Occupy Seattle's protest grew to more than 3,000 today, with more than 100 tents currently camping out in a downtown square.

Occupy Phoenix is still hanging out in the deck top park across from my condo, and I can see police arriving to kick them out. A helicopter has come over twice and announced that they need to leave. I just wish the TV station would turn off their big spotlight which is pointed at my window.:mad:

So, while in Chicago Saturday night, we saw the Occupy Chicago folks. They had a march from the front of the Fed to the horse at Grant Park. They had police escorts down Congress and onto Michigan Avenue. I'm not so good at estimating numbers, but they were the entire street wide and it took about a half an hour for the whole procession to pass us. We took some video and some pictures and hypoallergenic kept saying "This is SO cool. This is SO cool." It definitely appealed to her journalistic/political activist side. They were chanting a few different phrases, primarily "We are the 99%" and then, there was one who was kind of singing "Who wants to see what Democracy looks like?" and the crowd would chant back "THIS is what Democracy looks like". They were all very peaceful, many carrying peace signs and the people at the very end had a HUGE American flag which they were carrying, ensuring it didn't touch the ground. People were passing out fliers for all kinds of different agendas. The marchers were young and old, dressed in suits and dressed in sweats. All ages, genders and socio-economic statuses seemed to be present. A lot of people along the streets were joining them.

Apparently, at 11 pm, Grant Park closes and 200 people were arrested for refusing to leave the park. They had tents set up there, etc. Occupy Detroit has avoided that kind of issue by getting a permit to be where they are and ensuring they went somewhere that they could stay. They have a 60 day permit. There have been no arrests in Detroit so far.

I think, for the most part, a lot of people have felt either apathetic or hopeless about the economy. If nothing else, it's good to see people impassioned about the democratic process. I have to admit, it felt exciting to be right there.

What about race and ethnicity?

I know you weren't talking to me, but I can tell you that the Seattle protest has plenty of men, women, white, black, asian, white collar, blue collar, business owners, old, middle aged, yuppies, teens, families, urban dwellers, suburbanites, homeless and every other type of person you could think of. Except Amish...I haven't seen any Amish.

:) Thank you but I only asked about race and ethnicity and was specifically curious about Occupy Chicago since she mentioned "ages, genders and socio-economic statuses." Although race and socioeconomic status are highly correlated, race and ethnicity tend to be more physically identifiable than socioeconomic status.

I know you don't mean any harm but there is something embedded when people ask about race and ethnicity and the response is "everyone was there...everyone...and everything...maybe even unicorns pissing rainbows!" ;)

And of course "plenty" is subjective regardless of which group of people. My concept of "plenty" (and diversity, in general) may differ from yours. The diversity of the people at all of these protests will mirror what is going on in these cities. This presumed unity across group status sounds wonderful but it is not happening at the level that people assume that it is. There was thankfully more diversity at today's MLK Dedication than will be found in some cities' protests.

Occupy Wall Street Shows Muscle and Raises 300K

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44924775/ns/us_news-life/

Has anyone here been to an Occupy whatever rally? I'd totally go but my career and other responsibilities just get in the way.

I am protesting our city's protest despite my colleagues' support for it.

:cool: I'll be on the lookout for them in "Occupy Smicksburg."

Whatever. Occupy Phoenix and many other groups have been on weekends and after hours when many people are not working. I didn't go to Occupy Phoenix since I was already occupied (no pun intended.) I have a co-worker that went. She's awesome. She says she went to mainly irritate her family.:D I'm on vacation this week so i'll get her take on it when I get back.

There was definitely a mix of African American and Caucasian but I don't know if I saw any Asians. Then again, with 2000 people marching down the street, I'm sure I didn't see everybody. I did take some videos. I can't tell from the videos. People from the street were joining them too.

I guess technically I was at the one in Chicago. Politicians don't let their career and responsibilities get in the way of campaigning though so... why should the people?

I would rather see people trying to do something about the things they are angry about than just sitting back and being apathetic. These folks seem to believe their actions will effect change. I think, as a society, we tend to let things happen to us and then get angry and complain about it. They are trying to do something. I admire that.

What I find sort of ironic is how similar their start is to the tea party, which originally said it would have no leader or spokesperson. It will be interesting to see where this goes. Will there be Occupy candidates eventually? We'll see.

It's like those chapters where there are green and purple sisters. :)

I know, right? The idea of taking a day off, driving 50 miles into the city and paying to park allllll day to sit on a bench does not sound so appealing.

If they decide to occupy our town, I'd probably go. But for a variety of reasons that will probably never happen.

Thank you.

Such Crayola diversity! :D

Now that more Occupy people know what they are Occupying, I think it is a wonderful movement and I love their right to protest.

I also think it's important to note that every movement thinks that its movement is THE movement that people should be paying attention to and participating in. I am participating in other movements that I consider important voices for change; but they are more ignored because the dominant/majority has yet to declare it THE movement. Lest we be reminded what happened with some women's, workers', and racial and ethnic minoritities' rights movements prior to the dominant/majority saying "oh yeah...that's important to us...."

I witnessed/experienced my first Occupy thing on Saturday. I was at a block party and they had an info booth there. I guess most of the proceeds from the event went to occupy El Paso as well. Hopefully it was the D team they sent to represent there because I was not impressed at all. Their main point was that we as a country should quit capitalism and adopt a socialist form of government. I tried to talk/ration/debate them but it was pointless.

i happened upon Occupy DC last night after dinner. One of the girls I was with was very curious to find out more. We went into the park / tent city and saw families, dogs, and a *lot* of young people. Mind you, the park they're occupying is normally a safe haven for the homeless downtown. my church and other action groups i work with normally feed people there, distribute toiletries, host Bible Study, etc.

Of course, as we walked into the camp the first thing my friend said was "I wonder how all the homeless people feel about this?" We couldn't find any to ask. I guess gentrification has hit :(

We stopped to have a conversation with a very passionate young man who claimed to be a veteran. He threw out anecdotes, a few statistics, and kept repeating that things had to change. I can dig his passion but overall something felt insincere about the group WE happened to encounter.

Maybe that guy wasn't the best representative - or maybe Occupy DC isn't going at it like other Occupy _____ cities. I can't speak for anyone else but after stopping by, seeing it for ourselves, and actually talking to the people there I can't say I've been moved. :confused:

Some homeless people are pissed and some are thrilled to have a more unified front.

Some homeless have had beef with the Occupy activists across the country. That can result in cross words and violence if the Occupy are not careful--and if they are taking the homeless' "territory."

In listening to NPR today, there is something going on in Philadelphia:

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/10/2...upy-wallstreet

http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2...ifteen_arrests

I was annoyed that some Occupy activists were telling each other not to call the police when there are crimes and violence during these Occupy movements. Handle it in-house. I'm glad they nixed that dumb idea. :rolleyes:

The Occupy Detroit people have also taken over a park where a lot of homeless people stay. They are feeding them freely, providing them with tents of their own and those who want to help are helping around camp. They seem to be getting along great.

Free food and tents? If I was homeless, I would be a fan of Occupy Anything.

Until the Occupy movement started occupying too much of my time and space. And police removal of Occupy protestors AND homeless people began. Then I would want those Occupiers to go home so that I could be homeless in peace with minimal police interruption and without random people hanging around. Oh yeah...leave the food and tents.

That's good to hear but unfortunately that isn't the case in other places.
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/29561835/detail.html

This guy said it best.

I wonder how long the "Occupying" is going to continue? It's getting pretty cold in these parts.

**Newsbulletin**

The relative few African American Occupiers are quiting because the temperature has gone from 75 degrees to 50 degrees in some cities. Rain and light snow are expected in some cities over the weekend. Bye, bye Black folks have you any woooooool....

**Newsbulletin**

I'm joking but this highlights what the Philadelphia guest on NPR was talking about yesterday about Occupiers stopping once it gets cold. It also highlights how some Occupy protestors are not completely occupying anything. They are leaving work and home to protest (read: walk around with signs and yell) and returning to work and home everyday. They are not there all day and sleeping in tents. If it gets too cold and there is inclement weather, perhaps more Occupiers will end the homelessness routine and become part-time Occupiers. They may also find a way to get more people to donate money and resources rather than their physical presence.

Occupy Detroit has a 60 day permit which began October 14th. They are primarily occupying in shifts so it's not the same people there every night. For example, in their medical tent, the nurses and doctors who are volunteering there do so on their days off. Weekends have been much busier than week days, which does show that the whole "Why don't they just get jobs" argument against them is not a valid comment.

:eek: There's SNOW out there this morning!!!!!

The Occupy Detroit seems to be pretty interesting- I like the idea of assisting the homeless instead of just trying to act like them.

However...after 12 years in the military (reserve), I will never sleep in a tent again, for any reason. Ever. There is just never going to be a compelling enough reason.

I work in downtown OKC, but have mostly been able to avoid the protests. From the few times I've driven by, I've seen a bunch of tents, but not so many people.

In NYC, they're only expecting a couple inches, although it looks A MESS here in Jersey, and we could get up to 12'. Occupy Boston might also see a few people running for shelter, and I haven't heard much about an Occupy Pittsburgh movement, but if there is one, there might not be many people left after today.

We'll have to see how the weather affects the protestors. As has already been said, some of these people do have jobs, and homes, and they can go back to them at any time, leaving the OWS movement behind.

I'll be interested to see the possible drop in population out on the streets of the northern cities over the next couple of months.

http://newsone.com/nation/newsonesta...mcamp=EMC-CVNL

http://cdn1.newsone.com/files/2011/1...ts-300x206.jpg

Hello, Dr. Cornel West.

I read this today and thought of you. There was an interesting quote about this not being a "white thing".

I agree that the purpose behind this movement is not a "white thing." :)

General comment and not a response to AOII Angel/

However, I consider outcome/application to be more important than intent/purpose. It is no coincidence that Occupy has been a predominantly "white thing." There is minimal racial and ethnic diversity in most cities where there is an Occupy. Also, the Occupiers who have been "the voice" of this movement and who are considered "leaders" are not racial and ethnic minorities. People pretending that this racial makeup is a mere coincidence and race does not matter is one reason why Occupy Harlem is necessary.

I agree. That is what I found interesting about the article I read. It was on HP. After the discussions her on GC, I thought, "Aha...this has been on someone else's mind other than Dr. Phil." ;)

ETA: HP article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/occupy-harlem-organizers-_n_1067790.html

"Occupy Wall Street is not a quote-unquote white thing. It is a white thing that the 1 percent and the bankers are representing white oligarchy and white plutocrats for the most part," Bailey said. "But this is an organic movement from the bottom up. Now we have to take advantage, seize the time and the moment ... and it is time that we become part of this landscape so we can begin to highlight our issues."

I did a thread search to see if someone already mentioned this, but I didn't find anything.....

http://www.daveramsey.com/newsletter...cnl_13#feature

"A lot of people on Twitter are saying I totally agree with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demands and goals. The only problem is that I have no idea what their demands and goals are. And neither does anyone else. If all you ever do is stomp around, yell and hold up signs protesting a million different things, sure you'll get some attention, but over time, you'll just look foolish. You end up coming across like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum.

This is what's happening to the OWS movement. They're being discredited because no one has stepped forward and really stated what it is they're after. The whole group is coming across like a bunch of jacked-up, jobless, wannabe hippies. That's not going to change anything in this country. You've got to state your goals clearly if you want to accomplish something."

Yeah, spot on. The article continues with 4 goals worth mentioning.

Wow, things are getting out of hand now..
http://lol.escoflip.com/

Bitch.

I just want to say that Dave Ramsey is awesome.

BWAA-HA-HA-HA!

Oh snap! I got RickRolled!!!! LOL

I always loved Rick Astley. :)

Uh, Yeeeah. I just wish I had known about him 10 years ago before I did stupid with $0s on the end.....

Things are getting interesting for Occupy Detroit. New signs have been posted in the park where they are camping that say the park closes at 10 pm. Apparently their permit was not granted for 60 days, but only 30 days and that is up Monday night. Their park is along the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade route and is a key place for grandstands and I suspect that is the motivation for getting them out next week. Apparently they've been offered the use of a building by a union for an indoor occupation through winter, which is pretty cool. They had an emergency meeting last night which was on livestream and it was pretty interesting to see. Police showed up in riot gear but just surrounded them and left when the meeting ended.