New York, NY – Organizers at Occupy Wall Street are claiming victory this morning, Oct. 14, as City Hall backed down on its threat to clear out Zuccotti Park, supposedly for ‘cleaning.’ Zuccotti Park is the center of the protest movement. More than 7000 protesters, many with brooms and scrub brushes, packed Zuccotti Park to overflowing at 6:00 a.m. for the general assembly. An announcement was then made that Mayor Bloomberg backed down on his threats and a cheer rose up through the crowd as news spread from person to person that protesters would stay in the park.
Milwaukee, WI – About 75 protesters rallied outside of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson’s office at the Federal Courthouse here. Riot police swarmed inside and outside of the building, refusing to allow the activists to meet their representative. 19 activists who entered the building refused to leave until they were allowed a meeting with Johnson; instead they were arrested, loaded into paddy wagons and hauled off to the first precinct. Each of the demonstrators arrested was issued a $171 ticket for trespassing and released.
New York, NY – “We are determined to remain united and to stay,” states Tracy Molm, a participant in Occupy Wall Street. Molm is one of the 1000+ protesters in Zuccotti Park Thursday night, Oct. 13. City authorities say they will start ‘cleaning’ the park Friday morning.
Chicago, IL – On Oct. 10, Chicago kicked off two large conventions, one for the Mortgage Bankers Association and the other for the Futures Options trading association – both groups that represent the rich who caused the latest recession. In the spirit of fighting back, Chicagoans, more than 7000 strong took to the streets and tied downtown up for four hours.
Minneapolis, MN – Around two hundred people marched from the OccupyMN People’s Plaza to nearby TCF Bank Tower, Oct. 11. Marchers chanted “The banks got bailed out, people got sold out!” and “ho ho hey hey, make the rich pay!” The march targeted TCF Bank because the locally-based bank tries to dominate Minnesota’s economy and politics with extreme pro-corporate policies.
Minneapolis, MN – Clyde Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement (AIM) organized a rich and moving Indigenous People’s day ceremony of speakers, dancing and drumming for OccupyMN at the People’s Plaza, Oct 10.
Washington, DC – Protesters converged on Washington, D.C. the weekend of Oct. 8-9. Events organized by October 2011/Stop the Machine and Occupy D.C. were held at Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square. Thousands marched and rallied over the weekend to demand good jobs for all, an end to war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq and increased taxes on the rich.
Gainesville, FL – The ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests finally reached here on Oct. 5. Working people and students from across Gainesville converged on the downtown farmers market to hold the first Occupy Gainesville assembly.
Minneapolis, MN – Occupy Minnesota, which began on October 7 in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, continues it’s ongoing protest presence in People’s Plaza in downtown Minneapolis (the plaza between 5th & 6th Street and 3rd & 4th Avenue). Each day brings more support and more actions. The main theme of OccupyMN is “people before profits.”
Minneapolis, MN – With the theme of “People before profits” and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, a similar occupation started on Oct. 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Minneapolis. The ongoing Minneapolis occupation is at Government Plaza (300 South 6th Street, downtown Minneapolis), which the Occupy MN movement has renamed “People’s Plaza.” Organizers are inviting people to come any time to learn more and to join the occupation.
Fitzgerald: “It's like I have duct tape across my mouth.”
On Oct. 6, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald gave a talk entitled, “Prosecuting Terrorism in the Courts” to a meeting of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Chicago. While 20 people gathered outside to protest, three members of the Committee Against Political Repression went inside to question Fitzgerald directly.
Minneapolis, MN – With the theme of “People before profits” and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, a similar occupation will start on Friday, Oct. 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis occupation will be at Government Plaza (300 South 6th Street, downtown Minneapolis). The Occupy MN movement has already renamed it “People’s Plaza.” This is one of many ongoing occupations that have sprung up around the country since the Wall Street occupation began on Sept. 17.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution from the 72nd National UE Convention, held Sept. 25-29. The resolution condemns the FBI and grand jury repression aimed at anti-war, labor and international solidarity activists and urges support for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.
New York, NY – In a city of nine million people, protesters aren’t supposed to shut down a major traffic artery on a Saturday afternoon. But on Saturday, October 1, Occupy Wall Street did just that, blocking the Brooklyn Bridge and sending a loud message to the bankers and politicians from Wall Street to Washington D.C. to California that a new day is at hand.
On October 1, Occupy Wall Street continued to grow and attract support from new sectors. Thousands marched, and the NYPD arrested more than 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. These photos show some of the spirit of the occupation and the march, before the NYPD's mass arrests. All photos by Carolyn Riccardi.
Fight Back News is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, as Committee member Carlos Montes goes to court Sept. 29.
“Tenemos que ser fuertes y estar listos para cualquier cosa del gobierno”
¡Lucha y Resiste! habló con Jess Sundin del Comité para Parar la Represion del FBI sobre los casos de los activistas llamados al Gran Jurado de Chicago. Sundin es una de las activistas que el FBI cateó el 24 de septiembre de 2010. La redacción de ¡Lucha y Resiste! quiere que todos nos ayuden a pasar esta información a la mayor cantidad de gente posible.
Los Angeles, CA – Más de 60 personas asistieron a una protesta aquí cerca del Edificio de la Corte Criminal el 12 de agosto para exigir el fín de los cargos contra el lider chicano y activista anti-guerra Carlos Montes. Montes ya se había presentado en la Corte de Alhambra, California el 6 de julio, donde él se declaró innocente de las 6 felonías relacionadas a las leyes de armas de California.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa'adat on the upcoming hunger strike of Palestinian political prisoners.
