Hello everyone.
The Corporate Media is feigning quite a bit of surprise in Occupiers for celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. How noble of them.
Also, if you do contact me using the email at the bottom of the news, please include something about "Occupy" in the title. I get tons of spam, and I don't want to accidentally delete your communication. Thanks.
Happy Friday the 13th. :)
Here's the news for today:
-- The Mayor of the District of Columbia has written a letter to the National Park Service, asking that the Occupiers be evicted. He cites health concerns and the "growing rat population" as some of several reasons he wants them gone. He has suggested that they move to one park, rather than two, but the National Park Service has contended that the protesters have a right to be there.
-- Occupy Rochester is celebrating a small victory today. 28 Occupiers have had all charges against them dropped. A second bunch of Occupiers are set to be in court later this month for similar charges, and protesters are hoping for the same outcome.
-- University Regents from the University of California will be meeting at UC Riverside next week, and officials are scrambling to prepare for the protest. Busloads of students from other campuses are expected, and UC Police will be screening everyone with metal detectors and searching bags. Other safety measures are expected, but are not yet being made public.
-- Occupy Portland (OR) is affecting public policy. The Portland City Council passed a resolution yesterday, asking Congress to overturn the Supreme Court ruling that corporations have unlimited spending in elections. Occupiers are hailing the motion as not only a victory for them, but also for Portland and the American People.
-- Occupy Atlanta also had a victory yesterday, by helping a historic church ward off foreclosure. The church had taken out a loan for tornado repairs, but fell behind on payments once membership fell. When the church attempted to refinance, the bank said they would instead be foreclosing, leading the Pastor to reach out to Occupy Atlanta, who moved in the next day. The same day Occupiers joined the fight, the bank offered to refinance. The church firmly believes it was the Occupiers who changed the bank's mind.
-- Occupier and US Army Master Sergeant Jay Polk has been killed overseas on active duty, say his family and friends in San Diego. Polk was known as "Chef," for helping to serve 500-1000 meals a day to Occupiers in the beginning of the movement. A memorial service was held yesterday, with people remembering Polk as a "Man of Honor," and a man who "sacrificed his time and money to help others." He leaves behind his partner, Julie, and their children.
-- Protesters with Occupy Bristol are refusing to vacate a courtroom after a judge ruled that they must leave church-owned land. The court has not yet decided to remove the Occupiers, rather hanging a sign outside the room saying "This court is now closed."
-- Seven Occupiers were arrested at the FIU Art and Music Festival yesterday. They were asked to move to another lot, but they were still talking. When they stood up to go to the free forum area, they were arrested. There are several conflicting stories concerning the arrests, with some people saying Occupiers were attempting to comply by moving, and others saying they argued for nearly an hour before moving.
That's all for today, everyone.
***Solidarity***
If you need to contact me, please do so at elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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