By DAVID B. CARUSO, The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- With its noisy drum circle, meandering parades of bandanna-clad youth and disdain for centralized leadership, the Occupy Wall Street encampment sometimes has the ragtag look of a group that is making things up as it goes along and discovering its own purpose along the way.
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But from the start, the movement has also gotten support from a long list of experienced, well-funded organizations, unions and political committees ? sometimes to the discomfort of more radical protesters who worry about their message being co-opted or watered down.
After an initial hesitation to get involved, unions from Boston to Los Angeles have sent members to march in the demonstrations and donate air mattresses, food and other supplies. In Oakland, unions representing teachers and government workers are encouraging members to take a day off from work to march with protesters Wednesday.
MoveOn.org, a group that has given millions to liberal Democrats, has promoted the demonstrations relentlessly on its Web site and in blast emails.
To most of the youthful radicals at the movement's heart, all this help is welcome, but with a caveat.
"This is a movement of individuals, not managed political coalitions," said Alexa O'Brien, one of the many early organizers who helped get the New York occupation started on Sept. 17.
Unions can be great, and their support is "critical," but they can be corrupt, too, she said. And the Democratic Party, she added, is part of the problem.
"If you are going to ask corporations to get out of elections, you have to ask all special interests to get out of elections," she said. "This movement is about building civic infrastructure for regular citizens."
Today, the group that has now occupied a city park for six weeks shows few signs that it is allowing outside organizations a substantial role in planning its marches, making decisions, or deciding what issues to embrace. But it has also turned to a network of left-leaning organizations for help, some of which have been around since before most of the protesters were born.
The group of activists who began meeting to plan the demonstrations in mid-summer included several people who had been involved in an organization called US Uncut, which is affiliated with the Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington think tank that cut its teeth opposing the Vietnam War.
When Occupy Wall Street needed an established nonprofit group to help handle incoming donations, which have now topped $500,000, they turned to the Alliance for Global Justice, an entity originally founded in 1979 to build support for the communist Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
The National Lawyers Guild, whose members have been representing dissenters, peaceniks, and civil-rights activists since1937, has set up Occupy legal hotlines in 19 cities and been representing protesters arrested across the country.
Even the unofficial newspaper of the New York encampment, The Occupy Wall Street Journal, didn't simply spring organically from the protesters' base in Zuccotti Park; it is a special edition of the Indypendent, an alternative newspaper that has been publishing for 11 years.
All of this support by outside groups has become a rallying point by the movement's critics, who have accused it being manipulated behind the scenes by government worker unions trying to keep taxes high, or by Democrats trying to use the "class warfare" card in upcoming elections, or by community organizing groups trying to drum up support for government entitlement programs.
If that's happening, there is scant evidence in Occupy Wall Street's daily organizational meetings, where the demonstrators seem to focus a substantial amount of time and energy on the logistics of keeping the camp running and building an organization. Much of the assistance provided has been more inspirational than operational.
Chuck Collins, a senior IPS scholar, said that while US Uncut activists provided a list of media contacts to the demonstrators, produced some graphics, and brought skills they had honed in past protests against "corporate tax dodgers," the organizing effort was autonomous, with no initial support from organized labor, foundations or other "major institutional players."
IPS Director John Cavanagh said that while was aware that some of his younger colleagues were involved in planning the protest, they did so independently of the institute. The institute didn't offer any financial assistance, "and I don't know any other established progressive groups who did," Cavanagh said.
"I will admit honestly that I had doubts as to whether they would have any impact," he said of his attitude toward the demonstration.
Even the editors at Adbusters, the Canadian magazine that came up with the idea for the demonstration and registered the OccupyWallStreet.org website, appear to have had little influence over the movement's direction. Its subsequent calls for the occupiers to rally behind a demand for a 1 percent global tax on financial transactions has yet to be embraced by the encampment, which has strongly resisted making any specific demands.
But that hasn't stopped groups like unions from jumping on the Occupy bandwagon, and maybe advancing their own agenda.
"It's something that has energized our membership," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, which has turned part of its New York headquarters into storage space for the protesters.
Strong union participation in an Oct. 5 march in Manhattan made it one of the largest for any "Occupy" event to date.
Communication Workers of America political director Bob Master said that while many demonstrators have a political philosophy to the left of the typical trade unionist, "Most of the labor movement in New York recognizes that these young people have sparked a national discussion about issues that are central to our agenda."
Support has also come from groups known for raising large sums for Democratic political candidates ? a development that has bothered some demonstrators.
MoveOn angered some Occupy protesters with an Oct. 18 fundraising email that asked members to help it build on the momentum created by the protests by chipping in $5.
MoveOn's executive director, Justin Ruben, said the group wasn't trying to mooch off of the movement.
"We've been clear about what we're fundraising for," he said. "We're not them. We're not Occupy Wall Street. We're very clear that we don't speak for them. They seem like they are doing a great job getting their voice out. And we want to help."
Democracy for America spokeswoman Levana Layendecker said that while the PAC was prohibited by federal law from giving direct cash assistance to Occupy Wall Street, it was hoping to provide support in other ways, including donating cold-weather sleeping bags and medical supplies.
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Marian Kramer, an organizer and leader in poor people's movements, including the welfare rights movement since 1966, embraced the Occupy Wall Street movement at a recent Fair Development Conference in Baltimore, Md.
Kramer said she was ecstatic to see the Occupy movement spring up. "I was so happy, I though 'Oh, somebody with some energy, more energy than me!'" she during a keynote speech. She then encouraged people to work with them on a local level.
"These people did not come here to organize your community, they are hoping to bring about some type of awareness of the control by the corporations of our governments," Kramer said.
Her speech called for universal health care, improved working conditions, and was critical of the way Michigan has dealt with budget struggles.
Mary Pat Stone sends along this photo of a lawyer Miriam Weizenbaum, who says she has notified the city she will represent the Occupy Providence protesters if the city seeks a court order to remove them from Burnside Park, where they've been staying since Oct. 15. See below:
From The Wall Street Journal:
?It looks like a street fair to me? People are buying cookies, musicians are singing, people are eating. I talk to people about what they are protesting, but they can?t say. If I had to guess, I?d saythat 10% are protesters, 10% journalists, 10% musicians and 70% are tourists.?
Lucky for Greene, no one seemed to recognize him as a billionaire, since he was dressed in a rugby shirt as opposed to the top hat and monocle the protestors would expect from billionaires.
One of the Occupy Wall Street movement's central demands, the reversal of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, could be met if a proposed constitutional amendment from several Democratic senators is passed.
HuffPost's Hayley Miller reports:
A constitutional amendment could be a welcome proposal for the thousands of demonstrators involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement, which holds a reversal of the Citizens United ruling asone of its oft-repeated demands."The extent to which money and corporations have taken over the [campaign] process is reflected across our cities in the Occupy movement,' said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), another co-sponsor. 'It is something we have to do something about if we are going to reclaim American democracy as the shining light to other countries that it has always been."
Read the full story here.
Protesters living in Zuccotti park are dealing with an escalating security problem, which some say could threaten the sustainability of the Occupy Wall Street movement. HuffPost's Lila Shapiro reports:
There have been multiple incidents of assault, drug dealing and drug use, rape and attempted rape, according to conversations with numerous protesters. And the problem, they say, is getting worse.In the past several weeks, the cluster of tents at the west end of the park -- the farthest section from the bustle of working groups and activity near Broadway -- has grown increasingly dangerous, many say. The sanitation team has reported finding needles in tents, and reports of crack and crystal meth use have surfaced. But the most serious concern most protesters say, is the risk of assault, especially for women and at night.
Read the full article here.
The entire text of the letter follows below:
1 November 2011 ? Oakland, Ca.
We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.
As your police officers, we are confused.
On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor?s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.
Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in ? to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.
To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the ?Stop Work? strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.
That?s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against ?the establishment.? But aren?t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City?s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?
It is all very confusing to us.
Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week?s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.
The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday?s work strike they are encouraging and even ?staffing,? spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence ? at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City?s failing finances.
All of these mixed messages are confusing.
We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling ? we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead ? not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.
From HuffPost's Arin Greenwood:
A month into their protest in McPherson Square in downtown D.C., Occupy DC protesters don't know whether the National Park Service thinks they are breaking park rules or not.Last week after Park Police took down an Occupy DC flag from the park's statue of Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, the park service then distributed aflier in McPherson Square with some park rules, including a note that sugary drinks not be consumed near the McPherson statue.
One key rule the flier outlines that could be hard to follow: "Camping is not permitted."
But the handout, which is also posted around the park, has some other statements that seem to contradict that no-camping rule.
More here.
From HuffPost's Michael McAuliff:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leveled a blistering attack at Republicans Tuesday that echoed the message of Occupy Wall Street, saying the GOP wants to protect the very richest Americans at the expense of everyone else.Reid (D-Nev.) was arguing against Senate Republican resistance to a $60 billion measure that would pump cash into infrastructure and transportation projects in hopes of boosting the economy.
It would be funded with a 0.7 percent tax on millionaires' income above the first $1 million -- a levy that Reid called a "no-brainer."
Read the whole thing here.
The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reports:
In terms of today?s news, I just got off the phone with a senior banking official familiar with the discussions about Bank of America?s decision. This official said there was no direct correlation between the protests and the decision, and argued that the move by other banksto back off the fees left BoA no choice. But the official acknowledged that the atmosphere has been changed in a palpable way by the protests and by media coverage of them. Obama and leading Dems have aligned themselves with the shift in public mood by also hammering BoA.
?It?s all connected,? the official said. ?There are a lot of issues out there that have added to the conversation. If you take a lot of customer complaints, and you add on to it something along the lines of the protest, it?s amplified the concerns. From our perspective it has clearly amplified things. It has amplified the concerns our customers have. It?s heightened the conversation. It has impacted all the banks.?
More here.
Salon's Justin Elliott reports on the scant evidence behind police claims that protesters have injured
Last week, a top New York police union official went on a media blitz putting Occupy Wall Street protesters on notice: any occupier who injures a police sergeant will be hit with a civil lawsuit seeking monetary damages, said Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association.In a New York Post op-ed, Mullins also said that ?at least 20 officers have been hurt during flare-ups with protesters whose actions are becoming increasingly hostile and aggressive? ? a fact that he claimed had gone ?mostly unreported.?
But since Mullins made his claim ? which was picked up by many large media outlets ? both he and the NYPD itself have declined repeated opportunities to detail the injuries allegedly sustained by police officers.
Read more here.
In These Times reports on Occupy Oakland's General Strike, which is tomorrow:
What remains unclear about Wednesday's general strike is how well-organized the event is and what level of support unions plan to lend the protesters. Major labor unions in the city have voiced support, but of course most of those workers can't legally strike while under contract. However some say they plan to take the day off, participate during off hours, or walk off the job spontaneously.
More here.
AP reports:
The protesters ignored a Sunday deadline to vacate Burnside Park and have vowed to stay indefinitely. Mayor Angel Taveras (tuh-VEHR'-us) said over the weekend that legal action would come soon.
Members of Occupy Providence's legal group met with attorney Miriam Weizenbaum (WHY'-zen-baum) on Monday afternoon. She told The Associated Press that the protesters are engaged in protected free speech in a public forum, which shouldn't be limited by a city ordinance under which the park closes at 9 p.m.
More here.
Protesters with Occupy Des Moines have already targeted Barack Obama's re-election headquarters in Iowa and picketed at GOP presidential candidates' events.
Now they are turning their focus on the caucuses and inviting people from out of state to join them. Although the details are still being hammered out, it was adopted at Monday night's General Assembly:
Iowa activists are inviting caravans of protesters from across the country to help them ?occupy? all the presidential campaign headquarters in Iowa ? and to shut the offices down if they feel their message about corporate greed is not being heard.?You go inside or if they won?t let you in, you shut ?em down. You sit in front of their doors,? said Des Moines? Frank Cordaro, who came up with the idea that Occupy Iowa?s ?general assembly? approved at their 6 p.m. meeting tonight.
The Occupy Iowa protesters want to capitalize on the fact that Iowa hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Cordaro said. Non-violent protests could be waged throughout December and up until caucus day on Jan. 3, he said.
?Who knows? It could be a very big deal,? said Cordaro, an independent voter.
Read more here.
From The Guardian:
Despite the images of a New York police commander pepper spraying non-violent female protesters and police use of tear gas and other projectiles against Occupy demonstrators in Oakland, there is a continuous plea to the police: join us. After all, police officers' union benefits and pensions are under attack around the country, putting them in the ranks of all other public-sector workers, who make up the last remaining vestige of the American blue-collar middle class."We are the 99%," protesters often cry during marches, with some gesturing to the police columns and adding, "and so are you."
Read more here.
The Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral has unanimously agreed to suspend its current legal action against the protest camp outside the church, following meetings with Dr Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, late last night and early this morning.
Read more here.
From KGW News:
Federal and Portland police moved "Occupy Portland" demonstrators out of Terry Schrunk Plaza about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.Tents erected on the site were removed by police in riot gear. An unspecified number of people were taken to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, where they were cited and released.
At least a dozen tents had gone up at Terry Schrunk Plaza by Monday afternoon, and more were expected. Unlike Chapman and Lownsdale Square parks, where the original encampment remains, the plaza is a federal park.
Read more here.
Occupy Portland protesters had camped out in Terry Schrunk Plaza despite warnings not to from the Federal Protective Service. From The Oregonian, yesterday:
Federal Protective Service officials plan to enforce the government's no-camping policy in Terry Schrunk Plaza tonight, possibly forcing 10 tents out of the downtown park claimed earlier in the day by Occupy Portland.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/occupy-wall-street-modest-help-left_n_1070329.html
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