JPMorgan gave a massive gift of $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation in the form of money, patrol car laptops, “security monitoring software,” and other tech resources. But the donation was given starting late last year and was completed by spring 2011, so it was obviously not made in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. …
The police foundation is the private fundraising arm of the NYPD. It allows donors to make tax-exempt gifts to the department and in turn the foundation funds a wide-range of specialized NYPD units, international counterterrorism work, and high-tech gadgetry.
“This gift is especially disturbing to us because it creates the appearance that there is an entrenched dynamic of the police protecting corporate interests rather than protecting the First Amendment rights of the people,” says Heidi Boghosian of the National Lawyers Guild, which has had legal observers posted at the major Occupy Wall Street marches. “They’ve essentially turned the financial district into a militarized zone.”
The NYPD, now sponsored by Wall Street – Salon.com
7 Oct
‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests Offer Obama Opportunity and Threats – NYTimes.com
7 OctAre the Democrats worthy?
To hear some Democratic analysts tell it, the mushrooming protests could be the start of a populist movement on the left that counterbalances the surge of the Tea Party on the right, and closes what some Democrats fear is an “enthusiasm gap” between their party and Republicans in the 2012 election.
But that assumes the president is able to win the support of these insurgents, rather than be shunned by them.
via ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests Offer Obama Opportunity and Threats – NYTimes.com.
Confronting the Malefactors – NYTimes.com
7 OctIt is, therefore, a testament to the passion of those involved that the protests not only continued but grew, eventually becoming too big to ignore. With unions and a growing number of Democrats now expressing at least qualified support for the protesters, Occupy Wall Street is starting to look like an important event that might even eventually be seen as a turning point.
What can we say about the protests? First things first: The protesters’ indictment of Wall Street as a destructive force, economically and politically, is completely right.
Wall St. Protest Lures Many New to This Sort of Thing – NYTimes.com
6 OctRichard Florentino, 62, a retired engineer from Staten Island, suggested that protesters might one day unite with the Democratic Party. Others said Occupy Wall Street might spawn a left-leaning equivalent of the Tea Party.
via Wall St. Protest Lures Many New to This Sort of Thing – NYTimes.com.
Major Unions Join Occupy Wall Street Protest – NYTimes.com
6 OctMr. Appelbaum [union leader in New York City] recalled asking a colleague over the phone to find out who was behind Occupy Wall Street — a bunch of hippies or perhaps troublemakers? — and whether the movement might quickly fade.
So far, at least, it has not, and on Wednesday, several prominent unions, struggling to gain traction on their own, made their first effort to join forces with Occupy Wall Street. Thousands of union members marched with the protesters from Foley Square to their encampment in nearby Zuccotti Park.
via Major Unions Join Occupy Wall Street Protest – NYTimes.com.
Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
5 OctA movement propelled by money – as the Tea Party is, gifted with millions from conservative influencers – dies without it. OWS has something more important than money: a marketing plan. Adbusters, who put out the initial call for the occupation, has always been savvy about mixing a healthy amount of “ad” in with its “busting”, borrowing the techniques and strategies of Madison Avenue even as it preaches abstinence from capitalism.
With franchises rolling out in LA, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and a growing list of celebrity endorsements, OWS has an advantage that even the most successful political campaigns lack: it isn’t even trying to get someone elected. Like Nike, like Coke, like America itself, OWS has the potential to become the most powerful thing an idea can be: background noise.
And let that background noise be a JOYFUL one! Make a joyful noise unto the Nations and dance your @ssets off!
Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
5 OctA movement propelled by money – as the Tea Party is, gifted with millions from conservative influencers – dies without it. OWS has something more important than money: a marketing plan. Adbusters, who put out the initial call for the occupation, has always been savvy about mixing a healthy amount of “ad” in with its “busting”, borrowing the techniques and strategies of Madison Avenue even as it preaches abstinence from capitalism.
With franchises rolling out in LA, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and a growing list of celebrity endorsements, OWS has an advantage that even the most successful political campaigns lack: it isn’t even trying to get someone elected. Like Nike, like Coke, like America itself, OWS has the potential to become the most powerful thing an idea can be: background noise.
And let that background noise be a JOYFUL one! Make a joyful noise unto the Nations and dance your @ssets off!
Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values Of The Real Boston Tea Party | ThinkProgress
4 OctIn recent years, the Boston Tea Party has been associated with a right-wing movement that supports policies favoring powerful corporations and the wealthy. … However, the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations picking up momentum across the country better embody the values of the original Boston Tea Party. …
1.) The Original Boston Tea Party Was A Civil Disobedience Action Against A Private Corporation. …
2.) The Original Boston Tea Party Feared That Corporate Greed Would Destroy America. …
3.) The Original Boston Tea Party Believed Government Necessary To Protect Against Corporate Excess. …
4.) The Original Boston Tea Party Was Sparked By A Corporate Tax Cut For A British Corporation. …
5.) The Original Boston Tea Party Wanted A Stronger Democracy. There is a common misconception that the Boston Tea Party was simply a revolt against taxation. The truth is much more nuanced, and there were many factors behind the opposition to the East India Company and the British government.
On Wall Street, a Protest Matures – NYTimes.com
4 OctANDREW ROSS SORKIN, who gets phone calls from Wall Street CEOs went down to Zuccotti Park to check out the protest.
“Is this Occupy Wall Street thing a big deal?” the C.E.O. asked me. I didn’t have an answer. “We’re trying to figure out how much we should be worried about all of this,” he continued, clearly concerned. “Is this going to turn into a personal safety problem?”
A personal safety issue? No. But . . .
… the underlying message of Occupy Wall Street — which spread to Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles on Monday — is something the big banks and corporate America may finally have to grapple with before it actually does become dangerous.
What’s the message?
At times it can be hard to discern, but, at least to me, the message was clear: the demonstrators are seeking accountability for Wall Street and corporate America for the financial crisis and the growing economic inequality gap.
And that message is a warning shot about the kind of civil unrest that may emerge — as we’ve seen in some European countries — if our economy continues to struggle.
Truth and Traditions 