Real Time
It is Saturday, January 28, 2012. At approximately 6:32 PM
PST, peaceful protesters were kettled by the Oakland Police.
According to early reports from Oakland Police is that protesters were throwing rocks at police. According to Citizen Journalist, and the few main stream journalists, on the street, the police report is pure fabrication. The Oakland Police came out in force against the Citizens of Oakland, California who participated in this night protest. There are confirmed reports of police blocking off exit routs while demanding that the protesters disperse. One Oakland Police Sargent was heard telling protesters to “submit” to being arrested while other Oakland Officers were shoving people against the wall, and throwing them to the ground. A full two block area was cut off by Oakland Police, and all within that area were subject to arrest. Most of the Citizen Journalist on the street were subsequently arrested, zip-tied, and put into Oakland Police vehicles.
According to early reports from Oakland Police is that protesters were throwing rocks at police. According to Citizen Journalist, and the few main stream journalists, on the street, the police report is pure fabrication. The Oakland Police came out in force against the Citizens of Oakland, California who participated in this night protest. There are confirmed reports of police blocking off exit routs while demanding that the protesters disperse. One Oakland Police Sargent was heard telling protesters to “submit” to being arrested while other Oakland Officers were shoving people against the wall, and throwing them to the ground. A full two block area was cut off by Oakland Police, and all within that area were subject to arrest. Most of the Citizen Journalist on the street were subsequently arrested, zip-tied, and put into Oakland Police vehicles.
There are also confirmed reports of Oakland Police using
Tear Gas[1],
and rubber bullets, against the protestors again. From @__Klio__, “Police just
shot protester in small of her back when she was less than a foot away. Crying,
limping.” @susie_c, Susie Cagle, a credentialed freelance reporter, stated, “I
have a tear gas headache and sore nose and throat still. And it's early yet.” Seems
Oakland Police will never learn. Susie C was briefly detained by Oakland
Police, but released. Five other citizen journalists were taken into custody.
At one point in the evening, a YMCA opened its doors to allegedly allow protesters safe haven. The YMCA, according to street reports, then was besieged by Oakland Police threatening to arrest all within the building.
The Oakland Police, in spite of contrary witness, are denying ketteling protesters, using chemical agents on them, or allowing them to disband. Hundreds of protesters are being arrested on the slimmest presence of officer safety. The protest was to call attention to the number of abandoned buildings in Oakland California.
At one point in the evening, a YMCA opened its doors to allegedly allow protesters safe haven. The YMCA, according to street reports, then was besieged by Oakland Police threatening to arrest all within the building.
The Oakland Police, in spite of contrary witness, are denying ketteling protesters, using chemical agents on them, or allowing them to disband. Hundreds of protesters are being arrested on the slimmest presence of officer safety. The protest was to call attention to the number of abandoned buildings in Oakland California.
Truth
This is, to some, a Civil War. If that is correct then truth was the first causality of this
war. One can see this in a post from Thursday, January 26, 2012 on the Andrew Breitbart Presents Big Government
Featuring Editor in Chief Mike Flynn blog.[2]
There is enough in the blog’s title to ponder before getting into the article It's Official: #OccupyChicago Feeble Pawns
of the NATO/G8 Protest. Who is Andrew Breitbart? Who is Mike Flynn? Who is
the author Rebel Pundit? Why should the reader care? Why should the reader
consider them a credible authority on any topic, let along the NATO/G8 Protest,
or #OccupyChicago? It would be best to answer those questions first.
The Players
Andrew Breitbart [3]
is, as best as one can put it, a web-based technocrat.[4]
He is essentially a Regan era, self-absorbed GenXer, who embraces a certain
form of Libertarianism which only want to outlaw whatever it is that others
want. He uses his considerable skill at website development to puff himself up,
and prove his worth to humanity. Considering his early years, one can’t fault
him. Too, his skills are commendable. However, when it comes to Occupy Chicago he has no credibility.
Seems a question should be asked here: If he is against Big Government, why is
he pro NATO and G8? Supporting NATO and the G8 is the essence of the article
posted on Thursday.
As far as Mike Flynn is concerned, a cursory search on
Google doesn’t turn up much. Other than being the Editor-in-Chief of
BigGovernment, there is nothing on him. It is a guess that his role in
BigGovernment is the guy with the sharp pencil who makes sure the site has some
kind of capability for the Target Audience. Again, there is no Chicago
connection.
That of course brings us to who is @rebelpundit (to use the
twitter name)? Rebelpundit[5]
is not a “who,” it is a “what.” Rebelpundit is a late comer Chicago based
anti-progressive, supporter of the Tea-Party. According to their website, “Rebel
Pundit is a group effort based in Chicago, the belly of the progressive beast.”
While Chicago based, they are not on the “inside” of Occupy Chicago.
Caustic Denunciations
According to Rebelpundit’s bombastic proclamation, “We now
have the evidence to prove that the early phase of the movement was nothing
more than a staging period to build an infrastructure that will culminate in a
massive occupation of Chicago this May.” Really? Were they paying attention to
@OccupyChicago when “Lee” first tweeted the unplanned call to support Occupy
Wall Street in Chicago? Many will remember her assertion that she needed help
in organizing this effort since she was not good at organizing. Lee was the
first to hit the streets here in Chicago. Like so many of us, it is highly doubtful
that she had any connection to AdBusters. She, and most who latter came to the original
occupation site, were there in support of Occupy Wall Street, and the obscenity
that wealth has made of our Democratic Republic.
Again citing the opposition website,” A source affiliated
with Occupy Chicago has also revealed to RebelPundit that the Occupy Chicago
leadership was totally caught off-guard that this tactical advance was coming
from Adbusters; and Occupy Chicago PR is now playing it off as if they were
“in-the-know” all along.” Point of fact, this was proposed by “99,” and others
in the Direct Action committee, at an Occupy Chicago GA back in October. It
happened to be one of the few General Assemblies where I was in attendance. The
opposition would have you think otherwise.
Here is where the opposition’s logic begins to falter. Mind
you they have already stated that Occupy Chicago was not “in the loop” on the
plans to massively protest the NATO/G8 conventions in May 2012. They state, “[T]he
location [of Occupy Chicago’s new loft] is conveniently located within walking
distance to the McCormick Place convention center, the site the summit is
presumed to be held.” If Occupy Chicago was not “in-the-know” about the McCormick
Place Conferences then the location is a coincidence. If they were “in-the-know”
then they are moving forward with plans which were first brought up in October
2011. Whichever it is, the opposition needs to get their story straight.
They also point out; “The “grassroots group” is spending
over $5,000 per month on the headquarters ....” Occupy Chicago has collected
over $18,000.00 in donations since September 23, 2011. $5.00, $10.00, $20.00
add up over time. The Occupation movement gained popularity in the early days. Compared
to the hundreds of thousands spent by the Koch brothers to fund CATO[6]
and the Tea Party[7],
$18K is pocket change. One can guess that “Grassroots” fundraising is just
Un-American to The Opposition because it excludes Corporate People.
“Is it any wonder that the same week Occupy
Chicago secured its lease on a giant warehouse loft, Adbusters put out this
grand call? This coordination is a perfect example of the strength of the
infrastructure now in place and the ease with which the Occupy puppets are
being strung along,” is probably the most inane statement in the entire
anti-Occupy Chicago diatribe[8].
Again, either Occupy Chicago’s General Assembly planned this site to be used in
conjunction with the NATO/G8 conferences protest, or they did not. They can’t
be the ones planning the assistance, and the puppets dancing on the string. One
cannot be both at the same time.
One does have to wonder: why does The
Opposition love NATO and the G8?
Cooler Heads in Chicago
While Occupy Chicago seems about as transparent
as smoked glass, and tends to “Keep people off-balance and in the dark by
never revealing the purpose behind [their] action ….” [9] they are in a precarious situation. They could find themselves, at some future
date, being labeled, enemy noncombatants, terrorist, traitors, saboteurs, or infiltrators.
It has to be noted that almost anything that anyone wants to know about Occupy Chicago can be found at www.occupychi.org. Navigation through the forums is a bit rough, but all the information is there … you just have to find it.
It has to be noted that almost anything that anyone wants to know about Occupy Chicago can be found at www.occupychi.org. Navigation through the forums is a bit rough, but all the information is there … you just have to find it.
Right now, in spite of the paranoia within,
and the denunciation from without, Occupy Chicago is seen as a group of
protestors in opposition to Corporate Rule of The United States of America. As
far as the NATO/G8 summits later this year, even Alderman Ricardo Munoz[10]
(22nd Ward[11])
sees the NATO/G8 protestors as an important part of the democratic process. Munoz
is set to propose legislative protection to social networking in the coming
February 15, 2012 Council Meeting. According to the Sun-Times, Munzo’s said “Social
media sites are more than information-sharing tools. They are also organizing
tools. They’re fundamental to our right to free speech and public assembly,”[12]
[1]
List of chemical warfare agents. (2011, August 26). In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:35, January 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_chemical_warfare_agents&oldid=446790477
[2] Pundit,
R. (2012, January 27). It's Official: #OccupyChicago Feeble Pawns of the
NATO/G8 Protest. In Big Government . Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://biggovernment.com/rebelpundit/2012/01/27/its-official-occupychicago-feeble-pawns-of-the-natog8-protests/
[3]
Andrew Breitbart. (2012, January 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 17:09, January 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Breitbart&oldid=473223742
[4]
Technocracy. (2011, December 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 17:17, January 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Technocracy&oldid=466831214
[5]
Rebelpundit. (n.d.). About. In Rebelpundit: Citizen Journalism from the
Belly of the Beast. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://rebelpundit.com/about/
[6] Project
Censored. (2011, September 12). Koch Brothers Fund Tea Party. In Medium
Freedom Intl.: Media Democracy in Action. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.mediafreedominternational.org/2011/10/24/koch-brothers-fund-tea-party/
[7] Fang,
L. (2011, November 2). Romney Campaign Memo: The Koch Brothers Are The
‘Financial Engine Of The Tea Party’. In Think Progress. Retrieved
January 29, 2012, from http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/11/03/360433/romney-koch-tea-party/
[8] diatribe.
(n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diatribe
[9] Maxwell,
John C. Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know. New York: Center Street, 2003, p.64
[10] Ricardo
Muñoz. (2011, June 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
19:41, January 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ricardo_Mu%C3%B1oz&oldid=433890666
[11] Logan
Square, Chicago. (2012, January 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 19:45, January 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Logan_Square,_Chicago&oldid=469298603
[12] Spielman,
F. (2012, January 27). Alderman wants to keep social media on during NATO/G8 .
In Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/10270799-460/alderman-wants-to-keep-social-media-turned-on-during-natog8.html
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