Updates 12/1/11

Good morning everyone.

Here we are in December. Who would've thought?

Here is your news for today:

-- After the arrests at Occupy Philly, protesters gathered as they waited for the release of those in custody. Occupiers exchanged stories about the event. By 11 a.m. yesterday, all but 4 had been released.

-- The city of LA is claiming that protesters have left behind over 30 tons of debris. Regardless of what they left behind, it is all headed to a landfill, after being scooped up by people in haz-mat suits. This includes books, cds, cell phones, other electronics, art, and plenty of other items. They say they are also testing the water left in a catch for hazardous materials. (We all know how us Occupiers turn radioactive after a full moon.)

-- Occupy Raleigh and Occupy Durham worked together to interrupt a speech by the CEO and President of Wells Fargo. About 20 Occupiers were escorted out of the college, with no arrests.

-- Protesters in New York who marched to a hotel in order to protest President Obama's fundraiser found themselves backed into a corner. After they arrived at the spot, they were barricaded in, and told by police that the area was "frozen" until the departure of the President. When some occupiers attempted to leave, they were shoved back in by police.

-- The ACLU is standing with Occupy Oakland in court, saying that the police need to be brought into accordance with their own policies concerning crowd control, and into accordance with protesters' constitutional rights. The judge said that while he will take the request into consideration, it requires more than 2 events to justify such a ruling.

-- Occupy Phoenix had a run in with police while protesting a summit for legislators at a resort. Police pepper-sprayed the crowd several times, but stated they only sprayed "aggressive" protesters. One Occupier stated that he was simply holding up a peace sign, and was sprayed twice for it. (OH GOD A PEACE SIGN KILL IT) Seven people were also arrested on various charges.

-- Police had a standoff with Occupy San Diego yesterday. Previously, they had arrested a congressional candidate for trespassing when he set up a table on plaza property, outside a private office building, in order to register people to vote. According to the law, registering voters is legal. Police stated that while it is legal to register voters, setting up a table is not. When protesters set up the table anyway, police eventually stood down, saying that building managers may come out and ask them to move later.

-- Monday's Occupy the Capitol event in Olympia was one of the largest demonstrations in Washington state, with over 3,000 people in attendance. With 300 people holding a sit-in at the capitol dome, they were ejected by police, some of which used stun guns. Around 30 people were arrested, and 6 state troopers were injured, including two who say they were bitten.

-- Occupy San Francisco is watching carefully for police. The protesters had been given until this morning to disperse. At the time I am writing this, protesters have not yet been evicted. This comes after the group turned down a "sketchy" offer to move to a fenced in encampment area.

-- Occupy LSX stormed the building of the Xstrata company, resulting in at least 20 arrests. Protesters who made it to the roof of the building hung a sign that read "All Power to the 99 Percent." The group targeted Xstrata because one of their executives is the highest paid chief executive officer in the past year.

-- Occupy Baltimore has been denied a permit- again. The city says they are turning down the permits because no more than 150 people should be in the square, it is closed after 11p.m., and that permits are not granted for more than 5 days. They say that while they are "committed to protecting individuals' right to protest... permanent camping is prohibited in public parks." They also say the other groups have already secured permits for holiday and other use.

-- Occupy New Haven is flying their flags upside down. The protesters say this reflects the international symbol for distress, and that since the nation is in distress, it is only fitting. Some are saying it is disrespectful to the flag.

-- 8 more protesters have been banned from the Occupy Maine encampment. Some were arrested for drinking, while one man was arrested for public urination within 100 feet of a public toilet.

That's all I have for today. Hope you are all warm and well.

***Solidarity***

If you have any questions, comments, corrections, or other information, please email me at elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com.