[News] Wall Street Protest

[blueangel06661]

I looked but didn't see a thread about this situation in the recent pages

Well it seems like 2011 is the year of protest and riots and sure enough it's made it's way into the US.

First off I think the police are handling the protest incorrectly.

Here is a video of one on the Brooklyn bridge. NYPD makes no attempt to stop protesters from getting onto the Brooklyn bridge, knowing that they would be arrested if they made it to the main roadway. The video shows the police LEADING protesters onto the roadway (even stopping traffic to let them through) and then blocking them off with nets in the middle of the bridge with no escape and arresting 700 people.

Entrapment?


There are plenty of videos and accounts about this situation. Pepper spraying girls etc. What is your take on it? The only violent parts of the protest are majorly started by the police thus far. Nothing overly violent has happened yet.

[DOOM!]

This shows that we're too late to show our contempt for The Man. Riots and protests will be taken with maximum force, the cops won't play fair and the system won't bend for us anymore. Meanwhile, nerdy pansies at Wall Street continue to play Squash, Muai Thai and polish their statue of a bull with huge gonads, things that obviously compensate for their lack of manliness.

[Skylar1]

drats, beat me to it.

anyways, I think this story is a tad under-reported, I only just heard about it recently. It appears to be escalating, and I've heard that protests have begun in Chicago and LA.

Let's wait and see what happens with this one. I doubt it'll die down anytime soon though, as soon as these people are released from being arrested, they go right on back to protesting.

[Token Black Guy]

Heard about it when i was watching the last 2 episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher. It's a bit suprising, But i'm just gonna sit back and see what happens with this. Not much i can say about it.

[Cobra Commander]

I have read on some of my favorite sites that the protesters are mostly radical leftists. I hate radical leftists, but I also hate Wall St. I don't care that they protest, as it will not change anything. The only thing the fat cats and the thugs that run any government understand is violence. However, most New Yorkers are ill equipped to commit acts of violence.

The officer that sprayed the OC into the faces of the non-threatening women during the protest will probably face disciplinary action. The average cop isn't a bad person, and isn't an enemy of the people. But the men that sign their paychecks often are.

All of this is IM not so humble O, of course.

[Skylar1]

I have read on some of my favorite sites that the protesters are mostly radical leftists. I hate radical leftists, but I also hate Wall St. I don't care that they protest, as it will not change anything.

Obviously my liberal bias won't make this sound very convincing, but the notion that the banks have abused the middle class and unfairly kicked millions out of their home is a pretty politically-center idea.

[Cobra Commander]

No, actually I agree with you and your side on that. I just don't like the commies and the socialist worker's party people, and that's the kind of people I'm used to running into at protests.

ETA - I should add that while I support lower taxes and less government spending, I do feel that the banks, large corporations, and government are all a bunch of bastards that have sold us out and destroyed our jobs, our economy, and our standing in the world. I've started to believe in class warfare, and unfortunately, the rich seem to be winning.

[KENDARRR]

I definitely think some one should do something. I mean that's just over the top brutal... If they're going to be in charge of keeping every one safe they shouldn't go and mace people who are protesting for a BETTER AMERICA. Either the people who had that happen to them need to take that as far as they can and make that an actual problem instead of the police department just getting away with it or the rest of the people in America need to stand up and make it obvious were not stand for this kind of treatment. They're supposed to be protecting yet the only thing they're doing is taking the power they have and just abusing it. It just makes me quite pissed off that they're going to get away with doing that...

[Skylar1]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/04/politi...eet/index.html

Union groups have started to back the protests, looks like this will continue to escalate.

[KENDARRR]

^^^^ That makes me happy. XD

[blueangel06661]

Aren't they infringing the first amendment though?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

You have freedom to assemble [what a protest is] yet they arrest? They are not angrily assembling they are just standing around so it's not like it's dangerous to other people yet? They are treating it like London Riots or something.. But keyword there is Riots.

[Skylar1]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/politi...eet/index.html

the protests are now spreading to more cities, and growing bigger by the day.

[Eris]

No, actually I agree with you and your side on that. I just don't like the commies and the socialist worker's party people, and that's the kind of people I'm used to running into at protests.

Why would you let that stop you supporting the idea? There must be innumerable ideas supported by the majority of people, regardless of political opinion.

[Skylar1]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/15/world/...bal/index.html

The protests are spreading to cities around the world now.

[blueangel06661]

I keep hearing the police of wherever the protest are keep threatening arrest and pepper spraying.

Why hasn't anyone stopped the PD because you do have a right to assemble and protest. Not a right to cause destruction and riot but it hasn't escalated to that point yet.

[GameGeeks]

Obviously my liberal bias won't make this sound very convincing, but the notion that the banks have abused the middle class and unfairly kicked millions out of their home is a pretty politically-center idea.

How so? What of things like the toxic mortgages. Hell just look at people like the Koch brothers. They do all these illegal things yet when they get caught, if they get caught, the fine is a small fraction of the middle class. Even if info gets leaked that what they're doing is intentional it's pretty much ignored. No one on Wall Street is held accountable. The government is basically saying, do as you please. We'll fine you if we catch you but it'll only be chump change. And this isn't going to change any time soon. The government has been bought. At this point in time Wall Street has won. Not to mention I've yet to really see a positive comment about the protest from politicians. Anyone that's commented on it only talked about it in a negative light. That's because they're paid to do so. So it's not politically centered since what Wall Street is doing effects the average American.

[.Miki~]

Not only are they being spread in the big cites, a lot of the smaller cities and towns are starting them too, the town I live in is organizing one. I don't plan to partake in it, but there are a lot of posters around campus wanting people to come out and protest, its getting a little scary. But something needs to be done, my family recently lost our home of 18 years because the bank kept raising our mortgage. A lot of people has had this happen to them. I honestly hope something good comes out of it, because all of these power hungry politicians are starting to become a little annoying. that is an understatement. I thought its supposed to be "We the people" not "lets add more to our paycheck as the rest of america falls into poverty" I'm sorry. It kills me.

[blueangel06661]

Also the tension between the internet and the people going out and TRYING to do something is starting to bother me too.

A lot of people online are starting to say "I have a job blah blah blah and have to pay bills.. I don't have time to waste like those worthless scums on wallstreet protesting.. blah blah blah"

I don't know it bothers me when people say that. First people are like "YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING!! GO OUT AND TRY!! NOT SIT AT HOME!!" But when people start going out and doing things to be heard.. They change their opinion and says they have no jobs or whatever and are scums for protesting not working.

[.Miki~]

I say, we wipe the slate clean, get all new people in there, it is exactly what this country needs, is new people to show their views. Honestly, put a middle class person in there, even a low class person, let their views be shown. There is just so much wrong with the government and with the banking systems these days, it needs fixed. It needs it. With them going in there and like, arresting them for protesting right there is basically a violation of the first amendment. The right to assemble. someone mentioned this earlier. It is looking like less of a free nation as time goes on......

[Cobra Commander]

Why would you let that stop you supporting the idea? There must be innumerable ideas supported by the majority of people, regardless of political opinion.

Because it's highly likely that the desired end result would be worse, in my opinion, than what exists now.

[Gjallarhorn]

No, actually I agree with you and your side on that. I just don't like the commies and the socialist worker's party people, and that's the kind of people I'm used to running into at protests.

Unfortunately you're going to find those people at just about any sort of protest, especially one in which common-folk are protesting against some form of oppressive power. I've gone down to Occupy Boston a few times, and the large majority of the campers and visitors are not there promoting any form of socialist, or anarchist, or communist agenda, but there are a few people who do. There's also the anti-war protesters that show up to just about anything, and the general hippies willing to protest anything. Unfortunately that is how the Occupy protests are a whole are being portrayed in the media - socialists, anarchists, and do-nothings who want free handouts. We're not there to ask for jobs, or handouts, or to tear down the establishment; we want financial lobbying and corporate donations removed from the political system, as "big business" is simply buying off politicians for their votes, and usurping our democracy, and we want the CEOs of these large corporations to reduce their own pay and increase that of workers (in the United States, average-CEO-to-average-worker-pay is slightly over 300:1, in Japan, for example, it is 12:1).

Business Insider put together some great charts on all of this.

I should add that while I support lower taxes and less government spending, I do feel that the banks, large corporations, and government are all a bunch of bastards that have sold us out and destroyed our jobs, our economy, and our standing in the world. I've started to believe in class warfare, and unfortunately, the rich seem to be winning.

Then you're already on with us.

[Wio]

Why would unions back a protest that opposes the buying off of politicians when they themselves are some of the biggest offenders of this?

[Gjallarhorn]

Why would unions back a protest that opposes the buying off of politicians when they themselves are some of the biggest offenders of this?

Yeah, I still don't get that one. I thought it might be to prevent people from adding unions into the argument, but they would have done better to just stay silent in that case. I think it might have more to do with the individual unions - are they local unions, workers' unions, etc., rather than national unions? Whatever the reason, it's likely just an image campaign on their part.

[Rongue]

It's about time something like this happened. I myself will be protesting in my town tomorrow. I will go to work at 6 am and then go right from work to protest until 6 pm tomorrow and more if enough people remain.