This morning, there seems to be a few reports circulating that suggest Occupy DC (also known as Occupy K St) was evicted yesterday night. There was a lot of action from the park police as a non-permanent structure declared unsafe by the park police was dismantled and thirty-one people were arrested. However, throughout the day, this action unfolded in one quadrant of the park.
Occupiers were able to sit and watch this spectacle happen without risking arrest. And very few tents came down during the dismantling because occupiers were never told they would all have to leave McPherson Square.
For what it’s worth, Occupy DC released a statement on the winter structure that police tore down.
The modular structure was designed by professionals ‘to code’. It meets all health and safety requirements and is fully accessible. It is non-permanent, has no foundations and is not tethered to the ground. It’s designed to be movable every four days to protect the grass beneath the structure. The structure is fully sustainable–it is built to be entirely passively solar-heated and will feature a hydroponic irrigation system on the roof.
Occupiers consented to its construction at a General Assembly during the week of November 7th. It was deemed important to have shelter in order to protect the health and well being by preventing the risk of hypothermia or illness of those who come to the square to peacefully meet in the coming winter months. At a time when thousands of native District homeless struggle to survive in extreme weather conditions, Occupy DC feels that the structure makes a positive statement for equal housing opportunity and sustainable living.
A complete round-up of what unfolded yesterday at Sunday’s live blog. The post includes photos of a cherry picker used to get occupiers down off the roof along with photos of a “moon bounce” or “suicide cushion” inflated to allow occupiers the opportunity to jump off the rooftop instead of being tied up by police and brought down to be arrested.
Firedoglake’s premier live blog that has been going since September 17 continues now. Here is a Twitter list to follow for the latest updates. All times are EST. News tips or questions can be sent to kevin.gosztola@firedoglake.com
10:21 PM Occupiers from Houston, LA, Boston, Pittsburgh and NYC arrive at Occupy DC for “Take Back the Capitol” action (via @charlesdavis84)

9:57 PM Seattle Community College is moving to evict Occupy Seattle, which has been camping on campus
8:53 PM Someone intentionally sets fire to a tent at Occupy Augusta
8:30 PM LA Weekly publishes an arrestee’s story from Occupy LA. He mentions Mayor Villaraigosa showing up at the eviction:
…I recall, around this time, being surprised to see Antonio Villaraigosa standing, arms crossed, some distance back from the circle. It was, as far as I know, the first time he’d ever visited the encampment. Protesters in the circle tried to engage him and asked him to speak, but he remained where he was. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the image of his emotionless face as he observed the police converge upon the center circle…
And dehumanization while in police custody:
…We waited, arms cuffed painfully behind us. Various protesters asked to use the bathroom. At first they were told to wait, but finally the officers relented and took them to a cell with a toilet in it, where they were made to drop their pants and urinate with their hands still cuffed behind them.
When I heard that we weren’t allowed to take our cuffs off to urinate, I asked one of the officers if it were true, a boyish-faced Latino guy who couldn’t have been more than 22. Expressionless, he said, “Yup.”
5:16 PM For now Occupy Oregon can stay in Shermanski Park but city will not allow sleeping bags or tents.
5:13 PM Occupations get creative
4:50 PM Occupy DC participants plan to build another structure after yesterday’s standoff
1:32 PM From the Center for Media & Democracy, here is a photo of Occupy Boulder in Colorado:

1:19 PM Fascists beware! The Occupy Melbourne tent monsters are here.
1:11 PM Occupy Oakland has called for a West Coast port shut down on December 12 but port workers seem to be pushing back against this planned action.
1:09 PM 9 Occupy San Diego participants arrested
12:51 PM Wild scene unfolds as media clamor to see Occupy Boston try to bring in winter tent. The police say new tents not allowed and threaten to confiscate the tent if it is brought into the park. The occupiers hold a press conference and point out how the tent is flame retardant and is up to code. They call this a moment of pointing out the city’s hypocrisy, as they want the camp to be safe but won’t let occupiers bring the camp up to code.
The camp is handed this piece of paper (via @Fara1)

Check @Occupy_Boston Twitter account for a good play-by-play of the chaos that ensued at the gates of Occupy Boston over this tent.
12:50 PM Toledo Blade reports 3 were arrested when police broke up Occupy Bowling Green in Ohio
10: 25 AM Brookfield Properties, owner of Zuccotti Park, owes New York City more than $139,000 in business taxes. Must be great to be able to not pay taxes and still get all that tax-payer funded security protecting your property from the people of America.
10:20 AM Occupiers plan to bring a large winter tent into Occupy Boston. They expect a standoff with police but are prepared to try and bring it into the camp anyway.
10:10 AM More arrests at Occupy Oregon in Portland yesterday
10:05 AM Police arresting Occupy DC protesters yesterday during standoff over the non-permanent structure



153 Comments

Delightful. Someone will think up a clever sign referencing Grover’s government drowning in the bathtub.
Ha! Grover let his guard slip last week. He thinks it’s okay to raise taxes on the Peasants, just not on the elites.
Check yesterday’s liveblog for stuff I just put up about:
Occupy Philly at eviction of homeless Camp Liberty – they are livestreaming
Occupy Harrisonburge put up an article by Brian Kaylor on Right to Assembly
Link to Daily Kos diary by Horace Boothroyd III about US Marine who received threats to his family while in detention by the LAPD.
LS – Occupy Philly
Their action has gotten the local media to turn out for an eviction of a homeless camp that is under I-95.
digby:
Threat or Opportunity?
About co-option
LS – Occupy Philly just ended.
Folks are relocating the homeless to churches and other places. Still working to get all of the folks that were under the bridge taken care of. Folks from Camp Liberty expressed sadness on camera that the community was being broken up, and a few complaints about other community members.
Is there anything we can do to help find those that made the threats? I know some people that would be all over that. Cerealously!
Occupy Columbia: Olympia Park Creekbed Cleanup
Context for the action:
Some way of validating the story would make it stronger. But what’s in the diary likely is all that is known.
Occupy Bowling Green OH:
Toledo Blade: 3 arrested when police break up Occupy BG camp
Occupy Melborne Had a nice suprise for the Cops down under: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKMwigI3mdM&feature=player_embedded
Way to freaking funny.. Cops just didn’t know what to do…
Radley Balko, Huffington Post: SWAT Raids, Stun Guns, And Pepper Spray: Why The Government Is Ramping Up The Use Of Force
Doesn’t really go to the why however.
Posted two days ago but worth reposting every day. Hilarious.
Tarheel,
The quote you posted below is awesome. If ya feel like it, bring it up here. Good Stuff!
Oh, and thanks for replication of ideas note. I appreciate it and will ponder on the flattery. (wink)
Dang I missed it then buy your are right worth posting often… And everywhere you can…
Occupy Boston UStream
Yep. It is a Hoot!
No, Siree. There are no campsites there, nothing permanent at all.
Hilarious!
Occupy Boston fireproof tent
Loaded back into truck, without help of BPD, and being secured (unlike the way BPD treated Gray Water).
Egyptians and OWS peeps play dead outside US tear gas manufacturer.
City of Boston’s notice to Occupy Boston
A Catch-22 piece of bureaucratic lingo if there ever was one. This is the reason the City siezed the gray water sink and the reason they would not permit the delivery of the fireproof tents.
It essentially says that nothing that Occupy Boston does to improve health and safety at the camp will satisfy the City of Boston.
This really clarifies the court case when it is brought for a final decision. If the judge does not issue a restraining order IMHO IANAL, it will show contempt for the rights of citizens to assemble and speak out for redress of grievances.
Any FDL legal folks out there who can speak to this.
Good bunch of folks for an out-of-the-way place. Occupy Erie PA promoted it.
I found this very interesting:
I do believe there are any number of pictures available of the cannisters picked up in Tahrir that not only name the company but give the address of the plant in sufficient detail to find it on Google Maps.
Anonymous’s message December 5th… In case you haven’t seen it yet!
New Tulsa City Council
Same mayor.
Sarah Jaffe, Alternet: Hazmat Suits to Break Up Occupations? How Mayors Feign Concern for Health to Trash a Growing Movement
Another commentary on health terror theater by the LAPD
More Urban Shield.
Ape-nonymous vs Amash
A primate somehow promoting an Occupy Grand Rapids (MI) event.
Supporting agencies of Urban Shield includes LA County PD and Sheriff’s Department.
Declaration of Occupy D.C.
(Consented to by General Assembly November 30th, 2011)
Occupy D.C. Arrest 12/4
Interesting new structure on sidewalk at Broadway and Wall.
I’ve been searching for updates on the Port actions. Nothing much yet.
UN Agency hacked, Obama’s personal info leaked.
Also, we are supposed to have several Judge rulings on Occupy issues starting tomorrow.
Occupy KC photo set
Cause you’re a week early. Not until Dec 12. See the YouTube promoting it. It kicks butt.
Oh, Man! Okay, going to take a nap now. Sorry.
This one:
West Coast port shutdown announcement video
We need you here before next Monday
Occupy Poughkeepsie
Cop Pike art
Obvious photoshop edit. But cute. However, Occupy Portland had to take the graffiti remover to a Cop Pike sprayed on the glass door to City Hall.
Graffiti is no longer a fun tactic; it can be the flimsy excuse that gets yet another crackdown by riot cops. The value of showing a police state drops for the movement and increases for the authorities as people begin to fear for themselves. The real battle is not with functionaries caught in the system but with the fear that drives them to do stupid things on behalf of the greedy.
Tara Murtha, Philly Now: Unhappy Members of Occupy Philly Form Splinter Group Called Reasonable Solutions; Launch Party in Center City Today
This is from Saturday. Does anyone know what happened. Today, Occupy Philly was trying to help the homeless at Camp Liberty after yet another eviction – this time from under the bridge at I-95, a location negotiated with the city during negotiations about staying at Dilworth Plaza.
I was trying to listen to their video covering the Saturday “Hudson Valley Regional General Assembly” but the crackling in my cheap speakers was driving me nuts, so I dismantled them to see if broken wire or anything inside, but found nothing and was too lazy to put them back together.
New (and hopefully BETTER) speakers should be here in a day or two.
Interesting…
Occupy Phoenix UStream
Occupy Phoenix has 20 or so folks at Sen. McCain’s office.
Looks like its DHS booty. Teehee.
I’m not opening that file, but boy oh boy do I hope its got the good stuff!
LS – Occupy Phoenix
Talking to McCain’s staff. They say that Occupy Phoenix can write a letter to the Senator communicating their questions. Livecam asked staff if he could record, and they say no. The livecam operator goes out into the hall.
Folks out in the hall are amazed at how posh Senator “cut the costs”‘s office is.
It’s an “unclassified/for official use” cybersecurity alert about Anonymous, apparently sent out before September 17. Pretty much what someone with a little technical background could surmise about Anonymous. But waving the fear flag to get computer security administrators to do what they should have all along–tighten up their computer security provisions.
A warning about whistleblowers.
Typical overclassified BS. Nice read though.
Thanks. Who issued the memo? I read it was signed by a Booz Allen guy, right?
Booz-Allen contracts IT to a lot of Fed agencies. Specifically, these folks. It’s a bulletin from National Cyber Alert System. Think of it as a cybersecurity weather bureau.
Amnesty International USA: Welcome to the War
Occupy Philly:
n.a.poe: the panic hour @ the homeless eviction
Robert Cuthbert, Central Coast Democrat Examiner: Occupy Lompoc to attend City Council meeting
Way OT but tells a story of just how brutal Our Peace officers have become.. Video is a bit long and chilling: Brooke Fantelli, California Transgender Woman, Allegedly Tased In The Crotch By Imperial County Desert Rangers (VIDEO)
This how fucking bad things have become!!!
Woot! Way to go, Wally
These guys?
Imperial County only has a sheriff’s department, often IIRC the heavies in movies set in California. But the news articles said it was BLM and they are the rangers there.
Not sure but it sure looks like it…
Occupy El Paso is supporting:
Border Network for Human Rights: Run for Human Rights
International Human Rights Day Dec 10
Followed a link to a write up here And yes it is BLM Rangers…
Occupy Huntsville
Occupy Wichita says:
Meet Banjo
Here’s neat site:
They Rule
Informative. Great quick research source for our bloggers and diarists.
James Rowley, Business Week: Issa Says He May Recommend Putting Firearms Agency Into FBI
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms currently directly reports to the Attorney General. This move would drop the head of the agency down a level. But would eliminate the accountability that allowed Darrell Issa to hammer BATF for their numbskull sting operation.
Thanks for sharing . . . may the idea spread!
If it was built “to code”, they had a building permit, right? Who signed off on that?
london police declare protestors domestic terrorists
The City of London Police force was facing criticism last night after including the Occupy London demonstration in a letter warning businesses about potential terrorist threats.
The letter, a “Terrorism/Extremism Update”, lists al-Qa’ida, the Colombian dissidents Farc, and Belarusian terrorists who bombed the Minsk underground. It also lists Occupy London under the heading “Domestic”.
It states: “It is likely that activists aspire to identify other locations to occupy, especially those they identify with capitalism. City of London Police has received a number of hostile reconnaissance reports concerning individuals who would fit the anti-capitalist profile. All are asked to be vigilant regarding suspected reconnaissance, particularly around empty buildings.”
Here we go.
Occupy Scranton:
Rich Howells,GoLackawanna: Occupy members criticize city budget
Opposing public employee layoffs
Port of Lewiston ID (Snake and Columbia Rivers)
Tulsa Port of Catoosa (Arkansas River)
List of Ports in US
There are 149 of them, and most are pork-barrel projects (and still are).
Occupy Boston: Winter Tent Denied Today
Occupy DC: A Day in the Life of the People’s Pentagon
It was designed to code and built to spec. Therefore it was “built to code” even though it was not built under a building permit (which is mainly a form of revenue generation).
Cory Golden, The Davis Enterprise: Occupy UC Davis readies for ‘long road’ ahead
Occupy Cincinnati’s Legal Fight Resumes Tuesday
Occupy New Hampshire 12/4/11 Pizza shop calls the cops
Occupy DC Structure, Say “Cheese”
The youtube of Tent Monsters in Occupy Melbourne is funny.
However, in this follow up video, the police make a not so funny comeback and begin to strip the red-headed Tent Monster Sarah of her tent-inspired clothing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMgTBme9Yg
Tent Monster Sarah gets to ask the police, ‘Since when do you decide which clothes are government-sactioned and which are not?’ [my paraphrase]
This was just handed out to those protesting at Occupy Murfreesboro on the Civic Plaza
TarHeel,
Thanks for #84. Sorry I couldn’t keep up today. Not feeling up to par.
I’ve gotten caught up now thru your excellent coverage and the help of all the others here today.
I’m pretty sure “code” requires a building permit. And I’m sure that all those silly “safety codes” are not there just to generate money for the city.
Come on. If you’re going to hang your hat on the “built to code” thing, then at least get it right. If I built a structure “to code” on your front lawn, you’d be fully within your rights to tear it down, wouldn’t you? Does not matter if it can be moved to keep the grass green, is self-sustaining from an energy perspective, or whether or not it was designed by Frank Lloyd F-ing Wright.
Temp Structure for the park for meetings. What is the problem with that?
Parks used to have Gazebos and other covered structures to protect from sun and rain.
Sorry you’re not feeling well. Take care of yourself.
You’re bobbing and weaving.
Building permits exist to make money for the city, but this is a park administered by the National Park Service; they don’t have building permits at all. Whose jurisdiction? And the building was designed to conform to the DC building codes for the type of structure it was. Not only that, the structure was intentionally designed to be temporary and to be able to be disassembled in a few hours time with enough labor. And…it was a demonstration of sustainable architecture by providing solar heating and lighting. Except for paying the fee for the permit and where it was located, it would have passed muster anywhere in DC.
The second issue seems to be your main beef. And goes to a legal issue that comes up over and over. Who controls public space? Governments that are essentially indentured to corporations, or in the case of DC, the US Congress folks from other parts of the country–or the public? Rules for public space came into being in the South during the Civil Rights movement as a way of shutting down protest. Within the past week, cities have been rushing to pass rules and permitting ordinances to shut down expected Occupy Wall Street groups intent on conducting 24/7 protest of local, state, and national policies. The first amendment however says:
“No law” means exactly that. No. Law. And the ninth amendment says:
And the tenth amendment says:
The first amendment prohibits the states from limiting the rights to assembly. Period. More definitely than the second amendment ensures the right to bear arms. There is no introductory clause.
No, I’m not going to hang my hat on anything. Occupy DC talked about it being “built to code” just to show the arbitrary abuse of power by the National Park Police. There was no legal justification for the Park Police’s order. Yet, almost everyone arrested was arrested for disobeying a legal order–a charge likely to be dismissed. And the Park Police under color of law destroyed portable personal property of an architect and his son and carted it away.
In an action of the type that “big government liberals” are reputed to love…taking away other people’s rights.
WHOOP! Go Tell IT on the MOUNTAIN!
Thank you friend. I will. Seeing Doc in the morning.
Hope that gets it taken care of.
Me TOO! Thanks. It won’t help with my Progressivism, nor my humor.
That is something else. I said last night the boy had a set. I hope there is a reporter there for him and us.
David Bienick/KCRA:
Student GOP Leader Presents ‘Other Side’ Of Pepper Spraying
I hope the old adage about defending oneself isn’t true in this case.
Occupy Grand Rapids MI
Garret Ellison, The Grand Rapids Press: ‘Squash Amash’ march planned by Grand Rapids group over unemployment benefits debate
I’m thinking he has an Iron Clad case in favor of himself. I hope the old adage is not true either.
However, we are all still operating on the fact that the Constitution is the highest law of the land.
There. Fixed it for you.
;-P
I’d like to indoctrinate you tonight.
To all Occupiers: GOOD NIGHT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgUnYzXU-Fo
StormCloudsGathering: An Open Message to Police & Military
FWIW
Susan Schorn, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Moral Hazard and The Chubby Blue Line.
Juli Probasco-Sowers, Ames Patch: Occupy Movement Changes Political Conversation, Activists Say at Ames Event
Occupy Bend OR, Occupy Medford OR
14 Arrested in Occupy CD2 Requesting People’s Town Halls with Walden
Good night, folks. Keep an eye out for Long Beach’s eviction.
GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BurGxL-mY0Y
Today’s Song is dedicated to Occupy Our Homes and Occupy Our Capitol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIkPH_L1JfM
I have been saying that America has paid for these homes that are being foreclosed on about 7 times over. Now that the Fed’s secrets are coming it out is more like 11 times over. With that in mind I’d like to suggest a new chant to OWS:
America has paid, Let them Stay!
Occupy DC is up marching and livestreaming.
http://www.livestream.com/occupykst
“The Pentagon Is Offering Free Military Hardware To Every Police Department In The US” (BusinessInsider.Com, by Robert Johnson, Dec. 5, 2011).
Occupy Long Beach, CA rested last night. No raid.
Tent monsters beware – the Melbourne police apparently aren’t playing that game anymore. That had to be traumatizing
Good News!
No longer livestreaming on that link.
They might need to take it to protect their families. If Obama doesn’t veto the militarization/detention bill the Cops won’t have a job anymore.
The FBI, CIA, NSA, and all those other agencies won’t have a job either. The military has it’s own secretive security sections now.
See 118 herein.
Yep. Another reason why the letter from the Winter Patriot got to me. My heart hurt after I read it.
I still have family serving the military now. It just kills me that our own sons and daughters are being pushed into this situation.
That’s a goodie!
Video: #OccupyOurHomes #OWS #December6 #D6 – Get The Word Out
That has been going on for a while. One of the non-profits I worked for in the late 1970s had a 1950s-era pickup truck. It was originally purchased by the Air Force and surplused out to one of the counties that supported the non-profit. It was the sole item on our Federal asset inventory (required so the Feds knew where the truck was) for years–until we finally spent two months selling it at public auction. We got one bid of $35. When I left that area in the mid-1980s, the truck was still being driven by the guy who bought it.
So there is hardware and hardware. Tampa’s “tank” (APC) looked new; so it either was purchased new or obtained through this program and repainted.
Some local governments get other things. The City of Greenville, SC got an F-86 decommissioned fighter to use as a memorial to Maj. Rudolph Anderson, the only casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Durham County NC got a mothballed Redstone missile for its Museum of Life and Science.
What is new is the type of equipment that cities and counties are getting. And it increasingly looks more like toys for cops instead for demonstrable requirements. Something to brag about to their monster-truck-loving buddies.
But once obtained, the bean-counters will start asking “Why aren’t you using this? Why are we paying to keep it around?” And voy-lah.
BTW
Good morning Mr. and Mrs. America from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea. (Not to mention all the tents in public spaces)
Post up for comment featuring some great photos and probably of interest to folks immediately east of the Cascades. BBL.
Thank You. I thought it would be.
I just tweeted the slogan suggestion out to a person that will cover it via twitter today.
This is unnecessary nonsense intended to either frighten people away from participation or drive toward the notion that only violence will work (it links to Alexander Higgins reporting an RT report about 20,000 troops being redeployed to the US). And it was spammed six or seven time in a row.
Let’s keep our eyes open but let’s not go paranoid. Sure there are 20,000 troops being redeployed to the US. Where else will troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and drawdowns overseas going to go but to the US?
The line between frightening people into action and frightening people into inaction is quite thin. The PtB will be hyping their power enough as it is.
Agreed. Keep our eyes open and don’t let the fear tactics freeze us.
Follow up:
Also don’t hype the fear up. It is high enough already with folks thinking about their future job prospects and answering the “Have you ever been arrested?” question.
Have you ever been arrested and FICO scores are simply going to have to be thrown out the door. Society has changed and will no longer apply to those old norms.
Occupy Ninjas Take Manhatten
Heh! Foreclosed tape in the right places!
To riot cops;
Occupy Atlanta livestream
Upstairs. Upstairs, get up and go upstairs!