REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Occupy Movements Nationwide Celebrate Thanksgiving

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Sunday, November 27, 2011 04:39
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Friday, November 25, 2011 6:07 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

Anti-Wall Street demonstrators in encampments around the country spent Thanksgiving serving turkey, donating time in solidarity with the protest movement and, in some cases, confronting police.

In San Francisco, 400 occupiers at a plaza in the financial district were served traditional Thanksgiving fixings sent by the renowned Glide Memorial Church to volunteers and supporters of the movement fighting social and economic inequality.

"We are thankful that we are, first and foremost, in a country where we can protest," said the Rev. Cecil Williams, the founder of Glide and a fixture in the city's activist community. "And we are thankful that we believe that there are things that could be worked out and that we have a sense of hope. But we know that hope only comes when you make a stand."

While thing were peaceful in San Francisco, the situation became heated in Oakland when police say a truck driver tried to deliver portable rest room to protesters at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

When officers ordered the driver to leave because he had no permit, police and about 150 protesters squared off, according to police spokeswoman Johnna Watson.

One person was arrested, Watson said.

In New York, a squabble erupted when police ordered a halt to drumming by protesters at an otherwise traditional holiday meal.

About 500 protesters were digging into donated turkey and trimmings at lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park when police told a drummer to drop playing.

About 200 protesters surrounded a group of about 30 officers and began shouting in the park where the Occupy movement was launched Sept. 17.

"Why don't you arrest the drummers in the Thanksgiving parade?" a protester hollered.

A van rolled up with more officers, but they stayed back as protesters eventually decided to call off the drumming and return to their food. Tensions have run high at the park since campers were evicted Nov. 15.

In San Diego, four Occupy protesters were arrested between midnight and 2 a.m. Thursday at an encampment at the City's Civic Center Plaza, said Officer David Stafford. Three were taken into custody for sleeping overnight in public, while the fourth was arrested for spitting on an officer, Stafford said.

In upstate New York, Danny Cashman, 25, an Afghanistan war veteran who works for a company that resells cellphones, said he sleeps at least three nights a week at an encampment in Rochester to show his solidarity with the movement.

"For today, this is my family," Cashman said as he dug into a chicken dinner at the 35-tent encampment in tiny Washington Square Park. "We have a great brotherhood, great friends, a great community."

In Los Angeles, where more than 480 tents have been erected on the lawns of City Hall, activist Teri Adaju, 46, said she typically serves dinner to homeless people on Thanksgiving.


Occupy Wall Street protestors host Thanksgiving dinner in Zuccotti park, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in New York. Protestors used the holiday to give thanks alongside strangers at outdoor Occupy encampments nationwide, serving turkey or donating their time in solidarity with the anti-Wall Street movement. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/occupy-movements-nationwide-celebra
te-thanksgiving-15026434

I wish there had been more feeding of the homeless, since most protesters can get their own food, but apparently some did, and the comraderie must have been nice.

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Friday, November 25, 2011 6:26 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important



Hello,

I believe there has been some tension between some of the protesters and some of the homeless. The protesters are anxious not to be associated with the greater homeless population, and have expressed frustration at homeless people sharing their space merely for the free food. There was an article posted about it here some weeks ago.

On the issue of the port-a-potty, I am surprised. Where will people go if there are no bathrooms? I'd rather have the permitless toilet than the permitless crap on the lawn.

Finally, the drummer situation seems illegal. That is, I believe the police may have been violating the drummer's rights. Why can't a person play the drums? I often see musicians performing on streetsides and parks. What harm is there in it?

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner


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Sunday, November 27, 2011 4:39 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


That's interesting, thank you Anthony. I hadn't heard about the friction, but I'm not surprised. Often attempts to help the less-well-off can turn out not the way one intends. It's sad to see; I know we've gotten used to at least one nutcase (so far not the same one twice) coming to our demonstrations or G.A. and hollering, etc. We usually have a point person to approach them, engage them in convesation, and steer them away from the group. It works quite well...so far!

I have no doubt some difficult people are attracted to OWS gatherings...they are to most gatherings. Talked to an "event coordinator" (or somesuch, forget his title) who was taking down some flags from the night before ("Santa" had visited the plaza). He wanted to infrm us that the fountain there had been vandalized right after last Saturday's demonstration. Was a shock; you expect that kind of thing in the big cities, but not here in silly little San Rafael. Thankfully they never had any doubt it wasn't us, he just wanted us to know, to be on the lookout for anyone hanging around and to let them know if we saw anything. But it was a major bumer; they had ripped out all the pipes, which were plastic and he said cheap to replace, but the man hours... Plus it's just plain wrong...disgusting!



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