'Occupy' anti-capitalism protests spread around the world

[Obambam]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15498098

28 October 2011 Last updated at 22:41

Occupy Wall Street: Arrests in Nashville and San Diego

Protesters in two US cities have been detained after police moved into their camps during the night.

Demonstrators say they are protesting economic inequality and corporate greed

In Nashville, a new law was enacted preventing camping overnight near the Tennessee state Capitol.

In San Diego, police arrested 51 people at 02:30 (9:30 GMT), removing tents, canopies, tables and other furniture.

On the US East Coast, many of those taking part in Occupy protests are preparing for an unseasonally cold storm due to hit this weekend.

As much as 10in (25cm) of snow is expected in some areas on Saturday, with between two and four inches forecast for New York City.

Protesters are raising money and floating ideas for how to cope as the temperature drops.

Suggestions reportedly include stockpiling donated coats and blankets, trying to find more secure tents and turning to possible indoor locations.

"Everyone's been calling it our Valley Forge moment," Michael McCarthy, a former Navy medic in Providence, Rhode Island, told the Associated Press news agency, referring to a harsh winter during the American War of Independence.

"Everybody thought that George Washington couldn't possibly survive in the north-east."

Earlier this week, two people from Occupy Denver were admitted to hospital suffering from hypothermia after a storm dumped several inches of snow on the city.

In New York City, the fire department confiscated generators and fuel from protesters because officials said they posed a fire risk.

State troopers

A winter storm has not disbanded the Occupy Denver protest - but it has sent two to hospital

In Nashville, protesters said police surrounded Legislative Plaza and made the arrests in the early hours of Friday morning.

One of the protesters, Katy Savage, told the Associated Press that police took - and in some cases dragged - protesters to waiting buses as the group sat and sang "We Shall Overcome".

A police statement said around two dozen protesters left the area without incident, but those who refused to leave were detained.

Around 75 state troopers were used for the operation.

The arrested protesters were released with citations for criminal trespassing and will appear in court on 18 November.

The San Diego arrests early on Friday came after police negotiations with demonstrators broke down, Chief William Lansdowne told AP.

Encampments had formed on the city's Civic Center Plaza and Children's Park for three weeks.

Police said there had been complaints of unsanitary conditions, including littering, urination and drug use.

Demonstrators in San Diego may return after the cleanup, officials said, but without without tents.

'We are all Scott Olson'

The arrests follow 50 in Atlanta on Tuesday. Oakland's police department confirmed there were 102 arrests in that city on Tuesday, amid clashes between police and protesters.

One man was seriously injured in Oakland during the clashes.

On Thursday evening a crowd of around 1,000 people held a vigil in the Californian city for the injured man, Scott Olsen, who is still in hospital with a fractured skull.

The former marine has become a touchstone for Occupy Wall Street demonstrators across the US.

Twitter users and protest websites have come out in solidarity, insisting: "We are all Scott Olsen".

Occupy protests have spread to cities across the US, on the East Coast where the movement began, and at many points further west.

The message has also caught the imagination of people in Europe, with similar protests in cities overseas including London, Rome and Berlin.

I admire the fighting spirit of these protesters. They are willing to go all the way disregarding the cold and the incoming snow storm.

 

[Obambam]

BBC News - Police move in on Occupy Portland protest camp

14 November 2011 Last updated at 01:32

Police move in on Occupy Portland protest camp

Occupy protesters and police in riot gear confronted each other in central Portland in the US state of Oregon.

Occupy Wall Street is in its second month of protest against corporate greed and economic inequality

Up to 1,000 protesters remained near fenced-off parks which the mayor had given demonstrators a deadline of Sunday morning to leave.

About 15 demonstrators were reported to have been arrested.

The authorities across the US are trying to close down encampments occupied by protesters for weeks.

In Portland, police using loudspeakers warned that anyone who resisted orders to leave the parks and surrounding areas risked arrest and "may also be subject to chemical agents and impact weapons."

Demonstrators chanted "We are a peaceful protest," "I don't see no riot here, take off your riot gear" and "The whole world is watching".

The confrontation was generally peaceful, witnesses said.

Deadline

The mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, had ordered the camp to be shut down on the grounds that "crime, especially reported assaults, has increased in the area around the camps".

On Sunday, the mayor defended his order to clear the park, saying it was his job to enforce the law and keep the peace. "This is not a game," Mr Adams said.

Officials said that one officer suffered minor injuries when he was hit in the leg by a projectile.

Police also moved in to evict protesters camping in the cities of Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday.

Seventeen people were arrested in Denver, police said.

On Thursday, two fatal shootings took place at or near Occupy protest camps in US cities.

A man was killed after a fight broke out close to the Occupy camp in Oakland, California, but it is not clear if he was a protester.

In Burlington, Vermont, a 35-year-old war veteran apparently shot himself in the head in a tent at an Occupy camp.

On Friday, a 42-year-old man was found dead inside his tent at an Occupy Salt Lake City protest in Utah.

Officials believe he died from a combination of drugs and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Occupy Wall Street is in its second month of protest against corporate greed and economic inequality.

And the rights for the people to voice their opinions against corporate greed, inequality and governments lack of actions are again being questioned and forcefully challenged by the police.

 

[T-Rex]

These protesters should focus and turn two or three major cities into Arab Spring instead of spreading out in all US cities.