OWS – 5 Years Ago Something Big Started
Five years on and what has changed? Some might say nothing. We still have candidates of the 1% – this time one of them proudly running as the king of the Billionaires, the other just your standard SuperPAC funded politico. Transparency in government and in the business world sure as hell hasn’t gotten any better. Wells Fargo defrauds thousands and no one gets in trouble, Clinton runs a private e-mail server to avoid FOIA laws and transparency and she just gets a scolding. But what did we expect? Did we ever dream that OWS would have changed all that? A…
Pay 2 Play – Democracy’s High Stakes
The Utne Reader calls it “a stirring plea to level the playing field in our political system by ending “pay to play”—the quid pro quo of trading political favors for campaign donations. Picking up on the themes of Occupy Wall Street, the film rails against corporate personhood, dark money, and calls for the repeal of Citizens United. Daily Kos says: “I believe that this is a must watch film because it puts everything together in a way that anyone can understand this complex issue and it even puts a strategy on the table to get America to a functioning democracy.” But…
Occupying Two Years – The Crest of a High and Beautiful Wave
“It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era — the kind of peak that never comes again…” – Hunter S Thompson It may, or may not, but damn – it was a great ride. Two years ago this month I was standing by the bull – that famous one by Wall Street. It was surrounded by metal police barricades – something that would become the norm during the life of Occupy. Those barricades became a defining characteristic of the protest – keeping marchers on a defined route, keeping them out of Zuccotti Park, keeping the press contained…
The Return of Occupy: Beaten, but Not Down
You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming. ~Pablo Neruda My head hurts. Three months after my arrest during an Occupy Wall Street protest on #D17, and two days away from my meeting with the Assistant DA about said arrest, I got beaten just outside of Zuccotti Park. I wasn’t the only one, and I have no doubt I won’t be the last. The NYPD has complete authority in this town. I hate using the term “police state,” but when I saw a girl thrown from a bus and tossed to the ground, in handcuffs, having…
The Cleansing of Zuccotti Park
By Zach Roberts F**k. My lens is busted – a cop hit it with a night stick. Then he hit me. Then he shoved me – I nearly fell backward into the crowd, tripping over the edge of the sidewalk. I would have been trampled. That’s when it got a bit scary. He was yelling “GET BACK!!! GET BACK!!!” Well, there was the road, and moving traffic behind us, but he didn’t seem to care. So, the choice was to keep walking backward and filming, possibly backing into moving traffic, or dart between the taxis. I made the decision to…
Mudflix – 4 Reasons
Why occupy Wall Street? This one is a four minute, thirty second must-see that gives your four reasons. There is some interesting history from Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alan Grayson and others that illustrates what’s gone so terribly wrong, and how we need to right the course. Extremely well done.
“Occupy the Tundra” Lady on The Shannyn Moore Show Today!
Many of you know Diane McEachern as the “Occupy the Tundra Lady.” She’s the one who posted a picture of herself attending a solo vigil (plus a few dogs) out near Bethel in rural Western Alaska. The picture rapidly went viral, and Diane has used her 15 minutes of fame to draw attention to an issue of tremendous importance to her remote region – the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine project, and how she feels the threat of corporate interest that has very little to do with human interest in her area. Our hats off to Diane for helping…
Occupy Alaska! (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Unalaska, Bethel, Cordova) updated
The Occupy movement has reached Alaska! Occupy Fairbanks photos from Mudflatter “Fairbanksan,” and front page coverage from the Fairbanks Daily News Miner HERE. Armed with megaphones, signs and the power of free speech, Occupy Fairbanks protesters occupied downtown for much of Saturday. The group of more than a hundred people marched from place to place, chanting, singing and speaking up about their frustration with corporations’ power in the country. “I’m here today because I grew up loving America,” Marco Lewis, a retired military veteran, said. In recent years, though, he said, the country is different than the one he grew…
Open Thread – Occupy from Bellingham to the Bering Sea!
Hooray for the hale and hardy Occupiers in Unalaska who set out to occupy the Bering Sea! We note with a smile the awesome yellow boots on the ground. And this great shot came from Mudflatter Tele, an Alaskan out of state, currently occupying Bellingham, Washington. Definitely take a minute to check out her awesome blog Hooked, about her life as a “tree hugging, yoga posing, vegetarian feminist in Alaska’s commercial fisheries.” It’s a treat! You can read it HERE. We’ll have more great shots from Occupy Fairbanks and Occupy Anchorage tomorrow! [Send your occupation photos to akmuckraker(at)yahoo(dot)com]
Open Thread – Occupy the Tundra
Thanks to Mudflatter Alex (an adopted Alaskan) for passing on this great pic via Twitter @coldfootfilms. OK, rural or solitary readers… time to send me your “Occupy” pics for future threads! Email me at akmuckraker(at)yahoo.com