Update: There is a rumor that the AFL-CIO is coming at midnight to show solidarity with OWS. I just checked my email and this rumor is confirmed. There was an email sent out at about 8:00pm tonight asking people to go to Zuccotti Park tonight and tomorrow morning by 7:00am. The occupiers expect thousands of people in the morning when the police use the excuse of cleaning the park to move them out. Here’s the concept: flood the area with so many people that the police can’t arrest them all. At that point, they’ll have to use other tactics or let the protest be what it’s going to be- non-violently, of course.
If you go and get arrested, call legal aid resources at (212)6796018.
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Here is the latest news from OccupyWallSt.org (copied shamelessly). You can follow the action live on the following livestream http://www.livestream.com/occupywallstnyc. Live blog in the comments.
Here’s the call to action:
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EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: Keep Bloomberg and Kelly From Evicting #OWS
Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:14 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
EMERGENCY #OWS EVICTION DEFENSE:
Prevent the forcible closure of Occupy Wall Street
Tell Bloomberg: Don’t Foreclose the Occupation.
NEED MASS TURN-OUT: 6AM FRIDAY EVICTION DEFENSE
**SHOW UP AT MIDNIGHT**
This is an emergency situation. Please take a minute to read this, and please take action and spread the word far and wide.
Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum, with occupation actions now happening in cities across the world.
But last night Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD notified Occupy Wall Street participants about plans to “clean the park”—the site of the Wall Street protests—tomorrow starting at 7am. “Cleaning” was used as a pretext to shut down “Bloombergville” a few months back, and to shut down peaceful occupations elsewhere.
Bloomberg says that the park will be open for public usage following the cleaning, but with a notable caveat: Occupy Wall Street participants must follow the “rules”.
This is it—this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION:
1) Call 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK if you’re out of town) and tell Bloomberg to support our right to assemble and to not interfere with #OWS.
2) Come to #OWS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT to defend the occupation from eviction.
For those of you who plan to help us hold our ground—which we hope will be all of you—make sure you understand the possible consequences. Be prepared to not get much sleep. Be prepared for possible arrest. Make sure your items are together and ready to go (or already out of the park.) We are pursuing all possible strategies; this is a message of solidarity.
Click here to learn nonviolent tactics for holding ground.
Occupy Wall Street is committed to keeping the park clean and safe — we even have a Sanitation Working Group whose purpose this is. We are organizing major cleaning operations today and will do so regularly.
If Bloomberg truly cares about sanitation here he should support the installation of portopans and dumpsters. #OWS allies have been working to secure these things to support our efforts.
We know where the real dirt is: on Wall Street. Billionaire Bloomberg is beholden to bankers.
We won’t allow Bloomberg and the NYPD to foreclose our occupation. This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic.
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I was planning to rejoin the occupation on a daytrip to Manhattan tomorrow or Sunday. I would be there tonight at midnight if it weren’t for the fact that I have a 15 year old to look after and no other responsible adult in town at the present time to keep her from freaking out if I am beaten and arrested. So, I will try to get there tomorrow morning to check things out.
But if you can go, and you have quick remedies for pepper spray (and maybe goggles), I urge you to get down to Zuccotti Park tonight and help them. All you have to do is show up and be a witness. Getting there from NJ is tough if you are planning to take the train around midnight. I usually drive to Newark and take the PATH to WTC. Check the schedule because the northeast corridor train and the PATH trains are few and far between after about 10pm. You may be able to pick up the PATH in Hoboken.
And to the occupiers, keep calm, don’t resist the police. Continue to maintain your non-violent protest. This is an opportunity to show the country that you mean business but are not out to cause trouble. You guys are doing a really wonderful job. Naomi Klein said last week that there would be a move to repress us and it will get harder. But have courage, stick together and know that we are all watching and want you to succeed.
Filed under: General | Tagged: Bloomberg, non-violence, occupy wall street, repression, zuccotti park |
The Confluence 
The new rules say no lying down, no sleeping bags, no personal gear. What does THAT mean? If you come to the park with a backpack, are they going to search it for personal gear? That’s a pretty broad definition. What if you come to the park in a suit with a briefcase? Is a laptop in a backpack personal gear but in a briefcase not personal gear?
Sounds pretty arbitrary to me.
What do the bankers have to fear anyway? Wall Street itself is barricaded. They can use the whole damn street as an outdoor cafe. They have to have this one particular park cleared of protestors so they can eat their lunches?
I’m dying here in Tucson – I want to be in NYC!!
I am on hold right now to Bloomberg’s office and will leave my message.
Here is a good comment to consider: “It is going to get violent if you resist. There is no way that it won’t. Want to drive the city crazy? Peacefully and calmly walk out, take everything, clean up after yourselves. Return later and take turns sitting in folding chairs, wrapped in coats and scarves, talking and drinking coffee. Go home and sleep in shifts, but KEEP a group awake and talking around the clock. There will be no violence and you will get a lot of support. Stay true to the message of peaceful protest. I am totally serious, and will even volunteer to take a few shifts!”
i want to be there!!!!!
Marsha, I think there is an occupytucson now. I read it on susie madrak’s or Corrente.
You should go there and be with them in solidarity with OccupyWallStreet.
HA! I got through to leave a message…After giving the phone operator my statement, she told me there were three ways to leave a comment: via e-mail at the 311 website; via calling another phone number to leave a VM; or leaving comment with her. Doah..since i had been on hold for many minutes, I chose the last option.
I gave her my comment, she read it back to me and had added three points that I had not said BUT with which I agreed 100%. We talked for several more minutes – and I thanked her for the very good job she had done…and said, “I bet you’re a 99% yourself!”. She chuckled…but didn’t deny it!
By the way, they ask for lots of person contact information…so don’t be surprised.
Here’s is a transcription of what I said….all of the first part (in LC) she added – perhaps it was for classification purposes, but I loved what it said!
I am against the eviction of Occupy Wall Street protestors. This is a violation of the first amendment to assemble peacefully. The City should respect the 1st Amendment rights of the protestors occupying Zuccotti Park.”
THE CALLER STATES THAT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THE PARK THE MAYOR SIMPLY HAS TO TELL THE PROTESTORS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAINTAIN THE PARK AND IT WILL BE DONE. THE PROTESTORS ARE PEACEFUL AND REASONABLE; NO VIOLENCE IS NECESSARY THEY JUST WANT THEIR VOICE TO BE HEARD. IF MAYOR GOES THROUGH WITH THIS EVICTION THE PROTESTORS WILL RETURN ON SATURDAY STRONGER THAN EVER. JUST GET CORPORATE MONEY OUT OF DEMOCRACY AND GIVE THE COUNTRY BACK TO THE CITIZENS. THE CALLER IS A 65 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO IS NOT UNEMPLOYED OR HOMELESS, A COLLEGE STUDENT OR A HIPPIE. THE CALLER IS ACTUALLY A RETIRED ATTORNEY WHO IS ASHAMED TO CALL HERSELF AMERICAN BECAUSE OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
You do realize that Zuccotti Park is private property, don’t you?
Don’t you think the owners have rights too?
Lorenzo just answered questions. He seems upbeat but they are expecting something to happen tonight. They will be covering it live.
If you want to follow occupywallstreet live, go to occupywallst.org and click on the live stream. They broadcast video clips from occupations around the country so what you see will vary.
Here is the other livestream from NYC. It looks like this one is broadcasting in real time.
http://www.livestream.com/occupywallstnyc
They are marching to meet Bloomberg at Williams St and Wall Street where he is currently having cocktails.
Love it!
From here, the comment Marsha offered sounds like a good plan to apply . . . everyone there in shifts so no one can be accused of lying down and sleeping but the park is covered.
If anyone thinks the idea is bad or unworkable, here might be as good a place as any to say why.
Someone in the livestream calls this OCCUPYDINNERPARTY
Going to Cipriani Restaurant to crash Bloomberg’s dinner.
Sounds like the protest broke into two parts and took different routes.
lots of cops on foot and mounted. A lot of barricades.
Cops are using bullhorns telling everyone to move.
people’s mic: “Obviously, the mayor does not believe in the democratic process. We’ve made our point. We’re going back to the park and we’re going to stay there until hell freezes over.”
cops are filming the action. The occupier with the camera says that ususally means the police are up to no good.
The police are closing the street around Cipriani’s. The police are about to make an announcement.
Inside the restaurant:
“The peasants are revolting”
{{sniff}} “Yes, I know”
Ruh-roh, here comes a whole phalanx of mean looking cops.
This is getting tense.
They have been ordered to keep moving. As long as they’re moving they won’t be arrested.
Ok, now they are going to arrest everyone for disorderly conduct
They are pushing everyone back to the park.
Sit down, pour yourself a drink, and calm down. Buy a yard sign from Howard Dean’s Democracy for America. Order yourself a “We’re the 99%” thong as a collectible if you must participate. When you read this in a couple of months, you’re going to feel really, really stupid. Think about how you’re going to explain to your 15 year-old daughter why for a few weeks in October 2011 you went batshit crazy. Trust me, you don’t want to have to do that. Take your own advice. Turn off the “news”.
Howard Dean?? You think I’m a Deaniac? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard for months.
By the way, you don’t need to buy a thong to participate. You can just make a regular donation, elliesmom.
Hey, make fun all you want. It looks like the Tea Party and mean, selfish, rugged individualism is no longer as popular as it was.
You’re on the wrong team, Elliesmom.
> When you read this in a couple of months, you’re going to feel really, really stupid.
No, we aren’t.
Yeah, I don’t get it. Why would I feel stupid? This thing is spreading like wildfire and a new polls says that 54% of Americans agree with the occupation’s sentiments. And another 23% aren’t quite sure. That leaves the people who oppose at a very small number.
I gotta wonder why the people who oppose are so thrilled with the boot of the 1% on their necks.
Poor Republicans and Obama women: two of the stupidest groups on the planet.
Personally I think it’s time they moved their show to the other partners in crime…their elected officials. How many congress critters were not only willing participants in this economic mess, but they paved the way with their “regulations” and legislation. How many benefitted personnally with either have a financial stake in some of these operations or getting special favors/campaign donations from said entities???
Everyone in Washington is thrilled we’re not standing outside with our pitchforks…time to take it to the people who are the most vile and despicable.
You’ve got it bass-ackward. I would feel really stupid if I had to explain to my 15 year old son why I DIDN’T try to defend our democracy from the oligarchs when I had the chance.
And so should you.
If anybody has access to a high window that looks down on Zucotti Park, a live cam would be nice. Exactly like Al Jazeera in Tahrir Square, eh?
The occupiers had two petitions with over 300,000 signatures to stay in the park.
Oooo, if you want to call Bloomberg at Cipriani’s directiy, here’s the number:
Phone: (212) 343-0999
Or, you could try faxing bloomberg at Cipriani’s:
Fax: (212) 925-3610
{{snicker}}
They got hold of the bartender who says he’s only the help, just another member of the 99%, trying to pay the rent. The bartender hung up.
Or at least he *says* he’s the bartender.
Cipriani’s:
phone (212)343-0999
Fax: (212)925-3610
I’ve been so nervous about hooking up the dishwasher that I haven’r run it until tonight. That’s two months since I unhooked it.
John Robb at Global Guerillas has been offering some suggestions on how to counter Mayor Bloomberg’s shutdown of Zucotti Park against the OWSers. John Robb has been following OWS in general lately. Here is the particular link. http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2011/10/bloomberg-vs-occupy.html#tp