Everyone at SIUC can breathe a sigh of relief. The strike is OVER! Apparently there is still no agreement, but they believe they are close enough to be able to return. Yay!
Here are your Occupy updates for today:
*Let's go international for a bit!
-- Political battles have been so fierce in Chile that everyone barely took notice when Occupy Santiago cropped up. The battles have been mostly between students and the billionaire president, over fixing the country's for-profit education system. Around 70% of the population agrees with the students, say polls. The president often sends out police with riot gear, water cannons, and tear gas when the public holds a demonstration.
-- Bangladesh has also been protesting for a very long time. Last year, the Dhaka Stock Exchange collapsed, taking the savings of much of the country with it. Occupy Dhaka is not happy with the way the government is handling things, and has promised more disruptions.
-- Italians are still having issues with police. When police conduct raids against Occupiers, they don't stop there. They also visit and raid the protesters' homes.
-- One of the big news stories today is that "occupy" has been the most commonly used word in media for the last year. (Slow news day?)
-- Occupy LSX had their march go peacefully. While over 4000 police officers surrounded the Occupiers and students, most happily made their way to the meeting place an dispersed. About 24 arrests occurred.
-- Speaking of a different London, Occupy London (Ontario) had 2 arrests last night. One person was arrested for trespassing after park hours ended. The other was a man in a cast, who was dragged from his tent.
-- Occupy Vancouver was given a temporary reprieve. They were supposed to have vacated the park by last night, but when over 150 protesters remained, police stood down. They now have a deadline of 2pm today.
*And in the US...
-- City Council members voted to exempt Occupy Eugene from the ban on camping in municipal parks until December.
-- Occupy Harvard is officially underway. Students were initially locked out of the gates of Harvard Yard, but they flashed ID cards while fighting to get in. Once they did, they set up tents. The student life dean asked them to move to another place. They refused.
-- Occupy Dallas says it will sue the city. The city is saying Occupy Dallas violated its settlement agreements, and the Occupiers disagree.
-- 2 people were arrested at Occupy SF last night, one for assault and an outstanding warrant, and the other for suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon.
-- Occupy San Diego has announced their intentions of filing a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the city and police for violating the First Amendment rights of the protesters. They are arguing against selective enforcement of certain laws, such as the one making it illegal to place personal belongings on private property. They also cite a case where a man was given a citation for "illegal use of a horn" for honking for les than 3 seconds while driving past the protesters.
-- 3 protesters were arrested in Tampa for sleeping in a public park, among other charges, like trespassing, resisting arrest, and one charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
-- Occupy Chattanooga has set up tents on the courthouse steps, regardless of local ordinances saying they cannot.
-- It was City Council versus Occupy Oakland in a shout match yesterday. The council members held a press conference calling for the immediate removal of the encampment, when Occupiers swarmed the area and began chanting. City Council members chanted back "Occupy Oakland must go!"
-- The Chicago Transit Authority has teamed up with Occupy Chicago to fight the Mayor's proposed reductions in CTA's employee benefits and compensation.
-- Occupy Nashville is not a bit surprised at recent news. Tennessee Highway Patrol officers were apparently asked to go undercover last month, and infiltrate the camp before the mass arrests. According to protesters, the undercover officers had a difficult time blending in, and they were able to tell who might be attempting to infiltrate.
*The biggest news from last night is:
-- Occupy Cal (Berkeley) was raided twice last night. The first time, six students and an associate professor were arrested, for resisting officers and failing to disperse. Protesters from Occupy Oakland and Occupy SF soon joined, and 39 people were arrested in violent clashes with police. Police were seen beating students with batons. Occupy Cal is trying to bring attention to the increasingly privatized educational systems.
That's all for today everyone! I leave for Chicago tonight around 3am. Wish me luck!
***Solidarity***
As always, if you have comments, corrections, or info, please email me at elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com.
<3
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