And I definitely sympathize with that,” he said.

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Saturday, hundreds of protesters who have gathered in New York’s Zuccotti Park since September 17 marched through the streets. Over 700 protesters, including some members of the media, were arrested as Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked the Brooklyn Bridge, snarling traffic.

Police zip tied protesters and loaded them into city buses to transport them to police stations. The protesters received tickets and were released. The protests, which have been harshly criticized by much of American media for being unorganized without demands, are gaining traction.

The protests are spreading throughout the United States like wildfire. Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco all have their own protests taking shape. On Wednesday, college students are organizing a mass student walkout on what is being deemed America’s “Day of Rage.”

On Sunday, Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate economist and professor at Columbia University, visited the large group. During his informal teach-in, Stiglitz points out that New York City does not allow the use of a megaphone or microphone without a permit. “The fact that you are not allowed to use a megaphone on a Sunday is outrageous,” Stiglitz says.

“We have too many regulations stopping democracy, and not enough regulations stopping Wall Street from misbehaving.” Despite the growing noise from protesters, most politicians, including the President, have been silent on the discontent. White House spokesperson Jay Carney was asked on Monday about the president’s reaction to the protests.

“I’m sure he’s aware of it because he follows the news,” Carney said of Obama’s familiarity with the movement, during a briefing. “To the extent that people are frustrated with the economic situation, we understand.” The movement is getting some more support. Mainstream media devoted more serious news time to the protests, even interviewing some leaders of the group on Monday.

Union workers from all over the country are supporting the cause and plan to take part in a march with Occupy Wall Street on Wednesday. The New York City bus drivers, who helped to transport the arrested protesters to police stations, stated they would not help out with any future arrests.

Workhouse Publicity, a Chelsea-based public relations firm, sent unsolicited emails to members of Occupy Wall Street offering to spread the word about the ongoing protests, The New York Daily News reports.

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The occupy Wall Street protesters have been dismissed by most media outlets. As the group begins their third week of occupation, media outlets are unable to ignore the growing chants any longer. The media’s main outrage with the group has been that they are not organized or do not have a list of demands.

Although, I am not sure the Tea Party events have a list of demands either, but the Tea Party protests with far fewer people get far more coverage and political attention. And they say we have liberal media in America? The protesters at Wall Street have begun to organize and are making a list of demands. The media asked, the protesters answered.

The group released a declaration for occupation on Friday, stating in part that the movement aims to “express a feeling of mass injustice.” The injustices include foreclosure crisis, work place discrimination and student loan debt. The occupation, which has enjoyed a smattering of celebrity endorsements, received some larger supporters on Friday.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka embraced the global occupy Wall Street protests. Asked about the ongoing mass protest in New York’s financial district, which has begun to gain support from major unions, Trumka said Friday morning: “I think it’s a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem.

Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country—the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it.”

Hailing the power of street protests to shift the dialogue, Trumka said, “I think being in the streets and calling attention to issues is sometimes the only recourse you have because, God only knows, you can go to the Hill, and you can talk to a lot of people and see nothing ever happen…”

More local unions have supported the movement, including a transport union, which has over 38,000 people. The movement has also started to gain attention worldwide as countries in Europe express similar outrage over the growing income inequality.

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You might have not heard of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests. I wouldn’t fault you if you haven’t. The media has primarily chosen to ignore the growing protests in lower Manhattan. The police have not ignored the protesters, however. Using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators seems to be par for the course in America.

Let’s focus on the mainstream media first. The coverage of the protests on Wall Street has been rather sparse. A quick mention here and there. When any media outlet dives into the occupation in more detail, they inevitably use words such as “unorganized” or “eccentric” about the protests and the people occupying Wall Street.

They point out that the protests is leader-less, (I guess that is a bad thing) and made up of some rag tag weirdos. The mainstream media, forced to cover the growing movement in Egypt earlier this year, used the same terms to describe that demonstration as well. The media clearly does not like citizens using the same rights that pundits hide behind whenever something they say is deemed inappropriate.

Freedom of speech is not just for those on television. The “Occupy Wall Street” protesters are beginning their second week of protests, camping out in Lower Manhattan. Although the protests have generally been peaceful, the police have not responded as such. Over the weekend, over 80 people were arrested by police. Often, these protesters were doing nothing illegal.

A police officer decided to pepper spray the protesters on Saturday.  Think about that for a moment. A police officer sprays a group of protesters while walking by for no reason at all. The video of the incident has been slowed down in super slow motion; there was no reason for the excessive force. Other videos of the weekend are just as shocking.

Protesters are tackled to the ground for using a video camera. An unarmed woman is grabbed over the police barricade by an officer. There was nothing about this protests that seemed American. And I, like others, have wondered why we no longer protest much in this country. Clearly, I have found my answer.

We are no better than other countries despite our desperate beliefs. We execute people. We arrest protesters. We allow the rich to get away with murder while asking more of the middle class. The government controls the media and the corporations control the government.

If we saw these same scenarios in other countries, we would puff out our chests and state how “proud we are to be American.” Yet, in our own backyard, we ignore the injustices. Although the protests in Manhattan are encouraging, they will be silenced. Millions of people protested the Invasion into Iraq but that movement was silenced as well.

I guess the revolution will be televised, or at least broadcast on Youtube. The media may ignore the growing outrage, but with social media—we may be heard anyway.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/

The article Protest Wall Street, The Revolution is Broadcast on Youtube appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.