My Occupy Wall Street Experience at Times Square

POSTED BY NOWHERE MAN

With the continuation of the two longest and unnecessary wars in our nation's history, our jobs being shipped overseas, the so called Democratic Party becoming the Republican Light Party, the obvious evidence that the banks and Wall Street own our government and with the corporate media refusing to either do it's job or in some cases even understand what it's job is, I was angry and frustrated because the people seemed powerless or unwilling to rise up like we saw in the Arab Spring. But then came "Occupy Wall Street."

I felt so inspired by their guts and determination that last Saturday I went down to lend my voice and support. I didn't see nor was I offered any of the free sex and drugs that Fox News had reported was available, nor did I find any of the anti-semites Rush Limbaugh had said organized the whole thing. What I did find were groups with different agendas ranging from Bronx doctors who wanted health care for all, to Filipinos demanding an end to US imperialism in their country. However, the great majority were there protesting the corporate strangle hold Wall Street and the banks have on our government and the awful consequences being felt by families across the country.

Zucotti Park was filled with people of all ages and backgrounds. Most of the organizers are college age twenty somethings. I was impressed with how organized the park was - a cleaning crew section, a first aid station, a food section and a large blackboard detailing what the schedule was for the week.

We were to march to Washington Square Park and then uptown to Times Square. We were told that this was a non violent protest and that we were to obey the police orders at all times who for the most part were courteous. As we marched up Broadway we chanted different slogans over and over:

"BANKS GOT BAILED OUT, WE GOT SOLD OUT!"


"MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION NOT FOR WAR AND OCCUPATION!"


"TELL ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE, THIS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!"





"HOW DO WE FIX THE DEFICIT, END THE WAR AND TAX THE RICH!"


"WE ARE THE 99 PERCENT! YOU ARE THE 99 PERCENT!"


"THE PEOPLE UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!"

A lot of people on the streets along with tourists from double decker buses gave us a thumbs up as we chanted "JOIN US! JOIN US!" while others looked confused, wondering what all the fuss was about as the police escorted us along the entire route.

When we got to the park we gathered near the fountain and were told that 23 of had just gotten arrested at a Citicorp Bank on LaGuardia Place for allegedly occupying the bank. Some of us went there chanting "LET THEM GO!" of course to no avail. Before we continued on to Times Square we were given the phone number to the National Lawyers Guild in case we were arrested.

As we continued on to Times Square I felt as empowered as I was in the late 60s when I marched against the Vietnam War. I could overhear conversations of strangers from different parts of the country talking about the mess our country is in and the overwhelming consensus that Eric Cantor is the biggest asshole in Congress. I then received a text from Broadway Carl knowing I was attending the event, who told me to be careful because he had just seen a video* of a white shirted NYPD supervisor punching a woman in the face, knocking her to the ground! I didn't see the incident and the media didn't report it the next day. You would think a video of a police supervisor punching out a woman would be a front page photo and or story, but I digress.

There was no further incident until we got to West 46th Street and Broadway, which is where we were supposed to enter. I was about 200 feet from Broadway when there was a confrontation with police. I later learned that the police had positioned the barricades so that only a trickle of us could get in which produced a bottle neck. Human nature took over so some us pushed the barricade back so we could enter which of course gave the police the provocation they wanted and created, resulting in 45 of us getting arrested and the police picking up the metal barricades and using it to push us back.

Now they had cut off access to Broadway. Then, about 200 cops came up behind us and told us to get off the street for no apparent reason since the street had already been closed to traffic. They told us to get on the sidewalk which we did. They then told us not to block the pedestrians which was a joke since WE WERE THE PEDESTRIANS! Finally they told us to clear the sidewalk so pedstrians could get by which we did by moving to one side of the sidewalk. But that wasn't good enough so they ordered us back to 6th Avenue when all they had to do was just give us access to Broadway which they had deliberately closed off to try create the confrontation they wanted.

So we made our way back to 6th Avenue hoping to get to Broadway via 42nd Street since they had closed access to West 43rd, 44th and 45th. By the time I got there the crowd had dwindled probably recognizing the police were trying to start trouble. Adding to the frustration was the fact that the organizers were not allowed to have loudspeakers or microphones of any kind making it difficult to make speeches or to communicate with one another.

I started for home thinking what jerks the NYPD is failing to realize we were marching for them as well. Maybe they will figure it all out when NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg starts laying them off as well.

*Editor's Note: It seems the initial report of a woman being punched by a Police Supervisor was actually the story of Felix Rivera-Pitre. The NYPD is defending the action by accusing Rivera-Pitre of attempting to elbow Deputy Inspector Johnny Cardona in the face, but multiple angles of the incident reveal no such attempt.

More Photos of the day's events from Nowhere Man (clicking on any photo in this post will give you access to original size):









And of course, after the 46th Street confrontation, there was this:

President Obama's Weekly Address - October 22, 2011

Bringing Home Our Troops

Another Dictator/Terrorist Down, Another GOP Excuse to Avoid Crediting Obama

So... because of the US involvement in NATO actions in Libya, providing intelligence and air support in the Libya mission, another dictator is now dead. And at the beginning of our country's involvement, we heard much grumbling from the right and the left, of President Obama's decision to involve us in "yet another war." But now that rebels have overtaken Libya and finally have rid themselves of their dictator, everyone seems to think it's a good thing, but refuse to admit that the President was right or at least give him credit, save for a begrudging few.

"Well first of all, today's not a day to be pointing fingers. I'm glad it's all working out. Ultimately it's about the freedom and liberty of the Libyan people. But let's give credit where credit's due, it's the French and the British that led on this fight and probably even led on the strike that led to [Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gaddhafi's] capture or to his death," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) said Thursday on Fox News.

Rubio said President Obama "did the right thing" by bringing the U.S. into the multinational intervention effort in Libya but "he just took too long to do it."

Perhaps Rubio should worry about lying that his Cuban parents were exiles when they actually left the island of Cuba three years before Fidel Castor came to power. Sometimes you just have to admit when you've been bested. When you don't it just looks foolish and petty.

Now, let's remember that the general conclusion when it comes to the parties is that Democrats are weak on defense and Republicans are the tough guys with a kick ass foreign policy. But as a friend relayed to me yesterday, under our current Democratic president, Osama Bin Laden was killed, Gaddhafi is now dead, we have a free trade pact with Latin America, terrorist leaders are being taken out by drones with no American casualties... so conservatives, tell me what's wrong with Obama's foreign policy?

ADDING... Watch for the growing list of anti-Obama factions getting the vapors over President Obama's statement today that we are finally exiting Iraq. Even though it was also a "decision point" made by George Bush.

Picture of the Day

No Longer a Joking Matter

Via Bob Cesca: “I do believe that we are now in uncharted waters when it comes to the dysfunction in our political system — and it is no longer a joking matter,” former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told an audience two weeks ago at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, where he received the Liberty Medal for national service. “It appears that as a result of several long-building, polarizing trends in American politics and culture, we have lost the ability to execute even the basic functions of government much less solve the most difficult and divisive problems facing the country. Thus, I am more concerned than I have ever been about the state of American governance.”

And I'll add that I don't ever think it was joking matter to begin with. In eras gone by, an entire political party's desire to defeat an opposition incumbent president at the possible risk of the country's financial ruin would be considered treasonous. Now it's thought of and reported as just another goddamn game.

And before you say that both sides are the same, I'll stop the bullshit right now. All the proof you need is the rejection by the GOP of bills or policy positions espoused by the current administration that used to be Republican positions. Now that the main strategy of the Republicans is to defeat President Obama at all costs, they will say no to everything suggested by the White House even if it's something with which they philosophically agree. They're willing to burn the village in order to save it. Actually, they're willing to burn the village in order to control it. You won't find that kind of political sabotage on the Democratic side because "country first" actually means something to them.

NYPD Prepares for Occupy Wall Street Protesters at Times Square

I took this shot today at about 1:30pm on 41st Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue. NYPD officers gathering in preparation for the Occupy Wall Street protesters marching up 6th Avenue headed towards Time Square.



Approximately 300 cops lined up on the sidewalk extending from 6th Avenue and almost reaching Broadway. Blog reader Nowhere Man is participating in today's march and will give me his perspective of today's events along with some photographs of the day.

Better Government Management Through Lame Video Games

Or as it's otherwise known, Herman Cain's 999 Plan.

Long before Cain was running for president and getting attention for his 999 plan, the residents of SimCity 4 -- which was released in 2003 -- were living under a system where the default tax rate was 9 percent for commercial taxes, 9 percent for industrial taxes and 9 percent for residential taxes.

Now this may just be a really, really, really freaky coincidence, but if you can compare Cain's cockamamie tax reform plan to something in an eight year old video game, something is amiss. And this doesn't even touch on the subject of how ridiculous the plan actually is. And when Cain is asked specific questions on aspects of his plan, like how the 100% deduction would work for businesses that buy American designed products but are assembled out of the country and contain parts made elsewhere, he'll give answers like, "I have no idea." No idea? Herman Cain has no idea how his plan would work? He's shouting "9-9-9" from the mountaintops any chance he gets, but he doesn't even know how it works.

When you crunch the numbers, it's just another in a long line of Republican tax reform plans that increase taxes for middle class and working poor families while cutting taxes for the top income earners. And by "top" I don't mean breaking six figures. I mean millionaires.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Must Reads

Kevin Drum: Why Republicans are Flummoxed by 9-9-9

Bob Cesca: Senate Republicans Successfully Filibuster American Jobs

Amanda Terkel: Herman Cain 999 Plan: Did It Come From SimCity?

Suzanne Mettler: Our Hidden Government Benefits

Alex Pareene: The tragic, hilarious “We Are the 53 percent” movement

Eugene Robinson: Raising up Herman Cain

The Rude Pundit: Photos That Point to the Inevitable Action Against the Occupation

Richard Cohen: The GOP Debate as Animal Planet

President Obama's Weekly Address - October 15, 2011

Made in America

GOP Obstructionism Means to an Obama End, Economy Be Damned

Today, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) confirmed pretty much what we've known all along. The Republican Party's obstructionism and its latest vote against the American Jobs Act is not because of some philosophical difference about how to govern, but a political tactic to "make President Obama look bad" in order to help defeat him in the 2012 election, and if they have to throw the American economy in the shitter to do so, so be it.



It really isn't a shock, but the fact that a member of Congress would admit that something like this is happening behind closed doors is stunning, as MSNBC host Chris Jansing expressed. So the next time you hear that both parties care for their country but just have a difference of opinion in how to run it, know that it's complete bullshit. The Republican Party would rather destroy the US (and possibly global) economy solely for the purpose of winning the White House in 2012 and then attempt to repeal health care reform.

Dumbass Quote of the Day

"One of the reasons we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown."

~Rick Perry answering questions after last night's New Hampshire debate.

Remember that pivotal moment in history when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1576? Yeah, me neither. Silly, little gaffe? Okay. Give him a break? Absolutely not. Simpletons should not even be considered for the most powerful position in the world.

The Right Wing Pushback to Occupy Wall Street

I came across this today on my Facebook page:



Only in America do minimum wagers fight for the rights of millionaires to keep their collective foot on the throats of the "have-nots."

A new website has cropped up called, "The 53%." This is a response to the Occupy Wall Street protesters, and according to their cute, little pictures with their signs, they seem perfectly happy working multiple jobs to make ends meet, pay for college and don't understand why the OWS protesters, "want something for nothing." (I put that in quotes because I've seen it on multiple signs.) Their failure to understand what the protests are about is painfully obvious.

This isn't about partisan politics. This isn't about Democrat vs. Republican, Liberal vs. Conservative. This isn't about getting something for nothing. This isn't about iPads or smart phones or new cars. This is about a matter of fairness.

These people are protesting the fact that Wall Street has the government's economic policy by the balls, with one party in their pocket while the other party plays along as well. Both parties collect plenty of coin for their campaign coffers from Wall Street.

As former, and hopefully future, Congressman Aman Grayson so elequently described in last Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher, and which I'll paraphrase here, the people standing on the streets day in and day out are there because Wall Street basically wrecked the economy three years ago and no one has been held responsible for it. No one's been indicted. No one's been convicted. Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme bilked people of $50 billion in investments and retirement savings and that made the front page headlines for months. But $50 billion is a fraction of what Wall Street's games cost the country - 20% OF OUR NATIONAL NET WORTH - you and I as taxpayers bailed them out so we wouldn't fall into a catastrophic collapse. And yet here we sit three years later and absolutely nothing has changed in terms of their practices to avoid flirting with the edge of the financial abyss again. In fact, they received multi-million dollar bonuses for their efforts. Does that seem fair to you? Even GOP candidate Buddy Roemer (yes, a Republican) agrees with and backs the OWS movement.

Does it seem fair that Bank of America has decided to earn an extra $3 BILLION a year simply by charging it's customers $5 a month to use their debit card for purchases? Does it seem fair that Citibank arbitrarily raised credit card interest rates to 29.99% for no reason other than to skim some more of our hard-earned money before credit card legislation stopped (or at least slowed down) their loan sharking ways?

This isn't about hating the rich. I don't have a grudge against rich people. For those who earned their way and clawed their way up the financial ladder, good for them and their fortunes. For those who were born into money, well who am I to moan about it? But if I'm paying 28-33% in federal taxes, they'd better pay the same goddamn rate. What's wrong with that? Why should they pay less? Reinvestment for job creation? Please. Enough with the "job creators" bullshit. How many stock brokers create jobs? Why should a hedge fund manager or a stock broker have a lower tax rate than a teacher or a carpenter or a sanitation worker or a research scientist?

If you think someone playing with other people's money should be entitled to a lesser tax rate than someone who works as hard as the misguided person holding this sign, then it's time to recalibrate your moral compass.

ADDING... Although I assert this is not about right versus left, the title of this post remains relevant as the something-for-nothing-get-a-job-hippies-welfare-queens attitude of the anti-OWS voices screams of right wing memes.

Crazy Quote of the Day

"Now, no matter what you think of the mythical separation between church and state, it is not possible for there ever, in the United States of America, to be a separation between God and government because God is the source of every single right that government has a sacred duty to protect. I submit to you that not a single one of our unalienable rights will be safe in the hands of a president who believes that we evolved from slime and that we are the descendents of apes and baboons.”

~Bryan Fischer, Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association at the Value Voters Summit.

This is the same event that every Republican running for their party's nomination attended save one. So... religious rights? No problem, as long as that religion is Christianity. And no, Mormonism doesn't count. Human rights? Of course, as long as you're not gay. Science? What's that?

The more things change...

What Occupy Wall Street Is About

Here's Alan Grayson, former and hopefully future member of the House of Representatives explaining in simple terms what the Occupy Wall Street movement is all about.



PJ O'Roarke can act like the clown and try to divert attention and misdirect in response to the logic that Grayson is espousing, but that's just more proof of Grayson being a serious figure when it comes to important matters concerning the country while O'Roarke just comes across as an asshole.

An Open Letter to ECI

Posted by Nowhere Man

To: The Powers-That-Be at Emergency Committee for Israel
Re: Queensborough Bridge Not For Israel Billboard.

I recently came across your billboard as I was heading into Manhattan, showing a picture of President Obama shaking hands with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas with the caption, "Telling Jews They Can't Build in Jerusalem. Not Pro-Israel."

The people of Israel are also divided on the building of more settlements on the West Bank. Do you consider them to be traitors or just simply not friends of their own country? Why is it that a President of the United States isn't considered a friend of Israel unless he kowtows to every single Israeli right wing policy? If your friends disagree with something you do or say, are they no longer your friends? President Obama didn't say anything critical, although he should have, about Israel's massacre of 1,500 Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, did he?

Did I miss something or has President Obama stopped sending Israel $3 billion a year in aid? Newsweek is reporting that President Obama sold Israel bunker-buster bombs in 2009 - something even former President Bush wouldn't do - and yet it is Obama that isn't a friend of Israel?

The real injustice is that the Arab Spring has dramatically changed the Middle East but the US is impotent to try to forge broad relationships with these new governments because as always, the President and his State Department are the marionettes of Israel and are not allowed to freely conduct broad relationships with other Arabs and Muslims... you know,the people who "attacked" us. Your billboard is so pathetically disingenuous that it reminds me of the propaganda the Nazis used to hide the truth. What Israel is doing to the Palestinians is no different from the apartheid that was practiced in South Africa. I would also appreciate it if for once you'd let us be free to conduct our own independent foreign policy without the typical smears and maliciously intended misinformation.

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Hunter: Newt Gingrich says as President, he'd ignore the Supreme Court

The Rude Pundit: An Inarticulate Articulation of Why Occupy Wall Street Doesn't Need to Articulate a Damn Thing

Justin Rosario: Ron Paul: Libertarian? Only When It’s Convenient

Alexander Bolton: Reid Triggers ‘Nuclear Option’ to Change Senate Rules, End Repeat Filibusters

President Obama's Weekly Address - October 8, 2011

Making Your Voice Heard on the American Jobs Act

Picture of the Day

At the Occupy Wall Street protest.

Sarah Palin Not Running

No links. No news. No surprise.

I could have told you Sarah Palin wasn't running for the nomination a year and a half ago. The only reason she chose to make her announcement was because she saw all the attention NJ Governor Chris Christie was attracting when he decided to have a press conference to state the same thing he's been saying for a year now. And as we all know by now, whether it be Christie or Michele Bachmann or Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin is so goddamn shallow she can't stand not being the center of attention.

Palin's not running?! ...Yawn....

Blame Yourself

Outsourcing doesn't matter. The greatest recession since the Great Depression doesn't matter. The Too Big To Fail Banks who played Las Vegas with our money and lost it all, than had to be bailed out with taxpayer money doesn't matter. Herman Cain, who is running for President of the United States, thinks if you lost your job, and can't get ahead, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Herman Cain: "I don’t have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. 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! [...] It is not a person’s fault if they succeeded, it is a person’s fault if they failed."

A word of advice to Herman Cain: if you don't have facts to back something up, then keep your mouth shut.